quote/ funny/ party

Dec. 10 Quote: I was on Facebook and I read my friend Lorraine's status: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Funny: Today I was watching Michael Phelps on Jay Leno.

MP: It's funny. When I go out to dinner with my mom, the people who I used to go to school with are now servers.
The audience laughs.
MP: No, that's not the funny part. They say to me: "We used to go to school together." I'm like: "Yeah, and you used to pick on me." Now we're friends, that's weird. Well I was picked on in middle school and high school. In high school, not as much because most of my friends were football players so they kind of protected me.

MP said he had ADHD back when he was a kid. He took Ritalin, and then he stopped. When he started swimming, he put all his energy into it and he was able to control himself. He mentioned about teachers telling him that he will never be successful. JL asked if MP could sign MP's book No Limits: The Will to Succeed.

I'm getting a flashback. When I was 13, I read a book written by Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller. It was a good book. I looked it up on amazon.ca and it was called Winning Everyday.

Here's the amazon.ca description. It's rather inspirational to read:

"When I'm focused, there is not one single thing, person, anything that can stand in the way of my doing something. There is not. If I want something bad enough, I feel I'm gonna get there."

Michael Phelps is one of the greatest competitors the world has ever seen. From teen sensation in Sydney to bona fide phenom in Athens, he is now -- after the Beijing Games -- a living Olympic legend. With an unprecedented eight gold medals and world-record times in seven events, his performance at the 2008 Games set a new standard for success. He ranks among the most elite athletes in the world, and is both an inspiration and a role model to millions. The incredible focus he exhibits in practice and during competition propels him forward to his unrivaled excellence. In No Limits, Michael Phelps reveals the secrets to his remarkable success, from his training regimen to his mental preparation and, finally, to his performance in the pool.

Behind Phelps's tally of Olympic gold medals lies a consistent approach to competition, a determination to win, and a straightforward passion for his sport. Like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, he has learned to filter out distractions and deliver stellar performance under pressure. The road has not always been easy; from the very beginning, Phelps had to overcome physical setbacks and emotional trials. When he was younger, he was diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; other kids bullied him; even a teacher said he would never be successful. Later, he had to work through injuries that jeopardized his career. In this book, Phelps talks for the first time about how he has overcome these and other challenges - about how to develop the mental attitude needed to persevere, not just in athletic competition but in life.

His success is imbued with the perspective of overcoming the obstacles that come your way and believing in yourself no matter the odds.

No Limits explores the hard work, commitment, and sacrifice that go into reaching any goal. Whether it is on the starting block during an Olympic swim meet or in the weight room on a typical day, Phelps's dedication has led him to unparalleled excellence. Filled with anecdotes from family members, friends, teammates, and his coach, No Limits gives a behind-the-scenes look at the makings of a real champion. One of Phelps's mottos is "Performance Is Reality," and it typifies his attitude toward achieving his goals. It's easy to get bogged down by doubt or to lose focus when a challenge seems out of reach, but Phelps believes that you can accomplish anything if you fully commit yourself to it. Using the eight final swims of the Beijing Olympics as a model, No Limits is a step-by-step guide to realizing one's dream.

Dec. 12 News: I found this on Yahoo news: "More than 30 percent of girls in the United States become pregnant before they reach age 20, and many become pregnant a second time before their 20th birthday, according to NCTUP.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, nearly half of all 15- to 19-year-olds in the United States have had sex at least once."

That reminds me of Tyra Banks show. She did say 1 in 3 girls will get pregnant before they're 20.

Party: Today I went to the Christmas party at work. We went to The Asian Grill House in Chinatown. It was cool and fun. I brought my friend Angela to it. It turns out A doesn't like the TV show Secret Life of the American Teenager either. I got my secret Santa gift from my manager Steven and it was candy and chips, so that was cool. I will end up giving it to my boyfriend John.

That mug I will keep. It's a nice mug with blue plaid pattern on it. I was the secret Santa for Lorraine and got her a $15 Sobeys/ IGA gift card. The Asian Grill House is a good restaurant. Good buffet food. You can cook it, or you can eat the already prepared food. There is the chocolate and vanilla ice cream machine. There is a "twist" where you can put both together.

Fortunately I got chocolate ice cream before it later broke down. I haven't had ice cream in such a long time, maybe months. My family doesn't buy it. Angela and I talked about my weekly emails. A did say that she knew that most restaurants close down within the first two years and not five years. She worked at Mary Brown's when it first opened back in 2000. It's still open. Coincidently the Soup place also opened back in 2000.