AT LEAST FOR NOW...

Never came across my mind to visit this country even for a shopping spree.
The thought of spending my time where I can’t seem to find any stray cats or dogs wondering around freely saddened me...
This country never appease me…
Having to fly there every one and a half month & stay there for at least a month is quite tiring sometimes...but what to do? My husband is stationed there.
Well...life is always unpredictable...especially at this old age...we try our very best not to depend on our children for as long as we can...for as long as we know how! We don’t want to be a burden to our children or vice versa
So...seem like this country is going to be my second home despite everything...at least for now...at least for awhile more...!

A REMINDER TO MYSELF...

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, ‘If I could only see the world, I will marry you.’

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, ‘Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?’ The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn’t expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying : Take good care of my eyes, dear. I’ll always love you.


The story above is quite a common one but the message below is the most important one!

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations. Life is a Gift.


Today before you say an unkind word –
Think of someone who can’t speak.


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


Before you complain about your husband or wife –
Think of someone who’s crying out to GOD for a companion.


Today before you complain about life –
Think of someone who went too early to heaven.


Before whining about the distance you drive --
Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.


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


And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down –
Put a smile on your face and think: you’re alive and still around.



THANKS SIS...This is not just a reminder but also an inspiration to myself! Mahal kita Nini!

ARE YOU HAPPY?

On a certain occasion during an elegant welcoming reception for the new Director Of Marketing of an important London company, some of the wives of the other directors, who wanted to get acquainted with the new spouse, asked her with some hesitation;
Does your spouse make you happy, truly happy?
The husband, who at the moment was not at her side, but was sufficiently near to hear the question, paid attention to the conversation, sitting up slightly, feeling secure, even filling his chest lightly in pride, knowing that his spouse would answer affirmatively since she had always been there for him during their marriage.
Nevertheless, to both his and the others’ surprise, she replied simply
“No, no he doesn’t make me happy...
The room became uncomfortably silent as if everyone were listening to the spouse’s response.
The husband was petrified.
He couldn’t believe what his wife was saying, especially at such an important occasion for him.
To the amazement of her husband and of everyone, she simply placed enigmatically on her head an elegant black silk scarf and continued,
“No, he doesn’t make me happy...I AM HAPPY.”
The fact that I am happy or not, doesn’t depend on him, but on me.
I am the only person upon which my happiness depends.
I make the choice to be happy in each situation and in each moment of my life. If my happiness were to depend on other people, on other things or circumstances on the face of this earth, I would be in serious trouble!
“Everything that exists in this life changes continually; human, wealth, my body, the climate, pleasures, etc. I could enumerate an infinite list...
“Over my life I have learned a couple of things:
I decided to be happy and the rest is a matter of
“Experiences or Circumstances;”
Like helping and understanding,
accepting, listening, consoling; and with my spouse,
I have lived and practiced this many times...
Happiness will always be found in forgiveness and loving yourself and others...it’s not the responsibility of my spouse to make me happy.
He also has his “experiences or circumstances” I love him and he loves me, often in spite of his circumstances and of mine.
He changes, I change, the environment changes, everything changes;
Having forgiveness and true love, and observing these changes, that can be, big or little, but always happen, we must face them with the love that exists in each one of us.
If the two of us love and forgive each other, the changes will only be “experiences or circumstances” that enrich us and give us strength. Otherwise we would only be “Living Together.”
For some, divorce is the only solution; (…in reality it is the easiest…)
To truly love, is difficult, it is to forgive unconditionally, to live, to take the “experiences or circumstances” as they are, facing them together and being happy with conviction.
There are those who say:
“I cannot be happy because I am sick, because I have no money.
Because it's too cold, Because they insulted me,
Because someone stopped loving me,
Because someone didn't appreciate me!”
But what you don’t know is that you can be happy even though you are sick, Whether it is too hot, Whether you have money or not,
Whether someone has insulted you Or someone didn't love, or hasn't valued you.

BEING HAPPY
Is an attitude about life and each one of us must decide!
BEING HAPPY
Depends on you!

