Monday, March 30, 2009

Email from GOD

Sharing the following email with you:

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is GOD.

Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.

P.S. And, remember...

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!

Now, you have a nice day...GOD

GOD has seen you struggling,

GOD says it's over.

A blessing is coming your way. If you believe in GOD, please send to ten people (including me) please don't ignore this. You are being tested.

YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES TO TELL 10 FRIENDS THAT YOU LOVE THEM (INCLUDING ME)...SO I LOVE YOU! GO!

--

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Advice from a 97 year old doctor

Sharing the following email with you:

Subject: 97 year old doctor's advice

At the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara's magic touch is legendary: Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing. After World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation's top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations. Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one "Living Long, Living Good" that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself.

Doctor Shigeaki Hinohara - JUDIT KAWAGUCHIPHOTO

Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It's best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.

All people who live long regardless of nationality, race or gender share one thing in common: None are overweight... For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy. Lunch is milk and a few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work.. Dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat..

Always plan ahead. My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016 I'll have some fun, though: I plan to attend the Tokyo Olympics!

There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was 68 years and only 125 Japanese were over 100 years old. Today, Japanese women live to be around 86 and men 80, and we have 36,000 centenarians in our country. In 20 years we will have about 50,000 people over the age of 100...

Share what you know. I give 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people. I usually speak for 60 to 90 minutes, standing, to stay strong.

When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can't cure everyone. So why cause unnecessary pain with surgery I think music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine.

To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. I take two stairs at a time, to get my muscles moving.

My inspiration is Robert Browning's poem "Abt Vogler." My father used to read it to me. It encourages us to make big art, not small scribbles. It says to try to draw a circle so huge that there is no way we can finish it while we are alive. All we see is an arch; the rest is beyond our vision but it is there in the distance.

Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. If a child has a toothache, and you start playing a game together, he or she immediately forgets the pain. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients: We all want to have fun. At St. Luke's we have music and animal therapies, and art classes.

Don't be crazy about amassing material things. Remember: You don't know when your number is up, and you can't take it with you to the next place.

Hospitals must be designed and prepared for major disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. We designed St.... Luke's so we can operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought I was crazy to prepare for a catastrophe, but on March 20, 1995, I was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. We accepted 740 victims and in two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly we lost one person, but we saved 739 lives.

Science alone can't cure or help people. Science lumps us all together, but illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, we need liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones.

Life is filled with incidents. On March 31, 1970, when I was 59 years old, I boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and as Mount Fuji came into sight, the plane was hijacked by the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. I spent the next four days handcuffed to my seat in 40-degree heat. As a doctor, I looked at it all as an experiment and was amazed at how the body slowed down in a crisis.

Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. My father went to the United States in 1900 to study at Duke University in North Carolina. He was a pioneer and one of my heroes. Later I found a few more life guides, and when I am stuck, I ask myself how they would deal with the problem.

It's wonderful to live long. Until one is 60 years old, it is easy to work for one's family and to achieve one's goals. But in our later years, we should strive to contribute to society. Since the age of 65, I have worked as a volunteer. I still put in 18 hours seven days a week and love every minute of it.

--

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Super Brain Yoga

Check this out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwhpF9iJSs


Tell me if this work.

--

Cupid Bunny and Super Bee


The "Cupid Bunny" and "Super Bee" are handmade by Monica's granddaughter, Ella.

I commissioned Ella for these cool handmade toys for my daughter (bunny) and my 24 years old son (bee).

Check out Ella's online store here.

--

Friday, March 27, 2009

To my friend (2)...

How we do things matters more than what we do.

The same course of actions can bring different results due to the different motivations and mind settings.

It is not what you see but how you perceive that matters.

The statues of the sacred help us to enter into / connect to the realm of Perfection 圓滿 (in quality), through the contact of the eye consciousness 眼識 and sight base 眼根 with the matter 色 (statue) .

The statue as a matter is empty in nature, yet it's manifestation and function can be realized.

Take the example of prostration 禮 拜 , we are bowing not to the statue but to pay respects to the all the enlightened ones in all ten directions. We are lowering our body to stay humble and diminish our EGO.

I am talking based on my limited understanding of Buddhism. If I am not to the point, it is my fault and not the fallacy of Buddhism.

--

Thursday, March 26, 2009

To a friend of mine (1)...

One of the differences between an enlightened mind and a worlding mind is their levels of awareness.

For the enlightened one, he is the master of his mind, he understands clearly how everything works (the mind, consciousness, karma, cause and effect etc.) completely.

For the worlding, his mind (affected by karma, social , moral and all kinds of backgrounds) runs his life, the mind is clouded by ignorance, greed and delusion.

Buddhism practice delivers us from the worlding realm to the enlightened realm.

There are so much wisdom in Buddhism that once you investigate into it, tremendous Life Energy derives.

