Tag Archives: disability

Day 2061: Access Earth

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The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do. ~B.F. Skinner, Contingencies of Reinforcement, 1969

 

It’s 12: 46 PM on day 2061 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read Psalm 117 , have breakfast, learn one new thing – Unlike most other marine mammals, the sea otter has no blubber and relies on its exceptionally thick fur to keep warm. With up to 150,000 strands of hair per square centimeter (nearly one million per sq in), its fur is the densest of any animal. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign  –Nithin Yohannan donated $50 (thank you so much Nithin you rock dude 🙂 )  which brings the total raised to $5 724 only $526 more to raise before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂).

 

Yesterday I read about Access Earth – an app being developed by software engineer and fellow wheelchair user Matt McCann that will allow wheelchair users around the world to rate hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions based on accessibility – I love the intention of this app and I’m sure it will prove to be very useful to me in the future.

Day 2060: Goals and Who You Become to Achieve Them

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Who you become to achieve a goal is equally as important as achieving said goal – that’s what I have realized.

 

It’s 12: 15 PM on day 2060 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read Romans 12, have breakfast, learn one new thing – First man in space. On 12 April 1961 Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space when he orbited the Earth once during a 108 minute flight. In 1960 Gagarin, a fighter pilot, was shortlisted for the Vostok 1 programme, which built on the success of Sputnik 1 just three years earlier. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign  – Bruce Sallan donated $34 (thank you so much Bruce your ongoing support means a lot 🙂 )  which brings the total raised to $5 674 only $576 more to raise before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂).

 

Today I realized that who you become to achieve a goal is equally as important as achieving said goal there was a time when I used to be petrified of speaking in front of the camera (I was worried that people wouldn’t understand what I was trying to say) but for a cause greater than myself I forced myself to get over it and after the first time I realized there was nothing to be afraid of now I routinely record videos and publish them on my YouTube channel.

Day 2059: Being Helped and Helping

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I help because I am helped– that’s what I keep realizing.

 

It’s 12: 39 PM on day 2059 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read 1 Corinthians 13, have breakfast, learn one new thing – Junko Tabei may appear slight, almost fragile looking, but the Japanese mountaineer has a steely determination that helped her to become the first woman to reach Everest’s apex. In 1975, Tabei was chosen as one of 15 in the first all-female team to take on the mountain.–  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign  -yesterday Ellyn Harris donated $25 (thank you so much Ellyn you rock 🙂 )  which brings the total raised to $5 640 only $610 more to raise before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂).

 

This morning I realized yet again that I help because I am helped from dawn to dusk there’s always someone helping me do the most basic of things like changing my clothes or putting on my shoes so whenever I am able to help others I do so because I know what it’s like to need help even when one doesn’t necessarily want help.

Day 2058: The South African Constitution

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There’s so much to love about South Africa – that’s what I keep realizing.

 

It’s 2: 11 PM on day 2058 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read 2 Corinthians 12, have breakfast, continue reading The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom learn one new thing – Cleopatra had four children–only one survived to adulthood. Cleopatra’s first child was a son by Caesar. She also had twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, as well as another son, Ptolemy Philadelphos, all by Marcus Antonius. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign  – raised $5 615 only $635 more to raise before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂).

 

Yesterday after watching an episode of One Day Leader I started reading the South African Constitution and from what I’ve read so far it’s pretty awesome South African citizens have every right known to man.

Day 2056: Rules for Life

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“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius

 

It’s 12: 05 PM on day 2056 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read Ecclesiastes 3, have breakfast, learn one new thing – The octopus is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda that inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. The term may also refer to only those creatures in the genus Octopus. In the larger sense, there are 289 different octopus species, which is over one-third the total number of cephalopod species. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign  – raised $5 615 only $635 more to raise before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂).

 

Yesterday I was kidding around and I created this Facebook post titled Rules for Life it started out as a joke but the more I wrote the more I realized these are most of the rules I live by so I’m sharing them in today’s blog post. Take a look:

Rules for Life

  1. Do no harm (either in word or deed)
  2. Help everyone that you can
  3. Always be grateful
  4. Go the extra kilometre (because the difference between “ordinary” and “extraordinary” is just “extra”)
  5. NEVER give up (winners are just losers who didn’t quit)
  6. Have lots of fun

Day 2055: Earth Hour Weekly

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“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.” – Ansel Adams

 

It’s 12: 38 PM on day 2055 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read Matthew 6, have breakfast, learn one new thing – There are some islands and island groups, however, that are not considered part of any continent, geographically speaking. New Zealand, Hawaii, and French Polynesia are among them. Oceania is the collective name for the lands of the Pacific Ocean, including Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign  –  raised $5 615 only $635 more to raise before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂).

