Thoughts

Random thoughts, reflections and dreams

Writer’s Workshop: Some Inspiration

Saw this on my facebook feed this week.

Saw this on my facebook feed this week.

I have been seeing a lot of positive messages on my news feed on Facebook this week . This particular one caught my attention and made me sit up while reading it.

It is true that we don’t need so many things in life. Many things that we dream of owning are superfluous. The item that you have is actually  junk which you hoard as you assumed that it was important in your life.

Many a times we are so caught up in the rat race  and wanting more that it causes us to be frustrated. We are sometimes green with envy as we perceive others having more then us. Other people seem to be able to have it all as compared to us.  Good things and wealth comes their way  effortless as compared to the struggles that we have go through.

Having such negative thoughts in one’s mind causes one to feel small. You start to  discount all the achievements that you have  gotten so far and devalue yourself in the process. You start to feel inferior and may even shy away from other people wishing to be distant  instead of the spot light where others may openly mock your inefficiencies and shortcomings.

You sometimes start to feel depressed and/ or paranoid and it seems that the whole world is against you with nothing ever going right for you.

Like the toxins in a viper’s fangs, the negativity has penetrated throughout your body with that single “bite”. Your vision is clouded and you have fallen into the trap of materialism.

If you do not take action and address your state of mind you may lose yourself in a downward spiral of greed and covet things that do not belong to us.

There is no need to have it all..

Make the best of all YOU have.

 

GOD gives you what you need. Not what you desire and yearn for which doesn’t not give any real value to your life. It is up to you to decide what you want to do with the blessing that you have already received.

There will always be other people that are better or worst of if you want to compare your current status with others. There is no end to comparison and it will certainly not make one a better person if you indulge yourself in such petty behavior.

It is up to YOU to decide what you want to do with the talents and abilities that you already have to live the life that you want.  Be appreciative with what you have given to you and take action to grow and develop yourself as you plan what to do with your remaining time here on this earth.

I strongly believe that it is possible to find solutions to any problems or challenges  which come my way. Even with the limited resources that I have on hand it is still possible to do a good job and complete the tasks that have been given to me.

You just have to take action and DO IT!! Everything is – achievable.  Even though what you do may not meet the so called “standards” of others but knowing that you have taken your best shot and put in effort there is no need to feel bad and have regrets afterwards.

Now at the age of 36 I have come to a stage where the acknowledgement of others and their praises are not that important to me   No doubt it certainly feels good to be  praised and have others appreciate what you are doing but that is not the key driving factor for me anymore.

What I seek the genuine recognition from GOD and my immediate family more then the false praises and artificial attention given by acquaintances. I do not need to have my ego stroked by others and indulge in flattery as such moment of “greatness” are only temporarily and fleeting.

I live my life  based on GOD’s teachings. What is more important is doing what I am expected to do and also making the best of all that I have.

If there is anything which I want to do and I don’t have the relevant skills I will self study or seek out the experts in that field for guidance.

If I want to bake/cook something and I am not able to get it right the first time I would try the same recipe again the following week and tweak it to see where the failure was at the last time.

I’m not perfect and a constant work in progress. I’m sure that many of you reading the post would agree with this statement.  Every new day is a new opportunity to refine myself and polish myself so that I will be “perfect” in the eyes of the LORD.

What is your favourite quote?

 

 

Jenny Matlock Mama’s Losin’ It

SANses.com's Talkative Thursdays

Writer’s Workshop: Us Travelling

Tiger girl with her Pororo dress from South Korea and Doggie boy wearing a Yukata from Japan.

Tiger girl with her Pororo dress from South Korea and Doggie boy wearing a Jinbei  from Japan.

We love travelling and are blessed to be able to travel yearly. The kids have been to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.  The kids have only traveled to countries within Asia so far as I don’t think that they will be able to stand a flight more then 8 hrs at their age.

I hope to bring them to further places  and visit relatives in USA/ Canada when they are older as they would be able to tolerate longer flight time then.  We will also need to save up enough cash first before the trip to USA/Canada can materialize.

The kids have been travelling since they were babies and look forward each holiday to visiting new places. In fact I started bringing them on holidays since they were 5-6 months old so they are seasoned travelers now at the age of 4, 7 and 10.

(I haven’t  had the time to list down all the places that we have been so far. However, you can view most of the places that we have visited on our TRAVEL Page which I am currently  still updating.)

 Seafood Phad Thai Noodles

Seafood Phad Thai Noodles

The kids have had many different types of experiences being immersed in the different cultures and learning about their traditions. They have been able to taste the unique foods of the various places we visited and compare it to the foods that we normally serve at home.

A Balinese Temple

A Balinese Temple

We have visited different churches  and temples on our travels . Visiting these places have  opened up many learning opportunities for the kids about other religions and practices the locals have.

 

The kids get to experience first hand how different other kids their age live in their countries and how fortunate they are to be living in Singapore.

Tiger girl and R on a ride in Tokyo Disneysea

Tiger girl and R on a ride in Tokyo Disneysea

We have visited many different places of interest and also enjoyed the rides at the different theme parks.  Being adrenaline junkies we went countless time on the roller coasters and other fun rides.

As the kids grow older it has been easier bringing them overseas on holidays. There are lesser things to pack as I don’t need to make provision for bulky diapers and extra change of clothes in our luggage bags. The kids are also able to pack their own luggage and take care of their own belongings.

The boys can help me pull the luggage bags and help keep an eye on their sister if I am busy handing paper work at the immigration counter at the airport.   I’m confident travelling alone with the kids and  look forward to our next adventure together.

Do you enjoy travelling too?

 

 

 

Jenny Matlock Mama’s Losin’ It

SANses.com's Talkative Thursdays