Count your blessings..

If having good thoughts each day is not good enough, perhaps you wanna try to count your blessings.. It always make me feel happy and peaceful to know that each day i'm blessed in some ways..

Not to worry if you cant think of any blessing today. Dont force it. Just be yourself. Just follow the flow. It will come naturally.

Blessings!

These 4 thoughts a day keeps the mind happy always

i learned that if i practise these 4 thoughts on a daily basis, i achieved greater peace of mind and kept me centred throughout the day. So, i'm writing it here to remind myself of this important discovery..

1. Gratitude. Be thankful. Have a great sense of appreciation towards nature and your being at the present moment. Be grateful that we still have breathe and alive. Realise that we are considered much better than many others. Think about incidents which gives you a sense of gratitude. Recall them and also find opportunities to repay your gratitude. One kindness leads to another.

2. Loving. Be loving to your love ones. Focus on building relationships. Know that it takes years to build good relationship but only matters of seconds to lose one. So be sensitive to the needs of others. Think about your spouse or family members and how you can make a difference in their lives.

3. Caring. Like loving, we need to take action to show our care and concern for our love ones, friends and Nature. Have deep thoughts of those you truly care about, and ask yourself what you can do to demonstrate just that.

4. Humble. Let go of your ego. Let go of your pride. Like what people say - Pride is the downfall of mankind. That is true. Humbleness is the true resting place of peace. Think of those times you are truly humble. You will surely feel a sense of calmness & peace.

Think these 4 thoughts on a daily basis and i'm sure we all will have a happier, more peaceful day! ;-)

In contrast, what drives people these days?! - greed, ego & pride!

Human Tetris

American Carrot Cake - NEW! Party size!!

Past few weeks have been exciting! I helped my wife surf around, drive around, hunting baking stuff and ideas.. Finally, she launched her BakinCow website just.. and now rolling out a new product for Party makan version!! i'm impressed with her energy and creativity!! ;-)

Running may not be better than walking..

Which is better - running or brisk walking?

Research shows that while running burns more calories and boost your heart, it is not as effective in keeping you healthy (fall sick less), reducing tension & stress and improving your back as brisk walking.

A 3-hour brisk walking per week is as effective as 90 mins of running!

Mmm.. now have to find that 3 hours.. ;-)

a little gift.. but a touching one.. ;-)

one more colleague left.. but she left me a gift.. i was touched.. it's a little cute 'boy' tat if u water its head and gives some sunshine it will grow grass!! however, after a couple of days of caring, it grew only a few grass or 'hair'. ha ha.. i hope i dont end up like tat when i grew old.. ;-)

cow

Dont know why i'm beginning to like cow these days.. ;P

Cute ones, tat is..

at peace..

i realised i'm more at peace with myself and with nature these days.. i feel i just want to do things i like to do and be with my love ones - tat includes my frens..

i enjoy a good book.. a good coffee.. a good conversation.. a good movie.. a good laugh.. i even enjoy lying down - just resting! doing nothing.. thought of doing programming as a hobby once more! ;-)

peace and calm shouldnt be taken for granted. it takes years to appreciate.. to understand..

now, i hope to continue this appreciation.. this journey.. for a fulfilling life. ;-)

Softer and Yummy Porridge

how to cook softer and yummy porridge?

1. Wash rice as per normal e.g. once or twice will do

2. Drain rice

3. Add sesame oil (eg. 2 teaspoons for four persons shares) & mix well

4. Leave it to rest for half hour

5. Add water and bring to boil.. continue to cook porridge as usual..

How to have a happy work life?

Are u happy at work? Do u complaint about your management, colleagues or work itself? Do you find that your boss is a tyrant , a weakling or even a fool? Do u feel frustrated at work?

Sometimes u wonder if u will ever find an ideal workplace.. and a good, understanding and knowledgeable boss. But after working for more than a couple of companies later, you probably have lost hope.

Is the situation really that bad? Perhaps not so bad.. if only u made an effort to change something..

I will share an approach that might work for u.. it works for me though.. But before i begin, i must say that it only works for people who are proactive. Passive ones need a different antidote. U need to take action to make improvements.

1. Acknowledge your present situation. You must cross the first hurdle by accepting your current situation no matter how bad it is. Dont let your pride get the better of you. Face it squarely as if you are laying down all your cards on the table - list down all those things you dont like. Examine them.

2. Understand work life. Understand life. Recognise that there are few workplace that's ideal. Most people will live thru their lives working in places they dont like - either they hate the job, the boss or their colleagues.. Identify those things you can change. And those you cant change. Be honest with yourself.

