The Saturday Profile

Days of Reflection for Man Who Defined Singapore

SINGAPORE
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Excerpts from a 2007 Interview With Lee Kuan Yew “SO, when is the last leaf falling?” asked Lee Kuan Yew, the man who made Singapore in his own stern and unsentimental image, nearing his 87th birthday and contemplating age, infirmity and loss.

“I can feel the gradual decline of energy and vitality,” said Mr. Lee, whose “Singapore model” of economic growth and tight social control made him one of the most influential political figures of Asia. “And I mean generally, every year, when you know you are not on the same level as last year. But that’s life.”

In a long, unusually reflective interview last week, he talked about the aches and pains of age and the solace of meditation, about his struggle to build a thriving nation on this resource-poor island, and his concern that the next generation might take his achievements for granted and let them slip away.

He was dressed informally in a windbreaker and running shoes in his big, bright office, still sharp of mind but visibly older and a little stooped, no longer in day-to-day control but, for as long as he lives, the dominant figure of the nation he created.

But in these final years, he said, his life has been darkened by the illness of his wife and companion of 61 years, bedridden and mute after a series of strokes.

“I try to busy myself,” he said, “but from time to time in idle moments, my mind goes back to the happy days we were up and about together.” Agnostic and pragmatic in his approach to life, he spoke with something like envy of people who find strength and solace in religion. “How do I comfort myself?” he asked. “Well, I say, ‘Life is just like that.’ ” “What is next, I do not know,” he said. “Nobody has ever come back.”

The prime minister of Singapore from its founding in 1965 until he stepped aside in 1990, Mr. Lee built what he called “a first-world oasis in a third-world region” — praised for the efficiency and incorruptibility of his rule but accused by human rights groups of limiting political freedoms and intimidating opponents through libel suits.

His title now is minister mentor, a powerful presence within the current government led by his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The question that hovers over Singapore today is how long and in what form his model may endure once he is gone.

Always physically vigorous, Mr. Lee combats the decline of age with a regimen of swimming, cycling and massage and, perhaps more important, an hour-by-hour daily schedule of meetings, speeches and conferences both in Singapore and overseas. “I know if I rest, I’ll slide downhill fast,” he said. When, after an hour, talk shifted from introspection to geopolitics, the years seemed to slip away and he grew vigorous and forceful, his worldview still wide ranging, detailed and commanding.

And yet, he said, he sometimes takes an oblique look at these struggles against age and sees what he calls “the absurdity of it.” “I’m reaching 87, trying to keep fit, presenting a vigorous figure, and it’s an effort, and is it worth the effort?” he said. “I laugh at myself trying to keep a bold front. It’s become my habit. I just carry on.”

HIS most difficult moments come at the end of each day, he said, as he sits by the bedside of his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, 89, who has been unable to move or speak for more than two years. She had been by his side, a confidante and counselor, since they were law students in London. “She understands when I talk to her, which I do every night,” he said. “She keeps awake for me; I tell her about my day’s work, read her favorite poems.” He opened a big spreadsheet to show his reading list, books by Jane Austen, Rudyard Kipling and Lewis Carroll as well as the sonnets of Shakespeare.

Lately, he said, he had been looking at Christian marriage vows and was drawn to the words: “To love, to hold and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse till death do us part.”

“I told her, ‘I would try and keep you company for as long as I can.’ That’s life. She understood.” But he also said: “I’m not sure who’s going first, whether she or me.” At night, hearing the sounds of his wife’s discomfort in the next room, he said, he calms himself with 20 minutes of meditation, reciting a mantra he was taught by a Christian friend: “Ma-Ra-Na-Tha.”

The phrase, which is Aramaic, comes at the end of St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, and can be translated in several ways. Mr. Lee said that he was told it means “Come to me, O Lord Jesus,” and that although he is not a believer, he finds the sounds soothing.

