Hiatus is over

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Hello everyone! I'm back. :)

This year, 2018, marks the fifth year of blogging. I remembered that I wanted to start a blog due to pragmatic reasons: to improve my writing skills and to connect with past and present friends. While I understand that there are many social platforms to share our lives today, I have decided to stick to the traditional way of penning down my thoughts on my life this year. To my friends, I understand that my blog gets rather dry and amateurish since I am neither a professional writer nor graphic designer. So I thank you for your support and patience with me over the past few years. It has certainly been a bittersweet journey for me. Since I get variegated responses from all of you: in terms of post views, comments, and likes, whenever I attempted new ways of presenting my thoughts. Take, for example, I have tried different styles of writing, the attempt of GIFs, and many different genres to reach out to you all. 

I got to admit that not every attempt was well-received and/or encouraging for me at times. But I do believe that every cloud has a silver lining, and I hope that I have not remained stagnated, but rather, improved from where I began five years ago.

These days, I would still browse through my old posts. And I smiled to myself and said, "Wow, just, wow, I have written these things". To me, it was just like a memory lane for me as I looked back on my thought processes, on what I cherished and so on. But I always tell myself, "Memories are not supposed to hold you back; they are supposed to shape you to become a better and stronger person"

To mark the fifth year of my blog site, I will be releasing the viewerships for my top 10 blog posts throughout these years:

Thank you for the support all these years. I will work on producing better articles to make our community a better place for all. I have a few ideas which I hope to discuss in the year 2018 as well. Do watch out for them. :) 

The Beautiful Truth In Seeking Happiness

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We have all experienced before happiness in our lives and there are many things that can make us happy on a daily basis. Lately, I've been thinking what real happiness is. If we were to discuss its definition, it would be a process that isn't very straightforward and rather, subjective. The fact that everyone was born into different family backgrounds and have had different groups of friends sets everyone on a distinct journey in learning values and experiences.

Having said that, this means everyone has a different perspective of happiness, right? 

When you think of happiness, what comes to your mind? There are plentiful things, right? For instance, a successful career, being in a relationship, having quality time with family, being wealthy to own a flat and start a family and the list continues. I will allow your imagination to take you through what real happiness should be and means to you.

Now in your list to happiness, who decided that these items will guarantee happiness for yourself? 

We were all born into the World being clueless about happiness, we lived and learned knowledge from our loved ones and the people we met in our society. Today, the idea of happiness could be largely influenced by what the society has painted it to be, and as time passes, it has led to people thinking that these criteria should exist for one to be happy.

My intention in questioning whether these items would make you happy comes out of goodwill to prevent anyone from being caught up with the idea of happiness that society has created. I was a victim of it many years ago. I followed the path where some people walked before and gained positive valuation from people. In the process, I lost myself and my values.

I want you to know that any decisions you make must be justified by your own principles. Nothing is worth more than holding on to the values you stand by. What you admire and desire should not make you do things that contradict your values. Comparing yourself with others is fine, but it isn't when it pains you and everyone around you, and when you look down on yourself. You do not need anyone's evaluation to know that you are valuable. We all play a vital role and contribute to the society at the end.

It's perfectly alright if you trip over a rock today, what's important is that you must know how to stand up and realize what's worth fighting for and seeking for. Today, you might not have an answer on what happiness means to you, but slowly and surely, you will discover it.

Walking Away Is Never Easy

We developed closer bonds in the midst of knowing more about each other. We danced in the grey area of almosts and everything seemed promising. Carefree conversations and meetings till late night made our hearts raced. Despite all the butterflies in our stomach, we were still conscious of the fact that there is a slight chance we might not end up together. But I am glad that we tried. :)

This post comes shortly after my self reflection over the past few years. 

Leaving didn't mean I took you for a ride

I didn't want the both of us to sink even deeper. I left because I felt that you deserved someone better than me. It's not an excuse for me to ditch the entire date. My feelings for you were genuine but I experienced inferiority complex because I could not provide you with what you wanted to the fullest at that moment. Even if our very journey was a short one, I enjoyed it. I have held on longer than I should have because I did think we would end up together one day, I hope you could feel it. :)

I left because I came to my realization

We had non-stop conversations every day and while everything lasted, I got to admit that the commitments made were worthwhile. I left because I grew to realize that we are people from different worlds. Don't get me wrong, I was willing to have it a go but circumstances had me to hesitate about whether it was the right time to take a risk. Hence, I walked away because I realized I deserved someone different and you deserved someone you're sure of.

Leaving because I loved you too much

It was a constant struggle between keeping you by my side and you wanting to do the things you love. In this instance, priorities proved to be an important factor which decides if everything still mattered. I left because I know you will soar to greater heights and be better off without me. 

Experience In Thailand, Bangkok.

Once again, it's the vacation season! Our experience in Bangkok was an insanely amazing one. Can't wait to share with everyone on our experience! 

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First of all, we stayed at the Thailand's tallest hotel,  Baiyoke Sky Hotel, located in the center of Bangkok. Look at its astounding structure in the above image! It's a pretty popular choice among tourists due to its reasonable pricing. It will also only take you 5 minutes to walk to Airport Rail Link. The room amenities are adequate and it also offers a great view of the city, not to mention the wonderful room service too! On a whole, we were satisfied with our stay in the hotel.

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Second of all, the Talad Rot Fai Market Srinakarin located at Bangkok's new train market on Ratchadaphisek Road must not be missed! Its opening hours are from 1700 hrs to midnight (Thurs - Sunday). It is an authentic open-air bazaar selling an incredible array of vintage collectibles, plushie toys, antique furniture, modern and the old day's fashion, leather wallets, board games, and shoes! What makes this market even more wonderful is the market food and you really got to try its noodles store located at the entrance of the bazaar! There are also many drinking bars which are suitable for a group of friends to chillax after a good leg workout shopping! You got to experience this yourself! We can assure you that there are no regrets for visiting!

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Third of all, the popular Chatuchak Weekend Market! It is impossible for anyone to miss visiting this place in Bangkok. As popularly visited by tourists, there is still a need for emphasis about this market! It houses nearly 8000 market stalls! Goods ranging from clothing, accessories, handicrafts, ceramics, food and beverage, plants and gardening tools, art and gallery, pet accessories, books, antique and collectibles and decorative lightings! This is what attracts nearly 200 000 tourists to shop on every weekend! One place that addresses almost all of your shopping cravings. However, got to be wary of scams and pickpockets. Do take care of your belongings! 

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Fourth of all, this is ARTBOX Bangkok! It's just a street away from Chatuchak Weekend Market! Be sure to visit it when you are at Chatuchak! This bazaar will only be held on WEEKENDS from 30 Sept 16 - 30 Apr 17, 1200 hrs to 2300 hrs. So don't miss it! ARTBOX features unique goods which you may not find in other parts of Bangkok easily. There also sells the dessert called the Dragon Breath soaked in liquid nitrogen at 100 baht (If I remembered it correctly). The drinks are also really eccentric! Just remember to bring MORE cash with you if you are going to try everything! Otherwise, you can also go there to enjoy the live band! Remember, it is 'limited edition'!

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Last of all, the Chinatown in Bangkok. It is lined up with market stalls, street-side restaurants and a dense concentration of gold shops. Like any other tourists spots in Bangkok, this is an experience not to be missed! There are so many items priced reasonably waiting for you! More notable will be Thai snacks and tidbits from Lin Zhen Xiang, where you can buy for your families and friends! Another experience not to be missed will be to dine in Hua Seng Hong! Although dining there can be slightly more expensive but there is a great variety of dim sum and seafood! Don't forget to try the roasted chicken and duck! We promise you that it will be an experience to be remembered! 

Thankful to have my lovely partner to travel with me, hopefully everyone will find this guide useful.

The Struggle Between Expectations and Settling Down For Less

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Everyone is bound to have expectations, like the way things should go as expected. However, it is known that with expectations also comes with disappointments. Just because we have expected something to happen as we have planned, we also have to be reminded of the fact that nothing is perfect in this world. Only by recognising this consensus together, a much more cordial relationship could then be established in any kind of environment.

Don't get me wrong at this point of time, I am not asking you to resign to this consensus or fate. In fact, many people that I knew have placed in numerous efforts to address this natural hurdle to achieving their goals. I am not dissimilar, I acknowledged of the existing natural gap in life and have learnt to manage along with it. It can be a great countermeasure when things go the other way, and I can assure that you will definitely recover faster than some other people from these hiccups.

With that being said, does this mean that we can always readily settle down for something less than we expected? The answer to this is debatable. If you ask me, I would say a yes without hesitation. The reason is both simple and logical, we got to acknowledge that everyone's mindset including priorities or preferential standards are different. As long as the reality is not too far away from the set expectations, which is to say your efforts has managed to harvest 90% of the intended. That seems good enough often. Having said that, it is also not logical for you to settle down for less than what you deserve at times. That is, you got to ensure that there must be a threshold or minimum criteria to meet and nothing should fall short of it. From there, you will perhaps settle down for less rationally.

Let me draw an analogy within the education sector. Your teacher has gone through the entire year syllabus to ensure you all are ready for examinations. In return, she has expected all in the class to do well since it was according to what she has taught. To her dismay, only a few were able to meet her expectations. So, when you have expectations of things without acknowledging the fact that largely everyone's mindset and preferential standards are different from yours, you will find yourself emotionally affected. Since most people will want the best for the things that they are being tasked in, it is this struggle that people have to recognise and from there, you deal with it by mentally preparing yourself. Nonetheless, where things are not going your way, you just got to ensure that the bare requirements set by the school principal are at least met.

Hopefully, my two cents worth of thoughts have helped to developed new perspectives in your situations!