[微笑学习馆]

Practising Gratitude for Daily Miracles

2011-12-12T12:12:00.001+08:00

If there's one skill we all undoubtedly effortlessly excel at... it's taking things for granted.

Think about the daily miracles happening all around us... the air we're breathing, the clean water we're drinking, the technologies connecting us to our loved ones, or even that you're listening or reading this right now.

It's a cliche but only because we are so easily bored with what we have. It sounds mawkish and sentimental only because it's so easily available. But what if we didn't have them? Would we still think that being grateful for them was so trivial?

And it's not just the seemingly simple and common things in life... even things we initially find precious and thrilling lose their lustre after a time. This happens to everything from our cars to our partners. How quickly we grow weary of our blessings and start looking for other pleasures!

This tendency to tire of and find fault with what we already have is what keeps us discontented and unhappy. We're inclined to focus on our problems and ignore our blessings. But the very fact that you are walking, talking, breathing, tasting, and touching is a miracle in itself! We live in a world bursting with possibility and here we are complaining!

Life was meant to be savoured. Life was meant to be simple. Sure, it has its fair share of problems, but these are mitigated by its pleasures and joys. The reason why you are feeling all this pain and misery is that you have magnified the complexity of things.

External forces act on us now and then to test our faith and will. Would you really want to give in to confusion, chaos, and complexity... when all you need to do to be happy, is to see things simply, and revel in everything that's being revealed to you?

Most people are so busy waiting for miracles to happen that they fail to notice the ones occurring right under their noses. It's a bit like people who spend their lives hunting desperately for the partner of their dreams, while ignoring the ones who would gladly share their lives with them.

If we open up our hearts, minds and eyes, we'll be touched by the many miracles that occur everyday. Appreciate these daily events as the miracles that they are and they will increase the depth of your life.

Adapted from A Slice of Life by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

是啊，很多时候，幸福和奇迹就在我们的身边，但是，我们都没有发现。多多欣赏和珍惜眼前的一切，你就会发现世界有多美好。

加油！

^_^g

你是否曾想过放弃？

2011-12-07T00:19:00.003+08:00

你是否也曾经想过要放弃？但是，在你以为的“不幸”中，你是否知道这世界有很多人在没有的境界中并不觉得自己有何不幸之处。相反的，他们更努力地过生活、活得比你我更精彩。

你还在那里自我怜悯着吗？

加油哦！为了自己的梦想努力前进！

^_^g

Ten Commandments for Getting Along With People

2011-12-03T00:26:00.004+08:00

1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

2. Smile at people. It takes seventy-two muscles to frown and only fourteen to smile.

3. Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of his or her name.

4. Be friendly and helpful. If you would have friends, be friendly.

5. Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure [make sure that it is].

6. Be genuinely interested in people. You can find something interesting about every person.

7. Be generous with praise … and cautious with criticism.

8. Be considerate of the feelings of others. It will be appreciated.

9. Be thoughtful of the opinion of others. There are three sides to a conversation/argument: yours, the other person's, and the right one!

10. Be alert to give service. What you do for others is important.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主刚巧看到了这个，感觉我们大家应该学习如何与他人交往。

加油哦！

^_^g

五岁了！

2011-11-28T00:01:00.000+08:00

哇，时光飞逝。今天已经是微笑学习馆5岁生日了！

创立微笑学习馆的用意还是想在一个空间里和更多的人分享一些读到或看到的故事、影片。只不过现在好像比较少有中文类的文章分享，但是希望现阶段的英文分享也能带来收益的元素。

大家可以继续踊跃分享好的资料哦！

大家学习快乐，记得带着微笑哦！

^_^g

Forgetting to Be Happy

2011-11-16T23:59:00.001+08:00

We live in an era where information is power. People who have the ability to quickly assimilate data and knowledge are able to manipulate people and events to their own ends.

As a result, we are obsessed with the procurement and hoarding of information. Devices like the smartphone and computer are indispensable in helping us retain information. We delight in our efficient storage of daily reminders, phone numbers, addresses, progress reports, meeting minutes, discussion agendas, schedules, birthdates, anniversaries, appointments, and other data, but most people still find their lives empty.

Why?

Well, perhaps they've forgotten to store the most important reminder of all --- to be happy.

Hmmm? Forgetting to he happy?

"How is that possible?" some may ask. "One is happy when one is happy. Happiness doesn't need reminding. I know I'm happy when... when I'm not unhappy!"

Too many things in life can make us unhappy --- missing the bus, getting our expensive leather shoes wet in the rain, falling ill during a vacation, losing our phone, paying too much for something, or our date stands us up. There is no sense in putting off happiness until we've eliminated all the things that make us unhappy.

Happiness is a choice, an emotion we can consciously activate regardless of how miserable and frustrating the day may seem. Reminding yourself to be happy may not solve your problems, but it sure makes you feel a whole lot better! A heart full of joy will probably find life's downs easier to bear and to rise from.

So remind yourself constantly to find joy in little things --- smile often, be generous with your compliments, share jokes, help a colleague, pet an animal, treat someone to a meal, laugh heartily, and be thankful for your capacity to appreciate life and all its gifts.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

你是否也忘记提醒自己要快乐生活着？

要常常保持快乐的身心灵哦！

加油！^_^g

Letting Go of Your Emotional Burdens

2011-11-10T21:37:00.003+08:00

Many of us carry around unnecessary weight. These burdens we cannot see or touch, but they weigh us down just the same, preventing our hearts and minds from finding greater joy and peace of mind.

These emotional burdens mainly consist of regrets over what we wanted to happen but didn't, agony over past events that we wished never happened, resentment for people we feel have done us wrong, who didn't show us the respect we expected, or didn't love us the way we wanted them to.

These things are like invisible claws that keep our spirits anchored to the ground. We find that we cannot be happy or peaceful for very long because they keep returning to haunt us.

Regret and resentment are the biggest adversaries of our happiness. They have so much power over us because we cannot bring ourselves to forgive the people we begrudge, because we cannot forgive ourselves, because we cannot let go of the past. We continue to hold regret and resentment towards others because, bizarrely, we feel that in this way, we can somehow make them suffer. But it's no skin off their noses. In the meantime, our own bitterness persists. It's cruel irony that in trying to get back at others, we only end up hurting ourselves.

The only way you can reduce or get rid of regret and resentment is to forgive. Forgive the ones whom you feel have trespassed against you. Forgive yourself for the things you did, for the things you didn't do. Forgive the circumstances, events and conditions you thought led to your situation. Remember that bearing grudges hurts no one but you.

Besides, it's never clear-cut if someone or something is completely responsible for our situation. It's often a combination of factors. We judge harshly because we do not see the mitigating reasons. And whether we know it or not, we ourselves have hurt or let others down before. If we can so clearly see the misdeeds others have perpetrated against us, surely others can just as vividly see the offences in us. Which one of us can claim to have no flaws, to have never acted selfishly or in a fit of anger?

Purge your soul of the toxins of regret and resentment and embrace greater joy.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主觉得每个人可能都会紧紧地握着过去，但是有时候，放手让过去真正的过去，才可以走向未来。

加油哦！

^_^g

Chasing Your Dreams

2011-11-02T22:26:00.005+08:00

He is inspiring, not because he is handicapped, but because he lives life to the fullest and appreciate all the love that was showered onto him... War is a terribly scary thing, that torn families apart, damaged lives and hurt innocent people...

“我们的环境常常会让我们觉得很疲惫，但是，请永远不要放弃自己，不要轻易地被现实打败，不要淡忘了对生活的热情，也不要失去拥抱世界的勇气。。”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主看了好几遍，每次看都不免落泪。。在馆主看来，他真的是个勇敢的战士。感动了很多人，也是带给他人希望、勇气去追逐梦想。歌词也太适合了。

感动是短暂的，大家要将感动变成行动哦！

加油！

^_^g

- Gratitude -

2011-10-21T21:15:00.003+08:00

We can often lose sleep, peace of mind and joy by focusing on our problems and overlooking our blessings. When we forget to be thankful for the good we have in life, we fail to fully appreciate their presence.

So how can we learn to be more grateful for what we have in life?

Firstly, think of five things that you would not change in your life. Then, say them aloud and write them down. This helps you identify and focus on the things you usually take for granted. Things that you just as easily may not have been given, but have.

Next, appreciate your senses. What beauty has your gift of sight allowed you to enjoy? What delightful foods did you smell and taste? What sweet music stirred your soul through your gift of hearing?

Before you end your day, think of five things that made the day wonderful. We often forget the good and focus on the bad in our lives. A sincere compliment, a small gift, a lunch treat, a loved one's laughter, a beautiful line from a book, a joke which made you chuckle, a phone call asking how you were, a colleague's thoughtful gesture, your mother's home-cooked meal... how many of such little blessings are forgotten as soon as they've passed?

Appreciate yourself. Everyone has attributes he or she can be thankful for. Think of five of them. Again, too many people tend to dwell on their flaws and shortcomings. This helps you remember that you have been blessed with attributes that other people may not have.

Think of three people you are thankful to have in your life. Tell them how much they mean to you.

Think of three people who may have disappointed, hurt or disparaged you in any way. And forgive them. Resentments and grudges create self-destructive energies that imprison and torment you. The sooner you're rid of them, the happier you'll be.

And pay a visit to the hospital... whether or not you know anyone admitted there. Just spend an hour or less wandering around, and you'll be powerfully reminded of just how fortunate you are. Here is a world of cold, medicinal air, illness, lack of freedom, dependency, and suffering. You long to feel the sunshine, to smell the fresh air at the beach, to hug your loved ones, to go to the movies, to share a joke with a friend. Then you remember... you can! How fortunate you are!

So instead of feeling sorry for yourself, go out and savour life today!

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

有人曾经和馆主分享：“幸福，就是老天给你什么都是享受。”

是啊，的确。记得要好好享受人生哦！

加油！

人心不古

2011-10-17T23:59:00.003+08:00

A very shocking video that left many people speechless:

(caution: viewers' discretion advised)

~~~~~~~~~

馆主看了以后，真的愣住了，心碎了。真么可以这样。像是漠不关心、不管我家的事般的冷漠。好可怕的人性。怎么变成了这般？好难过噢。

Touching Story

2011-09-26T22:34:00.002+08:00

When i saw a cashier hand this little boy his money back, the boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old. The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll.''

The little boy turned to the old woman next to him, ''Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?'' She replied, ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.'' Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. 'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.' I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry.

But he replied to me sadly. 'No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.' His eyes were so sad while saying this, 'My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.''

My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.' Then he showed me a very nice photo of himself. He was laughing. He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won't forget me.' 'I love my mommy and I wish she didn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.' Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. 'Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll!'' OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money. The little boy said, 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!' Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me!'' 'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.'' 'My mommy loves white roses.'

A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state of mind from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.

Then I remembered a local newspaper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy? Two days after this encounter with the little boy I read in the newspaper that the young woman had passed away. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.

I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine, and in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

处世态度

2011-09-14T02:06:00.004+08:00

A story by fifteenth-century religious reformer:

One day, he walked past a huge building site in the blistering sun, full of men carrying bricks, all streaming with sweat.

He went to ask the first man: "What are you doing?"
That man said, in a very surly manner: "Can't you see? It's hard labour --- carrying bricks!"

He tried his question on a second person. This man's attitude was a lot more placid than the first: he stacked the bricks he was carrying into a neat pile, ran his eyes over them, and then he said: "I'm building a wall."

After that he went to ask a third person. There was a sort of cheerful, kindly glow to the man as he put down the bricks he was carrying, raised his head, wiping away the sweat, and said very proudly: "Are you asking me? We're building a church."

We can see that the things these three people were doing were identical in every way, but their explanations were entirely different.

The first man's attitude: pessimism. He regarded everything we do as just another burden in a life of toil, focusing on the hardship of the moment (which of course really does exist).

The second man's attitude: professionalism. He knew he was building a wall, and this wall was part of a completed product, and that he had to do his best and earn his wages. It was his professional duty and his attitude is well up to standard for professionalism. As a vessel, he was more than adequate, but he did not have any higher calling.

The third kind of attitude: idealist attitude. That is to say, he sees every brick in front of him at that moment, and every drop of sweat and he knows that all these are leading to the creation of a sacred place, a church. He knows that every step he takes is of value, and he knows what the final result of all his hard work will be. At this time, he works as more than just a vessel. The things he does are connected to our lives, to our dreams, to whether we can finally build a church. And at the same time, because he is immersed in the dream of a church, he goes beyond individual success to achieve something much greater.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主在想，我们是否常常犯到了因为太过于执着眼前的一些人事物而忘记了些什么？没错，眼前的才是在我们控制范围内。但是，你有没有想过，是否就因为我们将所有的力气和注意力放在了这些人事物上所以变得特别不快乐？我们是不是忘了还有更重要的东西在等着我们？

我们是否能将眼光放得更阔更远？是否能有更宽大包容的心？是否愿意为了更宏大的梦想而自我牺牲？

馆主觉得这个故事很有意思，所以就想和学习馆的各位分享。不知道你有何感想？留言分享吧！

^_^g

Dealing with Stressful Events and People

2011-09-08T01:01:00.003+08:00

When stressful events and people are getting us down, we often feel disappointed, helpless, angry or even desperate because we are trying to find a simple explanation by judging the situation in absolute terms.

We may have banked our future or staked our near-term happiness on certain outcomes or people. When these do not give us the results we want, we feel as if life has suddenly lost its meaning.

We typically blame others, blame ourselves, and regret the decisions we think we made poorly. Maybe we assume our efforts have come to naught, or we've been dealth an unspeakable injustice. We may assume that we can never be happy again. We might imagine that there is no way out of this stalemate. We may also put a moral judgement on the event or person, even on ourselves.

Most of our emotional turmoil comes from making these negative assumptions. But if you take some time to clear your mind and think about these critically, you'll realise that most of them are simply conjecture. Products of an overactive imagination that's scrambling for answers. Answers that can only be real to you because they stem from your own thoughts.

So if a stressful event or person is sending you into a tailspin, stop and ask yourself... What is it exactly that's making you feel horrible? Is it a real issue? Or something you imagined? Is any one party completely at fault? Is what's making you feel bad really some deep insecurity within yourself?

We often remain stuck because we choose to focus on things that are really quite impossible to validate. External factors that we have no control over. We often make black and white judgements that allow us to assign absolute blame. But this kind of focus keeps us stuck.

The only way out of this is to point your thoughts towards things you can actually be sure of, things that you can actually influence. These are your own motivations, actions, feelings, and decisions.

So what's the bigger picture? What's the deeper wisdom? What are your real options? If you're sure about something, then you can move on to how you're going to hold on to it, deal with it or improve the situation. With constructive action, you can often turn a calamity into an opportunity.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

你呢？是否也曾因为压力而错失了机会呢？

要加油哦！

^_^g

Molder of Dreams

2011-09-01T00:12:00.002+08:00

by Clark Mollenhoff

Teachers …
You are the molders of their dreams,
the gods who build or crush
their young beliefs of right or wrong.

You are the spark that sets aflame the
poet's hand, or lights the flame
of some great singer's song.

You are the gods of the young, the very young.
You are the guardian of a million dreams.
Your every smile or frown can heal or pierce a heart.

Yours are a hundred lives, a thousand lives,
yours the pride of loving them, and the sorrow, too.

Your patient work, your touch, make you the gods of hope
who fill their souls with dreams
to make those dreams come true.

Excerpted from the Focus on the Family radio broadcast "Teacher of the Year" featuring Guy Doud. President Ronald Reagan read this poem to Doud when Doud received the 1986 National Teacher of the Year for the United States of America.

~~~~~~~~~

每位曾经在你我生命中有何我们做过分享或是教导过我们的，今天也要好好地关心和感激他们哦！

教师节快乐！

^_^g

Power of Positive

2011-08-13T01:28:00.008+08:00

I remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a very young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.

One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight.

As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the rafters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high. My older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Tammy's mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did.

About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway.

I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, 'Bart, Hold on tightly.' So I did.

The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree. I scampered down the tree to safety.

My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, 'Tammy, don't fall!' And Tammy did... fall. My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly.

This concept is especially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal. You can't visualize not doing something. The only way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that.

For example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my junior high school football team. I tried so hard to be good, but I just couldn't get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a pass, 'Don't drop it!' Naturally, I dropped the ball. My coaches were not skilled enough to teach us proper 'self-talk.' They just thought some kids could catch and others couldn't. I'll never make it pro, but I'm now a pretty good Sunday afternoon football player, because all my internal dialogue is positive and encourages me to win. I wish my dad had coached me playing football instead of just climbing trees. I might have had a longer football career.

