Wisdom

Sometimes the best wisdom and deepest lessons in life come from a few lines of simple words or a short poem. A word, a phrase in a moment of need can lift our spirits. And it can change our attitude or point of view.

Aphorisms motivate, and inspire because they encompass years of wisdom of people who had experienced Life and gone through Life’s hardship. They make us think. When we think, we analyse the truth contained therein and thus we learn.

Keep a record of the aphorisms that resonate with you. You can refer to them when you need some inspiration, or motivation.

Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution. - David Joseph Schwartz

We are like snowflakes, each of us unique and exquisitely beautiful in our own way. - Unknown

No matter what yesterday was like, birds always start the new day with a song. - Unknown

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and focus on what could go right. - Unknown

Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. - Lao Tzu

No amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of worrying can change the future. - Umar Ibn al-Khattab

Breathe. It’s just a bad day, not a bad life. - Unknown

A single feat of daring can alter the whole concept of what is possible. - Graham Greene

It is best and easiest not to discredit others but to prepare oneself to be as good as possible. - Socrates

I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy. - Tony Robbins

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Flower Photography

If you are a flower photography enthusiast, the Flower dome would be a very nice place for taking photos of flowers. It is an eternal spring there. Flowers of all shades and colours bloom throughout the year.

I am not really a photography enthusiast. However, nowadays, with cell phone cameras so convenient to use, I will take a photo of whatever caught my eye. Most of the photos taken are quite ordinary. But, once in a while, some turn out to be quite nice.

Here are some photos of flowers I took which turned out to be quite decent.

“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.” - Ansel Adams

“People only send me flowers when I’m ill, or in a hospital when I’m too distracted to enjoy them. And how sad that the day I receive the most flowers I won’t even see them. Who needs flowers after you’re dead?” - Unknown

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Of Wit And Humour

Humour has an intellectual as well as emotional element. That is why some people do not share our sense of humour. We are all different. What we find funny, others may find coarse. But that’s okay. It doesn’t matter what kind of humour you like, as long as it makes you laugh.

I hope the following selection of humorous quotes will bring on a chuckle, or put a smile on your face. They are humorous, witty, and there is truth in them.

The ideal man doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs, doesn't swear, doesn't get angry, doesn't exist. - Unknown

Life is like a grammar lesson. You find the past perfect and the present tense. - Adolf Hitler

Accept the fact that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you're the statue! - Unknown

It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse. - Adlai Stevenson

Journalists do not believe the lies of politicians, but they do repeat them, which is even worse! - Michel Colucci

A man doesn’t know what he knows until he knows what he doesn’t know. - Laurence Peter

That’s a valiant flea that dares eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion. - William Shakespeare

If it’s sent by ship then it's a cargo, if it’s sent by road then it’s a shipment. - Dave Allen

How do you know my dim-witted inexperience isn't really a subtle form of manipulation used to lower people's expectations, thereby enhancing my ability to manoeuvre myself within any given situation? - Unknown

For one to admire a woman merely for her beauty, is to love the building for its exterior; but to love one for the greatness of her soul, is to appreciate the tenement for its intrinsic value. - William Scott Downey

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A Birthday Dinner

My friends – the usual suspects, and I, had a gathering two nights ago at Ernest’s home. We usually meet when there is a birthday boy, or girl in the group. Sometimes, we celebrate at a restaurant. But when Ernest is not too busy, we will celebrate at his house. Ernest is a good cook and he loves entertaining, so it works out well for us.

It is a more casual and relaxed atmosphere at home. We can be a bit loud, without fear of getting thrown out of the restaurant. We can also stay a bit longer after the meal, without the restaurant staff hovering about hinting, sometimes not too subtly, that we have eaten what we paid for and it is time to buzz off. For those who are free, they could go to Ernest’s home a bit earlier too.

As usual, Ernest prepared a very nice meal. Cold cuts – Parma ham and duck terrine

Cheese platter with crackers, preserved fruits and mixed nuts

Spaghetti

Fried button mushrooms and spinach

Roast chicken with roots vegetables

Stewed pork

A nice bottle of wine - Amisfield pinot noir

Fruits - pineapples

Guava and melons

And of course, a birthday cake

I had a lovely day. The food was very good, and the company too. We all had our fill of food and laughter. One of the simple pleasures in life – sitting down to a nice home-cook meal with old friends. A day well spent!

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Quote Worthy

Aphorisms contain valuable life lessons. That is why motivational speakers quote aphorisms in their speeches to inspire and motivate their audience.

Take an interest in aphorisms. These simple phrases of a few easy to understand words, often have much truth in them. Learn from them and you will understand life a little better. You might get a head start in life, and avoid some common, and costly mistakes people make on their journeys in life.

