Think in English [我想想]

These days i've been thinking why the earth i can't speak an 100% fluent english,even 50% . i have learned thounsands of words and most of grammars.why? why is it so hard for me to express totally what i think?it's certainly pathetic that a man can't tell people what he wants to say.sounds like a stammer,huh?

My best friend in college, Danny, who speaks english like a native speaker once told me that i should take more opportunities to talk with others in english. i guessed he meant practice makes perfect.actually, i follow this rule in exams,but in english learning, i don't.

Danny also told me he can think in english. first time i heard it, i thought it was a joke. but he wasn't kidding.though i don't even know what he is thinking, i can feel he really can, through his words, his values,stuff like that. so it's amazing, isn't it?and i think that's the point why he can speak in a native way.Once you think in english,it will be as easily as you speak chinese, cuz you just say what you're thinking. however, before i can say something, i have a process of translating, from chinese to english.Gadamn translating! i hate it.everytime i tried to think in english, i failed.

Teachers always teach students to learn english by connecting with chinese,which forced us to translate all the time. In fact, both languages have their own systems which work in different ways,especially in mind. So i believe that splitting the connection is a better way and also, actually, much more difficult than translating.

Guess what,sometimes i think Danny he is a banana. i asked him how he can make it. he said he has no idea. maybe he was just Americanized,i guess and it might be a strange feeling that being torn between two ideals.but it's good. i wish i could feel it someday.

A forever friend [每日一篇]

朋友是什么？就是那个在你的世界乌云密布时给你带来光亮的人，就是那个在你忧伤难过时给你勇气的人，就是那个在你迷路时，抓住你的手告诉你一切都会好起来的人……

如果你的身边有这样一个朋友，你应该感到幸运--他一定会是你一生的朋友。

A friend walk in when the rest of the world walks out.
Sometimes in life,

You find a special friend;

Someone who changes your life just by being part of it.
Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop;
Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world.

Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it.
This is Forever Friendship.
when you're down,

and the world seems dark and empty,

Your forever friend lifts you up in spirits and makes that dark and empty world
suddenly seem bright and full.

Your forever friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times, and the confused times.

If you turn and walk away,
Your forever friend follows,
If you lose you way,
Your forever friend guides you and cheers you on.

Your forever friend holds your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay.
And if you find such a friend,

You feel happy and complete,

Because you need not worry,
Your have a forever friend for life.

人生的大石头 [每日一篇]

什么是人生的大石头？一天，一位时间管理的专家为他的学生们做了一个现场演示，给在场的每个人留下了深刻的印象……

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.

As he stood in front of the group of overachievers he said, "OK, time for a quiz." He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

Everyone in the class yelled, "Yes." The time management expert replied, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group once more, "Is this jar full?"

By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good." Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager student raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Time with your loved ones, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these big rocks in first or you'll never get them in at all.

爱着你的感觉 [每日一篇]

爱着你就是日日夜夜的想着你，骄傲自豪的谈论着你；爱着你就是眷恋你温暖的怀抱，你深情的吻、你亲切的微笑和你满怀爱意的声音；爱着你就是从来不会忘记我们一起走过的坎坷、我们一起流过的泪和我们一起分享的幸福……

To love you is to daydream of you often, think of you so much, speak of you proudly, and miss you terribly when we are apart.

To love you is to cherish the warmth of your arms, the sweetness of your kiss, the friendliness of your smile, the loving sound in your voice, and the happiness we share.

To love you is to never forget the adversity we have overcome, the tears we have shed, the plans we have made, the problems we have solved, and the pain of separation.

To love you is to remember joyfully the days we made memorable, the moments that will live forever in our hearts, the dreams we hope for, the feelings we have for each other, the caresses and touches of love, and the exhilaration of love that fills our hearts.

To love you is to need you, want you, hold you, and know you as no one else can.

To love you is to realize that life without you would be no life at all...

That's a little of what it's like to be in love with you!

爱的最大限度 [每日一篇]

特蕾莎修女在接受诺贝尔和平奖时曾说过：“你能为促进世界和平做些什么呢？回家爱你的家人吧。”

这是一个平凡的故事，也是一个感人的故事……

Freda Bright says, "Only in opera do people die of love." It's true. You really can't love somebody to death. I've known people to die from no love, but I've never known anyone to be loved to death. We just can't love one another enough.

