Happy Birthday, Singapore!

Happy 44th Birthday, Singapore!!

Last year, we celebrated with Carls Jr burgers, Anderson's ice cream and champagne at a Ritz Carlton suite while watching the preview parade from above.

This year, we had a simple and delicious dinner of Teochew Porridge (but we ate rice ... lol) at Joo Chiat.

After we are done ... Imagine the 2 of us (oh, it's 2 and a half) managed to finish all that food, no wonder my spare tyre keep getting bigger and bigger ...

And watching the parade on TV ...

On our way back, we saw lots of policemen and a VVIP entourage, en route to the parade ...

Guess who!!

Clue: SM Goh is already seated at the parade. So it could only be ...

Actually, to us, 9 Aug is more than celebrating the nation's birthday.

It's our first date, 4 years ago, when we went to watch the fireworks together.

That's when it all started :)

Mind Movies

What Exactly Is a Mind Movie?

A Mind Movie is a short 3 minute video filled with powerful affirmations, and emotionally inspiring images. By watching this video twice a day you are commanding the universe to bring you the people, and resources required to make your dreams a reality.

Thousands of people have already discovered the life changing power of Mind Movies, and have decided to make their own. (Often with truly unbelievable results)

A quote by Napoleon Hill, the author of "Think and Grow Rich"...

"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, It Can Achieve."

Check out this awesome mind movie from personal development junkie, Alex Cattoni. Want proof that this works? She’s only 23 and she’s already managing a multimillion dollar company, lives a lifestyle only CEOs dream of retiring into, and is a world class photographer.



Want to know how she created her mind movie?? Very easy, if you have ever done presentations for work using Powerpoint or photo slideshows for wedding using Windows Movie Maker, etc, it is along the same lines ... You can make your own mind movie too ...

No One to Phone

One afternoon after the death of her grandfather, Carol lay huddled on her bed, sobbing forlornly. Her mother sat beside her and asked, "What's the matter, honey?"

"I miss my grandpa, and I miss talking to him about my problems," the girl said.

"I know, dear," sympathized her mother. "I miss him too. But can't you talk to me?" Carol shook her head vehemently.

"Why not?" her mother persisted.

"Because you're what we talked about," sobbed Carol.

Children may not always confide in their parents. And adults may choose not to confide in many of their friends and family. But it is important to have someone with whom we can be emotionally intimate.

Tragically, it has been estimated that the majority of men, and many women, have nobody they could phone at 2:00 in the morning if their lives fall apart. They believe there is nobody who really wants to hear from them in a crisis. Too many of us are utterly without close and intimate friends.

The philosopher Goethe once observed, "The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities; but to know someone here and there who thinks and feels with us, and who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth an inhabited garden."

Who can you be vulnerable with? Is the earth, for you, more like a lonely desert or an inhabited garden? The difference may simply be in whom you feel free to call at your most wounded moments. Do you have such a person? And are you such a person for someone else?

As it has been said, "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

If we are to find the kind of friend who knows the song in our hearts, we must also BE that kind of friend. And since good friends take time to grow, today is a good day to work on those friendships.

-- Steve Goodier

Take Lots of Breaks to Get More Done

What if you could get more done by working less? Everyone wants that, right?

But that’s obviously not the way most of us work. We think that in order to get more done and be more productive, we need to increase our effort and time.

That’s the obvious, intuitive answer. But the less obvious — the counter-intuitive approach of working less and taking more breaks — gets better results.

Article by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead


Continue reading ...

Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo 5 for PS3 ... coming soon




Gran Turismo Mobile for PSP ... Oct 1 2009 ??

Ice Age Weekend

Watched Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs over the weekend.
Quite a funny show, lots of laughther in the cinema ... hahaha

Got a new character in the movie, Buckminister or Buck for short ... Like this part ...

Buck: "Listen! The wind! It’s speaking to us."

Eddie: "What's it saying?"

Buck: "I dunno. I don't speak wind."

Wahahaha

And there were some heartwarming moments, too ...

When Ellie the female mammoth gave birth to a little baby mammoth, so cute ... and named her Peaches, after the codeword they use if Ellie was going into labour.

And Mannny the male mammoth cuddling little Peaches ... so sweet

This aptly remind me of my baby girl, coming in Sep 09 .... oh, my :)

End Of The World

Will the world really end on 21 Dec 2012?

Watch these interesting documentaries on Youtube, posted by fellow blogger MoMo

Breathless

A couple of days back, was in the library when a small blue hardcover - "breathless" by Lurlene McDaniel, caught my eye ... Picked it up and read the intro ... Here it goes:

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

You don't know me yet, but please read this before you begin.

Most people believe they have a clear idea of what's right and wrong. Many say they know how they'll act, or how they'll handle an extreme situation. But to be honest, no one knows. Not really.

Even if you say, "I'll never do this or that!" it actually might not be true. Because none of us truly knows what we'll do when the circumstances become so overwhelming and complex that we can't even tell right from wrong. And then there are the totally unforeseen situations, when life deals cards you never expected, or when something that's considered wrong morphs into something right and your mind determines that what once was the rule is not written in stone. Even if this has never happened to you, I'll bet you understand exactly what I'm talking about.

This is what happened to me. I thought I had standards. I believed in my absolutes. I did for most situations. Then I didn't. As time went on, my world turned gray and my absolutes became murky. Right and wrong dissolved into what I knew I had to do.

Please don't judge me until you hear my story.

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

Well, did this arouse your curiosity enough to read the book? Well, it did for me and I find it a good and short read (by my standards, not sure about yours)!!

You can check it out at the library if you are slightly interested. Hehehe :)

A relaxing weekend

Well, that was last weekend ... Went with my missus to Spa Dor, she did facial and i had a tui na massage, gua sha and cupping session.


My back ended up like that :D

According to the masseuse, my body too heaty, that's why the colour is so purplish red. If do this more often and eat less heaty, deep fried food, then will not be so jialat. But that means less KFC, less nasi lemak, less laksa and more $$$ on massage ... wah piang eh!!

Maybe a cheaper alternative ... no heat that a few botak coconuts can't cure ... hahaha ... 95 cents only, from NTUC fairprice, cheaper than those at pasar malam, only that u got to chop them open yourself ... kekeke

Look at these cute doggy

This pic reminds me of the dog Marley in the movie "Marley & Me".

Happy Rainbow: Look at these cute doggy

I did it my way

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life thats full.
I've traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried.
I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

freecycle - changing the world one gift at a time

A couple of months back, i chanced upon this SgFreecycle group, which is part of the Freecycle Network that started in Tucson, Arizona in May 2003 by Deron Beal and has since spread worldwide, to over 85 countries, where there are thousands of local groups representing millions of members -- people helping people and "changing the world one gift at a time".

What's that all about?

In a nutshell, it means to give away stuff you do not need at home to other people for free, instead of throwing away and ending up in landfill, wasting resources.

I have been selling my unwanted stuff online in Yahoo Auctions (which has since closed down) and eBay. So, i was thinking ... why not do my part and give some stuff to others for free, if they need it more than i do ... Hmmm ... pondering and scratching chin

Alright, i started to look around for something that can be my first gift in this SgFreecycle group.

Got it!! My Sony PlayStation One game console ... It's been lying around for a couple of years, rarely used, as there were no more new games since PS2 and PS3 came out and i got myself a PSP. LOL

Oh, well, i took it for a test drive to make sure it is still working good, did a clean up and packed all the accessories and games ... and posted my first post and went to bed.

The next morning, i log in to my email inbox and got a shock ... Wow, i got over 80 unread mails !?! Seriously, for a moment, i thought the spam filter was not working ... hahaha

Well, looks like my Sony PS One still quite high in demand, ya ... Then, i realised my mistake ... I put in my post that "first to email and collect gets the item" ... Now, thinking back, why did i put that? I also dun know, maybe for convenience sake, as i did not expect to get many responses, so just give to the first person who ask for it.

