Fraser Hill, Malaysia
Recently, I went for a family trip at Fraser’s Hill, Pahang, Malaysia and managed to squeeze in time for my personal retreat. I truly felt that it was a much needed break from my daily routine.
The thing that I enjoyed most at Fraser’s Hill was the cool morning walks at a temperature of 20 degrees Celcius. This was a great relief from the 37C in Kuala Lumpur / Petaling Jaya at noon.
As we were descending for Kuala Lumpur after a refreshing retreat, we came across an abandoned bungalow at midway.
I was told that the mansion was once a very famous bungalow and cafe which accommodated travellers, particularly those who needed a short rest. During those days, there was only one road to Fraser’s Hill. Travellers ascending and descending the hill needed to take turns based on a specific road schedule.
As such, the holiday makers used to enjoy delicious English breakfast and tea at the cafe while waiting for their turns to ascend Fraser’s Hill. Some may choose to stay overnight at the bungalow because the narrow road leading to Fraser’s Hill were closed at night.
However, in the recent years, new roads were developed and allowed for continuous access to the hill. Therefore, the bungalow which has once seen glorious days, was later abandoned.
From this illustration, I realized that I need to keep learning and changing with the times.
The world and our surroundings are changing each day. Medical sciences are flooded with new research findings. Our local social and cultural fabric are continually invaded by influences from other cultures. According to Erik Erikson, the famous developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, the journey of a lifetime is about growth and adapting to changes from birth till death. And I need to follow through these changes that happens in my internal and external world.
Human rights movement and individualism are permeating our shores. So how do we integrate individualism with the Asian traditional family and cultural values? Hence, if I do not learn, unlearn and grow alongside these rapid developments, I may end up like the abandoned bungalow, lonely and obsolete.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
Multitasking : Is it good or bad?
First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Daniel Chandranayagam ( columnist for the star paper , Malaysia ) for bringing up the important topic of multitasking.
From my personal experiences, multitasking was certainly more stressful and strenuous to my brain. I often felt a kind of “fuzziness” in my brain after a period of multitasking. I believed that the following article will enlightened us that indeed “Less is more”
Based on a several research findings, including one from Stanford University, Daniel Chandranayagam has reaffirmed the fact that multitasking may sometimes cause more harm than good.
Here is a news article on the research.
The Stanford research showed:
In the multitaskers are
ability to ignore irrelevant information much worse
ability to organize information worse
memory equal
ability to switch tasks rapidly worse
ability to focus on a task worse
Click here for a summary of the Stanford research
Click here for the article by Daniel
Less is more.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Stress and Mental Health
Stress and Mental Health
Living in a busy city like Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya and other big cities in the world will certainly challenge our mental well being. Traffic jams is almost the norms of daily commuting and not the exception. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the morning rush hour is a dreaded moment for every working person.
Therefore, it is important for us to learn how to manage stress and improve our resources to better cope with it. Long standing stress will lead to exhaustion, burn out, insomnia, depression, excessive anxiety, alcohol or illicit drug abuse and health problems.
Here is a recent talk on Stress Management .
Click here for the talk
Family Work Life Balance
Learning to hit the balance between work and family is always a challenge to many of us, including myself. I have heard many stories about parents who work very very hard to earn money and to provide for the family but less time to spend at home. As a result, some of their children or teenagers were noted to be suffering from emotional difficulties or psychiatric illness.
The key to work-family-life balance is having clear priorities. And we need to constantly remind ourselves about things that truly matters. The late Steve Jobs shared that he practiced living each day as if it is the last day of his life.
As for me, I try to be aware of not being overwork and have too little time for my family. I want to capture those special moments with my family, friends and my local community. I need to spend personal time too to take stock of each week and rejuvenate or recharge my internal “battery”, which is crucial for my own mental health.
Do you know that children spell love differently that most adults do?
Children spell love as T.I.M.E.
Healthy parents don’t find time, they make time.
Money
Money can buy house but cannot buy home,
Money can buy watch but cannot buy time,
Money can buy a bed but cannot buy a good night sleep,
Money can buy books but cannot but understanding,
Money can buy medical treatment but cannot buy health,
Money can buy gifts but cannot buy relationships,
Money can buy a wedding ring but cannot buy love.
Anonymous
