CAO - Fallen But Not Out

Give Everyone Another Chance ...

Please refer to the ST's Thursday, 24 Jun 10, report "Ex-CAO boss a V-P in state-owned firm."




Mr Chen JiuLin, the ex-CEO of China Aviation Oil (CAO) is said to have been penning articles for a magazine and giving lectures to MBA students at his alma mater Peking University. He now joins CGGC International, a state-owned enterprise (SoE), as its Vice President (VP).


It is commendable that a/the fallen man is given another chance to prove himself. Can we see the same happening in Singapore? Our Society should be more forgiving and magnanimous instead of slamming the door on fallen man. More should be done to help, or at least allow the reformed person to contribute positively, instead of castigating and stitching a stigma on him.


Nobody can claim to be cleaner than clean and has never make any mistakes? Why pigeonholed a fallen man as undesirable for higher office over a past mistake? 


It is unfortunate that when a person had a brush with the Law, however inconsequential or major, he is deemed to be unfit to be role model, let alone make a comeback, even after he had paid the price for his indiscretion. I believe, many a time, the indiscretion is the result of good intent and judgement turned horribly wrong, especially white collar issues.


Let me quote Mr Harvey A. Silvergate, a prominent defense attorney who has represented Michael Milken during the appellate process, in his book "Three Felonies a Day": “Milken’s biggest problem was that some of his most ingenious but entirely lawful maneuvers were viewed, by those who initially did not understand them, as felonious, precisely because they were novel – and often extremely profitable.”


If we cannot, and refused to, help our fellow countryman, who will?

Magic & Miracle

If there is magic, there is miracle ...

Magic is the practice of consciousness manipulation and/or autosuggestion to achieve a desired result. The World of Magic is a make believe world

With a sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation, cards changes, coins multiply, lifeless fishes swim, aeroplane disappears ... from lifeless to life, from nothing to something to nothing again

Anything is possible; the illusion that everyone wishes he is, and can be, the Master


A miracle is an unexpected event attributed to divine intervention; sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the Laws of Nature. Where the sick were healed, the blind sees and the dead returns

Magic are masterly acts executed with finesse by human and miracles are the impossible made real through Faiths and Fate

Losing of jobs, family breakups, failing examinations and a whole hosts of daily issues are human centric and require humanly attention - the magic in you will solve the problems

If you believe in Providence, miracles will happen if that's what your entitlement is

Miracles do not apply to humanly desires and demands; let's be real

Work hard, work smart
You will be rewarded, if not today, soon

For all of us are entitled to plentiful of blessings but nil miracles
"God help those who help themselves"


Miracles are magic from AlMighty, rarely used and applied 

Whoever believes in miracles, may see one

But, whoever waits for miracles will live a wasted life ... a life filled with hopes but nothingness

The Other Face Of Life

Reality Or Incongruity ...

Some study hard and graduate with freshly minted degrees but choose to do hawking
Others with post-grad degrees, prefer to drive taxis

Healthy individuals cannot find time to workout and keep fit whereas bedridden patients wish they can, or had done their part

Cheating spouses, enjoys their escapades, but wished they can come clean instead of living in fear of being discovered! Multiple households do not always equal exponential happiness; the thrills without the spills

Some cheat their way up the corporate ladder while some sleep their way up. They sell their soul to the devil and is slaved to their position. When vanity and money can buy their souls, they are just digits in Society

Yet others are fast to acknowledge acccolades but avoid responsibilities; professed to be upright but decay inside. When their misdeameanors are exposed, they deny wrongdoing hoping their false fascade will hold

If you are the chosen one, your life is made. If you select yourself, you struggle and fight to make a living; you make your life

The materially rich has ivory tower, the mindfully rich has blessings; less well off but happy

The Hermit Kingdom, DPRK telecast live World Cup match between DPRK and Portugal; the humiliating defeat of 7-0 was a tragedy, aka reality check, as a victory would have embolden their war antics

A mental health community survey done in Singapore showed that 16.6% of adults in Singapore suffer from minor mental disorders. This means that about 1 in 6 adults will suffer from some form of common mental health disorder in their lifetime. Most lead normal lives and behave normally. It is just the other face of life less travelled

Everyone of us has a page not seen; unknown to all but not the AlMighty

Some day the truth will prevail and the dues paid


You can cheat, you can lie. If it is not meant to be, it will never be
If unsure, look at the mirror, smile and ask "Will he be smiling tomorrow"?


All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him.

If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.


Buddha

Not All Days Are Made The Same

Sometimes ...

It shines after a heavy downpour
It snow in summer and in deserts
It flood the plains and make rivers of roads
It dries the river and make roads of riverbeds

Most times, I am cheerful and positive
Sometimes, I am a spent force and is completely washout
I wished I can always control and manage my emotion
Its only wishful thinking; there are days when God slammed shut my door

I slide and slid into my cocoon
I collate, command and muster my last iota of dignity and strength
In quietness and resoluteness, in solitude I found solace
I allow my soul to align with my physique and mental

I am down but not out

I do not run around like a headless chicken
I allow myself to be the 'stowaway' ... hidden from reality
The facade of a steadfast gaze, the gentleman expounding finesse
Shattered within but expertly shielded

Bad days, like good days, come and go... slow down but don't quit

The Zen-ness in me will permit the 'dead me' to return; lively, with vibrancy and vigour


My life is a journey. I shall enjoy the heat of Gobi and the chills of the Arctic
No place is too hot nor too cold for my existence

I, the Mortal

The World Will Never Be Perfect

Perfection is subjective...

The tycoon yearns to live by the sea and enjoy the sunshine and breeze whilst the fisherman yearns to lead an urban life; owning the yacht is a tycoon's dream while the fisherman dreams of his motorcar

England can have/form four great football teams but she cannot have a good enough team to compete in the World Cup

USA may be powerful militarily but she cannot prevent the onslaught of small armies of committed but mislead believers

Europe has a strong Euro (currency) but she cannot strike a fair value against others as the permutation of her sixteen members' balance of payment is/are inequitable and imbalance

OPEC may dictate the quantity of oil produced but it can never push oil prices into the stratosphere

If Germany and Japan had succeeded in their adventures, the World will be speaking German and Japanese today

Man proposes but GOD disposes

Mother Earth is meant to be shared by ALL and no one man can exercise absolute control over the rest

You may win sometime, most times but not everytime

So ... be contented and happy

Whatever is yours, shall be
Whatever is not yours, will slip away 



It is draining to be Perfect; It is self defeating to win a battle but to loss a war

Caught In The Middle

Middle is miserable...

Middle age is a struggle when you have an unemployed wife, two spending kids, a leased (99years) house, a rented (10year) car and a dog to feed

A struggling man is one who is caught in between his possesive mother and his demanding wife

Whether you are a big car, small car or vintage car, when you are caught in the middle of a traffic jam, you are a stalled car

When you are the boxer in the middle of a 12-round 3mins boxing match, your fate is with your fists; fight to win or walk away as a loser

When you are caught in the middle of a crossfire, there is no running away; fight your way to survive or die a coward

You may not be able to implement your brightest plan nor are you able to walk away from responsibility if you are neither here nor there in the hierarchy

You are unable to save your love ones in emergency because the top makes the decision and you are not high up the food chain to change fate

Never be caught in the middle...
... fight your way to survive and prosper or
... hideaway like a coward until the storm's over


Be the best, either you live ...
Bravely as a Winner or
Cowardly as an underdog

Pendulum

Swinging ... from

Birth to death
Happiness to sadness
Health to illness
Rich to poor

Except for 'birth to death', anything and everything that we do is within our control

You can be ...
Alone yet not lonely
Sick yet lucky
Poor yet happy

It all in the state of mind

Be fearless when challenged
Be tactful when questioned
Be calm when the world leave you to fend for yourself
Change is the only constant; be the dynamic catalyst

We are part of the universe as the universe is within us

Winnings and lossings are as normal as sunrise and sunset
Just as tides rise and recede

Be resolute in defeat and wait your chance as you will bathe in glory of victory

Tomorrow is never promised but it will come

Perfectly Perfect

Sometimes, I feel like a spent force...


It is tire trying to be perfect in everything I do
Perfection is no more a skill but an art
I dance to the demands of being politically correct and  a perfect gentleman
For most times, I top the act but there are times when willows break its branches too

I try to ace my results and sparkle like fireworks
But, the only similarities with firework is my best is as short as the fireworks that light up the sky

I give in, I help others and I tolerate the mean and devious
I resist fighting back, I bow low to abuse and I swallow my pride
I will not fight any losing battle; I fight to win
When I am weak and unsure, I retreat and hide in the cocoon

All my punches are rare but lethal and every punch must deliver the deadliest blow
When I retreat and allow indulgence, I am not weak
I know when I react, every enemy will be...DEAD

I am the perfectionist

You can take advantage of me and walk over my dead body
But, when its my turn to strike, you will be done and over... before you even know


Don't antagonise the Perfectly Perfect

Pursuit of Dreams

Dreams Fly...

Everyone has dreams
But, not all dreams come true; it was never meant to be

If you dare to be a "Nike", "Coke" or "Proctor & Gamble"
Pursue it with zeal, gameplans and humor; Zeal with enthusiasm, Gameplans with strategic milestones, Humor to lighten up as you meet 'rough and tumbles' along the route

The dynamics of dreams are desserts for you to pick
Desserts turn into 'stressed' if you cannot manage the situation
Rest if you must but never quit
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, Deng XiaoPing did not bother with what others think of them
It's their resolve to see results; their Own result NOT what others expect of them

Crystallize your own dream and live your life to the fullest
...nobody can stop you except yourself


I live in ...
tomorrow's dreams but today's reality

Hatred & Vengence

Emotions run high when...

Love comes and love leaves
Goodwill is repaid with ill-intents
Truth is undermined and distorted
The last bowl of rice is stolen from a hungry man who toiled honestly to earn it

When the heart is heavy, the brain cannot think clearly
Fights, revenge and plots are results of the heavy-hearted amoeba with a saddened brain
The logic is to return evil for evil

When your game is up, you cannot fault someone whose innocence has been taken advantaged of, his kindness trampled and his heart haemorrhaged
The hurt is no longer tenable neither is it tangible; fine razors mow his raw flesh
When vengence comes, it 'never rain but pours'

Do not expect mercy when what you dished out were mrecilessly schemed to maim
You take no hostages and leave no bran
Winning is everything and "winner takes all" was your motto

Alas! Reality is always cruel

Like a piece of white cloth, you stained someone's life with your sins
Like the A-4 paper, your artwork of destruction remained

The innocence will not be buried by your acts and words
When it is his turn to call the shots, you jolly well enjoy it
Whether you burn in the earthly hell or live in fear of losing a love one, maimed or crippled
It is witnessed to your retribution

God teaches 'love, forgive and forget'
There is no place for hatred and vengences
Practice His great teachings

But, everyone is as human as you.
If someone must live in earthly hell, you too
When you start a fire, be ready to dance in hell
Getting mad is past; get equal is the norm

Make the world a better place to live
Do not seek to maim and gain
You reap what you sow
Many a raindrop makes an ocean



Repent and seek forgiveness... and make Living lighter