Why do "Nice Guys" finish last?

I've been studying all the time these days. But offcourse Youtube vids would come in between. Just then, I was watching this series by WongFuProductions called "Just A Nice Guy". Halfway Part 1, I realised that sometimes "Nice Guys" misunderstood the reason why they might finish last.

1) Wes told Phil: "Girls want something different.They want confidence, cockiness, they want danger.They want a guy that can be their friend sometimes, but not always. Girls like jerks"
My convict: FALSE.

Let me say to you, I know a guy who's really good looking but man he's cocky and overconfident. That's a big BIG turn off!  His looks just disappear beneath all those bad personalities. I agree with confidence, girls do prefer their guy to be confident. If they're not, then why would girls trust the rest of their life in the "hands" of an unconfident guy? Plus, a confident guy would be brave enough to show his feelings to the girl he likes.

Also, I would want a guy who can be my friend all the time. If he and I will be together for the rest of our lives, it would be really lovely to have someone who's also my best friend.

I reckon that nice guys really are attractive (I know that was how I got attracted to my bf teehee). But the thing that makes them stay in the "guy who's my best friend but I will not date" zone is when they're too nice to every single girl they know. And they usually have more girl friends than guy friends.

Don't get me wrong, being nice to everybody is a good thing. But if you like a girl, you gotta treat her differently  (a.k.a nicerrr than other girls) and you gotta give them "hints". Doesn't mean you should downgrade your niceness to other girls though. Does that make sense? Why you may ask? Well, this is cos if you don't give "signs", then girls would've thought that you're just being nice just like how you usually are to other girls.

Girls have insecurities (not a hidden fact at all). So they wouldn't let themselves fall for a guy who's known to be very nice to all girls (in case we mistakenly thought that the guy like us but actually he's just being friendly). I reckon, this is where nice guys fall short. Girls would want a guy who are loyal to them and would love them like we're "the only girl in the world". So if this guy starts treating other girls the same as he would treat us, then it's gonna make us girls question your feelings for us.

That's all I wanna say. I hope it clears up some misunderstanding some guys might have. And I hope that nice guys don't turn into jerks just for the sake of getting a gf. Be yourself, be nice to everyone, but only "flirt" with the girl that you like.

DISCLAIMER: This is purely my opinion. There may be girls out there who likes jerks. But I think that if a girl is serious about a relationship, they wouldn't fall for jerks.Only girls who are out there to find fun would look for jerks. What do you girls/guys out there think??

Maybe I'll get drunk again

If someone was to ask me, when would be ur lowest point in your uni life? My answer would be 3 weeks before the final exams. I find that it's during this time that I start losing all motivation to study and losing all that strength in me to push on.

The past few weeks, it's been a midsem test EACH week. And that consist of 6 weeks in total of midsems (2 of the units divide their midsems into 2 tests). After that's done, I still have 1 more test and 3 weeks into the finals. Problem is, after that full on 6 weeks of study, now I just lost all my drive (which is a big stress since I should technically start studying for the finals).

Even WORSE, 4 of our exams are in the first week. On one Friday, we have the hardest exam of them all in the morning, followed by ~6 hours gap, and then another exam in the evening. ZZzzzz.............

So anyways, it would be a really boring post if I was to explain the lil minute details of my exams.


I've just recently found out that my good primary school friend has a blog. She does Medicine in Indo and it was really encouraging to read a blog by someone who knows exactly what it's like to study something reallyyyyyyyyy "medical", nerdy and again nerdy (i.e. hours and hours and hours of study, hard work, and a lot of sacrifices on the social side)..... It really does take a lot of might and strength to push through. It's also especially hard to share about my uni troubles to people who are not really in the same shoes, cos it will probably bore them or might make them think I'm showing off or whatever (a lot of people kindly listen and encourage me though). It' always good to find someone who 'knows what it's like" (as previously experienced by me during my worst eczema ridden days). So anyway, I'll def be in the lookout for new posts on her blog for inspiration :) In case you wanna check it out:http://lifeinartandmed.tumblr.com/


The lesson I'd like to share with you today would be:
If you have problems (especially long term or really tough one), find someone who's been there before. The same goes if it's the other way around.  If you have been there before, share it with someone who's currently having the same prob as you. It really does make a diff! 


For now, I'll leave you to my current fave song. Hope your days have been good! :)

Wisdom of the day

Every girl is beautiful, as long 
as she's confident in her own skin. 