In actual fact, after reading through all the emails (Yes, i read them all and in the end, it came up to over 100 emails in total), i realised that those who responded falls into 4 groups:

1. Those who are nearly always online or just happen to be at the right time when i posted (the first email was just shortly after my post)

2. Those who genuinely want or need the item and would state their reasons in the email

3. Those who are just trying their luck to see if they can get the item since it is free (no harm trying but please be more polite when asking)

4. Those who think they already own the item and want to get it (huh !?! wtf)

As you can see, i would love to give to people in Group 2 as above ... but since this was my first post and so, due to my inexperience, i have to honour my words and ended up giving to someone in Group 1 ... But, it's ok lah, still benefit someone, though not the way i expected it to be. So, ok, next time would be better. But somehow, i still feel a bit sad and guilty that i have to disappoint those people in Group 2.

Since then, i have gone on to give away more items:

- hard disk
- power supply
- mp3 player
- portable VCD player
- table lamp
- phone accessories

I have been having fun, reading through all the emails and then deciding who to give the item to. So, to those whom i have given stuff to, hope you enjoy using them.

I will continue to do my part for Singapore Freecycle Network!!

If you are interested to do the same, can just hop on over to the Yahoo group (click on the link above), all you need is a Yahoo email account to get started, giving or receiving. Most important is to have fun and enjoy yourself, giving things away! Woo Hoo ...

Cheers and happy freecycling!! :)

Inspirational Video - The Don't Quit Poem

A Life that Matters

They said he died.

One morning in 1888, Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, the man who had spent his life amassing a fortune from the manufacture and sale of weapons of destruction, awoke to read his own obituary. Of course, it was a mistake. Alfred's brother had died, and the reporter inadvertently wrote Alfred's obituary.

For the first time, Alfred Nobel saw himself as the world saw him – "the dynamite king," the great industrialist who had made an immense fortune from explosives. This, as far as the general public was concerned, was the entire purpose of his life. None of his true intentions surfaced. Nothing was said about his work to break down the barriers that separated persons and ideas. He was, quite simply, a merchant of death, and for that alone would he be remembered.

Alfred read the obituary with horror. He felt that the world must know the true meaning and purpose of his life. He resolved to do this through his last will and testament. The final disposition of his fortune would show the world his life's ideals. And at that time came into being yearly prizes for chemistry, physics, medicine, literature – and the famous Nobel Peace Prize.

If you were to read your own obituary today, what would it say? Do others know what you stand for, what you believe in and what truly matters to you?

Dr. Philip Humbert asks, "What remarkable, extraordinary and amazing things will you do with this wild and wonderful miracle, your one and only life?" I believe that the question should also be asked this way: "What will you do with this wild and wonderful miracle, your one and only DAY?" For it's increasingly clear to me that the decisions I make every day, even little decisions, will decide how my life will eventually turn out.

Hopefully, I won't wake up to read my own obituary. But I have already begun to write it – day by day, moment by moment. And if I live a life that matters today, then my obituary will already be written in the hearts of those who know me.

-- Steve Goodier

Simple and Meaningful

Playing with fingers

What can you do with your fingers? when you get bored ...

Love from a Chihuahua

A Chihuahua puppy was born in Japan with a large, clear, love-heart-shaped pattern in his coat.

The puppy was born in May as one of a litter to a breeder. Shop owner Emiko Sakurada said it was the first time a puppy with the marks had been born out of a thousand she had bred. She had no plans to sell the puppy, which has been named 'Heart-kun'.

The long-coated male Chihuahua puppy was born in Odate, northern Japan.

Loving the Most Important Person in Your Life

I always like to read whatever Adam Khoo wrote ... and below is a good one to share.

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

I’m sure that there are lots of things that you really love. You may love your parents, your husband/wife, your girlfriend/boyfriend and your children. You may love your car, your home or even your new mobile phone.

But let me ask you a question that may seem really weird, ‘do you love yourself?’ Do you love that person you see in the mirror every day? If you find that you have many things in life to be grateful for but are still not happy with, the reason may be because you have not learnt to love yourself.

