Ode to my children

I’m writing this list based on three fundamentals:  1. Life is unpredictable. No one knows how long we’re going to live, so some things are better said earlier than later.  2. I’m your father. I’d be the only one to tell you these things.  3. Everything on this list came from my own experience. I learnt them the hard way, and hopefully that’ll save some unnecessary steps in your life.    Below are the things you need to remember at all times in your life:   1. To people who are unkind to you, don’t sweat it. Through your lifetime, no one is obligated to be nice to you, besides your mom and me. As for the people who are kind to you, treasure them, be grateful, but at the same time, be extra cautious. Everyone does everything for a reason. When someone is nice to you, it doesn’t mean they like you. You need to be able to see through the surface, instead of making them your true friends immediately.

2. No one is irreplaceable, and nothing is indispensable. With that in mind, even when you lose the people or things that you love and treasure the most, in the future, you need to understand that it’s not that big of a deal. 3. Life is short. While you’re wasting it today, you’ll realize you’re at the end of it tomorrow.   So the earlier you start to treasure your life, the earlier you can enjoy it. Instead of hoping for longevity, start to live life fully early.

4.   The thing called “The Best Love”, or “The One”, doesn’t exist. Love is a feeling of moments. It will definitely changes over time and moods. If your so-called “Best Love” left you, please be patient and let time heals your wounds. Through time, your heart will come to peace and your pain will ease. Don’t over expect the beauty of Love, nor over exaggerate the pain when you lose it. 5. Although a lot of successful people not necessarily received high education, you might not be successful if you don't study hard. The knowledge you consume will become your weapon. You can start from nothing to your name, but you can go nowhere if you are not fully prepared. Never forget that!

6 . I don’t expect you to support me for the rest of my life, so I’m not going to do the same for you either. When you’re grown enough to be independent, it will be the end of my responsibilities to you. From that point, it’s completely your own responsibilities and decisions, whether to take the bus or drive a Benz, or whether to eat shark fins or rice noodle. 7. You can require yourself to be accountable to others, but don’t expect accountability from others to you. You can require yourself to be nice to other, but don’t expect the same from others to you. However you decide to treat others, they won’t necessarily do the same in return. You must be very clear on this, or you’ll be very disappointed unnecessarily.  8. I’ve been buying the Lottery for almost twenty years, but still poor. I had never got the third prize even once. So remember, you have to work hard to be successful. There’s no free lunch in the world. 9. You got your family by karma and it happens only once. Please treasure every moment we spend together, because we don’t know how long it will last. After this lifetime, we won’t see each other anymore