Having "Me" Time

Good friends are rare. Good friends who remain good friends decades later are even rarer.  Tonight I dedicate to my post to a friend whose birthday was a little over a week ago (AA) . It's a birthday I never forget and remember it every year for it falls close to Thanksgiving.  It's good for it also reminds us to be thankful of our dearest friends.  Every year we have a "celebration" that has become tradition for our cosy group of three close friends.  Yes, I remember meeting her first year of college.  It came out in one way or another with us helping each other out, going for our first dim sum together, spending time together and yes we 'clicked' right away.  You know when you get along with someone, like you know when you don't get along with someone.  We talked about everything. We talked about life, thoughts and everything that could be talked about. What I remember most is how she is always so happy, genuine, and so determined in everyth...

It's Thanksgiving weekend and with it comes turkey, stuffing, cranberry and pumpkin pie.  Yes, I miss Thanksgiving in the US.  Here in Thailand, it's just not the same.  We don't get the "feeling" of Thanksgiving and families reuniting, or the felling that the weekend kickstarts the festive season and Christmas mad shopping with Black Friday.  This week of Thanksgiving is also a week when two good friends of mine were born many years ago and so I want to also take the opportunity to say "Thank you" to you my friends.  Tonight, in particular I want to write about a lovely friend who was born on the 21st.  You know who you are WD :)  Yes, we've known each other since primary school days in Bangkok when we still had to dress in uniforms with white shirts and a turquoise blue skirts.  That's how I remember you dear friend.  In uniform.  We were all in uniform and together we'd be there walking a...

Many people think health comes along when you have another "half" another "soul" to be by your side. Some say "love" will make you lose weight, be healthy.  There is some truth to it, but I think that is somewhat oversimplified.  You do not need to have "someone" to get healthy.  The only reason you should get healthy and lose weight is because you dearly want to yourself.  Because you love yourself and you think that you are worthy of the attention.  Once you have found that love for yourself, then love for another comes more easily. Health is a great cure for the soul. It rejunevates, energizes and gives you strength you previously didn't know you had.  You can somehow run those few kilometers and walk up flights of stairs without feeling tired. Walks that were once unappealing, now seem like a little walk in the garden.  The hot weather becomes less annoying, and the chair more comfortable. Yes, even just sitting on chairs becomes a...

It's been two days since my good friend's birthday and believe me the words have just been flowing in and out of my mind in an endless stream that ebbs and flows.  There are so many things I want to say, so many things I want to write, yet having only 24 hours in a day, I could not quite fit everything in without fear of making myself collapse from exhaustion.  So here I am to write a birthday ode to a lovely friend who just celebrated her birthday two days ago.  You know who you are. You are always in my mind.  This is for you. I hope you like it. Good friends who are always there are few in number.  Good friends who've you known for over 20 years are even rarer.  Yes, can you believe it, I've known you for over 20 years. I've known you since my primary school days.  Time though isn't everything.  What's more important, is that throughout the roughly two decades we've known each other, you have remained the same sweet and gentle ...

September 7 is a special day for me.  It's special because on this day, one of my best friends was born.  You know who you are.  I've known you for almost fifteen years already and no matter how near or far, we are always the same.  Even though sometimes years have passed before we see another, when we meet it is exactly the same. We know each other inside out.  We know the good and the bad. College was where it all happened.  I loved my time there and of course being with good friend made it all better. Together we explored the city, tried out new eateries and cried on each other's shoulders.  I remember studying together in the library, hanging out in the lab (with me trying to help although I have no clue about robotics.  I did help put together a motor for a robot leg though!), buying lunch at food trucks, late night karaokes, or cooking dinners.   Her room was always where we hung out.  It was where everyone hu...

Oftentimes we spend our lives taking care of others and forget the most important person:  ourself.  You find your days and hours devoted to taking care of family members, taking care of clients and customers and work non-stop to meet deadlines.  Work consumes us alive as well as the zillion other tasks we have to get done in our daily lives. Now how much time you spend taking care of family members of course depends on how large your family is.  It can include parents, siblings, your spouse, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents, inlaws, etc.  If you have a large family, this of course will consume quite a bit of your time.  If you have children, you will most often be preoccupied taking care of them.  I don't have any but from what I see, having children is a full time job.  From the moment you wake up, until the time you fall asleep there are things that need to get done.  Many times, parents forget to take care of themsel...

