In 1820, Smith wrote a letter to an unhappy friend, Lady Morpeth, in which he offered her tips for cheering up.
I have my own variety of tips lists for cheering up, and I was interested to hear what someone from two centuries ago would recommend. Most of Smith's suggestions are as sound now as they were almost 200 years ago – though a few are amusingly odd, and it might be tougher today to work "good blazing fires" into everyday life.
“1st. Live as well as you dare.
2nd. Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold, 75 or 80 degrees.
3rd. Amusing books.
4th. Short views of human life—not further than dinner or tea.
5th. Be as busy as you can.
6th. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you.
7th. And of those acquaintances who amuse you.
8th. Make no secret of low spirits to you friends, but talk of them freely—they are always worse for dignified concealment.
9th. Attend to the effects tea and coffee produce upon you.
10th. Compare your lot with that of other people.
11th. Don’t expect too much from human life—a sorry business at the best.
12th. Avoid poetry, dramatic representations (except comedy), music, serious novels, melancholy, sentimental people, and everything likely to excite feeling or emotion, not ending in active benevolence.
13th. Do good, and endeavour to please everybody of every degree.
14th Be as much as you can in the open air without fatigue.
15th. Make the room where you commonly sit gay and pleasant.
16th. Struggle by little and little against idleness.
17th. Don’t be too severe upon yourself, or underrate yourself, but do yourself justice.
18th. Keep good blazing fires.
19th. Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion.
20th. Believe me, dear Lady Georgiana.”
*
A thoughtful reader sent me the link to PocketMod, which shows you how to make your own mini-personal organizer. I can't wait to try it out myself.
*
Check out my new one-minute internet movie, Secrets of Adulthood.
http://www.secretsofadulthood.com/
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Butterflies in my stomach
Starting something new come 1st August. Have been having butterflies in my stomach for the last 1 week. Anticipating it because of some damn good rewards but nervous coz some additional new responsibilities.
Some short-term goals (next 6 months):-
1)Excel in this new 'venture'
2)Nest
3)Continuous elation contingent upon.....homosapiens around me
Confidence, determination, hard work and integrity.
Some short-term goals (next 6 months):-
1)Excel in this new 'venture'
2)Nest
3)Continuous elation contingent upon.....homosapiens around me
Confidence, determination, hard work and integrity.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Accepting failures or semi-failures
Procrastination is the thief of time. How well said. Life is always full of challenges. No short-cuts to success and nothing's guaranteed. One does not expect that the sail is always on calm waters without the company of fierce storms, which is highly unrealistic. One faces the reality with bravery, go through failures and knocks with integrity, and there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Failures must be accepted with grace, and one has to move on with confidence and might. Sinking into "anti-elate" status is uncalled for, and it results in deteriotion of one's life, be it QoL, relationships, etc. Running away from problems is not a solution either. Proscratinating and wanting the best of both worlds are no solutions as well. Be decisive, focused, and think through carefully the consequences of the decision made. Always look at the brighter side of things. Remember, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Moving Back!
Have decided to move back to good old sunny Sin! It's been a rewardful 2 months in Vancouver. Is it worth moving back? I think it definitely is! A great career with one of the leading industry players in the industry. Why not? Decision to move back may be quite impromtu but it's still worth it, for sure.
I will have to work doubly hard and face and conquer all the challenges that I am going to face. If I work hard enough, I will be able to 'recoup' my 'losses' incurred in the last 2 months. Well, but not all's lost, anyways. I have gained much much much more than the materialistic stuff that were lost. Monetary loss is nothing. I can always earn back those that was lost within a couple of months with this job.
No more run-of-the-mill performance at work for both of us!
Looking forward to a 'new' life! Buri! Buri!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Driving in N. America
Drove a total of about 180km within a day yesterday. Driving in N. America is pretty stress free; no worries about obnoxious taxi drivers tooting their honks at you, no tailgatings when you are a little slower, no swearings and pointings of middle fingers from nasty drivers. It was raining pretty hard and visibility was kindda poor. However, we still braved the rain to drive to Abbotsford, a small city about 72km west of Vancouver. I enjoyed the drive but full concentration was warranted since it is right-hand drive. Got a bit of time to get used to right-hand drive, but managed to get the gist of it within a couple of hours.
