I wrote about Free Rice earlier. It is a place where you can encourage your children to learn new words playing a vocabulary game and feed hungry people in the process.
Not realising that my 8 years old daughter is up to it, I challenged her to play the FreeRice game when she requested for extra time to play her computer games. I told that if she could hit 800 grains of words correct, that is, getting 40 words defined correctly, I would allow her to play for 1 hour more.
I showed her how she could check up on the words with the help of a list of online dictionaries I have posted on DataBase4Kids. I went off to cook and came back later to see that she had hit 4000 grains and was still keen to carry on. She had to stop for lunch when she hit 4080. Oops! That means 5 hours more of computer games for her! Sorry, Callie, some adjustment had to be made.
When her brother came home from school, he was challenged to beat his sister on that score. I think that it is a great idea to be able to encourage your children to learn new words and do a good deed along the way, don't you?
In appreciation of FreeRice, I decided to create a presentation of what it is about.
Thank you, John Breen, for creating FreeRice.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
MANAGEMENT TIPS DURING HARD TIMES
Dear staff, the management has decided that we should do all we can to
reduce cost and improve productivity. would appreciate it if all of us
could adhere to the guidelines with immediate effect. thank you for
your cooperation.
1. sickness
no excuse. the company will no longer accept a doctor's certificate as
proof. if you are able to go to a doctor, you are able to attend
work.
2. death (your own)
this will be accepted as an excuse. we would like two week's notice
since we feel that it is your duty to train someone for your job.
3. death (other than your own)
this is no excuse. there is nothing you can do for them and henceforth
no time will be allowed for funerals. however, in case of hardships,
the company has a special scheme, in conjunction with the local
cemetery, for lunch-time burials, thus ensuring that no time is lost
from work.
4. leave of absence for an operation
henceforth, no time off will be allowed for an operation. the company
believes that as long as you are an employee, you will need all of
whatever you already have and will not consider having any of it
removed. we have engaged you for a particular job, with all of your
parts, and to have anything removed would mean that the company is
getting less than it is contracted for.
5. visit to the toilet
far too much time on this particular practice. in future, all staff go
in alphabetical order. all surnames beginning with "A" will go from
9.45 to 10.00. those beginning with "B" will go from 10.05 to 10.15
and so on. anyone unable to go at the appropriate time will have to
wait until the following day for their turn to come around.
best regards.
CEO
XYZ BHD
source: Accountants Today February 2007 (a monthly publication of the
Malaysian Institute of Accountants)
reduce cost and improve productivity. would appreciate it if all of us
could adhere to the guidelines with immediate effect. thank you for
your cooperation.
1. sickness
no excuse. the company will no longer accept a doctor's certificate as
proof. if you are able to go to a doctor, you are able to attend
work.
2. death (your own)
this will be accepted as an excuse. we would like two week's notice
since we feel that it is your duty to train someone for your job.
3. death (other than your own)
this is no excuse. there is nothing you can do for them and henceforth
no time will be allowed for funerals. however, in case of hardships,
the company has a special scheme, in conjunction with the local
cemetery, for lunch-time burials, thus ensuring that no time is lost
from work.
4. leave of absence for an operation
henceforth, no time off will be allowed for an operation. the company
believes that as long as you are an employee, you will need all of
whatever you already have and will not consider having any of it
removed. we have engaged you for a particular job, with all of your
parts, and to have anything removed would mean that the company is
getting less than it is contracted for.
5. visit to the toilet
far too much time on this particular practice. in future, all staff go
in alphabetical order. all surnames beginning with "A" will go from
9.45 to 10.00. those beginning with "B" will go from 10.05 to 10.15
and so on. anyone unable to go at the appropriate time will have to
wait until the following day for their turn to come around.
best regards.
CEO
XYZ BHD
source: Accountants Today February 2007 (a monthly publication of the
Malaysian Institute of Accountants)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Communication Skills
If you lack confidence, one of the things you should pick up is reading body language. Check out Slides 11 and 12 if you are attracted to someone and you are not sure if the other is just as interested.
Read and find out if you are unconsciously turning people away from you with your body language:
Learn to listen and speak confidently.
Read and find out if you are unconsciously turning people away from you with your body language:
Learn to listen and speak confidently.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Langkawi Sky-Bridge
I have just discovered that there is such a beautiful bridge on Pulau Langkawi.
It's the Langkawi-Sky Bridge.
I have been to Pulau Langkawi . My husband and I went there only once in 1985 for our honeymoon. It was during the off peak period and it was like we had the whole hotel to ourselves.
It's the Langkawi-Sky Bridge.
I have been to Pulau Langkawi . My husband and I went there only once in 1985 for our honeymoon. It was during the off peak period and it was like we had the whole hotel to ourselves.
BEIJING Olympiad logo.
Have you ever wondered how the BEIJING Olympiad logo was created? Check this out and...
...discover if you do have a sense of homour.
...discover if you do have a sense of homour.
Time
A beautiful wish to give and receive.
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
Time
view presentation (tags: friendship-amizade)
Puppy Size
This is one of the neatest stories you will ever hear. You will know
precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end (you'll
want to share this one with your loved ones and special friends)!
'Danielle keeps repeating it ove r and over again. We've been back to
this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since
we started all of this,' the mother told the volunteer.
'What is it she keeps asking for?' the volunteer asked.
'Puppy size!' replied the mother.
'Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for.'
'I know...we have seen most of them,' the mom said in frustration...
Just then Danielle came walking into the office
'Well, did you find one?' asked her mom. 'No, not this time,'
Danielle said with sadness in her voice. 'Can we come back on the
weekend?'
The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.
'You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's
always a supply,' the volunteer said.
Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. 'Don't
worry, I'll find one this weekend,' she said.
Over the next few days both mom and dad had long conversations with her.
They both felt she was being too particular. 'It's this weekend or
we're not looking anymore,' Dad finally said in frustration.
'We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size either,' Mom added.
Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday
morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the
section that housed the smaller dogs.
Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of
the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could
see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted.
Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to
take a closer look One by one the dogs were brought out and she held
each one.
One by one she said, 'Sorry, you're not the one.'
It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup.
The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up
the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.
'Mom, that's it! ?I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!'
she screamed with joy. 'It's the puppy size!'
'But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the
last few weeks,' Mom said.
'No not size... the sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed,' she
said.
'Don't you remember? ?When I asked you one day what love is,
you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. ? The more
you love, the bigger the sigh!'
The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know
whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did
a little of both.
'Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home
from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the
right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms,' she said.
Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, 'Mom, he loves
me. I heard the sighs of his heart!'
Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you
sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the
caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of
cool air on a hot day.
'Life is not measured by the breaths we
take, but by the moments that take our breath away.'
precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end (you'll
want to share this one with your loved ones and special friends)!
'Danielle keeps repeating it ove r and over again. We've been back to
this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since
we started all of this,' the mother told the volunteer.
'What is it she keeps asking for?' the volunteer asked.
'Puppy size!' replied the mother.
'Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for.'
'I know...we have seen most of them,' the mom said in frustration...
Just then Danielle came walking into the office
'Well, did you find one?' asked her mom. 'No, not this time,'
Danielle said with sadness in her voice. 'Can we come back on the
weekend?'
The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.
'You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's
always a supply,' the volunteer said.
Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. 'Don't
worry, I'll find one this weekend,' she said.
Over the next few days both mom and dad had long conversations with her.
They both felt she was being too particular. 'It's this weekend or
we're not looking anymore,' Dad finally said in frustration.
'We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size either,' Mom added.
Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday
morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the
section that housed the smaller dogs.
Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of
the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could
see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted.
Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to
take a closer look One by one the dogs were brought out and she held
each one.
One by one she said, 'Sorry, you're not the one.'
It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup.
The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up
the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.
'Mom, that's it! ?I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!'
she screamed with joy. 'It's the puppy size!'
'But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the
last few weeks,' Mom said.
'No not size... the sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed,' she
said.
'Don't you remember? ?When I asked you one day what love is,
you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. ? The more
you love, the bigger the sigh!'
The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know
whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did
a little of both.
'Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home
from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the
right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms,' she said.
Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, 'Mom, he loves
me. I heard the sighs of his heart!'
Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you
sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the
caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of
cool air on a hot day.
'Life is not measured by the breaths we
take, but by the moments that take our breath away.'
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Compromise
If you fill bad about not letting your kids get what they want because you know that it is for their own good, get them to read this.
=====================================================================================================
After you read this you will have a better understanding of what it means to compromise.
Some years ago when I was a pastor, I walked into my church office after a Sunday morning service to find a sandwich bag on my desk containing three chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous saint who knew my love for chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of paper that had a short story written on it. I immediately sat down and began eating the first brownie as I read the following story:
Two teenagers asked their father if they could go the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the internet, he denied their request.
'Aw dad, why not?' they complained. 'It's rated PG-13, and we're both older than thirteen!' Dad replied: 'Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality, which is something that God hates, as being normal and acceptable behavior.'
'But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true story, and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the Christian movie review website say that!'
'My answer is 'no,' and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.'
The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing some-thing in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, 'Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all.'
About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and the brownies in the story. I kept reading...
The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then their father said, 'Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much.'
The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening. 'That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and chocolate.' The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech.
'But I want to be perectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.' 'Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?' 'Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it.' 'Come on, dad, just tell us what that ingredient is.' 'Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients.' 'Dad!' 'Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic...dog poop.'
I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the waste basket by my desk I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained.
Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror. 'DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!' 'Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!' 'No, Dad...NEVER!'
'And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?'
I discarded what remained of the second brownie as well as the entire untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute ago had become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn't... but I couldn't convince myself.)
What a good lesson about purity!
=====================================================================================================
After you read this you will have a better understanding of what it means to compromise.
Some years ago when I was a pastor, I walked into my church office after a Sunday morning service to find a sandwich bag on my desk containing three chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous saint who knew my love for chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of paper that had a short story written on it. I immediately sat down and began eating the first brownie as I read the following story:
Two teenagers asked their father if they could go the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the internet, he denied their request.
'Aw dad, why not?' they complained. 'It's rated PG-13, and we're both older than thirteen!' Dad replied: 'Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality, which is something that God hates, as being normal and acceptable behavior.'
'But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true story, and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the Christian movie review website say that!'
'My answer is 'no,' and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.'
The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing some-thing in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, 'Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all.'
About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and the brownies in the story. I kept reading...
The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then their father said, 'Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much.'
The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening. 'That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and chocolate.' The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech.
'But I want to be perectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.' 'Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?' 'Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it.' 'Come on, dad, just tell us what that ingredient is.' 'Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients.' 'Dad!' 'Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic...dog poop.'
I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the waste basket by my desk I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained.
Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror. 'DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!' 'Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!' 'No, Dad...NEVER!'
'And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?'
I discarded what remained of the second brownie as well as the entire untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute ago had become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn't... but I couldn't convince myself.)
What a good lesson about purity!
Sadar and Sardarji
Sadar invested 2 Lakhs in a business and
suffered huge Loss. Do u know what the business was?
. . . .. ... . . He opened a Hair Saloon in Punjab!
_________________________________________
A sardarji photographer is focusing a dead body's face in a
funeral function.. Suddenly, all the deceased's relatives start
beating him up!
Why?
He said, "SMILE PLEASE" (to the deceased!)
__________________________________________
Sardarji gets ready, wears his tie, coat and goes out, climbs a
tree, and sits on the branch regularly.
A man asks why he does this.
Sardarji: "I've been promoted as branch manager."
__________________________________________
Why is a Sardarji standing below a tube light with an open
mouth..................
Because his doctor advised him that,
"Today's dinner should be light"!
__________________________________________
One sardarji professor asked a plumber to come to his college.
Do you know why?
Because he wanted to check where the question paper was
leaking...!!
__________________________________________
Sardar told his servant: Go and water the
plants.
Servant: It's already raining.
Sardar: So what? Take an umbrella and go!
