The Special One

Hello dear friends!! 

Finally, I have found the time to write up a post about my life! Hopefully what I am going to say in this post will be of interest and will not bore you. Hahaha. Well, after a long one month break of not posting anything, I decided not to be lazy anymore and at the same time, I think it is time to write a sequel to one of my old blog topics. To be honest with all of you, I feel sincerely happy and blessed that I am able to do up this post today! 

On the 14th June 2014:

Okay! Before I start to write up on what I have intended to, I would love to take this opportunity to wish all my dear Muslims friends a joyous Hari Raya, Selemat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! May this special occasion bring joy to your heart, family and beloved friends! 

The thing that I am going to talk about can be said to hold the greatest significance and of high importance in my life. Never have I thought that I would made this decision. I believe some of you may already have an idea on what I am going to share today. Hmm, I guess I should not keep everyone in suspense anymore. So the topic that I wish to write a sequel on it is “Two and a Final one” which dated all the way back to eight months ago.

With that, I shall start my writing or penning down my thoughts into this post. I shall name the title of this post to be, “The special person in my life”. During the period of April to June, I think I have left out many details which I think my friends should know. So here it goes! :D

Everything started on the 1^st of April 2014. Yes my friends, I know it’s the April Fools’ Day but rest assured, I am not kidding with you in here. Hahaha, I was also amazed and astonished to find out that day was the first time me and her conversed via messages. As some of you, perhaps my close friends were probably aware on how reluctant was I to enter a relationship because of academic reasons, as it requires continuous commitment and effort to maintain and sustain a healthy relationship. However, at the same time, I would not deny that I was on a look-out for a partner. I am always really keen on knowing and meeting new people in my life, but was never keen on getting into a relationship. I would admit that I am someone who can be rather sentimental and really cautious when it comes to love matters. As I am aware of the stakes and consequences that were involved in a relationship, it isn’t a game whereby you can take feelings of people for granted and mistreat the trust given wholeheartedly by the person to you.

Deep down my heart, I know some of the concerns that you may have for me may be, “From April till July is only a short period of time … and for someone to fully understand the other party will certainly require a much longer period of time”. I do share the similar concern with you because it is perfectly logical, as you will need more time to understand someone in most cases. However, there will always be exceptions in life and I don't know if I am in the sphere of exceptions. Nonetheless, I believe that we have to seize our own opportunities and take risks when necessary at some point in our lives. That’s just life. Nothing is going to have it in your way, unless you make the effort to go for it first. And honestly, I am still perplexed with how my heart has managed to convince me go for it because it is rare to confess and commit to someone whom you only have knew for two and a half months.

This brings me to my next point, before my trip to Denmark, my thoughts were, “I shall decide my next step after the trip”. This explained why I said I really hope that I could write a sequel to one of my old blog topics once I return back to Singapore. Indeed how blissful I am feeling right now because I am actually penning down my thoughts on this matter. :D

Maybe something about myself? Hahaha. I live my life with the principle to commit fully once I have given my word, because that is what makes you as a credible and responsible individual. Based on this principle, I have never once thought of trying out a relationship, but only commit fully once certain. I know It may be foolish to have this belief or thinking in a relationship but that would be just my most sincere and best way of sustaining a healthy relationship with my partner. And of course, there are many ways to uphold a healthy relationship but so long you have chosen one that makes you live a fulfilling and comfortable life, that’s that.

I also thank fate for bringing the two of us together, and I am glad that our efforts have brought us here today. Before I end off, I would have some mushy words to my special girl. I hope you guys won't mind and can bear with it. Hahaha :P 

Dear Kit Yee,

I want you to know that I will always be there for you so long my health does not forbid me to ... and I promise to love you for who you are and to work hard for our future. I may have known you for only three months but I believe that quality beats quantity. The quality times we had had indeed instilled both strong trust and faith in the both of us. I, hereby give you my word, to love you and to take good care of you forever ... ... 

Happy 1st Month Anniversary. 

With Love,

Ben

Okay, sorry for the mushy words! :P I shall stop there. Heh! :D Last but not least, one last final shout out to all my Muslim friends, SELAMAT HARI RAYA! Enjoy your festive day, friends!

Away! Bye!

Hi friends! 

