Who are the biggest gossipers: men or women?

EVERYONE loves to gossip. Gossip as an activity crosses gender lines and age groups. It affects everyone. If it is supposedly a big secret, it will be a big hit. If it concerns some dark, hidden secret, it shines like a torch in a dark tunnel.
Gossip is also one of man's most deplorable activities. It makes and breaks careers, relationships and families. What is spoken frequently, though often not substantiated, takes on a life of its own.
When repeated by a hundred mouths, rumour becomes truth and later "truth" becomes fact. The victims of a malicious gossip is usually the last to know because everyone avoids telling him or her.
Now, the $64 question: who is the bigger gossiper - man or woman? There are no statistics to proven it either way but the natural inclination is to blame it on women because women are allegedly always chatting away in the corridor, in the hallway, in your dining hall and by the roadside.
Apparently, men do the same thing except the subject matter is different. Men's favourite subjects are drinking, games (golf, football,etc), women, affairs. Not necessarily in that order.
Women have been known to accuse men of being the worst gossipers and vice versa. The jury is still out on that - who are the biggest gossipers. All we know at this juncture is all the blabblers are out in full force.
It has been said when men gossiped, they don't go on and on about it. All conversational gossip ends at the table where they are sitting. That means when they leave for home, they leave the gossip behind.
Women on the other hand carry the gossip wherever they go and pass it on. In time, the whole neighbourhood knows. That's the women's touch, as they say.
By now, you probably realise I am a man and I am bias. This gossip of a subject is transparent. I am not taking sides but I personally believe women feel that they are merely exchanging information when they indulge in gossip whether it be malicious or innocent.
But as we all know, no gossip in its essence is innocent. It is always at someone's expense, otherwise it won't be gossip.
What makes gossip such an addictive activity is the psychological thrill it creates and provides for participants. Those who partake in gossip get into a zone where they extract delight in other people's minor transgressions.
On a so-called higher level, big-time social faus pax elevates gossip to a level where its movement from mouth to ear gathers speed according to its fallout effect. Human beings are suckers for a good gossip if we can actually label it as such.
In the world of communication, a good gossip topic can travel at light speed. With Internet, it can go around the world several times over before the day is over. Even newspapers fall prey to this kind of activity.
There have been occasions in the past when newspapers of the lower order succumb to rumours and gossip in their attempts to ferret out good stories. When a newspaper is found guilty of spreading gossip, it loses it credibility.
The media is punished severely by the public if they are ever caught with their pants down on this matter. Gossip therefore should be left to languish in the land of idle minds and uninspiring individuals.
Truthfully, of course all of us love a good gossip but becoming obsess with this activity is detrimental to our development. Reason must always be the master. Gossip even though it is tasty, much like sugar floss, is stuff of no importance.
The less we indulge in it, the less contagious it will be. Gossip becomes a virus only when people encourage it. When it is given the "licence" to infect others, it will move at supersonic speed. The way gossip spreads is the embellishments that are add-ons by individuals.
A reasonably innocuous gossip can be a Godzilla-sized monster by the time the fifth person passes it on. Thus, gossip is a human creation of monstrous proportions.
One day, sociologists and mass communication experts will do a thorough study on the subject of gossips and dig deep into the ramifications and repercussions of the subject of gossip.
It is a fascinating topic which should draw the attention of the biggest mouths and the loosiest of all tongues among us.

Everything Must Go!

HAVE you ever thought of simplifying your life? It means instead of owning a Mercedes Benz, opt for public transport. This way, you save on fuel, maintenance, parking charges and constantly looking for parking bays.
Then you can just dress in the simplest clothes without looking indecent. No designer labels for you. No fancy clothes that cost a bomb. No expensive shoes. Sandals or slippers will do.
No need to go to Hawaii or Aspen, Colorado for holidays. Your own country has lots and lots of places which you haven't begun to explore. I am speaking from experience. Recently, I visited some parts of my own country which I haven't seen or been before. It was quite a revelation. So many nice things and great cuisine.
One of the things that clutter up our lives are material possessions. Take for example, cars. Most people are not satisfied with one. They want at least two or three.
Most women are dissatisfed with four pairs or shoes. They desire at least 20 pairs. As for clothes, one full cupboard is never enough. And so on and so forth, the list grows.
You can simplify your life by living and eating in the most humble place and the cheapest accommodation. Once you close your eyes and go to sleep, it really doesn't matter if you are sleeping in a seven-star hotel, your mind just goes to sleep, and suddenly all have become an illusion and only your dreams seem so real.
People are constantly on the quest for the best, the most expensive and the most unattainable. Why? Is it an ingrained thing? I hope not.
An inclination towards simplicity is a cultivated trait. It is said that simplicity is the natural result of profound thought. It is so true but its wisdom escapes the majority of us.
When a person dies, what remains? Nothing. All his possessions will be taken by the surviving members of his family or his next-of-kin. If he is an orphan, all that he had will be taken up by the government. Even his body will decomposed. After all, it is biodegradable.
Thus, simplicity is the path of the wise. It is the spiritual road to everlasting peace of mind. The simplest life is filled with rewards. You have the beautiful sky, the freshest air in the morning and the birds sing to you - free of charge.
You walk past a river and the gurgling waters greet you with sweet hellos. The night smiles at you from a million stars. Even darkness warms up to you with its gentle solitude and pleasing air of stillness.
You are not alone in this world. You are never alone. Close your eyes and see the galaxies presented by your mind. Shut your ears and listen to the music of silence. Eat little and digest the food that comes from heaven. You are never in want of anything.
Therefore, simplify your life. Get down from your oak-wood panelled office and walk across the highways and byways of other people's lives. See the "difficulty" of a cluttered life.
Take for example, friends. If you feel a compulsion to have friends and colleagues around you all the time, then you may have a problem. Too many friends spell one thing, you are afraid to be alone. If one day, for some reason, all or most of your friends desert you, you will be utterly lost.
Learn to enjoy being alone. Solitude has its own rewards. The mind takes on a quieter route. The heart slows down. Even the noise level dips a little. Embalm your usually hurried mind with good thoughts. Treat yourself kindly, even if no one else does.
Be simple, live simply and let simplicity be your own personification.

Seven Seven Two Zero Zero Five

July 7 is now Britain's Day of Infamy in the year 2005. At last count, death toll stands at 37, wounded 700. Casualties are expected to rise before the damage is repaired. But lives forever lost would never be regained.
Thus, it begs the question: whither terrorism? In the last couple of years, terrorism has reared its ugly head across the globe. No nation is now deemed safe. Terrorists do not respect boundaries. No race is too far from its reach.
There will always be victims. Terror is the commodity and its perpetrators are many and they wear many different faces. Their currency is fanaticism and their reward is allegedly heaven.
How do we the innocent reason with the insane? How does the world hope to understand the madness of terror? At this current hour, it seems hopeless to sit and talk with the leaders of this diseased group who plans for the destruction of all who stand in its paths.
Unfortunately for some nations, the danger signs are deathly clear. Terrorism breeds in the soil of poverty, desperation, despair and utter hopelessness. These conditions are rife in many lands on this beautiful planet.
One remedy is to extend a strong and willing hand to the weak and poor. At the same time, keeping away the spoilers of peace away from these desperate people with the other hand.
The mad cannot be reasoned. They cannot be pitied and they absolutely cannot be appeased. The solution lies in corralling these "wild creatures", and then zero in on the roots of the terror problem. Perhaps an honest, brutally frank look at the breeding grounds of terror will generate some clues why there are so many thousands willing to lend support for such an insane cause.
Until and unless we are brave enough to stare and admit that there are weaknesses in our system of governance and cracks in the democratic system, we shall never be able to overcome this prevailing and perennial problem.
People are the same the world over. They want happiness, security, food on the table, bright future for their children and to die happy at an old age, relatively free from sickness and pain. If we can give them some measure of all these wants, we would have gone a long way in ensuring a trouble-free society.
The abnormalies and discrepancies that exist right now in countries around the world with regard to income and modern convenienes are the detonaters of terror "bombs".
We can't have peace in our times and happiness at home if others are suffering unfairly and without hope elsewhere or even in our own backyards. These are the issues we must address most urgently.
Leaders of the world can only lead by conviction, by prayer, by concern and by sincere intention to do as much good for as long a time as possible. If there are enough good leaders who will pool together their resources and with the help of their populations, hope will spring eternal again.
Time is running short. The desperate ones are getting more radical. Fear is growing rapidly. Innocent lives are put on the auction block of death.
We do see the solutions but are we brave enough to do the necessary for the poor and desperate. The future is truly ours. It is not enough to kneel and pray because the time has come for all of us, young and old, rich or poor, to get off our knees and do all we can, as long as we can for all our brethern across the oceans, across the lands, in every corner of the earth.

Why so many different races in this world?

