Welcome to our Year of Mind, Body and Spiritual fitness...
4 February 2012
Dear Readers,
Time flies as fast as it does these days, with us tethered to our mobile social media, there's never a quiet moment to just BE... it's all the more important to create those restful spaces for recharging. It's all about slow food, working smart, massive amounts of daily exercise, healthy food choices, prayerful contemplation and giving thanks for blessings and love.
Wishing everyone whereever you are, across the world, or in Hong Kong a glorious beginning to the new year, may this year bring continued good fortune, good health and the gentle fulfillment of your every dream in this our journey of life.
We've been taking time to formulate thoughtful youth centered solutions with ways to implement, and, it feels like we're almost there with the mechanisms for integration, and if we've caused you to wait, please forgive us ... we apologize for the time it's taking to revamp our antiquated interface, but it is a broad overhaul, hence.
Our most profound thanks go to the Team of interns from the National University of Singapore - HM, JD, WL and ZY - for the outstanding work done to help get us to the next phase of our progress ... Now that plans have been set up, fingers crossed that the implementation will do justice to the wonderful recommendations proposed !
Instead of the usual April Fool's day prank ... how about a story about cake?
Republished without permission from an unknown author...
Sometimes we wonder, 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did God have to do this to me?'
Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, 'Absolutely, I love your cake.'
'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers.
'Yuck' says her daughter.
And it's deceptive because every day the birds chirp cheerfully outside the window, and time seems to stand still, and if you tuned out the news, the days pass without incident, almost without mattering if it's Saturday or Tuesday -- just days marking time, passing.
iCUBED.us wishes all ... a new year of Happiness-Health-and-Prosperity looking forward to the Year of the Rabbit
30 January 2011 .and. 3 February, the first day of Rabbit Year 2011
The annual celebration of the Chinese new year is underway with the new Year of the RABBIT heralding a less f e r o c i o u s year, but the Tiger's giving a forceful reminder of all we have yet to do ... leaving in its wake, so much of a previously parched Australia awash in flood waters, violence and unrest starting in Pakistan, flaring in Tunisia, and sparking now in Egypt.
REASONS FOR HOPE
SECRET REVEALED: FEAR CAN MAKE US MORE ALERT, AWARE, and GRATEFUL
20 January 2011
Since the new year, I've been literally wandering the streets lost in thought, taking in masses of information from the way the sidewalk feels different through the soles of different pairs of shoes, to the way vehicle exhaust smells more gritty when it comes from a diesel engine, you know, important stuff like this that impresses no one, especially not myself.
Counting the minutes till the official start of 2011, this will be an entry short on words, but long on sentiments...
As I have the brilliant idea to celebrate this momentous occasion with a conscious, ceremonial washing away of any unnecessary baggage we might be carrying with us--a respectful putting away of limiting thoughts and mindsets so that we might face the new year ready to engage fully with life and all the blessings in our path.
WINTER SOLSTICE: one moment, many interpretations...
23 December 2010
Wheel of Samsara - symbolizing the cycles of life and rebirth
Did you know that last night, it was Winter Solstice?
...and, it happened also to be a Full Moon, and a Lunar Eclipse--first in around 600 years, all in one night!
In retrospect, it might explain the restlessness in the air all day yesterday.
For me this year, it's about having time to refresh the spirit--spend time with family, friends and all the important people that have made our journey so far, so memorable and inspiring--and, it's about preparing to move with certainty and bold steps into the new year--the new decade ahead.
THANKSGIVING THOUGHTS TO ROUND OUT THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 21st CENTURY ...
I'd like to start this year's Thanksgiving blog today with some words about the importance of giving thanks, important because it means that we don't take things for granted especially when things go well.
ANTICIPATION 10.10.10 - Is it possible that all this activity is getting 'us' no where?
9 October 2010
Tomorrow there'll be a huge amount of activity in a new citizen-led 'green' movement called 10-10 (to be observed every year on 10th October, beginning this year - 2010) which is 'about' setting a target to reduce emissions by 10 percent every year, so we can reach a ZERO-EMISSIONS goal in ten year's time.
Last Friday iCUBED.us published a "controversial" news topic about Dan Savage's IT GETS BETTER project that seeks to give hope to gay youth who face ridicule and harassment often on a daily basis. It's clear to me that gay rights are so controversial precisely because it is cloaked in innuendo and taboo - and, like any issue that requires a hush-hush approach, the downside is that the issues get clouded with so much NOISE (as in "signal-to-noise") that it'll take time and a definite process to dig out. By shining a light on the issue as IT GETS BETTER has, there is hope that we "adults" can come to grips with what this whole "battle" is about. In the two weeks since the IT GETS BETTER project was launched, hundreds of gay people have added their voices to the channel, and so too has the media taken a longer and more thorough look at this divisive issue.
It's really too easy to blame the wrong culprit, which is the sort of WRONG, that compounds itself because it means never getting to root out the deeper issue and address it in a mature and rational way.
From all of us here at iCUBED.us, we present you with a humorous take on the mooncake... tuck in to this article from our friends at theAsiaMag.com, aptly titled The Case Against the Mooncake by Clarissa Tan, with apologies to those who like these delectable, figure-busting sweets... click on button to read the article
Margaret Chen – Founder/Editor in Chief, www.iCUBED.us
BA, Child Development Psychology and International Relations/Political Science
MA, Anthropology
- Why did you launch iCUBED.us? Was there a purpose?
iCUBED.us (global webzine for thinking teens) was envisioned as a way to ‘shape the future’ by bringing youth aged up to 25 in touch with each other and with news and information with a positive message, teaching them that one is never too old or young to make a difference.
It's a long weekend here in Hong Kong and many days of rest and relaxation for our diligent workforce renowned around the world for our famous workaholic ways.
And for those who do not celebrate Easter, we wish you all the best!
iCUBED.us is so WORD-centric, so when our friend SandraY sent this to me, I HAD to put it up... it's at least a nod in the direction of math, sums and accounts
Thanks as always to Sandra...
THE BALANCE SHEET OF LIFE
Our Birth is our Opening Balance!
Our Death is our Closing Balance!
Our Prejudiced Views are our Liabilities
Our Creative Ideas are our Assets
Heart is our Current Asset
Soul is our Fixed Asset
Brain is our Fixed Deposit
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It's been quite a year here at iCUBED.us ... 
Our most profound thanks go to the Team of interns from the National University of Singapore - HM, JD, WL and ZY - for the outstanding work done to help get us to the next phase of our progress ... Now that plans have been set up, fingers crossed that the implementation will do justice to the wonderful recommendations proposed !
This year has been anything but calm.
Living the sustainable lifestyle is not difficult when you're in Australia!
THANKSGIVING THOUGHTS TO ROUND OUT THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 21st CENTURY ...
