Month-of-September's Christopher Reeve

       My September-born favorite is Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004).  You can read the basics about him in:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_reeve

       He was best known as the Superman actor and one of life's big real-life hero even if he became paralyzed from an accident.  I hope you enjoy the video I posted in this blog.  No matter what physical difficulties he had, he can still have fun with Ernie and Rubber Duckie. Superman actors have come and gone.  Among all the Superman actors I have seen, Christopher Reeve is my undisputed favorite.  Whether he glides in the air in the movies or lives paralyzed from the neck down in real life, he is still Super to me. I admire the Superman role he portrayed.  He understands that it isn't in the super powers that makes the character a Superman.  It is the character's wisdom --that he has when he decides when to use his powers-- which makes him a true Superman. He has quoted many interesting lines while he lived.  I found some from imdb.com.  

     There is more to read at:  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001659/bio  But, I listed what I love what he said about Superman:        

• "What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part." 

• "I have seen first-hand how Superman actually transforms people's lives.  I have seen children dying of brain tumors who wanted as their last request to be able to talk to me, and have gone to their graves with a peace brought on by knowing that their belief in this kind of character is intact. I have seen that Superman really matters. They're connecting with something very basic: the ability to overcome obstacles, the ability to persevere, the ability to understand difficulty and to turn your back on it." 

• "[Jerry Siegel] and [Joe Shuster] created a piece of American mythology. It was my privilege to be the onscreen custodian of the character in the '70s and '80s. There will be many interpretations of Superman, but the original character created by two teenagers in the '30s will last forever."   

• [pn Superman's enduring popularity] "He's a friend. Everybody needs a friend. That's why he's still here."    
  

And other stuff I love best, too:        

• "Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean."  

• [talking about Robin Williams' visiting him in the hospital shortly after the accident] "There was this guy wearing a blue scrub hat and a yellow gown and with a Russian accent, being some insane Russian doctor . . . I laughed for the first time, and I knew that life was going to be okay."  

• "Your body is not who you are. The mind and spirit transcend the body."

• [on his post-accident role in Rear Window (1998) (TV)] "I was worried that only acting with my voice and my face, I might not be able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story. But I was surprised to find that if I really concentrated and just let the thoughts happen, that they would read on my face."

• "The key to success is letting the relationships in your life grow to the highest levels they possibly can . . . not putting yourself first in life and remembering that the more you give away, the more you have."

• "So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."        

• "I often refer to Abraham Lincoln, who said, 'When I do good I feel good. When I do bad I feel bad. And that is my religion.' I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don't know. But I think that if we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do."

• "A hero is someone who in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers goes ahead and overcomes anyway."         

• "I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery."               

• "What you probably don't know is that I left New York last September and I just arrived here this morning. And I'm glad I did because I wouldn't have missed this kind of welcome for the world. Thank you."  [After he received a standing ovation when he appeared at The 68th Annual Academy Awards (1996) to present a film reel on how Hollywood has tackled social issues]

     Thank you for being you, Mr. Reeve.  I am grateful to be aware of a real Superman that transcends both Hollywood glamour and other exaggerated expectations of being a hero.      

:-( -> :-| -> :-)

DL   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

--A.A. Milne

Winnie the Pooh

Month-of-August's Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton (illustrated by Dominique Liongson)

Enid Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was a successful British children's author who wrote hundreds of books.  Her books ranges from short tales to longer mystery series.  

The first time I noticed Enid Blyton was as a story book I received on one Christmas Day.  It was a random compilation of short tales titled "The Little Brown Bear and Other Stories."  It was a book I was very fond of that I read it over and over again.  I was amused with her tale about the rude boy who was punished, and the penalty was to hold his tongue.  (Yup, it was either he holds it with his fingers or else there is a special slipper waiting for him.)

I became a big fan of her tales about the fairy folk and talking animals. When I discovered that the library had a smorgasbord of Enid Blyton compilations of short tales, I borrowed stack-fuls to take home.  Even if the other tales were about themes that can happen in real life, I feel so eager to finish each story from start to finish.  Amazingly, I wasn't bored nor disappointed with reading them. Even if the tales are shorter than grown-up short stories, they start and end sensibly and entertainingly.

She also had books for bigger kids, but among her big kid's books it was the "The Naughtiest Girl in School" that caught my eye.  I love it when the nasty characters bloom to be the best they can be.

If you wish to read a brief biography of Enid Blyton, you may find her in your encyclopedia listed under B for Blyton.  Or you may click on this Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enid_Blyton

I found some striking quotes Enid Blyton from online.  If you wish to read more, simply click this link: http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2897

• On grown-ups - "It wasn't a bit of good fighting grown-ups. They could do exactly as they liked". (Julian in Five On a Treasure Island)

• On only children - "They're alway a bit odd, you know, unless they're mighty careful" (Julian in Five On a Treasure Island)

• When things go wrong - "The best way to treat obstacles is to use them as stepping-stones. Laugh at them, tread on them, and let them lead you to something better." (Jimmy's mother in Mr. Galliano's Circus.)

• On faces - "I think people make their own faces, as they grow." (Joan Townsend in The Naughtiest Girl Again.)

• On being a judge of character - "The point is not that I don't recognise bad people when I see them - I grant you that I may quite well be taken in by them - the point is that I know a good person when I see one." (Snubby in The Rubadub Mystery.)

• On acquiring useful skills - "I'm good at exploring roofs. You never know when that kind of thing comes in useful." (Snubby in The Rubadub Mystery.)

• On being honest with yourself: "You are honest enough by nature to be able to see and judge your own self clearly - and that is a great thing. Never lose that honesty, Bobby - always be honest with yourself, know your own motives for what they are, good or bad, make your own decisions firmly and justly - and you will be a fine, strong character, of some real use in this muddled world of ours!" (Miss Theobald in Summer Term at St. Clare's.)

• On making mistakes - "Leaving a gate open is a very small thing, but unfortunately small things have a way of leading to bigger things. An open gate - wandering cattle or horses - maybe damage by them to be paid for - loss of hours of their labour - loss of our time looking for them. It all means a pretty big bill when you add it up. But we all make mistakes, Mark - and providing we learn our lessons and don't make the same mistakes twice, we shan't do so badly. Don't worry too much about it." (Father to his children's friend Mark in More Adventures on Willow Farm).

• On changing one's mind - "I wonder where you got that idea from? I mean, the idea that it's feeble to change your mind once it's made up. That's a wrong idea, you know...Make up your mind about things, by all means - but if something happens to show that you are wrong, then it is feeble not to change your mind, Elizabeth. Only the strongest people have the pluck to change their minds, and say so, if they see they have been wrong in their ideas." (William in The Naughtiest Girl in the School.)

• On essential laws for society - "Heaps of people have never seen the sun rise. Hardly any of the girls at my school have. They've missed something! I think there ought to be a law that says everyone must watch a sunrise, and everyone must see a bluebell wood, and a buttercup field, and..." (Jill in The Adventurous Four Again!)

• First Term at Malory Towers Miss Potts advises Darrell: "You will be a finer character if you go along on your own, than if you copy other people. You see, what you do, you do whole-heartedly - so if you play the fool, naturally other things will suffer".
• Miss Potts comments: "... when you choose something worth while like doctoring - or teaching - or writing or painting, it is best to be whole-hearted about it. It doesn't so much matter for a second-rate or third-rate person. But if you happen to have the makings of a first-rate person and you mean to choose a first-rate job when you grow up, then you must learn to be whole-hearted when you are young".

Thank you for your gift of writing stories, Ms. Enid Blyton.  Your positive light inspires us readers to look forward to happy endings from most conflicts.  I wish to remind you that your death is an ending of an old adventure, but a beginning of a new one.

:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL 
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"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

--A.A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh  

 

Month-of-July's Art Linkletter

Art Linkletter  (Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter) was known as the man who interviews children from the TV show "House Party."  I blog about him since he is my favorite celebrity born on July (born on July 17, 1912 – died on May 26, 2010).

If you wish to read a full article about him, you may find him in your encyclopedia by searching "Linkletter, Art" or simply click to this Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Linkletter.

On the beginning of this blog entry, I attached a video of a clip from "House Party" filmed on 1959.  It was released again on the late 1990's by Bill Cosby.  I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I have.  Did these children follow a script, or did they answer spontaneously?  Watch the video, and find out.

I first saw his entertaining interviews with children (filmed somewhere between 1945-1969) when Bill Cosby hosted "Kids Say the Darndest Things" in the late 1990's.  Sometimes I wonder if the children had a fixed script, or if they had spontaneous answers.  The children may come in different colors, shapes, and sizes.  But, what they all have in common is they have the darndest things to say.

One of my favorite dialogues was when Mr. Linkletter asked a little boy what was Adam's punishment from eating the forbidden fruit (from Genesis in the Old Testament Bible).  The boy said, "God told him to sit down and write the Bible."  The next question was what's Eve's punishment.  The boy said, "She became a housewife."  If thoughts are like dots you can connect with a pen, I wonder where he got his dots. :-)

Mr. Linkletter has quotable quotes that are just as charming.  I found them from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/art_linkletter.html.

• "I like what I'm doing. Today at 88, I wouldn't think of quitting because I can't think of anything else I would rather do. And now with my lectures on all the charitable things that I do,  just as you do, I think that what I'm doing matters."

• "I've learned it's always better to have a small percentage of a big success, than a hundred percent of nothing."

• "In the Top 40, half the songs are secret messages to the teen world to drop out, turn on, and groove with the chemicals and light shows at discotheques."

• "My philosophy is to do the best you can for somebody. Help. It's not just what do you for yourself. It's how you treat people decently. The golden rule. There isn't big anything better than the golden rule. It's in every major religion in one language or another."        

• "The depths of the Depression. You didn't ask what the job was, what the pay was, you didn't ask about stock options, or - you said yes."

• "Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out."

• "A finished product is one that has already seen its better days."

Thank you for letting the little lights of the bright children shine with joy and humor, Mr. Art Linkletter.  Now I know why Jesus of Nazareth (from the New Testament Bible) didn't want His apostles to forbid the children to come to Him. 

:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL

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"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

--A.A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh 

Month-of-June’s Helen Keller

http://www.incwell.com/images/Keller,Helen03.html

This month I blog about a June baby known as Helen Keller.  She was born on 27 June 1880, and died on 01 June 1968.  She was able to live an inspirationally enlightening life as a blind and deaf woman. 

When I was a little girl, I first heard about her when I read her story as a comic book. I was astonished to find out that Helen Keller was a true story.  I thought she was a fictional comic book character.

To have a glimpse to how interesting this differently-abled lady is, I have included a list of fun facts and her quotable quotes.  I found these from http://www.braillebug.org/hkfacts.asp

Fun Facts

-------------

-     Helen Keller loved hot dogs!

-     Helen Keller wrote to eight Presidents of the United States, and received letters from all of them—from   Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.

-     Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, a small rural town in Northwest Alabama, USA.

-     Helen was an excellent typist. She could use a standard typewriter as well as a braille writer. In fact, she was a better typist than her companions Anne Sullivan Macy and Polly Thomson.

-     Helen loved animals, especially dogs. She owned a variety of dogs throughout her life. The first Akita dog in the United States was sent to Helen from Japan in 1938.

-     Helen visited 39 countries around the world during her lifetime.

-     Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to earn a college degree. She graduated from Radcliffe College, with honors, in 1904.

-     Helen was friends with many famous people, including Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, the writer Mark Twain, and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

-     Helen won an Oscar for the documentary about her life, "Helen Keller in Her Story."

Quotable Quotes

--------------------

      "We are never really happy until we try to brighten the lives of others."

Helen Keller

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor even touched, but just felt in the heart."

