Life is like a thin piece of glass
It is so fragile that even with a soft touch could easily break it.
Broken glass is hard to mend and like what we always saw in the shops,
"once it's broken, it's considered sold..."
Sold in another meaning can be gone.
When it's gone, we can only flash back the memory of it but not touching and feeling it as what they are.
Time will not allow us to go backwards and change the situation.
Therefore friends, appreciate the people that you love and love the people that you hate.
Never miss a single chance of telling others how much you love them and how much you care for them.
LIVE LIFE to the max and never waste your time.
And this will lead to no regret when you're leaving this world.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
27 - Mayonnaise and 2 Cups of Coffee
My friend sent me a mail which i think is quite meaningful and I would like to share it others in my blog...hope you'll enjoy it. :-)
When 24hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions.............things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else --the small stuff.'
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.'
So................
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
Play another 18.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first.............the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
When 24hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions.............things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else --the small stuff.'
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.'
So................
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
Play another 18.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first.............the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
Saturday, October 25, 2008
26 - Color of the Day
I saw this when I was browsing the internet. It is quite interesting. Each color represented a day.
Sunday - Yellow
Monday - White
Tuesday - Red
Wednesday - Blue
Thursday - Purple
Friday - Green
Saturday - Black
Didn't know 'bout this until I saw it. If you guys and girls have any comment or other sources about this, pls o leave a comment. :-)
Sunday - Yellow
Monday - White
Tuesday - Red
Wednesday - Blue
Thursday - Purple
Friday - Green
Saturday - Black
Didn't know 'bout this until I saw it. If you guys and girls have any comment or other sources about this, pls o leave a comment. :-)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
25 - All Forms of Physical Activity Protects Against Cancer (TheStar, 2008)
I happen to come across an article in the Star newspaper last sunday about the physical activities could protect us against cancer. Hope you all will enjoy this article. And to my friends who don't like physical activities, I hope that you will change your mind after reading this article. Doing such activity do not take much time. For the sake of your health, pls, do engage in some physical acivity. :-) Enjoy...
CANCERS are among the most important causes of death in this country. In many of its forms, cancer is a disease that can cause great suffering and claims many lives.
However, cancer is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, and people’s susceptibility to it varies. There is now general consensus shared by scientists, health professionals, and policy-makers on the relationships between food, nutrition, physical activity, body composition, and the risk of cancer.
I will continue to highlight from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) expert report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer, released in November 2007 to emphasise the importance of the prevention of cancers.
I had previously discussed the first recommendation of the WCRF recommendation, i.e. the importance of overweight and obesity in cancer. I had emphasised that you can reduce your risk of cancer by maintaining a healthy body weight.
The second WCRF recommendation is closely linked to this and calls on everyone to be physically active as part of everyday life.
Physical activity and cancer prevention
Physical activity is any form of movement using muscles. Until the middle of the 20th century most people had fairly active lifestyles. People were necessarily engaged in regular, moderate and at least occasional vigorous, physical activity. Our working life required a lot of physical activity, as did housework.
In the second half of the 20th century, this began to change. With urbanisation and industrialisation, general levels of physical activity have declined.
Machines now do most of the work previously done by hand; driving and using public transport have largely replaced walking and cycling.
While people in higher income countries and in urban settings in most countries may engage in some active forms of recreation, they remain largely inactive, and many spend much time in sedentary recreation, such as watching television and using home computers. In general, lifestyles have become too sedentary.
The WCRF expert panel reviewed available evidence and concluded that:
·Since the early 1990s, the evidence that physical activity can protect against cancer and obesity has continued to grow.
·The expert report found convincing evidence that physical activity protects against bowel/colon cancer. It probably also protects against breast cancer (in postmenopausal women) and endometrial (womb) cancer.
·Studies show that regular activity can help to keep our hormone levels healthy, which is important as having high levels of some hormones can increase our cancer risk.
·Studies show that regular activity can help to keep our hormone levels healthy, which is important as having high levels of some hormones can increase our cancer risk.
·Physical activity may also strengthen our immune system, help keep our digestive system healthy and allow us to consume more food €“ and more cancer-protective nutrients €“ without gaining weight.
The expert panel is impressed by the overall consistency of the evidence that suggests or shows that regular, sustained physical activity protects against cancers of some sites.
To prevent these cancers, the overall evidence supports the message that all types and degrees of physical activity are or may be protective, excluding extreme levels of activity.
It also means that the more physically active people are, the better. It should be noted however that there is limited evidence for any specific type or degree of physical activity.
The expert panel further agrees that the evidence can equally be interpreted as showing that sedentary ways of life increase or may increase the risk of these cancers.
WCRF recommendations
The recommendation of WCRF is therefore to be physically active as part of everyday life.
The public health goals, which are for populations and are therefore principally for health professionals are:
·The proportion of the population that is sedentary to be halved every 10 years.
·Average physical activity levels (PALs) to be above 1.6. PAL is a way of representing the average intensity of daily physical activity.
The personal recommendations, meant for people, as communities, families, and individuals are:
·Be moderately physically active €“ equivalent to brisk walking for at least 30 minutes every day.
