李綱:《病牛詩》

        耕犁千畝實千倉，力盡筋疲肉復傷。

        但使眾生皆得飽，不辭羸病臥殘陽。 

一頭牛耕田，耕了一輩子，讓水田長出稻子，產出米糧，使人們都能吃飽。長年累月，時時筋疲力盡，有時還不小心受傷。如今，牛老了，牛病了，牛快要死了。但是，牛無怨無悔，牠躺在老樹下，凝望遠山漸漸暗去的夕陽，等待自己的性命，就如夕陽一般，無聲無息地逝去。

就是這首《病牛詩》，千古傳頌，每讀莫不令人動容。

就是這首《病牛詩》，托物言志，以牛自況，是宋朝抗金名將李綱為國為民一生，鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已的自我寫照。 

一首讓人動容的詩，其背後，永遠站著一個讓人動容的人。

讓人動容的《病牛詩》，其背後所站著之人，就是熱血冷風，南宋抗金名將李綱其人。

Source here.

Dr. Reb's Parting Words...

There are only two ways to live: Either without thinking of death... or with the thought that you approach death with every hour of your life. (Let those you love know it, real soon now, ya hear.)

The more upset you are with other people and circumstances, and the more satisfied you are with yourself, the further you are from wisdom.

Don't compare yourself with others. Compare yourself with only perfection.

It is not the space we occupy that is important, but the direction in which we move.

When you want to escape from rage, do not walk, do not move, do not speak. Your rage cannot be justified by anything. The reason for your rage is always inside you.

Speak only when your words are better than silence. For every time you regret that you did not say something, you will regret a hundred times that you did not keep your silence.

There are two ways not to suffer from poverty. The first is to acquire more wealth. The second is to limit your requirements. The first is not always in our power. The second is.

You do not have the right to be unhappy with your life. If you are not satisfied, see this as a reason to be unsatisfied with yourself. (And for crying out loud, make a change!)

The more strictly and mercilessly you judge yourself, the more just and kind you will be in the judgement of others.

Every goal without a how, why or when, is just a wish.

Strive for goodness without any expectations for rapid or noticeable success. For the further you progress, the higher your ideal of perfection will rise. Yet it is the process itself, this striving that justifies our lives.

The greatest hunger a person is to be needed. Work to create that feeling in others.

The greatest virtue is kindness. You can't love everyone, but you can be kind to everyone. Kindness is unconquerable, so long as it is without flattery or hypocrisy. For what can be the most insolent person do to you if you continue to be kind.

Like a beautiful flower, full of colour, but without scent, are the fine but fruitless words of a person who does not act accordingly. Walk your talk!

No one cares how much you know. They want to know how much you care. (Get it, Doc?)

Only you can bring peace to yourself and triumph the principles is the path to peace. Integrity is everything.

The bad aint for good and the good aint forever. - Dr. Joe

Experience is the teacher that will introduce you to your judgement - both good and bad. Adversity is the teacher that will introduce you to yourself. - Dr. Reb

Letting Go - Fr Rob Galea

I'm standing here
Memories what could have been
Oh how I love you so
Held closer now than I could know

The thought of you would never fade
The love I had will ever grow
Till the day we made a prayer
As children love eternally

*I don't want to say goodbye
But I'm letting go
I'm letting go
Even though it's hard this time
I'm letting go
But I know that he loves you

Here I am letting go
Looking to tomorrow
My strength has been God alone
Who takes away all our sorrows

* x2

I'm letting go...
I'm letting go......
I'm letting go.........
I'm letting go............

BHS Musics~

Jonah Man Jazz
Composed and written by Michael John Hurd

Also, Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo 
... Such fond memories~

We Are Catholic.

Dance.

It's more like just a dance. Something the body remembers. It's a habit. The music plays, the body moves. It almost doesn't matter what else is happening.

A Remembering Heart

God, grant to me a heart that remembers the life in the seed that lies buried in dark night and the mystery you have revealed to me in the tapestry of my life
-- a remembering heart.

God, grant to me a heart that i faithful, as the Word is made flesh in the breaking of the bread, the call you speak to me, the song you sing in me, the desire for you, my God
-- a faithful heart.

God, grant to me a heart that is grateful, as the blind one who now sees sings in praise of your name, the gifts you give to me, the life you free in me, all the goodness you bestow
-- a grateful heart.

God, grant me a heart that truly loves, as the one who surrenders his life for his friends, that I may dare to be more true to you in the face of all who need
-- a loving heart.

