Outwitting the Devil (in You) - Part 1

Guys, I love reading, because after I read just a few pages, my brain will shut down very quickly and lead me to my sweet dreams! LOL

In fact, reading truly teaches me a lot of things and motivates me in different aspects. 

Recently I am reading/listening to an audio book (for the first time) called OUTWITTING THE DEVIL, by Napoleon Hill. I am a fan of Napoleon. I strongly recommend everyone to read THINK AND GROW RICH, a motivational book that can boost your spirit.

Ok, talking back to Outwitting the Devil, this audio book is narrated by a conversation between an interviewer and the devil. It is interesting. They are discussion how the devil can control human's mind through drifting. Drifting can simply be explained as disability to think independently. I will not explain what it is about in detail here. Read it yourself :D 

The purpose of writing this blog post is to record down the methods protecting us against drifting.

There are ten simple methods highlighted by the devil (a cure from the evil source): 

1. Do your own thinking on all occasions. The fact that human beings are given complete control over nothing save the power to think their own thoughts is laden with significance. 

I have to confess, I am one lazy bug to think on my own. Some time, I opt to listening to others' ideas and seek solutions/recommendations from others. This number 1 is already a big slap on my face to wake me up. I need to have my own thinking, or else who am I? For example, when customer asks me some technical questions, I will do little thinking and dial my boss's number to seek opinions. Perhaps I have no confidence on my answer OR I choose not to think about it myself.
Thus, say "No" to this and start thinking independently. Don't be lazy to come out with our own thoughts.

2.  Decide definitely what you want from life: then create a plan for attaining it and be willing to sacrifice everything else, if necessary, rather than accept permanent defeat.

We are brought up by systematic education, most part of the world is practicing this. Study hard, get good grade and get an excellent job. But the question is, is it what we want from life? Most of the people including me do not know our life purposes at some points of time. Fortunately, some do know their purposes in life. Unfortunately, most do not dare to take the leap in faith. Imagine a manager with $ 100,000 annual income is deciding whether to quit his job and start his/her dream business or keep the status quo. What will be your advice? If he/she decides to quit, he/she has to sacrifice the steady paycheck and takes a risk to venture into new adventure.
Even though the sacrifices are/might be humongous, the fulfillment, gratification and achievement will absolutely satisfy our deepest desires.
A definite goal is necessary and crucial in everyone's life. If we know our definite goal in life, we shall waste time no more and work hard to move towards that striking goal. 

3. Analyze temporary defect, no matter of what nature or cause, and extract from it the seed of an equivalent advantage.

Chinese famous saying goes, "Failure is the mother of success". It is not about how hard we fall, but how much we learn from the failure. Temporary failures contribute to future successes. To say this, it is pretty easy. However, the fear of failure has deterred a lot of people from even trying. 
We need to know, failure is not scary, it is an educational lesson. I love what Thomas Edison had said, "I haven't failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work". A little positive thinking is required here. In short, don't be defeated by failure; transform temporary failures to be weapons to conquer our future. 

Source: http://addicted2success.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Thomas-Edison1.jpg

4. Be willing to render useful service equivalent to the value of all material things you demand of life, and render the service first.

From personal interpretation, it talks about the art of giving. We always love to take rather to give. Little example, I love lunch treats from others, but I am not really willing to treat them back (for those not so closed one). I have to confess, this is bad. A peaceful world needs to be in balance of give and take. Imagine everyone in this world only takes, then who gives?
We are familiar with the well known teaching "Give First". I believe if we are willing to give sincerely, people will recognize and be willing to render back. Imagine providing services is like a circle, at the end, the first to offer help will get help from others too.
Note: the highest level of rendering is, provide without expecting any return. 

5. Recognize that your brain is a receiving set that can be attuned to receive communications from the universal storehouse of infinite intelligence, to help you transmute your desires into their physical equivalent. 

I notice a lot of books love to cite "Infinite intelligence". This is how they fill the spiritual needs in human. It is very true, human can't live without faith. That's why the world has a lot of different religions. For me, Lord Jesus Christ is the infinite intelligence. All wisdom comes from Him, the creator of this world. Through prayer, I commit my desires and dreams to Him. I pray for wisdom to identify my life purposes, I pray for courage to take actions, I pray for guidance to keep me in check.
The prayers are the communications with God. 

6. Recognize that your greatest asset is time, the only thing except the power of thought which you own outright, and the one thing which can be shaped into whatever material things you want. Budget your time so none of it is wasted.

