I was electrocuted

I've been on a high lately. And its a positive high. Since I've started my diploma course in Clinical Hypnosis, I seem to want to know more about it, ....and thats not all, things that happen around me or stuff that people say will all , either directly or indirectly, have a tie related to hypnosis.

A friend was complaining about headaches the other day and how it goes away when she gets distracted. She mentioned how it comes to her when she is alone or when stressed ... BINGO! It hit the perfect spot for a conversation on hypnosis. Then just last night I went out with a relative who was a heavy smoker .... the wife wanted him to quit smoking so badly, and again, I brought up hypnosis. hmm....... is it coincidence or what???

But like a friend said 'every thing happens for a reason, there is no such thing as coincidence'.

To make me even higher, a course mate brought an EEG machine to our office. For those of you who are blur, it is an Electroencephalography machine. As the name says it, it studies your brain functions through electric currents. haha .......... being a wee- bit adventurous, I volunteered to be the subject. I was fixed up and attached with all sorts of wires, have wires clipped to my ears, have patches stuck on my head and was prepared for the worst to happen ......... the ELECTRIC CHAIR ...

Only that this wasn't the death sentence, it was the comfy recliners in our office. So I was put into trance and the machine could see how deep my level of trance was. It could gauge my brain waves and could see my level of activities. hmm, for those who know, I hardly reached the tetha level or a sign of trance), instead, my mental activity was high and I was thinking too much ..... even though I was physically relaxed and emotionally calm. The verdict .............. I was kinesthetic and the Healing White Light didn't work for me ......... too much processing.
A really good experience. I really can understand now how different techniques will work differently on different people. Then over the weekend, we had a hypnosis class as well ... explored a great deal of it with Peter Mabbutt, director of studies for the LCCH and also author of Hypnotherapy for Dummies! Such a great lecturer and it was great to have hime teach us about depression and selective amnesia ... ooh ....... its a wonderful journey into the world of hypnotherapy.

Journey down south

Back from a great adventure. I battled dragons and sat on flying saucers .......... NOT! But this was a different adventure. And adventure of learning and of experience. A chance for me to grow and to explore my future ... as to what it holds for me? I'm not sure too.... thats why my life is always an adventure.

Had my first diploma in Clinical Hypnosis weekend in Singapore. Was down for studies and work as well. And it was a good experience for me. I am really thankful for this opportunity. It really allows me to see both inside and out of me. Both things near home and far from home. hmm, I guess SG is not really far from home. But what I mean is the difference in exposure. You'll feel a different kind of confidence. You'll have the kind of good pressure to perform, the kind of positive stress that pushes you to go the extra mile. I've always wanted to go abroad for studies. But circumstances forbade ........... and being patient has paid of. No doubt its just a strait away, its still overseas! Yay!! I get to travel! A dream I always had and a wish that I am glad is slowly realizing.

hmm, juggling time for both duties wasn't an easy task. At times you lose your concentration and maybe even focus. At times, you may even lose part of your mind. But thats ok, because being in the adventurous mode, there's always time to explore the place you are at.

On my first night, I explored Orchard road. From my hotel on one end, I walked to god knows where. Watching people, how they dress, how they act and how they seem to rush around ... is pretty interesting. Especially when you have nothing to do except to hold a bag of chips in your hand. haha, ultimate pleasure. Then on the second night, I did some sight seeing with a friend. Toured along the highways of the island only to find out how small the place is. But its interesting that all good things can come in small packages.

Had some good dinner in South Beach!!! Was really stuffed but satisfied. Needed to burn the stuffings up by going to a walk. By the beach! And its so good to feel the sea breeze, in Singapore! Though it was a tiny beach and might not have such a good view during the day, it was a beautifully organized place. There is a bicycle track, tents for you to pitch and barbeque pits too... The whole place feels so 'vacation-ny'. hehehe imagine if it were in Malaysia? Vandalized ...

And I had the privilege of cruising along the actual F1 Singapore track. And its so cool. With the barriers all around, and stands for the spectators everywhere, it felt as if we were in the spot light. The strong lights were shining down on the car and the road. It just gives it the racing fever .... right in the center of Singapore city, or at least at Marina Bay.

Ended my trip by a short visit to my friend's place in JB. And its always fun to just chat away to just about anything. And traveling in a journey out of the ordinary. Like I said, things are not as simple as what your eye may see. But the biggest surprise it yet to come. Hidden right at the backyard were puppies!! Ooh! the highlight of the whole trip! Four fat little furry cuties. If only I could kidnap one home. They are at the cutest moment of their lives! About 3 weeks old, with cloudy eyes and can hardly see their way. hehe, they look so cute when they walk aimlessly into one another or when they try to helplessly climb up from the ditch! How nice if puppies don't ever grow up. If only they could stay at that age to bring smiles to everyone and to melt hearts to be peaceful and loving ............... eeeeeeeeeee ...... puppies have a way of making you high! I want one!!!

