Teach me to fish...

To those who teach me to "fish", whether directly or indirectly, here's a big THANK YOU!

I thrive on people's advise and mentoring. I look upon and respect good patterns before me. To me, these good patterns induce trust and cultivate mutuality that eases all sorts of communication and so on.

Trust is some sort of gut feeling. If I trust that person, I'll be willing to co-work with him or her and share my opinions, ideas, etc and share his or her workload or burden. If I don't trust that person, it may take light years for me to affirm the need for that person to be around. Therefore, I'm not a very good mentor. Seriously speaking, I'm the one who needs mentoring. I prefer following, not leading. I'll only lead IF the need arises. If not, I'll be an obedient follower. Hahaha...

Mutuality is dynamic and can be very rewarding, especially if you could sort of understand the other party's thoughts and ideas without much effort and they affirm that thought and idea that you put forth. This is particularly important and satisfying while dealing with clients and of course, team members.

I know my people management is OMG... I guess this is one main area which I need to improve a great deal. A colleague says something like this that opens my eyes. Here's what I captured: "Most of the time, it's not just the matter of completing the task. It's the matter of helping the person."

Ah well... I'm a very task- and result-oriented person. Those who can keep up with my pace may not find me demanding. Those who can't, I believe I may be too demanding and ruthless at times.

Hmmm... I don't think I'd lower my standard or protocol or principle. But then, I'll try to accommodate to each one's level and see how to bring them up.

I think being mentored and mentoring others go together. When you strike a balance, working will never be a nightmare.

0

May the Lord gain us for His plan!

These few days were rewarding as I met up with a lot of brothers and sisters of the church.

Attended a meeting and was encouraged to hear the message that the Lord is moving very fast. What I heard in the meeting corresponds to the messages that the church is currently pursuing.

[We need to] see the three stages, the three sections, of Christ: incarnation - the stage of Christ in the flesh; inclusion - the stage of Christ as the life-giving Spirit; and intensification - the stage of Christ as the sevenfold intensified life-giving Spirit. These three stages are the three sections of Christ's history.

We need to do a work of three sections. We should not only be able to do the work of the first section, the section of incarnation, to produce redeemed people, but we should also be able to do a work that can serve the purpose of the second section, the section of inclusion, to produce churches. Furthermore, we should be able to do a work to build up the Body of Christ consummating the New Jerusalem. This is the work of the stage of intensification.
(Excerpt from Incarnation, Inclusion, and Intensification)

I asked myself: What am I doing here? Why am I serving Pharaoh full-time? How long will I work in the secular world? Is my work and living still governed by the vision of God's economy?

God's eternal economy is to make man the same as He is in life and nature but not in the Godhead and to make Himself one with man and man with Him, thus to be enlarged and expanded in His expression that all His divine attributes may be expressed in human virtues. This is the meaning of being a Christian. God is not interested in giving us a smooth life or making us prosperous for the rest of our life. He is not interested to make us good, ethical or spiritual individual Christians. These are too shallow. God wants us to do what He is doing - producing redeemed people and churches to consummate the New Jerusalem! This is God's plan, the truth that the whole Bible reveals to us.

The message touched me deeply but I dared not respond too fast, it may be out of my natural zeal. But I realized one thing: I must get back to the basic. Get back to the church life. Get back into the enjoyment of the Lord's word constantly. Only then, the Lord will lead, whether to stay or to migrate to wherever He leads for the producing of His churches.

Had a quick chat with a young sister who has just started working and we encouraged each other to keep on enjoying the Lord's word in the midst of working in the secular world. I believe the Lord will preserve us, those who have consecrated ourselves to Him. No matter how evil the world is, no one can snatch us from the hand of the Father. This is His promise. "And I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand." (John 10:28-29)

Visited a couple and their 6-month old baby just now. Got to know that a lot of the brothers and sisters that we know are getting married recently. Those who are married for a few years are having their second and third kid. May the Lord gain all these families and their children. May the Lord gain and lead us according to His plan and will.

^^

0

I [heart] You!

22 October 2008

5:45pm

Was in the midst of preparing a proposal for my project when I felt the mischievous pain on the back of my head. You know, the kind that keeps on tugging and poking at one spot and won't go away unless you take Panadol, of which I've banned for the rest of my life.

I touched my forehead. Alamak... Slight fever. No wonder I could feel the burning sensation in my eyes. Aiya... I've promised to attend a friend's birthday party in Klang at 7pm. Why now? Arrrggghhhh!

