Ten Character Traits Worth Developing

by the Character Counts Coalition

1.Be Honest. Tell the truth; be sincere; don't mislead or withhold key information in relationships of trust; don't steal.
2.Demonstrate integrity. Stand up for your beliefs about right and wrong; be your best self; resist social pressure to do wrong.
3.Keep promises. Keep your word and honor your commitments; pay your debts and return what you borrow.
4.Be loyal. Stand by family, friends, employers, community and country; don't talk about people behind their backs.
5.Be responsible. Think before you act; consider consequences; be accountable and "take your medicine".
6.Pursue excellence. Do your best with what you have; don't quit easily.
7.Be kind and caring. Show you care through generosity and compassion; don't be selfish or mean.
8.Treat all people with respect. Be courteous and polite; judge all people on their merits; be tolerant, appreciative and accepting of individual differences.
9.Be fair. Treat all people fairly; be open-minded; listen to others and try to understand what they are saying and feeling.
10.Be a good citizen. Obey the law and respect authority; vote, volunteer your efforts; protect the environment.

“I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person.”

~Rita Mero 

WISDOM + HUMBLENESS = RESPECT

My newfound respect. He's almost 60 years old. Yet, he's showed the MOST fluidity and LEAST effort to drag that sledge with 90lbs weights on it. When I pulled it, I felt like an overweight tiger. ROARING at first but then struggling to engage my legs - my quads, hammies and butt - just ain't moving in accordance to nature! 

What else did he do?

1) Foot-hooked a 8kg KB and did side swings till his waist. 

2) Hanging twists without cringing in pain

3) Smiled at us with a look of  "HAHA, you guys are suffering cos you're doing the POSE" - yeah i mean this guy has a sharp eye and a sense of movement.

He runs with ease, smooth cadences and perfectly effortless. There is no huffing and puffing from the tiredness of the body, except that at his age, running at that speed is uncommon. FAST. QUICK FEET. Quick THINKING. It's happening right in front of my eyes. YET, I can't believe it. My mind is playing tricks on me. He seems indestructible, humble and knowledgeable. I am utterly awed and have full respect for this guy.

WAIT. It's my perception. How I perceive this movement. How I think he moved. How did he run so EASILY and without a drop of sweat. HOW DO I POSE RUN? How long would I need to unlearn and learn this new method of running? 

POSE. FALL. PULL (Repeat till perfection) 

This was JUST for running. I have so many other questions. What about deadlifts? Muscle Ups? Back Squats? Badminton? Football?

The MAIN question is: When would I "get it"?

Here's a reply from their FB site:  "The average time frame is somewhere around 2 weeks up to 2-4 months, but a lot depends on you personally - many things to consider. If you have years of previous training for running - might be tough, you'll have to take your time re-learning. If you have inadequate strength for running (hips, hams, calves, etc) - you'll have to develop it. If you have various 'mental blocks' (like fixating on things, trying to hard, thinking too much about each element, etc) - you'll have to sort them out before you see actual progress with actual running. There is a lot at play. While it's the same technique that suits everyone and works for any distance - all of us are different coming from 'different places'. Through all of that it's important to remember that this running technique is SIMPLE while it might not be easy for some. However some grasp it in matter of minutes... so it all depends on you and your ability to learn. From experience I can tell you that most of the time mental blocks are the hardest to overcome but once you get even a glimpse of "a-ha moment" when everything clicks (and you WILL feel it, you will definitely know it when it'll happen) you will know what to strive for and you will continue to improve rapidly from that point on."

Departed with a new found energy. A new perspective. A new belief.

Rekindled memories of my training days. Hurdles, Sprints and the 400m. 

Torturous training sessions, military yet brings results.

The smallest in size, yet the strongest in mind.

Thanks Dr Romanov for all your advice, philosophy on life and teachings!

"Don’t oppose forces. Use them."

 –Buckminster Fuller

Expose Yourself

With so many options in media, interaction and venues, you now get to choose what you expose yourself to.
Expose yourself to art, and you'll come to appreciate it and aspire to make it.
Expose yourself to anonymous scathing critics and you will begin to believe them (or flinch in anticipation of their next appearance.)
Expose yourself to get-rich-quick stories and you'll want to become one.
Expose yourself to fast food ads and you'll crave french fries.
Expose yourself to angry mobs of uninformed, easily manipulated protesters and you'll want to join a mob.
Expose yourself to metrics about your brand or business or performance and you'll work to improve them.
Expose yourself to anger and you might get angry too.
Expose yourself to people making smart decisions and you'll probably learn how to do it as well.
Expose yourself to eager long-term investors (of every kind) and you'll likely to start making what they want to support.
It's a choice if you want it to be.


