Long day at work...

Long day means having a very hard and difficult time the whole day. I had a long day today at work. It was a non stop things to settle. Started with a presentation I need to prepare for tomorrow's meeting and then a long list of cases to finalize. In between time I need to entertain a couple of clients/agents/salesman and then needed to read and correct a student's report with a few "spiteful" warning to not let them go in and out as pleased. Again an evaluation form to be distributed and analyzed plus an incoming request of looking for some information and gathering some important data by superior to handle carefully and be done speedily. I was totally feeling the rush of adrenaline but this one cause the tightening of my chest and the blurring of my vision. Slowly I melted under the pressure. I was sure scared as hell I was experiencing mental derangement. This was the second time in two weeks I was not in the right state of mind.

This two weeks have been the hardest. I constantly feels the urge to quit soonest lest I lose my sanity or close to having a nervous breakdown. I am not sure why. The amount of job? Not. I am not happy with my job? Yes. There is nothing else that could explain my continual withdrawal from taking any sorts of responsibility with the works I currently undertake.

What should I do? One minute I feel like I am returning to life and that I have tons of energy to waste on doing all these things, the next minute my shoulders slumped, my head bowed and I just don't want to move on any further. This definitely feels so wrong. I could not even consider having a long term relationship with this kind of feeling I harbour with my job. I want to be somewhere else soonest.

I rather stay close to the soil plowing the field and plant something and see it grows than be surrounded by walls, with piles of paper and files to browse through. It is no longer fun.

I love the precious moments I sweat doing farmer's job. It feels wonderful. I guess I truly am a farmer's daughter because it gives me immense pleasure to just be close to the soil, plants and the earthly things.

What do I do?

Baby Faced Beauty

I have not written a review of a drama for quite sometime. This makes Baby faced beauty quite the extraordinaire to grace my page on this auspicious day. ^_^

I have enjoyed this drama and had fun following it from the first episode till the last one. It was funny, quirky and inspirational.

The pair of Daniel Choi played as Choi Jin Wook and Jang Nara as Lee So Young didn't exactly made me giggle but I can accept their pairing. They were so lovely together. The second lead man Ryu Jin and second leading lady Kim Min Seo were admirable at some scenes.

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At last...??

Things are progressing quite well. Some good news came up later last week. My hubby is offered a job close to wife area. :) It put a smile on wife face. But..on some circumstances, It still feels like a not so right move to take on.

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Get paid and be happy?

Is there any enjoyable job you could never get tired of doing everyday of your life? There are days when I work I am totally 100% in it but more than half of my working time, I invested in daydreaming of the day I can finally quit and "rest".

A friend said if you know how to be thankful and grateful you will appreciate your job more and not keep on complaining on how much you hated or bored with your job. She got a point there.

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How long are you going to stay there?...

I feel that when we finished our schooling years, often we are left with the void of not knowing what to do next?. We start with zero and keep on going forward with no goal or whatsoever particular in mind. If we are to look for a career we couldn't be picky and just take whatever opportunity that comes our way. Soon at mid length of our affair with our first job, we would be thinking about our suitability in the career and if it is paying us enough for survival. In no time we would call it quits and head start with another better paying job. That's what happened to me.

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A Fulfilling life...

I yearn for a fulfilling life. One that takes me higher every steps of the way.

I yearn for a life where I got to play hard, work hard and appreciated.

A life consists of meaningful relationship, interesting goals to pursue and rewards for hard work to look forward to.

I want something more than just going through all the motion in a given day

I want to be inspired to do more.

I want to give all I can to do anything that is possible. If only my heart is opened that way to see more, to feel more and to give more.

I want to share my heart and give it till it bleeds. I want it broken and shattered for giving so much so it could no longer contain more.

I want my heart to be overflowing with gladness and joy that my veins are pumped up so much so it all rupture.

I want to be used, to use all of me to the last cell of my existence.

I want to live and die..being fully used...with nothing left but dust

And when I die...

With only the wind to whisper my name...and nothing more..

With no grave to shed tears...and only the memory left behind..

And even when the memory fades...God bless my soul..

for I wish never to live for me..

or to be remembered...

I just want to live a fulfilling life...

FULLSTOP

What is your hope?

Are you working hard for something in your life? Your life long dream?

I know we work hard everyday for something but sometimes in working hard, therein lies our life long dream that we truly work hard for.

My life long dream isn't big. I only wish to find a place I can truly call "my home".

In the place I can call home, I am free to express myself willfully

and I am able to sleep at night peacefully.

In my home I want to feel truly belonged to the people around me.

I want to feel at peace making mistakes, shouting in anger, expressing my fears without the void of insecurity.

I want to leap in joy just thinking about going back "home" and play all day long without the need to lock myself in.

I do not want to have "a room" but the whole house.

Every space is nicknamed "joy" and painted in clear white to give vibes of honesty, purity and clarity.

In my home, my husband is loved, my children are blessed and we gather together to speak our thoughts freely and lovingly.

We touched each other hearts with honesty and treat each other with respect irrespective of our differences.

There is no difference between the young and the old. Their opinion all matters and none ideas discarded without being weighed fairly.

When one is hurting the other will comfort and when one is happy the rest will be partying.

There is no single moment that doesn't count and even a little cry will be given a thorough attention for who knows the heart may speak much than the little cry.

When joy seems diminished, everyone lift up everyone soul and song of joys filled up the air from morning till night that everyone is singing in sync.

My children will be radiant in joy and my husband is smiling with gratefulness.

This is the place I called "my home".The place where love resides.

Your ideal Partner

Have you ever thought about the ideal partner or person you wished to be married to when you were still single and searching? I never did.

A friend of mine once told me that she listed down the qualities of the person she wished to be married with when she was as young as 15 years old. It was in her bucket of list for prayers. When I listened to her story, I was amazed at how early someone can actually started to pray about her other half. As she revealed later, she got almost 90% of her listed qualities in the man she was married to.
I on the other hand never bothered to think of man. There was even a period in my life when I toyed with the idea of remaining single for the rest of my life. It was all because of my parents constant bickering with each other that I naturally presumed marriage was not something to look forward to.

When attraction to the opposite sex started as it should be in any natural progression of life, I began to question like many other did of "what love is?" I had no idea of the meaning of love between a man and a woman or how possible it could be.I assumed love just happened when it should happen and we don't really need to have any kind of standard to start falling in love or to start liking someone. I could conclude that I had a very convoluted ideas of what love was. There was even a lot of new terms I learned which further confused my idea of love. The so called "infatuation", a "crush", and so on and so forth that it was making it harder for me to understand love.It was not surprising that my journey to find true love was stalled and hindered by many unresolved issues of my own doing. It was my lack of understanding on the subject of love which rendered me the problem I faced with much regrets.

Upon much soul searching I found my answer inevitably in one of a well-written book.It was written by Joshua Harris entitled I kissed Dating Goodbye. When I read this book a light sparked in my head and I started to understand better the concept of dating. Paired this book with my friend story and everything becomes clear. It doesn't matter that by the time I read it I was already married. What matter was that, I now have the clear idea of what answer I am going to give to my children once they started questioning about love and relationship.

