Saturday, March 5, 2011

Don’t get swept away on life’s journey

MY PAPER, THURSDAY MARCH 3, 2011, VIEWPOINTS, PAGE A24
From http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya030311cnd_opf_files/mya030311cnd.js&ver=Gen
Source Website: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110303-266210.html
By GEOFF TAN, my paper, Thu, Mar 03, 2011



PHOTO: Too hetic brings associated inconvenience, leading to frayed nerves
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/bottlenose-dolphins-surf-072709-sw-thumb-500x375.jpg
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2009/07/



PHOTO: Geoff Tan
The writer is a senior vice-president of Singapore Press Holdings’ marketing division.
MY PAPER, THURSDAY MARCH 3, 2011, VIEWPOINTS, PAGE A24


THE start of the year has been, to say the least, very hectic for me.

Aside from the heavy demands of my work, there's the family to contend with. My daughter quit her job and I felt responsible to suss out career opportunities for her.

We also had our 15-year-old apartment renovated and had to put up with all the associated inconvenience, leading to frayed nerves among members of the household - that's something I probably never want to go through again in my lifetime!

Then, I had a speaking engagement at a Dubai conference which I had to prepare for.



PHOTO: Spirited Away – trip to the world of spirits
http://www.spiritwithinall.com/wp-content/uploads/10_3_orig.jpg
http://www.spiritwithinall.com/spirited-away-trip-to-the-world-of-spirits/


Meanwhile, a good friend of mine died recently of a heart attack, at the age of 59, while a long-lost acquaintance phoned me to ask for help as he and his family were in dire straits - they had been forced to sell their Housing Board flat and were staying at Changi Airport in the meantime.

COE prices have shot sky-high, at a time when my car needs to be replaced. My water heater is leaking.

The cost of living has escalated, and I can certainly feel the effect on my pocket. I am concerned about my health. The list goes on...

This somewhat-unnerving period has made me realise that it's easy to get caught up in the rat race, and plunge headfirst into an unending barrage of occurrences without spending time to prioritise them.



PHOTO: When you step back and stop rushing through life, you understand that the destination is to be found not at the end of your journey but within your journey. As Albert Einstein once said: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
http://successdiva.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/road-heaven.jpg
http://successdiva.wordpress.com/category/alexis-wingate/


It is sad, as unnecessary tasks can take a toll on one's health and state of mind. Over time, I have learnt to make a reality check every so often, to ensure that I don't take the wrong route and end up demotivated, stressed and fat.

I'm not sure if it's because my age has crossed the half-century mark, but the last year or so has been really nice.

Having been blessed with good health, a wonderful family and a job that is enjoyably challenging, I'm now trying to tackle what Martin Luther King Jr referred to as life's most urgent question: "What are you doing for others?"



PHOTO: Someday, rested we shall all be, we will live. Live, we all shall, and doves will fly.
Roads to Peace, Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:36:00 +0000
http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolio3/b/beyonddream/Rural_Children_Playing_Together-1151804994l.jpg
http://www.feedage.com/feeds/1770184/yatra-a-journey-through-life


Lest you think that my life is a bed of roses, let me say categorically that it isn't. To me, it's not so much the issues that crop up, but how they are dealt with.

As Albert Einstein once said: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

I've taken the path of the latter. Wanna join me?
By GEOFF TAN, my paper, Thu, Mar 03, 2011

The writer is a senior vice-president of Singapore Press Holdings' marketing division.



PHOTO: "Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current. No sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept away. Another takes its place, and this too shall be swept away."
- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (not a Buddhist)
April 11, 2008 11:49 AM
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/pacificnorthwest/MetoliusRiver/images/metolius_river_pine_lg.jpg
http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=14557&pst=1130815



HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Frayed nerves: 神经紧张 - shén jīng jĭn zhāng
In dire straits: 困境 - kùn jìng
Rat race: 无意义的竞争 - wú yì yì de jìng zhēng
Miracle: 奇迹 - qí jì




PHOTO: "Better than a thousand words, is one word that brings peace." - Buddha
http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/km/pics/kirk/landscapes/images/norway-flord.jpg
http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=14557&pst=1130815



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