I just attended a funeral today. It was a boy from my church here in Parit Buntar. It was a kinda a sad thing because he was only 19 and he died of cancer. But it was during his wake service that I was surprise to find out about his life. A lot of people shared during the services about how he is so positive about life and how he has chose to live his life happier even at times of struggle.
It so happened that I received an e-mail from a colleague at work about living a positive outlook of life.
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 ofthe 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 badmood. 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. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Think Positive & Live.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
BLESSING
Last Thursday I had dinner with my Cell Group (Self Control). The whole idea of the gathering was to go for dinner at the pasar Ramadhan which without fail always there during puasa month. But lo and behold when we arrived there, the pasar was missing. Nothing could be seen. And after much discussion with the group, we went to Pizza Hut instead for dinner. Now most people know me will surely know how I become guilty very fast, so without must thought I decided to spend my CG dinner that night.
A lot of people asked me why am I so generous. Hmm I guess it's because my life was blessed by other people around me that I feel blessing should continue to flow.
1) The first person I must address is my mum. She thought me that we cannot always think about our finances and hold on them too tight because at the end of the day, it will control you. So let God be the financial officer.
2) Pst Jacs...she took me in after form six to lower my parent's burden. It's where I learn independence and how to trust God for his help.
3) Jonathan...my big bro in campus. He taught me that if you bless someone, God will bless you back. But the motive of blessing must be sincere and not that you want the blessing from God.
4) Uncle Frank...this person only recently showed me what is to bless. He blessed me with financial aid to continue my studies this year. He told me that I need not to repay him but to make sure when I'm sucessful, I should bless others back.
The whole idea of blessing intrigues me. It's actually a simple task. That's the reason why I don't like chase people if they owe me money, I usually don't really care about who owes me what.
Hmm here's a test I did about selfishness. Haha I scored 14% meaning I'm not selfish. I think I added marks about the part on presents. I love presents!! So sometimes I always feel that when I give something to you, I hope to get back something from you. Alas, I'm not perfect
A lot of people asked me why am I so generous. Hmm I guess it's because my life was blessed by other people around me that I feel blessing should continue to flow.
1) The first person I must address is my mum. She thought me that we cannot always think about our finances and hold on them too tight because at the end of the day, it will control you. So let God be the financial officer.
2) Pst Jacs...she took me in after form six to lower my parent's burden. It's where I learn independence and how to trust God for his help.
3) Jonathan...my big bro in campus. He taught me that if you bless someone, God will bless you back. But the motive of blessing must be sincere and not that you want the blessing from God.
4) Uncle Frank...this person only recently showed me what is to bless. He blessed me with financial aid to continue my studies this year. He told me that I need not to repay him but to make sure when I'm sucessful, I should bless others back.
The whole idea of blessing intrigues me. It's actually a simple task. That's the reason why I don't like chase people if they owe me money, I usually don't really care about who owes me what.
Hmm here's a test I did about selfishness. Haha I scored 14% meaning I'm not selfish. I think I added marks about the part on presents. I love presents!! So sometimes I always feel that when I give something to you, I hope to get back something from you. Alas, I'm not perfect
| You Are 14% Selfish |
 In other words, you're a warm, caring considerate person. Just make sure to get your way sometimes. There's a fine line between unselfish and pushover. |
Monday, September 17, 2007
LEAD
Hey gang
I'm so sorry for not blogging. Thank you for your messages and sms about your concerns. I'm okay just that don't have time to sit down and type.
Just came back from a programme called LEAD. Lasallian Expedition and Development Camp. This is not my first time going for this camp but it is my first time travelling down south to Melaka. I have been with the Northern team for the past .....forever and I thought a change of atmosphere and environment will do me some good. Overall I had fun minus the fact that I actually travelled for about more than 16 hours from Penang to Melaka and back again.