My guess is that it would be different for each and every one and maybe you would be like Ah Jung in the Lie to Me drama who could not met the list of qualities her man listed out for her but otherwise understand her strength and her true feelings. Either way as long as it works for your love life, just go for it.

If you are still single, list the qualities of the person you wish to be married to, pray for it and then grab a book of dating and relationship by Joshua Harris or else, take your own journey to discover the bitter sweet of finding your true love.

My wish is you will finally get hold on the one who makes your day seems brighter when the day is dark.

Have a wonderful day ahead! ^_^

When Everybody is talking...

When everybody is talking, I tend to fade into the background. Noise gives me "headache". It reminds me of a scene in Mary Stayed Out All Night at Episode 16. In that scene, Mae ri was trying to calm down the couple who was arguing following an interview conducted by her about the expectation of the couple regarding their relationship. However, the couple being oblivious of her polite interference turned a blind eye on her. In her futile effort, Mae ri simply faded into the background and she slipped away as quiet as a mouse.

During a course I attended about two weeks ago, the participants of the course were divided into 7 groups to conduct a mock audit. Each group was given the task to prepare their own check list on certain clause to ask the auditee. Our group was the lucky number 1 to start off with the audit. All eyes were on us. The facilitator guided us the right way to ask question by using our checklist as the guideline. Since they were so many people in the same room, I had a hard time to speak up and ended up being silent. It was tremendously stupefying. Hence the floor was open for everybody to throw questions and alas the "uproar" begun. I, on the other hand simply faded into the background.

I am not sure why I behaved in such a way in the crowd of people. I freeze up around people. I am still trying to figure out myself.

Do you know what is the most wonderful thing a person can do to her/himself? It is to know oneself. It is to understand both her/his strength and weaknesses and not become arrogant or be bothered by it.

One must be proud of his/her strength because it means he/she is accepting God given talents but at the same time one must know his/her weaknesses without being daunted by it.

One also must know oneself without losing the ability to look at things objectively.

In my case, it would be nice to just "open up my mouth and start asking questions..and not jeopardize my self-esteem by taking a shortcut and simply faded into the the background.

At the end of the day, I just ended up mulling over it in my mind and started to pile up things as "the things I could have done". I am sure soon it will become a mountain high of regrets that will further damage my self-esteem. It is very self-destructive. I agree,this erroneous behaviour must be stopped before any further damage done.

I must learn to be more objective. It is how life supposed to be.. I am not a background. I can be the main person. I can be better. I can..!!!

For you and Me..God Blesses us!

Have a productive day ahead pals..:)

Intuition

About three weeks ago my friend asked me to join her for a one night holiday at a very luxurious place. All on her. It was a very tempting offer indeed. However, for no obvious reason at all, I didn't feel "right" about the invitation. I wasn't sure why but my gut feeling was telling me..."it might not happen".. It might be something called intuition because today, it is confirmed I won't be able to make it. This morning everything becomes clear on why it could not happen.

It happened that my superior and another staff are out of town and left me to take care of things. I phoned her right after I received the confirmation that I have to stay in the office. She sounded disappointed but felt almost like expecting it.

It happened a lot. The foretold of the future events, sometimes we "knew" it. The intuition is there to warn us of things. It's a guidance I perhaps for us to listen and to take appropriate action and to never just "go on with the plan" when the "intuition" is against it.

The moment you feel something is wrong, you must listen more and think more. Sometimes it is best to wait when things become clear before making any decision. The receiving end may feel frustrated and you could not tell them your exact decision just because of a hunch but you still need to pause and think before doing and making any decision at all. It is your right.

There is a future event as well that I "feel" may not going to happen but I am waiting for it. You know even if it is so, you should never not try to do anything at all if it is what you think must happen. Sometimes what you "feel" isn't intuition but an obstacle of your mind that you are not able to get rid of.

How can you possibly able to differ between these two? I am not an expert and could not answer it poignantly but I believe "the obstacle of the mind" has deep roots which has been deeply ingrained in our mind and soul and thus making it part of our thinking process. Things like when your mother taught you "not to believe in man or to not trust guys because they are all bad a**". This kind of teaching may lead you to avoid man for no apparent reason and that is not intuition but simply because "you have been mentally drilled and lead to believe so".

We can always listen and ponder to whatever it is. The main thing is "pause".

Have a blessed day ahead! ^_^

Nothing is impossible

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Anyway

By Mother Theresa

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat on you.
Be honest anyway.
If you find HAPPINESS, people may be jealous.
Be HAPPY anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway…”
~Mother Teresa

Henry's Crime

I must say, I am dissappointed with this movie. Keanu Reeves is a great actor but this movie isn't for him to play. When I watched it, It was darn too slow and it made me want to cry because I really2 wanted to see Keanu Reeves playing a good character. I was really tempted to walk out from the movie theater after the first 10 minutes. It was that BAD..I know..I know..to each their own..:)

The good things? There were a few good moments? (I am thinking which??) but forget about being impartial I just want to erase it from my memory as quick as possible because ...It hurts so bad since I so love Keanu Reeves in CONSTANTINE..this movie didn't do him justice.


Okay..how about 2/5 stars??? hmmm..

Cold milk

A long time ago there was a friend of mine who introduced me to "cold milk". This morning, I was thinking of drinking milk when I realized the water heater installed at the office had not been functioning for a while. That was how I suddenly reminded of that "cold milk" and the person behind it. It was funny how "little" things could remind you of someone. Given the unique character of each and every one of us, we are sure learning new things with different individual we work or befriended with.

While making the "cold milk" I was reminded about the other things about her. I would not mind calling her my big sister since I learned a lot from her especially about relationship. She was kind, intelligent and certainly someone you can count on.

I remember our conversation a long time ago when I just had started dating my now husband. We were in the "getting to know each other stage" and I remember telling her that the reason I liked my husband was because I really feel like I have a friend. That very confession was something I keep to my heart. Little did I realize, Professing about my feelings would justified my endearing affection for him as a soulmate.It made me understand the meaning of soulmate which was someone you really feel at ease to talk to.That was how it was then. She dug into my soul.

When I was having a conflict with my relationship then, she shared her own struggle with her own relationship. We could easily relate to each other's woes since we were both having a relationship with someone from a different state. I would say, I looked up to her for some guidance especially in how she carried on with her relationship. It was rather important for me at that time because I was kind of hoping the relationship will last. Thankfully it does.

Her relationship was a success despite the long distance marriage which was not so far different from my own relationship.

I came to know her well that time because she needed a help. She said she prayed for someone to help her in managing something and I came to her mind.But, if I think about it retrospectively, God did not let her approach me for one reason only. She helped me much more than I helped her. I watched how her relationship blossomed over time and that gave me not just hope but motivation to believe that there were things that meant to be.

While slowly sipping my "cold milk" I would again allow her to enter my mind and be reminded that with God nothing is impossible as how He had show me the way to be where I am now in regards of my relationship.

I am blessed indeed.

Faith

I actually want to talk about the documentaries I have watched. It confused me a lot. Did it make me a little doubtful about my belief?? Well.. I'd like to think that the people who were responsible to put things together in the past had their own fair reasoning to state what need to be stated and rejected anything that contradicted with the rest.

The thing is, when hard facts are now being presented its like being in a courtroom again but in your on mind. I know beyond reasonable doubt that I have faith in Him and that He is real because I have experienced Him. I just want to understand the facts that are being dug out by some historians and scientist. It did not sway my belief, but I want to know how this pieces of puzzle can be put together rightfully.

If it was right, how it would change my perception?

Anyway, I keep it simple as in following Jesus advise in John 20:29, Blessed are those who believed without seeing me. Meaning to say, its okay not to know everything from point A to point B, as long as you know you are on the right track because your gut feeling say it is right. That instinct is "God's voice leading you". Following that voice you sure won't get lost. If not, what would happen to those who are blind and deaf. God sure loves them all. If He loves them, He only needs to guide their spirits and we all should just follow faithfully.

I am blessed indeed.

Super 8

The story was about a bunch of kids who were in the middle of filming a school project when they witnessed their science teacher purposely crashed on the running train which happened to load an alien and all sorts of material which were not known by the civilian.

Strange thing happened after that. The alien who escaped from the train was caught on the kids film. The alien was on his quest to rebuild his space ship so he stole whatever was out there which was made of steel. This enraged the people who demanded to know what was happening to their things including their dogs who were running away to dispersed places as if very much afraid of something. The town policeman could not understand the situation either. The investigation by them was futile since the culprit aka the air force who knew about it did not want to share their secret. When the police man tried to be adamant, he was kept and locked.

However, when the air force forced the people to evacuate the area where the alien was suspected to be hiding around, the alien went berserk and started kidnapping people and made all the weaponry shooting aimlessly at people and buildings.

The children who witnessed the teacher who crashed onto the train found out more about the alien by breaking out into their school and looking into their teacher stuff. They learned about the alien and after that went on to look for the alien hiding place.

Joe and Cary went to the alien hiding place to rescue alice their friend who was kidnapped by the alien. Inside there, he confronted the alien and told him to just go away and lived on.

The alien built on his space ship and used Joe invaluable chain which had the picture of him and his mother as the final piece. It was a metaphor to suggest that finally the alien can let go of human and live his life again and so was Joe to let go of his memory of his mother and lived on.

My thoughts of this movie

1) It was brilliant

2) The casts were perfect.

3) The children were amazing and funny

4) The alien was kind of a spin off from other alien movies. The difference was that this one happened to be more thoughtful and just wanted to go home. He became angry and vengeful when he was kept/caged and tortured for some test and experiment.

5) The end part was kind of a little odd to me but it did make sense.

6) I am gonna give it 4/5 stars because it was brilliant and the children were amazing. In fact the heroes were the children and not the adult.


Happy watching! ^_^

I met people (The diary of My Rare OT: After Thoughts)

In my group I met three wonderful characters. The first one 'k' was easily noticed with her trademark pink. She wore pink colour like she owned it. If she was not wearing it, it would be her stuff that was in pink colour. However what stand out the most was her very soft-spoken character and yet when she was asked to explain things she was loud and clear. She was kind, approachable and made you feel good.

The second person was "NF". She was a girl who was very serious in appearance. The unique thing about her was she had her unique way of choosing "tudung". She stand out with the way she wore her tudung. She was kind of aloof and although she did not elaborate much of her bereavement, I understand it. She had a miscarriage for three times and because I am married myself I understand the kind of pain she must had suffered because of it.

The third person was "A". She was in my group and also a room mate of mine. She wore things at her own will and well it was rather sexy. So that was what really stand out about her. We had more time talking to each other since we were in the same room. She shared with me about her bouts of depression and how she struggled to go through it. I could relate to her very well since I myself had about the same experience except that rather than the person experiencing it as the first person, I was the second person as in watching someone loosing herself before my eyes. I shared with her how it changed and affected me as the person who had to be strong for the person even though I myself was suffocated and swore I could die anytime because it was too much to bear at times. I hope I helped her since she was sharing how the husband could not relate to her while in my opinion the husband was like me, wanted to help but in fact helpless and wished the table just turned around.

The little time I shared with those three characters did influence me and affected me if not changed me a little.

With "K", her suggestion to me to maybe "create new approach in doing lab test to not be bored by the same usual routine" gave me something to ponder about upon returning back to work.

"NF" made me realize about how much I wanted a child at the moment

"A", opened up my long forgotten wound. I had bury it deep down inside and my attempt to reveal it to her actually made me a little shaken again. The only thing that was quite surprising to me was, it no longer hurt me as much.

But, I guess some of the conversation did make me a little "out of mind". Thus, the reason why I impulsively bought 4 books and two dresses because I always went down that shopaholic road to comfort me.

It was a memorable getaway cum course that will certainly stay long in my memory.

God blesses them all "k", "NF" and especially "A".

The Diary of rare OT - 4th day

The best part of today was I enjoyed the workshops conducted since morning till afternoon. I lost the track of time and that means I did fun was enjoying myself. ^_^ Thank God

I was enjoying the food as well. I had been craving for the kind of delicacies that has been prepared for us the last few days. I honestly think the chef was great. He managed to prepare different kind of recipes from the same items without making you feel bored with the new dishes. Thank God

Well, I just want to thank God for today. I am improving alot..in terms of organizing my thoughts and delivering it..fuh! isn't it nice to be heard at least...for the right reason.

I pray..I will cease to hide behind my lack of self-esteem..

Until then..Yipeee!

I am blessed indeed

The Diary of Rare OT - 3rd Day

Today went by smoothly and wonderfully. The lecture was good as we had two workshop which were both mind stimulating and helped me a lot in understanding the whole Scope. At this point I am pretty much happy that I participated in the course. The friends I have around are super nice. Thank God.

I went out to Jusco with three of my friends and I bought hair accessories which were much cheaper if compared with the same hair accessory I bought at home. Was it a reasonable purchase? It wasn't a necessity and more of a self-indulgence so I guess the answer is not.. LOL..^_^ Nevertheless the time I spent with my friends was priceless. God did have me in his mind when he put me here all "alone" because I realized today, they were good friends shipped with me on the same boat. It was a nice shipping and I am grateful.

I am counting for the next three days but now instead of dismay my heart is now filled with great anticipation. I am sure good days are ahead of me and I am certain now I'll be going back home with tons of happy memories. Thank God for good friends.

If I am about to change one thing about my situation right now it is the way I express myself. I need to stop being panic and concentrate on organizing my train of thoughts before spilling out words in whatever languages to whoever personnel I talk to. I cant continue making people confuse..that's bad..^_^


Well..I really am blessed. Thank You God.

