“lei oi cho fung sin dai mo?” (would you like to be sitting under the fan?)
“yu gu em cho fun sin dai, kam jo mei ah?” (what if I fail to be one sitting under a fan?”
“jau wai jao, ho san fu” (running around, would be torturous)
“gam ngo oi cho lang hei dai” (then I want to be sitting under an air-cond)
That was one of the conversation I had with my dad very long ago, since I was a little kid. Sitting under a fan simply means working in
an office environment, where your income is stable and don’t need to run around. Any job not office based is tough, to my dad at least. Of course, I was more ambitious; I wanted to sit in an air-cond room instead.
As I grow up, I observe the people around me… and my dream was to work in an office environment room, and not any office… must have air-cond! I also wanted to be able to go to work wearing a tie; don’t quite remember what the reason was. Then I remember I wanted to have a car because I saw a lot of my church friends having car and I don’t have one. Another thing I wanted to do was to travel to Hong Kong, probably due to too much TVB series.
Those were my dreams when I graduated.
Now… I am working in an air-cond environment. Yes, I wear a tie to work everyday. I have a car. I also own a property. I have been to Hong Kong… twice. On top of that, I have been to China, Singapore, England, Scotland, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland and the Czech Republic. Not showing off really.
“yu gu em cho fun sin dai, kam jo mei ah?” (what if I fail to be one sitting under a fan?”
“jau wai jao, ho san fu” (running around, would be torturous)
“gam ngo oi cho lang hei dai” (then I want to be sitting under an air-cond)
That was one of the conversation I had with my dad very long ago, since I was a little kid. Sitting under a fan simply means working in
an office environment, where your income is stable and don’t need to run around. Any job not office based is tough, to my dad at least. Of course, I was more ambitious; I wanted to sit in an air-cond room instead.As I grow up, I observe the people around me… and my dream was to work in an office environment room, and not any office… must have air-cond! I also wanted to be able to go to work wearing a tie; don’t quite remember what the reason was. Then I remember I wanted to have a car because I saw a lot of my church friends having car and I don’t have one. Another thing I wanted to do was to travel to Hong Kong, probably due to too much TVB series.
Those were my dreams when I graduated.
Now… I am working in an air-cond environment. Yes, I wear a tie to work everyday. I have a car. I also own a property. I have been to Hong Kong… twice. On top of that, I have been to China, Singapore, England, Scotland, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland and the Czech Republic. Not showing off really.
Technically speaking, I have over-exceeded my dreams already… What were your dreams when you were young? Have you achieved them already?
And yet we wonder… why are we still struggling? Are we trying to chase our dreams? Or are we trying to meet the standards the world has set for us? Some of us may say that we are slaving ourselves for the well being of our children… is it really true? Is it really for your children? Or is it for you to upgrade from a Civic to a BMW?Indeed, some may say we should not hover in the realms of mediocrity. But if we continue to chase new dreams… when are you going to live your dreams?
61 comments:
N o w !
I wanna live in my dreams, don't wanna wake up, can?
Are you feeling that you are struggling too much? That nuthin' is never enuff? How come? Why liddat? How I know wor... I'm still dreaming... :p
Those 2 dogs were not peeing in the pond. There was a 'fall out' there... Rottweiler & Retriever...
i sure hope that my dreams come true.. any pointers?
i'd say we are trying to meet the standards the world has set for us. we are materialistic, we never get enough of anything.
hey zewt, now that u have over-exceeded ur dream, would u still go forward or slow down a lil?
I have a lot of dreams when I was young... and I have achieve none so far. eheh. And all my dreams from building an orphanage, to be the ambassador of Unicef, save children from disease, poverty and startvation... everyone keep telling me that I was just being unrealistic. If you tell me not to do, it will makes me feel very lost sometimes , not sure what to do with my life because this is my dream, what i wanted to do. To help people, to love life.
And because of this reason, I am still going on with my life.
Hey zewt, did u drop by www.yvonnefoong.com for the charity auction yet? ;-) go bid something for ur loved ones or fren's birthday. Since u have achieved your dreams, it's time to give something to people who needs it.
I've always wanted to live in other country and i achieved one my dreams already.
I do have a lot of dreams when i was younger but it seems like i change my mind always..Hehe..
Right now, my only dream is to get the BMW X5 that i've been longing for!
Sometimes I really wonder if my dreams can be realised. What if they can't? What would be left of me??
one dream achieved more dreams/wants/desires come along. It's just human nature. On the other hand, if there is no dream how to survive lah.