 

A few weeks ago I started Earth Hour Weekly – every Saturday that I can from 8:30-9:30 PM I turn off the lights and all electrical appliances in my room in an effort to change climate change – I may be just one person but I believe all my actions have impact so I will do whatever I can to protect the Earth and prevent the extinction of the human race. If you would like to participate in Earth Hour Weekly all you have to do is turn off the lights and all electrical appliances from 8:30 to 9:30 PM (local time) every Saturday that you can.

Day 2054: Black, White and Grey

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There’s black, white and grey – that’s what I keep realizing.

 

It’s 12: 28 PM on day 2054 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read Matthew 7, have breakfast, learn one new thing – The avocado (Persea americana) is a tree native to Mexico and Central America, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel. Avocado or alligator pear also refers to the fruit, botanically a large berry that contains a single seed. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign  -yesterday Catherine Cook donated $25 (thank you so much Cat your ongoing support means a lot 🙂 )  which brings the total raised to $5 615 only $635 more to raise before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂).

 

Recently things have happened which have forced me to live in the grey areas of life it makes me acutely uncomfortable because I tend to see things as very black and white but it’s either that or completely shatter someone I love and may God forgive me I just can’t do that I’ll find a way to deal with my guilty conscience.

Day 2053: Backstreet Boys Greatest Hits

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“Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.” – Ludwig van Beethoven

 

It’s 12 : 00 PM on day 2053 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read John 1, have breakfast, learn one new thing – A person’s fingerprints are formed when they are a tiny developing baby in their mother’s womb. Pressure on the fingers from the baby touching, and their surroundings create what are called “friction ridges”, the faint lines you see on your fingers and toes. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign – raised $5 590 only $660  more to raise by 10 Jan 2017  (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far :)  ).

 

Recently I heard  “Backstreet Boys Greatest Hits” and I remembered how much I used to love them as a tween and teen.  Listen to “Backstreet Boys Greatest Hits” below:

Day 2052: Happy Freedom Day

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“Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.” – Nelson Mandela

 

It’s 12: 41 PM on day 2052 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read Matthew 23, have breakfast, learn one new thing – The average adult dog has 42 teeth: 22 in the mandible or lower jaw, and 20 in the maxilla or upper jaw. In each jaw there are 6 incisors, 2 canines, and 8 premolars. There are 6 molars in the lower jaw and 4 in the upper jaw. In adult dogs, approximate age can be determined by checking the wear on the incisors. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign  -yesterday LA made a donation (thank you so much LA for always being there for me it sounds funny but i can feel the force of your love from across the ocean it’s one of the most beautiful things I’m experiencing in this life ) which brings the total raised to $5 590 only $660 more to raise before Jan 10 2017 (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far 🙂).

 

Today is Freedom Day – a day that commemorates the day in 1994 when the first democratic election was held in South Africa – I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom and what it means to be free I have freedom which gives me the right to do whatever I please and with that freedom comes a responsibility that I take very seriously, a responsibility to make South Africa and the world a better place. Thank you to South Africa’s freedom fighters who scarified everything so that my generation and generations to come would have the opportunity to make our mark on the world I promise I won’t let you down.

Day 2051: The Reason For My Smile

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“If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.”  – Andy Rooney

 

It’s 12 : 22 PM on day 2051 of my journey towards independence and I managed to pray, read John 9, have breakfast, learn one new thing – The first ever breakfast cereal was Granola, invented in the USA in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, a convinced vegetarian, who was the operator of the Jackson Sanitorium in the state of New York. –  and work on my 25 Smiles Campaign – raised $5 540 only $710  more to raise by 10 Jan 2017  (SO SO SO GRATEFUL to everyone who has supported this campaign so far :)  ).

 

This morning as my dad was transferring me from my bed to the wheelchair he caught me smiling and asked why I was smiling (I was remembering a random act of kindness I read about yesterday) a genuine smile is permanently plastered on my face which surprises most people considering my condition of course it sucks royally that I can’t walk but there are plenty of things I can do what a waste my life would be if I focused on the one thing I couldn’t do and ignored all the things I could do.