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The Most Empowering Experience

Hi,

I have recently realized how empowering having a life coach and coaching others can be.

For years, I carried small self-doubt and concern of things that are out of my control. Having a life coach and the skills and knowledge to coach others have been the best tools for me to remove the blockages that used to bother me from moving forward faster and/or experiencing my journey more peacefully and pleasantly.

Life Coaches are skilled professionals to assist and support you in uncovering and discovering our values and our blockages as well as forming and re-framing new perspectives and structures that will serve us better to achieve more content and abundant lives.

I personally feel ever so blessed to have grown to be the type of person that I am today with acknowledgment that I will always have many things to learn about on an ongoing basis in order to continue growing and moving forward.

Whenever I feel down, I just go through a few of my positive affirmations that will make me feel better, brighter and more confident in what I do. I also ensure that I apply my skills and knowledge to help others.

If you ever feel down for some reason, think of the more positive and pleasant experiences that you have crossed in your life so far. Celebrate on your accomplishments, learn from your mistakes and move forward towards better things. You'll soon feel better about yourself and life around you.

Once my friend said to me "learn to love others unconditionally".

Take Care,
Tenny

The DREAM Coaching Model

The DREAM Coaching Model

By: Tenny Charlesworth

I Can Do Life Coaching

The name I Can Do Life Coaching is inspired by my philosophy and belief that every human being is gifted with certain potential, talent and strength to achieve their DREAM in peace if they learn how, willing to take action, remain patient and work towards it persistently.

I believe that we naturally have the power to make our own decisions and choices that serve us well in life. We just need support in bringing out that power.

I Can Do Life Coaching is passionate to support, guide and empower YOU in bringing out your power and utilize it to discover your potential, talent and strength to turn your DREAMS into reality.

Following the name of I Can Do Life Coaching, the DREAM Coaching Model was designed to support YOU in our coaching process.

Our coaching process include:

• Identifying your DREAM, your current perspective and structure on your current situation. At this stage of the process you will be motivated and supported to identify and set your specific goals, short and long term realistic goals.

• Re-framing and REFORMING towards preferred perspectives and structures that will serve you better to remove any blockages that get in your way from moving forward. At this stage of the process you will be motivated, assisted and supported to set an action plan and time line of each step of the process.

• Uncovering your strength, passion and accomplishments that will EMPOWER yourself ensuring that you maintain your motivation and resilience to keep looking ahead and moving forward.

• Utilizing your courage and motivation to be able to actually take ACTION on each step of your plan, one by one with adequate breaks and nourishment in between ensuring that you enjoy your journey.

• Maintain your motivation, strength and enjoyment to keep MOVING-FORWARD towards YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM.

That was how my Coaching Model born:

• D r e a m

• R e f o r m

• E m p o w e r

• A c t i o n

• M o v e – F o r w a r d

With the above coaching model, my DREAM is to help YOU achieve your goals and becoming exceptional people in your own rights, turning your DREAMS into reality.

The power is within YOU and it is up to YOU to make YOUR choice and decision to utilize your own power orderly and wisely towards achieving your DREAMS.

If you wish to know more about life coaching and wish to experience coaching under the DREAM Coaching Model, please refer to www.icandolifecoaching.com

Coach Tenny Charlesworth

Brilliant Weekend

Hi All,

It's Saturday morning where I am right now and the weather is brilliant. It's a calm sunny 26*C day today and my spirit is lifted even more.

I woke up with morning feeling energised and motivated to do things. As I work full time during the week, like most people of course I have to catch up with my house work on the weekend. So far, I've had breakfast with family while talking about our week. We've done some washing, cleaning and a bit of gardening. We are now having our coffee break and getting ready to have our outing. We can't wait to get out there, having a walk and eating out for lunch.

So life is great for us, I can't complain at all. Despite our life being great for us though, I've prayed and donated for those who have been affected by the sad news of earth quakes and other natural or man made disasters. I feel for those innocent people who have been affected, so I pray a lot for them hoping that the pain they go through is barable, so they can bring themselves back up to becoming healthy and having the ability to start building their life all over again.

Let's take a moment to pray for those people and be grateful for what we have.

Take Care,
Coach Tenny

Coping With Change

Coping with Change

Coping with Change is probably one of the most important capability we need to have in today’s life.

Changes are often inevitable, out of our control and no doubt influence our lives in a big way. So, if we are not ready and prepared to receive and manage those changes coming our way, we will find life pretty stressful and difficult to deal with. This is because, today, changes do come very rapidly from different sources and directions.

They say that the most definite thing that we have in our life is change. There is no doubt, everyday, we will hear, read or find new things appearing in front of us and we need to make choices on what we are going to do with those changes.

I have a few options to help you cope with change:

• First of all, ask yourself these questions:

Is the change within your control?

Does the change directly affect you?

Is it necessary for you to respond to, react to or take action of?

Is it necessary for you to take on board the awareness and the knowledge of the change?

If you say “No” to all of those questions, I suggest, ignore that change and let go. You just continue focusing on your own agenda, having your own race to achieve your own goals happily and peacefully. Do not allow that change to affect your life in anyway what so ever.

If you say “Yes” to question 1, then obviously the change is your choice, so you should be in control all the way and enjoy the process.

If you say “Yes” to question 2 but it’s not within your control to do anything about it, explore for different perspectives and find the advantaging factor for YOU and embrace the change.

If you say “Yes” to question 3, explore and find positive perspectives and constructive responses and then respond to it professionally as necessary, go with the flow and enjoy the journey. Do anything you can, not to stress about changes that are not within your control.

If you say “Yes” to question 4, just take note in either your mind or physically write it down, and then move on with your own agenda as stated above. Preferably, write it down and then put it aside, so it does not become a distraction while you focus on your journey to achieve the most important goal for YOU.

I am confident that you can practice with this first option, you will be able to cope with change easily.

That’s my first article on this blog about “Coping with Change” and I will come back another day to write more about it.

If you need support and assistance to “cope with change” successfully and to have a well balanced life style, you may want to try life coaching. Here is the link to find out more about life coaching.

Bye for now,

Coach Tenny Charlesworth

Contact Details:

e > tenny@icandolifecoaching.com

w > www.icandolifecoaching.com

***

© Copyright 2009 – “I Can Do Life” Coaching

It's Sunday night and work tomorrow.

Hi All,

First of all I wish to apologize for being a bit slack in posting new articles. I have been very busy with my study and writing articles for my coaching career path.

If you like, you can visit my website www.icandolifecoaching.com.

Here is a small article about life coaching that you can have a sneak peak on.

• Have you had a life coach before? Do you know much about life coaching? To find out more, please read on and then refer to my “About Us” page to find out more about our background, particularly myself as your possible future coach.

