They're written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words.
I've learned....That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.
I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.
I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.
I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
I I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
I've learned.... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.
I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.
I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.
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Showing posts with label humour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humour. Show all posts
Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine
Children laugh or smile about 400 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 times or less.
If the classic adage, "It takes a village to raise a child," is correct, I think my family could register as a village. Our clan consists of me, my husband, our seven children, ages 8-2 years (and no, none of them are twins), and another baby due in 5 weeks, and of course, our recent spur of the moment acquisition of 2, 6 wk old puppies. I have one word for you…Humour.
So, where were we? Ah, yes, the village. Well, my husband and I, despite the ever-growing population in our household have I'm sure one of the best relationships that parents could ever have. The key ingredient I believe to maintain such a happy and blissful marriage is laughter.
"We cannot really love anybody with whom we can never laugh."
- Agnes Repplier
The definition of laughter is the act of laughing. I am married to a comedian. (Well at least he thinks he is.) My favourite thing is when I go head to head with him in a sarcasm war and his reply to me is, "So when are your comedy tour tickets going on sale?" I will never win. This I know. When I first met, my husband he and I always laughed so hard and so much that I actually began to get some serious stomach muscles happening. To this day, I still maintain this great reward of our relationship. We love sitting and talking for hours about the sunny side of life. Kids are a great example to use on this. Just sharing their day-to-day quips is smile producing alone. This just goes to prove that humour has its place in a relationship.
For my 27th birthday this past August, my husband who is generally excellent at remembering dates and special occasions goofed when he bought a number 2 and 6 candle to place on my cake. It wasn't until our 8 year old son said, "Wait, she is 27." With that my husband come out of the bedroom in a blind panic where he and all the kids were diligently wrapping presents, and said to me, " Hold on, how old are you today? 26 right?" When I told him no, 27… he just replied looking a bit confused, "Are you sure?" Yep, I sure am, I'm not going to forget that. Then, about 30 min later when we all sat down to have the birthday cake, out he comes with the cake and the candles reading 62…ha! He thought it would be funnier than making the 26 goofs. I cannot wait until HIS next birthday…
"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."
- E.E.Cummings
There is no telling what sort of email we will get in our inbox from each other. We love to send one another little reminders that we are not going to forget the funny banter we throw back and forth all the time. We can poke fun at each other and the joke will last for weeks. We are major movie lovers and regularly go to the movie theatre. Funny movie quotes will keep us rolling out the giggles for a long time. Sometimes though, it is more fun to watch him watch the movie than actually watching it myself. To see that look of pure delight on his face is enough to make me smile.
"You can't stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh."
- Jay Leno
Laughter is such a good way to gage how much you will enjoy each other's company in the long term. When we go out, we always notice how unhappy people look; couples in general. They just do not exude happiness. I find it sad to think not every couple in a relationship whether or not they are married or have kids do not have the same kind of happiness and laughter in their lives. It does take work, but once you get the hang of it, it will take you places you could not imagine.
The Discovery Health Institute says that laughter is healthy and has many benefits such as reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and increasing oxygen in the blood. Laughter is the formula to a happier and healthier lifestyle and I just do not see it being enforced in many relationships. My husband and I disagree of course, as any couple in a relationship does, but we never argue, and therefore we never go to bed in a hostile manner with each other. Sure, we both are stressed… that is part of a marriage and raising a family and the chaos of daily life, but thru laughter we cure each other from it. I wake up each morning knowing I can look over at my husband, and smile; and I do. What a great way to start the day off.
"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."
- Victor Borge
Our 'village' here on the home front makes us both a bit stronger and refreshed each day. Family life is important, and children make it all the more critical to exhibit such a happy and joyous lifestyle. It is no wonder we have such a great relationship. Laughter has brought us together since day one and keeps us alive and going strong and will do for many, many more years to come.
Contributed by: Amanda Goodall
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If the classic adage, "It takes a village to raise a child," is correct, I think my family could register as a village. Our clan consists of me, my husband, our seven children, ages 8-2 years (and no, none of them are twins), and another baby due in 5 weeks, and of course, our recent spur of the moment acquisition of 2, 6 wk old puppies. I have one word for you…Humour.
So, where were we? Ah, yes, the village. Well, my husband and I, despite the ever-growing population in our household have I'm sure one of the best relationships that parents could ever have. The key ingredient I believe to maintain such a happy and blissful marriage is laughter.
