Happy?

Happy?

Friend: "Why is being happy so difficult?"
Simple Bear: "Maybe it is because we mistaken pleasures for happiness."
Friend: "What is happiness to you then?"
Simple Bear: "What is not happiness to you?"
Friend: "Too much to list."
Simple Bear: "That's why."
Friend: -_-!

May all be well and happy.

Passion Essential

Last week, we were asked to choose the most important value for us in our organizational culture, as employees working in the social service sector.

Without hesitation, my first choice is passion and to me, the importance of this value transcend organizational culture.

Passion to make a positive difference in the lives of our beneficiaries, the less fortunate in our society.

Passion to make a positive difference in the society, by being a catalyst of positive change in enhancing empathy and compassion for our community, and on a large scale of things, humanity.

Passion to make a positive difference in our lives; enriching our lives with love, empathy and compassion.

Passion to make a positive impact in this world, by starting with ourselves; for one to spread happiness, he or she must first be happy and I refer to happiness, as the fulfilment of human potential for goodness, beyond hedonism.

Yes. Maybe some of you may think that I am too idealistic for my own good. But then again, isn't positive change in this world of ours always effected by passionate individuals?

I know I may not be able to achieve much in my life but I am glad that at least I tried to do something. If there is someone who is positively impacted by my efforts, I have not lived this life in vain. And I know, there is at least one who had benefitted; that person is me.

Passion, maybe fragile but like the sparks of a flame, you need to fan it and supply it with woods to make it a raging fire.

May all be well and happy.

Being Right

"Everyone desires to be right all the time; it is the desire which leads us to be wrong about being right."
Simple Bear 02.03.2015.

The Pink Straw

The Pink Straw

Went to order an iced tea takeaway. Sales personnel handed me my ice tea and a white straw.

Simple Bear: "Excuse I would like to have the pink straw instead please." *pointing at the light pink straw over at the counter. 
Sales Personnel: *gave me a surprised look, stared at me for a while before giving me a nod and walked away with an embarrassed smile.
Simple Bear: o_O !
*start to drink my tea with pink straw.

Yes. I think she must be thinking why a big burly bear in a black jacket is asking for a pink straw for his tea.

She might have a few conventional theories to explain it.

But it may not be true.

Play: Dreams of the Red Chamber

It wasn't easy.

Watching a contemporary adaptation of the Chinese Classics, Dream of the Red Chamber with a serious migraine and fever. Didn't read the classic beforehand and trying to figure out the meaning of the metaphors and speech used in this stage play doesn't really help the throbbing pain in my head.

But I didn't regretted watching the show yesterday evening.

Yes the title of the show is interesting. But what attracts me was the use of twelve men to tell the stories of twelve women, their struggles and pain, which transcend sex (gender) and time. Those struggles, pain, desire and joy speaks to me and I am pretty sure, may speaks to most of us.

I guess one of the highlights of the show was the theme song, which probably sums up the main theme of the song, dreams and reality.

Makes me want to watch the other plays directed by this director.

Thanks to Jerviel Lim for asking me to watch this show, for buying the tickets and for taking care of me by buying me hot drink and food to ease my migraine during the intermission.

The best gift?(of Love)

The best gift?

A friend and I was having a discussion on Valentine's Day gifts.

Friend: "If I am going to give a Valentine's Day present to my ex, what do you think I should get her?"
Simple Bear: "Your well wishes and hope for her to love and to be loved, to be well and happy."
Friend: o_O?
Simple Bear: "You can save on the money too."
Friend: -_-!

Save the beautiful memories of the past in a case made of love and sealed with a wish for her to love and be loved again.

Spring Cleaning (the Mind)

Spring Cleaning

Chinese New Year is just a few days away and festive music can be heard in the streets. My friends and I from Nidana Youth Group had the great opportunity to help a few elderly clean up their places for the new year yesterday. I had the good opportunity to reflect on my experience.

I was give the chance to scrub this basin which was covered in dirt, which probably had been accumulated for quite some time. And as I was scrubbing the dirt away, trying to reveal the nice original state of the basin, this thought arises, "Aren't our minds like this basin, covered in negative habitual tendencies, accumulated over time?"

After the session, I had some time to reflect on this as the photos were uploaded on social media.
The detergent, the scrub and the water that we used to scrub the basin are like the knowledge (for improvement of self) and help (from others to improve ourselves) to 'scrub the dirt' from our mind and reveal the original.

The crux at this point of time, is whether we want to engage in the efforts to start cleaning up. It is tough work I must say. Some of the 'dirt' had been accumulated for too long and become 'embedded' in the mind.

Like the basin, it takes more efforts to scrub it clean.

Use the knowledge such as kindness and empathy like the detergent to scrub away the negative habitual tendencies of jealousy, anger, greed and the ego. Utilise help from others such as peer support and getting to know and hang out with supportive, positive friends like the scrub and water to scrub and wash away the dirt. And soon, you will see that the original goodness state of the mind is more visible comparatively.

Why? You may asked why was the elderly alright with living in such a condition? He probably grew accustomed to the conditions of the basin like how we grew accustomed to our negative habitual tendencies and thinks that it is part of us, it is who we are and that is permanent. The 'scrub' had shown otherwise.

Even after we wash it, clean it. It may still become dirty again over time hence we will need to keep up the efforts to maintain it. Well unless we decided to leave the house that we are living in right now. If we do it everyday, every moment without fail, the dirt is easier to scrub away.

The start is always difficult especially the basin had been covered in the accumulated dirt over a long period of time but perhaps the maintenance is easier just that it requires more efforts to do so every single time.

It is time for spring cleaning of both the house, and the mind for a better new year ahead.

Thank you once again to my friends who organised this meaningful activity.

May all have the conditions to improve ourselves starting now and continuing in the new year.

May all be well and happy.

For those who have not started cleaning, start scrubbing. For those who already started cleaning, keep it clean, keep scrubbing.