Author: Rebecca Toh

“In Chuang Tzu’s view, man must be keenly aware of his own existence and not derive himself from others. He must not derive the present from the past or the future, worthiness from worthlessness, boundary from boundlessness, life from death. Only then can he gain freedom from restraints. The philosophy of Chuang Tzu is a philosophy of freedom. It is a philosophy by which life is experienced in endless time and boundless space. To him, the secular life is ‘an order without life’, whereas what he set out to pursue is a ‘life without order’.”

A philosophy worth its salt =)

My daily practice and training is to be more focused, more present, more mindful. When I wash dishes, I wash dishes only. When I read, I read only. When I do household chores, I do household chores only. It seems like the most boring practice in the world to many people but to me it is a most exciting one. I don’t know of a better way to live. I’m tired of being distracted, mindless, unfocused. When I’m focused, I’m happier and more productive and simply more “there”. The ordinary aspects of my life seem less ordinary. The quality of my immediate experience is elevated somehow into something, if not more interesting, then at least much more enjoyable.

1. The moment you think of doing something, if circumstances allow, do it. Otherwise it’s just gonna become another item on your Procrastination List.

2. Even though my brain likes to convince me that having more choices is better than having fewer choices, the truth is that any choice is probably good enough.

3. There is an inexplicable joy in being utterly focused on doing one thing at a time. #flow

4. There is no right way to blog, but a wrong way to blog would be to be dishonest and to work very hard to boost your own self image. Leave that behind on the social networks.

5. Heaven is here. Hell is not wanting to be here.

Quote of the day:
“Give yourself time to learn something new and good, and cease to be whirled around.”
— Marcus Aurelius

I used to suffer from panic attacks and an anxiety disorder. I don’t anymore. 80% of the credit goes to this website and the guy who created it, Paul David. I recommend this website to everyone I know who’s suffering from anxiety. I hope it helps you too.

“Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.”
– Lao Tzu

I really love this guy’s design / life philosophy.

In writing, choosing a hobby, interior decorating, being with others, making art, etc.

Be truly yourself rather than the person you think you’d rather be.

In case you forget who you truly are, take some time to sit or walk in silence.

Take as much time as you need.

The silence will bring you home.

I have just discovered Roam and it’s leading me down a crazy rabbit hole of all things nerdy.

Roam > “How to take smart notes” > Less Wrong > Zettelkasten > “How to Write a Thesis” by Umberto Eco.

Excited, inspired, etc!

On day 7 of 30 days of yoga with Adriene.

Season 3 of Grace and Frankie.

And halfway through Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Silence”.

“Don’t agonize over the past, because the past is gone. Don’t worry about the future, because the future is not yet here. There is only one moment for you to be alive, and that is the present moment. Come back to the present moment and live this moment deeply, and you’ll be free.”