Here is a very easy demonstration to teach your kids and your friends the power of a toxic vocabulary. Ask them to hold a pen or pencil. Hand it to them. Now, follow my instructions carefully. Say to them, 'Okay, try to drop the pencil.' Observe what they do. Most people release their hands and watch the pencil hit the floor. You respond, 'You weren't paying attention. I said TRY to drop the pencil. Now please do it again.' Most people then pick up the pencil and pretend to be in excruciating pain while their hand tries but fails to drop the pencil. The point is made. If you tell your brain you will 'give it a try,' you are actually telling your brain to fail. I have a 'no try' rule in my house and with everyone I interact with. Either people will do it or they won't. Either they will be at the party or they won't. I'm brutal when people attempt to lie to me by using the word try. Do they think I don't know they are really telegraphing to the world they have no intention of doing it but they want me to give them brownie points for pretended effort?

You will never hear the words 'I'll try' come out of my mouth unless I'm teaching this concept in a seminar. If you 'try' and do something, your unconscious mind has permission not to succeed. If I truly can't make a decision I will tell the truth. 'Sorry John. I'm not sure if I will be at your party or not. I've got an outstanding commitment. If that falls through, I will be here. Otherwise, I will not. Thanks for the invite.' People respect honesty. So remove the word 'try' from your vocabulary.

My dad also told me that psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive statements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to seventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism. These are concepts that are especially useful when raising children.' Ask yourself how many compliments you give yourself daily versus how many criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction. So, are you giving yourself the 17:1 ratio or are you shortchanging yourself with toxic self-talk like, ' I'm fat. Nobody will like me. I'll try this diet. I'm not good enough. I'm so stupid. I'm broke, etc. etc.'

If our parents can set a lifetime of programming with one wrong statement, imagine the kind of programming you are doing on a daily basis with your own internal dialogue.

Here is a list of Toxic Vocabulary words. Notice when you or other people use them.
Ø But: Negates any words that are stated before it.
Ø Try: Presupposes failure.
Ø If: Presupposes that you may not.
Ø Might: It does nothing definite. It leaves options for your listener.
Ø Would Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen.
Ø Should Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen (and implies guilt.)
Ø Could Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen but the person tries to take credit as if it did happen.
Ø Can't/Don't: These words force the listener to focus on exactly the opposite of what you want. This is a classic mistake that parents and coaches make without knowing the damage of this linguistic error. Examples:
Toxic phrase: 'Don't drop the ball!'
Likely result: Drops the ball
Better language: 'Catch the ball!'

Toxic phrase: 'You shouldn't watch so much television.'
Likely result: Watches more television.
Better language: 'I read too much television makes people stupid. You might find yourself turning that TV off and picking up one of those books more often!'

Exercise: Take a moment to write down all the phrases you use on a daily basis or any Toxic self-talk that you have noticed yourself using. Write these phrases down so you will begin to catch yourself as they occur and change them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

感谢月莉小姐与学习馆分享那么棒的一篇文章。的确，很多时候，我们都因为自己的胆却而退缩，为做不到的事情找借口。如果我们都能更坦然面对真实的自己，那么相信世界会更好。

加油吧，相信自己，也给他人机会证明自己。只要相信，就有可能。秘诀在于使用“正面的理念和字眼”--- 要多用“我可以的”、“我行的”、等。当我们嘴边老是挂着我们不希望别人做到的事时，他们往往会因为我们说出的这些字眼而用这潜意识来行事。

^_^g

Courage

2011-07-19T02:00:00.004+08:00

An old saying goes "Courage is the most important virtue of all."

Everything that involves making a decision, no matter how tiny or taken for granted needs courage. Even a thing as simple as waking up and facing each day requires courage. The act of standing up to a corrupt government requires courage. Moving into a new career requires courage. Attending the first day of school requires courage. Every single act is a victory in itself and should be acknowledged and appreciated.

Many people sleep all the time, even when they are awake. They fantasize of the unattainable and neglect what they already have. These people don't have the courage to wake up in the morning and face the days ahead. Instead, they snuggle inside the deepest part of their soul and feel sorry for themselves.

It is normal, however, to temporarily lose that sense of courage. Every time we encounter unfamiliar territory, we might feel depressed. The only difference, however, that distinguishes a courageous person from the rest of his or her peers is "how long" the depressed period lasts.

Fortunately, cultivating courage doesn't require any special lesson. It simply starts with a choice to be and to start it mindfully.

Here are some tips to develop the courage to take over control of your life.

Don't make any assumptions about anything. Usually, worry comes when you assume something bad is going to happen.

Forgive yourself. Many of us can easily forgive others, but can never forgive ourselves. Forgiving our past mistakes is the key to bounce back with renewed strength.

Now here's a trick - Pretend to be brave, and you are courageous instantly! If you can convince your mind that it's just play-acting, a game with no real consequences, you'll find it easier to be courageous.

Remember, happiness comes when you choose to start living and stop worrying. Worrying too much won't do any good, mostly because it can swallow up your courage and leave you with nothing else than an empty soul and shaky hands.

Once you have the courage within, you will be ready to perform the other virtues of life. It would be impossible to be compassionate to others if you don't have the courage. It would be impossible to be grateful to others if you don't have the courage. It would be impossible to do thousands of other virtues if you don't have the courage to simply be true to yourself.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

勇气，每个人不断地追求，但是，真正能时刻拥有，谈何容易。可是，有了勇气，我们确实能够完成更多的事。

馆主也和大家一样，希望能拥有更多的勇气。

一起加油吧！

^_^g

Growing from Pain (part 2)

2011-07-16T01:39:00.003+08:00

How we can move forward positively from seemingly "bad" experiences and grow from our pain into more resilient, more joyful people.

One of the hardest things to do after being hurt or disappointed is to forgive. But it is probably the biggest step to take on your path to recovery and improvement. Grudges, unresolved disputes and hatred all conspire to ensure that your future is forever overcast with dark feelings and thoughts.

So, forgive everyone you feel had anything to do with the pain of the past. Not only do you need to forgive the offender, you also need to forgive the people who didn't help you the way you expected, the people who helped in the wrong way, and the people who unwittingly made things worse by careless comments or actions.

Next, logically, you must forgive yourself. Blaming yourself for mistakes in the past is one of the most self-destructive things you can do. All this forgiving seems tough, almost impossible you think, but do you remember about seeking out the gifts in your pain from 'Part 1'? That's the key. Once you learn to identify the gifts that have made you a better person, you will no longer have cause to be angry with anyone. Whatever they did, whatever you did, all presented you with gifts you possess today.

One of the benefits of dealing with your past pain mindfully instead of stuffing your emotions is that you won't have to repeat that lesson. Your awareness has evolved to a higher level. Pain and misfortune is a part of life. You cannot escape it. But with your new outlook, you are now open to learning your life lessons with much less pain while receiving more gifts.

The past does not define us. Each new day, you have the power to re-create yourself. It is important to understand though, that our past affects where we are starting today, and it can help us understand our current journey.

So reclaim the blessings hidden in the pain of the past and look forward to a brighter tomorrow.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' --- by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主相信如何去接受痛苦是每一个人一生中都得去学习的学问。当伤痛发生了，我们很自然地会先去怪他人，认为痛苦是他人制造的，是别人的错，我们才是受害者。但是，往往是因为我们放不下、想不开，所以才会痛苦。如果我们能逆向思考，说不定会从中得到更大的快乐。

并非不可能，只不过会有挑战。

你，愿意接受挑战吗？

加油哦！

^_^g

Growing from Pain (part 1)

2011-06-02T20:52:00.004+08:00

During times of emotional pain, people often tell us to "forgive and forget", "bury the past" and "move on".

All very good and well-meant advice, but truly moving forward from pain is more than just forgiving and forgetting. Moving forward is learning from your pain, your mistakes and your past to create a better future. It's self-improvement, while moving on, is simply self-preservation.

Simply denying the pain will probably lead to the same mistakes being repeated, the same lies being told.

There are a few important things to remember if you truly want to move forward from your pain and grow into a more resilient person.

First, accept that everything in the past happened for a purpose. Seemingly "bad" events, like relationship breakups, job lay-offs, and health scares are understandably tough to bear at the time, but looking back, weren't they really blessings in disguise?

Think of the major "negative" events that happened to you over the past years. Looking back now, isn't it clear why they happened? Think about how you are in a better place now as a result of the chain reaction they catalysed?

You can emerge either defeated or stronger from every painful experience. We all have that choice. The person you are today is the result of your past experiences, and in those experiences, no matter how horrible, lies the key to you becoming a better person.

Great gifts do not shine forth brightly under the grime of pain, but they are there. Until you can seek out and embrace the gifts hidden in those times of despair, you'll never be able to fully let go of the negative emotions surrounding them. Suppressing the hurt, denying the pain, simply gives them more power.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life'

成语故事·一言为重

2011-05-11T23:16:00.007+08:00

这个成语出自北宋著名政治家、文学家王安石的七言诗《商鞅》，说的是战国时期商鞅帮助秦孝公变法的事情。《史记·商君列传》里记载有商鞅“一言为重”的故事。

商鞅，姓公孙，名鞅，卫国人，是战国时期著名的政治家。因帮助秦孝公实行变法，奠定了秦国强大的基础，被孝公封于商（今陕西商县东南），号商君，故又称为商鞅。

公元前365年，在秦孝公的支持下，商鞅制定的新法将要公布时，为了让人们相信新法必定施行，他在京都南门外，立了一根三丈多高的木柱，声言谁能将此木柱搬到北门，就赏给黄金十金。开始，人们不相信这是真的，没有人响应。商鞅又宣布，谁能将木柱搬到北门，赏给黄金五十金。这时，有一个年轻人壮着胆子把木柱搬到北门，果真得到了五十金。这件事在广大群众中产生了强烈的反响，百姓认为商鞅说话算数，都相信新法，服从新法。

宋朝的王安石极力主张改革政治，宋神宗在位时，他被任命为宰相，大力推行青苗法、均输法、市易法、免役法、农田水利法等新法，但遇到重重阻力。在此种情形下，他写了《商鞅》这首诗：“自古驱民在信诚，一言为重百金轻；今人未可非商鞅，商鞅能令政必行。”表明了自己推行新法的决心，也说明了自己要像商鞅那样，说话算数，取信于民，使新法继续贯彻下去。

根据商鞅变法的故事和王安石的诗，人们便引申出“一言为重”这个成语，比喻说话算数，言行一致。

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

身为年轻一辈的我们，是否常常都不守“一言为重”的理念呢？一个人需要勇于承担，不可以因为胆怯就随意放弃，更不该出尔反尔，不遵守承诺。

馆主祝福大家哦！加油加油！

^_^g

I Dreamed A Dream

2011-05-05T02:49:00.007+08:00

Saturday 11th April 2009 Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OcQ9A-5noM&feature=related

虽然馆主没有办法将这影片放送在这里，但是你们可以依据以上的网址去听她唱歌。其实，每一个人都有自己的梦想，而我们往往都是以貌取人，所以并不是每次都会认识到最值得我们敬佩的人、事、物。馆主就算不看影片，单听她的歌声也深受感动。真的，她是一位让人敬佩的人。

希望大家也会努力为自己的梦想而努力哦！

加油！

^_^g

亞歷山大的三個遺願

2011-04-28T22:37:00.004+08:00

亞歷山大 (Alexandar the Great) 是一位偉大的國王。在征服了許多王國勝利返回的途中，他病倒了。此刻，佔領的土地，強大的軍隊，鋒利的寶劍和所有的財富對他來說都毫無意義，他明白死神很快會降臨，他已無法回到家園。

他對將士們說道，"我不久將離開這個世界，我有三個遺願，你們要完全按我說的去執行。" 將士們含著淚答應了。

“第一個遺願是，我的棺材必須由我的醫師獨自運回去。”

亞歷山大喘了口氣，繼續說道：
“第二，當我的棺材運向墳墓時，通往墓園的道路要撒滿我寶庫裡的金子、銀子和寶石。”

亞歷山大裹了裹毛氈，休息了片刻，
“最後一個遺願是把我的雙手放在棺材外面。”
聚集在他身邊的人都很好奇，但沒人敢問為什麼。

亞歷山大最喜愛的將軍吻了吻他的手說，“陛下，我們一定會按您的吩咐去做，但您能告訴我們為什麼要這麼做嗎？”

亞歷山大深深吸了一口氣說道：“我想要世人明白我剛剛學到的3個教訓。

我讓醫師運載我的棺材，是要人們意識到醫生不可能真正地治療人們的任何疾病。面對死亡，他們也無能為力。
希望人們能夠懂得珍愛生命。

第二個遺願是告訴人們不要像我一樣追求金錢；我花費了一生去追求財富，但很多時候是在浪費時間。

第三個遺願是希望人們明白我是空著手來到這個世界的，而且我空著手離開了這個世界。”

說完他閉上了眼睛，停止了呼吸。

這篇短文確實講到人生的真義!!人出生是空著手來到這個世界，往生時亦是空著手離開了這個世界!!
世上所有有形的物品皆無法帶走(金錢.名利亦是)，唯有功與過流傳人間，德業及罪業則隨身定來世因果---試想現今流傳人間，受人敬重懷念為何人~~~是聖哲(孔子.觀音菩薩等，無私為世人之人)，萬世遭人唾棄為何人~~~因名利錢財而造罪之人(秦檜等)

其他人將隨時間的洪流，慢慢被後人遺忘(包括有錢人.追逐名望之人.平凡人.只作利己之事的人.努力賺錢以留給子孫之人等)---想到這裡，人生還有何事可計較的呢?朋友!!努力行善吧!!有無能力全靠自己評斷!!在困難中還能想到別人的人才更難能可貴呢!!

转发至网络

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主好久没上来这里和大家分享了。刚巧读到了这篇文章就觉得很有道理。希望大家也能理解亚历山大他想和世人分享的领悟。

加油哦！

^_^g

Five Grains Of Rice

2011-03-14T00:55:00.003+08:00

A rich man has four sons. As he grows old, he decides to give his property to the son who would value the wealth he had earned.

He calls his four sons and gives them each five grains of rice. He tells them that he shall ask for these grains at the end of 5 years & he would give his property to the son who would value these grains the most.

The first son throws away the grains. He decides to show his father some other grains when he would ask for them after 5 yrs, in anticipation that his father would not be able to see the difference between the two sets of grains.

The second son eats the grains. He too decides to show his father some other grains when he would ask for them after 5 yrs, in anticipation that his father would not be able to see the difference between the two sets of grains.

The third son preserves these grains in a silver box and keeps the silver box in the 'puja sthaan' at home, and offers prayers to the box while offering his prayers to God for 5 yrs.

The fourth son sows these grains and cultivates them in the backyard of his house. They grow into crops during the harvest season. He keeps re-sowing the grains from these crops. In due course, he has a vast plot of land cultivated with rice.

As apparent from the above mentioned, at the end of 5 yrs, the father gives his property to his fourth son, as he was the most deserving among his four sons.

Moral of the Story:
When you have anything little in your hands, look at opportunity to grow it. Don't feel sad if you have less money today, know that you have it and you can grow it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

感谢月莉小姐的分享。没有错。有时候我们必须将眼光放远一点。这样，我们的计划就不是短暂的。脚踏实地是很重要的。

加油哦！

^_^g

Never Judge Anyone By Appearance

2011-02-14T00:40:00.001+08:00

One beautiful spring day, a red rose blossomed in a forest. Many kinds of trees and plants grew there.

As the rose looked around, a pine tree nearby said, "What a beautiful flower. I wish I was that lovely."

Another tree said, "Dear pine, do not be sad, we cannot have everything."

The rose turned its head and remarked, "It seems that I am the most beautiful plant in this forest."

A sunflower raised its yellow head and asked, "Why do you say that? In this forest there are many beautiful plants. You are just one of them."

The red rose replied, "I see everyone looking at me and admiring me." Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, "Look at that ugly plant full of thorns!"

The pine tree said, "Red rose, what kind of talk is this? Who can say what beauty is? You have thorns too."

The proud red rose looked angrily at the pine and said, "I thought you had good taste! You do not know what beauty is at all. You cannot compare my thorns to that of the cactus."

What a proud flower, thought the trees.

The rose tried to move its roots away from the cactus, but it could not move. As the days passed, the red rose would look at the cactus and say insulting things like "This plant is useless. How sorry I am to be his neighbour."

The cactus never got upset and he even tried to advise the rose, saying "God did not create any form of life without a purpose."

Spring passed and the weather became very warm. Life became difficult in the forest as the plants and animals needed water but no rain fell. The red rose began to wilt.

One day, the rose saw sparrows stick their beaks into the cactus and then fly away, refreshed.

This was puzzling, and the red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing.

The pine tree explained that "the birds got water from the cactus."

"Does it not hurt when they make holes?" asked the rose.

"Yes, but the cactus does not like to see any birds suffer," replied the pine.

The rose opened its eyes in wonder and said, "The cactus has water."

"Yes, you can also drink from it. The sparrow can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help."

The red rose felt too ashamed of its past words and behaviour to ask for water from the cactus, but then it finally did ask the cactus for help.

The cactus kindly agreed and the birds filled their beaks with water and watered the rose's roots.

Thus, the rose learned a lesson: never judge anyone by their appearance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

好久没有来做任何分享了。这篇故事是月莉小姐和我们分享的。是一篇非常有启发性的故事。

我们是否也犯了相同的错误？是不是也会以貌取人？有些时候，内在的美才是真正的美。

大家加油！

^_^g

'Owed to Joy'

2010-12-24T22:25:00.004+08:00

Today, a story by Ted A. Thompson shows us the true meaning of Christmas.

He writes: The year our youngest daughter, Shelly, was four, she received a Christmas present of a giant bubble-maker, a simple device of plastic and cloth, the inventor promised would create huge billowing bubbles, large enough to swallow a wide-eyed four year-old.

Both Shelly and I were excited about trying it out but it was after dark so we would have to wait until the next day.

Later that night I read the instruction booklet which stated that Joy dishwashing detergent would create the best giant bubbles. I would have to buy some.

The next monring, I was awakened very early by small stirrings in the house. Shelly was up. I arose and made my way towards the kitchen to start the coffee. In the hallway, I met my daughter, already wide awake, the bubble-maker clutched in her chubby little hand, the magic of Christmas morning embraced in her four year-old heart.

Her eyes were shining with excitement and she asked, "Daddy, can we make bubbles now?"

I sighed heavily and rubbed my eyes. "Shelly," I said, my voice almost pleading and perhaps a little annoyed, "it's too early. I haven't even had my coffee yet."

Her smile fell away. Immediately, I felt a father's remorse for bursting her bright Christmas bubble with what I suddenly realized was my own selfish problem and my heart broke a little.

But I was a grown-up. I could fix this. In a flash of adult inspiration, I unshouldered the responsibility. Recalling the inventor's recommendation of a particular brand of bubble-making detergent --- which I knew we did not have in the house --- I laid the blame squarely on him, pointing out gently, "Besides, you have to have Joy."

"Oh, Daddy," she promised, with all the honesty and enthusiasm and Christmas excitement she could possibly communicate, "Oh, Daddy, I do."

I broke records getting to the store and in no time at all we were out on the front lawn creating gigantic, billowing, gossamer orbs --- each one filled with Joy and sent forth shimmering into the Christmas sun.

Written by Ted A. Thompson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

祝大家圣诞快乐哦！也要记住，真正的快乐是因为身边的家人朋友的相伴而不是礼物的价值哦！

加油~！

^_^g

Effective Time Management

2010-12-03T01:01:00.004+08:00

Time is one of our most precious resources.

Each of us is only given a finite amount of it and how we choose to make use of that time makes all the difference.

Consider these questions:

Do you know where your time is being spent?

Do you know where you are maximising your time and where it is simply being wasted?

Are you spending more time on the things that take you closer to your goals?

Do you prioritise your activities in order of importance or impact?

Do you focus on one thing at a time instead of trying to do many things at once?

People who feel like they're stuck are not fully aware of where their time is going or going into. They don't prioritise their activities and tend to spend most of their time on things that don't bring about any positive change.

The passage towards their goals is often derailed by distractions. And they try to cram as many tasks as possible into a period of time, often ending up with mediocre or even below-average results.

The first step towards taking control of your time is understanding what it is exactly you're spending it on. Keep a record of how much of your time each day is spent doing what.

You might be surprised at just how much of your life is being wasted on activities that essentially don't benefit you at all.

Gradually scratch those things off your schedule and replace them with what I call "actuators" --- activities that get you ahead in terms of your self-development.

Next, identify the activities that give you the greatest mileage and spend more time on time. For example, would shifting your gym training to before you go to the office make you more alert and efficient?

Would it give you more time later to tackle unforeseen tasks and finish your work properly?

What about focusing on clients who demand better quality work but also pay better rather than accepting every job that comes along?

Always prioritise your tasks and highlight the top or top two jobs that absolutely must be done by the end of the day. This way, even when contingencies crop up (as they often do), you'll be sure that you got the most important things covered.

As much as possible, focus on one task at a time and strive to give it your best. Too much emphasis is put on multi-tasking these days and it's highly over-rated.

If you can do several things at a time but only produce average results, you're simply a robot in a factory line.

It's the ones who can do one thing but excel in it who are most valuable.

And finally, even if the Internet seems like the only thing you'll need these days, it can be one of the biggest time-wasters.

Things like email, instant messaging and social networking can easily take up a huge chunk of your day if you don't limit the time you spend on them.

So give yourself a quota. One or two hours a day and that's it.

There's more to life than Facebook.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' --- Presented and Written by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

没错，其实，我们可能都没有好好地去利用时间，所以才会觉得时间永远都不够用。馆主有时也会这样觉得，所以，开始在生活中做出了不同的尝试和改变。希望大家也能在生活中找到更好的使用程序哦！

加油！

^_^g

素食豬的由來養豬戶駱鴻賢的覺悟

2010-11-06T00:24:00.001+08:00

说真的，馆主看了这短片、访问后，真的感到很感动。也很庆幸骆先生的领悟。。。说实在的，大家应该都晓得世上的所有动物、植物都是有灵性的。己所不欲、勿施于人，所以，我们也不希望我们是任由别人宰割的吧？那么相同的道理，动物当然也不希望任由我们的摆布。

认真想想哦。

^_^g

Africa's Super Seven

2010-10-21T02:06:00.002+08:00

Seeing Failure As Success

2010-10-15T01:36:00.003+08:00

We all know that in life, we can't avoid failing.

Yet, there's a way of viewing failure that might actually make it empowering for us.

Author Laura B. Randolph once said that "failure is success if we learn from it".

Following this logic, we can take it that life's upheavals are not meant to defeat us. They are intended to make us stronger. Every failure presents an opportunity to learn something that would benefit us in future.

With this view, we no longer need to see failure as a setback.

So if you're going through a bad patch, instead of spending your time moping, think critically about what could have led to your situation. What could you have done better? What new knowledge did you gain from this experience? What are your options now taht can take you to a better place?

Look forward. No storm lasts forever. And though life's potholes can slow us down, even break us a bit, they can always be breached. And we can heal and improve. Humans are the original upgradeable machines.

In life, there is only one dead end. But the rest of the time, your life is still ahead of you, no matter how bleak present circumstances seem. Even the apparent "dimness" of your present plight is a matter of outlook. Don't allow a setback to limit your view and prevent you from enjoying the rest of what life has to offer.

Too many of us focus on the negative aspects of life. Seldom do we savour and cherish the good parts of life. We simply take them for granted until they're no longer around.

Similarly, we often view failure with derision and disappointment. But it's time to change this mindset.

Make failure a stepping stone and it will nudge you towards your eventaul goals.

Let's learn from the words of author Laura B. Randolph... if we learn from Failure, it really is Success with another name.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' presented by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

其实，馆主还蛮赞同的。每次事情发生后，我们只顾着找出罪魁祸首，却忘了其实那已经不重要了。更重要的是，依据现在的情况，我们该如何将它变好。从过失中学习、进步，那才是有用的。

加油哦！

^_^g

A Thinking Problem

2010-10-08T23:01:00.002+08:00

Do you think too much? Do you dream up worse-case scenarios in your head before they happen? Do you turn trivial snags in your career or relationships and turn them into apocalyptic catastrophes?

Well, I'm exaggerating for effect of course, but it's a condition that many of us suffer from but are woefully unaware of.

If you feel you could be suffering from a "thinking problem", well, that's a good start because if you're able to admit it, you're already on the road to recovery. Most "problem thinkers" don't realise they have a problem.

"What's the harm in a couple of thinks?" they say.

"Oh, I'm just a social thinker!" they claim.

But very soon, they can't start their day without a think and can't go to bed without one. Or four. They then feel as thought they can't function without thinking. They're consistently distracted at work, and their relationships suffer because of over-analysis and suspicion. Before they know it, they're thinking their lives away.

Now I'm not knocking the "think" per se. We both know that thinking is essential in life. It's when thinking becomes a barrier, an imaginary gulf that separates you from happiness and self-development. Over-thinking can interfere with your natural instinct and spontaneity. It can make you fearful and suspicious. It can impair your ability to focus and if it becomes a habit, can become a crutch you lean on instead of actually taking action.

Over-thinking can also be incredibly isolating. We can begin to avoid social situations because we're thinking too much about what others are thinking about us. We might also judge others prematurely, sometimes avoiding or despising them because of some aspect we perceive as negative or undesirable. We might also withhold love and intimacy because of our suspicions.

A thinking problem can also affect performance, well, at anything really... at work, at a meeting, on stage, in bed. How can we do well when we're so fixated with how well we're doing? You know as well as I that pressure is the last thing we need when trying to perform.

So if you feel like you're carrying a mountain of worries and problems on your shoulders, assess your situation. Are you perhaps thinking too much?

As author Oscar Wilde once remarked, "Life is too short to be taken seriouslyy".

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' presented and written by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主也好一段时间没有在这里做分享了。刚巧前些日子读到了这篇文章，觉得很适合我们现代人和社会，就摘选了。可不是吗？现代人很爱胡思乱想，把一些有的没的东西想得想是生命中的全部。最要不得的是在还未向前迈进以前，就先打退堂鼓，因为已经幻想了一万种不可能和肯定失败的结局来限制了自己。

不要让自己陷入这种无谓的自我约束。无论结果是什么，只要还有一线希望，我们都要努力地尝试。说不定结局并不是我们想象的那样呀。

加油哦！

^_^g

智慧与道德

2010-09-09T23:59:00.004+08:00

为什么欧洲许多先进国家还是很富强?

在某个电视访谈节目中，嘉宾是一位当今颇具知名的青年企业家。

节目渐近尾声时，按惯例，主持人提出了最后一个问题。请问：你认为事业成功的最关键质量是什么？

沉思片刻之后，他并没有直接回答，而是平静地叙述了这样一段故事：

十二年前，有一个小伙子刚毕业就去了法国，开始了半工半读的留学生活。

渐渐地，他发现当地的的公共交通系统的售票处是自助的，也就是你想到哪个地方，根据目的地自行买票，车站几乎都是开放式的，不设检票口，也没有检票员。甚至连随机性的抽查都非常少。

他发现了这个管理上的漏洞，或者说以他的思维方式看来是漏洞。凭着自己的聪明，他精确地估算了这样一个概率：逃票而被查到的比例大约仅为万分之三。

他为自己的这个发现而沾沾自喜，从此之后，他便经常逃票上车。

他还找到了一个宽慰自己的理由：自己还是穷学生嘛，能省一点是一点。

四年过去了，名牌大学的金字招牌和优秀的学业成绩让他充满自信，他开始频频地进入巴黎一些跨国公司的大门，踌躇满志地推销自己，因为他知道这些公司都在积极地开发亚太市场。但这些公司都是先热情有加，然而数日之后，却又都是婉言相拒。

一次次的失败，使他愤怒。他认为一定是这些公司有种族歧视的倾向，排斥中国人。

最后一次，他冲进了某公司人力资源部经理的办公室，要求经理对于不予录用他给出一个合理的理由。

然而，结局却是他始料不及的。下面的一段对话很发人深省。

「先生，我们并不是歧视你，相反，我们很重视你。因为我们公司一直在开发中国市场，我们需要一些优秀的本土人才来协助我们完成这个工作，所以你一来求职的时候，我们对你的教育背景和学术水平很感兴趣，老实说，从工作能力上，你就是我们所要找的人。」

「那为什么不收天下英才为贵公司所用？」

「因为我们查了你的信用记录，发现你有三次乘公交车逃票被处罚的记录。」

「我不否认这个。但为了这点小事，你们就放弃了一个多次在学术报告上发表过论文的人才？」

「小事？我们并不认为这是小事。我们注意到，第一次逃票是在你来我们国家后的第一个星期，检查人员相信了你的解释，因为你说自己还不熟悉自助售票系统，只是给你补了票。但在这之后，你又两次逃票。」

「那时刚好我口袋中没有零钱。」

「不、不，先生。我不同意你这种解释，你在怀疑我的智商。我相信在被查获前，你可能有数百次逃票的经历。」

「那也罪不至死吧？干吗那么认真？以后改还不行吗？」

「不、不，先生。此事证明了两点：

一、你不尊重规则。不仅如此，你擅于发现规则中的漏洞并恶意使用。

二、你不值得信任。而我们公司的许多工作的进行是必须依靠信任进行的，因为如果你负责了某个地区的市场开发，公司将赋予你许多职权。为了节约成本，我们没有办法设置复杂的监督机构，正如我们的公共交通系统一样。所以我们没有办法雇用你，可以确切地说，在这个国家甚至整个欧盟，你可能找不到雇用你的公司。」

直到此时，他才如梦方醒、懊悔难当。然而，真正让他产生一语惊心之感的，却还是对方最后提到一句话：

道德常常能弥补智慧的缺陷，然而，智慧却永远填补不了道德的空白。

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主特别赞同“道德常常能弥补智慧的缺陷，然而，智慧却永远填补不了道德的空白。”的确，道德的空白，到底有什么能弥补呢？根本就没有耶。。所以，大家一定要秉持着道德观念和道德理念哦。

加油哦！

^_^g

永不放弃

2010-09-08T00:15:00.003+08:00

from movie: "Facing The Giants"

馆主看了这片段，真的很震撼。我们往往需要更大的勇气才不会轻言放弃。你也有这份勇气吗？
大家加油！

^_^g

I Can

2010-09-06T23:42:00.003+08:00

在刚过去的八月十四日至二十六日，青年奥运会在新加坡举行 (Youth Olympic Games 2010)。馆主之前在德士上观看了这则广告片段，觉得特别有意思，所以，就一直想要和大家分享。里头写的每一句都让人觉得不管你年纪多大，都有可能创造辉煌的历史。重要的是，不要做出任何对社会、家人和自己没有贡献或没有意义的事。

加油哦！

^_^g

空姐日記

2010-08-24T21:13:00.002+08:00

我是東方航空公司的一名普通的空姐，由於參加工作沒幾年，所以沒有遇到叫人難忘的大事，天天都是在端茶倒水的小事中度過。沒有工作的激情，很平淡。可是今天６月７日發貼當天，就是今天遇到的一件事情卻叫我改變了對工作對人生的看法。

今天我們執行上海----北京航班時，旅客很多，滿滿的一飛機。上飛機的人群中就有一位很不起眼的農村老伯伯，背著一個大麻袋身上還有一股農村特有的土炕味。

當時站在機門迎客的我第一個反映就是現在的社會還真發達了，連農村老伯伯都有錢坐飛機，真奢侈。當飛機平飛時，我們開始加水，加到２０多排時，看到了這位老伯伯，他很據謹的坐在座位上，直挺挺的，一動不動，麻袋也不放在行李架上,老伯伯抱著大麻袋，乍一看象是個支著地球的地球儀，直挺挺象個雕塑。問他喝什麼，他很驚慌的連連挥手說不要。要幫他把麻袋放在架子上，他也拒絕。

只好由著他抱著了。過一會，開始發飯了，我們發現他還是一動不動的坐在座位上，感覺好像很緊張的樣子，給他飯他還是連連挥手不要。於是乘務長過去親切的問是不是病了。他很小聲的說他要上廁所，但是不知道飛機上能不能亂跑，怕碰壞了飛機上的東西。

我們告訴他沒關係的，並叫一個男空保帶他去了廁所。等我們第二次加水的時候，發現他看著別的客人喝水，在舔嘴，於是沒有問他就幫他倒了一杯熱茶水給他放在桌子上。

誰知，這樣一個動作卻驚嚇住了他，他一下跳起來連連說不用不用，我們對他說您渴了，就喝點吧。這時他做了一個更驚人的動作,從懷裡掏出一把錢，都是一塊一毛的，要塞給我們。

我們告訴他說這是不要錢的，他不相信，說他在街上走的時候進去要水喝別人都從來沒給過他，都是很厭惡的趕他走。我們這才知道，他為了節約錢，一路上盡可能不坐車就走，硬是從郊區走到機場附近才坐的車到了機場，他身上沒多少錢，只能問路上的餐廳要水，可惜大多數時候都是被趕出來，別人以為他是要飯的。

