關於 can't fear your own world ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

ทำไมทัศนคติถึงสำคัญมากกว่าความฉลาด?

Carol Dweck เป็นนักจิตวิทยาที่ได้ทุ่มเทชีวิตการงานของเธอเพื่อศึกษาเรื่องทัศนคติและศักยภาพ ซึ่งงานวิจัยล่าสุดของเธอนั้นแสดงให้เห็นว่า “ทัศนคติบ่งบอกถึงความสำเร็จได้มากกว่าระดับไอคิว” เธอพบว่าทัศนคติที่เป็นแกนหลักของคนเราแบ่งเป็นสองประเภท หนึ่งคือ กรอบความคิดแบบจำกัด (Fixed Mindset) สองคือ กรอบความคิดแบบเติบโต (Growth Mindset)

คนที่มี กรอบความคิดแบบจำกัด (Fixed Mindset) จะเป็นคนที่ยึดมั่นในความคิดตนเองและไม่ยอมเปลี่ยนแปลงตนเองเพื่อสิ่งใดๆ ซึ่งการมีวิธีคิดแบบนี้เอง ที่อาจเป็นปัญหาได้เวลาที่พบเจอกับสิ่งที่ตัวเองไม่สามารถรับมือได้ และมันจะทำให้รู้สึกสิ้นหวังและพ่ายแพ้ได้

ส่วนคนที่มี กรอบความคิดแบบเติบโต (Growth Mindset) จะเป็นคนที่มักเชื่อว่าคนเรานั้นสามารถพัฒนาตัวเองได้เสมอ ตราบใดที่เรามีความพยายาม และวิธีคิดแบบนี้เองที่จะทำให้เกิดความก้าวหน้ายิ่งกว่าคนที่มีกรอบความคิดแบบตายตัว แม้ว่าจะมีไอคิวที่ไม่สูงก็ตาม เพราะคนประเภทนี้จะชอบสิ่งที่ท้าทาย และมองว่าสิ่งต่างๆ ที่เข้ามาคือโอกาสในการเรียนรู้ในสิ่งใหม่ๆ

โดยทั่วไปแล้ว การมีความสามารถหรือเป็นคนฉลาดจะทำให้มีความมั่นใจมากกว่าคนอื่นๆ ซึ่งเป็นความจริงเวลาพบเจอกับเรื่องง่ายๆ เท่านั้น แต่ปัจจัยที่สำคัญกว่านั้นก็คือ วิธีการจัดการกับความผิดพลาดและอุปสรรคต่างๆ ต่างหาก โดยคนมีกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตจะอ้าแขนรับกับอุปสรรคได้อย่างไม่ลังเล

Dweck กล่าวว่าความสำเร็จในชีวิต คือเรื่องของวิธีการจัดการกับความล้มเหลวในชีวิตของคุณนี่แหละ โดยเธอได้อธิบายวิธีที่คนมีกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตไว้ว่า

“ความล้มเหลวก็เป็นแค่ข้อมูลตัวหนึ่ง ที่เราแปะป้ายเอาไว้ว่ามันคือความล้มเหลว ซึ่งมันทำให้เรารู้ว่า หากวิธีนี้มันไม่ได้ผล งั้นฉันก็จะลองแก้ปัญหาด้วยวิธีอื่นดู”

ไม่ว่าคุณจะเป็นประเภทไหนก็ตาม คุณสามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงและพัฒนาตัวเองให้มีกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตได้ทั้งนั้น และเรามีวิธีที่จะช่วยปรับมุมมองของคุณให้ดีขึ้นด้วยวิธีดังต่อไปนี้!

———————————-
อย่าจมอยู่กับความรู้สึกว่าตัวเองนั้นไร้ค่า
———————————-
ใครๆ ก็ต้องเคยมีช่วงเวลาที่รู้สึกว่าตัวเองนั้นไร้ค่าสิ้นดี ซึ่งบททดสอบของคุณก็คือ คุณจะมีปฏิกิริยาตอบรับกับความรู้สึกแบบนี้อย่างไร? คุณจะเลือกเรียนรู้เป็นบทเรียนและก้าวต่อไป หรือจะปล่อยให้ตัวเองจมดิ่งลึกลงไปเรื่อยๆ มีผู้คนที่ประสบความสำเร็จมากมาย ที่ไม่อาจมาถึงจุดๆ นี้ได้ ถ้าหากพวกเขาพ่ายแพ้ให้กับความรู้สึกที่ไร้ค่า ยกตัวอย่างเช่นบุคคลเหล่านี้

* วอลต์ ดิสนีย์ ที่เคยถูกไล่ออกจากบริษัท Kansas City Star เพราะ “ไร้ความคิดสร้างสรรค์และไอเดียดีๆ”

* โอปราห์ วินฟรีย์ ก็เคยถูกไล่ออกจากการเป็นผู้ประกาศข่าวทางโทรทัศน์ในบัลติมอร์ เพราะว่าเธอ “อ่อนไหวกับเรื่องส่วนตัวมากเกินไป”

* เฮนรี่ ฟอร์ด เคยล้มเหลวจากการสร้างบริษัทรถมาแล้วถึงสองครั้งก่อนจะประสบความสำเร็จจากบริษัทฟอร์ด

* สตีเวน สปีลเบิร์ก เคยถูกปฏิเสธจาก USC’s Cinematic Arts School มาหลายต่อหลายครั้งเช่นกัน

ลองจินตนาการดูว่าถ้าพวกเขาเหล่านี้มีกรอบความคิดแบบจำกัด ก็คงยอมแพ้และเลิกล้มความหวังไปแล้ว คนที่มีมีกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตจะไม่รู้สึกไร้ค่า เพราะรู้ว่าการจะประสบความสำเร็จได้ คุณต้องเต็มใจที่ล้มเหลวและลุกขึ้นใหม่ได้อีกครั้ง

———————————-
มีความมุ่งมั่นและหลงใหลในสิ่งที่ทำ
———————————-
แน่นอนว่าในโลกนี้ มีคนที่มีพรสวรรค์และเก่งมากกว่าคุณเสมอ แต่คุณสามารถใช้ความมุ่งมั่นและหลงใหลในสิ่งที่คุณทำมาทดแทนพรสวรรค์ที่ขาดหายไปได้ นั่นเป็นสิ่งที่ผลักดันให้คนเราไม่หยุดที่จะพัฒนาตนเอง ยกอย่างเช่น วอร์เรน บัฟเฟตต์ เขาแนะนำว่าให้หาสิ่งที่รักและหลงใหลจริงๆ ด้วยเทคนิคที่เขาเรียกว่า 5/25 โดยให้เขียนสิ่งที่คุณสนใจมากที่สุด 25 อย่าง แล้วก็ตัดออก 20 ข้อ และ 5 ข้อสุดท้ายที่เหลือนั่นแหละ ก็คือสิ่งที่คุณรักมากที่สุดจริงๆ

