(Re)Train Your Brain

This morning, I woke up to the song, "Kookaburra," repeating in my head.  If you don't know it, it's an Australian folksong I learned in Girl Scouts when I was 9 years old; it's about a bird.  AN-NOY-ING when stuck on infinite repeat in my brain.
At the Drop of a Hat

The only way to rid myself of the tune in my head comes by derailing the train of thought that "Kookaburra" clearly bought a 1st Class ticket for this morning.  I need to buy tickets for other passengers or change trains, so to speak.  I usually pray first, because it's something I am training myself to do "without ceasing," as I Thessalonians commands. A friend once said, "I'm learning to pray as a first line of defense, instead of a last resort."   So, I pray, and Kookaburra hops a few tracks, hits a dead-end, and returns to the original track.   As I pray in thanks for blessings, I begin to create a list of groceries, review plans for the day, jot a gift list for Christmas donations, and plan our evening meal.  I get busy doing whatever I need to do; however, I don't recommend singing in the shower when you have a song stuck in your head -- it seems to aggravate the problem (grin).  As I add more trains to the network in my mind, Kookaburra's train begins to lose momentum I move away from letting him into my head.  By the time another hour has passed,  I have forgotten the strange bird and the tune.  Free at last!

Simple and common, we all know this type of rut in the brain, a channel that our thought processes seems to lodge in and not move from without effort.

What do you do about thoughts and memories that jump into your head that you know need to stop because of their emotional, mental or spiritual harmfulness?  Can you banish memories you never want to recall again; the ones you wish you could erase from your memory because of harrowing sadness, because of soul-invading disappointment or because they reverse the healing of a broken heart?

Yes.  You can change trains in the hard stuff, too.  It takes prayer and practice: learning to refocus on positive, appropriate, worthy subjects.  As actors do in a fine film or musicians do in a symphony, you must rehearse, rehearse and rehearse some more to perform well, and you must have a qualified director or conductor (God!) to pull it all together.  Also, you need to be aware of what you're thinking, when, where and why.  More on that later.

Recalling pain, sadness, fear and other negatively-geared memories can put a person in a tailspin. I used to find myself on "auto pilot" to navigate my day while my brain took the train to the places I did not want to go.  A friend told me I had the power to retrain my brain, and the power comes from God, through prayer and purposeful changes in my thinking habits.  Elizabeth over at Warrior Wives calls these purposeful changes "mental gymnastics."  I've found God to be an expert coach in mental gymnastics.  Go for the gold!

Paul, in 2 Timothy:1-7 says this, 



"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." 

 Fear of our own thoughts does not come from God, nor does the "repeat button" we put on those thoughts come from God, for as above, He gave us a spirit of power and love and self-control.  Self-control!  But I CAN'T control those thoughts.  My mind just goes ...

The practice/rehearsal part we need comes in exerting self-control.  We teach our children to have self-control.  We expect it from them at greater levels as they grow older, yet as adults, we find it strangely satisfying to share our pain again and again -- to explain it to others for validation (others often have the same issues), and to sit in our own misery, remembering and replaying and hurting all over again.  Totally lacking in self-control.


If you happen to be in a situation at present that grieves you, that hurts, that has broken your heart, the spirit of fear can feel like a constant companion.  Many emotions swirl inside, but the idea that thoughts will invade unexpectedly can bring an overwhelming sense of fear that we keep, like a watchman at his post, ready to alarm us at the first inkling of a distressing memory.  Don't let the train run away with you.  Pray for peace of your mind, for new focus on positive things, and for God to be the watchman, turning you in the right direction to overcome fear and the habit of remembering.  


In Philippians 4:8, you have a sort of list of acceptable thinking: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Easier said than done?  At first, yes.  Remember ... practice!  Now, it's time to know WHAT will trigger thoughts and memories to surface.  Paying attention to the core of the memory -- why it aches so much (loss, rejection, dealing with illness, betrayal, disappointment, etc.) and giving that core an airing to God -- whisper it, think it, cry it, yell it, scream it, call it out from the deepest part of your soul.  Pour out your heart, and do so every time you feel the lowest lows and believe He will both help and heal.  You will begin to feel His peace, to see more light than usual, to find new direction in areas of your life.  The low points will begin to gain altitude, and you will feel God making a difference in your outlook and in your thought patterns. 


Notice WHEN you remember these things.  Discover WHERE they tend to unveil themselves and WHY they seem to come at you when and where they do.  Do they happen when you find yourself alone for a while?  In a certain environment that triggers the emotions or memories?  In the company of specific people or at a time of day?  Pray about these triggers, for the ability to overcome them, and to make the effort to return them to normalcy as much as possible.  When you know you will face one of the stimuli for your unwanted thoughts, toss a prayer to God and find ways to prepare yourself, mentally, for discomfort or struggle within you.  Lean hard on God.  Talk to Him as you enter the difficult arena, and as you move through it. Focus!

So.  You want to change trains on these thoughts of yours.  Pray.  Know your thoughts -- all the details, and the what/where/when/why of them.  Pray some more, and breathe a prayer whenever a wave hits, and give thanks when you find you have overcome a bad moment with more ease.  Let God be the conductor in this faith experiment.  

You are not alone.  


Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.  Proverbs 4:23






Really Cool Songs

Really cool songs are usually not big commercial successes or chart toppers. There has to be something with the melody and/or lyrics that makes it special.

First on my list has to be Lou Reed, his drug laced, brash lyrics and mind numbing bass line and melody make this in a class of its own.



