stories

4 Pax Season's Quest

4 pax The Four Seasons' Quest

4 Pax Season's Quest

4 pax The Four Seasons' Quest

3 Pax Lost Key of Harmony

3 pax The Lost Key of Harmony

Attitude Saves the Day

A Businessman was deep in debt and could not see any way out.

Creditors and Suppliers were demanding payments. He sat in the park, deep in thought, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him and asked,


"I can see that something is troubling you seriously".


After listening patiently the old man said,

"I believe I can help you".

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check and put it into his hands saying, "Take this money, meet me here exactly one year from today... and you can pay me back at that time".


Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.


The businessman saw in his hands a check for $ 500,000... signed by Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world.

"I can erase my worries instantly" he realized.


But instead, the man decided to put the uncashed check in his safe, knowing that it might give him the strength to work out to save his business and to use this only in case of dire emergency.

With changed thinking he negotiated better deals,restructured his business and worked rigorously with full zeal and enthusiasm and got several big deals.

Within a few months, he was out of debt and started making money once again.

Exactly one year later he returned to the park with the uncashed check.


As agreed, the old man appeared.


But just as the businessman was about to hand him back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him" she cried.

"I hope he hasn't been bothering you much.

"He always escapes from the mental hospital and tells people that he is Warren Buffet", saying this she took the old man away.

The surprised man just stood there, stunned! All year long he had been dealing thinking that he had half a million dollars behind him...

Moral: Its not the money, real or imagined that turns our life around. It is our attitude and Self-confidence that gives us the power to achieve anything & everything that we want.

Say what?

An old lady had a hearing-aid fitted, hidden underneath her hair.

A week later she returned to the doctor for her check-up.

"It's wonderful - I can hear everything now," she reported very happily to the doctor.

"And is your family pleased too?" asked the doctor.

"Oh I haven't told them yet," said the old lady, "And I've changed my will twice already..."

The Cat and her Friends

Once there lived a cat named Helen. She thought, "The lion is the strongest of all the animals. It is good to have strong friends. I will go to the lion and make friends with him."


She did so and the lion and the cat were friends for many, many days.


Once they went for a walk together and met an elephant. The lion began to fight with the elephant and the elephant killed him.


The cat was very sorry. "What shall I do?" she thought.


"The elephant was stronger than the lion. I will go to the elephant and make friends with him."


She did so and they were friends for many, many days.


Once they went for a walk and met a hunter. The hunter shot the elephant and killed him. The cat was sorry, but she thought, "The man is stronger than the elephant, I see."


So she went up to the hunter and asked, "May I go with you?"


"All right, let us go home together," he said.


They came to the man's home. His wife met him and took his gun from him.

The cat saw that and thought: "Oh, the woman is the strongest of all! She can take the hunter's gun from him, and he does not even fight with her! He doesn't even say a word!" The man sat down at the table and the woman went to the kitchen.

The cat went to the kitchen, too. She decided to stay with the woman forever.

That's why you always see a cat in the kitchen at a woman's feet.


House in the sky

Once upon a time there lived a poor man, Abu by name.


He was clever and often made jokes about rich people and even about the chief. So they did not like him and wanted to kill him.


One day the chief of the village sent for Abu and he came to the chief’s house.


"I hear that you are very clever, Abu! Can you build me a house in the sky in three days? You may have as many men as you need. If you can't do that my soldiers will kill you."


"I shall build it, my Chief," said Abu and went home.


He began to think. Then he made a kite and tied a bell and a long string to it. When the wind blew, the kite rose high up in the air.


But it did not fly far, because Abu tied the string to a tree. The next day all the people of the town heard the bell and saw a dark spot in the sky.


The chief saw the spot, too. Abu came up to the chief and said "Oh, my Chief, the house in the sky will soon be ready. Do you hear the bell? The workers are ringing the bell in the sky.


They need some boards for the roof of the house. Please tell your soldiers to climb up to the sky with the boards."


"But how will my soldiers climb up to the sky?" asked the chief.


"Oh, there is a way up," said Abu.


So the chief ordered his soldiers to get some boards and to follow Abu. They came to the tree and saw the string there. "This is the way to the sky," Abu said. "Climb up the string and you will come to the sky."


The soldiers tried to climb up the string, but could not do that. "Try again, try again! Our Chief will be very angry if you don't carry the boards up to his house in the sky!" said Abu.


Then the soldiers went to the chief and said, "Oh, Chief, no man can climb up to the sky!"


The chief thought a little and said, "That's right. Nobody can do that."

Then Abu said to the chief, "Oh, my Chief, if you know that, why do you ask me to build you a house in the sky?"

And the chief could give no answer to that. 


moral: Don't ask for the impossible.

Deep doo-doo

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.


Morals of the story:

1. Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy

2. Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend

3. And when you’re in deep shit, it’s best to keep your mouth shut!

Killer Charisma

A turkey was chatting with a bull “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, "but I haven’t got the energy.” 

“Well, why don’t you nibble on my droppings?” replied the bull. “They’re packed with nutrients.” 

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.


Moral of the story: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it wont keep you there.

Where you sit matters

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. 

A rabbit asked him,”Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?” 

The crow answered: “Sure, why not.” 

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested.

A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.


Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very high up.

Stay informed

A priest offered a lift to a nun. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. 

The nun said,”Father, remember Psalm 129?” The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. 

The nun once again said, “Father, remember Psalm 129?” 

The priest apologized “Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.” Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way. 

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, “Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.”


Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Let the boss have the first say

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, “I’ll give each of you just one wish” 

“Me first! Me first!” says the admin. clerk. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.” Poof! She’s gone. 

“Me next! Me next!” says the sales rep. “I want to be in Hawaii,relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.” Poof! He’s gone. 

“OK, you’re up,” the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, “I want those two back in the office after lunch.”


Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.

Full Disclosure

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, “I’ll give you $800 to drop that towel.” After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob.


After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 dollars and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks,…


“Who was that?” “It was Bob the next door neighbor,” she replies. “Great!” the husband says, “Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?”


Moral of the story:

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.


The Mechanic and the Surgeon

The Mechanic and the Surgeon

Perceptions, the devil is in the detail, the nature of big differences

A heart surgeon took his car to his local garage for a regular service, where he usually exchanged a little friendly banter with the owner, a skilled but not especially wealthy mechanic.

"So tell me," says the mechanic, "I've been wondering about what we both do for a living, and how much more you get paid than me.."

"Yes?.." says the surgeon.

"Well look at this," says the mechanic, as he worked on a big complicated engine, "I check how it's running, open it up, fix the valves, and put it all back together so it works good as new... We basically do the same job don't we? And yet you are paid ten times what I am - how do you explain that?"

The surgeon thought for a moment, and smiling gently, replied,"Try fixing it while the engine is running.."


Be careful what you wish for

Strategic alliances, tactical awareness, ageism, sexism, being careful about what you wish for and how you go about getting it

A couple were dining out together celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.

After the meal, the husband presented his wife romantically with a beautiful very old gold antique locket on a chain.

Amazingly when his wife opened the locket, a tiny fairy appeared.

Addressing the astonished couple, the fairy said, "Your forty years of devotion to each other has released me from this locket, and in return I can now grant you both one wish each - anything you want.."

Without hesitating, the wife asked, "Please, can I travel to the four corners of the world with my husband, as happy and in love as we've always been?"

The fairy waved her wand with a flourish, and magically there on the table were two first-class tickets for a round-the-world holiday.

Staggered, the couple looked at each other, unable to believe their luck.

"Your turn," said the fairy and the wife to the husband.

The husband thought for a few seconds, and then said, with a little guilt in his voice, "Forgive me, but to really enjoy that holiday of a lifetime - I yearn for a younger woman - so I wish that my wife could be thirty years younger than me."

Shocked, the fairy glanced at the wife, and with a knowing look in her eye, waved her wand.....

and the husband became ninety-three.

