I know - I am shameless....this blog is meant to educate, entertain and ...well, I could not think of something else that starts with the letter 'e'.
But anyways - I am looking for a car - so if you know anyone who is selling a 2003+ Toyota Rav4, preferably in white (but I'll take Silver), hard cover for the spare tire and reasonable clicks, let me know!
A trade-in with my Silver 2001 Beetle would be cool but not necessary.
604.617.0937.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Chiropractor & Rambo – What is the difference?
Speaking of my recent back problems…my chiropractor, Dr. Ranjit Sandhu, has unknowingly become my best friend in the last week or so. It is still beyond me how someone can magically put you out of pain with a simple crack of a bone….After my 4th adjustment with him, I looked at him incredulously and said “You’re a witch – aren’t you?” To which he laughed. And getting him to laugh is quite a feat since we didn’t get off to a good start in the first place.
I was nervous and a non-believer in the chiropractic sciences to start off with. And I was unfamiliar that adjustments = cracking bones in your body to achieve optimal alignment. Sounds scary when you think of it! So just as he positioned me for my very first adjustment I stopped him saying…”Are you sure you know what you are doing? I watched Two & A Half Men and it seems like chiropractors are not REAL doctors”.
Bad move. You don’t diss the saviour who will put you out of your painful misery!
But I guess he took it in good spirit. Funnily enough – he has also been a great source to dispute all the questions that have plagued me. Yesterday as he was cracking my neck and spine – I asked him:
“You know, I’ve seen in movies how people can kill someone by cracking their neck. Kinda like Rambo. Can you kill someone too?”.
He could not stop laughing. Apparently (and I proudly share this knowledge with all of you who have had the same question…) it is not possible to kill someone by snapping their neck. It is just a gimmick in movies – meant to thrill and evoke a sense of awe.
At least now I am not afraid of pissing him off and having him kamikaze my neck bones…*lol*
I was nervous and a non-believer in the chiropractic sciences to start off with. And I was unfamiliar that adjustments = cracking bones in your body to achieve optimal alignment. Sounds scary when you think of it! So just as he positioned me for my very first adjustment I stopped him saying…”Are you sure you know what you are doing? I watched Two & A Half Men and it seems like chiropractors are not REAL doctors”.
Bad move. You don’t diss the saviour who will put you out of your painful misery!
But I guess he took it in good spirit. Funnily enough – he has also been a great source to dispute all the questions that have plagued me. Yesterday as he was cracking my neck and spine – I asked him:
“You know, I’ve seen in movies how people can kill someone by cracking their neck. Kinda like Rambo. Can you kill someone too?”.
He could not stop laughing. Apparently (and I proudly share this knowledge with all of you who have had the same question…) it is not possible to kill someone by snapping their neck. It is just a gimmick in movies – meant to thrill and evoke a sense of awe.
At least now I am not afraid of pissing him off and having him kamikaze my neck bones…*lol*
I’m on my way to Old Age…
Yesterday I was standing in line to pay for my groceries and was right behind an elderly lady (70+ years old) in a wheelchair. Quickly glancing at the contents of her grocery cart, I was shocked to notice that we bought exactly the same sort of stuff….dates, soup, lactose-free milk, tomato sauce, bananas, cereal, yoghurt, chocolate…
People ALWAYS make fun of my ridiculous eating habits – commenting that I eat (and my food choices) are similar to that of a 2-year old or an 80-year old: soft, squishy and sweet. I take little to no roughage (celery, asparagus, etc…) and prefer all my food mashed up so that I can drink rather than eat it.
Textures, flavours, spices….I’m not an extrovert at all when it comes to dining! In fact, I am even much worse than that hermit or spiritual recluse who has banished all exotic or “different” food from their palate.
I have always admired people who are curious with their cuisine….rather than reverting to the same ‘ol thing as I do. I don’t have an excuse. I am lame – and I will admit it.
But I’m not sure why it came as a shock to me that granny and I had exactly the same shopping basket. Put me on a little motorized wheelchair and strap on a fanny pack – I’m there! And with my recent back problems…I’ve even got the posture to put me in the 60+ age group. I look at retirement villas, special parking spots, motor wheelchairs and playing bingo as goals to strive for. :P
Sigh – I guess I need to be content with being a under-30-something and act my age. Perhaps start with some celery and asparagus...
NOT!
People ALWAYS make fun of my ridiculous eating habits – commenting that I eat (and my food choices) are similar to that of a 2-year old or an 80-year old: soft, squishy and sweet. I take little to no roughage (celery, asparagus, etc…) and prefer all my food mashed up so that I can drink rather than eat it.
Textures, flavours, spices….I’m not an extrovert at all when it comes to dining! In fact, I am even much worse than that hermit or spiritual recluse who has banished all exotic or “different” food from their palate.
I have always admired people who are curious with their cuisine….rather than reverting to the same ‘ol thing as I do. I don’t have an excuse. I am lame – and I will admit it.