6:00pm

Took a quick stroll around the office, trying to divert my attention from the throbbing pain and heavy eyelids. Managed to "scare" Naoko but I also shared the "shockwave" when she sort of screamed, "Opocot!" and every pair of curious eyes fixed their gaze on us. Oh-uh. Thank God that my heart can still tahan this kind of attack. :P

Walk... walk... walk...

Eh, what's that? Curiousity doesn't always kill the cat. (Mark my words. :P) You know what? I saw a leaflet in 3 languages that will save me from the misery of translating into BM & Mandarin for a particular task that I'm handling at the moment! OMG! I [heart] You!

*Grabbed the leaflet from the display furniture with dreamy eyes*

*.*

6:30pm

Decided to go home. Can't stand the headache. Sigh... Can't attend the birthday party. Better SMS her. :(

1

A movie that provokes tears & thoughts

Yes. I mean it.

I was debating on whether to watch or not.

I watched and the movie is called "10 Promises to My Dog" and ended up in tears and with thousands of thoughts racing through my mind. This movie is very, very touching. If you LOVE DOGS and you've a sensitive and sentimental soul like mine, you will end up in tears. I'm not exaggerating. This movie will prove what I've written here.

The first scene in the movie says something like this:
"In the beginning God created man. And He sees that man is feeble, so He gave him the dog."
Although this is not biblical, it's still kinda heartwarming.

Here are the posters with the adorable Golden Retriever pup:

This movie is based upon the Ten Commandments of Dog Ownership, as followed:

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years.
Regular separation from you will be painful and can even cause depression.
Think before you buy me.

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.
Don't be impatient, short-tempered or irritable.

3. Place your trust in me and I will always trust you back.
Respect is earned not given as some sort of inalienable right.

4. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment.
I am not capable of understanding why I am being locked up, I only know I have been rejected.
You have your work, entertainment and friends. I only have you.

5. Talk to me sometimes.
Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your tone.
"You only have to look at my tail" to know that.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget.
If that treatment is unjust or bad, it may spoil the special bond between us.

7. Please do not hit me.
I cannot hit back, but I can bite and scratch and I don't ever want to feel the need to do that.

8. Before you tell me off me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be wrong with me.
Perhaps I'm not getting the right food or I've been out in the sun too long, maybe my heart is getting old and weak, or maybe I'm just dog-tired.

9. Take care of me when I get old.
You too will grow old and will also want care, love, and affection.

10. Go with me on difficult journeys.
Never say, "I can't bear to watch" or "Let it happen in my absence".
Everything is easier for me if you are there.
Remember, irrespective of what you do I will always love you.

Oh my... I could feel tears in my eyes even when I'm typing and re-reading the sentences above, especially number 9 & 10. I better move on.

*sniff sniff*

Found another touching quote:
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

Here are two reviews:

moviexclusive.com

channelnewsasia.com

Watch and be touched.

0

Article from The Star: Unleash Your Team's Creativity

Here are a few simple tips that will greatly increase any team's creativity.

Define the challenge
This is the first crucial step to set the scene for creative solutions. Due to the pressures of modern-day life, too many problems and challenges remain ill-defined and solutions are brought too quickly to the table. This is expediency, not creativity.

To present a challenge in a creative setting, one must first define as clearly as possible its root cause: Just ask yourself the question "why" at least three times. This will help to formulate the challenge in a way that directs the solutions to the real problem.

Choose the team
It is an acknowledged fact that the most creative teams are made up of individuals with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences. If a team is dominated by individuals who are risk-averse, that is, they prefer abiding by the rules and thinking of past solutions rather than new ones, creative thinking is unlikely to see the light. But if a team is composed of individuals who are willing to experiment and bring new perspectives to the table, more creative alternatives will emerge.

Creativity in action
Numerous books have been written on nurturing creativity, but there are three fundamental techniques:

Brainstorming: This involves the free flow of ideas, from the unrelated to the most speculative. There is no right or wrong at this stage. It is simply compiling an inventory of all the ideas put forward without making a value judgment on any of them.

Thinking outside the box: This is the ability and willingness to make connections between seemingly unrelated issues. For instance, if you give two stones to traditional thinkers, they may arrange them in a certain pattern or construct something with them. The more original thinkers may strike them together, creating a spark and making a fire.

Challenging the obvious: When a proposed solution is rather obvious, it is usually based on tried and tested techniques. The less obvious alternative is to consider the differences and anomalies and what is actually missing and come up with a novel solution. This will lead to a new way of looking at old problems.

Reality check
When the most creative alternatives have been selected, you must make sure that they are also the most appropriate ones in the context in which you are operating. Do a reality check by applying to each alternative a cause and effect analysis. This will enable the team to determine the possible consequences to the outside world during the implementation phase.

Implementation
The implementation of novel solutions takes courage because there is always a certain degree of risk involved. More important, however, is the willingness of the team to experiment and learn as a continuous process. This will ensure progress and a competitive advantage over those who have elected for more traditional solutions.

Clearly defining the challenge and allowing the team to free flow of ideas will generate enthusiasm, motivation and a sense of belonging among team members and will boost the organization's productivity and image.

0

学习、珍惜

学习

人生不一定要當「最好」，但一定要懂得讓自己「更好」。不一定要登峰造極，但一定要懂得讓自己保持在進步的狀態中。

曾經聽過有一位老太太，在她六十八歲的生日派對上如此許願著：「我40 歲學彈鋼琴（現在她老人家已可以在教會中彈琴），50歲學英文（她已可以用英文與外國人對話），60 歲學開車（現在我已經六十八歲了），如果上帝讓我活到七十歲，我一定要開畫展。」多麼讓人佩服的態度，不是嗎？

人生該是「進步 + ing」（現在進行式），而不應是「進步 + ed」（過去式），或「be going to + 進步」（未來式）；該是把握現在，懂得不時地保持在上進狀態，絕不因時間或任何的關係而停止努力，或是一再地告訴自己「反正明天再開始也不遲」。

想一想，如果一位六十八歲的老太太都可以如此上進，那您呢？您是一個懂得讓自己不斷進步的人嗎？

在此提供您兩個小小的妙方：

1. 每天去做一件自己雖不喜歡，但卻有意義的事。每天做十分鐘的運動，每天背十個英文單字，每天讀一小段最新的商業期刊，每天饒恕一個自己不喜歡的人。這些事也許您不喜歡，但卻很有意義！不用太久，您的身體、知識、修養、專業能力必會有迅速驚人的進步。

2. 常把目標給設定在比自己現有能力再多出10% 的地方，做一件事時，除非事關重大，否則在此誠摯地建議，不妨試著把目標給設定在比自己現有能力再多出10% 的地方。也許一開始會累一些，但久而久之您的能力就會被多「練」出10%，習慣這樣的程度後再把標準提高10%，長期累積，您將在不知不覺中變成一個巨人。

一個懂的不斷更新、上進的人，不但令人欽佩，也會在這蕭條的年代裡，較不易面臨被不景氣給淘汰的壓力。您的人生會是「進步 + ing」嗎？昨天的您、今天的您、明天的您，三者能連成一條向上攀升的曲線嗎？值得共勉之！

理由少一点，肚量大一点
孬妗或一点，效率高一点
说话轻一点，微笑多一点
做事多一点，行动快一点
脾气小一点，嘴巴甜一点


珍惜

這一生中，你錯過了什麼？

太太在二十五歲時問丈夫，丈夫沮喪的回答她：「我錯過一個新的工作機會。」
三十五歲時，丈夫生氣的告訴她：「我剛錯過了一班公車。」
四十五歲時，丈夫傷心的說：「我錯過與親人見最後一面。」
五十五歲時，丈夫失望的回答：「我錯過了退休的好時機。 」
六十五歲時，丈夫匆匆的答說：「錯過了看牙醫的時間。」
一如往常的，太太總是回以微笑，而微笑中總帶著落寞。

七十五歲那年，太太不再問先生了。此時，先生正跪坐在病危的太太面前，想起太太每隔一段時間，總要問他的問題，他反過來問太太，而太太的微笑中帶著解脫回答：「這一生，我沒有錯過你！」

此時，先生早已淚流滿面，原以為兩人可以永遠在一起，所以，終日忙著工作與繁瑣的事，卻從不曾用心體貼朝夕相處的另一半。先生緊抱著太太說：「這輩子，我錯過妳五十年來的深情？」

繁忙的都市裡，有著許多為工作打拚的人，大家總習慣於把工作當成生活的重心，為了滿足社會的價值，不惜出賣自己的時間與身體，捨不得多花時間投資健康，以至於錯過了陪同孩子成長的機會、 忽略了身旁關心自己的親友、輕忽 了自己的身體。

珍惜，果真要在錯過後才能感受？沒有人知道明年今日會怎麼？人世無常，趕緊把握當下，把心中的感激告訴愛你的人、用行動關心你的家人，把每一天 都當成人生的最後一段，即使走了，也能讓自己及身旁的人 了無遺憾。

我想我也錯過了很多很多。

0

Another movie for dog lovers

I have mentioned about this movie for dog lovers. Now, here's another one - A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies, a 2007 Japanese movie.

Found two good reviews about this movie.

Mari to Koinu no Monogatari

A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies

The true and inspiring story of Mari can be found here.

Wonderful things do happen. It all depends on how we decipher them.

