My Way

As Frank Sinatra I've lived
and will always live in my own way,
saving wisely forgotten,
sadness, disappointment and illusion.

I face my destiny without fear,
More than once I got hurt.
Although it never broke my strength,
I hurt the stones of the road.

Lost dreams and loves tissues,
with the faith that gives youth
I remember the love that are gone,
how sad lament of a lute.

With all my goals I've accomplished,
I could not ever say: I can not,
I have no fear because of the experience.
And if something unfinished is lost,
Today over the years: I do not care.

There was no mountain that I climb,
Regardless of the time and distance,
I melted all day, with the clear night
then lost in the distance.

I have deeply wounded heart,
by old and deep wounds.
For beings who have left and have left
a history of light in his departure.

Since I can not change life.
I prefer to sing and not to mourn,
On each canvas trying to shape,
everything not to mention callous.

I have only to ask,
I won a thousand battles,
I can only melt,
present and past
love in this heart

And I will continue living in Spring
no clouds to obscure the way
Frank Sinatra taking my destination
and live like him my way.

By Reyna Mora McLarnon.

Peace out.

Father's Day

When a child is born, a father is born. A mother is born, too of course, but at least for her it's a gradual process. Body and soul, she has nine months to get used to what's happening. She becomes what's happening. But for even the best-prepared father, it happens all at once. On the other side of a plate-glass window, a nurse is holding up something roughly the size of a loaf of bread for him to see for the first time.

4 years: My Daddy can do anything!
7 years: My Dad knows a lot…a whole lot.
8 years: My father does not know quite everything.
12 years: Oh well, naturally Father does not know that either.
14 years: Oh, Father? He is hopelessly old-fashioned.
21 years: Oh, that man-he is out of date!
25 years: He knows a little bit about it, but not much.
30 years: I must find out what Dad thinks about it.
35 years: Before we decide, we will get Dad's idea first.
50 years: What would Dad have thought about that?
60 years: My Dad knew literally everything!
65 years: I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.

Appreciate... cause without 'him's, we are nothing.

Ricky.

Taste of Freedom for Stressful Life in the Heart of the City!

Is urban life really complicated or do we complicate it ourselves? Urban life is cool, but with its ups & downs it becomes more complicated than rural life. In Urban Life there are many people who get stressed in a variety of situation. The tough stuff really gets to us. Look at the positive side of urban life & use it as an opportunity for enlightened living.

Stress levels are increasing all across society, because people don't have patience to handle things carefully. There are some articles & blogs have provided some big treasure hunt. There are many solutions to figure out stress management some times people read article, blogs, plays quiz’s etc. Here are some points really helps you to recover your stress.

Try to directly experience the real world, at least once, in this life. But there are many obstacles to cross.

We experience the real world only by the names, labels and meaning we give them. Slowly, these names and labels become full-fledged maps we carry in the mind. Over time, we only experience these maps and we stop experiencing the world.

To recharge your relationships with the people in your lives.

The more we dig in, the more mysteries seem to crop up. Isn’t that cool? You have to start to develop a sense of wonder for everyday living

We follow the trail of the 8 chambers to see where exactly we experience a tasty, sweet-smelling, crunchy red apple. We start with the eye, then go to the brain, cross the bridge, encounter the screen and then locate the projector.

To be always like the happy, wise guy & enlightened your life with joy.

Want to see hell in earth find the life of stressful person. Stress has its own importance in the life. Not saying it is never possible in humans life but saying make stress a thought.

Some one said "thoughts are the shortest emotions of man's heart"

Let these emotions come and go, keep your beautiful life enjoying!

Ricky.

Why Beer is Better Than Religion

10 reasons why Beer is better than Religion.

• No one will kill you for not drinking Beer.
• Beer doesn’t tell you how to have sex.
• Beer has never caused a major war.
• They don’t force Beer on minors who can’t think for themselves.
• When you have a Beer, you don’t knock on people’s doors trying to give it away.
• Nobody’s ever been burned at the stake, hanged, or tortured over his brand of Beer.
• You don’t have to wait 2000+ years for a second Beer.
• There are laws saying Beer labels can’t lie to you.
• You can prove you have a Beer.
• If you’ve devoted your life to Beer, there are groups to help you stop.

No offence. =)

Peace out.

Time is Short

Time is short.
Opportunities will be lost.
If you think you are young
And you are going to live forever,
The people around you
Who care about
Will not be young and live forever.

In life, everthing passes very quickly and whatever has happened in the past doesnt matter anymore - it becomes like a dream. In time, even the dream fades. But the results from that 'dream' do not fade. Eventually, we will have to experience these results so we need to be aware of what we are doing right now that will be the cause for those results.

Ricky.

Peace On Earth, A Wonderful Wish, But No Way

When asked, "If you could wish for one thing only, what would that wish be?" almost everyone; from beauty pagent contestants, to politicians, to religious leaders, to children, to the average person on the street states, "Peace On Earth" or "An end to all wars". Those wishes, while exemplary, are meaningless. As long as humans exist there will never be peace on earth.

Throughout the history of humankind there has never been peace on earth. Cavemen fought other cavemen over territory, food and even women. Cain killed Abel over God's respect. Gabriel blew down the walls of Jericho. America fought the Revolutionary War for freedom and brother fought against brother in our Civil War for more freedom. There have always been wars and there will always be wars.

As long as humans can think, there will be wars. Wars over such concepts as freedom, honor, dignity, etc.. Wars over territory, greed, power, prejudice, etc.. War is a part of human nature. For example, every human being is prejudiced. If they don't like some race, nationality or religion, they don't like short or tall or fat or skinny or smart or not smart or loud or quiet people. Some people don't like children, some people don't like old people, some people don't like people with pets, or people that play their music too loud, or bad drivers, or people that believe in God or people that don't believe in God. What is right and proper to some people can be wrong or even enraging to other people.

Religion can not stop wars, in fact many wars are fought over religion (Note: I believe that religion is used as an excuse for war not the real reason for war.). Christians fought against Muslims during the Crusades, Many Muslims want death for all non believers. The Catholic Church killed heretics during the Inquisition. The Nazis killed millions of Jews and then started killing Catholics. The Russians under Stalin killed anyone even remotly religious. Protestants killed other Protestants for being the wrong type of Protestant. Muslims killed Muslims for being the wrong type of Muslim. Don't forget about Atheists (I believe that Atheism is also a religion, it is a religion of non belief.), Stalin was an Atheist and wanted to get rid of all religion. Most of China's leaders are Atheists and have jailed and killed huge numbers of religious people. History is rife with various types of religious battles.

The main reason for war, however, is the lust for power. The power to make others do and believe as you do and believe, the power to make other people render unto you what you believe is rightfully yours, the power to make other people treat you as you believe you should be treated, the power to gain what you want (ie: money, love, respect, etc.), the power to punish others for doing things that you don't believe they should do, the power to keep other from having things or thoughts that you don't have. In other words, the power to be, in some ways God, to make everyone else in your image with you as their ruler.

As long as people have the ability to think, there will be greed, envy, prejudice and anger. As long as those things exist, there will be wars. Most people believe, either religiously or secularly, in the rules set down in the Ten Commandments, but very few people can follow those rules all of the time because our ability to think causes us to want. Wanting causes us to break some or all of the rules. Humans are not perfect. If they were they would not be human.

Peace out.

Another Fucked Up Day

Its a bloody hot day again! And I drove back to my hostel around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Settled myself up and drove again to fetch that dickface and asshole! lol! Then, we headed to Sunway Megamall for dinner.

I had a Whoffer Double Cheese Burger. Huge one! And its filling every single corner of my tummy. Delicious! We planned to catch a movie at first but yea, no nice movies availabled. Plan A spoiled... So, plan B! Not really a plan B though. We stood and started looking at people who were skating from upper floor. Argh we're fucked up! Ended up doing nothing at Sunway! Kindda wasted my time there cause I still have a lot of assignments to be done by next week. Hopefully I can handle it! Anyway, we then came out with plan C. IOI Mall!

We met up with another 'abang' and went for snocker. Pool! Yeah! Asshole and I were paired up against 'abang' and dickface! lol! My luck wasnt good that time, I missed lots of free shots. Still, we won the game! How? Asshole scored all the points of course! After pool, we went bowling. And I havent been playing bowling for ages, man. It sucked. The ball wasnt going into the path as I thought! By the way, I was in second place though with only 73 points. lol! 'Abang' won the game by having 126 points in total. That skinny asshole scored 60% of zero point which made him the last place. He is too skinny, couldnt even handle the balls. His own ball? I dont know.

Its 1.30 AM. We went back home. Cooked ourselves some awesome 'chicken rolls'. It was good. We then decided to watch a movie online. Its a nice movie though. No one talk. Just quietly enjoyed the movie. Indeed, everyone was watching it with their eyes closed! Argh! Another fucked up day! Yeah. But, I enjoyed. =)

Ricky.

Trivia

I admit it .. I LIKE trivia, although it serves no purpose for me since I can never remember any to bring up in conversation. But still, it is fun, so I've created this list of amazing trivia that I found to be absolutely riveting.

1. Snails can sleep up to 3 years.

When you think about it, what do snails have to do all their lives? Sure, they leave great slime trails and make excellent targets for salt shakers and little boys, but other than that there’s not much more to do but sleep after an exhausting run across a sidewalk.

2. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.

Until I read this, I was convinced that there was an olive missing from my salad, yet no one would believe me. Now I am vindicated! I am now searching for proof that the airlines have taken one peanut from each bag .. I'll keep you posted.

3. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

After reading this, I realized that I know of many people with the same problem!

4. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

Well, I'd like to see anyone keep this up long enough to actually lose 150 calories. Now that I think about it, I DON'T want to see...

5. Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

This is completely understandable.. I mean, who wants to look at a duck with no pants on? Besides, I understand that it is the law for all birds to wear pants in the city limits of Finland.

6. If you pass gas consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

Dont ever try to prove or disprove this!

7. In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.

Now, this piece of trivia leaves ALOT to the imagination, which is probably a good thing. BUT, I would like to point out, you'd have to be pretty limber to get some on those hairs .. nuff said.

8. The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

I know this trivia fact isn't true 'cause I've gone drinking with my ants several times and I've watched them fall over in several different directions...

9. The average human eats eight spiders in their lifetime at night.

I don't know about this fact ... I've seen several spiders at night and never once felt compelled to eat one. Though I hear that spider is tasty if barbequed correctly.

10. And now for our final fun trivia fact:

Some lions mate over 50 times a day... No wonder the females do all the work.

Ciao

Non-Judgement

Our judgements are the biggest stumbling blocks to satisfying relationships. We constantly judge what others say and how they behave. We live by our judgements, but how do we know they are justified? What right do we have to judge our fellow beings? We cannot know what is right for anyone other than ourselves.

Its not easy, but giving up judging is essential for inner peace. When we stop judging we become more tolerant. We see the things we used to judge differently, as opportunities to rise our vibration by thinking higher thoughts.

When you are tempted to judge another, remember that they are on the path which is right for them, and are where they need to be. Tell yourself to stop, drop the thought and replace it with an affirmation such as, 'I gladly and willingly accept... as it is/ they are.'

When we judge another, it says nothing about them but a great deal about us. Judging someone to be an idiot doesnt make them one, but it does expose you as a person who needs to be judge. Who would you be if you didnt have this need? How would your life be different?

As rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, do not burden your heart with judgements but rain your kindness equally on all.

The Buddha

Peace out.

18 Similarities Between Women and Computers

Before you read any further, please note that this is not a piece out to damage or cut down the important role of women in our society. Read below only as humour and nothing more. These are intended solely for a good laugh.

Women are unique in many ways (and by this I mean different than men) and its this specific uniqueness or certain traits that I refer to when likening a woman to a personal computer. Do not get offended; it is intended to create a smile.

1) A woman is like a computer in that she costs more than you thought it would.

2) A woman resembles a personal computer in that she will not do exactly what you thought it will.

3) After a while, you simply cannot do without both: your computers and your woman.

4) Computers are just like women: after you have gotten used to them and cannot do without them, you discover that one is not enough.

5) Some computers, like some women, serve many people.

6) You can work miracles with both by gently using your fingers if you only know the proper code.

7) If you are inactive with them for more than fifteen minutes, they go off.

8) Just like a computer, the one who runs her has more privileges than just anyone else who is just running her.

9) When there are short-circuits of electricity, they shut you off and then you cannot always return to what was before the short-circuit.

10) Normally, they are available and receptive in the night, but it’s a lot better when they are available and receptive in the morning.

11) When you are, at last, sure that they will do what you wanted, they go off and do something else.

12) The only thing that you predict about the future with them is that they will react unpredictably.

13) Just like women, so too for computers: every year a new model is released that is younger, more advanced and gives a lot more.

14) A woman is just like a computer: you are happy with what you have but when you see what your friends have got, you are sure you want what they have.

15) Women are like computers in that no matter how much you improve and put into them, they only improve for a short time and then go back to their same old pace.

16) Women are like computers in that every day a new program comes out promising to revolutionize your knowledge and use of them, but after spending a lot more cash you realize that none of them work better than the old one you had before.

17) Women are like computers: you always want what others have and they want what you have but you cannot switch even for a trial basis.

18) Women are like computers in that when you get them you are sure that they are the best. But when the days go back, you wonder why you did not get them with a replacement note.

Ciao.

Perfectionism

What is Perfectionism? Perfectionism is defined as a meticulous drive to attain excellence. A perfectionist is one who has this characteristic.

'Perfectionism' is a most prevalent belief in our civilization. Notice that I used the word 'belief'.

Everywhere in this world of ours, perfectionism is regarded as good and desirable while imperfection is deem as bad or negative. Everybody wants everybody else to be perfect. Bosses want their employees to be flawless on the job. Parents want their kids to be the best. Perfectionists want their work and themselves to be perfect.

Since it is so strongly regarded as being positive, is Perfectionism really an absolute or universal value? In my opinion, it is not so.

To me, it is relative and is born of human conception. Perfection is an idea. It is an idea of a perceived ideal state of affair. However, things are the way they are. For every circumstances, the truth is what is at each instance. Perfection and imperfection are therefore merely attached values.

I am not suggesting that perfectionism is not good. I am suggesting that perhaps perfectionism can cast a controlling net over our expression of happiness. One can reach the required goal with or without being a perfectionist. To be a perfectionist, on the other hand, leave very little room for one to accept and love oneself unconditionally when a desired goal is not met. And when our desires are not met, we feel unhappy or cannot be fully satisfied. However, the truth is we only have each moment of the Present Moment to live in. By being perfectionist, our mind will be forever planning and thinking about the future or lamenting about what went wrong in the past. Because of these tendencies, many perfectionists are unable to feel satisfaction because in their perception they never seem to do things good enough to warrant that feeling of contentment.

From this, we can see a paradox of life. That is:

"How can one have
perfect peace, self-love and joy when one is a perfectionist? "

Ricky.

Get What You Want

When we want to get something, acquire or accomplish anything with lasting results, there are many ways and levels to attract it. If it is by looks, then we need to be disciplined in diet and exercise, etc. If it is by knowledge, then we need to put effort into studying. If it is by wealth, we need to make a lot of personal sacrifice and work hard over a period of time. If it is by a kind heart and maturity, then we have to mentally train ourselves through awareness practice and consistency. Whatever the method, effort with results is the key.

When we do things continuously and with effort, there will be results. When we do it sporadically, our results will be sporadic. If we only go to the gym once every six months, we will look like we only go to the gym once every six months. If we only drive by a gym once every six months, we will look like we only drive by a gym once every six months. Similary, if me focus, practise and control our minds with Dharma every single day, we will look like we control our minds. We will look like we are practising the Dharma. We will see transformation.

Peace out, Ricky.

'Shields Up!'

Occasionally we meet people whose energy is so negative and overpowering that we need to protect ourselves. The best way is not to fight back, but to affirm your spiritual power. If this fails, create a protective mental shield around yourself to stop their destructive energy getting through.

If you are a Star Trek fan, you will remember that when the Starship Enterprise is under threat, the Security Officer creates an electronic force field around the ship which repels the attack. Use this idea to protect yourself from physical attack. Say 'Shields up,' and imagine yourself surrounded by an impenetrable forcefield. Affrim that nothing can harm you inside your safety bubble.

This may seem wacky at first, but give it a try. Like all techniques, it becomes more effective with practice.

Peace out.

Fishing or Sex?

Four men went fishing. After an hour of sitting on the riverbank, one said,

'You wont believe what I had to do to get permission to come away fishing this weekend. I had to promise my wife that next week I'd redecorate every room in the house!'

The second man said,

'Thats nothing! I had to promise my wife I'd tuft the whole of the back garden and build swings and a slide for the kids.'

