Sarah and Mommy at NZ. 31 Dec 2004

Tsunami

Tsunami
"Is the Tsunami disaster an act of God?" This question was asked during the practice session in the Impromptu Speaking Club

"If this is an act of God, then I don't want to believe in this God. Because God is supposed to be kind and God," the member, H.B. answered. In my heart I think, the good and the bad, the young and the old, the fathers, the mothers and the children. No one is spared.

Who can make senses of the disaster? It's like the dragon has flexed its tail in anger before it let the year go away.

And what does that make of me.
To hell with fears. Live to the max.
Talk less, do more.
So if they ask for volunteers during a game, normally I would keep quiet.
Now, I'll probably raise my hand and go for it.
To hell with fear.
Live like there's no tomorrow.
Life's too short to worry.

By the Sea

By the Sea

1st Jan 2005 will be spent by the Sentosa beach with toastmasters of the Changi Simei TMC. The tides will come and go unceasingly. But our lives will also come and go.

26 years ago, as a secondary school boy, I was with my best friend Jonathan Tang at the East Coast beach. We were wondering what the future will bring to us. Now looking back. Yes we had the answer. Went to NS, backslided from our faith, got married, had children, had a career, grow old...and then die. And the young ones take our lives and carry on their lives. One generation after another.

Now looking back, 46 years of my life has past. I've got an awful lot to live for. Knowing that things are transient, I hold nothing too dear cos when I die, I can't bring them with me.

God has given my eldest sister only 40 years of her life. But God was generous to give me a little more years. I'm grateful.

As I stand and stare at the beach. I reminded that I'm just a passing pilgrim. The beach will always be there. The waters will always be there. But I will not be there every year. Someday I too will vanish from the scene. Then forgotten. Like the writing on the sand, it too will be washed away by the tides of time. And no trace of it.

Today the flower blooms with colors and glory. Tomorrow it withers with age and then...die. Vanity, vanity. All is vanity.

Reflection

Reflection
End of the year is always a time of reflection.
It was the most painful time of my life because of Marie.

On the brighter side:
The Impromptu Club was started.
The Singapore Self Publishing Club was also started.
Graduated from STADA with a Diploma in Training
New websites were launched.
Better family bond.
Year end bonus.
Got the ATM-S in toastmasters
Completed 2 books - impromptu speaking and innovation
Started a course in hypnosis
Learnt about copywriting
Did a public workshop with some of the great people
Join the RC and get some door-to-door selling experience
Found a new hobby in tattoos

What 2005 might bring:
..massive rapid action in writing and speaking

I got an Aweful Lot to live for

I got an Aweful Lot to live for

"For the past two weeks, you've been reading about a bad break. Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I might have been given a bad break, but
I've got an awful lot to live for. "

That was an encouraging quote. Despite the bad beak, I have got an awful lot to live for. Life is too short to complain. Rejoice while it is day.

Singapore Idol - Gone to the Head

Singapore Idol - Gone to the Head

The "Singapore Idol" idea has gone too far - into some big boss's head
It was a company luncheon and the committee decided to have a karaoke entertainment
sung by own staff to entertain each other during the lunch.

Big Boss decide to have a Singapore Idol style, to have the branch heads as the judges and have the audience voted for them.
Almost all the singers want to quit.
"I don't want to sing!"
Hello, Who want to be judged, to be criticised?
They are not here to win competition or contest.
They are here to entertain the crowd.

High rank does not mean high IQ.
They just don't get it.

Slaves to Rules

Slaves to Rules

Yesterday I hunt all over Simei and Tampines for some Singapore postcards. No luck. Popular bookstores don't sell Singapore postcards anymore. Went to a bookstore in Tampines.
Found some cards with pictures of nature and some inspiring verses
$2 for 3 cards. I picked up 4 cards.
The gentleman at the counter said he can't sell me 4 cards. It's either 3 or 6 cards.

I thought that was a dumb rule. Got money don't want to make.
Why have we allow ourselves to become slaves to our own rules?

Do not Just Exist - Live it!

Do not Just Exist - Live it!

Here's a note from Jolin:

"Remembering telling my art students this...
Do more than exist...live!
Do more than touch...feel!
Do more than look...see!
Do more than hear...listen!
Do more than talk...Say something!
Do more than just smell a fragrance...enjoy it!

I guess we should all learn to break free from our so-called comfort
zone and learn to experience life in a brand new way. I believe in
life, change is the only constant and we should not be afraid to make
changes to our mundane routine in our pursuit for happiness.

...as everyone around me has been trying to dissuade me,
saying it is so dumb to give up my iron-rice bowl. Even
my HOD rejected my resignation letter. :(

But I think I must not crucify myself between two thieves, regret for
yesterday and fear of what tomorrow may bring. Just follow my heart
and have faith. :)"

Life is Short

Life is Short
My dad's birthday celebration was cancelled.
My mum was admitted to hospital.
My uncle is now blind and immobilised.
The pain of life...

Iris Chang Died

Iris Chang Died
Iris Chang, the author of "The Rape of Nanking" died.
It was said that she was suffering from depression.
The sadness must be too heavy to bear.

For her unique contribution, alas, what a loss.

The ink has stop flowing.
The pen has stop moving.
A minute silence
for a beloved soul.

Reasons Why I Write

Reasons Why I Write

[This article is written by Nick Usborne. The archives of all previous ExcessVoice articles can be found here:

http://www.excessvoice.com/archive.htm]

In no particular order, here are the five reasons why I like to earn my

living as a freelance writer...



1. If I lose one job, I have others.



I hate the idea of putting my future in the hands of any one company or

employer. Having a ‘job’ may be fine. But that job can disappear at any

time, through changes in ‘market conditions’, or through the incompetence

or bad luck of a single manager or business owner. No thanks. I’d rather

be at the mercy of my own incompetence.



I like to have a few jobs on the go, and have one or two on the horizon as

well. If one ‘job’ disappears, it’s no big deal. I have others. In other

words, I never have all my eggs in one basket. (Although from time to time

I may find myself with rather too many eggs in just one or two baskets.

But no system is perfect.)



2. I can work from home or from anywhere else.



I’m sitting at the kitchen table right now. I could be on the couch. I

could be on a plane, in a hotel, on the beach, up a tree, in a meeting.

The main point being, I’m not stuck in some cubicle somewhere. Most of the

time I can be wherever I want.



3. I get to choose when I work and when I don’t.



This is kind of true. But don’t get too excited about the freedom to

choose one’s working hours when you work for yourself. More often than

not, what you get is the freedom to work twelve hours a day, six days a

week. But let’s not look on the gloomy side of things. At least I don’t

step out the front door at the same time each morning, rain or shine. I

don’t waste hours each week in traffic. And yes, if there is a bit of a

lull in my work, I’ll take some time off.



4. I’m always learning something new



For a couple of years I worked for a company on their e-commerce site. It

was a full-time job. And yes, I found it interesting to get to know and

understand that business in depth. But in the end, I became bored.



As a freelance writer I get to work with a huge variety of different

people, companies and organizations. Every week I am learning something

new. This may not work for everyone, but it certainly suits the way my

brain is wired.



5. I get paid well



Could I earn what I do now as an employee somewhere? I doubt it. And for

sure, I’m always complaining about having too much work or too little.

There’s no pleasing me. But at the end of the day, being a freelance

writer has done well for me.



Finally, I’ll just come back to that first reason again. Being my own boss

as a copywriter means I’ll never lose my job. (Anyone else out there smell

tough economic times on the way?)



** If you found value in the article, please forward this newsletter to

colleagues and friends who might be interested.

Kids Talk - Understand?

Kids Talk - Understand?

Conversation between parent and 4-year old Sarah.
All stories are true.

Sarah was up to her mischief. After a brief lecture...
Dad: Do you understand?
Sarah: I'm understanding. But I don't understand what you say.

Sarah trying to teach her mum what to do...
Mum: You think I'm stupid?
Sarah: Sorry. You are not yet.

Twilight of a Warrior

Twilight of a Warrior

There comes a rare moment when you read the words of a writer, that's so poetic, so eloquent, so moving that you could read it a thousand, and each time, it still thrills you.

Here's one such article by M.J. AKBAR, a Pakistani journalist who wrote in article on Mr Arafat.

"There comes a moment when every man's obituary appears on his face.

Suddenly the hero of a hundred battles is suffused with a childlike helplessness, and his hand clutches for support from a friend, unsure whether this will be his last gesture.

