The Gem in Jeans

Posted by Unknown On Friday, June 22, 2012 0 comments

The old saying goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." But after Deb Thompson's Monday trip to a Coon Rapids, Minn., Goodwill store, she's proving that's not always the case.

Thompson, 53, went to the store to pick up a pair of $3.99 jean capris her daughter suggested she might like because of all the "bling" on them.

But when she returned home to try them on, she discovered way more "bling" than she had bargained for. There was a diamond ring in the right pocket.

"I took the ring out of my pocket and I sat on the floor with my daughter and her fiancé. I put my arm out in the center, and I opened it in my palm and we all just went, 'Wow. Oh my God," Thompson told ABC News.
All Thompson could think to herself was, "Oh geez, somebody lost their ring. The husband or fiancé must be out there saying, 'You're not getting another one!'"

Now Thompson, of Hamlake, Minn., is working with Goodwill to try to find the ring's original owner. They posted Thompson's unusual "Lost and Found" story on their Facebook page in hopes the owner will see it, come forward and claim what's rightfully his or hers.

As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, she said Goodwill had received about seven emails from people claiming to be the owner, but there was nothing concrete.

Thompson is leaving the background-checking up to Goodwill. She did, however, have a very specific way she'd like the scenario to end.

"This is how I see this whole story ending: Somebody comes forward, says they lost the ring, says they're insured and have the papers to prove it. That's how I'm hoping this ends. So far, it's not that way, but we'll see. Only time will tell," said Thompson.

When she first found the ring, Thompson contacted the local ABC affiliate in an attempt to find the owner. The affiliate covered her story and took her to a jeweler to have the ring appraised.

Not only was the diamond ring real, it was worth $6,500.

READ THE REST OF THE ENTRY HERE.


That Message from Beyond the ...

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Hello! You have reached the automated answering service of ABC school. In order to assist you in connecting to the right staff member, please listen to all the options before making a selection:

To lie about why your child is absent - Press 1

To make excuses for why your child did not do his work - Press 2

To complain about what we do - Press 3

To swear at staff members - Press 4

To ask why you didn't get information that was already enclosed in your newsletter and several flyers mailed to you - Press 5

If you want us to raise your child - Press 6

If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone - Press 7

To request another teacher, for the third time this year - Press 8

To complain about bus transportation - Press 9

To complain about school lunches - Press 0

If you realize this is the real world and your child must be accountable and responsible for his/her own behavior, class work, homework and that it's not all the teachers' fault for your child's lack of effort: Hang up and have a nice day!

-Author Unknown-

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Apparently, this is the actual message that was posted by a school in a bid to make parents realize who bringing up a child is their responsibility which cannot be passed on to the school.

I am sure it must have been a wake-up call to those who did not realize it. :-)


A Full Circle

Posted by Unknown On Thursday, June 21, 2012 3 comments

I figure the most difficult stage in life is ageing, not the angst-filled teenage years. At this point of time, I see how I am so much like my dad and how my older boy is really like me. Standing between the two men I love - my older son and memories of my late father, I realize that indeed, life is a full circle.


My mind is not as sharp as it used to be. It could be an overload of information as I read volumes and volumes of stuff everyday, ranging from literature to science to health to music to conspiracy theories and a teeny weeny bit on politics.

And it is so easy for me to forget important details such as my own telephone numbers or that of my friends/relatives, passwords, and the worse thing is when I write. Words zoom into my head as I write and disappear like a flash of lightning and then I have to google for it.

The other day, I added three instead of four cups of flour when making my bread. Of late, I have made some spelling errors in my blog titles (No REHrets instead of No Regrets for my other blog. By the time I realized it, it was too late as the feed had been burnt and subscribers received the one with the errata. It's the same for this joke I put in this blog. I forgot to change the size of parrot and got the shock of my life when I saw it on my phone while waiting to pick up my son from class!

All these senior moments remind me of the fragility and the brevity of life. I could not understand how my late dad could forget stuff. As he had always been such an organized person, so on top of things and so efficient, I could not (years ago) understand why in the last few years of his life, he was always misplacing things, phoning me to lament how he had lost this and that and then a few days later to say that he had found them. But now I do because I am exactly like my dad used to be and my son is quite similar to what I used to be.

Unbelievably, I am at that stage of my life now but the difference is - I am still er....considerably 'young' :-). Yet, my memory faileth me. Some don't understand why I blog. It is not for $$$ because you can see I have no advertisements in my blog. I don't earn but instead, have spent a lot for my blog, all at my own expense. Some readers have offered donations of cash but I have never accepted any offer (although I would not mind a new computer - kidding) But I blog to keep sane in this senseless world and to keep mentally agile...to pour out my thoughts for otherwise, in my very reclusive and I-don't-want-to-meet-people-unless- absolutely-necessary-mood, it is easy to become intellectually sterile.

Yes, I know age is a number but as the days pass by, as more white hair groweth and even more hair falleth to the floor, I take every opportunity to seize the day and to tell my loved ones how much I love them - everyday! And I try to do all I want to do, go where I have dreamt of going, accomplish the stuff that I want to do and to achieve my dreams because tomorrow might never come!!!

