These are some of the most common symptoms of 'inner peace'... if you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms.... you're doing something right! - A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
- An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
- A loss of interest in judging other people.
- A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
- A loss of interest in conflict.
- A loss of the ability to worry.
- Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
- Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
- Frequent attacks of smiling.
- An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
Peace Pilgrim, 1908-1981 American Peace Hero
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5:55 pm
Happy people roll with the punches. They know from experience that everything changes. Today's good fortune may vanish tomorrow, today's crisis may turn out to be tomorrow's good fortune.Author UnknownBut Greatly Appreciated!
Yesterday, went to Bugis Street with Yasmin, Charlene and Wei Shan to buy the team bag. Haha. Inspired by Jessie's bag but went and buy a totally new different bag. I felt like I was in another country. Thailand or stg but I've never been there. Maybe cos Yas kept saying "I feel like I'm in Thailand". Yeah. WE NEED TO DO MORE OF THAT AFTER EXAMS! Yeah I can't wait for that time because when exams end, puasa ends. And after Hari Raya, we still have time to go and laze around. WHEE! I'm going to organise more stuff. LOOK OUT GUYS!
In the end right, not everyone felt good about buying the bag. It doesn't say "SAFIAH" or "NETBALL". I still have mixed feelings about it. I think it is a totally crappy and lame idea. But it's so mushy. Hahaha. Yeah. THat's what make us DIFFERENT from the rest of the sports team in Cedar. Cos we are outrightly
MUSHY towards each other and we do lovey dovey stuff to each other. Muahahakz. I don't think I'm going to use that bag often to school. Cos it is so STRIKING. Muahaha. Haiyosss. Nevermind I think it's the fact that I KNOW what everyone is thinking and I care too much. Okays//
DUN CARE NOW. LET's NOT CARE NETBALLERS cos WE ARE A TEAM! WE DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER! WHEEEE.
My face came out in the Berita Harian again. I hate journalists sometimes, putting words in my mouth.
Ok reply to tags:::
Safiah- Angela: YEs Angela you are lame. ANd my background is actually not black. It's some sort of dark grey blue.
Safiah- Sade: Pe je. Yah i write many many. you write many many too...ok lepas dah kumpul duit for raye we go EAT anywhere we want! Muahahakz.
Safiah- Husna Jr.: Yeshh dear. I had one month of competition. I'll come back after exams for sure. Train all you irritating lovelies. Hahaha.
NEW FINDINGS ON THE WEB:www. nitrome.com CUTE GAMES. hahah
www.hungryforpixels.com Where I got all those cute animals above.
DIRECTORY FOR CUTE LINKS
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6:54 pm
Here’s something to think about. If we could shrink our world and only have 100 people in it the human ratio would be…
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere (both north and south)
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world wealth
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death
1 would be near birth
1 would have a college education
1 would own a computer
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6:53 pm
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6:33 pm
The Seven Greatest Steroid Excuses
Most major sports have a Hall of Fame. But there is one competition that has yet to honor its heroes: doping. Because so many drug scandals have occurred over the years, why isn’t there a hallowed institution to commend the skill and creativity demonstrated by the all-time greatest cheaters? Where are their signed syringes, their framed flaxseed oils, their original testosterone creams?
Patrick Hruby, columnist for ESPN.com’s popular "Page 2," recently presented his first Steroid Excuse Quiz. We thought we would share with you our top picks from his hilarious selection.
1. When police found EPO and other performance enhancers in the home of Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, he claimed the drugs were intended for:
a. His anemic dog.
b. His arthritic cat.
c. His diabetic goldfish.
d. His SARS-infected pet rock.
2. Tennis player Petr Korda blamed a positive nandrolone test at Wimbledon on:
a. Chewing gum manufactured from pesticide-protected trees.
b. Wearing cologne produced in a chemical plant.
c. Eating veal made from steroid-enhanced calves.
d. Drinking water bottled in the San Francisco’s Bay Area.
3. Cuban high jumper Javier Sotomayor blamed a number of positive cocaine results on:
a. The CIA and the Cuban Mafia.
b. The KGB and the Hong Kong Triads.
c. The Freemasons, the Teamsters, Opus Dei, the Rothschilds, Skull and Bones and the sinister Jewish cabal that runs Mel Gibson’s Hollywood.
d. The rain’cause the rain don’t mind and the rain don’t care!
