Quote of the Week: Look before you leap

“Once you accept the idea of a ‘good dictatorship’ in another country, you are creating a precedent.”

Andres Oppenheimer
U.S. political columnist

Note: Andres criticized Mexico’s “dangerous romance” with Cuba.

Source: Chicago Tribune (March 14, 2008)
Picture: http://www.chgblog.com/images/andresoppenheimer.jpg

The Easiest Readers’ Advisory

Today, there were many discussions in our RA class about readers’ advisory service, nature of the job, relationship with patrons, techniques of the service and so on.
Then, I remember my former readers' advisory service with one of my patrons when I opened my own little bookshop in our village. It was not a bookshop to sell the books, but to borrow (50 Pyar per day for a book). (100 Pyar = 1 Kyat, Burmese currency).
Usually, when people come to borrow the books, they will ask about the names of books or favorite author/s or subject to borrow a book.
Nevertheless, one of regular borrowers was strange. He came to the bookshop and read hours in the shop or in some places near our house. He did not have specific or favorite list. He was also a slow reader and sometimes, he took about three days to finish a book. After he read the whole book, he could say, “I like it. I’ll borrow,” and he really borrowed it. If he did not like, he could say, “I don’t like this book. I will read another book,” and he did not borrow it. He left the book in the shop.
Therefore, to give advice for him, I only had to make the list of his favorite books those he already read the whole book and could borrow it for the second time. Then, he could take the book to home.
It was true story and piece of my experience about readers’ advisory services. Have Fun!


Picture: http://www.ssdesign.com/librarypr/download/odds_and_ends/reader.bmp

Good, Evil and Real Human Being

Today, I am reading one of the Buddha’s teaching books. It was about the discussion or Q&As between the Buddha and a king in the past lives of them before the Buddha became the Buddha.
There are many interesting discussions between the two and one of those questions is about ‘good and evil,’ which I would like to share about it with you as below.

King: Which one can be always improving between ‘good’ and ‘evil’?
The Buddha: Only the ‘good’ can be improving.
King: Why?
The Buddha: Because – the bad thing only gives you regret, bad feeling, bad result and sorrowful consequences after you did it. Therefore, people try to forget about their bad events, feelings, happenings and results in their lives. Nobody wants to be thinking, feeling and doing about it over and over again.
On the contrary, when you do the good things, you felt happiness even before you did it. While you are doing the good things, you are feeling terrific. After you do it, you are very glad again. You get sweet fruits because of your investment, which is the good seed. Hence, you get happier and happier. You are also enjoying to be thinking about it, doing about it over and over again.
That’s why, only ‘good’ can be always improving. More importantly, the best product, which the ‘good’ produces, is – giving ‘peace’ in mind and heart of the good doer.
Since you have ‘peace,’ you get the stable mind. After you have the stable mind, you can straightforwardly focus on anything you want or you need. Moreover, since you have peace, stable mind and focusing power, you also get more opportunities to wisely distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘evil.’

Then, it makes you ‘real human being!’


Picture: http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2005/060405/Erythronium%20oregonum.jpg

Why we cannot see the long past lives?

I am currently reading one of the Buddha’s teaching books, which is about the Q&As between the Buddha and a king in their past lives before the Buddha became the Buddha.
One of the questions was about ‘why we cannot see the long past lives?’ which is I am going to share it with you as below.

King: If we all have the past lives, why we cannot know about those past lives?
The Buddha: Life is just like the circle. For example, from the seed, we get the tree. From the tree, we get the branches, the buds, the flowers, the fruits and the seeds. Where is the beginning? Can you tell the beginning of a tree or a seed? Life circle is the same.
King: Well, I am not clear yet. Can you give me clearer example, please?
The Buddha: Alright. Where did the hen come from?
King: From the egg.
The Buddha: Where did the egg come from?
King: From the hen.
The Buddha: Where is the beginning and where is the ending of this circle? Our life circle is the same: we are going and going again with no beginning and no ending. Many things are happening in the same ways over and over again in this circle. A line was erased by another line by another line by another line. That’s why we cannot see the past lives. Our lifelines were erased by the other our lifelines.