I think, looking back, my dreams were quite superficial when I was younger - house lah, car lah, this lah, that lah... so materialistic! LOL!
these days, main dream, and goal in life, is to be happy. maybe it does involve a few material possessions. but what I'd still dream about and make it my long term achievement, would be satisfaction of the soul.
some ppl say you should not revel in the outcome but enjoy the process. that way you'll be living yr dreams every day. if the process is a torture to you, you won't be happy even if you achieve your dreams.
**smiling at the young and innocent Zewt** :-)
I guess everybody goes through the 'awe' phase. When I was a kid, I thought ppl making over a thousand a month are very rich! lol Not to mention those with big cars and big houses are probably the happiest ppl in the world.
I can probably indulge in considerable luxury today because of my father. He's a very sufficient man. But the thing is, I prefer to live a miserly existence. I never go overboard.. hahahahaha The reason is because I don't want to learn to take everything for granted. SOmetimes happiness and fulfillment need constant reminding. It's all too easy for one to just take what they have for granted. :-P
well if dun pursue new dreams, then life will be stagnant and unless u will be pleased with where u r..but r u?..
Dreams begin when comparison is made. You want to be better than him or her. No one ever lives their dreams. It is never possible. You may be living beyond your dreams or never achieve them, but never exactly how you dreamt it.
My dream is to be working at home. Tapping away on my laptop (if i have one) and writing my next bestseller novel! Yes..I want to be a famous novelist! I have been dreaming of becoming that since I fell in love with reading novels. I don't know how high my chances will be of me achieving that..but I'm not giving up that dream yet..And like u..i want to own a car and I want to go to HK too! yes la..i tink is the tvb influence la! hahahahaa..and also i want to go to Japan and Korea and Greece!!! so, will i live the dream? Yes..I am living it..trying my best to achieve it whenever I can! For now, I'm chasing this dream is for my sake not for others..to make myself happy in the next 5years to come and more. =D
Zewt,
Dreams can sometimes turn to nightmares. Take it easy like your exboss did after you have exceeded your dream.
My dream arrr?? He!He! I am still chasing my wet dream! Very hard to achieved wan! Oh! When I saw the place u have visited! Woah! I really admire u!Have a nice day!
Zewt !
Well, i guess its really important to have those dreams and pursue towards it.
And its really nice listening that you've managed to achieve it all by now! =]
More of achieving self-satisfaction i guess. The problem is when some don't know when to slow down a little at times, therefore they forgot to live.
i have lots of dreams and not all of them are achieved... some even got abandon half way through
I dreamed of becoming a great cEO... managing many businesses! Seemed really exciting and still is i guess? Imagine how much power and influence you could wield?
however, recently afer watching a certain Anime the motive behind the dream has changed. from power, status and influence to something more worthy to complement my dream... protecting and helping others fulfiling their dreams.. my loved one.. the place i grew up... my friends, my teachers... my home. The dream may just end up being a dream yet acts as the catalyst to spur my energy and life into achieving a greater purpose. When am i going to live my dreams? not sure
I don't chase dreams.. I chase tails... LOL!! (hence my blog name is that)
I try to dream awake. Sure, I have a vision of where I want to be. Whether or not I'll chase them, is all up to me.
Somehow, of late I've been chasing happiness instead of dreams. Hmmmm...
Time to get back to sleep. I need to dream more.. ZZZZZ
Obviously when we were young we are brought up like that. Now I don't want that. If our job brings us to whole Europe, America, Australia, whole Asia then what? It is not like you gonna have time to really spend enjoying it. There are deadlines to meet and dreadful meetings. Wasn't in that state of mind to take in the view at all..
I rather take my time in this world.. Call me lazy and uninspired. I'm getting tired of rat race. Everyone is doing it. I did my share but I need my life.
Zewt,
You are so lucky; your dream is accomplished in such a quick time.
Alas, my dream is still in infant stage; hardly get going...
I have been lazy. Maybe, I have to work harder. I will catch up on lost time... I must try!
erm...my dream..in the course of pursuit now, i guess =)
I have this one unfulfilled dream, I always wanted to be some Datin's (or any rich women) toyboy.
Problem is, I'm not a boy anymore. So that's one dream down the drain.
there's always new dream. can't get enough of the world. :)
I dunno what is my dream some more. Dream vacation Egypt & South Africa. Haha... maybe find someone special? I already forgot how to dream, but live in a realistic life. Living day by day happily as possible.
And that's a lot of places you been to, I only manage to cover more of SEA region :P
my dream? well, kinda my parents dream actually..become doctor..but too bad..now i'm in office with aircon, wearing formal..but not what i want to do
i wanted to become a vet..but too bad i dun have a very supportive mum..
now my dream? open an animal shelter that does NOT put animals to sleep!
mmmh... dreams are good but realities are setbacks.
