What is better for you?

The year is ending soon … just a few more days to go and I am glad that a new year is coming and I think there are better things to look forward to.

I am looking forward to better days ahead … now, I am not sure what better means to others, people have different ideas of what better should be for them.

What is a better for you?

To some people, better means more. Others may think that better means bigger. There are many who think that better means expensive. Of course there are other meanings of better and how you want to make your life better is entirely up to you.

I have a different idea of what is better for me. You see, I don’t have the so called better things that many of my peers have … the big houses, the expensive cars, the high end brands, the luxury holidays and the “sikit atas” lifestyle.

I don’t have the ability and the financial resources to afford this concept of a better living … I cannot compare with my peers in this concept.

My approach to the concept of a better life is about what I DON’T HAVE.

Huh?

You see, at my age … it is not what I have that is important. Whether it is a big house or expensive cars or luxury brands … that is not my idea of a better life.

It is what I DON’T HAVE that makes my living better … heart diseases, stroke, Parkinson, Alzheimer, diabetes, liver and kidney failure, cancer, arthritis, obesity … last but not least, vision and hearing loss.

At least not yet lah … 🙏🙏🙏😉

I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year and may the new year brings BETTER days to all.

Sounds like it … feels like it … looks like it but it is not IT.

I go into the forest almost every week … normally I will be at the trailhead at about 6.15am ... I start very early to avoid most trekkers that will arrive when the sky lights up.

I like to trek alone … yes there are some cautions to trekking alone so I have to be extra careful.

Last week, like before, I trekked into the forest but when I reached my first resting point, there was already a trekker there. Quite unusual, I was always the first one there for as long as I remember.

We greeted each other. As soon as I sat down, he walked over and started a conversation. The first few exchanges were quite general … “where are you from” … “how often do you come here" and blah, blah, blah.

Then he asked me … what shoes are you wearing? "Trekking shoes" ... I said.

“What brand is that? I have not seen this before” … he asked.

And before I could put down my water bottle to reply him … he started talking about his shoes.

“This is Salomon” … he told me while lifting up his leg.

I looked at his shoes and nodded … gave him a 👍. He talked about the design … I cannot remember what about … something on the fitting and shape. Then he went on to tell me about the trekking shoes he has at home … if I remember it correctly, he said he has eight pairs of them and mentioned several brands names … all “canggih canggih” brands.

From what I can see … he must have invested quite a fair amount on his trekking gears … the backpack I saw was one of those I cannot afford.

I listened … told myself give him a few more minutes and then I will continue with my journey into the forest. Then he asked again (very curiously) … “what shoes you are wearing?”

And again, before I could reply him, he said …”you know, I don’t wear this kind of shoes, it bad for my trekking … you better change your shoes also”.

OK, that was it … I have to make a move before he start talking about the singlet I was wearing and loose old khaki shorts that was hanging from my waist. So I made an excuse and left … I speed up a bit to make sure that I will lose him if he is behind.

Look, albeit his boastful tone and manner … maybe his intention was good. Maybe to him, good trekking shoes and gears must be from Salomon or Karrimor or some famous brands.

But what he must understand is … not all trekkers can afford expensive brands like him … so, maybe things that are not good enough for him … is good enough for others.

Let me tell you what I wear into the jungle. First, an old singlet … that I have accidently stained while washing. It is still wearable, so might as well use it for trekking before I turn it into table cloth. After that, I will look for another old singlet and the process repeats.

My trekking pants? It is an old pair of discolored khaki shorts with loose rubber waist band, got a big hole in one pocket (have to remind myself constantly not to put car keys into that pocket) and weathered with permanent stains due to frequent contacts with mud, soils and dirt from the many treks into waterfalls and forest reserves.

What about my trekking stick? Well, it is just a long straight branch that I picked up during one of my trips to Gunung Angsi many years ago. It is also my phone/camera holder … just use a long rubber band to tie the phone onto the stick and poke it into the ground and bingo!!! … an instant tripod.

I don’t use those retractable aluminium trekking pole … you know the ones with a little compass at the top? Why? A very experienced trekker once told me … those metal poles, they attract lightning. Yes, seriously … during thunderstorms, if a lightning hits a tree and you are standing near the tree with that kind of metal pole … well, very likely you will be fried.

