The Spiritual Warrior hesitated. Even though she was standing still, her mind was racing a thousand miles. “Should she proceed or abandon the hunt?” She wondered. Beads of perspiration gathered on the side of her forehead. The Warrior started to reflected on her journey so far.

Since entering the labyrinth, the Warrior had found herself chasing a strange looking beast. The Warrior felt somewhat disappointed by the memory of the chase. She was dismayed that she had not been successful with a quick conquest.

Coming into the labyrinth was no accident. It had in fact instantly appeared when she unwittingly invoked an order to the Universe. In a moment of thoughtlessness, she had asked for deeper revelations from her psyche. Yet, at the entrance of the labyrinth, she had shuddered at the thought that there might be no turning back. The Warrior had read about labyrinths previously. Legends, spiritual text and myths of the past had often piqued her curiosity. According to one fascinating story, only a few were able to emerge from the labyrinth alive. It was a mysterious force that drew her into the labyrinth eventually, even whilst she was not absolutely sure that she was ready for it.

The Ultimate Treasure: Truth of Light

For a long time, the Warrior had an insatiable need to discover, or rather rediscover, the Secrets to Life. Knowing the Secrets to Life would grant her more power than anyone else in the world. The Secrets were, after all, answers to the entire cosmos. It was not so much the power that she was hoping to find. Her first intent was to find herself. For a start, the warrior knew that having the Secrets would allow her to find out more about the meaning of her own existence.

Within the heart of the Secrets to Life was the ultimate treasure as well – the Truth of Light. More than anything else, the Warrior knew that possession of the Truth of Light would grant her immunity from darkness. The world had been shrouded in darkness, ever since she was born. It had a dreary effect on her mood. She wanted to feel the warmth of light, something she knew existed in the few masters who have uncovered it.

The Warrior was driven to go on a journey for the Secrets to Life because of her nightly dreams.She would wake up to haunting images of places where she has never been, people she has never met, and mostly, of herself in various odd-looking costumes. More recently, she was even tuning into alien-like pictures that looked as if they came out from some science fiction magazine. The Warrior had instinctively known that the images were not to be dismissed as figments of her imagination but of long-forgotten realities, answers to which lie somewhere deep within her psyche. They bothered her, obviously. She knew that they were clues to her origination. From a different galaxy, dimension or realm, she thought.

The Warrior had self doubt issues. In a way, she already knew that she was more than just her physical body. Yet, she found herself needing to validate over and over again her intuitive flashes or to decode the messages contained within her dreams. She did not trust herself enough to interpret every single one of them. Resignedly, the Warrior also knew that there were few with whom she can share her nightly encounters with. She feared ridicule. Few would fully comprehend how tormented she felt by her need for answers. She felt like a misfit in social outings. So she had largely searched for the Secrets to Life alone.

Inside the Labyrinth

Upon entering the labyrinth, a chain of events started to take place. The chain of events catalyzed in a beast that kept luring the Warrior deeper and deeper in. The Warrior had to go through many adventures, while searching for the beast. She walked down endless corridors, looked into dark corners and got lost several times on the crooked lanes of the labyrinth. She had already sensed that slaying the beast would bring her one step closer to the Truth of Light although she had no idea how a conquest could specifically help her with it. The Warrior had to abandon sleep and rest in order to move fast. She understood that any delay or distraction could potentially set her back in her journey.

Her adventures in the labyrinth led her through a whirlpool of emotions; including anxiety, desperation, rejection, abandonment, worry, fear and betrayal. At every turn, she had caught a glimpse of the beast. It had morphed into close to one hundred different faces, at last count. Each was uglier, larger and more vicious than the last. Each required her to encounter herself in her worst nightmares. Again and again, the beast would appear briefly before disappearing upon being spotted. The Warrior felt weary. It had been going on for weeks.

Finally, it appeared that the chase was coming to an end. For there in front of her was the beast with its back turned towards her. The Warrior could feel her own fear, as she crept behind the beast’s back. She caught a whiff of the surrounding air. It was bitter, metallic and salty.

The Warrior drew her sword steadily. Its sharp tip glimmered in the streaming light.

But No!!

Just at the crucial moment, the beast turned to face her.

It let out a snarl that frightened the Warrior so much that she dropped her sword.

Cornered, there was nowhere that she could run.

The Warrior had to use whatever skills she knew to save herself.

Like the above story?

I wrote it as a metaphor to describe my personal experiences in a slew of events over the recent weeks. Yes, I am back from the labyrinth. I not only survived but had a major breakthrough. The Truth of Light represented illumination for an answer that I was searching for.

It feels great to be back; better and lighter than before

Lastly, for those who are on the spiritual path, here is something that I would like to share…

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
~ Paul Coelho in “The Alchemist”

Abundance always,

There lived a little bird in the forest. It had been singing songs ever since it was born. It learned how to sing from papa bird, mama bird and all the other birds in the vicinity. It would sing everyday.

(A collage made out of printed transparent plastic with photoshopped details against a wooden background).

One day, while the little bird was singing on the branch of a tree, it got interrupted by the sound of a little boy. The little bird looked down. A boy was pointing at it with his finger and saying “what a sad haunting melody!”

The little bird was taken aback. At first, it felt that it did not appreciate the feedback. It thought that it had sung very well. It was even proud. But as the little bird started to reflect, it realized that the boy was pointing out something that it had missed previously. The boy’s observation was not about its vocal ability but about the song.

Indeed, the song that it had sung was a rather sad one. It was about the trials and tribulations of being a bird. It was a song that its parents, friends and neighbors had been singing. Now, every bird in the forest had been chirping the same chorus every day.

The little bird felt a disconnect.

“This song is not about me,” it thought.

“Am I about misery, worry and failure?”

