Motivational Monday | A Ship in the Harbor is Safe…

…but that’s not why ships are built.

 { Framed portrait from Emily‘s home, pic snapped by Sam }

I love this quote.

I love everything it’s saying about everything and everyone everywhere in life.

I’ve always had somewhat of this feeling that in life, when it comes to true freedom and happiness, it’s when you are fulfilling and doing what you were designed or made to do.

Though I never knew how to phrase it so eloquently, it came through in the way I lived my life.

For instance, I always hate not using up everything to its fullest potential. Every single last drop of toothpaste must be squeezed out of the tube before getting tossed. I will wear my jeans until they rip at the butt seams — even if that rip takes place in the middle of a hip hop dance class (true story). I used to practice my handwriting with both hands because I felt bad that my left hand wasn’t getting any action.

I feel this way about people as well. Too many settle for what’s right in front of them, preferring the safety of boundaries and known means. You can do that but you will never feel the full adrenaline rush of pushing yourself to the limit and seeing what the sky can drop on your lap when you are open to receiving it.

Just try to sail a little. See how you like it.

posted by Janice | Comments: 1 | Inspirations

3 Idiots | Some Thoughts

Just watched the Indian blockbuster 3 Idiots this afternoon. What a great movie! I laughed, I cried, and then I cried some more. And then I cried some more. I’m crying even now as I’m thinking about the crying.

{ Photo from here }

For those of you who haven’t heard of this Bollywood hit, it’s a whopping 170-minutes long tale about 2 friends’ search for their free-spirited, non-conformist lost buddy, Rancho (Aamir Khan). Through the course of the movie, we find out — through flashbacks– how Rancho changed each of the characters’ lives and taught them about facing educational and parental pressures, thinking outside the box, and chasing after their own dreams.

Between the tears, tears, and more tears, some thoughts:

*Slow start.
*Kind of cool that the cast speaks in English, Hindi, and Urdu. I only needed to read the subtitles half the time.
*Main character Rancho (Aamir Khan) is quite the looker in that dorky, goofy way. Pretty eyes.
*I dig how the movie tackles the controversial and complex relationships kids have with the expectations their parents want for them. To chase their own dreams and follow what others have laid on the ground for you?
*The whole thinking outside of the box theme also never ceases to get old.
*Omgosh, I did not know this was a Bollywood film! They sing and dance!
*Luckily, I am a musical aficionado who tends to break out in song and dance in real life so seeing this all of a sudden in a movie does not scare me.
*They really do cram an entire life cycle into these three hours. We’ve got funerals, weddings, births, graduations…
*”All is Well” >> Repeat that. Magic happens.
*I am such a sap. Cue sappy music, main characters crying and hugging each other, a life-changing incident, and I am in tears.
*Some pretty great quotes to live life by:

“Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down.”

“Today my respect for that idiot shot up. Most of us went to college just for a degree. No degree meant no plum job, no pretty wife, no credit card, no social status. But none of this mattered to him, he was in college for the joy of learning, he never cared if he was first or last.”

“Don’t die before the actual death.”

“Life is a gift to humankind to live.”

Despite it revolving around 3 idiots, this movie is pretty smart. I heard they’re planning both a Western and Chinese remake of the film (the latter with Stephen Chow attached). I feel like the Chinese remake has potential but not so sure about the Western one because there are so many themes that run through the film which resonates deeply with Asian-ish families. Themes of honor, duty, filiel piety, heavy emphasis on education not to learn but to pass tests. I do feel like an Asian American remake of the film would be awesome to watch. What say you?

posted by Janice | Comments: 1 | Films, Inspirations

Motivational Monday | Cool Words Other People Said

{ Words from other people, photo by me }

posted by Janice | Comments: 3 | Inspirations

Rant | You Are Perfect

Just a quick rant here.

This slogan pissed me off. (And by pissed off I mean I gave a high-pitched huff followed with a, “ridiculouuuus.”)

I know this is hard to hear in a world that values people to constantly strive for something more, something greater.

I know it can come off as preachy, as cheesy, as naive, as overly optimistic, as unbelievable, as pageant-y.

I know that no beauty industry is going to die out because of my one little blog post, no army will start a revolution.

But I got to say it.

You are perfect.

Yep. You over there with the gap teeth, the hairy arms, the duck butt, the big feet, the squinty eyes, or whatever else features society has generally considered “unattractive.” You are perfect just the way you are (a la Bruno Mars, although I have to add “at this moment” because you might change over time and that is just fine as well).

Society is always going to want us to fit a certain mold, want us to keep certain industries in business by convincing us that only a certain way is the “good” way, the “perfect” way.

Please.

