thoughts from the little dot
I’m pretty sure folks know by now that leaders Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un will be meeting on 12 June in Singapore. As I write this, it is in the early hours of 11 June. Both leaders have apparently arrived in the city state but have yet to meet.
But here they are on an artist’s easel!
I chanced upon this talented gentleman in a mall, and he was kind enough to allow me to photograph him and his work. Thank you!
I have a nightmare. It doesn’t occur at night, though; it’s more like an all-day fear of what might be.
You see, I have this condition called an ‘essential tremor’ in my right hand. I’ve been to doctors and I’ve been MRI’ed, tested, poked and measured. The good news is that conditions like Parkinson’s have been ruled out; the bad news is there is a definite shaking when the hand is in use (which is the main difference between the tremor and Parkinson’s, where tremors occur even at rest).
If I hold a lighter to light a candle, I miss the wick. If I try to play a scale on the piano, the cat walking across the keyboard sounds better. I’ve stopped taking photos. I drop things and now avoid glassware or sharp objects. This avoidance is not medical advice, it’s just my fear of injury because I’ve jerked, sloshing liquid out of a cup. Then dropped the cup.
My nightmare is that this tremor degenerates to a point where I can’t sew, knit, butter bread, stir milk into tea, hold a writing instrument, point the mouse …
Some of you might have read that I’ve been trying bullet journaling. I have no artistic genes whatsoever, but I enjoy colour and looking at beautiful images, whether out the window, on Pinterest or here, where there are so many gorgeous photos. So I decided that I was going to try capturing some of this beauty on paper – my way.
I’m not going to beat myself up (I’d probably miss anyway) if my doodles are horrendous or if my handwriting is sloppy or if I jerk and create an unintended slash. They will all be regarded as artistic attempts and converted into something colourful and cheerful.
I will practise, and draw lines and circles, and every straight line will be a victory. I will set little goals to work towards, so that I can check ‘done’ every so often. I would like to see how far I can go and how far I’ve come.
I’m told there is no cure and that the tremors could get worse, but I’ll know I didn’t sit passively for the nightmare to take over. Oh, but I will say this: the tremors seem to have reduced. Perhaps it is writing and colouring. Perhaps it is switching to wooden knitting needles. Perhaps it is returning to beginner level chromatic scales. Perhaps it’s plain old using muscles in the hand. Who knows.
We’ll see what happens at the doctor’s appointment next month.
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In response to Ragtag Daily Prompt ~ Nightmare
Today has been an awesome day.
You see, I didn’t have to be at work and I discovered – with the hugest amount of glee – that the household chores had been either taken care of or could wait. Which meant I had pretty much the day clear to do as I pleased.
So I declared it Be Kind To Self Day. Or at least till it is time to prep for dinner.
First, I brewed a cup of coffee – not instant. And added milk and vanilla syrup, although why there’s even vanilla syrup in the house is a mystery since I never bought it. Whoever owns it will have to make do with a tablespoon less. Or two.
Then I logged on to Pinterest and viewed bullet journal spreads like there’ll be tomorrow. Tomorrow will come, I know, but I might not have this luxury of time and computer hogger-ship. And looking at beautiful images on a large screen beats the teeny phone one anyday.
Why bullet journals? Because starting such a journal is something I’ve been wanting to do for some time. I have a diary that keeps my appointments and to-dos in order but leaves little room for ideas, thoughts, reflections and random, hideous doodles. This week, I bought a Leuchtturm1917 and a bunch of fineliner pens and brush pens. Then found I had neither the guts nor ideas to start, despite having read blogs on bullet journaling.
photo: rayedigitaldesigns
Pinterest is an awesome place for ideas and links to other equally awesome websites. But I have to admit, it can be thoroughly demoralising to realise the chasm that separates all that awesomeness from the reality of starting out. Anyway, I have four pages mapped out so that is a great achievement for me, for now.
And while on Pinterest, I had Lang Lang’s performance of Beethoven’s ‘Emporer’ Concerto playing on YouTube. This was followed by David Garrett’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Converto in D, then Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. As I type this, the Piano Guys are doing their unique interpretations on everything from Christina Perri to One Direction to Mozart. Music bliss. Sensory bliss.
David Garrett: meromax
So now it is 4:30pm and time to let the real world back in. Folks will be coming home and dinner needs to be taken care of.
But it has been a therapeutic, soul-refreshing kind of day. I’m content.
I was reading an online interview about J K Rowling and overcoming adversity, and this quote popped up.
I would love to know who said this.
DAILY PROMPT ~ BROKEN
I went to the pharmacy yesterday to pick up my prescription, tablets which cost $8 a box. As I was allowed to buy a maximum of 5 boxes, I did just that. I queued, paid with my credit card, took the boxes and left. And, no, silly me did not check the charge slip, which explains the mayhem that ensued.
You see, my credit card requires a signature for purchases above $10. The fact that I hadn’t been asked to sign anything for a $40 purchase only hit me as I was halfway down the escalator to leave the building. Upon checking the receipt, I found that I had been charged – you guessed it – $8 for all five boxes.
Dilemma! Go out the door (the car was right there!) and no one would be any wiser. Or go back up and pay the full price. I will be honest to say it was so tempting to head right out – I would have saved $32 and, I mean, who would have known?
I went back up.
There were two others ahead of me and so I queued – again. When it was my turn, the cashier was supremely confused at my explanation. “Did you not want 5 packs, then?”
“I want all five.”
“You’ve got five, haven’t ya?”
“Yes. But I paid for only one.”
“So?”
Believe me, it was really tempting then to just leave. “So I was charged for one box but I have five boxes.”
At which point the manager sauntered over. I retold my story. By this time there were three people behind me in the queue, all listening with great interest.
He glared. “So you tryin’ to pay for the other four you took?”
Hmm … that didn’t sound exactly right. Took?
“I didn’t take the other four. I came back to pay for the four boxes your cashier didn’t charge me for.”
“Oh.”
Yes. Oh.
“Lady,” said the gentleman behind me. “Just take your stuff and run. I’ll swear I never saw you.”
“You shouldn’t have come back!” chipped in the lady behind him. “I’d have just kept going. They don’t even get it!”
I checked with the third person, just so she didn’t feel left out. She cackled. “I say go. Not too late. I’ll hold them up if you like.”
Eventually, the manager got it. The cashier got it. The cashier also got it from the manager but that’s another story.
I paid the full amount and left. I will always cherish the support these total strangers offered. But I think I’ll go to some other pharmacy next time. And check my receipts before walking off.
Who knew it would take this much effort to right something?
What would you have done?
My family decided to spend the weekend at a hotel recently. One member had completed college exams, another had passed a test, and the rest just wanted to relax and have some fun.
On Saturday evening, the adults left for dinner within the hotel while the younger members went off in search of their chosen meal (no hotel buffets, thank you very much, we want Mac’s and fried chicken – go figure). When we returned, there was a gorgeous chocolate birthday cake and a birthday card on the coffee table, with compliments from the hotel.
None of us had said anything about celebrating a birthday, and certainly none of us had requested or ordered a cake. Yet there it was, with enough for all of us.
Apparently, the guest relations officers had seen the birth date on the registration card and decided to make the day extra special.
While the cynical might pass the gesture off as standard hotel PR or hotel gimmick, I would prefer to see it as a lovely, kind gesture. The young birthday girl was certainly thrilled to bits.
So, thank you, Pan Pacific Hotel. It might have been just another day in the PR office for you, but it was a special day for us all.
She broke a vase
The shriek was loud
She broke his heart
The silence was deafening.
He forgot his homework
He wrote 50 lines
He forgot his vows
He rewrote familial lines.
He stole a bicycle
His mother’s smack stung
He stole her innocence
His community’s curses clung.
She left home for work
She worried about home
She left work for home
She worried about work.
He drank to forget
He drowned in regret.
She stifled her dreams
Guilt drowned her instead.
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DAILY PROMPT ~ GUILTY
My colleague, Sandy Mohan, was sent to collect some documents and resource packs from an associate from another division.
Sandy called the office ten minutes after the designated time to say Christine Li had yet to arrive. Had there been a message to the office? What should she do?
We checked with Christine’s office, only to be told she had called to say she couldn’t find Sandy at the location. Was there a mistake in the venue? Or time or day? Or something?
Two perfectly professional women making the same error? Not likely.
The mystery was solved when Sandy returned to the office and told her story in fits of giggles.
Turns out that Sandy – who is Korean and married to an Indian – was looking out for a Chinese woman. Christine – who is Indian and married to a Chinese – was looking out for an Indian woman. Both women were using their married surnames, and they had been standing almost side by side the entire time, never realising who the other was.
Even in a multicultural and multiracial environment where I work, this incident continues to cause hilarity. Sandy and Christine have become close friends. And I’m thankful we can all laugh along and celebrate our diversity.
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DAILY PROMPT ~ ASSUMPTION
1kindness2day 
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