It is a moment of truth beyond denial.

It is the face of a man who has seen the approach of the angel of death
and knows that there can be no negotiation, nothing but submission to ....God.

It was such a face that Yasser Arafat presented to the television cameras that glimpsed him on Oct 28.

Etched on that face was the realiseation that, while God might yet grant Arafat longer life,
his days as commander-in-chief of the Palestinian resistance were over."

Climbing Mount Everest

Climbing Mount Everest

Today as I heard David Lim spoke about his Mount Everest Adventure, I was wowed by the slides show how dangerous a mountain climb can be.
A narrow ladder across a deep crevice.
Just one slip and you won't even hear the echo from the fall. It's like falling into the sky upside down.

In business you lose your shirt.
But in mountain climbing you could lose your limbs or lives.

David talks about passion. If we have passion for our work, even the long hours becomes a delight, a pleasure instead of pressure.

If we don't get excited waking up in the morning and look forward to the events of the day, it's time to make a change. To look into your passion. To turn your passion into a profit.

After years of preparation, he finally achieved his dream. The achievement mean the end of that dream. Then he turned to his next Everest which was to run his own training business. Despite losing his bodily function, he was able to summon all his inner resources to reach his next 'Everest'. Today, he is living his dream and inspiring others to live their dreams too.

David ended his 45 minutes talk by asking the audience:
"What kind of morning are you waking up to ?"

He ended by saying: "The most successful people aren't those who have 100% of everything but uses 100% of everything they've."

Well said.
It's not what you have. It's what you use.
The reason for failure is not the lack of knowledge, it's the lack of action.

People pay lots of money to attend a seminar like these.
They listen. They get inspired. They leave the room.
One month later, life goes on....life before.
What has changed?
Nothing...for 99% of the audience.

Video Blogging

Video Blogging

Catch the new revolution in blogging at http://www.seriousmagic.com
Another website is at instantvideogenerator.com.

Video clips is not new. But video clips on the Internet?
That's now possible, thanks to cable modem in Singapore.

New technology means new products.
If text is to 'DOS', then Video is to WINDOWS.

Nothing excites the human mind like a video clip.
Just watching the 5 minutes video clip at a wedding dinner is like seeing
a life-in-a-day event flash before your eyes.

Mr Brown once commented about condensing the story of 4 years of her kid's life in just one hour video clip.

Now, that gives meaning to the word 'seeing your life flash before your eyes'.
Pornography has use this technology to the max.
Who could be the next money earner by capitalising on this video streaming technology?

It is said that people read less and less.
It is said that few people read a book from cover to cover.

It's the MTV generation. Short attention span. Get bored fast.
The challenge of the writer is to fire up all their senses and move them to action.

Certificate - Must Have Lah!

In Singapore, if anyone attends a course or training, a certificate is expected.
We are a paper-crazy nation. Because authorities and employers expect that.
No paper no talk.

There are four jobs where you probably don't need a certificate to prove your worth: writer, entrepreneur, artist and hooker.

If we want to work for organisation, they probably want to see your certification as proof that you have a foundation in your trade. Even > the govt continue to enforce that 'perception' when they want TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioners to be certified. Could you imagine these people are apprentices who learn from their masters on the job training for years? They do not know how to measure a person's competency other than a paper qualification. Sad.

But times are gradually changing. Private schools and universities are
churning out paper-qualified students who cannot do the job. Papers
are not enough. Now some want to tell your competency as well.

The two places I know that test you purely on competency is the a certain International Coaching Certificate and Professional Speaker. They don't care what degree or what experience you have. Only if you can pass the test of proficiency by demonstrating your skill and assessed by qualified evaluators, then you get the certificate.

I, myself was a proficient programmer even before I got any paper qualification. But still I have to fork out 5 years of my life and thousands of dollars in order to get my diploma and degree paper, just so that I can get a job with organisation.

There was nothing the school could teach me, that I could not learn myself.

I had also run my own software company before. I don't need to show my customers my qualification. My proof is in the job done. If I get it done, I get paid. If I don't deliver, I return them the money.

I learn more about any subject by reading the best 100 books on that subject written by the best minds in the world for just $2,000 than spending $14,000 listening to some lecturers vomiting the content of less than 10 textbooks.

Now if we are any wiser, we should stop judging people by their certificate and look at what's inside them. Or read Han's book on 'So What if You Don't have any Degree..."

Here's a response from a fellow writer:

"You can say what you want. But what can a bunch of
people do if they thought certificates is not equal to
experience. Will the government listen? Will the world
listen? If they did, we can do away with schools and
go for this sort of paperless education. But i think
it won't happen in a thousand years."

Remaking Singapore: Get rid of Kiasuism

Remaking Singapore: Get rid of Kiasuism

There is a book on Fighting Against Terrorism.
What we need is a book on Fighting Against Kiasuism.
Just like the book on Somebodies and Nobodies, about rankism.

We talking about remaking Singapore, about raising entreprenuers who are risk takers and independent thinkers. Yet we insist on so much safeguards to ensure we don't get hurt.
What the man at the top says doesn't quite translate on the ground yet.

If we don't let our children run and fall, when will they ever learnt?
If we have to tell our citizens what to do and what not to do, to make every decision for them, when will they ever learn think for themselves?

When the Chick flu break out, the people were least alarmed.
"The government will know what to do," they said.

Remember the reason give for the previous ban on bar top dancing?
They were afraid people will get hurt.

Why has it been so difficult dealing with civil servants?
They don't want to be responsible for their own action.
This kind of thinking permeates to everyone.

Recently a mother was heart broken because a govt-board took her child away
for months for alleged child abuse. She wanted to go abroad for a while to recuperate before she lose her mind.

Her lawyer advised her against it.
Why? Scared the agency thinks she was running away.
So the lawyer wrote a letter stating that he had advised her against travelling and he would not be responsible for the consequence.

"It's not my fault."
"Don't blame me."

If we truly want a remaking, a transformation, we probably need a new campaign - "Don't Be a Kiasu"

Innovation - Get rid of him

Innovation - Get rid of him

If you want to hear the truth from the ground, get rid of the official person who tags with you.

How often when a VIP visits a place, it is spruced up with pots of flowers, the ground laid with red carpets, the floors and walls are sparkling clean, the car tyres are kiwied, not a hair is out of place.

What they saw was not the real thing. Just a demonstration.
One day Bill Gates went to St Peter's Gate and was given a choice of heaven and hell.
He visited heaven and saw a choir in white, singing songs. He's not a singer and singing not his cup of tea.
Next he visited Hell and saw a rowdy group having fun drinking and dancing. That looks good.
He chose Hell. Two weeks into hell, St Peter came a visiting.
Bill Gates couldn't wait to complain.
"Where the girls, the booze and the fun?" he asked
"That's just a demonstration" Peter answered.

The Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a very very wise man.
He did what nobody ever done.

He visited one or two schools weekly, alone, without a single Education Ministery official in tow, to encourage frank dialogue with teachers and students. He lunches regularly with teachers and meet employers and community leaders to tap their views on education.

If you want to know the truth, come alone. Unannounce.

Education: Prepare Children for Test of Life, Not Life of Test

Education: Prepare Children for Test of Life, Not Life of Test
The Education Minister Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a wise man.
Not just a wise man. But a VERY wise man.

Previously he was the Acting Education Minister. A student innocently asked him why is he the ACTING Minister. Teachers used to tell students to stop acting like one and be the real one.

In an interview, he said, "We have to broaden our definitions of merit, because that's what the real world looks for. We have to prepared our kids for the test of life, not a life of test."

Bravo. Well said. Because all our student lives, our usefulness as a person is defined by how well we scored in our exams. It don't mean a thing if you can dance like a swan, or kick a ball like Fandi. It does not matter if you can sing like an angel or run like a horse. Because it has no merit.

I have returned all the knowledge to the school. I need a calculator to add the sums. The calculus - there are long buried in the school grounds.

What I want my children to learn from school are values. What's right and what's wrong. What's the consequence of every action. How to solve their problems creatively. How to see the bigger picture. How to make choices in life. How to make a life. How to making a living. And finding the meaning in life.

It's about not memorising the fact. It's about knowing where to find the information when you need it.

