"It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to fall in love with someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone." Author Unknown
Monday, December 29, 2008
We've only just begun
"It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to fall in love with someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone." Author Unknown
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Read, Learn, and Think Your Way to Success
Ten Thinking and Dreaming Exercises for Creativity and Innovation
1) Read with pen and notebook in hand; jot down any idea that comes into your consciousness.
2) Keep a notebook in which you can keep track of ideas, by your bed and in your car.
3) Write one idea down on a piece of paper and brainstorm any thought that comes from it: how to accomplish the idea, what to do about the idea, where to use the idea, who can help you implement the idea, and any other thought that enters your mind.
4) Read a non-fiction book every week. Read magazines, journals, online articles... all the time.
5) Clip articles and place them in a folder of related articles or ideas. Periodically, glance through the folder.
6) Create “idea files” in most folders in your computer. Create an idea or to-do file in your email program. Add ideas as they come to you.
7) Take time to stare out your window (if your setting deserves attention), play with a desk toy, take a quiet walk. Do any rote activity that allows thoughts to swirl through your mind.
8) Encourage your staff and coworkers to do all of the above and share ideas with each other at “think” or brainstorm sessions. Schedule annual retreats or off-site meetings to plan and generate ideas.
9) Develop an employee suggestion process.
10) Schedule think weeks, think days, or think hours for yourself or your work group.
Thinking time and learning time are both critical to creativity and innovation. The old adage: “stop to smell the roses” is true for both your current work and your career. Take time to plant and harvest the ideas that fuel your progress and success.
By Susan M. Heathfield (Adapted)
"An entrepreneur assumes the risk and is dedicated and committed to the success of whatever he or she undertakes." Victor Kiam
1) Read with pen and notebook in hand; jot down any idea that comes into your consciousness.
2) Keep a notebook in which you can keep track of ideas, by your bed and in your car.
3) Write one idea down on a piece of paper and brainstorm any thought that comes from it: how to accomplish the idea, what to do about the idea, where to use the idea, who can help you implement the idea, and any other thought that enters your mind.
4) Read a non-fiction book every week. Read magazines, journals, online articles... all the time.
5) Clip articles and place them in a folder of related articles or ideas. Periodically, glance through the folder.
6) Create “idea files” in most folders in your computer. Create an idea or to-do file in your email program. Add ideas as they come to you.
7) Take time to stare out your window (if your setting deserves attention), play with a desk toy, take a quiet walk. Do any rote activity that allows thoughts to swirl through your mind.
8) Encourage your staff and coworkers to do all of the above and share ideas with each other at “think” or brainstorm sessions. Schedule annual retreats or off-site meetings to plan and generate ideas.
9) Develop an employee suggestion process.
10) Schedule think weeks, think days, or think hours for yourself or your work group.
Thinking time and learning time are both critical to creativity and innovation. The old adage: “stop to smell the roses” is true for both your current work and your career. Take time to plant and harvest the ideas that fuel your progress and success.By Susan M. Heathfield (Adapted)
"An entrepreneur assumes the risk and is dedicated and committed to the success of whatever he or she undertakes." Victor Kiam
Friday, December 26, 2008
Web boom in English-obsessed Korea
SEOUL - Armed with the world's fastest Internet and an even stronger desire to learn English, South Koreans are using the latest Web resources to master a language that is the economic and emotional focus of their education.
On any given day, students ranging from kids learning their alphabet to adults preparing for job interviews sign in on their Internet messengers, fire up their webcams and wait for English teachers to appear -- from faraway continents.
They hope one-on-one chats with foreigners will help them fix pronunciation, get rid of native accents and feel more comfortable with a foreign language. The country's official teaching methods, based on grammar exercises and vocabulary lists, have consistently failed to deliver such benefits.
South Korea's average score in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is below the world average despite having the largest number of students taking the test.
"It is really nice to look at my English teacher through the computer screen and feel like having a chat with a new friend outside the country," said Oh Sun-young, who takes a Web-camera English course on Skype with her Philippine instructor.
Web English is the latest hit in South Korea's booming English education market, enabled by handy gadgets and widespread fiber-optics networks.
The new service, along with more traditional conversation courses offered by phone, is one of the fastest growing segments in South Korea's private English education industry, which is estimated at 15 trillion won ($13 billion) a year -- almost half of the country's annual education budget.