• Coaching is neither mentoring, counseling nor consulting. Coaching is about non judgmental partnership to support functional people becoming exceptional.

• Coaches are trained, mature and resilient professionals who work with you as your sounding board and your partner who support, empower, listen and assist you to uncover your values and potentials, identify your specific goals and walking you through your journey to grow and succeed.

• Coaching is all about YOU. You are the one who knows exactly what your values are and exactly what you want. Life Coaches will work with you as your partner to help you uncover your dreams, help you put your thoughts and ideas in the right perspective and the right structure, and then going through the processes to achieve your goals, turning your wishes into something real and true that you can touch, feel and taste. They are your goals and your values for YOU to achieve.

• We all know that everyone of us has potentials to be whatever we want to be and to do whatever we want to do. It’s just that we don’t always know where to start and what to do with our potentials. Most of us get lost in the tapestry of life full of surprises, events and incidents.

• Life can be overwhelming sometimes. In order to be organized and to achieve our specific goals successfully, we need to put our thoughts in the right perspective and be able to re-frame our perspectives regularly. I can help you do this, so you can enjoy your life journey and achieve your dreams orderly, successfully and peacefully.

• I Can Do Life Coaching will work with you to uncover the unpolished diamond shining inside YOU and start polishing it and cutting it into a bright piece of diamond with brilliant cut and high clarity.

Enjoy your week,
Coach Tenny :)

My Celebrations - Life Coaching

To My Loyal Readers,

Hi All,

I have loved being a member of the ICA (International Coaching Academy) and I am learning so... much about the benefit of life coaching, having a coach myself and coaching others to help them achieve their goals.

Life Coaching has made a huge shift in my life as well as providing a service to help others making changes in their lives.

My clients are my family members, my friends, my colleagues, acquaintances and then anyone in the public who can see the huge benefits they can get from having a life coach.

The real celebration for me is seeing others achieving more in their lives and feeling more satisfied as a result of having a life coach.

I love this job, as it gives me satisfaction seeing my clients happier and more satisfied in their lives.

There is no better gift than giving others their satisfaction.

Love always,
Coach Tenny

How important is setting goals?

Some of us like setting goals, make it as a habit and they achieve a lot in their lives.

Some just simply don't like the idea of setting goals or planning as it seems rigid or structured to them and they don't like anything that comes across as a pressure.

What do you think?

I believe setting goals is a good thing. You don't have to call it as setting goals, you can just think about it as following a journey towards what's important and valuable to YOU.

At the end of the day we have to enjoy our journey and by achieving goals we certainly enjoy our life journey more. That's what it's all about.

xx

UAC

Do you know what a UAC is? It's an "Underlying Automatic Commitment". What really is it?
It is something that gets in the way of you moving forward. However, instead of looking at it as a negative thing, it is actually a door way towards change.

Most of us don't realise about our full potential in life. We usually have goals that we really want to achieve, however, we are not progressing towards achieving that goal because we are allowing other things getting in the way. Those other things are the "Underlying Automatic Commitments".

Our challenge is getting over those UAC and move forward towards our goals. How do we do that?

First of all, discover what you really want in life and what's really stopping you getting it.
What's your perspective on your current situation and how can you find a different perspective?
What are your options to get over the things that stop you moving forward? Work on those options and really get over those UAC and then make a new start with a clean slate.

Of course it is always easy said than done.

If required, find a good Life Coach that can help you go through this process as a starting point to your journey of success.

Regards,
Tenny

My Life Coaching Experience & Services

I am so... sorry for not posting any story since 3 July, I have been very busy with my study which I am really enjoying.

As part of my new study I also had to create a new blog specifically to post my articles related to my study.

I am studying with ICA to become a Life Coach and it has been so... exciting so far.

I always knew that Life Coaching was something that I wanted to do but never realised how much more exciting it actually is.

I have now spoken to so... many people around the world in my online coaching classes and that makes me feel privileged to be able to share other people's experiences in coaching globally. It is interesting to know that we all have commonality in human behaviours, human needs and our perspectives on things.

If you need a Life Coach or knowing anyone who need a Life Coach, please don't hesitate to contact me at "icandolife@gmail.com"

Kindest Regards,
Tenny

Touching the Void

If you don't know what I am talking about, why don't you start googling about it.

Wow...! That was the most inspirational documentary I've ever seen. I've watched it a while ago and just recently watched it again. It is unbelievable and certainly a miracle story..!

That Joe shows us real spirit about life and what you can do to try staying alive even in the situation that looked impossible to all of us including to himself I am sure.

After watching that, I feel really weak knowing that I don't even go outside when/if it is too cold or too hot outside. We often complain about little things crossing our path or getting in our way. I feel so... pathetic and embarrassed to be blessed and spoilt while at the same time feeling lucky to have had a fortunate life style, not having to struggle to survive.

No matter how your life is right now, why don't you watch this documentary. I am sure you will be stunned by the story.

Enjoy..!

My latest trip to Perth

I just returned from Perth and it was a great trip. I love Perth. It's such a lovely city.

I used to visit Perth regularly between 2002 and 2005 when my daughter studied there, so it was nice to be able to go again even though it was only a day trip and partly for work.

I went with my friend and stayed at the Medina Apartments on Barrack St. It was very nice and convenient, very close to everything particularly the shopping malls, cafes and train station, although we didn't need to train cos my kind friend Kuri drove us around, that was very nice of her. She drove us around the city, the South Pk and Fremantle.

We had a very nice sunny weather on our first day but raining on the second day and between mild sun shine and light drizzle on the third day. No matter how the weather is though, we still had a great time. Although weather is an external influence that usually affects our moods, I believe that happiness is within, not up to the weather, so tell yourself that you will remain happy and healthy, not matter what the weather is like.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

How to get around in Japan

I did a lot of research and planning and made all my decisions prior to our departure.

When I was in Japan for 16 days in May 2009 with my family, we used public transport to get around and everything worked very well for us. Thanks to the Japanese people and their Government for being so... organised and systematic with everything that they have in place and do. Amazing...!

I heard that taxi rides are very expensive in Japan but I wouldn't know how expensive is very expensive, as I didn't get to use it. I only found out during my research before I went to Japan that a taxi charge from Narita Airport to Shinjuku Tokyo would cost around 170,000 yen (around USD170), that is expensive for a 70km taxi ride comparing to 3000 yen per person by a limousine bus.

Although there were 3 of us and it would take longer by the limousine bus, we decided to take the bus, as it still worked out cheaper, very easy to organise, the bus would have been comfortable and was going to take us directly to our hotel that I booked in Shinjuku, Tokyo, as it was one of the major hotels in Shinjuku area called Keio Plaza Hotel, which was a very nice hotel.........

The hotel was only 10 minutes walk from the Shinjuku Train Station, which would be handy for us in the first 3 days of our stay in Japan.

As soon as we arrived at Narita Airport, we could feel that everything in Japan is very organised and systematic. The signs are in both Japanese and English at the Airport, so it was easy to work out where to go.

Because there were a lot of passengers arriving at Narita International Airport, we decided to just follow other passengers to begin with, as we figured out that everyone would have to go through custom.

As we got to the main area of the Airport, there was a shuttle train stopping and everyone jumped on that train. We weren't sure if that was the train for us as well but we jumped on it anyway, as everyone seemed to do the same. We figured out that all trains go to the same direction to the custom area.

When we got to the other end, we just followed the direction to the luggage collection area and our luggage were there ready for collection. We then went through custom which was very efficient. They used electronic passenger identification system by taking our finger prints through this little machine by getting us to place our right and left pointing fingers in these little slots on the machine and then took a picture of our face as well. They worked very efficiently and got people through very quickly. The officer who directed people through each cubicle was very efficient as well, no time wasted at all. Unbelievable..! I really admire the way they work. No matter what they do, they seem to take so much price in what they do.

We used JR train and subway to get around Tokyo and they were fast, cheap, clean and punctual. Incredible..! The stations and the trains were very busy, especially during peak hours but it didn't feel crowded or threatening in anyway what so ever. People were very quiet, considerate and respectful of others, everyone moved at the same pace or speed, they move out of the way when necessary and no body bumped into each other. Sweet..!

We went to Harajuku the next day by JR train and it only cost us 130 yen each each way, as it's only 2 stations away from Shinjuku Station. We didn't know what to expect in Harajuku but it was the busiest day I've ever seen. It turned out that so... many young people from different parts of Tokyo go there on Sundays to do their shopping for fashion. That Sunday was particularly busy as supposedely the following Monday and Tuesday were Public Holidays for them. I've never seen so.. many people in one area at the same time. The weather was beautiful and there were so.. much going on. Most people would probably feel overwhelmed with the situation but we enjoyed it, as it was different and we don't mind hectic moments.

On our third day, we went to Shibuya to find this particular Custom Made Bass Guitar Shop for our daughter. Shibuya is the next station from Harajuku and it cost us 150 yen per person per trip by JR train. We had fun and found the area different again.

On our forth day, we traveled to Kyoto by bullet train which we booked online prior to our departure from Australia. We stayed Kyoto for 3 days and used subway or walked to get around. Kyoto was beautiful and we loved the Nijojo Castle best.

We then went to Hiroshima by bullet train and stayed for 1 night and 2 days and then returned to Tokyo, also by bullet train, which only took 4 hours as the bullet train called Nozomi traveled at 300km per hour. The bullet train was awesome..! Better than traveling by aircraft. The total tour including the bullet train and hotels cost us 172,000.00 yen or around AUD2700.00 for 3 adults which I also booked online in Australia prior to our departure.

I already booked a hotel for the next 3 nights when we got back to Tokyo. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel at Ginza for 3 nights and Ginza is where the top designer fashion shops are. One of the main street is like 5th avenue of New York where the top designer label fashion shops like Louis Vuitton are. It was also a great stay for us.

We then went and stayed in Kanda and Akihabara area where the Musical Instrument Centre and Electrical Centre are. Busy area with lots of shops.

To top up our Japan holiday, we went to Maihama area for 2 nights and 3 days where the Disney Resort was and we stayed at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo which is one of the Tokyo Resort Official Hotels. It was beautiful and we spent a day in Disneyland before we left for the Airport the next day.

We used public transport for the whole time of our holiday in Japan and loved every minute of our journey.

Preparation For My Holiday In Japan

I was lucky that my eldest daughter lived in Japan for a few months, so I could get some information through her a little to begin with.

To top it up, I really like doing my research before I make my decision to go ahead with anything I plan to do, so that I can make informed decisions.

The main thing I make sure of is having a special saving account for our annual family holiday, as I don't like to have fun by interrupting our everyday living expenses, investment and emergency saving accounts. I don't like to borrow money to pay for our holiday either. So, I usually start ordering and booking flight, accommodation and tours after I save more than enough money to pay for everything up front. That way we can enjoy our holiday much more without worrying about money.

The type of holiday and the places we can visit are endless, so I would be realistic and tailor our holiday according to what we can achieve each year. Often we manage to have up to two or three short local or domestic holidays with one main/longer holiday overseas. Our Japan holiday was not cheap but it was so... worth it.

As both my husband and I are working full time for different companies, the first thing we needed to do was negotiating and making our decisions to apply for our holidays at the same time, working around our daughter's University holiday. We decided to take our holidays in May 2009, which is a nice time of the year in Japan. It's spring time in Japan, unfortunately it was after the cherry blossom season. Our dates were confirmed in around Oct 2008.

Once I had the dates, I searched for the best value airline tickets and immediately booked them online to secure the holidays, that way we had no chance to procrastinate.

I then researched on certain places to visit in Japan, the way to get around, the type of accommodation to stay in and the type of organised tours to book. It took me between 4 to 6 weeks to research, compare and decide which ones to book. It wasn't easy but the key to the whole thing is to be able to be decisive and take action. Don't procrastinate, just do it, book the ones that you feel the best at that time and be satisfied with your final decisions.

I booked and paid for everything online. I did everything with confidence and believed in myself that everybody was trustworthy and everything I found and booked online was true and real.

I was right. From the time I arrived at Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan, through out our 16 days holiday in different parts of Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima, everything worked out very smoothly and exactly as planned and as I booked them. I was very happy about that and that's confirmed to me that people in Japan and those who owned those online businesses that I booked my tours and hotels from are trustworthy.

The way everything worked out, made our holiday so... awesome.

Japan Holiday

I went to Japan with my husband and my 19 year old daughter and it was one of our best holidays so far. Every time we go away for a holiday, it's getting better each time. I believe that it has something to do with our own attitudes as well as everything else of course. I find that the more comfortable, confident and content we feel about ourselves and what we do, things usually workout so much better, smoother and more successfully.

We had a busy and fun holiday mainly in different parts of Tokyo such as Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Kanda, Akihabara and Maihama. We also spent 4 days in Kyoto, 2 days in Hiroshima and we had 1 day tour to Mt Fuji and Hakone.

There were so.. many people every where we went but it didn't feel crowded what so ever. Everything and everybody seemed to move at the same pace smoothly, calmly and structurally. They are fast, efficient and orderly. Everyone seemed to be on the same page, being respectful and considerate of others around them. They seem to take so much pride in whatever they do. I love that and I really respect them for being like that. I really admire disciplined people, as I totally believe that when everyone chips in to do the right thing, everything seems to work well. So I believe that people's attitudes make a huge difference towards success.

