Kids (for me) are the best source of laughter. They give answers that would at times leave you entertained, in awe, wondering or at other times, even stunned.
I recently had a catch up dinner with a friend and I asked her how are the kids coz the last time we met, the muscles on my cheeks ached from so much laughter. Like there was a time when her son (who is my godson) had a quiz in science and they were asked to draw some terms. One term was "burol" which is the Filipino term for a hill. Because her son isn't too familiar with deep Filipino words and a few months back then, they went to a relative's wake, you know what her son drew on his science test paper? A coffin surrounded by funeral flowers.😂
This time, one of her funny anecdotes was about her daughter. One evening they were watching a tv show and the character in the show blurted out something like "I don't have sex". They got shocked coz their two kids were in the room. What was more shocking was that their 6-year old daughter started laughing and said "She doesn't have sex. Hahaha..." Uh-oh. My friend and her husband looked at each - they didn't know how to react or what to say! Then her daughter continued - She doesn't have sex. Hahaha... She doesn't know if she is a boy or a girl!" Whew! 😅 That was the only time they were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Another recent fascinating anecdote about kids is from my childhood bff who is based in the US. One day after communion, her 6-year old son approached her who looked like he was about to cry. She asked him what's the matter and he answered, "I want to go back to the Philippines". When they got out of the church, my friend ask her son if he were to choose between an iPad (since earlier in the week he was crying because his tablet is about to conk out) versus visiting the Philippines, what would he pick? Her son answered both but my friend told him that he could only choose one and you know what he chose? A trip to the Philippines. Awww.... 😢 Most kids would choose an iPad (or material thing) hands down so it's heart-melting to hear such a story from someone so young.
When I went to visit my bff during Thanksgiving week, I helped her kids write their letters to Santa.
His son wrote his wishlist on top of the sheet of paper. Christmas List 1. Ipad 2. Penguin 3. Headphones 4. Beyblade
Then I told him - You can write a short message to Santa below your wishlist. You can start with Dear Santa. Thendo you want to tell Santa if you have been a good boy this year? You can write that too - I have been a good boy.
Then out of curiosity and also to manage his expectations in case Santa can't give all four items, I asked him - In case Santa can give you only 2 gifts from your list, which 2 items do you want Santa to give you? He thought for a moment and replied - an iPad and headphones .... <long pause> and penguin and beyblade. 😂😂😂
I told him - Just think about it coz we're not sure if Santa can give all four gifts.
Then I continued - The last part of your letter can be something like "I hope you <blank> " - just tell Santa what else you want to say to him.
I ate first and left him alone to finish his letter. When I noticed he left the dining table, I checked his letter. You know what he wrote as a last sentence to his letter to Santa? I hope you will give me all the gifts. 😂😂😂
I learned how to swim only last year. I had zero skill on swimming and I was scared of any pool beyond 4 feet deep. Shhh... 😅😂 But I did it. So yes, there's hope for adults like me to learn how to swim. You just have to take the first step and take lessons.
Anyway, this year, I decided to take another set of lessons with a new coach to check if my form is correct or if it needs improvement. Surprise, surprise, I learned a lot of new things and I need a lot of improvement. :)
Here are the top 5 new things I learned:
1. The basic requirement of effortless swimming is to be as relaxed as possible. The most effective technique for me on how to get myself relaxed is by swimming with closed eyes - provided that there aren't a lot of other people on the pool, otherwise, you'll be more tense in anticipation of possibly hitting someone. 😬
And being relaxed was the key to surviving a set of exercises which my coach asked me to do. What exercises?
He asked me to swim 25 meters.
Then 50 meters, no rest.
Then 100 meters, no rest.
Then 150 meters, no rest.
Then 200 meters, no rest.
Then 250 meters, no rest.
Every time I was able to do a certain distance, I had to make sure I was more relaxed in the next one in order to make it farther. 😅 But nope, I don't have any intention of becoming a competitive swimmer. I only learned how to swim for survival. 😂
2. When you're a newbie, there's still poor muscle memory so it requires conscious effort to do all the coordinated movements. However, sometimes, when you're on your own practicing or you haven't swum for a long period, there are times when you don't feel like your movements are well-coordinated. The best technique to deal with this is do the individual drills first - yes, one at a time e.g. if you're working on achieving a relaxed head, don't worry too much if your arm or leg movements aren't precise, just make sure you achieve a relaxed head. So one drill at a time until you're able to do everything at the same time and it feels like it's all in sync.
3. If you want sharper focus to assess if you are correctly doing the drills, close your eyes while you do the drills. It's amazing what you discover when you swim with closed eyes. The reason why my coach started asking me to close my eyes during drills is because every time he asked for self-assessment e.g. if my hands entered the water at the right time, my answer was I wasn't sure! Haha... Because honestly, I wasn't just thinking about my hands but my breathing, head, hips, legs...😂 But when your eyes are closed, you're able to isolate your attention to one area and zone out on the rest.
