Go Eco in 2008

Well, it's that time of year again - time to start putting those New Year's resolutions into practice.
Top of the list — shed 5 kg, the unsightly 'butterfly' arms, the 'thunder' thighs, and hit the gym for that six-pack abs and jlo butt;
Second - get on a regular detox program and go organic;
Third - fill in the application form for the phd program and put my nose to the grind for the doctoral research and dissertation;
Fourth - link research and teaching with neighborhood conservation and cooperation projects.
Have a happy and bountiful new year.
Below are tips from care2.com:
Be Naturally Beautiful. I hate to break it to you but that gook you put on your face and in your hair might be doing a lot more than making you feel pretty. It could make you feel sick. Take this quiz and check your products for dangerous chemicals such as phthalates or sodium laurel sulfate. Many everyday products such as shampoos, soaps, lotions and lipsticks contain them. Opt for organic products made of natural ingredients and thank Mother Nature for that radiant glow.
Wake Up and Smell the Perfume. Don't let the pretty smell fool you: Most fragrances are just chock full of hazardous chemicals. But there are alternatives that will leave you smelling sweet as a rose. Get the scoop here.
Eat Organic. No two ways about it, buying organic dairy and meat saves tons of resources and is just plain better for you. Organic produce is tastier and also healthier, but it is more expensive because it's a lot cheaper to dump chemicals on a crop. If you can't afford to buy all organic, here's a list of the top 10 fruits and vegetables to eat organic.
Buy Local. Common sense says that the farther away your food is grown, the more fossil fuels are required to get it to you. So look for local produce at your grocery store and make it a point to visit your community farmers market whenever possible. Defining local.
Be a Bag Lady. Even if you're just bringing back all the paper and plastic bags stuffed in that bottom drawer of your kitchen, always BYOB. If you don't want to spend money on reusable grocery bags—although there are lots of really cute options out there—look around the house for old totes, beach bags, twine-handled fancy shopping bags or even large baskets. Keep lots in your trunk (and don't forget to put them back in the trunk after unloading your groceries!), plus one compact bag folded up in your purse so you're never without it.
Clean Green. You don't even want to know all the gross chemicals that are in commercially made products. Not only are you breathing those chemicals, but then you end up pouring them down the drain. Not good for you, or the Earth. So what's the answer? Make your own non-toxic cleaning kit.
Change a Light Bulb. If just one light bulb in every home in America were switched out for a compact fluorescent—aka CFLs—it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year. CFLs are everywhere now, there are tons of different kinds to choose from and it's such an easy fix. Learn more.
Sip, Don't Guzzle. Even if you don't plan to buy a hybrid, there are ways to make the car you have get the best possible gas mileage. A properly tuned engine will get between 6 and 20 percent higher mpg, for example. Here's a list of 12 things you can do to stretch a tank of gas.
Be a Peddle Pusher. Sometimes a car is necessary, but just running errands around town? Ride your bike to the post office, the grocery store, the dentist, etc., and experience the true joy of being car-free for a while. Bonus: Hello, exercise! More benefits of biking here.
Be an Online Activist. Did you know you can help stop global warming, save the rainforest and keep pollutants out of our oceans with a single click? You can. You can also sign petitions to let the people in power know you care and want to make a difference.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/resolution-be-green-in-2008.html

Quotations about Courage

Courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other. ~Samuel Johnson (Thank you, Frank Lynch.)
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon
Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. ~Winston Churchill
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. ~Mary Anne Radmacher*
It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. ~Mark Twain
People are made of flesh and blood and a miracle fibre called courage. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960
*This one is definitely ME!

Women Over 40

(Or what my poolside cafetaria operator would say in one breath: "Womenover35")

60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS):

"As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.

Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!"

AMEN!

DAVID KL YEAP

Muflis and Riya'

To be fair to TV3, I thoroughly enjoyed a Motivasi Pagi segment with Siti Nor Bahyah (Siti Nurbaya* being one of my favorite heroines) last Sunday morning. Famed for her 'tips' on Cakar Harimau, she spoke about the devil that lurks in all of us, i.e. riya'.

The good ustazah defines 'Muflis' as being declared bankrupt by Allah on Judgement Day after He has instructed the Angels to take all our good deeds and give them to those that we have done wrong (via backstabbing, conniving, manipulating acts and vendettas), AND heaping their sins on to us. Wow, what a double whammy!

Hence, she cautioned against riya' ("showing off" or doing something to please others or to gain their approval and admiration, instead of focusing on receiving God's approval, satisfaction and pleasure) in respect to worship or prayers, charity, academic and professional achievements, awards and titles, wealth and status, physical attributes, so on and so forth.

Riya' is the opposite of ikhlas [purity of intention].
The Qur'an mentions this when describing the lazy state of the hypocrites as they go to prayer, dragging their feet, only so that people can see them performing prayers:
[Surely the hypocrites strive to deceive Allah, and He shall requite their deceit to them, and when they stand up to prayer they stand up sluggishly; they do it only to be seen of men and do not remember Allah save a little.] (An-Nisaa' 4:142)
The Qur'an also mentions riya' in respect to charity, as people sometimes pay charity to appear generous:
[O you who believe! do not make your charity worthless by reproach and injury, like him who spends his property to be seen of men and does not believe in Allah and the last day; so his parable is as the parable of a smooth rock with earth upon it, then a heavy rain falls upon it, so it leaves it bare; they shall not be able to gain anything of what they have earned; and Allah does not guide the unbelieving people.] (Al-Baqarah 2:264)

http://ceramahislam.com/video/Al-Kuliyyah/akibat-ego.html

www.islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/Worship/Heart/article16.shtml

Siti Nor Bahyah and Prof Madya Dr Robiah are my favorite motivational speakers and I find their viewpoints a far cry from that of my secondary school ustazah.

* Siti Nurbaya merupakan tokoh utama dalam novel berjudul asli Siti Noerbaja karangan Marah Roesli yang diterbitkan oleh Balai Pustaka di era 1930'an. Dengan latar belakang adat budaya Minangkabau, novel ini berkisah tentang percintaan sepasang kekasih, Siti Nurbaya dan Syamsul Bahri yang gagal karena keadaan dan budaya pada masa itu. Dalam novel ini kita juga bisa melihat betapa unsur budaya paternalisme dan juga feodalisme memiliki peranan penting dalam menentukan nasib seseorang.

http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Siti_Nurbaya

The Magic of Thinking Big

Finally, now showing on this blog - The Magic of Thinking Big by David Scwartz!
Guess nothing works better than subtle pressure to make me work my lazy brain and bod, zewt. Sure, I can always blame it on the deadlines at the office, the horribly hot weather caused by the drought that just sapped my energy away, the caffeine withdrawal symptom, the this and that. In any case, I'm half way thru reading this gem of a book, and boy, do I find some worthy insights to share with you. And, since old habits die hard, it's difficult to suppress the "stealth bomber", the "guerilla critic" in me from making the usual counter-arguments to the author's recommendations!
For starters or teasers, here are a couple of questions for you:
Would you Think Big if it makes you Feel Small?
Should Thinking Big necessarily translates into Big House, Big Car, Big Bank Balance, Big Partner?
There are no right or wrong answers; thinking about it, make it so. Tata for now!