About 150 to 200 companies are in the market offering phone and Web English tutoring.
"Students who are very inexperienced with English may initially find the classes challenging, but within three months, there is a tremendous improvement in most of the students' speaking ability," said Tara McKibben, a phone English tutor who has been teaching over seven years from the United States.
KT Corp, South Korea's dominant fixed-line and broadband operator, provides a service called "Hello ET" cooperating with a South Korean English education company.
"We provide Web-cameras to our videophone English customers so that they can log on the website and have live chat with instructors," said Kang Joo-hyun, a "Hello ET" spokeswoman.
One-on-one conversation in English is technically close to real-live talk, held in Web phone service such as Skype. A message board opens adjacent to the conversation browser, so that participants can check the spelling of a word or start writing if they struggle to understand each other.
Internet portal SK Communications runs "Spicus" which includes a job interview drill on a video-chat platform. Applicants hand out their completed English resume before the drill. An interviewer stages a simulation interview through webcam, looking through resumes, and later provides feedback on logical speaking and communication skills.
"Interviewers are former officials in human resources department of big U.S. (companies) such as IBM," Ryu Hee-jo, a spokeswoman for SK Communications, said.
Cheap and credible
Good English test scores and speaking skills are considered an indispensable key for success in South Korea. In their quest for fluent English, a great deal of wealthy South Koreans simply flee their country's school system and its rigid teaching methods.
South Korea ranks No. 1 in the number of international students in the United States, ahead of more populous India and China, according to U.S. Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.
However, for those who cannot afford thousands of dollars a month in learning English abroad or spare time for look for meeting arrangements, video chat at home fulfills their aspiration at much cheaper prices. A three-times-a-week Web English course can be covered for about 100,000 won a month.
(Reuters - By Park Ju-min, Editing by Rhee So-eui and Derek Caney)
"Even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if it had kept its mouth shut."
"Put off for one day and ten days will pass."
"If you starve for three days, there is no thought that does not invade your imagination."
"Words have no wings but they can fly a thousand miles."
"If there is a rich man in the area three villages are ruined."
Source: Korean Wisdom
On any given day, students ranging from kids learning their alphabet to adults preparing for job interviews sign in on their Internet messengers, fire up their webcams and wait for English teachers to appear -- from faraway continents.
They hope one-on-one chats with foreigners will help them fix pronunciation, get rid of native accents and feel more comfortable with a foreign language. The country's official teaching methods, based on grammar exercises and vocabulary lists, have consistently failed to deliver such benefits.
South Korea's average score in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is below the world average despite having the largest number of students taking the test.
"It is really nice to look at my English teacher through the computer screen and feel like having a chat with a new friend outside the country," said Oh Sun-young, who takes a Web-camera English course on Skype with her Philippine instructor.
Web English is the latest hit in South Korea's booming English education market, enabled by handy gadgets and widespread fiber-optics networks.
The new service, along with more traditional conversation courses offered by phone, is one of the fastest growing segments in South Korea's private English education industry, which is estimated at 15 trillion won ($13 billion) a year -- almost half of the country's annual education budget.
About 150 to 200 companies are in the market offering phone and Web English tutoring.
"Students who are very inexperienced with English may initially find the classes challenging, but within three months, there is a tremendous improvement in most of the students' speaking ability," said Tara McKibben, a phone English tutor who has been teaching over seven years from the United States.
KT Corp, South Korea's dominant fixed-line and broadband operator, provides a service called "Hello ET" cooperating with a South Korean English education company.
"We provide Web-cameras to our videophone English customers so that they can log on the website and have live chat with instructors," said Kang Joo-hyun, a "Hello ET" spokeswoman.
One-on-one conversation in English is technically close to real-live talk, held in Web phone service such as Skype. A message board opens adjacent to the conversation browser, so that participants can check the spelling of a word or start writing if they struggle to understand each other.
Internet portal SK Communications runs "Spicus" which includes a job interview drill on a video-chat platform. Applicants hand out their completed English resume before the drill. An interviewer stages a simulation interview through webcam, looking through resumes, and later provides feedback on logical speaking and communication skills.
"Interviewers are former officials in human resources department of big U.S. (companies) such as IBM," Ryu Hee-jo, a spokeswoman for SK Communications, said.
