Common Sense

OBITUARY FOR SOMEONE WE SHOULD ALL REMEMEBER…

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No-one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as
having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals
received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.'

Author Unknown

I notice.... that I have been using this two words "commom sense" quite a lot recently. This happens particularly at work. Telling others and reminding others to apply common sense in all things that they do. Since I become quite of a trainer in my department, I can't help but to have to use the "common sense" words when I teach the new programmers especially the slow ones. Does this mean that I am applying "common sense" in all things that I do? I am not proud of what I did. I too, sometimes succumb to human weakness of not applying "common sense" in some area of my life. And this leads to mistakes and possibly hurts someone else feelings. Why God gives us this "common sense" value in live that we often always neglect? Perhaps we shall always ask ourself, is "common sense" important or not? Then only we'll be able to draw the important values of having "common sense" and put it in our head, put it into good practice and it is not forgotten.

Love Q #9 - When To Marry

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

How young is too young to get married? To put it another way, what is your ideal age to get married and why?

My answer:

When I was in my teens, my ideal age to get married is between 25-26 years old. But after I venture into the adult working world, my desire to get married slowly change. Usually woman become more desperate to find a husband and get married off quickly as they gets older but for myself, I think otherwise. Ya, I know it seem a little strange having the opposite thinking. So, when I was at age 22 or 23, my ideal age to get married was 29 years old. But I kept on changing my mind in this subject. So as for now, my ideal age to get married is.... none?

Last week's Love Q: First Date Turn-Offs

TO ALL FREQUENT TRAVELLERS.......

I received this e-mail message from a friend and I find it very useful to share it here. Whether you believe it or not, it's up to you. But I think most importantly, believe in the one and only true God whom He is the only one who can protect you from all harm if you truely belive and accept his grace. Having the right faith will safe you from falling into the devil's scheme.

I want to thank the actual person who written this message. Below is how the e-mail message starts:-

Hi friends,

It is the year-end, which is one of the peak traveling periods for many Singaporeans. This is a true account that I would like to share as a cautionary tale. I have changed the names of people involved toprotect their identities. Although it takes place on an overseas vacation, the warning applies equally whether abroad or at home.

Jessie was in her early thirties and like many of us loved to travel and her last trip was to Thailand. While visiting one of the tourist attractions in Thailand located near a temple, she decided to get a souvenir for herself. She walked along the shops with curious eyes. A well-dressed sales man managed to catch her attention. He asked her what year she was born.

She answered politely. He further pursued to ask her the month she was born. 'June,'she replied. As she answered, there was a sparkle in the man's eye. He quickly pulled out an item and put it in Jessie's hand and she looked at it closely. It was a small-sculpted stone, but Jessie could not make out what the Item was. The man, with a serious tone told her that this small ornament was a very powerful item that could grant all her wishes, but she was not to tell anybody, not even her closest friends, boyfriend or parents that she had this ornament in her possession. He informed her to bring this item wherever she went and not to allow anybody to touch it. Jessie was thrilled and thought she had stumbled upon a great deal as the item seemed very precious. She asked for the price and paid for the item.

Vacations like always were too short and she returned to Singapore . On the day that she returned, she felt very exhausted as if the life was draining out of her. She thought that it was due to the traveling and excitement and did not bother too much about it. She went to take a nap and as she rested, she started to feel an ache in her stomach that grew into a continuous sharp pain. By nightfall, the suffering was so intense that she went hysterical.

She crawled to the altar in her home and started to hit her head against the altar. Her parents were shocked with her actions. Her father held her tightly, to prevent her injuring herself while her mother called for an ambulance. Strangely enough, in the midst of all the pain and before she left with the ambulance, Jessie insisted that she had to bring along her handbag before leaving for the hospital. When she was sent to the hospital, it was already dawn and she was sent for different tests and scans to determine the cause of her pain. The sharp pain persisted and even got more intense.

