This video that I am about to share is worth watching. I have shared it on my Facebook and it's so good that I really hope those of you who are not my FB friends will also have the chance to view it, hence I decide to blog it.
I first chanced upon the message also on FB, it was a long transcript which can be found in this link. It was a great message but the video has more impact on me (and different from the transcript above). I know I have blogged about my future eulogy and remembering the mortalities of people around us, but actually listening to the message directly from a man who was really dying, made it more real.
Dr Richard Teo was a 40-year-old millionaire and cosmetic surgeon with a stage-4 lung cancer. Towards the end of his life, he realized what really is essential in his life and hence his message is for people to not make the same mistake as him.
I am not able to embed the video, so here's the link once again. I hope you will benefit it as much as I do.
"When I faced death, when I had to, I stripped myself off all stuff totally and I focused only on what is essential. The irony is that a lot of times only when we learn how to die then we learn how to live. ... Don't let society tell you how to live. Don't let the media tell you what you're supposed to do okay because that's what happened to me. And I led this life thinking all these things are going to bring me happiness. I hope you will think about it and decide for yourself how you want to live your life. Not according to what other people tell you to do and you have to decide whether you want to serve yourself or whether you are going to make a difference in somebody else's life. Because true happiness doesn't come from serving yourself." - Dr Richard Teo
PS.
27 October 2012
I just found out from all the comments given by anonymous people that the video has turned private. :(
As I'm not the owner of the video, I can't make it public.
However a kind stranger has provided me with the updated link and voila hereby I'm sharing it once again. (I can't embed it still). Hope everyone will benefit from this!
Thanks, whoever-you-are to update me on this!
I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation You're living in the past it's a new generation A girl can do what she wants to do and that's What I'm gonna do An' I don't give a damn ' bout my bad reputation Oh no not me - Joan Jett, Bad Reputation
Joan Jett, one of the prominent lady in the rock music world. If you haven't heard of her, you have at least heard or chanted one of her famous song - "I Love Rock 'n Roll". She's a legend and even being coined as Queen of Rock.
I have heard of her songs on MTV Classic when I was really little. (I'm still little now, don't remind me!) but I didn't know she is really so COOL until I saw her on Oprah. She's 52 now and still rocking like crazy. Not to mention her physique looks like she's still in her 20s! Face may show "a little" and covered by make-up but the energy that she exudes definitely has the 20s vibe! Even Miley Cyrus is not as cool as her (yet?), though she's still carving her real path besides the Hannah Montana thing. Give her time.
Check out the video below where they both performed in The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Oprah: I know you said that you don't just love rock 'n roll but it's your religion.
Joan Jett: Yes, I take it very seriously and I think that it's important to do what you love and rock 'n roll, when I grew up really had sort of a context and a meaning and so, I felt it's like a religion to me.
I guess that's what being authentic is all about. Being true to yourself. Follow your passion. Loving and living your passion and spread it to the people who appreciate it. It will eventually show in your charisma, your physique, your energy and your being. The next thing you know, it is so contagious that it will breed the next generation of passionate people.
Why I chose the quote from her song - Bad Reputation as the opening line? Because the music video was really her journey to be who she is today. As cheesy as it looked like (well it's the 80s, baby), that was her true story. Being rejected in the beginning by so many music labels, she set up her own label and the rest is history.
You may like or dislike rock 'n roll. You may care a lot of your reputation or not but the lesson to be learned is just make sure you find your "religion"; something you really care and live for. It may not be the traditional ones. Who cares? I am still not sure what is my "religion" as I still can't find things that I take SO SERIOUSLY till it consumes me (bummer!) but I will find one, I'm feeling it (delusionally psyching myself up :p). Just remember, one can do what one wants to do and just do it. Disclaimer: Make sure what you want to do don't harm people lah ....
The name Keenan Cahill didn't ring a bell to me even though he's already like a superstar! If you watched Uncharted MTV on my previous post, then you will notice this boy who's in blue t-shirt that says something about lip sync !@#!@# ... that's him. Keenan Cahill. Apparently, he's a youtube superstar simply by lip-syncing to popular songs. Not only his videos get lots of hits but just look at how by simply doing what he loves he gets to meet these people .... (3 videos shared below). So what if he has Maroteaux–Lamy syndrome, the fun still needs to go on. Now I really understand why he is being featured into Sara Bareilles' song. He really does say "YES" to life. Great job!
Jennifer Aniston Goes Viral (With Keenan Cahill) for Smartwater Viral Campaign
Strange how questions are "kinda" answered ... Just as I was "being lost" in my own wandering mode, a song just spoke me through its melody (at first). I'm not a very lyrics person. Tunes will speak to me louder than words. Then this song come along and the lyrics are just amazing. Great wake up call to just live the uncharted life as it is.
Check out the MTV at the end of the post. If you can't view it you may click here. The MTV is really unique. In a blog entry on Sara Bareilles' site, she mentioned the reason behind the concept;
"This video is about my journey as an artist who looks up to the people around them. This is about being a fan of people who take chances, who are fearless, who have integrity, and go off into the world saying yes to what's around them. It's filled with some of the people in my life who do that everyday. They have impacted my world and are not only incredible artists, but great friends as well. They all worked this giant favor into their very busy lives and helped me out more than I can say."[6]
Uncharted - Sara Bareilles
No words, My tears won't make any room for more, And it don't hurt, like anything I've ever felt before, this is No broken heart, No familiar scars, This territory goes uncharted...
Just me, in a room sunk down in a house in a town, and I Don't breathe, no I never meant to let it get away from me Now, too much to hold, everybody wants has to get their hands on gold, And I want uncharted. Stuck under the ceiling I made, I can't help but feeling...
I'm going down, Follow if you want, I won't just hang around, Like you'll show me where to go, I'm already out, foolproof idea, so don't ask me how To get started, it's all uncharted...
La la la-a-a-a. Oh-h-h.
Each day, countin' up the minutes, till I get alone, 'cause I can't stay In the middle of it all, it's nobody's fault, but I'm So lonely, Never knew how much I didn't know, Oh, everything is uncharted. I know I'm getting nowhere, when I only sit and stare like...
I'm going down, Follow if you want, I won't just hang around, Like you'll show me where to go, I'm already out, of foolproof idea, so don't ask me how To get started, it's all uncharted.
Jump start my kaleidoscope heart, Love to watch the colors fade, They may not make sense, But they sure as hell made me.
I won't go as a passenger, no Waiting for the road to be laid Though I may be going down, I'm taking flame over burning out
Compare, where you are to where you want to be, and you'll get nowhere
I'm going down, Follow if you want, I won't just hang around, Like you'll show me where to go, I'm already out, foolproof idea, so don't ask me how Oh-h I'm going down, Follow if you want, I won't just hang around, Like you'll show me where to go, I'm already out, foolproof idea, so don't ask me how To get started, it's all uncharted... No words, My tears won't make any room for more, And it don't hurt, like anything I've ever felt before, this is No broken heart, No familiar scars, This territory goes uncharted...
Just me, in a room sunk down in a house in a town, and I Don't breathe, no I never meant to let it get away from me Now, too much to hold, everybody wants has to get their hands on gold, And I want uncharted. Stuck under the ceiling I made, I can't help but feeling...
I'm going down, Follow if you want, I won't just hang around, Like you'll show me where to go, I'm already out, foolproof idea, so don't ask me how To get started, it's all uncharted...
La la la-a-a-a. Oh-h-h.
Each day, countin' up the minutes, till I get alone, 'cause I can't stay In the middle of it all, it's nobody's fault, but I'm So lonely, Never knew how much I didn't know, Oh, everything is uncharted. I know I'm getting nowhere, when I only sit and stare like...
I'm going down, Follow if you want, I won't just hang around, Like you'll show me where to go, I'm already out, of foolproof idea, so don't ask me how To get started, it's all uncharted.
Jump start my kaleidoscope heart, Love to watch the colors fade, They may not make sense, But they sure as hell made me.
I won't go as a passenger, no Waiting for the road to be laid Though I may be going down, I'm taking flame over burning out
Compare, where you are to where you want to be, and you'll get nowhere
I'm going down, Follow if you want, I won't just hang around, Like you'll show me where to go, I'm already out, foolproof idea, so don't ask me how Oh-h I'm going down, Follow if you want, I won't just hang around, Like you'll show me where to go, I'm already out, foolproof idea, so don't ask me how To get started, it's all uncharted...
[ These are Uncharted Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]
Talents are seriously everywhere and the world just never fail to surprise me with the growth of amazing talents! I stumbled into this French post on my Google reader, top 10 acappella that consists of only 1 person.
And my favourite are the following:
1. Michael Jackson – You rock my world by Jean-Baptiste Craipeau
2. Lady Gaga Medley by Naya Marie
3. Jason Mraz – I’m Yours by Del Soul
4. Katy Perry – Teenage Dream + Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are by Mike Tompkins
A French friend of mine shared this and I couldn't stop adoring how fantastic and creative ad campaign can be. Truly, there's no limit in terms of idea.
If you would like to see the original blog post in French, you can find it here.
Basically it's a series of advertisements for the latest Sony Ericcson phone - Xperia X10. They conduct a focus group consists of 3 people who will then try out the different functions of the phones they get. My favourite is the little girls but the rest are as hilarious too. Enjoy!
Since I still have no idea what I should blog that purely comes from my own brain, in the next few posts, I am going to share what I have been reading and finding out about the interesting world we are living in.
Now ... it's this animated video/seminar about what drive us to do what we do. It'll be one of the best 11 minutes you've ever spent in enriching your mind. Enjoy!
As I'm still scratching my head to write something that's more substantial while being accompanied by John Mayer's The Heart of Life, I thought to myself, why don't I share this song to my readers.
Well, let me first share with you the full lyrics of the song:
THE HEART OF LIFE BY JOHN MAYER
I hate to see you cry Lying there in that position There's things you need to hear So turn off your tears and listen
Pain throws you heart to the ground Love turns the whole thing around No, it won't all go the way, it should But I know the heart of life is good
You know it's nothing new Bad news never had good timing Then the circle of your friends Will defend the silver lining
Pain throws your heart to the ground Love turns the whole thing around No, it won't all go the way, it should But I know the heart of life is good
Pain throws your heart to the ground Love turns the whole thing around Fear is a friend who's misunderstood But I know the heart of life is good
I know it's good
There are 2 lines that hit me: 1. You know it's nothing new, bad news never had good timing 2. Fear is a friend who's misunderstood, but I know the heart of life is good
The year 2009, has been an awful year so far. Seriously, awful. I'm quite tired of being an energizer bunny whom people think my life has been pretty smooth sailing and I'm able to spread joy and motivate people but seriously, this is life, get real and it's been terrible recently.
