Izana and Ka Kha

Kyee Zuu Tong Bar Ray!!!

Of Love and Mom

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment.She cooked for students & teachers to support the family. There was this one-day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw hera hateful look and ran out.

The next day at school one of my classmates said,"EEEE, your mom only has one eye!"

I wanted to bury myself.I also wanted my mom to just disappear.

I confronted her that day and said, " If you're only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don't you just die?"

My mom did not respond...I didn't even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings. I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her.So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study.

Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts.

Then one day, my mother came to visit me. She hadn't seen me in years and she didn't even meet her grandchildren.When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, "How dare you come to my house and scare mychildren!GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!"

And to this, my mother quietly answered, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared out of sight.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came tomy house.So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity. My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear.

They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.
"My dearest son, I think of you all the time. I'm sorry that I came to your house and scared your children. I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion.But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I'm sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up. You see........when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.
With all my love to you,
Your mother.

Note: I got this page from an email of one of my friends and since this page touch my heart; just share it with you, too. Have a good day!

Picture: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8u60VH6c7tg/RuMndQ57McI/AAAAAAAAABo/KAQmwUwQvzw/s1600/i+love+you+mom.bmp

Do we really really love the TRUTH and HONESTY?

If I ask ‘do you love honesty and truth,’ your answer will be ‘of cause.’ If you ask me, my answer will be the same, just like you do. Actually, we all love ‘truth’ and ‘honesty.’ However, our human beings have something that we all are really doing beyond those natural standards, which is between ‘honesty’ and ‘dishonesty,’ between ‘true’ and ‘fake.’

I would like to show you a few examples about it as below.

LESSON I.

According to dictionary, ‘euphemism’ means – a polite word or expression that you use instead of a more direct one, in order to avoid shocking or upsetting. In other words, it is substitution of a pleasant expression for an unpleasant or offensive one.

I have questions about our usage of euphemism and a few other more. Please feel free to answer these questions and it is just for fun by yourself:

(1) Do you feel “euphemism” is honesty?
(2) Who are mostly using euphemism; children or adults? Uneducated people or educated people? According to the result, what does that mean?
(3) How many times did you say already; “I love it! That’s wonderful!” for things you don’t really like and actually, you feel it is not that good?
(4) Does “politeness” create “dishonesty” in your heart?
(5) If you speak as you really wish or you exactly feel on everything in your daily life, what do you think how will it be in our society? Will it work?

LESSON II.

We all have experience about losing our friends, family members, and beloved ones in our lives. I am also sure that you have seen people with broken hearts because of parting from his or her love.
How many times did you feel that you were very sad for those real people and events around you?
How many times did you cry?
Are they ‘real’ or ‘fake’?

Alright. Let us turn another page.
You have watched movies, actions, humors, dramas, etc, right?
When you watched dynamic, dramatic, artful and powerful movies, such as for the climax of Titanic with Celine Dion’s ‘My heart will go on,’ how did you feel and what was your reaction?
Were you very sad?
Did you cry?
Are they ‘real’ or ‘fake’?
So, where is your role for likeness of between ‘Honesty’ and ‘Dishonesty,’ ‘Real’ and ‘Fake’?
The final question is – Do humans really really love the ‘Truth’ and ‘Honesty’?
Have Fun!


Picture: http://members.aol.com/okkep/truth.gif

Interesting Q&As with Garry Kasparov

Q: Using chess terms, describe your current political situation.

A: Chess probably is not the best comparison, because in chess we are all playing by the rules. This regime refused to play by the rules for many years. The only good sign lately was that they had to make one legal move, which is to decide Putin's future, and this is the move that you cannot take back. [By law, Putin could not continue in his post and chose bureaucrat Dmitry Medvedev as his successor.] Putin was not ready to break up with the Constitution, because he has been paying attention to the Western reaction, and all the money of the ruling elite is in the West. No matter what you say and what you put on paper, it's real life, and if you put anybody in your position, this stooge, this nobody, becomes a big man. The chair makes you big. I mean, who was Putin eight years ago? Nobody. But the chair creates an aura of invincibility. His move creates a new situation, which might offer certain promising terms for us. Being chess-y about it, for more than a year we were playing with the threat of being mated in one, and managing to survive. We're still at the board. The game is not over. We think that in 2008 we can start thinking, not one move ahead but two moves ahead, we can have a luxury, because the regime shows a lot of cracks. If you travel around Russia, not staying in the center of Moscow only, you can definitely sense that things are not looking good.