“I want to write and sing my own song.”

“A song that will reflect my truth.”

“A song that will reflect who I am.”

So the little bird decided to do things differently. It started with some chirps here and there. Then it became practicing over and over again the same lines.

Obviously, it was not easy trying to be different. All the other birds thought that it had gone mad. They tried to dissuade the bird, “….but we have been singing the same song for centuries!!!”

Papa bird and mama bird shook their heads sadly. Clearly they could not understand the inner motivations of their little child.

To get away from all the distractions, the little bird decided to move its nest a little further away. It wanted to practice in peace. And that was what it did. It exiled itself to the wilderness of its undiscovered self. While the little bird felt lonely at times, it felt driven on its path to sing something of its own.

Finally, the little bird thought that it was ready. It knew that the song was not perfect, but perfection was not what it was looking for. It also knew that while the first song was rehearsed, there will come a day when singing from within would come spontaneously and naturally.

So the little bird flew to a tall and majestic looking tree. It tried to get started. But no hum or note came out. For a moment, the little bird thought that it had lost its voice. It felt embarrassed.

Then, the little bird decided to gain its composure. It steadied itself. It understood that it was less about the song. The courage to sing that was far more crucial.

Soon, the little bird got over its initial anxiety. It found itself singing on and on. The little bird sang from its heart: The joy of flight. The wonders of the open sky. The view from the top. The magnificence of Mother Earth.

A New Day Begins…

And as it sang, all the other birds gathered round.

They listened intently.

For a minute or two, there was no movement in the forest.

Even the breeze stood still for not a single leaf on the trees rustled.

Every creature – not just the birds – drew in their breaths.

They stood enraptured.

The singing was beautiful in the song’s meaning.

In essence, the little bird was singing about the greatness of being a little bird.

Soon, the other birds caught on.

Each in their own voice.

A harmonious blend of music gradually filled the crisp air, enveloping the forest in the warm embrace of a beautiful dawn. A new day has begun!

Author’s Note

I am this bird;
I want to sing my own song.
I want to live my dreams;
Dreams that reflect who I am.

Like the little bird, I will be taking a break to “go into the wilderness”. Do wish me luck!! I should be back in a couple of weeks. Take care in the meantime!

“We do not receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness, which no one else can make for us, which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world.”
~ Marcel Proust (1871-1922), French novelist

Abundance Always,

I had a dream in the wee hours of Sunday morning. When I woke up from the dream, I decided that I needed to watch the move “Inception” as soon as possible. My dream had felt real. It was intriguing that I was able to understand its message for me while I was in the dream state. I wanted to find out if “Inception” had more to teach me about dreams.

“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.” — Inception

So after an early evening dinner, I went to watch “Inception” yesterday. I was glad I did.

Inception Movie Review

I won’t be able to go into a lengthy discussion of this movie. Not because I don’t want to but simply because I can’t. The truth is that one viewing is not enough to fully understand the terminology, rules, and exceptions of the intricate plot; one which is set in the world of subconscious.

Christopher Nolan has crafted a multi-layered story – a dream within a dream within a dream and so on. A word of caution: if you do not pay careful attention during the movie, it is possible that you may get lost yourself at any point as to which of the character’s dream you are in. I wouldn’t also want to spoil it by going into details especially if you have not watched the movie yet

Here is a brief summary, however. Dom Cobb (acted by Leonardo DiCaprio) has the rare skill of stealing valuable secrets from the depths of his subject’s subconscious. His ability made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage. At the same time, it has also made him a fugitive from his own country. He was offered a last chance to return home. The job required him to accomplish the impossible – Inception. Dom Cobb and his team had to do it differently this time, though. Instead of stealing an idea, he was to plant one. Although the team tried to put in careful planning, they were not fully prepared for everything that turned up.

There were lots of scenes that I liked from the movie. I enjoyed how the architectural marvels sprang to life, the collapsing of dreams, the linking of one room to another, that fears could multiply like mental viruses and how unlocking the darkest secret was like accessing a hidden vault. Clearly, the movie bears the creative stroke of genius. One of the best movie lines has it that…

“If we are gonna perform Inception then we need imagination.”

Even from one viewing, the movie resonates deeply. It offers a lot of what I often share on this blog: the power of the subconscious mind (please subscribe to receive my emails if you have not), dreams and alternate realities , addressing fears, imagination, confessing secrets and so on.

“I know how to find secrets from your mind, I know all the tricks!” ~ Inception

My Mind Was the Scene of My Crime

If you are interested to know what my dream on Sunday morning is about, read on. My dream was constructed from the setting of a past memory but explored the possibility of a future day. I could see myself clearly wearing a corporate suit. It was my first day back at work in a 9 to 5 job in the bank. I was assigned to the customer service section. While I was welcomed back with open arms of my colleagues, I had to face the wrath of a demanding female boss. All the characters were none of the people I knew in real life. My dream was being populated with people of my imagination.

In the dream, I tried to steady myself in the effort of not going into a panic. I was getting anxious. I was being asked to handle a simple funds transfer for a wealthy Nigerian customer by my boss. Pride prevented me from being truthful. I was reluctant to tell her that I have forgotten how to fill up the bank transfer form.

In my dream, I went into inner talk. I told myself that it was not that I did not have the knowledge. It was because I had forgotten how-to, after being away from the banking field for so long. I reasoned that if I managed to keep calm, I would be able to retrieve the archives of my banking knowledge which is stored in the deep recesses of my mind.

That was when an inner message surfaced: Fears are more imaginary than real. The lesson was not to blow my fears out of proportion.

While you may dismiss this so-called “message” as nothing profound, allow me to put forth the suggestion that learning on a subconscious level cuts much deeper. It is not the same from knowing things at a conscious level. An idea in your subconscious can rewrite all your rules of living. As Cobb in Inception puts it,

“What’s the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules. Which is why I have to steal it.”

Cobb knew that when dreams are built on the past, they would be about confronting fears. He was afraid and so he cautioned…

“Never recreate from your memory. Always imagine new places.”

Eventually he found that as much as he tried not to recreate from memory, it was an impossible task at the deepest layers of the subconscious.

My personal experience. I have been both fascinated and tortured by some of my dreams for a long time. There was a period in time when I suffered badly from insomnia and the inability to fall back to sleep easily after waking up in the middle of the night. My fears were accumulating sky-high at the subconscious level. With no outlet for release, they were bursting at the seams. Eventually, they were appearing in several bad dreams for me. I would wake up with a sense of dread. Luckily, with repeated inner work, my anxiety has subsided substantially. I have been sleeping more fitfully in recent years.

Conclusion

1. Inception is a movie about exploring your subconscious. It is about confronting your worst enemy – fear which is a construct of your imaginary mind. At the same time, it is about venturing into possibilities. There is no denying that much power rests with your ability to manage your subconscious well.

2. Do not be scared off by reports of the movie’s complicated story. You should not miss it.

“I’m asking you to take a leap of faith.” – Inception

If you are a personal development student learning about the powers of the subconscious, then this movie is a must-watch. Inception is one of the best movies I have seen, since Matrix. I intend to watch it again.

Here’s the trailer….

3. To learn the art of remembering dreams and to plant ideas in your subconscious all within the same program, look no further than The Silva Life System. José Silva (August 11, 1914 – February 7, 1999) was a parapsychologist who helped people increase their IQ, develop psychic skills, and the ability to heal both themselves and others remotely through the subconscious.This was the program that was instrumental in assisting Jack Canfield, Shakti Gawain and Wayne Dyer in their early days of personal development. In fact, all of them – including several other famous personal development experts – attested to having used the Silva program for years. Silva’s program has certainly helped in my journey as well and I continue to use it!!

Share Your Thoughts

Do share your thoughts about Inception or your dreams, if any.

Abundance Always,

Do we ever consider slowing down for a fuller experience of life? Do we ever stop to take in the beauty of the moment before us? Do we make it a priority to connect – and truly connect – with someone else? Today’s post is about slowing down to experience more. Oddly enough, we will realize that in our fanatic rush to save time, we miss out on a lot of important things in life.

(Don’t just look straight ahead, notice the pretty flowers along the path)

“Slow down and enjoy life. It is not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” Eddie Cantor

Isn’t it true that we are often in the rush of things that we hardly ever slow down? There is not much of a space in-between. Our schedules need to run like clockwork otherwise the later appointments get jammed in the process. We pack as much as we can not just during the weekdays but the weekends as well. We are constantly trying to play catch-up.

Slowing Down in the Park

Since September last year, I have been going to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, our national park. Spanning 63.7ha, I would not call it really huge. Yet, there was much I could miss out on even though I have walked down the same pathway several times. On some of my visits, I intentionally slowed down my steps in order to discover more. I would notice sights that I have not seen before: a mystical looking tree, a new shimmer to the same lake, magical mushrooms sprouting from the log, exquisite flowers from a sea of green.

A new silvery shimmer to the same lake?….

A mystical looking tree that I have missed out on earlier trips? The tree with its branches hanging in all directions escaped my notice in my first few rounds at this part of the park….

Did we miss out on the mushrooms before?

A magnificent crown of flowers blooming from a sea of green?…

Slowing Down to Build Connections

When we slow down, we get to build a connection. No connection with mother nature can be made if we are simply rushing through the park. A jog is not quite the same as a slow walk in the park. Neither is a walk the same as finally making a stop, to take in the breathtaking view from where we stand. Our capacity for joy over the moment of deep connection can only be in proportion of the fullness of the presence that we bring to it.

It is the same with building a connection in our relationships with others. In our rush for time, it is possible that we neglect the people around us. To cultivate healthy relationships, it is important to be fully present with the person in front of us and not wish as if we are somewhere else.

“Always remember to slow down in life; live, breathe, and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time and never forget everything and every person that has the least place within your heart.” Anonymous

One of my favorite quotes is by Buddha which says “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” Locked in the infinity of the moment, we experience a connection with another – be it flower, person or any other thing – that unifies us as one. Time stands still in this moment. Everything else disappears. What arises is the aliveness of the experience.

Ways to Slow Down to Experience More

So what can you do to slow down in order to experience more?

1. Take Slow Walks in the Park. Slow yourself down by three steps or do a walking meditation the next time you go to the park. If you find that you have been walking a little too fast, retrace your steps and start to notice what you have missed in your first round.

2. Switch off the TV. Watching TV cannot be counted as slowing down. If you are not selective in your TV programs, you may end up with more mental junk than you know. To get in touch with life cannot be found through watching TV. It is about feeling the ground beneath your feet and fully engaging in the reality of the moment through your senses.

3. Spend Less Time On Your PC or Laptop To be honest, I have been spending less and less time on the internet. This is quite a contrast to how I used to work. I used to feel as if I cannot do without an internet connection. However, I now realize that the quality of my post improves when I am able to enjoy life in its fullness and to later share my experiences online. As with watching TV, experiencing reality cannot be made through hours spent on our PCs!

4. Spend Time With Your Loved Ones. It feels sad that our government has to come up with a yearly “Eat with Your Family Day” event. The event has been initiated since 2003. A day in the year is designated because it has been found that “the ritual of family eating together is becoming increasingly important as there are fewer opportunities to do so.”

I would think that eating together with our family once a year will not be enough to build a stronger bond. Eating in togetherness also means communication and attentive attention from everyone at the dining table. It would certainly not do to eat and watch television at the same time. Slow down your other activities every once in a while to spend time with your loved ones!

5. Meditate. My Musing for the M word goes: M is for Meditation, the natural elixir that will allow us to enjoy the Miracle of Life and the timeless experience that will bring Magic into every waking Moment. Read more about the Benefits of Meditation if you are new to the idea of spending time in silence.

6. Keep a Diary of Your Experiences. When you keep a diary or for that matter, own a blog, you start to be observant. You are compelled to slow down to keep records of your experiences. Just like I have found with blogging on this site

7. Pick Up a Leisure Activity. Consider getting involved in an activity that will require you to learn the art of slowing down. Hence, sports that have you up and running do not qualify. The times when I slowed down to take in the vastness of the sea were one of the best experiences I had from my sailing days. When I close my eyes, I recall it all: the smell of sea salt, the nothingness that stretches far out into the ocean and the crystalline blue sky.

Nearer to today, for more than three months now, I have been picking up Tai Chi. Tai Chi is a Chinese system of slow meditative physical exercise designed for relaxation and balance and health. It allows me to enjoy the fluidity that connects one movement to the next, one moment to another. Hopefully, there will come a day when I feel inspired to share more about my adventures with Tai Chi.

Nature Tapestry Notes

Nature Tapestry Notes Slow down to Experience More. Don’t miss experiencing the beauty before you, in your rush to save time. Enjoy the moment fully. And life as a whole becomes full with the succession of such moments.

Abundance Always,

Nature Tapestry Notes is a series of posts that I write and publish from insights gathered while connecting with nature at The Singapore Botanic Gardens. It now comes approximately once per month.

Today, I sat with Fear. Fear has been a long time companion of mine. We have had many conversations in the past over coffee chats and meditation sittings. At first, I listened to Fear intently. I observed how Fear was doing a great job in her warnings to me.

My mind went into calculating, analyzing and thinking with all the points raised by Fear. The more issues she brought up, the more she gesticulated; and the more, she spoke with emotion. Soon, Fear found herself in overdrive.

I noted Fear’s good intent. “Fear is telling me to play small so that I will feel safe”, I said to myself. Clearly, she did not want me to fail. I nodded, in acknowledgment of her pledge of support. Her stern advice went in a menacing voice “Surely, you do not want to be embarrassed? Any signs of failure are not going to look good!”

I pondered; my mind going back and forth. I felt as if I was making a decision that was going to affect the future voice of the United Nations. The weight of ensuring world peace got heavy on my shoulders. With all that thinking about responsibility, I received an emotional truckload of Pain, Frustration, Stress and Worry.

(In case you don’t already know – Pain, Frustration, Stress and Worry are Fear’s buddies.) They were delighted with the invitation. By now, Fear was having some kind of a party. She was quite ready to pop a bottle of champagne, celebrating her victory.

Luckily, I had some awareness that there was some kind of internal melodrama going on. While Fear was kind in offering her thoughts, she was doing such an excellent job that it was paralyzing me into indecision. I was not giving Fear an easy time either. I responded in return, “What is the prize in playing small and never taking a risk?” I must admit that I did not quite enjoy the ensuing debate with her.

After a while, I realized how exhausted I was feeling. I was tired of doing all that thinking. That was when I knew that no amount of analysis was ever going to accurately predict the future. So any kind of anticipated failure might or might not happen. Enough was enough!!

I stamped my feet, “This madness has to stop!!”

And so I finally made a decision. I told Fear how I respected her opinion. I thanked her politely for her thoughts. I assured her that I was not ignoring her but emphasized how important it was for me to go for my dreams.

Fear fell silent.

I paused.

And then I asked firmly, “can you allow me space to be my own?”

Fear smiled.

She nodded.

She understood that I have decided to take charge.

“Yes, yes”, she whispered.

She left swiftly, vanishing into nowhere in the morning light.

And that was how I handled a visit from Fear today.

Shifting Into Peace, Love and Courage,

Top Image: My Picture Depiction of “A Visit from My Fear Gremlin” with the saying “I have accepted fear as part of life – specifically the fear of change… I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back” by Erica Jong.

Today happens to be my 10th wedding anniversary. We had a rocky start – one beset with frequent clashes over the silliest of things; our quarrels reflecting our very different thinking, upbringing and background. Yet, despite the rocky start, our marriage relationship is one that grows from strength to strength. So to have made through ten years is a celebration, don’t you think?

Different or the Same?

On first look, we cannot have been more different. My husband is of mixed parentage (half Caucasian – half Chinese) and myself, a typical Chinese family. Our individual upbringings were so different that they contributed to the beliefs we held about life and how we like to get things done.

Like most other marriage relationships, ours did not start out being disastrous. Romance began almost like a modern day fairytale over chat lines. When we first got to know each other through a mutual friend, he was in the States for a work stint of a few years. Our first meeting was in Washington D.C. I was holidaying in the States and decided to fly across from San Francisco to meet him.

It was a marriage fraught with many ups and downs – in fact, more downs in the beginning. A big part of it came with the stress of raising young children. With little awareness, we gave in to each of our individual egos. The result was drama amidst lots of tears, confusion and hurt. We had a lot of difficulty relating to each other. (We have better acceptance; now that we realize that we operate from very different Enneagram Personality Types).

We managed to experience a turn for the better in the last few years. The turn happened at a time when we started on our personal development journeys. There have been several periods in the past when both of us individually felt the despair of being with a partner who did not share the same ideas about life. In a funny sort of way, we now realize how similar we are – and in more ways than one. The best part of it all is that we are very serious about our personal growth. We see our ideas becoming more congruent with the passing of time!