Confidence and inner beauty 
are all you need.

God works in His mysterious ways

It's 3:57AM now and I can't sleep. Aside from that, I got a story to tell!

Pharmacy is a constant struggle for me. The study load is just crazy, at least for someone with an average brain like me. As a lot of you know, I failed the Human Biology unit in my FIRST semester in my FIRST year of uni. Since then, I had only done 3 or 4 units each semester instead of the full 5 units. Nevertheless, I still found it really hard and I have to pretty much nerd it out every semester in order to pass the units.

Failing in a first year of uni is definitely one of the most disappointing things in life! Especially if it means I get left behind by 1 whole year compared to my peers, not just 1 semester! However, this allowed me to study crazy hard on just 3 or 4 units instead of 5. The result is, better marks than just a pass :) It also encouraged me to study harder, instead of slacking off like I did in first year.

So thank God that I failed Human Bio in first year coz I just got a letter from the School of Pharmacy with an enclosed invitation to a Prize Giving Ceremony for a "succesful academic year in 2011". Couldn't have done it without failing Human Bio haha.

The dress code is lounge suit.. What do I wear to that?? And I'm sorta nervous cos apparently academic and key industry stakeholders will be in attendance. And I'm not good with talking in large groups and approaching new people (especially if they are super-important people!). So good luck Mon! Hope it will be a worthwhile night!

PS: don't worry if things seem to go reallyyyyyy crappy. Everything do happen for different reasons. Good reasons! :)

And if you ever want to give up, observe this picture. DON'T! :)

More observations about difficulities in life

Continuing from the previous post, a conversation with Shawn made me realise that difficulities really do make us strong. How did I come up to this conclusion? Well, I was telling Shawn about someone really inspiring (I forgot who we were talking about haha) and Shawn asked: "Did he/she have a tragic story?" then I said, "No, why must everyone inspiring have a tragic story??" Shawn replied: "Well, probably cos they've been through the worst and so they become hard working and inspiring and stuff.."


Hmmm.... that is so true! Some examples are powerful people like:
1) Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple who was adopted but he became the man who created new items that noone imagined before

2) Oprah Winfrey was "a victim of sexual abuse" when she was 14 (Wikipedia) and now she's one of the richest, most influential women in the world

3) Michael Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, and lots others all had troubled childhood but channeled their energy into music, some writing songs about their past.
4) Mother Teresa lived in a poor ridden country with dying people around her. She then started taking care of them, even if they were dying because she reckoned that ""Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."

Now, did their difficulities prevent them from living?? No way, instead of being hopelessly sad in their unfortunate lives, they go on with more drive than most of us who have "easy" lives compared to them. They fight against all odds in reaching their dreams, whilst inspiring others. So if you have a hard life.... Don't despair! You could be the next person in the list of TIME 100 Most Influential People :D

Problems = what you need

Sometimes in life we want so many things.. But instead we get problems coming our way. I found the perfect answer to this dilemma that I wanna share with everyone:


I asked for strength, and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom, and God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity, and God gave me brain and brawn to work.
I asked for courage, and God gave me obstacles to overcome.
I asked for love, and God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favors, and God gave me opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted, but I received everything I needed. 
(by Pdt. Timur Citra Sari, told by Ci Devina)


I reckon it's so true..... When you get problems, it could actually be a way to get what you wanted and needed. Hope you found your answer just as I did today :)

Not an argument, more like an observation and an opinion

These days, I several times see articles as well as an "Insight" program on "Should Ethics class be added to the school curriculum for the kids who are not doing RE?" Some parents demand their children's school to do this. However, it makes me think, why did those parents send their kids to these religious schools anyway? I mean, the founder of the school must have had a vision on why he/she made the school, and maybe it is to provide a school environment where children of the same religion can learn both general education as well as more about their religion. However, it is the parents choice to enrol the kids or not, and when the kids grow up, it will be the kids choice to believe it or not anyway. Parents have lots of school choices, so why send the kid there if they don't agree to the RE classes?

Another thing I've been thinking about is, some people say "Wars are caused by religion. If there were no religion, there would be no wars." Hm............. What do you guys think? I understand religion has been used numerous times as excuses for wars, but is it really because of religion? I think it's more like because it is our human nature to be competitive and to try "correct" others the way we want them to be. Wars are also started because of greed and hunger for power. For example, World War I and II, some of the biggest wars in the history of the world. Were they caused by religion? I don't think so.

What do you think?

