~ by Po Bronson
I'd rather help than watch. I'd rather have a heart than a mind. I'd rather expose too much than too little. I'd rather say hello to strangers than be afraid of them. I would rather know all this about myself than have more money than I need. I'd rather have something to love than a way to impress you.
...
A calling is not something you know, it's something you grow into, through trials and mistakes. Work shouldn't just be fun. Work should be like life - sometimes fun, sometimes moving, and defined by meaningful events. Attack your fears, rather than shy away from them. Bring what you do in alignment with who you are. Freedom is the confidence that you can live within the means of something you're passionate about. Failure's hard, but success at the wrong thing can lock you in forever. Don't be seduced by artificial love. Be open to defining experiences. Don't mistake intensity for passion. You don't find your purpose above the neck, you find it below the neck, when you're transformed by what you have witnessed. You can get good at what you need to to serve what you believe in. Get your mind 80 percent of the way there, then go looking for the catalyst. Look backward as much as forward, inward as much as outward. Nothing helps like knowing you're not alone. There's a powerful transformative effect when you surround yourself with like-minded people. Create an environment where the truth is invited into your life. If you develop the character, the odds are pretty good you can succeed. Success is defined as when you're no longer held back by your heart, and your character blossoms, and the gifts you have to offer the world are apparent. Don't cling to a single scenario, allow yourself many paths to the same destination. Give it a lifetime to pay off. Things you work hardest for are the things you will most treasure.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 04, 2009
I really should quit playing bejeweled blitz!
Started playing a week ago and was totally hooked! At first it was therapeutic, then competitive. Every game lasts just one minute, so it's really hard to step away and say that's enough.. one more minute of wasted time couldn't hurt that much, could it? Well, it could.. those minutes do add up!!
Today I finally got to the top of the current ladder, so I figured this is a really good time to stop. Someone's probably going to knock my score down pretty soon, but no matter.. I'm gonna stick this picture in my memory and pull myself out of a meaningless race. And never play again! Hurrah!! :)
Today I finally got to the top of the current ladder, so I figured this is a really good time to stop. Someone's probably going to knock my score down pretty soon, but no matter.. I'm gonna stick this picture in my memory and pull myself out of a meaningless race. And never play again! Hurrah!! :)
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
A Time for Everything
~Ecclesiastes 3 NIV
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
'Day-tight Compartments' Strategy
On a great ocean liner, Sir Osier observed how such a marvelous machine crossed the Atlantic. The secret lies in pressing a special button - 'Presto'. Immediately, there was a clanging of machinery and various parts of the ship were immediately shut off from one another, into watertight compartments.
'At every level of your life, shut out the past - the dead yesterdays, shut off the future - the unborn tomorrows. Then you are safe, safe for today!'
'At every level of your life, shut out the past - the dead yesterdays, shut off the future - the unborn tomorrows. Then you are safe, safe for today!'
Friday, September 04, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
A Guardian Angel Prayer for Friends
Guardian Angel, watch over those whose names you can read in my heart. Guard over them with every care and make their way easy and their labours fruitful. Dry their tears if they weep; sanctify their joys; raise their courage if they weaken; restore their hope if they lose heart, their health if they be ill, truth if they err, repentance if they fail.
~ from Catholic Online .
~ from Catholic Online .
Monday, February 23, 2009
When you lose a sandal
From the Singapore Kindness Movement website:
The revered Indian Nationalist leader, Mahatma Gandhi, once stepped aboard a train and one of his sandals slipped off and landed on the tracks. As the train was moving, he was unable to retrieve it. So, he calmly took off his other sandal and threw it back along the track close to the first sandal.
When asked why he did it, Gandhi smiled and replied, "The poor man who finds the sandals on the track will now have a pair that he can wear.
The revered Indian Nationalist leader, Mahatma Gandhi, once stepped aboard a train and one of his sandals slipped off and landed on the tracks. As the train was moving, he was unable to retrieve it. So, he calmly took off his other sandal and threw it back along the track close to the first sandal.
When asked why he did it, Gandhi smiled and replied, "The poor man who finds the sandals on the track will now have a pair that he can wear.
Friday, February 06, 2009
The power of suggestive selling
From Adam Khoo's book, "Secrets of Building Multi-million Dollar Businesses":
Boosting Your Customer’s Average Dollar Purchase
One day, a young Indian guy moves to a big city and goes to a mega store looking for a job. The manager asks, "Do you have any sales experience?" The young man says, "Yes, I was a salesman in my home town."
Liking what he heard, the manager gave the young man a chance. "You start tomorrow. I'll come down after we close and see how you did, but let me give you a few sales tips. If a customer comes looking, say, for a can of paint, you might suggest that he also buy a roller paint brush, or paint thinner. Do you get the idea?," the manager asked.
