Isn't It Nice

              Two delicate blossoms of Southern femininity, one from Mississippi and the other from Texas, were conversing on the porch swing of a large white-pillared mansion. The Mississippian said, “When my first child was born, my husband built this beautiful mansion for me.” 

              The Texan lady commented, “Well, isn’t that nice?” 

              The lady from Mississippi continued, ‘’When my second child was born, my husband bought me that fine Cadillac automobile you see parked in the drive.’’ 

              Again, the Texas lady commented, “Well, isn’t that nice?” 

              The first woman boasted, “Then, when my third child was born, my husband bought me this exquisite diamond bracelet.’’ 

              Yet again, the Texas lady commented, “Well, isn’t that nice?” 

              The first woman then asked her companion, “What did you husband buy for you when you had your first child?”

              The Texas lady replied, “My husband sent me to charm school.” 

              “Charm school!’’ the first woman cried. “Land sakes, child, what on Earth for?’’ 

              The Texas lady responded, “So that instead of saying, ‘Who gives a crap,’ I learned to say, ‘Well, isn’t that nice?’’’

Time

Time like tide waits for no man. Even as you finish reading that sentence and perceive the message it conveys, it would have perhaps taken you about five to eight seconds. And those precious seconds are gone from your life forever. Irretrievable.

This fact can be quite frightening to us if we can fully understand the implication of what it means to lose every second of our lives without making full use of them or gaining something beneficial in return.

We have somehow taken this fact for granted, like we did for so many other things in life. We have let each day passes by followed by weeks, months and eventually years. We've all grown older each day, but we may not necessarily have grown wiser.

- Author Unknown

Effect Of Soya On Cholesterol.

Here we go again. More studies and reports on the Soya. Please refer to my earlier post on September 22,(under Health), "Soya - Good or Bad for Health". 

The claim: Soya can lower cholesterol

The facts: Soya foods have been credited with all sorts of health benefits, but perhaps none as appealing as this assertion.

              The notion was cemented in 1999, when the United States Food and Drug Administration allowed companies to claim that 25g of soya protein a day, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, “may reduce the risk of heart disease”. The agency evaluated studies and concluded that soya protein could cut cholesterol.

               However, studies since have raised doubts. In 2006, an American Heart Association advisory panel reviewed a decade of studies and determined that soya products had no significant effects on “good” cholesterol or HDL, or triglycerides (fat in the blood), and little or no ability to lower “bad” cholesterol or LDL.

               Another study, published in August in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that consuming 24g of soya protein daily had no “significant effect on plasma LDL” in people with mildly elevated cholesterol.

               However, another line of research shows that soya seems to help when combined with foods low in fat and high in fibre.

The bottom line: There is evidence soya can improve cholesterol, but the jury is still out.

- The New York Times 

Ripples On The Pond

My grandfather took me to the fish pond on the farm when I was about seven, and he told me to throw a stone into the water. He told me to watch the circles created by the stone. Then he asked me to think of myself as that stone person. 

“You may create lots of splashes in your life but the waves that come from those splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures,” he said. “Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that circle will also touch many other circles. You will need to live in a way that allows the good that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others. The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for both.” 

That was the first time I realized each person creates the inner peace or discord that flows out into the world. We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt, or anger. We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside, whether we speak them or not. Whatever is splashing around inside of us is spilling out into the world, creating beauty or discord with all other circles of life. 

- Source Unknown

Loving You…

If I can’t be generous and supportive, I’ll at least try not to stand in your way. Loving you means wanting you to grow.

I won’t put my problems onto you. You have enough problems, I’m certain, and you don’t need mine. My love should simplify your life, not complicate it.

I don’t always have to be right. I can accept the fact that you are right as often as I am. Loving is sharing with each other. If I already know I’m right, I’ll never profit from your insight.

I don’t have to be perfect, nor do you. Love is a celebration of our humanness, not our perfection. I don’t want to change you. 

If I want you in my life, the best thing for both of us is for me to accept you as you are. After all, love is moving forward together in mutual growth.

I don’t need to place blame. Since I’m an adult who makes decisions based upon personal experience, there is no one to blame for a poor decision except myself. Love puts the responsibility where it belongs.

I can give up expectations. To wish is one thing, to expect is another. One brings hope, the other can bring pain. Love is free of expectations.

To love is the greatest of human experiences and sooner or later we all realize that without it life is empty and meaningless. 

Love is always worth the effort, even if it brings confusion, uncertainty and pain in the process. A loving relationship should be a celebration all its own. 

- Leo Buscaglia 

Today

This is another one from my scrap book - one of the many articles I collected 

              The past is over. It is finished. It has brought you to where you are right now. You can learn much from it. You can carry its experiences with you always. Yet you cannot go back. 

              You cannot relive the past. You can do something much, much better. You can make your life from this point on the best that it can be. 

              Today is a new day with even more possibilities than any day that you’ve ever known in the past. Today is your opportunity, here and now, real and ready. 

