God, grant me the courage to change the things I can. The serenity to accept the things I cannot. Most of all, grant me the wisdom to know the difference.
Now I understand why this phrase holds long in my memory.
The courage because when we have it, we would automatically have the strength. When we have the serenity, it is easier to accept it. When we are unaware, we cannot see the difference. Often things we think we can change are things we cannot. Similarly, things we cannot change are the things we can. We often think that we have wisdom. In fact, we don’t.
There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Having knowledge is about being intellectual. Wisdom is about being intelligent. Wisdom is about application of your knowledge. It is about our CHOICES AND ACTION – how to love without expectation, what choices we made regardless of our reward, to be compassionate rather than be judgmental, to be humble rather than focusing on our accomplishment. Given a choice, I choose to be intelligent. Once we are wise, making choices and decisions are as easy as reading ABC.
In the past, I often talk with knowledge but not talk with wisdom. To cite any wise person is very easy. However, to act on those wise saying is another story. To really show up in our one wild and precious life, we need to be wise,
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
EXPRESSION OF LOVE
May you never steal, lie or cheat
But if you must steal... steal away my sorrows
And if you must lie... lie with me all the nights of my life
And if you must cheat, then please cheat death
Because I couldnt live a day without you...
(by unknown)
But if you must steal... steal away my sorrows
And if you must lie... lie with me all the nights of my life
And if you must cheat, then please cheat death
Because I couldnt live a day without you...
(by unknown)
Forgiveness - Part One
All of us have been hurt by people... sometimes to the extent that we want to retaliate and forgiveness is the last thing on our mind.
Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you (by Lewis B Smedes)..
Two friends were walking through the desert. At some point of the journey, they had an argument. One friend slapped the other on in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE. They keep on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him,"After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?" The other friend replied, "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it." (source unknown)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy
- Francis of Assisi
Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
- Reinhold Niebu
Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you (by Lewis B Smedes)..
Two friends were walking through the desert. At some point of the journey, they had an argument. One friend slapped the other on in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE. They keep on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him,"After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?" The other friend replied, "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it." (source unknown)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy
- Francis of Assisi
Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
- Reinhold Niebu
Humility greater than Achievement
Hmmm..my first thought was how can I write this piece so well that you will be impressive. It hits me that the difference between humility and accomplishment is EGO..I say it again EGO…..E….G….O……
All my life, I have been in the quest for recognition from people around me - my parents, my friends, my teachers. I remember at the age of 15, I wrote an essay. The teacher thought it was so good that she read it out in the class. Recalling now, I must be in heaven for weeks. And it must been the starting point for me to desire recognition because I have ‘tasted’ it. All my accomplishments were more ‘satisfying’ if there are people around to appreciate them. Yes, it drives me to be where I am today. If you ask me if I felt good, I say YES ….
Before CV, I would most probably say I know about humility. But if I am honest with myself, do I really know the difference? For example, I would ‘ACT’ to make other believe (but most of all myself believe) that the intention is with humbleness. The fact is I want recognition for being humble.
Humility is a virtue until one becomes proud of it…(by unknown)
Recognition can often be bought. For example a title like Datuk. Pay a certain amount of money, one can easily get a Datukship. Or donate a million dollar and you get a plague embedded to the wall of the building somewhere. And if you request, the plague can even come with your photograph.
Accomplishment is about success. It usually comes without any thoughts for others. Perhaps stepping on others in the process. Often, it is at a price - one too high to pay..
But humility…..this is different ball game. For me, humility is not about signing a cheque for one million dollar. It is about giving our time and ourselves to serve to the best of our ability - to visit the poor, the homeless and the hungry, giving them love and care, taking the time to connect with them, …it is about ‘getting our hands and feet dirty’ without any thoughts of recognition or reward….
When we give or achieve something without any thoughts for credits, that is much more gratifying. And this feeling is something that MONEY cannot buy. Recognition can often be bought. But the heartwarming and poignant feeling is much more fulfilling both mentally and spiritually..
To me, humility is achieving something with a higher purpose, without expectation and most of all, NO recognition for our effort. In short, humility is greater than accomplishment....
"I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet." - Nikos Kazantzakis –
In our greatness, remain humble..
All my life, I have been in the quest for recognition from people around me - my parents, my friends, my teachers. I remember at the age of 15, I wrote an essay. The teacher thought it was so good that she read it out in the class. Recalling now, I must be in heaven for weeks. And it must been the starting point for me to desire recognition because I have ‘tasted’ it. All my accomplishments were more ‘satisfying’ if there are people around to appreciate them. Yes, it drives me to be where I am today. If you ask me if I felt good, I say YES ….
Before CV, I would most probably say I know about humility. But if I am honest with myself, do I really know the difference? For example, I would ‘ACT’ to make other believe (but most of all myself believe) that the intention is with humbleness. The fact is I want recognition for being humble.
Humility is a virtue until one becomes proud of it…(by unknown)
Recognition can often be bought. For example a title like Datuk. Pay a certain amount of money, one can easily get a Datukship. Or donate a million dollar and you get a plague embedded to the wall of the building somewhere. And if you request, the plague can even come with your photograph.
Accomplishment is about success. It usually comes without any thoughts for others. Perhaps stepping on others in the process. Often, it is at a price - one too high to pay..
But humility…..this is different ball game. For me, humility is not about signing a cheque for one million dollar. It is about giving our time and ourselves to serve to the best of our ability - to visit the poor, the homeless and the hungry, giving them love and care, taking the time to connect with them, …it is about ‘getting our hands and feet dirty’ without any thoughts of recognition or reward….
When we give or achieve something without any thoughts for credits, that is much more gratifying. And this feeling is something that MONEY cannot buy. Recognition can often be bought. But the heartwarming and poignant feeling is much more fulfilling both mentally and spiritually..
To me, humility is achieving something with a higher purpose, without expectation and most of all, NO recognition for our effort. In short, humility is greater than accomplishment....
"I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet." - Nikos Kazantzakis –
In our greatness, remain humble..
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Cohesion
As I drove along the highway from KL to Johore Bharu, there are landscaping on the dividers and natural vegetation along both sides of the highway. On some places are different species of plants & trees. On some areas are the same type but with different colors.
This reminds me of the beauty of ‘globalization’ whereby the world no longer makes up of countries or races but only of different background and personalities. I have been to different countries but one of the charms of Sarawak is the acceptance of the different races and cultures as part of our live. Inter-marriages of different races are not uncommon. It is getting more and more difficult for me to gauge what is the race of the person. Putting politics aside, the acceptance and tolerances level is high in Sarawak.
Recently, I receive the following email in my inbox:
Last month a world-wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was:-
"Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"
The survey was a huge FAILURE because of the following:
1. In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant.
2. In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant.
3. In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant.
4. In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant.
5. In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" meant.
6. In South America they didn't know what "please" meant.
7. In the USA they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.
8. In Australia they hung up as soon as they heard the Indian accent.
I do not agree with the above content but it depicts my belief that the world needs something in common to be able to resolve the challenges she now faces.
I also believe that everyone is basically born with violet but as we grow older, we are being conditioned to think and act otherwise.
The thing in common would be the language of LOVE filled with compassionate and care. Imagine how wonderful the world would be if it consists of collections of CV's concept communities. I believe this is the essence of the globalization and thus making our presences in the universe memorable, meaningful, magical and most of all, joyful.
This reminds me of the beauty of ‘globalization’ whereby the world no longer makes up of countries or races but only of different background and personalities. I have been to different countries but one of the charms of Sarawak is the acceptance of the different races and cultures as part of our live. Inter-marriages of different races are not uncommon. It is getting more and more difficult for me to gauge what is the race of the person. Putting politics aside, the acceptance and tolerances level is high in Sarawak.
Recently, I receive the following email in my inbox:
Last month a world-wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was:-
"Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"
The survey was a huge FAILURE because of the following:
1. In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant.
2. In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant.
3. In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant.
4. In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant.
5. In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" meant.
6. In South America they didn't know what "please" meant.
7. In the USA they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.
8. In Australia they hung up as soon as they heard the Indian accent.
I do not agree with the above content but it depicts my belief that the world needs something in common to be able to resolve the challenges she now faces.
I also believe that everyone is basically born with violet but as we grow older, we are being conditioned to think and act otherwise.
The thing in common would be the language of LOVE filled with compassionate and care. Imagine how wonderful the world would be if it consists of collections of CV's concept communities. I believe this is the essence of the globalization and thus making our presences in the universe memorable, meaningful, magical and most of all, joyful.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Contribution and Gratitude
Last night, I was reading Reader’s Digest (RD). I have always loved reading RD when I was young especially the humor sections. Along the years, I lost the desire to read. Since CV, I have rediscovered this love.
The contents of RD have varied to some degree over the year for eg it consists of more advertisements than I can remember. However, one section caught my attention ie a monthly article to acknowledge the contributions of people to the world.
In the January issue, The Asian of the year 2010 Award goes to a 63 year old Jockin Arputham who champions the poor. He spends most of his life to improve the lives of the slum dwellers in India.
His commitment, courage and most of all, the wisdom to accept that there need to be compromises and teamwork to make his vision possible has moved me. Excerpt from Reader Digest …”At one point in life, he was coming to the conclusion that large scale improvement in the lives of the urban poor was possibly only if strong community organizations cooperated with the government…...He met the director of an unusual Mumbai organization call SPARC set up by a group of profession women dissatisfied with traditional social work….He suggested that their two organizations join forces. It would be an unusual alliance between a street-savvy slum leader and an upper middle-class activist. But it was to prove enormously fruitful.”
He once told someone” if you don’t have faith, you shouldn’t be in this business”.
Excerpt from Reader Digest …..”He suffers from diabetes and had a coronary bypass. He owns practically nothing not even a bank account. In his words - This is my life. This is what I enjoy. My only prayer is that when I die, it will be at a meeting or while I’m walking in a slum or at a get-together like this.”
Now the slum dweller’s network extends to countries such as Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia. It connects poor communities in 34 countries.
His story has triggered my desire to contribute more to the society. It also makes me realize that I need to do more than just an occasional donation or sporadic visits to the needy. We are living in a world where we are ‘conditioned’ to have scarcity thinking rather than those of abundance. We think that by giving more to others we would have less for ourselves. Thinking back, I had unaware applied abundance thinking. On these rare occasions, when I give more I receive also more – both tangible and intangible gains.
As for Gratitude, I am thankful for all the things I have now. Even though, it might seems to be ‘little’, I now know that I actually have abundance such as good health, supportive and loving husband, mum, brother and sisters, loyal and caring friends, alive with joy, all my body parts intact and so on and on…things which $$$ cannot buy. I am also grateful to experience CV environment and hence giving me an amazing extended family, rediscover myself and to see the world from a new and more meaningful perspective.
Thank you, God for the blessings you have bestowed on me and Thank you, Linda for bringing CV into my life…
May 12
The way you accumulate wealth is to get permission to continue interacting with the Universe and the people who inhabit it.’ (Linda Chandler)
We cannot change all of human nature but we can inspire through our own being for others to change their nature. (Linda Chandler)
Yes,Jockin Arputham has inspired me and I wish to meet him one day….
