The Wish-Granting Tree

I remember attending a Seminar in Cebu Normal University with Mr. J. F. Kong, CEO of  Company B, he mentioned that people worry too much and and the truth is more than 90% of those worries don't actually happen. Sometimes, I worry even if there's nothing to worry about. I think the worst scenario even if I got the best. I know that worrying doesn't help and it will only decrease the value of something good. I hope I can totally eliminate worries and live a worry-free day. My former British Boss, late Richard Woodhead used to tell me, when you want something remember PMA (Positive Mental Attitude). He was the perfect example of a person who has PMA all the time. He appeared  to be so confident and happy. He always encouraged us and even see the best in us without knowing that he only had few months to live since he had a terminal skin cancer. Richard, you're part of what I am today, thank you so much. Every time I hear, "My Heart Will Go On", I always remember him, since this is his favorite song, he sang this during our farewell party when he went back to the UK. I thought that he was moving his family there for good...

Enjoy the story of the Wish-Granting Tree.

By: Christian Godefroy
(Source: Email from Saires )

This is Randy, my colleague with Saires, my friend in Dubai.

         There was once a weary traveler who sat down to rest in the shade

 of a tree.  He did not know that the tree he rested upon was a

 magic tree.  It is called  " The Wish-Granting Tree."

       Seated on the hard ground, he thought how pleasant it would

 be if he can sleep in a soft bed.  Instantly, a bed appeared before

 him. Astonished, the man immediately climbed onto the bed.  Then,

 he thought that it would be nice if there would be a beautiful

 young girl

 beside him who would massage his sore legs.  At that moment, a

 young girl appeared before him and began massaging him.

       "I'm so hungry," the man said to himself. "Having something

 to eat now would be a great pleasure." Instantly, a table appeared

 with delicious foods.

       The man rejoiced and began eating and drinking to his heart's

 content. His head spun a little and his eyelids grew heavy as

 the wine took effect. He stretched himself and was thinking about

 the wonderful events that took place on that extraordinary

 day.

       "I'll sleep for an hour or two," he thought. "The worst that

 could happen would be if a tiger wandered by while I'm asleep."

 Instantly a tiger appeared and devoured the poor man.

       You have a magic tree inside you, waiting to grant your wishes.

 But be careful! The same tree can also make your negative thoughts

 and fears come true. At the very least it will be influenced by

 your negative thoughts, so that the good things you wish for do

 not happen.

    That's what worrying can do.

       I wish with all my heart that you live a life free of worry,

 negative thoughts and fear, in the shade and comfort of your

 personal Wish-Granting Tree.

What Can Friends Do During Job Interview?

Job interviews are not fun and no matter who you are or what job position you are applying for, at some point you will feel nervous since you don't know what's in the interviewer's mind.
You may need your friends' help in order to lessen the tension, just like this Pepsi commercial. I'm not promoting pepsi here.  :)  :)  :)

2010 GIST New Year's Party

These are some photos taken during our school's party to mark the end of 2009 and the end of first semester. This is an advance New Year's Party for Chinese since they will have their New Year this coming February 14th. I am never comfortable singing in front of many people, plus playing the guitar...I'm in trouble. But since they wanted some variety in their presentation not just someone standing there and singing which most of them did, then I agreed. Anyway, it's fun to strum the guitar but I got butterflies in my stomach, I think they were having fun too :)

College President, Mr. Min

Suzhou New District government official.

Administration staff

It's show time! Find me here...

HAPPY NEW YEAR CHINA! 中国新年快乐! zhōng guó xīn nián kuài lè

I am Thankful...

Source: Friend's email

I received this article from Sai, a friend who is currently working in Dubai. I like the message because it reminds me that I have no reason to complain about life, rather I have many things to be thankful for. I'm truly thankful that I am blessed with great friends and great family. I'm thankful for my boyfriend who taught me the true meaning of love. I'm also thankful for my jobs, because they keep me busy. I'm thankful for my students who don't understand me, because they teach me to be patient and to slow down. I'm thankful to be in China because it makes me understand their culture, although sometimes I am having a hard time. I'm thankful that I could NOT read and understand Chinese so I could feel how it is to be illiterate. I'm thankful for the cold winter because it makes me appreciate our never ending summer back at home.  I could go on and on and the lists will never stop. 


Here is the article, have fun reading!



I  AM THANKFUL:
FOR THE WIFE  
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,  
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH  SOMEONE ELSE.


 
FOR  THE HUSBAND
WHO  IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE  HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.  


FOR  THE TEENAGER
WHO  IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS  SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.  

FOR  THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE  IT MEANS
I AM EMPLOYED .  


FOR  THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY  
BECAUSE  IT MEANS I HAVE
BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.  

FOR  THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG  
BECAUSE  IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.  


