Success & Probability

"Success has no precedence.

It has only probability."

- Kenneth Woo

humbled by knowledge

been reading almost one book every two days.. mainly for work though it's my personal interest too.. has but humbled me in many ways..  There're so much to learn.. and every book taught me something new.. This is better than gold! And i realised i know so little.. compared to the vast ocean of knowledge yet to be read & uncovered.. ;-)

How technology changed us

This is funny

DA VINCI CODE - Chinese Version... PRESS Ctrl+a, you should see something
different in the picture...  ha ha.. ;-)

if it doesnt work, u probably have to download to your PC.. and Ctrl+a

Buddha was here - song & video

This song was written & released on Youtube in Jan 2007. So more one half years later, it had gathered over 1,600 views. I am happy! Like Buddha was here with me. Blessings! ;-)

Nice Cute Paintings

i love cute paintings! saw these paintings by Splatter at Marina Square. must say i'm impressed. I think they have been able to make a business out of such paintings.. with quality, vibrant colors and cool/nice/cute designs tat fit the current consumers. it's relevant to the working professionals here.. i believe.

What is Concept, Theory & Model

Concept

Simply, a concept is an abstract notion or idea, something that isn’t concrete.

"A word or set of words that expresses a general idea concerning the nature of something or the relations between things, often providing a category for the classification of phenomena."

Theodorson & Theodorson 1969

In other words a concept is an abstract summary of characteristics that we see as having something in common. Concepts are created by people for the purpose of communication and efficiency.

A concept has no set meaning and it is up to us to define what we mean by the concept. But if concepts have no set meaning then anyone can define a concept in any way that they wish. But if everyone can define the concept in any way they like the concept becomes worthless; unless there is agreement on the meaning communication is impossible. A concept therefore has to be defined, but in such a way that it has a degree of acceptance. Experts in the field usually propose such definitions.

Theory

A very loose meaning of the word is:

That part of the study of a subject which is not practical.

For example, teaching theory is often contrasted with teaching practice.

More substantial definitions of a theory are:

"A theory is a set of interrelated principles and definitions that present a systematic view of phenomena by specifying relationships among variables with the purpose of explaining natural phenomena."

Kerlinger 1986

"Any set of hypotheses or principles linked by logical or mathematical arguments which is advanced to explain an area of empirical reality of type of phenomenon."

Jary & Jary 1995

In effect a theory includes a set of basic assumptions and axioms as the foundation and the body of the theory is composed of logically interrelated, empirically verifiable propositions.

Concepts are generally regarded as being at a lower level of abstraction than a theory but a necessary part of any theory, since theories are formed from concepts.

Model

Lucey (1991) defines a model of "any simplified abstract of reality ".

For example we are all familiar with scale models of aircraft, cars, ships, housing estates, etc. These simplified versions of the real thing are called physical or iconic models. They are based directly on the representation of the phenomenon being studied and look like the object.

An extension of the physical model is the analogue model. These models are physical in form but do not have the same appearance as the object being investigated. The circular movement of the hands of a wristwatch is an analogue of the behaviour of time.

Models may be very simple or very complex. Since the world we observe cannot be observed in totality, each model reflects only a limited aspect of the total world. No single model, or combination of models, reveals the truth of the structure of reality. Each model reveals and orders reality from a particular perspective.

In practice concepts and especially theories are often referred to as models.

goto Reference site.

Fuchsia Lane - Re-engineered Tees

I got to know this creative & interesting lady who re-engineered tees with chinese flair.. dont know how to explain.. but i think it's cool.. never see such combination ever before..  And i'm happy to know her as a friend now.. ;-)

U can see more designs at www.fuchsialane.com 

Raising Money from Angel Investors

Protecting your IP overseas

What is brand & product relevance?

Learned from book 'Brand Portfolio Strategy' by David A. Aaker page 103, relevance for a brand has two conditions. (not in exact words though..)

1. Perceived need or desire by customer for product category or subcategory defined by combination of attributes, application, user group, distinguishing characteristic
2. The brand is among the set considered by customer to be relevant for the product category or subcategory

Value vs Relationship

Peter F. Drucker "The Five Most Important Questions" book page 33 states that "Recognise that today's customers are increasingly buying on value, not on relationship. Your success ultimately depends on what you have contributed to the success of your customers."

This is all so true! We must recognise the shift in customer's behavior, needs, wants and aspiration.

Magic Cube

I actually wish for the Magic Cube for my birthday present. Think Shini searching high and low for it now.. ;-)

Come to think of it, i was never interested in it since my childhood days.. thought it was boring till now.. Now i think it's interesting - keeps my mind working.. training my brain to be more alert and analytical.. Well,.. that's what i think today.. until i get my hands on it again..

Relaxing at Bottle Tree @Yishun

Investment approaches

Method 1:
Lump-sum investing.

• How - Buy when stock at its lowest; Sell when its highest
  
• Pro - higher returns
• Con - higher risk; timing the market

Method 2:
Dollar-cost averaging.

• How - Invest same amount of money on a regular basis
• Pro - spread risk
  
• Con - averaging returns

Method 3:
Value-averaging.

• How - Investing more when market is low and less when market is high; on the basis of a fixed amount of value portfolio u wish to attain. For example, u wish to maintain a value of $1000 each month. Some months market is low, say your portfolio value down by $250, u will invest $1,250 to purchase more stock to maintain $1,000. While some months market is high, say your portfolio value is up $400, u will only need to invest $600 more for that month.
• Pro - more market sensitive and sensible in investment approach
• Con - cant think of any now.. perhaps doesn't provide the highest returns
  

Summary: For good net results, i believe value-averaging make a lot of sense.

disclaimer: author isn't giving any professional advise. just storing info he gotten from some other smarter author.

Branding & Marketing, Advertising

Studies show companies that market their products or services without first establishing their brand identities are not likely to achieve return on investment. "If you're spending money to advertise and market without being connected to a brand position, you might as well pile the money up and burn it," Guge says.

Rob Frankel, a branding expert and author in Los Angeles, calls branding the most misunderstood concept in all of marketing, even among professionals. Branding, he says, "is not advertising and it's not marketing or PR. Branding happens before all of those: First you create the brand, then you raise awareness of it."

extracted from businessweek.

Rich & Poor Attitude

There's a big difference 

between a poor person's attitude - 

wishing you had it -

and wealthy person's approach -

believing you'll get it.

from Andrew Matthews

Marketing concepts

4 Ps / 4 Cs - Tactical

1. Product. Customer value

2. Price. Customer cost

3. Place. Customer convenience

4. Promotion. Communication

STP - Strategic

1. Segmentation

2. Targeting

3. Positioning

note: Above marketing concepts from Philip Kotler.

How small companies can build big brands

The birth of mulist.com

This is the fruit of a few folks who are passionate about creating something from nothing.. It's a dream i cooked up inspired by my beloved wife.. those times when i wish i could put together a list of movies we've watched.. and finally i have my own Internet list! ;-)

So far, we have watched 65 movies on last count.. will have a lot to key into my mulist..

Anyone interested please give it a try at www.mulist.com. We're working on a facebook version now.. ;P