0

Tu-han and Han-tu

Somebody was lamenting about a somebody who pissed him off. He said he can't think of anything else except the fact that this particular somebody has really really really pissed him off (quoting him).

Wow...

He was not supposed to be at the office but he was. Out of curiosity, I asked how come he was and the answer (elaborated above) came out.

Note: via MSN, more privacy maaa... haha...

I dunno what to say so I asked him to cool down. Then he said that he was very cool already but the fact was that he's really pissed off at the somebody who pissed him off.

Me --> @_@

Bla... bla... bla...

Stop MSN-ing, in case he can't stop "bludgeoning" whoever he's so pissed off at. Continued to work peacefully.

A few emails came in (from the very pissed of person). One of them sounds like this:
Subject: *****
Content: The TUHAN just..... (and the email continues with details of something that I need to do).

LOL! I knew straight away who the TUHAN is. Akakakakaka...

Prior to this ***** email, he had sent another request which made my stomach churned, followed by a few email exchanges. Then, via MSN, he clarified that he's not angry with me for what I've completed. He said that he's only angry at things, not the people who did the work.

Me --> Thinking silently. Haaar? Just now he told me he's pissed off at somebody. Now he said he's not angry at the people. He's contradicting himself.

Via MSN, I "shot" back. Oh, so you mean you are not angry towards people, including the "TUHAN", izzit? Haha...

His answer was cunning. The Tuhan can sometimes be Hantu. See how the word turns out to be if you terbalikkan the 2 syllables. TU-HAN, HAN-TU.

Me --> O_O

I wonder how his girlfriend tahan him one...

0

Switch to DiGi!

Hi all,

Let's make the SWITCH!

Switch to DiGi

Time to Change

DiGi ~ Always the Smarter Choice

0

A movie for dog lovers

Should I watch? The trailer is so touching. I'm afraid I'll burst into tears if I watch it on big screen.

10 Promises to My Dog (Japanese)



Awwww.... Socks is so cute.....

3

Kebelakangan ini...

...hidup tak senang.

Aduh! Fikir nak luahkan di sini... tapi entah mengapa lidah jadi kelu. Cuma peribahasa jadi pengganti idea.

Ada sesetengah orang... kita "beri betis", dia orang "minta paha". Takpe... buat ajelah.

Tapi tahu-tahulah. Orang memberi, kita merasa; orang berbudi, kita berbahasa. Tapi... kalau orang tak berbudi, kita berkasarlah. Betul?

Pengsan.

0

A hauntingly lovely song

If you've watched Painted Skin (画皮), then you'll love this song.

画心 (张靓颖)

作曲：藤原育郎
作词：陈少琪



1
看不穿 是你失落的魂魄
猜不透 是你瞳孔的颜色
一阵风 一场梦
爱如生命般莫测
你的心 到底被什么蛊惑

2
你的轮廓在黑夜之中淹没
看桃花 开出怎样的结果
看着你 抱着我
目光似月色寂寞
就让你 在别人怀里快乐

3
爱着你 像心跳难触摸
画着你 画不出你的骨骼
记着你的脸色
是我等你的执着
你是我 一首唱不完的歌


看不穿 是你失落的魂魄
猜不透 是你瞳孔的颜色
一阵风 一场梦
爱是生命般莫测
你的心 到底被什么蛊惑

Repeat 2 & 3

你的轮廓在黑夜之中淹没
看桃花 开出怎样的结果
看着你 抱着我
目光比月色寂寞
就让你 在别人怀里快乐

爱着你 像心跳难触摸
画着你 画不出你的骨骼
记着你的脸色
是我等你的执着
我的心 只愿为你而割舍

2

5 Tips from the Hotmail team to help protect yourself from email scams

Dear Hotmail User,

As a valued Hotmail® user, we strive to protect you from spam messages by blocking over 4.5 billion worldwide per day. We have a highly qualified and dedicated team that constantly strives to reduce and eradicate spam from Hotmail inboxes.

Recently, we have received an increasing number of e-mails from customers asking about the legitimacy of e-mails they have received. We've created this e-mail to help all Hotmail users recognise the scam e-mails that do sneak by our filters.

1) Be wary of e-mails asking for your personal information.

Any e-mail asking for your name, birth date, e-mail username, e-mail password, or any other type of personal information, no matter who the e-mail appears to be from, is almost certainly a scam. If you have any reason to believe it may be legitimate, do not reply to the e-mail or click any hyperlinks; instead copy and paste the web URL or go to that company's website for contact information. Don't hesitate to contact the company's support channel to confirm legitimacy.

2) Carefully read e-mails that appear suspicious.

