Rise and Rise Again

A friend of mine posted on facebook not very long ago 'WHAT HSC TOMOROW WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?'. All in all, I think she expressed it quite eloquently, and today even I felt like a walking billboard for Belonging! Let's just say I lacked a 'sense of connection' to my practise papers :D Hehehe.


I really don't know how everyone is going right now, which is something that makes me sad because without school it's almost like you're cut off from civilisation and those friends you used to see almost everyday. But if you're like me, and having a few bouts where you roam around with a crazed look in your eyes, here are some quotes that I love reading. It reminds me that everyone started somewhere small - the only difference is, some didn't give up.


Enjoy, and good luck for the next three weeks! I know everyone is going to do fantastic no matter what, because HSC isn't just about that number. It's also about leaving this year happy, knowing that you didn't give up and I think if I can manage that I'll walk away with no regrets. The end of the HSC seems like a little oasis right now of beach and waves and paradise, but I know we're going to make it :)




A big shot is a little shot that kept shooting. 
       - Anonymous

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
       - Anatole France


Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely.
       - Anonymous


Whoever said anybody has a right to give up?
       - Marian Wright Edelman


The only job where you start at the top, is digging a hole.
       - Anonymous


What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog.
       - Dwight D. Eisenhower


Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as a reality-in your own mind.
       - Bruce Lee


To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.
       - Oliver Wendell Holmes


If the going is real easy, beware, you may be headed down hill.
       - Anonymous


The heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.
       - Thomas S. Monson    
   
The toughest part of getting to the top of the ladder, is getting through the crowd at the bottom.
       - Anonymous


Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world.
       -Jane Addams


He who seeks rest finds boredom....He who seeks work finds rest.
       -Anonymous


When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
       - Franklin D. Roosevelt


Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
       - Ralph Waldo Emerson


Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.
       - Henry J. Kaiser


Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength.
       - St. Francis De Sales

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
       - Seneca


Success means we go to sleep at night knowing our talents and abilities served others
       -Marianne Williamson


If you build castles in air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.
        - Henry David Thoreau

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are always right."
        - Henry Ford

Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, MY BROTHERS! A day may come when the courage of man fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day! An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down. BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY! THIS DAY WE FIGHT! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I BID YOU STAND!
        - Aragon, King of Gondor


Always remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)

The Things We Remember

I had an angry, stormy day yesterday. Remember how angrily King Kong roared after he was shot by those tranquiliser darts? My brother told me I screamed even louder...and looked less attractive to boot. I snapped at anyone that talked to me, nothing went right, and everything just seemed horrible. I had so much fun yesterday.

And no, it was not PMS, thank you for asking.

But everybody has a stormy days where life is just crappy and nothing goes right. When I woke up this morning, I felt a little better. After talking to my friends (so witty and charming), even better still! And I was glad I had that stormy day yesterday, because it made me appreciate the sunny days a hundred times more.

Are you having a bad day? I hope this poem I found might make you feel better

But Don't Forget

Forget about the days when it's been cloudy,
but don't forget your hours in the sun.


Forget about the times you've been defeated
but don't forget the victories you have won.


Forget about the the mistakes that you can't change
but don't forget the lessons you have learned.


Forget about the misfortunes you have encountered,
but don't forget the times your luck has turned.


Forget about the days you've been lonely,
but don't forget the friendly smiles you've seen.


Forget about the plans that didn't seem to work right,
but don't forget to always have a dream.

The next is a poem that I always read when I'm unreasonably angry at anyone - usually those I love the best sadly. It was a poem that was discovered hanging on Mother Teresa's wall, reminding her everyday what to do when even your best efforts are rejected.

People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be Kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and
some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

It's okay to be sad, or angry, or just plain tired. We recommend five minutes of punching and  screaming into a pillow in the privacy of your room :D  But no matter what,  keep going in life and keep going with a smile :) Because in the end, someone will always see your smile - even if you don't see them looking.

Always remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)

Shoot For the Moon

This video is about someone who hauls trash for a living, someone who started taking weed when he was 12, someone who got addicted to drugs.... someone who is truly, truly amazing.

Bella and I, by NO means, condone taking drugs nor do we look down upon people who deal with rubbish for a living. But, when I watched this video, the only thing I could think about was showing you how ALL of us have the capacity to change our lives around. 

So if you could change just one thing about your life, what would it be? Let it stew in your mind, ponder some other mysteries and get back to us if you'd like. I'll ponder it myself and, when I'm all good and ready, I'll let you all know what I would love to change most about my life. Yes, juicy stuff. :)

If you were ever lucky enough to be taught by a man named Mr. Chandra Handa, imagine the following being read in his voice (if you don't know him, feel free to put on any voice you want. Yes, even Darth Vader if that's your sort of thing haha).

Shoot for the moon. 

For even if you fall, you'll land among the stars.

Always, Happiness Equals Bracket.

The Good Life

I don't know about you, but during these monotonous study days sometimes I think of the incoming exams and feel like running around like a panicked animal. After all these exams determine the rest of our lives don't they? What happens if we don't do well? What happens if we don't succeed? And then I read this story, and realised that it's all a matter of perspective in the end.


An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.

The businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, señor."

The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But señor, how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." 
"But what then, señor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." 
"Millions, señor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."


This story always reminds me that success looks different to everybody, and to appreciate the simple pleasures. And even though I'll always have this desire to succeed (why James Ruse why?), I think that as long as I have God and those I love with me, I'll be happy.


So what about you? What do you want from life?


Always remember, Happiness Equals Bracket =)