RACISM is a dirty word. However, it didn't start off like that. Many centuries ago, when some coloured people in some forgotten land bumped into another group of people of different colour, they just uttered: "Wow! Look at those strange coloured guys."
So curiosity sank its roots in humankind. Over the years, people of different hues began to be classified as strangers.
And mankind in general stupidly concluded that what they could not understand be held in suspicion. Instead of finding the best way of getting along with these people of different colours, one community after another began to practise prejudice, the alternative culture, so to speak.
So began racial prejudice. If only the bigoted ones know that genetically, homo sapiens are the same no matter which part of the world they are from. If you trace it right down to the last chromosome, the last atom is identical to the next chap. Only the genetic traits are different.
People have different features but they all have red blood. At last recall, that was the colour of their blood. Anyway, they all bleed if their skin is punctured.
So what's the rationale behind the different groupings? The answer is so simple, it is ridiculous.
Some guy somewhere thought it was a great idea for humans to learn to live together. That the answer to the greatest mystery of all time is that we belong to one family. That if we learn to get along with everyone else, peace will finally reign because it will suddenly become a revelation that we are all leaves, branches and trunks from the same family tree.
Notice how beautiful some offsprings are when they have mixed blood. The more bloodlines the better. Isn't that an indication of where we all should be heading?
But no, humans always need to do things a very different way. We must distrust everyone outside the family. In fact, quite often we don't even trust members of the same family.
Well, it's about time we find out that the different peoples of this world are like pieces of jigsaw that need to be put together to form a big, beautiful picture. Strange, how so few people don't know this. If only, someone knocks us on our heads to awaken the inherent wisdom that has been lying dormant in the core of our being.
Do we ignore the colours of the rainbow? Do we not all appreciate the beauty of the rainbow after a downpour? Why do you think there exist rainbows?
Surely, it is to make us appreciate the many facets of life. It is a lesson waiting to be learn. We the different races of this world are like the colours of the rainbow.
Seen individually, we are just one colour, living in isolation. However, when all the colours come together, they form one big beautiful family of different hues.
So now the secret is out. We must really look at this race issue as something that benefits us in the long run. So what if we don't like the look of some people. Do all of us like all parts of our own body?
Some of us think our toes are too big, or too ugly. Some of us think our thighs are too stumpy; our eyes are too small; and our stomaches too round. So it is with the human race. We are constantly bitching about ourselves, let alone the human race.
But if in our infinite wisdow, we realise how wonderful it is to "come together", then the Almightly will surely smile at us from somewhere.

Somebody loves you, baby!

IT IS a myth that there exist some people in this world who are not loved by at least one person in their entire existence. That one person is his/her mother. It is simply inconceivable that a woman who gives birth to a child does not have some feelings for the infant.
Therefore, it is safe to say that everybody is loved by somebody out there. It begins with your mother. And for every man, woman or child, there is somebody somewhere out there who is just waiting to love you for what you are, inspite of who you are and why you are what you are.
Some individuals go through life feeling as if they have missed their "love boat". That's not true. Even if you feel there's no love to be had, there's still that spark of love that is inherent in all of us.
It is said: If the whole world ends tomorrow for all of us who inhabit this planet, there is still love - and that's enough. In the end, it is all about love.
That may sound a bit cryptic but the whole notion is so simple it borders on being ludicrous.
Who would believe that love is the power that moves galaxies, controls the cosmos and is the breath of eternity? If it sounds like science fiction, it's because just for this moment, the light from love has temporarily escaped your inner eye.
Rest assured, it is there. It has always been there. It was there in the beginning, as it exists at present. In future, it glows forevermore.
If you want to get love, you must give it away, for that is the law of the universe. The current law that governs all that is on earth is - if you want more of something, you have to accumulate it, hoard it and work for it.
Wrong. Love is one of those intangible gifts that grows geometrically if you give it away. The more you give it to others, the more it grows. The faster you "throw" it away, the quicker it is returned.
It is the wonder that brings light to the Milky Way. It is the energy that moves life. It is the engine that propels animate and inanimate substances. It is what brings smiles to babies' faces. It is the bond that binds men and women, parents and children.
It is the force that brings peace on earth. Never, never, never believe or think that you are alone, that you are not loved or are the loneliest person on earth.
Even in your so-called loneliest hour, there is love in stillness. Because it is when everything else desists, God persists.
The phrase "see the light" has been uttered and used so often that its true meaning escapes the majority who repeat the line. Seeing the light simply means you understand once and for all that love is what life is all about. It is the ethereal energy that holds everything together.
It can't be destroyed. It can't be erased. It can't be forgotten and it can never disappear. It is the strongest force in the universe of universes. It is what God is all about.
If you truly believe in the power of love, you will never be without it. It will add a glow to your very being. It exudes a power and charm of its own. It is unending and ever flowing, for it is love without end, just like the spirit of our beings.

Everything's all right

NO matter what kind of situation you are in; no matter how troubled you are right now; no matter how penniless you feel, or how desperate you are for hope, joy and peace of mind, everything will be all right in the end.
Sounds crazy, I know but it's true. This life is not what it seems, nor how horrendous your life is right now. Everything will truly be right eventually.
How do I know? Because I have experienced it. Remember when you were a tiny tot or even a bewildered teenager years ago, when something happened that seemed to put an end to all your dreams.
Well, now that it's years later, how do you feel? Do you think you have survived reasonably well from that fiasco or major "catastrophe"? See, everything turns out well in the end, didn't it?
That's how it is with everything else in life. Even if you die (no, it's really not that terrible), it will be all right once you have "crossed" over to the other side.
Once again, how do I know? Written accounts of NDE (Near Death Experiences) have revealed that it is all right to expire as human beings. Death is in the natural order of things. As we are born, so must we die. The entire process bespeaks of a grander scheme of things.
If you are in a dilemma right now, rest assured you will emerge from the dark tunnel in one piece in the end. Do not fret. Do not be overly anxious. Do not live in quiet desperation.
The circle of life does not permit anything to go awry in its finality. Anything that happens is for a reason. If you feel pain in the process, it's because certain things must be set in motion.
But joy and happiness is a matter of choice. Should you choose to be happy, nothing can stop you. Should you choose to be sad, again nobody can stand in your way. The way to happiness is a dual carriageway of express proportions.
Therefore, choose to be happy. Never be sad. It's so sad to want to be sad. What's the point of feeling miserable?
AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS - these words were engraved in hallowed walls of the old Testament. Those five words have a story that more or less sums up the human existence.
Many eons ago, a king told one of his smarter subjects to find something that can make a happy man sad, and a sad man happy. Find it or don't come back, said the King to his loyal subject.
So this poor bloke journeyed across the lands for months, and then years. Finally, at wit's end, he finally encountered an old man at a bazaar in a forgotten town. The old man saw the despair on the King's subject's face, and asked: "What is it that you need, my good man?"
The subject told his story. After listening to his plight attentively, the old man said: "I think I have what you need." The old man scribbled five words on a parchment and gave it to the subject.
The guy read it and smiled. He quickly returned to the palace. The King was pleased to see him. "So, what have you got for me? Did you find the answer?" asked the King.
The parchment was handed over to the King. After he read it, the smile on the King's face faded. Despite his enormous wealth and infinite privileges as the King, the Ruler looked sad and uttered, "how true these words are!" With that, he walked slowly back to his chambers.
And so it was written and found to be true for all of God's children living here on earth - And this too shall pass. The king who just read those words knew one day, he too shall die, or perhaps become sick and then die. In the end, all that he has will end.
When a poor man who may be terribly sick reads those words, he will interpret it as the end of his suffering - one day. For both men at both ends of the spectrum, no matter what kind of situation, they are in, one day for both of them, it will come to an end.
Thus, the moral of the story is do not form any everlasting attachment to your human condition or earthly possession. They will come to naught in the end. Everything that a rich man has will only be taken as far as his grave, and there the wealth shall stay.
Hence, hear ye, all shall be all right in the end. So it is written, so shall it be done.

Why Men Like Knives

IS IT so strange to understand why men in general tend to be fascinated by knives, swords, guns and weapons of minor destruction. In the absence any substantive scientific evidence, I am inclined to rationalise the entire issue by linking it to man's biological urge to hunt.
Embedded deep in a man's DNA is a gene that compels him to play the role of the hunter. It goes back to the prehistoric age when caveman fends for his family so that the survival of the race is assured.
Now eons later, with the necessity for hunting being transformed into working for a living and supporting the family, man continues to find the subject of knives and guns pretty interesting.
The hunting gene is still there. It has not lessened the primodial urge to hunt, kill and conquer.
Knives are likened to a very useful tool to achieve certain aims. A knife can kill an animal for food. It can shape things. It can be used for utility purposes. It can establish authority in the absence of a clear-cut leader.
A knife is to a man's function, just as trinklets are to a woman's beauty. Try explaining to a woman why she doesn't need a whole cupboardful of costume accessories and you will receive a earful.
Conditions on Earth may have changed over the millennia but men and women have changed that much.
Hence, if you are a woman and if you happen to see a man carrying a knife, don't jump to the conclusion that he may be a killer. That guy is just reacting to an instinct that is inherent in the helix of his psychology.

