Project Eliminate

Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock… One minute had just passed…

Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock… Two minutes had just passed…

Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock… Three minutes had just passed…

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Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock… Nine minutes had just passed.

In nine minutes, a baby’s life had just been ended by neonatal tetanus. In one year, over 60,000 infant deaths had occurred in the world as a result of this disease. However, we can change the fate of these infants and their mothers and eliminate maternal/neonatal tetanus once and for all by getting involved in Project Eliminate. This global campaign, in partnership with UNICEF and Kiwanis International, intends to raise at least 110 million dollars as well as protecting the lives of 129 million mothers and their future babies from tetanus by the end of 2015.

This preventable disease, which enters the body through an open wound as the bacterium Clostridium tetani, infects and poisons the body by producing a toxin that attacks the central nervous system. It attacks relatively quickly and kills newly-born infants soon after birth. Accordingly, infants in poor countries are more prone to being exposed to this disease due to the poor, unhygienic living conditions and insufficient availability of sterile equipments. Likewise, the mothers of these babies can also be infected due to the similar conditions during delivery.

What I find funny about all of this is how preventable this disease is through immunization and clean birth practices. In fact, tetanus toxoid, the vaccine for maternal/neonatal tetanus, has been available in the world for quite some time now (many decades). Yet, there are some countries who do not even have access to one of the most common vaccines in the world.

Think about it now. With your help, millions of infants and their mothers will be saved. You don’t have even have to donate that much. A few spare pocket change can make the difference in these people’s lives. Not only will your donation eliminate maternal/neonatal tetanus, it will also lead to the availability of clean water, vaccines, and other necessary life-sustaining services. As a matter of fact, to this day, Project Eliminate has successfully decrease the number of infant deaths from tetanus to 25 less than before! Although there were,sadly, 58,000 deaths from tetanus in 2010, the numbers have dramatically dropped down to 49,000 in 2013! By donating to your local Kiwanis organization, which include KIWIN’S and Key Club, you can make a difference.

What Does It Mean To Be Truly Happy In Life?

“Money cannot buy happiness…but somehow it’s much more comfortable crying in a Porsche than on a bicycle.”

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“Whoever said that money cannot buy happiness, simply didn’t know where to go shopping.”  – Bo Derek

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We have all heard the old saying that “money cannot buy happiness.” Some of the richest people on earth, despite all of the things they have, lack happiness. They cannot buy happiness if that happiness was one of their lost loved ones. They cannot buy happiness if that happiness was a memory of the past. They cannot buy happiness if that happiness was something felt from within. You cannot buy love. Love is a feeling that is felt from within your heart, thus it cannot simply be bought. All in all, money cannot buy happiness.

Quick and Easy Snack Recipes

There are always those moments in life where we just want to make a snack that is quick and easy. I mean, when your fridge and pantry are fully restocked, the number of snack combinations are endless. Whether it’s just something that we can just grab-and-go or a carving for some late-night snacks, I got you covered.

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1. The Classic Fruit Smoothie

Puree the following in a blender until smooth:

• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup orange juice

You Can Change The World One Step At A Time

When I was younger, I used to jog around my neighborhood every Saturday. There’s a park located near my neighborhood. Each time I jogged by this park, I would always see the same elderly man feeding a strayed dog near the park I lived. I began to notice that he would always stop by to give a treat and some clean water to the dog.

One day, out of curiosity, I decided to stop by and ask why he was doing this. In response, he said that after coming back from the market, he would spend a couple minutes every Saturday to help the dog out. Since dog has been homeless for the past few weeks, the elderly man felt that this was his opportunity to make a difference. Although he would have adopted the dog himself, his age has prevented him from sufficiently providing for the dog 24/7. Although I applauded the man for his kind deeds, I still questioned how he is making a difference since this is only one strayed dog out of hundreds of others. Since there aren’t that many kind people like the elderly man, I thought that his localized efforts surely could not make a difference in the world.

His response to this hit me hard.

The Life of an OC Foodie

I’m always down for some good food. Just hit me up and I’ll be there.

OC is filled with tons of food, and when I say tons, I mean like, TONS. The food ranges from American fast foods to traditional, authentic Taiwanese dishes. Although there are tons of well-known restaurants that are simply spot on, tt is mainly just the matter of finding those secret foodie hangouts that sells those one-of-a-kind dishes. Here are my favorites:

• Anaheim Packing District

This place is a personal favorite for me since it is basically food paradise. The entire food court is located inside a refurbished packing house, which gives the place a unique feel to it. The packing house consists of a lot of “merchants” that sell these delectable meals that you will not find anywhere else, such as Hans’ Homemade Ice Cream and The Iron Press. One of my favorite joints there is The Kroft, which sells the comfort foods with an innovative spin on it. From their porchetta sandwiches to their braised short rib poutine, they have something for everyone. Although it may be reasonably expensive, the experience is very much worth it.

Loco Moco poutine special — crispy fries, perfectly seasoned gravy; tender, soft beef; runny egg marries everything together.

Fears of a Role Model | Don’t Let Me Down

“I always have this fear that one day you are going to discover that I’m not as great as you once thought I was.”

I’m not exactly sure who made this quote, but it hit me hard. While I was growing up, I experienced a life-changing event. I remember it precisely. A breezy October day of the year 2004. It was the day that I became a big brother. Although I was quite still young at the time, that day has influenced my life from then, until now, until forever. As he grew, I grew. As he learned about and experienced the world, so did I. Eventually, we reached a point in life when he began to look up to me.

Finding Lost Hope

Living in this world is not an easy task. There are people who tear each other apart like mad animals. Then, there are the haters who will always bring you down (♫but I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake…♫). But most importantly, there are those of us that struggle to get by each and everyday. Those of us who cannot meet their own needs or provide for their wife and children. Everywhere, there are homeless people on the streets begging for a morsel of food yet some of us just walk by them without even giving the slightest of thoughts. Why are human beings naturally like this? Why is human nature so corrupted?By now, you may feel guilty of being one of those people who just pass by, that there is probably no more hope for humanity.

I’M DOING EVERYTHING WRONG IN LIFE

One thing that has always made life hard for me was eating chicken wings.

A Rainy Walk Down Memory Lane

Plop. Plup. Plop. Ploop plop. Plup. Plop. Plop. Plop.

There goes the rain as I fall fast asleep to its rhythmic sound…

I have always loved the rain ever since the first drop hit my little tongue. Some kids hate the rain, but I actually enjoyed the fresh, misty residue it leaves in the air. As a kid, I would run outside the house and jump and splash into the puddles. In the end, I always ended up getting sick though but it was worth it. 😀

For me, rainy days are a time of family-bonding. They remind me that you can still have as much fun inside as outside. Nowadays, instead of playing in the rain, I spend my rainy days indoors doing some kind of activity with my family, whether it be playing a game or watching a movie. One game that we would play is Heads Up.

LEFT HANDED STRUGGLES

Smeared ink. Binder rings. Scissors. Spiral notebooks. Elbow bumping. Right-handed desks. Oh, god. The struggle is very much real.