ReadFlection ...

THREE ways to deal with problems...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

"When you are faced with a mountain (problem) in your life journey, you could get over it by levelling (solving) it, surmounting (overcoming) it or bypassing (avoiding) it." ... Jonathan Ooi

Be thankful for EVERYTHING - good or bad!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:30:00 +0000

"A person who is emotionally and spiritually matured is thankful not just for the good happenings (or blessings) but mishaps as well because mishaps are usually blessings in disguise." ... Jonathan Ooi

Would you like to rewrite this notice with better English?

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:02:00 +0000

Click on the image for an enlarged view.

This is a notice put up at a local coffee shop. Do you find anything wrong with the English used, may be if you could read Chinese, what about the Chinese statement? There is obviously room for improvement as far as the standard of English and Chinese Language is concerned.

Do post your comments here if you have your idea of making it better.

So what if you went to the university?

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

"Going to and through the UNIversity does not guarantee you success in handling DIversity and ADversity in life; you need FLEXIBILITY and VERSATILITY of mind." ... Jonathan Ooi

Life is full of diversed and adverded situations that catch many people, even the intellectual, so unprepared and defenceless. Going to and through the university, to many people, is just a socially-recognised and professionally-required path of getting that scroll that could land you on a good-paying job hopefully if the world economy is in order.

Life skills required to cope with life's diversity and adversity will be left to each individual to seek out and sort out on their own. That is where it starts to draw on the resilience, flexibility and versatility of the mind that was supposed to be trained but usually not. That is why many highly-educated people suffer from the same mental stress and depression as those who are not so highly-educated so to speak.

That is the reason why I always say, what you study in the university is not so important, what is important is whether you used your brain and train your mind while you were studying in the university, and in fact, it is not so much about studying the subjects per se but learning the skills to cope with life.

How to deal with FEAR?

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:15:00 +0000

We are faced with FEAR in many life situations everyday so much so that we become conditioned in our mind to believe that that is the way life should be. We always live in fear. We fear examinations, we fear failure, we fear losing our job, we fear losing our investments, we fear contracting a dread disease, we fear accidents, we fear not having enough money etc.

Are we going to, therefore, live in fear for the rest of our lives? We have to have a way to overcome it.

"To overcome FEAR, turn FEAR into a positive F.E.A.R - Full Energy And Resolve." ... Jonathan Ooi

FEAR is like STRESS, if it does not bring you down, it will bring you up to greater heights of success!

Therefore, learn to take it head on, turn and twist it into positive driving force and energy and have a strong resolve and determination to follow through the process to produce the outcome or results you desire.

In other words, make FEAR work for you and to your advantage.

Latest quotes by Jonathan Ooi ... for reflection!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

"We forget what we want to remember, but remember what we want to forget."
"All of us are capable of doing positive things, but we are equally capable of not finding the will to do them."
"Many forms of illnesses or discomfort are more psychological than physiological in nature. It is usually the mind that makes one feel sick."
"Do it right the first time for sometimes we might not be given a second chance."
"Firm and stubborn are two sides of the same person depending on which angle you look at it from. When you insist on your belief, you think you are firm, but others think you are stubborn."
"Impatience is both a weakness and a strength. It can be annoying to others. but it helps get things done quickly."

We can't CTRL-ALT-DEL our life too many times!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

"If we can't CTRL our mind well, we will tend to ALT between choices in life; if we are not careful, we might DEL the good choices, and when that happens, we have to RESTART all over again! So, learn to control our mind to make good choices in life so that we don't have to restart our life too many times for sometimes there might not be a second chance!" ... Jonathan Ooi

The one-and-only-one postage stamps in the world...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

I am absolutely sure no stamp collectors in the world have these two stamps in their album.

New information display at the bus stops...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:12:00 +0000

This is the new information display at the bus stops in Singapore. The number at the top, in this case "63279" is the bus stop number. You can use this information in conjunction with the TransitLink Bus Guide or the TransitLink website to plan your journey.

Incredibly amazing natural cleaning solution for tubs and tiles...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

My wife and I were totally amazed when we first used Tub & Tile to clean our toilet basin. It just turned sparkling clean and bright.

Tub & Tile is a powerful natural cleaning solution made from biodegradable formula that contains naturally-derived cleaners. It is environmentally-friendly and does not contain phosphates, ammonia or bleach.

It comes in a concentrated form and one such bottle can be diluted into four 710ml spray bottles. Let me know if you are interested to get it.

The harder you work, the luckier you are...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

There are many people who believe in luck. Is there really such a thing called luck or is it a layman's term that means probability and chances. If we toss a coin, we have 50% chance of getting a head or a tail. That is 50% luck! If you try shoplifting often enough, it is a matter of time you would be caught. So, when one is caught, that is attributed to back luck!?