Related Excerpts from a 2007 Interview With Lee Kuan Yew “The problem is to keep the monkey mind from running off into all kinds of thoughts,” he said. “A certain tranquillity settles over you. The day’s pressures and worries are pushed out. Then there’s less problem sleeping.” He brushed aside the words of a prominent Singaporean writer and social critic, Catherine Lim, who described him as having “an authoritarian, no-nonsense manner that has little use for sentiment.”

“She’s a novelist!” he cried. “Therefore, she simplifies a person’s character,” making what he called a “graphic caricature of me.” “But is anybody that simple or simplistic?” The stress of his wife’s illness is constant, he said, harder on him than stresses he faced for years in the political arena. But repeatedly, in looking back over his life, he returns to his moment of greatest anguish, the expulsion of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, when he wept in public.

That trauma presented him with the challenge that has defined his life, the creation and development of a stable and prosperous nation, always on guard against conflict within its mixed population of Chinese, Malays and Indians.

“We don’t have the ingredients of a nation, the elementary factors,” he said three years ago in an interview with the International Herald Tribune, “a homogeneous population, common language, common culture and common destiny.”

Younger people worry him, with their demands for more political openness and a free exchange of ideas, secure in their well-being in modern Singapore. “They have come to believe that this is a natural state of affairs, and they can take liberties with it,” he said. “They think you can put it on auto-pilot. I know that is never so.” The kind of open political combat they demand would inevitably open the door to race-based politics, he said, and “our society will be ripped apart.”

A political street fighter, by his own account, he has often taken on his opponents through ruinous libel suits. He defended the suits as necessary to protect his good name, and he dismissed criticisms by Western reporters who “hop in and hop out” of Singapore as “absolute rubbish.” In any case, it is not these reporters or the obituaries they may write that will offer the final verdict on his actions, he said, but future scholars who will study them in the context of their day.

“I’m not saying that everything I did was right,” he said, “but everything I did was for an honorable purpose. I had to do some nasty things, locking fellows up without trial.” And although the leaves are already falling from the tree, he said, the Lee Kuan Yew story may not be over yet.

He quoted a Chinese proverb: Do not judge a man until his coffin is closed. “Close the coffin, then decide,” he said. “Then you assess him. I may still do something foolish before the lid is closed on me.”



This interview with Mr Lee made me think a lot about life. He is indeed someone honourable. If an old man could think likewise, we young people should feel shameless. The way he loves what he does and the way he loves his true love, can any one of us be like him? :)



Deep thoughts lately:

- Upon knowing my mom’s condition, people around me gave me a lot of encouragement and motivation to fight on with my mom, n b her pillar. I couldn’t ask for more..

- Long time frenz and colleagues came to visit my mom which m so moved for. Boss, colleagues and relatives gave a sum of money to cater to her hospital bills. Words jus couldn’t express how much tt made us feel altho we could stil manage her bills.

- Boss told me to tc of mom and go office only when necessary, partly cus we r expanding . but his generosity and understanding moved me so much.

- Mr Frankie, my lecturer, allowed me to submit my assignment a week after the rest due to my mom and told me to let him know if I cant complete on time. I teared on the spot and with this, he motivated me to fight harder.

- Mr Frankie held back his tears when we shook hands w him and thanked him for his teachings. Guess that’s how a teacher feels when he knew he had contributed a lot to us, whether education wise or mentally. Guess knowing tt his care n concern for us were not unappreciated, that’s e best a teacher could feel? Hes e first lecturer whom I teared for and teared for me in return. Truly respect him and hes indeed my role model.

- Mommy cried when aunt visited her. Only then did I know how hurt she is despite acting strong in front of us. She is one of the strongest mother I have seen.

- Watching my mom reach out and feel for me as and when just to know if im stil around, I really couldn’t bear to leave her alone with my maid. On the other hand, I prayed real hard to allow me to suffer for her. She doesn’t deserve stroke now that shes already blind. Yet, all I could do was be near her for her to feel me..

- I had no choice but to be very strict with her in order for her to recover soon. A list of great food awaiting her after recovery, the 99 yr old strong grandma who lies beside her, my sis waiting at home for her, her bed, are my ways to motivate her to keep on exercising and drinking lotsa water to recover.

- Watching dad care so much about my car and perspiring a lot while dealing with my car, I thought to myself, “what can I do to give him a better life?”

- Holding on to godma’s hands after her cancer operation, I couldn’t bear to let go and wanna pass her my strength so much.

- Realizing that people around me are getting sick, hospitalised for all sorts of reasons, I start to treasure my loved ones a lot and fought a lot harder in life. Life is so fragile and short, really.

- Grandma had stroke when she was stil around, now mom has stroke too. If given a choice, id rather be the one who has it instead of my sis in future. Therefore e more I shd do wad I can while I can now. I cant waste anymore time. Cus I cant afford it.

- Will God grant my wish to suffer for my mom or do anything in exchange for her great health? Ironically, its e least I could do for her.

- I miss the days when id send regards thru smses early in the morning while squeezing with others in the train to work.

- Miss walking and enjoying the breeze early in the morning.

- Miss the hardcore trainings at gym which perked me up a whole lot.

- The people who takes advantage of u are the ones who observes u the most.

- Celebrating classmate’s bday for him can make me feel so blissful.

- We always concentrate on what we didn’t have or what we wish we could have. But we forgot about what we had.

- Being patient is a beautiful thing yet the hardest.

- Happiness is reachable, no matter how long it lasts. We shd stop making our lives complicated. Life is short. Forgive quickly. Love truly. Laugh consistently. N never stop smiling no matter how strange life is.

- Life is not always the party we expected to be. But as long as we are here, we shd smile and be grateful.

- To be successful, one must have zeal, devotion, ardour, strong sense of initiative, react quickly, dedicated, independent, self disciplined, honest to all, sincere, persistent, capable, work long hours, ambitious, motivated by family considerations and flexible.

- “ …the best advice I can give as to how to start ur own biz – be a student, always continue to learn new things, try new things, read new things, and stay current on biz and technology. Be a sponge n learn as much as you can from those around u, teachers, biz professionals, n others. Take off the blinders, do not get stuck in a rut of, ‘this is how it has always been done.’ Make a concerted effort to see things from different perspectives and challenge urself to think outside the box.” – Brynn Albretsen

- Buy when others are fearful, sell when others are greedy.

- Reading my mails when I leave e house instead of when I reach home.

- We humans are going after many things in life, but ultimately at the end of the day, we end up in a block of coffin. Lol. Stil, if we don go after things in life, we live for nothing. Haha. Ironic.

- Life’s worth is not dependent on what we have, but dependent on how much we have sacrificed and contributed.

- Those who are grateful will be rich due to poverty. Those who aren’t grateful will be poor due to richness.

- Those who always blame self will get utmost understanding from others.

- After being through pain and loss, one will learn how to learn with much modesty. To treasure and be grateful, only then can we stay happy.

- Peace comes from the heart, despite the environment.

- Many a times, who is right or wrong doesn’t matter. As there is basically just a difference in the mindset and thinking.

- To behold or to lose, its only within a thought.

- When we do something wrong, there should be absolutely no reasons as the reasons are just excuses. I’ve learnt not to explain and simply apologise if im in the wrong. What matters is learning from mistakes and not repeating them.

- Knowing own mistakes and admitting to it and answering to it is something amazing one could do.

- Life is unpredictable and unexpected, no point finding faults or getting worked up over its downs. We can only say we couldn’t make it, although we have tried our best.

- Learning to let go is peace.

- If we can learn to live well in life, we shd also learn to die well. To learn to die well is to learn to not fear death.

- Peace in the heart beats peace in the soul. Generosity in the heart beats spaciousness in the house.

- To be able to forgive is bliss. To hate is accumulating trouble for self.

- A pond snail can go through winter while holding water in its mouth. The more we humans shd b able to take hardships in life. Without hardships, I wonder how can one achieve in life.

- We should have more tntegrity, endurance & magnanimousity than others.

- There is absolutely no point in a flower’s beauty if it is unable to go through the strong winds and heavy rains. Without going through winter, how can a flower be the most beautiful in spring.

- A child with full of protections will not be able to grow up independently.

- A man who has been through the most failures in life is the most successful man.

- To have dreams is most beautiful. To not have dreams is most pathetic.

- A needle does not have 2 sharp ends. Similarly, humans are never perfect.

- My hard work is not to prove to others if I can succeed. I only truly wanna support my family. I wanna achieve for my parents, to wanna provide for them and allow them to live a peaceful life. I may have achieved a lot, but I’ve lost even more. Others may see that I have gotten what I want as long as I fought hard for it. But they did not see what I’ve lost. The price ive paid is indeed priceless. If one days, my parents are not there for me to give them the best, even if I have everything in this world, its meaningless. For now, I just want my parents to be healthy and live a long life. Nothing matters more than that. And id exchange anything I have for that.

-One kind of rice feeds all sorts of people. We have to understand humans.

- Money must be earned while answering to our conscience.

- 30% of our life is determined by God. 70% is dependent on our efforts.

- They say success is dependent on self. Come to think of it, success is dependent on others too. These are the people who fights hard for you, people you should be grateful for. So treat everyone with your heart, with sincerity.

- We shd rest in order to continue and go through a longer journey. This is a motivation for me to slow down my pace and rest while I can, to spend more time thinking about life rather than enjoy life.

- We humans lost our time, energy, youth and life due to pursuing wealth. Therefore we should rest while we can and keep what we originally have. Have a life.

- Endurance is when your heart is stabbed with a knife, you still do not bleed or shout for pain.

- The words we say are like water splashed away, unable to retrieve anymore. Therefore, think before you talk.

- Joke – No. 1 cause for divorce is marriage.

- To start, you don’t have to be good. But to be good, you have to start.

- Reap what you sow.

- Dad, Mom, its been hard on you. I thank you for bringing me up, throughout this long journey, when I was angry, you became all so upset. When I was disappointed, you became so hurt. When I was devastated, you became all so worried. Now that I have grown up, I hope to take care of you when you need me most, to listen to you when you need someone to hear you out, to assure you when you feel insecure and to do what I can to make you proud..cus u deserve more than the world..

- Humans come to this earth in order to complete a story, a story of our own. Once life ends, the story ends. That is all life is about.

- An ending represents a new start.

- Don’t find reasons for failures. Instead, find a way out to success.

- See bad things as a part of the ebb and flow of life. Suffering is a part of the human condition — but it passes. All pain goes away, eventually. Meanwhile, don’t let it hold you back. Don’t dwell on bad things, but look forward towards something good in your future. And learn to take the bad things in stride, and learn from them. Bad things are actually opportunities to grow and learn and get stronger, in disguise.

- Learn to be happy with what you have, where you are, and who you are, right at this moment. Happiness doesn’t have to be some state that we want to get to eventually — it can be found right now. Learn to count your blessings, and see the positive in your situation.

- Stop comparing yourself to others, and look instead at yourself — what are your strengths, your accomplishments, your successes, however small? What do you love about yourself? Learn to love who you are, right now, not who you want to become. There is good in each of us, love in each of us, and a wonderful human spirit in every one of us.

- Learn to admire the success of others, and learn from it, and be happy for them, by empathizing with them and understanding what it must be like to be them. And then turn away from them, and look at yourself — you can be successful too, in whatever you choose to do. And even more, you already are successful.

- Learn to see success as something that can be shared, and learn that if we help each other out, we can each have a better chance to be successful. Two people working towards a common goal are better than two people trying to beat each other up to get to that goal. There is more than enough success to go around. Learn to think in terms of abundance rather than scarcity.

- I’m a very casual person and don’t tend to take life too seriously. Visuals have a bigger effect on me than words and I’m influenced very much by beautiful things all around us.

