The Coffee Bean Story

a friend of mine forwarded me this story, which i found it rather interesting.

“A young woman went to her mother, and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you see.’

‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, ‘What does it mean, mother?’

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

‘Which are you?’ she asked her daughter. ‘When adversity
knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain… When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.”

the simplicity of nature’s artwork, stunning.

His creations. =)

i ADORE black and white photography.

‘because black and white has an inherent dignity. because black and white is the simplest, yet most sophisticated photography. because black and white photographs survive time.’

and i wish my memories are like black and white photographs, to survive time and last forever in my mind.

these are my friends, who never judge or make me feel less than what i truly am. these are my friends who want only what’s best for me. these are my friends who always forgive my little mistakes. these are my friends who never try to change what cannot be changed of me. these are my friends who give me strength in my weakest moments. these are my friends who shared my innermost thoughts – the good and the ugly that others will not understand.

true friendship is the kind of love which will never grow old, staying warm and fuzzy when other things seem so cold. while some come and go, true ones stay no matter what. so hold these friends dear to you, think how much they mean to you, and make sure to tell them so.

that came straight from my heart. Thank You Lord.

it says when a person faces adversity, he needs to do 3 things.

face it. accept it. forget it.

on job hunting

being part of the population facing job hunting woes, i’ve became a rather good counsellor to my peers at that. and at the same time, the more i speak, the more i found myself knowing what i’m looking out for in this job hunting business. it’s good!

and nowadays, i’ve been telling people that accepting job offers is not a case of ’should or should not’. instead, it should be something you ‘want or do not want’. imagine accepting a job without even the slightest passion or excitment for it. getting up from your bed every morning will be an extremely torturous routine. speaking of which, me accepting the 3 mths assignment is of course a case of the latter. and yes, from the bottom of my heart, i really want to give it a try and make it a good one. and hey, don’t start an argument with me over this. it’s just my personal opinion.

life can’t always be too perfect. we just have to work around those flaws we have in our lives by His strength. i just wish that there’re less discouraging people around in this world. oh wells.

the little things in life.

this may sound cliche, but the key to happiness is to learn how to appreciate the little happy things in life. like an impromptu date one fine morning with your most beloveds, at west coast park. top it up with a set of mac d’s breakfast, serene’s tatami mat from japan, and tons of joy and laughter. it was the recipe for the most perfect morning one could ask for.

omg, didn’t know how blissful we looked until i saw the photos.

Little stones make big mountains
Little steps can cover miles
Little acts of loving-kindness
Give the world its biggest smiles

Little words can soothe big troubles
Little hugs can dry big tears
Little candles light the darkness
Little memories last for years

Little dreams can lead to greatness
Little victories to success
It’s the little things in life
That brings the greatest happiness

- Marcial Sarmiento.

this post wasn’t meant to be motivational in any way. just a reminder to myself.

graduation

this post is kinda overdue. but still, the end is finally here.

14th july marked the end of not only my uni days, but also my academic journey through the past 23 years of my life. man, feeling a little nostalgic right now. and after all these, i can safely say that no man is an island. life definitely wouldn’t have been so wonderful without my family and friends who have went through so much with me. of cos nothing life threatening la, but still i have nothing but thankfulness in my heart.

i learned alot about friendship, especially during my uni days. speaking of which, some things which occurred over the past few weeks have made me realised that while some friendships can be vulnerable, a handful can be tested and resilient. it’s really about sticking by one another even if we know each other as cracked pots. and thank you Lord, for the friends who’ve stood by me, pampered me (in my mom’s words), and encouraged me even when I’m not the most perfect friend to have.

so what’s next? well, all in good time.

i’m not much of a preacher. i believe, soak in His love and live by faith. that’s all. so hey, give me strength so that i may it to them, to the troubled, to those who shared your dreams with me, to my friends who yearn for peace and happiness.

*******

anyway, these two weeks have been rather fulfilling. met many people from different walks of life, at times remarkably touched by a few incredibly dynamic people. the passion burning in their eyes, when they speak of their jobs and experiences. oh yes, i envy them. i wish one day that kind of passion in me could be ignited as well. that sure sounds like a good ambition in life yeah?

may the coming week be just as great. yours too.

museum hopping

i’ve always liked visiting museums. they’re kinda one of the quietest places you can find in singapore. and at the same time, you get to have a glimpse of things which you’ve never learnt, or seen before. so since the ownership of a nus matric card warrants us free admissions to various museums, aska and i decided to embark on a museum hopping journey one fine day!

we started our voyage at the peranakan museum.

traditions and culture of singaporean peranakans were rather well covered, i thought. origins, wedding and death rituals, religions, language, furniture, food.. you say it, they have it. the only thing which that museum lacked of was REAL FOOD for us to taste. imagine NONYA KUEH samples in the musem. oh man. i love them!

the architecture of the building was simple, nothing spectacular. rather, the exhibitions and the content of which made the museum satisfactorily completed. shan’t put up pics of the exhibits here. do drop by the museum for a first hand experience. heh.

our next stop was the singapore arts museum. SAM. it was my favourite museum of all (some of you might find it boring though). showcasing the extensive works of several international and local talents, i thought this museum chucked in some quiet corner of singapore seemed to be forgotten by many.

anyway, after losing our way in our search for the asian civilisation museum of singapore, we chanced upon the national museum of singapore.

i must admit that the first time i went there, the museum seemed rather impressive. however, this time round, i felt that the design of the museum was a tad too modernized and did not possess the necessary essence as a country’s national museum. just a couple of exhibitions being held, which included one on popular local food and another on the history of film making in singapore.

that marked the end of our museum hopping adventure! =)