Do unto others what you want others do unto you...

It is said, "Do unto others what you want others do unto you." If you want others to respect you, respect others first. If you want others to be kind to you, be kind to others first. Charity begins with ourselves.

But, in reality, we find many people expect goodness from others, but they don't seem to be good towards others. When they have wronged others, they expect to be forgiven; but when others have wronged them, they simply want to get even. This is what we call double-standard.

Similarly, "Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you." If you do not like to be critised, do not critise others. If you do not like to be made fun of, do not make fun of others. If you do not like to be hurt, then do not hurt others. If you do not like to be ill-treated, do not ill-treat others.

As you read these messages, I encourage you to do some self-reflections and make some positive resolutions to treat others the same way you treat yourself.

Don't be like a dinosaur in an IT age!

A friend from overseas asked one of my friends for his e-mail address, he was shocked to be given the office address. It sounded very much like a joke but it wasn't. It was a real incident!

Recently, a five-year-old boy was browsing my book and was quick to point out, "Oh! You have an e-mail address! So, can I e-mail to you?" Does it sound like another joke? No.

For people my generation, I think we would do ourselves a great service if we would take some time to break away from the old paradigm which believes that "IT is only for the newer and younger generations!"

Years back, I advised one of my business friends, who was then about 55 years old, and had been operating his traditional photo studio business for almost three decades, to consider incorporating digital printing facility in his studio as digital photography was catching on so swiftly over the last decade. He outrightly rejected my recommendation and said, "No way! That is for the young! I am so old already." So, I kept quiet.

A few years later, when I visited him again, I was utterly shocked and surprised to see that all his traditional photo processing equipment and facilities disappeared and were totally replaced with an entirely new system for digital printing. There was a new desktop PC, he and his wife were then clicking the mouse, navigating within the windows on the computer screen, and were using new vocabularies such as thumb drive, CD, jpg format, pixel, resolution etc.

I couldn't help but teased him and reminded him of what he said to me years ago, he humoured it off and laughingly told me, "Bo pian lah!" which means "No choice!".

It is true. We have no choice but to change and move along. If we don't evolve and change in this IT age, we would be like dinosaurs and would soon be displaced from our society that is so digital and wired.

A positive step forward in the mobile industry in Singapore..

Most mobile subscribers would remember that in the early days, when we wanted to switch mobile operators for better deals, we always had to think about how many friends we have to inform about the new changed number, and after much thinking, we decided not to switch but remain with the same operator, foregoing the better benefits offered by other mobile operators. Those hassles that came with the change of mobile number have stopped many from switching and hence many consumers were being marginalised and disadvantaged.

I am glad that since 13 June 2008, Singapore has implemented Full Mobile Number Portability solution to benefit all mobile consumers. Full Mobile Number Portability is a solution that allows consumers to keep one mobile number for life, even when they switch operators. I should say this is a very good pro-consumer initiative of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.

This initiative has brought about a phenomenal change in Singapore’s mobile market. Consumers are now empowered with greater flexibility to choose from the offerings from mobile operators. This would in turn intensify competition and push the mobile operators to work harder to attract and retain their subscribers. More competitive pricing and better value-for-money mobile service deals will also benefit those who choose to remain with their current mobile operator. With this change, consumers will be the biggest winners.

Overdoing or having too much of something is not good!

Many problems in life come from our overdoing or having too much of something. Isn't it true? Look at the list...

• Overwork leads to stress and fatigue
• Overeating leads to indigestion and obesity
• Oversleeping creates physical lethargy
• Overflow tends to create a mess
• Over-pampered kids tend to be spoilt
• Overexposed photographs don't look nice
• Over-drinking of alcoholic drinks leads to drunkenness and liver damage over time
• Over-exercise takes a heavy toll on the heart
• Over-confidence creates a fall sense of security
• Over-cautious attitude gets nothing done
• Overdrawn makes one in debt
• Overspending leads to deficit
• Over-supply results in a price drop which is not in the interest of the sellers
• Overdone food does not taste good
• Overdosage of medicines might have adverse reactions
• Over-indulgence in gamings and gamblings leads to addiction
• Over-dependent on antibiotics makes one lose his or her natural immunity to viruses
• Going overboard makes others uncomfortable
• And a host of many others...

The best approach is: Everything in moderation. Exercise self-control and self-restraint.

Making mistakes once, twice and thrice...

Making mistake for the first time might be inadvertent. We are all humans. Humans tend to make mistakes due to carelessness or ignorance. But, we have to learn from our mistakes.

