A father's message from beyond the grave
3 days ago by
Ever wondered what it is like to have Death staring straight in your eyes? Is there anything you will like to do or change before you draw your last breath? What if you have a family with young children and perhaps some precious time left? What would you do?
Here’s a sad but true story to be shared, about a loving dad and husband, who did what he could in the little time he was left for his family. From their country cottage filled with memories of Mandy Flanagan’s late husband Paul, she shared with us their story.
Paul, a teacher, who died of cancer at the age of 45 in November 2009, passionately believed his children, Thomas and Lucy, should have more than just fading photographs to remember him by. For the children were only five and one-and-half years old at the time of his passing. “There was nothing more important to Paul than being the best father he could be,” says Mandy.
“When he knew he was dying, there was no time for self-pity. He became absolutely focused on doing whatever he could to continue being a good dad to them throughout the years, even though he wouldn’t be here in person.”
Amongst his preparation included letters, filmed messages, future birthday presents and his personal chest of favorite books. “Each book is accompanied by a note to Thomas and Lucy explaining why Paul loved it, and how much he hopes they will too when they’re old enough to read it,” explains Mandy.
But perhaps all these gifts pales in comparison to a document titled “On finding fulfillment”, accidentally discovered on his laptop by Mandy. “I opened it and, with tears rolling down my cheeks, I discovered his bullet-pointed code to living a good and happy life,” says Mandy. And this list of 28 instructions was the very way Paul lived his life.
Addressing his children who were too young to understand the tragedy that was unfolding, Paul writes, ”In these last few weeks, following my terminal diagnosis, I have searched my soul and heart to find ways in which I can reach out to you as you grow up.
“I’ve been thinking about the matters in life that are important, and the values and aspirations that make people happy and successful. In my view, and you may well have your own ideas by now, the formula is pretty simple.
“The three most important virtues are: Loyalty, integrity and moral courage. If you aspire, friends will respect you, employers will retain you, and your father will be immensely proud of you. I am therefore giving you several pieces of advice. These are the principles on which I have tried to build my life and they are exactly those that I would have encouraged you to embrace, had I been able to.” “I love you very much. Never forget that.”
“He also wrote that they should never give up, and he certainly never did. He fought so bravely, so courageously, right to the end.”
Having been first diagnosed with skin cancer in 2004, where a birthmark on his chest had become malignant. The cancer was removed in November that year when their son Thomas was only a few months old. And after years of regular follow-ups, he was given the all clear in January 2008 when Mandy was expecting Lucy.
However a swelling that appears in May 2008 proved the cancer had spread to his lymph glands in his arms and neck shortly after. Even surgery and radiotherapy was not able to halt its progression. By March 2009, the cancer had spread to his brain and his condition was terminal.
“He never pitied himself,” says Mandy. “The diagnosis, and perhaps the drugs he was on, triggered a sort of mania. He suddenly had so much energy. While I lay awake upstairs worrying, Paul would work through the nights, determined to get his affairs in order.”
Having meticulously organized the family finances, arranged his own funeral, buying presents for their children, their dining room was soon filled piles of shoeboxes filled with paperwork, hand-written letters and DVD messages for his family and friends.
With Lucy christened last summer, she now has one godmother and nine godfathers. “He wanted his friends to have a permanent tie to his family, I think,” says Mandy. “And if Lucy couldn’t have her father, a fantastic team of godfathers was the very least she deserved.”
With his passing at home, some eight months after his terminal diagnosis, Mandy was certain he’ll be able to rest peacefully knowing that he had left the best legacy any father could. “When some people are told they have just a few months to live, they decide their life won’t be complete until they’ve bungee-jumped off Sydney Harbor Bridge or seen the Grand Canyon. But that wasn’t Paul. All that was important to him was right here. He lived and died by his own rules, and I know he had found his fulfillment.”
We all have a finite amount of time in this world, some less than others. And it is not the amount of time, rather how we use it which truly matters. Ever so often we get absorbed by our daily rat race and tend to take our loved ones for granted. Perhaps it is time we slow down and re-examine ourselves before it is too late.
A FATHER'S RULES FOR FINDING FULFILLMENT
Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.
Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.
Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.
Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.
Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you’re doing something wrong.
Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.
Hold fire! If someone crosses you, don’t react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.
Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught, hold your hands up.
Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than yourselves: it’s easy and so rewarding.
Always look on the upside! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.
Make it your instinct always to say ‘yes’. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say no. Your friends will cherish you for that.
Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be king.
Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you there. Show them courtesy and respect.
Never ever let a friend down. I would bury bodies for my friends, if they asked me to . . . which is why I have chosen them carefully.
Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward poor service. Poor service is insulting.
Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you, show due deference, but don’t be a sycophant.
Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.
Be prepared to put the interests of your sibling first.
Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel (as I hope you will), you’ll learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Don’t get too big for your breeches.
Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.
Live every day to its full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.
Give of your best at school. Some teachers forget that pupils need incentives. So if your teacher doesn’t give you one, devise your own.
Always pay the most you can afford. Never skimp on hotels, clothing, shoes, make-up or jewellery. But always look for a deal. You get what you pay for.
Never give up! My two little soldiers have no dad, but you are brave, big-hearted, fit and strong. You are also loved by an immensely kind and supportive team of family and friends. You make your own good fortune, my children, so battle on.
Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least don’t do it for long. Crying doesn’t make things better.
Look after your body and it will look after you.
Learn a language, or at least try. Never engage a person abroad in conversation without first greeting them in their own language; by all means ask if they speak English!
And finally, cherish your mother, and take very good care of her.
I love you both with all my heart.
Daddy x
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Monday, August 1, 2011
Friday, October 22, 2010
alvin toffler's predictions
The author of 1970's blockbuster - Future shock - made some unbelievable claims in the past that has come true...so perhaps you should read this...
His Consultancy predicts
1IN THE next 40 years, an unprecedented number of women will be in positions of power,at a never-before-seen rate, as countries realise 'you can't be successful with just 50 per cent of the population participating in decision-making
2 Muslim immigration to the West will rise
3 office workers will be unchained from their cubicles
4 South America will see sustained economic growth
5 the Middle East will become 'a tangle of religions, sects and ethnicities
6 Only a very small number of states will continue to behave as 'rogue' nations, Toffler Associates says, naming North Korea and Iran.
7 China will position itself as a global economic power, allying with Brazil and India to influence currency use
8 China will ally herself with with Venezuela and African nations to ensure its energy needs are met.
9 The United States, meanwhile, will depend on China for 17 rare earth metals that are essential to produce everything from weapons components to radars to wind turbines and hybrid cars.
10 The development of alternative energy forms will create 'losers in a post-petroleum world' including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, several Gulf states, Russia and Venezuela
11Christianity will rise rapidly in the global South, while Muslims will migrate in increasing numbers to the West, where their presence will reshape public attitudes and government policies.
12 Climate change will fuel conflict as (1) melting sea ice exposes mineral wealth and oil fields in the Arctic and (2)as rising sea levels force large populations from their homes.
13 An ageing population will cause spending on long-term care services for the elderly to nearly quadruple by 2050,
14 And in the next 40 years, information-gathering will speed up even more as the world enters the Petabyte Age
His Consultancy predicts
1IN THE next 40 years, an unprecedented number of women will be in positions of power,at a never-before-seen rate, as countries realise 'you can't be successful with just 50 per cent of the population participating in decision-making
2 Muslim immigration to the West will rise
3 office workers will be unchained from their cubicles
4 South America will see sustained economic growth
5 the Middle East will become 'a tangle of religions, sects and ethnicities
6 Only a very small number of states will continue to behave as 'rogue' nations, Toffler Associates says, naming North Korea and Iran.
7 China will position itself as a global economic power, allying with Brazil and India to influence currency use
8 China will ally herself with with Venezuela and African nations to ensure its energy needs are met.
9 The United States, meanwhile, will depend on China for 17 rare earth metals that are essential to produce everything from weapons components to radars to wind turbines and hybrid cars.
10 The development of alternative energy forms will create 'losers in a post-petroleum world' including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, several Gulf states, Russia and Venezuela
11Christianity will rise rapidly in the global South, while Muslims will migrate in increasing numbers to the West, where their presence will reshape public attitudes and government policies.
12 Climate change will fuel conflict as (1) melting sea ice exposes mineral wealth and oil fields in the Arctic and (2)as rising sea levels force large populations from their homes.
