How many times have we hear of this word: "Expectations"?
I guess even if we seldom hear of this word, subconsciously, we are using this "expectation" on ourselves all the time.
Actually, Greg used to talk to me a lot on this "expectation" theory. I did not think much of it until the church retreat last weekend. Sis Elizabeth just put it across in a good way that it kinda sums up everything and makes it easy for everyone to understand.
She said to have high level of happiness, lower your expectations.
Greg used to say we should manage our expectations. i.e. Do not expect others to do what we expect them to do.
Come to think of it, its true..ain't it?
The world and society have become so fast-paced that we are required to do more than the required norm. As a result, unknowingly, we have created a higher level of expectation for ourselves.
Because of this, subconsciously, we may have also imposed the same high level of expectation on others. (colleagues, family, friends, partners etc)
However, what happens when the so-called expectations are not met?
Do we get upset or resent over it?
As time goes by, are we becoming more unhappy because we have a so-called level of expectations and we expect ourselves and even others to reach it?
And so, as what Sis Elizabeth said, to have high levels of happiness, keep our expectations low.
Isn't it true how genuinely happy we are when something nice unexpectedly happens?
Just like last sat at the roadshow, I did not expect to open any accounts. But I was very happy that day when I managed to open accounts at the end of the day. Of course, there's a "danger" to lowering expectations. Its a pretty thin line between scraping through life and keeping our expectations at the right level. If we keep it too low, we may end up having a too laid-back attitude about life.
If we give ourselves an unattainable target, we may end up being over-stressed.
I guess, the crux is on managing it every now and then. More importantly, we should remind ourselves constantly to manage our OWN expectations and respect others' as well.
I guess after all, its not that difficult to live a simple and happy life. The problem is that we tend to complicate matters too much. I guess humans are too brainy, hence the mind tends to read too much into things.
xoxo,
:P
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
GE Women Run 2009
I DID IT! FINALLY, its OVER!
My very first 10km clocked in. Seriously, I have never done any serious running before. The most I jogged was 7km. Despite the lack of training, I think I am rather satisfied with myself, just for the sheer determination to finish the race without stopping.
I slept for 3 hrs on Sat night and was really worried that I am not able to handle the run...whats more my first time running 10km.
However, I should really thank God for the perfect weather on Sun morning. Having rained heavily the previous night, the morning air was crisp and breezy.
While waiting for a cab, I even met 2 other girls going for the run and we shared the cab down together. They were just staying around my area. As we were all wearing the same Fila sponsored Tee, we could recognise each other and there was the welcoming smiles exchanged on first sight. I really like that a lot.
I reached the starting point at about 7.02am or so... but there was already many many many runners in the line up before me. My start delay time was 4min and 47s. I didnt had the time to do warm ups! I remembered running past a whole bevy of crowd cheering us, with some funky music blasting through the air.
I hooked on mp3 and there I go! As I run through the sea of red, I paced myself well and stayed close to my breathing. I was enjoying the breeze and the smell of morning dew.
Very soon, I ran past 3km. At 5km, I told myself I am halfway to the finishing line. I recall seeing some familar faces from church. It was rather nice.
I replenished my body with H20 and 100 plus and it perked me up. Maybe it was psychological.. hahaha..
At around the 7km mark, there were many who slowed down and started to walk. I was very tempted as I felt my knees going really soft...But I keep telling myself to hold on for 1 more km and then, I'll rest. When I reached 8km, I told myself that it was a new resistance broke! 2 more km!
At 9km, I didnt want to stop anymore. Thoughts were running through my head rapidly. I told myself that since I can still run, I should just run all the way, non-stop to the finishing line. Its a personal commitment and if I achieve it, I can overcome anything.
I was probably somewhere around the Flyer area, where we were running on the F1 tracks. It started to drizzle lightly. The 8am sun was shining through and I told myself that its the last leg!
Throughout the run, I kind of mentally marked a certain runner in front of me and told myself to run past the girl. Once I ran past her, I give myself a "Good Job Done" and went on to overtake the next girl. Gosh, there must have been a competitive streak in me.
