Nur Joo Han's Blog

My father sent me this message on the Book of Life

The Beloved Master on Teaching

                One day, Abdul Baha’s attendants were remarking on the sweeping power of His speech: how encompassing it was, how incontestable were its arguments, how blissfully and perfectly phrased. Abdul Baha reminded them of the golden rule — that the nature and the requirements of the audience , the exigencies of the time and place must always be borne in mind, and that moderation was always essential.

Howard Colby Ives was a pastor of the Brotherhood Church in Jersey  City, at the time of the Master’s visit to the United States. He later gave his allegiance to Abdul Baha. He  says:-

“No matter what subject was brought up He was perfectly at home in its discussion, yet always with an undercurrent of modesty and loving consideration for the opinion of others…He “ saw the Face of His Heavenly Father in every face” and reverenced the soul behind it. How could one be discourteous if such  an attitude was held towards everyone!”

One day, listening to the Master’s talk in a  church, he says, “What His subject was I do not recall … My memory is all of the quiet New England church; the crowded pews, and Abdul Baha on the platform….His radiant smile and courteous demeanour ( way of behaving ). And His gestures! Never a dogmatic ( putting forward personal statements as if they were to be accepted as true without question) downward stroke of the hand; never an upraised warning finger; never the assumption of teacher to the taught. But always the encouraging upward swing of hands, as though He would actually lift us up with them.  And His voice! …never loud but of such penetrating quality that the walls of the room seemed to  vibrate with its music…”

Abdul Baha revealed the Tablets of the Divine Plan. From among some of these Tablets, one can read about  the qualities which must characterize the Baha’i teacher.  He ‘ must be heavenly, lordly and radiant’, with his ‘intention…pure, his heart independent, his spirit attracted, his thought at peace, his resolution firm, his magnanimity exalted  and in the love of God a shining torch’.

Among those who paid tribute to the Master at His funeral was Shaykh As’ad Shuqayr, a prominent Muslim citizen of Akka. He describes the beloved Master as ‘….one….whose meetings were meetings of learning wherein he explained all the heavenly books and traditions..His philanthropies to the widows and orphans were never interrupted….He had so great a station; yet he never failed to help the distressed! In his meetings with the learned and notables of Akka the attendants found him a book of history, a commentary on all the heavenly Scriptures, a philosophy of the pages of contemporary events that pertain to scientific or artistic topics…In Europe and America…he gave comprehensive and eloquent addresses and exhortations. His intention was to bring about unity among religions and sects and to remove the severe strife from their hearts and from their tongues, to urge them to take hold of the essence and let go the non-essential. He did that by presenting his message in a scientific manner. A group of Persians and others criticised him and found faults with his ideals in pamphlets they published and spread. Nevertheless, without paying any attention to their criticism and opposition, nor being hurt by their hatred and enmity, he went forward and proclaimed his teachings. It is the law of God among His creatures— a law which will not be changed—that the originator and declarer of principles must inevitably have those who agree and praise and those who disagree and reject.’