Kids Talk - I'm Not Running

Kids Talk - I'm Not Running

While waiting for the tea ceremony at the room, Sarah was found running round and round the room, chasing after a boy her age. She sweated. Her cold sweat could make her ill.
But she won't listen.
"I want, I want, I want"

Just how adults can themselves into troubles when they pander to their wants and ignore the consequence.

Short term pleasure, long term pain.

The next time, I told Sarah how disappointed I was.
She sure has a way to defend herself.
"I'm not running. I'm exercising!" she reasoned with me.

Act of Apathy

Act of Apathy
Taxis.
When you don't need them, they are everywhere.
But when you need them, they are nowhere to be found.
Especially at 11.30pm at Suntec City on a Sunday.

There were some 10 people in the queue but taxis were hard to come back.
One taxi driver confessed that prior to midnight, they would have a cup of coffee at the coffeeshop and wait for midnight to strike.

My wife suggested that I call for a cab. A $2 surcharge. In less than a minute, the miracle taxi appeared from nowhere.
See, what money can do.
Money can move the mountain.
Money can make a miracle too!.
Taxi number 7313 arrived and we gladly deposited ourselves inside the taxi.
Suddenly a caucasian walked towards the driver. He lowered the glass window.
I could see his frustration. He pleaded with the taxi driver to call his colleagues to bring the taxis in.

"It's your money!" he reasoned.

Not a word. Not a nod. He drived off. Not even a call to Comfort HQ to request for taxis.
If taxi drivers ever complain that they have no business running on empty roads, blame it on their colleagues who do not want to update the HQ where the queues are.

The same problem happened the night before, at 6.00 pm on a Saturday.
It takes an angmo to voice out, to do something about it.
The rest kept quiet about it and beared the inconvenience.

Act of Kindness

Act of Kindness
Sarah, aged 4, did the most unusual thing at her cousin Roy& Fern's wedding. While friends were streaming out of the room, mingling and shaking hands at the lobby, she went to every single of them. Holding a bunch of roses, she bowed low before them and say 'Thank you'. She did that to every single one of them, about some 30 people. As they leave the door, she say, "Bye".

Then another surprise. She disappeared into the dinner room. There were some 20 staff unpacking the tables. She went to every single one of them, bowed her head 90% with a bunch of roses and say "Thank you".

The staff were surprised and recipocrated. One of the staff gave her a red rose. It put a smile on their face. I was embarrassed. I called Sarah to come back. She simply ignored me and do her own thing. As always.

I'm so proud of her. I did not teach her to do that. She just do it her way.

She has done an act of kindness by thanking the waitresses and waiters. My child is my teacher.

Formal or Casual?

Formal or Casual?

A big-shot complaint how a 6-star hotel staff refused his entry to the restaurant because he was wearing shorts. These days, Singaporeans even wear jeans to the wedding and gala dinners. Even a movie star was seen wearing a tuxedo with short at a gala event. Singaporeans also wear shorts and sandals to church.

Casual
Mr Brown said that his God is a very casual one. So he thinks that his God won't mind.
In this hot tropical climate, we should go the way of the Hawaiian. Have you seen a bar served by macho guys with the most splendid uniform - topless? Their 'six durian seeds' in the abs are a sight to behold. That's visual art, man!

Wearing a suit and tie is a Western thing. Reminds one of the colonial heritage. And a tie is like a dog latch on the collar. Feel stifle like a slave. I hate suit and will never wear one. We are Asian, not Western copycat. Like Jacky Chan, feeling proud wearing the 'kungfu' suit.

Now that the President of country dress casually while touching base with the commoners, our perception of royalty has somewhat change.


Formal
But some say formality is a show of respect and professionalism.

If you are to come to the presence of the king, surely you want to dress your best? What more in a church, coming together in HIS presence?

Surely, you don't want your friends to come to your wedding in shorts? Being formal means being at your best. We say that we should not judge a book by its cover. But the fact is that we do judge a book by its cover. That's why it has to be well packaged to give it a professional look.

Say, I have good content in a book. If I self print in a ring-binder without a book cover, would you buy it?

Me? I don't care about form or packaging. I care about the content. If I know the content is priceless, I will get it even if the pages are worned out, stained with coffee mark and the cover is damn ugly.

If the coffee is good, I will go for it even if it is in the lowly neighbourhood coffee shop.

Singaporeans Losing their Asian Soul

Singaporeans Losing their Asian Soul

Mr Ngiam Tong Dow said that Singaporeans are in danger of losing their roots and their Asian souls.

Schools neglect to teach history and literature.

Dialects were banned from the mass media. With it, the death of our cultural roots.

The young are becoming more westernised. How not, when we are fed on a daily diet of Hollywood culture.

Look at the mandarin channel TV. All I heard is shouting and quarrelling. Is that the way people resolve conflict.

Look at the English Channel TV. Not happy? Bang Bang. Violence seems to be the answer.
The programmes you see on TV are a cheap imitation of the West.
Where's the originality?

Kid's Talk - Where's the Money

Kid's Talk - Where's the Money

I was deep in thought.
Sarah asked me what was I thinking.
I said, "You want burger for breakfast. I can only get you bread. I don't have the money to buy you a burger."

She comforted me, "Don't worry dad. I'll go to the shop and buy some money for you!"

.Kid's Talk: Where's the Woman

Kid's Talk: Where's the Woman?

Sarah, 4-year old daughter and I were waiting for Aunty Lilian at the airport.
"Where's him? Where him?", she keep asking me at the waiting area.
"It's not him. It's her. She's a woman, not a man!" I corrected her.
"Where's the woman?" she asked me again.

How to be Acquainted with a Subject

How to be Acquainted with a Subject
"The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it."

~ Benjamin Disraeli

How to Help Your Children learn Languages

How to Help Your Children Learn Languages

The following activities can help your child practise using different languages:

Describe daily routines such as bath time. Initially, children hear lots of unrelated sounds but as the activity becomes more familiar and predictable, they begin to learn words such as shower and soap, and the objects or actions these refer to.

Name things together. A simple way is to look at picture books over and over together and ask your child to repeat the names of objects after you.

Vary your child's experiences by visiting different places - the bird park, shopping centres, Botanic Gardens and others. Every new experience provides opportunities to learn new words and different ways to express oneself.

Look at, listen and respond to your child. Besides bonding with him, you also provide him with a role model from whom he can learn to produce speech sounds.

Play games with your child. For example, when he is two or three years old, he may pretend to go shopping, visit a doctor or behave like a storybook character. This will let him practise expressing what he thinks and engage someone else in communication.

Read to your child and talk about the stories. He will pick up phrases, sentences and words, and how to use them. This is important to improve vocabulary and grammar, among other things.

Talk to your child at mealtimes. This will require him to use language in different ways, such as to recount events that happened at school. He will learn how to make information explicit so it can be understood by others.

Use different languages often, and well. If you want your child to learn English well, ensure you and other family members use the correct grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

Finally, give your child plenty of opportunities to hear family members conversing with others in a variety of languages in his early years.

Besides acquiring new languages, your child will also learn to appreciate the cultural diversity that surrounds him.

-- Dr Christine Goh and Dr Peter Gu are assistant professors of English language at the National Institute of Education.

Dr Goh is a specialist in linguistics and language. Her interest is how language is acquired and developed, especially in the areas of listening and speaking competence.

Dr Gu is a specialist in language learning strategies, particularly in learning vocabulary.

Their work has been published extensively in academic journals. They spoke to LYNN LEE.

(Extracted From Straits Times dated 18 Oct 2004)

I learned That

I learned That

I've learned....
That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned....
That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned....
That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

I've learned....
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned....
That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned....
That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned....
That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned....
That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned....
That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned....
That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned....
That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned....
That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned....
That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned....
That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned...
That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned....
That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

I've learned....
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned....
That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned....
That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned....
That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned....
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned....
That there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

I've learned....
That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned....
That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned....
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned....
That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned....
That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.

I've learned....
That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned....
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned....
That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

I've learned....
That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned....
That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned...
That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation.

I've learned....
That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Author Unknown
(Contributed by Dr Mani)

The Joy of Giving

The Joy of Giving

"What you keep to yourself, you lose. What you give away, you keep forever." --Axel Munthe

Rent a Hubby

Rent a Hubby - He Tries Harder

That's the advertisement from Straits Times dated 12 Oct 04.

"What if you can rent men of your choice to do what good husbands are suposed to do?. What is Hubbies4Hire? For full details, please go to http://www.e-ws.comhubbies..."

Isn't this a modern variation of social escort services?
Wonder what could be next?

Wife for hire?
Maid for hire?
Boyfriend for hire?
Girlfriend for hire?

In South Korea, couples who are getting married can rent a 'parent' or friends to make up the numbers in a wedding dinner.

Gems of a Writer

Gems of a Writer

Today I discovered a wonderful writer in Robert Harris
He wrote some stuff on satire, creative problem solving, plagiarism and a book called
Writing with Clarity and Style: A Guide to Rhetorical Devices for Contemporary Writers.

His stuff are a must-have for writers and speakers.

What are they Singing About?

What are they Singing About?

My 4-year old Sarah was sitting on the sofa with me, watching a rock band singing on TV. The singer was screaming rather than singing. I couldn't catch the lyrics.

Turning to her, I said:"I have no idea what they are singing".
"Do you what they are singing", I asked her.

"I know what they are singing", she smiled.
"They are singing in MALAY!"

Ps: Sarah don't understand Malay. She watches the cartoon series 'Sesame Streets' on the Malay Channel.

How Much Do You Earn?

How Much Do You Earn?

Take a minute to answer this question.
How much you per hour?
Let me estimate.

If you are a cab driver, $10
If you are a tutor, $20
If you are a top notch programmer, $25
If you are a lawyer, its $400!!!

Now you know the vast difference in pay,
realise it's not how hard you work.
Labourers and maids work the hardest, yet they got the least.

In the law and health profession, the supply is controlled and limited by the powers.
And the customers had no choice.

For example, if you operate the only toilet or the only drink store in a crowded area,
you can raise the price sky high, outrageous price and get away with it. Cos the customers have no choice.

For example, if you have a boat to freedom, escapees will pay you everything for the trip.

A limited supply with desperate customers is the magic formula.
Desperate customers will pay you everything for health, for wealth, for freedom.

What can you offer for their money?

Don't Confuse me with the Fact

Don't Confuse me with the Fact

There is a dangerous thinking among some people.
And that is: they had pre-conceived ideas. Once they made up their mind about what they want to believe, they will use every bits of information to support their pre-conceived stands.

For eg. in a child abuse investigation, the social worker could have already presumed that the person is guilty and would try to dig every incidents to support her view. With skillful interpretation and and skewing of statistics, one could paint an innocent person guilty.

"Don't confuse me with the fact".

They filter their mind. They only hear what they want to hear, they only hear things that support their motion.

This is most obvious in a court of law. One party paints him black, the other paints him white.
The better painter wins the game of persuasion in the jungle of deception . Win or lose, the customers suffer, the painters laughing their way to the bank. And the judge plays God.

What Good is Your Wisdom?

What Good is Your Wisdom?

In Chinese, we say 'lau chin yuen' meaning 'old wisdom'.
I had a chit chat with my taxi driver morning.
He said 'old wisdom' should be called 'obsolete wisdom'
In the days of old, you can boast that you have 20-year experience as a car mechanic.
But are such experience relevant today?
The car system has changed drastically. It doesn't work the way it used to be.
In fact, such 'wisdom' becomes a liability.

We have to learn to unlearn.

No wonder, organisations prefer to employ younger staff who have better qualification, up to date on the current technology and thinking and cheaper salary.

The older works are more costly, set in their ways, and less open to new ideas.

Why gum sales are recorded

Why gum sales are recorded

Quoted in the Straits Times dated 28th Sep 2004:

"WE REFER to Mr Wong Hsien Wu's letter, 'No reason to register gum sales' (ST, Sept 9).

The Ministry of Health allows the sale of chewing gum with medicinal/dental value by a pharmacist to customers. Our current regulations require records to be kept so as to verify transactions if the need arises.

JEANNIE THNG (MS)
Deputy Director
Corporate Communications
for Chief Executive Officer
Health Sciences Authority"

Wow. What an excellent example of a government official template reply. An answer that is not an answer.

I think what the reader want to ask is:
"Why do you need to register for gum sales and not the other sales?".
"What do you do with the information?"

I'm clueless how the registration is going to serve whatever purpose it had in mind.

I have one to contribute too:

"Can you help me?"
"No, I'm busy"
"What are you busy about?"
"I'm busy doing nothing.

Why Self-Help Books Don't Help

Why Self-Help Books Don't Help

It is not the number of books you read,

nor the variety of sermons you hear,

but it is the frequency and earnestness

with which you meditate on these things

till the truth in them becomes your own and

part of your being, that ensures your growth.



--F.W. Robertson

No Money No Talk

No Money No Talk

Let me relate 4 stories:

Story 1:
Here's a country club for the rich, where members paid up to $100,000. A man fell by the kerb, in the vicinity of the club, and laid on the ground, under the rain. People passed by. Cars passed by. Not a samaritan came to help...for 20 minutes until a staff came to his help.

The moral of the story: Being rich materially and business smart has no relationship to kindness.

Story 2:
In a certain country, a home owner sent his renovation plans to the authorities for approval. Wait and wait and wait. No response.
Call and call and call. No response.
Write and write and write. No response... for 7 months.
Until he had to give them some coffee-money and the approval came in suddenly in matters of days. The wonder of money to make things happen.

Story 3:
If you are in a certain country, and you are driving along the highway and a traffic police stop you and says you are overspeeding. But you know you didn't.

Either you:
1. pay him some pocket money, or
2. you go with him to the Police Station, and make your defence, go through the inconvenience and delay your journey.

What would most motorists do? Pay up

Story 4:
For some reasons, you got entangled with the law. The Police wants to interview you to clarify some matters. Your statements are recorded. Anything you say can be used against you. You don't want to end up with a Police charge. Maybe some advice from a criminal lawyer will help.

What's the charge for a one-time consultancy? $500 fees!!!

Can you help thinking that the lawyers are laughing their way to the banks?
Can you help thinking that justice is expensive?
Is the outcome dependent on who argues better?

Maybe there's some truth in the saying: "No money no talk"

What Have You Learnt Today?

What Have You Learnt Today?

Coming home from work I conversed with Sarah, my 4-year old old daughter.
"Did you learn anything today?"
"Yes"
"What did you learnt?", I asked
"I don't know what I learnt today".

My child is my teacher. Their mind untainted by the scepticism of adults.
"I dont' know what I learnt today". A familar sentiments of adults.
Is it cos of information overload?
Or are we busy running our lives that we are lost in the jungle, that we forget to pause lost
and reflect upon our purpose and meaning in life?

Blessed are the Ignorant

Blessed Are the Ignorant

Some 'newbies' came up with ideas, do it and succeed, to the amazement of skeptics who said "it could not be done".

These newbies did not know that it could not be done in the first place.
Ignorance is bliss.

Guy Kawasaki in his book "Ideas for Revolutionaries", mentioned a formula:
"Create like a God, Command like a King, and Work like a slave".

Weird Book Titles

Weird Book Titles

"How To almost Make A Million Dollars - I almost did it and you can almost do it too"

World Piece or One Piece?

World Piece or One Piece?
One of the unsung hero of Singapore idol whispered to the ears of Gurmit Singh: "I want to work for world peace."

"What?" Gurmit couldn't hear his careless whisper.
Raising his two fingers, he repeated "World Peace"

Sarah, age 4, repeated after him: "One piece"
"No, it's world peace, not one piece", I tried to correct her.

Sarah shaked her head in disbelief at my stupidity.
She raise her index finger and said slowly "One piece".
Then she showed me two fingers.

"Two piece".

Father and child got into an endless argument.
To her, there's no such thing as "world peace" because it is not in her vocabulary.
I don't know how to explain the meaning of world peace to a 4-year old kid.

I let her win her argument. She smiled in victory.

This reminds me about God and man. Man tried to comprehend the ways of God according to his own limited understanding. That's why God say in the Bible, "Trust in the Lord, acknowledge him and don't lean upon your own understanding".

Evolution of Words

Evolution of Words

2000 BC - Thy words have I HIDE in my HEART that I might not....
2000 AD - Your words have I TATTOO in my BACK that I might not...
2020 AD - Your words have I IMPLANT in my CHIP that I might not..

How Free Am I?

How Free Am I?

It was a good exercise when I went through the list and realize how I'm progressing through the years.