In order to be HAPPY and SUCCESSFUL, you have to start by loving yourself. The reason why many people feel lousy about themselves and fail to achieve is because they don’t like who they are.

Many people think that they must first become successful before they start loving themselves and their life. In fact, the opposite is true. You must first love yourself before you can become successful. People who love and feel good abut themselves have what is called HIGH SELF-ESTEEM.

The Most Important Person In Your Life Is ...

Let me give you the most important reason why you should love yourself.

Imagine that there was someone whom you have to spend the rest of your life with. You had to spend every minute of every day with this person, day in and day out. This person is the first you see when you wake up in the morning and the last person you see when you go to sleep.

This person is there on all your life’s special occasions: your birthday, Christmas, New Year, your wedding and finally, your funeral. This person is there during all of your life’s ups and downs. This person shares your sorrows and your joys.

When you are down, only this person can cheer you up. When you fall, only this person can pick you up. When you set a goal, only this person can give you the motivation and confidence to achieve it. This person will never leave you and is the only one you can truly depend on.

If you didn’t like this person, wouldn’t your life be absolutely miserable? You’d be forever stuck to a person you didn’t like. You wouldn’t be able to do anything! I am sure you can guess that this person is YOU!

YOU are the most important person in your own life.

Continue reading ...

Random shots

Inspiring Quotes

LIFE

Live each day as if it was your last.

And you will find each day worth living for.

SUCCESS

If you want the rainbow, you must learn to put up with the rain.

ATTITUDE

Your mind is like a parachute.

It works best when it is open.

DIFFICULTY

You cannot direct the winds.

But you can adjust your sail.

CHALLENGE

Do not follow where the path may lead.

Go where there is no path and leave a trail.

UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL

Unless you flap your wings, you will never know how high you can fly.

Beautiful Imperfections

My New Toy

Tada ... Panasonic Lumix FX-01 ...

Actually not new lah but it is new to me ... Hahaha

Bought from a fellow ebayer ... nice guy, supposed to meet him at CCK mrt but he was delayed along the way and he actually offered to meet me at Yishun mrt and pick me up in his car ... Great, and guess what, he drives a Lexus ... Wow ... me first time sit Lexus car wor ... so shiok!!

Anyway, here are a few test shots ...

Night sky zoom in

Night sky zoom out

Knowing

Enjoyed the movie "Knowing" ...

Is Life just a bunch of random things happening? Or is there a purpose/reason behind?

Do you know? or not know? ... Hmmm ... sets you thinking, right?

:)

Onboard Singapore Flyer

Visited Singapore Flyer ... finally ...

View from the top

Looking down

Different colours

Can see the F1 track starting grid

The cabin and the compass inside

Ah meng replacement??

Going home ... taking the shuttle bus

The Equation of Life

I came across this email from Adam Khoo. In case you do not know who he is, you can read more about him here.

Failures are bad, Success is good .... but before you can succeed, you must fail, right? So, don't be disheartened by failure.

Read on for Adam Khoo's philosophy on the EQUATION OF LIFE ... and hope it will set you thinking.

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

As many of us are feeling the repercussions of one of the worst recessions in recent history, I would like to share with you my philosophy on the EQUATION OF LIFE. If you studied Math, Chemistry, Economics, Accounts or any one of these mathematical topics before, you would understand that equations have to balance.

For every good, there must be a bad. For every positive, there must first be a negative. For light to exist, there must first be darkness. For every market boom, there must first be a crash. For you to experience happiness, you must first experience sadness. For you to experience pride and inspiration, you must first have experienced disappointment and adversity. The greater the initial failure and disappointment, the sweeter will be the pride of success.

I remember watching the show 'The Pursuit of Happyness' where it was based on the true story of Chris Gardner who went through a very difficult period of his life. His wife left him, he was broke, evicted from his home, slept in public toilets and in homeless shelter, jailed for unpaid parking tickets and went through a series of unfortunate incidents.

However, he persevered where ordinary men would have given up. Finally, when he got selected to become a stockbroker in one of the most prestigious companies on Wall Street after competing against 20 other candidates, he broke down and shed tears of intense pride and happiness.

