I Saw a Cat Leap

An extraordinary leap. She was looking straight at me while i walked uphill on a walkway flanked by tall stone walls. I said hello, but she was startled, turned towards one of the walls at least 50 cm from her, and jumped.

I thought she was not going to make it, as her rigid body was still about 30 cm from the edge of the 2m-tall wall when it was near the peak of the parabola. Then, miraculously, the cat defied the rules of the parabolic curve, and seemingly propelled herself directly forward, parallel to the ground, with a small nimble stretch of her body, and caught the wall with all four claws. Safe!

Cats never cease to amaze me. I passed by the wall as she looked down suspiciously at me. Don't worry, high jump champion, I can't reach you anyway ;).

Bye bye Michael

The date of my last day in my first job is marked by another piece of world news: Michael Jackson is dead.

What a shock. The pop icon of my childhood and youth years, gone at the young age of 50. The moonwalker, the Peter Pan, the black man turned white, the incredible dancer, the King of Pop... Even my secondary school anniversary was celebrated to his number "Heal the World". His MTV for "Black or White" is almost one of the most recognisable videos ever.
Michael Jackson. I was never his fan, but was nevertheless impressed by his colourful songs and dances. It feels strange to hear of the demise of such a great figure that almost nobody would not recognise. I guess the days to follow will be filled with his stories and news of his funeral.

A Journal for the Soul

I've embarked on a new journal writing spree. No, it is different from writing a blog. Private journal entries can be incoherent, random and illegible. Nothing has to make sense, but everything will fall into place.

Writing as if I would speak really helps empty my busy mind out. Strangely, even my long-lost chinese characters came back in a sudden rush. I was writing more fluently than ever. And completing an entry with an irrelevant statement is no crime either.

Maybe journal or diary keeping would be a great way of keeping one's thoughts and emotions in check. This is how I will start practising mindfulness. What a challenge, but I feel as if I have won already after pouring my heart out over pages and pages of unashamed scribbling. A great start.

Under The Same Roof Again

While giving away some old videos, I found a wonderful Japanese series. It is the once popular Under The Same Roof 2, starring Eguchi Yousuke, Sakai Noriko and Fukuyama Masashi.

Just the theme song is already enough to bring back memories of staying home every Saturday morning to watch this heartwarming drama. Four brothers and two sisters, all living under the same roof, each with his or her own story. Tatsuya, the fatherly figure, the eldest brother who had to give up running due to an injury. Masaya, the accomplished surgeon, secretly in love with Koyuki. Koyuki, the motherly figure, adopted into the family before her younger siblings were old enough to understand anything, and is in love with Tatsuya. Kazuya, the joker, once a gangster, but reformed into a kind brother. Koume, the little princess of the family, brutally raped as a high school student, trying to live a new life in University away from the bonds and shackles of the dreadful past. Fumiya, the youngest boy, wheelchair-bound little artist. The family of six struggle to deal with the challenges of everyday life with positive attitudes. They would kill to protect one another.

I have not seen such a warm family drama from Japan for some time. Romance, thrillers, fantasy etc are getting a little dry. Family comedies, decked with touching episodes of brotherly love, is definitely a winning formula. Well, for me, at least. They are nourishment for the soul.

Thirteen More Days...

To a normal state of being!

The past few months have been full of anger, despair, regret and spite. There were moments and stretches of hope, compassion, friendship and gratitude too, but those too contributed to emotional instability. The extended periods of idlenesss will prove to be a big challenge for me next month.

To prepare myself for the change, I have browsed through some basic spiritual writings, kept away from gossip and gossipers, helped friends in similar situations, and learnt to communicate more with my own family.

Hopefully my efforts will pay off when I arrive at the next stage. I do not expect great success. But I would like to see myself progress spiritually and intellectually. I might have to neglect some other aspects of life that everyone is advising me to work on. My apologies, but those are just secondary to me, and contribute to stress and worry.

Lee Jun Ki - J Style MV

超爱他的美，他的妖 ：）

港剧魅力

港剧其实新意少,　没有什么意料之外的故事。但是它的简单正是受欢迎的原因。一集内高潮迭起，爱恨情仇，五花八门，令人目不遐给，不追不快。　
　
对我来说，港剧最迷人的便是大结局。永远地幸福美满…多么不真实，却是我最渴望看到的。大概不只我是这样吧，要不然剧本也不会都这么写！

Keep Smiling

It has been convenient to complain and sulk when one is in my current situation. To constantly remind myself to cheer up and look on the bright side, I have invited the smiling cat above to join me in office. Her name is Nici. And of course she is always smiling as if she's looking at a fat piece of salmon. When my kakis are away, Nici is my sole companion. Yes, it is fine to be alone. Yes, it does not kill to keep quiet. Yes, it is no big deal that the piano is not around during working hours. Yes, I should stay motivated and help my colleagues whenever I can, without getting too involved or frustrated. Yes, I should smile like I have seen Jacky Cheung live on stage again!

Sun Is Good for Shell

Yes... Love the strong sunlight. We reptiles need lots of sun to aid with bodily functions. Wait, wait! Don't put the blinds down!

Becoming Your Own Best Friend

Some wise words about caring too much about what others think of us from Godwin Samararatne:

"Sometimes I like to use this metaphor of toys. Although we are grown up, we still need there external toys. We can be changing one toy for another and still not getting satisfied with that toy. It is a case of just continuously changing toys and still not really being content, not really being self-contained. This is one of the greatest challenges we have.

This is why I have been encouraging you to spend some time alone and to see if you feel lonely or bored with yourself when you are alone. See how far you can learn to be your own best friend in that situation. If that connection can be made, then you become your own toy. When you can see yourself as your toy, you'll find yourself very amusing, entertaining and interesting. You have everything within yourself.

Then something beautiful happens. When you are alone, you can play with the toy, and when you are with others you can enjoy others. So this is another challenge we have in relationships, and again using that challenge to grow spiritually. Then whether you get plusses or minuses from others, praise or disapproval from others, you become self-contained within yourself."

I think this means that if you accept yourself as if you were your own precious best friend, you would be able to see your merits beyond what others think of you. No matter how people dismiss your abilities, you will never forget that you are a respectful and likeable individual, because you are always your own best friend. You must always stand by yourself to fend off any monsters that undermine your self-worth.