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.