Tag: Writing

Building on the success of my first YouTube video, I expected myself to get off to a good start in my second YouTube video. But in real life there’re always some forms of dramas waiting to happen.

The good news is I found myself to be more effective and efficient in film editing. It was an absolute bliss to see the content I’d created being put together nicely. The bad news is then the last minute, one wrong click away, I accidentally removed everything including the first video. A long story short, I ended up spending all night without rest to re-create and replicate the video files I lost. One important lesson learned – always back up your files! While it was a relief to see them again, the next day I felt like shit because of the lack of sleep.

Now I’ve got the drama out of way, let’s talk about the soul of my second YouTube video.

The title is Follow Your Instincts: Discover Headland Park Mosman Sydney.

Years ago I stumbled across Headland Park Mosman while walking my dog in the neighbourhood. I’ve always been a spontaneous, action-oriented, play-it-by-ear person. I guess in some way I can be seen as slightly eccentric. Because of it, I tend to take the road less traveled. For me, having an inquiring mind and staying curious often leads to the discovery of many beautiful gems. This video is a good example of it. But if you aren’t into something too deep or philosophical, it showcases the beautiful scenery everyone can enjoy.

Most of us prefer to play it safe. But in life there are situations where we don’t always have the luxury – a road map or a rulebook to tell us how to go from point A to point B. Our gut feeling exists for a reason, it’s an innate quality we were born with. If it tells you that something is a bit fishy, too good to be true, chances are it’s got a valid point somewhere. But If it tells you that something is worth taking a risk, then there’s a good chance it may be right.

So, I invite you to watch my second YouTube video. The link is below. I hope you like it. And if you haven’t already, please also check out my first YouTube video while you’re there.

Till next time… Watch this space.

Ted

A couple of months ago I got an urge to make a video on YouTube. I thought why not! I have nothing to lose. So, the first thing I did was to create a YouTube channel and write a description of what it’s all about. Well, not long after that, the novelty started to wear off, I left the account sit idle for a week or two.

When my earlier enthusiasm returned, I still wasn’t sure about:

• What kinds of content should I put out to the world?

• How should I present myself to the global audience?

I was also worrying about being disliked, judged or commented.

In the process, I went through a period of self-searching, self-doubts and all that. I was struggling to find my unique voice, style and branding. While technically, I needed to learn how to make a YouTube video from scratch myself.

It’s easy to see why people tune into YouTube. In short, there’re two reasons:

• To be educated. They want to learn new skills, gain new knowledge/information, find quick and effective ways of fixing things.

• To be entertained. They want to be amused, stimulated or just have a good laugh.

I fantasied a few ideas here and there but deep down I knew I was just a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, no one would be interested in my stuff. This type of self-defeating voice was constantly playing in my head.

After diving into this subject a bit further and hearing other people’s similar experiences and stories, I realised, there’s no magic bullet. The saying “practice makes perfect” sums it up. Those who’ve made a name for themselves as popular, talented YouTubers, they look so natural and confident in front of camera. But that’s because they’ve practiced again and again. If you go back to watch their first few videos on YouTube, you’ll see why they’ve come a long way!

While I’m the new kid on the block on the YouTube scene, I believe I can become a pro as long as keep on practicing. For now though, I’m happy that I’ve found a new hobby – filmmaking.

From concept to completion, from start to finish, it took around 2 months. So, without further ado. Here it is the final cut. Check it out. Hope you guys like it.

Ted

What you see is what you get?

In hindsight, things begin to reveal their true selves and only then do we see the bigger picture better.

What is it supposed to mean? There’s more to a situation than meets the eye!

Since the early December, I’ve written two posts about the unlucky events that happened to me around that time.

If you haven’t read them yet, here’s a quick recap:

Back luck number 1. I got a flat tyre while driving my way to The Northern Beaches. As a result, I didn’t end up going.

Back luck number 2. A few days later, my car hit the front gate of the tyre store while I was bringing it to the service area. As a result, I couldn’t go again.

Both incidents have left a bad taste in my mouth. They ruined my Sunday plans. Not only my time was wasted, my money also went out the window.

Well, that was then, What about now? I count myself lucky. It turns out they were in fact a blessing in disguise. I wouldn’t have known in the first place.

Due to a cluster of coronavirus cases in The Norther Beaches, the government has declared it to be a high-risk area and imposed a lockdown there since last weekend. The health authority says that anyone who was in around the area in the past 3 weeks, should go and do a swab test and self isolate at home for 14 days.

Lucky me!

I won’t bore you with all other details here. But I guess the moral of the story is: We sometimes describe something as terrible, bad or negative, but later when new developments start to come out, they completely rewrite history. Vice versa.

If anything that’s bothering, annoying or upsetting you at the present time, hold your breath. Don’t write it off just yet. You may be surprised that in the ensuing days, weeks or even months, you no longer see it the same way as it was a while ago.