Hm.. it seems that I kinda got bored of blogging hahah.. A asked me why I haven't blogged and apparently she was waiting for me to post about the Tiger Mum thing.. But thing is.. I've got a number of things that inspire me to blog.. But like.. Just haven't found the time and the right mood to do it yet.. I'm guessing it's cos I'm not stressed atm.. Also, since my sister stole my laptop to Melbourne, I can't type my blog in my own personal room.. It's kinda awkward to write a blog post in the main room where the computer is (especially if Dad/Bro is there).. so yah... whereas when I'm in my room I usually think more about stuff.. hence the blog was born!

So for now.. I guess I'll update a bit on what's goin on in my life..

I came back from Indonesia last week. It would be the first time I've been back there since three years ago. Things have definitely change. A lot of my cousins are married and they even have kids! Now I find myself getting called Aunty, which is a huge change since I used to call everyone Cici (read: jie jie) since I am the youngest of all of my cousins in my Dad's family and 2nd youngest in Mum's family. I feel so honoured to be called Aunty Monica :D hohohoho Finally I am superior to someone! MUAHAHAHA... (what a sad person)

So that was the happy news.. cute nephews and nieces and to be called Aunty :) Next is the saddish part.. Life for my Ema (grandma's from Mum's side) has been pretty good. She had both her knees operated and now she has strong, straight legs which allow her to walk further and climb stairs and play with Shaki as much as she would want to. She's able to go out more with the rest of us, and everyone was amazed when she went back to Indo.

But on the other hand, it's been sad for my family because my Oma (grandma from dad's side) has forgotten everything.. Her dementia is pretty bad now.. She doesn't even remember that she used to have a husband and she has kids.. So that's sad because my family used to live with her and I remember she was such a caring and loving grandmother to all of us. But now she doesn't even know me! Nevertheless, I was still inspired because she's always so cheerful and always joke around.. Which makes all of us laugh :)
For example.. My dad asked her for some Ang Pao.. And then she said: "Ang Pao??? Haiya!!!! (raising her hand as if she's fighting an enemy ninja style)" and then she laugh and we all laugh because even after all these years and with her memory lost, she is still able to joke around with everyone..

We also visited my Ema's brother.. Who is now living alone with his caretaker.. His wife passed away late last year.. It was so sad for me cos the last time I went back Indo, she was still alive.. And they were still showing us picture of them doing Yoga stretches (which needs crazy flexibility) and claimed that they could still do it. They even taught my brother how to walk with the perfect posture.. (They were yoga teachers by the way).. But now it was only him alone.. :(

Next we visited my Engkong (grandpa from mum's side) sister.. When we met her she looked so weak and much skinnier than before.. I was so sad because she used to be cheerful too and would talk to us grandkids in English.. And when I arrived back in Perth, she went to the hospital.. And now she is in HCU (High Care Unit) :( So we are all really praying for her to get better..

So yah.. sorry that this post is mostly about my old relatives.. And really sad stories too.. :(
But I'm currently worried for my Engkong's sister and I hope that she will be ok.. Cos even though she is not directly my grandma.. She is to me like an Aunt..

I wanna be the loving, cheerful grandmother!

There are two types of old people in this world: 

1) The cheerful, beaming, loved-by-everyone old man/old woman

2) The bitter, grumpy, suspicious-of-the-world old man/old woman

A recent news about my grandma in Indo who has dementia made me want to write a blog post about this. And also I've met a lot of senior customers in the pharmacy and other places. Let's start by telling you about some of them..

Type no 1: The Cheerful Senior

There is this old chap who always hums and sings as he comes into the pharmacy. Despite his completely white hair, I can't believe he's 70 with his 19th century styled golf cap. He would greet us the pharmacy assitants: "Hello little ones! How are you today? I'm here to see my old friend (the pharmacist) up there!" Then he will walk up to where the dispensary is and greet any customers on the way. Such a lovely old man isn't he! He would definitely brighten everyone's day just for coming into the pharmacy to get his scripts filled in. There is also this old lady who used to come to Chooks with her husband. She has dementia (she doesn't remember anything), sometimes she even ask her husband "Who are you?". Some old people who have dementia would get scared all the time because they don't know where they are etc etc. But this woman is different, she would come into the store with her husband saying "Oh what a lovely store!! I love the colours here, they're all so bright!". Do you see what I'm getting at? :)

Type no 2: The bitter old "Boggis, Bunce, and Bean"

NB: For those who haven't watch Fantastic Mr Fox would have no idea who Boggis, Bunce, and Bean are. I was referring to scary old men who are not very friendly.