A heart-warming story tells of a woman who finally decided to ask her boss for a raise in salary. All day she felt nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon she summoned the courage to approach her employer. To her delight, the boss agreed to a raise.

The woman arrived home that evening to a beautiful table set with their best dishes. Candles were softly glowing. Her husband had come home early and prepared a festive meal. She wondered if someone from the office had tipped him off, or... did he just somehow know that she would not get turned down?

She found him in the kitchen and told him the good news. They embraced and kissed, then sat down to the wonderful meal. Next to her plate the woman found a beautifully lettered note. It read, "Congratulations, darling! I knew you'd get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you."

Following the supper, her husband went into the kitchen to clean up. She noticed that a second card had fallen from his pocket. Picking it off the floor, she read, "Don't worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you."

Someone has said that the measure of love is when you love without measure. What this man feels for his spouse is total acceptance and love, whether she succeeds or fails. His love celebrates her victories and soothes her wounds. He stands with her, no matter what life throws in their direction.

Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa said, "What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." And love your friends. Love them without measure.

放爱一条生路 [每日一篇]

The other day as I talked with a friend I recalled a story that I heard this summer. "A compassionate person, seeing a butterfly struggling to free itself from its cocoon, and wanting to help, very gently loosened the filaments to form an opening. The butterfly was freed, emerged from the cocoon, and fluttered about but could not fly. What the compassionate person did not know was that only through the birth struggle can the wings grow strong enough for flight. Its shortened life was spent on the ground; it never knew freedom, never really lived."

I call it learning to love with an open hand. It is a learning which has come slowly to me and has been wrought in the fires of pain and in the waters of patience. I am learning that I must free the one I love, for if I clutch or cling, try to control, I lose what I try to hold.

If I try to change someone I love because I feel I know how that person should be, I rob him or her of a precious right, the right to take responsibility for one's own life and choices and way of being. Whenever I impose my wish or want or try to exert power over another, I rob him or her of the full realization of growth and maturation. I limit and prevent by my act of possession, no matter how kind my intention.

I can limit and injure by the kindest acts of protection or concern. Over extended it can say to the other person more eloquently than words, "You are unable to care for yourself; I must take care of you because you are mine. I am responsible for you."

As I learn and practice more and more, I can say to the one I love: "I love you, I value you, I respect you and I trust that you have the strength to become all that it is possible for you to become - if I don't get in your way. I love you so much that I can set you free to walk beside me in joy and in sadness. I will share your tears but I will not ask you not to cry. I will respond to your needs. I will care and comfort you, but I will not hold you up when you can walk alone. I will stand ready to be with you in your grief and loneliness but I will not take it away from you. I will strive to listen to your meaning as well as your word, but I shall not always agree. Sometimes I will be angry and when I am, I will try to tell you openly so that I need not hate our differences or feel estranged. I can not always be with you or hear what you say for there are times when I must listen to myself and care for myself, and when that happens I will be as honest with you as I can be."
　
I am learning to say this, whether it be in words or in my way of being with others and myself, to those I love and for whom I care. And this I call loving with an open hand.

I cannot always keep my hands off the cocoon, but I am getting better at it!

Smack That-Eminem [music]

I see the one, because she be that lady! Hey!
I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like TaeBo
And possibly bend you over look back and watch me

[Chorus (2X):]
Smack that all on the floor
Smack that give me some more
Smack that 'till you get sore
Smack that oh-oooh!

Upfront style ready to attack now
Pull in the parking lot slow with the lac down
Convicts got the whole thing packed now
Step in the club now and wardrobe intact now!
I feel it down and cracked now (ooh)
I see it dull and backed now
I'm gonna call her, than I pull the mack down
Money no problem, pocket full of that now!

I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like TaeBo
And possibly bend you over look back and watch me

[Chorus (2x)]

[Eminem:]

Ooh...Looks like another club banger
They better hang on when they throw this thing on
Get a lil drink on
They gonna flip for this Akon shit
You can bank on it!
Pedicure, manicure kitty-cat claws
The way she climbs up and down them poles
Looking like one of them putty-cat dolls
Trying to hold my woodie back through my draws
Steps upstage didn't think I saw
Creeps up behind me, she's like "You're!"
I'm like ya I know lets cut to the chase
No time to waste back to my place
Plus from the club to the crib it's like a mile away
Or more like a palace, shall I say
Plus I got pal if your gal is game
In fact he is the one singing the song that's playing
"Akon!"