This is the biggest slap to wake me up. Time is limited and precious; it is our greatest asset. However I love to waste it in my games, hangout and entertainment. I admire those who are willing to sacrifice sleeping time, hanging out time and fun time to work relentlessly towards their aims. Many successful people sleep less (like 4-6 hours), for instances, Barack Obama and Elon Musk. I am fond of this quote from Donald Trump, "How does somebody that's sleeping 12 and 14 hours a day compete with someone that's sleeping 3 or 4?". Note: Sleep is important!
Besides saving time from cutting sleeping time, the wise management of time in the day is imperative. If you have decided to manage your time wisely, I suggest to work on the habits; Reduce slowly the time-wasting activities; Pick up some beneficial habits like reading during leisure time; Occupy free time with some courses to upgrade yourselves. 

7. Recognize the truth that fear generally is a filler with which the devil occupies the unused portion of your mind. That it is only a state of mind which you can control by filling the space it occupies with faith in your ability to make life provide you with whatever you demand of it.

Fear, the number one tool used by the devil, is truly dominating our lives. To name a few, the fear of failure, the fear of losing and the fear of criticism. However, we need to know we are in control of our lives. Fear is not our master. Fear is inevitable, so we need to recognize it and think of ways to overcome it. Let's say we are afraid to start a business due to a lot of uncertainties. What we can do to overcome our fear is to do research and study to clear all doubts and uncertainties. 
Fear is manageable if you are willing to do so. As the writer explained, we can control by countering our fear with faith. Having faith on ourselves is the key. Be optimistic.

8. When you pray, do not BEG! Demand what you want and insist upon getting exactly that, with no substitutes. 

This point has two parts; Pray but not Beg and insist exact demand.
Pray but not beg, sounds like, we do not put down our self esteem when making any request. During the process of seeking help, do not knee down to beg, ask with pride. Nevertheless, I always beg for God's help. Haha. Who cares! I do not need any ego in front of my Abba Father :)

Insisting exact demand is valid when we know what we want. A very firm desire which is unchangeable over time and unshakable over influence of others. Once we know that demand is the best for us, how could we be satisfied with any substitute?
Again, knowing what we want in life is extremely important.

9. Recognize that life is an cruel taskmaster and that either you master it or it masters you. There is no half-way or compromising point. Never Accept from life anything you do not want. IF that which you do not want is temporarily forced upon you, you can refuse. In your own mind, to accept it and it will make way for the thing you do want.

Life is indeed about choices. Choice to be mastered or choice to master. If we didn't want to do any decision or action, we would be mastered by others. On the contrary, if we will to take charge of our lives, we can make a difference. Take myself as an example, I have graduated with good results, followed the norm to get a job and perhaps along this path, I will get incremental pay check. This typical life, I would say, is mastered by others. My bosses and the companies are deciding my future; I am not taking charge of my life. So I always have the ambition to start on my own and take back the decision making rights. Napoleon is right about "Accept it and it will make way for the thing you do want". Perhaps we can refer to law of attraction, power of subconscious mind and etc, I do believe if we desire something so desperately, we will take actions to acquire, achieve and accomplish it. 

10.  Lastly, remember that your dominating thoughts attract, through a definite law of nature, by the shortest and most convenient route, their physical counterpart, be careful what thoughts you dwell upon.

Have you ever experienced, you mind cannot control your thoughts? Simple example, you are sleeping in a dark + creepy room, a lot of scary imaginations and thoughts pop out, and you simply cannot stop them. Perhaps we should do some mind exercises to control our thoughts. One exercise I can think of is; be conscious on your thinking. Once some undesired thoughts come out, stop them immediately through your conscious mind. Soon, we can control our mind better and positive thoughts can emerge well. So our dominating thoughts attract their physical counterpart. As I share in previous point, the stronger the desire, the faster the actions taken, the earlier the physical fruits can be reaped.

Combining all ten in one, that would be:

Be definite in everything you do and never leave unfinished thoughts in the mind. From the habit of reaching definite decisions on all subjects.

All in all, in order to prevent drifting in life, we need a clear and precise direction. Whatever we are doing, they should contribute to our ultimate goals. Focus on what we want and eliminate unnecessary thoughts. Remember that we are in control of our mind. 

Let's work hard and smart towards our goals. All the best to everyone :)

Here is the link to the audio book (Outwitting the Devil): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcfr6twjk-o&t=4227s

Christmas Sharing #2 - James 3:9-10

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be."

James 3: 9-10 NIV

"Look at her, so ugly still dare to carry LV bag. The bag 100% is counterfeit!". "Go to hell, you stupid idiot". "He will never ever succeed in life, if he did, the Sun would rise from the west!".