Some old customers that come into the pharmacy doesn't talk much and they always frown when they hand in the script.. Sometimes it makes me wonder if I did/say anything wrong, and sometimes I feel guilty for being too cheerful in case it's annoying to them. Maybe it's because they're in pain or tired I don't know.. But it's the complete opposite of the previous two I mentioned. Some are not completely "Boggis, Bunce, and Bean" but they are suspicious of the people around them, especially those whom they discriminate (e.g. if they see customers of other races, etc). Some fight with their children all the time. Some are afraid of change. All these unhappy characteristics which I'm sure is somehow caused by the things that they encounter in the past (wars, etc) or how other people treat them. 

These people who didn't have a very good past life was very unfortunate. But for the rest of us, so far we haven't been in any war situations, especially my generation. Our countries have been pretty peaceful compared to the wars in the Middle East and African countries. So let us all be grateful for that, and do so by being more cheerful about every single thing. If I get dementia when I grow older, I would want the good memories to be kept and hence become the loving happy grandmother of Type no 1 to my grandkids. So maybe if I start being cheerful about every single thing in my life now, accept everyone no matter who they are, and share compassion, my brain would be accustomed to being like that till the end of my life :) What about you?

"Money doesn't buy happiness"

Oh that cliché! Haven't we all heard of it? A lot of people somewhat disagree, but I couldn't agree more :)

People would then add statements like "Money doesn't buy happiness, but it buys THINGS to MAKE you happy" or "Whoever said money doesn't make you happy, obviously doesn't know where to shop" xD

Well truth is, those are all somewhat true. And money really is important in our lives. But even if you had an unlimited amount of money, can you really be truly happy?

Okay, imagine this scenario. You just got your week's pay yesterday, you were so happy that you can finally buy that dress you've always wanted! But then, now that you've bought that dress.. Are you truly satisfied and happy? I don't think so, I'm sure you would think of thousands of other things you wish you could buy, and would soon start saving up from your work money to buy other stuff after you get bored of that dress! So the statement above to me sounds more like: "Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it buys THINGS to MAKE you happy TEMPORARILY"

I believe that true happiness comes from being content and grateful. When you start to be thankful of your life, you'll be happy because you feel blessed with all these things that you already have. I know this because I grew up in Indonesia with my maids and babysitters. They were not that well off, and they had so much less money than my family, but then they were not like SAD. They were just content, thankful that they have a job, thankful that they can earn money for their families back home, thankful that they have a house to live in, thankful that they're not out there in the streets as beggars! They always seem so happy and me and my sister love to play with their kids and just chilling out at the back with our maids..

In contrast, in a general view, there are a lot of celebrities who are just filthy rich, but they end up in jails, getting drunk, got involved with drugs, in and out of rehabs, and numerous love scandals. Celebrity splits are not rare and those who remain married are so rare these days. Would that be called a happy life? Are they any happier than me, you, my maids back in indo, or those hobos on the streets?

I'll leave you to decide :)

 

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumblebee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." - Ashley Smith

 "Let us acknowledge all good, all delight that the world holds, and be content." - George MacDonald

"To have everything is happiness. All the things I already have is everything to me. Therefore, I have everything already." - Forgot where I heard it from :)

The Blind Side

I just watched this movie called The Blind Side. Ended up crying in the middle of the movie and tears run down like a river towards the end! Lols.


Here is the synapsis of the movie from Rotten Tomatoes:

"Synopsis: The Blind Side depicts the remarkable true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a... The Blind Side depicts the remarkable true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle. Based on the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis"

But the amazing thing about this movie is, you really realise how random acts of kindness not only can give a person a blessing for that one time, but it can also change his/her whole future into a better one. I realised this towards the end, when the mother of the family read a newspaper article about this African-American boy from a broken home, the same as Michael Oher (her son), who died in gang shooting or something like that. And that's when she realised that that boy could have been anyone, he could have been Michael. But their act of kindness had changed Michael's future, so that he didn't become like that.


And that's why I was so inspired, and let us all do the same. Do random acts of kindness. We never know how that may change that persons life! :)


We should also pray for those who are in the Queensland floods. Especially families who had lost their loved ones in the disaster. And may we all be more thankful that we are all still alive today and safe from natural disasters.

2010??

