Gaiaby - by Bonnie Chan

Gaiaby - by Bonnie Chan Etymology: Gaia (goddess of Earth) + -by (Old Norse, meaning ‘village’).

I want to share a wonderful insight I learned today from a Jordan Peterson broadcast about finding balance in life and r...
15/10/2025

I want to share a wonderful insight I learned today from a Jordan Peterson broadcast about finding balance in life and responsibility.

To paraphrase what he said: he follows his schedule religiously. Creating a schedule isn’t about restricting yourself to a fixed life — it’s about designing the life you want to live. You can include leisure time between your responsibilities so you don’t burn yourself out and can maintain balance.

A schedule can even help you create more time for yourself. If you feel like you don’t have enough time, try waking up at 5 a.m. — that gives you three extra hours in the morning to do what truly matters to you. It only takes about two weeks to turn an action into a habit.

People often think they have more time than they really do. But in truth, you are what you do every day. So, build good habits that shape you into the person you want to become.

“Stick to your schedule like a religion!” - Thank you Dr. Peterson!

The Beauty of the Hungry Ghost Festival: Kindness Over FearIt’s the Hungry Ghost Festival in Chinese culture this month,...
26/08/2025

The Beauty of the Hungry Ghost Festival: Kindness Over Fear

It’s the Hungry Ghost Festival in Chinese culture this month, and I think it’s the perfect time to talk a bit about ghosts. 👻

Unlike in Western culture, ghosts in Chinese culture are not necessarily evil. Instead, they are often spirits with unfinished business from their past life, or emotions they are still attached to—things they cannot completely let go of. Because of this, they remain in this dimension and cannot move on.

The Hungry Ghost Festival is a Buddhist tradition. We believe that during this special month, the “ghost gate” opens, allowing spirits to visit the human world. Some return to see their families, while others—those without family—come to celebrate together. If they are fortunate enough to hear the blessings of Buddha, they may finally find peace, let go, and pass on.

During the festival, some people take the day to honor their departed loved ones and ancestors. Others make offerings to wandering spirits who have no home to return to—this is why they are called “hungry ghosts.”

What I love about this Chinese and Buddhist wisdom is its message: while most people are afraid of ghosts, this tradition teaches us that we don’t need to fear them. Instead, we should treat them with kindness. When you have empathy, when you understand the needs of others, and when your heart is filled with love, there is nothing to fear—and happiness will naturally follow.

So, the next time you see people burning offerings or leaving fruits and incense on the street, you’ll know it’s the Hungry Ghost Festival. Don’t be afraid. Smile, because you’re witnessing a beautiful practice of kindness and compassion. 🌸

Planet Earth Is Like a Luxury Hotel: What Kind of Guest Are You?Imagine checking into the most luxurious hotel in the wo...
21/08/2025

Planet Earth Is Like a Luxury Hotel: What Kind of Guest Are You?

Imagine checking into the most luxurious hotel in the world—but never knowing when you’ll have to check out. That’s exactly what life on Earth is like.

Working in a luxury hotel in London allows me to meet different people every single day. Some guests don’t even realize they’re spending someone else’s monthly salary on a single night’s stay. They simply come and go for business, barely noticing the details around them.

Others, especially wealthy families from hot Middle Eastern countries, stay for months to escape the heat at home, spending fortunes without hesitation.

Then there are the guests who complain from the moment they arrive until the day they leave. I sometimes wonder: do they actually enjoy their holiday? Yes, their constant complaints might get them something complimentary, but do they really value it?

And then there are those who treat their stay as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. They come to propose to the love of their lives, to celebrate a milestone birthday, or to mark a special memory. They may not be the biggest spenders, but they are the ones who truly feels the magic of every moment in the hotel.

Recently, I met a guest who left a deep impression to us. He was just 17 years old. His doctor had told him he had only a few weeks left to live because of a terminal illness. His family booked a large room so they could all stay together and care for him. He couldn’t explore London like other teenagers, but he could spend his final days in comfort, surrounded by love.

Do you remember this powerful saying?
“If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.”

