A Chinese New Year Post

2009-01-26, Yishun, Singapore -- (Chinese New Year for the Lunar Year of the Ox)  It's twilight time and since it's non-working holiday, I have the opportunity of writing down some of my thoughts.  It's also just now that I start using this online journal -- intentionally for myself.  I have maintained before a manual book journal which was stored somewhere else I just never recall.  

I love twilight time and I could hardly explain why.  I love to look at the horizon in plain white color as it turns darker and darker and while feeling the strong cooling winds.  It's the most ideal time that you can see the farthest horizon not being hindered by the so much strong light of the sun.  It's certainly why it is the best time to take horizon and landscape photographs.  For me it appeals to be the 'coolest' part of the day, when there seems to have the most perfect balance of sun light and the night coming by.

In the same way, perhaps, as it marks today the start of another year in the Chinese Calendar, twilight times signify the current changes in our lives.  I feel that I must be attuned to changes and that in fact I must love and appreciate that these dynamic changes are integral to my life's growth.  Be it through the hard times or the achieving times of my life, the progression or regression of things simply makes time more meaningful and more worthwhile.  

It's also either in the regression or progression of things that we are able to see a clearer perspective of our vision in life.  Throughout the world, there is no daily news without the topic of "global deep recession", unemployment and encomic downfall of even the greatest economy of the world.  On the otherhand, people are becoming more and more sensitive of their social responsibility that wealth must be in balance and is not ought to be just for the few.  And hopefully for the world's economic and political leaders, they may realize that it requires a long term understanding and appreciation of economic development rather than just being after instant economic growth.

And as I reflect on myself, I have the great responsibility also to pursue.  Sometimes, I have been guilty of binge spending and I realize that while we work hard to earn a single penny, we must work harder to saving our earnings.  This venture entails a great deal of sacrifice but I believe it would be most rewarding at the end.

Even if how much diligently we work throughout the day, but if we are not prepared for the coming night, it is a disaster.   And as I am fond of making jokes saying "At the end of the day... it is still night".  ***