My Blog
30 th June 2024 1 min read
Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
A sleepless night
A troubled one
A fitful time
So anxious, Soul anxious
Quiet down body, calm down mind
You are ruled by a wild imagination
Get up, write something
Your heart needs to still
Even as your mind wanders
Words can be cathartic
They roam the page instinctively
Finally they become weary
The mind calms down and the body relaxes
And sleep came
28th June 2024. 1 min read
Know one fact
No one pities you in this world
Nor will they continue to do so
You have to get up on your feet
And face your devil’s advocate
That has suppressed you for years
Making you see impossibilities and imperfections
No one cares about how you do in this world
Each is for his own
Until you have something to show for
Until you benefit this world
You will be another passerby
A final speck in the dust
But if you have inspired at least one person in your life
To fight against the odds and achieve the best
In the pursuits of your ideals have moved someone else’s dial too
You have done your role as a fellow mate
It’s a justifiably useful life lived.
26th June 2024. 2 min read
In our hurried, busy and noisy world, we are swept along by the demands and drills of daily life that we may forget to take some still moments for reflection.
Consequently, thoughts are sometimes superseded by impulsive responses which may produce negative consequences.
In this respect, it is advised by the wise and those who have gone through the vicissitudes of life to pause and ponder.
As we grow older, we should cultivate being quiet and calm in the face of troubles perceived.
There is the story of the lost pocket watch. A merchant had a valuable heirloom in the form of an antique watch which he liked to show around.
One day, he misplaced the watch while in his warehouse and he ordered his workers to search for it with a reward for the finder.
It was not successful. As the sun set, the hungry workers decided to search again after dinner.
The merchant’s son returned home and heard of the incident. He went to the warehouse and soon was able to retrieve the watch.
Surprised by the young man’s ability, the workers asked him how he had found the watch. The young man said, “I just sat in the corner, focussed and listened for the ticking sound in the quiet warehouse. That led me to it”.
Indeed, cultivate a calm heart and mind. The ancients often said: “Only when you are calm can you be at peace, and only when you are at peace can you think.”
I tried applying this principle in my clinic recently when my Xray software did not present itself on the monitor. The staff was quick to conclude that the software had broken down and restarting the computer did not help. There was a sense of panic and a loss of what to do.
In the face of having to break the news to the patient at the dental chair who had a bad toothache that her Xray could not be viewed, I chose to be calm and consider the options.
We could tell her that we would go ahead with pain relief and present the Xray to her later. She might be displeased.
We could send her to our neighboring dentist for a repeat Xray which was an inconvenience. Finally, it dawned on me to check the server and I discovered that it was not properly switched on hence the software was not active. The patient was successfully treated after a clear diagnosis.
Throughout the ages, anyone who has achieved great things has been able to maintain a state of calm, because calmness is more powerful than being restless and impatient.
When the mind is quiet and peaceful, quietness can lead to concentration and concentration can lead to wisdom.
26th June 2024. 1 min read
When you are anxious
Think only of solutions
You will find it works
One gets distracted
When you only see defeat
Which destroys all hope
Picture your success
Think of positive outcome
Gravitate to it
– – – – – – – –
What is a Senryu poem?
1 Senryū is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 syllables~ 5 , 7, 5
2 Senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious
3 Usually speaks of human nature (behavior, emotions, characteristics
4 Untitled and Unrhymed
24/6/24. 1 mint read
Author at Komodo Island on a LOB
The glorious sun is setting on Komodo island again
All good things need not come to an end
The lessons learned from each other
Inspire us to excel in what one lacks
As each is endowed with different skills and talents
We will come back with more faith, fervour and fortitude
To create a better tomorrow
Friendships are forged by struggling through difficulties
Sharing useful knowledge
And smiling through tears
A companionship that is mutually respectful, meaningful and understanding
An association that can lasts a lifetime
A memory that one treasures forever
That is the friendship one seeks and has found in this trip
16/6/24. 3 min read
Author at the Maldives (90s)
It is a calm mind that can accept any situation, analyses, and executes an appropriate action that brings solution, peace, and positivity to the involved person or parties.
To have a calm mind, one needs patience which is a very important trait and a great virtue. Trying to be patient in the first place already makes one testy so it is a personal achievement.
In this respect, you may notice that many people do not pass the 3 seconds test. Just hold your vehicle for 3 seconds when the traffic light turns green and you will be tooted off to move. That is the level of most drivers’ patience.
The ability to keep your breathing steady, knowing that all unpleasant things do not last and focusing on solutions instead of problems will put one in good stead.
After all, getting annoyed, agitated, and even angry. affects one’s physiology and biology impacting one’s health, self-esteem, productivity, and relationships with others.
Things may become worse before they get better. Meanwhile, it’s the rough ride that you go through, your emotions being ruffled and your brain being wreaked havoc.
It is an easy thing to say but difficult to do as it’s the body’s reflexes that reacts to unfavourable situations.
My strategy involved using
1 Acceptance – Do what I can and accept what I cannot.
I can help by looking for the good in the situation. Many times, unpleasant situations bring valuable lessons though painful.
2 Focus – Being solution oriented instead of thinking of the worst that may happen. If the worst happens, we still need to live on with courage and hope.
3 Smile – The power of a smile is under rated. While it is not appropriate to smile when there is a severe injury, a smile can put others at ease and elicit some ideas or answers that may be valuable.
Negative emotions impact everyone’s thought processes.
4 Clear your mind – When all else seems to fail, take a long walk, a restful sleep or an exercise to boost your feel good hormones.
This has a scientific basis.
We are also as happy as we make up our minds to be happy.
Better make being happy a habit.
5 Communicate gently – When one is riled up, it is easy to speak unkindly but that would only stoke the fire, in others as well. Speak gently, rationally and calmly and a solution or at least a compromise may be reached.
A case in point: We were two friends with differing opinions as to how to reach a destination when we travelled together.
As I believe then, that reaching our desired place would be easier taking public access, my friend wanted to drive there.
We ended up on a narrow, winding dirt road which I suggested that we reversed quickly to avoid being stuck in a rut.
After much difficulty, she managed to reverse out and was quite upset to the point that she wanted to return to the hotel and abort the travel plan.
After letting her released her frustrations, I calmly and gently suggested that we return the car to the hotel car park and that we could my method which was tested. By then, she had cooled down and we then had a successful trip to our remote venue.
On another day, we were heading to a destination which I was not comfortable for her to drive there as I do not encourage driving long distance overseas.
I decided to exercise patience and calmness and chose to focus on being a good navigator instead of fearing about the worst.
Eventually, we had a fantastic journey along a road less travelled.
In all situations, stay calm and carry on doing what is best.
Acquire and develop this skill and your relationships will flourish.