Can't Wait To Watch Thor - The Dark World

To be frank, prior to the 2011's Thor, I have little knowledge about this muscular, long haired, red cape and constantly with a giant hammer's superhero. After the show, I quite like how Chris Hemsworth portrayed the titular role and also the charismatic and funny villain, Loki (by Tom Hiddleston).

Next week, the sequel, Thor - The Dark World will be released in the cinemas and I can't wait to watch it in 3D (or IMAX 3D).

Come and think of it, what would I do If I have Thor’s Mjölner (the Hammer) for a day? Hmmm... I think I will do the same as what Thor do best! Use it to hammer those ungraceful people around us (first come to the list will be the man spitting on the women countless time at the Woodland Bus Interchange ;-)).

Check out more movie details below:

Coursera - The online Gem, Miss It At Your Own Cost!

Acquiring knowledge is a lifelong journey! We should not stop learning regardless of our age. In fact, it is through ongoing learning that we are trying to defy the ticking clock of age! With the invent of internet, acquiring new knowledge is no longer time consuming or costly. In fact, it is FREE (at times). 

Today, I am going to share an online course network called Coursera which provides variety of online courses from various well known Universities (like Northwestern University, Princeton University and Yale University etc..). The courses ranging from Arts, to Biology, to Health, to Information Technology and many more. 

Coursera - Understanding Media By Understanding Google

I am currently taking my very first Coursera course called "Understanding Media by Understanding Google" (via Northwestern University) which is in the final 2 weeks of the course. The courses are usually structured into weekly modules and conducted through video lectures as well as online reading materials (to be provided as links). Of course, different courses from different Universities might be conducted differently but so far I am quite happy with the quality and coverage of the course. 

I am giving this network a THUMB UP for those who like to attend university like online courses.

Have you taken the online course from Coursera? What is your review? Feel free to share your view in the comment section.

Enjoy!

SMILES Is Your New Force Of Positivity

After missing for one month from the blog, I am back!

One of the main objective of my blog is to share some of my personal inspirational snippets/thinking/stories etc..to my readers so as to create a more positive energy in the online and offline space. In fact, even without updating my blog, I do still continue to share my inspirational quotes through my social media channels (to connect with me in these channel, just choose Facebook or Twitter).

Recently, Facebook introduced a new feature called "Embed Post" which I thought is a great way for me to integrate what I've shared in my facebook with all of you here.

As per the blog title, SMILES is your new force of positivity. Don't you think so? If you are constantly keeping a long face, do you think you will emit positivity for the people around you?

Following are selected SMILES related posts that I've shared in my Facebook recently and thus would like to reshare it here.

Keep reading and enjoy!

Want To Be Happier? Try Participate In Charity Drive, Voluntarily!

First, I have a question for you : Most of the time, your source of happiness is when you are GIVING or RECEIVING? (I am not talking about money alone, it could be a piece of good advice, compliments or contribution to charity drive etc...)

 

Take a few seconds to think about this important question.

 

Be true to yourself!

 

There is no right or wrong answer!

Keep reading...
 

When You Are In The Crossroad, What Would You Do?

Many a time, we are at the crossroads (many are unplanned ones) and need to make a decision as to whether to TURN LEFT, TURN RIGHT or just U-TURN. And most of the time, once you've made the decision, there is no way back i.e. you can't turn back and said "Oops! I think I've made a wrong choice, can I choose the other route instead?".

 

Effectively, life is formed through a series of continuous decisions. We made good decisions, bad decisions and at times no decisions. Sometimes, our decisions might affect others and other times, other people's decisions might impact us.

 

As mentioned above, "no decision" is also a decision, thus, we are "making" tonnes of decisions, day in day out. Of course, at times we might not even know we are "making" a decision. Some are huge decisions (like getting married, change career path etc...) and some are just routine or minor decisions (like what to eat for lunch? Taking bus or driving to work? etc...).

