health & cholesterol

As always, after knowing from my recent blood test that my cholesterol level is on the high side.. i felt the importance of good health.. Hope this time it rings into my head and to take concrete actions and tons of discipline in my diet and physical exercise plans..

It makes me realise that nothing beats having a healthy body. With a healthy body, i would be able to do more and be more alert that aids my thinking power.. thus, seems more smart ya.. ;P

Well,.. i take it as a good reminder to stay fit and to take actions to improve my cholesterol level.. ;-)

books

Books, books and more books.. i never really like reading till i was 24 yrs old! i was amazed by the no of books i have read since then.. though i still wish i could read more..

Reading has become more of a pleasure these days. Whenever i learned something from reading those books, i feel very happy, experience growth and gained knowledge.

i still like to read management, personal improvement, buddhism, cooking and photography books. Rotating among those topics provides balance.

i wish i could continue reading.. forever.. ;-)

egg timer

while shopping at Taka, my wife found this egg-timer very interesting.. it helps to make 'perfect' hard-boiled and half-boiled eggs..

from the picture, you can see the egg-timer indicator showing medium cooked eggs..

another great innovation! it's patented technology ya..

perceptions and acceptance

The key to inner peace and building good relationships
with others is to accept that everyone has their
own way of looking at life.

extracted from The Straits Times pg C26.

The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford

This is an interesting read. Similar to the Freakonomics book i read some time back. These days new generation of economists are getting more humourous and got style! ;-)

But what really caught my full attention was the last page of the Undercover Economist.. or in fact the last sentence - "Economics is about.. choice." page 255.

That is so 'Life'!

That is so 'Real'! ;-)

giving your best

You give your best
not because you need
to impress people.

You give your best because
that's the only way
to enjoy your work.

from Happiness in a Nutshell by Andrew Matthews page 58

wan tan mee at Yishun Ring

this little stall is in a coffee shop beside block 257 Yishun Ring Road.. dont think it's famous.. perhaps not just yet.. but it's Wan Tan Mee is really good, if not great! ;-)

The noodle is just rite.. 'Q-Q'.. plus the sauce is just the right amount.. quality is consistent coz i live nearby mah.. and each time i taste it, it's the same goodness!

And lastly and most importantly, only $2. Really worth it!!

McCafe coffee..

i like McCafe coffee.. esp its Latte.. somehow it suits my taste..

i'm more impress with the cover of the takeaways.. noticed those innovation involved? first, the drinking lit can be folded upwards and locked. Second, u just need to indent the type of drink u ordered though i had wished it to be easier to indent.

Innovative rite? i wonder the person who designed this has patent it..

detachment

i think it's time to practise and remind myself about detachment once again..
funny tat i thought i knew the concept of detachment but after a while i seem to have forgotten about it.. i need to be consistent.. i need to truly appreciate this concept.. coz this is the key to genuine happiness, freedom from suffering, greed and worldly desire.

i remind myself that all things in this world will come to an end someday - at least some in my lifetime.. and all in my finite conscious mind.. so wat do i want to achieve? so wat do i really want? i guess it's not status, money and possession. It's happiness that comes from doing things that i like to do, meeting people whom i love to meet, be with the ones i love, learn from great teachers who truly appreciate good work, and simply love nature as it is.


there's a need to know - Detachment.

rush hour 3

this is the best of the Rush Hour franchise.

it is really funny.. almost laugh-a-minute show.. especially with some additional cameo such as the French taxi driver. However, the bald lady is not really pretty & sexy enough.. and dont expect any solid storyline.. perhaps simple & entertaining is good enough for my Friday leave day..

I hope there's no more Rush Hour.. coz i prefer to leave this as the best & last in my memory.. ;P

300

After watching National Day parade on TV, we decided to watch 300 movie vcd rather than watch ch5 Troy which i've watched a few time aledi..

300 is indeed a fantastic movie if u like action packed, fighting scenes, brotherhood, love, sex and beautiful camera angle,..

It makes me think about my present world though.. how i wish i have a great leader to follow and to die for.. how i wish i have a good & strong team to deliver excellent results.. how i wish i could be a great, wise and knowledgeable leader to lead my people to freedom and success.. but i never believe in war, blood & gore..

