A grateful heart

A blessed beautiful day to everyone ~

quote source:   http://bitsotruth.blogspot.com/2011/08/01810.html

Start today

Life is so precious. 

 Some days you want to go back in time and relive all the beautiful moments. 

Or even redo some missteps. But the challenges make us stronger and a better person. 

 Start today; its another day.

Have a wonderful weekend ~

quote credit:   http://bitsotruth.blogspot.com/2011/07/01686.html

Smile ~

Hope everyone has a good weekend !

Quote credit: bitsotruth.blogspot.

What would you do?

I would fly the plane and see the world.

I would dive and explore the water world.     

I would write and publish a book.

I would paint and draw.

quote credit:   http://bitsotruth.blogspot.com/2011/06/01542.html

Happy Raining

Spread a little happiness today! 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone ~

picture credit:     http://www.flickr.com/photos/laserbread/5786630257/

Polished

I want to be like a diamond in the end

shiny and polished!

Happy Summer~

Quote credit:   http://bitsotruth.blogspot.com/2011/06/01503.html

Go with your heart

We visited our friends yesterday and had a wonderful time walking in their new town (the weather was cool) while catching up with news and updates.   Both our families have migrated to Canada and had our own share of challenges while taking care of our children.   We agreed that the future belongs to our sons and daughters.   We, as parents and older professionals, will just have to make the best of our lot, and move forward.

My musing after our visit:

Your choices and decisions determine your path in life.  Be brave to spread your wings and see what lies ahead and beyond.  It doesn't matter if you eventually discovered it is not for you.   At least now you know better.    Don't regret your decisions because you are always a better person and a stronger individual in making a firm stand.   For me, what is pitiful is for someone to go through life, with half their eyes closed, afraid and fearful of the unknown and never experiencing nor having their heart touched by deep passions or emotions.   Live life to the fullest.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." -Confucius

Picture credit: http://www.pyranha.ch/index.php?showimage=28

You become what you think!

"The mind is everything; what you think, you become."
  Quote by: Gautama Buddha

picture credit:   toinspireyoutumblr.com

Love is spelled T-I-M-E

It is spring break and the snow outside has melted.


At this time, spending time with our children and loved ones


are blessings we are thankful for.   Whether it is biking, walking,


baking or watching movies together,  we are creating and stamping


our "memories" with them.


Specially to a child, time spent with him or her is L-O-V-E.


Here is beautiful video from Simple Truths - To a child, Love is spelled T-I-M-E.


Simple Truths - We Hope You Enjoyed the movie!.

Photo credit:

http://photo.rodrigogomez.com.mx/index.php?showimage=507

Young at heart

If 

you want to be 

 young at heart,

then

LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE.

A heart that loves is always young.   

-Greek Proverb

picture credit:  happythings.tumblr

A stroke of good luck

Every week when we buy groceries, I always see a line of people buying lotto tickets in the lottery counter.    I can see their hopeful faces, young and old, milling around the counter and jotting down what is hopefully a "lucky number."   Some are already in dreamland, thinking of what to do if they hit the jackpot.... buy a big house, car, clothes, pay off the mortgage and credit cards debts, travel every year and buy more gadgets... the list does on.   The harsh reality comes the next day, when we find out that none of our numbers didn't even show up, or that someone is luckier than us.   Okay, back to reality, back to work, back to studying, and back to the work grind.  We are not lucky at all, we sigh.

Sometimes it is a blessing that we didn't get what we wished for, as pretty much some of us asked for things or events for selfish reasons.   Imagine if we give in and grant our child every toy, wish or new gadget that they want.    We will end up spoiling our child and giving him or her a self-centered and unrealistic view of life and the way they relate to other people.

I would like to think that not winning the top prize or any consolation prizes in the lottery or contest every time,  is a stroke of good luck.   Adversity, challenges, disappointments and setbacks, makes us humble, diligent, stronger and more passionate about living.  And when we do prepare, work and get the top prize or reward, it is more satisfying and meaningful because we have earned it.   Finally, Lady Luck is on our side.