The beauty of Aphorisms is that they are motivational, inspirational and self-explanatory.

The ultimate in disposing one’s troops is to be without ascertainable shape. Then the most penetrating spies cannot pry in nor can the wise lay plans against you. - Sun Tzu

We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne. - Marcus Aurelius

If you have any notion of your indispensability, take a history book and read it. There are plenty of indispensable people recorded there – and they are all dead! - Unknown

The only thing that endures over time is the ‘Law of the Farm’. You must prepare the ground, plant the seed, cultivate, and water if you expect to reap the harvest. - Stephen Covey

None of us clearly know to whom or to what we are indebted, until some marked stop in the whirling wheel of life brings the right perception with it. - Unknown

Diversity and independence are important because the best collective decisions are the product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromise. - James Surowiecki

When once you have tasted flight you will always walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward: for there you have been and there you will always be. - Henry Van Dyke

You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it’s a little thing, do something for others – something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it. - Albert Schweitzer

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What Is Greatness?

What does it mean to be great?

Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent. Doing what must be done, what is required of you to do in the face of hardship and difficulty, this is already greatness. Being strong is not greatness, but the right use of strength, that is greatness. To endure, to tire out hostile fortune; to be daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it – this is greatness!

There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity. - Buck Rodgers

It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him. - John Steinbeck

Many have had their greatness made for them by their enemies. - Baltasar Gracian

Man’s greatness lies in his power of thought. - Blaise Pascal

We all carry the seeds of greatness within us, but we need an image as a point of focus in order that they may sprout. - Epictetus

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Truisms

Aphorisms motivate and inspire because they teach a philosophical or moral truth which is relevant to our experiences in life. The relevance is what makes them fascinating and interesting.

Have a look at today’s selection of truisms. Keep a record of the ones that resonate with you so that you can refer to them in your leisure, or in your time of need.

There’s nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child. - Frank A. Clark

Imagination is being able to envision limitless possibilities and alternatives. It is seeking new solutions to old problems. - Leo Buscaglia

The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely. - Louisa May Alcott

For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: “It might have been!” - John Greenleaf Whittier

A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time – pills or stairs. - Joan Welsh

You must not expect old heads on young shoulders. - Unknown

Ignorance is the night of the mind, a night without moon or star. - Confucius

As we advance in life, we learn the limits of our abilities. - James Anthony Froude

It’s the job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish. - J. R. R. Tolkien

Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all. - Mandy Hale

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Little Guilin

Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the Northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It is most famous for its iconic limestone mountains and caves, making it one of China's most popular tourist destinations.  

Singapore has a Guilin too – Little Guilin, or Xiao Guilin (Chinese: 小桂林). Little Guilin is a far cry from the Guilin in China which has long been renowned for its scenery of karst rock formations, crystal clear waters and many caves to explore.

Little Guilin was a granite quarry until the 1980s when mining discontinued. There were plans to develop the disused quarry into a road. However, seeing its slight resemblance to the granite rock formations in Guilin, China – albeit a much smaller version of it, the developers decided to develop the place into a park instead. Soon after, the park came to be known fondly as Little Guilin, or Xiao Guilin (Chinese: 小桂林) by the locals.

Guilin park is not a very big park. But within the little park, “towering rock cliffs make a majestic backdrop to the large lake.” Serene and peaceful, the park is a good place to relax and just chill, or to enjoy a picnic with friends or family.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Flower Dome

The Gardens by the Bay has a Flower Dome. It is one of Gardens by the Bay’s attractions. The conservatory holds the Guinness World Record for the largest glass greenhouse! The temperature in the dome is set at Spring time temperature – from 23C to 25C. So, it is eternal Spring in the dome.

This giant conservatory is home to over 32,0000 plants belonging to over 160 different species. It features a flower field with a changing display of flowers of the season, every two months or so, and eight other gardens, namely The Baobabs, Succulent Garden, Australian Garden, South African Garden, South American Garden, Olive Grove, California Garden and the Mediterranean Garden. These eight gardens exhibit exotic flowers and plants from the Mediterranean and semi-arid regions from five different continents. Ranging from olive trees to orchids to the endangered African Baobab to the Birds-of-Paradise; Flower Dome aims at educating visitors about the importance of conservation and biodiversity.

The spectacular display of beautiful flowers and plants sourced from different regions makes for a unique experience.

Some photos from the Flower dome.

The roof is fitted with specially selected glass that allows optimal light in for plants while minimizing solar heat, allowing the conservatory to be cooled more efficiently. Covered with 3332 glass panels, it’s volume is equivalent to 75 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and can accommodate up to 1,000 people.

Grevillea

Chenille plant

Collard greens

An olive tree

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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