stretching to your full potential

yesterday, i met up a friend for a chat.. and then i showed her my very first mtv on my notebook. she looked surprised and said that she didnt know i can do this kind of stuff and felt that it was quite good considering the fact tat it was my first!

i was surprised. reminded from the fact that many of my friends who knew me would at times said things like 'i didnt know u could do this'.. i always feel sad initially as i would tell myself why no one know what i can do or why no one understands me! ;-( It's a sad truth. everyone is so preoccupied with their own lives that no one really takes time to understand one another.

For a moment, i wanted to show the world what i can do.. but that's not the point. What i'm trying to say here is that there are many hidden talents within us that we didnt explore and exploit. we should be stretching ourselves and to uncover the full potential within us!

Yes, these could be just hobbies.. some things u are interested in but not your bread & butter. However, u never know what lies in the future. i always cheer those who manage to turn their interests into profitable businesses! i still dont know how to turn my interests into a career yet.. will keep working on it.. the goal is to be happy doing what i like to do.. and keep honing those skills..

lastly, we dont need others' approval for the things we do.. they may or may not appreciate it. just do it for yourself. ;-)

3 principles to live by - Robin Sharma

today's The Straits Times 'Mind Your Body' section featured a lawyer turned writer Robin Sharma. He is 41 yrs old & lives in Canada as a single-parent of two kids - Colby, 12 & Bianca, 10. His first book is an inspirational bestseller The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, about a lawyer after having a heart attack, not only dispenses his Ferrari but also changed the way he lives his life. His other books include Monk & Greatness Guide. note: I've not read his books yet though am interested to do so.. Based from the article, it seems his principles are similar to my own beliefs and close Buddhist philosophies as well.. But really need to read his books to be more sure..

3 principles to live by

1. Order your thoughts by night and organise your activities by day.

2. Make time for physical exercise. What's the point of being the richest person in the graveyard? We often take health for granted. Exercise gives energy, makes you live longer, look better and boost creativity. It then cascades into every area of life.

3. NSI, Never Stop Improving. each day take small calculated risk to see yourself grow. move out of your comfort zone. dont be afraid of failures. thru failures u will succeed.

I would add one more principle here (from my own set of principles) to make it more complete, at least for myself.. it's Make time for your love ones.. tat include spouse, family members and friends. we are so busy with our own activities that we failed to realise time flies and let our love ones slowly drifted away.. so make it a point to find time to be with them.

Amateur - Lasse Gjertsen

This guy is really solid good!!

Passion, Focus & Discipline

for many years, i've adopted two key words - Passion & Focus. They are like the twin engines that drive me forward. Lately, i woke up to the fact that i needed a third engine to propel me further. That third key word is Discipline.

First, we all need passion or interest in order to keep that dream alive. Then we need to stay focus and pay attention to what's needed to realise it. Finally, we need discipline to execute the plan. Perhaps, i'm getting older.. getting lazier.. i'm more discipline with my job but personal life wise, still slack.. so this year will be the year of Discipline! discipline in eating more healthily and discipline in doing more exercise! ;-)

'Buddha was here' song & video

*Every time you were around.
All my troubles seem so small.
And your voice that’s so soft.
Melts the devil’s fireball

Every time I turn around
I see your smile it calms me down
Now I know heaven’s not far away
It’s all it’s all in one’s embrace

Chorus:

And I feel (say in your mind ‘the breeze’)
And I see (say in your mind ‘the light’)
And I thought… Buddha was here..

Tell me lady if this is true
Is this my destiny you see
The light, the love, the pain, the joy,
The tears, the wind, and you with me..

[repeat Chorus]

The light, the love, the pain, the joy,
The tears, the wind, and you with me..

[repeat Chorus]
Repeat * to ~ (play gradually slow to stop..)

Note: This song is inspired by Buddhism. Though the song has a little bit of rock feel, it is really a peaceful and calm song expressing that feeling as if Buddha had been around and no other distraction can affect me; while I seek my own enlightenment.

copyrighted 2006.

Cruise to nowhere..

just returned from a 2-nite weekend Cruise to nowhere from Star Virgo with my wife. it was a good trip.. it's also our first cruise together.. ;-)
































I lost this game of 'Dumb' to my wife.. see? i cant even remember how to spell the name of this game! anyone can help?























We actually watched a show by Gurmit Singh. it was a pleasant surprise that he's performing on Star Virgo! He didnt really do a comedy on stage.. he was singing!! ;-) He said he wanted to show us another side (talent) of his.. not too bad, he's singing.. though he still crack jokes in-btw songs.. is he changing career after PCK ends? ;P

ticket price: SGD20 per person
show length: 45 mins

















the food is so-so.. though this two pictures looked well-deco.. anyway, i'm trying to loose weight.. so not a big issue..




