But I’m not sure why it came as a shock to me that granny and I had exactly the same shopping basket. Put me on a little motorized wheelchair and strap on a fanny pack – I’m there! And with my recent back problems…I’ve even got the posture to put me in the 60+ age group. I look at retirement villas, special parking spots, motor wheelchairs and playing bingo as goals to strive for. :P
Sigh – I guess I need to be content with being a under-30-something and act my age. Perhaps start with some celery and asparagus...
NOT!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
New Brown Guy...
So I saw him again today - same time, same place. Right outside Purdy's when I get into work at 8.30am - ok, I lie - more like 8.45am. But I digress! He is this cute brown guy, great smile, completely solid, looks personable and did I mention - completely yummy?
Funnily enough, I see him around the same time every year - close to Christmas. He seems to be waiting for someone. I am too afraid to approach, worried what might he think of me. I too am brown and understand the nuances of our traditional culture. The girl never makes the first move. If my family lived here - I'd love to bring him home to meet them. They would be delighted - especially my sister. Hands off girl - I spotted him first!
But alas, there is something that bothers me....He's $179.98 - How can you put a price on something like that? But Purdy's Chocolate obviously has on "Kris Kringle". His 3-foot elfish body is made out of sinful milk chocolate. And he has a smile that melts my heart - he's just not any chocolate that comes in a box....how can you measure that in mere dollars and cents? Shame on you Purdy's! This here is a brown guy all brown girls dream of - he never talks back even if you take a chunk out of his arm! :P Ahh....Kris Kringle, I will dream of you tonight. In my sweet, chocolately dreams...
Funnily enough, I see him around the same time every year - close to Christmas. He seems to be waiting for someone. I am too afraid to approach, worried what might he think of me. I too am brown and understand the nuances of our traditional culture. The girl never makes the first move. If my family lived here - I'd love to bring him home to meet them. They would be delighted - especially my sister. Hands off girl - I spotted him first!
But alas, there is something that bothers me....He's $179.98 - How can you put a price on something like that? But Purdy's Chocolate obviously has on "Kris Kringle". His 3-foot elfish body is made out of sinful milk chocolate. And he has a smile that melts my heart - he's just not any chocolate that comes in a box....how can you measure that in mere dollars and cents? Shame on you Purdy's! This here is a brown guy all brown girls dream of - he never talks back even if you take a chunk out of his arm! :P Ahh....Kris Kringle, I will dream of you tonight. In my sweet, chocolately dreams...
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
What does Progress mean to me....
As women in this day and age; ambition, drive and progress are things we pretty much crave - whether it is in our work or personal lives. Accountants are especially guilty of this; if life were a balance sheet, we often need to see a positive change year over year, an increase, a profit, an addition to your own personal net worth. We very badly feel we need something to show for. Another candle on the birthday cake, another year has passed – am I in the same spot as I was a year before?
And I guess this is where the crisis comes in – call it mid-life, quarter-life crisis or more like a “any point in life-crisis”. An evaluation of year-over-year snap-shot of one’s personal net worth at any point in time can even bring a seemingly confident “Devil Wears Prada” biaach-type career woman to her knees.
But a very wise woman, whom I had the pleasure of listening to at the recent Power of Women conference in Vancouver, said something with regards to progress that I will never forget. Alison Levine, one of the most outstanding women in the world in my books, overcame her own personal tragedies and physical challenges to climb almost all of the tallest mountain peaks in the world. As a professional climber, she mentioned that people often have the misconception that climbing is a linear process. Climbers don’t move from Base Camp to Camp 1, to Camp 2, to Camp 3, to Camp 4 and then the Summit in that order.
Everyone knows that the air becomes thinner the higher you go. This is why jet aircraft are pressurised, and why Alpine mountaineers become breathless as they climb. So in layman’s terms, it is imperative to gain height slowly (acclimatization) and be prepared to lose height quickly at the first sign of real sickness which can be as mild as nausea, hacking cough, stomach problems, etc to more severe problems like the build up of fluid in the brain.
What this means is that climbers, in order to acclimatization, need to start at Base Camp, proceed very slowly to Camp 1, spend the night there, and come back down to Base Camp. Spend a couple of nights at Base Camp, move to Camp 1, spend a couple of nights there, move to Camp 2, and then back to Camp 1 and Base Camp. This can be disheartening since more time is spend coming down or moving in the direction OPPOSITE to the Summit. But it is necessary and it is progress. Every time the climbers make it to a camp and altitude higher than they have been before, even when they are descending to Base Camp, they have made huge progress in terms of acclimatization.
So – what did Alison teach me that day – progress is not correlated with the direction one is moving at all. Sometimes we need to take a couple of steps back to move forward. Sounds counterintuitive, I know, but it was like a light-bulb went off in my head. I think I even got emotional for a bit. There have been quite a few years when I was hard on myself for I thought I was not making much progress professionally and personally. I thought I was as stagnant as the waters the Singapore Health Inspectors warn can breed mosquitoes! I felt I had to work harder, longer, late into the night to succeed. I needed a significant accomplishment every single year. Damn – I thought I had drive, goals, dreams and ambitions and not enough time! I don’t think there was a single instance I actually gave myself a pat on the back for a job well-done, whether it was an MBA, buying my first place or scoring an office in downtown Vancouver with a name plate that glorified the Nanwani name.
