MIA
months of MIA - mainly because my students created a facebook account for me. yes, I have switched over to the dark side *use my best darth vader voice*...now you know where I've disappeared off to.
A New Year
alright so after all the whistles, bells, holiday cheer, video games and chicken wings - adrian and i rang in the new year. of course the other way that i ring in the new year with my usual - "it's a new year, don't take it for granted" post. I recieve this email from a friend:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgement, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are the days of quick trips, disposale diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.Remember to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next country, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
my starbucks cup once said
you know how there's always some form of writing on your starbucks cup? most of the time i don't ready it because just saids "beware, the contents of this cup is extremely hot"
anyways, here's what my starbucks cup once said:
"The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you're not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out, pursue any goal. Don't take it personally when they say "no" - they may not be smart enough to say "yes""
i like that. strange how sometimes you talk to people and the most fitting advise you can give them, you once got off of a starbucks cup.
gaining perspective
as the holiday season rolls around and we're busy shopping it's nice to take a moment and gain a bit of perspective - i stumbled on this from Tara's blog
http://www.globalrichlist.com/index.php i found out that i was amongst the top 3% of the richest people in world...
$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.
$30 could buy you an ER DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.
$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.
$2400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.
A bit of perspective
i finally caved
alright i finally caved...my students signed me up for a facebook account and now i'm on there all the time AHHH!
besides that, i finally got around to getting my photos from my mexico trip developed. since the mexico trip, i've been to quebec and montreal, nice in france and turkey for work. i love this job!
life on the road
Just wanted to give you a bit of an update on the life on the road.
Life on the road is very bumpy. We've been travelling everyday and traffic
in Mexico is crazy! Good thing is that I'm with a really great group of recruiter from other Canadian universities so
we've been doing a lot of singing to old 80's songs in the Van.
The high school students in Mexico are incredible and I have to say, the
questions they ask and the level of maturity really blew my mind. Some of them even knew where Simon Fraser University was which is impressive (usually, everyone saids "UBC, McGill, U of T" and that's it for Canada). So far, all the students seem to think that Canada is entirely covered in ice...so I've still got some work to do.
I endured our longest drive today - a 3 hour trip to a spectacular campus
for the Marymount international school. The school is in an old colonial
estate built on top of the mountains. I've been relatively good (no motion
sickness) compared to other recruiters - 3 of them required some love and
care today.
We've also been stopped by police officers today on our way to Marymount on
suspicions of "people trafficing". We avoided a trip to the police station
by giving them $100US. They were then kind enough to give us a "reciept" in
case of more trouble down the road. Apparently if we were stopped again by
other police officers, we just have to tell them "code 17"...
more later...
mondonation
a coworker of mine showed up yesterday in a shirt that he printed from
MONDONATION. What is mondonation?
mondonation is an experiment built around the idea that if we all share our beliefs on a daily basis, by wearing them on our bodies, they will grow in strength. This will begin to affect the people who wear their beliefs and also everyone they come into contact with. What we do is give people the opportunity to wear their beliefs. You get to choose a charity from a growing list of charities and we give your designated amount ($1, $5, $10, or $20) to that charity. So the strength of mondonation is threefold: giving money to something you believe in while wearing something you believe in.
i think its kinda cool so i ordered my shirt this morning.