__________________________________________
Sardar found the answer to the most difficult question ever -
What will come first, Chicken or egg?
O Yaar, what ever you order first will come first..!
__________________________________________
A teacher told all students in a class to write an essay on a
cricket match. All were busy writing except one Sardarji.
He wrote "DUE TO RAIN, NO MATCH!"
__________________________________________
Postman: - I had to come 5 Miles to deliver
this package to you...
Sardar: - Why did you come so far? You could have just posted
it....!
__________________________________________
A Sardar & his wife filed an application for Divorce.
Judge asked: How will you divide, you have 3 children ?
Sardar replied: Ok! We'll apply NEXT YEAR!
__________________________________________
Sardar's wish: When i die, I wanna die like my grandpa who died
peacefully in his sleep not screaming like all the passengers in
the bus he was driving.. !
__________________________________________
A teacher lecturing on population:
In India, every 10 seconds a woman gives birth to a child.
A Sardar stands up and says, "We must find her & stop her"!
__________________________________________
A man asked Sardarji, "Why Manmohan Singh goes walking in the
evening, and not in the morning?
Sardarji replied, ''Arey bhai, Manmohan is PM not AM''!
__________________________________________
Sardar visits his Chinese friend who is dying in hospital.
The Chinese friend just says, "CHIN YU YAN" and dies.
Sardarji goes to China to find meaning in the friend's last words.
It meant, 'You are standing on the oxygen tube!"
__________________________________________
Sardarji was standing in front of the mirror with his eyes
closed. His wife asked what you are doing?
He said. "I am seeing how I look when I sleep"!
__________________________________________
Why did Sardar cut the sides of the capsule before taking it?
Guess what...To avoid side effects!!!
__________________________________________
Man: Sardarji, where were you born?
Sardarji: Punjab.
Man: Which part?
Sardar: Oye part part kya kar raha hai, whole body is born in
Punjab"!
__________________________________________
Sardar: For the past one week, a girl has been disturbing me. I
don't know how she got my number!
She interrupts whenever I call someone and says
"Please recharge your card!"
suffered huge Loss. Do u know what the business was?
. . . .. ... . . He opened a Hair Saloon in Punjab!
_________________________________________
A sardarji photographer is focusing a dead body's face in a
funeral function.. Suddenly, all the deceased's relatives start
beating him up!
Why?
He said, "SMILE PLEASE" (to the deceased!)
__________________________________________
Sardarji gets ready, wears his tie, coat and goes out, climbs a
tree, and sits on the branch regularly.
A man asks why he does this.
Sardarji: "I've been promoted as branch manager."
__________________________________________
Why is a Sardarji standing below a tube light with an open
mouth..................
Because his doctor advised him that,
"Today's dinner should be light"!
__________________________________________
One sardarji professor asked a plumber to come to his college.
Do you know why?
Because he wanted to check where the question paper was
leaking...!!
__________________________________________
Sardar told his servant: Go and water the
plants.
Servant: It's already raining.
Sardar: So what? Take an umbrella and go!
__________________________________________
Sardar found the answer to the most difficult question ever -
What will come first, Chicken or egg?
O Yaar, what ever you order first will come first..!
__________________________________________
A teacher told all students in a class to write an essay on a
cricket match. All were busy writing except one Sardarji.
He wrote "DUE TO RAIN, NO MATCH!"
__________________________________________
Postman: - I had to come 5 Miles to deliver
this package to you...
Sardar: - Why did you come so far? You could have just posted
it....!
__________________________________________
A Sardar & his wife filed an application for Divorce.
Judge asked: How will you divide, you have 3 children ?
Sardar replied: Ok! We'll apply NEXT YEAR!
__________________________________________
Sardar's wish: When i die, I wanna die like my grandpa who died
peacefully in his sleep not screaming like all the passengers in
the bus he was driving.. !
__________________________________________
A teacher lecturing on population:
In India, every 10 seconds a woman gives birth to a child.
A Sardar stands up and says, "We must find her & stop her"!
__________________________________________
A man asked Sardarji, "Why Manmohan Singh goes walking in the
evening, and not in the morning?
Sardarji replied, ''Arey bhai, Manmohan is PM not AM''!
__________________________________________
Sardar visits his Chinese friend who is dying in hospital.
The Chinese friend just says, "CHIN YU YAN" and dies.
Sardarji goes to China to find meaning in the friend's last words.
It meant, 'You are standing on the oxygen tube!"
__________________________________________
Sardarji was standing in front of the mirror with his eyes
closed. His wife asked what you are doing?
He said. "I am seeing how I look when I sleep"!
__________________________________________
Why did Sardar cut the sides of the capsule before taking it?
Guess what...To avoid side effects!!!
__________________________________________
Man: Sardarji, where were you born?
Sardarji: Punjab.
Man: Which part?
Sardar: Oye part part kya kar raha hai, whole body is born in
Punjab"!
__________________________________________
Sardar: For the past one week, a girl has been disturbing me. I
don't know how she got my number!
She interrupts whenever I call someone and says
"Please recharge your card!"
When things are not right.
When things are not right see if you can find answers somewhere. Sometimes physical discomforts you are experiencing maybe psychological issues that you have to uproot. Find out if they are really physical or psychological problems:
Health Encyclopedia
This is not a boring medical website as it provides photos of organs affected by your sickness. Here is one on high blood cholesterol and triglycerides with highlights on cholesterol producers.
Definitive resource for psychological terms.
Health Encyclopedia
This is not a boring medical website as it provides photos of organs affected by your sickness. Here is one on high blood cholesterol and triglycerides with highlights on cholesterol producers.
Definitive resource for psychological terms.
Kids Are Quick
TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________
TEACHER: John , why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glenn , how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
____________________________________________
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... ;'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_________________________________
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________
TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________
TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________
TEACHER: John , why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glenn , how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
____________________________________________
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... ;'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_________________________________
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________
TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________
TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher
Monday, July 21, 2008
Presentation Tips and Ideas
PowerPoints slides are so often used in meetings. And what better way to learn how to get them right then through easy to read steps from slides:
Here is how you should present it?