3. Learning and growth is the key. If looking for the ideal workplace is almost impossible or requires lots of luck, what should i do? Well, u can first start by changing your mindset. Change your focus to Learning & Growth instead! This focus serves to add value to yourself and your self worth. It divert your attention to worthwhile matters. By means of learning, i really mean improving your knowledge in your work matters. By means of growth, i mean personal development - soft skills such as communication and project/time management. It can also include characters such as being helpful, caring and compassionate. Spiritual aspect may be looked into as well. Once you have gained value, you wont be afraid of loosing your job, moving on to your next job or even start your own business. Treat every bad situation a learning opportunity. U will move on with life anyway.. so, learn from it and move on..

4. Review your situation. Now that you know your new focus - new mindset, you need to relook at those stuff you placed on the table in step 1 and 2.. By now, you would probably have better insights to which you can do to effect change and which you cant. And what you need to do to enhance your learning & growth.

5. Take action now! Ask yourself everyday what you've done today that is keeping you a step forward towards your goal(s). That should be a good check point. A little step each day is a giant step in a year! Good luck! ;-)

How To Kiss Creatively

VideoJug: How To Kiss Creatively

How To Fold A T-Shirt In 2 Seconds - Explained

This is interesting but will i ever use it?.. maybe not.. ;P



VideoJug: How To Fold A T-Shirt In 2 Seconds - Explained

card for my wife..

this is a 6-sec recordable card for my wife wishing for yr speedy recovery.. dont wanna reveal wat mushy words i said here.. ha ha..

fish & minced pork porridge

today, i tried my hands on porridge again.. after years in 'retirement'.. heehee.. my wife said that it was delicious!! ;-)

i guess using fish stock really helps.. and not forgetting all the other wonderful ingredients added..

cake decoration

my beloved went for cake decor class.. really think she has talent in baking.. ;-)

will support her all the way! cheers!

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon & Brain Williams

Newspaper wrote that Roderick Gordon & Brain Williams will be the next J K Rowling of Harry Potter. Mmm.. interesting.. not sure if i got time to read their book.. titled Tunnels.

What's interesting is that both guys are already in their late 40's.. and even more interesting is that Roderick Gordon started writing after he lost his investment banker job in 2001.. He's a father of two too.. Together, with his good friend Brain Williams they started writing children books.. i wish them luck! Blessings.. ;-)

Their story really inspire me to work hard to realise my dreams.. never give up! ;-)

ginger, ginger

some friends know i like to cook. not really bakery. but cook chinese food with the wok. dishes like fried rice, bee hoon, steam fish, stew,..

Mmm, today i chanced upon an article that shared more abt the ginger.. wanna capture it here before i forget..

Difference between old, mature ginger and young ginger. And when to use them?
Answer: To use young or old ginger depends on your taste. Old, mature ginger has a throat-filling heat and more pungency. Young ginger is light and has subtle lemony warmth which is not lasting in favor. Mature ginger more suited for longer cooking dishes such as slow braises or cakes. Young ginger more suited for brief cooking such as pickles, dips, dressings and salads.

surgery, recovery, love and life..

my wife just went for a surgery on Wednesday.. the surgery was successful and now she's recovering at home.. the whole process has made us realised that life can be really short and that we should treasure our love ones more earnestly while we can..

Rules for acquiring business

ref: HBR Sep 2007


5 rules to follow when acquiring companies..

1. Stick to Adjacent Spaces. Dont buy businesses just because it's profitable today. Buy when it extend and/or build on what your business is already offering. Seek synergy rather than mindless diversity.

2. Bet on Portfolio Performance. Measure and manage from portfolio perspective. Meaning, dont make just a few big bets. Manage sizeable deals with sufficient calculated risk. Remember, no one is perfect. So no deals are perfect. Bad things happen. So hedge against it with proper portfolio management.

3. Get a Business Sponsor. Never let the staff drive the acquisition. You need someone with muscle with the conviction to see thru the whole acquisition. Sponsor is accountable for the success and provide regular progress report.

4. Clarity on how acquisition should be judged. Not all acquisitions are the same. Each acquisition served an unique purpose. Therefore, should be careful not to compare it against with the incorrect types. Still, there should be performance indicators to track the progress and outcome.

5. Dont shop when hungry. When you're hungry, your judgment will be blurred. Mistakes will be made easily. When you are not desperate, you will have clarity and be able to make better judgment.

Make acquisition because of Strategy; and not for attractive or popular deals.

Test your IQ - the light bulb quiz

Wanna test your IQ? Here's one.

Imagine you live in a two-storey house with the 3 light switches on level one and its corresponding 3 light bulbs on level two of the house.

So, if you are given only one chance to go up stair to checkout the 3 light bulbs and to determine which switch control which light bulb, how do you go about doing it?


This is no trick question. It can really be solved. ;-)