I'm Moving

This blog has shifted HERE. I look forward to seeing you at my new place. Make sure you update your bookmarks!

12 Things to Keep the Mind Supple

I put this on my Facebook once. I really like it, so I'm going to share it here.

1. Spend an hour each day without saying anything except in answer to direct questions, in the midst of the usual group, without creating the impression that you’re sulking or ill. Be as ordinary as possible. But do not volunteer remarks or try to draw out information.

2. Think for 30 minutes a day about one subject exclusively. Start with five minutes.

3. Write a letter without using the words I, me, mine, my.

4. Talk for 15 minutes a day without using I, me, my, mine.

5. Write a letter in a “successful” or placid tone. No misstatements, no lying. Look for aspects or activities that can be honestly reported that way.

6. Pause on the threshold of any crowded room and size it up.

7. Keep a new acquaintance talking about himself or herself without allowing him to become conscious of it. Turn back any courteous reciprocal questions in a way that your auditor doesn’t feel rebuffed.

8. Talk exclusively about yourself and your interests without complaining, boasting, or boring your companions.

9. Cut “I mean” or “As a matter of fact” or any other verbal mannerism out of your conversation.

10. Plan two hours of a day and stick to the plan.

11. Set yourself twelve tasks at random: e.g., go twenty miles from home using ordinary conveyance; go 12 hours without food; go eat a meal in the unlikelist place you can find; say nothing all day except in answer to questions; stay up all night and work.

12. From time to time, give yourself a day when you answer “yes” to any reasonable request.

- Dorothea Brande (1936)

An Episode of Verbal Diarrhoea

I thought about the words when I drove around town. I thought about them during morning ablutions, at the gym, in the loo, when I cycled through quaint villages. I thought about them a lot, as you might have guessed by now; but I didn’t get to write any of it down because…well, because writing takes time, and effort, and if I’m not going to do a half-assed job with it (which I generally try not to), then I’m just going to have to wait until I make time for it.

Backing up about three weeks from today, my good buddy Wen came over from Singapore for a week of R & R. Wen and I go way back to university days in Oz. She and I don’t see each other as much as we’d like to, but when we do, we pick up like we’ve never been separated by the South China Sea. Cool lady, my friend Wen. Diver, adventurer, traveller and when she’s not doing all that, banker. We went to Sematan Palm Beach Resort, about 85 cliks from town. I have Wen to thank for shoving a much-needed R & R week on me. Before that, I was starting to feel the slog of work, possibly building up to a slow burnout. It’s just one of those things. No matter how much I like what I do, frustrations, vexations and eventual burnouts will happen. Plus, add in a pinch of the-grass-is-greener syndrome, you were looking at what ailed me.

So, there we were, Sematan Palm Beach Resort, a pretty cool place run by two other people I know, Nick and Tania. Both of them happened to be there when we arrived. That was cool. I had not seen them in a while. Sematan is where the magic beaches of my childhood are. My entire family, uncles, grandma and all, used to go there for extended family getaways. It was a mystical place for me, because all I remember was endless hours on a bumpy road, and there the golden sands lay. That was 30 years ago (gosh, did I say 30? Zowee). Now, beach resorts line the coastline.

Wen and I rented bikes and cycled around the area. There were quaint villages and paddy fields framed by mountains in the background and the sea in front. The rickety wooden bridges were fun to cycle through, though I was in constant danger of cyclin goff them because of vertigo. Wen was forever running after the chickens to take pictures of them. I’d be cycling in front and turn back to find my old friend gone. Then she’d emerge from the bushes with a silly grin on her face. We found other interesting items to snap – a gas tank hanging from a tree branch. God knows what that story is.

We were going to cycle to a waterfall but half way through we decided we weren’t geared for it. I’d love to splash through 12 inches of mud for half and hour and jump into a crystal clear pool beside roaring waters, but we didn’t bring towels and extra clothing, and we were sort of in the middle of nowhere. So we cycled all the way back to Sematan and had a beer instead. The fun bit was racing away from the storm clouds after that.

We didn’t win, but thoroughly enjoyed the drenching.

The sea was so rough, it was surfable. That abetted my paranoia of crocodiles and sharks (yes, they do go out to sea, especially when there’s a mangrove swamp nearby). No croc or shark in its right mind would swim out in that swell. So the humans went out like mad hatters instead and went after the waves.

During Wen’s visit, I went for a second session of laser tattoo removal. Dr W reckons it should be done after another one or two sessions. He upped the power from 6.2, and also decided to try something new in one part, to see if it faded faster. I was all for that until he went, “Nurse, get me the peroxide”, that my eyebrows involuntarily raised six inches. I do like Dr W, bless his cotton socks. I’m into Week 3 now, and it’s fading pretty well. Interestingly enough, the second session hurt much less than the first. That's the arm before the session. It's even more faded now.

And then there was the wedding of the year. Another old and good buddy finally tied the knot. Over 1,000 people were invited, and she insisted on me bing the EmCee. *Gulp* I think I had my fair share of pre-wedding nerves for this one. And oh, the agony of choosing an outfit. I went with simple in the end. Not my ideal choice of simple, but there it was. My cousin from Oz came back just for this, and successfully surprised the bride to tears. Score! Cuz and I went and dolled ourselves up for the night. Let it be said that this is the first time ever that I sat down in front of a make-up artist and had my face painted to the nines. I almost fell asleep at the chair, it was that soothing and I was that zonked out.

So, for the next week or so after that, it was shopping and eating with my cuz and friends, pretty much. Then it was Christmas eve. And I had a small party at my house. There was turkey, lamb, Christmas ham, all kinds of salad, wine, prune cake…zowee. My favourites were the gingerbreak cookies, shaped like Gingy himself, amongst other things. I had to have a second dinner do after Christmas Eve just to finish off the leftovers.

Oh, and did I mention the engagement dinner on Christmas day itself? Someone got engaged and I ended up at this place called Li Garden, having a really really nice Chinese dinner. One of the best I’ve had in a long time. Very original dishes. But all the eating was starting to get to me because I hadn’t been to gym on a regular basis, and gym withdrawal was starting to loom. Actually, it is still looming. I should get in a really good X-circuit workout this evening. Woo hoo!
And then it’s more holidays and eating tomorrow and the day after (boo hoo). Gosh, is it 2009 already?

I have not been to the office for well over two weeks now. What a wonderful break. I didn’t think much of the work interruptions on Christmas eve and Christmas itself, but they were not big interruptions. Such is my work.

Meanwhile, I think I need to cleanse my system. Plenty of apple and lime juice for me. I really might be 90% vegetarian by the end of next year. It’ll be good for me. And just because.

Keeping Things Simple

Keeping busy is a wonderful thing, but it does mean opportunity costs for things that lie beyond the to-do list, like blogging, for example.

The holiday season is upon us. I try to unclutter if I can, when I can. For those of you who aspire towards the same, here're some tips I found to be profoundly useful. Enjoy.

1. Don't let perfectionism ruin your holidays.

2. Make a list of 5 projects/tasks you want to finish before the end of the year.

3. Heed your limits of time and money.

4. When you start to get irritable - take a break.

5. Say what you want, instead of hinting.

6. You get to choose how busy you want this season to be.

7. Take a drive to see the lights.

My Redeemer Lives - Team Hoyt

I need inspiration like this from time to time. Otherwise, it becomes easy for me to take things for granted, and to rest on my laurels, and forget to dream some more....

A son says to his father: 'Dad, would you be willingly to run a marathon with me?'

The father, despite his age and a heart disease, says 'YES'.

And they run that marathon, together.

The son asks: 'Dad, can you run another marathon with me?' Again father says 'YES'.

They run another marathon, together.

One day the son asks his father: ?Dad would please do the Ironman with me?'

Now just in case you wouldn't know, 'The Iron Man' is the toughest triathlon in existence; 4km swimming, then 180 km by bike, and finally another 42 km running, in one stroke.

Again father says 'YES'

You Win Some, You Learn Some

This looks like some disgusting spawn of tadpoles in a milky brew of diluted mud water from the Sarawak River after a heavy downpour. But it's actually just my favourite vanilla iced latter from Coffee Bean downtown. I like the milky taste to it. Some of my friends have boycotted white coffee because of the melamine scare. Rightly so, I reckon, especially when they've been junk-foodding themselves a fair bit. I've always remembered that melamine was plastic plates and bowls, cos that's what they're made of. Melamine. The industrial chemical. Ingesting industrial chemicals is not a good thing. But I must emphasize that it's all about dosages. Especially when it comes down to healthy adults who have the ability to detox naturally. So I do indulge in my possible melamine-infested latte once every 6 months or so. I reckon people in this town should be more worried about melted plastic straws in their deep fried banana fritters and fried chicken, rubber in their sago jelly bits (they bounce), and cholesterol and sugar; and cigarette smoke.

For a while now, I've been listening to what I call 'happy music'. It's basically music with upbeat and positive lyrics. I figure, there's enough crap in the world. I don't need someone crooning about lost love, depression, death, abuse, drugs and what not. Why go with the flow when I can do better than the flow? So Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson are in. Gavin DeGraw too. Yoga and world music are in too, and I don't care what some Christians say, this category of music does have a calming effect on this Christian, ok?

The reason I like Jason Mraz's music is because this guy really walks his talk. His blog says many things about him and his great outlook in life. There's a part in Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", where he sings,
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's gonna to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

To win some and learn some. What a fantastic way of looking at things. You win some, you learn some. And it's ok to change your mind about things too.

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

So I changed my mind. I got it lasered off. I still think it's a fantastic, fabulous piece of art. I regret nothing, neither putting it on nor taking it off. For a variety of reasons that all boil down to ME, I have decided to do without it. For now.

And so the test of patience began a week ago. My current motto is "Fade faster, fade faster, fade faster". It's become a chant really. Frankly, I'm a tad disappointed with my immune system. For the laser breaks the ink up into tiny particles which are then absorbed by the body's own immune system. An ousting-the-foreign-objects sort of concept. Because my outline was done in dots, I can see the dots getting visibly smaller and more compact, and some have disappeared completely. But there are a helluva lot of dots. By the end of the first week, which was Tuesday, the fading was visible.

I've learned a lot about myself in the last couple of weeks. I've pushed my own boundaries and seen for myself what I truly think and feel about some things. It's not always clear what we think. We don't know ourselves that well. Win some, learn some.

Hup!

I lurk around my house of windows very often, camera in hand, spying on the dogs, trying to get all sorts of cutesy shots. Because this is what they do if they see me.