ALWAYS THE IDEALIST

Ever heard someone say "its crazy how things can change so quickly"? I've always been a pessimist about this, but boy were they right all along!

I've always believed that people can go through great extent to predict something or to prepare for something. But what I've learned is that they can't do anything about it, or do anything to change what will happen. Things happen. It's simple as that.

The only thing that you can change is yourself, and how you perceive things as it happens. I never believed in the external locus of control, where things happen outside your control. I've always had a specific idea in my mind growing up. A certain frame of mind, a certain outlook on life. I've stuck with that same idealistic belief for so long, clinging onto it as it gave me hope about what is to come in the near future. I guess you can call me an idealist. Questioning this idealism is like losing part of something I believed in.

I've always been fascinated with how those affected by horrific tragedies, like losing their family, financial stability or even lose part of themselves, have the courage to change themselves for the better and look towards the future with such positive attitude. How does someone go through such positive and life changing changes after those things that made them happy or define who they are, is suddenly taken away from them?
How can they not hate the world, after moments where it feels like the world is against them?

I guess things can change, people can change; but you can't change your destiny.



Michelle L. 

Read More... ALWAYS THE IDEALIST

Gentleman vs Gangnam Style (PSY)

There is only one song that has recently taken the world by storm. Psy's much awaited and anticipated new MV "Gentleman" has almost hit $160 million views (159,596,386 to be exact) since it was released on Youtube. 

I must say, I prefer his new single "Gentleman" over "Gangnam Style". I find it so addictive and even as I'm writing this post right now, I can't stop moving and dancing to his song. His songs are addictive, dance moves are impressive, and this video does not disappoint. Plus, the reaction videos posted by fans on Youtube are funny to watch too. Overall, I'm a huge fan of Psy and I have been enjoying his new song way too much. 


Psy - Gentleman:

Psy - Gangnam Style:

Read More... Gentleman vs Gangnam Style (PSY)

GROWING UP WITH PARENTS

Remember when you were young, and your mum just dropped you off in front of your school in the morning. As you were getting out of the car, she called after you, and immediately you turned around feeling slightly embarrassed. 

"Mum, go away. Your embarrassing me", you said. 

“Aren't you forgetting something?” she asked, “Where’s my kiss goodbye?” 

Reluctantly, you quickly ran to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, at the same time silently praying that none of your friends have seen you, especially not the cute boy from your class that you secretly fancy.

During my earlier childhood and adolescent years, I was always embarrassed when my mum or dad showed any kinds of affection towards me in public. I also found it extremely hard to say “I love you” to my parents, or expressed any sort of emotions and feelings towards them. Maybe, it’s an Asian thing, who knows? And don't get me started about the parents trying to talk about the birds and the bees. That calls for an entirely different story altogether! 

I was not an easy child growing up. I was somewhat, in my mum’s opinion, rebellious. I was not on good terms with my mother, always skipping classes, coming home late, and even arguing over some boy I was apparently “head over heels for”. In saying that, I am definitely not proud of the things I have done. Looking back, I do regret all the fights and misbehavior, and all the stress I must have caused. I find it totally ridiculous now. "Why didn't I just listen to my mum's advice?", "She was right all along", "Things would have been so much easier if I just listened".

It's too late now. What's done is done.

The lesson that I have learned is that Mum always knows better.

But my stubborn nature has always convinced me that I have to make my own mistakes, in order to learn from them.

One quote that really resonates with me is, "Parents try the best they can. They want the best for you. But a lot of their stuff is just their own. If you can pull yourself away from it and not always feel like they're attacking you, then it's easier to deal with." 

As I grew up throughout the years, I've learned to treat my parents like how I want to be treated.  As individuals, we all have differences of opinions on a lot of different things. So learning to get along with your parents means to accept them for who they are, and even appreciating their many quirks. Their advice are valuable as they have much more life experience than us, but sometimes its okay to make your own mistakes. It's part of what we call, growing up. I have come to accept that they express their love in different ways. They do care about us in their own way, but we often take it for granted until its too late. 

Maybe my mum is right when she says, "we would never know the love of our parents for us until we have become parents ourselves". 


