Birds in the Heart - Sewer of Thoughts

If our thoughts become a messy jumble of junk,
problems will inevitably arise.
If our thoughts are well managed and in good order,
it is like a sewer with a clear passage.
When problems come up,
like rainwater flowing into a sewer that is
open and runnign smoothly,
we do not need to worry that the water may
overflow and cause a flood.
Keeping the mind open and free of cluttered thoughts
is similar to having a sewer that is flowing freely.
If no sewage ia accumulated,
no blockage will be there;
and no problems will be generated.

Birds in the Heart - A Stinky Sewer

In daily life, our mind is loaded with things like money,
stuff, worries, conflicts, expectations, etc.
It is like the sewage in a stinky sewer,
if left accumulated an backed up,
maggots will grow in it,
emitting an awful stench every day.
This is precisely the cause of our distress.
In this case,
what can we do to get rid of our distress?
How about just letting it all flow away?
If you can keep everything flowing freely,
and not accumulated these tensions and afflictions,
when the distress has flowed away,
you will surely be a carefree Bodhisattva
with no worries and no hindrances.

Birds in the Heart - Looking at a Lamp

Human beings are fundamentally free and unbound.
But, why is it that we are not liberate right now?
Since you awareness and consciousness got
stuck together with the outer world,
your feelings and experiences focus mostly on
those things that are visible.
Consequently, you began to distinguish between that
which belongs to you, and that which does not belong to you,
You worry about those things that belong to you,
and you do not worry about those
that do not belong to you.
In other words, you fuss over the visible things you have;
and thus, you ignore the already liberated.
Gradual and careful scruting and reasongin are called for
in order to understand that every sight,
sound, consciousness, and awareness, is already liberated.
Actually, what is visible to us does not belong to us,
just like this lamp. When we look at this lamp,
We know that we are looking at a lamp,
But, it is a lamp; it is not I.
It has nothing really to do with me.

Birds in the Heart - Using Money

Desire is the beginning of all things.
A burdensome desire tires you out.
A desire without burden is just fine.
Desires are not awful.
Similarly, having money is not sinful.
The important thing is to know
how to utilize desires or money,
and how to distribute them.
Learn and become skillful in manging money.
Use it on virtuous deeds and righteous actions.
In this way,
the highest value of money can be manifested.

How to Start A Home Based Business

Knowing how to start a home based business is the first step to actualy creating your own home based business.

Do you know how to start a home based business?

NO?

Then read on to learn more.

Starting a home based business can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.

Where to start?

First things first.

You need to figure out what you are going to create your home business around.

How do you decide that? Easy. You pick something which you love doing like a hobby for example, and see if you can make a business out of it.

So if you went fishing a lot, then you could start a business around that, perhaps teaching people how to fish properly, or how to get a bigger catch.

Or even just selling fishing rods. There are many possibilites when you actually sit down and think about it.

Since it is a home based business, then I would strongly recommed that you try to sell whatever you are selling on the internet, this gives you a global audience to sell to, which means hopefully, more sales.

If you like, you can even create a little how to book which teaches people something. For example "how to improve your golf swing"

That might sound difficult to do, but it's really not. Just get a HTML compiler, make a few HTML pages with all of the information on it, and then make a little downloadable ebook out of it. Simple, but very profitable if done correctly.

What next?

If you know there is a market for the product you are going to create then good. If not, don't create it, only create a product for already existing markets. It makes it a thousand times easier to sell.

All you do is write advertisements where your target market is likely to be, and it the style they would talk, and you should make some sales. That is the very basics of it though. In reality, to maximize your sales you have to do A LOT more. But i focus on that in other articles.

Okay now what?

You try to automate your ordering system as much as possible, giving you more time to focus on marketing. then what? Well, that's the bare bones of it, your done starting up, the rest is maintenance.

Summary:

Pick a hobby which you enjoy and have a good knowledge of it.

Find out the target market for your hobby/chosen business

Discover the problems which your target market has and possibly create an ebook which solves it
Or find out the things they want, then provide them.

Advertise directly to your market.

Birds in the Heart - Possessions

Can possessions give you a sense of satisfaction?
Can they make your life more fulfilled?
I don't think so. Suppose you are thinking about possessing a particular thing/
At they very moment this intention is activated.
afflictions are also preparing their arrival.
Inevitably, as soon as you possess something,
there will be worries in your mind about it,
and fears that you may lose it.
You have to spend a lot of energy looking after that which you possess.
Thus, your possessions will become burdens.
It does not matter whether your possessions are things,
a carrer, a family, or relationships;
they are all the same.
Therefore,
possessing a mind and heart of clarity and understanding is the only valuable,
and the most happy thing in this world.

Birds in the Heart - Circles

Modern people are entrapped by
a disastrous flood of knowledge.
Not only this,
each person is further entrapped by
his or her own ideas and opinions.
Our ideas are like circles.
Each idea becomes a circle we draw around ourselves.
Ecentually, we are trapped inside these circles,
spinning around and around,
unable to find the way out.
Thus, more circles are drawn,
more boundaries are set,
more discriminations are made,
and more walls are put up.

Birds in the Heart - Shopping

If you have the habit of relinquishing stress,
stress will no longer exist.
So, why not weigh the pros and cons a bit yourself?
Do you want to let go of afflictions,
or do you want to keep them stored up?
It is similar to shopping.
Usually, you go through the procedure of
evaluating the quality of an item,
and comparing the prices.
In stress management,
you should also first conduct an evaluation.
Ultimately you must decide whether it is better to
keep a particular item of affliction,
or whether you should abandon it.
If the direction of your deliberation is correct,
you will in the end be able to come up with the correct choice.

Birds in the Heart - Sailboat of the Heart

Why is it that our mood is so often unstable?
It is because, like a boat sailing in the ocean,
our mind goes up and down with the wind and the waves.
In this manner, the boat of our heart has been
tumbling forever in the sea of karma,
feeling no peace, full of troubles.
Actually, you do not have to suffer like this.
You can detach yourself from suffering,
by coming to grips with the realization that
the world around you is unreal.
We look at the ocean, day in and day out,
but we in no way are transformed into the ocean.
We look at the sky, day in and day out,
but we are not transformed into the sky.
I am still I. In reality, we come and go,
happily following the flow of our circumstances;
but we are not any of the circumstances.
Fundamentally, there is not the slightest real bondage.
So, why bother with all of this joy or sorrow
that depends on the ever-changing world of events and circumstances?

Photo Shooting - Make Up (14 April 2011)

Here the back of the screen;

Day of Select Gowns

6th April 2011, Wednesday

Select Gowns day
1pm - arrived at printemps wedding shop (City Square, JB), wait for few min, my assistant Niki bring two type of gown let me have a try. Lucky both type of the gown I can carry it. At that time Jeffrey still not arrive, due to I don't want waste time, I try the gown by myself. Try around 20++ pcs gown. 12pcs gowns is suit for me. So I wait Jeffrey come.

Around 2.30pm - my lovely Jeff and her sister (Josephine)arrived. I wear the 12pcs gowns selected show them one by one. From the 12pcs gown need to choose 5pcs for the photo shooting it is not the easy job.

Here the picture that I select for my photo shooting.

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Wedding Meaning

"Marriage ceremoney, especially with a party or meal afterwards".

Do you all think is that the same word?

For me nope, it will be link to both couple familys. Surely it will have the agree and disagree argument.

Here the start of Agnes's Wedding journey .............

The Journey Of life

The journey of life begun
Tht fateful day I was born
My eyes opened up blissfully to the sun
My soul, heart and brain emerged as one
Behold my journey had begun!