1. You have no desire to change places in life with anyone else. 

2. You step over setbacks without stopping or looking back. 

3. You accept and appreciate praise, but never take it to heart. 

4. You don't overeat or feel driven to diet. 

5. You don't think about your sex life. 

6. You meet and do what's true without fear of the consequences. 

7. You really don't want anything from anyone. 

8. You stop thinking about how much money you may or may not have. 

9. You don't carry any upset from the last moment into the present one.

10. You have no interest in old resentments. 

11. You start spending more time alone and enjoying it more. 

12. You stop dreaming of the perfect vacation. 

13. You're neither frightened nor shocked by the evening news. 

14. You stop making deals with yourself. 

15. You dress for comfort, not for compliments. 

16. You lose all interest in trying to win mental arguments. 

17. You don't blame anyone else for the way you feel. 

18. You forget what it was you didn't like about someone. 

19. You're awake to and spontaneously considerate of the needs of others.

20. You see beauty in life where you never could see it before. 

21. Your life gets progressively simpler. 

22. You see where you're wrong sooner than later, and stop defending

yourself faster.

23. You do what you need to do (but don't want to do) and you do it with a

lighter spirit.  24. You're not afraid of having nothing to say or do, if

that's your true condition.

25. You can take criticism without cringing away from the truth it may

hold.

26. You have no concern for what others may think of you. 

27. You stop trying to make others see life in your way. 

28. You enjoy the sound of silence as much or more than the sound of your

own voice.  29. You see the same unpleasant traits within yourself

that have made you shun others.  30. You say what you want, and not what

you think others may want to hear you say. 

31. You actually enjoy hearing about the good fortune of someone else. 

32. You see more and more just how unfree you and others really are. 

33. You're moods are fewer, lighter, and move on much quicker. 

34. You see that society is destroying itself and that the only solution

is self change. 

35. You can listen to others without the need to thell them what you

know. 

36. You don't find a thrill in any kind of fear. 

37. You know that forgiveness of others is the kindest thing you can do

for yourself. 

38. You realize that the world is the way it is because you are the way

you are. 

39. You'd rather not think about yourself. 

40. You can't come up with one good reason why you should ever be

anxious or frightened.  



(Excerpted from Freedom From the Ties That Bind by Guy Finley  1999

Llewellyn Publications)	

His website at http://www.guyfinley.com .

Let Me Think About It

Let Me Think About it

Nelson said, "Nothing has been achieved by thinking about it".

Another said that motion does not mean progress.

Happy 48

Happy 48
A Birthday note to my boss:

Today's Your Special Day,

We stop our work to shout horray.

Today you turn forty-eight

Let's celebrate with crepe, cakes and red eggs.

This World Is Not My Home

This World Is Not My Home
I'm just a passing through.
My treasures are laid up,
Somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me
From Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore.

Oh Lord, you know.
I have no friends like you.
If heaven's not my home
Then Lord, what shall I do.

The angels beckon me
from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore.

Tomorrow Might Never Come

Tomorrow Might Never Come

Tomorrow, I might Never Come;
The in-tray is never empty.
There's email to be read.
The job is never done.

It's ok if other don't appreciate my work.
I found a friend in myself.
I appreciate my own self worth.
And that's good enough for me.

Someday, the curtain mst come donw.
And the show must come to an end.
Meanwhile, I 'm giving away all my treasures
And clearing all the clutters.

If tomorrow never come. I'll remember your smile.
Don't cry for me when I'm no longer around
Goodbye for now
I'll see you around.

~ sam choo

A Silly Little Poem

A Silly Little Poem

My teachers taught us poetry appreciation from the 'classical' age but
did not teach us how to write poems. I didn't know that poetry is
suppose to be fun, easy and could be part of everyday expression.

I stumble upon it accidentally. In a fun way.

You see. I have a 4-year old daughter.

Everytime she goes to the toilet I have to remind her to do a host of
things...otherwise she will run out to the living room naked and wet.

I'll sing her the instruction:

Dry your hands,
Dry your feet.

Clap your hands,
stamp your feet.

Wear your pants and
shake your hips

She sang with me and bravo, the job is done.
No screaming needed.

Fatherhood: Conversation with a kid

Fatherhood- Conversation with a kid

I was watching a Tamil movie together with my 4-year old kid. As usual, the couple would dance and sing in the rain.

"Why they never bring their umbrella?", she asked me.

I'm stumped.

"Daddy, come and play with me!", she pleaded with me.

So I joined her to cook a fish. I smell the (toy) fish's mouth.

"Eek, bad breath. Can I brush her teeth with toothbrush and toothpaste?" I asked her.

I couldn't fool her with that one. She was smarter than I thought.

"Darling, now go and wash the fish." I played along with this make-believe.

"...But I don't have shampoo!!!", she replied.

Beginner Code of Conduct

Beginner's Code of Conduct.
A mediocre talent with great drive goes further than a superior talent with little drive.

About Blogging

Blogs
Some like it. Some don't. Some have it.
Some have no ideas what it is.

I have a few blogs. Each focuses on ONE subject. Blogs are easiest way to update your website. No need to learn HTML or FTP or what not.

I blog cos I take the guru's advice literally to write something everyday. A writer writes just as a painter paints. It helps cos through practice you'll find your own unique voice.

I think it is good to start a blog. At least, for learning sake. Never know when it comes in useful. There's so much learn in blogging - how to create one, change the template, add-on features, RSS, etc.

www.goldblogging.com and www.goldblogger.com show you how to make money out of blogging.

The key to success is to focus on a niche subject and update it regularly. It increase your visibility, enhance your brand, and showcase your portfolio.

But be ready for public criticism and some loose nuts. Some love you. Some hate you. No matter what.

The 30 Day Challenge

Sep 11. I announced to the Singapore Self Publishers Club the 30-Day Challenge - to write and publish a book in 30 days.

Brilliant Thoughts of All Time

"If you educate a man you educate a person, but if you educate a woman you educate a family." ~ Ruby Manikan

"A man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them" ~ Mark Twain

How to Be a Best-Selling Author Without Writing a Word!

How to Be a Best-Selling Author Without Writing a Word!

Unbelievable but true. As they say, "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Pamela Anderson is now the New York Times best-selling author of "A Star: A Novel", which she didn't even write.

When asked about her literaray inspiration, she says: "I don't read novels."

Behind the book is obviously someone - a ghostwriter. The 204-page novel was completed in 28 days.

What it means for ghostwriters is that there is a world of opportunities for them. There are good customers they can write for - people with fame like celebrites and politicians, people with fortune (those who makes a lot of money but don't have the time to write), and people with a life-time worth of wisdom.

And there are people who are on their deathbed. Wouldn't it be all in vain to see their lifetime memories, experience and knowledge buried with them and lost forever?

Ghostwriters play wonderful roles. They are keepers of memories. They make people famous. They change the world - one reader at a time.

Behind every great book is an author.

What a Paradox!

What a Paradox!

How come fortune tellers cannot tell their own fortune?
How come some celebrity relationships gurus themselves are divorced?

If I'm a screwed up failure, maybe I should tell the world how to fail, instead of how to succeed like "How to lose your Man in 10 days"

Forgive and Forget

"Forgive and forget", we are often told.

I realised that time doesn't heal. The scar is still there. It's a lingering pain. Our brain never forgets. The memories of a lifetime is still as fresh as yesterday.

When we dont' forgive, the hatred will consume us like a toxic emotion. It will drive us crazy and eats up our spirit. Hatred only hurt ourselves, not our enemy.

Until the day I forgive myself, my enemy, and LET GO, I will still be circling like a boat in a whirlpool of misery.

When I LET GO, it cannot hurt me anymore. I can move on like a free bird out of the cage.

Though I cannot control what people do to me, I CAN control how I react, how I feel.

This is my personal power. Why let people control how I feel?

One Word

One Word
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
When the heart is ready to listen and receive instruction, the answer comes... in one or two words.

To the one who is always chasing for the latest, and newest. To the one who is jack of all trade and master of none. To the one always getting bored with the same toy and never grow its roots deep enough to tap the well of wealth - "Focus"

To the one who is always busy working hard, too busy to enjoy the fruits of his labour. To the one who's swarmed with information overload. To the one who's always learning but no time to teach - "Do less"

To the one who has so much inside, wanting to yap and yap and yap. Either in frustration. Or he thinks he knows a lot - "Listen"

To the one who is so full of himself, who lives within his own box, whose view of the world is only through his eyes - "Empty Yourself"

To the one who is weigh down by the burdens of life, who is fighting, struggling against the tides of persecution - "Let Go". Go with the flow. Trust God to take over. All things work together for good to those who love Him.