Q: In your book you suggest that chess can apply to real-life situations, notably business. But chess is a zero-sum game, and in business people seek win-win situations.

A: Any comparison is limited. But I think in chess, and in the book I used it to analyze the nature of the decision making. And I think that process is very similar, no matter what we're doing.

Q: Your chess game was famously aggressive, but is constant aggression appropriate in business?

A: I think the aggressive approach offers you more options because you are more mobile. Time dictates that you be more mobile, and being more mobile means you are more aggressive. Defense in war today is obsolete, and it's the same in business, because you have to be very dynamic by shifting resources and coming up with new ideas. Things are changing so rapidly that trying to sit and capitalize on some of your advantages might be lethal.

Q: You also urge people to act on intuition.

A: That was one of my greatest advantages at the chessboard. My intuition was wrong very few times. You have to rely on your intuition. It's like a muscle; you must use it. In fact, we are not doing it all the time. I believe that people, especially now when there is so much information available, are trying to find a very scientific way of resolving problems. But because everybody has access to this kind of information, you have to rely on your personal instincts rather than on information available to everybody on the Internet.

Q: In adjusting to life post-chess, what was the one thing you had to unlearn?
A: I took from chess my ability to analyze the decision-making pattern, and now I understand that I'm not in a very comfortable position of calling the shots. My chess style was very aggressive, but now I have to play to try to bite my opponent rather than to smash him. But it's not very difficult—I wouldn't have stayed on top for 20 years if I didn't learn [how to be objective] when I played chess.

Note: Garry Kasparov was the World Chess Champion for 22 years and Presidential Candidate for 2008 election of Russia.

Source: Newsweek Magazine (February 25, 2008)

Picture:
http://www.chess-theory.com/images/garry_kimovich_kasparov_280360.jpg

Yesterday, I won a battle!

Yesterday, when I came back from my sister-in-law’s house, I found something that made me appreciation by myself.

I was driving. There was a car in front of me, which was driven extremely slowly, less than 10 miles per hour on the road of speed limit 30 miles per hour. And yet, sometimes, it was looked - almost going to stop on the road. I was really short-tempered with the driver of that car. Nevertheless, as soon as I realize that I was in angriness, the bad feeling has reduced and I was thinking – that driver also could not mean to drive that much slowly. Something might be being happened with driver or with someone who was in the car. I noticed that two people were in the car; a driver and another one in the passenger’s sit and I guessed they were discussing about something, too, because I saw the person who was sitting in the passenger’s sit often turned his face to the driver’s. Whatever, I gave an understanding with them or with that driver. I was also slowly driving just like they did.

The driver from a car at back of me was angry and giving the horns seriously. I could do nothing without the car in front of me drove fast. Though it was no-passing zone, the driver of car, back of me tried to pass both of my car and that slow-drive car. As soon as he was going to pass my car, unexpectedly and without any indication, the front (slowly driving) car turned left and drove into a building at the left side. The two cars were almost hit.

I drove my car under the speed limit and got back home safely.
I was thinking my practice that to remember by myself about my angriness worked. I won a battle by myself! I was happy.


Picture:
http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/utah/images/s/utah-climbing-trips.jpg

Quote of the Week: No Man is an Island!

“The questions are necessary but insufficient. They reflect our helplessness. They are tacitly about placing blame, about distancing ourselves from the moment, about preventing the unpreventable.
The answers, no matter how insightful, cannot begin to heal a community’s loss.
That is now NIU’s tragic burden. That is our burden, too.”

Source: Editorial of Chicago Tribune (February 15, 2008)

Note: 5 students dead and 16 others injured in 3 p.m. attack at Northern Illinois University on February 14 (Valentine day), 2008. They all are in our prayers!!!

Picture: CNN

Be A Conscious Person, To Not To Be An Extremist

Since I was very young, I read the Buddha’s words and his teachings. Today, I would like to share with you about one of the Buddha’s valuable teachings.

In daily lives, we all get happiness, sadness, angriness, kindness and so on, since each of us has anger, ignorance, greed, desire etc. Often we get regret from things we already did those we should not did and also from things we did not do those we should did, in past. How can we control those feelings and patterns? How can we change those matters from negative to positive?

I am now trying to practice one of the Buddha’s basic teachings about our inner, which is to be conscious that when I am happy, try to know at once by myself that I am in happiness, when I am sad, to know at once by myself that I am in sadness, when I am angry, to know at once by myself that I am in angriness, when I am greedy, to know at once by myself that I am in greediness, when I am loving, to know at once by myself that I am falling in love. That way helps me a lot, especially when I am taking care of my kids. I am often short tempered and angry with the kids. After I practice to be a conscious person, I feel I am going by the right path. Since I remember to remind by myself about my feelings, it helps me to avoid to not to be an extremist with those angers, ignorance, desires and greed.