"We cannot really love anybody with whom we can never laugh."
- Agnes Repplier
The definition of laughter is the act of laughing. I am married to a comedian. (Well at least he thinks he is.) My favourite thing is when I go head to head with him in a sarcasm war and his reply to me is, "So when are your comedy tour tickets going on sale?" I will never win. This I know. When I first met, my husband he and I always laughed so hard and so much that I actually began to get some serious stomach muscles happening. To this day, I still maintain this great reward of our relationship. We love sitting and talking for hours about the sunny side of life. Kids are a great example to use on this. Just sharing their day-to-day quips is smile producing alone. This just goes to prove that humour has its place in a relationship.
For my 27th birthday this past August, my husband who is generally excellent at remembering dates and special occasions goofed when he bought a number 2 and 6 candle to place on my cake. It wasn't until our 8 year old son said, "Wait, she is 27." With that my husband come out of the bedroom in a blind panic where he and all the kids were diligently wrapping presents, and said to me, " Hold on, how old are you today? 26 right?" When I told him no, 27… he just replied looking a bit confused, "Are you sure?" Yep, I sure am, I'm not going to forget that. Then, about 30 min later when we all sat down to have the birthday cake, out he comes with the cake and the candles reading 62…ha! He thought it would be funnier than making the 26 goofs. I cannot wait until HIS next birthday…
"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."
- E.E.Cummings
There is no telling what sort of email we will get in our inbox from each other. We love to send one another little reminders that we are not going to forget the funny banter we throw back and forth all the time. We can poke fun at each other and the joke will last for weeks. We are major movie lovers and regularly go to the movie theatre. Funny movie quotes will keep us rolling out the giggles for a long time. Sometimes though, it is more fun to watch him watch the movie than actually watching it myself. To see that look of pure delight on his face is enough to make me smile.
"You can't stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh."
- Jay Leno
Laughter is such a good way to gage how much you will enjoy each other's company in the long term. When we go out, we always notice how unhappy people look; couples in general. They just do not exude happiness. I find it sad to think not every couple in a relationship whether or not they are married or have kids do not have the same kind of happiness and laughter in their lives. It does take work, but once you get the hang of it, it will take you places you could not imagine.
The Discovery Health Institute says that laughter is healthy and has many benefits such as reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and increasing oxygen in the blood. Laughter is the formula to a happier and healthier lifestyle and I just do not see it being enforced in many relationships. My husband and I disagree of course, as any couple in a relationship does, but we never argue, and therefore we never go to bed in a hostile manner with each other. Sure, we both are stressed… that is part of a marriage and raising a family and the chaos of daily life, but thru laughter we cure each other from it. I wake up each morning knowing I can look over at my husband, and smile; and I do. What a great way to start the day off.
"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."
- Victor Borge
Our 'village' here on the home front makes us both a bit stronger and refreshed each day. Family life is important, and children make it all the more critical to exhibit such a happy and joyous lifestyle. It is no wonder we have such a great relationship. Laughter has brought us together since day one and keeps us alive and going strong and will do for many, many more years to come.
Contributed by: Amanda Goodall
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Charity
A steady diet of moral science classes, with its emphasis on the spirit of 'Giving' had created in me a need to be the Good Samaritan. But in my nine to five job I was so caught up in pushing files that the cold professional took over and mercilessly stamped out all charitable intentions. Even so, once in a while my conscience would made a dent in this professional facade. This would result in marathon telephone sessions where I would made inquiries about the various charitable institutions in the city. And then another file with its various anomalies would come along and yet again bid adieu to my good intentions. And so this comical thrust and parry went on.
And then one cold and blustery morning the mail bought in an invitation to an intellectual forum convened to discuss how an individual could help the lesser blessed. I accepted the invitation with unseemly alacrity hoping thereby to end finally the rumblings of my ill-tempered, oft-neglected conscience. So I togged up in my cotton attire hoping to absorb all the charitable vibes with the porosity of the garment.
At the appointed time I made my enthusiastic way to the venue of the Forum and found myself gawking at the Grecian portico of a palatial house. With great trepidation I walked into a room full of expensively dressed men and women partaking of drinks and savouries. I faltered thinking I had gate crashed into the wrong gathering and would have turned back but was carried forward on a stream of social pleasantries. I was introduced to a motley gathering which included not only scions from industrial houses and the media but also a sprinkling of bureaucrats. The important thing I was told, was that all those gathered without exception, had been commended for 'social' work and were agents for internationally renowned charitable organizations. Snatches of conversation seem to give a lie to the introduction since they were solely about business, parties, clothes and contacts.