- The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart. ~ Timothy Titcomb

Its been quite a while since i blogged. haha been tight up with school and 2 jobs as usual..there has been quite abit of developments lately. haha.

1st of all...theres gonna b a revamp at my career..to a new company & a new location. I so very much love my new office. there is an open space to chill out, with the stars jus above you. haha. Gonna move office in Sept. Hope this change is for the good. Will still be under same management though. :)

2nd of all..i got myself a car, like finally. lol. After driving around in frens' cars & renting my own car, ive decided to move on to get a decent car which allows me to bring my family around yet able to travel at convenience. Its a Chevrolet Optra 1.6A, highly recommended by my cousin whos been a car dealer for the longest time. He got me a gd deal indeed. Love you cussie.

3rd of all, got a new spects cus apparently e old one met with a mini accident..lol.

Lol. Wonder y i love changes so much. I was thinking to myself...there has been so many changes lately..but can i really change what i wanna change? Or some things will always remain unchanged, no matter how hard you try?

I will be addicted to changes, n eventually change what i want & should. :)

I never wanna add on to anyone's burdens, i never wanna let anyone feel constrained, i never wanna be an obstacle in anyone's life. i just want everyone to be happy, i just want him to be happier than me, i just want the best for him yet not be a part of his life cus he'll be happier w/o me cus things will be easier for him..

Ill focus on achieving even more in life. Being busy is a pleasure. never thought id love hectic life so much. doing so much, sleeping lesser, yet feel happier this way. lol. Way to go Jamie!!

Helping Camie pack her booth during the Electronic show..and watching us fighting to carry heavy boxes for each other..cus of each others’ backs…esp when shes much smaller than me..lol. I dunno if I can ask for a better popo.

Jq bro is willing to make more time for my gym sessions..i couldn’t ask for more. That’s e best gift ever.. So grateful to him, really.

Jt and her bf loves me so much..getting all concerned..i know I haven loved them in vain..

Jp said i made her day with just a simple statement from me...i realized i do matter to her..sob...

Having someone starting to open to me n tell me her deep thoughts after so many yrs of frenship..i haven lived for nothing waiting for this day..

Mommy wans me to tel her my story so much..lol. n shes smiling so much more..is it cus im smiling more too?

Daddy calls me every now and then to check where I am..dunno y although its been so long hes doing that, m stil feeling blissed?

Knowing that my 1st love and my ex stil cares so much and wants me to b happy so much..i cldnt ask for more…

Looking at my other ex explain to me how men think and then analyse situations with me..also speaking up for someone who means a lot to me..i thank God that we are stil frenz..

I’m sorry Dan..you are a great man..but I don’t need another great man…

Thank you Auntie June..you are the reason y I don’t wanna leave AIA yet…thanks for loving me like im your daughter..i know u weren’t good to me jus cus u wan me to stay in AIA..i could see that.

Sophie darling…I used to think you were jus a fren..never did I expect u love me more than a sister…n will always meet me with a call from me. How can I love u more?

Shu hui drew a heart shape on my lap during class, I laughed n asked her why. She said cus she love me? Omg. Melts.

Dada wants me to be happy n told me that if im not happy with anyone, let him know. I asked why? He wanna knock e person w his bike ar? He said almost. Sob.

Hanxiang opened up to me n even cared bout me…when I ran to take cab, he told me not to run too fast, later fall down. I wan this lil bro to b happy with his gf so much..will he?

Having home-cooked food by yongjia’s aunt yet closing deals from her..i start to love aunties even more..

Assisting kids fly in angel class…watching them so innocent n adorable..i wanna have kids so much. Lol. I miss Nessa..wonder hows my Angelic princess..

Huai en ahhh...i wonder how u feeling now..u know how much I wan u to be happy? Else ill come aussie find u soon? Lol.



Being together in virtual world beats being in our own separate worlds? One shdnt ask for more hor?

Having someone fill the gaps between your fingers, playing with your finger nails can feel better than adrenaline..

Planning weddings, being at the wedding venue can feel so blessed..

How come he say “Come smile smile," then I really smile ar? Although I shd b upset..?

Breakfast is the best meal of the day, indeed. :p

Wonder how nice it wld be to read a certain diary every nite before I sleep…just that particular diary will do..

Knowing that we are both at our own homes doing our own stuff, although not meeting up to spend time tog..can feel so blissful too.

I hope I’m everybody’s Sun/Sunshine..not just his. Lol.

U have no idea how much I wanna at least hear your voice, so I can be at ease..so I will not miss you to that extent..

Predictions! :))

2010 The year of the Tiger will be arriving on 14th Feb 2010.

2010 the year of Tiger will be like that of a mirage. Many areas might seem to be improving and even blooming. However the foundations for recovery will still remain shaky and unstable. The benefits of policies that have been made to tide people over the recession will have taken effect, but the instability will be far from over. Nevertheless, there will still be opportunities to make a fortune this year. While some issues such as military engagements, political power struggles, terrorism and civil disturbances might continue to persist or even get more severe, there will be other new challenges that will start to reveal themselves during 2010. These challenges will include food shortages, structural problems/land movements, social instability and general disillusionment in people. The gloomy outlook will not necessarily imply gloom and doom. The complex nature of this year will be that logic might not apply. Although the earliest where things will start tumbling down might be around the middle of 2010, this might certainly be delayed or even will never need to come about. It will depend on how long this mirage will last and how soon a new evolution will materialize. This evolution will be a new force or drive that will create a new start for all. It might be in the form of a lifestyle, or the appearance of an outstanding and charismatic leader(s).

One of the major issues confronting us will be that of food shortages. The scarcity of food will naturally drive up the prices of necessities and will cause great difficulty especially to the poor and to those who will be barely surviving the recession. In recent years, many agricultural countries switched from producing crops for food to fuel. With the bad weather and other natural calamities during 2009 and those expected in 2010, the impact of reduced food supplies will be greatly felt in 2010. This impact should not be underestimated as where crop-producing countries give priority to their own and control exports, this might cause difficulties to countries that are dependent on food imports. Some countries that have already anticipated this problem have even bought large tracts of land in other countries to grow crops for their own people.

There will also be more cases of landslides, structural collapses or even greater earth plate movements that might be caused by nature or be man-made. Some of these incidents might be prevented by requiring greater safety precautions when dealing with sloping land without grass or adhering strictly to the safety precautions during construction or other work sites such as mines or tunnels. However, it will be more challenging when it comes to preventing major structures such as tall skyscrapers from collapsing or sudden earth movements. In today’s world, we are competing to build the tallest buildings or biggest structures. Although living and working in tall skyscrapers and structures commands a premium, it might be very dangerous should disaster strike. Geologists might be able to provide some notice for people to have adequate time to escape provided the destruction is caused by nature. However, nature will not be solely responsible for such destruction.

The military engagements and political power struggles will continue in 2010. There will be more terrorist activities and civil disturbances. Males in the military and politics will do much better than their female counterparts. As explained earlier, the foundation of life will be threatened in 2010, through food shortages, poor job opportunities, a widening of social classes and worse of living conditions. Many will become disillusioned and feel a sense of hopelessness and despair. It will not relate to intelligence or maturity, but rather will be people’s perception of the present and the future. Thus, terrorists might be able to infiltrate society easily than in previous years. Riots and civil disorder might even sound appealing to those who will feel desperate and hopeless.

The Media and Corporations who will project this mirage will not be seen to be right or wrong. It will be the equivalent to injecting anesthetic into a patient who is severely in pain. Who will blame the doctors for trying to reduce the pain and suffering of the patients? If everybody were to react, it will cause too much panic and disorder and the destruction might be too fast and drastic to cope with. By creating a mirage in order to buy time till the next revolution might delay the collapse and lessen the pain to become more manageable. However, if too much anesthetic is given or there is a continuous use of painkillers, it might cause other complications and even result in death. If this mirage seems so real and remains for too long, people might start to have difficulty differentiating between the mirage and reality. Doomsayers who have the intention to frighten the public for their own self-interest might be despicable, but those who paint a rosy picture in front of a cliff causing people to fall to their deaths are not much better either. Thus, it would be best to adopt a middle ground.

