Opportunities ....

Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves
come when life seems most challenging.
- Joseph Campbell -

Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work,

so most people don't recognize them.

- Ann Landers -

There is no security on this Earth,

there is only opportunity.

- Douglas MacArthur -

Discover ...

The voyage of discovery is not seeking new landscape but in having new eyes.

- Marcel Proust -

He who never made a mistake 

never made a discovery

-  Samuel Smiles -

One does not discover new lands 

without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.

-  Andre Gide - 

Choosing to be happy ....

 Whoever is happy will make others happy, too.

- Anne Frank

When one door of happiness closes, another opens,

but often we look so long at the closed door

that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.

- Helen Keller

Angry and happy don't mix.

Flush out the angry, and the happy has a place to put down roots.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I love this ..... and still on "Fatso"

Let us not look back in anger

or forward in fear,

but around in awareness.

- James Thurber -


Curiosity takes courage.  
The most important promises are the ones you make to yourself.
Pay Attention.  Appreciate.  Listen.  Imagine.
-  Mary Anne Radmacher -


Our "Rainbows and Butterflies" are the small miracles of our life -
the little things that are so easy to overlook,
yet so awe inspiring when we take a moment to notice and to pay attention
Give thanks for the rainbows, for the butterflies,
for all God's creatures - large and small,
for the bright blue sky and the soft fog and the gentle rain,
for the tree veiled in the season's first frost,
for the baby's laugh
for the touch of a hand and the whispered "I love you".

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie -

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fatso and Adik

Fatso and Adik this morning at 6.30 am.  The normal leteran in the morning.  Adik bising pasal Fatso gesel2 badan at her bag and jilat2 her hands.  Then she said kucing kalau jilat2 kita is a way of saying thank you.  Haish!! thank you to you?  Fatso, you should thank me instead!  Fatso ni tak photogenic la.  Orang lain yang dok posing - siap talipon someOne kejut solat subuh lagi.  Ha, ha, in the absence of kakak, Fatso had no choice....being with adik hari-hari macam ni memang dia leh trauma....

Irfan, tengok gambar "Fatso" awak puas2 ok.  Wishing all a  nice and a blessed day.  

Stop to reflect .... Feeling Sorry.....

Love comes   -

to those who still hope

even though they've been disappointed,

to those who still believe

even though they've been betrayed,

to those who still love

even though they've been hurt before.

- Anonymous

Our lives are defined not by the challenges we encounter,

but by how we respond to those challenges.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today is a gift ......

With so many things in mind and I wish I could gather and pen down all these thoughts into writings.., but words fail. Nothing came out and finally I decided to just share this inspirational thought/words which I received daily in my mail.  Enjoy the long weekend and have a good rest. I will, InsyaAllah.

Sharing the journey we call Life ............

Today is your day to Spread Wing and Soar.
Fly Life on Free Wings and Sing to its Glory.
-  Jonathan Lockwood Huie -

Yesterday is history,

tomorrow is a mystery.

Today is a gift.

That is why it is called Present.

- Anonymous

Yesterday is ashes.

Tomorrow is green wood.

Only today does the fire burn brightly.

- Eskimo Saying

Capture a shadow,

dance with the wind,

stand in a rainbow,

begin at the end.

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Source:       www.DreamThisDay.com

Colours of friendship.....

Sharing this interesting piece. Found this piece on the internet some years back, and had kept it since...

Once upon a time
the colours of the world started to quarrel.
All claimed that they were the best;
the most important,
the most useful,
and the most favorite.

GREEN said :
"Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."

BLUE interrupted :
"You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."

YELLOW chucked :
"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world . The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Everytime you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."

ORANGE started to blow her trumpet :
"I am the colour of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."

RED could stand it no longer, he shouted out :
" I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I bring fire into the blood. I am willing to fight for a cause. I am the color of danger and of bravery. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the colour of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."

PURPLE rose up to his full tall height :
"I am the color of power. I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."

Finally INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination :
"Think of me. I am the colour of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for inner peace."

So the colours went on boasting,
each convinced of his or her own superiority.
Their quarreling became louder and louder.
Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening.
Thunder rolled and boomed.
Rain started to pour down relentlessly.
The colours crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak :
"You foolish colours, fighting amongst yourselves,
each trying to dominate the rest!
Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose,
unique and different?
Join hands with one another and come to me."

Doing as they were told, the colours united and joined hands.

The rain continued :
"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across
the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder
that you can all live in peace.
The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow."

And so, whenever a good rain washes the world,
and a Rainbow appears in they sky,
let us remember to appreciate one another.....

