Having moved 16 to 17 times in the last 15 years, I’ve learnt a thing or two about packing:

Don’t fill boxes too much
Pack-in only as much as you can carry. On average a box should weigh no more than 20-25 kgs. Anything more than that, you’re unlikely to be able to carry them without risk of injuring your back. And if you can’t do it, don’t expect anyone else to.

Use uniform-sized boxes
This makes storage easier. And the stacked boxes look so much nicer - aesthetics is everything!

Stuff the empty spaces
If you have any empty spaces in the boxes, stuff them with either bubble wrap, styrofoam or crumpled newspaper. This prevents things from moving about too much and would help preserve the condition of your things.

List down content
It’s important to list down the content of each box - at least in a rough general manner. After a few days, you’re not likely to remember what is contained in which box. You definitely do not want to spend hours searching through box after box looking for that illusive book or memento at a later point in time.

Label your boxes
If you’re going to list down the content of each box, it also makes sense to label each box (with a name or number). Label the boxes with markers, pre-printed stickers or stuck on paper. If you can, label the boxes on five sides (the top and the four sides) or at the very least three sides (top and two sides) - this way, no matter which way the boxes are stacked, the label will be visible. And if one label drops off for whatever reason, there are still the others.

What I’ve never been able to understand is why book publishers do not standardised the size of books. The odd sizes and dimensions make it very difficult to align and pack them nicely in such a way as not to risk damage to the books.

Finally, if you think all this is very anal, you haven’t heard the rest yet. This time round, I’ve actually gone to the extent of cataloging the academic books and classical music CD in my collection (you’ll find a formatted list for the books here and the CDs here). This way if I need a particular book or CD, I know exactly where it is located and I can easily instruct someone else to locate it for me!!

So many times
Said it was forever
Said our love would always be true
Something in my heart always knew
I?d be lying here beside you
On my own
 
So many promises never should be spoken
Now I know what loving you cost
Now we?re up to talking divorce
And we weren?t even married
 
No one said it was easy
But it once was so easy
Well I believed in love
Now here I stand
I wonder why
 
I?m on my own
Why did it end this way
This wasn?t how it was supposed to be
I wish that we could do it all again
 
So many times
I know I should have told you
Losing you it cut like a knife
You walked out and there went my life
I don?t want to live without you
 
This wasn?t how it was supposed to end
I wish that we could do it all again
I never dreamed I?d spend one night alone
I?ve got to find where I belong again
I?ve got to learn how to be strong again
I never dreamed I?d spend one night alone
By myself by myself
I?ve got to find out what was mine again
My heart is saying that it?s my time again
And I have faith that I will shine again
I have faith in me
 
On my own
Once again now
One more time
By myself

Posted on January 30th, 2005 by jl
Filed under: Notable: Personal | 4 Comments »

This was published in the IHT on 25 January and was extracted from this link.

Posted on January 26th, 2005 by jl
Filed under: Intl Currency | No Comments »

My muscles aches from packing, my eyes from crying and my heart from longing. I have cuts and bruises all over my body. But I am dead inside. The superficial wounds will heal. The emotional and psychological ones never will.

So, this really, finally, is it.

There’s no turning back now.

This is my equivalent of a court-granted divorce. We’ve all waited long enough.

Menghitung hari
Detik demi detik
Masa ku nanti apa kan ada
Jalan cerita kisah yang panjang
Menghitung hari…

- Kris Dayanti, “Menghitung Hari”

Posted on January 23rd, 2005 by jl
Filed under: Notable: Personal | 4 Comments »

The grief never ends. It just keeps coming at me like waves, rolling on and on and landing on the shores of my heart and soul. The only difference is that they’re now generally more gentle, not like the tsunamis of the earlier months. But they don’t ever stop.

Then of all a sudden, mother nature decides to throw another tantrum and lunges at me with a scimitar-like arch of scalding water. And I find myself back where I was 6 months ago, huddled in fear and drowning in sorrow.

The trick is to stop thinking. Empty out the mind. Slow the pace of breathing. Focus your eyes in the distance but on nothing in particular. And then zonk out like a zombie. If you’re lucky, the waves wouldn’t catch you. They’ll nug at the back of your mind and they’ll try to tear down your defences, but if you are in a catatonic enough state, you’ll stay one-step ahead. That is until your heart weakens and your tears fall into a big pool joining the waves under your feet.

You sheltered me from harm.
You kept me warm
You kept me warm
And you gave my life to me
You set me free,
You set me free
The finest years I ever knew
Were all the years I had with you
I would give everything I own,
I’d give up my life, my heart, my home.
And I would give everything I own,
Just to have you back again.

Almost two years later, I finally found these while clearing out a suitcase of memories.

p/s Another new definition of a familiar word - friend: someone who lets you cry without asking why.

Posted on January 22nd, 2005 by jl
Filed under: Notable: Personal | 3 Comments »

Books have a way of surprising you. In more ways than one.

In the process of packing an extensive library of books, I found a note tucked in the middle of a novel by Joseph Olshan, “Vanitas“. Hand-written on both sides of a small square of paper, the undated message read:

Dearest Sweetheart,

OK I’ll wait out the 6 months. Meanwile I love you very much as ever & as you say life as usual - so I’ll love you very much still & you are the love of my life Jikon

See you later.

love,
Baby

I tucked the note back in.

How completely things have changed.

God only knows how I will react should I come across it again many years later.

I always stop and think of you especially
When the words of a love song
Touch the very heart of me
There’ll be sad songs to make you cry
Love songs often do
- Billy Ocean, “There’ll be sad songs to make you cry”

Posted on January 21st, 2005 by jl
Filed under: Notable: Personal | No Comments »