Wisdoms

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin.

Source: An email from Mr. Tan Eng Hui

Things Are To Be Used, People Are To Be Love

USED vs LOVED

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'

The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions. sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.

The next day that man committed suicide. . .

Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life; remember this:

Things are to be used and people are to be loved.

The problem in today's world is that people are used while things are loved.

Let's try always to keep this thought in mind:

Things are to be used, People are to be loved.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character;
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder.

I hope you have a good day no matter what problems you may face.

It's the only day you'll have before it's over.

Source: An email from Mr. Tan Eng Hui, KHS, Kajang

To Whom It May Concern - Please Small Class Sizes

The Answer for Education: Small Class Sizes

by Mhaire Fraser
August 27, 2011

Seven of my teacher friends emailed this to me to write about.

Every single one of them said the same thing: ”Please write about this. Please get it posted. Please tell people we said this will work here. Here in America, supposedly the most progressive thinking country in the world.” And they all included the link to the Smithsonian’s article on Finland’s schools and why they are so successful. Here is the short answer from all of them:

Small. Class. Sizes.

There is never enough money for education and it is no longer “no child left behind,” but a whole country being left behind. Because we don’t spend enough on teachers and we don’t hire enough of them and we don’t think it matters when it comes to the budgets of our states. California and North Carolina are both notable for this. For instance, twenty two percent of all North Carolinians have difficulty with reading or writing that seriously affect their daily lives. The lawmakers are okay with this.

The teachers are not the problem.
The students are not the problem.
The testing is not the problem.
The overly large amount of students being put into a single classroom is the problem.

The funny thing is, this seems to have been going on for a long time.

Finnish schooling became a source of controversy after the 2010 documentary film Waiting for “Superman” contrasted it with America’s troubled public schools. In Finland, most schools are small enough so that all the teachers know every student. If one method fails, a group consult happens to try something else. And the Smithsonian reports that almost 30 percent of Finland’s school children receive some kind of special help during their first nine years of school, because special help in a hard subject will help foster learning. We have known for a while that not everyone learns the same way, even though here in America they are tested the same way.

In Finland, there is only one standard test at the end of your Senior Year. There are no comparisons, no grades, no results, no academic competitions. All schools have the same National goals and pull from the same pool of University-educated teachers, and all schools are public. This means that one can get a quality education no matter where they go to school. I just can’t see that happening here, although I wish it could.

The Finnish attitude of “whatever it takes” could work. If we have enough teachers, we will have the manpower to turn around illiteracy. If we pay the teachers, they will come. It took Finland 40 years, but we could do it. I am not sure we can get the buy in for that long, neither from lawmakers or parents who wants things like grades and marks to make sure Little Johnny is on track (I always ask “on track for what?”).

So to my teacher friends at all levels, including my college colleagues: I’m with you. I know. Maybe we can’t turn around the whole system quickly, but we can ask for small class sizes and more money for education.

I’m with them. You with me?

P/S: Dear Mhaire Fraser, I am with you too!

Read more here:

Hand in Hand - For A Better World Which We Live In

That A Hero Lies In You!

A Diamond Planet!

LONDON (Reuters) - Astronomers have spotted an exotic planet that seems to be made of diamond racing around a tiny star in our galactic backyard.

The new planet is far denser than any other known so far and consists largely of carbon. Because it is so dense, scientists calculate the carbon must be crystalline, so a large part of this strange world will effectively be diamond.

"The evolutionary history and amazing density of the planet all suggest it is comprised of carbon i.e. a massive diamond orbiting a neutron star every two hours in an orbit so tight it would fit inside our own Sun," said Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.

Lying 4,000 light years away, or around an eighth of the way toward the center of the Milky Way from the Earth, the planet is probably the remnant of a once-massive star that has lost its outer layers to the so-called pulsar star it orbits.

Pulsars are tiny, dead neutron stars that are only around 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in diameter and spin hundreds of times a second, emitting beams of radiation.

In the case of pulsar J1719-1438, the beams regularly sweep the Earth and have been monitored by telescopes in Australia, Britain and Hawaii, allowing astronomers to detect modulations due to the gravitational pull of its unseen companion planet.

The measurements suggest the planet, which orbits its star every two hours and 10 minutes, has slightly more mass than Jupiter but is 20 times as dense.

In addition to carbon, the new planet is also likely to contain oxygen, which may be more prevalent at the surface and is probably increasingly rare toward the carbon-rich center.

Its high density suggests the lighter elements of hydrogen and helium, which are the main constituents of gas giants like Jupiter, are not present.

Just what this weird diamond world is actually like close up, however, is a mystery.

Read more here.

All-Natural Depression Cures

By Loren Chidoni, Women’s Health

Early spring grays giving you the blues? It’s no surprise. Lack of sunlight can cause a serious drop in your level of serotonin, a feel-good chemical that’s found in the brain. And without enough serotonin, our mood descends into darkness or, at the very least, an unpleasant crabbiness (you know, the bad temper we typically blame on the rain). Fortunately, you can outsmart wicked weather patterns with these mood-boosting tips as you await the arrival of sunnier days.

Light Up Your Life

If a Miami mini-break isn’t an option, seek out a light box. A strong one that emits at least 10,000 lux can have the same effect as basking in the early-morning sun—minus the cancer-causing UV rays. Place the light box on a table near you—you need only 30 minutes of exposure to increase your serotonin levels and leave you “more alert and energized, two factors that contribute to a good mood,” says Michael Terman, Ph.D., director of the Center for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms at New York City’s Columbia University Medical Center. For more info—such as where to buy a light box—visit cet.org.

Feeling sad, sluggish, or just plain stressed? The easiest way to fight depression.

