Doggie

I never knew that I will like a dog until my sister brought back a puppy given by a friend. I mean, I have no issue with dog, but I won't go to the extent of hugging them or letting them lick me etc. Well, the idea of having to bathe, feed and pick up its poop doesn't sound too convenient to me. That's until Dou Dou came into our lives.

We still won't let it into the house too often but I feel warm each time I went home as Dou Dou will eagerly greet any of us by wagging its tail and circling endlessly around us. He even ignore us when we scolded him for turning too many rounds. Poor Dou Dou, he must have been very lonely since most of us went out working.

The best thing is, he doesn't bark necessarily, unlike the stupid new puppy next door. Even when my nephew hid it inside his bag, there wasn't a single 'whoof' from him. If I were him, I would be thinking 'what have I done to have deserve this?' Check out his photo, cute right?

 

The reason why I wrote this post was due to a forwarded email from Indika, regarding dog logic. I find it very much true, humorous and entertaining at the same time... Pets do make our lives whole. If only we are willing to spend some time with them~~~

The reason a dog has so many friends

is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

~Anonymous~

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.

~Ben Williams~

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

~Josh Billings~

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.

~Andy Rooney~

Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.

~Franklin P. Jones~

If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise.

~unknown~

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you;

that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.

~Mark Twain~

Dogs are not our whole life;

but they make our lives whole.

~Roger Caras~

If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket

and then give him only two of them.

~Phil Pastoret~



Quotes

It has been awhile I haven't been sharing any quotes... These are among my favourite few...

There are two sides to a coin,

Always look towards the bright side when faced with a problem.

~Unknown~

If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you.

If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.

~Anonymous~

Success is like a beautiful lover, it will leave us at any time.

But failure is like a mother, it will teach us some important lessons of life!

~Unknown~

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.

~Lao Tzu~

Silence and smile are 2 powerful tools.

Smile is the way to solve many problems and

Silence is the way to avoid many problems.

~Unknown~

The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.

~Mulan~

The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

~John Bingham~

There comes time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book.

~Anonymous~

One who fears failure limits his activities.

Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again.

~Henry Ford~

The greatest mistake in life is to continually be afraid you'll make one.

~Elbert Hubbard~

Failure teaches success.

~Japanese saying~

I think it's very healthy to spend time along.

You need to know how to be alone and not defined by another person.

~Oscar Wilde~

The most difficult time in any transition is when we think that success is in sight.

~Aung San Suu Kyi~

Press on. Obstacles are seldom the same size tomorrow as they are today.

~Robert H. Schuller~

Winners never quit and quitters never win.

~Unknown~

The secret to getting ahead is getting started.

~Unknown~

You must make a CHOICE to take a CHANCE or your life will never CHANGE.

~Unknown~

Success is not a matter of being the best and winning the race;

Success if a matter of handling the worst and finishing the race.

~Unknown~

I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying.

~Michael Jordan~

A positive attitude may not solve every problem

but it makes solving any problem a more pleasant experience.

~Unknown~

It takes a deep commitment to change

and an even deeper commitment to grow.

~Ralph Ellison~

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice,

but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.

~Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel Laureate (b. 1928)~

The key is not to prioritise what's on your schedule,

but to schedule your priorities.

~Stephen Covey~

Clearer video

Thanks to Kong Kong's feedback, I finally took the pain to upload the video on YouTube so that my friends can get clearer view of the video. Do give some comments on how to improve the video further for my next 'spur of the moment' video. So here it is...

11 December 2012

It was his birthday celebration yesterday. I didn't fully fulfil his wish, i.e. to cook a meal for him. Well, mom said I was too slow and since she wanted to clear her fridge, the menu consisted of 8 dishes instead of the original 4 dishes I'd thought of. But I did cook the rice, soup, and jelly by myself. Though mom was the one adjusting the taste of soup.

No easy feat to cook a meal. Now I know how hard being a mom is. You need to consider whether everyone can accept the dish or not. Whether there is any health restriction or not. Whether people will like your cooking or not. If you have time, it's fun to cook, take your own sweet time. But if not, it is quite taxing and can be quite a rush.

After the meal, I showed him the video I'd made for him. Amateur standard, but I did it all by myself, researching on Google and You Tube. Glad that he liked it. Obviously, he was surprised as well. Didn't buy him anything though. Thought of shirt but decided against it. This morning, I suddenly got an idea on what to buy him. Hopefully he will like it.

He stayed until almost 10pm. After dinner, both of us sat at the dinner table and chatted for quite some time. I voiced out my thought naturally, better than last time. Was afraid if I will be giving him too much pressure, but I know I should voice it out. Or else, I might be resenting him quietly, I wouldn't want that. And I appreciate him coming to my place despite his birthday.

But he didn't have much choice since his place doesn't have a proper kitchen anyway. And it was our first anniversary as well, so I think to travel that distance on such a special day is acceptable. Colleagues said I pampered him too much by giving him such an easy task of being a bf. I had to admit there was some truth in it but I don't think I want to force myself to do something just because everyone thinks it should be done that way.

