Lifestyle

An Everyday Toast

October 7, 2014 By Uncoveries

I’d like to make a toast – as everyday as what many people eat in the morning with their coffee.

Because that’s the way it should be. Instead of toasts being saved for the most special of occasions, there is a reason to celebrate, appreciate, and look forward to what we have every single day. Especially if you are reading this on a mobile device, laptop or computer, since by that default, you are better off than the majority of the people on this earth. Especially for the achievements and milestones in your life, big AND small. Yes, the little things DO matter – ignore those who say otherwise.

So let’s raise our glasses of whatever is your beverage of choice. If you’re a traditionalist and need some champagne, know this: bubbly is always in! If you have a toasting flute, fill it up. And a microphone? The louder the better.

What if you don’t know what to toast? There’s no reason to worry, as it’s entirely your choice and there’s no judgment from others (as long as there’s no one else within earshot).

[Read more…]

The 3 Secrets of a Happy Life

May 2, 2014 By Uncoveries

We’ve all heard them before, yet there remains a clinging hope for these quick fix claims made by gurus, books and programs.

Their popularity demonstrates how many of us feel like we’re missing something, searching for a secret, trick, formula or template that will be the answer and instantly insert [happiness], [success], and [meaning] into our lives. Like a magical treatment the life doctor prescribes with a co-pay in the form of a book, ticket or hourly rate. Then our life really takes off, pieces align and we spend our lives in an eternal flow. Ding! Amazing.

There are, in fact, three secrets of a happy life.

And the best part is, they’re simpler than you’d think. Let’s dig in.

[Read more…]

Are You Too Practical For Your Own Good?

April 25, 2014 By Uncoveries

I’m a recovering practical. It’s only recently that I’ve admitted this as a weakness.

I realized practicality has been a crutch since I was first faced with uncertainty on what I wanted to do with my life. It started at age 16, when I decided to attend an accelerated program towards an engineering degree simply because my dad was an engineer.

That was an acceptable starter decision. Yet the series that followed were increasingly worse offenders—a mixture of elimination, circumstance, convenience and the deepening poison of practicality.

[Read more…]

The Irony of Living Your Dreams

March 15, 2014 By Uncoveries

Living the life you are saving for the “one day,” retirement, or vacation is much more possible now than you think.

We spend our lives going after the latest gadgets, trending styles, higher paying jobs so we can get even more of the stuff, and yet ultimately our lives lead back to basics that most of us can have right now. Some common thoughts are:

[Read more…]

Re-thinking the Too Weak Vacation

February 9, 2013 By Uncoveries

I was in a bit of internal turmoil after coming back from a two week vacation.

The two weeks were a great chunk of time to disconnect and enjoy simply living life: not worrying about problems at work, upcoming deadlines, items on the to-do list. We thought the days would speed by, much like it does in our normal 5-day work weeks.

Instead, we found time is much more expansive when it’s not routinized. Halfway through the vacation on our way from Taiwan to Hawaii, it seemed unreal there was still another week left.

But come to an end, it did.

[Read more…]

Sneaky Stuff

December 28, 2012 By Uncoveries

There’s no denying it. Humans love stuff.

The never-ending options—from the free promotional items to expensive purchases, from the aesthetic to the pragmatic—they’re manifestations of the churning consumerism around us.

Here’s the thing about sneaky stuff: you’re unaware of how much you have until you’re forced to sort through it.

Moving is one occasion when that happens. One thing after another comes out of the closets, the drawers, underneath the bed, behind the furniture—until you want everything to disappear. Moving is also when a lot of waste generally occurs.

[Read more…]

Time Waits for No One

December 4, 2012 By Uncoveries

It’s a little unnerving when you go through your daily routine and realize it’s Monday again.

How is it Monday already? Seems like it was just a few days ago and here I am driving to work again.

If I could somehow monetize that thought, there wouldn’t be any more Monday drives to work.

When we’re younger, days seem longer, weeks are extended, and summers are a long vacation. As we get older, the days speed by, weeks blur, and summers never seem long enough. What is it that causes the passing of time to go faster? My work day morning routine is practiced and executed with near perfection each day.

[Read more…]