We must use time as a tool, not as a couch.
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.
- Henri Bergson
09/10/2008
21/09/2008
The Carrot, the egg, and the coffee
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of
coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up, she was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose..
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water
and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the
first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last
she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without
saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in
a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter
to take an egg and break it.. After pulling off the shell, she observed
the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter
smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What
does it mean, mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.
Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after
sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The
ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee
bean?'
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a
financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain.. When the water gets hot, it
releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when
things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation
around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest
do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you
happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The
brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go
forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
You might want to send this message to those people who mean something
to you; to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to
those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you
see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose
friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.
If you don't send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to
brighten someone's day with this message!
May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!
coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up, she was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose..
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water
and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the
first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last
she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without
saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in
a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter
to take an egg and break it.. After pulling off the shell, she observed
the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter
smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What
does it mean, mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.
Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after
sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The
ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee
bean?'
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a
financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain.. When the water gets hot, it
releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when
things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation
around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest
do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you
happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The
brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go
forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
You might want to send this message to those people who mean something
to you; to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to
those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you
see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose
friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.
If you don't send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to
brighten someone's day with this message!
May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!
10/09/2008
A.A.A.D.D.
Do you have A. A. A. D. D.?
I have recently been diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D.
(Advanced Absentminded Attention Deficit Disorder)
This is how it goes:
I decide to wash the car; I start toward the garage and notice
the mail on the table.
OK, I'm going to wash the car, but first I'm going to go through
the mail.
I lay the car keys down on the desk, discard the junk mail, and
notice the trashcan is full.
OK, I'll just put the bills on my desk and take the trashcan
out, but since I'm going to be near the mailbox anyway, I'll pay
these few bills first.
Now, where is my checkbook?
Oops, there's only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk.
Oh, there's the coke I was drinking.
I'm going to look for those checks.
But first I have to put my coke further away from the computer,
or maybe I'll pop it into the fridge to keep it cold for a while.
I head towards the kitchen and my flowers catch my eye; they
need some water.
I set the coke on the counter, and uh oh.
There are my glasses. I was looking for them all morning.
I'd better put them away first.
I fill a container with water and head for the flower pots.
Uh oh.....someone left the TV remote in the kitchen.
We'll never think to look in the kitchen tonight when we want to
watch television, so I'd better put it back in the family room
where it belongs.
I splash some water into the pots and onto the floor, I throw
the remote onto a soft cushion on the sofa and I head back down
the hall trying to figure out what it was I was going to do?
End of the Day: The car isn't washed, the bills are unpaid, the
coke is sitting on the kitchen counter, the flowers are half-
watered, the checkbook still only has one check in it and I
can't seem to find my car keys.
When I try to figure out how come nothing got done today, I'm
baffled because I KNOW I WAS BUSY ALL DAY LONG!!!!!
I realize this is a serious condition and I'll get help, but
first I think I'll check my email................
I have recently been diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D.
(Advanced Absentminded Attention Deficit Disorder)
This is how it goes:
I decide to wash the car; I start toward the garage and notice
the mail on the table.
OK, I'm going to wash the car, but first I'm going to go through
the mail.
I lay the car keys down on the desk, discard the junk mail, and
notice the trashcan is full.
OK, I'll just put the bills on my desk and take the trashcan
out, but since I'm going to be near the mailbox anyway, I'll pay
these few bills first.
Now, where is my checkbook?
Oops, there's only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk.
Oh, there's the coke I was drinking.
I'm going to look for those checks.
But first I have to put my coke further away from the computer,
or maybe I'll pop it into the fridge to keep it cold for a while.
I head towards the kitchen and my flowers catch my eye; they
need some water.
I set the coke on the counter, and uh oh.
There are my glasses. I was looking for them all morning.
I'd better put them away first.
I fill a container with water and head for the flower pots.
Uh oh.....someone left the TV remote in the kitchen.
We'll never think to look in the kitchen tonight when we want to
watch television, so I'd better put it back in the family room
where it belongs.
I splash some water into the pots and onto the floor, I throw
the remote onto a soft cushion on the sofa and I head back down
the hall trying to figure out what it was I was going to do?
End of the Day: The car isn't washed, the bills are unpaid, the
coke is sitting on the kitchen counter, the flowers are half-
watered, the checkbook still only has one check in it and I
can't seem to find my car keys.
