From A Distance

From a distance the world looks blue and green, 

and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance, there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,
it's the voice of every man.

From a distance we all have enough,
and no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
no hungry mouths to feed.

From a distance we are instruments
marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
They're the songs of every man.
God is watching us. God is watching us.
God is watching us from a distance.

From a distance you look like my friend,
even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
what all this fighting is for.

From a distance there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves,
it's the heart of every man.

It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.
This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
God is watching us from a distance.
Oh, God is watching us, God is watching.
God is watching us from a distance

Change

I was quite downcast lately.In fact,I was unhappy and stressed out for a few weeks till now.But,at this moment,I am happy.Because I have made up my mind to make a change,to make a different,to treat myself better-to be happy.

As Abraham Lincoln once said:"Most people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be."

Absolutely,one's attitude affects their opinion and prospective of life.One's thinking affects their lives.If we choose to live happily and cheerfully,we could possibly make the most of life and live each day with happiness and satisfaction.

A week ago,my teacher asked me during the MUET class:"Winky,what happened to you?Why you are keeping quite?Unlike the usual Winky we have known,you used to be very active and talks very often.Why are you seemed like a different person now?You must have something that bothered you.Do you mind to share your problem with us?"I just smiled reluctantly as an answer to her question.Deep down I know that it is something up with me recently that makes me feel so uncomfortable and bitterly unhappy.


Yesterday,my teacher asked the same question again:"Winky,I noticed that you are quite quiet and passive recently?What happened to you?I can see it by observing your body language.Where's the old Winky who talks a lot in the class?Now we can only see a different Winky who looks tired and seems like uninterested in anything and fed up with Form 6.Anything thing wrong with you,Winky?"She asked me thoughtfully.Once again,I smile a bit and shake my head to deny it.


Yesterday my class monitor told us that we will be going to visit SMK Taman Melawati today for watching our seniors performing kolokium program.I was decided to go but after a second thought,I have changed my mind.I took 'scare-to-be-boring-till-death' as an excuse and made up my mind to stay at home.


I was slightly regret of my decision when I woke up at 8:45am from the bed.I sat alone beside my bed and lost in a deep thought.I couldn't focus on doing the revision on Business subjects as I have planned to do the previous day.So,I took my vampire novel and sat down to read,escape from the tension for a little while.Then,I picked up a self-help book to read:'Why Positive Thinkers Have The Power'.Finally,I have found myself living like a dead-living person for a whole two weeks.I was living in depression and angered lately.But today I have resolved to live happier.As a saying goes:"Men are disturbed not by the things that happen,but by their opinion of the things that happen."

"We are only on earth once,so enjoy it while here."

-Will Rogers

Gratitude = Happiness

How can we attain happiness?


In my opinion,as long as we appreciate for what we already have or possess now,we are the happiest persons in the world.

I am blessed.You are blessed.We are all blessed.

Some people might feel extremely downcast and thought of end their life due to the pressure in their lives.They think that there's nothing left in this world that really matters for them.But...why don't they count what they have?

We have eyes,nose,mouth,ears,hands,legs...We can see,smell,speak,hear,do everything we want and walk to wherever we want to.

There's ain't nothing left in this world if we think in this way.

As long as we could still breathe,we should and must pray and thank God for being kind to us.

Life is short,life is wonderful.It is our own choices to be happy or the otherwise,just depends on our attitudes toward life and happiness.

To being happy is easy yet many people couldn't feel happy.

SMILE always,happy always.

IN today’s busy life we often miss out on opportunities to perform simple acts of kindness. Here are a few ideas that can inspire. - Before going to school, spend a few minutes to hug your parents and tell them how much you love them. And during recess, write a short note to tell your parents how much they mean to you.

- When you are at a mall, hold the doors for others, even if you do not know them.

- Buy a few gifts and donate them to an orphanage or charity home.

- Organise a car wash in your neighbourhood and donate the collection to welfare.

- If you see an elderly person, help the person carry the grocery bags.

- Buy a Thank You card and write a note to your teacher. Tell your teacher how much you appreciate his/her efforts in teaching everyone.

- Help your friend with a school project or assignment.

- Volunteer at a homeless shelter or animal shelter and help out with the chores.

- Mow the grass of your neighbour and spend some time with them.

- If you are at a hospital, pick up an extra bouquet of flowers and give it to someone who is without a visitor.

- Give a slice or two of pizza to the delivery guy. You can also give them an extra tip.

- Donate blood. This is the greatest act of kindness.

- Buy a meal for the poor person on the street.

- Allow someone to queue infront of you.

- Give your seat to the elderly or needy person in the bus or LRT.