Thanks to Joewe's lightweight mp3, there was no burden in running at all, unlike the days where I carry the itouch. I downloaded Boa songs and I must admit that music carries a big impact for me.
At 9km, the marker was cheering us on. He was an uncle in his 50s and I cannot stop but marvel at the zest he had. He was standing in the light drizzle, waving the flag and shouting out "1km more! Girls go on !" I smiled at him and ran with all my might.
At the last 500m, I was feeling really good about the whole thing. It is almost coming to an end and I was very glad at myself.
Then 300m, 200m and then the last 100m....it was the last burst of fire.. I saw the finishing line and the crowd with their cheers and cameras. I saw the ticker for the timer. It was ticking away and I was sprinting with all the might my legs can carry me to the finishing line.
And YES! Finally, I made it!
Extracted from GE Women Website:
NAME: ONG MEIFANG LINDA
EVENT: 10Km
DATE: November 1, 2009
BIB/DIV: 3673 / Women Open
TIME: 1h:15m:22s (gun) / 1h:10m:35s (net)
Result in Entire Field - 2171st place (about 40% of finishers ahead)
Result in Division (Women Open) - 1061st place (about 33% of finishers ahead)
From Halfway to Finish, I passed 764 runners and 23 passed me.
Average Speed: 8.5Kph
My first half was : 8.3Kph
My 2nd half was : 8.7Kph
All along, I was never interested in running and could not understand the fuss about all this timing shito. But after this race, I finally understand when they say "To understand the value of 1s, ask the Olympic Silver Medal Winner".
1 second is all that matters.
My very first 10km clocked in. Seriously, I have never done any serious running before. The most I jogged was 7km. Despite the lack of training, I think I am rather satisfied with myself, just for the sheer determination to finish the race without stopping.
I slept for 3 hrs on Sat night and was really worried that I am not able to handle the run...whats more my first time running 10km.
However, I should really thank God for the perfect weather on Sun morning. Having rained heavily the previous night, the morning air was crisp and breezy.
While waiting for a cab, I even met 2 other girls going for the run and we shared the cab down together. They were just staying around my area. As we were all wearing the same Fila sponsored Tee, we could recognise each other and there was the welcoming smiles exchanged on first sight. I really like that a lot.
I reached the starting point at about 7.02am or so... but there was already many many many runners in the line up before me. My start delay time was 4min and 47s. I didnt had the time to do warm ups! I remembered running past a whole bevy of crowd cheering us, with some funky music blasting through the air.
I hooked on mp3 and there I go! As I run through the sea of red, I paced myself well and stayed close to my breathing. I was enjoying the breeze and the smell of morning dew.
Very soon, I ran past 3km. At 5km, I told myself I am halfway to the finishing line. I recall seeing some familar faces from church. It was rather nice.
I replenished my body with H20 and 100 plus and it perked me up. Maybe it was psychological.. hahaha..
At around the 7km mark, there were many who slowed down and started to walk. I was very tempted as I felt my knees going really soft...But I keep telling myself to hold on for 1 more km and then, I'll rest. When I reached 8km, I told myself that it was a new resistance broke! 2 more km!
At 9km, I didnt want to stop anymore. Thoughts were running through my head rapidly. I told myself that since I can still run, I should just run all the way, non-stop to the finishing line. Its a personal commitment and if I achieve it, I can overcome anything.
I was probably somewhere around the Flyer area, where we were running on the F1 tracks. It started to drizzle lightly. The 8am sun was shining through and I told myself that its the last leg!
Throughout the run, I kind of mentally marked a certain runner in front of me and told myself to run past the girl. Once I ran past her, I give myself a "Good Job Done" and went on to overtake the next girl. Gosh, there must have been a competitive streak in me.
Thanks to Joewe's lightweight mp3, there was no burden in running at all, unlike the days where I carry the itouch. I downloaded Boa songs and I must admit that music carries a big impact for me.
At 9km, the marker was cheering us on. He was an uncle in his 50s and I cannot stop but marvel at the zest he had. He was standing in the light drizzle, waving the flag and shouting out "1km more! Girls go on !" I smiled at him and ran with all my might.
At the last 500m, I was feeling really good about the whole thing. It is almost coming to an end and I was very glad at myself.
Then 300m, 200m and then the last 100m....it was the last burst of fire.. I saw the finishing line and the crowd with their cheers and cameras. I saw the ticker for the timer. It was ticking away and I was sprinting with all the might my legs can carry me to the finishing line.
And YES! Finally, I made it!
Extracted from GE Women Website:
NAME: ONG MEIFANG LINDA
EVENT: 10Km
DATE: November 1, 2009
BIB/DIV: 3673 / Women Open
TIME: 1h:15m:22s (gun) / 1h:10m:35s (net)
Result in Entire Field - 2171st place (about 40% of finishers ahead)
Result in Division (Women Open) - 1061st place (about 33% of finishers ahead)
From Halfway to Finish, I passed 764 runners and 23 passed me.
Average Speed: 8.5Kph
My first half was : 8.3Kph
My 2nd half was : 8.7Kph
All along, I was never interested in running and could not understand the fuss about all this timing shito. But after this race, I finally understand when they say "To understand the value of 1s, ask the Olympic Silver Medal Winner".
1 second is all that matters.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Urbanite Couple, Table for 2 and the Magnum
Its Thursday today! I am always (you can also say I choose to be) happy on thursdays because its Friday after today! hehehehe..
Today happened to be one of the few times where I could meet Greg for dinner. It was rather nice. He picked me from work and we decided to make our way to GWC, Cold Storage to do some marketing before heading home to do a mini cook-out. If you've been there, you will know what I mean. This Cold Storage outlet is clean and neat with shelves of foodstuff lined up neatly. They also have a wider range of exported brands, due to the expats living around the area.
However, our marketing plan was "hijacked" by the advert outside Crystal Jade. They serve steamboat now! We did the math and realise it will make more economic sense to eat out than to buy all the stuff and head home to cook.
As it is, the bill for dinner was slightly below $50, inclusive of drinks. I am quite sure this amount will not be able to buy us the same wide variety of food in the supermarket, not to mention the washing up after dinner. That will be quite priceless. Hmmmm.
Anyway, the "pick-wife-up-after-work", table for 2, mall-walking, all made complete with the atas groceries shopping make me feel like one of those urbanite couples in the urban world. It actually quite nice to do such stuff once in a while.
~Greg~
~Da~
-the sauce is important besides the stock, k... hur hur hur...
~ very see-rye-ious-ly in stirring the sauce.
- Halloween is coming and Cold Storage is selling Jack-o-Lanterns! Cute! I asked Greg to pose with the biggest pumpkin but I think he kinda roll his eyes at me and walked away to the meats section. Well...................
I had craving for Magnum and we bought it back for supper. I remember it used to cost only $3 something, but it's now selling at $11 for a pack of 3 magnums. Haagen Daz was selling for $25 for 2 packs, so I thought if Magnum was a lil over-priced? Anyway, it's really good and the occassional indulgence doesn't hurt, right? Hehe..
Today happened to be one of the few times where I could meet Greg for dinner. It was rather nice. He picked me from work and we decided to make our way to GWC, Cold Storage to do some marketing before heading home to do a mini cook-out. If you've been there, you will know what I mean. This Cold Storage outlet is clean and neat with shelves of foodstuff lined up neatly. They also have a wider range of exported brands, due to the expats living around the area.
However, our marketing plan was "hijacked" by the advert outside Crystal Jade. They serve steamboat now! We did the math and realise it will make more economic sense to eat out than to buy all the stuff and head home to cook.
As it is, the bill for dinner was slightly below $50, inclusive of drinks. I am quite sure this amount will not be able to buy us the same wide variety of food in the supermarket, not to mention the washing up after dinner. That will be quite priceless. Hmmmm.
Anyway, the "pick-wife-up-after-work", table for 2, mall-walking, all made complete with the atas groceries shopping make me feel like one of those urbanite couples in the urban world. It actually quite nice to do such stuff once in a while.
~Greg~
~Da~
-the sauce is important besides the stock, k... hur hur hur...
~ very see-rye-ious-ly in stirring the sauce.
- Halloween is coming and Cold Storage is selling Jack-o-Lanterns! Cute! I asked Greg to pose with the biggest pumpkin but I think he kinda roll his eyes at me and walked away to the meats section. Well...................
