【推荐1】What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?

This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on   a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.

I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream­colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.

Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame; I knew I had given the perfect gift.

【推荐2】People generally see themselves through achievements. In doing that, they end up caring more about their image than the reality of who they actually are. Rather than their work doing the talking, they end up defining themselves by external markers that they hope will earn them respect.

The problem with this is that it encourages both themselves and other people to judge their worth based on some relatively unimportant measure. For example, one day, their educational diploma (文凭) may overshadow what they actually learned. Therefore, a better way to know a person, I think, is to ask a different set of questions: What motivates them? What makes them ache? What do they long for?

It’s in this spirit that I want to publicly share my values. They are the compass (罗盘) that guides my life. The kindest and most sincere thing I can do is to see, recognize, and understand another person before I make judgments. From there, I can learn to treat others appropriately, depending on the context, learning from my mistakes with time and experience. It’s just a reminder that life is hard for all of us, while at the same time accepting that it’s important we are all also held accountable for our actions.

I have learned that we are all deeply self-interested. I hope to be self-aware enough to check out of the power and status games. That means I’m not competing with anyone for a shiny object; I’d rather compete with myself. It’s about becoming so uniquely different that it would be an insult for me to measure myself against someone else. I believe if I do the work to be internally free from the pull of the power and status games, then I can add value to others based on my unique knowledge and experience.

If this resonates with (与……共鸣) you, I invite you to join me on this journey in understanding and relating to this complex world. It’s a wonderful mystery, and I think together we can better define it — not just personally, but also collectively.

【推荐3】My wife, daughter, and I moved into our home nine years ago and we spent a lot of time and energy in the yard to get it looking like the way it does today. We live on a corner, higher than street level, and the entire side of the yard is surrounded by a professionally built rock wall. The front of the house though is another story because instead of a wall along the sidewalk, the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish.

We did the best we could with what we had to work with and called this area our “rock garden”. Whenever we had leftover flowers or plants, Denise or I would stick them out front, just to bring some color to the area. We would do all of the yard work on our own, even the tiring weed-pulling.

Last summer I had reached the end of the rock garden and found a tiny little plant that I could not immediately identify, I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise claimed that she didn’t either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could figure out what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the mystery plant, it appeared to be a Sunflower with a tall skinny stalk（茎，杆）and only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The Sunflower had not started where I saw the stalk begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.

That’s when I realized that if a tiny little Sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. Once our environment begins to see that we believe in ourselves like that little Sunflower, we can attain the same nourishment（营养）and growth as well.

Stand tall like the Sunflower and be proud of who and what you are and the environment will begin to support you. You will find a way to go under or around your big obstacle in order to reach your desires.

【推荐1】Sydney Opera House Tours

We offer three different tours of this amazing building.

The Essential Tour

It brings to life the story behind the design and construction of one of the world’s most famous places. Using audio-visual technology, your guide will take you on a memorable journey inside the youngest building ever to be World Heritage listed. Afterwards, why not stay around and eat at the Studio Café, with its modern Australian menu? Not only can you enjoy the best views in Sydney, you can claim a 20% reduction on the total cost of your meal.

Takes place: Daily between 9 am and 5 pm

Prices: Adults $35 / Online $29.75

Prior(预先的) bookings are not necessary.

The Backstage Tour

It is a unique opportunity to experience the real-life plays behind the stage! You might even get to stand on the concert hall stage, take up a conductor’s baton(指挥棒) in the orchestra pit and imagine you are leading the performance. You will also get to see inside the stars’ dressing rooms. The tour includes with a free breakfast in the Green Room, the private dining area of performers past and present.

Takes place: Daily at 7 am

Prices: $155

Bookings are necessary. Limited to 8 people per tour. Online sales expire at 4:30 pm two days prior.

Opera High Tea

It consists of a tour where you will walk in the footsteps of world-class singers, dancers and musicians, followed by fine food and music in the great surroundings of the Bennelong Dining Room. What could be better than a treat of delicious light snacks and soft drinks followed by a live performance by a leading Australian singer? An unforgettable treat for young and old!

Takes place: Every second Wednesday, 2 pm

Duration: 1.5 hours

Prices: $145 per person

Book online or visit the Guided Tours Desk.

【推荐2】4-Day Classic Beijing Tour

The 4-day classic Beijing tour is designed for tourists who come to visit China for the first time. It covers the most popular and typical places in Beijing, fully displaying the scenery, culture, history, local lifestyles and features, food and drinks, business, etc. for you.

Day 1: Arrival in Beijing

Your guide meets you at Capital Airport, and helps you check in at your hotel.

Enjoy Beijing Duck as welcome dinner. Accommodation: Beijing downtown

Day 2: The Great Wall & the Summer Palace

Start your day at the most famous part of the Great Wall, the Badaling Great Wall. Leave the downtown for the Great Wall at 8 am. Since it is a long drive to the Great Wall (about 2 hours’ riding) have a break at the Jade Museum on the way. Lunch will be enjoyed in a local restaurant. In the early afternoon come back to the city and have a sightseeing tour of the Summer Palace.

Recommended Activity: Beijing Opera Show (Liyuan Theatre, 19:30-21: 10 every evening)

Accommodation: Beijing downtown

Day 3: Beijing city sightseeing & Local experience

Your guide meets you at the hotel at 8 am and set out for the day’s touring: Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City. After visiting the two sites, have a break and get ready for lunch.