To the info junky who buys every books, attends every seminars, who knows a lot and yet...his life is still the same - "Do it". We may not see what's beyond the horizon. God don't promise the sky is always blue. God don't promise we will not fall, or we will not be hurt. God don't promise there will not be trouble on our way. But He promises, "I will be there for you. "

When the moment of enlightenment comes, it wouldn't come in a lecture, in a loud voice, or in a thousand pages. It's just a simple word, whisper silently in your heart. When your heart is still, you will hear it.

Can you hear it now?

Cool Website

Found a cool website at http://www.marybyers.com
Simple and neat. Great for speakers, trainers, coaches, and writers

How Come You are Not Rich?

How Come You are Not Rich?

I have the 2-volume books on "30 Days to Internet Success", compiled by Joe Kumar. The gurus who made real money on the Internet, shared how they can do it in 30 days. There are more than 10,000 readers of his book. How many have followed the advice in the book and make money?

Many attended Anthony Robbin's seminar? How many have become rich?

I went through Joe Kumar's book. I asked myself the same question. Can I do exactly what they did?

Yes and No.

Yes, in a way. As I compared the methods of all the gurus, I found there are similar things they do. There is a formula to their success.

No. Because you got to have the kind of background they had. They can spin a sales letter in 3 hours. The average guy cannot. It would take him six months of training to learn copywriting and self-write a killer sales letter.

They can set up an autoresponder instantly. But the average guy don't know what an autoresponder is and how it works.

So how come you don't get rich after reading all the 'How to be Become a Millionaire", "How to be a Rich Dad", "How to Make Thousands of Dolllars in a Week, in your shorts, in your pyjamas, or naked in your house" or whatever get-rich books.
Here lies the source of the problem:

1. They tell you what they do. They DON'T tell you how they do it. What you need is a mentor who will guide you step-by-step and show you the rope, who will tell you where you go wrong and how to do it right. You need a mentor who has done it and can show you the short-cut.

2. You need a support system. Someone or a mastermind group who will push you on. Doing it alone don't keep you motivated. Stop doing it a day, and no one in the world cares. You need a buddy to keep you running till the day you reach your destination.

3. Most people are basically lazy. They want a quick fix. They want money without the work, the shape without the sweat. They want to lose weight with the exercise and diet. They want it the Maggie way - fast to cook, good to eat. They want it the McDonald way - quick and easy. The truth is that these gurus work HARD. They work on it every day. They never stop learning like a sponge.

I'm been toying with this idea.

If I could study, analyse and compile the secrets of successful people and come up with 'kungfu manual' with a step-by-step formula.

If I could get a group of people who are willing to commit to follow each step for 30 days.

If I have them accountable to the group to ensure they do their homework, to tap on the collective wisdom of the mastergroup.

If they can complete the 30-days challenge, you will see some measure of success than never trying anything at all!

Could this be a worthwhile project for the Singapore Self-Published Writers Group?

The 30-day challenge to publish a book?

The vision for every member: "How to be a self-published author in 30 Days without losing your pants"

What do People Think About Me?

I am a paracounsellor. I listen to people's rants and problems. Lately I observe a certain kind of thinking. It's called "What do people think about me?"

Examples:
"My friends are losing their virginity as a rite of passage. I felt like an oddball being the only
virgin."

"Don't think I'll really wanna be a stay-at-home husband even if my wife earns 5-7k a month..., main reason is still the social stigma cos men are expected to go out there and work..."

They lives to please other people. They want to live to their friends' expectation. They want to be accepted by their peers. They want to belong to the club. They forget to ask, "What do I think about myself".

They forget that they are going to live with the consequence of their decisions, not their friends.

"It is not the critic who counts:
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles
or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly,
who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming,
but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement,
and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
who knew neither victory nor defeat."
-- Theodore Roosevelt

What is a Book

Salman Rushdie said, "A book is a version fo the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return."

The Law is an Ass

Vague dates ruling hits many Rape Cases

I couldn't believe what I read on TODAY newspaper today.
Everyone assume that Law people are among the smartest, the brainest and the brightest people on Planet Earth.

But today, they prove us wrong.

You can find some of the stupidest laws made by stupid educated people.
In Malaysia, the court rule that dates when the rape offences happened must be specifically mentioned in the charge sheet. Prosecutors now have to withdraw many many cases from trial.

How can rape victims remember the time and date of the incident? They are too traumatised. They want to forget the whole episode. Some victims are too young to remember. Some incidents are discovered long after the incident.

It brings into questions how court rulings and decision are made.
Do they consult affected parties about the effect of their ruling? I don't think so.
Do they try to put themselves in the other parties shoes? I don't think so.
Are they serving the interest of the rape victims, the very people they ought to protect?
I think they forget the reason for their existence.

Lesson of the Day: You can be educated and yet Stupid. They are not exclusive

Opportunity in Crisis

How do you find money making opportunities?
Scan the newspaper. What's the crisis of the day?
Capitalise on people's crisis and meet their needs.

After Sept 11, gas masks sold like hot cakes.
When SARS striked, mask and thermometers sold like hot cakes.
Now that windows ledges have to be changed, business is booming for some contractors.
Election fever in Indonesia, T-shirts vendor have a roaring business.

When toy mania comes to town, collectors are having the time of their lives, feeding the frenzy and greed.

World Cup Fever. T-shirt sells. Only those with the winning team and player.

Cash in on the occasion.
What's hot? What's the Talk of the Town?
Put yourself in their shoes. What do they need, that you can provide.

Experience is Not the Best Teacher

Quote of the Day

Cavett Robert, the founder of the National Speakers Association, said, “Experience is not the best teacher because the tuition is too high. Learn from other people’s experience!”

Writers Make Me Cry

Writers who Moved the Heart

Once in a while, I find a rare gem in some writers who are blessed with the gift of words. They have the ability to bring a story to life, and to touch the readers profoundly.

I found two such persons. Sudarsan Raghavan and Roger Dean Kaiser

These two authors can make me cry for days. I wish I can write like them.

I read the book 'Orphan' by Kaiser. It is a very terribly sad story about his abuse at the orphanage. He said that readers may feel sad but after a few days but they will resume their normal life and their normal feeling again. For people like him, they carry the painfully memories with them for the rest of their lives. It would have been better to die than to live like that. I don't know how he survived the ordeal and live to tell the story. But he did live to tell the story, and through his book, creates a ripple effect on the conscience of American society.


Sudarsan writes about Sudan, the land that the world forgets. He writes the untold story. Here, he writes about a village in Darfur, with such eloquence:

No one lives in Kailek today. Mud huts, their straw roofs gone, are empty. The red earth is scattered with pieces of women's clothing, broken pots and pans, and slippers. Charred trees stand like lone sentries protecting an ugly secret.

The village has fallen silent, save for the chirping of turquoise birds and the wind blowing across the sand. The only residents are stray dogs and limping donkeys that have taken over the homes of their former masters.

Around Kailek, village after village has been burned down, making a homecoming impossible.

The Power of Writing

Paul Auster said:

This sense of connection with strangers - the reason why writing is never going to die out, in spite of all the dire predictions that are made about fiction, in particular, but the written word in general. A book, a piece of paper, a piece of printed paper with words on, written by one person addressed to others, is the only place in the world, I believe, that two absolute strangers can meet on the deepest level. It's something that reinforces our common humanity.

That's the power of writing. You don't feel that in a movie. You don't quite feel it when you look at a painting, although that can be close, but the articulated word, and articulated thoughts, communicated from one person to another, is the province of literature and writing.

Why Women Yap

Why Women Yap

My new friend, Ms Karina Lee, the self-acclaim relationship guru, offers me a refreshing theory on why your housewife yaps so much when the husband comes home.

She says, everyone has a daily quota of yapping. It's a natural thing. We need to yap to get it off our chest (like releasing your sexual tension?) Men at work finishes their daily quota in their workplace. But the wife has no one to talk to. So when husband comes home, she has to unloads her daily quota of yapping on who?.... on the husband of course.

So if ye husband gets a nagging wife at home, remember: she is simply unloading her daily quota.

Pardon My English

Pardon My English

Here's some funny and witty play from words. Great for a good speech:

The Girl who sits on jockey's lap get hot tips

A Passionate kiss is just like spider web - it leads to undoing of fly

A Secretary is not permanent until screwed on desk

Man who go to sleep with itchy butt wakes up with smelly fingers

If you want a pretty nurse, you got to be patient

Man with no legs, bums around.

