Plans and Pursuits

Who ever expected that I would get back my hometown?

But I am not changing any part of my plan. I wanted to start the hard way and progress through it , that is exactly what I will be doing. It's a long scary 50 minutes drive from home, small school with people of golden hearts, English and Arts, Year 1 and year 6 in my schedule, and many more challenges that I choose not to overly fuss about. Perhaps the years I have spent dreaming of my future turned me into this ambitious girl that I am now. Or it could merely be the whole ' new broom sweeps well' scenario. Let time reveal.

You can place any bets on me but I have already embarked my journey. As I have always desired, I finally signed up for gym and started with light weights. My dad apparently had a shock because it was super tiring  to come home at 5 and head to gym by 5.30 everyday but, this is what I want. I dread ending up like those people who neglect working out using their work as an excuse. Your body is your best friend and the only way to stay healthy is to keep fit. Plus I feel more positive and happy after this routine. Try it! Exercising does make a huge difference in your personality and EQ.

Next, tuition. Cliche ! I already got some offers for home tuition and I will not say no. So what if I am still at the warming up stage of my job ? I can teach. 2 hours a day can't hurt, at least I choose to believe so. Plus they say, you will never know how far you can go if you don't push yourself enough. I already have home-comfort (thank god!) , the rest should be challenging or I will drown and disappear. For once I am happy teaching.  It's like my passion for English yearning to make a  difference in the lives of these kids and more kids. It's stressful to get them to understand without using a word of their mother tongue, but once you succeed the feeling is out of the world. I can go another day for that passion and the thought of me changing at least a little part of their world.

So you think I'm forgoing my baking pursuits? Hell NO! I have enquired some certificate courses for baking and pastry during the weekends. Ambitious uh? Before I pursue my masters, I want to do something simply for sheer passion and the fun of it. Fingers crossed.

This is not me boasting about my grand plans, do not misunderstand. This is about me reminding myself how badly I want to progress. I want to be better. If I ever stop that means I am the best version of me already. You know, 'best' is a myth. The world is full of knowledge, I wish to conquer as much as I can.

Wish me luck!

Renuka G

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Three wise monkeys

Take the good, leave the bad. One policy that accommodates us into the imperfect world perfectly. I have always been taught to see the good in people disregarding their weak points. 

A man may be a drug addict but portrays good manners. A man could lie and cheat but still show gratitude to those who love him. We all have our vices that's the truth. At the same time we are capable of modeling admirable behaviors as well. Sometimes we feel so natural doing an act without realizing not many actually do those things because for us it has become a habit.

How would the world be if we only scan to scorn people by seeing them as half a human only capable of the bad? We will only end up ruining each other while indulging in more vices ourselves. Remember the three wise monkeys? Only see, hear and speak good things.

Nobody's perfect. So why not excuse a certain side of a person you dislike and value his/her strengths instead? 

Wouldn't the world be a much better place if we learn to ignore shortfalls ? Something to ponder indeed.

Renuka G

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Of cravings and guavas

The hyper kid had her day! Usually my self control is pretty remarkable in terms of my diet that I reward myself everyday with a small piece of chocolate after my lunch. Today I had no chocolates since I haven't done my grocery shopping yet. Oh yes I have my once in a fortnight routine through which I stock up things for cooking, baking and snacking purposes. I was one disciplined kid you know, till yesterday. 

I even went to the extreme extent of having cabbage soup and toast for dinner! Neither missed workout nor night time yoga. I was that good! This morning I woke up and established a newly weds kinda relationship with the scale. Then it happened. Hyperactivity. 

My dad is a very responsible man! He knows my needs well and when my favourite snacks run out, even without me nagging he will stock the fridge real soon. So he came home after work with my go-to fruits like guava and pomegranate. By the way, today he bought a new addition, rose apple! Wondering what's that uh? Thanks to my curiosity , I found out the English name for Jambu Air to be rose apple or water apple. So that was it. Setting aside the healthy basket, I saw Pringles standing tall on the tv shelf and Merci in the bottom rack of the fridge. I knew there shall be a disaster. 

After my usual workout and shower, my dad offered me one rose apple. Like a good dad he offered me an healthy option, but he too did the damage by purchasing the fattening junk. An irony indeed. 

I was munching the sweet juicy fruit with my eyes fixed at the junk food sitting comfortably on the shelf! It didn't take my determination very long to surrender itself and rip open the potato crisps like a Cookie Monster! Or potato monster maybe? The crunching and munching went on and on till I realise I had to eat some nutritional food . Made a sunny side up eggs with grilled tomatoes and reheated the remaining cabbage soup in the microwave. Even in the given teeny tiny cooking and heating period, I sneaked a small piece of guava from the fridge and kept my mouth busy. Lots of different varieties of guavas in my system today. Guava day it shall be named.

After gobbling up dinner, Merci made my hands itch to unseal it. And I apparently did. I had never, even once in my life turned down chocolates! True story. I ate like three pieces savouring every chocolately almond crunch. Yum! Then I came to my senses of the damage I was doing via excessive sugar and salt and fat formation immediately making a bottle full of lemon-cucumber infused water. Drinking it helps in keeping my tummy feeling full thereby preventing further food intake for the rest of the night. And the mission was successful.

