The Power of Significance

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It's to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived well." - John C.Maxwell: The Power of Significance

You can be happy but not useful; If what you're doing is useful, it will lead you to happiness; It doesn't ask us to be unhappy. But being happy shouldn't be the main purpose of life. 

For example, some people just want to have sufficient food, a job, extra money for shopping, that's all. Their whole lives are just about themselves, maybe extend a little bit to what their family need. Most of the time they do things that are not important but definitely bring them joy.

Being useful can be defined as what are your contributions to your family, company, society and country. If one day you're not alive anymore, will people miss your presence? Or will your absence means no difference to them?

If you choose to contribute to your family, company, society and country, no matter how you do that, as long as you're doing something good for their sake, you're being useful and the things that you do make things better, you'll be happy because you know it's fulfilling. Else your whole life will be wasted doing nothing.

And before you die, will you wish that you can make a different choice and achieve something different when you have the chance to? I bet I will.

To be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived well, will take another post to elaborate, But meanwhile, just to be useful alone need a lot of thinking. 

There's always a purpose in living. 

Psalm 57:2 says, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me." 
This is key in understanding God's purpose for our lives. God has numbered our days and will fulfill every purpose He has for us.

Operation Playboy

This is a book by Kathryn Bonella, a true story based on how people smuggling drugs into different countries, living a luxurious life and getting caught behind the bars.

For some reason, I'm very, very fond of true crime stories, always wanting to know the masterminds behind those criminals, and the reasons behind the crimes they made. More than half of the time is due to greed, others, more to their ego.

Sometimes I'll be too immersed in the incidents till I can actually broke down and cry. The most recent was when I watched Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy (使徒行者 II) with Husky. The theme was about human trafficking where terrorists kidnap orphans and train them to be assassins when they grow up. 

Before that I watched a movie in TV (forgot the movie title), human trafficking happened where girls (mostly orphans also, so that human traffickers don't have to waste time dealing with family members who track their lost ones down) were kidnapped, dolled up, and sold to the black market where the girls were auctioned to rich guys. Which eventually lead to prostitution. That makes me view prostitutes at a different perspective. Those who do it for quick money is different case, but others are actually due to no choice given.

Back to Operation Playboy. The author aka reporter actually got to interview the drug smugglers in prison and get a full picture from different different people who are involved. Poor people do it for money, rich people do it for adrenaline. And the technique used the most to smuggle drugs in this book is through surf boards and paragliders. NOW I look at surfers & paragliders in a different perspective too.

Back then, athletes are just athletes. They compete in sports. That's all. Now that I have read different books and watch different movies, they actually help me to see the world in a way that I've never imagine. You can imagine surfers and paragliders who compete to the international level are involved in drug smuggling. The worst thing is they smuggle drugs into Indonesia, known for death penalty for drugs.

All it takes is just one creative mind to block all the possibilities of being caught (the X-Rays can't scan the drugs, nor do the sniff-dogs be able to sniff the presence of drugs). The reward is huge, and for youngsters who like to surf and paraglide, doing this is more to satisfy their adrenaline rush. The excitement when they've successfully went through immigration and immigration.

Smuggling drugs is a long term thing. It's not like murder, where somebody found out their love one is missing, report to police and investigation begins. Well, of course there are exceptions but there's another story. Smuggling drugs can be a great achievement over the years, even in their whole lives.

I haven't even finish reading the whole book, but it sparks my interest until I Google-d up on the news in 2015 where 2 Australians were sentenced to death in Indonesia. I remember that incident was so huge it got into the headlines of newspapers everywhere because Australia government intervene in the incident so that the 2 inmates can escape death penalty. Unfortunately they don't, and they were executed by firing squad. It didn't really matter to me back then, but now that I read Operation Playboy, it makes me want to know more about the Aussie case.

Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith: a True Story

“If we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love, and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of ‘I could have, I should have’. We can sleep in a storm. And when its time, our goodbyes will be complete.”

真名天子之爱情咖啡

醇奶泡，巧克力的小颗粒藏在奶泡下面上不来，苦涩的巧克力，浓浓的蜂蜜，不会太甜，又香又浓，跟巧克力颗粒混在一起，一点也不奇怪，巧克力也不苦了。

真命天子：

给人温和的第一印象，刚开始相处时却让对方尝到苦涩，过了很久两人才会了解到，回忆沉淀了甜蜜的一切，之前的苦涩也会变成人生最香醇的一部分。

---爱情，两好三坏

我的人气女友

先说明，我不是杨宝贝的粉丝，也没去关注她面子书里点滴，只是比较喜欢阅读同年龄的人写的东西，所以会去关注她的部落格，而且她的每一本小说我都会去读，只是读完了就把书放回书架，不会去买。

即没有好感，也没有反感，完完全全neutral。

书都还没读到一半，我就把杨宝贝和她的男朋友完完全全当作故事里的男女主角，因为读起来，超级符合几乎每个现象。

其中一则章节的四句让我留下深刻的印象。

【男人越老越有本事、越多家产。但女人却相反，年轻就是本钱。她们跟我们交往是在冒险，把自己的青春当作本钱，投资在我们尚未成器的人身上。只要明白这个道理，就知道她们的伟大。】

真的，人们老是说，男人三十一条龙，女人三十一条虫。

纵是现在的社会，不但出现男女平等的现象，女人甚至把持着很多极重要的角色。



如果可以让我再次重新来过，我会好好地珍惜那一晚的一切，重点是我会记得所有与你有关的点滴，多看你几眼，确保我的感觉，是对的。

你最后看我的眼神，我永远也不会忘记。那双让我心跳加速， 却又让我疑惑它们怎么那样看着我的感觉。

真希望我们可以再次见面。

一定会。



It's as if I can see through you, but failed to understand the true meaning in them.

The Army

I've been into Army nowadays. I mean the books I read and dramas I watch.

1st, it's the The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. It touches bits of being an army, and the lives of the armies but mainly it's about being in heaven. The book name says it all.

Before that, it was Hey John by Nicholas Sparks. Also about the life of an army who in the end had to lose his love one to another guy.

And there's The Lost Valentine, a movie about a lady who consistently waits at the train station on the same date every year for her long-lost husband, who went for a mission trip as an army, and never come back. 

Next, Army Wives. One of the best U.S dramas I've ever watch. Never fail to catch a tear or two whenever I watch this drama, it's just so touching. Especially when the army representatives appeared with a van, and all the army wives knew that the husband/son of one of them had passed away during the war, and they hold hands together, not knowing who's the one. If only you watch this drama, you'll know what I meant.


Army army, I salute you all.

爱情两好三坏

绝大多数的人，都会在下意识的第一印象中，将异性做[恋爱机会]的评分，从此定调。——摘自九把刀，《爱情两好三坏》

这是真的没错，可是我绝不会把身边已有一朵花的男生做出如此的评论。绝不。


只是最近被朋友耍得团团转，说什么做什么都非扯到他身上不可。不然就他说什么做什么都非扯到我身上不可。
我的朋友，即听不懂华文，也不明白英文。

所以。。。 TALK TO MY HAND PLEASE. -_-






但还是想补充一句。

你今天真的很怪。真的真的很奇怪。

Holi-Holi-Holi DAYS

The 2 major things that revolve around me during this holidays.

Piano, and novels.

Ah, my 1st piece was commented as "here and there", that means it's ok. My 2nd piece, meanwhile, had my feelings which are so so so so fragile as my main meal is glass when I grow up hurt because of one sentence from my teacher.

"You seriously don't know how to be gentle."

TT

Haven't start playing the 3rd piece to her yet, but feel a bit disappointed as I have to give up a jazz piece due to the not-long-enough-ness of my fingers. ( Pardon me, I refuse to use the word "shortness". Ooopps, I just used it. == ) I'll be facing a lot of difficulties of playing the chords huge SIGH. I missed the chance of playing Low Side Blues for G7, and now, history repeat. Can I use extended fingers? If there's any of them, I mean. =D

And play by ears. Trying a few songs like Ding Dang's Qin Ren（叮当-亲人）, Lee Jia Wei's Jian Ao(李佳薇-煎熬）, Adele's Someone Like You, and even try Shayne Ward's No Promises, which SOMEONE suggested to do a duet last year ( me, the piano and him the guitar ), which failed, obviously the plan.

The weird thing is when I play the 2nd piece, I felt some familiar feeling. In the end, guess what? I end up with Song From A Secret Garden hehehehehe. Same thing happens to Ding Dang's Qin Ren（叮当-亲人）.

Have to thanks Pianoboy a lot indeed. Because of him I try to play by ears. Back then I never can understand how my then-piano teacher can play a pop song without referring to any notes, but now I understand.

Oh, speaking of Pianoboy, I saw him last Sunday! As usual walking to his bookshop ( yes his parents own a Christian bookshop in the church) while waiting for Dad to come, suddenly saw him at the counter haha. He was smiling to himself with the sheepishly grin, not sure whether anything great happen to him lately or, because he saw me and recognized who I am ( because I asked him for the piano sheets of What Are Words last year ).

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

So cute la him, got dimples. =PPPPPPPPPPP

EHEM, anyways, back to the topic, 1st week was gone for the Johor trip. FYI, there are 11 JASMINE rice advertisement boards along the highway from KL to Johor. It's a knowledge that you must know.

