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.)
//-->
Monday, January 09, 2006
you know, i might have understood why i have been complaining so much about Singapore.. about my sisters being irritating.. about my friends.. about so many lifeless things when i am in Singapore.
Brisbane is as boring, if not, worse than Singapore.. The weather in Brisbane now is about the same as Singapore. the rainy cool kind.
According to Freud, our mind/body has defence mechanisms to protect ourselves. I think mine might be that.. i want to have as little emotions/feelings i have to Singapore so that departure will be a little more easier. moreover, this time i will be flying back alone. and i am quite sure that i dont want my mum n dad to join me and take all the office leave and cancel all their lessons again just because of me. So, my mind keeps churning out 10001 reasons why i should leave this place, thus leading to so much complaints abt me not getting used to Singapore and me having the mentality that "i miss brisbane" or "i love australia".
According to Freudian Theory, this mechanism is known as repression and/or diversion. Ya, this might just be the best answer to all the strange phenomena happening to me.
detachment from feelings in Singapore=making leaving Sg easier?
read blogs from all my Aussie-Sg peeps (melb ones). reckon maybe i am the only abnormal one that is still having trouble w adjusting to my friends. they're missing their friends!! sigh. what i miss might just be the regular pool sessions w my only kaki, SM.. (the only person who is willing to pool w me), the phone numbers starting with "9xxxxxxxx" instead of "04xxxxxxxxx" and how readily my friends answer their phones.
anyway, they are going back soon alr.. for me, one month and 14 more days. 44 more days.
-bree-
*brena*; timed 9:36 PM