This little child in time has grown
Yes! Time has flown time has flown
A lot has been learnt on my very own

Life has been a mystifying journey
With every up and down
With tears and laughter
With hate and love
With enemies and friends
But even in my journey of frustration
I have found a means of celebration
In my toilsome exploration to my fateful destination

Tick tock, the clock goes on
Sec to minute, then hourly
Week by month then yearly
Tick tock, and in my journey
I have searched, questioned and answered
Whilst walking painfully along many paths
Sometimes requesting protection
Seeking from above immunization
When hit by obstacles in locations

But I am still on this journey
Shaking hands with the unknow and merry
My passion for life which was once raw
For life's journey itself never ends
Once you have reached the end of each road
Uplifting off your entire cloggy load
Be it in a hot summer or a winter's cold
Behold! A new journey will unfold

Birds in the Hearts - Watermelon of the Five Aggregates

What are called the "five aggregates,"
those of material form, sensation of feeling, perception,
volition or mental formations, and consciousness,
are the source of our trouble and suffering.
When the "five aggregates" are not broken up,
it is like a whole watermelon, complete and intact,
with absolutely no opening, not outside world.
How can we develop our wisdom in this way?
Let us not embrace this watermelon of "Five aggregates,"
as if it were some kind of treasure.
Let us break it open,
and get more in touch with the true "Self."
When the "five aggregates" are cleared out,
we will be far away from all suffering and distress.

Berry berry on the wall. Who is going to the fairest of all? Check out what berry are you now! #digiwhatberry

Have fun with Berry berry to build your social

Berry berry on the wall. Who is going to the fairest of all? Check out what berry are you now! #digiwhatberry

Birds in the Heart - Explosive Fuse

The source of all energy is contained
in the mind and heart.
The mind is the fuse that
leads to the explosion of all problems.
Is feels and experiences pain.
But, it is also capable of understanding the
impermanence and contradictions of this world.
So, in our effort to realize the eternal, unchanging truth,
it is necessary for us to uncover
the location of the mind and heart.

Birds in the Heart - Taxi

Life can be compared to driving a taxi.
The mind is the master and the driver.
The guests and the passengers change each time,
just like the many karmic connections
we encounter in life.
Without awakening and realization,
a person takes the guest as the master,
and thier mind always clings to the many passengers
who come and go.
As a result, discriminating,
changeable and unsettling moods are generated.

The Power of Positive Thinking

Not everyone accepts of believes in positive thinking. Some consider the subject as just nonsense, and others scoff at people who believe and accept it. Among the people who accept it, not many know how to use it effectively to get results. Yet, it seems that many are becoming attracted to this subject, as evidenced by the many books, lectures and courses about it. This is a subject that is gaining popularity.

It is quite common to hear people say: "Think positive!", to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or od not consider them as useful and effective. How many people do you know, who stop to think what the power of positive thinking means?

Positive and negative thinking are both contagious.
All of us affect, in one way or another, the people we meet. This happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through thoughts and feelings transference, and through body language. People sense our aura and are affected by our thoughts, and vice versa. Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive people and avoid negaticve ones?
People are more disposed to help us if we are positive, and they dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.

Negative thoughts, words and attitude bring up negative and unhappy moods and actions. When the mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which cause more unhappiness and negativity, This is the way to failure, frustration and disappointment.

Birds in the Heart - Watching Movies

The affliction of ignorance refers to getting stuck in your thinking,
getting lost in the midst of phenomena.
For example, while watching a movie,
you follow the scenario of the story,
sometimes crying, sometimes laughing.
In those moments,
your mind follows what your eyes are seeing;
it shifts around, and your mood becomes wrapped up,
tied to what you are seeing.
In this situation, how is liberation possible?
In just an instant, however,
you may discover that it is merely a story, sometihing unreal;
and then you will be able to leap out and free yourself.
A person with his or her mind shifting around
according to outer circumstances does not have peace;
rather, they have affliction.
In reality, it is impossible to control the outer enviroment;
and furthermore, the environment is ephemeral,
and constantly changing.
Only when we reach the level of realizing this,
shall we have true peace and happiness.

Consmer's rights - happen

Legal Issue on Contract Law in Malaysia - Good for us to know

Do you notice that most of the time, the receipt/invoice you received from the retail shop will have the similarly worded statement; "Goods sold are not returnable" or "No refund once sold".

Please remember that: As long as your goods is purchased for home use and not for business (to be resold), the above exclusion clause is VOID.

That means, as long as the good is defective, regardless of what is worded, you CAN get back all your money spent. You do not have to accept a repair on the good or an exchange. You CAN ask for a refund. AND you are LEGALLY right and entitled to!