Just to prove that punk bands also can come up with gems, The Stranglers shine here.



How to be sexy, breathy and lyrics that are suggestive but goes nowhere with soaring vocals. Chris Isaak at his best. 



Listen first and see how compact and loud this band is, and there are only 3 of them The highly under rated Rush from Canada with their biggest hit.



The brilliant, enigmatic, in your face performer Annie Lennox ... in all her glory and talent, powerful lyrics to boot.



For all of Pink Floyd's brilliance, this song somehow stays with us for the longest time. Its the title I guess. So cool.




If The Beatles never existed, we'd be talking about The Beach Boys. Not many of us appreciate the musical genius of the band, in particular with Brian Wilson. This song can be broken up into 3 songs, thats how good their composition can be and what about their harmonies.




Roy Orbison, under rated, this song revived in a duet with kd lang only accentuated his musical brilliance and unique voice.




Santana at his best, this song makes love to you at the start, caresses you then brings you to musical orgasm with his riveting solo.

Do Something Extreme

Those who read or write for enjoyment, as a profession, or for information/education, know the power of words.  Words can hurt or heal, praise or condemn, build up or tear down, and can change the course of a conversation with just one syllable or slight pause.

In our relationships as men and women, prior to marriage, words begin their journey as a mere testing of the waters.  We dip in a toe and find a nice temperature, so we enter a little more and keep easing in, finally fully engulfed in comfortable waters of easy conversation.  Whew!  We continue on, offering unbiased remarks, well-meaning encouragement, zesty compliments, carefully-chosen opinions, and tasteful admiration, and we add a generous coating of utmost sensitivity and care before allowing the words out of our mouths.  We choose carefully how we say everything, as we nestle inside a bubble of wonder, excitement and very little reality with the object of our affection.  He is perfect and he thinks I am perfect.  Perfect!  Everything feels perfect.   

Then, we get married.

The bubble floats along for a while, maybe for a few years, stretching thinner and becoming  more fragile, and then, "POP!"  What was that?  Did you hear it?  Did you see something?  No one seems to notice. Must be nothing.

In the blink of an eye, all of those carefully-crafted words and phrases and long essays filled with love language burst and scatter, leaving memories and some still-useful fragments.  But, in flows the suffocating, somewhat toxic air of real life.  You probably felt a few surges previous before the sudden drop in bubble pressure, as if you had just receive a small electric shock that you brush away and ignore.  But you did feel them.  They were the prickling of reality.  Warning signs of what will come.  And it will.  No marriage avoids it; it's how you handle the reality that matters.  The divorce rate shows that most of us don't handle it well at all, and then go on to repeat it with a new person.  No matter how you try to tell him he's not the same person you married, the real person existed before, you simply couldn't see him, enveloped in the bubble of infatuated perfection.  It's not love that incurs blindness, but infatuation that covers our eyes.  Real life opens them.  What a shock!

Let the skirmishing begin!  The words we use begin to have pointed edges, poking, slashing and sometimes cutting deeply.  Maybe you have a tug-of-war going, trying to drag and yank your husband to your side while he pulls mightily on his end of the rope, both of you fighting for peace, but on your own terms.   Maybe you have a Cold War, or maybe your battle feels completely one-sided.

One thing you may never have considered makes a tremendous roadblock to improvement and victory for both of you:  If you do not show respect to the man you married, you will never find peace  (Ephesians 5:33 -- ... wives must respect their husbands.)  You used to respect him solely for what you saw in him that engaged you in the first place.  In his mind, feeling respected flips the switch to letting loving attitudes and actions flow toward you.  Without respect, his ability to show love will continue to dwindle and may fade completely.

Now, rather than the attentive, interested man you used to know, you see a sullen, computer-staring, remote control-wielding human being.  The more you think about what he doesn't do, the more irritated you grow.  He might go to work all day and take on large projects or make lots of sales or amaze co-workers with his abilities, but when he arrives across the threshold of your home he ...
  • makes you wonder what is the matter with him
  • doesn't seem to want to bother when you ask him to participate in life with you 
  • acts detached or distant
  • offers conversation to other people but not to you  
  • holes up in another room each evening, or in the same room, but it seems a planet away
  • acts cranky, unkind, selfish, disinterested, angry, thoughtless, or cruel 
Meanwhile, you:
  • feel lonely even when he sits in the same room with you
  • have nothing to discuss with him, as if you have no ideas to captivate his attention
  • feel sullen, too, and blame him for it
  • wonder if anyone else feels like this
Do something extreme.  Compliment him.  Thank him.  Focus on the positives.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  ~~I Corinthians 13: 4-7 

Don't get me wrong, I do not suggest that anyone make up lies or twist reality to try to change the tide of a troubled marriage.  No way.  That's not right, it's not Biblical.  It's a lie.  Find something ... anything to say that shines a good light on him.  Notice his clothing choice, his hair, the color of his eyes, the way he talks to the kids.  Give a compliment about how hard he works, about his good care of the house or lawn or his vehicle.  If he didn't flip through the channels last night while you watched television, thank him!  Think, carefully consider the words and voice them.  To him, of course.  In the beginning, depending on how mired you are in negative thoughts and poor communication with your spouse, the task of offering compliments to him may overwhelm you.  It may feel like an impossibility for you.  You are stronger than that negative thought.  Do. It.  Keep at it, every day.  Do not stop.  Think, rephrase, repeat if necessary, but give him something to go on every day.  

