No, I don't argue with atheists anymore; it's pointless. But if an honest question is thrown about the existence of God and why there's so much pain and suffering in this world, I don't give a theo-philosophical answer either, instead, I tell this story:

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say."

I always tell my audience: 'everyday, go in front of the mirror, take a deep breath, and tell that person in front of you: "I love you..." They asked "why?" I answered, "because nobody will." The usual outright response I got from this is laughter. They thought it was one of my antics again. I told them it's not.

    ...who cannot be bought;
    ...whose word is their bond;
    ...who put character above wealth;
    ...who possess opinions and a strong will;
    ...who are larger than their vocations;
    ...who do not hesitate to take risks;
    ...who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
    ...who will be as honest in small affairs as in greater;
    ...who will make no compromise with wrong;
    ...whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
    ...who will not say they do it "because everybody else does it;"
    ...who are true to their friends through good and bad,
             in adversity as well as in prosperity;
    ...who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning,
              and hardheadedness are the best qualities
              for winning success;
    ...who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth
              when it is unpopular;
    ...who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest
              of the world says "yes."

O u r   D e e p e s t   F e a r
By Marianne Williamson

Today, cyberphobia is a term nobody cares anymore. But before email burnt the slow and inefficient post office, the word cyberphobia has almost made it into the search cloud. In explaining this, one author cited an incidence wherein a post office employee literally vomited on the keyboard in front of the computer when his boss insisted that he should learn the technology.

First, remember Sandra Bullock. Last April she was 'awarded
The Worst Actress Award at Razzies. The next day, the 2010 Oscars gave her the Best Actress award. People around us have several unique ways of confusing us. They give us names and label us according to their perception. They prophesy our future and put us in a box they designed. And the worst part is... we believe them. You don't have to believe them.

     This story has been in my China phone in text format, sad to say the phone lasted only for two weeks: it died a sudden death. But every time I come across with chocolates, a well made box; or when my daughter would mess up my things, I remember this story. Wow, it simply soothes me. It is as if I was doused with cold, refreshing water. I searched for the author, but several sources said it's 'anonymous'.

     The first ever full length story I heard outside our home was about a dog. It was the time when my mother brought me into an adult encounter workshop. Kids were not allowed then, but i remember I listened to the story from the kitchen where the sound system was clear.

     It was a story of a dog, the baby and the hunter. One day, a man with his dog went hunting for food. He was must be a single father; he brought with him his baby. For days already, they did not have a catch. So, the hunter decided

     One night, my daughter did not want to go to sleep. She said she was afraid of dinosaurs. I asked her if she saw one, she said, 'yes', in her dreams.  I told her, "all right, dear. Let's sleep together. Let's dream of that dinosaur together then I will chase it for you..." She smiled and flashed her eyes, then we slept together. Well, of course I did not dream of any dinosaur that night. When she woke up, she did not talk about dinosaurs anymore. I was glad.

     It's during the reign of Betamax in the 80's that I first watched 'The Clash of The Titans'. For some who were not born yet during that time, Betamax was not a Greek god nor a food supplement. Betamax was the reigning videocassette tape format before VHS took over in later years. Today, we have DVD and Blue-ray.

     When Facebook was still in hatching in the mind of those Harvard heroes, we used to share things via emails. And what I hated most aside from spams from unknown spammers were chain letters. As you may have experienced, most of these chain letters have either threats or a promise of miracles. That is a case of 'under duress'. Most people would continue the cycle for fear of being maligned by karma, or for a loss of a promised luck after three days, or for fear they wont get that long-prayed-for groom. Susmaryosep!  I never passed one on. But! and another 'but', there were chain letters which I remember I modified, took out the threatening clauses and sent them to my loved ones. One of them was the "Special Bank Account" which I posted here in my previous blog. No string attached, no threats, just a pure blessing and feeling good it was.