It was a good day. We went to Anyer, make 2 dives, and have a good lunch. We even grill 10 fishes, can’t remember the name.  Disaster came 10 minutes from the pier. My engine overheated! I pull over, and check that there is quite a big leak in my radiator. With the leaking rate, we will need to stop for 15 minutes every 10 minutes. With 100km away from home, this would be a very long journey. 

 I gave a weird look when my friend said that egg whites could save the day. Sure Mac Gyver, the famous TV show in the 80’s, manages to use egg whites to repair leaking radiator, but hey, that’s only in movie! Anyway, rather than stopping every 10 minutes, I let him fill my radiator with water, and 4 egg whites. We start the machine and start moving. 

 Amazingly, the egg whites saved the day. It last for 2 hours of drive to Jakarta. Even this morning, when I brought my car for permanent repair, the whites still holds. 

 Who said that movie never use real thing?

I pass the intersection every day. It is always crowded, so at least I always caught the red light once. But this is the first time I saw him. A paperboy, selling his newspaper from car to car, waiting for the green light. He might be an ordinary paperboy, except that, he only has one leg!

If that is not enough, he use no cane, or stick, or whatsoever, to help him stand and move. Instead, he just hops from car to car, using his left leg. He can even maintain his balance while passing the newspaper, receiving cash, and giving the return.

I salute him on his dexterity with his disability, but I salute him more on his strive for a living. He avoids being the burden of the society. Comparing him to other healthy man, who beg for mercy, or threatening people in the bus, by telling that he was just out of the jail. .

I remember again a boy, at the stop light nearby my old office. He was in his teens, yet, selling his newspaper with a big smile, from car to car. I bought his newspaper once, because I like how he sells it . Wherever you are, my prayer is with you, and the one-legged paperboy……

Most people, man or woman, when asked such question will answer: NO. One of my friend even add that, if she try to be romantic towards her husband, he will gave a strange look and said: “What’s wrong with you?”

I once have a girlfriend, and sometimes, I manage to be romantic to her, even though I consider myself not as a romantic person. “When you are married, it all will be different” some of my married friend said. The question is, does your love live has become an ordinary unquestioned day-to-day routine, that, when your spouse try to do a romantic act, you will gave him/her a strange look and said: “What’s wrong with you?”

Is it the essence of marriage, to make an eternal bind that, you feel no need for a surprise to express your love? That you spouse should always love you, without you need to do anything, because both of you are bind by eternal marriage? Certainly doesn’t look like a happy life for me.

In the spirit of Valentine Day, if you think yourself not a romantic person, think again. If you still love your spouse, the romantic side is in you, and love will light it up. But if you think your spouse will gave you a strange look, then maybe both of you should do a self reflection…. is love really still exist?

Happy Valentine Day…

Lately seems that people around me has faced a critical choice in their live. Either it is about professional life, or personal life. Not surprising, since life is about making choice.

Paulo Coelho, in The Alchemist, gave a very good advice: talk to your heart, it never lies. World turn so fast, time flies, and we kept busy fire fighting in our job, that, we never listen to our heart, to our dream, and to our deepest desire.

So, try this: talk to your heart. Take a few minutes each day or week (my favourite time is few minutes before sleep, with the light off) to listen what your heart said about your future, about your dream, about you ambition, anything. Hopefully, afterwards, you will know what choice will help you to make a better future.

A 70+ years old woman was interviewed by Oprah. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older. Wnat caught my interest is one of her answer: I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as “making a life”.

I’ve met several people, which responds differently towards the word “work”, “life”, and “living”. Some people work for a living. They have no choice, but to work as hard as they can, to feed themself and their family. Some others live to work. They are basically the workaholic type, who found fun in their work, and because of that, kind of ignoring their family and friends. These 2 people share the same characteristic, both is making a “living”.

“Making a life”, is about…. well…. living. Human is a social person, so make friends instead of working on yourself. Life is also about, enjoying the creation of God, so go to new places.

And finally…. people love to hear story. So, make sure you have enough story to tell your kids and grandkids….