 I know it is late.
In fact, it is already 12:39AM. But I have been wanting to write this. Hence. I wanted to pen down my feelings of love. For Tigger, which must have grown greater Over the course of the three years. On a daily basis, he wakes with me. He sees me when I head to work. He comes to the door when I return. He watches me when I shower. He lies on my lap when I am on my computer. Just like right now, as I am furiously typing away On my keyboard. He then takes his time, Slowly, but surely, goes to bed with me. Curls up in his little pillow Just beside mine. He would lean his head on my pillow, And as I give him a peck on his forehead I would pat him on his back He would then then purr And then we will go to sleep. I love you, Tigger. That's all I want to say.
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 My most recent trip to Rajasthan, India was a fantastic trip for me. It reinforced what I decided to set out to do in 2014, to explore places and Destinations that I have not visited before, and to make a deliberate effort to Uncover the history, the culture, and the essence of these places. India, or specifically, Rajasthan, impressed me. I was intrigued by their history, And the subsequent influence of the Mughal period, which left obvious traces In their architecture as well as religious and cultural influences. I was also intrigued by the Partition, and how it came to be, and the role that the British had in this, via the East India Company - which also played a large role in Singapore and other Related colonies. I was also able to understand better the principles of Hinduism as well as Jainism - which bear similar trademarks with Buddhism. In fact, both are branches of the Sramana tradition that still exist today. Of course, as with any explorations into new lands, there were the usual impediments. Tipping was expected for every single action; I have come to accept that anyone who Eager posed with me would demand a fee for their services, and this was extended to Almost any other actions, from anyone up or down the chain of command. The persistent hornings from the daily commuting was damaging to my eardrums, And the dusty streets were often filled with choked drains and uncleared garbage. In spite of this, life goes on  There were cows, and dogs, and monkeys and other creatures on the streets. And even though the traffic was heavy at certain junctions, the drivers made Space for them. There was this essence of harmony that I felt - that thrived as if it was an unspoken code of conduct between the people, the animals, the religion and nature - the people, however poor they could be, would Bring out vegetables to feed the cows, and leave food for the dog. That was truly amazing. And it was in this observation that I think I grew again, as a person. It was not the famous sights of Taj Mahal or Amber Fort that left the Deepest impression on me. I was certainly impressed by these landmarks; But I was more impressed by the heart and spirit of the Rajasthanis that I encountered along the way, and this made my trip a fantastic one. And of course, here's the rough itinerary, to share.  Fun day at the crowded gym, doing planks with medicine ball, to create some instability. My abs are still hurting from yesterday's ab rollers. Ab roller exercises are really painful, and take a while to recover from.
Finally, it is done! The Hashtag challenge has been an interesting observation and a fascinating social experiment. About a month ago, on National Day in fact, I was tagged by Ming Hung on the #30Day60SecCoreChallenge. Ming Hung was probably inspired by the 22 Push Ups challenge, which he was already doing for a couple of week. I gamely accepted the challenge and thought that this could provide me a means to test a few things: A. I have not really used the video camera function for my LG G5. With the onslaught of video content materialising in the likes of Instagram (videos and stories), as well as Facebook (live, video, etc.) I wanted to see if it was easy for me to take a short video and post it online. B. I had a Youtube channel which I created many years back, but did not really use it as a repository for my video feeds. I wanted to see if it would be easy to store the videos onto Youtube and then do a cross-post onto other platforms. C. I was reading an article about Social Proof, and wanted to see how receptive would my friends and acquaintances be with being tagged. Would they be inspired to do the Core Challenge as well? If they did, would they be game enough to post it online? If they were tagged, would that make them more receptive towards such a challenge. Mind you - the challenge by itself was not a difficult one. It was a "60-second" challenge, which meant that all it took was just a minute to execute. The variation of exercises could be a simple series of sit ups, or even a one-minute plank. Hence, it was something easily executable by almost anybody. Nevertheless, I discerned the following categories of respondents:
A. The Spontaneous and the Sporting. There would always be a small group who would react positively to the challenge. They would not only attempt the challenge, but create the Hashtag and also post it on their social media platform. They are enthusiastic B. The Shy ones. This category of folks liked the idea of the challenge, and they were inspired enough to attempt the challenge in the comfort of their homes. However, they were reluctant to post any video of their attempts online, possibly because they were afraid of being judged, or causing a "wrong impression". Others were not confident if they were able to execute the challenge and hence did not want to post their attempt. C. The Flash in the Pan. This group would oblige with the challenge and would try to do it and post it online. But after one or several postings, they would be distracted by their daily affairs and would stop posting. This group are likely the ones that make the effort (to oblige) as they were tagged or were reminded, but the act of doing the challenge was more for their friends, and not for themselves. In short, they did not put in place a challenge to themselves to complete the challenge. D. The Can't-be-bothered. This group is likely a majority, and would have paid some attention on such a challenge, but would prefer to remain passive and not partake in the challenge. A portion of this group might eventually try the challenge if there were enough people attempting it. E. The Cynical. The cynics would form an opinion quickly, and probably a negative view of the entire movement. Likely responses would be "they have too much time to spare", "what's this silly challenge all about". Notwithstanding, the cynics do not always stick to their notions, and with time, their opinions could evolve more positively (or negatively, for that matter). Another fascinating discovery was that, with social media, it was possible to reach out beyond a geographical constraint. In fact, we realised there were people as far as China or even USA attempting the #30Days60SecCoreChallenge as well. This bodes well for individuals or groups who would like to initiate a movement to spread positive habits to others - you never know how far the reach could get! #livethechange! 明月幾時有, 把酒問青天
不知天上宮闕, 今夕是何年 我欲乘風歸去 唯恐琼樓玉宇, 高處不勝寒 起舞弄清影, 何似在人間 轉朱閣, 低綺戶, 照無眠 不應有恨, 何事偏向別時圓 人有悲歡離合, 月有陰晴圓缺 此事古難全, 但願人長久, 千里共嬋娟 但願人長久 is a very old Chinese poem. Written by 蘇轼 (Su1 Shi4, 1037-1101). There's a liberal translation, trying to retain the flavor of the poem. When do good times come? i raise my drink to the moon what year is today? what's up with the gods? i would hitch the wind to return though high places are cold i play with my shadow, a pleasure it is the door, the window sill, reflected my sleeplessenss the resentments, the separation, the bearings for joy and for gloom, even the moon faces change this is with us; may people prosper, as ducks in pairs Here's a more literal translation. when do the moon grow bright; raise a toast to heaven which calender of gods is this; what year is tonight i wish to hitch the wind and return only fearing palaces, high places aren't warm dancing to my shadow, what a life it is passed the door, under the window, shined on my sleeplessness resentment grows from no answer, what are better than not known (??) there are joy and there are gloom, there are phases even for the moon this no perfection any can reach, may people live long and prosper, as birds fly a thousand miles ++++++ Beautiful! Especially on this Thursday!  After the Spartan Training at Penhas, the rest left, while a few of us stayed back to clean up. We swept the floor, mopped away the perspiration, and then cleared the rubbish. While we could grabbed a quick bite nearby, I wanted to do a quick recce of The Great Escape as a potential event venue. We drove over to the Golden Mile Complex, got a little lost and ended up at Rex Theatre. I queried the cashier and he beckoned to us to head towards level 5. At The Projector, we tried to find the route to The Great Escape and ended up at the restroom instead lol, but soon we found ourselves at the outdoor bar.
Unfortunately, there was a company event going on, which meant that we could not have our dinner there. The outdoor area had several puddles of water formed from the heavy downpour, but all in all it sported a great indie vibe, and was helped by the vintage Volkswagen Van which was used as a drinks serving area. We then decided to find a place to have a quick dinner. I had my early dinner prior to the training session, hence kept the guys company as they found a Heng Hwa Lor Mee place at the basement level (rare!). |
AuthorI am MrWildy and I am trying to journal more about my life and also my travels. Find out more about me here. Categories
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