Jan 25, 2012
Jan 23, 2012
Happy Lunar New Year
Happy Lunar New Year .... HUAT AH !!!
Enjoy some Chinese New Year songs to get into the mood ... Gong Xi Fa Cai 恭喜发财 !!
Jan 6, 2012
Jan 5, 2012
Gratitude
Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director, and producer whose notable career spans more than three decades providing breathtaking imagery for feature films, television shows, documentaries and commercials.
This piece includes his short film on Gratitude and Happiness. Brother David Steindl's spoken words, Gary Malkin's musical compositions and Louie's cinematography make this a stunningly beautiful piece, reminding us of the precious gift of life, and the beauty all around us.
Jan 4, 2012
Be An Example
Inspire yourself and others will be inspired.
Motivate yourself and others will be motivated.
Develop yourself and others will start to develop themselves.
Be an example first and then the world changes around you.
- Author Unknown
Jan 3, 2012
Jan 2, 2012
Talking It Out
"Anger blows out the lamp of the mind," said Robert Ingersoll.
It may be true. I heard a story about one woman who ran a classified ad in order to sell her brand new car. It had only 3,000 miles. "Like new," the ad boasted. "Mint condition. $75.00."
He laughed to himself, and said, "There goes the newspaper, making another mistake." But he decided to call the number anyway and ask about it.
"Is it really brand new?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Three thousand miles?"
"Yes."
"The price?"
"Seventy-five dollars," she answered.
"Seventy-five dollars! Lady, what's wrong with it?" he asked.
"Nothing is wrong with it. And, amazingly, you're the first to call. I suppose nobody else believes the ad."
He decided to look at it. She let him take a test drive. The car looked exquisite and ran perfectly. He just couldn't believe his luck.
"The car is yours for $75.00. Just drive it away."
He paid her and took the keys. "Please tell me, lady," he persisted. "You could have sold this car for $35,000, at least. What is going on?"
She told her story: "I bought the car for my husband on our fortieth wedding anniversary. Two weeks later he ran off with somebody else. Last week I got a text from him. They are in a resort in Miami Beach, Florida. The text said, 'Need money, sell car, send cash.' I did."
What do you do when you are angry?
Some people "act it out." They break something. Or they say something they later regret. They strike back. Or they sell the car for $75.00.
Other people "wait it out." Waiting it out seemed to be her husband's strategy. Let her cool down - it will blow over. But the avoidance of conflict usually never ends well. It just doesn't go away by itself.
Others "take it out." They kick the dog or scream at the kids. They lash out at the next unlucky person they come across.
Still others "fight it out." Humorist Bob Orben says, "Who can ever forget Winston Churchill's immortal words: 'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills'? It sounds exactly like our family vacation." With friends and family, fighting it out becomes bickering. On a larger scale, it's called warfare.
Of course, the best idea is to "talk it out." Nothing new here - we have to bring it up before we can get it out. But talking it out isn't shouting it out. I think some people believe that if they just say it loudly enough, they can make it so.
Talking it out is about bringing it up - saying what needs to be said clearly, calmly and kindly. But it is also about listening. I think it's interesting that the word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent." I know that I can't listen when I'm talking. I can't listen when I'm figuring out what I want to say next. I have to be still. I have to be silent.
And when I'm silent, something almost magical happens. Walls come down and I can begin to see my way through. When I'm silent I create space for something new to grow between us.
ACT IT OUT and your actions will become a block to good communication.
WAIT IT OUT and you just let it build up inside.
TAKE IT OUT and you cause more hurt and anger.
FIGHT IT OUT and you create winners and losers.
But TALK IT OUT and you can get it out. Be honest. Be clear. But, be reasonable. And then be silent. Let the magic of the moment ferment so that understanding can grow.
Maybe then you can keep the car.
-- Steve Goodier
Jan 1, 2012
Dec 30, 2011
The Ghost Must Be Crazy
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 1
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 2
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 3
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 4
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 5
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 6
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 2
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 3
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 4
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 5
鬼也笑 the ghost must be crazy part 6
Dec 14, 2011
It's a great great world
This is a movie about this amusement park in Singapore in the 60s and 70s !!
Dec 13, 2011
A New Header
A new header for my blog ... Inspired by the Sunrise this morning at Punggol Waterway!!