A Foolish man gives wife grand piano, but a wise man gives his wife an upright organ

Panties are not the best thing on earth, but they are next to the best thing.

Give a man too much help and he'll get aids

A man who east lots of chicken is full of cock

Men with women fear these 3 words most: "Am I fat?"

Men with women seldom have ears left.

Virginity is like bubble. One prick and it's gone.

War does not determine who is right, just who is left
Wife who put husband in a dog house, will soon find him in a cat house

If washing machine suddenly stop, don't put your head to check

When the rooster and the cow chat, you get a cock and bull story

An apple a day makes you hungry for the rest of the day.

How to have more babies - Dispose your TV

The road less travelled has an ERP gantry

An apple a day causes Sunkist stocks to crash

(extracted from the people's contribution in my intranet)

Where the Flags?

Where are the Flags?

We have a weird rule about displaying flats outside our home. We can't display it too early (before Aug). And we have to take it down after Aug.

Lately some of us observed that the number of flags displayed at the HDB has declined. Is the flag display an indication of citizens satisfaction?

Why are they not putting it up?
a. Don't have flag
b. Don't know where the flag is
c. Flag is dirty
d. Don't mean anything. "The heart knows. That's good enough. Don't have to show off"
e. Not happy with the govt

They said that in the past, the residents have it for FREE.
Then later, they could buy it for a few dollars.
Now, I'm not sure if they are still selling it.

The Love of My Life

Marie, 4, the love of my life

Teach Less Learn More

Education
PM Lee Hsien Loong said that "We should cut down on the syllabus...We've got to teach less so that our children can learn more. " It's one of the most insightful paradox on education. Well said. I couldn't agree more.

6 metres from Freedom
Four Africans were just within 6m of from the Canary Islands. Freedom was within sight from their boat. Thinking the water was shallow enough to wade through, they jumped into the water... and drowned. To the world, it's just another statistics. But I feel sad for them.

To leave their loved ones at home, and smuggled themselves with only a shirt on their back to another foreign land, in search of some hope for a better life, thousands of African illegals tried to enter Europe each year. I could have been one of them. So I am very grateful for each day, for a roof over my head, for the family to come home to, for my 3 meals a day. Couldn't ask for more.

Stand Up for Jiawei

Jiawei, Zhang Xueling and Ronald Susilo has done Singapore proud. They have shown the world that they are capable of beating the best players in the world. They have put the name of Singapore on the Olympics map. To be in the top 4 is a already an achievement for Jiawei and Singapore. She has done her best. Singapore are proud of you.

PM Lee Hsien Loong said it well: "Sports isn't just medals. It's doing our best, trying again, overcoming setbacks..."

Wipe your tears, Jiawei. Singapore cheers for you. Though you bring no medal home, you have made Singapore proud.

Before You Commit Suicide

Before You Commit Suicide...read this

Every day in Singapore, about 15 people try to commit suicide. One of them will succeed.
Suicide is a crime in Singapore. Here's what happen.

If you die, your body will be handcuffed.

If you survive, they will send you to the Woodbridge Mental hospital and lock you up,
so that you will not harm yourself. You are a threat to yourself.

They might give you Electric Shock Therapy. The side effects - stammering, the vacant look in your eyes, the shivering of your hands.

When you have recovered and deemed safe to be discharged from the mental hospital, you are stigmatise for the rest of your life. When you apply for jobs, some employers asked you if you have mental problems and have you been warded for psychiatric treatment. If you are honest, you don't get the job.

Your career prospect is finished. If you want to adopt a kid, they might screen you too. If you want to migrate to other countries, they might screen you too. If you want to get married, your prospect might screen you too.

The Mental Hospital is a death sentence. Once you are in, you are labelled for life.

The good news is that there is HOPE. It's called inner makeover - a total transformation of your heart. Email me if you need help.

Study for What?

The Aim of Education

What is the aim of education? Depends on who you asked.

From what I interpreted from the speeches from the leaders,
their aim is to produce the right kind of manpower to meet the
needs of the economy. For e.g. if we are heading for biotechnology,
the schools will churn out more of such students.

If you asked the school principals, their aim is to focus on subjects where
their students can score well. Subjects like literature are hard to score.
So you don't see literature encouraged in schools.

If you asked the students, they say the aim is to pass the exam, score well
and get the paper. They say, "Don't teach me anything that will not come out
in the exam". They want to be exam smart.

Ask them who's who in the political arena, they don't know; they are not interested.
They don't want to know. It's not in their school syllabus.

If you think a school is for education, think again.

Build Your Speaking Practice

Building Your Consulting & Speaking Practice:Advice from Weiss



Here's such a good advice from guru, Alan Weiss.

Here's the extract from Flip's newsletter:

http://www.fripp.com/oddcouple.html



At the opening of a previous Odd Couple Marketing

and Strategy Seminar, Flipp's co-presenter Alan Weiss gave these

pieces of advice in an opening evening Q & A...



Q: How do I build my business?



Alan: "There has to market need for what you do;

you have to have the competency to meet the need;

and, you have to have the passion to want to fulfill it.

When those three things converge, you have a brilliant career.

It doesn't matter

what the economy is like; it doesn't matter what the

competition is like; it doesn't matter what government

regulation is like. The great thing about what we do is

e control our own destiny. So, look where those three things

are and you have a brilliant career."



Q: How do I look stand out in the crowd of other consultants

and professional speakers?



Alan:"When I started my career, quality circles were very big.

I wrote an article called "Why Quality Circles Make No

Sense." Completely contrary. They published it in an instant.

You don't want to be the 457th person talking about

where leaders have high integrity and they're ethical.

You want to talk about the fact, for example, that right now you

have two kinds of people in leadership. You have people

who are in their 50s and 60s near the top of organizations,

who didn't grow up with diversity, who didn't grow up

with high-tech, who didn't grow up with instantaneous

communications, who know nothing about it. You have a

second era of leadership - people in their 30s and

40s - who have never led in down times, they've only led

in boom economies. Now, given that juxtaposition of these

senior people who aren't used to some conditions and the

next level people, you have a leadership crisis. So, I've

created a whole new route here. I can do that all day long.

I can get anyone interested in what I have to say about

leadership, or you name a topic, I'll make it up.

That's what you have to do .



So, if you want to enter a field, whether it's team building

or leadership or priority setting, diversity, whatever it is,

come out with your own viewpoint. Read what people have

said and then decide how you'll be slightly different."



Q: How do build I credibility with future clients when I

am still fairly young and inexperienced?



Alan: "I worked with a woman in my mentor program.

She said to me, 'My problem is this. I don't have a college degree;

I'm younger than I look; I have no experience in any of these

industries; how do I overcome that?' And I said,

'How does the prospect know this?' And she said, 'I tell them.'

I said, 'Stop doing that.' So, what you do in your case is publish.

You start with position papers that you publish and put in your

own press kit on your philosophy of leadership.

You publish in the local newspapers. You get up and speak somewhere,

for free if you have to, on leadership, and you have it taped,

and you create a CD and white paper. This is what you do to

create an aura of authority and accountability around yourself

about whatever topic you like. Never feel you're going to walk

in and sell to G.E. That's not what you do. What you want is G. E.

to come to you and say, 'I've read something you've written.'"

Stupid Person

Nin*com*poop - a fancy word for a silly stupid person. E.g. a bunch of nincompoop

Some people don't know what a ghostwriter means. When I told a classmate that I'm a ghostwriter, she thought that I write ghost stories.

The Olympics is on. It's the only time when the world comes together as one. Sometime I wonder if it is worthwhile for one to give his life to training everyday for a shot for a moment of glory. Glory is a transient thing. Time will erase the memory. Generations will forget you.

If I stop writing henceforth, the world wouldn't miss a heart-beat either.

Maybe, having a goal keeps a person alive, keeps a person going until he finds something better to do.

Recently a distant colleague of mine died in a car accident at a bright age of 26. Yesterday, another young man on the brink of a new life, died in a car accident. I don't assume tomorrow always come.

I'm just thankful for today and whatever life brings. I'm missing my daughter Marie dearly. It's Sarah who's keeping me alive. I feel helpless fighting against the system but I reminded myself that if God can raise Saddam Hussein, God can also destroy Saddam. I'll do whatever I can, and leave the rest to God.

