Monthly Archives: February 2015

Today I went to a friend’s 30’s birthday lunch party. Not to “steal her thunder” (which I admit I do have a tendency of doing that to other people :>), I kept the promotion of my book to the very bare minimum. I only gave an “elevator” pitch of my book to everyone at the […]

On the subject of how our body experiences flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihaly suggested (p.97, Flow): “Even the simplest physical act becomes enjoyable when it is transformed so as to produce flow. The essentials steps in this process are: (a) to set an overall goal, and as many subgoals as are realistically feasible; (b) to find ways to […]

To paraphrase the optimal family situations for more “flow-inclined” children (p.89 & 93, Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly), it is a family that facilitates and encourages the following elements. 1) Clarity of goals 2) Providing feedback 3) Feeling of control 4) Concentration and focus 5) Intrinsic motivation 6) Challenges However, to conclude, Milhay added “Some people […]

I went to a café last week with my French colleague and the staff asked him if he is French and added he could tell by his accent. My colleague was furious and thought the staff was rude picking on his accent. I told him not to get upset for 2 reasons: First, I had […]

To paraphrase the eight major component of enjoyment defined by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly (p.49 of his book Flow). 1) We have a chance of completing those tasks. 2) We must be able to concentrate on what we are doing. 3) The task has clear goals. 4) The task provides immediate feedback 5) We act with a […]

“Pleasure is a feeling of contentment that one achieves whenever information in consciousness says that expectations set by biological programs or by social conditioning have been met.” “Enjoyment is characterized by this forward movement: by a sense of novelty, of accomplishment” (p.45-46, Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly)

Continuing on the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, the author provided some interesting aspects of happiness (p.2-3) “Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as […]

Happy Chinese New Year to All! Wish the year of the Sheep/Goat/Ram will bring you joy, peace, love, good health and happiness :>

Traditionally, the Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner is the MOST important dinner in the entire year. It is the time that a family got together for dinner to say goodbye to one year and welcome a new one collectively. Living abroad for a long time I was not planning to do anything special tonight. It […]

In the introduction of the book (p.12 of Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi), I found a funny analogy that made me laugh on the subject of ageing. “Like waiters in a restaurant starting to place breakfast settings on the surrounding tables while one is still having dinner, these intimations of mortality plainly communicate the message: Your […]