The Layers of Life: A Poetic Welcome to 2025

31/12/202423/08/2026 / Wen / Leave a comment

We bid farewell to 2024. We step into the fresh beginnings of 2025. I found myself inspired by a simple yet profound thought: life is like an onion. Each year, like each layer, reveals something new, sometimes sweet, sometimes sharp, but always meaningful. With this inspiration, I wrote a random poem. It captures the essence of this realization. It also embodies the spirit of welcoming the year ahead.

Goodbye, 2024, a year well-worn,
Its layers peeled, its lessons sworn.
We stand at the brink, the threshold we cross,
Welcoming 2025, new layers to emboss.

Life is an onion, a truth we hold near,
Each layer reveals joy, hope, or a tear.
The outer shell, a shield of the past,
Its brittle embrace, too fragile to last.

2024’s laughter, its trials, its pain,
Unveiled with care, like droplets of rain.
Each moment a slice, each tear a pearl,
Life’s bittersweet essence shapes our world.

2025, like an onion fresh and new,
A crisp beginning, a vibrant hue.
What lies beneath, only time will show,
As we peel it gently, its secrets will flow.

Some layers will sting, sharp as a blade,
Others will be comforted, and memories made.
The sweetness within, we’ll treasure and find,
With every new step, a peace of mind.

So here’s to the layers we’ve yet to unfold,
Stories untold, adventures bold.
Welcoming 2025 with courage, with cheer,
Another year’s onion, another frontier.

Peel it with wonder, embrace its delight,
For every new layer brings depth to our sight.
Goodbye, 2024, you’ve served us so well,
2025 awaits, with tales to tell.

The Power of Poetry: A Reflection on Life’s Journey

21/02/202323/08/2026 / Wen / Leave a comment

I think that poetry has a unique ability to capture the essence of life’s journey. It can express the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and setbacks, and the beauty and complexity of the human experience in ways that other forms of expression cannot. For centuries, poets have been capturing the essence of the human condition through their words, inspiring and comforting readers with their insights and wisdom. In this blog post, we will explore the power of poetry and reflect on how it can enrich our lives and help us navigate the ups and downs of our own personal journeys. Whether you are a seasoned poetry lover or a newcomer to the art form, this post will offer a fresh perspective on the profound impact that poetry can have on our lives.

Life is a journey, winding and long,

A tale of joys and sorrows, of right and wrong,

A story of hopes and dreams, love and fear,

Of moments that fill us with wonder and tears.

The world is a canvas, waiting to be painted,

A symphony, waiting to be created,

A garden, waiting to be tended,

A journey, waiting to be extended.

Each step we take is a new adventure,

With each breath we breathe, a new capture,

Each moment we live is a new treasure,

Each experience we have is a new pleasure.

Life is a poem, waiting to be written,

A song, waiting to be sung,

A dance, waiting to be danced,

A love, waiting to be romanced.

So, let us live our lives to the fullest,

Embrace the world with hearts open and fearless,

Let our souls be filled with joy and bliss,

And let our spirits soar with every beat, with every kiss.

All in all, poetry is a powerful tool for reflecting on life’s journey. It has the ability to express the full range of human emotions and experiences in a way that is uniquely poignant and meaningful. Whether we turn to poetry for comfort during difficult times, or for inspiration to embrace life’s challenges, it has the power to connect us to ourselves and to each other in a profound way. So let us celebrate the power of poetry and the beauty it brings to our lives. Let us take the time to appreciate the poets who have enriched our world with their words, and let us embrace the wisdom and insights that poetry can offer us on our own personal journeys. In doing so, we can find solace, inspiration, and a deeper appreciation for the richness of the human experience.

The Beauty of Toil: A Poetic Reflection on the Importance of Work

04/02/202323/08/2026 / Wen / Leave a comment

Have you ever wondered why we work? While I am reflecting, I understand that most people work for many reasons. For example, they work to earn money, pursue their passions, support their families, or even contribute to society. Work can provide us a sense of purpose, personal fulfillment, and the opportunity to grow and learn.

In fact, work is an integral part of our lives, and often the very reason we wake up every morning. It provides us with a sense of purpose, the means to support our loved ones, and the chance to pursue our passions. But while work can sometimes feel like a burden, it also holds within it the potential for growth, learning, and self-discovery.

This poem celebrates the many reasons why we work, and serves as a reminder that the toil and effort we put in every day is a valuable and meaningful part of our journey through life.

We work for money, yes, it’s a fact,

We work for money, for food on the table.

But it’s not just the paycheck due.

And a roof above, that’s always stable.

We work to make a difference, to contribute.

We work for a purpose, to fulfill dreams maybe,

To bring our visions, and passions to life it seems.

We work for our family, for love, for friends,

To provide for those to whom our love extends.

We work to build a future bright,

And ensure a life of comfort and delight for retirement.

We work to grow, learn and strive,

To be the best versions of ourselves and thrive.

We work to contribute, to make a difference,

And leave a lasting impact that’s nothing but immense.

We work to give back, to make a change,

To make the world a better place, to rearrange.

We work for knowledge, for wisdom, for skill,

Building a life that’s worth living still.

We work to live, we live to work,

A balance that can sometimes irk.

But toil and effort are what we do,

To build a life and see it through.

So let us find joy in the work we do, with a mind.

For though it may not always be easy,

The rewards it brings can be truly sensational.

Having said that, work is a vital part of our lives that can bring countless benefits and opportunities. Whether we work for money, passion, or the well-being of our loved ones, it is through our efforts and dedication that we are able to build the lives we want and achieve our goals. So let us all be grateful for the ability to work, and let us strive to make the most of it every day.

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” – Vince Lombardi

Thich Nhat Hanh’s poem about good news

22/01/201623/08/2026 / Wen / Leave a comment

They don’t publish the good news.

The good news is published by us.

We have a special edition every moment, and we need you to read it.

The good news is that you are alive, and the linden tree is still there, standing firm in the harsh Winter.

The good news is that you have wonderful eyes to touch the blue sky.

The good news is that your child is there before you, and your arms are available: hugging is possible.

They only print what is wrong.

Look at each of our special editions.

We always offer the things that are not wrong.

We want you to benefit from them and help protect them.

The dandelion is there by the sidewalk, smiling its wondrous smile, singing the song of eternity.

Listen! You have ears that can hear it.

Bow your head.

Listen to it.

Leave behind the world of sorrow and preoccupation and get free.

The latest good news is that you can do it.

By Thich Nhat Hanh

The Door By Miroslav Holub

29/12/201523/08/2026 / Wen / Leave a comment

There are wise and wonderful poems about being open to possibility and change.

The following Holub’s simple piece of ‘The Door’ poem asks us only to take a chance, to go and see what might be there if we take small first step.

Go and open the door.
Maybe outside there’s
a tree, or a wood,
a garden,
or a magic city.

Go and open the door.
Maybe a dog’s rummaging.
Maybe you’ll see a face,
or an eye,
or the picture
of a picture.

Go and open the door.
If there’s a fog
it will clear.

Go and open the door.
Even if there’s only
the darkness ticking,
even if there’s only
the hollow wind,
even if
nothing
is there,
go and open the door.

At least
there’ll be
a draught.

Carpe Diem

28/12/201523/08/2026 / Wen / Leave a comment

The word carpe diem means the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future. In other words, it is telling us to seize the days! Live for the moment. Be truly present and go with the flow.

There are days when we feel anxious about the future, worry about money, health, or our loved ones. They are the ones that help us to see hope and comfort in the smallest of things. Let’s try to put aside everyday worries and grab life with both hands.

The following is an extract of William Wordsworth’s poem titled Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey:

And all its aching joys are now no more,

And all its dizzy raptures. Not for this

Faint I, nor mourn nor murmur; other gifts

Have followed, for such loss, I would believe,

Abundant recompense. For I have learned

To look on nature, not as in the hour

Of thoughtless youth, but hearing oftentimes

The still, sad music of humanity,

Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power

To chasten and subdue. And I have felt

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,

And the round ocean, and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man.

For the days when the world is too much with us…

28/12/201523/08/2026 / Wen / Leave a comment

There are those days when life is all too much: when work is taking over our lives, when it’s hard to get out of bed in the morning or when, as tired as you are, you still can’t sleep.

The poems I read in a book titled The Emergency Poet by Deborah Alma, reminded us to stop, even if it’s for only a moment, and put in perspective. Focus on the essential, best parts of life: of love, friends, and family; the simple of pleasure of being able to ‘sit out in the sun and listen.’

The beautiful poem ‘Postscript‘ written by Seamus Heaney reminds is that it is only when we take the time to stand in an in-between place, between the calm lake and the stormy sea, that we can have the space to welcome in change and all of its possibilities.

Here how it’s goes:

And some time make the time to drive out west
Into County Clare, along the Flaggy Shore,
In September or October, when the wind
And the light are working off each other
So that the ocean on one side is wild
With foam and glitter, and inland among stones
The surface of a slate-grey lake is lit
By the earthed lightning of a flock of swans,
Their feathers roughed and ruffling, white on white,
Their fully grown headstrong-looking heads
Tucked or cresting or busy underwater.
Useless to think you’ll park and capture it
More thoroughly. You are neither here nor there,
A hurry through which known and strange things pass
As big soft buffetings come at the car sideways
And catch the heart off guard and blow it open.

Bibliographic information

Title	Emergency Poet: An Anti-Stress Poetry Anthology
Author	Deborah Alma
Publisher	Michael O’Mara Books, Limited, 2015
ISBN	1782434054, 9781782434054
Length	192 pages

Keeping The Flame Alive

19/06/201523/08/2026 / Wen / Leave a comment

“Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted” – Jules Renard

I’ve had writer’s block ever since I entered university. Not all the time, of course, but it’s has been a regular visitor. I’ve spent hours with my fingers motionless on a keyboard, waiting for inspiration. As a psychology student, writing research essay is inescapable. I’ve read dozen of journal articles in order to get the inspiration back. However, once I am discipline and reserves my willpower just to stay focused on the task, writing simply switch on and it keep the juices flowing.

The impulse to write is in me!

Communication is everywhere. Everywhere, every day, people are communicating. Even when we are alone, people are bombarded with communication such as social media platforms. Indeed, most people would be miserable if we were not allowed to communicate with others.

For me, writing is a process that whereby people influence and persuade others. Through writing, it is the essence of communication of what it means to be human.

Writing can be considered as the mode of communication that uses symbolic. Symbols are the vehicle by which the thoughts and ideas of one person can be communication to another person. Symbols such as words are so powerful.

As Jeff Brown mentioned that “Words. So powerful. They can crush a heart, or heal it. They can shatter dreams or energize them. They can obstruct connection or invite it. They can create defences or melt them. We have to use words wisely.”

I would say writing need a lot of self-discipline relating to planning, organizing, and integrating facts, figures, and other research findings into the work. Managing the time well is very critical. Mastery my time means that my capacity is enlarged by doing what I love and to pursue what I truly enjoy.

That is to say we, as students, we have to be a self-directed, independent learner to have the self-learning skills instead of passively engaging to instructors only.