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Be happy

At yoga class today, the teacher asked us to set our intention. Mine was to be happy.

Happiness is what I have been searching for. Ten years ago I wanted to be happy. Ten years later, I still want to be happy.

Yet I have stopped searching for happiness. It is no longer a goal I yearn for. Rather I have accepted happiness is a journey, not something far fetched I aim for.

I am happy as I am. I want to be happy as life is short and when I am happy, people around me are happier. Being happy is a choice and I choose to be happy.

Just like my yoga practice, some days I do better, I push deeper. Some days, my body can't seem to stretch and I am just not in the mood. On those days, I simply go with the flow, be conscious of my breath and stay present.

Sunset in Bali

Not a typical sunset one expects in Bali where the sun sets in the horizon like an orange ball disappearing into the ocean. The air has cooled down and excudes a calmer ambiance.
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Crispy fried duck at Bebek Bengil, Ubud Bali

Best crispy duck in Indonesia. Found only at Bebek Bengil, Ubud Bali.
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Shabu Shabu

My all time favorite cuisine, Japanese shabu shabu. You cook a variety of vegetables in the hot pot filled with broth or miso.  The broth base is the authentic style but I like the miso base, it makes the vegetables tastier. The original shabu shabu comes with a plate of thinly sliced beef which you cook into the hot pot and dip it into ponzu sauce before allowing the beef the melt in your mouth.  Ponzu is a lemon based soya sauce which you can add freshly cut chili, garlic, spring onions and radish to bring out the favor.

My favorite shabu shabu is at Shabu Shabu House at Little Tokyo.  It's the best in LA and probably the best I've had.

Kue Putu

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First love

When is your first love
Is it when you first fall in love
Or is it when you truly lose yourself in love
Can you ever forget your first love
Promise me my love
You'll never forget our love
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Puppy love

The thrill of puppy love
Is a feeling we never forget
We all yearn for feeling
That reminds us of our puppy love
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Death

What happen to you when you die
What happen to me when I die
Do we fear death
Or should we fear feeling dead more than death
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Dream

Woke up wishing it was more than a dream
Lingering to every detail
Wishing to capture the dream
Embracing every detail
Lamenting it is but a dream

Restless when I am not busy

After full week of work which included 1 day trip to Singapore and a client dinner, I was eagerly waiting for Friday.

Yet I didn't know what I wanted to do. There were so many things I planned to do but yet nothing that I really wanted to do. I wanted to go home early to rest cos I told myself my body needed it. This conflicted with a little voice telling me I ought to be ought spending time socializing. After all it's Friday! I needed a hair cut, yearned for a massage, wanted to spend time with my kids and missed reading and writing. Did I mention there was another office function which I was invited?

With all these thoughts going in my mind, I became restless. I was not enjoying the people I was with instead wishing I was doing ten other things. No doubt they didn't enjoy me too given I was not the most engaging company.

Realized I am so addicted to busyness that when I have idle time I packed them up with activities. Instead of simply enjoying the present, I run around doing one things after another. And when I don't have anything to do, I line up my mind with things I wish I get to do. This sounds bizarre but I am restless when I am not busy.

Sweet potato for breakfast

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Martabak (Indonesian pancake) vendor

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Typical sight of padi field in Java

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Traditional fruit vendor at Cirebon

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Train ride from Jakarta to Cirebon

The landscape changes once the train moves out of Gambir station. We are now three hours away. No more poor cities with graffiti on the walls. Instead, it's lushes of green padi fields and sporadic villages.

The modest houses have brown tiled roofs. Once in a while, you get to catch a glimpse of the village life. I see children playing in the fields, and several young girls sharing a scooter.

We have now arrived at Cirebon.

What would you do to keep your man?

The latest scandal in the Jakarta social scene is this banker who swindled money from her clients. The amount is said to be significant and she works for an international bank, not one of those local banks whom we deem to have weaker control.

What makes this news scandalous is the fact that this lady banker in her late 40s looks should I say well-preserved. She has done a lot of work on her face giving her the look of someone much younger. And she is well-endowed beyond natural. The pictures circulating shows someone happy to flaunt her "asset".

The story behind her is rumored to be a husband who likes a trophy wife. She is said to undergo extreme efforts to keep herself youthful and attractive. That includes frequent vitamin drips amongst others.

But all the effort does not prevent a divorce. I have no insights into her marriage but the main cause of failure in marriage is usually a third party. And it tend to be a much younger third person.

Question to all the women out there, how much are we willing to undergo to maintain our beauty in order to keep our man? Is it a sign of insecurity when we try to stay youthful for our man? Whatever happens to inner beauty and true love?

These are questions worth pondering as we age. And the answers will force us to confront the true nature of our marriage.

Balinese offering

Does yoga make you sleep better?

One of my yoga teachers said he needs only four hours of sleep because he is re-energized from his yoga practice. For me, yoga makes me feel so relaxed I always feel sleepy after class.

When I was in my early 20s which was ages ago, I used to think sleep is a waste of time. There was so much to life (friends, school, parties, learning new stuff) that sleep was not a priority then.

More than a decade has passed and now I treasure any opportunity to sleep. With the responsibilities of a full-time job and a family, I crave for uninterrupted sleep. The one where your head hit the pillow and you open your eyes to a new day.  I hate the kind of sleep where I wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night, I end up feeling lethargic the next day.

Since I started yoga, I sleep better. I still need at least eight hours of sleep to get me to fully function the next day. But gone are those nights where I  toss in bed counting sheep. And I tend to sleep through the night. On evenings where work or social obligations take the lead, I compensate the following night with a good sleep. The best nights are those when I come home fully relaxed after yoga practice. Those are the nights I sleep like a baby.

Photo credit to: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=172

Vacation is my best remedy to release stress

In need of another vacation.  Going on holidays is one of my best remedy to release stress.  I do undergo the usual traveller's stress which includes packing, delayed flights, unforeseen circumstances that change the plans amongst others, but they are manageable stress.  And they are worthwhile for the opportunity to see a new place, experience new culture and meet new people.

Wonder if you would feel the exhilaration of traveling if you do it full time.