我們勸了好一陣子，他才相信了我們，坐下，慢慢的喝著茶。我們問他餓不餓，要不要吃飯，他還是連連說不要，他說他有兩個兒子，都很爭氣，考上了大學，小兒子在上大三，大兒子已經工作了。這次他來北京看他上大學的小兒子，由於大兒子已經工作了，想把他們兩口子接到城裡來跟自己住，可是老兩口不習慣，住了一陣想回鄉下了。

這次是大兒子不想讓老爹周車勞頓特意買的飛機票，本來想陪老爹一起去，因為老爹沒坐過飛機怕他不認識路，可是老爹嫌飛機票太浪費死活不肯坐。後來勸通了，老爹怎麼也不叫兒子再買一張票浪費錢，堅持自己一個人來。他背了一麻袋的紅薯幹，要給小兒子吃。上飛機前安檢時，工作人員說麻袋太大叫拖運，可是他死活不肯，說怕弄碎了小兒子不喜歡吃了。

我們告訴他說放在架子上很安全的，他警惕的站起來看了半天才小心的放上去。在航班期間我們一直很勤的給他加水，他都很有禮貌的謝謝我們。可是他還是一直堅持不吃飯。盡管我們看出來他已經餓的咕咕叫。到飛機快落地的時候，他很小心的問我們有沒有袋子，給他一個，並要求我們把他自己的那份飯裝好提給他。

他說他從來沒見過這麼好吃的東西，他要帶給他的小兒子。我們都驚住了。對於我們來說，天天見的飯菜，在一個農村老人眼裡是這樣的珍貴。他自己捨不得吃，餓著，要留給他的兒子。於是我們把剩餘沒有發的飯都裝好了準備給他，可是他很驚慌的拒絕了，他說他只要屬於他自己的那份，不佔別人的便宜。我們都被這樣的一個老人感動了。

雖然不是什麼大事，但是卻深刻的教育了我。本以為事情結束了，誰知道在別的客人下完以後，他最後下飛機，我們幫助他把麻袋提到了出口，正準備幫他背上，他做出了一個讓我一輩子都忘不了的動作：他撲通一聲跪在地下，老泪縱橫的給我們磕頭，一邊磕一邊說"你們真是大好人，我們農村人一天只吃一頓飯，從來沒喝過這樣甜的水，見過這樣好的飯，今天你們不嫌棄我，這麼熱情的對我，我真不知道怎麼樣感激你們，希望你們好人有好報。"一邊跪一邊說一邊哭，我們大家慌忙扶起他，連連勸他，並交代一個地面服務員將他安頓好，我們才回飛機上繼續執行我們的任務。

說實在話，工作了５年，飛機上什麼樣的客人都見過了，野蠻的，打人的，無理取鬧的，就是沒見過給我們下跪的，說實在的我們真沒有做什麼特別的事，就是給他老人家多倒了兩杯水，竟要這個７０多歲的老伯伯跪下謝我們，再加上看著他背著一麻袋紅薯幹，自己不肯吃寧願餓著把飛機上的飯帶下去給兒子，還不肯多要別人的飯貪便宜，我真為我自己感到內疚，我以後要學會感恩學會報答別人。是這個老伯伯教會我怎麼去善良正直的活著。

【版主曰】

頭等艙與經濟艙

決定了一個人的階級

卻無法決定一個人的良善......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主在 F*acebook 上不经意看到的文章。真的很感人。。天下父母心，为了给孩子最好的，自己很多时候都不愿意花费。。看到好的，都想留给孩子。。而文章中的老先生，是如此的纯朴、善良。。感恩。。。

我们也要像他那样哟。

^_^g

鼠牛虎兔龙蛇马羊猴鸡狗猪

2010-08-21T02:38:00.004+08:00

一群中国人参加接待了一个由欧洲贵族组成的参访团的活动。他们中的大多数跟王族有亲戚关系，非常有学问和修养，待人彬彬有礼，但他们的修养背后隐藏着一种傲慢。

最后一天聚餐，可能酒喝多了，这些贵族的言谈举止变得比较率性。席间，一位德国贵族站了起来说：你们中国人，怎么属什么猪啊，狗啊，老鼠啊!不像我们，都是金牛座，狮子座，仙女座……真不知你们祖先怎么想的!

众人听了哈哈大笑，还互相碰杯，先前的优雅完全不见了。

这时有一个中国人站了起来，用平和的语气说：“是的，中国人的祖先很实在。我们十二生肖两两相对，六道轮回，体现了我们祖先对我们的期望和要求。”这时，现场气氛慢慢安静了下来，不过，贵族们的脸上还是一幅满不在乎的神情。

中国人说：第一组是老鼠和牛。老鼠代表智慧，牛代表勤奋。智慧和勤奋一定要紧紧结合在一起。如果光有智慧，不勤奋，那就变成小聪明；而光是勤奋，不动脑筋，那就变成愚蠢。这两者一定要结合。这是祖先对我们第一组的期望和要求，也是最重要的一组。

第二组是老虎和兔子。老虎代表勇猛，兔子代表谨慎。勇猛和谨慎一定要紧紧结合在一起才能作到胆大心细。如果勇猛离开了谨慎，就变成了鲁莽，而没了勇猛，就变成了胆怯。这一组也非常重要，所以，”中国人看着这些贵族，补上一句：“当我们表现出谨慎的时候，千万不要以为中国人没有勇敢的一面。

看着大家陷入沉思，中国人继续说：第三组是龙和蛇，龙代表猛，蛇代表柔韧。所谓刚者易折，太刚了容易折断，但是，如果只有柔的一面就易失去主见，所以，刚柔并济是我们的祖训。

接下来是马和羊，马代表勇往直前，羊代表和顺。如果一个人只顾自己直奔目标，不顾及周围环境，必然会和周围不断磕碰，最后不见得能达到目标。但是，一个人光顾及和顺，他可能连方向都没有了。所以，勇往直前的秉性，一定要和和顺紧紧结合在一起，这是祖先对我们的第四组期望。

再接下来是猴子和鸡。猴子代表灵活，鸡定时打鸣，代表恒定。灵活和恒定一定要紧紧结合在一起。如果你光灵活，没有恒定，再好的政策也得不到收获。一方面具有稳定性，保持整体和谐和秩序，另一方面有能在变通中前进，这才是最根本的要旨。

最后是狗和猪。狗代表忠诚，猪代表随和。如果一个人太忠诚，不懂得随和，就会排斥他人。反过来，一个人太随和，没有忠诚，这个人就失去原则。无论是对一个民族的忠诚，还是对自己理想的忠诚，一定要与随和紧紧结合在一起，这样才容易保持内心深处的平衡。”

解释完毕，中国人说：“最后，我很想知道你们的宝瓶座，射手座等星座体现了你们祖先对你们的哪些期望和要求？希望赐教。”

这些贵族们很长时间都没有说话，全场鸦雀无声。

- Adapted -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主觉得那人解说得真的是太棒了！哈哈！你觉得呢？

加油哦！要为了你的民族、你的根本而骄傲哦！当然，我们也要学习与他人和睦共处、互敬互爱哟！

^_^g

Focusing More On Ourselves

2010-08-03T02:26:00.004+08:00

Most of the problems in the world today stem from a fundamental malaise of Mankind that the centuries have not been able to cure. Our tendency to be overly-concerned about other people --- their flaws, their injustices, their immorality --- and not caring enough about our own weakness and what we can do about them.

Murder, racial and religious intolerance, revenge attacks, bomb blasts... these all have roots in our refusal to critically examine ourselves first before judging others. Leaders of the world continue to condemn these acts and the perpetrators continue to justify their behaviours, but we're no closer to resolving age-old conflicts.

The truth is, the world has always been torn by strife and clashes, civilizations rise and fall, good intentions get corrupted by self-righteousness, greed and power, and revenge continues to breed more and more revenge. In fact, the history of Man has been a history of repetition. We come, we conquer, we plunder, we use up, then go find some other place to feed our cravings or someone else to blame.

If we could all stop thinking about blaming others for our problems and begin to focus more on ourselves and our self-development, I'm sure the world would be a much better place. The problem with focusing on others is that it's a convenient distraction from our own flaws. While we're preoccupied with others, we don't have time to think about our own shortcomings and therefore don't have to do anything about them. It's a weakness of character, because it takes courage to look within, discover our own flaws and work towards improving ourselves.

If we want others to change, we must first change ourselves. We can only lead by example. This is as true of a parent and child relationships as it is with poitician and citizen, boss and subordinate, believer and non-believer. Nothing will make othes see our point of view unless we can prove just how clearly we see it ourselves. Whether you believe in God or not is a personal choice --- only you can see it, only you can feel it or not; you don't need anyone for that. And why should it matter to you how others think as long as it doesn't affect the way you think?

Starting now, try to shift your focus from other people onto yourself. Think about how you can be a better person. How you can reach for that deeper humanity in you.

As respected author and speaker Stephen Covey once said, "We immediately become more effective when we decide to change ourselves rater than asking things to change for us."

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life', presented and written by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主也同意作者他的说法。很多时候，我们都将我们的精力和时间注射在他人的缺点和错误上，而往往忽略了自己的不足。若要他人改，还不如先检讨自己，让自己先改进。

你们觉得呢？要加油哦！

^_^g

您也可以選擇這樣的生活

2010-07-26T23:59:00.001+08:00

感谢诗杰先生的分享。这个短短的影片真的很有意思。希望大家一定要好好想想你改变饮食会带来的好处哦！

^_^g

Tell Me Why

2010-07-20T23:57:00.005+08:00

By: Declan Galbraith

In my dream,children sing
A song of love for every boy and girl
The sky is blue and fields are green:
And laughter is the language of the world
Then I wake and all I see
Is a world full of people in need

Tell me why (why) does it have to be like this?
Tell me why (why) is there something i have missed?
Tell me why (why) cos I don't understand
When so many need somebody
We don't give a helping hand
Tell me why?

Everyday I ask myself
What will I have to do to be a man?
Do I have to stand and fight
To prove to everybody who I am?
Is that what my life is for
To waste in a world full of war?

Tell me why? Tell me why?
Tell me why? Tell me why?
Just tell me why, why, why?

Tell me why (why, why,does the tiger run)
Tell me why (why, why do we shoot the gun)
Tell me why (why, why do we never learn)
Can someone tell us why we let the forest burn?
(why,why do we say we care)
Tell me why (why, why)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主听完后，起鸡皮疙瘩了。。。真的，如果，当时录制这首歌的时候才不到十岁的小朋友都有这种感同身受的想法，何况是你和我呢？

这个世界，到底怎么了？为什么会是现在这个样子呢？你和我，都有能力一起去拯救这个世界。大家加油~！

^_^g

UN URGES GLOBAL MOVE TO MEAT AND DAIRY-FREE DIET

2010-07-16T00:41:00.002+08:00

for those who can comprehend English version better, here you go:

Lesser consumption of animal products is necessary to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change, UN report says.

The UN says agriculture is on a par with fossil fuel consumption because both rise rapidly with increased economic growth.

A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today.

As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management.

It says: "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."

Professor Edgar Hertwich, the lead author of the report, said: "Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels."

The recommendation follows advice last year that a vegetarian diet was better for the planet from Lord Nicholas Stern, former adviser to the Labour government on the economics of climate change. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has also urged people to observe one meat-free day a week to curb carbon emissions.

The panel of experts ranked products, resources, economic activities and transport according to their environmental impacts. Agriculture was on a par with fossil fuel consumption because both rise rapidly with increased economicgrowth, they said. Ernst von Weizsaecker, an environmental scientist who co-chaired the panel, said: "Rising affluence is triggering a shift in diets towards meat and dairy products - livestock now consumes much of the world's crops and by inference a great deal of freshwater, fertilisers and pesticides."

Both energy and agriculture need to be "decoupled" from economic growth because environmental impacts rise roughly 80% with a doubling of income, the report found.

Achim Steiner, the UN under-secretary general and executive director of the UNEP, said: "Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the number one challenge facing governments in a world of rising numbers of people, rising incomes, rising consumption demands and the persistent challenge of poverty alleviation."

The panel, which drew on numerous studies including the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, cites the following pressures on the environment as priorities for governments around the world: climate change, habitat change, wasteful use of nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilisers, over-exploitation of fisheries, forests and other resources, invasive species, unsafe drinking water and sanitation, lead exposure, urban air pollution and occupational exposure to particulate matter. Agriculture, particularly meat and dairy products, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use and 19% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, says the report, which has been launched to coincide with UN World Environment Day on Saturday.

Last year the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation said that food production would have to increase globally by 70% by 2050 to feed the world's surging population. The panel says that efficiency gains in agriculture will be overwhelmed by the expected population growth.

Prof Hertwich, who is also the director of the industrial ecology programme at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said that developing countries – where much of this population growth will take place – must not follow the western world's pattern of increasing consumption: "Developing countries should not follow our model. But it's up to us to develop the technologies in, say, renewable energy or irrigation methods."

Adapted from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet
Wednesday 2 June 2010 18.09 BST

BE VEG! Go Green, Save the Planet! (中文版)

2010-07-10T00:40:00.003+08:00

聯合國環境規劃署(UNPE)，永續資源管理跨國專家委員會發表報告：全球的人口預估將於2050年前成長為91億，而嗜食大量肉類奶類的西方飲食，是無法讓地球永續生存的飲食習慣。

這項報告表示："人口增加帶來越來越多的肉食消費，而農牧業對環境帶來的衝擊，預料將大幅地增加。不像石化燃料，農牧業不容易有替代方案：人都得吃東西。所以，如果要減輕農牧業對環境帶來的衝擊，唯一可行的辦法，只有靠全世界大規模的飲食改變，不吃動物產品。"

愛德格•赫衛區教授是這份報告的主要作者，他表示：生產動物性產品對環境造成的傷害，比生產建築材料，像砂子、水泥、塑膠跟金屬等都來的大。生產生質物還有穀物來餵養動物，跟燃燒石化燃料一樣危害劇烈。

聯合國報告的這項建議，也呼應了去年史登爵士所提出的忠告，史登爵士是前英國工黨的氣候變遷經濟顧問。他呼籲大家蔬食是對地球比較友善的飲食，聯合國跨政府氣候變遷小組的主席，帕卓理博士也大聲疾呼，要採行一週一素來抑制排碳

委員會的專家分別將產品、資源、經濟活動、交通運輸等對環境造成的衝擊，排序其嚴重性，其中，農牧業跟燃燒石化燃料的危害一樣大，因為這兩項的消耗都伴隨著經濟成長而快速增加。

委員會的另一位主席，也是環境科學家的魏茨澤克說：越來越富裕的生活誘使人類吃更多的肉、乳製品。豢養的家畜消耗了世界大部分的穀物糧食、淡水資源、也用了大量的化學肥料、以及殺蟲劑。

經濟成長必須 "扣除" 能源以及農業部門，因為在國民所得加倍的同時，這兩種產業造成的環境衝擊也會上升約80%。

聯合國副秘書長，同時也是聯合國環境規劃署執行長的Achim Steiner說 "世界人口不斷增加、所得不斷提高、資源消耗越來越大、我們還得持續努力消弭貧窮。在這種世界局勢之下，各國政府的最大挑戰，就是得將經濟成長扣除環境破壞所帶來的成本。"

委員會也引用了包括千禧年生態系統評估 (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment) 在內的各種報告，列舉以下各項環境議題，供各國政府施政的優先重點。氣候變遷、棲地變遷、肥料裡過度添加氮磷元素、漁業濫捕、林業以及其他資源的過度開採、物種入侵、不安全的飲水及衛生問題、鉛暴露、城市空氣污染、職業場所污染。

報告指出，農業生產，特別是肉類及乳製品，消耗全世界70%的淡水資源、38％的土地資源、排放全球19％的溫室氣體。這項報告於禮拜六，在聯合國世界環境日同時發表。

去年聯合國糧農組織(FAO)預估，為了餵養不斷增加的世界人口，全球糧食生產必須在2050年之前提高70%。委員會還表示，農業生產效率的提升，完全不足以應付預期的人口成長。

任職於挪威科學與科技大學，主持工業生態研究所的Hertwich教授表示，大部分的人口成長將集中於開發中國家，他們不能再跟隨西方國家的發展模式，不斷增加消費。他還說：他們不應再跟隨我們的模式，而我們得發展新的科技，例如再生能源、或是新的灌溉方法。

新聞出處 : http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet
Wednesday 2 June 2010 18.09 BST

Earthlings (Part 2)

2010-06-25T00:39:00.000+08:00

This is the single most powerful and informative movie about society's treatment of animals. Directed by Shaun Monson, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.