[Akon:]
I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like TaeBo
And possibly bend you over look back and watch me

[Chorus]

Eminem is rollin', d and em rollin' bo
And all marvelous them rolling
Women just holding big booty rollin'
Soon I'll be on Eminem throwing "D!"
Hitting on less than "Three!"
Block wheel style like "Whee!"
Girl I can tell you want me because lately

I feel you creeping on, I can see from my shadow
Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo
Maybe go to my place and just kick it like TaeBo
And possibly bend you over look back and watch me

钉子与篱笆 [每日一篇]

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.

Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care.

Task 1 Pie Chart [我的练笔]

According to the pie chart above, foreign students learning English in London spend 300 pound per week on average.
Rent & food and school fees take up a comparatively majority of the student spending with 100 pound per week and 90 pound per week, respectively, while study materials only covers a comparatively minority with 5 pound per week.25 pound were spent on cloths per week and 20 pound on underground. Then the rest of 60 pound is due to the entertainment.

sfile米饭的石榴神功 [笑~]

大家一起来练石榴神功吧——〉
第一式- 平心静气~
第二式- 双管齐下~
第三式- 波兰壮阔~
第四式- 摇头摆尾~
收式- 放松全身~

翅膀断 心飞翔 [每日一篇]

He lost his arms in an accident that claimed his father's life-who was the main source of support for the family. Since then, he has had to depend on the arms of his younger brother. For the sake of taking care of him, his younger brother became his shadow, never leaving him alone for years. Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life.

One late night, he suffered from diarrhea and had to wake up his younger brother. His younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back the dorm to wait. But being so tired, his younger brother fell asleep, leaving him on the toilet for two hours till the teacher on duty discovered him. As the two brothers grew up together, they had their share of problems and they would often quarrel. Then one day, his younger brother wanted to live separate from him, living his own life, as many normal people do. So he was heart-broken and didn't know what to do.

A similar misfortune befell a girl, too. One night her mother, who suffered from chronic mental illness disappeared. So her father went out looking for her mother, leaving her alone at home. She tried to prepare meals for her parents, only to overturn the kerosene light on the stove, resulting in a fire which took her hands away.

Though her elder sister who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to take care of her, she was determined to be completely independent. At school, she always studied hard. Most of all she learned to be self-reliant. Once she wrote the following in her composition: "I am lucky. Though I lost my arms, I still have legs; I am lucky. Though my wings are broken, my heart can still fly."

One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own, whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm for her life. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote: My younger brother's arms are my arms；while the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.

They had both endured the same ordeal, but their different attitudes determined the nature of their lives. It is true that life is unpredictable. Disasters can strike at any time. How you handle misfortune when confronted with it, is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and escape from the ordeal, it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decide to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.

别错过机会 [每日一篇]

Each spring brings a new blossom of wildflowers in the ditches along the highway I travel daily to work.

There is one particular blue flower that has always caught my eye. I've noticed that it blooms only in the morning hours, the afternoon sun is too warm for it. Every day for approximately two weeks, I see those beautiful flowers.

This spring, I started a wildflower garden in our yard. I can look out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes and see the flowers. I've often thought that those lovely blue flowers from the ditch would look great in that bed alongside other wildflowers. Everyday I drove past the flowers thinking, "I'll stop on my way home and dig them." "Gee, I don't want to get my good clothes dirty..." Whatever the reason, I never stopped to dig them. My husband even gave me a folding shovel one year for my trunk to be used for that expressed purpose.

One day on my way home from work, I was saddened to see that the highway department had mowed the ditches and the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself, "Way to go, you waited too long. You should have done it when you first saw them blooming this spring."

A week ago we were shocked and saddened to learn that my oldest sister-in-law has a terminal brain tumor. She is 20 years older than my husband and unfortunately, because of age and distance, we haven't been as close as we all would have liked. I couldn't help but see the connection between the pretty blue flowers and the relationship between my husband's sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some wonderful memories that will bloom every year for us.

And yes, if I see the blue flowers again, you can bet I'll stop and transplant them to my wildflower garden.

Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This [music]

What if I told you it was all meant to be,
Would you believe me
Would you agree
It's almost that feeling that we met before
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy
When I tell you love has come here and now
A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
Some people search forever
For that one special kiss
Oh I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.
Everything changes but beauty remains
Something so tender
I can't explain
Well I may be dreaming but till I awake
Can we make this dream last forever
And I'll cherish all the love we share
A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
Some people search forever
For that one special kiss
Oh I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.
Could this be the greatest love of all
I wanna know that you will catch me when I fall (fall)
So let me tell you this
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people search forever for that one special kiss
Oh Oh I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Oh Oh like this
Oh I can't believe its happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Oh like this

天使在你身边 [每日一篇]

Surrounding you are angels,
They are there to guide your path,
If weakness overcomes you,
They'll give you strength if you will ask.

They are your protection
When life seems too hard to bear,
And though you feel alone at times,
The angels ... they are there.

Their faces may be hidden
And their voices you might not hear,
But they are ALWAYS with you,
Through your laughter or your tears.

They'll walk along beside you,
They'll guide your steps along the way,
They'll comfort you and hold you,
Protect you night and day.

They'll hold to your hand tightly,
They'll not ever let it go,
And they'll gently lead you forward,
Taking each step very slow.

For even as you slumber,
They watch closely over you;
They are there beside you
In each and every thing you do.

When life is overwhelming,
And your spirit has grown tired,
Know they'll be there for you,
To uplift and to inspire.

And when you're torn and lonely,
And you see no hope ahead,
Know that they will nourish you,
Your spirit will be fed.

And if there comes a time in life
That your heart has been broken,
Hear the words, "I'm here, my child,"
And know your angel has spoken.

For even in the darkest hour,
When all of hope seems gone,
They'll give you strength to live your life,
And desire to go on.

And if your faith in Heaven,
Should ever fade away,
They'll help renew your spirit,
And help you find your way.

Even though you're ever filled with doubt,
About the life you live,
Know that they are there to give you
All that they can give.

For you see, the Father sent them,
Because to Him, you mean so much,
That He sent them "just for you," my friend,
And your life, they will touch.

They will always be here,
They will "never" leave your side;
And upon their strength and guidance,
You always may rely.

Take comfort in their guidance,
Draw strength from up above,
And know that their sweet presence,
Is God's precious gift of love.

给爱最重的礼物 [每日一篇]

"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked.

When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.

Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.

He blurted out the tragedy. "A boy, a big boy...called me a freak."

He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music.

"But you might mingle with other young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.

The boy's father had a session with the family physician... "Could nothing be done?"

"I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured," the doctor decided. Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.

Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, "You're going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret."

The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs.

Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. One day, he asked his father, "Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her."

"I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet."

The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come. One of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother's casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.

"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," his father whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?"

Scars [每日一篇]

My teammates on the United States Disabled Ski Team used to tease me about the size of my chest, joking that my greatest handicap wasn't my missing leg but my missing cleavage. Little did they know how true that would become. This past year, I found out that for the second time in my life I had cancer, this time in both breasts. I had bilateral mastectomies.

When I heard I'd need the surgery, I didn't think it would be a big deal. I even told my friends playfully, "I'll keep you abreast of the situation." After all, I had lost my leg to my first go-round with cancer at age 12, then gone on to become a world champion ski racer. All of us on the Disabled Ski Team were missing one set of body parts or another.

I saw that a man in a wheelchair can be utterly sexy. That a woman who has no hands can appear not to be missing anything. That wholeness has nothing to do with missing parts and everything to do with spirit. Yet although I knew this, I was surprised to discover how difficult it was to adjust to my new scars.

When they brought me back to consciousness after the surgery, I started to sob and hyperventilate.

Suddenly I found that I didn't want to face the loss of more of my body. I didn't want chemotherapy again. I didn't want to be brave and tough and put on a perpetual smiling face. I didn't ever want to wake up again. My breathing grew so shaky that the anesthesiologist gave me oxygen and then, thankfully, put me back to sleep.

When I was doing hill sprints to prepare for my ski racing - my heart and lungs and leg muscles all on fire - I'd often be hit by the sensation that there were no resources left inside me with which to keep going.

Then I'd think about the races ahead - my dream of pushing my potential as far as it could go, the satisfaction of breaking through my own barriers - and that would get me through the sprints. The same tenacity that served me so well in ski racing helped me survive my second bout with cancer.

After the mastectomies, I knew that one way to get myself going would be to start exercising again, so I headed for the local pool.

In the communal shower, I found myself noticing other women's breasts for the first time in my life. Size-D breasts and size-A breasts, sagging breasts and perky breasts. Suddenly and for the first time, after all these years of missing a leg, I felt acutely self-conscious. I couldn't bring myself to undress.

