Free Rice to fight world hunger

Free rice has gone global. What is Free Rice?

The premise is simple. You play this game, called FreeRice. You get asked a bunch of questions aimed at testing your vocabulary. For every one you get right, ten grains of rice are donated to the The United Nations World Food Program by the game’s sponsors (Apple, Time|Life, American Express, etc). Doesn’t sound like much, but the more you play, and the more people play, the more free food gets sent to the world’s hungry. No jokes, no catch.

View this video, Free Rice Has Gone Global!

Sit back watch this and then goto the FreeRice.com and play the game and help a hungry person!

Inspirations from Colonel Harland D Sanders

Today I went our dinner with my family to the famous Colonel Harland D Sanders franchise outlet KFC. During the dinner my dad told us the history of KFC which I found very inspiring especially to me as a student.

Here it goes . . . .

Colonel Harland Sanders has become a world-known figure by marketing his “finger lickin’ good” Kentucky Fried Chicken. His chicken is now served daily across the United States as well as in more than eighty other countries. It is one of the largest fast food corporations in the world.

The spectacled Colonel Sanders could easily be identified by his clean, crisp white suite, black string tie, and walking cane. A statue of this man can be seen as far away as on Nathan Road in Kowloon, Hong Kong, for one place.

What makes Colonel Sanders’ story so amazing, you might ask. One of the most amazing aspects of his life is the fact that when he reached the age of sixty-five years old, after running a restaurant for several years, Harland Sanders found himself penniless. He retired and received his first social security check which was for one hundred and five dollars. And that was just the beginning of his international fame and financial success story…

Harland Sanders was born in the month of September in the year of 1890. He was the oldest child in a family of five. His father toiled in the coal mines of Kentucky until his death, which came at a young age. Sanders had just reached the tender age of six years old when he had to take care of his younger brother and sister. With his father gone, that left the responsibilities of working and supoprting the family up to his mother. She began working in a shirt factory. Harland tended to things at home and learned to cook the meals by his mother’s teachings. She taught him how to cook many foods, including fried chicken.

Over the next several years, Harland Sanders worked at a variety of jobs. He started out as a farm hand, then moved on to be a streetcar conductor while he was still just a teenager. From there he was a fireman on the railroad and finally ended up running a service station. Once again, he used his cooking skills that were learned from his mother to provide meals for travelers who stopped at his service station. As his cooking became more famous, and his food business grew, he moved into an actual restaurant nearby. His specialty was, of course, fried chicken which was seasoned with his original blend of eleven herbs and spices.

A few years later, in the year of 1935, when Sanders was forty-five years old, then Governor Ruby Laffoon made him a Kentucky Colonel because of his delectable cooking skills.

Progress is not always for the good of everyone, and in the 1950’s, Colonel Harland Sanders got the news of the plans for a new highway which was going to be constructed. The highway could divert the majority of the traffic away from the town and, with the beginning of the highway, Colonel Sanders saw his successful business coming to an end. He closed the restaurant and retired to a social security check of $105 (one hundred and five dollars a month!). When he received his first month’s pension, he decided that he wasn’t going to sit in a rocking chair and wait for the government checks. So, he convinced others to invest in his delicious fried chicken recipe, and Kentucky Fried Chicken was born…….

Using his last $105 Social Security cheque he set up Kentucky Fried Chicken, his own chicken franchising business, travelling across the country from restaurant to restaurant cooking chicken for the owners and their employers. Following the owners’ approval of his special KFC recipe, Colonel Sanders entered upon a handshake agreement, which provided him with a nickel for every chicken the restaurant sold.

The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant was introduced to Britain in 1965.

KFC now offers great tasting meals and snacks in over 30,000 restaurants around the world. Every day over 6.5 million people make KFC part of their lives. Laid head to claw, KFC chickens consumed worldwide would stretch 458,065 kilometres and would circle the earth at the equator 11 times.

This is KFC moto: Chicken is our business, but innovation and customer satisfaction are our passions.

Get more informations here: http://www.kfc.com/ and enjoy your “finger lickin’ good” chicken!

In summary here is the milestone of his achievements with a newborn franchisee business, after he closed his first business in 1950:

• By 1964, from that humble beginning, Colonel Harland Sanders had 600 franchise outlets for his chicken across the United States and Canada.
• Later that year Colonel Sanders sold his interest in the United States operations for $2 million.
• The 65-year-old gentleman had started a worldwide empire using his $105 social security cheque.
• Sadly, Colonel Harland Sanders passed away on December 16th, 1980 aged 90.
• KFC now stretches world wide with more than 9,000 stores in 86 countries serving the Colonel’s Original Recipe.