The Politics of Religion

EVER wondered why leaders of religious movements seem to have so much power? Well, it's about time you realise that religion is one of the best avenues to gain power over people.
Over the centuries across the world, religious leaders have used their office to provide succour and also to gain favours of enormous earthly proportions.
That's not the most alarming thing (earthly possessions). The most disturbing consequence of religious development is the spread of hatred and the indoctrination of death in exchange of heavenly rewards.
If you have a TV at home or read at least one newspaper a day, you would realise that influential clerics regardless of creeds have abused their powers relentlessly and much to the alarm of true spiritual leaders.
Seriously, one would have thought that humans in general are armed with lots of common sense than to be taken in by these hate mongers who are using their religious hold on devotees to realise their own earthly, personal agendas.
However, religions of different hues have been miused and abused since time immemorial. Mankind is generally superstitious and is usually susceptible to threats of the inexplicable kind.
The politics of religion is a field that has created many dark chapters in the history of the human race. Millions have died in the hands of common folks who have been swayed and driven to commit horrendous acts of brutality on their own fellow brethern. These dastardly deeds have been instigated by so-called men and women of religion.
Therefore, the first rule of the thumb is to be aware of the fact that a true spiritual leader never spread the gospel of hatred, nor would he in any way wishes to see the destruction and suffering of others.
The moment a religious leader calls for the death of others, he should be shouted down as a charlatan and a fraud. God does not want any suffering or even the slightest hurt perpectuated on his people on earth. That is not the divine plan.
The divine plan is happiness, enlightenment and soulful joy of being one with the Almighty.
At this crucial juncture in man's history, we must keep our eyes wide open, and our hearts warm to the faults of others. In our quest for peace and happiness on earth and among humankind, we must stay alert to the constant and frantic calls from the false prophets who demand the suffering and if necessary the death of others.
Religion has become politics of the most deadly kind. We must chuck gullibility out of our lives. It is being used as a vehicle for selfishness, hostility, aggression and conquest.
If mercy, love and forgiveness become very much part of our persona, such darts of hatred will be deflected from our lives.

Holidays are a must

IF YOU have not gone on a holiday, it's about time you do. Vacation is one of the most therapeutic exercises in the world. First, you leave all your professional worries behind (I hope so).
Second, you revert to your good old self (please, most of us are not naturally grumpy). Third, you make wonderful discoveries on your travels, that is, if you travel out of town or just cruising on the highway to nowhere.
It is also a time for pulling the family together. It's a time to make new friends and see the "other side of the mountain". Goodness, all of us can do with some time-off now and then.
In one single calendar year, we should have a minimum of four breaks. In fact, if you can manage to pull off six, you are a genius. Holidays work wonders for the tired mind and tarnished personality.
Your family will be glad to get back their "old" man of the house, and you won't be so uptight about the small stuff that seem to bother you all the time on a daily basis.
Go on vacation. If you can, extend it. I have just tried it and it was wonderful. It reminded me that there's a whole wide world outside my office walls. There are so many interesting people elsewhere and I know I am not alone.
On top of it, there are so many beautiful things to see and so many nice people to meet.
Suddenly, it seems money is not so important after all. Chasing after that promotion and looking out for No. 1, begin to sound rather silly. You also get a glimpse of your limited time on earth and the mortality that comes with it.
Holidays make you appreciate your family. It tells you that your time shared with them is memories personified and they will become part of your life forever.
Ultimately, it sets your bearings right again. For those who have forgotten how to go on vacation, it's time they be reminded. There's not only the truth out there, there's an entire universe waiting to be discovered. And also your heart and soul call out for some self-renewal.
The light at the end of your office tunnel is actually the beam of sunlight shining bright just for you. Get off your butt and leave your cares behind. Heaven awaits you!!

The Joy of Going Home

IF you are the type who loves your family and vice versa, going joy is a daily joy. Thus, you can quickly and easily come to the conclusion that no matter what happens you will at least have 300 days of happiness out of a possible 365.
Happiness is seeing wife, children or even your pet dog welcoming you home, as if you were serving in Kandahar for the past 12 months. Isn't it such a pleasant feeling to know that there are actually people having a great time just seeing your face.
Many fathers and working mothers take this little family situation for granted. We take for granted the blessings that are bestowed upon us without us even asking for them.
Yes, we see our family members everyday but to have them opening the door for you and maybe even giving you a hug - now that's a bonus which many lonely bacholers or single women would give an arm and a leg for.
You have have two million bucks sitting in the bank for you but money can only provide financial security. Money does not jump up and hold you in its arms and plant kisses on your face.
This is one of mankind's greatest gifts. It is the pleasure of giving expressions of love to others. It is holding their hands, hugging them and giving others a smile when they step into your house.
I am a working father of many years. I am also very lucky. My wife opens the gate for me every morning when I go to work. She's there to open the door when I arrive home. Sometimes, I take for granted these little acts of kindness.
Fortunately, I also remember them with great fondness, love and gratitude. Truly, I tell you, lucky is the man who has people welcoming him home on a daily basis.
This is just one little miracle that takes place in many homes all over the world every day. It is what holds families together. It is something that lights up a man's life after a long, hard day in the office.
The joy of going home has its poignancy when a mother or a father has been away from home for a long time. The reason may be war, it may be out of economic necessity, it may be even over a misunderstanding.
Whatever the reason, going home has its benefits. It has pleasure only understood by people who long for such coming together by family members. It is knowing no matter who you are, or what you have been through, your family always loves you and you are always welcome home.
So coming home or going home has a special significance in all our lives. Even animals can sense a familiar person. A dog wags its tail. A cat purrs around your feet. A parrot may even say "hello".
A child knows the pleasure of going home. In his innocence, he jumps for joy, shouts and heads for the kitchen to look for the cookie jar. It is happiness expressed best in the purity of a child's soul and in total innocence.
The joy of going home cannot be understated. It is something that reminds us that love is forever. It is universal and it is what makes the world go round.
Have your little journeys in life by all means but there's nothing like going home. There's that familiarity that tugs at your heart-strings. There's an ambience that makes your home special. A familiar aroma that you can truly identify with and it is emanating from your home.
Going home also means reconciling with joyful memories. It is about sharing and caring. It is knowing about mortality and the preciousness of time. It is what makes us human.
Listen to your heart. When you are most tired, when you are frustrated, when you needled by pinpricks of trouble - you will always want to go home.

Be That Candle In The Dark

HERE'S something to think about. While three quarters of the world are moaning and groaning about how cruel life is treating them, other more enlightened individuals should be the "eye of the hurricane", the oasis in the desert or even be the "calm that accompanies every big storm."
It is not difficult to be the only person who's unaffected by all the chaos that surrounds you. All you have to do is to develop and inculcate a mindset that kickstarts into an icon of serenity when trouble comes a-visiting.
First, you have to learn to meditate. There's meditation and there's meditation. The real one fills you up and then transform your being. It sounds a bit corny and even slightly ridiculous but truly it is not so.
Meditation is that avenue to inner peace that has eluded some of the best human beings with the grandest intentions. It should be done without effort. To reach a dominion not of man but of spirit, one must follow the path of the spirit. That is without trying, one is there.
I wish I have a simpler explanation but there is none forthcoming from my side. Pure meditation is a journey without distance. It opens vistas unknown to human sight but crystal clear to the soul within.
Once you have "arrived", the circle is complete, so to speak. There's no need for explanation, you are there. Zen monks call it "being". From there you become the "candle" which I have mentioned.
You will emit an aura that others sense but do not see or feel. You will affect the composure of others. If they are troubled, they become composed in your presence. If they are sad, a certain peace will descend on on. If they are hostile, calmness enters their hearts.
It is what Chinese monks call the "Tao". It is a formless form. It is a tranquillity devoid of exterior signs. All darkness fades in the presence of the "candle". Where such celestial light shines, darkness finds no home.
Every man can achieve that level of awareness. It is a sign that you have "arrived." When you become the light, all sorrow vanishes, all misery takes flight, all unhappiness will cease to exist.
There's no need for wants where the light dwells. There's no desire for material possessions when the need is gone. There's no wish for happiness because it is already exists.
Be that candle, my friend. Everyone can do it. It begins with wishing, wanting and an inextinguishable quest to seek the higher consciousness. When the student seeks the master, the master appears.
Now that the earth is teetering on the edge of sociological chaos and ecological disaster, all the more "candles" are needed. Shine your light upon those who will need to "find their way home".
Be the torch to guide other lost souls home. Shine your light in the darkened corners of your neighbours' hearts. Brighten their minds with your knowledge, bring calm and peace into their hearts, awaken their souls with thy light and guide them across the chasm that they have widened for themselves.
For that is the responsibility of all those who hath become light beings. Bring them all home. To do this is to do it to oneself. For we are all one. The joy that accompanies each successful soul triggers a chain of joy that spreads across the heavens and on earth.
Know that that is thy mission on earth. Heaven watches and sends its messengers across the galaxies for all that is to be fulfilled. Amen.

