World Cup Hosting Rights for 2018 and 2022

The hosting rights of the World Cup for 2018 and 2022 were awarded to Qatar and Russia respectively.

England cried foul and felt that they were victimized when they were ejected from the first round during the recent bid to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup Finals. They felt that they had the best case and deserved to host the event. So did the rest of the bidders.


England is, no doubt, a footballing nation.  England has an established billion dollar footballing industry and an excellent league system for all levels with global brand recongnition. The country was home to some of the most famous and state-of-the-art stadiums in the world namely Manuchester United's Theatre of Dreams at Old Trafford, Liverpool's Anfield, Villa Park, home of Aston Villa, Stamford Bridge of Chelsea just to name a few.  The league has produced many talented players and also attracted the best around the world. It was without any doubt on of the the best in class, if not the best. They also have well-established infrstructures, transportation network and hotels to host the biggest footballing event on Earth. In addition, England certainly have the expertises to organize and market such events considering the success of the English Premier League and England has the track records to back the claim.

However, the world most prestigious event has over time became more than just a footballing event. The thirty days had proved to be a spectacle to bring people around the world together either physically or through media broadcast. People from around the world came together to the host country to support their teams or experience the atmosphere. Everyone, whether they were at the stadium, outside or at home, cheered, celebrated and partied together like friends from around the world.

Corporate spent billions of advertisement dollars to leverage on the attention and gain exposure for their brands. The dollars brought about interests, technologies and creativities to outshine each other to seek attention from the world audience. This also provide great opportunities for the host nation to show the world what they were made off and have to offer. 

In addition, travelling fans learnt around the host country and the continent while the local made friends from around the world. Learning each other's culture remove fear and uncertainty and enable the world to become more friendly. Thus, taking this event to new location around the world will spread the joy and comradries of football and, hopefully through football, make the world a more friendly place. This is in addition to having more football fans especially when the sport was popular but not yet at the highest level.

Statistics had shown that productivities around the world declined during these thrity days of competition and yet this event generated billions of dollar for the global enconomy from its preparation to the actual event to it aftermath. Hosting the event at locations where infrastructures and stadiums were not up to the mark provide an opportunity for improvement by the host country, both socially and economically, as upgrading and building new infrastructures will create financial and work opportunities for many people. The infrastructures will also benefit the locals and increase their social welfare. It will be even merrier with the stadiums being modular and dismantled to be given to benefit other third world countries after the event. This will further enhance the values of the sport to mankind. The sport also new new stakeholders.

This article is certainly too simplistic to holistically elaborate the benefits of the game and the influence when making decison to award the hosting rights. I hope this has, nevertheless, brought forard the points that the decision of who to host the World Cup may not neccessary be just based on footballing reasons but the survival of the game and the event for the next many centuries.

The Paradox of Mind

"We always strive after what is forbidden, and desire the things refused us."

Ovid

Paradox of Life

"Everything is relative of something. Eternality is a possibility and not reality."

"When there is a gain, there will be some lost."

Life is such a paradox.

SingTel

I was SingTel mobile service subscriber since I got my first Motorola clamshell phone. It should be around 18 years by now. I have experienced significant improvement in their customer service over the years. I was referring to SingTel and not the Hello Shop. However, ever since I moved to Jurong, the reception there had been disappointing. It was even more with the 3G network. The network was non-existence at times. It can be fustrating at times but what was most fustrating was the responses when fedback. The responses were that they were upgrading their equipment and service will resume to normal soon and they sent their team to check and everything was fine when the user's experience was otherwise. Was that complacency? They should realize that with the other two telcos hot on their heels, creatively upping the game, the once monopolize market share was dwindling and they could soon lose more customers if they fail to continue to invest to improve their service. I meant technically.

I hope I can continue to support this national icon but I also hope they won't take these loyal customers for granted. Let's see what will happen.

The Fine Line Between Insanity and Passion

I was reading an article on The Sunday Times by Ms. Lee Wei Ling and one sentence she wrote striked me deeply. She said, "... it takes a streak of insanity to make life worth living." I was wondering how true was this sentence. Then I realized that it would be difficult for most of the people to understand and, even if they did, few will walk the talk.

Everyone had dreams when they were young. Everyone wanted to travel the world, parachute from 20,000ft, climb the highest mountains and conquer the greatest ocean. Many also dreamt to be pilot, astronaut, doctor, lawyers but, as we grew up, we got distracted and forgot about our dreams.