4. American cyclist Tyler Hamilton blamed a flunked blood-doping test on:
a. An inexplicable third nipple.
b. A silent Scientology birth.
c. Webbed feet.
d. A mysterious unborn twin.
5. American sprinter Dennis Mitchell blamed his too-high testosterone levels on:
a. Drinking five bottles of beer and having sex with his wife four times the night before the test.
b. Drinking two bottles of tequila and visiting the Gold Club with Patrick Ewing the night before the test.
c. Attending a Minnesota Vikings nautical outing the night before the test.
d. Downing a shot of absinthe and reading Wilt Chamberlain’s autobiography the night before the test.
6. German distance runner Dieter Baumann claimed his elevated nandrolone levels were the result of:
a. Contaminated body lotion.
b. Spiked toothpaste.
c. Tainted hand soap.
d. Extra-strength Listerine.
7. After testing positive for strychnine, Dutch cyclist Adri van der Poel faulted:
a. Eating a pigeon pie made from juiced racing pigeons raised by his father-in-law.
b. Eating rabbit stew made from road kill found next to an unlocked gate at an animal-testing lab.
c. Eating cookies baked by his absent-minded grandfather, who mistakenly used strychnine instead of sugar.
d. Eating a convenience-store hot dog. Really, who knows what’s in those things?
Answers: 1a, 2c, 3a, 4d, 5a, 6b, 7a
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6:27 pm
Character and the Pursuit of Happiness 479.3
The Declaration of Independence tells us we all have an inalienable right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Unfortunately, too many Americans, especially young ones, believe they are entitled not simply to pursue happiness, but to actually be happy. And if they're not, they feel resentful. This breeds an "I deserve it" mentality and "whatever-it-takes" strategies that justify even lying and cheating to help them get, or keep, the things they think will make them happy.
In a free country we have a right to pursue personal happiness, but we also have inalienable moral responsibilities to be good and decent people. There's nothing wrong with wanting and going after money, possessions, power and status, provided we do so honorably. Ethical principles like honesty, fairness and respect are ground rules for the pursuit of happiness.
But the deeper question is: Is the pursuit of happiness an adequate life goal? Helen Keller said, "True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."
The men who signed the Declaration of Independence were not simply pursuing happiness. Instead, they pledged their "lives, fortunes and sacred honor" to establish a government based on moral principles. This took character. And that is what life is really about. According to philosopher George Santayana, "Character is the basis of happiness, and happiness is the reward of character."
If this sounds out of touch with your reality, maybe it's because you don't sufficiently appreciate your moral potential and the enormous and enduring sense of happiness that can come from the pursuit of goodness.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
The Intimidating Power of Integrity 479.4
A teacher wrote telling me that a parent with a great deal of clout at her school asked her to change attendance records to make her child's record look better. The teacher said she thought long and hard about the request but eventually refused, knowing it would make the parent angry.
First, I commend her moral courage. I wish it didn't take courage to do the right thing, especially in such a clear case as this, but in the real world people with power often retaliate when they don't get what they want. This can make your life difficult.
Still, moral courage is the much-needed bodyguard of conscience and character. The personal costs of putting our integrity on the auction block are so high, we simply have to take the risk. Once we start on the slippery slope of moral compromise, it's hard to resist the slide downward.
My first instinct was to think of the parent who subjected the teacher to this corrupt and corrupting request as a thoroughgoing villain, but I suspect she's a basically decent mom so intent on helping her child that she ignored her moral brakes.
But it is wrong to ask someone to lie or cheat, and when it comes from someone with power, it's even worse. Power is intimidating even when it's not used.
But unswerving integrity can also be intimidating. Clearly improper requests deserve an immediate, firm and dignified response that leaves no ambiguity that they are inappropriate. Be careful not to be self-righteous, but let the person who asks worry about what you think of them and, if they persist, let them -- not you -- worry about the potential consequences.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
To receive my commentaries by e-mail at no charge, visit
www.charactercounts.org.
(Note: The views expressed in all commentaries are solely those of Mr. Josephson and do not necessarily reflect those of the Josephson Institute.)
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8:45 pm
It's you I like,
It's not the things you wear.
It's not the way you do your hair,
But it's you I like.
The way you are right now
The way down deep inside you
Not the things that hide you
Not your diplomas...
They're just beside you.
But it's you I like,
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings,
Whether old or new.
I hope that you'll remember
Even when you're feeling blue,
That it's you I like,
It's you yourself, it's you
It's you I like!
