The Day Not Because It Is A New Year

Dear Diary,

Even if TODAY is not 1 January 2009,
I promise (myself) to,

1. Read at least two new books a week
(have started reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez' Living To Tell The Tale this afternoon.
Well, before falling into deep afternoon nap, that is..)

2. Reply to SMS within 2 hours and respond to e-mails / Facebook messages within 2 days
(those who have my number and have been writing to me KNOW how disappointing I am
at replying in appropriate time, or at replying at all! I always THOUGHT I'd take my time in replying
so that I can reply in lengthy and more thoughtful repartees but, .....)

starting from today.

They might seem like the simplest of things to do and
I might be the only person reading this blog who is not doing so
but even landslide starts from ignorance and yes, procrastination.

























So I choose to stop procrastinating
(at least to the simplest two listed things)
today,

not because it is a new year,
not because (almost) everyone else every blogger posts theirs,
not because it won't be a good year without resolutions,

BUT
because changes can should start anytime,
because to better my nation, I have to better myself first,
and I choose to change and better myself,
today.

If not TODAY, then WHEN.
If not US, then WHO.
We are the one we have been waiting for.

By the way, I preach the last three lines out loud
at the end of my every yoga session,
mostly with the intention - to remind MYSELF.

The Day The End Is The Beginning Is The End

Dear Diary,

I always finish off my yoga class with these lines,

"Let's leave our eyes closed for another minute. With the eyes closed, expand our vision and try to see beyond what the eyes always see in the mirror. Learn to always love our body and respect others beyond what our eyes only see.

Exhale to flush away any uncleared pain from the body and toxic feeling in the heart we don't want to bring home and also bad habits and negative attitudes we don't wish to continue doing.

Let this thought be in our heart for today; In order to change the world, we have to change ourselves first. In order to learn to accept other people's flaws, we have to accept ours first. If not us, then who? IF NOT TODAY, THEN WHEN? We are the ones, we have been waiting for."

But that grey Friday morning last week,

after I finished my hot class,

I had to finish off with an additional line, if not a few,

"If I may share another quote today; Sometimes we have to let go of the things we love, in order to love. With heavy heart and with infinite sadness, I have to announce, this is our very last class together, this month. I have tried, with everything if not with what little I have left; to hold on and endure this, for as long as I could. But I can not anymore.

If you don't see me here again in September, I am sure we will still meet. Hopefully someplace better, very soon if not that much later. Namaste.

You may open our eyes now."

As I opened my teary eyes,

I saw some faces with some tears running down their cheeks as well.

THIS, can not have our tears anymore.

Oh yes.

"I love green but

(I'm sorry for)

I love yoga MORE."