ThunderStorm

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/today/voices/workplace-office-norms-culture-say-no-6200256 "But I'm learning to draw boundaries where I need to. Now, I refuse to look at my phone from 6pm to 9pm every evening [...] winding down and being put to bed. Sometimes I even turn my phone off entirely during those hours. What matters more is making an effort to understand their needs and concerns, and communicate openly about how we can work together to achieve shared goals. If that requires sitting down to the occasional lunch with colleagues every now and then, so be it. [...] However, that does not mean we must accept and participate in every single practice offered up as a "norm"."

"Habit 5 : Seek first to understand, then to be understood" - The 7 habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey "Tell me more" is such an understated prompt that can level up your active listening skills. It demonstrates curiosity and a desire to learn. It disarms a hostile threat without bloodshed.

Source:  Sometimes I Hate My Husband, But That Doesn't Mean Our Marriage Is Doomed (msn.com) An interesting exploration of the complexities of relationships. Since no two persons are completely alike, there are bound to be habits and quirks of the other that can charm and/or irk us. You can love some parts of a person, hate some parts of the same person, and that's perfectly alright.

<< Warning: For ages 13+ >> The following content discusses topics of a sensitive nature and are unsuitable for children. Read at your own risk. Man Abused 4 of his Daughters and Assaulted His Son I have been coming across plenty of news articles about paedophiles and incest lately and am distraught by the fact that such incidents are even happening in my country. Firstly, what frustrates me is the lack of parental guidance and supervision in some instances e.g. parents being unaware that their spouse is abusing the child and/or they have not built a strong foundation of trust with their child such that their child ends up in a secretive and exploitative relationship. Secondly, it is the audacity and means with which one would use to satisfy their own curiosity and urges. Thirdly, there are the keyboard warriors who blame the education system for this mess really grind my gears. To the children and youths, I am sorry to say that you live in a globalised world where you are ...

Here are some key takeaways after attending a Resilience and Your Success Workshop with Paula Eddy and Becky. Related articles: Women's Health: How to Destress Resilience is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure You can't give from an empty cup. To build resilience, recovery needs to take place in your mind, body and soul , so that you can refill your cup. Recovery is the key to boosting your positivity, energy levels and morale/confidence. Reflect: - Which aspect of you (mind, body and/or soul) is needing nourishment? - How can you prepare yourself/fill your tank? - Change one thing at a time, and slowly build up this habit - Tell an accountability partner - Keep practising Ways to relax your mind: Breathe Meditate Eat/drink Listen to calming music Taking a walk Take a shower/go for a therapeutic massage Journalling/drawing Reframe your perspective Adopt a growth mindset Ways to strengthen your body: sufficient exercise proper nutrition sufficient sleep Ways to nourish yo...

Friendship is the foundation of a strong relationship. This is a wonderful book filled with wisdom and insight on how to cultivate strong relationships, building on friendship as a firm foundation. Every chapter has been insightful and full of relevant anecdotes and applications, which will give you much to ponder on each day. Here is an excerpt from the book: You should definitely check it out.

I've been tired from working on the laptop, so much so that there are moments where I am tempted to toss away my phone and laptop just to get away from the constant barrage of information and push notifications from people who expect instant replies. Send, send, send. I desperately want to disconnect from tech, but I can't. It's convenient and efficient, but it's wearing me out. I need an indefinite break, a sabbatical period of digital cleansing. It doesn't help that updated information is critical during a period of isolation due to COVID-19. Nation-wide precautions keep changing from week to week, and there are those who need to be kept in the loop. What can I do during my time of unexpected distress but lift my eyes to the hills to my God who is peace? Psalm 139:7-12 NIV 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the...

Summary of the video: Constantly removing people who irk you from your life is not a magic pill to solve your problem. Rather, it reveals that you still need to master your mind . Understand that negative people have a right to their own perspective and that their circumstances moulded them into who they are today. They are fully responsible for their own problems and actions, not you. It is not your responsibility to fix their problems , even if they come to you for advice, and especially if they have no intention to change or often come up with excuses not to resolve their issues. You may offer your advice, but it is ultimately up to them to act on it. You decide how much of the process you want to participate in. Say, "Take my advice, and do as you wish." Because they will. Offer them the responsibility . Ask when appropriate, "What have you tried? What haven't you tried? What are your options? What do you think you can do about it?" Adjust your ...

You know that times are bad when women are boycotting dating and marriage. Till death do I stay single: South Korea's #NoMarriage women Everyone, please treat every human with respect and dignity. Is that so difficult to ask?

After having just recently experienced my first major heartbreak, I was reminded, not once but twice by wise council, to count my blessings. It was in this period that I realised that I had not been alone in my struggles and that God had been the provider of my strength in my weakness. He sent guardian angels and defenders by my side to aid and support me. He gave me the much-needed push through uncomfortable situations to overcome my pride, insecurity and unwillingness to ask for help from others. He had granted me multiple breakthroughs during my first love relationship - overcoming my shyness in making conversation with the opposite sex, the discovery that I could actually love someone (and what it means to love someone sacrificially like Christ did, even if it means giving up my deepest carnal desires for the sake of upholding goodness and pure intentions for one another). I realised that despite my difficult family circumstances, I had taken my parents for granted with the faulty ...

