The Freedom That Angels Enjoy,

(Tonight, I search for the third Angel to take out to sea.)

Angels descending, bring from above,
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

- Fanny J. Crosby


I wait for the angels from above,
And miss the ones already below.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

If I have freedom in my love,
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone that soar above,
Enjoy such liberty.

- Richard Lovelace


The liberty the Angels enjoy,
Was it in their freedom or in their love?

- Ghostwise

I Waited Too Long To Kiss Her In The Rain

(The rain continued today...)

April Rain Song
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

- Langston Hughes


I love the rain most because it drowns my pain.
And when it can't, it hides it from prying eyes.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

I should have kissed her if the rain
Had lasted a minute more.

- Thomas Hardy


But the rain stopped and she
Was kissed by the sun instead.

- Ghostwise

How To Attain Peace In the Storm?

(This is the scene of the storm from my office window just as I was about to leave this evening. The storm reflects my mood today and the hectic situations this week. Had a bad day in a bad week.)

“The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but deliverance from fear”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson


I pray that the storm will soon pass. Am I wise or am I not?

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm”

- Author Unknown


If the storm reflects the turmoil in my heart, it is beautiful.
If the storm contrasts the serenity in my heart, it is also beautiful.

- Ghostwise

I Reach The Destination Seeing Nothing.

(I just came back from a movie - Vantage Point, an entertaining movie with many different point of views).

“From a certain point of view our real enemy, the true troublemaker, is inside.”

- Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama


A view, we often choose not to see.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~~~"

“Like tourists huffing and puffing to reach the peak we forget the view on the way up”

- Friedrich Nietzsche


We are so caught up with the destination, we neglect the view.

- Ghostwise

Looking At LifeThrough A Broken Windshield.

(Today I had a problem with my windscreen. I had changed 3 windscreens this year.)

“You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.'”

- Tommy Cooper


I found out to my detriment that I should not accept compliments too readily.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror”

- Byrd Baggett


But what if the windshield is broken?

- Ghostwise

What Does It Cost You To Share A Lantern?

(This Chinese New Year, the object that I took the most photos of was the lantern.)

“Faith means living with uncertainty - feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark”

- Dan Millman


A lantern in the dark drives away all the imaginary fears.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~"

“I have a lantern. You steal my lantern. What, then, is your honour worth no more to you than the price of my lantern?”

- Epictetus


You have a lantern. It is dark. Does it cost you anything to share the light with one who does not have a lantern?

- Ghostwise

When You Asked For An Orange, Be Happy With The Orange.

(Sorry, a little belated. On the 15th day of Chinese New Year, young ladies with throw an orange into the sea wishing for a good mate. A male will throw an apple. Check out the tradition in Ghostwalk)

“A man is not an orange. You can't eat the fruit and throw the peel away”

- Arthur Miller


When you asked for a man, be sure to accept him whole.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

"give orange orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me me give give me you."

- Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee's longest sentence


When you ask for an orange, don't be unhappy when another gets an apple.

- Ghostwise

When You Smile At The Traffic Cop.

(Today I got a traffic summon.)

“If you haven't seen your wife smile at a traffic cop, you haven't seen her smile her prettiest.”

- Kin Hubbard


I tried the same smile and got maximum fine.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it.

- Dudley Moore


It did not work. By the time I saw it, it was too late.

- Ghostwise

What To Say To A Dying Man?

(Today I was privy to hear the amazing last lesson given by a dying man, hear for yourself - http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw)

“I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you how to know what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing.”

- Neil Gaiman


I thought about it for a long time but I still cannot come up with anything sincere to say to a dying man except "may the rest of your life be a happy one".

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.”

- Pope Paul VI


This is exactly what we should be doing but we always think there will be tomorrows enough.

- Ghostwise

Ending Is The Hardest Of All.

(Today I started on a book on a story based in Japan. It is called Fudoki which means your life story. It also means your soul, self and place.)

Beginning is easy - Continuing is hard.

- Japanese Proverb


Ending is the hardest of all.

