Small steps

Summer is too short a season for us.   So we marvel each warm day, knowing that in the coming months it will be cold season.   

As for myself, I have enrolled in another certification program by end of the year.  I don't want to make excuses that I don't have time for personal study or for being contented where I am, career wise.   Small steps but hopefully in the long run it will pay off when an opportunity comes along.   In the meantime, I keep myself busy with writing poetry and prose.   Who knows someday, I may write or publish a book.  Small steps, big dreams.   

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend ~

quote credit:   http://bitsotruth.blogspot.com/2011/07/01628.html

Royal Wedding: Perfect love

I have watched the videos of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton countless times.   Yes, I even woke up early to watch the telecast live.   I admit I am an eternal romantic, and even got teary eyed when they said their solemn vows.  Whenever I hear those vows, it always reminds me of the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.  The couple has  been together for many years, even living together as modern couples now do. But in that beautiful ceremony, their union as husband and wife was officially blessed by the church, and by society.

You would think that with the challenges of remaining happily married in the public eye, that famous people like Prince William and Kate Middleton, including celebrities, will not get married.   With the alarming high rates of divorce and separations, some people balked at the idea of formally tying the knot with their loved one.   The popularity of marriage has certainly gone down in the recent years with many couples opting for living together, rather than marriage.  In Canada, this arrangement is made easier because the significant other is given the same rights and benefits, as that of a spouse.

So why were there a lot of optimism and hope for this beautiful young couple as millions of people around the world watched the ceremony?   Because they represent to us the "perfect wedding" - that moment in time where we all dream of falling in love with the Prince and living happily after.   Perhaps time will tell if this marriage will last or not.

But on this special day,  "Will and Kate" embodies our eternal hope that there is love, and it is perfect.

You can do better than that

You realize how important or talented you are, when someone who has been working and guiding you, tells you straight in the face,

"You can do better than that."

These words were not uttered to me but to my 12 year old daughter from her piano teacher.   She has been teaching piano to my daughter for the last 3 years and is instrumental to my child's development.   I can understand the teacher's frustration with her as 45 minutes of guidance a week is not enough to maximize my daughter's talent.     She needed to practice 30 minutes in the piano every day, because daily regimen is part of the discipline.   My daughter is lazy to play the piano everyday as playing outside or chatting with her friends are more fun.   No amount of my nagging her to practice worked.  If she really wants this, it has to come from within her, and not because of us.

As a matter of fact, my nagging to my husband to quit smoking didn't work too.  But he quit smoking, cold turkey 2 months ago.   The reason - it was getting expensive to maintain it.   When he calculated how much he was spending (the taxes in Canada are really high) on the cancer sticks, he decided he will quit.   Given the tight budget that we have, it made sense not to waste our money on this item.  He quit because he wanted to.

My husband talked to my daughter about the necessity of playing the piano on a regular basis like after coming home from school.   He said that she is very talented and has a gift which no one in our family has.   He was very forthright with her:  to not use or waste the talent is like throwing away a gift someone has given you during your birthday party.   That if she really believes that she has the talent, then by all means use all the opportunity and time to hone it and develop it 100x times.  If your teacher believes in you, then believe in yourself.

"You are better than this. "

My daughter kept quiet for while and told us, "I am going to practice everyday now."  I want to believe that because she wants to,  she will do it.

Has there been someone in your life who believed in you and what you can be?

Picture credit:   http://musicalmelody.tumblr.com/

Pulling Together

Today, our department had good news - our team hit our sales goal as of 4:00 pm.   When the manager shared with us the news, we all sighed in relief and shook hands as we celebrated yet another down to the wire finish.   Our top boss said he will treat everyone for lunch next week - yippee!  It feels great to be part of the winning team.

The past few days have been crazy as all of us push our sales cases, and had it issued.   Everyone in the department, sales and admin personnel, work together as if it was the last quarter end of the year.   It is amazing how the people in the team all pitch in and did their part, however small the cases.   Because all in all, when the numbers are added together, it all adds up to a total amount that we want to hit for the first quarter of the year.