THE WISE OLD MAN...

A man of 92 years, short, very well-presented, who takes great care in his appearance, is moving into an old people’s home today.

His wife of 70 has recently died, and he is obliged to leave his home.

After waiting several hours in the retirement home lobby, he gently smiles as he is told that his room is ready.

As he slowly walks to the elevator, using his cane, I describe his small room to him, including the sheet hung at the window which serves as a curtain.

“I like it very much”, he says, with the enthusiasm of an 8 year old boy who has just been given a new puppy.

“Sir, you haven’t even seen the room yet, hang on a moment, we are almost there.”

“That has nothing to do with it”, he replies.

“Happiness is something I choose in advance. Whether or not I like the room does not depend on the furniture, or the decor – rather it depends on how I decide to see it.”

“It is already decided in my mind that I like my room. It is a decision I take every morning when I wake up.”

“I can choose. I can spend my day in bed enumerating all the difficulties that I have with the parts of my body that no longer work very well or I can get up and give thanks to heaven for those parts that are still in working order.”

“Every day is a gift, and as long as I can open my eyes, I will focus on the new day, and all the happy memories that I have built up during my life.”

“Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw in later life what you have deposited along the way.”

So, my advice to you is to deposit all the happiness you can in your bank account of memories.

Thank you for your part in filling my account with happy memories, which I am still continuing to fill...

Remember these simple guidelines for happiness.
1. Free your heart from hate.
2. Free your mind from worry.
3. Live simple.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER-IN-LAW WHO RECENTLY PASSED AWAY ON AUGUST 4th. 2010...GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN!

إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

“ To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return” (Al-Baqarah - 2:156)

IT WAS SO PAINFUL...

Went for my Mammogram & Pap Smear test today... for some it’s nothing but for me, it was such an unpleasant experience considering my first... I wouldn’t have gone for the Mammogram test in the first place if I knew it was so painful… I hope there’s nothing wrong with me. I’m scared now & I don’t know why...I just felt that there’s something wrong somewhere...sure hope I’m dead wrong about it! Please Allah has mercy on me...I know I’m not a good person.

TO ALL MY GOOD FRIENDS...

THANKS FOR BEING A FRIEND!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friends..... ..
They love you,
But they are not your lover
They care for you,
But they are not from your family
They are ready to share your pain,
But they are not in your blood relation.
They are........FRIENDS! !!!!
A True friend...... .
Scolds like a DAD..
Cares like a MOM..
Teases like a SISTER..
Irritates like a BROTHER..
And finally loves U more than a LOVER.



From An E-mail By A Good Friend:)

HE COULD STILL SMILE...

I am not sure why it took me so many months to start writing again.
Many things have happened but I seem to lose interest to write about it...until now. I have to force myself to do it...
Recently one of my close friends had a stroke...It’s quite scary actually...after all we are (my close friend, my hubby and me) almost at the same age group. Now he is undergoing therapy in S’pore.
I’m amazed that he could still smile and joke around when it hurts deep down inside. He hasn’t lost his sense of humor...he is really something! I guess that’s what I like about him most. No matter what...I pray that he will be getting better soon and that God will protect us all from getting this disease...Amen!
Please pray for him too!

WE ARE WHAT WE EAT...

Went for checkup a couple of month ago…everything seemed normal at that moment, no high blood pressure, no diabetes and my kidney is ok but sadly the doctor is not happy with my cholesterol level...so I'm on ‘Statin’ now.
I have not eaten Lasagna, Pizza or Sambal Goreng for a VERY LONG LONG times...I’m dying!
I love fried chicken or anything of that sort but now I have to follow the doctor’s order. Standing at 5’2”… I’m considered overweight at 150lbs.
My hubby is not so lucky because he has diabetes but at least it was detected earlier…he doesn’t have hypertension though…now we have to monitor his blood glucose level within the range recommended by doctor using glucometer. Well…anyway who’s to blame? We are responsible of what happen to ourselves most of the time…we are what we eat! Now these two stubborn old goats just have to curb their appetite from eating whatever they want...