After a while the meeting was called to order and the speaker of the forum was introduced . He was,we were told the head of a newspaper group in the city who dabbled in various charitable projects. To my utter dismay the desultory talk of the gentleman spreaker seemed entrapped in the mire of 'I' 'ME', 'MINE'. His talk was peppered with well-known names from various fields which were invariably prefixed by a nonchalant "My Friend......". Then with Pope-like brevity on the subject of the talk he opined "Money is power" and exhorted all to contribute financial aid to good causes. What about people like us I wailed whose pay packets do not allow for such largesse. But my tinny voice was submerged in a din of applause, quite at variance though, with the quality of the talk.
Then began the interaction session where suggestions of an ostensibly charitable nature came thick and fast. "The city dwellers should be given paper bags to keep the environs clean" opined a gentleman striking a match to his pipe. "Sweets and fruits should be distributed to natives of the adopted village on festivals" stated a lady and in a practiced manner made a sign of victory as a photographer clicked her for posterity. "Cultural exchange programs must be given a fillip so that techniques for social-economic improvement used in the United States or in Europe could be applied to India" piped in another gentleman volunteering to lead an experimental group to New York. And so it went on.
What school, I wondered had given them a concept of charity so different and so much more comfortable than my own. Well!! even a conscience a could be sealed and gagged by greenbacks. To each his own, I thought as I bade a reluctant good-bye to my awakening charitable spirit and pledged to myself to the more individualized concept of "charity begins at home".
Contributed by: Rachy Singh
And then one cold and blustery morning the mail bought in an invitation to an intellectual forum convened to discuss how an individual could help the lesser blessed. I accepted the invitation with unseemly alacrity hoping thereby to end finally the rumblings of my ill-tempered, oft-neglected conscience. So I togged up in my cotton attire hoping to absorb all the charitable vibes with the porosity of the garment.
At the appointed time I made my enthusiastic way to the venue of the Forum and found myself gawking at the Grecian portico of a palatial house. With great trepidation I walked into a room full of expensively dressed men and women partaking of drinks and savouries. I faltered thinking I had gate crashed into the wrong gathering and would have turned back but was carried forward on a stream of social pleasantries. I was introduced to a motley gathering which included not only scions from industrial houses and the media but also a sprinkling of bureaucrats. The important thing I was told, was that all those gathered without exception, had been commended for 'social' work and were agents for internationally renowned charitable organizations. Snatches of conversation seem to give a lie to the introduction since they were solely about business, parties, clothes and contacts.
After a while the meeting was called to order and the speaker of the forum was introduced . He was,we were told the head of a newspaper group in the city who dabbled in various charitable projects. To my utter dismay the desultory talk of the gentleman spreaker seemed entrapped in the mire of 'I' 'ME', 'MINE'. His talk was peppered with well-known names from various fields which were invariably prefixed by a nonchalant "My Friend......". Then with Pope-like brevity on the subject of the talk he opined "Money is power" and exhorted all to contribute financial aid to good causes. What about people like us I wailed whose pay packets do not allow for such largesse. But my tinny voice was submerged in a din of applause, quite at variance though, with the quality of the talk.
Then began the interaction session where suggestions of an ostensibly charitable nature came thick and fast. "The city dwellers should be given paper bags to keep the environs clean" opined a gentleman striking a match to his pipe. "Sweets and fruits should be distributed to natives of the adopted village on festivals" stated a lady and in a practiced manner made a sign of victory as a photographer clicked her for posterity. "Cultural exchange programs must be given a fillip so that techniques for social-economic improvement used in the United States or in Europe could be applied to India" piped in another gentleman volunteering to lead an experimental group to New York. And so it went on.
What school, I wondered had given them a concept of charity so different and so much more comfortable than my own. Well!! even a conscience a could be sealed and gagged by greenbacks. To each his own, I thought as I bade a reluctant good-bye to my awakening charitable spirit and pledged to myself to the more individualized concept of "charity begins at home".
Contributed by: Rachy Singh
ChristmaChess
"what's for lunch this Christmas?'
