Opportunity knocks but once – Mandarin on Monday

机不可失，时不再来 
jī bù kě shī, shí bú zài lái
Opportunity knocks at the door only once.

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2014/06/01/chinese-proverbs/

Taken near Swan Lake road on way to Garang Grill. Facade of building with old doors.

Perhaps it is the rain. I am affected by different emotions. Hope with the new year. New beginnings and new possibilities.

Sadness that yesteryear has passed. My father’s sister has just passed away and he will fly into Bangkok today to attend her wake. This sister was separated from the family for years, trapped in China during the Cultural Revolution and couldn’t return.

One consolation is that he visited her last year. All the family drama no longer important. Or are we still haunted by ghosts of the past.

What does “opportunity knock but once” mean for you?

An investment opportunity.
A career
A promise

The days are long, but the years are short. I read that on Gretchen Rubin’s blog post.

I have stopped making New Year’s Resolution for many years. Eight to be exact. I am beginning to realise that despite not achieving what you set out to do, New Year’s resolutions have merit in goal setting.

What is that one thing you like 2018 to be remembered for?

Just one thing. Himself said that for him it is making the bed every morning. “You should tidy your work table”, he offered. As my New Year’s Resolution.

That should do for now.

5 mins a day

Pick up 2 different skills

2 different something. One year I learned cycling. Posted a blog. Last year I joined Chinese Toastmasters. I want to spend more time with my mom and not mind so much when she talks during service competing with the pastor’s sermon.

What are 2 different experiences/ skills that you will pick up this year?

Photo taken at Hiji Falls, Okinawa, 2017

We wont carry anything with us when we leave this earth but we deposit memories in someone’s life.

No man enters the same river twice. He is not the same man, and it is not the same river. -Heraclitus