If a student thinks he is lucky to have passed his examinations, then I want to suggest to him that in order to increase his luck and be luckier the next time round, all he needs to do is to study harder. The harder he studies, the luckier he is.

A salesman who sits in his office instead of going out to the field to do his prospecting activity to find new customers would blame his poor sales performance on the lack of luck. Isn't it true that if he works harder outside, he would become luckier, and his sales performance would improve?

So, in an equation form, luck = opportunity + consistent hard work. When the opportunities are there, if we work hard and seize the opportunity, we get results. That's perhaps what most people call luck. Those who are so-called lucky are those who work hard and consistently hard.

Therefore, the next time when you want to have better luck, just work consistently harder and smarter. If you want to be lucky enough to get promoted at work, just work consistently harder and smarter. I assure you lady luck will come to you.

Be considerate!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The need for the above sign shows that there are some dog owners who are not considerate. Being considerate promotes good neighbourliness and friendliness not just in the park, but in the train, buses and many public places.

It is not just about dogs not being leashed or their poos not picked up, but it includes speaking loudly on mobile phones in crowded places like in the bus or on the train, the irritating noise emitted from the earpieces where the volume was turned to maximum when listening to MP3 songs, littering and throwing things down from high floors in HDB flats and habitually slamming the house door forcefully upon returning home from a bad day at work. Examples are numerous.

I think it would be good for us to reflect for ourselves if we do consciously or unconsciously exhibit some of these behaviours which make our neighbours or people around us feel very unpleasant and miserable. The way to be considerate is to put ourselves in others' shoes and think!!!

"It is a joy to give, but a greater joy to forgive." ... Jonathan Ooi

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:50:00 +0000

While we always hear of "give and take", I think most people take more than they give. If we have the means and ability, it is more blessed to give than to take. It is in giving and helping others that we find joy in our lives.

I observe that there are people who like to fight for their rights over trivial matters and hold grudges against others, that grow into resentment and hatred. They find it so hard to forgive others.

Actually, not being able to forgive others makes one always live miserably in the past, and not able to move forward. Thus, it is good to learn to forgive others. In fact, we could experience the great joy of breaking from the bondage of unforgiveness by simply forgiving others.

Let's learn to give and forgive and in so doing, we will live a joyful and happy life everyday.

A unique plant in Punggol Park...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

I discovered this very unique plant in Punggol Park. Do you know the name of the plant?

Some of my recent quotes... for reflection!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

"In life and in business, sometimes, it is not what you know, but who you know, that makes all the difference in your results!"
"What a person is is usually determined by what he says and what he does."
"If we live life the right way, it becomes lively; but, if we live it the reversed way, it becomes evil. EVIL is LIVE spelt backward."
"Every success or failure comes at a price; but, gaining experience from it is priceless."
"While we would expect return on investment, but we should not expect return on charity."

Three children with good upbringing...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

I had the privilege of talking with a mother who was a good motivator to her own three teenaged children whose first names are all five-lettered words starting with "Ha", so when the first two letters of their names are put together, they become Ha-Ha-Ha. It is my fervent wish that this family would always be filled with laughters.

I could sense the joy and harmony in the family as I was speaking to the mother who later invited all the three children to join in the motivational discussion. The three children were very respectful, well-behaved and were doing their own things when I called at their place. The eldest would be taking his last paper for his O-level examinations tomorrow. After some simple encouragement, he decided to change his mindset and aim to score a distinction for it.

I believe all the three children would be able to do very well in their studies as long as they have the positive mindset and attitude and develope strong discipline in their daily lives. The mother was apparently very proud of her three children. I think the three children owe much to their mother's commitment in taking care of their daily well-being and providing them with lots of moral support for their character-building.

In this context, I think parents play a pivotal role in the upbringing of their children in terms of character-building and moral education. Schools should play a supportive role in reinforcing those values while performing their primary functions of teaching academic subjects.

Issues with setting deadlines...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Late delivery is a problem commonly faced in most manufacturing and logistical operations. There are many reasons that account for late deliveries. One of the most common ones is that the delivery deadline promised and set was unrealistic.

This happens usually when salespeople go out to the customers and in order to clinch the deal or project, sometimes, they promise heaven and earth, including delivery within a short lead time! But, when the deal is sealed, the entire planning and operational process starts and every nitty-gritty issue begins to surface along the process chain, such as inventory shortage, manpower shortage, new process design, machine capacity problem etc.

There is an inherent behaviour when it comes to deadline setting. When we set deadlines for others, we tend to set very stringent, tight and unrealistic deadlines; but, when we set deadlines for ourselves, we tend to be more lenient and kind, and tend to build in buffer for ourselves. This is another practice of double-standards in life.

Benefits of Ispaghula Husk - Soluble and Insoluble Fibre

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

To buy, go HERE.