The Buddha also teaches ‘to choose to go by the middle path.’ He said that middle path is the right and the most appropriate way, which makes us to not to be extremists for any happiness or sadness or angriness or greediness or any kind or any mean of feeling in our lives. However, we all also know that we, ordinary people have deep problem with governing those feelings, actions and reactions, but I would like to kindly suggest you to practice to be conscious persons more and more in your daily lives.

All of our feelings, actions and reactions come from our inside, which are based upon what we feel, what we see, what we hear, what we smell, what we taste, what we think and what we believe. To govern by ourselves, to avoid being extremists, let us practice to be conscious persons.

When you are happy, please try to know at once by yourself that you are in happiness.

When you are sad, please try to know at once by yourself that you are in sadness.

When you are angry, please try to remind at once by yourself that you are in angriness.

When you are greedy, please try to know at once by yourself that you are in greediness.

When you love, please try to know at once by yourself that you are falling in love. The Buddha said that to try to know every single feeling, every single emotion, every single touch of us, such as when we are tired, when we are hungry, when we are sleepy, when we are hurt, etc.

I believe when you are successful to be aware with them, you will be more and more happy person.

Be a conscious person, avoid being an extremist. Don’t let us allow to lose by ourselves.

Opinions are warmly welcome. Thank you very much and have a good day!

Picture: http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com/images/conscious-mind.jpg

Our LTA Class and Covey’s LTD

The program that I am studying in college is called LTA; Library Technical Assistant. In this semester, I am taking ‘readers’ advisory’ and ‘library workplace skill’ classes of that program.

Our textbook in ‘library workplace skill’ class is ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ written by Stephen R. Covey. This is an excellent book and I will write what I learn from this book and my opinion on this book, later. Here, what I am going to write is Covey’s instruction – LTD.

Covey suggests us, the readers that when we read this book, to follow or practice these three steps, LTD:
(1) Learn
(2) Teach, and
(3) Do (it).

Then, I am thinking why he intently and significantly gives this advice to us. Let us see.
(1) Learn: It is simple. We have to learn, study and absorb idea, concepts and knowledge of the book. Learn!
(2) Teach: This is Covey’s very artful and strategic advice. I was a teacher in a State Middle School of Burma. I taught English, Math and History to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. A basic thing that I learned through a teacher’s experience was – ‘I needed to understand well about the subject before I entered into the classroom.’ Win-win situation is also usually occurred from the good teaching for good reason between teacher and student/s. Moreover, that idea, subject or concept is spread. I think because of those reasons (well understanding, win-win and spreading), Covey set up this advice – ‘Teach!’
(3) Do: Have you been read one of the Aesop’s fables, ‘The Wizard,’ which was about a well-known fortuneteller? One day, rich fortuneteller’s possessions were stolen. Then, a man asked him that why he did not foresee his misfortune by himself. The answer was “It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.” Often, we find that it is difficult to practice or keep going on something though we believe in that it is right and appropriate to do, especially when something concerns with big change, such as our habit, belief, etc. I think that’s why Covey urge us to ‘Do.’

Actually, not only about 7 habits those Covey conducts, but also many things in our lives suppose to be enthusiastically learned, win-winly taught and practically done.

Special thanks to guru Stephen R. Covey for his deeply thinking, writing and sharing with us, and our instrutor, Professor Linda Slusar who set up this fruitful book, 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,' to be our textbook in the class.

Thank you, too!


Picture: http://www.astrya.com/Portfolio/TeachingPic.jpg

Picture of the Week and Real Decision Maker

This is not a sense from movie. This is not also an accident. This is not computer creation.
This was real sense, which an uncle dropped his nine months old nephew from his apartment. His name was Kamil Kaplan and the boy’s name was Onur Celar. The boy was safed.
The apartment was on fire and Kamil decided to drop his nephew as he saw he could trust the eyes of police officer who was standing under the building. This was happened in Germany on last Sunday.
According to CNN news, “It was terrible. I just had to make a decision," Kamil told CNN.
Kamil is kind of real decision maker.


Source: CNN
Picture: AFP/CNN

The Most Beautiful View of the Week!

Former President John F. Kennedy said that, “My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that billions of citizens of the world are interestingly watching what America will do in coming years!


Picture: CNN