The fighting spirit that the tough situations built within him was what gave him the drive to build a multi-million dollar stock broking firm himself. If he did not first go through those heartbreaking setbacks, he would not have become a millionaire.

For there to be God, there must be the devil (I know some religious people will want to kill me for saying this). Think about it, if not for pain, suffering and evil, will people turn to God for salvation? It is during hard times like these that people pray and go to places of worship more.

If you watched the matrix, the 'architect' mentions that the equation has to balance for the matrix to exist. In order for Neo (the Hero) to exist, there must be his opposite (i.e. Agent Smith who was the super bad guy).

This applies to every aspect of life. If George Bush did not screw up the US economy and damage the US's reputation so badly, Barack Obama would not have become the first African American President today.

If Al Gore would have won, he would probably have done an OK job and the US would have voted in another white guy. At the same time, if Al Gore had become the US President 8 years ago, he would not have made such a positive impact on global warming issues, won an academy award for his documentary and won the Nobel Peace Prize. Again, 'failure' led to the the birth of success.

If I did not get kicked out of Primary school (Primary 3) and get rejected from 6 secondary schools after my PSLE exams, I would never have been sent by my parents to learn about NLP.

If I did not learn about NLP at the age of 13, I would not have been able to inspire thousands of students through my first book 'I Am Gifted, So Are You!' and achieve all the success that I have today. I would just have been another average Singaporean stuck in an average job.

So, how does this apply to your life? Well, instead of fearing and feeling lousy because of the bad stuff that happens in your life, get optimistic and know that there lies a great opportunity that always goes along with it.

To your success,
Adam

Future MRT system in Singapore

Productivity At Work - Quality VS Quantity

Wow ... Time files ... February is coming to an end and tomorrow is 1 March 2009 already.
And this is my 1st post for February!? .... Shucks ... too damn busy with work.

Anyway, here's something about being productive at work ... I like the last part!! :D



QUALITY vs quantity, UX process
Check email ONLY:

* 10AM
* 1PM
* 4PM

Send any time
Set email to check every 3 hours
NO email on evenings
NO email on weekends
EMERGENCY? = Use phone

FOCUS 1-3 Activities max/day
LOG 1-3 Succinct status bullets every day on team wiki

MINIMIZE chat
MAXIMIZE single-tasking

OUT by 5:30PM
~No excuses~


Credits to Caterina

Quotes about Life

Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us.

Earl Nightingale

The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth.

Chinese Proverb

The Best Things in Life are Free.

B.G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

John Lennon

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

Winston Churchill

Live dangerously and you live right.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once.

Lillian Dickson

A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one's own path, not chasing after the dreams of others.

Chin Ning Chu

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

Mark Twain

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Buddha

People know you for what you've done, not for what you plan to do.

Unknown Author

Desire

An old prospector wandered into a small town where he was accosted by a loud, obnoxious and quite drunken cowboy. The cowboy pointed his six-shooters in the old miner's direction and asked, "Old man, do you know how to dance?"

"Nope," the prospector replied.

"Maybe you'd better learn," said the cowpuncher. Hot lead kicked up dust around the old man's feet and he began to dance.

Soon, however, the guns were empty. Now the old prospector reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun.

"Son," he said, "you ever kissed a mule?"

Looking first at the shotgun, then at the spot where the mule's tail is attached to its body, the young cowboy got the message. "Nope," he answered, "I never kissed a mule. But I always wanted to!"

Desire is another word for wanting to do something. And in real life, desire is not something that can be given by anyone else. If there is something you want to do, it is probably not because somebody is holding a gun to your head. You just want to do it. Your desire comes from the inside.

If you decide you want to improve, if you want a meaningful relationship or more fulfilling work, if you want a rich spiritual life or a healthier body, then the desire must come from your own heart. Nobody can make you want those things. They can support you and even inspire you, but only you can make it happen.

There may be a hundred reasons we think we can't be the people we want to be. But there is really only one. We don't want it badly enough.

