A cycle

Life is like a cycle ... Just like the cycle of a butterfly and a caterpillar .......

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Yesterday, sadly, I lost a bicycle. The bicycle was new, and I personally fixed it, making sure every parts of what I perceived as my choice are put together. Alas, I only managed to cycle 1 time only. I parked my new bicycle at Woodlands MRT station ...

Sometimes I do not know what is wrong with me. I already know that Woodlands MRT station bicycle stands are hot spot for bicycle theives and poacher. I also knew that the place is very dangerous for my bicycle if I will not to do something more.

Too bad for me, I only put up a normal cable lock to my bicycle. A cable look to the professional key pricker is nothing but a paper clip effort to open the lock. I should have done more.

For whole day during work, I just feel uneasy. I got this feeling of my bicycle being lost. I also realise that I have done the wrong thing.

Anyway, what is lost is lost. I can easily lodge a police report, but I know better. And with no receipts or bicycle number as proof, there is no use even if I found my bicycle. The "new owner" just has to insist it is his/her, or change certain parts.

I have said that as a person who seem to have nothing talented. The only way I can succeed is to strategise well. Nonetheless, I do realise it takes certain degree of diligence and commitment to implement the strategies.

My former bicycle which is a scrap metal, is not stolen as I have strategically set "traps". I spray black ink around the seat. Whoever want to pluck my seat off, will have his/her hands stain for weeks even with soaps. I also put it in the place where there is most people walking. I also "camouflage" it with the other bicycles of the same type. They are old and haggy.

Most importantly, I know no one will want to waste effort to steal a "metal scrap". WHoever will to steal my former bikes, I will thank him for helping me to get rid of my garbage.

Anyway, I am also relatively impatient. I just want to implement the" bicycle scheme" immediately as my transport from my home to Woodlands interchange and Mrt station. Normally, I will have to take bus, and bus are expensive over the long run.

Bicycle is faster, and I can exercise at the same time. And I do not need to share the same squeezy bus with many commuters. Except for the rain which I have contingency of raincoats readily available in my back pack, everything seems to pinpoint to bicycle as a good mode of transport for me.

Anyway, impatience has caused me dearly. I have actually devised the "triple lock scheme". That is to triple lock my new bike, so that even thieves will even feel troublesome pricking of my bike. My bike is very new, and obviously better than the other bikes. Therefore, those bicycle stealers will confirm hit my bike as a target.

I have even hatched a more ruthless and lame plan. I will paste a piece of paper to my bike. The content is that a curse will effect on anyone who take away my bike without my permission. This will at least deter some people who are superstitious.

But impatience cause me dearly. I have actually chose a good location where I try to mask my bike with the other bikes. To protect my bike, I parked it in a shelter, and also where people walk around the area.

But, the only regrets and error I have is the lock. This prove to be the point which I lost to those *******. People can easily prick open my bike with the pretext that they are trying to open the lock. This is why they will not be suspicious compare to those who carry pliers with them.

Impatience I am that cause me misery. And maybe a stream of bad luck too. Realising my mistakes, I promise myself that I will implement the "triple lock scheme" asap during my off days. Alas, theives are theieves, and they jump to opportunities. A fat pig I have, with both my hands free, given to them.

Anyway, I should stop whincing about my bikes and get on with life ...

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I believe life is a cycle. Maybe beacause I am a Buddhist(though not that devout, but is devoted), that I have this concept in my mind. Kharma and reincarnation is part of cycle. However I am not going to dwell into the religious concept.

What I am saying is the cycle of good fortune and bad luck. If you prefer to look at it scientifically, it is advantage probability vs disadvantage probability.

Just like when we go up slope on a journey, always there will be a down slope. Naturally, we feel better when travelling down slope as we are not against gravity, and also when the gravity is with us. This is why we feel "good" at down slope, even earlier on, we suffer while defying against gravity while going up slope.

Indeed, life is like this. Our good luck and bad one occur like a cycle. Of course even talking about lives, it is not that simple. Sometimes, it seems bad luck come together at the same time, and lady luck do not smile on you. But anyway, as long as good deeds are done, luck will always favour you. You feel better, you feel really good, and then the cycle will flow faster and better, and you get more goodies ... Luck is not that simple that we count the quantity of luck, that means number of good lucks = number of bad lucks. Luck is in fact subjective, as there are relatively different to different people.

