Holiday Frenzy Tuesday- November 4, 2008 By Fiona  The season has changed on us. It’s officially Fall and the chilly air is beginning to make me feel a bit grumpy at times, and I hope I can stay healthy while the change of weather runs its course. But with the change in season signals the approach of a frenzy of year-end holidays that brings me joy and excitement, as well as stress and maybe terror for quite some people! I’ve never been one to observe Halloween and Thanksgiving when I was young (having spent most of my early life in another country) but once that snow ball rolls, there’s no stopping it and I get the Christmas bug all over. Thanksgiving and Christmas are a couple of the best holidays that I enjoy most because it brings my family and friends together, and somehow people do tend to ‘be good’ or more patient (or settle personal differences) during this holiday, whether they believe in Christmas much, or not. The sound of Christmas carols just start to lift my spirits up whenever I find myself stressed and over burdened at work or at home. Of course, I also believe that like most other holidays, the season has just been commercialized to death at times, that do we really practice its true spirit anymore? Do we really make the effort to change or make a difference in our lives (in the world) during this spirit of peace and giving (and thanksgiving)? I’d like to think that some people/families still do, including mine (or we try to), and it does feel good that they do this token during this once a year occasion, even though we can always try to live in peace and harmony mode all year round. As with all other things in life though, I take the holidays with all its good and the ‘bad’ (overdone commercial aspect of it), since it is the time to cram sharing all the ‘goodness and goodwill” to everyone in our lives that we don’t often get to share our time and lives with, as we’d hope to do throughout the year. It’s also a wonderful time for me to rest and recharge my body and soul for the coming year ahead. I think it’s the perfect way (and occasion) to end the year, and ring in the new – filled with new hope and dreams to follow!
Favoritism Monday - October 13, 2008  You know what I mean by this, right? Whether it is parenting or managing people at work or a project, don’t people realize how damaging such a blatant display of such things can be? I’m not a parent (and may not ever be) but I’d like to say that when it comes to family, there is no way I can play favorites – with my nephews or my siblings. Of course everyone is entitled to their own feelings and views about the people they love or admire. But I honestly think that for me, each and everyone in my family are special and unique in their own way. That I don’t love any one of them more (or less) than the other, but rather I love them all deeply in different ways. I think I know each one of them pretty well – with all the good and not so good qualities – but I take them for who each of them are, and just work my relationships with them as best as I can.
You probably think all this is baloney, but there’s really no need for favoritism is there? In terms of disciplining children (nephews/ nieces, and grandchildren), rewarding them for achievements or proper behavior, don’t you think fairness is the key to getting the best results? It’s probably easier said than done, but again that’s me and I’ve pretty much said how I feel about this and how I’ve been going about my relationships with those closest to me at home, at work, or any other social circle that I’m in. I’d like to think that I have a wide circle of family, work and community friends that already enrich my life with meaningful relationships, honestly without favoritism here or there, and I think pretty much all my relationships healthier because of it. Second Childhood Tuesday - October 7, 2008  Is it mid-life crisis or second childhood that happens first? Do they go hand in hand, or are they synonymous to each other? Are these close to certainty that everyone will experience through life, or does this only affect half (or less) of the average person on this earth? What exactly does it mean to go through second childhood? I guess you can say I’ve lead a pretty sheltered life… Not pampered like the rich, but in enough comfort that I really never struggled growing up. I went to private schools (all girls) throughout all of my education. I got lucky enough to have had servants to smooth away bumps of doing chores, not needing to find employment to help pay for any of my education and just concentrate on schoolwork and somewhat a relaxed life.
