Truisms

Aphorisms reinforce our thoughts, ideas, beliefs and opinions. And it is a nice feeling when we find our thoughts or opinions expressed by someone else more eloquently. Here are some motivational and inspirational words to nudge you along life’s journey during your moments of doubt.

Worry about your character, not your reputation. Your character is who you are, and your reputation is who people think you are. - John Wooden

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. - Albert Einstein

Without wearing any mask we are conscious of, we have a special face for each friend. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Falsehood often lurks upon the tongue of him, who, by self-praise, seeks to enhance his value in the eyes of others. - Arnold Bennett

Crises bring out the best in the best of us, and the worst in the worst of us. - Unknown

The participant’s perspectives are clouded while the bystander’s views are clear. - Chinese Proverb

Debt is a prolific mother of folly and of crime. - Benjamin Disraeli

Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation. - Saint Augustine

Fire and people do in this agree, they both good servants, both ill masters be. - Fulke Greville

It helps if you remember that everyone is doing their best from their level of consciousness. - Deepak Chopra

Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable. - Jane Austen

Credentials on the wall do not make you a better person. - Unknown

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BLOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!

To Love Someone

Giving someone all your love does not mean that the person you love, will love you back. Do not expect love in return. Just wait for it to grow in their hearts. If it happens, great, otherwise be content that it grew in yours. People are free to love whoever they like.

You can't make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to that person to realize your worth. Some people won’t love you no matter what you do and some people won’t stop loving you no matter what you do.

Loving someone isn’t just a strong feeling. It is a decision, and commitment to love, for better, or for worse. Love takes time to grow. We have to be sure it is love before we commit ourselves.

If you love someone, when it's the most real, the most important thing in your life, it's not enough to coast. You need to dig in those footers, start building on that base. You want something to last, you put your back into it. - Nora Roberts

We must see our love and ourselves as a gift to the other. We offer but do not know if it will be accepted. - Unknown

If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t, they never were. - Richard Bach

If you love someone, tell them, because hearts are often broken by words left unspoken. - Unknown

If you love someone, you’ll be willing to give up everything for them. But if they love you, they’ll never ask you to. - Unknown

The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance. - Brian Tracy

To love a person is to see all of their magic, and to remind them of it when they have forgotten. - Unknown

If you love someone, then your freedom is curtailed. If you love someone, you give up much of your privacy. If you love someone, then you are no longer merely one person but half of a couple. To think or behave any other way is to risk losing that love. - Laurell K Hamilton

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BLOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea is a genus of thorny ornamental climbing plant that is very common in the tropics. Its drought tolerance makes it ideal for warm climates year-round. It can be pruned into a standard, but is also grown along fence lines, on walls, in containers and hanging baskets, and as a hedge.

Bougainvillea blooms all year round, here in the tropics. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts. The bracts are thin and papery, and that is why the bougainvillea is sometimes referred to as ‘paper flower’.

Its long arching thorny branches bear heart-shaped leaves and masses of papery bracts in various colours including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, yellow, purple, and burgundy.

It is common to see bougainvillea hedges on overhead bridges and flyovers. When in bloom, they are quite a sight to behold.

The insignificant flowers are surrounded by brightly colored paper bracts. It is easy to mistake the bracts for flowers.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BLOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!

Humorous Quotes

Quotes need not be all serious, and teaching life lessons. There are witty and humorous quotes which have a lot of truth in them at the same time. Take a look at today’s selection. Remember the ones you like best, and go impress your friends with your wit and humour.

There’s always room for improvement, you know – it’s the biggest room in the house. - Louise Heath Leber

A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it. - Bob Hope

Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon. - E. M. Forster

The only thing that ever sat its way to success was a hen. - Sarah Brown

If you ask enough people, you can usually find someone who’ll advise you to do what you were going to do anyway. - Weston Smith 

You’ll never get ahead of anyone as long as you try to get even with him. - Lou Holtz

Writers don’t get mad, they get even in their novels. - Candace C. Bowen

There are two perfectly good men, one dead and the other unborn. - Chinese Proverb

When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain. - Mark Twain

There is a very easy way to return from a casino with a small fortune: go there with a large one. - Jack Yelton

The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off. - Abe Lemons

It’s okay to let a fool kiss you, but don’t let a kiss fool you. - Unknown

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BLOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!