Tips To A Better Marriage Relationship

The keys to relationship success are nothing new. Many of you probably already know them. Then again, knowing what these are and actually applying them can be a pretty separate thing in the lives of many married couples. The statistics are revealing: there is an increasing number of people filing for separation and eventually divorcing. Singapore – with an urban modern lifestyle that encourages both parties to work hard thus leaving little time for developing family life – is no exception.

I have often felt that I would be the last person to give any sound advice on marriage relationships. After all, with so much storm going on in my personal life previously, who am I to be an expert? However, I would like to make an exception today. I would like to think that my husband will be pleasantly surprised if he reads this post. After all, they are tips that he often espouses to me in his vision of what a marriage is. So here they are – a list of ten factors that have worked for us even though they have not been all that easy to apply –

Marriage Relationship Tip #1 – Spend Time Communicating.
In the dating phase, we found that we could never chat enough. We spent thousands of dollars on long distance calls! Then, as we took up more and more responsibilities that comes with a marriage and children, we found ourselves having less time for things. Yet I have come to realize that if I wish to know my chosen partner truly, I should never stop communicating. Getting to know someone – who happens to be your other half – needs your presence.

I am not that much of a talker but my husband is. He will insist on dissecting every problem or issue we have. While I have often gotten pretty worn out with his long analyses, I do acknowledge that it is through the communication that we found out more about each other.

My married friends tell me that their broken marriages are due to lack of communication. Well, no communication is also talking. When two persons in a marriage are not making an effort to talk through their problems, then each is silently saying that “I am not interested in building a stronger relationship with you.”

Marriage Relationship Tip #2 – Discover the Intent.
Have you heard of the NLP presupposition “behind every behavior is a positive intention”? NLP presuppositions are assumptions and beliefs that we work with in order to do change work. Should you apply it, you will find it easier to forgive anyone – including your partner.

I found myself being able to look beyond my feelings of hurt and to understand that there is a higher intent behind my husband’s words. So my perspective change from “he is criticizing me” to “he cares enough to share his honest opinion”. Sometimes his actions and behavior – though not totally acceptable – is a result of his own hurt. His higher intent is to manage his own pain with the only way that he knows best.

Marriage Relationship Tip #3 – Commit to Each Other.
In this day and age, divorces are taking place much faster than there are marriages. Don’t be part of a growing statistic! Intent for your wedding vows to be true. Feel the commitment deeply towards each other. Visualize being together in your future.

Marriage Relationship Tip #4 – Trust Each Other.
No marriage can sustain without mutual trust and respect. Either party can have opportunity to stray. However, have faith that your partner will make a wise choice in not attempting anything that will jeopardize what you have together. Trust and respect needs to be mutual.

Marriage Relationship Tip #5 – Go On Dates.
It is easy to drift apart when you don’t spend time together. Taking some time to having fun is important. Tease other good humoredly. Share a joke. Watch a funny movie. If you find your life constantly ruled by your day-to-day events, then you need to make an effort to set aside time. Obviously, your partner needs to do the same too!

Marriage Relationship Tip #6 – Admit and Take Responsibility.
We would not be where we are if each of us have not taken responsibility in the parts we play in the marriage. We took charge by each acknowledging that we have our own deeper inner issues. Then, we took the time to doing inner work; sometimes individually and sometimes together. And believe me….we spent hours and hours doing inner work. The hard work did pay off! In the process, we found ourselves inspiring and encouraging each other.

Experiencing delight in the joy of evolving together is a bonus that we never quite expected. Our aim was to resolve differences but in the end, by taking responsibility, we found a treasure of true love and compassion – a unique and special feeling in the oneness.

Marriage Relationship Tip #7 – Have Your Own Space.
While spending time together is important, it is also crucial that both parties find their own space. Space can be found through meditation, spending time individually with own friends or in some special hobby. My husband knows that I have a deep need for space and tries his best to give me allowance every week! Coming together after being apart for a while helps to reaffirm our relationship.

Marriage Relationship Tip #8 – Be Honest and Open.
In the beginning, I was afraid of being real. I was afraid that my husband would not like me for my vulnerability, weakness and faults. And so I was fearful of being truthful about what I really felt inside. Needless to say, not being totally honest created problems. I would say one thing but I really meant something else (more often, a deeper truth).

During my learning journey, I became more aware about the need to be honest. Initially, I faced a lot of difficulty in expressing myself. Raised in a typical Chinese family, I was never encouraged to speak up. So I had to learn how to speak as an adult! As I think about it now, it is like getting a stubborn mule to open its mouth.

In the end, I found out that it was far better to be let my partner understand my inner world. When he does, he is a much better position to understand some of my idiosyncrasies and be accepting of who I really am.

Marriage Relationship Tip #9 – Support Each Other.
I used to be selfish. I would be so wrapped up in my own little world that I would forget his needs. However, I have learned to give support to my husband by being present. Be kind to your partner’s needs and he or she will be thoughtful to yours.

Marriage Relationship Tip #10 – Show Appreciation.
Show your appreciation in little and big ways. Send an sms, write an email to make your partner smile or help in something. Showing appreciation keeps your relationship alive in its meaning for both of you!

Happy Tenth Anniversary

(Photo taken a few weeks ago in Tokyo DisneySea)

More than ten years ago, we got engaged over a Tiffany diamond ring while we were in Miami. To celebrate our wedding anniversary, my husband asked me to pick out a gift. As I ponder over what I would like as a gift, I realize that I have already been been blessed far more than I can ever imagine.

I take the opportunity to thank my husband – my soul mate across time – for being the special person he is. There is a lot that he has done for me!! I will be saving more words of appreciation for later in a special dinner date this evening.

(Note to my husband: okay….okay…I have just reviewed point #8….I still want that pair of diamond earrings!!!)