Felt closer to him but I know I need to still monitor from here onwards,  whether he takes heed of what I'd told him. Immediately after I told him some stuff which I can't really tolerate, he repeated it, in less than 5 min duration. Imagine how... how disappointed I was. I wouldn't want to purposely change him but I need to be able to accept or tolerate it. So if I can't accept or tolerate it, I think it's best to voice it out.

Enough said, love is a miracle. You might not know why you fall into him in the first place. Which is exactly what I had told him yesterday. I had uploaded the video I'd made for him but the video quality had deteriorated. Had to convert to more inferior quality to make the size smaller. Wouldn't want to upload to You Tube and embed it here, hence the video quality.

Sufficient that I can share out my first piece of video. Quality doesn't matter much, the content is...

Dog Logic

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

-Anonymous-

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.

-Ben Williams-

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

-Josh Billings-

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.

-Andy Rooney-

Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.

-Franklin P.Jones-

If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise.

-Unknown-

If you pick up a starving dog and make it prosperous, he will not bite you;

that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.

-Mark Twain-

Dogs are not our whole life;

but they make our lives whole.

-Roger Caras-

If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket

and then give him only two of them.

-Phil Pastoret-

From The Association Of Retired People

This morning I feel pretty good and found that everything is going my direction. What makes it even better is reading two very motivating and funny email, one from Indika while another one from Dr Yeoh. They really make my day. Let's start with Dr Yeoh's email first...

It' called... From The Association Of Retired People...

Q: Where can men over the age of 60 fine younger women who are interested in them?

A: Try a bookstore under fiction.

Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause?

A: Keep busy. If youre handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you're done you'll have a place to live.

Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your 60-plus year old husband?

A: Tell him you're pregnant.

Q: How can you avoid tha terrible curse of the elderly wrinkles?

A: Take off your glasses.

Q: Why should 60-plus year old people use valet parking?

A: Valets don't forget where they park your car.

Q: Is it common for 60-plus year old people to have problems with short term memory storage?

A: Storing memory is not a problem, retrieving it is the problem.

Q: As people age, do they sleep more soundly?

A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.

Q: Where should 60-plus year olds look for eye glasses?

A: On their foreheads.

Q: What is the most common remark made by 60-plus year olds when they enter antique stores?

A: "Gosh, I remember these!"

Got you smiling yet? I did! Definitely makes my day brighter :)

Blabbering Away

I am losing myself. This is so not what I want to be like. Will I ever be able to find back my drive at work? I need discipline, determination, and motivation to convince myself at work.

How on earth am I supposed to do one-to-one appraisal with my staff when I myself don't feel convinced that I am doing my job well? I must learn to learn from everyone. Can I rewind the time? Stupid question!

I need to sit down ALONE and review my life. I played a lot this year but I didn't get much in return except for the short-lived pleasure. Perhaps I do, I am just ignoring it.

Taking myself seriously again? Perhaps a tad too serious. I want to be humble and restart all over again, but I must put down my ego first. Now... that's a HUGE task!

Realised this since first year at work, and now I am already 4.5 years into work. Bad habits die hard.

Why need to force myself to be someone who I want to be but is not who I am? Why?

I am investing too much attention and care into relationship. It should be that way. But I feel so not me. Not when I don't feel any reciprocating affection of similar magnitude.

Love is blind. No fair share of affection given. I am fighting a losing battle to wish that way. Comparison should not be made. Is satisfaction the key?

Too much time left to have such wandering thoughts? Perhaps. I must redefine myself. Can't go on like this.

Can't continue advising people while I myself is not much better than them.

December Baby

His birthday wish:

for me to cook a meal.

(should not have asked what he wants in the first place!)

What I plan to cook up so far:

steamed fish

steamed tofu

vegetable

ABC soup

jelly for dessert

(all of which I haven't cook before)

Caution:

absence of talented culinary gene in my cell.

(absolutely honest here)

Potential backfire:

my birthday is after his, so I can still have my revenge... harder task!

(yes, we are december babies)

Sacrifice made:

less 1 day annual leave and possible depression due to failure.

(am I a good gf or what?)

Potential risk:

dishes might not turn out good but mom will be there to guide me, so... have faith!

(fingers crossed)

Potential win:

boost of confidence, enhanced culinary skill.

(as if I will cook again)

My confession:

Yes, simple dishes but BIG task for someone who haven't entered kitchen for very very long time, except to fry egg, sausage, nugget, and cook rice and instant noodles. Even my mom never tried my own cooking. Felt so not filial all of a sudden. With that, I vow to cook mom a meal too for her coming birthday in Jan 2013. Must be Chinese cooking to show my sincerity.

Outcome:
Didn't completely cook the whole meal set all by myself. Mom said I was too slow. Did the rice (slightly dry), jelly (not sweet enough) and the ABC soup (too watery). Sorry dear! But I have already tried my best. Forgive me?

Sitting Late

We always heard about people talking about working late. What about sitting late? I only got to know about it recently, after reading an email forwarded by Indika... 

<Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff> It's half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on... PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing... And who's at work? Most of them ??? Take a closer look... All or most specimens are ?? Something male species of the human race... Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors... And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!! Any guesses??? Let's ask one of them... Here's what he says... 'What's there 2 do after going home...Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late...Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!!!' This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices. Bachelors 'Passing-Time' during late hours in the office just bcoz they say they've nothing else to do... Now what r the consequences... 'Working' (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture. With bosses more than eager to provide support to those 'working' late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!). They aren't helping things too... To hell with bosses who don't understand the difference between 'sitting' late and 'working' late!!! Very soon, the boss start expecting all employees to put in extra working hours. So, My dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when u get married and start having a family... office is no longer a priority, family is... and That's when the problem starts... b'coz u start having commitments at home too. For your boss, the earlier 'hardworking' guy suddenly seems to become a 'early leaver' even if u leave an hour after regular time... after doing the same amount of work. People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labelled as work-shirkers... Girls who thankfully always (its changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labelled as 'not up to it'. All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on 'working' not realizing that they r spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time. So what's the moral of the story?? * Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!! * Never put in extra time ' unless really needed ' * Don't stay back unnecessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues. There are hundred other things to do in the evening.. Learn music... Learn a foreign language... Try a sport... TT, cricket......... Importantly,get a girl friend or boy friend, take him/her around town... * And for heaven's sake, net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no fire-walls) and try cooking for a change. Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: *'Life's calling, where are you??'* Please pass on this message to all those colleagues and please do it before leaving time, don't stay back till midnight to forward this!!! IT'S A TYPICAL INDIAN MENTALITY THAT WORKING FOR LONG HOURS MEANS VERY HARD WORKING & 100% COMMITMENT ETC. PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SIT LATE IN THE OFFICE DON'T KNOW TO MANAGE THEIR TIME. SIMPLE !

I guess that's true for those who sit late. To them they don't mind spending the time in office doing their own personal stuff, but from the company point of view, they are wasting resources, such as electricity and most company would prefer staff to have their quality time doing real socialising, rather than doing virtual socialising via hp or internet. As for those really working late, I think sometimes you can't avoid it,especially during peak period...

Boss and I

Got this from Indika, a friend from my Bangkok cookie and cracker course. So good that everyone is still keeping in touch.

Scenario	(Me) I am…	(Boss) He is…
Taking a long time to finish	slow	thorough
Not doing it	lazy	busy
Doing something without being told	trying be smart	taking the initiative
Pleasing the boss	apple polishing	cooperating
Making a mistake	an idiot	only a human
Out of the office	wandering around	on business
On a day off sick	always sick	very ill
Applying for leave	going for an interview	being overworked

I should have laughed at this. Ever wonder why we always talk bad or think bad about our boss, no matter how good the boss is? I never did until I myself handle my staff. I realised that a boss needs to consider many aspects. They never want to be a mean boss, but circumstances force them to.

You need to be responsible and answerable to your staff's action. You need to consider budgetary constraint, human staffing issue, and technical issue while still maintaining your routine obligation at work. You need to ensure proper discipline at work and curb any problem from going out of control.

All this and you still need to focus on your own self-development. You need to consider your staff's self-development as well. When you yourself are demotivated, you still need to put up a tough front to motivate your staff. You dare not appear foolish since you do need to maintain your professionalism to garner some degree of respect still.

All these and lots more... how on earth do you expect a boss not to be mean at times? I myself is still finding my way in the dark, wanting to do some good to myself and to my staff, but honestly, we are all just humans. We fail at times. We lose respect at times.

I sometimes envy my staff because I yearned to be reprimanded and criticised for my shortfall. There wasn't much such thing around here. Sometimes when I met some resistance from my boss, I do feel like strangling him on the spot. Can't help, young blood boils up very fast.

But then, when I give myself some time to review the whole situation, I asked myself, if I put myself into my boss' shoe, how will I react? And that's when I realised that no one is at fault. We each value things differently so we interpret the situation differently. Factor in experience and technical knowledge, the gap is even bigger.

No right or wrong but there is a truth to the old adage... Great title comes with great responsibility. When you are the leader, you need to consider many factors in order to maintain the balance between productivity and expenditure. You need to plan for the overall improvement and fight the war with unforeseen circumstances.

Hence, I always believe that if your subordinates are better than  you in certain area, by all means, go ahead and develop them. Subordinates and boss should always complement each others' strength and weakness. So the next time before you criticise your boss out of anger, do sit back and rethink, whether it's really his fault or it's purely due to different outlook on work.

Finally, we always heard people say this about our boss:
When I do good, he never remembers. When I do wrong, he never forgets.

I have to admit that I myself am like that. I always tell my staff, if you don't receive compliment when you do good, that is because you are hired to do good. But once you made a mistake, people will remember forever because of the trouble you had caused and because you are not hired to do wrong. So never made too rash decision as mistakes will cost you your credibility score.

This is definitely old school way of thinking but there is truth. I am not going to pretend that I am modern in thinking. I do admit that I still work the old school way...