Sunday, June 27, 2010

Bestseller: Diary of a Wimpy Kids



Diary of a Wimpy Kids is a title of "Laugh-out-loud funny school stories with lessons."

Parents need to know that main character Greg usually doesn't do the right thing the first time around. Greg Heffley gets a journal from his mom ("a JOURNAL, not a diary") and records a middle school year's worth of crazy kid schemes, brushes with bullies, bad units in gym class, bids for student government, school play humiliation, and more.

His cluelessness about what would keep him out of trouble and why parents, teachers, and friends are upset with him is part of the book's humor, which leads the reader to any lesson Greg should be learning.

Parents will appreciate that Rowley's dad researches video games on a parent Web site to see if they have too much violence. Also, it is clear that Greg's mom is working hard to raise respectful sons.

Read this book, and I am sure you are going to like it!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Ask+ Believe + Receive=The Secret?


Ask+ Believe + Receive= The Secret ?

By Ann Teoh

The law of attraction (as in The Secret) suggested that we should always feel good and wonderful. It said that it is important for us to feel good and happy because when we are feeling good, we are putting ourselves into the frequency of what we are wanting.


I am not sure "feeling good" is the ultimate in life, although generally speaking, I prefer to feel good than to feel bad.

However, if "feeling good" were the ultimate, people would not sacrifice their lives for a better good. A mother would not suffer to bring up children, or keep the family together. But, the great leaders focused on the GOOD, not feeling good. People who fought for justice, peace, focused on good.

Striving for a better good is better than feeling ...


If you feel good, does that mean you will get definitely good things? Maybe the book defines what "good things" are?

I am trying to follow the logic (and perhaps debunk it):

On the score that good things come to those who feel good, and bad things to those who feel bad, would that mean that people who have bad things in their life attracted them, i.e. it is their fault? Say, cancer? Poverty? Loss of a job? Death of a child?

In my opinion, one needs to be examine such logic properly. And the fact is no one can "feel good" all the time either. To expect it of yourself is also unrealistic. People feel disappointed, angry, frustrated: these are all human feelings given to us, to understand that things are not perhaps as one desires. The law of attraction is simplistic, and simple. Simple because it is man-made.

Truth is not so convenient.

Deep joy (as opposed to fleeting happiness or excitement) comes from peace in the heart, and peace comes from hope. And hope can only come from the One who can give it to us, despite our human failings and human condition, and where our own efforts fail. Hope is a gift from God. Not something that can be manufactured from "feel good".

Just sharing my understanding. :-) Ann Teoh

Sunday, May 16, 2010

你我的人生, 都能有“破除魔咒、垒倒巨人”的机会!


中学时期的我还蛮喜欢看戴晨志老师的励志小品, 但人随着年岁的增长, 阅读的口味也改变了。
最近在朋友家看到戴老师其中一本励志小品--《机会, 就在行动里!》, 把书打开便被书中一些人生哲理所吸引。


戴老师真的很擅长用小故事分享的方式,以浅白的叙事方式带领读者了解人生当中哲理。

把书阅毕, 以下这段文字一直盘旋在我脑海里:

你我的人生, 都能有“破除魔咒、垒倒巨人”的机会。
所以, 千万别因眼前的障碍或挫折而感到气馁, 因为人人生而平等, 每个人的生命都可以来个“大逆转”, 而大逆转的掌控权就在你的手里!!!


戴老师说的对,漫长的人生路途中难免会出现高迭起伏的波折, 但重要的是我们必须要有坚定的信念, 要相信世上不会有任何事能难倒我们。要立刻行动, 因为美好的机会就在前方等待着我们。

我们要相信, 我们一定可以做的到!

祝福大家。

文: 佐文

Saturday, March 20, 2010

好書推介:《大江大海1949》


《大江大海1949》

那天我那身在馬來西亞的友族朋友問我:“ 請問華人最愛看什么內容的書?”

這問題實在不好答, 更何況我并不能代表所有華人答話呀。
但想起去年在9月購買的《大江大海1949》, 我對他笑了笑說:“若只是簡單地把暢銷書等同為人們所愛看的書的話, 那么報告文學式的非文學類, 大概就是咱們華人愛看的書種之一了吧。”
(根據亞洲周刊的報道, 此書在上市后的3星期內便刷下100,000本的銷售佳績)


我自己愛看龍應臺教授所撰寫的文章。在她的文字中, 你可以看到理性與感性兼具的特色。她細膩的敘述手法,總是能巧妙地把文章轉換成像電影般的生動,一幕接一幕緊湊地呈現在讀者眼前。
而《大江大海1949》 更是她17本書籍中, 我特別鐘愛的一本非文學書籍。這跟它是否是一本暢銷書無關。我喜歡看《大江大海1949》純粹是因為我喜歡從不同的角度去探索歷史面貌, 而不喜歡只參考來自官方所撰寫的歷史教科書。


我更因為喜歡這本書而上Youtube尋找很多有關此書的相關片段。其中一個片段是有關此書的推介禮。
龍應臺在推介禮上說了一句非常觸動人心的話, 她說:“其實我早在20年前便想寫這本書, 但一直都被很多事所耽擱著。 直到父親在去年去世了, 母親失憶了。 我才發現這扇歷史的門即將關閉。 我必須與時間賽跑。”

與時間賽跑......我怔住了。我實應加倍努力, 在有生之年完成必須擔當的任務。
文: 佐文

Saturday, January 30, 2010

好書推薦: 星云大師《迷悟之間》 系列叢書


星云大師《迷悟之間》 系列叢書


人生就像起伏的海浪, 難免會遇到低潮的時候。
我曾經神氣高昂過,也失落頹喪過, 但慶幸自己身邊有一群不離不棄的親友, 也有一堆日夜相伴的好書。

記得在自己最頹廢的黑暗時期, 和死亡是那么地靠近。自己根本提不起勁去做任何事情, 生命似乎就快在微微的呼吸間消失。

“砰!”一聲巨響從書架處傳來。
原來有本擱置在書架最上端的一本書掉落在地板上。封面是一位稚氣的手繪小沙彌, “迷悟之間”4個字則顯眼地書寫在白色的封面上。

這是其中一本由星云大師撰寫的書籍。大師那張慈祥的臉突然浮現在我的腦海里。“你就是佛!”仿佛大師在鼓勵我, 要我重新為自己建立信心。

我用那雙乏力的手, 戰戰兢兢地翻開了有點泛黃的《迷悟之間》。 佛陀的智慧在文字中悠游,我的淚水在懺悔中滾動......

文字:佐文

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Sunday, January 24, 2010

新書推介:《失落的符號》


新書推介:《失落的符號》


雖然書還沒到手, 但先將此書內容簡介轉載, 讓書友們先睹為快!

《失落的符號》堪稱神乎其技之作──在真實世界的符號、祕密、未知事實的迷宮裡進行著一場死亡競賽……一切都在丹‧布朗筆下迄今最凶惡的歹徒監控下。

本書背景設定在華府的密室、隧道與聖殿中,穿過壯闊的景觀逐漸加速導向意想不到的結局。

哈佛大學符號學教授羅柏‧蘭登突然被請到美國國會大廈去做晚間演講。但是在他抵達幾分鐘之後,事情有了詭異的轉折。蘭登在國會大廈發現一個用五個符號精巧編碼的駭人東西,他認得這個東西是古代的邀請函……意在引導受邀者進入一個失落已久的奧祕智慧世界。

顯然蘭登敬愛的導師彼得‧所羅門──高階共濟會員兼慈善家──遭到野蠻地綁架,蘭登發現拯救彼得的唯一希望就是接受這個神祕的邀請,一路跟隨。蘭登旋即深陷一個共濟會祕密、隱藏歷史、前所未見的處所構成的隱密世界──全都似乎把他拖向唯一、不可思議的真相。

如同《達文西密碼》跟《天使與魔鬼》裡發現的世界,丹‧布朗的小說像是歷史內幕、晦澀符號與神祕密碼交織的華麗掛毯。在這本新小說裡,他再次以高明、迅如閃電的故事節奏挑戰讀者,在每個轉折出人意表。

《失落的符號》正是布朗書迷所期待的……他生平最驚悚的小說。

Monday, January 18, 2010

好書推薦:聖嚴法師 最珍貴的身教


好書推薦:聖嚴法師 最珍貴的身教

內容大綱:聖嚴法師在2009年2月3日圓寂,在遺言中諄諄交代,身後勿再編印紀念集之類的出版物、“凡未經我覆閱的文稿,為免蕪濫,不再借手後人整理成書”,本書在最後的兩年間,由聖嚴法師親自過目,今日能夠將此書出版,實屬難能可貴。

潘煊寫作此書的兩年間,耳中迴盪、心中省思的,經常是聖嚴法師所談「心」的修行。聖嚴法師說,佛法是「心」法,使人的心不受煩惱痛苦污染,隨時保持安定純淨,以現代的語言詮釋,就是「心靈環保」。本書以十個篇章,呈現「心靈環保」的十個面向,貫串了聖嚴法師一生最珍貴的身教。

變動快速的世間,精神高壓的年代,回應二十一世紀人類不斷升高的痛苦呼聲,這本書是聖嚴法師留給世人珍貴的禮物──忠實呈現了一代偉大心靈的悲智行跡,以及對世人的身教啟迪。