Frederick McFeely Rogers
Many of us have at some time dreamt of owning one of those magic purses that would never be empty. No matter how much money we would draw from it, it would remain full! As it turns out, we already have such a contraption in us and this one's worth a lot more than a trillion enchanted wallets. Our heart can love 24-hours a day without ever running empty. As a matter of fact, the more love we pass to others, the more love we'll have!
Author Unknown But Greatly Appreciated!
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8:23 pm
I've created a new superhero that will never grow old, is mischievous, sings very well, wears
green and can fly!!! Ok, I'm not original.
PETERMAN!!!
I think Paul Twohill has really influenced me with all his mumbling because of his braces.
I wanted to say that "I am so into
Peterpan songs right now" to Marli and told her "I'm into
Peterman songs". Hahhaha.
Then, I kept saying the word over and over again. It's so cute.
Try it.
Say 'PETERMAN' as quick as you can.
' peterman. peterman. peterman.'Hahhah. That was
fun. The whole bus ride home was of Marli and me and Ariel Peterpan aka Peterman's "sexy manly voice" as quoted by Marli. Hahhah. LOVE their songs.
PETERP(m)AN IS 100% PURE LOVE
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7:43 pm
ooh and me, marli and muu are addicted to these songs. it's so fun to impersonate jonathan. muahaha. so we'll feel all the sexy feeling oozing out of us and we can be like the Pussy Cat Dolls! muahahhakz. Anyways I support JONATHAN all the way! But I'm not surprised if this year's Singapore Idol will follow the pattern of Singapore Idol last two years. Which went like this: Final Three: 2 boys and a girl. Semi finals: Girl Gets Kicked Out. Finals: Battle between Rock and RnB...Haiz...bOO00ring. Why not this time instead of the RnB Souler win, let's give a chance for the ROCKER to bring the house down!!
you know, whenever i meet amira, i'm in for a surprise.
today's 1st surprise: the ice cream wasn't hers.first reaction: SHOCKED!
second reaction: remorse. i shouldnt have grabbed the ice cream right. should have asked her first. was just being a meanie.
I AM SUPER DEE DUPLERLY SORRY TO THE OWNER OF THE ICE CREAM OK!!! i would have felt dissapointed. i always do when i don't get to finish eating what i start.
psssst: i have closure issues...don't tell..
hmm...this rosewater toner doesn't smell half bad on my face...
today's 2nd surprise: my article and picture got in IN!Can i have a pack on my back?? hahah. The saddening thing is that the sec 3 and 4 level do not get IN. Well...maybe that's a GOOD thing. Hahaha. Imagine all the "Hey Safiah! I saw you in IN today!" i'll get. ooohh. the
PRICE OF FAME ... Haha.
So since I am sec 3 i do NOT get IN which sucks. And on the bus just now, my friends from different schools sms-ed me: "Wah...Safiah, saw you with an Argentinean." So I just had to kill my curiosity. Luckily I saw juniors on the bus. And I went to the one I knew most, Ameera, but she didn't have it. So I went to the trusty sec 1s who must have brought home the copy and one of them asked me: "Are you the one inside IN?" So I went "Yes. Haha" Cuties they are.
And I opened to the article I wrote with Pamela. Whee.. hahaha. there I was. and the Argentina lads. Hahah. The pictures are in my previous entries. YAY! I have 4 By-lines now.
today's third surprise: my progress report
one word: DEPROVING, DESPICABLE, DISGUSTINGokay that's three words. haizzz. i have to work doubly hard for FYEs. Which is three weeks away....Am I inspired? I shall do a little cheer for myself.
GO SAFIAH YOU CAN DO IT!!! YES YOU CAN!!!!! YOU SHALL TORTURE NOW TO ENJOY LATER!!! YOU ARE TIRED OF FAILING YOURSELF! YES YOU ARE! SO GOOO AND DO WELLL!!!
today's fourth surprise: Shahini is a meaniehaha. there was this guy who didn't look like a guy but was so totally a guy. Get the picture? And my dear friends went...."Ehh...bapok. Ehh...pondan." But not so loud cos i pinched her. Haha. THen she said.....TA DA: "Eh when we go down later (we're taking double deck) i pretend to sneeze and go "BAPOK" ok? " Oh MYYY!! hahah. i pinched her again. Just joking. She was just joking. PHEEWW>>>
beside us were my adik's primary school and rugby friends from St Andrews. Taufik and some other Indian guy. My adik doesn't go there by the way. Uh-huh. Taufik was wearing and all white uniform with long pants and his friend was wearing the normal SA uniform and I was wondering: " When in the world did he go to sec 3 already?" Then I saw his black shoes and remembered that he became a prefect. How nice///
ok toodles. gotta date with
TRIANGLES and
CIRCLES. Apparently they have a hard time solving themselves out. They forgot what their area and diameter is.
