Our Daily Inspirations [Archive] - United Subang Jaya Web Forum

sky

11-10-2003, 09:32 PM

I like this thread...so...here is mine! ;)

Daddy's Day at School

Her hair was up in a ponytail
Her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
And she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,
That she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
If she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
She knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
Of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,
For her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
She tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school,
Eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
A dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in the back,
For everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
Anxious in their seats.

One by one the teacher called,
A student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
As seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,
Every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
For a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"
She heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one,"
Another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,
She heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
Too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,
As she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
Who told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back,
Slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
Came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here,
Because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
Since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories
He taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
And taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,
And ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him,
I'm not standing here alone.

Cause my daddy's always with me,
Even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
He'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up,
And lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
Beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
Her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
Who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love
Of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,
Staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
But its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,
He's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
But heaven's just too far.

You see he was a fireman
And died just this past year
When airplanes hit the towers
And taught Americans to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,
It's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes,
And saw him there that day.

And to her mother's amazement,
She witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
All starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,
Who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
They saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy,"
To the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
Of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,
For each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
Was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
By the love of her shining bright star.
And given the gift of believing,
That heaven is never too far.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them,
but then an entire life to forget them.

Take the time...to live and love. Until eternity.

I hope all of us will learn to appreciate everyone around us...especially our love ones...! We can easily take them for granted! Hmmm... maybe b4 we go to bed each night, we should ask ourselves "did i take anyone for granted today?"

God bless.

lord

13-10-2003, 01:35 PM

"Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may
not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."

~ Albert Camus

*******************************************

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

~ Mother Teresa

lord

13-10-2003, 01:40 PM

A True Story.

During the waning years of the depression in a small southeastern Idaho community, I used to stop by Mr. Miller's roadside stand for farm-fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and money were still extremely scarce and bartering was used, extensively. One particular day Mr. Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller and the ragged boy next to me.

"Hello Barry, how are you today?"

"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas ...sure look good."

"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"

"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."

"Good. Anything I can help you with?" "No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."

"Would you like to take some home?"

"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."

"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"

"All I got's my prize marble here."

Is that right? Let me see it."

"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."

"I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"

"Not 'zackley .....but, almost."

"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble."

"Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller."

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said: "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, perhaps."

I left the stand, smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys and their bartering. Several years went by each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon our arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts ... very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing smiling and composed, by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary, awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. Eyes glistening she took my hand and led me to the casket. "Those three young men, who just left, were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size... they came to pay their debt. "We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but, right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho."

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three, magnificently shiny, red marbles.

Moral: We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

~ Author Unknown ~

romi_o

13-10-2003, 10:13 PM

i am always touched by this type of stories *sob* and i'm typing this reply with tears in my eyes... wonderful, ain't it.... if only all of us can contribute somehow, someway to others...

left side hung

13-10-2003, 11:50 PM

this isn't particularly poetic or inspiring, but something about how pure and true it is has always struck a cord with me.

"sh*t happens."

have a poster i made on the ceiling so its the first thing i see every morning. works great when i need to put things in perspective. :)

edit: another line to add that's extremely common, but true: "it can always get worse".

Fat-Huntress

14-10-2003, 02:17 AM

sob~~ its all touching..

lord

16-10-2003, 10:56 AM

1. "An eye for and eye makes the whole world blind."

2. "Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment."

(Our education minister should read this, I think)

3. Gandhi was once asked what he thought about western civilization. His response was: "I think it would be a good idea."

~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

lord

17-10-2003, 09:50 AM

"If it is not Manchester United, it is not football.
Ha Ha Ha!! Ha Ha Ha!! He He He!! He He He!!"

~ ManU Fans!!

Joecool

17-10-2003, 10:55 AM

Fool me once - shame on you!
Fool me twice - shame on me!

If we cannot find a way, we will make one!

- Hannibal Barca

lord

17-10-2003, 03:54 PM

A Change of Heart
by Bob Perks © 2001

It's the world we live in that made me feel that way. Otherwise I wouldn't have thought for a moment about sitting next to that beautiful young girl.

My recent trip to Kentucky ran smoothly except for a near two hour delay in Pittsburgh. I must admit I have never had a major problem while flying across this great country. In fact, I believe this was the first time I have ever experienced a delay that long.

But I always tell my travel agent that if ever I need to be delayed let it be in Pittsburgh. They have the greatest shops and restaurants to keep me busy for hours.

They finally announced boarding. Now I don't believe for a moment that I'm the only person who goes through this. From the moment I enter the plane I start scanning ahead to see my seat. "Who's sitting next to me on this flight?" I wonder. "Is there anyone in my seat already?" That's happened a few times. "Are there any screaming babies nearby?"

Flight time is precious time for me. I sleep, write or read. So screaming babies and frequent bathroom people become a problem.

Today I get to sit next to a beautiful young girl who appears to be about 12 years old. As I approach my seat she seems nervous, perhaps a little apprehensive and I must say very disappointed. You see walking in front of me was this handsome young male teenager. I could see that sparkle in her eye dim as he walked by and I sat down. I'll admit I was nervous and concerned. She was traveling alone and I was one of those strangers her parents told her not to talk to.

"Hi! My name is Bob," I said.

"Hello!" she replied without giving her name.

Then we spent the next one hour and fifteen minutes not saying a word.

She was a typical kid. She never sat still for longer than five minutes. Often times she reached into her carry on and pulled out what appeared to be six brushes, four packs of gum and all the empty wrappers, a bag filled with jaw breakers, a tube of rainbow colored sugar crystals and three foot long licorice. Oh, yes she also ate two bags of airplane peanuts. I gave her mine.

It wasn't until the last 15 minutes of the flight that I heard it. That sweet sounding Voice that said "Give her one of your books!"

"She's only 12," I argued. "She won't find my book interesting. Do they even know how to read at 12?" I thought sarcastically.

But again and again I heard it repeat, "Give her one of your books!" And so I opened one up, signed it and said, "I am a professional speaker and author. I'd like to give you one of my books if you would permit me."

She giggled a bit and said yes followed by "Oh, thanks!"

I then began to explain the story.

"It's a fictional story based on actual events. I changed the names but basically much of this is true. My oldest son, Keith had cancer and that's part of this book."

"Oh, I'm sorry", she said. "No need to be. He's doing just fine, thank you. Where are you from?" I asked.

Then for the next ten minutes this young lady never stopped talking. In fact, as we were leaving the plane she talked and walked backwards down the aisle.

Much of what she said was all a blur for me after she said these words: "Wow, I just saw the Hershey Medical Center mentioned in there. Is that where your son went for his cancer treatments?" she asked.

I nodded "Yes."

"That's where I had my heart transplant," she said with a big smile.

Heart transplant. This child had a heart transplant. Then I took notice. Right at the top of her pink t-shirt, just below her collar bone, the beginnings of a scar peeked over her collar. This vibrant young, beautiful girl had the heart of a donor. Obviously a young donor who lived in a family who cared enough to save another child's life.

She continued to share the details of her stay at Hershey. I continued to listen in amazement. For the story she told was a familiar one. She was the girl down the hall we all prayed for. I never knew how things turned out for her until today.

They say some lives cross because they were meant to. This was more than a chance meeting. I discovered that this child leaving Pittsburgh to go home to Kentucky was a patient in the same hospital, on the same miraculous floor, at the same time my son was there. That little Voice inside of me kept telling me to give her a copy of my book. I argued. The Voice won...as always.

The last words she said to me was..."My Mom always told me that God was going to call me home but then He had a "Change of Heart!" Do you get it?" Then she giggled and laughed as she walked through the last door into the arms of her loving family.

I got it. I heard the Voice say, "Now you know why!"

"I believe in you!"

lord

17-10-2003, 04:00 PM

Ugly The Tomcat

Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and, shall we say, love.

The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly. To start with, he had only one eye and where the other should have been was a hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner.

Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby, striped type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, and even his shoulders.

Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!!"

All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction.

If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around your feet in forgiveness.

Whenever he spied children, he would come running, meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love.

If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find.

One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor's dogs. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end.

As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. It must be hurting him terribly, I thought.

Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear. Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring.

Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.

At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.

Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly.

Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for.

Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me...

I will always try to be Ugly.

~ Author Unknown ~

Joecool

20-10-2003, 09:36 AM

Some of the people we often take for granted are our parents. Often we cannot find time for them. Whenever they call us on the telephone, we would rush through the conversation as if they are imposing on us. It is often not till they are gone that we find that we finally missed them. We have this thing we should have said. This activity that we should have done if we have not all been too busy with our own lives. I still have both my parents and I intend to spend as much of my leisure time with them as possible.

jericho

20-10-2003, 10:08 AM

Joe,

The song "Living Years" by Mike & The Mechanics best described what you just said.

Every generation blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door
I know that I'm a prisoner
To all my father held so dear
I know that I'm a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him
In the living years
More crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I'm afraid that's all we've got
You say you just don't see it
He says it's perfect sense
You just can't get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence
CHORUS
Say it loud
Say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye
So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It's the bitterness that lasts
So don't yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don't give up
And don't give in
You may just be O.K.
CHORUS
I wasn't there that morning
When my father passed away
I didn't get to tell him
All the things I had to say
I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo
In my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him
In the living years
CHORUS

lord

20-10-2003, 10:34 AM

The Empty Easter Egg

Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students."

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."

Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares.

Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face turned red.

She stammered, "Wh--why that's very nice, Jeremy. N--now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg.

"Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

>"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically --all except for Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment?

Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them. That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school,laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.

In the first egg, Doris found a flower.

"Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here."

A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.

The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up.

"We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too."

Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."

Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life.

Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty.

Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.

Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?"

Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty."

He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?"

"Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the schoolyard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the funeral home were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.

~ Author Unknown ~

lord

20-10-2003, 10:39 AM

During one of the many Reformation battles, a young soldier found himself and his army being soundly defeated by the enemy.

He and his comrades hastily retreated from the battlefield in defeat, running away in fear of their very lives.

The enemy gave chase. The young man ran hard and fast, full of fear and desperation, and soon found himself cut off from his comrades. The soldier eventually came upon a rocky ledge containing a cave.

Knowing the enemy was close behind, and that he was exhausted from the chase, he chose to hide there. After he crawled in, he fell to his face in the darkness, desperately crying to God to save him and protect him from his enemies. He made a bargain with God. He promised that if God saved him, he would serve Him for the remainder of his days.

When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance to the cave.

As he watched the delicate threads being slowly drawn across the mouth of the cave, the young soldier pondered its irony. He thought, "I asked God for protection and deliverance, and He sent me a spider instead. How can a spider save me?"

His heart was hardened, knowing the enemy would soon discover his hiding place and kill him. Soon he did hear the sound of his enemies, who were now scouring the area looking for those in hiding.

One soldier with a gun slowly walked up to the cave's entrance. As the young man crouched in the darkness, hoping to surprise the enemy in a last-minute desperate attempt to save his own life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control.

As the enemy cautiously moved forward to enter the cave, he came upon the spider's web, which by now was completely strung across the opening. He backed away and called out to a comrade, "There can't be anyone in here. They would have had to break this spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move on."

Years later, this young man, who made good his promise by
becoming a preacher and evangelist, wrote about that ordeal.

What he observed has stood by me in times of trouble, especially during those times when everything seemed impossible:

"Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall.
Where God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web."

~ Author Unknown ~

Joecool

20-10-2003, 11:18 AM

Below is written by someone I know. This is a true story.

Never Give Up !

Before my son Jack, turned a year old, he could speak approximately thirty words. He was able to speak basic words like bird, cat, dog, socks, clock, etc. In my mind, my kid is going to be a genius. He is developing just like any normal child.

Then after he turned one, he started to behave strangely. He will avoid making eye contact with people and he does not smile any more, always looking very sad, and no facial expression. He also started to talk less and behaving kind of weird. He will laugh or cry for no apparent reason. He also started to spin himself around. If I give him a toy car to play, he will be spinning the wheels instead of pushing or rolling the car.

The worst thing that happened was when he keeps banging his head, which was about thirty to fifty times per day. He will cry in the morning, afternoon and night. Sometimes even up to 3am in the morning. I have to stay awake to take care of him and I only slept from 3am to 6.30am. And the next day I had to go to work. It is not just one or two days but continuously everyday. I was going through hell!

I broke down and cried and cried. I prayed to God to have mercy on me and to give me wisdom on how to care for this child. I do not know what happened as I was in a daze. But God sent angels to me. It was year 2002 that I met this couple on Mother's day. From Jack's features and behaviours, I was told that my son could be autistic. It was a shock for me! Like other parents, I ask, why me?

They recommended books that I could read in order to gain a better understanding on the world of autism. I was also recommended a centre where I could send Jack. It is an Autistic and Learning Difficulties centre. That was around June 2002.

At the same time, I sent him to a nursery for normal children. But he could not cope nor interact with the other children. With his weird behaviours, the teachers were having a hard time handling him. Later, I gave up sending him there because his teachers complained about his behaviours like licking his hands, etc. He was a disturbance to the class environment.

I wanted to get confirmation about Jack's condition. So, I sent him to a hospital for a medical check-up and sure enough, he was diagnosed as autistic. I was down with depression. I could not think straight. Thinking that Jack will not have a future, I did not want to continue my life any longer. All hope is gone.

Then, all of a sudden, I don’t know what struck me. I told myself, instead of letting him continue 'dying', I might as well do something about it. I try to look at the problem from a positive point. Then I started to read more about autism and the various therapies and interventions available. I was trying very hard to improve the situation. The light at the end of the tunnel was becoming brighter.

I joined a parent support group and I am very grateful for this group of parents who are helping other families cope with their autistic child. They have been helping a lot of families. I communicate quite often with other parents via email. Many parents share their problems and difficulties they face regarding therapies, diet intervention, training and much more. The knowledge I gained is tremendous. I also surfed the net and found many websites with the information that I wanted. Thanks to today’s technology.

I read about diet intervention and even attended seminars. I decided to give it a go. He is now on c.f, g.f diet (casein free, gluten free) and also free from lutein stuff (Sara's diet). If Jack eats an orange, he will start giggling and spinning within thirty minutes. If we accidentally give him any food containing milk or food with wheat like, biscuits or bread, he will cry for many days. He is also unable to sleep. I struggle to find replacement for his daily food intake even I’ve to buy rice biscuit from an organic shop.

I give him cod liver oil to strengthen his immune system. He has got an itch problem too, in which I give him fish oil. He is also underweight, so skinny. His little brother who is 2 years old is already 11kg. While Jack who is 4 years old, is only 12.5kg. I am searching for an enzyme to help him digest more food and absorb nutrition.

I have been accused of torturing my son because of all the food that he cannot take. The word "autism" is so foreign within my family. I pray to God everyday to have mercy on my son. I ask God to give me strength, wisdom and guidance to help this little fellow. Recently, I sent Jack for an allergy test too and found out that he is allergic to diary products, wheat (eg. cake, bread), eggs, corn, etc.
My brothers have been very supportive during my struggle. They came together with their children to pray for Jack. They are always encouraging me to continue helping my son. Without their strength and support, I do not think that I can make it on my own.

I know I will have to read more to equip myself with knowledge on how to help my child. Joining the parent support group is encouraging. Discussing with Jack's teachers and other mothers is helpful in finding a programme that is right for my Jack. I’ve one more year to go and my wish is for Jack to go to normal school. Even though he may be the last in the class. It is a long battle that I have to fight. I always tell myself, “I must be strong to handle this child. With God’s strength, I can do it”.

This verse from the Scriptures is what keeps me going. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way” - Proverbs 3:5, 6.

This task seems to be a “Mission Impossible”. But I will try my very best to make it a “Mission Possible”. I jotted down the following motto in my parents address book as a reminder to myself. “Never Give Up. The Harder The Struggle, The Greater The Victory”.

jericho

21-10-2003, 01:18 PM

This story can be applied to your GOD all the same..............no
matter which GOD you pray to.

The Smell of God

At the end of this story, it gives you two options. I think you will
figure out what option I chose ... this is so precious!

The Smell of God
A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. Still groggy from surgery, her husband David held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news.

That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency cesarean to deliver the couple's new daughter, Danae Lu Blessing. At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound and nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs. "I don't think she's going to make it', he said, as kindly as he could. "There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one".

Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Danae would likely face if she survived. She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.

"No! No!" was all Diana could say. She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four. Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away. Through the dark hours of morning as Danae held onto life by the thinnest thread, Diana slipped in and out of sleep, growing more and more determined that their tiny daughter would live and live to be a healthy, happy young girl. But David, fully awake and listening to additional dire details of their daughter's chances of ever leaving the hospital alive, much less healthy, knew he must confront his wife with the inevitable.

David walked in and said that we needed to talk about making funeral arrangements. Diana remembers 'I felt so bad for him because he was doing everything trying to include me in what was going on, but I just wouldn't listen, I couldn't listen.' I said, 'No, I don't want to listen to what the doctors say; Danae is not going to die! One day she will be just fine, and she will be coming home with us!"

As if willed to live by Diana's determination, Danae clung to life hour after hour, with the help of every medical machine and marvel her miniature body could endure. But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana. Because Danae's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially 'raw,' the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love. All they could do, as Danae struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of
tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl. There was never a moment when Danae suddenly grew stronger.

But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of
weight here and an ounce of strength there. At last, when Danae turned two months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time. And two months later, though doctors continued to gently, but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero. Danae went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.

Today, five years later, Danae is a petite, but feisty young girl with
glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She shows no signs, whatsoever, of any mental or physical impairment.

Simply, she is everything a little girl can be and more, but that happy ending is far from the end of her story.

One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Danae was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ballpark where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing. As always, Danae was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent.

Hugging her arms across her chest, Danae asked, "Do you smell that?" Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain." Danae closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?" Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet, it smells like rain."

Still caught in the moment, Danae shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced, "No, it smells like Him. It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest." Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Danae then happily hopped down to play with the other children. Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the
members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along. During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Danae on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well.

clfoo

27-10-2003, 02:07 PM

A man came home from work late & tired to find his
5-year old son waiting for him at the door."Daddy, may
I ask you a question?"

"Yeah sure, what is it?" replied the man.

"Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"

"That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a
thing?" the man said angrily.

"I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you
make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.

"If you must know, I make $20 an hour."

"Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.

Looking up, he said,"Daddy, may I please borrow $10?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked
that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly
toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself
straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why
you are being so selfish. I work long hard hours
everyday and don't have time for such this childish
behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the
door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about
the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such
question only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down,
and started to think: He may have been a little hard
on his son. Maybe there was something he really
needed to buy with that $10 and he really didn't ask
for money very often.

The man went to the door of the little boy's room and
opened the door.

"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.

"No daddy, I'm awake", replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you
earlier," said the man, "It's been a long day and I
took out my aggravation on you. Here's the
$10 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling."Oh, thank you
daddy!" He yelled.

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some
crumpled up bills.

The man, seeing that the boy already had money,
started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, then
looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?"
the father grumbled.

"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the
little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your
time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to
have dinner with you."

************************************************** *

Share this story with someone you like....

But even better, share $20 worth of time with someone
you love. It's just a short reminder to all of you
working so hard in life. We should not let time slip
through our fingers without having spent some time
with those who really matter to us, those close to our
hearts.

Cool Hand Luke

27-10-2003, 03:38 PM

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round?
Or listened to rain lapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste,
not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
To busy to call and just say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift.... Thrown away...

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower,
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

lord

28-10-2003, 08:37 AM

Ice Cream

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My 6-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.

He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer." "Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart," the man replied. Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already."

*** Moral of the story: The next time you are driving, be patient and give way if you must.

lord

19-01-2004, 04:37 PM

Football Mom

This teenager lived alone with his mother, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his mother was always in the stands cheering. She never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school.

But his mother continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there.

He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice or a game, but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful mother was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul into every practice, and at the same time provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his mother. His mother shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in the game.

It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, that the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My mother died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?"

The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon.

"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said. "You can go in."

Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you've never heard!

Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my mom died, but did you know that my mom was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Mom came to all my games, but today was the first time she could see me play, and I wanted to show her I could do it!"

lord

20-01-2004, 01:07 PM

Smiling in the Storm

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child.

Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a flaming sword, would cut through the sky. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile.

Another and another were to follow quickly and with each the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile.

When the mother's car drew up beside the child she lowered the window and called to her, "What are you doing? Why do you keep stopping?"

The child answered, " I am trying to look pretty, God keeps taking my picture."

May God bless you today as you face any storms that come your way.

And don't forget to SMILE!

lord

30-01-2004, 02:57 PM

Billy's Mission
It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt seven farmers before it was through. Every day, my husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get water to the farm. Lately, this process had involved taking a truck to the river and filling it up with water. But it was so expensive. Even the river was getting low. If we didn't see some rain soon, we would lose everything.
It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing, and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes. I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year-old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn't walking with the usual carefree abandon of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back. He was obviously walking with a great effort, trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house. I went back to making sandwiches, thinking that whatever task he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful stride toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour: walk carefully to the woods, run back to the house.

Finally, I couldn't take it any longer, and I crept out of the house, and followed him on his journey (being very careful not to be seen, as he was obviously doing important work, and didn't need his Mommy checking up on him). He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked, being very careful not to spill the water he held in them; maybe two or three tablespoons were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing sight. Several large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him - he didn't even move as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn laying on the ground, obviously suffering from dehydration, and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand. When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house, and I hid behind a tree. I followed him back to the house, to a spigot connected to an empty tank. Billy opened it all the way up, and a few drops of water began to come out. He knelt there, letting the drip, drip, slowly fill up his makeshift "cup," as the sun beat down on his little back.

Then it came clear to me: the trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the week before, the lecture he had received about the importance of not wasting water, and the reason he didn't ask me to help him. It took a minute for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with tears. "I'm not wasting," was all he said. As he began his walk, I joined him, with a small pot of water from the kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save another life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more drops...and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, himself, was weeping. Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence That miracles don't really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can't argue with that...I'm not going to try. All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm, just like the actions of one little boy who saved another.

This is not one of those crazy chain letters. If you don't forward it to anyone, nothing bad will happen to you. If you choose to forward it, you won't receive any riches in the mail. You could pass it on just to honor the memory of my beautiful Billy, who was taken from me much too soon... but not before showing me the true face of God, in a little sunburned body.

