A New Beginning?

On my way to work this morning, I saw the most beautiful rainbow in the sky - it made the rainy day less gloomy and almost certainly like an 'arc of hope'. All things considered, I needed to believe that there was a new beginning in this work continuity. Perhaps the heavens were simply telling me to flip the coin over and keep my eyes on the ball. I have been very obedient the past year or so, hardly ever shifting the focus beyond the pin spot.
Sometimes we need to discipline ourselves so that we are able to scale more ridiculous heights - by that I do not mean the corporate ladder. I am done with corporate ladders - they may be of varying heights, but the bull you get with each rung is similar. Corporate life should be like teamwork - we all move in the same direction. That is my ideal situation - everyone thinks about everyone else. BUT as my Psych mentor used to say - psych majors always see the world through rose-tinted glasses. Is there really any other way than MY WAY?
Perhaps this rainbow says there is.

Feathers on Fur

My close colleague named him, at least for now, Tweety is a him - people who know me can vouch for my 'accuracy' in sexing a larger pet like a cat. Politely, my colleague gave him a name that is not gender specific - it's probably a common bird name, but one that is simple enough for him to respond to and it actually suits him. He tweets - no whistles, long or short, just simple tweets.
After a harassing week at work, I found joy when I walked through the door of my home - I called out to him and when he saw me from his perch, he flew towards the cage door, to be let out. After 7 days, Tweety recognised me as part of his flock!......he was very nervous to begin with and my cat certainly didn't help with his yeowling everytime. I'm no bird person - I just love pets, because I find them so intriguing - to get into their psyche and understand them as individuals.
A lot of people I know, need to unwind after days of hard work in the office - but me, I'm not high maintenance - I'd go home to spend what little time I have with my birds, fish, dog, cat - for the next few weeks, at least until Tweety is comfortable in his new home with me, he gets priority - So here is Tweety, feathers on fur....

Shifting Gear

There is a new chapter in my work life coming up. It may actually be a page out of the Nightmare Series - but lets see how things go. For all the misfortunes in my life, I had bursts of good fortune - it may not really be great by industry standards, but for me, anything less than a migraine is more than acceptable. There is always a choice for us in life - what becomes of that choice is really out of our conscious control. The bottom line, as with in all situations is satisfaction and happiness. We cannot measure those variables, yet they will determine where we will eventually head towards.
I'm probably going backwards, in a forward sense. We revisit the past to learn and highlight mistakes - so that it is not repeated in the present. So whilst my gear is being shifted all too quickly, the dust will settle and all will be crystal clear again.

Take that helping hand

I did what most grieving pet owners would do - Retail Therapy - found Tweety - hiding in a corner of a huge box because he was just one of his kind amongst the sun conure babies. I figured he was frightened and lonely and perhaps just confused about being left behind. He's dull-coloured at the moment, no bright colours, except for the slight green tinge, something like hair highlights. And so, here is Tweety.
Like people, the quieter ones need a fair shot at life's obstacles as well. It doesn't mean they cannot succeed in their path - it simply means they need opportunities to do their best. This is very different from people who are given opportunities yet unconsciously, behave rashly and are left with nothing. The examples are plenty, flip the pages of any newspaper and we read stories of people who just take for granted that good things always will there for them. When someone offers a helping hand, we take it - even if we think we know better, we take it. That is humility and learning. Not every wise man will approach us on a camel laden with gold and frankenscense - most would just be people who surround us with their chatter and the many who share daily meals with us. It never hurts to just toss an idea in our minds and give it a thought. However ridiculous it may be to our egos, it is advice.
And so, Tweety is home with us, only because he didn't know any better - unlike people who procrastinate, he just allowed himself to be brought away from the noisy tub of conure hatchlings.

April

April was the first success. Unfortunately, April expired on Easter Sunday. April had a splayed left leg - our vet managed to aligned the leg on a sponge, but somehow, I knew that April would never make it. Perhaps the parents were inexperienced - yet, that's never reason enough to loose the first chick. So, on a rainy afternoon, April was buried, just 4 days after hatching.
In my life, pets have always been my constant joy. My childhood memories were punctuated with pet encounters. There never was a time in my life when I didn't have some pet or other. Growing up as the oldest child made me a very sufficient, private person. I was not one who only appreciated speciality pets - most times, it was the unwanted ones that ended up with me. They kept me company and I have always told my own family, that I have never gone a day without food, because of a stray.
I never got to know April, yet, it tugged sad strings and I lagged for an entire day. I guess, for the unemotionally outward person that I am, it's a change for those looking on, but that IS me. I do feel - I just don't make that my trademark.

Mr Caterpillar

It was raining heavily today where I worked. There wasn't much to do except admire the drops of rain coming down really fast - UNTIL, we noticed this tiny ball of something moving towards the glass door. Before we could figure what it was, a client approached the entrance. To our horror, he was walking in the same longitude as Mr Caterpillar. I was about to rush out, when his shoes kissed the pavement, at the furry spot - it crushed us all...next second, the client walked in, and to our amazement, Mr Caterpillar was not pancake, but still moving on this rather dangerous route. I rushed out, picked him up with a name card, and put him back on the shrubs. And so, it reminded me that, sometimes, even when we face 'death' in the face, it's not the end, if it's not meant to be.

Templates

Is there any reason why a person stays stubborn against his better judgement? To answer the question point-blank - I would say "ego and stupidity". How far would a person go to prove that a hopeless situation, created out of stubbornness, is right? To answer the question point-blank - I would say "ego and stupidity". I am not a believer of change, because to ensure change, one needs more than a drop of an idea. People don't change, remember? We are one huge template - where everything operates from. Unlike the templates we choose for our blogs here, the personality template is quite resistant to change - Our template makes us who we are. We may, most times, hide the template and organise some mural all over as disguise - so that others would think there is a difference, a change. It's usually temporary - because, too many years have gone into building up this template, and we would need nothing less than a miracle to effect a major change in the blink of an eye.
For that logical reason alone, I have always maintained that people don't change, we simply find coping mechanisms to disguise the reality of it all - a comfort blanket, whatever.
My point for today is : Never try to be the expert, without first understanding personal limitations - If we make a mistake, admit it, put it on a page, include it as a page in our book of life experiences, so that in time to come, we would have a guide to better our delivery. That still doesn't mean we have changed - it simply means that we have learnt.

Surprise me...

There are times when we feel so trapped - and it doesn't have to be by anything in particular. I have often had conversations with people, good people without them ever knowing how much of themselves or their intentions that they have exposed. Perhaps that came from the training I have received - to read people almost too accurately.
Surprises break the monotony of things sometimes - but for me, it's almost a needle in the haystack syndrome. My life holds no real excitement except when I'm asleep. It's the only time I find peace, rest and solitude; nightmares not included.
Thankfully, I have rare moments stored in a box - not pandora's, but just a box. And when I need them to keep me company, I take them out, and relish each one. Personally, it's selfish, but selfishly, it's how I have survived my almost novel-like life history.
I have had a predictable week - until, the heavy rain. Because that day, a good friend surprised me - picked me off my wet feet - literally - Rainy days will now become etched in my memory because i have never, had someone do that without much thought, discussion or fanfare. I'm a "think-discuss" person.
And, so, just when my week was going to the dumps, I found another moment to keep in my box.