November Awakening The Best In You

1. You are the only real obstacle in your path to a fulfilling life.

2. Creativity is inventing,
experimenting, growing, 
taking unknown risks, breaking unwritten rules,
making mistakes, and having fun.

3.  Don't just save up for the rainny day because if you do,
the rainny day will come.

4. We are here on planet to learn and to evolve into better beings.

5.  Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster.

6.  Persistence is the twin sister of excellence.
One is a matter of quality; the other , a matter of time. 

7.  I have never been hurt by anything I didn't say.

8.  Better to do SOMETHING imperfectly than to do NOTHING flawlessly. 

9.  Iron rusts from disuse;
stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen;
even so does inaction sap the vigour of the mind.

10. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because you character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. 

11. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.  

12. Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.

13. There is only one small letter between the words CAN and CAN'T . . . and that one letter will TOTALLY change your destiny.

14. You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.

15. Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.

16. There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live in making.

17. The best way to become acquinted with a subject it to write a book about it.  I love blog about it here, and you love to read about my blog. 

18. I can give you a six-word formula for success: 
i.Think 
ii.things 
iii.through, 
iv.then 
v.follow 
vi.through.

19. Kindness in words creates confidence.
      Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
      Kindness in giving creates love. 

20. Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother. 

21. Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.

22. Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.

23. In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.

24. Unless commitment is made there are only promises and hopes  . . . but no plans. 

24.1 A Dream Written Down With A Date Becomes A GOAL!
A GOAL Broken Down Into Steps Becomes A PLAN!
A PLAN Backed By Action Makes Your Dream A REALITY!

25. Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world - making the  most of one's best. 

26. There are two primary choices in life : to accept conditions as they exists, or accept responsibility for changing them. 

26.1 Say to your Self daily, three times a day: "I love you, I'm sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I really really love you." (smile)

27. Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. it is not a day when you lounge around doing nothing ; it's when you've had everything to do, and you have done it. 

28. Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler. 

29. More important than talent, strength, or knowledge is the ability to laugh at yourself and enjoy the pursuit of your dreams. 

30. It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it wrong. 

THINK BIG, THINK BOLD!

1.don't take yourself too seriously, laugh at things and yourself.

2.be good at what you do.

3.do good to people.

Growing from survival , 
to success, 
reach significance! 

Love You, 
Thank You,
(your best signature here)

Welcome Soongworld (click for amazing opportunity)

“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”

― Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies. Branson's first successful business venture was at age 16, when he published a magazine called Student. He then set up a record mail-order business in 1970. In 1972, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, later known as Virgin Megastores and rebranded as zavvi in late 2007. With his flamboyant and competitive style, Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s - as he set up Virgin Atlantic Airways and expanded the Virgin Records music label. Richard Branson is the 236th richest person according to Forbes' 2008 list of billionaires as he has an estimated net worth of approximately $7.9 billion USD.

Torn

There are times in our life that we experience the internal crossroad of doing what feels right in our heart and what external pressures expect us to do.
These challenges aid us in the development of our character.

"No! You are not amputating my hand! I will never allow you to cut off my hand! I need both of my hands! Please, please tell me that you are not going to cut off my hand!"

Silence, tears, and screams . . . she was in a state of disbelief and terrorized by the thought of amputation.

"If you want to take my hand, you'll have to wait until after I am dead! I am not some experimental animal. 
"Please, Dr. Ohno! Tell them not to amputate my hand! Please, please, I beg of you!"

This is a tragic story that I experienced at the same hospital three years later. She was a very young and talented girl with such a kind and friendly personality. She attracted many people, and everyone wanted to be her friend.  She was not only the promising star of her gymnastics team, but she was also a beauty with the heart of an angel.  She was as intelligent as she was lovely.  her parents had high hopes that she would enter medical school and become a doctor someday.  She mastered all of her subjects in school with high honors. Everything in her future seemed bright and promising.  No one could ever imagine that death was lingering beside her like a terrible , dark shadow. 