Older.... wiser? Not necessarily....

The assumption that as we get older, we will get wiser, may not be true. We would carry on being just as foolish, still making plenty of mistakes. Just that we make new ones, different ones. Learning from experience, and may not be making same mistakes again, but there's always a whole set of fresh ones just lying, waiting for us to trip up and fall into... and we will. But always be forgiving - and accepting that this is all part of growing older but no wiser routine.

In our younger days, ageing seems to be something that happens to old people. That was what we thought. But no, it does happen to us all and we have no choice but to embrace it. Whatever we do, however we are, the fact is we are going to get older.

Well, look at it this way - the older we get, the more areas we've covered to make mistakes in. As long as we look back and see where we went wrong and resolve not to repeat such mistakes, there is little else we need to do. Yes, time does heal and things do get better as we get older. After all, the more mistakes we've made, the less likely that we'll come up with new ones, same ones. Remember, the best thing is that, if we get a lot of mistakes over and done with early on in life, there will be less to learn the hard way later on. And that's what youth is all about, a chance to make all the mistakes we can and get them out of the way.....

"Wisdom isn't about not making mistakes, but about learning to escape afterwards with dignity and sanity intact"

Happiness

Happiness....

Found this article which I had compiled and kept couple of years back. It's on our journey to happiness, the life's journey. The past, the present, the future, the rules of life, the personal standards - lighting up, having fun and enjoying life in pursuit of happiness. Let's just share and see if it does in any way leaves an impact on what we are searching for....

***********************************

Life's Journey

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice vacation, or when we retire. The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when???

Life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this and decide to be happy anyway. Quote from Alfred D Souza - "For a long time, it had seemed that life was about to begin - real life. but there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or debts to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

This perspective helped to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time ... and remember that time waits for no one.

So .... stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall,until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until you die or until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Thought for the day :
Work like you don't need money
Love like you've never been hurt
And dance like no one's watching

************************************"O' Allah, grant us health and well-being always, in this world and in the Hereafter."

"O' Allah, we ask you with the best of what your Messenger Muhammad asked, and we seek refuge in You from the worst of that which your Messenger Muhammad sought refuge from."

"O' allah, we seek refuge in You from anxiety and grief; we seek refuge in You from incapability and laziness; we seek refuge in You from incapability and laziness; we seek refuge in You from miserliness and cowardliness; we seek refuge in You from the burden of debt and from the subjugation of man."

Ameen...

Bad attitude ... flush it & move on...

Sharing this interesting articles. It applies to me, though... arghhhhh!!

Ever Feel Like Your Elevator Is Stuck Between Floors?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Richard Vegas

What do you do when you make a big mistake? When you fail? When you suffer defeat? When everything just goes wrong? When serious misunderstandings develop with others? When it appears like there is no way out? When solutions to your problems just seem impossible?

A Familiar Location; The Bottomless Pit!

What do you do; do you do nothing and allow the circumstances to push you around? Do you blow your stack? Do you bite the hand that feeds you? Do you become fearful and run away? Do you get your knickers all in a twist? Do you ever feel like your elevator is just stuck between floors?

Or, do you grab the bull by the horns and flatten him like a pancake? Do you turn bad circumstances into advantages just for the sheer joy of it? Do you look at every problem with faith and optimism knowing that positive results can and will be found?

Time To Grind It Out!

Well, I tell you this; if you are the kind of person that always looks for that kind of satisfaction, then you are busier than a one legged man in a bu** kicking contest. But, you knew that quite well.:>)

Here's the reason; that kind of satisfaction only comes from a "seize the bull by the horns attitude." And, that kind of mental attitude doesn't come just from lying around like a fat dog out in the sunshine. An attitude that brings satisfaction is a day by day process to renew the mind to accept and believe that you are a winner. Ah. . . not a wiener.

I'm going to tell you how your attitude is developed and how to change it; because only your attitude will stick your elevator between floors. Attitudes, whether positive or negative, are developed through self suggestion, and auto suggestion. We talk to ourselves and this forms the attitudes that we embrace.

These attitudes can be very stubborn about changing, whether positive or negative. Attitudes are almost like personalities that think they have rights and eternal privileges. And the moment you go trying to deprive them, you will start an enormous inner conflict that can create emotions you didn't even know you had.

Better Eat Those Words!

Of course, I'm just making analogies but you get the point. Attitudes can only be formed, fed, and nurtured by suggestions in our minds and words that come out of our mouth. So many times we have damaging thoughts that become suggestions and, then recite damaging words, and at the moment, we don't even realize the damage being done.

