The 4 Wives

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He’s very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men. He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant’s confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times. Now, the merchant’s 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business Designer clothingas well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her. One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I’ll be alone. How lonely I’ll be!”Thus, he asked the 4th wife, “I loved you most, and owed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”Designer replica handbags “No way!” replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant’s heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, “I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No!” replied the 3rd wife. “Life is so good over here! I’m going to remarry when you die!” The merchant’s heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, “I always turned to you for help and you’ve always helped me out. Now I need yourWholesale jewelry help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?” “I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!” replied the 2nd wife. “At the very most, I can only send you to your grave.” The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.Then a voice called out: “I’ll leave with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you go.” The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, “I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!” Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it’ll leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we’re alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it’s a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we’re on our deathbed to lament.

The Red Ribbon

Everyone wants a blue ribbon. Blue. First place. The best. Even kindergarteners want that blue ribbon. In sports, I was never a blue-ribbon person. In a race I was always last. In baseball I was as likely to get hit on the head as to drop the ball. In basketball I was fine as long as there weren’t nine other players on the court with me. Where I got my horrible sports ability, I don’t know, but I got it. And I got it early.During the spring of my kindergarten year, our class had a fieldtrip to a park in a town about 20 miles away. Making that drive now is no big deal, but when you’re six and you’ve lived in a town of 300 all your life, going to a town of a couple thousand is a very big deal. Nonetheless, looking back now, I don’t remember much of that day. I’m sure we ate ed hardy clothingour little sack lunches, played on the swings, slid down the slide — typical six-year-old stuff. Then it was time for the races.These no ordinary races. Some parent had come up with the idea to have the picnic kind of races, like pass the potato under your neck and hold an egg on a spoon while you run to the other side. I don’t remember too much about these, but there was one race that will forever be lodged in my memory — the three-legged race.The parents decided not to use potato sacks for this particular race. Instead, they tied our feet together. One lucky little boy got me for a partner. Now what you have to know about this little boy is that he was the second most athletic boy in our class. I’m sure he knew he was in trouble the second they laced his foot to mine. replica handbagsAs for me, I was mortified. This guy was a winner. He almost always won, and I knew that, with me, he didn’t have a chanceHowever, apparently he didn’t realize that as deeply as I did at the time. He laced his arm with mine, the gun sounded, and we were off to the other side. Couples were falling and stumbling all around us, but we stayed on our feet and made it to the other side. Unbelievably when we turned around and headed back for home, we were in the lead! Only one other couple even had a chance, and they were a good several yards behind us.Then only feet from the finish line, disaster struck. I tripped and fell. We were close enough that my partner could have easily dragged me across the finish line and won. He could have, but he didn’t. Instead, he stopped, reached down, and helped me up — just as the other couple crossed the finish line.I still remember that moment, replica watchesand I still have that little red ribbon. When we graduated 13 years later, I stood on that stage and gave the Valedictory address to that same group of students, none of whom even remembered that moment anymore. So, I told them about that little boy who had made a split-second decision that helping a friend up was more important than winning a blue ribbon. In my speech I told them that I wouldn’t tell which of the guys sitting there on that stage was the little boy although he was up there with me. I wouldn’t tell because in truth at one time or another all of them had been that little boy — helping me up when I fell, taking time out from their pursuit of their own goals to help a fellow person in need.And I told them why I’ve kept that ribbon. You see to me, that ribbon is a reminder that you don’t have to be a winner in the eyes of the world to be a winner to those closest to you. The world may judge you a failure or a success, but those closest to you will know the truth. That’s important to remember as we travel through this life. You may not have a red ribbon to prove it, but I sincerely hope you have at least a few friends who remember you for taking time out from your pursuit of that blue ribbon to help them. I’m thinking those will be the ones that really count — I know it’s the one that counted the most to me.

