I saw a commercial on TV tonight advertising storage and warehouse space. It begins with a lady entering her garage from the house but her car is not in her plain sight, instead… you guessed it! She sees a crap load of household utilities, furnitures, etc. Simply a load of crap. She then beeps the car with the unlock remote, and it shows the car completely buried under all the junks. Since it is a storage commercial, it inescapably concludes with her showing a happy face as she is loading them junks into a rented storage.

You know what I think when I see that?

I see the result and disaster created from materialism. It reminds me of an old saying that goes something like the things we own end up owning us. How true!

Remember I talked about the nice and uplifting feeling from my Memorial weekend clean-up? It did take me awhile to learn and realize. I used to think maybe keeping those things around, there will be use for them somday, just MAYBE. But then I have come to learn that having all those things creates clutters that annoy and stress me out unconsciously. Why? I would attribute it to the loss of space, which leads to the feeling of being confined and closed in. On top of that, I have to figure out what to do with a lot of these items! Often time all the items we keep just do not have a real purpose and do nothing but take up space beyond the initial excitement after the purchase.

So we have to figure out what to do with them. Or they could just be around taking up living space. On top of that, we need to repair and maintain both items that get used and those that don’t. As all these tasks cost us time and effort, we are becoming the servants of materials. Materials that we made the choice to buy.

Thus, here are the few things I propose for us to do:

• Throw out or sell (craigslist/ebay/amazon…) unused, unnecessary items in the house – first step to fixing cluttered status quo. Do with cleaning.
• Consistently keep our space clean and organized – again, this keeps the mind clear and thus allows for thinking clearly.
• Have discipline when making purchases – understand if the item is needed, if it has its usage in daily living, and/or if it will be frequently used. If you must buy, buy things that offer lasting, long-term happiness, comfort, or higher standard of living.
• Keep it simple – do we really need all these furnitures, fancy electronics, Persian rugs, gadgets after all?
• Find peace and happiness within self – do not fall for “retail therapy” to fulfill these two purposes. Ask yourself, “Does it really make me happy long-term if I buy this?” or if it will just be a few seconds of joy right after purchasing, which begs the question if it’s worth it for dropping all those cash. Lasting peace and happiness are only to be found within.

Not only will these tips save you money from unnecessary expense. You won’t have to pay for these storage space too. Yay! Either way, it doesn’t hurt for you to think about the points above when you want to buy something.

On a last thought, I really wonder how in the world can someone accumulate so much stuff as to run out of space? Wouldn’t they realize how much space is left, then either clean up or control what more they buy? Oh well…

A majority of US population is getting one of their dreaded utility bills from Comcast. My 6 months period of Comcast service with the most basic cable TV and internet was just over, and my bill went from below $35 to above $60.

Yesterday, feeling being ripped off by Comcast, I called them up and then calmly and logically explaind how I can substitute the basic cable TV with an antenna that I already have ($15 –> $0) and cable internet with DSL ($40+ –> $20+). The gently-spoken rep on the phone promptly and kindly offered me these “existing deals” to reduce my internet bill combined with an upgrade of my cable TV to extended cable for a total of $50 per month until the end of 2007.

Hmmm, so it’s not as cheap as it was before, but I am getting more channels for a lower monthly fee. I would say it’s a good deal, and now I get them ESPN channels and all, hehe.

All it took is for me to call them. Need to cut down monthly expense? Feeling ripped off like I did? A lower cable+internet bill could be waiting if you take the initative to call Comcast too. What are you waiting for?

I got to watch Matrix Revolutioin once again recently. During the somewhat ridiculous, “dragonball-style” fight between Agent Smith and Neo in the finale, Neo got pummeled to the ground as the enormous raindrops continue to mercilessly hammer on his drenched-self… The furious Agent Smith insists and prosecutes Neo on the futility of the Neo’s struggle and the meaninglessness of the human race…

Agent Smith: Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you’re fighting for something? For more that your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can’t win. It’s pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?

Neo: Because I choose to.

I love how he simply responded, “Because I choose to.” I love it, I absolutely love Neo’s response. And I also love Agent Smith’s twisted facial expression to the response.

At the end of the day, we need to understand that every moment, at every crossroad, is about us making choices with all reasonings aside. The choice can range from being simple as choosing what to eat for dinner to something difficult as what to do with a relationship. Here is the truth. You are unhappy? Because you choose to. You are stuck in the same boring job?　Because you choose to. You are very healthy? Because you choose to. Let’s face it. Be it positive or negative, whatever happens in life are direct consequences from the choices that we make. Consciously thinking and knowing that our very own selves are making the choices is what will empower us to take charge, to be proactive in life. Note the keyword: consciously.

Next time you get all the “why” questions: Why do you work so hard? Why do you love me? Why do you follow the strict diet? Why do you care? Why even set a goal? Why do you persist on the same path when it can get so painful and lonely? Why, why, why…

The simple answer can be, “Because I choose to.”

Also next time you are at a crossroad or desire some changes in life.

You are the one making the choice. You choose. No one else does.

This post is closely related to Stop blaming, take responsibility

People are always coming and going in and out of life. This happens especially if we choose to strive for change and self-improvement.

Our perception and ideals would continue to change, and the people we use to hang out with no longer share the same feelings or in worse scenario, could become incapable to understand and communicate with our newer, improvedand character. Additionally, when our behaviors change, others will distance themselves from us as they reject us for being “different”. They may also envy us, wish us bad luck, try to deter us, as we strive for success…unfortunately. Of course we wish for them to change for the better together, but we all walk a different path in life. That is something must be accepted in life.

People fear difference. Sometimes people limit themselves because they are afraid to be different.

Consequently, it gets lonelier the more we change and try to become our better selves. Thus, the dilemma for each of us…

In the face of loneliness, how do I respond?
Can I maintain myself with confidence?
Or will I choose conformity out of fear?
Can I presevere, knowing it will only get more difficult?
Or will I take the easy way out instead?
And worst case, will I be okay with the fact that no one in the world can understand me?

Let me share this quote:

Anybody can be famous
Fame is cheap
Fame is easy
Fame is fleeting,
Try achieving greatness.

Greatness is hard
Greatness is lonely
Greatness is work
Greatness is humbling
Greatness is a responsibility and greatness lasts forever,
you don’t want greatness do you?

Therefore, greatness requires determination and perseverance. Striving for greatness is a true test of ourselves, and that’s why we need to know who ourselves really are and what we want.

For those of us who choose greatness, we can safely assume the individuals who stay with us by our side on this path will be the greatest companions we will ever encounter in life. Encounterance with these individuals are truly invaluable, so we shall know and cherish these individuals.

Now we finance blogger always plead frugal living. I have pleaded for us to distinguish between “want” and “need” when we want to buy things. However, there are things that serve great value by saving money and time in the long run. One such thing is Global Positioning System (GPS).

GPS is something that I have owned for awhile now that I can honestly and confidently claim that have save me MUCH time and gas (thus, money) in the long haul. Being a couple hundred dollars investment, I struggled for awhile before making the purchase, but the saving of time and gas was precisely the motive for it, and it is worth its every cent.

Garmin Nuvi 350 is the one I owned. Not only has it saves me time from looking and printing out directions every time I go somewhere, it has frequently save me from being lost and also get me to places on the fly w/o mistake. The point of interest feature on the Nuvi 350 is also excellent, finding me restaurants, ATM, car rentals in the vicinity when needed.

The price of GPS has come down so much that just further expands their true values. For time, for gas, for convenience, get a GPS.

PS. The touch screen on the Nuvi provides a much better user experience than the Garmin i5 with the scroll wheel, which I owned previously.