I am glad to be given this opportunity and it really boosted my confidence to drive on highways in N. America.
The only sad thing that happened was that another car behind us skidded and bumped into our car when we stopped at a red light junction. The driver is a lady and she was very apologetic towards us. Well, guess she will have to pay the rental company's damages, if any.
I am glad to be given this opportunity and it really boosted my confidence to drive on highways in N. America.
The only sad thing that happened was that another car behind us skidded and bumped into our car when we stopped at a red light junction. The driver is a lady and she was very apologetic towards us. Well, guess she will have to pay the rental company's damages, if any.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
青のレクイエム
This is like a dream, or like a lie
one harsh morning everything was taken away from me
Soon I will sink into the cold depth of the sky
as the moon silently fades and my breathing stops
A single drop of melody
returns to my waiting hands
as it spills from the organ
Should I ask for someone to warm me?
or to hold my frozen body
No matter what I wish or pray for
this love has already been lost
A drop of kindness drops into the sandglass
even my tears have gone to a frozen place
When you’re honest with me, I don’t want to go
my overflowing feelings tell me to be with you
But no matter how much my heart cries out or sighs
my voice no longer reaches you
this love can no longer return...
one harsh morning everything was taken away from me
Soon I will sink into the cold depth of the sky
as the moon silently fades and my breathing stops
A single drop of melody
returns to my waiting hands
as it spills from the organ
Should I ask for someone to warm me?
or to hold my frozen body
No matter what I wish or pray for
this love has already been lost
A drop of kindness drops into the sandglass
even my tears have gone to a frozen place
When you’re honest with me, I don’t want to go
my overflowing feelings tell me to be with you
But no matter how much my heart cries out or sighs
my voice no longer reaches you
this love can no longer return...
Monday, April 07, 2008
いつか風になる日 Itsuka kaze ni naru hi
yagate kitto so kitto, towa wa setsuna ni satte.
dakedo zutto ah zutto koko ni ite ageru
tada kaze ga fuite iru.
There is no such time that lasts forever.
But I will be always here with you.
Do you feel the breeze around you?
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Crossroad
At the crossroad
Of life
One ponders
To smell
The fragrance around
Or to ignore
And fall
Into abyss
Willingly
Light at
the end of the tunnel
No doubt
But is one willing
To go through
The hardship
When one is so
Sheltered
It's the journey
Not the destination
That
Counts
Of life
One ponders
To smell
The fragrance around
Or to ignore
And fall
Into abyss
Willingly
Light at
the end of the tunnel
No doubt
But is one willing
To go through
The hardship
When one is so
Sheltered
It's the journey
Not the destination
That
Counts
Monday, March 31, 2008
Random Thoughts
Unproductivity is spending time gossiping in the office instead of doing real work.
Unproductivity is sitting in front of my laptop and not able to do anything.
Unproductivity is having nothing to do in the office
Unproductivity is taking a few hours to get a job done when it can be done within an hour.
And how does unproductivity come about?
It all depends on the individual. I may not be assigned any work to do (well, that's the bosses' job!) but I can DO something else to improve myself:-) I can refrain from participating in gossips, I can refrain from daydreaming in front of the laptop....(guess it's ok to daydream occasionally:-). I can expedite a job and do it perfectly well without having to drag it for hours. Everything's within my control, EVERYTHING. It's all in the mind.
Unproductivity is sitting in front of my laptop and not able to do anything.
Unproductivity is having nothing to do in the office
Unproductivity is taking a few hours to get a job done when it can be done within an hour.
And how does unproductivity come about?
It all depends on the individual. I may not be assigned any work to do (well, that's the bosses' job!) but I can DO something else to improve myself:-) I can refrain from participating in gossips, I can refrain from daydreaming in front of the laptop....(guess it's ok to daydream occasionally:-). I can expedite a job and do it perfectly well without having to drag it for hours. Everything's within my control, EVERYTHING. It's all in the mind.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Lapland
Guess what time it was when this pic was taken? Well.....it was around 12.30pm or so in the afternoon. Winter in Scandinavia, Kiruna, the most northern city in Sweden. Long nights and much shorter days, around 3-4 hours of daylight.