It was George Washington Carver, an African American who probably did have a hundred reasons not to change his circumstances, who a century ago said, "Most people search high and wide for the keys to success. If they only knew, the key to their dreams lies within."

And that key is labeled "desire."

-- Steve Goodier

10 Very Short Ghost Stories

Do you like to read ghost stories?

Do you like to read short stories?

How about short ghost stories?

Check out blogger Old Beng - his 10 very short ghost stories in Chinese ... Really creepy!

Know Your Personality

Want to know more about your personality from your fingerprints?
Is it accurate for you?

Check out this post by blogger Twilight Zone.
I like his style - bold, sometimes crude and always entertaining.

Cheers :)

Cheap, Good and Fast Service?

Saw this posted by blogger Agnes Tan
So true .... You think leh?

Effective Leaders

A young officer in the Army discovered that he had no change when he tried to buy a soft drink from a vending machine. He flagged down a passing private and asked him, "Do you have change for a dollar?"

The private said cheerfully, "I think so. Let me take a look."

The officer drew himself up stiffly and said, "Soldier, that is no way to address a superior. We'll start all over again. Do you have change for a dollar?"

The private came to attention, saluted smartly, and said, "No, sir!"

Each of us commands some authority. There are or will be those we guide, supervise, rear, mentor or lead. Some of us will be effective and others will feel as if we're running a cemetery: we've got a lot of people under us and nobody's listening.

Much has been written and taught about leadership, but I find that at least four traits are common in all people of authority who effectively elicit cooperation and respect from those who look up to them. Whether you are a parent, whether you find yourself in the workplace, sitting on a volunteer committee or teaching someone a new skill, these traits will help you effectively guide those who would seek to follow.

These good leaders are...

L isteners. They take time to listen to the suggestions and concerns of those they endeavor to lead.

E ncouragers. They don't try to do it all themselves. Neither do they motivate by force or guilt. They encourage others and help bring out their best.

A ssertive. They say what needs to be said without being unkind. They tell the truth as they see it, openly and frankly.

D ecisive. They know what needs to be done and they make timely, even difficult, decisions when necessary. But they can also take charge without running over the people in their lives.

In short, good leaders L-E-A-D!

It's said that the trouble with being a leader today is that you can't be sure whether people are following you or chasing you. But those who will develop these four traits are sure to find that their authority will be valued and respected.

-- Steve Goodier

Little Things

When I was in college, I shared an American Thanksgiving supper with friends. We spent the day cooking together – turkey, potatoes, green beans, yams and, of course, dinner rolls. I was in charge of the rolls. Looking back, that may have been a mistake.

I love to eat raw dough. Most any kind will do – cookie dough, cake batter, biscuit dough, bread dough – you get the idea. So I rolled out the yeast dough, sliced off a corner and ate it, rolled some more, sliced and ate, rolled, sliced, ate…. I don't know how much of the dough I consumed before the rolls hit the oven, but I remember it as a wonderful afternoon. Until about a half-hour later.

Yeast, it seems, likes a dark, moist, warm environment. In me, it found one and did what yeast does best – it grew. And grew. And grew.

After a while my stomach was distended and I felt like the Pillsbury Dough Boy with a burping disorder.

It was soon time for supper and I felt too full to eat anything. All of that scrumptious food and I couldn't eat.

That day I gained a new respect for the power of yeast; it doesn't take much to make a big difference.

Little things make a big difference. Little things like yeast. Little things like kindness.

Douglas, a fifteen year old boy who lived in Missouri (USA), had been feeling badly for several days. His mother Donna took him to the emergency room where blood tests revealed one of the most frightening things a parent can learn about a child. Her son was diagnosed with leukemia.

Douglas' life changed. He began a routine of blood transfusions, spinal and bone marrow tests and chemotherapy. The physical trauma was one thing, but he also became depressed. And who wouldn't? He lost his former life, his healthy self. All of those exciting dreams and plans a young boy has for his future vanished, and in their place all he could see was somebody with cancer. Somebody who may or may not live long. Somebody whose life would be very different than before.

He had a good hospital and good doctors. But he did not have hope.
And without it, he was in serious jeopardy.

