the world is [my] oyster”, aye, tis true;
yet, where art thee, mine elusive pearl?

We are taught to count our blessings and to be grateful. So let’s take stock of mine (in no particular order):

• I am grateful for the very affordable and reliable hosting of my website, in the UK.
• I am grateful for MovableType V2.64 that powers this blog.
• I am grateful for broadband internet access and that Streamyx is functioning more often than not.
• I am grateful that while the Fujitsu S-series notebook I bought in 1999 was zapped by lightning and the Fujitsu P5010 I bought in 2003 was stolen in a house-burglary, I have at least learnt to backup, backup, backup.
• I am grateful for the house I call my home, the air-conditioning in the bedroom that tempers the Malaysian weather when I sleep, and the alarm system that will hopefully keep the soaring crime rates at bay.
• I am grateful for generally good health, though I still can’t explain why in Malaysia mouth ulcers appear at least once a month. Nor can I vouch for my sanity.
• I am grateful for the food on my table, even though I don’t cook much anymore. In fact, I’m thankful that I can choose not to cook much anymore!
• I am grateful that I have car with which to get around, although I would much rather be chauffeured or have access to extensive, reliable and frequent public transportation
• I’m grateful that I have a job, even though it was created and generously funded by a foreign government.
• I am grateful for the lack of (undue) stress at work. I am also grateful for the 36 hour-45 minute-work week and the flexi-hours that allow me to have a (balanced) life outside of work.
• I am grateful that I am able to afford several holidays a year, some more luxurious than others, but all equally cherished.
• I am grateful for Starbucks, Dome, Body Shop, Crabtree & Evelyn, Aesop, Origins, Peter Thomas Roth, Lampe Berger, cheap DVDs, Klang Valley’s many shopping centres, Gaggia Paros espresso machine, the iPod, the Treo600, and every other material luxury and convenience that are available in Malaysia and that have become, in the Marxist sense, the opiate of my life.
• I am grateful that I can source for goods internationally via the internet. Thank God for Amazon (both UK and US), HMV and other online stores.
• I am grateful for my intelligence and intellectual skills, even though they are hardly ever taxed these days.
• I count as my blessing that I live in a country where I can still Kazaa, where the 2nd Floor of Low Yat Plaza thrives, and where we can still have our teh tariks in the middle of the road.
• I count as my blessing that I live in a country where the economy is relatively stable and vibrant, even though opportunities may not be as abundant or diverse, nor as equitably distributed as I would wish.
• I count as my blessing that I live in a country where the polity is relatively stable, and consistent, even though I grow increasingly weary and disenchanted with its substance, processes and dynamics.
• I am eternally grateful that despite my cynicism, hopes and dreams still burn deep down inside.
• I am grateful for friends.
• I am grateful for love, in all its guises.

I love lists!

What are you grateful for?

What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life
…
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
- song lyrics

Posted on May 26th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: Notable: Personal