Don't lose that personal touch!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

A family of five was travelling on the bus seated close to each other and all their ears were plugged with their earpiece listening to their own MP3 songs, and I am sure they were all listening to songs of their respective age group, the parents would most likely prefer their oldies while the children must be going for the latest hits in town. As they were plugged with the earpieces, obviously there was hardly any conversation between them.

This goes to show one thing: while we are so digitally-connected, we might not be so emotionally-connected nowadays. Recently, I commended someone on Facebook, who has many friends in her network, but she told me that they are just net friends, not real friends. It seems that many of these friends are so-called digital friends, but not friends who share the real emotions. People generally still prefer high-touch to high-tech.

Therefore, no matter how advanced we are in terms of technological development, don't forget that we are all still humans who need personal touch. While everyone is sending an e-greeting card, your hard-copy greeting card that comes in the letter box with the postal mark could be a high-touch surprise and it would be very special to the person who receives it.

Have we really tapped the full power of IT and Internet?

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Despite the fact that Singapore is one of the best-wired nations in the world, i think the power of personal computers and internet still has not been fully tapped.

Generally, most offices still handle lots of paper documents while there are already soft copies stored in the hard-disks and backed up in various data storage media. Utilities and telecommunications companies still send out millions of bills every month when many families already have at least an email account where they can just email a soft copy of the monthly bills. Customers can be given an option to choose a soft or hard copy of the bill. The cost savings which is rather substantial considering the gigantic customer base, can be ploughed back to the consumers in return, perhaps by giving a 5% rebate or some other forms of tangible benefits. With this, it also makes the environment greener.

Secondly, people are still not too comfortable performing transactions especially financial ones, over the internet where internet insecurity is something most people fear. It probably will take the next generation to be more IT-savvy and IT-integrated, where online shopping even for groceries would be a norm in future, especially when most young professionals would spend a big chunk of their waking hours in front of the computer screen.

Don't let our passion become a perversion!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

"While developing a passion, one learns to persevere. The peseverance gradually develops into persistence. However, if left unchecked, persistence could end up as perversion."

Some of us do get carried away when it comes to saying something or doing a cause that we are strongly convicted to or are very passionate about; we eat our passion, we drink our passion and we breathe our passion 24/7. With this, I mean the passion gets entrenched into our lives inseparable.

That usually begins well. But, as we begin to connect with others around us, we tend to want to pass it on very eagerly, the eagerness could become rather annoying and irritating. Once it is left unchecked, we might be perceived even as perverts who have distorted and perverted the original intent into something that people detest to even hear about or talk about.

Choices are a dynamic thing!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:46:00 +0000

We are all given the free will to make choices on many things in our lives, ranging from what to wear, what to eat, what car to drive, what house to stay, who to marry, what career to choose, how to make money etc. Not everyone would go for the same choices. To each his own, depending on each individual's family, education, religious backgrounds etc.

Whatever the choices we make, the results would follow. At a certain point in time or a certain stage in our lives, we make a certain choice which at that time was the best, but as time passes by, when we gain more experience and receive more information and insight, we might begin to regret over the choice we once made. This is rather normal. The word "Best" as in choices is not absolute, it is a dynamic adjective. What was best previously might not appear so now. That is why we are constantly experiencing the feeling of regret over choices we made in the past.

Do you recall this? When we eat at food courts or restaurants, after we finish our meal and look across the next table, we always feel that we should have ordered the other dishes. That happens all the time in many aspects of our lives. But, not all choices can be changed as and when we like it, some come with long-term commitment such as choosing a life partner for marriage. So, learn to make smart choices in life!

Cappucino Cream Wafers made in Indonesia!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:36:00 +0000

It is available at FairPrice supermarkets at around S$3. The one with Cappucino flavour tastes yummy!

Jambu Fruit Dove ...

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The Jambu fruit dove is a forest dove that inhabits the second growth forests of mangrove swamps and rainforests on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and western Java, Thailand and Malaysia. They are easily recognised in the forest by their soft cooing.

To read more, click HERE.

Be more objective in a world of subjectivity!

jonaooi@pacific.net.sg (Jonathan Ooi) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

It is rather natural for most of us as we build up our experiences over the years, to tend to take our understanding, viewpoints, opinions, perceptions and thinking as the absolute truth at times, and that is when we begin to lose objectivity as we look at things and issues in life in a world that is full of subjectivity.

It is hard for many to remain objective, and even harder for those who are in a certain higher leadership position to do so. The leaders as they attain a certain achievement and hierachical position begins to forget what it takes for them to get there and they would generally over-simplify the process and the journey of getting there, thinking that everyone else is able to do and achieve what they did.

While they mean well in trying to motivate and encourage the team members to do what they have done, but they tend to forget that there is no one-size-fits-all kind of methodology, technique or approach. We might be encouraged by the success of certain leaders and hence we might be able to emulate the positive and desirable attitudes and behaviours of such leaders at best, but it is impossible for us to clone and duplicate the leadership style and personality.