Blood Pressure

Yesterday was quite hectic but fun day. I attended health seminars in the morning, in preparation for my annual physical exam. The results were not encouraging: high cholesterol, border line hypertension and being overweight. It was not disastrous but not my best result so far. I attended a department meeting in the afternoon where one got a view of next year’s projects. High level stuff but enough to keep one’s hope up as the goal was aggressive, ambitious and correct. It’s a good place to be; to be part of a grand plan that would motivate people achieve goals. I am glad I had stayed and continued on because I now see it’s the most stable place to develop one self. The only thing is that the ambitious plan may have played a part in my hypertension as I took my physical exam right after the meeting.

It’s a lesson learned: not to have your medical assessment after a high level meeting. But I think it’s much more, specifically more weight in my part. I guess my body is not as young as it used to be and being overweight is not good. At least I am not obese though one may head to that direction if one is not careful. I had hoped that my results would be better considering I exercise more: at least 3 times a week; more times than I ever had in the past. So increasing exercise was not really good. Earlier this year, I also joined a weight management program but left after completing the basic course. I had thought that I learned new skills but I gained a few more pounds after leaving the course. I think that is the problem here: eating too much and sleeping less.  Exercise is not enough to keep one on the right path.

Last night my friends had dinner at home. My wife cooked fired chicken, French fries and salad. Actually, a few came after dinner for coffee because their beloved puppy just graduated from dog school. We had a nice time talking about technology – Sony Dash, i Phone, iPad, NetFlix, Archos as well as investing in gold, getting pregnant and preparing for winter. We will meet again tomorrow night to have dinner together. An old friend from Thailand is also here so we invited her to come along. She had jet lag so she could not come last night. I had worked with her a few times in Bangkok and Singapore. She was posted in China for a few months and is back in Thailand. Seeing her brought back a lot of pleasant memories with old friends. Those days are long gone after the downsizing of operations in Asia.

I did not realize how far I had gone from Asia after focusing on my work. Work has kept one further and further away from one’s memories. Soon one gets older and feebler or sicker. It’s like one’s past life is receding from memory or is it one’s youth that is slipping farther behind? Last night I showed my friends how Facebook is displayed in Sony Dash. It remains the only link to one’s past. Social networking for nomads or frequent travelers is a tool that keeps them grounded. It’s probably the best example where technology can help people retain their humanity and connections. Technology started out as making one smarter and more productive. Now technology helps in communication and keeping people connected. Perhaps this is the next technology wave that everyone has been talking about.