Humor 2/22/99: Recruiting Dictionary & Marbles

Hi everyone,

It's 2:12 am, and I just finished my finance homework. I had a great
weekend. On Friday night, I went to the live taping of "Home
Improvement". I sat in the first row and even got a free Home
Improvement cap. I was surprised at the large number of crew that is
needed to tape the show. It demonstrates that teamwork is really
important in order for something like a TV show to happen. On Saturday,
I had a chance to hang out with my roommate from Boston, Richard
Sahara. Also, I really enjoyed an awesome time of praise with the young
adults from CCAC and Evergreen SGV. The worship team was really good.
Sang a lot of new and very contemporary songs.

This week's thought provoking questions is: "If you had to choose the
color that describes you most accurately, which color would it be?"

The humor email below is especially funny to all of us in business
school looking for a summer or full-time job. Both the humor and the
touching story following the humor come to us from Anna Man. Enjoy!

-Josh.
__________________________________________

What it really means?

1."COMPETITIVE SALARY":
We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.
2."JOIN OUR FAST-PACED COMPANY":
We have no time to train you.
3."CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE":
We don't pay enough to expect that you'll dress up.
4."MUST BE DEADLINE ORIENTED":
You'll be six months behind schedule on your first day.
5."SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED":
Some time each night and some time each weekend.

6."DUTIES WILL VARY":
Anyone in the office can boss you around.
7."MUST HAVE AN EYE FOR DETAIL":
We have no quality control.
8."CAREER-MINDED":
Female Applicants must be childless (and remain that way).
9."APPLY IN PERSON":
If you're old, fat or ugly you'll be told the position
has been filled.
10."NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE":
We've filled the job; our call for resume is just a legal
formality.

11."SEEKING CANDIDATES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE:"
You'll need it to replace three people who just left.
12."PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS A MUST":
You're walking into a company in perpetual chaos.
13."REQUIRES TEAM LEADERSHIP SKILLS":
You'll have the responsibilities of a manager,
without the pay or respect.
14."GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS":
Management communicates, you listen, figure out
what they want and do it.
15."I'M EXTREMELY ADEPT AT ALL MANNER OF OFFICE ORGANIZATION":
I've used Microsoft Office.

16."I'M HONEST, HARD-WORKING AND DEPENDABLE":
I pilfer office supplies.
18."MY PERTINENT WORK EXPERIENCE INCLUDES":
I hope you don't ask me about all the McJobs I've had.
19."I TAKE PRIDE IN MY WORK":
I blame others for my mistakes.
20."I'M PERSONABLE":
I give lots of unsolicited personal advice.

22."I'M EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL":
I carry a Day-Timer.
23."I AM ADAPTABLE":
I've changed jobs a lot.
24."I AM ON THE GO":
I'm never at my desk.
25."I'M HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO SUCCEED":
The minute I find a better job, I'm outta here.
__________________________________________

During the waning years of the depression, in a small southeastern
Idaho community, I used to stop by Brother Miller's roadside stand
for farm-fresh produce, as the season made it available.
Food and money here still extremely scarce and bartering was used,
extensively.

One particular day, Brother Miller was bagging some early potatoes for
me.
I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean,
hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for
my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas.
I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas,
I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Brother Miller
and the ragged boy next to me.

"Hello Barry, how are you today ?"

"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas -- sure
look good."

"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma ?"

"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla'time."

"Good. Anything I can help you with ?"

"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."

"Would you like to take some home ?"

"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."

"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"

"All I got's my prize aggie -- best taw around here."

"Is that right? Let me see it."

"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."

"I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is, this one is blue and I sort of
go
for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"

"Not 'zackley -- but, almost."

"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you, and next trip
this way, let me look at that red taw."

"Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller."

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.
With a smile, she said: "There are two other boys like him in
our community -- all three are in very poor circumstances.
Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes
or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and
they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all,
and he sends them home with a bag of produce - for a green marble or
an orange one, perhaps."

I left the stand, smiling to myself, impressed with this man.

A short time later I moved to Utah, but I never forgot the story of
this man and the boys -- and their bartering. Several years went by,
each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently, I had occasion
to visit some old friends in that Idaho community, and while I was there

learned that Brother Miller had died. They were having his viewing
that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany
them.

Upon our arrival at the mortuary, we fell into line, to meet the
relatives of the deceased, and to offer whatever words of comfort we
could.
Ahead of us in line, were three young men. One was in an army uniform,
and the other two wore short haircuts, dark suits and white shirts
obviously potential bankers, lawyers, doctors, ministers, educators,
or administrators.

They approached Sister Miller, standing smiling and composed,
by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her
on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket.
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man
stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand
in the casket. Each left the mortuary, awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Sister Miller. I told her who I was and
mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles.
Eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

"This is an amazing coincidence," she said. "Those three young men,
that just left, were the boys I told you about. They just told me
how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last,
when Jim could not change his mind about color or size . . . they came
to pay their debt."

"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she
confided,
"but, right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho."

With loving gentleness, she lifted the lifeless fingers of her
deceased husband. Resting underneath were three, magnificently
shiny, red marbles.

[Author unknown]
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
431 S. Burnside Ave. #12 B
Los Angeles CA 90036
(323)936-8476
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/

Humor 2/15/99: Bahstin!! & the Cracked Pot

Hi everyone,

Happy Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year! I hope you had a memorable
weekend. I'm sure glad that we have Monday off for President's Day. It
gives me a chance to catch up on some school work.

For those of you in the LA area, mark your calendars for Friday,
February 26th. This is the date of the next Asian Management Students
Association restaurant of the month dinner event I'm organizing. We
will be going to a Vietnamese restaurant somewhere. If you have any
suggestions of a good place, please email me. You're welcome to come,
and invite friends.

This week's thought-provoking questions is: "If you could own one
painting from any collection in the world but were not allowed to sell
it, which work of art would you select?" I really like this question.
I have too many to choose from. Only two people replied to last week's
question, so I'm not going to report their answers.

I laughed so hard at this week's humor, forwarded by Anna Man. There
are a lot of jokes that maybe only people from Boston would get. This
whole email is long, so I suggest printing it out and read it over the
course of the week. The really excellent inspirational story after the
humor piece was forwarded by Susan Hasegawa. Enjoy!

-Josh.
_____________________________________________

We heard about winders 98. Now, here it is... the ultimate Boston
Survival Guide.

If you're from Boston:

1. You'll know whom the cahdnal is, how to take the T to JP
and what the blinking red light atop the old Hancock Building
means in the summa.
Steady blue, skies are too, Blinking blue, clouds are due. Steady red,
rain ahead, Blinking red, snow instead. (Unless it is blinking in the
summer in which case it means the Red Sox game has been canceled.)

2. And if you're smaht, you'll know how not to get cahded at the packie.

How we tak:

We don't speak English. We speak whatever they brought over here
from East Anglia in 1630. The Bawstin accent is basically the
broad A and the dropped R, which we add to words ending in A
(examples: pahster, Cuber, soder).

For the broad A, just open your mouth and say "ah," like the doctah
says. So car is cah, park is pahk. If you want to talk like the
mayah, repeat after me:"My ahnt takes her bahth at hahpast foah."

When we say.... We mean:

1. bzah = odd

2. flahwiz = roses, etc.

3. hahpahst = 30 minutes after the hour

4. Hahwahya? = How are you?

5. khakis = what we staht the cah with

6. pissa = superb

7. retahded = silly

8. shuah = of course

9. wikkid = extremely

10. yiz= you, plural

How we'll know you weren't bon heah:

1. You wear a Harvard sweatshirt.

2. You cross at a crosswalk.

3. You ask directions to "Cheers."

4. You order a grinder and a soda.

5. You pronounce it "Worchester."

6. You walk the Freedom Trail.

7. You call it "Copely" Square.

8. You go to BU.

Getting around:

1. Boston is a mishmosh of 17th-century cow paths and 19th-century
landfill penned in by water. You know, "One if by land, two if by sea."