"Yes indeed," the young man said. His first day on the job was tough but he got through it. After the store was closed, the manager came to check up on him.
The manager asks, “How many sales did you make today?
The young man says, "One"
The manager sighs, "Just one? Our sales people average 25 to 40 sales a day. How much was the sale for?"
The young man says, "$220,117.20."
The manager exclaims, "What? $220,117.20? What did you sell him?"
The young man replied, "First I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fishhook. Then I sold him a larger fishhook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing, and he said down at the ocean, so I told him he was going to need a boat, so we went down to the boat department, and I sold him that twin engine Sunseeker Predator 68.
Then he said he didn't think his Subaru would pull it, so I Took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4- Wheel Drive Land Rover."
The manager says "You mean a guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and truck?!"
The young man said, "No, no, he came in here to buy a box of sanitary pads for his wife and I said, "Well, since your weekend's already screwed up, you might as well go fishing."
Boosting Your Customer’s Average Dollar Purchase
One day, a young Indian guy moves to a big city and goes to a mega store looking for a job. The manager asks, "Do you have any sales experience?" The young man says, "Yes, I was a salesman in my home town."
Liking what he heard, the manager gave the young man a chance. "You start tomorrow. I'll come down after we close and see how you did, but let me give you a few sales tips. If a customer comes looking, say, for a can of paint, you might suggest that he also buy a roller paint brush, or paint thinner. Do you get the idea?," the manager asked.
"Yes indeed," the young man said. His first day on the job was tough but he got through it. After the store was closed, the manager came to check up on him.
The manager asks, “How many sales did you make today?
The young man says, "One"
The manager sighs, "Just one? Our sales people average 25 to 40 sales a day. How much was the sale for?"
The young man says, "$220,117.20."
The manager exclaims, "What? $220,117.20? What did you sell him?"
The young man replied, "First I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fishhook. Then I sold him a larger fishhook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing, and he said down at the ocean, so I told him he was going to need a boat, so we went down to the boat department, and I sold him that twin engine Sunseeker Predator 68.
Then he said he didn't think his Subaru would pull it, so I Took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4- Wheel Drive Land Rover."
The manager says "You mean a guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and truck?!"
The young man said, "No, no, he came in here to buy a box of sanitary pads for his wife and I said, "Well, since your weekend's already screwed up, you might as well go fishing."
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Wheee~~ lil' printer is safe now.
Ever since we moved our Canon MX318 to the work table under the air conditioner, I've always felt kinda worried that one day the AC could leak and water drops would spoil the trusty lil' printer.
Not anymore!! I finally stole some time to craft together a really simple printer cover today. A great chance to use the tiny little "Roman" sewing machine he got me for a surprise a few months back...
It worked!! Woohooo!! I'm so happy with myself. Granted, the thread broke quite a few times and I had to go over a few places more than once... ahem. Oh well, thank God I'm not doing this for a living, but what a wonderful little addition to our study this printer cover turns out to be! :)
Yep, it's got loads of flowers and lace. But most importantly, it's WATERPROOF! Yay!!
Ok stop gloating, time for supper... heheheh.
Not anymore!! I finally stole some time to craft together a really simple printer cover today. A great chance to use the tiny little "Roman" sewing machine he got me for a surprise a few months back...
It worked!! Woohooo!! I'm so happy with myself. Granted, the thread broke quite a few times and I had to go over a few places more than once... ahem. Oh well, thank God I'm not doing this for a living, but what a wonderful little addition to our study this printer cover turns out to be! :)
Yep, it's got loads of flowers and lace. But most importantly, it's WATERPROOF! Yay!!
Ok stop gloating, time for supper... heheheh.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Barack Obama's letter to his daughters
This letter brought tears to my eyes. His reason for wanting to be president is truly a cause worth fighting for not just in America, but everywhere in the world. I wish we are all a little bit more like him in this respect.
Barack Obama has written a letter to his daughters, explaining how he has missed them during his campaign for the White House, why he wanted to be president and what he wants to achieve. He was asked to write the letter by US magazine Parade. This is what he wrote:
Dear Malia and Sasha,
I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me - about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.
I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.
I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.
Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.
That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.
She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.
These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.
I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.
Love,
Dad
Barack Obama has written a letter to his daughters, explaining how he has missed them during his campaign for the White House, why he wanted to be president and what he wants to achieve. He was asked to write the letter by US magazine Parade. This is what he wrote:
Dear Malia and Sasha,
I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me - about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.
I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.
I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.
Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.
That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.
She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.
These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.
I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.
Love,
Dad
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