2nd week, trying to finish 2 things, the novel "The Lovely Bones", which was converted to a movie last year I think, or early this year, a splendid one. And a 500 pieces of jigsaw puzzle. Mum couldn't stand me for doing it, saying that it's very tedious, but in my mind, Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up appeared, so, I'm not giving it up either. Hey, this girl loves nothing but challenge! Except the fact that the 2 opposite sides of the borders are NOT BALANCED. It's like doing Accounts and you can't have the amount of Assets and Liabilities balanced.Oh wait, I got it balanced already hahahahaha.

Once when I was busy doing it, Mum came up to me and said, I guarantee you can't finish the puzzle.

I didn't look up while squealing don't pour cold----

I was going to say don't pour cold water on me la then I looked up, oh, she was holding a piece of the puzzle which I'd dropped in my room, and she asked, what did you say? while taking back the piece.

Haha, nothing nothing thank you thank you. =P

Anyway, I realized that out of 4 movies that I watched this year, 3 of them are 18PL movies haha. But The Expendables that I watched in Johor was, well, I thought that it was more like a comedy than an action pack. And poor Jet Li. He only appeared for 5 mins. OUCH. 



3 of my college mates are off to Taiwan for a 10-day trip, hope that they can catch a glance of Leehom and bring him back for me. =DDDDDD

你被写在我的日记里 =]

九把刀的【这些年，二哥哥很想你】，写的是真人真事。

【那些年，我们一起追的女孩】是讲述他与沈佳宜的故事，而【这些年，二哥哥很想你】，则是讲述他与毛毛狗的故事。

7年的爱情就这样中断了。

很感动，毕竟这是真人真事。

发觉自己不爱看爱情小说，张曼娟，吴若权，甚至橘子的小说都不看，毕竟自己已经够感性了，若叫我读她们的小说，恐怕我会变成很感性很感性的，emo 女王。==

啊，除了张小娴的小说，以前很爱看， 尤其是【我在云上爱你】，很感人呐。

现在则爱上九把刀的小说。

其实更正确一点，我是爱上他的真人真事小说。毕竟，刚刚读完的【打喷嚏】不大合我意，这本书讲述的是姐弟恋，嗯，结局是如何就不在此一提啦。

以前超爱他的【杀手】系列，朋友买了整套我都借来读，可是男生嘛，写的东西多多少少都会偏向，嗯，你懂我的意思的。

觉得爱情这玩意儿，噢不，这学问，时间扮演者很重要的角色。

在九把刀中学时遇到了沈佳宜，懵懵懂懂地喜欢了她8年，沈佳宜也明明喜欢他，却因为九把刀热血的性格，导致最后他们因为一场格斗赛而没缘在一起。

然后是毛毛狗。他们的相遇很，很，很，很，嗯，不可思议。难道这证明了与网友谈恋爱，而且还谈了7年这么久的恋爱是行得通的？

大学时通过网上认识的女孩，这时与九把刀谈恋爱的她都比较辛苦，因为在这时九把刀很努力地写稿投稿再写稿再投稿的日子，很多时候都需要节俭，几乎是过着很穷的日子，都挨过了，可是到最后，嗯， 事与愿违。

所以说，时间真的很重要。中学时期出现的人，可能因为那时不成熟的思想而出现在你的世界里，再从你的世界离开，虽然你不会后悔当初的行为与决定，毕竟那是当初的你，可是却有那么一点的遗憾依然缠绕着你；做工时遇到的人，可能因为大家懂得自己要的是什么，毕竟有了经验，多多少少会因为有了之前的遗憾而更珍惜这时出现的人，为的也只是不想为自己再添些什么不愉快的经历。

说过了，2011年已然成为我最忘不得的一年，也不知为什么，就是老爱回忆起这一年的点点滴滴；

反而2010年是我列为最糟糕的一年，因为几乎什么都不顺利：一开始为了选科而分班，与好友们分开，然后刚升上高中的关系，搞不懂新的科目，前两次考试考得乱七八糟，高数甚至拿过个F回来，会计又突然来个folio出来，还得我连夜失眠因为一窍不通，简直不知道要做些什么，刚开始的国文老师又凶得要命，不知是不是怀孕的关系而乱给功课，给超多功课，搞得我们全班精神分裂， 不过还好她的产假结束后人变得异常亲切，严肃得来又很搞笑，是我们很喜欢的老师，然后差点谈恋爱，可是拉拉扯扯了几个月才明白，感觉不对劲的时候就是不该再往前进的时候，也有点后悔当初没好好地处理这件事，搞得到最后大家都不欢而散，还有接近年尾最刻骨铭心的感觉，到现在依然能隐隐约约感受到当时的感觉，一点都不好受，害得我的假期难过得要命。