Got this from Cass' blog.. thought I'd do the q's too! :)

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
- Translate for the girls and Shawn who has limited English at PPR (Church Youth)
- Did the dispensing at the pharmacy
- heaps of other things which I cbb writing haha

2. Did you keep your New Year’s Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
- well generally, to study hard and I think I did pretty good this year :) Especially 2nd semester
- also to be more helpful at church and to the people around me.. I hope I achieved that.. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not really.. My cousin did.. 

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No..

5. What countries did you visit?
Australia haha

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
More confidence and to be able to be less sensitive

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
18th February 2010 because ;)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Introducing my hun to Jesus Christ :) which off course was not done by me alone, but by the works from above..

9. What was your biggest failure?
Failed to be a good friend to one of my best friends

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Um, sort of.. Would cataracts be considered illness/injury?

11. What was the best thing someone bought you?
Their kindness, selflessness, and honesty.
Oh, wait, is this materialistic wise? Hm... Probably the dog necklace Shawn gave me but was chosen by my bro and sis lols!

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
- Du Vinh for his enthusiasm in serving the Lord and leading Focus
- My pharmacy friend Sarah for her kindness and helpfulness to the friends around her :)
- My grandma for her strong-will and strength in undergoing the 2nd knee replacement surgery
- Shawn for putting up with my crazy talks and numerous breakdowns during the year :)

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and/or depressed?
There are always dissapointments when you have relationships with people. All I do is to try to forgive them for the behaviours and to think of the other numerous goodwill they've done in the past. After all, I'm not myself perfect. 


14. Where did most of your money go?
Food, drinks, and skincare :D 



15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Was going to Indo with Shawn, but my dad didn't allow him to lols..


16. What songs will always remind of 2010?
Jay Sean DOWN lols.. wait.. was that 2009?
Otherwise it would be Bruno Mars - Just the way you are



17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?
Happier in general

b) fatter or skinnier?
haha definitely FATTER
c) richer or poorer?
Richer both financially, happiness and friendship wise :)


18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Being able to spend more time with my best friend, who somehow I never get time for because of uni and other stuff going on..


19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Studying. LOL but I have to study anyway..



20. How do you plan to spend Christmas?
That's past already.. and didn't do much.. Went to church, home, and got ready to say goodbye to bro and sis who went to exmouth the next day!


21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Yes lol


22. How many one night stands?
None!


23. What was your favourite TV programme?
It's still The Simpsons :)

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Not really.. Only 1 guy lol.. but thats for a reason I don't even know why.. Should probably stop..



25. What was the best book you read?
Hm... good point.. Didn't read any lols..



26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I can actually kinda sing! lol..



27. What did you want and get?
There are heaps! Can't remember..



28. What did you want and not get?
To be able to maintain my close friendships but it didn't really work.. 


29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Harry potter, Despicable me. Harry Potter was really good though!


30. What did you do on your birthday?
Worked hahah... Was so tired and then got woken up at 12am in a cold, windy night to blow a freezing Ice Cream cake lols! That was good still...


31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Hm.. no idea... I think it was satisfying already..



32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Definitely dresses! They're so easy and comfy to wear :D 

33. What kept you sane?
Shawn and Shaki lol


34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Barack Obama for his ability to lead and his eloquence. He also gave hope to open the minds of a lot of Indonesians that anyone can be a big thing in the future. I especially thought about those who are less fortunate and I hope that they can be inspired to strive to be better by hardwork and determination.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Hmm.. I'd rather not say to the anonymous net world but you could probably guess...



36. Who do you miss?
Mr Shawn Tan who left me for singapore for 1 month!


37. Who was the best new person you met?
Hm.. not sure...


38. What was the best thing you ate?
Hm.. I'll get back to that.. ahhaha.. maybe macaroons? But I've tasted that in 2009..


39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010?
The world can be a depressing place, where all your hopes and dreams can get crushed so easily.. There are so many issues that I worry about currently happening in the world.. But I learned that I should at least start with the people around me to bring about change. And I also learn to always look out for those people who continue to inspire me in my goals.



40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Jeremy Camp - There Will be a Day , which was a song that constantly encouraged me to keep going with my studies, problems, etc :)

You think I'm pretty without any make up on...