Think Positive

Positive thinking isn’t about expecting the best to always happen, but accepting that whatever happens is the best for the moment.

Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting pure gold.

When you see things as negative, you see negativity, but the moment you see it as positive, the same negative appears positive. No matter how negative a situation, there is always a little positive in it. Train your mind to see the positive in every situation. Someday, the negative voice inside you will have nothing left to say.

Never make a mental list of the things you lack. Count your blessings instead. Make a note of everything you own or enjoy, down to the last detail, and you will see that, all in all, life has been very good to you.

Think Positive. Life is good. If not, you can always cry later.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BLOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!

The Dumpling Festival

Today, the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, is The Dumpling Festival, or The Dragon Boat Festival.

A dragon boat is a paddle boat that is traditionally made of teak wood to various designs and sizes. The designs are usually brightly decorated with the front end shaped like open-mouth dragons, and the back end a scaly tail.

The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the DuanWu Festival in China. Apparently, along with the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival and Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most significant in China, celebrated by colorful and lively races featuring narrow boats shaped like dragons.

It is a traditional holiday that commemorates the life and death of Qu Yuan (Chu Yuan), a poet and statesman of the Chu Kingdom in 278 BCE.

Legend has it that Qu Yuan, despaired at the state of the government committed suicide by jumping into the Miluo River.

Upon hearing the news, the locals raced out in boats to save him, pounding drums to scare away any fish or creature in the water that might attack him. Others threw rice into the river for the same purpose – to distract the fishes and creatures which might be inclined to take a bite at Qu Yuan. However, despite their efforts, they were not able to save him.

Since then, boat races and ceremonial sacrifices of rice were performed each year to commemorate this valiant attempt to rescue Qu Yuan. On this day, people eat rice dumplings to symbolize the rice offerings, and hold dragon boats races. Entire regattas of dragon boats compete to see who is the swiftest as individual rowing teams keep in time with drummers pounding out furious rhythms.

The ‘zongzi’, or rice dumpling is steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. The fillings are usually a mix of rice with sweet or savory flavors of pork, walnuts, mushrooms. Other variations of the ingredients include using yam paste, beans, and dates.

If you are a vegetarian, or if you do not like to eat meat, you can use peas and beans for fillings instead.

Traditionally, families would make their own zòngzi, but with lifestyles becoming increasingly busy, and people more affluent, people tend to buy ready made ones. Besides, making rice dumplings is a lot of work and takes up a lot of time. With everything so commercialised these days, it is easier to just go and buy a few.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BLOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!

Afternoon Walk

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. - Soren Kierkegaard

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Walking helps to clear your head. It is a good exercise – physically and emotionally. Sometimes, ideas pop into the head while you are walking.

Nowadays, doctors recommend that you go for walks, instead of jogs, because walking is easier on the knees.

The picture looked a bit dull and hazy. But the day was actually quite clear and beautiful. Maybe it was because of the heaving rain in the morning, and there were still water vapours in the atmosphere.

People fishing. There are plenty of fishes in the canal. But I don't know what kind of fishes they are.

More people fishing.

Rushing water. The water was still strong. It was quite a heavy rain. The rain started in the wee hours of the morning and continued till noon. Flash floods were reported at some parts of the island.

Turtles/tortoises who made the canal home. There are more of them today on the walls of the canal than usual. Maybe they need to get out of the water or risk being swept away. There was a komodo dragon too. I thought I snapped a picture of it. With the glare of the sun on the screen of the phone, I suppose it's what people called shooting blanks. Some pictures don't show up at all.