I decided it was time to confront myself. That night at home, I took off all my clothes and had a long look at the woman in the mirror. She was androgynous.

Take my face - without makeup, it was a cute young boy's face. My shoulder muscles, arms and hands were powerful and muscular from the crutches. I had no breasts; instead, there were two prominent scars on my chest. I had a sexy flat stomach, a bubble butt and a well-developed thigh from years of ski racing. My right leg ended in another long scar just above the knee.

I discovered that I liked my androgynous body.

It fit my personality - my aggressive male side that loves getting dressed in a helmet, arm guards and shin protectors to do battle with the slalom gates, and my gentle female side that longs to have children one day and wants to dress up in a beautiful silk dress, go out to dinner with a lover and then lie back and be slowly undressed by him.

I found that the scars on my chest and my leg were a big deal. They were my marks of life. All of us are scarred by life; it's just that some of those scars show more clearly than others. Our scars do matter. They tell us that we have lived, that we haven't hidden from life. When we see our scars plainly, we can find in them, as I did that day, our own unique beauty.

The next time I went to the pool I showered naked.

NICKELBACK - Far Away [music]

Far Away

This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long, Too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know,
you know, you know

[CHORUS]
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore

On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything but I won't give up
'Cause you know,
you know, you know

[CHORUS]

So far away
Been far away for far too long
So far away
Been far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know

I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go

I love this pic,really. [else]

I promise......

Task 1 Trend [我的练笔]

As is shown in the first graph, the upward trend of Billions of dollars can be categorized into three stages. It fluctuated between about $36 billion to $50 billion from 1956 to 1965 and there is a surge from approximate $46 billion in 1965 to $80 billion in 1970. After 1970, it fluctuated, bottoming out at nearly $75 billion and reaching a peak at around $85 billion in 1975.

让我们继续微笑 [每日一篇]

The thing that goes the farthest toward making life worthwhile,

That costs the least and does the most, is just a pleasant smile.

The smile that bubbles from the heart that loves its fellow men,

Will drive away the clouds of gloom and coax the sun again.

It's full of worth and goodness, too, with manly kindness blent;

It's worth a million dollars, and it doesn't cost a cent.

There is no room for sadness when we see a cheery smile;

It always has the same good look; it's never out of style;

It nerves us on to try again when failure makes us blue;

The dimples of encouragement are good for me and you.

It pays the highest interest — for it is merely lent;

It's worth a million dollars, and it doesn't cost a cent.

A smile comes very easy — you can wrinkle up with cheer,

A hundred times before you can squeeze out a salty tear;

It ripples out, moreover, to the heartstrings that will tug,

And always leaves an echo that is very like a hug.

So, smile away! Folks understand what by a smile is meant;

It's worth a million dollars, and it doesn't cost a cent.

健全的人生 [每日一篇]

一个健全的人生是怎样的？是完美无缺？还是既有鲜花、鸟语也有狂风和乌云？来听听一个"圆圈"的故事，你能从中领悟到什么呢？

Once a circle missed a wedge. The circle wanted to be whole, so it went around looking for its missing piece. But because it was incomplete and therefore could roll only very slowly, it admired the flowers along the way. It chatted with worms. It enjoyed the sunshine. It found lots of different pieces, but none of them fit. So it left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching.

Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly. It was so happy. Now it could be whole, with nothing missing. It incorporated the missing piece into itself and began to roll. Now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to notice flowers or talk to the worms. When it realized how different the world seemed when it rolled so quickly, it stopped, left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled slowly away.

The lesson of the story, I suggested, was that in some strange sense we are more whole when we are missing something. The man who has everything is in some ways a poor man. He will never know what it feels like to yearn, to hope, to nourish his soul with the dream of something better. He will never know the experience of having someone who loves him give him something he has always wanted or never had.

There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with his limitations, who has been brave enough to let go of his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so. There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive, she can lose someone and still feel like a complete person.

Life is not a trap set for us by God so that he can condemn us for failing. Life is not a spelling bee, where no matter how many words you've gotten right, you're disqualified if you make one mistake. Life is more like a baseball season, where even the best team loses one third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance. Our goal is to win more games than we lose.

When we accept that imperfection is part of being human, and when we can continue rolling through life and appreciate it, we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only aspire to. That, I believe, is what God asks of us -- not "Be perfect", not "Don't even make a mistake", but "Be whole."

If we are brave enough to love, strong enough to forgive, generous enough to rejoice in another's happiness, and wise enough to know there is enough love to go around for us all, then we can achieve a fulfillment that no other living creature will ever know.

Marriage [每日一篇]

There are four stages to a marriage.

Stage one is what I called the fantasy stage. This stage goes something like this: "Oh, we have found each other and it is so grand, so ecstatic! We can live together forever as one. Whatever happens, we can handle it, together."

Here is the stage where the wounded child living within each of the marriage partners cries out, "oh, goody, I have found my safe haven and I shall never have pain, especially of a kind that wounded me in my childhood." Yes, you touch ecstasy in stage one of marriage, but the ecstasy wanes as you ebb into the second stage of a marriage.

Stage two of a marriage is what I call the counter dependent stage. This is the stage where suddenly you cannot tolerate the way he squeezes the toothpaste in the middle of the tube, or burps when he pushes his chair away from the table (signaling his meal is finished and you get the honor of cleaning up after him). Or, he cannot believe this shrew yelling at him as he walks away is the same sweet little thing who just a few months prior couldn't wait to show him what a great cook, wife, and everything else he ever wanted her to be. She doesn't even come close to offering to rub his back every night anymore!

There is a need for stage two. Here is the stage where we must circle around ourselves to recapture our own identity. Especially if we are ever to move into stage three and stage four, as you shall see.

Unfortunately, 97% of all marriages end in stage two. Ignorant of the metaphysics of a spiritual marriage and of marriage’s divine stages, the couple only sees disintegration of goals and dreams, and a fast dissolving of romance and ecstasy.

Here is the stage where the fire breathing dragon comes out of each of you, to scorch that little wounded child with all the fury of a warring monster.

"God, she's just like my mother," I hear. "I swore I did everything I could to avoid getting hooked up with one like that. I guess I'm just safest not being married at all, not ever (and oh, what a hole that statement leaves within the heart)." Or, "Gee, he's as bossy as my father and just as loud. He's always telling me what to do." Or, "I have no freedom and I have to go out on my own and find myself. Never again..."

Something is going to happen in this, the second stage of a marriage. It will. It is inevitable. Either you go your separate ways, or you MAKE A COMMITMENT TO WORK IT OUT. The moment you make a spiritual commitment that no one is going anywhere, that somehow, some way, you WILL work it out, you automatically move into stage three of your marriage. Here is the stage where you can rediscover your love for one another - it doesn't happen in stage two, not when you are counter dependent.

Commitment is the ONLY WAY you can move to stage three and ultimately to stage four. Here is where any infidelity ceases (infidelity can only take place in stage two, by the way). Here is where marriage counseling, if it is to take place, will show solid success. Here is where compromise and negotiation take place (and compromise means just that - EACH of you has to give up something in order to meet in the middle). Here is where the wounded child is healed. Here is where you begin to move from a wounded, flattened one dimensional marriage back into the ecstasy and romance you found during stage one.

When a true commitment has been made to honor the soul's growth, individually and together, within the marriage, interdependence takes place. When all negotiation and compromise has been complete and the wounded child is healed, you then move into stage four of the marriage.

Ah, stage four. This is the stage you unwittingly got married for in the first place. Is it worth all the effort of having to work through the other stages? You bet. Here is the stage of autonomy, of independence. Here is where one achieves what is called marital bliss.

Marital bliss is the stage of relationship within the spiritual marriage where no one is going anywhere. The wounded child is healed. The marriage is comfortable, honorable, and allows the individual to maintain his or her own identity, while at the same time bringing to the marriage gifts of the spirit: humor, creativity, sensitivity, tenderness, understanding, and the gratifying sense of individuation. Here is where each person can enjoy a safe arena in which he and she can reach out and stretch to their full potential, individually and as a couple.

In the fourth stage of marriage ecstasy returns.

In the fourth stage of marriage you are free to touch the face of God.

Day 3 [人生悟语]

幸福的要诀

We've always been told it's true, but now experts have proved that money really can't buy you happiness.

They quizzed jackpot winners and came up with 10 tips to keep you feeling on top of the world.

And the results were surprising. No flash cars of expensive jewellery. Instead it was the simple pleasures, available to almost anybody, that bring the most enjoyment.

Top of the list is spending time with your family.

But jackpot winners' advice is: "Don't give up work. Having a regular routine and social interaction are essential. Keeping up friendships is important too, as is a stable marriage.

Buying your own home, preferably in the North where people are friendlier, is a good idea. But don't get into debt.

No matter how much money you have, living within your means is vital if you want to avoid stress."

Dr Richard Tunney, of Nottingham University said: "The old saying 'money can't buy you happiness' may not be true, but traditional family values, a comfortable home and financial security are clearly key elements to a happy life."

不知不觉爱上你 [每日一篇]

不知什么时候爱上了你，也许是在我们第一次相拥，也许是我感觉到你也爱我时……


I'm not sure when I first fell in love with you... I guess it could have been as early as that first time we held each other, or the first time I realized that you kind of liked me, too...

I'm not sure; I just remember thinking of you more and more and getting less and less done in the process!

I remember wanting you to stay so badly - and being so thrilled at the thought.

I remember praying that it was you whenever the phone would ring, but at the same time hoping it wasn't; because I didn't know how in the world I was going to sound romantic and impressive when what I felt was anxious and tongue-tied...

Sometimes it still amazes me - how I get so anxious and thrilled and thoughtful about you; I guess maybe it's because I just keep falling wonderfully in love with you... over and over again.

Day 2 [人生悟语]

Finding Spiritual Guidance

Look for spiritual guidance everywhere and at any time... Spiritual guidance is not restricted to one area, or one particular day, or one particular time of the day.

While you may be more open to receiving your guidance in the quiet hours of the early morning, or the late night, your spiritual guidance is always present. It is present in books that you 'happen' to come across, articles you are attracted to reading, things you hear that when looked at from that perspective apply to your situation.

Perhaps if we expected to receive spiritual guidance at each and every moment of our lives instead of simply in church on Sunday, or when we sit quietly in meditation, we would receive many more messages throughout the day.
　

Emotions Have an Effect!

Every emotion that surges or trickles through you causes a physical reaction somewhere in the body. A minor upset may take a couple of days to register as a headache or backache; a more vehement explosion of anger or hatred directed at someone could result in a terrible case of ulcers or colitis, because that emotion is pounding your body.

But just as negative emotions have a negative effect on the body, so too do positive emotions have a positive effect.

We are all teachers and students

We are all teachers and students. You learn (hopefully) from the people in your life, and they have the opportunity to learn from you as well.

We are all 'in the same boat' and if we start learning from each other and sharing what we have learned with others, perhaps we can get to where we're going faster.

Sometimes we learn from people's mistakes, sometimes from their examples, but always we have the opportunity to look around us and see 'little mirrors' of ourselves.

My own "truest" Christmas [每日一篇]

For many of us, one Christmas stands out from all the others, the one when the meaning of the day shone clearest. My own "truest" Christmas began on a rainy spring day in the bleakest year of my life.

Recently divorced, I was in my 20s, had no job and was on my way downtown to go the rounds of the employment offices. I had no umbrella, for my old one had fallen apart, and I could not afford another one.

I sat down in the streetcar--and there against the seat was a beautiful silk umbrella with a silver handle inlaid with gold and necks of bright enamel. I had never seen anything so lovely.

I examined the handle and saw a name engraved among the golden scrolls. The usual procedure would have been to turn in the umbrella to the conductor, but on impulse I decided to take it with me and find the owner myself.

I got off the streetcar in a downpour and thankfully opened the umbrella to protect myself. Then I searched a telephone book for the name on the umbrella and found it. I called and a lady answered.

Yes, she said in surprise, that was her umbrella, which her parents, now dead, had given her for a birthday present. But, she added, it had been stolen from her locker at school (she was a teacher) more than a year before.

She was so excited that I forgot I was looking for a job and went directly to her small house. She took the umbrella, and her eyes filled with tears.

The teacher wanted to give me a reward, but--though twenty dollars was all I had in the world--her happiness at retrieving this special possession was such that to have accepted money would have spoiled something. We talked for a while, and I must have given her my address. I don't remember.

The next six months were wretched. I was able to obtain only temporary employment here and there, for a small salary. But I put aside twenty-five or fifty cents when I could afford it for my lithe girl's Christmas presents.

My last job ended the day before Christmas, my thirty-dollar rent was soon due, and 1 had fifteen dollars to my name--which Peggy and I would need for food.