Earthlings (Part 1)

2010-06-23T00:37:00.000+08:00

This is the single most powerful and informative movie about society's treatment of animals. Directed by Shaun Monson, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.

아버지 Father 父親爸爸

2010-06-20T01:32:00.000+08:00

很感人，真的。很多时候，父亲都不会让我们知道他的辛苦。

我们要爱惜我们的爸爸哦。

^_^

Can I Borrow $100?

2010-06-17T01:27:00.001+08:00

Tim knew his father was an important lawyer who worked most nights and weekends. So he was disappointed but not surprised when his father didn't attend his last soccer game of the season.

That night he got up the nerve to interrupt his dad's work to ask, "How much do lawyers make?"

Annoyed, his father gruffly answered, "My clients pay me $300 an hour."

Tim gulped. "Wow, that's a lot. Would you lend me $100?"

"Of course not," his father said. "Please, just let me work."

Moments later, he heard his son sobbing in the other room, and he called him back. "Son, I'm sorry. If you need some money, of course I'll lend it to you. But can I ask why you need it?"

Tim said, "Well, I've saved $200, and if you lend me a hundred, I'll have enough."

"Enough for what?"

"To buy an hour of your time so you can come to our banquet on Friday and see me get the most valuable player award. Will you come?"

His father felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart. For the first time, he realized the cost of his priorities. None of his clients needed him as much as his son, and nothing he could do as a lawyer was more important than what he could do as a father. How had he missed that insight?

It's always difficult to balance job demands and family needs, but the test of whether you work too much is simple: Are you able to be the kind of parent your child deserves?

Few people look back on their lives and wish they'd spent more time at the office. Far more wish they'd spent more time with their kids.

This story is derived and adapted from one circulated on the Internet without attribution. The original source is unknown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

快要父亲节了。馆主希望大家会珍惜我们的父母亲，因为，如果没有他们，就没有我们；如果没有他们的养育之恩，更没有今天的我们。

加油哦！

^_^g

Love of the Family is Life's Greatest Blessing

2010-06-10T00:42:00.003+08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

是个马来西亚的广告。。馆主觉得，真的，再有钱也不比在身边更让我们的长辈感受到家的温暖和爱。。

大家要记得孝顺和疼爱我们的长辈们哦。

^_^g

Juliana Wetmore

2010-06-06T23:27:00.000+08:00

Julianna Wetmore was born with a rare genetic craniofacial disorder known as Treacher Collins Syndrome. This condition normally appears as elongated or sagging eyes and small or missing ears and generally affects 1 in 10,000. Not only is this a rare occurrence but, Julianna has perhaps the most severe case ever seen. The condition was first seen during pre-natal scans where doctors thought that she had a cleft palate. However, the full extent of her disfigurement was not seen until she was born.

Treacher Collins Syndrome is a genetic mutation that prevents the proper formation of the skull, cheek and jaw bones. Julianna's case was so severe she required immediate plastic surgery to uncover her left eye and to open up an airway so that she could breathe.

Are You Going To Finish Strong?

2010-05-20T02:36:00.004+08:00

Nick Vujicic and his attitude serve as a great examples of the celebration of life over limitations.

The human spirit can handle much more than we realize.

"I LOVE LIVING LIFE. I AM HAPPY."

It matters how you're going to FINISH...
Are you going to finish STRONG?

We are put in situations to build our character... not destroy us.

The tensions in our life are there to strengthen our convictions... not to run over us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

大家要学习起他的精神。。。要加油哦！

^_^g

三字经 - 苏洵发奋

2010-05-07T00:33:00.009+08:00

苏老泉二十七始发奋读书籍

彼既老犹悔迟尔小生宜早思

释义
苏洵到二十七岁时才发奋读书，他成人后才明白读书的重要，后悔自己的行为，现在的年轻人，更应该及早学习。

故事
苏洵是著名的唐宋八大家之一，可他小时候并不喜欢读书，到了二十七岁，仍然一事无成。看到很多与自己年纪相仿的人都有了成就，苏洵才猛然醒悟，下决心努力读书。通过一段时间的努力，他进步很快。后来他带着两个儿子苏轼、苏辙一起进京赶考，相继金榜题名，轰动了当时的京城，他们父子三人也被后人同时列入“唐宋八大家”的名单。

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

嗯，馆主也晓得，年幼时的我们都可能有不爱读书的时候，但是，大人们总是逼着我们去学习。我们可能还不能理解大人们的苦心，但如果真的等到我们年老的时候才来了解，真的会后悔哦。

所以，就算再怎么讨厌，我们也要找个喜欢的方向努力学习。不要等到后悔时就真的太迟了哟。

馆主也还真是好久没有与大家分享《三字经》了吧？所以，今天又为大家继续了。其实，剩下的内容不多了。希望大家这些日子以来有学到些什么才好哦。

^_^g

Living a Life Worth Living

2010-05-05T00:14:00.002+08:00

It's the mortal coil --- ever since we started thinking philosophically, human beings have struggled to answer the question: "What is the meaning of Life?"

And the endless sub-questions: "What am I here for?", "What does being alive mean?", "What purpose does my life serve?" and so on.

To answer these big questions, let's first break life down into smaller parts. Imagine that just one day in your life, you simply did whatever you felt like, anytime you felt like it, just moving from random though to random though, random action to random action. You don't think about the next day or even the next moment. You have no goals, no plans, have no consideration for others, and every day brings the same kind of numbing self-indulgence.

Many of us are, more or less, living this kind of existence. We don't know what we really want, we don't think about our future, we don't know what we're going to achieve. We simply go through life half asleep, finding temporary comfort in our material possessions and insatiable pleasures. A life lived this way ultimately yields disappointment and unfulfilled desires.

What gives one a sense of purpose and meaning is having something worthwhile to strive for.

Why are some rich people happy while others are not? Why do some musicians overdose on drugs and depression while others adopt orphans or use their talent for some worthy cause? The key is having nobler ambitions than simply amassing wealth or indulging in self-fulfillment.

We all need to seek a higher purpose in order to give our lives meaning. Some find it in self-discipline. Others discover it in the pursuit of knowledge. Some find it in helping others or becoming leaders in their community, others in making the world better in some way.

What about you? Have you achieved wealth and status only to find something lacking? Do you want to live your life with more lucid intention?

Then think about what you really want to achieve. Even if the goals seem too lofty (think "world peace"), embark on the road towards them anyway. It's in the endeavour that we find satisfaction. What are simple steps you can take or habits you can adopt right now that will bring you closer to your goals?

You will have your own unique set of goals, but think beyond just creating wealth, getting your dream house, or marrying your dream partner. Before all that and after all that, what will continue to sustain you? Consistent self-improvement? What about improving life for others? Inventing something? Creating awareness? Educating others so that they too can become successful and happy? What can you do conscientiously and persistently that will make a difference?

Think of the value that you can create for others and the world and you will make your life worth living.

Adapted from 'A Slice of LIfe' by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

很多人可能就像 Mr. Loh 所说的那样吧？是不是也常常觉得或提问自己，生命的意义到底是什么呢？我为什么而生，为什么而死？来到这个世界上，到底是为了什么而来？活着，到底有何意义？

你想过吗？是为了赚钱？为了寻找命中注定的那个人？是为了求知识？是为了升职？是为了在社会上拥有崇高的地位？

到底你是为了什么？

想想吧。希望你会找到生命的意义、活着的意义。加油哦！

^_^g

I Still Know Who She Is

2010-04-29T02:49:00.004+08:00

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided since I wasn’t busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On examining it I saw it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while as she is a victim of Alzheimer's disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me but I still know who she is.'

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goosebumps on my arm and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life. True love is neither physical nor romantic'.

True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain.

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Almighty God, you will make it to a place called Success.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主读了很感动。感谢水进先生的分享。真的，像老先生那样的人，可能真的很少见了吧？

遇到困境时，记住，你不是一个人的。所以，为了那些爱你，和你爱的人，一定要加油，努力！

^_^g

【 LOVE LIFE 珍愛生命‧永不放棄】

2010-04-25T01:04:00.000+08:00

**当你无助的时候，请记住在社会的某个角落里，
还有一群永不放弃的小小斗士们正与生命搏斗著**

我们是不是更应该珍爱自己的生命，因为，拥有的生命，是有些人梦想的。加油哦！

^_^g

The Source of Our Unhappiness

2010-04-19T22:10:00.003+08:00

We're always looking for something or someone to blame for our unhappiness. It's our job ["there's too much work, I've no time for fun!"], it's our partner ["I can't stand her mysterious outbursts!"], it's our parents ["they brought me up to be fearful and unable to stand up for myself"], or it's the economy, social bias, disappointing children... and the list goes on.

It does seem as though the source of our frustrations lies outside of us. After all , we didn't ask for these problems.

Or did we?

A popular theory called 'The Law of Attraction' refers to "the idea that thoughts influence chance. It argues that thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) can affect things outside the head, not just through motivation, but by other means". In other words, we attract what we think about.

If you don't feel you deserve happiness, then you'll continue to invite things, people and events that upset you. You stick with a job you find unfulfilling because you don't think you can do any better. Your partner's habits rile and baffle you but you don't talk to him or her about it... "It's just one of those things" you think, but could it be because you don't respect yourself enough to improve things?

We often don't strive to make things better because we feel that we're not good enough, that we don't deserve better. We don't believe that a better life is possible so we don't do anything. Pessimism justifies inaction. This is why we keep attracting people and things that keep us stuck.

The next time you encounter a situation or person that upsets you, refrain from the temptation to appoint blame. Look within yourself instead. What are the thoughts and habits inviting undesirable things into your life? What are the things in your life you tolerate that are not working for you?

The key to changing the world is changing ourselves.

Adapted from: A Slice of Life, presented and written by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

当馆主读了这篇文章后，就很想与大家分享。对吧？很多时候，我们都将过错怪罪于别人，但是，往往问题会发生是因为我们自己的因素 [当然，馆主并不是说是你我的错，但是，是或多或少我们也得负上责任不是吗？] --- 我们“吸引”了这些不开心的元素到我们的生命里。

所以，从今天开始，先不要“怪罪”，先往自己的内心深处探讨、反省。

要改变世界，我们得从自己开始。

加油！ ^_^g

坐在角落里象两个要饭模样的人是谁?

2010-04-10T01:53:00.003+08:00

请耐心看下去:

结婚那天，妈问我："坐在角落里象两个要饭模样的人是谁?"

我看过去的时候，有个老头正盯着我，旁边还有个老太太，发现我看着他们时赶忙低下头。我不认识他们但也不象要饭的，衣服是新的连折印都看得出来。妈说象要饭的是他们佝偻着身子，老太的身边倚了根拐杖的缘故。

妈说天池是孤儿，那边没亲戚来，如果不认识就轰他们走吧。现在要饭的坏着呢，喜欢等在酒店门口，见哪家办喜事就装作亲戚来吃黑酒。

我说不会，叫来天池问一下吧？天池慌里慌张把我的手捧花都掉地上了，最后吱吱唔唔地说是他们家堂叔和堂婶。我瞪了妈妈一眼：差点把亲戚赶走。

妈说: "天池你不是孤儿吗？哪来的亲戚呢?"

天池怕妈，低头说是他家远房的亲戚，好长时间不来往了。但结婚是大事，家里一个亲戚没来心里觉着是个憾事，所以……

我靠着天池的肩埋怨他有亲戚来也不早说，应该把他们调一桌，既然是亲戚就不能坐在备用桌上。天池拦着说: "就让他们坐那吧，坐别桌他们吃着也不自在。"

直到开席那桌上也就坐了堂叔和堂婶。敬谢席酒经过那桌，天池犹豫了一下拉着我从他们身边擦了过去。回头看到他们的头埋的很低，想了想我把天池给拽了回去："堂叔、堂婶，我们给你俩敬酒了!"

两人抬起头有点不相信的盯着我。二老的头发都是花白的，看上去很老应该有七八十岁的样子，堂婶的眼睛很空洞，脸虽对着我但眼神闪忽不定。我拿手不确定的在她眼前晃了晃，没反应。原来堂婶是个瞎子。

"堂...堂叔、堂婶，这是俺媳妇小洁，俺们现在给你们敬酒呢!" 天池在用乡音提醒他们。

"哦、哦。" 堂叔歪歪斜斜地站了起来，左手扶着堂婶的肩右手颤微微地端起酒杯，手指背上都是黄黄的茧，厚厚的指夹逢里留着黑黑的泥。面朝黄土背朝天的日子让他们过早地累弯了腰。我惊讶地发现，堂叔的右腿是空的。

堂婶是瞎子，堂叔是瘸子，怎样的一对夫妻啊？

"别站了，你们坐下吧。" 我走过去扶住他们。堂叔又摇晃着坐下了，无缘由的堂婶眼里忽然就叭嗒叭嗒直掉泪，看到堂叔无言地拍着她的背。本想劝他们两句，但天池拉着我离开了。

我跟天池说: "等他们回家的时候给他们一点钱吧，太可怜了。两人都是残疾，这日子根本想不通怎么过。"

天池点点头没说话，紧紧拥着我。

第一年的除夕，天池说胃疼没吃下晚饭回房睡觉去了。我让妈妈熬点大米粥也跟着进了房。天池躺在床上，眼里还憋着泪。

我说天池不带这样的，第一年的除夕就不跟我们一块吃晚饭，还跑房里这样。好象我们家亏待你似的，一过节你就胃疼，哪有这样的事情？其实我知道你不是胃疼，说吧什么事？

天池闷了半天说对不起，他只是想起堂叔和堂婶还有他死去的爹娘。他怕在桌上忍不住，惹爸妈不高兴才推说胃疼。

我搂着他说："真是个傻孩子，想他们我们过完年看他们去就成了，再说我也想知道他俩是怎么过日子的。"

天池说: "算了，那条山路特别难走。你会累着的，等以后路通了我们生了小孩再带你去那看他们吧。"

我心里想说："等我们生小孩的时候他们还不一定在呢!" 但没敢讲出来，嘴上说给他们再寄些钱物吧!"

第二年的中秋期间我正巧在外出差，中秋节那天又回不了家。我特别想天池和爸妈，我就跟天池煲电话粥。

我问天池想我想得睡不着怎么办？天池说就上网或者看电视，再不行就睡那睁着眼睛狠狠得想。
那晚，我们直到把手机聊得发烫没电为止。

躺在宾馆的床上，看着窗外圆圆的月亮，我怎么也睡不着。睁着眼睛流着泪想天池、想爸爸、想妈妈。想到天池估计也没睡着，说不定正在网上神游。翻身我也打开电脑，重新申请了一QQ号名叫读你，想捉弄一下天池。查了一下，天池果然在，我主动加了他，他接受了。

我问他："这样一个万家团圆的好日子，你为什么还在网上闲逛呢?"

他说："因为我老婆在外出差，想她睡不着觉所以就上网看看。"

我挺满意这句话，接着又打出："老婆不在家，可以找个情人代替，比如说网上，聊以自慰一下。"

半天他才敲出一行："如果你想找情人的话，对不起，我不是你找的人，再见。"

"对不起，我不是那个意思，你别生气。" 叭叭叭，我赶紧发过去。

过了一会他问我："你怎么也在网上闲逛呢?"

我说："我在外打工，现在想爸爸和妈妈。刚刚和男朋友通完电话还是睡不着，就上网了。"

"我也想我爹和娘，只是，亲在外，子欲养而不能。"

"亲在外，子欲养而不能。怎么讲？" 我把这句话又重复敲了过去。我有点莫明其妙，天池怎么说这样的话？

"你叫读你，我今天就让你读一次吧。有些事情放在心里很久会得病，拿出来晒晒会舒服些，反正你我也不认识，你就当作听一个故事吧!"

