Donkey Logic

From Sunburst, June 2001 issues; a Singapore Technologies publication

 

Donkey Logic

 

One day, a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. For hours, the animal cried piteously

as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

 

Looking at the old donkey, the farmer decided he did not want to go through

all that trouble getting it up.  Furthermore, the dilapidated well which he had no further use

needed to be covered up. So he invited his neighbours over to help him,

and they started to fill the well with dirt.

 

Realizing the predicament, the donkey began to whine. However, it soon quieted down.

Puzzled by the sudden silence, the farmer looked and the well and was astonished by what he saw.

 

With each shovel of dirt that hit its back, the donkey would shake the dirt off and take a step up.

And as the dirt piled up, the donkey slowly but steadily ascended the well, step by step, bit by bit.

A few shovel loads later, it stepped over the edge of the well and trotted off.

 

So shake the dirt off your back and take a step up!

 

 

Moral of the story:

Life is going to shovel all kinds of dirt on you. The trick is to shake it off and use it to your advantage.

Take each of your troubles as a stepping stone. By persevering and not giving up, you will be able

to get out of the deepest wells.

The Value of Life

From Sunburst, November 2001 issue; a Singapore Technologies publication

 

 

“Never let yesterday’s disappointments overshadow tomorrow’s dreams.”

 

 

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill.

In a room of 200, he asked, “Who would like to have this $20 bill?”

 

Hands started going up.

 

He said, “I’m going to give this $20 bill to one of you, but first, let me do this.”

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

 

The hands remained in the air.

 

“Well,” he continued. “What if I do this?” and he dropped the note onto the ground

and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled

and dirty. “Now who still wants it?”

 

Still the hands remained in the air.

 

“My friends, you have all learnt a very valuable lesson. No matter that I did to the money,

you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt

by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless.”

 

“But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

You are special – Don’t ever forget that!”

The 10 Words

From Sunburst, November 2001 issue; a publication of Singapore Technologies

 

The Most Selfish One-Letter Word: “I”

- Avoid It

 

The Most Satisfying Two-Letter Word: “WE”

- Use It

 

The Most Poisonous Three-Letter Word: “EGO”

- Kill It

 

The Most Used Four-Letter Word: “LOVE”

- Value It

 

The Most Pleasing Five-Letter Word: “SMILE”

- Keep It

 

The Fastest-Spreading Six-Letter Word: “RUMOUR”

- Ignore It

 

The Most Hardworking Seven-Letter Word: “SUCCESS”

- Achieve It

 

The Most Enviable Eight-Letter Word: “JEALOUSY”

- Distance It

 

The Most Powerful Nine-Letter Word: “KNOWLEDGE”

- Acquire It

 

The Most Essential Ten-Letter Word: “CONFIDENCE”

- Trust It

Surviving A Heart Attack... While Alone

From Sunburst, October 1999 issue; a publication of Singapore Technologies

 

Picture this:

You’re driving home, alone. All of a sudden, you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home. Bur you don’t know if you’ll be able to make it that far.

 

Even if you’ve been trained in CPR, the guy who taught the course didn’t tell you how to perform it on yourself. Without help, the person whose heart stops beating properly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds before losing consciousness.

 

What can you do?

 

Surviving it Alone

Victims can help themselves by:

-          coughing repeatedly and very vigorously

-          take a deep breath before each cough

-          cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest

-          repeat a breath and cough about every two seconds without letting up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

 

What self-help do

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs. Coughing movements squeeze the heart to keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a telephone and, between breaths, call 911 for help (995 in Singapore).

Honey, the Alternative Remedy

From Sunburst, a Singapore Technologies publication, September 2001 issue

 

Mention honey and a sweet, golden liquid comes to mind. But honey as a remedy? Here are some of the therapeutic uses of nature’s original sweetener.

 

Insomnia

Honey is a mild sedative with minerals, vitamins, amino acids, etc. A dessert spoon of honey in a mug of hot milk aids sleep and works wonders!

 

Nasal Congestion

Place a dessert spoon of honey in a basin of hot water and inhale fumes after covering your head with a towel over the basin.

 

Wounds

The next time you burn or cut yourself, reach for that pot of honey. With properties that inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, honey is an effective salve and antibiotic that aids in fast healing – without scarring. Simply apply onto wounds and cover up with a bandage.

 

Beauty

Why buy expensive beauty products when you can pay a fraction of the amount for an all-natural one? Mix an equal amount of honey with oatmeal or live oil, and there you have it: your home-made facial deep cleanser or a hair-conditioning treatment!

 

Poor Digestion

To aid in digestion, mix an equal quantity of honey with apple cider vinegar and dilute to taste with water.

 

Sore Throat

If your throat’s bothering you, let a teaspoon of honey melt in the back of your mouth and trickle down the throat. Honey, with its soothing qualities, eases the inflamed raw tissues.

 

Stress and Fatigue

Honey is a unique natural stabilizer. Ancient Greek athletes took honey for stamina before competing and as a reviver after competing. Add honey to water in a 4:1 ratio, and use it to relive stress and fatigue.

 

Anaemia

Honey is the best blood enricher by raising corpuscle content. The darker the honey, the more minerals it contains.

 

Hay Fever

Chewing the tops of a honey comb stimulates immune system due to minute amounts of pollen. During the season, chew a teaspoon of bee capping (tops) for 20 minutes five to six times a day. This method is highly effective and useful for asthma sufferers as well.

 

Teething

Research has shown that a teaspoon of honey per day aids in calcium utilisation and prevents osteoporosis. So pick up that pot of honey now!

 

 

Did you know?

One common fact worldwide is that the most long-lived people are regular users of honey. An interesting fact yet to be explained is that beekeepers suffer less from cancer and arthritis than any other occupational group worldwide.

Sharpen Your Axe

From Sunburst issue August 2001, a publication of Singapore Technologies

 

Once upon a time, there was a very strong woodcutter. He asked for a job from a timber merchant, and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the work conditions. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

 

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought down 18 trees. The boss was very impressed and said, ‘Congratulations, keep it up!”

 

Very motivated by his boss’ words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but brought down only 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, only to bring down 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing down less and less trees.

 

“I must be losing my strength,” the woodcutter thought to himself. He went to his boss and apologised, saying that he could not understand what was going on. “When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked. “Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees.”

 

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to sharpen the axe. In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy as well. Why is that so? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp?

 

There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we become mechanical, like machines. We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don’t take time to sharpen our axes, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. So starting today, think about the ways by which you could do your job more effectively, and add a lot of value to it!