Douglas' aunt called a florist close to the hospital. She wanted the sales clerk to be aware of the flower arrangement's significance. "I want the planter to be especially attractive. It's for my teenage nephew who has leukemia," she told the clerk.

"Oh," said the sales clerk. "Let's add some fresh-cut flowers to brighten it up."

When the floral arrangement arrived, Douglas opened the envelope and read the card from his aunt. Then he saw something unusual.

It was another card. The second card read:

"Douglas--I took your order. I work at (this floral shop).
I had leukemia when I was seven years old.
I'm 22 years old now.
Good luck. My heart goes out to you.

Sincerely,
Laura."

Douglas smiled. He finally felt some real hope. And why not? Here was a person who also had cancer and new she was 22 and working! If she could do it, so could he. Douglas found what he needed. He found the will to live.

Little things make a big difference. Little things like kindness and encouragement and hope. Little things all of us can give.

And it doesn't take much to make a big difference.

-- Steve Goodier

So this is Christmas

A merry merry Christmas to all!!

Share with you my favourite Christmas song ... Enjoy :)

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
Ans so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

Eyes on the Shore

A story is told about a bloodhound chasing a stag. A fox crossed the path, so the hound chased the fox. After a while a rabbit crossed the path, so the hound chased it. Later, a mouse crossed the path and the hound chased the mouse into a hole. The hound began his hunt on the trail of a magnificent stag and ended up watching a mouse hole!

Not that there is anything wrong with spontaneity. Some of the most wonderful things have come into my life by beautiful accident. But there is also something to be said for knowing where we want to go.

Florence Chadwick learned the importance of keeping a goal in mind on July 4, 1952. She waded into the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island and began swimming toward the California coast 26 miles away. The day was cold and her attendants drove off sharks throughout the journey.

Florence had already swum the English Channel twice and, if she could finish today, she would be the first woman to have swum both. But after fifteen hours in the water, for the first and only time in her long-distance swimming career, she gave up and climbed into the escort boat. Others had urged her on, but in the fog they could not tell her how near she was to the coast. She later learned that she was less than half a mile from shore.

When asked by a reporter why she gave up, Florence replied: "It was the fog. If I could have seen land, I could have finished. But when you can't see your goal, you lose all sense of progress and you begin to give up."

On a warm, sunny day two months later Florence Chadwick swam the Catalina Channel, handily beating the men's record. Only when she kept her eyes on the shore did she eventually arrive there.

Keeping that goal constantly in sight will get you where you want to go.

-- Steve Goodier

We Need Each Other

Many living things need each other to survive.

I have lived for most of my life near trees known as Colorado aspens. If you are familiar with this tree, you may have noticed that it does not grow alone. Aspens are found in clusters, or groves. We're told that the reason for this is because aspens can multiply from the roots. They send up lots of new shoots every year. These become saplings that grow quickly and make new baby aspens of their own. In some groves, all of the trees may actually be connected by their roots. It is as if they are one tree.

Another tree, the giant California redwood, may tower 300 feet into the sky. We've seen pictures of tunnels carved into massive trunks wide enough to drive an automobile through. It seems they would require the deepest of roots to anchor them against strong winds. But instead their roots are actually shallow -- they spread out wide in search of surface water. And they reach in all directions, intertwining with roots of other redwoods. Locked together in this way, all the trees support each other in wind and storms.

Aspens and redwoods never stand alone. They need one another to survive.

People, too, are connected by a system of roots. We grow up in families that nurture and guide us. We learn early to make friends who support us in different ways. We are not meant to survive long without others. And like the giant redwoods, we do best when we hold onto one another and help each other to keep standing through life's storms. We need others to hold us up, encourage us and to stand with us.

When I'm not doing well, it is often because I am going it alone. I don't always let others in. I forget to ask for help; I keep my problems to myself. And though I may not see it, others around me might be doing the same thing.

It helps to remember how much like those trees we really are. It might be time to let someone else help hold you up for a while. Or perhaps someone needs to hang on to you.

-- Steve Goodier