Another time, he asked us to swim as quietly as possible. I thought I was so quiet, I thought I wasn't even kicking coz all I could hear are the voices of other people in the pool. But the moment he asked us to swim with eyes closed, I could hear water splashes produced by my feet and hands and I could even hear my breathing. Big discrepancy of perception vs reality. 😂
4. Your optimal number of swim strokes depends on your height. Just refer to the tables below to find out what's yours. But this table assumes you take a 5 meter from push-off to first stroke.
Your optimal # of strokes for a 25-meter pool.
Your optimal # of strokes for a 50-meter pool.
My optimal number is between 17 to 22 strokes for 25 meters, and 39 to 49 strokes for 50 meters. Honestly, I can't even get myself to count my strokes while swimming - I forget to count along the way. I think my muscle memory is still so poor that I can't afford to multi-task while swimming. 😂 But one time, when my coach counted for me, he said I did 21 strokes but I don't think I do 5 meters from push -off so maybe I can work on that to cut a couple of more strokes. Haha...
5. Here's the last and most important lesson - the best way to assess yourself and rule out perception vs reality when it comes to your physical form is via video proof. In my head, I had a clear picture of what my form was while swimming but when I saw my video footage, perception vs reality was so far-off! 😱😳😂 Needs a lot more improvement. Tsk-tsk... 😂
I can't believe it's been over 4 years since I've become an accidental minimalist. Accidental because I didn't mean to become a minimalist. One day, I just decided to dispose all of my furniture except for 2 small pieces (shoe cabinet and console table) with the intention of redesigning my place. And yes, when I say all furniture, that included my bed frame so I was just left with a mattress on the floor. 😂
And then when I went shopping for furniture, I purchased a dining set BUT while I was waiting for the invoice, the sales personnel asked me to sit on a La-Z-boy and that was it - love at first sight sit! 😍 😂 I cancelled my dining set transaction and bought the La-Z-boy instead. Wahaha.... 😂
For 6 months, I never went shopping for any other furniture coz I was super happy with my La-Z-boy that I didn't feel the need to get any other piece. Please note though that I don't like entertaining guests (it's the introvert in me) which explains why I only need one chair very little. 😂
My La-Z-Boy
In those 6 months when some close friends dropped by my place, they had to take turns in sitting on my one and only chair while the rest had to sit on the floor. 😂 😂 😂
On the seventh month, I was forced to buy a table and chair coz I had to finish a case study for a short course I enrolled in.
My TopTop Table and Ghost Chair
The table looks big in the photo above but that's only 27 inches in diameter which means it's really good for one person. And which means I have to empty the table every time I work and every time I eat coz it's both my work table and dining table. 😂 And which also means it can't be used for duck, cover and hold purposes during an earthquake. I actually tried and I think I have better chance of surviving under the mattress. 😂
So for the last 4 years, those are just my pieces of furniture. I never bought a bed frame or any other piece coz I realized it was easier to clean when you've so little.
And then last month, I went to Shanghai with friends and we stayed at the Fairmont Peace Hotel. In the evenings, I had to do some work and I super loved the big work desk in the room! 😍 I knew then I had to get a proper work desk (which also means my other table would officially become a dining table). 😂
So last weekend, I went around to look for my work desk and the store delivered it today. Yay! The furniture store though forgot to bring the chair so I have to use my one and only movable chair in the meantime. 😂
A proper work desk - finally!
I had to take a photo of my new desk while it's still uncluttered coz I don't know how my desk would look like by next week. 😂
BTW, see the cork board on the wall? That is my Kanban board. When I started using the Kanban method last year, I started with post-it notes on my wall. 😂 I strategically put the cork board on that spot to cover the bracket holes of my old TV - which I also gave away coz I realized I rarely turn it on. I'm happy watching on a small screen - my iPad. 😂
So no sofa, no dining set, no TV.... I wonder - is this minimalism or is it just a an introvert's space designed for one's self and not for entertaining guests? And I haven't even started talking about my dishware - my 2 sets of plates and bowls. 😂
When I dream in my sleep, they are usually vivid - vivid in details and in color (I know some people who dream in black & white). Sometimes they are so vivid that I'm not sure if they really happened until I wake up and realize that the dream's setting is of a different day, time or place. Haha...
The other week, I had a weird and somehow entertaining dream. I'll narrate it here but no judgment, please! Haha... After the dream, I'll tell you how to interpret and decipher if a dream has meaning.
So here was my dream -
I was home (though in the dream, the unit looked different from where I live now). The unit was at the ground floor. If you exit at the front door, it's a residential area while if you exit from the back door, it 's a commercial area.
I was organizing stuff in the unit (seems like I just moved in) when the doorbell rang. At the door, there were 2 technicians who came to install my broadband connection. I had to rush fixing my stuff so I can let them in.
The following day (imagine, the timeline in my dream was 2 days! Wahaha...), a friend (unidentifiable in my dream though) and I were walking to my unit and as we were approaching it, I saw the front door ajar. I immediately knew someone broke in. When I rushed in, I saw that the place was almost empty except for a chair and table. I rushed to the back door to see if I could still catch the thieves - maybe they are still loading the furniture in a truck. But there was no truck in the back alley - only a parked bicycle! My thought bubble was - could that be one of the getaway vehicles of the crooks? Wahaha....
I got out of the busy commercial street trying to scan the passing vehicles for some suspicious vehicle carrying my stuff. I even remember seeing a calesa (horse carriage) on the road. Haha....
Since there was no sign of the crooks (they must have gotten away already), I decided to head back to the unit. When I entered the living room, I was surprised to see 3 people - one was seated on the chair and the two were busy packing items on the table.
I asked them - "Hey, who are you? What are you doing here? Did you take my stuff?"
The girl seated on the chair (who looked like the leader of the group) said "Yes."
I asked - "But why did you do it?"
Then she answered - "Coz our mom passed away but we don't have money to buy a coffin". Then she stood up, showed me a body bag on the floor, unzipped it to reveal a woman's corpse!
I said - "That is really so sad. I'm so sorry." I no longer felt bad about them stealing my stuff. Instead I felt so sad and sorry for them.
My friend interjected and told me - "What?! Will you let them get away just like that? You should be mad!"
And then I said - "It's ok coz they need to buy a coffin so they could properly bury their mom."
Then I approached the 2 people packing on the desk and asked them - "What are you doing?"
They said - "We're packing your last few items for shipping."
I was puzzled. I asked - "Where are you shipping them?"
They answered, "To the winning buyers online." (That's apparently how they disposed of my items to raise funds! Wahaha...)
My friend interjected again - "Hey, those are your remaining stuff! Don't allow them to ship them out. Get them back!"
To which I replied - "Wait, let me think what I need." Then I scanned the unit and saw my closet. I asked "Are there any clothes left in the closet?" (coz I realized I need a change of clothes plus I recalled that I bought some new clothes the previous week which were still unworn. I thought sayang that I wasn't able to wear them yet. Haha...)
But they answered - "Sorry, your closet is empty already."
I replied, "Oh, ok."
Then I suddenly remembered something I badly wanted back. I asked - "Do you still have my action camera and the SD cards?"
Then they said - "We're so sorry but we already sold it including the SD cards."
Then I said - "Can you please trace the buyer so I can contact him/her and get a copy of my video files? You may continue disposing all of my remaining stuff but can you please help me retrieve the SD cards, please?" To which they said yes they'll try to trace the buyer.
And that's how my dream ended. Wahaha....
They say that when you dream, it could mean a lot of things - it could be a warning, a manifestation of some unfulfilled wishes, unresolved feelings, factual truths, or maybe it's just a compilation of unrelated events happening in your life.
So how do you know if your dream has real meaning? First, it's important to reflect what are the possible incidents/triggers that might have led you to dream about a specific person, object or event coz if you don't take that into account, you might overanalyze and conclude that your dream has some grand meaning when if fact, it's just a compilation of unrelated events happening in your life.
For example, what could my dream possibly mean? How come there was a corpse? Why were the crooks packing and shipping my items? What's with the action camera? :)
Before you overanalyze and interpret, here's my reflection about the obvious meanings and some hidden truths about my dream:
Why the place looks different from my current condo - I've been toying with the idea if I should move to a new place.
Why the unit's front and back doors open to residential and commercial areas - I've always enjoyed the best of those 2 worlds - a quiet neighborhood but still near to commercial areas.
Installation of broadband connection - I've been thinking if I should get one coz I've just been using my mobile phone as hotspot. Haha...
The break-in / theft - Maybe it's a warning? I need to take precaution so it doesn't happen.
Trying to catch the thieves and look for clues - I love Sherlock. But I'm more like Sherlack in the dream - lacking in deductive reasoning. Wahaha...
Woman's corpse in a body bag - That night when I had the dream, I watched a zombie tv show which had that exact scene - unzipping a body bag revealing a woman's corpse. Wahaha....
Why was my reaction like that - still cooperative to the people who stole my stuff? In real life, I'm really like that! In college, I was walking along a busy street near my university and a snatcher stopped me in my tracks because the gold bracelet he just ripped off my wrist was missing. Both of us searched for it and when I suddenly found the bracelet hanging on my bag strap, guess what I did? I said "here you go" and handed the bracelet over to the snatcher! Wahaha....
What's with packing items and shipping them? While I was watching the zombie tv show that same night, I was preparing packages to be shipped out the next day. They were Christmas gifts for some kids I never got to see over the holidays. They've been gathering dust for the last 3 months so I had to dispatch them already before it's Christmas season again. Haha...
What's with the unworn clothes? It's funny but I did buy some new clothes the previous week. Haha... And like in my dream, it's really sayang (such waste) if you lose something without having had the chance to use them yet. So I guess this is a reminder for me to double-check if I still have unused items which I need to start using or give away if I don't actually need them.
