Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him, but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So the monarch offered him freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer; if, after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question: What do women really want?
Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and, to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everybody: the princess, the prostitutes, the priests, the wise men, the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch--only she would know the answer.
The price would be high; the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to accept her price first: The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
Young Arthur was horrified: She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises ... etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature. He refused to force his friend to marry her and have to endure such a burden.
Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He told him that nothing was too big a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table. Hence, their wedding was proclaimed, and the witch answered Arthur's question thus:
What a woman really wants is to be in charge of her own life.
The astounded Gawain asked what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she'd appeared as a witch, she would henceforth be her horrible, deformed self half the time, and the other half, she would be her beautiful maiden self. Which would he want her to be during the day, and which during the night?
What a cruel question! Gawain pondered his predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his home, an old witch? Or would he prefer having by day a hideous witch, but by night a beautiful woman with whom to enjoy many intimate moments?
Noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose for herself.
Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time, because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
When my older boy left for his tertiary education last year, I sort of closed the kitchen almost permanently except for the occasional baking spree. It is quite difficult to cook for just my hubby and my younger boy and makes more sense to buy or to eat out. Basically, I have strange eating preferences. I do not take pork except dried meat, tim sum or lor bak. I hardly eat chicken or fish and when I do, it must be either steamed, grilled or baked. I live on tofu, peanuts, fruits and chocolates, a bit unhealthy where the latter is concerned but I have must have my moments of indulgence. Even when I cooked in the past, I never fried anything and only steamed, baked, grilled or poached my meats...Not a very appetising type of menu but at least it is healthy and I need not clean the kitchen as much!!!
My younger boy, aged ten, is a very independent young man. He prepares his own breakfast daily and packs his own lunch-box for his break-time - something that he has been doing with much pleasure since he was 4 years old. Last year, he started to take an interest in cooking and can whip up a mean bowl of gourmet instant noodles with carrots, tomatoes, egg, chicken balls, crabstick and whatever is available in the fridge. Apart from that, he can do fried rice, fried eggs, sauteed vegetables, different types of omelette, fried eggs, grilled chicken/nuggets and different types of salads quite easily.
Today, he declared that he would cook dinner for us and requested us to take him to Batu Lancang Market to buy his stuff.
The menu (his own choice):
Stir fried kai lan with carrots, mushroom and sotong
Stir fried sotong
Steamed Fish
Steamed brown rice
So my young man declared that he had to cook everything by 5p.m. after which he wanted to play basketball with his daddy while mom here blogs to her heart's content.
There was a tricky situation as we ran out of garlic...and had barely enough for the three dishes.This is what he prepared - note that the vegetables and sotong were not cut properly but it does not matter because he did it with a heart of love with minimal spills and thrills much to his mom's relief!
Here he is looking quite pleased with himself as he stir fried the chopped garlic. And then the chef begins to cook...
The three dishes prepared by my 10-year old boy. For the record, he also washed up everything while mom only swept and mopped the floor. :-)
The fish gravy is too dark because he used the wrong sauce :-) but it does not matter cos it tastes just great!!! I am sure that if he had his way, he would want to cook everyday!!! But his books beckon more than my saucepans....
Everyday of my life, I thank God for my family because they fill my life with lots of love, laughter and unforgettable moments like this one.
Have a great week ahead, dear reader...May God bless you and your family!
Mend a quarrel.
Seek out a forgotten friend.
Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.
Write a long letter.
Share some treasure.
Give a soft answer.
Encourage youth.
Manifest your loyalty in word and deed.
Keep a promise.
Find the time.
Forego a grudge.
Forgive an enemy.
Listen. Listen. Listen.
Apologize if you are wrong.
Try to understand.
Flout envy.
Think first of someone else.
Appreciate.
Be kind.
Be gentle.
Laugh a little.
Laugh a little more.
Deserve confidence.
Take up arms against malice.
Decry complacency.
Express your gratitude.
Welcome a stranger.
Gladden the heart of a child.
Take pleasure in the beauty of the earth.
Speak your love.
Speak it again.
Speak it still once more.
To all my readers/subscribers/followers/friends and relatives:
I just want to say thank you very much for visiting my blog. As some of you know, I took a break from blogosphere in early January and deleted all but one of my posts..never thinking that I would come back. It was a very painful decision and another difficult time for me.