FOR  MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK  
BECAUSE  IT MEANS
I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE  


FOR  A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED  CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING  
BECAUSE  IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME .  

FOR  ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT  
BECAUSE  IT MEANS
WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.   .  

FOR  THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE  PARKING LOT
BECAUSE  IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN  BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .  

FOR  MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE  IT MEANS
I AM WARM.

FOR  THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY   BECAUSE  IT MEANS
I CAN HEAR.  


FOR  THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING  
BECAUSE  IT MEANS
I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.  


FOR  WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY  
BECAUSE  IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN
CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.  


FOR  THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS  
BECAUSE  IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND  FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E- MAIL  
BECAUSE   IT MEANS I HAVE
FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.  
  
Live  well, Laugh often, & Love with all of your heart!  

Half Awake or Half Asleep?

I wonder if these two phrases has the same meaning with the famous philosophical line about seeing a glass of water as "Half empty or half full." They are both correct but your choice would determine how you view life in general. I wonder if I could apply this idea in my friend's situation last night. If I say that she was "half awake" when we were chatting on skype, would it make me an optimistic person? Or would I become a pessimist if I would say that she was "half asleep"? I was working with my part time job  at 2am when she was still awake doing some stuff for her classes. It is not uncommon for her to stay up until 2 or 3am and get up at 7 or 8am and start working. We were both working so we only exchanged few short messages. I was on the phone when she sent  three different words to me. First was, lddp which I thought was some acronym about computer stuff. Second was speep, which gave the idea that was she meant was  the word "sleep". Third was "speed" so I got another idea that she might have some problems with her internet connection. When I asked her what was that, she was gone, so I just said goodnight and  my mind was left  wondering what she meant in her last message. She just reviewed the message today and she thought it was funny because what she really meant was "sleep nko", which means "I'll sleep now or simply goodnight." I think this is a cute blooper from someone who is "half awake or half asleep " because I could picture her typing and one eye was closed and the other was opened so she still managed to hit the keyboard. Hehehehe but the other eye refused to opened to she didn't hit the right letters. Sometimes we force our body to stay up so late at night because we have so many things to do, but the brain sometimes doesn't cooperate.  I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day, and I wish that we didn't have to sleep like 7-8 hours to make us feel good the next day. If there is something I wish  science could do, it would be something that would ELIMINATE sleep from human system so we could fully maximize our 24 hours and we would be able to do more things before our next journey.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE sleeping, but if our body would not long for it then that would be wonderful.
Here is a copy of our chat below. Do you think that she was half awake or half asleep?

My Favorite Youtube Videos

1. Obladi Oblada Ukelele: This is a future rock star, a Japanese kid.Courtesy to FJR.

2. I'm Yours: Still the Ukelele version from the Japanese kid, I love this song. Courtesy to FJR.

3.  More Than Words: This is just awesome, by Sung Ha Jung, a Korean prodigy. He is really great but too serious, unlike the Ukelele kid. Just found in youtube when I was browsing for good acoustic songs.

4. Beijing Huan Ying Ni: I think this is the only song that I heard more than a 100 times while I am here in China, and honestly I love it because it gives me a real feeling that I am welcome here. I love those places in this video as well.

5. Saying I Love You: Sarang He yo, korean song by wondergirls. Courtesy to Jerry.

6. Azul: A Spanish song which means a lot to me for some special reason. Courtesy to FJR.

7. Because I'm a Girl by Kiss: I can say that what the video shows is true love, but I sense that there is a guilt feeling too. What he did is just too selfless. The real meaning of this song is about a girl's pain and suffering after the man she loves left her. The music video shows that the man left her for good reason. Courtesy toNoah (Network Engineering Student GIST)

8. Viva La Vida by Coldplay: I love Coldplay, the song is so meaningful. I have read from yahoo answers that the persona of the song is Jesus Christ. I dream to watch a concert of coldplay. Courtesy to Arthur (Network Engineering Student GIST)




9. Love Story by Taylor Swift: Somehow it relives the childhood feeling of believing that Fairy Tales come true.


10. The Climb by Miley Cyrus: A good song about making our dreams come true. Wow, more than 69 million hits, that's a lot! Courtesy toHanna Montana, the Movie.

2010 is Going to be Exciting!

I'm looking forward to many great things that will happen this year. I'm positive that things will be great. I still haven't decided if I am going to stay in China for another year or go back home and do a home based job. Either way, it would be just great. I feel that this year will be the best year for me. I will be turning 30 years old in a few months. Although many experts say that we should disregard numbers in order to live life to the fullest, I just can't help but feel excited about being in my 30s. I may be 30 years old but sometimes I feel like I have lived for a long time and have done many things. I'm thankful for all the years I had and for every new seconds that I breath and be with the people I love.
A happy 2010 for everyone!