Into the Blue!

Today turned out to be a great day. I got an invitation to go for a sailing class on short notice and I was not disappointed! Several hours at sea starting early in the day, learning to catch the wind in the sails and control a small sailing boat - was not as easy as it looks. We sailed to our heart's content, in the open seas and on one occasion sailed around a huge oil tanker! We were even allowed to jump off the boat and swim (more like float with the life jackets on) around in the water for awhile. After we were done, we had worked up a giant appetite and had a very satisfying lunch to conclude. My retentive memory is not too great so a lot of the theory on boat parts and sailing maneuvers that were taught has already bounced off my brain. But the sea always, always makes me happy, relaxed and charged! So thanks Sarah, for that out-of-and-into-the-blue invite! :P And might I add, Groupon vouchers rock!!

A laser bahia - it takes considerable skill to conquer the winds and make them work for (and not against) you. 

I am like a tortoise now, carrying my 'home' with me to work. I failed many times trying to reduce the 'junk' in my heavy hand bag because there was nothing I wanted to get rid of and I've come to accept that having a bad posture or chronic pains later in life will be the compromise for having everything I need within my reach now.

Inside Shu's bag
The food kit - bottle of water, a snack for emergencies and mints
The med kit - first aid for minor ailments, antiseptic wipes, tissues
The cosmetics kit
The weather kit - the sweater, umbrella, shades
The entertainment kit - music player and phone
The writers' kit - a book to read, pen and notepad
The wallet

The downside to carrying such a lot of things is that it is impossible to find any one item in a hurry, without having to sweep through so many other things. And it can be quite frustrating, say for example, if I had to find a can of pepper spray to use on a criminal.

Recently, I even carried a swimming kit in hopes of going for a swim after work. But for the five days I carried it to work, the country experienced heavy rainfall with thunder storms. And when I gave up on the idea and left the kit at home one day, lo and behold, that day turned out to be a sunny day.

When life gives you lemons, and it tends to do that a lot, you have to make lemonade out of them. I spent many weeks crying over how little time I had to do the things I usually enjoyed with the commitments of my new job. This regular complaint became such an ear sore, even for me. And I found out that with a little trimming here and there until life was reduced to simpler terms with a few expectations, I can get very close to a state of perpetual satisfaction (with a little margin for the occasional peak or trough).

All it took was a little mental conditioning and I've had to cut down on TV programs that were rather pointless entertainment, be okay with blogging only once a week, be okay with not being able to keep up with social networks online and offline, put some creative projects on hold, be okay with not being able to keep up with the latest news, save time spent on cooking by eating out instead and even turn down certain social invitations with company I don't enjoy very much.

Today, I've also completed a project that was pending for quite awhile now. And that was to make a collage from photographs of all the people that are dear to me and events in life that are memorable. Now I have a huge square of happy faces looking at me as I sit on my table to work. I'm extremely proud of my creative genius today!

Shu's handiwork. In this photo is also a panda that I've recently adopted.