E-mails that are poorly worded, have typos, or have phrases such as "this is not a joke" or "forward this message to your friends" are generally scam e-mails. Sometimes company names or brands are misspelled or inaccurate; such as saying Windows Hotmail (instead of Windows Live™ Hotmail).

3) Protect your Hotmail password.

Create a strong password for your Hotmail account by using more than 7 characters and having a combination of upper and lower case characters, numbers, and special characters, like the @ or # symbols. It's also a good idea to change your password on a regular basis.

If you receive a notification from Microsoft Customer Support confirming your request to change your password, as I did this past week, and you haven't recently changed your password, that's a signal that someone else may be trying to gain access to your Hotmail account, and you should immediately change your password.

To do so, either go to http://account.live.com, or within Hotmail, click Options, then View and Edit your Personal Information. You will be prompted to log in again. Once you do, look for "Password reset information" under your name at the top. Change both your password and your Secret Question/Secret Answer as both may have been compromised.

4) Take action!

If you think someone has accessed your Hotmail account, that the Windows Live ID sign-in page looks fraudulent, or you receive a suspicious e-mail that tries to confirm a password change you didn't authorise, change your password immediately via the instructions above, or go to: http://account.live.com

5) Help us identify new scams.

If you're using the Full version of Hotmail, you can select the dropdown next to "Junk", then select "Report phishing scam". Whatever you do, do not reply back to the sender.

We encourage you to keep this e-mail for future reference on what to do if you do receive a scam e-mail so that you can help keep your inbox more safe and secure.

Sincerely,
Windows Live Hotmail Team

0

Sarcastic-nyerrr...

Note: I've no idea how authentic is the story below but it really gives a good laugh! If it's just a prank people pulled on Citibank, then too bad laaa... Hahaha! But seriously speaking, their customer service is really, really lousy. I won't be surprised if the story below is true.

It's all about money for Citibank Credit Cards when you die... This is too funny! It takes all kinds to make the world go round. Be sure to cancel your credit cards before you die. This is how the customer service serves the customers.

Here it goes!

My aunt died this past January. Citibank billed her for February and March for their monthly service charge on her credit card, and then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00. Now it was somewhere around $60.00. I placed the following phone call to Citibank:

Me: "I am calling to tell you that she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Me: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections."

Citibank: "Since it is 2 months past due, it already has been."

Me: "So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"

Citibank: "Either report her account to the frauds division, or report her to the credit bureau maybe both!"

Me: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"

Citibank: "Excuse me?"

Me: "Did you just get what I was telling you? The part about her being dead?"

Citibank: "Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor!"

Supervisor got to the phone...

Me: "I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Me: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"

Citibank: (Stammer) "Are you her lawyer?"

Me: "No, I'm her great nephew." (Lawyer info was given.)

Citibank: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"

Me: "Sure." (Fax number was given.)

After they have gotten the fax...

Citibank: "Our system just isn't setup for death."

Me: "Oh..."

Citibank: "I don't know what more I can do to help..."

Me: "Well... If you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her, I suppose. Don't really think she'd care."

Citibank: "Well... The late fees and charges do still apply."

Me: "Would you like her new billing address?"

Citibank: "That might help."

Me: "Nilai Memorial Park Cemetery." (North South Highway and plot number was given.)

Citibank: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Me: "What do you do with dead people on your planet?"

0

I can do it!

Lately, I feel like a soldier in a battlefield.

Pain or gain, rain or shine; what I want, shall be mine!
Genggam bara api, biar sampai jadi arang!

Blurred? Suffocating? Drowning? May be.

The challenge is to emerge as the winner. Then, savor the victory of winning!

Wuakakakakaka...

I can do it! No matter what the cost is.

0

A song that makes me cry & smile... bravely

When I first heard, "This is for my peoples who just lost somebody..." I was stunned.

Then these... "You never got a chance to see how good I've done and you never got to see me back at number one. I wish that you were here to celebrate together; I wish that we could spend the holidays together"... bring tears.

Yes, I wish I have the chance to say this to my father. But I'll never have. It hurts terribly but then, I still smile bravely because I believe he had "reached a better place".

"I never knew I could hurt like this and everyday life goes on I wish I could talk to you for a while. Miss you but I try not to cry as time goes by and it's true that you've reached a better place. Still I'd give the world to see your face and be right here next to you. But it's like you're gone too soon. Now the hardest thing to do is say, Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye, bye bye..."

Here's Mariah Carey's "Bye Bye".