13 An ageing population will cause spending on long-term care services for the elderly to nearly quadruple by 2050,
14 And in the next 40 years, information-gathering will speed up even more as the world enters the Petabyte Age
Monday, July 26, 2010
are we progressing too fast
"SLOW DOWN", A MUST READ
"It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule."
Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.
1. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants..
2. Stockholm has 500,000 people.
3. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, are some of its renowned companies. Volvo even supplies NASA.
The first time I was in Sweden , one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work).
The first day, I didn't say anything, neither the second or third days. One morning I asked him, "Do you have a fixed parking space?
I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot."
To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, don't you think that whoever gets in late will need a place closer to the door?" Imagine my face.
Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe named Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart, Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.
Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fuelled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being".
French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity driven up by 20%.
This slow attitude has come to the notice of USA , the pupils of the fast and "do it now" brigade.
This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means re-establishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.
It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive work place where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do.
It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence.
In the movie, 'Scent of a Woman', there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al Pacino responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance the tango!
Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious to live for the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists.
We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".
Congratulations for reading this till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this "Globalized" world..
"It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule."
Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.
1. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants..
2. Stockholm has 500,000 people.
3. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, are some of its renowned companies. Volvo even supplies NASA.
The first time I was in Sweden , one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work).
The first day, I didn't say anything, neither the second or third days. One morning I asked him, "Do you have a fixed parking space?
I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot."
To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, don't you think that whoever gets in late will need a place closer to the door?" Imagine my face.
Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe named Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart, Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.
Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fuelled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being".
French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity driven up by 20%.
This slow attitude has come to the notice of USA , the pupils of the fast and "do it now" brigade.
This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means re-establishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.
It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive work place where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do.
It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence.
In the movie, 'Scent of a Woman', there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al Pacino responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance the tango!
Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious to live for the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists.
We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".
Congratulations for reading this till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this "Globalized" world..
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
thought for today
For money you can have everything it is said. No, that is not true. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; soft beds, but not sleep; knowledge but not intelligence; glitter, but not comfort; fun, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not friendship; servants, but not faithfulness; grey hair, but not honor; quiet days, but not peace. The shell of all things you can get for money. But not the kernel. That cannot be had for money. -Arne Garborg, writer
DO YOU THINK THAT IN TODAY'S SOCIETY THE KERNEL CAN BE BOUGHT TOO????
DO YOU THINK THAT IN TODAY'S SOCIETY THE KERNEL CAN BE BOUGHT TOO????
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Best Counties to Live: List of Countries for 2009 compiled by the United Nations
as of 5th October 2009
Norway tops the study, which ranks countries on their education, infrastructure, wealth, social facilities and life expectancy, using figures compiled by the United Nations Development Programme. Australia moved up to No. 2 and Canada remain at no. 4. For the first time the USA slipped out of the top 10 and the United Kingdom out of the top 20! China moved up seven places on the list to rank as the 92nd country due to improvements in education as well as income levels and life expectancy. Niger is the worst country to live in. Afghanistan, which returns to the list for the first time since 1996, is the only Asian country among the bottom ten.
The complete list of the best countries to live for the year 2009:
Norway
Australia no 2
Iceland
Canada
Ireland
Netherlands
Sweden
France
Switzerland
Japan
Luxembourg
Finland
United States 13
Austria
Spain
Denmark
Belgium
Italy
Liechtenstein
New Zealand
United Kingdom 21
Germany
Singapore number 23
Hong Kong, China (SAR) 24
Greece
Korea (Republic of) 26
Israel
Andorra
Slovenia
Brunei Darussalam 30
Kuwait
Cyprus
Qatar
Portugal
United Arab Emirates
Czech Republic
Barbados
Malta
Bahrain
Estonia
Poland
Slovakia
Hungary
Chile
Croatia
Lithuania
Antigua and Barbuda
Latvia
Argentina
Uruguay
Cuba
Bahamas
Mexico
Costa Rica
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Oman
Seychelles
Venezuela (Bolivarian Rupublic of)
Saudi Arabia
Panama
Bulgaria
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Romania
Trinidad and Tobago
Montenegro
Malaysia66
Serbia
Belarus
Saint Lucia
Albania
Russian Federation
Macedonia (the former Yugoslav Republic of)
Dominica
Grenada
Brazil
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Colombia
Peru
Turkey
Ecuador
Mauritius
Kazakhstan
Lebanon
Armenia
Ukraine
Azerbaijan
Thailand
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Georgia
Dominican Republic
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
China 92
Belize
Samoa
Maldives
Jordan
Suriname
Tunisia
Tonga
Jamaica
Paraguay
Sri Lanka
Gabon
Algeria
Philippines
El Salvador
Syrian Arab Republic
Fiji
Turkmenistan
Occupied Palestinian Territories
Indonesia111
Honduras
Bolivia
Guyana
Mongolia
Viet Nam
Moldova
Equatorial Guinea
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Cape Verde
Guatemala
Egypt
Nicaragua
Botswana
Vanuatu
Tajikistan
Namibia
South Africa
Morocco
São Tomé and Principe
Bhutan
Lao, People's Dem. Rep.
