Bite your tongue...

Let them have the last word. For no matter how hard it may seem, it is not worth the effort to argue. Henceforth the saying, "Argue not with fools, for then it will be hard to distinguish the difference".

Not that Siti

The photo in the front page should be associated with Open UniverSITY, not Siti Nurhaliza :P

Manage time or managed by time?

Me to collegue: "Good morning."
Collegue to me (a few secs later) : "Mmm.. {pause} ... mm tuck hun."

That switch me to thinking mode. No time to return a greeting but able to explain why? Is it due to the reason that they are so focused that they are oblivious to everything else? I have many encounters where lengthy explainations take up the time that would have been used to achieved the desired result.

Oft do I wonder what kind of individuals we have around. There are some that are just mundane workers. They are good, very good at what they do but unable to fit into anything else. Then there is another I have identified... the "lazy jacks". These are not really lazy but would think their way around to get the work done with the least possible efforts. In other words, effectiveness is the objective. That'll be me.

Bad at Mathematics

I've never taken to Mathematics subject in school but now I can see some of its benefits... like making one laugh. That is provided you did pay attention in school.

Why I failed the maths subject:



I did what it asked me to do didn't I?


Simple deduction.


Ahh, logic rules.

Sometimes..

I hereby exercise my right to remain silent.

10 Steps You Can Take To Guarantee Failure

In the hustle and bustle of this technologically packed world you may decide you really don't want to achieve any lasting success in your lifetime. Sure, you can find a lot of strategies and tips here that can help you increase your success rate. But what about the people who are perfectly happy not achieving anything? Is it fair that I keep pushing and prodding if someone is content leaving behind a legacy of debt and mediocrity? hmmm...maybe not. So this is for all the people who want to have goals but not achieve them.

1. Make your goals vague - When setting your goals, use adjectives such as "more" and "some." Goals like "I want to make more money" or "I want to lose some weight" virtually guarantee your progress will be minimal. Be as wishy-washy as possible. And while you're at it, you might want to set a goal of getting a job doing something.
   
2. Make your goals difficult to visualize - A good way to do this is to keep changing your mind on the details of your goal. If you are thinking a goal such as: "I want to own a red, blue or yellow Corvette or just a Mustang", then you are definately on the right track. If you kept that goal planted firmly in your mind, you are virtually guaranteed you'll never go above a used Hyundai.
   
3. Think and speak negatively about your goals - Try using words like "I can't" and "It's too hard". Goals such as "I can't get a promotion, It's too hard to take on more responsibility" will certainly keep you at the bottom of the food chain. If you can put it in writing or work up enough courage to tell your boss directly, he or she will almost definately avoid promoting you from that point on. Who knows, you might get lucky and get fired! It's worth a shot anyway.
   
4. Avoid planning incremental steps - It's likely that if you have made it this far you are already following this rule already! Take a goal - even a specific goal like "I will double my income by this time next year". Then simply leave it as-is. Don't write down any tasks or steps you'll need to complete in order to achieve it. Just consider the goal a wish and nothing more. Creating a step-by-step plan will only confuse matters because it's all too easy to take action on simple steps. Action in the direction of your goal would lead to success and you definately don't want that.
   
5. Don't Do - Talk - Because talk is easier than action, this step one of the easiest steps for you to take. Try to fill up as much of your day with socializing as possible. Talk about all the things you will do someday or that you were gonna do. Just make sure you don't mess it up by doing anything productive. Action is your enemy. Embrace your excuses!
   
6. Wait until you are motivated - Let's face it, it's much too difficult to go jogging or open a mutual fund account when you simply don't feel like it. So just wait. Waiting gives you the peace of mind that someday, you might do something. But not yet, the timing isn't right and you aren't motivated anyway.
   
7. Don't set a date - Setting a date when you expect to achieve your goal is too much pressure. Who needs it? Definately not you if you want to avoid progress. You know that goals with dates get done, so by not setting a date you avoid making a commitment. You can keep putting off stuff. Even though people may ask "When are you ever going to get around to reaching your target?", you have a wild card. By not having a date, you can put off actually doing anything.
   