The contents of RD have varied to some degree over the year for eg it consists of more advertisements than I can remember. However, one section caught my attention ie a monthly article to acknowledge the contributions of people to the world.
In the January issue, The Asian of the year 2010 Award goes to a 63 year old Jockin Arputham who champions the poor. He spends most of his life to improve the lives of the slum dwellers in India.
His commitment, courage and most of all, the wisdom to accept that there need to be compromises and teamwork to make his vision possible has moved me. Excerpt from Reader Digest …”At one point in life, he was coming to the conclusion that large scale improvement in the lives of the urban poor was possibly only if strong community organizations cooperated with the government…...He met the director of an unusual Mumbai organization call SPARC set up by a group of profession women dissatisfied with traditional social work….He suggested that their two organizations join forces. It would be an unusual alliance between a street-savvy slum leader and an upper middle-class activist. But it was to prove enormously fruitful.”
He once told someone” if you don’t have faith, you shouldn’t be in this business”.
Excerpt from Reader Digest …..”He suffers from diabetes and had a coronary bypass. He owns practically nothing not even a bank account. In his words - This is my life. This is what I enjoy. My only prayer is that when I die, it will be at a meeting or while I’m walking in a slum or at a get-together like this.”
Now the slum dweller’s network extends to countries such as Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia. It connects poor communities in 34 countries.
His story has triggered my desire to contribute more to the society. It also makes me realize that I need to do more than just an occasional donation or sporadic visits to the needy. We are living in a world where we are ‘conditioned’ to have scarcity thinking rather than those of abundance. We think that by giving more to others we would have less for ourselves. Thinking back, I had unaware applied abundance thinking. On these rare occasions, when I give more I receive also more – both tangible and intangible gains.
As for Gratitude, I am thankful for all the things I have now. Even though, it might seems to be ‘little’, I now know that I actually have abundance such as good health, supportive and loving husband, mum, brother and sisters, loyal and caring friends, alive with joy, all my body parts intact and so on and on…things which $$$ cannot buy. I am also grateful to experience CV environment and hence giving me an amazing extended family, rediscover myself and to see the world from a new and more meaningful perspective.
Thank you, God for the blessings you have bestowed on me and Thank you, Linda for bringing CV into my life…
May 12
The way you accumulate wealth is to get permission to continue interacting with the Universe and the people who inhabit it.’ (Linda Chandler)
We cannot change all of human nature but we can inspire through our own being for others to change their nature. (Linda Chandler)
Yes,Jockin Arputham has inspired me and I wish to meet him one day….
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Unconditional love
My thought of this week is the parent unconditional love ie The love of our heavenly father. I asked for a life partner. He gives me the most supportive, loving and humorous husband I can imagine – those characteristics which I wanted in my life partner. Funny how money was not one of the requirements hmmmmm... I have asked for a mentor. He not only answers my request but also gives me a world class mentor. It triggers me to think of how great is his love. When we have faith in him, he not only would answer our prayers but also give us the best available. Often, I felt I am not worthy of his love as I do not do much to deserve it. I suppose it is what it means by unconditional love. When we love without expectation, without any conditions… it is not about what others can do for us or what we can get out of them. No matter how much the other party has contributed or given us or loved us, we still love him or her. How wonderful is this love.
In this materialistic world, it is getting more and more difficult to love unconditionally. A child will not feel loved if he or she cannot get the latest gadget (eg Ipod or handphone) from the parents. A girlfriend felt the boyfriend does not love her if he does not buy her presents or roses during her birthday or valentines day. A wife does not feel loved if she does not receive a diamond ring from the husband. (Another awareness: It is a tough life being a man but that is another chapter.. hehehe). Yes, material things = love. No material things mean no love.
I used to think in a similar way. My husband says why couldn’t everyday be our birthday or a valentines day or Christmas. I know he is only using this as an excuse for not buying me anything. But it does make sense. Yes, why we cannot make everyday special. Why do we have to wait for the special day to express our love? Why not say it everyday? Now, I do not need material things from him to feel loved. Because he shows me every day, as often as he can that he loves me. He demonstrates his love in his own inconspicuous ways. One latest example is his cooking for the CV sharing. He is an introvert and value his privacy highly. However, when I say I want to do a potluck at our house, he not only says he will cook (as he knows I cant cook very well) but also ensures I do whatever necessary to make the guests feel welcome. He silently supports me from behind. This is what I defined as real love and I treasure. When we leave this world, it is really how we show up in our life. I know how my husband has shown up in my life. The question to myself now is how am I showing up in his life…….
In this materialistic world, it is getting more and more difficult to love unconditionally. A child will not feel loved if he or she cannot get the latest gadget (eg Ipod or handphone) from the parents. A girlfriend felt the boyfriend does not love her if he does not buy her presents or roses during her birthday or valentines day. A wife does not feel loved if she does not receive a diamond ring from the husband. (Another awareness: It is a tough life being a man but that is another chapter.. hehehe). Yes, material things = love. No material things mean no love.
I used to think in a similar way. My husband says why couldn’t everyday be our birthday or a valentines day or Christmas. I know he is only using this as an excuse for not buying me anything. But it does make sense. Yes, why we cannot make everyday special. Why do we have to wait for the special day to express our love? Why not say it everyday? Now, I do not need material things from him to feel loved. Because he shows me every day, as often as he can that he loves me. He demonstrates his love in his own inconspicuous ways. One latest example is his cooking for the CV sharing. He is an introvert and value his privacy highly. However, when I say I want to do a potluck at our house, he not only says he will cook (as he knows I cant cook very well) but also ensures I do whatever necessary to make the guests feel welcome. He silently supports me from behind. This is what I defined as real love and I treasure. When we leave this world, it is really how we show up in our life. I know how my husband has shown up in my life. The question to myself now is how am I showing up in his life…….