Home.

What Makes a Christian Home.

It is a place of Love, Consideration, and Understanding.
It is a place where they pray for the homeless.
It is not a place where Father and Mother are always away at church meetings.
It is a place of Family Fun and Enjoyment.
It is a place where children are welcome.
It is a place of Welcome and Hospitality.
It is not just a home for the family. It is a plce where Stranger can feel at home.
It is a place where God is given thanks for all things.
It is a place where family can bring their Friends.
It is a place where parents pray for their family.
It is a place where children learn to pray.
It is not just a clean, respectable house.
It is a HOME.
A place where Jesus himself would feel at ease, a place where Jesus lives, and callers who come without doubts, fears, and sorrows will meet him. They will find Faith, Hope, and Love, Company, and Understanding.


- reflection: it doesn't have to be christian home, i think every home should be like that...

Theory of Light and Darkness

Does evil exist? Did God create evil?
The unversity professor challenged his students with this question.

"Did God create everything that exists?"
A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!"
"God created everything?", the professor asked.

"Yes, sir.", the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil."
The student became quiet before such an answer.
The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more the religious faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question, professor?"
"Of course," replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor does cold exist?"
"What kind of a question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"
The students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact, sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is suceptible to study when it has or transmit energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy.

Absolute zero (−273.15 °C) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature.
Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong, sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light.
Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colours and study the various wavelengths of each colour.
You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it.
How can you know how dark a certain space is?
You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct?
Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this, the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir. Or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart.

It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.
The young man's name -- Albert Einstein.

Perhaps it's a hoax that Albert Einstein was involved in this convo, but regardless of who the student is, it is still a good piece to read and ponder on...

Melbourne, March 2009

Click on pic for picasa album~

Sydney, April 2010

Click on pic for picasa album~

I rescued a human today.

Apparently this was written by a lady called Janine Allen


Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe
I would promise to always be by her side
I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

Your Veterinarian...

In the treatment of human beings, there are 35 medical specialists
Together they oversee human life from pre-natal procedures to palliative care.
And yet there is one practitioner who must be an:

• Anaesthetist
• Dermatiologist
• Emergency Medicine Specialist
• Obstetrician
• Neonatologist
• Gynaecologist
• Ophthalmologist
• Paediatrician
• Pathologist
• Psychiatrist
• Radiologist
• Physician
• Surgeon
• Dentist
• Public Health Specialist
• Physiotherapist
• Behaviourist
• Psychologist
• Immunologist
• Oncologist
• Preventative Medicine Specialist
• Plastic Surgeon
• Parapsychologist
• Neurologist
• Neurosurgeon
• Epidemiologist
• Cardiologist
• Dietitian
• Endocrinologist
• Geriatrician
• Lecturer/Researcher
• Urologist
• Proctologist
• Theriogenologist
• Sonologist

... all in one

This single person is responsible for the health of your pet throughout its entire life.

To you this person is your local Veterinarian,

To your pet this person is 35 doctors rolled into one… a pet’s best friend.

It's easier to be alone.

"There is a reason I said I'd be happy alone. It wasn't because I thought I would be happy alone. It was because I thought if I loved someone and then it fell apart, I might not make it. It's easier to be alone. Because what if you learn that you need love? And then you don't have it. What if you like it? And lean on it? What if you shape your life around it? And then it falls apart? Can you even survive that kind of pain? Losing love is like organ damage. It's like dying. The only difference is, death ends. This? It could go on forever..."

I'm blessed...

...with so many amazing and wonderful girls around me.

Most days I just wish I could be more like them... and if I was made up with all those beauty around me, I'd be amazing and wonderful too...

山不轉路轉，路不轉人轉，人不轉心轉

Fr. Justin Belitz.

1) There is Beauty in Everyone and Everything.
- receive all persons (including yourself) and all life situations as beautiful, exactly as they are, and share only the good you see in others
- pass on some good news about: yourself, someone you dislike, someone with whom you are angry, and someone to whom you have been unkind.

2) You Can Change Yourself, You Cannot Change Others
- become the change you want to see in others
- choose someone with whom you want to build or improve a relationship. Do to, no for them, what you would like them to to, or for you.