8. List why it's impossible - Now we are getting into the mental game of failing. This is quite possibly your greatest weapon against achievement because it destroys hope and optimism. So as soon as possible, set aside some time to create a long list of how impossible your goal really is. No matter what your target is, I am sure you can come up with plenty of reasons why it's impossible. Be creative, make up some if you have to (i.e. "It's impossible for me to lose weight because I was kidnapped by space aliens and injected with a fat-serum.") Bonus: You get extra points if you can come up with an excuse using UFOs, ghosts or the Bermuda Triangle.
   
9. Don't research your goal - You're the kind of guy or gal who likes to "wing it." Reading about how others have succeeded achieving a goal similar to you is just a waste of time. Instead of standing on their shoulders, they should be standing on yours! Sure, they might have overcome unbelievable odds to get from homelessness to CEO or 450lbs to a 180lbs - but they were probably just "lucky" anyway. Don't read anything that promises to help you get to your destination.
   
10. Think of anything except your goal - Here's another mental strategy that will put you on the fast track to failure. Think of anything except for your goal. Why visualize success when there's plenty of clouds, teddy bears, and TV reruns to think about? And while you're at it, take action on these flights of fancy instead of your goal. I know what you're thinking...you're thinking "I wonder if there are any green teddy bears out there?" Now you're getting it! Focusing on your goal for long periods of time can be difficult and challenging. Thinking about unicorns is easy and fun. Take the easy path, that's the only way you can fail in record time.
    

To conclude, I know you might be a bit overwhelmed with all the work you have to do to avoid reaching your goal. You might even think it's even more work. Never fear! You can do it. Print out a copy and hang it on your bathroom mirror. Post it in your office. Read it every day. Internalize these principals and you can reach depths of failure you have possibly never imagined!

Addendum: So if you succeed in failing, does this mean you have failed?

Nothing like the Real thing.

I'm not referring to Coca-cola ;-)

Highway Flybys

A raptor perched on a lampost. Now that's something you don't see everyday.

George Carlin's View on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50

And your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90's, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them!"
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
    

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares?

But do share this with someone.

We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

Have a wonderful day!!!!!!!

IT'S ALIIIIVE!!!

After more than a week of downtime, LH's pee-see is slowly on its way to operational capacity. All this was due to a problem with the "male gert" aka RAM.

150/100

I hope this was just another of those spikes due to circumstances and that i will not have to resort to daily medication to control it.

Ah-chooo...

I can see white shooting stars when i sneeze!

Breathe in, Breathe out....

Sometimes I need to breathe in so hard to the point of bursting my lungs so as not to disrupt the harmony.....

And times like this, biting my tongue till it might just sever...

Mentally Crippled

I would rather not work than to work inefficiently. When people are forced to do something that they are not cut out to do, they will probably do so grudingly. Where is the efficiency?
Staring at it will not make it go away, but it gives me resolve to overcome the matter... eventually.

Crippled but not handicapped.

Rippling effects

Imagine, the pond is calm.
What if you had a stone?
What if you have a target?
What if you have a point to make by throwing the stone at the target?
What if you had the right to do whatever you wish?

Think, what if you had hit the target.
Think, about the rippling effects the waves will have on the shores.
More so, think, about the difference if you could just put the stone down and walk away.....

Time stands still

Time is relative.
It slows when there one is going to meet the one he/she loves.
When together, it quickes and hastens the time to part.

When left in the dark, it does not seem to move at all.
It is so dark now....

Moving forward, but which way is forward?

How delightful! There is a kickoff for a "reengineering" project and there are questions as to why one "key" personnel was not invited. Well, maybe the "key" personnel fits into a different lock! Jokes aside, it does not really bother me. If I'm not wanted there, their loss and I wish them all the best. That is assuming they know what is good in the first place.

A comforting thought is that the question as to why I was not invited was asked by the users. My name and the product has been synonymous since the project began. Users knew who to call when they need help... and it is not the helpdesk!

So, they are moving forward... and for their sake, they better know what is their destination.

