Sunday

The World We Revolve In

"Fortify yourself with flock of friends! You can select them at random, write to one, dine with one, visit one or take your problems to one. There's always one who will understand, inspire, and give you the lift you may need at the time"~George Matthew Adams
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It's always fun to meet people whom we have some things in common, you know people whom we can relate or people who can relate to what we are talking about. It was the other night when I worked with Ms. Teena. She said she was born in Italy and they moved here in the US when she was ten. I asked here how many times she had visited her hometown since then, she said about three times. She's from Sicily. I don't know much about Italy except I had a former co-worker who used to live in Florence. She told me tales of her two year stay. According to her, people would take a nap after lunch. Stores would be closed and that families would have a big meal for lunch then take a break for nap time. Then stores would be open again at four in the afternoon. I was like hmmm, that's something similar to what people do to where I came from. Most people in the smaller towns, in the provinces would go home and have lunch at home. And may even take a nap before going back to work or school. It was something I experienced growing up in a small town.

She also said that when they went back after so many years, it feels strange and people whom she left behind, she imagined them the way they were when she left. So, she was amazed when she went back and saw the big changes, not only the people she knows, but also the place. I was nodding my head in total agreement because I know exactly what she was talking about. When I went back home after nearly three years working in Hongkong, I was amazed at how grown up the little kids I left behind. I didn't even recognized them. I think what happens is that, things,people froze to the our last glance. We don't see the changes, naturally things change, people change, people grow old, I mean it's a natural flow of nature. So, the next time we see them they have already undergone the changes, even people do undergo the natural wear and tear of everyday life. Some people may stay younger looking, some may have added years of age. It's just that we just had another world, but time moves in every corners of the earth. To others it may seem so fast, to others, seems slow, but time is the flame in which we burn. It's always moving and taking everything in it's way with it including friends.

Living on the other side of the globe really changes a lot of things. It's like you know, your whole life has to be altered to suit the place. That means settling down, adjusting to the place, meeting new faces. And eventually have to meet new friends. That's what I have been trying to do lately since I knew people miles away. I figure I should meet people closer by and I did. It was meeting friends through their friends and it worked well with me. I won't be hanging out a lot with them because of the loaded schedule I have but at least I know someone whom I can hang around with, maybe chat when things gets so mundane. I still have to meet her circle of friends, but I have already talked to them in the virtual world.

It has become a challenge to me after long months of trying to get in touch to a once very close friend. She still is. It's just that she has her own world now. She is a very articulate person. Sweet, and does a lot fo things to please friends. With that in mind, I think I don't have to worry so much about her since she can make friends easily, very easily. She's got the skill of making friends. Something that I envy when we were still in school. We had been friends for a very long time. It's just that time and distance has worn out that friendship. The last time we had a heart to heart talk, she confessed, she hasn't found anyone whom she felt the same way like our friendship. I told her, me too. Our commitment to each other was like that of a husband and wife commitment. Although I didn't mind her having new friends because to me it's part of growing. We always said to each other that she'll be my forever bestfriend and she mine.Of course things changed a little bit when I got married and moved. I barely reached her with my nightly phone calls across the miles. I deeply felt sad. I was really hurt at first, but it has been months now, a year may have passed now. For some reason she seems unreachable. For now, I try to keep it as a challenge for me to seek friends. It's almost a void, a space in my life to find that kind of friendship I had with her maybe with another person. Of course my friendship with my spouse is still different. I think I just miss younger years. It's something and someone to look forward to seeing on my next visit to my home town. Hopefully, she will still be around.

Friends, there's something about physical interaction that bonds us closer to friends. I guess it has something to do with being physically able to hear their voices, to share the laughters. The physical bonding, to be able to feel their pressence. To feel that pat on the shoulder when they try comfort us. To go and see places together. To share the inner most secrets and feelings we have. I guess it' what E would call "female bonding". And yes, I miss the "girls night out." Hopefully, I will get to do that on my days off maybe with the new friends I have met. I remember a friend's husband saying that men should have two wives, not so that husbands can have sex to both of them but so that the wives have each other to talk to since women seems to want to just talk. I guess it's something he observed from his wife. That she just want to talk about a lot of things. I guess it's just him. I wouldn't say that all husbands feel the same way. I was like, huh, if you have two wives, then it will be double the trouble you are already experiencing right now. Which of course realistically would be so true. Not only because wives would want to be the only women in their husband's life, but women have more complexities that men don't have but that's what makes them women. Hay! women, so simple yet so complex!So, as they say.