2. Charlestown? Cahn't get theyah from heah.

3. And which Warren Street do you want? We have 3 plus three Warren
Avenues 3 Warren Squares, a Warren Park, and a Warren Place.

4. Pay no attention to the street names. There's no school on
School Street, no court on Court Street, no dock on Dock Square,
no water on Water Street. Back Bay streets are in alphabetical odda.
Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth. So are South Boston streets:
A, B, C, D.

5. If the streets are named after trees (Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar),
you're on Beacon Hill.

6. If they're named after poets, you're in Wellesley.

7. Dot is Dorchester, Rozzie is Roslindale, JP is Jamaica Plain.

8. Readville doesn't exist.

The North-East-South-West thing:

1. Southie is South Boston. The South End is the South End.

2. The North End is east of the West End. The West End is no
more. A guy named Rappaport got rid of it one night.

3. Eastie is East Boston. The East End is Boston Harbor.


About our "cuisine":

1. Boston cream pie is a cake.

2. Frappes have ice cream; milk shakes don't.

3. Chowdah does not come with tomatoes.

4. Soda is club soda. Pop is Dad. If it's fizzy and flavored,
it's tonic. When we mean tonic water, we say tonic water.

5. Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually fish. If you paid
more than $6 a pound, you got scrod.

6. Brown bread comes in a can. You open both ends, push it out,
heat it, and eat it with baked beans. They're hot dogs.
Franks were people who lived in France in the ninth century.

Things not to do:

1. Don't call it Beantown.

2. Don't pahk your cah in Hahvid Yahd. They'll tow it to Meffa.

3. Don't swim in the Chahles, no matter what Bill Weld says.

4. Don't sleep in the Common.

5. Don't wear orange in Southie on St. Patrick's Day.

6. Don't call the mayah "Mumbles." He hates that.

7. Don't ask what she's majoring in. You don't care.


Things you should know:

1. There are two State Houses, two City Halls, two courthouses,
two Hancock buildings. There's also a Boston Latin School and
Boston Latin Academy. How should we know which one you mean?

2. Route 128 is also I-95 North of Canton. It is also I-93 South of
Canton to the Expressway

3. It's the Sox, the Pats (or Patsies), the Seltz, the Broons.

4. The Harvard Bridge goes to MIT. It's measured in 'smoots.'

5. Johnson never should have hit for Willoughby.

6. Never mention Bill Buckner's name.

7. The subway doesn't run all night. This isn't Noo Yawk.

Life in Bahstin

You might be a Bostonian if....

1. You think of Philadelphia as the "Deep South."

2. You think it's your God-given right to cut someone off in traffic.

3. You think there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R).

4. You think three straight days of 90+ is a heat wave.

5. All your pets are named after Celtic hall of famers.

6. You refer to 6 inches of snow as a "dusting."

7. Just hearing the words "New York" puts you in an angry frenzy.

8. You don't think you have an attitude.

9. You know the significance of 1918.

10. Everything in town is "a five minute walk."

11. When out of town, you think the natives of the area you're visiting
are all whacked.

12. You still can't bear to watch highlights from the game 6 of the 1986
World Series.

13. You have no idea what the word compromise means.

14. You believe using your turn signal is a sign of weakness.

15. You don't realize that you talk twice as fast as everyone else does.

16. You're anal, neurotic, spastic & stubborn.

17. You think if someone is nice to you, they must want something or are
from out of town.

18. You think $15 to park is a bargain.

19. Your favorite adjective is "wicked."

20. You think 63-degree ocean water is warm.

21. You think the Kennedy's are misunderstood.
___________________________________

The Cracked Pot
(author unidentified in the email I got)

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a
pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in
it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full
portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the
master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two
years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half
pots full of in his master's house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to
the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of
its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only
half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it
perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day
by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my
load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way
back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of
this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot
said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his
compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to
notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the
sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this
cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because
it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the
bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only
on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's
because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.
I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we
walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have
been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table.
Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to
grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we
will allow it, God will use our flaws to grace God's table. In God's
great economy, nothing goes to waste. So as we seek ways to minister
together, and as God calls you to the tasks which have been appointed
for you, don't be afraid of your flaws.

Acknowledge them, and allow God to take advantage of them, and you, too,
can be the cause of beauty in God's pathway.

Go out boldly, knowing that in our weakness we find GOD'S strength, and
that "In God every one of God's promises is a YES"!!
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
431 S. Burnside Ave. #12 B
Los Angeles CA 90036
(323)936-8476
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/

Humor 2/7/99: Dave Barry's 25 Lessons

Hey,

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you were to be stranded
forever on a desert island and could have only one book to read, which
would you want?" Since this question should be relatively easy to
answer, I encourage you to send me a response. I'll send you the
results next week.

This week's humor was forwarded by Dave Shim, followed by the last
installment of the inspirational lessons from children, also forwarded
by Dave Shim. These inspirational pieces probably came from the Chicken
Soup series, and someone compiled several of these relating to children
into one email. Enjoy!

Several of you have been emailing me at joshli@ucla.edu. I only check
this address once a week on Sunday nights. Please send all emails to me
at joshli@post.harvard.edu. This is my permanent email address and it
automatically forwards the message to my most current address.

Take care and have a great week!

-Josh.
______________________________________

NEW YEAR'S WISDOM: TWENTY-FIVE THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN FIFTY YEARS By
Dave Barry

1. The badness of a movie is directly proportional to the number of
helicopters in it.
2. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling
reason why we observe daylight-saving time.
3. People who feel the need to tell you that they have an excellent
sense of humor are telling you that they have no sense of humor.
4. The most valuable function performed by the federal government is
entertainment.
5. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests
you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from
her at that moment.
6. A penny saved is worthless.
7. They can hold all the peace talks they want, but there will never be
peace in the Middle East. Billions of years from now, when Earth is
hurtling toward the Sun and there is nothing left alive on the planet
except a few microorganisms, the microorganisms living in the Middle
East will be bitter enemies.
8. The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.
9. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age,
gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep
down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.
10. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to
make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.
11. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
12. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never
want you to share yours with them.
13. There apparently exists, somewhere in Los Angeles, a computer that
generates concepts for television sitcoms. When TV executives need a new
concept, they turn on this computer; after sorting through millions of
possible plot premises, it spits out, "THREE QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG
PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT," and the executives turn this concept
into a show. The next time they need an idea, the computer spits out,
"SIX QUIRKY BUT ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN
AN APARTMENT." Then the next time, it spits out, "FOUR QUIRKY BUT
ATTRACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN APARTMENT." And so on. We need to
locate this computer and destroy it with hammers.
14. Nobody is normal.
15. At least once per year, some group of scientists will become very
excited and announce that:
A. The universe is even bigger than they thought!
B. There are even more subatomic particles than they thought!
C. Whatever they announced last year about global warming is wrong.
16. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race
has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word
would be "meetings."
17. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy
people who are not in them.
18. The value of advertising is that it tells you the exact opposite of
what the advertiser actually thinks. For example:
A. If the advertisement says "This is not your father's Oldsmobile," the
advertiser is desperately concerned that this Oldsmobile, like all other
Oldsmobiles, appeals primarily to old farts like your father.
B. If Coke and Pepsi spend billions of dollars to convince you that
there are significant differences between these two products, both
companies realize that Pepsi and Coke are virtually identical.
C. If the advertisement strongly suggests that Nike shoes enable
athletes to perform amazing feats, Nike wants you to disregard the fact
that shoe brand is unrelated to athletic ability.
D. If Budweiser runs an elaborate advertising campaign stressing the
critical importance of a beer's "born-on" date, Budweiser knows this
factor has virtually nothing to do with how good a beer tastes.
19. If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of
its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He will
not use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle.
20. You should not confuse your career with your life.
21. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice
person.
22. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too
seriously.
23. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one
individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command.
Very often, that individual is crazy.
24. Your friends love you anyway.
25. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
_____________________________________

"A Lesson In Heart"

A lesson in "heart" is my little, 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, who was
born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time.
She came home one beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in
"field day"-that's where they have lots of races and other competitive
events.

Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of
encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting
this get her down but before I could get a word out, she said, "Daddy, I
won two of the races!" I couldn't believe it! And then Sarah said, "I
had an advantage." Ahh. I knew it. I thought she must have been given a
head start... some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could
say anything, she said, "Daddy, I didn't get a head start... My
advantage was I had to try harder!"

"What We Remember"

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it,
jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire
four years of college. He is brilliant. Kinda' esoteric and very
bright. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the
street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church.
They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure
how to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with
no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair.

The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle
looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can't find
a seat. By now people are looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says
anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and
then he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the
carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college
fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!)

By now people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.
About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of
the church, a deacon is slowly making his was toward Bill. Now the
deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, a three-piece suit,
and a pocket watch. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very
courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward this
boy, everyone is saying to themselves. You can't blame him for what
he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his
background to understand some college kid on the floor? It takes a
long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent
except for the clicking of the man's cane.

All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The
people are thinking, the minister can't even preach the sermon until
the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man
drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself
and sits down next to Bill, takes off his shoes and socks, and
worships with him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes up with
emotion. When the minister gains control he says, "What I'm about to
preach you will never remember. What you have seen, you will never
forget.
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
431 S. Burnside Ave. #12 B
Los Angeles CA 90036
(323)936-8476
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/

Humor 2/1/99: Chinese movie subtitles

Hey,

I hope your weekend went well.

Last week I bought a book called, "If . (Questions for the Game of
Life). So, this week's thought provoking question and future questions
will come from this book. The question is: "If you could have had the
starring role in one film already made, which movie would you pick?"

This week's humor email comes from John Chao, followed by the
continuation of inspirational examples from children, sent by Dave
Shim. Enjoy!

-Josh.
_____________________________________

A list of actual English subtitles used in films made in Hong Kong:

1. I am damn unsatisfied to be killed in this way.
2. Fatty, you with your thick face have hurt my instep.
3. Gun wounds again?
4. Same old rules: no eyes, no groin.
5. A normal person wouldn't steal pituitaries.
6. Damn, I'll burn you into a BBQ chicken!
7. Take my advice, or I'll spank you without pants.
8. Who gave you the nerve to get killed here?
9. Quiet or I'll blow your throat up.
10. You always use violence. I should've ordered glutinous rice chicken.

11. I'll fire aimlessly if you don't come out!
12. You daring lousy guy.
13. Beat him out of recognizable shape!
14. I have been scared sh*tless too much lately.
15. I got knife scars more than the number of your leg's hair!
16. Beware! Your bones are going to be disconnected.
17. The bullets inside are very hot. Why do I feel so cold?
And finally...
18. How can you use my intestines as a gift?
_________________________________

"What It Means to Be Adopted"

Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a
family. One little boy in the picture had a different color hair than
the other family members. One child suggested that he was adopted and a
little girl named Jocelynn Jay said, "I know all about adoptions because
I was adopted." "What does it mean to be adopted?" Asked another child.
"It means," said Jocelynn, "that you grew in your mommy's heart instead
of her tummy."

"Discouraged?"

As I was driving home from work one day, I stopped to watch a local
Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my
home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-baseline, I asked one
of the boys what the score was. "We're behind 14 to nothing, "he
answered with a smile. "Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look
very discouraged." "Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on
his face. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat
yet."

"Roles And How We Play Them"

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in my life, I stop and think
about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in a school
play.

His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she
feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went
with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes
shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what Mom, "he shouted, and
then said those words that will remain a lesson to me: "I've been chosen
to clap and cheer."
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Joshua Li
431 S. Burnside Ave. #12 B
Los Angeles CA 90036
(323)936-8476
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/