January – My Musings, My Month

Come January, I celebrate my birthday. Another year in this journey (that can be puzzling, challenging, joyful, mysterious, but often incredible) called life.

When I was a child, I was quite uncomfortable with a January birthday, because it meant that I was one of the first in class to become older! But I soon came to make peace with it.

And there are quite a few January-born people among my relatives, and two of my good friends are January folks. From my observation, most January people are pretty straightforward people, not keen on wiles and backhanded antics.

Admirable famous people born in January include Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr, Dolly Parton, Michelle Obama,the artist Cezanne, and the author Edgar Allan Poe, best known for his stories of macabre and mystery.

I believe Martin Luther King’s words of wisdom ring true for human interaction: that people “…will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Happy Birthday to all January people.

The birth month flower, or the flower that symbolizes the month of a person's birth, for January is the carnation. I was drawn to this lovely illustration on a seed packet.

Read more about the carnation at: http://buildingbridgesworld.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/musings-in-january-the-carnation/

New Year Horoscope

(Cartoon courtesy of Woman's World)

Party of One on New Year’s Eve

One can be a lonely number on New Year’s Eve. So that was what I thought, until last New Year’s Eve.

The year had brought its share of changes and transitions for us. So on New Year’s Eve, we were just happy to be “still standing” and to relax in the mellow mood that often prevails on the last days of the year.

Living in a new city, we did not have any special plan. So we decided to have a late dinner at a chain diner where we like the shrimp alfredo noodles.

I looked around me in the restaurant, and saw the different configurations of diners who did not want to cook, or who wanted to go out on New Year’s Eve.

There were several middle-aged couples, a group of friends in their 20s, and a woman with her young son.

There were also two lone diners. One was a woman who seemed to be concentrating on her food, or lost in her own thoughts.

The other was a man who looked like he was really enjoying his dinner. At times, there was a hint of a smile on his face. His body language told me that he was eavesdropping on conversations, and found something amusing. I know this because this is something I myself often do in restaurants and coffee shops!

He also had a type of jelly dessert and coffee before he left the restaurant.

Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, these two diners decided to go ahead and do what they felt like doing, despite how they might be seen or perceived by others, on a night associated with social popularity and social excitement in our popular culture.

That night, in the warm glow of the restaurant where people with different individual stories awaited the new year, these two diners illuminated this thought for me: that our attitude ( how we see life and how we take life head on ) begins first with each of us. To quote Dr Phil: “The most important relationship you have is the one you have with yourself.”

I think that it’s only when we begin to celebrate and support our own selves, then we can honor and share that same attitude with others.

I have a feeling that if I were to go back to that same restaurant this New Year’s Eve, I would probably not see these two diners again.

But on a night that started off as a quiet New Year’s Eve dinner, they imparted to me a life lesson that left a profound mark.

Minty Cocoa

A cup of cocoa does wonders to warm up a cold wintry evening.

I like my cocoa with a touch of mint flavor, and two brands that I have tried are Ghirardelli Chocolate Peppermint Hot Cocoa and Land O Lakes Mint & Chocolate Hot Cocoa.

I like both, but, for me, Land O Lake has the edge with its right combination of minty and creamy flavors.

Singapore’s Animal World

The white rhino...big and beautiful.

The Singapore Zoo is a popular attraction with both tourists and the island’s residents.

It’s a busy place at this time of the year when the year-end school holidays come around again in Singapore. The lines would be long, but once you get pass it, it can be a worthwhile experience.

Earlier this year, I visited the zoo after a long absence. I went with my cousin who is also a huge animal lover. So we were ready to be pleased or to be critical about the place.

I’m happy to report that we were pleased. The ‘open concept’ design and variety of animals were great. I also liked the diversity of the staff.

We were lucky to arrive at the big cats enclosure when it was feeding time. There was a glass shelter for viewing. And from a vantage point right behind the glass, we had a clear view of the animals enjoying their meal.

I managed to chat with a staff member, Mcroy, who works with the big cats. I’ve always admired people who worked closely with animals, and was curious to know how he developed the ability and personality to work with these felines.

“I grew up in a kampung (village) in Sembawang. As a child, I was always drawn to play with, and take care of all the animals – birds, cats, dogs – that I come across,” he explained.

“Today, I’m happy to take care of these big cats. I feel that humans are trustees of the animal world.”

Later, we passed the sun bear enclosure, walking alongside Mcroy. The bears were resting or sunbathing among the trees (their natural behavior), and could not really be seen.

Mcroy called out the name of one of the bears: “Ballu!”. The bear came scampering towards the front of the glass-fronted enclosure to greet him , and that was an unforgettable sight.

Sun bears are the smallest species of bears in the world, and are found mainly in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Until recently, I didn’t know that sun bears are an endangered species. The Singapore Zoo has a breeding program to help ensure the sun bear’s survival.

Meal time...for the big cats.

The zoo's rainforest setting offers a lot of greenery.

Cooking Among the Clutter

Cooking in a cluttered kitchen can be quite stressful.

There is always the temptation to buy more kitchen tools and gadgets.

In this season of eating and cooking, the kitchen can be quite a mess.

It might take quite a bit of effort to clean the kitchen up after all the cooking and preparation, but the reward is worth it. I think a clean uncluttered kitchen adds a lot to the enjoyment of our home.

Of course, it’s not that easy to maintain a clutter-free kitchen. There is a kind of “natural” tendency to fill up empty counter space with kitchen appliances, gadgets as well as boxes of food or soda bottles whenever there is no more space in the cabinets to store them.

I recall a report about the practical impact that a cluttered kitchen can have on people. According to the report, one of the main reasons that people give for not cooking, and buying prepared food instead, is that a cluttered or messy kitchen puts them off from cooking.

Well, that could well mean that they are spending more on their food bill, and that’s not a productive strategy in today’s economy.

There are lots of articles giving tips on how to declutter the kitchen. But the first step is probably the hardest: deciding and discarding things that we no longer use or need. Hm.., I wonder if we use the word “edit” instead of “discard”, would that make it more psychologically palatable to clear some of the clutter.

In addition, we are constantly bombarded by television commercials and images of products that promise to make us a better cook or make our lives easier. The more recent ads include the meatloaf pan that drains the fat so that you will have a perfect, non-soggy meatloaf. There was also an ad for a vertical cabinet organizer that enables you to store your spice bottles using less space, and puts them in easy reach.

I admit I was quite tempted to order it, as my spice bottles are all mixed up in the cabinet. I have been telling myself that I should separate the spices bottles into one section for savory dishes, and another for baking or sweets. But I have yet to do that.

Well, I have not succumbed to ordering the organizer yet. But I have to say that these commercials are well-made, at least for the purpose of making you want their products. Another item that we may or may not use after purchasing; a potential permanent resident on the kitchen counter.

Life and Gratitude

“Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.”

–saying of the Hausa people of Nigeria

Happy Thanksgiving

Amanpour Corrects Bachmann on Iran

(pic: mediaite.com)

Michele Bachmann’s grasp or understanding of international politics has at times been rather puzzling, and perhaps also, archaic.

The Republican presidential candidate appeared last Sunday on ABC’s This Week with Christiane Amanpour.

During the interview, Bachmann discussed Middle East issues, and she said this on Iran: “Iran has also stated they would be willing to use a nuclear weapon against the United States of America. I think if there’s anything that we have learned over the course of history, it is that when a madman speaks, we should listen. And I think in the case of Iran, that is certainly true.”

You could see from Amanpour’s expression and body language that she was quite incredulous at that statement. It also hinted at impatience.

When Bachmann completed her point, Amanpour said: “Congresswoman, of course the United States is concerned about the nuclear program. Iran denies that it has one, so it hasn’t threatened to use them.”

That was classic!

Two-Emotion Flower

I like this pink shade: it’s calming and energizing at the same time.

A Lesson of Fall: The Paradox of Consistency and Change

This is the time of the year when we feel the changes that autumn bring.

There is a coldness in the morning air, which can feel a little bracing and strange on the skin after the often scorching hot summer that we have had in California this year.

The leaves start to change colors. There is that wonderful, unique rust-red shade that one sees at this time of year. To me, it is one of nature’s exceptional colors that no artist nor paint company has or can imitate.

I wonder, in the case of people, are changes and transitions so easily perceived, felt or understood. It is said that we change with every decade. We hope that we become stronger and wiser with the passage of time. Life experiences can be sweet; and there are also those that impart the lesson that life doesn’t always follow a linear, step-by-step path that we were taught to believe that it would.

Sometimes, we don’t really like the changes that we perceive in us. And at times we just ignore them as that’s the easiest things to do.

Maybe, fall teaches us the paradox of consistency and change. We know that the days will become shorter; we reach out for our sweaters and our armor of mood enhancers as we face those fall days when it is dark at 5 pm.

Mingled with this predictability is the realization that the year is about to end, and the pensiveness that comes with this realization. A brand new year looms. This question comes up, consciously or unconsciously: am I closer, or further away from the goals and values that I seek?

Fall and winter days are somewhat hard for me as I need lots of sunlight to function at an optimum pace. But I hope I’m getting better at negotiating and managing this season. In this decade of my life, I want to try to practice, and not just mouth, the adage to “live in the moment”. And I want to strive to be the person living out my philosophy of life, despite the perceptions of others and my own roadblocks.

I know I’ll miss the hot weather. Perhaps it will help if I focus on the colors and tastes of fall. This year, I will try to embrace fall, for there is no getting around nature’s calendar. That’s just the way it is.