Herons and cranes are common sights fishing in the canal.

Lovely looking round-leaf weeds.

This is a Lobster Claw plant or Heliconia rostrata, also called parrot flower

The neighbourhood cat, taking its place on the last steps of the stairs. It refused to budge despite the stairs being busy with people walking up and down.

It was a very pleasant walk. Much cooler today after the rain. I am lucky to have a beautiful walk route. The route is by the side of a canal, and pathed with plants and flowers.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BlOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!

Facets of Life

Our lives might not have come with a manual, or an instruction booklet to teach us what is right, what is wrong, or how to live our lives. But if we are willing to listen to our elders, to learn from the sages and wise men before us, we will be able to get a pretty good grasp of life, avoiding all the portholes that are dotted along life’s journey.

Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. - Will Rogers

Willpower is to the mind like a strong blind man who carries on his shoulders a lame man who can see. - Arthur Schopenhauer

The porcupine, whom one must handle gloved, may be respected, but is never loved. - Arthur Guiterman

Drama does not just walk into your life. You either create it, invite it, or you associate with people who love to bring it into your life. - Unknown

Choose being kind over being right, and you’ll be right every time. - Richard Carlson

Tranquility is a certain quality of mind which no condition of fortune can either exalt or depress. - Seneca

It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to. - W. C. Fields

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading. - Lao Tzu

Explaining the unknown by means of the unobservable is always a perilous business. - Unknown

If you are carrying strong feelings about something that happened in your past, they may hinder your ability to live in the present. - Les Brown

It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and a plan of action. - Fidel Castro

Fame is a vapour, popularity an accident, riches take wings, only character endures. - Unknown

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BLOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!

LIfe is LIfe

Life is indifferent. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It isn’t fair, and it isn’t unfair. Life itself has no inherent meaning (although some might beg to differ). It is up to us to make the most of our Lives, to give meaning to our lives.

Life is like a game of cards. Sometimes, you are dealt a good hand, but if you played your cards poorly, you will still lose the game. On the other hand, your cards might not be so good, but if you played them well, you can still win the game.

If you have been dealt a good hand. Appreciate it and be grateful for it. All you have to do is play your hand well. And if you feel that you have been dealt a poor hand, bear in mind that if you play your cards well, you can still come up tops.

Sometimes, the cards are good, sometimes not so good. Understand that while you might be dissatisfied with your life, there are others who appreciate what you have and would gladly exchange their lives for yours.

In Life, sometimes, shit happens. And the only thing we can do is to just keep going. We do the best we can with whatever cards we are dealt with. And that’s how it is. That’s Life!

Frangipanis

Frangipani – also known by its scientific name as Plumeria, can be divided into two main groups, the Plumeria obtusa and the Plumeria rubra. Obtusa plumerias have rounded shiny leaves while the rubra have duller pointed leaves. The Obtusa frangipani generally has white flowers and a strong fragrance while the rubra has colorful flowers but less scent.

Frangipanis are common in Singapore, but they are actually native to the rocky, sandy coasts of the Caribbean and Central America.

Apparently, the nocturnal fragrance of the flowers is believed to be linked to spirits and may attract these supernatural beings at night. That is why people who are superstitious do not plant frangipanis near their homes.

Flowers of the frangipani tree come in shades of pink, yellow, white, red and multi-colours, and they have a very nice fragrant – especially in the evenings or in the early mornings.

The flowers can be used to make essential oils, perfumes, lotions, and candles. Or, they can be used as offerings in temples, or made into garlands called lei. The wood of the frangipani tree is white, light and soft, and can be used for the manufacturing of musical instruments, tableware and furnitures.

Frangipani plants can grow to be large shrubs or even small trees. They are deciduous and sensitive to cold. Frangipani is known to possess a poisonous, milky sap.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BlOGGER ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you like to read about Life, humour and quotes. If you know of someone who might appreciate these posts, do share the link with them. Cheers!