Exercise your way to longevity

IT IS a modern malaise that individuals don't exercise until they hear Death's knocking at the door. Now why do they do that at such a late hour in their lives.
Yes, there are all kinds of modern fitness centres that are equipped to exercise every part of the human anatomy. These centres have personal trainers, doctors on their panels, dieticians and physical educationists.
In the "old" days, your mother and mine used to walk for miles to the grocery shop or visit relatives. Adults in those days think nothing of walking miles to get what they want.
These days, people find it hard even to walk quarter of a kilometre to buy a newspaper. On top of that, most middle class families now travel everywhere in aircon vehicles. Society has become so affluent that modern conveniences are taken for granted.
The end result is people built up big, fat bank accounts and feeble bodies. Physical bodies gradually retrogress and illnesses cropped up earlier in individuals' lives.
The sad fact is that personal good health can no longer be taken for granted. Teenagers are getting heart attacks. Young adults are victims of sudden death syndrome. Young women suffering from illnesses that are foreign to their mothers and grandmothers.
Why is all this happening? The answer lies in our lifestyle. Gone are the ways of the yesterday when sweating was considered normal at any time of the day. These days sweating is only reserved for gyms.
Yes, there is a discernible surge in applications to join health clubs but most of the membership numbers are not sustainable. People drop out faster than the recruitment of new members.
Are we becoming a society of weaklings? The choice of food is also another contributory factor. Many of the processed food items found in supermarket are deemed unhealthy for long term consumption.
Scientists are beginning to find out more and more about the hazards of consuming too much processed food. This is partly due to the preservatives put into the cans and packages of edible items.
If our forefathers thought nothing of walking miles everyday, today our lives are focused on getting from point A to point B without breaking into a sweat. Some of us think it is unbecoming to be caught in a sweaty state.
The sweat stains will tarnish our image and spoil our clothes. In the end, it simply means we try our best to sweat as little as possible. This of course means we hardly exercise our bodies.
The human body is built for daily workouts. If we don't exercise our body, it will atrophy. It will begin by atrophying in parts and in the end, it will be the sum of the total. By that time, it would be time to check out of Planet Earth.
So to make a long story short, we all must exercise. We should make it our daily routine. It should not be considered a chore. It must be as essential as breathing, taking a bath or simply lifting our hands.
Exercise is the panacea for a lot of ills. A brain that does not exercise will be of little use to its owner. A pair of legs which see little movement will soon be a liability to its owner.
Therefore, exercise for the good health and long life. We must do it beginning today or else we are doing ourselves a great disservice. If our earthly existence is cut short unnecessarily, we are being unfair to our loved ones. They need us to make their lives fuller, and vice versa.
Longevity is balanced on the pole of good thoughts and strong body. It is not something new. It is not a big secret. It is simply common sense.

From Cradle to Grave

MEMORIES. From your earliest memories - it could be as early as three years old - come the flavour and sentimentality that will form your persona as you add maturity and years to your life.
These are the remnants of childhood experiences that each and everyone of us carries with us to our graves. Of course, there may be times when a sudden and traumatic event is thrust upon you.
In the case of such an event, you may envision your entire life in five seconds but such incidents are rare.
Man's life experiences are made up of past memories. An individual can only have memories if he has experienced them or seen them through the eyes of others. What benefits do we derive from memories which we carry within us from cradle to grave.
Bad experiences quickly become bad memories. These have a tendency to be pushed far into the recesses of our mind. Sometimes they are shut down almost forever until another bigger trauma jolted them out of cold storage.
Pleasant memories are like balm for an aching soul. These are the candles in the dark when we need them most. For example, if we are caught in a life-and-death situation and we are not sure if we can make it out alive, then good memories become the rope to safety or sanity for us.
A man who is floating alone in an open sea will remember all the nice things about the loved ones waiting and praying anxiously for his return. Sometimes love alone can save a life.
Hence, memories serve as a raft for us to float out from the sea of woes to the land of hope and love.
A man who has lost his memory is a man without hope. He wanders like a lost sheep. He has no ties, no past, no present and almost no future. That's how important memories are.
A child who has good memories will grow up to be a nice person because there are no bad experiences to affect his personality adversely. A child who has more than his share of bad memories enters adulthood with a burden that would take a lot of effort to shake off.
Thus, we have troubled lives in our midst. These are the people who are unable to unshackle the chains of bad memories that have continued to trouble their minds and hold their hearts to ransom.
An individual who can control his memories can shape his present and alter his future. Therein lies the escape route for all those who harbour bad experiences aka bad memories and unwittingly continue to grope in the darkness of their minds.
All of us can control our minds, that is if we are not certified insane. The idea is to fill every living second of our lives with pleasant experiences. We accept the good, receive the joyful and retain the pleasant.
We make it a lifelong habit to be nice, to be kind and always to be optimistic. Armed with these weapons of mass happiness, we should be able to conquer the gloom and doom that surround the pessimistic and sorrowful.
Let it be known that in THIS life, all of us have a choice. Choice is one of God's greatest gifts to us humans. We can choose to be sad. We can choose to be bad. We can choose to be miserable and we can definitely choose to be happy and hopeful.
The road to unhappiness is not a one-way road. It is a six-lane highway. The rest of the lanes are called joy, hope, happiness, confidence and serenity!
Now, go and choose the road of your life.

The Power of Qi

JUST when you thoughts human beings are quite useless, you learn that all humans have powers beyond belief. What!!!??? You exclaim. Yes, my friends, long before man invented the Atom bomb and proceeded to threaten his own existence, there were others who have already harnessed and mastered the energies of the universe.
Before you call 911 and suggest psychiatric evaluation, remember that this form of energy is latent in all of us. The Chinese have been practising it for ages. So have the Indians.
The Indian masters who use this kind of power within their being are known as yogi masters. Yogi masters are the ones you heard about being buried in the ground for seven days and then emerging fresh as a daisy.
Chinese kung fu masters used their Qi to heal others, foretell the future and break objects that cannot be broken by ordinary mortals. The power of qi can be harnessed by just anybody.
There are exercises that can be done but it will take some discipline to link body, mind and soul. It takes meditation and a certain purity of heart to make that journey to catch a glimpse of eternity.
Hogwash, you say? Apparently, many other people think so too. A lot of Westerners think people in the East have been eating too much rice and begin to suffer from hallucinations about all these godly powers.
In the days of yore, Chinese martial arts experts used qi to attain physical strength unheard of even in modern times. There have been whispers that some ancients martial arts masters who have lived beyond 300 years.
Today, if you get to live to celebrate your 80th birthday, you are considered truly blessed. Statistics have shown that people are dying at a younger age.
Qi is a kind of bio-kinetic energy. It is the body's ultimate weapon. No disease can stand against it. It can render a man ageless. Qi can make a person lifts great weights and endure ordeals that would have killed ordinary people like squashed flies.
The power of qi helps link all men, regardless of race or creed. Qi does not seek to overcome, instead it seeks to communicate. It can bridge all lapses of communication, including with those whoo cannot speak your language. Qi alters the state of the universe.
It is the ethereal spirit that conquers times and space.
Qigong masters see beyond earth and set their sights on a dimension of love, positive energy and total peace.
If by now, you are turned off, rest assured one day you may understand the implications of all that is, all that was and all that is made possible.
For those who seek qi, not all will find its jewel. Yes, you can reach the upper limits of your mental powers but you wouldn't be able to achieve kundalini.
Know that the world you live in right now is an illusion. Know that the place you call home is actually not your own. Qi in its finest moment sees the falsity of all that exists.
Qi is one with everything. You may search for qi but if your heart is not ready, it will not come to meet you.
But you must not give up. Walk in the path of doubts and see the light that is qi.
Qi is the light that sets you free. Seek it, find it and forever be one with it, and you will never be in want of anything for the rest of your life.