On Nutrition and Health

There has been so much research on nutrition and health. The facts and conclusion have been published and it's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting medical studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
   
   
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
   
   
3. The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
   
   
4. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
   
   
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

"Kai Tan"

Why is it that the best of sunsets occurs when you do not have the camera or the opportunity to shoot it? Can't blame the sunset but can't help feeling shortchanged by Murphy's Law.

This evening's sunset was spectacular. The Sun was a brilliant fireball just hanging low in the horizon. The surrounding skies were coloured in a deep orangy cast.

Where is my camera when I need it? At home, sitting pretty in its bag.

Wham, Bang and Kablooie

That what probably happens when the meteor (some said it was a meteorite) stuck Earth. I'm referring to one such incident that happened 50,000 years ago during the Pleistocene period. I was not around then but I was there during the science period, that's when my teacher told us about it. At least I think it was around then.

Why am I suddenly talking about this meteor? Well, it was during my flight from Orlando to LA when I saw this huge crater some distance away. Took a picture with the TLC to check out later if it was the same meteor crater I heard about from my school days.

This is a Google Earth image as viewed from 50 miles up. At the bottom right is a green line. That line represents my flight path as recorded (briefly) on my GPS. The coordinates on the top left is where the crater is. IT IS THE METEOR CRATER!!!

Yeah, I'm pretty much excited about it as it was one of those things that kept my interest in natural sciences when I was a kid.

Here's a bit of info on the crater:

The Meteor Crater, sometimes known as the Barringer Crater and formerly as the Canyon Diablo crater, is a famous impact crater, located about 35 miles (55 km) east of Flagstaff, near Winslow in the northern Arizona desert (USA). Its coordinates are 35°1′38″N, 111°1′22″W. Its elevation is 5,723 ft. The crater is somewhat misnamed, as it was actually excavated by a meteorite, not a meteor.

The crater is about 1,200 m (4,000 ft) in diameter, and some 170 m deep (570 ft). It is surrounded by a 45 m (150 ft) high rim of rock, raised above the surrounding plains by the force of the impact. The bottom of the crater is filled with rubble from the impact, to a depth of 213-244 m (700-800 ft) below the crater's center.

The object which excavated the crater was a nickel-iron meteorite about 50 meters (54.7 yards) across, which impacted the plain at a speed of several kilometers (miles) a second. The speed of the impact has been a subject of some debate. Modelling initially suggested that the meteorite struck at a speed of up to 20 kilometers per second (45,000 mph), but more recent research suggests the impact was substantially slower, at 12.8 kilometers per second (28,600 mph). It is believed that about half of the impactor's 300,000 tonne (330,693 ton) bulk was vaporized during its descent, before it hit the ground.

The impact produced a massive explosion equivalent to at least 2.5 megatons of TNT – equivalent to a large thermonuclear explosion and about 150 times the yield of the atomic bombs used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The explosion dug out 175 million tons of rock. The shock of impact propagated as a hemispherical shock wave that blasted the rock down and outward from the point of impact, forming the crater. Much more impact energy, equivalent to an estimated 6.5 megatons, was released into the atmosphere and generated a devastating above-ground shockwave.

For a meteorite of its size, the impact melted surprisingly little rock, though it produced high enough temperatures and pressures to transform carbon minerals into diamonds and lonsdaleite, a form of diamond found near the crater in fragments of Arizona's Canyon Diablo meteorite. Limestone blocks as massive as 30 tons were tossed outside the crater's rim, and debris from the impact has been found over an area of 100 square miles (260 km²).

The shock of the impact would have produced a localized earthquake of magnitude 5.5 or higher. The blast and thermal energy released by the impact would certainly have been lethal to living creatures within a wide area. All life within a radius of three to four kilometers would have been killed immediately. The impact produced a fireball hot enough to cause severe flash burns at a range of up to 10 km (7 miles). A shock wave moving out at 2,000 km/h (1,200 mph) leveled everything within a radius of 14-22 km (8.5-13.5 miles), dissipating to hurricane-force winds that persisted to a radius of 40 km (25 miles).

Info sourced from Wikipedia