Mid-air madness
The topic of Mr Rudd’s alleged hot temper hit the spotlight with reports he reduced a staff member on his plane to tears when she gave him the wrong meal.

Bad hair day
Rumours claimed Mr Rudd threw a tantrum when he could not find a hairdryer during a quick visit to Australian troops in Afghanistan just before Christmas 2008.

Off-colour
An apparent slip-up in which Kevin Rudd said “s—storm” on national TV program Sunday Night prompted speculation that it was actually a ploy to boost his appeal with workers.

Insulation controversy
The government’s bungled insulation scheme saw Peter Garrett demoted and stripped of his energy efficiency duties and reflected badly on Mr Rudd.

~The Kevin Rudd’s Poll~

Was Kevin Rudd A Lousy Australia PM?

VOTE YES OR VOTE NO

Vote and stand a chance to win USD2,000 in cash bailout

Scheme backlash
Mr Rudd faced angry insulation installers in Canberra after four workers died following the launch of the government’s controversial scheme.

ETS failure
The prime minister staked much on tackling climate change, which he famously labelled “the greatest moral challenge of our time”. But Mr Rudd was harshly criticised for refusing to call a double dissolution election on the issue when Tony Abbott put a stop to the emissions trading scheme.

Rat-f— furore
Mr Rudd’s Chinese relations may have recently been damaged over allegations he branded officials at the December’s Copenhagen Climate Summit “Chinese
f—ers” who were “trying to rat-f— us.”

Taxing time
Recently Mr Rudd has found himself cast deeper into a costly battle with Australia’s big mining companies over his proposed super profits tax. The prime minister has faced growing calls to negotiate on his hardline stance.

Fashion attack
The strain on the prime minister appeared to be showing last week when he attacked the dress sense of radio journalist Latika Bourke after she asked why his leadership was “in crisis”.

Kevin O’Lemon
The mounting pressure on the leader saw him dubbed “Kevin O’Lemon” in a Liberal Party advertisement this week.

AN emotional Kevin Rudd says he is proud of his achievements as Australia’s Prime Minister in a press conference this morning.

The former Prime Minister was close to tears as he made his parting address after standing down for Julia Gillard this morning.

Mr Rudd said he remained proud of the government’s three unsuccessful efforts to get the emissions trading scheme through parliament.

“I believe in a fair go for all Australians,” Mr Rudd said.

“I’m proud of my achievements to make this country fairer.

~The Kevin Rudd’s Poll~

Should Kevin Rudd Step Down As Australia’s PM?

VOTE YES OR VOTE NO

Vote and stand a chance to win USD2,000 in cash bailout

“If I had one point of future policy it must be our ambition to pass a carbon pollution reduction scheme within this parliament, the one that follows I mean,” he said.

“So that we can make a difference, a real difference to climate change.”

Mr Rudd ran through a list of other issues he was proud to have taken part in, including increasing the aged single pension, apologising to the stolen generations, and efforts on climate change.

“What I’m less proud of is the fact that I have now blubbered,” he said with a chuckle, prompting Therese to put a comforting arm around his shoulder.

Mr Rudd turned to Therese to ask if he’d forgotten anything.

She advised him to just say his time in office had been an “honour and a privilege”.

“She is always more succinct that me – and much better looking,” Mr Rudd joked, before paying tribute to his wife’s community work.

“This is a very good person,” he said.

“One of life’s eternal mysteries is why she ever married me in the first place.”

He also thanked the constituents of Griffith, who he has represented as MP since 1998.

“I thank the good people of Griffith, my electorate, for putting up with me as their local member – recently somewhat missing in action,” he said.

“They are good people. It is a great community. I love it and I love them dearly.”

Mr Rudd also made mention of his “fantastic” children, before wrapping up the press conference with his now famous departing line.

“Having said all that folks, we’ve gotta zip.”

Soon afterwards, Julia Gillard was sworn in as the new Prime Minister by Governor-General Quentin Bryce, and Treasurer Wayne Swan was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister at the Government House ceremony in Canberra.

Source : news.com.au

You are in charge of your life. Take it from where it is to where you want it to be. Billionaire Donald Trump agreed that life is unfair but you got to know how to play your game well. Work hard on yourself. Improve everyday; that is a habit that will pay for itself. Forget about life being not fair. Do your part first.

Persevering is not passive, it not only requires you to hold your ground but you must make every effort to move forward. If you do not have the knowledge or skills to lead your business to the finish line; then you must take up a position of a follower and let your mentor lead as you learn. Anything other than these two positions is a hindrance and should be moved out of the way.

With this mentality you can turn setbacks into stepping stones. I remember the saying “Ten percent of life is what happens to you – the other 90 percent is how you respond to what happens to you.” Every challenge you face is an opportunity for growth. You will be a leader in your business, to those who look to you for guidance, when they see you stay your course and not fold in hard times. Remember that winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win.

It is a dangerous and unwise practice to tell customers and prospective customers that your business and its people can do something when there is little chance that it will actually happen. Pay close attention to what you and your people are “promising” your customers and prospective customers. Can you actually deliver on those promises on a consistent basis? If not, stop and rethink what you can deliver. It is far better to exceed expectations than to fall short of them.

I was feeling a bit low today. A friend of mine, Jabran passed away today due to heart attack. Close to a year ago, we had lunch together with his wife Reena. It was in a restaurant in Chennai, India. My wife and I are very concerned of her. Over the phone, her voice was so fragile. Her strong will has disappeared. Reena, we will be with you always. May you gather the strength you need to carry on.

Needed ways to gather back my focus and strength. So I went on a search on Google and found this song lyrics to motivate myself.

(first verse)
Here I’m standing in the night
My cresent wand the only light
Alone against my darkest fear
But I sense my friends are near
I’ll draw from each the power I need
The evil queen, we will defeat

(chorus)
Give me the strength to carry on
With all our love, we can’t go wrong
Only together we face the fight
Nothing can stand against our might

(guitar solo)

(chorus par two)
Give me the strength to carry on
With all our love, we can’t go wrong
Only together we face the fight
Nothing can stand against our might
With all our strength, the battle’s won
With all our love, we can’t go wrong
We have the strength to carry on

I’m glad that the audience enjoyed the event. It was very satisfying. Achievers Club members did a fantastic job. Without their help, there wouldn’t be this event.

Just arriving at Accra

My wife with key leaders in Ghana

Holding their country's flag

We can do it!

Receiving their incentive prizes

My wife speaking to the audience... She's the best

Captivating the audience with her speech

Over 300 guests turned up

Retail gas prices inched lower overnight, but are likely to resume their own trek into record territory now that oil futures have broken out of the trading range where they had been for nearly 3 weeks.

Light, sweet crude for August delivery rose as high as $142.99 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange before pulling back sharply in a spate of late-day profit-taking to settle up 57 cents at a record $140.21. On Thursday, the contract shot past $140 and rose more than $5 to a new settlement record.

The latest record came as the dollar fell against the euro in afternoon trading, having traded roughly unchanged for much of the day.

Bank and Auto stocks were hit by record high oil price.