 

Today, I am going to talk about making big decision (the real crossroads of your life). The ones that potentially change your life in the next 10-20 years (or even more) time frame. When you are in such crossroad, what would you do?

 

There is no right or wrong answer to this question! My SIMPLE view is to SLOW DOWN and THINK (before proceed)! 

 

On the THINKING part, pay attention to the following key elements:

 

1. Resources - Always obtain as much information/resources (pertaining to the options available, their pros and cons etc...) before and during the decision making stage. 

 

2. Support - Support from your loved ones like family and friends are important. Thus, be open to them and share your situation/view with them to obtain their support. Of course, I am not saying that you need to get their approval for your decision. But with the necessary support, it will make your decision making process an easier task.    

 

3. Your Inner Voice - Simply put, this is your gut feeling! Ask yourself : what do you really want?
 

Quotes on CROSSROAD

The DON'T :

Never, ever rush into making huge decisions (unless it is a life and death situation which requires your immediate attention or decision). Also, pressure and fear might influence your logical thinking, thus, avoid making decision out of pressure or fear.

Lastly, always remember that you (and only you) are responsible to all the decision you made. No decision is worst than bad decison and bad decisions is a good learning points. Thus, you just need to keep going as the future is an endless road...
 

What do you think? Feel free to leave a note or two in the comment section.

 

Cheers! 

Are We Appreciating (Favor From Others) Correctly All These While?

We are living in a closely knitted community (offline or online), many a times, we can't avoid providing or receiving helps or assistance from each others. They could be your friends, colleagues or even family members. In fact, reciprocity* is important for effective and meaningful living. 

Usually, if we are at the receiving end, we will feel thankful and appreciative. What would you normally do when in such situation? In short, what would you do in appreciating the helps? I guess besides saying zillion times of thank you (if it's a huge favour), you will feel kind of like "owing" the other party something. Whenever there is chance in the future, you will "repay" their kindness. In Chinese, we called it "欠人情". 

Of course, this is human nature and I am sure it is the right thing to do. Having said that, is there any other things that we can do to amplify our appreciation (for the helps received)? I for one believed in the concept of "Paying It Forward" and thus would like to share my opinion on this topic. 

In fact, talk about Pay It Forward, there was a movie with the same title (by Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Harley Joel Osment) which I like it very much. I recommend it to everyone who are into positive and sharing mindset. Click on the image below for more details of the movie:

Following the spirit of Paying It Forward, instead of focusing on repaying back to the providing party, we can amplify our kindness to another third party by providing them the similar kind of helps/assistance. Thus, the more we are appreciating, the more people will get helped and it will turn into a massive web of reciprocity. Can you imagine what kind of positive energy it will generate at the end (in fact, there will be no end to it)?

Do you agree with me? Feel free to share your view in the comment section.

Cheers!     

*Reciprocity is defined as responding to a positive action with another positive action.

Hair For Hope Mission Accomplished ; Hope For Hair Next

Finally! I've gotten my fresh look at the very top. 

Yesterday, my maiden participation in the Hair For Hope campaign has come to realization. When I reached the location (Vivo City Singapore) half-an-hour earlier than the registered time, what surprises me are the massive queues. There are 2 queues, one for those pre-registered participants (like me) and the other is for those impromptu candidates. 

While in the queue, can share the excitements of fellow shavees in participating in this meaningful cause, especially for those ladies (kudos to their courage). As per the MC, there were about 8,000 shavees (unaudited) participated in this year's event (which is 2,000 more than this year's target). I am proud to be part of this meaningful event. 

You know what? The icing on the cake is that I have also able to inspired an online donation that exceeded my personal target of $1,000. I know this is not a big amount but every dollar counts! The donation drive is still on-going, if you are interested to check out more or pledge your online donation, feel free to click on Hair For Hope 2013.

I Am Ready For A Bald Statement (Hair For Hope)

YES! I am ready, my hair are ready!

I am ready to experience a brand new image of myself! In less than 5 days' time, I will get my head shaved for a meaningful cause. If you are clueless about what I am referring to, check out my earlier post on Bald Statement - Bold Action.

This is the very first time of me participating in such a big scale charity campaign and I am pretty sure that it wouldn't be my last. In Chinese, there is a saying， “取之社会，用之社会” (briefly translated as "we took it from the society/community ; we returned it to the society/community [via charity/community efforts]) and it will be my living motto from now on. I guess it is never too late to do good ;-)

Bald Statement - Bold Action [Hair For Hope 2013]

Botak (Malay for "baldness") might be a taboo situation that any normal person would want to get involved with. However, at times it is not a matter of choice but a consequences that certain individuals need to embrace and go through (e.g. the side effect after going through some necessary cancer treatment).

As part of my ongoing effort to get involve in as many charity movements/meaningful causes as possible, after committed myself with the quarterly blood donation, my next commitment is to participate in the annual Hair For Hope 2013 campaign (this is the 11th year running). Hair for Hope is Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF) signature fundraising event - the only head-shaving event in Singapore that serves to raise funds and awareness of childhood cancer.

This Photoshop Stunt Will Make Your Day

After a few months gap in posting, I am back! ;-)

Today, I am going to share something light, hope to make your weekend a brighter one. If you are living in Finland and using public transport, you might be one of the unsuspecting actor/actress, which will leave you a smile at the end by this Photoshop trick.

As part of of a promotion for Adobe Creative Days, taking place live online beginning June 11, this Photoshop trick is a combi of both Candid Camera and Mission: Impossible stunt. Basically, it is an effort to demo how quickly you (the user of Photoshop) can produce a convincing composites via Photoshop. It definitely makes the point rather clearly. Don't you agree?

Now, enjoy the 2 minutes clip and have a laugh! ;-)

We All Need A Bucket List

Let's face it, we all going to die when the time is "right". No one can escape the certainty of death except that we all hope our turn can be later than sooner. Thus, we should not be too concern about death itself but rather what we are going to do while we are still alive and kicking?! Agree? 

 

Hence, my post on Bucket List today. Simply put, Bucket List is a list of things you want to do before you die (kicked the bucket). Another way to look at it is that once you've checked all the items in your bucket list, you are deemed to have no more regrets in your life as you've done all you set out to complete!

Thus, I am of the view that regardless of your age now, it is important for all of us to maintain a Bucket List and check it off along the way.

 

Shut Down And Shut Off On Earth Hour 2013!

This year, the annual event of Earth Hour will be kicked off on 23rd Mar 2013 (Sat) at 8.30PM, I am a supporter of this meaningful event since 2010. Click here to see my previous blog post on Earth Hour 2012. The way I supported the event is switching off all the lights at home and stay "dark" for at least one hour. That's It! 

I believed many of you might think that what a difference can 1 hour make? What's the point of such event? Of course, if you are talking about a few hundreds or thousands of people doing it, the effect might not be there? But what if I tell you that there are more than 152 countries (7,000 cities/towns) and millions of people are taking part in this event (statistics as per 2012 Earth Hour), can you see the magnificent savings?

So, let's shut down and shut off on Earth Hour! Mind you, it's less than 3 days away!

Following are some videos on Earth Hour 2013 for the sharing...

Earth Hour 2013 Official Video:

Earth Hour CEO and Co-founder Andy Ridley's 2013 global launch keynote speech:

For more relevant information and resources, check out Earth Hour's Official Site here.

Cheers!

Ageing Is Part Of Our Biological Program, Embrace It!

When we were young, whenever our parents failed to find other better reason to tell us not to do something or act on certain way, they will probably said "You are still young, you can do it only when you are older" or "You will understand when you are older". Thus, most of us hope that we can get older faster (at least at that moment).

When we are much older (say at the age of 30s or 40s), we notice that time flies really fast and we can't cope with the speed of "ageing" in terms of our physical appearance and energy level. At this stage of our life, we hope that we can get older much slower!

We all know that ageing is a natural progression of all living objects (including human beings). In fact, it is already pre-programmed in our DNA that we all destined to get old progressively and ultimately face the certainty of death, it is just a matter of time. Of course, environmental effect and supplements could play a part in holding back the speed of ageing externally but internally, the DNA won't lies.

As you might already know, I do not have any panacea or tips on how not to aged, but what I can say is instead of fighting against ageing, let's embrace it and age gracefully. The best way to do it is whatever you are doing now (or going to do), forget about your age, JUST DO IT! (unless of course if you are underage for certain activities that require certain minimum age!).

Lastly, I would like to share a cool hand-drawn animated video on "The Science Of Ageing" from AsapSCIENCE which is very relevant to today's post.

Check it out, it is suitable for all ages! ;-)

Do you have any tips/tricks to share on the best way(s) to embrace ageing? Feel free to share it in the comment section.

Cheers!

Mindy McCready Found Dead In Apparent Suicide

Yet another musician gone too soon!

 

Mindy McCready (age 37), the popular Country singer found dead on the porch of a house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, on Sunday (17th Feb 2013) afternoon. She was pronounced dead at the scene “from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound”, said in a Police statement.

 

She achieved early success with her 1996 debut album, “Ten Thousands Angels,” which sold a reported 2 million copies. Her other popular songs are "Guys Do It All The Time" and "If I Don't Stay The Night".
 

 

R.I.P Mindy McCready

 

Now, let's rekindle with some of the great songs from her below:

 

1. Ten Thousands Angels

 

2. Guys Do It All The Time

 

3. If I Don't Stay The Night

 

Jason Chee, You Can Make It!

Source: The Sunday Times

It has been almost 2 months since the horrific naval accident last December that costs Jason (30-year-old serviceman) both his legs, his left arm and three fingers on his right arm. Today, he re-appeared in the Prime News of local newspaper, The Sunday Times, as a stronger and high-spirited man.

When the news broke out last year while he was still in critical condition and need more blood supply for the transfusion, hundreds of Singaporeans flocked to the blood banks and hundreds of thousands of donation has been collected since then. This is only the small gesture of support that fellow Singaporean can give him and it is definitely of no match to the pain and lost that he is experiencing. 

One good news is that Ministry Of Defence has since committed (in Jan 2013) to cover the full medical and rehabilitation expenses incurred by Jason. At least he has one less thing (money) to worry about and focus on his recovery to rebuilt his life.  

Today, he has shown good progress in his recovery and soon will be transferred to another hospital (Tan Tock Seng Hospital) for rehabilitation. What deeply touches me deeply is his Never-Say-Die spirit and his positiveness towards this incident. Following are some extracts of his conversation with the reporter:

Jason Chee on his current situation: "I'm happy. Because the worst pain is over!"

Jason Chee on the support: "The first thing that came to mind was, wow, the whole Singapore is supporting me. I was so touched. I cried, I really cried."  

Jason Chee on moving forward: "I cans till move my right arm. I still have these fingers on my hand...My goal this year? I want to stand up and walk"

This bring me to share one of the most inspiring book that I've read sometime back. It's called Unstoppable - The Incredible Power Of Faith In Action by Nick Vujicic. For more details of the book, click on the image below:

So, have faith Jason, you can make it and hope to see you stand up taller than before soon.

Lastly, just like to remind all (myself included) to treasure whatever we have now as whatever we have might be taken away from us (voluntarily or involuntarily) without any warning/notice.

Cheers!

NS Is More Than Turning You From Ah Boys To Men

At this moment, the hottest movie in town is non other than "Ah Boys To Men - Part 2". This local production by the resurrected director, Jack Neo has broken his own record with the first installment of "Ah Boys To Men - Part 1", grossing more than $6 millions in sale. And the second installment (which is showing now) looks set to break his own record, AGAIN (grossing more than $4.6 millions in 13 days).

Ok, actually I am not going to write the movie review here. Instead, I just wanted to pointed out that National Service (NS) not only transforming an ah boy to a man, it also provides other tangible and intangible benefits to the NSMen and their loved ones!

History Of Valentine's Day In Animation

Tomorrow (14th Feb) is Valentine's Day, have you gotten ready the flowers, heart-shape card and/or chocolate in an heart-shape boxe? Today, I am going to share the history of Valentine's Day and not how you or me going to celebrate it. 

But not to worry, I am not going to write a lengthy story about the origin of St Valentine's Day (this is what is was originally called). Instead, I am going to share with you a one-and-a-half minutes animation (seeing is believing). You might have thought that the origin of Valentine's Day is a romantic and sweet one. It is anything but. In fact, it is somewhat related to a tragic event...  

To find out more, check out the animation below...

Happy Chinese New Year To ALL

In about 6 hours time, we, Chinese will be celebrating the First Day (年初一) of Lunar New Year. Traditionally, most Chinese will be celebrating the eve of the Lunar New Year by having the reunion dinner (or meal) with family members and close friends. 

This year, I will be missing my reunion dinner with my family for various reasons but I am still going back to my home town (Taiping Perak, Malaysia) tonight so that can still catch up with my family members on the First Day of Lunar New Year. By the way, Chinese New Year will be lasted for 15 days (from 10th Feb 2013). 

Accordingly to the Chinese Zodiac, 2013 is the Year Of Snake (out of the 12 animals), each of us belong to one of the twelve animals. In any case, it doesn't really matter which year we were born, the important thing is to stay healthy, happy and be generous in giving out love!

I like to take this opportunity to wish all of you...

GONG XI FA CHAI！

万事如意！

Will see ya again soon.

Cheers!

  

The Joy of Setting Goals

Regardless of age, people need to set meaningful goals that they truly desire to accomplish. Goals may be as simple as washing dishes or as complex as learning a new language. However, the desire to accomplish the objective is the most significant factor in setting and achieving goals.

The Reason to Set Goals

Dissatisfaction is the only reason people set goals. People who are satisfied with their daily routines remain in their comfortable ruts until they retire. Perhaps that’s why 43 percent of American retirees had less than $10,000 in savings in 2010. According to CNNMoney.com, this represented an increase of 4 percent compared with 2009. Whatever the reason, setting long-term goals would increase the amount in savings at retirement.

Inspirational Pep Talk From Kid (Video)

We all need pep talk once in a while as regular booster for inspiration and motivation. At times, the most unexpected source of pep talk could be from the kid. Not buying it? Check out this pep talk video from Kid President (yup, that's the name in the video and we don't know the kid's real name).

This could be the best inspirational pep talk ever! 

Enjoy....

Tribulations - Fun And Educational Words Game

I am not an avid gamer (online or offline). Of course, occasionally I still play those time-waster games like Bubble and Fruits Ninja (especially when I am inside the train and the 3G network here never failed to prevent me from browsing the web or social network).

Having said that, I do like games with educational element (e.g. Words With Friends) or required specific skill set (e.g. Draw with Friends). The reason being that such games force us to learn something new (in a fun way) as you don't know what you don't know until you know it. ;-)

Recently, one of my friend introduced to me a new game called Tribulations, developed by him personally. Tribulations is a mobile words game (available is iOS and Google Play) with more creative and interesting graphic. As usual, it is a game to beat yourself against the time and your vocabulary.

It has become my most played games in the past few weeks and thus like to share it across, hope you will find it interesting and educational as I do.

Following are some screen shots of the game:

Looks cool right? Please fell free to give this fantastic words game a try by downloading it from iTunes (iOS @US$0.99) or Google Play (Android@SGD1.20).

Cheers!