              If you think you’re too old or too late or too this or too that, you’re absolutely wrong. You're precisely in the right spot, at the right time, to make a real, positive difference in your life and in the world around you. 

              Today is the best opportunity anyone could ever imagine, because what you do with today is completely up to you. 

              Make it the best day ever! 

- Source Unknown 

More Water May Not Help Skin

 The claim: Drinking lots of water is good for your skin.

The facts: By now, the old saw about drinking eight glasses of water a day has been thoroughly debunked. However, a similar adage about excess water and healthy skin persists, even though there is no evidence that drinking anything more than recommended amounts of water is particularly beneficial to skin.

              A 2007 study on the effects of water consumption did show that drinking 500ml of water, about two cups, increased blood flow to the skin. A good sign, but there was no evidence that it reduced wrinkles or improve complexion.

              Dr. Margaret E. Parson, a spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology, said: “if we are eating and drinking what we should, our bodies are healthier and therefore our skin as well.”

              Her advice? Always wear sunscreen, avoid cigarettes and eat well.

The bottom line: There is little evidence that excess water helps the skin.

- The New York Times 

A Farmer And His Frogs

              A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, “There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs - millions of them. They croak all during the night and are about to drive me crazy!” 

              So the restaurant and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant five hundred at a time for the next several weeks. 

              The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, “Well...where are all the frogs?” 

              The farmer said, “I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!” 

              Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember it’s probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also - remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming - like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. 

The Mystery-Lover

A mystery-lover take his place in the theatre for opening night, but his seat is way back in the theatre, far from the stage. 

The man calls an usher over and whispers, “I just love a good mystery, and I have been anxiously anticipating the opening of this play. However, in order to carefully follow the clues and fully enjoy the play, I have to watch a mystery close up. Look how far away I am! If you can get me a better seat, I’ll give you a handsome tip.” 

The usher nods and says he will be back shortly. 

Looking forward to a large tip, the usher speaks with his co-workers in the box office, hoping to find some closer tickets. With just three minutes left until curtain, he finds an unused ticket at the Will Call window and snatches it up. 

Returning to the man in the back of the theatre, he whispers, “Follow me.” 

The usher leads the man down to the second row, and proudly points out the empty seat right in the middle. 

“Thanks so much,” says the mystery-lover, “This seat is perfect.” He then hands the usher a quarter. 

The usher looks down at the quarter, leans over and whispers, “The butler did it in the parlour with the candlestick.”

You Are A Survivor

If sometimes you feel disappointed and angry at fate’s cruel ways.
If sometimes you feel life is unfair, as you struggle through trying days.
If sometimes you’re tempted, when fate knocks you down, and you don’t wish to get up anymore;
If you feel that it’s no use to stay in the game, to struggle and win as before . . .

Remember! You are a survivor! You will make it – somehow;
Don’t look too far ahead for tomorrow, just get through this day . . . live for now!
Remember that with each new tomorrow, you will leave some troubles behind;

With every sunrise a new day is dawning and feel certain on this day you’ll find . . .
That life is not always so cruel, the days, not at all times so long;
For after the storm comes a rainbow, and after the pain . . . comes a song!

- Author Unknown

Wars

Not all wars are fought with guns and ammunition. All wars, however, are fought with thoughts and words, whether written or spoke. We are at war in our hearts long before we express it with arms. The place to abolish wars, then, is in your hearts. The politicians and soldiers only materialize or manifest the wars that already exist in their and our hearts. 

If we must fight then let us fight with all our hearts and all of our might! Let us utterly destroy the enemy with vicious attack. Let us search and kill every true enemy, namely; hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, vanity, covetousness, cruelty, and mistrust. These diabolical enemies are hiding now in your heart and in my heart and are so cleverly disguised! Once they are annihilated, we can invent our dream of peace. 

- Chris. R. Warnken 

White Peacocks

              They say that if you see a white peacock spread its feathers, you will have good luck. Take a good look, and may I wish you luck - plenty of it. :-) 

              Beautiful shots, beautiful birds, simply breath-takingly beautiful!

Class Reunion

The much awaited day for the class reunion came and went – on the 8th of November.

There were about 25 of us, including 3 teachers. There was a lot of catching up to do, and a lot of brain and mind racking, trying to remember who is and/or was who. All have 'grown up' - of course, and some of them are quite successful in their own fields.

It was really good to be able to catch up with old classmates and teachers after all these years. Alas, the evening passed so quickly. Although the gathering was extended for another hour, there was still not enough time to catch up with everyone. 

Of course, it was difficult to catch up with so many people in one evening – especially after 38 years! Anyway, I would say everyone had a good time down memory lane, and the organizing committee had hoped that more will participate in future gatherings. 

Write In The Sand Or Carve In The Rock

              A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. At a specific point of their journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. 

              The one, who got slapped, was hurt, but without anything to say, he wrote in the sand: “TODAY, MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.” 