Death - the twin brother of Life

DEATH is one subject that most people shun. They think it is something avoidable or they are just plain superstitious.
Death is as normal as the sun rising at the break of dawn. For something to be born anew, to replenish, to rejuvenate, there must be death. Death taken in its singular context of the end of what is triggers thoughts of gloom, darkness and a finality that can't be overcome.
All my life, I have encountered Death. I experienced it at first hand when I was a first-year student at university when a colleague was killed in an accident. He was 21 at that time. I was one of the pall bearers.
Then through the years, friends and loved ones passed away one after another. After a while, it became rather normal.
Despite knowing that death is very much part of our lives, we strive our best to delay its arrival, or premature visit. Ninety-nine out of 100 people are afraid to die. To them, death means lost opportunities, of achieving great deeds, of making significant contributions, of leaving loved ones behind, of departing "before their time", etc.
Basically, people just don't want to die. That's sounds rather silly and yet it is only too real a feeling. So what is Eternity going to do? Nothing really, just let Nature takes its course.
A friend died only 48 hours ago. One day he was there, real as Life itself, next day, news of his sudden death appeared in the daily newspaper. It came as a shock even though as people governed by logic, we shouldn't be surprised. But surprised we all are.
My friend's death brought to the surface once again of how frail our existence is. We long to live a good life. We want to get mileage out of our journey on earth but we deliberately ignore the fact that we will perish like everything else that is living in one form or another.
Why do humans fear Death so much? Is it something that is bad for us? Is it something that will hurt us? The answers to both preceding questions are No.
We read of accounts by people who have had Near Death Experiences. Almost all said there was nothing to fear, and it was actually quite pleasant.
In fact, most of them didn't want to return to the land of the living but they were told that "it was not their time". When is it really anybody's time? What shall we do in the meantime.
The answer lies in how we live and how well we conduct matters while we are still breathing. Death by all acounts is not the Grim Reaper. Neither is he Joe Black as Hollywood has described him.
Death is just another name for that bridge that links us to our real home. It is the tunnel that leads us to our real existence. On earth, it is the kind of stuff that dreams are made of.
After all that is said and done, how should we treat Death? We should treat it like a friend. We should look upon Death as a person who comes to welcome us to the world which we heard about but do not have the courage to venture into.
Death is the friend we should get to know but have always shunned. He's probably the kindest among the whole lot on earth. Death knows no pain, knows no sorrow and no attachment to all things unimportant.
Death seeks nothing, gives everything, is merciful, and is the conduit that leads others to a world that they deserve but do not crave for while on earth.
Death is the twin brother of Life. If you do not know Life, you will certainly know very little of Death. If you hold life dear to your heart, you may catch a glimpse of Death.
But do not welcome Death. He is not one that takes orders. Death liaises with Eternity. Death counsels the terminally ill and weary. Life teaches us to appreciate all that is given to us. Death teaches us that Life has got a place in our hearts but Death will always have our interests in eternity.

The long and bumpy road of journalism

Journalists are reported to be people who lead exciting lives, or so it seems. I have been one for almost three decades. The answer is therefor yes and no.
Yes, there have been times when it was exciting because interesting information or news comes almost non-stop for days in our direction. Those are the times when events that shook the world are at our finger-tips.
No, there were lapses which stretches for years when the profession was just another job. Lots of boring periods when nothing happens except the part when you don't get the yearly increments you think you deserve.
A seasoned journalist told me once: "Look, there are many times when nothing great ever happens and there are times when they do happen. So when good times take place, we savour every second of it!"
Journalism is the stuff that Hollywood scripts are made of. Ordinary people have a tendency to think that since we are such nosey people, we must be the recipients of great nuggets of gossip.
Only one thing: we don't indulge in gossip. Ours is the profession that thrives on facts. Facts are what made the newspapers and truth is what put us in the black, financially.
No newspaper or magazine in its right mind wants to be caught disseminating untruths. If a publishing firm is caught printing lies, it is done for. People want facts, no matter how gory or painful they are.
Journalists are just people who make the news items interesting or exciting. There's nothing special about good stories. Good stories are simply reports well written with all the facts and a bit of good story-telling thrown in.
Newspapers make sure they are above board all the time. Media moguls dislike greatly to be told by shareholders or the people that they are clearly talking nonsense.
Lies do not lead journalists down the road to fame and fortune. In fact, lies can land a journalist in trouble faster than he can spit on to the floor.
But as in any profession, the art of writing can be abused. For example, there were some journalists in the past who created stories straight out of their own imagination for the simple motive of winning awards.
All of us journalists, who feel we belong to a noble profession, like to believe that we can transcend the ordinary level of honestry when it comes to the crunch. We do try, that is, at least many of us.
But journalism has been known to be the source of problems for the general public in the past decades. The lure of wealth and recognition is very strong. There have been journalists in the past who partook in projects that enriched themselves. They spunned tales that made exciting reading by little substance.
Truth is strongest when it is told simply, without embellishments and without the excitement of breaking news. Ordinary citizens can judge for themselves from various information sources across the world, especially now on the Internet.
Those who wish to be journalists must first be good in the language they are going to write in. Second, they must hold some principles dear to themselves, and not compromise so that they can write another day.
Journalism is not a profession for the cowardly. Newsmen have been known to be killed and ostracised. Nobody likes the truth about their corrupted selves be made known to half the world. Thus, there were times in the past when journalists are quietly removed from the face of the earth.
We put the interest of society and the world before our own. We try as much as we can NOT to crave for the attention accorded to film stars and other great men. We seek only to let the world know that the truth can sometimes set them free.
There's no hidden treasure or road map to prosperity in journalism. It is a profession of long hours and sometimes meagre pay. It is not the kind of work, you would want to encourage your children to take up, unless they think they have a calling in that direction.
Every year, a number of journalists are killed out there in the field. Nobody really remembers them for long, especially after they perished out there in the open. We the ones who survived or too cowardly to go straight to the front line entertain the idea that journalism is pleasant as long as we have enough food on our dining tables.
Journalists are the chroniclers of man's deeds since time immemorial. We would like to believe we contribute significantly to the changing face of mankind. We all hope it is true, so that our very existence will not be in vain.
Some of us long for the day when we would end up publishing a book or several books - that would be the highlight of our careers. That privilege is not accorded to every single member of the profession.
If we are very lucky, we will end up with a tidy sum of gratuity to last us through the twilight years. Other than that, our only consolation is that we have some exciting stories to tell our grandchildren.
Publish and be damned, they say. Damn if we do, and damn if we don't, is more accurate. Brickbats are more common than bouquets. We all learn and live. It's a cliche but it is also the truth.
In the end, we write because the urge is too strong, the calling too true and all of us have to earn a living anyway.

What is this web blogging?

It seems that these days, more and more people are keeping journals on line. For those who wish others to take a peek at their writings, it is presumably called web blogging.
Blogging has been around for some years now, maybe even longer. The activity seems to fulfil some need in humans, at least the literate ones. Blogging can be a healing process.
It gives solace to those who wish to express their inner selves and not care whether strangers like their views or not, that is, the blog articles are read at all. It has been alleged that many web bloggers are journalists.
I suppose it is some kind of "experimental station" for them. Perhaps it is an exercise to hone their writing skills.
Some web bloggers whose opinions are highly valued for their incisive and indepth analysis, there is some financial rewards. The successful ones have advertisers jumping onto their blog sites to advertise their products or services. Thus, the blog site does earn some income for the writer.
Web blogging unfortunately has its dark side. Some writers with anarchic leanings are known to spread lies and misinformation to suit their own agenda. Even though most of us are aware that blogging is a privilege which should not be abused, it happens nevertheless.
The good thing is we as Internet surfers do not have to read what we don't agree with. Hence, we can just skip the rotten ones and move on to the next site that we can derive some benefit from. That's the wonder of choice and the world wide field of dreams that's called the Internet.
It is presumed that web blogging has generated more positive results than bad. For that we should be thankful.
Why bother to blog? The answer is why bother to be curious. It is in man's nature to leave some part of himself somewhere, whether be it be in writing or contribution in the form of art or financial empire, or even in the form of children. The list is endless.
Web blogging has recently changed the face of human activities. Its possibilities are infinite. For writers, it is the mother lode. We can say what we want, do what we want and as long as we want.
What if nobody notices what we do? Will that be an ego-bashing exercise? No. Simply because the writer who is not noticed benefits because the exercise of engaging in blogging activity is therapeutic.
There's nothing so healthy like shouting in the wind - not spitting at the wind though because the sputum may just fly back into your own face.
Therefore, we can safely conclude that web bloggin is here to stay. Stick to it. There's no need for any agenda. You don't need guidelines. You don't need an audience.
You may not get anything from anybody but you have the opportunity of listening to your own voice. Every individual is unique. Web blogging opens the window to your creative self which may have laid dormant for decades. It is waiting to emerge to see the light in your soul.
Who knows your writing may alter the course of someone's life - for good!

American Idol - The Dream Merchants

The American Idol 2005 contest has just ended with Carrie Underwood from Checotah, Oklahoma emerging as the winner. For about 40 million TV viewers across America, it has been a fun-filled and at times emotional time in front of the telly.
What drives about 70,000 people to audition for this contest for the fourth year running? The answer is simple: everyone wants to make their own dream come true. Singing seems to be the cheapest and the fastest route to fame and fortune.
Of course, only a handful get into the final 12. The rest will have to rethink their lives' options. American Idol is currently one of the most popular ways for young people to leap into the limelight.
For most of us, 15 minutes of fame can last a lifetime.
What is it that compells a person to seek a life of glory, wealth, prosperity and power? It can only be explained by the innate desire to gain recognition, any kind of attention. For the deviant, it could mean a life of crime.
For others, it may mean performing outrageous acts. Those who stand to profit most from this almost insatiable desire in most people are also labelled as the dream merchants.
Selling dreams is an art that has been exploited to the fullest by professionals, confidence tricksters, and members of the entertainment industry. All of us can dream but we simply don't know how to market them or turn them into realities.
Thus, the dream merchants of modern times are specifically talent scouts, TV networks, rich corporations and sadly conmen.
Some enterprising individuals fulfil their dreams in their own way - they work for it! When you imagine yourself having a home in Barbados or Hawaii, you can "see" it in your mind.
It all begins with a dream - your own. Then, you hold on to that dream. You find ways or routes leading in that direction. Experts call this process, creative visualisation. It is a proven formula, guaranteed to work if you are determined enough.
Be a dream merchant yourself. When you have achieved your own dreams, help others to realise theirs. That is your duty. In helping others, you help yourself. The source of all this is inexhaustible.
The path to being a dream merchant is to fulfil your own first, then lead others towards that direction. This is one of the most noble of human objectives. It is a lofty ideal held dear by the wise ones among us.

What ails you, my friend?

If you are one of the six billion people on this planet then you would be suffering from at least one or several of the many problems that plaguing humans.
That is, you could be worrying about your health, you are frustrated over a stagnating career, marital woes, blues over your teenage children, the politics in your own country or a God who you think doesn't seem to be bothered with you.
First, you are normal. Two, easy it may seem, you should not worry too much because a lot of it are mirages and only about one per cent of the problems cannot be solved by you alone, and if you can't control the circumstances, why worry about it?
Ask yourself, what's the worse thing that can happen to you today, or tomorrow. Okay, you can drop dead. Well, if you are dead, then earthly problems should come to an abrupt halt for you.
If you are worried about the grieving people you left behind, don't. They will soon get over it. It's human nature. Human beings have a built-in mechanism for self-survival. After a while, they just lose any attachment to things or people who they love. Life, whether you want to believe it or not, does carry on, regardless.
If you are rich, you have no material worries, only those in your imagination or things you created for yourself. If you are poor, then you can help yourself by improving your financial situation.
There are many ways of doing it. One, you take on another job. Two, you work that much harder. Three, find people who can help you. If you desperate enough to want to improve your income, there are always ways to do it.
On health, nobody or very few people are born to be sick. It is one area that you can actually control. Unless you are hit by a flower pot while walking underneath an apartment building, then you will probably live out your long natural life.
If you follow a sensible path, you will live to a ripe old age. Happiness is part of the human package. Joy is inherent in every single person who walks on earth. Sorrow and misery are usually self-inflicted. If you do not allow yourself to be sad, nobody can make you miserable.
Tell yourself every morning when you wake up that today is another chance for you to do better. Tell yourself you are the captain of your own fate; that you steer your own ship; that you will henceforth make use of the winds to adjust your sails to go the direction you want.
Remember, your time on earth is limited. Go for the jugular as far as life is concerned. Aim for the skies, reach for the stars, dare to dream the impossible dream. I know these are all cliches but cliches are apt if they are applicable in life's situations.
You may, if you wish, chuckle at adversity and laugh in the face of sorrow. It is your right. Be crazy a little at times. It helps to alleviate whatever mental burdens that may be weighing you down.
Don't be intimidated by problems, Take them on. Heck, take them all on - just for the fun of it. Why go through life doing all the little things? Where's the challenge in that?
Aim high, think big and go for the No. 1 position - all the time. That's fulfilling your life's mission.
So what's ailing you? Think you are unlucky or being cheated of what's due to you? Blame God? Blame your parents? Blame your family? Take a trip to the nearest hospital and visit the very sick or terminally ill. You may change your mind after such a visit.
Yes, do count your blessings. Every single one of them. None is given to you without a reason. All that you have, you need. All that you were meant to solve, were there for a reason which you may later comprehend. You are to play your part in life and play it to the hilt.
Walk through the heart of fear, and feel the shadows slip behind you.

Living the life you want

Imagine a life that success is very much part of your persona. You are not only materialistically rich, good health is taken for granted and you are never short of friends and they all love you.
Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? All these are possible, if you dare to dream and dare to pursue your dreams. In this life, everything and anything is possible. But are you up to it?
Are you a dreamer or a doer? Perhaps a bit of both. There's really nothing wrong with being a dreamer, except don't be entraped by it your entire life. Dare to dream and dream big and then build on those dreams.
George Lucas was a dreamer of outer limits proportions. Look where he is today. Steven Spielberg was and still is a dreamer. If Spielberg had not dared to dream, you and I wouldn't be enjoying ET, Indiana Jones and Schindler's List in the cinemas.
Bill Gates and Steven Jobs are still dreamers. If they are not, you wouldn't be enjoying personal computers the way you are using them right now. This world needs dreamers because they are the stuff that realities are made of.
Take a long, hard look at your life as it is today. Are you satisfied? Do you think you can do better? Do you think you deserve better? Well, do something about it.
Nobody is asking you to act outside the law or something illegal. Do something that is well within your capability. Your capability is only limited by your imagination and your desire.
Leonardo da Vinci was a man of extraordinary talents. Yes, he was also a genius, you might say. But then, all of us are capable of achieving success similar to da Vinci.
We are our own greatest obstacles. There's no such thing as failure. Replace "failure" with "challenge". It is a challenge, nothing more, nothing less.
You are capable of doing much more, fantastically more. You want to be a millionaire? Who wouldn't? Set yourself a financial target and work towards it.
Hardwork?! That's just a word. Just do it, or rather begin making plans towards achieving such a target. Don't think that it's too far down the road. Don't bother yourself with the destination. Enjoy the journey.
That's the whole plan. Enjoy the journey. Take the road less travelled and you will find out more, learn more and feel more. Isn't that the nectar of life?
This life, depends on how you view it, is rather short. Some people live up till 100 and learn little. Some live just 30 years and have lived a lifetime. So Albert Einstein is right - it's really relative.
Consider yourself one of the luckiest persons in the world. You are here, reading this. There are others on earth who cannot read. There are those who have not even seen a computer, let alone use one.
Yes, you are lucky. If you think you are not, then let this be your first lesson. Do not let your fears be the walls that lock you in. Be the bridge that links happiness to peace of mind. Be like the eagle which soars high above the earth and sees the "bigger picture".
Everyday can or may be your last. If you have just 24 hours to live, how will you live that day, that 24 hours? Yes, write it all down. All the things you want to do, all the people you want to love, all the food you want to eat. You probably don't have time to sleep or rest.
You don't want to anyway. When your 24 hours are over, you will have eternal rest. Live your life that way and you will understand the meaning of the universe. You will "see" the purpose of life as it is divinely designed to be so.
All of us are meant for great things, do great deeds, or do small deeds in a remarkable way.
Yours is the heaven and the earth, and all in-between. God does not want anything less from you and you should not expect anything less from yourself.

Battle for Jerusalem

FOR two thousand years, Jerusalem has been the focal point for some of the world's most historic moments. It saw the emergence of a carpentar who Christians call the Messiah.
It is the holy place for Muslims. It is the sacred ground for Jews. And it is also the battle ground throughout the ages, and continues to be so today.
Geologically, Jerusalem is nothing but a piece of land no different from any other plot of land anywhere around the globe. However, it held and still holds some of the most poignant and momentous memories for the three great religions - Judaism, Islam and Christianty.
Today, millions of lives hang in the balance over this ancient city. It is described as the place where Armaggedon will take place. Why is there so much attention focused on this city? The answer seems obvious to the communities I have just mentioned. But to the rest of the world, it seems to be the silliest reason to be enemies over.
Will there be a world war over this place? Who knows. The solution lies in sharing the city with all concerned. Easy to say but darn difficult to carry out.
Politicians have sat down down the eons to iron out their differences. They have only arrived at temporary solutions. Warriors fought bloody battles over this piece of dirt, as they say, and after their passing, the city lives on amid rubble and ruins.
Prayers, devotions, sacrifices abound in and over this city of Jerusalem. How ironic that the peace that people crave for in this place cannot be found there. How ridiculous is the fact that the so-called holiest place on earth also turns out to be a place where hostility and hatred breed.
Is man to place? Probably. Where is the answer? In man, of course because the acrimonious bickering began in the hearts of men, and in their hearts lies the answer.
Until and unless man decides to share or give up what they love so that other lives may be made happier, their own existence will not be harmonious. Until and unless, man realises that his neighbour is also his brother or his sister, his life will not be prosperous as it should be.
And so the world continues to spin on the spindle that is planted in the city of Jerusalem. What do you think God has to say about all this? I bet you he thinks that Jerusalem is the place where man will finally learn the lesson that he has taught them through his son but the lesson had been forgotten over the millennia.
Perhaps it is time to remind the children of man again. That love is when you intentionally surrender what is yours so that others can have more of it. In return, you will find out that you have never really given it away. It was received, cherished and returned to you with interest and in abundance.
Jerusalem is the city of God. It was born in hope and built on the foundation of love. The synagogues, mosques, churches that were built there on top of each other through the ages are merely creations of men.
God founded the city on love and with love and that can't be destroyed or forgotten.
The battle for Jerusalem is not what it is defined to be by man, it is a battle to regain what was originally in the mind of God and in the hearts of man. It is the love that knows no time, sees no distance and unites all mankind.
This is the real battle for Jerusalem. It is a fight to return to the kingdom of heaven. It is the place that all men sought throughout history and found nothing or lost his way in the quest for it.
Well, heaven comes through another route, and Jerusalem holds the key. Amen.