And yes, like John Mayer said,"...it's nothing new, bad news never had good timing." I've seen it happened to so many souls this year and yours truly included. It's tough. And the road ahead, is super murky. I can't see a thing. It's that bad.
When you are so low, sometimes you really forget that your head can be used to look up too. Yes, it's seriously hard to look up at time like this. Seriously. When I try to look up, the voices push me down further to the pit of "worse-than-ever". How can one survive in sucha state of mind?
I don't know ...
But, I guess the song is a great reminder for me and for those who are in the down-low that, don't you forget .... "The heart of life is good."
Eventually, this too shall pass ... and life will be good again. Everything has its cycle and it happened to be a very turbulent time, this year. It will crawl back up, eventually. And meanwhile, I'll immerse myself in John Mayer's voice .... enjoy the video through this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS8NvoMudy8 or from the embedded video below. :)
I am mesmerized by Carla Bruni, her life, her songs and her creativity, after my teacher shared one of her work - Raphaël - which apparently was kinda inspired by her own love life. She used to be a model who then gave up her modeling career to pursue her passion in music. She's also the first lady of France at the moment after marrying the President Nicolas Sarkozy.
One of her album, No Promises, which majority of her songs are actually adapted from poems by deceased authors. I stumbled upon "Promises Like Pie-Crust" which was written by Christina Georgina Rossetti. Can't help it but to get lost in the words.
Promise me no promises, So will I not promise you: Keep we both our liberties, Never false and never true: Let us hold the die uncast, Free to come as free to go: For I cannot know your past, And of mine what can you know?
You, so warm, may once have been Warmer towards another one: I, so cold, may once have seen Sunlight, once have felt the sun: Who shall show us if it was Thus indeed in time of old? Fades the image from the glass, And the fortune is not told.
If you promised, you might grieve For lost liberty again: If I promised, I believe I should fret to break the chain. Let us be the friends we were, Nothing more but nothing less: Many thrive on frugal fare Who would perish of excess.
There are singers who have great hype. There are singers who have great fame. Then, there are those rare ones who have no hype nor tremendous fame, but what they have is a sincere voice with soulful message. This time I found it through Aşa, Paris-born Nigerian singer-songwriter. Even though I don't understand the lyrics of the song - Eyé àdaba, but it just seems to speak to me.
I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do. Below there's the lyrics and translation too. What a beautiful song about peace.
This following French song - Les Champs-Elysees will always remind me of my very first French teacher - Linda Hung. Not only it's my ringing tone but it's a basic song where you can really pick up a lot of words and not to mention, if you've never gone to Paris (like me), will make you dream about it more. I hope you'll enjoy it and as I'm going to share it with fellow classmates, I'll paste the meaning below too. :D Enjoy!
Les Champs-Élysées by Joe Dassin
Je m'baladais sur l'avenue le coeur ouvert à l'inconnu / I trotted on the avenue my heart opened to the unknowns J'avais envie de dire bonjour à n'importe qui / I wanted to say hello to no matter whom N'importe qui et ce fut toi, je t'ai dit n'importe quoi / No matter whom, it could be you, I'd said anything to you Il suffisait de te parler, pour t'apprivoiser / It was enough to speak to you, just to calm down.
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées / At Champs-Élysées, At Champs-Élysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit / In the sun, under the rain, in midday or midnight Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées / That's all you'd ever want at Champs-Élysées Tu m'as dit "J'ai rendez-vous dans un sous-sol avec des fous / You said to me "I was pinned in a basement with fools Qui vivent la guitare à la main, du soir au matin" / Who live guitar-in-hand from dusk till dawn" Alors je t'ai accompagnée, on a chanté, on a dansé / Then I accompanied you, one sang, one danced Et l'on n'a même pas pensé à s'embrasser / Any one who did not even think of embracing oneself
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées / At Champs-Élysées, At Champs-Élysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit / In the sun, under the rain, in midday or midnight Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées / That's all you'd ever want at Champs-Élysées
Hier soir deux inconnus et ce matin sur l'avenue / Yesterday evening two unknowns and this morning on the avenue Deux amoureux tout étourdis par la longue nuit / Two in love all dazed by the long night Et de l'Étoile à la Concorde, un orchestre à mille cordes / And to the Star of Concord, form an orchestra with thousand cords Tous les oiseaux du point du jour chantent l'amour / All the birds at day-break singing for the love Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées / At Champs-Élysées, At Champs-Élysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit / In the sun, under the rain, in midday or midnight Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées / That's all you'd ever want at Champs-Élysées
I believe it may not be a new news to some of you but I just managed to watch the video today and I think everybody should listen to it. I've embedded the video and just in case you are receiving this as newsletter, you may view the video (duration: 30 minutes) go to my website directly. Here's the link -> www.donnadaritan.com/2008/06/oprahs-keynote-speech-to-standford.html
To sum up this speech, Oprah has 3 important points to share when it comes to life lessons that have helped her the most: 1. Feeling 2. Failure 3. Finding Happiness
Feeling Oprah believes that feeling has helped her in making the best and worst decisions in her life. It's said that feeling is like a GPS system for our life. When things feel right, we should do it. And when it feels wrong or even a tint of doubt lurking around, not only we don't do it, but we be still. Be still till the right things come along before we take an action.
Failure No journey is smooth forever. Sometimes we encounter bumps along the way. And if we do, Oprah advised us to ask the one question to make sure we get the lesson to progress to the next level: "What is this here to teach me?"
Finding Happiness The key to find happiness in life is the following quotes I've taken directly from her speech:
"...be a part of something. Don't live for yourself alone. This is what I know for sure: In order to be truly happy, you must live along with and you have to stand for something larger than yourself. Because life is a reciprocal exchange. To move forward you have to give back. And to me, that is the greatest lesson of life. To be happy, you have to give something back."
I hope everyone has gained something from the speech or at least from the 3 points that have been shared simply by Oprah. Enjoy the video and the full transcript below.
Thank you, President Hennessy, and to the trustees and the faculty, to all of the parents and grandparents, to you, the Stanford graduates. Thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.
I need to begin by letting everyone in on a little secret. The secret is that Kirby Bumpus, Stanford Class of '08, is my goddaughter. So, I was thrilled when President Hennessy asked me to be your Commencement speaker, because this is the first time I've been allowed on campus since Kirby's been here.
You see, Kirby's a very smart girl. She wants people to get to know her on her own terms, she says. Not in terms of who she knows. So, she never wants anyone who's first meeting her to know that I know her and she knows me. So, when she first came to Stanford for new student orientation with her mom, I hear that they arrived and everybody was so welcoming, and somebody came up to Kirby and they said, "Ohmigod, that's Gayle King!" Because a lot of people know Gayle King as my BFF [best friend forever].
And so somebody comes up to Kirby, and they say, "Ohmigod, is that Gayle King?" And Kirby's like, "Uh-huh. She's my mom."
And so the person says, "Ohmigod, does it mean, like, you know Oprah Winfrey?"
And Kirby says, "Sort of."
I said, "Sort of? You sort of know me?" Well, I have photographic proof. I have pictures which I can e-mail to you all of Kirby riding horsey with me on all fours. So, I more than sort-of know Kirby Bumpus. And I'm so happy to be here, just happy that I finally, after four years, get to see her room. There's really nowhere else I'd rather be, because I'm so proud of Kirby, who graduates today with two degrees, one in human bio and the other in psychology. Love you, Kirby Cakes! That's how well I know her. I can call her Cakes.
And so proud of her mother and father, who helped her get through this time, and her brother, Will. I really had nothing to do with her graduating from Stanford, but every time anybody's asked me in the past couple of weeks what I was doing, I would say, "I'm getting ready to go to Stanford."
I just love saying "Stanford." Because the truth is, I know I would have never gotten my degree at all, 'cause I didn't go to Stanford. I went to Tennessee State University. But I never would have gotten my diploma at all, because I was supposed to graduate back in 1975, but I was short one credit. And I figured, I'm just going to forget it, 'cause, you know, I'm not going to march with my class. Because by that point, I was already on television. I'd been in television since I was 19 and a sophomore. Granted, I was the only television anchor person that had an 11 o'clock curfew doing the 10 o'clock news.
Seriously, my dad was like, "Well, that news is over at 10:30. Be home by 11."
But that didn't matter to me, because I was earning a living. I was on my way. So, I thought, I'm going to let this college thing go and I only had one credit short. But, my father, from that time on and for years after, was always on my case, because I did not graduate. He'd say, "Oprah Gail"—that's my middle name—"I don't know what you're gonna do without that degree." And I'd say, "But, Dad, I have my own television show."
And he'd say, "Well, I still don't know what you're going to do without that degree."
And I'd say, "But, Dad, now I'm a talk show host." He'd say, "I don't know how you're going to get another job without that degree."
So, in 1987, Tennessee State University invited me back to speak at their commencement. By then, I had my own show, was nationally syndicated. I'd made a movie, had been nominated for an Oscar and founded my company, Harpo. But I told them, I cannot come and give a speech unless I can earn one more credit, because my dad's still saying I'm not going to get anywhere without that degree.
So, I finished my coursework, I turned in my final paper and I got the degree.
And my dad was very proud. And I know that, if anything happens, that one credit will be my salvation.
But I also know why my dad was insisting on that diploma, because, as B. B. King put it, "The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take that away from you." And learning is really in the broadest sense what I want to talk about today, because your education, of course, isn't ending here. In many ways, it's only just begun.
The world has so many lessons to teach you. I consider the world, this Earth, to be like a school and our life the classrooms. And sometimes here in this Planet Earth school the lessons often come dressed up as detours or roadblocks. And sometimes as full-blown crises. And the secret I've learned to getting ahead is being open to the lessons, lessons from the grandest university of all, that is, the universe itself.
It's being able to walk through life eager and open to self-improvement and that which is going to best help you evolve, 'cause that's really why we're here, to evolve as human beings. To grow into more of ourselves, always moving to the next level of understanding, the next level of compassion and growth.
I think about one of the greatest compliments I've ever received: I interviewed with a reporter when I was first starting out in Chicago. And then many years later, I saw the same reporter. And she said to me, "You know what? You really haven't changed. You've just become more of yourself."
And that is really what we're all trying to do, become more of ourselves. And I believe that there's a lesson in almost everything that you do and every experience, and getting the lesson is how you move forward. It's how you enrich your spirit. And, trust me, I know that inner wisdom is more precious than wealth. The more you spend it, the more you gain.
