Experience, comfort zone and survival

I believe in going out of your comfort zone. When a person gets too embedded in his comfort zone, he loses his flexibility and adaptability.

Once you're out of your comfort zone and you become stressed, your survival skills kick in and you think of all sorts of ideas to get yourself out of the mess. That's a trait of human beings.

This was what a reservist friend said, that got me thinking and pondering.

""There is nothing 'low' about survival," Mercor contradicted her. As always, his voice was calm, almost placid. "Think of it as experience hard won, Sintara. When you die and are eaten, or when your young hatch from the egg, they will carry forward your memories of this time. No hardship endured is a loss. Someone will learn from it. Someone profits from it.""
- "Dragon Haven" by Robin Hobb

You know that smart-alec in class?

Spring-Butt

That one guy in class that seems to know all the answers, and is jumping out of his/her chair to impress everyone with their knowledge.

Bill is such a spring-butt that he ran to John to let him know the solution.

You learn something everyday. xD

I don’t NEED to compromise my principles, because they don’t have the slightest bearing on what happens to me anyway.

People seem to envy those who fly often for work.

Trust me. It's wwaayy underrated.

I flew out for a one-week UK trip in early Feb. When i was back on Monday, i was told we have to fly the following week to US.

So in between my UK and US trip, i only got to spend one week with my panda koala.

Now that i'm back from my US trip, i need to fly to US again next week. -___-

Trust me when i say this: it's tiring to fly so often and it leaves you little time to spend with your loved ones.

Sigh.

I don’t need to do a better job. I need better P.R. on the job I do.

It's intriguing how complex ideas can become reality.

Another show extolling love and peace interrupted every seven minutes by commercials extolling greed and waste.

2012: So. How did you do?

2011: *smug* I got a milestone event: The Big Day.

2012: *incredulous* No! Seriously?! Man, you sure are lucky! Everyone was hoping to get that.

2011: *still smug* You bet! Although... *mood turns contemplative*

2012: *curious* What?

2011: It just seems that most people didn't really have a good one. As for me, i think i did pretty well.

2012: *muses* Really?

2011: Yeah. I count myself lucky when i hear and see what other people has gone through. He counts himself contented and his life full, despite not having as much money or fame or excitement as others.

2012: Well, in any case, it'll sure be hard to beat you.

2011: Ha! You never know, my friend. *whispers* Perhaps a new addition to the family...

2012: *excited* Really? But then again, those are just hopes and rumors. It will really be great if it does happen though.

2011: Heh. Well, i'll leave you to it then. *passes the baton* Good luck, mate!

2012: Cheerio!

For the next Go-Kart session, i would like to request for the categorisation to be done by weight.

The ultimate rule in Go-Kart, and therefore, in Life:

Power-to-Weight Ratio is first and foremost.

I learnt this after some very humiliating lessons in which i was being overtaken by two tiny girls in my department.

There was absolutely nothing i could do, but just watch helplessly as they overtook and widen the gap, even with my foot planted against the throttle.

Argh. The shame, the shame.

Oh yes. Merry Christmas, everyone. :)

From a Postcard Memory

Our honeymoon was under such glorious blue skies, in beautiful clear waters and bright sunny weather.

And i got even more uglier than i thought possible: i got severly sunburnt. -__-

From The Republic of Singapore, Women's Charter (Chapter 353), Certificate of Marriage (Section 31).

After months of preparation, our big day is finally over and we're now awaiting our Air Mauritius flight to our honeymoon.

Despite having a wondrous and glorious day, it still feels surreal that we're married. Till now, i can't quite believe that my status is now officially "married" instead of the usual "single".

Being reminded time and again during the wedding dinner that i'm an adult now, i now face my future with a feeling of apprehension.

Nonetheless, i will face it and try my best to be a great husband and life companion. With her support and love,

"i firmly believe that we will have a happy marriage and grow old together."

THAT lesson certainly ought to be inapplicable elsewhere in life.

"I can’t wait until I’m older. There’s nothing great about being young. Being young means you’re still naïve. That’s why it feels like you’re soaring in the sky or sinking beneath the ocean when someone you admire betrays you. Those emotions control your entire life, and can make you lose sight of who you are. 

By growing older, your heart grows more experienced. You grow one step further away from being controlled by your feelings, and are able to keep from soaring through the sky or sinking to the depths of the ocean. That’s what it means to grow older."

- Fifth Squad Vice-Captain, Hinamori in Bleach Episode 239: The Awakening Hyōrinmaru! Hitsugaya's Fierce Fight

Throughout our lives, we have different experiences. Each of us can tell a unique tale of our own lives and how we lived.

Our relationships. Our moment of glory. Our failures. Our work. Our lives.