In Celebration of Love and Romance,

Dreaming about wanting to be a Billionaire sounds like a fun thing to do, when you are visualizing being on the cover of Forbes magazine, smiling next to Oprah, and talking to the President. And it now all comes in a song by Travie Mccoy. I first heard the Billionaire song two days ago on radio while driving my daughter to her art class and found myself liking its easy reggae beat.

What is best about the song, obviously, is its lyrics which resonates with the ideas of visualizing. So I thought I would publish the official music video that goes along with the song – which was only recently released – in my post today. Listen to it if you have not done so……it is likely to make you smile….

I Wanna Have A Lot of Hair

Now what if you are not hoping to be a Billionaire? You decidedly declare that you no dreams of financial freedom? Perhaps you are hoping to grow more hair instead! Watch this spoof instead….the video has garnered over 750,000 views!!!

I Wanna Be A Billionaire Song Lyrics

Like the song? The song was co-written and produced together with Bruno Mars. Here are the lyrics to it….

[Bruno Mars]
I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad
Buy all of the things I never had
Uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine
Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen

[Chorus]
Oh every time I close my eyes
I see my name in shining lights
A different city every night oh
I swear the world better prepare
For when I’m a billionaire

[Travis "Travie" McCoy]
Yeah I would have a show like Oprah
I would be the host of, everyday Christmas
Give Travie a wish list
I’d probably pull an Angelina and Brad Pitt
And adopt a bunch of babies that ain’t never had sh-t
Give away a few Mercedes like here lady have this
And last but not least grant somebody their last wish
Its been a couple months since I’ve single so
You can call me Travie Claus minus the Ho Ho
Get it, hehe, I’d probably visit where Katrina hit
And damn sure do a lot more than FEMA did
Yeah can’t forget about me stupid
Everywhere I go Imma have my own theme music

[Chorus]
Oh every time I close my eyes
I see my name in shining lights
A different city every night oh
I swear the world better prepare
For when I’m a billionaire
Oh oooh oh oooh for when I’m a Billionaire
Oh oooh oh oooh for when I’m a Billionaire

[Travis "Travie" McCoy]
I’ll be playing basketball with the President
Dunking on his delegates
Then I’ll compliment him on his political etiquette
Toss a couple milli in the air just for the heck of it
But keep the fives, twentys (?) completely separate
And yeah I’ll be in a whole new tax bracket
We in recession but let me take a crack at it
I’ll probably take whatevers left and just split it up
So everybody that I love can have a couple bucks
And not a single tummy around me would know what hungry was
Eating good sleeping soundly
I know we all have a similar dream
Go in your pocket pull out your wallet
And put it in the air and sing

[Bruno Mars]
I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad
Buy all of the things I never had
Uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine
Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen
[Chorus]
I wanna be a billionaire so frickin bad!

Wealth Ticket to Top Google Listing

When I did a google search for the word “Billionaire”, the official music video was at the top listing! Way to go Travie! What a brilliant idea to create a catchy song with a highly searched keyword term for massive wealth!

The question for ourselves is: how can we create wealth in a fun and inspired manner?

Abundance always,

There are several things that you can do to make your creative visualization sessions fun. You already know how important it is to use the power of pictures to assist in manifestations. However, if you have left your creative mind languishing for a long time, you may need a little help in getting started. A little imagination can go a long way in making visualizing exercises fun-filled….and far from boring.

(Teaching my daughter Creative Visualization; dream image from my personal scrapbook album.)

I have put together 10 sure-fire tips to help you have lots of fun in your creative visualization sessions:

1. Spark Off From A Single Idea. You do not need to have a very clear picture at first. Starting off with a single idea is fine. Just follow your heart and see where it leads you. Allow your imagination some freedom as you follow your heart. Do not over-think or analyze. Nor feel like you have to restrict yourself when visualizing the things you want.

If you wish to have a cottage in the mountains, picture yourself working in your pristine garden outside of your home. Like to lose weight? Picture how many heads you will turn when you sashay down the street with your new toned body. And if you are dreaming of going back to school, do not just picture a diploma – instead, visualize yourself in the graduation ceremony receiving an award for outstanding student.

2. Set Aside Time. Up till now, you have not set aside a small part of your day for visualizing and daydreaming. As a productive and valued citizen of modern society, you have previously viewed activities such as these a waste of time. After all, what direct benefits can you show for when you allocate time for creative visualizations?

This line of thinking is far from the truth. When you understand how thoughts become reality, you will realize how important it is to schedule time aside for visualization and visioning work.

In fact, giving your creative mind playtime is important. When you apply concepts that are aligned with the natural laws of attraction, you will find manifesting what you desire less of a struggle. Hence, far from being wasted, the minutes you allocate to doing creative visualizations can be highly effective.

Hence, become less in resistant in having to allocate time. Allow yourself the mental space to relax and play. Spending some time even as little as ten minutes each day can draw great benefits.

3. Relax into your session. Even though you may have allocated time, it is hard to have a good visualization exercise if you are feeling uptight. Start by making yourself comfortable. Once you start to go deeper into relaxation, you will be far more able to invoke the powers of your creative abilities. You are more likely to have fun in a relaxed rather than an uptight state.

4. Break Down Your Mental Image. From a single mental picture, give your imagery more sizzle by making your descriptions more vivid. Add more details. For instance, fill the picture of a beautiful garden paradise with smiling flowers, singing birds, a cascading waterfall and lush greenery. Enhance it further by visualizing fluttering fairies, talking squirrels , giant mushrooms, magical lanterns and sparkling stars that fly in the breeze.

5. Tell A Story. Instead of a single static picture, make it a moving story. Visualize yourself living your dreams. Here are some prompts: How are you being? What are you doing? What are you having? Allow your creative mind a canvas to have some fun!

