Hey, SCB sent me a cheque for $112+. Now some money came back.... interesting.
As the year is coming to a close now, need to review... and check my bearing once again. Hmm, got a couple of new friends, gadgets, played a new game. Got myself onto some new courses and embarking on a new career plan (hopefully)... many things have happened these 51 weeks.
I hope that my dream will come true in 2008!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Farewell
Today we had a simle farewell makan for a longtime friend and colleague. She has made her choice to join another department. I feel she is heading in the right direction. Sometimes, one may have to deliberate between choices in life but most people do not like to make detours. Everyone wants to head in the right direction all the time and even if there are temporary roadblocks, one would also want to make all the right decisions in life, even if it means standing still.
Anyway, my friend has made a choice for her career. It is hard to let her go because she has been one of the best ones we've had for a long time. Fortunately, she is leaving us, or we will continue to exploit her. Hehe. Phillip was sad too. He tried dissuading her but failed. That has been her choice and I know it has been tough for her to make that choice too. I never blame her and I hope she doesn't feel bad. We just feel as if we had lost an arm or something ....
Wonder who will be leaving next...
Anyway, my friend has made a choice for her career. It is hard to let her go because she has been one of the best ones we've had for a long time. Fortunately, she is leaving us, or we will continue to exploit her. Hehe. Phillip was sad too. He tried dissuading her but failed. That has been her choice and I know it has been tough for her to make that choice too. I never blame her and I hope she doesn't feel bad. We just feel as if we had lost an arm or something ....
Wonder who will be leaving next...
Saturday, December 08, 2007
TEN LAWS of GROWTH - Dr Dan Sullivan
1. Always make your future bigger than your past
2. Always make your learning greater than your experience
3. Always make your contribution bigger than your reward
4. Always make your performance greater than your applause
5. Always make your gratitude greater than your success
6. Always make your enjoyment greater than your effort
7. Always make your cooperation greater than your status
8. Always make your confidence greater than your comfort
9. Always make your purpose greater than your money
10. Always make your questions bigger than your answers
2. Always make your learning greater than your experience
3. Always make your contribution bigger than your reward
4. Always make your performance greater than your applause
5. Always make your gratitude greater than your success
6. Always make your enjoyment greater than your effort
7. Always make your cooperation greater than your status
8. Always make your confidence greater than your comfort
9. Always make your purpose greater than your money
10. Always make your questions bigger than your answers
Human Society
Orca society is a complex one. The males live up to 50 yrs while the females more than 80. This explains why Orca society is a matriachal society. The females are more experienced.
The Orcas are such proficient hunters. They spend only 10% of their time hunting. The rest of the time is spent playing or teaching their young.
Hmm.... how much time we spend on family and our young? It says so much about how proficient we are at "food-finding". Ultimately, human existence in the raw means putting food on the table. But human society has become so complex that in the process of finding food, humans have to go into some form of exchanges ... thereby giving 'food' to another in order to obtain 'food' for one's own table. Complicated huh?
From birth, we spend about 20 years learning how to get and/or stay at a good job. For the most of us, the first 20 years of education we get probably can only equipe us to get a jobs in our own locality/culture. Although my certs and experience may get me a job in another country (thankfully) but certainly, not forever, unless I enrol myself into some kind of Continuing Professional Development. At my department, we often hear about CPD, IDP, PDS, and ROLE EXTENSION. Well, one has to get one's role extended in order to justify for more bread on the table.
Anyway, must check out how much of my time has been invested in finding food on my table vs time I spend with/for my family. But one stark reality (and no debate) is: as we grow up, our idea of what fun is actually gets more and more vague. That's for sure. You may say that adult form of 'fun' will probably get more and more sober.
The other harsh reality is that as one psycho-emotional self matures, one's physical being ages. As the latter provides the bedsoil from which the 'higher self' blossoms, there will also come a point in time when both must diminish over a certain point. Mind you, there is definitely an 'expiry date' fixed for us. Like the butterfly that first emerges from its moult, our capabilities must expand as fast as possible before our physical forms and our will get hardened.
The Orcas are such proficient hunters. They spend only 10% of their time hunting. The rest of the time is spent playing or teaching their young.
Hmm.... how much time we spend on family and our young? It says so much about how proficient we are at "food-finding". Ultimately, human existence in the raw means putting food on the table. But human society has become so complex that in the process of finding food, humans have to go into some form of exchanges ... thereby giving 'food' to another in order to obtain 'food' for one's own table. Complicated huh?
From birth, we spend about 20 years learning how to get and/or stay at a good job. For the most of us, the first 20 years of education we get probably can only equipe us to get a jobs in our own locality/culture. Although my certs and experience may get me a job in another country (thankfully) but certainly, not forever, unless I enrol myself into some kind of Continuing Professional Development. At my department, we often hear about CPD, IDP, PDS, and ROLE EXTENSION. Well, one has to get one's role extended in order to justify for more bread on the table.
Anyway, must check out how much of my time has been invested in finding food on my table vs time I spend with/for my family. But one stark reality (and no debate) is: as we grow up, our idea of what fun is actually gets more and more vague. That's for sure. You may say that adult form of 'fun' will probably get more and more sober.
The other harsh reality is that as one psycho-emotional self matures, one's physical being ages. As the latter provides the bedsoil from which the 'higher self' blossoms, there will also come a point in time when both must diminish over a certain point. Mind you, there is definitely an 'expiry date' fixed for us. Like the butterfly that first emerges from its moult, our capabilities must expand as fast as possible before our physical forms and our will get hardened.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Life is a joke you should try to enjoy while you can
Went for a haircut today, finally. Strange, it seems that now I have been counting the days. Since when I started counting, I can't remember.