Do you relate to the male or female in this video? I am surprised that this video has not gone viral yet, or maybe it did and I missed the ride. Anyway, I think it aptly summarises the differences in how people approach conflict: emotionally logically It is somewhat similar to what some people describe as left-brains (logic) and right-brains (emotion), despite how flawed this concept is.

I felt that I needed to post this in response to a friend who replied jokingly saying that he/she's going to hell in response to an article that I shared on my social media account about being discouraged by friends who left their Christian faith behind: I'm sorry that you felt offended by what the article said. That was not my intention. However, it upsets me to see you use such critical and condemning words on yourself. Perhaps you are using sarcasm to hide your inner thoughts on your self-worth, but I assure you that God knows your heart full well and loves you regardless of how you feel about the state of your soul. Jesus' death and resurrection paid the price of all our sins and allows us to live free and abundant lives, and empowers us to flee from the persistent voice of self-condemnation and sense of worthlessness. I would urge you not to use the term 'hell' lightly if you do not believe in its existence or the weight it carries for fellow believers in...

This verse really spoke to me today. So often when we get hurt by someone else, we get all riled up by the speck we see in another's eye, failing to see the plank in ours. Just as much as someone has hurt us, we ourselves have hurt others too. And if we keep running away to avoid our confrontation with God, we are choosing to uphold our pride over mending the relationship (and we know the saying where pride comes before a fall). Where can we go where God is not there? Nowhere. God loved us so much that He would forgive our sins if we would come to Him, humbly admit to committing those sins and turn away from them. It's not as easy as it sounds in reality, but we have the Holy Spirit's guidance and prompting in our conscience that encourages us to do so. Contrary to what the world says, God urges us to confront Him at His Word daily.

So I kinda broke down in tears rather unexpectedly in front of my classmates today. I think I had been feeling rather stressed by the consecutive project  deadlines and had been repressing much anxiety. They all rallied together to comfort and encourage me. I feel really grateful and blessed that these kind souls, despite being all foreign students in a strange land with their own clashes in personalities, put aside their differences and extended such grace and empathy to someone in a completely different background from them. May God bless their hearts and satisfy their spiritual thirst for meaning in this world.

This post is for those who struggle with internal and external critics who destroy your self-confidence and create anxiety in you, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

Revenge is Mine "There are two courses of action to follow when one is bitten by a rattlesnake. One may, in anger, fear, or vengefulness, pursue the creature and kill it. Or he may make full haste to get the venom out of his system. If we pursue the latter course we will likely survive, but if we attempt to follow the former, we may not be around long enough to finish it." - Brigham Young (Founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints) Though we may not be of the same faith, I think the above quote has much wisdom to it. Joseph’s will to forgive his brothers changed bitterness to love. Forgive But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. - Matthew 6:15 Matthew Henry Commentary "We are taught to hate and dread sin while we hope for mercy, to distrust ourselves, to rely on the providence and grace of God to keep us from it, to be prepared to resist the tempter, and not to become tempters of others. Here is a promi...

I know I'm not representative of all people struggling with social anxiety (in my case, the symptoms are mild and within control most of the time), but I hope to help others who may find it debilitating. The Art of Meaningful Conversation BY ANDREW HORN Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcPWvByIpZU As someone who struggles with social anxiety, this has been really helpful. I hope I do eventually pluck up the courage to interact more meaningfully with others when the time comes. Thank you, Mr Horn. Key Learning Points: Be kind. If you have anything nice to say, say it all. F.A.M. - Find your voice; ask better questions; metamorphic two-step What is my authentic voice? What do I care about? What's important to me right now? What's my dream? What am I struggling with? What am I most excited about? Asking better questions Ask yourself before any social interaction, meeting or phone call: What am I most excited to learn about this person? (Be passionately curious.) Metamo...

Are children colour-blind to race? Not at all. In fact, I can recall my first encounter with a classmate of a different race between ages 7-8. For no apparent reason, my community preschool was made up of the majority race, so I had no prior encounters with a minority race. The pupils seated in my group in class were wondering why one of the pupils had darker skin than the rest of us. Some even questioned if she had washed her hands before school started and asked her to go to the washroom to try washing off the dirt. That poor child actually took our word for it and went to the washroom a couple of times. The conversation was all said innocently, but it would sound really awful and offensive to adults. Why did we doubt her actual skin colour? Because we noticed that her palms were much fairer than the top of her hands, so we assumed that her palm colour was her actual skin colour. Our teacher later clarified that everyone has pigments (I think this word would have went right over m...

Source:  Pinterest This scene captures the beauty of teamwork and friendship. I would love to see more Team Arrow and Team Flash crossovers.

After a long hiatus from binge-watching Prison Break, I feel very relieved that I have finally finished watching all four seasons of it. Seasons 3 and 4 were grueling, but the end of the journey was worth it. Allow me to share this stunning picture spotted on Tumblr. Credits to whoever made this gorgeous piece. What else do I love about Prison Break? The deep friendship between the prison breakouts. My favourite characters? Sucre and Mahone. Seriously, where can you even find someone in a prison as loyal as Sucre?       Credits:  Broken Prisons