Thursday, December 28, 2006

THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD


I came across this while surfing the net some time ago and, although I am not a christian, I thought it would be nice to share this for the wisdom of the words. I am not trying to influence anyone nor am I trying to convert anybody, so please don't get hot under the collar.


THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD

I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.

“If you have the time” I said.

God smiled. “My time is eternity.”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?”

God answered...
“That they get bored with childhood,
they rush to grow up, and then
long to be children again.”

“That they lose their health to make money...
and then lose their money to restore their health.”

“That by thinking anxiously about the future,
they forget the present,
such that they live in neither
the present nor the future.”

"That they live as if they will never die,
and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine
and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked...
“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons
you want your children to learn?”

“To learn they cannot make anyone
love them. All they can do
is let themselves be loved.”

“To learn that it is not good
to compare themselves to others.”

“To learn to forgive
by practicing forgiveness.”

“To learn that it only takes a few seconds
to open profound wounds in those they love,
and it can take many years to heal them.”

“To learn that a rich person
is not one who has the most,
but is one who needs the least.”

“To learn that there are people
who love them dearly,
but simply have not yet learned
how to express or show their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can
look at the same thing
and see it differently.”

“To learn that it is not enough that they
forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”

"Thank you for your time," I said humbly.

"Is there anything else
you would like your children to know?"

God smiled and said,
“Just know that I am here... always.”

-author unknown

Monday, December 25, 2006

GOD on Christmas Day



On this joyous occasion I would like to share this (author unknown) with you. You decide whether these are words of wisdom or blasphemy. MERRY X'MAS!


GOD
if you ask me
god has no face
no color
no sex and no smell
god has no form
no structure
but a fusion of power
pulsing through our veins
god is a passion
burning in our brains
the motivator
of all good things
governing our spirit
making us reach out
for other human beings
on an equal plane
of love and understanding
god is this eternal vision
and desire
to seek for the truth
no matter how many tangles
and barb wires it took
god is this endless want
for freedom of speech
thoughts, actions
and feelings
that would save the whole world
god is this force
that will claim back the rights
of all the living
to breathe, live and love
until we see god
in this fashion
until we are not frightened
how do we face the evils
of greed and oppression
if you ask me
god is within me
god is within you
god is a moment
a situation
an era, a country
where love rules unconstrained...

Thursday, December 14, 2006

LIVING IN A GRATEFUL WORLD


Be grateful to those who have hurt or harmed you, for they have reinforced your determination.
Be grateful to those who have deceived you , for they have deepened your insight.
Be grateful to those who have hit you, for they have reduced your karmic obstacles.
Be grateful to those who have abandoned you, for they have taught you to be independent.
Be grateful to those who have made you stumble, for they have strengthened your ability.
Be grateful to those who have denounced you, for they have increased your wisdom and concentration.

(Quoted from a flyer of Pureland Natural Vegetarian of Bayan Lepas, Penang)

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

BORDERS AT QUEENSBAY MALL, PENANG




Photos from top to bottom:
The entrance to Borders at QueensBay, Penang, which was officially opened during the weekend. Penang, at long last, has a "civilised" bookshop like Borders and Barnes and Noble in the States where one can sit and browse for hours on end, enjoying a cup of coffee and the pleasure of availing oneself of the books and magazines without the fear of being chased out by the management. Unfortunately I noticed that some of their books were wrapped tightly in plastic, the unfriendly way of displaying books as practised by MPH and also Popular Bookstore. Ah well, I suppose this is the price we pay for being a "third world" country! Borders at QueensBay offers a novel gift idea. Their electronic gift cards can be loaded with as little as RM20 and up to a maximum of RM1000 and there is no expiry date. However, they are only usable in Malaysia where there are only 2 outlets at present. The other one is at Berjaya Times Square.
Starbucks Coffee is inside Borders and there is a large window overlooking Penang Bridge. At night the panoramic view of the bridge is lovely.
The third photo shows a section of Borders that offers souvenirs for sale.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

REFRESHING NEWS!