The feeling of hatred, depression, and helplessness is very toxic to the system. I'm trying to shut down the emotional floodgate before the body is overwhelmed with the poison.

In Iraq, in a town of Bagdad, US-bombs were raining. The family ran out of their house and were fatally hit. One girl lost her legs. Got fixed with an articial set of limps and sent back to her hometown to face an uncertain future. Her family were wiped out by the Americans. Try explaining that to this child.

Everything has an expiry date - our lives, our moment of glories, our achievements. That's why I have no hesitation to stop what's I'm doing at any point of time. The mail will still come, long after you are gone. The world will still goes on...without you.

Why I love Doing Business

Why I love Doing Business
This article is a wonderful reminder to oneselves on the joy of doing business.
It is about touching lives in your own personal yet meaningful way. It is about about being human, being in touch with your senses, and interacting with another human being in a highly dehumanised automated world.

Bookstore Experience

Bookstore Experience

Yesterday I went book shopping. Got the book "The Psychology of Persuasion" by Kevin Hogan and "Speed Dating" by the original creator of speed dating. At the Kino.. bookstore, probably the biggest bookstore in South East Asia, I was overwhelmed. For every subject, there are shelves after shelves of books, probably from hundreds to thousands.

What's new under the sun? Is there anything that has not been written yet? Is there any thing that is original?

The Education Conspiracy
Hawking came out with the Black Hole theory 30 years and now he said this theory was wrong. Yes, maybe we need to unlearn what we had learnt in the past. For example, that a paper qualification is NOT the ONLY measure of competence, that academic ability is only ONE of the measure of a person's intelligence, that beauty is not measured by the size of your waist, nor the color of your hair.

You don't need an MBA to be an entrepreneur. You don't need a BSC in English to be a writer. Unfortunately, the rule of the game is that if you want to work in their turf, you got to play by their rule. And the rule is that Paper rules.

Consider this. A degree costs $13,000. For that money, you can either read 16 textbooks and get a paper certificate, or you can buy 162 books from the experts in the subject domain. Which would you learn more?

What My Kids Taught Me

What I learnt from My Kids

It's a role reversal. Kids love to imagine and role play. One day, my 4-year-old daughter played the role of a teacher and I was her student.
"Mr Daddy, you stand here", she addressed me.
"Yes, teacher", I replied obediently and stood in front of her.
Pointing to a plastic spoon, she asked: "What color is this?"
"It's Red! Miss Choo", I exclaimed.
She smiled. The answer must be right.
This old man felt like a happy child again.

Books for Rent

Business Model

The book rental business has now gone online. www.bookcraves.com started it. Now www.acisbooks.com follow suit.

Reading makes a man (or woman). What's $15 a month to read 3 books? It's a small investment to enrich the soul.

Forget about the library, esp when you have a particular book title in mind. You don't always get to find the book you want on the shelf. Reserve a book? Cost about $1.50. Takes a month before you get the book. The transport cost.

Food for entrepreneurs. What's next?
What can you rent online? Video tapes? Music Videos? Adult toys? People? Clowns? Magician? Babysitters? Equipment? Toys for birthdays?

Back to the Past

Recreating the Past with Glutton Square

Trying to bring back the crowd to Orchard Road, some bright ones attempt to re-create the old Orchard Road hawker centre. It was doomed to failure from the beginning. Here's why?
Poor hygiene, insufficent stalls, expensive food, poor taste, long queue.

Good publicity brought in the curious crowd. There were only 10 stalls compared to some 30 stalls in the good old days. The rent was expensive, so was the price. The queue was long. More than 20 minutes wait.

How to cook a good meal when you have to cook quickly? Tempers flared. Orders were mix-ups. Finally after a half an hour's waiting, you got your dish - cooked in a hurried. Queue again for a vacant table.

Finally the seat is empty, but the table is cluttered with plates. The cleaner used a filthy cloth to wipe the table. It was rinsed in a pail of murky brown water. Since it is in the open door, you pray it don't rain otherwise you will have to eat under your own umbrella. Shelters not provided.

Would you want to come back to the Glutton Square to eat in a crowded, filthy, noisy place, for an expensive lousy dish?






Can we ever resurrect the past?

Part-time Degree

What's the value of a Part Time Degree?

Some private schools offer a shortcut to a degree. "Complete in 15 months!",
"Complete in 1 year!". Graduates complaint that their part time degree were not recognised.

One reader said that if full time degree holders study for three years or more, while a part time degree takes 1 year, how much would the paper be worth? He called this "Mickey Mouse' part-time degrees.

Hard-Sell Tactics

Lux's Hard-Sell Tactics Draw Fire
(TODAY dated July 12, 2004)

CASE's executive director Seah Seng Choon said the company is "overly aggressive" in pressuring customers into buying products they do not need. He noted that Lux salesmen did not inform customers about the mandatory 10-day cooling-off period, in which customers are free to cancel their purchases without penalties.

Buyers were made to sign an agreement that if they cancel their order, they have to pay half the price of the vacuum cleaner.

The vacuum cleaner costs $2,520. 70 complaints have been lodged with CASE this year compared to 42 complaints last year.

The problem with this 'knock on your door' sales is that you are not given the chance to cool off and compare prices and make a rational decision. They claim that they won't be coming again.

Consumers are swayed by sales tactics such as, "if you don't order now, we will not be coming again". It's now or never. Later when you compare prices, you found that other similiar product cost less than $1,000. Then you wonder if it was worth the price. By then, it's too late to return the good cos of the penalty.


What' the Price of a HDB Unit
(Source:Straits Times, dated 12 July 2004)
It was revealed that the construction cost of a HDB housing unit is around $50,000. But the selling price is about $200,000. One reader ask the government how they account for the big difference in the cost.

Trust is an endangered word. It is as rare as virginity.

Problems in JB

Medical Help in Johore Bahru
If you have a medical emergency, you won't want to be in JB. A man was robbed and his hand was severed. Rushed to a hospital. An attendant ushered him to a ward instead of the A&E Dept. Four hours later, the doctor finally saw him and told him that the centre was not equipped to perform the ops of reattaching the hand. He then make an arrangment with another hospital. Rush to the second hospital to be told by a doctor that it was not equipped to do the ops.

Looks like the attendant and the doctor need a brain transplant. Finally they were rushed to a Singapore hospital and were attended within five minutes.

The lesson learnt: never assume that we can trust people to know what they are suppose to know. Even in Singapore. There are people who don't know their job.

Trust No-one
I have personally encountered a nurse who doesn't know how to put a sling properly, a radiologist who cannot x-ray clearly. She/he doesn't check the quality of the X-ray when it is send out to the doctor. I have seem a couple who brought his child to the A&E cos of fever. After waiting some 3-4 hours, the child's fever had subsided and the parent left without seeing the doctor. I have encountered doctors and nurses who are bloody rude. I can fill a book telling you the stupid things that people do cos they don't know their job.

The recent case of a priest who pocket the church money worth millions of dollar elsewhere. Not a word of "sorry" from his mouth. It's comforting to know that I can trust my mother and my father with my life. When I was young, my mother would give all the children the best portions of the food while she eat the leftover.

Family's Word of Wisdom
She said that "wives are plenty, but there's only one mother"
Grandma said that "food when shared, taste better"
Eldest brother said that "to study is difficult, but not to study is even more difficult"
Brother-in-law said that "tomorrow will be another brand new day. The sun will shine again".
Elder child said" Daddy, when I grow up, I want to marry you!"

Kiasu Schools

Kiasu
Some schools are locking up the field with fencing and padlocks. Gone are the days when students are free to play in the field during recess. The usual response from the school authorities is that they were concerned about the children's safety and that it was expensive to maintain the field. They are stopping the students from playing so that they would not injure themselves.

No wonder children lost their free spirit once they start schooling. Soon they will forget the meaning of play. No wonder we have to import 'foreign talent' to represent our country to win medals in international competition.

That's the price of kiasuism.

How Much for a Losted Life?

What's the Penalty for Causing Death?

"An American fighter pilot who mistakenly bombed Canadan soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002, killing four of them, was found guilty of dereliction of duty. He was reprimanded and docked a month's pay or nearly US$5,700".

What's the penalty for causing the death of four innocent victims? Only a fine of less than $10,000. And how long does it take to reach the verdict, while the victim's families waited for the verdict in order to put a closure to the case? - 2 years.