Click On Photo To View Larger Image




















I got this ideal weight and height chart while surfing for some info at: http://www.rush.edu/rumc/page-1108048103230.html

WHO PACK YOUR PARACHUTES?

I am posting this article as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute and to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, and you are still cared for and that you've been thought of today…once again THANK YOU & HAPPY NEW YEAR!




Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam.
After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” Asked Plumb.
“I packed your parachute,” The man replied.
Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude
The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked!”
Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked,
I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man.

Plumb says, “I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform:
a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.”

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience,
“Who’s packing your parachute?”
Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important.

We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.

A MOTHER'S LOVE...

Even the animal that we called ‘beast’ know how to love their offspring...what happen to us the ‘So-called Human beings’?

A MOTHER’S LOVE
A Mother's love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.
~Helen Steiner Rice~

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY FRIEND 'SALAK' FOR SENDING ME THIS VIDEO

HIBERNATING...

I’m hibernating at the moment...where there’s limited connection to the civilization BUT...I’m enjoying myself! I’ll be back as soon as my skin gets back to normal, hahaha

DO REMEMBER ME...!

I was munching the nougat that Alan gave and suddenly I rekindle those nice memories when we were together. We were colleagues once and as times passed by we became closer. He’s doing quite well in Adelaide…he’s a famous painter now! Listening to the story he told us about how relaxed life is in Adelaide made us realized how stressful life is in Singapore. In fact, comparing to most of the countries I’ve been...there’s none like Singapore...the life here is always ‘Kelam Kabut’ everyone seems to be in a hurry...even my granddaughter started complaining about her workload in school, but for as long as we could make it here...this will still be the country for us.
Anyway only two days ago we were together for a short while after two long years...he’ll fly tonight. I’m not sure that I could still be here waiting for him in three years time but I’m sure looking forward to the meeting especially the cheese cake that he said he’ll bring. If I can’t make it...do remember me every time you sink your teeth in the fluffy cake, will you Alan?

DON'T EVER FORGET YOUR GIRLFRIENDS!

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood. The mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

"Don't forget your girlfriends," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you'll have, you are still going to need girlfriends.

Remember to go places with them now and then do things with them. And remember that "girlfriends" are not only your friends, but your sisters, your daughters and other relatives too. You'll need other women. Women always do."

'What a funny piece of advice,' the young woman thought. 'Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple world? I'm now a married woman. For goodness sake, a grown up, not a young girl who needs girlfriends! Surely my husband and the family we'll start will be all I need to make my life worth while!'

But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her girlfriends and made more each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, girlfriends are the main stays of her life.

After 50 years of living in this world, here is what I know about girlfriends:
Girlfriends bring you chicken curry and scrub your bathroom when you need help.
Girlfriends keep your children and keep your secrets.
Girlfriends give advice when you ask for it. Sometimes you take it, sometimes you don't.
Girlfriends don't always tell you that you're right, but they're usually honest.
Girlfriends still love you, even when they don't agree with your choices.
Girlfriends laugh with you, and you don't need canned jokes to start the laughter.
Girlfriends pull you out of jams.
Girlfriends help you get out of bad relationships.
Girlfriends help you look for a new apartment, help you pack and help you move.
Girlfriends will give a party for your son or daughter when they get married or have a baby, in whichever order that comes!
Girlfriends are there for you, in an instant and when the hard times come.
Girlfriends will drive through blizzards, rainstorms, hail, heat and gloom of night to get to you when your hour of need is desperate.
Girlfriends listen when you lose a job or a friend.
Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart.
Girlfriends listen when your parents' minds and bodies fail.
Girlfriends cry with you when someone you loved dies.
Girlfriends support you when the men in your life let you down.
Girlfriends help you pick up the pieces when men pack up and go.
Girlfriends rejoice at what makes you happy, and are ready to go out and kill what makes you unhappy.

Times passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up. Love waxes and wanes. Hearts break. Careers end. Jobs come and go. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Men don't call when they say they will.

