Altruistic Love

Many public holidays fall close to weekends so tagging on annual leave will lead to a string of long breaks
By Jamie Ee Wen Wei

IF YOU think 2008 is going to be a bit of a slog, relax. Just take eight days of annual leave, tag them to a few public holidays and you get a series of long weekends that add up to 37 days off work. Even without taking any leave, there are already four long weekends. Singapore Idle, indeed.

It is all thanks to the fluky way public holidays fall next year. Apart from Hari Raya Aidilfitri - a Wednesday - all the days off are close to weekends, so taking an extra day adds up to a four-day break.

The first long weekend is already under way if you have taken tomorrow off, but the next one is not far off.

Chinese New Year falls on Thursday and Friday in February, so by taking an additional three days of leave, you can enjoy a nine-day break.

Manager Lim Suat Aik, 45, is looking forward to her Chinese New Year break. She used to take about four days of leave to spend eight days with her family in Malaysia. This year, she will need to take only three days off to get nine days away.

'I get to see my family only about once in two years so this time, I can spend more time catching up with my parents and siblings, and just relaxing,' said Ms Lim.

Travel agencies said the holiday-friendly calendar, coupled with the healthy economy and good bonuses, has boosted bookings over next year's long weekends.

Dynasty Travel said bookings for the Chinese New Year period have gone up by 20 per cent compared with last year. Most of its tours to popular destinations such as Australia and Japan are fully booked.

SA Tours spokesman Ruth Lim said the agency is expecting a 20 to 30 per cent increase in profits next year due to the long weekends.

When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world.

As I grew older and wiser, I discovered that the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country, But it, too, seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize:

If only I had changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.”


- The words inscribed on the tomb of an Anglican bishop in Westminster Abby (1100 A.D.)

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university Professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the Prof went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said :

"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up,
leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, NOT the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups."

"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups.
They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. "Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So friends , don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.

Still unsure which star you wanna be?

Try this

http://www.starsinyou.com/

; )

I happened to have a chance to sit in a car with Global Positioning System (GPS) some time back and i learnt quite a bit on the ride home.

First, you set your destination. Then, the system will calculate the shortest way to get there. It's an audio and visual system, the system will show the map and the position of your vehicle and it will also prompt you audibly. It will tell you way way before if you need to turn and when you are nearing the junction, it will prompt you again. If you miss a turn, it will recalculate another route to get to your destination. The system will even prompt you if there's a speed camera ahead. However if you decide change destination halfway, that's when the system will get irritating as it will keep prompting you to get back on the track of your original destination.

Now I understand much better why Dr AR Bernard uses the GPS as an analogy to our walk with the Holy Spirit. Each of us has a destiny to fulfill and the Holy Spirit is our GPS. The Holy Spirit gives us dreams and visions, and prompts us on how to get there. When we missed a turn, instead of aborting the whole process, the Holy Spirit will "recalculate" and continue to lead us to our destination. He will even warn us of dangers (speed camera) ahead. However if you stubbornly choose another destination, that's when you don't feel the peace of God. Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit will still continue prompting you to get back on track.

Knowing this kind of frees me as sometimes you are so afraid of missing the will of God. Of course, there are opportunities that only come by once in a lifetime but I also believe that God does not play games with our destiny. He is the God of second chance. He is a good Father.

Phil 2:13 (NCV) because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him.