Here’s a collection of links to some of the most popular posts on my blog during the last 12 months. I hope you find them useful and consider sharing with friends. These may have some ideas for your New Year Resolutions too:
Watching lots of seagulls recently, I was reminded of this inspiring book I had read a few times during the late 80′s. I just read it again and realized why it’s called a classic. It’s a short and simple story of a seagull called Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but the message is powerful and inspiring. Instead of a review, here are a few excerpts from the book:
…Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.
…Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.
…’How you manage to love a mob of birds that has just tried to kill you?’ ‘Oh, you don’t love that! You don’t love hatred and evil, of course. You have to practice and see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I mean by love.’
I recommend this book very highly, regardless of your age, interests or profession. Please share what your favorite books are.
Having spent ten days in Australia, I was reminded of the many good things about the Aussies:
Good day, mate! It’s the local greeting but also an attitude of happiness and friendliness. You can only greet each other with enthusiasm if you are really happy and grateful with your life. Otherwise, it will be the usual ‘how are you?’ and ‘not bad’. That attitude is also reflected in their choice of vocabulary. It’s not ‘nice’, it’s ‘fantastic!’ or ‘awesome!’ Simply put, ‘life is good!’
Work to live. Most Aussies don’t live to work. A standard working day for most offices is 8-4:30 and 9:30-5:30 for most shops. This means more time for life outside of work – family, socializing, sports and hobbies. Yes, many Australians actually have hobbies like gardening, woodworking etc. Do they get less work done compared to those who regularly work overtime in many other countries? I don’t think so.
Sunday is family day. Unlike many of us, most Aussies actually have a ‘plan’ for Sundays. And the key elements of the plan are family and outdoors – beach, picnics, parks, hikes. That’s not only great bonding time for the family, but also very healthy.
No worries, mate! That’s also more of an attitude than just another local phrase you hear often. Aussies seem to genuinely believe that no problem is big enough to worry; given some time, most situations sort themselves out; getting stressed doesn’t make things easier. I wonder if they have one of the lowest rates of stress-related illnesses in the world.
Play to win. Aussies are clearly one of the most competitive people, and it’s not just in sports. I think they generally like to excel at whatever they do – be it making a coffee, raising a child or winning an olympic gold. This is also obvious in a higher standard of services.
I am sure some readers will have many negative things to say about the Aussies. Every one of us, every nation, every place has negatives and positives. But I find myself much happier when focusing on the good rather than the bad, particularly when I am traveling. Please share your positive thoughts about your favorite place.
I was in a business meeting recently where the other person kept looking at his phone for messages or emails every time it vibrated. He even typed a couple of messages during the hour long meeting while we exchanged important information and discussed a possible business relationship. Do you think I want to do business with this person?
I was reminded of a time when an estate agent was showing me an apartment when his phone rang and he started chatting non-stop. After waiting for about five minutes, I just walked out of the apartment. When he called back to ask what had happened, I told him exactly what had happened and never met him again.
Whether you are in an important business meeting, or having quality time with a loved one, responding to a call or looking at messages/emails only communicates one thing to the other person: You are not as important as the person calling/messaging/emailing me right now. I think these are some of the worst uses of your mobile phone:
Holding it in your hand or placing it in front of you during a business or personal meeting. If you are expecting a call, let the other person know.
Looking at it every now and then, and reading emails/messages during important conversations. If you must read or send an urgent message, please excuse first.
Immersing yourself in your phone when in a social gathering. That only means: Do not disturb, or I am not interested in any conversation.
Talking loudly on your phone in a public place without any consideration for other people. Either talk softly, or move away from the people.
Typing on your phone while walking, and expecting other people to watch and move out of your way. Ever seen a collision of two people typing on their phones without looking up?
It’s funny how we use our mobile phones to connect with everyone in the world, and often forget to connect with all the people around us – often the most important people in our lives that we just take for granted.
In every situation or problem, we have a choice to respond or react. And our choice determines how we get affected by the situation or problem. My favorite example is that of a delayed flight. Most passengers choose to react by asking for an explanation for the delay, calling up family and friends to share the anger (‘why does it always happen to me?‘), demanding to ‘speak with the manager’, expecting free meals, continuing to be angry even after taking off and landing at the destination and perhaps for the rest of the day. If you choose to respond, you could be grateful that they found out the problem with the plane or the pilot or the weather while you are still on the ground, rather than finding out when you are 35,000 feet up in the air. You could catch up on some phone calls or shopping or reading, or simply enjoy doing nothing for a change. If the flight has been indefinitely delayed, you can also respond by trying to find another connection to your destination.