In today's environment, people become rational. We cited our responsibilities as an excuse to be conservative and allow ourselves to deviate from what we felt was ideal to do. The need to be responsible to our love ones, friends and colleagues. We fear that we would not have enough for tomorrow. We struggled to maintain our standard of living. We held tight to our baggages. Even the outdated and unwanted ones. We tried to build upon what we have without realizing that we have little. We thought that maintaining our daily routine was progress. We made ourselves happy by celebrating about our progress. We made insignificant significant.

On the other hand, the insanity within the person fuelled the fire of passion and kept focus about what they wanted to achieve. They saw that as their life mission and the reason that kept them alive. They were the most optimistic and always ready for tomorrow. They usually were those with the most fulfilling life. They achived more by having less. Those who were insane or passionate, nevermind the term, were usually the most successful.

Life is such a paradox. It takes so much wisdom to bless the insanity. No wonder not everyone can be an exceptional champion!

Hong Kong Airport Express From Kowloon Station



Airport Express Ticket

I recently had my first experience with the Hong Kong Airport Express from the Kowloon Station. It was a pleasant one. I took the routine bus from my hotel in Mongkok to the airport express train station, aka Kowloon Station. It took around 15mins despite being a Saturday afternoon.

Entrance to Train Platform

 The station was spacious and not crowded. There was an information counter right near the entrance where ticket can be purchased. Alternatively, the contactless Octopus card can also be used. Behind the counter was was a row of check-in counter for the various airlines and I checked-in at the Singapore Airlines counter right at the very end. I was able to check in my luggages making the travel very light and convenient. The checked-in process was very efficient and it was over within 5 minutes.

Arriving Train

The train ride was smooth and took only approximately 30mins. Train cabin was spacious and clean. Everyone had a seat. There was also commentary along the way. The ride me straight to the departure hall.
As a whole, it was a nice, efficient and pleasant ride.

Advertisement and Audo Control

Kowloon Station Platform

Kowloon Station Platform

Info Counter at Kowloon Station



Cabin View

HK Airport Station

Airport Station

Seafood Dinner

Alaskan Crab

 We recently brought a colleague from the USA to a local seafood joint for dinner. He was amazed by the popularity of the resturant and the crowd. The resturant was running full house.

He was also overwhelmed by the variety of live sea creatures in the resturant ranging from all kinds of fishes to crabs to geoducks, lobsters and prawns. This was an unusual sight for him being in such resturant for the first time.



Canadian Geoduck



We ordered a number of delicacies including the resturant's favourites such as Drunken Prawns, (Sri Lankan) Chilli Crabs and Venison with Ginger. He enjoyed them despite the spices and chillies.

The photos were dishes we did not ordered. Thus, they were still live when we left the resturant.

Oyster

Picture of Day: Significant of Door Gift

A Pack of Playing Cards, a 4D Lottery Ticket and a Thank You Note

This was a wedding that I attended at the beginning of 2010. It was interesting to receive such a door gift at a Chinese wedding dinner. The combination of the items and the occasion made the gift interesting. They reflected the appreciation, humour, creativity and conscientiousness of the hosts. They were fun and unconventional unlike the chocolates and bears. They were also suitable for all genders and different age groups. However, were the hosts trying to tell the guests that marriage is a gamble? Maybe, they were all just in the name of fun.

Merlion Night Out

A Singapore Story

Collyer Quay

Merlion

Against a Backdrop of Singapore's Success

No picture of Singapore will be complete with the greenery.
I took a similar shot at Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Worst Electronic Bought : SAMSUNG Monitor

This monitor is not new but it never worked properly. The power connection (male and female connectors) had loose contact. Customer service could not provide satisfactory resolution. Anyway, the key is to be SAMSUNG-free.

Capping the Mexico Spill

The oil spill off the gulf of Mexico was finally contained. While I did not understand the technologies adopted to stop the leak, I knew that this was an important achievement and a great relief for all parties from the executives and employees of BP worldwide to the regulators, environmentalists, people living in the affected area, birds, fishes and even the micro-organism. There was no doubt that damages were done and cannot be reversed. The successful capping allowed the relevant stakeholders to focus on clearing the mess and help the affected habitats "resume normal living".

At this juncture, there will be blemish and political accountability. We can only hope that the responsible parties take responsibilities and focus on helping the impacted.

FIFA World Cup 2010

Spain won the FIFA 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa on July 11, 2010 when Andreas Iniesta scored the winning goal in the 115 minutes to beat the Netherlands 1 - 0. That goal was worth US$6 mil and maybe more. The price money for the winner was US$30mil and runners up US$24 mil.

More importantly, that win put the young Spanish team into history book as World Cup Winners. They also became only the second team in history to win both the World Cup and European Champions in 2008. Only Germany had done it in 1972 & 1974. The Spanish victory also raised the morale of the nation, amid a potential economic crisis due to debt.

From a footballing perspective, Spain proved that a team can focus on playing fair football and still win. The win was also representative of the victory of the country's youth development system and the success of its domestic league, the La Liga, as a platform for Spanish players pipped against the best in the likes of Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo.

This 4 yearly tournament was touted by many as the "Tournament of the Planet" and, indeed it was. The event showcase 32 teams from around the world who went through a 2 years qualification process, with the exception of the host, South Africa, and defending champion, Italy. All 32 qualifying team were given US$1mil as preparation fee even before arriving at South Africa.

The stakes were US$420mil in prize money, the title of World Champion, team carrying the hope of their nation, a shot at history or rewriting history, personal reputation of these professionals, improved valuation, improve contract terms, life changing opportunity to clinch contract to play in top league in the world and money in endorsements. The expectation on some nations and their players were extremely high. For example, Brazil, Argentina and England were expected to win the World Cup. Italy and France were expected to reached the semi finals. Wayne Rooney, Christaino Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres and Kaka were expected to score a dozen. Thus, the stakes were high and the pressure was mounting on many players.

PRIZE MONEY

$8 million – To each team exiting after the group stage (16 teams)

$9 million – To each team exiting after the round of 16 (8 teams)

$14 million – To each team exiting after the quarter-finals (4 teams)

$18 million – Fourth placed team

$20 million – Third placed team

$24 million – Runner up

$30 million – Winner

The preparations were elaborate too. South Africa, the host nation, spent $33bn rand in 7 years employing more than 70,000 workers to construct and retrofit stadiums as well as improve the country's infrastructures. Sponsors such as Coca Cola, MacDonald, Sony, Visa and others pumped in hundreds of million of dollars for global exposure. Then there were broadcasting rights to nations around the world. It was estimated that 700 millions watched the games from around the world.

Many participating nations coughed out huge sum of money to hire reputatable and experience coaches to help their team in their preparation for the finals and also take them to as far in the competition as possible. England, Ivory Coast and Australia were some of the qualifying nations with foreign coaches. The Germans hired more than 60 top students from around the country to study and research on the qualifying teams as part of the preparation. Many countries travelled to high altitude places for training and adaptation as six of the ten venues were around 1200m - 1750m above sea level.

Germany using university grads to study their opponents

Soccer City and Ellis Park Stadium were around1753m; Royal Bafokeng Stadium at 1500m; Free State Stadium at 1400m; Peter Mokaba Stadium at 1310m; Loftus Versfeld Stadium at 1214m; Mbombela Stadium at 660m; Cape Town Stadium, Moses Mabhida Stadium and Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium were near sea level. It was believed that the altitude can affect the performance of the players and the motion of the ball.

The young Spanish team also showed that they have the temperament to perform under pressure and succeed at this level. Unlike so many players who succumbed under pressure. Was it the players or the preparation? The tournament also showed that the game was no longer played by just 11 players on the field but also the vision of the coach, the depth of the bench and the support from the backroom crews. The preparation done by the coach including tactic, mental preparation of the players, contingency planning for the various scenario, understanding of their opponents, knowing the habit of the man in black, the ability to unite the team, the depth of the bench, medical staffs, etc.

The Brazilian lost their head and the game. The English never got into their groove to perform to expectation, the French were in disarrayed, the Italian lost their way during the game only to realise too late, the Argentines underestimated their opponent and were demonlished. The Nigerian players had other ideas and did not perform as expected. The Japanese and Germans prepared well and progress. The Dutch played the physical game and won most of the mental game against their oppositions.

With the stake in today's game, the pressure on the players, coach and even administrators can be so significant that the game may no longer lost on the field. The success of the Netherland, Germany, Uruguay, Mexico and Japan as well as the Spanish victory demonstrated a new dimension of "Total Football" which include the development, detail planning, the importance of the depth of squad and supporting crews and the pschological preparation aspect of the game.

The stakes will continue to be bigger in the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and could see the adoption of technology after what had happened to England and the USA. Nevertheless, we will look forward to the samba.

Change

Cause Change & Lead

Accept Change &Survive

Resist Change &Die

So simple yet so many people choose to resist change and die than to lead

What is happening to this world?

The 7.0 magnitude Taihiti earthquake in January killing 230,000 and affecting millions. There were another 53 earthquakes of various scales from 4.5 around the world in the first 6 months of 2010.

The Eyjafjallajökull's eruption on Mar 20, 2010 halted world air travel estimating loss of more than US$200mil by IATA. Flooding and Mudslides left up to 50 people dead in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state. Heavy storm killed many in Southern China.

Global warming causing climate change - melting of the iceberg and raising of sea level worldwide. China and Korea experienced record low temperature in 50 and 70 years respectively on Jan 1 & 2, 2010. Blizzards also hit Mongolia's Dundgobi province. More than 200 people died in northern India, mostly in Uttar Pradesh after a cold snap and accidents in heavy fog on Jan 2. Beijing was hit by a blizzard causing 70–80% of flights out of Beijing Capital International Airport cancelled. 25 Nepalese people, mostly children, died as a blizzard swept over most of Nepal on January 7. Temperatures hit −42°C in Norway and −37.1 °Cin Finland. Then there were many more such phenomenal around the world.
Thailand chaos ended with numerous fatalities and affecting millions of people in the country.

The reins of Bangkok (From top: Outside Siam BTS station, Front view of Centralworld, Missing roof due to explosion at Centralworld)

Greece's debt led to uncertainty in the global financial markets. The Greece financial crisis was the result of poor goverance and planning over period of times where government debts was worth more than the country's output. Speculators also bet on Greece defaulting on its debt and causing the Euro to depreciate. Spain, Portugal and Ireland are the other European States with spiralling debts. Thus, the handling of Greece's crisis became important in prevention of confidence erosion and dumping of Euros.

BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill stained the Gulf of Mexico and could potentially put many out of job. BP's share had depreciated significantly from $60 to $20 in Jun. BP faced huge bills and political pressure that could lead to bankrupcy. While the impact to the environment and its habitats were immensed, the financial impact to many commoners, especially in the UK and US where 40% and 39% shareholders were located respectively. The dividend payout form the basis of many pension schemes leading to a variation of many's retirement plan.

The World seems to be in a state of uncontrolled chaos and the little pickling among us seems so petty. While we cannot stop natural disasters and accidents, we should learn to live in peace and harmony.


Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2010_natural_disasters

Road or Track? It's just a Matter of Perception and Preference

It is what you want it to be ... so is life. Colorful & bright or dull & miserble!

When You are Different, You may be Right!

“Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.”

– Albert Einstein

Let Go Ego - Collaborate & Excel

The biggest barrier that hinders our progress is ourselves.


It is our subconscious refusal to adopt the unconventional & untried methods, our fear of moving out of our comfort zone, our perceived inability to handle the new changes as well as our willingness to maintain an open mind and accept facts especially when they are not favourable to ourselves or against conventional norms from our upbringing. This also results in the lack of trust of others to accept opinions and collaboration proposal.


The other more important aspect is the expectation of the individual. The way an individual defined his/her expectation and "win" will greatly affect the action & behavious toward the task/event. This determines the outcome and, on most occasions, even before execution.


Many points to knowledge, experience and maturity of the individual and, on so many occasions, assume that the older an individual the better the knowledge, experience & maturity. The other school of thoughts believes that if one is good enough, the person is old enough. It is not the age that matters. Thus, any individual who has the open mind to continuously learn and update himself/herself will acquire the knowledge & skills needed to understand his/her own expectations, adapt to the changing environment as well as see things in a different light. The result of such habits is quantum leap improvement which leads to greater self-satisfaction, happiness and success.

This is weird, but interesting! Can you read?

Hvae fun!

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this lvaee a Yes in the cmmnet bleow.

Peaks and Valleys

I recently read a book that talked about the ups and downs of life and work. The book was by Dr Spencer Johnson who also wrote Who Moved my Cheese?


In a nutshell, good and bad times were result of earlier work. There were things done that resulted in improvement while others either caused decline or has no impact. Doing more of things with positive impact led to better times while doing more during good time help us maintain the good times.


There are times that everything in life is smoothsailing and in the growth mode. There will also be time when whatever can go wrong will go wrong and everything is in declined. However, the good times were the result of hard work done during the bad times. Working hard and do the right things when times are bad helped build and prepare for the good times.


