Monday, August 30, 2010

Friendship Quotes

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.

- Bernard Meltzer.


A friend is someone who is there for you when he’d rather be somewhere else.

- Anonymous


Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours.

- Ludwig van Beethoven


…no man is useless
while he has a friend.

- Robert Louis Stevenson


Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.

- Mark Twain


A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.

- Leo Buscaglia


A true friend is one who overlooks your failures and tolerates your success!

- Doug Larson

Monday, August 23, 2010

TWELVE GOOD RULES

Twelve Good Rules

1. If you open it, close it.
2. If you turn it on, turn it off.
3. If you unlock it, lock it.
4. If you break it, repair it.
5. If you can’t fix it, call someone who can.
6. If you borrow it, return it.
7. If you use it, take care of it.
8. If you make a mess, clean it up.
9. If you move it, put it back.
10. If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.
11. If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission.
12. If it doesn’t concern you, mind your own business.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

REMEMBERING THE LESSONS

Aryan was one person whom you would love to have as a friend. He was one of those guys who was always jovial and happy and would always try to make people around him feel the same. He was always cool about what he did and he never let anyone else take up control of his life. Being in school with him, he seemed to be average intelligent guy and always used to manage his studies somehow. But slowly in the last two years of his schooling did he lose control of his life a bit.

By the time he reached college he had lost almost all control of his life and had entered into quite a lot of bad company. He did not change from being a jovial character but he started taking his life too lightly. Someone who once used to be a parent’s good child slowly started considering himself smarter and many a times despised his parents for being ignorant of the college system and started living his life without control. With his company ruining, he started playing around with his career in the first year of college. His friends used to encourage him to bunk college and loiter around saying that the system is too easy and he will clear it without doing any work and in his own high, he accepted the fact and went completely wayward. But his ultimate shock came at the end of his first year which changed his life completely.

Fooling around the whole year, when the time came for filling up the forms for the university exams, he was told that the college authorities have withdrawn his name from appearing in the examinations due to lack of attendance and other university rules. When he came to know about this, the world around him came to a standstill. He realized that the barring a couple of people like him, all his other friends were being allowed to sit in the exams and he was the only one left to repeat the whole year. Trying all he could to get the college authorities to pass his form, they didn’t allow him to appear in the exams. That is when he learned his biggest lesson.

Talking with one of his close friends he said that the journey of life is like a journey in a car, where there come many potholes. He realized that, where some of these potholes are small, some are really big which really affect our journey and can stop us from reaching our destination. And being in this journey, it is our company in the car which also matter, for some may put us in that shit without us even realizing it and in the process ruining us with hardly any problem to them. He realized that when his parents were advising him to go to college, they were his true well wishers and were the ones who really tried to get him out of the hole, whereas the friends who made him loiter and waste time were the ones who actually spoiled him and put him in a bigger mess than he ever was.

Today coping up with his studies and leaving the bad company he had around him, he feels the mistake he did in that period. He had lost one important year of his life and career and all the people around whom he was, had started their professional lives and he being alone making up realized his biggest folly. Being the good ol’ Aryan, he found the company of some of his true old friends and realized what mistake he had done when he lost touch with them. Feeling the change within him, he started accepting the advice given to him by his parents and friends who would push him more towards his career path.

Over the period of time he gained back his parent’s confidence which went crumbling down after the first year fiasco. Seeing the change around him he realized what he had lost and in the process realized how bad things could have gone had he not realized the trouble. Today he relishes being the person he is and wishes he never gets back to the path he once was on.

Dalai Lama once said when you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

Just like Aryan, its important for us to learn and grow from our experiences. We shall always continue our battle in life and we will have many fights in our future. Its not important that we win or lose but what matters is whether we learn from our mistakes or not. Aryan realized that he had made a blunder but because of his conscious realization and the company around him he was able to recover in time. But then, haven’t we seen many a people like Aryan lose track of their life and are never able to recover?! The positive for Aryan was that he learnt his lesson in time but all of us may not be so fortunate. Its important for everyone of us to understand when we make mistakes in the present time or else we may not be so fortunate.