Her Aunt Maggie heard the news that she was hospitalized and came to visit her. While Aunt Maggie was with her, Jessie thought about letting her employers know of her condition and hoped Aunt Maggie could contact them on her behalf. She took out her handbag and pulled out a pen to write the number on a piece of paper. As she pulled out the pen, the small ornament, which Jessie had bought from Thailand , dropped on the floor. Aunt Maggie wanted to pick it up but Jessie stopped her. She said if Aunt Maggie were to touch it, she would have to have it cleansed. While Jessie was not looking, Aunt Maggie quickly picked the ornament up and kept it. When Aunt Maggie was out in the hallway, she scrutinized it. The ornament sent shivers down her spine and she was very uncomfortable with the item so she decided to talk to Jessie's mother.

On the third day, the doctors informed Jessie's parents that they had confirmed that Jessie suffered from stomach cancer that had reached the terminal stage and they had to prepare for the worst. Jessie's parents were not able to understand this sudden diagnosis, as Jessie had not had any symptoms of stomach cancer. When Aunt Maggie went to the hospital and met with Jessie's mother,Jessie's mother broke the news to Aunt Maggie. Aunt Maggie was shocked and also shared her discovery of the ornament with Jessie's mother. Jessie's mother also had an uneasy feeling when she saw the ornament. She felt very lost and desperate about her daughter's situation. Jessie's mother and Aunt Maggie bothknew of a medium; Master Lim and it struck both of them that he might shed some light as to the events..

Aunt Maggie quickly called to arrange to meet Master Lim. When they visited Master Lim, they showed the ornament to Master Lim. At one glance, he told them that Jessie's life had been swapped with that of another girl who was probably suffering from stomach cancer and was dying. The ornament was an object to hold black magic, which would suck the life out of Jessie.. Both Jessie's motherand Aunt Maggie queried whether there was anything that could be done. He replied that it was too late as the black magic cast was very powerful and the ornament had been discovered too late. The black Magic was targeted with certain criteria: The victim had to be a girl who was born in a specific year and month. The black magic would lose its power if other people apart from Jessie touched it. However, in Jessie's case the black magic had already taken full effect and had become uncontrollable. Thus, only direct family members were to be allowed to visit her and even to send her off at her wake. The strange ornament was left at the temple to be handled and disposed of appropriately.

Silently, and with great pain, Jessie left by the seventh day on her return from her vacation.

Things to look out:

1. Usually you would notbe instructed to keep it a secret about buying anything,
unless magic isinvolved.

2. It is untrue that other people apart from the ownercannot touch blessed items. People that you are comfortable with can handle theblessed items. Of course, it is not a good idea to let strangers or anybodywho you are not comfortable with to touch any of your closely held items.

3. It is quite common for people to ask what year you areborn in when You are selecting items to suit your animal sign. If it is only todeal with Chinese animal signs, they do not need to ask for your birth month.If your birth month is requested for, you can always ask which theories theyare following.. For example, when selecting crystals and minerals according toastrology, we will need to know what is the birth month and day.

4. Do not buy closely held items or jewelry fromnon-creditable people, shops or organizations.

5. Many people may have the misconception that black magiccan only be cast on them if their eight characters (birth year, month, day andtime) are known. Eight
characters are not necessary to cast black magic on aSpecific person.

I have shared this true account as a caution to all that it is important to exercise care when buying items, especially closely held items. It is important to know whom you are buying from, where you are buying from and what you are buying. Do not take things too lightly; else there may be much to lose.

Author Unknown

Love Q #8 - First Date Turn-Offs

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

What would turn you off when it comes to the first date?

My answer:

It took me quite a long time thinking of the answer to this question because my first date experience seems ages ago. I can't really recall what are the things that has turn me off during my first date experience. Perhaps, I am lucky enough to have no such bad or uncomfortable experience before. Never the less, I think I would be really annoyed if the guy keep talking about his ex on our first date. Because it seems like he has not moved on with his life after breaking off with his ex. For me, there won't be a second date or more with this kind of guy. Another thing that I really don't like is the guy I'm dating keeps looking at other girls even when I'm still there. This is a sign that the guy is a play boy where the word commitment is not in his vocabulary. And also, if the guy ask me to pay my own bill on the first date and did not offer to send me home, I'll get turn-off by this too. This shows that he's not sincere at all and possibly he's a stingy person which I cannot stand.

Last week's Love Q: Is love Enough?

Don't give up

This message serve as an encouragement to us not to give up no matter what we are going through in life.

As I find my life live in a meaningless way, I decided to quit...I
quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality...
I wanted to quit my
life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

I : God,Can you give me one good reason not to quit?

God: Look around. Do you see the fern and the bamboo?

I: Yes.

God: When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. It's brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit. Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant... But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.

Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.Your time will come, my child. You will rise high.

I: How high should I rise?

God: How high will the bamboo rise?

I: As high as it can?

God: Yes.

Hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. Never, Never, Never Give up. For the Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.

Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Author unknown

Love Q #7 - Is Love Enough?

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Is love alone enough in a relationship?

My answer:

I would say.... without love, there is no "real relationship". "Real relationship" here means it's a union between two people, man and woman who gets married because they sincerely love each other and want to spend their rest of their life together - to go through ups and downs of life, sharing all happiness and unhappiness together, supports and sustains each other without ulterior motives other than the reason beause they love each other.

If without money, food and shelter you could not sustain a relationship, then it is by far you do not love each other enough in the first place to begin with. But of course material things is important in order to survive in this world because we are all mortal and not self sufficient. If you're poor and your partner is poor, it is by instinct that both of you would work something out to make the life spend together as comfortable as possible. With love that strong, both would feel contented even with that little things that they have.

If you're blessed enough to have a rich comfortable life with your partner, and suddenly disaster strike and taken away all material things, would you still be able to stay and live together after that? If your answer is no, then you're actually loving the money and material things more than the relationship. And that is not a relationship at all. That's call "trading agreement" however, it not necessary two agree on the same thing but as long as the real element of interest that you want to get out of each other is there, then the "togetherness" will still be there. Else, you can kiss each other goodbye.

If a girl marries a man because he's rich and suddenly her husband goes bankcrupt, the marriage would definitely goes sour. The same reason if a man marries a woman because she's beautiful, and when they gets older he might leave his wife for someone younger and even more beautiful than his wife. This is an example of starting a relationship and getting married with a wrong reason. Maybe there exist some element of love but if either one love something else more than what's in the circle of love in that relationship, then the relationship is like rocky volcano mountain waiting for it to erupt and be distroyed. This is because material and physical things in this world does not last forever. Love does.

If you have a lot of money now, can you guarantee that you'll stay rich forever? If you're flawlessly beautiful, can you guarantee that you'll not grow old and ugly one day? But if there is real love, nothing can take that love away. Well, of course there should also be some element of trust, understanding and all such things. Even if those things is not there in the first place, but if there is love both will work towards getting those things work in the relationship. If your partner really love you, they will not want to do anything that hurt you. If they love you, they'll respect you and will try their very best to understand you. If you love your partner, you'll try your very best to understand him/her too. And you'll also try to develop that trust that is needed in the relationship. Because you love him/her, you'll have faith the he/she'll change their bad ways. We are all not perfect. If he really love you in the first place, he will not abuse you. Well, unless he's sick in the head. If there's lack of communications but there's love, you'll both work out to solve the communication barrier together to make the relationship works.

Love alone, is definitely enough in a relationship because it is the basis of it and love builds a strong foundation for a relationship. So, with love the relationship will stay for as long as both shall live. And even when their physical body dies, the love will still be there forever.

Last week's Love Q: Criterias For Choosing A Mate

Story for ungrateful kids

Mother's day celebration was last month. But we should all celebrate Mother's day everyday because of the immeasurable things she does for us and the sacrifices she has made without complaining. Many of us could not fully understand all the things our mother did or would do for us. Everthing she did, does not have any less drop of love in it. They were all being done with genuine love. But sadly to say, many of us mock our mothers thoughtlessly, thinking our remark is nothing serious which could cause any emotional damage. If we really look at our mothers through our eyes and heart, we'll see how hurt she was when we does that or disobey her. The thing that hurts her the most is when we get hurt many a times, it was due to our own stubbornness. But our mothers never fails to give us comfort, support and encouragements so that we will have that strength and spirit to stand tall again after we fall. Though they shows their love in many different ways, but they never fails to love us no matter how rotten we are as her child. That's the beauty of a mother's love.

