Piano Stairs

One of my staff sent me this video clip...a great example of Fun Theory......

The Monkey and the Fish

I went for a seminar last month and one of the speakers was Dave Gibbons. He was really interesting to listen to as he talked about the third culture church. During the break I bought his book called "The Monkey and the Fish".

My other half just reminded me that I haven't been blogging for a while. I am having a blogger's mental block! Today I found this book in my cupboard and was browsing through the book. The book is based on an Eastern Parable. Suddenly I thought I could blog a review of this book as I read it..(I'm a slow reader...so if you are really interested, better buy the book yourself!)

"A typhoon stranded a monkey on an island. In a protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed to the monkey that the fish was struggling and needed assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.

A tree leaned precariously over the spot where the fish seemed to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on a limb, reached down, and snatched the fish from the waters. Scurrying back to safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments, the fish showed excitement but soon settled into peaceful rest."

Translation? The fish died!
Relevance to the 21st Century church? Everything!

....that was the beginning of the Preface...pg 17 out of 218 pages.

Be Happy With Your Job

If you don't like your job, just be glad that....

You are not an electrician in China

or a plumber in Hungary

or a delivery service employee in Asia

or a deodorant tester in Germany

or a zoo keeper in America

or a Horse Whisperer in England

or a Ditch Digger in Poland

or imagine a job as mobile toilets

Just be thankful for your job! and get back to work!

Surviving The Storms of Stress

This morning, as I stepped into my office I already felt tired. I wasn't looking forward to the two Raya gatherings that I had to attend, one of which was my own office and a dozens of things to do before the SEMS (Safety Excellence Management System) audit next week... Read my comments on Auditors

Immediately at 8am, I already dragged my executive for my walkabout. I wasn't pleased with what I saw on my walkabout. So many things to do and yet so little time! I came back to the office and was just telling God to help me feel motivated and look at things from a different angle.

As usual like most of my office functions, I had to say a few words....something I hate to do but my staff always feels its important for the boss to speak.

That gave me some time to reflect back at the year and really felt it was a great opportunity to thank my staff for efforts they put in through all the university's initiatives and continue to encourage them to carry on for the new year ahead.

The office Raya celebration was great....looking at the staff taking photos together reminded me that the bond they shared with one another.

Having the VC and my new boss come was an added pleasure to the event.

Then it was another two meetings in the afternoon. This is one meeting where I walked in and found the chairman has an emergency and I had to chair the meeting. At six, I decided to head home for the church cell meeting

In the cell group tonight, we were discussing about surviving the storms of stress. We learnt that coping with stress isn't enough. It was like I was treading water but never getting to shore. I guess that what it means by coping. All this while I was trying to keep my head above water which left me vulnerable to big waves coming along.

Then the big reminder came! Romans 8:37 " In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

If we can be "more than conquerors" in the stresses of life, why should we settle for coping?

It's great to be reassured that "for He Himself (Jesus Christ) is our peace".

Knowing that Jesus is our peace, I can sleep soundly and leave the auditors to God because "Nothing is Too Big For God to Handle"

Embracing Imperfections

A story by a girl.

"When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then.

And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad.

I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: 'Baby, I love burned toast.'

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if He really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, 'Debbie, your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!'

You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook.'

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of GOD.

Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship in fact - as understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!! "

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket but into your own." See through God's eyes and feel through God's heart And you will appreciate the value of every soul including yourself.

Beauty of Mathematics

Here is an interesting and lovely way to look at the beauty of mathematics, and of God, the sum of all wonders.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98

123 x 8 + 3 = 987

1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876

12345 x 8 + 5 = 987 65

123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654

1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543

12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11

2 x 9 + 3 = 21

23 x 9 + 4 = 211

234 x 9 + 5 = 2111

2345 x 9 + 6 = 21111

23456 x 9 + 7 = 211111

234567 x 9 + 8 = 2111111

2345678 x 9 + 9 = 21111111

23456789 x 9 +10= 211111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn’t it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1

11 x 11 = 121

111 x 111 = 12321

1111 x 1111 = 1234321

11111 x 11111 = 123454321

111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321

11111111 x 11111111 =

123456787654321

111111111 x 111111111 =

12345678987654321

101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:
What Equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here’s a little mathematical formula that might help
Answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of
God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close,

and Attitude will get you there,

It’s the Love of God that will put you over the top!

-Author unknown

The Father of a Teenager

Legend has it that one day Peter passed by a blind man and healed him.

He later saw a demon-possessed man and set him free.

Then he saw a man crying, and asked about his problem.
The man said he was a father of a teenager.

All Peter could do was sit down and weep with him.