extremely, extremely powerful stuff.

this is why i love love love discovering about the brain and its incredible functions. we don't conscious harness the power of the mind. most of what we lived on are the memories of our past experiences. but the component of the brain; the reticular activating system, tells us otherwise.

it's funny how when i googled RAS, most of the search results that came up were not the theoretical science stuff, but resources insanely applicable to everybody's life (motivational type things)

taken from reticularactivatingsystem.org

At any given time during your daily activities, your mind is bombarded with millions of bits of sensorial stimulations from the physical environment where you are. Sounds, smells, tastes, sights, and feelings are continually being downloaded into your system, and your mind needs a way to filter that information. Well, in a brilliant bit of either creative thinking or evolution, depending on your beliefs, it is the purpose of the RAS and why it came into being.
The Reticular Activating System sits in your brain and acts as a customizable filter which adapts to different type of situation and react instantly. Just for the love of metaphor, the RAS can be seen as a bouncer at the door of your mind. Your beliefs tell the RAS what is or what is not important, chiefly making a list of all the information invited to the party, and your RAS then acts like the club bouncer letting whoever is on the list in and thrusting the rest to the curb. Of those millions of bits of information cited earlier your RAS only lets in around 130 pieces of those information per second in your conscious mind because that’s about all what your central nervous system can handle at one time, and the details you let in are the ones that you have deemed over the years to be important enough for yourself.
This is where the work comes in, and the awesome results follow. Over 30 days, if you think about it and imagine yourself experiencing something new, or affirming an additional, recent belief like “the world is full of amazing and incredible people”, slowly but surely you are molding your filter so that this new statement is having access to your mind and a new mindset is taking place. As you give access to your mind for new convictions, new thoughts are making their way in your subconscious. We all know that no matter our beliefs, especially where they normally deal with other persons, there are plenty of opinions to prove one right or wrong out there in the world. If you believe people are jerks there will be plenty of people around that can prove you right. If you believe people are great, there are just as many people out there waiting to prove that belief right. In the end, it is about what belief you choose to embrace and impress upon your subconscious.

The query now turn into why not be the best person you can be, and believe the best possible things about the world you live in? It is things like the existence of the RAS that makes positive thinking more than just a good exercise that releases endorphins. It’s the reason you could walk right by an opportunity if you don’t believe it will occur and it’s also the cause why there are stories of natives factually not seeing conquering ships imminent from a distance because they didn’t have faith in the existence or the likelihood of ships that large. How many great chances, great people, as well as great experiences are you willing to overlook before you begin to do something about it? Taking action now by affirming, feeling and visualizing the life as you want to live it can rewire your mind and very rationally take your head first into the life of your dreams. It’s all up to you!

these days are smoother than a fresh jar of skippy

i can change my environment from toxic to nourishing. proactivity 

(´･Д･)」

1。do not let past mistakes affect the quality of your present moment

2。meditate so you can lose resentment, guilt and anger

3。smile all the time because you are happy with yourself and no one can be happier for you than YOU

today, i lived out one of my happiest days thus far. it is my sister's birthday and the past years i have just been so paralysed with self-contempt and inflicting hurt on myself by what i thought others must have been thinking of me, that i was so f*ing closed. i dont even remember doing anything special for myself or for my loved ones because i was simply so caught up in my own negative emotions. to choose to be happy is a proactive choice. it's something that comes from within me and not anyone else. i dont have to wait so desperately for circumstances to induce happiness in me. i found out that i can use my own ability to change my circumstances to create my own happiness. 

i cycled. it was a beautifully long route; 8km from bedok to bugis. i was happy i got some exercise from biking in replacement of runs (aching hips meant doing less intense things)

i texted my dad to have lunch with me at a vegetarian restaurant at fortune centre because i felt that a good lunch shouldnt be passed alone (it was pure coincidence that he needed to be in the area too)

i bought 15 balloons and basically tied it to my bike and cycled all the way home and tbh that was the best thing ive ever done for myself because 

• its completely irrational

• irrational unexplainable things turn out to be good memories

i really loved the wind blowing against me and the balloons flying together it made me feel like a scene from the movies 

i decided that balloons in general just made people really happy. i was glad that passers-by looked on so curiously because it was truly a sight to behold （＾Ｏ＾）

balloons r rly damn nice. coloured floating bubbles that dont ever pop i could stare at it errday

i got home and ate nicely for the sake of my health and i was eyeing those buttery chinese new year goodies and thinking "everything's just gonna go back to where it started" but i caught myself because i told myself that my past mistakes are not me in the present moment. my body is going to have a hard time removing all the crazy stuff in the sugar-laden food and that instant gratification just isnt worth it. in addition, i have a whole pantry full of better foods and 3 supermarkets within cycling distance so why should i go for something that i eat to harm myself with? what is there to harm? do i really deserve this harm?

