Category of Advices

Dozens of methods there are, to boost our studies and careers; many advices given, in the sense of encouragements and opinions. Perhaps we know what we are doing and what should be done, or maybe we simply don’t, while the others seem to always think that we have no clue on what we are going through and that, is when the nagging comes in, where we find annoyance and impatience. Some may say there is no harm in listening to the advices, as it is not a necessity to apply if we find them inappropriate; some might be thinking that the third parties know nothing about our situations, hence not see the reasons why we even bother to listen; and some on the other hand would take the advices as the guide to success, for those are the summaries of lifetime experiences and ventures. At the very end of the day, it is us who decide what to do and which to apply, does not matter whether we agree to what the others have to say and it is us who are to bear the outcomes of our decisions being made, be it in the long run or short. How we categorize each type of advices depending on how we look at it and who that person is, if we are to accept it.

Manner of Silence

From time to time, we choose to remain silent when we are not satisfied with the service in one restaurant, when we are too pissed to talk, when we see no reason to speak about all emotions of ours. We refuse to visit that particular shop lot, we complain to the third parties or we simply keep it to our own instead of giving them our comments on further improvements, reason with them and speak up. Some may think it is more appropriate to spill and not leave it at one side, some may find it rude to comment directly on their faces and some may say, “Just let it be.” Perhaps it is due to the teaching we’ve been received since young, that we shall leave the insignificants aside, not exaggerating the problems but to minimize it to the maximum, to none. To be honest, how many can actually ignore the dissatisfaction just like that, to not feel a thing after an incident which might just get on our nerves? Not many, except those who can get things off their minds as easy as a piece of cake. Remembering what the adults used to say, remaining silent is a form of manner in our current society, where the nobility is shown in a way. True enough, as our emotions are hidden behind the mask.

The Light

I was told about the light of mine goes dimmer, unlike the previous time where it shines so bright. Come to think of it, we often express others in terms of light, be they cheerful, mysterious or not known, where the brightness varies from one to another. Remembering the old game my father used to play, “Age of Empire”; strategies are needed and we are required to move fast in preparing our army before the enemies are to attack. We explore the areas where the war is about to take place, to learn more about the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, to equip ourselves better. Each step we take, a particular area of the surrounding is lightened, completing part of the map we have; and the bigger group we are in, the brighter it seems to be. Applying that in our lives, we shine; does not matter who we are, what we are and what we do. Even if we think we are the most insignificant among all, we still shine, as that is who we can be, with or without us knowing. Indeed we may not only bring happiness to the people around, but also sorrows and anger; however, it does not mean that we don’t shine, because we still do and will continue to be. All and all, it is our choice on how bright we want ourselves to be; to shine for us alone or to shine for all.

Late or Early?

Changes occur in the surroundings, in people, be it now or later; hence, it has never been too late to change but it will always be too early to judge a person, an incident or the future according to what we’ve seen. Perhaps some may say, what is done is done, a fact which can never be changed. It is indeed. However, the changes we now refer to are not equivalent to changing the past, but the future. Damage can never be removed, but it fades when we give it the permission to. So why hold on to the painful memories when we know changes can be made in the future, in our future? We don’t just sit there and feel miserable for life when we make mistakes; we make a change so that the history does not repeat itself. On the other hand, we do not conclude an ending when we have a choice to make, when there are the external factors which may causes variation, when it is too early to come to an end. We mold the future of our own, we predict the unpredictable and we hypnotize our very own thoughts, just so we think changes will not occur, as we are too afraid to face the reality, as we feel that changes are not reliable, as our sense of security is challenged; and at the very end of the day, we find ourselves trapped in between. It is hard to not come to a conclusion of our own but it brings no harm to go with the flow once in a while when we cannot move on further.

文与情

任文字再怎么的优美、再怎么的动人，却未必足以表达我们的情感与思绪，只因我们情不自禁的将精神投入在句子当中，而忽略了原先所要传达的事项及感受。然而，真正的美又是如何？或许一些简单的词句即可，也许只要放入一些感情即可；是这样吗？当我们将句子复杂化，得到的又会是什么？上一回投稿获得了回应，“愿见情感，而非文字”。对，无情的文章无法让人感受到写者的用意，只有文字的跳动。但要如何才能达到该水准呢？一试再试，仍不住的注重于用词与文句，即使投入的情感已足够，即使花费的时间已过多。难道多年来的受训只要我们利用文字组成美丽词句吗？或许再怎么好的文章仍有瑕疵，只因我们并非完美；也许这只是我们要求过高，而无法达到目标。批评与不满，欣赏与感动，两个相反的组合形成了我们今日的生活与协调，造就了我们现代的和平与满足。望有哪一天我能真正的突破自己所能，创下深入人心的文句，留下自己。

Rival & Competitor

Competitor can sometimes be replaced with the word ‘rival’, where two persons see each other as equal match instead of an opponent who must be defeated. Other than comparing our current results with the previous one, we compare ourselves from one to another, to know how good we are, to see how far we go, and to have a rival of our own; unavoidable comparisons which are to be made, be it involves only us or the rest of the world. Perhaps it has been part of our lives that we compare each other without us knowing, that we always judge ourselves and the others, that we sometimes not admitting the fact that we are comparing one from another. Moreover, there is a misconception that having rivals is unspeakable, the worst of all comparisons being made while it actually helps in improving ourselves, bringing us forward and further from where we are as it somehow gives us the motivation to work harder in order to exceed all people, especially the rivals. Personally, it is our hearts which determine the outcome of such rivaling, based on how we look at it and how we are to deal with it. When we fail to accept the fact that we cannot surpass the others, when we hate it so much of being the losers and when we overwhelmed by jealousy and hatred, we would then find ourselves becoming the worst ever, where we no longer take our rivals as rivals, but a competitor, an opponent, and an enemy.

Overdose

We take actions one after another, be it to speak or to act; we apologize for the things we have done which hurt the feelings of others, we thank the people who lend us the helping hands when we are desperate for one and we show the world what we are capable of, why we are here for and how we are to complete the tasks given. Always, we apologize after an incident, a word or an act, does not matter whether we truly accept the fact that we are at fault or simply say it for the sake of doing so, as if it has already became one of the must-say in our daily routines. On the contrary, we seldom thank people for what they have done for us, say, thanking the waiter for serving the table has somehow being banned in certain groups as some may think that it is our right to be served since we are the ones paying. When it comes to love, people either go all hyper or the opposite, where love is too common or too rare to be found, where some may take it less important and some say it is the best we can ever have, where we either not know what else can be said other than or only know the phrase “I love you”. All which evolve around us are none other than apology, appreciation and love; which now have been overused, hence not able to achieve the optimum effect of what it is supposed to be.