Don't know if it's a sign of aging, but I've felt the urge to shop less and less. When I was younger (damnit i feel so old typing this) and didn't know what to do with all that spare time after school, my fellow slackers and I would happily take the bus to Suntec / Orchard depending on which bus came first. Then we would just "hang out", which, in our case, was to sit for hours in fast food restaurants, try on multiple random things at every other store, and diss each other and probably irritating others around us. Haaaaaa. Carefree days. Yeah nothing was achieved, but you still look back on such days with wistful fondness.
These days, I dont easily buy anything, unless it's really useful, or Im going to keep it for a very long time. ie. not throw out after half a year. Same goes for food / daily neccessities etc. Besides the fact that this has saved me abit of money, it also assuages my inner guilt somehow for not doing more to help the environment / people who get less of the world's natural resources. The gross reality is that a small privileged group of people have more than they could ever consume and are overweight, over indulgent and self-centred. Whereas in other parts of the world some people can't even buy real food with their money because it's literally worthless, and besides, there's just not enough to go round. Meanwhile, more trees are being chopped down, species disappearing before your next birthday, ice caps melt continually.
Modern societies have reached such an appalling degree of mindless excess that we are not just harming the environment, we neglect our own kind, and quality of life really only goes down instead of up. What quality of life is there when you mindlessly go to a job you don't believe in day after day to earn your next holiday or LV bag?
To maintain my own sanity and level of happiness, I've decided to go back to basics. The body is all we have for the entire length of our lives - only one heart, one liver. So first and foremost, I want to take good care of it so it will take care of me. This has wider implications on lifestyle choices, diet, beauty regime etc. It's bloody hard work. But I've decided it's worth it in the long term.
The only big hurdle is my incredible laziness.
If I drew this as a venn diagram then it would be the innermost circle. The second circle would be the immediate community. Ideally I want to take a more active role in helping out my community, whether it be my neighbourhood, old people, stray cats, disabled etc. Been a bystander for too long, just think it's finally time to do something.
The outer most circle would be to travel more widely. Unlike what some may say, I belive the world is a wide place, however connected we appear to be in cyberspace. If one really wished, there are many hidden opportunities to widen your own perspective, learn new ways of living, find a new best friend. Perhaps how you live your life changes - who knows. Yesterday, I saw this picture of a young Jane Goodall. She was laughing, with an outstretched hand towards a chimp. It must have taken some courage for her mother and her to abandon civilisation and go live in the jungles - I wonder what fuelled that? And because of that choice, Goodall's life course was changed. Maybe all I really want to do is throw myself out there and see how I'll fare in unfamiliar places.
Personalities at work #1
Think im developing a habit of blogging at work - takes the mind off things for a while and seems like a more productive distraction than stalking people on Facebook.
Also, somehow words just flow out of the fingers easier when I blog at work.
I had a few blog topics in mind, but this being a Friday and the brain therefore being half switched off, thought to myself,"Why not blog about all the different types of people I see at work? Since it takes up more than 60% of my waking hours..."
I think this topic could potentially be explored over an entire series of posts, so this marks #1.
This morning, a colleague pulled me aside to complain about our mutual colleague. Her main gripe was that she was unhappy colleague H (hmm maybe i should start giving all of them private nicknames soon) who presumedly tried to accuse her of something that wasn't her fault / responsibility. Having worked for a while now, I have come across so many squabbles over the question of "Whose responsibility is this? (not mine!!)" Usually these squabbles only occur after some shit crops up.
Without taking sides and speaking from a bystander's point of view, I really dont understand the point of such internal tussles. What's the point of finding who to blame when the damage has already been done, I wonder. Isn't it far more effective to work out a solution so the same shit doesn't happen again. But then again, people are people - personal egos always stand in the way. When they say you should work smart, it's not just about the technical aspect of how you do work, maybe it's more important to be smart in terms of how you deal with people.
More and more, in ways I've never realised before, work has taught me quite a few precious lessons.
*added as an afterthought. There are more, but these have proved to be invaluable.
1. Never take people for granted.
2. Put in the effort to compose a polished, friendly email - it pays off.
3. Never badmouth anybody, not even when in private conversations.
Also, somehow words just flow out of the fingers easier when I blog at work.
