Profile

I am the boy-next-door who goes almost everywhere in a tee-shirt, jeans, and flip flops; the young and promising (just not in conventional ways) gentleman whom others stereotype as a bummer, a slacker, a buay-tak-che (cannot study); and someone who portrays the image of a beng without the dyed hair and the earholes.

I am still the joker who occasionally pushes when the sign says pull; the sceptical miscief who touches anything that is labelled "wet paint", only to exclaim "the paint is wet, la!"; and the animal lover who picks up snails along pavements and puts them on the grass so that they will not be stepped on by people who are really bat-jiu-ta-stamp.

I am the ex-full-time national serviceman in the republic of singapore air force, the ex-foh manager, ex-barista, ex-enroller; the present undergraduate and teacher; and the aspiring senior prisons officer.

I am the guy you walked past once, but was just another face in the crowd.




Archives

November 2008
December 2008
April 2009



Credits

skin by: Jane
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 @ 23:29
The Dangerous Driver, The I-Couldn't-Care Mindset and The Hospitalised Relative

27 Aug 2006 (Sun), 1845H, Marine Parade Road, Singapore

I was in a taxi when I learnt one of life's greatest lessons from the cabby who shared with me about the simplicity of life and how it is essentially what we choose to make and think of it.

The cabby explained that events or incidents happen daily in our lives. By their factual nature, no emotions or feelings should be aroused in us. However, because we are human, opinions are formed, emotions and feelings are aroused, or conclusions are jumped to. He pointed out that often, humans appear to have an inclination towards perceiving events and incidents negatively.

As the cabby was sharing, another vehicle suddenly swerved into his lane dangerously without signalling. He used that as an example to illustrate the importance of thinking postively. the cabby shared that there were three ways one could perceive that action: first, the driver was being extremely dangerous and ought to be reported to the police, or in the case of certain verbal assault specialists, a string of vulgarities would follow; second, a I-really-couldn't-care-as-long-as-he-dosen't-knock-into-my-vehicle mindset; and third, the driver could have done so because a relative of his was hospitalised and he was rushing to visit that relative, possibly for the last time.

The cabby pointed out to me that in order to lead the life which I want - freedom, happiness, people-orientedness, the appreciation of the beauty of leading a simple life; I must be positive in my perceptions. Specifically, I must be truly thankful and appreciate what I have, rather than lamenting and questioning myself about what I must do to get what I do not have. This is not to say I must lack ambition. Rather, to be happy often simply means being content with what I have.

While that taxi ride to East Coast Park cost S$12, I learnt so much more in that twenty-odd minutes than I did for the (then) past 19 years of my life. As Mastercard says, there are some things money can't buy.