~Billy's Mom

lord

30-01-2004, 03:02 PM

The Story of Rose

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends.

Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.

She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.

As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. "You have to laugh and find humor every day."

"You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

lord

03-02-2004, 09:43 AM

Sand and Stone

The story goes that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone. Why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

They say it takes a minute to find a special person an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them.

lord

03-02-2004, 09:47 AM

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with cupcakes, several cans of root beer and started on his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he saw an elderly woman sitting on a park bench watching the pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed the lady looked hungry so he offered her a cupcake. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him.

Her smile was so wonderful that he wanted to see it again, so he offered a root beer as well. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling without saying a word.

As it began to grow dark, the boy realized how tired he was and wanted to go home. He got up to leave but before he had gone no more than a few steps, he turned around and ran back to the old woman, giving her a big hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy arrived home his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked, "What has made you so happy today?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." Before his mother could respond he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile in the whole world!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face. He asked, "Mother, what has made you so happy today?" She replied, "I ate cupcakes in the park with God." And before her son could reply, she added, "You know, he is much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring; all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

Take no one for granted and embrace all equally with joy!

lord

17-02-2004, 09:59 AM

Attitude Is Everything

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.' "I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry.

"She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!'

Over their laughter, I told them. 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

lord

17-02-2004, 10:02 AM

This Is Good

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied, "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.

"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, 'This is good'?

How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you."

lord

26-02-2004, 01:11 PM

Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that was going on inside himself.

He said, "My son, it is between 2 wolves. One is evil: Anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith..."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one I feed."

exodus

27-02-2004, 10:51 AM

i read this in the internet so it must be true

a little 5 year old girl took a sheet of golden wrapper paper without telling her daddy about it

one day before christmas eve the daddy yelled out to his little girl asking whether she had taken the golden wrapper

the little girl said "but daddy i took it to wrap a christmas present for you daddy"

her daddy yelled "ya should know better girl you need to ask for my permission first"

the little girl said "but daddy i wanted it to be a surprise to you daddy"

the daddy then calmed down.

on the next evening the daddy yelled out again to his little girl "hey young lady ya should know better rather than taken the golden wrapping paper to wrap me an empty christmas present!"

the little girl answered in tears "but daddy it is not empty"

"i blew in many kisses for you daddy"

not long after that the daddy lost his little girl due to illness.

years had gone by till the daddy's dying day, he still has with him the empty golden present from his little girl by his side.

najlna

27-02-2004, 12:07 PM

aiya i don't have one lah

lost my mind long time ago leh

aaaaaahh

now i think i remember something lah

before i lost my mind kah

i used to say no to drugs

but they just won't listen mah

ala mak they made me took a lot of them leh

one before i wake up one before lunch and the next one after i go to sleep lah

hehehe hahaha

:D the doctors told me i am special

lord

08-03-2004, 04:07 PM

This is a true story about destiny and the changes that can occur in our lives, which does not relate to a particular religion or anything like that. Happy reading, my friends.

************************************************

A Slave To His Destiny

One morning a sixteen-year-old boy was kidnapped from his house by a band of knife-wielding thugs and taken to another country, there to be sold as a slave. The year was 401 AD.

He was made a shepherd. Slaves were not allowed to wear clothes, so he was often dangerously cold and frequently on the verge of starvation. He spent months at a time without seeing another human being -- a severe psychological torture.

But this greatest of difficulties was transformed into the greatest of blessings because it gave him an opportunity not many get in a lifetime. Long lengths of solitude have been used by people all through history to meditate, to learn to control the mind and to explore the depths of feeling and thought to a degree impossible in the hubbub of normal life.

He wasn't looking for such an "opportunity," but he got it anyway. He had never been a religious person, but to hold himself together and take his mind off the pain, he began to pray, so much that "...in one day," he wrote later, "I would say as many as a hundred prayers and after dark nearly as many again...I would wake and pray before daybreak -- through snow, frost, and rain...."

This young man, at the onset of his manhood, got a 'raw deal.' But therein lies the lesson. Nobody gets a perfect life. The question is not "What could I have done if I'd gotten a better life?" but rather "What can I do with the life I've got?"

How can you take your personality, your circumstances, your upbringing, the time and place you live in, and make something extraordinary out of it? What can you do with what you've got?

The young slave prayed. He didn't have much else available to do, so he did what he could with all his might. And after six years of praying, he heard a voice in his sleep say that his prayers would be answered: He was going home. He sat bolt upright and the voice said, "Look, your ship is ready."

He was a long way from the ocean, but he started walking. After two hundred miles, he came to the ocean and there was a ship, preparing to leave for Britain, his homeland. Somehow he got aboard the ship and went home to reunite with his family.

But he had changed. The sixteen-year-old boy had become a holy man. He had visions. He heard the voices of the people from the island he had left -- Ireland -- calling him back. The voices were persistent, and he eventually left his family to become ordained as a priest and a bishop with the intention of returning to Ireland and converting the Irish to Christianity.

At the time, the Irish were fierce, illiterate, Iron-Age people. For over eleven hundred years, the Roman Empire had been spreading its civilizing influence from Africa to Britain, but Rome never conquered Ireland.

The people of Ireland warred constantly. They made human sacrifices of prisoners of war and sacrificed newborns to the gods of the harvest. They hung the skulls of their enemies on their belts as ornaments.

Our slave-boy-turned-bishop decided to make these people literate and peaceful. Braving dangers and obstacles of tremendous magnitude, he actually succeeded! By the end of his life, Ireland was Christian. Slavery had ceased entirely. Wars were much less frequent, and literacy was spreading.

How did he do it? He began by teaching people to read -- starting with the Bible. Students eventually became teachers and went to other parts of the island to create new places of learning, and wherever they went, they brought the know-how to turn sheepskin into paper and paper into books.

Copying books became the major religious activity of that country. The Irish had a long-standing love of words, and it expressed itself to the full when they became literate. Monks spent their lives copying books: the Bible, the lives of saints, and the works accumulated by the Roman culture -- Latin, Greek, and Hebrew books, grammars, the works of Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Homer, Greek philosophy, math, geometry, astronomy.

In fact, because so many books were being copied, they were saved, because as Ireland was being civilized, the Roman Empire was falling apart. Libraries disappeared in Europe. Books were no longer copied (except in the city of Rome itself), and children were no longer taught to read. The civilization that had been built up over eleven centuries disintegrated. This was the beginning of the Dark Ages.

Because our slave-boy-turned-bishop transformed his suffering into a mission, civilization itself, in the form of literature and the accumulated knowledge contained in that literature, was saved and not lost during that time of darkness. He was named a saint, the famous Saint Patrick. You can read the full and fascinating story if you like in the excellent book How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill.

"Very interesting," you might say, "but what does that have to do with me?"

Well...you are also in some circumstances or other, and it's not all peaches and cream, is it? There's some stuff you don't like -- maybe something about your circumstances, perhaps, or maybe some events that occurred in your childhood.

But here you are, with that past, with these circumstances, with the things you consider less than ideal. What are you going to do with them? If those circumstances have made you uniquely qualified for some contribution, what would it be?

You may not know the answer to that question right now, but keep in mind that the circumstances you think only spell misery may contain the seeds of something profoundly Good. Assume that's true, and the assumption will begin to gather evidence until your misery is transformed, as Saint Patrick's suffering was, from a raw deal to the perfect preparation for something better.

Ask yourself and keep asking, "Given my upbringing and circumstances, what Good am I especially qualified to do?"

lord

08-03-2004, 04:11 PM

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning ... to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1934-1998)

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars ... the house ... the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

~ Linda Ellis ~

lord

10-03-2004, 02:37 PM

Information Please

When I was very young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood.

I remember well, the polished old case fastened to the wall and the shiny receiver on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother would talk to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person and her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.

"Information Please" could supply anybody's number and the correct time.

My first personal experience with this genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor.

Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give me sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and held it to my ear.

"Information Please," I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

"Information."

"I hurt my finger," I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.

"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.

"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.

"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with a hammer and it hurts."

"Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could.

"Then chip off a piece of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything.

I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me that my pet chipmunk, which I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called "Information Please" and told her the sad story.

She listened, then said the usual thing grown ups say to soothe a child. But, I was inconsolable.

I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "You must remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow, I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone. "Information Please."

"Information," said the now familiar voice.

"How do you spell fix?" I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and somehow I never thought of trying the tall, new shiny phone that sat on the table in the hall.

As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often in moments of doubt and perplexity, I would recall the serene sense of security I had then.

I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half-an-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister who lived there now.

Then, without thinking about what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please."

Miraculously, I heard the small clear voice I knew so well.

"Information."

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause.

Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must be healed by now."

I laughed, "So it's really still you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally."

Three months later, I was back in Seattle.

A different voice answered, "Information." I asked for Sally.

"Are you a friend?" she said.

"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally had been working part time in the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."

Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute. Are you Paul?"

"Yes."

"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called when she was too sick to work.

Let me read it to you." The note said,"Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean."

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant. Never underestimate the impression you make on others.

Author Unknown

lord

15-03-2004, 03:36 PM

The Price of a Child

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock. That doesn't even touch college tuition. For those with kids, that figure leads to wild fantasies about all the things we could have bought, all the places we could have traveled, all the money we could have banked if not for (insert child's name here). For others, that number might confirm the decision to remain childless.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.44 a day. Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be rich. It's just the opposite.

There's no way to put a price tag on:

* Feeling a new life move for the first time and seeing the bump of a knee rippling across your skin.

* Having someone cry, "It's a boy!" or shout, "It's a girl!" then hearing the baby wail and knowing all that matters is it's healthy.

* Counting all 10 fingers and toes for the first time.

* Feeling the warmth of fat cheeks against your breast.

* Cupping an entire head in the palm of your hand.

* Making out da da or ma ma from all the cooing and gurgling.

What do you get for your $160,140?

* Naming rights. First, middle and last.

* Glimpses of God every day.

* Giggles under the covers every night.

* More love than your heart can hold.

* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds and warm cookies.

* A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

* Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, You never have to grow up. You get to fingerprint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs and never stop believing in Santa Claus. You have an excuse to keep reading the adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there's no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a sliver, filling the wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, first time behind the wheel. You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications and human sexuality no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

Author Unknown

KH EE

18-03-2004, 02:15 PM

TQ, lord & others... what inspiring stories... but I will take some time 2 digest all. Keep it coming & if I come across some nice 1's, will post it here. Syabas again.:D

lord

24-03-2004, 02:56 PM

Learning From Mistakes

Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained, "All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing."

Edison replied very confidently, "Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We now know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb."

kwchang

24-03-2004, 04:27 PM

I have seen these types of heart-warming stories (that Lord had posted here) a few years ago. They can be found as collections in the books "Chicken Soup for the Soul". Initially they were not available in Malaysia but recently have been available in most bookshops. If you want more, and perhaps have the authentic collection, do buy the books. Do be aware that some of the books have a Christian slant but i believe most of them are acceptible for our multi-religious Malaysia.

lord

30-03-2004, 01:10 PM

You would have heard this story before but doesn't hurt to read it again. But please read it till the end. Enjoy!! Drink Coca-Cola!!

************************************************

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.

He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes observe, their ears listen, and their minds process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently providing a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child's future. Let's be wise builders.

~ Author Unknown ~

lord

31-03-2004, 01:29 PM

A Picture Of Peace

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

lord

05-04-2004, 11:49 AM

Special Olympics

And they call some of these people "retarded"...

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.

At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry.

The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back.

Then they all turned around and went back ... every one of them.

One girl with Down Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes.

People who were there are still telling the story.

Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle"

lord

06-04-2004, 01:18 PM

The Nursing Home

She is 92 years old, petite, well poised, and proud. She is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed, and her makeup perfectly applied, in spite of the fact she is legally blind.

Today she has moved to a nursing home. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making this move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home where I am employed, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet curtains that had been hung on her window.

"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room ... just wait," I said.

Then she spoke these words that I will never forget:

"That does not have anything to do with it," she gently replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not does not depend on how the furniture is arranged. It is how I arrange my mind. I have already decided to love it."

"It is a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or I can get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do work. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I will focus on the new day and all of the happy memories I have stored away ... just for this time in my life."

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you have already put in.

lord

06-04-2004, 01:19 PM

Finders Keepers

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious: Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

~ Author Unknown ~

lord

08-04-2004, 10:05 AM

The Emperor's Seed

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different.

He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today, one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully.

Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about 3 weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. 6 months went by; still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.

Ling didn't say anything to his friends. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.

Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot but his Mother said he must be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his Mother was right.

He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down.

He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.

Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But:

If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap tomorrow.

The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.

~ Author Unknown ~

lord

14-04-2004, 05:04 PM

A Good Friend

In kindergarten your idea of a good friend was the person who let you have the red crayon when all that was left was the ugly black one.

In first grade your idea of a good friend was the person who went to the bathroom with you and held your hand as you walked through the scary halls.

In second grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you stand up to the class bully.

In third grade your idea of a good friend was the person who shared their lunch with you when you forgot yours on the bus.

In fourth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who was willing to switch square dancing partners in gym so you wouldn't have to be stuck do-si-do-ing with Nasty Nick or Smelly Susan.

In fifth grade your idea of a friend was the person who saved a seat on the back of the bus for you.

In sixth grade your idea of a friend was the person who went up to Nick or Susan, your new crush, and asked them to dance with you, so that if they said no you wouldn't have to be embarrassed.

In seventh grade your idea of a friend was the person who let you copy the social studies homework from the night before that you had.

In eighth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pack up your stuffed animals and old baseball but didn't laugh at you when you finished and broke out into tears.

In ninth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who would go to a party thrown by a senior so you wouldn't wind up being the only freshman there.

In tenth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who changed their schedule so you would have someone to sit with at lunch.

In eleventh grade your idea of a good friend was the person who gave you rides in their new car, convinced your parents that you shouldn't be grounded, consoled you when you broke up with Nick or Susan, and found you a date to the prom.

In twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pick out a college/university, assured you that you would get into that college/university, helped you deal with your parents who were having a hard time adjusting to the idea of letting you go...

At graduation your idea of a good friend was the person who was crying on the inside but managed the biggest smile one could give as they congratulated you.

The summer after twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you clean up the bottles from that party, helped you sneak out of the house when you just couldn't deal with your parents, assured you that now that you and Nick or you and Susan were back together, you could make it through anything, helped you pack up for university and just silently hugged you as you looked through blurry eyes at 18 years of memories you were leaving behind, and finally on those last days of childhood, went out of their way to give you reassurance that you would make it in college as well as you had these past 18 years, and most importantly sent you off to college knowing you were loved.

Now, your idea of a good friend is still the person who gives you the better of the two choices, holds your hand when you're scared, helps you fight off those who try to take advantage of you, thinks of you at times when you are not there, reminds you of what you have forgotten, helps you put the past behind you but understands when you need to hold on to it a little longer, stays with you so that you have confidence, goes out of their way to make time for you, helps you clear up your mistakes, helps you deal with pressure from others, smiles for you when they are sad, helps you become a better person, and most importantly loves you!

Thank you for being a friend. No matter where we go or who we become, never forget who helped us get there. (Like my virtual friends here.)

There's never a wrong time to pick up a phone or send a message telling your friends how much you miss them or how much you love them.

If you love someone, tell them. Remember always to say what you mean.

Never be afraid to express yourself. Take this opportunity to tell someone what they mean to you. Seize the day and have no regrets.

Most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that you are today and are what it's all about anyway. Pass this along to your friends. Let it make a difference in your day and theirs.

The difference between expressing love and having regrets is that the regrets may stay around forever.

~ Author Unknown ~

19-04-2004, 03:03 PM

Happiness cannot come from hatred or anger. Nobody can say "Today I am happy because this morning I was very angry". On the contrary, people feel uneasy and sad and say, "Today I am not happy because I lost my temper this morning".
Through kindness, whether at our own level or at the national and international level, through mutual understanding and through mutual respect, we will get peace, we will get happiness and we will get genuine satisfaction.

**************

As human beings, we have good qualities as well as bad ones. Now, anger, attachment, jealousy, hatred are the bad side, these are the real enemy.........the true troublemaker is inside

The above quotes are from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

lord

21-04-2004, 11:52 AM

Flaws

A water bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.

tan_r

21-04-2004, 02:23 PM

The dictum - an eye for an eye - leaves everyone blind.

lord

23-04-2004, 06:53 PM

More Whipped Cream

I have a new delightful friend,
I'm almost in awe of her;
When we first met I was impressed,
By her bizarre behavior.

That day I had a date with friends,
We met to have some lunch;
Ellie had come along with them,
All in all a pleasant bunch.

When the menus were presented,
We ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups;
Except for Ellie who circumvented,
And said, "Ice-cream, please. Two scoops."

I was not sure my ears heard right,
And the others were aghast;
"Along with heated apple pie,"
Ellie smiled, completely unabashed.

We tried to act quite nonchalant,
As if people did this all the time;
But when our orders were brought out,
I did not enjoy mine.

I could not take my eyes off Ellie,
As her pie ala-mode went down;
The other ladies showed dismay,
They ate their lunches, and they frowned.

Well, the next time I went out to eat,
I called and invited Ellie.
My lunch contained white tuna meat,
She ordered a parfait.

I smiled when her dish I viewed,
She asked if she amused me;
I answered, "Yes, you do,
And you also do confuse me."

"How come you order rich desserts
When I feel I must be sensible?"
She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,
"I am tasting all that's possible."

"I try to eat the food I need,
And do the things I should;
But life's so short, my friend, indeed,
I hate missing out on something good."

"This year I realized I was old," She grinned,
"I've not been this old before;
So, before I die, I've got to try,
Those things for years I have ignored."

"I've not smelled all the flowers yet,
And too many books I have not read;
There's more fudge sundaes to woof down,
And kites to be flown overhead."

"There's many malls I have not shopped,
I've not laughed at all the jokes;
I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,
And potato chips and cokes."

"I want to wade again in water,
And feel ocean spray upon my face;
Sit in a country church once more,
And thank God for His grace."

"I want peanut butter every day,
Spread on my morning toast;
I want un-timed long-distance calls,
To the folks I love the most."

"I've not cried at all the movies yet,
Nor walked in the morning rain;
I need to feel wind in my hair,
I want to fall in love again."

"So, if I choose to have dessert,
Instead of having dinner;
If I should die before nightfall,
You'd have to say I died a winner."

"That I missed out on nothing,
That I had my heart's desire;
That I had that final chocolate mousse,
Before my life expired."

With that, I called the waitress over,
"I've changed my mind, it seems;"
I said, "I want what she is having,
Only add some more whipped-cream!"

~ Author Unknown ~

lord

23-04-2004, 06:54 PM

Working Towards What You Already Have

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."

The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children,take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions?...Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

~ Author Unknown ~

lord

25-05-2004, 02:11 PM

A funny story is told about General George Patton from his World War II days. He once accepted an invitation to dine at a press camp in Africa. Wine was served in canteen cups but, obviously thinking he was served coffee, Patton poured cream into his cup.

As he stirred in sugar, Patton was warned that his cup contained red wine and not coffee.

Now, General Patton could never, never be wrong.

Without hesitating he replied, "I know. I like my wine this way." And he drank it!

I relate this story because I see something of myself, and perhaps most of us, here. It is difficult to admit mistakes. It is hard to admit when we are wrong.

Three of life's most difficult words to say are, "I was wrong."

But they are also three of the most powerful words we can utter.

"I was wrong" breaks down barriers between people. It brings estranged people together. And it creates a climate where intimacy and love may flourish. You may be surprised at how positively many people respond to the words, "I was wrong"!

Naturally, it is a risk. But to admit when you are wrong is not to confess that you are a "bad" person. Simply an honest one. And true friends will appreciate you for it.

Whole and happy lives are built by people who have learned the power of intimacy, in part, through the use of the words "I was wrong."

~ Steve Goodier ~

KH EE

11-06-2004, 03:12 PM

Lord, sorry to hijack this thread to post a similar moral to ur posting on 17/2/04 @ 1002am entitled "This is good".

=================================
Once upon a time, there was a king. The king liked one of his followers very much because he was very wise and always gave
very useful advice. Therefore the king took him along wherever he
went.

One day, the king was bitten by a dog, the finger was injured and the wound was getting worse. He asked the follower if that was a bad sign. The follower said, "Good or bad, hard to say". In the end, the finger became bad and had to be cut off.

The king asked the follower again if that was a bad sign. Again,
the follower gave the same answer, "Good or bad, hard to say". The king became very angry and sent the follower to prison.

One day, the king went hunting in the jungle. He got excited when he was on the chase of a deer. Deeper and deeper he went inside the jungle. In the end he found himself lost in the jungle. To make things worse, he got caught by the jungle people.

They wanted to sacrifice him to their god. But when they noticed that the king had one less finger, they released him immediately as he was not a perfect man anymore and not suitable for the sacrifice.

The king managed to get back to his palace. And he finally understood the follower's wise quote, "Good or bad, hard to say". If he hadn't lost one finger, he could have been killed by the jungle people.

He ordered to release the follower, and apologized to him. But to the king's amazement, the follower was not mad at him at all. Instead, the follower said, "It wasn't a bad thing that you locked me up."

Why? Because if the king hadn't locked the follower up, he would have brought the follower along to the jungle. If the natives found that the king was not suitable, they would have used the follower. Again, the quote "Good or bad, hard to say" stands.

The moral of the story?

For everything that happens in this world, there is no absolute good or bad. Sometimes good things turned out to be bad things eventually, while bad things become a gain.

Whatever good things that happen to you, enjoy it, but you don't have to hold too tight to it, treat it as a surprise in your life.

Whatever bad things that happen to you, you don't have to feel too sad or despair, in the end, it might not be a total bad thing after all.

If one can understand this, he or she will find life much easier.

KH EE

18-06-2004, 02:35 PM

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried
piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.
Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw.

With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing
something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

*** Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to
getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.!

Each of our troubles is a stepping-stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

The donkey later came back and bit the **** out of the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

*** MORAL FROM TODAY'S LESSON:

When you do something wrong and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.

lho688

18-06-2004, 07:22 PM

Helen Keller wisely said, "The struggle of life is one of our
greatest blessings. It makes us patient, sensitive, and Godlike.
It teaches us that although the world is full of suffering, it is
also full of the overcoming of it."