2010 provides the best natural environment for the birth of a new evolution that will improve people’s lives and create another driving force for the next generation. This evolution might take the form of a new industry, a new form of lifestyle or even might be outstanding individual(s). Sometimes an evolution might gains its strength from a large collapse of society while others take off naturally with the help of a gentle breeze. Whichever way this new evolution might materialize, it would still be best to exercise caution and not to get in the way of the collapse if it ever materializes. You might also not want to get too carried away with the man-made mirage. Though it might lessen the pain, it will not be able to right a wrong. Instead, allow your true conscience to embrace the evolution. Through collective positive thinking, a natural evolution might just come about.


Predictions for me - OX


General
This will be a good year for you in many areas of your life. You will do well in terms of your career and wealth and there will be signs of promotions and increase in your wealth. Your popularity will be strong and you will enjoy being in the limelight. People issues such as betrayals or backstabbing will be minimal. Your worst enemy will be yourself this year and there will be a high tendency that you might get carried away with your new found success. Unintentionally, you might treat others abruptly and might behave very egoistically or stubbornly. People around you might start to feel the difference in your behavior and attitude and will not feel comfortable with this change. When others start to alienate you, this will restrict your growth potential. Those who have supported the idea of your promotions or to present you more opportunities might have second thoughts and will in turn limit your potential for this year. If you are able to overcome this, you will do very well this year. You will also be prone to falling ill this year and as such, you might want to take care of your health.

Career
There will also be a strong potential of promotions or being given greater responsibility and will also be enjoying strong popularity at work. It will be easy for you to get support from your peers and management. This year will be a good time for you to participate in teamwork, projects or presentations as you will be able to negotiate or convince others easily. With the strong backing given to you, there might be a high likelihood of you becoming too egoistic. You might be quite abrupt towards others and this might lead to you alienating yourself. Although your hard work will warrant acknowledgment, you will also require the continuous support of others to progress and grow. In addition to your hard work and skills set, teamwork and leadership will also be essential and you might want to bear this in mind as it will be easier to assume larger roles with support from more people, especially your peers.

In terms of business, this will be a good year for you to delegate more time and effort to activities that increases publicity and exposure, sales and marketing. You will be able to negotiate for your terms and will be able to convince more people to do business with you. However, you might need to remember that after securing deals, the service and after sales support you provide will be crucial for your business in the long term. Hence, you might need to ensure that your team or company will be ready to be able to do so. In addition to this, you might want to keep a humble attitude towards others, both your associates and clients. When you become proud of you achievements, your clients and associates will not feel comfortable with you and might prefer to stay away and this will greatly restrict your business potential in the future. This might also become a hindrance to the success of your business. Where your business involves business partners, your relationships might be quite sensitive this year as there might be disputes over the workload arrangements and profit sharing. Thus, you might want to handle this with care as failure to handle this in a proper manner, might result in the partnership falling apart.

Wealth
You will have the potential of being able to make a lot of wealth. It might be through pay increases, sales commissions, successful deals or from your own business. How much more you will reap will depend a lot on how well you will be able to remain humble and how much others like you. If you will be able to maintain a friendly relationship with others even after you have an improved position, this will allow you to maximize the opportunities of having more wealth than you already have.

Relationship
For those who are single, this will be a good time to meet the love of your life. That might be someone new or someone you will have already known. Although there will be a high likelihood of you meeting your special person, you will increase your chance of success by being honest with your feelings and avoid playing mind games with others or by making things difficult as it will naturally push the other person away from your life. For those who are already in a relationship, your relationship will be stronger this year.