So, today, I just want to share a few lessons—meaning three—that I've learned in my journey so far. And aren't you glad? Don't you hate it when somebody says, "I'm going to share a few," and it's 10 lessons later? And, you're like, "Listen, this is my graduation. This is not about you." So, it's only going to be three.
The three lessons that have had the greatest impact on my life have to do with feelings, with failure and with finding happiness.
A year after I left college, I was given the opportunity to co-anchor the 6 o'clock news in Baltimore, because the whole goal in the media at the time I was coming up was you try to move to larger markets. And Baltimore was a much larger market than Nashville. So, getting the 6 o'clock news co-anchor job at 22 was such a big deal. It felt like the biggest deal in the world at the time.
And I was so proud, because I was finally going to have my chance to be like Barbara Walters, which is who I had been trying to emulate since the start of my TV career. So, I was 22 years old, making $22,000 a year. And it's where I met my best friend, Gayle, who was an intern at the same TV station. And once we became friends, we'd say, "Ohmigod, I can't believe it! You're making $22,000 and you're only 22. Imagine when you're 40 and you're making $40,000!"
When I turned 40, I was so glad that didn't happen.
So, here I am, 22, making $22,000 a year and, yet, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel right. The first sign, as President Hennessy was saying, was when they tried to change my name. The news director said to me at the time, "Nobody's going to remember Oprah. So, we want to change your name. We've come up with a name we think that people will remember and people will like. It's a friendly name: Suzie."
Hi, Suzie. Very friendly. You can't be angry with Suzie. Remember Suzie. But my name wasn't Suzie. And, you know, I'd grown up not really loving my name, because when you're looking for your little name on the lunch boxes and the license plate tags, you're never going to find Oprah.
So, I grew up not loving the name, but once I was asked to change it, I thought, well, it is my name and do I look like a Suzie to you? So, I thought, no, it doesn't feel right. I'm not going to change my name. And if people remember it or not, that's OK.
And then they said they didn't like the way I looked. This was in 1976, when your boss could call you in and say, "I don't like the way you look." Now that would be called a lawsuit, but back then they could just say, "I don't like the way you look." Which, in case some of you in the back, if you can't tell, is nothing like Barbara Walters. So, they sent me to a salon where they gave me a perm, and after a few days all my hair fell out and I had to shave my head. And then they really didn't like the way I looked.
Because now I am black and bald and sitting on TV. Not a pretty picture.
But even worse than being bald, I really hated, hated, hated being sent to report on other people's tragedies as a part of my daily duty, knowing that I was just expected to observe, when everything in my instinct told me that I should be doing something, I should be lending a hand.
So, as President Hennessy said, I'd cover a fire and then I'd go back and I'd try to give the victims blankets. And I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because of all the things I was covering during the day.
And, meanwhile, I was trying to sit gracefully like Barbara and make myself talk like Barbara. And I thought, well, I could make a pretty goofy Barbara. And if I could figure out how to be myself, I could be a pretty good Oprah. I was trying to sound elegant like Barbara. And sometimes I didn't read my copy, because something inside me said, this should be spontaneous. So, I wanted to get the news as I was giving it to the people. So, sometimes, I wouldn't read my copy and it would be, like, six people on a pileup on I-40. Oh, my goodness.
And sometimes I wouldn't read the copy—because I wanted to be spontaneous—and I'd come across a list of words I didn't know and I'd mispronounce. And one day I was reading copy and I called Canada "ca nada." And I decided, this Barbara thing's not going too well. I should try being myself.
But at the same time, my dad was saying, "Oprah Gail, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. You better keep that job." And my boss was saying, "This is the nightly news. You're an anchor, not a social worker. Just do your job."
So, I was juggling these messages of expectation and obligation and feeling really miserable with myself. I'd go home at night and fill up my journals, 'cause I've kept a journal since I was 15—so I now have volumes of journals. So, I'd go home at night and fill up my journals about how miserable I was and frustrated. Then I'd eat my anxiety. That's where I learned that habit.
And after eight months, I lost that job. They said I was too emotional. I was too much. But since they didn't want to pay out the contract, they put me on a talk show in Baltimore. And the moment I sat down on that show, the moment I did, I felt like I'd come home. I realized that TV could be more than just a playground, but a platform for service, for helping other people lift their lives. And the moment I sat down, doing that talk show, it felt like breathing. It felt right. And that's where everything that followed for me began.
And I got that lesson. When you're doing the work you're meant to do, it feels right and every day is a bonus, regardless of what you're getting paid.
It's true. And how do you know when you're doing something right? How do you know that? It feels so. What I know now is that feelings are really your GPS system for life. When you're supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system lets you know. The trick is to learn to check your ego at the door and start checking your gut instead. Every right decision I've made—every right decision I've ever made—has come from my gut. And every wrong decision I've ever made was a result of me not listening to the greater voice of myself.
If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. That's the lesson. And that lesson alone will save you, my friends, a lot of grief. Even doubt means don't. This is what I've learned. There are many times when you don't know what to do. When you don't know what to do, get still, get very still, until you do know what to do.
And when you do get still and let your internal motivation be the driver, not only will your personal life improve, but you will gain a competitive edge in the working world as well. Because, as Daniel Pink writes in his best-seller, A Whole New Mind, we're entering a whole new age. And he calls it the Conceptual Age, where traits that set people apart today are going to come from our hearts—right brain—as well as our heads. It's no longer just the logical, linear, rules-based thinking that matters, he says. It's also empathy and joyfulness and purpose, inner traits that have transcendent worth.