Television - a modern scourge or succour?

NOT to own a TV set in modern times is to say you don't own a car. But television has been around for more than 70 years, or slightly more. It has become a source of entertainment and relaxation for hundreds of millions of people across the globe.
TV, claim the couch potatoes, is as necessary as the air we breathe. However, a lot of the air we breathe in is polluted. So it is the same for television.
Quite a number of TV programmes are not good for us but we still watch them. A bit like smoking. However, you want to look at it, the freedom to switch channels is always there.
Many years ago, I found myself in a situation where it was difficult to watch TV at the apartment I stayed in. So those who stayed in the same apartment agreed not to have any TV.
I went without any serious TV viewing for three and a half years. Now on looking back, I actually found the period of absence rather fruitful and beneficial in other ways.
I read books to pass time and I went out more with friends. I learnt to scrutinise other facets of life, whether professional or personal.
No doubt, TV has tremendous advantages, too. For example, breaking news reaches our homes about one minute after it breaks out. Nothing is concealed for long. Not when CNN is on 24 hours.
Then there are the educational and informative programmes. Children learn from watching these programmes like Discovery and National Geographic.
The bottom line is there are the good shows and the bad shows. It is just a matter of choice. If you want, you can watch wrestling mania, the nastiest accidents and the most gruesome murders re-enacted. Or, if you want you can watch travel, space or culinary shows.
Life is one big decision on making the right one, for yourself and your family.
But seriously though, if television would suddenly disappear from my life tomorrow, it won't be such a big deal. I will miss it, of course but I will survive.
I have come to the conclusion that books can more than make up for its absence. An overdose of TV watching can numb the mind. Watching TV is a passive activity. It does nothing for your mind and causes eye-strain.
Little children these days are beginning to wear spectacles at an early age. I attribute this phenomenon to too many hours in front of the family TV.
Will we ever turn the TV to our own advantage? I believe we can but first we must police ourselves. TV is an info, entertainment, educational tool. It's up to you how you want to use it.
If you use it wisely, your life will change for the better. If you engage in indiscriminate viewing or spend too many meaningless hours in front of it, it will only make you visually addicted to it.
Your life will then play out to the scripts on the TV shows. Too much TV viewing will distort your sense of reality.
Television should be used mainly for relaxation and entertainment. Don't make too big a deal out of television. It is an invention to amuse humans.
Like fire, it can either help you or hurt you. The choice is ultimately yours.

The Art of Writing a Best Seller

First of all, do you have the language that goes along with such a deal. Second, are you mentally disciplined to see it through? Third, can you tell a story with heart and a whole lot of continuity?
The art of writing best sellers normally does not begin with the notion of making money. It germinates with a seed of a thought that you have a story to tell and your strongest weapon in your armoury is your imagination.
To tell a story well, you must begin with an outline of the story. It must have a beginning, a middle and an end. There must be a clear thread that links all the chapters.
When you elaborate on a subject, make sure you have most of the facts. You can tell a tall tale but if it doesn't convince the reader, you as the author are clearly in trouble at the end of the sentence.
What readers love most of all is a story written with a heart that is pulsating with life. It must draw the tears, evoke passionate feelings and bring on the laughter. Can you do all that and still be convincing?
Almost everybody has a story to tell but to hold the reader spellbound is an art. Not everybody is cut out to be a first rate writer. Sure, all of us have tales to tell. To be successful at story telling, you must first have all the right ingredients.
Then you have to mix it up in their right proportions and cook at at different temperatures at different times. The climax would be a book that the reader can't put down. Now, that will be a best seller.
Even the thought of writing a book is rather daunting to 99 out of 100 aspiring writers. So to "dilute" the fear of embarking on such a gigantuan project (it's all in your mind), you should tackle one page at a time. Then, progress to one chapter at a time.
But you should have in time how many chapters you think your book should have. Of course, if you are in the company of Tolstoy, you can go on and on until you are totally exhausted and can continue no more. Otherwise, it would be prudent to set a cut-off point.
We don't want to ramble on and on until you bore the reader to death. There's nothing so ego-busting than to hear a comment like, "that guy has written rubbish".
Some of the little details that you should remember are the text size of the book. Don't let the printer print too small a body text otherwise, all those above the age of 40 will avoid reading your magnus opus.
Make sure you have a fairly attractive cover.
All best sellers do not have an insipid flavour. They have the bite of a really powerful tom yam soup. It tends to give you a kick after the first three pages and then it proceeds to throttle you until you desperate fight for air.
Put yourself in a good mood when you are penning your thoughts. Find an inspiring workplace. Work yourself up. Get into the zone, so to speak. And don't forget to have a couple of good dictionaries around the table. We don't want you to make any silly spelling errors.
There's nothing so irritating as wrong spellings. when you have finished writing the last chapter. Go and see a movie and the next day, read the whole darn thing. Better still, make members of your family read it. Be ready to accept brickbats. That's part of the game.
Some best sellers show their true colours after the sixth revision.
Make the book so exciting that even your grandmother wants to read it. If your book elicits no reaction, that means it has failed to lock in on your reader's feelings.
One last bit of advice, be prepared to accept the fact that your maiden effort could turn out to be a turkey. Don't be disheartened. Continue writing. Very, very few writers have successful first novels. Sometimes a bit of humiliation is great for character-building - yours!

So, here are some of the tips:

1. Do you research and do it well
2. Use the right words in all the right places
3. Let the characters in your novel tell the story. It is their show (actually it's yours but don't hog the limelight)
4. Flesh out the characters. Make them believable. Give them some flaws, too. If they are too good to be true, then they are unbelievable.
5. Make the reader see all the details in their minds. Thus, the necessity of details in the most imaginative scenario possible.
6. Touch the heart of the reader and you will fire his imagination.
7. Be ready to rewrite entire chapters. Look, even Picasso threw away some of his own paintings.
8. Don't give up. Tell the story well and then go to sleep.
9. Is there a moral to the story? Readers like to know where you are leading them.
10. Conclude the novel with a feeling of satisfaction on the part of the reader. Otherwise, you would have failed. Nobody likes to finish reading with an empty feeling.

Remember, write from your heart and you will touch the heart. Read as much as possible yourself. All those bits of information will act as fodder for future novels. Be interested in mankind, in individuals and children. These are the people with the most interesting backgrounds.
Most of all, be yourself. When you write a good book, it is as much a reflection of your own personality as it is a reflection of your writing skills.
Do not let your ego overshadow the mission of your novel. Be prepared to get criticisms. That's how you learn.

Much Ado About Nothing

THE state of emptiness is more profound than what ordinary mortals actually know.
It gives credence to the line: "Be Still, and know that I am God." It adds dimensions of meaning to the phrase (as uttered by someone who knows): "The Universe surrenders to the Mind that is Silent."
What do the Masters mean when they say, "in nothingness, thy shalt find yourself." It is the "soul" that we speak of. The ethereal link that hooks us up with your higher self.
It is the part that yogi masters at their highest level thrive on. It is what Zen masters try their entire lives to find, and sometimes they do. Only a few can or have achieved that level.
And yet it is within reach of the most ordinary among us. It is the jewel of our core. Once you have reached the core of nothingness, you find your pristine self and the window into the kingdom of heaven.
It is our true self. Our physical form denies vehemently its existence because it doesn't jell with everything we have learnt or have been told. For those who have glimpsed its perimeters, it is joy everlasting. It alters your perception of all that you have seen or can imagine.
It is the playground of eternity. The Zen masters call it satori. The Buddhists call it Nirvana. The Indian gurus call it Kundalini. It completes your understanding of all there is.
It is the eternally open door to the realm of love. It can and will alter the vibrations of your being. It is a dominion without words. It operates under no human laws or subjected to the principles of sciences as we know it.
It is called Tao long before the word became fashionable. It is a formless form. It is an echo not of sound. There is no time nor space in the nothingness that we speak of here.
If you can sustain its so-called energy, the universe and all there is is yours. Molecular structure, the world of atoms, the synergy that scientists discuss are all within your control.
It is beyond understanding, and yet you know. It is beyond experience of human passions and yet you "feel".
It is being in God's presence. It is being part of Being. It is being there and not going anywhere.
Your purpose on earth is to go as far as you can on this spiritual quest. Be the greatest that you can be, and in doing so touch the hem of the heavens and feel its Force, for want of a better term.
It is a journey without distance. A love without limits. An experience far beyond description. Go on, my friend, you are sent forth.