Friday, April 9, 2010
Life and Death - part one
Death has never been a topic in my conversations or thoughts before. However once, the turbulence of the airplane was so bad that the fear of dying appeared. Thoughts such as I have not done my will, I have not visited Nepal, I have not done this, I have not done that... just flew to my head. I have not achieved much and i did not want to die. I promised myself that I will achieve more and prepare better if the plane landed safely. After landing smoothly, I still did not do much and deceived myself that I will get to them soon..(or maybe not).
Last year, I have experienced three deaths in my family - two aunties whom were very dear to me (one whom I viewed as my second mother) and one distant uncle. Both aunties were just gone overnight, without any notice. These deaths have make me rethink of my relationship with my mum.
I think my mum is V, B,G,Y but currently all out of power. She has had a tough life. My dad died more than 20 years ago. She was a young widow. Had to support 5 children. She never remarried for fear that a stepfather will not treat us well. It would be an easier way out... But she did not succumb to the challenges. I admire her courage to step into the workforce and her determination to ensure we have the proper education. She also has a compassionate, giving and loving nature.
As she ensured that I have the best education possible, I know that I have to do the same. The greatest gift to her would be enrolling her in CV - to ensure the remaining years to be filled with joy, abundance and love. I am sending this intention today....I LOVE YOU MUM
There is a chinese song which goes something like this.. "in this world mum is the best. Those with mum are like precious gems. Those without mum are like grasses, roaming in the wilderness, without a home, no mother's cuddles & love.."
Last year, I have experienced three deaths in my family - two aunties whom were very dear to me (one whom I viewed as my second mother) and one distant uncle. Both aunties were just gone overnight, without any notice. These deaths have make me rethink of my relationship with my mum.
I think my mum is V, B,G,Y but currently all out of power. She has had a tough life. My dad died more than 20 years ago. She was a young widow. Had to support 5 children. She never remarried for fear that a stepfather will not treat us well. It would be an easier way out... But she did not succumb to the challenges. I admire her courage to step into the workforce and her determination to ensure we have the proper education. She also has a compassionate, giving and loving nature.
As she ensured that I have the best education possible, I know that I have to do the same. The greatest gift to her would be enrolling her in CV - to ensure the remaining years to be filled with joy, abundance and love. I am sending this intention today....I LOVE YOU MUM
There is a chinese song which goes something like this.. "in this world mum is the best. Those with mum are like precious gems. Those without mum are like grasses, roaming in the wilderness, without a home, no mother's cuddles & love.."
Thursday, April 8, 2010
After CV4
CV3 was the breakthrough and CV4 is the beginning of the journey of my life ie towards my life purpose. The reason why I am created and why i am in this world..feeling a bit scared of what is to come and the challenges that i have to faced. But i have learned the courage to confront them and putting my trust in not only myself but also the people around me.
The more I learn the more I become aware that I really do not know much..Even things I thought I know, I find that there are more perspective to view them rather than the limited versions that I held. It reminds me of the story of the frog in the well. Previously in my "constraint" environment, I would visualise in my minds the possibilities. Now, i have experienced some of these possibilities, I cant begin to describe the tinkling feeling all over me.. I think this is what is mean to be ALIVE..
Now, I am on this road of being alive... I know it will be filled with much excitement and probably some heartache (because the choices I have to made will not pleased everyone)..But one thing I can affirm is that it will be filled with tremendous joy and love.
With an amazing mentor and our almighty, I know i will not only make it but also coming out more courageous, compassionate, loving and awesome (as Linda put it) ie more violet than before. By then "I believe I can fly.." hehehe...
The more I learn the more I become aware that I really do not know much..Even things I thought I know, I find that there are more perspective to view them rather than the limited versions that I held. It reminds me of the story of the frog in the well. Previously in my "constraint" environment, I would visualise in my minds the possibilities. Now, i have experienced some of these possibilities, I cant begin to describe the tinkling feeling all over me.. I think this is what is mean to be ALIVE..
Now, I am on this road of being alive... I know it will be filled with much excitement and probably some heartache (because the choices I have to made will not pleased everyone)..But one thing I can affirm is that it will be filled with tremendous joy and love.
With an amazing mentor and our almighty, I know i will not only make it but also coming out more courageous, compassionate, loving and awesome (as Linda put it) ie more violet than before. By then "I believe I can fly.." hehehe...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
ups and downs
God turns you upside down so you can live right side up.....(QUOTE)
This phrase stuck in my head for days after watching the movie. It summaries the ups and downs which I have faced throughout my life..Often, i used to wonder why so many things are not smooth, Why i have to go through a difficult and painful journey in life, WHY WHY WHY?...This phrase seems to answer all these "why" questions..
After so many years of lessons learnt, I truly believe phrases such as 'blessings in disguise' and 'Every cloud has its silver lining'. Often projects that I did not get, turned out to be projects which have major problem with payments,etc.
During CV, I came across a BEAUTIFUL SONG which I want to share.. hope you feel as inspired as I was
'"They say there is a universe plan, for every woman, for every man. I do believe there is a higher power but in our darkest hour, it is hard to understand. so we start to question, start to doubt, we lose faith in what life's all about..