于是，我意外地知道了天池一直隐藏在内心的事情。

"30年前，我爹快五十了还没娶亲，因为他腿瘸加上家里又穷没有姑娘愿意嫁他。后来，庄上来了个要饭的老头还搀着个瞎眼的女人。老头病得很重，爹看他们可怜就让他们在自家歇息。没想到一住下那老头就没起来过，后来老头的女儿就是那瞎眼的女人嫁给了我爹。

第二年生下了我。

我家的日子过得很清苦，可我从来没饿过一顿。爹和娘种不了田，没有收入就帮别人家剥玉米粒，一天剥下来十指全是血泡，第二天缠上布条再剥。为了我上学，家里养了三只鸡，两只鸡生蛋卖钱，留下一只生蛋我吃。娘说她在城里要饭时听说城里的娃上学都吃鸡蛋，咱家娃也吃，将来比城里的娃更聪明。但他们从来都不吃，有回我看见娘把蛋打进锅里后用嘴舔着蛋壳里剩下的蛋清，我搂着娘嚎啕大哭。说什么也不肯吃鸡蛋了，爹知道原委后气得要用棍子打娘。最后我妥协，前提就是我们三人一块吃。虽然他们同意了，但每次也就象征性的用牙齿碰一下。

庄上的人从来不叫我名字，都叫我是瘸瞎子家的。爹娘一听到有人这样叫我必定会跟那人拼命。娘看不见就会拿了砖块乱砸，嘴上还骂着：你们这些杀千刀的，我们瘸瞎，我娃好好的，就不许你们这样叫唤。将来你们一个都不如我娃。

那年中考，瘸瞎子家的考了全县第一的喜讯让爹娘着实风光了一把。镇上替我们家出了所有的学杂费，送我上学的那天爹第一次出了山。上车的那会，我眼泪扑剌剌的直掉，爹一手拄着拐一手替我擦泪：进了城要好好学，以后就在城里找工作娶媳妇。别人问起你爹娘你就说你是孤儿，没爹娘，不然别人会看不起你。特别是娶不上媳妇，人家会嫌弃你。误了你娶媳妇，我都无脸去见老祖。

爹！我让爹别在说了，这是什么话，还没有用呢咋就不认爹娘呢？娘也说这是真话，要听。你不记得在学校里吗？只要说你是瘸瞎子家的，别人就会拿白眼挤兑你。刚开始连老师都不喜欢你。以后，你带了城里媳妇回家就说俺们是你的堂叔和堂婶。娘说完就在那抹泪。爹说，不要把媳妇带回家，一带回来你娘忍不住就会露馅的。然后往我怀里揣了十个熟鸡蛋就拖着娘走了。

我的眼泪也扑剌剌地往下掉，残疾不是他们的错，那是老天对他们的不公。但他们却生了一个完美的天池给我。这个傻天池，这样的爹娘，无法再完美了。我很生气，他怎么就这么小看我呢?"

"那后来，你就告诉你媳妇他们是你堂叔和堂婶?" 我敲过去这句话。

"本来我不信。媳妇找的是我又不是爹娘，为啥爹娘都不能认呢？不过我在外十年，爹娘一次都没去过我的学校。第一年工作，我想带他们进城玩玩，他们都不肯，说让人晓得我爹娘是残疾人会在我脸上抹黑，影响我娶媳妇。一辈子都在山里了不想出去了。娘还说她就是从城里来的，也没啥意思。

后来，我谈了第一个女朋友，当我认为时机差不多的时候，就带她回了趟家。谁知到家后，她晚饭都没留下吃一顿就走了，我追出去她说，和这样的人过日子她一天都过不下去。

还说我们家基因有问题，以后的小孩肯定也不会健康。我气得让她有多远滚多远。回到家，娘在那哭，爹也骂我。说我不听他们的话，非要断了咱家的香火不可。

后来，我遇上了第二个女朋友，就是现在我的老婆。我很爱她，做梦都怕失去她，她们家又很有钱，亲戚都是些上等人家，有了前车之鉴我很害怕只能不孝了。但是一到逢年过节我就想他们，心里堵得慌，难受。"

"那你从来就没有告诉过你老婆？也许她不计较这些呢？"

"我没说过，也不敢说。如果她同意了我想我岳母也不会同意的。我和她们住在一起，岳父在外是有脸面的人。如果爹娘来了不是在他们脸上抹黑吗？我也只能在出差学习的时候偷偷回去看上两眼。谢谢你听我说了这么多，现在我的心里舒服多了。"

下了网，我依旧没有觉意。都说儿不嫌母丑，狗不嫌家贫，看看我们都做了什么？我理解天池的无奈，也了解他爹娘的苦衷。但他们不知道却将无辜的我陷入了无情无义的逆境之中。

天将放亮时，我敲开了部门经理的门，告诉他下面的事情请他全权处理，我有点非常重要的事情尽快要办，一切就拜托他了。然后简单收拾一下行李我就直奔火车站。还好，赶得上头班列车。
那条山路确实很难走。刚开始腿上还有点劲，后来脚上磨起了泡我就再也走不动了。正是中午时分，太阳又晒得厉害，我只有喘气的份。背来的水差不多快喝完了，我也不知道下面还有多少路程要走。脱下鞋子挤了水泡，那一会疼得我都哭出声来，真想打个电话让天池来接我回家，最后还是忍住了。从路边揪一把芦苇花垫在脚底，感觉脚上舒服多了。想到天池的爹娘此时还在家劳作着腿上忽的一下就来了劲，站起来继续往前走。

当老村长把我领到天池家门口的时候，那一片烧得红红的晚霞正照在他们家门口的老枣树上。枣树下坐着堂叔，哦不、是天池的爹，爹比结婚时看到的老多了，手上剥着玉米，拐杖安静地倚在他那条残缺的腿上。娘跪在地上准备收晒好的玉米，手正一把一把地往里撸。

这，宛如一幅画，而画中便是这世上最完美的爹娘。

我一步一步地往他们跟前走着，爹看到了我，手中的玉米掉在了地上，嘴巴张得老大，吃惊地问："你、你咋过来了?"

娘在一旁摸索着问："他爹，谁来啦?"

"天、天池家的。"

"啊！在、在哪?" 娘惊慌失措地找着我的方向。

我弯腰放下行李，然后一把抓着她的手，对着他们，带着深深地痛、重重地跪了下去："爹！娘！我来接你们回家了!"

爹干咳了两下，泪无声地从爬满皱纹的脸上流出。

"俺就说，俺的娃没白养阿!" 娘把双手在自个身上来回的搓，然后一把抱住我，一行行的泪水从她空洞的眼里热热地流进我的脖子里。

我带爹娘走的时候村里是放了鞭炮的。我又为爹娘风光了一次。

当天池打开门，看到一左一右站在我身边的爹和娘时吃惊不小，怔怔地愣在那，一语未发。

我说："天池，我是读你的人。我把咱爹娘接回来了。这么完美的爹娘，你怎么舍得把他们丢在山里?"

天池泣不成声，紧紧的抱住我，像他娘一样把一行泪流进我的脖子里。

The Benefits of Walking

2010-04-03T18:48:00.003+08:00

What's one of the simplest and quickest ways to improve your overall wellness?

Walking!

Primitive tribespeople went on regular walkabouts, when individuals headed off into the bush as a rite of passage. In the wilderness, their minds, bodies and spirits were tested and cleansed. Some even met their spiritual guides, or so the legends say.

These days though, walking has been reduced to an inconvenience. It's considered a mile-stone for toddlers, something that all infants naturally progress to, but grown-ups generally wish to do as little of it as possible. We'd much rather get around in cars, taxis, buses and bikes.

But walking is immensely beneficial for our physical and mental well-being. For years, this single act has been linked to improving cardiovascular health. The reason is because, generally, walking is a safe movement that isn't likely to cause injury. New studies have shown that walking is also a terrific way to improve your mood. The next time you are feeling a little blue, you could just walk it off - literally.

A recent study paired individuals into groups, one of which spent 30 minutes on a treadmill and the other that participated in 30 minutes of rest. Each group's progress was monitored throughout the treatment with a conclusion that both groups reporting having less negative feelings at the end of the study, along with less stress and tension. The difference, however, was found when the group that spent 30 minutes walking also noted an overall improvement in well-being.

While the study further proves the theory that walking is good for mental health, as well as physical, it also lends credence to the theory that people who walk feel better overall. It also proves that an individual does not have to be outside in order to enjoy the benefits of walking. This simple exercise can be achieved with a treadmill or by simply walking in place while listening to music or watching TV.

Taking long walks also allows your mind to relax; the body goes into a spontaneous, comfortable rhythm, giving your thoughts a relaxed and unhurried climate in which to organize themselves. I've often come up with solutions and ideas while on a leisurely stroll.

So work a walking routine into your schedule. You'll start feeling the benefits in no time!

Adapted from "A Slice of Life" --- Presented and Written by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

可能很多人都不觉得走路是没什么的。但是，就也还能算是保持健康体魄的一种方式哦。

有时候，让自己的精神和情绪在走路的同时，就能得到解脱和松懈吧。加油！

^_^g

邹越松江实验中学演讲

2010-03-27T15:59:00.004+08:00

关于孝道和未来做人的方向。很感人的一篇演讲。

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主听着听着，真的很震撼、很感动。他说的不假，大家是否也犯了相同的错误？希望一篇演讲能带给大家醒悟。感谢月莉小姐和大家分享。

^_^g

The 9 Timeless Secrets to be Happy

2010-03-23T23:59:00.003+08:00

要如何才能得到快乐呢？其实，快乐，是由内心而生的。我们要做的，是发掘快乐，将内心深处的快乐散发出来，和身边的所有人分享！

加油！

^_^g

They Have Wishes Too

2010-03-14T02:04:00.006+08:00

Please read... A very touching message for all of us. Something that we do often take for granted.

This is about a man who tells how his booking an air ticket for his father, his first flight, brought emotions and made him realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents.

My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never travelled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same.

In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Lufthansa.

The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things.

As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him. When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me.

But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life.

As a child how many dreams our parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for football, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have satisfied to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes?

Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us?

Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school.

Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young, it is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.

Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments.

Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same attention and same care need to be given to our parents and elders.

Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes. Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

所以，大家要好好地感谢父母对我们无私的爱与关怀哦。。

^_^g

Stop Being Judgemental

2010-03-03T21:31:00.002+08:00

Judgemental people tend to impose their beliefs and their way of life on others. They look down on people who don’t live up to their expectations.

Your way feels “right”, you say. But it may not be “right” for others. Others should not have to act, be, and make the same choices that you do. As long as we’re not out there raping, killing or robbing, we all deserve respect and acceptance.

But many of us inevitably find things we don’t like about others.

Say you see someone in line at the post office. He wears faded-gray sweat pants, a ratty T-shirt, and dirty tennis shoes. You may be appalled that he could leave home looking like that. You may judge him to be poor and dirty.

But there could be a myriad of reasons why he chooses to present himself that way. Perhaps he’s in deep grief from a personal loss and so he does not care about his appearance. It could be any reason. The point is that he is who he is and you are who you are. How one presents themselves in public is none of our business, nor is it up to us to dictate how another person runs his life. Your way is right for you. His way is right for him.

When you stop being judgemental, you release all the bad emotions that come along with that habit. You’ll have a new habit of going around with compassion in your soul for the people with which we share this world.

It’s a wonderful feeling to be unsaddled from thinking ill of others. This is not to say that others will quit judging you just because you aren’t judging of others. After all, they may not yet know that there is such a thing as being non-judgmental or of becoming a better person!

Adapted from “A Slice of Life” – Presented and Written by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

做人，不能太咄咄逼人，也不要以己见加在他人身上哦。

加油了！！！ ^_^g

Loving your true self

2010-02-12T18:09:00.003+08:00

Some people always put other before them, and to them, this is a very natural thing; they feel they're being selfless and sympathetic. But in the process, they can forget who they are and lost themselves. They begin to get depressed, lose focus and ambition and wonder what happened to their lives to make them get to this point. The answer is simple --- they let their obligations and responsibilities get in the way of fulfilling their life's destiny and, in short, they lost themselves to others.

So, how does one who has become lost get found again?

One of the best things you can do for yourself and your loved ones is to practise self-love. Loving and respecting yourself more than anyone else is crucial because if you can't help yourself, you can't help others.

Nobody was born disliking how they looked. But some of us learnt to become insecure about our appearance as we grew up. So, reclaim that birthright. Fall in love with yourself all over again. See what you can do to enhance your appearance. We can all look and feel better paying more attention to our wardrobe, grooming, fitness and how we carry ourselves.

Now that you've worked on the outside, it's time to work on the inside. What's holding you back? What will set you free?

Self-reliance is your key to freedom. Many of us rely on others to make you happy. If not, make a list of goals to achieve a sense of self-validation and independence. The first thing on your list should be to accept responsibilities. Living your life always allowing others to make things happen for you or to make your life better puts you at the mercy of others later in life. Even within a relationship, try your best to even things out. Nobody likes giving all the time. So do your part.

And refocus your life to doing good whenever you can. Doing good empowers us and makes us feel more useful and valuable.

In order to be true to yourself, you must find time to reboot your life to become the happy, well-adjusted person lying dormant inside of you. By taking that positive step towards finding the self-love you deserve, you open yourself to happiness and self-fulfillment and become the person you want to be!

Adapted from "A Slice of Life" by Eugene Loh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主也是有同感。很多时候，我们都是无私地付出、为他人着想，可是，总会有些时候感觉这样下去很疲惫。需要的，是一个小小的鼓励的力量让我们继续走下去。。一定可以的！

加油！找回自己！

^_^g

迎春花

2010-02-03T03:15:00.001+08:00

有不同的版本，但是，这个版本应该是我们较少听到的吧。。^^

嘻嘻哈哈过新年

2010-01-31T23:59:00.001+08:00

真的要过年了！

春天里（原曲）-赵丹主唱

2010-01-27T20:17:00.002+08:00

经典老歌 ^^

The Seven Wonders of the World

2010-01-22T18:24:00.004+08:00

A group of geography students studied the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of that section, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World.

Though there were some disagreement, these got the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. to touch
2. to taste
3. to see
4. to hear"

She hesitated a little, and then,

"5. to run
6. to laugh
7. and to love"

Just because some things are in abundance doesn't make them less precious. Mothers delivering their babies occurs regularly enough, but think about the amount of effort, sacrifice, agony, and endurance that went on nine months before. And all the possible things that could have gone wrong but didn't. All the complexities involved in conception, pregnancy, and the final delivery, and how everything worked together to create another life --- a miracle in itself.

Things like the Great Wall, the Pyramids of Egypt, may be wondrous in the sheer immensity and architectural genuis involved, but these are not the things which make life worth living. Seek out the true wonders of the world --- your family, your friends, your ability to appreciate and enjoy the simple things in life.

Adapted from "A Slice of Life", Written by Eugene Loh, Story by Unknown Author

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

真的，有时候，我们人总是忽略了最实在、最基本的事物。可能外国的月亮真的比较圆吧，可是，那是因为我们忘了珍惜我们所拥有的。你要知道，当你觉得甲国的月亮比较圆时，甲国的人民可能也在觉得你国家的月亮比较圆呀！

