Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Courage for Marriage

People get married for the romance, and company, and the idea of walking together into the sunset while staring into each others' eyes.. (or so it seems)?

Having done it once, it is not like that at all.

Once the romance is out of the way, the truth will be revealed. Truth: Both of us were sloppy weird needy immature individuals who were raised by two different families and brought up against a wholly diverse set of values that each has learnt for the last 23-24 years (yes, we got married at an impressionable young age).

Once I realised that this is not the person I agreed to marry (#gasp), and he the same, we had had one child.. and the next and the next.. and somehow I was coaxed by the fact that he liked big families. Once the body is destroyed by multiple births he decided to look for someone else whose body is less atrocious (but then this is another story for another time).

Where was I? Yes, about marriage and 2 different people welded together (at times against their will)- yet the whole world expects it to work out. What silliness. What buffoonery.

Actually my theory of marriages that work is: it is not on compatibility, or family, or finances (although good finances do help). It is on grit (Angela Lee Duckworth's TED presentation comes to mind, although her theory relates to education) and the decision that whatever that they're facing, they will be facing it (them) together. You WILL do it if the person is worth it. If you believe in him/ her, and he/she reciprocates. A common objective may also help, as this journey needs a direction.

So will I do this right this time? Unfortunately, I do not know. I may. I hope that I will.

Monday, September 11, 2017

Hiatus

When you have taken a break from something, anything, you lose (forget) the ability to pick up wherever you left off. Like my gym membership that I have continued for nearly 3 months without actually going to the gym, I am not proud to say that currently I do not seem to have the strength and stamina which I used to have #intears.

Can't do them HIIT moves anymore & do not want to push myself much, as on the 3rd day of light exercises I already had a painful knee.

Note to self: Lose some weight woman! One way that I thought about, is to reduce the pressure on the knee. HIIT workouts will have to wait, as for now I want to put less strain on my knee & back. Hopefully I will recover in time & not have a prolonged pain.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Composting and Life

Composting is done by 'recycling' and returning biodegradable materials back to the soil.

Basically, the following kitchen waste can be placed in a pot to ferment:
1- fruit & onion peels
2- vegetable stems & roots
3- food waste incl. uneaten/ unfinished food (as long as they're not too oily)
4- egg shells, prawn shells
5- over ripe/rotten fruits or vegetables

The list is not exhaustive. However the general rule of thumb is, the compostable materials are natural elements from the kitchen (especially the ones resulting from cooking preparation) & not synthetic (such as biodegradable plastic).

Next, the layering of kitchen waste with soil and leaves (or newspaper strips) will cause the fermentation to speed up a little & absorb the smell of rotting food. The next batch of kitchen waste can be placed on top of the older one, and the layering is repeated with soil and leaves/newspaper strips.

In a couple of months (2-3 months minimum) everything will turn black (with a soil-like consistency) and can be returned to the garden as topsoil.

What I have found was this: if older compost is mixed with newly combined pre-compost waste, it speeds up the whole composting process. In a small pot (approx. 10 x 10 inches width & depth), the process could take around 1 month. In certain cases, enzymes can be sprayed on the soil to speed up the composting process.

So- coming to my point, life is kinda like that too. Some experiences that you carry will enable you to solve some problems faster, because you have the 'enzyme' or 'older compost' to help you move along. That's all the point I wanted to make really :)