Friday, May 27, 2005

Is it His money?

Yesterday while waiting, supposedly waiting for a client( who fly kite without even informing), i witness an act of kindness.

I was sitting down at the Mac donald, opposite, adjacent, beside bedok interchange where this shabbily looking guy, holding some charity ticket approached me. He did not know i have the hate-charity-for-their-ever-thirsty-thirst-for-money-syndrome.

So i signalled with my hand, i waved to him that buzz off. So he stand there still, looking pathetically at me while i still, wave my hand.

So he have no choice but to approach other people. The next person is a malay woman with her kid, she too can't be bothered as she was on the handphone.

So the man approach this cute girl. Initially this girl shake her head. But the man use the same old trick of standing there for a few more second, looking with that meek eyes of his.

Then horrors! The girl craved in for that trick and took out a $2 note for the ticket. She must be one who is soft hearted, easily succumb( means easy to jio? hahaha, nah i didn't okay!)

But instead of taking the ticket, she don't want the ticket!

Hm...yeah its a charitable act of kindness but i saw the man, put the $2 note in his pocket. So...what does that means?

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Mirror mirror on the wall

I was reading a blog entry by one of my sec sch friend. Rarely contact now. Cracks appear between us since jc for no apparent reason. I heard from one of my sec sch buddy that he find me lame and love to talk cock very much. After i heard i paused and ponder for a moment. Hey, aren't i always like that?! So why suddenly he dislike me?!

So back to this entry. We were having chalet couple of weeks back. One of my friend birthday. So i think he stay back or whatever while i go home because meeting client the following day. He seems unhappy by some remarks made by one of the friends.

The first unhappiness is about the chivas he brought. He is unhappy that he absorbed most of the cost. I feel that you didn't ask people to pay, of course people take it for granted. Ask and you shall receive isn't it? Thats sad being unhappy over the slightest thing.

Oh well, i am too lazy to type.

Can friends ever be truthful to one another? Telling them how you feel, speak out instead of bottling up and pretend here pretend there. Another vicious cycle as people like to hear good things and not the bad one, even suggestions.

Then what is the word friendship means?

Does going out everyday, talking lame jokes, orgling at girls, talk about good things, everything on the surface means you got good friends? Or friends who dare to give you advice, dare to tell you whats wrong, dare to be your mirror consider good friends?

In the past i used to ask my friends for a real survey on myself. Of course the truth hurts. My flaws i think are lame, too happy go lucky that i am seems to offer no security to people especially girls. Sometimes cocky and always surprise people, stupid surprises that will make people paiseh, too pragmatic, selfish sometimes.

Leopard never change its spot but i am glad i am mindful of my flaws now.

Hm...think i should ask my friends to evalute me again.

How Attitude Affects Us

HOW ATTITUDE AFFECTS US


Our attitude at the beginning of a job will affect the outcome of the job more than anything else.



Our attitude toward life determine their attitude towards us.



Our attitude towards others will determine their attitudes towards us.



Before we can achieve the kind of life we want, we must think, act, walk, talk, and conduct ourselves in ways characteristics of who we ultimately wish to become.



The higher we go in any organization of value, the better the attitude we’ll find.



Holding successful, positive thoughts in our minds will make all the difference in the world.



If we always make a person feel needed, important, and appreciated, he or she will return this attitude to us.



Part of good attitude is to look for the best in new ideas. So look for good ideas everywhere. We will find them in the most wonderful places:

On the bumpers of cars, on restaurant menus, in books, in travel, out of the innocent mouths of children.



Don’t broadcast personal problems.

It probably won’t help you, and it cannot help others.



Radiate the attitude of well-being

Don’t be embarrassed to share visions, desires, and goals.



Treat everyone with whom you come in contact as a fellow member of the human race-with all the rights, duties, and privileges thereof.

The Golden Rule still applies:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.



-TED W. ENGSTROM FROM ‘MOTIVATION TO LAST A LIFETIME’


Get this from Denise Keller's moblog. They have those kind of shit for Eye for a Guy. I think she read alot. Her english is definitely better than average Singaporean.

Yepp..don't broadcast personal problems. Thats what i feel is critical and that is why i never mentioned or show my problems, emotional frequently. Because nobody can solve for you, even if u said or shown. But on the other hand, you will make others feel sad.

So peeps, i may be a joker but like all flesh and blood human, i got my problems, desire, ambition,etc.

I only choose not to show the sad, moody, angst part always but doesn't mean i don't have all that.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

The original recipe for success. Its finger lickin good.

"And it all began with a 65-year-old gentleman who used his $105 Social Security check to start a business"

That 65 yr old grandfather is colonel Sanders. The founder of KFC or Kentucky Fried Chicken. He started it when he is at the age of 65. Senior citizen age. How many grandfathers actually do work when they are aged 65? Not many. Even if they work, its for the sake of killing time or perhaps as the birth rates take a nose dive, no many grandchildren for them to carry and that is why they went to work.

But who really at the age of 65 go out to create his own business? Many i can count them in a hand.

