Well-Known

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Arctic sea birds called guillemots live on rocky coastal cliffs, where thousands of them come together in small areas. Because of the crowded conditions, the females lay their eggs side by side in a long row. It’s incredible that a mother bird can identify the eggs that belong to her. Studies show that even when one is moved some distance away, she finds it and carries it back to its original location.

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Keep the Organ Playing

Monday, July 28, 2008

Many years ago an accomplished organist was giving a concert. (In those days someone had to pump large bellows backstage to provide air for the pipes.) After each song, the audience applauded heartily. Before his final number, the organist stood and said, “I shall now play...” and he announced the title. He sat down and adjusted the music. With feet poised over the pedals and hands over the keys, he began with a mighty chord. But the organ remained silent. Just then a voice was heard from backstage: Say “We!”

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Soul and Spirit

Saturday, July 26, 2008

I have just learned that soul or spirit means “breath.” That to inhale is to “inspire” – to take in the spirit. To exhale, or expire, means to release the spirit. All of life can be observed as a taking in and a giving out, of movement and rest, of controlling and letting go. The way we breathe is an excellent metaphor for the way we live our lives.

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Balanced Stress

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

If stress is balanced with relaxation or attitude-change methods, the continual surge of energy supplied by the response to stress can be modified or even channeled for creative purposes. If stress levels remain high, disease and breakdown will often result. Studies show that stress plays some role in the development of every disease.

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Looking Back

Sunday, July 20, 2008

A few years ago, I went to a retreat where we were asked to look back at our past. Of all the memories that flooded my thoughts, there was an event that stood out, the one that touched me most. It was my mother teaching me my prayers. So intense was the memory that I actually felt then that I was back in time.

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Wired Kingdom

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Ever want to build a cathedral? Underwater? Change your clothes, your face, your whole body? Fly? Of course, you can’t do any of that stuff in real life, but you can do it all and more in Second Life, a startlingly lifelike 3-D virtual world now evolving in the internet. Unlike other shared online adventures, Second Life isn’t about slaying monsters or zapping aliens. It’s about building things, meeting people and expressing yourself. Even if you already have a life, you may want to get a second one.

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Importance of Rest

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

I have just visited my doctor two days ago because I have not been feeling well for almost a week already. He has advised me to learn to rest once in a while during the day. He also that I should always have a good rest because it allows our body to renew itself. When we are resting that is the time that waste products are removed, repairs are effected, enzymes are replenished, energy is restored. Rests aids in the healing of injuries, infections, and other assaults on our body, including stress and emotional traumas. It also strengthens our body’s immune system, helping protect us from disease.

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Let it Rain

Monday, July 14, 2008

Ah, cashmere. It is toasty warm, deliciously soft, wonderfully luxurious – and now water repellent. Every fiber in this $1,100 “wind breaker” introduced last spring is coated in Teflon, though you wouldn’t know this to wear it. The chemical treatment is done when the raw cashmere is first washed (to make it soft for knitting), so there’s no discernible difference -- until you flick water at it and watch the droplets run off.

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The Dying Art of Thinking

Friday, July 11, 2008

“I think, therefore I am” -- Rene Descartes is best known for this dictum. But why did he become so famous when all he could have legitimately deducted was, “I think, therefore, thinking exists”? I wish to underscore that thinking has much to do with life and certainty. But it is sad to think that most of one’s life is spent to one’s prolonged effort to prevent thinking. I hope this will challenge the mind of this generation and stir our heart. After all, it is not that I think, therefore, I am, but rather, the Great I Am has asked us to think justly, and therefore, we must!

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Cool Trees Help In Global Warming

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

We know that trees are important to offset this global warming for they absorb the carbon dioxide emitted by cars and power plants before they can reach the atmosphere and can help trap the heat. It is important that if possible we plant the right kinds of trees. Plants do absorb carbon dioxide, but trees which are bigger and have thicker and larger leaves to absorb pollutants are much better to grow. Some suggested trees are eucalyptus, molave, narra, and fire tree. So let us plant trees now before it’s too late.

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Something for Nothing

Saturday, July 5, 2008

During a long layover at an airport, I noticed that one business in the main terminal attracted more people than any other. For hours, a steady stream of customers approached with cash in hand, stood in line, made a purchase, and left quickly. All seemed to know what they wanted. The thriving business was a lottery sales office. Even though the chance of winning the big powerball jackpot was 1 in 146 million, people seemed compelled to spend something and, in almost every case, get nothing. It seemed to be a vivid picture of our enduring quest for satisfaction and security in material things.

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To Gain the World’s Approval

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

As a grade five student, Abbey knew how it felt not to belong. He was the only one in his class with thick, geeky black framed eyeglasses. He was ranked the fourth heaviest boy in their batch. (Gee, he really thought he was the fifth.) And while all of his classmates wore long pants, he was wearing his grade 4 (short) shorts. So, when he got to high school he vowed to himself that he will never again be mocked. He made sure he wore the latest fashion. Never mind he looked like an uncooked sausage in his stretch pencil-cut pants. And of course, he mastered the art of tucking in his tummy, taking full breaths only when nobody is looking.

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