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May 1, 2014

You can make an impact, Obama tells Malaysian youth


Kagum dengan ucapan Presiden Barack Obama,  layan orang sepertimana kita mahu dilayani dengan memberi kesan mendalam.

BY SHARMILA NAIR   -    http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/People/2014/04/29/You-can-make-an-impact-Obama-tells-Malaysian-youth/-

 

President Barack Obama believes young people have what it takes to make a difference in the world.

MAKING a change in a community or a nation will not happen overnight. It takes a lot of time and hard work, and even the President of the United States, Barack Obama, learned that lesson the hard way.

He was 24, and a newbie from Columbia University in New York City when he put his all into organising his first community meeting at the crime-infested and racially-charged South Side area in Chicago. It was a total bust.



“People said that they were concerned about crime and I wanted to create a safer space in that area. So, I organised a meeting ... but no one came,” shared Obama, 52, at the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) townhall address at Dewan Tunku Chancelor in Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (April 27).

US President Barack Obama arriving at the YSEALI Town Hall session at Dewan Tunku Canselor (DTC) hall in Universiti Malaya on April 27, 2014. – IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

Obama, who was in the country as part of a four-nation tour, spoke to 103 youths representing YSEALI and about 300 other attendees (including yours truly) at the event.

Although his first attempt at making a difference in his community was a complete failure, Obama, commanding the stage effortlessly, acknowledged that it was also one of the greatest lessons in his life.

“I learned that as a young person wanting to make a difference in the world, I have to be persistent,” he said, adding that young leaders looking to bring positive changes to their community should listen to the people and earn their trust before slowly developing their projects into bigger initiatives.

“You cannot be impatient; but the problem with young people is that they are impatient,” said Obama with a laugh. “You have to learn from your failure as well as your success.”

Obama also urged young people to use the most important resource they have – “It’s between our ears,” he said – and be part of the solution to the nation’s problems. He said it is crucial for young people to educate themselves on important issues, interact with organisations that are already involved with said issues, and move towards making a difference.

“The most important thing is to realise that you can really have an impact on the world. And to achieve your dream, you have to focus not so much on the title or money you’re going to make, but on the impact you can have on other people’s lives.”

But as much as Obama wants youths to go out and achieve their dreams, he also reminded them to focus on the important things in their lives.

“This is to the people here who haven’t spoken to their parents in a while: I regret not having spent more time with my mother. She died early, right around my age right now, and it happened very fast. I didn’t reach out and communicate with her during a stretch of time, from when I was 20 to 30. I was busy with my own life,” said Obama, when asked about his greatest regrets in life. The other he said was “Wasting time on things that I thought were important when I was younger. Looking back, they don’t seem so important after all.”

Up close and personal

There have been several complaints on social media accusing participants of wasting the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with Obama by asking questions that were too personal, and not on hard-hitting world issues.

But to be honest, it was refreshing to hear Obama speaking about things like his daughters, Malia and Sasha, and how he hopes they will grow up to be good people. That’s what he hopes his legacy will be – to be remembered as a good father and a good husband. When taking that question about his legacy, he initially joked: “I still have two years left (in office). Are you rushing me?”

In fact, Obama managed to keep the whole thing candid and light-hearted. At one point, when he was picking audience members to ask questions, he pointed one guy out and said: “I like your hairstyle!”

But there were some heavier moments too. One attendee asked “what does happiness mean to you?”, to which he replied: “It’s a very philosophical question, but when I’m on my deathbed – not that I think about it all the time – the time I spent with the people I love will be what makes me happy.

“What’s most important to me is that I’m true to my beliefs, and that I live with integrity.”

In terms of his legacy as a President, he said he hopes to be remembered for having created opportunities for the American people to lead better lives.

“Not everybody is able to be rich, but everybody should be able to lead a good life. However, this is not something I can do by myself.”

It takes an entire nation to work together to create a better future, and the President reminded that while we should embrace our diverse cultures and be proud of our backgrounds, we should also appreciate the differences.

“Treat people the way you want to be treated. Be part of something that brings people together rather than drive them apart.”

TAGS / KEYWORDS:Youth, Youth, President of the United States, Barack Obama, Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, YSEALI

 




Videos

Make an impact, youth urged by Obama

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cruise / kapal cruise

english version below
nov 2013


pertama kali dalam hidup dapat menaiki kapal cruise superstar. Hanya untuk sepetang dan semalaman hingga pagi ke tengahari. mata menganggumi kapal yang besar, minda memiikirkan anak-anak ditinggal dengan pembantu yang baru bersama parents. disudut fikiran terbayang filem Titanic. Masih sempat bergambar dan bersms dengan emak kerana bila sudah berada di tengah laut, liputan maxis berkurangan.



lepas masuk, pusing pusing tengok tengok bermatlamat mencari tempat makan dulu :) Kami duduk menjamu selera yang telah termasuk dalam pakej. minuman tidak termasuk tetapi minuman manis ada disediakan. Kami order air kelapa muda baru rasa feel laut kapal ke caribbean :)


english version
First time got to cruise in a big ship superstar criise. Only for an evening, whole night to morning til afternoon. eyes are amazed with a huge ship while mind minded the kids at home with new maid and parents. different corner of brain crossed the film of Titanic. Still had a chance to capture pictires and smsing parents as told that maxis coverage will be less as the ship went to the ocean.

After we entered, we went around while looking for eating place first :) we sat and had dinner that was in the package. Drinks come separately. We ordered young coconut to ger the carribean feel of sea, ship and sky :)

April 30, 2014

one suit for many occasions / sepasang untuk berbagai majlis

memakai baju kurung ni, terasa sangat ayu. potongan baju itu sendiri memberi peribadi seorang wanita yang lemah lembut, kerana pergerakkan yang terhad. ada hamba Allah menasihatkan saya memakai baju kurung dari pilihan saya sendiri iaitu kain kembang dan baju blaus kerana baju kurung lebih manis. Saya bersyukur mengikutinya. 


with fadya at 11 mo.
love them all

wearing a traditional dress amazed me with the feeling of feminie existed. the cutting itself gave me the limited move like a lady and soft personality. i treasure the advise of a friend who prefers me to wear baju kurung then my choice was a flare skirt with a blouse. i am grateful i got to follow her preference.

April 26, 2014

birthday cupcakes


cupcakes memang comel dan sedap. kagum kepada yang berbakat menghias cupcakes. mama hias meja macam main masak masak ala hi-tea gitu. good dayy mate :)

english version
cupcakes are cute and yummy. amazed with the talented to decorate cupcakes. mama decor the table like play hi-tea toy set. selamat siang sahabat :)



April 25, 2014

craft / kraf

mama, nak cuba? / mama, wanna try?

V shape / bentuk muka V


sejak tak sapu krim clarin shaping facial lift ni  rasa muka kembang skit, mungkin pasal makan collagen, muka jadi penuh kann adoi macam-macam kan gambar bawah ni, guna clarins dan krim Lx tapi krim Lx ni mahal , syukur ada hamba Allah tolong advance dengan buka buku 555. tapi dah abis, takkan nak minta advance lagi kut. 







from facebook clarins

since i didnt apply clarins shaping facial lift ni, i feel my face kind of blooms, matybe because of collagen i consume recently. its not easy to maintain right. the photo above i use clarins and LX cream, lx is expensive but someone closed to me had advance by open a 555 book. now the cream had finished. its rediculous to wait again for advancement right mmm

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