Today I was talking to a foreign acquaintance who came for a day of meeting. We knew his connecting flight was cancelled and even though he took another one and then took a 1 or 2 hour taxi to the airport, he inevitably missed his main flight and was stranded in the airport for a number of hours. When we asked him about it, he mentioned the flight was ok, just for a small hiccup though I sensed his expressions betrayed his true emotions.
This brought memories of my stay almost ten years ago in San Diego. I had a local flatmate who always looked happy to others. She seemed to have many friends and whenever people asked her how she was, she would say great... etc. In actual fact she was not feeling great and quite a few times I could hear her crying. She felt so lonely. Initially I thought it was strange considering the number of people showing concern for her.
Later I learnt it was just a 2nd nature for people to greet each other "Hi, How are you?". I also learnt that often before there was a chance to reply, the person who asked the question would have walked away. In addition, people would be shocked more than concerned when you replied other than "great, fine etc". "How are you" is really more of a greeting than a sincere concern to know how is the person. Often people answered you just in a way you expect the answer to be as we know the questioners (or rather greeters) do not really mean to ask how you are doing.
I guess "How are you?" was not meant to be in this way though it is now likely quite rooted in its way. In a way I feel it alienated people more. There will probably be more smiles in the world if more people ask them in the good old fashioned way where it is sincerely meant as a question. Somehow, I think I still prefer the more subtle oriental way of greeting --- "Have you eaten?". :) A glutton indeed haha
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
East Coast Park
Today I went cycling with a friend at East Coast Park. Crowded as usual. Enjoyed the sea breeze.
There is a new Xtreme Skate Park near the Bedok Jetty! The park caters for skaters and have slopes for them to enjoy the thril,! Wow Cool! I am not a skater but the increase in such activity areas is certainly making Singapore more interesting and exciting!
There is a new Xtreme Skate Park near the Bedok Jetty! The park caters for skaters and have slopes for them to enjoy the thril,! Wow Cool! I am not a skater but the increase in such activity areas is certainly making Singapore more interesting and exciting!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Determination
Today my friend joined the Shape run - 10 km. We were just smsing each other about the athlete spirit, eg determination.
Determination --- is something I need to inculcate more. The wavering seems extremely strong towards the end of the races or journeys. I find it weird too, why is it that I seem more pre-disposed to give up towards the end of the race more than anywhere else.
In a not too long ago 120 km night cycling event that I took part in, my stamina was not up to standard. But I was motivated by some of my friends who may have practice less than me but had much more tenacity to hang on. Towards the last 10-20 kim, so tired and not knowing when I would reach the finishing line, to distract myself, I listened to my MP3 and kept telling myself "Wow this is a great workout, I can do it". This seemed to work well until I reached the familiar finishing route (about 500 m to 1 km to go). Then I was torned between the 2 voices in my mind, one telling me that it was ok, i had nearly reached the finishing line and could give up now and the other voice telling me that I had come so far and must not give up now. It was certainly the most trying part of the whole journey. Actually if I had not seen the finishing route, I might even have been able to hang on a few more kms having found my energy back but upon seeing the finishing route, it seemed that I suddenly lost it all. Lucky for me that time, my latter voice won over and I reached the finishing without giving up.
Later on, I asked my friends what were in their thoughts towards the end of the race, whether they were facing the same dilemna as me. For them upon reaching to the finishing route, they were actually more geared and cycled even faster to finish as the finishing route was a trememdous motivation for them.
I guess it may be this kind of mental thoughts that separates the Greats from the Masses or the Winners from the Losers. Some ingredients of this kind of thoughts may even contributed to the phenomenon where more climbers tend to die during their descent of great mountains than during the ascent.
Determination --- is something I need to inculcate more. The wavering seems extremely strong towards the end of the races or journeys. I find it weird too, why is it that I seem more pre-disposed to give up towards the end of the race more than anywhere else.
In a not too long ago 120 km night cycling event that I took part in, my stamina was not up to standard. But I was motivated by some of my friends who may have practice less than me but had much more tenacity to hang on. Towards the last 10-20 kim, so tired and not knowing when I would reach the finishing line, to distract myself, I listened to my MP3 and kept telling myself "Wow this is a great workout, I can do it". This seemed to work well until I reached the familiar finishing route (about 500 m to 1 km to go). Then I was torned between the 2 voices in my mind, one telling me that it was ok, i had nearly reached the finishing line and could give up now and the other voice telling me that I had come so far and must not give up now. It was certainly the most trying part of the whole journey. Actually if I had not seen the finishing route, I might even have been able to hang on a few more kms having found my energy back but upon seeing the finishing route, it seemed that I suddenly lost it all. Lucky for me that time, my latter voice won over and I reached the finishing without giving up.