"gloop"
"I thought we were having gloop for dinner"
"that is glosh"
"oh, what's the difference?"
"gloop is glosh before it becomes glud"
"and the substance we had for breakfast"
"Oh, that was glug"
"Can I stir the glug as it becomes gloop? I do not want you to forget it and let it become glud"
"mmm. No"
"can I add salt"
"no"
"can I arrange the table"
"no"
"what can I do"
"arrange the chess board"
"choose a color"
"pink"
"(gulp) this is good gloop"
"yeah, make your move"
"why cant we both move at the same time"
"move"
"would this pawn mind being the first to move"
"let the carnage begin"
"don't pawns have rights"
"make the move"
"half the board is full of them, they should be a union by now"
"don't forget to eat your gloop before it cools and becomes gloo"
"if they had a union they would all be queens instead of being pawns"
"make the move"
"why should there be only one piece in a square"
"either because square was empty or because the piece in it just got killed"
"are you sure it is not illegal to kill in a game"
"good move"
"I feel sorry for your pawn"
"this game has been played for centuries this way"
"can my horse just share the square with your pawn"
"kill it"
"it is so mean to use a horse to displace a pawn"
"make your move my queen is waiting to get your king"
"really , that is so sweet, tell her my king is taken but he might be generous if she is nice to him"
"my queen wants to kill your king"
"is it really legal to play this game, I mean there is more a king and queen can do without killing each other, plus it's Christmas"
"eat your gloop"
"think of all the things our pieces could do together"
"your turn to move"
"instead of killing each other why don't we form an alliance and do something constructive"
"check"
"ah, there you go again"
"check again"
"chrismas or no Chrismas, I am sure it illegal to be bouncing so many checks"
"my queen is gonna get your king mated"
"your queen wants to kill my king and calls it getting mated"
"check mate"
"you have no idea what mating is all about"
"the game is over"
"can i continue moving the pieces"
"go ahead, if it makes you happy but just remember that the game is over"
"I love the way the horse moves"
"you would have won the game if you had moved it earlier"
"I did not want to win"
"you played like a loser"
"losing is not the only option to not being the winner"
"if you had made those moves before my queen mated your king, you would have won pawns down"
"I did not lose, I am still moving my pieces"
"the game is over, I won"
"would'nt it be nicer to be able to say We Won"
"We played chess not nice"
"that is not nice of you"
"what is that you are doing putting your bishop on that rook"
"that is my bisrook"
"what is a bishrook"
"a bishop teaming up with the rook"
"what on the chess board for"
"to be more powerful than a bishop or a rook is an any given time"
"now what is that horse doing on the rook... Lemme guess, it is horook"
"how did you find out"
"I am smarter than you"
"together we can be smarter than you and me are as individuals"
Merry Christmas
"gloop"
"I thought we were having gloop for dinner"
"that is glosh"
"oh, what's the difference?"
"gloop is glosh before it becomes glud"
"and the substance we had for breakfast"
"Oh, that was glug"
"Can I stir the glug as it becomes gloop? I do not want you to forget it and let it become glud"
"mmm. No"
"can I add salt"
"no"
"can I arrange the table"
"no"
"what can I do"
"arrange the chess board"
"choose a color"
"pink"
"(gulp) this is good gloop"
"yeah, make your move"
"why cant we both move at the same time"
"move"
"would this pawn mind being the first to move"
"let the carnage begin"
"don't pawns have rights"
"make the move"
"half the board is full of them, they should be a union by now"
"don't forget to eat your gloop before it cools and becomes gloo"
"if they had a union they would all be queens instead of being pawns"
"make the move"
"why should there be only one piece in a square"
"either because square was empty or because the piece in it just got killed"
"are you sure it is not illegal to kill in a game"
"good move"
"I feel sorry for your pawn"
"this game has been played for centuries this way"
"can my horse just share the square with your pawn"
"kill it"
"it is so mean to use a horse to displace a pawn"
"make your move my queen is waiting to get your king"
"really , that is so sweet, tell her my king is taken but he might be generous if she is nice to him"
"my queen wants to kill your king"
"is it really legal to play this game, I mean there is more a king and queen can do without killing each other, plus it's Christmas"
"eat your gloop"
"think of all the things our pieces could do together"
"your turn to move"
"instead of killing each other why don't we form an alliance and do something constructive"
"check"
"ah, there you go again"
"check again"
"chrismas or no Chrismas, I am sure it illegal to be bouncing so many checks"
"my queen is gonna get your king mated"
