Philisophical Thoughts

I took the opportunity while I was in Thailand to pick up a free booklet about Buddhist principles: I am attracted to "good morals" - but I am *not* attracted to religion.
[I go to a yoga-class every week; the class gives me the opportunity to stretch my stiff body ... but when the teacher starts to talk about "energy points" in the body, etc, etc, etc ..... I *stop* listening.]
The booklet has many ideas about how to live a better life - and it doesn't give any information about Buddhism *as a religion*, and I am very happy about this.

I *do* want to be a "better" person, and I would love to be a "happier" person ( - there are many things in my life about which I *should* be happy) - unfortunately God built me to be a person who is constantly seeking "improvement" (in one way or another), and therefore I am constantly unsatisfied with my performance.
And as an example of this - next week my Japanese lessons start again - I *wish* that I was as talented as the other students in the class: they can think faster than I can, and they have better memories than I have.
(Our teacher has also given us homework *before* the first lesson ...... waaaaaaaaaaah .........).

When I was in Singapore, I wanted to buy a copy of the movie "Letters from Iwo Jima" (directed by Clint Eastwood); unfortunately I didn't think long-enough-and-hard-enough when I was in the shop, and by mistake, I bought the *other* Clint Eastwood-directed movie: "Flags of our fathers". The moral of this story is that I should *THINK HARDER* before I do something.

I heard today from a friend who had listened to my comments on the performance of "Wadaiko Yamato" in Zoetermeer.
I didn't know it ... but Yamato later performed in The Hague, and she bought a ticket to see the show. Unfortunately she was not as impressed as I was with the performers ( - she saw "Kodo" many years ago, and she preferred to see a more "traditional" performance).
"You can't please everyone" I suppose.

Tomorrow morning - I go to my local health-centre to get another Hepatitis vaccine injection.
I'll take the opportunity to tell them that I was bitten by a semi-wild monkey when I was in Hua Hin - I'm sure that this news will encourage them to give me *another* injection ...

Oh, and my body is *still* jet-lagged: there are certain "bodily functions" that are *still* not working "properly" ( - I'm trying to be discrete here, so you will just have to use your imagination).
Maybe *tomorrow* everything will be okay ...