KH EE

10-08-2004, 02:41 PM

A 15-YEAR-OLD Singaporean, competing against 16- to 18-year-olds, has won the top prize in a writing contest that drew 5,300 entries from 52 countries.

In the annual Commonwealth Essay Competition, Amanda Chong of Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) chose to compete in the older category and won with a piece on the restlessness of modern life.

Her short story, titled What The Modern Woman Wants, focused on the conflict in values between an old lady and her independent-minded daughter.

'Through my story, I attempted to convey the unique East-versus-West struggles and generation gaps that I felt were characteristic of young people in my country,' said Amanda, who likes drama, history and literature and wants to become a lawyer and a politician.

Chief examiner Charles Kemp called her piece a 'powerfully moving and ironical critique of modern restlessness and its potentially cruel consequences'. The writing is fluent and assured, with excellent use of dialogue.

Amanda gets (S$1,590). A Singaporean last won the top prize in 2000, said Britain's Royal Commonwealth Society, which has been organising the competition since 1883. Singaporeans also came in second in the 14- to 15-year-old category, and fourth in the under-12s. Other winners included students from Australia, Canada and South Africa.

=======================
What the Modern Woman Wants
By Amanda Chong Wei-Zhen

The old woman sat in the backseat of the magenta convertible as it careened down the highway, clutching tightly to the plastic bag on her lap, afraid it may be kidnapped by the wind. She was not used to such speed, with trembling hands she pulled the seatbelt tighter but was careful not to touch the patent leather seats with her callused fingers, her daughter had warned her
not to dirty it, 'Fingerprints show very clearly on white, Ma.'

Her daughter, Bee Choo, was driving and talking on her sleek silver mobile phone using big words the old woman could barely understand. 'Finance' 'Liquidation' 'Assets' 'Investments'... Her voice was crisp and important and had an unfamiliar lilt to it. Her Bee Choo sounded like one of those foreign girls on television. She was speaking in an American accent.

The old lady clucked her tongue in disapproval.

'I absolutely cannot have this. We have to sell!' Her daughter exclaimed agitatedly as she stepped on the accelerator; her perfectly manicured fingernails gripping onto the steering wheel in irritation.

'I can't DEAL with this anymore!' she yelled as she clicked the phone shut and hurled it angrily toward the backseat.

The mobile phone hit the old woman on the forehead and nestled soundlessly into her lap. She calmly picked it up and handed it to her daughter.

'Sorry, Ma,' she said, losing the American pretence and switching to Mandarin. 'I have a big client in America. There have been a lot of problems.'

The old lady nodded knowingly. Her daughter was big and important.

Bee Choo stared at her mother from the rear view window, wondering what she was thinking. Her mother's wrinkled countenance always carried the same cryptic look.

The phone began to ring again, an artificially cheerful digital tune, which broke the awkward silence.

'Hello, Beatrice! Yes, this is Elaine.' Elaine. The old woman cringed. I didn't name her Elaine. She remembered her daughter telling her, how an English name was very important for 'networking', Chinese ones being easily forgotten.

'Oh no, I can't see you for lunch today. I have to take the ancient relic to the temple for her weird daily prayer ritual.'

Ancient Relic. The old woman understood perfectly it was referring to her. Her daughter always assumed that her mother's silence meant she did not comprehend.

'Yes, I know! My car seats will be reeking of joss sticks!'

The old woman pursed her lips tightly, her hands gripping her plastic bag in defence.

The car curved smoothly into the temple courtyard. It looked almost garish next to the dull sheen of the ageing temple's roof. The old woman got out of the back seat, and made her unhurried way to the main hall.

Her daughter stepped out of the car in her business suit and stilettos and reapplied her lipstick as she made her brisk way to her mother's side.

'Ma, I'll wait outside. I have an important phone call to make,' she said, not bothering to hide her disgust at the pungent fumes of incense.

The old lady hobbled into the temple hall and lit a joss stick, she knelt down solemnly and whispered her now familiar daily prayer to the Gods.

Thank you God of the Sky, you have given my daughter luck all these years. Everything I prayed for, you have given her. She has everything a young woman in this world could possibly want. She has a big house with a swimming pool, a maid to help her, as she is too clumsy to sew or cook.

Her love life has been blessed; she is engaged to a rich and handsome angmoh man. Her company is now the top financial firm and even men listen to what she says. She lives the perfect life. You have given her everything except happiness. I ask that the gods be merciful to her even if she has lost her roots while reaping the harvest of success.

What you see is not true, she is a filial daughter to me. She gives me a room in her big house and provides well for me. She is rude to me only because I affect her happiness. A young woman does not want to be hindered by her old mother. It is my fault.

The old lady prayed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes. Finally, with her head bowed in reverence she planted the half-burnt joss stick into an urn of smouldering ashes.

She bowed once more.

The old woman had been praying for her d aughter for thirty-two years. When her stomach was round like a melon, she came to the temple and prayed that it was a son.

Then the time was ripe and the baby slipped out of her womb, bawling and adorable with fat thighs and pink cheeks, but unmistakably, a girl. Her husband had kicked and punched her for producing a useless baby who could not work or carry the family name.

Still, the woman returned to the temple with her new-born girl tied to her waist in a sarong and prayed that her daughter would grow up and have everything she ever wanted. Her husband left her and she prayed that her daughter would never have to depend on a man.

She prayed every day that her daughter would be a great woman, the woman that she, meek and uneducated, could never become. A woman with nengkan; the ability to do anything she set her mind to. A woman who commanded respect in the hearts of men. When she opened her mouth to speak, precious pearls
would fall out and men would listen.

She will not be like me, the woman prayed as she watched her daughter grow up and drift away from her, speaking a language she scarcely understood. She watched her daughter transform from a quiet girl, to one who openly defied her, calling her laotu; old-fashioned. She wanted her mother to be 'modern', a word so new there was no Chinese word for it.

Now her daughter was too clever for her and the old woman wondered why she had prayed like that. The gods had been faithful to her persistent prayer, but the weal th and success that poured forth so richly had buried the girl's roots and now she stood, faceless, with no identity, bound to the soil of her ancestors by only a string of origami banknotes.

Her daughter had forgotten her mother's values. Her wants were so ephemeral; that of a modern woman. Power, Wealth, access to the best fashion boutiques, and yet her daughter had not found true happiness. The old woman knew that you could find happiness with much less. When her daughter left the earth
everything she had would count for nothing. People would look to her legacy and say that she was a great woman, but she would be forgotten once the wind blows over, like the ashes of burnt paper convertibles and mansions.

The old woman wished she could go back and erase all her big hopes and prayers for her daughter; now she had only one want: That her daughter be happy. She looked out of the temple gate. She saw her daughter speaking on the phone, her brow furrowed with anger and worry. Being at the top is not good, the woman thought, there is only one way to go from there - down.

The old woman carefully unfolded the plastic bag and spread out a packet of beehoon in front of the altar.

Her daughter often mocked her for worshipping porcelain Gods. How could she pray to them so faithfully and expect pieces of ceramic to fly to her aid? But her daughter had her own gods too, idols of wealth, success and power that she was enslaved to and worshipped every day of her life.

Every day was a quest for the idols, and the idols she worshipped counted for nothing in eternity. All the wants her daughter had would slowly suck the life out of her and leave her, an empty soulless shell at the altar.

The old lady watched her joss tick. The dull heat had left a teetering grey stem that was on the danger of collapsing.

Modern woman nowadays, the old lady sighed in resignation, as she bowed to the east one final time to end her ritual. Modern woman nowadays want so much that they lose their souls and wonder why they cannot find it.

Her joss stick disintegrated into a soft grey powder.

She met her daughter outside the temple, the same look of worry and frustration was etched on her daughter's face. An empty expression, as if she was ploughing through the soil of her wants looking for the one thing that would sow the seeds of happiness.

They climbed into the convertible in silence and her daughter drove along the highway, this time not as fast as she had done before.

... continue ...

KH EE

10-08-2004, 02:43 PM

... last part ...

'Ma,' Bee Choo finally said. 'I don't know how to put this. Mark and I have been talking about it and we plan to move out of the big house. The property market is good now, and we managed to get a buyer willing to pay seven million for it. We decided we'd prefer a cosier penthouse apartment instead.

We found a perfect one in Orchard Road. Once we move in to our apartment we plan to get rid of the maid, so we can have more space to ourselves...'

The old woman nodded knowingly.

Bee Choo swallowed hard. 'We'd get someone to come in to do the housework and we can eat out-but once the maid is gone, there won't be anyone to look after you. You will be awfully lonely at home and, besides that, the apartment is rather small. There won't be space. We thought about it for a long time, and we decided the best thing for you is if you moved to a Home.

There's one near Hougang-it's a Christian home, a very nice one.'

The old woman did not raise an eyebrow. 'I've been there, the matron is willing to take you in. It's beautiful with gardens and lots of old people to keep you company! I hardly have time for you, you'd be happier there.'

'You'd be happier there, really.' Her daughter repeated as if to affirm herself.

This time the old woman had no plastic bag of food offerings to cling tightly to; she bit her lip and fastened her seat belt, as if it would protect her from a daughter who did not want her anymore. She sunk deep into the leather seat, letting her shoulders sag, and her fingers trace the white seat.

'Ma?' her daughter asked, searching the rear view window for her mother. 'Is everything okay?'

What had to be done, had to be done. 'Yes,' she said firmly, louder than she intended, 'if it will make you happy,' she added more quietly.

'It's for you, Ma! You'll be happier there. You can move there tomorrow, I already got the maid to pack your things.' Elaine said triumphantly, mentally ticking yet another item off her agenda.
'I knew everything would be fine.'

Elaine smiled widely; she felt liberated. Perhaps getting rid of her mother would make her happier. She had thought about it. It seemed the only hindrance in her pursuit of happiness. She was happy now. She had everything a modern woman ever wanted; Money, Status, Career, Love,Power and now, Freedom, without her mother and her old-fashioned ways to weigh her down...

Yes, she was free. Her phone buzzed urgently, she picked it up and read the message, still beaming from ear to ear. 'Stocks 10% increase!'

Yes, things were definitely beginning to look up for her...

And while searching for the meaning of life in the luminance of her handphone screen, the old woman in the backseat became invisible, and she did not see the tears.

xweird

10-08-2004, 02:49 PM

brilliant piece of writing!!

KH EE

10-08-2004, 02:52 PM

that's why she won 1st prize. :)

KH EE

13-08-2004, 12:43 PM

There's this Jaga Singh who was working for a multi-millionare as a house guard.

One day, while the millionaire was driving out to catch an early morning flight to conclude a business deal, Jaga Singh ran out from the guard house and stopped the millionaire's car just right in front of the gate.

He said "Sir..Sir..are you going to board a plane?"

"Yes, why?" asked the millionaire.

"You had better cancel the trip. You see, last night I dreamt about the plane going to crash."

Curious over the early morning fright that Jaga Singh had given, the multimillionaire decided to cancel his trip.

"You better be damn right for this is a million dollar deal."

The following day, there were news reports that the plane which the millionaire was supposed to take had indeed crash landed.

"Thank God I cancelled the trip,." the rich man said.

Realising that what Jaga Singh had said had come true, he called the Singh to see him.

When the guard was called that morning, the millionaire gave him his salary and FIRED him. WHY?

Think first....

Use your brains

Use your brains!!!!!

Still no idea??

Come on...... it is very easy....

Still drawing a blank????

&! gt;

Just imagine you are the Singh and you have saved your boss's life........

OK, since you do not want to "use your brains" like Jaga Singh before you talk to your boss..........
Just scroll down for the answer...

ANSWER

Jaga Singh was supposed to guard the house at night .....NOT to Sleep and Dream all night!!!!!

So, GO BACK TO WORK!! and Don't try to save your boss's life!!

Haha!!!

KH EE

19-08-2004, 03:19 PM

This speech was delivered during the commencement exercises of
the UP graduating class of 2003 by Mr. Butch Jimenez, the youngest commencement speaker in the university's history. He once dreamed of doing so,and it came true!!! :-) Students wished they had a pencil or paper to jot down notes during the speech; some even wished they had a tape recorder. Some members of the faculty found his speech practical, refreshing, and funny!

Butch Jimenez, head of PLDT's media and strategic communications department, delivered this speech at the UP Diliman Class 2003 commencement exercises.
-------------------------------------------

What's better than...? By Butch Jimenez

Better than being negative

As college students, you're just about to set sail into the real
world. As you prepare for the battleground of life, you'll hear many
speeches, read tons of books and get miles of advice telling you to work hard, dream big, go out and do something for yourself, and have a vision.

Not bad advice, really. In fact, following these nuggets of truth
may just bring you to the top. But as I've lived my life over the
years, I have come to realize that it is great to dream big, have a
vision, make a name, and work hard. But guess what: There's something better than that.

So my message today simply asks the question, What's better
than...?

Let's start off with something really simple. What's better than
a long speech? No doubt, a short one. So, you guys are in luck because I do intend to keep this short.

Now, let me take you through a very simple math exam. I'll rattle
off a couple of equations, and you tell me what you observe about them. Be mindful of the instructions. You are to tell me what you observe about the equations.

Here goes: 3+4=7, 9+2=11, 8+4=13, and 6+6=12. Tell me, what do you observe?

Every time I conduct this test, more than 90 percent of the
participants immediately say, 8+4 is NOT 13, it's 12!

That's true and they are correct. But they could have also
observed that the three other equations were right. That 3+4 is 7, that 9+2 is 11, and that 6+6 is 12.

What's my point? Many people immediately focus on the negative instead of the positive. Most of us focus on what's wrong with other people more than what's right about them. Examine those four equations. Three were right and only one was wrong. But what is the knee-jerk observation? The wrong equation.

If 10 people you didn't know were to walk through that door, most of you would describe those people by what's negative about them. He's fat. He's balding. Oh, the short one. Oh, the skinny girl. Ahhh, young pango. Etc.

Get the point? It's always the negative we focus on and not the
positive. You'll definitely experience this in the corporate
world. You do a hundred good things and one mistake-guess what? Chances are, your attention will be called on that one mistake.

So what's better than focusing on the negative? Believe me, its
focusing on the positive. And if this world could learn to focus on the positive more than the negative, it would be a much nicer place to live in.

Better than working hard

We have always been told to work hard. Our parents say that, our teachers say that, and our principal says that. But there's
something better than merely working hard. It's working SMART.

It's taking time to understand the situation, and coming out with
an effective and efficient solution to get more done with less time
and effort. As the Japanese say, "There's always a better way."

One of the most memorable case studies I came across with as I
studied Japanese management at Sophia University in Tokyo was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a box of soap that was empty. It immediately isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the
assembly line empty.

Management tasked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast.

But a rank-and-file employee that was posed the same problem came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Clearly, the engineers worked hard, but the rank-and-file
employee worked smart. So what's better than merely working hard? It's working smart. Having said that, it is still important to work hard. If you could combine both working hard and working smart, you would possess a major factor toward success.

Better than dreaming big

I will bet my next month's salary that many have encouraged you
to dream big. Maybe even to reach for the stars and aim high. I sure heard that about a million times right before I graduated from this university.

So I did. I did dream big. I did aim high. I did reach for the
stars. No doubt, it works. In fact, the saying is true: "If you aim for nothing, that's exactly what you'll hit: nothing."

But there's something better than dreaming big. Believe me, I got
shocked myself. And I learned it from the biggest dreamer of all
time, Walt Disney.

When it comes to dreaming big, Walt is the man. No bigger dreams were fulfilled than his. Every leadership book describes him as the ultimate dreamer. In fact, the principle of dreaming and achieving is the core message of the Disney hit song, "When You Wish Upon a Star".

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are; anything your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do," as Jiminy Cricket sang.

But is that what he preached in the Disney company? Dream?
Imagineering. Well, not exactly. Kinda, but not quite. The problem with dreaming is if that's all you do, you'll really get nowhere. In fact, you may just fall asleep and never wake up.

The secret to Disney's success is not just dreaming, it's
IMAGINEERING.

You won't find this word in a dictionary. It's purely a Disney
word. Those who engage in imagineering are called imagineers. The word combines the words "imagination" and "engineering."

In the book "Imagineers," Disney 's CEO, Michael Eisner, claims
that "imagineers turn impossible dreams into real magic."

Walt Disney explained there is really no secret to their
approach. They just keep moving forward-opening new doors and doing new things, because they are curious. And it is this curiosity that leads them down new paths. They always dream, explore and experiment. In short, imagineering is the blending of creative imagination and technical know-how.

Eisner expounds on this thought by saying that "Not only are
imagineers curious, they are courageous, outrageous, and their creativity is contagious."

The big difference with imagineers is that they dream and then
they DO! So don't just be a dreamer, be an imagineer.

... to be continued...

KH EE

19-08-2004, 03:29 PM

...part 2...

You must have all been given a lecture at one time or another
about the importance of having a vision. Even leadership expert John Maxwell says that an indispensable quality of a leader is to have a vision. The Bible also makes it very clear that "Without vision, people perish." So no doubt about it, having a vision is important to success.

But surprise! There's something more potent than a vision. It's a
CAUSE. If all you're doing is trying to reach your vision and you're pitted against someone fighting for a cause, chances are you'll lose.

The Vietnam War is a classic example. Literally with sticks and
stones, the Viet Cong beat the heavily armed US Army to surrender, primarily because the US had a vision to win the war, but the Vietnamese were fighting for a cause.

In the realm of business, many leaders have visions of making
their company No.1, or grabbing market share, or forever increasing profits.

Nothing really wrong with that vision, but take the example of
Sony founder Akio Morita. He did not just have a vision to build the biggest electronics company in the world. In his biography, "Made in Japan," he reveals that the real reason he set up Sony was to help rebuild his country, which had just been battered by war. He had a cause he was fighting for. His vision to be an electronics giant was secondary.

What's the difference between a vision and a cause? Here's what
sets them apart...

No one is willing to die for a vision. People will die for a
cause. You possess a vision. A cause possesses you. A vision lies in your hands. A cause lies in your heart. A vision involves sacrifice. A cause involves the ultimate sacrifice.

Just a word of caution. You must have the right vision, and you
must be fighting for the right cause. In the end, right will always win out.

It may take time, and it may take long. But if you have the right
vision and are fighting for the right cause, you will prevail. If not,
no matter how sincere you are, if you are not fighting for what is
right, you will ultimately fail.

Two final quotes

Allow me to end with two quotes that I have lived by ever since I
stepped out of UP.

The first comes from the Bible, which says, "To whom much is
given, much is required."

Having been given the opportunity to study in UP, no doubt, much has been given to you in terms of an excellent education. Don't forget that in return, much is now required of you to use that education not just for yourself, but for others.

And as you move up and start reaching the pinnacle of success,
even more will be required of you to look at the welfare of others, of society and of the country.

Though I have often dreamed of addressing any graduating class of UP Diliman, I never really thought it would happen. This brings me to the second quote I have held close to my heart as I traverse the destiny God has laid out for me.

"There is no destination beyond reach of one who walks with God."

My standing in front of you today, as the youngest commencement speaker of this esteemed university in 92 years, is proof of how true that quote is.

A final review:

* What's better than focusing on the negative? Focus on the
positive.

* What's better than working hard? It's working smart.

* What's better than dreaming? Imagineering.

* What's better than doing something for yourself? Doing
something for your country.

* What's better than a vision? A cause.

* What's better than a long speech? Definitely, a short one.

Thank you and congratulations, UP Diliman graduating class of
2003 "Excellence is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never ends."

KH EE

20-08-2004, 03:47 PM

from http://202.186.86.35/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2004\8\15&file=/2004/8/15/features/8523357&sec=features

Escape ruse

A PRETTY woman was serving a life sentence in prison. Angry and resentful about her situation, she decided that she would rather die than live another year behind bars. Over the years she had become good friends with one of the prison caretakers. His job, among others, was to bury those prisoners who had died, in a graveyard just outside the prison walls.

Each time someone died, the caretaker would ring a bell, which could be heard by everyone. He then got the body and put it in a casket. Next, he would go to his office to fill out the death certificate before returning to nail the casket lid shut. Finally, he would put the casket on a wagon and take it out to the graveyard for burial.

The woman, who knew this routine, devised an escape plan which she shared with the caretaker. The next time the bell rang, she would leave her cell and sneak into the dark room where the coffins were kept. She would then slip in and lie beside the body while the caretaker filled out the death certificate. When he returned, he would nail the lid shut and carry the coffin out of the prison, with the woman inside. He would then proceed to bury the coffin.

The woman knew there would be enough air for her to breathe until later in the evening, when the caretaker would return under the cover of darkness, dig up the coffin, and set her free.

Initially, he was reluctant to go along with this plan. But since he and the woman had become good friends over the years, he agreed.

The woman waited several weeks before someone in the prison died. She was asleep in her cell when the bell rang. She got up, picked the lock of her cell, and slowly walked down the hallway. She was nearly caught a couple of times; her heart was pounding.

She opened the door to the room where the coffins were kept. After some groping in the dark, she found the one that contained the body, climbed into it and pulled the lid shut.

Soon she heard footsteps, followed by the pounding of hammer on nails. Even though she was very uncomfortable in the coffin, she knew that with each nail, she was one step closer to freedom.

The coffin was lifted onto a wagon and taken out to the graveyard. The woman could feel it being lowered into the ground. She didn't make a sound as it hit the bottom of the grave with a thud.

Finally she heard the dirt hitting the top of the wooden coffin, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before she would be free again. After several minutes of absolute silence, she began to laugh. She felt free!

Then, feeling curious, she decided to light a match to find out the identity of the prisoner beside her. To her horror, she found herself staring at the stiff caretaker!

Many people believe they have life all figured out. But sometimes, things just don't turn out the way they plan.

KH EE

23-08-2004, 12:10 PM

As most of us will be asked why we select one person and not
the other for special assignment and/or promotion. Rather than point blank telling the person who asked is not suitable, here's a story to tell to illustrate our actions.

Tom & Mike joined a wholesale company together, just after
graduation. Both worked very hard. After several years, the boss
promoted Tom to Sales Exec but Mike remained a sales rep.

One day, Mike could not take it anymore, tendered his resignation and complained to the boss that he did not value
hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered
him. (very familiar)

The boss knew that Mike worked very hard over the years, but
in order to help Mike realize the difference between him & Tom, the boss asked Mike to do the following:

Go and find out if anyone is selling watermelons in the market. Mike returned and said yes. The boss asked how much per kg? Mike didn't know, and went back to the market to ask and returned to inform the boss it was $12 per kg.