For those of us living in wealthy countries (yes, someone like you with access to smartphones, the internet that are reading this blog now), we are already among the most fortunate, yet so often we forget it.

In many ways, our life on planet earth is like a luxury hotel stay. The only difference is that we know our check-in day, but we don’t know our check-out day.

So what kind of guest are you in this world?

Do you rush through it all, just here for business, never pausing to enjoy the experience?

Do you have plenty of resources, but spend them running away from life’s challenges instead of creating meaning?

Do you find yourself complaining constantly, even though you already have so much?

Or do you treat each moment as precious, celebrating life as the once-in-a-lifetime gift it truly is?

We don’t have to wait until our final days, like that young guest, to start appreciating what we have. Gratefulness is one of the greatest power in life. Just like in a hotel, the more grateful, joyful, and kind you are, the greater the chance you’ll be “upgraded” with unexpected blessings.

Start practicing gratitude now—and you may be surprised at the rewards it brings. 🩷🌎

Life is like playing chess — winning is never about luck. Both players start with the same pieces on the same board. In ...
14/08/2025

Life is like playing chess — winning is never about luck. Both players start with the same pieces on the same board. In life, we all have the same 24 hours each day. Whether we “win” depends on the choices we make and our ability to foresee future steps, not just our own but also the challenges ahead.

Our “opponents” are our limitations: lack of time, resources, knowledge, or connections. The key is to use what we have wisely while preparing for what’s to come. There’s an old Chinese saying: Destiny is not decided by luck or effort alone, but by the combination of the right timing, the right place, and the right people.

The right people and the right place are often within our control if we act — we can choose our circle, build our network, and put ourselves where opportunities exist. But timing? That’s harder to control, which is why preparation matters most.

In the I Ching, life is seen as a repeating cycle: nine parts — three difficult, six favorable. When we’re in a low period, we should prepare for the rise; when we’re on a high, we should anticipate the fall. That’s how you avoid being caught off guard.

Imagine being offered your dream job but lacking the required degree, or finding your perfect car at an unbeatable price but not having the cash. These are foreseeable situations.

Winners aren’t necessarily the luckiest people — they’re simply the ones who prepared so well that when the right moment came, it looked like luck.

Maybe you could play an entire song on the piano when you were three. Maybe I could draw a perfect cartoon Garfield at s...
08/08/2025

Maybe you could play an entire song on the piano when you were three. Maybe I could draw a perfect cartoon Garfield at six. Maybe he could build a functioning motorized toy car by age ten. We all start with something unique, something that surprises even our parents. It feels like we're born with a gift.

But if that’s the case, why don’t all child prodigies grow up to become great musicians, artists, or engineers? Where did the talent go?

The answer is: it didn’t go anywhere. Talent doesn’t disappear—it simply isn’t enough on its own.

No matter what you’re good at, there will always be a point where progress becomes difficult. A wall appears—the learning curve steepens, the process slows, and results don’t come as easily anymore.

This is where many people stop.

Why? Because it’s hard. Because the praise dries up.

We live in a world that craves fast results—“learn a language in 3 months,” “paint by numbers”—and sometimes we forget that real growth takes time. When we face obstacles, we often feel weak or defeated. And that’s the moment where the “genius” separates from the rest.

Robert Schumann famously used a device to strengthen his fingers, causing permanent damage, all in pursuit of better piano playing. Claude Monet nearly lost his eyesight from obsessively painting under intense sunlight, driven by his need to capture color just right. Olympic athletes endure years of pain and sacrifice before they finally earn their gold medals.

Genius isn’t just about intelligence or talent. It’s about heart—a giant, unshakable heart that can endure failure, rejection, misunderstanding, and still keep going. The true genius is someone who doesn’t just dabble or quit when it gets hard—they obsess, they push, they persevere.

The rest of us? We might settle into mediocrity or simply move on to something new. Because it’s easier to start something new than to struggle through what once came naturally.

So yes, you might be naturally gifted at something. Maybe even exceptional. But do you have the heart to take that gift all the way? Can you handle the setbacks, the doubts, the long hours, the moments of invisibility and insignificance? Can you keep going when the world stops clapping?

Because that’s where greatness is born.

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