The Consumate Skeptic

Over the years I have been reading and watching reports of people who were ripped off by total strangers. The scammers are people from European countries who email unsuspecting folks with promises of  receiving large sums of money for one reason or another. 

Beware: These scammers are ruthless and will stop at nothing to strip you of your money, your dignity, and your peace of mind.  It’s been a while since I have been receiving scam emails with offers of millions of dollars. I have never sent them any personal information but I thought to myself it would be cool to start a blog in regard to this matter- I’ll post their emails as received. Perhaps this will prompt people to hit Delete  everytime one of these emails shows up in your -Inbox.

The economy is hard, people are financially stressed and make no misteke, they will prey upon you with no conscience.  I received emails alluding to the fact that I am a breast cancer survivor and will, therefore, understand their plight.  They were on their dying beds and wanted to bequeath the funds to me,  however, ( and there is always a but or however) the funds are held in a secret account which will be transferred to me when I furnish them with my bank information, but, I must tell no one until such time when I’ll be instructed by their Executor, Lawyer, whatever. Sometimes the family members are plundering the funds and don’t want any of it given to charity. Whatever the reasons they are lies, con-games- and thankfully, I am not that gullible or money hungry. 

When I received the very first email in 2000, My first thought was- Yeah right!! Call me the consumate skeptic. Sometimes, I am prompted to send and email with bank information, paypal account number, et al…again I say- Yeah, right. I am not that gullible. I have been offered donations for CABCO- Caribbean American Breast Cancer Organization. They’ve sent me winning lottery numbers, beneficiary emails, and today I received the email below and just thought I would post it.  I just can’t believe the gall of these con artists.

Keep in mind that I have never been in touch with this person before- no transfer of funds was ever initiated on my part- … guess they are counting on my Chemo- brain that can sometimes keep me in fog, to work to their advantage. 

Note to Jovona Green: Hold your breath until you get my personal bank information Jovona Green. If you do you’ll be plumb out of luck. My grandma used to say- Offer  folks some Dollars and they will throw away their (cents) sense… Got to disappoint Jovona- this time you’ve hit a rock solid wall.  You will never ever get any bank information from me. You can take that to the bank.  As for your $650,000.00,  you can take all of it and shove it where the sun don’t shine…

If you could use a good laugh in these distressing economic times… Guess it’s our lucky day- Check out the bogus crap I received from Jovona Green:-  Nothing was changed in anyway. Don’t want to plaguerize. Jovono, if you followed the link I sent you, and are reading this blog, just want to say- BUSTED!!!! (smile).

Be Informed‏

From:	Mr. Jovona Green. (jgreen@finance.org)
	You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as junk
Sent:	Tue 3/31/09 5:21 AM
To:

Good Day,

I am using this opportunity to thank you for your effort to our unfinished
transfer of fund into your account,You may not understand why this mail
came to you. But if you do not remember me, you might have received an
email from me in the past regarding a multi-million-dollar business
proposal which we never concluded. I want to inform you that I have
successfully transferred the Cheque out of the company to someone else who
was capable of assisting me in this great venture. Due to your effort,
sincerity, courage and trustworthiness you showed during the course of the
transaction I want to compensate you and show my gratitude to you with the
sum of $650,000.00. I have left an international certified bank draft for
you worth about $650,000.00 cashable anywhere in the world. My dear
friend, I will like you to contact my lawyer Mr. Ellis Bryan for the
collection of this international certified bank draft. I have authorized
him to release the international certified bank draft to you as soon as
you contact him regarding this issue.

COMPENSATION HEAD OFFICE CONTACT AGENT
CONTACT: Mr. Ellis Bryan
EMAIL: ellisbryan4@att.net
Tel: +234 8060570599

At the moment, I am very busy here because of the investment projects I am
having at hand. Finally,I have forwarded instruction to the finance house
on your behalf to send the bank draft to you as soon as you contact them.

Best Regards,
Mr. Jovona Green.

It’s My Life

There are quite a few tools that I used while I was recovering from breast cancer, chemotherapy and radiation treatments…things that reinforced my kick-ass attitude . Bon Jovi’s- It’s My Life was one of them. I still can’t hear, sing, or remember that song without getting all emotional and teary-eyed.

I still listen to that number whenever I feel my resolve dissolving. I hope the lyrics gives you as much optimism, hope and fighting spirit as it does me.  I vividly remember listening to that particular song over and over like a broken record .

One day, I turned on the television and Bon Jovi was either on Ellen or on Oprah… I can’t quite recall at this time but I do remember that I was in severe pain; however,  I was spellbound and I just couldn’t stop listening to the show. My eyes hurt like heck- way  too much to focus, however, I covered my eyes with a pillow, turned my back to the television set, and I  hung in there till the end of the show. I tivoed that show and replayed Bon Jovi singing- It’s My Life,  every day… numerous times. It solidified my determination to stay alive on my terms.

The truth be told I like most music and I am a huge rocker- I’ve always been. Among my favorites are the Rolling Stones, Mellancamp, Beatles, Heart, Aerosmith, Linnard Skinnard, Alice Cooper, Little River Band, Jefferson Flagship, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Boss- need I say more. I ran the spectrum where my taste in music is concerned; I have always been a huge Bon Jovi fan among many others; but - It’s My Life is my personal anthem and became my lifeline during Chemotherapy- the worst part of my experience with breast cancer.

The lyrics of the song- It’s My Life, states so clearly what I feel in my spirit. I am sharing this in the hopes that it will help others realize that it is possible to get reinforcement anywhere- in a song, a poem, a quote, a picture, a pet, or  an unexpected  ‘aha’ moment. Whatever or wherever you get your empowerment is okay as long as it helps you to get that place within you… your place of total defiance.

Enjoy and be revitalized. Do like I did, tell whatever it is that’s plaguing your life….

‘This ain’t a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain’t gonna be just a face in the crowd
You’re gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud

[Chorus:]
It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
(It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I’m alive
It’s my life

This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow’s getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain’t even lucky
Got to make your own breaks

[Chorus:]
It’s my life
And it’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
(It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I’m alive
‘Cause it’s my world

Better stand tall when they’re calling you out
Don’t bend, don’t break, baby, don’t back down

[Chorus:]
It’s my life
And it’s now or never
‘Cause I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
(It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I’m alive

[Chorus:]
It’s my life
And it’s now or never
‘Cause I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
(It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I’m alive
‘Cause it’s my life!

Survivors, make it your anthem… your personal mantra. It is so empowering.  You’ll feel so much better once you tell breast cancer where it should go and where you won’t go.  Try it you won’t regret it; trust me…

It\’s My Life by Jon Bon Jovi

Food 4 Thought… Pain

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is a megaphone to rouse the deaf world… – C.S. Lewis

Food 4 Thought… Happiness

The ingredients of happiness are so simple that they can be counted on one hand. First of all, happiness must be shared. Selfishness is its enemy; to make another happy is to be happy one’s self. it is quiet, seldom found for long in , in crowds, most easily worn in moments of solitude and reflection. It comes from within, and rests most securely on simple goodness and clear conscience… William Ogden

Gratitude

Words of praise, gratitude, or thanksgiving expand, set free, and in every way radiate energy…You can praise a weak body into strength; a fearful heart into peace and trust; shattered nerves into poise and power; a failing business into prosperity and success; and insufficiency into supply and support…Charles Fillmore

Here I am…Atlast!

Okay, so I’ve been wanting to set up a WordPress account and start a blog for quite some time but somehow never got around to it. I’ve been visiting the site, looking around, starting the registration only to abandon the process minutes later; it was time, fear ( don’t know why), unsurety, and whatever other ridiculous reason I could muster that made sense to me then. I even used chemotherapy as an excuse…the truth is I procrastinated and we all know about procrastination.  If you don’t,  I’ll tell you:  Procrastination is the thief of time, that’s what my aunt said…And, better late than never was my grandma’s mantra- and my grandma was a wise old woman. So here I am, and so it is. It is the moment of truth.

That being said, I want to say how much I look forward to getting to know you; I look forward to sharing a bit of myself and my experiences with you…. let you into my world… A world of a breast cancer survivor’s never ending optimism and hope. 

I am a five year survivor of aggressive metastatic breast cancer that spread to my lymph nodes in an effort to steal my life. I’m not going to tell you that I wasn’t scared. As a matter of fact it was that unabashed fear that finally struck a nerve and triggered the fighting spirit in me. I was tired of being bullied, tired of being scared and tired of being intimidated by this dastardly disease; I was sick of my lack of a back bone. I saw myself cowering like a coward and a scared little child, and it horrified me. I had had it…My back was up against the proverbial wall. There was no place to run… no place to hide, so I did the only thing I could do, I came out swinging because my grandma always said, “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going,” and,…I am, so I did…

Some of the tools that I employed during this breast cancer odyssey were poetic and creative journal writing, songwriting and laughter which were, and still are, my saving grace.  They afforded me  outlets… ways to let off steam, rant, rave and express what was all bottled up inside… to me it meant freedom, a way to divulge what I was feeling inside to the world at large.. breast cancer had to be exposed …

There were days when I was so centered and in control of my emotions I really thought I had it all figured out. There were days when I was the most spiritually grounded individual around; and then again, there were days when I just knew everything was going to be great and without warning I would be angry, spiteful and bitchy for no reason… an emotional, unreasonable, scared, frustrated wreck who was freaking out on the inside. Even when I lost it I held on to that stoic façade. I could, for the most part come up with reasons for my off-beat behavior. I had to stay strong and unscathed in the eyes of my eleven year old. She was petrified as it was, and it started to show in her school work. She must’ve noticed the change in my behavior and that sure didn’t help her or me, for that matter. I felt guilty and responsible. I felt dirty and disposable. I felt useless and cursed because my daughter, who was in the gifted program from first grade, went from the honor roll to being in jeopardy for promotion She was failing in classes that were usually easy for her; she was becoming moody and withdrawn. My daughter, just like my favorite aunt and my best male friend, would not touch me, nor would my daughter eat or drink in anything I used; I was devastated. My once very demonstrative child would no longer cuddle with me or kiss me. It hurt like hell but I was determined to work through this.

*2003 started my years of testings, trials and tribulations but it also started my years of fine tuning, my transitional period, my odyssey to a new reality, my new normal…living with the side effects of six months of aggressive chemotherapy and eight weeks of daily radiation therapy. Neuropathy, severe arthritis in my neck, spine, lower back, hands, feet, fingers, toes, and elbows , fibromyalgia, cardiac aryhtmia, chemo-brain (memory-loss), impaired vision, vertigo, and days of not being able to hold a pen to write or a piece of paper in my hand… sometimes, the pain from holding a bag over my shoulder is just too excruciating. How do you make people understand that being strong and being a survivor doesn’t mean you are pain free? It just means you don’t want to be a bother or a constant complainer… but I digress.

The poem below- which is in my award winning book- Smiling Thru the Tears, came out of my poetic rants and raves against breast cancer. It too won – Best Poem 2005.

“It Hit The Fan”

One day I’d finally had it,

Well I sure cursed Cancer out.

I took the idiot to the bathroom

And tossed my Christian values out

I opened my mouth in anger

And all the filth came pouring out

The things I heard myself say

Still makes me blush, with shame today

Well, I told breast cancer a thing or two.

I told it Where to go… I told it who to screw

I even told it what to kiss

And when it should kiss it too

That day I really lost control

I was on a roll… My dear friends

The truth be told…

I’d have cursed the whole damn world

Until that day I convinced myself

That there was no real pressure

If I could keep talking to myself

And keep tight reins on my temper

Things would work out for the best…

I just had to wait and see;

Because it was just a little test

The Lord was giving me

Needless to say the test God gave

I failed miserably

The pressure just built up in me

And I acted terribly…

I simply lost my temper

Things just couldn’t get any worse

So I locked myself in the bathroom

And like a sailor I started to curse…

“Kiss my butt Cancer

On the right side and the left

Kiss my butt cancer

For invading my right breast

You thought you had me breast cancer

Because my back was against the wall

You thought you had your hooks in me

You tried to make me crawl

But I refuse to stoop to you

You can’t conquer me at all

You can never break my spirit

I’ll continue to stand tall

The very essence of my being

you tried your hardest to disturb

And with every fiber of my being

I kicked your dumb ass to the curb.”

Copyrighted : 2003

I am no push over. The only thing is breast cancer didn’t know that…consequently, I had to show that damn fool that it was messing with the wrong woman. Trust me,  it was not easy getting to that state of mind but it was well worth the journey.  Stay tuned for the next episode of Choonks’ Chronicles… and thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Hope you’ll subscribe, link to or return to read. Make Choonks’ Chronicles one of your favorite blogs.

Continued good health and wealth, joy and happiness, until the next post …. One love!

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. I’m about to get busy with the business of blogging. Thank you for the warm welcome. Hope you enjoy and are inspired and motivated by my blog posts, to stand up and stand tall against breast cancer or any disease or situation that tries to hold you hostage.