beauty
love
joy
peace
faithfulness
gentleness
patience
self-control
(1) The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Let it come in. We think we dont deserve love, we think
if we let it in we'll become too soft. But a wise man called Levine said it right. Love is the only rational act. (2) Sometimes, in the mornings, that's when i mourn. I feel around my body,
I move my fingers and my hands--whatever I can still move-- and I mourn for what I've lost. I mourn the slow, insidious way in which I am dying. But then, i stop. I give myself a good cry if
i need it. But then I concentrate on all the good things still in my life. YOU. (3) The culture doesnt encourage us to think about regrets until you're about to die. We're so wrapped up with
egotistical things, career, family, having enough money--trillions of little acts just to keep going. We dont have the habit to stand back and look at our lives "Is this all I want?" You need
someone to probe you in that direction. It doesnt happen automatically. I have found my teacher. Have you found yours? (4) Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live. Listen to that bird
on your shoulder, if you accept that you can die at any time, you might not be as ambitious as you are. (5) Love each other or perish. Family-- nothing else can give you spiritual security. Not
money, not fame. (6) Learn to detach. Dont cling to things, because everything is impermanent. Let the experience penetrate you fully. That's how you are able to leave it. If you dont allow yourself
to go all the way through them, you can never get to being detached. You're too busy being afraid, afraid of pain, grief and vulnerability. Throw yourself into these emotions. Dive in, all the way.
Then, you will know what the emotions are, and detach. (7) You have to find what's good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now. Looking back makes you competitive. And age, is not
competitive. How can I be envious of where you are--when I've been there myself? (8) Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community and people around you, create something
that gives you meaning. Do the kinds of things that come from the heart. When you do, you wont be dissatified, envious and longing for someone else's things. On the contrary, you'll be overwhelmed
with what comes back. (9) Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.Think of my voice and I will be there. (10) Respect, compromise and talk openly. Have a common set of values in life with
your partner. (11) The biggest defect we human beings have is our short-sightedness. Invest in the human family. Invest in those you love and who love you. In the beginning of life, when we were infants,
we need others to survive, right? At the end of life, you need others to survive right? (12) Forgive yourself. Forgive others. Tears are okay. Life is a tension of opposites. (13) As long as we can love
each other, and remember, the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. Death ends a life, not a rlnship. (14) I love you, Coach. He had finally made me cry.
Above-- excerpts fr Tuesdays with Morrie... (My entries, links and tagboard are in that order -> respectively.)
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Thursday, December 22, 2005
in response to the recent racial riots and Mr Glenn Tan's newspaper article on 22/12/05: (i cant write a letter back to Straits Times addressing him not because i am scared. but it is because my aunties and uncles oppose me to study overseas since the beginning of time. if i were to write in, they will reveal my identity and i will get killed for studying overseas.. cause they dont really know that i am in Australia.)
background to the story: Mr Glenn Tan studies at UQ for the past 1.5yrs and said that he was being exposed to several cases of intimidating racism.
my response: I am a student studying a 4yr degree course in Australia and i just completed my first year. Yes, no doubt I myself had experienced racism firsthand, i will just like to raise some concern that not ALL Australians are racists. There're many Australians who care and concern for their fellow coursemates or fellow mates studying in Australia. So all is not bleak and that people who are considering to study in Australia should not be put off by any idea of racism, especially studying in UQ (the place that i am currently enrolled and studying in). As for Glenn Tan, i believe that he is not in the situation like me, where i am the only Singaporean in the whole course/faculty. (Many of the other Singaporeans i know are in faculties that are heavily populated with Singaporeans ie the Business School, the Science Fac.)
I stay in a college where there're many Australians and there're only 3 Singaporeans residing there, inclusive of me. I study in a course where i am the only Singaporean, one of the two Asians (the other Asian has been studying in Australia for a few years). Yes, there were cases of racism. For example, that Viet-Australian classmate who refused to lend me her notes and was very freakingly rude to me. Also, there were other australian classmates who just dont bother to even look at you in the eye and talk to you. In fact, being the only Singaporean, and one out of the two Asians, i suffer it stronger than anyone else. To this date, those classmates are still doing that and i cant deny that it hurts a lot, to be exposed to such classmates. To me, i attribute that to immaturity and insufficient exposure to other races. Many of these young australians have never even sat an aeroplane in their whole life or gone further than their continents before. Thus, they would probably not understand the culture of the different countries. And of course, we as students have a choice to either ignore it and get on with life or let it affect you so much that it paralyses you. I chose the former.
However, one has to look at the other side of things. When those classmates were rude and mean to me, I got alot alot of care and concern from my Australian floormates themselves. They saw that i was sad and not talking, came over to my room and talked to me. I told them whatever happened and they comforted me by getting me dinner, deserts, played Xmas bonbons together, brought me out for ice cream and I saw that they did their utmost to make sure that i felt comfortable with them and not to stereotype them as racist. And this was not only a one-off incident. We always hang out together in each other's rooms, watch tv together, went grocery-shopping together, go for random car spins together, study together (with my coursemates and college mates) and not forgetting playing typical college pranks on each other. It all sums up in one sentence. I am very close to them.
Personally, i have gained more Australian friends than a single Singaporean friend when i am overseas. In fact, I know of a few Singaporeans who backstabbed me so much that i turn to my Australian friends for comfort! Ironic but true. During my first year overseas, the Singaporeans there did let me SO down that i am totally disappointed and I do not reckon that i want to know that many Singaporeans overseas. I rather know one more heart to heart Australian than one thousand Singaporeans there.
Of course, i would agree with Glenn Tan that to study overseas, one has to be open-minded, adaptable to the culture and gain an experience of a lifetime. If not, whatever do you go overseas for? You might as well study in Singapore.
In just a short one yr stint out of my 4 years, i had made so many Australian friends that i really miss them during this festive season. We have exchanged Xmas and birthday cards via snail mail and email. I do really miss their company so much during this festive season.
To have Australian friends as company has always been one of the proudest things of my life. I am glad that I have chosen to open up to them and glad that they are still one major part of my life. It all boils down to your attitude towards others and learning how to accept each other's differences.
And yes, for one thing, mix around with everyone and everyone. Try your best not to create a "Little Hongkong", "Little Singapore" or whatsoever gathering. Because it gives the Australians an impression that you guys are alienating them. not they alienating you. and this may lead to further "racism" if you so call define it. And contrary to what Glenn Tan had said, I have experienced ZERO cases of racism when i am at Southbanks for my movies, the Brisbane City for my shopping. And lets just put it this way, I go shopping with my Australian mates as well.
Brisbane aint that terrible place that Glenn Tan pictured out on the papers. I have it all safe and sound. And i am still surviving. Dont get put off by all the racism thing. Educate the Australians. They're really loving and nice and willing to learn about your culture. And for one thing, Ali, Selena and Mandy have requested me teach them the history of bubble tea, how to go about making bubble tea and asked me to bring them to the real Chinatown of Brisbane, Sunnybanks.
racism, no go!
-bree-
*brena*; timed 3:33 PM