And what's with the action camera? I bought an action camera in December which my cousins and I call GoPoor (coz it cheaper vs a GoPro! Haha...). And there are 2 reasons why I bought it: (1) Other than photos, I want to preserve memories of family members in videos coz I don't have any video footage of my dad which I could easily watch when I miss him. Photos are good but videos of them interacting with you on camera allow you to preserve memories better - you could replay a memory exactly how it happened - how that person looked into your eyes or waved at you at that moment you took the footage. (2) I want to capture videos of my travels the way I saw the place. It would be a more visual way to re-live travel memories vs photos. Plus, I think it might be more time-saving to edit a video than to sort hundreds or thousands of photos (but I've yet to prove this. Haha....).
And what's with my strong desire to retrieve copies of the video files? During the holidays, I did take family videos and yes, the files are still in the SD cards. But more than just this being a pending item on my to-do list, the real significance here is if you were to make me choose what one material item I would like to save, that would be photos or videos of loved ones. As proof, many years ago, photos were also the only items I thought of securing when our house was threatened by lahar flows.
Like in my dream, after the bad incident happened, I didn't mull over all the material things we lost. I was just so relieved that all my family members were safe and that our family photos were kept intact. (Btw, you might be wondering why physical photos are such a big deal to me? During my childhood, there were no digital cameras and no social media sites yet so the only proof of childhood memories are physical photos. Haha...). Anyway, it's amazing that even in my dream, I'm so consistent - I'm still able to identify that among all material possessions, I'm ok to let go everything except for family mementos. Haha...
Thus, in order to decipher if a dream has real meaning or not, you really have to identify what are the important elements first, and then reflect what could have triggered you to dream about each element. As you can see in the case of my dream, at the onset, it seemed that my dream is super scary, right? But after breaking it down and analyzing the elements, I realized that it's just a hodge-podge of what's happening in my life with some hidden truths and useful reminders. So the next time you dream something that seems scary or bad, don't immediately panic. :)
Oops, but there's one remaining element in my dream which I couldn't quite figure out - what's with the calesa (horse carriage) on a city road? Wahaha.... :)
During my annual physical exam early this year, there was a note in my ECG result that says “bradycardia” and a reco to see a cardiologist.
When I googled what bradycardia means, it’s the scientific term for slow heart rate. My colleagues were kidding me that maybe the reco meant to see a single cardiologist who would make my heart beat faster. Wahaha…
Anyway, I did go to see a cardiologist. Here’s our conversation:
Doctor: Bradycardia means slow heart rate.
Me: Is there something wrong with my heart? During the ECG, the nurse told me to relax so I relaxed - close to the point of falling asleep. Maybe that’s it? <innocent look>
Doctor: Did you know that Borg had a heart rate of 40?
Me: <blank face... I wonder who Borg is.>
Doctor: Borg is one of the world’s greatest tennis players. His heart rate was only 40. So there’s nothing to worry about your heart rate at 56. It’s normal among athletes. It means your heart is very efficient. Me: Doc, I think that’s the problem because I’m not an athlete.
Wahaha….
So the cardiologist asked me to undergo a 2-D echo test and treadmill stress test. Fortunately, all test results were normal (yay!) and I reached my maximum heart rate.
Do you know how it feels when you reach your maximum heart rate? You can no longer talk because you’re out of breath and your heart is pounding so hard against your chest. I reached this state in stage 4 of the stress test while running on an inclined treadmill and it was really stressful!
Now, as I am reading the book Effortless Healing by Joseph Mercola and David Perlmutter, I was surprised to know that there’s actually a health benefit if you’re able to reach your maximum heart rate when you exercise. In fact, reaching your maximum heart rate should be the goal when exercising.
What happens when you reach your maximum heart rate? According to the book, it triggers the production of the Human growth hormone or HGH which is essential for optimal health.
HGH improves insulin sensitivity, boosts fat loss and increases muscle
growth.
And why do we need to boost the production of this hormone? After the age of 30, HGH levels drop sharply - about 25% per decade.
How do you reach your maximum heart rate? Effortless Healing recommends High-intensity interval-type training or what is called HIIT. HIIT usually takes only 20 minutes or less and if you graph your heart rate during that 20 minutes, you’ll see that it peaks 8 times. And of those 20 minutes, you are only exercising hard for 4 minutes but of course, those 4 minutes are very intense.
I remember downloading HIIT video workouts before but there’s a lot of jumping which I don’t really like so HIIT never made it to my workout videos.
Another option which the book recommends to reach your maximum heart rate is via the sprinting method. Here’s how - from Effortless Healing:
1. Warm up for 3 minutes.
2. Exercise as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds. You should feel like you couldn’t possibly go on another few seconds.
3. Recover for 90 seconds, still moving, but at a much slower pace.
4. Repeat the high-intensity exercise-and-recovery cycle seven more times. But when you’re first starting out, the book says you may be able to do only 2 or 3 repetitions of the high-intensity intervals. As you get fitter, just keep adding repetitions until you’re doing 8 during the 20-minute session. It may take a few weeks to a few months to work up to 8 reps.
5. Cool down for 2 minutes by slowing the pace of your exercise.
Important note: HIIT should only be done 2 or 3 times a week. Doing it more frequently can be counter-productive, as your body needs recovery.
In between HIIT, the book recommends strength training or weight-bearing exercises to keep your bones strong. How? Use a weight that’s heavy enough to exhaust your muscles in fewer than 12 repetitions, yet light enough that you can do a minimum of 4 repetitions. Also, you should NOT exercise the same muscle groups every day because muscles typically need 2 days of rest to recover, repair, and rebuild.
HIIT seems like a doable option even for busy people since it only takes 20 minutes and it's just a max of 3 times a week. But the big BUT is, it's like doing a stress test 8 times per session! Waaaaa....
Anyway, I haven't attempted doing HIIT yet - just sharing the info for now. :)
When I was a kid, I never learned how to swim. The only thing I learned on my own was how to float on my back. Take note, it's just floating on my back, not backstroke. Wahaha...
The reason? I'm scared of deep water. When I was a kid, I was scared that my floater would suddenly get punctured while in a deep pool. Now as an adult, even when I am wearing a life vest in open water, I am scared that a strap might suddenly snap out. Wahaha...
But I love water and I like going to the beach. So about 3 years ago, I added "learn how to swim" to my bucket list but as usual, I never got around doing it.
Two months ago, I caught up with some ex-colleagues and for whatever reason, we talked about swimming. We decided to meet up one Saturday so they can teach me. I couldn't control my arms and feet, I drank a lot of water from the pool (wahaha...) and water kept entering my ears. But that attempt got me going so I googled for swim coaches and swimming lessons for adults nearby.
Three weeks ago, I finally decided to enroll in a swimming class for adults. During the first session, here's the conversation with my 2 classmates:
Me: Why did you enroll?
Classmate 1: I want to be more efficient with my strokes so I don't get easily tired in triathlons.
Me: <Gulp! He's a triathlete!>
Classmate 2: I want to improve my form and just like him, my goal is not to tire easily.
Me: <Cringe! They both know how to swim! Uh-oh...>
2 Classmates: How about you?
Me: Survival. I just want to learn how to swim. Wahaha...
We had twice a week sessions. The coach would give us drills which we had to repeat until we got the correct movements, then the drill progresses.
In between our classes, I practiced on my own. After class, my classmates and I also stayed behind to further practice.
On our 4th session, I was able to swim freestyle for 12.5 meters straight. Why 12.5 meters? That's the middle of the pool - the exact spot before the pool's depth becomes 6 ft, then 8 ft! Haha... When I achieved that feat, even the lifeguard and the attendants cheered and clapped (because sometimes I would chat with them and they knew I started from zero skill). Haha...
The weekend after my 4th session, I kept on practicing on my own and was able to successfully swim across a 25-meter lap pool - not just once but 4 successful attempts. Yay! But that pool is shallow so I was relaxed and there was no fear of deep water.
On our 6th session, my coach said it was time for me to try to swim across the 25meter pool - but as I mentioned earlier, the pool we use for class was half-shallow and half-deep - up to 8 ft deep! Waaa....
My coach asked me to start from the deep end so that if I don't make the entire stretch, hopefully, I'll reach the shallow part. But I was so scared that I held on tightly to a pole for the next 10 minutes and tried to negotiate with my coach to postpone it until the next session. I am sure I looked stupid in the pool. Wahaha...
See, even if I knew my coach was there to save me if I drown and even if I knew there was a lifeguard on stand by, I was still so scared. I couldn't detach myself from the wall! The thought of deep water - in this case, 8ft. - paralyzed me.
Another coach suggested that I try to stand at the bottom of the pool to get a feel at how deep the water is (while still holding on to the pole!). I did that twice and it helped because when you reach the bottom, you do get pushed up to the surface. So I thought - even if I fail and sink, I would get pushed up to the surface and maybe, when i reach the surface, I could hold on to the wall for safety. So with that, I was ready to overcome my fear and I finally let go of the wall.
And guess what? I made it across the full 25 meters. Yay!
It's amazing how I made progress in just 3 weeks. But there's still so much to learn like improving my form, strokes and breathing. And for the record, I am still scared of deep water! But at least, I've already started with baby steps.
Just some tips if you also plan to learn how to swim:
1. It's ideal to enroll in a class or get a coach because they have a technique of teaching progressive drills and before you know it, you're able to swim already. I've read a lot of reviews online and this is how most people describe the experience - regardless of the swim school or coach.