These sentences are so common in our daily lives. Judging, accusing and cursing people are what we do best. It is so natural for us to say those words which can hurt and break others' hearts. Often we forget they are made in God's image as well. Cursing them is equivalent to humiliating God. The most interesting fact in James 3:9-10 is, we use the same tongue to praise our Lord. 

Personally, I used to indulge in gossiping about people. Whenever I detected some fresh news, my radar automatically activated its reception. Sometime I shared the gossip I have in order to exchange some other news. However at one point of time, I felt so guilty because I discovered my news were false after sharing with my friends. Gossiping is as bad as cursing because some time we don't even know whether what we share is true fact. Imagine, we praise God with our foul mouths, will God be pleased?

 Thus, we need to be conscious about the words coming our from our mouths. Our mouths are meant to communicate with one another and worship God. We cannot curse and praise God with the same mouth. It is easy to come out with this conclusion, however, it takes a lot of efforts and determination to eliminate our habit of judging, gossiping and cursing. I believe step by step, we can make a change. May God's strength and wisdom be with us. 

Christmas Sharing #1 - 2 Corinthians 12:9

"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 

2 Corinthians 12:9

Verse of the day! 2 Corinthians 12:9. This carries an important lesson which impacts me a lot. We always boast about our strengths and glories during interview, chit chatting and writing. However, we (at least I) never thought of boasting about our weaknesses. God tells us that His power is made perfect in weakness. I strongly believe no one except Jesus is perfect, we all have different weaknesses. For example, I always have a serious problem of 3 minutes fever. I was so excited about selling phone casings on Carousell in May this year. Successful example of a friend doing this inspired me to venture in this business. Booking some stocks and listing the items on Carousell were fun and interesting at the beginning. 3 months down the road, I was bored with the tedious buy and sell process. The excitement was gone. Eventually, I put up my white flag and left my Carousell account aside. 

I seldom talked about this little business in front of my friends because it was a shame to me. This experience amplified my weakness. So instead of feeling shameful, I should humbly commit this weakness of mine to Lord Jesus. I believe as long as we willingly confess our weaknesses to God, He will hear our voices and lend a hand to us. Just like what 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us; we should boast about our weaknesses and Christ's power may rest on us. With the wisdom and strength from God, we take actions and eliminate our weaknesses. As people know about our weaknesses and witness our changes, by then, we can be good testimonial of God and share this to encourage others. Every weakness we have is an opportunity for God to show His power in our lives.

Moreover, God teaches us the attitude of humble too. God loves humble people who are not arrogant and not boastful of themselves. Even we have great successful achievements in life, we should not boast about it. Praises from others' mouths are always better and truthful than coming from own mouth.

In this Christmas season, may we learn to be humble and boast our weaknesses instead of strengths. May God's power rest on those boast about weaknesses. Amen

I am a Dreamer: Oversea Robbing Mission!

Friday, 2nd September 2016

TGIF! But it was a tiring day. Perhaps I have played too much games or worked too hard? LOL

Body felt exhausted and brain juice was running real low, I switched off my brain and rested comfortably on my bed.

... 

Yawn, I woke up at home. There, I saw my cousin (阿颜) and remembered I wanted to go his house to have a festive feast (Perhaps is ghost month). But it was too far from my house, I couldn't go without a car. I was so desperate to go, probably my stomach complaint too hard. Then I asked my cousin whether he was going back. And he said yes, but when stepping out of my house, I saw my aunts and other cousins came, they brought down all the food and set them up like catering. I was so happy until I forgot what food there was. I remember... Curry? 

When I turned to my back, out of sudden I physically appeared in another place. This time is a flower garden. 

I saw a gang of strangers but I felt like I knew them. They walked towards me. We had a little chat, and know what the topic was about? Robbing somebody oversea. I remembered vaguely the excitement when we decided on this mission. "He deserved it! He was so rich and we should target him", circulating in my mind. The excitement and the sensation was so real. Then we somehow came to a consensus and a plan which I had forgotten. What I remembered was I happily left the garden and turned my head back, I saw vivid and colourful sea of flowers, purple, yellow and etc. They were so lively and dancing gracefully. I could sense the joy from them.

Story seemed to fast forward when I suddenly appeared in an airport! That's it, it made sense because it was an oversea Mission! Wohoo, my brain told me the airline was EMIRATES! In real life I took once, it gave me Super good impression. 

