tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196877002024-03-13T22:17:52.452+08:00jacjac®Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger843125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-59184624368250132502014-03-31T06:26:00.002+08:002014-03-31T06:44:11.750+08:00The First Quarter in Silicon ValleyIt felt like I woke up the next day and carried on with my life as usual. The past 3 months in Silicon Valley almost just occurred like a whir at the back of my head. Many things have happened, yet, ironically, it also feels like nothing much has changed.<br />
<br />
The kind of independence required to fend for yourself here taught me a deal or two about being self-reliant. Going by myself to settle everything administratively - getting a social security card, opening a bank account, signing employment documents - I didn't have much of a problem with, as I've already developed habits of taking care of such matters in Singapore.<br />
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The first week that I landed in the land of the West, right at the West Coast, San Francisco International Airport, I felt ridiculously lost and homesick. Jet lagged and tired, yet fuelled by insane amounts of adrenaline from the rapid changes and uncertainty that occurred, I got by my first 4 days with barely an hour's worth of proper sleep. Then it was travelling to Lake Tahoe for 2 days worth of my virgin snow-skiing trip and my virgin natural bouldering at Castle Rock State Park, watching the fireworks at the Bay Bridge on New Year's Eve, letting the cold chill my bones at Twin Peaks in San Francisco, those were my first few defining events that made me feel all the more homesick and uncomfortable, yet fun and thrilling all the same. People and places were unfamiliar, I had only myself to comfort, reside in, and seek energy from.<br />
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It was a trying time to get adjusted both emotionally and physically. The weather was a drastic change that ranged in single digits, a far difference from sunny Singapore. Winter in SF is pretty gloomy, and it matched my moods. Some nights I slip into the cold bed shivering and missed my warm home and my loved ones and let a tear or two fall. Showers were cold, and shampoo-ing or soaping the body was a mad rush to get the warm water running again. It felt like I was rubbing ice onto my scalp and body and I might have inflicted some first degree burns on my skin for the first month as they all turned red and slightly wrinkled. I needed the hot water to keep myself barely warm and the water was so scalding to my skin, but felt sufficiently warm relative to the temperature. The couple of handwritten letters that I brought with me were all I clung onto for some comfort and warmth.<br />
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Work officially started on 6 January 2014 and I was in an unfamiliar city with the crazy winds that always reminded me of how warm and cosy Singapore is. The sun sets dutifully at 4/5pm, and by then when I step out of my office into the streets of SF, the sky had turned pitch black. The darkness and mystery only feed themselves to the dangers that I was often told to beware of - walk fast, hold your stuffs close to you, avoid the hobos (homeless people pushing a cartload of belongings, mostly you detect them by the pungent smell of ammonia and stench, and those ragged clothes and layers of bedsheets they collect from garbage and goodwill centers) and druggists - give them the money, and save your own dear life. My senses have never felt more alive with the cold and the acute sense of awareness that I have to be cautious and watchful of at least the 100m radius around me.<br />
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I settled into my work routine pretty quickly and it was actually one of the first few things I got comfortable with. My work gave me a sense of familiarity. I looked forward to the week days and was lucky to have colleagues that were almost culturally similar in terms of being asians. By the 3rd week of January, I have almost ridded myself completely of the feelings of uncertainty and hopelessness. I was charged with a new passion and drive to make the best of my time here. February was probably the defining moment when I really felt like I have gotten used to life in the USA, living with friends, being in solidarity to recharge myself.<br />
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In the middle of the February, just after Valentine's Day, we made a trip down to Los Angeles for the weekend. It was a really touristy time as we did all the attractions there were with our GO L.A Card. Warner Bro's Studio Tours, Getty Center for the art through different time periods, Natural History Museum, Hollywood Stars Home Tours around Hollywood Hills and some upwards of ten million dollars homes, and the famous wax museum of Stars at Madam Tussaud's were the attractions we managed to squeeze into our 2 days worth of activities.<br />
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March was the month of events. Working in the city gave me the convenience of popping by different meet ups after work. I learnt to deal with hunger and not eating dinner at 7/8pm. Usually when I reach home all tired from work, event, and the forty minutes drive, I will whip a simple meal to soothe the hunger pangs and wash up and sleep. Initially I was attending all sorts of events which ranged from entrepreneurship to networking, and I learnt for myself what was useful and what wasn't. I learnt the difference of paying for a valet parking at a hotel and heading straight for an event vs. circling around the streets for free street parking and walking a few blocks to get to my destination. My goal was to buy experiences and I took it as a journey of learning.<br />
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I purchased my first course on Udemy, learning mobile app design for $19, and paid for a pricey conference at $200 for Commercism - all things on e-commerce by 500Startups. I attended a talk by Arianna Huffington (Founder of Huffington Post) and Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook) titled Redefining Success. I purchased a virtual ticket for $327 to access 80 sessions of keynotes for the Social Media Marketing World 2014, apparently touted as the world's best Social Media Marketing Conference. With the rapid spending on education / learning to accelerate my growth here, I realised how much I value knowledge - only as much as it's value for the money paid. And then again, who's to attach a price to knowledge?<br />
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We applied to Y Combinator (A startup accelerator / seed-funding program that is apparently one of Silicon Valley's most prestigious start up "schools", opening up access to the Valley's best investors and getting a head start with powerful networks) and did the whole application within 24 hours. The chances are slim, but it never hurts to try.<br />
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March is coming to an end, and that will effectively conclude the first quarter of 2014.<br />
Have I achieved much? Probably in terms of learning. I wouldn't say successes but it's baby steps to getting better at commitments I pursue, both in terms of career, entrepreneurship, and self-development<br />
<br />
The topic of long distance relationship is one that is worth bringing up. I think everyone handles their relationships uniquely, and what one couple might say to the next, may differ slightly or extensively. All the horror / beautiful stories that were fed to me prior to coming to US drifted around in my mind. I let them hang without judgement because I had my own to experience. Having a very supportive, motivating, understanding, and driven partner are some traits the both of us share in common. We are fiercely independent in being the best versions of ourselves which really come back in full circle as being the best for each other. The 15/16 hours time difference (depending on daylight savings), meant that one of us is always awake while the other is asleep. We could only catch the waking and sleeping moments of each other and our lives are flipped opposite. My days are his nights, and his nights become my day. Our messages we leave for each other get seen in different time contexts, and we only get the opportunity to Skype a video call once a week on the weekends. It really forces us to value the air/video time we had with each other, sharing about our stories and highlights of the week. This was quality, deep, and engaging conversations where we just focussed on and devote our 100% attention to each other for an hour or two. I celebrate in his momentous achievements in his career, while he indulges in my drive for learning. This is the epitome of a truly loving and lasting relationship - one where we always come back to each other from our own hard struggles to bring each other higher than we can ever be on our own. Every single day, I'm thankful and appreciative of what we have built together as a couple and it makes every bit of my life worth living and fighting for.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-73684829510075656802013-11-09T13:58:00.002+08:002013-11-09T13:58:44.623+08:00Dear mommy<b>H</b>ear and understand me.<br />
<b>E</b>ven if you disagree with me, please don't make me wrong.<br />
<b>A</b>cknowledge the greatness within me.<br />
<b>R</b>emember to look for my loving intentions.<br />
<b>T</b>ell me the truth with compassion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-70598304968402818912013-05-27T22:37:00.003+08:002013-05-27T22:38:29.648+08:003 things that 20-somethings ought to know1. Identity capital - Do something that adds value to who you are. Do something that's an investment in whom you might wanna be next. Now is the time for that internship, the start-up company, whatever it is that you want to head towards. Don't procrastinate. Make it count.<br />
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2. Social capital - Best friends are best at giving rides to the airport. But 20-somethings who huddle together with like-minded peers, limit who they know, what they know, how they think, how they speak and where they work. New things seldom come from our inner circle. They come from our weak ties - our friends of friends of friends. Reach out to your weak ties.<br />
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3. Pick your family now - The best time to work on your marriage is before you have one and that means being as intentional with your love, as you are with work. Picking your family is about consciously choosing who and what you want rather than just making it work and killing time with whoever who happens to be choosing you.<br />
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<b>30 is not the new 20. Claim your adulthood, get some identity capital, use your weak ties, pick your family. </b><br />
<b>Don't be defined by what you didn't know or didn't do, you are deciding your life right now.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhhgI4tSMwc" target="_blank">Credits</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-35662093767313438262013-05-11T00:53:00.002+08:002013-05-11T00:58:02.882+08:00Where to?I don't know where to turn to for comfort.<br />
I don't confide.<br />
I'm not a bottle.<br />
I can't tell you.<br />
I just want to feel the calmness to know that it's something that I can do again.<br />
<br />
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<i>Jups, why share this sad sad song with me, the tears just keep welling up.</i><br />
<i>爱的委屈,不必澄清。</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-22842185949306608042013-04-21T23:20:00.005+08:002013-04-21T23:21:36.736+08:00On LifestylesAn excerpt from Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I promised myself that we would never have to use Maria's (at this particular chapter, she was his girlfriend who eventually became his wife) money - neither the money she earned nor any from her family. At that point, I was making $3 million for Predator, and if it did well at the box office, I'd earn $5 million for the next project and $10 million for the next, because we'd been able to nearly double my "ask" with every film.<br />
I didn't know whether or not I'd end up richer than her grandfather Joseph P. Kennedy, but I felt very strongly that we would never have to rely on Shriver (Maria's family) or Kennedy money. What was Maria's was hers. I never asked how much she had. I never asked how much her parents were worth.<br />
I hope that it was as much as they dreamed of having, but I had no interest in it.<br />
I also knew Maria wouldn't want a two-bedroom rental apartment lifestyle. I had to provide her with a lifestyle similar to the way she'd grown up.</blockquote>
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Haven't really given much in-depth thought about this topic before, maybe once or twice it has crossed my mind, but reading this excerpt triggered me to question how I should approach this. This is definitely just Arnold's point of view as a man with an Austrian background. What about the culture and context in Singapore? What about the times? That was during the 1960s. Has the progression of time shifted man's thoughts as well? I think the important question lies in this -what about the individuals involved? There is honestly no right or wrong. But there is something that nudges at one's comfort level. Are you being honest with yourself that you are / will be happy with the kind of lifestyle you want to live?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-14859477829658018242013-04-18T23:26:00.004+08:002013-04-18T23:26:29.112+08:00Viral MarketingThese are my 2 proudest moments thus far on internet marketing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Qe1_Rvj6bWZTfnNA6ewnZmKuXa9yAfBVKRGqASQKnimNEj2WeWzxTY8M0aVMdtcWXJMzwOWylmESIcAzM-4sl3UCSAVCbL_Kwr1w61jfvgS4IajIEyvoloYDoVw4USyDQ8Tx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-18+at+11.19.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Qe1_Rvj6bWZTfnNA6ewnZmKuXa9yAfBVKRGqASQKnimNEj2WeWzxTY8M0aVMdtcWXJMzwOWylmESIcAzM-4sl3UCSAVCbL_Kwr1w61jfvgS4IajIEyvoloYDoVw4USyDQ8Tx/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-04-18+at+11.19.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
This was during Boulderactive 2012, while I was actively promoting to the climbing community globally. Thinking about this... I think I just upped my own record a few times over with this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppSR4uj_JSE3IYi8fLnvKE10I-4LGfCBHmHZYTxEIK7in9VGX-OW627utgIYvIPDvQ179694BR83YWDqw9L8Lz7fcJ6r5mqgDGsVAvPxj7Cp2luEfi1psV0gjKOEqkWox-pbb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-18+at+11.24.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppSR4uj_JSE3IYi8fLnvKE10I-4LGfCBHmHZYTxEIK7in9VGX-OW627utgIYvIPDvQ179694BR83YWDqw9L8Lz7fcJ6r5mqgDGsVAvPxj7Cp2luEfi1psV0gjKOEqkWox-pbb/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-04-18+at+11.24.51+PM.png" width="163" /></a></div>
In less than 5 hours, I've reached 8,600+ people, and the numbers are increasing by hundreds by the minutes as I type this. Boy, it feels good to have done something right.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-7424733780498061362013-04-12T00:15:00.004+08:002013-04-12T00:21:01.960+08:00InnerflectionI don't even know if there's such a word as that in the title of this post. But here it goes, in my inner world, some reflection I see when I look inside.<br />
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I see a person whom have gained confidence over the past months, speaking more confidently, delivering ideas more persuasively. But I have also become more arrogant and less humble. I rattle off ideas and display my knowledge, without really thinking if the audience is suitable for it. I have to learn to keep quiet, and be a listener, and then attune myself to the environment, and contribute valuable insights only when necessary. The wise listens more, so that the wise can learn more, and be wiser.<br />
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I see a person who is too curt, too straight to the point, too blunt. I need to learn to refine the ability of cooperating well with others, be more like water. Fluid. Adaptable and mold myself with the various groups of people I interact with. Sometimes I don't have to be myself and show myself for who I am. I can still stay true, but be more flexible. Being rigid will make one break, but being flexible will enable one to flow. I need to learn to flow along with the right crowd. Meet an obstacle and flow around it. When it's hard, go soft. When it's soft, come on strong. Water can flow.. and it can crash.<br />
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I see a person who over-commits herself. Promising everyone the world. But stretching myself too thin and ending up under-delivering. I need to recalculate what I can promise to people. Don't say ok when I can't. Ask for help when I need. Say no. Be less confident about myself, because I think I overestimate my ability. There's always better people around. Be humble. Learn from the best. And everyone is good in their own way, keep learning. Always don't settle and don't see myself as good enough. Keep working hard. Under promise. Over deliver. Surprise people with good results. I need to work harder with myself. Demand more. Put in the hours. Make myself uncomfortable. Only then can I produce good work and stop over-promising. Keep doing, silently. Don't need to announce to the world what I can or cannot do. Just keep working on myself, focusing on the task at hand. Deliver it with near perfection. And then move on. I will tell others that I will try my best. But I will tell myself that I must do it and do it good.<br />
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I see a person who is spoilt and pampered. Who needs to pamper herself with lavish food to feel good. I will treat myself to a monthly meal. Be less demanding. Be more accommodating. Be less princessy. I will not spend excessively on meals. I will learn to earn more money and save this money. And then I will learn to invest. I will learn to be more independent and less reliant on others to do things for me.<br />
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It's time to be honest with myself. I have these 3 main flaws. And I need to keep working on them. I want to get better. I have been going too easy on myself these past months. It's time to shape up that character. Getting sloppy.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"You see your best friend and your worst enemy, when you stand in front of the mirror."</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-50082496043254357632013-04-08T00:03:00.000+08:002013-04-08T00:04:22.691+08:00My First Hackathon<a href="http://henghonglee.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/nudgelist-an-overly-social-todo-list/" target="_blank">Post</a> by Heng Hong. <br />
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Talk by <a href="http://www.palantir.com/" target="_blank">Palantir</a>. Talked to Palantir talents.<br />
Realised I am but only of little significance.<br />
<br />
How to get smarter? Better? Brighter?<br />
By working doubly triply hard.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-45606019890690165512013-03-26T01:11:00.002+08:002013-03-26T01:24:11.221+08:00未来的幸福 还在追逐<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NS2sNQbv7fA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br>
11 days since i cried a little, and my heart died a little.
I feel so sad I don't know how to express it. Not even in tears.
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I will just try.
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The painful tightening of the chest. The aching of the heart. The tightening of muscles. The gritting of teeth. The nightmares. The forced nonchalance. The stress. The confusion. A crisis where I am my only buoy. But I flounder because the buoy is anchored to nowhere. Just floating. And floating. And swallowing water down my nose. I never felt so painful. So painful that I can't even flinch because it doesn't occur in a localised area. It's everywhere that I can't hide from. It's from within. It's growing. And it hurts so much.
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Every time I tell myself to sleep it off.
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And shove the pain under the carpet.
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The irony is that the pain is within, and there's no carpet to shove it under. It's within.
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<br>
Today I told myself to take a lead fall. And I forced myself to release from the last handhold. I fell. At that moment, my heart raced, just right after the fall. And that's it. I got over it. In a moment. I faced my fear.
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Today I told myself to face my fear of hurt. And I forced myself to embrace the hurt. Let it wash all over me. Through and through. My heart stopped. And I never got over it stopping. It tightens in that very moment and just stops.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-77207756939955825422013-03-15T22:50:00.000+08:002013-03-15T22:51:35.004+08:00Just Bent, Not BrokenEven the most private of thoughts cannot be expressed on this platform for fear of myself catching up to these thoughts and translating them into reality.<br />
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I keep thinking positivity baby, but I know when my heart stops trying, and I know it's time to stop trying. Afterall, the heart speaks louder than any logical reasoning.<br />
Being busy keeps the mind occupied with not dwelling on things. And to keep pushing forward.<br />
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Going against the wind, even it messes my hair; going against the current, even if it means swimming twice as hard just to go with the flow.<br />
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Being busy. With purpose.<br />
I'm just bent, not broken.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-75300012285103773182013-03-14T23:50:00.000+08:002013-03-14T23:52:39.694+08:00Mind. Heart. Body. Soul.<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">The phone rang. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">She was sobbing badly on the other end of the line.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">“I’m going over,” I told her and hung up before she could protest.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">1am. It was going to be a long night ahead..</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">She was still crying when she opened the door. She looked so broken, so vulnerable. I didn’t have to know what was wrong, I just held her in my arms. She cried even more.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“He broke up with me,” she finally said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">I just kept quiet as she let it all out.. questions, tears, anger, hurt.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Why does love have to hurt so much?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“No, love.. doesn’t hurt,” I said gently. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“So says the guy who’s been single forever? What would you know about love,” she jabbed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“So says the guy who’s been your friend though Mr now-ex-#4,” I grinned. “Love doesn’t hurt you.. it’s the person that doesn’t know how to love or appreciate love that hurts you. But love never hurts,”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“You won’t understand, Matt,” she sighed, “you’ve never been in love…”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“That’s not entirely true, you know..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Wait what- so who’s this girl I’ve never heard abou-“</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“What did you love about #4 anyway?” I interjected. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“I don’t know… he is just perfect. And I love him so much,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“But you don’t know what it is that you love about him?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“It’s just.. the feeling when I’m with him. It always felt right with him. He made me feel loved and I loved him too,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“That’s it? Just a feeling?” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Well.. yea. What were you expecting me to say?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“.. something more specific, maybe? I mean, if you thought he’s so ‘perfect’, why’d he still chea- erm, why’d he leave you?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Because I’m just not good enough for him? I don’t know..” she paused. “What is love to you then…”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Hmm.. to me, being together or in love with someone should be more that just a feeling.. it should also be about mutual understanding, acceptance, respect, commitment and trust.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“That’s what all couples would hope and want their relationship to be like, Matt. But expectations and reality don’t always go together..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Or maybe.. someone’s just not trying?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Well if you think love is so simple.. why haven’t you been with anyone all these years?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“I never said love was simple.. but I guess the reason why I’ve never been with anyone yet is because.. I already know exactly what I want,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“You have.. a checklist?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Sorta. It’s not the typical kinda ‘I’d like a girl with long hair, nice smile, etc’ superficial checklist though,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Oh. What kind of list is it then?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“It’s like.. a concept of love. Of what it is about a girl that will make me fall completely in love with her. A concept that has more than three specific reasons that would answer any question as to why I love her.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“You have a concept of love?” she laughed. “Love isn’t a theory, Matt.. you can’t just classify love by a concept or definition, you simply feel it with your heart..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“But you see.. the reason why I think there are so many broken hearts, is because people merely jump into a relationship when their heart feels a certain something towards someone. But I don’t think that’s love, that’s merely an infatuation. Personally, I believe there are more than three reasons and aspects that actually determines whether we really are truly in love beyond the superficial ‘I don’t know why I love him/her.. I just do’ reason,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“That makes sense. So what exactly is this.. ‘concept’ of yours about?” she asked, genuine curiosity replacing her initial skepticism.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“I call it the 4+1 theory. The aspects that will determine if it’s true love or just a fickle infatuation. It’s based on this idea that whenever we like someone, if we really go deeper into what is it that draws us to him or her, we’d be able to find that one specific reason. That’s not love though. That’s merely an attraction or infatuation. But when more than three of the aspects from this theory are present, you’ll be pretty sure that it’s more than just a feeling. For me personally, this determines if I’ll ever fall in love with a girl…”</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mind. Heart. Body. Soul.</span></b></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Mind</span></u></div>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The <b>mind</b> aspect, to put it simply, is her intellect. But I don’t mean the academic smarts.. it’s the way she thinks, processes and analyzes things way beyond a shallow self centeredness. It’s the way she puts across her thoughts, not for winning an argument’s sake, but to really try to understand or even sensibly debate opposing views that might leave anyone reflecting on her words or challenge me to think differently. It’s the way she carries herself off with an aura of sophistication and enigmatic charm and no matter how much I might think I already know her or have her figured out, she’ll still surprise me with something unexpected. Good surprise. I like intellect. Personally, it takes a little more to intrigue me and stimulate my senses. If I can connect with someone and talk endlessly about the concept of nothing, then, only then, will we be able to talk about everything else.. and I think that’s incredibly alluring,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Ooh.. so my best friend’s sapiosexual too,” she teased. “But what about her likes and dislikes or like her personality.. does that go under the mind aspect too?”</span><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><u><span style="font-size: large;">Heart</span></u></span></div>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Well, that’s where the heart aspect comes in. The heart represents who she is by what she values or cares about. The things she likes, the things she dislikes. What really matters to her, as well as her insecurities and fears..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">She bit her lower lip - thinking. “But what if him knowing about my past and all my insecurities scares him or drives him away? Or what if he ever uses all of these against me if someday things go bad between us?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Erm.. you do realize that it doesn’t really matter now because whether or not he ever knew, he already chose to leave you right? But.. if he still or ever tries to hurt you in any way, then he is a fucking bastard and I will punch his face,”. I really meant it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“I don’t think he even cares about me anymore,” she sighed, “maybe he never really did.. we were so.. different. I don’t know why I never actually realize it before,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Maybe because then, you were too ‘blinded by love’ to see, or you chose to conveniently ignore the differences. Honestly though, I think it’s critical for two people to understand each other’s heart and learn to accommodate each other’s differences rather than simply turning a blind eye or deaf ear ‘because I love him and that’s all that matters’. Because if two people are too different in the way they think, behave or live.. I reckon it will become a huge problem when the infatuation bubble bursts.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“I don’t really understand..” she said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Let me just ask you this.. does he know how passionate you are towards the arts and music?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Well, no.. not really. He’s more the sports kind of guy and doesn’t like theatre and stuff so I didn’t want him to get bored if I talked to him about things he isn’t interested in..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Then i’m guessing he probably also doesn’t care or know the little things about you. Like how you’re afraid of the dark and why you’re actually scared of darkness.. how family and relationships are really important to you.. that ice cream is your happy pill. You know, I’m even going to bet that he doesn’t know you go to bed every night, clutching your phone just hoping and waiting for him to text you goodnight..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">She started to tear again, but I continued..</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“You see, it’s not a matter of whether it bores him or not.. it’s a matter of whether he bothers or not. I mean, if he doesn’t even know these things about you, then he really doesn’t know you at all. How then can he say he loves you?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“But I really loved him,” she murmured softly to herself .