Frog in Pot

21 Aug 2012, Tuesday, 2:09pm

The spur of this moment led me to pen my thoughts, AND the discussion with a peer over watsapp.

For a long long long long time, there was inertia in me. I know I got into this business to touch lives. And I told myself the need to act fast and 'save lives'. Still, I took my time with things, and people. This morning, I revisited the fact that the current place I am staying in is getting too crowded. Issues start to arise, people start to find excuses, can't see eye-to-eye, etc.

So I asked RT for advice. He stays in rented flat, along with some other tenants. On how to source for rented flats, what are the things to look out for, how much it may cost, his reply made me understand why he is always early to arrive in the office, and stays till 11pm on most nights. Returning home is merely for a shower and sleep. The routine repeats at dawn. Going home for him is nothing like how it means for most of us- to unwind, watch TV programmes, talk to family members, whip up a meal, etc.

Not so much about him anyway, more the fact that I may adopt his routine soon. To rent a place and move out. This, needs money. Now, I have a compelling reason to work my butt off. And on butt, RT shared his analogy of me sitting in my comfort zone for far too long. This is what I like about peer pressure, and how my friends are my eyes and ears, giving me their two cents worth when I need them.

Just two days ago, over dinner, I mentioned to RT that I don't need a lot of money and am generally happy with how things panned out for me so far. I have a roof over my head, don't need to spend much, don't mind home-cooked food and think there is enough money to spend. But this morning, the tide changed. I need my own roof! And to get it, some fundraising is needed.

"Imagine a pot with room temperature water and a frog inside, and very very small fire is burning the pot.....The frog sits in the water inside this pot, feeling nothing and is very comfortable...and don't see the urgency to jump out. You know what happens an hour later. YOU are the frog. :P"

"Burnt ass?", I asked.

"Yep, burnt ass in 30 mins, cooked frog in an hour."

"Thanks for the reminder and 'saving my ass', so to speak."

"It's a frog without brain then- bimbo frog." I retorted.

"You mean yourself? :P No urgency mah," RT.

"No, to get into the pot...for what???!"

"We get into life traps sometimes...it's whether we wake up and get out of it or not, or find ourselves dead. Someone catches that frog to cook, so it is in a life trap. Some frogs jump out, some have no urgency because they cannot feel anything. Coz the fire is small and slow. Fire, is time. Fire, is our age." RT explained.

"You have been in the water far too long....it's getting too warm, or even hot. Jump out at 2:30pm 21 Aug 2012 :P"

":)Yes sir!"

At 2:46pm, I made up my mind to jump out, despite 16mins later than "the jump out time" RT had proposed, the reminder is set and I took pictures of the words he watsapp-ed. Lest I forget.

~"Do. Or Do Not. There is no Try."- Master Yoda.~