and that's when i realized the crazy thought process that surges up in me when i look at food. i wouldnt want these negative emotions in me. i know what it takes to love myself and i want to choose that every single time. i dont want to be a prisoner of my food. food should instead work for me. 

eat better, not less - i planned out a meaningful dinner with juice pulp, stewed with barley, lentils and some veg in the fridge. reading up on the benefits of vegetables never fail to amaze me. 

sprouts have such power and harvesting this potential when i consciously add it to my food gives me happiness because i am doing something with a meaningful intention. 

i successfully added "making a tofu cheesecake" to today's agenda as well. 

today consisted of doing things that made myself contented, not me being obliged to make others happy. admittedly, satisfying my own well-being is an entirely new concept to me. i never would have done all these things and kept myself busy in the past.

but they are so so beneficial for me. i feel my life has never really been lived to the fullest until these few days. it's surreal. 

never really a problem though ˊ_>ˋ

at my core, there is not nothing. neither is it a parched wasteland. at my core, there is love. i'll go on loving that ten-year-old boy named tengo forever- his strength, his intelligence, his kindness. he does not exist here, with me, but flesh that does not exist will never die, and promises unmade are never broken. 

❤️❤️❤️ always love hanging out in your minimalist beautiful room （＾ν＾）

14.1.2015

i decided that i was going to be happy today because happiness is a choice that i can choose to make. staying at home was a happy choice. to be surrounded with healthy food is a happy choice.

i feel so blessed that dad is more into juicing than i am. its a more positive environment i feel i am in. the text came on the day of JJ's party and i was really excited to get home to the juice really. the days of the binge are long gone and they wont return because nutrients rule calories drool 

im not going to fall into the calorie trap again. anyway yez juicing is the best damn thing that has ever happened in my life and to fully embrace it is the other best thing i've done for myself (＾ｰ^)ノ

dont let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen.

yoga time is always good time

i was such a yoga hater becoz my mom did it so the effort i took to avoid yoga was a huge one. only in y1s2 did i learn to love doing yoga. i promised myself to have 20 mins of it every day and if i was stressed, i'd have it for an hour. in the next few weeks, i found that i could stretch and hold better in the different poses. my downward dog splits managed to get higher with greater ease. and in the class; a crow pose for the longest duration for me (!!!! 5 secs)

i thought yoga was really just holding the pose and keeping up with the instructor but it definitely is more than that because its a personal development journey of understanding yourself and your limits and not caring about the progress of others but basically focusing on yourself. its about easing into the pose and stabilizing your body and forgetting about the past slips and unbalanced moments so that your mind is fully focused on that present moment alone ˊ_>ˋ really good stuff tbh, i really got to understand my body better, improve my flexi and be more mindful of the present moment （＾ω＾）

1. regular shampoos give me itches and irritated skin so i have decided to go poo-free (￣▽￣) really tired of having to resist doing something for myself so i'm taking the first step. it'll be a baking soda + apple cider vinegar wash for me from now on; i had my first wash today and it felt good because it was not as harsh as dove or pantene. i can feel the natural oils being locked in and hopefully this works out for me. i was considering organic hair washes as well because my skin was good after organix but the price hurts (/ _ ; ) i'll use them in oz for now where my parents wont know the price heehee 

i'm embracing the naturals and starting to love it bcoz i really believe that this is what we are meant to do as a human species. tree huggin' plant eatin' animals of the earth

2. had a 2 hour walk today with cheryl who lol clearly hasnt been running in ages lol but the walk to east coast was really good cuz we ended up talking a lot ketching up on life as we know it and interesting projects under way might make for an interesting 2015. thought it was a really good idea for her to set up an insta documenting her food because this girl has been to eaten like $1000 lunches before and tried $90/pax hotel buffets in crown plaza melbourne... serious food porn potential to be shown to mankind.

i did side walking at one point of the walk but dayum my side thighs ache now this is a great workout and the sun was being singaporean the beach was being salty and good 

the background looks superimposed but it's au naturel guys. 

3.

i am grateful for having a voice. it means theres a vehicle to express my opinions. silence twists truths or cloaks them up and i should use voice more. 

ヽ(；▽；)ノ

nonetheless, these past few days have been swell. 7am runs at botanic gardens with my dad are my most anticipated part of any day handsdown. its just the beauty of the park and the people there and the conversations and that gorgeous plant scent when you run past green things

summertime sadness (or lack thereof???)

6.1.2015 with hazel

1. i was always afraid and shifty to listen to other peoples stories and i feared to put my opinions across to them. but damn, yesterday was different. i felt what you had to share bore striking resemblances to my life. i am still finding a way to put my thoughts as effectively to you to make you see. but ilysm and the most important person who should love you is you. too often do we put others before ourselves because "we love them" then too often we find it tiring because we are giving so much. how about we first respect ourselves, our preferences and our values first before including others in the picture? it seems unreal for me that acknowledging myself was actually the solution to all my self-inflicted problems. i think the world is pretty much complete if i cared about myself better.