</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“I know you did. I know you still do and it’s hurting you like shit. But you need to know that for any kind of relationship to work.. two people need to give and take. Sadly, with him, it seems like you’re the one who was always giving. If he actually really loved you back as much, he’d make a greater effort to close the gap and bridge the differences between you two. He’d want to hear what you have to say, he would actually consider your opinions, your needs and your feelings. He’ll not just tell you or text you that he loves you.. he’ll show it by the things he will do or be willing to do no matter how inconvenient or silly it might be, just because.. he knows it’ll make you happier or better. To me, when it comes to a relationship, the heart aspect isn’t just a feeling or who you/he or she is anymore. It becomes two hearts beating as one. Two people wanting to understand each other.. sharing the good, the bad and possibly a future together; actually bothering and supporting each other’s feelings, values, dreams, thoughts, emotions,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">She stayed silent for a long while before she looked up, holding my gaze.. there was this unspoken tension building before she finally spoke again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“But.. what if something that’s important to me, is not something the guy might feel same way about?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Then I’ll try-” I caught myself. “I mean, if I were him. I’d try. I’d make the effort.. because it’s important to you and you’re important to me,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">She remained silent again. She wasn’t crying anymore but this time, the prolonged silence was starting to grow even more deafening. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Matt,” she finally spoke - softly, “do you believe in love at first sight?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“No.” I said flatly. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Oh..” she sighed. “You know what you said about mind and heart.. it’s actually starting to sink in and I’m beginning to realize that maybe these two aspects weren’t exactly a big part of my relationship with him,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“So what made you fall in love with him then?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Well.. don’t laugh, but I’ve always thought that with him, it was love at first sight. I mean, there was just this spark between us from the very first time we met,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Cos he was hot?” I scoffed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“No.. don’t be an idiot,” she tried to hide her smile but failed. I rolled my eyes. “Okay fine, yea maybe that. But it wasn’t the only reason!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">I raised an eyebrow.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“He was really nice too! And he was always sweet to me,“ she began her defense case. “He always made me feel happy, secure and loved without even having to try, you know?” I just continued staring at her waiting for her to go on. “Oh never mind, you’d never understand..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Actually.. I do. And I think I now understand what it was that made you fall in love with him.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Body</span></u></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The body aspect.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The <b>body </b>aspect is about physical attraction, intimacy and presence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">I don’t believe in love at first sight. I don’t believe you can just “instantly know” you’re in love or that someone’s THE one just by “first sight”. No offense, but I think the whole love at first sight concept is bullshit that only exists in movies and fairy tales. In reality, it isn’t love. That very first attraction.. is probably lust. Lust at first sight”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“What nonsense! It’s not like I was lusting over him from the very first time I laid eyes on him! Maybe it’s the case for guys.. I mean, sex is always on a guy’s mind whenever he meets a girl right? But it’s different for girls, Matt..” she protested.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Okay. You know what.. since you brought up the age-old guys and sex debate, I’ll tell you this secret to clarify something about guys for the first and last time.. probably 99% of guys are naturally sexual. If you ever meet any guy who tells you he isn’t sexual at all, it’s not that he’s gay – no, gays are even more horny .. he’s likely to be a liar and you should be more wary of him. BUT! Here’s the thing.. even though guys are sexual by nature, it isn’t always the only or most important thing to a guy,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Really?” now she raised her eyebrow with that annoying smirk on her face.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Oh come on, you girls know how it is, plus you aren’t exactly saint-like innocent either.. sometimes you see a hot guy and you start fantasizing or making statements like ‘omg have my babies’..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“That…” she started blushing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“That.. is exactly my point. It’s the same with guys. We might talk and think about sex a lot more openly than girls but it isn’t always the only thing on our mind. When I said it’s lust at first sight.. I didn’t literally mean you want the guy naked and in bed. What I meant is the momentary attraction or desire– he might be hot, he might be charming, he might have smiled at you that made you feel a certain way.. but that’s not love. That’s really just a superficial physical attraction. Saying “I’m in love” right there and then just completely takes the special meaning out of the word ‘love’. If you ask me, I personally think the process of loving or falling in love with someone involves discovering the person and then perhaps developing feelings. It could happen quickly or over a longer period of time, but not at first sight,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Hmm.. that does make sense,” she paused and then her lips curled up forming that annoying smirk again. “Oh wow, this is the first time you and I are talking about sex huh..”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“You never asked..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Tell me then.. what is sex to you?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Sex.. to me, is merely a physical act. I am not part of the whole “sex is sacred/taboo” camp but then, I don’t take sides with the whole bed hopping culture either,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“I can’t believe you just said that sex is merely a physical act..” she began in a disappointed tone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“But sex really is just a physical act if it’s without emotions or feelings. And that is why I distinguish between sex and making love, the same way I clearly differentiate ‘loving’ and ‘being in love’ with someone,” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Oh.” this time, she smiled. She understood. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Don’t get me wrong.. I think physical intimacy is very important in a relationship but for me, the one physical aspect that matters the most.. is the physical presence. That, is also what I reckon made you fall in love with him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Okay this, I really want to know…” she said. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“The physical presence is simply being there. You want him to be with you. You want to be there for him. Because just being there with or for each other makes your day, or you as a person, a little better. You may act or behave a little different when you’re with him, but in a good way – in a way that you actually feel completely comfortable, safe and you. Perhaps even without you knowing, you smile more and laugh harder. <i>You feel real, genuine joy.</i> And even on days when the smile can’t happen, you know you don’t have to pretend to be okay or be self conscious in front of him; because its perfectly okay to be the way you are and feel when you’re with him. He cares about you and you feel loved when you’re with him. Sometimes, there are no need for words or explanations.. just his presence, him being there for you, holding you.. makes you feel better or believe that it’s going to be okay again. Because you’re not just holding on to someone for attention or sympathy.. you actually feel and believe that you’re holding on to a part of or the rest of your life..”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Which leads to the fourth aspect – soul.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Soul</span></u></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The soul aspect to me, is the deepest form and the final affirmation that should answer any remaining doubt or questions as to whether we’ve truly fallen in love with a person.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">It’s when you start noticing but still appreciate all the other little things, even the flaws - especially the flaws. It’s when you truly know a person stripped down of all their walls, exposed to their soul and yet still accept and love him or her. It’s a level of understanding and acceptance that goes beyond the “honeymoon everything is perfect” period. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">It’s when you finally realize this one person is someone you can always and want to tell everything to, and you want to ask and know everything of him or her as well. It’s when you actually want to share your life and trust your secrets with this person; and you can. This someone is the first person you think of when you’re happy, sad or when something significant happens. This same person is someone you can call at 1am in the morning and they’d drop everything to make time for you, staying by you till the sun rises or you’re better again - as you would for him or her as well. This person cares and will listen. Will really listen, giving you their undivided attention and genuine love; not necessarily every time but any time you need him or her. This one person makes your problem their problem and they go through it together with you just so you don’t have to go through the pain and tears alone,”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">It was at this moment, for the very first time, she looked at me in a different way but said nothing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“You see, the soul aspect..” I continued, “is when you start to see and want to share the rest of your life with this one other. And not in a clingy “I can’t live without you” way, but in a way that I can still live my life without you as I have before I met you, but now that you’ve come to exist in my life, I see the possibility of a life with you and now I actually want to make decisions and live a life, continuing to create more moments and memories together with you”.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Well.. so.. have you met this one person yet? I mean, I’m sure it’s almost impossible to find that ‘perfect’ girl who fulfills all of your four aspects of love right?” she mumbled. I could barely hear her. She wasn’t even looking at me anymore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“No, it is not impossible and I don’t think its asking for too much. You see the thing about these four aspects is, we often and will find one or two aspects in many different people. And that alone may be enough to make us attracted to them or develop a crush on them. But really, that is not love at all. If we like a person because “he’s cute” or “the way she thinks”, that’s just us liking the body and/or mind aspect of a person. The reality is, we are always going to meet many people who possess these different aspects of mind, heart, body or soul. But on a rare occasion when you do meet someone who possess all these four aspects.. you’ll almost definitely know that he or she is not one of many but may just be the one. So personally, I won’t settle for anything less unless she possess more than three qualities. You know people write the symbol of love as < 3 (less than three), I actually think love should be more than three.. I define it as 4+1. “</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“So what’s plus one?” she asked, still not looking at me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Plus one…” I trailed off – unconsciously. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Matt?” she placed her hand on top of mine, finally looking me in eye again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">“Plus one.. is something only the one who's meant to be will ever know and hold the answer to”.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">- Matthew Zachary Liu</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><i>Are you truly in love with and loving that someone?</i></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-85820406838907548872013-03-14T23:34:00.003+08:002013-03-14T23:54:18.680+08:00Acts of ServiceIt is the only way I know to express love.