The nite was beautiful.. windy and all.. very relax..

cool new 3-wheel scooter!

How i wish this 3-wheel scooter is out in the market 15 years ago!! And i will seriously consider getting one..

This 3-wheeler is said to be safer & further more u dont have to put yr feet down when u halt.. ;-)

One more good news: it's coming to Singapore soon!! ;-)

Checkout one review..

lost..

recently i managed to catch up with a no of my friends.. we chat about anything e.g. work, family, hobbies, love, life in general,.. the sad part is that most of them seemed lost. there is this lifelessness in them. u can easily feel it. they seem to loose interest in almost everything except eat, sleep & watch TV. they said they are bored but dont know what else to do or would interest them. they seem to be carrying that question "what's the meaning of life?" or otherwise they already know the answer "life is meaningless" basically.

that's a sad note. and i feel a little being pulled down likewise. i began to look back at my life experiences and Buddhism for answers. My findings in a nutshell, life is indeed meaningless. it's us who give meaning to life. it's not others who give meaning to our life. the goal of our life is to be happy. that's why we do all sort of things to make ourselves happy. it takes effort to be happy. even more effort to attain eternal true happiness. but it will be worth it. and it's a long journey. and will be a fruitful one. so the meaning of life is the process we undertake to attain eternal true happiness.

tasks & time management

during breakfast we like to discuss wide-ranging topics from hobbies to work to family life.. today's topic happen to be on management since most of them were not around (on course, that is). To be precise, it's about tasks assignment and time management. One said that his boss dish out tasks that takes up 5% of time per task and therefore figure out that an employee can handle 20 small tasks at one go! I feel sorry for him to have such a boss.

dividing tasks in that way has been proven a failure. many employees have tried this approach and it's a complete failure! it's a lame excuse for bosses to load or overload his/her staff.

on the other hand, how about getting employee to focus 100% on just one task at a time? this is the other end of the spectrum which is as impractical as the former. in fact, no employer will be able to give such a luxury. the work nature will not allow too.

i think a balanced approach will be ideal. i practise focusing on doing one or two major tasks while keeping tabs on a few other minor tasks and then juggle between these tasks. usually in between short gaps or breaks of major tasks i fill in one or two minor tasks.

yes, it takes practice and discipline and not forgetting wisdom to know when to do what.. but definitely not 5% for each tasks or 100% on one big task!

my darling really funny golf stroke.. ;-)

true, real friends & friends that can click..

last nite i had a dinner with a friend whom we have not meet up for quite a while.. so there was some catching up.. as always we chatted about work, plans, life and love.. she's been single for the past one over year and she seemed lost, aimless.. she said she didnt know what she wants and thus life's a blank at this moment.. Then i asked her if she has any hobby to keep her occupied.. and one of her interests is watching movie.. but she hasnt watch one for a long time not because she cant find a friend to watch with her.. she said she prefer to watch it with someone who clicks with her.. however, she dont have any friend tat clicked with her.. tis really kept me thinking and ponder over the question of what is true or real friends? and about the clicking thingy..

in-retrospect, i think i have a few true friends.. friends who will come to your rescue when u are in trouble.. but most of these friends were made during early school days.. it's hard to find true friends in workplace. Unfortunately, true friends may or may not click with u either.. that is, shared your hobbies or interests.

That said, after filtering true friends and friends that click, we are left with none, or only one or two friends.. no wonder she's feeling down lately. so i asked myself if there's a solution to this.. i realised that the solution is to plant the seeds quite early in life.. it's the seed of friendship and attitude.

We need to build friendship since day one! yes, that requires effort. great effort. we need to show care and concern and not take people for granted. we need to adopt a positive attitude in work and in life and towards people. we have to be sincere and genuine when dealing with people. and people can sense or feel it whether u are genuine or not. and they will response in kind. we dont have to feel despair if today we dont have much friends. we can still begin life anew anytime. its better late than never. change our attitude first. then seek new friends.

like Forrest Gump, life's a box of chocolate. u never know what u gonna get. just go out and give yr life a chance. try to develop your own inner strengths and less dependence on others to provide u happiness. cultivate your own interests. have hobbies that u can do alone e.g. reading a book, swimming, cycling, cooking,.. i never like reading till i was 24.. and started learning cooking only in my 30s.. dont be affected by people that say u are too old to learn.. anytime is a good time. just make sure u have a good time! ;-)

it never occurred to me to think about how eggs are fertilised.. can i incubate those eggs bought from my nearby supermarket?.. these questions just didnt come to mind.. but after 30 over years i suddenly got this urge & surge to find out!! think it was first triggered by my wife.. ;-)

And so i searched the world or Internet via Google and am surprised that the result pointed me to the Singapore Science Centre.. apparently, few people in this world wrote about this eggy thingy.. or perhaps i didnt search well enough.. ;-)

Enjoy reading the answer!!

