Quality: How do you define quality? Some people (i.e. home stereo listeners) will spend thousands of dollars for hi-fi equipment in order to get the perfect sound system, and that is how they define “quality”. However, I do not know if the music itself is of good quality though. I am concerned about the quality time that I can have – time that I can really enjoy and be myself.
P for Perception
Perception: I watched this movie ‘Shallow Hal’ in 2001, and it triggers my perception about physical appearance versus inner beauty. In this movie, Hal is a shallow man that falls in love with a 300 pound woman (Rosemary) because of her “inner beauty”. “A woman who appears to him to look slender and beautiful due to her kind, generous nature, but is, in actuality, morbidly obese.” He used to date women who are physically beautiful until one day he was being hypnotized to recognize only the inner beauty of women. In the end, he doesn’t need hypnosis to see people’s true inner beauty. One interesting thing, Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is Rosemary in the film, and she really gives you the perception of a fat person. I have once heard about a woman who was deceived lots of money by a beautiful lady because of her perception of pretty faces will not do ugly things.
Gossip Girl Season 2 – Just on Air
The first episode of the second season just aired on CW on September 1, 2008, Serena and Dan are finally back together again. Rumour has it: Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester was born in jail, according to scandalous new reports. XOXO
Posted in Grapevine
Leave a comment
O for Ownership
Ownership: Have you ever heard that “To own a thing is a burden”? If you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to worry. Nowadays, more and more people choose to buy a house rather than to rent. This is not just about ownership, but also in consideration of the rising home value. People seldom expect that their own houses will become negative assets one day. Lots of people have suffered from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. I remember my husband has once said that (before the crisis), the house value has increased to a rate that similar of buying a rice cooker at $3,000 back in 1997 in Hong Kong, which a normal person will not do it. Many owners going bankrupt after July 1997; they bought their houses at the tip of the dropping zone.
N for Nature
Nature: How to define Human Nature? There is an old Chinese saying “Every child born has innate goodness”. All of those vicious people were once innocent kids. There are lots of factors that contributed to the changes. There is another Chinese saying “Grow a tree for ten years; grow men for a hundred.” The meaning is “nurturing and educating human talent is the key to prosperity”. I have once heard that there is a limited chance of a ‘happy’ child to turn to a vicious person. We, as adult, are responsible to provide an environment to nurture joyful kids.
Office Politics
I hate politics, and do not want to be involved. However, there is a term ‘office politics’ that we may not be able to stay away. Have you ever watched the popular reality television game show “Survivor”? If you want to be the sole survivor, you have to use some personal strategies, team up with some people, and to get rid of the weaker one first. Finally, you have to dump your partner too. In real life, you are sometimes forced to choose side during the office politics. You also need to say or do something that may not follow your heart because you have to protect yourself and to secure your job. I have the similar feeling of being a participant of the “Survivor” game show during the office politics. If you do not want to be the loser (the one to be discarded), you have to play it wisely. The bright side is you have to keep yourself competitive, always upgrade your skills and knowledge, and you can choose to quit if you are no longer interested in the ‘office politics’ game. I choose to be a good person, and do things that follow my heart.
M for Miracle
Miracle: According to Wikipedia, the term is derived from Latin word miraculum meaning “something wonderful”, and “miracle” may also refer to any statistically unlikely but beneficial event. Both my husband and I like to buy lottery ticket, and we know that the chance of winning is similar to a miracle, but we believe in miracle. We usually buy one ticket each time and two tickets if the prize exceeds certain amount. We would like to offer ourselves a hope each week. It is important that we have ‘hope’, and believe that something wonderful will happen to us ONE day.
Awakening Point
These days, I have spent more time to think (imagine a married woman has reached certain age-group, and have 20 years work experience but no kid), and just suddenly realize what is more important to me: now than future, family than work, and wisdom over money. If a Fairy grants me a wish and I will choose to have wisdom than money. My husband is my ‘Fairy’, and my wish has come true. He has shared his wisdom with me, he would like to see me grow, and has independent thinking. He supported me to finish my undergraduate degree in Canada; he encouraged me to write and helped me to create my own blog. He always says that ‘he knows me better than myself’. He has created some ‘optimal’ steps to do things, and would like me to follow. He will mad at me sometimes because I do not take his advice, and challenge his ‘optimal’ way of doing things. I argued with him at some occasions, and even have a big fight (just happened again two days ago). Please forgive my childishness; I know that he will read this.
Posted in Random Thoughts
Leave a comment
L for Life
Life: I think most of you have heard about the story of ‘the fisherman and the investment banker’, and have thought about what is important than money, and what is your ideal retirement life if you have one. Do you want to work double harder now so that you will have a better retirement life? If I have to choose, my daily life is more important than the retirement life. A leisurely life is all I want (on a daily basis), and I would like to find the balance between work and family. It is important that you love your job no matter what or you have to find another one. You have to find the ‘passion’, and be a flexible and cheerful person. Your positive attitude will eventually affect people around you, and hopefully make your work environment a more enjoyable one. If I can choose to have more time with my family, I will do it now, and will not wait till tomorrow.
K for Karma
Karma: Sharon Stone’s bad ‘karma’ remarks on China’s Sichuan earthquake have created a hot topic for online discussion in the past two months. Does she really understand the meaning of ‘karma’ before her comments? According to Wikipedia, it is the concept of “action” or “deed” in Indian religions. All living creatures are responsible for their karma — their actions and the effects of their actions. There is no connection at all to the natural disaster, and the deaths of innocent people. However, the karma for herself maybe an instant effect on her movie-star status in China – films banned in China. She is said to have an IQ of 154 points, which is considered to be very high level, and also claimed as a member of MENSA. However, she just has to learn to think twice before …