Long time never change liao ... Hope you like it as much as I do :D
Dec 10, 2011
Dec 8, 2011
Connected for Life
Do you find yourself pulling away from others, especially if you've experienced a crisis or deep disappointment? Maybe the most difficult thing we can do is to be with people when we don't feel like being around anybody. We need other people and we'll never thrive as human beings in isolation.
One woman likes to say, "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry with your girlfriends." The presumption is that men are not empathetic, and there is probably some truth there.
But I meet with a small group of men that challenge that assertion. We meet for one reason only - to support each other in our life journeys. We ask embarrassing questions like, "How is it with your soul?" And, "How are you REALLY doing?" We try to answer honestly and to share what is good in our lives, but also relate what is not going well. Where possible, we try to admit our failings in a situation as well as what we think we may be doing right. We use each other for a reality check, for support and, of course, for friendship.
It's the only group in my life where I can be totally honest and know that they will accept me anyway. We meet only to listen to each other, support one another and, if need be, to occasionally challenge one another. The point is - we need each other.
A man who lost his wife to cancer found himself wanting to be alone. In time he dropped out of his worshiping community and curtailed all of the activities he and his wife had shared for so many years. He increasingly kept to himself. He quit socializing at work and returned straight home to an empty house. He turned down invitations from friends and co-workers. His leisure time was now spent watching television or working in his shop in the basement.
His contact with people dwindled until friends became alarmed that he might live out his life as a recluse. One came by to visit and to invite him over for supper the next evening. The two old friends sat in comfortable chairs by a warm fireplace. The visitor extended the dinner invitation and encouraged him to come. "You may need to allow others to share your pain."
The man responded that he figured he was better off without being around other people. After all, others only seemed to remind him of all he had lost. "And besides," he said, "it's just too difficult to get out anymore."
They sat in silence for a while, watching the wood burn in the fireplace. Then the visitor did an unusual thing. He took tongs from a rack by the fireplace, reached into the fire, pulled out a flaming ember and laid it down by itself on the hearth. "That's you," he said.
The men sat in silence watching the red-hot ember. It slowly lost its glow. Neither man looked away as the once-hot coal gradually transformed into a crusty, black lump. After some moments, the widower turned to his companion and said, "I get the message, my friend. I'll be over tomorrow evening."
We cannot survive in any healthy way by ourselves. The leaf needs the branch. The branch needs the trunk. The trunk needs the roots. And the roots need the rest of the tree. We are connected. And in that connection we find life and vitality.
-- Steve Goodier
Nov 20, 2011
May You Be Blessed
Designed to be a meditative experience for the viewer, the May You Be Blessed presentation is yours to use. It is our gift to you, from our hearts to yours, and we not only encourage you to view the presentaton frequently as a reminder of all the good in your own life, but to pass it along to others, so they, too, might feel blessed.
Nov 18, 2011
Oct 9, 2011
Oct 8, 2011
What Is Your Rope Tied To?
You may have heard of the man who decided to repair the roof of his house. The pitch was steep, and to be safe, he tied a rope around his waist and threw the other end of it over the top of the house. He called his son and asked him to tie it to something secure. The boy fastened the safety rope to the bumper of their car parked in the driveway. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
But a little while later, his wife needed to run a few errands with the automobile. Unaware of the line securing her husband, she started the car and proceeded to drive away. The rope immediately tightened and jerked the man over the roof and into thin air. Now before you become alarmed, let me assure you that this never really happened. But I chuckle at the image of the poor guy sailing over the top of his house like Evel Knievel without a motorcycle.
This story, factual or not, points to a great truth. It is a truth about where we place our security; about those things to which we've tied our safety lines. What is your rope tied to?
Think about it. What do you depend on to keep you from disaster? Is your rope tied to a good job? Is it tied to a relationship with somebody you rely on? Is it tied to a company or an organization?
In her wise and sensitive audio LESSONS IN LIVING, writer Susan Taylor tells of discovering how unreliable some of our safety lines really are. She tells of lying in bed in the early hours of the morning when an earthquake struck. As her house shook, she tumbled out of bed and managed to stand underneath an arched door-way in her hall, watching in horror as her whole house tumbled down around her. Where her bed had once stood, she later discovered nothing but a pile of rubble. She lost everything - every button, every dish, her automobile, every stitch of clothing.
Susan huddled, scared and crying, in the darkness. In the pre-dawn morning she cried and called out for help.
As exhaustion set in, she thought that maybe she should be listening for rescuers rather than making so much commotion. So she grew still and listened. In the silence around her, the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. It occurred to her then that at least she was still alive and, amazingly enough, unhurt.
