Life Lessons from Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He served from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln successfully led the United States through its darkest hour … the American Civil War. In the end, Lincoln was able to preserve the Union and end slavery.

Here are some of his life lessons:

 

©       Prepare for Success

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”

Before you can succeed, you must prepare. When Lincoln was an unknown attorney in the backwoods of Illinois he was preparing for success, when Lincoln became an Illinois State Senator, he was preparing for success, and even when he lost the election for the U.S. senate twice, he was preparing for success. What are you doing in preparation for success? Lincoln said, “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”

©       Hustle

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”

 You can’t stroll to a goal, you must hustle; you must move quickly in order to gain the momentum necessary to break free from the gravitational pull of the commonplace. The best things in life come to those who hustle. Are you hustling?

©       Remember That Greatness is Possible

“That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.”

 If someone else can succeed in the business that you’re in, that is proof that you can succeed as well. If someone else can become rich in the state that you’re in, that is proof that you become rich as well. You have all that the greatest of men have had: a mind, and a will. Don’t make excuses, if someone else can do it, so can you… And who knows? You may be able to do it faster and better; never underestimate you abilities.

©       Become Worthy of a Good Reputation

“Reputation is like fine china, once broken it's very hard to repair.”

 Work to be, the way you want to be perceived. Don’t try to look good, be good. A good name is more valuable than fine gold and “choice” rubies.

            Practice becoming honorable.

You can be just as honest, have just as much integrity, walk in just as much humility, and possess just as much discipline as the greatest men who have ever lived.

©       Make the Years Count

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”

  

Lincoln didn’t live to a very old age, but the “life in his years” made a profound impact on the world. Are you making your years count? Are you changing the world? You’re capable of it; if you’re able to read and understand these words, then you have the ability to make a profound impact, and that’s not just meaningless rhetoric, it’s a very real reality, but will you grasp it, will you believe it and make it “your” reality.

©       See the Brighter Side of Things

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

 If you look for something to complain about, you will certainly find it! There’s “always” an opportunity to be “offended!” Don’t take these opportunities; they “never” lead to anything positive. Learn to see the roses in life; life is filled with roses, if you’ll take the time to see them.

©       Constantly Improve

“The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can…”

 If you improve everyday, imagine the improvements you could make over the course of 20 years. You could become successful “in-just-about” any field in 20 years. You can make a significant impact on the world in 20 years! Remember, slow and steady wins the race; Rome was not built in a day. Work to get a little better everyday, and it time, you will accomplish your dreams.

History 101: camERA

"Photography" is derived from the Greek words photos ("light") and graphein ("to draw") The word was first used by the scientist Sir John F.W. Herschel in 1839. It is a method of recording images by the action of light, or related radiation, on a sensitive material.

Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (who was Daguerre's partner, but died before their invention was completed) invented the first practical photographic method, which was named the daguerreotype, in 1836.

Daguerre coated a copper plate with silver, then treated it with iodine vapor to make it sensitive to light. The image was developed by mercury vapor and fixed with a strong solution of ordinary salt (sodium chloride).

Henry Fox Talbot perfected a different process, the calotype, in 1840. Both used cameras that were little different from Zahn's model, with a sensitized plate or sheet of paper placed in front of the viewing screen to record the image. Focusing was generally via sliding boxes.

Collodion dry plates had been available since 1855, thanks to the work of Désiré van Monckhoven, but it was not until the invention of the gelatin dry plate in 1871 by Richard Leach Maddox that they rivaled wet plates in speed and quality.

The use of photographic film was pioneered by George Eastman, who started manufacturing paper film in 1885 before switching to celluloid in 1889. His first camera, which he called the "Kodak," was first offered for sale in 1888. It was a very simple box camera with a fixed-focus lens and single shutter speed, which along with its relatively low price appealed to the average consumer. The Kodak came pre-loaded with enough film for 100 exposures and needed to be sent back to the factory for processing and reloading when the roll was finished. By the end of the 19th century Eastman had expanded his lineup to several models including both box and folding cameras.

 In 1900, Eastman took mass-market photography one step further with the Brownie, a simple and very inexpensive box camera that introduced the concept of the snapshot. The Brownie was extremely popular and various models remained on sale until the 1960s.

Nice to know how cameras were made. Now it’s evolved so much everything is so handy!

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera 

How to get around Macau without spending a Pataca

How to get around macau without spending a pataca

Macau! Looks like a mini Vegas. There are casinos and elegant hotels everywhere. The first time I came here we paid a tour guide to help us get around. And I found out it was so easy. You don’t even have to spend a cent. There are shuttle buses to get you to places for free!!! And if you’re hungry, you can walk going to the Ruins and vendors would let you taste beef jerkies and almond cookies. Yummy!!

So here’s the secret:

ª     Ride a ferry from HK’s Macau Ferry Terminal

> I prefer the Turbojet ferry cause it’s much cheaper. It costs around $123 and it leaves every 30 minutes. Or if you want a grander ride, you can take the chopper.

> no need to exchange your HKD for  Macau Pataca

> don't forget your passport!

> ferry ride takes about an hour, so it's a good time to doze off and get energized!

ª     Upon reaching Macau, go to the shuttle buses for hotels

> you can take the bus for Grand Lisboa Hotel or the Grand Emperor Hotel

> it’s totally free

ª     From Grand Lisboa Hotel, you can walk straight for less than 15 minutes going to Senado Square

ª     From Grand Emperor Hotel, walk straight for a block and turn left going to the Senado Square

> there are signs on the road heading there

> you’ll know it’s the right way cause there are a lot of tourists going there

> or if you’re lost, you can always ask someone 

ª     Senado Square

  > take a stroll and take pictures of the old Portuguese-inspired infrastructures

> and just walk going to… 

ª     The Ruins of St. Paul

> as you head there, don’t forget to get a free taste of their beef jerkies and almond cookies

> don’t be shy, everyone does it

> just point to the jerky you want to try and the vendor would cut a piece for you

> just a few more steps to the Ruins...

           ª     Fortress Hill

> it’s on the right side of St. Paul’s Ruins

> it’s a tiring climb to the top

ª     Na Tcha Temple and Old City Walls

> it’s on the left side of St. Paul’s Ruins

Now it’s time to go to Cotai Strip! Where the big casinos and luxurious hotels are.

ª  City of Dreams

> walk going back to the Grand Emperor Hotel

> a block before reaching the hotel there’s a line for the shuttle bus going to City of Dreams

> ride the shuttle bus

> enjoy the sights, you can pass the Macau Tower, the shoreline, their brown beaches( idk why it’s brown), the Galaxy Hotel, everything…

> inside the hotel, you can see mermaids coming out of huge screens… amazing!!! (All the guys were staring at it.)

> if you’ve got the time and money, you can watch the House of Dancing Water. It’s an incredible show by Cirque du Soleil.

> or you can watch a free show, the Dragon's Treasure

> after you’ve roamed around the hotel, just cross the street leading to…

ª     The Venetian

> as you go in, you will be amazed by their extravagant design

> head to the Canal Shoppes

> it’s incredible how they made the clouds so life-like!

> you can take a gondola ride for a fee

> or just stroll around

> if you’ve had enough, take a bus going back to the ferry terminal, and ride a shuttle bus to Pharoah’s Palace Casino/ Landmark Hotel, and walk heading to…

ª     The Fisherman’s Wharf

> just wander around the themed park

> ride the shuttle bus again to the ferry terminal

> if it’s not yet 7pm, take the bus to…

ª     Wynn Hotel

> watch the spectacular fountain show

> the view of Nam Lake is also really nice

ª     Time to go home

> again, just take a free shuttle bus to the ferry terminal

>ride the Turbojet heading back to HK Ferry Terminal

That was FUN!!!