I’ll be flying to Denmark tonight for the entire June vacation! If you’re thinking that this trip is going to be my holidays … sadly it’s not! Hahaha. I will be going there to study!! I suddenly recalled what my friends always tell me, "You can't stop studying one ah? Haiyo!" To my dear friends: I also wish I can stop la, but I guess deep down in me there's a dream that I need to pursue in my life! And you all should know! heh :) 

Also, I really would like to thank and express my gratitude towards my friends who have expressed their best wishes for me over in Denmark. I am glad to receive those text messages and phone calls. It's the thoughts that you guys have for me made me feel how fortunate and blessed I am! 

I will try to upload daily taken photos on my blog to share my life in Denmark with you all! I will promise to enjoy as much as I can over there, even though the chances of it are quite low! :P 

Lastly, I also hope that I will be able to write a sequel to one of my old blog topics after my trip! I hope that I am really able to though. (: 

To end off, I like to sincerely wish you guys a happy June vacation too! :) Enjoy it to the fullest!! 

I WILL MISS YOU ALL! :D

For My Friends.

Hello friends!! :D

I just felt that it’s time to revive my blog with a new post & as well as, to take a break from all the studying! I don’t know how many equations I have already written the past few days! Hahahaha. Before I write my topic, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone the best in preparing for their tests and for those who have completed their tests, to enjoy your holidays to the fullest! ^^. Oh and here's a fun fact about myself, it’s a month away before I mark my first year in blogging. Haha, time really flies. 

With that, I guess a post on my thoughts and feelings to why I have decided to start a blog will bring about sentimental value to me and to all my friends. Initially, I wanted to leave this post to next month but since I foresee that I'd be really busy starting from July onward, so here's the post today! Hope that you guys will looking forward to reading it! ^^

8 July 2013 - 8 June 2014,

I was thinking of ways to stay connected with as many friends as possible, especially those who have parted ways to pursue higher education at different institutions after the PSLE and O's levels. Accepting that this is part and parcel of life, and I have to move on. I have never given in to the belief that that was the last chapter of my life with them.  As much as I believed fate has brought two people together, I also believed that the efforts will very well determine how lasting they could be. 

This probably ignited a spark in me to start blogging so that my friends can read and find out more about my life. To this point of my thoughts, I asked myself, "How do I justify that I have stayed connected with my friends when they are the only ones that can know more about my life but I don't know theirs?" As you can see it was so one-sided to start with. So I sat down and told myself back then, " So long as I felt that I have placed my best effort on my part to maintain all of the friendships I had, that's enough." I knew it was impossible to involve everyone with my blog. That's life ... and is fair. 

With that, I continued blogging into the next few months, keeping it as active as possible. To be honest with you, it wasn't easy to keep my blog active because it requires time, energy and commitment to write up a post. At the same time, I also wanted to keep my posts relevant to my friends. I tried writing up on issues pertaining to around our lives, posts about my own life and as well as, posts that motivates or gives inspirations to people. And I am aware that my posts weren't the best written, the thoughts and ideas may be on the superficial level. But I promise to continue improving on my ideas and posts and most importantly, to write to my best effort. Nevertheless, I will still continue my style in ensuring that clarity of ideas are easily put across to many. And I will strive to improve on my English.

In the midst of blogging, I have also encountered the conundrum of to blog for my readers or to blog for myself? I guess you could see that I tried a range of genres for my topics from time to time. Haha. And finally today, I decided that blogging for my readers will be the best direction to head towards. So you may be questioning me on how exactly am I sure that my posts are going to be for you? Well, I will just write about my life and is for you because it may hopefully intrigue you to find out more. :) 

All in all, I just hope to maintain the friendships. 

Love you all,

Ben 

10 Quotes For When Times Are Difficult

Difficult moments are just part and parcel of our lives which everyone has to go through from time to time. There is no running away from it. No one likes it when it happens to them. However, we should not be too disheartened about it. As Matthew Henry once said, “After a storm comes the calm”. 

I got to admit that I am really guilty of seeking motivation quotes when times are hard for me. Simply because when everything is wrong, the quotes tend to lose its meaning and purpose for me. Nevertheless, these quotes indeed do have a meaningful and purposeful message to be sent across to you and it does helps to ease your hard times to a certain extent. 

Today, I’ll be sharing 10 motivational quotes with everyone and hope that you will find it meaningful.