She thought about her situation. In the stillness, fear abandoned her and a feeling of indescribable peace and happiness flooded in, the likes of which she had never before known. It was an experience that was to permanently change her life.
In the deepest part of her being, Susan realized a remarkable truth. She realized she had nothing to fear. Amazingly, whether or not she was ever rescued, whether she even made it out alive, she sensed she had nothing to fear.
For the first time in her life she understood that her true security did not depend on those things in which she had placed her trust. It lay deep within. And also for the first time, she knew what it was to be content in all circumstances. She realized that, in an ultimate sense, whether she had plenty or hardly enough, somehow she would be all right. She just knew it.
She later wrote, "Before the quake I had all the trappings of success, but my life was out of balance. I wasn't happy because I was clinging to things in my life and always wanting more. My home, my job, my clothes, a relationship - I thought they were my security. It took an earthquake and losing everything I owned for me to discover that my security had been with me all along . . . There's a power within us that we can depend upon no matter what is happening around us."
She had tied her rope to the wrong things. It took a disaster for her to understand that those things are untrustworthy. So she let go of the rope and discovered peace. She found that her true security was a power within - dependable and sure.
What is your rope tied to? And what would happen if you found the courage to let go of it?
-- Steve Goodier
But a little while later, his wife needed to run a few errands with the automobile. Unaware of the line securing her husband, she started the car and proceeded to drive away. The rope immediately tightened and jerked the man over the roof and into thin air. Now before you become alarmed, let me assure you that this never really happened. But I chuckle at the image of the poor guy sailing over the top of his house like Evel Knievel without a motorcycle.
This story, factual or not, points to a great truth. It is a truth about where we place our security; about those things to which we've tied our safety lines. What is your rope tied to?
Think about it. What do you depend on to keep you from disaster? Is your rope tied to a good job? Is it tied to a relationship with somebody you rely on? Is it tied to a company or an organization?
In her wise and sensitive audio LESSONS IN LIVING, writer Susan Taylor tells of discovering how unreliable some of our safety lines really are. She tells of lying in bed in the early hours of the morning when an earthquake struck. As her house shook, she tumbled out of bed and managed to stand underneath an arched door-way in her hall, watching in horror as her whole house tumbled down around her. Where her bed had once stood, she later discovered nothing but a pile of rubble. She lost everything - every button, every dish, her automobile, every stitch of clothing.
Susan huddled, scared and crying, in the darkness. In the pre-dawn morning she cried and called out for help.
As exhaustion set in, she thought that maybe she should be listening for rescuers rather than making so much commotion. So she grew still and listened. In the silence around her, the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. It occurred to her then that at least she was still alive and, amazingly enough, unhurt.
She thought about her situation. In the stillness, fear abandoned her and a feeling of indescribable peace and happiness flooded in, the likes of which she had never before known. It was an experience that was to permanently change her life.
In the deepest part of her being, Susan realized a remarkable truth. She realized she had nothing to fear. Amazingly, whether or not she was ever rescued, whether she even made it out alive, she sensed she had nothing to fear.
For the first time in her life she understood that her true security did not depend on those things in which she had placed her trust. It lay deep within. And also for the first time, she knew what it was to be content in all circumstances. She realized that, in an ultimate sense, whether she had plenty or hardly enough, somehow she would be all right. She just knew it.
She later wrote, "Before the quake I had all the trappings of success, but my life was out of balance. I wasn't happy because I was clinging to things in my life and always wanting more. My home, my job, my clothes, a relationship - I thought they were my security. It took an earthquake and losing everything I owned for me to discover that my security had been with me all along . . . There's a power within us that we can depend upon no matter what is happening around us."
She had tied her rope to the wrong things. It took a disaster for her to understand that those things are untrustworthy. So she let go of the rope and discovered peace. She found that her true security was a power within - dependable and sure.
What is your rope tied to? And what would happen if you found the courage to let go of it?
-- Steve Goodier
Sep 22, 2011
Aug 24, 2011
Aug 7, 2011
Great Teachers
Did you know that ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica? This ice also represents most of the fresh water in the world. Yet Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert.
If you're into biology, you may know this about the Mayfly -- after hatching, it takes up to three years to grow up, and then spends only one day as an adult. During that day it mates, lays eggs and expires. That last day must be absolutely spectacular.
Next time you dust your house, you may be interested to know that most of the dust particles you are removing are actually tiny bits of dead skin. Don't even ask how much dead skin has made its way into your favorite pillow.
