Odysseys of George

i want to fly,
i want to see the skies,
reach above the clouds,
stay close to the stars.

i want to dive,
into the depths of the sea,
reach the unknown and then in that instance, cherish the moment in silence,
where breathing and heart beat dance in symphony.

then even when i fall from the skies,
or drown in the depths,
there is no regrets and no remorse,
there is no sadness but gladness,
for i have achieved what the heart desires.

but …..somehow,
i feel a drag,
the heaviness bearing my legs down,
feeling the volume within me like shackles tied to my heels,
burdened, slaved, to the rules of mankind.

George

I received this from a good friend and thought it was brilliant. Another article from George Carlin.

George Carlin on aging!

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m four and a half!’ You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m gonna be 16!’ You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80’s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; ‘I Was JUST 92.’

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. ‘I’m 100 and a half!’

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay ‘them.’

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity .

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away ..

Enjoy!

Recently, my diving friends called for a dive in Tioman. Surprised, I asked, ” Isn’t it monsoon still?”. “Yes, so?” was their reply. I thought about it like for less than a second and answered spontaneously, “Yes!”

During the monsoon season, there is only a single ferry trip across from Mersing to Tioman. It was a weekend dive, but due to the ferry services, we only managed two dives. Worth it? Yes!

Lizard fish

Nudibranch

another Nudi

And the Gobis

Any issues? Yes - I think the Blue Water Ferry service being the monopoly to these service is wrong as they left about 8 divers and some locals behind at the jetty 5 to 10 minutes before actual departure time. These are the same company who will make you wait an hour or two to fill up the ferry before leaving during peak time and also when there was competition to the service. Then again, this is Malaysia where healthy fair competition is never ever a trademark in service.

Just thought of sharing this beautiful but sad video clip.