This is tantamount to, you go upslope in a very steep path, but you go downslope 2 times, yet those 2 downslopes are gentle, taking that the potential energy is the same for the position of upslope, and the height of the slope. It is also vice-versa for the other way round. Going upslope 2 times, and downslope 1 time. This is just a simple illustration that not many things inclusive of "luck" can be counted mathematically.

And the good and bad deeds which somehow affect the feel-good factor will also affect the luck or probability field. Of course it may seem that the probability field is always positive for someone who is bad, as he/she did many bad deeds. But this may be due to the fact that his/her luck comes from other sources. In religious context, it may be due to kharma, or from the parents or anyone else who owe them in previous lives or the present lives.

Scientifically, you can say that it is the exception. That person is exception. There is always 99.999999999999% and not 100%. Of course, without doing good deeds, the bad person will only use up the good luck without "replenishing" it.

This is why, it may come to an end, that bad person will end up badly. Villians will not have good ends. An example, If the bad guy keeps using up the luck from a source such as his wife, then his wife will bound to suffer ...

This is why when many good fortunes strike me suddenly, I will be quite taken aback. I will feel that something might be wrong. And when bad fortunes befall me, I will try to amend and ensure that phase of period will be gone without me having any repercussions.

Only the balance and flexible mixture of good and bad luck blending together in the lifestyle, can make a person indeed happy. Of course, if you achieve a sense of self-actualisation and self-realisation, then even when bad luck befalls you, you will laugh it away, and that the bad luck may seem nothing bad to you afterall. Of course, happy-go-lucky is negative, but reaching the state of enlightenment is positive no matter what happens.

Life is like a cycle, but in this life, we must live life to the fullest. Eat, drink or be merry, for tomorrow we die. Cycle does not mean that we can waste our lives for we will eventually come back. But cycle means that our physical self is a cycle, but mentally and psychologically we are not. This is why, we will have to live life well, for our mental health and mental self. For physical, then it is up to the individuals to be responsible. Even if circumstances (Outside environments) [Or people might label it as fate) affect the probability field, perception is important. Perception will lead to action, and this action will show how well we do in this cycle. Mental and physical are linked, if this cycle, we fail miserably, then for the next cycle, it will be harder for us to get things right in the next cycle. Thus, it is better to get things well done in this cycle for the good of the next cycle.

What I stated above is not just religiously thought of, though the religious context might have affected my ideas. But anyway, it is a way to prompt us to live life well and to the fullest. Then only can we achieve eternal happiness ...

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(Added on ...... 4/12/2005)

Today, buy a 3rd-hand bicycle from Adam. It is a suspension bike. After getting everthing fixed, I also buy the supposedly expensive and good lock. I am not going to let my bicycle be misappropriated or stolen anymore. The bicycle is quite good, except it lacks basket, wheel protector (Help to prevent the splashing of water when the bike cuts through a pool of water) and bell. Anyway, I am only using the bike for transport, and I believe that a good bike that can cycle is good enough for me. Since it is a 3rd hand, this means it is not new, and thereby I hope the professional bicycle thief will have lesser tenacy to "eye" my bicycle.

Anyway, I cycle all the way from Bishan to Woodlands. It is quite tiring, but at least this is nothing compare to the numerous night cycling I have gone through during my ODAC days. I get to explore the secluded Sembawang Hot spring. The whole trips took 2 hrs and will be lesser if not for the fact that I take periodic rest along the way.

Anyway, to continue about the cycle thing ... I believe this cycle is true not only for religious but also scientifically. Carbon and Nitrogen cycle for instance. This means that if something is not cycled, it is just lost in a way that it does not partake in the cycle. Simply, like carbon, the carbon falls into the deep ocean and it seems we humans cannot "utilise" them. Thereby, in our contexts, it is not in the cycle.

This is why, I insists that something that may not seem not to be in cycle, are actually in cycle. But because we are the one that view and decide which thing is in a cycle, we may miss it.

Many things in lives, are like that. Seldom have we notice something close to us, will we cherish it until we lose them ...

Anyway, all these are my views, I may be wrong in today's context and society ... I will love to hear about other views about how other people view lives, and also the cycle's perception ...