Thought 30OCT2009

ADVANTAGES AND PERKS OF LIVING AFTER 50 (1 of 2)
(1) Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
(2) In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
(3) No one expects you to run anywhere.
(4) People call at 9:00 pm and ask, "did I wake you?"
(5) People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
(6) There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
(7) Things you buy now won't wear out.
(8) You can eat supper at 4 pm.
(9) You can live without sex but not your glasses.
(10) You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
Source Unknown - Got this from Mohd Zaini Yusof (my KRTU Golf Kaki)
La ira es locura, el tiempo que dura / Anger is a short madness - Spanish Proverb

Thought 29OCT2009

MISTAKES - WHAT THEY ACTUALLY MEAN
If a Barber makes a mistake - it is a "New Style"
If a Driver makes a mistake - it is a "New Path"
If an Engineer makes a mistake - it is "New Venture"
If Parents makes a mistake - it is a "New Generation"
If a Politician makes a mistake - it is a "New Law"
If a Scientist makes a mistake - it is a 'New Invention"
If a Tailor makes a mistake, it is a "New Fashion"
If a Boss makes a mistake, it is a 'New Idea"
If an Employee makes a mistake, it is a "Mistake"
Source Unknown - Got this from Salmah of APIT
Zgur il-mewt / Only death is certain - Maltese Proverb

Thought 28OCT2009

LEADERS' ENERGIZED
The world of the '90s and beyond will not belong to managers or those who make the numbers dance, as we used to say, or those who are conversant with all the business and jargon we use to sound smart. The world will belong to passionate, driven leaders - people who not only have an enormous amount of energy but who can energize those whom they lead.
Jack Welch - Chairman and CEO of General Electric - extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II, Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo / There's no substitute for experience - Spanish Proverb

Thought 27OCT2009

THE SCAR
A little boy invited his mother to attend his elementary school’s first teacher-parent conference. To the little boy’s dismay, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that covered nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar. At the conference, the people were impressed by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother despite the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. He did, however, get within earshot of a conversation between his mother and his teacher, and heard them speaking.

"How did you get the scar on your face?" the teacher asked. The mother replied, "When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him trying to shield him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us." She touched the burned side of her face. "This scar will be permanent, but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did." At this point, the little boy came out running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.
By Lih Yuh Kuo - from A 4th Course of Chicken Soup for the Soul Copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty & Meladee McCarty
Palos porque bogas, palos porque no bogas / You can't win them all - Spanish Proverb

Proverbs 26OCT2009

Listen a hundred times; ponder a thousand times; speak once - Kurdish Proverb
Ahjar xih u gharef milli zaghzugh u ibleh / Better (marry) an old but wise man than a young but foolish man - Maltese proverb
A person is a person because of other persons - South Sotho Proverb
Con el tiempo y la paciencia se adquiere la ciencia / Patience, time, and money accommodate all things - Spanish Proverb

Thought 23OCT2009

WHY DOES HAIR TURN GRAY?
Despite what your parents may have told you, it's very unlikely that you caused their gray hairs. Severe trauma or some medical conditions have been known to "put snow on the roof", but scientists have yet to link rotten children to the phenomenon. In most cases, the real culprit is Father Time.

"Melanocyte" cells are the magic ingredients that give hair its wide range of color - from lightest blonde to darkest brown. But by our mid-twenties, the melanocytes become less active. Hairs begin to emerge from follicles with less pigmentation, causing them to look gray. When melanocytes stop working altogether, the hair grows with no pigmentation, just the white color of its original protein.
Source: WHY IN THE WORLD? Reader's Digest
Kind words will unlock an iron door - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 22OCT2009

How did blue jeans get to be "blue jeans"?
Jeans may be as American as apple pie, but the name comes to us from the land of pasta, via the land of croissants. The cotton cloth once used in work clothes was made in Genoa, a place that French weavers called 'Genes.' The name stuck to the pants, and all that was lacking was a designer label.