The truth shall uncover itself tomorrow when the happy relationship turns sour. Weighing scale, I wish your battery drains off. Haha. Or maybe I will limit my snacks tomorrow and weigh myself the next day!

There's always an escape and a fix *winks*

Renuka G

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Potato potato

I shared this on my timeline today! It was so true that every cell in my body demanded the shown to be visible to all my fellow social network worshippers. 

Is it just me or is it how the brain works? 

Probably me. I am a night person. Yes sometimes I do curiously wonder how a person can be an early bird chirping through the morning sunlight while a certain crowd like me rolls their eyes over the wicked unusual energy. My brain though is tuned to deliver its power house performance at night! Look what I'm doing now, that's the ultimate prove.

During the day, the only thought I have is about the next nap which I usually by hook or by crook fulfils in the afternoon or  on the recipes I wish to try out. But I have to mention, the initial idea of cooking or baking a certain item creates itself at night, still. I'm an owl! Same goes to situations like revising or preparing lesson plans, best done when the moon is up!

Day time is reserved for light activity that requires the least thinking and problem solving efforts. It's not like I can't freshen my brain up for a little help, I simply choose to accumulate all the energy for the dark hours (Pun intended ).

So my brain at the moment is churning over the best yoga pose to improve posture while I'm here writing this post multitasking in a willow pose *winks*

Renuka G

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Street-Peeper

One thing that I enjoy occasionally is watching people. I believe a way to learn apart from books is through people, random strangers we come across. You may develop leadership skills by reading Stephen Covey's or make your life better with a copy of Spencer Johnson's, however, what you will truly value is the visual experience of watching a totally random man doing an act which you thought impossible or you felt ignorant about.  The theory behind is pretty simple. If one man can do it, so does another.

I was at the hospital the other day to get done my medical report and I saw so many things, so many people. It was such an interesting day after weeks  of staying home. Ok I did go out, but it was not as significant as this experience. Be it the man who was carrying a sweet wrapper till he found a rubbish bin or the lady at the registration counter who was greeting everyone with a smile, they all have something to teach. Who are these people? Only known as humans to me they managed to show the good deeds we can do every day. Do I need to know them? Or add them on social networks to understand their lives? I don't think so.

Good things done do not need a justification. We just need to question ourselves if we are capable of following those acts. The answer is yes. Prickly though, we are curious of the wrong things. We try to severe what we see with reasons. Convincing ourselves, the lady was smiling because that's her job and the man was responsible because  he was being watched. At the end, we learn nothing. So whose loss is that?

To be better, watch strangers. Pick up good manners and simple act of kindness. Stop passing biased judgements only to prove yourself right. The world is full of lessons for those who cherish every encounter and experience. They will never stop learning and they know there's always more knowledge to chase after.

Stop being a lazy dreamer, open your eyes to the people around you instead.

Renuka G

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Dancing with weights

Yesterday of all the days got me swinging to the peak of happiness. It was those times you feel so much joy and the reason seems to be plenty to name. Perhaps because I have always been away in the past that this long long stay home has gotten pretty overwhelming.

I love enjoying the moments in my life. Be it the rough ones or the sweetest happenings, I always take some time to muse over things and embrace whatever that's happening. It was indeed the happiest thing to be home and taste homemade ponggal after 5 years, at the same time realising that I might not have this luxury in the coming years. Ok it may have sounded like a military man returning to his camp but a teacher too possibly has the same reality. Some of the teachers serving in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak have their family back in the peninsular. It's not easy to travel back and forth setting aside the expenses for one journey home. Yet they are making it happen! Every single day in the jungles where even a phone call is a matter of luck and blessings.

But I'm happy even if that shall be my destiny. And by god's will I will be happy. I leave that to time. Who knows, I might get posted somewhere near, right?  Back to my story. I love watching the way people show their love and care. Home is the best place you are privileged to see both. I'm enjoying every single moment of it. Sometimes you just don't need to demand, fuss or try at all. You are sent the best people to be with. They stick with you no matter what. I have my dad, my family and the people I have met in the past two years. They are gems! And yes I will always specifically mention my dad because he deserves every single  praise and he will always be the man who  only gave the best to me. 

I was happy like really happy, so happy that I could even cry. It's amazing to be feeling all this. On top of all, it's amazing to just be me. I even skipped cardio and held the dumbbells dancing in the room yesterday  which probably torched more calories  or at least I assume so. 

Gratitude is of dire importance! A day like this absolutely earns itself a post. It's not like a bad day doesn't deserve one. From my perspective, I strongly believe things that I put up on the net should be motivational and positive. I had come a long way to realise how important it is to only see things that makes me happy. Hence I want to grant my readers or random strangers who stop by the same privilege through my blog which is, to read good thoughts. None of you random people knows me but if my words could shine your day with positivity and hope, the blessing will somehow come back to me. I always have faith in that.

Another day of happiness shall follow.

Renuka G

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