Decluttering

Okay. So I said I'll share some things from my new job. And here it is. 

When I first move in, the school where I work was in a mess. Not as messy as this:

Source: digitalbloggers.com

but...close. Seriously, the desk where I was supposed to work was filled with things which normal people wouldn't use, or can no longer be used, whic are also known as junk. 

As I dug deeper into shelves, cabinets and cupboards, I found more of them. I was completely amazed. There were letters and proposals and all sort of paperworks (taxes, financial reports, you-name-it-we-got-it) from as far back as 1996. In fact, I even found a box full of wedding souvenirs (what the....?). And then there were flyers and posters and concert booklets from events years ago, by individuals and groups who have ceased to exist. And to this day, I still sort out music sheets from the school's previous events. I'm not against archiving in any case. But if you need to keep music sheets for future reference, wouldn't it be good to keep just ONE copy instead of TWENTY? Historical evidence proved that even that one friggin' copy was becoming obsolete.

So I gave them away. The school janitor did her magic and made them disappear (I think she sold them to some recycling groups or something) and I'm so happy. 

These days people tend to acquire and keep and don't let go. My sejour in Berlin taught me how frugal the Germans are, and I admire that about them. They don't buy things they don't need, and they don't throw away things unless they are broken. Their life is so simple and they don't waste things.

Decluttering has so many positive sides. People wrote about that on the internet because it's really something everyone should do in their life regularly. I won't elaborate on that, as you can all browse and find out for yourself, but for those who find decluttering difficult, it's actually very basic. Some things in life have to go to make room for the new ones. Imagine if not one single person or animal dies in this world. The earth will sink because all these living things, with their fluids and fats, are there the whole time. Decluttering is the most natural thing to do. Some of us have unlearned it. But once we re-learn how to do it, it will be as normal as breathing in and out.  

Gosh, I really miss this.

I miss writing. And I miss a whole month of February NOT writing anything in my blog. Honestly, I didn't even write in my journals. Not in any of them (I have 3, by the way). Lame!

Source: http://www.brianevansjones.com

Ever since I took up a job as manager at my friend's music school, I hardly have time to do anything else but work. My mum is super happy because I can now wake up at 5 every day. My office hour is from 8-13 from Monday to Friday, and then I rush back home to start teaching at 2 pm. After 6 pm I have dinner and then work on my personal projects until my brain screams "sleep!!!" and then I doze off. There's no time and energy to do anything else. I have 6 books by the bed which I've bought but haven't read, and every day I look at them in dismay. The only time I have to read now is on weekends, and many times they have to compete with either movie or sleep, so I'm guessing they won't dissappear anytime soon. 

But anyway, I'm loving the current situation because it really teaches me to be effective and efficient in managing my time. Everything I do has purpose and benefit now, even if it's just laying around in front of the telly. And I know one day this will be useful. Also, I learn to appreciate the little time I have in between tasks and duties and cherish them. Every Tuesday I have about 2 hours to spend before I teach, and I go visit my grandmama and talk to her. Now it's our ritual, and I love it.

But the best thing about all of this is that I'm getting to know more people and making more connections. And it's always the most interesting part of my work. You get so many things from observing people and their relationships with other people. When I'm not too busy, I'll share them here.

But at the moment, I gotta go to bed. Meeting tomorrow at 8!