———————————-
ลงมือทำ
———————————-
ผู้คนที่มีกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตไม่ได้เอาชนะความกลัวได้เพราะพวกเขากล้าหาญกว่าคนอื่น แต่เป็นเพราะพวกเขารู้ว่าความกลัวเป็นอารมณ์ที่ทำให้หมดกำลังใจ ซึ่งทางออกที่ดีที่สุดก็คือ การลงมือทำ กรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตทำให้พวกเขามีพลังใจและรู้ว่าคนเราไม่สามารถรอเวลาที่เหมาะสมเพื่อจะก้าวไปข้างหน้าได้หรอก เพราะฉะนั้น การลงมือทำอย่างจริงจังนี่แหละ ที่จะเปลี่ยนความกังวลต่อความล้มเหลวให้กลายเป็นพลังเชิงบวกได้

———————————-
ก้าวไปให้ไกลกว่าจุดที่เคยก้าวมา
———————————-
คนที่เต็มเปี่ยมไปด้วยกำลังใจ จะไม่ลังเลที่จะทุ่มเทให้กับสิ่งที่ทำ พวกเขาจะผลักดันตัวเองไปให้ไกลกว่าจุดเดิมเสมอ มีเรื่องเล่าเรื่องหนึ่งของ บรูซ ลี กล่าวว่า บรูซมีลูกศิษย์คนหนึ่งที่วิ่งเป็นระยะ 3 ไมล์กับเขาทุกวัน ในวันหนึ่งตอนที่วิ่งใกล้ครบสามไมล์ บรูซก็พูดขึ้นว่า “วิ่งต่ออีกสองไมล์เถอะ!” แต่ด้วยความเหน็ดเหนื่อย ลูกศิษย์ของเขาจึงตอบไปว่า “ถ้าวิ่งต่ออีกสองไมล์ ผมต้องตายแน่ๆ” รู้ไหมว่าบรูซตอบว่ายังไง? “งั้นก็วิ่งซะสิ!” หลังจากวิ่งครบห้าไมล์แล้ว ลูกศิษย์ของเขาก็ทั้งล้าและโกรธมาก บรูซจึงอธิบายให้เขาฟังว่า

“ต่อให้คุณไม่วิ่งต่ออีกสองไมล์ คุณก็อาจต้องตายอยู่ดี ถ้าเอาแต่สร้างขีดจำกัดให้ตัวเอง ทั้งชีวิตนี้ไม่ว่าเรื่องอะไร คุณก็จะมีแต่ขีดจำกัดให้ตัวเองเต็มไปหมด ขีดจำกัดที่แท้จริงน่ะไม่มีหรอก มีก็แต่อุปสรรคที่คุณต้องก้าวข้ามมันไปให้ได้แม้ว่ามันจะฆ่าคุณก็ตาม เพราะคนเราต้องพัฒนาตัวเองอยู่เสมอ”

ถ้าคุณไม่พัฒนาตัวเองขึ้นวันละนิดละหน่อย อาจกลายเป็นว่าคุณจะแย่ลงเรื่อยๆ แทนก็ได้ คุณเองก็ไม่อยากเป็นแบบนั้นหรอกใช่ไหมล่ะ?

———————————-
คาดหวังผลลัพธ์
———————————-
ผู้คนที่มีกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตมักจะรู้ว่า พวกเขาจะต้องล้มเหลวอยู่เรื่อยๆ แต่พวกเขาไม่เคยหยุดคาดหวังถึงแม้จะรู้อย่างนั้นก็ตาม การตั้งความหวังกับผลลัพธ์เป็นตัวกระตุ้นให้คุณมีพลังที่จะก้าวเดินต่อไปได้ ลองคิดดูสิว่า…ถ้าหากคุณไม่ตั้งความหวังว่าตัวเองจะต้องประสบความสำเร็จ คุณก็คงไม่พยายามมาถึงจุดนี้หรอก จริงไหม?

———————————-
ปรับตัวกับปัญหา
———————————-

ไม่มีใครที่ไม่ต้องพบเจอกับความยากลำบาก ผู้คนที่มีกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตจะใช้ความลำบากในการพัฒนาตัวเอง ไม่ใช่เพื่อดึงให้ถอยหลังลงคลอง เมื่อถูกท้าทายด้วยเหตุการณ์ไม่คาดคิด พวกเขาจะปรับตัวเข้ากับมันจนกว่าจะผ่านพ้นไปได้

———————————-
อย่าบ่นเวลาไม่ได้ดั่งใจ
———————————-
การบ่นเป็นสัญลักษณ์ของคนที่มีกรอบความคิดแบบจำกัดแบบชัดเจน คนที่มีกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตจะมองหาทุกโอกาสที่เป็นไปได้เสมอ จึงไม่มีพื้นที่พอสำหรับการบ่น

ขอบคุณบทความดีๆจาก
https://sumrej.com/why-attitude-is-more-important-than-iq/

Source:
https://www.talentsmart.com/…/Why-Attitude-Is-More-Importan…
Why is attitude more important than intelligence?

Carol Dweck is a psychologist who has dedicated her career to studying her attitude and potential. Her recent research suggests that ′′ Attitude represents success beyond IQ level She finds that our core attitudes are divided into two types. One is a limited mind frame (Fixed Mindset). Two is a growing mind frame (Growth Mindset).

A person with a limited frame of mind (Fixed Mindset) will be a person who holds their own mind and doesn't change themselves for anything. Having this own way of thinking can be a problem. Time to encounter things that they can't cope with and it will cause. Feeling hopeless and defeated

Growth Mindset (Growth Mindset) will always be the one who believes that we can develop ourselves as long as we have this effort and method of thinking to make progress beyond the one who has a dead mind frame, even with the IQ. Not tall because these kind of people will like challenging things and see things coming in as learning new things.

Being talented or smart generally makes you more confident than others. It's true when you encounter simple things. But more importantly, it's how to deal with mistakes and obstacles. Growing mindframe will embrace you. Obstacle without hesitation

Dweck said success in life is a matter of how to deal with failure in your life. She explained how people have a growing mind frame.

′′ Failure is just one of the information that we labeled as failure, which makes us know that if this method doesn't work, then I'll try to solve the problem in another way

No matter what type you are, you can change and develop yourself into a growing mind framework. And we have a way to improve your perspective in the following ways!

———————————-
Don't be stuck in feeling that you are worthless.
———————————-
Everyone has to have a moment when they feel like they are worthless. Your test is how will you react to this feeling? You can either learn as a lesson and move on, or let yourself sink deeper. There are many successful people who can't reach this point if they lose their worthless feelings. For example, these individuals.