OK, the most important question … what shoes do I wear? I did not get to tell the guy last week … so let me tell him now (if he gets to read this one day).

Is it a Salomon?

Well, it sounds like it, feels like it, looks like it … but it is not IT.

My pair of 傻老文

I call it "傻老文". Pronounced “sor low mun” in Cantonese. A cheap pair of imitate I bought online at just under 40 bucks and some more wait until the 11.11 sales on Lazada to get another 5 bucks off.

Tak bolih pakai meh?

You see … people boast about their possessions … that is absolutely OK. Of course everyone like to show that they are successful and they deserve to enjoy their successes

But don’t tell those who have less than you that what they have is not good enough.

I know a guy with a title in front of his name … one time he boasted about the luxury cars he has in his garage. He said to me and a few others at a gathering … “anything that is less than 500k is not a car” … now, to him a car have to be 500k or more.

Yes, some people think I am driving this

Then I want to ask … what are most of us driving then? Buffaloes and camels?

 

Live NOW!

I posted “Don’t live in your past” October last year … a year has passed and I want to add a bit more to it.

OK, the past is important to us, made us what we are today … we are a product of our past but DON’T BE A PRISONER of it.

Like I said in the previous post … as much as we cherish the many good memories of our past, remember the good old times, think about the happy moments and reminisce about the various chapters of our lives … don’t live in your past.

Live now and look at the present.

You may have done 50 marathons around the world … but now, as age is catching up, you don’t have the physical ability to do it anymore … then talk about what other physical activities that you can do now. Talk about the ping pong game that you are going to play with your friends today … maybe it does not have the same glory of a marathon but at least that is something you are living and doing now. You don’t have to keep harping about the glories you once had, trying to live that moment again ... you can’t, it has passed.

Maybe you have traveled the world for 30 years … you probably have hundreds of photos you want to show to everyone … well, I am not saying you should not. I am sure you must have talked about it for 30 years already and shared a lot of photos too … so maybe that is enough. Why not talk about some other places that you may want to go today … maybe not as exotic as those places that you have visited … maybe it is just a local temple in Seremban but hey, that is something new to talk about … isn’t it? Rather than repeating what you have told people for the last 30 years.

You was once a CEO of a huge MNC … you have successfully handled big mergers and acquisitions and brought the company to the top of the corporate world. You used to have the influence and power, calling all the shots … but that is all in the past. You cannot live those glories again ... you left the corporate world and no longer have the authority … so, sit back and enjoy the gardening time you have now, your morning walks or spend time with your spouse at the groceries.

You see … at times we came across an old photo or listened to an old song or tasted an old recipe that may bring back some good moments we had … it is good to share those moments every now and then … it is good to reminisce these past moments and it is perfectly OK to talk about it. 

Don’t wake up every morning searching folders for photos of your past glories … using them to show and tell stories of how good you were, how fantastic you have been and how well you used to be … trying to live and talk as if you are still in that time, at that moment and enjoying that glory.

As we grow older, there are plenty we can still do within our ability and capability … well, it may not be as glory as what we did before but that is OK … it doesn’t has to be. The fact is, many things in our lives CANNOT be as good as they were then … so, let the glory past go and live our lives adapting to things within our capability now, learn to do new things that is relevant to our present and talk about what we are doing at the moment.

I think we all can reflect and reminisce on our past while continuing to move ahead with our lives. We can move with our past along our side and still see where we are heading … but don’t be surrounded by our past (good or bad) to the extent that we cannot see (or refuse to see) what is coming.

Don’t hold on to your past too often, too strong and too close to your chest … let it go and you will be able to open your arms to embrace the present.

 

Who am I?

The money is mine but it is not me.

The house is mine but it is not me.

The car is mine but it is not me.

The company is mine but it is not me.

Titles in front of my name but they don’t define me.

Many things around me, they are mine but they are NOT me.

So, who am I?

My temper … that’s me.

My health … that’s me.

My behavior … that’s me.

My thinking … that’s me.

My knowledge … that’s me.

My experience … that’s me.

My opinion … that’s me.

My idea … that’s me.

My understanding … that’s me.

Now, who are you?

 

Do what you like to do … not what you think people will “like 👍” to see you do.

Some people like to run … I mean they really like to run … you see them participating in many running events, be it a local marathon or community fund raising sports or enrolling in virtual running events which are quite popular during these lockdown periods.

I admire these people … they share photos of their passion for running and maybe they get a lot of “likes 👍” encouraging them but these people run because they really LIKE running not because they want people to “like 👍” their running.

As a matter of fact, many of them cannot run far or long … many cannot even complete a marathon so they will participate in 5km or 10km categories so they can enjoy the camaraderie of the participating runners and more importantly, the running.

My point is … if you like to do something, just do it ... even if you can’t do it well. You do it because you like to do it … it does not matter whether people will “like 👍” it or not.

Don’t worry about what people will “like 👍” … if you are only telling stories or experiences that you hoped that people will “like 👍” … then you are not living the way you truly are … you are just living how you think people “like 👍” you to be.

We all have different thoughts and ideas to share or experiences and stories to tell … just share and tell it the way you like. It is OK if your jokes are not funny to others, they may not be able to relate to what you want to express. So what if your home cooking photo is not appetising to other people … they are not the one tasting it.

Never mind if your bicycle is not as “canggih’ as those of your cycling friends … they may not understand the sentimental value of it and maybe people may not like the stories you tell … well, it did not happened to them.

So, live your life the way you like, tell the stories that you like, share your experiences that you like, do what you like to do … not what you think people will “like 👍” to see you do.

 

The threat is near ... very near!

Now let me just bring forward to your attention that some points written here may not be of your liking … especially about the taboo subject of death. Please read with an open mind.

OK, the Covid situation in our country (and in many parts of the world) is still running wild … as of yesterday we already have more than a million infected since the start of the pandemic in Wuhan and infection is still counting in the thousands every day.

At the beginning of the year … many were still not too serious about the Cov19 threat … they only hear or see “others” getting infected. Sadly, this is how most people think … when they hear something bad or unfortunate … it always happen to “others” … they don’t think it can happen to them. That is the main reason for the lackaisaidal “tidak apa’ attitude towards the SOPs, safety and protection enforced by the authorities.

There were so many interstate travels, mass gatherings, private parties, house visits, meetings and other SOP breaches that resulted in the large nationwide infection spread and the sharp increase of daily infection cases that we have today.

If one could just do simple arithmetic … take Selangor state for example … the infection rate versus the population of the state. Now, just work out the ratio and think a bit … if you go to the market you are bound to get close to 30 people or more … how many of those are carrying the virus? Scary isn’t it?

Now, suddenly everyone realized that the threat is near … really near! It is inevitable with such high infection rate … there is going to be someone close, someone related, someone in the family, someone near, someone dearly loved who will be infected and who will succumb to the deadly virus.

Now we see or hear … a neighbor died, a close friend perished, a close relative in serious situation, a sister in ICU, a colleague experiencing serious symptom, the aunty selling your favorite noodle succumbed to the virus … suddenly, many people around you and close to you are now affected by the worsening situation.

Here is something you may not like to hear … death caused by Cov19 virus is a horrible death … testimonies I heard from many that I know who have seen close ones suffered due to the deadly Cov19 infection.

For some who recovered from the infection … the damage caused to their lungs can affect them seriously in their everyday lives post infection. I have heard of people who recovered from the infection but their lungs were so badly damaged that they were unable to survive after discharging from the hospital. Someone told me about a 32 years old marathon runner … both his lungs were destroyed by the infection that now he has difficulties just getting up from the bed and walk.

Even with the strict SOPs adherence … there is absolutely no guarantee for anyone of us. We will never be sure that we can avoid infected by the Cov19 virus totally. There are so many unforeseen circumstances that we can be infected but with strict adherence of SOPs, the chance of avoiding infection is very high.

But there are still many stubborn ones who flout the SOPs … well, there is a Chinese saying … ”上得山多终遇虎” … translated it says … if you make too many trips into the mountains, one day you will come across a tiger. Hope these stubborn ones can see the danger they are in.

The authorities is speeding up the vaccination for the whole country … the good news is we see the rate of vaccination is increasing rapidly … more and more are being vaccinated every day. At this rate … those registered under the National Imnunisation Programme will soon be vaccinated but there are still quite a large amount of the population that has not registered. The authorities are getting to these people via various efforts and hopefully these unregistered people will also get their vaccination soon.

