Hurray! I’ve managed to get my shoebox packed full of toys and goodies for underpriviledged children into the drop off point today. I’m so glad I was able to do it. I even decided it would be a nice time to donate some money over to the charity hosting the event. It is for Christmas, after all. Now if only I could try get into this charitable contribution frame of mind for times other than just Christmas. Well, at least I’m getting there (I hope)! :)
Wow. This is a great start to my goal, and if this isn’t a sign I should strive onward, I don’t know what is! I actually made this work, and it was actually really yummy! :D I’ve noticed I’m not bad when it comes to making desert. I made chocolate lava puddings for Christmas and that was also a success… I better start writing down these recipes.
Read so far:
- The Merchant of Venice
- Romeo & Juliet
- King Lear
- The Tempest
- Macbeth
- Titus Andronicus
- Two Gentlemen of Verona
- Julius Caesar
- Henry IV Part 1
To read:
- Merry Wives of Windsor
- Troilus & Cressida
- Henry IV Part 2
- Henry V
- Twelfth Night
- Timon of Athens
- Measure for Measure
I’ve given 43things a breather for a while, but I’ve noticed that since I’ve stopped coming to this site my life goals are a little bit out of focus. I spend too much time on one thing and fail to keep up with another – I need balance, and I think that calls for my setting a schedule for organising my time of what to do and when to do it. I’d really like to see how much more efficient I’ll be if I do this. Schedules aren’t really my thing – I go with the flow a lot of the time, but I’ll give it a go and see what I get from it. Hopefully I can sort out all the crap that’s going on in my life right now!
I’ve set this as a reminder for months now, but I still haven’t completed this goal! I’m not going to quit, though! The annoying thing is that I realise how poor my posture is only sporadically. I need to have this on my mind until it becomes second nature. Even though this has been on my list for over a year now, I’m going to reach it even if it kills me.
And good luck to everyone participating! I’ve already started today, and can’t believe how much more inspired I feel this year compared to 2007. Sometimes it really is better to just go for it, without thinking too much about where you’re going. The most important thing is to remember to have fun! Happy writing, everyone! :)
Just finished reading it the other day. I’m still kind of speechless. And I thought Macbeth was bloody!
I’ve just donated a small sum to the 46664 AIDS charity concerts in honour of Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday. The concert was on earlier today in London. Sometimes just watching congregations of thousands of people in support of a unanimous goal – to remove sickness and poverty in some of the world’s disadvantaged countries – makes me believe in humanity again. Many happy returns, Mr. Mandela!
I get the feeling sometimes I don’t really feel true compassion until I realise just how much I was lacking in it, if that makes any sense… When I feel it the strongest, it’s almost always guilt driven. It shouldn’t really be like that, should it? It should be natural, not forced. I should feel the need to remove someone else’s sufferings as if it were my own, or at least feel the same measure of sympathy I used to feel for myself if I were having a bad day.
I noticed this most profoundly yesterday after I had met up again with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while. They asked how my family were doing, and I gave them an update on things in general at home. One of the topics I brought up was about my sister; and how she has after dropped out of her medicine course and moved over to Hong Kong to work a few months here and there back in April (and get her breath back from the course she more than likely despised). When I told them she somtimes complains of being miserable over there, I probably had a very sceptical attitude. I was saying how ridiculous it was she could ever complain about being away from home. She’s got our relatives to keep her company; surely it can’t be all that bad! And then hearing it from my friends say how she must feel lonely sometimes with no one to talk to (I suppose having no English speakers around you can make you feel alienated) and homesickness made me stop and think. I felt a little ashamed of myself, to have so little thought for my little sister who I won’t see again until late August.
I never stopped to think if maybe she needed me to call her more often on the phone. Even just a phonecall a day must be something she’d look forward to. I can’t believe how negligent I’ve been with this goal. I’ve been focusing on showing compassion to others, and somewhere along the way forgot to show it to the people who mean the most to me.
Have I a bad heart? I feel so selfish sometimes when I think how little I’ve really progressed with this goal.
This is the only goal I have set to remind myself every day. And I won’t consider my posture ‘correct’ until someone actually says to me how straight I’m standing. More than likely it will be my mum. She’s usually very criticial of the way I carry myself. If I can convince her my posture’s good, I can convince anyone!
