http://interacc.typepad.com/synthesis/2009/03/inspired-minds-want-to-grow.html

precisely why i want to surround myself by inspired minds

"Scarves aloft all around Anfield for You'll Never Walk Alone. The Liverpool fans give it another rousing rendition as the players come out of the tunnel. What a night."

did you know?

henry ford and adolf hitler greatly admired each other; they even kept a picture of each other on their desks. what an irony that is-- one went on to eliminate the Jews of the world and let his country crumble into a Socialist state after the war. The other laid the foundations for the greatest capitalist economy in the world.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/03/the-two-elements-of-a-great-presenter.html

 

a wonderful post on the two key elements of a great presenter. definitely something to keep in mind.

a psalm of life - henry wadsworth longfellow

WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
                    SAID TO THE PSALMIST

    TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
        Life is but an empty dream ! —
    For the soul is dead that slumbers,
        And things are not what they seem.

    Life is real !   Life is earnest!
        And the grave is not its goal ;
    Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
        Was not spoken of the soul.

    Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
        Is our destined end or way ;
    But to act, that each to-morrow
        Find us farther than to-day.

    Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
        And our hearts, though stout and brave,
    Still, like muffled drums, are beating
        Funeral marches to the grave.

    In the world's broad field of battle,
        In the bivouac of Life,
    Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
        Be a hero in the strife !

    Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
        Let the dead Past bury its dead !
    Act,— act in the living Present !
        Heart within, and God o'erhead !

    Lives of great men all remind us
        We can make our lives sublime,
    And, departing, leave behind us
        Footprints on the sands of time ;

    Footprints, that perhaps another,
        Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
    A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
        Seeing, shall take heart again.

    Let us, then, be up and doing,
        With a heart for any fate ;
    Still achieving, still pursuing,
        Learn to labor and to wait.

my father first introduced this poem to me in new zealand when i was 10 years old. i had to pick out a poem for a poetry recitation and he insisted that i do this one. he also insisted that i understand what the poem was about, but being only 10, i did not find the poem mcuh to my liking! it has stayed with me over the years, however, and has grown on me. i have slowly understood the message being conveyed and have come to appreciate what longfellow is trying to say and it has subconsciously become the way i live my life. carpe diem!

pick up the pieces

this was the view of the Charles from my room a couple of days ago. a fleeting warmth had arrived and the ice on the river was breaking apart like shards of glass from a shattered mirror. this picture (taken from my webcam) isn't that good but it was quite a sight! mother nature at its finest!

"Style" is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style. -john fairchild

m. wade

in my previous post, i was talking about how i wanted to meet the great minds at cambridge and be inspired by them. but who says you need only be galvanised by great intellectual minds? i realised today that it is also those people whom you see everyday, those who are in the background of your life's play, that can just as surely inspire you to great lengths.

maurice wade is the security guard who works the morning shift at stuvi. he may just be a security guard, but you would not know that when you meet him. he does his job with so much pride he might as well be on the board of a MNC. i go down every monday to pick up the keys to the computer lab so i have developed an acquaintance with him.

when i went down today, he was all smiles as usual and he asked me about my day and about school and genuinely listened to me as i ranted about the most trivial things imaginable. who actually listens these days?

he went on to ask me about computers and what i would recommend buying and why one brand was better than another and what type of specs would be good. i was thoroughly impressed by his knowledge and told him so-- he simply responded by saying, "hey the learning never stops man"

a security guard on a university campus telling a student that. the irony! but the impact of his words on me were enormous.. he is just a security guard yet he does his job with pride and dedication. he is always smiling and willing to help. most amazingly, he is always willing to learn. i am truly humbled.

i guess its true, it's the little things in life that catch you unaware and when you least expect it, but when they do, boy do they give you a jolt and make you want to rethink your life..