This made me even more excited! I bought a big backpack and hold some stuffs on my hand. I saw a little cute plant (something like Money Plant) in its flower pot. I somehow knew the purpose of plant, it was to distract the officer on my Mission to rob people! "Hahaha". So they would ask a lot about the plant and forgot about my big backpack (Super naive!!!). 

The airport was so huge and looked sophisticated. I remembered how impressed I was at there. The spacious lobby, the cool air-cond, the exciting Mission, my adrenaline level was so high! I also couldn't wait to hop onto the Emirates airplane! 

When I approached the airport scanner gantry, I saw a guy in his uniform with Super Black Face! He was not in a good mood man! Then I put my stuffs down on the scanner belt and ready for them to get scanned, including my little cute flower pot. Out of sudden, the officer was mad and raged, he flipped my stuffs downside up just like flipping a table! He showed his poker face! But I felt INFURIATED. I quickly attended to my stuffs on the floor and my little cute flower pot was broken into pieces and the soil was everywhere. I was sad and mad at the same time. But wait! I was rushing to meet my friends, they all passed the scanner already. I was so nervous and needed to hurry up! I quickly ran toward another lanes and suddenly something strange popped out in my mind. I saw some lady officers were handling the other lanes, they were Japanese! And they are wearing big earphones. My mind told me they were listening to some training because they got no free time to attend physically a training. "Omg! Out of story". 

But they ignored me and didn't want to serve me. I was so so mad and Geram!!! I was in rush lah! The airplane was taking off!!! The image of airplane taking off flashed in front of me! I gonna miss my flight! Damn! I shouted loudly, "I am going to complain you and all of you!!!!" (Sorry I live in Singapore for quite some time, LOL) 

Then I ran again to another lane, the lady officer there welcomed me but there was a stupid guy scanning his stuffs, he got 4-5 boxes of colourful boxes to be scanned. It slowed the process down! Then I took this time to retrieve my stuffs on the floor. I picked up as many stuffs as I could, and inside the messy soil, I saw my Blue MuayThai hand wrap and I immediately grabbed it. (Perhaps because in real life, I am going to Saturday morning MuayThai Class! haha)

I ran to the scanner and wanted to take out my passport. 

But wait, I couldn't FIND IT!!! WALAO! Not this time! Where was my damn passport! I took out all the cards in my backpack pocket. I saw my EzLink card only, NO SIGN OF PASSPORT!

The image of airplane taking off was flashing in my mind again. I was so so so MAD and ANGRY, shouted loudly, "WHY WHY WHYYYYY!!!"

ARGHHHHHhhhhhhh.....!!!!!

Then I woke up. 

Haha. I had a weird dream again. That was a failed mission! But I think I would never rob someone in real life. LOL!!!

Love these funny dreams lah! 

Before it faded away, I hold the pieces of memory and wrote them down. 

Hope these dreams entertain you :)

I am going to write down all my weird dreams here in my blog! A DREAM Blogger! wohoo. Haha.

And my dreams got colors! Do you? Haha.

I am a Dreamer: Weird Zombie Dream!

A Wednesday Night! After tiring exercise, I took train back home with a friend. We talked about what nice movies to watch. Screening through the movie list on Cathay Cinema, I recommended Train to Busan and he suggested Don't Breathe. Both are kind of horror movies. I seldom watch this type simply because I don't wish to spend money to scare myself. 

Some more movies in Singapore are EXPENSIVE!!! LOL!

Cleaned myself and done bible study, I called it a day.

When I close my eyes... From there, it started.

When I opened my eyes, I heard people screaming and running around in a park. My brain told me: "I knew this is going to happen!". Out of anxiety, I started to run forward with full strength as well. Suddenly a guy with blood on face and messy hard hold my hair and said: "It is time to follow mother's order and become one of us". Strong desire to live made me lie to him saying "I will but later a bit". Then he agreed and let go of me. In his ripped shirt and horrific appearance, he continued his hunting. Obviously, he is a ZOMBIE!!! 

People were screaming, running and dying.

With pounding heart, I was escaping in full speed. I knew this would happen! I was running towards a small hill in the park. With crazy ability, I could jump over fence easily and effortlessly. "I knew this would happen!" I kept telling myself. While maneuvering a corner, I sensed this was the end of the world. Our world was going to be consumed by Zombies and That's it! I kept blaming myself why I didn't think of a safe place to hide before this happened!
Then, I suddenly thought of my family, they were not saved by Jesus yet, I should call them and get them pray together with me! 