Because of those effective people and system as well as the neat, tidy and clean environment in Japan, our visit was so much more enjoyable. Everything worked exactly how we planned and expected it, which made us feel very happy, safe, secure, and relaxed. That's how holiday should be. It was worth every cent/yen we spent.

No one like hassles, so the Japanese well engineered and systematic way made our holiday hassle free.

The next time you holiday in Japan, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Best Wishes,
Tenny

Happy Holiday In Japan...........!

Wow..! what a holiday..! I loved it, loved it and loved it..! It was a brilliant holiday..! We did and saw so... many different things during our 16 day stay in Japan.

So.. much to tell and show but I am still jet-lagged and have not had enough time to gather all my thoughts, experiences and information in an orderly manner yet, so I don't know where to start at this stage but I promise I will give you as much information as I can over time.

What impressed me most about Japan was the effectiveness of the people and their systems. Everywhere we went and every time we turned, we found everything working so... smoothly, orderly and efficiently. We did not come across anything delayed or faulty.

Everything and every place we came across were so... clean and tidy. The people were very quiet, polite and respectful. They were extremely dedicated and committed towards their jobs and whatever they do. They were very focused and calm at the same time.

I will tell you more soon, good night for now.

My Japan Holiday

Just a brief note about my Japan holiday for now and I will write the full experience when I get home.

Today is our 4Th day in Japan and we are in Kyoto at the moment.

Tokyo was crazy... So... busy... but fun..! I have never seen so... many people at one time on a normal day. There were so... many young people shopping every where on Sunday, unbelievable..! That was just in Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya. Not as many shoppers in Kyoto today but there were still streets, arcades and rows of shops every where and people were still shopping away, even in the rain. The good thing is we mostly walked under shelters including across the intersections.

Everything is so... well engineered and organised here in Japan and the people seem to work so... hard every where we go. They are so... fast, effective and accurate with what they do. They don't hesitate to give you the best service they possibly can and they are always so... appreciative of your purchase. If they don't know the answer to your question, they would go out of their way to get the answer for you. They are just incredible, I really admire their dedication towards their jobs and providing good service. They are also very polite and respectful.

The public transport system is incredibly effective, just amazing...! You don't find or see any failure, delay or mistake any where. To say that there are millions of traffic each day in the major train stations, all the ticketing machines and every other parts of the humongous system work correctly and accurately. Almost everything is automated and works so... fast. It's unbelievable..!

The ladies here are so... thin and fashionable. They still look thin even with layers of clothing with frills, scarves, big boots and big Louis Vuitton bags. They look absolutely fashionable. They are so... little and beautiful, like dolls.

I am loving my holiday and my daughter has bought a few things for herself. My husband has also been looking through these shops with us. Although most of them are only good for girls, I am sure he is enjoying the experience as well, as anything important to his daughters is important to him, especially when we were looking through musical instrument shops in Shibuya, Tokyo. We saw some beautiful custom made basses in Shibuya yesterday and we wish we could buy our daughter one. We'll find one before we leave Japan though.

Anyway, I am using limited free Internet access at the hotel, so I'd better go, in case other people want to use the it.

By for now and I will write in more details when I get back to Australia.

Dreaming Is The Beginning Of Your Success

No matter what you read and who you speak to about how to succeed, they've all advised me that having a vision or a dream is always the starting point that we need to have in order to achieve our goals.

According to experts, our mind is extremely powerful and the way it works is by being told often enough about something until the idea is manifested subconsciously, which will then order all parts of your body to act towards the goals you want to achieve.

So... if we tell ourselves negative ideas or thoughts often enough, our brain will tell our body to generate negative energy to act towards those negative thoughts, hence negative results.

On the contrary, if we tell our brain what we want rather than what we don't want, i.e. good and positive things all the time, our brain will order our body to generate positive energy to act towards those beautiful things that you want.

My suggestion is, rather than sitting there and under minding this idea, why don't you try doing it, start doing it with little things and prove it yourself. The key to it is by believing in what you are thinking and saying. Start with a little or simple thing like wanting to get a car park at a certain spot, test it and see if you achieve it. If not, usually because you are not believing in what you are asking for.

Basically, get in a habit to think positively and to believe that only good things would happen to you, while at the same time, stay faithful about the reality of life, so when things don't turn out as you expect it, you know that it's nothing bad, it's just part of life. That way you will always be happy with whatever you get but you will also keep attracting good things in your life, so you won't even notice when things don't go quite the way you want it because nothing will bother you.

Accept the things you cannot change, have the courage to change the things you can and have the wisdom to tell the difference.

Most of all, embrace good things and show gratitude for this beautiful life.

Take care and smile....:)

Thought Of The Day - 4

Character is what you really are; Reputation is what others think you are. Reputation is from others; Character is in you.
Anonymous.

Thought Of The Day - 3

It's not the amount of time you devote, but what you devote to the time that counts.
Anonymous.

Thought Of The Day - 2

If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all.

Thought Of The Day - 1

PREDICT another good day for yourself. Expect something great to happen.
Anonymous.

Being Grateful For Simple Things In Life

Have you come across people who complain a lot, even if they were actually luckier than those people who are more disadvantaged with poverty, permanent illnesses, disabilities, natural disasters, wars, lack of natural resources and lack of development?

I feel sorry for those people. Can you imagine feeling miserable and frustrated just because the weather is a little warmer or cooler than how you wanted it to be? or just because you have to go to work every day to earn a living? or just because your computer is responding a little slower? or just because your dinner is a little cold or burnt?

Some people out there can't even get clean water to drink without boiling it or lucky enough to get one meal of a small bowl of rice porridge in a day. They don't have hot or cold water on tap, they don't have a job to go to knowing that they will get paid to pay for rent, bills and food.

So..... remember to be grateful for what you have, even the simple things in life such as the sun shine, water, clean air and life itself.

Be thankful and smile..:)

Great Minds Talk About Ideas

I read a quote in a magazine saying "great minds talk about ideas, average minds talk about events and small minds talk about people." I smiled when I read this quote, as I have come across many people in my life time who love talking about people or events. Does that mean that they are more people around us with average and small minds? who knows? but we can do something to train our minds in becoming better or greater.

So, next time you have a chat with someone, think about what you talk about. If you find yourself gossiping about other people, bite your lips or your tongue and change the subject. Talking about events would be better and talking about plans and ideas is even better.

Talking about ideas is certainly much more useful then gossiping about people. Ideas help all of us gaining better results but gossiping causes a lot of harm.