And most of the time the merchant will refuse to return your money.

You can threaten the merchant with four words: SEE YOU IN COURT!

The court here refers to the Small Claims Tribunal Court. And goods which is worth RM25,000 and below can apply to this Court.

However, you don't have to tell them what court! All you have to pay is RM10 admin fee and the loser (the merchant) will have to refund you the money Plus the admin fee!

Here the contract:

Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia,

Tingkat 16, Putra Place, 100, Jln Putra, 50622 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-4049 2300 / 4042 4181

Consumer Rights

What you need to know as a Malaysian Consumer: -

Consumer Rights

A responsible consumer is a consumer who is aware of his/her rights as a consumer, and acts judiciously (wisely) and with full responsibility. The eight key consumer rights are:

The rights to acquire fundamental needs

The consumer has the rights to obtain fundamental gods and services to guarantee a satisfactory life in today's modern world. These fundamental needs include safe and sufficient food supply, clothes, housing, health facility, education , among others.

The rights to acquire safety rights

The consumer is protected from the processing and marketing of goods as well as services, which can be harmful.

The rights to acquire information

The consumer must be provided with sufficient and precise information to assist him/her in making the right decision. The consumer is also protected against false advertising, labeling and other fraudulent and manipulative acts.

The rights to make a decision

The consumer reserves the rigthts to direct information with regards to all goods and services. The consumer must be given due explanation to enable him/her to make the rights choices and decisions. There must be a guarantee to determine quality and satisfactory services, at a reasonable price.

The rights to voice out

This is to ensure that the interest of the customers is taken into consideration, with regard to any legislation on government policies, as well as prompt and fair responses from the relevant complaints administrators.

The rights to claim for damages

The consumer has the rigthts for compensation vis-a-vis damaged and harmful products, trading activites that are confusing, as well as manipulative services. Due compensation should be awarded to the consumer for products and services which endanger and harm the consumer, upon following the instructions given by the manufacturer. Compensations should also be given to consumers who are victimized due to their employers' negligence.

The rights to obtain consumer education

The consumer has the rights to obtain sufficient and continuous consumer education. This is because the education system does not place emphasis to consumer education. The philosophy on consumer education today is more inclined to train the public on how to be an efficient worker or employer, rather than on how to be a good consumer.

The rights to acquire safe and healthy environment

The consumer has the rights to live and work in a clean and healthy environment, free from hazardous and harmful conditions. This rights had been the strongly advocated by consumers as the levels of pollution index have been increasing, and that parts of nature itself has been either in the process of extinction or destroyed.

Birds in the Heart - Say Farewell to Old Friends

Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance,
and doubt are the causes of our suffering.
We should learn to counteract them,
and free ourselves from their command.
However, this is usually very difficult to accomplish.
Like being urged to bid farewell to a good friend
whom we have known for a long time -
it is, indeed, not easily done.

Birds in the Heart - Five Inner Demons

Greed, like water that floods all over the place, is very difficult to control.
People will work and toil throughout and entire life because of it.
Anger, like a raging fire,
makes us burn with impatience,
agitation, and distress.
Ignorance, like a trap, leads us to confusion,
gives rise to afflictions,
and locks us into unfavorable situations or
states of mind, unable to find a way out.
Arrogance, like a steel fence or iron wall,
keeps us from transcending the self,
and makes others feel uncomfortable.
Doubt like suspicion, mistrust, envy and jealousy,
is like a wind that is perpetuall unsettling,
keeping us from peace of mind.
Like five demons that lay hidden inside our hearts,
these five poisons are always lurking,
and waiting for every opportunity to make trouble;
thus, inflicting stress and strain upon our minds and hearts.

The History of Google

Everyone knows the name Google. Whether young or old, computer smart of not this name will pop up in any conversation about computers. Google has created some very impresssive milestones of its time and continues to grow rapidly every day. It all started when Larry Page and Sergey Brin met in Standord. Talk about a match made in heaven!

However,according to some they disagreed on just about everything during their first meeting. In 1996, now firm friends and both of them computer science grad students, began developing a search engine called BackRub. This search engine had operated on switch servers and renamed the search engine in 1997, calling it Google. The name comes from a mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zero's. The use of the term reflects their mission to organize a seemingly infinite amount of information on the web.