Time will tell. As life evolves, so do you. You’ll gain new knowledge, new perspectives and new understanding of what went on. Perhaps by then, you may see it was a blessing in disguise…

Bad luck. The bad news is: It happens to everyone. It’s part of life. The good news is: It has an expiry date. It doesn’t last.

I recently had a talk with my mentor Steve about a string of unfortunate events that’d happened to me. I attributed them all to one thing: Bad luck. Instead of going along with it, he simply said: No, I don’t think it’s bad luck, that’s life!

It got it.

Generally we describe bad luck as something happens in a wrong place at a wrong time. For the sake of argument, any place can be a wrong place and any time can be a wrong time. Bad luck is so random that no one can say conclusively it follows a particular format or formula.

Some say everything happens for a reason. But more often than not we have doubts about what constitutes a good reason. Even we have a good reason to believe it, it doesn’t necessarily take away or lessen the pain.

2020 it sucks, big time. As the year draws to a close, let’s hope we all finish on a good note. The other day I felt a bit hopeless when I was having flashbacks to those sagas in my life. You can’t help but wonder: OK, bad luck comes in threes, now one out of way, what’s next?

Perhaps it’s not all the doom and gloom. Everyone has that fighting spirit they can call on. The moment I started to feel hopeful is when I faced up to the reality and did something about it. Actually, there’s a bunch of people who will lend you a helping hand if you ask. I must also stress: Don’t use shortcuts to solve your problem. Do it properly. Even if it means going the extra mile, you do it once and for all. You’ll thank yourself for it later.

Friends and family can give us a sympathetic ear in our hour of need, but they can only take so much. For matters that are trickier or more technical, it’s better if we consult with professionals for their expertise and pay them for their services.

Bad luck isn’t the be-all and end-all. When you take the bad with the good and when you take a bold step to deal with a mess it leaves behind, you’ll discover strengths and patience that you didn’t know you had. And that’s your secret weapon…

Your voice may have a far-reaching effect than you realize.

Should I or shouldn’t I? When we can’t make up our minds, we normally turn to our family or friends for advice. Sometimes they express their views based on own preferences or biases, which may not serve our best interest. Other times they’re just like us, have no clue themselves. Wat do you do in this instance? Where would you seek a second opinion? Well, that’s when Google search engine comes in.

One day last week I woke up having this compulsion. I felt an overwhelming urge to buy one of those Samsung new tablets on the market. I’d done my research, I’d watched those product reviews on YouTube, I’d been thinking about it for days and I could afford it. What am I waiting for? Well, I only had one last hurdle to cross – To convince myself that I really need one.

Before I got too carried away, I thought I’d better check on Google to see if anyone had written anything about it. So, on the search box I typed in a sentence: Do I need to buy a tablet? Within seconds, a whole range of related sites popped up in front of me. As I was scrolling, I found a post written in 2018 to be very helpful.

Even though it was published a while ago, the information in the article is still relevant to today. The writer presented both sides of the argument for and against with the bold headings: Reasons to buy and Reasons not to buy.

After reading through some key points, I decided: I don’t need one, I’m not going to buy one.

The writer of this post is what I call a real influencer. I bet he wouldn’t have thought of that.

Let’s face it, what we’ve written on social media or in our blogs are short-lived. Because it comes and goes, it’s easy to think that it may not have an impact on others in any way, shape or form. Think again! Two weeks or two months or two years from now, some random readers out there may come across your writing and find it super useful and valuable.

Want to become a real influencer? A real influencer is here for the long-haul. The curve will certainly go up and down but you never know how far your writing will travel to and how many lives it’ll touch…

A couple of recent incidents got me thinking about The Law of Attraction.

While we all want to attract good fortunes to our lives, sometimes we inadvertently “invite” opposites to ourselves, too.

To write a post about this topic while I’m still living through the aftermath of the events is not easy. But as I found out many times in the past, writing is healing. So, I’m going to hold on one more time.

How did it all begin? Let me set the scene first. Last Sunday was a scorching hot day reaching 40 degrees ℃. On top of that, the wild gusty winds only intensified and made it worse.

It’d be no fun to engage in any outdoor activities under these conditions. Given the soaring heat might do some damage to the wheels of my car, I decided to postpone my beach day till Tuesday when the forecast said it was going to be mild.

When Tuesday came, I did exactly that – driving to a beach! After only 5 minutes on the road, I noticed a driver in the next lane wanting to tell me something. I opened the window and heard him saying: You’ve got a flat tyre at the back. At first, I thought he was joking as I hadn’t felt any difference. But later I started to feel a bit funny, so I decided to turn back and check what was going on. And? Yes, he was right. I’ve got a flat tyre! The last thing I needed. First things first, I quickly called roadside assistance for help.

OK, it was bad luck. But I should also factor in another thing – I took a different route, instead of an usual route to avoid a traffic jam.

The whole thing led me to think: Do we attract to what we try to avoid?

The incident ruined my plan, it was inconvenient and annoying. But later that day I asked myself this question: Can I take the bad with the good?

