How to Become Happier

We cannot always be happy,
but
we can always be happier.

Like sunshine and rain, it is natural that we have ups and downs in our lives. We all have happy and unhappy moments. While we cannot always be happy, we can always work to make ourselves becoming happier.
Here are some ways to help doing so:

1. Keep healthy. Happiness starts with good health.
2. Care and love the people around you, and make them happy.
3. Greet with a smile from the bottom of your heart. You will receive the same in return.
4. Look for interesting and funny stories, and share with everyone.
5. Pursue a couple of new interests, but don't force into becoming new routines.
6. Remember there is always a bright side of everything.
7. Forget the unhappy experiences. Forgive those who made you unhappy.
8. Devote to the work you love, but don't become a slave of it.
9. Don't be overcritical in life. Appreciate the good fortune when in good fortune.
10. Accept occasional bad encounters. Release unhappy feelings with peaceful means.
11. Don't compare, don't bother.
12. Enjoy life, and don't waste time on unnecessary worries.
13. Make wishes which are easy to come true.
14. Recall your favorite things.
15. Grasp instantaneous inspirations. Make good use of them and don't let go easily.
16. Have a cup of tea with a few good friends. Chat freely with whatever comes to mind.
17. Take a vacation with people who can make you happy.
18. Watch a comedy and have a big laugh.
19. Give yourself a present.
20. Give your beloved one a surprise.

Wish you happier!

The Three Words

The easiest words - A B C
When we feel the thing is easy, we say "It's as easy as A B C".

The most beautiful sounds - Do Re Me
You are probably already aware if you have seen the movie 'The Sound of Music'.

The basic foundation of everything - One Two Three
Numbers are the building blocks of Mathematics. Mathematics is the mother of all sciences. Science is the mother of all inventions. Invention produces everything we have today.

The first words when meeting a friend - How Are You
This is the most common, simplest and yet warm and polite greeting when meeting friends whom you know or not.

The most friendly words of appreciation - Thank You Mate
This is a bit Aussie, but it is the most friendly appreciation expression here down under.

The easiest way to get away doing something - I Don't Know
Don't use this too much. Try to be more positive and helpful next time.

The most difficult words to say - I Love You
Usually things are easier said than done. For this, it's easier done than said. We may be doing this already to people around us. But to most, it is difficult to say the words out from the mouth.

The mostly heard words everyday around us - O My God
We hear these words everywhere, at any time and almost in every occasions. We hear them when people are overjoyed, happy, surprised, shocked, frightened, sad, distressed, depressed, hurt, angry, furious, disappointed, annoyed, regretful, ......... , you name it. True, God is everywhere!

The Two Swallows

This is a translation of the Chinese poem - 'Swallows' (燕詩) from Po Chu-i (白居易) , (772 - 846) :

Under the beam live two swallows,
a happy, joyous and blissful couple.
Together a love nest that they build,
and give birth to four sweet little fellows.
Days and nights the four babies grow,
chirping to beg for food to swallow.
Worms are hard to catch and find,
but young mouths seem never satisfied.
Though torn and worn the bodies are,
willing and capable still in parent's minds.
Despite dozen times flying to and fro,
yet fear kids in nest still with hunger and in trouble.
So tirelessly they work, and work, and work,
and unknowingly a month's already come and go.
The children slowly get taller and stronger,
while thinner and weaker becomes the couple.
Muttering to teach the kids to speak,
the two brush their young feathers each by each.
Once the wings get into full strengths,
the two lead them flying in court bit by bit.
Now freely they fly higher and farther,
without looking back to their father and mother.
With the wind they're finally gone,
scattering everywhere and everywhere.
The couple shouts loud and hard to the skies,
calling each by their names but no one replies.
Nothing can they do but back to their empty nest,
sobbing into the whole night in sorrow and in tears.
Birdie. Birdie. Don't you cry.
You should reflect and come to realize.
When once you were kids, you did fly,
leaving parents behind with their broken minds.
What your parents saw the other day,
was exactly and truly what you are seeing in front of your eyes.

To all the children of the world!

Qianlong Emperor and the Widow - Sequel

In my blog - Qianlong Emperor and the Widow, 8 December, 2009, Qianlong Emperor was not able to complete a couplet as set out by the widow when he tried to ask for an overnight stay in the widow's house. He had to reluctantly leave and seek accommodation elsewhere.
That night, Qianlong Emperor felt extremely unsatisfied with his inability to complete the couplet and could not get into sleep. He was still thinking about the upper half of the couplet:

寂寞守寒窗 寡室寧容賓客寓

No matter how hard he tried, he was nowhere near success to complete it. Instead, he thought he managed to produce a perfect couplet based on this upper half.
So early next morning, Qianlong Emperor went back to the widow's house again, and presented to the widow the following couplet:

寂寞寒窗空守寡

俊俏佳人伴伶仃

The couplet is considered as perfect as, apart from the sentence matching, it has a same but different radical in each word in the upper and lower halves. The couplet can be translated as follows:

'In this lonely and tiny unit as a widow,
a beautiful fair has companies little.'

My story stops here as I don't know how the widow would react, nor whether Qianlong Emperor would take the widow back to his palace as one of his queens. Readers, you may use your own imagination to provide an ending to this story as you desire.