"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck."  - Dalai Lama

Picture credit:   Frank Boenigk

http://www.photoschau.de/index.php?showimage=499

Life is like riding a bicycle

March is finally here! Hopefully spring is just around the corner.

In the first 2 months of this year, we had 4 people leaving our office for opportunities elsewhere. Resignations (including terminations) in our office are done very quickly. One moment, you are greeting your officemates good morning, and the next moment, they are bringing out their stuff from their work station. These changes meant reorganization, rescheduling and reshuffling the workload.

My hubby was also telling me how quickly their office environment changed. One day, their boss was telling them what to do, the next day, he was resigning, and being replaced by another one. For them, under new management, this meant reshaping their product lines, retraining and updating their marketing strategies.

The changes in our office are just a small subset of changes happening around world, even quicker than we can count from 1 to 10. Much as we love things to stay the way they are or for people to remain the the way they are, we can't control changes and decisions made by other people.

To move forward, the best we can do, is to pedal our way through the changes, rely on ourselves (not others) and keep our eyes focus on the road ahead. Some changes may knock us off our seat, and drive us off our path. But if we persevere and and make the best of our lot, we can dust off the dirt from our clothes, and get back on the road. Where will it lead us? Who knows? I think this is where the adventure starts.

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein

Photo credit: Mahbubur Rahman

http://www.mrahmanphoto.com/blog/?p=522

Where are you heading to?

As long as you know what you want, and where you want to go, it doesn't matter where you started. For some people, this may take many years as it takes a lot of courage and faith in oneself to know where you are heading to.

"It's not where you are today that counts. It's where you are headed." - Arthur F. Lenehan



Photo credit:   http://www.get-a-glimpse.com/atomPhotoBlog.php?do=show&photoId=881
by Paolo Micheli

The courage to continue

When you see a "dead end" sign,

it doesn't mean "the end" of the road.

It only means that we might have to re-evaluate, maybe adjust our plans, go back a few steps, and find another way to get there.  It might take us a little longer to reach our destination, but we will get there eventually.

''Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.'' - Winston Churchill



Picture credit:  http://www.laszlo.se/exposure/p/151

Always bring your own sunshine

We are in the middle of winter with temperature dropping below zero (C).    Sometimes the sun is out shining brightly, giving warmth to a cold and chilly day.   The weather outside is something we can't control given that we now live in Canada.   I used to live in a tropical country where there was just 2 kinds of weather, sun or rain.   My mood for the day was affected by the weather - I get grumpy when it is cold and wet, and happy when it is sunny and bright.

Now, I don't have that luxury anymore as our summer here in Canada is so short (just 3 months).   I realize that I need to have an "internal weather" in my mind, regardless of the weather conditions outside.  If not, and I let the weather and external conditions affect me, I will be grumpy person most of the time.   I know that it is not easy to be always  cheerful and upbeat  specially when you have problems in your life.  It takes a lot of effort and persistence to be cheerful and have a sunny disposition despite the challenges you have at home and at work.   But I find out that once my mind is set on having a "summer weather", that it becomes easier to share a laugh, a kind word, a helping hand and even an encouraging  remark or comment to others.

To help me have a "summer weather"  mindset, the colors in our home and in my room, are bright and warm; and in my office, I have pictures of flowers and beaches in my wall and in my computer.   If I feel grumpy and depressed, I talk to my family and friends, watch funny and light hearted movies, do my yoga or any physcial activity, or listen to upbeat songs, to shake off the "bad" mood.    And most importantly, I read a lot of stories specially inspirational  and uplifting articles to keep my thoughts focus on the good and blessed things we have in our life.

What about you?   What do you do to "bring your own sunshine"?

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." -Anthony J. D'Angelo

~ Hope everyone is having a good week~

picture credit:  happythings.tumbr