India 134
Solomon Islands
Congo
Cambodia
Myanmar
Comoros
Yemen
Pakistan
Swaziland
Angola
Nepal
Madagascar
Bangladesh
Kenya
Papua New Guinea
Haiti
Sudan
Tanzania, U. Rep. of
Ghana
Cameroon
Mauritania
Djibouti
Lesotho
Uganda
Nigeria
Togo
Malawi
Benin
Timor-Leste
Côte d'Ivoire
Zambia
Eritrea
Senegal
Rwanda
Gambia
Liberia
Guinea
Ethiopia
Mozambique
Guinea-Bissau
Burundi
Chad
Congo (Democratic Republic of the)
Burkina Faso
Mali
Central African Republic
Sierra Leone
Afghanistan
Niger
as of 5th October 2009
Norway tops the study, which ranks countries on their education, infrastructure, wealth, social facilities and life expectancy, using figures compiled by the United Nations Development Programme. Australia moved up to No. 2 and Canada remain at no. 4. For the first time the USA slipped out of the top 10 and the United Kingdom out of the top 20! China moved up seven places on the list to rank as the 92nd country due to improvements in education as well as income levels and life expectancy. Niger is the worst country to live in. Afghanistan, which returns to the list for the first time since 1996, is the only Asian country among the bottom ten.
The complete list of the best countries to live for the year 2009:
Norway
Australia no 2
Iceland
Canada
Ireland
Netherlands
Sweden
France
Switzerland
Japan
Luxembourg
Finland
United States 13
Austria
Spain
Denmark
Belgium
Italy
Liechtenstein
New Zealand
United Kingdom 21
Germany
Singapore number 23
Hong Kong, China (SAR) 24
Greece
Korea (Republic of) 26
Israel
Andorra
Slovenia
Brunei Darussalam 30
Kuwait
Cyprus
Qatar
Portugal
United Arab Emirates
Czech Republic
Barbados
Malta
Bahrain
Estonia
Poland
Slovakia
Hungary
Chile
Croatia
Lithuania
Antigua and Barbuda
Latvia
Argentina
Uruguay
Cuba
Bahamas
Mexico
Costa Rica
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Oman
Seychelles
Venezuela (Bolivarian Rupublic of)
Saudi Arabia
Panama
Bulgaria
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Romania
Trinidad and Tobago
Montenegro
Malaysia66
Serbia
Belarus
Saint Lucia
Albania
Russian Federation
Macedonia (the former Yugoslav Republic of)
Dominica
Grenada
Brazil
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Colombia
Peru
Turkey
Ecuador
Mauritius
Kazakhstan
Lebanon
Armenia
Ukraine
Azerbaijan
Thailand
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Georgia
Dominican Republic
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
China 92
Belize
Samoa
Maldives
Jordan
Suriname
Tunisia
Tonga
Jamaica
Paraguay
Sri Lanka
Gabon
Algeria
Philippines
El Salvador
Syrian Arab Republic
Fiji
Turkmenistan
Occupied Palestinian Territories
Indonesia111
Honduras
Bolivia
Guyana
Mongolia
Viet Nam
Moldova
Equatorial Guinea
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Cape Verde
Guatemala
Egypt
Nicaragua
Botswana
Vanuatu
Tajikistan
Namibia
South Africa
Morocco
São Tomé and Principe
Bhutan
Lao, People's Dem. Rep.