One day after she turned 15 years old, she began to feel a swelling and a hot spot in her shoulder.  At first she thought this was caused by an insect bite so she ignored it. However, the discomfort continued for over a month. She never complained about the symptoms to her parents or her gymnastics coach.  She was concentrating on her gymnastics competition that was soon to take place, and she didn't want to concern anyone needlessly. 
Although she continued to feel the pain, she ignored it, hoping it would eventually subside.

then, her bright future came to a halt.  It all became apparent during gymnastics practice, when in the middle of doing a routine cartwheel, she experienced a severe pain in her shoulder.  She ignored the pain and continued to practice another cartwheel.  This time the pain intensified and she felt a very strange 'crack' inside her shoulder.  The pain became severe.  It literally took away her breath .  She fell to the floor in excruciating pain, screaming, "Someone help me! I think . . .I think I broke my arm!"

Within moments she fell to the floor unconscious from the pain.  Her gymnastics coach and her friends immediately surrounded her. 
"Call an ambulance! Someone, quickly call an ambulance !"
The gymnastics coach then said, "No one move her!  Wait until the ambulance arrives.  We don't want to take a chance and cause more damage to her shoulder!"

Off and on she would awaken, scream out again in pain, and fall suddenly back into an unconscious state.

At the hospital, her X-rays were read by emergency room doctor, who told her, "Your humerus bone has been fractured. There is also a mass showing up in your X-rays and I feel we should take a closer look at it.  I suggest that we admit you into the hospital fora biopsy as soon as possible."

The next day the biopsy was taken and sent to the pathology department for analysis. When the doctor received the results from the biopsy, he went to the young girl and her family and reviewed the results of her biopsy.  They watched as the doctor opened the envelope containing the pathology report.  As his eyes scanned the report, the look on his face dramatically changed and he became very somber.  After what seemed like an eternity, he read the results to the young girl and her family.

"I am sorry to say that I have some very bad news.  The pathologist's report shows a tumor on the humerus."

Everyone was quiet for a moment.  Her father asked  , " Is the tumor benign . . . or malignant? 

"The tumor is malignant." The doctor added, "It is so far advanced that if we performed an operation to remove the tumor, her chance of living for five years would only be 20 percent. The X-rays also indicate that the cancer has already metastasized to the lung."

Her parents wept upon hearing the devastating news.  The young girl's eyes filled with tears, but she held her emotions. Upon hearing the news, the young girl and her parents went to another hospital to seek a second opinion.  Unfortunately , the prognosis was the same. They then proceeded to go to three more hospitals.  The prognosis from all the hospitals was virtually the same.  Finally, they returned to the University Hospital.

I was among the staff present when the young girl and her parents heard the recommendation from the professor, " We should amputate her arm from the shoulder immediately.  We need to perform the amputation as soon as possible, in order to increase her chances of survival."

The young girl responded emphatically, "No! This is my body ! My arm! My life!It's not your life! I will not consider amputating my arm, and I don't care what the consequences are! "

There was a long discussion between the girl and her parents and the professor over the amputation.  The tension in the  room was strong as the professor attempted to persuade her to have the amputation.  Her parents believed that if she went through with the amputation, it would help prolong her life. But the young girl was emphatic about her decision to not go through with the procedure.

"After I die you can amputate my arm for the tests you want to perform, but I will not allow the amputation while I am alive! Even though my mother is crying and trying to persuade me, I cannot agree with her. This is my body, not my mother's body. I am 15 years old and I will decide what is best for my body and my life!"

One last time the professor very sternly told her, " You should have the amputation and it has to be done immediately. If you do not go through with the amputation you will surely die very soon. You must reconsider!"

Once again, I was internally questioning the opinion of the professor.  I knew that her cancer had already metastasized to her lung and there was nothing that amputating her arm would do to help her live longer.  I wondered why he was so emphatic about recommending the amputation. 