Think before you talk and come up with some great ideas. Better again if you can share your great ideas with others.

Positive Minds

I don't know about you? but I do find myself becoming more positive and content as I am growing older. The down side I am finding is feeling frustrated being around negative, pessimistic and miserable people, so my next goal is actually accepting or ignoring those who choose to be negative, pessimistic or miserable unless I can help them to become more positive, optimistic and happy.

I do find some people are so set in their ways to be extremely negative, pessimistic and miserable all the time, even when things are good, they tend to manage to find ways to turn things into the negative side. These people are almost hungry for bad news or negativity. They don't seem to believe that things can be good for them. They almost search for negative things to talk or think about. It's bizarre that they can be like that. I just don't understand at all.

I often feel sad for those people, the only trouble is, I don't think they feel sad at all, they actually seem to be happy being negative and happy to bring other people down with them. One says: "misery loves company."

I actually know people whom I avoid to see too often. This is simply because I am not prepared to feel miserable with them. The reason being, no matter how hard I try to help them becoming more positive, I usually struggle and we always end up having disagreement rather than positive outcome, this is because they stubbornly refuse to see or accept my positive view points, sad... hey..!

It's sad that negativity seems to spread more easily than positivity. Negativity is like a contagious disease and when it becomes a culture it's way too hard to break. This is why I love to talk, write and publish positivity, so I can stay positive and hopefully bring others into my positive world. I hope you agree with me and enjoy reading this blog.

So... how can we stay positive? Here are some tips:

• There are always two sides to every story, the bright side and the dark side or the positive side and the negative side. Find the bright side and keep that thought in your mind for as long as you can. Get in a habit of seeing the bright side of everything and keep doing it, no matter what. Listen to your positive mind and ignore external negative influences.

• Read, watch or talk about comedic (funny) things or events and enjoy it. Even when they are not supposed to be that funny, try to find the funny side of things and laugh or smile.
  

• Make time to relax and spend quality time with family and friends or by yourself if that's preferred. You can spend time with family and friends over meals, coffee and cake, a glass of wine ("I mean a glass") or doing activities together such as walking, cycling, skating, swimming, playing team sports, cooking, gardening, anything that you can enjoy. Do this regularly, weekly or fortnightly.
  

• Have fun with whatever you do, including work and chores. Think of them as just things to do, rather than chores or duties. Living human being do things, only dead people do nothing, so be thankful and grateful that you have the energy, the capacity and the capability to do things. Show gratitude and don't complain about doing things in life, you could have been ill, disabled or even dead.

• Don't think too much about what you have to do, just do them.
  

• Have faith in whatever you believe in and accept things you cannot change.
  

• Dream...! and then keep making affirmation of your dream everyday. Imagine that you are already living your dream. Convince yourself that you will become what you want to be or achieve what you want to achieve. I don't mean dreaming yourself silly and not willing to take action on the work to take you to your destination. I mean dream consciously, repeatedly and frequently, so you will manifest your dream into your subconscious mind. You and your dream will automatically generate powerful or magnetic energy to attract each other until you turn your dream into reality. This will certainly keep you positive and make you happy, don't you think?

Stay positive, stay safe and enjoy life..!!!

Being Happy At Work

Whether you work as employees, employers, business owners, investors or freelance artists, we still spend a lot of our time at work if not most of our time. So if we are not happy at work there is not much time left for happiness, right?

So what do we need to do to be happy at work?

1. Put a price tag on everything you do at work, just remember that you do get paid to do what you have to do at work and most importantly you want or need that money, so there is no point complaining, you get paid to do your work.
   
2. Always find the positive side of what you do. Most jobs involve doing something for other people. Instead of seeing it as a chore, think of it as helping others, whatever that makes you feel better. At the end of the day, you decided to work where you work, no one forced you to work where you work. You probably put a lot of effort to get that job, so respect your employers and your colleagues, do the right thing and put commitment in what you do at work.
   
3. If you cannot enjoy your job at all, don't just complain and drag everyone around you down, find out why and make a decision to take action to change jobs or leave, don't waste everyone's time, it's not cool and it's unfair on others.

Life is too short and your workplace is where you spend a third of your time. So, enjoy your job and be happy at work.

Respect others around you by being committed to what you do where ever you are.

Best Regards,
Tenny

Kidney Bean and Carrot Soup

This is another popular West Javanese dish that my family likes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of kidney beans
• 2 large carrots - slice thinly
• 2 cloves of garlic - crush - this is optional
  
• 4 shallots (Asian Onions) - slice thinly - these days, they can be purchased at a normal Supermarket. If not found, they be purchased at an Asian Grocery Store
  
• 2 stalks of spring onions - cut at 1 inch length
  
• 1 large fresh tomato - chopped into small pieces
  
• 4 Dry Asian bay leaves - can be purchased at an Asian Grocery Store
  
• 2 pieces of dry or fresh galangal root (look like ginger but harder, larger and smell different) - can be purchased at an Asian Grocery Store
• 2 table spoons of shaved Asian palm sugar
• 2 tea spoons of sea salt
• 1 tea spoon of white or black pepper
  
• 1/2 tea spoon of pured tamarind - you can purchase this at a normal Supermarket. If not found, it can be purchased from an Asian Grocery Store but often sold in slabs rather then pured in jars
• 1.5 l of boiling water
  
• 1 table spoon of cooking oil
  

Method:

• Saute sliced shallots and crushed garlic in oil until soft and sightly brown
  
• Add sliced carrots, kidney beans and boiling water
• Add chopped spring onions and tomatoes, then all the herb and spices listed above
• Boil until all ingredients and spices blend into a tasty soup

* Serve with hot jasmine rice, crispy split anchovies, plain omelet, salt and pepper tofu and Tempe and Asian crackers*

Enjoy..!

Semur Daging (Beef in Soy)

This dish is a favourite West Javanese dish that became popular in my Western mix family, as it is tasty but still mild (not spicy)

Ingredients:

• 1 kg bolar roast beef - cut in 3cm cubes
  
• 10 cocktail potatoes - wash
  
• 2 large carrots - peel and cut in 3cm length
  
• 1 large onion - chop in small cubes
  
• 3 cloves of garlic - crush
  
• 3 cm ginger root - peel and slice thinly
  
• 2 large fresh tomatoes or 1 can of sliced tomatoes - if fresh, chopped in small pieces
  
• 1/4 cup of sweet soy sauce (ABC kecap manis)
• 1 tea spoon ground black pepper or less if preferred
  
• 1/2 tea spoon of salt or less if preferred
  
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1 - 2 table spoon vegetable cooking oil
  

Method:

• Saute sliced onion, crushed garlic and sliced ginger until soft and slightly brown in a large sauce pan
  
• Add beef and stir until the outside is slightly brown
• Add potatoes, chopped carrots, chopped tomatoes, soy, salt & pepper, nutmeg
  
• Stir and bring to the boil
• Turn heat down, put the lid on and simmer until everything is well cooked and soft

Serve with hot cooked jasmine rice, cucumber and Indonesian crackers or prawn crackers.

Enjoy...!

Easter Holiday

Hi Everyone,

First of all, I wish to say "Happy Easter" and may God bless you all.

It's been one of the most beautiful Easter Holiday for my family. We are spending such beautiful quality time together without having to rush around much at all.

Today is the third day of the 4 day weekend and it has been one of the most peaceful break for me.

Walking to the beach near our home with my husband each morning has been the highlight of my holiday. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, just the right temperature for me, reaching the maximum of 27*c. The sea water has been extremely calm and clear with just a few people fishing on the jetty, as most people would have gone away this weekend. Many would have probably gone up to the Flinders Ranges where my husband and I love to go as well, but we usually avoid going during the busy season like this weekend.

Spending quality time with our eldest daughter has been the best experience as well, as she has lived such a busy life all her life normally. Our younger daughter is still very busy with her music study and activities in another state at the moment.

Oh... I am just feeling so... happy about my life right now and have been most of my life. Despite many negative external influences, I am still feeling good about my life. Instead of allowing negativities letting me down, I prefer to use my energy to do constructive activities such as helping those in needs.

Anyway, I have to chat to my daughter on the skype now.

Will write to you again later.

Childhood Dreams

Famous Quotes:
Victor Hugo: "There is nothing like a dream to create the future."

Do you remember those days when your dad, your mum or your teacher asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up? or when you said it to yourself what you wanted to be?

Growing up with 10 siblings and having parents who were so... proud of their children, I grew up with my dad asking us frequently what we wanted to be when we grew up.

The funny thing is, in my case, I can't remember what I used to say I wanted to be exactly. I think I used to just come up with anything fancy like becoming a doctor or a lawyer or something just to please my dad. My dad used to help me out in making my decision about what I should be or what I wanted to be. He used to say that I would be a good lawyer, ha...ha..., although I was clear in saying that I didn't want to be a teacher, as I used to get very frustrated teaching or helping my younger siblings doing their homework.

I was the most impatient person around when it comes to teaching. The funny thing was though, I got a scholarship after high school to study to become a teacher at the University of Education where people study to become teachers. I didn't take the offer of course, as I didn't even apply for it, my teacher who was very proud of me applied for it on my behalf and he did it as a surprise for me, not knowing that teaching was the last thing I wanted to do.

About my childhood dream, I am sure I used to just say to my dad that I just wanted to become somebody useful and helpful or a wholesome person. That probably explains it, because all my life I've loved learning about everything and I've loved just putting so much effort in being productive and being self sufficient while helping others whenever I can. I think and plan ahead about what to do next all the time.

I used to be one of these kids who was very serious and studied a lot. I used to do so much school work, music practice and doing extra curricular everyday, even my mum used to try to stop me studying too much, as she thought that it was unhealthy for me to study as much as I did without playing enough like other kids. What she didn't realise was that studying and doing things or making things were my enjoyment rather than chores.

I am one of those people called "jack of all trades, master of none." Instead of being a master or a doctorate of a particular subject matter, I've obtained about a dozen different Certificates and Diplomas in different subjects such as Secretarial, Foreign Language, Computing, Accounting, Marketing, Training and Workplace Assessment, Counseling, Government (Compliance and Fraud Investigation), Government (Management) and Coaching. I have also attended many independent seminars and read best sellers books related to business practice and personal development.

After learning and working most of my life time so far, a few years ago, I've only just discovered and confirmed exactly what I wanted to be, which is consistent with what I used to say to my dad and with what I've been learning and experiencing through out my life.

My study and my jobs have always been related to helping people and working with people. I've also received many feedback from others that my forte is motivating and coaching people. Without knowing exactly or specifically what I wanted to be then as a child, I must have known exactly what I wanted to be, as everything I have studied and done are the subject matters that were evolving to who I am today. This is the reason why I love my current job as a Team Manager to a group of people who provide service to the public. I also love writing articles that are positive and beneficial to the readers. Thanks to "Google" for providing me with a magnificent tool to share my positive thoughts with you. I hope you enjoy reading them too.

So... enough about my story, how about you? Do you remember those days as a kid when you were asked or when you thought it yourself what you wanted to be when you grew up?

• Do you remember what you said or thought you wanted to be?
  
• Did you have anything specific what you wanted to be?
  
• Have you thought about that childhood dream regularly?
  
• Have you been doing the things to take you to that childhood dream?
  
• Have your parents or other adults around you helped or supported you in achieving your dream?
  
• Have you broken down your goals into smaller ones?
  
• Have you achieved any of your smaller goals or are you on the path to get there?
• How close are you to achieving that childhood dream?
  
• Do you think it is achievable?
  
• What are the barriers that stop you getting there?
  
• What options do you have to get you there?
  
• What assistance do you need to get you there?
• How can you identify your potential?
• How can you take action?
  

I hope you got your answers to all of those questions above. I hope this article helps you to think and to identify your childhood dream and I hope this motivates you to start planning more structurally and to take action.

If you need assistance you can comment on this blog and I will contact you.

Keep dreaming and create your own future..!

Best Wishes,
Tenny

Family Favourite Winter Dish - Chicken and Vegetables Soup

Hi All,

Summer is almost over in Australia and Autumn is coming. We are starting to have cool nights and healthy hot soup is always popular in our family.

As my children were growing up, they used to love my home made chicken and vegetable soup and they still love it now. My husband loves it too. So here is the recipe. Enjoy..!

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 large chicken breast
• 1 large brown onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 large stick of celery
• 2 medium florets of cauliflower
• 1 cup of chopped green beans
• 1 can of creamed sweet corn
• 1 can of 3 or 5 mix beans
• 1 fresh tomato
• 1/2 cup of chopped spring onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 l of boiling water
  

Method:

• Chop chicken breast and vegetables into 1 cm cubes and crush garlic.
• Saute chopped brown onions and crush garlic, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, stir until soft.
• Add chopped chicken breast and cook until brown.
• Add chopped vegetables and cook in about 2 cups of boiling water until slightly soft.
• Add canned beans, sweet corn, chopped tomato, chicken stock and more salt and pepper to taste, cook until all vegetables are well cooked.
• Add chopped spring onions, put the lid on.
• Serve with croutons or toast.

If you wish, you can use broccoli, sweet potatoes or any other vegetables you like.

Try to make this soup this autumn and winter and see if your family likes it.
Enjoy..!