The Diary of Rare OT - 2nd Day

Today I was half asleep during the lecture. Thanks to not sleeping well last night. It seems sleeping problem follows me everywhere. What more when the subject was quite boring. Thankfully the lecturer was well-versed. One thing I noticed was, I did pick up things quite slowly compared to my junior. She is smart. ^_^ and...I was sleepy.

Secondly, I was again questioning my irrational fear of "speaking" up. I am not always like that. ..I don't know...why now??..

This place..is just another empty place for me. I feel as lonely as I am back home. fuh!..I really need a break.

Then I realized just how much I despised doing what I am doing. Test test and test. Repeating the same old things just makes me lose myself more and more each day.

How then?

I don't know. Going home and going places make no difference. Shall I make a total career move??

Into the sea of forgetfullness

The sea has a calming effect. There is something about it that makes you as how the water looks like; clean and transparent. Every time I go to the beach I simply lost in tranquility immersing myself fully with the wonderful panorama surrounding the sea. The clear water, the sounds of the roaring waves and the soft breeze blowing gently against my cheeks, I loved it all. I love it so much so I am able to open up and throw away all of my worries out there to be forever gone and buried beneath the sea.

When I am tired, confused, needed a breathing space, needed to cry, needed to smile, needed to share my feelings and needed to simply enjoy the magnificent view of God's wonderful creation I run to the sea.

I am not a good swimmer but I do love strolling along the seashore with bare feet. It is absolutely wonderful.At times like that, I would be reminded of my childhood of how spontaneous a child can be and how they can totally be happy and playful by simply being in a "playground" like a seashore. However, that youthfulness is nearly gone and adulthood teach us to forget much of the exuberance youth we once had. Worries and troubles gets in the way and perhaps before we know it, our youth has been fully sapped away.

As I was cooking for my brother this evening, I remembered much of this. I realized how lonely I feel these days and in that moment my thoughts turned to the sea. I remembered my grandmother as I always equate her with loneliness.I dug deeper into my soul and my heart and found NOTHING. I found nothing to stop me from feeling alone and lost.

I have no wish by the way, I only have faith that God will never forsake me and that I am going to pull through whatever circumstances I am in right now.

I can't lose hope. It's the only thing I got.

^_^

A dream

Yesterday, I had a peaceful night.I dreamed of animals and felt that I must be in heaven. Since I was a child I always dreamed of animals. I was convinced at one point that each animals bear a meaning. Dreaming of a chicken means there is going to be a trouble. A cat is a symbol of a friend. A snake is a given task I hated. A fish is getting a nice surprise. Well I couldn't say that was that...maybe it is something one should consider...intangible..

But, yesterday I saw many animals in my dream..I couldn't even recognize most of it. I only remember feeling very happy and peaceful. There were animals playing with me. In my dream, there was also someone who seemed to be the ruler of the place and surprisingly I wasn't intimidated by this person. In fact, this person was explaining things to me and was very approachable.

One clear vivid image that I saw was a tiger pelt at the roof top of a hut where the both of us (me and the ruler) seated. I pointed the pelt to him and said " That's a tiger, right?" He nodded in agreement. I thought he smiled too. I was putting a lot of attention observing the tiger. It was a very small sized tiger with very beautiful skin + fur. I was studying the tiger which I consider beautiful but small sized when my dream ended.

What happened last night was, before I went to sleep I read this one book written by Robert Kee entitled "The 25 cents Meal and $50 Buffet". He was writing about his ministry in Operation Hope Foundation Ltd. (OHF). Much of the information can be read(HERE)

What he wrote intrigued me. He was right when he said we suffer from what he termed happiness conditioning where we are conditioned to equate luxury with happiness. Aren't we?

Just then, before I went to sleep I had a "small talk" with God. That was when I had one of the most peaceful nights and had this one of the happiest dreams in my life.

I hope, there is hope in every people's heart that they are no longer dissuaded by their harsh present circumstances.

Live your life unselfishly!

^_^

The comic books

Yesterday night I watched the history of comic book superheroes. You can find the link to youtube (HERE)

It was pretty interesting regarding the fact that I as a child do love cartoons and I guess everybody does in their lifetime even in their adulthood.

Of course my favourite characters were Barbie, Ariel the mermaid and Nemo. Maybe because I am a girl so I don't really like superheros that mainly features men.

But, I did have a lingering crush on Superman and later the Superboy in Smallville.

Knowing much about the history of the superheroes in the comic books did of course do wonder to my preconceived belief. The reason why it existed in the first place made me understand why it became popular and why so many people able to relate and cheered for the superheroes.

I loved the fact, it did boost the moral support of some people in the past who did need it at the time when oppression was very much going on in the society.

Nowadays we can see alot of the comic book superheroes turning into a characters that comes alive on big screen. Fantastic four and X-Men were two of comic superheroes who had been on screen lately. Coming up are Captain America and probably the second sequel of GI Joe. I can see why the movies on superheroes did well on cinema. It is because people grew up loving the comic characters on television. For example I remember myself growing up watching GI Joe and so I do wanted to see how it would be adapted on movies.

In Malaysia, The comic book that I often browsed through when I was a little girl were Gila-gila and Ujang. I loved the Characters of Joyah and Ujang. They were not superheroes but a funny comic characters who could make some people laugh.I remember how my older brother burst out in laughter reading it while I was clueless but nevertheless restless to find the source that tickled his funny bone. No, I could not understand it and never did...LOL..:) Maybe that explained why I dropped the comic book once it was not within my sight anymore.

On a second thought maybe just to reminisce yesterday, I would buy or go look for it at the bookstores one of these days. That is if it still exist...:)


Have a fun time watching superheroes!!! I am waiting for Captain America to be aired...Cant hardly wait...^_^

Things I can live without

Last Sunday I went out with my girlfriend. She asked me out to help her find a dress for a friend's wedding. We did have fun going to several stores to look and tried on plenty of dresses. Actually it was not tiring at all considering the fact that I have not been hunting for a dress since last year. The last time I went out to look for an evening dress I bought a nice leopard pattern long dress which made me look tall sexy and alluring...LOL..

I have been asked by friends to help them up looking for the right dress and I really didn't mind. In fact, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed going places to look for the right dress for them. They used to follow me out for shopping and would readily asked me what do I have in mind to wear for the next party?? christmas???.. One girlfriend even scanned through my closet and bought a top right out of my closet and she announced how convenient it was to just buy one from a friend's closet.LOL.. I must have had a fashion sense since back then..;P

I do love picking out dresses and have always had in mind to maybe have a store one day. Maybe :)

Back to the story, luckily it didn't take us a long time to find the red dress my friend was looking for. It fitted her perfectly. Thank God.

But, my real quest for that day was actually practicing the new lesson I just learned from Gary Chapman. It was a actually a sharing he wrote in his book as I have reviewed earlier (see HERE). Although the book was much on a marriage, it did teach on the economic or financial side.