3) You Can Take Control of Your Life
- consciously create your own reality: set specific goals and think creatively about the future
- write one goal that you would like to achieve during the next year

4) Giving Freely is Always Joyful
- give for the pleasure of giving, not for what you get in return
- give some non-material gift to someone you love

5) It is Important for Others to Give to You
- provide opportunities for others to give
- the next time someone wants to give you something, accept graciously

6) Difficulties and Pain are Opportunities for Growth
- see problems as challenges
- write down the advantages of some difficulty or pain that you are experiencing at this time in your life

7) The Divine Plan is Perfect
- expect the best - demand nothing.
- make a list of the people who love you, and in meditation, accept them where they are, especially with all their shortcomings, faults and failings


- photo: credits to dyanna.

george strait -- love without end, amen

I got sent home from school one day with a shiner on my eye.
Fightin' was against the rules and it didn't matter why.
When dad got home I told that story just like I'd rehearsed.
And then stood there on those tremblin' knees and waited for the worst.

And he said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us."
He said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."

When I became a father in the spring of '81
There was no doubt that stubborn boy was just like my father's son.
And when I thought my patience had been tested to the end,
I took my daddy's secret and I passed it on to him.

And I said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us."
I said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."

Last night I dreamed I died and stood outside those pearly gates.
When suddenly I realized there must be some mistake.
If they know half the things I've done, they'll never let me in.
And then somewhere from the other side I heard these words again.

And They said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us.
You see Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."


--louyakis.
i almost cried.

Chocolate eaters may have healthier hearts: study

Mon, Nov 8 2010

By Alison McCook
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women who eat more chocolate are less likely to develop heart problems over a nearly 10-year-period, new study findings report.
The authors found that women older than 70 who ate chocolate at least once per week were 35 percent less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart disease over the course of the study, and nearly 60 percent less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart failure.
What's nice, study author Dr. Joshua Lewis told Reuters Health, is that women did not have to eat a ton of chocolate to see benefits.
"We would therefore caution against people eating foods with high sugar and fat regularly and believe our findings support moderate rather than frequent chocolate consumption," said Lewis, based at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Australia.
But it is probably too early to begin recommending people eat more chocolate, cautioned Dr. Brian Buijsse at the German Institute of Human Nutrition, who did not participate in the study. And even if additional large studies confirmed its benefits, doctors still may not want to prescribe chocolate, he added.
"The danger is that many people will start eating more of it than is necessary, without cutting back in calories from other snacks, which will result in weight gain and will counteract any beneficial effects of chocolate," Buijsse said.
This is not the first study to tout chocolate's potential benefits: in 2008, Italian researchers found that eating dark chocolate regularly may help lower levels of inflammation, which is strongly associated with heart and blood vessel disease.
The previous year, another study showed that foods rich in antioxidants known as flavonoids - including dark chocolate and apples and red wine -- may help shield postmenopausal women from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Flavonoids are thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in many industrialized countries, by helping to increase nitric oxide, which in turn helps boost the functioning of blood vessels and lower blood pressure.
To investigate further, the authors reviewed data collected from 1216 older women, who estimated how often they ate chocolate, and the amount. One serving consisted of the equivalent amount of cocoa in 1 cup of hot cocoa. The authors tracked the women for almost a decade, noting who was hospitalized or died from heart disease.
Roughly half of the women said they ate less than one serving of chocolate per week. Nearly 90 of those who ate chocolate rarely were hospitalized or died from heart disease during the study period, versus 65 women who ate chocolate more frequently.
Another 35 of the infrequent consumers experienced heart failure, while only 18 women who reported eating chocolate at least once per week were hospitalized or died from the same condition, the authors report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Although they grouped women who ate chocolate daily and weekly together, the authors also looked at each separately, and found that both appeared to fare equally well, suggesting that only one serving per week might suffice to get heart benefits.
The study's nature means researchers can't prove any cause-effect relationship. Given the growing body of evidence suggesting the benefits of chocolate, the next step should be a large clinical trial that vigorously tests chocolate's benefits, Lewis said in an e-mail.
Buijsse agreed that more research is needed, in part because other factors in the current study may explain its results. For instance, he said in an e-mail, elderly women with early signs of heart disease may have reduced their chocolate intake, perhaps because their doctors told them to adopt a healthy diet.
"For now, I would say that if people want to eat chocolate to improve their health, they should keep it to low amounts and replace it for other energy-dense snacks," Buijsse said.
SOURCE: link.reuters.com/fev96m Archives of Internal Medicine, November 8, 2010.

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Don't Quit

Just something inspiration.
Cliche?  Pff. idc.

----

When things go wrong as the sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
and many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow --
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit --
It's when things seem worst that
you must not quit.