Cheap and credible
Good English test scores and speaking skills are considered an indispensable key for success in South Korea. In their quest for fluent English, a great deal of wealthy South Koreans simply flee their country's school system and its rigid teaching methods.
South Korea ranks No. 1 in the number of international students in the United States, ahead of more populous India and China, according to U.S. Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.However, for those who cannot afford thousands of dollars a month in learning English abroad or spare time for look for meeting arrangements, video chat at home fulfills their aspiration at much cheaper prices. A three-times-a-week Web English course can be covered for about 100,000 won a month.
(Reuters - By Park Ju-min, Editing by Rhee So-eui and Derek Caney)
"Even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if it had kept its mouth shut."
"Put off for one day and ten days will pass."
"If you starve for three days, there is no thought that does not invade your imagination."
"Words have no wings but they can fly a thousand miles."
"If there is a rich man in the area three villages are ruined."
Source: Korean Wisdom
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Spontaneous Order
Mathematician Steven Strogatz shows how flocks of creatures (like birds, fireflies and fish) manage to synchronize and act as a unit -- when no one's giving orders. The powerful tendency extends into the realm of objects, too.
Strogatz is convinced that his research will help solve many problems in science that are related to complex, self-organizing systems in which vast numbers of components influence each other and interact simultaneously.
Self Organisation & Balance of exploitation and exploration
"People are definitely a company's greatest asset. It doesn't make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps." Mary Kay Ash
Strogatz is convinced that his research will help solve many problems in science that are related to complex, self-organizing systems in which vast numbers of components influence each other and interact simultaneously.
Self Organisation & Balance of exploitation and exploration
"People are definitely a company's greatest asset. It doesn't make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps." Mary Kay Ash
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
"Fish, to taste right, must swim three times - in water, in butter, and in wine." Polish Proverb
"Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live." Socrates
"We plan, we toil, we suffer - in the hope of what? A camel-load of idol's eyes? The title deeds of Radio City? The empire of Asia? A trip to the moon? No, no, no, no. Simply to wake just in time to smell coffee and bacon and eggs." J.B. Priestly
Monday, December 22, 2008
Student by day, 'kopitiam' boss by night
Meet Lee Cheng Wee - undergraduate by day and Geylang coffeeshop owner by night.
The enterprising 24-year-old, currently a student at the Singapore Institute of Management, came to be his own boss eight months ago when he and two partners pooled together about $10,000 to rent and renovate a coffeeshop.
The store, D E Eating House, is located in Geylang Lorong 17 and houses a total of seven stalls.
However, working and studying at the same time does not come easy for the banking and finance undergraduate.
Mr Lee, who will graduate in June next year, told Lianhe Wanbao that he works seven days a week, rain or shine. Together with his employees, he does all tasks at the coffee shop, including brewing coffee.
As his two partners have their own businesses to take care of, the third-year student has to supervise the daily operations of the coffeeshop.
Whenever he runs into problems at the shop, he will consult his more experienced partners for advice and learn from putting their words into practice.
First coffeeshop in Geylang to have free wifi
Having a young boss can sometimes bring about new ideas for the industry. For instance, Mr Lee has introduced a free wireless Internet service at his coffee shop.
His eatery is believed to be the first in Geylang to do so.
Customers can surf the Internet at the coffee shop upon obtaining a log-in password from the staff.
Cheng Wee pointed out to Lianhe Wanbao that the main motive of this 'free Internet' move is to attract more tourists and white-collared workers.
However, he emphasised that the coffee shop would not neglect other customers or place a premium on food or drinks to cover the cost of providing Internet access.
A father's encouragement
Mr Lee also shared with the Chinese daily that he decided to take this business plunge because of his father's encouragement.
"My father has always cultivated an entrepreneurial spirit within me since young. He was very supportive of my decision to start a business," he explained.
He also revealed that, apart from food and transport fees, every single cent he earned had been re-invested into the coffee shop.
"We should take advantage of our youth to try new things and pick up experience.
"I hope I can break new ground in the food and beverage industry," adding that he hopes to run a chain of youth-oriented coffee shops in the future.
