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Friday, November 13, 2015

Teamwork - Two Are Better Than One

"Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up." -- Ecclesiastes 4:9,10 (NKJV)

The following snapshots on teamwork are sourced from images on a desktop calendar courtesy of RSM Chio Lim LLP to spur you on with team building and leveraging on your teamwork for successful and rewarding endeavours.

















Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The Voice 2015 featuring Jordan Smith

There are many talented aspiring singers competing on The Voice and it is so magical to watch them on television in their elements pursuing their dream of being a singer.

Every now and then, there comes along a contestant or two who stand out from the competition. In The Voice 2015, Jordan Smith is one such standout with all the four voice coaches giving him a standing ovation a few times during the audition and ongoing rounds of performances. His voice has been described as "from another planet" and "signed by God". 

Jordan Smith (Photo courtesy of NBC.com)
Jordan Smith is a surprising and unassuming wonder the likes of whom I last experienced when watching Susan Boyle's first audition on Britain Got's Talent. 

Here are just a selection of his singing prowess for your inspiration:-

The Voice 2015 Blind Audition - Jordan Smith: “Chandelier"

The Voice 2015 Knockout - Jordan Smith: "Set Fire to the Rain"

The Voice 2015 Battle - Jordan Smith vs. Regina Love: "Like I Can"

The Voice 2015 Jordan Smith - Live Playoffs: "Halo"



Monday, November 9, 2015

Lunch is a Wrap

Bred on a staple diet of rice, I never imagined myself to come around and "Eat Fresh" as championed by the likes of Subway. You could say I am an accidental consumer of fresh vegetables and fruits.



Recently, while recovering from a bout of flu, I figured that my body needed the nutrients to heal itself while taking my prescribed medication. After all, the medicine will only alleviate the symptoms and it is the body itself which needed to fight off the ailments and recover.


Thus, I went for fresh juices such as ABC (apple, beetroot and carrot or celery) and Green Apple with sour plum. Also, that was when I started a-looking to make a lunch switchover to fresh vegetables. 

However, I found that a box of salad would be somewhat cumbersome to pick through. Can you imagine the number of times one would have to pick on the vegetables, literally, before are they cleaned off? I can and know that it gives me no pleasure (contrary to the preference of 'picky-loving' folks).

Also, it would be quite tricky, as well, on your shirt when the vegetables flick their dressing unwittingly when you crunch on them. Voila, the wrap!


A warp is able to, well, wrap all of your selected vegetables into a nifty roll in a compact manner and allow you to consume it all within a few bites and much less chewing than a similar 'naked' salad. If you ask me, I think this is a fuss-free and efficient way to eat fresh vegetables.      




Oh, by the way, snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables would be, hands down, healthier than processed food such as chips and sugar drinks.  

It's time to stock up our fridge with vegetables and fruits and choose a diet that feature more of them for a healthier body. They make great snacks, too!




Sunday, November 8, 2015

Chic + Recyclable Plastic Shoes by MELISSA

As gleaned from its Singapore website http://melissasingapore.weebly.com/about-melissa-hearts.html , Melissa was founded in 1971 and originated from Sao Paolo, Brazil. Since then it has grown into one of the largest footwear manufacturer with an expanding global reach.



Additionally, these are some further insights gathered:

"Melissa stands for individuality, comfort, great style and eco-friendliness. Its hallmark jelly shoes are made of plastic that is 100% recyclable." 

"Melissa’s success is credited to its three-pronged business strategy that focuses on producing superior designs, engaging in sustainable development, and developing groundbreaking footwear technology."

On the surface Melissa shoes are bright, colourful and creating a lot of buzz what with celebrities taking them along the red carpet. But, I think, it is what goes behind Melissa such as: collaboration with fashion designers; use of eco-friendly materials; innovation of materials for better comfort, styling, durability, etc.; and non-exploitation of animal, that continue to grow this brand's consciousness among savvy consumers who are already spoiled for choice of footwear. 

Here are just some snapshots of Melissas in Singapore for your refreshing:




















Friday, November 6, 2015

Michelle Paynes' Dream Came True: Winning Melbourne Cup 2015

Modern fairy-tales do not come by easily. But, when they do pop up once in a while it would be so refreshing as to prop us up from the humdrum of life.

Michelle Payne with Prince Of Penzance (Photo credits: Elleuk.com)

It has been Michelle Payne's dream as an Australian jockey to win the renown Melbourne Cup and, against formidable odds, she became the first female jockey to win it recently in what has been dubbed as a "race that stops a nation".

Her challenges are many such as: losing her mom due to a car accident when six months old; sustaining a series of injuries throughout her career; and dealing with chauvinism in a sports dominated by male jockeys.  

But, Michelle persevered and kept dreaming. Finally, at 30-years old, even when she is on the verge of retiring from the sports with a desire settle down and wind down, she steered Prince Of Penzance to a historical win.

In her post-race interview together with her brother Stevie, who works as her strapper notwithstanding his Down's Syndrome, she said that her father has been supportive of her desire to be a jockey. Apart from hard work and perseverance in pursuit of her dream, I would surmise that her family support has given her an added impetus to succeed.

Also, she is aware of the inner strength of her Prince Of Penzance and know how to tap into its strength. As she puts it, "... it's not all about (human) strength, there is so much more involved, getting the horse into a rhythm, getting the horse to try for you. It's being patient."

And, if you watch the race, you would see that she was patiently working with her Prince up the ranks before making the final dash to outstrip the all-male competition.

Click on the following to watch her post-race interview:

'I just couldn't believe we'd won the Melbourne Cup': Michelle Payne


Click on the following to watch the pulsating race:
Melbourne Cup 2015


Click on the following for highlights of the race with salient commentaries and watch the jubilation of this group who called themselves "small fry investors" in Prince of Penzance:

Jockey Michelle Payne First female winner of the Melbourne Cup


Melbourne Cup: Michelle Payne, Prince of Penzance welcomed home in Ballarat


Monday, November 2, 2015

Gundam Plamodel Expo World Tour 2015

Gundam may not be as well known as Lego building blocks or Marvel Comics figurines such as Iron Man, but it is gaining traction and poised to win over more enthusiasts.

Recently, Gundam Plamodel Expo World Tour 2015 made a stopover in Singapore. Here are some some snapshots for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy and be refreshed!
























If you are interested, please click on the following link to explore the world of Gundam http://en.gundam.info/index/white 


Problem-solving Skills : Chunking

One useful problem-solving skills would be chunking whereby a problem or challenge is broken up into smaller portions or chunks.

For example, it would be difficult to memorize a set of eight numbers such as 39726590 all at once. 

However, by breaking it up into 2 sets of number 3972 followed by 6590, it would be relatively easier to first tackle the first chunk before moving on to the second chunk and then combine both to form the full set of 8-numbers.

Likewise, it would be tough to spell "kakorraphiaphobia" without deliberately breaking it up into smaller chunks first such as "kakor", "raphia" and "phobia". (By the way, the aforesaid word means 'fear of failure'!)

By extension, if you are planning your wedding or a party and you want to decide who to invite, chunking would be useful, too. You could group your contacts into categories such as relatives (cousins, uncles, aunties), childhood friends, ex-classmates, colleagues, ex-colleagues, business associates, social cliques, etc., and work through each group to come up with your name list.

As with solving a jigsaw puzzle, chunking helps us to group similar pieces together and allow us to start on a small area and then join up the different chunks to form the whole picture.

Begin with the goal in mind, but start small with chunking and I am confident you shall be able to get a handle on your problems or challenges and conquer them. All the best!