"your queen wants to kill my king and calls it getting mated"
"check mate"
"you have no idea what mating is all about"
"the game is over"
"can i continue moving the pieces"
"go ahead, if it makes you happy but just remember that the game is over"
"I love the way the horse moves"
"you would have won the game if you had moved it earlier"
"I did not want to win"
"you played like a loser"
"losing is not the only option to not being the winner"
"if you had made those moves before my queen mated your king, you would have won pawns down"
"I did not lose, I am still moving my pieces"
"the game is over, I won"
"would'nt it be nicer to be able to say We Won"
"We played chess not nice"
"that is not nice of you"
"what is that you are doing putting your bishop on that rook"
"that is my bisrook"
"what is a bishrook"
"a bishop teaming up with the rook"
"what on the chess board for"
"to be more powerful than a bishop or a rook is an any given time"
"now what is that horse doing on the rook... Lemme guess, it is horook"
"how did you find out"
"I am smarter than you"
"together we can be smarter than you and me are as individuals"
Merry Christmas
Hypocrisy
I have often wondered at the etymology and semantic content of the word 'hypocrisy'. After hunting in vain for its Latin, French, Lativian(?) origins , I finally realized that the word had about it almost a kind of onomatopoeic quality. The word actually sounded its meaning. For it assimilated within its alphabetic confines all the qualities that define a hypocrite.
The 'root' of the word itself is 'hypo' or 'hippo' ,hinting at the 'hide'-like opacity of the animal which acts as a barrier ,discouraging access to the inner 'persona'. Simply put, it means a dissonance between the outer and the inner self. To use an analogy, ,when a person bowing to his schizophrenic tendencies ,attempts to play 'Jekyll and Hyde' , in modern day parlance he can be dubbed as a hypocrite.
The 'genus' of the hypocrite family has several species and sub-species.For one, there is the 'Dolly -Clone' whose gentle sheep-like behaviour or one-time friskiness makes the people around him confide and trust his 'sheep-like eyes'till they find to their shock and disbelief that he is a 'tiger -in -sheep's-clothing'and not the sure-footed Taurian goat they could trust.
Then come the 'money changers'who are true in that they talk as well as think about nothing but money. But the dissonance lies in that they talk about financial contentment and absence of desire for more money. But in actual fact they crave money, expect monetary benefits at every turn and if thwarted turn their malicious fangs upon those who dare to come between them and their desire for money.
There are then the spiritual 'Houidinis' who with the magic and charisma of their personalities project a spiritual aura . They talk about upliftment of the spirit, about rising above the worldly 'greed'call of material acquisitions, about achieving a sense of utter contentment.But the truth is stranger than fiction for their claim on worldly goods and their desperate craving for it breaks legal as well as human barriers.
There are also the 'sychophant 'hypocrites, a species , that is found in the office environs. This species is characterized by a fawning behaviour pattern which emerges in the presence of the boss. Their ballet-like movements around the boss are a sight for sore eyes. They may hate and despise their bosses but all their energies are focussed towards keeping the boss happy by any means-be it flattery, be it gifts or be it by getting odd jobs done.
Then there are the 'Gemini contenders'. These species are outwardly positive, progressive and god-fearing but are actually negative and regressive ,belonging to the ilk of the damned. They are characterized by hyperbole in their projections, be it work-related or a projection of their alleged compassion for the 'children of the lesser god' or a projection of their attainment of god-like bliss.In the hypocrite crime gallery , they are 'Jack-the-rippers' who rip away the faith, trust,illusions and sensibilities of people around them brutally , accompanied with a psychopathic glee.
And finally , there is the Hydra-headed Hypocrite whose hypocrisies are many and varied , whose moral corruption is so great that as a good samaritan ,if you lop off one of his numerous heads, another grows in its stead to create havoc. There is no escaping the wretchedness of this hypocrite whose talk of greatness is mired in the slush of corruption, whose projection of love and compassion has the roots of selfish opportunism, whose Machiavellian manipulations go beyond the descriptive decorum of a word and who like Mephistopheles has sold his soul to the devil for material advancement.
Hypocrisy in today's world has become a by-word for success for it hints at a society which belies transparency and thrives on half-truths.
Hypocrisy is dead !
