Inspirational Men & Woman

The ex PM of Malaysia.. this man who was born in 1925 definitely still have some spunk in him.  If you visit his blog .. yes…. he has a blog.. and a darn popular one at that.. you would have to salute him.  At 84 yrs old.. he is into technology at its best and communicating into the 21st century style and into cad drawing.   I’ve never seen any ex PM or even present one .. have such an active interest in politics.. even though he retired so many years ago.

Although there are some things that I do not understand about Dr Mahathir reign in parliment  .. this man is definitely a hero in many eyes.  He still is.. and Malaysia.. no matter how badly ran before and now.. is still a good place to be in .. in many instances.    During his administration, he was considered to be one of Asia’s most influential leaders.  Mahathir is also known for his criticisms towards western and developed countries.

Coming from humble beginnings . .this man sold fried bananas .. to supplement his family income .. raised himself by going to college and earning a degree in a medical college and worked as a medical officer before joining politics.   He writes a blog called Che Det and is still stirring up a lot of controversies for those in the neighbouring country.. and also his fellow political co - workers from before.  Yes.. he is a great man.. but like i said .. there are things.. i cannot comprehend about him.

Title : Veteran Actress

Birthplace : Shanghai

Born : 1947

Lydia Shum Din-Ha, known as Fei-fei, or Fatty, and one of Hong Kong’s most popular comedian actresses, died of liver tumor and other complications on Tuesday morning in a hospital in Hong Kong. I was deeply saddened by her death.. because I watched her .. while growing .. and grew old with her.

Lydia was born in July, 1947 into a well-off large family in Shanghai and ranked the fifth among the family’s eight children. She made her film debut in 1960, joined the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers, a famous film company, as a child actress and rose to stardom with the free-to-air television broadcaster TVB’s variety show Enjoy Yourself Tonight, which was hugely popular in Hong Kong for over 20 years. With her signature smile, dark-rimmed glasses and comic hairstyle, Shum established herself as a comic and dramatic actress.

Her successful career spanning almost half a century also included the role as a TV hostess. Shum married Hong Kong actor and singer Adam Cheng Siu-chow in 1985 after they lived together years. The two split up in 1987, only eight months after their daughter and only child Joyce was born.

Shum, dogged by numerous health problems, including chronic ailments such as cholangitis, diabetes and hypertension, was lately admitted to hospitals repeatedly. She was diagnosed with liver tumor and cancer around the gallbladder in 2006 and was discharged from hospital in July 2007 after an operation to remove a third of her liver.

Her death came quickly .. and it was a tragic to the film industry in Hong Kong as we all know how well-loved Fei Fei was to alot of ppl. On Feb 24, 2008, the body of Lydia was escorted by her daughter, Joyce and was taken by Cathay Pacific passenger flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver and rest in peace in Burnaby’s Forest Lawn Memorial Park in a private ceremony.

On Feb 26, 2008, the mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, proclaimed June 1, 2008 as Fei Fei Day, that day happens to be Lydia’s lunar calendar birthday.

Title : Chinese American Author/Writer

Birthplace : Oakland, California

Born : 1952

I’ve read every single book that was written by Amy Tan. From Joy Luck Club to the Bonesetter’s Daughter, the Kitchen God’s Wife and of course Hundred Secret Senses and her musing in The Opposite of Fate. I think i read all her books .. and follows her career because she is obviously a chinese.. and living on American soil.. which i think must not be real easy. All her books surrounds.. the fact that there are clashes with the Asian and the Western culture.. which i am too familiar with and the motorhome towing from back home.

Born to a Baptist Minister .. and a Shanghai nurse .. and losing her father and brother to brain tumor sure didn’t make things easy for Amy when she was young. But they did uproot and moved to Switzerland to begin their new life. i think i really admire Amy Tan’s mother.. for even when i first left home.. the first time.. i was all scary.. and was of course absolutely insecure. But here .. you see Amy Tan’s mother.. doing everything she can.. to make the best out of her children.. and she never did get remarried .. if i am not wrong. Amy did make her mother proud.. and received a masters in linguistics at San Jose University.