Source: AsiaOne
"Life is not fair; get used to it. As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. Your time is a valuable resource." Bill Gates
"As long as you're going to be thinking anyway, think big." Donald Trump
"Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise." Ted Turner
The enterprising 24-year-old, currently a student at the Singapore Institute of Management, came to be his own boss eight months ago when he and two partners pooled together about $10,000 to rent and renovate a coffeeshop.
The store, D E Eating House, is located in Geylang Lorong 17 and houses a total of seven stalls.
However, working and studying at the same time does not come easy for the banking and finance undergraduate.Mr Lee, who will graduate in June next year, told Lianhe Wanbao that he works seven days a week, rain or shine. Together with his employees, he does all tasks at the coffee shop, including brewing coffee.
As his two partners have their own businesses to take care of, the third-year student has to supervise the daily operations of the coffeeshop.
Whenever he runs into problems at the shop, he will consult his more experienced partners for advice and learn from putting their words into practice.
First coffeeshop in Geylang to have free wifi
Having a young boss can sometimes bring about new ideas for the industry. For instance, Mr Lee has introduced a free wireless Internet service at his coffee shop.
His eatery is believed to be the first in Geylang to do so.
Customers can surf the Internet at the coffee shop upon obtaining a log-in password from the staff.
Cheng Wee pointed out to Lianhe Wanbao that the main motive of this 'free Internet' move is to attract more tourists and white-collared workers.
However, he emphasised that the coffee shop would not neglect other customers or place a premium on food or drinks to cover the cost of providing Internet access.
A father's encouragement
Mr Lee also shared with the Chinese daily that he decided to take this business plunge because of his father's encouragement.
"My father has always cultivated an entrepreneurial spirit within me since young. He was very supportive of my decision to start a business," he explained.
He also revealed that, apart from food and transport fees, every single cent he earned had been re-invested into the coffee shop.
"We should take advantage of our youth to try new things and pick up experience.
"I hope I can break new ground in the food and beverage industry," adding that he hopes to run a chain of youth-oriented coffee shops in the future.
Source: AsiaOne
"Life is not fair; get used to it. As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. Your time is a valuable resource." Bill Gates
"As long as you're going to be thinking anyway, think big." Donald Trump
"Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise." Ted Turner
Friday, December 19, 2008
Learn, Unlearn, Relearn.
"Learning becomes hard because experience with our first language 'warps' perception. We see things through the lens of our native language and that 'warps' the way we see foreign languages." Dr Paul Iverson
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
ZoukOut
Over 26,000 people partied all night at the ZoukOut 2008 beach party at Sentosa's Siloso beach. Known as one of the region's biggest dance parties, it also attracts tourists from as far as Australia and India.
"Strange that these party animals should invest a good amount of time to look attractive only to end up having to vomit and what nots on themselves, disheveled and disorientated. Is that the new expression of party fun? The young Brits in the UK have started this alcohol binging trend decades ago, do Singaporeans really need to be copy cats of such ugly display of drinking habits?" Niederanven
"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." Michelangelo Buonarroti 1474-1564, Italian Renaissance Painter and Sculptor
Don't party till you drop
"We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves." Eric Hoffer
"Strange that these party animals should invest a good amount of time to look attractive only to end up having to vomit and what nots on themselves, disheveled and disorientated. Is that the new expression of party fun? The young Brits in the UK have started this alcohol binging trend decades ago, do Singaporeans really need to be copy cats of such ugly display of drinking habits?" Niederanven
"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." Michelangelo Buonarroti 1474-1564, Italian Renaissance Painter and Sculptor
Don't party till you drop
"We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves." Eric Hoffer
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Money for Nothing
One day an employee sends a letter to his boss asking for an increase in his salary.
Dear Bo$$
In thi$ life, we all need $ome thing mo$t de$perately. I think you $hould be under$tanding of the need$ of u$ worker$ who have given $o much $upport including $weat and $ervice to your company.
I am $ure you will be able to gue$$ what I mean and re$pond $oon.
Your$ $incerely,
Norman
The next day, the employee received this letter of reply:
Dear NOrman,
I kNOw you have been working NOt very hard. NOwadays, NOthing much has changed. You must have NOticed that our company is NOt doing NOticeably well as yet.
NOw the newspapers are saying the world`s leading ecoNOmists are sure that the world is getting into aNOther recession. Even after the NOvember presidential elections things do NOt look good.