She was home from convent boarding school and was excitedly looking forward to her gifs next day, which I had already Purchased. I had bough her a small tree, and we were going to decorate it that night.

The air was full of the sound of Christmas merriment as I walked from the streetcar to my small apartment. Bells rang and children shouted in the bitter dusk of the evening, and windows were lighted and everyone was running and laughing. But there should be no Christmas for me, I knew, no gifts, no remembrance whatsoever.

As l struggled through the snowdrifts, l had just about reached the lowest Point in my life. Unless a miracle happened, I would be homeless in January, foodless, jobless. I had prayed steadily for weeks, and there had been no answer but this coldness and darkness, this harsh air, this abandonment.

God and men had completely forgotten me. I felt so helpless and so lonely. What was to become of us?

I looked in my mail box. There were only bills in it, a sheaf of them, and two white envelopes which I was sure contained more bills. I went up three dusty flights of stairs and I cried, shivering in my thin coat.

But I made myself smile so I could greet my little daughter with a Pretense of happiness. She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately.

Peggy had proudly set our kitchen table for our evening meal and put pans out and three cans of food which would be our dinner. For some reason, when I looked at those pans and cans, I felt brokenhearted. We would have only hamburgers for our Christmas dinner tomorrow.

I stood in the cold little kitchen, misery overwhelmed me. For the first time in my life, I doubted the existence and his mercy, and the coldness in my heart was colder than ice.

The doorbell rang and Peggy ran fleetly to answer it, calling that it must be Santa Claus. Then I heard a man talking heartily to her and went to the door. He was a delivery man, and his arms were full of parcels. "This is a mistake," I said, but he read the name on the parcels and there were for me.

When he had gone I could only stare at the boxes. Peggy and I sat on the floor and opened them. A huge doll, three times the size of the one I had bought for her. Gloves. Candy. A beautiful leather purse. Incredible! I looked for the name of the sender. It was the teacher, the address was simply "California", where she had moved.

Our dinner the nigh was the most delicious I had ever eaten. I forgot I had no money for the rent and only fifteen dollars in my purse and no job. My child and I ate and laughed together in happiness.

Then we decorated the little tree and marveled at it. I put Peggy to bed and set up her gifts around the tree and a sweet peace flooded me like a benediction. I had some hope again. I could even examine the sheaf of bills without cringing.

Day 1 [人生悟语]

Taking the first step

How will you know you can succeed at something if you don't give it a try?

How will you know you can drag yourself out of the depths of your despair if you don't try?

How do you know you won't get that new job if you don't apply? How do you know...

Before becoming a success at anything, you must take that first step.

Giving and Receiving Love

Humans need love. It is in the giving and receiving of love that we choose life. Participating in this fundamental exchange lies in our ability to trust others.


Happiness Now!

Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late.

Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them.

Setting aside special moments

Over the years, I have noticed that it has become more and more difficult to set aside those special moments of the day when we can remove ourselves from the hectic, frenetic pace of everyday life.

Yet finding time to get away, to reflect, to concentrate, or to just let the mind wander freely is important for our overall health.

Studies have shown that reducing stress in daily life significantly reduces the risk of heart attacks or the need for heart surgery.

Reflecting on Anger

Another way of dealing with anger is to reflect on its results.

We know very well that when we are angry, we do not see the truth clearly. As a result, we may commit many unwholesome actions.

Our future life is determined by our intentional actions today, just as our present life is heir to our previous intentional behavior. Intentional actions committed under the influence of anger cannot lead to a happy future.


A Fresh Start Now

The greatest power you possess for succeeding in life is your understanding that life gives you a fresh start any moment you choose to start fresh.

You've only to test the truth of this fact about the newness of life to discover the incredible freedom that waits for you just behind it.

Nothing that stood in your way even a heartbeat before stands there now in the same way. It's all new, even if you can't as yet see it that way.

The first snow [每日一篇]

The first snow came.

How beautiful it was, falling so silently all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead!

All white save the river, that marked its course by a winding black line across the landscape; and the leafless trees, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully the wonderful beauty and intricacies of their branches.

What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion! Every sound was muffled, every noise changed to something soft and musical.

No more tramping hoofs, no more rattling wheels!

Only the chiming of sleigh-bells, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children.

告别OC，告别msn space，从这里开始move on

准备将我的msn space作为OC的陪葬，但我的博客之路将在这里继续前行~