These qualities bloom when we're doing what we love, when we're involving the wholeness of ourselves in our work, both our expertise and our emotion.
So, I say to you, forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart and success will come to you.
So, how do I define success? Let me tell you, money's pretty nice. I'm not going to stand up here and tell you that it's not about money, 'cause money is very nice. I like money. It's good for buying things.
But having a lot of money does not automatically make you a successful person. What you want is money and meaning. You want your work to be meaningful. Because meaning is what brings the real richness to your life. What you really want is to be surrounded by people you trust and treasure and by people who cherish you. That's when you're really rich.
So, lesson one, follow your feelings. If it feels right, move forward. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.
Now I want to talk a little bit about failings, because nobody's journey is seamless or smooth. We all stumble. We all have setbacks. If things go wrong, you hit a dead end—as you will—it's just life's way of saying time to change course. So, ask every failure—this is what I do with every failure, every crisis, every difficult time—I say, what is this here to teach me? And as soon as you get the lesson, you get to move on. If you really get the lesson, you pass and you don't have to repeat the class. If you don't get the lesson, it shows up wearing another pair of pants—or skirt—to give you some remedial work.
And what I've found is that difficulties come when you don't pay attention to life's whisper, because life always whispers to you first. And if you ignore the whisper, sooner or later you'll get a scream. Whatever you resist persists. But, if you ask the right question—not why is this happening, but what is this here to teach me?—it puts you in the place and space to get the lesson you need.
My friend Eckhart Tolle, who's written this wonderful book called A New Earth that's all about letting the awareness of who you are stimulate everything that you do, he puts it like this: He says, don't react against a bad situation; merge with that situation instead. And the solution will arise from the challenge. Because surrendering yourself doesn't mean giving up; it means acting with responsibility.
Many of you know that, as President Hennessy said, I started this school in Africa. And I founded the school, where I'm trying to give South African girls a shot at a future like yours—Stanford. And I spent five years making sure that school would be as beautiful as the students. I wanted every girl to feel her worth reflected in her surroundings. So, I checked every blueprint, I picked every pillow. I was looking at the grout in between the bricks. I knew every thread count of the sheets. I chose every girl from the villages, from nine provinces. And yet, last fall, I was faced with a crisis I had never anticipated. I was told that one of the dorm matrons was suspected of sexual abuse.
That was, as you can imagine, devastating news. First, I cried—actually, I sobbed—for about half an hour. And then I said, let's get to it; that's all you get, a half an hour. You need to focus on the now, what you need to do now. So, I contacted a child trauma specialist. I put together a team of investigators. I made sure the girls had counseling and support. And Gayle and I got on a plane and flew to South Africa.
And the whole time I kept asking that question: What is this here to teach me? And, as difficult as that experience has been, I got a lot of lessons. I understand now the mistakes I made, because I had been paying attention to all of the wrong things. I'd built that school from the outside in, when what really mattered was the inside out.
So, it's a lesson that applies to all of our lives as a whole. What matters most is what's inside. What matters most is the sense of integrity, of quality and beauty. I got that lesson. And what I know is that the girls came away with something, too. They have emerged from this more resilient and knowing that their voices have power.
And their resilience and spirit have given me more than I could ever give to them, which leads me to my final lesson—the one about finding happiness—which we could talk about all day, but I know you have other wacky things to do.
Not a small topic this is, finding happiness. But in some ways I think it's the simplest of all. Gwendolyn Brooks wrote a poem for her children. It's called "Speech to the Young : Speech to the Progress-Toward." And she says at the end, "Live not for battles won. / Live not for the-end-of-the-song. / Live in the along." She's saying, like Eckhart Tolle, that you have to live for the present. You have to be in the moment. Whatever has happened to you in your past has no power over this present moment, because life is now.
But I think she's also saying, be a part of something. Don't live for yourself alone. This is what I know for sure: In order to be truly happy, you must live along with and you have to stand for something larger than yourself. Because life is a reciprocal exchange. To move forward you have to give back. And to me, that is the greatest lesson of life. To be happy, you have to give something back.
I know you know that, because that's a lesson that's woven into the very fabric of this university. It's a lesson that Jane and Leland Stanford got and one they've bequeathed to you. Because all of you know the story of how this great school came to be, how the Stanfords lost their only child to typhoid at the age of 15. They had every right and they had every reason to turn their backs against the world at that time, but instead, they channeled their grief and their pain into an act of grace. Within a year of their son's death, they had made the founding grant for this great school, pledging to do for other people's children what they were not able to do for their own boy.
The lesson here is clear, and that is, if you're hurting, you need to help somebody ease their hurt. If you're in pain, help somebody else's pain. And when you're in a mess, you get yourself out of the mess helping somebody out of theirs. And in the process, you get to become a member of what I call the greatest fellowship of all, the sorority of compassion and the fraternity of service.
The Stanfords had suffered the worst thing any mom and dad can ever endure, yet they understood that helping others is the way we help ourselves. And this wisdom is increasingly supported by scientific and sociological research. It's no longer just woo-woo soft-skills talk. There's actually a helper's high, a spiritual surge you gain from serving others. So, if you want to feel good, you have to go out and do some good.
But when you do good, I hope you strive for more than just the good feeling that service provides, because I know this for sure, that doing good actually makes you better. So, whatever field you choose, if you operate from the paradigm of service, I know your life will have more value and you will be happy.