Here I have a story that speak of a mother's love to her child. This story is so touching, it put tears to my eyes and it reminds me of the things my mother did and has sacrificed for me. Here the story goes......

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment.
She cooked for students & teachers to support the family.

There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me.

I was so embarrassed.

How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out.
The next day at school one of my classmates said, 'EEEE, your mom only has one eye!'

I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear.
I confronted her that day and said, ' If you're only goanna make me a laughing stock, why don't you just die?'

My mom did not respond...
I didn't even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings.

I walked out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own.
I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts, Then one day, my mother came to visit me. She hadn't seen me in years and she didn't even meet her grandchildren.

When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, 'How dare you come to my house and scare my children!' GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!'

And to this, my mother quietly answered, 'Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,' and she disappeared out of sight. One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house.

So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.

My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

'My dearest son,
I think of you all the time. I'm sorry that I came to your house and scared your children. I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I'm sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.

You see........when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye.
As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.

With all my love to you,
Your mother.

Pigging out at Saisaki

*** This post is long over due.....

On the 18th of May (Sunday), we treated mom to a nice Japanese Buffet dinner at Saisaki situated at Jalan Pinang, Wisma UOA II, K.L. for Mother's Day. It was the first time experience for the rest of them but for me it's my second time. We actually planed to go to Shin~Nichi Japanese Buffet restaurant at Komplex Antarabangsa located just right behind Saisaki but Lydia and David who went there early informed me that the place had been closed down. Without wanting to travel far for a different venue, so we decided to go to Saisaki instead. Although the price is somewhat more expensive - RM20 difference from Shin~Nichi, but we had a wonderful time pigging out at Saisaki. If you're living in K.L, I'm sure you've heard of this place besides the more expensive option of Jogoya Japanese Buffet Restaurant at Star Hill Gallery also situated at the heart of K.L.

I was feeling really famish before the dinner. Without further ado, here are all the food pictures taken on what I ate during my pigging out session.

1st round... All the fried food. I took one piece for each type there. Except 3-4 types I didn't took. Taste good.

2nd round.... A little bit of sushi and lots of sashimi. Simply delicious! I was a little full after galloping my 1st helping. That's why I can only take this much during my 2nd helping. But wait... there's more....

3rd round.....Some vegies, Sea Cucumber, mushrooms, lamb shank, and some beef.... yummy.... It still amazes me how my stomoch can fit in so much food at one go.

4th round..... Last but not least, Ice-creams!!! There were around 5 types of ice-creams. I only pick four flavor which is chocolate, corn, mint and green tea ice-creams. Definitely cannot miss the green tea flavor when you have Jappanese buffet ya.

5th round.... Okay, this is the last helping. Really... my stomoche is about to burst after galloping this one. I stuff it with chocolate and green tea flavor ice-creams which I like the most among other flavors.

All in all, we spent around 3 hours in the restaurant. LOL!!! That's why we can eat so much. But still, until now I am still amazed on how I can manage to eat up eventhing I on my plates. My weight must have gone up at least 2kg after that. hahaha... Now... Father's Day is comming up. Duh!

Love Q #6 - Criterias For Choosing A Mate

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

What are your top 5 criterias for choosing a mate, in order of priority?

In other words, what is your ideal partner like?

My answer:

1) He must truly love me from the bottom of his heart
2) He is NOT a smoker, drinker, gambler, who speaks foul language all the time or junkies
3) He is a man of God
4) He should have a nice personality and strong characters with compliment of having dreams and passion in life
5) He must know how to take care of me and family

Last week's Love Q: The First Date