What is the difference?

My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success. ~ Helen Hayes

The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous. ~ Margot Fonteyn

躲进世界的角落

我心里有个小孩，

每当她觉得与世界格格不入，她就躲进角落。

角落里有歌等着她唱，有谜等着她解，有回意等着她凝视，

有梦想如落叶一般等着她收拢，拾起...

在这里，她轻轻呼吸，慢慢走路。

音符与音符之间的空白，形成了音乐。

在静默之中，在留白之处，有一片美丽新天地。

我心里有个小孩，

她每一次躲进角落，都只是暂时的缺席。

因为，她需要一点时间，重新找到她在世界的位置。

~ 几米

Have you ever thought about this?

Few people want to be remembered for their material achievements. More likely, we all want to be remembered for being kind and caring; someone who helped others; who loved and gave unstintingly. Question: What are we doing to deserve that kind of eulogy? This is where it pays to live it backwards. Spend time thinking of what's important to you and how you want to be remembered. Write your eulogy. Then live by it.

Chua Mui Hoong, in "Living la vida loca - backwards" (The Sunday Times, 8 August 2004)

这就是枰子…

天秤座，最在乎亲情和友情，他们不是不在乎爱情，只是，他们不敢去想，小说里的情节，会发生在自己的身上。也许，秤子更害怕被欺骗，他们有神经质，别人说了什么，就来回去想，想着想着就变了味道。秤子，最会瞎想，常常想的自己都睡不着觉，跟他们相处时间长了，你就知道他们有多天真。

在天秤的心里，希望世界都是如童话般纯净，潜意识里不想去面对复杂的人际关系，可还是在努力的适应，有了委屈没有办法去诉说的时候，总是一个人偷偷哭过，擦干泪水装作若无其事，一个人哭，一个人委屈，一个人在变得坚强，一个人在适应生存环境。

秤子最大的弱点就是心软，即使受到再大的打击和伤害，只要对方低下头来说对不起，虔诚的道歉，秤子就会忍不住说没关系。秤子最见不得别人哭，看到痛哭流涕的人，会不由得去同情，去安慰。秤子的心最软，也最容易受伤，生活的琐碎，习惯了一个人承受。

天秤不喜欢向别人提要求。对朋友一点要求都不会提。如果向你提要求，就代表对你的喜欢和信赖非同一般，不过就算再信赖一个人，天秤也很少开口要求什么。因为天秤是随遇而安的，心态很平静，悠哉，而且不喜欢欠任何人的人情。不喜欢打探朋友的太多私事，也不喜欢逼喜欢的人讲不愿讲的，这是一份尊重。

天秤其实是一个很恋旧的人，例如一首喜欢的歌曲也可以重复的听了好几年。别看天秤平时笑嘻嘻看似无忧无虑，当他们一个人独处的时候却又显得很容易感伤。天秤害怕独处害怕孤单，泪腺发达却只会夜深人静的时间躲在角落偷偷流泪，擦干眼泪又是笑脸嘻嘻的面对。天秤都是善良又不记恨往事的孩子。

虽然天秤们看上去很坚强，很乐观，其实他们内心是很脆弱很没安全感的，正因为如此，他们才会有选择性障碍，因为怕会选错而失去什么，怕选择不够完美，而令人失望，秤子身边的人们啊，多点爱护秤子吧，让他们变的更坚强，更温暖，快乐的他们会带更多的快乐给你们的。

永远表面开心，即使极度的难过，但还是把痛苦深埋心里，只有自己一个人或在懂自己的人面前时才会释放自己…可以一个人过上一整天…有条有序的安排好一天的行程，想想从前的那段时光…到了第二天就会没事的，就会好起来的。这就是枰子…

天秤座蜜语

http://weibo.com/1901122663

The next moment

Indeed, I have developed a philosophical view of life and often tell myself: "Since my next moment is uncertain, what good can I do now, what innocent fun I may enjoy, I will do it now for there may be no next moment.

By Lee Wei Ling, in "Top marks for lessons to build character" (The Sunday Times, 25 Sep 2011)

An essential part of life

All other subjects, like Mathematics, have boundaries. Exposure to the arts will encourage you to develop a mindset that keeps probing the unknown."

