Put gaming experience to good use!

Formulating strategies, deploying resources, defeating the opponents, scoring points, getting promoted to the next higher levels and winning the games are all part and parcel of most computer games which have gotten so many students addicted and parents worried.

With each passing game usually played with undivided attention and clear focus, day after day, the student gamers would have acquired most if not all of the skills mentioned above. It would be great and most beneficial if they know how to apply what they have learnt in gaming to their studies or school work. Until and unless this happens, the parents will always be apprehensive about their children getting involved with computer gamings. I hope the student gamers would take up the challenge to translate their gaming experience into something useful and relevant to their academic pursuits.

Students should also realise that there are many other functions of the personal computers (PCs) that have not been utilized fully. PCs are not just for gaming. Explore other useful functions and make full use of the PC for personal development and growth.

Never be arrogant no matter how high your position is or how smart you are!

Success is what many people strive to attain, and there is nothing wrong with that. In most cases, success makes one humbler; but in some cases, it makes one arrogant and proud.

I know of this lady who used to work as a salesgirl-cum-cashier in a retail outlet. While in that position, she was very courteous and each time I entered the shop, with wide smiles, she would greet me, "Sir, how are you? Looking for anything today?" and she has always been respectful. I observed that her behaviour started to change lately, after a company restructuring exercise, when she was promoted to be the assistant manager of the outlet. Since then, she has changed to a totally different person, she behaves as if she does not know me, and sometimes, when I ask her for help, she would just hastily rush through her answers quite reluctantly. On several occasions, when she was beside me, she even pretended that she did not see me. This is a typical case where success makes one lose his or her character and that might bring forth the downfall of a person.

This incidentally reminds me of a boy, who after looking at the cover of my book, "15 Forgotten Secrets That Will Make You A Better Student", told me proudly and without blinking his eyes, " Better student? I don't need this book, I am already very good!" It was later that I found out he was just 16 years old, waiting to go into the Polytechnic to do his Diploma course. My goodness, a boy this age says such a thing, it simply shows how arrogant or how naive he is. I don't think that is self-confidence. I gave him a 20-minute free lecture to correct his arrogant attitude. His attitude was totally changed after that. Before I left him, he asked to buy a copy of the book.

The moral of the story is: Never be arrogant no matter how high your position is or how smart you are! Always be humble and continue to learn from and respect others.

Does it make a natural place less natural?

Singapore is known for being systematic and organised in many things, even the management of the beach. The picture shows a row of BBQ pits that are constructed so systematically. The Park Management must have thought through and considered various design proposals before adopting this one.

But, I am just wondering if that makes a seaside, a natural place less natural. Perhaps, some natural touch, taste and colour could be incorporated into the design of the structures and make them blend with the natural surroundings so they don't stand out so concretely!

People actually like changes, but it depends...

In the context of management, it is always said that people are resistant to change. But, when it comes to trends and fashions, it appears that this statement often said in management doesn't hold true all the time. We should say, people like changes but it depends on the subject of change. When it comes to attitude and life changes, people are not so forthcoming.

Let's take a look at how people all over the world are subjecting themselves to changes in trends and fashions so frequently and without even blinking their eyes or thinking twice. If you have sufficiently long memory, you would remember that all the trends are short-lived, a new one phasing out the previous one so seamlessly and naturally.



Do you still remember the big-framed or round-framed spectacles? They are probably collectors' items now. In fact, almost everyone is putting on the mini-rectangular half-framed spectacles now. Before long, this fashion will be replaced. Just watch! Similar examples are numerous as you look around, such as handbags, shoes, dresses, especially the ladies' apparels.

But, the trouble is, when it comes to attitude, mindset or habit change, people are less willing to make effort for it. Recently, even a celebrity said over a TV programme, "I am like that. My character is like that." Basically, she was trying to say that it was hard for her to change. That speaks a lot about most of us.

Worries and Anxieties can kill!!!

In my years of working with elderly people, there is a common phenomenon, i.e. many of them always complain about feeling sick or unwell. Usually, their children would be concerned and would arrange for them to do a total health check. Most of the time, the medical reports reveal no abnormalities. But, these elderly people simply continue to feel sick.

Actually, it is the worry and anxiety that make many of them sick. Worries and anxieties could bring about many chemical reactions in the body and cause upset in the body system, typically in the stomach. That's why bloated stomach, stomach wind and gastric troubles are some of the common complaints of these elderly people. They tend to be playing with their minds most of the time unconsciously.

Years ago, one of my clients' mother went to China for a guided tour and as part of the itinerary, they were guided to a Traditional Chinese Medicines shop where the Chinese Physician after doing some simple diagnosis on her, told my client's mother she might have some kidney problem and hence recomended that she should take a certain Chinese medication. When she returned to Singapore, she kept thinking about what the physician said about her health condition. She has been healthy all along. Now, she got very worried. The children upon knowing it, sent her for check-up, but results were normal. Even then she simply could not get over it. One day, she was found drowned in the sea.

In many cases, the problems the elderly complain about are more psychological than physiological in nature. It is understood that the best natural cure for these complaints is just not too think too much and not to be over-anxious about things. The elderly should learn to be more active in their social lives and live a healthy and happy life.

Have you tried CHEWING Red Chilli Padi?

During my adolescent years, after attending school, I had to do lots of manual work in piggery and poulty farm and one of the very economical ways to provide for the tremendous amount of energy needed was to eat lots of rice. So, during those days, I was eating at least two or three big plates of rice every lunch, usually with just a few simple dishes, as we could not afford much.

How to eat so many plates of rice without delicious and decent dishes? I found a creative way to do it, i.e. chew the Red Chilli Padi (as seen in the picture) soaked with some soy sauce, when it gets too hot and spicy, the natural instinct was to gulp down lots of rice very quickly. Having been through such survival skill training, I tend to eat and enjoy foods that are very hot and spicy!

Safety First or else...

''Safety First'' or ''Think Safety'' posters are usually prominently displayed at construction sites and manufacturing concerns. Does the display of posters alone make the workplace safer? No. It takes lots of education and training to get the message across to the workers so that safety becomes part of their working life and their second nature.

Safety has to be central to what they do at the work sites and has to remain in their subconscious minds. It requires them to have a sense of danger or hazards before they can be safety-conscious.

I used to manage a manufacturing concern in Indonesia, most of the workers in the factory were recruited from several major cities of Indonesia and have been put through intensive training as they did not have much experience working in metal industry. One day, while at work in the factory, a stack of sheet metals one of the workers was pushing on a trolley suddenly started sliding down, instead of running for his life, this worker stretched out his hands trying to stop the sliding sharp-edged metal plates. Obviously, his wrists were cut and were bleeding profusely. He was immediately sent to the hospital. This is an obvious case of workers not having a strong sense of danger- or safety-consciousness.

Let go when it is time to do so...

Over the years, I have heard and seen cases of family disharmony and even disputes when the parents, observedly the mothers, continue to cling on to the "power" or "authority" they have assumed at home for many years when their children were much younger. As the children grow up and even have their own family, it is time for the senior parents to resign, retire and retreat into an "honourary" position to enjoy their golden years, doing what they have been longing to do when they were younger.

Unfortunately, some of these parents are still holding on to their ''executive'' position, meddling a great deal in their children's affairs and this has undoubtedly disturbed the family harmony and equilibrium. Having said this, I have also seen good families where the senior parents have learnt to let go and retired very gracefully. When they do this, it makes it easier for the children to manage their own family and the children would in turn be much more appreciative towards them.

Frankly, knowing when and how to let go is not easy. It needs an open mind and a humbling heart to be willing to let go of the power the senior parents once assumed at home when bringing up the children.

Rules are just RULES unless they are ENFORCED!

Singapore is reputably hailed as a fine city-state, but it is certainly doing very fine when it comes to imposing fines for those who choose to test out the rules and regulations. The sign shows a fine of $1,000 that will be imposed on those who try to ride their bicycle or motorcycle across the overpass.

But, rules are just rules unless they are enforced.

Look at the picture below where the taxi is parked at a parking lot that is labelled "NO PARKING" painted in red capital letters. Such a big sign is simply ignored! The driver seems to get away scot-free because I have seen it being parked there for unduly long period of time many times. The driver is obviously trying his luck. He has been lucky so far because there is no enforcement of the rule.

Past experience suggests that only when something serious happens, especially when it involves the loss of life, the enforcement will kick in immediately and seriously.

Like FATHER, like SON

Many years back, my family and I were having dinner at a nearby coffee shop, and there was a children's playground just nearby. All of a sudden, a little boy cried out very loudly in pain. I found out later that another boy had actually bitten him on his hand. That was terribly bad.

The poor little boy still crying in pain, was being pacified by his mother who seemed to take the incident quite calmly, while the bully got away scot-free only receiving some gentle words from his stout-looking father who was puffing away his cigarette at a bench nearby, not at all remorseful for what his son had done to others.

Can you imagine what the father said to his son? He said crudely in Mandarin as I overheard, ''Next time, if you bite people again, I will beat you!'' My goodness, his son had bullied and bitten someone, he did not even discipline him and ask him to apologise to the other boy there and then, and was still waiting for him to bite the next person again before he beats him.

I couldn't help but as I was walking past the father, I bluntly told him off. I said, ''Wow! You're going to wait for the next biting incident before you beat him? You should beat him right now and asked him to say sorry to that boy!'' He listened indifferently and I just walked off disappointedly looking at the way this guy behaved as a father. Like father, like son.

The Chinese says, ''If the top is not right, those below will follow suit.''

MUTUAL RESPECT in a marriage...

I had the privilege of working with a young-looking woman who is a mother of three, in a voluntary group and she was always contributing her time and effort willingly and selflessly in the voluntary activities. We have somehow lost touch for almost five years. Lately, I sent birthday greetings to her via SMS and e-mail. The e-mail got through to her but not the SMS because she has changed her mobile number. She called me a couple of days later.

She has consistently kept her registered trademark of "Cheerful Smiles" even after having lost touch for so many years. While laughing out loudly over the phone, she told me she had sold her flat and moved quite far away from her previous place. I asked her why she did that. She expected me to venture a smart guess but I wasn't too smart really. Eventually, she told me gladly over the phone that she was divorced. That was something that I would never have expected, and in fact, many of her close friends didn't believe her either. She has always been so jovial and happy. She seems to be able to manage her feelings very well and never let the adverse conditions show up in her daily life.

She told me that she has finally regained her freedom because throughout her marriage, she has been tightly controlled, even remotely, by her ex-husband. It is good that her three children are with her, two of them are already working. She is 48 but looks much younger than her age.

I think a marriage is intended for husband and wife to complement each other and to contribute to each other's happiness and joy, rather than to imprison each other. Each should be given their personal space to explore their own passions and mutual respect should be observed at all time. Never try to make over your wife or husband and stop trying to make the other a second edition of yourself.

A Bluetooth Headset that is CHEAP and GOOD!

This is the i.OVAL 303 Bluetooth Headset from i-tech, for mobile phones. I would say it is cheap and good, relatively speaking. It comes with a ear hook that is easy to wear, it is just 8.9 grammes in weight, and works with Bluetooth v2.0 plus EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). It can last up to 4.5 hours of talk time and 90 hours of standby.

If you are not too demanding on audio quality, you could even enjoy your MP3 songs with reasonably good sound clarity. Furthermore, it is so light that you don't even sense it hooking over your ear.

The Caterpillar Excavator in a precarious position!!!

This is a project where approximately 4m long wooden poles are being planted into the ground, along the side of the pond in a park, presumably to prevent soil erosions. But, the way the work is being carried out left much to be desired as far as safety of the workers is concerned.

The Caterpillar Excavator is positioned on a slope that is about 40-degree inclined. This is a very precarious position especially when force is being applied from the top to drive the pole into the ground and I observed that at some depths, there was a rebounce when the ground underneath was too hard and sometimes, it missed hitting the pole. When unexpected circumstances such as these happen, we might need to just hold our breath and cross our fingers hoping that the excavator would not topple into the pond and the workers drowned.

Notice that the co-worker is always in a very hazardous position, right in front of the excavator, trying to position the pole for accurate hitting. He will be crushed if the excavator were to accidentally slide down the slope. In fact, an accident involving a similar excavator happened recently in the same neighbourhood and the driver fell into the canal and was killed.

I feel that the contractor should place the workers' safety first and should explore other methods where the workers' safety is not compromised.

Rule 72 for quick financial calculations

Have your heard of Rule 72 in financial calculations?

This is a very quick way for one to calculate the return on investment. For example, if you put $10,000 in your bank, and if the bank pays you an interest rate of 3% per annum, it will take 24 years for your $10,000 to double to $20,000; if the bank were to pay you 1% per annum interest rate, then it will take 72 years for your $10,000 to double. If you can find an investment that could yied 6% per annum, then in 12 years, your initial investment of $10,000 would double.

The same applies to the calculation for inflation. Assuming you have $10,000 savings in the bank, and if the inflation rate is 3% per annum, your $10,000 will be worth $5,000 in 24 years' time; and if the inflation is 6% per annum, your initial savings of $10,000 will become $5,000 in 12 years' time. Hope you have learnt a quick way of doing financial computations.

As a matter of practical interest, when the banks here in Singapore are paying 0.5% per annum interest rate, it will take 144 years for any initial amount of investment to double in value. So, do you still want to put your money with the banks?

Such low savings interest rate might be the reason why many people are attracted to any financial instruments that promise higher returns, but most people do not or forget to read the fine prints in the contracts they sign and when problems arise, finger pointing starts. We have heard and witnessed a reasonably large group of senior citizens and retirees who have lost their lifelong savings and retirement nest eggs through ignorance or perhaps greed.

Would you pay, say S$400,000 more for something that looks almost the same just across the road?

Just wondering if you could tell from the pictures, which apartment actually costs a few hundred thousand dollars more per unit. Is it the one on the left or that on the right? Both are recent projects and located just opposite each other, separated by a road. The apartments on the left are public housing flats while those on the right are the 99-year leasehold condominiums. I believe the condominiums should be selling at around S$700 psf. So, each unit might cost roughly S$700,000.

Is there anything so special about the design of the condominiums? In fact, their floor areas are generally the same or smaller than those of the public housing flats. But, I am just wondering, why people are willing to fork out so much more for a place called residence. Is it because of the exclusive facilities such as the swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, barbeque pits, clubhouse, security guards etc. or is it for that extra personal space called privacy, or for the nice status called prestige or is it for the financial returns under the name of investment or financial planning?

I personally feel that the design of the housing flats on the left looks more elegant, contemporary and spatial and the price is only about 1/3 that of the condominiums. But, at the end of the day, whatever the choice made, may the buyers be happy with their choice and may the new home bring them happiness every day of their lives.

Changi Point Ferry Terminal

Changi Point Jetty has been renamed Changi Point Ferry Terminal (CPFT) which commenced operations on 5 January 2005. The CPFT consists of an International Terminal (for regional traffic) and a Domestic Terminal. This is where one can take a bumboat to Pulau Ubin, a small island situated in the north east of Singapore, to the west of Pulau Tekong. There are reportedly about a hundred villagers living there today. It is one of the last rural areas to be found in Singapore.

To explain all nature is too difficult a task for any one man or...

It is amazing that the two branches that grow out almost perpendicular to the trunk are hanging over such a long span, like cantilevers and yet remain so strong.

One can attempt to analyse and explain the phenomenon using all the engineering or botanical knowledge he or she might have learnt, but I think eventually it goes to show the wisdom of the creator. Similarly, while the medical science has become so advanced, no doctor or scientist has yet created a tiny mosquito from scratch. In fact, we should admit with our greatest humility that we are just exploring and learning about the creations in this universe everyday.

Sir Isaac Newton who was the greatest English mathematician of his generation, laid the foundation for differential and integral calculus which we all study in secondary and high schools and the universities. His work on optics and gravitation made him one of the greatest scientists the world has known.

Here are some of his famous quotations:

• To explain all nature is too difficult a task for any one man or even for any one age. `Tis much better to do a little with certainty, and leave the rest for others that come after you, than to explain all things. Quoted in G Simmons Calculus Gems (New York 1992).
• In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence. Quoted in Des MacHale, Wisdom (London, 2002).

There was a father who claimed to be a Buddhist, told me that he did not want his children to be exposed to books that contain the three-letter word, i.e. God, or anything related to God. I am not sure what English dictionary his children are using. Is there one that does not contain the word "God"? Does he scan all his children's storybooks to make sure they don't contain the word "God"? He seems to be living in his own world with an isolated mind and if left unchecked, he might turn a religious extremist someday!

The interesting thing is that he might not be aware that his children are learning physical and mathematical principles discovered by Sir Isaac Newton who believes in God. It is pretty ironic that many who claim that they don't believe in God often shout out "Oh My God!" or "omg" even during online chats!

Learn to go back to nature once in a while... it helps to unwind and destress..

Surprisingly, there are people who enjoy leaving their comfortable homes vacant for some nights and prefer to camp by the Changi Beach, some are there even on weekdays. But, this is the place where families can gather over the weekends for picnics, swimming, barbecues or overnight camping. Bring your own food here, or you can get some at the nearby Changi Village.

For city dwellers, it is good to go back to nature, once in a while, enjoy the gentle sea breeze, the sways of the coconut palms, hear the waves rolling onto the white sandy beach, gaze at the stars at night etc... Sitting by the beach, one can look out to the sea overlooking Pulau Ubin. It is refreshing and recharging for those who are constantly being stressed up at work.

Could the notice be better drafted before posting it on the website?

I happened to visit a a large local service company website and this announcement page was posted there. I took a screenshot and produced it here for discussion. The name of the company was erased to protect its privacy. I think it was thoughtful of the company to post such an announcement to inform its customers of the web service interruption. The reason is: Not every company does it!

However, there were some mistakes which I thought the company could have spotted and corrected before posting it on the website. The "11st" and "12nd" are wrong; they should be correctly written as 11th (eleventh) and 12th (twelfth) respectively. The correct usage should be 1st, 11th, 21st, or 31st and 2nd, 12th or 22nd. It is generally acceptable to have the date written simply as 11 July 2009, unlike in some legal or contractual documents where it is usually written as "on the 11th day of July 2009", for example.

Not only that, I feel that more effort could have been put into the writing of this annoucement for its millions of customers. Obviously, the same message could be written in many other ways. For the purpose of learning, I am taking my liberty to provide an alternative version to the one that was posted.

"Thank you for visiting our website. The website will be closed for system upgrade from 11pm, 11 July 2009 to 2am, 12 July 2009. We apologise for any inconvenience at your end and appreciate your understanding. We look forward to serving you again soon."

A professional mobile device with full QWERTY keyboard...

The Nokia E63 is a mobile device with a full QWERTY keyboard designed for comprehensive messaging and internet experience. It is a professionally-designed but generally-affordable mobile phone from my personal experience.

It is one of the latest models and yet the price is lower than some of the older models such as E71. If you sign up a two-year voice plan contract, the phone might cost just S$48 or less. I would give most of the features a thumbs-up but the 2-megapixel camera is a sure thumbs-down. It goes without saying that the picture above was not taken with this camera!

For users who are heavy in messaging, internet surfing and chatting, go for Starhub (Singapore company) Data Plan, there is a cap for the data charges, beyond which the data downloaded are not chargeable anymore.

For more information, go to http://www.forum.nokia.com/devices/E63

How to be happy and contented?

Working in the same company for more than 20 years as an administrative staff, having four children from three pregnancies and still looking good and happy, these are the quick facts of a marvellous woman who shared with me very candidly about her ways of life.

She is a happy-go-lucky person and has often told her colleagues to take things easy when they are faced with problems. She believes that we should live our lives happily, hold no grudges or resentment towards others and live and let live. Her positive attitude and her ability in taking things easy in life are the attributes that make her a happy and contented person. She is able to juggle her work and family well. This is the envy and desire of many working mothers.

So, if you have been bogged down by many things in your life and feel troubled over them, why not learn to take things easy, stop worrying and start living a happy life. Be contented with what you have, stop looking at and being bothered by what others have. You only see the outside of others, but you don't see what is inside them. They might have more problems that you don't know because of what they have that you don't. Many things look good on the outside but not on the inside. Think about it.

Home-made Sushi by a first-timer...

When it comes to doing things, it is always not the question of ability but of willingness to do it. Here is a good example, my son has for the first time, attempted to make sushi for our family's dinner. And looking at the picture, can you tell much difference from what you would buy from the Japanese stores? I would say, it was a job well done. We enjoyed the dinner very much with wasabi!!!

So, in life, it is always the inertia and lethargy that hold us back from getting down to do something, once we make up our mind, make an effort to overcome and get started with it, it gets going pretty naturally. As we do it more often, we become better and better at it.

So, if you have been holding back or procrastinating doing something that is meaningful, why not just do it and do it now? You will be surprised at the results!

It is not how long we live, but what we did when we lived!

Died of cardiac arrest before his scheduled big performances as a major comeback after several years of grappling with some of his personal issues, many people in every corner of the earth felt that Michael Jackson said goodbye too soon.

Nothing is certain in this world except death, and nobody could eacape and avoid it, at best one might be able to delay it through advanced health and medical sciences. But, eventually, it will still come without any further extension of DEADline.

Therefore, the question we might want to ask ouselves is, what is the significance of life? I believe it is not how long we live on this earth, but what we do when we are alive, and how we have impacted people with what we do. History has it that many who died at relatively young age had left behind a profound legacy. It goes to show the importance of making a difference when we are still alive.

Do you say what you mean and mean what you say?

I often notice that people like to say things they don't mean and mean things they don't say. Are you one of those?

If you visit someone at his home and it happens that the family are having their dinner, usually, they would invite you to join them out of courtesy. But, they don't really mean what they say. So, be polite not to take the invitation literally. The family might not have enough food for you. That is just a form of greetings, unless you are invited repeatedly and the host grab you by your arm and have you seated at the dining table. Then, you know they mean what they say!

One evening, you are out with your girl friend at Mount Faber and she says to you, "Dear, it's pretty cold here!". Now, what do you make of this? Most guys might say, 'Yeah! It is.' And that is precisely the reason why many girls think most guys are "kayu" which means "a piece of wood" in Malay, i.e. not sensitive to girl's feelings. In this instance, actually, she might mean what she does not say or is shy to say, i.e. "I want a warm hug!" Most guys might not be sensitive enough to pick up such hidden meaning in communications with girls, in particular. The girl will be utterly disappointed as a result.

So, be sensitive, discreet and quick in communications, sometimes, there are hidden meanings that are not explicitly expressed. We just have to learn to pick them up quickly!

We tend to be negative by default...

By natural default, we tend to skew and tilt towards the negative side of our behavioural scale, for example, we tend to be lazy, we procrastinate, we indulge in unhealthy lifestyle, we tend to be complacent etc. To effect any positive change or improvement, we must take massive action with dogged determination to tilt the scale the other way round towards the positive side of it.

This does not happen by default, it has to be a conscious effort directed with clear focus, it is easier said than done because most of us lack strong discipline to carry through the change. For example, if a student does not put in enough time and effort to prepare for his examinations, by default, he would most likely fail them. If he wants to do well, he has to put in much hard work and conscientious effort. I am sure we can relate this idea to many daily activities we perform so routinely.

So, as a rule of thumb, if you want to be successful in what you do, never settle for the default attitudes and actions. Go for the opposite and you will be on your way to success.

How to deal with problems?

There is a Chinese idiom that says, “Of ten things in life, eight or nine of them are against our will or wishes”. It therefore should not come as a surprise if we have and continue to meet with many problems or challenges every day in our lives. That seems to be a given and it is normal.

So, the important thing to consider is, “how do we manage all these problems and challenges that seem to mess up our lives so endlessly?”

To manage them well, we must realise that problems broadly fall into two categories, namely the controllable and the uncontrollable. For the controllable, do something about it, seek help if necessary; for the uncontrollable, just accept it. There is no point trying to change something we have no control over.

Try the REVERSED Thinking!

I recently met with a mother who was complaining to me that her daughter, currently studying in a secondary school, is reading too many storybooks. I was surprised to hear that. But, the mother was not without reasons for saying that, and in fact, she said it with much sense of disappointment and helplessness.

The issue at hand is that the daughter gets so caught up and perhaps, I should say, addicted to reading storybooks one after another, so much so that she seems to have overlooked and neglected her studies. Rightfully, reading is a good habit many find it hard to form, and here we have a case of good habit that dies hard, but sadly, it dies the wrong way.

The mother has been trying very hard to dissuade her from reading too much so that she could at least spend an adequate amount of time to catch up on her schoolwork, but to no avail.

Keeping things in control and striking a balance in life are things that many of us always strive to do but not all have succeeded. Many of us tend to get carried away doing things we enjoy most. But, it is pretty ironic that most of the things we enjoy doing don't make us successful; and things that will make us successful, we somehow don’t enjoy doing them. The same applies to our diet. Most foods that taste good are not good for health, whereas most foods that are good for health don’t taste good.

Prevention is better than cure, and yet....

We all know that prevention is better than cure or correction, and yet most of the time, we end up correcting problems rather than preventing them.

Let's think about it, actually, many incidents of home fires could have been prevented, many tooth extractions could have been delayed, many health challenges could have been anticipated and many car accidents could have been avoided. But, why do they happen? I believe in most of these cases, a lack of attention or knowledge is the main cause.

In order to prevent problems from happening in the first place, we need to have a good foresight, deep insight and reflective hindsight into the respective areas of concern, and then be equipped with the relevant knowledge and information to prevent the problems from even taking place in the first place.

A restaurant where you don't pay GST and Service charges...

Magic Wok Restaurant that serves Halal Thai-Chinese Cuisines does not charge the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and service charges. Some outlets are fully air-conditioned. You can have free flow of iced-water. The foods taste good. You can find the various locations in the name card above.

Do NOT fool around with water!!!

New signs such as this have been erected along the canals by PUB (Public Utilities Board). Heed the warnings and refrain from entering the canal. In Chinese Language, there is a saying that literally means "You might fool around with mountains, but don't fool around with water."

A tough and rigid regime at the workplace!

In management, it is imperative that we put the right person on the right job. Often times, the mistake made by many leaders is to have the right person on the wrong job. That is simply erroneous and disastrous. If a person does not have the aptitutde for people management, never ever put him or her into management jobs. This is not just suicidal for the person but will cause a massacre of the entire team or department.

I have heard of stories of an employed Director, when she comes to a cul-de-sac or losing end of a discussion with her subordinates, she would just say, "I am the BOSS!". It sounds very much like in an army camp - a tough and rigid regime! Well, the subordinates, for the sake of their rice bowls, just have to listen, take it and live with it. This is a very authoritative style of leadership which might have worked well with subordinates who are not highly educated in the olden days, but today, this does not work anymore. Many subordinates could even discern the dirty tactics and politics she uses in her daily management functions.

What works better today is the consultative approach of management. Leaders must learn to listen attentively, reflect humbly and adjust accordingly to the inputs of the subordinates in a discussion or meeting. Seek to understand before being understood as what Stephen Covey says in his book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". A leader who is self-righteous and too authoritative cannot go far in his or her leadership career in the 21st Century!