My father sent me this email…Pretty cool…

The time is now! I had a marvelous mother, who loved me, Sacrificed for me and helped me in every way possible. In all of my growing up from childhood through School and eventually marriage, My mother was always at my side. And when I needed help with my little ones, she was there for me. A few years ago, we buried this wonderful woman. Can you imagine how I felt when I returned home and Found a poem in her drawer, written by my mom:   The time is now If you are ever going to love Love me now while I can know The sweet and tender feelings Which from true affection flow Love me now while I am living Do not wait until I am gone And then have it chiseled in marble Sweet words on ice-cold stone If you have tender thoughts of me Please let me know now If you wait until I am sleeping There will be death between us And I will not hear you then So if you love me, even a little bit Let me know while I am living So that I can treasure it Your loving mum Now she is gone and I am sick with guilt Because I never told her what she meant to me. Worse yet, I did not treat her as she deserved to be treated. I found time for everyone and everything else But I never made time for her. It would have been easy to drop in for a cup of tea And a hug but my friends came first. Would any of them have done for me what my mother did? I know the answer. When I called mom on the phone, I was always in a hurry. I feel ashamed when I think of the times I cut her off, The times I retorted back to her, The times I glared at her in an angry mood,                                                               When she wanted to correct me and guide me through the correct path. I remember too, the times I could have included her in a trip out and did not. My children loved Grandma from the times they were babies. They often turn to her for comfort and advice. She understood them. I realize now that I was too critical, Too short-tempered, too stingy with praise. Grandma gave them unconditional love. The world is filled with sons, daughters and a child like me. I hope they see themselves in this letter and realise from it. Reflections This story highlights that we must do whatever we can when our parents are alive to appreciate what we say or do, however little that may be. Very often we are willing to spend thousands to give them a grand funeral with the most elaborate preparations and expensive coffins and so on. We are willing have memorials without fail year after year. We give alms in memory of our late parents but we could not afford to spend some time with them when they were with us before their death. We were too busy with our lives. How much do we treasure our parents? They may not be perfect but it is undeniable that they deserve more than what we are doing for them now. We may be cruel to them or we may even be criminals but to our parents we are still good children and they continue to justify why we have become bad. They blame everybody else for their children being bad except them as they believe their children cannot have gone bad by themselves! Nobody in the world does that. Many will flock to us when we are in a position to give but none when we are down and out. Our parents are the only ones who will be there with us and for us whether we are good or bad, up or down till their last breaths. Let us search our hearts to see where we have placed our parents in it. If they are not in our hearts it is time to make a place for them there now. If they already there as in many of us, it is time to give them a little more. Let us not do something or fail to do it that we will regret later as it will be too late.  Love your parents now while they are still living! It is better to give them a little now than to give them the world when they are gone The world is full of sons and daughters like you and me If this has touched you, please pass it on to all the sons and daughters who have yet to praise their mom for everything they are today.

My friend send me this blog, which I have re-blogged

One of my colleagues send me this story.

A young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man.

The father invited the fiancé to his study for a talk.

“So what do you do for a living?” the father asked the young man. “I am a biblical scholar,” he replied.

“A Biblical scholar. Hmm……..” , the father said. “Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in?”

“I will study,” the young man replied, “and God will provide for us.”

“And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?” asked the father.

“I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replied, “God will provide for us.”

“And children?” asked the father. “How will you support children?”

“Don’t worry Sir, God will provide,” replied the fiancé.

The conversation proceeded like this and each time the father questioned, the young idealist insisted that God would provide.

Later, the mother asked, “How did it go Honey?”

The father answered, “He has no job, no plans and he thinks I’m God!”

I received an email from my father which he had forwarded and it goes like this

> I BELIEVE
>
> A Birth Certificate shows that we were born
> A Death Certificate shows that we died
> Pictures show that we live!
> Have a seat. Relax . . .
> And read this slowly.

> I Believe…
> That just because two people argue,
> It doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.
> And just because they don’t argue,
> It doesn’t mean they do love each other.

> I Believe…
> That we don’t have to change friends if
> We understand that friends change.

> I Believe…
> That no matter how good a friend is,
> they’re going to hurt you
> every once in a while,
> and you must forgive them for that.

> I Believe…
> That true friendship continues to grow,
> even over the longest distance.
> Same goes for true love.

> I Believe…
> That you can do something in an instant
> That will give you heartache for life.

> I Believe…
> That it’s taking me a long time
> To become the person I want to be.

> I Believe…
> That you should always leave loved ones with Loving words.
> It may be the last time you see them.

> I Believe…
> That you can keep going long after you think you can’t.

> I Believe…
> That we are responsible for what
> We do, no matter how we feel.

> I Believe…
> That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

> I Believe…
> That heroes are the people
> who do what has to be done,
> when it needs to be done,
> regardless of the consequences.

> I Believe…
> That my best friend and I
> can do anything or nothing
> and have the best time.

> I Believe…
> That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will
> be the ones to help you get back up.