During the nineteenth century California Gold Rush - before Calvin Klein or The GAP - a young tailor named Levi Strauss sold his jeans to miners. (He made them from a French cloth called serge de Nimes, from which we get "denim") Straussdied the jeans blue so that dirt wouldn't easily show on them. All this so you would have something comfortable yet stylish to wear to school or after work.
Source: Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things
Patience is bitter, but it bears sweet fruit - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 21OCT2009

RULES FOR WHICH REASONS ARE NOT KNOWN
however, always Work ...
Lorenz's Law of Mechanical Repair : After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
Anthony's Law of the Workshop : Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Kovac's Conundrum : When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged one.
Cannon's Karmic Law : If you use the excuse that you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will actually have a flat tire.
O'brien's Variation Law : If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
Bell's Theorem : As soon as the body is immersed fully in the bathtub, the telephone will ring.
Rubys Principle of Close Encounters : The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are in a situation where you do not want to be seen by anybody.
Willoughby's Law : When you try to prove to the repairman that a machine doesn't work, it will.
Zadra's Law of Biomechanics : The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reachability of the area.
Breda's Rule : At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.
Owen's Law : As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
Wooly's law : When you are working late, the boss will never be around. When you are surfing the net the boss will always drop by
Source Unknown - Got this from Salmah Yunus of APIT
Whoever speaks evil to you of others will speak evil of you to others - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 20OCT2009

ON CONFIDENCE
Our son Greg was always a shy child, especially around girls he liked. He had like Karen since Kindergarten and now in 6th grade they were "going together". This would be the first Christmas that he had ever wanted to buy a girl a gift. He asked me to go with him, and we picked out a lovely bracelet with which he was very happy. He could hardly wait to give it to her. Christmas came and Greg gave Karen the gift. He was so excited that he could say, "Karen is my girlfriend!" After Christmas break, and returning to school, Greg came in one day with a great sadness wrapped around him. I learned not to ask too many questions, so I merely made an observation about the look on his face. "You look so very sad, Greg."

He continued walking through the room, but shortly returned to the kitchen where I was preparing dinner, stating, "Karen broke up with me today." I could tell by his face that he was devastated. With a heavy heart for him, I turned to face him and merely said, "Oh my, what a loss for her." He looked at me strangely and left the room, saying nothing. I felt terrible that I did not have the words to ease my son's pain, knowing full well that there were none. But a mother is a mother! About fifteen minutes passed and Greg came back into the room with a "smirk" on his face and said, "You know, it is her loss." And off he went to make a phone call, never seeming to look back. It was at that moment that I realized that it only takes a few choice words to build the confidence needed for our children to deal with most of their trials growing up.
Georgia Delbridge, Virginia, U.S.A. Bits & Pieces: Home Delivery - Quotes from the magazine Bits & Pieces
If you wish to do a good deed, consult no one - Chinese Proverb

Thought 19OCT2009

NO MISTAKES
The Controversy over the closing of military bases throughout the United States brings to mind a story about Robert McNamara. When McNamara was secretary of defense during John F Kennedy's administration, he was unpopular because of the way he and his group of "Whiz Kids" shunned advice. McNamara was once summoned to appear before the House Armed Services Committee to explain why he had ordered the closing of 672 Army bases.

"Could you have made a mistake in the case of one or two of these bases?" asked Congressman Edward Hebert. "No," McNamara replied emphatically. An exasperated Hebert shot back with, "Six hundred and seventy-two decisions and not a single mistake! You're better than Jesus Christ! When he was selecting his apostles, he only had twelve decisions to make and he blew one of them!"
Extracted from Bits & Pieces, The Economics Press, Inc., Fairfield, New Jersey, USA. From the Library of Puan Hajah Zaihani Abdul Hamid
For every wise man there is one still wiser - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 16OCT2009

ON LISTENING
It's a mistake to think we listen only with our ears. It's much more important to listen with the mind, the eyes, the body, and the heart. Unless you truly want to understand the other person, you'll never be able to listen.
Mark Herndon, Writer - Cited in BITS & PIECES
Fear an ignorant man more than a lion - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 15OCT2009

THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Most people return from Las Vegas with winnings or souvenirs. My wife came back with a baby. After loading Gina's suitcases into our van at the airport, my wife handed me a small package. Thinking it would be a wonderfully tacky souvenir, I ripped through the paper only to find myself face-to-face with a positive pregnancy test. Now, my wife and I had been trying to have another baby for quite some time. So, when I saw the test, my first thought was, "What the heck is this?" Not very poetic, unfortunately, but very much the truth. So, I immediately looked up to find my wife smiling. "But how?" I mumbled, knowing exactly how but not when or where.