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3:26 pm
you know what, the real life is much more interesting than school. already i have a number of offers to work and i wasn't even looking for it. school just UGGGHSS me. the main factor= MATHS and CHEMISTRY. i just don't dig them.
can't wait for exams to finish. so many things that need to be done! and i'm am dreadfully sorry to my friends for not updating my blog. somehow i just lost the PASSION.
i lost my passion on a lot of stuff too. Mainly, reading. If you told me this in the beginning of the year:" Safiah, during the month of August, you will start to lose your passion in reading", I would have thought you were crazy. I read like I breathe. Since young. It's the first thing I learnt.
Now all I want to do is see international basketball. I am so weirded out. And it's not just because of Carlos Delfino. Nono. It's because I have found out that there are many tricks and trades of putting the ball into the basket. And it's a real fun show to watch it. It's more fun to watch basketball than to watch say, soccer(i'm sorry) or floorball. I think I'm in love with using the using the hands kind of ball games. So that includes BASKETBALL, Netball, Handball and Volleyball. Did I miss anything out?
It's like there's no barrier between you and the ball so you get maximum control. Actually, I think the first sport I have ever tried was being a goalkeeper when my brother's badly needed one. THen it was onto Basketball. Ya.
So, here's some pics when I went to the Phillips Singapore Cup where international teams: Spain, Slovenia, Argentina and Serbia and Montenero (formerly known as Yigoslavia) came to have a kinda of a warm up between each other for the once coming ,now past Japan World Championships. Yen gave out an email to the IN crowders one day asking who wanted to go. I know I wanted to but I also knew that Pamela really loved basketball so I gave it to her. Then another spot was open and Yen said Pam could choose who she wanted to accompany her. And she chose ME. It was a gruelling time. Friday, Saturday Sunday, back to back and it always ended around 10. But I got a Media Pass to the Press Room and the Court.
SO i got to see the players, playing like 1m away from me. They are so dang taaallll. and muscular. I fell in love with Argentina. I don't know why. They're just so sincere in playing. Don't ask me. You had to be there to feel it. Serbia and Montenegro is the World Championship for i don;t know how many times. Argentina won the Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics at Athens. Spain hadn't won anything yet but they're very stron winning all the matches they played so far. And Slovenia is ranked 22nd in the world. Quite okay huh?
Then I had an insanely huge crush on Carlos Delfino cos he's so macho man. Muahahaks. And he's daaaaang tall. But Argentina lost to Spain so he wasnt't feeling so happy when I took a pic with him and asked him to sign my notebook.
And I attended numerous press conferences. Unbelievable. You can feel their expression. Sports is not complicated. If you win, you're happy. If you don't you're dissapointed. I can still see Manu Ginnobili's large sad eyes. And Carlos Delfino's brown and deep ones. Now I know the meaning of all those expressions in the books. But at least all the teams won one match. I predicted that Spain would win the coming championships. And they did! But Argentina lost by one to Spain in the semis and their fire was put out so when they competed with the USA for the bronze placing, they didn't do well. Also they were tired. I was sad for them too. But I will continue to support them for the coming Olympics at Beijing. GO ARGENTINA!!!!
slovenia team talk.
versus slovenia. i'm so proud of my camera. haha. i was just setting it on the table and going snap snap snap. and it took this, hhahha.
CLOSE UP....
now...this took a lot of guts. Carlos Delfino. #10. Also plays in Detroit Pistons in the NBA. he was standing there looking at spain getting the trophy. i was the first to ask him for his autograph. and he looked down on me...haha. cos he was dat tall. no one has looked down on me before. they consider me tall. look at him! then after that, people started to follow suit. i had to tap his shoulder again to ask for a photo. He raised one eye. I asked him. And he put his arms around me. I was shell-SHOCKED! I din't ask for it ok. Hahah. But could feel his body heat. Muahaha. after that, my knees became jelly. and i had to call charlene to make sure what happened to me was true. hahaha. she was like "YOU DAMN LUCKY AH. GO AND MAKE INTO POSTER!" cos she was watching the match on TV too. haahha. i had to go to some private space so i could scream into the phone. after that was done, i went in for the press conference, all cool.
