Odysseys of George

Lately, we managed to meet up, Paga,Kunalan and I. It has been ages, well actually just about 4 years ago since our last meet when we, the three of us had dinner at Victoria’s Station. Again, another individual, Basheer, in this friendship of four was absent. Then again, being a cardiothoracic surgeon in the far northern Pearl of the Orient, it isn’t easy for him to come down.

The meet was planned and as usual, I had to choose the dinner venue. In Petaling Jaya, well after cracking the already knotted brains of mine, it was decided that we meet at Unique Seafood at Section 13, PJ.

Paga

Paga, hmmm……. is that your drink!?

Kunalan, enjoying the meal.

The four of us met when we joined University Malaya for our undergraduate studies. There we were somehow brought together by the orientation week or rather month that was ongoing at that time. We bonded almost immediately despite I having some teething problems to the friendship initially. We eventually made our way to India together for a 2 month holiday well actually medical attachment where our friendship was sealed forever. After graduation, we went our separate ways but always in contact and formed our own life dramas in the process.

A few days later, I was informed that a good friend and a colleague was going to be transferred to another hospital. We are good friends, and were able to work quite well together despite various disagreements. We were each others confidante and now it would be different coming to work.

Ooi See En

I was again depressed and felt alone all of a sudden. Some of us decided to get together and throw her a dinner at El Nafourah, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur. We ate and drank, laughed and gossiped, but I was still feeling upset somehow.

The hotel and its attraction

Ridwan, the dinner organisers

Anitha and Irina confusing the waiter over the orders.

That led to slapping – a common incident among doctors on recent times maybe even in those days

And more arguments

while we watched in anticipation of more female duel, till….

This guy, Poh who looks like he’s twisting his wife’s left ear, decided to calm the girls…

It was only after that, the orders were made and dinner was served….. and by the looks on our faces, .. it was good, wasn’t it?

When all was over, we parted ways keeping silent of our own feelings. So would I miss her? Of course, but our paths will cross and this is the best move for her, I think and hope.

I read a passage, and this part captured my attention which was relevant to present situation.

In June 1966, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a celebrated boxer, along with an acquaintance were convicted of murder in a highly publicized and racially charged trial. The boxer maintained his innocence and became his own jailhouse lawyer. After serving 19 years, Carter was released when the verdict was overturned. As a free man, he reflected: “Wouldn’t anyone under those circumstances have a right to be bitter? . . . I’ve learned that bitterness only consumes the vessel that contains it. And for me to permit bitterness to control or infect my life in any way whatsoever would be to allow those who imprisoned me to take even more than . . . they’ve already taken.”

When we hold on to disappointment, a poisonous root of bitterness begins to grow.

When angry feelings go unchecked,
They’ll mushroom into hate;
So don’t let time feed bitterness—
Forgiveness must not wait. —Sper

Bitterness is a root that ruins the garden of peace.

ref: RBC ministries

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!

Just thought of sharing this beautiful but sad video clip.

As I traveled home from a dive recently, I heard a friend of mine discussing about an incident that recently occurred. An experienced instructor was probably suffering from decompression sickness after doing a dive at just 18metres deep. The instructor was ill and his only hope is to get himself to a hyperbaric chamber located almost 300km up north from the incident site. The outcome depends totally on how severe the decompression sickness is and how fast they can get him into the chamber. The worst is obviously death!

As diving sport picks up pace and becomes a popular hobby, one has to realize that there are more such cases to come. Also, as diving becomes more popular, those in the industry are bound to cut corners and simplify courses in order to earn fast bucks. This then leads to more inadequately trained divers and many irresponsible trainers.

Such is the case of the above scenario. An instructor trying to cut his safety diving profile in order to earn more. This in itself reflects the attitude of the instructor and though he may be a nice individual but irresponsibility in a sport than can be fatal is totally wrong. He should be dismissed and not given the chance to train another individual.

Strangely, this was also a topic of discussion during the dive I went for. A senior diver and also an instructor noted that the syllabus for training for courses in diving has been modified so much to make it easier to attain the license. As we discussed, we realized the mark differences in the syllabus during his time, mine and a recent diver. Generally, to make diving more recreational, the diving associations have made it more relaxing. Less stress is seem to be given to the importance of safety and diving hazards and more focus given on how to dive. Maybe it is not just the associations but also the instructors who again cut corners and fear to touch the issues that may cause students to worry, and further make quick bug money. And because they, the instructors close their eyes to the importance of dive safety and hazards, those who train under them would follow and thus a string of irresponsible and inadequately trained rankings from open water to advance, rescue diver, divemasters and assistant instructors are made. Not only do they harm themselves but do not realize that they have misplaced or erased the responsibility given to them upon getting certified and place harm or possible harm on other divers they accompany.

So for those who aspire to dive, choose wisely – ask and evaluate. Assess the character of your trainer and see whether he or she holds the attitudes of a responsible trusted instructor. At the end of your training, you should be able to say that you are confident to dive safely! For those who are already diving, continue to practice safe diving. For those who train others, please have the sense of responsibility that your trainees trust you with their lives during and after training. So be responsible and dive safely!