"I was sicker than you'll ever know in Vegas," Gina whispered, so as not to let on yet to our boys in the backseat. "So, my mom took me to a doctor. And, with all the other tests, they wanted to make sure I wasn't pregnant. But, I guess I am." Another baby. A third boy? A first girl? A swarm of thoughts and feelings went through my skull and down my arteries. I'm happy. And scared. And worried that I won't be a good enough dad. And proud of "big brother" Jeremy. And nervous that Gina and I'll now be outnumbered. And sad for Matthew that he'll no longer be the baby. And hoping we'll be able to make them all feel special. And, most of all, so in awe of my wife who once again will show how a woman is a miracle, how she brings forth life and beauty and peace into a world so dearly in need of all three. I write about the meaning in moments. There aren't many to top hearing that there's a baby on the way. The journey begins...again.
from Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul - Copyright 2000 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Every "bad" has its "worse - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 14OCT2009

Did You Know That Right Now
Somebody is thinking of you. Somebody is caring about you. Somebody misses you. Somebody wants to talk to you. Somebody wants to be with you. Somebody hopes you aren't in trouble. Someone is thankful for the support that you have provided. Somebody wants to hold your hand. Somebody hopes everything turns out all right. Somebody wants you to be happy. Somebody wants you to find him/her. Somebody is celebrating your successes. Somebody wants to give you a gift. Somebody thinks that you ARE a gift. Somebody hopes you're not too cold, or too hot. Somebody wants to hug you. Somebody loves you. Somebody admires your strength. Somebody is thinking of you and smiling. Somebody wants to be your shoulder to cry on. Somebody wants to go out with you and have a lot of fun. Somebody thinks the world of you. Somebody wants to protect you. Somebody would do anything for you. Somebody wants to be forgiven. Somebody is grateful for your forgiveness. Somebody wants to laugh with you.

Somebody remembers you and wishes that you were there. Somebody is praising God for you. Somebody needs to know that your love is unconditional. Somebody values your advice. Somebody wants to tell you how much they care. Somebody wants to share their dreams with you. Somebody wants to hold you in their arms. Somebody wants YOU to hold them in your arms. Somebody treasures your spirit. Somebody wishes they could STOP time because of you. Somebody praises God for your friendship and love. Somebody can't wait to see you. Somebody loves you for who you are. Somebody loves the way you make them feel. Somebody wants to be with you. Somebody wants you to know they are there for you. Somebody's glad that you're his/her friend. Somebody wants to be your friend.
Charlie Musco, Jr
Eat and drink with your friends but do not trade with them - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 13OCT2009

Anti-Stress Kit
Rubber Band : To remind you to stretch your new ideas and your mind to new limits so you will continue to grow and reach your potential.
Tissue : To remind you to see the tears and needs of others, including those of yourself and your peers.
Candy Kiss : To remind you that everyone needs a hug, kiss, or a word of encouragement every day.
Life Saver : To remind you to think of your peers as your "life savers." Care about each other and help each other through the stressful times that occur in life.
Penny : To remind you the value of your thoughts - BIG ones and little ones! Share them with others.
Eraser : To remind you that we all make mistakes and with an eraser they can be erased, as can our human mistakes be overcome.
Toothpick : To remind you to "pick out" the good qualities in others and yourself and to be tolerant and accepting of the differences of others.
Paper Clip : It's important to "keep it all together." Find the balance in your physical, professional, and spiritual life. Explore the resources and programs available to you in the community.
Source Unknown
Do what your teacher says but not what he does - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 12OCT2009

Trust Even the Dark Moments
While on our journey, life can sometimes get bleak. Dark passages may envelop us. Expect these moment. Often they come at the deepest period of working things out. It can be a time of despair, frustration, dead ends, anguish and angst. Sometimes these moments are brief, sometimes they last a long time. But usually they are necessary. Plan on these moments. They are not the end of the journey. They are the passageway through the tunnel and into the light. In just a little while, you will feel, see and know the purpose of why you're going through. Soon it will become clear. You will move out of the darkness and into the light. Trust even the bleak times When you reach the end of the tunnel, then you will know why this all had to be.
Source Unknown
Beauty passes; wisdom remains - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 09OCT2009

THE CAT LADY
I have lived in my neighborhood for twenty years. It seems to me that I've spent at least ten of those years looking for a lost pet, either mine or one I'd seen listed in the newspaper's lost-pet column. Recently, I was at it again, going door-to-door looking for one of my own lost kitties, a little black cat named Nicholas who'd slipped out the door before I could stop him. I made my rounds, visiting with all the neighbors, describing Nicholas. Familiar with this routine, everyone promised to keep an eye out and call me if they spotted him. Two blocks from my house, I noticed a gentleman raking leaves in the yard of a home that had recently been sold. I introduced myself and presented my new neighbour with the plight of the missing Nicholas, asking if he had seen him.

