Discover your own caffeine shot

I didn't like the after taste of coffee when I was younger. But I didn't like chili or beer when I was younger too. As a child, I was puzzled by the fact that some people around me preferred chili sauce to tomato sauce, beer and coffee to coke. "Why would anyone prefer bitter or unpleasantly spicy stuff to sweet pleasures?" I thought. But things changed as I grew older.

After I moved to Taiwan to work at an Internet company, I started to drink coffee regularly. In retrospect, there were three factors that caused this behavior:
1) I began to appreciate the bitter taste more as I grew older.
2) Coffee was free at the workplace.
3) I often felt tired and coffee gave me mental boosts.

I have a weak stomach, so sometimes I end up spending a lot of time in the toilet if I have had too much coffee. Other than this problem, coffee usually sharpens my mind and is a catalyst that helps me to get into the state of flow at work. The stimulant helps me to be more focused and productive, and I end up more enjoyed with the task at hand.

It is so critical that we discover what our own passions and values are. Being in a career that one is passionate about and living a lifestyle that is aligned with one's values are like having a big good cup coffee every morning. I wish to get my life into the state of flow pretty soon. I'm going to make myself some coffee of life.

My first visit to Tokyo and Hakone

I had never been to Japan in my life, until October 2009.


Several of my friends at work planned a trip to Japan. Since I had never been there, and that traveling to Japan from Taipei was easier and cheaper than traveling from Singapore, I decided to tag along. My Taiwanese friends had been to Japan many times before. It seems to me that Taiwanese enjoy visiting Japan very much. It was his third vacation in Japan in this year alone for one of this group of friends.

Japanese have a unique culture. Something like an extremely disciplined craftsmen culture to me. They have certain 規矩 or rules, like taking off one's shoes in fitting rooms and the shoes must point outwards. They respect self-discipline, and they trained hard to achieve excellence in whatever they do, be it car making or sushi making. Paying attention to detail is also one of the many other things that we can learn from this culture.

It was my first trip to Japan. My observation may be flawed or incomplete. It should be. But I was very impressed nevertheless. And I was inspired.

It was a great trip.

Think about what you've learned from your last romantic relationship

I've always enjoyed being alone in my room, with dim lights and music in the background. It first started in college. I managed to have a single dormitory room in my senior year. It was great. This kind of setting gives me a laid back, relaxed, calm, and sensual feeling. It usually helps to have a beer or wine too.

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Relationships. How many romantic relationships have you been through so far? It is my belief that 99% of relationships begin and end the same way. The context may be different, but the emotional stimuli are the same. Beginnings are always filled with joy, excitement, and irrationality. At the beginning, "This person whom I admire finds me attractive too" - what a feeling of happiness and joy. At the end, "Why does it have to end this way? Where has the love disappeared to?" - what a feeling of disappointment, bitterness, and sadness.

Having being through a few relationships myself, I find that if we put aside the emotions, there is a lot that we can learn from each relationships that we go through. From what the other parties told me and from my post-reflections, I learn more about:
1. What aspects of me are attractive to others?
2. Where are the flaws in my personality?
3. What qualities tend to attract me?
4. What do I really want and need from a romantic relationship?
5. How can I improve in my dealings with conflicts in relationships?

With each relationship that we go through, we stand a chance to grow spiritually. With the aid of some self-reflection, we can learn more about a special aspect of ourselves that no other type of experiences can offer.

What you've learned from your last romantic relationship?

Self Reflection

For most of us who have the luxury of living in a democratic society and with no shortage of basic life necessities, there is really no excuse for us not to strive to make the most out of our lives.

And I believe a regular habit of humble self reflection is part of the key to a happy and satisfying life.

So much things happen around us each day. So much things we say and do. Self reflection is a timeout for us to examine our behavior and to compare it with our personal values. The importance of aligning what we do with our personal values cannot be over emphasized. There is no point in making a ship go faster when it is heading towards a wrong direction.

What is love?

Many cultures define love as one of the greatest things in life. The Bible says God is love.

While motherly love is arguably the most powerful and self-sacrificial type of love, romantic love is probably the strongest type of emotion. How many songs that we listen to are about the joy, the frustration, and the pain that has to do with love? How many families and children live in joy or sadness because of it, or the lack of it?



In his book, Winston explained that the so-called love that we feel are effects of many different kinds of brain chemicals. For example, there are short-term chemical effects that come with physical bonding, and there are longer-term chemical effects that come with emotional bonding. There is particular chemical that our brain keep producing during the first three years of a relationship. Scientists believe that three years was the amount of time that a cave-woman would need for a cave-man to take care of her and their new-born. Time's up and the man leaves to spread his seeds.

Love is a wonderful thing.