I wrote about my dreams too in my blog some time back...And i've achieved 2 out of 3 dreams! It's our human nature lar, to set some "objectives" in life then trying to achieve them, not so much of dreams...Like me, I probably wont have new dreams, but I'll surely set new objectives for myself...
I'm still chasing...amongst those white clouds...somewhere out there, my dream lies.
when i was young my dream is to sail around the world working as seaman.
but was lectured by parents saying no future prospect.
even though i did not make it as a seaman,travelling is still my first love. i've been to quite a number of places but there are still so many to explore.
dream is similar to learning, one cannot finish doing it.
Hmmm. It depends on what your dreams are, whether you continue and upgrade as you go each time. If by now, my dreams would be totally different. Hahahah!!! But yea, I've kinda met most of my dreams. Just only the travelling part.
It's true we keep chasing these dreams of ours when we fail to actually live the moment..
Like when we want to record the 'precious' moments..but are we truly living the moment?
I must say, a wise one once said this to me ; are you using the money or is the money using you?..and then I realized, we 'really' should live our life fully instead of chasing all material things...
i like ur last phase.. it's very thought provoking. really ;)
You might be referring to the Hedonistic Treadmill.
The more we attain in life, the less we appreciate it cause we get used to it.
So we work harder to get more !
angel - it's really ironic... i received a piece of news today... dunno whether i should renew my dreams.
rachel - what are your dreams? as for me... i wanna slow down. but now in a dilemma sigh...
littlepolaris - maybe you have very very high level dreams. sometimes, i feel glad i lived a very simple childhood life. it is the exposure to the world that got me craving for all sorts of stuff... bad bad bad. yeah, will drop by then.
seok thong - BMW x5!!! woooaaaahh... that's beyond my dream.
day dreamer - what are they?
bee ean - i disagree... look at those ppl in small towns or in the woods living a simple and peaceful life... or those living in the village here...
may - being happy is good... but i think u will need to know what makes u happy... then that source of happiness will be your dreams... dont u think?
me - wah... so deep. but i do agree. and how many of us here are enjoying the process?
Helen - many wanna take the easy route now. honestly, if i am in your position, i might just make use of my father's resources. i used to think otherwise... but seriously... why suffer? to each its own.
constant craver joe - i am posed with that question today... to which i have yet to answer.
cirnelle - i think some are living the dreams... i can quote some friends... they are all overseas.
missironic - hmmm... keep blogging, you might just realise your novel dream one day. u have my support!
zawi - trying to... but i am tempted again...
hor ny - how many you wanna poeke la? :P
lee su-lyn - agree agree... i blog about this before. to live is simply... to live... to pause and taste the sweet aroma of life!
sunshine - what are they la?
Grace - hi there! i must say i am touched by the change of your dreams. many wanna be a CEO... but not many will end up as one. not saying you cant achieve it... butyour new dream is certainly much better.
Angie Tan - chasing happiness is much better than chasing dreams... BUT... what makes you happy? that could be your dreams.
hikazew - hahaha... ironic enough... all my friends who are regional person all wanted to just stay put somewhere.
maverick sm - all depends on what your dreams are. my dreams are simple.
HC Tan - lucky la u.
ardy - hahahaha... u sure? from the way you write your blog, i dont think u can be a toy boy.
ala zed - the world will never be enough for you.
princess eileen - what were your dreams when you were young la. dont tell me u want a special someone by then already haha.
Huei - a very good dream. i can imagine you being a vet... scolding all the owner asking them why they let their pets sick! haha!
anon @ 2.01pm - is there a thing called reality? a good blog topic.
sharlydia - if kept renewing it... we will never stop... but then again... sigh... predicament.
Lil' Ms Pinky - if you're enjoying the journey... keep chasing :)
penang-kia - hahaha... when i was love lost then... i wanted to do just that. almost did it.
seaqueen - i was actually refering to childhood dreams... missed out that word.
MeLiSsA - yah, we end up accomulating wealth and dunno how to enjoy it. sad indeed.
winn - :)... thanks.
jason phoon - hi again. work harder? wow... tough life we put ourselves in.
I've been to places, punched all the way down in life, but I came back up, married the man of, well, somewhat in my dreams (tee hee), and now I'll be moving to somewhere of a different, and hopefully, better environment.
Would you call that living my dreams? I think so. A life of contentment (not complacency), and blessings. And that's good enough for me. For we can never stop chasing dreams, but we can live and appreciate what we have right now :)
I guess we will continue chasing those dreams as we keep aiming higher. Besides, we've gone this far, and it's not impossible to achieve a little bit more.
On a more persnal note however, I've not lived my dreams yet. Things are moving in a completel different direction from what I imagined it would be. But aside from the fact that I'm an industrial slave, I quite like my life so far :)
Hahha...always love on an air-con 9 to 5 job desk job. I had. Realised somehow it isn't as dynamic as it could be.. which is why I quit... to a possibly non 9 to 5 not always office job... hahhaa
gah... tried to write a comment but it ended up as a mini-blog so i decided to keep it short and sweet.
to put it in short, i never actually dared to dream because there was a whole lot people depending on me so i never cud afford to step out and do something i wanted. even when i left home for 4yrs, the thought of taking care of my handicapped brother and frail grandma and aunt never left my mind...
now, they're all gone and i have the chance to do things i want to do. my first dream was to get into the SAP line, which was a mere dream that i had no idea of reaching... hving no degrees or higher dip, it seemed impossible to me that i could ever reach my dream...
wat can i say.. God has been kind to me, I'm still working towards the dream of being a SAP specialist and i'm gonna take it step by step for i hv lots to learn...
cars are jz a mode of transportation to me (eh, i'm driving a 12 year old iswara ok) so i don't plan to change my baby unless she's run her course... hse... yea.. in the plans aso...
but my one dream is to be able to live a life that's mine and live each day doing the things i love best (sleeping, bollywood/fusion dancing...etc)... hahaha
Honestly, my dream when i was six or seven years old was just to pass form 6. I have seen so many people fail time and again back then and at that moment in time, I wondered, can I make the cut?
Haha...
Tine - indeed... contentment and not complacency... oftens blurred the line between them... but i think both will make u a happier person.
terra shield - enjoying slaving life eh? then u should not call it slave :)
freethinker - good for u... do it while you're still young.
aSstHa - i wish you all the best in your quest to become a SAP specialist. my cousin is one and she is sent all over the world to do SAP implementation, maybe one day you can be like that too!
anon @ 12.22am - and did you?
Good question, Zewt. It seems like we'll never be contented where we are. I certainly hope there'll be a day when I can finally feel like I'm actually living my dream.
Then again, don't we always need a certain goal (dream) so that we can improve in life? A reason for living!
lolz..thanks for ur support, zewt! ok..i'll keep blogging and blogging!! wont stop typing..lolz..:D
the sad thing about the world is everyone is succumb into this culture of chasing for more, for the bigger, for the better when in actual fact, they are missing out everything while they keep chasing.
what do they get in the end when in the end, they have no time to speak to their parents, they have not 10 mins to tell their love ones 'i love you', they go home and screamed at their children or parents because they had a bad day at work, or they go to bed feeling numb and too tired for anything else.
I don't know what my current dreams are because I've achieved the old ones. Those that I'd like to dream about cannot be achieved by me alone. Hehe.
i guess everyone (well, most of us) would have different goals/dreams to achieve over the journey of our life ...
it's a neverending goals which would sprung up over different stages within one's life ... unless you're a monk, chances are you would forever chasing it, not that we want to but sometimes it's due solely to the changing environment surrounding us ... that's why we often heard "no choice lar, have to do it" ...
cheers zewt ...
narrowband - i guess it's a 2 edge sword... we just need to choose which one we wanna we should cut ourselves with.
missironic - :) keep going.
ehon - indeed, just like my colleague who bought a big house but hardly at home.
rinnah - having children leh...
stocktube - yeah... we are in that position becos we choose to be in it... very bad... and it's truly ironic.
Accept the fact that we human never feel satisfied.
jam - yes, indeed.
maybe because whenever we think we had enough, that 'this is it' and all, then we looked at others and think... no, this is not enough.
Hehe..Great to hear you achieve more than what u dreamt off. Hope i'll be able to reach your stage in the future. xD
_butt - couldnt agree more. when we don have a car, we look at those with proton. when we have a wira, we look at those with honda. when we have toyota, we look at those with BM... when will it end?
angryyoungchild - that's probably becos my dreams arent that great? :)
it's human nature to wish for the things we don't have, and once we DO achieve them, we inevitably wish for even more. oh, what a queer race we are.
kimberley ho - hi and welcome to AZAIG. i just came from a blog which said we shouldnt compare...it's a deadly sin... if only we all realise that.
Most offices have air conditioners now....
Envoy - hello there... oh well, that was a chinese saying... based on old chinese opinion...
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