Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The nature of the disciplinary code in UAE Law Research Proposal

The nature of the disciplinary code in UAE Law - Research Proposal Example Qualitative methods of investigation will be used to gather data from employees and employers of various companies. This method will apply questionnaires designed for 500 responded with both closed and open ended questionnaires to come up with relevant data. It’s finally concluded that the UAE is very effective in addressing labor laws since its enactment. Introduction The purpose of this study is to establish the nature of the disciplinary code as entrenched within the Labor Laws of the UAE. Labor laws in the United Arab Emirates are governed by the federal law number eight of 1980 and it regulates all aspects of labor relations between employees and the employers (Abudhabi, 2013). It’s an advanced law that clarifies the rights and duties of all concerned parties hence benefiting both the employers and employees resulting to fewer conflicts. The labor law developed in 1980 and has been amended several times to keep it touch with the demands and realities of the dynamic world. Among the issues outlined in the labor laws include working hours, holidays, leaves, compensation, employment contracts, and disciplinary rules among others. The disciplinary code addresses part of the Labor Laws that addresses issues related to warnings, fines, and suspension from work and termination of service among others. Since the disciplinary code is vital in shaping work relationships between the employer and the employee, it’s important to establish how effective it is in addressing work related issues. The study will establish the strengths and weaknesses embedded within the disciplinary code hence providing avenues for future amendments when deemed necessary. Literature review Labour law in UAE This is a federal legislation applicable to all emirate members regardless of whether they are UAE residents or emigrants, however, with a few exemptions (U.A.E Labor Law, 2011). Those discharged from the applicability of this law include the agricultural employees, domestic servants, members of the armed forces and the police, and the staff and workers of centralized government sectors of the emirates. In addition (Al Tamini, 2011), Labor Laws cover all aspects of regarding the employer and employee relations including contracts, restrictions on employment of juveniles and women, leave rules, working hours, medical and social care, just but to mention a few . The Labor Law demands that for any employment of the expatriate, an application must be made to the ministry of labor and the ministry has the mandate to approve such application or to disapprove it. Expatriates over the 18 years age can seek short term work permits valid for 60 days and can be renewed up to five times, as long as the renewal is done before the expiry date of the work permit (Barber & Harris, 2011). Such employment has a validity of three years subject to renewal for the same period by the same ministry with no subscription to minimum wage as such is agreed by the concern ed parties. Juveniles under the age of 15 are banned from employment under the UAE Law, but those between the ages of 15 to 18 are allowed to work as long as they receive teenage work permit from the ministry. The employment of women is restricted between 10pm and 7am and they should also not be employed to perform difficult task. The working hours for adult employee are 8 hours a day

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Test for Glucose Control Treatment

Test for Glucose Control Treatment Introduction Carbohydrate forms the principle source of energy. Usually polysaccharide (starch and glycogen) which are glucose units joined by a-glucosidic links and disaccharides (sucrose and lactose) the main dietary carbohydrate. Carbohydrate absorption must be presented to the intestinal epithelium in monosaccharide from mainly glucose and therefore digestion must precede absorption. Glucose gained a significant importance because brain cells are very dependent on it as it is sole source of energy supply. Red blood cells also depend on glucose to carry out their functions. Therefore the blood glucose concentration must be maintained within relative narrow range. After a carbohydrate-containing meal, glucose is transported in the portal blood to the liver, which takes up 60% of the glucose load. Consequently, a rise in the blood glucose concentration causes the release of insulin which will increase the entry of excess glucose into the liver where it is stored in form of glycogen. The normal plasma glucose concentration remains between 4.5 and 11 mmol/L, despite the intermittent load entering the body from the gastrointestinal tract. The maintenance of plasma glucose concentration below 11 mmol/L minimizes loss from the body as well as providing the optimal supply to the brain. Mayne, (1994). All the filtered glucose through glomeruli is reabsorbed in the proximal tubules. Therefore no glucose should be detected in urine; significant glycosuria occurs if the plasma glucose concentration exceeds 11 mmol/L. The two most important hormones in glucose homoeostasis are insulin and glucagon. Insulin is a 53 amino acid polypeptide, secreted by the ÃŽ ²-cells in the islet langerhans of the pancreas in response to a rise in the blood glucose concentration. Insulin stimulates glycogen synthesis and inhibits glycogenolysis through interaction with an exquisitely coordinated control mechanism that is central to the regulation of blood glucose