The Story of The Plum

I received this beautiful note from a friend who left it as an offline message on my Yahoo Messenger. It is wonderful how God speaks to you to lift you up when you are sprawled on the ground. I would love to share this with you.

A plum once said, just because a banana lover came by, I converted myself into a banana. Unfortunately, his taste changed after a few months and so I became an orange. When he said I was bitter I became an apple, but he went in search of grapes. Yielding to the opinions of so many people, I have changed so many times that I no more know who I am. How I wish I had remained a plum and waited for a plum lover.

Just because a group of people do not accept you as you are, there is no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality. You
need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate. Never stoop down in order to gain recognition. Never let go of your true self to win a relationship. In the long run, you will regret that you traded your greatest glory
- your uniqueness, for momentary validation. Even Gandhi was not accepted by many people. The group that does not accept you as you is not your world.

There is a world for each one of you, where you shall reign as king / queen by just being yourself. Find that world... in fact, that world will find you.

What water can do, gasoline cannot and what copper can, gold cannot. The fragility of the ant enables it to move and the rigidity of the tree enables it to stay rooted. Everything and everybody has been designed with a proportion of uniqueness to serve a purpose that we can fulfill only by being our unique self. You as you alone can serve your purpose and I as I alone can serve my purpose. You are here to be you... just you.

There came a time when you were required on this planet and hence you were sent. Let us be the best we can be. Don't miss yourself and let the world not miss you.

The falcon that wouldn't fly

I once had a conversation with a new found friend on Facebook. He extended his hands and ears as comfort for poor single mother me. I told him that I abhor sympathy, because it makes me feel small and incapable. I understand people are only trying to help. Feeling small immobilise me and acts as a lid preventing me from reaching for the stars...a feat I am slowly beginning to believe is achievable...I still feel small sometimes, because there are some people I still owe and there are times when I still need to ask for help from others. However this occasion is getting less and less.
During this conversation, I asked him whether he has heard about the story of the falcon which refused to fly. I didn't manage to tell him, and think I owe him the story.

Once there was a king who was given 2 falcons as a gift. These falcons were mere chicks when they were lovingly placed in a gilded cage and presented to him. Both were nurtured with love and patience by the Royal Falcon Trainer.

Months and days passed, and the day finally came when the birds were ready to take their first flight. However, only one bird mastered the feat. It flew majestically as falcons should, while the other just stood on its branch and watched. The trainer was puzzled ..nothing he tried worked. More months and days passed and finally the Royal Falcon Trainer had to reveal the problem to the king. The king, a reasonable monarch and an animal lover summoned sorcerers, shamans, circus trainers and people from every other possible vocation to help the falcon fly. A hefty prize was offered. But, no one succeeded.
Finally the king thought..perhaps I should summon someone close to nature..someone with no pompous prefix to his name..no Dr or Professor,or Sir or Datuk ...Let's try the humble gamekeeper. So the gamekeeper was summoned and given the royal decree, to get the falcon to fly.
Early next morning, when the King stuck his head out the window to seep the fresh morning air, his heart was filled with joy when he saw two falcons flying gracefully high up in the sky, soaring and dipping gracefully in concert. He immediately summoned the gamekeeper to ask what magic spell he had cast to accomplish what seemed to be the impossible.

The gamekeeper looked incredulously at the king..and said "It wuz easy sire...I just cut off the branch..."

Wonderful English From Around the World

In a Bangkok
temple:

IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.

?

Cocktail
lounge, Norway:

LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.

Doctors office, Rome:

SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.

Dry cleaners, Bangkok:

DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.

?In a Nairobi restaurant:

CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

?

On the main road to Mombassa, leaving Nairobi:

TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.

?

On a poster at Kencom:

ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.

?

In a City restaurant:

OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.

In a cemetery:

PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

??

Tokyo hotel's
rules and regulations:

GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN
BED.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:

OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

In a Tokyo bar:

SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.

Hotel, Yugoslavia:

THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

Hotel, Japan:

YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE? CHAMBERMAID.

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox
monastery:

YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND

SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:

IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST
CAMPING SITE THAT

PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER

IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.

?

Hotel, Zurich:

BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE

SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS

PURPOSE.

Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand:

WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:

WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

A laundry in Rome:

LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.

The Secret

I was hit by Attention Deficit Disorder again..and went blog hopping. Paid a visit to one of those blogs I used to visit some time back - *
Dying Man's Daily Journal and found this Gem..he said in his post to pass it on..so here I am passing it on:


One day, one friend asked another,
‘How is it that you are always so happy?
You have so much energy,
And you never seem to get down.’