So the moral behind this story is ……

“We as human being who are still breathing, should have a never say die attitude, then you will succeed in whatever you are doing currently. Let’s move forward and let’s shake the world.”

Gets paid to daydream

This is an interesting article that I read yesterday in STAR. The story somehow motivates me to write, write and write. As the title says “gets paid to daydream”, what an awesome way to earn an income. The story goes like this.

PRIMUS Nair gets paid to daydream. One day he could be thinking about chickens with leather wings, while on another, aliens and monsters are the subject of his thoughts.

Many of the catchy slogans and punchlines seen on television, print and radio advertisements were created by Primus.

For example, in a Toyota television advertisement, Primus had the Loch Ness Monster attracting its victims by holding a cardboard cutout of the 2006 Toyota Vios.

Saatchi & Saatchi account manager Annie Boo and Primus Nair discussing a concept. – ART CHEN / The Star

A part of the creative team at Saatchi & Saatchi, the 24-year-old says he stumbled upon copywriting by chance. He joined Saatchi & Saatchi as a graphic design intern while pursuing a diploma in graphic design at PJ College of Art & Design.

“I wasn’t a very good designer and decided to give copywriting a try,” says Petaling Jaya-born Primus, who has not looked back since joining Saatchi & Saatchi four years ago.

So impressed was the firm that they offered him a full-time position a month into his internship.

Besides Toyota, Primus has also contributed ideas for luxury car brand Lexus, Guinness, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Twisties.

His talents have already been recognised; he was awarded the “Young Creative Award” at the 2005 Kancil Awards, the advertising industry’s biggest event.

My job involves …

… daydreaming! I still can’t believe that I get paid to daydream. (laughs)

I come up with ideas for advertising campaigns.

Read the rest of the story here:  A way with words.

I love my job because …

… I get to spend my time daydreaming!

There is a sense of satisfaction when you see the final outcome of an ad on TV, radio or at the movie theatre and you hear people talking about it.

It’s amazing to see what was a mere idea in your head several months ago translated into an ad and to view it.

What I dislike the most …

… are the long and unpredictable working hours.

I have no words to describe the experience of sitting in the office at 3am staring at a blank piece of paper!

As a result, my social life has taken a hit, which can be quite painful, but it’s worth it in the long run.

A millionaire by 30?

Definitely! It’s not easy but it is possible. You’d have to work every hair off your body to get there.

You need to come up with ideas that win awards so that the other players in the industry will notice you and your work.

By winning awards, you will also climb up the ranks and that will see you earning more as you rise.

You are your own brand and other agencies will notice your brand.

It’s not uncommon to be headhunted and lured by another agency.

Fresh graduates who are just starting out in the industry can earn RM2,000 to RM2,500, depending on how big the agency is.

Does a string of As – or the lack of it – really make?

Today I found one very interesting article about self motivation especially to those who are sitting important exams this year. Read on guys. . . as our own motivation and do our best according to our capability. Do not ever feel down if we does not get the result that suppose to be or by your expectation. Just be yourself and remember study..study..and study and with the God Will (insyaAllah) you will succeed. Okay the article is as follows written By NIKI CHEONG and YAM PHUI YEE with the Title: Beyond Grades.

In recent years, more and more students have been taking additional subjects and scoring a fistful of As in the SPM. But what difference does a string of As – or the lack of it – really make? StarEducation speaks to several young adults to find out.

HENG King Wey was ecstatic when she received her SPM results last year – she got 10 1As – but did not make a big deal of it in front of her friends, most of whom did not fare as well.

And instead of looking ahead to a university degree, she decided to go full steam ahead with her plans of opening a restaurant in Bukit Tambun, Penang, using the money her parents had saved for her to study overseas.

She opened her Weysern Cafe in September and now hires 36 of her friends to work for her.

King Wey in front of her restaurant in Bukit Tambun, Penang.

Many people would consider King Wey’s decision a waste, after all, the 18-year-old was known for her academic excellence, having received straights As in her PMR as well.

“Even my pengetua (principal) asked me to do more subjects (for SPM),” she says, adding that he would have wanted her to do as many subjects as she would have been allowed to.

However, King Wey decided to stick with 10 subjects – she got another 1A from the English 1119 paper.

“I did consider taking one extra subject but I figured I could do a lot more other things if I didn’t.”

“I thought I shouldn’t be so academically based,” she explains.