Man number three smiled.

'You dont know when you are well off! he exclaimed. 'I had to promise my partner I'd renovate the whole of the kitchen for her and build a pergola in the garden!'

They continued to fish in silence. Then they realised the fourth man hadnt spoken.

'Hey Jerry!' said the first man. 'What did you have to do to be able to come away fishing?'

Jerry struggled casually.

'I just set my alarm for five thirty,' he said. 'When it went off, I turned it off, cuddled up to my wife and asked, 'Fishing or sex?' She turned over and said, 'Dont forget your jacket.''

Cheers.

The Law of Reciprocity

The Law of Reciprocity is better known as the Golden Rule: 'Treat everyone as you like to be treated.'However, as others have their own values and preferences, it is better expressed as, 'Treat everyone as they would like to be treated.' Most people like to feel accepted, approved of, respected, listened to and appreciated.

The Law of Reciprocity reminds us that we get back what we give out. Thoughts create effects which rebound, and so do words and actions. If you want more friends, be friendlier, if more love, be more loving; if more happiness, help others to be happy. Ask not, 'What do I want this person to do for me,' but, 'How can I help? What can I do for them? Everytime you meet another's needs, you meet needs of your own and feel better about yourself.

Peace out.

The Biology of Love

Scientists who have been researching how the human brain operates when a person is in love have concluded that there are three distinct brain system for mating and reproduction - lust, romantic love and long term attachment.

Each of these systems is associated with distinct hormone activity that cause specific feelings and behavioural changes in lovers. When you think of love in terms of these three systems, it makes it easier to follow what stage a person is in and to better understand their actions.

Love has been shown to be the result of a specific group chemicals and brain circuits working in specific areas of the brain. In simple scientific terms, love is triggered by a combination of brain chemicals, including dopamine, oxytocin, testosterone, oestrogen and norepinephrine; in much the same way, these chemicals drive other mammals to find suitable partners. Once our brain has identified a suitable partner based on certain criteria, the brain goes into overdrive to rpoduce the chemicals necessary to create the environment to attract that person.

Throughout human history, marriages were an arranged event based on wealth, status, family rivalries, tribal groups and politics. Today, this approach has generally dissppeared and most people now marry for love.

When it comes to mate selection, humans focus their attention on just one person. This distinguishes them from most other animals. A courting male pigeon, for example, will puff up his feathers and approach as many potential partners as his energy will allow. Humans, however, usually have a shortlist of candidates but intensely target just one.

Ricky.

Different Flowers For Different Occasions

Whether for your mother, sister or girlfriend, buying a woman flowers can be a minefield. Turn up to a birthday bash with a petrol station bouquet of frayed petals and flimsy stalks and you might find yourself wearing the bouquet down the back of your trousers. Take on board this little lesson in the language of flowers, on the other hand, and you will be heralded as a model gentleman.

To say 'sorry'.
It may be the hardest word, but so much easier to say with flowers. The rare blue rose symbolizes peace and being hard to come by will earn you extra brownie points. Daisies are said to cheer people up and mark new beginnings. Hydrangeas represent understanding, tulips and hyacinths forgiveness, and bluebells suggest sorrowful regret. Alternatively, you could give her a guilt trip with a handful of withered flowers, the symbol of rejected love and petrol stations.

Anniversary or Valentine's Day.
Forget-me-nots for true love, constancy and memories. Cacti, despite being prickly, symbolize endurance. Red roses are a little passe but if you must go for them buy one or dozen - eleven red and one white with the white representing your true love. Just be prepared for the question, 'Who do the other represent, you cheating bastard?'

Mother's Day.
Yellow flowers are bright and cheery and symbolize adoration, gracefulness and friendship. Dahlias, elegance and dignity, magnolias, magnificence and benevolence, and violets loyalty.

Grandma's Birthday.
Pink roses sit well with the oldies as they speak of friendship. Purple flowers are often related to royalty and admiration - perfect for the Queen Mum in your life. Irises denote faith and wisdom. A word of warning: dont send Granny orange flowers or chrysanthemums, or worse orange chrysanthemums (orange symbolizez lust! And, well. chrysamthemums are usually put on grave).

Ciao.

Being Lonely Is Blissful

Being alone is something that everyone fears. What they do not understand is that loneliness is a state of mind, it is not who you are with or not with. You could be with someone and be extremely lonely - you cannot relate to them or understand them. When some peole are with other people, they are even lonelier than they were without anyone. Some people are alone but not lonely.

Loneliness is not about being with someone or having to be wtih someone. Loneliness is a state of mind where we do not accept who we are inside and what we need to improve. We therefore need to be distracted with other people to make us look away from ourselves.

Loneliness is not about being somewhere, being something, having something or being with someone. Loneliness is about not daring to look at our faults and pushing towards improvement, and therefore, wanting to be distracted from what we see in ourselves that we do not like. So, we surround ourselves with loud music, parties, beautiful people, friends, books... We want to have anything and everything to not think about what we are inside.

Being alone is not boring. It is blissful. It is powerful and transformative. So, do spare some time with loneliness, to rise the level of consciousness of your mind, and get to know who you are; what you want inside.

Ricky.

Spirituality Inclined People Are Happier

Psychologists once spent most of their time studying mental illness, but recently they have turned their attention to what brings health and happiness. They have discovered that happiness is largely influenced by non-physical factors such as values, attitudes and beliefs. For example:

Across all cultures, people who have a happy marriage, spend time with their families, and enjoy caring friendships, a varied and rewarding social life and worthwhile goals which are enjoyable to persue tend to be happier than average.

Wealth is not a good predictor of happiness; people do not grow happier as they grow richer, unless they start below the poverty line. Lottery winner, as I mentioned in the previous post, for instance, are not happier than rest of us, and despite the massive increase in wealth in developed countries in the last fifty years, levels of happiness have not increased.

Age, gender, education, nationality and race are unrelated to happiness.

Spirituality inclined people are generally happier because they have sense of meaning and a belief in something bigger than themselves that brings hope and optimism and faith, all of which are closely linked to happiness.

All in all, studies support the conclusion drawn by the broadcaster and writer Hugh Downs.

'A happy person is not a person with a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.'

Peace out.

Placebos

Placebos are pills and potions with no active ingredients. They have much to teach us about the connection between beliefs, health and healing. Placebos are often used in clinical trials as 'controls'. One group of 'guinea pigs' takes the test drug, the other a placebo, and the outcomes are compared. It is not unusual for the improvement to be similar in both groups. Some patients even get the same side effects from placebos as if they had taken the actual medication.

The main factor in successful healing with placebos is the belief of the patient, hence the size, shape, colour of the tablets influence results, as does the healing procedure. Anything that makes the treatment seem more credible, such as the doctors uniform and bedside manner, improves the placebo effect. Placebos are least effective when the patient is unconscious or unaware of what is going on for other reasons.

Placebos tell us something important about the mind-body connection. They are rarely used these days because doctors consider it unethical to tell patients a pill has an active ingredient when it hasnt. Pity. How much potential for safe, effective healing is being lost?

Ricky.

Are You What Others Think You Are?

Many people think so. If someone repeatedly calls someone an idiot, they begin to believe it. But if you are what others think you are, to whom should you listen? Different people have different opinions of you, and they change over time. Some know you from work, others from home. Some know you when calm, others when you are angry or stressed. Meanwhile, your deepest sense of 'I' stays constant and remain intact.

The real you is to be found inside. What others think of you - your reputation - is outside, in their minds. Your reputation is not of your making and is beyond your control. How can this be who you are?

Ciao.

Women's Mental Distortion

Women have this built in desire to tell even their fat ugly friend that she is pretty. Or funny. Or talented. When in fact she is none of the above. Ask any guy and he will tell you - when a guy's wife or girlfriend says oh you just gotta meet my friend blah blah blah she is so funny and so great, the first thing we ask is - is she hot? The pause right before they answer is all the information you need. No - the pause is telling you - she is not hot. At all. Listed below are the first five things most chicks say about their available friends, followed by the truth:

1. She's really cute, she's got great eyes and she's funny. (She's got cute lips, nice eyes and snorts like a stuck pig when she laughs.)
2. She looks like Michelle Pfeiffer. (If Michelle Pfeifer had just been in a car crash.)
3. She's very very very pretty. (She's fat.)
4. She's got an amazing body. (But the face...)
5. She's incredibly smart. (She wont shut up.)

Likewise, if you hear any woman describe another woman using the terms listed below - almost the exact opposite will be true:

1. She's an idiot. (She's got massive tits.)
2. She's anorexic. (She's got great legs and flat stomach.)
3. She's so self-centered. (Guys love her.)
4. Her ass is huge. (She's Jennifer Lopez)
5. She's a bitch. (She's gorgeous and funny and will fuck your brains out five minutes after she meets you.)

Chicks will take precious time and carefully chosen words to spend on chubby or homely or big-boned female friends - referring to their beestung lips or slow metabolism or zaftig curves. Agree? Yes? No? Find it out yourself.

Cheers.

Clear The Clutter

Free yourself of unnecessary possessions. Dont hang onto things on the off-chance that one day they may come in useful. This attitude is born out of fear that one day your needs wont be met, which keeps you rooted in poverty consciousness.

If you dont need it, get rid of it. If you havent worn something for a while, get rid of it. Recycle anything you cant use or give it to charity. Clear out your drawers, cupboards, shelves and every nook and cranny, and once you have cleared a space, dont refill it. A good clear-out leaves you feeling lighter, stimulates flow - and clears the channel to recieve more of what you really need.

Wealth beyond what is natural is of no more use than an overflowing container.

Epicurus

Peace out.

20 Ways To Make Someone Smile

Do you want to put a smile on someone's face today? Maybe make their day a little better. It won't cost you a single penny or much time to do just that. And because smiling is contagious, it probably won't just be one person you make smile today.

Here are 20 ways to turn that frown upside down.

1. Send some flowers to your partner at work.
2. Compliment a friend or work colleague on their appearance.
3. Donate something to charity.
4. Take a friend out to lunch.
5. Let someone know you miss them.
6. Make a surprise telephone call to your partner at work, just to say hi.
7. Hold a door open for someone walking behind you.
8. Hug your partner for no reason.
9. Leave a joke on a friends answer machine.
10. Send a card to a friend letting them know what a good friend they are.
11. Give up your seat on the train to someone when there aren't any left.
12. Share your umbrella on a rainy day.
13. Ask a friend if they need anything while you're out shopping.
14. When it's raining, plan an indoor picnic with your children.
15. Leave a love letter somewhere where your partner will find it.
16. Send someone an unusual and unexpected gift like chocolate, flowers or sex toys.
17. Tell your child you're proud of them.
18. Tell someone you thought about them the other day.
19. Cook a surprise meal for your partner one night, especially if they normally do the cooking.
20. Tell your partner you love them.

Did you know it takes only 17 muscles to smile, but 43 to frown. Why waste all that energy frowning when you could just smile.

Here are 5 more facts about smiling.

1. Women smile more than men.
2. Smiling releases endorphins that make us feel better.
3. We are all born with the ability to smile, it's not something we learn from others.
4. A smile is a universal expression of happiness.
5. A smiling person is thought to be a more pleasant, attractive, sociable, sincere and competent than a non-smiling person.

Just remember, smiling is the easiest and cheapest way of improving your looks.

Cheers, Ricky.

Colours Tell Personalities (Result)

What'd your ideal room say about you? Find yourself though colours. Wall's colour would narrate your main personalities. Combine with other minor colours. That would be you!

Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.

Energy - Passion - Vitality - Determination - Courage - Confidence - Action - Speed - Sex Drive

Pros:

• increased enthusiasm and interest
• more energy
• action and confidence to go after your dreams
• protection from fears and anxieties

Cons:

• lose your temper quickly, become agitated, angry, overbearing, demanding, un-nerving, oppressive or even violent.

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

Happiness - Courageous - Creative - Successful

Pros:

• spice things up when you feel time is dragging
• become more involved in something
• increase creativity
• relief from things becoming too serious

Cons:

• self-centered and self serving, disregarding the needs of others, pride, and arrogance can will push you out of balance.

Brown says stability, reliability, confident, solid, genuine, maturity, wistfulness, orderly and approachability. It is the color of our earth and is associated with all things natural or organic.

Earth - Order - Dependability - Stability - Humility - Grounded

Pros:

• a solid wholesome feeling
• blend with the background
• a connection with natural earth and the stability this brings
• orderliness and convention

Cons:

• One-way thinking, Naive.

Gold evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, attaction, loyalty, power, self-esteem, wisdom, and wealth. Gold often symbolizes high quality.
 
Illumination - Wisdom - Prosperity

Pros:

• increased personal power
• relaxation and enjoyment of life
• good health
• success

Cons:

• self-centered, seeking personal power.

Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, optimism, cheerfulness and energy.

Wisdom - Intellect - Enthusiasm - Joy - Optimism

Pros:

• clarity for decision-making
• relief from 'burnout', panic, nervousness, exhaustion
• sharper memory and concentration skills
• protection from lethargy and depression during dull weather

Cons:

• inability to focus, or complete one task at a time, and even become critical and demanding.

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, honesty, self-respect, desire to expand and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety.

Growth - Abundance - Prosperity - Hope - Fertile

Pros:

• a new state of balance
• feel a need for change or growth
• freedom to pursue new ideas
• protection from fears and anxieties connected with the demands of others

Cons:

• placid, lethargic, lazy, and slow, to the point of becoming moody and depressed.

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, clarity of thought, protection, faith, truth, and heaven.

Tranquility - Trust - Truth - Intuition

Pros:

• calm and relaxation to counteract chaos or agitation
• open the flow of communication
• broaden your perspective in learning new information
• solitude and peace

Cons:

• melancholy, dogmatic, negative, arrogant, self-righteous, and self centered.

Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, sophistication, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic.

Spirituality - Strength - Passion - Meditation - Magic - Mystery

Pros:

• use your imagination to its fullest
• re-balance your life
• remove obstacles
• calm overactivity or to energize from depression

Cons:

•  irritability, impatience, and arrogance.

Pink is youthful, fun, and exciting, while vibrant pink has the same high energy as red; pink is sensual, gentleness and passionate without being too aggressive. Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.

Friendly - Loving - Compassionate

Pros:

• calm feelings
• neutralize disorder
• relaxation
• acceptance, contentment

White is associated with light, goodness, peacefulness, innocence, purity, simplicity, sincerity, kindness and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity.

Faith - Purity - Innocence - Truth - Peace - Humility

Pros:

• clear clutter and obstacles away
• start a fresh beginning
• bring about mental clarity
• purification of thoughts or actions

Cons:

•  Cold, Drained, Lifeless, Bare, Vacan't

Black is associated with power, elegance, independence, formality, depression, death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes).

Protection - Independence - Mystic Allure

Pros:

• become inconspicuous
• open the door to mystery
• prepare for the unknown
• a restful emptiness

Cons:

• generates negative mind, lack of motivation, boreness.

Gray is the color of intellect, knowledge, and wisdom. It is perceived as long-lasting, classic, and often as sleek or refined. It is a color that is uninteresting, serious, dignified, conservative, and carries authority.

Dignity - Self control - Wisdom - Responsibility - Organization - Insight

Pros:

• emphasize your willingness to comply
• neutral, non-invasive feeling
• reduce the intense energy of another color
• feel detached or isolated

Cons:

• Rigid, Dull, Melancholy, Lonely, and Lifeless.

Peace out.

Colours Tell Personalities (Test)

Here is the deal. If you had a well designed bedroom with complete furniture, but what was left - colour. What colour would the wall be? Bedsheet, curtains, shelves, door, standing lamps, tables, carpet - if you would like to have one, etc. Here is mine. Black coloured wall with colourful furniture. And what can you tell about me?

So, give yourself a minute, fill up your ideal room with your favourite colours - 3 to 5 colours are preferabled. Ill reveal your personalities tomorrow. Have fun doing it.

Ciao.

Dont Confuse Happiness with Fun

Happy people have lots of fun, but happiness and fun are not the same. Happiness is a lasting and stable state of being while fun is transitory. Fun pastimes bring pleasure for a while but the effect wears off once the activity ends.

To be happy, we dont need everything to be fun. Its necessary to undertake unpleasant tasks and put up with tedium from time to time. Some people have laboured in factories, lifted soaking bags of manure from a leaky barn onto a lorry, done mind-numbing office work and sold cleaning products door to door. All these jobs were unpleasant but tolerable because they know they are just stepping stones to a brighter future.

Many people are drawn into fun activities that distract them from our problems (like drinking excessively, drugs or unsafe sex, for example), only to find that they have made matters worse. Instead, focus your mind on what brings happiness and lay down the right causes. This is the way to find true happiness that endures.

Peace out.

Try It Out

Geniuses stand out not just because they have brilliant ideas, but because they do something with them. Have you ever had a good idea and done nothing about it, only to discover subsequently that someone else thought of it too and made it a success? They trusted their inner guidance and acted on it - you didnt!

Genius, as Albert Einstein said, is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Brahms concurred. 'I wish to impress on you that my compositions are not the fruits of inspiration alone,' he said, 'but also severe, painstaking toil.' Many outstanding ideas come to nothing because they are not acted upon.

Cheers, Ricky.

The Secret

Today is the beginning of my new life,
I am starting over today,
All good things are coming to me today,
I am grateful to be alive,
I see beauty all around me,
I live with passion and purpose,
I take time to laugh and play every day,
I am awake, energized and alive,
I focus on all the good things in life,
And give thanks for them,
I am at peace and one with everything,
I feel the love, the joy, the abundance,
I am free to be myself,
I am magnificence in human form,
I am the perfection of life,
I am grateful to be...
Me.
Today is the best day of my life.

Peace out, Ricky.

Enlightened Relationships?

I always thought that true enlightenment is not possible except through love in a relationship between a man and a woman. Isnt this what makes us whole again? How can one's life be fulfilled until that happens?

Is that true in your experience? Has it happened to you?

Not yet, but how could it be otherwise? I know that it will happen.

In other words, we are waiting for an event in time to save us. Is this not the core error that we have been talking about? Salvation is not elsewhere in place or time. It is here and now.

What does that statement mean, "salvation is here and now"? I dont understand it actually. I do know what salvation means, but a true salvation? Not yet. And same goes to you.

Ricky.

Women, "I look fat!" ; Men, "Whatever."

Flat chested women go out and get balloon-size fake tits. Guys go to the gym. Fat girls subject themselves to years and years of endless dieting before finally throwing in the towel and getting liposuction. Fat guys go to the gym. Gals with huge noses gaze at themselves in mirrors and shop windows and any other available reflective public surface until finally getting the honker hacked off and replaced by one of a suitable size. Guys just grow a mustache. The chinstrap beard was invented by a husky guy trying to reduce the size of his neckfat. We hate to go to the doctor. We go to the barber instead. Big ears? Leave a little more on the sides. Women often accuse men of not telling the truth or being emotionally dishonest. Meanwhile, the odds are the woman you have just met is not the woman you will see in the bedroom. Once she removes her padded bra and compressive-waisted panty hose and false eyelashes and fake nails, you might be looking at someone other than who you were attracted to! If guys get fat, we just buy bigger pants.

Women have some insane system of numbers when it comes to sizing clothes - 6, 8, 4, 2 etc. And even then they seem to have no idea what size they really are - size 10s are constantly trying to suck themselves into size 8s and size 4s are always doing insane acrobatics and extreme yoga positions in changing rooms across the country in vain attempts to fit into size 2s!

Guys know our sizes. We have small, medium, large and extra large. Except of course when it comes to our penises. Then we are all size large. Which reminds me - why is it whenever plus-size chicks are in denial about their weight, they always claim that their tits got bigger? Thats the equivalent of a fat guy claiming that all the fat from the burgers he has been scarfing went right into his penis - which would really be a lie because for any guy the first sign you weigh too much is almost always the same: you wake up one morning and cannot see your penis.

By the way, someone, usually a chick has to tell a guy he's fat/ ugly/ smelly. Even though his guy friends may have nicknamed him Slim/ Handsome/ B.O., he still thinks he is attractive to some chick some where. Guys dont look at any aspect of themselves as a detriment. No arms? Play soccer. No legs? Wheelchair basketball. No sane chick will have sex with me? They got available hookers on Craig's List. Click on a couple buttons and they come right over. Is this what Al Gore had in mind when he invented the Internet?

Ciao, Ricky.

Waiter's Waiting

Are you a habitual 'waiter'? How much of your life do you spend waiting? What I call 'small-scale waiting' is waiting in line at the post office, in a traffic jam, at the airport, or waiting for someone to arrive, to finish work and so on. 'Large-scale waiting' is waiting for the next vacation, for a better job, for the children to grow up, for a truly meaningful relationship, for success, to make money, to be important, to become enlightened. It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.

Waiting is a state of mind. Basically, it means that you want the future; you dont want the present. You dont want what you have got, and want what you havent got. With every kind of waiting, you unconsciously create inner conflict between your here and now, where you dont want to be, and the projected future, where you want to be. This greatly reduces the quality of your life by making you lose the present.

So give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting... snap out of it. Come into the present moment. Just be, and enjoy being. If you are present, there is never any need for you to wait for anything. So next time somebody says, "Sorry to have kept you waiting," you can reply, "Thats all right, I wasnt waiting. I was just standing here enjoying myself - in joy in myself."

Peace out.

Racing Suit? Bikini?

Danica Patrick - the much-heralded and publicized and cursed-about-men female race car driver finally won her first race. Legions of women all over the earth were quoted in happy, feminist quotes about female power and female challenges and equal rights and equal abilities. Danica cried as she accepted her trophy and was photographed in all of her glory and joy. But the pictures that was most often seen the next day was Danica in a bikini. From her pages in Sport Illustrated's Annual Swimsuit Issue. In which she looked very very hot!

Now - we can all agree or disagree about that picture and its placement and why she took it and are women objectified and blah blah sexist blah - but the truth is if you ask most men if they are attracted to a woman who can drive faster than them you will get either a no or a big fat maybe. But if you ask most men if they mind a woman who looks like Danica does in a bathing suit beating their brains out on the track? The answer is - not at all! Especially if she's wearing the bikini while she drives. Hell - Ill sign up right now and ride shotgun. As a matter of fact - I wish there were a whole race of female race car drivers who drive like cheetahs on crack and looked fine in a swimsuit issue; I think the ratings would go through the roof! But that will never happen.

Ciao.

Male VS Female

Its absolutely commonsense fact: girls like to dance and boys like to hit. Thats why girls become cheerleaders and boys become football players. Girls play mommy and boys pretend to kill each other. Girls like pretty clothes and boys like fire trucks.

For women, their list of hot men includes a dad who waits at the corner bus stop with his toddler son and places him on the bus with a kiss atop the head and waves goodbye as the bus drives away. This man could be thirty pounds overweight and wearing a goofy hat. Women will still find him sexy. For men - a mom doing the same thing - placing her toddler on the bus with a loving kiss and wave - would be just as hot and sexy. As long as she was built like Giselle Bundchen and wearing a leopard-print thong. I know its awful and incredibly simple but its true.

A recent online poll by Woman's Day magazine came up with these results:

When asked which they would rather have - Jennifer Aniston's body or a million dollars - 78% of the women chose the money.

If you had asked men - 78% would have chosen Jennifer Aniston's body - as long as they could press it right up against their own.

As a matter of fact - if they had asked men - they would have found that most men with million dollars would gladly give it up for the chance to touch Jennifer Aniston's body. Or just to see her naked.
Maybe thats the difference between men and women. One of them, anyway. Here is another:

94% of the people in America who visit, pay and place heavy stock in psychics and what they have to say are women. The other 6%? Gay men.

Women go to psychics to find out what the future might hold for them in terms of true love, their children, former lives they may have lived, where their dead father/boyfriend/best friend might be. Straight men? They are very cut and dried, very black and white. If psychics are capable of seeing into the future - why the fuck cant they give us the score of Super Bowl? *sigh*

Ricky.

The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Most of the people on this planet have massive problems finding enough food to eat, yet we not only throw away more food in the course of a single day than they might see in their entire life spans - we also have obese pets. And books about obese pets. And sidebar segments on national news programs about how to put your obese pets on a weight-loss/workout regimen. Meanwhile - most of these pets that are eating too much dog and cat food actually are food in other parts of the world - so while we are desprerately trying to slim them down; there are families of eight in Africa who are dreaming of roasting them on rusty spit over an open flame.

Not to mention The Food Channel!

Peace out.

Beliefs

Beliefs are collections of thoughts or ideas which we hold to be true. All beliefes are learned, mostly in childhood. Most of our beliefs come from our elders. Nothing we believe (as apposed to know) is ever certain.

Beliefs are transitory in nature. Millions have died for beliefs that most of us no longer accept, for example:

People were once tortured and killed for challenging the conventional belief that the world was flat.

The Romans believed it was perfectly acceptable to watch their fellow humans being torn apart by wild animals as a form of entertainment.

In South and Central America, it was once believed that gods looked favourably on sacrifices which could include tearing out the hearts of live human beings.

In Europe in the Middle Ages, it was considered God's will to burn and drown women who showed signs of heightened intuition.

In the so-called 'Age of Reason' (the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries), white Europeans thought it right and proper to buy and sell their African brothers and transport them as cargo thousands of miles into slavery.

Only two generation ago in God-fearing American and South Africa, people were deprived of their human right simply because they had darker skin. The churches justified this intellectually, and anyone who protested could be imprisoned.

Having adopted a belief, we take it for granted. We make the 'facts' fit the belief and ignore any evidence that doesnt support it. Thats why unquestioned beliefs are shaky foundations for living, prompting the philosopher Bertrand Russell to write, 'I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.'

Peace out.

MTV's Sweet Sixteen

If you havent seen or heard of this particular program you either spend for too much time sitting alone reading or suffer from a severe case of autism. If the first case applies - wake the fuck up. If your condition includes the second case - congratulations. You've been spared.

Not only does this program make a fine, upstanding and fairly normal red-blooded American like Dr. Denis Leary want to gather up every teenager girl with raging hormones and absolutely no sense of real-life limits, stick them in a pair of standard-issue fatigues and drop them chuteless into the middle of the Iraqi desert, but what's a day at a warm and breezy beach compared to what would lie in store for their parents.

Ya plant carrots ya get carrots.

In between bouts of whining and texting and whining while texting and soporific party-planning and stomping their Jimmy Choo - clad feet because their dads didnt book 50 Cent for their party these denizens of designer clothes and high-end vodka, these future mental vacuums harangue their moms about seven-thousand-dollar place settings and gold-engraved invitations.

No jobs. No discernible talent. Not even one good blow job available from the entire batch.

They are living breathing Bermuda triangles.

Loaded with cash but not one iota of interest in anything other than the mundane.

Problem is - the terrorists get basic cable too.

Ciao.

Looking After Number One?

We live in a society where looking after number one is not only fashionable but encouraged.

There's a story of two hikers who came across a bear. One immediately shed his backpack, removed his boots and put on his trainers.

'What are you doing? Do you really think you can outrun a bear?' His friend asked.

'I dont need to,' replied the first; 'I only need to outrun you.'

We are here to grow as individuals and, just as importantly, support each other. Since we are all one, looking after ourselves with no consideration for others makes no sense. Since our words and actions return to us like a boomerang, selfishness actually harms the person we are trying to help - ourselves.

Peace out.

A Healthy Attitude Towards Money

Its Chinese New Year, red packets are given and received among families, relatives, neighbours and friends. It doesnt matter how much money a red packet contents, but how many you could get. Since it symbolises bless and good fortune; the more you get, the more prosperous you are.

Money has energy. It is a symbol of what natural resources and human ingenuity can produce to satisfy our wants and needs. Money is a means to an end, a lubricant which smoothes the flow of goods and services. There's plenty of it in the world, and its available to everyone who is can use their imagination and think and act for themselves. Money is a good servant but a very poor master. Cultivate a healthy attitude towards it, attract it into your life and put it to good use. If you received red packet with one million bucks in it, how would you spend it? If you dont know, then why would you want it? There's no point in having it unless it is used well.

Money in itself is useless; it has no value unless put to good use. Hoarding it cuts off the flow, so keep it circulating. Turn it into people helping others and doing and making things so they too can be prosperous and happy. Prosperity comes through you, not from you. Only the barries in your own consciousness can prevent it flowing as it should. Therefore, make good use of your red packet money you get; let it flow. When it flows, everything is as it should be and works out for the best.

Ciao.

CNY Gathering with an Unbelievable Ending

First day of Chinese New Year, aound 9:00 PM, a 'little' gathering was held by a group of secondary school friends at Station 1 Cafe, a home-feeling cafe with variety coffees, related beverages and live singing performance as well. We had ourselves settled around 4 combined tables - it'd be 5 or 6 if some of them could make it. We ordered and I had a glass of greenish-looking Apple Lemonade and Gong Pou Kai Ting Chop Rice. The rice come with a cut-into-pieces chicken chop with black pepper sauce, a so-called title 'Kai Ting Chop' - 'Ting' means pieces I suppose. The food was nice by the way.

We had our chit-chat session, but those women owned it - from head to toes; from women to men; from Britney to Obama. The infinite power of 'gossip women'. *lol* Those bored-looking drivers (refers to the guys obviously) had themselves a deck of poker card to kill time. 11:45 PM, we're done and heading to the next station - Irene's house.

Once there, had ourselves a place to sit around a round table and started to gamble of course! However, home-gambling with money involved is illegal. Somemore those cops are hyper active during Chinese New Year searching for free 'ang pao' - red packets. Therefore, real money was temporary replaced by tokens - small chocolate packs! Blackjack 21 - the game which majority voted for. Person with highest chocolate packs was automatically selected to be dealer. How cruel was that... *sigh* I was, once became dealer. But I could scarcely hold on with my limited tokens. My hand was unlucky, hit soft 17 (less favorable hand for dealer) most of the time which its hard to deal with either to hit or stand in order to win.

Among us, whoever chosen to be dealer was most likely to lose except 1 person. With her slowpoked attitude, I thought I'd be able to balance my previous lost. But, sun suddenly rised from the west! Everything was out of expectation! 5 cards total with 21, she got! How rediculous was that! Not 1 time but severals. I mean the possibilities for a dealer to get such combination are ultra low. *sigh* We're eliminated 1 by 1 by losing all our chocolate packs. I was the fourth one kicked out from the game. *lol* At the end of the day, she won all - all our chocolate packs! I lost 5 bucks. Really, unbelievable.

Ricky.

Body Autobiography

The cells of the body are constantly renewed, and this process is directed by the mind. A healhty mind produces healthy new cells and an unhealthy mind, unhealthy cells. A lively, responsive mind draws spiritual energy into every cell in the body, and vice versa.

You will have noticed that some elderly people look vibrant and happy despite the lines on their faces, while others lack energy and look miserable. It is not theirs years or their experieces that make them this way, but their thinking. In time, our attitudes begin to show in our bodies and our features. This is why it is said that our faces and bodies are our autobiographies. 'Perhaps,' wrote endocrinogist and authority on Ayurvedic Medicine Dr Deepak Chopra, 'our bodies are just the place our memories call home.'

Peace out.

Self-Love

Is it wrong to love yourself? Some people think so. They think of people who love themselves as being rather unplesant because they associate loving oneself with selfishness and conceit. But loving oneself is not the same as being in love with oneself. This is usually a form of bravado indulged in by individuals who think too little of themselves and desperately try to hide it.

To love yourself, you dont have to do everything perfectly. You dont have to prove anything. You dont even have to do your best, and its OK to make mistakes.

Self-love benefits others too, for only when you have love for yourself can you share it with others and inspire them to love themselves too. Hating oneself is no way to spread love and help others to feel better about themselves.

Valentine's Day is around the corner. Everyone wants to share love, but at the end of the day, you don't start to give it until you own it. Before projecting your love to your love ones, rise your inner love energy by - loving yourself.

Love, Ricky.

Dreams

We communicate with our inner psyche in our sleep, through dreams, when the waking mind shuts down. It is a good idea to keep a 'dream diary' since dreams reveal our deepest thoughts and offer intuitive guidance.

Similary with daydreaming. Next time you catch yourself daydreaming, dont feel guilty - enjoy it. Daydreaming is good for you. The brain has a kind of 'screensaver' that automatically kicks in when the mind is idling. If our activities and surroundings are not sufficiently stimulating to maintain our interest, we get lost in our imagination. Daydreaming can sometimes result in useful ideas and is a perfectly healthy response to boring or routine activities.

Dreams unify the body, mind and spirit and provide you with insights about yourself and is a means for self exploration. When you understand your dreams you will have the ability to further understand and discover the true you.

Ciao.

Body Intuition

Intuition - the sixth sense - is not a special ability restricted to a few. Every cell in our body has energy and intelligence. We constantly use our energy field to subconsciously scan other people's energy and the environment for danger. We may be alerted by a physical feeling, such as a tightening of the neck and shoulder muscles or queasiness in the stomach. When this happens, our body's intelligence is trying to keep us safe.

Humans are not only creatures to have sixth sense. Animals have it too, although we tend to call this 'instinct'. For instance, we cannot explain the incredible navigational abilities of racing pigeons, migrating birds, fish and insects, or how pets appear to know when their owners are on their way home.

Make better use of this facility by taking your attention to the area around your solar plexus (this is where most of us feel it), and asking a question such as, 'Is this right for me?' An uncomfortable feeling or general sense of unease could be your intuition urging you to back off, slow down or delay making a decision.

If you doubt the wisdom in the cells of your body, try this: clasp your hands together and ask a question - is this true or false? - and try to pull them apart. The harder it is to pull them apart, the more likely it is to be true. Give yourself these suggestions and see what happens:

- It is good for my body to eat lots of rich, sugary, fatty foods.
- It is good for my body to eat lots of fresh fruit, salads and vegetables.

Ricky.

The Warlord and The Monk

A powerful warlord was overseeing the sacking of a monastery when he discovered a monk meditating peacefully amid the mayhem.

'Do you know who I am?' thundered the warlord.

The monk remained silent.

'I am the man who can kill you with this sword without batting an eyelid,' he bellowed.

The monk queitly replied, 'I am one who can be killed by that sword with out batting an eyelid.'

The warlord, realising his defeat, smiled, bowed and left.

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity on the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

William Blake

Peace & Love.

The Reality of Physical World

Before Einstein, the world was thought to be a collection of atoms behaving according to fixed and observable 'law', and space was exactly that - empty space. This explaination seemed to fit the data in Newton's day, but it changed with the edvent of quantum physics. We now know that matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. Break an atom down to its ultimate components, and we find microscopic particles spinning at great speed around a central core. What appears solid is actually more than 99.99% empty space; billions of tiny particles flying in formation, held together by an invisible forcefield. Everything in the universe is made up of energy. Even space is not really empty: it is a 'presence', an inexhautible 'potential' that manifests in places as matter.

Moreover, when particles are studied in detail, they dont actually exist! Rather, they are tendencies to exist. They appear and disappear millions of times a second and move at inestimable speeds. We cant even assume they exist when they are not being observed. Everthing , including you, come out of an invisible energy field which, when investigated, is shown to have nothing in it!

If nothing exists, then how is it that things appear solid? its because our consciousness tells us so. It is playing a trick on us. Nothing is solid, except in our imagination.

For example, take a pile of bricks. you cant see through it. It feels solid. You believe it is solid. If you were to try and break it with your hands, you would injured yourself. You belief would be proved valid through painful experience. On the other hand, a martial arts expert looks at a pile of bricks differently. He does not percieve it to be solid. He focuses his mind, directs his energy and smashes it with his bare hand without the slightest pain. His belief is also proved to be correct.

Who is right? Both. If your consciousness tells you that something is so, it is. For you.

Ciao.

Mediumship and Clairvoyance

Mediums claim to communicate with the dead. Some of the messages they convey, apperantly from people who have passed on, are astonishing. But do these messages really come from the dead or is it trickery? Do they get the client to reveal things about themselves through finely turned observation and clever questioning then feed it back, as some would argue?

I believe its neither of these. Our minds reach out and affect each other at an energy level over time and distance. Somehow psychics are able to tune in to these mental energy fields. The totality of mental energy is not confined to the minds of people currently in a body, nor is it restricted by our notion of time, because in the quantum field, time can flow both forwards and backwards.

Mediums try to interpret the ideas and impressions they recieve in terms we can understand. We tend to project our limited understanding onto things and give them shape according to our beliefs and perceptual framework. Its much easier to visualise a person who has passed on as if they were still in their human form than to visualise a tiny fragment of energy field.

To hear the dead you have to listen very carefully. It comes as only a whisper in the air, but they're shouting as loud as they can.

Jonathan Cainer.

Ricky.

There's Plenty For All

Economists estimate that if we totalled the monetary value of all the wealth in the world - including publicly owned assets like roads, health facilities, buildings and open spaces, etc. It would amount to at least 10 million pounds for every man, woman and child alive today. If there is all this wealth in the world, then why are some people poor?

Obviously its unequally distributed, but if we all rasied our vibrations and functioned from a higher level of consciousness, prosperity would be shared. Selfishness and greed are largely a response to fear; remove the fear and self-centredness disappears.

It has been suggested that if all the wealth in the world were gathered up and distributed equally, without a change in consciouness it would soon be back in the same hands. Frankly, poverty will only be eradicated when everyone learns to think and behave like a prosperous person.

Peace out.

What More Could I Have Done?

The river had burst its banks and flooded the town. The family had little choice but to move upstairs. That morning, they heard a voice. They looked out of the bedroom window. A man in a rowing boat was beckoning: 'Come, quickly, climb in.'

'Thank you,' said the parents, 'but thats alright. God will save us.'

The boat moved on. The flood water continued to rise and had almost reached the window when a motor launch appeared. 'Climb in,' called the pilot, 'Ill take you to safety.'

'Thats OK.' said the parents, 'but we trust in God. He will save us.' The launch left, and the water continued to rise. The family was climbed onto the roof.

A helicopter appeared. A voice called, 'We're letting down a harness, attach it to yourselves and we will haul you up.'

'No thanks,' said the parents, 'If its God's will, He will save us.' The helicopter flew off; the family drowned.

When they arrived at the gates of heaven, they were greeted by God. 'We believed in you; why didnt you save us?' they asked.

'I sent a rowing boat, a motor launch and a helicopter,' replied God. 'What else more could I have done?'

Ricky.

We Are Interconnected

Even in practical terms, our lives are so interconnected that the idea of a totally autonomous self makes no sense. If you doubt this, consider how many people it takes for you to have shower. (No, this not a joke along the lines of, 'How many economists does it take to turn on a light bulb?')

The answer is, in all probability, millions. When you add together all those who built the reservior, laid the pipes, designed and built your water heater, mined and smelted the metals that made the components, generated the electricity or supplied the gas, wood, or coal, designed and built the shower and the tub, laid the drains, and planned, built and operate the water treatment facility, you have already counted several hundred thousand. And thats before you include those who manage the rivers and canals, built the dams and weirs, and the legion of managers, planners and administrators who supervise the process. And what about who grew the rubber trees and produced the rubber for the washers...

You see, even taking a shower can involve several million people! And thats not counting the animals, insects, micro-organisms, fish and birds affected...

Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

Chief Seattle, 1854

Ciao

Ego

The term 'ego' is used in many ways. In psychoanalytic theory it is the part of the mind that controls the pleasure-seeking 'Id' and is restained by the conscience (the 'Superego'). We also hear people described as having 'a big ego', meaning they think too much of themselves. However, in the spiritual context, ego means the image of ourselves we like to present to the world - our idea of who we should be and who we should like others to think we are.

The ego is often well-defended. One of its functions is to conceal the supposely 'real' self with all its weakness and vulnerabilities. We attempt to compensate by trying to impress others and get angry or upset when we think someone has seen through the pretence.

The ego is a product of past programming and greatly susceptible to fear and self-doubt. It is a tiny part who we are, but it behaves as if it is the only part, like a wave thinking it is the ocean. Even thinking of ourselves as spiritual can be an ego trap if we think this makes us better than anyone else.

Ciao.

Relationships Are Like A Mirror

Relationships are like a mirror reflecting back the way we are. Through our interactions with others, we learn about ourselves. We cannot grow without taking in others. The feedback is immediate and sometimes harsh, but if we are open, illuminating. When we are gripped by the ego, we lose touch with our spiritual essence and react fearfully to others. If we're wise to these tendencies, we can reflect on our experiences and change.

We do not see things as they are -  we see them as we are. We project our attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and misperceptions onto others. For example, people who are critical of others are usually privately critical of themselves; loud and boastful people are often trying to hide their anxieties; and people afraid that others will get one over on them are often looking to get one over on others. Similarly, if you think most people are selfish, its probably because you have selfish tendencies; if you believe others are unrealiable, they will canstantly let you down; and if you're the jealous sort, your jealousies are likely to be driven by your own insecurities.

When we learn to see relationships as a mirror, we clear the way to profound personal growth. No more blaming else for our unhappiness or handing over responsibility for our behaviour. The buck stops where it belongs.

A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.

Ken Keyes Junior

Peace out.

Flow of Energy

We constantly give and recieve energy from each other. If we dont, we stagnate and die. Anything that blocks the flow of life-giving energy between us harms everyone concerned.

We give and recieve energy in many ways, such as:

Subconsciously - through our auras. Just being in the presence of an inspiring individual can energise.

Our thoughts have energy which carries to others.

Visually - even a glance has energy.

Auditorally - contrast the effect of a cruel remark with an admiring comment.

Kinesthetically - a gentle touch can work wonders.

When we are with others, we continually pick up their energy, as they do ours. We also have the capacity to sense others' energy feilds at a distance. Have you ever had a feeling that all is not well with someone you know who is far away? If so, you were probably picking up their energy field.

Ricky.

We Reap What We Sow

A woman planted a flower seed in her garden. She carefully weeded and watered the soil until a robust plant grew. But no flower appeared.

She thought of digging up the plant, but finally decided: 'My business is to look after the plant; it is for nature to produce the flower.' The weeks came and went. She cared for the plant and forgot all about the lack of flower. Then one morning, she smelled a delicate fragrance. She followed the scent and - oh joy! There in front of her was a gorgeous flower!

We reap what we sow - but not ncessarily where we sow. Every thought, word and action eventually returns to us. When we lay down good causes by thinking good thoughts and acting on them, blessings return to us - love, prosperity, health and kindness, etc. But actions resulting from thoughts of selfishness, greed, ignorance, malice and so on also have consequences. They set up a chain reaction which eventually returns to hurt us.

The human heart has the seeds of love and the seeds of hate in equal measure, but we seem to be watering the seeds of hate more.

Satish Kumar

Peace out.

The Nature of Compassion

Having gone beyond the mind made opposites, you become like a deep lake. The outer situation of your life and whatever happens there is the surface of the lake. Sometimes calm, sometimes windy and rough, according to the cycles and seasons. Deep down, however, the lake is always undisturbed. You are the whole lake, not just the surface, and you are in touch with your own depth, which remains absolutely still. You dont resist change by mentally clinging to any situation. Your inner peace does not depend on it. You abide in Being - unchanging, timeless, deathless - and you are no longer dependent for fulfillment or happiness on the outer world of constantly fluctuating forms. You can enjoy them, play with them, create new forms, appreciate the beauty of it all. But there will be no need to attack yourself to any of it.

Compassion is the awareness of a deep bond between yourself and all creations. But there are two sides to compassion, two sides to this bond. On the one hand, since you are still physical body, you share the vulnerability and mortality of your physical form with every other human and with every living being. Next time you say, "I have nothing in common with this person," remember that you have a great deal in common: A few years from now - two years or seventy years, it doesnt make much difference - both of you will have become rotting corpses, then piles of dust, then nothing at all. This is a sobering and humbling realization that leaves little room for pride. Is this a negative thought? No, it is a fact. Why close your eyes to it? In that sense, there is total equality between you and every other creature.

Ricky.

Faith

Faith is trust in an idea even when there is no logical proof. It is often believed to be misguide because it does not depend on sensory evidence.

However, faith has accomplished wonders and continues to do so. Without it, no one would ever take risk or try anything original. To have faith that we can do something, even if there is no logical proof, empowers us to do it.

Faith is not just for esoteric types; Max Planck was one of many scientists who understand the value of faith. 'Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind', he wrote, 'realise that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: Ye must have faith. It is a quality which the scientist cannot dispense with.'

Faith lies at the heart not only of science but also of spirituality. With faith, we allow ourselves to be guided by our intuition, do our best to lay down positive 'causes' each moment, and trust that the right effects will follow according to Universal Law.

Peace out.

The Secret of Life

Long ago, four senior gods met to decide where to hide the great secret of life. They knew they needed a safe place because if humans ever found it they couldnt be trusted to use it constructively.

The first god suggested hiding it at the top of a high mountain, but they soon realised that humans would eventually climb to the top and find it.

The second suggested that the bottom of the deepest ocean would be better, but agreed with the others that humans would eventually explore the depths and discover it.

The third suggested the centre of the Earth, but they realised that humans would one day dig deep enough to find it.

Finally, the wisest god spoke. 'There's only one place to hide the great secret of the universe - within the human heart. They'll never think of looking for it there.'

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Elliot

Love, Ricky.

Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learnt. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork, productivity and where appropriate profits.

We all operate in two contrasting modes, which might be called open and closed. The open mode is more relaxed, more receptive, more exploratory, more democratic, more playful and more humorous. The closed mode is the tighter, more rigid, more hierarchical, more tunnel-visioned. Most people, unfortunately spend most of their time in the closed mode. Not that the closed mode cannot be helpful. If you are leaping a ravine, the moment of takeoff is a bad time for considering alternative strategies. When you charge the enemy machine-gun post, don't waste energy trying to see the funny side of it. Do it in the "closed" mode. But the moment the action is over, try to return to the "open" mode—to open your mind again to all the feedback from our action that enables us to tell whether the action has been successful, or whether further action is need to improve on what we have done. In other words, we must return to the open mode, because in that mode we are the most aware, most receptive, most creative, and therefore at our most intelligent.

Thus, for all human development, no matter what form it takes, must be outside the rules. Otherwise, we would never have anything new.

"I roamed the countryside searching for the answers to things I did not understand. Why shells existed on the tops of mountains along with the imprints of coral and plant and seaweed usually found in the sea. Why the thunder lasts a longer time than that which causes it and why immediately on its creation the lightening becomes visible to the eye while thunder requires time to travel. How the various circles of water form around the spot which has been struck by a stone and why a bird sustains itself in the air. These questions and other strange phenomena engaged my thought throughout my life."

Leonardo da Vinci

Ciao.

Life Is Impermanent

The universe is constantly in a state of change. The only certainty in life is uncertainty. Nothing lasts forever, yet we humans waste a great deal of energy fearing and resisting change.

Change is constant. People and things come into our lives then leave. Some changes are necessary; others inevitable. Resistance is futile and brings only suffering. We find peace only when we embrace uncertainty and welcome change. Flexibility is not weakness, but strenght, which is why a tree which sways in the storm is the most likely to survive.

I have no idea what changes tomorrow will bring, or how my life will unfold. But I will move forward, with love, into the unknown with open arms and an open heart. So really, to grow we must be open to change. Evolution is beautiful — and seamless — when we open ourselves up to the universe. When the season is right, our dreams will blossom in such a way that it will exceed even our most beautiful fantasies.

Peace out.

Peace of Mind

Everyone is looking for peace of mind, and we dont have to look far. Peace is our natural state. At our very core lies the endless peace that comes from our spiritual selves. Our aim is to get in touch with it so we can maintain unity with our Source.

However, our inner peace is easily drowned out by the part of us that is willing to trade peace against its will to be heard - the ego. Only when we lay the ego aside do we find peace. Its been there all along. We have just taken our attention elsewhere.

Every day, each of us has drozens of opportunities to choose peace. All it takes is a shift in awareness and a change in our way of thinking. Its never far away. Reach for it and its yours.

Peace is all around us - in the world and in nature - and within us - in our bodies and our spirits. Once we learn to touch this peace, we will be healed and transformed.

Thich Nhat Hahn

Peace, Ricky.

Dealing with Complacency

We have seen people in our life, or celebrities or athletes, who reach a level of success and then stop. They start to get comfortable, and they lose what got them there in the first place. Comfort can be one of the most disastrous emotions a body could have. What happens when a person gets too comfortables? He stops growing, stops working, stops creating added value. You dont want to get too comfortable. If you feel really comfortable, chances are you have stopped growing. Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, was once asked if he were to give one piece of advice to someone to guarantee a long life of success, what would it be? He said to simply remember this:

When you are green you grow; when you ripen, you rot.

You can take any experience and make it an opportunity for growth, or you can take it and make it an invitation to decay. You can see retirement as the beginning of a richer life, or you can see it as the end of your working life. You can see success as a springboard to greater things, or you can see it as a resting place. And if its a resting place, chances are you wont keep it for long.

One kind of complacency comes from comparison. I used to think I was doing well because I was doing well compared with people I knew. Thats a big mistake. Maybe it just means your friends arent doing very well. We need to learn to judge ourselves by our goals instead of by what our peers seem to be doing. Didnt you do that as a kid? Didnt you say, "Johnny did this, why cant I?" You mother probably said, "Well, I dont care what Johnny does," and she was right. Thus, care about what you are capable of. Care about what you create and what you want to do. Work from a set of dynamic, evolving, enabling goals that will help you do what you want, not what someone else has done. There will always be someone who has more than you or has less. None of that matters. We need to judge ourselves by our goals and nothing else.

Ciao.