concentration. Glucagon is a 29 amino acid polypeptide secreted by the ÃŽ ±-cells of the pancreatic islet. Its secretion is decreased by a rise in the blood glucose concentration. The action of glucagon is opposite those of insulin. It stimulates hepatic glycogenolysis through activation of glycogen phosphorylase, gluconeogenesis, lipolysis and ketogenesis. Marshell, (2000). The world health organization (WHO) defined diabetes on the basis of laboratory findings as a fasting venous plasma glucose concentration greater than 7.8 mmol/L and greater than 11.1 mmol/L two hours after the oral ingestion of the equivalent of 75g of glucose even the fasting concentration is normal. Mayne, (1994). Diabetes mellitus classified in two types; insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM type-1) where there is a defective insulin secretion. This condition presents in childhood or early adulthood (less than 20 years). Because of insulin deficiency, hyperglycaemia is very likely to occur. As a result glucose will leak to urine (glycosuria) because the plasma glucose concentration exceeds the renal threshold (10 mmol/l). Other consequences related to this condition are polyuria (frequent urination), glucose lost in urine draw water with it by osmosis producing osmotic diuresis characterized by polyuria. The excess fluid lost from the body leads to dehydration and thirst which is a c ompensatory mechanism to counteract the dehydration. One of severe metabolic complication that may occur in this condition is ketoacidosis; there is increased lipid and protein breakdown, enhanced hepatic gluconeogenesis and impaired glucose into cells. Marshall, (2000). In this condition insulin doses are required for the treatment. The causes of the type I diabetes can be an autoimmune where the islet cell antibodies react specifically with the ÃŽ ²-cells, or viral infection that destroy the ÃŽ ²-cells of pancreatic islet. Individual with certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types have been shown to carry a particular high risk of developing type I diabetes. In type II diabetes, non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), obesity is the biggest risk factor, 90% of type II diabetes are obese and it is occurs in the late onset. In this condition ÃŽ ²-cells of islet langerhans are normal which means that there will be a normal insulin concentration and sometimes high in the blood. Also the sensitivity of insulins target cells reduced. The cause of reduced remains elusive, recent research suggest that adipose tissue cells secrete a hormone known as resistin, which interfere with insulin action in experimental animal. This could be an important link between obesity and insulin resistance. Resistin is distinct from leptin, the hormone secreted by adipose cells that plays a role in controlling food intake. (Kumar Clark, 2002). Treatment of this condition by dietary control and weight loss, exercise, sometimes oral hypoglycaemic drugs required. Other conditions can lead to Diabetes Mellitus such as absolute insulin deficiency due to a pancreatic disease (chronic pancreatitis, haemochromatosis, cystic fibrosis). Relative insulin deficiency, can cause diabetes mellitus due to excessive growth hormone, glucocorticoid secretion, or increased plasma glucocorticoid concentration due to administration of steroids. Also drugs like thiazide diuretics can cause diabetes mellitus. Mayne, (1994). Materials and method Please refer to medical biochemistry practical book (BMS2). Result: The equation obtained fro the calibration curve used to calculate the concentration of glucose in plasma. Y = 0.018 X Where y = absorbance x = glucose concentration Patient 1: P (fasting) = 0.078 / 0.018 = 4.3 mmol/L P (2hrs) = 0.105 / 0.018 = 5.8 mmol/L Patient 2: P (fasting) = 0.113 / 0.018 = 6.2 mmol/L P (2hrs) = 0.105 / 0.018 = 8.3 mmol/L Patient 3 P (fasting) = 0.148 / 0.018 = 8.2 mmol/L P (2hrs) = 0.264 / 0.018 = 14.6 mmol/L Conclusion: Patient 1 is normal Patient 2 has normal fasting glucose level and high value after 2 hours (9.6 mmol/l), so this patient must be retested before diagnosis. Patient 3 is diabetic Discussion The glucose calibration graph showed a good linearity which means that Beers Lambert law is obeyed and the results are accurate. In glucose tolerance test (GTT) the patient is asked to eat normally in the three days leading up to the test and to be fasting for at least 12 hours. At the end of time the patient is asked to collect urine sample and blood sample is collected. After that, the patient drinks 75g of glucose in 300 ml of water within 5 minutes. After 2 hours, the patient is asked to collect anther urine sample and blood sample is collected. Normally when the patient is fasting, the glucose level should be < 5.5 mmol/L and there is no glucose in urine. After the patient is given the sugar, the glucose level in the blood will increase, but in the normal person the glucose concentration should go back to normal within 2 hours and no glucose can be detected in urine. What is happening in the normal person after given glucose is that insulin is produced in high concentration, the glucose is converted into glycogen and then the glycogen is stored in the liver. Finally, insulin concentration also decreases t o normal concentration. Whereas, in the diabetic patient the glucose level stays high because the insulin is insufficient, not produced or present but not functioning due to a defect in the ÃŽ ²-cells of pancreas. In normal condition, the filtered glucose is completely reabsorbed in the proximal tubule. In Diabetes Mellitus the blood glucose is much