Michelle L.

Read More... GROWING UP WITH PARENTS

FINDING MY HAPPINESS

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came..

There are days where things don't go the way you wanted it to be. It's perfectly normal for everyone. We humans are not wired to be happy all 365 days of the year. What’s more important to us is how we pick up ourselves after those bad days. In saying this, one particular quote comes to mind. 

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 

I disagree with this. 

This quote, which has been widely used since Kelly Clarkson sang a song about it, is commonly said to someone when they are going through a tough situation, or has hit rock bottom. 

But my question is, what happens after someone hits rock bottom, or when going through a hard time? Do they just accept it and not do anything about it? Or do they take action, survive from it, and learn from it? Every individual is vastly different. Some will work through it right away and get back on their feet. Whereas others will do stupid things, regrets it and then get through the situation.

The people that I admire most are the ones that are able push themselves to find the light at the end of the tunnel after a bad situation or a bad mistake. This, in my opinion, is what makes us stronger.  

In our lives, we go through negative events, the event itself most likely will make us sad, depressed and at times, weak. It doesn’t make us strong. It may make us realize our mistakes, but it won’t make us stronger. We will build a wall around us to shelter our pain and to protect ourselves from getting hurt in future. Those walls represent our fears; such as fear of trusting again, fear of getting hurt again, or fear of losing ourselves. For most, breaking down those walls that acts as barriers involves a long process of healing.

But when those walls are diminished and a person is fully healed, it is a great achievement. That in itself makes us stronger. We are stronger to being able to put ourselves out there again with the risk of getting hurt again. We are stronger in knowing that whatever happens in future, we know everything will be okay.

During the healing process of rediscovering ourselves, we need to look within ourselves and find happiness.

Healing Self = Finding Happiness     

Happiness is all around us, whether we can see it or not. Ever seen someone who has so little (no money, no house) act so happy? Maybe you know someone like that? These people put the value of their relationships with others, their health and their kindness above the value of money and assets that is in their name. These people are hard to find nowadays. I truly admire people like these and strive to be like them when I grow up.

Finding happiness can be achieved in 7 steps, which is illustrated in the diagram found below. I find these steps to be the most simplest and straightforward.  

7 Steps to Happiness:

1)   Think Less, Feel More

Don’t make a decision or a judgement based on what we think or what we perceive. Follow our heart. Most often, our gut feeling is right.

2)   Frown Less, Smile More

A person’s smile is their most attractive feature. We are a more beautiful person just by forgetting our flaws and smiling more.

3)   Talk less, Listen More

Listening more can allow us to learn more. When we truly listen to someone, we will make the other person happy and feel appreciated as they know they are being heard.

4)   Judge Less, Accept More

Don’t judge a book by its cover. When we see through a person’s outer appearance, we see their true heart.

5)   Watch Less, Do More

Rather than observing someone doing things for themselves, start doing things that we have always wanted to do or things that make us happy. Don’t let our fears stop us from trying new things because we won’t know unless we try it for ourselves.

6)   Complain Less, Appreciate More

Show our appreciation to those that matter to us, and strive not to look for the bad things in any situation. Appreciation for life and everything we have is also essential for our wellbeing.

  

7)   Fear Less, Love More

Never be afraid of anything. When we let go of our fear, we will learn to love ourselves again.

By following these steps, we will find happiness, improve ourselves and forgive others. This will enable us to heal and move on in life after whatever hardships that have been thrown in our way.  

So, are you ready to find your happiness?






Image source: happinessinyourlife.com

Michelle Lai



Read More... FINDING MY HAPPINESS

APRIL ROTATION

Hello! :)

Oh my, it’s already the month of April! How fast time flies when you’re having fun. I just wanted to do a quick update on my April rotation. Basically, I will pick out what I will be using for the whole month of April. How exciting! Most of the products are basically what I have been using for the past few months, but I’m trying to incorporate products that may have been forgotten unintentionally. I won’t reach for all of these on a daily basis as it depends on how much time I have. But these products are all there if I need to use it.

