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Photo by Sarah Jane

Every so often you’d find yourself dishearten with the state of the world around you.

If you’ve been reading this blog, I believe I’ve brought to your attention a few more dreads such as inflation and the growing weakness of our financial institutions.

My only intention in writing ‘dreadful’ posts is for them to serve as a ‘watch out!’ sign so you might take the necessary precautions. My intention is that you understand what’s going on and take relevant action. I do not want you to be dishearten and throw in the towel.

So, there will always be tough issues. You know them and you know how to go about dealing with them. Day in, day out, you go about your game plan. Then one fine morning while sipping coffee, you say to yourself, “life’s too tough.”

This is where simple pleasures come in. [Read more]

Photo by kk+

A big part of our social life revolves around meeting and chilling out with friends. Depending on your age group, you could be hanging out at a MacDonald’s, Starbucks, dance club, wine bar, pub, golf clubhouse, private clubs or even local joints where the cheapest beer is sold.

Until recently, I don’t really like to hang out much. I thought I was a quirky-alone, but it turn out I am just bored with the run-of-the-mill conversations that dominate these sessions.

A year ago, I attended a leadership course and got to know a new group of friends. We shared a deeply bonding experience and became very close in those 3 months. Thereafter, a small group of us continued to meet up. As it turns out, I really liked those meet-ups.

This article is about what makes those meet-ups fun for me. [Read more]

Photo by soylentgreen23

Tardiness is no big deal if you’re the one who is late. But for the party waiting for you, it can be the straw that finally breaks the camel’s back.

No, this post is not going to convince you on the virtues of being punctual. Those of us who’ve waited enough know that you cannot really help it.

This post is about taking the power back for those who waited and how to one-up on you to make the wait a welcomed episode. [Read more]

Photo by EverJean

There’s a general sense of lost sweeping the society today. Somewhere along the way, the light at the end of the tunnel seem to have vanished.

I’m not talking about myself but rather, a logical conclusion of what I’ve been observing in the news and people around me.

I’m sure you can see the world turning for the worse: financial turmoil with sub-prime, SIVs, CDS and rogue traders, rising food and energy prices, increasing mentions of “recession” in the media, volatile stock market going nowhere, bleak government outlooks and uninspiring rescue plans.

It’s like being in bad company, “why try so hard when nobody else does?” When nobody is doing well, it’s easy to rationalize the decision to ‘take a step back and re-evaluate my options’, a.k.a. quitting your day job.

This post talks about why the times mandate that you re-evaluate your evaluation and that keeping your day job is perhaps the best decision in years to come. [Read more]

Photo by shirbitsphotos

The first few moments right after waking up often sets the tone of the rest of the day. I absolutely love the days when I’d wake up with a smile on my face. These always play out superbly as one good thing leads effortlessly into another.

The ones I abhor are when I get microscopically ticked off and have to end the day with an avalanche of problems, mistakes, fights and regrets.

Experience and logical deduction tells me that I can ‘create’ the perfect day simply by ensuring that the first 30 minutes are spent in cheerful delight. Here’s how you can go about it. [Read more]