I just went through my 2nd 3 hour long Finance tutorial today and surprisingly, time passed really fast today and I was jotting down everything my tutor said throughout the whole 3 hours. To me, it's not us who find it tiring, it should have been him - someone who's been talking about something that may seem really fundamental to him, to a class of 20 plus students who rarely answered his questions save for a few people, with the rest looking lost or just stoning. & he could have probably repeated what he was saying for the xth time. But look, he didn't complain or anything; but rather smiled as us while we left the room, and ocassionally asking if we really understood what he said.
Sets me thinking. Sometimes we need to just complain less and appreciate the things that people do for us selflessly. Best example? Our parents. We might always complain about how naggy they are, always fussing over us, making a big fuss out of something small, always wanting us to tidy up our rooms, get good grades, dress properly etc. But it all just boils down to one thing: they love us, and they want everything that's good, or even best, for us. It's just that the way they express their love is different. Some of them may be too shy to say "I love you, & I just want the best for you", so they express it through their actions and words indirectly. Which we find it to be bothersome. Isn't that quite sad somehow?
My mom is the most awesomest mom I can have. This, all my friends will agree to. But they don't know that in the past, she was so strict to me I could have left home if I had the courage to. I got reprimanded for if I don't get a Band 1 for every subject in Primary school. If she sees a mark below 80 (a.k.a getting 70+ for my tests/exams), I won't be able to watch television, use the computer or even dare to speak at home. I have to go for tuition classes everyday for at least 2 hours after school on weekdays, and during weekends, I go for drawing and piano classes. Or some English workshops that her friends recommended her. If I spend a little bit more money and she finds out about it, I'll definitely get it from her. I still remember how she would hit me with a remote control, and send it flying and hitting my small head.
But now, she came to realize that her teaching style is wrong. And she started to treat us as her friends. She would always whatsapp me when she's bored and address me as her darling, haha! & now, she found out about the audio note function on whatsapp and has been using it a tad too frequently. She's also so hooked onto Facebook that she's even more active on it than I am! & she loves editing her photos using iPhone apps, some examples like this:
& this is her Facebook profile picture, HAHA!
She's so cute lor! & my dad too. He'd always tear when sending me off at the airport and I'd have to hug him & say "You cannot cry ah!" ahha! I love both my parents and I guess going to study abroad strengthens my relationship with them.
So it hurts and pains me sometimes to see teenagers and even young adults my age speaking to their parents like they owed them tons of money. There's no respect at all, and some even demand their parents to do or buy stuff for them? Hey, they've been raising you up with no complaints and regrets for the past decades, and this is how you treat them? They didn't even ask you to earn money to repay them or to chip in for family expenses, & you have to demand them to do things for you? Some kids really just treat their parents like maids, and take them for granted.
What I've been through this summer holiday, taught me a lot. But the most important takeaway point is that, life is really fragile & it could end anytime. This phrase could mean nothing to you until you come close to an encounter with death. With a person passed on, he literally cuts off all connections with you. You can't call him randomly anymore, can't text him or disturb him, there won't be any replies on his Facebook page, and all you can do, is just to think of him. You can't even tell him how you feel, or talk to him when you're sad. You don't even know if he can hear you or see what you're doing from where he is. You wonder what he's been up to, where is he, if he's happy, or free from sufferings. You can't help but worry if he's lonely, or enjoying himself and just being carefree and happy. All that's left of, is memories and pictures of him. What he said to you may fade away with time, you might forget how he sounded like and need to rely on videos and pictures from time to time. You start to wonder how he'll look like if he could have gotten married, how many kids he'd have, how he'd look like when he's old and wrinkled when he's 65 years old. If he's still the chirpy guy you knew since you're 13, or became a super naggy and irritating old man who needs someone to give him to him all the time.
No one will understand the impact of death just by reading a blog, or Facebook statues. You need to experience it to know what I'm talking about. Only then will you come to a realization that life is indeed short and unpredictable; you'll never know when you'll be the next one to leave. & you start to understand the true meaning of living life to the fullest. You'll start to love everyone you've got with you, cherish them, want to see them everyday, making sure they're safe. Asking them to be healthy is then the most important thing, next being them feeling happy all the time. Nothing more, & nothing less. Wealth is something very material, and is not important anymore. This is when you really treasure the people around you.
True enough, there's always people who are making use of you. Or failed friendships all over the place. People come and go throughout your lifetime for a purpose, they teach you things and make you learn your lessons. That's why we're all here for, to learn. What you can take away with you when you go to the other side of the world is not money, not the clothes or status that you have, not the people you love or want to be, but the memories and lessons learnt in life. If you feel like doing something, go ahead. Because otherwise, what are you waiting for? The world will not stop revolving if you don't do or do what you want. Ultimately, it is only you regretting or thanking yourself for the choice you've made.
I sometimes feel that, people complain too much. They complain when they have too much to study, or too little time to study. They complain when they're hungry, or when they're too full, or when they're too tired. Or when they're bored, they push the blame to their country being too small. Then they complain about work, about their bosses, their friends, their wives or husbands, their in-laws and so on. Then they complain about the government, and their neighbors, what they're doing and what they should do. We complain so much that we've forgotten the goodness in what people have done, or what they could have done to make the world a less noisy place. If you have too little time to study, that's your own time management problem. If you're hungry, grab a bite; if you're too full, it's time to control your diet or appetite. If you're bored, you need to do something about your creativity or start hanging out with new people. If you don't like your work or bosses, just quit; if not, just suck it up and try to make your workplace a better one. You could have done so much other stuff other than just sticking around, & complain. I do complain once in a while, but after that, I get over it. Things won't solve by itself if I just don't stop complaining. Even if I do pray to God for something pleasant, I can't just wait for Him to do everything for me. There must be something that I could do to make my own life and world a more pleasant place to stay in and live with, isn't it?
I've been drifting here and there throughout this whole blog post. But my bottomline is, ask yourself what's your takeaway this holiday. Have you learnt something, or do you have something that you've always wanted to do? It's year 2012, the world might be ending, it might be not. But I choose to see it as it'll end. Because then I would muster more courage to do what I want, say what I've been meaning to, & treat the people I love with more care, concern & grace.
I'm loving my life now, & I hope you'd do too. Happy 2012, albeit being a bit late.
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