When someone criticizes you, you can react by offering explanations or starting an argument. Or you can respond by trying to understand the other person’s perspective, by accepting that you aren’t perfect and by being grateful that someone cared enough to tell you about your weakness. Read the rest of this entry »
Studies have shown that gazing at aquarium fish reduces stress and subsequently lowers blood pressure. Even watching a video of fish has been proven to have therapeutic effects.
During our recent holiday in Dubai, we went to see the much-hyped aquarium at the Atlantis. And it was quite an experience! I also recorded a couple of amateur videos to share the beauty of some of the best fish I had ever seen. Here’s one…
Jeremy Rifkin is president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and the author of 17 bestselling books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society and the environment. I haven’t read any of his books yet, but I found this talk/animation very informative, useful and even inspiring:
Why do they keep only small size plates with food in most airline lounges? Do they expect people to eat less while traveling, or do they want them to eat less? I think the latter. There’s only so much you can fill up in a small plate; and there are only so many rounds you can make to the buffet tables. I think it’s an effective strategy. And I believe the concept could apply to many things in life…
A smaller apartment could encourage you to minimize your possessions. A smaller office could help you keep it clutter-free. A smaller bag could mean traveling light. A smaller wallet would have fewer essentials. A smaller fridge could help eat more fresh foods. What else can you add to the list?
Couple of days ago, at the end of a flight from Denpasar (Bali) to Surabaya, the pilot announced a one-hour time difference between the two cities. And while I was changing the time on my watch, I suddenly realized (for the first time, though I have done this many times) that I was going to live that one hour all over again! I was given a bonus hour! What was I going to do with that extra hour? Well the problem was, the rest of my day was already planned as per the local time
But for the rest of the afternoon, I was somehow more aware of every hour and of making the best of it. The soup at a roadside cafe tasted like the best soup I had ever had. The flowers at the hotel entrance looked more beautiful than ever. I was able to notice and admire the trees I could see from the lobby while in a business meeting. Everyone seemed a lot nicer. The whole world seemed to have slowed down a little bit. I’ve had an amazing couple of days, as I’ve been trying to live every moment, and I hope it lasts!
What would you do if you had an hour, or a day, to live all over again? Would you spend it at work – meetings and emails – or with a loved one? Would you do something for which you haven’t had the time, like calling or writing to someone, or reading that book…? (Please share through comments)
Jacqueline Novogratz tells a moving story of an encounter in a Nairobi slum with Jane, a former prostitute, whose dreams of escaping poverty, of becoming a doctor and of getting married were fulfilled in an unexpected way.
Please leave your comments if you found this inspiring.
I decided to conduct a survey among my friends about what society considers to be normal behavior. What follows is a list I have made of some of the absurd situations we face in day-to-day life, just because society sees them as normal:
1] Anything that makes us forget our true identity and our dreams and makes us only work to produce and reproduce.
2] Making rules for a war (the Geneva Convention).
3] Spending years at university and then not being able to find a job.
4] Working from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon at something that does not give us the least pleasure, so that we can retire after 30 years.
5] Retiring only to discover that we have no more energy to enjoy life, and then dying of boredom after a few years.
6] Using Botox.
7] Trying to be financially successful instead of seeking happiness.
8] Ridiculing those who seek happiness instead of money by calling them “people with no ambition”.
9] Comparing objects like cars, houses and clothes, and defining life according to these comparisons instead of really trying to find out the true reason for being alive.
Sara wrote this inspiring piece on her website a couple of days ago…
How many of us are aware that there are more than 6,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong at the moment? How many of us realize that even within HK there are still people suffering, people who are in limbo, who have no country to call their home, people whose lives’ are controlled not by them, but by government. Then there are those selfless people, who are blessed with goodness and purity, who within this ridiculous money-driven society are still willing to give their all – their efforts, their time and devote their lives to improving other people’s lives, without ever asking anything in return! But they are rewarded, with the gratefulness and the prayers of the lives they touch every single day with their passion and their commitment!
The World Refugee Day 2010, was organized by Christian Action Hong Kong’s only drop-in service centre for refugees and asylum seekers. It’s a place of love, laughter, healing and more than anything else… it’s a place of hope. Along with providing all the basic necessities of everyday lives – things that we so easily take for granted such as food, clothing and shelter, these people ensure that none of these refugees and asylum seekers ever feel alone. They provide them with something us humans need the most – love, care and affection.
