Darfur women describe gang-rape horror
Makes you bersyukur that we are living in a generally peaceful and civil country..... do read this:
KALMA, Sudan - The seven women pooled money to rent a donkey and cart, then ventured out of the refugee camp to gather firewood, hoping to sell it for cash to feed their families. Instead, they say, in a wooded area just a few hours walk away, they were gang-raped, beaten and robbed.
For full story Click Here.
Why no more health posts?
why the lack of health & fitness posts?
I should be honest here. After spending long hours writing my book, having a break from health & fitness writing is kinda nice :D.
I'll be back with health & fitness posts soon :D. Hang in there.
Kevin
My tribute to Nadal!
I dedicate this post to one of my favorite athletes....Rafael Nadal! The guy is good la.
Just like other world class athletes, he possesses certain qualities that make him not only an awesome talent but also a role model.
FIGHTING SPIRIT
This is something he is known for......he runs down every ball..no matter what the score line is....he has a never say die attitude that makes him so much fun to watch. Macam boxer :D
LIKES CHALLENGES
Despite being blessed with talents....he's constantly put himself in situation where he had to prove himself against much older and at time more experienced players. That experience makes him so damn seasoned at only age 20! (Federer is 25-26 i think)
ATTITUDE
Although he's a fighter on the court....he's am extremely nice chap of the course. I think thats important lah....respect for others and doesn't let the fame and success get to him...just like Federer and Tiger Woods jugak la. They do it for passion not for glamor :D
NOT EASILY PLEASED
Although the guy has won 76 consecutive matches on clay...that doesn't make him complacent..he sticks to his guns and wants more.
I like the guy la! Nadal kicks buntuts :D hahahaha
Pics from my upcoming book
Yeah i've been terribly busy on finalizing sponsors, photography etc for my upcoming health & fitness book (the title i'll reveal some other day).
Trust me the hardest about my book was not writing it but dealing with 3rd parties like sponsors, photography and illustrators. Pening I tell you.
The next phase is planning all the promotional activities and launch. Should be an experience too.
Read more
Global Warming – What Can We Do?
Better yet - What are you willing to do!?
I don't do much (if anything...not much to do..) and am no environmentalist but I definitely appreciate our flora n fauna. What is happening to our environment...and the biggest question is - WILL THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING GET BETTER OR WORSE?
Hmmm I personally would think that they can only get worse! Not in a couple of years but progressively laaa...why
- world population will only increase (unless something "major" happens la)
- need for electricity, cars, heat etc can only go up
- more tress and natural habitats will cease to exist
- world's biggest polluters (like the US) will need to cater the demand of its citizens...so susah la to implement anything.
- no practical technologies exist yet to replace fossil fuels...yet la. Unless that changes memang susah I tell you.
All in all I rasa it will get a lot worse before it'll get better....another ICE AGE (ala cerita "Day after tomorrow") ? Probably not but then again nuttin's impossible.
Ask yourself this question - are you REALLY doing anything for global warming?
I'm not doing much kot.....
recycle? not really coz not real facilities here to recycle...kalau ada pun its no where near I live.
save on fuel (car pool?) - tak jugak
plant trees? - tak jugak....i stay in a condo
So what can I do? all i know is that my fuel, electricity bills are getting more n more.....
Do you care? "Gunman kills 32 in Virginia Tech rampage"
Sure we sympathize.....but people die daily in the middle east! Whenever there's a tragedy in the US, the world seems to stop but when 32 are slaughtered every day in IRAQ, Afghanistan or Africa...is that normal...does anyone care? hmmmm....... I guess we all have our priorities.
Like it or not, the world can be a cruel cruel world.
Say Hi to Nami-Nami :)
Here are a pic of Nami-Nami, a little addition to my family.......
She's about 2 months old, half-persianbreed. Very manja I tell you, scared to be sorang-sorang, likes to nangis (hahahaha)...makan kena swap :D.... but is very comel.
Here’s a question…
Why is it that are sooooo many people (and cars) at a car accident scene? Who are these people? Work shop people looking to "assist"? Friends? Gangsters (hahahaha)? On-lookers? Kepochees (probably mispelled that)?
Sometimes the kemalangan kecik je...but then there are like 10-15 cars lined up....these "idiots" are the ones that cause major havoc I tell u and jam..... whats up with that?
14, 15, 16....19A's....what for??
This is something I don't understand.....what is the need to have 15, 17 19A's?!? I tak faham lah.
What does it guar
antee? Maybe some media coverage and a place in a university....but then I could just as easily get that with 9A.... so kenapa membunuh diri dengan cuba membawa 15+ subjects....what room does anyone have left for personal developments...social skills, sports...fun etc? Sedih jugak lah..if all your youth is spent at home studying.
Does it guarantee you a successful career? Hell no....most of the time work has little to do with how well you can read books its a blend of soft and hard skills. We Malaysians focus sooo much attention on academics that our kids never have much room for personal developments and street smarts.....its sad. Americans are probably the opposite....sure they do focus on academics too but also ensure that students are able to grow creatively, socially as individuals. Our so called extracurricular activities are anything but lah..... most of the time they are not optional and just for cukup syarat.