He shared about how he and his wife often went to the stores looking at stuff and talked with each other of the various stuff displayed that they both can actually live without. While others went out from the stores after purchasing stuff, they on the other hand, happily headed out from the stores sometimes purchasing nothing but totally at peace and happy with themselves.They realized they can actually live without much of the stuff people usually bought.It must have been quiet an enlightenment.

Having that in mind, I went out that day with my friend testing myself if I could do what Gary Chapman and his wife can do. I roamed through things, tempted by many but fortunately my conviction stayed firmly in my mind and I did not waste a single cent on "Things I can live without'" sort of stuff.

To affirm my commitment to stay focus on my goal in not spending on unnecessary stuff, I shared that belief with my friend. Of course I was careful with my words. I just told her how some people managed to live without hoarding themselves with unnecessary stuff.

I feel happy that way. I am convinced that things don't buy us happiness. It only gives us temporary excitement. It is probably right, if we are inclined to use money, invest it on experience or education. Experience would expand our knowledge and so is education. In the long run, it presented us with a better prospect for the future.

Happy shopping and careful with your spending habits ya! :)

Marriage by Gary Chapman & Jerry B.Jenkins (Part II)

Today I am going to review Jerry B.Jenkins's part in this book

The author acknowledged the fact that Christian could not win a victory over lust. Lust was something every man should "flee" from as instructed by Paul in his letter to Timothy in the scriptures. Therefore, His part dwelled on how to flee from lust.

His suggestions included;-

1)To run away from temptation. FLEE

2) To Understand the differences between men and women about their thought processed and sexual triggers. A man turned on by the mere thought of a beautiful woman while a woman aroused by environment, atmosphere, tenderness, romance and touch.

3)To custom made our own hedges to protect ourselves from falling into the trap of temptation.

5) Some of the hedges he suggested were as listed below;-

a) Whenever you dine with unrelated woman/man make it threesome

b) Be careful with TOUCHING. You might shake hands or squeeze an arm or shoulder in greeting but only embrace dear friends (possibly of the same sex only) or relatives but only in front of others.

c)Be careful in paying a compliment. Commenting on a pretty outfit is way different than telling someone how pretty or gorgeous they look.

d) Avoid flirtation or suggestive conversation, even in jest

e) Remember your wedding vows (often)

f) Make time with your family and especially your spouse. Never cease to date and court each other.

Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow

Lately, I have been bad. I have not made a good review on most of the films that I happened to watch. There were a few exceptions. I loved Sucker punch and The eagle but that were about the only two movies as of now that did not tickle my "over-analyzing mind"...^_^

Now, come to this movie. Let me start criticizing it: (LOL)


1) It had the fine balance of fun and humour. Kim Myung-Min as Detective K was a perfect cast. oh..wait what was his name again??? I can't believe I don't even remember his name in the movie...all I remember was Seo Phil??? No he was Master Han as his assistant.

2)The movie was pretty much predictable in a good and bad way. It was predictable that the daughter in law who supposed to die did not die. However,it was predictable in a bad way that she was in fact the "impostor" of Master Han who only choose to be the exact opposite of herself when meeting Detective K. And it was not predictable but surprisingly making the story less fun to know that Seo Phil was actually Master Han.No..No..No..It made sense, but it took away the fun part of knowing him as the clumsy man...hahahah

3)I kind of liked the story in spite of the silliness and when I do like something,I love leaving it like that to be enjoyed. You know when you like something, you just stare and absorb everything in silence and "ENJOY"..that was what happened..MOSTLY when I watched this.

4) So I am gonna give it 4/5 star and that was because, it was FUN. Very enjoyable.

Happy Watching...:)

X-Men First Class

My thoughts about this movie:

1) James McAvoy as Professor X was awesome. He was believable and in fact, he was the only person I really cared about. The rest of the cast were just happened to be "there". Apart from how the movie narrated on how Charles met and became acquainted to Eric (Magneto), the rest of the crew were just "flew" in to crowd the group of mutated people.

2) My favourite scene was when Prof.X accessed to the most beautiful moment in Eric life and how in an instant it made him cried. It was when Eric learned to fully utilized his gift.

3) I could not careless about Raven and her neediness to be accepted, as if the rest of the group did not have the same issue about themselves. But what I really marveled the most was, how did the screenwriter came up with the lamest excuse as in letting her to pick Eric instead of her own "adopted" brother when it was very much evident, Eric caused Prof.X a permanent injury. Mind boggling?? Didn't she love him or she simply switched team because Eric told her she was way more beautiful being blue than being "human like". First she loved Charles, than Hank but abandoned both to be with Eric..who accepted her for being blue??? hmm...I mean at least that was how I understand it...or maybe I need to re-watch it to better understand the whole "team choosing thing". seriously ...it was like " hey..you wanna rule the world come to me, you wanna protect human, go there??"..just like that, and the friendship is gone..and now there are free to break and injure and even kill each other. Just like playing games..hmmmm..

4) Hank as the beast was so damn unsure of himself but it seemed he had survived hiding the truth and not having complex about it until..he met the rest of the mutated people who somehow teased him as a freak. Funny?? I thought they understood each other.

5) I have to say sorry for bringing so much of argument about this movie, it just that, It appeared so illogical to me...and therefore had difficulty in enjoying it.

6) I am gonna give it 3/5 star.


That's all. you have to watch it...it wasn't that bad, it was just me..I guess..I hope so.


*sigh

Marriage by Gary Chapman & Jerry B.Jenkins (Part I)

I have only been married for roughly a year and what I like the most for the time being is to read book as much as possible on marriage. Different authors with different styles of writing presented varies of ideas and what makes it more interesting is that every one of them gives you a new depth of understanding about marriage.

For example, from preconceived thinking that when you are married you are no longer two but one, I have explored the idea and understand the meaning much deeper after reading a book that you should become one team but you should not lost your own identity when you are married. You need to acquire your own way of being happy apart from being a wife to someone.

I have also understand that when you are married, you are still 100% responsible for your own spiritual life.

From this book, I am thankful I have managed to again gained a lot more meaningful insights about marriage.

This book is a compilation of two books written by different authors. The first one was written by Gary Chapman and the second one was by Jerry B.Jenkins. For today I am going to write down some of the interesting ideas I gained from Garry Chapman write up;-

1) When two people decided to get marry is not necessarily as a result of two people falling madly in love with each other and therefore must get married. It is because and the sole reason that must be the reason for the marriage is because it is the will of God. The story of how Abraham asked his servant to look for a wife for His son has been described in length in the scriptures and it was in that order of which neither Isaac nor Rebekah fall in love with each other first and yet when they become one "she became his wife, and he loved her.

2) Marital unity is not the kind of unity that eradicates personality. Rather, it is the kind of unity that frees you to express your own diversity, yet experience complete oneness with your mate.

3) Rather than blaming your spouse for the various problems in the marriage, ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal your own and ask forgiveness for your own wrongdoings.

4) Contrary to some popular physiological notions, all of our negative emotions do not need to be expressed. Some need to be starved. It is not hypocritical it is simply not feeding the negative feelings. If the negative feelings is not being fed by negative remarks it will help to alleviate it.

5)There are few ways of loving such as with words (compliment, speaking with kindness, to use entreaty rather than command, acceptance (allowing your mate expressing his/her ideas without being put down) ) and with deeds (patient, kind, courteous, unselfish (looks out for the best interest of the person loved)) and lastly by not demanding perfection from one's mate.

6) You must speak with kindness even when you have a negative feelings towards your spouse. Word spoken in anger and negative tone will never turn away wrath.

7) Communication does not come naturally. There are various levels. If you have difficulty verbalizing a problem or communicating your view or feelings, write it down. When you start to get angry, stop discussion and withdraw for a while until you are able to put your feelings under control. There is no point engaging in a conversation while you are angry.If you are not communicating because you do not want to hurt your spouse, examine your motive in the first place. Honesty does not compel us to express all these feelings. We must allow these feelings to go through the sieve of "edification." If they come out as bombs then, defuse them before it destroyed both of you. Genuine love moves out to stimulate growth even if it must be accompanied with pain.In the area where you lack self-confidence, you must think that you also have strengths and you have succeeded in many things and will continue to succeed in many more. Seek to be your best under God's direction. Do not worry about those things beyond your control. Just be your best.

8) Determine each other's role by basically following the Scriptures guidelines (1) the husband is the provider (2) the wife is the homemaker.

9)Allow the husband accept his responsibility as the head of the family in whatever circumstances it might be. The moment you allow him to withdraw from his responsibility he would never learn how to be one in his lifetime with you.

10)Share your ideas, by all means but use those ideas to come to the best decision. Not my ideas versus your ideas, but our ideas and our decision. "we feel, we think; we decided." This is the language of unity

11)Parents' suggestions should be given due consideration. They are older and perhaps wiser.

12) The "necessities" of life are relatively few. They can be met on your present income.


Cheers!

Kungfu Panda 2

I got an SMS from my lil bro this morning asking me to accompany him to the clinic since he got this rashes on his body. It happened right after I went to the office and the sister in me could not resist his plight so I asked for an emergency leave and rushed to his house. He was fine by the way except that, He had taken the wrong medicine, Had I knew it from the beginning that he got Tonsilitis, he would have been cured by now. I should have checked on his medication the first time I went to see his condition. Just to remind myself.

But, back to the movie review..this movie was what I got after spending half a day in his house accompanying him to the clinic and preparing some meals.

Since I did not watch Kungfu Panda 1, I could not compare between the two but I think, Kungfu Panda 2 could stand on its own. It has got its own gist that need not be compared with any. But then again, maybe if I watched the first installment, I would have a different opinion.

My thoughts are these:-

1) Pow (the name of the Panda)- not sure if that is the right spelling for his name, was adorable, funny, clumsy, softy, kindhearted, awkward,- very appealing. He was lovable as a character. He was all the way funny and clueless that at the end..when he was trying to be at "peace"...it was hard for me to change my mode from trying to believe him being serious and actually hoping that it was just another throw of gimmick of his clumsiness.

2) The story was to me..quite okay. It was about Pow journey to avenge his lost parents who apparently were destroyed along with all the panda species by none other than a peacock named Shane or shade??..Now, that was funny. I could not think of a mere peacock, not even looking scary being the master of all..an evil actually. That poor thing had all the beast bowed down to him. AMAZING.

3) And then ..I got this quote that I really liked. It said something like this "Its not the past thats matter but who you choose to be now". It was better than that..Watch it if you are keen to know.

4) I will give it emm..3/5 stars and that's because although I liked it, I don't love it much to watch it again. It must be the level of violence portrayed in the movie that I could not really agree with giving the fact that it was supposed to be for children entertainment as well. Just my thoughts. ^_^

With that, I'll leave you again.

Happy holiday to those who are still on holiday, and enjoy your movies whatever it is ya!

Be blessed!

Red Riding Hood

When I saw the movie title I was immediately taken by it. It was one of my favourites fairy tales and I could not wait to see the story becomes alive on screen. The trailer was awesome however I did not make it to the cinema to watch the movie. While visiting my sick brother, I found this movie uploaded in his computer so I made time to watch it there.

Here are my thoughts regarding the movie:-

1) Oh how much I love Amanda Seyfried and her amazing big mesmerizing eyes. Her eyes can tell a story. It spoke volumes of her emotions. It was very expressive to the core. However, as much as I love her, She betrayed my version of Red riding hood. I have always had in mind that Red riding hood was a simple, pure and innocent girl who would not just lay with a man just because she loves him so. That was about the only thing that was very hard for me to accept. How can she be so perfect and yet appear like a seducer? worse looks like .....emm..not wanting to say it. I would have preferred someone portrayed as innocent and pure but suddenly caught up in a web of self- deceit once the wild blood (being the werewolf daughter) began to peak up in her veins that slowly but surely change her character until a remedy which perhaps a true love??? stopped her from fully blooming into a monster werewolf. (Just a silly thought) ^_^ Or..can I just say, I think the making out scene was totally unnecessary even if she had to prove her love for him. What's with Henry watching the whole scene??? and still not hating Peter or her? He must be a saint. ok..enough with that.

2) Plot wise, it was brilliant. There were element of surprise that kept me glued to the screen until the end, not wanting to miss a scene.

3) The casts were all perfect.

4) It could be my guess but I think there is going to be a second installment..Right? in fact, I think the story has just started. It is more like "Twilight" in medieval era.

5) I am gonna give it 4/5 and that's because, I love it more than I hate it. The hate department solely contributed by my disliking to her a lil too wild character. (Just an opinion) ^_^

You should watch it though! ^_^

Pirates of The Carribean , On Stranger Tides

After watching this movie, a few thoughts crossed my mind; -
1) I love the mermaids. They were so perfect and beautiful. I hope one day, there's gonna be an equally enchanting mermaid in a movie about mermaid world. How about an adaptation of Ariel character?? ^_^
2) I am not sure if it is just me but somehow rather than amused by Jack Sparrow character (since I am totally smitten by Johnny Deep himself), I felt nauseated.
3) Penelope Cruz was really amazing. She can really kicked butts.
4) There was no real @ apparent chemistry between the two leads (Angelica and Jack Sparrow) or maybe I just could not feel it.
5) It was rather stupid but a total change of everything, when Jack Sparrow mistaken between the two cups?? Not cups, I forgot what was the name?, but it was really...how could he??. I mean for once I thought it was a serious scene that turned out to be funny? Angelica wanted to give life to the father but the father was evil and just wanted a life in expense of his own daughter and I was thinking, how cruel a father can be? Unless of course he was the non-existence who only wanted to use the children for his own good. I hardly came by any character that was actually written in such a way. This movie just did that. Were they many others that I was not aware of? It just that...I could not buy the idea of an evil father wanting to destroy his own flesh and blood..? hmmm.
6) The missionary, I forgot his name was so handsome and so believable I hope he would appear again in another series after being rescued by the mermaid.
7) I found the movie rather draggy...
8) I think because of my high expectation of the movie, I can only give it 3/5 star. That's because, I could not think of re-watching it for the second time.
9) There goes my opinion. ^_^

Happy Watching!

