Where do I draw my strength?

I had a one-on-one with my boss’s boss two weeks ago. I had mulled over the topics for our discussion. The fact is I don’t want to appear unprepared for the meeting. It was a good meeting. He gave me a lot of encouragement, good advice and one very important point to ponder on.

He asked me to find out for myself "Where do I draw my strength from?".


I find fulfillment when I learn a new technology i.e. a TOI(transfer of Information) about a new product, read a book, complete a long hike, complete the Ashtanga sequences every Thursday night and learn to make a new dessert. I draw strength from tasks that make me feel fulfilled, whole and also nurtured my soul.


I started on a new job about 2 months ago. I realized after the meeting I am overwhelmed with work that I was and still am reacting to crisis and problem. I have not been able to keep up with my emails. I can’t seem to find the time to go through each and every one of them. I spend the day time in meetings and late afternoon catching up on emails and tasks. I need to get myself out of this routine. It is going to hurt me on the long run.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I am learning new traits and searching for myself. I need goals in my job that would fulfill me. I need to draw strength from work. I don’t want to feel like I am working at all.


I have a plan. Now, my ducks are not in a row. I am adamant to succeed. I will come out triumphant. Wait and see!

Beer Garden Party

I am never a beer person and at most I would drink a bottle when I am out. I love to host small events at home where I could mingle with my dear friends. I thought of hosting a beer tasting party. After some research on the internet and talking to my beer connoisseur friends (probably everyone I know), it was execution time. I co-hosted the party with a girlfriend and my roommate.

This was a blind tasting party by beer type with the intention to see my friends’ reaction after each beer tasting type. The bottles were camouflaged in gold Christmas wrapping paper and each was given a god’s name. We used Greek gods for lager, Roman gods for pilsner and lastly Hindu gods for ale.

Our beer menu:
Lager
Dos Equis = Zeus
Negra Modelo = Hera
Stella Artois = Poseidon
Heineken = Aphrodite

Pilsner
Sudwerk = Jupiter
Spaten = Juno
Tsingtao = Neptune
Asahi = Venus

Ale
Hoegaarden = Krishna
Newcastle = Shiva

Our lovely tasting beer:

Our tasting sheet:


After tasting each beer type, I revealed the beer served in each group. My friends filled in their answers for question 4 (see tasting sheet) and later removed the wrapping paper to review the beer.

In my opinion, Negra Modelo is a very smooth beer. I would definitely drink it again. My roommate was disappointed with Dos Equis. He commented that "Zeus" tasted like plain water. Newcastle was a preferred drink for most of my American friends.

We served snacks, sausages and bread. It was a simple and casual party. The party started at 6:30PM and ended at around 11PM. The beer tasting party was a success!

Mount Diablo State Park - wildflowers

Spring time is here. It's time for wildflower hikes in California. For the longest time, the only flower that I could identify when hiking is California Poppy. I love them. They are everywhere in the bayarea. I always have a happy disposition when I see them.

Last Saturday, Amy and Mike have graciously invited me to join their wildflower hike . Thank you :) We went to Mount Diablo State Park and after the hike, we stopped at the Mount Diablo Summit.

I am a little wiser now that I have learnt to identify a few more wildflowers. We saw wild cucumber/manroot, white nemophilia,black sage,miner's lettuce, california buttercup, fiddleneck,woolly indian paintbrush,western wallflower,blue dicks,silver lupine,blue-eyed grass,shooting star and blue witch.

Below are some of the photos taken during this trip.

Shooting Star

• Primrose family
• my favorite photo from this trip

Silver Lupine

• Pea family

Woolly Indian Paintbrush

• Lighter colour than Indian Warrior
• The stems and leaves are white woolly.

Blue Dicks

• Lily family
• Cluster of blue flowers

My "are you smarter than a fifth grader" question:
Q: Do you know what is the state rock of California ?
A: Serpentine rock

Waterfall trekking in Pahang, Malaysia – March 8th and 9th 2008

I had managed to get a respite during a recent business trip to Asia. I visited my family in Johor Bahru and my relatives in Petaling Jaya. My cousin, Hong is an avid trekker. She loves adventure, nature and food too. She had planned a waterfall trekking weekend while I was there.

We went waterfall trekking in a forest reserve called “Hutan Lipur Jerangkang”. This forest has cascading falls. There were five people in this trip, Hong, Wun Nok (WN - nature lover), Mr. Collin, Tim (Mr. Collin’s son) and myself. A 4WD is a must for such an adventure.

We took the freeway from Kuala Lumpur (KL) towards Kuantan, exited through “Sri Jaya” and turned left to the entrance of “Hutan Lipur Jerangkang”. The forest reserve is about 15 kilometers from the main street. It was quite an adventure to drive off road at 11PM and with limited GPS access. We lost our way twice and arrived at the campsite around midnight.

Hong mentioned that there are about 20 levels of such cascading falls. On a good day, one would trek by the falls, swim and trek up another level of the falls. It rained a few times while we were there. We started late morning and we had to trek in the jungle when the rocks were too slippery. We trekked about 8 falls and had to turn back when it started pouring. Each fall was unique and the water was clear. We showered in the near by river, had a feast at a nearby restaurant and returned to KL in the evening.

Fruit Tree Blossoms in my backyard

I have a little orchard in my backyard. There is a plum tree, two peach trees, two persimmon trees , a tangerine tree, a lemon tree and a cherry tree. This is the best time of the year to visit my backyard. It's simply beautiful.

Last year, I saw the fruit trees in blossom but I didn't take the time to enjoy them. I thought I would missed them this year as I had a planned business trip to Asia. I got back yesterday and I was elated to see the fruit trees are still in blossom. According to the weather forecast, tomorrow will be a beautiful day. I will enjoy my earl grey tea and will savour cookies that I bought from Japan. This is my way to celebrate cherry blossom festival.

Mum and Grandma, I am sure both of you will appreciate this. :)

Cherry Blossom:



Yellow Peach Tree:


Yellow Peach Blossom:


Plum Tree:


Plum Blossom:

I SURRENDER!!!!!

I am officially exhausted. My mind is restless as I am constantly thinking about work, work and more work. For the past 2 weeks, I either skipped breakfast or lunch. My digestive system is retaliating. I feel pain in my abdomen. I didn’t get enough sleep. I have to admit I bite off more than I can chew. I took too much responsible during this holiday season. I didn’t manage my time and didn’t give myself a break. And worst of all, it’s my own doing.

From now on, I will give myself a break, breathe, smile and take it easy.
Namaste !