Platter of Half Baked Ideas

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind; To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet; To make all your friends feel that there is something in them; To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true; To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best; To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own; To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future; To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile; To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others; To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear; and too happy to permit the presence of trouble; To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds; To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as y...

This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands. When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, " Daddy,I'm sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?" The father went home & committed suicide. Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or u wish to take revenge. Think first before u lose your patience with someone u love. Trucks can be repaired.. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't. Too oft...

Different people have different perception. One man's meat could be another man's poison. A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home,a boy commented, "Very stupid. Why neither of them ride on the donkey?"Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them. Later, an old man saw it and commented, "The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?" Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey. Further on the way home, they met an old Lady. She commented, "How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman." The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey. Then, they met a young man. He commented, "Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you." Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carrie...

There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "A speech will either prosper or ruin a nation." Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other,we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party. A friend and her millionaire husband visited their construction site. A worker who wore a helmet saw her and shouted,"Hi, Emily! Remember me? We used to date in the secondary school." On the way home, her millionaire husband teased her, "Luckily you married me.Otherwise you will be the wife of a construction worker." She answered ,"You should appreciate that you married me. Otherwise, he will be the millionaire and not you." Frequently exchanging these remarks plants the seed for a bad relationship. It's like a broken egg - cannot be reversed.

Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another,or demands too much. People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person's character." It is not easy to change. Thus, having high expectation on changing the spouse character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness. It would be less painful to change ourselves and lower our expectations..

A person visited the government matchmaker for marriage, SDU, and requested "I am looking for a spouse. Please help me to find a suitable one." The SDU officer said, "Your requirements, please." "Oh, good looking, polite, humorous , sporty, knowledgeable, good in singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour, if I don't go out. Telling me interesting stories when I need companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest." The officer listened carefully and replied, "I understand you need television." There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband ,because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up and discover t...

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?" The father-in-law answered in a smile, "Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, she could not find a better husband than you." We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war. We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves. If we forgive the others, others will ignore our mistake too.

TRUST is a very important factor for all relationships. When trust is broken, it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation. A telephone operator told me that one day she received a phone call. She answered, "Public Utilities Board." There was silence. She repeated, "PUB." There was still no answer. When she was going to cut off the line, she Heard a lady's voice, "Oh, so this is PUB. Sorry, I got the number from my Husband's pocket but I do not know whose number it is." Without mutual trust, just imagine what will happen to the couple if the telephone operator answered with just "hello" instead of "PUB".

An eccentric philosophy professor gave a one question final exam after a semester dealing with a broad array of topics.The class was already seated and ready to go when the professor picked up his chair, plopped it on his desk and wrote on the board:"Using everything we have learned this semester, prove that this chair does not exist."Fingers flew, erasers erased, notebooks were filled in furious fashion. Some students wrote over 30 pages in one hour attempting to refute the existence of the chair. One member of the class however, was up and finished in less than a minute.Weeks later when the grades were posted, the rest of the group wondered how he could have gotten an A when he had barely written anything at all. His answer consisted of two words: "Which chair?"

JUST READ IT Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others,It is because we are different that each of us is special. Don't set your goals by what other people deem important,Only you know what is best for you. Don't take for granted the things closest to your heartCling to that as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless. Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life. Don't give up when you still have something to give Nothing is really over … until the moment you stop trying. Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect, It is the fragile thread that binds us to each other. Don't be afraid to encounter risks, It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love. The fastest way to...

Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve. Dream great dreams and make them come true. Do it now!You are unique. In all the history of the world there was never anyone else exactly like you, and in all the infinity to come there will never be another you. Never affirm self-limitations. What you believe yourself to be, you are. To accomplish great things, you must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost - put foundations under them. Yes you can. Believing is magic, you can always better your best. You don’t know what you can do until you try. Nothing will come of nothing. If you don’t go out on a limb, you're never going to get the fruit. There is no failure except in no longer trying. Hazy goals produce hazy results. Clearly define your goals. Write them down, make a plan for achieving them, set a deadline, visualize the results and go after them. Just don’t look back unless y...

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period. 2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in an informal school called Life. Each day in this school, you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid. 3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error. Experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of theprocess as the experiment that ultimately "works". 4. A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. You can then go on to the next lesson. 5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does notcontain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned. 6. "There" is no better than "here." When your "there" has become a "here,"you will simply obtain another "there" th...

1.If you understand, say "understand". If you don't understand, say "don't understand". But if you understand and say "don't understand".How do I understand that you understand? Understand! 2.I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish. 3.Sounding by sound is a sound method of sounding sounds. 4.A sailor went to sea to see, what he could see. And all he could see was sea, sea, sea. 5.Purple Paper People, Purple Paper People, Purple Paper People 6.If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch? 7.I thought a thought.But the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought. If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn't have thought so much. 8. Once a fellow met a fellow In a field of beans. Said a fellow to a fellow, "If a fellow asks a fellow, Can a fellow tell a fellow W...

? If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories. ? If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are canceled out by the diet soda. ? When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you don't eat more than they do. ? Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER counts, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake. ? If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner. ? Movie related foods (Milk Duds, Buttered Popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel. ? Cookie pieces contain no fat -- the process of breaking causes fat leakage. ? Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are peanut butter on a knife making a sandwich and ice cream on a spoon making a sundae. ? Foods that have the same color have t...