Long Live Hypocrisy!!
Long Live Hypocrisy !!!
The 'root' of the word itself is 'hypo' or 'hippo' ,hinting at the 'hide'-like opacity of the animal which acts as a barrier ,discouraging access to the inner 'persona'. Simply put, it means a dissonance between the outer and the inner self. To use an analogy, ,when a person bowing to his schizophrenic tendencies ,attempts to play 'Jekyll and Hyde' , in modern day parlance he can be dubbed as a hypocrite.
The 'genus' of the hypocrite family has several species and sub-species.For one, there is the 'Dolly -Clone' whose gentle sheep-like behaviour or one-time friskiness makes the people around him confide and trust his 'sheep-like eyes'till they find to their shock and disbelief that he is a 'tiger -in -sheep's-clothing'and not the sure-footed Taurian goat they could trust.
Then come the 'money changers'who are true in that they talk as well as think about nothing but money. But the dissonance lies in that they talk about financial contentment and absence of desire for more money. But in actual fact they crave money, expect monetary benefits at every turn and if thwarted turn their malicious fangs upon those who dare to come between them and their desire for money.
There are then the spiritual 'Houidinis' who with the magic and charisma of their personalities project a spiritual aura . They talk about upliftment of the spirit, about rising above the worldly 'greed'call of material acquisitions, about achieving a sense of utter contentment.But the truth is stranger than fiction for their claim on worldly goods and their desperate craving for it breaks legal as well as human barriers.
There are also the 'sychophant 'hypocrites, a species , that is found in the office environs. This species is characterized by a fawning behaviour pattern which emerges in the presence of the boss. Their ballet-like movements around the boss are a sight for sore eyes. They may hate and despise their bosses but all their energies are focussed towards keeping the boss happy by any means-be it flattery, be it gifts or be it by getting odd jobs done.
Then there are the 'Gemini contenders'. These species are outwardly positive, progressive and god-fearing but are actually negative and regressive ,belonging to the ilk of the damned. They are characterized by hyperbole in their projections, be it work-related or a projection of their alleged compassion for the 'children of the lesser god' or a projection of their attainment of god-like bliss.In the hypocrite crime gallery , they are 'Jack-the-rippers' who rip away the faith, trust,illusions and sensibilities of people around them brutally , accompanied with a psychopathic glee.
And finally , there is the Hydra-headed Hypocrite whose hypocrisies are many and varied , whose moral corruption is so great that as a good samaritan ,if you lop off one of his numerous heads, another grows in its stead to create havoc. There is no escaping the wretchedness of this hypocrite whose talk of greatness is mired in the slush of corruption, whose projection of love and compassion has the roots of selfish opportunism, whose Machiavellian manipulations go beyond the descriptive decorum of a word and who like Mephistopheles has sold his soul to the devil for material advancement.
Hypocrisy in today's world has become a by-word for success for it hints at a society which belies transparency and thrives on half-truths.
Hypocrisy is dead !
Long Live Hypocrisy!!
Long Live Hypocrisy !!!
Feline Courage
Have you ever experienced one of those rare strange times when things just go way beyond normal?
You learn things from cats....
Fangs. Killer claws. Hisses, grrrs...and later, yelps. Who is not familiar with cat-dog combats? It's a "hair-raising" party of limbs and tails and yes, the loser sheds most of the fur- mostly, the cat.
It was night time and I was in the living room reading a tear-jerker when I heard a throaty, prolonged and wavering wail. Instantly I dropped the book and rushed to the door with one thought in mind - my cat was under attack. The thought brought an ugly picture to my head. I feared an on-the-prowl Sparky or a hyperactive Caesar or worse, the Big Dogs on the Block (BDOB a.k.a. askal) was circling my Khufu in anticipation of tearing her apart.
So you could just imagine the shock on my face when I caught Khufu chasing Sparky, a dog two times her size. A dog. My cat just chased a dog. I thought it only happens on TV.
"You were supposed to be helpless," I scolded Khufu but actually I was torn between being proud of the cat and being afraid of it as it sat on its hind, licking its paws...Sparky completely forgotten.
But then my memory bank had retrieved from its archives a plausible explanation about what had transpired in the scene of crime. Said dog seemed to have a phobia with cats for once upon a time it received a blow from a cat's paw on the head. So I thought my cat was just plain lucky. Sparky would avert from anything that meows.
