A Prayer

A Prayer that I need to remember (adapted from Paulo Coelho-Like the Flowing River).

Dear God, protetect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. An in order for this to be possible .....

God, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be a way choose between one road and another. Many our YES always be a YES, and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible .....

God, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be result of the very best that we carry within us. may we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible...

God, protect our dream, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible ....

God, give us enthusiasm, because enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups, and to children; it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the heavens and to Earth, to grownups, and to children; it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally commutted to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible ....

God, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory. Amen.

Angel & Devil

hah ... this little punk really make me want to crying out loud, my goodness ! This one little punk, it was this little kid, who always hang out in my cafe doing nothing other that bullying me around. This little punk will drop by after his tution class and always ask for a glass of cold water before rush off to catch the school bus. And he was on to me, this kid. This relentless child would come and sit by the counter every day and demand, "Lucky ... what is this, what is that ? You should smile more ! Lucky .. can I have a glass of water please. Do you have a boyfriend ? You should wear more pink colour. You should tie you hair like this and that ? and every each and single of personal question ....

I was like back of kid ! What are you - my angel or devil ?

Every day I would try to smile at him kindly and send him away with a polite gesture, but he wouldn't quit until he got a rise out me. And inevitably, he always got a rise out of me. I remember bursting out at him once, "Hello kid, you nasty little punk, I know what I'm doing - now go Away ! He ran away laughing. Every day, after he'd gotten me to respond, he would always run away laughing. I'd usually end up laughing, too, once he was out of sight. I dreaded this persky kid and looked forward to him in equal measure. He was my only comedic break during a really tough day.

Saint Anthony once wrote having gone into desert on silent retreat and being assaulted by all manner of visions - devils and angels, both. He said, in his solitude, he sometimes encountered devils who looked like angels, and other times he found angels who looked like devils. When asked how he could tell the difference, the saint said that you can only tell which is which by the way you feel after the creature has left your company. If you are appalled, he said, then it was a devil who had visited you. If you feel lightened, it was an angel. I think I know what that little punk was, who always got a laugh out of me.

I guess that so many people came in and out of our life. If that somebody make me want to became a better person than you are my darling Angles ....

Like the Flowing River

This is one of my favourite email from Prof, I’ll just post it here as it is !

The Great Yangtze River, China flows to the Pacific Ocean passing Himalayas as a source at 5000km. The meltwater of Himalayas becomes springwater a forms a small lake.
Though it is a river like the baby, it advances in a China continent by a faltering step.

As for the river water, it doesn't understand where to go first.
It never halts though it staggers. As for water, it doesn't know how to be used though it doesn't know where to be going to flow in the future. A lot of brooks are taken while it advances in a Chinese continent and, in addition, it grows up.
It is the same as in our life. It advances without halting when the baby grows up.
It leaves, it doesn't take a rest, and it keeps flowing when the direction of the flow at which my life should aim is found. The necessary one is the one found the destination ahead if leaving.
We grow up while flowing. All of us were given right at birth to start the journey of life to flow like a river.

The success is neither tomorrow nor next year.
The future, no one is 100% predictable.
The success is NOW. The journey to success will never end.
The success is to grow up while flowing every day.

The following three appears when luck comes ….
1. It can be actually felt to have grown up tremendously because it keeps flowing.
2. The difficulty and the trouble can be overcome, and stoutness be actually felt.
3. Luck can be given to the surrounding, and it can be actually felt that gratitude is expressed.

Hmmm… felt like to transport myself to Guilin and take the Li River scenic journey, but in the mean time I’m reading “Like the Flowing River” - a collection of reflections from Paulo Coelho.

A Poison Tree

A few points to ponder ......

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret

(Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1914, American author and critic)

In Germany they say, 'write an angry letter - but don't send it'

A Poison Tree

I was angry with my friend :

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,

Night and morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine.

And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

by William Blake (1757 - 1827 - London, England)

Boleh Burger !

We need to create the Kids Menu for the weekends special. I suggested the Hamburger ! for the kids. Every kids love Hamburger .The story of Hamburger begins in October 1885, near the small town of Seymour, Wisconsin. A friendly and outgoing fifteen year old boy named Charlie Nagreen was driving his family’s ox cart down a dirt road amid wide open field. Charlie was going to Outgamie Countty’s first annual fair, where he wanted to earn some extra money selling meatballs. What happened next was the unlikely origin of a delicious sandwich that one day change the world.

As Charlie sold meatballs at the fair, he noticed that customers had trouble eating the and strolling at the same time. People were impatient. They wanted to visit Mr. John Bull’s popular beehives (encased in glass), to see the fancy new harvesting machines, and to enjoy all the other thrilling attractions at the fair. They didn’t want to waste time eating meatballs. Charlie suddenly had an idea: if he squashed the meatballs and put them between two slices of bread, people could walk and eat. And so Charlie invented the hamburger.

German immigrants lived in Charlie’s hometown of Hortonville, Wisconsin, and he later claimed that the new sandwich was named after the German town of Hamburg, long famous for its ground beef steaks. Charlie continued selling burgers at the Outagamie County Fair until 1951. By then he was an old man who liked to sing this rhyme while flipping burgers on the grill :

Hamburgers, hamburgers, hamburgers hot !
Onion in the middle, pickle on top
Makes your lips go flippity flop.

That the story of world famous food ! So we want to make our hamburger a wholesome and nutritious for the kids so we add up with a lots of mince vegetable and we are using the bun mixed with a lots of pumpkin seeds. Also, the size is small for the kids decorated with Malaysia Flag on Top !

And …. we named it Boleh Burger (literally translated as Yes You Can Burger). Taken inspiration from Mr Obama and Tun Mahathir. Yes you can do it !

Spoilt Brat !

Kids - Excuse me, do you have a caramel latte combo with decaf mocha and please put a whipped cream with the vanilla toppings in regular please.

Me - I'm sorry we only have the regular latte with whipped cream, is that ok with you.

My goodness, being a small cafe we can't afford to have so many choices for out customer. Our coffee is regular hot / ice with or without milk. However we proud that our coffee of special house blended our original brand.

It used to be if you wanted a cup of coffee that's what you asked for and that's what you got. But being in a 1990s the commercialization of coffee, offered choices that we never have before - espresso, latte, caramel latte, breve, macchiato, mocha, espresso mocha, black forest mocha, americano, and goodness knows what else - in different sizes.

The abudance of choice not only makes every transaction take ten times as long as it ought to, but in a strange way actually breds dissatisfaction. The more there is, the more people crave, and the more they crave, the more they, well, crave more. We become among millions and millions of people needing more and more of everything, constantly, infinitely, unquenchably. We appear to have created a society in which the principal activity is grazing through retail establishments looking for things - textures, shapes, flavours - not before encountered.

What do you want anyway ? A coffee that taste like vanilla shakes ? Gosh .....

Cheerleader !

Hip Hip Horay ! Yes you can ! Go ! go ! It's OK it's Alright ! Come on Dragon !

Fight ! Fight ! Fight !

I'm now at Little Dragon place doing the cheering for her. She a little bit depressed nowadays so my inner diva kicks in. I grab a pom pom and now jumping up and down and trying to acrobatic split to cheer her up. Thank god that Yoga class help a bit !

Everybody need a cheerleader. When one of us a little bit stress up we call up each other to cheer each other up. That what a true friend are for right !

In every game there will be a tem of cheering to support the sportsmen to win a match. Strong cheering can give that extra push that is necessary to win a game. It will lift their spirits to keep their focus. We all need the cheering from time to time to keep our focus.

I guess that happiness is the most important thing in this life. If you are not happy you are no use to anyone else. Look, no one is happy all the time but if you are at least in the pursuit of happiness then that is what ultimately will make you appealling to people that not only wants to stick around but also fun to be with. The point is you have to figure out how to be happy no matter what the cost. It will come from the tiny victories and the big goals. That's why you need a good cheering to uplift you spirit !

Lool like Little Dragon back to her normal self and we are now eating a bucket of vanilla ice cream after my acrobatic cheering. Hip ! Hip ! Hurray ! In the pursuit of happiness !!!