Wealth

Health is the greatest wealth. If you have health but no wealth, you can work to earn money. But if you have money but no health to enjoy it, all the money in the world is useless to you. Of course, your wealth could provide some luxury so you can suffer in comfort. But that is cold comfort. So, any sensible guy would choose health over wealth, wouldn’t he?

Wealth is not about how much money you have. It’s about how contented you are with the little you have. Riches are an instrument of life, and the virtue of an instrument lies in its use. If you manage your money well, having a little is enough. If you do not know how to manage your money, no amount of money is enough.

Titles, riches, and fine houses signify no more to the making of one man better than another, than the finer saddle to the making the better horse. - Wellins Calcott

If it is well with your belly, chest and feet, the wealth of kings can give you nothing more. - Horace

Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled. - Barack Obama

It is a shame for a man to be a millionaire in possessions if he is not also a millionaire in beneficence. - Lyman Abbott

The wealthy seldom possess wealth: oftener they are possessed by it. - Ivan Panin

True wealth is of the heart, not of the purse. - Og Mandino

Wealth hath never given happiness, but often hastened misery. - Martin Farquhar Tupper

A man is rich whose income is larger than his expenses, and he is poor if his expenses are greater than his income. - Jean de la Bruyere

The fortunate man is he who, born poor, or nobody, works gradually up to wealth and consideration, and, having got them, dies before he finds they were not worth so much trouble. - Charles Reade

Great wealth may be to its owner a blessing or a curse. Alas! I fear it is too often the latter. It hardens the heart, blunts the finer susceptibilities, and transforms into a fiend what under more favourable circumstances might have been a human being. - Arnold Bennett

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

Dahlias

According to Wikipedia, “Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. They belong to one of the largest flowering plant families, Asteraceae, or the sunflower family. They are related to chrysanthemums, gerberas, daisies, and marigolds to name a few.”

“Dahlias appear to have a single bloom on each stem. However, each head consists of a luster of tiny individual flowers known as disc and ray florets. Disc florets lie in the centre and resemble tiny tubes, while ray florets are essentially the petals.”

Dahlias come in a wide range of colours, and have a great variety of flower forms such as ball, decorative, cactus, anemone, collerette, pompon, orchid and water-lily. They range in size from tiny micro dahlia flowers 5 centimeters in diameter, to ‘dinner plate’ ones measuring 25 centimeters across! The name of each flower form describes its appearance or shape.

The following are photos of some Dahlias from a flower display.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

Food For Thought

Every now and then, we come across a phrase, or a paragraph which arouses certain emotions in us. Perhaps the particular word, or phrase, or paragraph has a special meaning which we can relate to, or it may arouse some feelings or emotions we experienced in the past. Or, it may simply be that it describes something so appropriately, or so beautifully, that we always want to remember it.

Spare a few moments to ponder on the truth behind these phrases.

Around us, life bursts forth with miracles – a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life’s daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there. - Thich Nhat Hanh

Most of us take our life on this planet for granted. When something drastic happens, it forces us to re-evaluate the reason we are here and why we do what we do. Calamities, illness and death are the greatest teachers and awakeners. They shake us up and take us out of our comfort zone and illusion of separation. Our struggles and hardships give us opportunities to grow and realize that life is a temporary gift for us to cherish, and be grateful for. Unfortunately, because we are slow in learning this lesson, existence throws more challenges our way to help us wake up and re-evaluate the way we live our life. The ups and downs of life teach us that anything can happen at any moment, so we can’t take things, people, our health, or life for granted. - Unknown

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

A Get Together

We were invited to Ernest’s place for lunch and dinner last Saturday. Who were we? We were classmates in 1986 in a Food and Beverage course. We reconnected through searches on Facebook and we have been meeting about once a month since about six years ago.

Due to busy schedules, only four were able to meet for lunch and three for dinner. Since I was free for the day, I went for lunch and stayed for dinner. It was a good day spent catching up with old friends.