~Seth Godin

S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d Out......

...and loving it!!!

I felt just like that pretzel last week! haha! My brains and body were awkwardly twisted at all angles possible!

There was just so many things in my mind that was on "repeat" mode...like  a broken record player that runs on solar energy. Sometimes, I felt like a rubber band that's being stretched and stretched out and not recouped back into it's original size. (Now I'm back to ori size yeah!) It was kinda challenging and tiring, yet fun! More new adventures, people, situations and most importantly the ability to make spot decisions when a handful of sour grapes are thrown this way. (No lovely lemons coming this way!)

Constantly seeking more challenges, asking more questions and meeting more people to expand and excel. At the end of everyday, seek the answer to "Who/what made my day? And learnings of the day." There's never a similar day like TODAY. So, carry forward learnings and grow as a person. The day you die, is the day when you stop learning. Seeking Mr. Uncomfortable at the moment so watch me sweat, toil and torture!

This week will be a pretty challenging week too, even if I've got half a week left to maximize! Yeah! Can't wait to head South with the gang and kick up a storm at CFSG! :) ...which means I won't see my parents for sometime. Gonna miss them. Love them muchos muchos cos they rock! (I think my dad is WAY fitter than me. Feel quite embarrassed sometimes!) Thanks Ma & Pa for being UBER awesome!!!

For now, I'm gonna be wishing on a star for something sweet, rekindled and liberating! :D

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

I Shall Not Ask Why...

I am posting this up..anyway...
I work odd hours and love it!
I can spot a liar a mile away. (don't try sweet-talking me.)
I love peace, hate verbal diarrhea.
I enjoy dealing with people younger than me
I have such 2 awesome & amazing sisters!
I am quiet, shy yet monstrous at times.
I love having gentle breeze blowing in my face...
I love the beach...sea..sand...sounds...
I cry, sing and dance
My favorite song is "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
I am happy at the oddest moments
I love observing people's journey to success.
I crave for honest feedback yet despise attention.
I love KitKat esp Green Tea.
I am short and stay at arm's length from tall people(save my neck)
I am random when I'm not supposed to be.
I am cynical yet optimistic.
I ask myself if I can take a break.
I am up at this odd hour.
I feel blessed with what I have.
I love my parents to bits and pieces!
I am who I am today. :)

Pic courtesy of Alaska-In-Pictures

It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn - which is what life is all about.

~ Oprah Winfrey

Proud

by Heather Small.

I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I've left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?

Still so many answers I don't know
Realise that to question is how we grow
So I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?

We need a change
Do it today
I can feel my spirit rising
We need a change
So do it today
'Cause I can see a clear horizon

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
'Cause you could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today
You could be so many people?
Just make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?

I'm thankful for all the things that this job has given me and my family. But probably the thing that I am most proud of throughout my career is that, not only myself, but my family and the people around me have just been regular people, which we are.

~ Brett Favre

Hot Cross Cream Puffs!

Mom was free today and she wanted to bake cream puffs in the afternoon to bring for our potluck this evening. So we started getting the ingredients and all, and weighing them, mixing them up and baking them as per the recipe.

Well, horror struck in the first batch. No we didn't burn it, nor put the wrong ingredients or missed a step... It was too diluted ! We had watered down the  base too much and ended up "flouring" it a little bit more... and because of that, it ended up looking like baked paus! LOL :) Mom thought they were really cute looking... I just thought I'd kaya-fy them and have them for breakfast !!!

Then the 2nd & 3rd batch were the best! They turned out perfectly as we wanted it to be! YES!!! Fluffy, light and not toooo buttery.. The tops were crisp and easy to fill the interior with the perfect custard concoction! The puffs look really cute...I like! :)

The custard filling was really yummy and Jaclyn wanted to just eat the filling on it's own. (which would be great!! but fattening laaa...damn yummy sugar!) But anyway, clever girl for not licking the jar clean of every single drop! :) 

I must say today's project was a success because everyone loved it! Especially the lightness and the combo with the custard. Just PERFECT! It was so addictive that once it went into the kids hands, you can say "Good Bye" to all the puffs.... GONE WITH THE WIND KIDS! 

Mom also baked a loaf of wholemeal bread with raisins & sunflower seeds...man...it's so damn good I wanna just have that at everymeal! 

Glad I had this opportunity to make 'em with my momma! She's the best!!! I love ya Ma! Next time we'll make some cookies, pastries and everything addictive! This is indeed an excellent Sunday. :)

Cream Puffs

Wholemeal bread with raisins & sunflower seeds.

~

If God had intended us to follow recipes,
He wouldn't have given us grandmothers.
~Linda Henley