 所以，纵事把日记都填满，我都会尽量避开看回这一年的点滴，真的，避开。

因为怕看回以后，会再次感到难过。

就像部落格与面子书的 Timeline 一样，看回自己的历史，真的很不一样，也勾起了很多没记在2011年日记里的回忆，反而是2010年的，到现在都没去看看。

总而言之，能够出现在我日记里的人，一定是很特别，特别得连鸡毛琐事也被我记下；连续几个月都被我写进日记里的人，更不用说，一定是你做了些什么引起我的注意，呵呵呵呵呵。

2012年嘛，是挺顺利，不过也有点平淡，好像少了点火花，不过没关系，我们相处的日子还很长呐。

朋友老是说我很细心，不，她说，太细心，很多东西都记得，也会很留意细节。其实，她之所以会说我太细心 ，是因为她本身本来就带点MCC的性格。正常人会说我细心那是正常，她说我太细心是她不正常。xD

我不是记忆力好，而是我经常回忆，
经常在脑子里再三播放那些我割舍不下的画面。

摘自【这些年，二哥哥很想你】，九把刀

九把刀 月老/红线

发现 尽管这本小说是九把刀的另一种创作 亦还是有 『那些年』 的影子

尤其是 【月老】 这篇小说。

就像主角为了知道女孩住在哪儿 就拼命追着她爸爸的车 

还有追了很多年的 重点

可是由于这不是真实故事 所以我想

九把刀是想借此故事来想像 沈佳宜 接受他 与她谈恋爱

的过程

现实中并不是如此 但至少可通过 小说来弥补他的遗憾吧

好久没写小说了

距离上一次写，我想已有好几年的时间了

以前初中一到初中三时考完试没事情做 就写起短篇小说来

有次是朋友画男女主角的图片 我以这4位主角编故事

结果写了一半 才发觉到 跟韩国那种悲剧 其实没啥分别

这是初中三发生的事

初中一时写的短篇小说，比较像无聊篇

如果你有读过 你明白我的意思的 呵

那时还特地用黑色和褐色颜色纸把写小说的簿子，没错，就是学校用的那种 给包起来

朋友还笑我说 活像一本 带有神秘感的魔术书本

有次 朋友想读那些散文 但觉得有点太长 没那么多耐心去读 竟叫我 summarized 给他听 =3=

现在毕业了 没有机会再为 全国华文创作比赛而打拼了

去年可委屈了几位朋友 一天到晚叫他们读 再给我意见 然后忙了一个月 还差点没得比赛 因为找不到负责老师 

然后本想趁这 sem break 写点东西的 结果还是 唉

你懂啦




呵

Phew. =)

Yes. Phew.

Supposed to be in the last batch ( in the afternoon my goodness! ), had to request to change to the 1st batch so that I can go back to college earlier and not miss Acc class plus ECONS TEST 2.

Not so smooth though. Need to do "something" then only I succeeded in changing to batch1.

Which came all out of sudden.

After the officer gave me the form with a note attached to it and asked me to go to the slope to pass to the officer-in-charge, I went there, and the Madam shouted to the other side of the slope and informed the uncle that I'll be using the next car.


SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!!!

I didn't even exhale and inhale a few times, not even emotionally and mentally ( Lol, too much GLT ques xD ) prepared and I'll be starting my test like, now?!!!

And then the next car came.

Ah-oh. :O


Then blah blah and blah, I passed. Ha.

Seriously, PHEW.

Too bad I can't meet Q & Yx. They were on the way when I left already for college. Sigh.


Econ test was fine. I think I did better compared to test 1. =D


And I used up the remain book voucher. By buying 2 Gidden Ko's books at The Curve, which, suddenly got Popular Book Fair at the concourse and I got the chance to buy books at a cheaper price.

That was when I got a bit upset.

Nicholas Sparks books, were on a splendid discount.

Buy 1, 20%; Buy 2, 25%; Buy 3, 30%.

GGRRRrrrrrrr! I bought 2 the other day lea!! Gimme the remainder 10 more percent can or not?!! ><

So now my shelf is fulled of unread books. 4 more haven't read and one, reading. Suddenly feel like gasping for air 'cause of the number of books.

I haven't include the Christian and Business books that Mum bought.

*gasp*

Anyways, I'm quite worn out now, after the 2 tests today. And 'cause I talked a lot today.

Like a chatterbox. xD

Anxious and excited for the result.

My college mates expect me to get 10 A+.


GREAT.


Pressure is on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Moon

It will be as if I'd never existed.

Does this looks familiar? Yeah.. It's from New Moon. I'm re-reading it. Too bad I don't have the 3 other books. =)