Good reason to be Away from work? Beginning of My Turn of 2x

Errh, I dont typically scream out loud about my birthday, let alone hold a celebration. Usually it would be dinner and a cake with my immediate family. But this year, with itchy fingers and brains, I decided to host a dinner party.

Guess what, I get a day off from work too! haah thats because I will still have 20 days left after taking one off today.

Still, it feels good, and I feel that my schedule is begnning to be hectic. Woke up at 6:30am, and went to Killiney for breakfast with Gui.

Came home, stuck to the news on TV and online, read up on investments - nothing exciting really, its just unpredictability in the turmoil..best strategy for a prudent investor - do nothing and read and understand for now.

Just made a donation to Thien Nhan, the toddler who survived after being partly eaten by wild dogs in the jungle.

I am attending Hatha yoga at Pacific Plaza and will need to leave the house in 20 mins time.

Ooh, brother just called me from Australia to wish me Happy Birthday too!

Will be meeting my mum for quick lunch later and will walk around Takashimaya. Je Taime is having a 30%-40% sale, will walk in for a feast of the eyes and some education on fine jewellery...

Hopefully a foot rub to end the evening - and then dinner with Mr Gui. More importantly my discipline to chant tonight.

Thats my birthday plan - sounds hectic?? - ;-)

Understanding Confessions

On Saturday evening, I celebrated my 29th birthday with a few close friends at home. Mr Gui planned every detail of the dinner - marinated the lamb four days ago, drew out a menu & pinned it on the refrigerator and basically gave Sumini a briefing on the sequence of the dishes and the cutleries required.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to Great World to pick up fresh tomatoes and a tub of Lemon Sherbet. I remember telling him "Hey, sorry ah, crowds usually give me a headache, and the cold in a supermarket usually makes me sick.. so I'll wait for you outside with a coffee from Da Paolo ;) "... Without much of a choice, he continued scrutinizing through the many different choices of tomatoes on the rack....

Once he grabbed the Lemon Sherbet, he said "Run, Run Run, I don't want it to melt!"

At around 4:30pm, we starting laying the table together. He decided on the choice of the table mats, and the type of glasses and cups to be used. If there is anything that was the best present, it was him - the knight that stood out in the shining apron!

I have not been writing. Not a suprise isnt it? The market is in a turmoil - creating excitment plus weariness in all financial institutions. The investment banking model has now broken down. Bear Sterns disappeared in March when it was bought by JPMorgan. Lehman and Merrill Lynch have had money-losing quarters since the credit crunch started last year. Merrill Lynch is acquired by Bank of America, and Lehman collapsed last week. The last two standing IB - Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have just been approved to become banks.

Last night, mum-in-law gave us a mini class on our prayer session. "You have been chanting on Confessions, but do you know what it is?"

Here's part I

3 obstacles related to our Body = Killing, Stealing, Sexual Misconduct

4 obstacles related to our Voice = Lying, Slander, Harsh Speech, Idle Gossip

All obstacles connected to our Body, Speech and Mind = Covetousness, Malicious Intent, Wrong View

3 + 4 + 3 = The 10 Non-Virtous Actions

DILEMMA & TUMBLE

This week was stressful and tiring. Whats new right? The work stress, its just getting into me. Its not even about the technicalities of the work. That you can understand - or eventually fully grasp it with a logical mind. The humans make it trickier. As Mr P once puts it, humans are a lot more complex to understand than the financial markets.


Funny enough J is fundamentally going through the exact same phase as me - somewhat in terms of job satisfaction, and liking things that are forbidden. I have not been doing my spiritual reading, but since J commented today "I feel like my life has no purpose." I picked up Dr K Sri D's "The Purpose of Life". I read today:


The Buddha has classified humankind into four groups:

1. One who works for his own good, but not for the good of others;
2. One who works for the good of others, but not for his own good;
3. One who works neither for his own good nor for the good of others; and
4. One who works for his own good as well as for the good of others.

To elaborate:
Pt 2: One who works for the good of others, but not for his own good - it is he who encourages others to abolish evil thoughts, words and actions but does not strive for the abolition of greed, hate and delusion in himself.

Pt 3: One who works neither for his own good nor for the good of others - it is he who neither strives for the abolition of evil thoughts, words and actions in himself, nor does he encourage others to abolish greed, hate and delusion.



This weekend, I spent some good time with Mummy getting a hair trim together, and then late lunch and a chocolate cake to follow. Counting on my simple pleasures to tide me through... Having a cold now in fact - I guess I'll be sleeping quite soundly tonight ;)

How do you Manage Stress - Olympic teaches a lesson or two

Well, I was not at work this morning. Out sick and basically slept the entire day. Now I realize how tired I have been. Am I tired? Unmotivated? or Stressed out? Its eating into me :(

Tea @ Trump Tower?

Its often willpower, not just physical strength, that helps an athlete win. (The Straits Times, June Cheong) Indeed willpower is the key to want to suceed in any matters, but what do you do if you feel bruised and down? Where do you tap the energy to pick yourself up again?

Jog around Manhattan Apple Store?

Just be alone?


Be in tune with nature? (Upper East Side, Central Park)

It has been four months and three weeks. Have I really been happy? Enough of me. Today's Straits Times on Under Medal Stress is of relevance. "Olympians like Michael Phelps and Yao Ming may carry the weight of national expectations on their shoulders, but ordinary folk have to contend with other pressures - like looming w0rk deadlines, barking clients or late buses." Here are some tips summarized:

Bouncing back from mistakes

Sporting events are all about being faster, stronger and better than the competition. So athletes have to learn to snap back to form quickly after making an error. They are told not to dwell on past mistakes and to always seek closure.

One method Ms Andrea Furst, head of sports psychology at Singapore Sports Council, uses is to feed cue words to athletes such that when they think of these words, they stop the negative thought stream immediately. She said: "We teach athletes to use their thoughts to dictate their attitudes."

Goal setting

Learn to distinguish between what's within your control and what's not. Whenever pressure hits, negativity fills our mind much more easily. Instead of hitting the panic button, think clearly of what you need to do next and go back to what's within your control.

Learning to concentrate

Prior to the Olympics, China's sports system set up counselling websites, and introduced (among other things) meditation and yoga to help ease the athletes' pressure. Ms Furst: Learning how to meditate or control your breathing is fantastic for training your power to focus. If you can relax your mind, you can switch on and off at will.

Rest today, peak tomorrow

Athletes call it periodisation. They stress and rest their bodies in alternation constantly. People under long periods of stress should look at ways to relax, like running or having a good meal. Rest helps you to keep performing at your best and is not unproductive.

Hmm, rest.. thats what I am doing today...