I finally finished watchng Season 4 of Gossip Girls and can't help but wonder at its strange appeal.  It's crazy, it's a high school story, but somehow it's fun to watch even if I'm way beyond my highschol years.  Perhaps it's because it is somewhat reflective of life and it makes you think about the good and bad parts of life.  In a year of these characters's life,  more events and scandals happen than would ever happen in my entire lifetime.  Yet, there are a thing or two one could contemplate about when thinking about these characters's choice of boyfriends/girlfriends.  What sort of person are they looking for? What is it they want in life?  These are questions I think are relevant at any age. Blair wants a fairy tale life with a fairy tale prince.  She finds one and they are soon engaged to be married, yet somehow she still feels for the adventurous and raw Chuck Bass.  She was almost going to give up the fairy tale for him, but t...

There are quite a few birthdays in April, those of colleagues, friends and very old friends.  One such birthday though was of another dear friend whom I've known since primary school. Fifth Grade to be exact.  Time flies by so fast, before you know it, its been over 20 years since we've known each other.  She lives in Canada now and so we don't get to meet her as often as we'd like and in our little high school reunions her absence is indeed missed.  You know who you are! Beaver! I remember it like it were yesterday.  Going to classes in our white and turquoisy navy bluish skirt.  I still don't know what you call that shade of blue we had for our school uniform, it is such a unique colour.  Together we had our little 'Anti-Kapi' club that if you knew what it was, you'd probably shake your heads and wonder how we could have been so young.  It was fun though nevertheless and certain stories will forever remain to be told and told again, like the s...

Being a bit stressed out, I turned to Gossip Girls which is now on Season four.  I know I'm way past highschool but it's a good stress reliever and the fashion is just fun to watch.  I get to update myself on the latest fashion trends and wonder how their lives can be so dramatic and full of fafa.  I have to say Season one was the best, but yet I still find myself watching the couples change in as many combinations as possible.  It's not all bad though.  Some truths and lessons can be learnt from it.  Afterall, these characters are just people like ourselves and despite all their planning and trickery, they strive to be "good" people. Chuck at one point becomes a better person and Mrs. Bass too admits her mistakes.  It is a reflection of life.  No one is perfect in this world, no matter how wonderful you think their life is.  They have all the money one could possibly want, yet what we see is that each and every character is ...

Friendships are important and tonight I want to dedicate this post to a wonderful friend whom I've known since primary school.  It was her Birthday yesterday on April Fools Day and I had intended on writing this yesterday, but the internet connection somehow died on me.  I hope it lasts until I finish my post tonight :)  This post is about my lovely friend Suki whom I've known since primary school.   I remember like it was yesterday.  We both wore the school white shirt and navy skirt uniform.  She had a sweet smile that made you feel warm and at ease, something I have to say she still does.  Never angry, never moody, she is always the image of calmness and sweetness.  Always positive and happy.  She is also a person who is so caring and attentive to everyone around her.  If you mention you like something, she'd remember it clearly even as the years go by.  You know she cares. We had both spent our childhoods...

Last night I opened up my email and read a lovely forward from an old childhood friend I've known since my age was still a single digit. We haven't lived in the same country for decades, but we always keep touch and she always sends such good forwards. This particular one though I could not let it past without sharing it with everyone. Thank you for sharing it with me. You know who you are :) The story is a bit long but please read it all the way through the end. It's a great reminder to us all of what is important in life, in relationships and how we view the world. Sometimes we go through life, trying to do everything that's expected of us, until we lose sight of the person we really are and the people who surround us. We are too busy performing our "tasks." Take a "pause" every now and then, look at the person next to you, and really see them. Are you spending "quality" time together? Are you taking care of each other and really unde...

Tonight is my third and last post on Valentine's for the year.  No more for 2011.  What else can I write about when the day we have been looking forward to (or dreading) has finally arrived?  I think overall it was a good day, or perhaps I am a little biased and always towards the positive side.  I somehow felt that today was filled with more "positive" energy than on other days.  On facebook since early morning, people were wishing each other "Happy Valentine's Day," sending out words of love.   On the streets and in my office, there were people receiving bouquets of flowers and looks of happiness filled the air.  People were smiling everywhere. On my way home, I unintentionally spied two guys staring each other in the face while a girl stood by.  I think there was something going on there, but then it was going on for love.  There'll probably be lessons being learnt tonight about love and relationships, but then that's all part of li...