Our chief wisdom consists in knowing our follies and faults, so that we may correct them.

-Author Unknown-

Monday, August 16, 2010

TO MY DEAR READERS

The following post was sent to me by Rainstorm (thanks!!) and even though it is about Sisters' Day, without being discriminatory, I wish to say the same applies to the guys! Take care and have a lovely day!
______________________________

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Love the ones who don't just because you can. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.

If it changes your life, let it. Kiss slowly. Forgive quickly. God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be
worth it.

Today is Sister's Day. Send this to all your sisters - even me, if I am like one.
If you get back 7, you are loved.
Happy Sister's Day !

I LOVE YA SISTA!!! :-)

Girlfriends and Sisters Week
I am only as strong as the coffee I drink, the hairspray I use and the friends I have.

To the cool women that have touched my life... here's to you!
National Girlfriends Day

What would most of us do without our sisters, confidants and shopping,
lunching, and traveling girls?

Let's celebrate each other for each other's sake!

TO MY GIRLFRIENDS!
If you get this twice you know you have more than one girlfriend. Be Happy! It is good to be a woman

and if you don't forward.....for whatever reason, you're still loved and you're still a great woman!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

GET READY FOR ANTARES' 2ND COMING!!

Many of you know Antares of Magickriver as the blogger extraordinaire. But did you know that he is also artistically gifted in many other areas including music, art and vocals?



In April 1986, Antares released a limited-edition cassette titled 2nd Coming to celebrate the return of Halley's Comet and to gratify his libidinous addiction to musical extemporization.

He recorded, mixed and produced his first two albums on my own initiative financed by his own savings. The first album sold pretty well, even if no record company was interested in helping him distribute it. From the sales, be bought buy studio time (at a generous discount, thanks to Rediffusion!) to record 2nd Coming on state-of-the-art, 16-track, 2-inch analog tape.

Now, Antares is about to reissue his 1986 solo album, 2nd Coming, on CD - with a brand new master digitally enhanced by Deejay Sanuk aka Daniel Schwörer, an ace Swiss audio engineer and producer residing in Koh Samui.

If you want to know more about the album CLICK HERE and to listen to sample tracks, PLEASE CLICK HERE. Select the first item, "Terminal Hierophantiasis." Note that the mp3 version featured here has not been digitally enhanced.

Personally, I have seen Antares tinker on my piano in my home and have two of his albums. His talent is simply awesome and his creativity is most unusual as he is able to marry cultural and fusion elements most artistically. Considering that he was not musically trained, I find his compositions and chord progressions most unusual and almost surreal. It is such a pity that due to his preference for his lifestyle, he is not in the thick of the music scene in Malaysia. Certainly, few can come close to his talent and passion for what his music.

Please support him by putting in your orders early by :

a) transferring RM25 into either Maybank savings account #112071252584 or Public Bank savings account #4468026936;

or

b) depositing USD10/€8 into his PayPal account c/o magickriver@gmail.com.

Please don't forget to email your postal address. The price includes postage. You will be notified when the CDs are posted.

My family and I wish Antares the very best in this music venture. My two boys and I dream of jamming with him one day but then again, Antares is in a super-duper class of his own!!

Syabas, Antares!!!

FOR ALL MY READERS...

Thanks to rainstorm who sent me the following post. May you and yours be blessed over and over again. Have a nice day!



Your Heart is your Love,
Your love is your Family,
Your family is your Future,
Your future is your Destiny ,
Your destiny is your Ambition,
Your ambition is your Aspiration,
Your aspiration is your Motivation,
Your motivation is your Belief,
Your belief is your Peace,
Your peace is your Target,
Your target is Heaven,
Heaven is no fun without FRIENDS
It's ' World Best Friends Week' forward this to all your good friends if u can.

Monday, August 9, 2010

HAPPINESS IS...

This story is about a beautiful, expensively dressed lady who complained
to her psychiatrist that she felt that her whole life was empty, it had no meaning.