While infatuation is blind, wives who feel distraught, overtaxed, unloved, ignored and disinterested have vision that targets the worst in their husbands.  Stop looking at those things.  Vamoose, bad thoughts!  Negative views, be gone.  COMPLIMENT THE MAN.

Husbands thrive on acceptance from their wives, as noted in Dr. Emerson Eggerichs' Love & Respect, and from the respect derived from those feelings of acceptance.  That means we must stop judging our husbands and stop believing we have some sort of wisdom greater than theirs.  God created us to complement each other (different spelling -- this word means "to complete, to make whole, to bring to perfection"), not to judge, condemn and deride one another. We are different from our husbands in many ways, all of which have a good purpose.  When we wives assume an authoritarian role at home, making cutting comments, rolling our eyes, masking impatience with a sigh, and the hundreds of other hints that we don't feel satisfied with the current situation, men read that as, "She does not respect me."  

Enter the silent evenings, the blank expressions, the uncaring attitudes and the cranky, irritable personalities.  When a husband feels the disrespect, he will not feel loving, and then the circle (or, Crazy Cycle, according to Dr. Eggerichs) begins.  You know the feeling -- the arguments that lead nowhere, the frustration, the pounding heartbeat, the agony of him not hearing or understanding you.  And it settles down only to start again when he feels snubbed and you feel abandoned.

A few friends of mine have trekked through the desperate days of marriage, ready to file for divorce and move on with life.  They didn't think anything could change their feelings, which were far from loving.  One friend curtly offered she didn't even like her husband, and love was out of the question.  This week, I heard from each of these ladies, relievedly noting that things are looking up, that they feel a difference in their marriages, that they have had loving feelings return and new energy for continuing to work at it.  Through their prayers and through decisions to act on those prayers, they now experience healing when they doubted anything good would happen at all.  Thank you, God.  Your ways are better than ours -- our human instincts fail, and your truths work.  Why don't we realize this in everything?  Wives ... respects your husbands.

Compliment that man.  Make the compliment an important part of your day.  Tell him face to face, leave him a note on the mirror or on the monitor, send a text or e-mail, or find a creative way to offer it.  Make it meaningful to you and to him.  Keep practicing it every day.  Thank him for something he did that you realize you took for granted.  For taking out the trash.  For picking up his socks.  For picking up a child at school.  For going to work every day.  For helping you get dinner on the table.  Think small.  The bigger things will come later.

And share your results.  Share with someone else who feels desperate, unhappy, not sure of which way to turn in her marriage.  And, if you feel you can, post a comment here -- you can comment anonymously -- and share your experience.

Looking forward to it!


The Pink Elephant In The Room

You are in a room in a social setting with a few people and there is a pink elephant in the room as well. How long can you carry on before you start talking about the pink elephant? In local financial markets, the pink elephant is the results of the upcoming elections. What if? 

My opinion, for what it is worth, the ruling party mightl win only one state in the Peninsula, I find it very hard to see where the second state is coming from. What about phantom voters and rigged votes? That can only be used in close seats, its pointless to use rigged votes in all seats, and I think there are not enough of such votes to go around town.

Whether its Anwar or the leader from PAS as PM, I don't think thats an issue anymore. PKR may lose some votes on that but miniscule.

Will there be a hung parliament? I think that is the best the ruling party can hope for, a hung parliament. Then its a jockeying of candidates to move to one side or another. Not a good situation. However, I do think in a hung parliament situation, the momentum will favour people moving to PKR rather than the other way around. Because a hung parliament already means, the tide has shifted significantly, and shifting still, ... for politicians with a bit of brains, a sinking ship or a new ship - no contest. 

If the opposition wins convincingly, what will happen to the stock market? I read in the front page of The Star, of all places, the front page!!! Talk about media propaganda. Scare tactics started already. 

First of all, there are three components, one is foreign funds, two local funds, three retail funds. As the election draws closer (say two weeks to elections), retail funds would exit already. Local funds being local funds will stay put, anyway, the big local funds already controlled the indexed stocks.

The key scare tactic is to instil into the public that foreign funds will exit and cause a plunge. Let's look at the size of foreign funds. They make up around 20% of volume. Look at the stock they hold: Public Bank, IOI Corp, KLK, BAT, Guinness, DIGI, IHH .... there are very few that are holding big local indexed GLCs. Ask any genuine head of sales or head of research NOW, they will tell you most of their clients are soooo underweight Malaysia, even though the controlled mainstream media would want you to believe otherwise.

Look at the stocks above, will the fundamentals change significantly for these stocks should there be a change in government???? Thailand changes government every couple of years, see what happened to their civil service and listed companies .... same-same!!! Just because this is going to be our first time, its easier to put up scare tactics cause we have not travelled this path before.

I believe the level of foreign shareholdings in local stocks are low, and they are in "safe counters" anyway. So, the sell down will be minimal. A probable fact that not many realise is that a substantial amount of the so called foreign funds now who are long Malaysian stocks,.... are probably Malaysian owned funds rerouted, no need for me to go into possible details.

A recent report in The Star, UOB KayHian's Vincent Khoo was unconvinced on the local market stating in a report that foreign institutional funds that it had met were mostly underweight on Malaysia and continued to be “wary” of Malaysia's index components' high valuations.

