Myriad of experiences: Ter-jadi

On a cold winter day (which already looks like night at 4pm) what better thing to do than answer a tag? Thanks Crissy for thinking of me. :)

6 things I'm passionate about:

Exploration - I'm always on the lookout for new things to learn, to see, to do, to experience. Although I have a rather strong sense of self-preservation and limited funds, I'm generally open to anything! And if it means I get to learn something along the way, better still. I think this is why I love travelling and visiting new places and I enjoy scuba because it gives me the ability to explore a whole new environment, as two examples.

Books - I love reading - you could put me in a locked room with just books and I'd be alright. It's the element of exploration, of being transported to new worlds and minds, but also of understanding new knowledge and points of view, and seeing how the stories unfold, little bits and pieces from people's lives.

Music - playing it relieves stress and is an outlet, listening to it is a pleasure and fills empty spaces. What a joy to be able to make music!

Do-It-Yourself - I like doing things with my hands, which is why I like surgery. My favourite are ear-rings, only because its the only thing I just about wear. Gifted some of my works away too, wonder how my "babies" are doing. :) The only issue is that I haven't gained the ability to give a professional finish to my amateur pieces.

Food - how can this not make the list? LoL myriad flavours, textures, aromas... and yet nothing beats home food! the next best thing is making food; I particularly like baking. ;>

Life - Figuring out my own, however frustrating it may be, and sustaining the lives of others; rather generic, but this mystery and great gift should be our passion, no?

6 books I read recently

The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Emmuska Orczy - read this because it was on my Palm, and revelled in the old-school hyped-up writing. So romantic!

The English, by Jeremy Paxman - My brother borrowed this book first, and I thought it looked interesting. This guy is a BBC TV presenter, cerebral and irreverent. I'm still reading this one, but it's been interesting - part history and part lament about the English not having a real English identity.

Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell - about how some snap judgements are right, but only because of lots of practice beforehand. Nothing new, but packaged in an entertaining way.

Eragon and Eldest, by Christopher Paolini - 1st 2 in a trilogy. I don't really like his writing style, though it's matured from the 1st to the 2nd book. And I can't resist books about dragons!

Out of the Hitler Time, by Judith Kerr - the set-of-3, starting with When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit. A child's view of the Hitler regime and World War II. Not as amazing as I thought it'd be, but I think I was supposed to read this as a child, before reading Anne Frank.

And the no. 1 reason why I couldn't really think of any recently read fiction was because I was busy reading Davidson's and Oxford Clinical Handbook of Medicine for a good 6 months of this year, and not much else. I suppose that could count as books recently read, couldn't it? I'm starting to read again though - borrowed some Doris Lessing, and Ian McEwan, and for softer reading, Jodi Picoult, alternating with the red A&E book and the grey emergencies book and the anaesthetics textbook.

6 albums/songs I can listen to over and over again

A traditional Celtic CD I got from a concert in Kuching, Kate and Kathryn something or another. I love the stories in the music, the sometimes melancholy, sometimes lively melodies.

DoubleTake 1 voice, 6 strings, 12 moods. Deft fingers on the guitar, and smooth and sultry vocals.

Can't Take My Eyes Off You, original by Frankie Valli, and its big-band presentation in 10 things I hate about you.

Debussy's works, but most of all Clair de lune, with its dreamy quality.

Corrine May's songs, for the way she weaves stories with her words and chords. No one favourite, because each one has stood out more than the others for me at one time or another.

I had this Rich Mullins tape which I used to listen to over and over again. I've graduated to CDs and Chris Rice and Steven Curtis Chapman and all the other Christian artists, whom I think are amazing, but I think I could still listen to those songs again and again and again - I just have to dig up the tape or find the CD somewhere!

6 things I learnt this year

I think I write better than I talk. And I think it's because I can reflect on the words that I've written and change them accordingly, but can never take back the words I've said.

I kind of like relative solitude; at least, I know I can handle it better than some others.

I can be really lazy at times!

Confidence is easily 50% acting.

Human relationships are Difficult, with a capital D. And I'm no pro at them, not by a long mile. But it's true that we all need friends around us, and I've learnt to treasure them, and am learning to show that gratitude.

Life takes a whole lot of work, and often we see less fruits than we expect. But if a professor paediatrician I heard speak is corect, the good things done in this world will last into the next, where we shall see glory upon glory, more than we can ever imagine, and the full extent of the good work we've done. So we've got to continue the good work, and trust that God is working in them.

6 valuable things I own

My passport - gateway to the world!

My stethoscope - makes me feel like a doctor, especially with it around my neck, which I feel I can do more often now.

My violin - probably the most expensive thing I own (besides my education). In sad state of relative unuse now though.

My laptop, or rather, currently it's my brother's hand-me-down. But whatever that lets me go online!

My camera - recorder of events and memories, and forgiving outlet for my amateur artistry.

My box(es) of mementoes, full of random stuff collected over the years, each thing connected to something that happened in my life. Helps with the remembering.