23 Things You May Or May Not Know About Glaciers
23 Things You May Or May Not Know About Glaciers

Proximity, or being in the very midst of a situation creates a sense of connectedness, belonging, and urgency. It’s natural not to feel the urgency of people, situation and matters we’re not in close proximity with. A natural catastrophe happening in a distant continent thousands of miles away from you is less likely to raise your alarm and concern as an earthquake that happens 10 miles from where you live would. We’ve heard that global warming affects all of us, but until we live right in the very midst (or close enough to) where glaciers are melting and water level are rising and threatening to drown our modern village, we probably think that it is someone else’s problem.

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Angeline Tanglobal warming, glaciers, alaska, travelComment
Loneliness, Depression: Matters of the heart
Loneliness, Depression: Matters of the heart

One too many failed attempts in making friendships or relationships work doesn’t mean we stop trying. A toddler learning to walk knows not to give up trying - he takes a couple of baby step, fumbles and tumbles, gets back up on his feet, takes more steps forward, fumbles and tumbles some more, gets back up again, and keeps at it until he’s walking steadily. A baby doesn’t give up - why should we, as adults, give up when we fail in one or more areas of our life?

In this fifth installment on the topic of the rise of depression and loneliness and what we can do about it, I draw from personal experience to present this point: if we view life setbacks as mere temporal stops, that could just be the breakthrough we need in battling our lowest moments.

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Angeline Tandepression, loneliness, vulnerability, honestyComment
Loneliness, Depression: Change Your Environment
Loneliness, Depression: Change Your Environment

It’s easy to talk the talk, it ain’t easy to walk the walk. This is especially so for a depressed person to get out of the funk - it’s so much easier to say, oh you can do it, just get out of it, but for the sufferer, it’s a real debilitating issue which he or she has little control over.

In this fourth installment, I propose certain foods to eat and activities to do to boost a downcast spirit but the real butt-kicker is this, you gotta hit rock bottom and be so desperate you can’t help but to move out of your current predicament into a position of change.

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Angeline Tanloneliness, depression, solution, changeComment
Gluten-free, intermittent fasting, meatless
Gluten-free, intermittent fasting, meatless

I refrain from writing about my personal practice of gluten-free, intermittent fasting and meatless eating firstly because I’m not religious about it, i.e. I don’t practice it strictly (especially when I visit family and friends in Singapore and Malaysia) so I can’t make a full advocacy for it, and secondly and more importantly, I recognize that a gluten-free, intermittent fasting and meatless eating it is not for everyone; in fact, no one diet or method of eating should be recommended for everyone.

Whether you’re reading this article or any other articles by anyone concerning their meal or diet preferences, take what that person has to say either at face value or with a pinch of salt. Don’t listen, follow or adopt blindly. Figure out what works for you and what don’t. Even if an idea is the best in the world, but if it’s gonna cost you an arm and a leg to do it, turn your world upside down, break your bank or cause riffs between your family, spouse, loved ones or friends and you, is it worth it? Perhaps not. So you be the best judge for how you live and run your world.

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Angeline Tanfood, eating, eatingwell, glutenfree, fasting, meatlessComment
The pill isn't the solution. Social connection is
The pill isn't the solution. Social connection is

Every year we see an increase in depression among teenagers in America and around the world. If depression was something that happens in the brain, caused by chemicals including serotonin and a lack of dopamine, then why is it that higher doses of drugs could not alleviate the situation? Why are people increasingly depressed despite taking medication? To echo the words of Henry David Thoreau, “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”, it’s more true now than ever, people are more disconnected from their fellow men.

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Angeline TanComment
The power of showing up and journaling
The power of showing up and journaling

There is something tremendously powerful about showing up for what you decide you would show up for. The natural human tendency is to stick to a comfort zone and, to put it bluntly, to be lazy. When I make it a point to show up, I kill my natural human tendency for creating excuses.

I’m an expressionist. I have this insatiable need to express myself. I’ve found my journal to be my best therapist, a most faithful listener and companion who is present rain or shine, snow or drought. My journal neither judges nor despises me. My journal listens, accepts and loves me no matter if I’ve been good or bad. And it’s cheaper than a cup of coffee.

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Angeline Tanjournal, reflection, post, writer, writeComment
Loneliness, depression is on the rise. What is the solution?
Loneliness, depression is on the rise. What is the solution?

Depression and loneliness is on the rise. What can we do about this malady?

Does lifelong connection to our tribe reduce or eliminate depression or does it not? How much does nature or nurture contribute to depression?

When we move away from our birth family and form our own, can we engage new tribes with shared values that we could proudly belong to and continue to thrive individually and collectively?

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Angeline Tanpost, depression, loneliness, bookComment
The Reader
The Reader

“Teach a child to read, that you may set the foundation for an empathetic and impactful human being.” -Angeline Tan.

A writer is first and foremost a reader. You ain’t building a skyscraper till you lay a solid and deep foundation. For all the pain my father inflicted me growing up, he did one thing well, and really well - he made sure there were no lack of book in our house. He would rather his children hungry than to go without books in our home. And for that, I thank him.

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Angeline Tanbooks, writing, authorsComment
Let's talk Depression: An initial discussion
Let's talk Depression: An initial discussion

He was difficult to be around.

He carries an air so heavy around him it feels like a dark, stormy cloud wrapping us in its cold strangulation.

Every word out of his mouth carried such negativity they hit the listener like a ton of bricks and cause minor lacerations on the heart.

Every moment in his presence felt like a surrender to the sharp pierce of a hundred needles to which I had no shield. Our communication became bloody sword fights; we saw less of each other as we tried to busy ourselves with activities that kept us away from each other.

For the party to whom that hurt is projected onto, it often feels like it’s much easier to walk away, and it takes so much more understanding, humility and strength to stay.

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Angeline TanComment
Why you should read Crazy Cycling Chick
Why you should read Crazy Cycling Chick

Growing up as a highly-driven and motivated child, I often see men and women accomplishing great successes or feats of wonders and thought to myself, wow, that's incredible - I want to be like that. What I didn't realize then as a child, is that behind their accomplishments, behind the scene, away from the public eye and spotlight, is a journey riddled with doubt, discouragement, and disappointment, topped with incredible amounts of sweat and grit, pain and conflict, determination, and perseverance.

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Angeline TanbookComment