Question No. 67 :
Will all eggs ever hatch? Is it true that only eggs that contain embryos are the product of a hen and a rooster that had mated? Do hens have the capability of producing eggs on its own?

Eggs will hatch only if they are fertilised and incubated at the right temperature for the right period. For chicken eggs, 38oC for 21 days. Only fertilised eggs will have the potential to develop the embryo. The eggs you obtain from the supermarkets in Singapore are most likely non-fertilised hen eggs. Yes, hens do lay eggs on their own without the need of fertilisation. Hens are domesticated for that purpose - to lay eggs. If the farmer wants to have chicks, then the hen must mate with a rooster. Fertilisation will take place before the egg is wrapped up by albumin and the egg shell, which occurs inside the hen's reproductive tract. Will all eggs ever hatch? No. Is it true that only eggs that contain embryo are the product of a hen and rooster that had mated? Correct, only eggs that are fertilised will hatch. Do hens have the capability of producing eggs on it's own? Yes, all hens will continue to produce eggs and lay them even if they are not fertilised.

active listening

just read a short self-improvement article on Active Listening. Most people dont practise active listening skill. everyone is only getting ready to speak their mind while another person is talking.. this is a sad situation.. what has become of this world! i must admit that i'm a culprit too! sigh.. ;-(


the article said that if we would try active listening for once, we will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome! Coz u will be amazed how the other person is as pleasantly surprise by your full attention and they will give you back their full attention when you speak. And dont worry if u will be given air-time to speak.. When u demonstrate respect for others, others will do likewise. However, if u experience a situation where nobody respect anybody, u might as well leave that group and find yourself another one.. ;-)

to be resilient

i've liken the word Resilient lately.. it keeps ringing in my mind.. i think it's an important word that needs to be put in practise or internalise if i want to reap any real benefits from it.

From Wiktionary, Resilient is explained as Able to weather tribulation without cracking.

From Collins English mini dictionary (hardcopy), Resilient is explained as (of a person) recovering quickly from a shock.

i recognised the fact that we cant always prevent ourselves from falling no matter how hard we try.. we fall. we fail. we are fallible. And so at times we will fall. But when we do fall, we must be able to get up, stand up as quickly as possible. That, i think is the real test.

So what do i need to do to be resilient? i've given some quick thoughts to it.. let me list them down..

1. Understand the way things work - understand life.

2. Understand cause & effect - understand casuality.

3. Learn from others experience - learn them quickly.

4. Always tell yourself this "You are not the only one that falls!!" think abt all those great people who had fallen before.. and how they stand up again!

5. Do not fear failure. Welcome them especially when it's a small one. Learn from them quick & never repeat the same mistakes.

6. Surround yourself with supportive friends. They will boost your morale. But dont be too reliant on external factors. Be independent!

7. Have this belief "What goes down will come up. And what goes up will come back down." This is an Universal law. Life is a cycle, that is. So dont worry too much when things aint rite. It will right itself most of the time. Just do yr necessary part and the rest will very much take care of itself.

60-day settling-in plan

while clearing my desk (i'm leaving for a new job..) i chance upon an old article (from Communication Briefings) that gives ideas on how to make quick progress during the first 60 days of a new job!

Something for me to think about:

• First 14 days: Cultivate four allies. These days, fitting into an org's culture is almost as important as hard work. Set up lunches with a team mate, a key employee in another dept, a supportive higher-up and an in-the-know political insider who monitors the grapevine. Ask lots of questions to learn abt the culture.
• First 30 days: Meet with your boss to compare notes. Ask "How am i doing?" Then report what u're working on in order of importance & ask for feedback.
• First 45 days: Update your job description from the one you received on Day One. Write a more accurate summary of your duties using what u've learned in the first month & a half. Ask your boss to approve your new version. That helps you stay focused on what matters most.
• First 60 days: Produce concrete results. Pick a short-term project harnesses your strengths and complete it. Example: The boss seeks your help in designing and leading focus groups. You agree to plan and run a series of successful group meetings while still tackling all your regular duties.
  

Countdown 2007 at Desaru!

went for a two nites stay at Golden Beach Resort, Desaru. The resort is really run-down and the food is Hmmm.. 'not-so-nice'.. but the beach, the sea breeze and the waves sort of compensated the short-comings.. ;-)

and there was this handsome, well-tanned & fit-looking middle-aged man flying his kite. (not a normal kite that is.. an expensive kite that u can control & manoeuvre its direction!) His favourite move, he told us, was flying the kite just above the fierce waves with the edge of the kite just touching the waves.. *cool*

in a nutshell, i manage to enjoy a relax time with my wife! ;-)

more interestingly, on our way home on a shared passenger van, we met some young people whom i seem to have met before.. deja vu..