A celebrated author.. her book .. The Joy Luck Club was made into a movie. Amy gets her inspiration from her mother.. and I can fully understand where she is coming from. A happy marriage.. married to the same man for 20 something years .. Louis DeMattei. Contracted Lyme Disease in 1999 and now supports the cause of creating awareness for others to know about this disease.

Title : Humanitarian

Birthplace : Skopje, Macedonia

Born : 1910 - 1997

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person” that was what touched me. Afterall, we doesn’t know who Mother Teresa is right…?? A Nobel Peace Prize winner.. her original name was Agness Gonxha Bojaxhiu. We are reminded that her birthday was 27th August because that was the day of her baptism.. which was always more important to her.. than her real birth date. And yes.. she was awarded the Nobel Prize because of her work with the poor around the world.

After joining a religious order .. she took the name of Teresa. She was immediately sent to India.. and a few years later.. she began teaching in Calcutta. And in 1948, she was granted permission to leave her convent to work among the poor people in the city. And she became an indian citizen that same year. Missionaries of Charity was a religious order that Mother Teresa founded in 1950. This order provided food for the needy and operates hospitals, schools, orphanages, youth centers and shelters for lepers and dying poor. Currently, this order has branches in 50 Indian cities and 30 other countries.

Mother Teresa received many other awards for her lifetime work with the needy. In 1972 she died on September 5, she is badly missed.

The 11th Governor of Alaska and was running for Vice President in 2008.

Angelina Jolie is an Oscar-winning actress who has become popular by taking on the title role in the “Lara Croft” series of blockbuster movies. Off-screen, Jolie has become prominently involved in international charity projects, especially those involving refugees. She often appears on many “most beautiful women” lists, and she has a personal life that is avidly covered by the tabloid press.  But what I really admired her about is her many charitable work and also the many kids she adopted.

Raised mostly by her mother after her parents divorced while she was still a baby, Jolie moved around a lot with her mother and brother. She also did a fair amount of traveling as a professional model, living in such places as London, New York, and Los Angeles before settling for a time in New York as a student at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and New York University, where she first started acting in theater productions. The fledgling actress soon moved on to film with a small role in 1993’s Cyborg 2, followed in 1995 by her turn as a computer hacker in the more widely seen Hackers. The film gave her her first taste of recognition, as well as an introduction to Trainspotting’s Jonny Lee Miller, to whom she was married for a short time.

I met Billy Graham once when i was a kid.  He was in Singapore having a big evangelistic meeting .. and there was a huge buzz when he came.  I was but a teenager then.. in fact a very young teenager.. at 13 yrs old.  At 91 yrs old, you’ll have to agree with me.. that this man is an accomplished man of God.  He was so famous back then.. and even now, i wasn’t surprised.. when my pastor who hosted one of his lunch at our church had the kitchen rugs changed because of his visit.

He must have traveled more than the President of United States .. preaching the word of God.  Billy Graham is in fact as famous as any of the United States President.. he was on talk shows from radio to television .. he has written books and shook hands with the most famous and the poorest.  He was awarded with so many awards .. i can’t begin to name them… but one for sure .. is definitely worthy of mention here is the Greatest Living American.

Tome, 51, has been Home Depot’s chief financial officer since 2001 and recently became executive vice president of corporate services as well. This year she joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s board of directors. She is also on the board of United Parcel Service and chairs its audit committee. The Wyoming native has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming and an M.B.A. from the University of Denver.

Last February, the 52-year-old native South African took over Westpac, Australia’s third-largest bank. Kelly, who began her career as a bank teller, sparked controversy last May when she announced plans to merge the $37 billion (market cap) bank with her former employer, St. George Bank. Government regulators spent three months scrutinizing the deal before giving it the green light in August. Overshadowing the government’s decision, however, is speculation that St. George may push for a higher offer after the bank reported that it expects to deliver cash earnings growth of between 6% and 8% this year.

Source :Kate Macmillan