That's because the damage is done subtly and very gradually with very little observation on our part. If we were fully aware of the long term affects of what was happening, we obviously, would not give free rein to such a tantalizing bottomless pit.

If someone, such as me, should bring up the idea to you that maybe you should be cautious about the words you're saying and thoughts your thinking, most people would look at me like a toad frog batting his eyeballs in a hail storm. I've done it before and it happens too frequently.

Dumber Than Homemade Dirt!

These people have the hardest time understanding how something as simple as words and suggestions could determine their destiny; because they think in terms of results and circumstances. They think in terms of where they are right now and for the life of them they can't understand how changing an attitude could get their elevator moving again.

Remember this. It was your attitude that stuck your elevator and it will be your attitude that gets it moving again. But, a stuck elevator attitude will not help our circumstances to change and, it will not allow us to see the real reason why our elevator is stuck. All we will do is duck the question.

A stuck elevator attitude will resist feeble attempts to change; because it has too. It has been programmed with it's beliefs and conclusions through many years of suggestions and words, of the wrong kind, and it's not going to let some one time half hearted effort undo all the crud it holds to be true. It'll just make you think you never were the sharpest tool in the shed anyway.

Last But Not Least!

Our attitudes are us. But, they can be changed. In fact, in some instances that we find ourselves in, they are the only thing we can change. And, we always have the power to choose the attitude we will exhibit, but not always easy.

To display an attitude, that is not part of our everyday lifestyle causes a certain amount of discomfort. It's strange, it doesn't feel right, and that's where the resistance comes from. It is much easier to go with the flow and continue paddling down the same ole dirty creek of familiar areas.

But, there comes a time when that stuck elevator attitude is recognized for what it is and we decide to change it. Now comes the fun. No big secret here. We can fix our attitude with the same tools that we fouled the thing up: Suggestions and words. I have proven through many coaching sessions with students that any person can dramatically change any attitude in 30 days with some simple techniques.

I don't care how ingrained or how long the beliefs have been whatever they are. You can change them with 30 days of determination and willingness. If you are willing and faithful, you will succeed. Here is your exercise.

You can do this mentally or audibly; I do both. Remember, words and suggestions that we make to ourselves, is what forms our attitudes. Say this audibly when you can and mentally if you can't. I Feel Healthy, I Feel Wealthy, I Feel Terrific!

Put emphasis on each of the key words in the phrases. Do this for 30 days and you will notice a remarkable change in your happiness, your joy, and peace of mind.

Stronger Than A Garlic Milkshake!

If you're doing this mentally, close your eyes and see each of the words entering your mind and flowing down through your body. The amazing thing about this, if you're doing it the way I suggest, you will feel electricity going through your body when you get to the word "Terrific"!

Here's what is happening. Your subconscious is being reprogrammed and attitudes are being changed. Believe me; our minds have an unquenchable thirst and hunger for that word "Terrific" If you have never told yourself, on a regular basis, that you are terrific you are missing one of the most amazing transformations that can take place inside your mind.

Stick To It Like Glue!

Caution: Don't do this ten times and then expect to come busting out of a phone booth with a superman cape on. If you expect that you're just going to be spitting in the wind.

You have spent years feeding your attitude with crud and just saying this ten times and stopping is not going to reverse your polarity. But, with determination and willingness, you will completely change your can't do attitude in thirty days. And then, the new attitude will become a lifestyle.

Richard Vegas ©

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. - - Melody Beattie

Yes, talk about gratitude. Grateful to Allah for all favours upon us and how they surround us from above, from below and indeed, from every direction. Never ignore what life has to offer. We hold the key to happiness and many blessings, with Allah's will. Always contemplate and be grateful.

Personally, for me, I just wish for another blessed day. For I was down with flu and fever yesterday. It must be the weather, but alhamdulillah, back on my feet today. Had to be at work. Need to clear lots of things. Received sms from my dear sister who is in Mecca performing haj last night. Hopefully semua berjalan lancar dan segala ibadah dipermudahkan Allah. All our prayers for you, dear.

Got to get back to work.....

"And if you would count the graces of Allah, never could you be able to count them." (Quran 14:34)

UNTUK RENUNGAN.....

"KADANG-KALA ALLAH SEMBUNYIKAN MATAHARI.  DIA DATANGKAN PETIR DAN KILAT. 

KITA MENANGIS DAN TERTANYA-TANYA KE MANA HILANGNYA MATAHARI.

RUPA-RUPANYA ALLAH HENDAK MEMBERI KITA PELANGI"

"Dan Allah mencintai orang-orang yang sabar"

(Ali Imran: 146)