The Past Week...

"A" once mentioned that when one does things consistently, regularly, for 22 times, then it becomes a habit. Don't ask why it is the number 22 - apparently he read it somewhere, or he's just pulling my leg. Anyway, so I have been trying that out...sorta stick to some proper routine. I am not a "routine" kind of person; if there's one thing I find utterly boring, that would be doing the same thing, at the same time, in the same way, every single day. But according to A, my personal psychologist and motivator, that's how you build up habits that you want to see in yourself. Arrgggh whatever. See, I'm not so good at sitting down with a textbook or a learning module, especially if the font is quite small and in black print. And oh, especially if there are no pictures. Classics and literature are a different thing. One doesn't always get to just do the things he's good at. Sometimes he's forced into something he doesn't want to do, nor have the patience to, but will be beneficial for him. I had no choice but to grudgingly put into my schedule the "study hour" for the past week and a half - normally from 10 - 12 in the evening. It hasn't quite reached 22 days but I don't reckon I would last any longer doing that. So what if I can't sit still? The past weeks have been exhausting.

The simple habit I stick with are my early morning coffee - making sure that I sit down in peace and quiet with a large steaming mug for at least 15 minutes. But even that, I need a variety of taste in beans and strength in the coffee - Brazil, Colombian, Goroka, or Jamaican - never to plan what I am having.

And what's this thing about not going out on a week night because it is a week night, or a Sunday night because there is work tomorrow? Doh! I must admit, I have at one point dangled dangerously, close to falling into that queue. Then snapped back. Some times getting out to have a bit of air (and yes, a glass of wine, beer, or whatever) on a non-weekend evening does so much for one's spirits. Same goes for a retail quick fix, nothing beats the silly excitement of an impulse buy.

One of the main things I like about my job is that it is not desk-bound, well yeah I still use a desk, but not necessarily the same desk every day, and not necessarily in the same office all the time. Most importantly, the people I have to work / deal / rub shoulders with today, may not necessarily be the same people I see the next week. Work is always changing, and the approach is always different. I like that. No routine, not 100% predictable. At the start of a new assignment, it could be like stepping on unfamiliar grounds, but that's even more exciting. It doesn't really give me much of a thrill to know that I'll be able to do something because I already knew the drill, that my results are what they are because the work is already my standard familiar one. It just loses its spark for me, if it's that way.

"A" has been away overseas for 2.5 weeks now - I suppose he is the only constant one that I do not mind having.