Music

Today I heard the music of a movie of a Chinese fairy tale called Butterfly Lovers. It was marvellous. It was an instrumental combination of traditional Chinese instruments and the violin. The story of the Butterfly Lovers is rather touching. The story is about this boy who falls in love with a girl, who is from a very rich family. The boy wishes to marry her, however, the girl’s father has already lined someone from a higher standing for her marriage. The two try to stay together but unfortunately the father does not let this relationship carry forward.

The man is so heartbroken by this that he weeps to his death. His childhood sweetheart sits next to his coffin and weeps too. Suddenly by some fairy magic, the coffin opens and both turn into butterflies and are together forever.

I am not very good at telling touchy stories, but when I was told it, it was lovely.

On further discussions about music, I found someone who agrees with what I have thought for quite a while; music without words is far more amazing than with words. Does one not need more skill to convey a message or emotion via the sound of instruments alone?

On that note, I shall retire to my inner self, with the aid of a cup of golden flower tea.

Contemplation

I have been thinking recently, I wish I were ten. The world is so much better, you can run around, be completely unassuming, dream, not think too far ahead, not have mundane things to worry about. When you are 10 you want to be all grown up, drive a car, have a squiggly signature, talk about things as grown ups do and be able to stand and eat at parties, with a plate in one hand and a fork/spoon in the other.

Life moves on and you grow up. You take things in your stride. You progress from one stage to another, always (or try to) keeping where you want to be, whom you care about in the foreground. The scene changes; people you knew for years fade away, new people and ideas take root. With this newness, I feel sometimes the old moves and becomes distant. I don't like that.

I am fearful of changes in certain aspects of life. I do not wish that certain relationships should suffer or become different. I want them to become stronger as time goes by. I shall do my best to keep things that way. I am too attached some might say. Well so be it. I am. Only because of the care, affection and support that has been used to nurture who I have become.

The month of Julius.

I haven't written anything for the past two months so thought I should pen something down.

I have been quite preoccupied with many things. Work, people and life.

Getting things in order at work, compiling reports, creating software models and planning work for the year ahead take up ample time.

I pay attention to people because we are all social beings and require a social network to function professionaly and personally. So I listen and speak.

Life is moving along with new paths coming into view. There are a few new people in my life whom I care about as I care for my nuclear family, i.e. substantially. I could write a lot more, paragraphs on end about how I feel, but I won't, yet.

So for now, from the south east of Asia, that is all.

Nature

I recently scrapped skin off my thumb knuckle while grating cheese for pasta. It stung at first and I could see the bone. The cut was about 5 mm long. Why am I writing about getting scrapped? Well, after washing the cut, I saw how blood oozed out and covered up the wound. Then it coagulated and formed a protective cover. I was just awestruck by the way we work. Not that I haven’t seen this behaviour before, but I guess when you live on your own, you pay more attention and the fact that nobody is around to make a big fuss about it, as parents and siblings usually do.

It’s interesting to see tangible and involuntary activity. The speed with which the sensors send signals to the brain, the spontaneous reaction of the brain to a problem, the implementation of a certain plan to fix the problem and continuous checking of progress or healing, all done quietly within the confines of our bodies.

We can be so sensitive and yet so strong. This juxtaposition always makes me smile. Marvellous.

People

We can be quite mean, uncaring, spiteful, uncivil, ignorant and unkind. We can let small things get in the way of being good friends and being happy. We stew over actions and statements, thinking and re-thinking, ‘why did they do this, what did they mean?’

Some might isolate a person just because they don’t like them. Or perhaps they feel jealous or find them annoying or have nothing in common. I wish people were more forgiving or gave people the benefit of doubt. It’s natural to be doubtful and judgmental. But those doubts and snap judgments should not cloud ones ability to take in the character of an individual and get to know them better.

Well if you still can’t stand them, don’t just blank them and not communicate. Be civil.

Everyone has the power to accommodate; you don’t have to change anything about yourself to be accommodating. It just involves having a big mind and a big heart.

Rigidity

People, they can be so rigid and fixed in their ways. We only live once, so why be so uncaring and judgemental. Why pigeon hole people. Why get fixed with one notion and repeat that over and over again. I guess its human nature to do so. It’s easy to follow one idea. It’s easier to process information if we box people and experiences. But then don’t let those boxed thoughts cloud your intake of new information. What is the point of gaining new knowledge if you don’t look at it with an unbiased and clear perspective?

I myself am guilty of stereotyping, but I would like to think that I give things a second chance or for that matter a third chance. I keep an open mind. I try and absorb life around me with minimum bias and preconceptions.

As Arthur C. Clarke stated ‘the only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible’. A questioning and inquisitive mind can help do that. How do you induce a questioning and inquisitive mind? Keep rigidity at bay.

My Unit

My siblings they stress me and de-stress me.
My parents tell me off and pet me.
My family, they make me laugh, they make me think.
They feed me and teach me.
They annoy me and I annoy them.
I will never be able to repay them for all that they do.
I am grateful to them for who they are.
We have our quarrels, we say things we shouldn’t.
But they are still mine and only mine.
My unit, always in my heart and in my mind.