Top Ten Issues That Divide Malaysians according to a survey by Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research


I am not trying to put up a rosy picture should there be a change in government. I am trying to put up a realistic picture. Yes, markets will go down and stay there for a couple of months until there is stability, a proper manifesto and proper execution that things are different. I see index could go to 1,400-1,450 temporarily. But consider this:

- there will be more "real tenders of government projects"
- there will be better utilisation and accountability of our "big revenue items"
- there will still be corruption but hopefully a bit less, but let's give them 5 years la ... we gave 50 to someone, we cannot give them 5???

We so badly need a two party system in our country for the democratisation process to make any headway.

Distractions in Life and the Marriage Effect

Distractions in my life waylay my best intentions.  They take my mind off the list of chores or projects I need to accomplish.  They make me forget to check my calendar for appointments or special days in the lives of loved ones.  Worse, distractions do not support the marriage relationship I should have, the one I need, the one God set aside for me and my husband to have.

It's our job, this marriage thing.  Without work -- hard work -- it will not succeed.  It will not produce, it will not provide dividends, it will not thrive; it will divide and destroy.

All of us who hold the role of wife must focus clearly on the man to whom we have vowed commitment (love, honor cherish ... until death do us part).  Life does not have to run away with us; it really is our choice to let it run and drag us along.  Think about it.  You may have to work, but you do not need to focus on it all the time.  If you have children, they should revolve around you and your husband, not you around them.  You may subscribe to social media but you do not have to alert yourself electronically or check in throughout the day, letting it rule you.  Real life remains. It doesn't go away, even when you try ignoring it or when you fight against it.  Taking a weekend away with friends will bring you home to the same chaos or discomfort you left there.  Coffee with your favorite pal will not drown the sadness that prevails in the problems you haven't faced.  Diversions, distractions, means of escape can overtake real life, but real life remains when the aura disappears.  The only way to maintain focus and balance is to cut back on the number of activities you do, inside or outside your home.  Cut back a lot even from the good things, because they divert attention from what matters most, too.  You may volunteer for a wonderful organization (I did!), and maybe you find great support and positive feedback from it (I did!).  Don't let work, family, friends, volunteering or social diversions take the place of the support and feedback you can get at home.  If you have lost the support and feedback at home, you may have to work to rejuvenate it.  You can.  You'll need to work at it, but the rewards multiply fast.  Everyone wins.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. "  ~~ Philippians 4:8

Distractions have a stealthy way of diminishing the relationship we have with our husbands.  They take our time, they deplete our energy and they consume our thoughts.  Where, then, do we have room for the Man of the House?  We don't think he notices when we squeeze him in here or there in our jam-packed schedule.  He doesn't say much.  He doesn't seem to mind.  He doesn't say much because, in most cases, men grow quiet and withdraw when wives start finding other focuses in life.  So, the men find other things to do.  When you get to the point that he "doesn't seem to mind," you have already leaped the barrier between "busy" and "too busy."  Jump back!

We women often fog the mirror of our own abilities, believing the busier we are the more important or indispensable we are.  In reality we are not either of those things in the eyes of those who matter most -- our husbands and families.  We lose sight of our own shortcomings and lack of attention to the details at home -- the underlying details that make marriage hum along in a healthy way, not the cooking and cleaning and clothes washing.  Anyone can do that, and our husband and/or children will not resent having less clean underwear and more time with wife or mom.  Those of us who stay at home full time often fill hours with outreach activities in order to appear accomplished to the outside world while our families and homes suffer from neglect, failing to thrive at our own hands.  Likewise, working women may fill the schedule with accomplishments that look good on a resume, with negative results at home.  When I fog the mirror of self with "important activities", I can't focus on the needs of my spouse or my children.  The fog builds and I work at getting through it, while my husband drifts along on the other side of the fog.  I can't even see him.  Those outside activities creep closer, making a denser fog, and completely obscuring my vision of him with "I'm busy." When he calls to me from the other side of the fog, I begin to see him as a distraction from all the busyness, rather than my respite from it.  How wrong is that?

"Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,"  I Peter 3:1

The Bible states that we should be subject to our husbands, which does not mean taking on a subservient role or having no opinions or strength, but to honor his choices as head of the household.  When I take on more distractions, I unintentionally begin to force my husband to live by my calendar.  Interesting.  The needs of my spouse move to second, third ... or last position under all the other time-takers on my list if I do not carefully weigh and discuss my options with him.  What is my goal?  Do I want to appear important?  Do I want credit?  Do I want admiration?  Do I want control?  Do I want to make my mark on the world?  Or, do I want a solid marriage with my husband?  How can I do that when I continue to take time in activities that promote ME?

 “Love is not self seeking, it’s not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong.” 
I Corinthians 13:5

The bottom line remains this:  The busier I make myself with other things, the less time and attention I have for my husband.  I did not always consider this -- I believed I had time for everything and continually added to my outside obligations without a thought about the time involved. Through my own experience:

  •  I believe every wife must treat every decision as if her family depends on it, because it does. 
  • A wife should make decisions about roles outside her marriage with her husband's input, because she married him to be his partner, and partners communicate these things.
  • A wife needs to show her children that her marriage comes first (after God).
  • A wife needs to understand that children reflect the marriage relationship, they don't come before it and cannot expect her to take sides.  Husband+Wife+Children=FAMILY
  • A wife must let friends and family know that she esteems her husband (for some, this will take some changing of attitude) and will not fall into speaking negatively about him (huge distraction, especially in the company of other women who are unhappy in marriage).  
  • A wife needs to make marriage her priority, not one in a long list of distractions.  
When a wife does make the switch, she will feel free, and her husband will feel respected and powerful - in a good way - because she depends on him and uses his strength as she should.  She creates in him a protective feeling, and he begins to watch out for her and the family differently.  This is what God planned in the first place.  


