Why do you say living is like a stroll in the park?

• Living as it is in peace time can be simple
• Even in war time, people still struggle for that brief reprieve
• In my mind & childhood experiences, a stroll in the park is a time for enjoying the sights & sounds with my family
• Being taught not to disturb the surroundings, we try to use our senses to relax, play & explore, always mindful of interrupting others

Surely living cannot be that easy?

• Working can or cannot be very stressful
• Family can or cannot be difficult
• Studies can or cannot be pressurizing
• Relationships can or cannot be fulfilling
• Is running easy? Must be? Think again … a handicap on wheel chair cannot run, but … if a Lamba composite prosthetic foot has been fitted, the "handicap" would be able to run
• Living is as much about accepting as adapting; once this idea is inculcated, the level of living difficulty is proportional to our "childhood mentality" - playing while learning
• This is a matter of perception, habit & mindset

Why is it a matter of perception?

• We are all livings with senses and through these senses, we stay in touch with the surroundings
• Through our neurological faculty, we cognize, interpret & memorize observations, patterns & phenomena
• Therefore, depending on the circumstances, experiences & people that we face, living is shortened into impressions that can simply be described within the range of good and bad, easy and difficult
• On one hand, these perceived impressions help us react more maturely & calmly; on the other hand, holding onto outdated, unrealistic & false impressions, which resist change & thereby resist adapting, make us exhausted & weak
• On Survivor I, one camp started cooking & eating rats when at first some resisted but eventually gave in not due to hunger but good taste!
• It is a pity to let our long-held impressions be challenged, but it is a tragedy to reject the potential that new experiences have in stall for us

It is hard to change my habits …

• Can you chew the hardness?
• Habits, whether good or bad, are not encouraged, even though as children, we have been taught to cultivate "good" habits
• Teenagers often challenge the "good" habits that they are supposed to follow & some adults purposely go the opposite way of "good" habits
• Note that "good" habits are also perceived & the applicability of habits depends on the situation
• Children may need guidance & when dealing with uncertainty or danger, they would need some heuristics that are simple to remember & do
• When people find that they become increasingly disturbed, tired or guilty in reacting according to habit, it is probably the time to assess & change
• It is not advisable to follow other people's habits especially those of famous idols, instead focus on yourself, past experiences & circumstances to decide your living
• Urban dwellers have increasingly become overwhelmed & overburdened with too many habits, demands & responsibilities; the reason is the formation of habitual impressions that diminishes our thoughtfulness; always strive to simplify your life

1. Start the day right
2. Declutter your home - debris affect Qi flow
3. Gently say "no"
4. Don't save pennies & waste hours
5. Encourage kids to help
6. Turn off the tube

Why do some people naturally die young but others old?

• This is also circumstantial; the longevity issue has been with people as long as life itself; who does not want live long, provided life is "good"?
• But even in war or crisis, people do not become murderous or suicidal
• The wish & will to live & let live is phenomenal
• But why do some people live longer & seemingly in better health than others?
• Even though all of us have in-born genetic flaws, it takes circumstances, living conditions and personal states to activate these inherent flaws
• Research has found that the way of living is the determinant factor of the quality of living & life span, not our genetic make-up (so the journalist reports of companies & insurance firms choosing clients based on genetic information can be thrown out of the window)
• What better way of living than to take it like a stroll in the park? You see, feel & think, but do not engage, disturb or get involved
• Do not feel obliged to conform, but feel & do for yourself & in so doing, help others do better
• Each of us is unique, our thumbprints are unique, so is our niche, discover for yourself & live
• Life seems to be a matter of weighted choices - some more important than others, but when it comes to the way of living, there are no weights and we have equal freedom for ourselves, so start learning to stay young

1. Get busy
2. Avoid toxic waist
3. Reach out & touch someone
4. Adept at adapting
5. Lucky to be a woman
6. All in the family
7. Happy endings

What can we do with our difficulties … we can’t just wish them away, can we?

• Again habitual perceptions haunt us
• Whether difficulties or ease, it is all in the mind
• A ball is round and it is because it is round that it offers various forms of perspectives - if you see at 0 degrees and then 180 degrees, the views might not be the same, so is the circle of life
• As all of us are living in an enclosed system, statistically we should face various fortunes with ups and downs, but there is no excuse for us to shy away from initial difficulties
• Research has found that by holding back initially and attempting to experience in a different way, people are adept at changing their initial misgivings
• It is wholesome to bear in mind depending on the perspective, there is always some good in bad & some bad in good - live & let live
• Help yourself through hard times

1. Let yourself grieve
2. Understand your anger
3. Face the challenge
4. Get out & do!
5. Be patient with yourself

What do some people always seem so grumpy & unhappy?

• That is why you are there - try make them less grumpy & lighten up more
• At different times, at different places & under different situations & environment, people are emotionally affected - some happy, others not so
• Spreading the seeds of laughter & humour is not only fun, it is sometimes downright necessary
• In enclosed systems, people live & work together & what better way for harmony than humour, jokes, laughter & fun?