Avoid mistakes other presenters made and avoid them. Then practice, practice, practice.
To find out if you have made the grade, join the World's Best Presentation Contest 2008.
Here is how you should present it?
Avoid mistakes other presenters made and avoid them. Then practice, practice, practice.
To find out if you have made the grade, join the World's Best Presentation Contest 2008.
Take This Eluvator
Will this presentation be chosen as the "World's Best Presentation Contest 2008"?
You can decide.
You can decide.
12 Lessons from Famous Business Masters
You want to be successful? Learn from people who have made it.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Guess what this is!
This building is located in Austria and not the UK as indicated in the email received. Hoax-Slayer has the story.
=================================================================================
It's a new Prison in UK !
Prison vs Work
Just in case you ever get these two environments mixed up, this should make things a little bit clearer.
@ PRISON
You spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell
@ WORK
you spend the majority of your time
In an 6X6 cubicle /office
@ PRISON
You get three meals a day fully paid for
@ WORK
you get a break for one meal and
You have to pay for it
@ PRISON
You get time off for good behavior
@ WORK
you get more work for good behavior
@ PRISON
The guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you
@ WORK
You must often carry a security card
And open all the doors for yourself
@ PRISON
You can watch TV and play games
@ WORK
you could get fired for watching
TV and playing games
@ WORK
you have to share the toilet with
Some people who pee on the seat
@ PRISON
You get your own toilet
@ PRISON
They allow your family and friends to visit
@ WORK
you aren't even supposed to speak
To your family
@ PRISON
All expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required
@ WORK
you get to pay all your expenses to go
To work, and they deduct taxes from
Your salary to pay for prisoners
@ PRISON
You spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out
@ WORK
you spend most of your time wanting
To get out and go inside bars
@ PRISON
You must deal with sadistic wardens
@ WORK
They are called managers
=================================================================================
It's a new Prison in UK !
Prison vs Work
Just in case you ever get these two environments mixed up, this should make things a little bit clearer.
@ PRISON
You spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell
@ WORK
you spend the majority of your time
In an 6X6 cubicle /office
@ PRISON
You get three meals a day fully paid for
@ WORK
you get a break for one meal and
You have to pay for it
@ PRISON
You get time off for good behavior
@ WORK
you get more work for good behavior
@ PRISON
The guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you
@ WORK
You must often carry a security card
And open all the doors for yourself
@ PRISON
You can watch TV and play games
@ WORK
you could get fired for watching
TV and playing games
@ WORK
you have to share the toilet with
Some people who pee on the seat
@ PRISON
You get your own toilet
@ PRISON
They allow your family and friends to visit
@ WORK
you aren't even supposed to speak
To your family
@ PRISON
All expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required
@ WORK
you get to pay all your expenses to go
To work, and they deduct taxes from
Your salary to pay for prisoners
@ PRISON
You spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out
@ WORK
you spend most of your time wanting
To get out and go inside bars
@ PRISON
You must deal with sadistic wardens
@ WORK
They are called managers
"Walls" that man builds in God's name
In Jerusalem, a female CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Wailing Wall to pray, twice a day, everyday, for a long, long time. So she went to check it out. She went to the Wailing Wall and there he was!
She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, she approached him for an interview.
"I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. Sir, how long have you been coming to the Wall and praying?"
"For about 60 years."
"60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray for?"
"I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims. I pray for all the hatred to stop and I pray for all our children to grow up in safety and friendship."
"How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?"
"Like I'm talking to a wall.
She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, she approached him for an interview.
"I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. Sir, how long have you been coming to the Wall and praying?"
"For about 60 years."
"60 years! That's amazing! What do you pray for?"
"I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims. I pray for all the hatred to stop and I pray for all our children to grow up in safety and friendship."
"How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?"
"Like I'm talking to a wall.
KITCHEN FIRE (What to do)
I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size
fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan!
This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how
to deal with a common kitchen fire ... oil in a frying pan.
Read the following introduction, then watch the show ...
It's a real eye-opener!!
At the Fire Fighting Training School they would demonstrate
this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field.
An instructor would don a fire suit and,
using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10 foot pole,
toss water onto the grease fire.
The results got the attention of the students.
The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where
it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the
steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field,
it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast.
Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling
and fills the entire room.
Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire.
One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.
This is a powerful message----watch the video and don't forget
what you see. Tell your whole family about this video.
Or better yet, send this to them.
fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan!
This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how
to deal with a common kitchen fire ... oil in a frying pan.
Read the following introduction, then watch the show ...
It's a real eye-opener!!
At the Fire Fighting Training School they would demonstrate
this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field.
An instructor would don a fire suit and,
using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10 foot pole,
toss water onto the grease fire.
The results got the attention of the students.
The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where
it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the
steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field,
it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast.
Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling
and fills the entire room.
Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire.
One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.
This is a powerful message----watch the video and don't forget
what you see. Tell your whole family about this video.
Or better yet, send this to them.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Large Family
A man boarded a plane with 6 kids. After
They got settled in their
Seats a woman sitting across the aisle
From him leaned over to him
And asked, "Are all of those kids yours?"
He replied, "No. I work for a condom
Company. These are customer complaints."
They got settled in their
Seats a woman sitting across the aisle
From him leaned over to him
And asked, "Are all of those kids yours?"
He replied, "No. I work for a condom
Company. These are customer complaints."
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Taquila & Salt
TEQUILA AND SALT
This should probably be taped
to your bathroom mirror
where one could read it every day.
You may not realize it,
but it's 100% true.
1. There are at least two people in this world
&nbs p;that you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to
be just l like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don't
like you.
5. Every night,
SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep..
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world has
turned its back on you, take another look.
11. Always remember the compliments you received.
Forget about the rude remarks.
So.....
If you are a loving friend,
send this to everyone,
including the one that sent it to you.
If you get it back, then they really do love you.
And always remember.....
When life hands you lemons,
Ask for Gin and Ginger beer and call me over!!