That's Emmanuel Ginobili. He's a very talented basketball player. Plays in the NBA too. San Antonio Spurs. He's the leading man for Argentina. After that, Pam took picture with him and he went 'Oh okay but you gotta make it fast. My team is waiting for me.' Aww. hahaha.
Juan Carlos Navarro. MVP of the tournament. From Spain. I took picture with him just cos he;s the MVP. I know he plays in NBA too. But i don't care to find out. Me and Pam trailed him and we saw people waving at the Spain bus. And some of them got that red t-shirt of theirs that says Espana. Never mind....
I like Fabricio Oberto, Walter Hermann too. OK I like all the Argentina basketballers. The next championship is 4 years away. The next olympic is 2. So I count myself lucky that I am in the IN crowd and that I grabbed this opportunity.
Yasmin says: "SAFIAHHH! YOU SO LUCKY GET TO GO TO ALL THIS BIG EVENTS AND MEET HOT GUYS!" Hahah. Yeah Yasmin! Yeah I am.
And yesterday me, Suni, Muu, Yasmin and Susmitha went to Marina Square cos Muu wants to see Nathan Hartono. He's a regular face for me. But saw Ryan Conferido too!!!! That breakdancer from So You Think You CAn Dance. I think he has a nice attitude. He and his friend kept making all these moves. I think they KNEW that people were watching them. And we all laughed at them. Funnnnyy.
There was this host of that Hip Hop event going around and whatever he said could be heard cos his mic was linked to the speakers. And we were there waiting for Muu's Nathan when suddenly we heard him say "And look...we have 4 lovely ladies here" I turned around and I saw him and went "Oh Sheesh" Then the three slo-mos turned around. We were EMBARRASSED! He asked us to do the kick dance. And we did it. And he gae the 4 of us a $12 voucher so we can take up one lesson or get a free gift at the place. Hahah.
Then, me and Yasmin saw the sign in The Wallet Shop that said $9.90. When we went in, we kena cheated man. We thought some of the wallets on display going for $9.90 but NOOOO. If you buy $35 worht of stuff, you can get a MYUK sling bag which is not even that nice for $9.90. Then when we exited the shop, this girl came to me and went "SAFIAH" i was SHOCKED again. and i went "OH SHEESH" again. What's wrong with me? Muahahakz. Amira was not alone. And I stole her ice cream cos I had a sweet craving. THANKS AMIRA!!!
And I met VJ May and Choy that day at the Straits Times Media Club Camp. I was squashed! So I do feel happy. But...why does meeting Celebrities make me happy???
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4:55 pm
september holidayss..
im paying back all my missed fasts.
im lazing around.
i wake up late.
i sleep late.]
for the first time, i can't read a story.
i don;t know what i'm going to do.
i can't mugg.
i can;t finish my homework.
im thinking about all the other basketballers i didn;t take a pic with because I was so caught up with one.
i think yen is going to choose my picture.
my brain is numb.
im feeling hot.
i want buckets of ice to pour over me.
i badly want a new room.
i want to eat good food.
i want CHEESE and CHEESE and CHEESE.
i'm feeling
unaccomplished...and i HATE IT
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3:47 pm
slovenia team talk.
versus slovenia. i'm so proud of my camera. haha. i was just setting it on the table and going snap snap snap. and it took this, hhahha.
CLOSE UP....
now...this took a lot of guts. Carlos Delfino. #10. Also plays in Detroit Pistons in the NBA. he was standing there looking at spain getting the trophy. i was the first to ask him for his autograph. and he looked down on me...haha. cos he was dat tall. no one has looked down on me before. they consider me tall. look at him! then after that, people started to follow suit. i had to tap his shoulder again to ask for a photo. He raised one eye. I asked him. And he put his arms around me. I was shell-SHOCKED! I din't ask for it ok. Hahah. But could feel his body heat. Muahaha. after that, my knees became jelly. and i had to call charlene to make sure what happened to me was true. hahaha. she was like "YOU DAMN LUCKY AH. GO AND MAKE INTO POSTER!" cos she was watching the match on TV too. haahha. i had to go to some private space so i could scream into the phone. after that was done, i went in for the press conference, all cool.
Juan Carlos Navarro. MVP of the tournament. From Spain. I took picture with him just cos he;s the MVP. I know he plays in NBA too. But i don't care to find out. Me and Pam trailed him and we saw people waving at the Spain bus. And some of them got that red t-shirt of theirs that says Espana. Never mind....