Friday, April 01, 2022

Desiderata

Desiderata

By Max Ehrmann © 1927


GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.



Saturday, February 01, 2020

As I began to love Myself - Charlie Chaplin

As I began to love myself
I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is
“AUTHENTICITY”.

As I began to love myself
I understood how much it can offend somebody if I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today I call it
“RESPECT”.

As I began to love myself
I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it
“MATURITY”.

As I began to love myself
I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment. So I could be calm. Today I call it
“SELF-CONFIDENCE”.

As I began to love myself
I quit stealing my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm. Today I call it
“SIMPLICITY”.

As I began to love myself
I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today I know it is
“LOVE OF ONESELF”.

As I began to love myself
I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time. Today I discovered that is
“MODESTY”.

As I began to love myself
I refused to go on living in the past and worrying about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where everything is happening. Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it
“FULFILLMENT”.

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But as I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally. Today I call this connection
“WISDOM OF THE HEART”.

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born. Today I know
“THAT IS LIFE”!

- Charlie Chaplin


Sunday, January 26, 2020

Closer than a Heartbeat

I speak not the language of the intellect, that isn’t my way.
I travel the pathways of your nerves and enliven your senses.
I construct the fibers of your dreams and walk the corridors of your mind.

I am communication at the subtlest level –
My thoughts are your true desires.
I am in every corner of your experience…
expressing and guiding.

Hear me and I will ease your pain,
Respect me and I will show you the way.
Love me and you will love yourself and all the world around you.

Listen, I am the whisper in your feeling – my words are ever-present.
Listen – learn the language of the experience – You have known it from birth.

Listen, like an explorer in the wilderness,
Guided by the signals of nature – a turned leaf, a subtle yearning
– My voice will become louder when magnified by your awareness.

I speak through the body and well in emotion.
I penetrate your dreams and fuel your desires.

I am the essence,
The driving force of your existence
– Body, mind, spirit are all aspects of the whole.

My language is simplicity
Beyond intellectual translations that judge, complicate and define.
I flow, I transform…I am before time.

Catch me in the moment,
I have all the answers –
I cannot be saved for the future
or confined in the brain.

My environment is the moment
– it is there that I thrive.
Do not worry, I am in every moment,
available at all times ….
Closer than a heartbeat.

 - Michael Bailey

Sunday, November 03, 2019

21-Day Challenge


21-Day Challenge

While she thought everything was just perfect with her living in the heaven-like country of Switzerland, her state of mind was being sucked inexplicably, into a black hole which at that time she firmly believed that there was absolutely no way out. Now, Veronica Liew Hui Mei is dedicated to share her real experience of how she managed to crawl out from the dark tunnel of depression, step by step.

If you are suffering from depression or recovering from it, the worst thing that someone can tell you is, “Snap out of it!” There are days when simply climbing out of bed takes monstrous effort.

You may be feeling hopeless and helpless, seemingly being sucked into a black hole and getting stuck there… alone… and... forever. I know it’s not easy, I have been there and have managed to get out of that hole, with the help of many people and most important – my own drive to recover.

Let’s affirm ourselves that no matter how tough it is, no matter how impossible it seems to be, we will make every little effort to bring ourselves out from the black hole. Even if we can no longer run or walk, let’s simply crawl: Crawling out from depression.

Here is a 21-Day Challenge that I would like to pose to you -  summarised from my personal experience which I realize now how helpful these personal challenges were, after I had come out from my four years’ “struggle” of living with depression. You don’t have to do it all at once or in any particular order. Just do one at a time, and tick off the boxes. If you lapse one day, it’s okay. As the saying goes, if you can’t climb a mountain, try the hill.

1.        Accept the Emotions
Breath in, breath out… those emotions are just like our breathing. Do not deny, do not fight, just accept those emotions and thoughts. Breath in and breath out, remind yourself that having those thoughts are just something normal and it is merely one of the stages in your life that you  have to go through for you to feel yourself deeper and for you to understand life better.

2.        Express Gratitude
Be thankful even though wherever life has led you to may not be not where you want to be. Tell yourself that the time will come when you will see the bigger picture why you had to go through those unbearable challenges. Write down those words of gratitude and read them out loud.

"Whatever that I am being made to go through now is meant to make me stronger."