Heard of those lyrics? Yes, it's from Katy Perry's song called Teenage Dream.. which is a pretty good song! Isn't that an amazing thing these days? If a guy likes us girls even if we don't use make up? In a world dominated by make up and vanity, it seems that some people cannot live without it. As I saw in this reality show, which I can't remember the name of, a mum tried to tame her daughter by threatening her that she would take the daughter's make up if she didn't do what the mum wants. And so, the daughter gave in. I'm thankful that if my mum ever confiscate my make up, it wouldn't be a big deal for me.

I'm not against make up, it's actually pretty fun to apply hehe, I'm just thankful that I'm not dependant on it, I very rarely use makeup. But I do worry about the future, like I'd be sad if my daughter would feel insecure without make up because the rest of the world demands the use of it. We all need to feel confident in our own skin don't we?

I got thinking to writing this post after seeing this article: Brand tweets pic of Perry without make-up. Katy Perry's husband took a picture of her without make up, and we can see how different she looks. But she still is beautiful, but off-course in the entertainment industry and even in the eyes of a lot of people in our world, the no make up look will be frowned upon, if not mocked.

So, I'd like to encourage the girls out there, to try to be comfortable in your own skin. I've been through a phase when I had reallyyyyy bad skin because of eczema, and I couldn't put any makeup on it because it will aggravate the skin even more. But it's amazing how my crush at the time ended up liking me even at those moments. Also, Jessica Simpson had a magazine photo shoot without any make up on. I'm sure that we can all do that too right? :)

The Lessons of Life

Well, not really the lessons of my whole life, but only the lessons I learnt from work after about 7 years of being in the workforce (this makes me sound like a pro veteran or sumtin xD). I often complain about work, but right now I think I should be very thankful that I have a job and am learning precious life skills from it. Just wanted to share it to you guys and keep a record for myself to look back in the future :)


First Job: Junkmail Delivery Girl
1) Do as much as you can today, so you can do less tomorrow.
2) Exercise really does keep the weight down.. Should do more these days..


Second Job: Burger Girl at Hungry Jack's
1) Try to not be too shy and toughen yourself up. Be braver to talk what's in your mind instead of being quiet. I used to be verryyyy quiet cos I was too shy to talk to anyone.
2) There is a reason why it's called "FAST FOOD", everything must be fast!!!
3) Learnt to not be too sensitive, especially when dealing with angry customers or managers scolding.
4) Beware of cheeseburns when taking out burgers from the microwave....


Third Job: Pizza Girl at Domino's
1) Learnt how to count change without using calculator. Yay! :D


Fourth Job: 2 months Casual Cleaner at Walsh's pharmacy in Sydney
1) Eucalyptus oil works wonders for cleaning sticky dirts!


Fifth Job: Pharmacy Assistant at a pharmacy (probably not a good idea to write the name haha)
1) Slow down, check, then check and check! Can't afford to make mistakes with people's medications
2) Pharmacy customers are much more patient than Fast Food customers.. Guess they wouldn't mess with the ppl who are handling their medications lol..
3) Be aware of shoplifters, even if it's just a small, innocent faced little boy. (This boy smiled at me and then grabbed a can of deodorant and ran out the door lol)
4) Connections may be very useful for your future career
5) Good relations with employers and coworkers will make everyone's day much bearable/funner at work :)
6) Don't get too sensitive over scoldings by managers/pharmacists. Instead learn from the mistake and do better next time. After all, these skills will help me if I become a pharmacist one day!

Why is the weight of my troubles so heavy?

I learned something very interesting today :)

And guess what! While I was looking for a picture to illustrate what I'm about to tell, I clicked on the website, and coincidently the picture was from a blog that talks about the exact same story I was about to tell! xD

Perfect right? But I guess I'll try to tell it with my own words xD

So guys, look at the picture below of a hand holding a glass of water. How heavy do you think is the glass plus the water? 100g? 200g? 400g?

Well, it doesn't really matter how heavy it is. It's probably not that heavy anyway. Imagine you holding the cup of water. It's not heavy right? Especially if you start drinking the water, it's pretty refreshing isn't it?

But what if you hold on to that glass for 15 minutes? Hm, still okay. 

What if you hold it for half an hour? Tired and aching hand!

What if you hold it for the whole day?? I think my hand would be paralysed by then!

The point of this analogy is that, the glass of water is still the same weight, but the longer you hold on to it, the heavier it is!

The same goes with our troubles. By troubles, I mean things like stress, worries, anxious thoughts, negative thoughts, and so many other things that may burden our life. The longer you hold on to it, the heavier it becomes. Whereas if we allow ourselves to put down the water, it wouldn't be so bad. We can then hold it and deal with the problem when we've recovered from the tiredness.