With her eyes smiling, she said,
‘I know the Secret!’
‘What secret is that?’
To which she replied,
‘I’ll tell you all about it,
But you have to promise to
Share the Secret with others.’


‘The Secret is this:
I have learned there is little I can do
In my life that will make me truly happy.
I must depend on God to make
Me happy and to meet my needs.
When a need arises in my life,
I have to trust God to supply
According to HIS riches.
I have learned most of the time
I don’t need half of what I think I do.
He has never let me down.
Since I learned that ‘Secret’, I am happy.’


The questioner’s first thought was,
‘That’s too simple!’
But upon reflecting over her own life
She recalled how she thought a bigger house
Would make her happy, but it didn’t!
She thought a better paying job
Would make her happy, but it hadn’t.
When did she realize her greatest happiness?
Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren,
Playing games, eating pizza or reading a story,
A simple gift from God.


Now you know it too!
We can’t depend on people to make us happy.
Only GOD in His infinite wisdom can do that.
Trust HIM!
And now I pass the Secret on to you!
So once you get it, what will you do?

Ponder.....there is a 'Mother'

Free Stock Photos for websites - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Imagine this scene if you will. Two babies are in utero confined to the wall of their mother's womb, and they are having a conversation. For the sake of clarity we'll call these twins Ego and Spirit.

Spirit says to Ego, "I know you are going to find this difficult to accept, but I truly believe there is life after birth."
Ego responds, "Don't be ridiculous. Look around you. This is all there is. Why must you always be thinking about something beyond this reality? Accept your lot inn life. Make your self comfortable and forget about all of this life-after-birth nonsense."

Spirit quiets down for a while, but her inner voice won't allow her to remain silent any longer. "Ego, now don't get mad, but I have something else to say. I also believe that there is a mother.

"A Mother!" Ego Guffaws. "How can you be so absurd? You've never seen a Mother. Why can't you accept that this is all there is? The idea of a Mother is crazy. You are here alone with me. This is your reality. Now grab hold of that cord. Go into your corner and stop being so silly. Trust me, there is no Mother."

Spirit reluctantly stops her conversation with Ego, but her restlessness gets the better of her. "Ego," she implores,"please listen without rejecting my idea. Somehow I think that those constant pressures we both feel, those movements that make us so uncomfortable sometimes, that continual re-positioing and all that closing in that seems to be taking place as we keep growing, is getting us ready for a place of glowing light, and we will experience it very soon."
"Now I know you are absolutely insane," replies Ego, "All you've ever known is darkness. You've never seen light. How can you even contemplate such an idea? Those movements and pressures you feel are your reality. You are a distinct separate being. This is your journey. Darkness and pressures and a closed in feeling are whatlife is all about. You'll have to fight it as long as you live. Now grab your cord and please stay still."
Spirit relaxes for a while, but finally she can contain herself no longer. "Ego, I have only one more thing to say and then I'll never bother you again."

"Go ahead, " Ego responds impatiently.
"I believe all of these pressures and all of this discomfort is not only going to bring us to a new celestial light, but when we experience it, we are going to meet Mother face to face and know and ecstasy beyond anything we have ever experienced up until now,"
"You are crazy, Spirit. Now I am truly convinced of it."

Excerpt from Your Sacred Self by Dr Wayne W Dyer.

HO HUM the UMNO Elections

A very appropriate video clip in conjunction with the announcement of the results.

FRIEND FOR A SEASON

Whenever I lament about being hurt, I am told that it is up to us to choose how we respond to life's challenges.It is how we respond emotionally and mentally that create either suffering or joy.

I was told feeling hurt is not necessary..I just need to 'Be'..These after all are illusions

The person who told me this used to be a shoulder to cry on, and the person whom I have trusted with everything that I have..my memories, my stories, my life. But this friend has transcended to a level of awareness beyond my perception. She is now invincible. Nothing hurts her anymore andtherefore, nothing she does SHOULD hurt anyone. After all these are all illusions.

In my quest for some semblance of truth in this whole fiasco of lies, I found this.


People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

Then people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

In my position, I have no right to claim deceipt, but I vow to love my friend all the same. Surely, this friend is a reflection of me, one way or the other. I learnt from this that being aware, being free from the the illussions of life, being a transcended individual, does not justify anyone the right to hurt others, whether by speech, deed or even thought. I want so much to think well of you and thank you for the season we had together. May all your seasons be even better than the ones we have had.