But then another weird night came and dogs were running for their tails. The militant cat had struck again.
Dogs. Not one, but two. Dogs- definitely not puppies. One was Caesar and the other was a BDOB- both bigger than Sparky. I was impressed.
Perhaps it would happen again, perhaps not. But I wouldn't want my feline friend to make it a hobby or she'll drive all the dogs away.
Here's the norm: cats are to be chased by dogs. The poor cat must have gotten tired of running for her life that she decided to make a brave yet an unthinkable move to alter cat life in our dog-infested neighborhood.
It seems she has gathered up her tattered pride and charge, come what may, to make a statement in the name of the feline race. The statement would be: We cats may be soft, but we are not fragile.
How easy it is for us to run away from our fears or to give in to the unfairness of the bullies to avert the hassles and side effects of battle, having known not the possible victories we could achieve...dreams stay as mere dreams.
But fear is fear. If only we could just throw it out of the window and have it locked out from our minds. But fear is a part of our existence. It is a psychological battle, a tug-of-war between yes and no. For me, it is not something we bulldoze in a day. I remember how my cat used to sacrifice her food to the dogs and be rooted indoors. It took her time to gain the courage to go against the norm we thought could never be changed.
Perhaps the passport to courage is to be sure of who we are, to believe, to act big no matter how small, like the cat that fought for its claim of territory and demand for respect with a personlity bigger than a dog.
We all have our own dogs to chase to turn our "impossible" into a badge we can proudly wear. As for me, I'm not done with mine yet.
Contributed by: Sheryl Joy P. Olano
You learn things from cats....
Fangs. Killer claws. Hisses, grrrs...and later, yelps. Who is not familiar with cat-dog combats? It's a "hair-raising" party of limbs and tails and yes, the loser sheds most of the fur- mostly, the cat.
It was night time and I was in the living room reading a tear-jerker when I heard a throaty, prolonged and wavering wail. Instantly I dropped the book and rushed to the door with one thought in mind - my cat was under attack. The thought brought an ugly picture to my head. I feared an on-the-prowl Sparky or a hyperactive Caesar or worse, the Big Dogs on the Block (BDOB a.k.a. askal) was circling my Khufu in anticipation of tearing her apart.
So you could just imagine the shock on my face when I caught Khufu chasing Sparky, a dog two times her size. A dog. My cat just chased a dog. I thought it only happens on TV.
"You were supposed to be helpless," I scolded Khufu but actually I was torn between being proud of the cat and being afraid of it as it sat on its hind, licking its paws...Sparky completely forgotten.
But then my memory bank had retrieved from its archives a plausible explanation about what had transpired in the scene of crime. Said dog seemed to have a phobia with cats for once upon a time it received a blow from a cat's paw on the head. So I thought my cat was just plain lucky. Sparky would avert from anything that meows.
But then another weird night came and dogs were running for their tails. The militant cat had struck again.
Dogs. Not one, but two. Dogs- definitely not puppies. One was Caesar and the other was a BDOB- both bigger than Sparky. I was impressed.
Perhaps it would happen again, perhaps not. But I wouldn't want my feline friend to make it a hobby or she'll drive all the dogs away.
Here's the norm: cats are to be chased by dogs. The poor cat must have gotten tired of running for her life that she decided to make a brave yet an unthinkable move to alter cat life in our dog-infested neighborhood.
It seems she has gathered up her tattered pride and charge, come what may, to make a statement in the name of the feline race. The statement would be: We cats may be soft, but we are not fragile.
How easy it is for us to run away from our fears or to give in to the unfairness of the bullies to avert the hassles and side effects of battle, having known not the possible victories we could achieve...dreams stay as mere dreams.
But fear is fear. If only we could just throw it out of the window and have it locked out from our minds. But fear is a part of our existence. It is a psychological battle, a tug-of-war between yes and no. For me, it is not something we bulldoze in a day. I remember how my cat used to sacrifice her food to the dogs and be rooted indoors. It took her time to gain the courage to go against the norm we thought could never be changed.
Perhaps the passport to courage is to be sure of who we are, to believe, to act big no matter how small, like the cat that fought for its claim of territory and demand for respect with a personlity bigger than a dog.
We all have our own dogs to chase to turn our "impossible" into a badge we can proudly wear. As for me, I'm not done with mine yet.
Contributed by: Sheryl Joy P. Olano
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