Later on, I asked my friends what were in their thoughts towards the end of the race, whether they were facing the same dilemna as me. For them upon reaching to the finishing route, they were actually more geared and cycled even faster to finish as the finishing route was a trememdous motivation for them.
I guess it may be this kind of mental thoughts that separates the Greats from the Masses or the Winners from the Losers. Some ingredients of this kind of thoughts may even contributed to the phenomenon where more climbers tend to die during their descent of great mountains than during the ascent.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Overeating?
Today is a "sinful" day for me. I have been eating non-stop. Snack before dinner, proper dinner, desserts and then more desserts! Actually I am very full but eating is often a social event with others.
Feel guilty about stuffing myself with so much food. I often wonder about the recent years' trend of slimming advertisements gracing many pages of the newspaper. Hmm... Which is more wasteful environmentally --- to finish all the food even though we are full and then spend time & money on the slimming programs OR to eat only what we can and leave the food unfinished?? I have been brought up to finish the food but often I think the latter option is less wasteful environmentally though still not the best choice. Imagine all the resources that go into slimming programs.
Slimming centres are developed nation fad as people eat more than they need. While on the other side of the world there are people dying from hunger. Probably the best option is to order the right amount to be able to fill the stomach and yet enjoy the food. This way we do not need to face the dilemna of leftover food and slimming options while saving the environment at the same time. This is the reminder for myself. Haha
Feel guilty about stuffing myself with so much food. I often wonder about the recent years' trend of slimming advertisements gracing many pages of the newspaper. Hmm... Which is more wasteful environmentally --- to finish all the food even though we are full and then spend time & money on the slimming programs OR to eat only what we can and leave the food unfinished?? I have been brought up to finish the food but often I think the latter option is less wasteful environmentally though still not the best choice. Imagine all the resources that go into slimming programs.
Slimming centres are developed nation fad as people eat more than they need. While on the other side of the world there are people dying from hunger. Probably the best option is to order the right amount to be able to fill the stomach and yet enjoy the food. This way we do not need to face the dilemna of leftover food and slimming options while saving the environment at the same time. This is the reminder for myself. Haha
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Blankets from Plastic Bottles
Today, volunteers from Tzu-Chi visited my block and went unit by unit asking for recyclables. As expected they were looking for newspapers. But they also asked for plastic bottles. I was surprised when they mentioned the plastic bottles can be made into blankets! Plastic bottles that are hard sustance making into blankets that are supposed to be soft. I had to ask further. On further asking, I learnt that they have a machine that can make plastic bottles into blankets. Plastic has polyester substance that can be effectively made into blankets to be donated to the needy such as the earthquake victims. Wow this is a revelation! We must start recycling more of our stuffs instead of just throwing them away.
Friday, July 10, 2009
I got mail
The mail I am waiting for finally reached me today! I received my gift from the National Geographic. It is a jacket with the National Geographic logo on it! Cool!
The free gift was initially meant to be a small camera but as I had received it two years ago and know that it is not hardy, i requested to either forgo my gift or get a jacket (their other free gift I noticed for subscribers).
Was so excited when I received! I know it will be big as there is only one size and thus it has to be big to fit the different sizes of people from all over the world! Nevertheless I am happy with receiving it.
With much fanfare, I happily showed it to my sis and mum. The first reaction from my sister was that it was so big and she suggested that I can give it to her to give to my brother in law instead.
My knee jerk reaction is telling her that I will keep it for my own use (I love the idea of wearing the jacket with the logo and I can pretend for a while to belong to some expeditions etc). But after some thoughts, maybe the jacket will be better off given away as it is so big, almost twice my size, thus no matter how I love the National Geographic Logo on it, it is unlikely to look nice on me. Better for it to find suitable users rather than being kept in the cupboard with little use and only being taken out at times to admire.
Let me be not a hoarder of things. I guess I give it away, but maybe after a few more days of admiring it haha! Bye jacket! :)
The free gift was initially meant to be a small camera but as I had received it two years ago and know that it is not hardy, i requested to either forgo my gift or get a jacket (their other free gift I noticed for subscribers).