The wait is over

Finally, after 49 months of waiting. I finally got what I want. And this wait was a long and painful one. But you know the old folks always say, "Good things comes to those who are patient". And in this case, I really agree to it. The wait was well worth it.

I still remember four years ago. I was a little sceptical then, on whether I should do it, after hearing so many horror stories and of all the bad experiences that others have been through. But for the sake of future .... the sacrifice is worth it. I mean, we've all got to plan, look into the future and invest for the best. In everything that we do, we have to sacrifice. I mean seriously ..... think about it, no pain no gain. 

Yes! Only 1 word says it all .....bwahahahaha (OK, that wasn't a word, it was an expression) But I'm too happy! Want to know the reason behind my joy? You've got to wait for the news from the horse's mouth

A merry go round

Never stop being amazed at the things that you can see, hear, learn and do around you. There cam a point in my life where I thought life became dormant. My days back then were all about a 9am-9pm job. People that I met were all about business and more business. My social life had to be put on hold, my friends and family even became secondary to me .... but like I said, that was the past.

I admit, it even says so on my recent 'reading', that I was blinded by the artificial life. I was living a life not being true to my self. I wasn't even happy back then ..... I wasn't even able to listen to what I really want. And now I know that I should not dwell on the past. True .... I think too much, and it might be a big problem for me if I keep occupying my head space will things thaat I can no longer touch or change. So why not choose to learn from it? Which is what I am doing ....

Life has been a complete turn around for me. This lunar year really brought about a new Joyce. One that knows the meaning of life, emotions and goals. I never know how to see if its a good year for me based on the Chinese zodiacs but I know that it has brought great change. I know know what I can work forward to, I now know who my true friends are, I now know how to love myself, I now know the most important thing in my life.

Things have come and gone these past 9 months. And I think I have become stronger and more experienced. I see better, though not the best. I have had wonderful conversations that open up my eyes. And it has really widen my horizon. Helping me to see things that are there .... but I could not see. So take a tooth pick and jam those eyes open!! Life is limitless in front of you!!

And the most important thing is that I know how to appreciate the things around me, to learn from it and to grow with it. And you should too.... 

The verdict @ Alexis

It may have passed some time ago but the memory and the lesson learnt will forever be with you. Well, not exactly that long, but 2 weeks ago. I am talking about the speech workshop that we conducted. We just had a post mortem meeting cum dinner the other night @ Alexis. I was definately looking forward to this event, for 2 reasons ..... the good food and the feedback of the whole workshop.Oh ... the venue was heavenly. It was an ambience that was cosy and yet contemporary. Simple grey furniture amidst a grey background. Hanging cupboards with utensils were hanging around, giving the feel that you were dining in Ikea's show room. And it was the open kitchen concept. Its so fun to see the chef baking your pizza or making stew in their copper utensils. haha ... no more horror stories of chefs spitting into your food. 

If you like chic dining, then this is the place to be. Ooh

 ... I love the taste of their mushroom pizza. Its so crunchy and fresh. Garnished with raw herbs, all the natural flavours oozes out. And the cheese ..... so so rich! Also must try is their bruchetta with sun dried tomatoes and balsemic vinegar. Its amazing how they make it so soft yet so full of flavour. Ah, who could go to Alexis and not try their Tiramisu? Lip smacking! There is the hint of liquer on the layers of moist sponge. And the taste of the coffee emulco, added on with the chocolate shavings just makes it so tempting

. Topped with glazed almonds and served with raspberry sauce at the sides, the tiramisu was the highlight of the night! Well, so was sipping white wine and chatting with your friends over jazz in the back ground.

But the verdict was out. The participants did their evaluations and the more senior toastmasters were ready to give us all some pointers or two. Well, its my first speech workshop after all and the others, are trainers by profession. Still alot to learn. Overall, I must say that the team did extremely well in the coordination and logistics. Its just amazing how we sailed through the whole 2 days with out hiccups and how everybody knew and performed their tasks supporting each other. All of us evaluated the participants when they spoke and they were really appreciative of that. But by the end of the two days, all of us had dry throats .... hehe

I am very proud of my session as well. I had good feedback from both my seniors and the participants. My topic was on impromptu speaking .... that means, how to speak without time to prepare. Tricky eh? But I went up with confidence and gave some pointers and techniques. I was the first speaker of the workshop, and was very nervous (lucky it did not show), as the first speaker will either make it, or break the whole workshop. hehe ... I guess its me, but I get the kicks out of speaking up in front. Its addictive. At first I thought I was being a bore as the participants were just staring at me. It did comfort me a little as some were taking notes. Then came the Q & A session. I thought to my self, 'oh no .... pin drop silence'. But people kept on asking and asking non- stop. Even the COO of some MNC asked ...'How do I answer my boss if I don't know the answer?' Then this VP of some resort asked 'how do I not sound stupid if I can answer immediately'. Haha, this is where my expertise comes in ..... Crapalogy!! 