That period was pretty awkward for me in that I practically lived without internet access in an attempt to wean myself off blogging. The house had never been cleaner then as I totally immersed myself in spring-cleaning, wiping the dust off almost every single object in my house and in every cabinet and generated loads of garbage in the process. Even my hamster, Mishy, wondered why I was giving him so much attention and spoiling him with extra treats. Gosh - I even had time to bake again :-).
Yet, I was very amazed and touched that a significant number of you still visited my blog daily and some emailed me to encourage me in different ways, as to why I should come back. It was on that basis that I returned to blogosphere and blogging took a whole new meaning for me.
I just want to say thank you for not giving up on me. At that time when I left, I think I had 43 followers and only one stopped following me. The change in the number of subscribers was quite small and to this day, I will not forget the fact that many of you did not give up on me and visited my blog during that interim period to see if I posted anything. If not for you all, I would not be here today. Thanks a lot dear reader/subscriber/follower/friend or relative.
Truly, I am thankful to each one of you for restoring faith in myself, courage and the desire to write and to blog. In the process, I did a lot of soul-searching and resolved not to be negative in my perspective of life and not to worry so much. I realized I had to stop moping around, feeling sorry for myself and plaguing myself with a thousand questions or more which could not be answered and that no matter how many times I asked God for the answers, the answer was indeed within myself.
The final decision was up to me - to choose to rot in worry or to resolve to live happily and to enjoy the many blessings in life that God has given me such as my family, good health, friends and relatives who love me, people who believe in me, the ability to think etc...Finally, I learnt NOT to worry and to be resilient no matter what storm of life that challenged me. Life is for living, not for worrying or to be lived in a spirit of fear and timidity!
Honestly, I am glad for all I went through because I found strength and peace within myself and I learnt what it means to let go and to live each day victoriously without worrying about tomorrow or what might happen or might not happen. For those of you who tolerated this anxiety-prone old lady, I want to say thanks!!!! Your patience is instrumental in pivoting me towards change and I resolved to blog in a different manner, choosing my posts carefully and thinking about the impact and significance of each.
Since returning to blogosphere, I have immersed myself in loads of self-help articles to strengthen myself from within and have shared many of these with you. I just want to say that your visit to my blog means a lot to me as well as your sincere comment or email and I hope that the inspirational stuff I have shared here have nourished your soul as it has mine.
As some of you might have noticed, I post different types of articles each day mainly to inspire us to live life to the fullest and as mentioned in my side bar, this is NOT a political blog. The posts feature stuff on family, relationships, friendship, life, attitude, motivation, leisure, literature and other mundane stuff from my personal experiences. I hope that these articles can bring a smile to your face, hope to your heart, strength to your soul and so much more...because indeed, I have been blessed by this space and these articles.
In closing, here's wishing you God's blessings upon your life and that of your family members. May you have a great day today and always. Thanks for everything you have done for me, either directly or indirectly.
*P.S. Whoever it is who is linking my posts to other blogs and directing traffic to this blog and my other blog, I truly appreciate your kind gesture and am glad more are reading these posts. I surf many websites and read loads of stuff and choose the best to share with you. Occasionally, I will write blog posts of my own when I am inspired to do so.
With deepest appreciation,
mws
Chemistry Exam
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term:
Question:
"Is Hell exothermic [gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Support your answer with a proof."
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
Answer:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So, we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand as souls are added. This gives two possibilities.
1) If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2) Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Ms. Therese Banyan during my Freshman year "That it will be a cold night in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in having sexual relations with her, then (2) cannot be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic.
The student got the only A.
-from NetDummy Humor List
A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a rat trap.
Retreating to the farmyard the rat proclaimed the warning; "There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The rat turned to the pig and told him, "There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"
"I am so very sorry Mr. Rat," sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers."
The rat turned to the cow. She said, "Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap. I am in grave danger. Duh?"
So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's rat trap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever.
Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.
His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer's wife did not get well. She died, and so many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.
So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat-trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.
There is so much talk and brouhaha over human rights that I thought I'd post this for us to know more about this hot topic.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."
PREAMBLE
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
