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Wednesday, 04 August 2010
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The Law of the Rubbish Truck
Dear Beloved,
Welcome back! Its been so long since i updated again.... once again, i still have much left over to update since the beginning of the year. I simply cannot understand how lazy and unmotivated i have become to update this bloggie.....
Today, i share a meaningful article i saw:
Law of the Rubbish TruckHow often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what's important.
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.
So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck.” I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people a work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do anymore." I began to see garbage trucks.
Like in the movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People." Well, now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.
One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best.
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet. You'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so.. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.
The things left over from last time included with more:
8) Agnes
9) Kam
10) Yeening
16) KKMC
17) Faith?
18) Competition Training for NBSS
19) Visual Mathematician
20) SJAB Matters - Zone Stuff / Promotions
21) More SJAB Stuff - OTC 18/10 (2010)
22) Job Hunting
23) Nite Cycling
24) Things tat remained close to heart
Sunday, 18 July 2010
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Major Updates Since Part 3
8) Agnes
9) Kam
10) Yeening
16) KKMC
17) Faith?
18) Competition Training for NBSS
19) Visual Mathematician
20) Birthday 2010
Peishi
Ting Xin
Neelia
Karen Yeo
Milo aka Nigel
Ying Ru
Samantha
Michelle Tan
Annabel
Cecil (Indonesia)
Wen Yue
Cheung Weng
Caitou Meimei, Yeening
Jing Wei
Veron
Siew Mei
Arif
Charmaine Tan
William Lim
Charmaine Lim
Li Hui
Yu Jun
Ming Jia
Kamsiah
Kana
Man Sze
Chin Guan
Florence
Niam Kim
Priscilla Fong
Auntie Mona
Uncle George
Aishu
Robin
Guowei
Sarizan
Chantik aka Hizan
E-Sheng
Faith
Li Shi
Yvonne Seah
Yean Lih
Ashlynn aka Esther
Wei Ting
Ng Yi Jun
Alvin Sha
Chee Kai
Soleha
Glenn Ng
Taufiq
Marcus Yap
Stanley
Yanteen
Eileen Teo
Fang Ying
Jun Ming
Ai Li
Nazurah
Dionne
Sin Ying
Kenneth Chia
Jonathan Yam
Louisa meimei
Teng Teng
Zhen Wei
Sophia mei
Cindy Teow
Cecilia Fu
Friday, 16 July 2010
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Lemonade and Grace
My dear beloved,
Yes, its been eons since i have updated. I still did not have much discipline nor motivation to blog.... though i have so much inside of me to want to blog abt....
Today, something touched my heart as i went back to my old blog to review some of the entries. I think i will go thru all my old entries there in blogspot and recapture my passion.....
Today, i share from one of my fav author's article: "Lemonade and Grace".
Lemonade and Grace
Max Lucado
"Lemonade, 5¢ "
The e is larger than the L. The m is upper cased; all the other letters are lowered. The last two letters, de, curve downward because the artist ran out of room on the poster board.
Norman Rockwell would have loved it.
Two girls sit on the sidewalk in little chairs behind a little table. The six-year-old is the cashier. She monitors a plastic bowl of change. The four-year-old is the waitress. She handles the ice. Pours the drinks. Stacks and restacks the paper cups.
Behind them, seated on the grass, is Dad. He leans against an oak tree and smiles as he witnesses his daughters' inauguration into capitalism.
Business has been steady. The Saturday-afternoon stream of patrons has nearly emptied the pitcher. The bottom of the cashier's bowl is covered with thirty-five cents of change. With the exception of a few spills, the service has been exceptional. No complaints. Many compliments.
Part of the success, though, has been due to the marketing strategy.
Our street doesn't get much traffic, so we did a little advertising. As my daughters painted the sign, I called several families in the neighborhood and invited them to the grand opening of our lemonade stand. So all of our clients, thus far, had been partial.
I was proud of myself. I leaned back against the tree. Closed my eyes. Turned up the radio I had brought. And listened to the baseball game.
Then I heard an unfamiliar voice.
"I'll have a cup of lemonade, please."
I opened my eyes. It was a customer. A real customer. An unsolicited neighbor who had driven by, seen the sign, stopped, and ordered a drink.
Uh-oh, I thought. Our service was about to be tested.
Andrea, the four-year-old, grabbed a cup that had already been used.
"Get a clean cup," I whispered.
"Oh," she giggled, and got a clean cup.
She opened the ice bucket, looked in, and then looked back at me. "Daddy, we are out of ice."
The patron overheard her. "That's OK. I'll take it warm."
She picked up the pitcher and poured. Syrupy sugar oozed out of the pitcher. "Daddy, there's just a little bit."
Our customer spoke again. "That's fine. I don't want much."
"I hope you like it sweet," I said under my breath.
She handed the cup to the man and he handed her a dollar. She gave it to Jenna.
Jenna turned to me. "Daddy, what do I do?" (We weren't used to such big bills.)
I stuck my hands in my pockets; they were empty.
"Uh, we don't have any . " I began.
"No problem," he said, smiling. "Just keep the change."
I smiled sheepishly. He thanked the girls. Told them they were doing a great job. Climbed back into his car. And drove off.
Quite a transaction, I thought. We give him a warm, partially filled cup of lemonade syrup, and he gives us a compliment and a payment twenty times too much.
I had set out to teach the girls about free enterprise. They ended up with a lesson on grace.
Thursday, 17 June 2010
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Why You Aren't Successful / Things of Value
Dear Beloved,
Its a solid more than 4 months since i last even blogged; much less to say i blogged things on my mind......
Today, i still not updating my personal life here..... I will however, share about something that i tagged the blog of a very dear frd of mine. Actually, its more like i tagged this blog, and then left it as a comment, and forgotten abt it. Then my frd saw the entry and i re-read tat article. It was encouraging once again, and i decide to share it with us here:
Why You Aren’t Successful
If you feel you are wildly successful, then you probably don’t need to read this. However, if you are only moderately successful, you probably spend a lot of time wondering what the people who are wildly successful are doing differently than you.
There is one huge difference between successful and unsuccessful people. That difference is their ability to finish. Yes, luck, connections, family, training and a number of other factors influence success, but none of those things really matter if you can’t finish.
Things of Value
Success is a matter of producing things of value. That doesn’t mean everything you create and finish will be a huge success, but if you don’t finish it, you’ll never get to the point that it could be a success in the first place. We often see the value of our work based on how much time we’ve put into something. How long you spend doing something is meaningless if you don’t finish.
Which is more valuable–A great book that has never been printed or a good book that has been printed and is available for sale? It doesn’t matter if the great book took 10 years worth of effort. If it isn’t finished, its value is insignificant compared to the book that is only good, but is done.
In the job market, which is more valuable–A degree that you haven’t finished from a really great school or a degree that you’ve finished from a good school? Most employers are going to be more interested in an applicant with a completed degree regardless of the prestige of the school where you haven’t graduated.
The reason employers look for people with a degree is because it shows you are capable of finishing something. If you’ve managed to get a degree from any college, you’ve had to finish a number of assignments, classes, projects, etc. Employers see this as valuable. They know they need employees who can actually finish things. Many are less interested in what you studied as long as they can tell you know how to finish things that you start.
Perfection Barrier
One of the biggest barriers to finishing is perfection. Yes, you can always spend more time on a project to make it better. If you are writing a book, you can always spend more time to tweak it and perhaps make it a little bit better. The skill of being able to finish projects is understanding when you reach the point of diminishing returns. If an extra 5 hours invested in a project make it 100% better, it is probably worth continuing to refine. If an extra 100 hours only make it 2% better, you are probably at the point where you need to finish it and move on to something else.
Not everything you try is going to be a huge success. Make sure you understand when something is “good enough” so you can move on to your next project.
I used to manage some graphic designers working for a non-profit. One of the most difficult things to explain to a graphic designer was the fact that producing 50 good pieces for the organization in a year was a whole lot more valuable than producing one piece that was perfect.
The balance between being efficient and perfect is difficult to learn. It is often one of the defining traits of someone who is mature in their field, yet it is something that gets very little attention in training and is often not even talked about.
Iterate
Sometimes the best way to finish is to break your project up into smaller pieces and finish the pieces. Software is a good example of this. Many projects fail because their scope is to big to successfully finish. Many more projects would succeed if engineers were able to focus on creating software that solves a subset of the problems, get it deployed and then start a new project to bite off more of the issues. This type of iteration can be very valuable in getting things finished.
Don’t focus on writing an entire encyclopedia. Write a single article, get it complete, do something with it and then write the next. You will never finish if you try to write all 10,000 articles at the same time.
Conclusion
Successful authors finish books. Successful composers finish pieces of music.There is no prize or recognition for having an idea that you weren’t able to execute. There is no Nobel prize for the people who almost came up with something brilliant but didn’t ever get around to writing it down or creating a paper about it.
The ability to actually complete things is what puts you in the running for wild success. The better you become at actually completing things on a regular basis, the more likely you are to achieve great things. The ability to finish is simply the price of admission, but it represents a significant barrier for most people.
