MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Looking Beyond Christmas

Christmas is a good time for us to look beyond ourselves… what we really want for those closest to us and those who most need help.

Christmas is more than simply the celebration of the birth of a baby. The story of Jesus Christ takes us beyond the glitter and the tinsel and the lights to something much deeper.

As we witness countless re-enactments of the nativity this season, try to look beyond the scene…realize that the Saviour who was born is God’s gift of hope; the hope of peace and goodwill, of beauty and love. Look beyond what you see, however bleak it might seem, and discover signs of goodness and beauty, of hope, of joy despite whatever is happening in our world today.

Christmas is a time for looking beyond what our eyes can see; to look at the present crisis and see the stories of kindness and compassion that carry with them the hope of life beyond the darkness; to look at the violence and see the efforts made to change these patterns and see in them signals of hope for a safer world; to look at our environment and see the beauty that is there and to hear the call for green alternatives as signals of hope for our planet.

"When we accept the invitation to look beyond the surface, we become open to signals of hope for ourselves, our families and our world. This is part of God’s gift that is celebrated at Christmas but which does not stop there. God invites us to look beyond.

"May we all share God’s gift of love and hope this Christmas and in the year that lies ahead."

A Paraphrase of the Christmas message from the Most Rev Dr Idris Jones, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

On Christmas Parties and Bonuses

We just had our department’s Christmas party last Friday and the company’s, last Saturday. It was fun. I had the chance to embarrass myself again by dancing in front of people, but it was all in the spirit and, of course, the reward. My group won first place!

The not-so-happy part of the merrymaking was the announcement that the company can only afford half-month worth of salary as Christmas bonus this year. Well, not as expected, but, at least, there is something. Why the optimism? A lot of companies are cancelling Christmas parties this year because of the ongoing economic slowdown. So, I’m thankful that we still had a Christmas party. Moreover, at least we still have a job. Plenty of people don't this Christmas.

Attitude is everything!

by Francis Kong. Business Matters. Philippine Star

This is an old story but worth repeating.

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today?”

So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

”H-M-M,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today?” So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. “Well,” she said, ”today I’m going to wear my hair in a pony tail.”

So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head.

”YEA!” she exclaimed, “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”Attitude is everything.

I remember respected businessman Andrew Liuson tell this story.

One day an old lady who seems to be cheerful all the time got into the nerves of a wealthy businessman who seems to be miserable all the time. This old lady is not only poor, due to poor oral hygiene has practically lost all of her teeth expect two.

The businessman could not understand. And so he approached the happy toothless old woman and asked, “I can’t seem to understand why you are happy all the time. Tell me. Why are you happy?”

The old woman looked at the businessman and said, “I am happy because all though I only have two teeth left at least they are still aligned.”

Attitude is such a huge thing.

There are many people today who cannot attain the success they are looking for in life not because they are lacking in talent or skill but simply because they have an attitude problem.

Your attitude would either make you or break you.

Sales guru Jeffrey Gittomer says:

“Several national tests have revealed the following startling statistics about why salespeople fail...15 percent.

Improper training both product and sales skills. 20 percent.

Poor verbal and written communication skills.15 percent.

Poor or problematic boss or management. 50 percent. Attitude.”

I’ve known of people who are extra-ordinarily gifted. They are skilled. They are intelligent. They are highly educated. And they are getting nowhere in life simply because they have a lousy attitude.

Famous author and speaker Charles R. Swindoll says: “This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that `single string’ that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.”

This is why if there is anything that is important for me to develop, it is to from in me a Christ like attitude.

To give thanks in everything and in anything appreciate God and His love for me.

This gives me the ability to understand and accept other people.

So let me offer you a piece of advice.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly.

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.

It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Christmas Disease

This is a form of haemophilia caused by deficiency of Christmas’ factor. It is a disturbance of coagulation that may easily be confused with classical heamophilia, with which it is clinically almost identical.

Factor IX was discovered in 1952 in a young patient with hemophilia B named Stephen Christmas (1947-1993). His deficiency was described by Dr. Rosemary Biggs and Professor R.G. MacFarlane in Oxford, UK. The factor is hence called Christmas Factor or Christmas Eve Factor. Christmas lived in Canada, and campaigned for blood transfusion safety until succumbing to transfusion-related AIDS at age 46. An alternative name for the factor is plasma thromboplastin component.

Incidence: 1/40,000 (15-20% of haemophilias). The condition is transmitted as a sex-linked recessive trait through female carriers. Prevalent in males.