Thursday

The Things we do

"If adults don’t like their jobs, they don’t go on strike. They just go in every day and do it really half-assed." “The Simpsons”1989-
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Work, job, career- they are all slave labor. I bet there are more people in this world that thinks half time of their working hours "If only I win the lottery, I can quit this job." I wonder how many people really find a job they really enjoy doing and has the authentic enthusiasm doing it. I bet very few people do. A lot of us are stuck in a mud hole of our jobs, carreers we never even wanted, or even never dream of doing. But everyday we drag ourselves and go in just to see that supervisor's or boss' unpleasant face who might not even be glad to be there either. Then there's the fellow employee who thinks they deserve better than you, so they either don't show up or wouldn't even do their job even if they show up. Still I wonder how many people get to do what they want to do in life. Work is always not everybody's favorite, but we are compelled to do it because of the need of mulah....cha ching. We unwillingly subject ourselves to harsh conditions, unholy hours, verbal abuse from co-workers or from the boss who thinks he /she knows it all. The natural reaction would be to get out, right? But we are caged by our need of finances to supports our needs, our wants, our vanities. Sometimes it is hope that keeps us there, waiting for the right time that seems never to come. How many of us have ever thought of walking out from that hellhole, but we can't just drag our feet out of there? Ambitions sometimes drive us nuts but often but there's not much to do, so we depend on hope believeing that there's hope to those who wait. Of course some people reach the end of the rope, there are those who are braver and walk out and search their fortunes in other trades. Sometimes ...hope is just what all there is left. Maybe it helps if we just work like we don't need the money. Or just show up everyday and do your work half-A**.

Let's not wear out our brains by thinking of work, how about if we think about this.


Wednesday

I came across this and I find it interesting.It's someone elses point of view not mine. If it was my theory it might be a little different. Obviously it's sort of made for humour or someone who's got a lot of time in his/her hands to even figure out exact statistics. Why 57 Asians? Are there more Asians occupying the earth?
If we could really shrink the earth's population into a village,how would it really look like. I mean how's the pie gonna look like when it comes to percentage?

Consider this... If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following: There would be: 57 Asians 21 Europeans 14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south 8 Africans 52 would be female 48 would be male 70 would be non-white 30 would be white 70 would be non-Christian 30 would be Christian 89 would be heterosexual 11 would be homosexual 6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.80 would live in substandard housing 70 would be unable to read 50 would suffer from malnutrition 1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth 1 would have a college education 1 would own a computer When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.
The following is also something to ponder . . . . If you woke up this morning with more health than illness . . . you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation. You are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep . . . you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace . . . you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

Monday

The Race Between my Feet and my Heart

More and more I can feel the positive effect of exercise. I had been running for weeks now, except when I have work and can't make it. I can feel the strength being build up. I get more energetic and more positive. It's nothing like a drenching strenous run. I like when I get drenched with sweat. It feels great. It's just annoying when there are suckers buzzing on my ears when I run. More so when I forget to spray the bare flesh of my limbs. They would feast on them like a big hunk of meat.

I used to think that as long as I keep active like doing home chores would be enough as exercise. I would literally run the vacuum cleaner back and forth and all around the house and think I was really exercising. J keep saying, "You got to raise your heartbeat" and I would just dismiss him with a "whatever" shrug or look. But as I start to add weight to the former skinny body (well not really skinny), I started to worry. I wouldn't like to look like a there are big hunk of fat hanging on my belly and on my arms. It just horrifies me to think I would look like that after years of being among the professional bums. But yeah, it scares me to add inches and then pounds to any part of my body. Can you believe that the feet grows too! Gosh! I use to be able to wear size 6 now, I can't fit my ginger looking feet on size 6 foot wear. At first I thought it must have something to do with the weather being hot. So, my feet could have expanded. But that's bull because just can't wear that size anymore.

I started out by walking but it seems walking does not do much. So I figure the fastest way to have results would be to run. Heart rate increase will be achieved in a shorter time and I could lose more by running. I started with a few laps, I got lost of breath so quick during the first few tries. My chest seem to constrict and got tired that quick, but as the days go by I did more and more laps and I was building resistance. After doing for weeks, I can run that long and would still have the energy. One thing I always make sure is never to exercise with an empty stomach. I always eat something before doing strenous exercise. I would sometimes make fruits smoothies which are always great slurps that would pump in the needed fluid. Smoothies are great source of quick energy.

If you haven't found the joy of exercising, perhaps you should try. I have never exercised like this in my entire life. I feel great, I really do. Huh, I'm starting to sound like one of those commercials selling those buffing machines. Well, I'm no muscle woman, but I like my muscles tight and well-shaped which I have yet to achieve.