Will she regret it someday? Don't know lah....some of my friends that used to be top students.....regret not having enjoyed their youth. Straight A's will get you the interview but whats going to land you the job is how you "sell" and present yourself....and that you can't learn from books....that's all about experience.....and for that you have to live life. Hiding behind books all your life ain't helping....
I seriously tak faham obsession Malaysia dengan cemerlangan akademik yang melampau. So next year we'll have someone have 20 maybe 22A's. Insyallah when I have kids someday...i would want them to have a balanced youth..a balance of fun and academics.
You only live once :D
Do you need MultiVitamins?
I'd definitely recommend them to everyone, regardless of age or level of activity. Why? Coz it saves you the headache of having to "try" to get all your micro-nutrients from regular food & they are CHEAP!
Which brand? Doesn't really matter.....just make sure you stick to basics and get a daily cap supplements that suit your age lifestyle and yeah maybe your gender as well.
How much? I'd stick to those that'll cost me about RM1 or less per serving.
Career Choices
I studied Mechanical Engineering & Economics....what happened?
Like everyone else, growing up I had all kind of ambitions.....at 8 I wanted to be a policemen, maybe a firemen or even He-Man :D....in my teens, I tossed around the idea of becoming a lawyer or doctor.....pheeeew nasib baik tak jadi :D
Most of the time I wanted to be like my dad...a businessman. Since I was lil, my dad used to drag me around to his meetings and work..mainly because he was a single parent (thanks for everything papa :D) ....so you pick up things along the way
So nearing my SPM, my goal was to be a businessman! To be my own man..just like my dad. Being in MRSM, I was offered several scholarships before I actually got my SPM results....but as I was a pure science student, none would offer me a scholarship in Business....BUT I couldn't imagine being an engineer either.....
So I thought to myself, I don't need a business degree to do business.....so having a technical degree is not such a bad idea...if anything, I could combine use my technical abilities as a platform to do business.
Why Mechanical Engineering? Coz I was sponsored by Proton, yes the car manufacturer. So it was either Electrical or Mechanical Engineering. Since I'm a very visual person, I choose the latter.
How did Economics fit into the picture? When I entered university in the US in 1997, its relatively easy to do a minor in Business or another field. At first I wanted to minor in business but during that time (1997) the economic crisis in Asia really caught my attention. I thought it was really fascinating how a whole economy can stumble in just a few weeks (well it actually took a lot longer but for the laymen it seemed like a really short time).
Mechanical Engineering and Economics came relatively easy...probably coz I'm left handed and
mixed ;) hahahah but mainly because Americans aren't very bright! They just talk a lot :D
Business Man - What about today?
Sure I have a degree in both (ME and Economics) but I never wanted to actually be any of the 2.
I wanted to be by own man....a business man. So immediately when I returned from the US (2003), I started about starting my own business.....but I had the following conditions
- I needed to be 100% in control of my business (not my dad or some other person)
- Something I am passionate about
- Small enough for me to manage
- Relatively low risk
- Potential for growth
Hence I formed Maxtrition.com.my in Dec 2004. From there I was able to build a foundation for myself and the company. What was my goal?
- start an eCommerce company
- establish myself as a Fitness Celebrity in Malaysia
- create a brand name for myself so that I can use my name to do business in the future.
Have I succeeded? Well its way way way too early to call it a success but everything has happened a lot quicker than I anticipated!
Conclusion? My advice to you
- You don't need degree in business to be a business man. If fact, you don't need a degree in anything to pursue your dreams
- Have control over what you do. If possible, never leave the decision making in someone else's hand (like some Datuk etc). Sure you'll need people along the way but don't leave your fate in their hands!
- Work Hard and Smart! A major key to being successful is not the idea itself but how you execute it. You have to be smart and rajin about your execution.
- Start small! A lot of youngsters are too eager to be successful and often fall short. Take your time. Take it one step at a time!
- Stay grounded. Kalau dah mula berjaya....jangan lupa diri. Like anything there will be ups and downs.
- Have several plans. Think of it like a tree. For example, if my tree is maxtrition.com.my, start with a solid foundation and branch out into various business opportunities like
- eCommerce
- Corporate Talks
- Writing
- TV Hosting
- etc
- Build other trees, I believe in diversifying my opportunities. Knowing that one will not last forever. Just like when you invest...you should always diversify your portfolio.... that way you may not get the biggest returns but you have decent returns and most importantly, minimize your risks!
- Know your strengths! I know mine....I know what I'm good at. Use your strength to your advantage and make the most out of them.
- Experience! Theory alone doesn't guarentee anything...you need to go out there and just do it....its ok to make mistakes...i make many along the way 2.... whats more important is that you fix them (kalau boleh) and learn from them. No one's perfect.
I'm sure ada banyak lagi petua but thats all just theory and my own experience. Take life in your own hands and just do it.....If I can be an inspiration than thats awesome but me, my dad is my inspiration.