Strangely, I picked up my phone and called my boss. I complaint to him in panting voice. "I knew this's going to happen! We should bring that virus into our lab! I knew it!", I told him.

Then my boss laughed loudly, "Garen, hahahaha". Then he told me, "Garen, please take out the big red cherry in your pocket". I did what he asked me to. I saw the big red cherry. Then he said: "You are dreaming lah!!!!" 

I woke up.

This was a dream. 

But I could feel my freezing feet and body shivering like real. 

I always have strange and imaginative dreams. Most of the time, my dreams are not logical and funny. I hate dreaming because it will make me tired. I love it because that is my most creative moment.

Love-Hate relationship with Dreaming. 

Hope my dream can be entertaining to others :p

I am a dreamer.

I dream everyday.

Lessons from World Champion of Public Speaking 2014

It is a lazy Saturday evening. 

After shopping and singing K in the day, tiredness made me lose energy to do anything. But I requested myself to do something meaningful, at least one or two. So I opened some TED talks to watch. The videos reminded me of the world championship of Toastmasters. So I searched Youtube for Manoj's speech and also the speech of 2014 world champion. My intention is to learn how they made it to the international stage and what qualifications they had. I dreamed to be one of them (Finger Cross).

After watching the speech from Dananjaya, the 2014 world champion, an idea pops out in my mind. Let's write down what I have learnt from him in my beloved and long abandoned blog! LOL

First of all, the video is here :) Do enjoy it.

I will skip the standard and basic qualities of a good speech such as eye contact, body gesture, confidence and etc. 

From what I observed, he designed some incredible tricks in his speech:

1. He used props. A physical item that he could use to demonstrate his idea in more effective way. As an audience, I could feel the destruction of a beautiful object when he tore the petals and the revival when he presented a new flower. 

This increases the impact of the message and hooks up the sympathy of audience.

2. His speech was engaging. He engaged audience with his story in Toastmasters. This was wonderfully designed as most of the audience were toastmasters, the audience could relate easier.

This is why I always involve my audience in my speech, so that they can feel their importance.

3. Of course, his humor spiced the speech up. Humor is one of the most important part in a good speech. It can keep audience listening to the speaker and entertain them at the same time. Who doesn't love to laugh out loud. He fully illustrated his talent in humor which made audience love him. This is a powerful tool. I have to learn it. Words are wisely chosen and sentences are cleverly twisted to create the LOL factors. 

4. Inspiring speech using personal stories. A well designed story-line can only be awesome when it comes with fantastic storytelling skills. Personal stories satisfy people's curiosity towards the speaker too. Most importantly, he made the whole speech inspirational! Well paced stories with excellent narration caught the audience's attention and created a strong ripple in their hearts with great inspiration! Message of the speech was absolutely clear and remarkably presented. Not to mention, his whole speech is DAMN natural. 

This is simply GOOD JOB! 

Retrieved from Dananjaya's Facebook

Perhaps there are more things can be learnt from his speech. 

But I am too sleepy to absorb already. Haha. 

It is never an easy task to be a good speaker. Continual practices and relentless self-improvement are required. There is no destination for public speaking, but it is an enriching journey. 

Public speaking is frightening yet fun. Once you conquer the fear, the satisfaction is beyond description. 

Hope everyone will learn something, be inspired and enjoy his jokes. 

It is time to say Good night. Yawnnn.

Mastering the Leadership - The Mousetrap way

Monday - It is a Toastmaster Day! 

I happily left office earlier and attended this energetic meeting. 

Feeling contented with lots of reading on Entrepreneur.com, I mark myself 90% for time utilization today. The 10% is in the office when I feel disturbingly sleepy. 

Toastmaster meeting today is definitely a rewarding one.
It is about LEADERSHIP. 

And we are blessed by the workshop conducted by Manoj Vasudevan, one of the top 3 in Toastmaster international speech competition 2015.

Undoubtedly, his presentation brings this common topic alive.

The vocal variety, the engagement, the structure and etc colored his speech to a marvelous level.

It is entertaining to listen to him.

Ok, what is so great about the speech content? Of course the inspiring ways to leadership!

The speech is a short and sweet summary of his Book, 

Mastering the Leadership - The Mousetrap Way

Photo from http://thoughtexpressions.com/

Yay! Not need to spend money to buy his book already! hahaha. Joke. I believe there are a lot of essence in his book. For example, why the Mousetrap way?

Some leaders are born to be one, but a lot of leaders learn to be one.

I have received 4 impactful ways to master leadership today.

Firstly, Ownership

"Ownership is the habit that leads to leadership

Leaders take initiative without directive!"