1)      Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream

This still provides the best, most light weight coverage for me. It glides on like a dream which is good if you don’t have much time to get ready in the morning. If you have acne or hyperpigmentation, this will not be ideal for you, as the coverage is very light. If you like medium to full coverage, this is definitely not for you.

2)      In2it face powder

I got this from Malaysia a while ago. It’s has good oil control properties, and the packaging with a handy mirror inside makes it very versatile and travel-friendly.

3)      Savvy by BD lip glaze in Topaz

This is a very old lip gloss which I am trying to use up.

4)      Maybelline Falsies Black Drama mascara

Maybelline has the best mascara in my opinion. This purple tube is my favourite. I made the mistake of opening it before checking that I mistakenly bought the non-waterproof version when I intended to get the waterproof version. Lesson learned!

5)      Rimmel Scandaleyes Khol eyeliner in Purple

Featured in my February & March favourites, all I can say is that this is my favourite eyeliner. Soft, creamy and long lasting, this has everything I look for in an eyeliner.

6)      Rimmel Bronzer in Sun Glow

If I’m in the mood, I’ll reach for this. It’s the only bronzer I own, so I don’t know how it compares with others.

7)      Lucas Paw Paw ointment

This will be perfect to use in the coming cooler months.

That’s all for now.

Have a good week ;)

Michelle L.

Read More... APRIL ROTATION

THE GET TO KNOW ME TAG

Hey! 

I recently stumbled across a get to know me tag, and I figured that I should do this tag as well since I enjoy reading other peoples' answers for this tag. 

1. Are you named after anyone? My first name, which is Michelle was not named after anyone. My mother was choosing between Michelle or Melissa, but ended up going for Michelle. I am glad that I was named Michelle. I quite like that name. :)

2. When was the last time you cried? I think I cried a couple of nights ago. I was watching a sad movie which has really touched me.

3. Do you have kids? No I don't, but I definitely want kids in future.

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? I would definitely be a friend of myself. But it really depends what sort of personality I have as another person. If our personalities clash, then I guess we can't be friends. 

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I do, sometimes? I'm trying really hard to think about this one. I guess its one of those things that I may do without realizing I'm actually doing it.

6. Will you ever bungee-jump? YES YES YES!! Bungee-jumping and skydiving is on my bucket list.

7. What's your favorite cereal? I dont really eat cereals. The cereals that I have tried and liked are Kellogg's Crunchy Nut and Honey Cornflakes (basically anything with honey in it!) 

8. What's the first thing you notice about people? I will have to say their face, specifically their eyes. If they have a nice friendly face, kind eyes, with a big friendly smile, then they are my kinda people :P

9. What is your eye colour? It is brown.

10. Scary movie or happy endings? I cant choose because I like both. When I am alone and happy, I like happy endings. I only like scary movies when I am not alone.

11. Favorite smells? I love the smell of my tea tree medicated pimple gel. I love it so much that I would slather it on my face at night even when I don't have pimples.

12. Summer or winter? I like both!! Each of them has pros and cons. But I like winter better because my birthday is in winter. 

13. Computer or television? Computer because I can watch TV and videos on my computer.

14. What's the furthest you've ever been from home? A few states away. I live in Melbourne, and I went for a holiday in Gold Coast for a few days, that's the furthest I have been away.

15. Do you have any special talents? I can burp anytime I want. I know it is a pretty disgusting talent and will drive the guys away, but oh well. :P

16. Where were you born? Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

17. What are your hobbies? Salsa dancing, reading novels, watching my favorite TV shows, watching YouTube, hanging out with friends, trying new things.

18. Do you have any pets? Not right now. I had a dog named Jaffa, but we had to give it away.

19. Favorite movie? I have way too many favorite movies. I guess my most favorite movies are the movies based on novels by Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, The Last Song, Safe Haven, and A Walk to Remember just to name a few). These movies are timeless, enchanting and so romantic. They are perfect to watch whenever I am feeling down.

20. Do you have any siblings? Yes I do, I have a younger brother.

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be happy and successful, both in my professional and personal lives.

That's all for now. 

If you enjoyed reading this, please follow me either by Bloglovin or email. Both can be found in the side bar.

Michelle L.

Read More... THE GET TO KNOW ME TAG