2007 is Almost Gone!

2007 is going...going...gone!

And my question is: Will I achieve the goals I have set for 2008? Right now is the perfect time to assess the past year and set new goals for 2008. Regretably, many times I have set goals only to find myself 1/4, 1/2 or even 3/4 of the way through the year with little or no progress toward those goals.

One simple goal I just pick up (again) is journalling. Yes, putting things down in writing. Indiana Jones' father had one; Mohd Ghandi had one. Ahraham Lincoln had one. I bet even their fahers had one too. EagleBoy must have one too!

Among the many things I learned, my mentor told me back in 1998 that winners keep score. Winners track their performance. Winners chart progress. Just one thing: Keep the right scores!!!

Qn: How to keep scores if you don't deliberately store your scores?
Ans: A journal!

So here I am, back to the good good days of writing a journal. But I am not alone in this arena. I have found someone who shared the same passion with me. I have a model and a fellow believer. And I have placed 4 of his quotes below:

"There are three things to leave behind: your photographs, your library and your personal journals. These things are certainly going to be more valuable to future generations than your furniture (and money)!"
-Jim Rohn

"Don't use your mind for a filing cabinet. Use your mind to work out problems and find answers; file away good ideas in your journal."
-Jim Rohn

"The reason why I spend so much money for my journals is to press me to find something valuable to put in them."
-Jim Rohn

"Be a collector of good ideas, but don't trust your memory. The best collecting place for all of the ideas and information that comes your way is your journal."
-Jim Rohn

So, the pen is still mightier that the sword, huh?

Always Do the Right Thing

"Always do the right thing. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest"

-Mark Twain

Sticking my Neck Out!

"Behold the turtle: He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out."

James Bryant Conant
1893-1978,
Educator and Diplomat

As a follow-up to my last entry on the 4 Rs, I will be dropping seeds of thoughts and ideas along the next fews days leading to 2008. My first thought is to resolve to stick my neck out as often as I can, and keep it there. I have been hiding in my shell for far too long; too long for a man of my substance.

There will be progress in 2008!
There will be breakthrough in 2008!
There will be results and impact in 2008!

Because I will be sticking out my neck for a change of views!!!

My 4 R's of the New Year 2008

7 more days and we will herald in 2008. At the beginning of a new year, 2008 is yet another milestone that can be characterized by Reflection, Resolution, Rededication and Response.

Reflection is to ponder our past successes and failures, to review goals, to reflect on life itself and our limited time here on earth. The New Year is an opportunity for us to reflect upon the past year's activities and services.

Is there anything I would change so that I may grow in authenticity and with intention? To grow by design and not default? What would enhance my practical knowledge about life, which would significantly and positively impact my service to others? How have I contributed to the lives around me?

Resolution must come from within. Am I resolute to achieve that which I have set out to do? After reflecting, am I satisfied with my conclusions? Is there something I want to commit to in 2008 that will bring me closer to my goals? I resolve within myself to run the race in such a way as to ensure victory.

Rededication comes after Reflection and Resolution. God doesn't want just a part of me; He wants all of me. He asks for all my heart, soul and mind, and all my strength. My God is not interested in half-hearted commitment, partial obedience, or the leftovers of my time and resoures. He desires my full devotion.

Response is ... well response! It is the equal and opposite force to every incoming force. It is pure action and reaction. It is to take charge, raise up the standard (flag). Put on the armour. Step out. Just do it (within moral values and ethical boundaries)! It is activities. It is movement, and momentum, not monument.

The New Year is an opportunity for me to begin working towards specific goals and ambitions.

I am in the best position to evaluate and discern these keys areas.
I am in the best posture to rededicate for excellance.
I am in the best premise to initiate a resolution.
I am in the best platform to act and rise up to the challenge.

Now is the time!

My Buddy Finally Married!

Today, my buddy of 28 years finally got married.

Who is he?

1. He is my son's god-pa.
2. I knew him since I was 7.
3. He is a successful lawyer.
4. He is my closest guy pal.
5. His wife was introduced to him by ME!

Who is she?

1. She was my colleague in Citibank.
2. I knew her for 5 years.
3. She has been promoted to god-ma to my son.

I am honored to be his best man today. It was a great honour to oversee his entire wedding program. The Bride arrived in a Red Ferrari, and the Groom in a Maserati. This place was Chijmes. It was breathtaking! It was a tremendous privilege to announce: "And now Ladies & Gentlemen, it gives me great honour to present to you Mr & Mrs ..."

Now, I am glad he chose her. I remembered introducing another girl to him around the same time. It didn't work out, and I am glad. Let me explain.

You see, his present wife was not a Christian 3 years ago when they met. I always believe that marriage is not just between 2 person, but between 3: Man-God-Woman. No marriage is complete without God in the picture, and God in the centre.

Things took an unusual turn when their relationship deepened over the years. She become more and more spiritually awakened until this year, when she finally opened up her heart to Jesus and became a committed believer.

Ironically, the girl that I introduced to him around the same time was actually a Christian. But I soon realised that over the years, she has become more and more ungodly and unappealing (I meant her values and outlook in life). It was a shame. She seems to have turned from good to bad, or maybe bad to worst now. His present wife, on the other hand, had become better and better. She had become more beautiful as a person over the years - a side that I have never witness till now.

I am glad it turned out well. Had he chosen the other girl, it would be disastrous. Finished! Game over... Bad company corrupts good character, and my friend of 28 years is definitely made of better stuff. The other girl will only pull him down. She is not worthy of him. He is solid gold (just like me...hee...hee...); she is gold-plated - look good outside, hollow inside.

And so, it is with great honour that I present to you, Mr & Mrs ... .

May you both not only start well, but stay well, and end well!

Attitude...

It is the reflection of our true selves.
Its roots are inwards, but its fruit is outward.
It is our best friend, or our worst enemy.
It is more honest and more consistent than our words.
It is a future outlook based on past experiences.
It draws people to us, or repels them.
It is never content until it is expressed.
It is the librarian of our past.
It is the speaker of our present.
It is the prophet of our future.

That's attitude.

John C Maxwell
Author, Pastor, Leader

A Right Idea

Santa has the right idea: Visit people just once a year, and you'll always be welcomed.

Richard Lederer

Gift of Attention

It's not just polite to let people say what they wish, it's seductive. The best gift you can give is your attention.

Chris Matthews
in "Life's a Campaign"

My Birth Month

What my Birth Month Says About Me:

MARCH:
Attractive personality.
Affectionate Shy and reserved.
Secretive.
Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic.
Loves peace and serenity.
Sensitive to others.
Loves to serve others.
Easily angered.
Trustworthy.
Appreciative and returns kindness.
Observant and assesses others.
Revengeful.
Loves to dream and fantasize.
Loves traveling.
Loves attention.
Hasty decisions in choosing partners.
Loves home decors.
Musically talented.
Loves special things.
Moody.

Is is True?

Last Christmas I Gave You My CARD!!!

George Michael (previously known as WHAM) sang in the pop song 'Last Christmas' with this line: "...last Christmas, I gave you my card..."

In this holiday season many Singaporeans are celebrating Christmas, while others are suffering from the stress of:

A. Figuring out what gifts to buy;
B. Not having enough cash to buy them, and ...
C. Worrying about this on top of "everything else."

By 'everything else', I'm referring to the coming taxi-fare hike, the higher inflation forecast next year, the slow down in economy around the world in 2008.

Agreed?

Hey, the world doesn't stop during the holidays, you know. The instalments, the rent, the mobile phone bill and the PUB bill "keep on keepin' on" while we're pretending like they don't - and keeping this observation silently to ourselves so as not to freak - kill yourself and everyone's holiday cheer.

Is that you?

Well, heck, no matter how fortunate you are, the stress of "the holidays" can get to everyone. I know quite a few friends who scramble at the last minute to find gifts so they don't let their loved ones down only to discover they've maxed out their cards.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Good luck my friends.

But take it easy my friends. Next year's economic forecast isn't that rosy. Don't spend your last dime. Don't make this your last Christmas, okay?

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas is ...

Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered.

Phyllis Diller

Monkey Business

Chimps Beat Humans in Memory Tests
By Rowan HooperSource: New Scientist

Young chimps can beat adult humans in a task involving remembering numbers, reveals a new study. It is the first time chimps – and young ones, at that – have outperformed humans at a cognitive task. And the finding may add weight to a theory about the evolution of language in humans, say the researchers.

Three adult female chimps, their three 5-year-old offspring, and university student volunteers were tested on their ability to memorise the numbers 1 to 9 appearing at random locations on a touchscreen monitor.

The chimps had previously been taught the ascending order of the numbers. Using an ability akin to photographic memory, the young chimps were able to memorise the location of the numerals with better accuracy than humans performing the same task. During the test, the numerals appeared on the screen for 650, 430 or 210 milliseconds, and were then replaced by blank white squares.

Photographic memory

While the adult chimps were able to remember the location of the numbers in the correct order with the same or worse ability as the humans, the three adolescent chimps outperformed the humans. The youngsters easily remembered the locations, even at the shortest duration, which does not leave enough time for the eye to move and scan the screen. This suggests that they use a kind of eidetic or photographic memory.

In rare cases, human children have a kind of photographic memory like that shown by the young chimps, but it disappears with age, says Tetsuro Matsuzawa, at the primate research institute at Kyoto University, Japan, who led the study. He suggests that early humans lost the skill as we acquired other memory-related skills such as representation and hierarchical organisation.

“In the course of evolution we humans lost it, but acquired a new skill of symbolisation – in other words, language,” he says. “We had to lose some function to get a new function.” 'Humbling' discovery

The finding challenges human assumptions about our uniqueness, and should make us think harder about ourselves in relation to other animals, says anthropologist Jill Pruetz of Iowa State University, Ames, US.

“Observing that other species can outperform us on tasks that we assume we excel at is a bit humbling,” she says. “Rather than taking such findings as a rare example or a fluke, we should incorporate this knowledge into a mindset that acknowledges that chimpanzees – and probably other species – share aspects of what we think of as uniquely human intelligence.”

The results are “absolutely incredible” says Frans de Waal, at the Yerkes Primate Center at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, US. He says that chimp intelligence is chronically underestimated, and one reason is that experiments stack the deck against the chimps.

In the wild, this memory skill might be useful for memorising fruit locations at a glance, or making a quick map of all the branches and routes in a tree, he says. Matsuzawa emphasises that the chimps in the study are by no means special – all chimps can perform like this, he says.

“We underestimate chimpanzee intelligence,” he says. “We are 98.77% chimpanzee. We are their evolutionary neighbours.”

Christmas Lights

No matter how carefully you stored the lights last year, they will be snarled again this Christmas.

Robert Kirby
The Salt Lake Tribune

My Calling

"After one has discovered what he is called for, he should set out to do it with all of the power that he has in his system."

Martin Luther King, Jr.
1929-1968
American Civil Rights Leader

Begin to Begin Now

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
Famous novelist, poet and scientist

Passion & Enthusiasm

"Go at life every day with passion and enthusiasm... and when challenges arrive, simply do not give up."

Rick Wagoner (1953 - )
Chairman and CEO,
General Motors

The Secret of Style

"Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style."

Matthew Arnold
(1822-1888)
English poet

Brand & Reputation

"A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hardthings well."

Jeff Bezos (1964 - )
CEO and cofounder
Amazon.com

Do the very BEST

"I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything."

Abraham Lincoln
1809-1865,
16th President of the USA

Feed Just One

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.

Mother Teresa

Solid Gold!

"The man or woman who treasures his friends is usually solid gold himself."

Marjorie Holmes
Author

Begin

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
German dramatist, poet & novelist