6. Use Metaphors. Incorporate metaphors into your stories. Metaphors are a way of describing something by relating it to another similar thing, idea or concept. For instance, if you are envisioning transformation, a suitable metaphor is imagining a butterfly. If you are envisioning love and transformation, create a story with yourself as Cinderella. If you are envisioning magic, see yourself as Merlin in the land of Camelot. Adding metaphors is introducing fun!

7. Visualize in Different Ways. While says you have to visualize the same thing over and over again in a repetitive boring manner? When it comes to creative visualization, there’s only one rule: anything goes!

Now how can you visualize in different ways? Say you are working on visualizing the perfect job. Script One can have you picturing the ideal work environment you are in. Script Two can have you telling your friends about how much you love your job. Script Three can have you getting dressed to go to work and feeling excited about what is to come. Script Four can have you in tears of joy, receiving tons of awards and compliments from your fan club – oh yes, you have a worldwide fan base alright! And so on and so forth. Get the idea?

8. Feel. Feel. Feel. When you connect with your feelings, your mental pictures become alive. Do not just create imagery without aligning with your heart’s desires. When you are connected through your heart center, your mental screen lights up with color, vibrancy and possibility.

9. Acting What-If. You know that visualization draws its powers from your ability to picture the image of your dream goal, like a romantic partner or losing those stubborn pounds. Most certainly, you do not have to lock yourself in a room and meditate in order to give those images real power – instead, act out your goals!

Here are some examples. Dreaming of a lucrative investment portfolio? Go meet with a financial advisor. Need to lose weight? Photoshop a picture of yourself two sizes down wearing the dress you see at the window of your favorite shop. Want to buy a new Victorian home? Go to an open house and take pictures. It is a fun way to give your visualization time vivid and powerful imagery!

10. Share In A Group. Group energy can add not just fun but more power! Some classes take you on guided imagery sessions. You turn your creative visualization into social events. The advantage is getting connected with a group of like-minded folks who are more likely to encourage you in your dreams.

Share-A-Tip

1. Do you have any tips that has worked for you in making creative visualizations fun exercise? Do share them!

2. My above tips came from my creative treasure chest. I am in the midst of compiling what I know – based on my personal experiences, working with various people and having studied a ton of materials ranging from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to spiritual healing – into programs and books. Do keep a lookout for coming announcements!

Abundance always,

To conquer Tokyo Disneyland in fewer than two days required Strategic Planning . At 115 acres, Tokyo Disneyland would most certainly be a huge park to cover. Prior to making the trip to Japan, I was already mentally prepared. Even though it was supposed to be low peak season (the Japanese school holidays usually start in late June), the park was known for its massive crowds notwithstanding.

(Spring Parade in Tokyo Disneyland)

My friend warned me of long waiting lines. A check on Wikipedia revealed that Tokyo Disneyland hosted approximately 13.65 million guests in 2009; ranking it as the third-most visited theme park in the world, behind its American sister parks.

(Cinderella Castle Tokyo Disneyland)

To prepare my plan of “attack”, I did some research online. I had to work with wanting to pack tourist destinations other than Tokyo Disneyland into my travel itinerary. I found that I had not much time to play with. In the midst of planning, I realized that travel information was valuable to tourists with a limited number of vacation days.

With this in mind, I decided to compile a list of my own top tips when I returned from my holidays. Hopefully, my personal experiences can help someone else (perhaps yourself) plan a better vacation. So here is my list of 7 tips on how to conquer Tokyo Disneyland or even Tokyo DisneySea (Disneyland’s companion theme park) in quick but rewarding time:

1. Visit During Low Peak Season. I had read online reports of three hour waiting lines for a single ride during summertime in Japan. Well, to avoid long queues, plan to visit Tokyo Disneyland during the low peak season (check the official website on when this is for the year).

Hotel room rates are cheaper at this time of the year too. Most certainly, you would not want to visit Tokyo during peak periods because Japan is not exactly a cheap destination and having to jostle with the crowds may mean that you need to spend more vacation days for the same experience.

We stayed at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, one of Disneyland’s partner hotels, mainly because we wanted to be in the vicinity of the theme parks. We preferred not to allocate too much time on the road traveling to/from the parks. (Commuting time via subway can be as long as one hour from the central Tokyo station.)

In any case, we did not have the luxury of that many choices. Most other Disneyland hotels were full by the time I made the booking. We decided on the trip rather late – just two weeks prior to departure. Hence, I recommend making an early booking for better room rates or even a larger selection of hotels if you can help it!

2. Start The Day off Early. There were already long queues forming from more than one hour before opening time. On our first day at Tokyo Disneyland, we were an hour early ourselves. We were not aware that there were different opening times for each day of the week and month. When the gates finally opened, the crowds just thronged ahead. Lots of people were seen running to get to the rides. Including *blush blush* the author to this blog!

(Outside the attraction of King Trition’s playground, Tokyo DisneySea)

3. Decide on Which Rides To Take. Since we already knew that we were not able to take all the rides, we decided to pick and choose. We were quite pleased with our selection. At the end of our vacation, my family took a poll. Our favorite rides were Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

(Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland)

I did not have the stomach for the ” Raging Spirits” ride, a 360-degree-loop roller coaster attraction at Tokyo DisneySea. But my gutsy younger daughter, who went on it, declared that it was her absolute favorite. (*Hush hush* I thought she looked kindof green, though, after the ride.)

(Raging Spirits at Tokyo DisneySea)

4. Get the FASTPASS. We wondered why not that many Japanese do this – get the FASTPASS. Perhaps, they enjoyed waiting in queues? Incidentally, about 95% (or even higher) of the parkgoers were Japanese.

