I've been on a long break for about two months from my job. I honestly cannot remember how to work anymore.
What have I been doing in the past two months? I have been travelling a lot. I went to Sydney, Bangkok, Singapore and Indonesia. Each travel tells its own tale but then again I couldn't be bothered to write it down as detailed as possible.
Other than that I have just been lazing at home, working out at the gym at any particular slot I want to, watching alot of random weird shit on the internet (Asian Boss channel - particularly the videos on the North Korean defectors), catching up on movies (Crazy Stupid Love, The Martian), reading up on books (The Martian, Crazy Rich Asian series, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck), catching up with my friends, downloading new music, laying on the couch taking naps whenever I want with Kopi (my pet dog) and just wandering around aimlessly in the mall.
Can't remember when I last had the luxury to just do the above as and when I like. It just felt good to do me, the stuff I wanted to do, as freely and as long as I like to do.
As I grow older (really hate to admit this), I realized the more I wanted to know myself better, challenge myself, improve myself. Nowadays, it is always the off days where I sit down and reflect on what I have achieved so far, and what I wanted to do next, or what could I improve.
On busy working days, time flies so fast, wake up, rush to work, eat lunch, work, get off work, head to the gym, dinner, shower, sleep, repeat. Sounds mundane, that routine life. But I pretty much got used to it. It doesn't mean that I'm doing the same thing everyday. At work, I'm doing new things which I didn't do in the past. At the gym, I get better at each class, maybe lift a little heavier, learn a new machine, or punch and kick better during combat class.
There are a lot of things I would probably have to improve - in the aspect of managing my money probably. Been spending way too much then I should during these holidays. Or in terms of eating cleaner, been indulging in way too many holiday beers and good food.
Financial planning is something everyone has been talking about but really getting down to doing it, how many of us have really done it? I've talked about it in m previous post but I myself have not gotten anything done about it yet. It took an unfortunate event of a relative passing away to realize that insurance is important. He did not buy insurance for himself and he left behind 5 kids. Some people would like to think that buying insurance is a taboo. Or like me, most people would think insurance is another way for someone else to try and make your money. Kind of get it why those insurance ads say stuff like "protect your loved ones" now.
I recently went to Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia with the recommendation of a few other colleagues in my department. To be honest I had a really low expectation on this trip because I've been told it's a backpacking trip, having to sleep on a boat (was so scared of getting sea sick, I did get sea sick but only on the last night of the stay), having to sleep at not so clean places and only being able to bathe once a day. But you could say, I was pleasantly surprised! The boat was much much cleaner than every other boat I've sat in my entire life. Was also surrounded by nature most of the time and most importantly the place was not commercialised yet.
From this trip I've seen happiness in the eyes of people who live in the village, and it is so simple to be happy for them. What about us city kids? Why were we always hungry for more to be happy? Or why are we always trying so hard to be happy? Or chasing material things to be happy?
When happiness can just be as simple as flashing a genuine smile to someone else. Or being carefree kids who had nothing in the world to do but run up and down hills and play soccer with my friends.
We can make happiness as simple too. It's all in the matter of perspective.
Think I wrote this on my Instagram before. But take work for instance. You tell the whole world you have the meanest boss in the world. Your job sucks. But have you tried the hardest on your end? Or did you try to see it in your bosses' shoes on what he's trying to let you learn or realize?
It's all up to you on the way you see things. You can change the mean boss perception and take on a challenge of understanding the way your boss works and what he is trying to make you learn or see. Or perhaps, voicing up to him and have a polite discussion that you don't agree on certain things or what you don't understand about certain things. You will be surprised at the response and you will be taken so much more seriously by your boss after that.
Ok gotta snooze. Will edit this post later on when I'm back and continue my grandma story.
Goodnight.
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