You can buy happiness, you know...

As opposed to a lot of movies, stories and even sermons, the conclusion at the end seems pretty standard: Money cannot buy everything. It can't buy love definitely according to the movie 'Indecent Proposal'.

I beg to differ. I think everyone can buy happiness. I have bought it before and bought some again yesterday. Let me share the secret with you...

Remember this : Each time you ‘draw out notes, aid the endangered', you are actually buying happiness. If you wonder why the first letter of the phrase quoted is bolded, it combines to give you the word ‘donate’!

In the Longman’s dictionary, the word ‘donate’ means ‘to give something, especially money, to a person or an organization in order to help them’

In my dictionary (in the mind only), the following can be found:

Donate (verb) - the act of buying happiness, originated from the mnemonics 'draw out notes, aid the endangered'

So, each time when we donate money to charity, remember that we are not actually parting with our money but are actually buying happiness. Just like any other products that we buy in a shop, it is sometimes a ‘cash and carry’ where you pay at the checkout and get it instantly. On the other hand, there are also products that involve a delivery such as a big piece of furniture.

The same goes to happiness. When you buy happiness (i.e. donate), sometimes you get instant happiness but there are some that come very much later, such as donations to construct an orphanage. Regardless of ‘cash & carry’ or ‘delivery-required’ happiness, you will sure get it. And if you are of the ‘kiasu’ type, then make sure you maximize your happiness when you have already paid for it!

So, ladies and gentlemen, kiasu or non-kiasu, get ready to:

‘draw out notes, aid the endangered'

Can you drive with your head keep looking back?

There's an interesting story about 2 monks. They were about to cross a river and in front was a helpless woman trying to cross too. One monk decided to carry the woman on his shoulder and crossed. The other monk was shocked as monks were not supposed to have contact with women.

When they reached the other side of the river bank, the 1st monk left the woman there and continued their journey. The other monk was still shocked and complaint that the 1st monk should not have done that.

After an hour of non-stop nagging, the 1st monk finally broke the silence and said,"I have left the woman at the river bank but you still carry that thought till here!"

This is a good story about clinging to a passing moment. A 'passing moment' to me is an event that is very important during then but yet no impact on the future. In time management, we use to call that 'urgent but not important'. When I miss a turn, my most normal reaction is always a world standard...curse the country and all the ancestors! I realized all those agitation was actually meaningless and missing a turn was just another 'passing moment' like carrying the woman across the river.

If the moment is gone, why should our mind keep clinging to it. Isn't it better to translate the agitation into positive energy and look for the next solution (next u-turn)? Keep looking back (clinging) will not change anything but only slow down our life from progressing.

So, the next time your computer hangs, re-boot. Lost a bag? Buy. Miss an appointment? Re-arrange. Lost a friend? Befriend.

Happy Wesak Day!

If only time is reversible...

Imagine you walk into a hospital and in ward no.1, you see a patient buckling and unbuckling his helmet strap. A nurse besides him records the number of times the patient has completed this repetitive action. In ward no.2, another patient is looking left and right. Another nurse is counting the times the patient is doing this.

You may guess this is a mental hospital. Actually, it's not. It's a futuristic hospital because scientists have found out how to reverse time.

Ward no.1
The patient does not buckle the helmet strap each time he rides a motorcycle. On his 1289th time of riding, his motorcycle skidded and he sustained head injuries as his unbuckled helmet came off during the accident.

His doctor (a time-travel scientist) managed to determine the accident took place at the 1289th time he rode a bike. He prescribed his medication to the nurse when the patient was still unconscious. The doc instructed the nurse,"ask patient to repeat the buckling and unbuckling for 1289th time and he should recover!"

If time is reversible, that's how patients are cured. Unfortunately, we have not found how to time travel yet. But don't be despair. The above method to cure is still the same but with one very minor condition i.e. You have to do it BEFORE the accident happens. For patient in ward no.1, he would have 'cured' his head injury if he had buckled his helmet each time he rides his bike. Simple isn't?

How many times have we seen others (may be ourselves) ignore safety just because we are lazy to do so? As parents, we keep complaining how lazy our kids are. Could they have been inspired by their parents who make illegal u-turns every day when sending the kids to school?

Can you guess what has happened to the guy in ward no.2? A small clue...did your primary school teacher asked you to look right, look left and look right again before doing something?

Control is the cure?

I have many friends including bosses that are on medication for hypertension. According to these guys, 'things are under control' and hence, it's okay to continue with current lifestyle and stress levels. What you need to do is just make sure you take your medicine on time.

I find it amazing as to me, anyone who is prescribed with medication should be a sick person...more so, if the mdeication is supposed to be taken long term. On the contrary, many of these guys choose to think themselves as 'healthy' except for some 'minor' problems like hypertension. If that's the case, when do we conclude a person as unhealthy? When they collapse in the office or when he is in ICU?

This, to me is the ailment of the modern society. Not so much the disease itself but the attitude towards the disease. We always try to find a short cut. Instead of changing our lifestyle, we prefer to find some magical cure that allows us to go on with our current lifestyle, knowing very well that it is unhealthy.

Most people prefer to 'work out' in the physiotherapy clinic instead of the gym
Most people prefer to breath through an oxygen mask instead of through Qigong
Most people choose medication instead of meditation

What is your choice?