Stay-in

It has been raining the whole day - the weather is perfect to stay-in and cuddle myself on my super-comfy sofa and watch a nice romantic movie - and of course with some good food - Pizza Hut delivery is on its way and it's gonna be a perfect Saturday night pampering myself. Ahh the joy of relaxing and unwinding yourself when you feel like it...

Prayers

Some sayings/prayers that gets me through difficult times:

Meditation (A Taoist Meditation Prayer)

Close your Eyes
and you will see clearly,
Cease to Listen
and you will hear truth,
Be Silent
and your heart will sing,
Seek no Contacts
and you will find union,
Be Still
and you will move forward on the tide of spirit,
Be Gentle
and you will achieve no strength,
Be Patient
and you will achieve all things,
Be Humble
and you will remain entire.

"My Spirit Lives On" (Anonymous)

See through the window,
Look at the light,
Smell the sweet flowers,
See the sky bright,
Shed not the tears,
As you feel I have gone,
Love never leaves,
And my spirit lives on.

Talk of me often,
Your words will be heard,
I'll be by your side,
As swift as a bird,
Love life and laugh,
Together we'll be,
On the right path,
As our spirits fly free.

"I Said To The Man" (Anonymous)

I said to the man
who stood at the gate
of the year, “Give me
a light that I may tread
safely into the unknown.”
And he replied, “Go out
into the darkness and
put your hand into the
hand of God. That shall
be to you better than
light and safer than
a known way.”

A diligent student

The sight of me carrying a pile of books and scurrying to the library sends my supervisor beaming with pride - what he doesn't know is that I haven't read the books (yet!) and the reason I am hurrying to the library is that the books are wayyyyy overdue (I have always been the faithful donor to our university library's fund). I stood at the library counter forking out a sum of money for my absent-mindedness - and yet again told the librarian to renew the books (I can't remember for how many zillionth times I have renewed the same books) - with the faith that I will read 'em ONE FINE DAY.

I've always concentrated on reading and reviewing journals - and the books on my research area have always sat idle. With the renewed books on my desk, I am starting to have a renewed confidence that I will 'devour' every page of the books for the total sum of overdued fines I have been paying till date.

Ten-Minute Mind Spa

I found this interesting article on Oprah.com on the art of meditation.

Ten-Minute Mind Spa
By Amy Gross

You say you can't meditate because you "can't stop thinking." But, really, not thinking is not what it's about. The point of meditation is to bring you to clarity so you know you are in fact thinking, or planning, or being depressed or hungry or angry or (it could happen) happy. The point is to become mindful—not mindless. Most mental activity, you'll see, distracts you from knowing what's actually going on in and around you. We're often lost in thought or worry, absorbed in the past or future. Meditation slices through the fog and brings you right back home, to where you actually are. It's not woo-woo, it's not esoteric or exotic. It's brain training. Try this to get the flavor (you'll probably want to close your eyes after reading the instructions to reduce visual input):

• Sit in an upright but comfortable way. Scan your body to check that you're relaxed—your eyes, jaw, shoulders, belly, hands, legs. Sit and know that you are sitting. Become aware of your breath moving in and out. Think "out" when you feel the fall of the exhalation, "in" when you feel the rise or pressure or stretching or tingling of the inhalation (what are the sensations?). When your mind wanders—there's no question it will—acknowledge that you've lost contact with your breath, and watch the next inhalation roll in.
• The most important thing to realize is that every moment you notice you've wandered off is a moment of being aware, of clarity. That's what you're going for. What does it feel like? Within nanoseconds, you'll be thinking again, and becoming aware that you're thinking, and starting again. The more you do it, the more you'll have the experience of that pause when the mind is actually clear and present—that taste of freshness.
• You can do this anytime, for any amount of time. Try it for a minute, try it for 10. Pay close attention to a single in-breath, a single out-breath. Every experience of awareness makes the next more likely. The enrichment to your life has to be experienced to be believed.

A great weekend

I had a great weekend; shopping and planning for the wedding is exciting when you realise that everything starts falling in place. We went for shopping at the Indian street in Klang on Saturday for some sarees and 'jippas'; Alfred was patiently commenting as I doned the sarees - and when I saw his face lit-up when I tried one of the sarees for the dinner, I immediately knew that this is the saree for me :) There were simply just too many choices - when overwhelmed with so many choices, it's so difficult to decide.

On Sunday, we met up with Grace, my ex-school mate to discuss on the photography for our big day. It was great meeting up with her after so long. We were happy with the portfolio that she showed us and we have the 'feel' that she is the one we were looking for to capture our precious moments on stills - we were very impressed with her creativity and ideas and the fresh angles that she can offer. I feel it's gonna be great as this is her first experience photographing traditional Indian wedding and it's gonna be great working with her.

We also went to meet Mr & Mrs. Selvam to discuss the deco for the wedding hall; we manage to get some idea on the theme for our wedding; and later went to do booking for the make-up artist for the wedding. I had a great time making all these preparations with Alfred; it's a beginning of a wonderful journey. I pray that with the love of the Almighty, all things and everyone are filled with joy, happiness, and love.

The Shopping

Yesterday, my family and I went to Klang to shop for the engagement and wedding. When 4 women go for shopping, you can imagine how long it took. As for me, it didn't take me long before I settled for my wedding saree (damn fast decision, okay) - not bad of a record for a fickle-minded person like me. I just told myself - if I like it from the core of my heart - I'll choose that. I found few nice ones which I like. Whereas my sisters took ages to choose, haha; I think we went to almost 10 shops or more. Finally, they bought something. It was a good and tiring journey :)

An Announcement

I have an announcement to make :D I am getting married at the end of this year; hehe - it took me a while to process and digest the fact; now with all the 'jitters' settled in, I am really looking forward for our big day :)

End of this month, on 31st Aug (yeah, the National day), I will be engaged to Alfred Subra Kereshanan - the man who has been very patient with me and who has been there for me throughout my ups and downs. I have to thank my dear friend, Sharon for introducing him to me. Ever since I've known him, life has taken on a new turn and brought about greater hopes and dreams and a greater meaning.

I've just begun with all the preparations for the engagement - didn't realise time flew that fast. Now, I've got a whole bunch of things to work on. Yesterday, Chin Lay and I went to Jusco to get a gift for him; I prepared the guest list (partially) yesterday and managed to call a few of my good friends to invite them for the engagement party. This weekend is gonna be a busy one but I am looking forward...

The Life of Pi

I just finished reading ‘The Life of Pi’ by Yann Martel; this book was presented to me by Alfred when we first started dating. I must say that the story in this book aptly describes the hunger in me that I am still seeking - studying animal behaviors and the realm of spirituality - the two themes in this book – the two topics that absolutely fascinate me which I wish to dwell further on in my life.

It’s a story about a boy and a tiger stranded in the middle of Pacific Ocean after a shipwreck and how they survived the ordeal of living day in and day out without a proper source of water and food - and also surviving the attack of the Bengal tiger in the lifeboat.

It’s a story about courage which reinforces the belief in God and how ingrained we all are with wildlife and nature. It is truly an amazing story – a story which leaves you to interpret life in the ways that you choose to interpret it. One of my favorite parts is on how the author aptly describes on the will to live by saying “Only death consistently excites your emotions, whether contemplating it when life is safe and stale, or fleeing it when life is threatened or precious”.