After the recent UMNO General Assembly I have stopped my regular subscription of the Star for fear of having to see the traumatic photograph of an evil-looking man brandishing a wicked-looking keris or having to read about a particular race demanding a bigger slice of the economic cake or demanding more handouts as their birth-right. Since then I have been buying my copy of the Star on a daily basis to avoid suffering from further trauma. If I see news that will depress me, I walk away from the news-stand empty-handed, thus saving one ringgit and twenty sen and sparing myself the agony of having to face the possibilty of having to read about people whose only claim to immortality is their ability to run amok at will and hurt other people.
This morning, however, the news on the front page was refreshing apart from the Bar Council's dirty linen. The picture of the two young men and the accompanying headline, "GOLD AT LAST" made my day. Congratulations to these two heroic young men who surmounted great odds to bring great pride to the country. They were an unseeded and an unheralded doubles pair in the Asian Games but they vanquished the top doubles pairs in the world to create badminton history in Malaysia! You are truly Malaysians Boleh!

Saturday, December 09, 2006

THE EMAIL SCAMS ARE BACK!


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The email scams or the Nigerian scams (or whatever you want to call them) are back but with more imagination this time which makes them sound not only possible but also very plausible. Take a look at what I received this morning:

Fortune Sweepstakes
40 Victoria Street
Hertfordshire, AL1 3TG
United Kingdom

Ref: FTS/745/06
Batch: 308867OS



WINNING NOTIFICATION

Over the years the prestigious Fortune Sweepstakes has set out
and sucessfully organised Sweepstakes on a daily, weekly, and annual
basis.
We have equally maintained a standard unrivaled in the industry as it
concerns the pay out of winnings to sucessful participants.

In line with the commemorating event marking our 10th year anniversary
we rolled out over £2,000.000.00 (Two Million Great Britain Pounds)
for our 10th year Anniversary Draws. Participants for the draws were
randomly selected and drawn from a wide range of web hosts which enjoy
our patronage. The selection was made through a computer draw system
attaching personalised email addresses to ticket numbers.

Your email address as indicated was drawn and attached to ticket
number 001768432463 with serial numbers FTS/8070337201/06 and drew
the lucky numbers 15-22-24-48-50-37(30) which subsequently won you
£250,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Great Britain Pounds) as
one of the 10 jackpot winners in this draw.
You have therefore won the entire winning sum of £250,000.00
(Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Great Britain Pounds). The draws
registered as Draw number one was conducted in Brockley, London
United Kingdom on the Ist of Dec 2006.
These lottery Draws are commemorative and as such special.

Please be informed by this winning notification to make contact with
your designated agent who shall by duty guide you through the process
to facilitate the release of your winnings.

To file for your claim please contact your fiduciary agent

Mr Louiz Livinston
Fortune Sweepstakes Fiduciary Agent
Tel: +447024014194
Fax:+44-870135-4484
Email: fortunesweepstakes_claimsagent3@yahoo.co.uk
You are advised to contact your fiduciary agent with the following
details to avoid unnecessary delays and complications.
Your Name (in Full), Country, Ticket Number, Batch Number, Serial
Number and Lucky Numbers as indicated in this winning Notification.

I wish to on behalf of all members and staff of the Fortune
Sweepstakes congratulate you on your win and wish you the
best of luck as you spend your good fortune.

Thank you for being part of our commemorative 10th Anniversary Draws.

Sincerely,

Dr. Albert Maringer
Fortune Sweepstakes Co-ordinator.
NB:
PLEASE NOTE! Any claim not made before seven (7) working days from date
of notification will indicate that the winner has voluntarily forfeited
his/her winnings.


This recent scam is more imaginative because it states that "my email address was attached to the winning number!" instead of the usual and rather stupid announcement that I am the winner of a lottery that I never bought in the first instance. If you receive such an email, just ignore it. Don't be like the foolish engineer in Penang who parted with RM88,000 before he realized that it was a scam! Some people just never learn. I have already written 4 posts on these scams this year alone.
(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/9/nation/16271522&sec=nation)