grind⋅stone

—Idiom

For time of:

Just like coriander.
- Chopped finely, added when needed and hits the spot every time.

Some conversations are just like that.

Ingredients:
Vintage – Daydreamer – Writing – Blur – History - Ol’skool - Bad Milk :p – Food – Tastebuds – Wallflower – Lemongrass – Cooking – Ginger Tea – Baking – Portobello – Lasagne – Shy – Pocket Pens – Buku 555 – Labradoodle

Condiments:
Spiritual Friendship – Malacca – Royal Press – El Sanctuary – Peranakan – Cranium – Toothsome – Baba Nyonya – Romanopoly – Role Call – Dorm 12 – Bed Side Conversations – Runaway Camper – Pork Satay – Devotion – Community – Journalling – 3 Is Enough – Role Stewardship – Jump First, Fear Later

‘It’s like watching sunset in winter which warms the heart’

I can’t believe this is happening to me. Something must’ve happened. It might happen to you sometime. For me, I am trying to remember this part of my life by jotting it down as much as my memory serves me.

I’m exhausted but for a very good reason. I have been working hard. To be fair, it only began yesterday. To be true, I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t because of others. So thank you.

I am choosing to listen.

To people (especially those around me), to my body (I am very sore at the moment) and to myself.

After my recent trip to Penang, remembering my last dinner meal there, I felt somewhat ashamed and liberated at the same time for the amount of food I had consumed. When I got back to KL, I told myself, I need to get back into the grind. No matter how hard this is going to be, no matter how long it’s going to take me.

I have lost and gain. Lost the good stuff, gain some new stuff at the round areas. Nonetheless, it’s still a shape. Well, I’m going to make an attempt to change all that now.

So, I chose to listen.

I don’t know what got over me yesterday but I went to Pushmore in the morning and the workout menu for the day was:

Three rounds for time of:

• Training in the morning
• Protein after workouts
• Rest – sleeping before 12 and getting a solid of 8 hours
• And  yes, reducing my alcohol & food intake footprint. bah :p

Later throughout the day, while being on twitter, I saw a whole bunch of tweets (@edmtan , @karellh, @annarina, @JWCFT ) going on about doing a second workout for the day because it was a pretty short workout in the morning. By then, I was already hours on the computer, researching, writing and making some decent progress with work. The body was feeling a tad bit lethargic and I jumped on the bandwagon after Anna suggested we go in  for the kill. Oh yeah, we did, but I ended up killing myself actually.

We ended up doing “Dirty Thirty”

Box Jumping with Anna, Jules & Jason

I’m glad I did it though, because it was a clear sign that I was pushing myself. Most thankful for the support as well, checking on form, encouragment for pushing through and just coming alongside while going through that insane workout. I was practically seeing stars after that! Thanks, John-Son and Hans!

I woke up feeling as if a truck had knocked me over countless times, and I was thinking hard on whether I should have gone to Pushmore today. Like, amazingly hard! My body kept saying, it’s okay dude, you kinda winged it last night, float through the day.

I checked what was on the workout menu for the day:

Time: Completed 7 rounds.

It was monumental! Because:

• I made it to the gym
• I did the workout
• And, I was on the floor after that

I went into a state of oblivion and in that half trance mode, I was telling myself, “this is where dreams, and passion meet, this is where all things you wanted to do in your life, everything is achievable. This is telling yourself you can do it and let’s start fresh again tomorrow”

And, my mental notes for the day:

• The challenge is not whether  you can do multiple workouts, is whether you can come tomorrow.
• The easiest workout is yesterday
• And the hardest workout are the ones you choose to start giving up on

If I was ever to start a crossfit blog to track on my fitness progress, I would probably call it – collectingknucklefist.com. Why? That’s what you get after finishing a workout. People coming up to you giving you a knock on  your knuckles as a sign of well done, good job.

I got three as of yesterday. Four, I just gave myself one!

 The following keyboard shortcuts will insert special characters:

Copyright Symbol: Alt + Ctrl + C

Trademark Symbol: Alt + Ctrl + T

Registered Trademark Symbol: Alt + Ctrl + R

The one lesson I needed to learn today with Microsoft Word, thank you Google.

“Forget about the competition. Focus on your form instead,” she said.

How true.

It got me thinking.

Granted, I’m familiar with Crossfit fitness regime yet I see myself so far away in the fitness arena. I come to the gym all ready and pumped in the mind striving to give my all only to be faced with much faster, fitter, stronger athletes before me. At times, I am in awe with their physical performance and here I am trying to maintain a straight face during workout.

I am in a good place. I just need the above reminder to ensure that I focus on the goal – my form.

Recently, I read a blog entry that gave me further encouragement in this area and I know that I keep coming back for more despite the irregularities in my schedule. Back to square one, simply put but I am adamant about breaking through the threshold no matter how long it takes. Just as life would have it, your body ages and being 29 with heavy prone injury to match, I see a lot of tightness and stiffness that adds to the concoction of striving harder in the mind.

And, this was nicely put by Jon-Son:

“Do not underestimate your progress and forget your humble beginnings. Enjoy the pain and challenges where you are now because it will only be mole hills when you face the mountains in the future. Do continue to envy the fire breathers that seem to flood YouTube but do not be discourage, dare to dream, we will get there soon! Fitness after all is a lifelong journey, if it seems long , have a friend accompany you, enjoy the scenery, keep yourself occupied with something positive and you will be at your destinations in no time.”

In case, you’re still wondering what Crossfit is about, here’s an example video (yes, I try to spend my days breaking a sweat this way)

Huo Guo dinner. Conversations.

Three is enough.

To dreams & much more.