* Walt Disney ever got kicked out of Kansas City Star company because of ′′ creativity and good ideas

* Oprah Winfrey was also fired as a television announcer in Baltimore because she was ′′ too sensitive to personal

* Henry Ford once failed to build a car company twice before succeeding from Ford.

* Stevens Spielberg has been rejected from USC's Cinematic Arts School several times as well.

Imagine if they had a limited mind frame, they would have given up and had fallen hope. People with a growing mind frame wouldn't feel worthless. Knowing that to succeed, you would be willing to fail and rise up again.

———————————-
Determined and passionate about what you do.
———————————-
Sure, there are always more talented and talented people in the world than you, but you can use your commitment and passion for what you do to replace your missing talent. That's what pushes people to never stop developing themselves. For example. Raren Buffett. He suggested to find something truly loving and passionate with a technique he called 5/25, writing down 25 of your most interested in and 20 of them. The rest is what you really love the most.

———————————-
Let's do it
———————————-
People with a growing mind framework don't conquer fear because they are braver than others. But because they know that fear is a discouraging emotion. The best way out is to do a growing mind framework. It gives them power and knowledge. People can't wait for the right time to move forward. Therefore, taking serious action will turn their worries about failure into a positive power.

———————————-
Step beyond the point of ever stepping.
———————————-
A full-fledged, supportive person doesn't hesitate to dedicate their way to what they do. They always push themselves further than before. One story of Bruce Lee says Bruce has a disciple who runs 3 miles with him every day one day. When he ran near three miles, Bruce said, ′′ Run two more miles!" But with exhaustion, his disciple said, ′′ If I run two miles, I'm going to die!" Know what Bruce said? ′′ So run!" After a five mile run, his disciple was exhausted and angry. Bruce explained to him.

′′ Even if you don't run for two miles, you will die. If you don't have to limit yourself in this life, you will have limits to yourself. The true limit is not there, but the obstacles you have. Move over it, even if it kills you, because people always develop themselves

If you don't develop yourself a little bit each day, it may turn out to be worse instead. You don't want to be like that, do you?

———————————-
Expect results.
———————————-
People with a growing mind frame of mind always know that they are going to fail, but they never stop expecting it. Even if they know it, hoping for a result will encourage you to move on. Think about it... if you don't. Wish yourself success, you wouldn't have tried to reach this point, right?

———————————-
Adapt to the problem.
———————————-

Nobody doesn't have to encounter difficulties. People with a growing mind framework take the struggle to develop themselves, not to pull backwards down the canal. Once challenged with unexpected events, they will adapt to it until they get through.

———————————-
Don't complain when it's not as you wish
———————————-
Complaining symbolizes a person with a clear, limited-minded framework. A person with a growing mind framework will always look for every possible opportunity, so there's no space for complaining.

Thank you for a great article from
https://sumrej.com/why-attitude-is-more-important-than-iq/

Source:
https://www.talentsmart.com/articles/Why-Attitude-Is-More-Important-Than-IQ-982658569-p-1.htmlTranslated

My sister, Michelle-Ann Iking's 3% chance of conceiving naturally was a success! Here's her story:

(My apologies as I've been overwhelmed with personal matters. I've only managed to get to my desk. So finally got around posting this).

This is the story behind my sister's pregnancy struggle and how she shared her journey over her Facebook page.

Because some may have not caught her LIVE session chat with me (https://www.facebook.com/daphneiking/videos/687743128744960/) , or read her lengthy post (as it's a private page);
she's allowed me to copy and paste it over my wall, in case you need to know more about her thought process on how AND why she focused on the 3% success probability. Read on.

-------------------------------------------

Posted 10th May 2020.
FB Credit: Michelle-Ann Iking

A week ago today I celebrated becoming a mother to our second, long awaited child.

Please forgive this mother's LONG (self-indulgent) post, journalling what this significant milestone has meant for her personally, for her own fallible memory's sake as well as maybe to share one day with her son.

If all you were wondering was whether I had delivered and if mum and bub are OK, please be assured the whole KkLM family are thriving tremendously, and continue scrolling right along your Newsfeed 😁.

OUR 3% MIRACLE

All babies are miracles... and none more so than our precious Kiaen Aaryan (pronounced KEY-n AR-yen), whose name derives from Sanskrit origins meaning:

Grace of God
Spiritual
Kind
Benevolent

...words espousing the gratitude Kishore and I feel for Kiaen's arrival as our "3% miracle".

He was conceived, naturally, after 3 years of Kishore and I hoping, praying and 'endeavoring'... and only couples for whom the objective switches from pure recreation to (elusive) procreation will understand how this is less fun than it sounds ...

3 years during which time we had consensus from 3 different doctors that we, particularly I (with my advancing age etc etc) had only a 3% chance of natural conception and that our best hope for a sibling for our firstborn, Lara Anoushka, was via IVF.

Lara herself was an 'intervention baby', being one of the 20% of babies successfully conceived through the less intrusive IUI process, after a year and a half of trying naturally and already being told then my age was a debilitating factor.

We had tried another round of IUI for her sibling in 2017 when Lara was a year old. And that time we fell into the ranks of the 80% of would-be parents for whom it would be an exercise in futility... who would go home, comfort each other as best they could, while individually masking their own personal disappointment... hoping for the best, 'the next time around'...

So the improbability ratio of 97% against natural conception of our second baby, as concurred by the combined opinion of 3 medical professionals, was a very real, very daunting figure for us to have to mentally deal with.

Deep, DEEP, down in my heart however, though I had many a day of doubt... I kept a core kernel of faith that somehow, I would again experience the privilege of pregnancy, and again, have a chance at childbirth.

And so, the optimist in me would tell myself, "Well, there have to be people who fall in the 3% bucket... why shouldn't WE be part of the 3%?"

Those who know me well, understand my belief in the Law of Attraction, the philosophy of focusing your mind only on what you want to attract, not on what you don't want, and so even as Kishore and I prepared to go into significant personal debt to attempt IVF in the 2nd half of 2019, I marshalled a last ditch effort to hone in on that 3% chance of natural conception... through research coming across fertility supplements that I ordered from the US and sent to a friend in Singapore to redirect to me because the supplier would not deliver to Malaysia.

I made us as a couple take the supplements in the 3 month 'priming period' in the lead up to the IVF procedure - preconditioning our bodies for optimum results, if you will.

At the same time, I had invested in a sophisticated fertility monitor, with probes and digital sensors for daily tracking of saliva and other unmentionable fluid samples, designed to pinpoint with chemical accuracy my state of fertility on any given day.

(UPDATE: For those interested - I obtained the supplements and Ovacue Fertility Monitor from https://www.fairhavenhealth.com/. Though I had my supplies delivered to a friend in Singapore, and redirected to me here since the US site does not deliver to Malaysia, there are local distributors for these products, you will just have to research the trustworthiness of the vendors yourself...)