Lyrics:

[Refrain]
This is for my peoples
Who just lost somebody
Your best friend, your baby
Your man or your lady
Put your hand way up high
We will never say bye
No, no, no
Mamas, daddies, sisters, brothers
Friends and cousins
This is for my peoples
Who lost their grandmothers
Lift your head to the sky
Cause we will never say bye

[Strophe]
As a child there were them times
I didn't get it
But you kept me in line
I didn't know why
You didn't show up sometimes
On Sunday mornings and I missed you
But I'm glad we talked through
All them grown folk things
Separation brings
You never let me know it
You never let it show
Because you loved me and obviously
There's so much more left to say
If you were with me today
Face to face

[Bridge]
I never knew I could hurt like this
And everyday life goes on I wish
I could talk to you for a while
Miss you but I try not to cry
As time goes by
And it's true that you've
Reached a better place
Still I'd give the world to see your face
And be right here next to you
But it's like you're gone too soon
Now the hardest thing to do is say

Bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye

You never got a chance to see
How good I've done
And you never got to
See me back at number one
I wish that you were here
To celebrate together
I wish that we could
Spend the holidays together

I remember when you used to
Tuck me in at night
With the teddy bear you gave me
That I held so tight
I thought you were so strong
You'd make it through whatever
It's so hard to accept the fact
You're gone forever

[Bridge]
I never knew I could hurt like this
And everyday life goes on I wish
I could talk to you for a while
Miss you but I try not to cry
As time goes by
And it's true that you've
Reached a better place
Still I'd give the world to see your face
And be right here next to you
But it's like you're gone too soon
Now the hardest thing to do is say

Bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye

[Refrain]
This is for my peoples
Who just lost somebody
Your best friend, your baby
Your man or your lady
Put your hand way up high
We will never say bye
Mamas, daddies, sisters, brothers
Friends and cousins
This is for my peoples
Who lost their grandmothers
Lift your head to the sky
Cause we will never say bye, bye.

[Bridge]
I never knew I could hurt like this
And everyday life goes on I wish
I could talk to you for a while
Miss you but I try not to cry
As time goes by
And it's true that you've
Reached a better place
Still I'd give the world to see your face
And be right here next to you
But it's like you're gone too soon
Now the hardest thing to do is say

Bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye
Bye bye

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The Donkey Way

THE DONKEY

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided that since the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to get out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our trouble is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells by not stopping and never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred - forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Should add one more: The Lord is guiding us all the time. It just depends whether we can listen to him or not. Sometimes, it's not can or cannot; it's whether we want or don't want. Di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalan. :)

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Excerpts from "The Jubilee"

Psalm 90:1 says, "O Lord, You have been our dwelling place / In all generations." This declaration is the proclamation of the jubilee,... Verse 10..."The days of our years are in sum seventy years, / Or, if because of strength, eighty years; / But their pride is labor and sorrow, / For it is soon gone, and we fly away."

...The Bible says that the real condition of human life is only "labor and sorrow... it is soon gone, and we fly away." Ecclesiastes 1:2 says, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity." In Hebrew, vanity of vanities means emptiness of emptiness. Solomon's words fully agreed with the words of Moses. Moses said, "It is soon gone, and we fly away," whereas Solomon said, "All is vanity and a chasing after wind" (v. 14).

...Hymns, #720... Verse 1 and the chorus say,
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

...What is crucial is that the inward, primary factor of our human life is right.... This primary factor is nothing other than God Himself. We must let God Himself be the primary factor within us. Only then will we know how to deal with our children, how to honor our parents, how to study, and how to work. If this primary factor directs us within, everything will simply be a duty to us, not a burden or hardship. However, if we are not directed by this primary factor, everything will become a weight and a suffering. In the end, we will become captives and even sell ourselves as slaves.

For us to live on earth today, we need to have a car for transportation and a house for lodging. We need clothing, food, and marriage. All these are necessities. Children should study diligently, be educated, finish college, and work hard. However, all these are just the duties of our human life; they should not become an encumbrance or a bondage to enslave us. However, if we do not have God as our primary factor within, we cannot avoid being under the bondage of these persons, things, and matters.... As we are fulfilling our duty, we must have the Lord within.

The Lord came that He might save us and dispense Himself into us. If our heart is set on anything other than the Lord, that thing, whether good or bad, becomes a suffering to us. If our heart is set on our children, husband, or wife, the result is suffering. If our heart is set on our education, business, house, or land, the outcome is misery. If our heart is set on any person, thing, or matter other than the Lord, the end is wretchedness.... we have the Lord, He saves us from all these sufferings. If we take the Lord as our center, we can enjoy Him as our life of jubilee.