The past two months, I have come to the realization that I had spent a lot of time helping others because of my political idealism only to realize that alas, things are not as simple and 'pure' as I thought, and people are not as 'real' as I had hoped. But it was a good wake-up call. In giving of my time to helping others regardless of whether they appreciated or 'used' me, I learnt a lot and at least I can die knowing that I answered the call to duty in a certain way. I have no bitterness or anger and am totally blase to that part of my past.When that chapter of my life closed, a new one began - that of coming to terms with my senior moments.

The following video really speaks of what is in my heart and how I feel at this juncture of my life. Every morning when I awake at 6.15am, I am thankful for yet another day to live, to love and when I go to sleep, I am thankful for yet another day that has passed.

Dear reader, take time to smell the roses, to take one day at a time. Call your mom or dad to tell them you miss them. Most importantly, make beautiful memories with your loved ones for them to remember you, for tomorrow might never come....

Take care and do leave a comment to share your thoughts and responses. Have a beautiful day and a wonderful life!


Elementary School Humor

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TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on "My Dog" is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?

CLYDE: No, teacher, it's the same dog.


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TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?

HAROLD: A teacher
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TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America

MARIA: Here it is.

TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?

CLASS: Maria.

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TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?

JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.

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TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell "crocodile?"

GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L"

TEACHER: No, that's wrong

GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

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TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?

DONALD: H I J K L M N O.

TEACHER: What are you talking about?

DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

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TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.

WINNIE: Me!

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TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?

GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.

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TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with "I."

MILLIE: I is...

TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, "I am."

MILLIE: All right... "I am the ninth letter of the alphabet."

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TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?

LOUIS: Because George still had the ax in his hand?

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TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?

SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.

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A 6-year-old was overheard reciting the Lord's Prayer at a church service, "And forgive us our trash passes, as we forgive those who passed trash against us."

-Author Unknown-


A Very Thorny Affair Indeed!

Posted by Unknown On 2 comments

In 1983, I worked as a writer with an organization and had the time of my life reading and writing at the office. Life could not be better for we were allowed to wear jeans to work and walked around barefooted. I did not have to spend on clothes or shoes :-). 

Of the eleven employees there, nine (including yours truly) were avid stamp collectors. Every morning, those who heard the postman's bicycle bell would run out of the office to grab the mail. With a glint in his eyes, the postman would pass the bundle to the lucky one, knowing full well the furore that would ensue.

Karen, the one and only non-stamp enthusiast who was also the Manager, was quite tired of the bickering, drama and protests that erupted twice a day. She decreed that each would be entitled to the 'harvest' for one session except for Fridays which would be an open session whereby we could exchange for what was the 'loot' for the day. The policy worked like a charm and everyone was happy.

Although the pay was very low, I was happiest there despite the fact that I had to read tons of books and was expected to churn out volumes of writings including press releases, features and books I had to write daily. However, in life, not everyone can agree to an amicable agreement - not when greed and selfishness rear their ugly heads. Read the following article on a durian tree saga and you can see what I mean. Do leave a comment to share your thoughts and responses. Thanks! Wishing you a great day!

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SINGAPORE: A durian tree in Moulmein Road, Singapore, became a thorn in relations among residents of a HDB block of flats nearby when fights ensued over who could claim the fruits.



The Straits Times reported that the dispute began three years ago when a resident, known only as Chua, said he was just looking at the tree when another resident, R. Lim, shouted at him to stay away from “his tree”.

He claimed his father planted the tree 20 years ago.

Last week, resident Lily Wee called police after Lim, a businessman in his 50s, shouted expletives at her when she wanted to take a durian.

“There are three kinds of people in this world – the good, the bad and the ugly. He belongs to the last group,” said Wee, calling Lim a “durian bully”.

Residents would wait under the tree each fruiting season, sometimes for hours, to take the ripened fruits.

“We can always get fruit from Geylang, but we choose to wait here to kio liu lian,” said a resident known as Patrick, referring to a Hokkien phrase expressing the thrill of getting free durians.

About 100 durians could be harvested each year from the single tree, which first bore fruit seven years ago.

Frustrated over the fiasco, some residents had asked for the tree to be chopped down, but the Moulmein-Kallang municipal council had let the tree be.

It will, however, put up two notices stating that the neighbourhood trees belong to the Housing Board and are maintained by the town council.

Resident Peter Yang approved of not chopping the tree, and said neighbours had begun to bond as they queued and chatted while waiting for the fruits to fall.

“Despite a little bit of nonsense, you still get some good out of it,” he said.


Can anyone suggest any alternative solutions? Please leave a comment to share your views. Thanks!


The Joyful Journey

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If you have ever been discouraged because of failure, please read on.

For often, achieving what you set out to do is not the important thing. Let me explain.

Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.

"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors.

"We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" one of the brothers volunteered excitedly.

The older boys began to laugh, telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible.

After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and a wide assortment of insects. He removed the lid and showed the wonderful contents to the scoffing visitors.

Then he said quietly and confidently, "Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look what we found along the way!"

Their goal was far too ambitious, but it did cause them to dig. And that is what a goal is for - to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen; in other words, to set us to digging!

But not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end successfully. Not every relationship will endure. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every endeavor will be completed. Not every dream will be realized.

But when you fall short of your aim, perhaps you can say, "Yes, but look at what I found along the way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something!"

It is in the digging that life is lived.
And I believe it is joy in the journey, in the end, that truly matters.

-Author Unknown-


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