For All We Know - The Carpenters

Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters

The Mighty Berries

by Joanna Evans

Berries have been a major part of our diet for centuries, but only recently have scientists taken an interest in their constituents and potential health benefits. Now, they’re finding that berries of all varieties–from strawberries and raspberries to goji and açaí berries–may hold the key to combating cancer, dementia and other diseases.

Scientists recently reported the first human evidence that blueberries can boost memory and may even help ward off dementia. Tests taken before and after revealed that those who drank the blueberry juice showed improvement in learning and memory, leading researchers to conclude that blueberries may offer neurocognitive benefits.

Numerous studies have suggested that berries are potent cancer-fighters. In one test-tube study, extracts of six different kinds of berries–blueberry, blackberry, black raspberry, red raspberry, cranberry and strawberry–inhibited the growth of human mouth, breast, colon and prostate cancer cells. In addition, two of the extracts–black raspberry and strawberry—were able to stimulate apoptosis (cell death) in colon cancer cells. Açaí berries appear to be effective against leukemia cells, while the polysaccharides found in goji berries kill prostate cancer cells.

Berries may also have a role to play in the prevention of heart disease. A group of 72 middle-aged men and women were asked to consume either two portions of berries daily (100 grams of berries plus a small glass of a berry drink) or control products for two months. The berry group–whose members’ diets included bilberries, lingonberries, blackcurrants, strawberries, chokeberries and raspberries–ate an assortment of the berries whole, pureed or in juice form. At the end of the study, the berry-eaters saw systolic blood pressure reductions of up to 7.3mmHg, while levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL (“good” cholesterol), rose more than 5 percent.

Several animal studies suggest some berries may have antidiabetic effects. Indeed, a recent study in mice concluded that bilberries can improve hyperglycemia and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes. Although human trials are scarce, one found that a dietary supplement containing blueberry and sea buckthorn (seaberry; genus Hippophae) concentrates was beneficial in treating children with type 1 diabetes.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-endless-benefits-of-berries.html#ixzz1Vi5GiTBN

Or read more detail here.

Are You Denying Your Dark Side

by Deepak Chopra

Finding a person you dislike is an opportunity to embrace the paradox of the coexistence of opposites, and to discover a new facet of yourself. It is another step toward developing your spiritual self. The most enlightened people in the world embrace their full potential of light and dark.

Start very simply, with the most distasteful person you can think of. For example, think of Adolf Hitler and say, How could I possibly be like Hitler? Most people refuse to accept that they contain even the smallest shred of an Adolf Hitler. But think more deeply.

Have you ever expressed prejudice toward any group of people just because they had a certain name, or a certain skin color, or a certain accent, or a certain disability? If you can think of any example of that in your life, then you must embrace the similarity between yourself and Adolf Hitler.

We are all multidimensional, omnidimensional. Everything that exists somewhere in the world also exists in us. When we embrace these different aspects of ourselves, we acknowledge our connection to the universal consciousness and expand our personal awareness.

The traits we see most clearly in others exist most strongly in ourselves. When we can see into the mirror of relationship, then we can begin to see all of our selves. To do this, we need to be comfortable with our ambiguity, to embrace all aspects of our selves.

At a deep level we need to recognize that we are not flawed simply because we have negative traits. No one has only positive traits. Recognizing that we have negative traits simply means that we are complete. And in that completeness we gain grater access to our universal, nonlocal selves.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/are-you-denying-your-dark-side.html#ixzz1VYkr0gLh

The More You Sumpah The More You Are A Liar

It makes one wonder about the worth of an oath. If someone were to swear an oath can we take that oath at face value? It appears like oaths have no real value other than a sandiwara or stage-play for political gain.

Oaths are merely playthings for some people. They will stand on a stage to swear their oaths just for show. They do not mean what they swear. Oaths are not their solemn words. You can’t trust these oaths farther than you can throw the ‘oath-taker’.

That is what oaths or sumpah keramat or whatever type of sumpah have been reduced to. In fact, the more they sumpah, the more suspicious we become of them. Those who like to sumpah a lot appear to be those who lie a lot and who need to cover their lies with these public displays of sumpah.

This is sad because now the impression created is the more you sumpah, the more you are a liar -- instead of the other way around. So, if someone says ‘sumpah’, then we can assume he or she is a bloody liar.

Source: Adopted and edited from an article here.

As Talents Fly Home

As talents fly home, Penang’s fortunes rise

By Debra Chong

August 20, 2011

A view of the Penang Bridge from the island. The state was recently described by The Economist as having rediscovered its “mojo”. — All pictures by Jack Ooi

Read the article here.

How Could She Ever Hide Her Tears

If this doesn't touch you and move you.
I don't know what will.
The power of the human spirit is shown at its mightiest by this one little girl.
I salute her.
Qian HongYan lost her legs in an accident
Her family in China are poor and couldn't afford prosthetic legs.
So she uses a basketball to help her move.
Qian uses two wooden props to drag herself.
And never complain, even though she has worn out six basketballs.
She attends her class.
She always smiles
Always cheerful



With international community help, she is now able to afford a pair of prosthetic legs

Be gratefull with what you have

Source: An email from Mr. Lim Chin Hong, Taiping.

Alexander The Great's Last Wishes

Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence. He now longed to reach home to see his mother's face and bid her his last adieu. But, he had to accept the fact that his sinking health would not permit him to reach his distant homeland. So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last.

He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail".

"My first desire is that, my physicians alone must carry my coffin".

"Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury".

"My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin".

"I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt.

"I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted".

"The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth".

"And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world".

Source: An email from Mr. Lee Ah Heng (Edited)

The Principles To Be Rich

"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute"

Warren Buffett
(2nd richest man in the world)

Source: An email from a good friend, M/s. Kok Ah Moy