Forwarded Messages

TIP 1: Do Not Talk To Her As If She Is One of The Guys. Listen to guy buddies talk about anything for more than five minutes and you likely will hear one of them let the other know that he is an idiot. When men talk with their male friends, they tend to be direct or even argumentative. They share their opinions freely and bluntly. They jokingly insult each other. They blast anything the other guy says that they do not like or agree with. They rarely stop to think, "Am I being insensitive? Could I possibly be hurting his feelings?" The guy code is to let the chips fall where they may. Women are NOT like that. If a husband talks with his wife in the same manner he talks with his buddies, his directness, bluntness, or argumentativeness may well cause her to feel disrespected or controlled. He thinks he is being honest and forthright. She feels he is being a jerk. If you really want to be a better husband, understand that women speak a different language. Unless you l...

It was the music pumping through the speakers at the optometrist's that made me see you clear for who you are. The lyrics kept thrumming loud when I was standing there with my thick glasses, waiting for the receptionist. Waiting there with the Mennonite woman in her netted white bonnet and purple flowers falling down the cotton front of her cape dress. And Robin Thicke just keeps crooning it on some radio station like he's Marvin Gaye, like he knows the wants of women. And I'm sitting beside a Mennonite woman, us both bespectacled and motherly rounded, and I shift awkward in my chair when the song hits it grinding refrain, and there are men like you who know a woman wants a love that respects. There are men who wear old Wranglers and drive rusting mini-vans to pick up the kids after piano lessons. And pick up broccoli because it's on sale this week. And who stop those matronly vans to pick a bunch of the wild Black-eyed Susans growing in the...

The world's first temperature-controlled city, Mall of the World, located along Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Occupying a total area of 48 million sq. ft., the project will comprise the largest indoor theme park in the world, which will be covered by a glass dome that will be open during the winter months.  The project will also house the largest shopping mall in the world with an area of 8 million sq. ft., which will take the form of an extended retail street network, different to the typical shopping mall concept currently available in Dubai. Additional districts within the project will include a wellness dedicated zone catering to medical tourists, a cultural celebration district as well as a wide range of hospitality options comprising 20,000 hotel rooms catering to all types of tourists. Once completed, the City is projected to become a year-round destination, welcoming around 180 million visitors annually.  -- Dubai Holdings 

1} Down days are completely normal, and not something you should feel guilty about having.   Happiness is never constant.   2} When you are at your lowest point, you are open to the greatest positive change.   Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the strength to deal with them.  3} There is a huge difference between giving up and moving on.   Moving on doesn’t mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are some things that cannot be.  4} Life rarely turns out exactly the way you want it to, but you still have an opportunity to make it great.   You have to do what you can, with what you have, exactly where you are. 5} Most people ask for happiness on condition, but long-term happiness can only be felt if you don’t set conditions.   Accept life unconditionally. 6} Too often, we carry around things from our past that hurt us  – regrets, shame, anger, pain, etc.  Don’t let these negative points from the past rob your ...

An anti-technology, anti-social media campaign message watched more than 40 million times through technology and social media.... Isn't it ironic?  Nonetheless, its good to be reminded once in a while... and I believe, it's a matter of discipline.  >>Anthony, thank you for forwarding>> 

The lead story on our local news this morning was about potholes. After the rough winter we have experienced already, the roads are a mess — with auto-damaging potholes on all the main thoroughfares. It reminds me of the way human life works. Life is a journey. We map our roads to success and happiness. There are curves along the way, and we must not give in to the temptation just to coast. Okay. You've got it. Right? The notion of life as a road to travel has been used in the Bible, by Scott Peck, and in the vocabularies of practically all of us. There are no roads without potholes. So the people who get the most joy out of life are the ones who learn early how to deal with discouragement. Temperament appears to predispose some people to see the dark side of situations and to incline toward pessimism. There are external circumstances over which one does not have control. There are people who can make life harder for you as critics or enemies. But you are not helpl...

How should Christians think about work, success and wealth?  The Parable of the Talents in MATTHEW 25:14:30 provides a helpful framework for this question.  1. First, this parable teaches us that success is a product of our work.   In the book of Genesis we see that God placed Adam in the garden to work it and take care of it. We were made to work. As Christians we have a mission that our Lord expects us to accomplish in the here and now. Far too many evangelical Christians today see their salvation as simply a “bus ticket to heaven.” They believe it doesn’t matter what they do while they “wait for the bus.” The Parable of the Talents teaches us what we are supposed to do while we await the return of our King. We are to work, using our talents to glorify God, serve the common good, and further God’s kingdom. Biblical success is working diligently in the here and now using all the talents God has given us to produce the return expected...