Making the same mistake twice shows that one never learns. If he had learnt, he would not have made the same mistake again. So, we have to be careful not to repeat the same mistake. People might forgive us for the first mistake, but it is harder for the second mistake to be forgiven.

Making the same mistake thrice shows that one is incorrigible. This reflects the indifferent attitude of the person. He does not take time to learn from his mistakes. He is perhaps not teachable anymore. It is hard for him to be forgiven.

Be Patient ...

While as a society we are conditioned to be quick and efficient in getting things done; on a personal basis, I think we have to learn to be patient with ourselves and more so with others in our family, our learning place, our workplace and even at social places.

Being patient with ourselves is important because not all things can be done instantly, some would take much longer time to complete, and as a result, we might have to go through a long and sometimes, tedious process or procedure before finally achieving the intended results. Going through the process one step at a time, needs great patience especially when no shortcut is possible.

Being patient with others allows us to build and maintain an amicable relationship with people around us. People will find joy working with us as we allow others room to make corrections and adjustments when something does not turn out the way it should be.

While it might sound hard to be patient for some, but it is not impossible for us to learn to be patient. Occasionally falling sick and resting in bed as a patient might not be a bad idea to learn patience.

In the Hokkien dialect, patience is termed "Toon Loon" and it suggests ''to swallow and hang on''. The next time before you start venting your anger or scolding someone, try to salivate, hold your saliva for a moment before you swallow it, you will break the ''momentum'' of your scolding action. It works! I know you are trying it now!

Are schools in Singapore getting too commercialised or business-like?

As we travel around in Singapore, we could see virtually every school has "marketing" banners hung over the fences or displayed prominently on the front facade of the school buildings. Most of these banners carry the success stories of the students and the awards the schools have won etc.

Schools seem to be constantly geared up for the ongoing contest in ranking, competing against one another trying to maintain their lead or fight for a better position in the school ranking exercise. As a result, schools have to spend substantial amount of time, effort and resources to meet and discuss the strategies and actions to outdo one another. Is that absolutely necessary? I am not sure if schools are getting a bit too commercialised or business-like now?

As a result of this, many teachers are involved in meetings, projects and administration work instead of dedicating themselves to teaching which is what they are originally called for. There are teachers who feel that such involvement runs contrary to their initial calling and commitment. Some very good teachers have even quit.

I simply feel that teachers should just teach, administrators should do administrative work and operations managers should run the operations. We have to go back to basics; otherwise, the problem of teachers shortage would be a permanent feature in the education landscape in Singapore. I still remember when my girl was in primary 5, in four months, she had three different form teachers. Nowadays, there are even newly-created positions known as co-teachers, in some schools.

For school ranking to be fair and effective, schools should not choose the students based on results. As it is right now, certain so-called reputable secondary schools are taking in only the cream of the crop from the primary six cohorts. Four years later, when these "smart" students do very well in their O-Level examinations, is it the school or the students who do well or both? If these same "smart" students were put in neighbourhood or not-so-reputable schools, does it mean that they would not do well four years later? Why not try it out once and see the results.

Every exercise that is run consumes resources which are already limited. Therefore, regular evaluations must be done, and any exercise that does not yield significant, meaningful and useful results should be discarded boldly. Primary one and two examinations once considered a must, are being done away with now and primary four streaming long-held as sacred is now abolished, I am just wondering, what is so significant about the school ranking that it cannot be stopped?

Once the school ranking exercise is called off, the schools could spend more time looking into ways to build the characters of the students and imparting to them moral values that are fast eroding among the students, besides teaching them to excel academically. Teachers should be released back into the teaching frontline so that the students could learn more in schools.

UNDER-sell and OVER-deliver is a better strategy to avoid disappointment

We do get disappointed over many things in our everyday life. The disappointment comes when expectations are not met or when hopes are not realised. The higher the expecations, the greater the disappointment; the bigger the hopes, the stronger the feeling of hopelessness.

Salesmen tend to sell their products and/or services by giving high expectations and high hopes to their customers, at times, oversell. Customers are usually lured into believing that expectations and hopes are deliverable and realisable.

So, they place high expectations and great hopes in the products or service they buy. In reality, when those expectations and hopes are not met, they would become very disappointed and feel that they are being cheated. This is the result of salesmen over-sell or over-promise and under-deliver.

I think to manage expectations well, the salesmen should try to under-sell but over-deliver. The actual results that way surpass the promise would come as a surprise and bonus to the customers. This will make customers delighted and satisfied. In this way, the customers would be certainly more impressed with the actual performance of the product or the service than it was originally promised.

From CONVERGENT-thinking to DIVERGENT-thinking

I spoke to a technician who had switched his career from the machining line to a service line. Personality-wise, he is so gentle, close to being timid. Nevertheless, he is very diligent at work but frequently, he has been perceived as sabotaging the peers or colleagues. He is an apple in his superior's eyes but a lemon in his colleagues'.

During regular office meetings, when he tries to bring up his work problems which are legitimate, he would usually be shot down. This not only happens at his present workplace but even at the previous one. Perhaps, due to his gentle and soft nature, he is not assertive enough in his communication skills. This is a typical setback of the technically-trained.

Technical people are obviously well-versed with technical knowledge and skills, but generally lacking in communication or interpersonal skills. It will be an added advantage if the technical people were to fill up those skill gaps and strive to develop their faculty in divergent-thinking.

The interesting thing is, if you ask an engineer how far it is from Tampines to Chinatown, he is able to give you the exact answer even to two decimal places. This is a convergent-thinking question. But, if you ask him how to get from Tampines to Chinatown, then he might have some problems answering that. This is a divergent-thinking question.

For this reason, many engineers or technical people tend to move away from the convergent-type of training to that which is more divergent, by taking up business administration or marketing courses as their post-graduate programmes. Such programmes would help them open up their minds and provide the necessary insights into those areas that call for a more divergent type of thinking and the training of the soft skills.

Also, technical people usually work behind the scene and are usually not so visible. Hence, at times, they are not being remembered or recognised sufficiently for their contributions as much as those who bring in sales orders or are at the frontline and are responsible for making direct contribution to the company's bottomline.

A gospel for those with KIDNEY problems...

Click on the images for an enlarged view...

Speaking the Truth

Start cleaning up the COLON...

Click on the images for an enlarged view...

It is important to maintain a healthy colon... because it is said that "Death begins at the colon".

If you are interested in maintaining a healthy colon in a natural way, this is it. The Colon-Health product comes in two packings, the sachet or the capsule form. One box or one bottle of it costs S$30.50 in Singapore or USD$20 for international purchase, there is a buy-one-get-one-free promotion. Free international shipping is provided for a single purchase of more than US$100.

It would be most beneficial for those who constantly suffer from constipation, loose stool, high cholesterol etc. It is not a medication, it is just a natural food supplement and hence it is suitable for long term consumption especially most of us in our normal diet, do not eat enough vegetables and fruits or foods that are high in fibre.

If you have NEVER ...

If you have never been away from home, you might not appreciate a home sweet home. If you have never been alone, perhaps you don't qute know what loneliness could bring at times. If you have not cried before, you would never long for a comforting shoulder.

If you have never lost a loved one, you may not appreciate the pain of losing one. If you have never lost a good friend, you might not understand what good friendship really means.

If you have never been sick, you would probably take good health for granted. If you have never been poor or lived in poverty before, you would never appreciate how poor people live their lives and how devastating it could be. If you have never been sleepless, you might simply think that a good restful sleep is a given and wonder why some people have to take sleeping pills.

If you have never been through chaos and turmoils, you might simply take peace and stability for granted. If you have never encountered failures and challenges in life, you might not grow in faith and confidence. If you have never tasted the bitterness of life, you might not appreciate the sweetness of things.

If you have never used the well or kerosene lamps before, you would never appreciate the convenience of modern living. If you have never lived in a place or walked through a street that is pitch dark at night, you would never appreciate the existence of street lights and the convenience of having electricity wired to your house.

If you have never been rejected, you would never understand how worthless one could feel. If you have never been accused, criticised or wronged, you would never understand how painful it can be when hurt. If you have never been humiliated, you would not feel on top of the world when you are respected.

A good DIGITAL cordless phone from Philips

Over the years, my family has used many different models of cordless phones from analogue to digital, but none of them comes close to this digital model from Philips. It delivers digitally clear sound and uses two AAA-sized rechargeable batteries.

If you have been having problems with your cordless phone, you may like to consider trying this one. I think you can get it now at less than S$60. One thing I like is the AAA-sized rechargeable batteries that are easily available.

Be a Master of Change!

Have you been wanting to do something but never even get it started, let alone get it done? Basically, we are all fixed and set into our daily routine, so much so that we find it hard to disengage ourselves from our current routine to try anything new. But, the secret to overcoming this reluctance is to "Just Do It!" as what Nike says in its slogan.

To make that change, we need to first of all think of what existing habit we want to change or what new habit to form. For example, you might want to develop a new habit of reading a book everyday. First thing to do is to find a suitable time, say in the evening, block out that time slot, say 30 minutes or an hour, find a suitable cozy corner in the comfort of your home and get yourself seated for the first time and just start reading. Repeat it the second day at the same time and at the same place, then the third day and so on until the 21st day.

When going through the process of change, we have to be very strict with ourselves, no interruptions, no excuses, no "if"s and no "but"s. That is what we called self-discipline. By the 21st day, you would have formed this habit of reading already. Henceforth, it would become a new habit or lifestyle. We can make this new good habit die hard, too.

Try it out and you will know what I mean. Hopefully, from now on, you will become a master of change. You can then change or form any habit as and when you want it.

Watch out for the year 2021!

Many natural phenomena and orders in this world happen in cycles, for example the four seasons one coming after another year after year, the day and night taking its turn everyday non-stop. Even the world economy happens in cycles, good times and bad times exchanging hands every now and then, stock markets go through ups and downs, so are the companies business performance, in general.

As I look back, I realise that economic downturns happen every 12 years. Twelve seems to be a magic number. There are 12 months in a year. In 1985, we were faced with a very bad recession. Many graduates were professionally unemployed the moment they graduated. In 1997, the Asian financial crisis created great financial and economic turmoils in this region. Again, in 2009, the very bad economic downturn almost paralysed the whole world including the United States of America where even giant corporations went bust and unemployment rate hit an all time high.

Learning from the past and looking forward into the future, the trend seems to suggest that the next major economic downturn might come in the year 2021! So, as soon as we ride through this 2009 economic tsunami, be prepared for the next one! We have 12 years to prepare, don't be just in time to be too late again.

Is smoking allowed at bus shelters, or is it not? CONFUSED!!!

The recent extension of the No-Smoking Law to cover more buildings, shopping centres and many other premises was a positive step towards a cleaner and healthier environment.

But, as I always say, ''Rules are just rules unless they are enforced. So are the laws''. I am surprised to see big garbage bin being placed in many bus shelters and there is a special metal tray for cigarette butts, attached to it.

The implementer of this law expects smokers to smoke there, it seems!

By law, smokers are banned from smoking within the bus shelters. Why is the tray still provided for the cigarette butts and worse, such a bin is placed right within the bus shelter? Those cigarette butts that are not stubbed out completely sometimes would emit smokes that are polluting the environment and hazardous to health.

The law and its practice don't seem to synchronise. It appears to be ambiguous, in fact. The smokers, if caught, can argue that trays are provided for them to throw their cigarette butts, so they presume that it is alright to smoke there.

Perhaps, it is this sort of ambiguity that keeps the lawyers in business!

Another case of "Like father, like son"!

This morning, I was on board a single-decked bus with my family and I saw a father and his son aged around 10, both of them are perfect targets of the big "Graciousness" movement posters displayed in buses and at bus shelters islandwide.

The father was seated behind the son. Each of them was occupying a double-seat, sitting on one and putting a bag on the seat just beside them. There were many passengers standing and some were hoping to have a seat. But, the ungracious duo did not seem to care about those standing passengers.

My wife without hesitation went forth to ask the boy to remove his bag and she got herself seated. The father seated behind the son remained indifferent and continued to leave his bag there while many passengers remained standing.

I simply could not stand this kind of selfish people with such ungracious behaviour. I have been waiting for him to wake up his idea but he did not. I actually wanted to go and ask him to remove his bag and I would occupy the seat beside him. But, then I was already about to alight. So, he was spared.

Like father, like son. The son obviously is taking after the father's selfish behaviour.

Another white-haired woman aged sixty plus, carrying an empty marketing trolley, claimed her right to a seat. She was seemingly more gracious than that selfish father mentioned earlier. She occupied just one seat. That is good.

But, her trolley was taking up the foot space of the other seat beside her. So, no one could take that seat either and it was as good as she taking up both the seats. But, she seemed to be mumbling to herself, venting her frustrations for the long wait for the bus.

I believe most of us would be kinder and more forgiving towards the senior "auntie", but not that ungracious man, a father who is not a good exemplary to his young son.

Don't just tell me I am wrong! Teach me what is right.

In all tests and examinations, the teachers' markings usually indicate to the students which answers are right and which are wrong. If it stops there, the students would not learn much especially from the mistakes he or she has made. Hence, the idea of ''Correction'' is useful in helping students learn what is right and hopefully after correction, they don't repeat the same mistake.

Usually, we are pretty good at telling others what they have done wrong, but sometimes, those who have done wrong might be clueless about what is the right thing to do, what is the right method to use, what is the right approach to take and so on.

This is especially true in parenting of children. I am sure we have heard parents telling their children, "Don't do this." But, they fail to go one more step to tell them, "You should do this." Children will grow up learning all the things they should not do, but fail to learn what they are supposed to do in a positive way.

So, it is not too helpful to just point out others' mistakes or what they have done wrong but it would help a great deal if we would go one step further and show them what is the right way to take or the right thing to do. Instead of saying, "Don't do this!", it might be more positive and direct to just say, "Do this or do that."

Some unique structural designs...

Buangkok MRT station


Baywater Condominium (Bedok Reservoir Road)

Schools should go for MORAL education instead of SEXUALITY education!

I spoke to a Chinese-educated man my age, who grew up in ''kampung'' like I did, and as he was sharing his life experiences, both of us were like walking down memory lanes, talking about many things of yesteryears and speaking a common language.

What stood out in the conversation was this, ''No matter how violent or gangster-like we were those days, under no circumstances would we beat our own parents.'' Today, such a traditional value is hard to come by, in fact, it is not uncommon that teenaged children beat their parents or disrespect their parents at home.

I was told of a case of family violence where a Secondary 2 boy assaulted his mother at home. Police officers were called in, but they did nothing except to say, ''This is a family dispute. You have to solve it yourself.''

In view of all these problems, what many of us might want to know is, what has changed in the family, the schools and the society? What happened to those great values and virtues once held so strongly in the social fabric and cultural traditions?

Are parents too caught up with making a living that they have no time to teach and guide even their own children until it was too late? Or is this a generation spoilt by both nature and nurture? What about the second line of defence schools are supposed to provide through the teaching of moral education?

Undesirable sexual behaviours are outward signs or displayed symptoms of a decaying or rotten moral root deep down within the person. We can administer all sorts of cursory treatments to the symptoms but the symptoms will persist if the decaying root is left to decay and eventually, rot. It is imperative that we treat the root now, before it is too late.

Thinking aloud, I'd rather the resources spent in conducting the widely-publicised sexuality education in all secondary schools in Singapore, be channelled to moral education instead.

Once the secondary students are morally educated and correctly guided, the issues of immoral sexual conducts will not even surface! Instead, it would even help to take care of many other immoral and unhealthy issues common among teenagers during their growing up years.

A girl who is YOUNG in age, but MATURED in thinking and CARING in her heart!

I chanced upon a student currently studying in a tertiary institution, matured enough to be engaged in a sensible discussion with me. She is distinctively different from many other students her age. I should say she is emotionally intelligent and certainly has what it takes to be successful in life and at work.

As I was sharing my personal learning experience with her, she was listening attentively and interactively throughout the entire conversation, with great interest. She was keen to learn. Personally, I am always impressed with people with such positive learning attitudes.

In fact, she impressed me further by being a person with good heart. She felt burdened in wanting to help her brother just two years younger than she is, and was sharing her heartfelt desire and hoping that her brother would come to his senses and devote more time to his studies instead of drifting away in his current state. She was silent for a while, lost in thought, staring at the cover of my book, when trying to describe his brother.

She suddenly felt that it might be a good idea to use my book as a present for her younger brother, subtly trying to help encourage him to get out of his present circumstances. It is heartening to see a young girl having such a matured thinking, caring so much for a sibling just two years younger.

I hope the younger brother would be touched and moved, hopefully he would stop drifting away from reality and start living his life productively, knowing that his sister feels and cares so much for him.

Post your name card and business information online for just S$18 per year...

Most of us might have used the thick bulky Yellow Pages or Business Directory that lists the business and contact information of businesses with their products and services. Since last year, a Singapore-registered company has innovatively created a web portal for name card and business information display.

Of course, there are already an abundance of classified advertisement web portals such as Redad, Mocca etc... But, this name card portal is simple and straightforward. All you need to do is just scan your name card and two of your flyers or brochures and upload them onto the website with your unique URL.

If you are self-employed or working in sales and marketing profession, this portal will help you increase your exposure in terms of your company, your products and/or services. Your business and personal contacts can search for you online, too.

Furthermore, as a member, you get to earn referral fees if you do refer others to join the scheme as members like you do. If you are looking for some supplemental income, you may want to try this. The membership fee is just S$18 per year. For more information, please click on the weblink above.

One man's poison is another man's medicine!

If you take a glance at the medicine cabinets in most homes, medications commonly found in there would range from skin irritation cream to eye gel, anti-histamines to cough syrups, and paracetamols to high blood pressure tablets.

If you were to take a closer look at some of those medications, it is not difficult to see the word "POISON" printed in red and enclosed in a box with red outline, in a few languages, as shown in the pictures above. These are usually the medications prescribed by doctors or healthcare professionals.

Recently, I met a man aged around 30, with very bad Psoriasis which is a skin disease that causes scaling and swelling. He told me that his doctor prescribed him a certain medication to control his medical condition. It was only six months later when he asked the doctor if there was any side effect, the doctor said yes, the adverse effect is that a certain organ in the body might be damaged. He was in rude shock and asked the doctor why he did not tell him earlier.

It is commonly known that most of the medications come with side effects or adverse reactions. Even Panadol commonly prescribed for pain and fever, might trigger allergic reactions and must be taken with special precautions especially for those who have renal and hepatic failure.

A relative of mine had been regularly prescribed pain killers for her knee pain problem, and years later, she ran into very bad gastric troubles. I know of someone who has been on anti-depressants for several years and she suffers from frequent dizzy spells. Her doctor said that the medication does cause postural imbalance.



We always heard, "one man's meat is another man's poison", but now, it is "one man's poison is another man's medicine!". Be aware that the next time you pop in those pills or tablets, you might be popping poison into your body.

That is why there is a growing awareness of the need to detoxify the body, i.e. to remove the toxins and poisons from the body. But, nothing beats preventive healthcare. Alternative treatments, TCMs and natural foods are gaining wider public acceptance now.

Fancy a laptop or mobile phone battery that lasts more than 10 hours on the go?

Laptops and mobile phones are the two main mobile technologies that are widely used on campus and at work. If there is anything most users would like to have in their wish lists, I am sure it would be a battery that can last more than 10 hours on the go. While the mobile technology has changed so rapidly, the same does not seem to happen to the technology of the corresponding batteries.

Normal dry cells or rechargeable batteries are standardised into 9V, AA, AAA, C, D and so on in terms of "size" or type, and all torchlight manufacturers would design their torchlights to use these standard batteries already available in the market. Why are the laptop and mobile phone manufacturers use their own proprietory batteries of all shapes, sizes and capacities?

Would you like to walk into a supermarket or 7-Eleven store in future and buy your laptop or mobile battery you would your Energiser or Alkaline batteries? Don't you think there should be standard laptop or mobile phone batteries made available in the market, much like the hard disks?



The five different Acer laptops in my family use five different proprietory batteries of different sizes that are not interchangeable, but they are all using the same type of hard disk of the same dimensions, ironically surprising! I am not sure if Acer is involved in designing their own proprietory batteries? If so, why don't they make their own proprietory hard disks? They are obviously using the standard hard disks available in the market because there are only a few types of standard hard disks in the whole world.

If hard disks can be standardised and they dictate the dimensions of the laptop, why not the batteries? A certain coordinating body should come forward and introduce a worldwide standardisation for batteries, perhaps. Some companies should then take the lead to make standard batteries with long life (at least 10 hours) and make them available in the open market and even supermarkets, as standard parts for laptop or mobile phone users. Standardisation encourages mass production which leads to lower costs of production and eventually cheaper price for the consumers.

Once there are specialised manufacturers for standard laptop or mobile phone batteries, they can focus on long-term research and development work to constantly upgrade and improve the battery technologies, keeping in tandem with the rapid changes in the mobile technologies.

Why is it so hard to say "I am sorry!" ?

It is usually difficult for many people, in particular those who are more senior in age or position, to say the magic words "I am sorry!" even if they had made a mistake. These words are somewhat magical because it helps to cool the boiling blood and calm the unsettling nerves. Unless you try saying them, you might not realise the positive effects these words could bring.

Most of these people are rather egoistic and tend to worry that saying sorry would make them lose face or dignity. In fact, the reverse is true. It is better to leave the ego at home or under the table, no matter how big it is. People would gradually lose respect for those who don't admit their mistakes.

The society as a whole is still rather forgiving towards those who dare to admit openly their mistakes. So, learn to use the magic words from now on! Use them when necessary. You will be surprised that people will respect you for that.

Even kids find it hard to say SORRY!

It is not just adults who find it hard to say sorry, frankly, kids, too find it hard.

You might have noticed on many occasions when kids have done something wrong, those morally-good parents would usually ask the kids to apologise to the person who has been wronged. But, you might also have noticed that the kids usually find it hard to say sorry. Some would even push or assign their parents to say sorry on their behalf. It is unbelievable that they behave as such at such a young and tender age.

My goodness, even small kids carry such a big ego. Kids at such young age find it so hard to say sorry, let alone the adults. Would the ego become smaller or would it grow bigger when the kids grow up? Obviously, it is going to grow bigger and bigger unless they become aware of the weakness and hence make a conscious and conscientious effort to change it.

Happy 44th National Day to Singapore!

The theme for Singapore's 44th National Day is "Come Together - Reaching Out. Reaching Up". It is a celebration of our nationhood, and of what it means to be a Singaporean. It is about unity. It is about reaching out to those in adversity and in need of help, and reaching up to greater heights of success with hope and confidence, against all odds.

The inspiration for the theme was drawn from the National Pledge that reads as follows:

"We, the citizens of Singapore pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation."

Live every day happily and to the fullest...

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. Live every new day with joy, love and peace. Love yourself, your family and your friends. Be kind and gracious to people who cross your path. Be at peace with them.

Expect the unexpected. Believe that everything in life happens for a reason. You might get to know the reason or you might not. Continue to live life with optimism and positive thinking. If you succeed, be humble; if you did not make it, don't be discouraged. Try again.

Reflect regularly. Learn from past mistakes. Do not repeat the same mistakes. Contunue to learn, unlearn and relearn. Renew your mind. Transform your life. Improve your skills, knowledge and attitudes daily. Share your experience with others. Keep yourself healthy and happy always.

"You can be stupid, but you can't be lazy!"

I had a good chat with this Singaporean lady, a professional who has been in USA with her family, for some seven years, but still taking Singapore as her home. She is now a mother of two. As we were on the topic of parenting and education for the children, we apparently shared many similar viewpoints and struck the same chord on many topics.

She is simply an amazing and marvellous super-woman who juggles well her work, family and even community work and to make it even more incredible, she does all these without even engaging a domestic helper. She is making great and sound decisions for her children's learning and education within the confines of the system here. She does not fancy sending her children to those so-called good schools and that surprised many of her friends.

As a professonal who helps others with change, she is imparting good and balanced values to her children. A good life wisdom she learnt from her father is: "you can be stupid, but you can't be lazy". She is guiding her children the same way she was brought up.

Love thy neighbours as thyself

''Every man for himself'' is often being perceived as a selfish behaviour but it is not necessarily wrong. In fact, it's the starting point if we want to live a life of serving others. We have to learn to take good care of ourselves first before even thinking of taking care of others. As we might have heard the famous saying ''Love thy neighbours as thyself''. It goes to demonstrate that we have to love ourselves first before learning to love our neighbours.

The selfish behaviour surfaces when one starts and ends at the starting point of "Every man for himself". When we do that, we are always living within our personal confines and not making any outward progress in our lives. We tend to become very self-focussed and self-centred. We do not see beyond ourselves and beyond our own needs. We are busy for ourselves, at most our immediate family. We do not bother about anything else beyond that.

We all live in a community and society, not in isolation. We have to learn to integrate ourselves into the community and society and the best way to do that is to make contributions to the community and society in any way we are good at or familiar with. Learn to bless others for it is by blessing others that we could be blessed.

There is an instruction that is often heard on board all passenger planes, as part of the in-flight safety message, i.e "Put on your mask first". This literally means "Take care of yourself first before taking care of others". Quoted below is part of the message transcribed by someone on board Alaska Flight 438 to San Francisco. It sounds funny though...

"In the event of a loss of cabin pressure these baggy things will drop down over your head. You stick it over your nose and mouth like the flight attendant is doing now. The bag won't inflate, but there's oxygen there, I promise. If you are sitting next to a small child, or someone who is acting like a small child, please do us all a favour and put on your mask first. If you are travelling with two or more children, please take a moment now to decide which one is your favourite. Help that one first, and then work your way down."

It is hard to change the spots of a leopard!

In a recent coversation with an old friend, I was told about an ex-colleague who seemed to have problems interacting and communicating with people everywhere.

I remember those days when we were colleagues, this lady used to call me even at odd hours whenever she had problems related to work, even though I was not her superior. But, there was a period of time she stopped talking with me and even refused to respond to me when I greeted her in the mornings. It was only later I found out that when she wanted an advice badly from me and I was not able to give her a definite answer, she started to bear a grudge against me. I was surprised at her behaviour.

She simply could not get along with almost everyone in the office. Eventually, she decided to leave that company on her own accord and joined one of my friends' company. I was told that she also had many problems there and lately I was told that she left my friend's company and went back to the previous company. She left in a huff and good riddance. Her leaving was a great relief to many. I feel sorry for her for she knows not what she does. I hope she has learnt her lessons by now and would settle down in the old company for good. But, it is hard to change the spots of a leopard.

Her problems, as I see them, are very much mental and psychological in nature. Changing workplace is not the solution to her problem, but changing her mental attitudes and balancing her psychological perspectives might be helpful for her. She is being too self-centred and self-righteous. That's the biggest obstacle to her personal growth and relationship with others.

A friendship or partnership that complements each other...

I got the following message from a friend in Spain, that is poetically written. But unfortunately, I have no idea who the author is, but I still want to acknowledge the author for a piece well written.

''I am a rose, you are my thorns, clutching to me, protecting me. I am the sun, you are my rays, helping me to shine and to be all that I can. I am a lake, you are my water, filling me with ideas, dreams, and hopes for the future. I am a tree, you are my leaves, sharing who and what I am and becoming an important part of my life. I am a heart, you are my beat, beating rhythmically to my happiness, my fear, my sadness, my excitement. I am me and you are with me, to share all that I am, to share life, love, and happiness.''

Inconsiderate action that might cost lives!!!

I am not sure who this bicycle belongs to, but obviously, the owner does not seem to be a considerate person.

There are so many places where he can park his bicycle and he simply chooses to park and lock it at this funny lifted position almost all the time since about a week ago and worse, he is locking it to the fire hydrant. In this position, it is blocking the stairwell as well, especially during an emergency evacuation. Worse still, look at the kind of solid locking device he is using, it is one that is hard to break.

What if there is a fire in the building? This inconsiderate act might hamper and delay the fire-fighting and rescue operations. The blockage might affect the human evacuation during an emergency.

If he is staying in an exclusive private property, frankly, nobody cares how and where he wants to lock his bicycle. But, in a public housing flat, I think he should have at least exercised simple common sense on a simple task such as the parking of a bicycle.

A selfish guy who always says, ''Nothing new.''

In one of the companies where I worked, there was a manager, each time after he attended a talk or seminar, when I asked him, ''How was the seminar?'', he would always reply, ''Nothing new!''. Is it true that there was nothing new? I don't think so.

I had been observing him in the course of work and I realised that he was a very selfish person with high inferiority complex. He was not too academically qualified but was promoted to the manager's post through rank-and-file. He was very afraid that his own staff would overtake him in terms of position, so he kept lots of knowledge and information to himself. That was the reason why he said' ''Nothing new!''. By saying that, he need not share anything that he has learnt, and he could keep everything to and for himself. He was so naive in his thinking.

We are in an age of information explosion and overflow, just type in any word in any search engine, there would be at least thousands or millions of sites right before your eyes. What is there to be so secretive about information and knowledge learnt? I just can't understand this selfish and ''kia-su'' (fear of losing) guy!

In fact, I always believe, the best way to learn is to teach and share. That is why I am sharing with you what I know through the blogs here. If you have been reading my blogs, may be it is time you share your thoughts and experience with me, too!

A new Bicycle Parking sign at Hougang Green Shopping Mall

This is a new sign put up at the Hougang Green Shopping Mall, which I think makes slightly better sense than the previous one. I applaud the change though it is not something that is significant in terms of profitability.

But, I still don't know the rationale for "No Overnight Parking"!!! Frankly, which cyclist in his right mind, would want to park his bicycle, a portable machine, overnight in an unsheltered public bicycle parking bay outside a shopping mall that is not even strategically located? The "No Overnight Parking" wording sounds like an insult to the patrons' intelligence!

You may like to read a related blog at this link, where you could see the previous sign which was indeed nonsensical.

A simple Japanese-style Dinner

A simple Japanese-style dinner that is easy to prepare with simple ingredients, served with Calrose rice and Wasabi. The ingredients include Shredded Carrot, Cucumber sticks, Crab Sticks, Jellyfish, Fried Egg, Fried Prawns and Japanese Fish Cake.