Dear members
2012 is here! HAPPY NEW YEAR
A message from our Vice President Eugene Lee:
As we bid farewell to 2011, a year marked by monumental changes and upheavals; socially, politically, environmentally, financially and for many Singaporeans recently, “locomotivly”, yes, even our trusted MRT systems can create havocs in our lives.
We look forward to 2012, with a sense of anticipation and hope of a better tomorrow. Well, for those of you who saw the movie, 2012, starring John Cusack, where the world literally fell apart, the coming year may prove to be even more challenging and be fill with events with a twist or two. What we can learn from the movie is that love, civility, affability and a good heart are tested values and lasting virtues.
In these times of uncertainty and ambiguity, we need to stay real and grounded. Think about the last time you were all over the place, full of a free floating anxiety, bouncing from one task to another, reacting to people and situations emotionally in a way you later regretted. I’ve learned that when I feel like that I have become ungrounded, disconnected from my center, from my knowing that I am OK and all is well. Staying grounded requires daily attention and effort, going back to life’s basic fundamentals, recognizing that despite all its complexities, the sun raises and the sun set, everyday; that you need love, warmth and good health to lead a fulfilled life. The additional dollar may not buy you friends or a better night of sleep. So, it’s always good to take a moment to appreciate and savor what you have and not take things for granted. Stay real, stay grounded and I am sure you will be a little happier.
I want to share with you a book I read sometime back.
Titled: All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum.
The book is about how to live and what to do and if we simply follow what our kindergarten teachers teaches us, the world will be a better place.
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon (maybe difficult these day 😉
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
2012 is also the Chinese Year of the Dragon. The Chinese mythology says that the Dragon is considered auspicious in the Chinese culture. Happiness, wealth and longevity are the hallmark of the year of the Dragon. I am sure the Dragon will do its fair bit to make the New Year a great one.
The HP Alumni EXCO would like to wish you and your family a Happy, Blessed and Joyous New Year
