Acronymn of the day: FAAK

No, it's not a four letter f-word.  OK, it is, but it's got nothing besides aural similarity in common with that.

Used to end late-night MSN/Skype conversations, FAAK stands for falling asleep at keyboard.  As in, OK FAAK TTYL.  Or, I'm FAAKed out.  

Room 5.312 was getting a little warm

Trapped heat can't breathe - it's stifling in here

as my palms get sweaty and

the temperature goes up

while I chat to a friend about

uncomfortable stuff.

I can't get no air as I feel

unwelcome clamminess

beading in the creases of my palms

the increasing heat

hits me with a force that impels

me to open the window,

or strain to open it,

while knocking over cups on my messy desk

in an effort to get the right leverage.

As I break out in sweat from all the wrong places,

and the window panes slips in my grasp,

and the liquid spilled spreads dangerously close -

its close proximity to my technological equipment may mean damage if I do not act fast enough to stop its furthering.

So I end it,

putting down everything else -

to give it a quick wipe down with a convenient rag.

No dramas* -

there's no use crying over spilled milk.

Suddenly the room feels drafty -

the window's let too much cold air in;

I need to tidy up the mess.

Life goes on.

*'No dramas' is Aussie slang for the American equivalent of 'No big deal'.

Dance therapy

I was doing some research for my latest assignment, and I found out about Trudi Schoop, this really interesting dance therapist. :)

I'm willing to tell you. I'm wanting to tell you. I'm waiting to tell you.

We spend most of our lives waiting for things to happen. Eventually, you come to accept it as a part of life. Some people are able to do it graciously and patiently, while others will whine their way through it - I remember when I was four, how I used to have to wait for unimportant grown-up stuff, like checking the apartment for locked doors and windows, to be done, and lilting, "Why are we waiting?"

Well, one reason might be that we are waiting for someone else to act. Much of our lives consist of the things that are beyond our control, and most of our lives are spent waiting for these things to occur - whether it's waiting for army to be over, waiting to reach a destination, waiting for someone to call, or waiting in the doctor's office. It might even be as big as waiting for love, or waiting for the new covenant to be fulfilled. Or worse (to pull a Hermione Granger), waiting for late exam results.

Another reason might be that we ourselves aren't ready. We've got other commitments, we're afraid, or we don't have the skills required to take on the challenge - for instance, as much as I longed to ski down the Snowy Mountains last week, I knew that I just wasn't ready for that then.

To put it simply, we have no choice.

Even though it often feels frustratingly akin to doing nothing, waiting is still an action, of sorts. According to my trusty Oxford Apple Dictionary (OAD), the word 'wait' came from the word 'wake', which means to emerge from a state of sleep, become aware of, or cause to stir. This puts things in quite a different light - when we wait for something, we are aware of the likelihood of something happening, and that changes the way we live. From a state of sleeping unawareness to that of waking, we have shifted our perspectives, our modes of life, in a significant way.

Sometimes, the best way we can handle this awareness is to carry on as we were - pretending like we didn't even know it was going to happen. But although on the surface it may seem to pass muster, this is never really the case. Whether we will or nay, we keep ourselves attuned to that thing we know will happen. In fact, early senses of the word 'wait' included to be watchful, or observe carefully. In a sense, waiting is a filter of what we see - if we are waiting on the good stuff, we can be optimistic (although some might say we will be disappointed). We can never be completely objective our observation, and waiting is what colours our lenses.

Besides being alert to what we are waiting for, we also prepare ourselves for it. The OAD says that some aspects of the word 'wait' include being ready for a certain purpose. Today at church we had an interesting sermon that tied in perfectly with this; the preacher presented the time between the Lord's first and second coming as a window of opportunity to repent and come to God, as a period of grace - the Lord is waiting for us to be ready, we aren't just waiting for him.

Waiting may seem pointless, futile, or like you're just plain doing nothing, but it's a deceptively active verb - you need to be on the alert, you need to make yourself ready. You may have no choice but to wait, but what you do have a choice in: how you respond when that thing that you've been waiting for happens, will depend on how you've waited.

Yet another reason to dance.

Chicken soup

I've been moving my old blog entries to this blog over the past few months, and I came across an entry that's very relevant, what with H1N1; sometimes the best medicine is a good ole' dose of mum's wisdom.

Although colds and flus are not the same, they share inflammatory effects (your body's response to most invading pathogens), so if you happen to be down with either, according to RealAge (which is apparently six years out of date),

"Chicken soup really can help you get over a cold. Ingredients in chicken soup have anti-inflammatory properties that inhibit the movement of neutrophils into airways. Neutrophils are white blood cells that contribute to the inflammation that causes cold symptoms. Combat your next cold with plenty of rest, lots of fluids, and a bowl of homemade chicken soup...chicken soup contains compounds that help inhibit mucus production. In addition to chicken soup's anti-inflammatory effects, the heat and steam may help open up nasal passages...Sipping hot chicken soup may help, as well -- a steamy bowl of chicken soup with plenty of garlic and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper will boost the nasal-clearing effects of the soup. And be sure to finish the broth; researchers determined most of the anti-inflammatory effects of chicken soup come from the liquid."

(first published 7/3/06 9:11 PM)