Chesnut Roastin on an Open Fire

It has been rainin for two days now. And its cold the last two nights. It reminds me that Christmas is just a month away. 'M gonna be home this Christmas after missing it for two years now. Where have I been and why i didn't go back home for Christmas?

Well, distance is one thing, work is the second thing and the third thing i just couldn't figure it out. Maybe because, the real spirit of Christmas has lost its essence. For some Christmas is a time of reunion, and celebrating the birth of Christ our Redeemer. But Christ was not born on Christmas.

For me, Christ was born, yesterday, tomorrow, and today. He'll always be there. And I am celebrating His birth each and everyday of my life. Should i wait for Christmas? But hey, its fun to have you this Christmas.

Empathy

Editors' Choice Article:Empathy at WorkDeveloping Skills to Understand Other People

"Tom is a great accountant, but his 'people' skills hold him back. I can't see how he'll ever be promoted unless he does something about it."

Many of us know people who have reached a certain point in their careers because they have excellent technical skills - but they somehow don't get along with team members, because their people skills lag far behind their other job skills.

This might be due to the insensitive manner in which they ask co-workers for things, the way they never seem to listen to what others say, or their intolerance for other working approaches.

Do you have colleagues like Tom? Or are you, perhaps, like Tom?

Workers with poor people skills can often find themselves in the middle of unnecessary conflict. This can be exhausting and stressful for all concerned, and it can destroy even the best laid work plans.

Many people are confident that they can develop new technical skills and knowledge through training and experience. However, there's a common belief that "you are how you are" when it comes to people skills - or "soft" skills - and that there's little or nothing you can do to change these.

Fortunately, this is far from true. And a great place to start improving soft skills is by developing the ability to empathize with others.


What Is Empathy?

Empathy is simply recognizing emotions in others, and being able to "put yourself in another person's shoes" - understanding the other person's perspective and reality.

To be empathic, you have to think beyond yourself and your own concerns. Once you see beyond your own world, you'll realize that there's so much to discover and appreciate!

People who are accused of being egotistical and selfish, or lacking perspective, have often missed the big picture: that they are just single individuals in a world with billions of other people (although, yes, this can be overwhelming if you think about it too long!)

If you've been called any of these things, then remind yourself that the world is full of other people, and you can't escape their influence on your life. It's far better to accept this, and to decide to build relationships and understanding, rather than try to stand alone all of the time.


Using Empathy Effectively
To start using empathy more effectively, consider the following:

Put aside your viewpoint, and try to see things from the other person's point of view.

When you do this, you'll realize that other people most likely aren't being evil, unkind, stubborn, or unreasonable - they're probably just reacting to the situation with the knowledge they have.

Validate the other person's perspective.

Once you "see" why others believe what they believe, acknowledge it. Remember: acknowledgement does not always equal agreement. You can accept that people have different opinions from your own, and that they may have good reason to hold those opinions.


Examine your attitude.

Are you more concerned with getting your way, winning, or being right? Or, is your priority to find a solution, build relationships, and accept others? Without an open mind and attitude, you probably won't have enough room for empathy.


Listen.

Listen to the entire message that the other person is trying to communicate.

Listen with your ears: What is he or she saying, and what tone is being used?

Listen with your eyes: What is the person doing with his or her body while speaking?

Listen with your instincts: Do you sense that the person is holding something important back?

Listen with your heart: What do you think the other person feels?


Ask what the other person would do.

When in doubt, ask the person to explain his or her position. This is probably the simplest, and most direct, way to understand the other person. However, it's probably the least used way to develop empathy.

It's fine if you ask what the other person wants: you don't earn any "bonus points" for figuring it out on your own.

For example, the boss who gives her young team members turkey vouchers for the holidays, when most of them don't even cook, is using her idea of a practical gift - not theirs.


Practice these skills when you interact with people. You'll likely appear much more caring and approachable - simply because you have increased your interest in what others think, feel, and experience. It's a great gift to be willing and able to see the world from a variety of perspectives - and it's a gift that you can use all of the time, in any situation.