I had craving for Magnum and we bought it back for supper. I remember it used to cost only $3 something, but it's now selling at $11 for a pack of 3 magnums. Haagen Daz was selling for $25 for 2 packs, so I thought if Magnum was a lil over-priced? Anyway, it's really good and the occassional indulgence doesn't hurt, right? Hehe..
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Office is the New Jungle
Rumors are hateful.
Rumors are everywhere.
I suppose life is simply too mundane for some busybodies out there that they love to create SOMETHING out of NOTHING at all.
It is almost akin to using the analogy of eating plain porridge everyday. I guess most people would prefer to add some spice and flavours into their food, such as how they love to come up with their own side of the story and "garnish" it with extra details.
The office is like a jungle. We spent one-third of our life in this jungle, working our butts off to create a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. Sometimes, we strive for more to achieve personal goals to add...well, the so-called depth and meaning to the otherwise boring jungle life.
How do you feel when you hear of untrue stories behind own back? And what about those rumors that are really malicious and bad.
How do you handle those people that are talking behind you and yet smiling in front of you?
Feelings of unfairness, anger, exasperation are being felt strongly. Do you confront those gossip mongers and clarify those rumors? If you do, does it help?
For all we know, they are already tired of the same old story and your confrontation will just serves as a new exciting story-line. Of course, when that happens, do not expect them to stick to the plain old truth, for it is .... well, PLAIN.
There is this verse in the Bible that says, "When someone strikes you on one cheek, offer them the other".
I wonder how many of us can really follow such teachings.
I just wish to live in my happy bubble and steer away from horrible evil people. Yucks. PUI.
Rumors are everywhere.
I suppose life is simply too mundane for some busybodies out there that they love to create SOMETHING out of NOTHING at all.
It is almost akin to using the analogy of eating plain porridge everyday. I guess most people would prefer to add some spice and flavours into their food, such as how they love to come up with their own side of the story and "garnish" it with extra details.
The office is like a jungle. We spent one-third of our life in this jungle, working our butts off to create a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. Sometimes, we strive for more to achieve personal goals to add...well, the so-called depth and meaning to the otherwise boring jungle life.
How do you feel when you hear of untrue stories behind own back? And what about those rumors that are really malicious and bad.
How do you handle those people that are talking behind you and yet smiling in front of you?
Feelings of unfairness, anger, exasperation are being felt strongly. Do you confront those gossip mongers and clarify those rumors? If you do, does it help?
For all we know, they are already tired of the same old story and your confrontation will just serves as a new exciting story-line. Of course, when that happens, do not expect them to stick to the plain old truth, for it is .... well, PLAIN.
There is this verse in the Bible that says, "When someone strikes you on one cheek, offer them the other".
I wonder how many of us can really follow such teachings.
I just wish to live in my happy bubble and steer away from horrible evil people. Yucks. PUI.
Friday, October 9, 2009
the need to run
its 9am now. I woke up at 730am to prepare myself for the sat morning run.
but i dragged and laze around until now.
actually the weather this morning is perfect for runs. not much sun with a little bit of breeze. running on cloudy days are good. at least, i don't get dark.
BUT, i am so stuck in facebook games! and I am hungry because i woke up too early and went without food for 2 hours.
Ok, excuses excuses...
Maybe, maybe I will run tomorrow instead.
but i dragged and laze around until now.
actually the weather this morning is perfect for runs. not much sun with a little bit of breeze. running on cloudy days are good. at least, i don't get dark.
BUT, i am so stuck in facebook games! and I am hungry because i woke up too early and went without food for 2 hours.
Ok, excuses excuses...
Maybe, maybe I will run tomorrow instead.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Sneakers Wedges
the Coach ones are cute! and this is my fav pair from Keds!
I am so in love with these.
I don't care if they are last season or what, but I must get it!
Canvas material made comfy. The height made for a better looking silhouette. All complete with a sporty sweet design.
Perfect for minis and denim shorts! I can wear these for shopping, for weekend brunches or just for roaming around town!
Can't wait to lay my hands on one of these!
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