- Help carry the rubbish bags for your mum and neighbours.

- Say Thank You to the waiter/waitress who serves you.

- Dedicate a song to your friend on the local radio and inform them about it, so they can hear your message.

- Teach the elderly how to create a Facebook/Twitter/Blog account. Help them upload pictures, songs or even to write a blog.

- Give a smile to everyone you see and greet them.

There you go. These are the simplest ideas that can make a big difference in someone’s life and yours.

-Adopted from NST newspaper.

Quotations

For 'FEAR' :

"It's a realistic wish of God for everyone to live as conquerors,not freaked out by the stormy circumstances and trials."

For 'Self-confidence' :

“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the face.”

What you think of me is none of my business. What is most important is what I think of myself. — Robert Kiyosaki

Keep your thoughts positive, because thoughts become your words.

Time Management

  Due to the overload of school works which fully filled most of my time,I've stopped signing in my Facebook account for a whole 5 days long.It seems to be an amazing 'breaking' record as people could not live without Facebook nowadays.

  As a Form 6 student,my school works are getting more and more difficult to handle.No matter what,I should always try my best to do well in my studies.Although sometimes I did feel extremely stressful and overworked,but I just could not find a reason to quit.There's no such word in my brain's dictionary:'impossible'.I must tell myself that:'I can do it'.Whenever I feel overwhelmed or exhausted,I'd find as many solutions as I could to overcome the problems.

  As I have mentioned earlier,I'm a big busy-body now.In these few weeks,I couldn't go shopping as often as I used to be.My school works and my to-do list are too crowded and tight.I could not pick up even a single excuse to escape from all the works I need to do or complete.

  I've sacrificed the happy times and leisure activities,except one leisure activity which I won't give up for any reasons,it is reading.Call me a Bookworm,please! haha~

  In an hour or two,I'll sit down and study again for hours.Every now and then,I felt like I could hardly breathe due to the mountains of school works.So,I've found some good information emphasize on 'Time Management'.

What Are the 3 Rules for Effective Time Management?

1. Don't create impossible situations.
   
2. Define priorities.
   
3. Avoid distractions and lack of focus. 

Define Your Priorities Using the 3-List Method.

Plan your work, then work your plan

All time management begins with planning. Use lists to set priorities, plan activities and measure progress. One approach is the 3-list method.

List #1 - The weekly calendar.
Create a weekly calendar. Make it your basic time budgeting guide. List your courses, work, study time, recreation, meals, TV, relaxation, etc.

Plan to study first priority classes when you work best. Be flexible, adapt your schedule to changing needs. Keep your schedule handy and refer to it often. If it doesn't work, change it.

List #2 - The daily "Things to Do".
Write down all the things that you want to do today. Note homework due or tests or subjects you want to emphasize. Include shopping and personal calls, etc.

This list is a reminder. Use it to set daily priorities and to reduce decision-making and worry. If time is tight, move items to your long-term list.

Rewrite this list each morning. Use visualization to help you focus on what to do. This list is also a measure of your day-to-day success. Check off items as you finish them and praise yourself for each accomplishment.

List #3 - Goals and other things.
This can be one or two lists, a monthly list and or a long-term list. Put down your goals and things you have to do. What do you want to accomplish over the next month or year? What do you need to buy?

Use this list to keep track of all your commitments. If you're worried about something, put it on this list. The purpose of this list is to develop long-term goals and to free your mind to concentrate on today.



Avoid Distractions and Lack of Focus.

Time is precious. Yet many people waste time by getting stuck in one or more of the following habits.

Procrastination - putting off important jobs.

Crises management - being overwhelmed by the current crisis. No time for routine matters.

Switching and floundering - lack of concentration and focus on one job.

Television, telephones and friends - these are all ways of avoiding work.

Emotional blocks - boredom, daydreaming, stress, guilt, anger and frustration reduce concentration. 

Confidence

'Success comes in cans, not cant's.' 

Today I'd like to talk about the topic on 'Confidence'.

Firstly,we need to understand clearly what's the definition of the word - confidence.

Definition of Confidence:

The feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something.

So,what's the ways to boost the level of confidence in oneself?

Here's some research which I've found from this topic:

1. Smile
2. Be grateful
3. Work on small things
4. Do something you've been procrastinating on
5. Stand tall
6. Speak slowly
7. Be kind and generous
8. Act positive
9. Get to know yourself
10. Build a positive self-image
11. Recognize your insecurities
12. Identify your successes
13. Accept compliments gracefully 
14. Be honest 
15. Act confidently            

 “Who has confidence in himself will gain the confidence of others.”