This story really made me realize how true that is. And I hope that it helps you guys as well. 

From my own experience, I used to be so very self conscious about my looks when I was younger. I used to worry all the time about what people think. Then I had eczema, and that just made it worse. Because everyday would be a burden to walk out there with an ugly skin! But after a while, I learned to put down my self consciousness. I tried to think of other stuff other that how I look. Because at the end of the day, looks are not the most important thing in your life! So I'm pretty thankful that I got the eczema. Because I learned to put down the burdens of negative body image, instead of letting it run around my mind, getting heavier and heavier.

And these days, I have a lot of stress in my mind. Not just eczema. But listening to this analogy this morning, really help me to put down my stress, step back, and slowly resolve the problem instead of just stressing!

For those doing exams: Good luck guys! And don't stress too much. Study well instead :)

For those who aren't doing exams but are having troubles in your mind, learn to put it down for a moment and don't let it dominate your thoughts. :)

Inspired by Pdt Didik Tridjatmiko's sermon

My Favourite Inspirational Speech

Wear Sunscreen

By Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '98: Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blind side you at 4 PM on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.

Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

No more cloud in sight! PART 2

Continuation from Part 1..

In late 2009. I started noticing that my sight had become cloudy, especially in bright light. I searched up the net for a picture that would describe what it was like most accurately, I found this:

Some parts were clear but the center of my sight was very blurry and cloudy.

It felt like my contact lens were dirty but even after I changed to a new one, it was still cloudy and blurred. I started to search up in the net and was kinda convinced that it was cataracts. I started worrying even more when I couldn't see what was the number of the bus I usually catch. I could only tell whether it was 504 or 940 when it's realllyyyy close. So I just stopped any bus and get on it because it would be embarrassing if I didn't get on the bus I stopped lol. I can go to uni both ways anyway.

I searched up wikipedia and other websites and it said that using steroid based creams relate to developing cataracts. And that's when I immediately suspect that my eye problem was because of my eczema cream.
I went to an optometrist and she said "No, no it's not cataracts! You're still too young! It's just astigmatism!" She gave me some trial astigmatism contact lenses but I found them not helping at all! I then tried to ignore the problem and continue with uni and life.

Well into 2010, I really had difficulties with my eyes, the cloud just got worse. During labs I couldn't measure the transparent water or other transparent fluids in measuring cylinders because the light in labs are bright. Using pipettes were a nuisance and I sometimes embarrassingly need to ask the person next to me to check if it was the right dosage. I couldn't copy down answers in bright light. And in the pharmacy, I couldn't read the instructions behind the medicine boxes, making it hard to give quick answers to customers. One of the pharmacist also taught me how to dispense medications but I couldn't really see the computer screen, so I proceeded very slow. It was so embarrassing.

Basically, the cataract was TROUBLESOME!

One day, I told myself: that's it! I'm gonna need to get it checked! So Shawn accompanied me to an optometrist in Karawara. The optometrist there confirmed that it was cataracts and it was a rare sort. It's not located on the surface of my lens, but instead in the middle of the lens. Therefore, simple laser slicing of the top part is not possible and he referred me to an ophthalmologist. Before that, I partly suspected hat it was cataracts but I partly hoped that it wasn't. I went home crying on that day because the later option was wrong.

My grandma had a cataract removal surgery with Dr. Ian Constable form Lions Eye Institute. Therefore my mum brought me there too. I was pretty scared about it because I had never gone under the knife before!
The surgery was early in the morning at 7 am.

The anesthetist was very friendly! He asked me what course I do at uni and I told him I do pharmacy. I also told him that  I was missing a lab session on that day. So he started telling me all the names and functions of the drugs that he put into the canula that was injected on my left hand. After all was done he said "See, you didn't miss out on learning stuff today!" and I just laughed xD

My bed was rolled a short distance to the operating theater. It was like in movies! I saw the ceiling lights rushed past over my head as the bed moved.

This is a diagram of the type
of artificial lens inserted
to my right eye.

The operation was amazingly fast. I fell asleep and then I kinda woke up a bit towards the end. I saw the blurry Dr Constable and I don't know if I imagined it or not, I saw his hand holding a lens. Then everything went black and I can feel something pushed from the right side of my eye. I think it hurt a tiny bit, but not really. Then I felt someone stripping off a large sticker off my face (it felt like someones waxing my face lol). Then someone wipe an alcohol like (probably antiseptic) liquid on my face with a tissue. Then that's it!
I was rolled back out and woke up feeling refreshed lol.