The Starbucks Logo

Starbucks is the largest coffee house retailer in the world today, with over 15,000 stores in over 42 countries. With a Starbucks store at almost every corner, millions of people see the famous Startbucks logo every day.

The distinctive Starbucks logo has achieved broad visual recognition, equal in familiarity to the Starbucks brand name itself. At the same time, a certain mystique surrounds the trademarked image and the unusual mermaid like figure at the center of the logo. What exactly does the mythical looking figure symbolize or represent, and what does it have to do with coffee?

The original log, conceived in 1971, was fashioned after a 15th century Norse woodcut, the image of a mythical two-tailed mermaid siren. The siren, as you may recall from Greek mythology, was an alluring and irresistible female figure, typically half-fish/half-women (the mermaid variety). The siren's objective was to a seduce the seagoing mariner with a powerful enticing song most often to the unfortunate demise of the susceptible sailor who could not resist temptation.

With a coffee brown color scheme, the circular ring surrounding the mythological mermaid figure contained the text "Starbucks - Coffee - Tea - Spices". The overall image was designed to resemble a cigar band label.

The symbolism of the mermaid siren was not intended to suggest the demise of the customers who bought the coffee, but rather, to represent the irresistible and seductive quality of the coffee itself.

Over the last thirty five years, the logo has undergone several significant changes, while still adhering to the original theme.

The original version remained in use until 1987 when Howard Schultz raised sufficient capital from local investors to purchase Starbucks from the founders for 3.7 million.

Schultz had previously left Starbucks in 1985 to pursue his vision of a European style espresso cafe when he started the II Giornale coffee house. THe II Giornale logo reflected a theme of speed with the head of Mercury, the swift messenger god of Roman mythology, at the center. The theme of swift speed fit well with espresso. Espresso translates to a "fast and express" coffee in Italian.

After the purchase of Starbucks in 1987, the Starbucks logo was cleaned up a bit, a little more befitting of a new corporate image. The bare breasts were covered up by the mermaids flowing hair, although her belly button was still visible. And the color scheme was changed from a coffee brown in the original logo to the familiar green established by the II Giornale logo. The text in the surrounding circular band was changed to simply "Starbucks Coffee".

A third revision of the Starbucks logo in 1992 crops the image of the mermaid with a close-up view. Her navel is no longer visible. The mermaid's tails on either side are mostly obscured which creates some mystery and question for those not familiar with the earlier logo.

Recently, with the April 2008 introduction of the new Pike Place Roast blend, Starbucks has reintroduced a version of the original logo. While this is not a replacement for the current Starbucks logo, you'll find this retro-logo on the Pike Place Roast cups, and Pike Place Roast bags of coffee beans.

This new logo version is similar to the cigar motif of the original logo from the 1970's with a few differences. The phrase around the perimeter of the old logo was "Starbucks - Coffee - Tea - Spices". The new logo retains the familiar "Starbucks - Fresh Roasted Coffee". And the bare breasts in the original mermaid image are not covered wiht her flowing locks of hair.

Starbucks Coffeehouse

Who is the lady with the river hair streaks,

Anointed with a pentagram crown?

She looks dead and lovely like a coffin queen,

And even more famous than she is now...

The name Starbuck became well known once Edward Starbuck, a proprietor in the region of New England, was appointed manager of the fisheries in the Massachusetts Bay Colony around 1644. Part of the Colony was Nantucket Island, which was eventually purchased by 9 men, most notably Tristram Coffin in 1659, as part of the British settlement over the Indians.

Later, Esward's son, Nathanial Starbuck, married Tristram's daughter Mary Coffin, a lady who grew to be one of the leading members of Quakerism, a mystical religious movement that enveloped the island during that time. When Edward died, his son Nathaniel took over the fishing duties with the help of his Quaker wife Mary Coffin (Quakers are known to have good business sense). The Starbuck family went on to profit so much from thier port facilities that they eventually became a whaling dynasty.

