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| Photo by Alexa Ong (Source page: Cross Your Fingers) |
This is a classic example of the "one day" syndrome, as in "one day I'll go to or do or see..." The irony is that many of these statements do not involve goals that are of significant proportions by any means, and yet the days pass and the years go and I am still dreaming of that "one day". I epitomise the phrase "creature of habit" in the way I tend to frequent the same areas, order the same food and travel by the same route to familiar places. I do enjoy browsing ideas via Pinterest and blogs, and keep a special place in my mind where child-like fantasies get to live, but I rarely allow my thinking to be broadened further or apply myself to designing and completing projects. While there may be nothing wrong with this, I am missing out on so much more that is on offer.
Now that I am going to be a mum, my desire is to inspire Phoebe to cultivate a sense of awe and wonder. I want to en-courage her (i.e. enable her to have the courage) to be an explorer, to see the world through eyes of inquisition and creativity. I hope she will never resign to the mundane and not take notice of what is happening around her and in this world. I don't want to hamper her unique way of discovering, perceiving and analysing. Learning should not be stifled and confined to stuffy classrooms with limited teaching systems. I really like the idea of hackschooling, which can be used to complement traditional education since we will most likely not opt for homeschooling unless God directs us otherwise later down the track.
My aim is to provide Phoebe with the opportunities and tools to take in, appreciate, process, innovate and create. We each have it in us to bring something new into existence. God is the ultimate creator and we have been made in His likeness. Creating is meant to be fun, I believe, and I can do my part to let Phoebe play around with different art forms and mediums, musical instruments, experiments, and methods of expression. It would mean taking the time to research age appropriate ideas and tailor activities for her.
In hindsight I wish I was brought up through a more hands-on approach by my parents, but they did what they knew to be best and I am grateful for all they have provided over the years. At least I have happy memories of my Pa and I building a lego house, making a bumboat for my school assignment, forming structures with a science related toy set and playing carom. Admittedly though, there is a slight envy towards the family Alexa Ong featured in her review of the Rubbish Famzine exhibition titled Google Translating Tokyoto (pictured above). The display showcases works by each member of the family of four who call their artistic collective Holycrap.sg (crap being an acronym of their names - mum Claire, son Renn, daughter Aira and dad Pann).
I think I need to rediscover my hometown as a step towards developing a lifestyle of exploration and a fearlessness towards enjoying what life has to give. Something tells me part of my unintended inertia is based on a resistance towards change and an irrational guilt of having pleasure. Yet there is a longing for more than what I have experienced in my soon-to-be thirty four years. My pursuits need not be costly, and if we are going to be spending on a meal out anyway or simply have spare time on a weekend, why not visit a place we have not been to before?
This reminds me of the movie Eat, Pray, Love. When Julia Robert's character finally takes the plunge to travel for a year to heal and awaken her inner self, she is introduced to a man whose last name is Spaghetti and this pasta adoring Italian gives her a nugget of wisdom as he sits upon a barber's chair. In my own words, he tells her, "You Americans do not know how to enjoy yourselves. You do not need to teach an Italian about taking a break to properly rest, or about freely receiving pleasure in life."
Spaghetti's words echo the sentiment in Film Director Sofia Coppola's statement,"...the way the French hold themselves is different. In America, we’re all in such a rush. Here, they have lifestyle priorities. For instance, the French crew insisted on a proper lunch break. They set the table, and they had wine, and no matter what was happening, you could not cut their lunch short. In America, it would be a quick sandwich and back to work. Here, everyone takes their time.” I read this and wonder how many Asians really know how to slow down to count our blessings, appreciate the little things and focus on what matters more, like relationships. More of us need to practice stopping and smelling the roses.
Julia's journey in the movie prompts me to reflect on the Bible passage where Jesus says He came to bring life abundant, unlike Satan who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. God has given us nature to marvel at in all its splendour, taste buds and culinary expertise (whether ours or another's) to take food beyond the level of a means to survive, intellect and skill to construct glorious buildings like the Colosseum or the eyes to appreciate such feats. Pleasure is often associated with vice and shame but His version is pure and truly satisfies.
Still, some of us pull back for fear we overstep the line. Yes we should exercise moderation in certain circumstances (such as not overindulging in food and becoming unhealthy), but we should not use the facade of moderation to disguise fear and guilt if those are in fact the very factors holding us back from experiencing life to the full as God intends. Approaching life with the perspective that we are allowed to feel pleasure through the good things can embark us on a similar journey as in the movie, where in searching for God and openly taking in what is around us, we end up discovering our real selves and are therefore made more whole and secure.
Some years ago, I put together a list of cafes to visit when back in Singapore. Although I have been home several times since then, I have not checked off a single venue. Fab and I have also not been on any of the eight dates we set aside in a jam jar as something new and fun to do at the start of 2012; neither have we accomplished the goals we recorded, possibly in the same year or earlier. It is time to make a fresh list and challenge myself to not leave things to "one day" so I can be a more fulfilled me and an example for Phoebe.
In hindsight I wish I was brought up through a more hands-on approach by my parents, but they did what they knew to be best and I am grateful for all they have provided over the years. At least I have happy memories of my Pa and I building a lego house, making a bumboat for my school assignment, forming structures with a science related toy set and playing carom. Admittedly though, there is a slight envy towards the family Alexa Ong featured in her review of the Rubbish Famzine exhibition titled Google Translating Tokyoto (pictured above). The display showcases works by each member of the family of four who call their artistic collective Holycrap.sg (crap being an acronym of their names - mum Claire, son Renn, daughter Aira and dad Pann).
I think I need to rediscover my hometown as a step towards developing a lifestyle of exploration and a fearlessness towards enjoying what life has to give. Something tells me part of my unintended inertia is based on a resistance towards change and an irrational guilt of having pleasure. Yet there is a longing for more than what I have experienced in my soon-to-be thirty four years. My pursuits need not be costly, and if we are going to be spending on a meal out anyway or simply have spare time on a weekend, why not visit a place we have not been to before?
This reminds me of the movie Eat, Pray, Love. When Julia Robert's character finally takes the plunge to travel for a year to heal and awaken her inner self, she is introduced to a man whose last name is Spaghetti and this pasta adoring Italian gives her a nugget of wisdom as he sits upon a barber's chair. In my own words, he tells her, "You Americans do not know how to enjoy yourselves. You do not need to teach an Italian about taking a break to properly rest, or about freely receiving pleasure in life."
Spaghetti's words echo the sentiment in Film Director Sofia Coppola's statement,"...the way the French hold themselves is different. In America, we’re all in such a rush. Here, they have lifestyle priorities. For instance, the French crew insisted on a proper lunch break. They set the table, and they had wine, and no matter what was happening, you could not cut their lunch short. In America, it would be a quick sandwich and back to work. Here, everyone takes their time.” I read this and wonder how many Asians really know how to slow down to count our blessings, appreciate the little things and focus on what matters more, like relationships. More of us need to practice stopping and smelling the roses.
Julia's journey in the movie prompts me to reflect on the Bible passage where Jesus says He came to bring life abundant, unlike Satan who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. God has given us nature to marvel at in all its splendour, taste buds and culinary expertise (whether ours or another's) to take food beyond the level of a means to survive, intellect and skill to construct glorious buildings like the Colosseum or the eyes to appreciate such feats. Pleasure is often associated with vice and shame but His version is pure and truly satisfies.
Still, some of us pull back for fear we overstep the line. Yes we should exercise moderation in certain circumstances (such as not overindulging in food and becoming unhealthy), but we should not use the facade of moderation to disguise fear and guilt if those are in fact the very factors holding us back from experiencing life to the full as God intends. Approaching life with the perspective that we are allowed to feel pleasure through the good things can embark us on a similar journey as in the movie, where in searching for God and openly taking in what is around us, we end up discovering our real selves and are therefore made more whole and secure.
Some years ago, I put together a list of cafes to visit when back in Singapore. Although I have been home several times since then, I have not checked off a single venue. Fab and I have also not been on any of the eight dates we set aside in a jam jar as something new and fun to do at the start of 2012; neither have we accomplished the goals we recorded, possibly in the same year or earlier. It is time to make a fresh list and challenge myself to not leave things to "one day" so I can be a more fulfilled me and an example for Phoebe.
[Listening to The Moon Song by Karen O]
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