"No," he replied, "I've not seen a little black kitty around here." He thought for a moment, looked at me and said, "But I know who you should ask. Several of my neighbors have told me that there's a woman in the neighborhood who's crazy about cats. They say she knows every cat around here, probably has dozens herself. They call her 'The Cat Lady.' Be sure to check with her." "Oh, thank you," I said eagerly. "Do you know where she lives?" He pointed a finger down the street, "It's that one." I followed his finger and started to laugh. He was pointing at my house!
By Patti Thompson - from Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul, Copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
At table keep short hand; in company keep a short tongue - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 08OCT2009

DISSED
Chad was intimidated by the burly professor yelling into his face, "Your work is sloppy! Your study habits are horrible! Your grades are slipping! I hate sloppy work! I hate poor study habits! And I hate that shirt you are wearing!" The class was dead silent as the professor chastised Chad for several minutes. Then a collective gasp filled the room when the professor turned and began to yell at the entire class.

"You guys have made it through high school because your mommies babied you. Now you have to grow up! Your mommies are not here!" Chad spoke in a quivering voice. "You'd better be glad my mom's not here. She bought me this shirt!"
By Mary J. Davis - from Chicken Soup for the College Soul, Copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
An illness comes by the pound and goes away by the ounce - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 07OCT2009

RACIAL PREJUDICE?
Having her hair done at a West Hempstead, NY, beauty parlor, a woman told a cautionary tale about racial prejudice. The story deserves a wider audience. On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, the woman related, she won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room. "I'll be right back and we'll go to eat", she told her husband and she carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator. As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was big... Very big... An intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was:These two are going to rob me. Her next thought was: Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen, even if one of them is awfully black. But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious, flustered, and ashamed.

She hoped they didn't read her mind but knew they surely did; her hesitation about joining them on the elevator was all too obvious. Her face burned. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the other foot and was on the elevator. Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and then another second, and then another. The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her. My God, she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed! Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore. Then one of the men said, "Hit the floor." Instinct told her : Do what they tell you. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator carpet. A shower of coins rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button." The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. She lifted her head and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her feet. "When I told my man here to hit the floor," said one of the men (the average sized one), "I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am." He spoke genially. He bit his lip.

It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing. She thought : My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself. She was too humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were robbing you? She didn't know. The 3 of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she hear them laughing while they walked back to the elevator. The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband. The next morning flowers were delivered to her room a dozen roses. Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The card said : "Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years." It was signed, Eddie Murphy, Michael Jordan. This deserves to be told.
Source Unknown
A man is judged by his work - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 06OCT2009

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
When I look into the mirror I see a survivor. I don't think about anything but living. Well, that's not true because the farther I get from cancer, the more hopes and dreams I let creep in. When I looked into the mirror during my illness, I wasn't that bald person staring back at me. I didn't recognize myself. My body had let me down, but I didn't want my soul to escape. People responded to the way I looked. I hated the pity I saw in their eyes as much as the fear. The body is back to its original state, but the soul has taken on the wonderful layers of a survivor.

Now I celebrate - Bad-hair days - Bushy eyebrows - Stubble legs with razor burn. I celebrate - Blended flavors of peanut butter and chocolate - Sweet lemonade through a straw - Greasy hamburgers with bacon.I celebrate - Whining children - Shouting and arguing - Pulsating music and barking dogs. I celebrate - Making plans - Dreaming - The hoping that goes with having a future.I celebrate life.
By Karen Klosterman - from Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul, Copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Arava u mayet an namaes u ryes / There is no strong man when the sea is at its worst - Ivatan Proverb

Thought 05OCT2009

AGING
I think we're finally at a point where we've learned to see death with a sense of humour. I have to. When you're my age, it's as if you're a car. First a tyre blows and you get that fixed. Then a headlight goes and get that fixed. And then one day, you drive into a shop and the man says, "Sorry, Miss, they don't have this make anymore."
Katherine Hepburn - Extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
Cada uno habla de la feria segun le va en ella / Everyone sees things from his or her own point of view - Spanish Proverb

Thought 02OCT2009

ONE ADVICE
If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this : Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, "I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me."
Ann Landers
Borron y cuenta nueva / Let bygones be bygones - Spanish Proverb