Health
Most of the health problems that you will be prone to have this year will be related to more common illnesses such as colds and flu. Although they might appear as common illnesses, you will not want to put off taking care of your own health as it might escalate into bigger problems if neglected. In the event that you are not feeling well, you will want to consult a doctor and obtain the necessary medication and treatment. Your immune system will also be weaker than usual and you might want to take care of your health by drinking enough water, having adequate rest and consuming more vegetables and fruits.

People
There will be not much backstabbing or betrayals because everybody will tend to like you easily this year. Your popularity will soar and people will be willing to support and assist you. Even if you were to upset them, people might just alienate you and leave you alone. Although this might be so, it will be best not to offend others as they might get back at you when your popularity takes a turn for the worse. Instead, you might want to take this opportunity to build good lasting relationships with others.

http://www.jmine.com/chinese_horoscope2010.htm

Have you found the worm in your tummy? Someone who knows you deep down?

I wanna soothe you so much...to just be the air that you take in and the star that guides u to happiness.

How does one freeze time? By putting away our watches.. So time doesn’t stop the good times? :P

Have you ever been so grateful for someone that you wanna thank his/her parents or even grandparents for his/her existence?

The biggest hope I have is not for you to remember me..but for you to remember at least 1 thing I mentioned.

Jamie - Complete paradox. Innocent yet experienced. Fragile yet strong on the inside. Normal yet unique. Creative yet organized. Optimistic yet realistic. This is so me? lol.

Thanks for making me smile or laugh, especially when stress is all over me..

Someone told me this recently bout his love for someone, lol:

love.. is a feeling.. words cant describle how u feel.. without her.. you are lost.. seeing her u melt.. in another mans arms, u die in turmoil.. even death pale in comparison to the pain u r feeling rite now. without her u see no meaning in life n anytin u do. all u want is tink abt n see her.. her smile is worth all the pain u endure.. when alone u tink of wat she is doin.. hw is she... when shes there the whole world dun matter.. no matter wat wrong she did.. u rather brush it off juz to have her beside u... unless the wrong is really very serious.. she has become a part of u.. yr SOUL!!! without which.. u r lifeless n like a zombie..with her.. life heaven!!! even the worst things r gd when she hold your hand n tell u.. darling.. im behind u all the way!!!

u will find tat even if u alone against 1 million man.. all armed with swords.. u will still survive n live.. coz u know u r fighting not for yrself but for u both. tat is the power to move anytin!! to move man beyond all limits. .they may die trying.. but their hearts will nvr die!

And he asked what do women need from men exactly? lol.

And this is my 2 cents worth.

Women need assurances. so u shd do ur best to give, sincerely.
Its about the desire to wanna b there for her
To cry louder than her when she cries, to laugh louder than her when she laughs, to be her vitamin C, to be her first aid kit. to warm her when shes cold n soothe her when shes troubled...
u NEED to be with her not cus of yourself. but cus u wanna do what u can. to contribute to her happiness.
A woman wants a shoulder to lessen her burdens, someone who always stay by her side n tell her not to get too tired. someone who loves her parents like how she loves hers. someone who can soothe her all e time, listen to her more than talk, pay attention to her more than bicker, someone who is patient n understanding and always is there when she needs him..

Someone who can bring her laughters to lessen her burdens, someone who makes her laugh jus by being himself. someone who shows e childlike side of him which made her wanna b a child too, someone who minds even tiniest details of her..

Someone who enjoys sunrises n sunsets w her, someone who watches her slp in his car,
someone who soothes her like shes a baby, someone who lets her think w him around, everythin is going to be alright..

Someone who lets her forget her fear cus she was distracted by him..:)


Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.

The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.

The biggest disease is feeling of being unwanted.

There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for bread.

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less cus of that missing drop.

The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy doing it.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired..

Be faithful in small vigor cus it is in them that your strength lies.

Whenever you smile to someone, its an action of love to that person, a beautiful thing.

I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.

I know God will not give me anything that I cannot handle..I just wish that he didn’t trust me that much..

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.