Are you the carrot, egg or coffee bean?

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. In the first pot, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and 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 do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to smell and sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she smelled and tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What's the point, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity- boiling water-but 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 trials and adversity knock on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

So, which are you?

The carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, wilt and become soft and lose its strength?

The egg that starts with a passive heart, but changes with the heat? Do you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a financial hardship or some other trial, become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside, are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or, are you 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 become better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

just for laughs...

Courtesy of one of my morning presenters -

One day, Siew Mai was bored and decided to invite Man Tou to the movies. They decided on a comedy, and once inside, Siew Mai could hardly control his emotions - he laughed hard at all the funny scenes, he shed tears when parts of it got emotional...but all these while, Man Tou showed no emotion at all...Do you know why?

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Coz Man Tou has no FEE-LING! )ie. filling)

~ haha

So, the rather pissed Siew Mai decided that Man Tou was no fun to go out with, and decided to enjoy the movie with another...this time, he invited Da-Bao to the show, and...........whenever Siew Mai laughed, Da Bao laughed louder. Whenever Siew Mai cried, Da-Bao wept louder. Hmm...why?

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Coz Da-Bao has more FEE-LING!! (ie. filling)

SO...Siew Mai thought - too drama, don't wanna go to the movies with Da-Bao..so he decided to invite Dou Sha Bao this time. At the movies, Dou Sha Bao laughed at the appropriate times, cried when things got too emotional...nothing over the top. BUT ~ Siew Mai sat through the entire show expression-less, motion-less! WHY?

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C'mon, wouldn't you be if you sat through the same movie 3 times?! -.-

~hahahaha...duh~

a blessing for journalism

May the God who said "Let there be light",
bless us in our search for truth and our quest to bring light to dark places.

May God give us the grace to resist the temptation to create a story with little regard for truth,
to assassinate character with little regard for mercy,
to slant reports with little regard for accuracy,
in order to curry favour or earn dishonest reward.

May God give us inspiration,
to tell the truth as we see it without favour,
to report oppression and violence without fear,
to stand by the innocent and defend the right, to encourage the good and denounce the evil.

May we recognise the power of the word,
and not use that power irresponsibly,
nor for personal gain,
but rather for the welfare of the community as a whole,
and particularly, the hungry, the homeless and the poor.

May we find a blessing as we write courageously to give true pictures,
as we seek to bring hope where there is despair,
as we influence people to search for truth,
as we increase understanding of issues,
and as we contribute to the happiness of all.

May God, the compassionate and loving Creator,
protect us in times of danger,
guide us in situations of perplexity,
uphold us in the experience of failure,
and encourage us in times of success.

John Johansen-Berg, England
(from the book "A world of Blessing: Benedictions from every continent and many cultures, compiled by Geoffrey Duncan)

~Yeah...right