After a thrilling Champion's League semi-final in the wee hours of wednesday morning which ended happily - Rooney's 91st minute goal giving United a 3-2 lead to take to the San Siro - I climb out of bed reluctantly to get to work.

Reading up different graduation/commencement speeches to get ideas and I came to this one with a simple and meaningful message which I thought I'd share:

"Laugh. Laughter is important. It shows enjoyment of life and of others, it shows liveliness of spirit, it shows intelligence. It makes a bad day better. If you laugh, you are not a bore. If you take yourself too seriously, you may not find satisfaction in life. Laughter helps to heal, and research proves this statement to be true. Make sure you laugh every day. Remember, I don't want you to be dull.
You will come to understand that you are not the center of the universe and that your interests and priorities are not the most important for others with whom you are associated. Think, too, about others and their needs.
Life is a journey meant to be lived, not endured. Love the journey, and enjoy each step. Delight in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. Savor the simple and marvel at the complicated. Live rather than exist. There is a song that I often hear on the radio and its lyrics seem appropriate for graduation. I have chosen some of the lines that Lee Ann Womack sings:

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted …
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean…
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin'…
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

I want all of you to have good lives. Thank you for a superb four years. Good luck, good health, success, and happiness. I wish you all good things. May those big dreams come true."

Somehow it's just not Prof Shih's style.