BUT girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley, and you have to walk it for yourself. Your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you or come in and carry you out.
My daughter, sisters, mother, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, aunties, nieces, cousins, extended family, and friends bless my life!

The world wouldn't be the same without them...and neither would I.

When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.

THE 90/10 PRINCIPLE - STEPHEN COVEY

Discover the 90/10 Principle
It will change your life (or at least, the way you react to situations)

What is this Principle?
10% of life is made up of what happens to you.
…90% of life is decided by how you react…

What does this mean?
We really have NO control over 10% of what happens to us.
We cannot stop the car from breaking down.
The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off.
A driver may cut us off in the traffic.
We have NO control over this 10%.
The other 90% is different.
You determine the other 90%.
How?... By your reaction.

You cannot control a red light.
However, you can control your reaction.
Do not let people fool you.
YOU can control how you react.
Let us use an example…

You are having breakfast with your family.
Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt.
You have no control over what has just happened.
What happens next will be determined by how you react.

You curse.
You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over.
She breaks down in tears.

After scolding her, you turn to your wife and you criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table.
A short verbal battle follows.

You storm upstairs and change your shirt.
Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish her breakfast and getting ready to go to school.
She misses the bus.

Your spouse must leave immediately for work.
You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school.

Because you are late, you drive 40 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed limit zone.

After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60.00 traffic fine away, you arrive at school.
Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye.
After arriving at the office 20 minute late,
You realize you forgot your briefcase.

Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse.
You look forward to coming home.

When you arrive home, you find a small wedge in your relationship with your wife and daughter.
Why?
Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is “D”

You had no control over what happened with the coffee.
How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you.
Your daughter is about to cry.
You gently say: “It’s okay, honey, you just need to be More careful next time.”
Grabbing a towel you go upstairs and change your shirt. You grab your briefcase, and you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early a cheerfully greet the staff.
Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios.
Both started the same.
Both ended different.
Why?
Because of how you reated

You really have no control over 10%
of what happens in your life.

The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 Principle.

If someone says something negative about you,
do not be a sponge.
Let the attack roll off like water on glass.
You do not have to let the negative comments affect you.
React properly and it will not ruin your day.
A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend,
being fired, or getting stressed out.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in the traffic?
Do you lose your temper?
Pound on the steering wheel? (a friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off),
Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket?
Who cares if you arrive 10 seconds later at work?
Why let the cars ruin your drive?

Remember the 90/10 Principle and don’t worry about it.
You are told you lost your job.
Why lose sleep and get irritated?
It will work out.
Use your worrying energy and time to find a new job.

The plane is late. It is going to mangle your schedule for the day.
Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant?
She has no control over what is going on.
Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger, why stress out?
It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90/10 Principle.
Apply it and you will be amazed at the results.
You will lose nothing if you try it.
The 90/10 Principle is incredible.
Very few know and apply this Principle.
The result?
You will see it by yourself!

Millions of people are suffering
from undeserved stress,
trials, problems and headaches.
We all must understand and apply the
90/10 Principle.
It can change your life!…Enjoy it...
It only takes willpower to give ourselves
permission to make the experience.















Absolutely everything we do, give, say, or even think, it’s like a Boomerang.
It will come back to us...
If we want to receive, we need to learn to give first...
Maybe we will end with our hands empty,
but our heart will be filled with love...
And those who love life,
have that feeling marked in their hearts …

TRUE LOVE DOES EXISTS!

When I read the story of Katie Kirkpatrick and her Bittersweet memory that happened a few years ago...I was touched by it because it shows that true love does exists and not just in fairy tales! But I guess guys like Nick Godwin is a 'Rare Kind' and hard to find...

Katie had chased cancer, once only to have it return...to clog her lungs and grab hold of her heart. Breathing was difficult, she had to use oxygen. The pain in her back was so intense it broke through the morphine that was supposed to act as a shield. Her organs were shutting down but it would not stop her from marrying Nick Godwin, 23, who was in love with Katie since 11th grade.