When I try to figure out how come nothing got done today, I'm
baffled because I KNOW I WAS BUSY ALL DAY LONG!!!!!
I realize this is a serious condition and I'll get help, but
first I think I'll check my email................
03/09/2008
FUNNY !!! NEW OFFICE POLICY ///
EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2008
NEW OFFICE POLICY
Dress Code:
1) You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.
2) If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.
3) If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.
4) If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.
Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.
Personal Days:
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.
Bereavement Leave:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.
Bathroom Breaks:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders' category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.
Lunch Break: (Love this one)
* Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.
* Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
* Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.
The Management
Pass this on to all who are employed!
NEW OFFICE POLICY
Dress Code:
1) You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.
2) If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.
3) If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.
4) If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.
Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.
Personal Days:
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.
Bereavement Leave:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.
Bathroom Breaks:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders' category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.
Lunch Break: (Love this one)
* Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.
* Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
* Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.
The Management
Pass this on to all who are employed!
25/08/2008
simply the best
Two little boys, ages 8 and 10, are excessively mischievous. They are always getting into trouble and their parents know all about it. If any mischief occurs in their town, the two boys are probably involved. The boys' mother heard that a preacher in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The preacher agreed, but he asked to see them individually. So the mother sent the 8 year old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the preacher in the afternoon.
The preacher, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, 'Do you know where God is, son?' The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open.
So the preacher repeated the question in an even sterner tone, 'Where is God?!' Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, 'Where is God?!'
The boy screamed ; bolted from the room, ran directly home ; dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.
When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, 'What happened?' The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, 'We are in BIG trouble this time. GOD is missing, and they think we did it!
The preacher, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, 'Do you know where God is, son?' The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open.
So the preacher repeated the question in an even sterner tone, 'Where is God?!' Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, 'Where is God?!'
The boy screamed ; bolted from the room, ran directly home ; dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.
When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, 'What happened?' The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, 'We are in BIG trouble this time. GOD is missing, and they think we did it!
30/07/2008
That´s amazing !
You can read this:
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I couldn´t believe that I could actually understand what I was reading. The phenomenal power of the human mind, according to research at Cambridge University, it doesn´t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole. Amazing huh?
Glossary:
- actually - realmente
- amazing - fantástico, surpreendente
- as a whole - como um todo
- believe - acreditar
- human mind - mente humana
- it doesn´t matter - não importa
- last - última
- mess - bagunça
- power - poder
- read - ler
- right place - lugar certo
- still - ainda
- understand (understand, understood, understood) - entender
* Sent by João Godinho on 11/7/2008
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I couldn´t believe that I could actually understand what I was reading. The phenomenal power of the human mind, according to research at Cambridge University, it doesn´t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole. Amazing huh?
Glossary:
- actually - realmente
- amazing - fantástico, surpreendente
- as a whole - como um todo
- believe - acreditar
- human mind - mente humana
- it doesn´t matter - não importa
- last - última
- mess - bagunça
- power - poder
- read - ler
- right place - lugar certo
- still - ainda
- understand (understand, understood, understood) - entender
* Sent by João Godinho on 11/7/2008
16/04/2008
Some places where you can speak English
English is spoken as a first language by more than 300 million people throughout the world, and used as a second language by many millions more. One in five of the world's population speaks English with a good level of competence, and within the next few years the number of people speaking English as a second language will exceed the number of native speakers.
This could have a dramatic effect on the evolution of the language: in the process of being absorbed by new cultures, English develops to take account of local language needs, giving rise not just to new vocabulary but also to new forms of grammar and pronunciation.
At the same time, however, a standardized 'global' English is spread by the media and the Internet.
The main regional standards of English are British, US and Canadian, Australian and New Zealand, South African, Indian, and West Indian. Within each of these regional varieties a number of highly differentiated local dialects may be found.
This could have a dramatic effect on the evolution of the language: in the process of being absorbed by new cultures, English develops to take account of local language needs, giving rise not just to new vocabulary but also to new forms of grammar and pronunciation.
At the same time, however, a standardized 'global' English is spread by the media and the Internet.
The main regional standards of English are British, US and Canadian, Australian and New Zealand, South African, Indian, and West Indian. Within each of these regional varieties a number of highly differentiated local dialects may be found.
10/04/2008
Ponderisms
- Can you cry under water?
- How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
- Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
- Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
- How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
- Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?
- If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
- Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
- Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
- Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.
- Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
- Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!
- If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
- If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
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