I had set an intention - in the 3 months of pre-IVF priming, I would consume what seemed like a pharmacy's worth of supplements, and track fertility religiously... in hopes that somehow, within the 3 month priming period, we would conceive naturally and potentially save ourselves a down payment on a new property... and this was just a projection on financial costs of IVF, not even considering the physical, emotional and mental toll it involves, with no guarantee of a baby at the end of it all...

It was a continuation of an intention embedded even with my first pregnancy, where all the big ticket baby items were consciously purchased for use by a future sibling, in gender neutral colours, in hopes that sibling would be a brother "for a balanced pair", though of course any healthy child would be a welcome blessing.

It was a very conscious determination to always skew my thoughts in service of what the end objective was. For example, when 3+year old Lara would innocently express impatience at not yet having a sibling, at one point suggesting that since we were "taking too long to give her a baby brother/sister", perhaps we should just "go buy a baby from a shop", instead of getting defensive or berating the baby that she herself was, we enlisted Lara's help to pray for her sibling... so in any place of worship, or sacred ground of any kind that we passed thereon, Lara would stop, close her eyes, bow her small head and place her tiny hands together in prayer, reciting earnestly, "Please God, please give me a baby brother or baby sister."

After months and months of watching Lara do this, in the constancy of her childlike chant, Kishore started feeling the pressure of possibly disappointing Lara if her prayer was not answered. Whereas for me, Lara's recitation of her simple wish became like a strengthening mantra, our collective intention imbued with greater power with each repetition, and the goal of a sibling kept very much in the forefront of our minds (hence our calling Lara our 'project manager' in this endeavour).

And somehow in the 2nd month of that 3 month period, a positive + sign appeared on one of the home pregnancy tests I had grown accustomed to taking - my version of the lottery tickets others keep buying in hopes of hitting the jackpot, with all the cyclical anticipation and more often than not, disappointment, that entails...

This time however I was not disappointed.

With God's Grace, (hence 'Kiaen', a variation of 'Kiaan' which means 'Grace of God'), my focus on our joining the ranks of the 3% had materialised.

It seems poetic then, that Kiaen chose to make his appearance on the 3rd May, ironically the same date that his paternal great-grandfather departed this world for the next... such that in the combined words of Kishore and his father Kai Vello Suppiah,

"The 1st generation Suppiah left on 3rd May and the 4th generation Suppiah arrived on 3rd May after 41yrs...
One leaves, another comes, the legacy lives on..."

***

KIAEN AARYAN SUPPIAH'S BIRTH STORY

On Sunday 3rd May, I was 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant.

The baby was, in my mind, very UN-fashionably late past his due date of 29th April, so as much as I had willed and 'manifested' the privilege of pregnancy, to say I was keen to be done with it all was an understatement.

In the weeks leading to up to my full term, I had experienced increasingly intense Braxton-Hicks 'practice contractions' - annoying for me for the discomfort involved, stressful for Kishore who was on tenterhooks with the false alarms, on constant alert for when we would actually need to leave home for the hospital.

Having become a Hypnobirthing student and advocate from my first pregnancy with Lara, and thus being equipped with
(1) a lack of fear about childbirth in general and
(2) a basic understanding of how all the sensations I would experience fit into the big picture of my body bringing our baby closer to us,
I was less stressed - content to wait for the baby to be "fully cooked" and come out whenever he was ready... though I wouldn't have minded at all if the cooking time ended sooner, rather than later.

With Lara, I had been somewhat 'forced' into an induced labour, even though she was not yet due, and that had resulted in a 5 DAY LABOUR, a Birth Story for another post, so I was not inclined to chemically induce labour, even though I was assured that for second time mothers, it would be 'much faster and easier'...

That morning, I had a hunch *maybe* that day was the day, because in contrast to previous weeks' sensations of tightening, pressure and even spasms that were concentrated in the front of my abdomen and occasionally shot through my sides and legs, I felt period - like cramping in my lower back which I had not felt before throughout the pregnancy.

It was about 8am in the morning then, and my 'surges' were still relatively mild ('surges' being Hypnobirthing - speak for 'contractions', designed to frame them with the more positive connotations needed to counteract common language in which childbirth is presented as something that is unequivocally painful and traumatic, instead of the miraculous, powerful and natural phenomenon it actually is).

I recall (masochistically?) entertaining the thought of opting NOT to have an epidural JUST TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE...

I figured this would be the last time I would be pregnant and so it would be my 'last chance' to experience 'drug free labour' which, apart from the health benefits for baby and mother, might be *interesting* in a way that people who are curious about what getting a tattoo and skydiving and bungee jumping are like, might find these *interesting*...even knowing there will be pain and risk involved...

Since I have tried tattoos and skydiving (unfortunately not being able to squeeze in bungee-jumping while my life was purely my own to risk at no dependents' possible detriment) a similar curiousity about a no-epidural labour was on my mind...

In the absence of other signs of the onset of labour (like 'bloody show' or my waters breaking), I wanted to wait until the surges were coming every few minutes before we actually left the house for the hospital, not wanting to be one of those couples who rushed in too early and had interminable waits for the next stage in unfamiliar, clinical surroundings and/or were made to go home in an anti-climatic manner.

I was even calm enough through my surges to have the presence of mind to wash and blowdry my hair, knowing if I did deliver soon I would not be allowed this luxury for a while.

Around 9am I asked Kishore to prep for Lara and himself to be dressed and breakfasted so we could head to hospital soon, while I sent messages to family members on both sides informing them 'today might be the day.'

My mother, who had briefly served as a midwife before going back into general nursing and then becoming a nursing tutor, prophetically stated that if what I was experiencing was true labour, "the baby would be out by noon".

The pace in which my surges grew closer together was surprisingly quicker than I expected; and while I asked Lara to "Hurry up with breakfast" with only a tad more urgency than we normally tell her to do, little Missy being prone to dilly-dallying at meals, I probably freaked Kishore out when about 930am onwards, I had to instinctively get on my hands and knees a couple of times, eyes closed, trying to practice the Hypnobirthing breathing techniques I had revised to help along the process of my body birthing our child into the world.

I recall him saying a bit frantically as I knelt at our front door, doubled over as he waited for Lara to complete something or other, "Lara hurry up! Can't you see Mama is in so much pain and you are taking your own sweet time??!!"

SIDETRACK: Just the night before, Lara and I had watched a TV show in which a woman gave birth with the usual histrionics accompanying pop culture depictions of labour.

Lara watched the scene, transfixed.

I told her, simply and matter-of-factly, "That's what Mama has to do to get baby brother out Lara, and that's what I had to do for you also."

In most of interactions with my daughter, I have sought to equip her to face life's situations with calmness, truthful common sense, and ideally a minimum of drama.