Boss told Mike: I would ask Tom the same question. Tom went
and on returning, reported to the boss: "Only one person selling water melons. $12 per kg, $100 for 10Kg, he has inventory for 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.

Mike was very impressed and realized the difference between
himself and Tom. He decided not to resign but to learn from Tom.

Morale of the Story: A more successful person is more observant, thinks more and understands in-depth. S/he also sees several years ahead, while the other see only tomorrow.

The difference between a year and a day is 365 times. Learn to provide comprehensive solutions to problems or issues.

KH EE

23-08-2004, 01:51 PM

from http://www.thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2004\8\22&file=/2004/8/22/features/8159763&sec=features

Only four times

ONE evening, a father and son were walking around their backyard. The latter had graduated, gotten a good job, and was home for the holidays.

As they sat under a tree, the father pointed to something on a branch and asked, “What is that, son?”

“Crow.”

“What’s that?”

“Crow,” the son replied, a little louder because he thought his father couldn’t hear him.

“What did you say?”

“It’s a crow!”

“My son, what is that?”

“Dad, it’s a crow, C-R-O-W!” the lad shouted.

Suddenly, the father stood up and walked towards the house. His son, who was still upset, began to wonder if there was something the matter with him.

A few minutes later, the old man returned with a diary. He sat back and started to turn the pages, one by one, watched by his now-curious son. He came to one particular entry, made 25 years ago, and began to read:

“Today, I took my little son for a walk around our backyard. As we sat down, he saw a bird on a branch. He turned and asked: ‘Dad, what is that?’ ‘A crow,’ I replied. ‘Oooo ...’ he nodded.

“He asked me the same question again and again and again. And 25 times, I gave the same reply, softly and patiently. I know he is very curious and I hope he will remember the name of that bird.”

When the father finished, his son turned to him. This time, he said: “I’m sorry Dad. Thank you so much.”

His father smiled and reached out to give him a hug.

– Sent in by Yuejee

KH EE

24-08-2004, 02:38 PM

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.

It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE.

You are special - Don't EVER forget it.

Count your blessings, not your problems.

And remember: amateurs built the ark... professionals built the Titanic. If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.

KH EE

25-08-2004, 04:15 PM

Part 1...

"A fatal misunderstanding and the person who love me the most in this world is gone forever."

This is a true story, taken from "Family" (dictated by LD, edited by LSX, translated by SaFe).

Cruel misunderstandings one after another disrupted the blissful footsteps to our family. Our original intend of having Mother enjoy some quiet and peaceful moments in her remaining years with us went terribly wrong as destiny's secret is finally revealed at a price, every thing became too late.

Just two years after our marriage, hubby brought up the idea of asking Mother to move from the rural hometown and spend her remaining years with us. Hubby's father passed away while he was still very young. Mother endured much hardship and struggled all on her own to provide for him, see him through to a university degree. You could say that she suffered a great deal and did everything you could expect of a woman to bring hubby to where he is today.

I immediately agreed and started packing the spare room, which has a balcony facing the South to let her enjoy the sunshine and plant some greenery. Hubby stood in the bright room, and suddenly just picked me up and started spinning round and round. As I begged him to put me down, he said: "Lets go fetch mother." Hubby is tall and big sized and I love to rest on his chest and enjoy the feeling that he could pick me up at any moment put the tiny me into his pockets. Whenever we have an argument and both refuses to back down, he would pick me up and spin me over his head continuously until I surrender and beg for mercy. I became addicted to this kind of panic-joy feeling.

Mother brought along her country-side habits and lifestyle with her. For example; I am so used to buying flowers to decorate the living room, she could not stand it and would comment: "I do not know how you young people spend your money, why do you buy flowers for? You also can't eat the flowers!" I smiled and said: "Mum, with flowers in the house, our mood will also become better." Mother continues to grumble away, and hubby smiled: "Mum, this is a city-people's habit; slowly you will get use to it."

Mother stopped saying anything. But every time thereafter, whenever I came home with flowers, she would ask me how much it costs. I told her and she would shake her head and express displeasure. Sometimes, when I come home with lots of shopping bags, she would ask each and every item how much they cost, I would tell her honestly and she would get even
more upset about it. Hubby playfully pinched my nose and said: "You little fool, just don't tell her the full price of everything would solve it." There begins the friction to our otherwise happy lifestyle.

Mother hates it most when hubby wakes up early to prepare the breakfast. In your view, how could the man of the house cook for the wife? At the breakfast table, mother facial expression is always like the dark clouds before a thunderstorm and I would pretend not to notice. She would use her chopsticks and make a lot of noise with it as her silent protest. As I am a dance teacher in the Children's Palace and is exhausted from a long day of dancing around, I do not wish to give up the luxury of that additional few minutes in the comfort of my bed and hence I turned a deaf ear to all the protest mother makes.

From time to time, mother would help out with some housework, but soon her help created additional work for me. For example: she would keep all kinds of plastic bags accumulating them so that she sell them later on, and th! at resulted in our house being filled with all the trash bags; she would scrimp on dish washing detergent when helping to wash the dishes and so as not to hurt her feelings, I would quietly wash they again. One day, late at night, mother saw me quietly washing the dishes, and "Bam" she slams her bedroom door and cried very loudly in her room. Hubby was placed in a difficult position, and after that, he did not speak to me for that entire night. I pretended to be a spoilt child, tried acting cute, but he totally ignored me. I got mad and asked him: "What did I do wrong?" Hubby stared at me and said: "Can't you just give in to her once? we couldn't possibly die eating from a bowl however unclean it is, right?"

After that incident, for a long period of time, mother did not speak to me and you can feel that there is a very awkward feeling hanging in the house. During that period of cold war, hubby was caught in dilemma as to who to please.

In order to stop her son from having to prepare breakfast, mother took on the "all important" task of preparing breakfast without any prompting. At the breakfast table, mother would look at hubby happily eating his breakfast and cast that reprimanding stare at me for having failed to perform my duty as a wife. To avoid the embarrassing breakfast situation, I resorted to buying my own breakfast on my way to work.

That night, while in bed, hubby was a little upset and asked me: "LD, is it because you think that mum's cooking is not clean that's why you chose not to eat at home?" He then turned his back on me and left me alone in tears as feeling of unfairness overwhelmed me. After some time, hubby sighed: "LD, just for me, can you have breakfast at home?" I am left with no choice but to return to the breakfast table.

The next morning, I was having porridge prepared by mother and I felt a sudden churn in my stomach and everything inside seem to be rushing up my throat. I trie! d to suppress the urge to throw up but I couldn't. I threw down the bowl and rushed into the washroom and vomited everything out. Just as I was catching my breath, I saw mother crying and grumbling very loudly in her dialect, hubby was standing at the washroom doorway staring at me with fire burning in his eyes. I opened my mouth but no words came out of it, I really didn't mean it.

We had our very first big fight that day; mother took a look at us, then stood up and slowly made her way out of the house. Hubby gave me a final stare in the eye and followed mother down the stairs.

For three days, hubby did not return home, not even a phone call. I was so furious, since mother arrived; I had been trying my best and putting up with her, what else do you want me to do? For no reason, I keep having the feeling to throw up and I simply have not appetite for food, coupled with all the events happening at home, I was at the low point in my life. Finally, a colle! ague said: "LD, you look terrible, you should go and see a doctor."

The doctor confirmed that I am pregnant. Now it became clear to me why I threw up that fateful morning, a sense of sadness floated through that otherwise happy news. Why didn't hubby, and mother who had been through this before, thought of the possibility of this being the reason that day? At the hospital entrance, I saw my hubby standing there. It had only been three days, but he looked haggard. I had wanted to turn and leave, but one look at him and my heart soften, I couldn't resist and
called out to him. He followed my voice and finally found me but he pretended that he doesn't know me; he has that disgusted look in his eyes that cut right through my heart.

I told myself not to look at him anymore, and hail a cab. At that moment, I have such a strong urge inside me to shout to my hubby: "Darling, I am having your baby!" and have him lift me up and spin me round in circles of joy. Wh! at I wanted didn't happen and as I sat in the cab, my tears started rolling down. Why? Why our love couldn't even withstand the test of one fight? Back home, I lay on the bed thinking about my hubby, and the disgusted look in his eyes. I cried and wet the corner of the blanket.

That night, sound of the drawers opening woke me up. I switched on the lights and I saw hubby with tears rolling down his face. He was removing the money. I stared at him in silence; he ignored me, took the bank deposit book and some money and left the house. Maybe he really intends to leave me for good. What a rational man, so clear cut in love and money matters. I gave a few dried laugh and tears starting streaming down again.

The next day, I did not go to work. I wanted to clear this out and have a good talk with hubby. I reached his office and his secretary gave me a weird look and said: "Mr Tan's mother had a traffic accident and is now in the hospital." I stood there in sho! ck. I rushed to the hospital and by the time I found hubby, mother had already passed away. Hubby did not look at me, his face was expressionless.

I looked at mother's pale white and thin face and I couldn't control the tears in my eyes. My god, how could this happen? Throughout the furneral, hubby did say a single word to me, with only the occasional disgusted stare at me. I only managed to find out brief facts about the accident from other people. That day, after mother left the house, she walked in dazed toward the bus stop, apparently intending to go back to her old house back in the country-side. As hubby ran after her, she tried to walk faster and as she tried to cross the street, a public bus came and hit her...

I finally understood how much hubby must hate me, if I had not thrown up that morning, if we had not quarreled, if...

In his heart, I am indirectly the killer of his mother.

KH EE

25-08-2004, 04:18 PM

Part 2 and end...

Hubby moved into mother's room and came home every night with a strong liquor smell on him. And me, I am buried under the guilt and self pity and could hardly breathe. I wanted to explain to him, tell him that we are going to have our baby soon, but each time, I saw the dead look in his eyes, all the words I have at the brink of my mouth just fell back in. I had rather he hit me real hard or give me a big and thorough scolding though none of these events happening had been my fault at all.

Many days of suffocating silence went by and as the days went by, hubby came home later and later. The deadlock between us continues, we were living together like strangers who don't know each other. I am like the dead knot in his heart.

One day, I passed by a western restaurant, looking into the glass window, I saw hubby and a girl sitting facing each other and he very lightly brushed her hair for her, I understood what it meant. After recovering from that moment of shock, I ent! ered the restaurant, stood in front of my hubby and stared hard at him, not a tear in my eyes. I have nothing to say to him, and there is no need to say anything.

The girl looked at me, looks at hubby, stands up and wanted to go, hubby stretched out his hand and stopped her. He stared back at me, challenging me. I can only hear my slow heart beat, beating, one by one as if at the brink of death. I eventually backed down, if I had stood that any longer, I will collapse together with the baby inside me.

That night, he did not come home, he had chosen to use that as a way to indicate to me: Following mother's death, so did our love for each other. He did not come home anymore after that. Sometimes, when I returned home from work, I can tell that the cupboard had been touched - he had returned to take some of his stuff.

I no longer wish to call him; the initial desire to explain everything to him vanished.

I lived alone; I go for my me! dical checkups alone, my heart breaks again and again every time I see a guy carefully helping his wife through the physical examination. My office colleagues hinted to me to consider aborting the baby, I told them No, I will not. I insisted on having to this baby, perhaps it is my way of repaying mother for causing her death.

One day, I came home and I saw hubby sitting in the living room. The whole house was filled with cigarette smoke. On the coffee table, there was this piece of paper. I know what it is all about without even looking at it.

In the two months plus of living alone, I have gradually learned to find peace within myself. I looked at him, removed my hat and said: "You wait a while, I will sign." He looked at me, mixed feelings in his eyes, just like mine. As I hang up my coat, I keep repeating to myself "You cannot cry, you cannot cry..." my eyes hurt terribly, but I refused to let tears come out from there.

After I hung up my! coat, hubby's eyes stared fixed at my bulging tummy. I smiled, walked over to the coffee table and pull e paper towards me. Without even looking at what it says, I signed my name on it and pushed the paper to him.

"LD, you are pregnant?"

Since mother's accident, this is the first time he spoke to me. I could not control my tears any further and they fell like raindrops. I said: "Yes, but its ok, you can leave now." He did not go, in the dark, we sat, facing each other.

Hubby slowly moved over me, his tears wet the blanket. In my heart, everything seem so far away, so far that even if I sprint, I could never reach them.

I cannot remember how many times he repeated "sorry" to me, I had originally thought that I would forgive him, but now I can't. In the western restaurant, in front of that girl, that cold cold look in his eyes, I will never forget, ever. We have drawn such deep deep scares in each other's heart. For me, its uninte! ntional; for him, totally intentional.

I had been waiting for this moment of reconciliation, but I realized now, what had gone past is gone forever and could not repeated! Other than the thought of the baby inside me that would bring some warmth to my heart, I am totally cold towards him, I no longer eat anything he buys for me, I don't take any presents from him and I stopped talking to him. From the moment I signed on that piece of paper, marriage and love had vanished from my heart.

Sometimes, hubby will try to come into the bedroom, but when he walks in, I will walk out to the living room. He had no choice but to sleep in mother's room. At night, from his room, I can hear light sounds of groaning, I kept quiet. This used to be his trick; last time, whenever I ignore him, he would fake illness and I will surrender and find out what is wrong with him, he would then grab me and laugh. He have forgotten that last time, I cared for him and am concerned becau! se there is
love, but now, what is there between us?

Hubby's groaning came on and off continuing all the way till baby was born. Almost everyday, he would buy something for the baby, infant products, children products and books that kids like to read. Bags and bags of it stacked inside his room till it is full. I know he is trying to use this to reach out to me, but I am no longer moved by his actions. He has no choice but to lock himself in his room and I can hear his typing away on his computer keyboard, maybe he is now addicted to web
surfing, but none of that matters to me anymore.

It was sometime towards the end of spring in the following year, one late night, I screamed because of a sudden stomach pain, hubby came rushing into the room, its like he did not change and sleep, and had been waiting for this moment. He carried me and ran down the stairs, stopped a car, holding my hand very tightly and kept wiping the sweat off my brown, throughout the jour! ney to the hospital. Once we reached the hospital, he carried me and hurried into the delivery suite. Lying
on the back of his skinny but warmth body, a thought crossed my mind: In my lifetime, who else would love me as much as he did?

He held the delivery suite door opened and watch me go in, his warm eyes caused me to managed a smile at him despite my contraction pain.

Coming out of the delivery room, hubby looked at me and our son, his eyes tear with joy and he kept smiling. I reached out and touched his hand.

Hubby looked at me, smiling and then he slowly collapsed onto the floor. I cried out for him in pain... He smiled, but without opening that tired eyes of his... I had thought that I would never shed any tear for him, but the truth is, I have never felt a deeper pain cutting through my body at that moment.

Doctor said that by the time hubby discovered he had liver cancer, it was already in terminal stage and it was a mira! cle that he managed to last this long. I asked the doctor when did he first discover he had cancer? Doctor said about 5 months ago and consoled me saying: "Prepare for his funeral." I disregarded the nurse's objection and rushed home, I went into his room and checked his computer, and a suffocating pain hits me.

Hubby's cancer was discovered 5 months ago, his groaning was real, and I had thought that... the computer showed over 200 thousand words he wrote for our son: "Son, just for you, I have persisted, to be able to take a look at you before I fall, is my biggest wish now... I know that in your life, you will have many happiness and maybe some setbacks, if only I can accompany you throughout that journey, how nice would it be. But daddy now no long has that chance. Daddy has written inside here all the possible difficulties and problems you may encounter during your lifetime, when you meet with these problems, you can refer to daddy's suggestion... Son, after writing! these 200 thousand words, I feel as if I have accompanied you through your life journey. To be honest, daddy is very happy. Do love your mother, she has suffered, she is the one who loves you most and also the one who loves me most..."

From play school to primary school, to secondary, university, to work and even in dealing with questions of love, everything big and small was written there.

Hubby has also written a letter for me:

"My dear, to marry you is my biggest happiness, forgive me for the pain I have caused you, forgive me for not telling you my illness, because I want to see you be in a joyful mood waiting for the arrival of our baby... My dear, if you cried, it means that you have forgiven me and I would smile, thank you for loving me... These presents, I'm afraid I cannot give them to our son personally, could you help me to give some of them to him every year, the dates on what to give when are all written on the packaging..."

Going back to the hospital, hubby is still in coma. I brought our son over and place him beside him. I said: "Open your eyes and smile, I want our son to remember being in the warmth of your arms..."

He struggled to open his eyes and managed a weak smile. Our son still in his arms was happily waving his tiny hands in the air. I press the button on the camera and the sound of the shutter rang thought the air as tears slowly rolled down my face...

The end...

"The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence..."

KH EE

01-09-2004, 12:08 PM

Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were travelling
together. They came to the bank of a river and found the bridge damaged. They had to wade across the river.

There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged bridge and couldn't cross the river. The big monk offered to carry the pretty lady across the river on his back. The lady accepted.

The little monk was shocked by the move of the big monk. "How can big disciple brother carry a lady when we are supposed to
avoid all intimacy with females?" thought the little monk. But he
kept quiet.

The big monk carried the lady across the river and the small
monk followed unhappily. When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down and they parted ways with her.

All along the way for several miles, the little monk was very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up all
kinds of accusations about the big monk in his head. This got
him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet. And the big monk had no inclination to explain his situation.

Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the big monk. "How can you claim yourself a devout monk, when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female, especially when she is very pretty?
All your teachings to me make you a big hypocrite."

The big monk looked surprised and said, "I had put down the
pretty lady at the river bank many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her along?"

[This very old Chinese zen story reflects the thinking of many
people today.We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us and they make us angry. Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes they cause us to be bitter or jealous.

But like the little monk, we are not willing to let them go away. We
keep on carrying the baggage of the "pretty lady" with us. We let
them keep on coming back to hurt us, make us angry, make us bitter and cause us a lot of agony. Why? Simply because we are not willing to put down or let go of the baggage of the "pretty lady".

We should let go of the "pretty lady" immediately after crossing the river, immediately after the unpleasant event is over. This
will immediately remove all our agonies. There is no need to be
further hurt by the unpleasant event after it is over. It is just that simple.]

KH EE

10-09-2004, 12:29 PM

A man asked his wife what she'd like for her birthday.

"I'd love to be 10 again!" she replied.

On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, got up, made her a nice big bowl of Coco Pops and then took her off to the local theme park.

What a day! He put her on every ride in the park: the Death
Slide, the Wall of Fear, and the Screaming Monster, Roller Coaster, everything there was.

Five hours later she staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside-down. Right away, they journeyed to McDonald's where her loving husband ordered her a
Happy Meal with extra fries and a giant chocolate shake. Then it was off to see the latest Harry Potter movie, a hot dog, popcorn, a large coke, and her favorite lollies, jelly babies. What a fabulous
adventure!

Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into
bed exhausted. He leaned over his precious wife with a big smile
and lovingly asked, "Well, dear, what was it like being 10 again?"
Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. "You idiot, I meant my dress size!"

The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he will probably get it wrong.

KH EE

10-09-2004, 12:42 PM

A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if
he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner asked the man where he could get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, "There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs --- millions of them. They croak all night long and they are about to make me crazy!"

So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.

The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking
rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, "Well... where are all the frogs?"

The farmer said, "I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!"

Moral: Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

KH EE

17-09-2004, 03:43 PM

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just ten seeds.

That is still quite a lot of seeds per tree. We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?"

Nature has something to teach us here. It is telling us : "Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."

This might mean :
- You will attend twenty interviews to get one job.
- You will interview forty people to find one good employee.
- You will talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea.
- And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we do not get so disappointed.

We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.

Laws of nature are not things to take personally.

We just need to understand them - and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL
Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.

When things are beyond your control, here is something that you must NOT DO so as to avoid misery in your life :
- You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
- You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
Then, when the world does not obey your rules, you get angry!
That is what miserable people do!

On the other hand, let us say you expect that :
- Friends SHOULD return favours.
- People SHOULD appreciate you.
- Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
- Everyone SHOULD be honest.
- Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things would not happen! So you end up frustrated and dissappointed.

There is a better strategy: Demand less, and instead, have preferences!

For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself : I WOULD PREFER "A", BUT IF "B" HAPPENS, IT IS OK TOO!"

This is really a change in mindset. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of mind...

You prefer that people are polite... but when they are rude, it does not ruin your day.

You prefer sunshine... but if it rains, it is OK too!

To become happier, we either need to :
a) Change the world,or
b) Change our thinking.

It is easier to change our Thinking!

IN A NUTSHELL
It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem.
It is not what happens to you that determine your happiness, it is how you think about what happens to you!

Cindy Kee

18-09-2004, 08:28 PM

Got this from my boyfriend:

It is not how much you earn, but how much your spend, that is important.

KH EE

20-09-2004, 04:04 PM

Our Father Who Art In Heaven. YES?

Don't interrupt me. I'm praying. BUT -- YOU CALLED ME!

Called you? No, I didn't call you I'm praying. Our Father who art in heaven. THERE -- YOU DID IT AGAIN!

Did what? CALLED ME. YOU SAID, "OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN" WELL HERE I AM. WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of like fulfilling a duty. WELL, ALL RIGHT. GO ON.

Okay, Hallowed be Thy name... HOLD IT RIGHT THERE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

By what? BY "HALLOWED BE THY NAME"?

It means, it means... good grief, I don't know what it means. How in the world should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean? IT MEANS HONORED, HOLY, WONDERFUL.

Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what 'hallowed' meant before. Thanks. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT?

Sure, why not? WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?

Doing? Why, nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control of everything down here like you have up there We're kinda in a mess down here you know. YES, I KNOW; BUT, HAVE I GOT CONTROL OF YOU?

Well, I go to church. THAT ISN'T WHAT I ASKED YOU. WHAT ABOUT YOUR BAD TEMPER? YOU'VE REALLY GOT A PROBLEM THERE, YOU KNOW AND THEN THERE'S THE WAY YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY -- ALL ON YOURSELF. AND WHAT ABOUT THE KIND OF BOOKS YOU READ?

Now hold on just a minute! Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of those people at church! EXCUSE ME. I THOUGHT YOU WERE PRAYING FOR MY WILL TO BE DONE. IF THAT IS TO HAPPEN, IT WILL HAVE TO START WITH THE ONES WHO ARE PRAYING FOR IT. LIKE YOU -- FOR EXAMPLE.

Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name soom others. SO COULD I...

I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free. GOOD. NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. WE'LL WORK TOGETHER -- YOU AND ME. I'M PROUD OF YOU.

Look, Lord, if you don't mind, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. Give us this day, our daily bread. YOU NEED TO CUT OUT THE BREAD. YOU'RE OVERWEIGHT AS IT IS.

Hey, wait a minute! What is this? Here I was doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups. PRAYING IS A DANGEROUS THING. YOU JUST MIGHT GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR. REMEMBER, YOU CALLED ME -- AND HERE I AM IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW. KEEP PRAYING.

...pause... WELL, GO ON.

I'm scared to. SCARED? OF WHAT?

I know what you'll say. TRY ME.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. WHAT ABOUT CAROL?

See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why, Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories. She never paid back the money she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her! BUT -- YOUR PRAYER -- WHAT ABOUT YOUR PRAYER?

I didn't -- mean it. WELL, AT LEAST YOU'RE HONEST.. BUT, IT'S QUITE A LOAD CARRYING AROUND ALL THAT BITTERNESS AND RESENTMENT ISN'T IT?

Yes, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even with her. Boy, have I got some plans for her. She'll wish she had never been born. NO, YOU WON'T FEEL ANY BETTER. YOU'LL FEEL WORSE. REVENGE ISN'T SWEET. YOU KNOW HOW UNHAPPY YOU ARE -- WELL, I CAN CHANGE THAT.

You can? How? FORGIVE CAROL. THEN, I'LL FORGIVE YOU; AND THE HATE AND SIN WILL BE CAROL'S PROBLEM -- NOT YOURS. YOU WILL HAVE SETTLED THE PROBLEM AS FAR AS YOU ARE CONCERNED.

Oh, you know, you're right. You always are. And more than I want revenge, I want to be right with You.. (sigh) All right... all right... I forgive her. THERE NOW! WONDERFUL! HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Hmmmm.. Well, not bad. Not bad at all! In fact, I feel pretty great! You know, I don't think I'll go to bed uptight tonight. I haven't been getting much rest, you know. YEAH, I KNOW. BUT, YOU'RE NOT THROUGH WITH YOUR PRAYER ARE YOU? GO ON.

Oh, all right. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. GOOD! GOOD! I'LL DO THAT. JUST DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE TEMPTED.

What do you mean by that? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

Yeah. I know. OKAY. GO AHEAD. FINISH YOUR PRAYER.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BRING ME GLORY -- WHAT WOULD REALLY MAKE ME HAPPY?

No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you now. I've really made a mess of things. I want to truly follow you. I can see now how great that would be. So, tell me... how do I make you happy? YOU JUST DID...

By The Grace Of God! This Day Is Ours!

Thought For The Month: Life might not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here,we might as well dance.

KH EE

22-09-2004, 04:23 PM

from http://www.thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2004\9\19&file=/2004/9/19/features/8687291&sec=features

THE young man stood on the edge of a tall building early one morning. Just as he was about to leap off, he heard a voice ask: “Are you looking at yesterday or today?”

Startled, he turned around and saw an old man standing near the staircase. The stranger repeated his question.

The young man, who could not answer, became furious. Then he started shouting: “What do you know about me? I’m desperate ... I’ve lost everything. There’s no way I can get my life back. My family left because they cannot forgive me for the mistakes I’ve made.”

The old man said: “Don’t you see – everything you’ve said happened yesterday, or earlier. You can’t undo what has been done.

“But look! Another day is dawning. The power of today is strong enough to make a change for a better tomorrow. Learn to live again.”

The old man stepped forward and patted his back. The young man felt a sudden surge of strength, even as his tears flowed. Together, they headed for the stairs.

-Sent in by Gabrielle Yeoh

shamalasp

23-09-2004, 05:55 PM

Marriage is like putting your hand in a bag of snakes in hope of pulling out an eel :)

lord

23-09-2004, 06:25 PM

Marriage is also like eating in a restaurant. You always wish you ordered what the other guy is having!;)

orchipalar

23-09-2004, 06:33 PM

Err...IsaRahim:) - Ahem...yours just becoming to be a classic!....don huan-Orchi...cheers to that...err....pancho's bottle inspiration...sorry had to do it...but please watch it though...the Lord n KH Ee have too much interest riding on this thread....hehehe....last you wanna get....is for El Muchachos to close this thread as well....hahaha....Classic one!:D :D

Admin note
Orchi is refering to a post by Isarahim about "tequila". I have moved it to the Jokes section with Isarahim's permission as it does not fit in this thread.

lord

23-09-2004, 06:48 PM

Army Son, The
by: Author Unknown, Aspiring to Greatness

The Creightons were very proud of their son, Frank. When he went to college, naturally they missed him; but he wrote and they looked forward to his letters and saw him on weekends. Then Frank was drafted into the army.

After he had been in the army about five months, he received his call to go to Vietnam. Of course, the parents' anxiety for his first letter was greater than ever before. And ever week they heard from him and were thankful for his well-being. Then one week went by without a letter ~ two weeks ~ and finally three. At the end of the third week a telegram came, saying, "We regret to inform you that you son has been missing for three weeks and is presumed to have been killed inaction while fighting for his country."

The parents were shocked and grieved. They tried to accept the situation and go on living, but it was tragically lonesome without Frank.

About three weeks later, however, the phone rang. When Mrs. Creighton answered it, a voice on the other end said, "Mother, it's Frank. they found me, and I'm going to be all right. I'm in the United States and I'm coming home soon."

Mrs. Creighton was overjoyed, with tears running down her cheeks she sobbed, "Oh, that's wonderful! That's just wonderful, Frank."

There was silence for a moment, and then Frank said, "Mother I want to ask you something that is important to me. While I've been here, I've met a lot of wonderful people and I've really become close friends with some. There is one fellow I would like to bring home with me to meet you and Dad. And I would like to know if it would be all right if he could stay and live with us, because he has no place to go."

His mother assured him it would be all right.

Then Frank said, "You see, he wasn't' as lucky as some; he was injured in battle. He was hit by a blast and his face is all disfigured. He lost his leg, and his right hand is missing. So you see, he feels uneasy about how others will accept him."

Frank's mother stopped to think a minute. She began to wonder how things would work out, and what people in town would think of someone like that. She said, "Sure frank, you bring him home~ for a visit, that is. We would love to meet him and have him stay for a while; but about him staying with us permanently, well, we'll have to think about that." There was silence for a minute, and then Frank said, "Okay, Mother," and hung up.

A week went by without any word from Frank, and then a telegram arrived ~ "We regret to inform you that your son has taken his life. We would like you to come and identify the body."

Their wonderful son was gone. The horror stricken parents could only ask themselves, "Why had he done this?" When they walked into the room to identify the body of their son, they found a young man with a disfigured face, one leg missing, and his right hand gone.

You figure out the moral of this story

lord

23-09-2004, 06:52 PM

Lunch Bag, The
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

(A true story of Robert Fulghum and his 7-year-old daughter Molly)

It was Molly's job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work. One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag. This one was worn and held together with duct tape, staples, and paper clips.

"Why two bags" Fulghum asked.

"The other is something else," Molly answered.

"What's in it?"

"Just some stuff. Take it with you."

Not wanting to hold court over the matter, Fulghum stuffed both sacks into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off. At midday, while hurriedly scarfing down his real lunch, he tore open Molly's bag and shook out the contents: two hair ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a pencil stub, a tiny sea shell, two animal crackers, a marble, a used lipstick, a small doll, two chocolate kisses, and 13 pennies.

Fulghum smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean - into the wastebasket - leftover lunch, Molly's junk and all.

That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper.

"Where's my bag?"

"What bag?"

"You know, the one I gave you this morning."

"I left it at the office. Why?"

"I forgot to put this note in it," she said. "And, besides, those are my things in the sack, Daddy, the ones I really like - I thought you might like to play with them, but now I want them back. You didn't lose the bag, did you, Daddy?"

"Oh, no," he said, lying. "I just forgot to bring it home. I'll bring it tomorrow."

While Molly hugged her father's neck, he unfolded the note that had not made it into the sack: "I love you, Daddy."

Molly had given him her treasures. All that a 7-year-old held dear. Love in a paper sack, and he missed it - not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket. So back he went to the office. Just ahead of the night janitor, he picked up the wastebasket and poured the contents on his desk.

After washing the mustard off the dinosaurs and spraying the whole thing with breath-freshener to kill the smell of onions, he carefully smoothed out the wadded ball of brown paper, put the treasures inside and carried it home gingerly, like and injured kitten. The bag didn't look so good, but the stuff was all there and that's what counted.

After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack. It took a long time to tell. Everything had a story or a memory or was attached to dreams and imaginary friends. Fairies had brought some of the things. He had given her the chocolate kisses, and she had kept them for when she needed them.

"Sometimes I think of all the times in this sweet life," Fulghum concludes the story, "when I must have missed the affection I was being given. A friend calls this 'standing knee deep in the river and dying of thirst.' "

We should all remember that it's not the destination that counts in life - it's the journey.

The little girl smiles, the dinosaurs and chocolate kisses wrapped in old paper bags that we sometimes throw away too thoughtlessly, each day, each a tiny treasure.

The journey with the people we love is all that really matters. Such a simple truth so easily forgotten.

lord

27-09-2004, 06:15 PM

A Clever Dog
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back again.

So, he goes over to the dog and notices he has a note in his mouth. He takes the note and it reads "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well."

The butcher looks inside and, lo and behold, there is a ten dollar Note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it's about closing time, he decides to shut up shop and follow the dog.

So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street when he comes To a level crossing.

The dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button. Then he waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and he walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way.

The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable.

The butcher is in awe at this stage. The dog checks out the times, and then sits on one of the seats provided. Along comes a bus. The dog walks around to the front, looks at the number, and goes back to his seat.

Another bus comes. Again the dog goes and looks at the number, notices it's the right bus, and climbs on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, follows him onto the bus.

The bus travels through the town and out into the suburbs, the dog Looking at the scenery. Eventually he gets up, and moves to the front of the bus. He stands on 2 back paws and pushes the button to stop the bus. Then he gets off, his groceries still in his mouth.

Well, dog and butcher are walking along the road, and then the dog turns into a house. He walks up the path, and drops the groceries on the step.

Then he walks back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself against the door. He goes back down the path, runs up to the door and again, it throws himself against it. There's no answer at the house, so the dog goes back down the path, jumps up on a narrow wall, and walks along the perimeter of the garden. He gets to the window, and beats his head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.

The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him.

The butcher runs up, and stops the guy. "What in heaven's name are You doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!" to which the guy responds: "You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog's forgotten his key."

Reflection:
Looks like some, people will never be satisfied with what they've got.

When it comes to the work place, Employers do not know how to appreciate their people who have served them loyally through the years. I've seen companies lose good people for the simple fact their leaders failed to show appreciation. Employers with big egos enjoy the fact that they have more power and authority than others. They show, in the way they give orders and directions, that they think they are superior. They get a kick out of displaying this superiority. People who do this are fools, and everyone but them knows it. They are never satisfied because they could not be satisfied even if their people perform well.

They don't listen to the opinion and ideas of their subordinates.

Why? Because of their stupid pride and insecurity.

People of this kind will never be satisfied. Why? Because they are so busy wrapped up in themselves and, fact is, the self can never be satisfied. Happy and productive people are always those who are "others-centered" rather than "self- centered." The greatest idea of leadership is not someone who throws his weight around. Rather, he is a servant.

tan_r

27-09-2004, 06:21 PM

Lord, in exchange for the Sons of Fortune :D

An old Hindu legend says there was a time when men were gods. But they abused their divine powers so much that Brahma, the master of all gods, decided to take these powers away and hide them in a place where they would be impossible to find. All that remained was to find a suitable hiding place.

A number of lesser gods were appointed to a council to deal with the issue. They suggested this: "Why not bury man's powers in the earth?" To which Brahma replied, " No, that will not do because man would dig deep and find it."

So the gods said, "In that case, we will send their divinity to the deepest depths of the ocean."

But Brahma replied again, "Sooner or later man will explore the depths of the ocean and it is certain he will find it and bring it to the surface."

So the lesser gods concluded, "Neither land nor sea is a place where man's divine powers will be safe, so we do not know where to hide it."

At that moment Brahma exclaimed, "This is what we will do with man's divinity! We will hide it deep within him because that is the only place he will not think to look."

From then on, according to the legend, man searched the world over; he explored, climbed, dove, and dug in search of something that was inside himself the whole time.

(Eric Butterworth, Discover the Power Within Yourself)

KH EE

06-10-2004, 10:50 AM

A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all.

Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by
many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li
constantly.

Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and
dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it.

Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold
herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.

Mr. Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, "Li-Li, I will help
you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you."

Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do."

Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen."

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother. After six months had passed, the whole household had changed.

Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found
that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.

The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter.

Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again. She said, "Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law! She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to
worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."

HAVE YOU REALIZED that how you treat others is exactly how they will treat you?

There is a wise Chinese saying: "The person who loves others
will also be loved in return." God might be trying to work in another person's life through you.

uchangeng

06-10-2004, 12:08 PM

Girl friend to boy friend: if you want to drink milk, just take a glass, don't bring the cow home.

Boy friend to girl friend : if you want to fulfill your fantasy, just try the taste of the little sausage first, don't buy the whole stud.

Moral of the story: no committment.

KH EE

11-10-2004, 04:49 PM

A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.

Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible.

Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so
hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.

One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed...

Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition.
Life is definitely not about work!
Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts.

So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile.

a. Watch your thoughts; they become words.
b. Watch your words; they become actions.
c. Watch your actions; they become habits.
d. Watch your habits; they become character.
e. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

krystle

17-10-2004, 04:52 PM

"It's hard to imagine that nothing at all could be so exciting could be this much fun"

- Talking Heads from the song "Heaven"

KH EE

18-10-2004, 03:34 PM

You can be a total winner
Even if you're a beginner

If you think you can, you can

If you think you can, you can

Raise that C up to an A
Get in the school play

If you think you can

It's not your talent or the gift at birth
It's not your bankbook that determines worth

It's not the color or texture of your skin

It's your attitude that lets you win

You can ride your own black stallion
You can wear a gold medallion

If you think you can, you can

If you think you can, you can

You can learn to ride a bike
Up a mountain, you can hike

You can wear a diamond crown
You can get back up, when you've been down

If you think you can

It doesn't matter if you've won before
It makes no difference what the halftime score

It isn't 'til the final gun if there were one
So keep on trying and you'll find what you've won

You grab your dream, and you believe it
Go out and work, and you'll achieve it

If you think you can, you can

If you think you can, you can

-Author Unknown

jeya

18-10-2004, 05:10 PM

don't believe one grows older. I think that what happens early on in life is that at a certain age one stands still and stagnates.

T.S. Elliot

KH EE

26-10-2004, 03:17 PM

A mother and a baby camel were lazing around, and suddenly the baby camel
asked: Mother, mother, may I ask you some questions?
Mother: Sure! Why son, is there something bothering you?

Baby: Why do camels have humps?
Mother: Well son, we are desert animals, we need the humps to store water and we are known to survive without water.

Baby: Okay, then why are our legs long and our feet rounded?
Mother: Son, obviously they are meant for walking in the desert,You know with these legs I can move around the desert better than anyone does!

Baby: Okay, then why are our eyelashes long? Sometimes it bothers my sight.
Mother: My son, those long thick eyelashes are your protective cover. They help to protect your eyes From the desert sand and wind.

Baby: I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for walking through the desert and these eye lashes protects my eyes from the desert...... Then what the hell are we doing here in the Zzzoooooo?

THE MORAL OF THE STORY?

Skills, knowledge, abilities and experiences are only useful if you are at the right place.

Ski

02-11-2004, 03:24 PM

Something that M Teresa said before her death.

When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice,
a piece of bread. But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved,
terrified, the person who has been thrown out of society - that spiritual
poverty is much harder to overcome. Those who are materially poor can be
very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people
from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition. I told
the Sisters: “You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one
who looks worse.”

So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was
such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said
one word only: “Thank you” - and she died. I could not help but examine my
conscience before her. And I asked:
“What would I say if I were in her place?
“ And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little
attention to myself. I would have said: “I am hungry, I am dying, I am cold,
I am in pain, or something.

But she gave me much more - she gave me her grateful love. And she died with
a smile on her face. Then there was the man we picked up from the drain,
half eaten by worms and, after we had brought him to the home, he only said,
“I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die as an
angel, loved and cared or.” Then, after we had removed all the worms from
his body,all he said, with a big smile, was: “Sister, I am going home to
God” - and he died. It was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who
could speak like that without blaming anybody, without comparing anything.
Like an angel - this is the greatness of people who are spiritually rich
even when they are materially poor....

Life
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realise it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is costly, care for it.
Life is wealth, keep it.
Life is love, enjoy it.
Life is mystery, know it.
Life is a promise, fulfil it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

Mother Teresa

hishalis

02-11-2004, 04:03 PM

"Bila ada Tidak Di Hargai... Bila Tiada Baru Ratap Mencari.."

~ PantunMan

RJBrown

02-11-2004, 05:09 PM

WHAT HAVE WE NOT DONE

It rained through the night.
It rained again this morn.
The morning sun sidled away.
As if hope has evaporate.

I don't know why and
I know not how
I felt disheartened and
I am saddened by.

It is chilly outside
Rain, now come in a sudden
Though it is not cold here, but
My heart is deeply dishearten

Where and how are those little children
None warm home to run
Mummy's love has naught
Daddy's touch they have forgot

They don't need much
They don't know why
They just need some cuddle
Shower you they will with smiles and laughter

Smiles that will brighten this chilly morn
Smiles that will bring back that warm sun
Laughter that will echo through the valleys
Laughter that will rock everyone's heart

O! What have we missed.
O! What have we not done.
O! This chilly morning mist
O! This cold rainy world of our

Perhaps..............

Brown

KH EE

08-11-2004, 03:18 PM

from http://www.thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2004\11\7&file=/2004/11/7/features/5473899&sec=features

Sunday November 7, 2004

A LONG time ago, before the world was created and humans could set foot on it, virtues and vices floated around, not quite knowing what to do. One day, all of them were gathered together, and feeling more bored than ever.

Suddenly, Ingenious came up with an idea: “Let’s play hide-and-seek!” Everyone liked the idea and immediately, Madness shouted: “I want to count, I want to count!”

Since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek Madness, all the others agreed. Madness leaned against a tree and started counting, “One, two, three ...”

As Madness counted, the vices and virtues ran off to look for places in which to hide.

Tenderness hung itself on the horn of the moon, while Treason hid in a pile of garbage.

Fondness curled up between the clouds and Passion went to the centre of the earth.

Lie said that it would hide under a stone, but hid at the bottom of the lake instead, whilst Avarice entered a sack that he ended up breaking.

Madness continued to shout out: “... 79, 80, 81...” By then, all the vices and virtues were well hidden, except for Love. Fickle as Love is, he could not decide where to hide. And this should not surprise us, because we all know how difficult it is to hide Love.

Madness counted, “... 95, 96, 97 ...”

Just when he got to 100, Love jumped into a rose bush. Madnessturned around and shouted: “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Laziness was the first to be found, because he did not have the energy to hide. Then Madness spotted Tenderness in the horn of the moon, Lie at the bottom of the lake, and Passion at the centre of the earth.

One by one, Madness found them all, except for Love. He was getting desperate. Envious of Love, Envy whispered to Madness, “He is in the rose bush.”

Madness grabbed a wooden pitch fork and stabbed wildly at the bush. He jabbed and stabbed until a heartbreaking cry made him stop.

Love appeared from the bush, with both hands covering his face. Blood oozed from his eyes and trickled down his fingers. Madness had stabbed out Love’s eyes with his pitch fork.

“What have I done? What have I done?” Madness screamed. “I have blinded you! How can I repair the damage?”

Love answered: “You cannot repair my eyes. But if you really want to do something for me, you can be my guide.”

And so it came about that from that day on, Love is blind and is always accompanied by Madness.

KH EE

08-11-2004, 03:25 PM

from http://www.thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2004\11\7&file=/2004/11/7/features/5478233&sec=features

Sunday November 7, 2004

ONCE upon a time, there was an island where all the human emotions and desires lived – Happiness, Sadness, Vanity, Knowledge and all the others, including Love.

One day there was an announcement that the island would soon sink. So everyone flew to his own vessel and prepared to sail away.

Love wanted to persevere until the last possible moment. But when the island was almost submerged in water, he had to seek help.

Wealth was passing by in a grand boat, so he called out: “Can you take me with you?”

“No, I can’t,” Wealth replied. “There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.”

Love turned to Vanity, who was also passing by, in a beautiful vessel: “Please help me!”

“I can’t. You are all wet and might damage my boat,” Vanity said.

Sadness was close by, so Love called out: “Let me go with you, please.”

“Oh, Love, I am so sad I need to be by myself!”

Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear Lovecalling.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, “Come Love, I will take you.”

It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that he forgot to ask him his name. When they finally arrived on dry land, the elder went his own way.

Love, who realised the debt he owed, asked Knowledge, another elder: “Who was that?”

“It was Time.”

“Time? But why did he help me?”

Knowledge smiled, then said: “Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is.”

gotterdammerung

08-11-2004, 03:26 PM

I wrote this to someone dear not long ago:

I want to go hungry tonight
So if I die tomorrow, you are the cause
If I am still alive, you are the reason

balitan

08-11-2004, 03:43 PM

before u think of saying an unkind word, think of someone who can't speak
before u complain about the taste of your food, think of someone who has nothing to eat
before u complain about your husband or wife, think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion
today before u complain about life, think of someone who went too early to heaven
before u complain about your children, think of someone who desires childern but they're barren
before you argue about your dirty house, think of people who are living in the street
before whining about the distance u drive, think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet
before u think of pointing the finger or condemning another, remember that not one of us is without sin........

thank you

KH EE

29-11-2004, 02:39 PM

from http://www.thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2004\11\28&file=/2004/11/28/features/7980098&sec=features

Sunday November 28, 2004

A VOYAGING ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, deserted island. The survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they decided to divide the territory between them, thus each would stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship sank nearby, and the only survivor was a woman, who swam to his side of the island. On the other side, there was nothing.

Soon, the first man prayed for a house, clothes, and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. He boarded the ship with his spouse and decided to leave the second man behind.

He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to sail off, the first man heard a booming voice which seemed to come from way above his head: “Why are you leaving your companion on the island?”

“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them. His prayers were all unanswered, so he does not deserve anything.”

“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”

“Tell me,” the first man said, “what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”

“He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”

KH EE

06-12-2004, 04:07 PM

from http://www.thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2004\12\5&file=/2004/12/5/features/6336921&sec=features

CARL didn’t talk much. He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake. Even after living in our neighbourhood for over 50 years, no one could really say they knew him very well.

Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning. The sight of him walking alone down the street often worried us. He had a slight limp from a bullet wound he got in WWII. Watching him, we worried that he might not make it through our changing uptown neighbourhood with its ever-increasing random violence, gangs and drug activity.

When Carl saw the flyer at our local church asking for volunteers to care for the gardens behind the minister’s residence, he signed up.

He was well into his 87th year when the very thing we had always feared hap-pened. He’d just finished his watering for the day when three gang members approached him. Ignoring their attempt to intimidate him, he simply asked, “Would you like a drink from the hose?”

The tallest and toughest-looking of the guys said, “Yeah, sure.” As Carl offered him the hose, the other two grabbed his arm and threw him down. As the hose snaked crazily over the ground, dousing everything in its way, they stole his retirement watch and wallet, and then fled.

Carl tried to get up, but he’d been thrown down on his bad leg. He lay there trying to gather himself as the minister ran up.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Carl just passed a hand over his brow and shook his head. “Just some punk kids. I hope they’ll wise up some day.” His wet clothes clung to his slight frame as he bent to pick up the hose. He re-adjusted the nozzle and continued to water the plants.

A few weeks later, the trio returned. Just as before, their threat was unchallenged. Carl again offered them a drink from his hose. This time, they didn’t rob him. They wrenched the hose from his hand and drenched him from head to toe. Then they sauntered down the street, throwing catcalls and curses, and falling over one another at the hilarity of what they’d done. Carl watched them. Then he picked up his hose, and carried on with his watering.

The summer was quickly fading into fall. Carl was doing some tilling when he was startled by the sudden approach of someone behind him. He stumbled and fell into some evergreen branches. As he struggled to regain his footing, the tall leader of his tormentors reached down for him. Carl braced himself for the attack.

“Don’t worry, old man, I’m not going to hurt you this time,” the young man said softly, as he offered his tattooed and scarred hand to Carl. He helped him up, then pulled a crumpled bag from his pocket.

“What’s this?” Carl asked.

“It’s your stuff back. Even the money in your wallet.”

“I don’t understand. Why would you help me now?”

The man seemed ill at ease. “I learned something from you. I ran with that gang and hurt people like you. We picked on you because you were old and we knew we could do it. But every time we came and did something to you, instead of yelling and fighting back, you tried to give us a drink. You didn’t hate us. You kept showing us love.”

He stopped for a second. “I couldn’t sleep after we stole your stuff, so here it is back.”

He paused again. “That bag’s my way of saying thanks for straightening me out, I guess.” With that, he walked off.

Carl looked at the bag in his hands and gingerly opened it. He took out his watch and strapped it on his wrist. He opened his wallet and checked for his wedding photo. He gazed for a moment at the young bride who still smiled back at him from all those years ago.

He died one cold day after Christmas that winter and many people attended his funeral. In particular, the minister noticed a tall young man, whom he didn’t know, sitting quietly in a corner of the church. He spoke of Carl’s garden as a lesson in life: “Do your best and make your garden as beautiful as you can.”

The following spring, another flyer went up. It read: “Person needed to care for Carl’s garden.” One day, someone knocked on the minister’s door. He opened it and saw a pair of scarred and tattooed hands holding the flyer. “I believe this is my job, if you’ll have me,” the young man said.“Yes, go take care of Carl’s garden and honour him.”

The man went to work and, over the next several years, he tended the flowers and vegetables just as Carl had done. In that time, he went to college, got married, and became a prominent member of the community. But he never forgot his promise to Carl’s memory.

One day, he approached the new minister and said that he couldn’t care for the garden any longer. “My wife had a baby boy last night, and she’s bringing him home on Saturday.”

“Well, congratulations!” said the minister, as he was handed the keys to the garden shed. “That’s wonderful! What’s the baby’s name?”

“Carl.”

# This thought-provoking tale came through the e-mail. If you receive similar stories or anecdotes worth sharing, send them to starmag@thestar.com.my. Include the source or author if possible. Today’s story was sent in by S.T. Koay.

KH EE

15-12-2004, 01:43 PM

from http://www.thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2004\12\12&file=/2004/12/12/features/9545956&sec=features

ON my wedding day, the bridal car stopped in front of a one-room flat and I carried my wife into our new home. She was plump and shy; I was strong and happy.

In the decade that followed, we had a kid, I went into business and she remained a civil servant. Our marriage looked happy, but as our assets steadily increased, the affection between us ebbed. Then Dew came into my life.

As I stood on the balcony of the apartment I’d bought for her, Dew hugged me and said: “You’re the kind of man who draws a girl’s eyes.” Her words brought to mind what my wife had said when we were newly-weds: “Men like you, once successful, will be very attractive to girls.”

I knew I had betrayed her, but I couldn’t help myself. I left after telling Dew I had something to attend to. Suddenly, divorce, which had seemed impossible before, became a clear option.

The problem was telling my wife about it. I knew she would be deeply hurt because she had been a good spouse and mother.

Once, I had raised the subject in a joking manner: “Suppose we were to divorce ... What would you do?”

She stared silently at me; the notion seemed too far-fetched to even consider.

Days later, when she dropped by the office, all my employees gave her sympathetic glances. She smiled gently as she spoke to them, but I could see the pain in her eyes.

Before long, Dew broached the subject again. “Divorce her, okay? Then we can live together.”

That night, after my wife had served the last dish, I grabbed her hand. “I’ve got something to tell you.” She sat down and started eating. Again, I her noticed her sad eyes. “I want a divorce.”

“Why?” she asked softly.

“I’m serious,” I said, avoiding the question. She threw down her chopsticks and shouted, “You’re not a man!”

That night, we didn’t speak to each other. She wept and waited for my answers. Engulfed by guilt, I drafted an agreement which stated that she could have our house and car, and a 30% stake in my company.

She glanced at the paper, then tore it to pieces. I felt a stab of pain at the thought that this woman who had lived 10 years with me would soon become a stranger.

The next morning, my wife showed me an agreement she’d drafted: she didn’t want anything from me, but I had to wait a month before filing the papers. During that time we should continue as before. Her reason was simple: Our son’s summer vacation would end in a month.

As she passed me the draft, she asked: “Do you still remember how I entered our bridal room on our wedding day?”

I nodded as memories flooded back.

“From now till the end of the month, can you please carry me from the bedroom to the front door every morning?”

I agreed. I knew she missed those sweet days and wished to end things in a romantic manner. When I told Dew about her request, she laughed and thought it absurd.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since I asked to divorce. So, when I carried her out on the first day, we both felt clumsy. Our son clapped behind us: “Daddy is holding mummy in his arms.”

As I walked the 10m from bed to door, she closed her eyes and whispered: “Let’s start from today. Don’t tell him.”

On the second day, she leaned on my chest. We were so close I could smell the fragrance on her blouse and see the fine wrinkles on her face. I realised that I hadnot really looked at her for a long time.

On the third day, she cautioned that there was some work going on in the garden outside. On the fourth, when I lifted her up, I felt a certain intimacy – as though I was holding my sweetheart. I did not tell Dew about this.

On the fifth and sixth days, my wife reminded me where she’d kept the ironed shirts, and that I should take care while cooking. She was looking through her dresses as I waited to carry her out. She tried on a few, then sighed. “All my dresses have grown bigger.”

Suddenly, it struck me that I could lift her more easily now because she had shrunk, not because I’d grown stronger from the daily exercise. I knew she had buried all the bitterness in her heart. As I reached to touch her head, our son walked in and said, “Dad, it’s time to carry mum out.”

She hugged him tightly when he came close and I turned away, for fear I would change my mind.

On the last day, as I held her in my arms, I could hardly move a step. My wife said, “I had hoped you would hold me in your arms until we were old.”

After I’d left her at the door, I drove straight to the apartment and ran up the stairs. As Dew opened the door, I blurted out: “Sorry, Dew, I won’t divorce her.” She made to check my forehead, but I brushed her hand away.

“Our married life was boring because my wife and I didn’t value the little things in life, not because we don’t love each other any more. Now I understand: As I carried her into our home, I have to hold her until I am old.”

Dew slapped me hard, burst into tears, and slammed the door in my face.

On the way back to the office, I stopped by the florist’s. When the salesgirl asked my message for the bouquet, I smiled and wrote: “I’ll carry you out every morning till we are old.”

flaminJ

15-12-2004, 03:51 PM

Man... this is some story told... I even had this twinkling in my eye when i read it... really touching...

wildbill

15-12-2004, 04:00 PM

ROSE AT 87

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose.I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."

No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.

She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.

I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech,she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day.

You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.

If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability.

The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.

Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS
OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

KH EE

20-12-2004, 04:59 PM

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface). In order to solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did Russians do?? The Russians used a Pencil!!!

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty.

Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty.

Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so.

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Moral of the story: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) i.e. always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem.

So, learn to focus on solutions not on problems.
"If you look at what you do not have in life, you don't have anything"
"If you look at what you have in life, you have everything"

kwchang

20-12-2004, 05:22 PM

Sorry, KH EE, the pencil solution is an urban legend. Check it out at one of the many websites that debunked this chain-mail that circulated the globe sometime ago - http://hoaxinfo.com/spacepen.htm

The soapbox story may be real though. I couldn't find it in the urban legends. :)

Ski

21-12-2004, 08:15 AM

"Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit the this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."

- John F. Kennedy

KH EE

21-12-2004, 10:26 AM

the pencil solution is an urban legend.

thanks chang, i got fooled this time :p but it's good to discover another urban legend site! :D

KH EE

03-01-2005, 05:06 PM

from http://thestar.com.my/news/archives/story.asp?ppath=\2005\1\2&file=/2005/1/2/features/7980139&sec=features

A YOUNG woman complained to her mother about how hard things were for her. She was tired of fighting and struggling, and felt like giving up. It seemed as though whenever one problem got solved, another cropped up.

The mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and put them on the stove to boil. Then she placed carrots in the first pot, eggs in the second, and ground coffee beans in the last and let them boil. After about 20 minutes, mum fished the carrots and eggs out and placed them in a bowl, and ladled the coffee into another bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she said, “Tell me what you see.”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee.”

She drew the girl closer and asked her to feel the carrots. The daughter did, and noted that they were soft. She was then asked to take an egg and remove the shell. The egg was hard-boiled. Finally, the young woman sipped the coffee from the second bowl, smiling as she breathed in its rich aroma.

“What does all this mean, mum?”

Her mother explained that the three items had faced the same adversity – boiling water – but each had reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile but its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. And the boiling water had hardened what was inside. However, the coffee beans were unique – they actually changed the water!

“Which are you?” mum asked. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Do you become soft and lose your strength when you encounter pain? Are you like the egg, which has a malleable heart that changes with the heat? Do you become bitter and hard inside after facing hardship?

“Or are you like the coffee bean, which actually changes the hot water – the very factor that causes the pain. As the water boils, the bean releases its fragrance and flavour. In times of trial and darkness, can you, like the bean, elevate yourself to another level?”

KH EE

14-02-2005, 03:50 PM

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday."

Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important... Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture.... Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Barnes. It's the thing I valued most in my life."

A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most...was...my time."

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.

"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet... thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

5. You mean the world to someone.

6. If not for you, someone may not be living.

7. You are special and unique.

8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

11. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

13. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.

14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

To everyone, "Thanks for your time"

KH EE

21-02-2005, 02:37 PM

In April 2004, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah (on her show) for Dr. Angelou's 74th birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older. And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day... like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which one will reach her waist first, she said. The audience laughed so hard they cried.

Dr. Angelou also said:

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things:

a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

wildbill

22-02-2005, 12:40 PM

See Me Beautiful - by Red and Kathy Grammer

See Me Beautiful
Look for the best in me
It's what I really am
And all I want to be
It may take some time
It may be hard to find
But see me beautiful

See me beautiful
Each and every day
Could you take a chance
Could you find a way
To see me shining through
In everything I do
And see me beautiful

I see you beautiful... and I hope you see everyone around you beautiful without prejudice and discrimination...

Joe Gomez

23-02-2005, 03:42 PM

WHY GOD CREATED US .....

One day, as usually, an orphan, a little girl, stood at the street corner begging for food, money or whatever she could get. Now, this girl was wearing tattered clothes, was dirty and quite dishevelled.

A well-to-do you man passed that corner without giving the girl a second look. But, when he returned to his expensive home, his happy and comfortable family, and his well-laden dinner table, his thoughts returned to the young orphan. He became very angry with God for allowing such conditions to exist.

He reproached God, saying, “How can you let this happen? Why don’t you do something to help this girl???”

Then he heard God in the depths of his being responding by saying “I did. I created You.”

CONGRATULATIONS USJ.COM.MY FOR TOUCHING THE TSUNAMI VICTIMS RECENTLY.

KH EE

24-03-2005, 02:07 PM

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.

"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name?

Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.

Work like you don't need the money.

Love like you've never been hurt.

Dance like nobody's watching.

Sing like nobody's listening.

Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

totoro

24-03-2005, 02:22 PM

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/fleming.htm

an inspirational story nonetheless.

KH EE

24-03-2005, 02:25 PM

thanks 4 the link. am blushing now... :o

KH EE

29-03-2005, 04:53 PM

by Rev. Ronald McFadden

If you're not married yet, share this with a friend. If you are married, share it with your spouse or other married couples and reflect on it.

An African proverb states, "Before you get married, keep both eyes open, and after you marry, close one eye."

Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don't let lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem, make you blind to warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and don't fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as faults aren't really important.

Once you decide to commit to someone, over time his or her flaws, vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences will become more obvious. If you love your mate and want the relationship to grow and evolve, you've got to learn to close one eye and not let every little thing bother you. You and your mate have many different expectations, emotional needs, values, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths. You are two unique individual children of God who have decided to share a life together.

Neither of you are perfect, but are you perfect for each other? Do you bring out the best in each other?

Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete, compare, and control? What do you bring to the relationship? Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain? You can't take someone to the altar to alter him or her. You can't make someone love you
or make someone stay.

If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and "a life", you won't find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your pain.

Manipulation, control, jealousy, neediness, and selfishness are not the ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and lasting relationship! Seeking status, sex, wealth, and security are the wrong reasons to be in a relationship. What keeps a relationship strong?

Communication, intimacy, trust, a sense of humor, sharing household tasks, some getaway time without business or children and daily exchanges (a meal, shared activity, a hug, a call, a touch, a note).

Leave a nice message on the voicemail or send a nice email.

Sharing common goals and interests. Growth is important. Grow together, not away from each other, giving each other space to grow without feeling insecure. Allow your mate to have outside interest. You can't always be together. Give each other a sense of belonging and assurances of commitment. Don't try to control one another. Learn each other's family situation. Respect his or her parents regardless.

Don't put pressure on each other for material goods. Remember for richer or for poorer. If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as resentment, withdrawal, abuse, neglect, dishonesty, and pain replace the passion.

The difference between 'United' and 'Untied' is where you put the i.

Chermaine

31-03-2005, 12:20 PM

I actually have learnt to close both eyes. That is NO EYES SEE and close one EAR .....then slowly.....walk with one LEG outside the house and the other leg......

KH EE

31-03-2005, 02:19 PM

There was this little girl sitting by herself in the park. Everyone passed by her and never stopped to see why she looked so sad.

Dressed in a worn pink dress, barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people go by. She never tried to speak. She never said a word. Many people passed by her, but no one would stop.

The next day I decided to go back to the park in curiosity to see if the little girl would still be there.

Yes, she was there, right in the very spot where she was yesterday, and still with the same sad look in her eyes.

Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little girl.

For as we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place for young children to play alone.

As I got closer I could see the back of the little girl's dress. It was grotesquely shaped. I figured that was the reason people just passed by and made no effort to speak to her.

Deformities are a low blow to our society and, heaven forbid if you make a step toward assisting someone who is different.

As I got closer, the little girl lowered her eyes slightly to avoid my intent stare. As I approached her, I could see the shape of her back more clearly. She was grotesquely shaped in a humped over form.

I smiled to let her know it was OK; I was there to help, to talk. I sat down beside her and opened with a simple, "Hello."

The little girl acted shocked, and stammered a "hi"; after a long stare into my eyes.

I smiled and she shyly smiled back. We talked until darkness fell and the park was completely empty. I asked the girl why she was so sad.

The little girl looked at me with a sad face said, "Because, I'm different."

I immediately said, "That you are!"; and smiled.

The little girl acted even sadder and said, "I know."

"Little girl," I said, "you remind me of an angel, sweet and innocent."

She looked at me and smiled, then slowly she got to her feet and said, "Really?"

"Yes, you're like a little Guardian Angel sent to watch over all people walking by."

She nodded her head yes, and smiled.

With that she opened the back of her pink dress and allowed her wings to spread, then she said "I am."

"I'm your Guardian Angel," with a twinkle in her eye.

I was speechless -- sure I was seeing things.

She said, "For once you thought of someone other than yourself. My job here is done".

I got to my feet and said, "Wait, why did no one stop to help an angel?"

She looked at me, smiled, and said, "You're the only one that could see me," and then she was gone.

And with that, my life was changed dramatically.

So, when you think you're all you have, remember, your angel is always watching over you.

Like the story says, we all need someone...

And, every one of your friends is an Angel in their own way.

The value of a friend is measured in the heart.

I hope your Guardian Angel watches over you always.

Firefly

04-04-2005, 08:42 AM

A very simple formula of life that reaps beautiful rewards.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Installing Love in a Technical World - received from Martin Shickram

Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me though the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running?

Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components ." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.

KH EE

05-04-2005, 03:37 PM

Have you ever, at any one time, had the feeling that life is bad, real bad, and you wish you were in another situation?

You find life make things difficult for you, work sucks, life sucks, everything seems to go wrong...

Read the following story... it may change your views about life:

After a conversation with one of my friends, he told me despite taking 2 jobs, he brings back barely above 1K per month, he is happy as he is.

I wonder how he can be as happy as he is considering he has to skimp his life with the low pay to support a pair of old parents, in-laws, a wife, 2 daughters and the many bills of a household.

He explained that it was through one incident that he saw in India that happened a few years ago when he was really feeling low and touring India after a major setback.

He said that right in front of his very eyes he saw an Indian mother chop off her child's right hand with a chopper. The helplessness in the mother's eyes, the scream of pain from the innocent 4-year-old child haunted him until today.

You may ask why did the mother do so; had the child been naughty, had the child's hand been infected??

No, it was done for two simple words- - -TO BEG!

The desperate mother deliberately caused the child to be handicapped so that the child could go out to the streets to beg.

Taken aback by the scene, he dropped a piece of bread he was eating half-way. And almost instantly, a flock of 5 or 6 children swamped towards this small piece of bread which was covered with sand, robbing bits from one another. The natural reaction of hunger.

Stricken by the happenings, he instructed his guide to drive him to the nearest bakery. He arrived at two bakeries and bought every single loaf of bread he found in the bakeries. The owner was dumbfounded but willingly sold everything. He spent less than $100 to obtain about 400 loaves of bread (this is less than $0.25 per loaf) and spent another $100 to get daily necessities.

Off he went in the truck full of bread into the streets. As he distributed the bread and necessities to the children (mostly handicapped) and a few adults, he received cheers and bows from these unfortunate. For the first time in his life he wondered how people can give up their dignity for a loaf of bread which cost less than $0.25.

He began to tell himself how fortunate he is. How fortunate he is to be able to have a complete body, have a job, have a family, have the chance to complain what food is nice and what isn't nice, have the chance to be clothed, have the many things that these people in front of him are deprived of.

Now I begin to think and feel it, too! Was my life really that bad?

Perhaps... no, I should not feel bad at all... What about you? Maybe the next time you think you are, think about the child who lost one hand to beg on the streets.

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, it is the realization of how much you already have."

When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

Firefly

06-04-2005, 11:43 AM

This is a story of stupidity... The mother deny the child of a future and only condamns the child to a future of begging. :mad: If she really want to help the child, then chop her own hand off and go begging, not an innocent child!!!!

KH EE

25-04-2005, 01:17 PM

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds. The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could
have imagined. See what you think:

_____

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."

Rebecca- age 8
_____

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."

Billy - age 4
_____

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."

Karl - age 5
_____

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."

Chrissy - age 6
_____

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

Terri - age 4
_____

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."

Danny - age 7
_____

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"

Emily - age 8
_____

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

Bobby - age 7
_____

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."

Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet!)
_____

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."

Noelle - age 7
_____

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."

Tommy - age 6
_____

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."

Cindy - age 8
_____

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."

Clare - age 6
_____

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."

Elaine-age 5
_____

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."

Chris - age 7
_____

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

Mary Ann - age 4
_____

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."

Lauren - age 4
_____

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."

Karen - age 7
_____

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."

Mark - age 6
_____

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

Jessica - age 8
_____

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"

rachel_fplee

25-04-2005, 01:36 PM

If you were to ask your neighbour,
"What would give you peace of mind?" he might tell you,
"A vacation in Bermuda!" or
"An extra hundred grand would give me peace!", or
"A new Ferrari would make me content!"

But going places – and getting stuff – is usually a temporary solution ...

Let's say you buy a lottery ticket and by some miracle you win your dream Ferrari.
Today you are content.
Tomorrow you are saying,
"If I could just catch that little punk who scratched it in the car park!"

Peace of mind rarely comes from getting more stuff.
Getting more stuff usually leads to wanting even more stuff!

Peace of mind starts with being grateful for what you have right now.

GRATITUDE is POWER, and here's why ...

When you are thankful for what you have -
for the friends you have, and for the things you've got,
you attract more good people and good things! .

People who always complain about what they DON'T HAVE, stay stuck.
Complainers attract more things to complain about!

It is a law of life.
It's hard to explain, but you can observe it around you.
We get more of what we dwell upon.

That's why all the spiritual masters have taught the same lesson ...
"Start by being thankful. Be happy with what you have now,
and more will come your way."

It's practical advice.

IN A NUTSHELL

Every time you say a silent "thank you" you become more peaceful – and more powerful.

dion

25-04-2005, 10:36 PM

It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all the answers. - James Thurber ;)

Joe Gomez

25-04-2005, 10:40 PM

Nazri in response to parliamentary antics by his fellow parliamentarians :
"It is better to remain silent and have people wonder whether you are a fool, rather than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

idolfan

28-04-2005, 01:56 PM

A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
"You are employed" he said. "Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start.

The man replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email".
"I'm sorry", said the HR manager. If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."
The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10Kg tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60.

The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

5 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance.
He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.

When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email.
The man replied, "I don't have an email."
The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have
succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e mail?!!"

The man thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!"

Moral of the story
M1 - Internet is not the solution to your life.
M2 - If you don't have internet, and work hard, you can be a millionaire.
M3- If you are reading this online , you are closer to being an office boy/girl, than a millionaire...

Have a great day!!!

KH EE

06-06-2005, 03:40 PM

from a book 'Becoming A Person Of Influence' by John C. Maxwell.

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered – love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives – do good anyway.

If you’re successful, you’ll win false friends and true enemies – succeed anyway.

The good you do today will perhaps be forgotten tomorrow – do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable – be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest man with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest man with the smallest mind – think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only hot dogs – fight for the few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight – build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you help them – help them anyway.

Give the world the best that you have and you will get kicked in the teeth – give the world the best that you have anyway.

If better is possible, then good is not enough.

KH EE

07-06-2005, 12:41 PM

1. Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.

Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

The grouches pull you down. (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches :D )

3. Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.

Never let the brain get idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on.

The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourself. LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.

Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

KH EE

07-07-2005, 03:16 PM

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So, begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president/prime minister, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Ski

07-07-2005, 03:32 PM

Hi KH Ee

I have heard this before, anyway thanks for sharing this to us in the forum..very meaningful :)

Cheers

Vixey

07-07-2005, 03:37 PM

KH EE

07-07-2005, 03:40 PM

ski & vixey, if u guys hv anything inspiring to share, this is the place. cheers...

Ski

07-07-2005, 03:49 PM

Ok KH EE

I have something I know by heart I want to share, here goes.

JOHN 3.16

John 3:16 is probably best-known, or at least, best-liked Bible passage "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

This declaration of God's love of the whole world is greatly comforting to many, at many levels.
Cheers

Ski

11-07-2005, 12:29 PM

Here is a collection of timeless words of wisdom to help guide you in romance, relationships, and love especially to some unmarried ladies and gentleman in this forum and viewers ;)

Even sunshine burns sometimes.

Chocolate is like a bandaid. It can make your problems feel much better for awhile until it falls off or you run out.

The one who loves you will not make you cry alone at night thinking about him/her. They will be right beside you telling you it will be alright.

My life have taught me one vital thing and that is: I came into this world alone. I shall leave it alone. And, if I have to live in it alone, so be it! I contend to live it in peace with myself.

Kisses are not promises.

Let go of what is gone and hold on to what you have.

You cannot change anybody but yourself so don't try to change your partner. Love him/her as he/she is. You'll get better results.

Love is action; not just a feeling.

Be happy that you are friends rather than cry because that's all you'll ever be?

A real man doesn't make love to a million women. A real man makes love to one women a million ways.

Immature love says "I love you because I need you". Mature love says "I need you because I love you".

The way to love anything, is to realize it can be lost.

If you want to be successful in life, be a wise. If you want to be successful in love, be foolish.

Some people are like crystal. Pretty to look at, but you can see right through them.

I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.

No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.

Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.

Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.

Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.

To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.

Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.

There's always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.

Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them .

Remember: Whatever happens, happens for a reason.

They say forgive and forget, but if someone is worth forgiving then you'll never forget them.

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return.

Love is accepting, not expecting.

You think you look strong because you can hold on, but strength lies in letting go.

Love is like growing --it's hard to feel, sometimes, and even harder to see, but when you look back on it, you realize how far you've come.

It isn't what happens in your life that matters most, it is what your heart does with it, who it shares it with and what together they learn from it.

In all your remembering, remember that you have choices.

Though many people will go in and out of your heart only one will want to stay there. If you bulid a heart full of holes, think how much easier it is to hang on.

fonzie

11-07-2005, 03:36 PM

Allow me to share something with senior\retired citizens of this community.....hey! I'm going to join you soon...! Hope it makes a difference to your "new life".....this article was written by Chuck Galozzi. Many thanks, Chuck!

Retirement : Retire from your job, but not from life

Imagine waking one morning without a job to go to, without a schedule to follow, and without coworkers to share the day with. It’s going to happen to most of us, if it hasn’t already. It is called retirement. Is retirement a time to rejoice or a time to regret? For some, it is a time to rejoice, for their job has been replaced with FREEDOM. Freedom to follow THEIR heart. Freedom to spend more time on their hobbies, to make new friends, and to follow personal goals. Suddenly there is time to catch up on those unread books, investigate those unanswered questions, and set out on new adventures.

Isn’t the idea of having the time to do whatever you want exciting? Not to everyone. After all, any large and abrupt change can be stressful. So, those caught unprepared may find their lives filled with grief instead of joy. Although most people prepare for their retirement financially, many have not thought about the psychological and lifestyle changes they will face. The sooner we prepare, the better off we will be. Perhaps I can share some ideas to consider.

Retirement is not a time to be idle. Some people can’t wait to retire so they can sit around doing nothing. But after six months of doing so, they experience "retirement letdown." Some, in fact, will sink into a major depression. Why? Because they no longer experience the meaning, challenges, and fulfillment that their former job provided. It’s fine to retire from your job, but don’t retire from life, or else you’ll experience a letdown. You need to have a reason for being here, a reason to awaken every morning. And you need challenges to face so you can experience victories. Finally, if you live with meaning and challenges, you will be fulfilled. That is, you’ll be happy. However, if you do experience clinical depression, seek assistance because medical help is available and they can help make your life worth living once again.

You are not your job. Why is it that when someone asks us what we are and what do we do that we answer with our job title and description? For example, we may answer, "I’m an engineer. I build bridges." It doesn’t occur to us to say, "I’m a human being and I enjoy life." Isn’t that what you are? A human being and not a job. Men often identify with their jobs. The more they do so, the more they may experience a loss of identity at retirement. They feel as if they have been stripped of their identity and robbed of their worth and power. Before they were somebody, something. Now, they are nobody, nothing. This perception can be very painful. They need to realize that their job was like a suit they wore. They are still the same people; they have just removed their suit.

The many roles forced on women are, in a sense, a blessing in disguise. Usually, they don’t identify with their job because they don’t have one but many jobs! When asked what they do, they will be tempted to say something like, "I’m an accountant, mother, cook, housecleaner, wife and lover. What am I? I’m exhausted!"

The differences in how men and women react at retirement are striking, as pointed out by Professor Chris Sharpley of Monash University, Australia. As the Head of the Centre for Stress Management and Research, he and his team found that men experienced "retirement letdown" after six months, while women didn’t experience problems until five years after retirement. Although Professor Sharpley didn’t explain why women experience problems five years after retiring, I suspect it is due to excessive demands placed on them by their aging husbands.

Create a routine. After working for 30, 40, or 50 years, you have grown accustomed to following a routine. To suddenly stop doing so can be jarring. It is not only a matter of being used to following a schedule, but it is a law of life. Doesn’t the sun rise and set and don’t the seasons change according to a schedule? What’s the point of getting up if you don’t have something to do? To live without a schedule is to live without things to do, and that isn’t living, it’s merely existing. So, pull out a pen and a sheet of paper and create a schedule. When you fill your hours with activities, you are filling yourself with life. With so many things to do, it’s easy to create a weekly schedule. Here’s a sampling of activities you can consider:

1. Visit the grandchildren, family members, and friends .
2. Enjoy the pleasure of serving the community and making new friends. Become a volunteer.
3. Join a health club or join friends in taking a mall walk.
4. Join a club, association, or group.
5. Cultivate a creative hobby such as embroidery, painting, photography, or poetry.
6. Enroll in adult education or online (Internet) courses.
7. Get in touch with nature and spirituality.
8. Supplement your income and render service with a part-time job.
9. Travel (even if it’s just to another neighborhood).
10. Work on the house and in the garden.
11. Learn how to play bridge, gin rummy, mahjong, chess, backgammon, and other games.
12. Learn line dancing, Tai Chi, golf or tennis.

Be positive. Remember the magical law of life: you will find whatever you look for. The good news is, if you look for opportunities, fun, and friends, you will find them. The bad news is if you look for things to complain about, get upset over, or get indignant about, you’ll find them too. So, stay out of the shade by focusing on the bright side. True, we cannot choose what will happen to us, but we can choose how we will respond. We can respond in a positive or negative manner. The choice is ours.

Perhaps no one was more aware of the importance of choice than the Austrian Psychiatrist, Viktor E. Frankl, who died on September 2, 1997. As a survivor of Auschwitz, he had to face unimaginable horrors, yet he realized that "Everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." He chose to cope, survive, and overcome. He chose to reject fear, despair, and anxiety. We can choose to do the same.

If we carefully plan for the vacations we take, shouldn’t we be planning for the biggest vacation of all: our retirement? Of course, some of us are already having so much fun we never plan to retire. Bob Hope and George Burns come to mind. While taking a break from chomping on his cigar, George said, "Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five, I still had pimples." Whether we quit working or not, let’s not settle on drifting in a river of ordinary days, but let’s make the remaining days of our lives extraordinary ones. All it takes to do so is the right mental attitude.

Cheers!
FonZie

mikegoh

12-07-2005, 07:52 AM

Would like to share this inspiring site with your folks who love animals. It's an animal shelter called NOAH'S ARK.

It all began when Raymund Wee chanced upon the opportunity to set up an animal shelter in Jalan Kayu, Seletar. Fueled by his fight for the strays, Raymund sold off his shophouse and with the S$1.5 million dollars, transformed NOAH'S ARK into one of the foremost private animal shelters in Singapore.

Raymund poured body and soul into his work for the strays and continued dog grooming to rake in extra funds to support the animals. Coupled with this, he had also to see to the day-to-day running of the animal farm and tended to the animals when they fell ill.

With the help of his many volunteers and supporters, he steered NOAH'S ARK into becoming one of the top private animal shelters in Singapore and a favourite Sunday venue to which Singaporean families flocked. For the young, NOAH'S ARK became their Sunday classroom, where excited children learned animal bonding.... and much more than this, they learned compassion.

NOAH'S ARK is now based in Johor. At the last count they had 325 dogs, 200 cats, 6 horses, 20 goats, an assortment of birds and some stray humans. If any of you would like to know more about the place, do go to - www.noahsarklodge.com for more info.

fonzie

12-07-2005, 04:31 PM

Hope to post one article daily....;)! Enjoy...!

Cheers!
FonZie

A valuable gift : Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening

The gentle art of listening is a magnificent gift that we can give to others and ourselves. When we listen to others, we show that what they have to say is worthwhile. Therefore, we instill in them self-worth and confidence. Even if what they have to say doesn’t help us, it will help them, for as flowers unfold and mature when placed in the sun, people blossom and grow when exposed to a listening ear.

The benefit to us is equally important; after all, how can we learn unless we listen? That’s why Zeno of Citium said, more than 2,000 years ago, “The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less.” The reward for listening, then, is wisdom.

When listening to good friends, we may be exposed to knowledge, inspiration, and sound advice. For this reason Henry J. Kaiser said, “I make progress by having people around me who are smarter than I am and listening to them. And I assume that everyone is smarter about something than I am.”

Although failure to listen can be harmful, no one ever listens themselves out of a job, sale, or friendship! By listening to others we learn what to do and what to avoid. At the same time we forge relationships that strengthen our position. Friends speaking in confidence reveal that they experience the same feelings we do, so we learn that we are not alone. Listening is also an opportunity to console, reassure, and comfort others.

How to listen?

Being a good listener isn’t easy. In fact, the only easy listening you’ll find is on the radio! What makes listening so difficult? Our ego. Too often we pretend to be listening while our mind is racing, trying to think of something to say. The urge to interrupt and get in a word is powerful. We seem to want to hear ourselves just to confirm and validate our existence. And if our partner allows us to speak, instead of ending after making our point, we continue to speak for our own satisfaction. Not wanting to give up the pleasure of speaking, we then seek to control the conversation by spewing out endless chatter.

So, how should we listen? First, dump your ego. Leave it outside the door. Look at your partner and focus on what is being said. Ask yourself what can be learned and how can both of you benefit from this conversation.

Next, be aware of your own opinions, experiences, and attitude. That is, are you listening objectively, or are you coloring what is being said with your own interpretation? To prevent yourself from distorting the facts and misunderstanding your partner, regularly stop the conversation and verify whether your understanding is correct. To confirm, simply state, “So, what you are saying is . . .” (repeat what you think was said), “and what you mean by that is . . .” (say what you think they meant).

Also, to get the greatest benefit from the conversation, try to put yourself in the place of the speaker. Attempt to experience their emotions and understand why what they’re saying is significant to them. When this is done, you’ll be able to enlarge your own experiences and understanding. Moreover, it will also make the speaker more apt to open up. Thus, both parties experience an ever-widening expression of growth. Remember, you can’t walk a mile in someone else’s shoes until you take off your own, so take them off (set aside your ego). And if you wish to become wise, never stop asking people for their opinion. Is there anything you shouldn’t listen to? Of course! Don’t listen to gossip and negativity, for you are here to spread good, not ill, will.

fonzie

13-07-2005, 08:28 PM

To all partners...hope this helps....;)-

Cheers!
FonZie

Misunderstanding : It is wiser to choose what you say than say what you choose.

Husbands and wives separate, friends become estranged, and coworkers refuse to cooperate. What causes these sad developments? More often than not, miscommunication. I have seen good people grow apart because of misunderstanding. They thought they were communicating, but they weren't. They were talking (arguing may be more accurate). What's the difference between talking and communicating? Communicating has two parts: talking and listening. The root of the verb "communicate" means to share. How can we share thoughts and feelings unless all parties in the conversation listen with understanding as well as speak? How do we tell our spouses we love them? Not by words, but by LISTENING to what they have to say.

We hear, but we don't listen. We don't absorb the points being made. What causes this breakdown in communication? It's simply because we have different backgrounds, experiences, and histories. The way we view the world and interpret events differs. These differences easily lead to clashes. Once tempers rise, we say what we choose instead of choosing what we say. These quarrels amplify the misunderstanding and further the separation. True, if we share the same ideas, there would be no disagreements, but what a dull world it would be!

The first step toward eliminating misunderstanding is to realize that we are all both different and the same. Because of our different backgrounds, we have different points of view. Yet, we are the same in that we have a need to be understood and appreciated. Knowledge of these simple facts is necessary to end misunderstanding. For as W.E.B. Du Bois wrote, "Herein lies the tragedy of the age: not that men are poor, - all men know something of poverty; not that men are wicked; - who is good? not that men are ignorant, - what is truth? Nay, but that men know so little of men."

The next time you feel yourself disagreeing with someone, stop and ask yourself how their world view differs from yours. Put yourself in their place. Try to understand where they're coming from. Always start with the assumption that, like you, they are decent people. When you think you understand (but don't necessarily agree with) their view, verify and clarify. That is, tell them, "So what you are saying is . . . and what you mean by that is . . .. After going back and forth a few times, you may be surprised to learn you are in complete agreement. The moral is never rush to judgment. Don't jump to conclusions.

You may understand their point but still disagree with it. If your opinion is different, don't you want others to respect your right to disagree? Of course you do! How do you get others to respect your beliefs? By respecting theirs! Just tell them, "I cannot say that I agree with you, but I respect your right to have a different opinion." Often disagreements arise because we focus on the words being used instead of focusing on the speaker. Spicy, hot, cold, rich, poor, liberty, and justice. Although we understand these words, we interpret them differently. So focus not on the words, but the heart of the person. Try to understand the person, not the words. The same advice appears in the Hindu Upanishads (8 ~ 6 centuries BC), "It is not the language but the speaker that we want to understand."

Occasionally, despite our best efforts, conflicts will develop. If so, there's no need to despair. After all, conflicts are always opportunities for growth. Use conflicts to learn where you went wrong and make the necessary corrections. As long as we learn from our mistakes, we will continue to move forward. When we seek to understand first and seek to be understood second, we will avoid most problems. Also, when we understand one another, there will be no need for forgiveness. If we wish to avoid misunderstanding and conflict when delivering a message, it should be stated in positive terms. Let's look at an example of the wrong approach. The Chairperson at a board meeting makes the following announcement.

"To make our meetings more effective and productive, no one will speak until they are recognized by the chair and they will not take more than three minutes to give their opinion. Also, interrupting others will not be tolerated."

While the Chairperson's motives may be pure, I'm afraid the members of the board meeting may experience intimidation, frustration, and low morale. These ingredients may lead to conflict, just what the Chairperson is trying to avoid! Notice the difference when we present the statement in a positive light.

"Thank you for coming. We value your opinions and ideas. To make sure I receive your valuable input without interruption, please wait to be recognized before speaking. When called on, take your time and spend as much as three minutes to express your opinion."

Don't you agree that rephrasing everything in a positive manner makes a huge difference? In other words, different approaches will lead to different outcomes.

We can almost end misunderstanding if we empty our minds of biases, preconceptions, arrogance, narrow-mindedness, and stereotyping. Remember, too, those we're speaking with may feel threatened. We can help to dispel such negative feelings by dispensing some kindness. "Constant kindness can accomplish much." said Albert Schweitzer, "As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." As long as we realize that two monologues do not make a dialogue, and communication does not mean others must agree with us, we should do all right. Happy communicating!

Ski

20-07-2005, 01:48 PM

The Price of A Miracle

Sally was eight years old when she heard Mommy and Daddy talking about her little brother, Georgi.He was very sick and they had done everything they could afford to save his life. Only a very expensive surgery could help him now and that was out the financial question. She heard Daddy say with a whispered desperation,"Only a miracle can save him now."

Sally went to her bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding place in the closet. She shook all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times... The total had to be exactly perfect... No chance here for mistakes... Tying the coins up in a kerchief, she slipped out of the apartment and made her way to the corner drug store.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her attention,but he was too busy talking to another man to be bothered by an eight year old. Sally twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise...She cleared her throat... No good... Finally she took a quarter from its hiding place and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!!

"And what do you want?", the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I was talking to my brother." "Well, I want to talk to you about my brother, "Sally answered back in the same annoyed tone. "HE'S SICK.... AND I WANT TO BUY A MIRACLE." "I beg your pardon," said the pharmacist. My Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. How much does a miracle cost?""We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I can't help you." Sally replied "Listen, I have the money to pay for it... Just tell me how much it costs." The other man, a well-dressed man, stooped down and asked, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?" "I don't know," Sally answered... A tear started down her cheek... "I just know he's really sick, and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my folks can't pay for it, so I have my money." "How much money do you have?" asked the well-dressed man. "A dollar and eleven cents," Sally answered proudly..."And it's all the money I have in the world..."

"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the well-dressed man. A dollar and eleven cents... The exact price of a miracle to save a little brother. He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said, "Take me to where you live."I want to see your brother and meet your parents."That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, renowned surgeon, specializing in solving Georgi's Malady. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Georgi was home again and doing well...Mommy and Daddy were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. "That surgery...,"Mommy whispered, "It's like a miracle.

I wonder how much it would have cost? "Sally smiled to herself... She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... One dollar and eleven cents... Plus the faith of a little child.

ITS THE FAITH WHICH MAKES MIRACLES OTHER THAN ANYTHING ELSE...

Ski

21-07-2005, 03:52 PM

1). Love : the special feeling that makes u feel warm and wonderful.

2). Respect : Treating others as you would like to be treated by them.

3) Appreciation: to be grateful for all the good things that life has to offer.

4) Happiness: Complete enjoyment of each moment.

5) Forgiveness The ability to let things be as they are, without anger.

6) Sharing: The joy of giving wihtout the thought of receiving.

7) Honesty: The quality of always being true.

8 ) Integrity: The purity of doing what is right , no matter what.

9) Compassion: The essence of feeling other's pain, while easing their heart.

10) Peace: The reward for following the most importent qualities of life.

Ski

25-07-2005, 09:49 AM

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Written by Mother Teresa

KH EE

29-07-2005, 12:16 PM

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
....
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Written by Mother Teresa

sure mother teresa wrote this? see my earlier posting (http://www.usj.com.my/bulletin/upload/showpost.php?p=65264&postcount=139)

cherry

04-08-2005, 01:53 PM

Thought of sharing some nice stuff here by Ralph Marston:

Every day is filled with opportunities for richness. To see those opportunities, all you need to do is look around with an open heart and an open mind.

There are places you pass quickly by every day without even noticing. Take the time to stop and explore some of them, and you'll find them filled with wondrous treasures.

There are people in your life whom you see all the time but you've barely even met. Take the time to get to know them, and you'll find yourself with some fascinating friends.

There are things that interest you that you've never fully explored. Take the time, make the effort to discover and fulfill your passions, and life will take on a new level of meaning.

Living richly has very little to do with how much money you have. Living richly has everything to do with how deeply and sincerely you appreciate the precious blessing that is your life.

Rather than letting the little things get you down, allow the real and meaningful things to lift you up. Make the choice, in each moment, in every situation, to live with richness, because you can.

KH EE

10-08-2005, 01:48 PM

This is the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky ? I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I retuned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

... end of part 1 ...

KH EE

10-08-2005, 01:50 PM

part 2...

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything ? all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Ski

13-08-2005, 01:51 PM

The Resume of Jesus Christ

Hi
PLEASE READ THIS WITH A OPEN HEART AND BE BLESSED.

Address: Ephesians 1:20
Phone: Romans 10:13
Website: The Bible. Keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior and Jesus

Hello. My name is Jesus -The Christ. Many call me Lord! I've sent you my resume because I'm seeking the top management position in your heart. Please consider my accomplishments as set forth in my resume.

Qualifications

I founded the earth and established the heavens, (See Proverbs 3:19)
I formed man from the dust of the ground, (See Genesis 2:7)
I breathed into man the breath of life, (See Genesis 2:7)
I redeemed man from the curse of the law, (See Galatians 3:13)
The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your life through me, (See Galatians 3:14)

Occupational Background

I've only had one employer, (See Luke 2:49).
I've never been tardy, absent, disobedient, slothful or disrespectful.
My employer has nothing but rave reviews for me, (See Matthew 3:15-17)

Skills Work Experiences

Some of my skills and work experiences include: empowering the poor to be poor no more, healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised, (See Luke 4:18).
I am a Wonderful Counselor, (See Isaiah 9:6). People who listen to me shall dwell safely and shall not fear evil, (See Proverbs 1:33).
Most importantly, I have the authority, ability and power to cleanse you of your sins, (See I John 1:7-9)

Educational Background

I encompass the entire breadth and length of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, (See Proverbs 2:6).
In me are hid all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (See Colossians 2:3).
My Word is so powerful; it has been described as being a lamp unto your feet and a lamp unto your path, (See Psalms 119:105).
I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart, (See Psalms 44:21).
Major Accomplishments

I was an active participant in the greatest Summit Meeting of all times, (See Genesis 1:26).
I laid down my life so that you may live, (See II Corinthians 5:15).
I defeated the archenemy of God and mankind and made a show of them openly, (See Colossians 2:15).
I've miraculously fed the poor, healed the sick and raised the dead!
There are many more major accomplishments, too many to mention here. You can read them on my website, which is located at: www dot - the BIBLE. You don't need an Internet connection or computer to access my website.

References

Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my divine healings, salvation, deliverance, miracles, restoration and supernatural guidance

In Summation
Now that you've read my resume, I'm confident that I'm the only candidate uniquely qualified to fill this vital position in your heart. In summation, I will properly direct your paths, (See Proverbs 3:5-6), and lead you into everlasting life, (See John 6:47). When can I start? Time is of the essence, (See Hebrews 3:15).

Thanks for reading and may God bless you!

Cheerz

KH EE

01-09-2005, 05:07 PM

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." ~ Vince Lombardi

KH EE

02-09-2005, 10:01 AM

"If you train your mind to search for the positive things about other people, you will be surprised at how many good things you can observe in them and comment upon." ~ Alan Loy Mcginnis

KH EE

02-09-2005, 12:14 PM

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?"

The father-in-law answered in a smile, "Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, she could not find a better husband than you."

We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war.

We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves.

If we forgive others, others will ignore our mistake too

mon

02-09-2005, 12:18 PM

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?"

We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war.

We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves.

If we forgive others, others will ignore our mistake too

I like, and would remember this. Thank U! :)

KH EE

06-09-2005, 12:40 PM

A city boy named Kenny moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old Texas farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news. The donkey died on the way over to your place."

So Kenny said, "Well then, just give me back my money."

The farmer replied, "Can't do that. I spent it already."

Kenny said, "OK then, just unload the donkey."

The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"

Kenny: "I'm going to raffle him off."

Farmer: "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

Kenny: "Sure I can. I just won't tell anybody he is dead."

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened
with that dead donkey?"

Kenny: "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a tidy profit of $898.00."

Farmer: "Didn't anyone complain?"

Kenny: "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."

Kenny grew up and prospered, eventually becoming the chairman of Enron.

Ski

06-09-2005, 03:28 PM

SOMETHINGS TO THINK ABOUT (AND REMEMBER) TODAY, AND ALWAYS !!

Today before you think of saying an unkind word
Think of someone who can't speak

Before you complain about the taste of your food
Think of someone who has nothing to eat

Before you complain about your husband or wife
Think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion

Today before you complain about life
Think of someone who went too early to Heaven

Before

you complain about your children
Think of someone who desires children but they're barren

Before you argue about your dirty house; someone didn't clean or sweep
Think of the people who are living in the streets

Before whining about the distance you drive
Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet

And when you are tired and complain about your job
Think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another
Remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one Maker

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down
Put a smile on your face and thank God you're alive and still around

Life is a gift
Live it...
Enjoy it...
Celebrate it...
And fulfill it.

Have a Good Thoughtful Day.

KH EE

06-09-2005, 04:17 PM

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." -- Babe Ruth

"The way to get started is to stop talking and start doing." -- Walt Disney

"You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you're doing is work or play. -- Warren Beatty

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." -- William Arthur Ward

"Commitment gives us new power. No matter what comes to us- sickness, poverty, or disaster- we never turn our eyes from the goal." -- Unknown

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." -- Will Rogers

Ski

07-09-2005, 11:47 AM

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." -- William Arthur Ward

How very true just saying "Thank You' seems to be hardest words to say for we Malaysians

KH EE

07-09-2005, 12:34 PM

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? -Abraham Lincoln

penangkia

07-09-2005, 06:58 PM

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? -Abraham Lincoln

How very very well said by MR. Lincoln. Can someone please tell this to umno youth. ;)

God bless you KH Ee. :)

KH EE

08-09-2005, 01:56 PM

"Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds." ~ Elie Wiesel, Author and Activist

KH EE

09-09-2005, 10:28 AM

"Marriage is a lottery in which men stake their liberty and women, their happiness." ~ Virginie de Rieux

KH EE

09-09-2005, 12:17 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/giko/aab001.jpg

Ski

09-09-2005, 12:33 PM

"Marriage is a lottery in which men stake their liberty and women, their happiness." ~ Virginie de Rieux

Marriage is a Partnership in good times and in bad times till death do us part....SKi

KH EE

09-09-2005, 12:42 PM

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility. ~ Leo Tolstoy

KH EE

09-09-2005, 12:48 PM

One advantage of marriage, it seems to me, is that when you fall out of love with each other, it keeps you together until maybe you fall in again. ~ Judith Viorst

KH EE

09-09-2005, 12:53 PM

Why is it that people get married?

Because we need a witness to our lives.

There’s a billion people on the planet.

What does any one life really mean?

But in a marriage, you’re promising to care about everything…

The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things,

All of it… all the time, every day.

You’re saying “Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it.

Your life will not go unwitnessed - because I will be your witness.”

~ Wife in the movie, "Shall We Dance?" 2004

KH EE

09-09-2005, 01:00 PM

The secret to having a good marriage is to understand that marriage must be total, it must be permanent and it must be equal. ~ Frank Pittman

****************

Bad marriages don't cause infidelity; infidelity causes bad marriages. ~ Frank Pittman

KH EE

09-09-2005, 03:37 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/giko/aab002.jpg

familiar "S"? ;)

KH EE

13-09-2005, 04:21 PM

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." ~ Buddha, Philosopher

KH EE

15-09-2005, 12:23 PM

"God sells us all things at the price of labor." ~ Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

KH EE

19-09-2005, 03:43 PM

Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

KH EE

20-09-2005, 01:32 PM

Friends can reveal the secrets in their souls without fear of being censored or betrayed.

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Do not value the THINGS you have in your life.
But value WHO you have in your life!

KH EE

20-09-2005, 03:18 PM

Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. - Ralph Charell

KH EE

20-09-2005, 03:33 PM

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
- T.S. Eliot

"Anything in life worth having is worth working for."
~ Andrew Carnegie 1835-1919)

KH EE

21-09-2005, 12:15 PM

The reason so few people are successful is no one has yet found a way for someone to sit down and slide uphill. - W. Clement Stone

KH EE

21-09-2005, 12:51 PM

All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own.
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832, German Poet/Dramatist/Novelist

KH EE

21-09-2005, 01:13 PM

When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.
- Vietnamese saying

KH EE

21-09-2005, 02:24 PM

"The person who knows HOW will always have a job.

The person who knows WHY will always be his boss."

~ Anony Mouse ;)

KH EE

21-09-2005, 03:01 PM

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer/contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

mon

21-09-2005, 03:25 PM

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

Thank you..sure need to hear this today...

KH EE

21-09-2005, 04:04 PM

One evening an old Cherokee chief told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy,sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

KH EE

22-09-2005, 03:00 PM

No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting.
– Lady Mary Wortley Montague, 1689-1762, English Author and Letter Writer

KH EE

22-09-2005, 03:28 PM

Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-violence in Memphis, Tennessee in his lecture at the University of Puerto Rico, shared the following story as an example of "non-violence in parenting":-

"I was 16 years old and living with my parents at the institute my grandfather had founded 18 miles outside of Durban, South Africa, in the middle of the sugar plantations. We were deep in the country and had no neighbors, so my two sisters and I would always look forward to going to town to visit friends or go to the movies.

One day, my father asked me to drive him to town for an all-day conference, and I jumped at the chance. Since I was going to town, my mother gave me a list of groceries she needed and, since I had all day in town, my father ask me to take care of several pending chores, such as getting the car serviced.

When I dropped my father off that morning, he said, 'I will meet you here at 5:00 p.m., and we will go home together.'

After hurriedly completing my chores, I went straight to the nearest movie theatre. I got so engrossed in a John Wayne double-feature that I forgot the time. It was 5:30 before I remembered. By the time I ran to the garage and got the car and hurried to where my father was waiting for me, it was almost 6:00.

He anxiously asked me, 'Why were you late?'

I was so ashamed of telling him I was watching a John Wayne western movie that I said, 'The car wasn't ready, so I had to wait,' not realizing that he had already called the garage.

When he caught me in the lie, he said: 'There's something wrong in the way I brought you up that didn't give you the confidence to tell me the truth. In order to figure out where I went wrong with you, I'm going to walk home 18 miles and think about it.'

So, dressed in his suit and dress shoes, he began to walk home in the dark on mostly unpaved, unlit roads. I couldn't leave him, so for five-and-a-half hours I drove behind him, watching my father go through this agony for a stupid lie that I uttered.

I decided then and there that I was never going to lie again. I often think about that episode and wonder, if he had punished me the way we punish our children, whether I would have learned a lesson at all. I don't think so. I would have suffered the punishment and gone on doing the same thing. But this single non-violent action was so powerful that it is still as if it happened yesterday. That is the power of non-violence."

kenchen

22-09-2005, 03:41 PM

WOW...wow...wow....

KH EE

30-09-2005, 07:22 AM

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." ~ Helen Keller

KH EE

30-09-2005, 07:29 AM

Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get. - Ray Kroc

KH EE

04-10-2005, 02:42 PM

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.

A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.

A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument.
A real friend calls you after you had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

Ski

04-10-2005, 03:08 PM

A true friend is someone who knows there's something wrong even when you have the biggest smile on your face."

"unknown"

KH EE

04-10-2005, 04:23 PM

There may be more to learn from climbing the same mountain a hundred times than by climbing a hundred different mountains. - Richard Nelson

KH EE

05-10-2005, 11:35 AM

Create the kind of self you will be happy to live with all your life. - Foster C. McClellan

KH EE

05-10-2005, 12:16 PM

It’s important the people should know what you stand for. It’s equally important that they know what you won’t stand for. - Mary H. Waldrip

KH EE

07-10-2005, 01:23 PM

The only way on earth to multiply happiness is to divide it. - Paul Scherer

KH EE

12-10-2005, 02:51 PM

"For a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is." ~ Johann Goethe (1749-1832)

KH EE

12-10-2005, 03:54 PM

You can only be young once, but you can be immature forever.

KH EE

13-10-2005, 12:24 PM

"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." - Bill Gates

KH EE

14-10-2005, 11:53 AM

I have learned through bitter experience the one supreme lesson: to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmitted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmitted into a power that can move the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

KH EE

14-10-2005, 03:17 PM

"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose." ~ Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th US President

KH EE

18-10-2005, 11:55 AM

Change before you have to.
– Jack Welch, American Businessman and Former CEO of General Electric

KH EE

18-10-2005, 03:34 PM

People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals -- that is, goals that do not inspire them.
– Tony Robbins, American Author/Speaker/Peak Performänce Expert

KH EE

20-10-2005, 11:27 AM

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."
~ Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

KH EE

24-10-2005, 12:37 PM

"What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work
and a certain sense of purpose." ~ Margaret Thatcher, former UK Prime Minister

KH EE

27-10-2005, 11:54 AM

It is a funny thing about life: If you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it. - Somerset Maugham

KH EE

28-10-2005, 11:38 AM

"I'm a believer in momentum." ~ Lance Armstrong (1971 - ), U.S. cyclist, six-time Tour de France champion, cancer survivor

KH EE

28-10-2005, 12:39 PM

If you don't run your own life, someone else will. - John Atkinson

KH EE

28-10-2005, 02:19 PM

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

KH EE

28-10-2005, 04:10 PM

Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of. - Anonymous

KH EE

31-10-2005, 11:59 AM

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
- Swedish Proverb

KH EE

07-11-2005, 11:52 AM

The biggest tragedy is indifference. ~ Red Cross Slogan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

People who don't believe in anything will believe the worst of other people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone else's life. - Kobi Yamada

KH EE

07-11-2005, 01:13 PM

In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

KH EE

07-11-2005, 02:15 PM

"The task of a leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been." ~ Henry Kissinger (1923 - )

KH EE

07-11-2005, 04:20 PM

Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened. - Billy Graham

-----------------

I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. - Helen Keller

Ski

08-11-2005, 07:28 AM

WHAT GOES AROUND

Where do you stand on the subject of giving to others? I believe there are only three kinds of people when it comes to this subject:

1. TAKERS RECEIVE AND NEVER GIVE. Many people focus on themselves and rarely go out of their way to do anything for others. Such people are takers. They worry only about what they can get, and they are never satisfied.

2. TRADERS RECEIVE AND THEN GIVE. Some people focus on keeping score. They are willing to give, but their primary motivation isn’t to help others. They see relationships as an exchange. Often they give because they think they owe something to someone who has helped them, and they desire to make things “even.”

3. INVESTORS GIVE AND THEN RECEIVE. In this third group, people focus on others. They give first and then receive if something is offered in return. They believe that success comes from being helpful, caring, and constructive. They desire to make everything and everyone they touch better, and they understand that the best way to accomplish that is to give of themselves. Ironically, by possessing an agenda to give first, they are the ones who most often experience the synergy of win-win relationships.

KH EE

08-11-2005, 01:06 PM

Life isn't a matter of milestones, but moments. - Rose Kennedy

KH EE

08-11-2005, 01:53 PM

"Anybody can become angry - that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not within everybody's power and is not easy." - Aristotle

KH EE

10-11-2005, 01:01 PM

Our lives teach us who we are. – Salman Rushdie, Indian-born Essayist and Fiction Author

Truth isn't always beauty, but the hunger for it is. – Nadine Gordimer, South African Novelist/Writer/Nobel Prïze Winner

Once in a while you have to take a break and visit yourself. - Audrey Giorgi

In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends. - John Churton Collins

KH EE

11-11-2005, 11:30 AM

The biggest liar in the world is They Say. - Douglas Malloch (1877-1938), Poet and writer

-----------------------

The only nice thing about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others. - Doug Larson

-----------------------

One falsehood spoils a thousand truths. - African Proverb

------------------------

Some people handle the truth carelessly; Others never touch it at all. - Anonymous

KH EE

11-11-2005, 02:35 PM

Your daily life is your temple and your religion. - Kahlil Gibran

InfantYouth

12-11-2005, 05:08 AM

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so his place will be proud of him. - Abraham Lincoln

KH EE

14-11-2005, 02:00 PM

I am happy and content because I think I am. - Alain-Rene Lesage

KH EE

14-11-2005, 03:29 PM

What we must decide is how we are valuable rather than how valuable we are. - Edgar Z. Friedenberg

It is human to think wisely and act in an absurd fashion. - Anatole France

KH EE

14-11-2005, 04:39 PM

You can't stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh. – Jay Leno, American Comedian and Host of "The Tonight Show"

Ski

15-11-2005, 08:21 AM

Just to share this interesting email with you.

What are we looking for in life?

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one, and a third one, and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.

Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants, and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings having a few drinks and enjoy your friends."

So actually who is a having a better life?..its all about the rat race

KH EE

16-11-2005, 02:09 PM

If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945, 32nd President of the United States

The days are too short even for love; how can there be enough time for quarreling? - Margaret Gatty

The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing a thing exactly right. - Edward Simmons

The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. - Anonymous

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. – Thich Nhat Hanh

KH EE

16-11-2005, 03:13 PM

The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none. – Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, Scottish Author/Essayist/Historian

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade. – Chinese Proverb

Giving is the secret of abundance. – Swami Sivananda

Tomorrow hopes that we have learned something from yesterday. - John Wayne

Take away love and our earth is a tomb. – Robert Browning, 1812-1889, English Poet and Playwright

We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do by finding out what will not do; and probably he who nevër made a mistake nevër made a discovery. – Samuel Smiles, 1812-1904, Scottish-born Self-Help Author

KH EE

16-11-2005, 03:53 PM

You can't keep blaming yourself. Just blame yourself once, and move on. - Homer Simpson

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. - Chinese Proverb

All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea. - Napoleon Hill

When someone does something well, applaud! You will make two people happy. - Samuel Goldwyn

One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life. - Edward B. Butler

Enthusiasm is the color of inspiration and courage. - Nido Qubein

KH EE

17-11-2005, 12:43 PM

No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back. – Turkish Proverb

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. – George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, Irish Dramatist and Nobel Prïze Winner

I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying. - Michael Jordon, NBA Star

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. – George S. Patton, 1885-1945, American Army General during World War II

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. – John Lennon, 1940-1980, British Rock Musician

KH EE

17-11-2005, 03:39 PM

Life is so hard... unless you allow it to be easy… it will be whatever you expect it to be... - Doug Firebaugh

Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful. - Norman Vincent Peale

Don't join an easy crowd; you won't grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high. - Jim Rohn

I will charge thee nothing but the promise that thee will help the next man thee finds in trouble. - Mennonite Proverb

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day. - Sally Koch

KH EE

18-11-2005, 11:40 AM

Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game. - Goethe

Perhaps it would be a good idea, fantastic as it sounds, to muffle every telephone, stop every motor and halt all activity for an hour some day to give people a chance to ponder for a few minutes on what it is all about, why they are living, and what they really want. – James Truslow Adams

There ain't no cloud so thick that the sun ain't shinin' on t'other side. - Rattlesnake, an 1870's mountain man

The best thing to do with a red hot idea is build a fire under it. - Author unknown

KH EE

21-11-2005, 03:09 PM

Every fool knows you can't touch the stars, but it doesn't stop a wise man from trying. - Harry Anderson

Wise sayings often fall on barren ground; but a kind word is never thrown away. - Sir Arthur Helps

It's in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped. – Anthony Robbins

KH EE

23-11-2005, 01:30 PM

Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy it today, you can do it again tomorrow. - James A. Michener (1907-1997), Writer

I believe in moderation in all things, including moderation. - unknown

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. - Karl Barth

KH EE

23-11-2005, 02:19 PM

The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you. – B.B. King, American Blues Guitarist and Songwriter

KH EE

24-11-2005, 12:02 PM

The beaten path is the safest, but the traffic's terrible. - Jeff Taylor

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. - Douglas MacArthur

I am neither especially clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious. - Albert Einstein

The mark of a truly civilized man is confidence in the strength and security derived from the inquiring mind. - Felix Frankfurter

KH EE

24-11-2005, 12:05 PM

Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result. –
Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900, British Dramatist

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Former Prime Minister of United Kingdom

Applause waits on success. – Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, American Politician, and Inventor

It often takes more courage to change one's opinion than to stick to it. - Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742-1799), Physicist and philosopher

Have the courage to act instead of react. - Earlene Larson Jenks

KH EE

24-11-2005, 01:04 PM

Make it a point to do something every day that you don’t want to do. This
is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain. – Mark Twain, 1835-1910, American Writer and Humorist

Time is the longest distance between two places. – Tennessee Williams, 1911-1983, American Playwright and Pulitzer Prïze Winner

Without humility there can be no humanity. – John Buchan, 1875-1940, Scottish Novelist and Politician

If a man has common sense, he has all the sense there is. – Sam Rayburn, 1882-1961, American Politician

KH EE

24-11-2005, 01:39 PM

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. – Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi, 1893-1986, American Biochemist and Nobel Prïze Winner

A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment. - American Proverb

That they may have a little peace, even the best dogs are compelled to snarl occasionally. - William Feather

KH EE

25-11-2005, 02:58 PM

Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. - Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), Writer

The stronger and more radiant we are, the more we can serve as a positive influence in the world. The more happiness we bring into the world, the better it is for everyone. - Dan Millman, Speaker and writer

KH EE

25-11-2005, 03:48 PM

The most destructive habit...........................Worry

The greatest Joy........................................Giving

The greatest loss........................................Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work..............................Helping others

The ugliest personality trait...........................Selfishness

The most endangered species........................Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource.........................Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm"........................Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome...................Fear

The most effective sleeping pill........................Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease......................Excuses

The most powerful force in life..........................Love

The most dangerous pariah...............................A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer..................The brain

The worst thing to be without............................Hope

The deadliest weapon.......................................The tongue

The two most power-filled words........................."I Can"

The greatest asset............................................F aith

The most worthless emotion................................Self-pity

The most beautiful attire.....................................A SMILE!

The most prized possession..................................Integr ity

The most powerful channel of communication...........Prayer

The most contagious spirit....................................Enthusia sm

KH EE

29-11-2005, 12:23 PM

Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I may remember. But involve me, and I'll understand. - Chinese Proverb

Emphasize everything and you emphasize nothing. - Herschell Gordon Lewis

The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation. - Mark Twain, 1835 - 1910

One pound of common sense requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it. - Persian proverb

A little impatience spoils great plans. - Chinese proverb

KH EE

29-11-2005, 03:11 PM

A young soldier was alone in his bunkhouse one Sunday morning over in Afghanistan. It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't made a noise.

He knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week. As he sat there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then an army sergeant came in and said, "Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?"

The soldier replied, "I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord."

The sergeant said, "Looks like you're going to play cards."

The soldier said, "No sir, you see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country, I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards."

The sergeant asked in disbelief, "How will you do that?"

"You see the Ace, sergeant, it reminds that there is only one God.

The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments.

The Three represents the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Five is for the five virgins, there were ten, but only five of them were glorified.

The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth.

The Seven is for the day God rested after working the six days.

The Eight is for the family of Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives. God saved these eight people from the flood that destroyed the earth for the first time.

The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him.

The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.

The Jack is a reminder of Satan. One of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal lake of fire.

The Queen stands for the bride of Christ, which is called His church, or body of believers that wait for his return.

The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings.

When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year [???].

There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week, 52 weeks in a year.

The four suits represent the four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter.

Each suit has thirteen cards; there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter.

So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for."

The sergeant just stood there and after a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said, "Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?"