·As fitness improves, aim for 60 minutes or more of moderate, or for 30 minutes or more of vigorous, physical activity every day.
·Limit sedentary habits such as watching television.
What is moderate activity?
Moderate activity is anything that gets your heart beating a bit faster and makes you breathe more deeply. You need not set aside specific amounts of time to do these activities because shorter bouts of activity are just as beneficial. It’s the total time that’s important.
There is a wide range of these activities that you can do, some of which you can build into your daily activities, such as walking briskly, swimming, dancing, walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator and doing housework briskly.
What is vigorous activity?
Vigorous activity means raising our heart rates so that we warm-up, start to sweat and feel out of breath.
If you want to make vigorous activity a regular part of your life, it’s important to find something that is fun and accessible. Good examples include jogging, hill walking, fast cycling, aerobics classes, working out at the gym, for example running on the treadmill, and team games like football.
Malaysians are largely sedentary
The physical activity levels of Malaysians have been declining and will continue to decline if we do not make conscious efforts to arrest this trend.
The nationwide Second National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS II) carried out in 1996 in the country reported that the prevalence of “ever exercise” was 30.9% and those with “adequate exercise” was 11.6%.
Ten years later, the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS III) conducted in 2006 showed that the overall prevalence of physical inactivity was 43.7%, of which 35.3% were males and 50.5% were females.
In other words, almost half of the Malaysian adult population is physically inactive.
The findings also showed that physical inactivity was higher in women, older age persons, urban people and certain groups of occupations (the highest being among unemployed and housewives).
We are a sedentary lot. That is clear. We cannot continue to ignore the fact that a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy. That is clear. Increased physical activity can reduce the risk of cancer and many other chronic diseases. That is abundantly clear.
The full WCRF report can be obtained from the World Cancer Research Fund International website: www.dietandcancerreport.org.
n NutriScene is a fortnightly column by Dr Tee E Siong, who pens his thoughts as a nutritionist with over 30 years of experience in the research and public health arena. For further information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
CANCERS are among the most important causes of death in this country. In many of its forms, cancer is a disease that can cause great suffering and claims many lives.
However, cancer is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, and people’s susceptibility to it varies. There is now general consensus shared by scientists, health professionals, and policy-makers on the relationships between food, nutrition, physical activity, body composition, and the risk of cancer.
I will continue to highlight from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) expert report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer, released in November 2007 to emphasise the importance of the prevention of cancers.
I had previously discussed the first recommendation of the WCRF recommendation, i.e. the importance of overweight and obesity in cancer. I had emphasised that you can reduce your risk of cancer by maintaining a healthy body weight.
The second WCRF recommendation is closely linked to this and calls on everyone to be physically active as part of everyday life.
Physical activity and cancer prevention
Physical activity is any form of movement using muscles. Until the middle of the 20th century most people had fairly active lifestyles. People were necessarily engaged in regular, moderate and at least occasional vigorous, physical activity. Our working life required a lot of physical activity, as did housework.
In the second half of the 20th century, this began to change. With urbanisation and industrialisation, general levels of physical activity have declined.
Machines now do most of the work previously done by hand; driving and using public transport have largely replaced walking and cycling.
While people in higher income countries and in urban settings in most countries may engage in some active forms of recreation, they remain largely inactive, and many spend much time in sedentary recreation, such as watching television and using home computers. In general, lifestyles have become too sedentary.
The WCRF expert panel reviewed available evidence and concluded that:
·Since the early 1990s, the evidence that physical activity can protect against cancer and obesity has continued to grow.
·The expert report found convincing evidence that physical activity protects against bowel/colon cancer. It probably also protects against breast cancer (in postmenopausal women) and endometrial (womb) cancer.
·Studies show that regular activity can help to keep our hormone levels healthy, which is important as having high levels of some hormones can increase our cancer risk.
·Studies show that regular activity can help to keep our hormone levels healthy, which is important as having high levels of some hormones can increase our cancer risk.
·Physical activity may also strengthen our immune system, help keep our digestive system healthy and allow us to consume more food €“ and more cancer-protective nutrients €“ without gaining weight.
The expert panel is impressed by the overall consistency of the evidence that suggests or shows that regular, sustained physical activity protects against cancers of some sites.
To prevent these cancers, the overall evidence supports the message that all types and degrees of physical activity are or may be protective, excluding extreme levels of activity.
It also means that the more physically active people are, the better. It should be noted however that there is limited evidence for any specific type or degree of physical activity.
The expert panel further agrees that the evidence can equally be interpreted as showing that sedentary ways of life increase or may increase the risk of these cancers.
WCRF recommendations
The recommendation of WCRF is therefore to be physically active as part of everyday life.
The public health goals, which are for populations and are therefore principally for health professionals are:
·The proportion of the population that is sedentary to be halved every 10 years.
·Average physical activity levels (PALs) to be above 1.6. PAL is a way of representing the average intensity of daily physical activity.
The personal recommendations, meant for people, as communities, families, and individuals are:
·Be moderately physically active €“ equivalent to brisk walking for at least 30 minutes every day.
