I Love You. Pillow

A Sponsored Post. And a Comfortable One at that.

Someone spotted my blog, contacted me, sent me a pillow to test and here I am writing about it.

"Gentle in my face. Fragrant on my breath." 

You'd want that from your partner in bed. 

Good news. You don't have to have a partner to have that. 

Just a pillow. But not just any pillow. 

An Origin pillow.

 

Apart from the usual spiel about how good the technical details about the product or the company or the founders- which makes compelling stories as well. I won't go into advertising speak. God knows we've heard enough of that.

Just allow me to share my personal experience in using this pillow.

At first reluctantly. 

Because I prefer soft goose down pillows or soft cotton filled pillows that allow my entire head to sink into them and go into deep slumber. All is well and good until...

I wake up in the morning or noon to find both my throat and neck almost always sore.

The throat is from my thunderous snoring my partners tell me and the neck is from the lack of neck support during my sleep.

So, enter the Origin Superior Coolmax Pillow. 

Featured as one of the *Best 8 Pillows in Singapore.  For more details do checkout their website.

The thickness factor was the most daunting for me. After years of sleeping on thinner soft pillows, I had to switch to a thicker version. It's like sleeping with a fat lady after years of slims ones, I have nothing against fat ladies, it's just that I've not had the pleasure before. 

It took me awhile to adapt but after a long while, I finally got comfortable with it. 

I must say it's been quite a change for me as well as my sleep quality. 

- For me, I now wake up feeling well rested with less neck discomfort as I frequently have. This is due to my preference for softer pillows. Firmer pillows provide neck support, hence the happy neck.

- My sleep quality has definitely improved not only for me but for my partners as well. They noticed that I snore less thunderously and sleep more soundly. I certainly feel it in the morning.

I suffer from a potentially serious condition called sleep apnea. The muscles in the back of my throat collapses on my air passageway causing an obstruction to breathing. Technically I stopped breathing in my sleep. This causes my brain to rouse me by causing me to choke or cough to gasp for air. People with sleep apnea tend to do this frequently.

There are many causes for this condition but somehow the Origin pillow has somewhat reduced my strange (some call it bizarre) condition of 'breathing difficulties.'

I think the contour of the pillow design plays a big part in cradling my head such that it rests in optimum position. They say it's German technology coupled with local expertise. I say it's a load off my neck.

Credit to express photography

The founders, Shaun and Gee knew buying a mattress is bank busting business. They understood  that buying a mattress were a long term investment and that shopping for one brought endless unfamiliar terminologies and pushy salesmen.

You can visit them for all the details here > 

Origin Mattress

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Best in Singapore

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Stay tuned. Stay safe. I wish you good sleep.

A Love Story. Or is it?

Someone asked for a story.

Photo by Echo Wang on Unsplash

I remember now. the story I often tell when I was younger to gauge the core of the people I'm with. 

This is a love story about a boy and a girl who lives on the other side of the mountain. 

There's always a love story about a boy and a girl. Isn't there?

Well here it goes;

Once upon a time... a boy and a girl fell in love but they each live on the other side of the mountain separated by a raging river. 

One day the boy sends the girl a message pleading for her to come see him as quickly as she can. 

She rushes out the minute she receives his message. 

It's morning but alas the raging storm the night before has rendered all forms of travel to the other side of the mountain impossible. Save for a boat that could ford the raging waters driven by this boatman. 

She rush to him and offers to double his fare. But all he asks of her to take her across is to ride in his boat without her clothes. 

She refuses at first but reluctantly obliges desiring to be with her lover, the boatman ferries her across unharmed. 

Upon reaching the other side naked, she makes her way to his house a distance away. On the way she runs into a priest. Thank god, please father give me a cloth, a blanket or a shawl to cover myself so that I may run to see my lover. 

The priest hiss vileness and casts her as the devil in temptation refusing to help her. She with no choice runs into the forest to hide her shame while  looking for his house. 

She runs into a woodcutter instead. The strong virile woodcutter thinking god has answered his prayers promptly has his way with her. And boy did he have his way with her. 

She all bloodied, muddied and naked managed to run the last lap all the way to his house. 

Her boyfriend looks at her with displeasure, disdain and disbelief to the extent that he disowns and discards her. 

Heart broken the girl runs the final lap back to the river and jumps to her death. 

Sad ain't it?  

Question: Now rank in the order of blame, in order of appearance; 

the boatman, 

the priest, 

the woodcutter, 

the boyfriend. 

Who is the one most to blame?  Who is second? Third? 

I will deal with each one of you if you care to participate in the ranking of blame, in the order of your response. 

You decide.

Stay tuned. Literally. 

I love you. 2021

I love you. 2020 Goodbye.
But I never can say goodbye to 2020. Here I will try to let you go...

Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash

Most people can't wait to say goodbye to each outgoing year and optimistically welcome the new incoming year. 

In my case I could not really let 2020 go out just like that. It seems so difficult to have to leave behind a year that has meant so much to me. It has etched no, carved out a huge piece of me, turned me inside out- like falling head over heels in love over a person of interest. 2020 was the lover who cut me deep, most times painful, then nursed and mended me and made me leave behind a huge chunk of unnecessary baggage like fibroids. In the process I have also become lighter. And happier. I have never had so many happy days in my life than I have in 2020.

2020 will probably go down in history as the Covid-19 year, even though it started in 2019. Hence the name.

It was ironic that the Covid lockdown that got me writing this blog again. And again on our second lockdown. I began to settle down to read and write yet again.

Although many events unfolded in 2020, I was fortunate enough to have clocked in many hours as a novice monk or a yogi practising meditation. Thankfully I am able to shut out the unnecessary chatter and clutter the news portals and channels had to disseminate. Especially in Malaysia, suspense, fear and intrigue surmounted with the political musical chairs that was playing out amidst the spread of the pandemic. Politics or otherwise I am not going to complain. I've got another chance to reset again.

If there is one exercise that I am proud of and silently use daily is Meditation. 

It is no wonder this blog of mine is peppered with meditation posts. I urge you to find them and read them if you're interested.

Meditation if nothing more, is simply a daily cleansing of the mind much like the daily cleansing of our  body of it's wastes and toxins. If we can take the time and trouble to bathe daily, there is no reason to not meditate to cleanse our minds. The junk we accumulate over the course of one hour not to mention one day from whatever information we consume under the guise of news, entertainment, amusement, education, meetings, messages and gossip is simply mind boggling. Don't you think we need to empty the trash?

As a matter of fact, I can say that meditation is the most important thing in my day. 

More important than eating, drinking, entertainment, reading, listening to music or exercising. 

It's simply this; if my mind is not expunged of the junk and remnants of the day how can I function at optimum levels? We will only be caught in the never ending cycle of reliving old thoughts and recycling old experiences. That would be sad. Criminal even. Because our soul and sole purpose is to fully live in the present moment devoid of any interferences of past or future. 

That has been my regiment in 2020 and in so practising, however painful it was, I stuck to it diligently. 

I am also reaping the gifts that came along with the power of meditation. I became more calm, focussed, less distressed at every thought that invaded my mind, grateful, observant, aware of my surroundings, appreciative of people and things around me. 

The gifts I received came literally in all shapes and sizes, colour or creed, friends and lovers. Best of all I have never been happier.

A quote I came across aptly describes the benefits of meditation in one sentence;

"Give an hour to meditation, get 23 back"

Thank you 2020 for the gifts and the pain. It gives me great comfort in knowing that the gifts you have given me throughout the year will stay with me and last a mighty long time. Long after the pain is gone.

Thank you. Namaste,

Now I am ready for 2021. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.