Did you know that the Mona Lisa has no eyebrows?
Or that that 80% of your brain is water? Well, mine anyway.
You've heard the expression "having a lark." Those who are interested in language might want to know that group of larks is called an exaltation. A group of owls is called a parliament. A group of ravens is called a murder. (Edgar Allen Poe would have understood that one.) A group of rhinos is called a crash, which also seems to make some sense. But here's the best of all: a group of Unicorns is called a blessing.
As interesting as all of these facts are, I doubt any of them is bound to significantly change your life. The stuff we need to know in order to live happier, healthier and more meaningful lives does not usually come from tidbits of knowledge. More often it comes from people; and especially, people who mean something to us. Let me explain.
For Ross Perot, the kind of knowledge that made the greatest difference in his life was actually gleaned from his mother. The American businessman and one-time presidential candidate made billions of dollars from the technology industry. But his mother, who raised him before the phrase "computer age" was ever coined, taught him how to live. She helped shape him into the man he would eventually become.
Perot remembers the days of America's Great Depression. "Hoboes" regularly knocked on their door asking for a little food. It puzzled young Ross that his house seemed to be singled out on their street. One day he learned why. On the curb in front of their house someone had etched a white mark, indicating to fellow travelers that this house was an "easy mark." This fact disturbed the boy and he asked his mother if she wanted him to erase the signal. She told him to leave it there. It was a lesson in compassion he never forgot.
Some of the most essential life lessons and wisdom young Ross acquired did not come from a book or a classroom. They were lessons that came from those people closest to him. Many concerned themselves with the heart and spirit. They taught him about the world and the best way to live in it.
Our greatest teachers are usually those who did not volunteer for the job. They are parents and friends, spouses and children. Much great wisdom is learned best from the example of those closest to us.
And the remarkable fact is this: you are a great teacher. You teach powerful lessons every day of your life. You teach them simply by the way you live; by the way you respond to the world; and, by the little decisions you make. I wonder -- who's watching and learning?
-- Steve Goodier
If you're into biology, you may know this about the Mayfly -- after hatching, it takes up to three years to grow up, and then spends only one day as an adult. During that day it mates, lays eggs and expires. That last day must be absolutely spectacular.
Next time you dust your house, you may be interested to know that most of the dust particles you are removing are actually tiny bits of dead skin. Don't even ask how much dead skin has made its way into your favorite pillow.
Did you know that the Mona Lisa has no eyebrows?
Or that that 80% of your brain is water? Well, mine anyway.
You've heard the expression "having a lark." Those who are interested in language might want to know that group of larks is called an exaltation. A group of owls is called a parliament. A group of ravens is called a murder. (Edgar Allen Poe would have understood that one.) A group of rhinos is called a crash, which also seems to make some sense. But here's the best of all: a group of Unicorns is called a blessing.
As interesting as all of these facts are, I doubt any of them is bound to significantly change your life. The stuff we need to know in order to live happier, healthier and more meaningful lives does not usually come from tidbits of knowledge. More often it comes from people; and especially, people who mean something to us. Let me explain.
For Ross Perot, the kind of knowledge that made the greatest difference in his life was actually gleaned from his mother. The American businessman and one-time presidential candidate made billions of dollars from the technology industry. But his mother, who raised him before the phrase "computer age" was ever coined, taught him how to live. She helped shape him into the man he would eventually become.
Perot remembers the days of America's Great Depression. "Hoboes" regularly knocked on their door asking for a little food. It puzzled young Ross that his house seemed to be singled out on their street. One day he learned why. On the curb in front of their house someone had etched a white mark, indicating to fellow travelers that this house was an "easy mark." This fact disturbed the boy and he asked his mother if she wanted him to erase the signal. She told him to leave it there. It was a lesson in compassion he never forgot.
Some of the most essential life lessons and wisdom young Ross acquired did not come from a book or a classroom. They were lessons that came from those people closest to him. Many concerned themselves with the heart and spirit. They taught him about the world and the best way to live in it.
Our greatest teachers are usually those who did not volunteer for the job. They are parents and friends, spouses and children. Much great wisdom is learned best from the example of those closest to us.
And the remarkable fact is this: you are a great teacher. You teach powerful lessons every day of your life. You teach them simply by the way you live; by the way you respond to the world; and, by the little decisions you make. I wonder -- who's watching and learning?
-- Steve Goodier
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