2. You need to practice in between classes because swimming requires muscle memory.
3. It helps to watch video tutorials. One of my ex-colleagues shared that he learned the butterfly stroke just by following a Youtube video tutorial! Wow... In my case, I downloaded the complete set of "Total Immersion's Perpetual Motion Freestyle" (USD19.95 from the TI website) since Total Immersion (TI) is the technique used by my coach. I would watch the short videos every now and then so hopefully the movements get imprinted on my mind.
4. After the session, if you feel there's water in your ear, just tilt your head sideways - the affected ear should be parallel to the ground. If the water does not come out, you can create vacuum by placing your palm flat against the ear, then pressing against it for a few seconds.
5. After swimming, you'll feel super hungry! The first time I spent 2 hours in the pool, I ordered a pizza and pasta! Wahaha.... Just drink water first after swimming because you're actually thirsty. Ok, you're really hungry too (but not as hungry as you think) after quenching your thirst.
6. Just have fun! Instead of being embarrassed that I don't know how to swim, I proudly shared with everyone that I had zero skill so they'll have high tolerance if I look stupid in the pool. Haha...
So if you also don't know how to swim and you've always wished you knew how, stop wishing. Just do it!:) Google for a swim coach or swimming lessons for adults in your area.
It's never too late to learn something new. In fact, I came across one video of a man who learned how to swim TI-style at age 93! :)
About "Splashes": Every now and then, I have random discoveries and learnings but they are too short for a blogpost or too unrelated to put together, thus, I never get around writing about them. "Splashes" are a compilation of my random discoveries and learnings. :) 1. Kung Fu Panda 3. Before there was Kung Fu Panda, the most adorable cartoon character for me was Shrek. But with Kung Fu Panda, Po has overtaken Shrek on my list. He's equally adorable, kind-hearted and funny.
I watched the latest installment, Kung Fu Panda 3, the other week and I think it's even funnier than the first 2 movies. One of the most hilarious scenes for me was the meeting of Po and Li (Po's biological dad).
Below is the dialogue and it's a very dramatic scene:
Po: Who are you?
Li: I'm Li Shang. I'm looking for my son.
<Everybody gasps>
Po: You lost your son?
Li: Yes. Many years ago.
Po: I lost my father.
Li: I'm very sorry.
Po: Thank you. <pause>
Li: Well, good luck to you.
Po: You too. I hope you find your son.
Li: And I hope you find your father.
<They both walk off, everyone facepalms>
Wahahaha....
There are also a lot of memorable quotable quotes throughout the movie. Here are my favorites:
Shifu:If you only do what you can do, you will never be better than what you are.
Po: Your real strength comes from being your best you.
Mr. Ping (Po's adoptive father who is a goose as he talks to Po's biological father): Having you in his life doesn't mean less for me. It means more for him.
What a beautiful lesson for 2 parents fighting over a child's attention. :)
Here's one that is so funny but you can also apply it in other areas of your life other than eating.
Po (upon realizing that his biological dad could eat more dumplings than him): I always felt I wasn’t eating up to my full potential.
Love it! Wahaha....
Anyway, if you haven't watched any of the Kung Fu Panda movies, try watching one. Great cardio workout. Hahaha...
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2. Fun with Pictionary. My youngest nieces are already in their tweens and in a couple of years, they'll be teenagers already (which means they'll soon prefer spending time with friends or going online). So in the rare times when they want to play board games (which I've introduced to them since they were kids), I give in even if I'm tired or sleepy.
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, we played Pictionary and I don't know if it's a generation gap (or if I am just so bad at drawing) but sometimes, when I draw, they couldn't guess my drawings! Like I was drawing a bottle of glue and their guesses were - castle, tower, princess.... Wahahaha...
But when they are the ones drawing, they could guess each other's drawings and I couldn't!
Here are some of their drawings. Can you try guessing what they are?
Here were my guesses:
Upper left - toaster
Upper right - torch
Lower left - tree
Lower right - pizza
So I got one correct - the toaster drawing. But do you know what the rest are?
Upper right - sword
Lower left - hands
Lower right - watermelon
So ok, I lost. I wonder - is it generation gap or is there something wrong with my drawing skills and perceptive abilities?! Wahaha...
It's
been almost 3 years since I became a minimalist.
My original plan was
get rid of my furniture so I can renovate but when I gave away my
furniture, I loved the freed up space and I also realized it's so much easier
to clean! Haha... So for almost 3 years now, I only have 1 chair, a small table, a La-Z-boy and a mattress on the floor (plus basic appliances). This is the reason why I don't invite friends over to my place - they either have to sit on each other's lap or sit on the floor. Haha...
But visiting an Ivatan house during my recent trip to Batanes made me realize that even if I consider myself a minimalist, I still am not compared to the Ivatans. Here's inside the Ivatan main house (the kitchen and toilet & bath are independent structures).
It's an open space like my place but look, they only have 3 chests for their personal belongings.
There are 3 people who live in this house - the parents and one child - so I am assuming each one has his/her own chest. I am definitely far from this - my only stuff that could fit in one chest are my books! Haha...
