A Life of Simplicity and Detachment

I went to mass as I always do during lunchtime on Wednesday.

It was the Feast Day of St Clare of Assisi.  During the homily, the priest spoke about how she had taken to a life of poverty, abstinence from meat, speaking only when necessary.  A life of simplicity and detachment.  A life focus on the choice she made as a faithful disciple.

Have I lost my focus in life when I rush around busily?  When I tell my 4 year old that I am busy and is unable to read to him?  Or watch my daughter's latest dance moves?  Or not being able to go swimming with them, because I am much too tired from all the housework?  Or wave my eldest away when he tried to tell me the book he just finished?

Have I stop working to live, but instead now live to work?  Have I forgotten how to live and my life is now define by work?  What am I working for?  If it is for a material object, can I do without?

Can I learn to be like St Clare and live a life of simplicity and detachment?

Recipe Friday - Omelettes

Wikipedia defined omelettes as,

"An omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often ham), or some combination of the above. To obtain a fluffy texture, whole eggs or sometimes egg whites only are beaten with a small amount of milk or cream, or even water, the idea being to have "bubbles" of water vapor trapped within the rapidly cooked egg. The bubbles are what make the omelette light and fluffy.  Omelettes may be only partially cooked on the top side and not flipped, even prior to folding."

Omelettes are almost a meal on its own. They have a special place in my heart and they are the ultimate comfort food that is wholesome and satisfying. At the end of a not so good day, an omelette made with love would undoubtedly soothe away the pain.

The key to a good omelette other than the addition of milk or cream and beating well, are the fillings. Here's a list of fillings that would make up a great omelette. I divide them into 3 categories; if you have one from each category, then this could be a full meal on its own.  If you are adventurous, fruits like pineapple or mango would also work nicely.

Dairy
Mozerella
Cheddar
Double Cream
Full Cream Milk

Vegetables
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Mashed Chickpeas
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Spring Onions
Chilies
Frozen Mix Vegetables

Meat
Ham
Bacon
Luncheon Meat
Spam
Shredded Roast Chicken
Roast Turkey
Sausages
Chorizo
Canned Spiced Pork Cubes

Here's a quick recipe.

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cheese (any kind)
3 tbsp frozen peas, thawed
1/2 onion, diced
2 pcs chili padi, sliced (I like it hot)
3 bacon rashers, sliced

1. Beat eggs and milk vigorously until bubble form. Gently fold in cheese.


2. Fry at medium heat on a well oiled pan, bacon and onion. Do so until slightly brown.


3. Add in peas to heat through.


4. Pour in egg mixture and cooked until bottom is slightly set before scattering the chili slices into the omelette.


5. Fold in half and cook as per personal preference; serve it up as soon as you fold if you prefer it runny in the middle or leave it in the pan for a bit longer if you prefer your eggs set.


6. Serve with a nice cold drink in front of favourite TV program.

Do I have to love my job?

I don't love my job.  Period. 

 Age old discussion about whether it is better to have a job that you don't like but pays well or to have a job that you love but pays okay.

 I am still in the job I have been for the last 13 years (in fact my anniversary is coming end of this month).  I used to love the job, no matter how difficult the work was or how hard the clients were to deal with.  Friends I speak to, always has something to complain about their jobs.  I had none.  In fact, I kept quiet most times because if you allowed me, I would have serenaded about my job.

 So what changed?  Life changed, priorities changed, interests changed, I changed.

 I am great at what I do.  Clients love me, workmates look up to me and love working with me.  There is something about me that allows me to do my job well - everyone tells me everything!  Information is power and that helps me to navigate the intricate maze of human relationships.  I get paid relatively well for it.  But remember, I don't love my job anymore.

 For quite a while I struggled with what I should do.  Quit my job?  Go find a job I really love but perhaps don't pay as well?  Stick to my current skill sets and move to a new environment?  Mostly I struggled with the fact that I don't love my job anymore so why do it?  In my mind, spending 40 hours a week doing something I don't really care for, is not exactly a great use of my time.

 I then came across a few articles on the Internet.  These articles say that I don't need to love my job.  Everyone touted that if you do the job you love, you will be happy and you will perform well.  These articles point out that I should not get bogged down by traditional beliefs.  I come to realise that I don’t need to love my job to do it well.  I pack and organize my closets very well, but I don't love it.

 My feelings about my job has evolved throughout the years.  It is now a means to an end.  Some ends actually.  The means to have a new house (I just moved to a bigger place!), the means to have a lifestyle that my family and I want, the means to go away regularly on vacations, the means to have a better and nicer life.

 These ends are my priorities now - if you look closer , it points to one single priority - my family.  Once I reached this epiphany, things at work seem more bearable and I even catch myself enjoying some parts of it!  I have my ups and downs but staying positive and focused helps a lot in getting the job done.

 So, it is okay not to love my job, as long as I know why I am working.