In the picture, Nick is waiting for her on one of the many sessions of Chemotherapy to end














No matter what happen, Katie is going along with her wedding and took care of every detail. The dress had to be adjusted a few times due to her constant weight loss. My heart would bleed if this is my daughter!














Sadly...Katie died five days after her wedding day.

THE WINDOW...

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.

The next morning, while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hang the wash outside.
“That laundry is not very clean...” she said, “she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”

Her husband looks on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
“Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this.”

The husband said: “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!”


And so it is with life:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What we see when watching others, depends on the purity of the window through which we look. Before we give any criticism, it might be good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good rather than to be looking for something in the person we are about to judge.

“PARADOX OF OUR TIME”

This article has been circulated in the e-mail for quite sometimes…from what I know, since 1999. I like it so much even though there is some controversy about who is the real writer. Please take the time to read it and think about it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We've added years to life not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, quiet or kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. Indeed these are the times!



To know more about this article checks out these sources:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp
http://www.georgecarlin.com/home/dontblame.html

ABOUT GROWING OLD...

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life and my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.
As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself.
I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant garde on my patio.
I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to,
despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free.
I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

(Author unknown)

THOSE BORN 1930 – 1970!

This story takes me for the trips down memory lane...it fits some of my experience even though my mom don’t smoke or drink. We use to catch fish at the longkang and playing in the rain but we don’t get sick so easily. Kids nowadays are missing so much fun…Aaah, those good old days!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70’s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking...

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster
seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we were not overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers! no Internet or chat rooms...

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or
rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them...CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how
brave (and lucky) their parents were.

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:

"With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

WHY MUSLIMS BEEN LEFT BEHIND.

The sad truth but an eye – opener...A reminder especially to myself and not just to others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interesting Statistics & Facts Why Muslim Population Of The World Has Been Left Behind.

Extracts of speech by Hafez A.B Mohamed: Director-General, Al Baraka Bank, South Africa.

Demographics:

o World Jewish Population: 14 million
o Distribution: 7 m in America
5 m in Asia
2 m in Europe
100 thousand in Africa
o World Muslim Population: 1.5 billion
o Distribution: 1 billion in Asia/Mid-East
400 M in Africa
44 M in Europe
6 M in the Americas
o Every fifth human being is a Muslim.
o For every single Hindu there are two Muslims
o For every Buddhist there are two Muslims
o For every Jew there are 107 Muslims

Yet the 14 million Jews are more powerful than the entire 1.5 billion Muslims. WHY?

HERE ARE SOME OF THE REASONS:

Movers of Current History

o Albert Einstein Jewish
o Sigmund Freud Jewish
o Karl Marx Jewish
o Paul Samuelson Jewish
o Milton Friedman Jewish

Medical Milestones

o Vaccinating Needle: Benjamin Ruben Jewish
o Polio Vaccine Jonas Salk Jewish
o Leukaemia Drug Gertrude Elion Jewish
o Hepatitis B Baruch Blumberg Jewish
o Syphilis Drug Paul Ehrlich Jewish
o Neuro muscular Elie Metchnikoff Jewish
o Endocrinology Andrew Schally Jewish
o Cognitive therapy. Aaron Beck Jewish
o Contraceptive Pill Gregory Pincus Jewish
o Understanding of Human Eye. G. Wald Jewish
o Embryology. Stanley Cohen Jewish
o Kidney Dialysis Willem Kloffcame Jewish

Nobel Prize Winners

In the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 180 Nobel prizes whilst 1.5 billion Muslims have contributed only 3 Nobel winners (All Egyptians)

Inventions that changed History

o Micro- Processing Chip. Stanley Mezor Jewish
o Nuclear Chain Reactor Leo Sziland Jewish
o Optical Fibre Cable Peter Schultz Jewish
o Traffic Lights Charles Adler Jewish
o Stainless Steel Benno Strauss Jewish
o Sound Movies Isador Kisee Jewish
o Telephone Microphone Emile Berliner Jewish
o Video Tape Recorder Charles Ginsburg Jewish