I have a pound

But to the story of my professional experiences. I have a pound, and six out of ten my first review, and I bought a Persian cat with the proceeds. Then I'm ambitious. A Persian cat is well and good, I said, but a Persian cat is not enough. I need a car. And it was so that I am a writer - for it is a very strange thing that people get a car, if you tell them a story. It is a stranger, which is still that it is not so beautiful in the world as stories. It is much easier than writing reviews of famous novels. And yet, if I am not to obey your secretary and tell you my professional experience as a writer, I must tell you about a very strange experience that befell me as a writer. And to understand it, you must try to imagine a writer in the state of mind. I hope I'm not away, the professional secrets if I say that a writer is chief desire as unconscious as possible. He has to puma shoesbe in a state of perpetual lethargy. He wants life to proceed with the utmost calm and regularity. He wants to see the same faces, read the same books that we do so, what day, month after month, while he writes, so that nothing against the illusion, in which he lives - so that nothing interfere with or concerned about the mysterious nosings, feelings round, darts, dashes and sudden discoveries of that very shy and illusive spirit, the imagination. I suspect that this condition is the same for men and women. Anyway, I want you to imagine me writing a novel in a state of trance. I wish that you value her sits a girl with a pen in hand, for the minutes, and indeed for those hours, it appears not in the inkpot.nike shoes The picture that in my opinion, if I think this girl is the picture of a fisherman is sunk in dreams on the edge of a deep lake with a rod held his head above water. She was letting her imagination sweep off all round rock and hiding place in the world, is immersed in the depths of our unconscious will. Now came the experience, in my opinion, far more frequently with women than with men writers. The line went through the girl's finger. Their imagination was rushed away. It had the pools, the depths of the dark places where the largest fish sleep. And then there was a smash. There was an explosion. It was foam and confusion. The imagination had dashed itself against something hard. The girl was awakened from her dream. It was indeed in a state of acute distress and difficult. To speak without figure she had something, something about the body, about the passions that it was inappropriate for them to say as a woman. Men, her reason, she said, would be shocked. The awareness of what men say a woman who speaks the truth about her passions had awakened her from her artist's womens clothesstate of unconsciousness. She could no longer write. The track was. Your imagination could no longer work. This in my opinion, a very common experience with women writers - they are justified by the extreme conventionality of the other sex. For if men can sense great freedom in this respect, I doubt that they realize or can be an extreme hardship, which they condemn such freedom in women. These were two real experiences with my own. These were two of the adventures of my professional life. The first - killing the angel in the house - I think I solved. She died. But the second, to tell the truth about my own experiences as a body, I do not think I solved. I doubt that every woman has still not been solved. The obstacles are still against it immensely powerful - and yet they are very difficult to define. Outwardly, what is easier than to write books? Outwardly, what obstacles exist for a woman than a man? Inwardly, I think, the matter very differently, she has still many ghosts to fight, many prejudices to overcome. Because it is a long time yet, I think, before a woman can sit down to write a book, without seeking to slay a phantom, a rock concert to be dashed before. And if this is so in literature, the freest of all professions for women, as in the new professions which are now for the first time?

Messages of hope for working class

For the grassroot masses, the policies-setting report delivered at the once-every-five-year national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is probably too multifarious and too macro-sounding to study.The one passed by the just concluded 17th National Congress of the CPC, however, contains some encouraging messages that are manifestly new. One of them is the emphasis on the improvement of people's livelihood. Compared to reports in previous congresses, a larger part of the policy statement is devoted to the issue with more explicit wording about what should be done to ensure the improvement.The report says that the share given to labor in the primary distribution of wealth should be raised and that the relationship between efficiency and fairness be "handled properly". replica watchThis marked the first ever acknowledgement that the share of after-production profits laborers obtained as compared to that garnered by other productive elements was unfairly low.In the last 20 years of the past century, China took on market-oriented reform and went all out to ensure a fast economic growth. Counteracting the previous egalitarianism, which was intrinsically a haven for poor work performance, the nation accepted the notion that efficiency has priority over fairness.The notion was right at that time as it was a sobering stimulant for Chinese who had become accustomed to the practice of "eating from the same rice wok". And efficiency did play a vital role in the dramatic growth of China's national economy since the launch of the reform drive at the end of the 1970s.The nearlyswiss replica watches two-digit annual growth of the economy over the past 28 years has benefited all strata of society - to different extents. Anyone who is faithful to facts will admit that the living standard of the Chinese people has been raised by a huge margin. However, after more than 20 years, people have begun to think if the "efficiency prioritized over fairness" approach is still justifiable. Every truth is relative in nature depending on the conditions under which it is applied. What was right in the past may not be applicable today. When developing economy and shaking off poverty as quickly as possible was the top demand of the whole nation, sacrificing fairness to ensure high economic efficiency was the only alternative for the Chinese people. But now, when the national wealth has increased to a considerably large extent replica rolex watches(ours is now the fourth largest economy in the world with the largest foreign exchange reserve), a fairer distribution of revenue among different members of the economy should be put on our agenda, given the fact that the income distribution gaps have widened remarkably and the rich-poor disparity has worsened to an alarming extent.The past practice of compensating laborers in the so-called redistribution (such as in the forms of poverty-relief funds and individual financial management) had little efficacy. For most laborers, wage is the only source of income. An increase in this form of primary distribution is the most substantial benefit for common laborers.The decision to raise labor's share in the primary distribution comes just in time. And there are reasons for us to believe that China is bound to head for a "fairer society with greater justice" as stated in the Party report. The belief is based on the fact that in the past five years since the 16th National Congress of the CPC, a number of policies have been implemented to bring substantive benefits to rural and low-income urban residents. For instance, the scrapping of the agriculture tax, the enforcement of free compulsory education in rural areas, and the several hikes in pensions for retirees of all enterprises.

Experiencing Scotland

Scotland is a unique and austere place, laden with history, where you can find aristocratic palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parades in national costumes. It has some of the most beautiful cities in Europe, a living testimony of a proud and splendid past. In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today, what forged the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains. Beautiful and unspoiled, it was difficultReplica Watches to farm. The Scots subdued the environment with simple spades and strong arms. The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love affair with the hard land, is enclosed within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here. From coastal Aberdeen in towards the interior of the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses, which are witnesses of continual revolts against the dominion of neighboring England replica designer handbagsin Scottish history. Perhaps the most uplifting moment for Scottish autonomy is the one experienced inside this ancient abbey of Arbroath, where, in 1320; the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation of King Robert the Bruce. He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace, to whom cinema has dedicated the wonderful film "Braveheart", the winner of five Oscars. This is Glamis Castle. It is often remembered for being the residence of King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth in her childhood. Among the most assiduous guests here are the inevitable ghosts, which are nourished, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs.Coach Handbags These have been handed down over the centuries by a people inclined to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural. Another attraction here is a legendary monster: the Loch Ness Monster. Is it real or imaginary, this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3000 sightings over the last 50 years? To fuel the debate about the monster, and perhaps also curiosity about the lake, a price of 500,000 pounds sterling has been put on Nessie’s head. The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognisable from the brightly coloured plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various clans. Over the last few decades this fabric has made a comeback and is part of the daily life of this country. The typical Scottish garment, the kilt, is de rigeur when the Scots play the Great Highland bagpipes, especially when they march in parades. Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings. The games, which have strange rules, involve a spirit that has more to do with brute force than with athletics.

Graduates’ Pressure in Finding Jobs

Nowadays, more and more university graduates complain that graduation does not equate to employment. They experience great difficulties finding satisfactory jobs. What is the cause of this phenomenon In my opinion, there are four causes: First, graduates lack experience. They spend most of their time at school studying academic subjects and lack relevant job training. Only after graduation do they realize it’s hard to find jobs. Second, competition among graduates grows more bitter and more bitter and bitter. The supply of university graduates exceeds social demand. This results in a decreased chance for any individual graduate to find a job. Third, some students don’t Replica rolex watchesstudy hard. Some of them skip classes just because they have no interest in certain subjects. Some play computer games or pursue other interests. Some sleep in class or in the library. Then they leave the sheltered environment of the university campus, to discover they don’t have adequate knowledge to apply for many positions, which makes them feel lost and frustrated. Finally, some graduates are conceited. They lack experience but ask for a high salary, which is impractical. So, university students should try their best to change this situation. When they are in school, they should make the most of their time and put their heart into their studies. They can hold part-time jobs in their spare time to accumulate relevant work experience. They should take part in some social activities and provide themselves with special training, if possible. When they graduate and apply for jobs, they should attach more importance to accumulating experience than to their replica handbagstarting salary.On University Students’ Pressure in Finding Jobs About a decade ago, university students could find satisfactory and enviable jobs after their graduation. But now, things are different. Today's university students usually have much pressure in finding fairly good jobs. They always say disappointedly that graduation means joblessness. Why nowadays university students have so much pressure in finding jobs? In my opinion, this kind of pressure is mainly caused by three reasons. Firstly, the government is enrolling more and more university students year by year. And the growth of the students' number has surpassed that of the need of the society. So, Replica Handbagswhen so many students graduate at a time, the chance of finding jobs becomes tiny. Secondly, today's university students, most of them are the "only-child", who are more mentally frail. Since they are indulged greatly at home and haven't been trained to do things on their own, once it is their turn to go out of the campus and find jobs by themselves and decide what kind of jobs to choose, they feel bewildered and don't know what to do. If their first try fails, they will be frustrated and think that it is really hard to find jobs. Thirdly, some university students are not qualified for good and challenging jobs. After entering the university, they don't study as hard as they did in high schools. They begin to sleep during the class or even be absent for classes. Some are addicted to computer games or Jin Yong's novels, or step into the two-person-world too early. Because these things have taken up so much of their time and energy, their study is neglected. After four years of university life, they haven't gained the knowledge those fairly good jobs or certain positions require.

Getting intense

When I was still basking myself in the yesterday's fortune that the mistake made public actually had nothing to do with me, another email directly sent to me caught me by surprise. The moment the email arrived, I was working on another project and thus, was not the least ready for it. Opening the email, it bowled me over to see I was actually one of the people the email was for. In fact, it was no good news to receive an email captioned Mistake. Followed would be marked by strenuous effort to find out the person who dropped the ball, petrifying everyone. Mistake-phobic Ivy, having already committed more mistakes than she was expected to as a freshman, was sitting on her chair,Designer clothing her heart beating fast, feeling as if dooms day were coming.It was no exaggeration, because it just was getting so intense. This time, it was not a tiny mistake. Though later on result came out that the ball didn't fall on my court, the fear was still there to stay. But this alone couldn't justify they went public with every mistake always as far as I am concerned. They were just too harsh on us, putting too much strain on our work. For me, the mistakes I made and the fear of their action detracted away my confidence, the same way other colleagues felt. I've no idea if there was - like I said- the office politics thing in here? Anybody out there they are interested Designer replica handbagsin taking down? Have I read too many negative reports on office competition that actually my vision was blurred, and my opinion biased? Not a clue!The fear of mistakes drove everyone to be twice careful. But it was sort of frustrating at the lack of confidence that there might be mistakes though we counter checked our tasks again and again. Were we actually having too little faith in ourselves or what? I cannot figure out what it was for my colleagues. But for myself, I seriously knew I became a slave in this issue. The fear of mistakes occurrence distracted attention, detracted performance and resulted in both necessary and unnecessary mistakes. Wholesale jewelry Through this miserable process, we did learn to be careful and detail-oriented. Was this the price to pay to grow more professional?It was good to be pushed to attach more attention to work and to be detail-oriented. Eventually, this should be what we will be in the work place. And years later, I will be thankful to my first year experience in my work career. Paying more attention to details and making sure the work is correct in every detail was the thing to do before ultimately seeing the big picture. But apparently, I haven’t learned to appreciate the intense work atmosphere that generated too much fear in me and diminished my confidence.I would love to be tutored step by step rather than being pushed harshly.I would enjoy a less-stressed environment where I could fully unleash my talents and work with willingness and happiness. But I know, now, that this is what it should be at working. This is the pressure I would bear when I chose to work in a big city, where there were very strict standards and appraisal system for everyone. I grow a lot. And the only thing to expect now is I will be more professional as I can be in this first year of my career, paving way for a brilliant career prospect.