Good friends are like stars.....
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.
'Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though
Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway.'
I would rather have one rose and a kind word
from a friend while I'm here
than a whole truck load when I'm gone.
Forward to all your friends.
And don't tell me you're too busy for this..
Don't you know the phrase
'stop and smell the flowers'?
See how many 'bouquets' you end up with!
Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
'Worry looks around, sorry looks back, Faith looks up.'
This should probably be taped
to your bathroom mirror
where one could read it every day.
You may not realize it,
but it's 100% true.
1. There are at least two people in this world
&nbs p;that you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to
be just l like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don't
like you.
5. Every night,
SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep..
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world has
turned its back on you, take another look.
11. Always remember the compliments you received.
Forget about the rude remarks.
So.....
If you are a loving friend,
send this to everyone,
including the one that sent it to you.
If you get it back, then they really do love you.
And always remember.....
When life hands you lemons,
Ask for Gin and Ginger beer and call me over!!
Good friends are like stars.....
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.
'Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though
Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway.'
I would rather have one rose and a kind word
from a friend while I'm here
than a whole truck load when I'm gone.
Forward to all your friends.
And don't tell me you're too busy for this..
Don't you know the phrase
'stop and smell the flowers'?
See how many 'bouquets' you end up with!
Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
'Worry looks around, sorry looks back, Faith looks up.'
Don't judge life by one difficult season
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them
together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was
ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all
right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the
promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all
the rest.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them
together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was
ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all
right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the
promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all
the rest.
I can't have you.
I wish I could let you but I have to stay faithful to my weight. Maybe in my next life...
The power of self-Confidence!
The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an old man appeared before him.
"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.
After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can
help you."
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his
hand saying,
"Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."
Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you.
He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."
And she led the old man away by the arm.
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a
million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an old man appeared before him.
"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.
After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can
help you."
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his
hand saying,
"Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."
Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you.
He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."
And she led the old man away by the arm.
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a
million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.
Are you good with Microsoft Excel?
So, you think you are an expert with Microsoft Excel? To find out if you really are, download this excel file of village and follow these steps:
1. Open Village.xls
2. Go to format, row, height & insert 15.33
3. Go to format, column, width & insert 2.4
4. VOILA! Admire the result.
5. DON'T SAVE the file and pass on.
Can you beat this?
1. Open Village.xls
2. Go to format, row, height & insert 15.33
3. Go to format, column, width & insert 2.4
4. VOILA! Admire the result.
5. DON'T SAVE the file and pass on.
Can you beat this?
School In Cave (True)
This is a true story as it was reported by REUTERS and published in China Daily.
=====================================================================
Photos of primary school at a Miao village in Ziyun county, southwest China's Guizhou province.
=====================================================================
Photos of primary school at a Miao village in Ziyun county, southwest China's Guizhou province.
|
16 Gays; what's going to happen to the real women?
I am not worried. Are you?
===================================================================================
===================================================================================
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Visual and Creative Thinking in Business
I have always been drawn to people who are creative. Here is one such person, Themoleskin, discovered through his slides of "Tales from the Wonder Emporium: Visual and Creative Thinking in Business" posted on SlideShare:
Giethoorn, in the Netherlands
I received this beatiful slide show of Giethoorn, in the Netherlands...
and discovered another on SlideShare.
and discovered another on SlideShare.
Stay interested in the world, take on a challenge
Lee Kuan Yew was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He stepped down in 1990 to become the Senior Minister, when the second prime minister, Goh Chok Tong took over the position. In 2004 he became the Minister Mentor when his son, Lee Hsien Loong, took over as third prime minister of Singapore.
Born on September 16, 1923, how did he managed to stay up and ahead? He share his views on aging in the article 'Stay interested in the world, take on a challenge'.
==================================================================================
This is Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's advice on ageing the best way one can. Yesterday, he shared some personal insights into how he himself deals with ageing. Here is the transcript of his remarks. MY CONCERN today is, what is it I can tell you which can add to your knowledge about ageing and what ageing societies can do.
You know more about this subject than I do. A lot of it is out in the media, Internet and books. So I thought the best way would be to take a personal standpoint and tell you how I approach this question of ageing.
If I cast my mind back, I can see turning points in my physical and mental health. You know, when you're young, I didn't bother, I assumed good health was God-given and would always be there. When I was about - '57 that was - I was about 34, we were competing in elections, and I was really fond of drinking beer and smoking.
And after the election campaign, in Victoria Memorial Hall - we had won the election, the City Council election - I couldn't thank the voters because I had lost my voice. I'd been smoking furiously.
I'd take a packet of 10 to deceive myself, but I'd run through the packet just sitting on the stage, watching the crowd, getting the feeling, the mood before I speak. In other words, there were three speeches a night. Three speeches a night, 30 cigarettes, a lot of beer after that, and the voice was gone.
I remember I had a case in Kuching, Sarawak. So I took the flight and I felt awful. I had to make up my mind whether I was going to be an effective campaigner and
a lawyer, in which case I cannot destroy my voice, and I can't go on. So I stopped smoking. It was a tremendous deprivation because I was addicted to it. And I used to wake up dreaming...the nightmare was I resumed smoking.
But I made a choice and said, if I continue this, I will not be able to do my job. I didn't know anything about cancer of the throat or oesophagus or the lungs, etc. But it turned out it had many other deleterious effects.
Strangely enough after that, I became very allergic, hyper-allergic to smoking, so much so that I would plead with my Cabinet ministers not to smoke in the Cabinet room. You want to smoke, please go out, because I am allergic.
Then one day I was at the home of my colleague, Mr Rajaratnam, meeting foreign correspondents including some from the London Times and they took a picture of
me and I had a big belly like that (puts his hands in front of his belly), a beer belly. I felt no, no, this will not do.
So I started playing more golf, hit hundreds of balls on the practice tee. But this didn't go down. There was only one way it could go down: consume less, burn up more.