Those who know the dramatic diva that Lara can be will know that this is a work-in-progress, but her response to me that night showed me some of my 'teachings' were sinking in:

She looked at me unfazed, "But Mama," she said. "You won't cry and scream like that lady, right? You will be BRAVE and stay calm, right?"
#nopressure.

So as we prepped to leave for the hospital I did indeed attempt to be that role model of calm for her, asking her only for her help in keeping very quiet,
"Because Mama needs to focus on bringing baby brother out and she needs quiet to concentrate...".

As we left the house at 10.11am, I texted Kishore's sister Geetha to please prep to pick up Lara from the hospital, and was grateful Kishore had the foresight to ask our gynae to prepare a letter for Geetha to show any police roadblocks between my in-laws' home in Subang Jaya and the hospital in Bangsar, this all happening under the Movement Control Order (MCO).

To Lara's credit, in the journey over to the hospital, she - probably sensing the gravity of the situation, sat very quietly in her seat at the back, and the silence was punctuated only by my occasional deep intakes of breath and some variation of my Ohmmm-like moans when the sensations were at their height.

By the time we got to Pantai Hospital at around 10.30am, my surges were strong enough I requested a wheelchair to assist me in getting to the labour ward, as I did not trust my own legs to support me... and Kishore would have to wait until Geetha had arrived to take Lara back to my in-laws' house before he himself could go up.

I slumped in the wheelchair and was wheeled up to the labour room with my eyes closed the whole time, trying to handle my surges.

I didn't even look up to see the attendant who pushed me... but did make the effort to thank him sincerely when he handed me over, with what seemed like a palpable sense of relief on his part, to the labour ward nurses.

The nurse attending me at Pantai was calm, steady and efficient. I answered some questions and changed into my labour gown while waiting for Kishore to come up, all the while managing the increasingly intense surges with my rusty Hypnobirthing breathing techniques.

By the time Kishore joined me at around 11am (I know these timings based on the timestamps of the 'WhatsApp live feed' of messages Kishore sent to his family), I was asking the nurse on duty, "How soon can I get an epidural??" thinking what crazy woman thought she could do this without drugs???!!!

The nurse checked my cervix dilation, I saw her bloodied glove indicating my mucous plug had dislodged, and she told me, "Well you are already at 7cm (which, for the uninitiated, is 70% of the way to the 10cm dilation needed for birthing), you are really doing well, if you made it this far without any drugs, if can you try and manage without it... I suspect within 2 hours or less you will deliver your baby and since it will take about that time for the anaesthesiologist to be called, epidural to be administered and kick in... it might all be for nothing... but of course the decision is completely up to you... "

So there I was, super torn, should I risk the sensations becoming worse... or risk the epidural becoming a waste?? And of course I was trying to decide this as my labour surges were coming at me stronger and stronger...

I was in such a dilemma...because as a 'recovering approval junkie' there was also a silly element of approval-seeking involved, ("The nurse thinks I can do this without drugs... maybe I CAN do this without drugs... Yay me!") mixed with that element of curiosity I mentioned earlier ("What if I actually CAN do this without drugs... plenty of other women have done it all over the world since time immemorial.. no big deal, how bad can it be...??") so then I thought I would use the financial aspect to be the 'tiebreaker' in my decision making...

I asked the nurse how much an epidural would cost and when she replied "Around MYR1.5k", I still remember Kishore's incredulous face as I asked the question, i.e."Seriously babe, you are gonna think about money right now? If you need the epidural TAKE IT, don't worry about the money!!!"... and while we are not rich by any stretch of the imagination, thankfully RM1.5k is not a quantum that made me swing towards a decision to "better save the money"...

So in the end, I guess my curiosity won out, and I turned down the epidural "just to see what it would be like and if I had it in me" (in addition of course to avoiding the side effects of any drugs introduced into my and the baby's body).

My labour occuring in the time of coronavirus, it was protocol for me to have a COVID19 test done, so the medical staff could apply the necessary precautions. I had heard from a friend Sharon Ruba that the test procedure was uncomfortable, so when the nurse came with the test kit as I was starting another surge, I asked, "Please can I just finish this surge before I do the test?" as I really didn't think I could multitask tackling multiple uncomfortable sensations in one go.

The COVID19 test involved what felt like a looong, skinny cotton bud being inserted into one nostril... I definitely felt more than a tickle as it went in and up, being told to take deep breaths by the nurse. Then she asked me to "Try to swallow" and I felt it go into my nasal cavities where I didn't think anything could go any further, but was proven wrong when she asked me to swallow again and the swab was probed even deeper. Then she warned me there would be some slight discomfort as she prepared to collect a sample... but at that point all I could think about was:

(i) I really don't have much of a choice
(ii) please let this be over before my next surge kicks in
(iii) if all the people breaking the MCO rules knew what it feels like to do this test maybe they won't put themselves at risk of the need to perform one...

In full disclosure as I was transferred into the actual delivery room at some point after 11am, another nurse offered me 'laughing gas' to ostensibly take some of the edge off... I took the self-operated breathing nozzle passed to me but don't recall it making any difference to my sensations..so didn't use it much as it seemed pretty pointless.

I recall some measure of relief when I heard my gynae Dr. Paul entering the room, greeting Kishore and me, and telling us it was going well and it wouldn't be long now and he would see us again shortly.

From my previous labour with Lara I knew the midwives pretty much take you 90% of the way through the labour and when the Dr is called in you are really at the home stretch, so was very relieved to hear his voice though knowing he would leave and come back later meant it wasn't quite over yet.

I do remember realising when I had crossed the Thinning and Opening Phase of labour to the Birthing Phase, by the change in sensations... it is still amazing to me that as the Hypnobirthing book mentioned, having this knowledge I was instinctively able to switch breathing techniques for the next stage of labour .

Was my opting against epidural the right choice for me?

Overall? Yes.

Don't get me wrong.

I *almost* regretted the decision several times during active labour... especially when I felt my body being taken over by an overwhelming compulsion to push that did not seem conscious and was accompanied by involuntary gutteral moans where I literally just thought to myself, "I surrender, God do with me what you will..." (super dramatic I know but VERY real at the time...).

I think I experienced 3-4 such natural explusive reflexes (?), rhythmically pushing the baby down the birth path, one of which was accompanied by what felt like a swoosh of water coming out of a hose with a diameter the size of a golf ball... this was when I realised my water had finally broken...

The nurses kept instructing me to do different things, to keep breathing, to move to my side, then to move to the middle, to raise my feet... and when I didn't comply, Kishore (who was with me throughout both my labours) tried to help them by repeating the instructions prefaced with "Sayang..." but I basically ignored all the intructions because I felt I had no capacity to direct any part of my body to do anything and someone else would have to physically manoeuvre that body part themselves.

When I heard Dr. Paul's voice again and the flurry of commotion surrounding his presence, I knew the time was close... and when I heard the nurse say to Kishore, "Sir, these are your gloves, for when you cut the baby's cord", it was music to my ears...