Oh ya before I forget, LEAD is a camp for kids for under privilege kids who do not have the luxury to go for camps. These includes those who are poor, those who don't do very well in class and also those with discipline problems. So it's actually those boys who never got to go for leadership camps like the prefects or motivational camps for the first class boys.
For this year LEAD there was a total of 24 boys with 10 OTs that were cooped up in these place called Pantai Kundur Brother's Bungalow. A creepy mansion on the hill. It's super creepy you know.
Hmm this camp was an eye opener for me this year. I got to meet boys from the Portugese settlement. As you know, the Portugese have been around Malaysia for almost 400 years and they are a very close knit committee. But one of the thing that shocked me was about their lifestyle. The kids of these communitites are not cared about. Their parents just leave them as they are. So these kids pick up many bad habits like smoking, drugs and even sex (heard that by 12 they are doing it). These kids are not afraid of you even when you scold them because they are so use to be doing bad habits that it is part of their system. Another shocking thing was these kids do not really work hard to pursue their dreams. Out of 20 boys only 1 will make it to university (shocking). Bro Mike (the teacher in charge) told me that the Portugese people do not think about the future. They just think about living life now.
During our nightly sharing, Isaac mentioned and asked are these the boys that we wanted them to come? I said, well the whole idea of LEAD is them. So I guess no matter how naughty and cheeky they were, these are the boys that we are targetting. These boys have the will power and the ability to do great thigns. They might not be engineers or doctors or super brains but I know that thses kids have so much potential in them if only they were given a chance. During the last nite of the camp, the kids put up a show. And most of their sketches depicts the many situations they face in school in realy life from being scolded and branded stupid by their peers and also by their friends. It's actually a sad thing.....that I almost weep for them. Is society so cruel?
I'm so sorry for not blogging. Thank you for your messages and sms about your concerns. I'm okay just that don't have time to sit down and type.
Just came back from a programme called LEAD. Lasallian Expedition and Development Camp. This is not my first time going for this camp but it is my first time travelling down south to Melaka. I have been with the Northern team for the past .....forever and I thought a change of atmosphere and environment will do me some good. Overall I had fun minus the fact that I actually travelled for about more than 16 hours from Penang to Melaka and back again.
Oh ya before I forget, LEAD is a camp for kids for under privilege kids who do not have the luxury to go for camps. These includes those who are poor, those who don't do very well in class and also those with discipline problems. So it's actually those boys who never got to go for leadership camps like the prefects or motivational camps for the first class boys.
For this year LEAD there was a total of 24 boys with 10 OTs that were cooped up in these place called Pantai Kundur Brother's Bungalow. A creepy mansion on the hill. It's super creepy you know.
Hmm this camp was an eye opener for me this year. I got to meet boys from the Portugese settlement. As you know, the Portugese have been around Malaysia for almost 400 years and they are a very close knit committee. But one of the thing that shocked me was about their lifestyle. The kids of these communitites are not cared about. Their parents just leave them as they are. So these kids pick up many bad habits like smoking, drugs and even sex (heard that by 12 they are doing it). These kids are not afraid of you even when you scold them because they are so use to be doing bad habits that it is part of their system. Another shocking thing was these kids do not really work hard to pursue their dreams. Out of 20 boys only 1 will make it to university (shocking). Bro Mike (the teacher in charge) told me that the Portugese people do not think about the future. They just think about living life now.
During our nightly sharing, Isaac mentioned and asked are these the boys that we wanted them to come? I said, well the whole idea of LEAD is them. So I guess no matter how naughty and cheeky they were, these are the boys that we are targetting. These boys have the will power and the ability to do great thigns. They might not be engineers or doctors or super brains but I know that thses kids have so much potential in them if only they were given a chance. During the last nite of the camp, the kids put up a show. And most of their sketches depicts the many situations they face in school in realy life from being scolded and branded stupid by their peers and also by their friends. It's actually a sad thing.....that I almost weep for them. Is society so cruel?
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