I was always happy doing my talk show, but that happiness reached a depth of fulfillment, of joy, that I really can't describe to you or measure when I stopped just being on TV and looking at TV as a job and decided to use television, to use it and not have it use me, to use it as a platform to serve my viewers. That alone changed the trajectory of my success.
So, I know this—that whether you're an actor, you offer your talent in the way that most inspires art. If you're an anatomist, you look at your gift as knowledge and service to healing. Whether you've been called, as so many of you here today getting doctorates and other degrees, to the professions of business, law, engineering, humanities, science, medicine, if you choose to offer your skills and talent in service, when you choose the paradigm of service, looking at life through that paradigm, it turns everything you do from a job into a gift. And I know you haven't spent all this time at Stanford just to go out and get a job.
You've been enriched in countless ways. There's no better way to make your mark on the world and to share that abundance with others. My constant prayer for myself is to be used in service for the greater good.
So, let me end with one of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther King. Dr. King said, "Not everybody can be famous." And I don't know, but everybody today seems to want to be famous.
But fame is a trip. People follow you to the bathroom, listen to you pee. It's just—try to pee quietly. It doesn't matter, they come out and say, "Ohmigod, it's you. You peed."
That's the fame trip, so I don't know if you want that.
So, Dr. King said, "Not everybody can be famous. But everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service." Those of you who are history scholars may know the rest of that passage. He said, "You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato or Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love."
In a few moments, you'll all be officially Stanford's '08.
You have the heart and the smarts to go with it. And it's up to you to decide, really, where will you now use those gifts? You've got the diploma, so go out and get the lessons, 'cause I know great things are sure to come.
You know, I've always believed that everything is better when you share it, so before I go, I wanted to share a graduation gift with you. Underneath your seats you'll find two of my favorite books. Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth is my current book club selection. Our New Earth webcast has been downloaded 30 million times with that book. And Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future has reassured me I'm in the right direction.
I really wanted to give you cars but I just couldn't pull that off! Congratulations, '08!
A tune came into my mind yesterday and it brought me to this video.
What is it?
If any of you have grown up in Indonesia and been educated there, it's something you can't miss at all. It's one of our exercise routine which we had to do pretty regularly. It was part of our physical examination too. Yes, we got graded for it. And it's proudly called - SKJ 88. (Senam Kesegaran Jasmani 88). If it's being translated literally it means a type of exercise for physical freshness :p ... and the song was launched in 1988.
I still can remember I actually ran to buy the audio cassette and then started to practice in front of the mirror to prepare myself for the test. Ridiculous! But well, that's part of my life there.
This video, however, does not have all the correct movements. The beginning was pretty much accurate but most of it .... erm ... if you have the stomach to watch till the end, you'll understand.
I think everybody should wake up and listen to this song everyday.
The first time I heard Mary J Blige singing in The Ellen Degeneres Show, I was like ... "huh ... what kinda song is that?" ... then I paid attention to its lyrics and I realize ... wow ... what a great song to wake up to every morning.
It's a very positive upbeat song which emphasize on loving yourself and living your life the way you want to and being happy with it. The lyrics I love the most is when she says
Feels so good, when you’re doing all the things that you want to do Get the best out of life, treat yourself to something new Keep your head up high In yourself, believe in you, believe in me Having a really good time, I’m not complaining And I’m a still wear a smile if it's raining I got to enjoy myself regardless I appreciate life, I’m so glad that it's fine
No matter how tough life may have been, when you keep listening to such words daily, I believe you can get through it with your head up high. Enjoy
Lyrics Just Fine By. Mary J Blige
You know I love music And every time I hear something hot It makes me wanna move It makes me wanna have fun But it’s something about this joint right here This joint right here Its makes me wanna…..Woooh
Let it go…… Can’t let this thing called love get away from you Feel free right now, go do what you want to do Can’t let nobody take it away, from you, from me, from we No time for moping around, are you kidding? And no time for negative vibes, cause I’m winning It’s been a long week, I put in my hardest Gonna live my life, feels so good to get it right
So I like what I see when I’m looking at me When I’m walking past the mirror Don't stress through the night, at a time in my life Ain’t worried about if you feel it Got my head on straight, I got my vibe right I aint gonna let you kill it You see I wouldn’t change my life, my life’s just…..
Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh Just fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh You see I wouldn’t change my life, my life’s just fine
Feels so good, when you’re doing all the things that you want to do Get the best out of life, treat yourself to something new Keep your head up high In yourself, believe in you, believe in me Having a really good time, I’m not complaining And I’m a still wear a smile if it's raining I got to enjoy myself regardless I appreciate life, I’m so glad that it's fine
So I like what I see when I’m looking at me When I’m walking past the mirror Aint worried about you and what you gonna do I’m a lady so I must stay classy Got to keep it hot, keep it together If I want to get better See I wouldn’t change my life, my life’s just….. Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh Just fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh See I won’t change my life, my life’s just fine
I ain't gon’ let nothing get in my way (I ain't gone let nobody bring me down, no, no, no) No matter what nobody has to say (No way, no way, no way) I ain’t gon’ let nothing get in my way No matter what nobody has to say
Feels so good, when you’re doing all the things that you want to do Get the best out of life, treat yourself to something new It’s a really good thing to say That I won’t change my life, my life’s just fine
Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh Just fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh See I won’t change my life, my life’s just fine
So I like what I see when I’m looking at me When I’m walking past the mirror Don't stress through the night, at a time in my life Ain’t worried about if you feel it Got my head on straight, I got my vibe right I ain’t gonna let you kill it You see I wouldn’t change my life, my life’s just…..
Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh Just fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, ooooh You see I wouldn’t change my life, my life’s just fine
I'm sorry to be absent again for so long. Guess I'm the only blogger in the world that needs a kick on the butt by one of the faithful reader to kick start the blogging flow again. (I'm so ashamed hoho) ... Anyway, I'd like to share this song with everyone. It's a country song by one of the winner of American Idol - Carrie Underwood. She's definitely one of my favourite idol, not only she's pretty, vegan, down to earth, original, blah blah blah ... her songs speak to the heart every time ever since her first album is out. She's a special girl indeed.
This song, if you pay attention to the lyrics and relate them to any of your most difficult moments (or you think it's difficult) of your life ... look back and think through, it can really bring you to tears that you've been wasting life worrying and wrestling with things that seem so small compared to what really is important. And those burdens that you think it's heavy, suddenly appear so small.
And now ... hope you'll enjoy the lyrics of this song and you can view and listen to the music video from this link on my blog. Enjoy and remember this ... (quoting from the lyrics)
Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing Is just a grain of sand And what you've been out there searching for forever Is in your hands And when you figure out love is all that matters after all It sure makes everything else seem So small
What you got if you ain't got love The kind that you just want to give away It's ok to open up Go ahead and let the light shine through I know it's hard on a rainy day You wanna shut the world out and just be left alone But don't run out on your faith
Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing Is just a grain of sand And what you've been out there searching for forever Is in your hands And when you figure out love is all that matters after all It sure makes everything else seem So small
It's so easy to get lost inside A problem that seems so big at the time It's like a river that's so wide it swallows you whole While you're sitting around thinking about what you can't change
And worrying about all the wrong things Time's flying by, moving so fast You better make it count cause you can't get it back Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing Is just a grain of sand And what you've been out there searching for forever Is in your hands Oh, and when you figure out love is all that matters after all It sure makes everything else seem So small, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing Is just a grain of sand And what you've out there searching for forever Is in your hands And then you figure out love is all that matters after all It sure makes everything else Oh, it sure makes everything else seem So small
Yes! You are reading the correct title. This is an educational clip in Telugu (one of the language spoken in India) teaching the society of the condom usage and how it can prevent sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV. Created by people in Nrityanjali Academy, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Try to be patient and stay till the end of video. Though the melody and some of the words are repetitive, the messages and images are always changing till the end.
For those of you who are subscribing by email, please click here to view the video.
Hope you'll like it.
PS. Nirodh is one of the condom brand in India. PPS. Thank you, Willy for brightening my day! :-) WAKAKAKAKA
It's not a very new song - Little Wonders by Rob Thomas - Soundtrack of Meet the Robinsons, but it's something I gotta share. Listen to the words, for those of you who are weary I hope this song can lighten you up. It did to me.
I simply love the words when Rob Thomas said ...
Let it go ... let it roll right off your shoulder ...
Let it in, let your clarity define you in the end, we will only just remember how it feels....
Yes ... these small hours ... these little wonders ... those seconds that we tend to take for granted because we keep thinking of the big future ... the big miracle that we tend to forget that in these small hours, little wonders do exist.
And in the end ... those achievements ... those belongings ... in the end, only the feeling remains ... the thought ... and the essence of every single thing in our life that matters.
So, Enjoy .... Don't let the little wonders slip away.
Let it go, Let it roll right off your shoulder Don't you know The hardest part is over Let it in, Let your clarity define you In the end We will only just remember how it feels
Our lives are made In these small hours These little wonders, These twists & turns of fate Time falls away, But these small hours, These small hours still remain
Let it slide, Let your troubles fall behind you Let it shine Until you feel it all around you And i don't mind If it's me you need to turn to We'll get by, It's the heart that really matters in the end
Our lives are made In these small hours These little wonders, These twists & turns of fate Time falls away, But these small hours, These small hours still remain
All of my regret Will wash away some how But i can not forget The way i feel right now
In these small hours These little wonders These twists & turns of fate These twists & turns of fate Time falls away but these small hours These small hours, still remain, Still remain These little wonders These twists & turns of fate Time falls away But these small hours These little wonders still remain
Some of you may have watched this ad but I'd like to put it a special place in my blog because every time I watch it, it still brings me laughters that's like being induced by laughter gas (if there's any).
It's an ad by one of the mobile operator (M1) who's promoting their free IDD call to 15 countries. I'll try my best to write down what the man said below the video.
Enjoy.
hello, mr india curry house yes we have chicken kebab, butter ... ok one butter chicken yes sir we deliver everywhere no restrictions on the area ah, ok i repeat your order one butter chicken one spicy bryani acha give me your address can you repeat that S-i-n-g-a-pore another country? eh, mumbai lar India!!! Singapore -.-" Butter chicken -.-"
And this one is the Director's cut with a bit change on the text:
hello, mr india curry house yes we have chicken kebab, butter ... ok one butter chicken yes sir we deliver everywhere i repeat your order one butter chicken one spicy bryani your address please S-i-n-g-a-pore? Is it a suburb? another country? eh, mumbai lar India!!!