Yet, at the very same time a this was going on, around the mid 1600s, another notable family name, embarking from England to Massachusetts, reared its head. It was the Folger family, the very same family who became famous for Folgers Coffee. And as luck would have it, years later in 1720, Ann Folger married William Starbuck, a staright descendant from Nathanial and Mary Coffin Starbuck.

There is no telling why Starbucs would hide behid a mere novel, essentially watering down the cream of its own heritage. Is it just easier for a company to act independently, rather than deal with centuries of accumulated wealth? Could the woman of renown gracing the Starbucks logo actually be Mary Coffin, as a tribute to the legacy she built on Nantucket Island? Whatever the answer is, such a fish-coddling aroma should help you wake up and smell the coffee!

Birds in the Heart - Thirst and Drinking

When desire or grasping arises in us,
our minds become very busy.
Why?
Because, in order to satisfy the desire or greed,
we have to come up with many schemes,
and engage in every conceivable means for attaining that which we seek.
The inevitable result is that while laboring hard to get ahead, we forget our "original nature".
It is just like when we are thirsty;
we look for water to quench the thirst.
But we must not forget that drinking too much water can also lead to problems.
When desire or greed is excessive,
we will surely become trapped in some difficult situation.
This does not mean that we should suppress or eliminate all desire or grasping.
It means that we should know restraint and moderation.

Difference Between Pimples and Acne

Pimples vs Acne
A pimple emerges due to a specific blockage in the skin pores. It is more or less like a skin lesion taking a rounded bumpy shape. Sebaceous glands and hair follicles may often lead to the formation of pimples. It can also be termed as one of the direct results of conditions of severe acne. On the other hand, Acne vulgaris, often termed as just Acne is a familiar skin condition resulting form transformation in pilosebaceous units due to androgen stimulation. Acne gices rise to unprovoking follicular comedones and papules or at tiems inflammatory nodules and pustules when in the extreme stage.

As already said earlier, pimples are often caused by blockage in the skin pore. There are sebaceous glands present inside every skin pore which produce sebum during skin shedding. Often during such a process bits and pieces of the shedding dead cells are held back by the gluey sebum causing blockage of the skin pores. This is a common symptom during the puberty stage when the skin starts to thicken. As the sebaceous glands keep on secreting sebum the blackage builds up harboring various bacteria including the most common Propionibacterium acnes. On the other hand, Acne ovvurs when there is a blockage of the follicles. As sebum and keratin plugs start growing through a process of hyperkeratinization, the first signs of acne become visible. Thereon as enlarged sebaceous glands start secreting more and more sebum, there is also a boost in androgen production forming both black heads and whiteheads (open and closed comedones). Some of the precise primary causes of Acne are,

• Genetic syndrome in the family


• Activation of inflammation through scratching


• Hormonal activites


• Bacteria infection


• Anabolic steroids


• Extreme stress


• Restless sebaceous glands


• Exposure to harmful chemicals

Pimples can be successfully treated by appliying over-the-counter medicines, application of prescription medicine and popping. Some of the common over-the-counter medicines that are effective are salicylic acid, benzyol peroxide and Triclosan. Some of the prescription mediciens that may be suggested are isotretinoin, erythromycin and tetracyclines. Finally, though popping pimples is forbidden by doctors but still it is a commonly popular practice of relieving the pain and discomfort that pimples cause. On the other hand any treatment for Acne to render effect takes a minimum period of two and a half to three weeks. Some of the common modes of treatment used for Acne control are topical bactericidals, topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, hormonal treatments, topical retionoids, oral retinoids, sulfur, dermabrasion, photo-therapy, photodynamic therapy, subcision, etc......

The Customer is All-Important

A layman thinks that a business begins with the construction of a factory, buying of plant, machinery and raw materials, and employment of men. But this is a misconception. Recently a very talented engineer set up a model factory for manufacturing a small-sized printing machine which was a technical marvel. But when it was placed on the market, there were no customers and production naturally came to a standstill. The firm had no money to pay wages and buy raw materials. You cannot go on manufacturing things which nobody is prepared to buy. Without customers, production has no value. It is sheer waste. Marketing has therefore primacy over production.