I have a dream

Check out this link (HERE). Its a speech by Martin Luther King entitled "I have a dream".

I read about his autobiography quite recently and was very much overwhelmed by it.

Just a week ago, again I came across his most famous speech "I Have A Dream" and could not help but thinking, racism still happening around the world even now, here?

When I read the full text of the speech, I was totally awed. It was the most moving speech I have ever heard/read.

When other people were thinking about revolting to gain a better stand socially, he was different and it was evident in his speech.It contained only love and encouragement to keep hoping for a better future without resorting to violence. How wonderful!.

Just to share his wonderful speech, I posted it here.

A little excerpt from the link above"

" I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."


Liked it a lot.

:)

Being Happy vs Smart

Check on the link below:-

ParenThots - Brain Rules author tells parents why they want happy, not smart, kids

There were two things that I found interesting from the above article. The first one was, that if you are happy, you will be ensuring more access to whatever intelligence your DNA allows. The second one was the part about how parents should show not only the fighting but also the reconciliation in front of the children. I think these are the most basic things on how to develop a child to become a healthy and happy human being.

Loved it.

credits to The Star newspaper.

Vanishing On 7th Street

what do I think about this movie?

I feel so empty watching this movie, as empty as the street in the movie. The story was very simple, too simple I just ended up shaking my head for the simpleness that probably put me in a dilemma and a question mark "so what?"

It went something like this, one night the electricity suddenly went out and tadaaa..people went missing leaving only their clothes behind. The only people left were people who used flashlights or used other methods (aka solar, battery, generator) to keep the lights on. Then, there were these 4 or 5 people only who tried anything to stay alive until the next sunrise. But sadly only two of them who survived. The miracle was the girl who had a solar flashlight, who did not want to get close to anybody (very selfish indeed) was the one who might saved them all because she knew how to keep the lights on. What I did not understand was why the little girl was wiser than the rest of the crew and why the character was written in such a way that she just let everyone else vanish???.

I felt wronged watching something where the people were clueless of what they were fighting against and only to be told "once upon a time, an entire village vanished leaving its home and livestock and a mysterious "CROATOAN" word painted on the gate at the village". In other words, the history just repeated itself in 7th street and nothing should happen to stop it.People just vanished and that was it.

*sigh...

Not liking it.

Yes Man

Although I don't fancy Jim Carrey nor his character in this movie, I loved the story well enough to watch it.

Its a story about a man who did not do much in his life except living his life day to day as a routine. Basically he was a No man. He tried to live isolated from everything else and just went through life living by himself. He was a selfish brat until one day an opportunity knock on his door after a friend gave him a pamphlet about "Yes a new word for No". It was a pamphlet of a seminar gathering people to encourage them living a life fully as in saying yes to every opportunity presenting itself at the moment.

The speaker challenged "Carl - Jim carrey character in the movie" to start saying yes and even dared him to make a covenant with him. He was to promise that from that moment onwards he must say YES to everything or else the moment he said NO, things will start to go wrongly. Carl determined to keep on the covenant and started to say yes to "everything" but realized soon that his yes was only because he "had" to and not because he "wanted" to in his "heart".

He tried to break the covenant by seeking for the speaker who once made the covenant with him but unfortunately caused them both a car accident. Surprisingly, the speaker told him that there never was a covenant. What he made him do was only to urge him to start over with his new motto seriously. Only then,after Karl felt released from the spell he once put on himself did he found the right thing to think for himself which was the one he lost for being a yes man; his girlfriend.

What I found interesting about this movie was that, I am more of a "yes man" than a "No man" that it is actually hard to be true to myself. I have yet to learn to say no to plenty of things. Actually contrary to the movie, I feel saying No is much more difficult than saying yes especially if you are dealing with a very manipulative individual and all you want to do is to keep peace and please everyone.

Watching this movie just gave me a new perspective of "yes, man". Maybe half of it was true such as, good things will follow when you accept something that comes your way.

Just get ready to say yes and think wise enough to say no. :)

I can speak well.

I had a very stressful day today. There were nonstop problems to solve and I was totally exhausted. In short, it was a hard day.

I was questioning my ability to speak and ask question coherently because I really did not communicate well today. It was as if I had a speech impairment. I was lost for words? I could not connect sentences nicely, so I ended up confusing people??? ^__^

So I went home, feeling totally helpless thinking to myself, when will this "confident issue will go away". There are so many things I need to solve by talking. You agree its the most important thing isn't? Its not like I am mute.

Then I tried to find Mr.Hubby...maybe in order to tell him how I feel about my "Impairment speech" problem. unfortunately, the line was bad. Even the "line" was not on my side. So I ended up texting him "Its nothing, just want to practise speaking" since I rarely talk to him when he was out of town..neither do I speak much at home or at work. Geezzz... I had a feeling the speech neuron in my brain is actively disconnecting due to my lack of using it. What do you think?

To console myself, of course I write it down here to share my burden with fellow bloggers who might understand my "impairment".

Tonight, I am thinking of practicing my "line" before calling up someone important to solve a very big"work related" problem.

Yup..I am summoning up all my courage.

I am blessed indeed

Practical Ways to start cultivating your genius today

by David McNally

1. LOOK FOR PATTERNS IN YOUR LIFE - Although you may have not truly valued your gifts and talents, they have surfaced from time to time throughout your life. As you review the events of your life, look for the threads of continuity running throughout. What have you consistently enjoyed throughout your life? What talents have you been praised for? What accomplishments are you most proud of? Answering these questions will put you on the right path.

2. PLAY GAMES - Your natural gifts and talents are more visible when you are feeling relaxed, spontaneous, and the most yourself. Giving yourself the opportunity to let go, to play, opens the door to discovering new creativity and new passions.

3. TRY SOMETHING NEW - Break out of established patterns of doing things. What have you assumed you're not good at but would love to try? Do at least one new thing every month. Think of something you've always wanted to do and do it. If you fail, make a mistake, get laughed at, feel embarrassed, so what! Fears like these keep people mired in mediocrity.

4. BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVE - What do you feel passionate about, what do you have fun doing? I believe that what you love is what you were made to do and what you were made to do is what you have an aptitude to do. Have the courage to admit what you love and your genius will burst through.

5. SHINE YOUR LIGHT - Once you identify your genius, find a comfortable way to let other people know who you are and what you do exceptionally well so that they can call on your gifts and talents. If you don't belong to a professional association, join one. Ask some question at a meeting or volunteer to sit on a committee or demonstrate your expertise by writing an article for your employee newsletter.

6. DEVELOP IDEAS - Get in the habit of spending fifteen minutes a day listing ideas on how to improve your personal and professional life. At first your mind may be blank, but with time insights will begin to appear Until, if you are disciplined in this process, a flood of ideas will present themselves. Don't censor the ideas because they seem too large or small, impractical or unreasonable. Remember, George Bernard Shaw said; "All progress depends on the unreasonable man."