This is beautiful video from Simple Truths on Pulling Together.


Simple Truths - We Hope You Enjoyed the movie!.

It reminds me that it takes a team of dedicated people, not just one person, to make it possible to reach a common goal. Communication, teamwork and daily accounting of where we are at, versus our goal, enabled our team to make it to the finish line.

So how did your  Friday end? Hope everyone has a good weekend~

picture credit: toinspireyou.tumblr.com

Keeping the trust

Take care of the trust given to you


by your child, your spouse, your friend or your neighbor.


Honor your commitments and promises, even if it is the last thing you need to do at the end of the long day.


Affirm their faith in you by looking out for their welfare,  as if they are yours.


Hold it in your hands like it is a precious gem or glass.


Because once it is shattered by doubts, dishonesty or lies,


it is hard to gain it back.  




gif credit: http://cristania.tumblr.com/post/3823928897

On Communication: Let's chat~

I was attending a party with friends when I noticed two young teens seated beside each other.

You would think they would be talking to each other.   Well the adults were.  

The teens were looking and playing with their phones, and their gadgets.

I was thinking - what happened to old fashioned talking ???  

Is face to face conversation a losing art among the young people, and maybe the not so young, with the prevalence of modern communication gadgets? 

Ironically, the modern communication tools were created in the first place to bridge the distance and time when personal face to face communication is not possible.   The phones,internet and other tools are secondary communication devices.    No matter how convenient it is, nothing  can still replace the personal touch and response that comes with having a face to face conversation.  Issues and misunderstandings are resolved and worked out during face to face encounters.   Emails, texts do not.

So, let's chat.    

~ We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. ~ Epictetus

Photo credit:   Nikos Zacharoulis

http://www.nikzach.gr/p/20

The secret of great relationships

What one simple thing can you do to make a big difference in your relationships?

There is a story of a married woman who was very frustrated about her relationship with her husband.  She felt that the husband was not helping her in the home, was unresponsive to her conversations, and generally found fault with everything that he did.


The marriage counselor told her to try one thing:   To thank the husband for something that he did for the day, and not to expect any response from him.   So, she went home and tried to notice one good thing  that her husband did.   Sure enough, she noticed that he bought some groceries home.   She said, "Thank you for buying these items today".    The next day, she said, "Thank you for preparing my coffee."   She did this for the next few days, saying thanks to her husband for a chore or a deed, and not expecting anything in return.


The husband was at first surprised about the change of behavior but noticed increasingly that she was thanking him, more than once a day.   After a few weeks,   he said to her one day,  "Thanks for the supper - it was good."    From this time on, he started thanking her for the little things that she did.


When the marriage counselor checked with the woman after a few weeks, the woman said that their relationship was going great and that she was lucky to have a caring and thoughtful husband.


So what changed?


Just one simple word but it worked wonders ~

Here is a wonderful video about the secret of great relationships:  
The 100/0 Principle from Simple Truths:

Simple Truths - We Hope You Enjoyed the movie!

Thank you to everyone who visits my blog!

Photo credit:  happythings.tumblr

Happy Family Day !

What entails your "family day" ?

In Canada, we are celebrating Family Day on Monday, Feb.21, 2011.

Though this is a nice excuse to have another holiday and have a long weekend, spending time with the family is a good break from work and school schedules.    The "family time" may be as simple as reading the book together or sharing the meal together as everyone is home, or going for a vacation.

Whatever is your type of "family day", enjoy the time with your loved ones specially when the children are young.   Children may not always remember their toys or clothes or room or the places they have been or their friends during their childhood years.

But they always remember the happy times spent with their family.

Family Day is observed in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan on the third Monday of February. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities.

~ HAPPY FAMILY DAY EVERYONE ~

Picture credit:  happythings.tumblr