Hey, I am going to say, I can't agree no more. This hits me so hard until I wake up and open my eyes big. Sorry for my exaggeration.

But truly, I somehow feel I am too slack in my work. When manager has nothing for me, then I just do nothing. Happily say good bye earlier. That's why I feel my progress is so minimal. 

It is so true that, we shall take initiatives instead of a hammer and nail relationship.

Secondly, Confidence

"Competence is important, Confidence is Paramount."

From my past experience in leadership, one thing I am lacking of is decisiveness. Being decisive is not easy for me, but I really do need to improve on this. The person with greater confidence has the upper hand. It reminds me the Henkel Challenge, people shouting their opinions loudly and confidently appear to be performing well, even though what they say are nonsense. Ok, not a positive example. 

Speaking with confidence can be magically convincing and persuasive. No Shaky, No Lousy.

But to remind myself, over-confidence is not a good thing. Everything needs to be in balance.

Thirdly, Idea Infusion

"Generating Ideas is not enough! Infuse the Ideas!"

You can have great ideas, but if you can't infuse the idea to others, people just do not resonate with you and willing to follow you. I think this is very very very important.

There are 6 infusion points: Pleasure, Profits, Power, Productivity, Prestige and Purpose. The most important one is Purpose. 

To me, I agree with both legs that the purpose influences the most. If your idea has great purposes, it can easily link to people hearts and minds. Through this, the ideas flow from you to the others. In the same way, others are more receptive to your ideas. 

Lastly, 

We are never too small to be Big

But are we ready to lead? 

Personally, to be a great leader, Commitment is extremely Important. Since all the leadership skills can be learnt, it left with one question. Can we stay committed until the end despite all the challenges and hurdles?

How about you? Are you ready to lead? 

Solo HongKong Trip: Reflect, Prepare, Entrust

As I shared before I am in the midst of changing my Job  From one place going to Another, it is the best to "KitKat" Take a Break. Once I confirmed I was going to have a week break, I booked air tix to HongKong without much hesitation! You might think, I am rich but in fact this is just small investment on myself, and who care about how you think about me? Haha, Joke XD. Oh ya, I forgot to mention, I went ALONE! Yay!!! HongKong!!!

 

22nd April, my last day in Sulzer. 23rd April, my flight to HongKong!!! (I don't want to mention the worst experience with Scoot that they delayed the flight from 150am to 430am one week before and then to 510am on that day; no more scoot next time.

You may imagine I have planned the trip upfront, but actually, I planned nothing and didn't know what I was going to do. Where to go, where to eat, how to go. I don't know! Haha. So what I have done was, book the air tix and hostel.

Because from my experience, the hostel owner will give me some great advices. Hehe. Of course my colleagues and friends did give some rough ideas where can go and what I should take note (The extreme unleash of "18SX words" of HongKie)

I am not going to elaborate in detailed my itinerary here, may be next blog post. Travelling in HongKong is really Easy. Google Map and some online research will be sufficient. So I think HongKong is suitable for Solo Travelling, for girls too. Safe and convenient.

What I mainly do: Look for good food, Walk around and observe the people there, sit down in cafe and read book, blank my mind for hours facing the amazing HK night views (almost every night). It sounds boring and lonely? To me, not at all, I enjoyed so much. Here some photos :)

 

I love skyscrapers 

Night view of first day

 

 

Nightview of third day

 

 

Night view of last day in HongKong

 

 
Cider plus nigh view, perfect!

The purposes of escaping to HongKong alone are to reflect what I have done so far and prepare myself for the next challenge. I also take some time to think about my future too.

The awesome night views of HongKong island really give me a lot of inspitations and encouragement. When we look at the Skyscrappers, the tallest or the biggest will always catch our eyes first. It is similar to our lives. Are we outstanding enough to be noticed by other? Are we significant enough to contribute to the society? However, I don't think I am capable to be the tallest building which impacts the world immensely. I just wanna be the colourful building which fulfills my missions on the Earth. Everyone lives with different purposes. Thankfully, I kinna know my direction in life =) God has shown me some light. 

Next job, a new platform for me to start a new stage of life. I will be working as front sales who deal with customers all the time and will be driven by the numbers. This excites me as I really love numbers that's why I start my career with sales. I promise myself to give it 200% efforts and 200% commitment. Be it consumes my private time or weekends. It is true that I am still young to take all the hardship and tortures. I believe these will make me stronger and wiser. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger", I agree on this. My expectation towards myself has increased further, this will definitely make me feel the pain more when I fall. Positive side, this is the way I can improve myself drastically. 