8 different intelligences

by Prof.Howard Gardner of Harvard University

1. LINGUISTIC INTELLIGENCE - Allows individuals to communicate through language

2. LOGICAL INTELLIGENCE - Enables individuals to use and appreciate abstract relationship (eg: Albert Einstein)

3. MUSICAL INTELLIGENCE - Allows people to create and understand meanings made out of sounds (

4. SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE - Makes it possible for people to perceive images, transform them, and re-create them from memory (eg: Pablo Picasso)

5. KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE - Allows individuals to use all or part of their bodies in highly skilled ways

6. INTRAPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE - Helps individuals distinguish among feelings and build accurate mental models of themselves.

7. INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE - Enables individuals to recognize and distinguish among others' feelings and intentions.

8. NATURALIST INTELLIGENCE - Allows people to distinguis among, classify and use features of the environment (eg:Charles Darwin - Naturalist)

Note;

with this knowledge, we must accept that everyone is equal in intelligence. The only difference is the type of intelligence they fall into. ^_^

We are blessed indeed.

Learning as a way of life

by David McNally


1. CULTIVATE CURIOSITY - All of us enter the world as curious, natural learners. A child's world is fresh and new, and they use their senses to gain direct knowledge of their surroundings. For children, learning is joyful, playful. Adults who are forever learning are more able to be spontaneous and intuitive. They combine what they know from direct experience with conceptual thought and imagination to gain self-knowledge and awareness. When it comes to learning your curiosity quotient is at least as important as your intelligence quotient.

2. PAY ATTENTION - Open your eyes and ears to what is going on around you. Make effort to truly listen to others. Take the time to really hear what another person is saying and to ask questions. Understanding another point of view is one of the most valuable ways people have to learn. "Today work is about conversation; talking and listening are how knowledge workers learn, how they discover what they know, share it with their colleagues and in the process create new knowledge for the organization," wrote Allan Webber.

3. EXCERCISE YOUR MIND - Accelerate your learning process by taking a class at a local community center, college or university in something that you've always wanted to learn. It might be another language, a musical instrument, or a new software program. Thanks to modern media technology, there are many ways to absorb new information.

4. BUILD SELF-ESTEEM - Studies repeatedly have shown that people who feel good about themselves are better able to learn than those who do not. When you like yourself, you are more open, receptive and relaxed, which are qualities or conditions that are necessary to take in and absorb new information. In short, find creative ways to be good to yourself.

5. FIND A MENTOR - Many people will tell you that they wouldn't have achieved anything like their present level of success if a mentor or teacher had not cultivated their growth and development. The opportunity to observe and learn from a mentor gives one a deeper appreciation and respect for the discipline, commitment, and skill required to achieve excellence in any field. The awareness of new possibilities and higher standards inspires us to perfect and hone our skills.

6. BE OPEN - Learning is about giving yourself more options, more choices. This requires learning from the unexpected, being willing to and desirous of embracing the strange or unknown. When we're open, we're teachable - we are not afraid to entertain new thoughts, ideas, dreams, values, or beliefs. Every encounter, every interaction and insight becomes an opportunity to be more fully engaged in our dynamic world.

Your Children by Kahlil Gibran

by Kahlil Gibran's, The Prophet

Your children are not your children

They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thought,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For theirs souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you

cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

Thriver: Taking responsibility by David McNally

by David McNally

One crisp autumn afternoon, a husband and wife decided to go for a drive. It was a magnificent day, the sun was shining, the air clean and fresh, and winter seemed weeks away. As the couple drove along the country roads that surrounded their home, they marveled at the splash of stunning colors on both sided of the road: brilliant oranges and reds, deep maroons, and rich golds.

Suddenly, with no warning, two leather-jacketed motorcyclists came barreling out from a quiet and almost hidden lane. The bikers, after barely missing the couple's car, were gone in a flash. Shocked and shaken, the man pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. It seemed only seconds, however, before and explosion in the distance startled them even more.

The man immediately spun the car around in the direction from which the sound came. They drove just a few hundred feet before seeing what had happened; The cyclist had crashed through a guardrail, and dropped down the hillside, with one of the bikes exploding on impact. The man moved to climb down the hillside when his wife quickly grabbed his arm and said;
"What are you doing?"
"I've got to go down there and see if anyone else needs help," he said.
"Wait a minute!" his wife cautioned. "It might not be safe. How do you know there won't be another explosion?"

The man stopped as thoughts raced through his mind. What should he do? Unwittingly he was being confronted with one of those moments that can define a life. He didn't ask for it, didn't desire it, yet there it was staring him straight in the face. Whatever he decided could have a dramatic impact on his own life, his family's, and any possible survivors down below.

He stepped over the twisted guardrail and carefully and cautiously climbed down the steep embankment. He found the bikers still alive. Suddenly remembering his cellular phone, he scrambled back to his car, called an ambulance, and soon two lucky young men were rushed to a hospital. Did the man make the "right" decision? Perhaps. The bikers fully recovered. Then again, his wife's concern was justified. If the other bike had exploded, all three might have been killed. Like many of the most important decisions in our lives, the answer is rarely obvious.

To live is to make choices continually that shape the very essence of who we are. Every day is filled with defining moments, opportunities for our courage to be demonstrated and our characters to be built. Taking a responsibility for themselves and their role in the world is, unquestionable, a key characteristic of thrivers.

Excercises To Get In Top Playing Condition;

by David McNally

1. DESIGN A CONTRIBUTION PLAN - Instead of thinking in terms of how far you want to advance in an organization, a traditional way of doing career planning,instead think in terms of what you want to contribute now, three, five or even ten years from now. How can you influence your workplace to become more productive, enjoyable, and rewarding for yourself, coworkers, clients, and customers? In what new, imaginative ways can you contribute to your family and friends?

2. DEVELOP A PURPOSE STATEMENT FOR YOUR LIFE - Many people have spent literally hundreds of hours working on mission statements for their corporations, yet few have taken any serious time to discover a truly meaningful reason for why they get up in the morning. Take some time to decide what you want your life to be about. What legacy do you want to leave?

3. ASK FOR FEEDBACK - This is a powerful and courageous way to enhance the value of your contribution. It takes guts to ask people to evaluate your contribution, but people are impressed by those who do. People who continually strive to meet the needs of their employers, customers, and clients will thrive in the new world of work.

4. NOURISH YOUR POTENTIAL - Spend some time with books that enhance your sense of what is possible for your life. Sign up for a community education class that nudges you toward where you want to go. The great contributors in life often start with just a glimmer of what they might accomplish. But, through consistent action, they fan the flame, celebrating even the smallest of victories along the way.

5. LOOK FOR NEEDS TO FILL - This secret of success never fails those who practice it. What needs in your home, workplace, and community can you fill? Once you've found a need, do something about it. Volunteer a couple of hours a month to help others.