seeking unsought sights

A friend of mine told me he had a pretty bizarre dream of me last night.
Was rather a nightmare to be exact, but as one is told, nightmares can actually have good interpretations. And what he and his girlfriend found out (yeah, they really are sweet people :) was that it could mean that I was up to reviving my life, and letting go of some parts of it that needed to be cleared out. I thought that was an interesting and perhaps an appropriate idea. Excess baggage in life is never a good thing.

So in celebration of that idea, I’ve modified the blog as well, well I once read that colors do in fact have a certain psychological effect (hence the reason why I commit enough time dressing before an important meeting or interview, etc. well, lets just say that results have been pretty effective so far ;). Trying to find different designs from those that Blogger provides, but seems like the code is not yet compatible with Bloggers new interface. Hmmm.....

Well, I’m also on this new diet my boss entertained us on.
It wasn’t rocket-science, plus very easy…(hence the reason why I dare to try ;)
Basically it goes like this: you can have all sweet stuff in the morning, as this is the best time that your body reacts to it, and this keeps you from falling into a ‘low’ during the day when you crave for sweets. Then in the afternoon, you can consume all sorts of stuff (except sweets) including carbohydrate. Now in the evening, you can only have protein, no carbs or sweets allowed. Your body is supposed to burn the fat when you sleep, and allow you to reduce weight,
Well, I haven’t succeeded so far, and I’m sure a little dose of exercise would help do the trick….yet with the decline in temperature here in cheese-land I’m more inclined to stay put at home and sip my new-found tea ;)

Not so lucky in the new apartment search though. Have been looking and looking and yet no results. So I guess I need to stay put and enjoy the one I have. Its not bad at all actually. So no complaints here :) but a smaller and cheaper one would definitely make life much more brighter ;)

My new phone just arrived. Well, the ADSL company informed me it would arrive in due time, so in the meanwhile I got a cheap-simple one. Turns out the one they sent is so much clearer.
-Happy smiles-

Yeah, here’s to brand new things in life ;)

-moenlite-
[learning new things everyday...]

To the different walks of life one meets

Found these wise words, and wanted to share...

Reason, Season, or Lifetime
by: Brian A. "Drew" Chalker











People come into our lives life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go...
Some people become friends and stay awhile...
leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts...
and we are never quite the same
because we have made a good friend...

When someone is in your life for a REASON. . .
It is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
to provide you with guidance and support,
to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are!
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered.
And now it is time to move on.

Then people come into your life for a SEASON.
Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it!
It is real!
But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson,
love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships
and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind
but friendship is clairvoyant.


Then there was a prayer that came with it...

May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing that you are God’s creature.
Let His presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
dance, and to bask in the sun.
It is there for each and every one of you.

....Work like you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt, and
dance like no one is watching...

-moenlite-
[things that life teaches you...grateful for its lessons....]

*picture

a future glimpse of the past

(Late) Saturday mornings for me has always been the time to run errands, mend things, and sort out chores that have been pending all week long.
So, there I was walking back from a toy shop, to get a gift for a friend’s son’s birthday...and the sight in front of me gave me such a struck...

Approaching the shop was a young couple, enjoying the day.
Just your ordinary Saturday sight, yet....the lady looked so similar to my cousin and the husband looked exactly like her husband to be, the son of course was gorgeous :)

Yup, they never got married, because she passed away during such an unfortunate time.
We were exactly the same age, and loosing her that way was really really painful.

So there I was feeling sore, thinking what a lovely family they would have been,
If only....

-moenlite-
[in her loving memory...miss you so much, ‘dek pah]

...with best wishes...

A dear friend of mine is getting married this weekend.
I had planned to go, but last minute the ‘assured plan’ didn’t work out in the end, so here I am a thousand miles from her wedding. Wishing her all my best...

-moenlite-
Ps: thanks to Dian, who inspired me with this beautiful poem. This was redesigned for my dear Carolina.

the driver's seat

Interesting how life shows you sides you thought you knew but in fact never saw its beauty. For life it self has many sides...

I’ve been working on public health issues for some time now, and felt that I’ve more or less grasped most of the issues quite fully...I guess the fact that I come from a developing country myself helps make me feel more or less grounded, especially to colleagues here who haven’t had the chance to experience work at country level. Surely I felt more of my future knowledge would be on overseeing things from the far end of reality, hoping to be able to translate that in people’s needs...those far away from here.

Little did I know, reality was not beyond me (thank goodness :)
I fell a bit ill this past week. Not sure of what cause, but basically came down with something pretty serious 2 weeks ago, thought I had recovered, then had this really bizarre dose of vertigo for 2 days. Went to the pharmacy, got some pills, as it didn’t go away, then I went to the doctor, took some blood test, and now just waiting for the result.
Surely nothing serious, its just one of those days.

But guess what I learned.

Its common knowledge (for those in this particular field) that increasing access to health facilities is a main objective. Us in Indonesia, have not yet managed to cover all that. Then there’s the issue of measuring treatment, and there are analyses of ‘the people’ trying to ‘treat themselves’ instead of seeking professional care. Now we’re talking about rural areas right?
Think again.
And this is what I learnt.

I live in a developed country, have a job that pays pretty decent, plus I’m fully covered by insurance (on some days I don’t feel as lucky though—that’s what being a human being is all about, isn’t it :P).
Now, for me to go to the doctor was rather painful. Having to take the bus (the wait, the walk, the everything) is not necessarily the easiest thing to do when your vision tends to take a 360 degree spin every now and then (the vertigo)—plus its worse if the public transportation is far from reliable, as it usually is in developing countries, unfortunately. But even here, where all is seemed peach and perfect, its not the most convenient way to transport when you’re ill.
I don’t have a car because I decided to put that off until later; and I seriously don’t think driving myself there is actually recommended :P. So, having someone to take me was the best solution. Yet, everybody has their own lives, their own different schedules, so then again, its not necessarily that easy.

Well, thank God I was well capable of going to the Medical Centre myself (though the dozen stairs going up to reach the MedCentre was a rather weird surprise), and didn’t need to leave work for it—and I’m sure I could rely on some people to be kind enough to help in case I didn’t manage to.
But the point here is that...I immediately was reminded of a discussion I had a year ago with a seasoned officer in the Ministry of Health, working on Maternal and Child health and the topic was about increasing access to health facilities in the village for Maternal care. He argued that yes, providing incentives (as in a small stipend) for the patient to seek treatment in a sub district level was all well intended for, yet...do you really think the lady could go out there on her own? She’d need a chaperone, and if you don’t provide the chaperone with the same facility, then tough luck, the lady stays sick in the village. Plus, if this is provided the chaperone has time (can leave his/her work/family etc), cause if not, then that also leads to a no go. Though what he said made sense, my immediate thought (of course internally) was that ‘boy, that’s just making a simple thing too complicated’. If a woman needs treatment, you give her money, she goes and seeks treatment, and voila...she get better *yes, given the quality of care is sufficient—but that’s an overall goal* (btw, this is all a simplistic response to such direct approaches. I in particular have my own views; for example that what ever support is provided for public services, it should as much as it could aim to strengthen existing channels. But that’s a different posting).
So, what the guy said made sense, but then again, it didn’t really sink in, until today.

Yeah, put yourself in the passenger’s seat once in a while :)

-moenlite-

just out your window

you look out your window and the rain falls,
the weather chills
and your weekend frills...

then you look a bit closer,
and there are those that hold on tight
stand by near...
appreciate the fact that warmth is dear

then you realize not all downpours are evil
and not all bad things either

so you tune down your blanket,
grab the morning paper
and notice the world in a different light....


-moenlite-
[on her way to carouge..]