January 2025

The end is just the beginning…

Now, where to begin?

January 3

Just finished the November-December 2024 edition of my blog last Saturday. Since then, I have been feeling somehow out of gas. I guess that’s perfectly normal after more than one intensive month of working on it. But still…

I hope that I will be able to get back to my usual state soon.

Working on the edition has, kind of, shedded a great deal of light into my inner self. Sometimes, I feel the pressure of having to make sure that my content is read by someone out there. And yet, I assume that if we think that away, we distance ourselves from the true source of “light”.

After all, it’s not about making money or earning external validation. It’s more about you – about whether you yourself have transformed after the efforts.

In today’s world, driven by social media and marketing, ignorance, I think, has become a serious problem. We all crave others’ attention, without which we feel that we are useless. What a deception!

On Wednesday, I just paid a visit to my sister and brother-in-law’s house. I had a chat with my brother-in-law about many things – including my plan for this year and the years to come.

The path that I am about to tread… well, I guess it’s not going to be easy. It’s not just about learning things; rather, it’s more about practicing and embodying what I learn in daily life. And that’s not a simple feat; many have failed on this path for many reasons – of which I believe the most important ones have to do with ego and humanity’s inherent desire for fame and validation.

Sometimes I wonder, nowadays, we talk too much about being this, being that. Becoming a doctor, a successful entrepreneur, a world-class coach, etc. And yet, virtually nobody talks about becoming a decent person. Let alone a saintly figure.

Why then?

When we discuss the success of, say, a coach or psychologist, many people seem not too fond of how ordinary people’s lives have become different thanks to the coach or psychologist’s words. Rather, we tend to tie these spiritual teachers with things related to money and fame. “ABC is recognized as … by Forbes”; “ABC has helped Fortune 500’s CEOs in …” something like that.

I even recall one of my connections talking about a professor’s success not in terms of how his teachings have made a difference, but in terms of how wealthy he is – how much of a property he owns. Geez…

Maybe it has to do with my set of core values (which, I suppose, differs from person to person). Fine!

Anw, I’m supposed to catch up with someone in the next 5 minutes. See you!

Tenki ga totemo iikara, hajimemashou!

(08:55 AM GMT+7 – January 3, 2025)

January 13

I guess it’s time to be a little bit more serious with journaling; not in the sense of frequency – but in the sense of quality. After all, whatever I jot down here will one day become materials for me to reflect on my life and come up with new insights.

In terms of work, I suppose I should aim to finish the scope of my part-time job as soon as possible, so that I may have time to focus on:

• Preparing for the edition of 2025’s 1st quarter (I already have the topic in my mind; let’s work on it as soon as possible). Maybe also plan time for the 2nd quarter’s edition too.
• Get back to my Japanese study as soon as possible (I have completely forsaken it since I started working on the November-December 2024 edition).
• Preparing for a new teaching job after the Lunar New Year holiday.

I suppose let’s try to finish the scope of the part-time job for the next 6 months; so that I can wholeheartedly dedicate myself to the blog and my Japanese study. It’s not a simple task, but I’ll do my best!

Today is the expiration date of my office reservation contract, so tomorrow I guess I’ll be in the coffee shop instead.

Not much time to jot down my reflections for now, so I suppose let’s deal with what is on the plate first!

Tenki ga iikara, hajimemashou!

(08:55 AM GMT+7 – January 13, 2025)

It has been 3 months since I booked a seat in this office – and now the time there is already over!

Time flies so fast, and life changes so quickly. 3 months are not long, but not short either. I will always cherish the time there. You have served me well – now it’s time to move on!

Hope that one day, I may be able to revisit you again!

(09:45 PM GMT+7 – January 13, 2025)

January 14

I originally intended to stay at home today, but it seems that I need to go out to avoid distractions. I suppose I still have to work a lot on my mental fortitude.

The gym trainer has been pestering me recently, seemingly hoping that I will renew the contract. To think of how people are capable of acting when they succumb to pressure by sales targets… I guess that’s why I’ve always been repelled by the business world.

There is more than 1 week left before the Lunar New Year holiday, during which I will need to do a lot of work to prepare for the new “spring” – literally and figuratively. I need to make sure that nothing will interfere with me for the next 6 months – as I fully dedicate myself to this blog and my Japanese study.

For today, I need to prepare the lesson plans for this evening’s 3 classes – and to work on a report for my part-time job (tomorrow morning I’m supposed to catch up with someone in the team for a discussion).

Lately, it has been quite cold in the morning (and even throughout the day). I hope that the cold will end soon (feeling a litlte bit annoyed by it recently).

All right, maybe that’s enough for now. Let’s go!

Tenki ga totemo iikara, hajimemashou!

(12:30 PM GMT+7 – January 14, 2025)

January 22

Recently, most of my news feeds seem to be covered by quite a few posts about the political landscape of the US following the 2024 election. I cannot help but notice how divisive people are on social media – and how my connections are essentially split into 2 sides.