- Ghostwise Proverb

~~~~~~~~~~"

If you believe everything you read, better not read.

- Japanese Proverb


If you don't believe anything you read, better not read.

- Ghostwise Proverb

The Devil Is To Be Blamed For You Being Fat.

(Someone said to me in exasperation "what's wrong with being fat?" Though I'm not fat, I echoed "what's wrong with being fat?")

“The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat.”

- Albert Einstein


Now I know the devil is to be blamed.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office.”

- George Bernard Shaw


Now I know why there are so many fat politicians.

- Ghostwise

In War The Fathers Bury Their Sons.

(Today I was challenged to an imaginary war. I don't like war - imaginary or real).

There's a graveyard in northern France where all the dead boys from D-Day are buried. The white crosses reach from one horizon to the other. I remember looking it over and thinking it was a forest of graves. But the rows were like this, dizzying, diagonal, perfectly straight, so after all it wasn't a forest but an orchard of graves. Nothing to do with nature, unless you count human nature.

- Barbara Kingsolver


Maybe we should visit the grave before starting a war.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war the fathers bury their sons.

- Croesus

When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn?

- Ghostwise

Painting Is Poetry Is Painting Is Poetry Is.

(Yesterday, my CEO came into my room and saw the painting I brought back from misty LuShan Mountain, China. He proceeded to explain the calligraphy to me.)

“Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror, or the painter?”

- Pablo Picasso


You yourself, your friend, your family, your lover, your enemy, who sees you correctly?

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen”

- Leonardo da Vinci


Both communicates with the heart.

- Ghostwise

Of Cupid And His Bad Shot.

(Today like the Japanese, I received a box of chocolate. It is Valentine Day!)

I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.

- Author Unknown


Cupid shot my heart but miss with his second shot.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.

- Author Unknown


And for the someone who did "Happy Valentine".

- Ghostwise

People Who Count Theri Chickens.

(Today is "Ren Ri" or People's Day, the 7th day of Chinese New Year. It is also known as Everybody's birthday so today's post is dedicated to people).

“People who count their chickens before they are hatched, act very wisely, because chickens run about so absurdly that it is impossible to count them accurately”

- Oscar Wilde


Chickens who run about, act very wisely, because they know a running target is harder to count, catch.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”

- Ryunosuke Satoro


But individually, we are an individual. Together, we are the faceless public.

- Ghostwise

Talk Of Nothing But Business And Quickly.

With thanks to -

(Today I had a meeting. As meetings go, it was a profitable one so today's post is dedicated to meetings.)

Talk of nothing but business, and dispatch that business quickly.

- Aldus Manutius (1449 - 1515)


The way every meeting should be held.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.”

- Thomas Sowell


For they are sadists who take delight in torturing others.

- Ghostwise

If Not Now, When?

(Today I did a little charity which makes me feel good. And I receive this little horse in return which makes me feel better. What a bargain!)

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?”

- Rabbi Hillel


Often we hear "I'll do charity when I've the means". Those who said that never found the means for charity was never about money, it was about the intention and will to do good every little ways we could.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“True charity is the desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense”

- Emanuel Swedenborg


That is much more difficult than it seems for almost all of us hope for a little gratitude.

- Ghostwise

How To Go For A Meal & Have A Feast.

(Today I went to a friend's house and have a feast.)

“It is not the quantity of the meat, but the cheerfulness of the guests, which makes the feast”

- Edward Hyde


Good guests more than good food makes a meal a feast.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

- Melody Beattie


Be grateful for small things and every meal is a feast.

- Ghostwise

Bring Your Temple With You.

(Yesterday, visited a temple at night. See Ghostwalk)

“Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it take with you your all.”

- Kahlil Gibran


Some took their temple with them. Some forgot and left their temple in their place of worship.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“From the solemn gloom of the temple children run out to sit in the dust, God watches them play and forgets the priest”

- Rabindranath Tagore


Love brings joy so why are temples so intimidating? Aren't they places where one manifest one's love for God?

- Ghostwise

When Angels Visit Your House Of Dreams.

(Yesterday, I went visiting to friend's house during the first day of Chinese New Year. Have not done this for a long time. Are there good quotations on visit?)

“Reality is a nice place to visit, but I sure would not want to live there”

- Author Unknown


I would rather stay in my house of dreams.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.”

- Author Unknown


Angels cannot be seen with the eyes, it can only be felt with the heart.

- Ghostwise

Preserve The Old, But Know The New.

(Today is the first day of Chinese New Year. How about digesting some Chinese proverbs.)

"If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people."

- Chinese Proverb


If you are planning for a day, have your three meals, go to sleep and hope you don't wake up.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

"Preserve the old, but know the new."

- Chinese Proverb


If you only preserve the old, you will not grow.
If you only pursue the new, you will not have roots.

- Ghostwise

Waiting For A Roast Duck To Drop From The Sky.

(Today I tried to solve a problem of roasted duck. See here - MyKlang)

“Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.”

- Confucius


And when it finally dropped, it broke all his teeth.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~"

Bengali: gack-gack
Dutch: kwak kwak
English: quack quack
Finnish: kvaak kvaak
German: quack, quack
Italian: qua qua
Norwegian: kvakk-kvakk
Russian and Ukrainian: krya-krya
Swedish: kvack
French: coin coin


The French has just got to be different.

- Ghostwise

Never Pick A Fight With An Ugly Person.

(I was wondering what to write when "Ugly Betty" came on air...)

“No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.”

- Oscar Wilde


No object is so ugly that, under certain conditions, it will not look beautiful.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“Never pick a fight with an ugly person, they've got nothing to lose.”

- Robin Williams


Never pick a fight with a beautiful person, you're sure to lose.

- Ghostwise

Two To Start A Quarrel, One To End It.

(Today, I witnessed a quarrel.)

“It takes two to quarrel, but only one to end it.”

- Spanish Proverb


One can even quarrel with oneself but one cannot quarrel with no one.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

“I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.”

- Mark Twain


Be careful not to quarrel with someone like that. As you cannot be sure the one you are quarreling with is not like that, it is better not to quarrel with anyone.

- Ghostwise

The Computer Ate My Homework.

(Today, I went to the Digital Mall in PJ, one of the largest retail computer mall in the country.)

Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog.

- Doug Larson


The computer ate my homework when I was not looking.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.

- Farmers' Almanac, 1978


A single computer can make the mistakes of a thousand man.

- Ghostwise

Praising Makes The Remembrance Dear.

(Today, I was at a lost so I turned to Shakespeare...)

Praising what is lost Makes the remembrance dear.

- William Shakespeare


And makes the lost all the more painful.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~~"

Wise men never sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms.

- William Shakespeare


Not to sit and wail your loss but to seek to redress their harms, that is wise. But cheerily? That. Mr. Shakespeare, is asking too much!

- Ghostwise

Why Wait When It Is Hopeless?

(Today we talked about waiting.....)

“May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams.
May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.”

- Author Unknown


When you are waiting, you hope the end is worth the wait.
But if you wait when you know it is hopeless, that is love.

- Ghostwise

~~~~~~~~~"

“I never thought it was worth it, you know waiting for your love, and then I felt your kiss, I could wait forever for this”

- Author Unknown


What if you never get that kiss?

- Ghostwise