Some quotes for ReadFlection...

1. "A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough." ... Bruce Lee
2. "Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul." ... Democritus
3. "The very way to LOVE ourselves is to Lift Our Very Esteem and respect ourselves." ... Jonathan Ooi
4. "Beauty is subjective. A person who is perceived to be U.G.L.Y by some could be Uniquely Good-Looking and Young to others." ... Jonathan Ooi
5. "It pays to learn new skills provided they are put to immediate good use." ... Jonathan Ooi
6. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ... Aristotle
7. "It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." ... Mahatma Gandhi

Note: These quotes are original and copyrighted. However, do feel free to use them as long as credit is given to the author at the end of every quote.

Baby Squids Fried with Chillii Padi...

A quick and simple meal - Mixed Porridge with meat, vegetables and carrot.

Fitness machines at the Fitness Corner in Punggol Park...

Quotes by some of the greats...

1. "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. " ... Mother Teresa
2. "The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one." ... Elbert Hubbard
3. "If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." ... Bruce Lee
4. "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.' ... William Shakespeare
5. "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." ... Albert Einstein

Sky Fruit contains Saponins found in Ginseng

Saponins is known for the following benefits ... - As an agent in cancer prevention and reduces body fats. - Enhances immune system and improves vitality. - Reduces blood clotting and alleviates blood sugar. - Enhances the functions of the heart and prolonging blood clotting process.

Sky Fruit contains Flavonoids found in Ginkgo Biloba

Flavonoids is known for the following benefits ... - Able to promote a smooth blood circulation and to interfere with the formation of atherosclerotic plague. - Lowers cholesterol levels and lowers fats build-up in the blood stream. ...

I can't imagine a 40-plus woman behaving as such...

I really couldn't help but pardon me for calling this woman a D.U.S.T - Disgusting, Ungracious, Socially-irresponsible and Terrible - woman, though I empathise with her for not being well.

She came in late when the church service was already in-progress and was seated just behind me and my wife. Throughout the entire service, she was coughing and constantly making the sound of a swine (a female pig) clearing her throat and sucking her mucus, without even putting on a mask or covering her mouth and nose with a piece of tissue.

For goodness sake, a 40-plus adult when not feeling well, should at least learn to be more responsible by staying at home and avoiding public places, especially when H1N1 viruses are still finding their targets!

I almost wanted to tell her off but thought of not making a scene! This is another such culprit that needs to be educated on Graciousness and Social Responsibility!

What's in it for me?

''What's in it for me?'' is a benefit question most of us would ask when there is a demand or a draw on our time and financial resources, in particular. This behaviour is prevalently common in affluent countries where material pursuits are a constant lingering thought on the mind and a regular agenda of the day.

There are absolutely no commercials or advertisements that do not list out benefits of their products or services. People are already conditioned to think that when they expend their money, there must be benefits or monetary returns, or else, no deal! When they spend their time, they must be rewarded somehow, otherwise, they'd rather not.

Many are so imbued in such benefit culture that they adopt the same attitude when dealing with people, and even friends. ''What's in it for me if I take you as a friend'' might be the first thought that flashes across their mind before anything else. It does not come as a surprise because there is even a new term created called ''Friends of Benefits''! This is how real and practical people are and have become in the modern and developed societies.

Finishing-coat painting work completed...

Are you game enough for management?

Management job is interestingly challenging but never easy. It does not deal so much with the logic of the people being managed but their feelings and emotions. Logics are predictably fixed whereas feelings and emotions are variable and unpredictable.

It requires the manager, first of all, to be a people-oriented person which means he must have good communication and interpersonal skills. Short of these two core skills, it is hard to succeed in management. Taking some skills training courses might provide knowledge and awareness, but the actual learning comes from the doing and practice on the job.

In management, there is no one-size-fits-all method or approach. Every individual is unique in terms of their personality, attitude, behaviour and needs. To manage well, one has to take management to a personal level and seek to understand each one differently. Therefore, the span of control must be limited to not more than eight people, preferably five. This will ensure effectiveness in management.

So, are you game enough for management?

Applying the base coat of paint onto the exterior walls of the public apartments

A 19-year-old wash basin still looking bright and sparkling...

Stewed meat with vegetables and eggs

Cleaning the walls before repainting the exterior of the public apartments

"Swallowing your pride seldom leads to indigestion." ... Gerald P R Sacks

A bicycle abandoned for months and there is no claim so far...

This bicycle has been locked and abandoned at a relatively busy covered walkway near a bus shelter for months; the body parts are rusting, the tyres are deflated and the basket is being used as a garbage bin by the passers-by. Where is the owner of the bicycle? Could the owner be a foreign worker who has already left Singapore? Nobody seems to be taking any action. What happens to the town council?

Some quotes for ReadFlection...

1. “We should, all of us, be filled with gratitude and humility for our present progress and prosperity. We should be filled with awe and joy at what lies over the horizon. And we should be filled with absolute determination to make the most of it.” ... Bill Clinton
2. If you judge people, you have no time to love them." ... Mother Teresa
3. "The busier we are, the better we appreciate and manage our time." ... Jonathan Ooi
4. "Teaching is a calling, not a job." ... Jonathan Ooi
5. "When you can't create, just innovate." ... Jonathan Ooi
6. "Without job security, there goes employee loyalty. But, responsibility towards employer remains." ... Jonathan Ooi
7. "In life, don't set limits, set goals." ... Jonathan Ooi

Note: These quotes are original and copyrighted. However, do feel free to use them as long as credit is given to the author at the end of every quote.

A very smart way to market seaweeds!

A very smart way to market seaweeds! The Japanese seaweeds are made into different flavours such as Hot and Spicy, Tom Yam, Spicy Smoked Chicken and Hot Chill Squid, Wasabi and of course, the original taste.

They are crispy, tasty and a bit salty. Initially, you will surely go on munching non-stop. But, after a while, you may want to give it a break. They are available at value Shops at S$2.45 per packet, Econ Minimarts at S$2.85 per packet.

A good innovation using Vending Machine...

A dictionary defines a vending machine as a machine from which you can get things such as cigarettes, chocolates or coffee by putting in money and pressing a button. But, today, vending machines are no longer just dispensing drinks, titbits and those items mentioned, they dispense Fresh Fruits and even Fresh Toasted Sandwiches. It is incredible!

The concept has been expanded and extended to include food items not initially thought of when vending machines were first introduced into the market decades ago. It shows that people are constantly innovating to find new and better ways of doing business and selling their products in order to survive in the business world where competition is always a given. As I have said, "If you can't create, just innovate."

The Japanese has long been known as good innovators, they took many ideas and concepts and popularised them to the extent that many people thought they were the originators of those ideas and concept, even the Quality concept. That is how innovative they are. Next in line are the Taiwanese and the Korean.

A young-looking lady who is a great tutor and a great mother...

I had a good conversation with a lady tutor who specialises in tutoring primary school students for many years, but she does it with a difference. She is not just tutoring, she is making lives by imparting good values to her students. She apparently does not charge high fees and takes it more as a passion. She related to me how her past students, even after years of leaving her, still remember her and keep in touch with her regularly.

When I first met her, my jaws dropped when she told me she has two teenaged children, one of them is serving the National Service now. She does not look her age. I found out her secret of keeping young: Be happy and trust God! She is a Roman Catholic. She believes in being happy and not worrying too much about life. Live everyday purposefully and meaningfully. Her faith has brought her joy and peace in her life.

She is apparently a good mother because the two children are pretty close to her. She seems to enjoy working with and dealing with children. May be that is what she does that keeps her young. I should say that she is not just a great tutor, but a great mother, too.

My LATEST quotes for ReadFlection...

1. ''Form new good habits and make them die hard.''
2. ''Doctors treat you when you are not healthy, but they don't teach you how to stay healthy.''
3. ''Because of the fallen nature of men, we tend to fall for things that will make us fall apart in life.''
4. ''A circumstance usually traps us standing within the circumference of the problem. To overcome the problem, we have to step out of its circumference.''
5. "You will never be right in doing the wrong thing."
6. "Don't just make a living, make a life every day of your life."
7. "Profit-and-Loss determines the health of a company; but, Passion-and-Love determines the attitude of a person."

Note: These quotes are original and copyrighted by Jonathan Ooi. However, do feel free to use them as long as credit is given to the author at the end of every quote.

An awesome session with a couple great in learning attitude!

I had an awesome informal session with a wonderful young couple for almost an hour and a half. They are both working parents, hold great concern for their children but not pushing them too hard academically. We belong to the same school of thought, that moral values and emotional wellbeing are far more important than sheer academic excellence. There were certain areas I suggested they could do to further improve on their current bonding they have with their two children.

Little did I realise that my humble suggestion that they write journals or blogs had ignited an immediate fire in the wife and she told me she had started blogging almost immediately after I left. Nothing impresses me more than such instant action. A good start for her in 201o! I look forward to reading and learning from her blog in time to come.

Some of my career advice and suggestions got them nodding in agreement and apparently they are going to put into practice some of those ideas. I find that both of them are very keen learners and have very positive attitudes in life. With these important attributes, I am sure they are ready and set for greater achievements in their parenting process and also their respective career.

My best wishes to them and their family!

Don't Make a mockery of true education and knowledge...

My LATEST quotes to share with you for ReadFlection...

1. "The levels in school are man-made limits. Break the limits, learn beyond the levels and be the best you can be."
2. "When things get too complicated, just get back to basics."
3. "Only the weak and cowardly play politics and stab others in their back."
4. ''What is tasty is usually not healthy; what is healthy is usually not tasty.''
5. "External motivation is only a booster to trigger motivation from within."

Note: These quotes are original and copyrighted by Jonathan Ooi. However, do feel free to use them as long as credit is given to the author at the end of every quote.

Three dishes for dinner - Fried Asparagus with Prawns, Steamed Fish with Ginger and Steamed Chicken with Oyster Sauce

The three home-cooked dishes cost less than S$9 for a family of five adults. The Sea Bass is so fresh that it can be steamed and the flesh is so smooth! My daughter loved it so much, she even cleaned up the bones! Awesome!

I just simply forgot to take the pictures of the Steamed Sea Bass and Steamed Chicken as everyone was already waiting for dinner to be served!

My latest quotes for ReadFlection...

1. ''Your situation will not change if you do nothing about it. So, do something.''
2. ''Start digging a second well before the first well runs dry.''
3. ''The best way to overcome mental frustration and physical violence is to exercise spiritual self-control.''
4. "You will never please everyone no matter how good you are."

Note: These quotes are original and copyrighted by Jonathan Ooi. However, do feel free to use them as long as credit is given to the author at the end of every quote.

I met two real idiots!

I was in a shopping mall standing and looking at something, and was close to a wall; there was absolutely no walking space on my left but the wide passage was totally clear on my right. A middle-aged guy who looked and walked like a bulldog saw me and was still bulldozing his way through me. I just moved aside and let him have his way but felt like giving him a punch or a kick to wake him up! But, do you think he was an idiot or he was inviting a fight? I think he was a real idiot who might have got up from the wrong side of his bed.

Later, I was with my wife in an optical shop within the same shopping mall. A man who was already in the shop, leaned his baby stroller against a chair and he sat on the other one just beside. When the shop assistant invited my wife to take a seat to try out her new pair of spectacles, this guy heard it, turned his head around and saw my wife standing beside the chair. He just turned away and didn't even have the courtesy to remove his stroller. I was wondering, was he idiotic or simply indifferent? Of course, I think he was truly idiotic.

It's precisely because of such idiotic and inconsiderate people that Singapore government has to introduce Courtesy campaign, Kindness movement and Graciousness movement! I thought courtesy begins at home and it should be our second nature if not our very nature.

My quotes for reflection...

1. "Sincerity touches one's heart and moves one into action."
2. "Don't stress up your life by telling lies for you have to constantly think of another lie to cover the previous lie."
3. "Be next-job-ready by updating your resume every time you make a significant achievement in your current job."
4. "You will be the best in whatever you do if you decide to be the best, believe you are the best and do your best."
5. ''The trouble in this world is that people take poisons without questions but have so many doubts on natural food supplements.''

Note: These quotes are original and copyrighted by Jonathan Ooi. However, do feel free to use them as long as credit is given to the author at the end of every quote.

When NORMAL is being perceived as NOT NORMAL!

In Singapore, students whose do not perform too well academically in Primary Six are put into what is called the Normal Stream when they progress to secondary school, while those who perform well academically are put into Express stream.

The Normal stream students are usually being stigmatised and labelled as "cannot study" type! Many students as a result of such social pressure, perception and labelling, resign to their fate and erroneously believe that they are destined not to do well in studies and hence many just give up on themselves.

Some parents of such students even feel so embarrassed and stressed to talk about their children. One mother told me if her son were to go to Normal stream in the secondary school, she would commit suicide because she could not accept it. Can you imagine how much harm such streaming has done to many students and parents?

I just hope that someone would be bold enough to stand up and abolish this streaming exercise in the secondary schools. As it is right now, I am made to understand that the Primary-Four streaming is in principle, already abolished in primary schools after so many years of feedback from the ground, but many schools are still streaming their students internally according to their academic abilities, presumably because of the school ranking exercise which in my humblest opinion is another non-useful and resource-consuming exercise to be abolished.

Until and unless the streaming is abolished in secondary schools, I just want to encourage those students who are put in the Normal stream to understand this. According to the Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, Normal has the following meaning:

1. Something that is normal is usual and ordinary in accordance with what people expect.
2. A normal person is generally healthy in body and mind, without any major defects or problems.

If you are in the Normal stream, you are perfectly normal. Those in the Express stream are not normal, by this definition of the streaming. Take heart. You are absolutely normal. Go on to study and learn normally, don't give up, don't underestimate yourself. Have strong confidence in yourself. You will continue to lead a normal life because you are perfectly normal.

Please pass this blog message to those who are in the Normal stream to encourage them and tell them that they are perfectly NORMAL!

What is a blessing?