I'm sick

A mother repeatedly called upstairs for her son to get up, get dressed and get ready for school. It was a familiar routine, especially at exam time.

"I feel sick," said the voice from the bedroom.

"You are not sick. Get up and get ready," called the mother, walking up the stairs and hovering outside the bedroom door.

"I hate school and I'm not going!" said the voice from the bedroom. "I'm always getting things wrong, making mistakes and getting told off. Nobody likes me, and I've got no friends. And we have too many tests and they are too confusing. It's all just pointless, and I'm not going to school ever again."

"I'm sorry, but you are going to school," said the mother through the door, continuing encouragingly, "Really, mistakes are how we learn and develop. And please try not to take criticism so personally. And I can't believe that nobody likes you - you have lots of friends at school. And yes, all those tests can be confusing, but we are all tested in many ways throughout our lives, so all of this experience at school is useful for life in general. Besides, you have to go! You are the head teacher."


Lead from the front

On a battlefield over 200 years ago, a man in civilian clothes rode past a small group of exhausted battle-weary soldiers digging an obviously important defensive position. The section leader, making no effort to help, was shouting orders, threatening punishment if the work was not completed within the hour.

"Why are you are not helping?" asked the stranger on horseback.

"I am in charge. The men do as I tell them," said the section leader, adding, "Help them yourself if you feel strongly about it."

To the section leader's surprise, the stranger dismounted and helped the men until the job was finished.

Before leaving the stranger congratulated the men for their work, and approached the puzzled section leader.

"You should notify top command next time your rank prevents you from supporting your men - and I will provide a more permanent solution," said the stranger.

Up close, the section leader now recognized General Washington, and also the lesson he'd just been taught.

Old Jokes

People have been coming to the wise man, complaining about the same problems every time. One day the wise man told them a joke and everyone roared in laughter.

After a couple of minutes, he told them the same joke and only a few of them smiled.

When he told the same joke for the third time no one laughed anymore.

The wise man smiled and said:

 

“You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why are you always crying about the same problem?”


Tote that bale

A salt seller used to carry a salt bag on his donkey to the market every day.


On the way they had to cross a stream. One day the donkey suddenly tumbled down the stream and the salt bag also fell into the water. The salt dissolved in the water and hence the bag became very light to carry. The donkey was happy.

Then the donkey started to play the same trick every day.

The salt seller came to understand the trick and decided to teach a lesson to the donkey. The next day he loaded a cotton bag on the donkey.

Again the donkey played the same trick by falling into the water hoping that the cotton bag would be still become lighter.

But the wet cotton became very heavy to carry and the donkey suffered. 

The donkey didn’t play the trick anymore, and the seller was happy.

The Sys Admin and the Manager

A sys admin saw that a lot of tasks were being assigned to him from his manager. The sys admin decided to route the tasks to other people on the team who could do the tasks. The sys admin upped the team privileges as necessary and the tasks got done.

The sys admin was happy.

Then one day the manager asked about a task that had not been completed. The sys admin wasn't familiar with the task and went to investigate.

The task was to find a replacement sys admin because the sys admin had been promoted to manager. 

moral: If you act like a manager you will be made into a manager.

Take that call

Several men were in a golf club locker room.


A mobile phone rings.


"Yes I can talk," says the man answering the call as looks around the room. "You're shopping are you? That's nice."


The listening men smile to each other.


"You want to order those new carpets? Okay... And they'll include the curtains for an extra five thousand?... Sure, why not?"


The man looks around again and sees more smiles among the listeners.


"You want to book a week in Maldives? They're holding a villa for twenty-two thousand? Sounds like a bargain! You want two weeks though? If that's what you want honey, okay by me."


Smiles turn to expressions of mild envy.


"And you want to give the builder the go-ahead for the kithchen remodel? Seventy-five thousand if we say yes today? Sounds fair.. sure, that's fine."


The listeners exchange glances of amazement.


"Okay sugar, see you later... Yes, I love you too," says the man, ending the call.


He looks at the other men and says, "Whose phone is this anyhow?"