Fortunately, I handled Q & A well. The emcee even had to stop the questions from coming. Its a good sign. But I definitely need to pick up facilitation and time management skills. The trick is, when faced with tough situations like this (imagine a young exec trying to teach a COO how to handle the boss?), take a deep breath and stay calm. The answers will just flow to you. And it helps if you've got reassuring team members. Looking at their smiling and nodding heads, I knew I was going in the right direction. hehehe ..... public speaking does give me the adrenaline rush!

So Deloitte Speech workshop, here I come!!

I need music!

Overdose of music ... and if you see me now, its nothing but a big silly grin on my face. It must be the weekend bug that is coming ... or the many many activities that I want to do. 

So here I am, listening to More than words by Extreme. Oh, such a wonderful piece. Oh, how I love a cappella. Makes me want to learn guitar. How nice it would be to be strumming this piece when you are out for a camp fire with your friends. So its a deal Ahmad ..... we will be learning how to play the guitar. No running away! And it begins on Monday .... provided I can get my hands on it.

Here I am, listening to Hey Jude by the Beatles. Such a simple and yet imaginative song. Its definitely going to be on my select list at Neway tonight. Its amazing how the different band members synchronize to make such a wonderful song. 

Here I am, listening to Because I am a girl by Kiss on piano. oooh .... such an emotional and touching song. If only you had watched the movie, I think this piece can move you to tears. Listening and watching the grace and the tempo of the musicians is just such an awe.

And I found a new love ... downloading all the good songs on You Tube. But do beware, it can get you addicted and make you want to head right to the music store and sign up for classes. Its just such a wonderful way of expressing yourself. You can share your feelings through whatever piece you want and let those around you join you in this wonderful state that you are. And music is able to transport you to a world beyond your imagination. This, I cannot explain, you have to feel it for yourself. Everyone's imagination is unique  .... 

Argh ..... Ahmad! You created a junkie in me! I need music!!! There is so much I want say, so much I want to feel so much I want to write  ....  but I can't. I'm distracted by the song Jessie by Joshua Kadison blasting right beside me. Tonight is music night Ahmad!  And no matter what, you've got to sing!! We'll make sure you do!!

What do you want?

The world is one big playground. No, I am not talking about our hilarious political situation. And yes, everyday in life, whatever you are doing or where ever you go, you never cease to entertain yourself (it won't sound wrong if you don't think wrong).

The last weekend was a nice long break for me. Something that I really needed, time to just chill out and become a log. Time to just reflect on what I really want in life. Time to think and express yourself.

There were outings and there were late nights. There were panda eyes and some not so pleasant moments. But who can actually brag that their live is a painting drawn with pure gold and silver linings? Someone actually told me, the reason why in religion, we are called 'lay people' (or fan yan in cantonese) is because we have to think. We have to go through suffering, through confusion and through tribulations in order to survive and to succeed.

It is not often that we get to sit down and think of what we want. Often times we are preoccupied with work, with chores and with desperately finding ways to entertain yourself (again, don't think dirty). So much so that we often move without focus. You wouldn't want to be 30 one day and suddenly realize that ......... all this while, I am not doing what I want. What is the purpose of just living for the sake of tommorow? Why not live for the sake of the future? Know what you want, how you want it to be done and when you want it done?

Speech Craft @ PMP

Last week was a week of extremely good opportunities. Though it was a little tough, preparation of materials and taking time off for meetings, practices and the event itself ... every thing was worth it ... and even more so in the name of experience. I was really glad to be given a chance to do this and it was certainly an eye opener for me.

Together with a few fellow toastmasters, the D'Utama Toastmasters Club conducted a Speech Craft to PMP. It was a group of Project Management Professionals ... well, some of them are pretty big names in their industries as well, being COO's and VP's and all. But they were all very friendly and humble. Making the 2 day workshop very fun and interactive.

There were lots of talking and evaluations on our side. Well, basically it was a workshop on speaking and presentation skills and my topic was 'Impromtu speaking'. A very interesting topic and useful for everyday life too. But one thing I can tell you for sure is that being the first speaker of the event is always very very creepy. You either make it or break it! And also, you don't know your audience well, so making connections ain't easy ... but phew.... it went on pretty smooth.