A Metamorphosis

On the way from work, I managed to get a lift from a kind-hearted colleague who lives 3-minute drive away from my house. Another colleague of ours didn't want to come with us because she said it was too early. Then I mentioned that I enjoy more being by myself than with a crowd--virtually all the time. That's because my hobbies consist of mostly one-man activity e.g. needlecraft, cooking and baking, reading, playing piano, writing, and things like that. But in the car I was babbling all the time. However, I wouldn't do that in a company of more than two.

But I am more sociable now. Up until about two years ago, I was the complete opposite of what I am now. I only talked to my innermost circle of friends which usually was not more than the fingers of one hand. I was a teacher and I was extremely introvert. Can you believe that? Now that I work in a book warehouse, I find myself talking and helloing to just anybody, be it the cleaner or the manager. I don't have reservations anymore. I feel like a butterfly who has metamorphosed. I feel free!

Did I lock the door or not?

Have you ever had the same episode when you go out of the house, get on the bus and suddenly feel uneasy because you don't remember exactly if you locked the door behind you or not?  I had plenty of haunting days because of this. There were times when I couldn't concentrate at work because I was too worried that I might have left the door unlocked.

Then there a couple of times when I couldn't remember if I turned the hob off and all day I was stressing that I could burn the house and that of the neighbours' as well. It was nightmarish.

So I came up to a solution that when I leave the house I'd repeatedly say, "I have locked the door." while performing the action and same is true with the stove. And there was peace at last--of mind, that is.

Well, I am reading the book Ageless Memory, one page at a time, and got to the part where Harry Lorayne talks about the Reminder Principle. I had a strong feeling that the chapter was talking about me but then I realize, well, it's not only me. There are many other people out there who suffer from short-term memory malady as what I used to call it. The book calls it "Absent-mindedness" which was very accurate.

There are many things that occupy my mind and as result I lose focus of what I am doing. I always forget where I keep things. But Harry Lorayne says his mind training is going to change that and according to Time magazine, it's "A never-fail system for remembering everything."

So let's see how effective it's gonna be.

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Wanted: Dishwasher

The dust has settled in the back garden where we just had a barbecue with friends. The plates are emptied, the stomachs are filled, and I am very well pleased there are no leftovers--the best compliment a cook can ever get, more than words can say. I really think my cooking lessons are paying off, thanks to my friend, Mrs  PG who's not just a great vegetarian cook but also a nutrition expert.

Needless to say, I have been enjoying cooking and baking and have even set up my own website, Jem's Recipes. The kitchen has become my favourite place in the house since I moved to the UK, a stark contrast to what I used to be in Bangkok.

But everything nice has got an ugly side of it and for me it's after the party when the pans and dishes, the forks and the knives have just served their purpose and they needed to be scrubbed clean before they can be put away again.

Argh! Why is washing dishes not as enjoyable as cooking and baking?