Many people also forget to continue the work they did that get them where they were and did not continue doing them. Many people got complacent. They stop doing both what got them there and what needed to maintain the good times. There were also on many occasions that people do not know what to do when next to get out of the bad times or get to their next peak. The ability to look beyond the near future could blind us and stagnent us. At any given time and situation, enjoy what you do and enjoy your success. Lastly, and most importantly, share your success with others.



He summarized so nicely as follows:

1. Face reality. Seek truth!
2. Seek the positive even in bad times. Leverage and build on them.
3. Appreciate the good time. Continue to work hard. Save resources for rainy days.
4. Follow your heart. Have a vision. Enjoy the path to realize it.
5. Share your success and experience with others.

So do remember to have fun and share the joy!

CARE

"Do science, but with concern for mankind."

Albert Einstein

Picture of the Day - Wall of Indulgence

There were so many time when we look at "decoration" or photographs hanged on the wall of public places and, for so many times, we would give a passing remarks or critics. How often had anyone thought about what it took to be up there where people felt good and proud to display them?

The accomplishment of the portraits, the success of each brand, the fame of a commercial work such as movie or song or the beauty of a piece of artwork. The amount of effort behind these decorations were tremendous and beyond what many people had imagined. For example, Alfed Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense thriller & movie maker. He is a legend in his own rights. Elvis Presley, the undisputed king of rock and roll. They have all excel beyond possible commoners' achievement. I would like to believe that they did not get to where they were by chance but through lots of hard work.

Sports Bar in Bangalore

So the next time you see a nice piece of work on the wall, think about the effort behind it. Appreciate its journey getting on to the wall.

Bangalore New International Airport

I recently visited the new airport in Bangalore, the Bengaluru International Airport. The airport, spread across approximately 4000 acres of land, is located around 40km away from the city centre of Bangalore. It was officially opened on May 24, 2008.

It was a brightly-litted, clean with a much better ambiance than the previous one. However, it was still short of modern class compare to the rest of the International airports in the major cities around Asia. For example, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Singapore and Bangkok. This airport lacked the decor and recreational facilities such as dining resturants, bars, coffee joints, etc for transiting passsengers to rest or arriving guests to make them want to stay longer. The same for the departure hall although the departure hall had more shops both before and after the immigration as compared to almost none in the old airport.

The customs clearance for arriving passengers were fast. It took us less than 10 minutes to clear despite the long queue. A significant improvement from the old airport. The officers were also friendly and helpful. The same was not to be said when departing. The security inspection began when you reached the airport before getting into the airport to the check-in counter. Then there was the custom clearance followed by another security check. Interestingly, there were different queue for male and female. Thus, bottleneck at the male queue. Then, as the bags passed through the scanner. There were metal detectors for the passengers followed by an inspection/search using handheld detectors. This check took us more than 30 minutes to get through.

Exterior of the new Bangalore Airport

Trolleys

Unmanned information counter

Bookshop outside Arrival gate

Information & direction sign

Cafe at Arrival Hall

In conclusion, it was a much improved airport from the aspect of facilities and cleanliness but short of the modern class. In my opinion, the nice structure lacked the human touch. The colonial bureaucracy was still reflected in the process and there was still significant room for improvement in efficiency to meet the standard of modern airport of today.

March 2010 - Too Much to Handle!

March's schedule is a little crazy. I have 23 working days and I have attend a course for 4 days. The remaining days will be divided between the following places:


1. Singapore
2. Ho Chi Min City
3. Manila
4. Taipei
5. New Delhi
6. Frankfurt


The potential unrest in Bangkok may be a blessing in disguise. I also couldn't squeeze in KL and Penang. I had to skip Chicago and Japan trip.


Gosh! I think these are overbroad.

The Power of Dream

"When you cease to dream you cease to live."Malcolm Stevenson Forbes

Thus, challenge status quo!
Challenge mediocrity!
Stretch your imagination, dream BIG
&
Live your dreams!

Learnt and Flair ...

"Deliberate with caution,

but act with decision;

and yield with graciousness,

or

oppose with firmness."

-Charles Caleb Colton

Picture of the Day - Multi-directional or Lost?

Some times too many cook can spoil the soup!

Thus, giving too many directions can lead to confusion!

Picture of the Day - A Bold Vision & An Ambition

Reservoir in the City. Sounds simple and many people will ask, "What's the big deal?"   