"And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."  I John 2:17 

A Wife Challenge for today:  Maybe you don't feel your life is out of balance, but you really do not feel in a comfort zone marriage-wise.  Take some time today to list your activities (children's, social, church, personal, work, hobby) and pray about them.  Ask God to show you where to cut back or maybe (sigh of relief) eliminate.  Taking the step to stop an activity or sever a tie to an organization to which you devote your time and talent seems not only risky, it takes a lot of effort to consider doing such a drastic thing.  In the spirit of marriage  purpose and contentment, the  profit outweighs the risk.  You will gain a greater sense of satisfaction as you devote more time to being married.

You can bank on it -- as long as you remember to keep God at the head of it all.  Go to Him with your decisions and challenges, and remember to give Him thanks for every small success.





If Don't Quit, Also Must Cut Down At Least

Why Bruce Lee

Because he is the triumph of mind over body...  because he is faster than the rest of us .... because he is cocky and cool and he can afford to be .... because he is human and yet superhuman at the same time ... because he is just like us with faults and all and yet he is a higher being ... because he brought us beauty in movements and reflexes ... because he can be the most intense person in the room and his focus can be soul-penetrating ... because he showed us the extent of human potential ...

Below is a  FOOTAGE of Bruce Lee playing ping pong with normal humans. My God, the focus, the assuredness, the skill, being one with your instrument, mind blowing ... but is it real ... it even looked real ...



Sigh ... and we all wanted it to be true and real .... but Bruce Lee is still Bruce Lee no matter what


Bruce Lee Plays Ping Pong With Nunchucks — The Truth Revealed!


by: Garr Ovard    Profile     Share: bruce lee plays ping pong
Thursday, December 22, 2011

Bruce Lee (left) completing a roundhouse kick as he pelts a ping pong ball into oblivion with his nunchucks. Photo: Still from video. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

First of all, you may be wondering what an article about Bruce Lee playing ping pong with nunchucks is doing on a kids books site. There are 2 reasons. One, what kid wouldn’t love to see a video of Bruce Lee playing ping pong with nunchucks? Two, I wrote this article long before I re-branded my site to focus on kids books, and I didn’t want to disappoint all of my readers who have linked to this page. Now for the fun stuff…

I seriously thought I’d seen it all. Then a friend of mine shared this video on Facebook. Seriously, nunchucks? If you’ve never seen Bruce Lee then you need to watch this video right now. If you have seen Bruce Lee then you’ll probably laugh and shake your head as you watch him effortlessly whack ping pong balls with nunchucks — not to mention the fact that his TWO opponents are freakishly good at ping pong. Amazing.

PART OF THE TRUTH
Now that you’ve been blown away I can tell you part of the truth. This video is a promotional video made to promote the Nokia N96 Bruce Lee edition phone, a $1,290 mobile device — approximately 8,788 Chinese yuan — available only in Hong Kong and China. Apparently it’s been a very successful viral campaign.

Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Edition Mobile Phone
Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Edition Mobile Phone. Photo

Bruce Lee Mobile Phone Accessories
Bruce Lee Mobile Phone Accessories. Photo

Countless blogs and Websites, including the official Nokia blog, are trying to figure out if this is an actual video of Bruce Lee. But all the author of the post on the official Nokia blog has to say is “Oh, and, the speculation since this was released has been rife as to whether or not the video is real, faked using CGI or faked using a Bruce Lee impersonator. We don’t know either, but we’ll endeavor to find out.”

Is it Bruce or not? Some Bruce Lee fans swear this is not Bruce Lee because his body proportions are not correct and he didn’t do his famous 1 inch punch. Others say it’s definitely the “Little Dragon” and that Nokia inserted digital footage of the master himself into the video. There’s even a “Making of the Bruce Lee Ping Pong” video on YouTube that disappoints. It shows nothing of the making of the video but commentary from a random actor who says inserting Bruce Lee into campaigns like this only adds to his legacy. As of this writing there is nothing on snopes.com except debate.

MY QUEST FOR TRUTH
So what is one to do when even the source is shrouded in secrecy? I decided to do what I hadn’t seen anyone else do.

First I used Google to translate “Bruce Lee” into simplified Chinese.

Bruce Lee in simplified Chinese = 李小龙

Next, armed with modern linguistic translation power I went to the Chinese Nokia Website (via Google’s translator) and entered the Chinese characters into the the search bar. Nothing. However, searching for “N96” in English produced the non-Bruce Lee phone product page, which did not translate very well since most of the characters were graphics.

HUNT DOWN THE ART DIRECTOR
Since the official Nokia bloggers wouldn’t fess up, the original Flash site is now nothing but a junk site, and the Internet Wayback machine offered nothing but blank screens, I had no choice but to find the agency that created the viral in the first place. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? It seemed like such an obvious solution.

Bingo.

Created by JWT Beijing, the Bruce Lee Ping Pong viral ad was an instant success. After only 24 hours the 10 second teaser had generated 700,000 views. 2 days later the full spot ran with a product shot and URL directing people to a microsite where they could order the limited edition phone.

In this interview with Agency.Asia, Chief Creative Officer, Polly Chu, gracefully dodges Agency.Asia’s attempt to elicit information as to whether the ad was fake. But she finally had this to say:

“Yes, we discussed with the director how to make it look like a never-seen-before secret footage of Bruce Lee. The director took a great effort to study Bruce Lee and found the right talent. We used an up and coming local Chinese director whose passion could be seen in every second of the film.”