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If I want to serve you in the best possible manner, it's my way of telling you that I love you too dearly and tenderly.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-11960599002001772172013-03-11T00:32:00.002+08:002013-03-11T00:32:56.151+08:00Be WaterDon't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water.<br />
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Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water.<br />
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Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot.<br />
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Now water can <i>flow</i> or it can <span style="font-size: large;">crash</span>.<br />
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<i>Be water, my friend.</i><br />
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- Bruce LeeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-21314394009894683312013-03-07T23:24:00.002+08:002013-03-07T23:28:46.475+08:00School of Thoughts<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<b>The Fisherman and the Businessman </b> </div>
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There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village. As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite a few big fish. </blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a short while.”<br />
“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was astonished.</blockquote>
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“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.</blockquote>
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The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?” </blockquote>
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The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink — we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.” </blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman. “I am a PhD in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to Sao Paulo, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches.” </blockquote>
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The fisherman continues, “<b>And after that</b>?” </blockquote>
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The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, and you will be rich.” </blockquote>
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The fisherman asks, “<b>And after that</b>?” </blockquote>
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The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!” </blockquote>
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The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”</blockquote>
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Following the line of thought with this story, I've been questioning myself time after time. The real motivation for doing something. For having kids. For earning money. And for doing what I'm just doing. <i>Then what next?</i> If I keep probing and probing, till I find that I'm stumped with no answer, then I know it's not what my heart truly wants. Unless the answer leads to "because I want to", if not, I should stop what I'm doing, and keep looking. Don't settle.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-38979656115834655282013-03-07T09:32:00.001+08:002013-03-07T09:32:57.881+08:00AimServing as a reminder that <a href="http://www.overseas.nus.edu.sg/forStudents_theNOCProgram.htm" target="_blank">this</a> door has always been there, waiting for me to enter.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #5b5b5b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 15.199999809265137px; text-align: justify;">Students should have completed <b>4 semesters</b> of study and/or individually gained about 80 modular credits at the point of departure and MUST have at least one remaining semester of study on upon return to NUS without exceeding their maximum candidature.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #5b5b5b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 15.199999809265137px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #5b5b5b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 15.199999809265137px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
Going to UPenn or Stanford is like a dream coming true. A dream of various sorts that I've held.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-17494568778018859462013-03-04T22:51:00.001+08:002013-03-04T22:51:08.865+08:00Business Stripped Bare<span style="font-size: large;"><b>People: </b>Find good people - set them free</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Hire for attitude; train for skill</u></span><br />
<div>
Seek out people with the right spirit, bubbling just beneath the surface, and get working with them. These people, by their nature and their outlook on life, enjoying working with others.</div>
<div>
They're attentive. </div>
<div>
They smile freely.</div>
<div>
They're often lively, and fun to be with.</div>
<div>
When you love what you do, you're too busy to stand on your dignity. When you're good at what you do, you don't worry so much about your image. So it's a positive sign when people don't take themselves too seriously.<br />
<br />
There's another thing about teams: they don't last for ever.<br />
Think of a team as being like the cast in a theatrical play. Actors who work too long together on the same show for too long grow stale.<br />
When the business lets you, shake things up a little.<br />
<br />
It's a fact of business life that people come and go. The offer of better prospects or career advancement elsewhere will naturally draw good people away from time to time. But what about the others - the ones who leave in order to do much the same thing, for much the same money, elsewhere? What went wrong?<br />
Throwing money at people isn't the point. When people leave a good company, it's often because they don't feel good themselves. They feel underused, ignored, marginalised. Few people spend every spare hour scouring the jobs page hunting for higher salary.<br />
<i>Most are driven back into the jobs market by frustration.</i><br />
Their bosses don't listen to them.<br />
It's vital that we are allowed to feel good about what we do. After all, we only live once, and most of our time is spent at work.<br />
<br />
If people are properly and regularly recognised for their initiative, then the business has to flourish. Why? Because it's their business; an extension of their personality. They have a stake in its success.<br />
<br />
A self disciplined employee will have the patience to conduct routine business routinely, the talent to respond exceptionally to exceptional circumstances, and the wisdom to know the difference between the two.<br />
<br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Delivery</b><br />
Good delivery depends upon many things.<br />
Two of the most important elements are:<br />
1. good communication<br />
2. attention to detail - keep a notebook. Jot down things that need doing.<br />
<br />
Every risk is worth taking as long as it's in a good cause, and contributes to a good life.<br />
<br />
Delivery is never rocket science. Getting to grips with an unfamiliar infrastructure is simply a question of workload - <i>of mastering detail</i>.<br />
However complex the business is, you should be able to boil it down to a proposition that ordinary people can understand.<br />
Immerse yourself in every detail for months or even weeks, if often enough to get you started.<br />
<br />
Keep your bankers informed of your every move. Let them know precisely your intentions.<br />
<br />
Delivery is the moment where your good intentions meet the real world.<br />
Delivery is best approached steadily, and with fortitude.<br />
<br />
If you're a late entrant to a market, you need to be radically different to win over customers.<br />
<br />
If you rip off the consumer, then you will destroy the integrity of the brand.<br />
Let people know exactly what they are paying for - and reward those who stay with us.<br />
<br />
When you're first thinking through an idea, it's important not to get bogged down in complexity. Thinking simply and clearly is hard to do. It takes concentration and practice and self-discipline.<br />
It's easy to be hoodwinked by technical-sounding detail, and to parrot it at others, and to feel important in doing so. It's hard to ask the naive question. Nobody wants to look silly.<br />
You can never go far too wrong by thinking like a consumer who's new to the business. If it makes no sense to them, then you're probably just fooling yourself.<br />
<br />
Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to make something simple.<br />
<br />
Keep a cool head. You're in business to deliver change, and if you succeed, the chances that no one will get hurt are virtually zero.<br />
This is the rough and tumble of business.<br />
Be sportsmanlike, play to win, and stay friends with people wherever possible.<br />
If you do fall out with someone, ring them a year later and take them out to dinner. Befriend your enemies.<br />
<br />
Engage your emotions at work.<br />
Your instincts and emotions are there to help you. They are there to make things easier.<br />
Acquire details in your plans by testing against questions that on the face of it are really quite simple - and more to do with emotions than figures.<br />
<i>If you seek to create the best health club in town, will existing gym members go to all the bother of transferring their membership to you? If the answer is 'yes', then give it a go and see if it works.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The most critical factor in any business decision you'll ever have to make? It boils down to this question:<br />
<i>If this all crashes, will it bring the whole house tumbling down like a pack of cards?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
One business mantra - <i>protect the downside.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Learning from mistakes & setbacks</b><br />
