Big Pictures

You know – the earthquake in Japan, which caused the lives of over 10,000 people, destroyed homes, belongings and whole families, also resulted in the Earth spinning faster- by a grand total of 0.0000018 seconds. Imagine – in the big picture of the planet, something that massive only caused that minute an effect.

But imagine also, the impact of such devastation on each individual who is (no pun intended) on eye-level with the storm – this is probably the worst thing that could happen to you.

It is maybe the same for every person who dies in a war and their families, or anyone who at some point realised we are all cogs in a very, very, big machine.

Well guess what, what a special cog we each are, even if only to ourselves and the lives we touch. Perhaps the idea is to aspire towards the biggest picture we can have of ourselves, and keep in mind that despite all, it is still part of a bigger picture out there. It will be okay, and if it isn’t, there is room to make it better.

Maya Angelou also said

''I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands, you need to be able to throw something back".

I like the Man Mo Temple in Hong Kong. There, you worship both the God of Culture and the Martial God. Which makes sense because sometimes, even the most civil must fight. So if fight we must, may we have guidance that it be in the highest order of ways.

Perhaps I'm a little serious but...

These days, I discovered that people do a lot to get to know one another. And it seems that there are no rules, except those in your head. A boy on vacation hooks up with a stewardess on a flight in from somewhere, and tries to convince her to fly out to see him at home the next week. A girl calls a married colleague in the middle of the night to complain about a date he recommended which didn’t work out.

Increasingly, boundaries are set only by the two people in a connection with each other. And because boundaries are set independent of any norms, so is the definition of overstepping them. Forget then right and wrong, these become even grayer.

Perhaps, the only constant is that every connection between two people is a balance of power. And the idea is to keep the upper hand to protect, or win the things that personally matter. Even in relationships where there is love, faith, and trust? Maybe, I don’t know.

As for things getting out of hand, I also don’t know. Perhaps “Laissez faire et laissez passer” (let do, and let pass)* is already the inevitable. I’d like to think "Laissez faire et laissez passer, le monde va de lui même!" (let do, and let pass, the world goes on by itself!)* is more reassuring, there is a feeling that there will always be some correction or adjustment to balance, down the road. Still, this is scary stuff.

*Wikipedia

How we are strong

I resolved to pen more thoughts this year, even fleeting ones, so here.

In scattered entries throughout this blog, we have established that time and energy in each day is finite, and it is how one spends that resource which determines the outcome of next day, and the days to come. Simple.

In our education, there is a lot of time and energy spent on following a program of learning new information, and getting appraised at the end of the process. This is school, and typically, that is what schools are meant for. That is fine.

Probably, what is not fine is the lack of realization that 1. equal time and energy should be invested in clearly identifying one’s strengths and weaknesses, and 2. those said strengths and weaknesses are sometimes, but hardly effectively reflected by the results of the said school appraisal.

This is not a new concept, yet there are many who consider their 20s as a time of self-discovery, I not excluded – and I just wished mine could have begun earlier.

Because in the real world where summits shift, and not much is linear, it is the intimate knowledge of one’s strengths and weaknesses, passions and dislikes, which will guide personal strategy, sanity, and ultimate survival.

Yes, it is an evolving process, much of which is earned from experience and years, but I believe the sooner one is able to begin to describe oneself, if only to themselves, the more powerful that person will be.

The New Year

What a confused entry below. Well, it is fitting considering it got somewhat confusing towards the end of last year. And you know, it still is.

Anyhow, it is nice to feature something I am not confused about. Adibah Amin's As I Was Passing is an outstanding offering of Malaysiana. Beyond that, she and I do have some thoughts in common, and when weary to write, it is encouraging and comforting to find someone who has been there, and said it before.


Good 2011 to you all!

Places

Nothing like a Swatch to remind you about the passing of time – it ticks so loud.

As a child I did not spend more than 3 years living in the same city or town. And although some say adolescence is the most formative time of one’s life, I never quite lost the wanderlust from my childhood years of exploring the vibe of a brand new place, and inhaling the scent of possibilities only fresh paint in an empty house can offer.

I “incubated” in Petaling Jaya during my teenage years and cannot say I enjoyed it too much. One year in Sydney introducing me to myself, then it was back to base camp. I call it such because the next 8 years (man, that is a big number) was and is one big old fschiwizz of travels – 37 places and 16 countries, each experience alternately wonderful, lonesome, insightful, intimidating and peaceful in itself.

These opportunities come from work. I’ve been fortunate to get the corporate version of a Globe Trekker job. And to digress, I love how equalizing work can be. Hairdressing in Hong Kong is no different from hairdressing in Manila or anywhere else – a good cut is a good cut. Not much gives me more satisfaction than seeing a Malaysian working alongside and holding their own with people from different, more developed countries, I’ll be honest. For me, that is through playing in a field with rules and people from different places, and making it, on the books, and in my way.


Jalan-Jalan (I’m just travelling around)

I love traveling. Despite immigration and suitcases, I do. This I realized when standing in Amsterdam's airport at 5.30 am after a 13 hour flight, teeth un-brushed and slightly bleary eyed looking for the next connection, and I am inexplicably happy. I think it had something to do with spotting Ronald McDonald with that congenial arm draped around an airport bench, familiarity mixed up with adventure, like making a friend of an acquaintance you clicked well with before.

Some places will always feel a little bit like home – Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Antwerp. Some feel like I never knew them in past lives but have the maiden chance to start now – Busan, Bangkok, Tokyo. And some, I’ll just be passing through.

Being loyal to a place for me is similar to being loyal to someone. If it is the right person, it is not highs all the time but there are wonderful moments that keep you nourished, and despite the work and rough times there is a kind of peace from feeling that you are in the right place. And if it’s the wrong guy, it is suffocating and draining despite all the getting by.

Yet, at some point we all need to get past the second date, the second year, yes? I guess what you earn for accepting the ugliness alongside with the light is your own furniture, and your own someone to come home to. We reap what we sow. Good thing is, we can make our own rules and do it on our own terms, but we reap what we sow.

Getting acquainted with Antwerp

Apparently this city lies at the crossroads of five international motorways, linking the Netherlands, Germany and France. Bergen op Zoom where I work is a speedy 30 minutes away, and Maxis sends me texts every morning when I cross the border, to tell me to enjoy my time in the Netherlands, and not to worry as I can call the Malaysian embassy at +31703506506 if I need to .

I love how urban it is here. It is classic and beautiful like so many European towns, but there is size, scope and enough trash on the street to make a city a city.

It feels a little like Sydney. It reminds me of how much I relish walking a city, disappear in it, discover it at my pace and make it my own.