·As fitness improves, aim for 60 minutes or more of moderate, or for 30 minutes or more of vigorous, physical activity every day.
·Limit sedentary habits such as watching television.
What is moderate activity?
Moderate activity is anything that gets your heart beating a bit faster and makes you breathe more deeply. You need not set aside specific amounts of time to do these activities because shorter bouts of activity are just as beneficial. It’s the total time that’s important.
There is a wide range of these activities that you can do, some of which you can build into your daily activities, such as walking briskly, swimming, dancing, walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator and doing housework briskly.
What is vigorous activity?
Vigorous activity means raising our heart rates so that we warm-up, start to sweat and feel out of breath.
If you want to make vigorous activity a regular part of your life, it’s important to find something that is fun and accessible. Good examples include jogging, hill walking, fast cycling, aerobics classes, working out at the gym, for example running on the treadmill, and team games like football.
Malaysians are largely sedentary
The physical activity levels of Malaysians have been declining and will continue to decline if we do not make conscious efforts to arrest this trend.
The nationwide Second National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS II) carried out in 1996 in the country reported that the prevalence of “ever exercise” was 30.9% and those with “adequate exercise” was 11.6%.
Ten years later, the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS III) conducted in 2006 showed that the overall prevalence of physical inactivity was 43.7%, of which 35.3% were males and 50.5% were females.
In other words, almost half of the Malaysian adult population is physically inactive.
The findings also showed that physical inactivity was higher in women, older age persons, urban people and certain groups of occupations (the highest being among unemployed and housewives).
We are a sedentary lot. That is clear. We cannot continue to ignore the fact that a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy. That is clear. Increased physical activity can reduce the risk of cancer and many other chronic diseases. That is abundantly clear.
The full WCRF report can be obtained from the World Cancer Research Fund International website: www.dietandcancerreport.org.
n NutriScene is a fortnightly column by Dr Tee E Siong, who pens his thoughts as a nutritionist with over 30 years of experience in the research and public health arena. For further information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
24 - BACk!!
I'm back again...after quite sometime. Hmmm.....actually today is not really an interesting day for me. Why? Because I need to study for my Malaysian Studies subect. It's really boring. But what to do, Have to read it, the final is coming(coming saturday). Hope it'll over fast. :-)
haha I think that's all for today. Really don't know what else to talk about.
haha I think that's all for today. Really don't know what else to talk about.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
23 - A Real Boy
How autism shatered their lives - and made a family from the pieces
This book, A Real Boy is written by Christopher Stevens and Nicola Stevens, the parents to an autistic boy name David.
His parents wrote this book about him and what they have got through from the time David was born until he is 11 years old(if I didn't remember wrongly).
People who do not have any disabled child in their family will not be experiencing the same thing as the family that does. having a child who's autistic is not easy but if the parents do not give up on them, things will eventually turn nice, sweet and memorable. Christopher and Nicola had brought David up so well without neglecting their elder child, James. If I have not read this book on my own, I will not understand or feel how the family with a disabled child feel. I wonder if I could do the same thing like the Stevens did in the future if I have a child that's autistic since this case seems to be very common now a days. Of course I hope my child would not be one. But if he is, I will accept him to this world by providing him a warm family and lots of love.
Nicola and Christopher is very tough in facing al the chaos David created, and also the negative look from outsiders. But they are very lucky because they have so many people supporting them.
Throughout this book, we can see a lot improvement on David. He start to pick up words and saying them out. Eventhough his English is no proper, he had start to talk little by little. When there's one part that said that David can sing, I was really shocked and touch with it. I can't imagine if i am there at the time. How will I react to him?
David is a musical boy. From the way his parents describe him, I can see that his parents are really proud of him and do not leave him behind because of what he is. And David is a real good looking boy.
I hope I can meet with this Stevens' family one day. I would like to know more about David.
I wonder Christopher will write a second book about David or not. If he did, I WILL for sure buy his book.HAHA~~
Hope you all will go to the bookshop and get a copy of this book. It's really wonderful and it can bring up and down your hapiness level. You will smile to yourself when you are reading it and some part do make you laugh out. I really enjoy this book very much.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
22 - WHEN A LIZARD CAN, WHY CAN'T WE?
This is a true story that happened in Japan .
In order to renovate the house,
someone in Japan breaks open the wall.
Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls.
When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there
because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet.
He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail,
it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was! First built..
What happened?
The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years!!!!!!!!!!
In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving, it is impossible and mind-boggling.
Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years! Without moving a single step--since its foot was
Nailed!
So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating.
Later, not knowing from where it came appears another lizard, with food in its mouth.
Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply.
For the lizard
That was stuck by nail; another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years...
Imagine? It has been doing that untiringly for 10 long years, without giving up hope on its partner.
Think, will you do that to your partner?
Think that will you do it to your Mom,
Who brought you after a big struggle of nine long months?
Or at least to your Dad, Friends, Co-workers, brothers and Sisters?
Imagine what a small creature can do, that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't.
As information and communication technology advances,
our access to information becomes faster and faster.
But the
Distance between human beings . ... . is it getting closer as well?
Please never abandon your loved ones... those who love you.