Hope that you will have more interest in Buddhism.

--

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Toronto Orchid Show April 11 & 12, 2009

TORONTO ARTISTIC ORCHID SOCIETY presents:


TAOA Orchid Show 2009

April 11, 2009 Saturday 11 am to 6 pm
April 12, 2009 Sunday 10 am to 5 pm

Venue: Chinese Cultural Centre of Great Toronto
5183 Sheppard Ave. East, Scarborough, ON


Activities Include:

Orchid Display and Exhibition
Orchid Sales
Orchid Flower Arrangement
Orchid Photography Contest
Orchid Lucky Draw (Conducted every hour)

Talks on Orchid Cultivation (Total 4 presentations)


For more info: http://www.taoa.ca/show.html

Admission is $6.00 per person but you can get a $1.00 discount coupon printed from the website.

--

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Participate in Earth Hour March 28, 2009 -8:30PM local time, wherever you live on planet earth

Sharing the following email with you:

From Tsao-I, Huayen Buddhist Community of Chicago:


"Hi again everyone,

Sorry for the multiple e-mails, but I forgot to let you know about EARTH HOUR this Saturday, March 28:


Earth Hour is a global movement, to raise the awareness of global warming/climate change.

Participate this Saturday, March 28, from 8:30pm to 9:30pm! (8:30PM local time, wherever you live on planet earth)

Simply switch off your lights (that includes your TV and computer, etc. as well)for that hour.

Over 1,000 cities in more than 80 countries will participate this year, and they hope to reach 1 billion participants this year - the results will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

See www.earthhour.org for more details - remember to register on that website if you will participate, so you get counted as a participant!

Last year, as landmarks, businesses and households turned off their lights for 1 hour during Earth Hour 2008, the Chicagoland region reported an electricity savings of 7% -- the carbon emissions equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road for one hour or planting 158 acres of trees!


With joined palms,
Belinda

Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association - Chicago Chapter
1234 N. River Rd, Mt. Prospect IL 60056
www.DDMBAchicago.org
Belinda Li"

--

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Only in America ...

Sharing the following email with you:

Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America .....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America .....do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America .....do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America ......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

--

Saturday, March 21, 2009

EVER WONDER ...

Sharing the following email with you:


EVER WONDER ...

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?


Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)...in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.

--

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Oh Canada

Sharing the following email joke with you:


A photographer on vacation was inside a church in Orlando taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read '$10,000 per call'.

The American, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.

The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God.

The American thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Atlanta. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it.

He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in Orlando and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was.

She old him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God.

'O.K., thank you,' said the American.

He then traveled to Indianapolis,Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston and New York.

In every church he saw the same golden telephone
with the same '$10,000 per call' sign under it.

The American, upon leaving Vermont decided to travel up to Canadato see if Canadians had the same phone.

He arrived in Canada, and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read '40 cents per call.'

The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign. 'Father, I've traveled all over America and I've seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in the US the price was$10,000 per call.

Why is it so cheap here?'

The priest smiled and answered, 'You're in Canada now, son ... it's a local call.'

KEEP SMILING

If you are proud to be a Canadian pass this on!

--

Monday, March 16, 2009

Pinocchio


My daughter who is attending college wrote: "My son, my friend, my worst enemy. This is Pinocchio. He took my life for the past month and finally he is done (with a few minor adjustments). I can't believe it but it's really over. I can finally sleep ....well maybe not, there still other homework to do. "

In life there are assignments after assignments, projects after projects. Dreams (or goals) are great as long as they do not cloud our minds, and we understand that dreams provide us with motivation and energy to transcend our character and bring out our true nature...

--

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Panoramic picture

Click onto the following link only if you have a fast processing computer and got nothing better to do:


This will be blurry at first. Just give it time to download and it will be clear.

World's Largest Gigapixel Picture



The better your graphics card & monitor, the better it will be.

Bet you ain't seen nuttin' like this before.

Gives new meaning to the word incredible.

http://photoartkalmar.com/Photoart%20Kalmar%20high%20res/Gigapixel/Piaristenkircheflash.html



Make use of the buttons at the bottom of the picture to pan around, up and down. After having seen the incredible 360 degree photo by using all of these buttons, right-click anywhere in the picture and select type of view for even a more incredible experience. Whoever made this was incredibly talented. Never saw anything even remotely like it!

--

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Can U read this?

Sharing the following email with you:

Our brain is just amazing.
Can U read this?

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid, too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe tuo fo 100 anc.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

If you can read this, your brain is 50% faster than those who can't.

ONLY FORWARD IF YOU CAN READ

--

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Giving up...

Sharing the following email with you:

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.

I opened my purse took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?'

'No, I had to stop drinking years ago', the homeless woman told me.

'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked.

'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'

'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.

'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'

'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money.. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'

The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'

I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine.'

--