A gathering at Ernest’s is always a day with plenty of food. We had lunch at 1pm. After lunch, there were fruits and desserts, followed by tea and snacks and later, dinner. In between, we catch up on what’s happening in our lives and what’s happening in the world. We also sorted out our itinerary for our impending trip to our neighbouring country in the North. Nine of us are going to Ipoh, Malaysia for five days on the 22nd of this month. That should be interesting.

With the recent heat spell in mind, Ernest brewed a pot of herbal drink for us. In Traditional Chinese medicine, the drink is touted as good for detoxing and also good for nourishing the lungs.

For lunch, there was seafood porridge with salted eggs, as well as fried noodles with chives, eggs and pork belly.

There were desserts, fruits, and cakes for tea.

For dinner Ernest prepared braised lamb with Chinese spices and vegetables.

Sautee pork with radish and leek.

And some plain rice to go with the meal.

I was the first to arrive at noon and the last to leave at 10pm. It was a full day!

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

Humorous Wit

Laughter is one way of relaxing and taking things easy. A good laugh will always lift our moods, and make life more bearable.

Take a look at today’s selection of witty aphorisms. Remember the ones you like best, and go impress your friends with your wit and humour.

He had the look of one who had drunk the cup of life and found a dead beetle at the bottom. - P. G. Wodehouse

That miscellaneous collection of a few wise and many foolish individuals, called the public. - John Stuart Mill

Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets. - Napoleon Bonaparte

If you don’t want temptation to follow you, don’t act as if you are interested. - Richard L. Evans

A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package. - Harry Emerson Fosdick

It is not a secret after three people know it. - Unknown

A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money. - W. C. Fields

Get the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything. - Frank Dane

The injuries we do and those we suffer are seldom weighed on the same scales. - Aesop

The one thing we have never been able to save for a rainy day is an umbrella. - Unknown

If you learn to work with all the negatives in life, you will definitely make better pictures out of it. - Unknown

Good executives never put off until tomorrow what they can get someone else to do today. - John C. Maxwell

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

Quote Worthy

We have much to learn in this life. But we do not have a lot of time to learn everything first hand or through personal experiences. However, we can learn from the wisdom of others.

Take an interest in Aphorisms. They are life lessons full of truism and wisdom. They are valuable lessons on, and about life. You will get a head start in life, if you can learn the lessons they contain.

Have a look at the following truisms and see what you think of them.

People with purpose, goals, and visions have no time for drama. They invest their energy in creativity and focus on living a positive life. - Unknown

Listen carefully to how a person speaks about other people to you. This is how they will speak about you to other people. - Unknown

The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about. - Wayne Dyer

Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life. - Les Brown

Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk. - Joaquin Setanti

A correct answer is like an affectionate kiss. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A little in one's own pocket is better than much in another man's purse. - Miguel de Cervantes

It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover. - Henri Poincar

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. - Albert Einstein

We should manage our fortunes as we do our health – enjoy it when good, be patient when it is bad. - Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Time is a factor in all action. An imperfect scheme put into action at the proper time is better than a perfect one accomplished too late. - Andre Maurois

Nothing is so great an instance of ill-manners as flattery. If you flatter all the company, you please none; if you flatter only one or two, you affront the rest. - Jonathan Swift

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

Inspiration

Inspiration is everywhere. It’s just a question of whether or not you notice it. Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you.

The thing about inspiration is – it never arrive when you are searching for it. It usually comes while you are working. Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning. While one works one’s creativity is opened.