Another turning point came when -this was 1976, after the general election - I was feeling tired. I was breathing deeply at the Istana, on the lawns. My daughter, who at that time just graduating as a doctor, said: 'What are you trying to do?' I said: 'I feel an effort to breathe in more oxygen.' She said: 'Don't play golf. Run. Aerobics.'
So she gave me a book, quite a famous book and, then, very current in America on how you score aerobic points swimming, running, whatever it is, cycling. I looked at it sceptically. I wasn't very keen on running. I was keen on golf. So I said, 'Let's try'.
So in-between golf shots while playing on my own, sometimes nine holes at the Istana, I would try and walk fast between shots. Then I began to run between shots. And I felt better. After a while, I said: 'Okay, after my golf, I run.' And after a few years, I said: 'Golf takes so long. The running takes 15 minutes. Let's cut out the golf and let's run.'
I think the most important thing in ageing is you got to understand yourself. And the knowledge now is all there. When I was growing up, the knowledge wasn't there. I had to get the knowledge from friends, from doctors.
But perhaps the most important bit of knowledge that the doctor gave me was one day, when I said: 'Look, I'm feeling slower and sluggish.' So he gave me a medical encyclopaedia and he turned the pages to ageing. I read it up and it was illuminating. A lot of it was difficult jargon but I just skimmed through to get the gist of it.
As you grow, you reach 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and then, thereafter, you are on a gradual slope down physically. Mentally, you carry on and on and on until I don't know what age, but mathematicians will tell you that they know their best output is when they're in their 20s and 30s when your mental energy is powerful and you haven't lost many neurons. That's what they tell me.
So, as you acquire more knowledge, you then craft a programme for yourself to maximise what you have. It's just common sense. I never planned to live till 85 or
84. I just didn't think about it. I said: 'Well, my mother died when she was 74, she had a stroke. My father died when he was 94.'
But I saw him, and he lived a long life, well, maybe it was his DNA. But more than that, he swam every day and he kept himself busy. He was working for the Shell
company. He was in charge, he was a superintendent of an oil depot. When he retired, he started becoming a salesman. So people used to tell me: 'Your father is
selling watches at BP de Silva.'
My father was then living with me. But it kept him busy. He had that routine: He meets people, he sells watches, he buys and sells all kinds of semi-precious
stones, he circulates coins. And he keeps going. But at 87, 88, he fell, going down the steps from his room to the dining room, broke his arm, three months incapacitated. Thereafter, he couldn't go back to swimming.
Then he became wheelchair-bound. Then it became a problem because my house was constructed that way. So my brother - who's a doctor and had a flat (one-level)
house - took him in. And he lived on till 94. But towards the end, he had gradual loss of mental powers. So my calculations, I'm somewhere between 74 and 94. And I've reached the halfway point now. But have I? Well, 1996 when I was 73, I was cycling and I felt tightening on the neck. Oh, I must retire today. So I stopped. Next day, I returned to the bicycle. After five minutes it became worse.
So I said, no, no, this is something serious, it's got to do with the blood vessels. Rung up my doctor, who said, 'Come tomorrow'. Went tomorrow, he checked me,
and said: 'Come back tomorrow for an angiogram.' I said: 'What's that?' He said: 'We'll pump something in and we'll see whether the coronary arteries are cleared or blocked.'
I was going to go home. But an MP who was a cardiologist happened to be around, so he came in and said: 'What are you doing here?' I said: 'I've got this.' He said: 'Don't go home. You stay here tonight. I've sent patients home and they never came back. Just stay here. They'll put you on the monitor. They'll watch your heart. And if anything, an emergency arises, they will take you straight to the theatre. You go home. You've got no such monitor. You may never come back.'
So I stayed there. Pumped in the dye, yes it was blocked, the left circumflex, not the critical, lead one. So that's lucky for me.
Two weeks later, I was walking around,I felt it's coming back. Yes it has come back, it had occluded. So this time they said: 'We'll put in a stent.' I'm one of the first few in Singapore to have the stent, so it was a brand new operation. Fortunately, the man who invented the stent was out here selling his stent.
He was from San Jose, La Jolla something or the other. So my doctor got hold of him and he supervised the operation. He said put the stent in. My doctor did the
operation, he just watched it all and then that's that. That was before all this problem about lining the stent to make sure that it doesn't occlude and create a disturbance.
So at each stage, I learnt something more about myself and I stored that. I said: 'Oh, this is now a danger point.'
So all right, cut out fats, change diet, went to see a specialist in Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital. He said: 'Take statins.' I said: 'What's that?' He
said: '(They) help to reduce your cholesterol.' My doctors were concerned. They said: 'You don't need it. Your cholesterol levels are okay.' Two years later, more medical evidence came out. So the doctors said: 'Take statins.'
Had there been no angioplasty, had I not known that something was up and I cycled on, I might have gone at 74 like my mother. So I missed that deadline. So next deadline: my father's fall at 87.
I'm very careful now because sometimes when I turn around too fast, I feel as if I'm going to get off balance. So my daughter, a neurologist, she took me to the NNI, there's this nerve conduction test, put electrodes here and there.
The transmission of the messages between the feet and the brain has slowed down.
So all the exercise, everything, effort put in, I'm fit, I swim, I cycle. But I can't prevent this losing of conductivity of the nerves and this transmission. So just go slow.
So when I climb up the steps, I have no problem. When I go down the steps, I need to be sure that I've got something I can hang on to, just in case. So it's a constant process of adjustment.
But I think the most important single lesson I learnt in life was that if you isolate yourself, you're done for. The human being is a social animal - he needs stimuli, he needs to meet people, to catch up with the world.
I don't much like travel but I travel very frequently despite the jet lag, because I get to meet people of great interest to me, who will help me in my work as chairman of our GIC. So I know, I'm on several boards of banks, international advisory boards of banks, of oil companies and so on.
And I meet them and I get to understand what's happening in the world, what has changed since I was here one month ago, one year ago. I go to India, I go to China.
And that stimuli brings me to the world of today. I'm not living in the world, when I was active, more active 20, 30 years ago. So I tell my wife. She woke up late today. I said: 'Never mind, you come along by 12 o'clock. I go first.'