Well, Life does seem like a joke sometimes. At least to me. It just seems that way, I don't know and that joke has been on me sometimes. Like I have said, "sometimes". Not everytime. But even when I see that the same joke has befallen somebody else and I see her crying her heart out, I don't think I could enjoy the joke either. Distasteful. Or sick...... Hmm, how do the angels look at it? How does God feel about it?
Sometimes I wish that things would go well for everyone, at least sometimes during the time when he or she will be well enough to enjoy them. What's the use of giving an elderly a 1-million-dollar toto windfall but let him watch his children fighting tooth and nail over the inheritance?
I attended a lesson (a trainer from Dale Carnegie Training Institute) just a week ago. He said that some people are desperately needing a break everynight. "There are 30m people hungry tonight in USA, and possibly every other night." We only remember the images of rich Americans through the TV or movie. 90% of 300 million Americans are the Americans we know of today. They are he "Ok" people, probably the "average American family" type with house, car, and a job. But there are 10% who are jobless, possibly homeless, and hungry. And not insured. They live in squatters, tunnels, and wherever to make ends meet. There are 30 million people hungry. From Winter to Summer. A population 6 times the size of Singapore.
Now, these are the sums. Consider India. 450 million people. 150 million more than that of USA.
Or a population 30times that of Singapore. The rich makes up 10%.
"In the United States at the end of 2001, 10% of the population owned 71% of the wealth, and the top 1% controlled 38%. On the other hand, the bottom 40% owned less than 1% of the nation's wealth."
How would you feel if you had nothing better to do but watch what the poor have to eat everynight? The reality is sad and too harsh that many people do not think about it. Wait until the government decides to raise fuel cost by 500%. In my country, we are probably doing it in a much better way. While I support the slight increase in prices at a pace "we" can cope with, I am beginning to worry about those who can't in the end and they fall out of the average "we". If I split Singapore into 4 parts. 1 million plus have the income means to live the Singapore "shop-till-you-drop" live. 1 million plus are too young or too old, and possible dependent on the 1 million plus who are asset-rich but heavy in recurring debts, waiting for a major catestrophe to wipe out their savings. That's why I am grateful to last 1 million plus foreigners who believe Singapore is a great place to try.
Anyway, maybe I have been working at the same damn place for too long! I have known some good folks who were joking with you at one time and the next thing, they were dead. Before long, I will probably need to apply and pay for a permit to bury myself. Life on earth is no longer a free thing... my thanks to Adam and Eve.
The bible told of the beginning when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden (where everything then was FREE). Subsequently, the land on which Adam toiled with all his life will end up in futility. That was the probably where the free lunch offer ended.
Well, Life does seem like a joke sometimes. At least to me. It just seems that way, I don't know and that joke has been on me sometimes. Like I have said, "sometimes". Not everytime. But even when I see that the same joke has befallen somebody else and I see her crying her heart out, I don't think I could enjoy the joke either. Distasteful. Or sick...... Hmm, how do the angels look at it? How does God feel about it?
Sometimes I wish that things would go well for everyone, at least sometimes during the time when he or she will be well enough to enjoy them. What's the use of giving an elderly a 1-million-dollar toto windfall but let him watch his children fighting tooth and nail over the inheritance?
I attended a lesson (a trainer from Dale Carnegie Training Institute) just a week ago. He said that some people are desperately needing a break everynight. "There are 30m people hungry tonight in USA, and possibly every other night." We only remember the images of rich Americans through the TV or movie. 90% of 300 million Americans are the Americans we know of today. They are he "Ok" people, probably the "average American family" type with house, car, and a job. But there are 10% who are jobless, possibly homeless, and hungry. And not insured. They live in squatters, tunnels, and wherever to make ends meet. There are 30 million people hungry. From Winter to Summer. A population 6 times the size of Singapore.
Now, these are the sums. Consider India. 450 million people. 150 million more than that of USA.
Or a population 30times that of Singapore. The rich makes up 10%.
"In the United States at the end of 2001, 10% of the population owned 71% of the wealth, and the top 1% controlled 38%. On the other hand, the bottom 40% owned less than 1% of the nation's wealth."
How would you feel if you had nothing better to do but watch what the poor have to eat everynight? The reality is sad and too harsh that many people do not think about it. Wait until the government decides to raise fuel cost by 500%. In my country, we are probably doing it in a much better way. While I support the slight increase in prices at a pace "we" can cope with, I am beginning to worry about those who can't in the end and they fall out of the average "we". If I split Singapore into 4 parts. 1 million plus have the income means to live the Singapore "shop-till-you-drop" live. 1 million plus are too young or too old, and possible dependent on the 1 million plus who are asset-rich but heavy in recurring debts, waiting for a major catestrophe to wipe out their savings. That's why I am grateful to last 1 million plus foreigners who believe Singapore is a great place to try.
Anyway, maybe I have been working at the same damn place for too long! I have known some good folks who were joking with you at one time and the next thing, they were dead. Before long, I will probably need to apply and pay for a permit to bury myself. Life on earth is no longer a free thing... my thanks to Adam and Eve.
The bible told of the beginning when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden (where everything then was FREE). Subsequently, the land on which Adam toiled with all his life will end up in futility. That was the probably where the free lunch offer ended.
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