Doff

You have all the reason to peel it off, but you choose not to.

Because beneath that thin layer of dilapidated protection,

lies your naked soul,

that easily leaves scars to embed upon contact with wounds and woes.

I ought not sing to you one more time,

the annoying satirical ballad you dread the most.

Why, why,

just detach yourself from that wretched life!

But dignity and arrogance come in the way,

preventing you from getting rid of the rotten covering.

Yes, it is an awful sight I say,

yet what more options could you pray?

Barely Holding On

There's a time when I truly felt as if someone somewhere was watching over me, protecting me. Six angels were sent to fix me when one person broke me down. Of course, there were other moments when my guardian angel seemed to be appearing all of a sudden, out of nowhere and caught me in the nick of time, like spiderman or other heros who appear at the very last minute and snatch you off the ground before you hit, except in my life it happens figuratively.

It was one of the happiest moment in my life when suddenly the darkness shrouded the sky and raging of thunderstorm befell. I was barely hanging there. Strong enough to keep myself still in the midst of chaos. Vibration from my pocket indicated the arrival of a text message.

"I know to you I may be just a passerby, but I want to tell you that if you encounter any problem or trouble, I am here to find solutions or be your listener."

I hardly tell this person anything. I don't really bother why of all the time, that moment was picked to text me because we talked about like 1% of my issue. As ridiculous and miraculous as it is, coincidence happens. Sometimes, this inexplicable care from an outsider, it is what keep you holding on to that end of the rope. Though it's not what happened but yeah, it happens.

Keeping my head clear, I replied :

"You're more like a big brother than a stranger to me. But there are things that I wish to keep to myself and embrace the challenge. After all, everyone has their own obstacles in life. Don't you think I should learn to walk my life independently? If I keep telling you all my troubles and expect comfort from you, I'm just weak as I'll always be. Thanks, bro. I sincerely appreciate your concern."

Leave aside the message between lines and motives of the actions, I'm still thankful for what happened.

7 Hobbies That Will Make You Happier

Come across this random subject on happiness. Having just watched episodes of the cynical egoistic Dr House series, some sarcasm that got transmitted to me say that this article must be to trick some desperate people who think their lifes revolve around misery and despair. I wonder what kind of crap suggestions would be enveloped in there so I clicked on it (I might be one of those got tricked the same way).

Well, turns out the author is truly trying to bring light to those who fail to see life's easily missed happiness. Many have missed the pure joy in simple agendas like picking up a hobby, comfortable silence sitting with your loved ones not talking and peaceful tranquility dining in with your parents. I am proud to say all these hobbies are happening in my life except collecting coins. Wait, I collect adorable exquisite angpaos. Does it count?

If you happen to be reading this, let's check how many beneficial hobbies have you got mentioned in the article. You might want to start getting one from the prescribed if you score 0-7 to 'yes'.

1. Learn Another Foreign Language

Have you always been passionate about foreign languages, countries and cultures? If so, then you should know that you can make the best out of this passion by simply expanding your linguistic skills. Not only will a new language give you a deeper insight into the culture, history and traditions of a new country, but it will also help you communicate better, faster and easier. It is highly recommended to start learning a foreign language as easy in life as possibly, ideally in childhood – however, you can still benefit from this as an adult as well. Language learning will add to your brain development and it will help you solve complicated tasks by training your mind – with a bit of practice, you will see that your brain will sharpen and sometimes you will even be thinking in a foreign language. When that happens, you have already achieved your purpose!

2. Play Some Video Games

While it is true that many, if not most video games are actually bad both for children and for teenagers, given the fact that they are very violence-oriented, some of them can actually be great for your brain: the key is to know which video games will benefit you. Numerous studies have revealed that playing video games can actually improve your hand-eye coordination, which is essential later in life. At the same time, these video games will also train your critical decision making skills – in other words, you will be able to take radical decisions that will benefit your life, one way or another. However, it is important to understand that these benefits apply solely to brain training video games.

(Can't agree more to this. I played Maple Story, Age of Empire, Warcraft, Starcraft 2, Run Online, Gunbound, Rakion, DD Tank, Wartune, Rise of Mythos etc. I learnt strategies, vocabularies, tactics and believe it or not, some life lessons that could not be learnt from text book or taking precaution others' experience. Gamers will understand that. In fact, watching movies, TV and drama series help too! ...ah, I miss my old-fashioned video game where, unlike Xbox or Gameboy, you have to slot in a big bulky tape to play. Good old times that 90s generations aren't going to comprehend.)