But thanks to Alison, and to all the teachers and mentors before her, I have learnt that life is really about smelling the roses. Another wise person once told me that on your deathbed, the last thing you ever regret is not working longer hours or finishing up more projects. One often regrets the vacations left untaken, the experiences and risks missed, and the people we didn’t take the time to appreciate or say “I love you” too. So why not do all those things right now so that we live life without any regrets. We leave the world saying “Whoo hoo! What a journey!” And that will be the beautiful view because we would have finally reached the Summit of our lives.
And I guess this is where the crisis comes in – call it mid-life, quarter-life crisis or more like a “any point in life-crisis”. An evaluation of year-over-year snap-shot of one’s personal net worth at any point in time can even bring a seemingly confident “Devil Wears Prada” biaach-type career woman to her knees.
But a very wise woman, whom I had the pleasure of listening to at the recent Power of Women conference in Vancouver, said something with regards to progress that I will never forget. Alison Levine, one of the most outstanding women in the world in my books, overcame her own personal tragedies and physical challenges to climb almost all of the tallest mountain peaks in the world. As a professional climber, she mentioned that people often have the misconception that climbing is a linear process. Climbers don’t move from Base Camp to Camp 1, to Camp 2, to Camp 3, to Camp 4 and then the Summit in that order.
Everyone knows that the air becomes thinner the higher you go. This is why jet aircraft are pressurised, and why Alpine mountaineers become breathless as they climb. So in layman’s terms, it is imperative to gain height slowly (acclimatization) and be prepared to lose height quickly at the first sign of real sickness which can be as mild as nausea, hacking cough, stomach problems, etc to more severe problems like the build up of fluid in the brain.
What this means is that climbers, in order to acclimatization, need to start at Base Camp, proceed very slowly to Camp 1, spend the night there, and come back down to Base Camp. Spend a couple of nights at Base Camp, move to Camp 1, spend a couple of nights there, move to Camp 2, and then back to Camp 1 and Base Camp. This can be disheartening since more time is spend coming down or moving in the direction OPPOSITE to the Summit. But it is necessary and it is progress. Every time the climbers make it to a camp and altitude higher than they have been before, even when they are descending to Base Camp, they have made huge progress in terms of acclimatization.
So – what did Alison teach me that day – progress is not correlated with the direction one is moving at all. Sometimes we need to take a couple of steps back to move forward. Sounds counterintuitive, I know, but it was like a light-bulb went off in my head. I think I even got emotional for a bit. There have been quite a few years when I was hard on myself for I thought I was not making much progress professionally and personally. I thought I was as stagnant as the waters the Singapore Health Inspectors warn can breed mosquitoes! I felt I had to work harder, longer, late into the night to succeed. I needed a significant accomplishment every single year. Damn – I thought I had drive, goals, dreams and ambitions and not enough time! I don’t think there was a single instance I actually gave myself a pat on the back for a job well-done, whether it was an MBA, buying my first place or scoring an office in downtown Vancouver with a name plate that glorified the Nanwani name.
But thanks to Alison, and to all the teachers and mentors before her, I have learnt that life is really about smelling the roses. Another wise person once told me that on your deathbed, the last thing you ever regret is not working longer hours or finishing up more projects. One often regrets the vacations left untaken, the experiences and risks missed, and the people we didn’t take the time to appreciate or say “I love you” too. So why not do all those things right now so that we live life without any regrets. We leave the world saying “Whoo hoo! What a journey!” And that will be the beautiful view because we would have finally reached the Summit of our lives.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Lie-Clock
My posts are usually as original as they can get - but this joke tickled me so much that I simply have got to share:
A man died and went to heaven.
As he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him.
He asked, 'What are all those clocks?'
St. Peter answered, 'Those are Lie-Clocks.
Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock.
Every time you lie the hands on your clock will move.'
'Oh,' said the man, 'whose clock is that?'
'That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie.' 'Incredible,' said the man. 'And whose clock is that one?'
St. Peter responded, 'That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abe told only two lies in his entire life.'
'Where's President Bush's clock?' asked the man.
'Bush's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan'.
*ha ha* My lie-clock would probably be used to generate electricity - like a windmill. Well, at least some good will come out of this all!
A man died and went to heaven.
As he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him.
He asked, 'What are all those clocks?'
St. Peter answered, 'Those are Lie-Clocks.
Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock.
Every time you lie the hands on your clock will move.'
'Oh,' said the man, 'whose clock is that?'
'That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie.' 'Incredible,' said the man. 'And whose clock is that one?'
St. Peter responded, 'That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abe told only two lies in his entire life.'
'Where's President Bush's clock?' asked the man.
'Bush's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan'.
*ha ha* My lie-clock would probably be used to generate electricity - like a windmill. Well, at least some good will come out of this all!
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