When less is more
I never thought this of myself but what if I am a time millionaire? My friend Tiffany shared this article on how we could find better value in our time, if we could just unstick time entirely from society's notions of capitalist value. Please read the article because it really made me pause and check in with myself if I feel happier these days, which I do. Tbh I feel richer, so very rich with friendships rekindling, and spending even more mindful time with my father.
Case in point #1: making basil pasta from scratch, quietly wondering if what we made was edible - and it was! More like mee hoon kueh than tagliatelle, but that time spent talking to my friends, laughing, I wouldn't give this up for anything.
Case in point #2: Having a lot of tea at a friend's place. My senses were fired up, being able to play with the various tea pots and tea cups, and while I have much lower distinctions when it comes to appreciating tea, it made me feel very seen by my friends (... who actually said: "I don't think Medhā will like this tea because it's too astringent," and "Give her the honey orchid dancong since you don't like it").
What is a Smart Working Asian?
I recall having a reporting officer who needed to see my chat online status ('green ball' to show activity and presence), and the person explicitly requested for this. On this memory, I wonder if the person ever came to the realisation that it's not whether a team mate's ball is green, orange, or just not there, but whether we did our work effectively. Even if we knocked off promptly at 6pm, it doesn't mean that we were inflexible. It meant we had boundaries, and that we finished the work we set out to do well and good. By the way, leaving at 6pm wasn't me for a good long time. I'm finally in recovery.
Here's another take to being, not just a millionaire, but a time billionaire. Such a great way to re-think what we see as our limitations, to our possibilities!
This idea of being a time billionaire immediately creates an opportunity to lean into your greatest resource — time. The time billionaire can have a time horizon that is counted in decades. The time billionaire can afford to be patient. The time billionaire can slowly compound money over time. There is no rush. There is no compressed timeline that clouds the judgement of a time billionaire. The time billionaire has a significant advantage when it comes to controlling their emotional state.
What else have I been up to?
I've been walking every weekend at Jalan Besar as part of OH! Open House's very missed yearly art walk. I miss walking and talking to people who want to know more about our neighbourhoods, so this was a really good excuse to rack up Vitamin D points (but Singapore sun, #lastwarning!) while guiding curious eyes to look deeper, and question their initial gaze that they took for their journey through The Other's Jalan Besar.
I'm okay, and I hope you're doing better these days.
Love,
Medhā