Looking deeper and the vision unveiled. That is, in simple terms, creating a dam along the river delta and "cleaning" the water to make them "drinkable" or converting salt water into potable water. However, this river is connected to many moonsoon drains around Singapore. Thus, "cleaning" the water will also mean "cleaning" all water and associated drainage flowing into this river. This is a project potential spread beyond decades but will benefit many generation of Singaporeans. This is a project that may not have immediate political mileage yet undertaken Kudo to the team for their vision, ambition and, most importantly, the intent behind the initiative is geniuely for the good of Singapore's future.

A Lesson on Priority

 A colleague sent this to me and I thought it is meaningful to share ...

The Mayonnaise Jar

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly,

When things in your life seem, Almost too much to handle, when 24 Hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar



And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, If the jar was full.
They agreed that it was
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured

The professor next picked up a box of sand

them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.
He then asked The students again
If the jar was full.. They agreed it was
And poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded
With an unanimous 'yes.'



The professor then produced Two cups of coffee from under the table

And poured the entire contents Into the jar, effectively
Filling the Empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, As the laughter subsided,'I want you to recognize that This jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - God, family,The sand is everything else --

The small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,So...

children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions

Things that if everything else was lost
And only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter Like your job, house, and car.




'there is no room for The pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time And energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for The things that are
Important to you.

Pay attention to the things That are critical to your happiness.


Play With your children.

Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time

To clean the house and fix the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.

Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand
And inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for A couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Is the Time Now?

There is no breakthrough without persistence action.

Beyond Mediocrity! Be RECOGNIZED!

We are already in the New Economy Era but are you ready?

該不妙，非強人莫屬

 

人在江湖 身不由己

自主代价 适者生存

Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

We took the tram to Victoria Peak on an unfortunately foggy evening last month. Yes! It was almost a month back that I went to the Peak and took this picture.  A combination of reasons delayed this posting. Nevertheless, it's better late than never.

This was not my first time visiting the Peak but the place gave me a different experience every time I visited. The view of the famous Victoria Harbour, decorated by the vibrancy of the ferries and buildings of Kowloon and Central business district, were stunning by day and spectacular with the lights on at night. The skyline of Hong Kong Central district was unrivalled in Asia. They also signified the success of Hong Kong's economy.

The peak stood around 552m above sea level and is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island. It was once a signalling post for incoming cargo ships and, later, residents for the previlieged. One main reason for the success of Victoria Peak was the establishment of an efficient and convenient transportation system, namely the tram system.

These pictures were taken with Canon Powershot A85 automatic camera and they were taken without tripod. It's always such a joy to enjoy the beautiful scenary with the company of cooling breeze. An experience worthy of the trip.

Picture of the Day - Be the Legend

Hard work, Determination and Self-belief : Be the Legend

Recently, I attended the East Asian Games in Hong Kong. The theme was "Be the Legend" and, so appropriately, the contingent surpassed expectations and did Hong Kong proud. hauling 110 medals from 22 sports on offer. 26 were gold including soccer, a sport which the host was underdog, where they beat Asia soccer powerhouse South Korea, DPR Korea and Japan enroute to the gold medal. Kudos to the team! They had demonstrated that with hard work, undying determination and self-belief, no dream is too distant to chase.

People sees the glamour of altheletes when they triumph. Embrace them and share their association. The same group of people also denounce them when results are not in their favour. This is the paradox of sporting celebrities. One day they are loved. Otherwise on another day.

However, one cannot deny the determination, hard work and scarifices from any althelete in pursuing their passion, surpassing themselves and, more importantly, continuously pursuing perfection and excellence. For many of them, they face diffculties from objection from family and society to financial survival. For others, self-doubt over time as no one is sure that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Let alone gold pot at the end of the rainbow. It is the strenght that they demonstrated when their chips are down that makes the difference. It is this special tenacity and stubborness that take them onto their stage and make them worthy of their stage.

Thus, all participants were winners in their own rights. Salulation!

"Stairway to Success can be Arduous but is also Colourful"

The chinese phase "台上一分钟,台下十年工" most appropriately describe their hard work and pain off the limelight. I dedicate this blog to anyone who go against the odds, quietly working tirelessly in pursue of their dreams and excellent in what they do. They do not wait for their chances to come but create and take them as they come. The stairway to success may be a long arduous journey which does not guarentee material return but the route can be colourful and fulfilling. The experiences and satisfaction gain along the journey cannot be measured or replaced in any way. Anyone who dare pursue their dream is a winner and worthy of their stage.

Everyone has their own stage. Are you ready to take your stage? Are you worthy of your stage? It's all in your hands.