~ Dr Liu Thai Ker, in "Art an 'essential part of life'" (The Straits Times, 15 Sep 2011)

Adversities in life

I no longer resent that one and only exam I ever failed. It made me look like a normal human being. But more importantly, it taught me to pick myself up after falling, lick my wounds and return to the ring again. No amount of reading on Stoic philosophy, no wise mentor, could have taught me what the real experience of failing did.

I learnt that life carries on after a personal disaster, and looking backwards is not the solution. Reassessing one's option in the light of an unanticipated mishap, taking into account all factors, and deciding and carrying out the wisest course of action, is the way to proceed when one fails an exam or falls down a steep hill while hiking and clinging on desperately to the root of a tree to save one's own life (as happened to me once). All adversities in life can be turned to useful lessons to help us cope with future misfortunes.

By Lee Wei Ling, in "Turning adversities into useful lessons" (The Sunday Times, 11 Sep 2011)

一辈子...下辈子

生命中有一些人与我们擦肩了，却来不及遇见；遇见了，却来不及相识；相识了，却来不及熟悉；熟悉了，却还是要说再见。对自己好点，因为一辈子不长；对身边的人好点，因为下辈子不一定能遇见。~ 几米

心底的话

有些伤口，时间久了就会慢慢长好；有些委屈，受过了想通了也就释然了；有些伤痛，忍过了疼久了也成习惯了，然而却在很多孤独的瞬间，又重新涌上心头。其实，有些藏在心底的话，并不是故意要去隐瞒，只是， 并不是所有的疼痛，都可以呐喊. ~ 几米

What is...tomorrow?

Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. ~ John Wayne

What is life?

Life is a sum of all your choices. ~ Albert Camus

What is creativity?

Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties. ~ Gail Sheehy

What is humility?

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. ~ Rick Warren

Beauty...who's the beholder?

"People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realising that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves." ~ Salma Hayek

A tough essay question?

To the student I would say, "Life is principally multiple choice, but at the end, there's a tough essay question." ~ Robert Brault

What do you understand by this "tough essay question"?

The glass of water...half full or half empty

Of course I look at the glass half full. The only time I would look at it half empty is when I think about how good the first half tasted. ~ Drew Deyoung

The great philosopher...Socrates

Chanced upon this short quote but it got my attention...

Beware the barrenness of a busy life ~ Socrates

Still getting my attention...I wonder why...Is it the barrenness? Or is it the busy life?...This quote has got me more interested in Socrates. Found some info which I thought was interesting about this great philosopher...

Socrates was usually to be found in the marketplace and other public areas, conversing with a variety of different people—young and old, male and female, slave and free, rich and poor—that is, with virtually anyone he could persuade to join with him in his question-and-answer mode of probing serious matters. Socrates' lifework consisted in the examination of people's lives, his own and others', because “the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being,” as he says at his trial (Plato, Apology 38a). Socrates pursued this task single-mindedly, questioning people about what matters most, e.g., courage, love, reverence, moderation, and the state of their souls generally. He did this regardless of whether his respondents wanted to be questioned or resisted him; and Athenian youths imitated Socrates' questioning style, much to the annoyance of some of their parents. He had a reputation for irony, though what that means exactly is controversial; at a minimum, Socrates' irony consisted in his saying that he knew nothing of importance and wanted to listen to others, yet keeping the upper hand in every discussion.

(Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/socrates/)

But when Socrates was in his forties or so, he began to feel an urge to think about the world around him, and try to answer some difficult questions. He asked, "What is wisdom?" and "What is beauty?" and "What is the right thing to do?" He knew that these questions were hard to answer, and he thought it would be better to have a lot of people discuss the answers together, so that they might come up with more ideas. So he began to go around Athens asking people he met these questions, "What is wisdom?", "What is piety?", and so forth. Sometimes the people just said they were busy, but sometimes they would try to answer him. Then Socrates would try to teach them to think better by asking them more questions which showed them the problems in their logic. Often this made people angry. Sometimes they even beat him up.

(Retrieved from http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/philosophy/socrates.htm)

Hmm, personally, I think it would be interesting and insightful to know more and think about the questions he asked. But I wonder if asking questions with no right answers is gonna irritate and anger people in the present society and community that we live within. Maybe... How many people are really comfortable with this kinda questioning? Hmm, or should I ask how many of us do wanna spend time asking and thinking about these questions, especially in an efficiency-driven environment? To what extent would it then be beneficial? But do we believe in the benefits in this kinda conversation? I am not sure if I should ask any more questions...