Wake Up Call

Bernard, who is noted for his gracious manners, was awakened one morning at four forty four a.m. by his ringing telephone. . .

"Your dog's barking, and it's keeping me awake," said an angry voice. Bernard thanked the caller and politely asked his name and number before hanging up.

The next morning at precisely four forty four a.m., Bernard called his neighbor back.

"Good morning, Mr. Williams.... Just called to say that I don't have a dog."


Which is a neat little joke that tells us a point - that we are often too quick to point the finger at others, without having first checked all the facts.

Imagine all the unnecessary unhappiness that would have been saved if people would just take a moment to hold back, check and ponder before deciding on an action.

Finding Our Identity

As we look at all the violence (and all its different ramifications including rape, robbery, etc) that is happening in the world, I am sure many of us will shake our heads and ask why all the violence?

But a more insightful question would be - Why Not?

Why not - because if we are just animals, animals do fight. Why not - because if there is nothing in the future beyond death, why should I not do what I want to get what I want? Why not - because if it is the survival of the fittest, there is no love lost when I do violent things because it is natural.

But I say the only reason that will satisfy all the why nots - is that we are not animals but are all RELATIVES of a species called the Human Race. Till the day that we come to understand that we have all one Father and that we are all one big family, there will be no peace.

I mean, you should not rape a family member, right? You should not murder a family member, right?

So why is all the world so violent? An element of the reason is a blindness that prevents the world from realising who we truly are. A blindness that prevents us from acknowledging that we have a Father who created all of us.

For all those who are asking "Why not?", think about your family.

Its OK to ...

1. Click on the "comments" tagline below any article and leave comments. Comments are warmly welcomed.

2. Tell your friends about my blog if you find it useful.

3. Click on the "envelope" icon below any article and email your friend of any particular article that you find useful.

4. Reproduce anything on this blog in any form you want, so long as it is done in the good taste and to the best of your knowledge, for the good of humanity.

5. Take a breather and smile at all the silly mistakes you have done in your life.

Fingerprints - Part 2

The above picture is of a drawing of a set of identical twins; that is, they will share exactly the same DNA. But one thing will be different. Yes, you guessed right. It is their fingerprints. Same DNA, different fingerprints. Try figuring that one out :-)

Fingerprints

How you ever wondered what is the purpose of fingerprints?

Why, yes, it is that whorl of patterns on the pulp of your fingers that apparently is different from everyone else's in the world - past, present or the future. Because no 2 patterns are similar, police uses them as one of their tools to identify a person.

Which begs still the question - why are they there in the first place? Is there any purpose for us to have 'evolved' fingerprints? I think not. It is one of those unanswerable questions that many do not bother to think about.

But for those who do think about such things; my answer is that I believe Someone wants us to know that we are individually special in His sight. You are not massed produced. You are wonderfully created to have a wonderful life with your Creator.

This answer, I know may seem uncomfortably simple to some. But aren't some of the most profound truths found in simplicity...

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Itch

Was watching a dog scratching itself; and my goodness, it seemed like it was going to scratch off all its fur and flesh together in the process. To reach some areas that it could not get its paw to, it contorted itself and used its teeth instead to relieve the itch. Must have been quite an itch!

Which reminded me of a witty comment that I heard once. It is called the LAW OF BIOMECHANICS. It goes something like this:

The degree of itch is directly proportional to the difficulty of reach.

I suspect the dog does not think of such statements, even though the dog line has been into scratching since day one. People can choose to believe that they are descended from animals but as for me, I choose to believe that we are different from the animals. We are wonderfully made. We are special in the sight of the One who created us. And this knowledge makes life so much more worth-while living, doesn't it?

I hate being sick

Still sick. Just amazes me what the small virus can do to a large creature like us. I am humbled...

Falling Sick

Just had a meal with a Japanese friend and I must have looked terrible sneezing and rubbing my nose during the whole meal.

Considering that I should be an expert on hygiene and cleaniness, it is just surprising that I should succumb to the flu bug.

Shows that we are not so mighty afterall!

Gome nasai, Shangzi-san...

Take Time To Smell The Flowers

I personally think that mankind is much ado about nothing. Many of us are rushing here and there; doing this and that - having a form of Busyness but achieving Nothing actually and then getting Depressed over it.

Pause.

What are we actually doing? Why are we doing it? Will it mean anything to you or others at the end of your life?

Change.

We all hate change. That's why we have this herd mentality. If everyone is doing it, so should we. Really? If we follow everyone else without thought, then where is your own fulfillment?

Enjoy.

The world is a beautiful place. Take time to smell the flowers...and consider the glories that come with it...

Life is Unfair

Met (if we can call it "met") a fellow blogger and she was feeling very down presumably because she was down on love. Wrote on her blog some words that I hope would make sense to her and restore her faith in love.

But who has not gone through times of feeling unloved? Who has not felt let down by love?

What is our response? It is simply impossible to answer these deeply personal questions with a stroke of a pen.

But I will say this - Life is Unfair. The sooner we realise this, the better. But should we be bitter about it? We should ... if we really do not have someone who loves us! Fortunately, there is Someone who loves us. But how can we know that there is One who loves us?

When you see the beautiful sunrise, do you feel the love of the One who created it? When you see the vibrant colours of flowers, do you not feel the love of the One who created it for our enjoyment? When you hear the chirping of the birds, are you not impressed by the love of the One who allowed us hearing? When you smell the aroma of coffee or bacon, do you not know it was with love that we were made to be able to smell? When I remember the Cross, was it not love that allows me to remember?

My dear friend, WE ARE deeply loved and greatly blessed. Much more than we can ever comprehend...

Unwanted Milk Carton

Did you drink milk and throw the empty milk carton away today? One of the most useful discoveries that I have learnt is not to throw away the unwanted milk carton.

You know how sometimes we have guests and we need lots and lots of ice-cubes and we do not want them to be frozen hard together. Either we can go out and by lots and lots of ice-trays or we can use the unwanted milk carton!

After drinking your fresh milk, do not throw the carton away. Wash it and let it dry. Then put your ice-cubes into the carton. You can put lots and lots of ice-cubes in and they won't stick together when you take them out later. (There is a science behind it, but who cares...)

Which makes me want to encourage all those out there who are feeling unwanted or useless. Please don't. You are created in the image of God. You are never unwanted or useless. Look up and you will find your purpose.

The Dragonfly

The place that I am staying at, has many dragonflies. I am always spellbound by their beauty and grace. You can see all the wonderful types of dragonflies at the following website http://dragonflywebsite.com/gallery/

Some fun facts about the dragonfly:
1) It can fly forwards at speeds of 60miles/hr.
2) It can fly backwards, sideways, up and down at the spur of the moment.
3) It has been known to travel across continents
4) It has 30,000 lenses in each of the 2 hemisphere eyes that it has
5) It is born as a larva (sort of a worm), undergoes metamorphosis during which it first becomes liquid before its cells magically realign into a beautiful dragonfly.
6) Their legs are for catching insects in mid-flight and for holding on to females as they copulate in mid-air (kama sutra surely does not have this position in its books!)

Scientists considers the dragonfly the ultimate flying machine. One wonders if its design is so wonderful, should there not be a wonderful designer?

Set Your Heart and Your Mind on Higher Things

The title of my blog comes from a passage in the bible which says

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

I think technology is really cool. Here am I, nearly reaching 40, finding it actually fun to publish a blog about my experiences and comments about life!

All thanks to Al Gore for inventing the internet (hee...hee...)