What do you think?


Picture: http://www.springboardmagazine.com/SpringImages/lifecycle_apple.gif

The Key to Happiness

Your ability to achieve your own happiness is the key measure of your success, of how well you are doing as a person.You learn the key to happiness that has been the same through all of history. You learn how to dispel the two myths that may be holding you back and how to achieve more happiness in everything you do.

Dedicate Yourself to Your Best Talents

The key to happiness is this: dedicate yourself to the development of your natural talents and abilities by doing what you love to do, and doing it better and better in the service of a cause that is greater than yourself.

This is a big statement and a big commitment. Being happy requires that you define your life in your own terms and then throw your whole heart into living your life to the fullest. In a way, happiness requires that you be perfectly selfish in order to develop yourself to a point where you can be unselfish for the rest of your life.

Imagine if you could become a millionaire today!

Your life would be easier and more fun. You could be taking more vacations, and spending the kind of time with your family that you really want.If you're like me you want financial success, and you want to know the secrets of how all these millionaires made their money.

Please Yourself First

In Edmond Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano is asked why he is so intensely individualistic and unconcerned with the opinions and judgments of others. He replies with these wonderful words: "I am what I am because early in life I decided that I would please at least myself in all things."

Your happiness likewise depends upon your ability to please at least yourself in all things. You can be happy only when you are living your life in the very best way possible. No one can define happiness for you. Only you know what makes you happy. Happiness is an inside job.

Your Happiness is Up to You

The biggest myth about happiness is when people say that it is not legitimate or correct for you to put your happiness ahead of everyone else's. Throughout my life, I've met people who have said that it is more important to make other people happy than it is to make yourself happy. This is nonsense.

The fact is that you can't give away to anyone else what you don't have for yourself. Just as you can't give money to the poor if you don't have any, you can't make someone else happy if you yourself are miserable.

The very best way to assure the happiness of others is to be happy yourself and then to share your happiness with them. Suffering and self-sacrifice merely depress and discourage other people. If you want to make others happy, start by living the kind of life and doing the kind of things that make you happy.

Action Exercises

Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, define for yourself the activities that you really love and enjoy, at home and work, and then organize your life so you do more of them.

Second, believe in yourself and trust your own feelings. Then, please at least yourself in all things.

Third, determine what it is that you do that brings the most happiness to others and then organize your life so that you can do more of it.

Source: From Brian Tracy’s Newsletter and for more information, please visit here:
http://www.briantracy.com/

Picture: http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/CAMB/27337~Don-t-Avoid-Growth-Posters.jpg

Of Love and Rules

About twenty years ago, I have read an article, which was about a 50 years old single man, in a magazine.
According to the article, that man had a master-degree. He was a handsome man and manager of a business company. Many girls have approached him as well.
So why was he being a single man till his 50? Did not he want to get marriage?
A pressman was curious about the manager with the above questions. He found very interesting answers from the single man. The story was as below.
He had the rules about his love or spouse. He said that since he was in the college, he had exact and detail list of qualifies that his lover must have.
His girlfriend must have -
- Height – at least 5 ft and 2 inches
- Education – at least, finished high school
- Neatness and cleanness
- Love to have children
- Love to saving money / income
- No smoke
- No drink, and so on.

Then, the pressperson asked him if he has found the dreamed partner or not. He said that he did found few girls who had exact qualities those he needed. So how was going on? Did not he approach those girls? He did approach them, too. So, what? Unfortunately and coincidently, those girls also had their own rules about the guy who will be their boyfriends, and their rules did not fit with him. He was rejected.

What a pity! I have a couple of questions here on this story. Do you think we should have that much exact principles and needs for our lovers? Do you think the manager’s love will be true love from heart or facts from his head? I guess - probably, through his work experience that to interview the new applicants for company; he set those principles up for his lover, too.

Any way, how about you, my reader? Are you a single?
Do you also have your own fixed rules for your partner?
Did you find someone who fit with your needs? Good Luck!


Picture:
http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/80/71/6h/www.ftd.com/pics/products/F934_c.jpg
http://www.chesskids.com/kids/rules1.gif

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