Surfacing…?

Spend all your time waiting
for that second chance
for a break that would make it okay
there’s always one reason
to feel not good enough
and it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
oh beautiful release

- “Angel”, Sarah McLachLan

The last few days have been pretty bad. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse… it does. Waking up, staying afloat and going through the day became a daily mission to be achieved with the tenacity of a war fought long and hard. If not for friends and gadgets to distract my attention from the endless hours, it would have been an even more arduous task.

Alas, I’ve been too engrossed in my own world to pay any attention to the details and intricacies of my friends’ lives. I’ve been making absent-minded comments that may or may not have any substance and agreeing to statements with the weary listlessness of someone who knows only too well how deceiving such simplistic extractions of life can be. But I listened nonetheless, being deeply grateful for their company and remembering to be thankful for those who would continue to hear out my neuroses, anxieties and psychosis.

Coming out of depression is such a difficult thing to do. I’ve felt like just letting go and drowning, sinking right to the bottom of the pit that is the morass of my life. Perhaps I dream it all up. Perhaps life is a lot less complicated than I make it out to be. However, irrespective of the substantial differences between reality and perception, my perception is my reality. And right now, it’s not looking very good.

Despite all this, I somehow managed to have an extremely pleasant evening on Saturday. It started with dinner at Shrooms, KLCC where we were sitting at a table by the window with a lovely view of the fountain and park. This was followed by a very nice and enjoyable concert given by the English Chamber Orchestra with Sarah Chang as “star” soloist in two works: Dvorak’s Romance in F Minor and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

ASIDE: If you’ve previously read about my run-ins with the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas and are still interested in the matter, I’m afraid I’ve still not heard from the concert hall about their “policy” on bags - this despite the fact that it’s been more than a month since I last wrote to them. I did however receive an email from their General Manager, Mr Stephen Smith, acknowledging receipt of my faxes and assuring me that the matter would be discussed, although he disclaimed any responsibility over the issue. Alas, I must say that I found Mr Smith’s email to be rather impolite if not rude. The first paragraph from the email suffices to illustrate my point:

So… we’re one for one. “We” (being DFP/MPO) seem to have destroyed an evening (or two) for you. In return, you have gone a good distance towards wrecking my Monday morning.

But that was Saturday. Sunday has now come and gone and I still feel very overwhelmed by life and such. Honestly… I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but I really don’t know how much longer I can hold up on my own… This is not just another bump on the road. And I don’t think it’s even just depression any more. I think I might have gone beyond that now…

Life bloody sucks sometimes and you have no choice but to go along with the ride. The question is whether you would be strong and courageous enough to float and surface again one day…

Another week. Further on down the road? Or just right back where you started? It isn’t always easy to tell. We can travel hundreds of miles and be in much the same terrain. Or we can step just a few feet, through a doorway to a different world. Your preferences and priorities will not just shape the next few days, they will influence the rest of your life. Pick the right goals, for the right reasons and there’s no reason why you can’t, now, make exactly the right progress.
- Cainer for the week.

This website did not change my life - though it did make me laugh a little - but I’m hoping this book will.

  

feeling suicidal

There are days where I really feel like killing this man. Today is one of them. After feeling suicidal for most of the day, I decided to distract myself and see what wisdom dear old Mr Cainer had to impart to me and this is what he said:

Some of life’s most important lessons have to be learned the hard way. Some processes have to be performed properly. Shortcuts compromise genuine quality. Remember that, please, as you now try to work out why a particular process is proving so stressful. There really has been no other way to get from A to B. And the good news? Mars and Pluto are finally completing their rare right-angle. You are, at last, nearing the successful conclusion to an arduous journey.

Like… errr… yes… that’s very helpful… I think. So, I guess, as long as I’m only feeling suicidal and not actually jumping off some high building or slitting my wrists or taking more pills than I can count, life will be fine. Or better at any rate. Or so he says…

Then I decided to take this stupid test again and guess what!?! I’ve improved my scores. I’m now a 60 which means:

You have the symptoms of severe depression. The condition seems to cause serious problems in your everyday life, and you should consult your doctor immediately.

Great! Another obvious answer. I could have told myself that without going through 18 inane questions that any half-intelligent nitwit could have second-guessed.

It’s another seven hours to bedtime. Do I go out looking for a doctor in this miserable grey weather or do I bunker down in bed blasting Barbra Streisand in my ears? Tough question, that one…

  

moderate to severe depression

I don’t need anyone, or any stupid test, to tell me this:

You have the symptoms of moderate to severe depression. The condition seems to cause serious problems in your everyday life, and you should consult your doctor immediately.

Depression is a disease like any other disease, and it can be treated very effectively. Recognising that you are suffering from depression is the first positive step. If you are depressed, you should arrange to see your doctor to talk about the illness right away. You may also want to raise the issue with your friends and family. You should look for support from these people you until you get well. Anyone can suffer from depression, and the symptoms can vary from person to person. Treatments, including medication and psychotherapy, have a very high success rate.

I know it already!

Lead followed from Asmadi’s blog.

Oh, by the way, I scored 46.

  

Time to say goodbye?

How do you let someone go.
how do you understand that it’s alright, that everything changes.
How do you (find a way) to make you feel good about life,
instead of breaking your heart.
The hardest you’ll ever learn is how to say goodbye

- voiceover from Episode 10 of Steven Spielberg’s Taken

Is there ever a good time to make drastic decisions…? Or have I thought through it long enough? How do you know you’re standing right on the edge of a precipice and not another mile away from it? When do you read the writing on the wall? How do you know the time has come?

Once, you felt sure of your beliefs. You had high ideals and deep convictions. You are no longer so sure. Recent events have required a rethink. You are currently questioning much of what you once took for granted. Consequently, you are no longer so sure of what you want from life. But at least you know what you don’t want, and that’s a start. The coming eclipse will help you to clear the confusion from the closet of your consciousness and restock the shelves with new certainties.
- Cainer, weekend of 22 November 2003

Maybe the past is like an anchor holding us back.
Maybe you have to let go of who you were,
to become who you will be.

- Voiceover in Episode 1, Season 5 of Sex and the City

  

Nice things, life and choices

As I was walking around the Bukit Bintang area yesterday evening after work, I saw so many nice things. Things I would like to have. Things I wished were in my life at the moment. But I also remembered that saying - be careful of what you wish for…

Sometimes you realise that life could be so different. So much better. And more satisfying. It’s trying to get there that kills you. Literally.

You may not have much choice over what’s happening now, but you have a lot of choice over what this, in turn, will lead to. Be heartened by this and choose wisely.