THE NEXT BIG THING

The Next Big Thing

I was invited by Miss Tracy to participate in a series of blog articles called ‘The Next Big Thing’. You may call it a 'Blog Chain' as Tracy suggested in her previous post which put it more accurately. I’m too not sure where it all began, but I agreed with Tracy that it’s a cool idea, and it's spreading exponentially. Here is the link to Stacy’s post about her ‘next big thing’, which I too find it very intriguing, interesting and exciting based on the url. Check it out - http://stacyjuba.com/blog/2012/11/07/the-next-big-thing-young-adult-hockey-sequel-offsides/

Hockey novel is NOT what I’m going to talk about today. Instead, I want to share a short story which I recently heard from the principal of my daughter's school when I attended her book prize ceremony last Saturday. It instantly struck my mind when I read about the new romantic novel called THREE STRAND CORD from Tracy.  

It all began when a reporter trying to obtain a true picture of those men, involved in the project when they were busy moving a huge stone. He immediately approached them and asked the first man. "Excuse me. May I know what are you doing?" The first man stopped a while, wiped his forehead and took a deep breath before he replied with a rude answer - "can't you see we are busy moving the huge stone."

Without much satisfaction, the reporter then asked the second man in line. This time, he obtained a slightly better answer than before - we are moving this huge stone to the site of that bridge, not far from here. However, the reporter still not satisfied and approached the third man in line. This time, the third man answered that they are going to craft a monument using this huge stone and erect it near the bridge. Thereafter, the reporter has managed to grasp the big picture of their noble work. Of course, this short story reminded me whether we are going to have a breakthrough result by living our life meaningfully, fulfilling and leaving behind good legacy for our future generation just like the above three men working together to make things happen.

I too in the midst of writing my first book which I had a basic idea of where I wanted to go with it. I knew I wanted to write a motivational book similar to the above men who were also working to leave behind a good legacy. 

Now that you know what’s next for me (hopefully) you’ll want to check out the post by Stacy Juba. http://stacyjuba.com/blog/2012/11/07/the-next-big-thing-young-adult-hockey-sequel-offsides/

And now, I’m passing on the torch to the following people:

Marcia Laycock
Jill Richardson
Janet Eckles
Lindsay Downs 

James Oh

http://my.linkedin.com/pub/oh-james/12/a11/29b

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Oh/706849667

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Oh/706849667#!/pages/Lift-You-Up-Always-there-for-You/176685462397920

CHOOSE TO BE DOING THE THING RIGHT

INSPIRE IS...

THIS IS OUR BLOG'S MOTTO.

PLEASE RATE US FROM 1 TO 10 WHETHER HOW FAR WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR?

1 IS VERY BAD AND 10 IS VERY EXCELLENT.

YOUR INPUT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

PLEASE DO LET US KNOW OF ANY IDEA WHICH WE COULD DO BETTER FROM NOW.

THANKS AND HAVE A FRUITFUL DAY EVERYDAY.

STAY HUNGRY, BE FOOLISH

THIS IS THE WAY TO STAY HUNGRY
AND BE FOOLISH.

LEARN WHENEVER YOU HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO,
BE HUMBLE.

BECAUSE THE MORE YOU KNOW
THE MORE YOU REALISE THAT THE MORE YOU DON'T KNOW.

ALWAYS REMEMBER LEARNING IS JOURNEY
AND NOT DESTINATION.

A SWEET TOOTH - GUEST POST FROM SHARON

How many of you have a sweet tooth ?

I have a sweet tooth too. I can never complete my meal without a sweetly dessert, be it a simple fruit plate to decadently rich and calorie-laden chocolate confections. Capping dinner with a nice sweet treat can simply uplift my mood after a long day.

Unfortunately, too much dessert makes me stressed. I started to feel tense & worrying seeing my body size expands horizontally, after indulging decadent dessert. It is not some strange fact to us, that eating too much sugar is not good for health. It leads to bigger sized jeans; it causes more trips to the dentist; and more frighteningly, it increases the risk of diabetes & heart disease.

Do you know that sugar contains no nutritional value, besides giving the tastes of sweetness and supply minimal energy to our body? But yet, we still love sugars! Guess why? Because we are born liking sweet tastes. That is why we usually call our loved ones “Sweetheart” and “Honey”.

After a while, I worried that my meal habit will harm my health.

I started to try to stay away from sugar and go on healthy diet plan because I WANT TO BE SLIM! Sadly, the common diet plans found in the internet teaches us to eat smaller meals and NO desserts at all! I couldn’t find even one meal plan that allows any form of dessert. When I was craving for desserts during diet programs, I will stand outside the confectionary shop, look at the delicious-looking cakes, image that I’m eating it and swallowing my saliva. This drove me crazy! I couldn't bare with it! expectedly, I gave up my diet plan. That’s why I’m still looking plump, chubby, and flabby now.  