Note: Amen. Now I understand why I suffered in my work, it's because I'm enslaved by it. I need the Lord as the primary factor in my work. Work is just a duty, I will not and should not be enslaved by Pharaoh. Then, even the worst colleague is not a problem at all because the Lord sets me free from this slavery. Thank You, Lord.

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Say Yes

Yucks! This movie, titled Say Yes is disturbing. It's a 2001 Korean psychological thriller with a not-much-to-chew-upon and somehow predictable storyline. The ending is unpredictable though.

Overall, after watching it, you just want to take a deep breath and hope that the real sadists out there won't learn anything from this movie. :S

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Good email habits

Got this article from Cleo, October 2008.

Just like face to face communication, it's important to be courteous while corresponding on email too. Here are some things you should avoid doing if you don't want to give yourself a bad reputation.

1. Don't forget to use the subject space.
Doing so helps people to read it now or later. Also, change the subject line if you change the thread topic. Lengthy email threads quickly become confusing especially when there are many recipients and everyone is replying at different times.

>> The funny thing is, sometimes the clients tend to forward us emails of THEIR correspondences with THEIR other clients/vendors. Good, then I can know what has transpired between them. :P

2. Don't spam.
'Nuff said. And especially NOT to work emails. It's rude to flood others' inbox with forwarded chain letters and jokes.

>> I think this depends on the content of the email. Inspirational emails are good to send. If I'm doing this, I always "bcc" the recipients and left the "To" & "cc" space empty. Nobody knows who am I sending the email to. :P

3. Don't forget to re-read your email.
Be careful as you are often judged by your typos. No one is perfect but you can eliminate 99% of these mistakes by re-reading.

>> C'mon, sure must re-read emails before sending lerrr... especially emails to clients. Common sense. o_O

4. Don't write when you are angry.
Calm down before you send a hate email because there's no undoing what's been said. If need be, ask someone to edit. Avoid using UPPERCASE too as it means that you are yelling.

>> Hohoho... I sent one hate email before and the result was devastating because the recipient replied to all in the loop. Ah well, learnt from mistake. Nowadays, I toned down sarcasm a lot whenever I reply emails although sometimes I still add in a bit of sarcasm, whenever needed.

I think should add number 5. Don't send to wrong recipients. Meaning, please check the recipient box before sending the email. Especially if your client's name is the same as another client's but who works in another company. Or worse, if your colleague's name is the same as one of your friend's name who works in another rival company. Imagine if you send a confidential company/project proposal to that person. Oh-uh. And yeah, whenever I receive emails that are not supposed to be sent to me, I'll reply back to alert the sender. It doesn't hurt to help in this way.

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Excerpts from books

When I was in my secondary school, I love to read storybooks, especially those with vivid and detailed descriptions of a place or things. Then, I'll copy down the sentences that I like in a notebook. As I moved on to study in the university, this habit was forgotten. During semester break, whenever I went home, I'd flip over the diary and re-read all those notes again. Many, many years later, I decided to put them online, first in my pocket PC, now on my blog. It took me 14 years to do so.

In fact my blog is basically a place where I compile things that I like: books, movies, songs, food, places; and situations that affected me, both positively or negatively: dad's death, work, people, etc.

Things that I don't blog are meaningless to me; things that I blogged meant a lot to me.

**********

A chamois leather bag which contains tiny stones of different shades of color; liquid fire, red, green, deep blue, and dazzling white; also semi-precious gem stones with different colors in different shades: raspberry fool and azure blue, squashed strawberry and pastel blue.

The delicate tote bag with its soft violet silk and embroidery violets contains several prized items: a few beautifully shaped crystal prisms; two like long teardrops, another like a star, one a snowflake and another like a giant diamond; a rose pendant of pink quartz. It has many strange convolutions but in the center are colors so bright and clear that it resembles a rose.

A tall wooden container of sandalwood-essence powder, a long cylindrical bottle with a bulb at its base that contains jasmine-scented purple oil and a colorfully painted porcelain ceramic vial of scented oil with an underlying redolence of varying flowers and herbs.

The orchid sachet bag that is used to scent clothing is decorated with a hand-embroided monogram and the dainty square of white batiste is embroided in brown, with a lace border.

The paperweights contain lovely artificial flowers and butterflies and there is an oval paperweight filled with a swirling rainbow of colors. Another one is an onyx paperweight made of stone-like marble that has different colored layers within.

The traditional snow crystal ball is made from a globe of glass. Inside the small glass dome is a miniature angel and a Christmas tree. When the ball is shook, an icy storm whirl will occur and hundreds of snowflakes will swirl around, bathing both the angel and the tree in the sea of snowflakes.

The marble facades in the room present a rainbow of faded colors: raspberry, ochre, russet, pale lime and ivory, rose red and old gold when sunshine shines on them.