I later realized that the professor wanted to perform the amputation because her tumor was very rare.  If the amputation were to be done while the girl was still alive , the tumor would also be alive.  The live tumor was necessary for his personal experiment research. 

The professor continued to pressure her to have the amputation.  However, she still refused.  The professor and her family finally gave up. The the professor offered his only alternative, the new anticancer drug.

The days to follow would present me with a similar scene of watching a patient in torment, as I would again be called upon to administer the anticancer drug to the young girl.  Once again, I was obeying an order from the professor.  An order to give a patient a painful drug that went against my personal and professional judgment. I struggled emotionally and mentally, moment by moment, torn between what i was expected to do and what I knew was the right thing to do. 

Three days after I had started injecting the anticancer drug into the young girl, the nightmare of her agony took hold. She had no appetite ; she experienced ongoing nausea and  vomiting. The fatigue from fighting her suffering was overwhelming. 

"Please, Dr. Ohno, please don't give me any more injections! I can't take the pain of the side effects anymore! My stomach feels like it's pushing its way up through my mouth.  i've had so many seizures!
"Please make this hell stop! Please! Stop giving me this drug!"

She was completely fatigued.  She was collapsing and sobbing. I watched as her face turned pale from the effects of the drug.  I witnessed her tough and fighting spirit fade into a lifeless agony.

She had huge sores in her mouth from the side effects of the drug.  the sores were so bad she could not swallow , let alone eat.  The seizures were intensifying. it was becoming more difficult for her to breathe.  Compounding her misery were other side effects of chronic headaches, fever and infection. medicine to help eliminate these was not  working.

"Help me Dr. Ohno ! I have already lost 20 pounds! I cannot eat anything, because nothing stays in my stomach. No one has any idea how much I am suffering ! Please stop giving me that drug! I know I am dying. I don't want to take this drug anymore!"

If the positive benefits had offset the negative side effects, I might have been more understanding and less resistant.  But this was not the case.  I began to feel that this drug was a monster. I felt that I was not a doctor, but I was being forced against my better judgment to administer this 'Devil's Drug' which was torturing and killing my patients !I would ask myself, "Am I really a doctor, or am I just a prisoner of the medical system?"

Question after question kept entering my mind , How can i stop giving my patients this horrible drug when I know it is torturing them? 
How can I stand by and allow myself to remain a part of this if I know it is wrong?
How can I continue to call myself a doctor when I think myself as a killer?

I knew for my own preservation and peace of mind that I had to do something else to help my patients.  I decided to commit myself to finding another way to help these people and hopefully by doing so, I would heal myself of the personal torment  I was living through.

Struggle can be a blessing in disguise.
There is no room to grow if the Universe does not present challenges. 

Dr. Yoshitaka Ohno. M.D., Ph.D. 

Appreciating My Son:The NS Man

Hope you take some time to appreciate what my son the National Service Man is doing for this nation, what it means for us as Singaporeans, and through this post, what it is we stand for in Total Defence - Citizens for Soldiers and Soldiers for Citizens.

Thank you for your time and support.

With 7 core values my son is transformed and duty bound to willing lay down his life in defence for his NATION and his beloved beings.

1.LOYALTY TO COUNTRY expresses his commitment to defend the sovereignty of our nation and to protect all that he loves : our families and loved ones, way of life, homeland, and national interests.

2.LEADERSHIP requires his highest character, confidence and authenticity from all National Service Men at all levels. Leading by example, inspiring, motivating and developing people are the foundation of his strength and security.
Every soldier, or sailor, or airman like my son is expected to be ready and willing to take the initiative to influence and motivate his fellowmen to carry out their mission confidently and to the best of their abilities. As leaders in their respective service, my son need to be flexible and adaptive, to survive, and willing to take responsibility for his actions and decisions.