So, the lady went to visit a counselor to seek out happiness.
The counselor called over the old lady who cleaned the office floors.
The counselor then said to the rich lady"I'm going to ask Mary here
to tell you how she found happiness. All I want you to do is listen to her."

So the old lady put down her broom and sat on a chair and told her story:
"Well, my husband died of malaria and three months later
my only son was killed by a car.

I had nobody... I had nothing left. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat,
I never smiled at anyone, I even thought of taking my own life.

Then one evening a little kitten followed me home from work.
Somehow I felt sorry for that kitten. It was cold outside, so I decided
to let the kitten in. I got it some milk, and the kitten licked the plate clean.

Then it purred and rubbed against my leg and for the first time in months,
I smiled.

Then I stopped to think, if helping a little kitten could make me smile,
maybe doing something for people could make me happy.
So the next day I baked some biscuits and took them to a neighbor
who was sick in bed.

Every day I tried to do something nice for someone.
It made me so happy to see them happy.

Today, I don't know of anybody who sleeps and eats
better than I do.

I've found happiness, by giving it to others."

When she heard that the rich lady cried.
She had everything that money could buy, but
she had lost the things which money cannot buy.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.
Happiness is the spiritual experience of living
every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

THE CAKE

Cindy glanced nervously at the clock on the kitchen wall. Five minutes before midnight.

"They should be home any time now," she thought as she put the finishing touches on the chocolate cake she was frosting. It was the first time in her12 years she had tried to make a cake from scratch, and to be honest, it wasn't exactly an aesthetic triumph. The cake was . . . well, lumpy. And the frosting was bitter, as if she had run out of sugar or something. Which, of course, she had.

And then there was the way the kitchen looked. Imagine a huge blender filled with all the fixings for chocolate cake -- including the requisite bowls, pans and utensils. Now imagine that the blender is turned on. High speed. With the lid off. Do you get the idea?

But Cindy wasn't thinking about the mess. She had created something, a veritable phoenix of flour and sugar rising out of the kitchen clutter. She was anxious for her parents to return home from their date so she could present her anniversary gift to them. She turned off the kitchen lights and waited excitedly in the darkness. When at last she saw the flash of the car headlights, she positioned herself in the kitchen doorway. By the time she heard the key sliding into the front door, she was THIS CLOSE to exploding.

Her parents tried to slip in quietly, but Cindy would have none of that. She flipped on the lights dramatically and trumpeted: "Ta-daaa!" She gestured grandly toward the kitchen table, where a slightly off-balance two-layer chocolate cake awaited their inspection.

But her mother's eyes never made it all the way to the table. "Just look at this mess!" she moaned. "How many times have I talked to you about cleaning up after yourself?"

"But Mom, I was only..."

"I should make you clean this up right now, but I'm too tired to stay up with you to make sure you get it done right," her mother said. "So you'll do it first thing in the morning."

"Honey," Cindy's father interjected gently, "take a look at the table."

"I know -- it's a mess," his wife said coldly. "The whole kitchen is a disaster. I can't stand to look at it." She stormed up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

For a few moments Cindy and her father stood silently, neither one knowing what to say. At last she looked up at him, her eyes moist and red. "She never saw the cake," she said.

Unfortunately, Cindy's mother isn't the only parent who suffers from Situational Timbercular Glaucoma -- the occasional inability to see the forest for the trees. From time to time we all allow ourselves to be blinded to issues of long-term significance by Stuff That Seems Awfully Important Right Now -- but isn't. Muddy shoes, lost lunch money and messy kitchens are troublesome, and they deserve their place among life's frustrations. But what's a little mud -- even on new carpet -- compared to a child's self- esteem? Is a lost dollar more valuable than a youngster's emerging dignity? And while kitchen sanitation is important, is it worth the sacrifice of tender feelings and relationships?

I'm not saying that our children don't need to learn responsibility, or to occasionally suffer the painful consequences of their own bad choices. Those lessons are vital, and need to be carefully taught. But as parents, we must never forget that we're not just teaching lessons -- we're teaching children. That means there are times when we really need to see the mess in the kitchen.

And times when we only need to see the cake.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

TREES THAT WOOD

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

-author unknown-