Helen Keller, 1891

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

Helen Keller, 1941

"The chief handicap of the blind is not blindness, but the attitude of seeing people towards them."

Helen Keller, 1925

"I believe humility is a virtue, but I prefer not to use it unless it is absolutely necessary."

Helen Keller, 1916

"What a strange life I lead—a kind of Cinderella-life—half-glitter in crystal shoes, half mice and cinders!"

Helen Keller, 1933

"If I, deaf, blind, find life rich and interesting, how much more can you gain by the use of your five senses!"

Helen Keller, 1928

"The most beautiful world is always entered through imagination."

Helen Keller, 1908

"Faith is a mockery if it does not teach us that we can build a more complete and beautiful world."

Helen Keller

Thank you for filling the darkness of disability with your light of hope,  Miss Helen Keller.  Well done!

:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL
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"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

--A.A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh

Speaking of Birthdays...

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2280

Somebody's birthday is coming. 

Although it is my job to encourage her to choose happiness everyday, this also includes her birthdays.

Speaking of birthdays...

Most of us know that a birthday is the time to celebrate the month and day when someone is born.  Lots of happy children (and the young at heart) love to broadcast when the day of their birthday is.  The opposite would be silent and hope that no one remembers. 

Respectfully speaking, this would be different with people of different beliefs.  Some people observe customs and traditions that do not celebrate birthdays.  If unsure of how your friend will feel, it helps to ask the would-be celebrant likes celebrating birthdays-- most especially his or her own.

I rejoice with Schroeder the piano kid (from the Peanuts cartoon) who makes written announcement signs such as "Only 10 more days till Beethoven's birthday".  When a crabby girl like Lucy van Pelt painfully asked, "Who cares?", a life saver like Snoopy the dog produced a written announcement sign, "We do!"

Here are some little-known trivia on birthdays, the year, and the leap year:

1) Did you know that birthday parties originated from the idea that evil spirits visit the celebrant on his/her birthday,  that people would gather to protect the celebrant with the good wishes they bring?
http://www.giveagift.net/ArticleDetail.aspx?Article=Find_the_history_of_giving_birthday_presents_and_get_gift_ideas.html&TotLen=1200px

2) Did you know that birthday cakes started in Rome, while birthday candles on the cake started in Germany?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_cake

3) Did you know that birthday gifts began as good wishes or symbolic tools to ward off evil spirits?
http://www.giveagift.net/ArticleDetail.aspx?Article=Find_the_history_of_giving_birthday_presents_and_get_gift_ideas.html&TotLen=1200px

4) Did you know that the "Happy Birthday to You" song came from the melody of the "Good Morning to All" song?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You

5) Did you know that it is Chinese tradition to celebrate birthdays every first day of Chinese New Year-- regardless of which month one was born?
http://chineseculture.about.com/library/weekly/aa021901b.htm

6) Did you know that a year of 365 days was based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun?
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_a_year_about_365_days_long
http://www.answers.com/topic/why-are-there-365-days-in-a-year
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year

7) Did you know that the 29th of February happens every four years, has something to do with having the Earth revolving around the Sun in 365.25 days (or 365 and 1/4 days) a year?
http://www.answers.com/topic/why-do-we-have-leap-years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year

Now, back to the birthday girl I was talking about... If I meet this wonderful birthday celebrant face to face, I would give her a hug. 

Happy birthday, Birthday Beagle!  I care.

:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL
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"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

--A.A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh

The Butterfly Way: My Kind of Easter

from "Our Butterfly Struggle" by Dominique Liongson

Before I give a sharing, here are some Easter jokes:

Q: How does Easter end?
A: With the letter R!

Q: What does the Easter Rabbit get for making a basket?
A: Two points just like everybody!

Q: What part did the Easter egg play in the movies?
A: He was an "Egg-stra".

Easter is coming.  Upon reflecting on the symbols of Easter, I have difficulty relating with the Crucifix, the Easter Bunny, and the Easter Eggs.  Even if I look at the origin of these symbols with a serious outlook, I couldn't relate with them.  It's fine with me if you can identify with any of them.  Let me tell you why I don't...

I think the butterfly is my kind of Easter, and the Christ is just like that butterfly.

If you remember in primary school, we were taught the life cycle of the butterfly: first, the egg; second, the caterpillar; third, the cocoon; and finally, the butterfly. 

When Christ was born, He was like the egg hatching into a caterpillar.  Secondly, when He lives His life, He was like the caterpillar living the present to build its future.  Thirdly, when He died, He was like a caterpillar "dying" in a cocoon formation.  And finally, when He resurrected and left His tomb, He was like a new butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

If butterflies have life cycles, we do, too.  We can have several life cycles, where every hatching moment can be new beginnings: new school level, new job, new marriage, new baby, and so on.  The emerging butterfly may be the end of the life cycle, but would you believe that endings are gateways to new beginnings?  The end of cocoon life is the start of butterfly life;  the end of schooling is the start of a career; the end of single-hood is the start of married life; the end of pregnancy is the start of a baby's earthly life; and so on.

I have experienced the circle as a stuck boring routine.  No chance of growth and expect the same things to happen (just like Bill Murray's "Groundhog Day" movie).  This happens when we refuse to adjust to every transformational change.  This is what happens when we let things happen.

I gave the spiral a chance.  It may have its ups and downs, but I learned the best parts are: it evolves and improves.  It is when we adjust to every transformational change and move on.  This is what happens when we make things happen.

If you recall in "Groundhog Day", Phil (Bill Murray) kept living the same events from the time he wakes till the end of the day, because he lets things happen.  This kept repeating-- accidents, rejection,  boredom, and so on.  When he couldn't take it anymore, he decided to make things happen, than to let things happen.  His accidents were reduced; the woman of this dreams accepted him; and life became more interesting.

Letting things happen is the way of the circle.  Making things happen is the way of the spiral.

It feels good to see ourselves with a new improved present compared to our silly past, doesn't it?  I suppose the nautilus shellfish, too, can testify the way of the spiral as the way to go.

Have a Happy Butterfly Easter!  We are more capable than just hopping and egg-rolling about all our lives.  Why be ground-ed when you can fly?

:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL
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"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

--A.A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh

Fun Firsts in March

I found a site that lists fun events that happened on each month.  This March, I would like to share some fun FIRSTS that happened in March.  A lot has happened and was listed.  But, I decided to list down the  events that happened for the first time in history.


March 1, 1941- Captain America first appeared in a comic book.
(This dude has aged well like fine wine and cheese.)


March 2, 1976- Walt Disney World welcomed its 50 millionth visitor.
(50 Millionth?  You can't put a good park down...)


March 5, 1994- The world's largest milkshake was made, containing 1,955 gallons of chocolate, in Nelspruit, South Africa.
(If one gallon can serve approximately 10 hungry people, about 19,550 servings of chocolate was used to make this world's largest milkshake. Tremendous!)


March 17, 1845- The rubber band was invented.
(This gadget has served us over a hundred years.  Will it ever stretch further up to 2045?)


March 20, 1999- Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first men to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. The non-stop trip began March 3 and covered 26,500 miles.
(17 days?  Sweet!)


March 22, 1954- The first shopping mall opened in Southfield Michigan.
(The Philippines has several shopping malls from the SM <Shoe Mart> group.  The forerunner of shopping malls was in S.M. <Southfield Michigan> too.  Amazing...)


March 24, 1898- The first automobile was sold.
(Just like Virginia Slims cigarettes, you've gone a long way, baby. :-)


March 27, 1884- The first long distance phone call was made between Boston and New York City.
(During that time, I wonder if anyone imagined that long distance calls can connect from distant island to distant island.  A long distance call within the Island of North America was extremely impressive in 1884.)


For more fun facts for the month of March, click on:
http://teachresourceroom.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/funfacts-for-month-of-march.html


:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

--A.A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh