What's done, cannot be undone

But, it can be improved, remedied, altered or tempered ...

When Mother Nature roars, the earth shakes
All the intelligent planning, precautions, calculations and smartness in/of humans cannot match nor anticipate Mother Nature prowess and intent

Man can manage and anticipate all things artificial and thought-out by fellowmen

If land is limited, we built upwards
If the train is crowded, we increase the frequency of trips and use larger trains
If the road system is inadequate, we built underground, overhead, multiple rings and layers
If water is scarce, we 'manufacture' and recycle
If prices of factors of production go up, if 'importable', we import

Problems can be solved
Time is the essence

Foreign workers, foreign talents, foreign investments... foreign wealth - All are welcome
We can have them, do away with them or restrict their flow

Whether its Capitalism, Communism or Socialism, each is as distasteful as the next at extremes

When leaders care and share, its harmony
When leaders share but don't care, its discord and brews suspicion and disunity
When leaders grab all and crumbs are shared amongst all, change is overdue

All religious beliefs teach good
The World is big enough for all to share; We (all) pass this place (Earth) but once
Greed may finds you rich but it will never find you happiness

Help your fellowmen and share
Live healthily and happily, today and always
Death the leveller; be it King, pauper or layman

The World is not made for you and/or me
Its made for us/All... our roles may be different, our destination is always the same... from dusts to dusts

The rich cannot sleep well if surrounded by poor
The poor cannot sleep if hungry
The famous cannot enjoy fame if there is disharmony and social unrest
Each has a role, the decider is Fate, Providence and/or, if you belief, GOD

What's Sufficient & What's Luxurious?

Man Will Never Have Enough Of ...


We eat to live and not live to eat
Enjoying food is not a sin; gluttony is

When you pay, how much is too much? Is there a limit that above which the person will turn down your payment and do it just as effectively and with unquestioned commitment

According to Dan Ariely, in his book Predictably Irrational, a person is more productive, if not as productive, compared to a paid person, when he helps/attempts a social issue. However, if payment is involved, the productivity varies according to the rewards.

Social norms almost always clash with market norms

If you pay your employee sufficiently, he is committed and motivated
If you pay him luxuriously, he is probably motivated more by money than his love for the job; the underlying fear that "if I commit an error, I may be asked to leave"! His motivation will shift from doing his work well to protecting his turf

When the poor spends on living, its 'every cents count'
When the rich spends, its fractional
Will the rich bothers about the poor? Less likely except for those whom they deem of use; the poor is a means to an end

Will those who are born with silver spoons empathise with the poor? Less likely
Not that they don't want but its like 'the soldiers in the trench and the General in his air-con office during Vietnam war'

How to relate and empathise? If the pay is good, the risk is minimal, the job is cosy and the position is respectful, it pays to indulge and shift responsibilities

Like the oft mentioned, "Its good to have a nuclear power plant so long as its not near my neighbourhood" ...

Everyone needs to be rewarded
Over-rewarding kills positive motivation and brews desertion of responsibilities; all else is a charade

If your maid is worth $500 and you pays her $3000, she will employ someone to do the job and slack!!!

Agree?

Money alone does not guarantee optimal results ... Dan Ariely

Be Encouraged

Back to the future...

The young hurries to grow
At mid-age you can only reminisce
When the sun set on us, we can only look back and take stock

Do all you can and all you want now
While the body is able and the mind capable

You must not wait until tomorrow to climb the mountain or to swim in the ocean
Like the lightning bolt hitting you, when your body fails, all possibilities become a greater challenge

When fortune smiles at you, make good and grow with it

Your parents are there to provide everything, you just need to excel in your studies; NO excuse for slacking
When your bosses trust and leave you to do a task, it's because he knows you can; incomplete work and half-commitment is self-destruction

Many ask for independence and freedom
But few accept responsibilities...omigosh

Luck is where preparation meets opportunity


Ask all that you want
Take responsibility for your action
The better tomorrow comes today if you are committed and take responsibility for your actions

The hard truth remains: you are responsible for all outcomes, like it or not
You can't plant apple seeds and expect durians! An action will cause a reaction -in short KAMA

A successful man never blame his tools

Go for it; if you fail today, make up and chase your dreams
One swallow does not make a summer
Do not let a single setback drowns you

Follow your heart and live your life to the fullest
Be it a mason, professional or a monk

My First Time

Everytime something happens to me for the first time, I was not prepared... like when I was born


You must have heard of, and say, many 'the first time I ...'

You will never be prepared for the first time; accept it!

The first time I lost, the first time I won, the first time I passed, the first time my heart stopped pumping, the first time my girlfriend/boyfriend left me, the first time I came out alive in a raging forest fire... the first time will never be the best neither will it be the last time

Life is a cycle, a 'lateral cycle'
From the beginning to the end
From birth to death... the only differences is volatility and
velocity of change
Nothing is constant

Do not let one defeat be the last nail on the coffin
One swallow does not make a summer

Success and failure have many 'first time'
Only life and death have ONE 'first time' each

Let your many 'first times' be a trail of successes and bundles of joy


幸运者也  幸福者也

Abundant Energy精神

Our Mind & body is capable of acts beyond your imagination ...


It is not why or when neither is it how
It is the Law of Nature that our body is able to regenerate itself, 'blast up' and be ready to swing into action
Its all in the Mind

The volcano erupts
The hurricane washes up the shores
The heat of drought shines mercilessly
Its pure Law of Nature and energy in action

Boredom, restlessness, negativity, lacking in direction and sailing aimlessly
Suicidal , sadness, self-pity, dreaming but not acting (it out) are effects of hollowness in Mind and body

When the Mind wanders, let it wander

Be focus when the wandering ends
Get up and work out the excesses and clears the 'slobes' and the stales in the bones
You can turn stale energy into high octane vibrancy
The charged-up Mind can moves mountain

If dying is no more a problem, nothing is
Give the best shot, do all that you wanted to do
Push the envelope, hit for the sky
The successes you gain will decimate your intent to die and transform your dreams into reality... simply because you believe YOU CAN

This is the power of Energy... Positive Energy


Mother Nature gives limitless energy ... a source I tap without GST, taxes and liabilities

The Shaky World

Before you act, think...

Revolution in Tunisia, Maburak steps down in Egypt; Yemen and Syria are rumoured to be next on the domino
Food prices are rising and income gaps are widening. The Economic panels in Davo differ on how the world will evolve but most are concerned with the income gap disparity
Bombing in Moscow's airport in the name of Independence @Chechen

Omigosh! uncertainty aplenty

Harsh winter, severe drought, flash floods happening simultaneously is posing quite a challenge to mankind
Wastes, excesses, 'use & throw' or disposable attitudes make rare resouces rarer
Money used to be the 'gold standard' but economic and military might undermines the real value of money; the value of money becomes relative and confidence is the name of the game

Only God knows!

Inflation is rising, food prices is rising
Cost of living is rising
There is simply too much uncertainty; rough and tough but not 'the end of the world'

Leave the worries behind as its a global problem
Worry is not the antidote nor cures
We need to adapt and change
We need to remain calm and be level minded to ride out the 'eye of the storm'
We cannot, neither can we afford to, be reckless

In this shaky world, copycat leaders, false prophets and con artists rife
Empty promises, stretched imaginations and underhand tactics bloom like weeds in the lakes
Nothing can come out of 'nothing'

A cohesive society
A 'homogenous' populace
Plus plentiful of commonsense - will make our lives less shaky in a shaky world

A Bird In Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush

New Start 新的一天

Whether rain or shine, fortune comes and goes...

Everyone hurries to make resolutions, change into new attire, dress in their best, make well-wishes, bury their past; if there is one good thing that comes from New Year is 'the starting is GOOD'!

Look at your fortune - http://shine.yahoo.com/page/2011-horoscope
Its good in every thoughts and from any angles. Whether you are a King or Pauper, the tycoon or beggar, rich or poor, leader or commoner... the Stars shine for you. And ONLY You

Be sure to ride the beginning of more good fortunes to come. If you can put everything bad, unbeareable, sad, indistinguish... for a/this moment, you can leave it and start anew

You can accept empty promises, you can complain until the cows come home, you wail and fill up the river but nothing good will come out of these... CHANGE - change the ways things are done, change yourself to fit the environment and to reap rewards and returns

Give yourself a chance that no one will - change -
You will have a better tomorrow

New year, new experiences
Good luck

Going Forward 向前走

When you were born, you can only move forward and continue growing...

Life is filled with uncertainties, surprises and challenges least expected
There is never a moment of dullness
Every second, minute, hour is a flow
Whether you move, stay or roll, the grand oldman of time moves

Heaven is too good for me
Hell has no place yet for me
Earth is where I belong
But, if my time is up, can I not go?
 
Whatever I do, I do my best
Whenever I am faced with challenges, I break new grounds and set new rules
I am no genius nor am I a demon
I am a plain earthling seeking solutions and survival; prosper thereafter

I seek pleasure in pressure
I find hopes in adversities
I surf against rushing tides and sweep through hell or high fire
I live to see the daylight of Victory

Hurts & setbacks; I have some
Victories; I have plenty
I count my blessings; God adds to my blessings
A day well used is a day won

Forward, I move; I cannot stop aging, growing... finally dying
But, I can treasure and make the best use of every second, minute and hour
Nothing is certain including defeats & failures except moving forward
The only certainty is ME. Since I am only in forward mode, I make it a point to live Happily, Healthily, Positively and  to move swiftly to gain grounds

Like the grand oak that stands tall and the little grass that dances in the winds...
Thats ME

Memory

Memories are fleeting...

Like rushing waters, time flies
Like the sands of time, I did not have a chance to grab it
Always rushing forward towards the finishing line
I achieved fame, successes, some setbacks, rewards and rebukes
As I moved from young to mid-age, to elderly to old...
I realised I have achieved some but missed plenty


If living means 100 years;

my first quarter was a struggle - Struggled to make ends meet, to find the next meal, to find time and money to study; everyday earned is an achievement

second quarter was a struggle to build on first quarter, building a career and doing extras, attending lessons to make good academic emptiness, building a nest and providing for family; everyday is about surviving tomorrow's challenges

I am walking towards third quarter; what are my challenges ahead? I do not know and I need not search. Tomorrow shall come but the best is today.

What have I not seen? Betrayals, setbacks, clowning, suckered, successes, failures, victories... I have been there, done that

Painful memories are when you are primed into and enslave as a stereotype such as 'the smart one', 'the silly clown', 'the total failure'; with that label, you dare not venture out of the parameters others drawn for you

My memories are fading...

I live my best today & hopes drive my days
I live happily, healthily and with zest & zen

I am tired of living the life like that of a pachinco machine, struggling to prevent the ball from slipping past me

Slowly but surely I know who are are my friends and foes; the good, the bad and the ugly - memories fading though

Hope

The Future Is All About Hope; A new year, 52 new weeks, 365 new days - make good use of it/them 

When you are walking through the dark alleys of your life, do not worry; like night, daybreak shall come

When the going is tough and rough and you need to ride through the eye of the storm, its all in the hands of God; enjoy the waves 'cos few survive to relate it

When the plane you are travelling in hits turbulence and spin, fear not as only the chosen few are in the flying tube; you will survive to tell a story that few in this World (of 6.6bil people) can

It's the coldness and wetness that Winter provides that makes Spring beautiful

Whoever survives an ordeal lives to tell a tall tale; 33 Chilean Miners Survived Entrapment Underground, teen Shark Attack Survivor Shares Story on Facebook,

The terminally ill hopes to see, or leave painlessly, tomorrow and the sick seek to be healed; the power of the Mind to cure is immense

Divorce is a by-product of marriage without which the home can be a 'living hell' and misery replace wholesome living when the marriage has broken down - marriages are made in Heaven but practice on Earth

The challenges of being the best and perfect is as elusive as the rainbow; nobody can be 100% ready but we need to be lucky

I have a dream and my dream is filled with HOPEs; I may be weak from time to time, but I remain unfazed and unmoved by the distractions, temptations and shallowness of silliness that runs in my blood; I, like the stalk of grass that dance in the storm, bent but not broken

We are make to be different and to take different routes toward the end (point); it could be hilarious living, happy ending or rough & tumble journeying. Hope is the fuel and Faith is the driver
With HOPEs we reach the peak and with FAITH, we move mountains


Food For Thoughts:
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." Plato (427-347 B.C.)

 
 
"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."  Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

What Is 'New Normal'

The World is undergoing a change and CHANGE is the only norm...its never 'new normal'

"New Normal" :

- low growth coupled with increasing rate of unemployment

- confluence of power play by who's who in the developed economies which have imploded under the weight of financial engineering and an indifference to moral rules

- living with pay cuts; either having to work longer hours with the same pay or taking a lower pay instead of being laidoff

- where the middle class have to shop at discount stores, cut discount coupons, dines on hotdogs and beans and to rent rather than buy/own a roof over his/her heads

- high unemployment, credit contraction and budget/spending cuts

- jobs disappeared in M&As, collapsed corporates, job enlargement rather than job enrichment is the norm

- getting married to a tech geek (or both) who spends most time of his time facing the PCs or both talk to each other only through SMSes, emails, tweets, etc except talking to one another; even bring up an e-baby

- where the rich-poor gap is wider that the ocean and widening still; the earlier you realized that the world will never be equal, the earlier you accept reality

- where 'winner takes all' and selfish leaders promise more and deliver less; a promise will remain a promise until delivered

- suicide or ethanasia is an acceptable exit in/of life as prolonged recession leads to depression of the mind and spirit; falling self-esteem and empty promises exaggerated acceptance

In this trying period, selfishness and greed rules. Grandiose sounding phrases such as 'new normal' and 'we will work together towards prosperity' are meant to convince you that you must/should accept the state of mind, work hard, slaved selflessly and don't ask questions!

I believe its better to accept that time's challenging and take the bull by the horn; what's gone may not return and change your course of actions to craft a new destiny. The truth is 'Change is the only constant'

Nobody can promise you a better tomorrow; 2011 is, and shall be, a year of CHANGES
 Whatever 'new normal' means it meant 'CHANGE'...