“Make your choice”, I cannot help but recall a banner that I saw in 2024.

Does that include not making a choice too, I wonder? When has humanity deemed that one can only have two options to pick from?

And how come my friends – many of whom are scholars – are so divided in terms of political mindset? Essentially it’s just “A” or “non-A”. Whoever roots for A finds everything possible to support and praise it wholeheartedly, and whoever on the opposite side finds everything possible to attack it.

I assume that you can pick either “A” or “non-A” – but the thing, to me, is that people are so zealous about their conviction that they seem to consciously SELECT what information they want to absorb, and blame the other side for being blind-sided.

Humanity is so absurd, I have to say. An endless cycle of finger pointing.

Is it because we look outward too much, and spend not enough time looking inward?

To me, people make choices mostly because of their perception of benefits – or rather, because they conform to the expectations/ norms of the community, the “tribe” they are in. People have so little self-knowledge that they seem to act in a very non-sensical way.

There seems to be nothing called authenticity at all in today’s society. I see a lot of incidents of bad faith these days. There seems to be a distance between what people preach and what they do. All of them – not just a single side.

Conformity is, I believe, for the sake of others. Not one’s own sake.

It seems to me that unless one stops thinking for oneself – and starts transcending the limited self, the world will continue to be in an endless state of suffering.

Unless one stops looking outward trying to find someone to “save” them, they will have to keep drifting.

Maybe it’s time to work on oneself, rather than relying on a human being out there to solve one’s problem. After all, what’s inside is the only thing within our control. The rest, we just have to hope and pray that they will be for the greater good.

…

Anw, maybe that’s enough reflection for now. I assume it’s time to get back to work.

I’m about to stop the English classes in the evening for a time, so that I have more time to do more important things. 6 months have passed, and this period, seemingly, has served me well. Now it’s time to move on and take the next step!

I have already decided on the themes for this year’s 4 quarterly editions. Now what’s left is to start working on them one by one. But first, let’s try to finish some pending tasks on this blog, so that I can fully concentrate on the first edition of 2025.

At the same time, I also need to allocate time to reviewing my Japanese study. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but after that. Maybe within the Lunar New Year holiday – which is about to start soon.

Recently, I found it extremely challenging to stay alone at home doing things, so I have been visiting the coffee shop for a while. A little costly, but I guess it’s better – otherwise, I’m going to succumb to some bad habits.

I assume that I need to work on my mental strength; otherwise, it will be tough for me to tread the path that I have set out for myself. I cannot help people if I cannot even help myself!

Ok, let’s do it. I have no time for games! 

Tenki ga iikara, hajimemashou!

(09:10 AM GMT+7 – January 22, 2025)

January 24

I woke up really tired and dizzy this morning; a runny nose disrupted my sleep last night. It has got to the point that I felt somehow hopeless, unable to think or do things, and (therefore) so tempted to resort to some bad habits.

But then I decided to combat the dizziness by taking a walk outdoors for one hour. Now I feel much better – and ready to tackle things!

Guess that sometimes I need a reminder of the importance of staying active and the connection between the body, mind, and soul.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the Lunar New Year holiday in my country. A year has passed; so far, what have I done? What have I achieved? What am I most proud of/ least proud of this year?

This is the first year I have ever been through without a full-time job. It has allowed me to stabilize, get better in touch with my self (including my core values) and realize what truly matters to me in life. Even though financial concerns have always haunted me, at least I have made it through.

This year, I got my N2 certificate. To me, it’s less of a degree – and more like proof of my efforts up to now. It’s a testament to my belief – and a reminder that there’s still a long way to go!

This year, I made my dream come true with the publication of this blog (so far pretty successful in terms of traffic and performance, I might say). Initially, I thought of it as something to help stabilize my life. Now, to me, it’s more like a tool for me to self-visualize rather. To know who I am, who my friends are, and what I stand for in life.

There’s still a lot to do regarding this blog; but for now, I think I am pretty happy with the progress.

This year, I kickstarted my teaching profession again. It was somehow slow, but after all, it happened! Next year, there are gonna be some major breakthrough steps to be finished!

And this year, I have managed to identify my identity. Initially, I was hesitant to change my LinkedIn title and instead stuck to the title of a marketer/ SEOer. However, after working on this blog, a lot of self-reflection and discussions with my close friends/ mentors, I have eventually come to terms with myself, and I am now proud to proclaim that I am an “ex-marketer”.

Now I am a seeker, one who is not afraid of embracing things like psychology and philosophy! One who is daring enough to tread a path that strays away from the norms!

This year is gonna be tough, but I’m ready for whatever lies ahead!

Spring, summer, fall, winter, and then spring!

Let’s go! Ikimashou!

(08:50 AM GMT+7 – January 24, 2025)