The antique shop sells a lot of treasures. Among them are jaspers, onyxes, porphyries, stamped velvets, brocades, laces, and gleaming precious woods.

The breakfast tray has a glass top and slatted wooden side pockets for the morning paper. On the left corner of the tray is an ornate floral arrangements fashioned entirely from spun sugar. On the right is a snowman made from a handful of snow and is flourished with a miniature pine cone on its head. There are two plated in the center of the tray. On one plate are kiwi, apricot, peach, peas and tomato slices placed in different geometric patterns with a big strawberry wearing a daisy hat in the center. On another plate, a pale mauve orchid sprouts from a grapefruit half which is surrounded by buttered and salted sweet corns and baby carrots. Around the plates, amaryllis and buds of maple trees are scattered freely. A tall glass of cold and fresh vanilla-flavored milk is placed just in front of the snowman, while a pair of silver dessert fork and spoon is laid gently on a pastel blue cotton napkin on the left of the plates.

There are scarlet hips from wild roses, berries with lovely bright pink outside and a brilliant orange stone in the middle, crimson leaves and mauve tiny orchids in the vase on the table.

Dogwoods and cherry trees are already in bloom, blanketing the park with splashes of white and pink and on the ground, there is a bed of pink and purple wildflowers.

The small backyard is full of different kinds of flowers: zinnias, delphiniums, petunias, rudbeckia, marigolds, geraniums, pink carnations, white gardenias, pale pink and bright red plumiera, and anthuriums as tastefully laid-out beds among mossy rock formation. The flowers emit their most potent aromas: the liliums, camellias, and hollyhocks. Tamarisks, pines, palm trees, bougainvillaeas, and laurel roses shaded a flaking lilac facade. Golden reflections dance on the water of the pool, nightbirds fly over the terrace of the loggia, the flowerbeds, lemon trees, orange trees, lavender, blue, yellow and pink crocuses scattered whimsically throughout the lawn, and potted azaleas give off intoxicating fragrances and against the pinkish horizon, all of the countryside seems ablaza with the setting sun.

From top of the mountain, sloping for several acres across folds and valleys, are rivers of daffodils in radiant bloom. A profusion of color - from the pales ivory to the deepest lemon to the most vivid salmon - blazes like a carpet. It looks as though the sun has tipped over and spilled gold down the mountainside. At the center cascades a waterfall of purple hyacinths. Here and there are coral-colored tulips. And as if this bonanza are not enough, western bluebirds frolicked over the heads of the daffodils, their magenta breasts and sapphire wings like a flutter of jewels.

Twilight floods the sky with its rosy farewell to the day, flaming the cloud bottoms crimson, streaking them violet shot through with saffron. In the garden, dogwoods are in bloom, azales make a riot of colors and potted sweetheart roses blossoms vigorously. Tulips, daffodils and camellias in dazzling colors brighten up the garden even more.

When shimmering sun rays fall through the lacy green canopy of leaves to pattern the path ahead with golden spots of light, the forest immediately swept by a surge of warmth and cheerfulness. Birds are chirping away noisily, squirrels are chasing each other and rabbits are running. Wild strawberries, blueberries, forget-me-nots and lilies-of-the-valley are carpeting the forest floor, dotting it with all kinds of colors and shapes.

Spring casts its spell throughout the countryside. Hills, sky and forest reveal their purples, blues and greens. Leaves have unfurled, gold-finches have arrived at the feeders and daffodils are fighting their way heavenward. Then, there is an old apple tree that blossoms so profusely that the air becomes saturated with the aroma of apples.

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Something fun: homepages-friends.com

Don't know how to believe this. But I guess it won't hurt to try. The FAQs explain about it. Basically, the more you search the Internet, the more you earn money. Sounds ridiculous but why not give it a try? ^^

Click here to support me! :) ^^V

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When supercomputers go bad...

Eagle Eye

Wow! This is a great movie! I don't expect it to be this entertaining. The plot is not that original, about a supercomputer that went bad when she decided to be the mastermind to carry out her own mission and operation to save the nation, civilians being manipulated to carry out the superbrain's hidden tasks, federal agents and the army joined forces to track down the "terrorists", etc. But then, despite the familiarities of the story and similarities to some plots in Get Smart, this is still a pretty good movie.

Shia LaBeouf is getting cuter. I think he did tried hard to look macho with some beard, moustache, and sideburn. Cute :P I like his character in this movie compared to his role as Harrison Ford's son in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Michelle Monaghan is great too. The first movie that I watched, with her as the lead actress, was Made of Honor, different genre but she still has this distressed look in her eyes that makes you pity her.

Watch it!

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