Everyday notes to enjoy life (7)

For a change, why not spread good news instead of the usual headlines bannered by newspapers everyday bearing all the attrocities, disasters, and miseries of the world. It's very sad to note that the dailies, sidetrack all the good news in just a narrow section of their pages. Well it's obvious that such headlines would not sell newspapers because people tend to read unsound news.

However if you happen to know a good news and relate it to anyone I'm sure they'll be glad to listen. Sometimes it's a breather to hear the better side of the world.

Another Chance

by Helen Steiner Rice.

How often we wish for another chance
to make a fresh beginning.
A chance to blot out our mistakes
And change failure into winning.

It does not take a new day
To make a brand new start,
It only takes a deep desire
To try with all our heart.

To live a little better
And to always be forgiving
And to add a little sunshine
To the world in which we're living.

So never give up in despair
And think that you are through,
For there's always a tomorrow
And the hope of starting new.

A CUP OF COFFEE

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said:

"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups."

"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change."

"Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So folks, don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.

The Pencil

The pencil is not just a writing tool. It has a deeper purpose. If you think and look closely enough, you'll realize that it has a strange resemblance to our way of living. Here are at least five important lessons to learn from a pencil...

1. It tells you that everything you do will always leave a Mark .

2. You can always correct your mistakes .

3. The important thing in life is what you are from inside and not from out side .

4. In life you will undergo painful sharpening which will make you better in whatever you do .

5. Finally, to be the best you can be, you must allow yourself to be held and be guided by the hand that holds you.

Everyday notes to enjoy life (6)

As we were shaken up by an unfortunate event recently, I think this Everyday Note is most appropriate at this very moment. But somehow our prayers are most needed now by those we really don't know. The people who were caught in the eye of the blast. The people who were innocently walking, passing thru or having a great time and were unaware of their fate.

The blast has taken 11 lives and hundreds of injured victims.

Hope you can spare a little moment for them too....

A terrifying moment

By now, probably everyone already heard of the tragic event that happened today in Glorietta, Makati City. I was astounded to realize that I was actually on my way to the mall at that moment but went instead to a nearby bookstore where I thought is a better place to buy some time as I was waiting for my colleague's call.



It was a very terrifying moment, being in there and hearing sirens everywhere. For two hours I stayed inside the bookstore, not wanting to leave fearing of another blast within the area.



I really felt sorry for those people who were caught in the explosion. But I felt no remorse to those whoever responsible for it though it wasn't yet confirmed as of this writing if it was a delibarate act of terrorism. I am very thankful to God for not experiencing such tragedy.

Life is not a box of chocolates.

"Life is like a box of chocolates." Everyone probably knows the famous line by Tom Hanks from the movie Forrest Gump. However I have a different view. Life is not always a box of chocolates. It's not always full of surprises. Life is not always sweet, and tasty and good that somehow you may not want to savor it over and over and over again. Most of the time it's full of dissapointment, and anguish and hatred. All the things that make life sour.

Happiness is a hard-earned commodity in life. Sometimes you would find your luck, most of the time you won't. Life is not here for us to enjoy. Life is work and survival for us to continue living. For most of us then, life is like a box of sour grapes, and rotten eggs and spoiled cookies.

I wonder then how Forrest Gump came out with such an idea that life is like a box of chocolates. How is he different to us? And I came out with the very obvious answer. Forrest has a different outlook in life than most of us. He always think positively. He always think that everything will turn out the best, not good but best. He is very optimist on all the things that he do. Even when there's a storm, he is determined to have a good catch of shrimps. He thinks that a man without legs can be as rich as Bill Gates or perhaps even richer.

Forrest Gump has these: positive outlook, sheer determination and ignorance. Yup, he simply ignores all the things that put him down. He doesn't know failure. His total ignorance of all the bad things makes him invulnerable to failure. He is not focused on his success alone but on his will to succeed. Success comes in later.

If we can immitate his very positive outlook, then we can enjoy life so much we want to savor it again and again and again. If we are so determined to achieve what we want, there's a greater chance for us to win our long-sought happiness and success. And in the end, we'll realize that "Life is like a box of chocolates." afterall.

The Main Difference

Here's a funny comparison. Hope nobody is offended.