Problem with WFH

Besides being short on resources, without a large screen monitor to work with, unavailability of certain applications on my laptop, no air-conditioning and the increase in electricity bill, one other problem working from home (WFH) is managing perception.

Family members and spouse tend to think of the one WFH as having more time to help with house chores and grocery buying. Helping is of course a joy—at least at the beginning—but as the days turn to months WFH, the added duties gradually become expectation.

Take me, for example. I regularly receive a list of items to purchase at the supermarket, help wash the dishes, and clear the waste garbage. This is in addition to other duties off WFH, such as the daily scrubbing of the restroom and cleaning the air con (for off office hours use and sleeping only) from time to time.

It's no big deal to do all that, of course, if I am really freer than when working in the office. The truth is I am actually working more hours than ever before the COVID-19 pandemic, with many hours spent on ZOOM meetings, brainstorming, working online and offline on my laptop.

That's life on the fast lane, but not many in the family can understand this. If you are reading this and have experiences to share of your challenges WFH, feel free to leave your comments here. Would really like to hear from you!

Time

Many of us live our lives rushing all the time, and I, like many, am also always running and rushing all my time. I rush to get to work, I rush to complete my assigned work, I rush to meet deadlines, and I rush to get home. Few are the moments I have to pause and catch my breath, and few are the days I can take extended breaks. This is the kind of lifestyle I live by, and I know it is not healthy, a sure sign of an impending breakdown and possibly a prelude to a heart attack.

I am by nature a time conscious man, probably because of my upbringing and because I live by the principle of living each day meaningfully. I am aware of the shortness of a human life, so in desiring to accomplish much while alive, I am always seeking for more time. Then one day God decided to grant me my wish for more time -- time to completely rest from my labor. So rest I did, first in hospital for a surgery, then at home for recovery. All that took place some years ago, and during that one month of rest, I learnt to be still before God and to be at peace. I also leant that in all the haste, I have gained nothing much except in jeopardizing my own health.

When I finally recovered from my illness, my perception of life was somewhat changed. Sadly, however, I soon returned to my rushing game because I was then studying and working at the same time. Now, after many years, although I have completed my studies, I am still learning how to take time to rest without feeling unrest or guilty of wasting away my free time. Maybe I am too conscious about time, or maybe subconsciously I simply cannot live life without a purpose in mind.

Teach me therefore O God to know when to run, when to slowdown and when to stop and rest. Help me in my busyness not to fail to see the more important things in life, especially when it involves someone in need. Lead me to know how to keep my time in check, to strike a balance between the necessary and the important, that I may not, out of negligence, cause unhappiness to any relationship.

The Time Traveler's Wife Movie Trailer

Release Date: August 14, 2009
Studio: New Line Cinema (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Director: Robert Schwentke
Screenwriter: Bruce Joel Rubin
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Arliss Howard, Ron Livingston
Genre: Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for thematic elements, brief disturbing images, nudity and sexuality)
Official Website: TheTimeTravelersWifemovie.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: View here
Production Stills: View here
Plot Summary: "The Time Traveler's Wife" is based on the best-selling book about a love that transcends time. Clare (Rachel McAdams) has been in love with Henry (Eric Bana) her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler—cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry's travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.

Slowing Down

Living life in the fast lane is never easy.

I've been rushing all my life. I rush to catch buses and trains, I speed walk to reach places, I hasten my pace of working to meet deadlines. I am always conscious of lost time and every minute counts in my life. I am breathless most of my time, and my heartbeat is faster than usual.

I am now learning to slow down. I miss the bus and train if I have to, I walk slowly and careful, I work the best I can do, but I won't rush to finish my work even if there is a deadline. I am learning to be less conscious of the limited time I have, and I am catching my breath, slowing my hearbeat to normal pace.

Why? Because when I rush up the stairs to catch the train or run after a bus, I heat up and I can't relax, my blood shoot up. I don't walk speedily as before, because on many occasions I have fallen and injure myself especially on wet floor. Just recently, I rushed and I rushed to meet the deadlines my supervisors gave me, but the materials I need never come on time, and at last minute I will always have to stay staggering number of hours overtime. When I miss the deadline, of which is no fault of mine, my supervisors, the project managers themselves, did not bother because the deadlines they set are for driving people, by which they themseleves fail to meet, nor see the urgency, so why should I bother?

The result of all this is a regular reading of 150/90 blood pressure for the past six months, and I've been advised to start taking anti high blood pressure medication to bring it down. I am constantly faced with dizziness to which even Stemitil has now lost its effect on me and I am breathless easily.

There is no point in rushing to meet the targets set by men, for their expectations have no end. If our health is at risks because of them, life is not worth living the way it is. Enjoy life while you can, find rest and relaxation, laughter and joy, for by God we have been created, and for His purpose we have been made. Take time and do the things we have always wanted to do, but don't get to find time to do. Live life abundantly (John 10:9-10).

Running and Rushing

I have been running and rushing my entire life. I rush to catch the bus, I rush to catch the train, I rush to get to work, and I rush to get home. Few are the moments I have paused to catch my breath or to take an extended break (except maybe once a year), a sure sign of an impending breakdown, and possibly, a prelude to a heart attack.

Not many years ago, God decided that I should take a rest, and rest I did, first in hospital for a surgery, then at home for recovery. During that one month, I learnt to be still before God and to be at peace. I knew with all the rush, I have gained nothing much, except in jeopardizing my own health.

