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The Year That Was: 2008

Posted by narrowband - 31/12/08 at 06:12:37 pm

In a few hours’ time we’re going to be ushering in the new year, with renewed hopes and dreams, resolutions and aspirations. Year 2008 has been eventful for me. There were good times as much as there were bad times. It started off pretty well actually – a lot of photo-taking, traveling and fun. Things began to slide as I approached Q4, which made me think that there was probably a small price to pay for being too happy earlier in the year. Anyway, on this final day of the year I’d like to take a stroll down memory lane and recap some of the highlights that made my year what it was.
Continue reading The Year That Was: 2008…

Thinking Happy

Posted by narrowband - 02/12/08 at 10:12:22 pm

Did you know that whatever you’re thinking in your brain can affect your health and emotional well-being? For example, when you’re thinking happy thoughts, your brain releases a certain type of feel-good chemical called endorphins. On the other hand, when you’re feeling worried, angry or afraid, your brain releases a different type of chemical which may or may not harm you. If it is toxic enough to your body, the chain-reaction that follows could even result in stroke, cancer, hypertension, migraines, allergies, diabetes, etc!

I recently read from a book (“Who Switched Off My Brain?”) borrowed from a nice friend and it says that in order to prevent this undesirable consequences of unpleasant thoughts, we need to control what we think. We need to control our thoughts, so that the brain only releases feel-good chemicals or endorphins. The brain can also be triggered to release endorphins when we do something pleasurable, like eating ice-cream or something. Exercise also helps release endorphins – which is why it’s a good idea to hit the gym if you want to de-stress.

I have not been feeling my best lately due to a host of reasons which include anxiety and worry. Therefore I always look forward to going to the gym because I know I’ll come out feeling refreshed and good. It’s like the bad mood and worry miraculously disappear after my workouts. Same goes to my Japanese language class. Sometimes I would feel tired and moody before class but everytime I will return home feeling happy, satisfied and stress-free. I love attending my Japanese class because there’s always so much laughter and fun. More importantly, I’m actually learning something, which is always a good thing.

I’m now going through a rather rough patch I’d say, as you can tell from my lack of updates and stuff. And I mean real updates – not just on my blog or FB, but in my life. At times like this I feel really grateful for having my friends around, who’re a great source of strength and motivation when I needed them most. Even more so those who refrained from asking me repeated questions, lest I’d get annoyed by them. I really appreciate that. Right now I’m really taking things one step at a time. It’s like inching a car slowly into a thick blanket of fog, with visibility down to almost a couple of feet. I can’t see or plan ahead.

I hope things get better once 2009 comes. I just can’t wait.

P/s. Weekend was great. I had the company of my little cousins, visited my little nephew and found comfort in reading and playing music. If only life was always that simple…

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