Au Revoir 2010, Bonjour 2011!

Wow!
Hello everyone! It's been awhile. I have to admit I have been a bit lazy to blog but adhering to my New Year's Resolution, I shall try to update the blog regularly. (Hopefully...LOL)


Thanks 2010! You've been fantastic and awesome!
You thought me new, interesting things. (Forgive me, I'm too sleepy to elaborate further)
You gave me the opportunity to not only gain new friends but to strengthen the friendships of those I already know. I will cherish all these friends for the rest of my life. They deserve it. They are all AWESOME and SPECIAL! :D
Most importantly, thanks for preparing me physically, mentally and spiritually for 2011!
It's going to be an interesting and spectacular year ahead.


SPM! Here I come! I'm gonna take you head on! Gonna give you the head-butt you deserve! :D


HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU! 
Shai Ni. xD


P.S. The music widget is currently under going some fine tuning. Apologies!

If A Picture Paints A Thousand Words....

IF A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS……

If a picture paints a thousand words,
Doesn’t this clearly describe SEAYLP? (Profile Pic)
In the beginning, there were 28 individuals,
All grouped together at Chicago O’Hare airport,
Strangers to one another, getting acquainted,
At the ending, there were 28 individuals,
All staying for a while at Days Inn,
Family members amongst each other, saying goodbye,
Isn’t it amazing what 25 days together can do?

If a picture paints a thousand words,
Let’s travel back in time and look at the albums,
At all the times we spent together,
From the theatre and the arts session with Shana,
To the Halloween party, what a blast it was!
From the Welcome Luncheon,
To the water testing sites,
From learning about the river ecology,
To studying bout the great Abraham Lincoln,
From our time with our foster families,
To the times shopping at WALMART and BestBuy!
From the interesting trips all over America,
To the ‘exhilarating’ DIPLOMACY SIMULATION!
From Day 1 to Day 25.




If a picture paints a thousand words,
I would draw a big heart surrounding that picture,
Signifying all the friendships we have fostered,
Treasuring them till the day we leave this Earth,
SEAYLP has truly been an once-in-a-lifetime experience,
Something that does not happen every day in our lives,
I’m sure we are missing one another,
I see posts of people dreaming of SEAYLP here and there,
Memories of SEAYLP flashing randomly in our minds,
Although, it’s only been slightly more than a week since we all parted,
I miss all of you SEAYLPers!

They say all good things come to an end,
Yet, I can safely say that this is only the beginning of something new,
We’ll all meet again someday in the future,
As leaders making a difference in the world,
Let’s make SEAYLP our inspiration!
The future’s in our hands!
A SEAYLP reunion will definitely be planned
However, we have to do something first!
The Action Plan’s the first step,
Education’s next,
The future is yet to be written,
Emulate Abraham Lincoln!
Let’s make the most of it!
Let’s change the world for the better!
Let’s make a difference!

I MISS ALL OF YOU!
WE’LL CATCH UP AGAIN SOMEDAY :)

Abraham Lincoln As A Leader

Lincoln’s Legacy

The Leader Who Made a Difference

Lincoln as a Leader

‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ These were the exact words Abraham Lincoln used to address the rampant issue of slavery while running for a place in the U.S. Senate. He lost that ‘battle’ but this lawyer strived on to win the ‘war’, becoming the 16^th President of the United States of America. A president revered and adored by the American people and the world.

            What had made Lincoln, a poor boy from the wilds of Kentucky, a struggling lawyer and a self-educated politician, stand out from the rest and help the nation survive its darkest hour, the Civil War?

Abraham Lincoln - 16th President of the United States of America

                                      

            Abraham Lincoln wanted to make a difference. He was an individual who wanted to make the nation a better place to live in. America was divided over slavery. Generally, the North fought for the abolishment of slavery while the South opposed the idea for economic reasons. Lincoln, one of the abolitionists, had voiced out his opinion publicly against slavery. He was an individual who wanted to make an impact, a difference and he was not that preoccupied about the people’s perceptions about him. He believed in himself and his vision for the country. This is the mark of a true leader.

            Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President when the nation was experiencing turmoil, the Civil War. The issue of slavery had reached the boiling point and erupted into a war, a catastrophe that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and threatened to split the nation into two. Before the Civil War broke out, Lincoln had elected his rivals from the presidential election as his cabinet members. Lincoln’s exceptional leadership skills shone here. By doing so, Lincoln has assembled a cabinet membered by the best people in the country. ‘Team of Rivals’ is a brilliant example of Lincoln putting the nation’s interest above his own.

Team of Rivals

            The Civil War was having a devastating toll on Lincoln. He only wanted to achieve several goals. To end the war. To abolish slavery. To preserve the Union. Some of the ways of doing so included the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves in the Union. Lincoln wanted to bring the war to an end so that the Union will be preserved and the nation will begin the healing process. One great example is Lincoln’s effort to restore ties with the South after the war ended in an attempt to make them feel part of the country again. Lincoln had asked for the Dixie song, which was the South’s favourite song, to be played as a way of restoring the ‘broken’ bridge between North and South. Great leaders never condemn the losing side. Instead, they will work on repairing relations and adopt a 'malice towards none' policy. Lincoln did this.

            Lincoln was also famous and respected by for his speeches. Always meaningful and with the nation’s interest above everything else, Lincoln’s speeches have inspired and motivated the nation throughout the tough times. The Gettysburg Address was one such speech. This speech, which remains one of the most powerful speeches in American history, was addressed by Lincoln at Gettysburg. With only 272 words, Lincoln had managed to motivate and bolster the army’s morality up. A leader has to be persuasive and inspire people or motivate when they are down. At the same time, they have to be concise and straight to th point. People adore leaders like that. Leaders like Abraham Lincoln.

The Gettysburg Address

           Abraham Lincoln. A leader. An icon. A national hero. Sadly, on April 14, 1865,  Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre. John Wilkes Booth fired at Lincoln's head from close range. The president passed away the following day. The nation was in shock. Everyone grieved for Lincoln. Even those who disagreed with him or was angry with him mourned. Flags were lowered to half-mast. Black cloth draped buildings. People across America wore badges of mourning pinned to their clothes. 12 funerals were held before Lincoln was put to rest in the Lincoln Tomb in Springfield, Illinois. Memorials like the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C were erected. And to quote Secretary of War Stanton, ‘Now he belongs to the ages.’

Lincoln Memorial

            ‘A government of the people, by the people, for the people.’ Abraham Lincoln was truly an exceptional leader, adored by his supporters while at the same time, earning the respects from his rivals who had gone on to admire him and his leadership skills. He believed in the strength of the Union. He believed in America. He believed in the Declaration of Independence that stated, “All Men are created equal.” He was an individual who wanted to change the world for the better. An individual who wanted to make things happen! Truly, Abraham Lincoln, a leader who made a difference!

SEAYLP 2010

Greetings from the USA! It's my 14th day in the South East Asia Youth Leadership Program and the photos have finally been uploaded!  Packed with workshops, seminars, lectures, day trips, water-testing and homework, it has definitely been an educational, entertaining and interesting program thus far. We're only halfway yet so much has been learnt, friendships between South East Asian countries have been forged and mutual understanding among fellow countrymen have been strengthened. Posted below are just a fraction of the many, and I do mean, MANY of the pictures I have on my Facebook page. For more pictures, check out my Facebook! Thanks for dropping by! :)

O' Hare Airport, Chicago

Parts of Northern Illinois University

Pumpkin Festival at Sycamore

Halloween Party

Communication Workshop

Welcome Luncheon

LOL...A reflective kidney bean in Chicago

Yum...yum....Birthday Cake! 

Greetings!

Hi people! My name is Kyle Chan and I hail from Penang, Malaysia! I am super excited as this is my first blog ever! I hope it's good enough for your standards! Do drop  from time to time as I will be updating it whenever the opportunity arises. I appreciate your support and would greatly welcome any suggestions on improving the site. It's great to finally have a blog! :)