CHORUS: why did the right goes wrong? take the wrong turn? why did our heart break? why we get burn? Just like the season there is a reason for the path we take. There is no mistake, just lessons to be learned.
Dont give up. Keep on looking deep inside. Let your heartbeat be your guide, cos there is a gift for those who keep believing. You'll find what you've been needing is right before your eyes. You hold the answer in your hands. Then you know. You finally understand. (Chorus)
No matter how many times you stumble or fall, the greatest lesson is loving yourself through it all...(Chorus)
This phrase stuck in my head for days after watching the movie. It summaries the ups and downs which I have faced throughout my life..Often, i used to wonder why so many things are not smooth, Why i have to go through a difficult and painful journey in life, WHY WHY WHY?...This phrase seems to answer all these "why" questions..
After so many years of lessons learnt, I truly believe phrases such as 'blessings in disguise' and 'Every cloud has its silver lining'. Often projects that I did not get, turned out to be projects which have major problem with payments,etc.
During CV, I came across a BEAUTIFUL SONG which I want to share.. hope you feel as inspired as I was
'"They say there is a universe plan, for every woman, for every man. I do believe there is a higher power but in our darkest hour, it is hard to understand. so we start to question, start to doubt, we lose faith in what life's all about..
CHORUS: why did the right goes wrong? take the wrong turn? why did our heart break? why we get burn? Just like the season there is a reason for the path we take. There is no mistake, just lessons to be learned.
Dont give up. Keep on looking deep inside. Let your heartbeat be your guide, cos there is a gift for those who keep believing. You'll find what you've been needing is right before your eyes. You hold the answer in your hands. Then you know. You finally understand. (Chorus)
No matter how many times you stumble or fall, the greatest lesson is loving yourself through it all...(Chorus)
amazing generations
I have just read some of the blogs in CV Kidz blog. It is very comforting to know that there is a group of amazing youth that are making and will continue to make a big positive impact to the world.
At times, with the global warming, disasters throughout the world, hungry and neglected children and old people, i feel humanity is slowiy losing its values of kindness, love, family, simple politeness such as saying thank you and I am sorry, etc.. all those values which is important to maintain .... These kids have given me a hope that our next generation will make it though the days and centuries to come and probably with higher understanding of what life is all about.
These CV kids have the clarity of mind, the ability to express themselves eloquently and most of all, the purity of the heart to do things with compassion and LOVE. This is what the world is so lacking... Yes, there are a lot of people giving thousands or millions dollars away to charitable causes. Writing a cheque is easy compared to things like making more times for our family, to remain calm when people upsets us, giving a smile,..Of course, I am not saying money is not important... As a friend reminded me that we often do things that are urgent, not things that are important..which is very true in this materialistic and harsh world...
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." (Mother Teresa)
At times, with the global warming, disasters throughout the world, hungry and neglected children and old people, i feel humanity is slowiy losing its values of kindness, love, family, simple politeness such as saying thank you and I am sorry, etc.. all those values which is important to maintain .... These kids have given me a hope that our next generation will make it though the days and centuries to come and probably with higher understanding of what life is all about.
These CV kids have the clarity of mind, the ability to express themselves eloquently and most of all, the purity of the heart to do things with compassion and LOVE. This is what the world is so lacking... Yes, there are a lot of people giving thousands or millions dollars away to charitable causes. Writing a cheque is easy compared to things like making more times for our family, to remain calm when people upsets us, giving a smile,..Of course, I am not saying money is not important... As a friend reminded me that we often do things that are urgent, not things that are important..which is very true in this materialistic and harsh world...
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." (Mother Teresa)
authenticity
1 February 2010
On the road again, I am on the road again... but this time to Beladin (near to Sarikei, Sarawak).
As I past Serian, i notice a tree that stands out among the other trees because it is much higher. On first glance, it looks odd and out of place. As usual, thoughts flew into my mind...Here goes... hahaha..
I remind me of being unique ie authenticity. I want to compare this with myself. I used to feel that I am ugly because I am not slim or have big eyes , pointed nose or high cheek bones. Those features which TV or magazines or people around me define beauty. Took me 30 years to feel that I am unique and beautiful on the inside. And I am beautiful in the eyes of my husband. I may not be beautiful to everyone but it is ok. What is important is that I am beautiful in the eyes of people who matters to me. This is good enough for me.
And through his eyes, I learn that I am smart, witty (often with a weird sense of humour) and that I can do anything i want if I believe enough in it. And I know he will always support me even though it may not be aligned with his thinking. He doesnt control me, he never says anything negative about me even when we argued and most of all, he let me spend my own money (hahaha). Yes, this is the same person who has caused me tremendous pain in the past. But he is also the same person who taught me how to love and felt loved for the first time in my life. The same person who will answer my call everytime eventhough he is in a very important meeting. whereas I would reject his call when I am with a client and call him back later. In the 10 years we have met, he never once expect me to change. He accepts me for who I am. He knows he is getting a bundle of fire in his life. He knows he will get burn when he 'played' with fire but he accepts it because all these things constitute me. I know he is not perfect, but he is the real thing to me.
Today, I am comfortable with who I am because he has loved me (as Celine Dion's song). I am UNIQUE and definitely there is only one Alexandra Denise Wong Ping Ping in this world. And I am proud of who I am and what I have achieved so far. It does not matter if no one knows this. I know it. This is good enough. The CV song expresses exactly how I feel when it says, "like seasons, there are reasons for the path we take, there is no mistakes, only lessons to be learned." .. Nevertheless, I know i still have a lot to learn.. Ok, enough of the self praising......