I'm very, VERY grateful Kiaen slid out after maybe the 4th of those involuntary pushes... the wave of RELIEF when he came out so quickly... it still boggles my mind that my mother was essentially right and as his birth time was 12.02pm, it was *only* about 1.5 hours between our arrival at the hospital and his arrival into the world.

Kiaen was placed on my chest for skin to skin bonding and remained there for a considerable time.

For our short stay in the hospital he would be with us in my maternity ward number C327... another trivially serendipitous sign for me because he was born on the 3rd (May) and our wedding anniversary is 27th (July).

I was discharged the following day 4th May at about 5.30pm, after I got an all clear on COVID19 and a paediatric surgeon did a small procedure on Kiaen to address a tongue-tie that would affect his breastfeeding latch... making the entire duration of our stay about 31 hours.

I have taken the time and effort to record all this down so that whenever life's challenges threaten to get me down I can remind myself, "Ignore the 97% failure probability, focus on the 3% success probability".

Also that the human condition is miraculous and it is such a privilege to experience it.

To our son Kiaen Aaryan, thank you for coming into our lives and choosing us as your parents.

Even though Papa and I are both zombies trying to settle into a night time feeding routine with you, I look forward to spending not only all future Mother's Days, but every day, with you and your Akka...

And last but not least, to my husband Kishore...without whom none of this would be possible - we did it sayang, I love you ❤️

Photo credit: Stayhome session with Samantha Yong Photography (http://samanthayong.com/)

[HannahEd Sharing] - Quote lấy lại động lực làm việc

Em có đang muốn tìm điểm cân bằng trong cuộc sống? Em có đang cảm thấy mệt mỏi sau ngày dài làm việc, học tập? Em có đang cảm thấy áp lực, căng thẳng và muốn tìm cách động viên bản thân cố lên? Chị tin rằng sự bình tâm lại suy nghĩ kĩ mọi việc và đọc các câu châm ngôn sau sẽ giúp em lấy lại nguồn năng lực tích cực đó. Đọc và giúp chị share đến các bạn khác đang cần giúp đỡ luôn nhé <3

NẾU BẠN MỆT MỎI, NHẶT MỘT CÂU TRONG NÀY LẤY LẠI ĐỘNG LỰC

1. "Just know, when you truly want success, you'll never give up on it. No matter how bad the situation may get."

"Chỉ cần biết rằng, khi bạn thực sự muốn thành công, bạn sẽ không bao giờ từ bỏ, dù cho mọi thứ có tồi tệ đến đâu đi chăng nữa."

2. "Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else."

"Hãy chịu trách nhiệm về cuộc đời mình. Nên biết rằng chính bạn chứ không ai khác sẽ là người đưa bạn tới nơi bạn muốn" - Les Brown

3. "I don't regret the things I've done, I regret the things I didn't do when I had the chance."

"Những việc tôi đã làm, tôi không hối hận. Tôi chỉ hối hận về những việc tôi có cơ hội thực hiện nhưng lại không làm mà thôi."

4. "Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

"Thách thức là điều làm cho cuộc sống trở nên thú vị và vượt qua thử thách chính là những gì tạo nên ý nghĩa cuộc sống." - Joshua J. Marine

5. "Its hard to wait around for something you know might never happen; but its harder to give up when you know its everything you want."

"Thật khó để chờ đợi một điều gì đó bạn biết có thể chẳng bao giờ xảy ra, nhưng còn khó hơn để từ bỏ khi đó là mọi điều mà bạn muốn."

6. "One of the most important keys to Success is having the discipline to do what you know you should do, even when you dont feel like doing it."

"Một trong những bí quyết quan trọng nhất để có được thành công là lập nên quy tắc làm những việc bạn biết mình nên làm, dù cho bạn không muốn đi chăng nữa."

7. "Good things come to those who wait... greater things come to those who get off their ass and do anything to make it happen."

"Những điều tốt đẹp sẽ đến với những người biết chờ đợi... những điều tuyệt vời hơn sẽ đến với những người chịu bắt tay vào việc và làm bất cứ điều gì để làm chúng trở thành hiện thực." - Khuyết danh

8. "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace & gratitude."

"Hạnh phúc là thứ không thể đến được, sở hữu được, kiếm được hay mặc vào được. Nó là trải nghiệm tinh thần của mỗi phút giây ta sống với tình yêu, vinh dự và lòng biết ơn." – Denis Waitley

9. "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."

"Để thành công, khao khát thành công của bạn phải lớn hơn nỗi sợ thất bại." - Bill Cosby

10. "Go where you are celebrated – not tolerated. If they can't see the real value of you, it's time for a new start."

"Hãy đi đến nơi mà bạn được chào đón – chứ không phải nơi người khác phải chịu đựng bạn. Nếu họ không thể nhìn ra giá trị thực của bạn, đã đến lúc có một khởi đầu mới."

11. "Don't be afraid to stand for what you believe in, even if that means standing alone."

"Đừng sợ đấu tranh cho những điều bạn tin tưởng, cho dù điều đó đồng nghĩa với việc bạn chỉ có một mình." – Andy Biersack

12. "The best revenge is massive success."

"Sự trả thù tốt nhất là một thành công vĩ đại." – Frank Sinatra

13. "Forget all the reasons it won't work and believe the one reason that it will."

"Hãy quên đi tất cả những lí do không thể và chỉ tin vào một lí do cho thấy rằng điều đó là có thể xảy đến."

14. "I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. Its because of them I'm doing it myself."

"Tôi biết ơn những người đã nói KHÔNG với tôi. Bởi nhờ họ, tôi đã tự mình làm điều đó." – Albert Einstein

15. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."

"Cách duy nhất để làm tốt một việc là hãy yêu công việc bạn làm. Nếu bạn chưa tìm thấy nó, hãy cứ tiếp tục tìm kiếm. Đừng dừng lại." – Steve Jobs

16. "Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it."

"Cuộc đời rất ngắn ngủi, hãy sống trọn từng phút giây. Tình yêu rất hiếm hoi, hãy nắm lấy thật chặt. Giận dữ là không tốt, hãy loại bỏ nó ngay. Sợ hãi rất tồi tệ, hãy đối mặt với nó. Những kỉ niệm luôn ngọt ngào, hãy trân trọng chúng." - Khuyết danh

17. "When you say "It's hard", it actually means "I'm not strong enough to fight for it". Stop saying its hard.Think positive!"

"Khi bạn nói "Khó quá" đồng nghĩa với việc "Tôi không đủ mạnh mẽ để đấu tranh vì nó". Hãy ngừng ngay việc kêu ca. Hãy suy nghĩ tích cực!"

18. "Life is like photography. You need the negatives to develop."

"Cuộc sống giống như việc chụp ảnh. Bạn cần có những điểm mờ để tạo nên một bức hình đẹp."

