February 2021

So the pages of calendar has flipped so fast and we are already into the 2nd month of the year. Having just finished celebrating the Lunar New year, which also marks the first year anniversary since Covid was born, this year has been another locked-up and lonesome year for some, since the inter-state and cross border travels are still not allowed yet. As for me, I have had a rather busy past 2 weeks, rushing out CNY gift packs and honey orders. It was overwhelming, THANK GOD! As the sole source of income, I was grateful for every opportunity that came my way and I fulfilled it. Including taking over another new state to manage the sales and stockist there- Klang! Now what I started as a running list of new things I wanted to accomplish by end of this year must average out to a minimum of 3 items per month if i wanted to ensure I reached my target. I know some might say that's a tough goal to achieve but as I told myself, some of the "mini projects" were personal, not to be shouted about, and for some, it may even be a passe. So far we are in the midst of February and the few things I know I had done differently were 4. Got my other half & the kids a gift (couple mugs & a family puzzle), acknowledged Valentines day, ordered lunch, and just chilled the day away. It ended up with a disaster unfortunately but my main motivation of doing this was to practise selfless giving without acceptance and I managed to achieve just that. So that's item 4 ticked there! 5. I also missed out another item I ticked off in January - reached out to someone who was in need of something, grouped a few friends together to join in and successfully sourced and delivered the items to the children in need. I have not done this in more than 10 years and that was another major tick! 6. I've always wanted to donate hair to charity and I successfully cut Nadine's hair and kept it to be given to the cancer society once the travel restrictions are relaxed. 7. I have also started my compost bin project since Feb started and this time, will be taking this a notch further and checking with the local community on a common area setup to create this for the community garden project. 8. As LENT starts this Weds, I am also going to challenge myself to remain a vegetarian for 40 full days and not compromise or give in to my carnivorous side. I have also stopped drinking alcohol for the past 2 weeks, as I was on a continuous drunk session from December until mid January. This item is not a checklist YET! Will update again on the 28th of March. The journey of LENT is not just about abstaining from meat per se. In the world of today, it also means giving up something dear to us, something that cripples or numbs us, addictions of many forms, obsession, and the whole works. This is also part of our complete journey of understanding our existance on earth, they why and the what to do. It's also a good time to journey with Christ in the desert, the same way he did and coming out of it as a stronger, firmer rock than the rough form we started. And then we can truly shine like a diamond in the rough. Besides, what fun is there if we go through life being normal/ numb/ regular right? We need to question, challenge and most importantly understand things from many point of views. One persons journey is very different from another, and the first step to understanding one is to acknowledge this. Not everyone has the same shoe size of taste. I for one still prefer my flip flops for walking and heels for dancing! haha digression right there! There's still another 14 days to go before I can tick off another 1 or 2 items for the month, the race to out-do myself continues.