Now, I’m no hippie liberal vegan revolutionary. I listen to pop music (Carley Rae Jepson, anyone?) I curl my eyelashes. I call people “pretty” and “not pretty” much of the times.

But I do believe in the beauty of imperfection. I believe in the little flaws and quirks that makes us wholly human. I truly truly believe perfection is something none of us can ever achieve here on earth so just give it up and love yourself for who you are! *Cue noble music

Stop being so hard on yourself on the outside and concentrate on how you are on the inside. Work on your character, your values, your beliefs. Remember that no one is perfect. No one expects you to be.

Aaaand end rant. Good night/morning (depending on where you are in the world.)

posted by Janice | Comments: 3 | Inspirations, Look, Personal

Motivational Monday | If It’s Broke, Fix It

{ Image via Healing World Network }

At church the other day, the speaker dished us a really interesting food for thought.

He reminded us that we have now come to live in a society where when something is broken, it’s cheaper to buy a new one than to get the old one fixed. I marinated on that.

It’s true, who wears their clothes until it’s completely hole-ridden and torn up anymore? I remember sometimes walking past homeless people and observing with wonder how worn out their clothes are. It’s a novelty. Most of our laptops, our phones, and our other electronic devices get tossed out way before they’ve reached the end of their lifeline. We buy so many things in so many shades and colors and styles that we don’t really hold anything dearly anymore.

And that mentality may have crossed over to our relationships.

Best friends come and go in our lives. People toss the shoddy excuse: “Oh sorry, I don’t keep in touch with people very well” once they move away. If you find several things incompatible with your partner, time to pass along — there are other fishes in the sea.

The trouble with this is that there are certain strengths and virtues that you develop if you stick around to fix something.

I can be a pretty flaky person sometimes. I over-commit and then back out when I realize that I don’t always have enough time for everything I say yes to. Most of my friends have let me go on that. “Oh that Janice,” they’d say, “She’s a flake but what can you do?” However, one year, one friend did not. When I missed her birthday dinner, she sat me down the next time we met up and explained to me how my absence affected her. She told me that for her, spending time with someone is very important and she feels appreciated and loved when people make that time for her. She also told me that it’s because she values our friendship so much that she would have this awkward talk with me. Because she doesn’t want me to just be that distant friend who shows up at things on my own whim and fancy. She wants me to be that close friend she can count on.

I was very touched and moved by this grown up way we handled our friendship. We talked through our misunderstandings and worked to improve because we valued each other as people that much. I tried harder to become a more responsible friend and I’m still working on that to this day (sorry to all the people I flaked out on recently :X)

Think of it like playing a video game. You’re playing and playing and you can’t get to the next level. If you give up, you will never see what the next level will bring you. But if you keep trying — even if you die, you play again and again and one day, you just may get to that next level and it might bring you an entire room full of lollipops and cotton candy! Wouldn’t that be nice? (As you can see, I do not play video games at all)

Game on.

posted by Janice | Comments: 4 | God, Inspirations

Motivational Monday | Make Everyday An Adventure

{ Image found via love-prettystufftumblr }

I’ve been here in Hong Kong for a little over a month and, in that time, I have:

*Moved into a new apartment with Sis. Decorated said apartment.
*Accidentally stumbled upon a pretty beach resort while trying to go hiking
*Attempted to force myself into a brothel
*Started working on a novel (Yes, I’m one of those)
*Found some peace in Hong Kong
*Made it through the massive throng of people that frequent Play nightclub every Saturday night. Twice.
*Splattered paint and confetti on a rap star for his new music video
*Took a walk in the rain with Sis
*Hopped on a stranger’s car to attend a swanky launch party with some of society’s elite
*Slept in til 12:30pm (Hey, that’s an adventure for me!)
*Prepared an audition speech talking about pink pants entirely in Cantonese
*Managed to NOT purchase a single piece of clothing yet (This is thanks to Sis and her fabulous closet, though)
*Met one of my favorite Chinese popstars!
*Managed to go swimming at the local pool with the pros in the morning. Did some lazy-man underwater lunges and made it look like I was the one who knew what I was doing.
*Finally started reading the bible on a regular basis! On my own free will!

The adventure has just begun.

posted by Janice | Comments: 3 | Inspirations

Motivational Monday | “It’s Not Who You Are That Holds You Back…

{ Image via orkugifs }

There is someone really close to me in my life that has a trait I highly value. Though this person is nowhere near perfect — overly impatient, lives in their own world, pushy, a big baby, they have this one single-standing trait that means the world to me.

Their unshakable sense of confidence in me.  No matter what it is, they believe I can achieve it. No matter what the odds are, they think I can beat it. Their faith in me often comes across as self-delusion but really, it’s just magical.

It’s really something I wish I had more of in myself. (And that I wish this person would have more of for themselves.)