above the renal threshold (11 mmol/L), reabsorption becomes saturated and it starts to appear in urine. The presence of glucose in urine is called glucosuria. Glucosuria results in osmatic diuresis that increase water excretion and raises the plasma osmolarity, which in turn stimulates the thirst centre. Osmatic diuresis and theist cause classical signs and symptoms of polyuria (large volume of urine) and polydipsia (excessive thirst). In patient-1, fasting blood glucose (4.3 mmol/L) is within the normal range and no glucose in urine. After 2 hours the blood glucose level is 5.8 mmol/L, which is below 7.8 mmol/L and no glucose in the urine. These mean that this patient is normal. In patient-2, fasting blood glucose is within the normal range and no glucose in urine. After 2 hours the blood glucose level is 8.3 mmol/L which is slightly high but it is within the normal range of impaired glucose tolerance (7.8- 11.1 mmol/l), whereas urine glucose is negative. This means that this patient must be retested before ending to diagnosis of impaired glucose or any other diagnosis. Many people with impaired glucose tolerance progress to develop diabetes, but this condition can be prevented with adoption of a diabetic-type diet and weight loss (if overweight). Whitby, G, et al, (1988). Patient-3 has high fasting blood glucose level (8.2 mmol/L), and in the urine the glucose is not detected. After 2 hours the glucose concentration did not reduce and it went higher up to 14.6 mmol/L. in addition to that, the urine dipstick showed very strong positive reaction (4+), which indicate that this patient is diabetic. In this patient the glucose concentration was high before the sugar was given. This means that there is a defect in insulin secretion which can not breakdown the glucose and bring to the normal level. The high blood glucose level was due to glycogenolysis, gluconeogesis or high glucose intake. Therefore, this patient may have type-1 Diabetes Mellitus. Questions: What facts should be taken in account when interpreting the results of glucose tolerance test? The facts are: Patient should eat normal diet within 3 days before doing the test. The diet should contain at least 250g of carbohydrate. Patient should be fast over night at least 10-12 hours and does not eat during the test. The 75g of glucose should be dissolved in 300 ml of water and then ask the patient to drink it within 5 minutes after collection of fasting blood sample. A pregnant woman should be given less than 75g of glucose as it may affect the baby. If the amount of glucose given is less than recommended, it will affect the result as the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) is standardized procedure. Patient should rest through the test; smoking is not permitted; drink of water is allowed. Blood sample should be collected in container that contains sodium fluoride to inhibit glycolysis. The patient must consult the health care provider if he/she is using medication that can interfere with the test result includes Thiazide diuretics (e.g. hydrochorothiazide), beta-blockers (e.g. prpanolol) oral contraceptive and some psychiatric drugs. There are interfering factors that affect OGTT. There are acute stresses for example, from surgery or infection, and vigorous exercise. Blood glucose rise with age and their renal threshold is increased. Time of sample collection is important (morning). The method we used employed glucose oxidase- name 2 other methods for glucose estimation and describe the principles used. Ortho-toluidine method (mono step): glucose reacts with ortho-toluidine in hot acidic medium to form a green coloured complex. The intensity of the final colour produced is directly proportional to concentration of glucose in the sample. UV-kinetic method: This method also measures the concentration of glucose. The reagent contains ATP, hexokinase, NADP and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzme in ethanol amine buffer (PH 7.5). Why HbA1c a better guide to long term diabetes control than glucose? The determination of plasma and urine glucose provides information about the metabolic status only at the moment. Long term control of glucose can be obtained with relative ease by measuring the amount of particular haemoglobin fraction in red blood cells. The glucose enters the red blood cells and binds the haemoglobin to a very small extent. Although some of the glucose diffuse from the haemoglobin due to formation of covalent bond, but some of the glucose will react with a particular amino acid in the haemoglobin protein. The haemoglobin/glucose complex has different chemical properties from the haemoglobin, thus it can be separated chromatographic or electrophoresis technique. The estimation of Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) depends on the mean plasma glucose concentration and the life span of red blood cells (RBCs). The normal level of non-diabetic is < 6%. Also because it depends on the plasma glucose concentration, HbA1c in diabetic patient tend to be increased over the prev ious 1- months. The extent of elevation of HbA1c indicates the overall degree of blood glucose control; in poorly controlled diabetes it may rise as high as 25%. Whitby, (1998). So the higher percentage of HbA1c indicates more glucose bound to haemoglobin and hence poor control of diabetic. Subsequently this test is used to asses the quality of the long term control of blood glucose in diabetic patient. Also it examines the patient faithfulness with which he/she followed the health care instruction and the effectiveness of the medication prescribed for treatment.