Interesting Video On Sign Language

The power of internet is boundless, as long as it is being used in a positive way, it can make our life a lot easier and make the impossible, possible. Thus, millions and millions of websites (corporate or personal), blogs, videos are being shared across the internet.  

Today, I am going to share an interesting video that I've chanced upon recently, it is a silence video about sign language with the aim to teach the rest of the world on how to "call" a taxi without actually calling. Check out the video here. 

I must admit that I can't read the sign language but I find it inspiring to share purely for the effort of this lady! Kudos to her!

Cheers!

How My Door Key Thought Me A Lesson In Life

Just the other day, when we returned home from Hong Kong, after I taking off my shoe and unlocked the wooden door, when I tried pulling out the key, something amazing happen! The key just got detached from the key hole and key pouch and drop somewhere on the floor. We searched all over the place (inside and outside the house) and the funny thing is we just CAN'T find it. It's like the key was suddenly disappeared from the thin air (like a magic). 

After multiple rounds of searching and researching,  we finally gave up and decided to duplicate the key instead. The challenge is that it is hard to find the key duplicating service nowadays. So, I spent  some time googling the service providers located nearby my house the next day. I managed to find one at a shopping mall near my place (lucky me!). Thus, I dutifully get it duplicated (from the spare key) on the same day.

Try Out Some New Facial Hair Looks

Trying out new facial hair styles can feel like a scary experience for some men because they have to move out of their comfort zone. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Check out these trendy facial hair looks that have their stamp of approval from celebrities...

Short Circle Beard

Is your beard all wild and crazy? Well maybe it’s not giving out the right vibes. Try replacing it with a short, neat circle beard that works any time of the year. If your skin is prone to breakouts then it’s a good way to conceal it. It also helps you make your jawline look more masculine. 

However, having this beard requires you to constantly maintain it with trimming, shaving, shaping, etc. And of course, you’d need all the right tools for the task such as good shaving blade and a quality brush such as the badger hair shaving brush.

Five O’clock Shadow

So what’s the five o'clock shadow? It’s the growth of facial hair that you see on your face late in the day after you’ve had a clean shave in the morning. It’s subtle yet creates an impression.

It’s a style that best suits those who have their facial hair grow super quick. In fact, if you’re on the ‘slow side’ when it comes to facial hair growth, then this style won’t even work for you. The biggest benefit of going for this look is that it’s a lot more serious when compared to a stubble.

Natural Color 

Most men aren’t very comfortable with the idea of dyeing/highlighting facial hair, which is why natural color remains in style and plus, it’s in good taste. 

Besides that, when you go natural, you won’t have to deal with the whole messy do-it-yourself dyeing rituals. If you’re going gray then understand that it’s not a bad thing, and can in fact make you look distinguished. 

Stubble

When it comes to beard styles, the stubble is almost, always on the top. It’s one of those rare facial hair styles that work for almost anyone, given that they’re doing it right. It gives you that “rebellious look” which the opposite sex finds attractive. 

Even though a stubble isn’t very different from a regular beard, it doesn’t require a lot of attention or maintenance. However, see to it that you are trimming your facial hair on a regular basis so that the others don’t get the impression that you’re not showering!

The facial hair ideas that we discussed in the above article are not only popular now, but will continue to remain trendy in the coming years. So go ahead and try them to see if they suit you!

Can Money Buy Happiness? [Video]

If you ask, most people will tell you that "Money CANNOT buy Happiness", which is true to some extend. However, there is still close relationship between  money and happiness. 

Accordingly to the entertaining video that I am going to share next (from AsapSCIENCE youtube channel), the key is on how we spend the money instead of how much we earned/saved. In short, if you voluntarily spend the money on others, it will create more chance for you to feel happy. 

Also, there is an interesting findings in the US that income beyond $75,000 (annual) does not impact happiness! What it means is that once your annual income hit this magical number, any  additional amount will not be solely impact your happiness. 

Check out the video below and feel free to leave your view on whether you are agreeable with the findings.