This year is Abe Lincoln’s 200^th birthday.
Of course, he comes from Illinois, and he is also the inspiration of Barack
obama.  It is fitting that both are from Illinois, and Lincoln was the one
who freed the blacks from slavery, and on his 200^th birthday, a black man became
president.

He is also one of the most original thinkers for me, and
here are some quotes of him that you should remember: ( THE THIRD ONE IS
ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN THESE TIMES – at all times always seek to improve
your skills).

On attitude:

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to
succeed is more important than any other one thing.”

On sales:

“We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be
called on to perform what we cannot.”

On planning and time management:

“If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would
spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”

we do this.

My wife and I try our best to spend on getting the family to travel, if that is the one indulgence I gave to the family.  Travelling together broadens their knowledge, and is probably one of the best ways to enlarge your horizons.

As I read this, it is probably one of the better ways to stay happy too!

Study: Experiences make us happier than possessions - CNN.com

Even in tough economic times, you may find yourself with a bit of cash to spare. You’ve been working hard, and you want to treat yourself. Should you spend it on an experience, such as a baseball game or concert, or a material object?

Psychological research suggests that, in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions.

This is an offhand quote that I just saw. I don’t know what you think about it.

“When the brain is empty the heart is ugly.”

I got some comments on this. But the more I think about it, the more it does make sense, even if the first reaction is somewhat that it sounds offbeat.

Can you be kind, or generous or helpful if you don’t understand the circumstance, or ignorant of the facts? You can sympathize, yes, but at the risk of being haughty, there is a point that while you can appear symphathetic, having a kind heart does mean it should be backed up by an understanding mind?

One thing I am going to generalize — in general, the higher the ego of the person, the harder I find to work with him.

A person with high ego cannot afford to be insulted, or even insinuated, and the other difficult thing is the person also tends to be closed minded, and not flexbile….

Letting Go of Ego, Learning to Love Numbers - BusinessWeek

Let go of your ego. One of my favorite sayings is, “It’s a poor workman who blames his tools.”

I am probably one of the millions who is watching the inauguration for the first time, an imagination fired up by a new president that a friend said is historic because now a black family occupies the white house, but more so because of his track record of inspiring people and creating results.

He exhibited what to me is the right way to success , or at least the conduct that is worthy of success - know how to inspire and fire up the imagination, work together to come up with a great plan, and then execute.

Here are some thoughts as i stayed up the night to watch the inauguration.

- lots of people had high expectations, travelled, and was not able to enter the national mall even with the tickets…. That happens when expectations are too high, and people are too excited. I can understand that at this point, you don’t want to overpromise, ( but then you cannot not give hope too! ) but such high expectations were bound to disappoint.

- Obama delivered a great speech, but judging by the applause, a lot of people are moved, but with such expectations ( people are expecting him to do something historic as he is compared to Lincoln and probably want him to work something as memorable as the Gettysburg address.)

- While he continually talks about the great challenges and hopes, he would not be so popular, nor his coming in so historic, if not for the great problems. He should thank the problems! If not for the economic issues, he may not even have won. Lincoln was a great president, but he soared in America because he happened to be the president at that great time when there was a formidable civil war. In short, if Obama could not have a chance to shine if not for the unprecedented challenges he faces.

- There was an opening prayer and then a closing prayer, and both were long ( heck, if I had a chance to do a prayer, I’d made it as long as I am allowed to), but I thought that was a bit redundant.

- It was great to see a performance by Itzhak Perlman and Yoyo mama, and two other musicians. they are all great, but almost all the time, I only saw the two as the cameras was too focused on them. The cameras was not too fair to the other two musicians ( a pianist and the clarinetist whose face I hardly saw, and whose name I now cannot even recall).

- It was grand to say that America’s greatness lies in its virtue, but it was much better that obama came in and not promised too much. Everybody has to work, and there is no magic formula!

In the book The Mastery of music by Barry Green, he made a poignant statement that I would like to remember:

“In the final analysis, when your family, friends and colleagues remember you after you leave this earth, it will not be what you did so much as the special qualities you brought to those around you which will be remembered.

Perhaps you will be remembered for your sense of humor or your passion.

It is these qualities you have to develop to a high level because at the end, it is about WHO you are, and how you present yourself to others that matters.”

Here are some statistics that may be useful for those who want to climb Mt. Everest before they die….

a.) Most people die not on the way up, but on the way down.
b.) A total of 212 people have died trying to climb Mt. everest from 1921 to 2006.
c.) The mortality rate of the 86 year period is 1.6 percent for climbers ( 1.1 percent for Sherpas). That means you have that much chance of never coming back — probably higher if your age or weigh is well above average….

Why Climbers Die On Mount Everest

An international research team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has conducted the first detailed analysis of deaths during expeditions to the summit of Mt. Everest. They found that most deaths occur during descents from the summit in the so-called “death zone” above 8,000 meters and also identified factors that appear to be associated with a greater risk of death, particularly symptoms of high-altitude cerebral edema.

This is so sad…  Apparently, some people would rather succumb to peer pressure than be humiliated…

Report: Teen commits suicide on Justin.tv | Digital Media - CNET News

A 19-year-old man has committed suicide while broadcasting himself on Justin.tv, according to a report at NewTeeVee.

The teenager took an overdose of pills while on camera and was apparently encouraged to do so by commentators on Justin.tv and a bodybuilding site, according to the report.

If you are trying to become a hero cult figure trying to attract the opposite sex, you might want to think twice.  Here’s an article that proves that  While people want to fantasize about heroes, they are more deeply rooted, and the partner you may want to attract may be those that has deep roots enough to keep their feet rooted in the ground, and prefer family and security over adventure…. 

————— 

– Job security and marriage to an accountant beat adventure and an exciting Bond-style boyfriend for most British women, a new survey said.

PARSHIP, Europe’s largest matchmaking service for singles wanting a committed relationship released results of the poll on the same week as the latest Bond film "Quantum of Solace" had its royal premiere in London.

But results showed that although British women may fantasize about a glamorous James Bond-style romance, in reality they prefer job security, an accountant boyfriend and marriage over a high-octane adventure.

There are anecdotes and stories that teach you the right stuff… and there are those that don’t.

HOW TO CALL THE POLICE .

George
Phillips of Meridian , Mississippi , was going up to bed, when his
wife told him that he’d left the light on in the garden shed, which she
could see from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go
turn off the light, but saw that there were people in the shed stealing
things.

He phoned the police, who asked ‘Is someone in your house?

He said ‘No.’

Then they said ‘All patrols were busy. You should lock your doors and an officer will be along when one is available.’

George said, ‘Okay.’ He hung up the phone and counted to 30. Then he phoned the police again.

‘Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people
stealing things from my shed. Well, you don’t have to worry about them
now because I just shot them.’ and he hung up.

Within five minutes, six Police Cars, a SWAT Team, a Helicopter,
two Fire Trucks, a Paramedic, and an Ambulance showed up at
the Phillips’ residence, and caught the burglars red-handed. One of the
Policemen said to George, ‘I thought you said that you’d shot them!’

George said, ‘I thought you said there was nobody available!’