> I Believe…
> That sometimes, when I’m angry,
> I have the right to be angry, but that
> doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

> I Believe…
> That maturity has more to do
> with what types of experiences you’ve had
> And what you’ve learned from them,
> and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

> I Believe…
> That it isn’t always enough
> to be forgiven by others.
> Sometimes you have to learn
> to forgive yourself.

> I Believe…
> That no matter how bad
> your heart is broken,
> the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

> I Believe…
> That our background and circumstances
> may have influenced who we are, but,
> we are responsible for who we become.

> I Believe…
> That you shouldn’t be
> so eager to find out a secret.
> It could change your life forever.

> I Believe…
> Two people can look at the exact same thing
> And see something totally different.

> I Believe…
> That your life can be changed
> in a matter of hours
> by people who don’t even know you.

> I Believe…
> That even when you think
> you have no more to give,
> When a friend cries out to you,
> you will find the strength to help.

> I Believe…
> That credentials on the wall
> do not make you a decent human being.

> I Believe…
> That the people you care about
> most in life
> are taken from you too soon.

> I Believe…
> That you should send this to
> all of the people that you believe in.
> I just did.
> ‘The happiest of people don’t necessarily have
> the best of everything;
> They just make the most of everything they have.

Most major colleges and universities have included online learning modules to their degree programs. There are comprehensive undergrad and graduate programs allowing students to work on their degrees entirely from remote locations. Some majors include online education as a component of a mixed campus-remote curriculum. With acknowledged online academic excellence and employer acceptance of online degrees, it’s startling to see that there are still many misconceptions about online learning. Let’s dispel the top five here:

1. Online degrees are worth less than campus degrees. Ancient history. Today’s employers look at the quality of your training, the college you attended, and your job-specific skills. (A diploma does not indicate that you did your work online.) In fact, employers often pay tuition to encourage their valued employees to update their credentials through online degrees and/or certification programs.

2. There’s no social interaction via an online education. Not so. Almost every online course requires emails, bulletin board participation, or chat-room collaboration among students and with faculty. Online participants build networks of student relationships that bolster life-long professional contacts as well as long-term friendships.

3. Professors won’t know who you are. Oh, they certainly will. There’s no jousting for limited, hour-long lecture time in an online class. No raising of hands to speak. All students are measured by the quality of their writing, their collaborative research, and their online test scores.

4. Students are isolated–stuck without resources. Hardly. Online students have outstanding, 24-hour access to online libraries, lecture notes, streamed video lectures, and contact with mentors, tutors, and instructional aides. And you won’t need to be a tech freak to use the system. Colleges create easy-to-use interfaces that enable all students (including those with disabilities) to access enrollment, financial aid, online classes, labs, and email.

5. Online classes are cream puffs. Avoid that trap. Online courses are as complex and rigorous as campus-based classes. In fact, you’ll need to maintain a regular schedule in attending online lectures and delivering papers or you’ll fall dismally behind. Online students have to be committed to learning.

Love him or hate him , he sure hits the nail on the head with this!

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1 : Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world doesn’t care about your
self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault , so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

- got to learn how to read from all angles lah

Women at their best

Yesterday I was having some work done at the Ford dealer. A woman came in and asked for a seven-hundred- ten.

We all looked at each other, and the mechanic asked, “What is a seven-hundred- ten?”

She replied, “You know, the little piece in the middle of the engine. I lost it and need a new one. It had always been there.”

The mechanic gave the woman a piece of paper and a pen and asked her to draw what the piece looked like. She drew a circle and in the middle of it wrote 710 !!

He then took her over to another car which had the hood up and asked, “Is there a 710 on this car?”

She pointed and said, “Of course, it’s right there.”

Now go to the photo below to learn what a 710 is……….

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The mechanic fainted!! J
(Oil).

I love this Doctor

Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true? !
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it… don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain…Good!

Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!! …. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

!

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best! feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A:
If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! ! ‘Round’ is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about
food and diets.

And remember:

‘Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways – Chardonnay in one hand – chocolate in the other – body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘WOO HOO, What a Ride’

AND……

For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health. It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine

and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.

Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

(pssst.. glad we are not Americans)