It wasn’t that long at all, but now I’ll have to go back and finish Deuteronomy which I haven’t yet read totally.
Now that I know I can meditate continually for 40 days, I think I’ll be able to keep this up for as long as I can. It’s not really out of a love for meditation. Everyone likes to unwind after a long day, but I feel meditation has just become apart of my routine. Now I’d feel like I’d left something undone if I went more than a day without quietly sitting and letting my thoughts free, without idly daydreaming. That’s the great thing about meditation I think. It’s not a chance to snooze or an excuse to light incense and candles while you put your feet up, but you are relaxing your mind; albeit consciously. A bit like when you’re emptying your computer recycle bin.
I’m also amazed at how less complex thing seem after I’ve had time to calm myself and my train of thought just by sitting down and breathing. If any situation seems stressing at the time, meditation can help make me less emotionally unbalanced. Not necessarily clear things up for me, but I definitely feel much better for it. I feel like I’ve a clearer head to think with.
I’m certain I understand the meaning behind this sutra. If it could only be interpreted to a certain extent with the help of langauge, then I’m not sure I could convey what I know with only words. I cannot fathom too deeply on it, or sometimes I lose meaning. But I have the essence of it, however basic.
I made a small donation yesterday whilst shopping in my local Asian market for the Sichuan earthquake disaster in China. So many people have lost their homes and loved ones. I hope my contribution will help them rebuild their lives.
I don’t think I will be able to do this on a regular basis. I went into my local blood clinic yesterday, feeling really eager about donating. I filled out the form as usual, and then had a routine check-up before I was allowed to give blood. It seems I’ve lost a good bit of weight since my first donation of November last. I’m not quite 8 stone (50 kilos). It was probably all that worrying during my exam period.
I felt a bit disappointed about that. My only solace is that I haven’t put on weight like I thought I had with my lack of exercise over the last fortnight. I’m a petite kinda girl, so therein lies the paradox: keep the weight down or remain unsuitable to give blood? It may seem logical to give this one up. It was really something I would have liked to do, though.
OK, so yesterday I managed to gather all the unwanted clothes, books, shoes, jewellery and other knick-knacks from our house and into a bag for charity, namely in aid for the Irish Cancer Society. Even if these donations are only a small contribution to the funding of the society, I was glad to be doing something, however small. I really hope other people will do the same for their unwanted possessions. It’s the little things that can go a long way.
I’ve decided. Baby-steps at a time, as usual. At the start of each week, I will circle one day on my calendar or put post-it notes everywhere that says I must care about myself but not about how others perceive me. I will act on that day as if my very opinion on that day has the collective weight of everybody else’s and focus hard not to concentrate or be influenced on others. It may require my taking time out just to reflect a bit. Sometimes I get the feeling this could be a goal that could be easily confused into ‘stop caring’. Period. I’ll try not to make that mistake.
I’ve just bought a limited edition of the complete works of Shakespeare, plays, sonnets and his other poetry at a bargain price. It even has illustrations! It’ll take me quite a while to get through the entire collection (there’s about 1600 pages in total, I think), but now at least I have all his works to read.
The first play that’s listed is the Tempest. I’m not sure if these are shown in chronological order, but it has been one of Shakespeare’s comedies I’ve been meaning to read. Won’t be the same as watching in stagae, I know, but I’ll keep an eye out for any theatric productions in the near future.
I’ve finally figured out how our organic bin works! I’ve been getting everyone living in my house to start throwing their organic waste into the brown bin – leftover food, bones, vegetable waste, paper, literally anything that will decompose. Not only will all this refuge be disposed of more efficiently and in a eco-friendlier way, but it will also save a significant amount on bin charges. But that’s nothing compared to the former reason, of course. :p
Also I’ve been collecting our old bottles. They’ve accumulated in the back garden and are an eyesore. It’s time someone started organizing them to bring them down to the glass bank. I’ll do that tomorrow, more than likely. I’m really only starting to get into this properly, but if we’re going to save the Earth we can save it one step at a time.
OK, I’ve started watching more programmes in Chinese. It’s the only way. I’ve got to surround myself in the langauge. I’ve got to think it. I literally found myself unable to talk to my mum today. I’d start speaking to her, and then break in English, which I really hate doing. I really can’t have it slipping away!