Inspiration does not come like a bolt, nor is it kinetic, energetic striving, but it comes into us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly and every day give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness. - Brenda Ueland

Don't loaf and invite inspiration; light out after it with a club, and if you don't get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it. - Jack London

Inspiration flows naturally from the person who has a willingness to learn, a desire to serve, and the humility to match his achievements. - Unknown

Do not give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I do not think you can go wrong. - Unknown

Inspiration plus perspiration produces a sensation. - Unknown

Confidence imparts a wonderful inspiration to its possessor. - John Milton

Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy. - Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Those who have changed the universe have never done it by changing officials, but always by inspiring the people. - Napoleon Boneparte

To see a world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower; to hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour – is inspiration. - William Blake

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

Proverbs, Maxims, Adages...

Proverbs, axioms, maxims... these short phrases are imbued with profound lessons which, unless we take time to contemplate, we would have missed the lessons they are teaching. When those words describe the present situation you are in, or a situation you were once in, you will find that the words take on a new meaning.

Take a look at this week's selection of proverbs, axioms, and maxims. See if you can learn something from them.

Words have no wings but they can fly a thousand miles. - Korean Proverb

Don't cross the bridge till you come to it. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

He that won’t be counselled can’t be helped. - Benjamin Franklin

Ignorance, the root and the stem of every evil. - Plato

To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short. - Confucius

Walls have ears. - Unknown

What’s learnt in the cradle lasts till the tomb. - Unknown

Whatever is produced in haste goes hastily to waste. - Saadi

The fool wanders, a wise man travels. - Thomas Fuller

To govern was to serve, not to rule. - Seneca

In the long run, a short cut seldom is. - Malcom Forbes

Givers have to set limits because takers rarely do. - Irma Kurtz

We first make our habits, and then our habits make us. - John Dryden

Slight not what’s near through aiming at what’s far. - Euripides

What you resist persists. - Carl Jung

The best of healers is good cheer. - Pindar

More haste, less speed. Make haste slowly. - Augustus Caesar

Law is order, and good law is good order. - Aristotle

Never claim as a right what you can ask as a favour. - John Collins

He that waits upon fortune, is never sure of a dinner. - Benjamin Franklin

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

Heat Wave

There is a heat wave in the South East and South-East Asia region. Temperature ranges from 37C to as high as 48C. Areas where it is extremely hot, people have died of the heat, and some schools were closed. April and May are usually the hottest months, but because of the El Nino effect, the temperatures have been higher than they normally were.

Over here, in Singapore, it is still not too bad compared to the neighbouring countries. The temperatures here range from 33C to 35C. However, the humidity is high – over 80%, making it quite unbearable when the air is still. The occasional light breeze makes all the difference.

Thick rain clouds made one feel smothered. Dark clouds brought with them the promise of rain. However, on most days, they passed right over us without stopping to unload the water they were carrying. I hope this heat wave will pass be over soon.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE

Humanity

What is humanity? Humanity is defined as human beings collectively, as well as the quality of being humane; benevolence.

I have heard remarks that humanity is a lost cause. Somtimes, looking at the mess the world is in now, I can’t help but agree. But then, I don’t think people have changed much through the years at all. We have fumbled and tumbled and survived this far. We will go on surviving, one way or another. Worse comes to worst, the earth will implode and civilization will start all over again – Earth version 2.0.

Throughout most of our history, nothing – not flood, famine, plague, or new weapons – has endangered humanity one-tenth as much as the narcissistic ego, with its self-aggrandizing presumptions and its hell-hound spawn of fear and greed. - Tom Robbins

A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. - The Buddha

There is always more misery among the lower classes than there is humanity in the higher. - Victor Hugo

The most identifying trait of humanity is our ability to be inhumane to one another. - Dean Koontz

On personal integrity hangs humanity's fate. - R. Buckminster Fuller

The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane. - Mahatma Gandhi

We cannot trample upon the humanity of others without devaluing our own. - Chinua Achebe

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. - Martin Luther King Jr

Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature. - Tom Robbins

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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

Thank you for stopping by. Follow me if you find my posts interesting. If you know of anyone who might appreciate them, do recommended the blog to them. Cheers!

If you are on Facebook, drop by and take a look at my Facebook Page - 👉 HERE