My take on people, places, events and other things
The good things that you do today will bear fruit in the future.
This is a story normally used by motivational speakers to inspire people to let go of their old perceptions. Alternatively, it could also be used to show how greed could be used to tie up or trap people.
There is a kind of monkey trap used in Asia. A coconut is hollowed out and attached by a rope to a tree or stake in the ground. At the bottom of the coconut a small slit is made and some sweet food is placed inside. The hole on the bottom of the coconut is just big enough for the monkey to slide in his open hand, but does not allow for a closed fist to pass out. The monkey smells the sweets, reaches in with his hand to grasp the food and is unable to withdraw it.
The clinched fist won't pass through the opening. When the hunters come, the monkey becomes frantic but cannot get away. There is no one keeping that monkey captive, except the force of its own attachment. All that it has to do is open its hand. But so strong is the force of greed in the mind that it is a rare monkey which can let goy
You know why the monkey gets trapped? Because of its greed. Because his greed won’t allow him to let go of the rice and take out his hand, the monkey remains trapped, a victim of his own greed, until he is captured; forever a captive of his greed.
The alarm clock is only useful if you follow what you wanted it to do for you, that is, to wake up as soon as it rings. How you react to an alarm, especially if you personally set it, is a reflection of your personality.
Designed to Remind Us to Wake Up
An alarm clock is designed to make a loud sound at a specific time. These types of clocks are used to awaken people from their night's sleep or short naps. They are sometimes used for other reminders as well. To stop the sound, a button or handle on the clock is pressed; but most clocks automatically stop the alarm sound if left unattended long enough. A classic alarm clock has an extra hand or inset dial that is used to specify the time at which to activate the alarm.
With modern technology, digital gadgets have added the alarm functions to their capabilities. So alarm alerts are now standard features of wristwatches and cellphones. Many cell phones feature built-in alarms that do not require the phone to be powered on for the alarm to go off. Other cell phones feature the ability for the user to set the tone of the alarm, and in some cases music can be downloaded to the phone and then chosen to play for waking.
But the way man interacts with the "alarm clock" remains the same, as when it was first used – to warn people about certain thing sthat they have to do once the alarm sounded.
So here the gist of the message I am trying to convey today:
We set our alarm clocks to a certain time before we go to sleep. We want to wake up early enough so as not to be late for work or for our early morning rituals.
But waking up and starting to prepare for work or commencing our morning routines are two different things.
When the alarm rings, we immediately push either its stop or its snooze button. We do not want to get up: we either want to go back to sleep or we just like to stay in bed. In some instances we even forgot that we were the one who set the alarm. And foolishly curse it: saying it is still too early or that it has goben off sooner than the time it was set, etc.
But what most of us do is to re-set the alarm to a later time. And when it rings again, we hit again the snooze or the stop button. And goes back to sleep beacuse it is still too early.
Yes, with the help of an alarm clok, all of us can really wake up early. But waking up early does not mean rising up up from the bed early.
Because we seem to have a lot more time, if we feel lazy.
I was in the Candaba Swamps in the afternoon of February 6, 2012. I was there to watch the migratory birds, but I got an added bonus: I was able to watch the sun as it was about to set.
It was a most beautiful sight to see – a picture of tranquility, solitude and peacefulness. I looked around to check if the other people I saw working the fields earlier were watching the sunset. They were not. They were either walking or pedaling their bikes towards their homes.
Just like in Manila, I thought. We have a most beautiful sight of the Manila Bay sunset, but only a few people care to watch it. At the time the sun is setting, most Manilenos are still at work; are already on the way home from work; or, doesn't care about the sunset at all!
The sunset is not the only natural phenomenon suffering the same fate. The plants and the flowers in the forests are in the same boat. They grow, they die and they rot without anybody seeing them. The birds in the forests sing beautiful songs with no man being able to listen to their tunes.
So the next time you did something which you thought was outstanding but nobody praised you for it or even called your attention to it, just remember the sunset and the plants, the flowers and the birds in the forests.
Beautiful things and outstanding deeds are sometimes left unnoticed. But even then, they remain beautiful and outstanding.
Beauty Contests Boo boos
It is during the Q&A portions of beauty contests that judges can ascertain whether the contestant has what it takes to win the crown. Oftentimes, it also provides a hint as to whether there is something between the ears of the aspirants.
Here are some amusing moments we noted during one of these beauty contests.
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Here is a story of a rich businessman who wants to retire and has to choose from among his three sons the one who will take over his business. He decided to give it to the one with the best business acumen.
He called all three and gave each of them a thousand pesos. He instructed them them to buy something that will fill up all the corners of his office.
The first son bought a tree full of branches and leaves. He had it cut down and brought everything to his father's office. It filled up half of the room.
The second son hired a laborer to cut as much grasses and bring it to his father's office. It filled up more than half of the father's office.
The third, bought a candle, went to his father's office, turned off the lights and then lighted the candle.
And the whole room was filled with light.