I have NOthing more to add NOw. You kNOw what I mean.
Yours truly,
Manager
Source: Internet
The Art of Saying “No”
"No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous." Henry Brooks Adams
Dear Bo$$
In thi$ life, we all need $ome thing mo$t de$perately. I think you $hould be under$tanding of the need$ of u$ worker$ who have given $o much $upport including $weat and $ervice to your company.
I am $ure you will be able to gue$$ what I mean and re$pond $oon.
Your$ $incerely,
Norman
The next day, the employee received this letter of reply:
Dear NOrman,
I kNOw you have been working NOt very hard. NOwadays, NOthing much has changed. You must have NOticed that our company is NOt doing NOticeably well as yet.
NOw the newspapers are saying the world`s leading ecoNOmists are sure that the world is getting into aNOther recession. Even after the NOvember presidential elections things do NOt look good.
I have NOthing more to add NOw. You kNOw what I mean.
Yours truly,
Manager
Source: Internet
The Art of Saying “No”
"No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous." Henry Brooks Adams
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Lo Hwei Yen
In Memoria
"People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within." Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful. Welcome it in every face, in every sky, in every flower." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." Norman Vincent Peale
"People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within." Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful. Welcome it in every face, in every sky, in every flower." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." Norman Vincent Peale
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Mind Talks
Mapping Brain Growth
Theory of How Brain Builds Images Earns Grawemeyer Prize
Can what we eat and drink really increase our focus and concentration?
1. Caffeine Can Make You More Alert - the effects are short term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable.
2. Sugar is your brain's preferred fuel source - That’s why a glass of something sweet to drink can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking processes, and mental ability. Consume too much, however, and memory can be impaired, along with the rest of you.
3. Protein - Eating a diet rich in lean and low-fat protein is good for weight loss and overall health though it's hard to draw a connection with brain function.
4. Fish Really is Brain Food - Fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, essential for brain function and development. For brain and heart health, eat two servings of fish weekly.
5. Add a Daily Dose of Nuts, Dark Chocolate - Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which is associated with less cognitive decline as you age.
6. Avocados and Whole Grains - Eating whole grains and fruits like avocados can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and enhance blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells.
7. Blueberries Are Super Nutritious - Help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
8. Less is more - Strive for a well-balanced diet chock full of a wide variety of healthy, wholesome foods.
9. Exercise - help sharpen thinking. Get a good night's sleep. Meditate to clear thinking and relax.
WebMD (Adapted)
Brain Atlas
The Secret Life of the Brain
Artificial Intelligence
"It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the heart, generous qualities, progressive ideas." Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821 - 1881) Russian novelist
"The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance." Confucius
您外面情况是您内在想法的反射
Hoàn cảnh bên ngoài của bạn được phản ánh, nhưng bên trong suy nghĩ của bạn
Theory of How Brain Builds Images Earns Grawemeyer Prize
Can what we eat and drink really increase our focus and concentration?
1. Caffeine Can Make You More Alert - the effects are short term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable.
2. Sugar is your brain's preferred fuel source - That’s why a glass of something sweet to drink can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking processes, and mental ability. Consume too much, however, and memory can be impaired, along with the rest of you.
3. Protein - Eating a diet rich in lean and low-fat protein is good for weight loss and overall health though it's hard to draw a connection with brain function.
4. Fish Really is Brain Food - Fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, essential for brain function and development. For brain and heart health, eat two servings of fish weekly.
5. Add a Daily Dose of Nuts, Dark Chocolate - Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which is associated with less cognitive decline as you age.
6. Avocados and Whole Grains - Eating whole grains and fruits like avocados can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and enhance blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells.
7. Blueberries Are Super Nutritious - Help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
8. Less is more - Strive for a well-balanced diet chock full of a wide variety of healthy, wholesome foods.
9. Exercise - help sharpen thinking. Get a good night's sleep. Meditate to clear thinking and relax.
WebMD (Adapted)
Brain Atlas
The Secret Life of the Brain
Artificial Intelligence
"It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the heart, generous qualities, progressive ideas." Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821 - 1881) Russian novelist
"The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance." Confucius
您外面情况是您内在想法的反射
Hoàn cảnh bên ngoài của bạn được phản ánh, nhưng bên trong suy nghĩ của bạn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