India 134
Solomon Islands
Congo
Cambodia
Myanmar
Comoros
Yemen
Pakistan
Swaziland
Angola
Nepal
Madagascar
Bangladesh
Kenya
Papua New Guinea
Haiti
Sudan
Tanzania, U. Rep. of
Ghana
Cameroon
Mauritania
Djibouti
Lesotho
Uganda
Nigeria
Togo
Malawi
Benin
Timor-Leste
Côte d'Ivoire
Zambia
Eritrea
Senegal
Rwanda
Gambia
Liberia
Guinea
Ethiopia
Mozambique
Guinea-Bissau
Burundi
Chad
Congo (Democratic Republic of the)
Burkina Faso
Mali
Central African Republic
Sierra Leone
Afghanistan
Niger
Saturday, May 23, 2009
we just discussed the topic of suicide...read this
FORMER South Korean president Roh Moo-Hyun told his family not to grieve for him before plunging off a cliff early Saturday in an apparent suicide, news reports said.
'Please don't have sorrowful feelings. Aren't life and death one and the same?' YTN television quoted the note as saying.
'Please cremate my body. Please erect a small tombstone for me at the village....note - well planned...does that make this a rational decision?
Mr Roh, 62, was questioned last month as a suspect in a multi-million dollar corruption case. esacape from humiliation?
another viewpointHowever businessman Park Hae-Heon expressed disappointment that a former leader had resorted to suicide. 'He should have resorted to the legal system to prove what is right and wrong,' Mr Park said.
Im Shin-Kuk, a 22-year-old student, said the apparent suicide was not a responsible way for a former president to behave. 'He must have been under so much pressure. But he should have given it a little more thought.
DID HE DO THE RIGHT THING?
'Please don't have sorrowful feelings. Aren't life and death one and the same?' YTN television quoted the note as saying.
'Please cremate my body. Please erect a small tombstone for me at the village....note - well planned...does that make this a rational decision?
Mr Roh, 62, was questioned last month as a suspect in a multi-million dollar corruption case. esacape from humiliation?
another viewpointHowever businessman Park Hae-Heon expressed disappointment that a former leader had resorted to suicide. 'He should have resorted to the legal system to prove what is right and wrong,' Mr Park said.
Im Shin-Kuk, a 22-year-old student, said the apparent suicide was not a responsible way for a former president to behave. 'He must have been under so much pressure. But he should have given it a little more thought.
DID HE DO THE RIGHT THING?
Friday, May 22, 2009
world famous photographs
One of the most famous photos from National Geographic. They did an update about her just a while back and said that she is married now and has a few children and living well. I can’t believe they have found her again after all these years.
Sharbat Gula was one of the students in an informal school within the refugee camp; McCurry, rarely given the opportunity to photograph Afghan women, seized the opportunity and captured her image. She was approximately 12 years old at the time.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
so what is there to be happy about?
plenty...unfortunately, we don't realise it...or rather do not want to acknowledge it.
my brother visited today - he walked past me...looked at me...and said...what the hell are you so happy about?...he usually isn't so crude but i guess he wasn't having a good day...
my reply - it's all in the mind... i create my own happiness
it really is about choices, isnt it...pardon my language...but (as my brother puts it), s___ happens. Some fall apart; others wallow in self pity; still others play the blame game...but some choose to DEAL WITH IT...AND MAKE THE BEST OUT OF IT...
(conceding opposing viewpoint) - Granted, not everybody has the disposition or the resilience to deal with the problem...(rebuttal) but the fact remains that it is possible if we try
think about 3 articles you have read in the newspaper...DONT CHEAT.. PL DO NOT READ ON UNTIL YOU HAVE LISTED THE 3 ARTICLES
chances are they are about something negative; painful or disastrous...some article on philosophy I read actually states that this ability to notice and remember negative events is in-built in us...Evolutionarily speaking it's because bad things can kill us or harm us so our brains are more attuned to picking up on negative information. On the other hand if we missed out on some good events, we won't die because of it.