So now you’ve heard it straight from the Chief Creative Officer. They were trying to make it look like something it wasn’t; and, after studying Bruce Lee, they found the “right talent”.

Clearly this is a brilliant example of viral creative — interesting enough to spread like wildfire and controversial enough to stir passionate debate among its viewers.

Well done JWT Beijing.


Determination and Focus

The strength of the human spirit always confounds me. Determination and focus. Its not that we can do all things, but we certainly can do most things we put our minds to. Naturally people will say "well, I really really want to be rich", can I do that? I don't think that will happen to everyone even if you have the best teacher or motivational coaches, but at least you would have gave it your best shot. Isn't that most important ... that you have aimed for the stars, pulled back an arrow the best you can and gave it your best shot ... rather than wishing upon a star and slumping back to your regular humdrum activity.

This guy's a champ.  .... Just do it ... you'd be amazed at what you can achieve.

Dog Imitates Baby ... Too Cute

Your Wifely Approval Rating

How can I be a better wife?  That is the question.

I have my own answers.  I can fill in the blanks myself with simple things as:

      "Don't miss a chance to kiss him 'hello' when he arrives home from work everyday."
      "Speak kindly and listen carefully all the time."
      "Tell him I love him.  Often.

While I'm at it, I might as well fill in what the man would like for Christmas and his birthday, because I will, more than likely, not list many of the things he would like or need.  I know that the second answer makes his list because he has told me those things matter.  The other two actions feel important, but in his way of thinking, don't need correcting or improvement.  They hold meaning, but they don't affect his self-esteem or heart capacity -- because I do not rank a deficit in those areas.

My husband and I attended a marriage seminar with several couples from our church last fall, by Dr. Gary Chapman.  Neither of us realized it would affect us in the way it did.  Dr. Chapman asked that each spouse ask the other, every once in a while, what would make him a better husband/her a better wife.

This sounds simple. It also sounded revolutionary to two people who focused on their own needs too closely and thought they were doing what the other wanted or needed, but missed the target more than we hit it.

This small suggestion packed a punch, and made each of us sit up and take notice.

It also strikes a kind of fear deep within the person asking.  Getting these words out without feeling butterflies in my stomach hasn't happened yet.  I can have a small bout of anxiety while waiting for the answer (because the receiving spouse should think very carefully and not rush into an answer), which feels similar to waiting for test results from a doctor.

What is wrong with me that he might decide needs fixing?

As we drove home under grey October skies after that seminar, my husband surprised me by asking, "How can I be a better husband to you?"  At that moment in time, having him attend the seminar with me and participate actively made his approval rating rise in my heart and mind.  He couldn't do a better job at husband-ing than he had already done.  For that moment, hour and day.  I told him so, and his smile told me he felt successful already.

Several days after that car ride, I asked my question with some trepidation.  How can I be a better wife to you?  Whew!  I got that out of the way ... and then had to wait for the answer.  The answer took several days for him to develop, between thinking and busy days at work and at home.  His answer both delighted and disappointed me.

He told me I did a great job doing what I do right now, and he had no complaints.

ACK!  I got a good review.  I had prepared myself for some hard knocks in the wife department, maybe a short list of improvements that I might find difficult or maybe overwhelming to undertake.  Instead, I received a star on my Chart of Wifely Behavior.  My approval rating stood near the top.

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!" Psalm 141:3

But, complacency, or worse, inflated ego would make a poor choice of mind-set after one good rating.  In anticipation of the question sometime in the future, I decided to polish my skill set as a wife.  And, as in any other job any of us undertakes, I fail in some areas at various times and have to go back to the drawing board. I am not, nor will I ever be perfect.  I have a desire to try for perfection -- in the eyes, heart and mind of my husband -- and that makes the difference.

Throughout the past year, we have crept up on each other with The Question a handful of times each.  I do not think we have over-asked it, nor have we assumed either of us perform so well that we don't think to ask it from time to time.  We know we fall short in our roles as husband and wife here and there, depending on stress, lack of sleep, hormones (!) and other factors.

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."  Proverbs 15:1

Our improved "approval rating" for each other lies partly in the fact that because of The Question, we pay attention to our attitudes, actions and words more closely.  We renew our hope in each other and in our marriage by offering thoughtful answers to The Question that serve in smoothing, improving and sometimes redirecting our relationship as husband and wife, and as people.

I like a good rating as well as the next person, but hearing, "Good job!" at every turn does not instruct me.  Those words, carelessly spoken, can mislead me, and I will begin to focus on my wants and needs, and maybe try to finagle ways to achieve them.

It seems a good idea to discuss The Question with your spouse prior to popping this very meaningful question.  If a husband or wife sits in a different boat in your marriage relationship, answers to The Question may come out as pointed and hurtful, rather than constructive and regenerating.  Discuss it, that it makes a good tool for keeping in touch with each other's needs, and builds bridges between you. In a marriage, you want Venice (actually, Pittsburgh, since it contains more bridges) on your bridge-building landscape.  Aim high.  CONNECT.

Go ahead.  Ask it!





Significant Upgrades To Murasaki System

We have had some teething problem early on as we did not expect more than 1,000 trial users would jam our system in the first week. As promised, effective IMMEDIATELY, the load and response time would be cut down from the usual 4-10 seconds per click to less than 2 seconds.

How - Instead of loading over 1,000 stocks ... when you use Murasaki ts on your PC/desktop/notebook, by default it will load just the TOP 300 stocks sorted by M Index (Murasaki Index) and BRH Index, the two most used indicators. We call this the LITE VERSION.  You can switch back to view ALL STOCKS by using the drop down menu on the right of your screen.

Further queries, please contact us on: 1800 88 3788

http://www.murasaki.co/tradesensor/welcome.mx





We are very excited when we tested the new version on our IPADs, IPhones and other smartphones (including Samsung). The load times were even faster. But bear in mind that owing to the size of the gadgets, we have to trim down the number of stocks that you can view.

IPAD/Tablet users - When you use Murasaki ts, you will see just the TOP 100 stocks ranked by M Index and BRH Index. Somewhat less than the 300 on PC/notebook, but its still going to be more than sufficient. Please note that you WILL NOT be able to load ALL STOCKS on IPADs or tablets.

Smartphone Users - Owing to the technical specifications and limitations, when you use Smartphones, the system will load only the TOP 50 stocks  by M Index and BRH Index. Though not entirely ideal, its the next best thing when you are on the go.

Please use CHROME or SAFARI browser.



Smartphone Layout (Chrome)




Smartphone Layout (Mozilla Firefox)




Final note, all subscribers may ONLY sign into one device/gadget at one time, so please remember to log out of one device before signing onto another.

- How To Stop A Nightmare - Too Lovely & Warm For Words

Singapore Water Industry, Thanks To You Know Who



Saturday, 10 November 2012 06:34

S'pore - thanks to Malaysia's Dr M, our water industry is now worth $ 9 BILLION!

Written by  mevotex
Fresh water has always been a precious resource to Singapore. Being a tiny island with high urban population constrained by its land size, modern Singapore never have enough water of its own to support its population, but this is about to change....
In 1927, Singapore signed a water agreement with Johor to construct a pipeline transporting raw water from Johor to Singapore. During the Battle of Singapore in 1942, the pipeline was destroyed, which left Singapore with water reserves that could last at most two weeks. According to Lee Kuan Yew, this was one of his motives to envision water self-sufficiency for Singapore later when he became the city-state's Prime Minister.
Immediately after the British awarded self-governance in 1959, the Singaporean government under Lee signed 2 water agreements with Malaya in 1961 and 1962. Under these agreements, Singapore will build two water treatment plants in Singapore and a new, expanded pipeline from Johor at its expenses. Singapore will also supply treated water to Johor at far below the cost of treating the water, and in return, Malaya would also supply raw water to Singapore below market prices. The agreements would last till 2011 and 2061 respectively.
In 1965, when Singapore was expelled from the Malaysian Federation, it received the first water threat from then Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who said that "if Singapore’s foreign policy is prejudicial to Malaysia’s interests, we could always bring pressure to bear on them by threatening to turn off the water in Johor".
Mahathir tried to take advantage
In response, Singapore began to construct more water schemes on the island throughout the 1970s. This include the damming of river estuaries to allow for greater storage volumes, which resulted in larger artificial reservoirs that collect water from carefully managed catchment areas. These reservoirs would later be responsible for 20% of Singapore's water needs in 2012.
But as Singapore began to rapidly industrialize, the amount became insufficient. Thus in 1982 the city-state was interested to build a dam on the Johor River in Malaysia and an associated new water treatment plant there, with the construction costs all paid by Singapore, in exchange, Malaysia was to allow Singapore to purchase more than the 250 million gallons of water per day as negotiated in the 1962 agreement.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad however, decided to make it difficult for Singapore. After six years of difficult negotiations, the 2 countries finally signed the agreement that allowed the construction of the dam. It was a heavy price for Singapore, who agreed to pay RM320 million as compensation for the permanent loss of use of the land and its associated revenue, a premium of RM18,000 per hectare of land, and an annual rent of RM30 for every 1,000 square foot of the land. The cost of building and maintaining the dam would be borne by Singapore, and upon the expiration of water deals, both the dam and the treatment plant are to be returned to Malaysia.
Mahathir believed that Singapore couldn't survive without Malaysia's water
Emboldened by this victory, Mahathir mistakenly believed that he had caught Singapore's main weakness. In 2000, attempts to re-negotiate with Malaysia to secure water supply beyond 2061 failed, and in 2003, Malaysia again warned Singapore that once the first treaty expired in 2011, the water prices would be raised by 200 times from 3 sen per 1,000 gallons to RM6.25. The government of Singapore decided that, instead of paying a higher price and continue its water dependence on Johor, it will go all-out to achieve water-sufficiency.
But Kuan Yew said NO!
The first thing Singapore did was to invest heavily in water technologies and gathered the world's most renowned water management scientists into the island. Academics, researchers, scientists and experts from across the globe were invited to Singapore to help it devise a water solution. Desalination and recycled water were identified. Utilizing advanced technologies, Singapore proceed to construct one of the world's largest desalination plant in 2005, now accounted for 10% of the country's water needs. Singapore's second plant, even bigger, is scheduled to complete in 2013, providing another 10%.
Desalination removes salt and other minerals from sea, turning sea water into fresh water. There is almost no controversy on this. The issues come when dealing with recycled water. By that it means waste water, including those from toilets and drains, is to be purified back for use. The concerns lay on whether all harmful materials, pathogens or micro-organisms could be effectively removed.
Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize was established to award $300,000 for scientists of any nationalities who made breakthrough in water treatment technologies and brought them to Singapore. In 2003, Singapore started its first wastewater recycling plant. Under constant advices and supervision from scientists and researchers, by 2012, the country's 5 wastewater plants successfully marketed themselves and provide enough clean water to meet 30% of the island's needs.
‘Public acceptance is not guaranteed at the start. Recycled water has been rejected in Australia, where people term it ‘yuck’ water,’ said Dr Eduardo Araral, assistant dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. ‘Singaporeans accepted it both because they are pragmatic and because they trust the Government’s promise that it is safe to drink,’ he added.
In 2006, Singapore identified the commercial value of water and environmental technologies, especially to water-scarce Middle East, North Africa and various First World nations, and also countries who currently lack proper and effective water treatment system. The government invested an initial $330 million to promote the new industry and to make Singapore a potential global hub for water research and development. Since 2008, the city-state hosts the Singapore International Water Week, a key event for the global water industry, every year.
Water sufficiency to exceed 70%
Over the years, Singapore has turned what used to be a scarcity into its strength and now the water industry is seen as a new growth sector for the country. The government's commitment to industrial promotion, easy access to research funds, and readily available talents, help built up a new robust water industries in Singapore amid the European financial crisis.
Kow Juan Tiang, group director for Environment & Infrastructure Solutions at IE Singapore, said: “If you look at the water industries in Singapore, it encompasses companies from many countries. Our financial sector worked closely with those companies venturing overseas here for projects to secure technology, solution, and most importantly, money financing, at a competitive advantage compared to otherwise in (crisis-laden) Europe.”
Goh Chee Kiong, director of Cleantech Building & Infrastructure Solutions at Economic Development Board, said: “What is helping this sector is the fact that Singapore has a vibrant manufacturing industry comprising chemicals, pharmaceuticals, semiconductor, oil and gas, and they are becoming prove points and demonstration sites for water companies to utilize their technology in Singapore before scaling up to the rest of the world.”
The push to develop the industry has drawn attention from some of the world's largest companies like General Electric and Siemens, who invested and created local water companies such as Hyflux that have expanded overseas. "What they are looking to do is create a virtual market for the water business which is much larger than Singapore," said Mr Glen Daigger, chief technology officer of CH2M Hill, an US-based industry consulting firm. "Singapore's ambition to become a water technologies hub in Asia is now a step closer."
With technology as the key driver, the water industries in Singapore experienced strong growth. In just five years, Singapore was propelled from a water-challenged nation to an internationally-recognised name in the global water community - with its water industry blossomed to over 100 companies. The city-state successfully built up a vibrant water industry cluster, with operations which span the value chain, including R&D centres, equipment suppliers, system integrators and EPC firms, project developers and financing organizations.
In 2011, Singapore's water sufficiency rose to 60%. At the same time the 1961 water agreement with Malaysia expired. Singapore informed Johor it would not be renewing the agreement. The next focus would be on total self-sufficiency before 2061, the date when the second agreement lapsed.
Singapore's water sufficiency to top 70% next year, on track for self-sufficient in 2061

