After thoughts

I was eventually going to write a post on how profoundly blogging (writing) has changed me over the last two and a half years, but this blogger beat me to it and probably said it better than I would have. What started out as just a way to let out bottled up emotions and a challenge to see how long I can keep a commitment, turned out to be a journey of self discovery, finding meaningful pursuits, broadening my knowledge and perspectives, an ally in facing fears and weaknesses, and best of all, an enjoyable hobby!

When I first started to blog, I was too shy and afraid (of looking stupid) to have others judge my thought processes or know my personal details, so I only shared it with three very close friends who were also bloggers. I even had two self-imposed rules; no retracting posts (since the temptation was high to do so when self-belief was low) and no adding new content to old posts after 24 hours have passed since publishing. As the years rolled on and I conquered most of my fears in voicing out my opinions and grew to have confidence in myself and my writing abilities, I became more comfortable with sharing my blog with other friends, acquaintances and even family. During this time, it also hit me that I am not so special after all, in the sense that I feel the same about my struggles and victories in life just as anyone else might about theirs. Might I add here that the feedback I have received from friends is much appreciated and have been a welcome source of encouragement. Anyway, the point of all this rattling is to personally recommend blogging to anyone who is on the fence about trying it out.

For lack of a better analogy, a blog post to me is like a pile of poop. Yes, it feels good after a dump, but that's not it. Once this pile is out and sitting on a spot in cyberspace, it can be observed from a fresh perspective, rotated to be seen from different angles and even dissected, tested and further analysed (like in a laboratory) later on. I have often noticed that after an opinionated post is published, the mind doesn't stop thinking about the topic, rather continues to analyse it along with the myriad of other things the mind processes in a day. For example, after dissing the couple with 19 children, I came to realise later that it might be their conservative cultural and religious beliefs that make them think and act in that way. In the past, like in my grandparents' time, it was not uncommon for families to have a large brood of children, often more than ten. Even today, it can be commonly seen with many middle eastern families and conservative families elsewhere in the world. While I do not condone ignorant views on contraception or polygamy, not everyone (especially those who are shaped by strong cultural and religious beliefs) may see things in the same way I do.

There have been some interesting developments in my 'Going Green at Home' campaign. Without talking to my flatmates about my intentions, I simply stuck the note below next to an extra garbage bag in the kitchen. I thought that I'll have to introduce them to the idea in baby steps, which is why I thought let's just focus on paper and plastic for starters. But in an unanticipated twist for so short a time, they have become fully supportive of the idea - they not only sorted all their garbage according to recyclable/ non-recyclable items before throwing, I even saw that one of them had thrown aluminium cans in the same bag. And it only took two days for this change of behaviour! Maybe people just need a nudge sometimes to do the things that they know in their heart to be right.

I really didn't anticipate any feedback, let alone full support. I also wonder if they will be as thrilled to have me here when they realise that I am using them as guinea pigs for my social (and cooking) experiments

While throwing out my second batch of sorted garbage for recycling (this time, much less conscious about who was watching me), I saw a family drive in, throw their sorted garbage into the recycling bins and drive off in a car. Now that was somewhat encouraging!

In other news, Wildlife Reserves Singapore has been actively promoting the upcoming River Safari attraction and the arrival of two giant pandas from China, called Kai Kai and Jia Jia. These two will be used as representatives to educate the public about their imminent extinction if nothing is done about their declining numbers. Currently, there are an estimated 1000 pandas left in the wild due to massive loss of habitat. Captive breeding programs at zoos and conservation centres can only do so much as female pandas ovulate only once per year and are fertile for only 2-3 days during each reproductive cycle.

Adorable-looking no doubt, but they can be as ferocious as any other type of bear species