Instead, she ensured that she had time for golf, in which she represented the state. She also plays the violin.

With reports of students taking as many as 21 subjects in the SPM, King Wey’s story shows that there are those out there who are not preoccupied with grades.

Tang went into IT and made his first million at 23.

The journey that others have take also illustrates that to be successful, courage, perseverance and street smarts are essential.

Millionaire at 23

Jack Tang only started to take the SPM seriously one month before the exam.

“I used to carry electronics reference books in the canteen and did small electronic projects on my own, like a two-feet long electronic scoreboard and a portable multiple-choice question answer device just to make education entertaining,” says the 28-year-old, who confessed that he was not academically inclined.

Tang took nine subjects in the SPM and scored fewer As than he had expected. He had four As – in Mathematic, English, Chemistry and his favourite subject, Physics.

As his family had financial difficulties, his plan to study electronic engineering was put on hold.

Instead, he worked in a cybercafe for 10 months, studied information technology (IT) and networking on his own and started I Venture Circulation (IVC), a web-hosting company that has grown into a large business with offices in the United States, Singapore and China.

Tang became a millionaire at 23.

The SPM results one receives, he says, are only important if one wants to pursue higher education.

“However, subjects like History are important to open your eyes and give you better understanding and appreciation of our country,” adds the Selangor-based entrepreneur, who also runs a restaurant.

Oo takes great pride in the BMW she bought recently with money earned from financial advising.

“People who have a string of As may still be successful, but they will enter the job market later. Others may have had a headstart in work by then.”

Top financial adviser

Her SPM result slip showed seven As out of nine subjects, yet Oo Huei Ying was upset.

Upper secondary was tough for Oo, who realised that she was not cut out for the Science stream. She decided to take tuition.

“I used to come home after 10pm every day, still in my uniform. ,” says the Penangite.

After her SPM, Oo, 24, studied finance and accounting in Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman and Portsmouth University, Britain.

She started her career in financial advising in September 2004, and finally bought a BMW recently.

“If I had straight As, I would have pursued medicine,” she says.

Oo is a “Top of the Table” financial award holder, a recognition she received last year for being in the top 1% of financial planners in the world.

These days, she meets a lot of parents in her job and does more than just advise them on what to do with their money – she also tells them not to send their kids for too much tuition.

She had also convinced her sister, who wanted to take an extra subject in the SPM, not to do it.

Sister act

Aida Nurlin Hanif’s friend wanted to do Science in Form Four and so she did the same.

“I don’t think it had any effect on me whether I took Science or Arts subjects. If you were in Science stream, you were ‘paling (very) terror’ and in the elite group. Of course I wanted the recognition,” says Aida, 26, bursting into laughter.

She had always been an above-average student. She played the flute and in Form Five, took part in the National School Band Competition and only did revision during the scheduled prep time in her boarding school. Aida scored seven As out of nine subjects in the SPM.

Aida went on to study actuarial science in Universiti Teknologi Mara and was inspired by her sister Nor Akmar to get involved in business.

Waking up early to meet clients before class started, Aida was committed back then to closing five-digit transactions of unit trusts every day.

Today, the sisters are both millionaires.

More students are taking up additional subjects and Aida does not see this as a bad thing. She, too, had a friend who took 12 subjects during their time.

“We knew her potential and she knew she could do it. So why not?”

Top of the world

Squash queen Nicol David was pleasantly surprised that she scored seven As in the SPM. She had put squash on hold for two months leading up to the exam and was thankful that her family members supported her decision.

“My parents didn’t put pressure on us because they knew we would give 100% in everything we do,” says Nicol, who took 10 subjects in SPM.

“I took Arts because I want to do something in design later when I’m not in squash anymore, maybe own a design company or have my own line.”

Nicol, the first Asian woman to win the World Championship, laments that sports has often been sidelined to give way to more study hours.

“Sports helped me in my studies. You can channel the qualities you gain in sports into studies, like time management, discipline, focus and dedication.

“It’s more stimulating because you have two things going on at the same time and that makes studying more effective.”

Nicol, however, can relate to students who take 15 or 16 subjects but suggests that they focus on their favourite subjects .

GILL: You need to have social aptitude.

“Get involved in societies and sports,” she advises.

Making the right move

Aaron Gill did well for his SPM – seven As – although he had contemplated dropping out of secondary school at the age of 16.

“I wasn’t very interested in studies,” the 26-year-old entrepreneur says.

“But my relatives and friends set me straight.”

However, Gill still feels that the SPM is only a ticket to get into university.