I really cannot live without sweetness and be the “sweetheart” of my darling. Being a bio-tech PhD student, I started to do crack my head for solutions.

Finally, I found a way out! Why not having a sugar alternative? Image eating cakes and chocolates that are not only taste good but also keep our body shape fit? The desire to have such sugar alternative that can kill two birds with one stone drives me to carry out a thorough research on it.

Through my research, Xylitol is the choice! It may sound like chemical but it is completely natural and has been proven not only safe but beneficial for our well-being. Xylitol looks, feels and tastes exactly like our common table sugars. It can be found naturally in fruits and vegetables such as lettuces and strawberries. It is also produced in our body everyday.

How can something that looks like sugar, tastes like sugar, but not sugar be good for us?

Firstly, xylitol is the perfect sweetener for those who want to on diet but have a desperately sweet tooth. Just like me. Every teaspoon of xylitol contains 40% less calories than the common table sugar and this leads to a lower fat tissue formation.

Besides that, it is the perfect sweetener for diabetic patients with sweet tooth. Xylitol does not require the hormone insulin to be metabolized and so it does not cause a peak in blood sugar level in the diabetic patients. With xylitol, diabetic patients need not to give up dessert, and need not to worry their blood sugar level. They can have the taste of sweetness back to their life.

Next, Xylitol is the perfect sweetener for our teeth. It can prevent tooth decay. This is because Xylitol creates an alkaline environment which does not feed the bacteria that destroy our teeth. So it has become the important ingredient in toothpastes and mouth wash! Even the kids will ask their parents to buy them Kodomo Lion toothpaste that contains xylitol!

I enjoy my sweet life now with Xylitol.  It satisfies my desire for sweetness, but also keeps me away from weight-gained & various health problems. What about you?

 CRAFTED BY

SHARON

GUEST AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH RUSSELL ELKINS

Author Bio:

Russell Elkins was born on Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., in the fall of 1977. Along with his five siblings, he and his military family moved around a lot, living in eight different houses by the time he left for college at age 17. Although his family moved away from Fallon, Nevada, just a few months after he moved out, he still considers that little oasis in the desert to be his childhood home town. He and his family now live in the Boise, Idaho area.

Russell has always been a family man at heart, looking forward to the day when he could be a husband and a father. It took him a little while, but eventually his eyes locked onto a beautiful blonde, and he has never looked away. Russell and Jammie were married in 2004. Years of struggling with infertility left Russell and Jammie with a decision to make and their lives changed dramatically when they decided to adopt.

Russell and Jammie have adopted two beautiful children, Ira and Hazel, and have embraced their role as parents through open adoption. Both are actively engaged in the adoption community by communicating through social media, taking part in discussion panels, and writing songs about adoption. Russell also writes a weekly post for Adoption.com and contributes regularly to Adoption Voices Magazine.

Book Summary:

The world of adoption has changed dramatically over the past twenty years. No longer do biological parents have to say goodbye to their child forever. They now have more options when deciding the type of adoption to pursue, such as open adoption. Open adoption creates the opportunity for a special relationship between biological parents, the adoptive parents, and the child.

Open Adoption, Open Heart is an inspiring and true story, which takes the reader deeper into the feelings and emotions experienced by adoptive parents. As you read this incredible story, you will experience the joys, difficulties, and amazing victories facing adoptive couples. Russell and his wife, Jammie, invite you to share in their inspiring and heart warming journey.

Purchase

Amazon * Author's Website
 Amazon Kindle * Barnes & Noble

Links

Website * Facebook

Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZxAwc-7wL9w

~Inspired Kathy~

Q and A

James: When did you begin to write?

Ever since I was a teenager, I enjoyed writing of one form or another. I love artistic expression of all kinds. I've written more than 50 songs since I first picked up a guitar at age 13. Written enough poetry to fill volumes. As far as writing "books", I started right after college. It was just something I wanted to try and once I finally graduated, I finally had time. After I self-published my first book I was HOOKED. Addicted. There was no going back. So, when my wife and I were going through the adoption process, that's where my brain went. I knew I had to write our story.

James : What make you to think of publishing a book to share with others and at the same time encourage others to share their faiths? So far what is your worst criticism/attacks, and how you overcome it?

I'm not afraid of putting myself out there. I'm not afraid of criticism. My wife and I have been advocates for adoption ever since we decided to adopt, and believe it or not there are a lot of people out there who strongly oppose adoption. Most of my criticism comes from those people- the ones who hate adoption. Some people think it's not possible for adoptive parents to love a child as much as a biological parent could. They're wrong. Some people think it's always the right thing to do for a single parent to raise the child. They're wrong. I'm not saying it's always right to choose adoption for an unplanned pregnancy because that's not true either. But there is a right time and a wrong time- all a personal decision.