Was so excited when I received! I know it will be big as there is only one size and thus it has to be big to fit the different sizes of people from all over the world! Nevertheless I am happy with receiving it.
With much fanfare, I happily showed it to my sis and mum. The first reaction from my sister was that it was so big and she suggested that I can give it to her to give to my brother in law instead.
My knee jerk reaction is telling her that I will keep it for my own use (I love the idea of wearing the jacket with the logo and I can pretend for a while to belong to some expeditions etc). But after some thoughts, maybe the jacket will be better off given away as it is so big, almost twice my size, thus no matter how I love the National Geographic Logo on it, it is unlikely to look nice on me. Better for it to find suitable users rather than being kept in the cupboard with little use and only being taken out at times to admire.
Let me be not a hoarder of things. I guess I give it away, but maybe after a few more days of admiring it haha! Bye jacket! :)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Book Review: How Starbucks Saved My Life: Michael Gates Bill
Chanced upon this book when I strolled in to Times Bookshop. Got hooked on it and finished it while standing and/or sitting in different bookshops. Try not to stay at each bookshop for too long so as to be inconspicuous haha :)
The book is about a true story of Michael who was born into a life of privilege. He went on to launch a successful career and led a high life. Despite earning a lot, he did not save much. When he was asked to leave his job in his 50s, he saw his savings dwindled very fast. His high flyer friends also avoided him. In the end, he had to work to in Starbucks just to survive. It is also a place where he gets to experience the joy of life and experience true warmth in people. Despite living a high life in the past, it is the life that he has now where he can have time to interact with others that he feels he truly enjoys.
It is a story of hope and awakening. Sometimes in the pursuit of material wealth, we forget what is truly important in our life.
Heard the book will be filmed into a movie and Tom Hanks will be acting in it. Wow, I am already looking forward to it!
The book is about a true story of Michael who was born into a life of privilege. He went on to launch a successful career and led a high life. Despite earning a lot, he did not save much. When he was asked to leave his job in his 50s, he saw his savings dwindled very fast. His high flyer friends also avoided him. In the end, he had to work to in Starbucks just to survive. It is also a place where he gets to experience the joy of life and experience true warmth in people. Despite living a high life in the past, it is the life that he has now where he can have time to interact with others that he feels he truly enjoys.
It is a story of hope and awakening. Sometimes in the pursuit of material wealth, we forget what is truly important in our life.
Heard the book will be filmed into a movie and Tom Hanks will be acting in it. Wow, I am already looking forward to it!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Music in my life
I love music though I am not good at playing it. Music is such a unifying force, it transcends language barriers.
I wonder whether i should succumb and admit that I have no talent for music. Maybe is the stubborn streak in me! :) Is ok, i shall still try as long as I still enjoy it.
My first serious music lesson was guitar lessons I taken on an individual basis. It was a great deal for me as I paid out of my own pocket when I was in secondary school. I still remembered when I learnt somehow from the teacher that I took 5 years to reach grade 3 whereas other students took 3 years to reach grade 5. It was actually my fault for being lazy in practicing. Then I tried to join group lessons hoping that it would motivate me, but I was only in the JC's guitar club for three months. Though I was really happy to be able to perform "Guan Huai Fang Shi" during the school concert with another fellow guitarist. She was obviously the better player and I just act like I could play haha.
Last year, I completed a pop piano course that stretched over 2 years! It was great to be able to play a few songs after that. I was also one of the worst performing students in class and only managed to pass the final test by a thread. Unfortunately there is no more extension to the course, so I would either have to look for other courses or find a suitable teacher who can teach at my slow pace.
I look forward to being able to play and sing along well enough for my own enjoyment. (Not that I sing well, went for a few short singing courses with friends, but it never get anywhere, as I am rather tone deaf and most friends dropped out after one-two months and so did I.)
Music has such a great calming force. I can just sit down and listen for hours! Listening with your eye close will allow you to flow more with the music.
I admire the music genius in MJ. Despite all the controversies about him, it is without a doubt that he contributes a lot to the whole music industry. His music transcends religion and color. If only he has been able to cope with the tremendous stresses. Rest In Peace MJ.
I wonder whether i should succumb and admit that I have no talent for music. Maybe is the stubborn streak in me! :) Is ok, i shall still try as long as I still enjoy it.