“I think the only reason someone would go and do so many subjects would be to get a scholarship,” he reasons when asked how he feels about students taking so many subjects in the SPM.

After SPM, the web applications programmer studied engineering in Multimedia University.

He worked freelance for a few months after graduating and then worked in retail, selling computer speakers.

“It was boring and I decided that it was not how I wanted to live my life.”

With a little bit of courage, and RM1,000, Gill and some friends decided to start up their own company in 2003 with “no exposure and no contacts”.

“We just went ahead and did it.”

Now, they have three people working for the company, Hulk Solutions Sdn Bhd, developing web applications, and are in the process of hiring more.

“It’s not only about your results. You need to have social aptitude, learn about teamwork and be an active person.”

Motivasi Alihan Pelajar

Hari ini saya dengar akan wawancara mengenai program ini di radio ikim.com. Saya dengar masa bapa saya hantar saya ke sekolah pagi ini. Menarik juga kursus ini. Kursus apa yer? Ini dia . . . 

Kursus Motivasi Alihan Pelajar (MAP) menggemparkan kerana telah berjaya membentuk minda pelajar yang progresif.  Kalau kami tidak membawa sesuatu yang baru kami tidak sanggup menghebahkannya dalam hampir semua saluran komunikasi yang ada seperti radio, TV, akhbar, majalah dan internet.

Sehingga kini hampir 50,000 pelajar telah menyertai kursus ini.  Pelbagai kejutan sama ada dalam pencapaian akademik atau perubahan sikap serta tingkahlaku positif yang telah kami rekodkan.

Sekiranya MAP dapat diperkenalkan kepada semua pelajar maka impian Wawasan 2020 akan dapat dicapai dengan penuh kepastian.

Pelajar yang mengikuti kursus ini telah membuat pelbagai kejutan dalam pencapaian akademik mereka.   Dalam memburu kejayaan SIKAP adalah lebih penting daripada IQ semata-mata.  Kursus MAP bertujuan untuk membangkitkan kemahuan belajar yang tinggi, menanam kesedaran diri, menyuntik semangat dan keyakinan diri dan mengasah kemahiran belajar yang tinggi.

Anak anda malas belajar?
Anak anda degil?
Anak anda tidak menunaikan ibadah?
Anak anda rajin berusaha tetapi belum cemerlang?
Anak anda tidak menguruskan masa?
Anak anda lemah dalam pelajarannya?
Anak anda langsung tidak mengulangkaji?
Anak anda terlibat dengan masalah sosial?
Anak anda tiada keyakinan diri?
Anak anda kurang tumpuan dalam kelas?
Anak anda…
Anak anda…anak anda….Cukup!!

Kami tahu cara mengatasinya.  Jangan salahkan mereka semata-mata.  Mungkin mereka belum dibimbing dengan sempurna.  Kenapa tidak masukkan mereka ke kursus kami dan anda lihat sendiri perbezaannya nanti.

Nak tahu objektif kursus ini, sila lawat di laman ni . . .

ARTIKEL MOTIVASI: KISAH KEGAGALAN

Hari ini adalah hari pertama saya update blog ini pada tahun baru 2008. Oh Ya…kepada kawan-kawan semua “Selamat Tahun Baru, semuga sukses selalu”.

Tajuk hari ini cukup menarik dan ianya sebagai motivasi diri. Artikel ini saya dapat dari Dr. Irfan Khairi melalui newsletter beliau. Maklumlah tahun ini saya nak menduduki PMR, maka motivati diri amat penting supaya saya terus fokus.

Begini artikel beliau. . . . . . .petikan dari artikel Dr. Irfan Khairi (Internet Millionaire dari Malaysia)

Terdetik untuk kongsikan mengenai kegagalan selepas saya menemubual Guru Kegagalan, Mr Billi Lim di program bual bicara saya di Radio24 “Jutawan! Bersama Irfan Khairi” (untuk maklumat lanjut program ini, lawati http:// www.JejakJutawan.com)

Kegagalan jarang sekali ditekankan dalam motivasi, walhal, terdapat lebih ramai mereka yang gagal berbanding dengan mereka yang berjaya!

Namun begitu, tahukah anda, 98% daripada self-made millionaires hari ini pernah gagal? Ya! Kegagalan adalah sebahagian daripada kejayaan.

Pernah saya sebutkan bahawa, punca utama seseorang tidak mencapai kejayaan adalah kerana TAKUT KEPADA KEGAGALAN.