If you sit back - because part of the ending part of the encyclopaedia which I read was very depressing - as you get old, you withdraw from everything and then all you will have is your bedroom and the photographs and the furniture that you know, and that's your world. So if you've got to go to hospital, the doctor advises you to bring some photographs so that you'll know you're not lost in a different world, that this is like your bedroom.
I'm determined that I will not, as long as I can, to be reduced, to have my horizons closed on me like that. It is the stimuli, it is the constant interaction with people across the world that keeps me aware and alive to what's going on and what we can do to adjust to this different world.
In other words, you must have an interest in life. If you believe that at 55, you're retiring, you're going to read books, play golf and drink wine, then I think you're done for. So statistically they will show you that all the people who retire and lead sedentary lives, the pensioners die off very quickly.
So we now have a social problem with medical sciences, new procedures, new drugs, many more people are going to live long lives. If the mindset is that when I
reach retirement age 62, I'm old, I can't work anymore, I don't have to work, I just sit back, now is the time I'll enjoy life, I think you're making the biggest mistake of your life.
After one month, or after two months, even if you go travelling with nothing to do, with no purpose in life, you will just degrade, you'll go to seed. The human being needs a challenge, and my advice to every person in Singapore and elsewhere: Keep yourself interested, have a challenge.
If you're not interested in the world and the world is not interested in you, the biggest punishment a man can receive is total isolation in a dungeon, black and complete withdrawal of all stimuli, that's real torture.
So when I read that people believe, Singaporeans say: 'Oh, 62 I'm retiring.' I say to them: 'You really want to die quickly?' If you want to see sunrise tomorrow or sunset, you must have a reason, you must have the stimuli to keep going.'
This story was first published on Jan 12, 2008.
Born on September 16, 1923, how did he managed to stay up and ahead? He share his views on aging in the article 'Stay interested in the world, take on a challenge'.
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This is Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's advice on ageing the best way one can. Yesterday, he shared some personal insights into how he himself deals with ageing. Here is the transcript of his remarks. MY CONCERN today is, what is it I can tell you which can add to your knowledge about ageing and what ageing societies can do.
You know more about this subject than I do. A lot of it is out in the media, Internet and books. So I thought the best way would be to take a personal standpoint and tell you how I approach this question of ageing.
If I cast my mind back, I can see turning points in my physical and mental health. You know, when you're young, I didn't bother, I assumed good health was God-given and would always be there. When I was about - '57 that was - I was about 34, we were competing in elections, and I was really fond of drinking beer and smoking.
And after the election campaign, in Victoria Memorial Hall - we had won the election, the City Council election - I couldn't thank the voters because I had lost my voice. I'd been smoking furiously.
I'd take a packet of 10 to deceive myself, but I'd run through the packet just sitting on the stage, watching the crowd, getting the feeling, the mood before I speak. In other words, there were three speeches a night. Three speeches a night, 30 cigarettes, a lot of beer after that, and the voice was gone.
I remember I had a case in Kuching, Sarawak. So I took the flight and I felt awful. I had to make up my mind whether I was going to be an effective campaigner and
a lawyer, in which case I cannot destroy my voice, and I can't go on. So I stopped smoking. It was a tremendous deprivation because I was addicted to it. And I used to wake up dreaming...the nightmare was I resumed smoking.
But I made a choice and said, if I continue this, I will not be able to do my job. I didn't know anything about cancer of the throat or oesophagus or the lungs, etc. But it turned out it had many other deleterious effects.
Strangely enough after that, I became very allergic, hyper-allergic to smoking, so much so that I would plead with my Cabinet ministers not to smoke in the Cabinet room. You want to smoke, please go out, because I am allergic.
Then one day I was at the home of my colleague, Mr Rajaratnam, meeting foreign correspondents including some from the London Times and they took a picture of
me and I had a big belly like that (puts his hands in front of his belly), a beer belly. I felt no, no, this will not do.
So I started playing more golf, hit hundreds of balls on the practice tee. But this didn't go down. There was only one way it could go down: consume less, burn up more.
Another turning point came when -this was 1976, after the general election - I was feeling tired. I was breathing deeply at the Istana, on the lawns. My daughter, who at that time just graduating as a doctor, said: 'What are you trying to do?' I said: 'I feel an effort to breathe in more oxygen.' She said: 'Don't play golf. Run. Aerobics.'
So she gave me a book, quite a famous book and, then, very current in America on how you score aerobic points swimming, running, whatever it is, cycling. I looked at it sceptically. I wasn't very keen on running. I was keen on golf. So I said, 'Let's try'.
So in-between golf shots while playing on my own, sometimes nine holes at the Istana, I would try and walk fast between shots. Then I began to run between shots. And I felt better. After a while, I said: 'Okay, after my golf, I run.' And after a few years, I said: 'Golf takes so long. The running takes 15 minutes. Let's cut out the golf and let's run.'
I think the most important thing in ageing is you got to understand yourself. And the knowledge now is all there. When I was growing up, the knowledge wasn't there. I had to get the knowledge from friends, from doctors.
But perhaps the most important bit of knowledge that the doctor gave me was one day, when I said: 'Look, I'm feeling slower and sluggish.' So he gave me a medical encyclopaedia and he turned the pages to ageing. I read it up and it was illuminating. A lot of it was difficult jargon but I just skimmed through to get the gist of it.
As you grow, you reach 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and then, thereafter, you are on a gradual slope down physically. Mentally, you carry on and on and on until I don't know what age, but mathematicians will tell you that they know their best output is when they're in their 20s and 30s when your mental energy is powerful and you haven't lost many neurons. That's what they tell me.
So, as you acquire more knowledge, you then craft a programme for yourself to maximise what you have. It's just common sense. I never planned to live till 85 or
84. I just didn't think about it. I said: 'Well, my mother died when she was 74, she had a stroke. My father died when he was 94.'
