life: draw a blueprint

Whenever friends talk to me about what to do next in their careers, or how to find something they are passionate about, I really want to give them some good advice or words of encouragement. But I know in reality, the advice I give does not instantly uncover this for them. While in search of some motivation myself, I stumbled upon a great speech by MLK. If you are in need of a little motivation to find what you want your life to be about or if you are lost right now and trying to find your path, read the below transcript from Martin Luther King’s speech at a Philadelphia high school in 1967:

I want to ask you a question, and that is: What is your life’s blueprint?

Whenever a building is constructed, you usually have an architect who draws a blueprint, and that blueprint serves as the pattern, as the guide, and a building is not well erected without a good, solid blueprint.

Now each of you is in the process of building the structure of your lives, and the question is whether you have a proper, a solid and a sound blueprint.

I want to suggest some of the things that should begin your life’s blueprint. Number one in your life’s blueprint, should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you’re nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.

Secondly, in your life’s blueprint you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You’re going to be deciding as the days, as the years unfold what you will do in life — what your life’s work will be. Set out to do it well.

And I say to you, my young friends, doors are opening to you–doors of opportunities that were not open to your mothers and your fathers — and the great challenge facing you is to be ready to face these doors as they open.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great essayist, said in a lecture in 1871, “If a man can write a better book or preach a better sermon or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, even if he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.”

This hasn’t always been true — but it will become increasingly true, and so I would urge you to study hard, to burn the midnight oil; I would say to you, don’t drop out of school. I understand all the sociological reasons, but I urge you that in spite of your economic plight, in spite of the situation that you’re forced to live in — stay in school.

And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. Don’t just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn’t do it any better.

If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can’t be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be be the best little shrub on the side of the hill.

Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.

life: too much

I feel like I'm drowning, and there is no one or nothing to grab on to.
there is not enough time, not enough hours in the day.

Celebrity: Celine Dion Returns to Vegas

She’s back at Caesars for a multiyear run that will reportedly earn her $100 million. Last night was the kick-off. Celine belongs in Vegas, at Caesars, in the house they built for her. I want to go, like if I can only afford one show in Vegas, I would go to hers. Even though I am not her biggest fan, some of her songs from the 90's still bring back a lot of memories.

Click here for a good article on how much Vegas needs Celine, and how Celine feels about being needed.

I saw her live at the ACC 2 years ago and it was a great concert, she is cheesy sometimes, but you can't deny her talent, her amazing voice. But you also cant deny how she always looks like she is in awe of everything, like everything is a miracle, everything is just soo precious. Cheese.

But some people straight up sobbing in the aisles when she sings. Why would you deny yourself the opportunity for such entertainment?

life: until its not there........

I have finally realized how important my running and trips to the gym were. I have been feeling lethargic, un-energetic, un-healthy and general BLAH.

Basically due to sitting on my ass all day at work and studying after work . The way my hips crack everytime I move them is starting to scare me a little...I sit WAY to much.

so I made a pact that I would run at least half an hour every other day and then do the machines at goodlife every other day that I am not running, It lasted 3 days, but I already started feeling better.

life: Diversity

I am grateful for the diversity that surrounds me in new friends, coworkers and classmates these days. I feel that it is the most diverse network of people I have experienced since my term studying abroad in 2004. I am learning so much from them. Going to an all-girls catholic high-school and university surrounded predominantly by Chinese people have somewhat limited the exposure to other cultures during those years. But despite the seemingly downside to this, the experience gave me a great understanding of my Cantonese roots, allowed me to learn about "fobby" things and the ability to immerse myself in the culture by working in Hong Kong. So for all of that I do not regret the slightly "undiverse" experience.

Now in my master's program and on my current project at work I sometimes find myself to be the only Asian girl around, which has been extremely rare in my life up to this point. I find myself asking question after question about other's home countries, their rituals, the food they eat, the way their families live. I love learning about it, I love trying the food they bring, I love learning phrases in their mother tongue. Whereas in the past I was not always learning or maybe not appreciating my own culture as much because all the other Asian people around me had similar upbringings and cultural habits. But now, being the only Asian in the group provides me the opportunity to teach or tell others about my culture. It gives me a sense of pride and a renewed appreciation of my culture, its values and practices.

life: What are you grateful for?

I read somewhere today that you should start off your day by writing 3 things you are grateful for. It brings you peace and serenity and reminds you how lucky you are and also to appreciate what you have.

my 3 things for today:
1) my health. The ability to still run around playing floor hockey, getting slashed on the shins and hand but feeling so energized after playing.
2) my parents. Its my mom's birthday today, she is half way across the world in Malaysia, but we are closer this year than ever before.
3) being able to sleep in an extra 15 mins today!

life: More than just a melody...

I believe that stories, books and the written word change us... above all song lyrics truly change us.

Do you find inspiration in the lyrics of a song? I can find both comfort and joy in the lyrics to a song. When I hear a new song, the very first thing I listen to, are the lyrics and what the songwriter is trying to convey.
This is the best analogy I have heard about this:

A melody is like a woman in a bar that you are instantly attracted to – the part that hooks you. The lyrics are what make you fall in love with that person.

I love connecting with people ... I love learning about their experiences, their lives, their feelings and this is exactly what you are doing when you hear the lyrics of their song.

How powerful are the lyrics to Grenade by Bruno Mars:
Gave you all I had
And you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, you did
To give me all your love is all I ever asked, Cause what you don't understand is
I’d catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya
I’d jump in front of a train for ya
You know I'd do anything for ya
I would go through all this pain, Take a bullet straight through my brain,
Yes, I would die for ya baby ; But you won't do the same....

..catching a grenade for someone or taking a bullet straight through the brain both create such strong visuals in my mind, which is more powerful and makes a bigger impact than if he just said I'd do anything for you..