Fahami betul-betul ayat saya di atas. “Takut kepada kegagalan” adalah sebab utama seseorang tidak mencapai kejayaan. Bukannya “Gagal adalah punca utama tidak mencapai kejayaan”

Apabila anda takut kepada kegagalan, anda akan menghalang diri anda mengambil langkah pertama. Langkah utama dalam mencapai apa-apa kejayaan. Sekiranya anda berada dalam keadaan “Takut kepada kegagalan” ketahui bahawa itu adalah benteng utama anda.

Bagaimana hendak melepasi benteng tersebut? Ikut kata-kata NIKE, just do it! Kalau nak DUIT, anda perlu DO-IT!

Terlalu banyak kisah-kisah kegagalan mereka yang berjaya boleh dikongsikan. Antara kegemaran saya adalah kisah seorang pemain baseball di Amerika Syarikat pada tahun 70-an. Namanya adalah Babe Ruth.

Babe Ruth ketika itu merupakan pemain yang paling banyak sekali membuat home-run (larian dengan markah tertinggi di dalam baseball) ketika itu. Tiada siapa boleh menandingi rekod Babe Ruth yang membuat home-run.

Namun begitu, Babe Ruth juga merupakan pemain base-ball yang paling banyak sekali struck-out (terpaksa keluar oleh kerana pukulan tidak mengena bola!)- lebih daripada 1,300 kali!

Setiap kali Babe Ruth tidak mengena bola, beliau akan senyum sahaja. Apabila ditanya wartawan sukan kepada Babe Ruth, mengapa beliau senyum setiap kali tidak mengena bola, jawabnya “Setiap kali hayunan saya gagal mengena bola, ia bermakna makin hampir hayunan saya akan mengena bola dan akan mendapat home-run untuk pasukan saya tidak lama lagi!”

Pemikiran Babe Ruth adalah, lagi banyak kali beliau mencuba walaupun gagal, lagi hampir dirinya akan mencapai kejayaan dalam mendapatkan home-run!

Fikiran beginilah yang perlu ada oleh semua dalam mencapai kejayaan. Kegagalan bukan bererti anda yang gagal secara peribadi, tetapi, ia bermaksud makin hampir anda akan mencapai kejayaan.

Fikirkan kisah-kisah ini pula:

-Genius Albert Einstein, hanya boleh bercakap apabila umurnya 4 tahun!

-Saintis Isaac Newton sering gagal ketika sekolah dan diberi gelaran oleh guru-guru sebagai murid yang “tiada harapan”!

-F.W Woolworth ketika berumur 21 tahun bekerja dikedai runcit sering dimarahi oleh pemilik kedai sebagai “seorang yang tidak pandai menjual!”. Kini, Woolworth adalah antara rangkaian pasaraya terbesar di United Kingdom!

-Pengasas Disneyland, Mr Walt Disney ketika bekerja di syarikat akhbar pernah dimarahi oleh editornya oleh kerana “Tidak mempunyai imaginasi dan tidak pernah mempunyai idea yang bernas”!

-Michael Jordan, pemain basketball terulung pernah dikeluarkan dari pasukan basketball ketika di sekolah menengah!

-Thomas Edison, pencipta lampu mentol pula ketika sekolah sering dimarahi oleh gurunya dengan “Seorang murid yang terlalu bodoh untuk pelajari apa sahaja”!

Tidak habis lagi kisah Thomas Edison, tahukah anda Thomas Edison juga gagal dalam lebih 1,000 eksperimen dalam mencipta lampu mentol sebelum menjumpa formula sebenar cara menyalakan lampu mentol!

Adakah ikon-ikon di atas pernah mengalah dan berhenti daripada melakukan apa yang mereka percaya? Sudah tentunya tidak.

Kegagalan adalah sesuatu yang pasti dilalui oleh setiap insan dalam mencapai kejayaan. Apa yang membezakan mereka yang berjaya kini dan mereka yang tidak adalah, mereka yang berjaya melihat kegagalan sebagai peluang untuk belajar supaya kegagalan tersebut tidak diulangi. Apabila jatuh, mereka akan bangun semula!

Nah! satu artikel yang cukup menarik untuk tatapan semua. Pada tahun ini walaupun saya akan sibuk dengan peperiksaan PMR nanti, tetapi saya tetap akan mencari artikel yang menarik untuk dimuatkan di blog saya yang seadanya ini. Komentar dari kawan-kawan dan pembaca amat-amat saya hargai. Lagi pun ini juga merupakan satu latihan untuk saya menulis bagi menghadapi peperiksaan nanti.