A reflective mood.

Today was a somewhat interesting/weird day. When I got up, I was in a funk. Funk would probably be the best way to describe my mood. It wasn't a depressed mood or a happy mood - a "funk" mood is what I'm calling it. Anyhow, by the time I made my way to work and once the work day got started, I got out of my funk. Having Maria come into the office and working with her made things go much faster. She's such a wonderful person to work with and I'm glad she's working with me. Heck, she even baked me dates cookies! Talk about a nice, wonderful person.

After work, I got back to the apartment and worked out. There's something to be said about feeling much better after a workout. Psychologists came to the conclusion long ago that working out helps one feel better overall. I most certainly would not disagree. After a good sweat, it was time to get some dinner cooked. I had a lamb shank with soup since the weather is still quite nippy outside. It was a marvelous dinner to say the least.

Wednesdays tend to be a slow evening for me - there's not a whole lot going on the television (although my Lakers will be playing in slightly more than an hour and I'll be watching the game). So, I figured it was a good opportunity to reply some e mails. My dear and one of the oldest (literally) friends, Adele sent me an e mail that I've been meaning to reply which I did. Adele too has a blog (http://adeleaili.blogspot.com/) and after replying her e mail, I read it. Her most recent entry struck me as a deeply personal reflection and it got me thinking about things.

Her comments regarding the art of "shift" was most interesting to say the very least. She talked about times spent with family and how she misses it. It's true that those times do occur once in a blue moon for me, but like she said, a lot of it has to do with one's thought process. I've been living here in the US almost ten years now and I do believe I've kind of compartmentalized my feelings. For example, as much as I miss my family (which I do), I still love it here and have no real desire to move back to Malaysia. This is where I've chosen to spend my life and hopefully my future. I have the blessings of my parents which means a lot because I know they support my decision. Yet at the same time, I do miss them especially during the holiday times. It sounds kind of funny because the three main holiday celebrations that mean the most to me would be Chinese New Year (which by the way is coming up!), Easter and Christmas. Those were the times when we really spent it together as family. The rest of the year, I can pretty much get along not really thinking of them. However, I do try to call them when I realize that I've not spoken to them in a while. The phone calls for me have more to do with just hearing what's been happening in their lives and them updating with news from back home. Once the phone call is done, I don't think about things for some time. It's interesting, downright interesting to say the very least. Going back to Adele's art of "shift", I find it a most poignant concept for people who have been through what Adele and I have been through. The rest of you are probably scratching your head wondering what in the world I'm talking about. Those of us who know, know. The rest of you can continue scratching your heads!

OK, enough reflective mood for the time being. My Lakers will be playing pretty soon!