From another viewpoint: Often, we are so absorbed with our own importance that we forgot our surrounding friends, colleagues and love ones who are like those shorter trees around the tall one. We act like we are the only one who matters. We think we are the only one with a bad day, we think we are the only one with problems, we think we are the only one with children, we think we are the only one whose tyre got puncture, etc.. It is AMAZING that once our eyes, heart and mind are opened, we have a totally different perspective of our situation and actually tell ourselves " Hey, my life is not bad. In fact today is the best day of our life."
To compare the tree to our views on others: we often meet people who look, think, act or dress different from us. Our monkey mind will pass judgement even before we even talk to them. We often form some opinions and hold some form of expectations. As our great teacher, Linda taught us : we will be surprised at how different is our first impression when we take the time to connect with them.
This brings me back to authenticity. if I could describe my fantastic CV3 family members, it would be the following:
1. Sweet Sarah with her big big smile, eloquent, expressive and sensitive. A daughter I would like to have..
2. Angelic Delpine - my perception of what an angel is who comes with a strong will and determination
3.Kitty Angel - like one of my babies, Eve (kitten), playful and love to experience and explore
4. Bryan, Byran, Byran ...he reminds me of the ocean. When he is calm, we may overlooked him. But when he is awake, we cant help but pay attention to him. And his thoughts are profound like the depth of the ocean. Definitely original in thoughts
5 Passionate Tristan - intensely dedicated and passionate. self reliant, spontaneous and candiness, brave spirit,benevolent and of course, a brother I am glad to find.
6. Devoted Vanessa - devoted to her family especially her children and also to her friends, direct and spontaneous, with intellectual intuition and sharpness (Note the similarity with Tristan, probably the reason why they are married. hahaha)
7. Bold Francisca - a daring and spirited person with immense stamina and fiery ambition
8.Willow Bernadette - Like the willow tree, it will bend gracefully rather than stand inflexible in the difficult and adverse circumstance with self reliance and self respectful
9. Leo, The lion heart - with a brave and courageous heart like the Lion
10. Wise Don - the one and only Big Mama, full of wisdom and an older brother i never had (old not in age but in wisdom. and Tristan already is the younger brother, so the position is taken.. hehehe) imaginative, self reliance and confident
11. Quiet Elwin - cheerful, creative, fun loving, a sense of humor. He would sneak beside me and talk to me softly..
and Shy Eric- candid, profound, sharp and astute, creativity. He would put on the big brother act from time to time.... hahaha..
12. Merry Yarab - with his constant happy-go-lucky nature, benevolent, vibrant, strength and optimistic view of life
13. Kind hearted Mee Yee - who is anxious to make the world a better place to live in, integrity, jovial, meticulous, loving
14. Jia Jia - adventurous and independent.. my twin sister. We have a lot in common....
15. Shirley- original and imaginative, positive, radiant warm temperament, gracious
16. Mabel - thoughtful and compassionate, a perfectionist like me
17. Compassionate Ming - So much love to give, innovative, independent and a big dream which I am sure she will achieve..
18. Majestic Su Wang - gracious, noble , charismatic, and empathetic
and Lastly, Nana is the sunshine in our life .....charitable compassionate, focus and can do anything when she puts her mind to it.
Most of all, they all have one thing in common. That is a BIG HEART... I end this sharing with the following 'peom'
Happiness keeps us sweet
Trials keep us strong
Sorrow keeps us human
Failure keeps us humble
And Success keeps us glowing
But Only faith and attitude keeps us
going
On the road again, I am on the road again... but this time to Beladin (near to Sarikei, Sarawak).
As I past Serian, i notice a tree that stands out among the other trees because it is much higher. On first glance, it looks odd and out of place. As usual, thoughts flew into my mind...Here goes... hahaha..
I remind me of being unique ie authenticity. I want to compare this with myself. I used to feel that I am ugly because I am not slim or have big eyes , pointed nose or high cheek bones. Those features which TV or magazines or people around me define beauty. Took me 30 years to feel that I am unique and beautiful on the inside. And I am beautiful in the eyes of my husband. I may not be beautiful to everyone but it is ok. What is important is that I am beautiful in the eyes of people who matters to me. This is good enough for me.
And through his eyes, I learn that I am smart, witty (often with a weird sense of humour) and that I can do anything i want if I believe enough in it. And I know he will always support me even though it may not be aligned with his thinking. He doesnt control me, he never says anything negative about me even when we argued and most of all, he let me spend my own money (hahaha). Yes, this is the same person who has caused me tremendous pain in the past. But he is also the same person who taught me how to love and felt loved for the first time in my life. The same person who will answer my call everytime eventhough he is in a very important meeting. whereas I would reject his call when I am with a client and call him back later. In the 10 years we have met, he never once expect me to change. He accepts me for who I am. He knows he is getting a bundle of fire in his life. He knows he will get burn when he 'played' with fire but he accepts it because all these things constitute me. I know he is not perfect, but he is the real thing to me.
Today, I am comfortable with who I am because he has loved me (as Celine Dion's song). I am UNIQUE and definitely there is only one Alexandra Denise Wong Ping Ping in this world. And I am proud of who I am and what I have achieved so far. It does not matter if no one knows this. I know it. This is good enough. The CV song expresses exactly how I feel when it says, "like seasons, there are reasons for the path we take, there is no mistakes, only lessons to be learned." .. Nevertheless, I know i still have a lot to learn.. Ok, enough of the self praising......