But I saw him, and he lived a long life, well, maybe it was his DNA. But more than that, he swam every day and he kept himself busy. He was working for the Shell
company. He was in charge, he was a superintendent of an oil depot. When he retired, he started becoming a salesman. So people used to tell me: 'Your father is
selling watches at BP de Silva.'
My father was then living with me. But it kept him busy. He had that routine: He meets people, he sells watches, he buys and sells all kinds of semi-precious
stones, he circulates coins. And he keeps going. But at 87, 88, he fell, going down the steps from his room to the dining room, broke his arm, three months incapacitated. Thereafter, he couldn't go back to swimming.
Then he became wheelchair-bound. Then it became a problem because my house was constructed that way. So my brother - who's a doctor and had a flat (one-level)
house - took him in. And he lived on till 94. But towards the end, he had gradual loss of mental powers. So my calculations, I'm somewhere between 74 and 94. And I've reached the halfway point now. But have I? Well, 1996 when I was 73, I was cycling and I felt tightening on the neck. Oh, I must retire today. So I stopped. Next day, I returned to the bicycle. After five minutes it became worse.
So I said, no, no, this is something serious, it's got to do with the blood vessels. Rung up my doctor, who said, 'Come tomorrow'. Went tomorrow, he checked me,
and said: 'Come back tomorrow for an angiogram.' I said: 'What's that?' He said: 'We'll pump something in and we'll see whether the coronary arteries are cleared or blocked.'
I was going to go home. But an MP who was a cardiologist happened to be around, so he came in and said: 'What are you doing here?' I said: 'I've got this.' He said: 'Don't go home. You stay here tonight. I've sent patients home and they never came back. Just stay here. They'll put you on the monitor. They'll watch your heart. And if anything, an emergency arises, they will take you straight to the theatre. You go home. You've got no such monitor. You may never come back.'
So I stayed there. Pumped in the dye, yes it was blocked, the left circumflex, not the critical, lead one. So that's lucky for me.
Two weeks later, I was walking around,I felt it's coming back. Yes it has come back, it had occluded. So this time they said: 'We'll put in a stent.' I'm one of the first few in Singapore to have the stent, so it was a brand new operation. Fortunately, the man who invented the stent was out here selling his stent.
He was from San Jose, La Jolla something or the other. So my doctor got hold of him and he supervised the operation. He said put the stent in. My doctor did the
operation, he just watched it all and then that's that. That was before all this problem about lining the stent to make sure that it doesn't occlude and create a disturbance.
So at each stage, I learnt something more about myself and I stored that. I said: 'Oh, this is now a danger point.'
So all right, cut out fats, change diet, went to see a specialist in Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital. He said: 'Take statins.' I said: 'What's that?' He
said: '(They) help to reduce your cholesterol.' My doctors were concerned. They said: 'You don't need it. Your cholesterol levels are okay.' Two years later, more medical evidence came out. So the doctors said: 'Take statins.'
Had there been no angioplasty, had I not known that something was up and I cycled on, I might have gone at 74 like my mother. So I missed that deadline. So next deadline: my father's fall at 87.
I'm very careful now because sometimes when I turn around too fast, I feel as if I'm going to get off balance. So my daughter, a neurologist, she took me to the NNI, there's this nerve conduction test, put electrodes here and there.
The transmission of the messages between the feet and the brain has slowed down.
So all the exercise, everything, effort put in, I'm fit, I swim, I cycle. But I can't prevent this losing of conductivity of the nerves and this transmission. So just go slow.
So when I climb up the steps, I have no problem. When I go down the steps, I need to be sure that I've got something I can hang on to, just in case. So it's a constant process of adjustment.
But I think the most important single lesson I learnt in life was that if you isolate yourself, you're done for. The human being is a social animal - he needs stimuli, he needs to meet people, to catch up with the world.
I don't much like travel but I travel very frequently despite the jet lag, because I get to meet people of great interest to me, who will help me in my work as chairman of our GIC. So I know, I'm on several boards of banks, international advisory boards of banks, of oil companies and so on.
And I meet them and I get to understand what's happening in the world, what has changed since I was here one month ago, one year ago. I go to India, I go to China.
And that stimuli brings me to the world of today. I'm not living in the world, when I was active, more active 20, 30 years ago. So I tell my wife. She woke up late today. I said: 'Never mind, you come along by 12 o'clock. I go first.'
If you sit back - because part of the ending part of the encyclopaedia which I read was very depressing - as you get old, you withdraw from everything and then all you will have is your bedroom and the photographs and the furniture that you know, and that's your world. So if you've got to go to hospital, the doctor advises you to bring some photographs so that you'll know you're not lost in a different world, that this is like your bedroom.
I'm determined that I will not, as long as I can, to be reduced, to have my horizons closed on me like that. It is the stimuli, it is the constant interaction with people across the world that keeps me aware and alive to what's going on and what we can do to adjust to this different world.
In other words, you must have an interest in life. If you believe that at 55, you're retiring, you're going to read books, play golf and drink wine, then I think you're done for. So statistically they will show you that all the people who retire and lead sedentary lives, the pensioners die off very quickly.
So we now have a social problem with medical sciences, new procedures, new drugs, many more people are going to live long lives. If the mindset is that when I
reach retirement age 62, I'm old, I can't work anymore, I don't have to work, I just sit back, now is the time I'll enjoy life, I think you're making the biggest mistake of your life.
After one month, or after two months, even if you go travelling with nothing to do, with no purpose in life, you will just degrade, you'll go to seed. The human being needs a challenge, and my advice to every person in Singapore and elsewhere: Keep yourself interested, have a challenge.
If you're not interested in the world and the world is not interested in you, the biggest punishment a man can receive is total isolation in a dungeon, black and complete withdrawal of all stimuli, that's real torture.
So when I read that people believe, Singaporeans say: 'Oh, 62 I'm retiring.' I say to them: 'You really want to die quickly?' If you want to see sunrise tomorrow or sunset, you must have a reason, you must have the stimuli to keep going.'
This story was first published on Jan 12, 2008.
You are either a guide or be guided.
This story reminded me about the 5 year-old blind pianist I have posted about.
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