Maldives is the dream destination to many of us.  But when we start to find a booking, suddenly, the excitement die down as we start computing for the expenses.  Here's  KALI 's Maldives Journal: The Maafushi adventure  where she share the affordable way to enjoy this paradise on earth. From the transportation, accommodation and food expenses.  It's 2 parts: here's Maldives Journal: Exploring the Indian Ocean  - the water, sun and sand...  Below are some pics for you to enjoy :)  Repost from KALI Blogs

01. Lifts your mood 02. Improve learning abilities 03. Builds self-esteem 04. Keeps your brain fit 05. Keeps your body fit and able 06. Boost mental health 07. Boost your immune system 08. Reduces stress 09. Makes you feel happier 10. Has anti-ageing effect 11. Improves skin tone and color 12. Improves sleeping patterns 13. Helps prevent stroke 14. Improves joint function 15. Improves muscle strength 16. Alleviates anxiety 17. Sharpens memory 18. Helps to control addiction 19. Boosts productivity 20. Boosts creative thinking 21. Improves body image 22. Gives you confidence 23. Helps you keep focused in life 24. Improves eating habits 25. Increase longevity 26. Strengthens your bones 27. Strengthens your heart 28. Improves posture 29. Prevents colds 30. Improves appetite 31. Maintain good cholesterol level 32. Lowers risk of cancer 33. Prevents high blood pressure 34. Lower risk of diabetes 35. Fights dimentia...

I thought I would start my speech by addressing you as the “new” family of my daughter. But I think it would be inappropriate because now that she is married, you are “the family” for her. Believe me; I don’t have a problem with that. I, in fact, want my daughter to have “you” as her priority now. It’s time for us to take a backseat in her life. We would happily accept it but would surely request one thing- please keep her happy! I am more than sure that you will keep her very happy. She will perhaps be happier than what she used to be here. But like all fathers, I obsess over my daughter’s happiness which is making me say this over and over again- please keep her happy! She never was and will never be a burden for me. She is in fact the reason why I breathe and smile. I am getting her married because this is what the law of nature demands. I am helpless in the face of our culture and therefore sending her to your home. She was the happiness of my home and will now light up ...

REPOST FROM KALI Blogs  The two towering figures of the 20th-century church were canonized today at St. Peter's Square, in Vatican. Pope Francis has declared two of his predecessors, John Paul II and John XXIII, saints of the Roman Catholic church. Here's  the guardian update . I was once a believer of saints. I called them and prayed to them just like most of you do. But then, I learned the obvious - that they are human beings, lived a  holy life and served God with all their hearts and with all their souls. Just like us, when we live according to the teachings and examples of Jesus, when we put Him at the center of our lives, we too, is definitely living a holy life. Then, what made them extra special? I will not preach nor condemn the Roman Catholics. I understand we have differences.  You have your beliefs, and I have mine. The only thing that  I can do is to share a little of mine (since this is my blog)... Isn't Jesus enough?  He claimed it ...

It's the right time of the year. Maybe not the exact week nor the exact day. But this is the time of the year when Jesus Christ was crucified. For many of us, it's hard to imagine all of that really happening: the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the conflicts at the temple, the Last Supper, the prayerful night in Gethsemane, the betrayal, the arrests, the trials, the terrible death on the cross. It's easier to think of this story as a fable or fairy tale. Fodder for movies, Renaissance paintings and children's picture books, but not a part of the world we live in. But the crucifixion is a fact of history. God sent his Son to the earth, and evil men put him to death. Even the resurrection seems out of place in our world, though it fits the season better. Dead people stay dead in our world; the thought that Jesus escaped unscathed from the tomb seems like an unrealistic plot twist. Yet the resurrection also has its place in history. The two things go toget...

One of our dogs is a tattletale. She is small, cute, and has a very loud excitable bark when something sets her off. And nothing sets her off like when our Golden Retriever does something he should not. If he sticks his nose in the trash, she gets about six inches from his face and starts barking as loud as she can. If he puts one paw on the couch, same thing. If he does anything he is not supposed to do, then she lets him, us, and everyone in earshot know about it. You have known people like that. They want to be sure everyone knows about every mistake you have ever made. It is as if their greatest joy in life is to see someone get in trouble. Tattletales want to get people in trouble, see people "get what is coming to them," and make sure everyone knows about it. You see them among children on the playground, and among employees in the workplace. There is even a tattletale who wants to be sure God gives you what you deserve for all the wrong choices in your life. A...