You can't protect yourself against the unexpected, so you need to keep your house in as good an order as you can. If disaster strikes, you don't want to find yourself doing twelve things at once and misprioritising them. It's vital that you take control of your internal business risks - the ones who <i>can</i> influence.<br />
<br />
An entrepreneur has to make the tough calls. Some say it requires a ruthless streak. Actually, it's counterproductive to be ruthless. You've got the treat people as you would yourself, or better.<br />
<br />
Any start-up business should sit down and take a long hard look at its legal agreements.<br />
<br />
Look for people with exciting, dynamic CVs, not spotless ones. Don't be pushovers.<br />
Be happy to take chances with people, to move them around, to see how they tick and where they fit in.<br />
Don't pin the blame on people, or marginalise them when things go wrong.<br />
Eventually people will realise that we're in a company that knows how to deal with its problems, and is willing to take chances. Be bold and unafraid.<br />
<br />
If you've poured too many hours into a project, and it failed. Move on.<br />
What if you can't move on? What if there is nowhere to move to?<br />
Assuming you're not burning other people's money in their faces, you could always perform the hardest trick in the book of business tricks:<br />
<i>get very small, very specialised and very expensive.</i><br />
You're taking a large operation and finding ways to scale it down, retarget it and remarket it, all the while adding bucketloads of value to justify the hike in price.<br />
<br />
First thing to do when faced with a problem? Get together promptly to look for the answer to a single question "is there a way out?". And then go right to the endgame and ask "what is the ideal way out of this problem for everyone?"<br />
Become 100 percent focused on trying to find that way out.<br />If it's a major problem, give it 100 percent of your time and energy until it is sorted.<br />
Work night and day to resolve it, and try to delegate everything else that is going on.<br />
If, having done this, you fail to resolve the problem, then at least you know you've done everything in your power you can.<br />
Move on.<br />
<br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Innovation</b><br />
In business, as in life, you can't afford to be afraid of doing the wrong thing.<br />
Success in business never comes from inaction.<br />
Innovation is what you get when you capitalise on luck, when you get up from behind your desk and go and see where ideas and people will lead you.<br />
<br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Entrepreneurs and leadership</b><br />
<br />
In a small business, you can be both the entrepreneur and the manager while you are getting it going. But you need to know and understanding everything about the business. An emerging entrepreneur should sign every cheque. Examine every invoice. Know where the money is going.<br />
If the business gets big, sign every single cheque that goes out for a month every six months. And suddenly you're asking "what on earth is this for?"<br />
You'll be able to cut out unnecessary expenditure quite dramatically when you do that.<br />
<br />
As a small business person, immerse yourself 100 percent in everything and learn about the ins and outs of every department. As it gets bigger, you'll be able to delegate, and when people come to you with problems, they'll be surprised how knowledgeable you are and how much practical advice you can offer. Because you've been there, done that. Also, decide if you're a manager or an entrepreneur. If you're a manager you can stay with that business and help it grow. If you're an entrepreneur, you need to find a manager. Then you should move on, enjoy yourself and then set up your next enterprise.<br />
<br />
You must either stay ahead of other people, or stay ahead of yourself, all the time. If you really put your mind to it you are normally going to find a better way.<br />
<i>You have to keep questioning the way people do things.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Many people reading this will be affluent. If you don't feel affluent right now, take a minute and think: the very fact that you could afford to link up to the internet, read this off a screen - the very fact that you are able to read at all - marks you out as one of world history's richest and most privileged people.<br />
There's not that many of us, and we haven't been affluent for very long, and so we're not very good at it yet. Affluence makes us lazy. It makes us complacent. It smothers us in cotton wool. If your job's well paid, who can blame you if you're not willing to take a rik and, say, set up your own company?<br />
The vast majority are very happy with this arrangement, and good for them.<br />
But if you want swashbuckling action in your life, become an entrepreneur and give it a go.<br />
<br />
Learn the art of trying to set up your own business.<br />
Which is the same as saying, learn the art of making mistakes and learning lessons.<br />
<br />
Because if you want to be an entrepreneur and you don't make a few errors along the way, you certainly aren't going to learn anything or achieve very much.<br />
<br />
People have a fear of failure and while this is perfectly reasonable, it's also very odd. Because it's through making mistakes that we learn how to do things.<br />
Now there's a limit you may hit, beyond which you <i>can't</i> learn from your mistakes.<br />
Don't expect a chart-topping album from yourself if you're not a singer, or a recital at Carnegie Hall, or a sequence of sonnets or any of the billion and one other things you are never going to be great at.<br />
But that's not failure.<br />
That's finding out what you're good at.<br />
<br />
Failure is not giving things a go in the first place.<br />
People who fail are those who don't have a go and don't make an effort.<br />Failures can't be bothered.<br />
There are few people who've tried something and fallen who didn't get enormous satisfaction from trying, and there's more to learn from people who have tried and faltered than from the few charmed people for whom success came easy.<br />
<br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Social Responsibility</b><br />
<br />
Good small solutions are like gold dust as it's often possible to scale them up, or replicate them manyfold, so that they may acquire a global influence. Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank is a classic example.<br />
Don't let relative scale put you off your goals.<br />
Think realistically and creatively about what you can achieve.<br />
<br />
No one is asking you to save the planet.<br />
Just dream up and work on a couple of good ideas.<br />
No one expects you to find a global solution to everything.<br />
Just make a difference where you can.<br />
Local solutions have a value in themselves, and some can be scaled up, so it doesn't matter how modest your budget, you can and will make a difference.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Epilogue</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In entrepreneurial business, a conservative mindset will hamstring you, defensiveness will weaken you and a failure to face facts will kill you.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Entrepreneurial business favours the open mind.<br />It favours people whose optimism drives them to prepare for many possible futures, pretty much purely for the joy of doing so. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It favours people with a humane and engaged view of the world; people who can imagine themselves into the skin of their customers, their workers and the people who are affected by their operations. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Business favours people who, when they see a problem or an injustice, try to do something about it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It favours pragmatists over perfectionists, adventurers over fantasists.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Done well and in the right spirit, business will also bring you success - whatever that is.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When we talk about success, what are we really talking about?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Are we talking about money? </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As a measure of success, money's a crude one at best.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
People are always inquisitive about how wealthy other people are.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's a fascinating subject and one that produces endless reams of copy and discussion.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But the reality is that wealth is like a running stream of water.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
During some seasons the flow of money is a torrent and you're inundated with cash.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The next moment, you've put money in to develop a business and your cash flow dries up overnight.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If money's a poor guide to success in life, celebrity is worse.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The media likes to personalise and simplify matters. It's much easier to talk about Steve Jobs at Apple, Bill Gates at Microsoft or Warren Buffet at Berkshire Hathaway, but that doesn't really acknowledge that there's a legion of senior people doing significant jobs and making major decisions every day.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Success for me is whether you have created something that you can be really proud of.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Profits are necessary to invest in the next project - pay the bills, repay investors, reward all the hard work - but that's all.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Nobody should be remembered by how much money they have made in life.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Whether you die with a billion dollars in your bank account or $20 under your pillow is actually not that interesting.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
