The life and mind of Adeline Ong

This news is from last year but a friend of mine sent it to me. It makes you wonder if money is not the actual key to happiness, then what is? They do say more money more problem. Then again, in this story, I believe is the lack of financial education. If a person is not careful with money, no matter if he/she has a billion dollars or only a dime, it will be spent.

October 5th, 2005

By: Mike McIntyre

Gerald Muswagon smiles during a news conference in this 1998 photo in Winnipeg after winning a $10-million Super 7 jackpot. He recently committed suicide.

WINNIPEG — Seven years ago, Gerald Muswagon was all smiles as his troubled life took a fairy-tale turn by winning a $10-million lottery jackpot.

On Sunday, Muswagon hung himself in his parent’s garage.

It was a shocking end for a man who appeared to have the world at his fingertips, yet clearly never could grasp the instant fame and fortune he was handed through his lucky $2 Super 7 ticket.

‘‘People are very upset, and this is all very surprising,’’ said his cousin, Mike Muswagon. ‘‘But he had been very depressed lately, although he kept that part of him well hidden.’’

Muswagon, 42, somehow managed to do what seemed unthinkable and spent nearly every penny of his winnings in only a few years.

The former resident of Norway House in northern Manitoba was forced to take a job this summer doing heavy lifting on a friend’s farm just to make ends meet while supporting his girlfriend and six young children in their modest Winnipeg home.

‘‘I really wanted him to be set up for life, so he never had to work another day,’’ said his cousin. ‘‘He should have been able to do that. But he made some very bad decisions.’’

Muswagon’s spending habits were the stuff of local legend, as rumours began to spread throughout Winnipeg shortly after he won.

Most of them were true — Muswagon bought several new vehicles for himself and friends, purchased a house which turned into a nightly ‘‘party pad’’ and often celebrated his new lifestyle with copious amounts of drugs and alcohol.

In a single day, he bought eight big screen televisions for friends.

‘‘He didn’t have the right people around him at the time, people who could have guided him,’’ recalled his cousin. ‘‘A lot of people asked a lot of him.’’

I am currently adding water theraphy in my daily health routine in my long journey of losing weight and getting better skin. I need to flush out all the impurities in my system. I guess you can say that this is part of my ‘de-cluttering’ process or more commonly known as detoxification. Anyways, as I gulp the glasses of H2O down (Personally, I feel like a water balloon that is about to explode and my stomach is constantly bloated), I am reminded of an e-mail my dear friend, Shiblee sent me quite some time ago. How interesting can water be? And there is a moral to the story too? I bet this is way pass cool right??? Well just read on and tell me what you think. Ciao!!!

Life is in the water

There is a sudden rise in the interest of the Wicca religion or to put it simply, witchcraft. Witches no longer hold the role as villains in stories, television shows and movies, thanks to the creation of Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charmed. However, it does not actually give much light to the actual religion because facts are fabricated and there are a lot of special effects involved to make witchcraft seem more interesting. There is too much fantasy rather than reality involved. In other words it is only creators cashing in on the curiosity of others. As you browse through the bookstores today, there is likely a section dedicated to this art. Even in countries like Malaysia the trend is catching on, bookstores have started importing books on this wonderful art. Many youths driven by their curiosity have at least dipped a finger if not the hold arm into this pool of religion that is surrounded by enigma.

It is funny how reality is very much different from fiction. First of all, witches do not believe in the Devil. So it is hardly possible that witches worship Satan. Satanists and witches come from different backgrounds and do not share the same religious ceremonies. Wicca is a nature religion based on spiritual worship, natural magick (in witchcraft, magic is spelt that way) and the wonders that are ‘nature’. It is a peaceful and flexible religion. It accepts the teachings of other religions as part of its own. Many witches throughout the world worshipped the sacred spirit at ancient sites.

Secondly, most witches are vegetarians. They are animal lovers and would never harm living beings for their spells. A witch would use natural medicine and used herbs, plant extracts and many other natural things for her spells. This means the famous ingredients in stories printed in fairy tales such as eye of newt, tongue of dog and wings of bat are more fabrications of the truth.

Thirdly, a witch can be either male or female. To call a male witch a wizard, sorcerer or warlock is an insult. Many are confused with these terms because it is the influence of the idiot box. Therefore, much research is needed to actually portray these devotees on television.

Furthermore, a witch would avoid cursing or hexing another being. This is a crime in witchcraft. As what people say, what goes around comes around. For a witch what ever she does will come back in three folds. Mostly, witches prefer to use their spells to help those in need of healing, calming, emotional well-being and protection spells. Like cursing, love spells are a big no-no in witchcraft because it is forcing a person to do something unwillingly. No religion should force someone to do something out of his or her own free will. Therefore in Wicca, it is believed that casting a love spell on a person with an intention of gaining from them is a forbidden thing.

It is unfair to claim that all witches are good. There are those influenced by the Dark Arts. These individuals are the ones that gave witchcraft a bad name. In any religion, there will be those who are sidetracked by wrong but influential beliefs. Therefore, claiming that witchcraft only produces the black sheep of society is a major generalization.

Not many people believe that witchcraft works. Some might dub it as bogus or merely just fantasies. However, in many countries, there is a lot of form of witchcrafts though they do not worship the same Gods and Goddesses or practice the same religious ceremonies. For instance, Malaysia has its own ‘bomohs’ as her neighbours have their own version of witch doctors. As seen in the title bestowed upon this profession, the witches are actually ‘doctors’, natural healers before the arrival of modern medicine and technology.
Even with its main role taken over by modern technology and atheist beliefs, the Wicca religion is still going on strong. It is like any other religion in the world today and is even recognized by the law. There is no saying what is right or wrong or even comment on how a religion should be. Whatever way a person chooses to view this religion, it is still a respectable religion. Even non-believers have to agree that this religion has been the core of wonderful stories and television series we received in modern society. Witches add the extra punch into a story whether as the hero or the villain as it stimulates the mind. It allows us to escape what is reality and indulge in our fantasies.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Johari window is a metaphorical tool intended to help people better understand their interpersonal communication and relationships. It is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise.

Terms selected only by the participant, but not by any of their peers, are placed into the Façade quadrant, representing information about the participant of which their peers are unaware. It is then up to the participant whether or not to disclose this information.

Terms that are not selected by the participant but only by their peers are placed into the Blind Spot quadrant. These represent information of which the participant is not aware, but others are, and they can decide whether and how to inform the individual about these “blind spots”.

Terms which were not selected by either the participant or their peers remain in the Unknown quadrant, representing the participant’s behaviors or motives which were not recognized by anyone participating. This may be because they do not apply, or because there is collective ignorance of the existence of that trait.

CHECK MINE OUT!!!

Adeline’s Johari Window