3. Focus On Games That Prevent Brain Fog

Brain fog is extremely common nowadays, but fortunately there are some games and mental exercises that will help you keep it away. Are you passionate about riddles and other similar hobbies? If so, then you should know that solving riddles and engaging in any other activity that stimulates your mind can reduce your risk for developing dementia later in life by more than 60%, as numerous studies have revealed. At the same time, playing mentally challenging games can dramatically improve your memory, which will be particularly useful once you reach your senior years. There are hundreds of mentally challenging programs, games and activities that are designed to boost the activity of your brain and to make you smarter – that, in combination with the right foods that are known to improve the cognitive function, can result in a trained brain that can be put to good use!

(Trying to get my mom interested in brain-juice-squeezing games instead of Bejeweled. My parents never get off Candy Crush until now!)

4. Puzzles!

Everybody loves puzzles, no matter how annoying the big ones can get at times, when you do not manage to find the missing piece. However, this is precisely what makes puzzle games so beautiful – these are basically brain teasers that stimulate your mind, they make you think and this will certainly have a positive effect on your intellect. Puzzle games alone are not the only one that can make you smarter, as you can also focus on crosswords. Are you the type of person who has a lot of spare time and wants to make the best out of it, or perhaps you are a busy businessperson who is always on the go and tries to enjoy their time on the train or plane the best way they can? If so, then a brain teaser is by far one of the best things you can do to become smarter, without investing too much money or time. This can easily become a hobby and a daily routine that will make sure your brain is functioning properly even as you age.

5. Collecting Coins And Other Items

Another important and very beautiful hobby that can make you smarter is collecting coins and other items. This will certainly help you understand more about the world that surrounds you – no matter if you decide to collect old coins and bills (that will surely turn out to be quite valuable later in life) or you want to become an entomologist and start collecting insects, being a collector certainly has its mental benefits that should not be ignored. It is important to be curious and to want to find out more, as curiosity is what makes the world go round. You can find a lot about a country and its people by closely analyzing their money, and this can be a great gift to pass down to future generations.

6. Read!

Reading is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful hobbies out there. There are literally millions of books in the world, and a person cannot read even 1% of them in a lifetime. Books offer us a unique and outstanding way to understand the world and they also offer us an “imaginary bubble”, a safe haven where we can go whenever we want to escape reality. One of the best things you can do if you want to become smarter is to come up with a reading list: make a list of at least 10 books you plan to read throughout the year, and sort them out based on their subject. Reading will keep your mind alert and focused, not to mention that it will also improve your vocabulary as well!

(Doesn't mean you must read in the language you wish to improve on. Reading in your mother language counts because knowledge comes in all forms.)

7. Play a Musical Instrument

Music is a noble passion, and people who can play a musical instrument have always been regarded as gifted and intelligent people. Just like it happens with language learning, learning how to play a musical instrument is far more efficient if done in childhood – however, there are millions of adults who learned to enjoy music at its finest throughout their adulthood. Besides this, the good news is that you do not even need to focus solely on one instrument, as you can specialize in two or even more, if you have the time and the necessary ambition.

(Still regretting giving up violin. If only I had been more persistent...)

In conclusion, these are 7 of the most beautiful and efficient hobbies for those who want to become smarter. One of the most notable benefits of all the above-mentioned hobbies is that they require only a fraction of your time, and the reward will be tenfold!

Umm... Quite A Recap

It's been awhile since I last logged in here. I always view my own blog, not because I'm vain but because I like the playlist which I plan to change during this break. New sem, whole new plan.

I realized I only feel the strong urge to blog only when I have a packed schedule. Busy life means endless events which leads to unceasing obstacles, then emo-ness. Conclusion : I blog when I'm in rather downside of hill.

This is going to be random partly because I kind of force myself to write something in English so that I won't be too detached from English which is going to hinder me from speaking fluently when I meet non-Chinese speaking friends in my campus. I've been wanting to post a recap on how hectic my Sem 3 was, thinking it encompasses a sense of accomplishment having survived all those challenges. My effort for the finals was done last minute but I truly gave my all,  just hoping the results won't be too disappointing.

Last I recall making a halt at the YSS mission. It hasn't happened so can't really go much further into it. Now that it had happened, two months ago, memories are not faded yet but they are all clumped up together. I can still recollect clearly every bits of it but not really in the mood of writing a thousands-word long article just yet. I think I'll just keep a few pictures of my memo and that will simply sum up my stressful Sem 3.

 It is kind of stressful having to cater to different aspects of your life at the same time --- academic, curriculum, spiritual. Working out ways to all these paths may bly e a pain because you can't split your body into three and figure it out whether it works. You can only section your brain muscles into different parts to imagine outcomes of likeliness. Mood gone, move on. Done here.