Reflections of 23rd May 2012

 

Was reading the Yoga Journal which I borrowed from the library in the MRT this morning. It somehow attracted the interest of the lady sitting beside me. I caught her glances on my page. However after a few pages of my flipping, her interest wore off. At the corners of my eyes, however, I could still see glimpses of her stealing occasional glances of me and my magazine...

Not long after, another lady took the right seat next to mine, and she too, started showing interest in my reading material. So there we were, three ladies who were complete strangers on a morning train, browsing our Yoga Journal together... Interestingly, I caught myself reflecting that I was not annoyed that day - which I usually would have been if strangers kept peering onto what I was reading - in fact I felt a little sense of joy and pleasure, perhaps stemming from the underlying fact that I had the pleasure of sharing goodness around! So I kept a little smile of satisfaction in my heart.

To make the affair more interesting, the three of us alighted at the same station. My left "partner" got up before I did and before she moved ahead, she actually turned around to have a (perhaps good) look at me and exchanged a smile! What a nice moment to start off my day! :)))

The second smile of the day that I received came in the afternoon from the tray cleaner aunty in the food court. She had noticed my worried expression of the potentiality of cutlery and bowls toppling from her frail grasp and through it all, gave me a kind smile. The smile, through her line-filled face despite the hard work her hunched frame was pushing through, all in her normal day's of routined work.

心情!心情！

今天收到了一封前老板的电邮。在礼貌上回邮里，“批评”了我的工作能力。。。

或许，那不是一种批评。换个角度来想，她是`在赞赏我的其它能力。。。又或许，她试图用赞赏我的方式来婉转的批评我在她那儿干活的能力。。。

不想把她想成那么坏的人，但，文字信息进入脑里，难过的心情当然涌上心头。。。是一种打击：不想再往这一方面发展了。。。在接下来的反应——不禁问自己：“我真的有这么差吗？”

当然，她并没有直接说出我的差处。她只是很婉转地说我应该更适合去做我转业的那一行业。

回想，虽然我在这项副行业里，确实比再此专业人士表现得差强人意，但我认为这匹“副马”不是没有可取之处的。。。想着想着，那种失落与难过的心情间接化成一股力量，一股想要使自己更进步的力量，好让把自己所存有的优点与潜力带出来，让大家都能看得到我是有能力把这行业也做好的。无可否定，优点缺点是很主观的。你的好，在他眼里不一定就是好。。。但，当下的我，就是存有一种决心想要把不够好的地方都能提升--让她，让大家都能认定我有能力，至少有一定的能力办好这项工作。

后来的心情变成了一种感激。感激被批评了才使自己有这种正能量，有这种决心与毅力想进步自己，把自己带到批评线以上的浮台。。。虽然还未达到此目的地，但我相信自己一定能做到。就从今天起，一点一滴地改进自己。加油！！！

Money Makes The World Go Round...

I was discussing on the topic of MONEY with my group of international students during my writing class when we stumbled upon another subtopic.

My student from Vietnam commented that if one were to pick up a $2 note from the ground, he has to place a fifty-cent coin on the exact spot so that he will continue to have money in his life.

My Chinese student remarked that according to Buddhist practice, one who picked up money on the street has to have it donated - no matter the amount. (I asked her if it were a fifty dollar note, does it mean ALL has to be donated? "OF COURSE!" came her firm reply). 

The vietnamese student then commented that if it were a small amount, then forget about picking that up! In Vietnamese folklore culture, money on the ground is meant for the spirits. So if you happen to pick up some money (in his case, if it was worth picking), you should place some back in return so that you'll continue to have money to use.

I shared my mother's version.

If you see money on the ground -- even if it's only a ten-cent coin -- you HAVE to pick it up.

Reason: Then you'll continue to have money in the future.

It is an interesting topic to debate on since there are so many different perspectives to it, which all sound reasonable.

Well, it really sets me thinking.

What's your take?

Whatever it is, it makes me realise that money Really DOES make the world go round.

It is a cycle. 

So is Everything.

梁静茹

一直以来对梁静茹并没有什么好感（不是反感，只是不去喜欢她）。从她出道到她开始红起来，就觉得奇怪，这人怎么会这么受欢迎？又不漂亮，眼睛突突的，有点土，唱歌又不是特别好听。。。英文名又取了个Fish，叫人听了真反感（对于Fish，我真倒是反感）。自娱想了也对，她的眼睛是有如金鱼那么的突出嘛！还有那首《分手快乐》。。。分手哪里会快乐？--无聊！

直到她结婚的消息，又让我再次注意到她。

对于分手快乐，不知何时起，有了新的概念。。。

“分手快乐，祝你快乐。。。” 分手或许可以是快乐的开始。分了手，新的开始，祝对方能达到快乐。。。

结了婚的梁静茹，散发了一种既简单，又宁静大方的幸福。虽然还是不觉得她漂亮。但她很纯净，有静态中的美，静态中幸福的美 。。。是小女人的太太，也是努力工作的歌手。

最近，不知何故又开始哼起《分手快乐》。决定找出完整的歌词。

原来笔者笔下字是献给朋友。祝福朋友分手后得到快乐，找到更好的。

希望自己有天也能象梁静茹有宁静大方的幸福。

因为“其实爱对了人，情人节每天都过”。

小孩

在等地铁时，看见了一个脸蛋圆润的小男孩，大约两三岁吧。

坐在推车里的他，怀里抱着一个毛茸茸的可爱熊。

那妇人，应该是他的女佣吧，推着他，到了等候座位，坐了下来。这时，这个小瓜，开始小闹了起来，挣扎着，企图把安全带甩开。女佣哄哄他，以待会儿买雪糕的诱饵让他乖乖坐着。这还真的非常奏效。 小孩立刻安静下来，搂着熊熊，把头歪到一边，靠着怀里熊熊。这一幕让我觉得他非常可爱，好纯，好温馨！于是，打从心里发出了微笑。。。

小孩这时突然转过头来。哎呀，被他看到了我在对他微笑！而他下一个举动却让我更觉得温馨。。。

遇到了我的眼神，他呆了一会儿，不久也发出了可爱的微笑，接着，向我挥挥手呢！

小朋友，就是那么的单纯，那么的直接。心里不存有怀疑，防备，拐弯。心门总是那么的开敞。反观成人，经过社会的调教与磨练，心里早已注入敏感，自我保护的工具。。。

我想，不是每个小孩都会像那位小朋友一样吧？经验告诉我，微笑换来的反应极有可能是对方的害怕，哭泣，若无表情，更有可能是一个张牙舞爪的动作。。。

现代都市社会的效应。。。

小孩，希望你永远那么快乐，真心。。。长大后也是。。。