Never Say U R Busy When They Really Need You...
You May Have The Entire World At Your Feet......
But You Might Be The Only World To Them....
A Moment of negligence might break the very heart
which loves you thru all odds....
Before you say something just remember. It takes a moment to Break but an entire life to make...
To Live use Heart and to Survive use Brains.
Then Life would be meaningful...
Love, Joy and Happiness....
In order to renovate the house,
someone in Japan breaks open the wall.
Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls.
When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there
because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet.
He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail,
it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was! First built..
What happened?
The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years!!!!!!!!!!
In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving, it is impossible and mind-boggling.
Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years! Without moving a single step--since its foot was
Nailed!
So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating.
Later, not knowing from where it came appears another lizard, with food in its mouth.
Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply.
For the lizard
That was stuck by nail; another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years...
Imagine? It has been doing that untiringly for 10 long years, without giving up hope on its partner.
Think, will you do that to your partner?
Think that will you do it to your Mom,
Who brought you after a big struggle of nine long months?
Or at least to your Dad, Friends, Co-workers, brothers and Sisters?
Imagine what a small creature can do, that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't.
As information and communication technology advances,
our access to information becomes faster and faster.
But the
Distance between human beings . ... . is it getting closer as well?
Please never abandon your loved ones... those who love you.
Never Say U R Busy When They Really Need You...
You May Have The Entire World At Your Feet......
But You Might Be The Only World To Them....
A Moment of negligence might break the very heart
which loves you thru all odds....
Before you say something just remember. It takes a moment to Break but an entire life to make...
To Live use Heart and to Survive use Brains.
Then Life would be meaningful...
Love, Joy and Happiness....
Monday, July 28, 2008
21- FUNNY quotes
When there's a will, I want to be in it.(me not you)
He who laughs last didn't get it.(that’s exactly what I think)
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the world together.(so use it when your world's falling apart)
When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.(ouch)
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?(ask the guys that)
Marriage is give and take. You'd better give it to her or she'll take it anyway.
Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.
Everyone has photographic memory; some just don't have the film.(don't even bother purchasing the memory card)
There are three sides of an argument -- your side, my side and the right side.( I personally think it’s only her side)
Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.(am i?)
Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?(have you tried it?)
He who laughs last didn't get it.(that’s exactly what I think)
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the world together.(so use it when your world's falling apart)
When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.(ouch)
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?(ask the guys that)
Marriage is give and take. You'd better give it to her or she'll take it anyway.
Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.
Everyone has photographic memory; some just don't have the film.(don't even bother purchasing the memory card)
There are three sides of an argument -- your side, my side and the right side.( I personally think it’s only her side)
Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.(am i?)
Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?(have you tried it?)
Monday, July 21, 2008
20
If you have face a lot of troubles or hardships in your life path, don't worry......there will be always light and hope and guidance waiting for you just like the pic above. So many leaves, branches blocking the view(way) but we can still see the moonlight(hope, guidance) waiting for us in front. They will not leave us until we leave them. We need to work harder and strive for it.
Nothing is impossible. Believe in yourself. Go for it. You will find the way.
Never give up, never use a short cut to achieve/get something.
Work for it. Things do not come to us easily.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
19 - X Japan - Without You
Listen to this.....I feel that it is very nice.....Leave some comment after you've listened to it....
Maybe some of you don't like the vocalist (Toshi)'s voice ...but try toenjoy the music....
Maybe some of you don't like the vocalist (Toshi)'s voice ...but try toenjoy the music....
Thursday, June 26, 2008
18 - Dick and Rick Hoyt
I came across with the story of Dick and Rick Hoyt yesterday when I attended the Passion Quest activity in my uni.
They showed us the video and it's really touching. Here I attached the info about the Hoyt Team which I got it from an article from David Tereshchuk. Read the article and watch the video that I've provided at the end...
Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America.
It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can't walk or talk.
For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick.
At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development.
"It’s been a story of exclusion ever since he was born," Dick told me. "When he was eight months old the doctors told us we should just put him away — he’d be a vegetable all his life, that sort of thing. Well those doctors are not alive any more, but I would like them to be able to see Rick now."
The couple brought their son home determined to raise him as "normally" as possible. Within five years, Rick had two younger brothers, and the Hoyts were convinced Rick was just as intelligent as his siblings. Dick remembers the struggle to get the local school authorities to agree: "Because he couldn’t talk they thought he wouldn’t be able to understand, but that wasn’t true." The dedicated parents taught Rick the alphabet. "We always wanted Rick included in everything," Dick said. "That’s why we wanted to get him into public school."
A group of Tufts University engineers came to the rescue, once they had seen some clear, empirical evidence of Rick’s comprehension skills. "They told him a joke," said Dick. "Rick just cracked up. They knew then that he could communicate!" The engineers went on to build — using $5,000 the family managed to raise in 1972 - an interactive computer that would allow Rick to write out his thoughts using the slight head-movements that he could manage. Rick came to call it "my communicator." A cursor would move across a screen filled with rows of letters, and when the cursor highlighted a letter that Rick wanted, he would click a switch with the side of his head.
When the computer was originally brought home, Rick surprised his family with his first "spoken" words. They had expected perhaps "Hi, Mom" or "Hi, Dad." But on the screen Rick wrote "Go Bruins." The Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup finals that season, and his family realized he had been following the hockey games along with everyone else. "So we learned then that Rick loved sports," said Dick.
In 1975, Rick was finally admitted into a public school. Two years later, he told his father he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick, far from being a long-distance runner, agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. They finished next to last, but they felt they had achieved a triumph. That night, Dick remembers, "Rick told us he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing."
Rick’s realization turned into a whole new set of horizons that opened up for him and his family, as "Team Hoyt" began to compete in more and more events. Rick reflected on the transformation process for me, using his now-familiar but ever-painstaking technique of picking out letters of the alphabet:
" What I mean when I say I feel like I am not handicapped when competing is that I am just like the other athletes, and I think most of the athletes feel the same way. In the beginning nobody would come up to me. However, after a few races some athletes came around and they began to talk to me. During the early days one runner, Pete Wisnewski had a bet with me at every race on who would beat who. The loser had to hang the winner’s number in his bedroom until the next race. Now many athletes will come up to me before the race or triathlon to wish me luck."
It is hard to imagine now the resistance which the Hoyts encountered early on, but attitudes did begin to change when they entered the Boston Marathon in 1981, and finished in the top quarter of the field. Dick recalls the earlier, less tolerant days with more sadness than anger:
"Nobody wanted Rick in a road race. Everybody looked at us, nobody talked to us, nobody wanted to have anything to do with us. But you can’t really blame them - people often are not educated, and they’d never seen anyone like us. As time went on, though, they could see he was a person — he has a great sense of humor, for instance. That made a big difference."
After 4 years of marathons, Team Hoyt attempted their first triathlon — and for this Dick had to learn to swim. "I sank like a stone at first" Dick recalled with a laugh "and I hadn’t been on a bike since I was six years old."
With a newly-built bike (adapted to carry Rick in front) and a boat tied to Dick’s waist as he swam, the Hoyts came in second-to-last in the competition held on Father’s Day 1985.
"We chuckle to think about that as my Father’s Day present from Rick, " said Dick.
They have been competing ever since, at home and increasingly abroad. Generally they manage to improve their finishing times. "Rick is the one who inspires and motivates me, the way he just loves sports and competing," Dick said.
And the business of inspiring evidently works as a two-way street. Rick typed out this testimony:
"Dad is one of my role models. Once he sets out to do something, Dad sticks to it whatever it is, until it is done. For example once we decided to really get into triathlons, dad worked out, up to five hours a day, five times a week, even when he was working."
The Hoyts’ mutual inspiration for each other seems to embrace others too — many spectators and fellow-competitors have adopted Team Hoyt as a powerful example of determination. "It’s been funny," said Dick "Some people have turned out, some in good shape, some really out of shape, and they say ‘we want to thank you, because we’re here because of you’."
Rick too has taken full note of their effect on fellow-competitors while racing:
"Whenever we are passed (usually on the bike) the athlete will say "Go for it!" or "Rick, help your Dad!" When we pass people (usually on the run) they’ll say "Go Team Hoyt!" or "If not for you, we would not be out here doing this."
Most of all, perhaps, the Hoyts can see an impact from their efforts in the area of the handicapped, and on public attitudes toward the physically and mentally challenged.
"That’s the big thing," said Dick. "People just need to be educated. Rick is helping many other families coping with disabilities in their struggle to be included."
That is not to say that all obstacles are now overcome for the Hoyts. Dick is "still bothered," he says, by people who are discomforted because Rick cannot fully control his tongue while eating. "In restaurants - and it’s only older people mostly - they’ll see Rick’s food being pushed out of his mouth and they’ll leave, or change their table. But I have to say that kind of intolerance is gradually being defeated."
Rick’s own accomplishments, quite apart from the duo’s continuing athletic success, have included his moving on from high school to Boston University, where he graduated in 1993 with a degree in special education. That was followed a few weeks later by another entry in the Boston Marathon. As he fondly pictured it: "On the day of the marathon from Hopkinton to Boston people all over the course were wishing me luck, and they had signs up which read `congratulations on your graduation!’"
Rick now works at Boston College’s computer laboratory helping to develop a system codenamed "Eagle Eyes," through which mechanical aids (like for instance a powered wheelchair) could be controlled by a paralyzed person’s eye-movements, when linked-up to a computer.
Together the Hoyts don’t only compete athletically; they also go on motivational speaking tours, spreading the Hoyt brand of inspiration to all kinds of audiences, sporting and non-sporting, across the country.
Rick himself is confident that his visibility — and his father’s dedication — perform a forceful, valuable purpose in a world that is too often divisive and exclusionary. He typed a simple parting thought:
"The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should be included in everyday life."
Put yourself in their shoe and ask yourself....DO I HAVE SUCH A PASSION TO DO THESE THINGS? WILL I BE ABLE TO BE LIKE THEM?? DO I HAVE THE COURAGE TO SACRFICE FOR MY LOVE ONE??
If you can't answer it, dont worry......maybe the time has not come to you yet.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
PASSION = AN INTENSE ENTHUSIASM FOR SOMETHING, STRONG AND BARELY CONTROLLABLE EMOTION.
Do you have your own PASSION towards something?? Ask yourself this. Take your time to find out about your passion. You will find it someday.
They showed us the video and it's really touching. Here I attached the info about the Hoyt Team which I got it from an article from David Tereshchuk. Read the article and watch the video that I've provided at the end...
Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America.
It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can't walk or talk.
For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick.
At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development.
"It’s been a story of exclusion ever since he was born," Dick told me. "When he was eight months old the doctors told us we should just put him away — he’d be a vegetable all his life, that sort of thing. Well those doctors are not alive any more, but I would like them to be able to see Rick now."
The couple brought their son home determined to raise him as "normally" as possible. Within five years, Rick had two younger brothers, and the Hoyts were convinced Rick was just as intelligent as his siblings. Dick remembers the struggle to get the local school authorities to agree: "Because he couldn’t talk they thought he wouldn’t be able to understand, but that wasn’t true." The dedicated parents taught Rick the alphabet. "We always wanted Rick included in everything," Dick said. "That’s why we wanted to get him into public school."
A group of Tufts University engineers came to the rescue, once they had seen some clear, empirical evidence of Rick’s comprehension skills. "They told him a joke," said Dick. "Rick just cracked up. They knew then that he could communicate!" The engineers went on to build — using $5,000 the family managed to raise in 1972 - an interactive computer that would allow Rick to write out his thoughts using the slight head-movements that he could manage. Rick came to call it "my communicator." A cursor would move across a screen filled with rows of letters, and when the cursor highlighted a letter that Rick wanted, he would click a switch with the side of his head.
When the computer was originally brought home, Rick surprised his family with his first "spoken" words. They had expected perhaps "Hi, Mom" or "Hi, Dad." But on the screen Rick wrote "Go Bruins." The Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup finals that season, and his family realized he had been following the hockey games along with everyone else. "So we learned then that Rick loved sports," said Dick.
In 1975, Rick was finally admitted into a public school. Two years later, he told his father he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick, far from being a long-distance runner, agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. They finished next to last, but they felt they had achieved a triumph. That night, Dick remembers, "Rick told us he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing."
Rick’s realization turned into a whole new set of horizons that opened up for him and his family, as "Team Hoyt" began to compete in more and more events. Rick reflected on the transformation process for me, using his now-familiar but ever-painstaking technique of picking out letters of the alphabet:
" What I mean when I say I feel like I am not handicapped when competing is that I am just like the other athletes, and I think most of the athletes feel the same way. In the beginning nobody would come up to me. However, after a few races some athletes came around and they began to talk to me. During the early days one runner, Pete Wisnewski had a bet with me at every race on who would beat who. The loser had to hang the winner’s number in his bedroom until the next race. Now many athletes will come up to me before the race or triathlon to wish me luck."
It is hard to imagine now the resistance which the Hoyts encountered early on, but attitudes did begin to change when they entered the Boston Marathon in 1981, and finished in the top quarter of the field. Dick recalls the earlier, less tolerant days with more sadness than anger:
"Nobody wanted Rick in a road race. Everybody looked at us, nobody talked to us, nobody wanted to have anything to do with us. But you can’t really blame them - people often are not educated, and they’d never seen anyone like us. As time went on, though, they could see he was a person — he has a great sense of humor, for instance. That made a big difference."
After 4 years of marathons, Team Hoyt attempted their first triathlon — and for this Dick had to learn to swim. "I sank like a stone at first" Dick recalled with a laugh "and I hadn’t been on a bike since I was six years old."
With a newly-built bike (adapted to carry Rick in front) and a boat tied to Dick’s waist as he swam, the Hoyts came in second-to-last in the competition held on Father’s Day 1985.
"We chuckle to think about that as my Father’s Day present from Rick, " said Dick.
They have been competing ever since, at home and increasingly abroad. Generally they manage to improve their finishing times. "Rick is the one who inspires and motivates me, the way he just loves sports and competing," Dick said.
And the business of inspiring evidently works as a two-way street. Rick typed out this testimony:
"Dad is one of my role models. Once he sets out to do something, Dad sticks to it whatever it is, until it is done. For example once we decided to really get into triathlons, dad worked out, up to five hours a day, five times a week, even when he was working."
The Hoyts’ mutual inspiration for each other seems to embrace others too — many spectators and fellow-competitors have adopted Team Hoyt as a powerful example of determination. "It’s been funny," said Dick "Some people have turned out, some in good shape, some really out of shape, and they say ‘we want to thank you, because we’re here because of you’."
Rick too has taken full note of their effect on fellow-competitors while racing:
"Whenever we are passed (usually on the bike) the athlete will say "Go for it!" or "Rick, help your Dad!" When we pass people (usually on the run) they’ll say "Go Team Hoyt!" or "If not for you, we would not be out here doing this."
Most of all, perhaps, the Hoyts can see an impact from their efforts in the area of the handicapped, and on public attitudes toward the physically and mentally challenged.
"That’s the big thing," said Dick. "People just need to be educated. Rick is helping many other families coping with disabilities in their struggle to be included."
That is not to say that all obstacles are now overcome for the Hoyts. Dick is "still bothered," he says, by people who are discomforted because Rick cannot fully control his tongue while eating. "In restaurants - and it’s only older people mostly - they’ll see Rick’s food being pushed out of his mouth and they’ll leave, or change their table. But I have to say that kind of intolerance is gradually being defeated."
Rick’s own accomplishments, quite apart from the duo’s continuing athletic success, have included his moving on from high school to Boston University, where he graduated in 1993 with a degree in special education. That was followed a few weeks later by another entry in the Boston Marathon. As he fondly pictured it: "On the day of the marathon from Hopkinton to Boston people all over the course were wishing me luck, and they had signs up which read `congratulations on your graduation!’"
Rick now works at Boston College’s computer laboratory helping to develop a system codenamed "Eagle Eyes," through which mechanical aids (like for instance a powered wheelchair) could be controlled by a paralyzed person’s eye-movements, when linked-up to a computer.
Together the Hoyts don’t only compete athletically; they also go on motivational speaking tours, spreading the Hoyt brand of inspiration to all kinds of audiences, sporting and non-sporting, across the country.
Rick himself is confident that his visibility — and his father’s dedication — perform a forceful, valuable purpose in a world that is too often divisive and exclusionary. He typed a simple parting thought:
"The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should be included in everyday life."
Put yourself in their shoe and ask yourself....DO I HAVE SUCH A PASSION TO DO THESE THINGS? WILL I BE ABLE TO BE LIKE THEM?? DO I HAVE THE COURAGE TO SACRFICE FOR MY LOVE ONE??
If you can't answer it, dont worry......maybe the time has not come to you yet.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
PASSION = AN INTENSE ENTHUSIASM FOR SOMETHING, STRONG AND BARELY CONTROLLABLE EMOTION.
Do you have your own PASSION towards something?? Ask yourself this. Take your time to find out about your passion. You will find it someday.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
17
Yesterday we got 5 hours break in between the 2 lecture class.... so nic and I and other 8 friends went to mid valley.....Mid valley is really very very near...10 mins.....and today's class has changed to tomorrow.....so good..get to relax a bit today....YEAH!!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
16
We sold out lots of angels today.....so good....kind of unexpected that we sold out more than half from what we'e made.
and today during the lecture, I saw some interesting sentences on Mr. Franklin's slide. Hope u'll enjoy it....
> THE ONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW THAT HE/ SHE DOES NOT KNOW IS A FOOL. STAY AWAY
> THE WHO WHO KNOWS THAT HE/ SHE DOES NOT KNOW- COME NEAR TO TEACH HIM/ HER
> THE ONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW THAT HE/ SHE KNOWS- COME NEAR TO WAKE HIM/ HER UP
> THE ONE WHO KNOWS THAT HE/ SHE KNOWS- IS WISE. FOLLOW THEM
Sunday, June 8, 2008
15
Done at last.....but i got no confident in it...... I think i write kind of out already...hiahz~~ but don't care so much la....heheheheh
So now is the time to concentrate my LLS group project....We're going to sell handmade ribon angels tomorrow. it's for the fund raising project for the Myanmar Cyclone victim. Hope these moneycan help the viictims...
Sometimes I really felt glad that I'm n Malaysia....where there's no cyclones or earthquake......recently the Myanmar cyclone and China earthquake has taken so many lifes....and it had left so many ppl who's homeless and hurt...not physically but emotionally and mentally......many people have lost their family members.
Hope the people who had lost their family members will be strong enough to face it.....I can't imagine how panful it is to loose your family members in a short period....without any warning or anything.....That is why we must appreciate every moment in our life......LIVE LIFE FULL....APPRECIATE YOUR LOVE ONES....NEVER WASTE EVEN A SECOND ON THINGS THAT IS NOT WORTH IT
So now is the time to concentrate my LLS group project....We're going to sell handmade ribon angels tomorrow. it's for the fund raising project for the Myanmar Cyclone victim. Hope these moneycan help the viictims...
Sometimes I really felt glad that I'm n Malaysia....where there's no cyclones or earthquake......recently the Myanmar cyclone and China earthquake has taken so many lifes....and it had left so many ppl who's homeless and hurt...not physically but emotionally and mentally......many people have lost their family members.
Hope the people who had lost their family members will be strong enough to face it.....I can't imagine how panful it is to loose your family members in a short period....without any warning or anything.....That is why we must appreciate every moment in our life......LIVE LIFE FULL....APPRECIATE YOUR LOVE ONES....NEVER WASTE EVEN A SECOND ON THINGS THAT IS NOT WORTH IT
Saturday, June 7, 2008
14 - What A Wonderful Morning
What a GOOD MORNING for me today. At last, my printer is working. I found a comptible software for it....YEAH~~~~
But I guess today will be a long long day for me. Got to finish up my lit review assignment which I don't really know how to do....BUT I have to do it...got to pass up on Monday....If I don't get very high marks also nvm la...as long as got some marks can already......
So GAMBATEH....wish me luck for this assignment...hahahahahahaha ;-)
But I guess today will be a long long day for me. Got to finish up my lit review assignment which I don't really know how to do....BUT I have to do it...got to pass up on Monday....If I don't get very high marks also nvm la...as long as got some marks can already......
So GAMBATEH....wish me luck for this assignment...hahahahahahaha ;-)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
13
It's been quite some time since I last wrote......My laptop was send for repair and I might get it back next week. I'm using my bro's now. So I can't really write much thing.
next week will be my mid semester exam...omg.....haven't really prepared for it.....kind of scared even though it's only objective question......
Wish me luck everyone.....
Got to go study now....bye......Happy day for everyone and .....oh yar....
1st June is WORLD MILK DAY.....so ppl....drink milk.....it's healthy...and don't drink only on 1st June...other days also must drink ok...Stay healthy
Sunday, May 18, 2008
12 - Beautiful, Meaningful
To realize
The value of a sister
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.
To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.
To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.
To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.
To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.
To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
who has given birth to
A premature baby.
To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize
The value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet.
To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a p erson
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident...
To realize
The value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics
Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.
To realize the value of a friend:
Lose one.
I saw this in one of my mail and decided to share it with my friends here.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
11 - Freshmen Lunch Day
Today is the psych department's freshmen lunch day. We get to wear the academic robe. COOL!! I reach there around 1140.The day begin with registration as usual....we registered our name and we got the robe according to our size. I got a S size. That robe is quite heavy and it's hot when you're wearing it, but luckily, my shirt is not thick....if not....fuh~~ sauna....haha. We're allowed to park at the KPD and they charge the students RM3 per entry(for today only)....how I wish we get to park there everyday with the rate RM3 per entry. Don't need to walk so far. I met Nic there and she brought Weng Ee. Siaw Lin brought her parents. So after the registration thingy and when nearly everyone has arrived, Dr.Goh, the Dean gave a short speech followed by the Bpsych student council's president, Kok Hui , one of the 3rd year student and Dr. Ng. They told us lot's of stuff and Dr. Ng's msg to us is not to give up easily. That's right...if we give up easily, we will never achieve anything in our life. Isn't it true??
Dr Goh, Dean of faculty of Behavioural Sciences
Bpsych student council's president, Kok Hui
Dr. Ng wai Sheng
And after all the speeches, freshmen were asked to go to AE1 for a group photo while the rest(parents, tutors, lecturers and seniors) could start to eat.
The food there were not bad. It's the best meal we ever had at HELP. hahahaha. How I wish the food stall around the KPD have food as nice as this. But no. The food outside is tasteless and it's expensive.
Stephanie(tai ka jie) and I
The 3 musketeer >> Looi - Nic - Siaw Lin
R3d L0Tu$
The lovely "husband and wife" > Nic and Weng Ee
Nic and I
AE1. This is where our lecture was held...comfortable right..
Mechelle and I
My seniors
Siaw Lin enjoying her food
food food food
Flying without wings
From left > Nic, Yee Mun and Me
The flowers by the roadside. Don't know what's that road name(near the PWTC). So NICE~~
After all the makan makan, and lepak lepak, we went back. we leave at exactly 1400.
Dr Goh, Dean of faculty of Behavioural Sciences
Bpsych student council's president, Kok Hui
Dr. Ng wai Sheng
And after all the speeches, freshmen were asked to go to AE1 for a group photo while the rest(parents, tutors, lecturers and seniors) could start to eat.
The food there were not bad. It's the best meal we ever had at HELP. hahahaha. How I wish the food stall around the KPD have food as nice as this. But no. The food outside is tasteless and it's expensive.
Stephanie(tai ka jie) and I
The 3 musketeer >> Looi - Nic - Siaw Lin
R3d L0Tu$
The lovely "husband and wife" > Nic and Weng Ee
Nic and I
AE1. This is where our lecture was held...comfortable right..
Mechelle and I
My seniors
Siaw Lin enjoying her food
food food food
Flying without wings
From left > Nic, Yee Mun and Me
The flowers by the roadside. Don't know what's that road name(near the PWTC). So NICE~~
After all the makan makan, and lepak lepak, we went back. we leave at exactly 1400.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
10
Had pmg class from 1000-1200. Break for 4 hours. Nic, Siaw Lin and I went to the hawker stall at the HP building. Nothing much to eat there....just a few Malay stalls and one Chinese stall. After makan, we went to San Frans and got ourselves a cup of ice cappucino. Then went back to Block E and we go online using our own laptop. We waited till it's 1600 then we went for our lls class
Sunday, May 11, 2008
09 - Mother's Day Celebration
Our whole family went for dinner at the 126 Restaurant at the Bkt Tinggi village with grandma and my uncle and aunties' family.
Nothing much happen today.
Keith, Sam and I bought mom some stuff from The Body Shop.
08
Went to Genting Highland today. Went up in the morning by bus with mom and Keith, then at night, dad joined us for the Emil Chow's concert...His concert is nice. His voice is nice. Even though i don't know know the lyrics of the songs and i couldn't sing along, but I still enjoy the concert.
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