Quick rest

During my recent whirlwind trip to the US – 2 nights at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, followed by 2 nights in Boston, all in the space of 1 week – I was quite fortunate not to have to spend any nights in the airport. However, one thing which came to my attention due to the horrendously long transit waits, which I have never had to endure in the past, was the necessity to find some sort of shower facilities to relax between flights.

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Which generation

Not too long ago, being in Generation X was hip. Then along came the Generation Y’ers, and shortly, one can imagine, Generation Z?? Have you ever wondered who came up with these groupings or what they actually mean? Well, it seems that these are not some random words made up by journalists or writers. There is actually – albeit rather US-centric for some of them – list of the various “generations” dating back to the 1700s.

So, which generation are you? 🙂

Peace

Conflicts seem to be everywhere around the world: the continued confrontations in Middle East, the terror threat to air travellers, civil wars in Africa… Why not stop and think about the true meaning of victory?

The god of Victory is said to be one-handed, but Peace gives victory to both sides.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882
American Author, Poet and Philosopher

On the road

For the coming week, I have been asked to “do my duty” and travel abroad for work. This does not sound so bad? Or does it?

For this trip, I will be spending two nights in Champaign (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) – close to Chicago – followed by a short stint in Boston to attend an exhibition, again staying there for two nights only. Apart from the long flights to and from Singapore, the part I really dread is the long wait between flights – close to 6 hours for one leg!! However, I suppose I should be grateful that I won’t need to study the Budget Traveller’s Guide to Sleeping in Airports I mentioned before… 🙂

Think big, start small

How often do we suffer from the “curse of planning”, where everything is on its way but at the end of the day nothing eventuates? Opportunities can occur by themselves but can also be promoted. In fact, I quite like the expression “taking many small steps in rapid succession”… 🙂

If we just worry about the big picture, we are powerless. So my secret is to start right away doing whatever little work I can do. I try to give joy to one person in the morning, and remove the suffering of one person in the afternoon. If you and your friends do not despise the small work, a million people will remove a lot of suffering.

Sister Chan Khong, Vietnamese Nun and Peace Activist

Pride and confidence

Haven’t we all felt it at times? When pushed against the wall, or when there is rush of blood – gut-feeling, or whatever you want to call it – that leaves no doubt in your mind that it can be done?

There comes a moment when you realize that virtually anything is possible – that nothing is too good to be true.

Kobi Yamada, Inspirational Author