That's not what you've achieved in life.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>What matters is whether you've created something special - and whether you've made a real difference to other people's lives.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Entrepreneurs, scientists and artists who died as paupers are often the heroes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Successful people aren't in possession of secrets only known to themselves.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Don't obsess over people who appear to you to be 'winners', but listen instead to the wisdom of people who've led enriching lives - people, for instance, who've found time for friends and family.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Be generous in your interpretation of what success looks like.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In business, as in life, all that matters is that you do something positive.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thanks for reading - and enjoy your life. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You only get one.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>- Richard Branson </i></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-75079501848458028632013-03-02T14:32:00.000+08:002013-03-02T14:32:40.772+08:00Dreaming of Wars and FriendsThey do fall into the same picture at the same time.<br />
<br />
Every night I close my eyes, I see friends in my dreams.<br />
<br />
The same friends. Doing different things. I wonder how they feel if I told them I dreamt of them.<br />
<br />
I remember upon waking up. But I chose to allow my memory to gradually forget them.<br />Paying no attention to it. But sometimes I wonder about you as much as the you in my dreams.<br />
But I can't give it thought in reality, maybe that's why you're only there, in my dreams.<br />
<br />
And about wars, I dreamt of bombing. A huge bomb. Chaos. Frantic. Mess.<br />
A flag. Red background with a yellow star.<br />
<br />I don't know what this means. But I hope it means nothing.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-7239593624763094862013-02-28T21:17:00.003+08:002013-02-28T21:17:49.253+08:00The Art of Making A Deal1. <b>Think BIG</b><br />
One of the keys to thinking big is total focus.<br />
Obsessive. Driven. Single minded.<br />
These traits lead you to getting what you want.<br />
<br />
2.<b> Protect the downside & the upside will take care of itself</b><br />
Believe in the power of negative thinking.<br />
Go into a deal anticipating the worst.<br />
If you plan for the worst - if you can live with worst - the good will always take care of itself.<br />
<br />
3. <b>Maximise your options</b><br />
Be flexible.<br />
Never get too attached to one deal / one approach.<br />
Keep a lot of balls in the air, because most deals fall out, no matter how promising they seem at first.<br />
Once you've got a deal, always come up with at least half a dozen approaches to making it work, because anything can happen, even the best-laid plans.<br />
<br />
4. <b>Know your market</b><br />
Ask everyone for an opinion and make your own judgement.<br />
Ask and ask and ask, until you get a gut feeling about something.<br />
Then make a decision.<br />
<br />
5. <b>Use your leverage</b><br />
The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it.<br />
The best thing you can do is deal with strength, and leverage is the biggest strength you can have.<br />
Leverage is having something the other guy wants. Or better yet, needs. Or best of all, simply can't do without.<br />
Convince the other guy that it's in his best interest to make the deal.<br />
<br />
6. <b>Enhance your location</b><br />
The most misunderstood concept in all of real estate is that the key to success is location, location, location.<br />
You don't necessarily need the best location.<br />
What you need is the best deal.<br />
Just as you can create <i>leverage</i>, you can <i>enhance</i> a location through promotion & psychology.<br />
Take a mediocre location and turn it into something considerably better just by attracting the right people.<br />
What you should never do is pay <b>too much</b>, even if that means walking away from a very good site.<br />
<br />
7. <b>Get the word out</b><br />
You can have the most wonderful product in the world, but if people don't know about it, it's not going to be worth very much.<br />
Generate interest, then create excitement.<br />
If you're a little different, or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you.<br />
Use bravado. Play to people's fantasies.<br />
People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do.<br />
People want to believe that something is the biggest, the greatest, and the most spectacular.<br />
<br />
8.<b> Fight back</b><br />
If you're fighting for something you believe in - even if it means alienating some people along the way - things usually work out for the best in the end.<br />
<br />
9. <b>Deliver the goods</b><br />
Promote the hell out of something, and then deliver it.<br />
<br />
10. <b>Contain the costs</b><br />
Spend what you have to.<br />
Not spend more than you should.<br />
Dream great dreams, then turn them into reality at reasonable costs.<br />
<br />
11.<b> Have fun</b><br />
<i>Anything can change, without warning, and that's why I try not to take any of what's happened too seriously.</i><br />
<i>Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score.</i><br />
<i>The real excitement is playing the game.</i><br />
<i>I don't spend a lot of time worrying about what's going to happen next or what I should have done differently. </i><br />
<i>If you ask me exactly what the deals I'm about to describe all add up to in the end, I'm not sure I have a very good answer.</i><br />
<i>Except that I've had a very good time making them.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>- </i>Donald Trump<br />
<i>The Art of The Deal</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-15406642586168806322013-02-25T10:34:00.002+08:002013-02-25T10:34:30.684+08:00Funny Moments<i>Context: Jansen Ko on duty manning the hotline and SMS valuation indications.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Me:</b> Duty Ko, can I have an indication of how much you love me today?<br />
<b>Jansen Ko:</b> Love you until I K.O.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-1793487872723986552013-02-19T22:09:00.001+08:002013-02-19T22:10:30.582+08:00I'm Just A Little Girl<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/elsh3J5lJ6g?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<br>
<i>it's a lot to be something I'm not</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-25325185583524754402013-02-13T02:21:00.001+08:002013-02-13T02:21:06.030+08:00Lineage of HomesAs we take stock of our lives, we need to take stock of the number of houses we have lived in before we start losing count.<br />
<br />
It started back when my parents just got married in 1987.<br />
<br />
1) Simei Street 1 -- 5 room HDB (bought direct from HDB) 1987 - 1997<br />
2) Marine Parade -- 3 room HDB (rent) 1997 - 1997<br />
3) Lorong J Telok Kurau -- Terrace (bought) 1997 - 2003<br />
4) How Sun Walk -- Terrace (rent) 2003 - 2004<br />
5) Paya Lebar Crescent -- Terrace (bought) 2004 - 2007<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Parents divorced</div>
6) Pasir Ris Street 21 -- Executive Apartment HDB (rent) 2007 - 2009<br />
7) Tampines Street 84 -- Executive Apartment HDB (bought) 2009 - 2011<br />
8) Ang Mo Kio Avenue 9 -- 3 room HDB (rent) 2011 - 2012<br />
9) Normanton Park -- 3 bedroom Condo (bought) 2012 - current<br />
<br />
Looking forward to the next move? Definitely. The only way to keep pace with times is to keep going forward. As long as you stagnate at the same spot, the world will move forward without you.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-49587543707288063162013-02-04T14:18:00.002+08:002013-02-04T14:18:52.771+08:00Staying Away Is My Best OptionNever lose sight of your goal, be careful not to tell people who might sabotage your efforts, either consciously or subconsciously, and then execute your plan so that little by little, day by day, you crawl your way to where you want to be.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-67244040450166474442013-01-31T16:51:00.001+08:002013-01-31T16:51:11.752+08:00Making Money<b>One thing I do know is that making money is not the same as starting a business</b>.<br />
For entrepreneurs, this is an important thing to understand. Most of us identify with the products we create or services we provide. I make software. He is a headhunter. She builds computer networks. But the fact is, all of us must master one skill that supersedes the others: making money. You can be the most creative software designer in the world. But if you don't know how to make money, you're never going to have much of a business or a whole lot of autonomy.<br />
<br />
It took me a long time to figure out how to make money. Here's how the lessons unfolded.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Understanding the buyer is the key to being a strong seller</b><br />
Understanding what people really want to know—and how that differs from what you want to tell them—is a fundamental tenet of sales. And you can't get good at making money unless you get good at selling.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Sell only things you'd want to buy for yourself</b><br />
Cos if you want them for yourself, your friends probably want it too.You could sell stuff below what they'd pay in the store and still make a profit.<br />
<br />
<b>3. How, and why, to charge real money for real products</b><br />
People are happy to pay for things that work well. Never be afraid to put a price on something. If you pour your heart into something and make it great, sell it. For real money. Even if there are free options, even if the market is flooded with free. People will pay for things they love.
