The Stuff I Have
Click on the things below to read about them.
-lightning.
-depression.
-life.
-a price tto everything in life. [Most recent]
-attitude. [Most recent]
-most important partt of your body. [Most recent]
 

*Some things in our world is just wondrous. Like lightning...
Have you ever wondered why lightning is the way it is?

Lightning is the result of static electricity.
Thunderstorms build up because of something called convection.
[Convection is the circulation of hot air rising up into the air and
cooling down again as it gets cooler.)
If the air carries with it moisture, thunderclouds form.

One theory of the mechanism of lightning is:
as the convection process goes on,
warmer water droplets going up bump into cold ice crystals going down.
Just like rubbing your feet on the floor builds up a static charge on your body,
so do these collisions between the water drops and ice crystals build
up a static charge in the cloud, which eventually makes a spark -
just a really big one.

The speed of lightning is about 1/3 of the speed of light.
Lightning bolts are crooked because air itself is irregular,
especially in a storm where winds cause turbulence.
The color occurs because the air through which the lightning
passes is heated to a very high temperature.
Higher temperature means it glows with a "hotter" color of the rainbow,
in this case purple-white instead of red.
to top

*Everybody our age seems to be in some sort of depression some days.
I guess it's pretty much important to know what exactly is depression,
so that we will accept it and stop cutting ourselves...

What's that?!
Depression is the most common of mood disorders.
Research shows that brain chemical imbalances cause depression,
but many people still believe that depression shows a weak personality or character flaw. This makes seeking help difficult,
as people hesitate before admitting this "weakness" to family, friends or doctors.

Signs and Symptoms
persistent sadness or unhappiness
lethargy
loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities
irritability
sudden change in appetite
disruption of normal sleep pattern
physical discomfort
difficulty thinking or concentrating
thoughts of suicide or death

Chronic Depression
The affected individual goes through depressive episodes
interspersed with periods of time when the symptoms of depression seem to disappear. The disorder can be a lifelong struggle.
to top

*Got this from Noo through mail. Really a motivating piece.
Changed a little bit here and there so it fits people our age more.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles an poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of coke from under the table and poured
the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
" I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf ball are the important things--
your family, your children, your health, your friends,
your favorite passions-- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,
"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her and inquired what the coke represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that
no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
coke."
to top

*A Price To Everything In Life

There was this museum laid with beautiful marble tiles,
with a huge marble statue displayed in the middle of the lobby.
Many people came from all over the world just to admire this beautiful marble statue.

One night, the marble tiles started talking to the marble statue.

Marble tile: Marble statue, it's just not fair, it's just not fair! Why does everybody from all over the world come all the way here just to step on me while admiring you? Not fair!
Marble statue: My dear friend, marble tile. Do you still remember that we were actually from the same cave?
Marble tile: Yeah! That's why I feel it is even more unfair. We were born from the same cave and yet we receive different treatment now. Not fair!"
Marble statue: Then, do you still remember the day when the designer tried to work on you, but you resisted the tools?
Marble tile: Yes, of course I remember. I hate that guy! How could he use those tools on me, it hurt so badly.
Marble statue: That's right! He couldn't work on you at all as you resisted being worked on.
Marble tile: So?
Marble statue: When he decided to give up on you and start working on me instead, I knew at once that I would be something different after his efforts. I did not resist his tools, instead I bore all the painful tools he used on me.
Marble tile: Hmm...
Marble statue: My friend, there is a price to everything in life. Since you decided to give up half way, you can't blame anybody who steps on you now."

The more hard knocks you go through in life,
the more you'll learn and put them to use in the future!!
Do not be discouraged by setbacks and failures.
Past is past, you can't change it, but it can actually be a blessing in disguise.
The past was good, the present is better and the future will always be the best.

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want,
it is the realization of how much you already have."
When the door of happiness closes, another opens,
but often times we look so long at the closed door,
that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it,
but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

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 on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
to top

*Attitude

Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America.
He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say.
When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply,
"If I were any better, I would be twins!"

Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs,
so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant.
The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude.
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him,
"I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today.
I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood.
I always choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens,
I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it.
I always choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining,
I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life.
I always choose the positive side of life."

"But it's not always that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Jerry said "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk,
every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations.
You choose how people will affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. It's your choice how you live your life."

Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are
never supposed to do in the restaurant business:
he left the back door of his restaurant open one morning,
and was robbed by three armed men. While trying to open the safe, his hand,
shaking from nervousness slipped off the combination.
The robbers panicked and shot him.
Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care,
Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds,
but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor,
I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or choose to die.
I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared?" I asked.

Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expressions
on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.

In their eyes, I read "He's a dead man. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry.
"She asked if I was allergic to anything." "Yes." I replied.
The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.
I took a deep breath and yelled, "Bullets!" Over their laughter, I told them,
"I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors,
but also because of his amazing attitude.
I learned from him that every day you have the choice to
either enjoy your life or to hate it.
The only thing that is truly yours -- that no one can control or take from you --
is your attitude, so if you can take care of that,
everything else in life becomes much easier.
to top

*Most Important Part Of Your Body

My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body.
Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer.
When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said,
"My ears, Mommy." She said, "No. Many people are deaf.
But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon."

Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt,
I had contemplated the correct answer. So this time I told her,
"Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes."
She looked at me and told me, "You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct, because there are many people who are blind."

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years,
Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was,
"No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child."

Then last year, my grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying.
Even my father cried. I remember that especially because it was only the second time
I saw him cry. My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye
to Grandpa. She asked me, "Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?"

I was shocked when she asked me this now.
I always thought this was a game between her and me.
She saw the confusion on my face and told me,
"This question is very important.
But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson."

She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears.
She said, "My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder."

I asked, "Is it because it holds up my head?" She replied, "No, it is because it
can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry.
Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear.
I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always
have a shoulder to cry on when you need it."

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one.
It is sympathetic to the pain of others.

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did.
But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.
to top