She is a 15-year old girl who goes to school in the morning and sells flowers at night. She lives with her aunt who gives her ten bouquets every night. And she can’t return home until she sells them all. It can take her anywhere from two to six hours to sell all ten bouquets, depending on the day of the week and time of the year. The price of USD1 per bouquet doesn’t make it any easier. She goes to the road-side restaurants and coffee shops around the Cathedral in HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City), where she can find foreigners who are usually better customers.
She considers herself fortunate to be be living in a city, to have an aunt who takes care of her, to have a job that pays for her food and school, to have customers who buy her bouquets.
Do you feel a little more fortunate, if not incredibly blessed? Please share your thoughts through comments.
[An estimated 300 million children worldwide are subjected to violence, exploitation and abuse including the worst forms of child labour in communities, schools and institutions. As reported by UNICEF]
Over 100 million people are homeless throughout the world, the majority of them women and dependent children. Overall, at least 600 million people live in shelters that are life threatening or health threatening in developing world cities. Every day, some 50,000 people die as a result of poor shelter, polluted water and inadequate sanitation. Some 70 million women and children live in homes where smoke from cooking fires damages their health. There are over 23 million refugees worldwide, and 27 million internally displaced people- within their own countries.
Our dear friend Zain Naqi passed away this month, at the age of 22. We all remember him as an extra-ordinary young man who was very loving, friendly and always full of life. Zain used to spread cheer and laughter wherever he went. He was always ahead of the others in studies, sports and any other activities that he participated in. Zain always made his parents proud. Everyone dies, but not everyone lives. Zain lived every day of his life, which was rather short.
I have put together some photos and a video of Zain, though his smiling face will always live in our hearts. These were taken during 2002-2006 in Hong Kong. If you were fortunate to have known Zain, please leave your thoughts and prayers as comments.
“You can shed tears that he is gone, or you can smile because he has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him, or you can be full of the love you shared. You can remember him only that he is gone, or you can cherish his memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back, or you can do what he’d want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.” (By David Harkins – British poet and painter)
Right Knowledge, to supply you with the tools necessary for your voyage.
Wisdom, to assure you that you are using the accumulated knowledge of the past in a manner that will best serve the discovery of your presence, your ‘now’.
Compassion, to help you accept others whose ways may be different from yours, with gentleness and understanding, as you move with them or through them or around them on your own way.
Harmony, to be able to accept the natural flow of life.
Creativity, to help you to realize and recognize new alternatives and unchartered paths along the way.
Strength, to stand up against fear and move forward in spite of uncertainty, without guarantee or payment.
Peace, to keep you centered.
Joy, to keep you songful, and laughing and dancing all along the way.
Love, to be your continual guide towards the highest level of consciousness of which man is capable.
Unity, which brings us back to where we started – the place where we are at one with ourselves and with all things.
To me, life is God’s gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to God. Make it a fantastic one.
What do you think is essential in life? Please share through your comments.
[Photo: Tree outside the Heathrow Airport, March 2010]
Did you know that there are 41.2 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world? And 12 million stateless people living in limbo without citizenship rights? Recently, I had an opportunity to do a motivational session for a youth refugee group in Hong Kong. And I realized that people forced from their homes by conflict are among the world’s most vulnerable who all have individual stories of loss, heartache and survival.
Officially there are 6,500 refugees in Hong Kong. Most of them are asylum seekers who have suffered human rights abuses, persecution, torture or sexual violence! They usually come from South Asia (Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan) and Africa (Somalia, DR Congo, Eritrea, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon, Ivory Coast).
Ever since I have heard about these people and met some of them, it’s been almost impossible to complain about my small problems and challenges in life. The things that we take for granted – home, family, friends, job, food, clothes, education etc. – are daily struggles for these people. We are extremely blessed if we haven’t experienced war, famine, violence, displacement or other such calamities, and we should be very grateful!
If you are looking for a cause to support or an opportunity to contribute, you should consider Refugees International or Hong Kong Christian Action who are helping thousands of refugees with their basic needs.
Here’s a collection of links to some of the most popular posts on my blog during the last 12 months. I hope you find them useful and consider sharing with friends. These may have some ideas for your New Year Resolutions too:
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