Home sweet home....

Sometimes, when you learn to appreciate different things in life, life becomes incredibly beautiful.

I've just returned from my trip to Indonesia, where everyone I've spoken to warned me about the horrendous traffic, the risky food and the dirty place. I'm happy to report that my experience with Jakarta was nothing but positive. To be fair, I was only there for 3 nights and today was a public holiday so traffic would have been much lighter, but it seemed no different than KL on a rainy friday arvo. Less angsty too.

First impressions... Very similar to Manila.. dusty, interesting CBD with lots of big buildings but majority of them had a 1970s feel to them with newer steel structures of hotels and malls interspersed within the city.

The people were really friendly. Everyone spoke to everyone, niceties like greetings and thank yous were bandied about... so unlike KL.

The food.. oh my god.... the food was amazing.. ( it warrants a post on its own with pictures) It was truly a food trip where every meal I sat around groaning and rubbing my overextended belly and swearing I couldn't fit in another morsel... until the next meal came around...

What I was amazed about was the hospitality shown to me by an old, dear friend. We had great times chatting over red wine, coffee, food or just in front of his tv catching up over the last 15 years.. his family have shown me what its like being a great host and I can't wait to reciprocate the favour when they come over to my country.

Thinking back, this year I've been travelling and have been the lucky recipient of many great hosts throughout the world. I feel really blessed to have friends like that all over the world, and can only aspire to be more like them when I have the chance to host them in return.

I've learnt that in the best trips....

1. It's not the plush hotel room, but the spare room in someone's house
2. It's not the best fine dining restaurant, but a meal where you are genuinely happy to share with the people around you.
3. It's the meeting up of old and new friends to connect and reconnect.
3. It's not whatever happens on the road, but the time you spend in each other's company in the car
4. It's not the expensive gift, but the homemade ones that really touches you
5. It's not the tens of pictures you take, but the ones that you keep in your heart that stays

* still blown away*

Jakarta here i come!

I'm flying off to Jakarta in a couple of hours time. It's the first time I've been to the city. In fact, everyone I've spoken to wonders why I'm voluntarily heading there.

Where's your spirit of adventure, people?

This time, it's going to be interesting as I have not done any research about the place. I will be catching up with a couple of very old friends I have not seen for a very long time and eat!

I love Indonesian food since I was introduced to it in Perth as a student. I want my chicken bakso mee.. my gado gado, grilled chicken, satays.. yummm.. I can't wait! This after a 9 day vegetarian detox will be like taking a trip on speed after a temple retreat.

Oh, boy is having fun with his cousins and grandparents in Ipoh while mommy is going to travel. I thought I'd enjoy the peace, but strangely enough I've been missing him. The apartment feels so empty.

Oh well, I'm going to enjoy these 3 days and will see boy again on Saturday!

Cheers peeps!! Let's see what Jakarta has in store!

Developing a rhino's hide

I have been into coaching professionally for about a year or so. It's not an easy career to set up in KL, where most people attach a stigma to needing help towards achieving their goals and to better themselves. What's wrong with me? I don't need no help...That seems to be the general feedback when we talk about coaching. However, that said, those open enough to give it a try are usually impressed with the results.

Recently, after attending a very inspiring conference on coaching I have decided to try my hand at using the coaching model to benefit parents. After all, if hard nosed corporates can benefit from it, why not parents?

I have been meeting up with people and trying the theory out, just to see if parents can see the benefits as clearly as the corporates can. I've been talking about this to many of my friends to see what they feel about it.

I have a friend who clearly told me that he doesn't think people will want to get advice from a divorcee and I have no authority to coach people on parenting. Besides going into the entire premise about what coaching is like, how we are process experts as compared to subject matter experts, how bloody insulting?!

I felt slapped.

Then I thought about it. Being single parents are kind of like wearing our scars on our faces. It's the first thing people see, and most people will attack us based on that. I examined my feelings of hurt and anger. I did not really mind if he thought my business plan will succeed or fail, I felt attacked based on my lifestyle choices. And really, what business is it of anyone's?

So my point today is take heart. Everyone has scars, some of us wear ours in front and some of us keep it buried deep. The key to it is to develop some smart alec answer to these insults and if you bother to, outline clearly to the person involved that what he or she said was not acceptable. It's interesting when you don't resort to yelling and shouting. I think the message comes across a lot clearer.

Also realise that what that person says reflects more on their thinking and perception than of you. So, be confident and know who you are. Never let people take that away from you. Be strong... like the rhino! Did you know that his tusk is only made up of hairs? So you can turn something fragile into something strong if you know what to do with it.

And today's post will end with an offer. If you are a parent looking to up your parenting game, let me know. I will be more than pleased to spend some time with you to prove the theory that coaching benefits parents too.

Drop me a line here or email me on fb... we will take it from there.

Cheers!

Satisfaction - a good pot of curry

I can't get no... satisfaction...

Wasn't that a popular song a long time ago?

Today I want to talk about Satisfaction. What does it take to satisfy you? Some people aim for an infinite amount of money, because enough is never enough.

Money allows you to consume more. We eat more, wear more, buy more cars, more houses, more of everything... simply because we can.

We are so obsessed with overconsumption these days fueled by advertisements, glossy magazines and just your run of the mill of wanting to keep up with the Joneses. Get off the treadmill people! It never works! Your consumption always increases with your income! It's never enough!

Today I am feeling buoyant, with the endorphins I have from a run in the morning. Well, more of a jog/walk than a run but I am still glad I did it! I'm now making chicken curry on a rainy afternoon for tonight's dinner.

Simple pleasures of life. My idea of a healthIER curry. Chuck in lots of vegetables. Potatoes, carrots, onions long beans and eggplants and finish off with some yoghurt. I tried it with coconut milk the last time and found it way too heavy.

Let's experiment and see how this goes. It turned out to my satisfaction, lucky me.

Come to think of it, a pot of curry is a lot like life, isn't it? It's delicious but you know overconsumption leads to high cholesterol and obesity. Too much of a good thing is baaaaad.

It's available everywhere in restaurants, roadside stalls but yet you can choose to make it at home. Immediate satisfaction vs slow cooking, healthier DIY style?

It's what you make of it. It's a great base for meals that you can have with bread, rice and noodles. As I am typing this I am having my curry with noodles and a poached egg. Curry is flexible, just like life. If it doesn't work on the first attempt, try and try again with different approaches until you get it just right for you. Don't give up!

So there you go peeps. Take life by the horns, accustom it to your needs like a curry by adding more vegies and changing the coconut milk to yoghurt but most importantly, do enjoy it.

That's really what life is all about. Curry on, baby!