Letting Go...

Today I did something I should have done a long time ago - I threw out all my notes and textbooks from my varsity days.  And let me tell you, it felt SO GOOD!  It is beyond me why I even waited that long to do this!  It started with the CFA notes which have to go to a friend.  Then from right to left I cleared out each of the shelves.  Finance III notes - out.  Financial Risk Management - out.  Finance Honours articles - out.  Investment Honours notes - out.  It got a little harder when I reached the textbook section.  Then I remembered Celia's facebook status update I saw yesterday: "it's (o)k to let go".  Yes it is.  I don't know why it was so difficult for me to let go of these books that I will never ever touch again anyways.  

One hour later, 10 trips up and down 3 stories, the recycling bin was full!  What a good feeling.   Letting go is not only okay, letting go is GREAT.  Whilst I was doing this cleansing exercise, it suddenly occurred to me, that the amount of stuff I have in my house (and believe me I have a LOT of stuff) kinda symbolises the baggage I carry on my shoulders.  Unwillingness to let go of things in the past will only weigh you down, and filling your house or your soul with unnecessary useless objects.  In order to let in positive energy, new love, new clothes, new furniture, you have to get rid of the old.

I feel lighter already!!!

*note to self: no more new things are allowed to come into my life right now though, NO MORE SHOPPING!

Posted via email from Karen In Wonderland

Short Term Bucket List

Okay so I made this fairly huge decision recently regarding my life for the year ahead.  At first, some thought maybe it was just an impulse thing, and that when I calm down, I will think it's silly.  Well the initial anger and sadness which caused the decision in the first place has settled, yet instead of forgetting about my decision, I'm beginning to make very solid plans about it.  So here goes:

I'm moving back to Hong Kong!

Okay not right now.  But the plan is to save a targeted amount of money for a list of things I plan to do next year before officially settling down in Hong Kong, and I tend to lose track of things easily, or distracted at shopping centers... so let me make a list of things I simply MUST do or I will regret for the rest of my life.

1. Save enough money for one year living expense in Hong Kong
2. Save for plane ticket to Beijing to bum off my husband
3. Save for plane ticket to Taipei to bum off my 38
4. Save for plane ticket to Canberra and Melbourne to bum off the big wife and visit Nadine
5. Save for a potential yoga instructor training course in India + much needed spiritual journey
6. Save for a beach holiday reunion with my quads - potential destination: Bali
7. Get my teeth sorted - apecectomy next month, top braces off in Oct/Nov hopefully
8. Learn Scuba diving (hence save up for that too)
9. Visit Zim and steal some diamonds from Ori before I leave
10. Clean out my wardrobe, rid of all unworn clothing!!!
11. Find out when my cellphone contract ends and cancel it, switch to pay as you go, easy for escaping
12. Finish reading all books in my house before even thinking about buying new books
13. UPLOAD PHOTOS TO FACEBOOK (sorry guys, it's coming I promise...)
14. No more buying wool until all unfinished projects are done
15. Finish all unfinished knitting projects!
16. Take more photos
17. Play one game of golf on the course and not totally suck at it
18. Finish using all my cosmetics before buying new stuff
19. Change hairstyle - had the same one for almost 2 years and 3 perms later, it's about time
20. Learn Belly dancing
21. Learn a new language - potential choices: Japanese, Korean, French, Italian or Spanish

Okay I think I should leave it at this for now...  List to be edited to a long term Bucket List at some point.

Posted via email from Karen In Wonderland

Face your fears

I have always wanted to make a pilgrimage to India and do a yoga instructor course.  I can't even remember how many times I have said that over the past few years.  Those of you who hang out with me regularly enough is bound to have heard me saying that on more than one occasion!  Well I've decided to do it!  

When?  Next year between May and July for 4 weeks

Where? Himalayas!

Why? Why not?

I have not applied yet because I'm still working out a schedule, drawing out time tables and stuff.  However, the more I read about this course on the website, the more frightened I'm becoming.  What am I afraid of?  Well let's see.

• 5 hours of yoga everyday plus chanting and meditation
• Vegetarian food for 4 weeks.  Goodbye KFC, goodbye lamb chops, goodbye medium rare fillet~
• Sharing a room with a stranger??  Yes I'm a princess
• No cellphones allowed.  No iPhone.  No Blackberry.
• NO INTERNET
• Outgoing international calls are dependent on conditions of the phone lines
• I THINK there's only cold water there
• You do your own laundry, BY HAND
• The travel to the ashram consists of one plane ride, one 6 hours+ train ride, one 7 hours+ bus ride, and then we're still 8km away....

So I don't think I've ever done THAT much exercise in my life ever.  Me vegetarian?  Hand washing clothes?  Life without BBM and facebook and email?  All that I think I can deal with, but the scariest part for me is the travelling to the ashram.  For as long as I have lived, I do not think I have ever make a journey that far in a foreign land where I don't speak the language.  I'm even scared to take the bus when I'm in Hong Kong because I don't know where it's going...  Whilst I am getting slightly intimidated and cold feet about applying for this trip, I'm not going to let myself chicken out of this!  I must face my fears, instead of letting it get in the way of my long time dream.   

Go go go Karen!  You can do it! 