Oh yes, student discount & brain eater.

Last Friday, I attended Bangsar Lutheran Church (BLC) Alternative Worship Service which is held every first Friday of each month. Since most weekends, I have been away performing in other churches for Crazy Little Thing Called Love, this alternative worship was definitely a good alternative for me.

I enjoyed the worship service because it took timely moments to really pause and reflect throughout the night. It was not a rushed service, unlike our hurried lives in KL. A time to commune with God and take deep breaths to slow down our pace, and move into a time of reflection and worship.

Two words were mentioned during service in view of Merdeka (that was the theme for the night), “FREEDOM” and “FORMING”. Another verse that caught my attention was Proverbs 22:2 – The rich and the poor have one thing in common, the LORD is the maker of them all.

Those were the 3 points that I was reflecting most of Friday night and when I had gone to spend some time with my journal, I wrote it down:

1. Freedom
2. Forming
3. The rich and the poor have one thing in common, the LORD is the maker of them all (Proverbs 22:2)

To further exercise our thoughts, my pastor, Sivin, gave us some “working materials” like paper, color pencils, play doh and etc., to help us with our forming of expression when we listened to scripture being read. I took some play doh and took a long time before forming anything, but I pressed on it, felt the smooth texture being torn apart in grainy like blanket and then mashing it up to a ball once again, and repeating that process. I was merely chewing on His word through the work on my hands when scripture was shared.

I finally formed something, take a look.

I made the orange bowl (note: otherwise a cup, if I have the liberty). The cup represented the heart that could only be filled up with God’s love giving us freedom and because it was formed from the Maker himself, Proverbs 22:2 came to mind once again.

Over the weekend, we performed in our neighboring town Seremban (famous for Siew Pau) and I had a blessed time. I particularly enjoyed Sunday worship and some familiar songs spoke to my heart especially Casting Crowns – Who am I

It reminded me my position here on earth and in view of my new crossroads in life. I am taking stock each day knowing that He is faithful.

I was encouraged further this morning when I got this through FB email:

I saw the word Joy…
not sure what you are going through this season… but i felt as you press on, you are going to discover greater joy =)

press on =)

Carrie Underwood’s – Jesus, Take The Wheel, is another fitting scenario and may He lead.

I am thankful that He has been providing the right people in my current season and that He moves before me. I feel secured as I continue to mark the new beginnings and he knows the matters on my heart as I try to balance having the time for ministry and being salt & light in the market place.

An unhurried life, and resting in the Lord continually through prayers gives me strength to press on. Unconventional, I know but hey, it works for me!

It’s now or never.

A couple of weeks ago, lingering in the bout of unemployment by definition here meant I did not have a job (corporate). It was only natural that headhunters came to my aid and offered new prescriptions of career success. They showered with potential opportunities layering with kind words and hedged me forward that a young man like me should be out there gaining as much experience and learn because you’re at your peak.

Oh, how kind.

I made a bold move but in good spirits. I told all my headhunters to call me exactly one year from now, 31^st August 2010 and enquire with me once again whether I need a job (corporate). If I do, I probably didn’t make it in what I wanted to do or perhaps I had a good run while it lasted, and was ready to eat the humble pie (or any pie for that matter) and go back into employment.

We promised to have coffee together. God willing, I’ll buy.

I’m jobless, but was I lost? No.

In my own time I crafted out my destiny and to see such a picture (some call it fantasy), I needed the time to think, rest and plan each step. I don’t have a sealed deal but I have a structure and that’s always good enough for a starting point. Oh, what helped most were conversations. Good conversations.

Instead of tightening my belt, I decided to have building belts.

Building Belt #1: The Income Belt

My first task is to ensure my new path generates me an income. This belt serves to upkeep my lifestyle and pay for the necessary expenses. By a broad framework, I would call this a revenue generator.

Building Belt #2: The Cash Flow Belt

This belts serves to give me a positive cash flow, which allows me to take punts along the way, and it separates me from my income but needs to be developed steadily.

Building Belt #3: The Investment Belt

I move into the passive income structure here. Taking forms in cash, stocks, properties that ideally, we all hope, that all investments will generate us passive income freeing us from the labor.

Each belt has its unique characteristics and I don’t have complete answers to all of them but I know people who are specialized in those areas and I spend my time in conversations and take my spin on it. I still come back to this equation

Time X Money = Freedom (I wrote about it here)

One of my attempted “Greenfield” models needs to achieve this:

1. Creation
2. Generation
3. Automation

Create. Generate. Automate. The product needs to be created to generate $ and when that is achieved, it needs to be automated to generate more $ so that I can have:

Time (Yes) x Money (Yes) = Freedom (the time & money to do what I want. Which is really not much)

Bonus conditions: Leverage. Scalable.

At the back of my mind, I need to have the bonus condition installed into my new framework. And if I can the above right, the bonus will follow. Ke-ch!nkkk$

They don’t teach you this in university nor did I learn this at work. This chapter is being written daily and if I succeed, you’re part of my history. If not, I would never regret it anyway because I would have a good story to tell my children. Yes, children plays formative role to the above model.

I have stated the whats but not the hows. Obvious, because I’m still figuring out and testing out my manipulation but I’m excited this has begun.

Relationships, not transactions, are the key to sound business as quoted from Kim Kiyosaki and to be honest, it was through my relationships and deeper conversations that led me to this.

The time has come. It’s now or never.

Speaking of conversations, just over 3am the other night, with 14 bottles of beer between a father and son, the senior just mentioned this – always remember where you’re going, how you’re going and why you’re going. He was talking about the future.

And you know what, I think I do.

As always, our drink up finishing line – One for the road.