Anyway, since I did my annual purge, I had to exert more effort this time to shave off more stuff.
After reading "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" by Marie Kondo, I was ready to deal with items that have sentimental value like bridesmaid gowns! I have 12! Crazy, right?! It's almost half of Katherine Heigl's in 27 dresses. Haha... So for posterity, I just took photos. Here they are -
These are from weddings of 2 family members, 4 cousins and 6 friends. I could clearly identify what I wore in 9 of the weddings but there are 3 which I am mixed up (especially the 2 orange ones because they look similar). Memory lapse. Haha... What made it easy to part with them is what Kondo said - what prevents us from parting with things with sentimental value is that we'll lose precious memories along with them but memories don't vanish even if we discard the objects associated with them. Totally agree. Actually, what's funnier in my case is even if I have kept the physical objects, I still forgot to which weddings 3 gowns are associated with! I know who the 3 friends are but I can't assign what gown I wore in each of their weddings. Wahaha....
Clearly, time to let go. Besides, I'm far from walking down the aisle (still missing a groom! Haha...) and I'm far from doing a 27 Dresses' theme wedding because my concept of a wedding is a super small wedding and strictly no gowns (not even a bridal gown), only practical dresses which you can wear again are allowed. Haha... If you want to dispose of your old bridesmaid gowns but you don't know anyone with the same body size as you are, you can either donate them to Caritas Manila's Segunda Mana Project or donate them to a random gown rental shop. Maybe because of your good will, the gown rental shop owner might rent them out for less or even lend them for free to people who can't afford to pay. The other stuff I got rid of are trophies from golf tournaments. Years ago, I got into golf and I was really bad at it! But even then, my friend and I joined tournaments. My friend was really good at it and she usually bagged the championship trophies. You might be wondering how I got to be runner-up. It's because there were just 4 female players - which means the 2 other players were worse than me! Wahaha...
There was also a time when I got the trophy for lowest net. How? Because I had the highest handicap! Wahaha.... Other than winning trophies, you know what else I won during golf tournaments? Major prizes like appliances in the raffle. Haha...
I won't post the photos of the trophies here anymore because they are more of comic relief than symbols of achievement. Haha....
Anyway, when de-cluttering and purging, it's important that you overcome your emotional attachment to material possessions. Once you've overcome your fear of letting go items with sentimental value, streamlining your other possessions should be a breeze. I was able to fill up 7 more bags of assorted stuff. But nope, I am still nowhere near the Ivatan chest level. Haha.... :)
I love to play boardgames and card games with my pamangkins. For this weekend, I brought home a game called “Truth or Fib”.
What happens is during your turn, you are asked a question. You throw a die if you’re going to answer the question truthfully or make up a story (no one sees the die except you since it's inside a canister). After you give your answer, the other players would guess and bet if what you answered was truth or fib. If the players guessed correctly, they double whatever chips they’ve bet. If they guessed wrongly, they lose the chips. Whoever earns 21 worth of chips first is declared the winner.
Here's a sample question - the first question I picked for a niece –
Tell me about something that happened during a rainy day.
My niece thought carefully and answered –
One rainy day, I was with Ate .... and while walking in the rain..... uhmmm.... we saw a rain monster!
Hahahaha….. Fib!!! This game should be easy I thought.
So I coached my niece that when she tells a fib, the situation should be at least plausible.
Later on in the game, here’s another question I picked for her –
Tell me about an event that made you extremely happy.
She goes –
There was a parents’ meeting in school and the teachers said that the class with the most number of parents who would attend the meeting will win, and the prize is hamburgers for everyone. Our class won and we’ll get our hamburgers on Nov. 3. <big grin>
There’s no doubt, she’s telling the truth. It’s very detailed! Plus, I know she loves food! And she has a big grin on her face!
So I placed the maximum number of chips allowed and bet on Truth, while my other niece (her older sister) placed her bet on Fib.
Her answer? Fib!
How can that be a Fib I argued?!
Then she goes – well, it’s true that our class won and we’ll get hamburgers as prizes.
So how can you NOT be happy if you won and you’ll get free hamburgers?! I asked.
Then she answered – I’m happy that we won, but not extremely happy because we’ll only get the hamburgers on Nov 3!
Hahahahaha…..
I lost 3 out of 3 games. And I thought the game was pretty easy. Wahahaha....
I've blogged about my favorite comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes" so many times. I just adore Calvin! And every Sunday, if there's a newspaper at home, I look forward to reading the Sunday Comics to get my dose of Calvin and Hobbes. My favorite section in the newspaper as a kid was the comics section. Today, it's still the comics section. Some things never change. Haha...
Anyway, this morning's Calvin & Hobbes comic strip is another amusing but thought-provoking episode where Calvin muses over whether to cheat in an exam or not. To do the right thing and fail vs do the wrong thing and succeed.
Just in case the strip is too small to read, sharing with you the transcript as well:
Calvin:
Today at school, I tried to decide whether to cheat on my test or not.