Influential Global Business

o Polo Ralph Lauren Jewish
o Coca Cola Jewish
o Levi's Jeans Levi Strauss Jewish
o Sawbuck's Howard Schultz Jewish
o Google Sergey Brin Jewish
o Dell Computers Michael Dell Jewish
o Oracle Larry Ellison Jewish
o DKNY Donna Karan Jewish
o Baskin & Robbins Irv Robbins Jewish
o Dunkin Donuts Bill Rosenberg Jewish

Influential Intellectuals/Politicians

o Henry Kissinger , US Sec of State Jewish
o Richard Levin, PresidentYaleUniversity Jewish
o Alan Greenspan , US Federal Reserve Jewish
o Joseph Lieberman Jewish
o Madeleine Albright , US Sec of State Jewish
o CasperWeinberger , US Sec of Defence Jewish
o Maxim Litvinov , USSR Foreign Minister Jewish
o DavidMarshal , Singapore Chief Minister Jewish
o Isaacs Isaacs, Gov-GenAustralia Jewish
o Benjamin Disraeli, British Statesman Jewish
o Yevgeny Primakov, Russian PM Jewish
o Barry Goldwater , US Politician Jewish
o Jorge Sampaio, President Portugal Jewish
o Herb Gray, Canadian Deputy - PM Jewish

o Pierre Mendes, French PM Jewish
o Michael Howard, British Home Sec. Jewish
o Bruno Kriesky, Austrian Chancellor Jewish
o Robert Rubin , US Sec of Treasury Jewish

Global Media Influential

o Wolf Blitzer, CNN Jewish
o Barbara Walters ABC News Jewish
o EugeneMeyer , Washington Post Jewish
o Henry Grunwald, Time Magazine Jewish
o Katherine Graham , Washington Post Jewish
o Joseph Lelyeld, New York Times Jewish
o Max Frankel, New York Times Jewish

Global Philanthropists

o George Soros Jewish
o Walter Annenberg Jewish

Why are they powerful? So why are Muslims powerless?
Here's another reason. We have lost the capacity to produce knowledge.

o In the entire Muslim World (57 Muslim Countries) there are only 500 universities.
o In USA alone, 5,758 universities
o In India alone, 8,407 universities
o Not one university in the entire Islamic World features in the Top 500 Ranking Universities of the World
o Literacy in the Christian World 90%
o Literacy in the Muslim World 40%
o 15 Christian majority-countries, literacy rate 100%
o Muslim majority - countries , None
o 98% in Christian countries completed primary
o Only 50% in Muslim countries completed primary.
o 40% in Christian countries attended university
o In Muslim countries a dismal 2% attended.
o Muslim majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims
o The USA has 5000 per million
o The Christian world 1000 technicians per million.
o Entire Arab World only 50 technicians per million.
o Muslim World spends on research/development 0.2% of GDP
o Christian World spends 5 % of GDP

Conclusion.
The Muslim World lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.
Another way of testing the degree of knowledge is the degree of diffusing knowledge.

o Pakistan 23 daily newspapers per 1000 citizens
o Singapore 460 per 1000 citizens.
o In UK book titles per million is 2000
o In Egypt book titles per million is only 17

Conclusion.
Muslim World is failing to diffuse knowledge
Applying Knowledge is another such test.
o Exports of high tech products from Pakistan is 0.9% of its exports.
o In Saudi Arabia is 0.2%
o Kuwait , Morocco and Algeria 0.3%
o Singapore alone is 68%

Conclusion.
Muslim World is failing to apply knowledge.

What do you conclude?
No need to tell…the figures are speaking themselves very loudly we are unable to listen

My Advice:
Please educate yourself and your children. always promote education, don't compromise on it, don't ignore your children's slightest misguidance from education (and please, for God's Sake, don't use your personal contacts or sources to promote your children in their education; if they fail, let them and make them learn to pass; b/c if they can't do it now, they can't ever).
We are World's biggest and strongest nation, all we need is to identify and explore ourselves. Our victory is with our knowledge, our creativity, our literacy...And nothing else.
Please Muslims....Wake up... Its not too late!