人是不知足的动物，所以，才会有不满。有时，眼睛看靠近一点儿，你可能会有意想不到的收获哦！

加油！馆主祝福大家一切变得更好！

^_^g

Life = Risk

2010-01-16T00:21:00.000+08:00

"If you've never failed, you've never lived"

~~~~~~~

馆主也觉得，我们不要害怕失败，因为每次的失败，就是为了成就我们的未来。要坚强，要加油哦！

^_^g

Letting Go

2010-01-02T18:39:00.009+08:00

Letting go. It's much harder than it sounds. In the physical sense, it is almost effortless. But emotionally, it often requires a tremendous amount of courage.

Letting go of a partner who no longer wants to work at the relationship. Letting go of a child who is no longer a child. Letting go of the ghost of a loved one. Letting go of anger and resentment. Letting go of pride.

But the ability to "let go" is crucial for happiness and peace of mind. The people who break down at the feet of misfortune and loss are the ones who haven't learnt how to "let go", the ones who are frozen by the winter wind because they could not stop weeping by their dead crops.

It's important that we understand the true meaning of letting go.

Letting go does not mean that you stop caring. It means that you can no longer do it for someone else.

Letting go is not cutting yourself off. It's realizing that you can't control another.

Letting go is not trying to change or blame another. It's about making the most of yourself.

Letting go is not caring for, but caring about.

Letting go is not about fixing. It's about being supportive.

Letting go is not judging. It's allowing another to be a human being.

Letting go is not denying. It's accepting.

Letting go is not adjusting everything to your vagaries and desires, but taking each day as it comes and cherishing yourself in it.

Letting go is not about regretting the past. It's about growing and living for the future.

Letting go is fearing less, and loving more.

Letting go emotionally is endlessly harder than letting go physically. But if you practise it, you'll find it easier and easier to do. Choose peace of mind.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life', written by Eugene Loh; and quotes on "Letting Go" adapted from a passage of unknown origin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

说“放下”，可能对有些人来说，是件很困难的事。其实，要学习放下是需要莫大的勇气的。真正的英雄是不败的勇者，你是勇者吗？

但愿大家在新的一年会学习勇敢，也在新的一年学会“放下”以前不开心、不愉快的事情。

^_^g

心燈

2010-01-01T01:01:00.000+08:00

Living With Dementia

2009-12-06T23:30:00.008+08:00

produced by Singapore Polytechnic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

真的很感人，也很让人觉得可悲。。我们是不是也让爱着我们的人为了我们奔波劳累，而没有关心他们？

真的应该好好反省了。

^_^g

Letting Go of Revenge

2009-12-04T22:43:00.004+08:00

Retailation is an instinctive response for most people when they suffer an injustice. Even the most peace-loving pacifist experiences some points in life where he or she comtemplates the idea of revenge. One may not act upon the thought, but the very idea of "getting back" at someone is enough to rob us of happiness, if it becomes a preoccupation.

The desire for revenge is an obsession, and obsessions pull us away from the most important things in life, like our loved ones, our work, and the enjoyment of all that we have. It prevents us from living fully in the moment because it traps us in a cycle of thinking: "Now, how shall I hurt this person who has hurt me, so that I might feel better?"

The fact is, no one feels better after a vengeful act. If someone has done something disrespectful or disdainful enough to upset us, our act of vengeance would have to be just as bad, or worse. Consequently, we lower ourselves to a level where it's difficult to respect ourselves, and our sense of self-worth suffers. In the long-run, our souls become pale and sick because we've shut it in a dark room for too long, ignoring the sunshine of forgiveness which exists just outside. As E.H. Chapin once said, "Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it forgoes revenge, and dares to forgive an injury."

People who focus on revenge don't allow their wounds to heal. They never quite recover from the transgression, because in order to fan the flame of revenge, they have to keep their wounds open... better still, make them bigger and allow them to fester. Old hurts tend to become more and more grievous when we allow them to bubble and boil in our cauldron of resentment.

People with a strong desire for revenge miss out on many good things in life. They often only see the ugly, the unjust, and the irredeemable. They add to the anger and hatred in the world, of which, if you haven't already noticed, we have in great abundance.

Revenge, ultimately achieves nothing. After the act, you might feel "good" for a while, but the thrill wears off. You realise that revenge doesn't heal your grievances. You don't become a better person, in fact, you're just as bad as the person who supposedly wronged you. You realise that while you were comtemplating revenge, your relationship with your loved ones and the world had suffered.

Forgiveness is so much easier, and it is so much sweeter than revenge.

As Confucius once said, "To be wronged is nothing... unless you continue to remember it."

Adapted from Eugene Loh - A Slice of Life

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

没有错，其实人生中最大的美德，就是饶恕。可是，我们往往只记得别人对我们的不好，而一心想要报复他们，而最终在这过程中迷失了自己 --- 真正的自己。

我们要学习放开过去，这样，我们才有可能拥抱更美好的明天哟！

加油！^_^g

三岁了！

2009-11-28T11:28:00.003+08:00

大家知道吗？馆主才发现，原来设立这个学习馆的三年和慢慢带大一个婴孩的感觉是一样的。每天每天，你都会希望这个宝贝会好好地、健康地成长，可是，你不可能永远待在孩子身边，所以，它终于慢慢长大了，有点儿欣慰，但也开始为它未来的成长过程感到担忧。

未来的日子，会是怎么样的呢？馆主也不知道。但是，馆主真心的希望每个到微笑学习馆的朋友们都也有一些体会，也希望在接下来的日子里，无论是学习馆里的分享或到学习馆来的朋友们都会快乐地成长。

大家要快乐地学习。微笑着哟！

^_^g

Man's faithful friend

2009-11-20T13:02:00.004+08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主虽然还是觉得结局很残忍。有时候，人的选择并非就是最正确的，只是当务之急能做的是什么，我们就该将它做到最好。

我们应该学习着更爱护我们的宠物。它们不是在我们无聊的时候才依靠的。有时，它们是最能体会我们的，最真心的朋友。

希望这个感人的影片能让你学习多爱护动物，不要做出伤害它们的事。

^_^g

Importance of Sleep

2009-11-16T01:04:00.006+08:00

What killed Ranjan Das and Lessons for Corporate India

A month ago, many of us heard about the sad demise of Ranjan Das from Bandra, Mumbai. Ranjan, just 42 years of age, was the CEO of SAP-Indian Subcontinent, the youngest CEO of an MNC in India. He was very active in sports, was a fitness freak and a marathon runner. It was common to see him run on Bandra's Carter Road. Just after Diwali, on 21st Oct, he returned home from his gym after a workout, collapsed with a massive heart attack and died. He is survived by his wife and two very young kids.

It was certainly a wake-up call for corporate India. However, it was even more disastrous for runners amongst us. Since Ranjan was an avid marathoner ( in Feb 09, he ran Chennai Marathon at the same time some of us were running Pondicherry Marathon 180 km away ), the question came as to why an exceptionally active, athletic person succumb to heart attack at 42 years of age.

Was it the stress?

A couple of you called me asking about the reasons. While Ranjan had mentioned that he faced a lot of stress, that is a common element in most of our lives. We used to think that by being fit, one can conquer the bad effects of stress. So I doubted if the cause was stress.

The Real Reason

However, everyone missed out a small line in the reports that Ranjan used to make do with 4-5 hours of sleep. This is an earlier interview of Ranjan on NDTV in the program 'Boss' Day Out': Boss' Day Out: Ranjan Das of SAP India.

Here he himself admits that he would love to get more sleep ( and that he was not proud of his ability to manage without sleep, contrary to what others extolled ).

The Evidence

Last week, I was working with a well-known cardiologist on the subject of ‘Heart Disease caused by Lack of Sleep’. While I cannot share the video nor the slides because of confidentiality reasons, I have distilled the key points below in the hope it will save some of our lives.

Some Excerpts:

· Short sleep duration ( less than 5 or 5-6 hours ) increased risk for high BP by 350% to 500% compared to those who slept longer than 6 hours per night. Paper published in 2009. As you know, high BP kills.

· Young people ( 25-49 years of age ) are twice as likely to get high BP if they sleep less. Paper published in 2006.

· Individuals who slept less than 5 hours a night had a 3-fold increased risk of heart attacks. Paper published in 1999.

· Complete and partial lack of sleep increased the blood concentrations of High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-cRP), the strongest predictor of heart attacks. Even after getting adequate sleep later, the levels stayed high!!

· Just one night of sleep loss increases very toxic substances in body such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) and C-reactive protein (cRP). They increase risks of many medical conditions, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease. Paper published in 2004.

· Sleeping for less than or equal to 5 hours per night leads to 39% increase in heart disease. Sleeping for less than or equal to 6 hours per night leads to 18% increase in heart disease. Paper published in 2006.

Ideal Sleep

For lack of space, I cannot explain here the ideal sleep architecture. But in brief, sleep is composed of two stages: REM ( Rapid Eye Movement ) and non-REM. The former helps in mental consolidation while the latter helps in physical repair and rebuilding. During the night, you alternate between REM and non-REM stages 4-5 times.

The earlier part of sleep is mostly non-REM. During that period, your pituitary gland releases growth hormones that repair your body. The latter part of sleep is more and more REM type.

For you to be mentally alert during the day, the latter part of sleep is more important. No wonder when you wake up with an alarm clock after 5-6 hours of sleep, you are mentally irritable throughout the day (lack of REM sleep). And if you have slept for less than 5 hours, your body is in a complete physical mess ( lack of non-REM sleep ), you are tired throughout the day, moving like a zombie and your immunity is way down ( I’ve been there, done that ).
Finally, as long-distance runners, you need an hour of extra sleep to repair the running related damage.

If you want to know if you are getting adequate sleep, take Epworth Sleepiness Test below.

Interpretation: Score of 0-9 is considered normal while 10 and above abnormal. Many a times, I have clocked 21 out the maximum possible 24, the only saving grace being the last situation, since I don’t like to drive ( maybe, I should ask my driver to answer that line ).

In conclusion:

Barring stress control, Ranjan Das did everything right: eating proper food, exercising ( marathoning! ), maintaining proper weight. But he missed getting proper and adequate sleep, minimum 7 hours. In my opinion, that killed him.
If you are not getting enough sleep ( 7 hours ), you are playing with fire, even if you have low stress.

I always took pride in my ability to work 50 hours at a stretch whenever the situation warranted. But I was so spooked after seeing the scientific evidence last week that since Saturday night, I ensure I do not even set the alarm clock under 7 hours. Now, that is a nice excuse to get some more sleep.

Unfortunately, Ranjan Das is not alone when it comes to missing sleep. Many of us are doing exactly the same, perhaps out of ignorance. Please forward this mail/article to as many of your colleagues/friends as possible, especially those who might be short-changing their sleep. If we can save even one young life because of this email, I would be the happiest person on earth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Adapted -

所以啊，我们一定要尽量睡足才行哦。不要经常缺睡哦。

^_^g

A Tale of Tolerance

2009-11-11T01:38:00.002+08:00

我们知道忍耐是什么吗？千万不可把和谐当成是理所当然的哦。

祝福着大家。

^_^g

三字经 - 买臣负薪

2009-11-09T23:00:00.001+08:00

故事

汉朝有个叫朱买臣的读书人，家里很穷，到了四十岁还是一个穷困的书生，与妻子崔氏艰难度日。为了生活，朱买臣每天都进山砍柴。即使这样，他也没有放弃读书，每次砍柴，他都要带上书。妻子崔氏无法忍受这种艰苦的生活，与他离了婚。朱买臣孤身一人，依然每天砍柴读书。在他快五十岁时，汉武帝召见他，任命他为中大夫，后来又做了家乡的太守。他的妻子见朱买臣衣锦还乡，羞愧难当。

三字经 - 李密挂角

2009-11-06T22:52:00.001+08:00

如负薪如挂角身虽劳犹苦卓

释义
汉朝朱买臣一面背柴，一面读书；隋朝李密骑牛外出时，牛角上挂着书，以便随时阅读。他们虽然身体劳累，却仍能刻苦读书。

故事
隋朝时的李密从小就喜欢读书学习，即使外出也把书随身携带。一次，他出门去拜访朋友，路上为了方便，就把《汉书》挂在牛角上。正在他全心读书时，与当时的宰相杨素相遇。杨素见他如此好学，顿生好感。通过了解，杨素感觉李密还有举一反三的独到见解。后来，杨素的儿子起兵反隋，拜李密为军师。李密后来加入了瓦岗军，为推翻隋朝的残暴统治做出了贡献，他挂角读书的事迹也激励了很多的读书人。

三字经 - 车胤囊萤

2009-11-03T22:48:00.003+08:00

故事

车胤 [che1 yin4] 是晋朝时期的一个年轻人，他非常喜欢读书，不管白天多累，只要晚上一拿起书，所有的疲劳就会一扫而光。后来家里穷得连灯油也买不起了，车胤很苦恼。一个夏天的晚上，车胤在野外散步，忽然发现飞舞着的萤火虫，心里有了一个好主意。他抓了一些萤火虫装进袋子，借着萤火虫微弱的光，车胤又能读书了。后来，车胤做了大官，但仍然坚持学习，他一生都以勤学闻名于世。

Life is like a cup of coffee

2009-10-30T18:42:00.005+08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

真的，你怎么看待人生/生命呢？

Why Must You Be Like Others?

2009-10-27T10:27:00.001+08:00

親愛的小孩

2009-10-19T02:17:00.000+08:00

如果勾起你的记忆。。。

小小的小孩　今天有沒有哭
是否朋友都已經離去　留下了帶不走的孤獨

漂亮的小孩　今天有沒有哭
是否弄髒了美麗的衣服　卻找不到別人傾訴

聰明的小孩　今天有沒有哭
是否遺失了心愛的禮物　在風中尋找從清晨到日暮

我親愛的小孩　為什麼你不讓我看清楚
是否讓風吹熄了蠟燭　在黑暗中獨自漫步

親愛的小孩　快快擦乾你的淚珠
我願意陪伴你走上回家的路

親愛的小孩　今天有沒有哭
是否朋友都已經離去　留下了帶不走的孤獨

親愛的小孩　今天有沒有哭
是否遺失了心愛的禮物　在風中尋找從清晨到日暮

Life Without Limits

2009-10-12T00:01:00.001+08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you going to finish strong?" --- inspiring~!

每个人的人生经历都是不一样的，可是，我们每个人的未来都是无可限量的。尝试是一门很棒的功课。可是，我们往往都害怕失败所以不愿意尝试。可是，没有尝试过又怎么知道我们一定不会成功呢？

加油吧，大家！谢谢之前分享的朋友们，也感谢月莉小姐又再次向馆主提起，拿出来作分享。

^_^g

Daddy, you can let go

2009-10-10T19:05:00.004+08:00

~~~~~~~~~~

发人深省。。。馆主了解，我们很多时候都可能觉得我们的父母怎么就不能放手让我们去做自己想做的事。。我们都认为自己长大了，父母只会唠叨、过分地担心。但是，生我们、养育我们的人，岂能放心、放下我们？我们一辈子都是他们的孩子，一辈子都在他们的呵护之下成长着，不可能会改变的。

要珍惜啊。

^_^g

好不好？

2009-09-21T21:09:00.000+08:00

朋友您好，为了你好，请您坐好，用心听好。
钱多钱少，够吃就好。
人丑人美，顺眼就好。
人老人少，健康就好。
家穷家富，和气就好。
老公晚归，有回就好。
老婆唠叨，顾家就好。
孩子从小，就要教好。
博士也好，卖菜也好，长大以后，乖乖就好。
房屋大小，能住就好。
名不名牌，能穿就好。
两轮四轮，能驾就好。
老板不好，要忍就好。
一切烦恼，能解就好。
坚持执着，放下最好。
人的一生，平安就好。
不是有钱，一定会好。
心好行好，命能改好。
谁是谁非，天知就好。
修福修慧，来世更好。
天地万物，随缘就好。
很多事情，看开就好。
说这么多，明白就好。
人人都好，日日都好。
你好我好，世界更好。
总而言之，知足最好。
这条短信，真的很好，不发给你，是我不好。

MM Lee Kuan Yew On Aging (v)

2009-09-09T12:40:00.002+08:00

In other words, you must have an interest in life. If you believe that at 55, you're retiring, you're going to read books, play golf and drink wine, then I think you're done for. So statistically they will show you that all the people who retire and lead sedentary lives, the pensioners die off very quickly.

So we now have a social problem with medical sciences, new procedures, new drugs, many more people are going to live long lives. If the mindset is that when I reach retirement age 62, I'm old, I can't work anymore, I don't have to work, I just sit back, now is the time I'll enjoy life, I think you're making the biggest mistake of your life.

After one month, or after two months, even if you go travelling with nothing to do, with no purpose in life, you will just degrade, you'll go yo seed.

The human being needs a challenge, and my advice to every person in Singapore and elsewhere: Keep yourself interested, have a challenge..

If you're not interested in the world and the world is not interested in you, the biggest punishment a man can receive is total isolation in a dungeon, black and complete withdrawal of all stimuli, that's real torture. So when I read that people believe, Singaporeans say, 'Oh, 62 I'm retiring.' I say to them, 'You really want to die quickly?' If you want to see sunrise tomorrow or sunset, you must have a reason, you must have the stimuli to keep going.'

Have a purpose driven life and finish well my friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- end -

MM Lee Kuan Yew On Aging (iv)

2009-09-05T12:39:00.004+08:00

So all right, cut out fats, change diet, went to see a specialist in Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital. He said: 'Take statins.' I said, 'What's that?' He said, '(They) help to reduce your cholesterol.' My doctors were concerned. They said, 'You don't need it. Your cholesterol levels are okay.' Two years later, more medical evidence came out. So the doctors said, 'Take statins.'

Had there been no angioplasty, had I not known that something was up and I cycled on, I might have gone at 74 like my mother. So I missed that deadline.

So next deadline: my father's fall at 87.

I'm very careful now because sometimes when I turn around too fast, I feel as if I'm going to get off balance. So my daughter, a neurologist, she took me to the NNI, there's this nerve conduction test, put electrodes here and there.

The transmission of the messages between the feet and the brain has slowed down.

So all the exercise, everything, effort put in, I'm fit, I swim, I cycle. But I can't prevent this losing of conductivity of the nerves and this transmission. So just go slow.

So when I climb up the steps, I have no problem. When I go down the steps, I need to be sure that I've got something I can hang on to, just in case. So it's a constant process of adjustment.

But I think the most important single lesson I learnt in life was that if you isolate yourself, you're done for.

The human being is a social animal - he needs stimuli, he needs to meet people, to catch up with the world.

I don't much like travel but I travel very frequently despite the jet lag, because I get to meet people of great interest to me, who will help me in my work as chairman of our GIC. So I know, I'm on several boards of banks, international advisory boards of banks, of oil companies and so on.

And I meet them and I get to understand what's happening in the world, what has changed since I was here one month ago, one year ago. I go to India, I go to China.

And that stimuli brings me to the world of today. I'm not living in the world, when I was active, more active 20, 30 years ago. So I tell my wife. She woke up late today. I said, 'Never mind, you come along by 12 o'clock. I go first.'

If you sit back - because part of the ending part of the encyclopaedia which I read was very depressing - as you get old, you withdraw from everything and then all you will have is your bedroom and the photographs and the furniture that you know, and that's your world. So if you've got to go to hospital, the doctor advises you to bring some photographs so that you'll know you're not lost in a different world, that this is like your bedroom.

I'm determined that I will not, as long as I can, to be reduced, to have my horizons closed on me like that. It is the stimuli, it is the constant interaction with people across the world that keeps me aware and alive to what's going on and what we can do to adjust to this different world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

to be continued...

MM Lee Kuan Yew On Aging (iii)

2009-09-02T12:38:00.005+08:00

So, as you acquire more knowledge, you then craft a programme for yourself to maximise what you have. It's just common sense. I never planned to live till 85 or 84! I just didn't think about it. I said: 'Well, my mother died when she was 74, she had a stroke. My father died when he was 94.'

But I saw him, and he lived a long life, well, maybe it was his DNA. But more than that, he swam every day and he kept himself busy. He was working for the Shell company. He was in charge, he was a superintendent of an oil depot. When he retired, he started becoming a salesman. So people used to tell me, 'Your father is selling watches at BP de Silva.' My father was then living with me. But it kept him busy. He had that routine: He meets people, he sells watches, he buys and sells all kinds of semi-precious stones, he circulates coins. And he keeps going. But at 87, 88, he fell, going down the steps from his room to the dining room, broke his arm, three months incapacitated. Thereafter, he couldn't go back to swimming. Then he became wheelchair-bound. Then it became a problem because my house was constructed that way. So my brother - who's a doctor and had a flat (one-level) house - took him in. And he lived on till 94. But towards the end, he had gradual loss of mental powers.

So my calculations, I'm somewhere between 74 and 94. And I've reached the halfway point now. But have I?

Well, 1996 when I was 73, I was cycling and I felt tightening on the neck. Oh, I must retire today. So I stopped. Next day, I returned to the bicycle. After five minutes it became worse.

So I said, no, no, this is something serious, it's got to do with the blood vessels. Rung up my doctor, who said, 'Come tomorrow'. Went tomorrow, he checked me, and said, 'Come back tomorrow for an angiogram.'

I said: 'What's that?' He said, 'We'll pump something in and we'll see whether the coronary arteries are cleared or blocked.' I was going to go home. But an MP who was a cardiologist happened to be around, so he came in and said: 'What are you doing here?' I said, 'I've got this.' He said: 'Don't go home. You stay here tonight. I've sent patients home and they never came back. Just stay here. They'll put you on the monitor.

They'll watch your heart. And if anything, an emergency arises, they will take you straight to the theatre. You go home. You've got no such monitor. You may never come back.'

So I stayed there. Pumped in the dye, yes it was blocked, the left circumflex, not the critical, lead one. So that's lucky for me. Two weeks later, I was walking around,I felt it's coming back. Yes it has come back, it had occluded. So this time they said: 'We'll put in a stent.'

I'm one of the first few in Singapore to have the stent, so it was a brand new operation. Fortunately, the man who invented the stent was out here selling his stent. He was from San Jose, La Jolla something or the other. So my doctor got hold of him and he supervised the operation. He said put the stent in. My doctor did the operation, he just watched it all and then that's that. That was before all this problem about lining the stent to make sure that it doesn't occlude and create a disturbance.

So at each stage, I learnt something more about myself and I stored that.

I said, 'Oh, this is now a danger point.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

to be continued...

MM Lee Kuan Yew On Aging (ii)

2009-08-31T12:34:00.004+08:00

Then one day I was at the home of my colleague, Mr Rajaratnam, meeting foreign correspondents including some from the London Times and they took a picture of me and I had a big belly like that (puts his hands in front of his belly), a beer belly. I felt no, no, this will not do. So I started playing more golf, hit hundreds of balls on the practice tee. But this didn't go down. There was only one way it could go down: consume less, burn up more.

Another turning point came when - this was 1976, after the general election - I was feeling tired. I was breathing deeply at the Istana, on the lawns. My daughter, who at that time just graduating as a doctor, said, 'What are you trying to do?' I said, 'I feel an effort to breathe in more oxygen.' She said: 'Don't play golf. Run. Aerobics..' So she gave me a book , quite a famous book and, then, very current in America on how you score aerobic points swimming, running, whatever it is, cycling. I looked at it sceptically. I wasn't very keen on running. I was keen on golf. So I said,'Let's try'. So in-between golf shots while playing on my own, sometimes nine holes at the Istana, I would try and walk fast between shots. Then I began to run between shots. And I felt better. After a while, I said: 'Okay, after my golf, I run.' And after a few years, I said, 'Golf takes so long. The running takes 15 minutes. Let's cut out the golf and let's run.'

I think the most important thing in ageing is you got to understand yourself. And the knowledge now is all there.

When I was growing up, the knowledge wasn't there. I had to get the knowledge from friends, from doctors. But perhaps the most important bit of knowledge that the doctor gave me was one day, when I said, 'Look, I'm feeling slower and sluggish.' So he gave me a medical encyclopaedia and he turned the pages to ageing. I read it up and it was illuminating. A lot of it was difficult jargon but I just skimmed through to get the gist of it.

As you grow, you reach 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and then, thereafter, you are on a gradual slope down physically.

Mentally, you carry on and on and on until I don't know what age, but mathematicians will tell you that they know their best output is when they're in their 20s and 30s when your mental energy is powerful and you haven't lost many neurons. That's what they tell me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

to be continued...

MM Lee Kuan Yew On Aging (i)

2009-08-28T11:35:00.005+08:00

======================================================
* I CARE ABOUT OUR SAFETY *
======================================================

Learn from the most wise from Singapore. I do agree he has a point or two there. Wishing all a long and blessed life.

Subject: Lee Kuan Yew On Aging

This has nothing about politics - very interesting.
A very good read! MM speaks from experience.

MY CONCERN today is, what is it I can tell you which can add to your knowledge about ageing and what ageing societies can do. You know more about this subject than I do. A lot of it is out in the media, internet and books. So I thought the best way would be to take a personal standpoint and tell you how I approach this question of ageing.

If I cast my mind back, I can see turning points in my physical and mental health. You know, when you're young, I didn't bother, assumed good health was God-given and would always be there. When I was about 1957 that was - I was about 34, we were competing in elections, and I was really fond of drinking beer and smoking. And after the election campaign, in Victoria Memorial Hall - we had won the election, the City Council election - I couldn't thank the voters because I had lost my voice. I'd been smoking furiously. I'd take a packet of 10 to deceive myself, but I'd run through the packet just sitting on the stage, watching the crowd, getting the feeling, the mood before I speak.

In other words, there were three speeches a night. Three speeches a night, 30 cigarettes, a lot of beer after that, and the voice was gone.

I remember I had a case in Kuching, Sarawak. So I took the flight and I felt awful. I had to make up my mind whether I was going to be an effective campaigner and a lawyer, in which case I cannot destroy my voice, and I can't go on. So I stopped smoking. It was a tremendous deprivation because I was addicted to it. And I used to wake up dreaming... the nightmare was I resumed smoking.

But I made a choice and said, if I continue this, I will not be able to do my job. I didn't know anything about cancer of the throat or oesophagus or the lungs, etc. But it turned out it had many other deleterious effects.

Strangely enough after that, I became very allergic, hyper-allergic to smoking, so much so that I would plead with my Cabinet ministers not to smoke in the Cabinet room. You want to smoke, please go out, because I am allergic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

to be continued...

和你一样

2009-08-13T01:52:00.001+08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

歌词感人、具有鼓励。和大家分享。

^_^g

Give It A Shot

2009-08-07T21:37:00.002+08:00

Question: There are 3 frogs on a leaf. If one of them decided to jump off the leaf into the water, how many frogs are there left on the leaf?

Answer: Three!

Why? The frog only DECIDED to jump! It didn't!

Dreaming of a personal accomplishment, most people make the mistake of waiting...
- Waiting until they've been trained
- Waiting till someone say's they are ready
- Waiting till they have the proper tools
- Waiting till they're better
- Waiting till they're hired
- Waiting till they've been given the assignment

Ponder over this, my friends. Are you not unlike the frog; who decides to do this, decides to do that, but ended up not doing any?

In life, we have to make many decisions. Some easy; some hard. Most mistakes are not made by wrong decisions; Most mistakes are made due to our inability to take a right decision at the right time.

We have to live with the consequences of our decisions. And that is RISK.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

是吧，我们很多时候都光想但不行动，那样我们当然达不到目标、梦想呗。光说不练是没用的，所以，一定要以行动来实践梦想哦！感谢月莉小姐和我们分享这篇故事。

^_^g

People come into your life...

2009-08-05T00:00:00.001+08:00

The Way You Wake Up

2009-08-02T00:00:00.001+08:00

Success in life can be as simple as looking at the way you wake up. If you can wake up in a happy, peaceful and positive frame of mind, then you will reclaim your confidence, your love for life, your desire to succeed. The mood with which you start the day sets the tone for the rest of the day.

One way of ensuring that you wake up in a positive and powerful frame of mind is to change your ritual before you go to sleep. Look back over your day. How are you describing what happened to you today?

Are you focusing on those incidents that drained you or the actions, feedback and feelings that amde you feel good? You should concentrate on issues that give you power, what made you feel good. You see, what you focus on is what you get. So if you continue to focus on the negative and the draining issues then you have no choice but to feel sluggish and drained all the time. If you can allow yourself to drift off to sleep while thinking positively of your successes then you have the opportunity of being recharged through sleep and waking in a dynamic frame of mind.

It may sometimes be impossible to see successes of the day. Maybe one particular day, everything seemed to go wrong for you. What can you do then? Well, think about it this way --- it doesn't matter how bad the experience is; work with it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. Nothing can happen to you that isn't for your benefit. Even though when it is happening it doesn't feel like it. Do not just accept the draining incident and make youself tired and discouraged but refocus your mind. Imagine that whatever happens to you is meant to happen to you and coming through it can only improve you.

And throw away your alarm clock. For many people this sounds ridiculous. How would you ever get up in the morning if it weren't for your alarm clock? But have you ever stopped to wonder what it is about your life that requires you to shock yourself awake? Can such regular rude awakenings be good for you? If you need some assistance in waking up by a particular time, try waking up to music, or use a more subtle method like a Zen Clock which gives a soft tone of increasing frequency, that will slowly and gently wake you up.

Wake up 5 to 10 minutes earlier, sit quietly and plant the seeds of peace and love in your mind. Listen to soothing music. Cultivate a feeling of warmth and peace. A feeling of love and acceptance. When you do this, you are connecting with your natural power of peace and love which naturally bring freedom and positivity to your life. The result is a feeling of harmony and contentment.

Now you're ready to face the world!

Adapted from "A Slice of Life" by Eugene Loh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

馆主觉得这篇分享很适合大家。我们每天忙忙碌碌的，很可能不小心就迷失了自己；更轻易沮丧。我们不妨试试这个新的乐观理念，看看成效如何唔？

加油哦！

^_^g

有一天我老了，也會 ...

2009-07-30T00:00:00.007+08:00

周六一大早，还在赖床，电话铃声打断了我的清梦，原來是妈：「中午要不要帶孩子回來吃肉羹？」

「可是我答应孩子今天去麦当劳吃早餐耶！」
妈仍不放弃：「把那个钱省下來啊！开车回來才十分钟。」

我心里想：孩子一定喜欢吃汉堡，不要吃肉羹。果然，在我犹豫时，老大、老二一个摇手、一个做拜托状，大家都期待一周难得一次的早餐会。

於是我告訴媽：「等我们讨论好再打给妳好吗？」
妈有点幽幽地回：「好吧！」
电话一掛，孩子们同声说：「不要啦！我们说好去麦当劳的。」

我告诉孩子：「外婆的目的根本不是要我们去吃肉羹，她是想看我们。」
「可是我们上星期不是才回去给她看过？」

我知道单以这个理由要更改原计划有点不合理，便告訴孩子：「有一天我老了，也会打电话給你们说：
『儿子啊！要不要回來？我烤了蛋糕哦，帶孩子回來吧！』如果兒子回答我：『蛋糕到处有得买，我今天沒空啦！』那我会很伤心。」
四岁的小女儿马上说：「我不会。我会说好。」结果我们协议：早餐照原计划，晚上去外婆家。

妈妈知道了好高兴：「那我晚上再煮肉羹。」

下午加完班，赶回家和孩子、老公会合，爸妈看到我们好高兴。我们鱼贯进入厨房盛肉羹，大人小孩叽叽喳喳地聊天，妈妈开始诉说她的五十肩每天折磨着她。我问她：「有沒有去做复建？热敷？」

「有啊，都沒有用！」 ... 於是，我深深了解到妈妈要的不是医疗资讯，而是儿女的关心。

走进厨房，看到一向爱干净的老妈心爱的锅子盖都沾了厚厚一层油垢，便用铁刷用力把它们刷洗干净，一面刷一面想到：妈妈一定是沒力气刷它们了。

她曾经用双手一手抱我、一手拿铲子炒菜，也曾用双手刷遍家里每一个角落。

她那双手还曾经握着汽车方向盤赚钱 ── 她是台中第一位女计程车司机 ── 如今年纪大了，她的手累了，却仍然忍着痠痛煮我们爱吃的肉羹面、炒米粉，然后打电话叫我们回家。

我再忙再累，都要常常回娘家洗锅子；也希望有一天党我年纪大了、手也不再灵光时，孩子们记得回家帮我刷刷锅子。

不要只关心小孩，有天我們也会老唷！

记得在花莲门若医院长廊上看见的宣导海报：「记得宝宝是一岁又... 個月长第一颗牙齿，却不记得父亲最后一颗牙是什么时候掉的。」

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

有点儿长的故事。但是，重点是，我们要学习体会长辈的心思。他们所要做饭给我们吃，并不是单单要我们吃饭，而是想要我们多陪陪他们、多看看我们。知道了吗？感谢月莉小姐和我们分享的这篇故事。

^_^g

六十六条经典禅语（三十三）

2009-07-27T02:07:00.000+08:00

- 完 -

六十六条经典禅语（三十二）

2009-07-23T02:06:00.000+08:00

六十六条经典禅语（三十一）

2009-07-20T02:04:00.000+08:00

六十六条经典禅语（三十）

2009-07-15T02:02:00.000+08:00

六十六条经典禅语（二十九）

2009-07-11T02:01:00.000+08:00

六十六条经典禅语（二十八）

2009-07-07T01:59:00.000+08:00

六十六条经典禅语（二十七）

2009-07-03T01:58:00.000+08:00

You Raise Me Up

2009-06-29T00:12:00.000+08:00

the 45 lessons life taught me

2009-06-25T01:55:00.000+08:00

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath.. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

值得分享，思考。

^_^g

六十六条经典禅语（二十六）

2009-06-22T01:57:00.001+08:00

Do Not Hurt Yourself

2009-06-19T01:37:00.005+08:00

One night a snake, while it was looking for food, entered a carpenter’s workshop.

The carpenter, who was a rather untidy man, had left several of his tools lying on the floor. One of them was a saw. As the snake went round and round the shop, he climbed over the saw, which gave him a little cut.

At once, thinking that the saw was attacking him, he turned around and bit it so hard that his mouth started to bleed. This made him very angry. He attacked again and again until the saw was covered with blood and seemed to be dead.

Dying from his own wounds, the snake decided to give one last hard bite then turned away. The next morning the carpenter was surprised to find a dead snake on his doorstep.

Lesson to Learn:
Sometimes in trying to hurt others, we only hurt ourselves..

Adapted from: Pravs World

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

感谢月莉小姐和大家分享的这个故事。的确，人往往在想害其他人的时候都忽略了，真正害到的人其实是自己。馆主个人认为 [i.e.不代表本学习馆立场 :p]: sometimes in trying to inflict pain and misery on others, we'll only realize that the greatest pain and misery resulted from the action / thought is upon ourselves... so why don't we try to bring happiness to others instead?

不知道馆主的想法是否正确，但是，让这世界加注多一分的快乐和欢笑总比多一分悲伤来得好吧？

祝福大家哦！

^_^g