Sunday, April 30, 2006
Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. Lost love is still love. It takes a different form, that’s all. You can’t see their smiles or give them a hug or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it. Life has to end, love doesn’t.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Lessons on Life
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
T o p C i t y
Singapore has featured in yet another survey. This time a human resource soncultancy has found ours to be Asia's top city to live in. We don't care who else they asked, thry did not ask us. We use their criteria - and this is the inside story.
Political and social environment : The political environemnt is as stable as Everset. Law enforcement is superb - just try overstaying your parking coupon.
Socio-cultural environemnt : Strict control of what can be seen and heard ensures Singaporeans' maturity peaks at six years. There is complet freedom to shop.
Medical and health considerations : Medical help is readily available, but queue time depends on finances. Infectious diseases are minimized - except in cases of stupidity, subervience and silence.
School and educations : Schools produce a homogenous populace. The best schools have the fewest places - to ensure a homogenous populace.
Public services and transpotation : There's enough power to light up the skyline, enough water to feed the Suntec fountain, enough buses at off-peak hours, enough taxis before 11pm, and traffic jams even during ERP hours.
Recreations : Restaurants abound in every shopping mall. Cinemas all show the same five films, so you need not go far for a movie. We have more sports facilities than medal-winning athletes. The major leisure activcity is surfing between Channels 5, 8 and U.
Housing : Homogenous humans live in homogenous housing. Most households ahve TV, fridege, aircon and Internet. Few have bookshelves. Furniture readily found at chain furniture outlets - compact furniture is best seller.
Natural environemnt : Homogenous climate 24/7, with no risk of earthquake, tsunami, hailstorm, typhoon, hurricane etc. The only likely disasters are the deaths of intelligence and individuality.
Latest : A study by anotehr human resource firm finds Singaproeans to be Asia's most overworked and burnt-out employees. We rest out case.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Something I read that's meaningful.
When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving advice, you have not done what I asked.
When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problems, you have failed me, strange as that may seem.
Listen! All I asked, was that you listen.
Not talk or do - just hear me.
Advice is cheap: 50 cents will get you both Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself; I'm not helpless. Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.
When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and weakness.
But when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, then I quit trying to convince you and can get about the business of understanding what's behind this irrational feeling.
And when that's clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice.
Irrational feelings make sense when we understand what's behind them.
Perhaps that's why prayer works, sometimes, for some people - because God is mute, and doesn't give advice or try to fix things, God just listens and lets you work it out for yourself.
So, please listen and just hear me, and, if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn, and I'll listen to you.
When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving advice, you have not done what I asked.
When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problems, you have failed me, strange as that may seem.
Listen! All I asked, was that you listen.
Not talk or do - just hear me.
Advice is cheap: 50 cents will get you both Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself; I'm not helpless. Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.
When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and weakness.
But when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, then I quit trying to convince you and can get about the business of understanding what's behind this irrational feeling.
And when that's clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice.
Irrational feelings make sense when we understand what's behind them.
Perhaps that's why prayer works, sometimes, for some people - because God is mute, and doesn't give advice or try to fix things, God just listens and lets you work it out for yourself.
So, please listen and just hear me, and, if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn, and I'll listen to you.
WHAT HAVE I DONE IN THE MARCH 2006
* A level results out
* Gave 33 lessons of tuitions
* Had 8 basketabll sessions at TJC
* Finished reading 7 books
* Watched performance at NYJC
* Book of the month (The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini)
* Watched 3 movies ( The big mama's house 2, Munich and V for Vandetta)
* Participated in Gage's filming
* Cut hair
* Being a mystery shopper for 4 hospitals
* Had 27 games of basketabll referee experiences
* Had 17 games of waterpolo table official experiences
* Sent in my Uni Applications
* Went out for durian feast with Alvin and Rui Teck
* Took part in NUS 3 on 3 with Derek, Allen, Wei Jian and Dennis
* Had a dinner treat from my student's fatehr at Lawry's the Prime Rib
* Met up with Jesmen for lunch at cafe cartel
* Open a 10 years saving account
* Got myself a pair of OP slippers for just S$15
* Stayed in Hotel Intercontinental at Bugis
* Had my first sip of white wine and red wine, I still think that Qoo tastes better
* A level results out
* Gave 33 lessons of tuitions
* Had 8 basketabll sessions at TJC
* Finished reading 7 books
* Watched performance at NYJC
* Book of the month (The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini)
* Watched 3 movies ( The big mama's house 2, Munich and V for Vandetta)
* Participated in Gage's filming
* Cut hair
* Being a mystery shopper for 4 hospitals
* Had 27 games of basketabll referee experiences
* Had 17 games of waterpolo table official experiences
* Sent in my Uni Applications
* Went out for durian feast with Alvin and Rui Teck
* Took part in NUS 3 on 3 with Derek, Allen, Wei Jian and Dennis
* Had a dinner treat from my student's fatehr at Lawry's the Prime Rib
* Met up with Jesmen for lunch at cafe cartel
* Open a 10 years saving account
* Got myself a pair of OP slippers for just S$15
* Stayed in Hotel Intercontinental at Bugis
* Had my first sip of white wine and red wine, I still think that Qoo tastes better
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