3.        Live Frugally
When one is in depression, one may lose the sense of self-control in spending and can possibly lead one easily into credit card debts. Appoint someone preferably in your family whom you can trust to handle your financial inflow and outflow. Cut the credit cards to merely one credit card. Reduce the limit of that one credit card also. It is to avoid being dragged into deeper trouble.

4.        Cry Out Loud
Do not hesitate to cry out your emotions. Yes, we want to maintain our image too without damage to our reputation in the eyes of the public. Nevertheless, should the emotions come too strong and we cannot hold it at that particular moment, accept it and let it go. Go to the washroom if you need to or simply find a quiet corner. After that, put back the smiling face and carry on your life as normal like nothing has happened. After all, that is nature: Rain comes, rain stops and life goes on.

5.        Get a Support Group
Identify and list down the names of those whom you can count as reliable friends and supportive family members as your inner circle of support group. Let them know what you are going through and get their agreement to be your support. If they say no, it’s okay. Respect their wish and move on to the next person. If you feel more comfortable with a professional counsellor, go ahead.

Once you have your support group, text them as much and as frequently as you feel like to allow the stored emotions kept inside you to flow out over time. Having a small circle of reliable contacts is important to ensure there are people who can accompany you, holding your hands closely to walk through the depression journey.

6.        Smile
Yes, do it now! Even we feel our world is breaking into pieces, even if we feel everything is just simply not right including every of our body cells, SMILE!

Remind ourselves everyday: The more challenging it seems to be, the brighter my smile is.

A smile can help to lighten our emotional baggage. A smile can help to lead us to positivity. A smile can help us to connect with kindness and wonders. Your smile can help another person who may be going through inner turmoil as well!

7.        Stay Away From Toxic People
There are times where we encounter people who not only do not understand what we are going through, but instead make sarcastic comments that drag us even further down or make us lose faith with humanity.

We shall recognize the ancient truth that “the same type of rice raises up a hundred types of different people.” There are many types of different personalities in the world. We cannot expect everyone to have empathy on us and to be willing to help us. In the event that you experience cold water from those whom you hoped they can extend helping hands to you, just keep a distance from them.

Time is priceless. We need to be selective of whom we allow to get into our life circle.

8.        Have a Routine Daily Schedule
Take out a pen and write on a paper your daily time schedule from Monday to Sunday. Stick the calendar on a wall and obey the time schedules accordingly.

While our stage of mind is losing its sense, it is important for us to keep our daily life in order. We shall wake up on time and we shall not allow ourselves to continue to lay in bed even though most likely we may have insufficient sleep, or even no sleep at all, the night before. We shall also set time for regular exercises with at least 30 minutes every day. 

9.        Exercise and Exercise
Exercises are crucial for our recovery. Studies show that regular exercise can improve our mood and help us sleep better. Being physically active can lift our mood, reduce stress and anxiety, encourage the release of endorphins and improve self-esteem. Endorphins can help to release more happy cells in our body. Exercising may also be a good distraction from negative thoughts and it can improve social interaction.

So, even if you don’t feel like it, get your body moving NOW!

10.     Get in the Sun
Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin that is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused.

Carry out your exercise outdoor to increase your exposure to natural sunlight. Daily walks during daylight hours may be more effective in improving mood than walking inside a shopping mall or using a treadmill in a gym. Likewise, late evening walks may be relaxing but would be less effective in increasing vitamin D exposure.

11.     Hiking
Getting ourselves into nature can allow us to feel healthier and hence happier. Taking a walk on the wild side, literally, has copious mental health benefits that city walking doesn't. Hiking in nature can help to decrease the obsessive and negative thoughts. While we step foot on a new trail, we can feel like we are rejuvenating ourselves in some way.

You can join a group of hikers or go hiking alone. Hiking can enhance your self-satisfaction and boost your self-esteem.

12.     Walk in a Park
Walking in a park has restorative effect on us from nature. We can feel nature’s peace flow into our inner self as sunshine flows into trees. We can feel the winds blow their own freshness into us and can have rejuvenating effects on our spirit. Nature walks can help to reduce anxiety and have calming effects in our mind. Spending time in natural areas can be vital for mental health in our rapidly urbanized world.

Actively plan more weekend excursions to nearby parks or nature reserves; or just make it a point to walk through quieter, more wooded neighbourhoods.

13.     Stop Self-Criticism  
People with depression constantly have negative thoughts about own self. These thoughts could be self-destructive and often self-limiting. We tend to keep on criticising ourselves that we are not good enough. The negative feelings may multiply exponentially until we cannot feel at ease.

When we are dealing with depression, we would feel our self-confidence is at an all-time low. The constant self-criticism gradually chips at our feeling of balance and starts to affect us emotionally.

Stop belittling your own self today. Instead, find one good thing to say about yourself today.

14.     Colouring
In a world that is by nature colourful, people suffering from depression live in one that is grey most of the time. When I was suffering from depression, I felt all doors and windows in my brain were closed up and I could not see any light in my sense of sight that made me feel horrible and miserable.

Colouring could have a therapeutic effect when we get immersed in our craft with our fascination in the piece of art that we are working on. We could derive immense pleasure in the process of colouring. We could also be overjoyed with satisfaction upon the completion of our artwork. Art helps in many situations and lets us free our creativity without overthinking the process.

Try it for yourself today. Buy a colouring book and colour pencils and get started on it.

15.     Flower Arrangement
Flower arrangement is one of the activities that give us opportunities to engage with intense focus and concentration that can relax our mind even while preoccupied in the process. In the process of arranging flowers, our mind can be absorbed into a world of flowers that connect us with nature and beauty.

Flowers is a universal instrument that conveys various messages on any occasion. Flowers have a life of their own, and produce positive energies which brings about happiness, creativity, compassion, and tranquillity. Through flower arrangement, it allows us to express our emotions and also cultivate love and positive feeling. The sensation of touching and smelling flowers can have an immediate impact on making us happy. The presence of flowers can lead to increased contact and more harmonious relationship with family and friends.

So, go on. Give it a try to see if you enjoy it too.

16.     Full Body Massage
Regular massage therapy can help to promote relaxation and an overall feeling of well-being. A 60-minute therapeutic massage may decrease the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our body. The same massage could also increase our body’s levels of serotonin. Serotonin is a mood booster, and elevated levels of this hormone help us combat feelings of sadness. These changes typically are short-term, and may only last a few hours. With regular sessions, however, we may start to notice more long-term changes.

For consistent and longer lasting results, schedule a session once every week continuously for several months. Remember that massage therapy is meant to complement our current treatment – not replace it. 

17.     Self-Massage
In the daytime and evening, we can use our own hands to massage our neck, shoulders, fingers and feet as well as muscle knots to ease the tension and also to relax our muscles.

Self-massage can give us a good sense that we are paying attention and transmitting tender loving kindness to our body and soul.

So, try it now!

18.     Eat Healthy
Pay attention on the nutritional intake of your diet. Ensure that you eat enough vegetables - the more colourful the better - in every meal. A healthy diet can make a significant difference to how quickly we recover from depression. Eating healthily seems to be just as important for maintaining our mental health as it is for preventing physical health problems.

Paying attention on our diets and ensuring we eat healthy can also give us a more assured mind that we are working steadily towards our own recovery.

19.     House Cleaning
Too often a messy house only makes us feel worse and it can be very discouraging. Nevertheless, even though you may not feel like it and even during those moments when you actually feel very much disorganized internally and externally, kick your own ass and just do anything - sweep the floor, clean the windows, organise your wardrobe, clear out old clothes…

It's amazing how vacuuming the floor, cleaning up the kitchen, and straightening up clutter can improve your mood. You can turn up the music and dance through your chores. You can also allow your tears flowing out while you endeavour to clean up your space. Throwing unused old stuff and donating them away to charity organizations can have the effects of cleansing in our inner spirit.

20.     Hug Yourself
“(Your first name, repeat 2 times), I love you.”

“(Your first name, repeat 2 times), I love you.”

At night, embrace yourself with your hands to your shoulders and repeat to yourself “I love you.” As many times as possible. Tell every part of your body “I love you.”

Should emotion come and the tears drop when you hug yourself, let it flow. Let it go.

21.     Self-Affirmation
Should the self-harm thought arises, be kind and apply empathy to your own self. Life is tough enough, be more compassionate to your own self. Tell every part of your body “I love you.” Tell yourself that you have the strength and support for you to get through this. Tell yourself that things will be better and the current stage of life is an opportunity for you to welcome a more joyful life.

Disclaimer: The above article is merely a personal opinion of the writer sharing her journey of having gone through depression. Readers shall consult trained professional psychiatrists for guided medical treatments.

Veronica Liew Hui Mei, Businesswoman, Certified Professional Trainer, Certified Financial Planner,
Besides training and working on her own business, Veronica also provides translation and interpretation, language training and is a consultant for international market expansion linking the East and the West. She is passionate to drive local enterprises to develop into global brands.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

I am LIGHT

I AM LIGHT, Glowing in LIGHT, Intensified LIGHT, Radiating LIGHT, 

God consumes my darkness

Transmuting it into LIGHT

This Day I AM the Focus of the Central Sun 

Flowing through me is a Crystal River 

A living fountain of LIGHT that can never be qualified by human thoughts and feelings 

I AM the outpost of the divine

Such darkness that has used me is swallowed up by the Mighty River of LIGHT which I AM

I AM, I AM, I AM LIGHT

I Live, I Live, I Live in LIGHT

I AM LIGHT Fullest Dimension 

I AM LIGHT Purest Intention 

I AM LIGHT, LIGHT, LIGHT

Flooding the world wherever I move 

Blessing and Strengthening and Conveying the Purpose of the Kingdom of Heaven 

I AM LIGHT, LIGHT, LIGHT

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Why I’m Flying Back to Malaysia to Vote

Why I’m Flying Back to Malaysia to Vote

When absentee voting just isn’t good enough.



I'm a Malaysian citizen who’s been living in Switzerland since I married my German husband two and a half years ago. Ever since I made the move to Europe, though, I’ve been keeping an eye on the political situation back in my native country. Earlier this year, when it became apparent that a general election was imminent, I flew back to Malaysia — 6,200 miles away — just so that I could vote.

Unfortunately, after my arrival, the government decided to hold off on calling the new election, so when I couldn’t wait any longer I flew back to Zurich — only to hear the news that Prime Minister Najib Razak had dissolved parliament. Soon after that the date of the new election was set: May 5.

So I turned around and flew back to Malaysia.

Yeah, it’s crazy. But I’m not the only one. Many of my compatriots in Malaysia’s far-flung expat community — it’s estimated that there are around one million of us around the world — are doing the same thing. That’s a reflection of how high the stakes are in the upcoming election — and how strongly many of us want to vote for change.

The 2013 general election (or "GE13," as Malaysians like to call it) is shaping up to be one of the most decisive battles in the country’s modern history. The ruling National Front Coalition (Barisan Nasional or BN) has run Malaysia for the past 56 years. The opposition People’s Pact (Pakatan Rakyat or PR) believes that the chance may have finally come to challenge BN’s hold on power.

I don’t think it’s important to tell you which candidates I’m voting for. Suffice it to say that I don’t think it’s a goodthing when one group of people run a country for so long, and that I believe we desperately need change. In my own life as a Malaysian I’ve experienced far too much in the way of discrimination, injustice, bureaucracy, and inefficiency. And I don’t want others who live in Malaysia to go through the same things.
So why not just vote absentee? Can’t I just sign up to send in my vote by mail? Why do I need to go to the trouble of taking a sixteen-hour flight just so that I can be there in person at the polling place? After all, there’s plenty of evidence that the government won’t shy away from tampering with the vote even if you’re physically present in Malaysia.

It should be noted that this is the first time in Malaysia’s history that citizens living overseas have the chance to vote (with the exception of some Malaysians in a few other Southeast Asian countries). But very few — only about 0.6 percent — have actually signed up to vote absentee. Thousands have decided instead to return home solely for the election.

Some of them may have opted to do this because the absentee voting law doesn’t actually make it very easy for overseas Malaysians to register. But I think the far more important reason is that most of us don’t trust the government to tally our votes, especially when we’re not there to stand up for our right to be counted.

Over the past few years Malaysias have witnessed the astonishing growth of the Bersih ("Clean") reform movement, a grassroots initiative that has galvanized the longing for free and fair elections. (The most recent Bersih demo a year ago drew up to a quarter of a million people onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur.) That’s a response to widespread and credible reports of vote tampering that traditionally plague Malaysian elections.
Government meddling spans vote buying, ballot box stuffing, multiple voting (including busing of pro-government voters to other constituencies), and even the granting of quick citizenship (with voting rights) to illegal immigrants who are instructed how to vote. Many of us fear that there will be even more such shenanigans this time around, given the government’s obvious nervousness about its eroding support in recent by-elections. (The minister of education, for example, recently called together teachers and told them to vote for the BN-led government.) Our distrust extends to the national election commission, which has uncomfortably close ties to BN and offers little in the way of independent oversight.

Overseas Malaysians offer particular opportunities for fraud. There have been recent reports of Malaysian citizens living in China who have been registered as postal voters without their knowledge. In one case, a businessman residing in Shanghai for over nine years discovered that he’d registered as a voter in Kelantan, although he has never been to the state. In fact, he’s never even registered as a voter. Such tales of "phantom voters" reinforce the notion that the best way to prevent such fraud is by showing up at the polls. (The Election Commission has already admitted that some 42,000 names on the electoral roll are actually "phantoms," and civil society organizations fear that the number is far higher.)

So far I’ve spoken with Malaysians in Afghanistan, Australia, and the United Kingdom who are planning to fly home to cast their ballots. Two university students in Taipei each spent a sum equivalent to a month of living expenses in order to purchase tickets home. One middle-aged Malaysian lady posted a photo of herself online at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to head pack to her hometown of Perak. "I am flying home from Los Angeles to cast my precious vote!" she wrote, "I refuse to be dumb anymore for my grandchildren and next generations. I love my country. I love the land where I have grown up ~ Malaysia! Change!"

Some Malaysians have responded by getting together to help others make the trip. The local branch of Bersih in Shanghai has initiated a "Go Back to Vote Campaign" that is offering 500 renminbi (about $82) for airfare to Malaysians in the city who might not be able to afford the trip home. Bersih Shanghai‘s Weng Liew estimates that a total of 3,000 people have confirmed flying home from China. Bersih’s Hong Kong chapter has launched a similar campaign, offering 500 Hong Kong dollars (about $60) towards a plane ticket "A high turnout will minimize fraud and offers a better chance of stability in the event there is regime change or hung parliament," says Lee Willson of Bersih Hong Kong.

Of all the Malaysians living abroad, by far the biggest group — some 300,000 to 5000,000 — is in Singapore. Two travel companies, easibook.com and catchthatbus.com, have jointly launched a promotion
bus fare
 for all Malaysians working in Singapore to go home to vote. One company says it will be doubling the number of coaches making the trip (from 50 to 100). Some Malaysians working in Singapore are also arranging carpools or offering lifts to compatriots through social media. That prompted the Electoral Commission to warn foreigners not to drive Malaysians cross the border in cars with foreign plates.

Norman Goh told me that he’d decided to fly back from Singapore to vote in his home state of Sarawak. He told me that the journey home to vote for some of his friends from there will only be beginning when they get off the flight from Singapore. They still face another two hours by bus and then another three by boat in order to arrive at their destinations deep in the jungles of Borneo.

This all might sound rather extreme. But it’s actually pretty reasonable. Many of my compatriots are tired of the corruption and racism that rule over public life in our country. We want to establish a truly bipartisan system that encourages real checks and balances. And we want a country that’s clean, green, safe, and progressive. To get there, we have to vote.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Deutsch

1. erst sind sie am fluss entlang bis zur brücke gelaufen.
1. First they are gone along the river bridge to.

2. dann sind sie über die brücke gelaufen.
2. then they are running on the bridge.

3. dann sind sie durch den wald gelaufen.
3. Then they ran through the forest.

4. hinter dem wald sind sie nach links gelaufen.
4. behind the forest they ran to the left.

5. dann sind sie zum spielplatz gelaufen.
5. then they walked to the playground.

6. dann sind sie um den spielplatz herumgelaufen.
6. then they are walking around the playground.

7. sie sind die kirchstraße entlang gelaufen, am bahnhof vorbei.
7. they are the Church Street ran along past the station.

8. jetzt sind sie gegenüber der kirche.
8. now they are against the church.