Intuition

Intuition is nothing more than taking in data points, and seeing a pattern.

My intuition kicked in ~2 years ago.  On a work telecon meeting with my teammates, I listened half-heartedly to the usual preamble of how are yous, and what has been the highlight/lowlight of the past fortnight, when suddenly my teammate mentioned that she was in hospital for a week.  I messaged her almost immediately to ask how she was, and was she better.  After she evaded giving me a straight answer after I asked what was her illness.... I said... "Did you have a miscarriage?"

She was surprised enough to start yes, and really how did I know?

The data points are (1) she is normally a bubbly, enthusiastic person (2) she sounded sad - yes it came through in her voice even though the telecon only had audio without video (3) I know she had been trying for a baby from a previous conversation.  Putting all these separate pieces of information together, I deduced that she had been pregnant, and lost the baby.
See, easy peasy.

This afternoon, I went to an alternative healer who is trained in the ancient Chinese art of bone therapy.  He asked me to lie face down, felt along my spine, and said a couple of startling things about me, things that I never expected a total stranger to know about me....

Intuition?  Tis his training in the healing arts that gave him these insights into me.  My body really was laid out before him like a map.  This spot was connected to my heart, this to my colon, this to my reproductive system.  WOW.

I suppose it only seems wow to me, because I am not trained to see what he saw.

In the age of Google where every fact can be found with a search, the art of intuition is even more crucial for excelling in one's chosen field.  A teacher leads you to the facts, education is seeing patterns when the data points are a mess to the untrained eye.

Energy is renewable, not Time

I recently received a HBR article titled “Manage Your Energy, not your Time”.  The authors opine that longer days at the office do not work because time is a limited resource, however personal energy is renewable. There are 4 dimensions of personal energy that the authors recommend we notice… physical, emotional , mental and spiritual.  The tips for rejuvenating physically are

• Enhance sleep by setting an earlier bedtime and reducing alcohol use…. I do not drink alcohol regularly so that’s a plus for me.  Bedtimes are determined by the boys… I am thinking seriously about putting them in their own room now.  But but but some part of me wants them close!  I spend many hours away from them in the day, night time togetherness is to make up for it…
• Reduce stress by engaging in cardiovascular activity at least 3 times a week and strength training at least once…. THREE times a week!?  If running after the boys counts, then I have cardio everyday.  Haha.  Not enough to get my heart rate up to 70% of maximum though.  Never mind strength training.  The heaviest things I haul around are my boys.  Oh and weekly grocery shopping.  I walk back from the supermarket.
• Eat small meals and light snacks every 3 hours…. YES, a tick for me in this area.
• Learn to notice signs of imminent energy flagging, including restlessness, yawning, hunger and difficulty concentrating…. Yep, I notice… Too often ignore these signs though.
• Take brief but regular breaks, away from the desk, at 90-to 120-minute intervals throughout the day.

Things are heating up at work with the business plan 2014 kicking off this week.  I turn to brewing this yummy confinement tea.  I use a Thermos Shuttle Chef 1.5L to prepare and drink one cup in the morning, sipping throughout the day.

To boost blood circulation – 3-4 pieces of bei qi (astralagus) and a handful of black beans.

Sweet tasting herbs – 12-15 red dates, a pinch of wolfberries, a bigger pinch of dried longan, 3-4 pieces of finger-sized dang shen (a type of ginseng, I think).

Enjoy!

Fruit infused waters

I made some changes to my morning routine.  Woke up earlier to stretch and exercise.  Managed to go for a half hour walk by the beach yesterday (Monday) morning.  Drank lemon infused water to clear the digestive system.  Actively working on my health and wellness now....

I dug around in google and there is a lot of information out there about various combinations of herbs, fruits and vegetables that tout various health benefits.
Here is one FB post that appeared on my news feed.

(1) Green tea, mint, lime - fat burning, digestion, headaches, congestion and breath freshening
(2) Strawberry, kiwifruit -cardiovascular health, immune system protection, blood sugar regulation, digestion
(3) Cucumber, lime, lemon - water weight management, bloating, appetite control, hydration, digestion
(4) Lemon, lime, orange - digestion vitamin C, immune defense, heartburn

Citrus

I am partial to citrus scents.  I love Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas, most marmalades and happily sniff lemons, oranges and grapefruits at every opportunity.

During a busy workday, I sip Magnolia's Yuzu juice drink taken warm.  It calms my stomach and makes me dream of yuzu baths in a Japanese onsen.  Ah......

On my way down the escalator in my workplace, I bumped into an old colleague and we chatted about our lives, work... somehow the conversation turned to bergamot and what exactly it is.  Neither of us knew.... The short chat made me curious enough to google and wiki for more information on bergamot.  I learnt that

• Bergamot essential oil is extracted from the rind of a Bergamot orange, grown commercially in Italy. 
• The Bergamot orange is supposed to be intensely aromatic and juicy with a flavour that is slightly bitter, bracingly sour, and floral.  The fruit itself is not generally considered to be edible...  Cultivated more for the scent than the taste.
• Earl Grey tea was named after Lord Charles Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1930s

You never know where a question leads you to. 
Back to work then :)

Body language matters

Thursday 7 March 2013. The 5th day in my new job.

After a long Thursday afternoon of meetings (where I understand 25% of what is going on), calls to determine the correct numbers for Feb close (60% of what is going on), and being in the office ALL the time (chatting with new people for 9 hours straight including lunch time), I am seriously drained.

The introvert me draws energy from focussing and being alone, unlike the extroverts who draw energy from social interactions.  Dun get me wrong, I like people, just that... my energy source is depleted fast when there are other people constantly talking at and around me.... BUT I digress.....

Back to main story.  I entered the lift at the 9th floor and let myself droop.

A work friend got on at the 4th floor.  He said on seeing me "You look exhausted...."  I must have looked incredulously at him as he then hastened to add "I hope we are close enough (for me) to say this to you."  Yep, we are close enough indeed.  I had helped him at work, and introduced one of his pals to my ex ex boss when his pal wanted to change roles in the Company.

We got out of the lift (there are other people around) and I told him that I am absolutely knackered after 4 days of being in the office, and 5 years of not having to manage my facial emotions and body language when I am working at home, hence I really appreciate his spontaneous feedback.  After all, you never know who might step into the lift next.... maybe a senior leader that I need to impress at work... and I cannot afford to look like a droopy leaf then, can I....

A timely reminder that I am not off work until I enter the car / bus / train.

Oxygen masks

Airplane safety advisory tell passengers to put on their own oxygen masks before attending to a child.

I now remind myself to take care of myself first before I am able to take care of Medium Boy and Small Boy, plus date the Husband.  The past 2 weeks have been very challenging for my little family with 2 job transitions, and 3 people falling sick (I am the last woman standing dosing myself with Vitamin C and fish oil).  Last night was the first night since Monday 18 Feb that I have slept through the night........  The boys take turns waking up to cough, I wake up to care for them, my night's rest is interrupted, I have a low grade headache all through the day, I drink 2 cups of coffee to get through the work day in a haze.... 10 WHOLE days! 

Exercise and yoga, mini garden have all paused for now as I struggle to regain my footing.