I remember when I was in Xinjiang in late Spring, it was the opposite. The days were long; the sun was still up in the sky at 12 midnight...midnight sun.
Anyways, these are the moments that I cherished most!
Changing ya badself
How The Brain Rewires Itself
Friday, Jan. 19, 2007 By Sharon Begley
IT WAS A FAIRLY MODEST EXPERIMENT as these things go, with volunteers trooping into the lab at Harvard Medical School to learn and practice a little five-finger piano exercise. Neuroscientist Alvaro Pascual-Leone instructed the members of one group to play as fluidly as they could, trying to keep to the metronome's 60 beats per minute. Every day for five days, the volunteers practiced for two hours. Then they took a test.
At the end of each day's practice session, they sat beneath a coil of wire that sent a brief magnetic pulse into the motor cortex of their brain, located in a strip running from the crown of the head toward each ear. The so-called transcranial-magnetic-stimulation (TMS) test allows scientists to infer the function of neurons just beneath the coil. In the piano players, the TMS mapped how much of the motor cortex controlled the finger movements needed for the piano exercise. What the scientists found was that after a week of practice, the stretch of motor cortex devoted to these finger movements took over surrounding areas like dandelions on a suburban lawn.
The finding was in line with a growing number of discoveries at the time showing that greater use of a particular muscle causes the brain to devote more cortical real estate to it. But Pascual-Leone did not stop there. He extended the experiment by having another group of volunteers merely think about practicing the piano exercise. They played the simple piece of music in their head, holding their hands still while imagining how they would move their fingers. Then they too sat beneath the TMS coil.
When the scientists compared the TMS data on the two groups--those who actually tickled the ivories and those who only imagined doing so--they glimpsed a revolutionary idea about the brain: the ability of mere thought to alter the physical structure and function of our gray matter. For what the TMS revealed was that the region of motor cortex that controls the piano-playing fingers also expanded in the brains of volunteers who imagined playing the music--just as it had in those who actually played it.
"Mental practice resulted in a similar reorganization" of the brain, Pascual-Leone later wrote. If his results hold for other forms of movement (and there is no reason to think they don't), then mentally practicing a golf swing or a forward pass or a swimming turn could lead to mastery with less physical practice. Even more profound, the discovery showed that mental training had the power to change the physical structure of the brain.
THINKING ABOUT THINKING:
AS SCIENTISTS PROBE the limits of neuroplasticity, they are finding that mind sculpting can occur even without input from the outside world. The brain can change as a result of the thoughts we think, as with Pascual-Leone's virtual piano players. This has important implications for health: something as seemingly insubstantial as a thought can affect the very stuff of the brain, altering neuronal connections in a way that can treat mental illness or, perhaps, lead to a greater capacity for empathy and compassion. It may even dial up the supposedly immovable happiness set point.
In a series of experiments, for instance, Jeffrey Schwartz and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can quiet activity in the circuit that underlies obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), just as drugs do. Schwartz had become intrigued with the therapeutic potential of mindfulness meditation, the Buddhist practice of observing one's inner experiences as if they were happening to someone else.
When OCD patients were plagued by an obsessive thought, Schwartz instructed them to think, "My brain is generating another obsessive thought. Don't I know it is just some garbage thrown up by a faulty circuit?" After 10 weeks of mindfulness-based therapy, 12 out of 18 patients improved significantly. Before-and-after brain scans showed that activity in the orbital frontal cortex, the core of the OCD circuit, had fallen dramatically and in exactly the way that drugs effective against OCD affect the brain. Schwartz called it "self-directed neuroplasticity," concluding that "the mind can change the brain."
Friday, Jan. 19, 2007 By Sharon Begley
IT WAS A FAIRLY MODEST EXPERIMENT as these things go, with volunteers trooping into the lab at Harvard Medical School to learn and practice a little five-finger piano exercise. Neuroscientist Alvaro Pascual-Leone instructed the members of one group to play as fluidly as they could, trying to keep to the metronome's 60 beats per minute. Every day for five days, the volunteers practiced for two hours. Then they took a test.