What a magnificent picture..!!!

Happiness is within YOU..! You'll find it..!

The word "happy" is used by most people or almost everyone. We all like the word "happy" and we all want to be happy.

The feeling of happiness is relative and everyone has different perception, ideas, measures or reasons what make them happy.

I've met a lot of people who owns an enormous amount of material possession but don't seem to be satisfied, content, calm, peaceful or happy, while on the other hand, there are people who owns next to nothing other than their basic necessities such as a little bamboo hut, a few clothes and being able to eat each day, yet they seem to be happier. So material possession doesn't always make people happier.

Is it because some people don't know any better and never owned much than their basic needs, so they appreciate the basic things? OR is it because they are actually more educated and more grateful for what they possess? What do you think?

I think TRUE HAPPINESS comes from the possession of inner maturity, acceptance and gratitude.

These three things cannot be achieved lightly. One would need to be highly mature and educated in one way or another to possess these behavioural values. They may not necessarily have to be academically educated with universal formal qualifications such as a master or doctorate of a particular subject, however, they would most likely have to be focused and keen to educate themselves in becoming a better person in carrying out their day to day life activities.

I feel that having high interest and taking action in self development would be one of those education that allows people to grow, becoming more mature, accepting and grateful.

Many people develop themselves through formal education, religious activities, cultural activities, or simply learning from their day to day basic activities. The most important thing is learning from what we do, see, hear and encounter, particularly from our mistakes.

People who have fear of making mistakes don't usually do much in their lives and they don't learn much either. They often become the narrow minded types who judge or blame others a lot rather than utilising their energy to learn from others, do positive things and become a better person each day.

So... enjoy life, smile, be proactive to do positive things, learn from others and simply explore everything all the time. Most of all enjoy what you do and stay safe.

While it is always wise and important to think and calculate before you act, get motivated to educate yourselves to become the expert of something and to become a better person, try new and different things, take a bit of risk but be prepared to accept the consequences and don't hesitate to live your life to your full potential.

We only live once and life is not a dress rehearsal, while it is important to be mindful, careful and calculated, do what you love doing and don't forget to smile.............!!!

Famous Quotes:
Robert F Kennedy: "Only those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly."
Publilius Syrus: "No man knows what he can do till he tries."

Take Care,
xx

Public Holiday is a Relaxing Day for me......

I normally work five days a week, so the first thing I normally do each morning is getting ready for work and when I get to work, I work and work and work, which what I like doing.

I've been working in an office environment for about 30 years with a couple of years break when I had my first daughter who is now 24 years old.

I had a choice to be a stay at home mum when we started a family 25 years ago but I couldn't cope with a thought of not having a job or something that fully belongs to me, giving me assurance and confidence about myself. Doing what I love doing and what I am good at is like my identity for me. That's why I've always been working, and the extra money has certainly given my family a much better life style and education, so having full time and permanent job has been the best thing for me.

Despite the fact that I love working and I am so... used to working, I really cherish public holidays and today is one of those public holidays that I really enjoy because it's an Easter Holiday when most people around are happy and peaceful.

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I noticed was the calm and bright day. It was so... quiet and peaceful, so I asked my husband if he would like to go for a walk on the beach which is five minutes walk from our home.

Oh..... you wouldn't believe... how beautiful it was by the sea..! The water was so... calm and blue. It was low tied and the water was so... clear, you could see everything in the shallow sea water. We could see the star fish on the reef and there were a lot of fish in the water this morning.

Another good thing about today was, when we got home from our beautiful walk, my daughter made us the best cooked breakfast. We had croisant, egg, tomato, mushroom and baked beans. It was the best cooked breakfast I've even had because my own daughter made it for me and she cooked and served it with love and flair. What more would a mother want?

The calmness was so... shooting and relaxing, just unbelievably blessing..!

So... during this holiday, if you have opportunities to do something peaceful, calming and relaxing, don't miss out, enjoy the break from the busy working days.

Make sure you stay safe too......!

If you know that alcohol affects your well being and behaviour, stay away from it! it's not worth the risk for yourself and/or others around you. Try to enjoy your break without too much alcohol. The weather is magnificent so far, so enjoy the sun shine.

xx

Another Beautiful Day..!

We had another beautiful weather in Adelaide today. I went for a walk in the sun with my friend at lunch time and it was great.

Whenever you have a chance to go for a walk, make sure you do it, it's a very healthy activity, you can think and talk effectively while you walk in the fresh air. Walking is one of the cheapest and best exercise you can find, just make sure you don't block your hearing with loud music if you walk near traffic, it's dangerous if you can't hear the traffic.

I live near the beach and feel blessed to be able to walk on the beach when I can, usually in the afternoon or evening after work, as I don't have time to go in the morning. I walk in the morning on the weekend with my husband and we both love spending quality time this way. We can talk pleasantly and get healthy exercise.

We both love working and feel blessed to have jobs, so don't complain about having to be at work everyday. It's just part of our life and we've had a great life so far. We've been able to buy a family home, sending our children for good education and go on holidays every year, sometimes two or three times a year, so having to go to work is not a problem for us. We love our lives and we wouldn't do it any other way.

We also love our children and we would do anything for them.

Good night for now.
xx

Staying Positive and Motivated

Following the daily news is a good thing, so we know what's going on around us, nationally and globally. Just be careful what you take in from the news. Especially when you keep hearing too many bad news day in day out. That's dangerous for your own well being.

While it is a good idea to know what's happening and it is not a bad thing to feel empathetic and sympathetic towards others, try not to treat those bad news as if they are part of your life. If you want to make a difference, do something constructive such as giving to charity, helping voluntarily or simply cheer people up.

No good being negative, feeling miserable and dragging yourself or others around you down. Life is too short and it is not a dress rehearsal. Be positive and do good things for yourself and others around you.

First of all smile, enjoy the sun shine and say something nice to someone every day.

Things happen, life is unpredictable and illnesses are not prejudice. While we have to make every effort to maintain our health and well being, we might still be unlucky sometimes, running into something negatively unexpected.

The right attitude, goes a long way, so stay positive and motivated. You will achieve your dreams.

Health and Resilience

Yes, that's right..! I can't believe that it's been over two weeks since I last wrote and unfortunately my lingering headache is still lingering on and off. It's so... odd. It felt as if I had some kind of virus but I started feeling much better since yesterday.

Despite a little discomfort due to illness, I continued to attend work and I managed to still get a lot done. I was glad about that and it made me feel good knowing that I have the strength to maintain my resilience and my interest to do what I enjoy doing.

I have been spending a lot of quality time with my husband and my daughter and it's been great.

I had a lot of time reflecting on my life and the life of others that happen to encounter through various forums such as work, social interaction, news, movies and articles I read.

This week's highlight has been the discovery of my ability to deal with difficult people and difficult situations.

Since I started working as a Team Manager to manage 15-16 staff members in a complex workplace and client base over the past 2.5 years, I feel that I have become quite professional and resilient when dealing with difficult people and difficult situations.

The key to develop resilience in this area is to be in a position of having to deal with them, to take action when difficult situations arise and to continue experiencing the process no matter how tiring and/or frustrating some of them may be.

It is now 2:30 AM and I am feeling really tired. So... good night, sleep tight.

Smile anyway - Thursday, 19th of March 2009

Hello Everyone,

It is very unusual that I am feeling unwell. I have had aches and pains through out my body particularly my weak area at the back of my neck. I've also had a few headaches including migraines lately, I don't know why.

Despite the pains and aches, I still smile and keep doing what I have to do, particularly going to work and continue to work effectively. I think my employer is very lucky in that respect. I've always had a good work ethic and I am usually resilient.

I totally believe that my positive thinking contributes a lot towards my happiness and my resilience. I am sad for those who think and speak negatively all the time. They are very tiring to listen to and I don't think they realise how much they drag others down.

Today, I experienced a moment at work when I had to remind someone to stop talking in a negative language but this person was very defensive and didn't listen to me at all. She does not realise that her negative language lets people down.

So... I have a job to do to lift their spirit and teach people to think and speak positively at all times. They need to learn and realise the healthy impact when they speak positively.

Silver Wedding Anniversary

Today is the 14th of March. On the 10th of March 25 years ago, my husband and I got married in a Marriage Registry Office in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. As we had different nationalities, my husband being English and I was Indonesian, the registry marriage was required before we had our Traditional Big Fat Sundanese Wedding Ceremony. A week later on the 18th of March, we declared our marriage in front of our huge extended families from both my mum and dad's sides, as well as the people of the village where my dad was born and where we grew up. The traditional wedding ceremony and a reception with around 800 guests was very eventful and it was something that I will always remember.

Today, we live close to my husband's family in a small city in Australia. There are only 14 of us in our family. For our Silver Wedding Anniversary, I could have had a big party inviting up to 100 friends but I decided to only have a small family gathering at home with delicious Indonesian home cooking. My lovely daughter made beautiful Thai basil chicken and mustard chicken, I made warm beef and rice noodle salad, yellow festive rice, potato and corn beef cakes, and my sister made rendang. We had absolutely beautiful dinner. My sister and her husband bought us a beautiful cake as well and I made black rice pudding with coconut sauce for desert.

One specific thought and decision I had today was not to listen to anyone making any negative remark or comment about anything. I have seriously decided not to entertain complainers.

Love you all,
xx

Being Busy Is Healthy

Hi ...,

I've been very busy with other activities in my life at the moment, that's why it's been a while since my last update.

I've been busy communicating and spending quality time with my family as well as being busy at work contributing towards various activities to assist those who are experiencing such horrendous disasters with the floods up north and bush fires in Victoria.

While we are all busy doing what we can to assist and to contribute towards those experiencing sad disasters, we should always make sure that our own and family health is well taken care of, so we can continue helping those in need.

So... take care and enjoy the weekend.

Love always,
xx

Three a day to keep your trouble away

Think of three positive things each day that make you feel good and happy.

One positive thing each day is probably enough but do it everyday.

Don't forget * It's worth it * and You deserve to feel happy and safe everyday.

Three positive things for me today were:

1. Walking in the sun shine with my loving husband and daughter;
   
2. Eating beautiful Korean meal for lunch with my loving husband and my daughter;
3. Spending quality time with my sister, her loving husband and sons.

"ME" Time is a Creative Time.

By the way, lately I've been reading and learning a lot about how to be constantly dynamic and motivated.

So.. if you ever feel flat as if nothing is moving forward, pick one thing that you really love doing and make efforts to spare a bit of time each day to do just that, no matter how busy you are with work, family and other commitments.

You all deserve to have a "ME" time when you don't do any work related activity. Even if you think you are not productive enough at first, this is probably the most productive time when you will be really creative with new ideas and thoughts.

Start today and then do it everyday if you can.
Enjoy..!

It's February already..!

Hi All,

Sorry that I haven't written here for about a month. I can't believe it's been that long since I last wrote. I've been busy with work and family commitments as well as communicating with friends and family on facebook. I've also been busy studying, writing other materials and researching my future study that I am excited about.

So.... how about you? been busy too? Keeping busy is a good thing, so you don't have time or space to think about negative things, although, lately... there have been many sad disasters such as bushfires and floods in Australia as well as other disasters in other parts of the world including the global economic crash and extreme climate change.

While billions of people including us are still lucky carrying on doing what we do in our lives, there are also millions of unfortunate people out there. So.. let's pray for them.

Stay strong, healthy and safe.

Love you all,
T

The Flinders Ranges

My husband and I have just returned from our 2 day camping trip at the Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

The weather was gorgeous and the views of the ranges were spectacular.

Sorry that I couldn't take any photo this time, as believe it or not, we left the camera home and when I tried to use my phone to take photos with, the phone was out of battery. So I decided to buy a small book of photos by Pete Dobre.

They are beautiful photos. I will scan a few and share them with you next time, as I am really tired right now. I have to go to sleep, as I will be going to work tomorrow.

Ciao for now,
xx

More Sunsets on the 3rd & 4th Days of 2009

Magical sunsets on Christmas Day 2008

Christmas is a special day for most people in Australia and it is a very special day for my parents in-law.

I highly respect Christmas day and the people who celebrate Christmas religiously. I enjoy my yearly visit to my parents in-law's home who always prepare a beautiful English tradition Christmas roast lunch for all the family. It's always so... beautiful and everyone is very happy on the day enjoying each other's company and the delicious food.

That evening, my husband and I decided to go for a walk to the beach near our home and I took several photos of the most magical sunsets.

There they are, enjoy...!!!

Holiday in the Gold Coast

Hi All,

How have you all been? I hope this news find you well and happy.

I was away in the first week of Dec 08 for a holiday with a friend in the Gold Coast. It was a beautiful holiday. We stayed on the 11th floor of Voyager Resort at Broadbeach, Gold Coast.

During the holiday, we did a lot of walking, talking and reflecting on our experiences. We learned a lot from each other and I have been able to write about them in my diary as well as my notes for my stories when I am ready to write them properly.

My friend took a small set of water color, paper and brushes to let me practice with my painting. I am not good at it, I just wish I could paint, so I have a go every now and then. I painted a couple of postcard size sea views, pretty ordinary painting but I kept them anyway.

I took a few photos and here there are.