Each experience molds our character to who we are today. Each experience brings a different facet, big or small, to our character. From each experience, we learn a different lesson and we grow from it.

When we're young, we went everywhere and did everything with an unbridled passion and full of energy. We rush into everything and experience life in fullness. We revel in our pride and ability, while bouncing back from each failure, bigger and better. But through it all, our experiences shaped and mold us into our own individual character.

As we grow older, we become slower and more mature. We become more contented to sit back and live our life quietly and happily. With our life's experience, we treated each and every matter thoughtfully and cautiously. We treasure our family and close friends more than ever.

Each of us can be compared to a diamond. After much honing and polishing from our life's experiences, we shine even brighter than before.

Collectively, we are brilliant.

“No man, in the fullness of his years, should have to experience afresh all the passion that a youngster is capable of embracing. Our hearts grow brittle as we age. Mine near shattered in that onslaught.”

- “Fool’s Fate” by Robin Hobb

I suppose if we couldn’t laugh at things that don’t make sense, we couldn’t reach to a lot of life.

I'll give you another example:
You can turn the traction control off, but it would be easier to launch the missiles from a nuclear submarine. You have push that button and hold it down for ten seconds, then you push those two simultaneously.

And i said to one of the engineers the other day, "Why does it have to be so complicated?"

And he said, "Well, why do you want to turn the traction control off?"

"'Cause it would be fun."

And you could see him thinking: Hhmm. FUN. I must look that up in a dictionary.

"The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had." - Eric Schmidt

With the Information Age and social media, sometimes people trust online characters far more than they trust their own family.

As with real life, our words have a profound impact on others, whether written or spoken. With the Internet, this effect is magnified a hundred or a thousand times.

The Internet is a double-edged sword: it can help us immensely with the world's information at our fingertips, or it can hurt us really badly, with the words and actions of "trolls" and bullies.

It can even kill us.

What this game needs are negotiated settlements.

Forever And Always

Verse 1:

She's sitting at the table, the hours get later
He was supposed to be here
She's sure he would have called
She waits a little longer, there's no one in the driveway
No one's said they seen him
Why, is something wrong?
She looks back to the window
Suddenly the phone rings
A voice says somethings happened
That she should come right now
Her mind goes to December
She thinks of when he asked her
He bent down on his knees first
And he said

Chorus:

I, I want you forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together
Forever and always

Verse 2:

She pulls up to the entrance
She walks right to the front desk
They lead her down a million halls a maze that's never ending
They talk about what happened but she can barely hear them
She tries to keep a straight face as she walks into the room
She sits by his bedside, holds his hand too tight
They talk about the kids they're gonna have and the good life
The house on the hillside, where they would stay

Chorus:

Stay, there forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together, and always remember
Whether rich or for poor or for better
We'll still love each other, forever and always

Bridge:

Then she gets and idea and calls in the nurses
Brings up the chaplain and he says a couple versus
She borrows some rings from the couple next door
Everybody's laughing as the tears fall on the floor
She looks into his eyes, and she says

Chorus:

I, I want you forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together, and always remember
Whether happy or sad or whatever
We'll still love each other, forever and always
Forever and always, forever and always

She finishes the vows but his beeps are getting so low
His voice is almost too low
As he says, I love you forever, forever and always
Please just remember even if I'm not there
I'll always love you, forever and always

"Only love interests me, and I am only in contact with things that revolve around love." - Marc Chagall

Here’s a chance for you to proclaim your love for her. Say it.

Dear, I don’t think I have told you enough times how much I love you.

You always make me smile and laugh, no matter how tiring my day was. Even though we had our fair share of arguments and disagreements, we always work things out.

When we got together as a couple, I promised you that I will do my best to make you happy. Each time you cry, I feel a stab through my heart and I ask myself, “What have I done? Why couldn’t I make her happy?” It literally pains me to see you sad and shed tears of sorrow.

Now that we’re getting married, I hereby renew my promise: I promise to do my best to make you happy. I also promise that I will support you and our family, and do my best to make sure that we’re happy together.

This is the finest snowball ever made! Painstakingly hand-crafted into a perfect sphere from a secret mixture of slush, ice, dirt, debris and fine powder snow. This IS the ultimate winter weapon!

#1Nite

We in the spot right now
Ch-checking it out
Packed from wall to wall, going down no doubt
Got girls to my left, drinks to my right
I can tel that this is gonna be one of them nights
(Forever)

Whatever you need is on the dancefloor
Can't wait any more, because it don't last forever
No-oh wo
So turn up the spotlight, gonna tear it up like we got one night

Cause tomorrow morning, we'll be leaving
So right now you better jump, right in
Tomorrow morning, we'll be leaving
So let's keep it rocking til daylight

Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night
Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night
Cause you know we just got one life, one life, one life
Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night

I got one hand up
The other on you, you
Got me in a spell ya, girl the way you move
Tomorrow ain't real, tonight is our truth

Gonna have you screaming out, gonna make you say, ooh, ooh, ooh

We're falling in love on the dancefloor
Girl, you and me we'll make this last forever
The future is so bright
Gonna live it up like got one night

Cause tomorrow morning, we'll be leaving
So right now you better jump, right in
Tomorrow morning, we'll be leaving
So let's keep it rocking til daylight

Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night
Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night
Cause you know we just got one life, one life, one life
Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night

Cause tomorrow morning, we'll be leaving
So right now you better jump, right in
Tomorrow morning, we'll be leaving
So let's keep it rocking til daylight

Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night
Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night
Cause you know we just got one life, one life, one life
Gotta live like we got one night, one night, one night

"I had only to open my bedroom window, and blue air, love and flowers entered with her. Dressed all in white or all in black, she seemed to float over my canvases for a long time, guiding my art." - Marc Chagall

"'The social system is clever. It shouts when it should keep quiet and keeps quiet when it should shout. Nothing against the models and the intelligent and creative designers, but the system forgot to shout that beauty can't be standardized.'

(...)

'Where are the heavier women in these shows? Where are the young women with less shapely hips? Where are the women with prominent noses? Why, in this temple of so-called beauty, are there no young women with saddlebags or stretch marks? Aren't they human beings? Aren't they beautiful, too? Why is the world of fashion, which came about to promote well-being, destroying women's self-esteem? Isn't that a socially acceptable rape of self-esteem?'"

- "The Dreamseller: The Calling" by Augusto Cury

I kind of resent the manufacturer’s implicit assumption that this would amuse me.

"Invisible"

[Verse 1]
I take these pills to make me thin
I dye my hair, and cut my skin
I try everything, to make them see me
But all they see, is someone that's not me

[Chorus]
Even when I'm walking on a wire
Even when I set myself on fire
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible
Everyday I try to look my best
Even though inside I'm such a mess
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible

[Verse 2]
Here inside, my quiet hell
You cannot hear, my cries for help
I try everything, to make them see me
But every one, sees what I can't be

[Chorus]
Even when I'm walking on a wire
Even when I set myself on fire
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible
Everyday I try to look my best
Even though inside I'm such a mess
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible

[Bridge]
Sometimes when I'm alone
I pretend that I'm a queen
It's almost believable

[Chorus]
Even when I'm walking on a wire
Even when I set myself on fire
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible
Everyday I try to look my best
Even though inside I'm such a mess
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible

You can tell this is a great club because we always get in trouble for following our charter!

I feel pretty sorry for Arsenal now.

8-2.

*shakes head* My goodness.

In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love. - Marc Chagall

They are really quite astounding to watch.

Thanks for recommending and buying the tickets, love. ^_^

Remedial vegetation.

When in doubt, sleep.

Mom never lets me stay up to watch the TV shows I REALLY want to see. She says they’re too educational.

"Moves Like Jagger"
(feat. Christina Aguilera)

[Verse 1]
Just shoot for the stars
If it feels right
And aim for my heart
If you feel like
Can take me away and make it OK
I swear I'll behave

You wanted control
So we waited
I put on a show
Now we're naked
You say I'm a kid
My ego is big
I don't give a shit
And it goes like this

[Chorus]
Take me by the tongue
And I'll know you
Kiss me 'til you're drunk
And I'll show you

All the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like jagger

I don't need to try to control you
Look into my eyes and I'll own you

You with them moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger

[Verse 2]
Baby it's hard
When it feels like you're broken and scarred
Nothing feels right
But when you're with me
I make you believe
That I've got the key

So get in the car
We can ride it
Wherever you want
Get inside it
And you want to steer
But I'm shifting gear
I'll take it from here
And it goes like this

[Chorus]
Take me by the tongue
And I'll know you
Kiss me 'til you're drunk
And I'll show you

All the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger

I don't need to try to control you
Look into my eyes and I'll own you

With them moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger

[Bridge]
You want to know how to make me smile
Take control, own me just for the night
But if I share my secret
You're gonna have to keep it
Nobody else can see this

So watch and learn
I won't show you twice
Head to toe, ooh baby, rub me right
But if I share my secret
You're gonna have to keep it
Nobody else can see this

And it goes like this

[Chorus]
Take me by the tongue
And I'll know you
Kiss me 'til you're drunk
And I'll show you

All the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger

I don't need to try to control you
Look into my eyes and I'll own you

With them moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger