Attitude is Everything

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it!

You can't be a positive person all of the time How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood I choose to be in a good mood." Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked He continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'"

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.
Tags: Attitude is Everything, Attitude, Inspiration, Motivator

Tackling Corruption in Malaysia

Our Malaysia government doesn't recognise the Corruption Perception Index ("CPI") issued by Transparency International because the index was bias, the datas used are not acceptable, the people doing such index don't live in Malaysia and unable to give a fair assessment / perception ....... blah blah blah.

But when you compare the CPI ranking with the per capita income, somehow it matches. Malaysia is ranked at no. 43 and the per capita income is estimated to be US$4,970 (RM16,000)in year 2005. It's year 2008 today and according to the government's statistical records, sadly to say, our per capita income is only around US$7,300 (RM23,500).

No wonder I can't get high increment as it has to match the per capita income.

I heard that with the Pakatan Rakyat (opposition alliance) taking over the state government of Penang, corruption has reduced. A malay property developer said that she has saved RM700,000 just on upon approval by the state authorities recently. Asked whether it was savings on fees or materials but actual fact was that she doesn't have to pay this or that person anymore. Even a gesture payment would be refused now. What a change!

As long as corruption is still widely accepted / practised, Malaysia will stay where they are now. And if you do participate by giving bribes to the police, don't blame them for the insecurity feeling that you are facing now because you were part of the problem.
Tags: Corruption, Malaysia, Transparency International, Corruption Perception Index, Bribe, Per Capita Income, Pakatan Rakyat

Cult Leader Has Better Plans for Himself

A cult group in Russia which has predicted the world to end in May 2008 has seen 14 of their members leaving the cave they created and are staying in a house owned by their cult leader under the watchful eyes of the relevant authorities.

Their pathetic cult leader, Pavel Kuznetsov, didn't even stay in the cave with his members and had been undergoing psychiatric treatment lately. Gone cuckoo?

Should be but then he was still smart enough not to stay in the cave which has no luxuries. He told the authorities that "God had different tasks for him".

Wherelse those members who left the cave as they were cut off from the rest of the group due to a cave-in told the authorities that the reason they left the cave was - "God had given them a signal to leave". The cave-in was the signal?? Hehehehe.....

Reading: Russia doomsday cult prays for sign to leave bunker - Reuters
Tags: Cult, Doomsday, Russia, Pavel Kuznetsov

Robert Mugabe Has Business in Malaysia??

I came across this article in BBC News/Africa entitled "Zimbabwe bloggers react to delays" and towards the end of the article it mentioned the following paragraphs:-

This much criticised Zimbabwean President has HUGE business interests in Malaysia????????? Can the Malaysian government explain on this report? Or the Malaysian government will tell us this again - we don't know!

Hopefully I can dig more about this issue.

Reading: Mugabe on the run in Malaysia after Zimbabwe polls? - Shagadelica
Reading: Gift to Mugabe - DAP Malaysia
Tags: Zimbabwean President, Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe

Zimbabwean Bloggers

Wanting to hear the real or actual news in Zimbabwe? Looks like the scenario is the same in Zimbabwe as in Malaysia. Mainstream media is controlled by the ruling party and oppositions have no say and no way of getting their message across to the nation generally. So, Malaysia = Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe held its latest so-called democratic general election on Sunday and after six days, the Election Commission couldn't release the full results. It's so tense in Zimbabwe now. Can you imagine that after inserting your ballot paper into the ballot box, you don't even know the results after six full days!!!!!

Read the following Zimbabwean related blogs to learn more about the Zimbabwean internal issues. You only hear the truth in such blogs (wonder why):-

This is Zimbabwe - Sokwanele - Zvakwana is a peoples' movement, embracing supporters of all pro-democratic political parties, civic organizations and institutions in Zimbabwe

Kubatana Blogs - an online community of Zimbabwean activists

Zimbabwean Pundit - the world as seen from the eyes of a Zimbabwean

Cry Beloved Zimbabwe - a Zimbabwean born writer, entrepreneur and political activist

The Bearded Man - a former Zimbabwean policeman but residing in England now. Convicted that the more people that hear about the devastating rule in Zimbabwe and the real problems therein, the better!

Enough is Enough - Seeing Zimbabwe from a different angle

Mugabe Makaipa - Retired doc, living a life of leisure in the rural Philippines

David Coltart - MDC Senator, has been a human rights lawyer in Zimbabwe since his return to the country in 1983. He was first elected to represent the Bulawayo South House of Assembly constituency in June 2000, and was rel-elected in March 2005. In March 2008 he was elected as a Senator to represent the Khumalo Senatorial constituency in Bulawayo

Related posts:-
* Nigerian Bloggers
* Kenyan Bloggers
Tags: Nigerian Bloggers, Kenyan Bloggers, Zimbabwean Bloggers, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean, Africa

The Kite Runner

Entered a competition and won myself four cinema tickets to watch an interesting movie called The Kite Runner which relates to two young boys who were good friends, separated due to the war in Afghanistan.
Screening for my cinema tickets would be on 11 April 2008 at One Utama's Golden Screen Cinemas.

Tags: The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini, Afghanistan, One Utama, Golden Screen Cinemas

How to Resuscitate with Your Hands Only?

I have been taught the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation method or the norm is known as CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) when I took up my lifeguard badge and thus far, haven't got the chance to practise my skills ............ haha. Yeah, if I had wished so it's like I was hoping for someone to drown when I'm around....... no no no I have a good heart.

The American heart experts have now said that the mouth-to-mouth method is not the only way to save someone. Merely pressing repeatedly at the middle of a person's chest will do now. How? I don't get to use my mouth-to-mouth anymore? What a waste!

The alternative method - "hands-only CPR — rapid, deep presses on the victim's chest until help arrives — works just as well as standard CPR for sudden cardiac arrest in adults."

The experts said that this method was easier and people would be more willing to help if compared to the mouth-to-mouth method.

Its method - "calls for uninterrupted chest presses — 100 a minute — until paramedics take over or an automated external defibrillator is available to restore a normal heart rhythm."

But then it did qualify the hands only CPR method as such action would be applicable for adults who unexpectedly collapse, stop breathing and are unresponsive.

The mouth-to-mouth method would still have to be used for:-
* a child who collapses is more likely to primarily have breathing problems — and in that case, mouth-to-mouth breathing should be used.
* adults who suffer lack of oxygen from a near-drowning, drug overdose, or carbon monoxide poisoning to get air into their lungs and bloodstream.

I want to give my 2 cents viewpoint - training is still required. Just press the chest? Which part of the chest? Middle is where? If one has not seen / heard, that person surely won't know the how-to and could cause more complications.

Secondly, if that person was a CPR-trained fella, it would be inhuman not to jump in to help out if a person was dying just because the thought of catching a disease or infection came to mind. Train for what then if there was so much concern. There is a method to mitigate that issue.

The writer who wrote this article should have furnish the whole CPR steps instead of halfway through. I knew how to write an article too just like this blog entry but where does it lead people to.
Tags: CPR, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Mouth To Mouth, Hands Only CPR, Heart Experts, Heart, Chest