But even for those vaccinated … of course it is an additional layer of protection against the virus but it is NOT A CURE. The vaccine is to reduce the severity of the infection and enable those infected to recover fast and maybe they don’t need to be hopitalised. Those vaccinated can still carry the virus and spread it … so, even after with vaccination, strict SOPs must be practiced.

From the various news media, from the social chat groups and platforms, from what we read and heard and from personal experience of people we know … what did we get out of it?

We now know that death by Cov19 is cruel … surviving for some is not so good either. So, more importantly is that we MUST NOT TO GET INFECTED.

YES, the threat is very near … the possibility of getting infected is very real and is high … so the SOPs must be strictly followed.

What MUST we do now?

We must LEARN TO LIVE and ADAPT to the Cov19 situation … it is going to be within our daily lives and routines … it will be for a long while … until we find a total cure or immune medicine to take it out completely.

So what is the first thing to do?

Stay@home … CUT DOWN YOUR EXPOSURE OUTDOOR … that is the very first thing that we need to learn and adapt. Of course we can’t be staying indoors all the time … we need to go out every now and then … then we only go out on a need to basis.

Learn how to get things done online. I am sure by now we have relied on online platforms for many of our daily needs and transactions … we have make it the norm in living and adapting to the Cov19 situation.

Cook@home … for those who can afford time to cook at home … have more home cooked meals … learn recipes from many internet sources. If you don’t cook, try to get food it delivered to you … it will cost you a bit more but you can cut down your outdoor exposure. At times you may need to go out to buy your groceries or other necessities … well, if you cannot avoid it, go out in full protection … mask, shield, disinfection, distancing and short exposure … all these must be practiced when outside.

Study@home … most (if not all) universities are already conducting online classes … it all boils down to self-discipline for students on this platform. Students sitting through online classes can stray easily … so have to be very strict with themselves to sit through these classes. For parents of younger students, they may need to monitor them and lay down strict disciplinary rules to ensure their kids do not stray during classes at home. It may take quite a bit of discipline and monitoring but it is possible and students can continue to advance their academics from home.

Exercise@home … this will have to be more frequent while living with Cov19. Learn to do some sort of exercise at home. There are many cheap equipment and gadgets that can help us do that. This is important … as we spent more time indoors, exercise and keeping ourselves active is crucial in maintaining a healthy body. It does not need to be a super “canggih” looking home gym set … it can just be a piece of exercise rubber band that can let you do all the stretches that you need or some simple weights or maybe just regular stretches and sit ups at your garden in the morning. A vaccinated and healthy person has the highest chance of beating the Cov19 virus if/when infected.

Not just our physical well-being but also our mental ability must be active. Indoor games, online games, reading, writing, researching, online learning … there are many ways to keep our mind busy and active. We must learn to add these in our daily routines to keep our mind sound and sane while staying safe indoors.

Entertainments@home … have more family activities at home. Movie nights, home karaoke sessions, old fashion board games, card games, music and even dancing at home … I saw a video of an old couple doing line dancing at home … absolutely fantastic to see them having fun while lockdown at home.

Learn to share these activities with friends or even do it live on social media … all these can be fun while staying at home avoiding the deadly virus. Talk with friends via video group chats … there are plenty of online platforms that can facilitate this … learn to use them.

Active@home … yes, learn to be active at home … use whatever available resources to keep yourself busy at home. For the time being … going out should be STRICTLY on a “really need to” basis. Maybe start learning new things … learn music from the internet, research on interesting subjects like history, archaeology, mysteries, space or even UFOs and aliens if you like.

Maybe learn a new language, learn sign language, join online forums, start a blog, participate in online music/singing groups, draw, sketch, paint … there are so many things to do indoors … that is if you are willing to learn.

Really, cut down your outdoor exposure and learn to keep yourself active indoors … at least for the time being.

As for business and work … I am sure there will also be many areas to learn and adapt … ways of doing business and working without exposing too much to the threat of Cov19. This I will let the various captains and experts of the relevant industries to lay out the new norms in conducting businesses and work related areas. I am sure they already have procedures and processes in place to make sure that the economic situation will improve and all can make a good living while safely protected.

So, for now … “duduk diam diam di rumah” … stay SAFE and PROTECTED from the Cov19 virus.