Yes, I was grateful for the driver in the next lane, I almost ignored him. If not for him, I could’ve been in a worse situation – a car accident or something. I was also thankful for the guy from roadside assistance who came to my aid. He changed the flat tyre and replaced it with a spare tyre I had in the back of my car. While waiting for him to do the job, there was a raging storm happening. I remember he said at least we are inside the car park, not outside getting wet!

I finished the day on a positive note.

Just when I thought I’d got my fair share of bad luck, another incident soon followed two days later. It was spooky but a long story short. To comply with a scheduled clean of the garage area, I needed to remove my car from the parking lot and leave it on the street unattended. I thought I was already out, why not stopping by a tyre shop to get the flat tyre repaired.

For the sake of easy parking and some better Google reviews, I picked this tyre shop in a less busier street, instead of the one next to the highway.

While there, I was told to park my car in the designated service area. To do that, I’d have to reverse a little and then make a left turn towards it. Within seconds, I heard a big bang. My heart sank when I realized my car had hit their front gate.

It was way more than I’d bargained for. I was meant to go there to solve a small problem – a flat tyre, now I got myself a bigger problem – a smashed car. More money will go out the window. I was in disbelief.

What can I say? Or more importantly, what can I learn from these? Don’t tempt fate? Don’t try to get things done in a rush or at your convenience? Don’t open the floodgates to mishaps? Better leave nothing to chance?

Things I tried to avoid, ended up happening in succession. Perhaps avoidance is another form of reinforcement.

I’m still upset over the latest episode. Part of me wants to figure everything out, but another part me wants to let it go. At the end of the day, it’s only a car. As time goes by, I feel I’m leaning more towards to forgiving myself. And I will not try to avoid it this time…

Real life is very different from those glossy advertisements.

Moving in to a new city or a new country can be an unnerving experience. Starting from scratch comes with uncertainties. If you are someone who’s been planning on studying, working or residing in a new country when the border is reopen, chances are you will meet with some surprises along the way. No one can predict what lies ahead. But with preparation and a good strategy in place, you can make the transition a lot smoother.

If you’re going to overseas, obviously, you don’t just show up at the airport with your suitcases and a dream. Psych yourself up, once you’ve arrived at the destination, you’re at the point of no return, at least for the duration of your intended stay.

Whether you land in a new country as an expat, an overseas student or an immigrant, below is a short list of things to look out for when choosing a new place to live:

1. If you are relative new to the city, it’s best if you choose a furnished apartment at first and make sure it’s close to public transport and shops.
2. If your family is staying with you, make sure you are there for each other and watch out for possible signs of mental health especially when things get tough.
3. If you are bringing kids along, time carefully. Make sure they don’t miss out on schooling for too long.

Having been living in Australia for over 30 years, I’ve seen many people come and go. Everyone is different and various factors can come into play. I have concluded 3 common deal breakers:

The number one deal breaker is: The language barrier.

It can make or break your chances of survival. If you come from a non-English speaking background, it’s so important to gain a working knowledge of the new language beforehand. To make your life easier in new surroundings, at least you need to know what to say when you shop.

The number two deal breaker is: Unemployment.

If you don’t have a regular source of income to rely on, you will feel the crunch. It’s important to give yourself a realistic expectation when it comes to landing a job. A good question to ask yourself is: Are you able to support yourself in the next 6 months under these circumstances? If the answer is No, then you will need to have a plan B or even a plan C.

The number three deal breaker is: Personal reasons.

Some new comers still feel out of place or displaced after a few years. I found this to be true particularly among the older generations. Perhaps they have problem adjusting to the weather, the lifestyle, the food or the culture.

All in all, moving in to a new country is like living a life in the fast lane. It can present many opportunities to you. But bear in mind, it’s not a one way ticket nor a one way road. Give yourself time. If it doesn’t work out for you at the end, know you have options. Feel free to change to the slower lane or make an u turn. You can start somewhere again…

On the surface, beating yourself up looks like a righteous thing to do, but beneath it, it’s all about judging yourself.

Before I finished my last post and published it, I’d wasted hours and days of my time on something totally unrelated to writing. For example, browsing through social media, watching some YouTube videos. It’s true that they kept me engaged and entertained, but after a while, a guilty pleasure turned into a guilty displeasure, soon I started to criticise myself for the earlier inaction.

Sure, cut me some slack, but to tell myself it’s OK when I don’t feel OK is not easy. I am not convinced. Perhaps it’s time for a new strategy, to take on a gentler, kinder approach that is.

So, I came up with this metaphor which I was hoping would stop me from being in a rut: Those time wasters are like a long warm-up session before a real workout begins.

OK, it may sound like I was justifying myself or looking for a way out of my procrastination. I get it. It probably didn’t make much sense, but the bottom line is I’ve got nothing to lose anyway.

And the verdict? It helped. I simply dived right in to my writing routine and the rest is history.

What’s the good of beating yourself up? None. Next time when you catch yourself doing it, tell yourself: Enough!

You’ve paid your dues, don’t beat yourself up. Now it’s time to make up for lost time…