I have my own goals and achievements as targets. I hope I can make it. 

1. Steep learning curves especially on interpersonal skills and communication skills.

2. Build strong networking and be known.

3. Be a TS.

4. A bold jump in 5 years. 

Hopefully my expectations can be met. Finger Cross. I am ready for it. I will conquer and bring back victory!!! Hahaha.

Thinking back to the first job, I did learn a lot

1. Separation technology, I love the plant design, it is fascinating and interesting. The Process Flow Diagram, Distillation columns and etc.

2. Less Haste, More Pace. Doing things slower can give better result with lesser carelessness and better efficiency. I tend to do things too fast and neglect the details. This is the biggest lesson and it is  really a tough learning for me. I should be more 细心.

3. Thoughts beyond the surface. Generating a quotation could be very easy, but strategies and thoughts behind it are far more important than the words. This is something I really wish I can master. 

I shall keep these in mind.

Future plan? Still in process. But I have incredible idea in mind. Not mature enough to share. Keep it between God and me. 

The hope, I hold, with God's Grace, I will move forward and soar higher. Never forget, everything is for Him. Amen.

Tomorrow is the day. New working environment and new colleagues. I can only hope for the best. Stay positive. Yay!!! (Anyway, tomorrow going to meet customer with my boss... on first day! Steady lar)

Good Bye ~ My Dearest Sulzer

A windy night, lying on a bench, looking at the tall buildings, I told myself "Progress, or else you will regret, waste no more time". I felt my heartbeat, it told me I could do much better than now, what were you waiting for, your goals and your dreams awaiting.

Yes, I should start my engine and break the comfort shield. It was for my better future. Actions taken reluctantly without strong determinations, after all I was having good life and great friends. Little fall down but it didn't hurt so hard. I was contradicting myself, but this was how indecisive personality hit.

Flipping through my life records, good things always happened when I didn't really desperate for them. Yup, a chance popped out, it looked attractive in all expects. It seemed to fit what I desire, the growth and learning I wished to possess. An instant offer placed in front of me, but I needed time to think. I had gone through a tough decision making process; seeking consultation, researching, self convincing and praying. It was not easy as I had minimal pushing factors. What I am going to forsake is friendship and great environment; what I was facing is uncertainty and risk. After all the struggles, my soul told me one word: GO. 

Today is my last day in Sulzer Singapore, My first ever job in life. Sweet and sour one year and a half. Amazing experience and of course rewarding. With gratitude, I wrote this to my dearest colleagues:

11.11.2014, Sunny day,

 An innocent smurf came to a vibrant village with his little bag and big expectations. With overwhelming excitement, he stepped into the village. Fast heartbeats reflected how nervous he was at the same time. However, he felt relieved very soon as other smurfs in the village were welcoming and friendly. Slowly he settled down and established his own comfort zone as if found the right position to rest comfortably on a sofa. Friends were easily made in the village and everyone was working hard to build the Smurf Castle. Before this he was warned that the people in that world, where the village was, could be harsh and mean. Thanks Goodness, he was blessed with a political free (at least at his level) environment and all the smurfs were always helping each other. He even managed to get best friends among them.

With grateful heart, he was so blessed by helpful advice and guidance; enriched by the hurdles he overcame; strengthen by the failures and difficulties; empowered by all the learning.
He was happy.
But, he felt something wasn't right, he thought of trying other job that could help him in a long term. He struggled and made a tough decision to leave his friends here in the village, for the sake of his future. He knew he would never get back the same friendship anymore in other places.

22.04.2016, Sunny + Rainy Day,

Here comes the very last day of his stay in the village, he is sure that this one and a half year is definitely an unforgettable and meaningful journey. All the sweet memories will be in his little head forever. He might not be there anymore, but everyone there will be in his heart. 

Again, he picks up his little bag, which now becomes heavier with all the blessings,  embarks on his new journey. He has left a message before leaving to everyone:

"Dear Sulzer friends, thanks a lot for taking care me like a family for all the time, words can't fully describe my gratitude to all of you. My presence could be forgotten easily, but I will not forget my time with you. Please do keep in touch. All the very Best.

With Utmost Gratitude, GarenTee"

If you ask me how I feel about leaving the company, I would say, a little bit sad. Because those true friends will always keep in touch.

If you ask me am I happy for the new job, honestly, I have no clue whether I will truly love my new job. But I strongly believe I can learn the things I want to learn there. A new chapter in my life again. Pray and Hope for the best.

