Dear, Readers, I’m speaking for all Wise & Shine writers when I say that we so appreciate your continued support of this blog. To show how thankful we are, we want to ask you to share a link to your blog or site in the “thoughts” or comments section at the bottom of this page. … More Sharing is Caring
Hi, all. Wise & Shine is looking for a few new writers. If you’d like to apply to join the team, send samples of your writing via our “Contact” form. Please familiarize yourself with the sort of things our blog publishes before contacting us. We’ll send a set of writing guidelines to those who send … More Want to Write for Wise & Shine?
Hi, all. Listen up. The Pointless Overthinking management team has been as busy as a bunch of elves during the early days of December. We’ve been working behind the scenes to make major revisions to the site. Some of them have already been made manifest. However, many others, including a renaming of the website, are … More The Great Unveiling
The law holds that it is better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer. William Blackstone I was planning a completely different post for today but then on Friday last week they announced super good news. Olivier Vandecasteele was released after 455 days of detention in an Iranian prison on alleged charges … More Is it Better that Ten Guilty Persons Go Free that One Innocent be Convicted?
I’ve been writing about happiness recently. This is the third (and final) installment in a series of pieces on this subject. The first installment can be found here and second one, here. While prepping myself to write this, I began to think of analogies. Can happiness be cultivated in the same way a farmer prepares for a good … More Repost: Can Happiness Be Cultivated?
I hate saying it. It sounds terrible. And yet… … More I Was Happy During Covid?
Our lives are intertwined, entangled like waves merging in the ocean. We see ourselves in others, in the world around us. The physical appearance of our parents, the traditions of our culture and unique intricacies of our closest friends all leave their mark on who we are, and who we become. The ‘I’, our ego, … More Book Review of The Waves by Virginia Woolf
What on Earth Am I Feeling? “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal Disconnecting the autopilot is the practise of noticing when you’re distracted and then actively bringing your attention back to the present. But there’s a problem. It’s called turbulence. (Namely, your emotions.) … More The Three Areas of Self-Awareness: What on Earth Am I Feeling?
After I wrote the post about my mother, The Choices We Make: My Mom The Spy, my friend Eric was over at my house and read it, so my seven-year-old daughter wanted to a turn to read it. She said liked the part “Instead of secret meetings at night, she was called to hold our … More Can I Tell You a Secret?
Two years ago, I published two short posts about the difference intrinsic or true self-esteem and merely contingent self-esteem; the importance of intrinsic self-esteem; and the problem with only having contingent self-esteem. I think it’s time to revisit this topic. Having reviewed the old posts, they seem good to me. However, some of the comments … More Intrinsic Self-Esteem: What It Is and Why We Need It
Our well-being should be our priority. But nowadays we are so busy that we tend to prioritize in a reverse order. By doing so we can seriously compromise our quality of life and our physical, mental and emotional health. According to the international classification of diseases, burn-out is considered to be a work-related phenomenon but this is not the … More Why You Should Set Your Well-Being As Your First Priority
Do you know how hard it is to get Taylor Swift tickets? You literally have to win a lottery. Well… … More Why I Went To A Taylor Swift Concert
The Three Areas of Self-Awareness According to Tasah Eurich – author of Insight: The Surprising Truth about How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think – there are 3 major blindspots to self-awareness. Those are: Behaviour blindness is being oblivious to your own actions. Not noticing … More The Three Areas of Self-Awareness: What on Earth Am I Doing?
Early on in my technical career, I was contracted by Microsoft to write some of their certification exams. When they were releasing a new product, it was a brilliant way to push the technical partners to train and adopt the new product and also convince their customer base that there were partners ready and able … More Writing Outside of the Box
Direct funerals are becoming a more popular option for many. In this post I reflect on the experience of preparing and attending a direct cremation … More Direct Funerals – Saying goodbye to mum
As you know, there is a huge gap between saying and doing when it comes to sustainable consumption habits (well, when it comes to habits in general). Most of us say we would like to be careful about what we buy, perhaps minimizing waste and the use of single-use plastic bag, or supporting only companies that … More What Drives People to Buy and Use Sustainable Products
Am I the only one having difficulty sustaining the energy to write? … More Writing On Empty: My Writer’s Block Tantrum
There’s a type of tree that’s planted all over Singapore. It’s known as the rain tree because of its iconic umbrella shape. Not only is it incredibly striking to look at, the sprawling canopy provides the perfect respite from the oppressive heat we experience here year-round. It’s planted extensively throughout Singapore for this reason. It … More Nurturing Our Roots
There’s a family joke that my mom is a CIA agent. Even now at 83-years- old, when we mention it, she just smiles and shrugs her shoulders, or says there is no point in denying it because we wouldn’t believe her. As with most jokes, there is a kernel of truth in it. My very … More The Choices We Make: My Mom the Spy
When people in the United States intentionally sought to become happier, they tended to fail. … When people in East Asia intentionally sought to become happier, they tended to succeed. … What people actually do when they seek happiness, in the U.S. and in East Asia, differs sharply in one key way. … More Effective and Ineffective Pursuits of Happiness: Investing in Relationships with Others Is an Anti-Depressant
How do you feel about dress codes at work? Are they necessary or outdated? That’s the question I’m exploring in this post. … More Are employment dress code days numbered
World Laughter Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of May, with the aim of promoting the value of laughing and the benefits it brings to people’s physical and mental health. The World Laughter Day was established in 1998 by the Indian doctor Madan Kataria, founder of the Laughter Yoga movement, which aims … More May 7 – World Laughter Day – Why We Should Celebrate It
Is there anything beyond the futility of the external world, governed by fierce competition, ambition and baseless pleasures? Where does one take refuge from the constant treadmill of busyness that encapsulates our day to day working lives? One is inclined to ask, is there anything outside of the status games played within our society, trying … More In Search of an Inner Life