From another viewpoint: Often, we are so absorbed with our own importance that we forgot our surrounding friends, colleagues and love ones who are like those shorter trees around the tall one. We act like we are the only one who matters. We think we are the only one with a bad day, we think we are the only one with problems, we think we are the only one with children, we think we are the only one whose tyre got puncture, etc.. It is AMAZING that once our eyes, heart and mind are opened, we have a totally different perspective of our situation and actually tell ourselves " Hey, my life is not bad. In fact today is the best day of our life."
To compare the tree to our views on others: we often meet people who look, think, act or dress different from us. Our monkey mind will pass judgement even before we even talk to them. We often form some opinions and hold some form of expectations. As our great teacher, Linda taught us : we will be surprised at how different is our first impression when we take the time to connect with them.
This brings me back to authenticity. if I could describe my fantastic CV3 family members, it would be the following:
1. Sweet Sarah with her big big smile, eloquent, expressive and sensitive. A daughter I would like to have..
2. Angelic Delpine - my perception of what an angel is who comes with a strong will and determination
3.Kitty Angel - like one of my babies, Eve (kitten), playful and love to experience and explore
4. Bryan, Byran, Byran ...he reminds me of the ocean. When he is calm, we may overlooked him. But when he is awake, we cant help but pay attention to him. And his thoughts are profound like the depth of the ocean. Definitely original in thoughts
5 Passionate Tristan - intensely dedicated and passionate. self reliant, spontaneous and candiness, brave spirit,benevolent and of course, a brother I am glad to find.
6. Devoted Vanessa - devoted to her family especially her children and also to her friends, direct and spontaneous, with intellectual intuition and sharpness (Note the similarity with Tristan, probably the reason why they are married. hahaha)
7. Bold Francisca - a daring and spirited person with immense stamina and fiery ambition
8.Willow Bernadette - Like the willow tree, it will bend gracefully rather than stand inflexible in the difficult and adverse circumstance with self reliance and self respectful
9. Leo, The lion heart - with a brave and courageous heart like the Lion
10. Wise Don - the one and only Big Mama, full of wisdom and an older brother i never had (old not in age but in wisdom. and Tristan already is the younger brother, so the position is taken.. hehehe) imaginative, self reliance and confident
11. Quiet Elwin - cheerful, creative, fun loving, a sense of humor. He would sneak beside me and talk to me softly..
and Shy Eric- candid, profound, sharp and astute, creativity. He would put on the big brother act from time to time.... hahaha..
12. Merry Yarab - with his constant happy-go-lucky nature, benevolent, vibrant, strength and optimistic view of life
13. Kind hearted Mee Yee - who is anxious to make the world a better place to live in, integrity, jovial, meticulous, loving
14. Jia Jia - adventurous and independent.. my twin sister. We have a lot in common....
15. Shirley- original and imaginative, positive, radiant warm temperament, gracious
16. Mabel - thoughtful and compassionate, a perfectionist like me
17. Compassionate Ming - So much love to give, innovative, independent and a big dream which I am sure she will achieve..
18. Majestic Su Wang - gracious, noble , charismatic, and empathetic
and Lastly, Nana is the sunshine in our life .....charitable compassionate, focus and can do anything when she puts her mind to it.
Most of all, they all have one thing in common. That is a BIG HEART... I end this sharing with the following 'peom'
Happiness keeps us sweet
Trials keep us strong
Sorrow keeps us human
Failure keeps us humble
And Success keeps us glowing
But Only faith and attitude keeps us
going
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Silence is golden
Yes, my driving time. Diving to KT again with lots and lots of awareness. I am aware that our thoughts are more clear and very active (with high energy) when I am in a peaceful and silence environment.
As Mother Teresa says:
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature -- trees, flowers, grass -- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls
This time I drove from KL to KT at 5 am. Hence, it was nearly pitch dark at certain areas. About after 7am, the sky starts to brighten slowly until I can see the sun rises. As I drove during these two hours, there was lights from the other cars, from the road reflections, from lamp-posts. Sometime, the lights are brighter as there are more cars or relfection or more lamp posts. It gives me an unfamiliar feeling even though i have traveled this road many times. Along the way, I noticed the road sign and the road barrier on the side, The telephone no for emergency, etc..
Thoughts just flies into my mind.
Awareness: It is similar to our journey in life. Sometime, we walk through dark path and then solutions and brightness came. During the initial stages of our dark path, we cant see any lights. Sometimes, there are other people helping us. Sometimes they help in big ways and some in small ways. Along the way, if we are increase awareness we can actually see people who are around us extending their hands and guiding us. If we only take the time to notice it. Sometimes after a hugh challenge, you finally see a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Like the signboards, if we never take the time to take note of what is around us and what is happening around us. We will miss all the little joys in life.
I used to rush to reach the destination as fast as possible. I also remind me that we should enjoy the journey throughout the path of challenges. If not we will miss out a lot. Like if I dont enjoy the sunset, the occasional glimpse of the beauty of nature as the cars passess by, Like life we only concentrate on the end solution but not appreciate our learning periods, we will realise we are 50 or 60 years old. Then and only then we wonder where our youth has gone.. And regret that we never take the time to enjoy our life.
As the cars overtake me and some behind me, I notices the different model of vehicles. Some mercedes, some Myv, some toyota, some lorry, some motorbikes. Again like our life, there will be people who are richer or poorer than us . Some of their capabilities and rate of pickup will be faster or slower than us. Do not be pressure with our environment or what people say. Do not envy what other people have or people who are more outwardly beautiful than us. We are the one who control our destiny. However, we must learn to love ourselves and be confident with ourselves.
Mother Teresa says best when she says, 'God told us, "Love your neighbor as yourself." So first I am to love myself rightly, and then to love my neighbor like that. But how can I love myself unless I accept myself as God has made me?'