Now, I Can Say It!

The turkey has only a few bits hanging from the bones, we had some leftover mashed potatoes for a change (that never happens), and the pies have only a few slices remaining each.

So, here goes:


MERRY CHRISTMAS!


While you deck the halls and rock around your Christmas tree, remember to focus on The One who came so that you can celebrate in the first place.

Remember always, that he came as a baby, to a lowly birthplace and lived the life of a human being.  Remember that he never did wrong -- he was blameless, without sin -- and he laid down his life, 33 years into it, for YOU, for me, for everyone.

He gives that same gift every day and paid his life for it.  We can't repay a debt like that.  We can only give our lives and hearts to him, to change for the better in our marriages and families and friendships.

Merry Christmas.  Merry Christmas.  Merry Christmas.

Say it, mean it, and live it.




Murasaki Coming To Ipoh, JB, Seremban and Melaka ...



KLANG VALLEY
EventsDateDayTimeVenueRegister Now!
Master Class
27th November 2012Tuesday12:30 pmStarbucks Coffee, Tropicana City Mall Petaling Jaya1800 88 3788
Master Class
29th November 2012Thursday12:00 pmGloria Jeans Coffees, Kenanga International Building Jalan Sultan Ismail1800 88 3788
Master Class
29th November 2012Thursday1:30 pmGloria Jeans Coffees, Kenanga International Building Jalan Sultan Ismail1800 88 3788


JOHOR
EventsDateDayTimeVenueRegister Now!
Master Class
28th November 2012Wednesday12:30 pmStarbucks AEON Tebrau City Shopping Centre1800 88 3788
Master Class
28th November 2012Wednesday2:30 pmStarbucks AEON Tebrau City Shopping Centre1800 88 3788
MELAKA
EventsDateDayTimeVenueRegister Now!
Master Class
1st December 2012Saturday11:00 amStarbucks Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall1800 88 3788
SEREMBAN
EventsDateDayTimeVenueRegister Now!
Master Class
1st December 2012Saturday3.00 pmStarbucks JUSCO Seremban 21800 88 3788
PERAK
EventsDateDayTimeVenueRegister Now!
Master Class
24th November 2012Saturday12:30 pmIndulgence Restaurant, 14 Jalan Raja DiHilir, Ipoh1800 88 3788
Master Class
24th November 2012Saturday2:00 pmIndulgence Restaurant, 14 Jalan Raja DiHilir, Ipoh1800 88 3788