As these days are passing by, I’m really finding that I think I’m not a lot of things. I think I’m not skinny enough to be a model. I’m no composed enough to be an anchor. I’m not young enough to pursue acting. I’m not smart enough to write a Pulitzer-prize winning novel. I’m not daring enough to start my own business. I’m not creative enough to craft things out of thin air. But really, this is all BS because in actuality there is just one thing I’m not.

Faithful enough. Faithful to myself and to God.

Because really, if I truly believe I am a child of God and that He has the power and ability to do all things, then shouldn’t I rest in that and communicate to him what I know and trust that he will know best to provide?

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

~Luke 1:37

My sis and I are hardcore fans of The Voice. It’s that singing competition show where four celeb judges pluck contestants solely based on their voices and give them a chance to compete to become a singing sensation. With so many other singing shows out there, we wonder why we are so addicted to this particular one. In part it is because of the judges, Adam Levine, Cee-lo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton’s great chemistry with one another but also because — more so than other singing competition shows — it contains a true vibe of the belief that no matter who you are or where you came from, it’s never too late for you to have that moment to shine. All of these people, to some extent, got over their past to get on that stage and sing.

Time for me to do the same.

posted by Janice | Comments: 3 | Inspirations, TV

Motivational Monday | Be Great By Hanging Out With Great People

Thank you to anyone in my life who has ever encouraged me to chase my dreams. Anyone who has ever believed in me. Anyone who has steered me in the right direction, the right way of thinking. Anyone who has ever seen something in myself that I did not.

I learned an amazing new life lesson a couple of months ago. It’s a  lesson I had abstractly known about before but never was concretely put into a sentence that made a “BAM” in my life until one sunny afternoon, at a Women in Power luncheon thrown by my friend, Carrie, one of the guests said that growing up, she took after her grandmother who lived her life helping others around her. Basically, the lesson is this:

“Ask not what others can do for you, but what you can do for others.”

Simple, right?

But seriously, how often — how honestly often — do we actually practice this? How often do we view everyone around us as competitors instead of as partners in crime? How often do we fail to pass on the fruits of our labor, our expertise, our advice, to the next generation? How often do we keep our contacts to ourselves because we’re afraid someone we help might end up becoming better than us?

You are who you hang out with. So if you keep the mentality that you should only be around people who you can use — financially, emotionally, socially — then the people you hang out with most likely think the same way. They will just be using you financially, emotionally, socially. However, if you hold the mentality that you can give generously to those around you regardless of the outcome, most likely you will be surrounding yourself with those that think this same way. Sure, every once in awhile you’ll get conned by someone who only wants to use you but don’t worry, they’ll get their comeuppance (always wanted to use that word).

Currently, one of the books I’m reading is Never Eat Alone (thanks Jono!) by Keith Ferrazzi. Keith shares this nugget of wisdom:

“It’s better to give before you receive. Never keep score. If your interactions are ruled by generosity, your rewards will follow suit.”

If my reward happens to be that I will be able to sleep soundly every night, never having to wonder whether those around me are just using me to get to the top and that they truly love me for me, then that is reward enough.

What do you think? Am I naive in thinking this way? Yay or nay?

posted by Janice | Comments: 4 | Inspirations

Motivational Monday: So There is Hope In the Future Generation

People are always saying how fearful they are of how the future generation will turn out to be — lazy, entitled, morally corrupt, lack of motivation, lack of empathy, ADD, money/power/fame-driven…

BULLSHIT.

Watch this video and you’ll agree with me that the future will do just fine.

Freakin’ ingenious use of multimedia, politics, propaganda, branding, advertisement, and heart.

posted by Janice | Comments: 2 | Inspirations, Love

My 25th Birthday

I turned 25 last week.

The day came and went amidst a season of really bad colds and fevers, food poisonings, and this weird tumorish thing growing on the back of my neck so I was more than a little distracted to celebrate the day.

But at the same time, there’s been all sorts of quiet celebrations going on. Little ruminations of how far I’ve come over the past 25 years and how much further I will yet to go. I feel like I am hitting another season of my life and it is one I am super excited and scared for.

The eve of my 22nd birthday, I had a huge panic attack because I was so fearful of growing old, of the uncertain future, of the lost past of not doing enough.

However, this year, I looked forward to growing older because with another year, comes more wisdom, more learning, more accepting of an uncertain life. I’m stealing this thought from a Facebook post I read recently but it’s something along the lines of this…

“I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am.”

Whenever fear creeps up on me and has me frivolously worrying over the small things, I listen to JK Rowling’s awe-inspiring Harvard commencement speech.

May it inspire you today!

posted by Janice | Comments: 3 | God, Inspirations