Hands on

Sometimes, doing something different is what we need.

So when the time came to do some renovations on an apartment, it was a great opportunity to really try to do something outside of my comfort zone, learn about renovations and literally (and figuratively) get my hands dirty.

Finding the right goods is very much also about finding the right contractors to do the job - and certainly there is a variety of people out there.  Certainly, some people take more pride in their work and are willing to do a good job.  Or they are more experienced.  Or a bit of both.  But the way I see it is that perfection is quite difficult to achieve, but trying hard is about effort and heart in work and striving to be better each day.

The whole exercise was a great one.  Taught me to be patient - waiting for contractors, work to be done; glue to set!  But also the fact that doing some of the work takes a lot more time than what I had initially envisaged.  Leveraging off the experience of my parents as well allowed me to spend time with them and realise how engaged and hard working they both are - me being tired yet they had the spirit and energy to help out.  We chatted, ate together and worked together.  The last time we worked on a major project like that - would have been pretty close to around 17 years ago!  Lots of tired weekends and Burger King lunches which were quick!

Working with my hands was a lot of fun and really staying fit to do all those things is something of a goal.  It has somewhat motivated me to want to be more fit and healthy moving forwards and should really make be more disciplined when it comes to doing exercise for the longer term benefits as well.

Recently, I also bought a masticating juicer (a Hurom, for those who are curious).  So making juices and thinking about the different varieties of fruit and vegetable juices is taking a bit of my time.  Slicing up all that fruit takes a bit of time - but the juices are refreshing and make it worthwhile!

Back into the swing of things

It has definitely been a busy period for me.

So it is definitely been good to be not so busy and then focus on a few things which either are neglected, or just have not been doing as much of lately.  The two things which come to mind immediately are gaming and photography.

From a gaming perspective, there has been some absolutely shocking closure rates.   For a while I was trying to get into Civ Rev - and attempt to finish it on different civilisations in different outcomes, but that does take a fair bit of time. I had bought some PS3 games on the cheap, hoping to finish them before starting on the PS4 games.  But what has happened in reality is that my PS3 has been neglecting and my PS4 remains practically unopened!  Terrible.  So recently, I started playing Hitman Absolution - old I know, but have to just start somewhere! That's on top of Final Fantasy which I am playing as well!

Where to begin with photography.  For me, it certainly has been stop start in the sense that I really did want to learn more and understand it better in order to take better photographs.  But the time and effort to take gear out, take the photos, look through and organise photos has been quite time consuming and really I have not made it as convenient as I could have.  I do enjoy looking at people's photos and admiring them, and still want to take great photos - it's just that little bit harder.  Then there is the gear.  The good old SLRs are awesome but feeling the weight and heft of these is sometimes straining!  Hope that this is not a sign I am getting too old.  Or perhaps it is just that I want new geaaaaaar.....(and let's be honest, who doesn't).

Ok, there really is one more and that is housework.  Being busy has meant that often times, it is has just meant that I do the bare minimum to get by, whether it be washing, ironing and general cleaning.
This computer I am typing on needs a clean as I am sure that the fans have a fair bit of dust on them as well. 

Maybe I am just bad at setting goals for myself.  'Baby steps', I should tell myself.  So perhaps I need to now, finish at least one game by end of the year, take and post some new photos, and clean out my wardrobe.  Yes - so I'll check this list later and hopefully complete it sooner.  Now, I have to choose which one I am ready to tackle....but perhaps I'll watch a movie first!

Vintage

Do you ever get the feeling of upgrading?  

Looking at one's phone, gadgets and computers, and then drooling over the latest gadgets or being in awe of the latest technology, thinking "Wow! One day I'll look to get that...".

It's funny how that worked.  Looking back to when I was studying.  The cool kids had the latest shoes with the latest technology.  Or the cool bags.  Or the cool phones.  Crowding around to take a look at the latest and greatest.

Same goes for when I think about my gaming.  When I had my first console, I was thinking that it was awesome.  All of its 8-Bit glory.  "Of course that's ", I would think I was looking at a pixelated blob, and the accompanying text which read something vaguely about picking up said item.
Then it was 16 Bit offering more colours and better sound.  Then 32 Bit offering 3-D polygon...

Cameras anyone? From the SLR, to the compact film cameras, to digital compact cameras, back to digital SLR, to now digital-mirrorless-full frame cameras....

But something has been interesting and turning a bit of circle.  There has been a sense of nostalgia and appreciation of the retro designs which have been setting in.  Sign of age perhaps?

Taking for example those basketball shoes.  I didn't have them in the playground, but because they are re-released, I can grab a retro pair.  I was looking at old photos, which made me think  about finding a film camera.  I was on the plane, and I was watching the British television show "For the love of cars" which features car restoration.  There was something magical about finding something old and unloved and restoring it to a more glorious time.  It definitely made me think about all those cars I had read about and wanted but never bought and thinking, "hey, the depreciation on these things would have been huge and I can now go back to build my car collection!".

But isn't it strange how for some things we prefer the latest and greatest and yet there is something which tugs at us in the direction of vintage and restoration.  

For me, um this would be a "no".   Alright I did think about it.  Briefly.

Busy bee, busy as can be

This year has been busy.  I say that reflecting both the positive and negative ways I feel that it has impacted.

From a positive standpoint, being busy has meant that in different ways I tried to set some goals and achieved what I wanted to do. I mean this from a mental standpoint in that I assessed the direction which I was heading in my life, whether that means from a work, health and personal side to try and do things to head in the right direction.  Whether that be motivating myself to head to the gym, or looking to go away or making sure I spend time with my family - all these things add up to be the sum of who I want to be.  It certainly was great to work on my goals.

The negative side of all of that has been a matter of time.  Remaining focused and dedicated requires concentration and can certainly be exhausting.  Often times, it can also mean being pulled in multiple directions and running concurrent thought processes - and multitasking is definitely not one of my strong points.  It has also meant a bit more stress and sometimes, stretching can lead to things slipping through.  Or I don't get to do the things I want to do. Which is annoying to me.  Because I look back and think - I can do better.  I should do better.   Just like my record of low posts has continued into this year. **sigh**

In the past, I rarely needed much to motivate myself.  But sometimes, it is natural to feel weary and worn out.  Sometimes it is necessary to recharge and then re-engage.  Then we can feel the urge to push again.  

I've found that quotes have been quite useful in providing a different view or a little nudge, so hopefully I can find more which will help!