Live Life

My resolution for this year is to Live Life.  I want to be able to enjoy everything that life has to offer. Along with that, I need to be able to learn to accept things and move on when I need to, laugh and/or cry as each situation unfolds; share and teach what I know and learn from others as well; listen with both my heart and my ears and at the same time be confident enough to voice my own opinions and my feelings when need be.  Love with my whole heart, accept the pain of loss, grieve, pick myself up and face the world again.  Accept pain and feel the intensity of being hurt, enough for me to learn from it and move on from it, but not so much as to trap me in its web.  Experience hardships and trials and revel graciously in success once achieved.  Be humble and kind but still know my worth and not let others trample and take advantage of me.  Find happiness in the small and simple things of life, be grateful for what I have and learn how to accept defeat, when,  after doing and trying everything possible to change the situation and come out victorious, the cards still do not fall in my favor.  But at the same time, know how to pick my battles and fight for what I believe in and not easily give up even when times get tough.  I also want to be able to upgrade my knowledge and skills not just for my career, but more for myself.  Travel, laugh, be in awe of the wonders of nature and of things I haven't seen or done before, play, run, read, sing, dance, look at the clouds and stars, swim, sit still, sleep deep and well, experience peace.

There are a lot of things I want to be able to experience, and all may not happen in 2014 but in which case I want to start now.  I am not getting any younger and I think I have the right now to cast a bit of my careful nature aside and take risks, both in life and in love.  But still, I need to remind myself periodically that while living life to the fullest, there still needs to be balance.  An acceptance that there are things, people and situations that belong and do not belong in my life, regardless of how I feel and how much or how deep my investment is in a person, a project or a career.  I still believe in a higher power, and ultimately both the universe and the Man Upstairs will deal my cards the way it is supposed to be dealt, whether I like the outcome or not.

I Lived by One Republic somehow sums up what I had in mind for 2014, so I figured this can be my song to start off my year.  I would just like to share the lyrics with you and maybe, the song can be your song too :)

Cheers guys! Have a great year ahead! :)

                                                                         "I Lived"

                                                                     One Republic

[Verse 1]
Hope when you take that jump
You don't fear the fall
Hope when the water rises
You build a wall

Hope when the crowd screams out
They're screaming your name
Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

Hope that you fall in love
And it hurts so bad
The only way you can know
Is give it all you have

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain
Hope when the moment comes
You'll say...

[Chorus]
I, I did it all
I, I did it all
I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

[Verse 2]
Hope that you spend your days
But they all add up
And when that sun goes down
Hope you raise your cup

I wish that I could witness
All your joy and all your pain
But until my moment comes
I'll say...

[Chorus]
I, I did it all
I, I did it all
I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

[Bridge]
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Oh
Oh
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

[Chorus]
I, I did it all
I, I did it all
I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

[Outro]
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Oh
Oh

Lyrics from www.azlyrics.com

Image from my.englishclub.com

Till next time! - M

Happy 2013!

I know ... its late but better late than never right? :)

Its been a long time since I last wrote something.  Its funny since I have been thinking about topics for my posts for a while.  But, unfortunately, I haven't had the time to write them all down. Alas! the life of a corporate drone! *insert sad face asking for sympathy here*

Anyhoo, I have been reading quite a lot, but not as much as I want to.  I feel like my reading pace is quite slow, I can't quite make a dent in my TBR list haha :P (lazy, lazy).  Plus, there are a lot of books I still want to get my hands on, so i need to take my pace up a notch... To help me do this, i made it a part of my 2013 resolutions, I PLAN (take note: all caps on PLAN not DO :P) to write down and post the list of books I would want to read in a month or two, then write about it after I read it :) *fingers crossed* ... sounds like a good plan, right?!? This way, I will either be motivated to read more or pressured to read and finish my blog post before the month ends ;).

I also hope to post more on stuff i have been doing, or maybe a few random stuff I find interesting.  I really don't know yet actually, but definitely food and books and some poetry are my top picks.  I would also like to try my hand on food blogging :)  since I do eat out quite a bit I may be posting some of my thoughts on that as well.

Since I already mentioned one of my resolutions for 2013, I might as well post the whole list.  Here it is, in no particular order:

1. Be happy.
2. Read more books.
3. Write more.
4. Watch more movies.
5. Spend more time with family.
6. Spend more time with friends.  If need be, exert more effort to keep in touch with friends.
7. Buy at least one article of clothing per pay day :) - this resolution i soooooo like :)
8. Open and maintain a savings account
9. Save money.  Learn to evaluate purchases first prior to buying (is it a need or a want?)
10. Pay my credit card and loan debts.  DO NOT get a new card unless all are paid.
11. Learn to drive.
12. Go on vacation.
13. Schedule an out of town travel and if possible an out of the country trip.
14. Be aggressive in work matters.
15. Work for a promotion.
16. Get a new phone (hopefully!)
17. Haul my lazy fat self back to the gym and TRY to stay in shape :)
18. Try to eat healthy :)
19. Blog more.  Plan and try hard to write about the books I want to read within a month or two.  Plus write about other topics : places I've been, things I saw, etc.
20. Hopefully, find love :) - I write this every year, i would like to claim that this is a done deal this year.  as they say, if you really want something, the universe conspires to help make that thing happen.  Hoping the universe is not so busy this year and it will be my turn to be conspired on ;)

So, on to 2013!  and since this is a very late post, let me greet you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Happy Three Kings, Happy Valentine's Day, Kung Hei Fat Choi! Gong Xi Fa Cai! :)

See you soon!

- M