My book is finally out!

New Release

 

 

 

Will You Allow Your Dreams To Be Condemned?

 

Dreams, Achieving Your Dreams, Goal Setting, Courage, Perseverance, Breaking Limitations

 

When Galileo theorized that earth was not the center of the universe, he was condemned for his blasphemous ideas. His theory goes against centuries of teaching and conventional thought. Who believed him? He was deemed a danger to society and shunned by all. His ideas were mocked and disregarded. Would you be able to hold onto your dreams with such torment?

Live For Your Dream

Something I Heard Today

This story may be told many times but its still worth a read. I heard it at a conference today:

There’s a story about the California gold rush that tells of two brothers who sold all they had and went prospecting for gold. They discovered a vein of the shining ore, staked a claim, and proceeded to get down to the serious business of getting the gold ore out of the mine. All went well at first. They reaped cartloads and cartloads of ore. The railway tracks were busy with their deliveries. but then one day something strange happened.

The stolen freedom of the colourful Lorikeet

This story wasn’t written by me. It was written by a very dear friend of mine. With his permission, I am placing this essay on my blog to share with all of you. Stories are told to convey a message. It could be as simple as in the story of the boy who cried wolf, or as deep as it is in this one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Luke, great work you have (:

The Stolen Freedom of the Colourful Lorikeet
By: Lukeno Ribeiro Alkatiri
This piece is dedicated to my dear niece Kaiya Genevieve
– Kaiya:”Uncle Luke. Why can’t the bird fly?”
– Me: “Because someone cut off the tips of its wings.”

Tell me. Have you seen the caged bird? No, not just any bird. The bird. The lorikeet. Have you seen the caged lorikeet? The red and yellow lorikeet. with white rings around its black eyes?

I saw it once. I could tell that it was young bird. Still trying to dominate the wind and master the skill that identifies its gorgeousness. Like most birds that leave the nest for the first time, the graceful lorikeet gained its independence. It learned to guarantee its survival by its own means. It tasted freedom, even if it was just for a little while. And I fell in love. I fell in love with the colourful lorikeet.

I heard that the bird was caught. I could not believe it. “They caught it. The men suppose to protect it. They caught it and then they sold it”- my friends told me. It seems that they sold it to someone who was willing to pay a “fair” amount for it. He put the lorikeet in a cage. A big cage they said. So that it does not feel imprisoned. Ironic, isn’t it? An irony emphasised by his decision to cut them off. HE CUT OFF THE TIPS OF THE LORIKEET’S WINGS, just to be sure that the bird would not fly away.

He feeds it every now and then. “So that the bird does not die on me”- he says. He hangs the cage where everyone that visits him can see it. So that the humiliated animal, forced to contribute to arrogant pride of his new master, becomes the topic of a conversation as the owner shows off the grace of his latest achievement. He shows off the beauty of a bird that is not allowed to take advantage of one of nature’s most unique gifts – the ability to fly.

I have been looking for it. The lorikeet I fell in love with. I have been looking for it every day. They say the bird is near the place where we live but very far from where it belongs. At night, sometimes I can hear it. I can hear the sad bird sing. The bird sings either desperately or about its desperation. For what other reasons would a beautiful and colourful bird sing in the middle of the night? I think it sings so that I can find it. Because it only sings when I yell out its name. Yes, its name. The name given to the bird since before the time the bird was born. It was named after the sacred land we call our own. The land of the rising sun -Timor Lorosa’e.

So tell me. Have you seen the caged bird? The one with the broken heart and unable to fly. The red and yellow lorikeet with white rings around its black eyes. Yes, the one with the colours that represent the flag we hold up high. Can you tell me where it is? I have been looking for it and I need to find it. I need to break it. The big cage I mean. I need to break it and heal the bird’s damaged feathers so that it can once again experience the wind against its wings. For there is nothing more humiliating and painful than taking away the earned freedom of a being. Even if its freedom had only been enjoyed for just a little while.

Bump!

Using Toothpicks to build a Foundation

I just read in the chinese papers today about our nation’s junior athlete write in. She wrote about how our nation loves to invest in our athletes only a few months before an important sporting event and not from the very beginning.

Rain Drops Keep Falling on my Head

 

Today the sky was laden with clouds so full of rain that they hung close to earth. They looked like water bags just waiting to burst;an occassional gust of wind sends ripples across their skin of white fluff. It was going to pour. 

I like it when it rains. In our little country Singapore ,rain is not uncommon. Some people hate the rain because it ruins their plans. An outing to the beach; a family BBQ; a jog in the park; a quiet day by the sea; all dashed. What happens?High spirits sink, moods just trickle down the gutter. I say: what for? As joker puts it: why so serious?

It’s a good time to stay indoors and reflect. Take a good look at your year 2009. 1/6 of the year has passed and what have you accomplished? What did you want out of this year when you made your resolutions? What’s your progress? It’s time to stop and check. 

Sit in a comfortable seat, take out a piece of paper or a diary and jot down what you’ve accomplished. Even the small things like what books you read,how much weight you’ve lost etc. 

Then take out or write down your plans that were made at the start of the year. Now make a comparison. Are you seeing progress?or have you been slacking off? Either way, work on it. Don’t put off your plans, get to them. No matter how little you’ve accomplished, at least you’ve taken the first few steps. Now all you need to do is to complete it. 

Go try it. Get bumped!

*Well dancing in the rain is another alternative if you don’t want to do a review.”

Let’s start small

Are you ready for your next venture? Want to break free from your normal routines?  Let’s start small first.

Babies learn to crawl before they walk, walk before they run. If you want to improve on an ability that you have or acquire new knowledge, give yourself time just as a baby does. Take it small; Absorb information in bite-sized quantities; be patient with yourself; set achievable goals for yourself.

Now let’s go down to the nitty gritty:

1. Set a goal, and in your goal, set ample time to let you achieve your goal BUT do not give yourself too much time, for having too much time will lead to just time wastage. It is good if your time limit will provide some stress to you as this stress will give rise to a sense of urgency to get things done and complete goals faster.

2. Don’t aim for the top yet, aim mid-way. Many mountain climbers do not set out for Mt Everest without ample experience and practise. It is always good to set your sights high, but leave that as your main goal. These steps are mini goals to achieve before reaching the summit.

3. Read up more about the topic and talk to friends. How does this help you get anywhere? Surprisingly, alot. Reading up and talking to friends will get you exposed to the activity more and in so doing, your interest will slowly grow as well.

4. Find common friends with similar interests. People who go to the gym normally have a buddy to go with them to help them spot for mistakes. Having a buddy gives you a moral boost and he/she will make sure you get things done. Important note: Find someone who is more motivated than you are for that extra burst of energy.

5. Set your mind to it. What’s the point in setting all these goals if you mind and heart are not set to accomplishing the goal? Commit to your goals

6. Patience. Give yourself a chance to develop because most of the time, just a month is not enough to see effects in what you have achieved. Just as a gym-rat will take at least a month to see a significant increase in armsize, you will need time to develop your goals.

7. Let’s get going. All right, you’ve just been bumped! Get going!

Bump! (: