medicine, life, growing up

Ive just read about Singapore’s search for the happiest person in singapore , I dont know what were the criteria and how they finally decided on him; but anyhow it got me thinking and i decided to come up with 3 simple steps to happiness

1. Eat a cookie.
No dont laugh! There was a very good analysis on the powers of the cookie in the movie stranger than fiction (i love that show!) but I cant remember what it is. Anyway the bottom line is when you have the most terrible day EAT A COOKIE. heh even the word ‘cookie’ gives me such a warm fuzzy buzz, bringing back lots of innocent childhood memories where everything was as it should be, nice and simple. And i guess it could really be any form of cookie, oatmeal and raisin, oreos, biscotti, famous amos fans can battle it out with mrs fields fans. My absolute poison is a simple chocolate chunk cookie, store-bought is okay i guess, after all famous amos and mrs fields do some reasonable ones, but nothing and i mean nothing beats the smell and taste of home-baked goodness.
And i feel all the stress and worries pour away as i nibble contentedly on my little piece of heaven (plus a little sugar high never fails to hurt either )

2. Exercise
As famously immortalized by the legendary Elle Woods (if you dont know her, you are really missing out) “Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make people happy” Doesn’t matter what form of exercise, it can be something fast and furious like surfing that gets the adrenaline pumping or even something slow and steady like a nice long run/cross country rides or even a good tennis game for the peace of mind. Plus it also comes in very handy when you have used too much of method 1. After all, there’s something extremely satisfying and cathartic about a good workout, especially if you manage to break through your goals or mental barriers about being too lazy/tired or you’d never cross that 10 km mark etc.

3. Playing with animals
This is the surefire no-fail solution. In fact, many places and organizations use animals for medical therapy against conditions such as depression.
For me, i can never be upset with nike/zeus for long no matter what shenanigans they get up to because the pitiful looks on their faces just crack me up. And somehow when they know im feeling down, they love to perform their tricks, like Nike would be totally fixated on giving you his paw. But its like a game, he gives it to you, you hold and kiss it then he snatches it away and gives you again and again..repeatedly haha. And zeus my darling angel just cuddles closer and closer like a little furball. Or alternatively they start rough-housing each other to entertain me, so there’s really never a dull moment with those 2 silly dogs.
Im slightly biased towards dogs of course, but im also sure the other pets are just as affectionate, and really animals being such regular clowns really do the darnest things.

So yes, here is my 3 simple rules to happiness. and since they are all very do-able i reckon we are all going to be a nation of happy chappys!