Adapted from: http://www.productivity501.com/why-you-arent-successful/7703
Tim
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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Meaning to Life - Kyle, The Perfect Heart n More
Hmmm....
This is an addenum to my previous entry..... i am sourcing thru my old articles i saved.... here's some interesting articles that reminded me why i bother making friends....
Kyle
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.
His name was Kyle.
It looked like he was carrying all of his books.
I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?
He must really be a nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.
They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.
His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him.
He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.
As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks.
They really should get lives.
" He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!"
There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.
As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.
He said he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.
He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.
I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends.
He said yes.
We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.
I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!
" He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
When we were seniors, we began to think about college.
Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke.
I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.
He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class.
I teased him all the time about being a nerd.
He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak
Graduation day, I saw Kyle.
He looked great.
He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.
He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.
He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.
Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech.
So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"
He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled
"Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began
"Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.
Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends...
I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.
I am going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met.
He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.
He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
"Thankfully, I was saved.
My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions.
With one small gesture you can change a person's life.
For better or for worse.
God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.
Look for God in others.
"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."
There is no beginning or end.. Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
Here's more:
The Perfect Heart
One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.
Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine."
The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.
The people stared - how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought?
The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."
"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.
Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return andfill the space I have waiting.
So now do you see what true beauty is?"
The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands.
The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it
in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.
The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.
How sad it must be to go through life with a whole heart.
Damn..... when i tot was good, i saw this article.....
The Heartache
10th Grade
As I sat there in English class, I stared at the girl next to me. She was my so-called "best friend". I stared at her long, silky hair. I wished she were mine, but she didn't notice me like that. And I knew it.
After class she walked up to me and asked me for the notes she had missed the day before, and I handed them to her. She said "thanks" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I wanted to tell her. I wanted her to know that I don't want to be just friends. I love her, but I'm just too shy. And I don't know why.
11th Grade
The phone rang. It was her on the other end. She was in tears, mumbling on and on about how her love had broke her heart. She asked me to come over because she didn't want to be alone, so I did. As I sat next to her on the sofa, I stared at her soft eyes, wishing she was mine.
After 2 hours, a Drew Barrymore movie, and three bags of chips, she decided to go to sleep. She looked at me, said "thanks," and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her. I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends. I love her, but I'm just too shy. And I don't know why.
12th Grade
The day before prom she walked to my locker. "My date is sick," she said. He's not going to go. Well, I didn't have a date and in 7th grade we made a promise that if neither of us had dates we would go together just as "best friends," so we did.
Prom night after everything was over I was standing at her front door step. I stared at her. She smiled at me and stared at me with her crystal eyes. I want her to be mine, but she doesn't think of me like that, and I know it. Then she said, "I had the best time, thanks!" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her. I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends. I love her, but I'm just too shy. And I don't know why...
Graduation Day
A day passed. A week passed. A month passed. Before I could blink, it was graduation day. I watched as her perfect body floated like an angel up on stage to get her diploma. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it. Before everyone went home, she came to me in her smock and hat, and she cried as I hugged her. Then, she lifted her head from my shoulder and said, "You're my best friend, thanks!" and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
I want to tell her. I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends. I love her, but I'm just too shy. And I don't know why…
A Few Years Later
Now, I sit in the pews of the church. She is getting married, now. I watched her say, "I do" and drive off to her new life, married to another man. I wanted her to be mine but she didn't see me like that, and I knew it. But before she drove away, she came to me and said, "You came!" She said, "thanks!" and kissed me on the cheek. I want to tell her. I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends. I love her, but I'm just too shy. And I don't know why...
Funeral
yrs passed, and I looked down at the coffin of the girl who used to be my best friend." At the service they read a diary entry she had wrote in her high school years. This is what it read: I stare at him wishing he were mine. But he doesn't notice me like that, and I know it. I want to tell him. I want him to know that I don't want to be just friends. I love him, but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why. I wish he would tell me he loved me…
i wish I did too…
i thought to myself, and I cried.
A Touching Story
This is a good one. It really touch my heart.
Take sometime to read, and wish you have a friend for life.
A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favour to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me. "
"Sure, " they replied, "we'd love to meet him. "
"There's something you should know, " the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.
"I'm sorry to hear that, son. May be we can help him find somewhere to live. "
"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us. "
"Son, " said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this to interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own. "
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police.
Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.
The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.
Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are. Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!
There's a miracle called Friendship that dwells in the heart. You don't know how it happens or when it gets started. But you know the special lift it always rings. And you realize that Friendship Is God's most precious gift!
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care. . . .
Hmmmm.... I hope i am refreshed and reminded of why i bother to make frds........
Sigh. Time to slp.
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