              They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who got slapped and hurt started drowning, and the other friend saved him. When he recovered from the fright, he wrote on a stone: “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.” 

              The friend who slapped, and later saved his best friend, asked him, “Why, after I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now you write on a stone?” 

              The other friend, smiling, replied: “When a friend hurts us, we should write it down in the sand, where the winds of forgiveness get in charge of erasing it away, and when something great happens, we should engrave it in the stone of the memory of the heart, where no wind can erase it.”

The Conductor

              A little old lady is on a bus, buying a ticket from the bus conductor, fumbling in a voluminous bag for the correct change. After fifteen minutes the conductor becomes so enraged that he hits her on the head with the ticket-dispenser, and the poor old dear dies instantly. 

              Not surprisingly, he is convicted and put on death row. Just before he is to be electrocuted, his last request is for twelve pounds of bananas, which he devours. 

              They strap him into the chair, flip the switch, and he just sits there, smiling. According to tradition, this is considered a reprieve from God and he is freed. 

              Somehow he gets his old job back, and he is happily dispensing tickets when he sees a girl stick her gum on the back of a seat on the bus. Enraged, he lunges out with the ticket dispenser, breaking the offender’s neck and killing her. 

              Again, he is convicted and sent to death row. He again eats the twelve pounds of bananas, and lo and behold, the electricity does not harm him. 

              This time the executioner cleans the contacts, makes him sit in a bucket of water, he tries everything - but the conductor will not die. So again, he is set free.

              Amazingly he regains his job. It takes him one day to lose his temper and beat to death a young boy who starts to chew his bus ticket. 

              He returns to death row, eats the bananas, and survives the electrocution. At this point, the executioner, can take no more - his professional pride has been hurt. Before setting our friend free again, he asks him his secret – “What is it with the bananas?” 

              “Oh, the bananas have nothing to do with it,” replies our friend. “I’m just a bad conductor.”

Life Cannot Be Counted In Candles ...

I got this off a Birthday card from Hallmark 

Life cannot be counted in candles …

… or measured in number of years, it is counted in small joys and good times and laugh lines, as well as in heartaches and tears. 

… but in things done with effort and pride – with dreams followed boldly and hopes kept alive – in times when we have failed – but tried. 

… or measured in years that have flown – it is counted in kindnesses, close friends, and loved ones, and in all the sweet blessings we have known.

The Power Of Words

              A group of frogs was travelling through the woods, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. 

              When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs they would never get out. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. 

              Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and simply gave up. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and suffering and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. 

              When he got out, the other frogs asked him, “Why did you continue jumping. Didn’t you hear us?” The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time. 

              This story teaches two lessons: 

              1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. 

              2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. 

The Case

A lady about eight months pregnant got on a bus. She noticed the man opposite her was smiling at her. She immediately moved to another seat. This time the smile turned into a grin, so she moved again. 

The man seemed more amused. When on the fourth move, the man burst out laughing, she complained to the driver and he had the man arrested. The case came up in court. The judge asked the man (about twenty years old) what he had to say for himself. 

The man replied, “Well your Honour, it was like this: When the lady got on the bus, I couldn’t help but notice her condition. She sat under a sweets sign that said, ‘The Double Mint Twins are Coming,’ and I grinned. Then she moved and sat under a sign that said, ‘Logan’s Liniment will reduce the swelling,’ and I had to smile. Then she placed herself under a deodorant sign that said, ‘William’s Big Stick Did the Trick,’ and I could hardly contain myself. BUT, Your Honour, when she moved the fourth time and sat under a sign that said: ‘Goodyear Rubber could have prevented this Accident,’ I just lost it.” 

“CASE DISMISSED!”

A Special Day

Today, I turned 50! That’s half a century! Wow!

No, there won’t be a big party, nor a big celebration. Like all previous occasions, events etc…the day was duly noted mentally but not celebrated. I think the only time I celebrated anything at all was when I turned 21 – the day I became an adult. After that, for some reason, I haven’t been able to summon the ‘Celebrative Spirit’. 

Perhaps it is because I am a firm believer that each day of our lives is as important as the other. Therefore, there is no need to celebrate a particular day in the year. And of course there is the popular notion that if you are rich, and can afford to live it up, you can party everyday. So there is no need for an excuse to party. 

There is probably one other underlining consideration. I do not like these emotional highs. It is no fun to fall back to earth with a thud after the party or celebration is over. I also find that instead of celebrating the occasion, I think more of the passing away of the other – be it the year, or season – and I find myself saddened. 

Whatever the reason or rationale behind it, I guess I am one of those who are not into celebrations. Every day is another day to me!

However, well meaning friends have invited me out for dinners and drinks the past week. Tonight will be another dinner and drinks evening. So I think that’s plenty of celebration.

It is also exactly a year ago – this day, that I started my blog. I hope whoever has the affinity to read it benefited from my blog, in some small ways. That will be satisfaction and reward enough for me. 

Cheers!