      1.    Accept Your Hardships

You can say that hardship is a test to figure out our own limits. Every struggle in life makes us realize our own strengths and weaknesses. And it carries multiple lessons to be learnt at the end of it. We should strengthen our strengths and improve upon on our weaknesses. Don’t be afraid to deal with hardships because tough times are only temporary yet the valuable lessons in there to be learnt will stay permanent in our heart. It is a good exchange.

    2.     Forget about your past

The simplest way that I can convince you to forget about your past is that life is neither created nor meant to be travelled backwards. The past is definitely worth remembering, but not when it takes up your energy and happiness away. The only things that you should remember from your past are the lessons that were once learnt.  

     3.     Always hope for the better

We should hold on to the hopes that everything will be better eventually. It is just a matter of time. As Matthew Henry once said, “After a storm comes the calm”. Our hopes are often crushed because many things do not appear to be in our favor, but things won't stay the way it is forever. We must not give up in critical moments.

     4.     Keep moving forward

You wonder why some of your friends have left you without any spoken reasons. And you are all set to seek for logical explanations. Their departure has made your life bitter and tough. I hope this quote will be of help to you in times like this. Just leave it to fate sometimes.

     5.    At least you have identified your true friends

Hardships have at least provided you with true friends. After all, friendship isn’t about whom you have known the longest but it’s about who came and never left your side. These are the friends that you have got to treasure and love for your entire life time. 

     6.    Never allow yourself to be one of the many Obstacles

No matter how bad things or situations are, you can always make it worse. Don’t think of the negative things which will only worsen the situation you’re in. Instead, think of the positive things so that it will give you the strength required to overcome your struggles and to carry on in life.

     7.    It’s never the end

It’s definitely not the-end when times are tough. No matter how rough the storm may be, there is always a little piece of you that says, “NO, you’re not done yet! Get back up!” Always remember, tough situations don’t last but tough people do! Stay strong! 

     8.    Be forward looking

There are many things to look forward to and to be treasured in life. Never allow yourself to stay in the stormy situations for a too long duration because you may be missing many beautiful things that are happening around you all the time. Step out of the stormy weather and see what is in store for you. 

     9.   It nurtures you to be a better person

See that hardships make us understand life better through a bitter way. No matter how much hatred we have for difficult times, we should always remember the lessons learnt at the end of it because it makes us become better people. 

     10.   Love the life you live

Spend your time doing your favorite hobby, with your friends or anything else that will make you feel happy. Be positive and look at what life has got to offer you. No matter how dim things might be, there is always a light at the end of a tunnel. Occupy your mind with the good and learn to love the life you’re living. 

That's all I have got to share with you! Hope that you will find it meaningful. Share the post. Spread the joy! :) 

7 Ways To Figure Out What You Want In Life

Life is full of mysteries and lessons that are waiting for us to unveil as we explore the various options that are available to us. Often, we are afraid of where this option or route will bring us to or what will be its outcome. As a result, we have become more hesitant, more wary and more fearful when it comes to selecting which option can really do us the best. We will never be definite on which option will do us good and making us feel comfortable in life, but it is possible to figure out the chances of how good the option is going to be for you.

Today, I’ll be sharing 7 ways on how you can find out what best suits you in life. 

         1.          Find out what you really need in life

Ask yourself, what are the things required in order to make you feel happy? Always remember that your happiness holds a great significance to your loved ones and for your own mental wellbeing. Next important question to ask yourself – are these things going to matter to you in the near future? These things may include love, financial security or family. Once you have the answers to these questions, you will have a better perspective or feel of which option will grant you a fulfilling and happier life.

         2.          Think of where you will be in 5 years’ time

This is a very important question to ask yourself. It’s going to be easier and more realistic to picture your life 5 years into the future than compared to 10 years.  If you are still studying 5 years later then probably you can start thinking what field of study and where you want to go for your further studies. If you can’t picture what you are going to do in the next 5 years – think of what kind of skills you will like to develop and what is your ultimate goal or passion in life? These questions will help to decide on which direction you should best take. 

         3.            Decide on what really bothers you

It’s time that you spend effort to understand yourself. Only from here, then will you make the best decision for yourself in life. What are the things that you hate? What are the things you can’t live without?  You can list down these things and they will serve as reminders or indicators for you to decide on the direction to take. From here, you will be set to go in the path that is quite unlikely to take away your happiness. 

         4.      Talk to someone that is reliable & you trust.

We can be really lost when we are left on our own at times. When this happens, confine to someone your concerns and thoughts and hear what the other party has to say. This person can be any of your family members, your best friend or your teacher. Consider whether their advices are relevant to you and make the final decision on your own. Since no one can make better decisions for you other than yourself.  

          5.     Consider your dream in life

I believe everyone has a dream to pursue. No dream is too big or too small, and this dream of yours shall be the proudest moment in your life when you achieve it. Just remember whenever you are clueless or lost on what to do next, think and consider your dream. Because sub-consciously you will be planning step by step on how you are going to achieve it. And I believe you will have a plan that best suits your own life. 

          6.     Find out the things you truly enjoy doing

Never place yourself in a situation where you have to force yourself to do something. Many of us have experienced how it is like to be when we are forced to study subjects that we hated in primary and secondary school years. We did not have a choice back then. So what I am trying to say is that find something that really interests you and as well as, it wouldn’t bore you even if you have to do it for long hours. In other words, find your passion in life. Give your best in it. Only then you will have a more satisfying and fulfilling life journey.  

         7.      Get a hobby

Starting on a hobby can allow you to realize what really suits you and to discover some unique points about yourself. Just try out different hobbies from time to time to see what really suits you. This may make you to re-evaluate your priorities set previously.  You will be probably making time out for your favorite hobby.  As Marian Schembari once said, “you can't discover what you want to do with your life if you don't take advantage of everything life has to offer”. 

If this post has been helpful to you, share the post! Share the joy! :)

7 Bitter Life Truths You Have To Know

Life as we know it is filled with countless number of bitter truths. One thing undeniable is that we all have encountered some of these truths at least once or many times in our life time.  More often than not, we hear success stories from successful people, but little did we know what handicaps did they have before achieving their well-deserved success?

Tonight, I’ll be sharing 7 bitter truths about life and I believe these pointers are going to resonate with everyone very well. 

          1.      Life Is Never Fair

Admit it, we all have said this few words many times in our lives. Indeed, life has been unfair to start with. The most oft-seen example will be some people are born into a wealthier family while some are not. This applies very well to our school lives as well – When your friend gets the same grades as you although he has put in less effort than you. It is true that we will experience this in our entire life time. And unlikely will there be any escape from this bitter truth of life. However, don’t be too disheartened about it, because you can possibly recall that in some ways life has also been kinder to you that others would wish for. 

         2.     Pain is a necessity

There are many forms of pain. Be it either is the pain that one has to go through before achieving success or the pain felt from the love relationship – it is inevitable. The most oft-quoted phrase, “No pain, no gain” has indeed further strengthened my main point here. Everyone hates the feeling of pain, no one likes it. We all know pain is never a good thing or feeling to us. However, we also know that it is only through pain then will we learn and remember our mistakes once and for all. Pain is therefore our necessary ally as it makes us grow to become stronger. 

         3.    People will always judge

We are all familiar with this truth of life. There is also little can we do to stop this. People are always going to judge you based on your actions and words. No matter how nice a person you are, you are still going to be judged for that.  And no matter how right you may sound or may seem to be, people can still choose to only remember the bad about you. This is just the bitter fact of life. We can only remind ourselves not to be too caught up with what others have to say, and never let these judgements define our personality or value.   

         4.    Not Everything Goes Your Way

We all have experienced this many times in our lives. It’s true that we never always have it our way. If you have not realized – We have even encountered or experienced this during our kids’ years. Parents do not always buy the toys or books that we loved or wanted.  Now, this point is even further experienced throughout our school years, in competitions or at work. Perhaps we just have to resign to fate that some things are not meant to be ours. And if you are constantly seeking for explanations or reasoning, sometimes there isn’t any …

         5.    Your best does not guarantee your success

No matter how sad this truth may appear to you, it is one that we encounter from time to time. It is never a good feeling when this happens to us. Of course, it is our nature to feel sad or depressed when we encounter this. But we must stand up and carry on with our lives as soon as possible when we encounter it. As Lee Kuan Yew once said, “If you don't carry on with life when you face setbacks, you will just degrade over time”.

         6.   Dilemma will always be a problem of yours

There are many times you are thrown into a situation where you are "damned if you do, and damned if you don't”. And I believe it stays clear to you that either of the options will be accompanied with certain unforeseen consequences. It is just a matter of how severe the consequences would differ. Unfortunately, dilemmas will always be part of your life. Some has said, “The only way out is to transform your perspective to a place where the dilemma no longer exists. This is possible”. 

         7.    Sometimes we just have to accept things as it is

That’s life. No matter how much hatred or discontentment you have for a particular thing, there is nothing much you can do at times. You can either choose to complain or rant about it the whole day or come to a decision to accept the things or situation the way as it is. You just have to recognize that life is never perfect but you do have the abilities and tons of opportunities to always make or gain the most out of any situations. You just have to put aside your emotions and think hard, logically and rationally. Trust me, it is possible.

These are just my two cents worth. I understand that everyone would have different bitter truths about their lives. However, there are some universal truths that we share definitely. 

If you enjoy reading it, share the post! Spread the joy. :) 

7 Ways To Fake An Outgoing & Friendly Personality

I know it can be really difficult to open up or be seen as an outgoing and friendly person on occasions such as orientation programs, bonding activities, functions or social gatherings. You may appear to be shy & quiet, but there's nothing wrong about it. Not everyone is a natural born extrovert. In fact, I believe I am born towards more to the introvert side – are you surprised? Friends who know me when I was really young will know about this.  

Here are 7 ways on how you can fake an outgoing & friendly personality. I believe some of it which I am going to mention are already familiar with you all; but I'll be elaborating more to convince you to try it out. Because it has worked for myself on several occasions. 

          1.       Remember to smile

I believe this is familiar with most of you. Always remember to give your truest smile to others. This is especially important during your encounter with new people. Your smile will show that you’re friendly and approachable.  Moreover, you will be seen as a confident person. Believe me in that by smiling - people will be real quick to approach you to be friends with them. As often quoted, “Your smile is the biggest asset to anyone”, so do not be afraid to smile always! 

          2.       Say the magical word, “Hello!”

Personally, I find this difficult at times too, since having mentioned that I was born towards more the introvert side. However, I must say this is actually really easy! I know it does not come naturally to you to speak to someone first & also probably you’re waiting for the other party to make the first move. In that case, the atmosphere may get really awkward. So why not try to make the first move? You just have to force yourself to do it. Believe me; it’s not as hard as you think it would be.

          3.       Laugh along with everyone

Everyone has a different frequency to start with. We all know that. You may not find a particular joke funny at all. But the rest are all laughing from it. Be it you consider yourself more mature than them or their jokes are lame, if you want to appear outgoing & friendly – then you have to join in the laughter! Trust me that once you have tried laughing along with the rest, there is a high chance you would find it funny as well. Just try to loosen yourself up & the remaining times will be quite enjoyable! It's really true. 

          4.       Be in the moment

This will not be easy for people who are born towards more the introvert side. More often than not, they will be dreading to quickly go home to watch their favorite shows or to read a book. The tendency of them to not be engaged or focused in the occasion itself is quite high. But that’s just them. If they like to be seen as an outgoing and friendly person, try to be in the moment. I have learnt from this point my friend & it works really well! You will truly enjoy yourself. Others will also get the impression that you are well received & easy to talk to. 

          5.        Put yourself out there

Go for the extra mile! You can start telling jokes or share stories with some people. Do not worry so much that others may judge you for it. The point here is that you interact with others so you are seen as part of the group setting. It's not going to be easy for someone who is not naturally outgoing & friendly but it will really help someone to look like a extrovert. 

          6.        Be the “Mr/Ms Ok” guy

Be the person to be okay with anything, so long it is not against your morale or making you feeling uncomfortable. After all, it is just a day or maybe a few days event. Try to be easy-going with everyone. You will make your life & the life of everyone easier! People will also have an impression that you are nice & friendly. 

          7.         Give yourself a prep talk or reminder

Before you go into a situation where you have to fake being outgoing and friendly, give yourself a prep talk or reminder that you can do it. This will help to increase in your confidence level before you go and meet people. Also, think of it as only a few hours or days of interactions & it will pass by very quickly.  Be sure to remind yourself of the reasons why people would love you. I believe that the positivity in you will help to make things a whole lot easier.

If you think this post has been helpful to you, share the post! Spread the joy!  :)