Friday, October 25, 2019

GOA Essay -- Ecoturism, Konkan

GOA Goa is also known internationally in various names like: "Rome of the East", "Tourist Paradise" and "Pearl of the Orient" the state of Goa is located on the western coast of India in the coastal belt known as Konkan. Goa has a unique history, natural beauty and rich culture that have attracted tourists from around the world, over the past. Churches, museums, old streets and homes, beaches, and wildlife are the main tourist attractions of this place. (Goa tourism, 2011) Goa is the smallest state in India by area and population. Most of Goa is a part of the coastal country known as the Konkan, which is an escarpment rising up to the Western Ghats range of mountains, which separate it from the Deccan Plateau, and has 103 kilometres of coastline. The nearness to Arabian Sea and being a tropical zone, Goa has a hot and humid climate for most of the year. The vast green expanse of the Sahyadri mountain range ensures that Goa has an abundance of water. The sea and rivers abound in seafood - prawns, mackerels, sardines, crabs and lobsters are the most popular with the locals and the visitors. Along with English which is widely spoken all over Goa, Konkani and Marathi are the other recognized languages. Goan cuisine is a blend of different influences the Goans had to endure during the centuries. The staple food in Goa is fish and rice, both among the Hindus and the Catholics. The long period of Portuguese rule has strongly influenced the Goan cuisine. (Goa tourism, 2008) Traces of former Portuguese domination can be seen throughout when travelling through Goa; this creates an exotic ambience. Beaches, which are Goa’s greatest assets are illuminated with high mast lights allowing the tourist to roam around, even in the nights, safel... ...h wood furnishing and tiled floors inside. Guests get the chance to enjoy nature walks, bonfires, folk dances, and village excursions. This resort also rated as one of the beast eco resort of India by MSN Green (MSN, 2010). The Nature Conservation Facility has established at Chorla Ghats to help researchers and ecologist who monitoring and studying about the Western Ghats. They organize range of programs like making aware to the others about the importance of conservation and also support activities related to conservation of natural and cultural heritage, the Nature Conservation Facility is also being recognized as a hub of activity for volunteers and students who train here under researchers of international repute and carry forward the torch of nature conservation. Now the nature conservation facility is in the process of documenting about the local community.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Social Networking and College Athletes

Freedom of Speech in College Athletics Brent Schrotenboer argues that the reputation of colleges is more important than the views and opinions of a student-athlete that attends such colleges. Student-athletes participating on the women’s soccer team at San Diego State University were suspended for posting inappropriate pictures and statuses on a social networking site. They were warned by their coach that a punishment would be issued upon their continuance of posting such statuses about consuming alcoholic beverages and criticisms of the soccer program.The students did not heed their coaches warning and were thus penalized for it. The student-athletes felt that the punishment violated their fundamental right of freedom of speech outlined in the Constitution. College administrators are desperately searching for a solution to this ongoing problem that allows anyone to access the postings of college students and athletes alike. Some colleges allow the discretion of college coache s to regulate their players’ social networking activities and others set regulations for all sports programs.The total prevention of the use of social media by college athletes should not be implemented by college administrators because alternative solutions exist such as programs that aid coaches in controlling students’ social activities, social media is a valuable tool for student-athletes to connect with their fans and the world, and criticism is a fundamental right owned by any citizen of the United States.As the issue of social networking in the college environment increases in difficulty, solutions to this debate have been researched, and one potential aid to coaches is the development of applications to help monitor student-athletes social media postings. Medcalf explains that Varsity Monitor is a firm that provides a computer application that allows schools to filter and identify problematic social media activity (â€Å"Policing†). Applications such as Varsity Monitor can greatly increase the power of coaches in regulating what their athletes post without encroaching on the right of freedom of speech.These applications do not prevent the athletes from posting inappropriate statuses, yet they allow the coaches to filter the statuses and delete them if warranted. This does not take away the freedom of speech because once the posts are up anyone can see them, so the act of free speech is upheld. If the coaches do not want the statuses to be continued to be seen however, they have the ability to delete them at their own discretion.The coaches should clearly include that the applications are being used in their code of conduct if one exists at the university or college so as to prevent discrepancies among players and coaches when the coaches use their application to delete a post. Social media is a very effective way for fans and peers of college athletes to connect with each other. It is also used to quickly convey news about the team or college from the players to the fans which is considered vitally important to the recipients of the news because they want to support their favorite team.Bruce Feldman interviewed Matt Barkley, USC’s starting quarterback who frequently uses twitter, and he stated â€Å"It’s my own words, my own thoughts that are coming directly from me, they (the media) can’t twist your words, because that’s exactly what you wrote† (â€Å"Social-media†). The social networks allow the athletes to voice their own opinion that is not altered by the media because what they post is exactly in their own words and it is not relayed to the public by a separate news writer or analyst.This is a valuable aspect of social networking to college athletes because it solidifies their right of freedom of speech, and it allows their true opinion to be relayed directly to their fans. This also means that student-athletes must take responsibility for their own posts, and be aware that a negative response from their fans and the public is a possible outcome in reaction to their posts. Criticism is an important factor included in the freedom of speech, and at times it can be very controversial.College athletes must be aware of what they post and they must consider if they post criticism that it may be risky. College coaches around the nation agree that student-athletes can be immature, and it is their responsibility to guide their players in what they say and do when in the public light. Zain Motani writes that we acknowledge that athletic departments and universities need to protect their brand, but at what point does this monitoring become Big Brother like and overstep the boundaries of what is and is not okay? (â€Å"The Use of Social Media†).Coaches should guide their players in what they say instead of over regulating their social networking policies in order to uphold the first amendment which includes the freedom of speech. Many colleges a nd universities agree that their reputations cannot be tainted under any circumstances and they will take any degree of action to prevent a scandal associated with their respected college. Many administrators have the opinion that the easiest way to prevent a scandal is to ban all social networking activity by student-athletes.Another policy that is being enforced at universities is that the players are required to give their passwords to their coaches. These policies violate the freedom of speech because it completely prevents players from expressing their own opinions. In this regard, college athletes are just like any citizen of the United States, and preventing them from using social networking sites takes away their constitutional right. The ongoing debate between coaches and their student-athletes seems monumentally difficult to resolve.Finding a solution that pleases both sides of the argument is a delicate procedure. New technologies should be researched that allow coaches a nd administrators to exercise their power of regulating what their athletes post without angering them. An application like Varsity Monitor can be implemented with improvements that give coaches the ability to monitor and regulate what their athletes post before they are submitted for the public to see unlike the present programs that only allow the deletion of already posted statuses and pictures.However, the use of these applications must be aware to the athletes and explained in detail in order to prevent misunderstanding between the two parties. Coaches can include what applications they are using and how they are using them in their original code of conduct that is signed by both coach and athlete. This can entirely prevent the posting of inappropriate statuses and pictures by student-athletes for good.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

My Life Essay

Above anything else, I still think that the most ambiguous term, concept, and thing in the world aside from its existence is life. A person’s life can be the most difficult thing to describe, to define, to expound, and to measure. It will always be very challenging for an individual to summarize his of her entire life in nothing but words that do not even measure up to life’s vague beauty, wonders, and mysteries. But in the very best way that I can, combining everything I learned from writing, recounting history, and expressing my thoughts, I shall try to tell you what and how my life is so far. I will choose to tell how my life was in the past, what it is like now, and how I envision it to become in the future in my own tone and perspective. Simplicity is a very relative and subjective term. Some would associate this term with peace and serenity, but I would rather connect it with the ideas of non-extravagant beauty and non-chaotic momentum. And so, I would rather call my life a simple one in this sense. As for my childhood, I realized that this phase is not a completely natural incident and event which happens to everyone. In one way or another, and at least in my own life, I have come to understand that having a childhood is also partly an individual choice that people have to make. More importantly, having a happy childhood is the greater choice which people have to decide on whether they would have it or not. With regard to my own, I chose having a childhood and a worthwhile one. Twenty-three years ago, I cried meaningfully on the [insert date of birth; ex: 25th of December, 1986] which told my parents that I am already existing as a person. Throughout my entire childhood, I cried for various reasons — whenever I got hurt, got disappointed, felt sad, felt annoyed, and felt overwhelmingly happy. All these cries, my life proved, are part of growing up. In my life’s context, these things made me realize that I am but a human being who feels and learns to express what he feels whenever he feels the need for it. Growing up in Turkey, I can