Crazy right. I had a shield covering the eye for a couple of days and then it got taken off and everything was CLEAR. Like crazy. I even got headaches from it.

So yah. :) I'm now (as a friend's brother said) a bionic eyed girl.
Even thought it was pretty sad I got cataracts from the cream that was suppose to help me with eczema, I'm pretty thankful cos at least now I have better sight. Also, the artificial eye will NEVER get cataracts anymore the doctor said. And eventually if someone lives long enough, they will get cataracts apparently. So i got an early surgery hehe..

THE END

PS: Careful for those using eczema creams not to use it near your eyes!!!!!!!!

A Cold Day

Today I went to uni for a 2 hours tute at 2pm. When the tute finished, I quickly rushed to the bus station to catch the earliest bus to Canning Bridge. I needed to arrive at work in 1 hour so missing that bus wouldn't be an option.

As I got on to the bus and then got off at Canning Bridge, I realised that it was quite cold and windy even though I was wearing my long work pants. I rushed down the stairs and tap my smartrider on to the machine.
I looked up and there it was. 39 mins wait. I was like omg. I'm gonna be late!

Then the bottom part of the screen said something along the lines "We had a distraction in one of the train stations therefore there will be a delay in the train times. We apologise for the inconvenience." I decided to call the pharmacy telling them that I'm gonna be late for work, but then the train arrived a couple of minutes later. Thank God. I was 20 minutes late however.

Work went quite fast, and learned several new stuff. Shawn picked me up and he told me about an incident that apparently happened in one of the train stations. One or two (I'm not sure) people suicided. No wonder there was the delay. I was so surprised and so sad to hear that. And got reminded of an article I read this morning by a pharmacist who wrote on his blog about how depression is on an increase in this generation. I also learned a few antidepressant names in the pharmacy and nearly every week handed out at least one or two prescriptions. Often, the person receiving the medication doesn't look like they are depressed. They often looked like their lives are just normal. It made me wonder why.

Maybe it's because our generation needs to do so much more multitasking and have a much more hectic lifestyle than our parents to keep up with the modern world. Maybe it's because of the exaggerated fashion and self image demands that we face everyday. The pressures to be beautiful and to be physically flawless. To confide in looks over inner beauty. And all these other stress triggers. And there so many other reasons that I don't know but it is there and it is very close to us.Who knows, I might get depressed one day. Because I for one often think about my looks and would find so many flaws in them.

So going back to the incident, it wasn't a very happy day for a lot of us in Perth today. But just remember, that these things can happen anytime and anywhere. That's why it's the job of each and every one of us to take care of the people around us and make sure that they can have a chance to get help before doing anything dangerous. Especially the people close to us. Take care!

 

when me alone helping is not enough,

there will be other people along the way who will also help out. :)

That's what I realise today.
So for anyone out there who've been wanting to help someone in need, but you're not sure if you can, just do it! Cos even though it may not be much, along the way more people would help, and in the end those little helps may become a significant one.

Seventeen Body Peace Treaty

This pledge was started by Seventeen magazine to raise awareness on body image issues facing everyone these days. It's been signed by heaps of celebrities and everyday people around the world. Saw this last year and thought that I could share it with everyone. I hope that it could be as eye opening to you as it did to me! :) It goes a lil like this:

\/ Remember that the sun will still rise tomorrow even if I had one too many slices of pizza or an extra scoop of ice cream tonight.
\/ Never blame my body for the bad day I'm having.
\/ Stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies.
\/ Never allow a dirty look from someone else to influence how I feel about my appearance.
\/ Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I'd never want anyone to do that to me.
\/ Notice all the amazing things my body is doing for me every moment I walk, talk, think, breathe...
\/ Quiet that negative little voice in my head when it starts to say mean things about my body that I'd never tolerate anyone else saying about me.
\/ Remind myself that what you see isn't always what you get on TV and in ads — it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.
\/ Remember that even the girl who I'd swap bodies with in a minute has something about her looks that she hates.
\/ Respect my body by feeding it well, working up a sweat when it needs it, and knowing when to give it a break.
\/ Realize that the mirror can reflect only what's on the surface of me, not who I am inside.
\/ Know that I'm already beautiful just the way I am.

Check their facebook page here or..

You can straight away sign the pledge here! :)