I had a few blog topics in mind, but this being a Friday and the brain therefore being half switched off, thought to myself,"Why not blog about all the different types of people I see at work? Since it takes up more than 60% of my waking hours..."
I think this topic could potentially be explored over an entire series of posts, so this marks #1.
This morning, a colleague pulled me aside to complain about our mutual colleague. Her main gripe was that she was unhappy colleague H (hmm maybe i should start giving all of them private nicknames soon) who presumedly tried to accuse her of something that wasn't her fault / responsibility. Having worked for a while now, I have come across so many squabbles over the question of "Whose responsibility is this? (not mine!!)" Usually these squabbles only occur after some shit crops up.
Without taking sides and speaking from a bystander's point of view, I really dont understand the point of such internal tussles. What's the point of finding who to blame when the damage has already been done, I wonder. Isn't it far more effective to work out a solution so the same shit doesn't happen again. But then again, people are people - personal egos always stand in the way. When they say you should work smart, it's not just about the technical aspect of how you do work, maybe it's more important to be smart in terms of how you deal with people.
More and more, in ways I've never realised before, work has taught me quite a few precious lessons.
*added as an afterthought. There are more, but these have proved to be invaluable.
1. Never take people for granted.
2. Put in the effort to compose a polished, friendly email - it pays off.
3. Never badmouth anybody, not even when in private conversations.
Unbearable lightness of being
Recently, there have been quite alot of happenings in my life - whether at work or in private.
I have been a silent stalker of a certain blog which belongs to a 30ish year old guy. Can't even remember how I came across his blog, in any case that is of no consequence here. The weird thing is, I find myself identifying with this unknown 30ish guy on several levels.
It is not just silent agreement with his choice of music/bands (rock, indie, soul, seems quite varied), it reaches way into how we view relationships, not limited to the romantic kind. One statement struck a ringing chord - he prefers to keep people at arm's length, but gets upset when they stay at more than one arm's length away. I was like,'Wow me too!' It's funny isn't it, how you can feel a connection to a total stranger in cyberspace, when you get a virtual tour of his inner Aladdin's cave.
In fact he has inspired me to pour more of myself into this space here, if only to fulfil a certain self obsession.
xxxx
Then at work, good times never last forever.
My team leader, who I get along fabulously well with, is leaving in a month's time. Sigh. Just one of the many cant be helped situations at work.
I hope whoever's coming in to replace her is a good team player, because otherwise it's going to be damn painful to work together.
xxxx
I have also been obsessing excessively over the helpless impermanence of life in general. Like the work situation above, like how it's so easy to die in every single moment of your daily life.
One step too far, an inch or two away, a sharper pressure exerted, and you'll fade away quicker than a candle in the wind.
Milan Kundela knew what he was talking about.
I have been a silent stalker of a certain blog which belongs to a 30ish year old guy. Can't even remember how I came across his blog, in any case that is of no consequence here. The weird thing is, I find myself identifying with this unknown 30ish guy on several levels.
It is not just silent agreement with his choice of music/bands (rock, indie, soul, seems quite varied), it reaches way into how we view relationships, not limited to the romantic kind. One statement struck a ringing chord - he prefers to keep people at arm's length, but gets upset when they stay at more than one arm's length away. I was like,'Wow me too!' It's funny isn't it, how you can feel a connection to a total stranger in cyberspace, when you get a virtual tour of his inner Aladdin's cave.
In fact he has inspired me to pour more of myself into this space here, if only to fulfil a certain self obsession.
xxxx
Then at work, good times never last forever.
My team leader, who I get along fabulously well with, is leaving in a month's time. Sigh. Just one of the many cant be helped situations at work.
I hope whoever's coming in to replace her is a good team player, because otherwise it's going to be damn painful to work together.
xxxx
I have also been obsessing excessively over the helpless impermanence of life in general. Like the work situation above, like how it's so easy to die in every single moment of your daily life.
One step too far, an inch or two away, a sharper pressure exerted, and you'll fade away quicker than a candle in the wind.
Milan Kundela knew what he was talking about.