Is inner beauty no longer impt?

what is inner beauty?
is knowledge consider beautiful?
does kindness make a person more beautiful?
to me...inner beauty supercede external...
but i wonder is my thinking outdated in this 21st century?

what trigger this topic of discussion
i was out with my friends for a gathering
and the topic on their facials, IHL, peel, laser, slimming sessions etc etc
and the thing is....i didn't even notice the 'slimmer' friend....the other friend with 'fairer face'...

they make me think...why place so much emphasis on external beauty
or is it something wrong with me...why didn't i notice their changes...and why didn't i think it is impt...to me...i always ask them to read this book...sign up for this course...

their excuses were that they don't like books as much as i do, they are more vain...i don't think my friends changed so much...i don't think i'm much difference from them...

but i wonder...has this got to do with the extensive advertisements on external beauty
given the daily bombardment of cosmetic advertisement, slimming advertisement etc

one of them even commented that...the best thing to them will be that i notice the difference...then their 'beauty regime' will be considered a success because i'm the total 'blockhead' in this area.
and the parting shot: do not just think of knowledge as beauty, start placing more impt on my look... is it so importance...will i succumb to all these external thing? how sad if that's all they think about

wisdom

there are things that upset you
be happy anyway

there are pple who have will hurt you
forgive anyway

there are pple who will not appreciate your generosity
do good anyway

there are pple who will not appreciate your kindness
be kind anyway

there are pple who will abuse the trust you give them
trust anyway

there are pple who misappropriate the funds
do charity anyway

you are bound to get hurt when you love
love anyway

so many thoughts on my mind

there are so many things happening
and so many thoughts going thru my mind
and i hv no time to put them down on b/w
again....another very hectic day for me....
awake for more than 20 hrs
done reporters interview...radio talk show...presentations
dinner...play games....eat durain

suddenly

suddenly.....i have the urge to see my favorite flower - tulips
a visit the Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam would be wonderful
drop everything and go
just forget about my worry...and see all the tulips in full bloom...

snow in beijing

Finally, a snowing Beijing...

my hotel room is facing inwards, i do not get a outside view
i woke up this morning going for breakfast discovering that it is snowing outside...
what a nice wonderful morning...
as it is sunday...we got a window seat in full view of the snowing street outside...

it is a march snow...
and the biggest snow this winter...
due to the global warming effect...
this winter is extremely warm...
hence this snow is considered quite heavy
although in absolute term, it is not...only some accummulated on the tree branches, cars etc