XOXO

Posted via email from Karen In Wonderland

19句話

1、如果發簡訊給一個人，他一直不回，不要再發了。沒有這麼卑微的等待。 

2、如果沒有人陪，學著一個人聽音樂看書寫點心情日記。這是個好習慣。 

3、如果一個人很難過，找個角落或者在被子�哭一下，不需要別人同情可憐，哭過之後 
一樣開心生活。 

4、如果一個人開始怠慢你，請你離開他。不懂珍惜你的人不要為之不舍，更不必繼續付 
出你的友情或愛情，到頭來受傷的是自己他人不會為之難過。 

5、如果可以不抽煙，別抽。如果可以不喝酒，別喝。這是不愛惜自己身體的表現，如果 
只因一些人，那麼我們別傻了，愛你的人不會讓你難過的。 

6、傷心的時候找個信任的朋友訴說一下，不要一個人默默承受，這只會會更添寂寞感與 
憂傷。 

7、不開心的時候白天看看藍天晚上看看夜色，廣闊的天空自有屬於我們 愛，寧可高傲的 
發黴不要低調的戀愛。跟自己說我是最好的。保持一份自信。 

8、寧缺毋濫。不要因為寂寞隨手抓一個戀人，這對兩人都不公平，而且太缺乏責任感。 
找個知己不要是戀人。 

9、記住你喜歡的人的生日，包括你的家人，當然，還有自己。生日沒有人送禮物也無所 
謂，你可以買精美的禮物，送給媽媽和爸爸。 

10、閑下來的時候,放一段柔情音樂，翻閱幾頁好書，然後睡個懶覺，快哉。心情不好的 
時候,也可以睡一覺。 

11、從現在開始，聰明一點，不要問別人想不想你？愛不愛你？若是要想你或者愛你自然 
會對你說，但是從你的嘴�說出來，別人會很驕傲和不在乎你。 

12、不要太在意一些人太在乎一些事，順其自然以最佳心態面對，因為這世界就是這麼不 
公平往往在最在乎的事物面前我們最沒有價值。 

13、不要為了任何人任何事折磨自己。比如不吃飯、哭泣、自閉、抑鬱，這些都是傻瓜才 
做的事。當然，偶爾傻一下有必要，人生不必時時聰明。 

14、任何情況下，背後不說他人是非。如果一定要你說，說好話。多個朋友是好事，即使 
不是很要好的，總比因為自己說話不慎重不思考而多一個敵人好得多。 

15、允許偶爾看肥皂劇，但不可成為依賴。允許偶爾披頭散髮，但要注重場合。允許偶爾 
罵髒話，但只限在老友面前或者獨自一人時，記得說過後要忘掉那些讓你難過的事。 

16、一定要有幾個異性朋友，沒有非分之想.就是關鍵時候,幫你出出主意的好友。 

17、學會承受痛苦自己調整心態。有些話，適合爛在心�，有些痛苦，適合無聲無息的忘 
記。當經歷過，你成長了，自己知道就好。很多改變，不需要你自己說，別人會看得到。 

18、能不和人爭吵儘量避免。一個發怒的人是很恐怖的，會因控制不了情緒變成瘋子。忍 
耐然後思索問題的根源最後平靜心態解決它 。 

19、不管和誰有了矛盾和彆扭，解決的時間不要超過24小時。否則麻煩會更多。在可以接 
受的範圍內，先道歉。讓自己做做壞人不是件真的壞事 

Posted via email from Karen In Wonderland

The Really-Difficult-Happy-List

Well those of you who have spoken to me recently about the events in my life in the past week would know that, well, I'm not in a good place right now.  Emotionally, physically, mentally, everything.  NOT IN A GOOD PLACE.  For those of you who don't know, here's a brief summary:

• So firstly, on Friday this idiot rear ended into my car causing me to hit the car in front of me.  No major injuries except for a swollen lip (which is no longer swollen), bruised knees, and a sore back and neck from the whiplash (which I am getting sort out in a few hours at the chiropractor).
• Following such, there was some emotional abuse from my father, which is nothing new, because it's my father and that's what he does following any traumatic events in my life.  He likes to make my life even more unbearable.  I love my life.
• As a result of all the stress of the accident and my father, amongst other issues I'm having and not able to share opening because I'm an uptight person who does not like to acknowledge her vulnerable side because that's for the weak (yes, yes, I'm trying to do something about that), I have the FIRST and WORST flu in a year.  I have not been sick for a year, and once again, my body does what it knows best, transferring stress onto my body (or it could be the damn cold front hitting us right now, eh, whichever).

So amongst all this, one can imagine, the difficulty in compiling my happy list, when all I want to do is crawl into bed and stay there feeling sorry for myself.  But NO I shall not do that!  So here goes :P

• Suzi and Colin to the rescue at my accident scene.  And the thought of Suzi running down 5 flights of stairs to look for me (instead of driving her car), makes me feel super special knowing that I mean a lot to her.  I love you my friend.
• I'm SO happy I'm still alive.  If my car was as stable as a cardboard box, or if the idiot who hit into me was driving a tank, I'll be writing this list down below and looking up at you guys right now.
• I WAS AT THE WORLD CUP FINAL!  'Nuf said.
• Finished re-watching all 10 seasons of Friends.  Oh it's so funny it makes me so happy.
• The super sexy pictures my friend Andy took for me!  You are such a good photography and I'm SO hot!
• All this stress in my life is helping me open my eyes properly and has help me made a fairly HUGE decision about my life.  Hope I will go through with it.  Announcement to follow when plans are solid.
• A bunch of super supportive friends.  And I'm so blessed it's not just a handful, it's more like a truckload.  I love you all.

 

 

Posted via email from Karen In Wonderland