Compared to the west, perhaps in asia countries, grandfathers, the patriach of the family, are expected to rest, play with the caged birds, occassionally playing chess in the coffeeshops. Sometimes change diapers or cradle the grandchildren. Not many are like Colonel Sanders, Meredith and Gretchen of Amazing Race 7, who dare to make their dreams become reality.

Singapore need to reshaped itself. Our economy is expierencing a structural change. I think our mindset need that too. Start from young.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the government is full of nannies? We are so used to be taken care of. We are so used in this sheltered environment that we forgot, we will forgot how to fend for ourselves if we are freed into the wild. Like a captive rabbit, once we are out, we will get bitten and left to die, something we won't even give a thought when we are in the cage, safe and sound.

Talk to alot of youngsters nowadays and you would realised, many complain and yet can't seem to find solutions. Talk to the old and sentences like " i have faith in the government", " the government can take care of it" came out.

In order to be more entrepreneurial, we need to really be more focus and especially, don't think time and money is a big issue.

I realised what hold us back is money. Dreams failed because the bank account is not fat. I think its kind of sad. I believe we should be like the businessman who Ngiam Tong Dow mentioned. said:" get the business first, how to build, decide later".

A drug addict has no money. Yet when the craving came in, money will strangely came. I think if we have the desire, money is just another typical objection. And like all other objections, there is a way to answer them.

Another thing that singaporean obsessed with is time. I think real entreprenuers, in order to follow their passion, in order to build up their business, spend endless time. They are willing to spend, or some said " waste time".

"You want to do that" What for, don't waste time lah" Yes we all love to say that. We said that to ourselves, we tell others that.

Pathetic.

Of course negative obsession with time and money are not enough. Other ingredient include not daring to be different, not daring to take risk.

I admire that friend of mine who in the end quit nus. He dare to follow his dream, he dare to take risk. Salute.

Taking risk with money, taking risk with life, taking risk for the rest of your life do not gurantee you success. But without taking risk, don't even mention success or returns.

Anyway, what thing is gurantee in this world? Your wife isn't your wife until the day she die. Yes, you can't even gurantee your wife won't run away one day.

http://www.kfc.com/about/colonel.htm

p/s: the "wise proverb" "Your wife isn't your wife until the day she die" is said by lau hong lian, a slack SP lecturer who although slack, is good in his work and jokes, political and dirty jokes. Sorry, can't mentioned here.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Myself

Primary school teachers always like to ask us to write about ourseleves. A typical composition essay title. And we as students would gleefully write about myself. Then stand in front of the class, say it with pride what is our ambitions, our family and basically, ourselves.

Moving on to secondary school, the cross junction of breaking free from the old shell, the topic of myself was often scorned by students. The title was seems to be the old cultural backwater topic and no one should write about it. Cultural revolution at play. Teachers too would rather students to focus on more challenging topics instead. They too don't want to be seen as a primary school teacher inside.

But i feel its ironical that as we grow older, when more things, more temptations influence us, we seems to lost ourselves to the distant space. Gone are the firm answers when quizzed by teachers about ourselves during primary school.

And as we grow older we are often detached of what we actually want to do. Some says because when we are young, we do not really know much of the world and that the choices we make are childish.

I beg to differ. I think kids are alot smarter. They are innocent so they see things clearly. When a kid says he want to be a president, inside him, he know that a president weld a substantial amount of power. He is the head of state. When a kid says he want to be a teacher, to him, teaching is holy and he aspires to be a great teacher.

Perhaps as we grow older, true enough, everything we tend to measure by monetary, i myself included. That is why you see scholars breaking their bonds in order as what they put in, to seek more opportunity. Why they don't just admit because they can earn more money?

But happy to say, there are some people who gave up on high paying job to pursue their childhood dreams or to work as a much more well paid job, psychologically.

To me, i also belong to the vast number of people who are not in sync with their childhood dreams anymore.

I also lost myself to the society.
Not a single one is Neo Anderson.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Goodbye Mr Wee Kim Wee

I remembered him as this old man who stand in front of the padang every national day parade. And when i was small, my parents used to praise him for being a nice president, who cares for the people. To me, i sort of couldn't understand why his surname is also his last name and vice versa, thinking both Wee meant the same thing in chinese. Only when i grew older, then i know it better.

Due to prostrate Cancer, he passed away on 1st may 2005. But i think having lived for nearly a century, he is contented already. Afterall, he was a simple man. A man whom only a few could reach out to, enable so many to pay tribute and condolences is no small feat. It clearly shown he has shine and really reach out to those he reached. He touched the bottom of their heart.

I think looking at so many presidents of yester years, including S R Nathan now, i have came to a conclusion. While the government are the people's parents, the presidents are the nannies, always on the lookout, and always care for their grand children.

Reading the news and seeing him on TV reminded myself of my maternal grandfather who passed away on 2001, 20th of dec. It was him that once, memories flooded.

And it was my grandfather wake and funeral, and seeing the coffin being pushed into the cremation pit that jolted me out of my aimless life. Life is short. No matter whether you live to a hundred or fifty, compared to the vastness and the age old universe, you are just insignificant.

There is so much to accomplish but so little time. So many hands to reach out for, but ultimately, only a few are reached.

But nevertheless, i believed, touch the heart whom you have reached, just like our late president.

Goodbye Mr Wee.