James: How you come up with title of your books?

The main title- "Open Adoption, Open Heart" I came up with on my own. "Open adoption" means that our children's biological parents are still part of the picture. We love them, talk to them, share photos with them, and even visit face to face quite often. The subtitle "An Adoptive Father's Inspiring Journey" fits well with what the book is about. It's our story. We came up with that subtitle in a group meeting at the publisher.

James: Can you enlighten us a little more about your books?

This blog tour is focusing on Open Adoption, Open Heart. I've written a few other books, some adoption and some not. This book is our story. There are so many things about the adoptive world that people just don't know about and I strongly feel the best way to help people see into our world is not to just tell people what it's like. You have to come along on the journey and experience the entire process, with all the emotions and feelings. It's quite the roller coaster- one minute feeling secure, then the next minute wondering if the adoption is going to fall through and the baby taken away. Up and down, up and down. It's quite the story. And while it was so stressful, that only makes it that much sweeter in the end.

James: Is there anything else you would like your readers to pay special attention in regards to your book, which you have not mentioned above?

This book is not just for people who plan to adopt, or have adopted. In fact, although I think reading something like this is essential for someone considering adoption, the majority of those who have read it are regular people who just want to read a good true story and see what it's like to live through an open adoption. Even my next door neighbors and my best friends said things like, "We were near you the whole time and we had no idea." It's such a wild ride you would think it was fiction.

James: When do you plan to publish your book 2, if applicable?

Book 2 is written already! It continues the story from our first adoption since that relationship will always be growing and adapting. It also tells the journey of our second adoption- one that takes place locally and is also an open adoption. Even though we'd gone through the process once before, the second time through was just as intense.

James : How many volume of books for the above series?

There will be more than these 2, but the ones after these two will not likely be the same style or length.

James: Tell us your guided principle that governs your life? How you cultivate these values?

My wife and I are Christian, believing strongly in the power of meditation and prayer. God gives each of us personal revelation if we are seeking it. We also believe strongly in the constant need to nurture our spiritual side, or life would drift away from what brings true joy.

James: Is there any other advice which you like to share with our readers?

Whether you're interested in adoption or not, do what is right for YOUR family. We've found that out for ourselves. Nobody else knows what we need but us, and that's for us to decide.

Thank again for joining us today. Let us wish him a rewarding and fulfilling day.

ONE OF THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS

TO READ MY HAPPIEST MOMENT, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW:-

http://liftyouup.blogspot.com/2012/09/let-go-and-move-on.html

SERGEANT AT ARMS WELCOME OPENING SPEECH

SERGEANT AT ARMS WELCOME OPENING SPEECH

Go to the lectern and use the gavel to call Meeting to order.

 I am, James Oh, the SAA for this meeting, hereby to call Meeting to order. 

 Very warm welcome X3,  to OUR 98th club's meeting. 98 in Cantonese means Play and Prosperous.

Our Honourable Area P2 Governor, President, Maxis TMC Lily Fu, Advance Communicator Bronze (ACB) , Competent Leader (CL), Ladies and Gentlemen.

I need you to do yourself a deserving favour to abide to our House Rules.

First, may I request that you  either switch off your mobile phone or set it to silent mode.

Secondly, kindly remove all things and items you brought in at the end of the meeting. 

Thirdly, please keep the pantry clean and remove all the used plates and utensils after use. Thank you for your full cooperation and understanding. 

May I request All ToastMasters to stand up, raise your right hand and say after me for our recital of "A Toastmaster's Promises". 

As a member of Toastmasters International and my club, I promise……….

1.  To attend club meetings regularly;

2. To prepare all of my speeches and leadership assignments to the best of my ability, basing them on projects in the Competent Communication manual, the Advanced Communication manuals or the Competent Leadership manual;

3. To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments;

4. To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations; 

5. To help the club maintain the positive, friendly environment necessary for all members to learn and grow;

Thank you and please be seated.

Last but not least, kindly give yourself a round of well deserve applause for taking the effort and time to attend to another exciting meeting this evening. I know it is not easy especially for those who have worked throughout the day.

To ensure that you receive the maximum benefits, I need all of you to respond  with your maximum energy because I believe Giving is Receiving. In this connection, I urge all of you to actively participate throughout this exciting evening.

Let us put our hands  together to welcome our Acting President,  Jocelyn Lim, Competent Communicator, Competent Leader to give the President's speech.

  

James Oh

http://my.linkedin.com/pub/oh-james/12/a11/29b

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Oh/706849667

http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Oh/706849667#!/pages/Lift-You-Up-Always-there-for-You/176685462397920