Today when I signed online, I was happy and pleased to see. That in my incoming mail, Was a letter from you to me. I love the cards you send me And all of the giggles too! But the biggest thrill of all, Was seeing it came from you. Now we don't talk that much So letters and cards say it all. But I want you to know they're special No matter how big or small. So keep the e-mail coming I love it ever so much. And know its really appreciated, Whenever you keep in touch!

Adapted from True Love, by Thich Nhat Hanh (Shambhala, 1997). Love is one of the most confusing of feelings. What some people call "love" may be possessiveness, or simple desire, or some other lesser emotion. Simple Solution: According to Buddhism, there are four elements of true love. Read what this wise teacher has to say, and find out if what you feel is true love, here: Here are the four aspects of true love. Loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is not only the desire to make someone happy, to bring joy to a beloved person, it is the ability to bring joy and happiness to the person you love, because even if your intention is to love this person, your love might make him or her suffer. To be able to give happiness and joy, you must practice deep looking toward the person you love. Because if you do not understand this person, you cannot love properly. Compassion. This is not only the desire to ease the pain of another person, but the ability to do so. You must practice deep lo...

Today before you think of saying an unkind wordThink of someone who can't speakBefore you complain about the taste of your foodThink of someone who has nothing to eat Before you complain about your husband or wifeThink of someone who's crying out to God for a companionToday before you complain about lifeThink of someone who went too early to heaven Before you complain about your childrenThink of someone who desires children but they're barrenBefore you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweepThink of the people who are living in the streetsBefore whining about the distance you driveThink of someone who walks the same distance with their feetAnd when you are tired and complain about your jobThink of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning anotherRemember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one makerAnd when depressing thoughts seem to get you downPu...

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick. Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I'm thinking of something." This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some for a while, and was now ready to expound all that her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear. "What are you thinking?" I asked. "The rain," she began, "is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away." After the chill bumps raced up my arms, I was able to respond. "That's really good, Aspen." Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take this revelation? So I asked... "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?" Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer: "We keep on sinning, and God just keeps o...

TRAFFIC LIGHT: apparatus that automatically turns red when your car approaches. PIONEER: early American who was lucky enough to find his way out of the woods. PEOPLE: some make things happen, some watch things happen, and the majority has no idea what's happened. SWIMMING POOL: a mob of people with water in it. SELF-CONTROL: the ability to eat only one peanut. CANNIBAL: person who likes to see other people stewed. EGOCENTRIC: a person who believes he is everything you know you are. FOREIGN FILM: any movie shown in Texas theatre that isn't a western. MAGAZINE: bunch of printed pages that tell you what's coming in the next issue. COLLEGE: The four-year period when parents are permitted access to the telephone. EMERGENCY NUMBERS: Police station, fire department and places that deliver pizza. OPERA: When a guy gets stabbed in the back and instead of bleeding he sings. BUFFET: A French word that means "Get up and get it yourself." BABY-SITTER: A teen-ager who must beha...

Everybody is ignorant. Only on different subjects. When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece. The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts. Initiative is doing the right thing without being told. The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.... Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there. All of man's troubles come from his inability to sit alone, quietly, in a room, for any length of time.

Cigarette in my hand...I feel like a man... It gives me the confidence... that "I can"...You don't agree...?? wait till I show you...Its importance - then you won't argue... I need it with my breakfast toast... To supply me the vitamins I need the most... I need it when I enter my work-place... To give me the energy to match the pace... I need it after my lunch... To increase the digestion after the munch... I need it in my coffee break... And that's just for keeping me awake... I need it with my evening snacks... To lift my verve when it sags... I need it when I leave for the day... to relax after the tortuous play... I need it when I move around with friends... to get the "kick" and feel the trends... I need it after my dinner... To adieu my day as a winner. On my way to glory... I overlook the statutory warning written on the pack... For my valour - I should be given a pat on my back. I feed gallons of smoke to my neighbour... Can anyone else boast o...

A friend in need is a pest indeed. Beat the 5 O'clock rush, leave work at noon! If you can't convince them, confuse them. It's not the fall that kills you. It's the suddenstop at the end. I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder. Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce.(hmm ? now do we have statistics to prove this ?) Work is fine if it doesn't take too much of yourtime. When everything comes in your way you're in the wrong lane. The light at the end of the tunnel may be an incoming train. Born free taxed to death. (You need to start working to realize this one ! ) Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film. Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first. Smile, it makes people wonder what you are thinking. If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble putting on your pants. It's not hard to meet expenses, they are everywhere. I love being a writer... what I can't stand is the paper...

Listen to life Stop worrying so much about what you're trying to say, and listen for a while. Though it may seem strange, one very effective way to express yourself is by listening. Listen, carefully, lovingly and attentively to the world around you. Listen to others and listen to life. Let go of your assumptions about what you expect to hear. Listen not only with your ears, but also with your heart and spirit. Pay attention to what life has to say to you. There is no end to the valuable lessons you can learn. When you think you know it all, you deny yourself the opportunity to learn new things. When you interact with others only to impress them with how much you know, they'll soon understand that you know very little. The more you listen, observe and learn, the more powerfully you\'ll be able to express yourself. Take heed of what life has to say, and what you learn will carry you far. -- Ralph Marston