At the end of each day's practice session, they sat beneath a coil of wire that sent a brief magnetic pulse into the motor cortex of their brain, located in a strip running from the crown of the head toward each ear. The so-called transcranial-magnetic-stimulation (TMS) test allows scientists to infer the function of neurons just beneath the coil. In the piano players, the TMS mapped how much of the motor cortex controlled the finger movements needed for the piano exercise. What the scientists found was that after a week of practice, the stretch of motor cortex devoted to these finger movements took over surrounding areas like dandelions on a suburban lawn.
The finding was in line with a growing number of discoveries at the time showing that greater use of a particular muscle causes the brain to devote more cortical real estate to it. But Pascual-Leone did not stop there. He extended the experiment by having another group of volunteers merely think about practicing the piano exercise. They played the simple piece of music in their head, holding their hands still while imagining how they would move their fingers. Then they too sat beneath the TMS coil.
When the scientists compared the TMS data on the two groups--those who actually tickled the ivories and those who only imagined doing so--they glimpsed a revolutionary idea about the brain: the ability of mere thought to alter the physical structure and function of our gray matter. For what the TMS revealed was that the region of motor cortex that controls the piano-playing fingers also expanded in the brains of volunteers who imagined playing the music--just as it had in those who actually played it.
"Mental practice resulted in a similar reorganization" of the brain, Pascual-Leone later wrote. If his results hold for other forms of movement (and there is no reason to think they don't), then mentally practicing a golf swing or a forward pass or a swimming turn could lead to mastery with less physical practice. Even more profound, the discovery showed that mental training had the power to change the physical structure of the brain.
THINKING ABOUT THINKING:
AS SCIENTISTS PROBE the limits of neuroplasticity, they are finding that mind sculpting can occur even without input from the outside world. The brain can change as a result of the thoughts we think, as with Pascual-Leone's virtual piano players. This has important implications for health: something as seemingly insubstantial as a thought can affect the very stuff of the brain, altering neuronal connections in a way that can treat mental illness or, perhaps, lead to a greater capacity for empathy and compassion. It may even dial up the supposedly immovable happiness set point.
In a series of experiments, for instance, Jeffrey Schwartz and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can quiet activity in the circuit that underlies obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), just as drugs do. Schwartz had become intrigued with the therapeutic potential of mindfulness meditation, the Buddhist practice of observing one's inner experiences as if they were happening to someone else.
When OCD patients were plagued by an obsessive thought, Schwartz instructed them to think, "My brain is generating another obsessive thought. Don't I know it is just some garbage thrown up by a faulty circuit?" After 10 weeks of mindfulness-based therapy, 12 out of 18 patients improved significantly. Before-and-after brain scans showed that activity in the orbital frontal cortex, the core of the OCD circuit, had fallen dramatically and in exactly the way that drugs effective against OCD affect the brain. Schwartz called it "self-directed neuroplasticity," concluding that "the mind can change the brain."
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Ikea in Stockholm
Didn't get a chance to see Ikea in Sweden. It was closed due to Christmas holidays. What a pity.
Aurora Borealis
Witnessed the aurora borealis in Lapland. Nature is so amazing. Though it was not truly breathtaking, I was in complete awe. While everyone was riding the snow mobile, I actually saw it occurring already... It appeared as flashes of green...but too bad, no other colors like red, purple or orange. Anyways, it was a sight to behold. Hope to catch the really nice one in the near future.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
恋におちて
Life
Means
Seeking
Happiness
Happiness
Means
Living
For your
Loved Ones
Loved Ones
Will
Always
Be there
For Me
Me
Myself, and
I
I'd
rather be
Alone
Being Alone
Brings
Less
Sufferings
To
People
Around Me
Sufferings
Sufferings
are afterall
Part & Parcel
of
Life
Life
Is
Back to square one
It is
About
Happiness
Happiness
Means
Living
For your
Loved Ones
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Means
Seeking
Happiness
Happiness
Means
Living
For your
Loved Ones
Loved Ones
Will
Always
Be there
For Me
Me
Myself, and
I
I'd
rather be
Alone
Being Alone
Brings
Less
Sufferings
To
People
Around Me
Sufferings
Sufferings
are afterall
Part & Parcel
of
Life
Life
Is
Back to square one
It is
About
Happiness
Happiness
Means
Living
For your
Loved Ones
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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