Well, the FASTPASS is a ticket that you can get for specific popular rides. These rides are marked out in the map with the symbol “FP”. The FASTPASS allows you to enjoy other areas of the park instead of standing in line for the specific attraction. You return to the FASTPASS attraction at the time indicated on the ticket. Well, instead of waiting for an hour, we found ourselves waiting for an average of 10 minutes at each FASTPASS attraction.

(Fastpass station at Tokyo Disneyland)

5. Take Meals At Restaurants During Off Peak Hours. At the Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall, I queued for half an hour to buy lunch. It was approximately 1:15pm. However, I noticed that by the time we finished our meal, the waiting line was much smaller.

It was the same during dinner time. At popular restaurants, queues started to form at 6pm. So if you plan on having a sit down dinner, best is to go early to avoid waiting in line.

6. Go for the Parades. If you have very little time to work with and do not understand a word of Japanese, I suggest skipping all the live theatre shows. Go for the parades instead. You get them all in one performance: the catchy music, lively atmosphere, colorful displays and many of your favorite Disney characters singing and dancing.

(Disney Electrical Parade Tokyo Disneyland)

7. Take Rides in the Evenings. If there is any popular ride for which no FASTPASS is available and if you do not wish to wait for more than 30 minutes, you can consider returning to the attraction and taking the ride in the evening. So much the better if the ride is one found in Fantasyland! Fantasyland is famously popular with the children. However, during evening time, most of them would be eating dinner; thus leaving you free to simply walk in to take the ride.

Fact Sheet

Tokyo Disneyland is The Kingdom of Dreams and Magic. It is a 115 acre (465,000 m²) theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba. Tokyo Disneyland is the most successful theme park built outside of the United States to-date. There are seven themed areas in the park; comprising of the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and two mini lands, Critter Country and Mickey’s Toontown.

(Tokyo Disneyland)

Tokyo DisneySea is located next to Disneyland. It is a 176 acre (712,246 m²) park with a nautical theme. Its tagline: “Where Adventure and Imagination Set Sail”. It attracted an estimated 12 million visitors in 2009, making it the fifth-most visited theme park in the world. It also has seven attraction areas within the park.

(Mediterranean Harbor, Tokyo DisneySea)

Overall Review

While I personally preferred Tokyo Disneyland, I found DisneySea more picturesque. My photo album says it all!

(Arabian Coast, Tokyo DisneySea)

Even though we ended up with aching feet on every single day of our trip, we rated our holiday in Japan with an excellent 4.5/5 score!

So what is next in terms of travel dreams for my family? Most certainly more! I intend to update my wish list with Kyoto in Japan, Greece and other parts of Europe. My children had not been to the States. So it would be nice to bring them to the Disneyland in LA or Florida one day! It is also time for a revisit by my husband and I. The last time both of us went to the theme parks in the States was more than ten years ago when we were traveling all the way down Florida to see the beautiful sunset at Key West.

Tip for the Week: Consider making your travel dreams come true with vision boards and intention setting!

Your Travel Dreams

Have your travel dreams been manifesting for you? What is next on your wish list?

Attract Abundance Always,

I have just republished a video, with abundance affirmations that you can say along to. When I reviewed my archives last week, I realized that there were 37 abundance affirmations embedded inside the video that I created some time ago. So I updated it with new soothing music, my website address and proceeded to type out the affirmations (I could not find my original source file) from the video.

And voila….here it is…..the video and the list of 37 abundance affirmations for your viewing and affirming….

List of 37 Abundance Affirmations

1. Whatever I can conceive, I believe.
2. If I see it in my mind, I am going to hold it in my hand.
3. I open myself to receiving abundance of the Universe.
4. The Universe provides me with all that I will ever need.
5. I am richly blessed.
6. I am love.
7. I am One with Spirit.
8. My higher self rules over my ego.
9. My spirit dances in step with joy in my heart.
10. I am whole and in perfect health
11. Every cell in my body vibrates with health and positive energy.
12. Beauty is the breath of my soul.
13. I see beauty everywhere I go.
14. I am financially wealthy!
15. Checks arrive in my inbox every single day.
16. My wealth grows in ever increasing amounts.
17. I love my car!
18. I live in the house of my dreams; in tranquil surroundings filled with love, a blessed family and happy kids!!
19. I attract love everywhere.
20. My relationships are harmonious!
21. I work as and when I want to, anywhere I want to.
22. My business is a resounding success!
23. I enjoy absolute freedom!
24. I experience the world in all its glory.
25. I have a wealth of fond memories.
26. My life is one big adventure.
27. I serve the community with love.
28. I help those in need.
29. My teachers inspire me to live in the now!
30. My inner home is a peaceful retreat, a storehouse of practical wisdom.
31. I celebrate life.
32. Inspiration flows easily to me.
33. Opportunities arrive at the right time in the right place
34. I am divinely guided in all that I do.
35. Miracles manifest everyday in wondrous ways!
36. My prayers are always answered, in support of my dreams!
37. Love and gratitude…Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Abundance Affirmation #24: I experience the world in all its glory!

Indeed my life is one Big Adventure (see also Abundance Affirmation #26)! In terms of travel, I have been lucky enough to have vacationed in many countries; including the United States, Mexico, Spain, England, France, Austria, Amsterdam, Italy, Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and my neighboring country, Malaysia. Even then, I am not quite down yet with half the world yet.

Well, the June school holidays have just started! It is time for a family vacation again! I will be flying off to…..Tokyo this time (see my Travel Vision Board below). I confess to being a big Disney fan, so I will be there to visit Disneyland and DisneySea.

While there have been many times previously that I have traveled on budget, I am going to be holidaying in a little style this time….flying on the Airbus 380 with Singapore Airlines and staying in the luxurious Sheraton that is situated on a bay overlooking the ocean. My kids are also very excited about the trip!

I will be closing the comments box. I need to go pack! See you back here in another two weeks

Abundance Always,