Two sides of a coin

Hiuen Tsang=玄奘
King Ashoka=戒日王

Inspirational

If there's one speaker that consistantly inspiring it has to be Tony Robbins. I first heard about him over 10 years ago (from my friend Tony Z). I still remember one thing my friend strongly agreed with--to continuously make tiny steps towards the goal of your life.

Last night, I saw Tony's infomercial on TV again. I was even thinking about buying his lastest CDs (for myself and as a gift to others). This morning during my regular thinking time in the shower, I realized two things:

1. Invest on things that can make you more efficient (e.g. broadband internet)
2. Invest on things that can improve the quality of your life

Today I checked Tony's website (http://www.anthonyrobbins.com) and like this he wrote:

I MOVE TOWARDS:

1. Healthy & Vital
2. Love & Warmth
3. Intelligence
4. Cheerfulness
5. Honesty
6. Passion
7. Grateful
8. Fun & Happy
9. Make A Difference
10. Learn & Grow
11. Achieve
12. Be My Best
13. Invest
14. Contribute
15. Create

I MOVE AWAY FROM:

1. Consistent unnecessary worry
2. Consistent debilitation anger/resentment
3. Consistent inappropriate harshness
4. Consistent vulgarity
5. Consistent laying blame as a way of abdicating or avoiding responsibility
6. Consistent not walking my talk

Precarious

Reminds me of the feeling of graduate school. The time to graduate is not entirely at your own control--a big difference from undergrad.

Exclusiveness is not rude

Nor should it be unreasonable. Truth itself is exclusive. It's as simple as 1+1=2, not 3. A father can deny his own son, or vice versa. But if he is truely the biological father, then everyone else has to be excluded from claiming that title. That's not rude because only he can be the one. Same goes for the argument of 'Christianity is a rude religion because it excludes every other religion from being true.' It simply can't stand. Now, if a religion is so inclusive that it accept even contradictory religions or idologies, then it must be a false religion.

I have nothing...

if I have no will nor hope.

The ultimate list of my favorate melancholy/farewell songs

- A Valediction (by Li Shutong, music by J.P. Ordway)
- O Danny Boy (Irish folk)
- The Last Farewell (by Roger Whittaker & R.A. Webster)
- Brother In Arms (by Dire Straits)

Lyrics.

When I died..

I would like the Battle Hymn of the Republic sung in my funeral (if there is one!). This song is written by Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) and is probably sung in all the presidential funerals in recent history. I had known and loved the melody of the song before I came to US.

* * *

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

Pablo Neruda

One of those days

Disappointed. The best hope did not materialize. Frustrated. Lack of vision for desirable alternatives. But still fortunate. After all is said and done, the most important assets remain intact. Health. Family. Hope. They say in life you win some and you loose some. So perhaps a real looser is only those who give up too soon.

In Memory of UM

送别

长亭外,古道边,芳草碧连天.晚风拂柳笛声残,夕阳山外山.
天之涯,地之角,知交半零落;一杯浊酒尽余欢,今宵别梦寒.

-李叔同作(1880-1942)

Note: K went to see UM Monday night before he passed away. This was his favorite song.

Other note: The lyricist was born in Tianjin, China. When he was 28 years old, he became a buddhus monk (named 弘一). The music was written by American composer John P. Ordway.

RIP

UM passed away today at 2 p.m. Memorial service will be at:
Parklawn Memorial Park & Mausoleums
12800 Veirs Mill Rd, Rockville, MD 20853
Phone: (301)881-2161
Wreath for family.

Springtails. Not fleas!

Often I am so far down the path of the worst case scenario that I forgot other possibilities exist--much better ones. Without the knowledge of the better or best case scenarios, my internal world is often dark and gloomy.

Yesterday I got the assurance from Erica at TMX that the "jumping" insect is springtail (scientific name Collembola), not fleas as I originally assumed and feared. Immediately I feel relieved. And the clouds that hoover over me are nowhere to be seen. "What you told me has made my day!" I told her. Thank God!

Even though they have a nickname of "snow fleas", springtails don't bite human and don't transmit diseases. "Nuisance," says one website. "They are nearly always good guys," says another.

I learned a lesson. Do not loose sight of the best hope. And take actions to find out--that's how one can be insightful.

From Bird Gun to Cannon

Yahoo mail has expended storage space from 6 MB to 100 MB. That really came as a pleasant surprise as I open mail this morning. What a big relief just overnight. Pretty soon people will forget about the small mailbox in "the old days." Doesn't Google's gmail come with 1 GB storage? I'll be looking forward to that, too. But for now, I'll enjoy the freedom and breathing space with Yahoo. Ahhh....

As the Chinese saying goes, this is an exchange of the bird gun with a cannon.

Secret of Life

[121 words]

Take time to Think. It is the source of Power.
Take time to Play. It is the secret of perpetual Youth.
Take time to be Friendly. It is the road to Happiness.
Take time to Work. It is the price of Success.
Take time to Pray. It is the greatest power on Earth.
Take time to Love and be Loved. It is the way of God.

Sense of Humor and the Hot Water Bag

On Charlie Rose's talk show last Friday night, they played a footage of Reagan addressing at a school, probably his Alma Matter Eureka College. Someone in the audience asked him to comment on his less-than-excellent school records (the footage didn't show that part).

"Even now I wonder," said the former president, dressed in a colorful gown, "what I might have accomplished had I studied harder!"

The audience laughed.

One of Reagan's beloved characters is his good sense of humor. As he spoke that, Reagan had a smile on his face, and it was as if he had to make an effort to remain composed to finish sentence. He could "sense" the humor of his remarks.

...

Speaking of humor, here's another one on W. She was putting a hot water bag on her shoulder to help relief some discomfort. Very natually, she started padding on the hot water bag just as she would do to Baby i. Almost immediately, she realized it and reported her silly action to me. We had some good laughs about it.

But seriously, perhaps the hot water bag, too, needed a good burp.

In memory of an ex-president

“Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way.” --Reagan

He died at 93 on Saturday, June 5.

The I-know bug

M emailed me a picture of a cicada with red eyes (hence the nick name "old red eye"). It is said to stay underground for 17 years before breaking out to become its mature form (and last just a summer, probably).

The nickname of cicada in Chinese is "Zhi-liao," or literally, "I know" (or perhaps "I knew"). The reason is that the monotonic pitch of its drone resemble the sound of "I know, I know, ..."

As a child, I was told the story about the proud Zhi-liao saying "I know" to all the things he was told, and when he has such attitute his ears are shut to all the things he might have learned.

One time I heard someone on the radio saying the best thing others had said to her is "shut up and listen." Not a bad advice if you can take away the negative setiment.

Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. (James 1:19)

15 years

Today is the 15th anniversary. I can still remember the days like yesterday. I don't think people died in vain. I don't think the government should open fire on the unarmed citizens. I think the PM should have stepped down. To this day, I'm still stirred by the images, the sounds, and the eyewitness' recollections of June 4th, 1989.

Life is...

Fragile. Another classmate with cancer (CJY). Only 2 months after hearing the sad news about ZZB. C was the PE class rep in junior high.

Days and Nights

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:5)

Jesus Paid It All

was written in Baltimore

Like a squirrel determined to cross the road

Single-mindedness and preoccupation can be deadly.

Loosing it

W did something very silly this morning. She took her handbag from the kitchen and walked towards the bathroom (for what?). Just before she got out of the kitchen, she realized she didn't need to take the handbag at all. We had a good laugh about it. I think the emotional pendullum is making her loose her mind...

May 19, 2004

That was yesterday. Wednesday. It was a sad day as we decided to leave. W cried several times (for that reason and that Nanny H is leaving). When we told people the reactions were mixed, some sad, some thrilled.

A-Bian sworn in today for his second term.

I get a big head thinking about the move...