say that my past is as colorful and vibrant as my country. My mind never ran out of iridescent and crazy ideas when I was going through my primary and secondary levels of education. I think I owe to my parents the considerable amount of effort they had to sacrifice in order to give me and my one and only sister the kind of education which we can both be proud of. My heart never skipped a beat as it vigorously lived with the glorious days of my childhood and adolescent years when I felt like I was the most powerful and liberated man that God has ever created. In a nutshell, my childhood is something I would always want to reminisce over and over again. And so, I rekindle that vibrant feeling every now and then, especially now that I write this chronicle of my life. Excellence and being well-molded never fascinated me until my parents, together with my mentors at the previous schools that I attended, injected into my consciousness the significance of education to an individual’s betterment. I think that it safe to say that generally, young people dislike going to school very much; however, it was during those days, when I was on the verge of hating school, when I started to realize that education is actually the strongest foundation I could ever have that will equip me with the skills and knowledge to become a competent person in the future. As an average person who grew up with his parents in Istanbul, Turkey and who is still spending his days as a university student under the custody of his parents, I can say that I now have a considerably complete idea of what being a well-molded individual is like. Upon seeing and knowing successful people around me, I have to realize that all their authority, wealth, honor, valor come from a sufficient amount of education and dedication to it. But for me, aside from this, one thing which also aids in creating a well-molded individual in each person is his or her choice of submitting and staying under the guidance of his of her parents, for no parent shall wish for his or her child to go astray. And so, I chose to stay aligned with my parents’ guidance and proved to myself that indeed, parents have the innate ability to know the best and only the best for their children. I have never learned and realized the power of material things. I may have become fascinated with some, but one of the most amazing and valuable things I have learned in my life is that most of the things that can actually give true happiness to people are the intangible things that money cannot purchase in anyway. In several instances, I have also experienced the most typical emotional and psychological milestones that a human being goes through in life. As I entered adulthood, I have realized the value of true friendship and the value of having a special person caring for me. I have also been able to go through several rites of passage that defined my membership to the so called â€Å"in-circles† in my youth. Many times I fell hard and stood up again, never surrendering to the most miserable heartbreaks yet the most meaningful lessons that I can consider indispensable for the rest of my life. Truly, no material form of wealth and luxury can ever compare to the most special things that I regard as my greatest achievements in my life so far; and these include my self-dignity, the seemingly everlasting friendship that I share with my peers, the love I constantly receive from the people around me, and the bright future that shines ahead of me in this point of my life. I chose to value these intangible treasures that will last longer than me and than the ones that will fade after I passed. Yet, no matter how colorful or pleasant my writing will turn out to be, I also believe that life is not always a bed of roses. For several instances, I have received harsh criticisms from people who tried to judge me from a far and tried to measure me as a person without knowing me completely. I have faced several failures that brought me serious humiliation and deep self-disappointment. I also have failed to live up to other people’s expectations a number of times. At one point, I thought these falls were bound to identify and label me as an individual and as a man. But my hopes, aspirations, and visions inside of me that have been kept hidden behind these failures always manage to float above everything else and take over my consciousness. Thus, I chose to believe that I as an individual can only be judged and measured according to how strong and triumphant I succeeded after a fall and not by how hard I fell flat on the ground. I chose to tell you this tale of my life in my endeavor to give myself a hint on how I would want to envision myself in the future. If there is one thing this chronicle has taught me and made me understand about myself, it is that my life is truly made up of great choices, and each choice is a fruit of a trial-and-error process of learning. Right now, the life of being a university student is giving me all the positive thoughts of what my life ahead would become. I could be successful like today’s powerful and affluent people, yes I can say, but I would choose to follow this tale and make a success story of my own, keeping in mind all the vibrant memories I have had from my childhood, all the valuable lectures my parents and my mentors taught me, the inspiration that my sister, my friends, and loved ones gave me, and the indispensable lessons my failures made me realize. Most especially, I would choose to remember my own ambiguous yet insightful definition of what my life is right now and what it will be tomorrow. Thus, I would still choose, and in the future, I know there will still be more choices to make, but I guess that is what life is to me basically — a never-ending ball of choices which define who we are.