Inspirational Sharing - Inspire It Forward (#13)

Another week has just gone past. Hope you folks have a wonderful weekend so far (I know some of you are still enjoying your weekend at this moment).

My apology for not updating my post regular enough for the past 1 week or so as I was tight-up with my work commitment and hope to come back to more regular post soon.

Tomorrow is 1st August 2011, it is also the start of the "Ghost Month" for Chinese community over the world (we called it "7th Month" [Chinese Lunar Calendar]) which will last for 1 month. During this period, we were told not to hang around too late at night (for the obvious reason), so, if you have any Chinese friends or colleagues who said they need to go home earlier this month, not to be alarmed!

Ok, enough of "Ghost Month" stuff, I am going to share with you a video clip that guarantee to wow you by it's sheer view and music. No words, no speech, just watch it! Enjoy...



Of course, I would not forget to share my original quote, here come the quote:

"In certain perspective, there are only 3 kinds of people: 1. The one who DO thing and others follow 2. The one who DO what others are doing and 3. The one who DO NOTHING! Guess who are more successful in their life?"

Cheers!

Insurance for happiness?

Being in the insurance industry for the past 18 years or so, I've learned a lot about the industry. What amazed me most is the creativity of those who designed the new insurance products. Effectively, whatever items or belongings that you can think of, you are able to get the insurance for it (as long as there is demand).

Thus, besides the usual life, health, auto and home insurance, there are some very unique insurance coverage like pet insurance, wedding insurance, kidnap and ransom insurance etc. Along the same line, just thinking out loud, why didn't they think of selling an insurance to cover your happiness? Just saying...

As most of you are aware, insurance is a contractual agreement to restore the insured item to it's original state (or it's equivalent in monetary term) when the identified insured event (e.g. death, hospitalization, fire etc...) happened. Thus, as long as you can quantify it, you can insure it!

My personal view is that happiness can never be measured/quantified, thus, it is not possible to restore back your happiness with any equavalent of monetary term, as insurance coverage.

Besides, happiness is more like a state of mind, once you missed the moments (to be happy), you can never regain the moment back. Of course, you can always find a new source of happiness subsequently but that would be a separate event altogether. Thus, I don't foresee insurance for happiness would be in the market any time soon...What do you think?

My original quote for the sharing:

"In the end, the ones who touch you most are using their heart and not their wallet!"

Cheers!

Man Made Tragedy - Norway Massacre and Amy Winehouse

Woke up this morning, felt sadden when seeing a number of man-made tragedy posts appearing on my social networks' wall (Google+ and Facebook). First, the bomb and the subsequent mass shooting in Oslo, Norway (all done by one man, 32 years old Anders Behring Breivik); Followed by the shock demise of Amy Winehouse. The troubled British singer and multiple Grammy Awards winner, found dead at her North London house at the age of 27.  

It's a dark day for those living in Norway. The country (or specifically, the city of Oslo) turned into "war zone" overnight because of one man. It is ironic that Oslo is also the home to Nobel Peace Centre.

Shattered building after the bomb, Oslo, Norway (source: Reuters)

Mourn for the victim of Oslo massacre (source; Reuters)

As for the fans of Amy Winehouse, even with her troubled past history of alcohol and drug addiction, it is still a shock to learn of her shock demise in such a young age.

We are living in an imperfect world and we will continue to live in an imperfect world for many many years to come (or should I say forever!). Such man-made tragedy will continue to happen someday, somehow in the future. The only thing we can do is to COPE with it as it comes.

R.I.P to all victims and condolences go to the families and friends of the victims.

P/S: Today's post might seem contradicts to the positive theme of my blog but I guess that's life, negative force exists and we can't avoid it totally. instead, we need to embrace it and learn from it to make us stronger!  

Before "iCloud", here comes "Cloud Experience"

As per my earlier post in June 2011, soon after the announcement of the forthcoming launch of iCloud (by Apple), I mentioned that Cloud Computing is nothing new and is nothing more than storing and synchronising files from multiple devices into one secured place for ease of future retrieval. In short, you can upload and retrieve the files anywhere, anytime you want.

Recently, I stumbled upon a site call Cloud Experience ("CX" in short) which provides such Cloud Computing service with much much more.

Following are some of the key features (which some of it are more superior than iCloud):

• Registration is FREE (for up to 10 GB of storage space, which is double the size of what iCloud is going to provide).
• You can access and upload/download/sync the files with PC, Mac, all smartphones and many mobile devices like blackberry etc... (i.e. it's not restricted to iphone or ipad in the case of iCloud).
• Realtime synchronization:
• Automatically synchronizes new, changed, or deleted files to all connected computers and devices
• Offline changes are synchronized as soon as you reconnect
• Maintains a history as you make changes and resolves any conflicts so that you never lose your work
• Realtime backup (since it's all in the "cloud"!)
• It allow you to group share your files with your friends, families and business associates. 

I've just registered myself and did a trial to upload some files from my PC and retrieve the files from my iPhone (iPhone App is FREE to download too). It is smooth, fast and seamless. I am amazed that such great services come with freely!
If this is something new to you and you would like to have an early experience with cloud computing service, click on the image below to register for FREE and try it for yourself.



Hope you like my sharing.

Of course, I will not forget the usual dose of inspirational quote:

"In the end, there is no end but just another beginning!"

Cheers!

How Connected Are You?

I am talking about the social network or social media here. The social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the recent Google+ has taken the world by storm. I am sure many of you are more connected that you thought you are!

Recently I read a report in the newspaper that for those people who are more connected with social network sites tend to have more real friends i.e. more sociable "physically" (not sure how they support their findings). Another reason for us to get more connected. To me, I tend to interpret it the other ways around i.e. those who have more real friends tend to be more "open" in their connection and thus get connected more readily via social networks.

What do you think?

Having said that, there are still people who are non-believer of social networking sites, in fact, I have a few of my colleagues fall into this category! They are not any less sociable just not into getting to know "unreal" friend in the "unreal" world (that's what some of them told me!)

In any case, all "friendships" (be it in real person or through the web) should start and end with honesty and good intend! It is always good to get to know a few more friends around as our eyes have limited vision, it is a great journey to see the world through another person's eyes.

My original quote for the sharing:

"In the end, there is no end but just another beginning!"

Cheers!

P/S: To spice-up your social gathering, check out McDonald's official site for great deal and mystery offers:

Japan Did The Unthinkable!

Slightly more than 3 months after the devastating and unthinkable earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that destroyed many homes and families, finally, Japan found something to cheer about at international stage. On Sunday, Japan stunned two-time champions, the United States in the Women's Football World Cup in Frankfurt. Japan beat United States 3-1 on penalties.

For those who watched the game would agree with me that United States was the better team and Japan was outplayed most of the time. However, as the saying goes "ball is round, anything can happen on the field!". It was a triumph for perseverance and determination. What strikes me even more is how the coach motivates the players prior to the game.

According to the report, before the game, the players were being shown with the recent earthquake and tsunami footage to stimulate their fighting spirits and to win the game for the people of Japan. Not sure how true is this but I kind of liked the idea.

Well done Japan! Finally, it's time for some celebration....

My original quote to share :

“To grow, you need to be comfortable with whatever you are doing instead of doing only what you are comfortable with!”

Cheers!

Coffee and Internet, any good for your health?

While I am blogging my way through this virtual world, I am sure most of you are chilling out or having great and fun time with your friends and family. It is just another staying home Saturday night for me and I am enjoying it.

Today, I am going to share 2 research reports (from newspaper) which I thought the findings contradicts to the conventional thinking.

Firstly, it is the coffee. As a coffee addict myself, I find that this research findings is quite astonishing, many a time I've been advised by others to cut down the intake of coffee as it's bad for health. I guess it's time to change our perception towards coffee now. From the recent publication of American journal Cancer Causes and Control, it was found that the more coffee you drink, the more you lower your risk of liver cancer. If you take 3 or more cups of coffee a day, you could lower your risk for up to 44 percent (as compared to a total abstainer).

One caveat though: it is applicable only to Singaporean Chinese! This study is from more than 63,00 ethnic Chinese aged 45 to 74 living in Singapore. This is an important findings as Liver Cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Singapore. Similar study is on it's way to find out the "relationship" between coffee and Colon cancer (which is the most common cancer in Singapore). Hope another piece of good news is on the way.

Secondly, it is the internet. I am sure internet has formed part and partial of our everyday life, we are constantly living in a inter-connected world, especially through the social networking sites. However, do you know that too much of internet use affects how we remember things? Researchers said that with the widespread use of search engine like Google and Yahoo! and online databases, it has affect the way people remember information.

In short, people are less likely to remember information that they think can be easily retrieved from the computer and/or internet. Of course, this is only the preliminary findings, further study is on it's way to provide more concrete support.

In any case, moderation is still the key, there is no issue for us to drink coffee or surf the internet moderately without becoming a serious addict.

Original quote for the sharing :

"Even though the future is in our hand, we need to keep our feet on the ground!" 

Cheers!

Inspirational Sharing - Inspire It Forward (#12)

Finally gotten into the Google+ last night and started the "new chapter" of my social network identity. After less than 24 hours of exploring the actual platform, I must say that there are still rooms for improvement to incorporate more WOW features in Google+. However, it is still a great addition to the Social Networking scene.

For those who are interested for an early entrance into Google+, do send me your Gmail account to richard-ng@hotmail.com, I will send you an invite (as currently Google+ is still on limited release i.e. by invitation only). As I am not sure how many invites I can send, it will be on first come first serve basis!

Hope to get connect with you on Google+ and enjoy the Google Plus-ing!!

If you are still no clue of what Google+ is and interested to learn more about what it, do check out my earlier post at "The Next Big Thing - Google+".

On the part of inspirational sharing, hope that the following videos will motivate you to live your dreams. The point to make is : Never underestimate your potential! They are the exceptional people who turned into youtube sensation just by using their voice:

1. Susan Boyle (From Britains' Got Talent):
Check out the video that made her famous : http://youtu.be/RxPZh4AnWyk
Her albums:

2. Paul Potts (From Britains' Got Talent):
Check out the video that made him famous: http://youtu.be/1k08yxu57NA
His albums:















3. Lin Yu Chun (From Star Avenue, Taiwan):
Check out the video that made him famous:

His albums:

















Last but not least, my original quote for the sharing:

"All relationship comes with certain complication; All complication gone with good relationship"

Cheers!

The Sun, The Sea and The Beach

"Happiness is when you are truly relax when you are relaxing, fully enjoy when you are enjoying!"

Talking about relaxing and enjoying, first thing that come to my mind is sun, sea and beach. When talk about sun, sea and beach, first destination that come to my mind (which is closer to me as I was born in Malaysia) is a small beautiful island called Langkawi which is located in Kedah, West Malaysia. Langkawi is also commonly known as the Jewel of Kedah.

As an ex-Malaysian, it's kind of "malu" (shame) to declare that I have just been there once and that's about more than 18 years ago (those were the days when I was much much younger). I am sure it has been drastically changed (for the better) and developed into a little paradise on it's own rights now. But I am also pretty certain that the sun, the sea and the beach that I used to enjoy will be there forever. If time permits, Langkawi is definitely one of my top pick list of great getaway destination.


After so many years of living in concrete jungle (Singapore), I guess it is time for me to consider going back to my home country and re-kindle the "kampung" (village) spirit! I know it would be a different feeling now as I am deemed as a returning visitor.However, regardless of where we come from, the sun, sea and beach will always make you RELAX and ENJOY!

Before I end my post, some great scenic photos of Langkawi extracted from the web for the sharing...

White sandy beach

Little islands surrounding the big island

Cable Car Station in Langkawi

Water as clear as mineral water!

   

To Shield Or Not To Shield?

I know, the new block blaster movie, Captain American: The First Avenger is coming soon, but I am not talking about the shield that used by him. I am referring to a more powerful, invisible shield that we tend to create ourselves to seemingly "guard" against others.

Previously, I used to fall into such over-protective mode, especially when dealing with colleagues or new acquaintance, it's kind of natural reaction but it also hinder the further development of the relationship and/or bonding. But now, I will be as opened as I deemed fit when dealing with others, I find that with this new found "freedom", I can enjoy more and care less!

Of course, I am not saying that we all should just remove the shield altogether and get to read by others like an opened book. What I am saying is that we should try to make the shield as thin as possible so that it does it's job of "protection" and at the same time we can still enjoy the moments with others.

My principle of life is that all people are deemed good unless proven otherwise. Life is short, let's spend less time in building the invisible shield and more time in truly enjoy the moment!

My related original quote:

"The invisible shield that we create to seemingly protect ourselves is also the shield that prevent us from going far!"

Enjoy your weekend.

Cheers!

P/S: Since I brought-up the movie Captain America, so, it's just right for me to share a little bit of this forthcoming block blaster movie. Enjoy....

Captain America : The Avenger movie trailer:


Captain America: The Avenger Movie Soundtrack:













 

Can You Plan For Your Happiness?

Today, let me start with my original quote that will answer the question in the Title above:

"You can plan for your success, your wealth but not your happiness as true happiness is the enjoyment of NOW!"

I am sure some of you might not agree with me... but I am not saying that you should not plan for your future to be successful or to become wealthy, what I am trying to say is that even though you are successful or wealthy (now or in the future), there is no guarantee that you will be happy!

To put it another way, if you are feeling not in right mood today, can you tell yourself "Ok, today is not my day, I will plan to be happy only tomorrow!"?. The thing is, when tomorrow comes, will you be really happy because you have planned it yesterday?

Now, do you agree with me?

To me, in all walks of life, there will always be a bunch of people who will stay happy regardless of their situation, and there will be another bunch of people who will remain unhappy even though they might be filthy rich or very successful.

To be happy, you just need to enjoy what you have while looking for what you don't have! Don't wait to be happy only when you have what you don't have. By that time you have what you don't have, you might not have what you already have! (evil grin: confused yet? ;-P)

Cheers!

PS: I am happy to see more friends are subscribing to my mailing list! The new issue of newsletter will be out soon. For those who are interested to receive my original quotes right into your in-box, please sign-up now by simply filling-in your email address and name on the right hand panel!

MAD!

Today I am going to talk about a seemingly negative word called "Mad" but trying to retrieve the "positive" element of it and look at it positively!

I am sure you all know the meaning of "Mad", you get mad when thing is not going in accordance with what you are expected it to be, somebody interfering your way negatively or it's just not your day. Look at the picture on the left and you will know what I meant. In any case, I believed most of you will look at it as negative word.

So, I am trying to change your perspective towards this word by sharing a few positive sentiment/sentence associated with "mad":

1. Madly in love! (means you can't live without someone!)
2. Mad Scientist (usually they are the one who come out with world changing ideas/creation)

If you are still not convinced by the above, what about the following (which I believed most of you would be very familiar with)?

1. MAD comic (one of my favorite comic since young):

For more details of the MAD Comic, please visit their official site at DC Comics - MAD !

2. Mad Hatter (a prominent character in Alice In The Wonderland which often the source of the laughter):

Don't know who is mad hatter? Check out the "Alice In The Wonderland" DVD:













In short, the key is when comes to communication (written or verbal), it is important to understand the context of the communication and not just rely solely on the face value of the word! So, I am not mad when I said I like MAD! ;-P

My sharing of original quote:

"Every happiest and saddest moment will end eventually. Don't live in the past, always looks for the next moment of your lifetime!"

Cheers!

P/S: Did you notice some additional icon appearing on my blog? Yes, that's the Google's +1 button (appearing on top-left hand corner of the post). If you like what I've written, feel free to click on it to "like" it (take note that the +1 button will change from white to dark blue when you clicked on it!) 

The Next Big Thing : Google+

Today I am going to talk about something HUGE coming your way...

If you are into Social Networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, you can't possibly missed this forthcoming giant player called Google+ (read: Google Plus). As the name suggest, it's a social networking arm of the internet giant Google. Google has just released it's beta version last week to selected invited groups to trial test the site. Something great is brewing...

As most of the visitors of my blog are directed from facebook, thus, thought it would be good idea to share a sneak preview of what is Google+ and what to expect from it. The UI (User Interface) of Google+ is kind of resembling facebook's (i.e. in 3 panels column display). Following are the key features of Google+:

Circles:
Allows you to create different groups from friends (here refers to as Circles) e.g. colleagues, classmates, best friends etc... so that you can share different things with different people (circles). Just like real life, you would not share the same thing to ALL your friends.

Sparks:
Allows you to collect/save anything from the web of your interest so that you can read, watch or share it when you are free. It will be a collection of articles, videos, photos and other content grouped by interest.

Hangouts:
You can have face-to-face chat while on the move or while hanging out with others. This is sort of like group video conferencing.

Mobile Features: Instant Upload and Huddle:
For mobile users, you can snap, upload and share your photos on the go.  Huddle is a group chat feature which allow multiple friends chatting at the same time in the same platform.

Plus 1 (+1):
Use the +1 button to indicates what you like, agree with, or recommend on the web. In future, I am sure you will see more and more websites with the +1 button for you to "like". When you click on the +1 button, the color will be changed from white to dark blue. It's another form of social bookmarking tool

For more details, please visit Google+ Project website. Meanwhile, stay tune for the next big thing coming our way...

Last but not least, my sharing of inspirational quote:

"If you think you are perfect, you can't find others who can match you; If you think others is perfect, you can't match them. So, don't looks for perfection, looks for being YOURSELF!"

Cheers!

P/S: The very first Great Little Moments newsletter has just been sent out over last weekend. For those who have not subscribe or have not confirmed your email registration, please do so by filling-up your contact details at the right panel.

Celebration Time!

Last night is a celebration time!

Red wine, "sinful" feasts, live band and lots of laughter! What else can you asked for more? Really enjoyed the moments with my wife and a bunch of great friends at Hard Rock Cafe, Resort World Sentosa, Singapore. Thank you folks for spending time with me and my wife on her birthday celebration! The live band's rendition of "American Pie" and "Desperado" is still lingering in my ears.....

Life can be as short or as long as it meant to be, but, the important thing is not the length, but how we appreciate and enjoy every little moment of our life... As I always mention, happiness is by choice and not by reflection. I hope you folks are enjoying your life too!

Of course, in reality, we do face with challenges or hurdles in our life, but my motto is that the challenges and hurdles will still be there for you to cross regardless of whether you are happy or sad, so why don't you embrace it and cross it positively (and with a smile, if possible)!

On the related note of enjoying life, my friend's company iCell Harverst is having a promotion for selected self-enrichment programme. Check out their offer/site below (available in Singapore only): 

http://deal.com.sg/deals/singapore/S28-for-2-Hour-Professional-Style-and-Colour-Workshop-with-Free-Diamond-Skin-Illuminator-worth-at-Icell-Harvest 
(84% Off A 2-Hour Professional Style & Colour Workshop For Both Men & Women + 1 Free Diamond Skin Illuminator Session worth $76 @ Icell Harvest. Only $28 instead of $172)

iCell Harverst Official Site
(Professional training hub for individual and corporate sector)

Last but not least, my sharing of the inspirational quote:

"Doing your best might not get you where you intended to be, but by NOT doing your best will DEFINITELY get you nowhere!"

Cheers!

All Thing Bright And Beautiful! - Owl City

Time really fly, half-year has gone-by just like that and today is the beginning of second half of the year! For those who have achieved your Resolution 2011, congratulations! As for those who are still working hard on your Resolution 2011, Ganbathe! Do keep up with the motto of NEVER GIVE UP!

Have you heard of the singer called Adam Young or better known as "Owl City"? I am sure many of you would know him when I mentioned the song "Fireflies". With his suave and beautiful voice, his first album, "Ocean Eyes" (especially the song "Fireflies") has captured millions of fans from all over the world in 2009.

In June 2011, he has released his latest album called "All Thing Bright And Beautiful". Once again, he didn't disappoint the long awaited fans. His songs are full of positivity and hugely inspirational.  Thus, if you are looking for inspirational songs or a fan of Owl City, do check out his latest album!

For more details, see below:

1. His Latest Album (All Things Bright And Beautiful):
Recommended tracks: The Real World, Angels and Alligator Sky.













2. My review of his album in AssociatedContent (Yahoo!): Forever Young!

3. His Earlier Album (Ocean Eyes):
Recommended tracks: Fireflies, Salt Water Room and Hello Seattle 














Lastly, sharing of my original quote:

“Do not depend on your eyes to see the possibilities, use your imagination!”

Cheers!