My first serious music lesson was guitar lessons I taken on an individual basis. It was a great deal for me as I paid out of my own pocket when I was in secondary school. I still remembered when I learnt somehow from the teacher that I took 5 years to reach grade 3 whereas other students took 3 years to reach grade 5. It was actually my fault for being lazy in practicing. Then I tried to join group lessons hoping that it would motivate me, but I was only in the JC's guitar club for three months. Though I was really happy to be able to perform "Guan Huai Fang Shi" during the school concert with another fellow guitarist. She was obviously the better player and I just act like I could play haha.
Last year, I completed a pop piano course that stretched over 2 years! It was great to be able to play a few songs after that. I was also one of the worst performing students in class and only managed to pass the final test by a thread. Unfortunately there is no more extension to the course, so I would either have to look for other courses or find a suitable teacher who can teach at my slow pace.
I look forward to being able to play and sing along well enough for my own enjoyment. (Not that I sing well, went for a few short singing courses with friends, but it never get anywhere, as I am rather tone deaf and most friends dropped out after one-two months and so did I.)
Music has such a great calming force. I can just sit down and listen for hours! Listening with your eye close will allow you to flow more with the music.
I admire the music genius in MJ. Despite all the controversies about him, it is without a doubt that he contributes a lot to the whole music industry. His music transcends religion and color. If only he has been able to cope with the tremendous stresses. Rest In Peace MJ.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Wild Camels in Gobi
Recently I read "Mysteries of the Gobi,
Searching for Wild Camels and Lost Cities in the Heart of Asia by John Hare". A interesting book and the 2nd book on the Gobi Desert that I read.
The Gobi Desert is fascinating and I am in awe of the wild Bactrian camel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrian_Camel) for its resilience in its harsh environment. It is a critically endangered animal with less than 1000 estimated to be still living in the Gobi Desert in China/Mongolia.
I do not know when my interest in camels start, maybe a few years ago. They seem so gentle despite the harsh environment and conditions that they live/"work". On the other hand, I also heard they can be quite needing time for newcomers to adjust to their "table manners" :> They burp out their partially digested food. This I have to agree haha!
I remember seeing them first time during a bus ride in India. I was looking out the window and I saw these huge caravens full of hay. I was wondering who was carrying then and before long, saw that it was actually camels pulling the loads. The camels were huge and they go about in an unhurried and uncomplaining manner with their heavy burden.
Not longer after in Taj Mahal, I finally came face to face with the camels again. This time, they were working as pullers of carts transporting people. Wow I can smell them literally! There were green liquid stuffs on the floors and I guess it must be the digestive juices or stuffs. I remembered spending quite a while observing them. Really big gentle creatures in my view.
It is a shame that the wild bactrian camel has been driven to such level of existence by Man. From the crew of Planet Earth (BBC awardm winning program) who spend 2 months trying to get footage of the wild bactrian camel in Mongolia, we can know they are so scared of Man and will run at the scent of Man from 4-5 kilometres away.
Currently there are some groups now trying to save them from extinction and I hope their efforts will succeed.
Searching for Wild Camels and Lost Cities in the Heart of Asia by John Hare". A interesting book and the 2nd book on the Gobi Desert that I read.
The Gobi Desert is fascinating and I am in awe of the wild Bactrian camel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrian_Camel) for its resilience in its harsh environment. It is a critically endangered animal with less than 1000 estimated to be still living in the Gobi Desert in China/Mongolia.
I do not know when my interest in camels start, maybe a few years ago. They seem so gentle despite the harsh environment and conditions that they live/"work". On the other hand, I also heard they can be quite needing time for newcomers to adjust to their "table manners" :> They burp out their partially digested food. This I have to agree haha!
I remember seeing them first time during a bus ride in India. I was looking out the window and I saw these huge caravens full of hay. I was wondering who was carrying then and before long, saw that it was actually camels pulling the loads. The camels were huge and they go about in an unhurried and uncomplaining manner with their heavy burden.
Not longer after in Taj Mahal, I finally came face to face with the camels again. This time, they were working as pullers of carts transporting people. Wow I can smell them literally! There were green liquid stuffs on the floors and I guess it must be the digestive juices or stuffs. I remembered spending quite a while observing them. Really big gentle creatures in my view.
It is a shame that the wild bactrian camel has been driven to such level of existence by Man. From the crew of Planet Earth (BBC awardm winning program) who spend 2 months trying to get footage of the wild bactrian camel in Mongolia, we can know they are so scared of Man and will run at the scent of Man from 4-5 kilometres away.
Currently there are some groups now trying to save them from extinction and I hope their efforts will succeed.
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