1. Today, my sister and I were in a bad car accident. My sister is Mrs. Popular at school – she knows everyone. I’m a bit of an introvert – I hang-out with the same 2 girls all the time. My sister immediately posted a comment on Facebook about our accident. And while all her friends were commenting, my 2 friends showed up independently at the scene of the accident before the paramedics arrived. 2. Today, my fiancé returned home from his last tour of duty overseas. Yesterday he was just my boyfriend, or so I thought. Almost a year ago, he mailed me a package. He told me I wasn't allowed to open it until he got home in two weeks. But then his tour got extended for another 11 months. Today, when he got home, he told me to open the package, and just as I pulled the ring out of the box, he got down on one knee. 3. Today, my 12-year-old son, Sean, and I stopped by the nursing home together for the first time in several months. Usually I come alone see my mother who’s sufferin...

1. Today, I watched in horror through the kitchen window as my 2-year-old slipped and fell head first into the pool. But before I could get to her, our Labrador Retriever, Rex, jumped in after her, grabbed her by her shirt collar and pulled her to the shallow steps where she could stand. 2. Today, my older brother has donated bone marrow 16 times to help treat my cancer. He communicates directly with my doctor and does it without me even asking or knowing when he has an appointment. And today my doctor informed me that the treatment appears to be working. “Cancer cells have been drastically reduced in the last few months.” 3. Today, I was driving home with my grandfather when he suddenly made a u-turn and said, “I forgot to get your grandmother a bouquet of flowers. I’ll pick up one from the florist at the corner down here. It’ll only take a second.” “What’s so special about today that you have to buy her flowers?” I asked. “There’s nothing specifically special about tod...

Steve Jobs was a revolutionary. He turned an industry around. He did it by doing things differently than how they were being done. His pitch was: Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. We just happen to make great computers. The early church was revolutionary in a different way — a much more important way. Their pitch could have been: Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in Jesus and living differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by living lives that are beautifully designed and simple. We just happen to live generous lives. 

Who am I? What was I created to be and to do? Why am I here? Do I have a purpose? Does God have a plan for my life? These are all questions we struggle with from time to time questions some struggle with all the time.

As we celebrate love this month, here are some tiny love stories that made us smile, I hope this works for you too... love love love.  1. Today, my 75-year-old grandpa who has been blind from cataracts for almost 15 years said to me, “Your grandma is just the most beautiful thing, isn’t she?” I paused for a second and said, “Yes she is. I bet you miss seeing that beauty on a daily basis.” “Sweety,” my grandpa said, “I still see her beauty every day. In fact, I see it more now than I used to when we were young.”

There's an amazing story about Jesus and a man named Jairus who was a  religious leader, one of the rulers of the Jewish synagogue. At that  time, that would have made him unlikely to go see someone like Jesus. But Jairus went. He went because his daughter was very sick. He went because he was  desperate. He went because he considered Jesus to be his only hope.  Jairus was able to convince Jesus to come to his house. But while they were on the way, someone came with terrible news: Jairus' daughter was  dead. All hope was now gone. Or so Jairus must have thought. But Jesus thought otherwise. He said to the grieving father: "Don't be  afraid; just believe, and she will be healed" (Luke 8:50).  When they arrived at Jairus' house, people were standing outside,  crying. Jesus told them: "She is not dead but asleep." They laughed at  him, because everyone knew she was dead. Except Jesus. That is, he knew she was dead. But he also knew that ...

Our culture loves to rank things. Just take a look at all the top ten lists that are published. There are lists ranking the best — or worst — songs, movies, jobs, places to live, and things to see. We rank people too. There are lists covering looks, bodies, popularity, effectiveness, and abilities. High school athletes are rated by recruiting services as one star up to five stars. The only thing worse than a low rating is no rating. People even rank themselves. Just listen to conversations that include phrases like "... at least I am better than so and so." Or, "... at least I look better than she does."

If you've been working long enough and you don’t have any savings in your bank account, you might wonder why your money seems to be disappearing into thin air. There are a lot of reasons and excuses that people have to explain why they are not saving enough. They’re the breadwinner in the family and they have a lot of dependents to support; their salary is barely enough to meet day-to-day expenses and monthly bills; or the rising cost of living makes it impossible to save. But, I think consumers are to blame, more than anything else.

Dear God,  I know that a thousand years are as a day to you, but we humans are bound up in time. As a new year is about to begin, please teach me to...