From my experiences, listening to critiscms and acceptings the weakness of ourselves is the fastest way to grow. Sharing is another way. Some may feels that sharing is a form of weakness. In contrast, through sharing we learn not only about ourselves and our mistakes, we also learn from others.
I think God knows our main weakness that is we hardly learn and 'grow' when we have things easy. We learn best when we are 'put in hot water'. Whether we take the challenges or let challenges take us is our choice. When he makes us, he makes us different from all other animals in the kingdom. He gives us the gift of free will ie the right to choose. Hence the birth of negativity and 'sins' in the world. Which parent does not love their children? However, often we need to give our children the right to learn and make mistakes. What we can do is teach them the good values and be there to support them when they needs it. The rest is up to them..
As Mother Teresa says:
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature -- trees, flowers, grass -- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls
This time I drove from KL to KT at 5 am. Hence, it was nearly pitch dark at certain areas. About after 7am, the sky starts to brighten slowly until I can see the sun rises. As I drove during these two hours, there was lights from the other cars, from the road reflections, from lamp-posts. Sometime, the lights are brighter as there are more cars or relfection or more lamp posts. It gives me an unfamiliar feeling even though i have traveled this road many times. Along the way, I noticed the road sign and the road barrier on the side, The telephone no for emergency, etc..
Thoughts just flies into my mind.
Awareness: It is similar to our journey in life. Sometime, we walk through dark path and then solutions and brightness came. During the initial stages of our dark path, we cant see any lights. Sometimes, there are other people helping us. Sometimes they help in big ways and some in small ways. Along the way, if we are increase awareness we can actually see people who are around us extending their hands and guiding us. If we only take the time to notice it. Sometimes after a hugh challenge, you finally see a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Like the signboards, if we never take the time to take note of what is around us and what is happening around us. We will miss all the little joys in life.
I used to rush to reach the destination as fast as possible. I also remind me that we should enjoy the journey throughout the path of challenges. If not we will miss out a lot. Like if I dont enjoy the sunset, the occasional glimpse of the beauty of nature as the cars passess by, Like life we only concentrate on the end solution but not appreciate our learning periods, we will realise we are 50 or 60 years old. Then and only then we wonder where our youth has gone.. And regret that we never take the time to enjoy our life.
As the cars overtake me and some behind me, I notices the different model of vehicles. Some mercedes, some Myv, some toyota, some lorry, some motorbikes. Again like our life, there will be people who are richer or poorer than us . Some of their capabilities and rate of pickup will be faster or slower than us. Do not be pressure with our environment or what people say. Do not envy what other people have or people who are more outwardly beautiful than us. We are the one who control our destiny. However, we must learn to love ourselves and be confident with ourselves.
Mother Teresa says best when she says, 'God told us, "Love your neighbor as yourself." So first I am to love myself rightly, and then to love my neighbor like that. But how can I love myself unless I accept myself as God has made me?'
From my experiences, listening to critiscms and acceptings the weakness of ourselves is the fastest way to grow. Sharing is another way. Some may feels that sharing is a form of weakness. In contrast, through sharing we learn not only about ourselves and our mistakes, we also learn from others.
I think God knows our main weakness that is we hardly learn and 'grow' when we have things easy. We learn best when we are 'put in hot water'. Whether we take the challenges or let challenges take us is our choice. When he makes us, he makes us different from all other animals in the kingdom. He gives us the gift of free will ie the right to choose. Hence the birth of negativity and 'sins' in the world. Which parent does not love their children? However, often we need to give our children the right to learn and make mistakes. What we can do is teach them the good values and be there to support them when they needs it. The rest is up to them..
Friday, January 15, 2010
Beauty of rain - analogy to our life
It reminds me of the journey of our life. As I was driving to Kuala Trengganu, the weather changes every 5 minutes. Sunny, raining and light drizzle, heavy rain, middle rain.
Light at the end of the tunnel
Driving at early morning and completely dark, with each time the car comes from behind and pass me. it is like a light at the end of the tunnel. then gets brighter and brighter, After that slowly ease off. like our life
4 Dec 2009
Living years
As I was driving to Kuala Trengganu, I was listening to the song called " The LIving Years". I listened to this song years ago. At that time, the song does not mean anything. But I wish I have pay more attention to it. It starts with " Every generation blame the one before....". How true for many people. We do it consciously or subconsciously implanted into their minds.
I blame the parents, I blamed the boss, I blamed the situations, I blamed the environment.. etc, etc..Everything and everyone except myself. Later in life, I asked myself "what do I do about it?".
Through the years, I learned that if i want to change anything, I need to change myself because I cannot change others.
The song goes on to talk about the regret he has with the father ......
" I was not there that morning when my father passed away. Didnt get to tell him all the things I have to say. Think I caught his spirit later that same year. Sure I heard his echo in my newborn baby. Just wish i could have told him in the living years.."
Recently, a 12 year old boy reminded me not to wait until it is too late to spend time with our love ones and to tell them we love them. In his word "WHY WAIT"? Isn't this an excellent advice? A 12 years old knows this, so what about us who are older than this age?
I always feel there will be time. When I am retired, when I have the money, when I am not so tired... when this.. when that... The statement should be "Why not NOW?" Do we have to wait before someone kicks us in our butt or wait for something to happen before we realise it is too late and regret it. Then would be I wish I have done this, I wish I have done that...And similarly with our dreams. I sure do not want to wait until I am old and sit at my rocking chair, thinking and wishing I have done all I want to do, wish I have persued my dreams..
If you got the time, do listen to this beautiful song. I hope it will inspire you as it does to me...
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