Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas thoughts?

The past 2 weeks have been really interesting, including Christmas.
I've met up with the founders of 2 Sillicon Valley start ups and had a long meaningful conversation with them. (www.timesvr.com and www.mrtweet.com)
Had lunch with Kristal and Yonggeng, who are back from Glasgow for the holidays, along with the rest of the Ghim Moh Girls.

Trying to think how to integrate all this new thinking to help the environment, E3Alive, Love Box.. I'm still kind of skeptical about the whole internet thing, seems very trends-based.

Ming Yeow from mrtweet emphasises the importance of focus for a startup. A good point that I will take note. Another thing he emphasises is balancing theory with practicality of being in a startup.

Going to be working part time for free for 3 weeks at Kelly's company, one of my long term investments, especially when they venture to China. and also since the software that they have is interesting in tracking people's online activities.

Life is fun, when you can choose what you want to do and why you want to do it.

Monday, December 22, 2008

finding a mentor

finding a mentor who can offer advice.

i have had the chance to meet and learn from many people.

great teachers are hard to find.
erik always clears my doubts. pang is always cheerful. reddy is so awesomely intellectual and clear. jeremy taught me lots about creating an encouraging atmosphere, still treating me really well after these years. i really admire him and shu fen, cause they're a really cool couple.

my waterpolo coach, zhong shen gen.

one of my teachers, li lao shi, who told me i was special because i possessed something that would change the world.

recently, jan croeni who taught me sales, work ethics and how to motivate people.

wilson is so hardworking sometimes that it's scary.

kelly, cause he's a really cool geek.

my dad. cause he's really well-respected among the extended family and at work.
mum, cause she's so organised.

dear. because she's really my greatest strength.

Work

If everything is about work, and work is fun, therefore everything is fun.

My philosophy on work? =)

Friday, December 19, 2008

the conversation

Hi,
I would like to have this conversation with you.
Yes, you.
The person who will be me 5 years from now.
And the good friend who will be reading my epitaph.
And the soul who has nourished, supported and cherished me since 5 years ago.

sleep

Sleep, so that my dreams will capture the stardust from a falling star.

Relationships of a leader

I lead cause I care.

Freedom and power of a leader

Ironically, although most people think that being in a position of authority offers you much freedom and power, the opposite is often true.

You are empowered to act, not given power to dictate.

I hope I never forget this.

Test of leadership

Get the leader to lead a team of volunteers.

Test to yourself
Would you do what you are doing now for free?

Leadership

Reading a book on leadership now, entitled "What do leaders really do?"

There are so many conflicting explanations, but there are a few points that strike me.

Leaders should be chameleons, flexible enough to change their styles to suit the organisation and objectives, yet principled enough to maintain continuity of vision and purpose.

Charisma is nice to have, but not necessary for success.

Integrity. So simple, so valuable, so difficult to maintain.

Belief in your people.

Mountains

There are no mountains, just greater heights to scale.

23 years on earth

I feel like I've lived for 23 years on earth, and I've not used them to the maximum that I could have.

I don't want to have this feeling again when I'm 28.

Life is too short for regrets or worries.

Good/Bad people?

I believe that there are no good or bad people in the world, just people with agendas.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

beginnings

the basic idea about this blog came about because of a conversation i had with larissa brown on a bus ride in Bogor, Indonesia a few months.

Om - the sound that started the universe

When I closed my eyes on the top of the mountain, I could hear the crashing of waves as the wind rustled the leaves of a thousand green mountain tops.