Charging for something makes you want to make it better. I've found this to be really important. It's a great lesson if you want to learn how to make money.<br />
<br />
<b>4. There are many pathways to the same dollar</b><br />
Don't just charge. Try as many different pricing models as you can.
Remove the fear, and people will be more willing to pay you. People don't like uncertainty—especially when they have to pay for it. A week and a fixed price is certain.<br />
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<b>5. The true value of bootstrapping</b><br />
Whether you're starting your first business or your next one, my advice is to bootstrap it. Bootstrapping forces you to think about making money on Day One. There's a fundamental difference between a bootstrapped business and a funded business. It's all about which side of the money you're on. From Day One, a bootstrapped business has no choice but to make money. There's no cushion in the bank and not much in the pockets. It's make money or go home. To a bootstrapped business, money is air.
Anyone can spend money. Making it is the hard part, and being forced to do it early is one of the best ways to get better at it later.<br />
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<b>6. A word about practicing</b><br />
So here's a great way to practice making money: Buy and sell the same thing over and over
Buy it, and then immediately resell it. Then buy it again. Each time, try selling it for more than you paid for it. See how far you can push it. See how much profit you can make off 10 transactions.
Start tweaking the headline. Then start fiddling with the product description. Vary the photographs. Take some pictures of the thing for sale; use other photos with other items, or people, in them. Shoot really high-quality shots, and also post crappy ones from your cell-phone camera. Try every variation you can think of.<br />
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<a href="http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110301/making-money-small-business-advice-from-jason-fried.html" target="_blank">Credit</a> - if you want to read the full article.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-31258598343718838012013-01-28T11:26:00.002+08:002013-01-28T11:33:07.150+08:00How To Deal With Door-To-Door SalesmanThey are simply employing techniques such as the door-in-the face (DITF) or rejection-then-retreat along with the contrast principle (offering a highly exorbitant price, then subsequently a lower reasonable price which is still high but because of the contrast made, seems much lower than if it was just offered initially).<br />
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Interesting twist of the mindset to prevent yourself from being guilt-tripped into buying something you hardly need/want.<br />
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From Robert Cialdini's Influence book.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Door-to-door fire-alarm companies will frequently use this approach. Typically, their product, while effective enough, will be overpriced. Trusting that you will not be familiar with the retail costs of such a system and that, if you decide to buy one, you will feel obligated to the company that provided with a free extinguisher and home inspection, these companies will pressure you for an immediate sale.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Using this free-information-and-inspection gambit, fire-protection sales organizations have flourished around the country.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If you were to find yourself in such a situation with the realisation that the primary motive of the inspector's visit was to sell you a costly alarm system, your most effective next action would be a simple, private maneuver. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>It would involve the mental act of redefinition.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Merely define whatever you have received from the inspector - extinguisher, safety information, hazard inspection - not as gifts, but as sales devices, and you will be free to decline (or accept) his purchase offer without even a tug of the reciprocity rule: a favor rightly follows a favor - not a piece of sales strategy. And if he subsequently responds to your refusal by proposing that you, at least, give him the names of some friends he might call on, use your mental maneuver on him again. Define his retreat to this smaller request as what you recognise it to be - a compliance tactic. Once done, there would be no pressure to offer the names as a return concession, since his reduced request would not be viewed as a real concession.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
At this point, un-hampered by an inappropriately triggered sense of obligation, you may once again be as complaint or noncomplaint as you wish.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Provided you are so inclined, you might even turn his own weapon of influence against him. Recall that the rule of reciprocation entitles a person who has acted in a certain way to a dose of the same thing. If you have determined that the fire inspector's gifts were used, not as genuine gifts, but to make a profit from you, then you might want to use them to make a profit of your own.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Simply take whatever the inspector is willing to provide - safety information, home extinguisher - thank him politely, and show him out the door.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
After all, the reciprocity rule asserts that if justice is to be done, exploitation attempts should be exploited.</blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19687700.post-85352650424688451262013-01-27T15:27:00.004+08:002013-01-27T15:27:54.664+08:00What Your School Never Taught You About MoneyI picked up some key points for easy reference in future when I will deal with these. Honestly, limited knowledge below and I doubt they are the best advice out there but at least starting from somewhere and knowing something.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
DEBT</div>
<b>Good debt is any debt where it is possible to earn a return that is higher than the interest on the debt</b><br />
A housing loan is the cheapest loan anyone can get. Instead of using savings/cash to pay off housing loan asap, channel cash into higher-yielding investments (shares, <a href="http://www.moneysense.gov.sg/en/Understanding-Financial-Products/Investments/Consumer-Alerts/Land-Banking-Look-Before-You-Leap.aspx" target="_blank">land banking</a>, <a href="http://www.moneysense.gov.sg/en/Understanding-Financial-Products/Investments/Types-of-Investments/Traded-Life-Policies.aspx" target="_blank">traded endowment</a>).<br />
Just for comparison's sake, interest rates on<br />
housing loans are 3-4%<br />
car loans 6%<br />
renovation loans 8%<br />
GE money ezycash 20%<br />
credit cards 24%<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
INSURANCE</div>
<b>A simple guide to remember is that term plan is for temporary needs. Life plan is for permanent needs.</b><br />
Term plans provide coverage for a specified time period.<br />
*Having <i>guaranteed renewability in term insurance is important in the event that you can renew it after it expires even if your health condition deterioriates.</i><br />
- Temporary coverage for loans in the event that you are unable to pay for it in the case of death / total & permanent disability<br />
Whole life insurance provides coverage for life.<br />
- Critical illness<br />
<b>Unlike coverage for total and permanent disability, which only kicks in upon both total and permanent disability, <i>disability income insurance</i> covers all four scenarios:</b><br />
1. Temporary disability<br />
2. Total and permanent disability<br />
3. Partial and temporary disability<br />
4. Partial but permanent disability<br />
AVIVA & Great Eastern are the only 2 who provide <b><a href="http://www.moneytalk.sg/2009/09/disability-income-insurance.html" target="_blank">disability income insurance</a> </b>in Singapore.<br />
<b>Insurance for child's education</b><br />
Endowment or investment-linked plan to build the education fund and to add another "reducing term insurance" and a "waiver of premium rider" to provide the protection needed.<br />
<b>You can easily get 3-4% annual returns on single premium endowment even if you do not know how to invest</b><br />
Get any <a href="http://174.122.148.157/~ideata/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/4373_finexis-Product-Guide-Endowment-July20111.pdf" target="_blank">single premium price quotation</a> from any insurers in Singapore to verify<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
GAMBLING VS INVESTING</div>
<b>Make your investment decisions with both open eyes</b><br />
Diversify money into different stocks, different asset classes such as stocks, gold, silver, property, UK endowment plans and so forth.<br />
Ensure that we comply with Warren Buffett's first rule of investing - not to lose our capital.<br />
<b>Increasing popularity of ETFs</b><br />
Know the risks of it.<br />
1. Market risk (price fluctuations, but less risky than investing in individual stocks)<br />
2. Forex risk (if quoted currency is different from home currency)<br />
3. Tracking error (usually insignificant though)<br />
<b>How to generate annual returns of more than 4% by investing?</b><br />
UK traded endowment plans<br />
Land banking investments<br />
Fine wine investing<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0