If this argument is indeed valid, then it is easy to explain why we seem to be so focussed on the negative...but if this preoccupation with the negative results in a general sense of unhappiness... then we need to make a conscious attempt to rewire...
on the other hand, there is also what is called selective amnesia...
definition - amnesia about particular events that is very convenient for the person who cannot remember
( i remember reading a joke somewhere that went like this...selective amnesia...there is something i want to say about this...but i forgot)
how do i deal with problems...
i pray...
i read - to me, nothing beats curling up in bed with a good book...
i love people watching...cos i am so into body language...
so what is the difference between joy and happiness...
PLEASE DO DISAGREE WITH ME....
my brother visited today - he walked past me...looked at me...and said...what the hell are you so happy about?...he usually isn't so crude but i guess he wasn't having a good day...
my reply - it's all in the mind... i create my own happiness
it really is about choices, isnt it...pardon my language...but (as my brother puts it), s___ happens. Some fall apart; others wallow in self pity; still others play the blame game...but some choose to DEAL WITH IT...AND MAKE THE BEST OUT OF IT...
(conceding opposing viewpoint) - Granted, not everybody has the disposition or the resilience to deal with the problem...(rebuttal) but the fact remains that it is possible if we try
think about 3 articles you have read in the newspaper...DONT CHEAT.. PL DO NOT READ ON UNTIL YOU HAVE LISTED THE 3 ARTICLES
chances are they are about something negative; painful or disastrous...some article on philosophy I read actually states that this ability to notice and remember negative events is in-built in us...Evolutionarily speaking it's because bad things can kill us or harm us so our brains are more attuned to picking up on negative information. On the other hand if we missed out on some good events, we won't die because of it.
If this argument is indeed valid, then it is easy to explain why we seem to be so focussed on the negative...but if this preoccupation with the negative results in a general sense of unhappiness... then we need to make a conscious attempt to rewire...
on the other hand, there is also what is called selective amnesia...
definition - amnesia about particular events that is very convenient for the person who cannot remember
( i remember reading a joke somewhere that went like this...selective amnesia...there is something i want to say about this...but i forgot)
how do i deal with problems...
i pray...
i read - to me, nothing beats curling up in bed with a good book...
i love people watching...cos i am so into body language...
so what is the difference between joy and happiness...
PLEASE DO DISAGREE WITH ME....
Sunday, May 17, 2009
about horror movies
since i am doing the passage with you now
i might as well confess....i like horror movies
but i really do not think i have the primeval instincts
stephen king talks about
for me, i think it is more, because i love watching and reading - thrillers
probably due to a very deprived childhood - an overprotective mother who never let
her only daughter out of her sight...
i abhor - the wanton and meaningless killing and gore of friday the 13
and i know what you did last summer
but shows like the uninvited, credo, the others and sixth sense...those with a
plot and a twist - they thrill me no end...
the horror movie that gave me sleepless nights and sent me running to my dad was
the Exorcist....so i was surprised by its ranking on this site...http://www.imdb.com/chart/horror
psycho - which i thought was a brilliant but sick movie is rightfully placed as numero uno...i guess....but exorcist is at 17...they found king kong (horrors of horrors...they consider that a horror movie?..i felt sorry for the giant, rather than fear!), frankenstein and jaws more frightening than the exorcist...? perhaps they were rating the entertainment factor rather than the fear factor...even then...well...different people...different age groups...different genres...different tastes..and as stephen king puts it...different levels of insanity...
i might as well confess....i like horror movies
but i really do not think i have the primeval instincts
stephen king talks about
for me, i think it is more, because i love watching and reading - thrillers
probably due to a very deprived childhood - an overprotective mother who never let
her only daughter out of her sight...
i abhor - the wanton and meaningless killing and gore of friday the 13
and i know what you did last summer
but shows like the uninvited, credo, the others and sixth sense...those with a
plot and a twist - they thrill me no end...
the horror movie that gave me sleepless nights and sent me running to my dad was
the Exorcist....so i was surprised by its ranking on this site...http://www.imdb.com/chart/horror
psycho - which i thought was a brilliant but sick movie is rightfully placed as numero uno...i guess....but exorcist is at 17...they found king kong (horrors of horrors...they consider that a horror movie?..i felt sorry for the giant, rather than fear!), frankenstein and jaws more frightening than the exorcist...? perhaps they were rating the entertainment factor rather than the fear factor...even then...well...different people...different age groups...different genres...different tastes..and as stephen king puts it...different levels of insanity...
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