Hutong visit: see some traditional arts of the old Beijing, such as paper cutting and kite making, and visit a local family. Accommodation: Beijing downtown

Day 4: Beijing Olympic sites

Visit the Olympic sites: Bird’s Nest, Water Cube and Olympic Park, witnessing the fast developing modern China. Enjoy some free time after visiting the sites.

After lunch, it is shopping time and then the tour is over.

【推荐3】China’s national parks: The Combination of nature and culture

China is vast and beautiful. It includes just about every type of landscape and wildlife species imaginable, from tropical jungle to Himalayas. These massive ecosystems are home to an incredible wealth of biodiversity, including rare plant life and popular species like the beloved giant panda.

Sanjiangyuan National Park

The first national park to be trialed as part of the new system was Sanjiangyuan—the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Mekong (Lancang) rivers. Situated in Qinghai province in far northwest China, the park covers 123,000 sq km of high-altitude wilderness on the Tibetan Plateau. Protected species include snow leopards, wild yaks, and Tibetan gazelles and antelope.

Wuyi Mountain National Park

Both a Biosphere Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wuyi Shan is one of the world’s largest subtropical primordial forest systems. Its dramatic gorges and rivers are home to thousands of types of protected wildlife like migratory birds and rare amphibians. And many visitors come to explore the archaeological remains of Han City as well as numerous 11^th-century Daoist temples and shrines.

Giant Panda National Park, Sichuan

China has been working hard in recent decades to reestablish the endangered giant panda, creating 67 panda reserves across Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The new Giant Panda National Park encompasses these reserves and is home to more than 1000 wild pandas.

Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park

Situated in the Changbai Mountains along China’s border with Russia, this park covers the wild habitats of the big cats and has seen success in encouraging leopards and tigers to repopulate. Since 2017, 12 Siberian tiger cubs and 11 leopard cubs have been born here. Nearby is Jingpo Lake National Geopark near Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang province, with lakes, volcanic craters and ancient lava flows.

【推荐1】As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me.

Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never approve because the walls were so old that some stones were loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.

“I want to climb the stone walls,” I said. “Heavens, no! You’ll hurt yourself!” the response was just as I’d expected. But before I left the room, I was stopped by my grandfather’s loud voice. “Now hold on just a minute,” I heard him say. “Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself. ”

“Go,” he said to me, “and come and see me when you get back.” For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls—and had the time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I’ll never forget what he said. “Fred,” he said, smiling, “You made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there’s only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are.”

Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. “There’s only one person in this whole world like you.” the kids can count on hearing me say, “and people can like you exactly as you are.”

【推荐2】When we are kids, we don’t know what we will overcome. At the age of thirteen, I fell ill. This illness lasted three years and I missed a lot of schooling. Doctors tried their best to help me as much as possible, but in the end this was something I just had to be used to. I felt little hope in life. However, in my junior year of high school, I had a turning point. I discovered my gift for writing and then I realized if I continued to let this problem hold me back, my dream would never come true. So my state of mind changed. Going through the difficulty also gave me the strong desire to write. Writing what mattered most to me helped me overcome what sickened me.

During my freshman and sophomore (高中二年级的) year I did not learn much due to illness. So I became focused and determined and actually completed high school in two years instead of four. At the close of my junior year, I had straight A’s and became an honor roll student. Seeing what I had accomplished, I realized that having disadvantages doesn’t mean it is impossible to achieve success.

By becoming a writer, I’ve become a reader. While performing community service at the library, I read to those who are less fortunate and unable to read. From pre-school children to the elderly, I enjoy my time reading to people of all ages. It is pleasing to see the awesome expressions on their faces as the words become a vision in their minds. Giving back is one of the greatest gifts you could give in life. It inspires me to write something people can learn from.

【推荐3】I can still remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was a college freshman and had stayed up most of the night before laughing and talking with friends. Now just before my first class of the day my eyelids were feeling heavier and heavier and my head was drifting down to my desk to make my textbook a pillow. A few minutes’ nap time before class couldn’t hurt, I thought.

Boom! I lifted my head immediately and my eyes opened widen. I looked around with my heart beating quickly trying to find the cause of the noise. My young professor was looking back at me with a boyish smile on his face. He had intentionally(故意地) dropped the pile of textbooks he was carrying onto his desk. “Good morning!” he said, still smiling. “I’m glad to see everyone is awake. Now let’s get started.”

For the next hour I wasn’t sleepy at all. It wasn’t from the shock of my professor’s textbook alarm clock either. Instead, it was from the attractive discussion he led. With knowledge and good humor, he made the material come alive. His insights were full of both wisdom and loving kindness. And the enthusiasm(热情) and joy he taught with were contagious(有感染力的). I left the classroom not only wide awake, but a little smarter and a little better as well.

I learned something far more important than not sleeping in class that day. I learned that if you are going to do something in this life, do it well, do it with joy, and make it an expression of your love. What a beautiful place this world would be if all of us did our work joyously and well! What a beautiful world we could create if every doctor, teacher, musician, cook, waitress, poet, miner, farmer, and laborer made their work an expression of their love! Don’t sleepwalk through your life then. Wake up! Let your love fill your work and your soul. Life is too short not to live it well.