When I finally recovered, I was back once again to my rushing game, rushing to clear my studies, and rushing to clear my work. Till this day, although I have completed my studies, I have yet to learn how to completely rest, without feeling unrest or guilty of wasting away my free time. Maybe I am too conscious about time, or maybe subconsciously I have hardened myself in understanding the need to spend my time meaningfully. For long ago, I have understood and held fast one fact, to be accountable for my time and days on earth, as the Bible said ...

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12 NIV)

Yet, I know and understand ...

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV)

For God ...

... has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil -- this is the.gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. (Ecclesiastes 3:11-15 NIV)

Time

Time waits for no Man
But Man waits all the time
People says to wait and watch
But time flies as we do
And before a blink of an eye
We'll soon realize
We have wasted precious time
In fulfilling moments we have in life
I am an impatient man, always conscious of time. I can't stand delays and I am always running all the time. Little are the moments I learn to relax, because I find time is too short for those who wait.

In the day and in the night, I stretch whatever available time I have, conscientiously working to accomplish things, to bring meanings in life. I am a failure in letting time go by, without accomplishing something in life, so conciously spend time each day to do the things I like. If I live my daily life, just to go to work and come home to sleep and rest, I feel unease and unfulfilled, so I extend my hours to early morn. This, in actuality, is not a healthy lifestyle.

Do not be like me in living an unrelaxed lifestyle! Learn however what the psalmist says ...

So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12 NAS)

Juxtapose Personality: Decline of my Active Blog

My new school term has just begun and I will be facing the battle field for the next four months, so forgive my diminishing activity at this blog.

I am having withdrawal syndrome now, and like Spider-Man, I live triple lives, struggling with work, studies, and saving lives. Like him, I sleep late in the nights, frequently in the early morn, and like him, I have little time for anything else, living my life at the edge at times. Often, I'll to give up, but life is such, that with great powers* come great responsibilities!

*Acts 1:8 - but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses ...
So, to all my friends at moblog, please bear with me for a little while ... I will be back! Meanwhile, to those who want to know more about me, read About Me.

How can I live without You
How can I survive without Your love
You're the reason I am here
With all I have I give it all to You

Father Help Me

Father help me
My life is in topsy-turvy
Turned upside down by juggles
Of faith work and study

I long for the days
I will struggle no more
To hand to You my life
My time and my energy
To do the things
You have planned for me

Gone are my days of joy
As I continually toil
To fulfill the demands of the world
And the needs of the flesh
To live a life in hope
Of riches and needed rest

Fulfill my destiny O God
Let me know what you have planned for me
Help me fulfill my desire to please Thee
For without You I can see no life in me
Let me O God be filled with Your Spirit
Direct me in Your purpose
Lead me and show me
And make me understand
How I can go through this life
To find fulfillment in serving Thee

Fond Memories of the National Library

A chapter of Singapore history ended when the National Library at Stamford closes recently.

The National Library building at Stamford Road which celebrated its groundbreaking in 1957 and officially opened for service in 1960 has now moved on to the next chapter in acquiring a new spot at Victoria Street that boasts state-of-the-art facilities and information hub to serve a wide area of services to its publics.

In commemorating the end of a chapter, the National Library Board (NLB) has invited the Singapore public with fond memories of the place to submit their reminiscences in the form of short write-up, photography, drawing or cartoon. The outcome of these submissions is a coffee table book entitled, Moments in Time: Memories of the National Library, which will be launched on December 9, 2004 at the library in Esplanade. It is therefore my privilege to be invited for the book launch and for the opportunity to contribute one of the many articles in the book.

The National Library building at Stamford holds a very important place in my heart because it was there that I first found my love in writing, as a result of organised group meetings introduced by the library under the flagship of the Young Writers’ Circle. These meetings are held regularly on a monthly basis for the purpose of promoting local literature writing in prose, poem, freelance, and short stories. It is therefore with heart-felt sadness that I bid farewell to the many fond memories of this building as it vanish into yet another chapter in the Singapore history.

Time and Money

When you have the money, you seldom have the time, and when you have the time, you are likely to be short of money. That is the irony of life.
When a person has lots of time at hand, he or she is probably a student, a home maker, a freelancer, a contract worker temporary unengaged for duties, an unemployed, or very rich. For an average adult who are neither rich nor a beggar, he or she is probably without work, awaiting assignment, or in transit.
The best time for a person to relax or engage in doing things he or she really likes, is when he or she is without active work. Unfortunately, things that a person likes are usually hobbies, travelling, or other leisure pleasures, and all these activities cost money. Because the person is not actively engaged in income making work, all these pleasures of life are seldom realisable. Hence, the person labours and works hard to obtain the money so as to fulfill wants, but when the cash rolls in, there is simply no time to take leave to engage in leisure pleasures or hobbies. Even if leave is possible, it is often engaged with a non restful mind, stressed by work that are impending, hence, such leisure becomes non-pleasurable.
The reality of life on earth is such. People work hard to get money so that they can have enough for survival and to spend time on leisure, but time is what they don't have. Forgoing the job to find time to de-stress and engage in pleasure on the other hand may be unwise, because without active work, the mind finds no rest and is pressured to find new avenues for survival.
This is the irony between time and money.