Skipping forward to the now and adulthood, it’s just funny how I’m just indulging on things and activities that I’ve never enjoyed much while I was growing up. Now, there’s not enough time to squeeze in: reading books, singing in Rock bands, playing competitive sports that I’ve never tried before or excelled at, and indulging in social drinking and female indulgences like spa treatments (pedicures, massage, manicures and fancy hair styles, etc…). I don’t think it’s mid-life crisis or second childhood...I think I’m just really a late bloomer in getting my self confidence and independence in place that is now allowing me to really explore new things and experiences with passion and experience behind me, and away from the shadows of older sisters and over protective family at a nice and comfortable distance… That’s MY take anyway. ________________________________ Future Articles & Features... Cooking: A Woman's Job? Love & Marriage The Speed in Dating
| She Said, She Said "Office & Romance" Wednesday - October 1, 2008 Fiona... Can you really find romance in the office? What are the odds? When work is the name of the game, with deadlines to meet and super busy schedules, I would think it will be a miracle to meet someone interesting and exciting at work. But then again, if work is a major environment where you find yourself socializing all (or most) of the time, then I guess opportunities to get to know your office mates on a more personal level can arise, and even blossom into romance. Still, generally I’d say it’s not a good idea to get romantically involved with someone from the office because of the following drawbacks: (a) your privacy is somewhat compromised unless you want to keep your relationship a secret (and I say if you have to do all that that, what is the point?); (b) if your personal assets are joined, both parties having the same employer is a risky thing if things go sour for the employer; and finally (c) having your personal and professional lives intertwined may not be healthy for the relationship, and could really be problematic if the relationship ends up breaking. But with everything else in life, it is a choice we have to make if we want to take these risks when you find love, even in the office. It works for some people, and doesn’t for others. As long as you’re prepared to be accountable for the consequences of the choices you’ve made, then I guess there shouldn’t be an issue with it at all. Milana... Inter-office romance can be a dangerous thing. Yes, there are success stories of marriage arising from office dating, but approach the relationship with a bit of caution. Work shouldn’t be all about deadlines, meetings, and product launches. Work can also be a place for social networking, friendship building and even romancing. Romantically, we want to search the world over for our perfect match. Practically, we seek love in environs we know best, a place we spend the most time, and among those we feel most comfortable with – perhaps that place is the office. Pursuing a romantic relationship in a professional setting is tricky. But when attraction takes over we become numb to our sense of reason. We endeavor to be professionals when it comes to handling the situation - keeping our affection mild while others believe in the hidden truth and the secrecy as to not let the office overrun with conversations of rumors. Office relationships are not immune to breakups. And dealing with the circumstances is awkward especially if it is a one-sided separation. If emotions are involved, then it is grounds for disaster. It can be difficult in close proximity to that someone and know that you can’t be with that someone. It hurts when he/she becomes friendly with another in the department. Ouch, a slap in the face! Of course, we are all mature but when it comes to the matter of the heart, it is hard to be professional. But love is risk in any environment. And if we don’t take the risk for love, then that’s a life without excitement.
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"To Love or Be Loved" Wednesday - August 27, 2008  Milana...To love or be loved, that is the question. In a perfect relationship, it may be possible to achieve both equally. However, it is not a perfect world and one will give more than the other. It’s a fact of life and is present in every situation which cannot be denied. The basic question here lies not on equal terms, but which is the better of the two? Superficially, we’d prefer to be loved truly but if we dig deep to ponder, we might find that to love another is a gift in itself. In the act of loving, we find joy in life; in making the other happy, we bring happiness to ourselves; in caring for another, we exhibit unselfishness. Perhaps it is enough that we have the ability to love another without expectations, without conditions. On the receiving end, to be loved without reciprocity would be senseless love, a love forever deferred. In retrospection, I’ve experienced both ends and I find it hard to forget those whose love I did not reciprocate but have loved me nonetheless. One directional relationship shall not be covetous but should it be one versus the other, I choose “to love”.
Fiona...Similar to my take that “it is better to give than to receive,” I am in the category that I’m ok with being able “to love” (and not necessarily need to ‘be loved’), in order to be happy. Even in the realm of ‘unrequited love,’ there is still joy to be found or a silver lining in knowing that you have someone to love… without conditions (for there are people who have no one). Love is free to give (like offering a smile to someone), and there is no limit to how much it can be offered. I am also a firm believer that everyone deserves to be loved, even the un-loveable. It’s not the easiest feeling to extend to everyone I’m sure, especially to the most irritating, illogical, selfish people that you can meet out there in the world, but if we are able to accept people for who they are (without preconceived assumptions or prejudices), it shouldn’t be that hard to extend that love to anyone. In certain instances, we can end up paying a price for love (i.e. making sacrifices or you get hurt). But to love is to risk being open to others and get hurt by other people (in a good or bad way, intentional, or unintentional way). But when you do find the opportunity to love (in any form), isn’t it worth the risk though? Life is worth a few risks, right? If properly and wholeheartedly offered and nourished, aren’t the rewards far greater than the risk it took to offer it? Otherwise, we might as well not live, not learn, not grow, not evolve. |
Daily Word excursus ex-cur-sus [ek-skur-suhs] - noun
1. a digression
2. a detailed, appended exposition of a topic or point Usage: To fully understand a society, I would have preferred an excursus on its past economic issues to one on intellectual history. |
Daily Quote "Writing cannot express all words, words cannot encompass all ideas." - Confucius
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