19. "Don't worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try."

"Đừng lo lắng về thất bại, hãy lo về những cơ hội bạn bỏ lỡ khi bạn không hề cố gắng." - Jack Canfield

20. "The pain you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow. For every challenge encountered there is opportunity for growth."

"Nỗi đau bạn cảm nhận hôm nay sẽ là nguồn sức mạnh cho bạn trong tương lai. Mỗi thách thức sẽ đem lại cho bạn cơ hội để trưởng thành."

21. "Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs."

"Hãy xây lên giấc mơ của riêng bạn, nếu không người khác sẽ thuê bạn xây dựng giấc mơ của họ đó." - Farrah Gray

22. "The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible."

"Thứ duy nhất chen vào giữa bạn và ước mơ của bạn là ý chí cố gắng và niềm tin có thể thực hiện được" – Joel Brown

23. "Self confidence is the most attractive quality a person can have. how can anyone see how awesome you are if you can't see it yourself?"

"Tự tin vào bản thân là phẩm chất hấp dẫn nhất mà một người có thể có. Làm sao mọi người có thể biết bạn tuyệt vời thế nào nếu chính bản thân bạn còn không thấy điều đó?"

24. "We learn something from everyone who passes through our lives.. Some lessons are painful, some are painless.. but, all are priceless."

"Mỗi người đi qua đời ta đều dạy cho ta điều gì đó... Một số bài học rất đau đớn, một số thì không... Nhưng tất cả đều vô giá."

25. "Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."

"Hạnh phúc không có nghĩa là mọi thứ đều hoàn hảo. Nó có nghĩa rằng bạn quyết định nhìn ra khỏi những thiếu sót." - Khuyết danh

26. "Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don't have a plan."

"Không một ai viết ra một kế hoạch khiến bản thân trở nên trắng tay, mập ú, lười biếng hay ngu ngốc. Đó chỉ là những gì xảy đến khi bạn không có một kế hoạch cho mình." - Larry Winget

27. "Three things you cannot recover in life: the WORD after it's said, the MOMENT after it's missed and the TIME after it's gone. Be Careful!"

"Có ba thứ không thể lấy lại được trong cuộc sống: những lời đã nói ra, khoảnh khắc bỏ lỡ và thời gian đã trôi qua. Hãy cẩn thận!"

28. "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

"Dù rằng không ai có thể quay lại và tạo dựng một khởi đầu mới, nhưng bất cứ ai cũng có thể bắt đầu từ bây giờ và có một kết thúc mới." – Carl Bard

29. "When the past calls, let it go to voicemail, believe me, it has nothing new to say."

"Khi quá khứ gọi tên, hãy cho nó vào hộp thư thoại, tin tôi đi, nó chẳng thể nói lên được điều gì mới cả."

30. "Rule #1 of life. Do what makes YOU happy."

"Nguyên tắc số 1 của cuộc sống. Hãy làm những gì khiến bạn hạnh phúc."

31. "Walk away from anything or anyone who takes away from your joy. Life is too short to put up with fools."

"Hãy tránh xa bất cứ điều gì hay bất cứ ai lấy đi niềm vui của bạn. Bởi cuộc đời quá ngắn ngủi để phải chịu đựng những kẻ ngu ngốc."

32. "Love what you have. Need what you want. Accept what you receive. Give what you can. Always remember, what goes around, comes around..."

"Yêu những gì bạn có. Cần những gì bạn muốn. Chấp nhận những gì bạn nhận được. Cho những gì bạn có thể. Hãy luôn nhớ rằng: những gì cho đi đều có thể nhận lại..."

33. "Just remember there is someone out there that is more than happy with less than what you have."

"Hãy luôn nhớ rằng có một người nào đó vẫn sẽ hạnh phúc dù họ có ít hơn những gì bạn có."

34. "The biggest failure you can have in life is making the mistake of never trying at all."

"Thất bại lớn nhất bạn có thể gặp trong đời là chẳng bao giờ cố gắng."

35. "Life has two rules: 1 Never quit 2 Always remember rule 1."

"Cuộc sống có 2 nguyên tắc: 1 Không bao giờ từ bỏ; 2 Luôn luôn nhớ nguyên tắc 1"

36. "No one is going to hand me success. I must go out & get it myself. That's why I'm here. To dominate. To conquer. Both the world, and myself."

"Không ai cho tôi thành công. Tôi phải tự đi tìm và nắm lấy nó. Đó là lý do vì sao tôi đứng đây. Để chế ngự. Để chinh phục. Cả thế giới và tôi."

Nguồn: quan tri mang

#ScholarshipforVietnameseStudents #HannahEd #Scholarship #Studyingabroad #Wokingoverseas

Hey guys! Here's a Coldplay - Viva La Vida cover I arranged and played on the ukulele. Hope you enjoy it! Please let me know how you like it in the comments below, and what other songs you'd like me to cover. Thanks so much for your support!!! ~ Eden Kai (Thank you Adam, Nick, and Brandon from the BentPixels team helping me out!)
ウクレレでカバーしてみました（一発撮り）。ウケが良ければもっと投稿するかもしれません...!!笑

***CLICK "SUBSCRIBE" NOW*** FOR THE NEWEST VIDEOS!!!
チャンネル登録、宜しく御願いします！

CONTACT（連絡）: imagine@edenkai.com

MERCH(グッズはこちらから) : http://edenkai.store

CAMEO (For personal video shoutouts ビデオメッセージをご希望の方はこちらまで）https://www.cameo.com/edenkai


Let's Connect!（SNSやってますー！）:

WEBSITE（WEBサイト）: https://edenkai.com/

INSTAGRAM（インスタ）: https://instagram.com/edenkai_official

TWITTER（ツイッター）: https://twitter.com/edenkaiofficial

FACEBOOK（フェイスブック）: https://www.facebook.com/EdenKaiOfficial

TIKTOK（ティックトック）@edenkai_official

Viva La Vida (lyrics) by Coldplay:

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Calvary choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Calvary choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Calvary choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

ABOUT EDEN KAI:
Very few young talents offer the wide array of diverse skills as those possessed by Eden Kai (aka Yusuke Aizawa). An actor appearing on one of Japan’s most popular reality television shows, Terrace House - Aloha State, Yusuke was beloved by the millions of viewers watching the show as it was broadcast on Fuji Television in Japan, as well as via online service, Netflix streaming the show in nearly 200 countries. Eden’s time on the show allowed him to display his skills as a ukulele and guitar virtuoso, composer, singer-songwriter, and vocalist. His musical talents and role on Terrace House helped him to secure a spot performing at the upcoming Fuji Rock Festival, which is the largest outdoor music event in Japan. Eden also made history at the age of 16 when he became the first instrumentalist to ever win Grand Champion at the popular Brown Bags to Stardom talent competition in Hawaii.

Signed to one of Japan’s most prominent media conglomerates, JVC Kenwood Victor Entertainment, Eden is preparing for the widespread release of his first major album, Music for You. The album is scheduled to be released on June 21st. It follows two previous CDs released independently; Touch the Sky in 2015 and Feel the Earth in 2016. Touch the Sky received a finalist nomination for Instrumental Album of the Year at the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards and the 2016 Hawaii Music Awards. Both Touch the Sky and Feel the Earth, as well as the singles featured on them, are available for purchase through his website, www.EdenKai.com, as well as on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, and Bandcamp.

Eden is steadfast in his belief that music can have a healing effect on the world. He has used his music and status as one of Japan’s biggest rising stars to help many organizations and causes. Proceeds from past songs and performances have been donated to benefit children from disaster-stricken countries, to purchase educational materials for a school in Bangladesh, and to support a health center in Haiti. He has also been active in supporting causes benefitting the victims of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, the recent Kumamoto earthquake, Easter Seals, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

---------

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there! Here's an impromptu cover (so.. please forgive me for the failed high notes...) I did before rushing out for mother's day dinner with my family hehe. Love you mum! :)

------------------------

STAY CONNECTED:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/YokezOfficial
Facebook: http://facebook.com/YokezOfficial
Blog: http://YokezOfficial.blogspot.sg
Website: http://YokezOfficial.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/YokezOfficial
Weibo: http://weibo.com/YokezOfficial
Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/YokezOfficial

------------------------


Gig Bookings / Advertising / Collaborations : YokezOfficial@gmail.com

------------------------


Lyrics:
我怕来不及我要抱着你
I'm afraid time's running out
直到感觉你的皱纹
I need to hold you tight
有了岁月的痕迹
until I can feel the tracks of time through the lines on your face
直到肯定你是真的
until I can be sure that you are real
直到失去力气
until I've used up all my strength
为了你我愿意
I'm willing to do that for you

动也不能动也要看着你
Even if I can't move anymore, I want to watch you
直到感觉你的发线
until I can feel the tracks of snow on the contour of your hair
有了白雪的痕迹
直到视线变得模糊
until my eyes become blurry
直到不能呼吸
until I can't breathe anymore.
让我们形影不离
Let us never be apart

如果全世界我也可以放弃
If I should give up the whole world
至少还有你值得我去珍惜
at least there's you that I must cherish
而你在这里就是生命的奇迹
Your existence is a miracle in my life
也许全世界我也可以忘记
Perhaps I can forget the whole world
就是不愿意失去你的消息
but I can't lose any news about you
你掌心的痣我总记得在那里
I can always remember every tiny mark on your palm

我们好不容易我们身不由己
It's never easy for us. We can't make our own choice all the time
我们时间太快不够将你看仔细
I fear the time goes too fast, that I can't watch you enough.
我们时间太慢日夜担心失去你
I fear the time goes too slow, that I may lose you in the next second
更不得已一夜之间白头 永不分离
How I wish our hair could turn white overnight then we will never be apart

-------------------
"至少還有你" originally by 林憶蓮
作詞：林夕
作曲：Davy Chan
編曲：劉志遠

Instrumental track from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzi1c...

Good morning families, supporters, and fellow seniors. Let's stop for a moment and pretend we're all in English class, but without the 400 page novel. The standard for today is going to be the past, present, and future tense.

First up, past tense. I want you all to flashback to life before high school. Things were easy, were they not? We couldn't show off our breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Instagram like we can today. Things were simple. First world problems here and there, but we survived. Let's go back a bit further. See this piece of paper. This is what we are like when we are born. A blank, smooth, and clean slate. Now, fast forward a few years. We enter high school.

Suddenly, assignments pile and continue to pile. Friendships, if we're lucky, continue as acquaintances; if we're unlucky, become broken. Some days, we compare ourselves to what you see now. Our lives start to feel all crumpled up. But to make it through another day, what do we do? We smooth out the edges, and we carry on.

We argue with our parents. We think we're right. We're never right. We meet a boy, or a girl. We think we understand that four letter word, "love." We don't understand. Unless you've successfully found your high school sweetheart, then good for you!

But for the rest of us, we cry. We post depressing statuses on Facebook about being "hash tag forever alone." Some days, we want to rip our hearts out. Like this. But to make it through another day, what do we do? We hold the pieces together, and we carry on.

Fast forward to right now. Welcome to the present. We are here together. After four years. Goodness knows what we can do in one night. Especially the night before finals, the night before that five-page essay is due, the night the word "sleep" becomes non-existent. Or the night you just can't log off League of Legends. So think about it. If that's what we can do in one night, what have we accomplished over this span of four years? Let me answer my own question in two words. A lot.

High school has not only taught us how to solve for "x" or what went on in Shakespeare's mind, but it has also taught us how to do the impossible. We have learned how to procrastinate effectively. We have pulled all-nighters and lived to tell of it. We have asked a crush to prom even though fear of rejection made our knees quiver and the actuality of rejection meant social suicide. Oh, and we survived the end of the world in 2012.

And now we're coming towards the end of this chapter in our lives. Every wrinkle, every edge, every wear and tear on this sheet of paper. They are stories. Lessons. Mistakes. But we have a choice. A choice to continue to look like this, or a choice to do something about it. To put all the pieces back together, into something like this. This is what we can grow to be. This is what we have grown to be. This is what matters.

We are reaching into a new world. Let's refer to this new world as the "future." To make it through another day, what must we do? We must fight. Let me share a quick story. I watched my grandpa fight cancer for a year. Just last month, he lost that fight. I began to question the purpose of fighting my fears, fighting through my struggles, and fighting for what I want.

Have you ever had days where you felt like flying? Perhaps you aced a test. Your crush said yes to your prom proposal. Your parents bought you a new car. But have you ever had days where you felt like falling? You failed a test. You ended a relationship. You disappointed your parents. Sometimes, all the above in one day. Welcome to the life of this paper airplane. It can fly in some moments. But what do we do when it falls? We pick it up, throw it out there, and put it back in the air. That's what we are going to do with our lives.

When we fall, we are going to pick ourselves up. Push ourselves. And carry on. In doing this, we will become better students. Better friends. Better sons and daughters. Better people. And Grandpa, wherever you are, I will become that better person for you.

We have changed, and we will continue to change. But we are not the only ones changing. The world around us is changing. We can talk to our smartphones. Cars are running on electricity. We have laptops that are thinner than my English notebook. We are all moving forward, and life after high school, is just the next big step.

So that wraps up today's lesson on past, present, and future tense. Don't worry, there will be no test tomorrow, or ever again. Just kidding, we'll see tests again in college and in life, but that's another problem for another day. So, to accomplish the goal of today's lesson, remember the words of Albus Dumbledore: "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." Class is dismissed.