Just Life| The Butterfly Effect

I accidentally came across this very short book," The Butterfly Effect" by Andy Andrews and decided to read it during my lunch break.

Here is the book's message:

Everything you do has an effect on the world as a whole.

The majority of the book is about Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. 

During The Civil War, Chamberlain, who was a teacher by trade, became a Colonel in the Union Army. Chamberlain and his men were on a hill near Gettysburg Pennsylvania. 

His commanding officer, told him: " Whatever you do, you can't let them come through here."

So Chamberlain and his men, stationed on top of a hill did their best to hold their ground until they ran out of ammunition. Chamberlain knew there was very little hope of getting out of that place alive and he had a choice to make. 

Instead of retreating, Chamberlain ordered his soldiers to "fix your bayonets now" and the school teacher from Maine, roared "CHARGE"! Bravely, he started running towards the enemy and his men followed him. 

When the confederate soldiers saw Chamberlain charging towards them, they were surprised. "A beaten regiment would not charge", they thought.  

The Confederate soldiers thought that Chamberlain's reinforcements had arrived. So many Confederate soldiers chose to retreat rather than fight Chamberlain and his men.

Within 5 minutes, Chamberlain and his army of 80 soldiers, captured 4000 Confederate soldiers.

Historians believe that if the Confederate soldiers had won the Battle of Gettysburg, The South would have won the war.

Many believe that if the South won the war, it would have been the end of the United States of America.

You see, the actions and bravery of one man, saved an entire country.

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Just Life| Children at the Stockton Symphony

The other day, I had the privilege of accompanying my daughter's Fifth Grade class to the Stockton Symphony. The kids were asked to dress up in their Sunday best for the occasion and they all obliged gracefully.

We arrived at Delta College where the Stockton Symphony is based and were seated to the left of the stage. The auditorium was full of children coming from all over San Joaquin. There were at least a few thousands kids in the auditorium that day.

Then, the Stockton Symphony's director Mr. Peter Jaffe, came to the stage and asked the children to sing the National Anthem. The children were so good that I got chills from listening to them.

Next, the Symphony started to play. The music was based on William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  The pieces was written by the German composer Felix Mendelssohn when was only 17 years old.

Mr. Jaffe took every chance to educate the children about music throughout the one hour program. 

I am so thankful to all the teachers and administrators that made it possible for so many kids to attend the Stockton Symphony that day. 

As Friedrich Nietzsche once said: "Without music, life would be a mistake." and I agree. Without music, life would be flavorless.

So, if you would like to attend any of the Stockton Symphony's programs, please visit its website at:

http://stocktonsymphony.org

Peter Jaffe. Picture from Stockton Symphony website.

And let's not forget the Stockton Chorale.  Here is their website:  (p.s. my kid and my co-worker both sing in the Stockton Chorale and they are both wonderful).

http://www.stocktonchorale.org

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Just Life| Few Interesting New Books

If you love books, working in a library is better than working in a candy store. You can sample hundreds of delicious books without spending a penny. At Troke Library, I get a daily dose of brand new books and take full advantage of it. I browse them for free. If a book catches my eyes, I check it out. 

I mean, who doesn't love to read brand new books without paying for it. Since I work in the library, I have the privilege of looking through these brand new books first. That is the perk of working in a library I guess.

So here are a few new books that caught my attention this week. You can click on any of these titles to place it on hold.

What your financial advisor isn't telling you : the 10 essential truths you need to know about your money


Spark joy : an illustrated master class on the art of organizing and tidying up


Destinations of a lifetime : 225 of the world's most amazing places


Life in life : live longer, strengthen your relationships, and create a healthier life : a meditation journal


The wounded warrior handbook : a resource guide for returning veterans

Happy reading!

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Just Life| Gardening books

Even though we are in the middle of winter, I just read that this is the best time of the year to buy flower bulbs for your garden. This is also time to trim the trees and bushes in the backyard.


I am clueless about gardening. If you are in the same boat as me, the library has plenty of gardening books for both of us.


Here are a few gardening books that you can find in your local library:

The New Sunset Western Garden Book

Pots in the garden: Expert design and planting

techniques

Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers from Small Spaces

Happy gardening everyone.

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

 

Just Life| Crenshaw, a children book

Crenshaw is a children's book by the award winning author Katherine Applegate. It is about a young boy named Jackson, his family, and Jackson's imaginary friend Crenshaw who happens to be a giant cat.

It is a sad story about a family who has fallen on hard times. Jackson's family is forced to sell everything in their apartment trying to make the next month's rent.

Jackson has too much on his mind and now he has to deal with his imaginary friend Crenshaw. 

Jackson is worried. Is he losing his mind? He is entering the 5th grade in the Fall. Isn't he is too old to have an imaginary friend?

Can they save enough money for the rent or do they have to live in their minivan again? You have got to read this book to find out.

This is a good book for 4-6 graders. The AR level is 3.0 

There are many kids in our own city who may be facing similar hardships.

In Stockton, we have the "One TLC School" for homeless children. If your are interested, please check out their Facebook page. They can use your help. 

Homelessness can happen to us all.

https://www.facebook.com/one.TLCSchool


Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Just Life| Walking to the library

Imagine walking for an hour to get to the library when it is 45 degrees outside. That is exactly what one of our teen volunteers did on Dec 31. She walked for an hour with a bag full of books to get to the Troke library. 

It totally blew me away that a teen would do that. So I asked her what her plan was for New Year's eve, and she said that she would be reading. 

I was so impressed. 

So, cheers to a wonderful year of reading.

By the way, what is the tallest building in town?  The library, because it has the most stories.

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Just Life| New Year wish

The year 2016 is fast approaching and all I wish and hope for is lots of happiness for all of us.

I pray that this coming year, brings limitless happiness to all my family and friends and co-workers. 

I think once you are happy, you can handle anything that comes your way.

So for this coming year, all I wish for is lots of happiness. 

And if you feel a little blue these days, please pickup one of these books from your local library to improve your mood.

• Happiness by design: change what you do, not how you think

• Code to joy : the four-step solution to unlocking your natural state of happiness

• The happiness project

• Happier at home 

• Spontaneous Happiness

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha