The Rewards of Reinventing the Familiar

1. 

   There was once a buzz word called reinventing. It became such a cliché  that I would hear it every time I attended a conference. Yes, we have reinventing the wheel, reinventing the steel, reinventing the business model and reinventing yourself.

   
   

   Everyone was jumping on the bandwagon and the over usage of the idea bored me to smithereens. One of my bosses even said he had to reinvent himself so he would be ‘useful’ to the new leadership. I am not sure whether that was clever or hypocritical.

   
   

   Before I knew it I found myself actually living out the process of reinventing myself, not to chalk up a longer resume or to impress anyone, but rather getting to know what I can do besides teaching.

   
   

   Reinventing involves change.

   
   

   For some people it is a drastic swing from what they were familiar with, to something completely new. Reinvention gurus say that the first step is to have a game plan. A timid person may want to go all out to be an orator and therefore the first step is for him to enrol for a public speaking course.

   

   
   

   For me, reinventing myself is building on what I already know or have, so that I can find great satisfaction in those fields. It is not based on a schedule within a time frame with goals to be achieved. Rather it is a free and easy type of reinventing, with me engaging in new things and taking stock of life experiences.

   
   

   Having left the active workforce four years ago I knew that I would be spending the bulk of my time at home and not in the office. So, the game plan is to be able to enjoy the new found time to the utmost – productively, but not in the sense of reaping in loads of money.

   
   

   

   
   

   Recently I attended my friends’ tenth wedding anniversary at Bulgaden castle in Kilmallock. It was a beautiful affair, with the couple looking radiant and surrounded by their four lovely children. I was looking at her lovely wedding dress and remembered that I had helped her do some minor alterations. Word has got round that I could sew and I was very pleased to help her.

   
   

   

   
   

   Then I heard another lady telling her friend about my chocolate cake and rhubarb crumble – desserts to die for. Another person came by and said she had heard about my garden and was quite happy when I invited her to come by to check it out. One more person asked whether I could give her children painting classes?

   
   

   I am not an expert in anything but it is nice to know that when we put effort into what we enjoy doing, there will be results. I am forever learning from the internet, from attending courses, from reading printed materials and from others. It is amazing that there is so much knowledge out there to be tapped.

   
   

   I have heard of friends who have retired and suddenly found themselves at a loss. Over time they lost the excitement of dressing up or learning more or simply making new friends. Some spend hours checking the face book, watching soap operas or playing computer games.

   
   

   Interestingly enough when I venture into new territories, I find that I also develop character. Volunteering is big in this part of the world. It is energizing and rewarding. because I engage with a diverse range of people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

   
   

   Just the other day I agreed to baby-sit three lovely children thus allowing their mother to take some time out for herself. This was a new territory in itself as I have not had young children around me for a while. Surprisingly, the hours just flew by and there was so much  laughter as the little patter of feet resounded through the whole household. Some things are just too precious - watching the little girls play house with the occupants of my dollhouse and the boy playing ball with my dog.  It was such a pleasure to be surrounded by excited voices and incessant questions that only children could create. The fact that the children enjoyed their stay made it all the more beautiful.

   
   

   And these are the small things that build up a new life.
2. Source: 
3. http://www.nst.com.my/node/17927
4. 
   

The Power of Prediction

As the 20th FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil winds up, with all its pulsating, adrenalin driven excitement, Fuleco, the official mascot will take a bow.

Today, 20:00 • Final

Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

vs

Germany

Argentina

I have fond memories of absentee students and staff calling in sick during yesteryear World Cup seasons. But most of all FIFA world cup reminds me of Paul.

Paul who?

                                                       

Paul the Octopus.

Paul the Octopus (hatched in 2008, died October 2010) lived  in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany. Apparently he had the ability to predict the results of football matches, usually international matches in which Germany was playing. He achieved international fame with his accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup.

Following Paul’s footsteps are five (and still counting) psychic animals – Nelly the elephant, Flopsy the kangaroo, Shaheen the camel, Madame Shiva the guinea pig, and Big Head the sea turtle.  In addition to the famous five, there are English prophesying penguins and psychic Brazilian parrots as well.

But I still think Paul is the greatest with his uncanny accuracy and I must say that of late, I bear some semblance to Paul - I seem to be able to predict exactly what will happen to me or to others in given situations.

Whether this is because of myself being more observant over the years or because the waves of predictability take on certain familiar curves, I do not know.

Take my visit to the dentist for example.

When I felt something coarse between my molars and suspected that perhaps a bit of the filling had gone amiss, the most rational thing to do would be to make an appointment with the dentist, have it checked and fill it up again.

That was what I thought initially until the gift of predicting swept over me.

Somehow I saw in my mind the dentist shaking his head and saying ‘ You must take an X-ray…I have bad news for you….You will need to do a root canal which will cost you at least at least a couple of hundred euro or have it extracted for 80 euro.’

So, when my appointment came up, I sat on the dentist’s chair and waited as he examined my teeth. As if acting on cue, the dentist said, ‘You must take an X-ray…I have bad news for you….You will need to do a root canal which will cost you at least a couple of hundred euro or have it extracted for 80 euro.’

Wow, was that strange or what, I muttered to myself.

Then on a different occasion, I saw two teenage girls walking to a car park. Again, a picture started to form in my mind. ‘What are you thinking of now?’ Michael asked.

He had become way too familiar with my zone- out facial expression.

I said from the way the two teenage girls were behaving and the way they were dressed (in a style my mother would not have approved), I predicted that they were going to the car park to meet some teenage boys sitting in a decrepit car.

As we were going to the car park ourselves, I saw that I was right. The car was even of the colour that I imagined it to be.

I would love to think that I am bestowed with Paul’s gift. But reality tells me that we have far more knowledge and sensitivity than what younger people would give us credit for. Experience helps us to understand circumstances and foresee possible conclusions. The human race faces similar challenges, albeit disguised in different clothing and that is why we are able to predict somewhat accurately most times. 

I was given a week to consider what I should do with the tainted molar. This time round I did not have to predict anything, I knew exactly what I had to do if I did not want to burn a hole in my pocket.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/node/12532