Giving (it) Up

No lah, not giving up my running :) Very lao kui one you know to give up a goal that is announced to the whole world.

This above is a book i've just finished reading. The author is a yuppie living in New York. She took control of her stressful and overscheduled life by SIMPLIFYING it - each month she gives up one thing - not cumulative though :) - alchohol, shopping, elevators, newspapers, cell phones, dining out, TV, taxis, coffee, cursing, chocolate and multitasking.

She has some tough time there :) i had to smile when she described how most cell-phone conversations that she overheard would have the person saying where he/she is at that moment. Because the author locked up her cell phone for a month, her friends had to confirm their gatherings way before the meeting when she has access to a land-line (office or home), otherwise, they wouldn't be able to inform her of last minute changes which was very common (like being late etc).That chapter on cell-phone is very telling on how our lives are run nowadays.

In the author's context, these are not easy things to give up at all. i mean, i don't drink coffee so it is at most amusing that the author had an insufferable time as her body adjusts to the lack of coffee. But the lesson that the author learned at the end of each month is useful to us all - when we give up what we usually do out of habit or indulgence, AND learn from the experience - i.e. it gives you a whole new perspective of living simply without that item or discover more life-giving alternatives (e.g. preparing own food instead of eating out).

i like the last chapter on multi-tasking best. i think there is value in focusing and doing one job at a time and doing it well. On running. i don't multi-task when i run. i focus on running. Sometimes i bring along my ipod shuffle. Sometimes i don't. Cos i don't want to be so dependent on it that if the battery runs flat on the actual day (you never know i might just take forever to finish the distance), that i will be affected mentally :)

If only uni-tasking applies when i switch on the PC - at present it's multiple tabs, no, i won't reveal what are those, that would make me really lao kui, LOL