The Story Teller

Archive for January, 2011

One day, a fine man from the palace came at the plaza and announced that the king ordered him to bring to the palace all the well-born and well-bred in town as the king wished to reward them.

Everybody joined him so he went back to the king with the entire town. But before the group reached the palace, they were met by a man on horseback and passed a note to the fine man.

After reading the short note, the fine man turned around and faced the group and said that the king changed his mind and instead, wanted all the ill-born and ill-bred in town to be taken to him as he wanted to make up for their misfortune.

The men looked at each other. One man stood apart from the rest and announced that he really was an ill-born. One by one, the other men joined him until all of them were grouped as one.

Moral: People act according to their interests

If you were the king, what would you do?

*Adapted

‘Doubt yourself and you doubt everything you see. Judge yourself and you see judges everywhere. But if you listen to the sound of your own voice, you can rise above doubt and judgment. And you can see forever.’

-Nancy Kerrigan, ice skater

Sunday is my movie day. That’s the time I choose something to watch on DVD. It’s my way to relax my mind from six days of teaching.

So, last Sunday, I curled up in my favorite place and watched. I happened to choose something with an extremely wealthy guy for the lead part. And I was awestruck by the way the rich people live.

I wonder how it feels to live in a beautiful big house with giant chandeliers, glossy furniture and glorious whirlpools. Wow! I think I could get used to that, lol!

As the movie neared its end, I was so absorbed by the majestic setting that my living room looks shabby to me. Oh well… maybe that’s what a movie does sometimes, lol!

‘The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.’

-Anna Quindlen, novelist

I was looking through the pages of a magazine and saw a picture of a very lovely tree beside an equally lovely house. And since the photo was taken during the fall season, the changing colors of the leaves made the picture a breathtaking sight to behold.

How I wish I live in that house beside that marvelous tree. I can imagine how nice it would be to look outside your window and see a miracle of beauty just within your reach.

I found out later that it was a sweet gum tree and that it is a popular ornamental tree in North America. No wonder it looks so beautiful in the picture..

‘When I grow up, I want to be a little boy.’

-Joseph Heller, novelist

Truly, childhood is something we’d like to go back to…

Before I became a teacher, I had tried various jobs. My first was as an administrative clerk in a popular supermarket, next was as a customer service representative in an air conditioning manufacturer and then as a sales coordinator in an air conditioning dealer.

Among those three, I enjoyed being a customer service representative most. It was the kind of job that, like teaching, made me feel as if I was doing something worthwhile everyday. It was not easy, of course, especially if you are dealing with an irate customer or client. But the idea of being useful to other people outweighed all these difficulties. And at the end of each day, you would feel a sense of accomplishment of doing a good job.

So, if you are looking for a sense of purpose, try a customer service representative work, you may find it rewarding..

‘Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.’

-Carl Jung, psychologist

Of all the blessings that I got last year, I could say that my laptop is what I am most thankful for next to my family.

With it, I got much more than I have wanted to. I can even say that it surpassed all my expectations, lol! First and foremost, my kids are able to do their homework  and projects without getting out especially at night. Second, I can get to communicate with my relatives abroad more easily than I used to. Finally, I was able to blog as much as I want in the comfort of my home.

Getting my own laptop is really one of the best things that ever happened to me last year. And for that,  I am very grateful…

‘Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.’

Author Unknown