And yes, now I officially left Sulzer. The earth will still spin and life goes on.
Look forward to the next chapter of my life.

Life is good when you are surrounded with friends.
I really appreciate!
May God bless us all :)

Best Spots for Sakura In Tokyo, Japan

Allohaaa!!! Long time no Blog! 

It is April!!! What to do with April? Of course is Sakura lahh!!! Yay!!!

So today perhaps I can share with everyone, the three best spots to view Sakura in Tokyo, from my own perspective and experience! You can find super awesome and impressive Sakura Blossom here.

Sakura is so beautiful as we can see from pictures, videos and drama.

But standing under a sky of Sakura yourselves is definitely worth the time and money! 

Mesmerized and deeply impressed by the God's creation!

As if we are in the Japanese animation or drama!!! So Coooollllll ~~~
The best viewing period is Very End of March to Early of April!!! Take note on this ya.
(I went there from 26th March 16 to 2nd April 16 - and I see most of the Sakura on 1st and 2nd April in Tokyo)

Ok so, First of all, drummmmmm rollll,

Shinjuku Gyeon National Garden 

What are the specialties here:
1. One of the Best Places in Tokyo to see Sakura Blossom.
2. Large and beautiful landscape. 
3. Sakura with lots of different Varieties! White, Red and Pink colours!
4. Near to Shinjuku Station and Shinjuku Shopping Streets! (Big Plus point)
5. Best place to picnic under the Sakura Trees
6. Extended Sakura Blossom viewing season (Mid March to late April). You can see Sakura here even you miss the peak period :)

However, 200 Yen admission fee is required. No worry, definitely worth it! 

Pictures say a thousand words and powerfully. So, let's have some photos!

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden- Sakura Blossom

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden - Sakura Blossom

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden - Sakura Blossom - White Sakura vs Red Sakura

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden - Sakura Blossom

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden - Sakura Blossom

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden - Sakura Blossom

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden - Sakura Blossom - The most impressive Sakura Tree I have ever seen!

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden - Sakura Blossom - Surrounded by the aweosome Sakura

Shinjuku Gyeon Natural Garden - Sakura Blossom

How to get there?
Google Map - The best Approach 
Address : 11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0014, Japan

Nearest Stations:
Shinsen-Shinjuku Subway Station or
Shinjuku Main Station (JR ot Subway)

Ueno Park

Ueno park is the most popular and romantic Sakura Blossom location! 

1. There are more than 1000 Sakura trees lining a central pathway. So imagine you walk with your family or spouse slowly along the pathway under the Sakura Trees! Wonderful. I call this "A sky of Sakura!"
2. An awesome place for picnic as there are dedicated picnic places there.
3. Free of Charge! No admission fee.
4. Some nice temples and museums around. I didn't visit any of them because my time was fully occupied by Sakura! Sorry. haha

Ueno Park - Cheery Blossom

Ueno Park - Cheery Blossom

Ueno Park - Cheery Blossom

Ueno Park - Cheery Blossom

How to get there?
Nearest Station:
Ueno Station (Subway or JR)


Chidorigafuchi Park
千鳥ヶ淵

Sakura Blossom along the river. Water and Flower form a lovely combination! And you can walk under the sakura trees. The trees are not tall so you can take awesome pictures with Sakura here!

Free of Charge as well!!!

Chidorigafuchi Park - Sakura Blossom

Chidorigafuchi Park - Sakura Blossom

Of course as an energetic kid, Jumping style is a MUST!

Chidorigafuchi Park - Sakura Blossom - YAY!!!!!

Chidorigafuchi Park - Sakura Blossom

How to go Chidorigafuchi Park?

Nearest Station:

Hanzomon Station (Subway)

Why Malaysia and Singapore no Sakura!?? T.T

Sakura blossom is really mesmerizing and breathtaking. You will feel joyful and upsurge of relaxation. Walking under those Sakura will definitely brighten your day. 

Besides, if you are a camera freak or lover, please don't miss out the opportunities to capture flowery photos!

Oh ya, there is a Great website that can help you in your Travel Research which is:

http://www.japan-guide.com/

Hope what I share here can give you an idea where to have wonderful Sakura viewing locations in Tokyo. All places above are really the perfect spots for Sakura! Trust me! You can see how impressed we are:

Sakura Blossom

Plan for your trip Next Year! Japan! April! Sakura Blossoms!

#Sakura Viewing In Tokyo

#Best Locations to view Sakura Blossom in Tokyo

#Sakura Blossom Viewing in Tokyo