I hope to remember 300 for its fighting spirit but not the fight..

my birthday card

Almost every year i will receive a birthday card or treat from my dear old friend Tay LK. I really like this card - it is big, beautiful and the words are simply touching! ;-)

Wish one of my wishes will be to fulfill your wishes!! ;-)

something left behind..

My colleague and friend Sarah left the company last week.. and left behind this little creature.. and an empty desk.. which i hope to find replacement soonest.. otherwise i will have to work too hard.. ;P

We will all miss her!

Best wishes and blessings to u! ;-)

my birthday dinner at Olive Tree restaurant

had always wanted to try Olive Tree restaurant.. heard that it was nice..

so, on my birthday my wife treated me dinner at the restaurant.. err.. the food turns out to be so-so only. It served seafood buffet.. and expensive too! ;-(

Kind of disappointed..

about happiness

Today i read that happiness is 50% in born.. it's in your gene that you are more optimistic or pessimistic.. thus, the way you see life.

Studies then show that 10% is circumstances in nature. And you have no or not much control over that. So, you're left with remaining 40%.

Fortunately, the last 40% is within your control - it's what you do that determine your 40% of happiness. It's the things you do and things you can do!

It shows that if you do three good things each day and write it down on paper, it has a profound effect on your happiness level. Further, if you make an effort to thank someone whom you felt you didnt have the opportunity to properly thank him or her, it works wonder for your happiness level. In short, learn to practise gratitude.

Finally, contrary to conventional thinking, research has shown that it has nothing or little to your wealth, health and job. Even if you suddenly earn more today, after a few weeks you will get used to the amount and started to wish for more.. It's human nature to want to improve and earn more..

Watch my gal play Wii.. Heehee.. ;-)

why forecast? why predict?

forecast is not predict as what many may think..

The goal of forecasting is not to predict the future but to tell you what you need to know to take meaningful action in the present.

extracted from HBR July-August 2007 pg 122.

happy, sad and tired..

today, i feel happy coz my wife is happily baking her carrot cake.. coz someone offered to test it and see if they wanna place her cakes at their store in a condo!! ;-)

it's not the selling of cakes tat makes me happy. it's the happiness i see in my beloved wife that makes me feel happy. i'm just happy for her.

just as i feel happy, i feel tired. tired of the seeing people come and people go in my life. though i know change is a constant, i cant help feeling sad and tired of change some time.. and today is one of those times. tired is when u work hard and time just passes u by.. and u wondered if u have let life slip pass u and that u could have done something more meaningful.. perhaps as i grew older i tend to treasure life and relationships more.

while i feel sad and tired AND happy all at the same time, i feel a sense of reality.. perhaps that's life. tats what life is. ;-)

Oh.. seconds ago, i received an email from a friend Lilian.. she's pregnant! Congrats!! another happy news today ya!! ;-)

What would Buddha do?

Recently i've started to test out the power of asking the question of 'What would Buddha do?' in some of my work and personal life challenges. So far it seems to work.. helping me overcome a no of problems..

So, i started to query why it works.. I realised somehow having studied and practice Buddhism for a certain period of time, it has been internalised to a certain extent. Thus, when i face a problem and ask 'What would Buddha do?', it relates and finds in my head the database of Buddhist teaching and attempt to pull out relevant info for me.. and surprisingly, it's the unconscious mind doing the work most of the time.. coz usually after i ask the question i would move on to do other things before coming back to the problem.. and often enough ideas and answers were presented to me by then..

Amazing enough.. but i think one needs to be well read in Buddhist teachings and well trained in rationale/critical thinking to be effective in using this technique.. Mmm.. now i'm calling it a technique.. interesting.. ;-)

Also, maybe coz i've so much respect for Buddha's teachings that the mere mention of the great master triggers the whole universal attributes of love, ethics, knowledge and wisdom, and more.. to me in ways no other means is possible thus far. And this provided me full and complete resources and considerations in my thinking process of finding an optimal solution to my problems or challenges.

Miso Seafood soup

Ever since i came back from my Japan holiday trip, i've learned to make Miso Seafood soup at home.. it's so tasty!! ;-)