The Importance of Simplifying your Life

STRANGE as it may seem but you and I were probably happiest when we hadn't had a care in the world. It was a time that all responsibilities of life were left to mum and dad.
All our clothes, food and other needs were attended to by someone else. Our only "job" everyday was to amuse ourselves. We didn't care about what was happening on the far side of the street because mum said we couldn't venture that far.
We didn't really care how we look but almos everybody else thought we were cute in some way.
We were little toddlers then. Remember how simple life was then? And so it seems that the simpler one's life is, the easier it can be managed.
But as we grew up, something happened. We begin to put more importance on our appearance. We begin to think of a nice car, not just any old and second-hand jalopey but a real powerful "monster." It is as if we can't wait to have that extra attention.
By our very own supreme efforts, we have become vain. And if we earn more than our fathers, we may not even want to listen to him anymore. Sometimes in our "spoilt brat" mood, we may even come to the conclusion that mum is just too old-fashioned to keep up with us anymore.
Suddenly one day, we wake up and find that life is beginning to be quite a chore. We have to maintain certain "standards"; keep up appearances at social gatherings and parties; have a sizeable bank account so that others won't think too poorly of us, and think the word God is only reserved for those silly priests who have nothing better to do.
Son, at this juncture, I have something importance to impart to you. If the above description fits you, you are clearly in trouble. If you continue along this path, you will end up being very unhappy no matter how much money you have in your bank or how many exclusive clubs you are a member of.
When an individual loses sight of the finer qualities in life, he loses sight of what it's like to be a real human being. Meaning his purpose in this life has suddenly taken a deep detour and he's, simply lost!
The answer to your daily troubles, your lack of peace of mind and your life of quiet desperation is to simplify your life.
Here's how to do it:

** Try not to own a fancy car. Any car that can take you from point A to point B is deemed adequate.
** Don't keep up with the Joneses otherwise you are going to share their woes as well.
** Keep in mind you are a mortal and the frailty of your life is a daily and stark reality.
** Pray a lot and pray for others. Don't think that God is a stranger and that he's only communicating with saints in heaven. He's waiting for you to talk to him, even when you don't need him.
** Your personal appearance should not be an obsession.
** Give little credence to other people's opinions about you. For example, don't worry if you don't know about many issues of the day.
** Cut down on your plans to go on overseas holidays at least twice a year.
** Don't worry about what you have to eat tomorrow or next week.
** Don't be too caught up with other people's lives. Help them if they seek help but don't be a busy-body.
** Tell everyone you are not particular about food, where you dine and the condition of your sleeping quarters.
** Look upon the elderly as people who have more experience than you, simply because they have the advantage of being on earth longer than you. So maybe you can learn from their experience.
** Don't fish for compliments.
** Don't entertain thoughts of being nominated for some important post so that your name would be up in lights.
** Be kind to everybody, regardless of their social station in life.
** Never allow anyone to fuss over you.
** Don't be sad if nobody remembers your birthday. It's more important if you remember theirs.
** Volunteer to help others for no reason at all other than your sense of priority.
** Love the little children, for they have much to teach you, to remind you and to make you see that the greatest joy is to be an innocent, for such people will enter the kingdom of heaven.

The love of life, the joy of living, the pleasure of simplicity - all these are the natural results of profound thought. And when you have seen the light, gone there, seen it and decided to stay, come back to help the others who have lost their way. For in helping others, you help yourself. In spreading love, you gain it for yourself. In praying for others, grace naturally gravitates to your soul.
Be at peace, my son, for God is looking over your shoulder even now as I speak.

The 10 commandments of Mathematics

I lay no claim to this piece of infographics but it was so cute, I decided to borrow it from another website.



For those who wish to seek further information, I have provided the URL of the graphics which lends a clue or two.

http://www.mathteacherstore.com/middle/midlpost/5-8/titles/ctcm

What Money Can't Buy......................

IT WOULD BE WISE TO MEMORISE THE ABOVE TO ENSURE MANY NIGHTS OF PEACEFUL SLEEP.


After talking so much about becoming rich or how to, I talk I enlighten you a little on what money can't buy. Actually, these are not my thoughts. I saw them somewhere a long time ago.
It was something that got stuck in my head. Here they are:

Money can buy a bed but not SLEEP

Money can buy medicine but not HEALTH

Money can buy books but not WISDOM

Money can buy houses but not a HOME

Money can buy positions but not ABILITIES

Money can buy club membership but not FRIENDSHIP

Money can buy beautiful partners but not LOVE

Money can buy food but not an APPETITE

Money can buy rosaries but not SALVATION

Money can buy titles but not INTEGRITY

The 10 Commandments of Becoming a Millionaire

1. Be disciplined in everything you do.
2. Be frugal and thrifty.
3. Learn to save at least 30-40 per cent of your earnings.
4. Read a lot, especially books written by millionaires
5. Be an optimist. See the good side of everything.
6. Be determined, and unreasonably persistent.
7. Help others to succeed with no conditions
8. Fill a need - something nobody has tried before.
9. Remember to pray everyday for others as well as your family.
10. Money isn't everything but keep a sharp eye on your financial target nevertheless

The 10 Commandments of Happiness

1. Never hold a grudge
2. Learn to forgive, no matter what
3. Laugh often, and make others laugh, too
4. Think of God everyday. Talk to him. He won't bite you.
5. Love yourself first, then spread the love around. It won't run out.
6. Do random acts of kindness
7. Share what you have: knowledge, your time, money (not all of it), experience.
8. Surprise your parents by calling or visiting them, remembering their birthdays.
9. Learn not to worry. Better still, never at all
10. Live everyday as if it is your last.

In memory of my mother

MOST of us take our mothers for granted, until they are gone. Then, we start to think of them in a very nice way. We tell ourselves we should have done this for her, and that for her.
For those of us whose mothers are no longer with us, such thoughts are merely unfulfilled intentions. I happen to be one of these people. But I do have fond memories of my mum.
I remember the times when I was a little boy when she used to pat my back rhythmically until I fell asleep. She usually did that when I am restless or sick or had nightmares. Most mothers would do that same. I remember those times.
There were times when I was already an adult when I actually felt the tapping of her hand on my back as I skirted the fringes of deep sleep. Apparently, the memories of long ago had lodged in my mind and resurfaced at appropriate times.
Most children because of their zero experience in life and innocence actually knew how much grief we gave our mothers with our long absences and mischevious ways.
My mother was no different. When she couldn't take it anymore, I would feel the cane. Now decades later, the stings from the cane had long receded into the recesses of the mind, there are only left the dear remembered face of the woman who rocked my cradle, but in my case it was the sarong and the coils of spring.
The days and nights which I recalled seeing my mother cleaning up the house and washing the dirty laundry with her bare hands have stayed with me. I took very much for granted all the chores which a mother did.
On looking back, I feel a very heavy touch from the hand of long forgotten memory that her daily labour through the decades was very much taken for granted. We never said "thank you". That's the way, children are. I was no exception.
The times she worried about my performance in school. The day I finished my A levels and didn't know what to do next. Her advice was to proceed a little further - all the way to university and told me not to worry about the finances.
For all that, I am grateful. I recall she dipping into her own savings to buy me a motorcycle because she heard that I had to walk to campus and take the varsity bus and hitched rides from colleagues.
And even after I had graduated and didn't have a job, she took out from her meagre savings just enough pocket money to see me through the months when I was job hunting in another State.
My mum passed away about nine years old. About eight years before her death, she suffered a massive stroke and became a semi-invalid. Overnight, she was a shadow of her old self. She could hardly recognised any of her children. She could no longer talk and could almost never walk on her own.
It was a trying time for us the children. At first, I wasn't used to seeing her in that condition. My mother was always one of the most robust and cantankerous women in the neighbourhood. Just seeing her like that broke my heart.
I got used to it and the years passed swiftly. Fortunately, my dad was in fairly good health and my youngest sister was around to take good care of her. For my sister, it became a tremendous strain after a while.
On her death bed, my mother knew her time was near. We called upon our family friend, a priest, to perform the last sacrement. Then she slipped away but not before she left a beautiful smile on her face.
When I saw that, I knew all was well. Finally, her physical discomfort and pains were all over. On the other end of the rainbow, God and his angels were waiting for her. It had been a long ride for her on earth.
Mother's Day is on May 8. My thoughts are about her and the years of joy mixed with years of sorrow that she experienced surged to the fore as my mind is covered with flashbacks of my early years when she was around.
She had done a lot for all of us. It had been good for us all round. I like to believe it had been one good journey for her as well - with five of us siblings as her children. I believe she is smiling at all of us from the other side. We haven't done too badly ourselves - thanks in a large part to her gentle and kind guiding hand.
I remember my mum fondly when Mother's Day arrives, as I shall have wonderful thoughts of her for the rest of my life.