I wondered is it better to do the right thing and fail ... or is it better to do the wrong thing and succeed?
On the one hand, undeserved success gives no satisfaction ....but on the other hand, well-deserved failure gives no satisfaction either.
Of course, most everybody cheat some time or other. People always bend the rules if they think they can get away with it... Then again, that doesn't justify my cheating.
Then I thought, look, cheating on one little test isn't such a big deal. It doesn't hurt anyone.
...But then I wondered if I was just rationalizing my unwillingness to accept the consequence of not studying.
Still in the real world, people care about success, not principles.
...then again, maybe that's why the world is in such a mess.
What a dilemma!
Hobbes: So what did you decide?
Calvin: Nothing. I ran out of time and I had to turn in a blank paper.
Hobbes: Anymore, simply acknowledging the issue is a moral victory.
Calvin: Well, it just seemed wrong to cheat on an ethics test.
Don't you just love Calvin? His musings with Hobbes are thought-provoking and are packed with much more wisdom than our regular adult conversations. :)
Here's a funny Christmas comic strip from Calvin and Hobbes published in today's issue of The Philippine Star (though I'm into digital books and magazines, I've never outgrown my habit of reading the newspaper on Sundays.)
For easy reading, here's the transcript:
Calvin: I wish Santa would publish the guidelines he sees for determining a kid's goodness. For example, how much does he weigh motives? Does he consider the kid's natural predisposition?
I mean if some sickeningly wholesome nerd likes being good, it's easy for him to meet the standards. There's no challenge.
Heck, anyone can be good if he wants to be! The true test of one's mettle is being good when one has innate inclination towards evil.
I think one good act by me, even if it just to get presents, should count as 5 good acts by some sweet-tempered kid motivated by the pureness of his heart, don't you?
(Susie passes by and Calvin instintively throws a snowball at her. )
Hobbes: Of course, in your case, the question is academic.
Calvin: I wanted to put a rock in the snowball but I didn't. That should be worth a lot.
To us who grew up believing in Santa, I'm sure we've had similar thoughts and all kinds of justification why we deserve nice gifts on Christmas. But Calvin is the only kid I know who has stretched it to as far as considering a kid's natural predisposition! Haha...
During our trip to Hawaii, there was a glitch in our airport transfers. When we arrived, no one was there to pick us up but fortunately, the airport information desk was able to contact our tour operator and trace the driver.
When the van arrived, the driver, Michael (originally from Hongkong but his parents migrated to Hawaii when he was just a kid), profusely apologized to us. He explained that the reason for his no-show was that no one told him he had a schedule. In fact, he was off that day. Fortunately, he lived near the airport so he was able to pick us up within half an hour after he got notified.
When he dropped us off in our hotel, he gave us instructions on what time he’ll pick us up on our day of departure.
On the day of our departure, we went down early in the hotel lobby to wait. Shortly after, a limousine arrived and parked on the driveway. We heard the driver call out “Korea” so we thought maybe he was there to pick up a group of Koreans.
While waiting, my friend muttered in wishful thinking – “I wonder when can I ride a limousine like that?” looking at the limo in front of us.
About 15 minutes have passed and the hotel front desk personnel approached me and told me that there was a phone call for me. On the line was Michael, the driver who was supposed to pick us up. He goes, “Hello, Maria (my passport name). This is Michael. I‘m so sorry but I am so busy today so I couldn’t pick you up but I sent a limousine and it’s there waiting for you at the driveway!”.
The limo was for us and what we thought we heard the driver say “Korea” was actually “Maria”! Haha… What do you know - my friend’s wish just came true!
Here’s a photo inside the limousine.
If you see a limousine with plate number PTW 076 roaming in Waikiki, once in my life, that limo brought us to the airport. Haha…
I know some people don’t read newspapers anymore (having shifted to digital) but I’ve never outgrown reading the Sunday paper – including reading the Sunday comics! Haha… Anyway, my favorite comic strip is Calvin and Hobbes. Check out Calvin’s witty and thought-provoking musings on why ignorance is bliss in today’s comic strip:
Here’s the exchange between Calvin and Hobbes while riding their wagon into the woods (just in case you can’t read the dialogue in the photo) - Calvin: It’s true, Hobbes, ignorance is bliss. Once you know things, you start seeing problems everywhere… and once you see problems, you feel like you ought to try to fix them… and fixing problems always seems to require personal change… and change means doing things that aren’t fun. I say Phooey to that! But if you’re willfully stupid, you don’t know any better, so you can keep doing whatever you like! The secret to happiness is short-term, stupid self-interest! Hobbes: We’re heading for that cliff!
Calvin: I don’t want to know about it.
<The two of them fall off the cliff>
Hobbes: I’m not sure I can stand so much bliss.
Calvin: Careful! We don’t want to learn anything from this. Calvin and Hobbes never ceases to amuse me even if I keep on re-reading the strips. :)