Here are some more tips for an empathic conversation:

Pay attention, physically and mentally, to what's happening.

Listen carefully, and note the key words and phrases that people use.

Respond encouragingly to the central message.

Be flexible - prepare to change direction as the other person's thoughts and feelings also change.

Look for cues that you're on target.

Key Points

Developing an empathic approach is perhaps the most significant effort you can make toward improving your people skills. When you understand others, they'll probably want to understand you - and this is how you can start to build cooperation, collaboration, and teamwork.

Science Vs Bible

Do you believe if i said based on the fact that has been written in the Holy Scriptures, The Holy Bible, that we human beings originally ate plants, yea, the green thing, instead of the living creatures with flesh and blood? And yes, we supposed to eat plants. Well it was said in Genesis

1:29-30

And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food."

So not only we human ate plants, but the other living creatures of all in the animal kingdom are vegetarians? I probably would think so. And how on earth we started to eat flesh eating animals and animals eating of their kind? Ok, I found this to back it up in the scriptures. Let us go back to the time of Noah during the Great Flood.

Genesis 9:1-5

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them,"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beeast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish in the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for you lifeblood I will requires reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

After the great flood, there were little food to eat for everyone. So God allow human to eat every moving creature that lives. Read carefully, that lives. Animal that produce milk, chicken lays egg, bird lays egg. These are the animals that lives. But at that time, human misinterpreted that meaning. so they killed the animals and made them food. The taste was good, and so man eating flesh goes on till today. From his fellow man God will require reckoning for the life of man, for we eat the flesh with its life.

We kill chicken when we want to eat them for the reason of pleasure. We eat and indulge in eating meat for the reason of satissfation rather than hunger. These overeating, cost us our life. Human died to cancer, strokes, heart attack and all cardiovascular related diseases for eating meat. It was proven in science. God already said, we cannot kill animals with life and blood, for He will take our life in return. So there really is retribution.

What do you think? Science and Bible says it all

Ta Da...

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,

Ask, and it shall be given unto you.

It means, before you ask for anything that you want in your life, which is for the good of all, and not for your own, you got to find something to believe. That is to believe God. Where is God? God is in you, and within you. So you gotta believe in yourself. And everything you ask and work for shall be fulfill and achieve. Believe in yourself and believe in God for His Kingdom is in you.

Ta Da...

Some people say let us wait for the right opportunity, but i say, let us create one.

Ta Da...

Yesterday is History,

Tomorrow is a Mystery

And Today, is a Gift

Top Food You Should Avoid To Eat

There will always be those fattening foods that are easy to make, easy to get, and easy to crave. You think 'OK, I know this is bad but it can't be that bad!' Think again. Here are the top seven foods you should never ever feed your family or yourself! 1.Doughnuts It's hard to resist the smell of a Krispy Kreme doughnut, which is why I never step foot in the store. Doughnuts are fried chock-full of sugar and white flour and loads of trans fat. According to the Krispy Kreme website, an average 3.5 ounce sugar doughnut weighs in with about 400 calories and contains few other nutrients besides fat. These sugary treats may satisfy your craving but it won't satisfy your hunger as most of the calories come from fat. 'Eating a lot of refined sugar contributes to blood sugar 'swings' or extreme fluctuations, ' eDiets Chief Nutritionist Susan Burke said. 2. Cheeseburger with fries The age-old classic may be delicious but think twice before sinking your teeth into that Big Mac. The saturated fat found in cheese burgers has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer. 'In fact, fast-food portions are gargantuan, almost double the calories per meal compared to 20 years ago,' Susan says. 'Twenty years ago the average fast-food cheeseburger had about 300 calories. Today's BK Whopper with cheese has 720. To burn the excess 420 calories, you'd have to run for 40 minutes. For example, in 1985 a medium French fry had 240 calories, 2.4 ounces. Today's 'medium' is 6.9 ounces and 610 calories. 'This fast-food meal of cheeseburger and fries has way too many calories and fat grams, not to mention grams of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol and sodium.' Let's break down this meal. First, take the white-flour bun (refined carbohydrates) , then add some processed cheese (saturated fat and trans fat, plus lots of additives and preservatives) and then top off with fried red meat (cholesterol and saturated fats). And let's not forget about the condiments such as the always fattening mayonnaise. Not sounding so appetizing anymore, huh? Oh, and let's not forget about the infamous side dish. You cheeseburger will most likely come with a side of French fries, which is sadly the most popular vegetable dish in the U.S. Don't kid yourself, French fries are not vegetables, they are extremely high in fat and contain a tiny amount of nutrients. 3. Fried Chicken and Chicken Nuggets With the recent class-action lawsuit between The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and KFC, the health risks posed by fried foods are becoming more public. The CSPI is suing the food chain for their use of cooking oil containing unhealthy trans fats. The lawsuit seeks to order KFC to use other types of cooking oils and to inform customers how much trans fats KFC's food contains. Foods cooked in highly heated oils (most notably partially hydrogenated oil) have been known to cause cancer, weight gain and other serious health risks if ingested regularly. A 10-piece chicken McNugget from McDonald's has 420 calories, 24 grams of fat and 1120 milligrams of sodium. One Extra Crispy Chicken Breast from KFC has around 420 calories and eight grams of saturated fat. So unless you want to super size yourself, it's best to make a clean break with fried foods. 4. Oscar Mayer's Lunchables Sure they are convenient and easy, but boy are they unhealthy! These kid-marketed lunches are loaded with saturated fat and sodium. They usually contain highly processed meats and cheeses, white flour crackers and sugary treats. Lunchables get two-thirds of their calories from fat and sugar. And they provide lopsided nutrition since they contain no fruits or vegetables. 'They insidiously promote obesity by making kids think that lunch normally comes in a cellophane-wrapped box,' Susan says. 'Parents are promoting their children's obesity by buying these items. They're expensive, too. Pack a sandwich and save dollars and health...' 5. Sugary Cereal Not all cereals are created equally.. And while your kids might beg for the latest cookie or marshmallow chocolate surprise cereals, it is a safe bet they are about as healthy as a dessert. Keywords to look out for are puffed, dyed and sweetened. Most kids' cereals are so highly processed they no longer look like the grains they were originally made from. A healthy alternative is oatmeal. Although, if you are buying pre-packaged oatmeal make sure to check the label and see how much sugar it contains, you might be surprised. 'A little sugar isn't a problem but when the first ingredient on the box is sugar, then watch out,' she said. 'There is no fruit in Froot Loops. But the unsweetened original Cheerios or Rice Krispies are fine, and you can sweeten them naturally with blueberries and strawberries. ' 6. Processed Meats. What falls under the category of processed meats? Hot dogs, sausage, jerky, bacon, certain lunch meats and meats used in canned soup products. Almost all processed meats have sodium nitrite added as a preservative. A recent study conducted at the University of Hawaii found that sodium nitrite can act as 'a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines -- potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throughout the body.' So eliminate these meats from your diet before they eliminate you! 7. Canned soup. Sometimes regarded as a healthy food, soups can be very deceiving. You must stay on your guard because many canned soups have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives such as MSG. Just one serving (which is roughly one cup) can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt. Also, steer clear of soups that are cream-based, they can be high in calories and fat. Susan says it is important to 'read labels from back to front. Ignore the health claims, and instead focus on the ingredients and serving size. Watch out for hydrogenated fat (trans fat) and sodium. If you're buying bread to go with you soup, the first ingredient should be whole grain -- either whole wheat, rye or other grain. If it just says 'wheat bread,' that doesn't mean whole wheat.' We all want our family to be healthy and happy, so steer clear of these foods. Think it's difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Think again! eDiets make it simple to find healthy foods with the correct nutritional balance for you and your family. Our customized diet plans will help you lose weight and feel great!