I Believe In Miracles

It's now close to a year since my dad was first admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with coronary artery disease. He's since been admitted in and out of hospital for 4 times, gone under the knife for a coronary artery bypass surgery, and now painfully recovering at home.

It's now close to a year since I started bearing a doubled financial responsibility. With my dad not working, my brother and myself took up the shared responsibility to put food on the table and light up the home.

It's now close to a year since I have managed to somehow miraculously have enough money to both pay off my own bills and debts, and also provide money for food and our monthly house loan.

I don't know how I did it. I didn't get any pay raise in my job. I don't even have a high paying job to start with. I did not borrow money from anybody, except for that one loan I took from the bank. I didn't have any surplus savings in my bank when this whole episode started.

And that is why I believe in miracles. And I am very proud of myself. I am my own hero.

I believe that my family and I do not have to suffer. I always believed there will be abundant wealth enough for us. I knew we will make it through.

And we have done so. True to my belief, we have done so.

I thank God for the miracles blessed upon us. I know my eventual destination, and I know I will get there too.

A Dagger To The Back

How does it feel like to have someone use your name to create bad, and subsequently portray his good facade to cover the shit that has my name all over it? In other words, saving his reputation at the expense of the good of mine.

It's happened to me too many times, particularly in this job. I can't even describe the breed of humans that make up the management team. Do they even exist outside of this office?

How do you deal with such creatures? Do you stab them from the back too - literally, maybe?

I don't do that. Such cowardly actions are only for bastards, or their breed.

My name is a sacred valuable asset in my life. If someone else tarnishes it with his bucket of soil, that someone will have to pay for it.

I'll have to start with clearing my name for now.

Bastards, the whole lot of them.

Bummer.

Work sucks, period.

A Short History Lesson For Today

Hugh Jackman was born in 1968.

The Greek tanker Spyros exploded in Jurong Shipyard in 1978.

In 1492 Christopher Columbus reached America.

In 1810 the Bavarian royal family invite the citizens of Munich to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Louis to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, this initiating the first Oktoberfest in Germany.

Luciano Pavarotti was born in 1935.

30 years ago, I was born in a Serangoon Gardens nursing home :)

I'm filled with gratitude for what's been given to me all this while. So I'm gonna sleep now, and wake up to a much brighter and splendid day tomorrow - one of only an infinite many to come.

A Sweet Start To The Day

Thank you. Yes, YOU! :)

You started my day nicely. You should know your smile never fails to make me feel good. And even though it was just a few minutes worth, it was enough to fill me with goodness for the whole day.

So thank you again for your smiles. It's certainly priceless.

Take care at work Gladys! :)

Come Along With Me And Imagine...

Let's take a moment out of our busy daily schedule and imagine what it would be like living a life of our dreams. Visualize us living that lifestyle. Believe in yourself that you are already having that lifestyle.

Sounds kiddish? To most, yeah. But this is what I practice everyday. Yea I get ridiculous looks, I get laughed at, and to some extent, thought to be cuckoo.

The power of imagination combined with belief is a very, very powerful tool in life. Not only do they help you feel better throughout, but if done without any doubt, is just like a wish that will ultimately come true.

Small miracles have been occurring in my life recently. One being while waiting for the bus, my friend was going "it's going to be a long wait". I put my imagination to work and visualized the bus heading our way, believed it is happening, and told my friend "our bus will be next".

True enough, it was.

On another instance, we were again waiting for the bus and he was again complaining it was going to be a long wait. I told him the bus will come after I go to the store and got myself a can of soda.

True enough, the bus came after I finished my drink.

Coincidence? Probably. But it did make me feel extremely good (and slightly powerful).

I'm taking this power on a bigger scale. Imagining a successful life with my Internet Marketing business. Imagine that.. having the freedom to work on your own, and reaping in the big cash rewards. Here is what I imagine and belief:

1) I am working from home very comfortably and happily
2) I am earning an average of $10k a month
3) I drive a white Audi A4
4) I have a Sentosa Cove apartment

Go ahead and call me delusional, but it won't change my principal in life. This is how I plan my future and make it come true.

I have 2 vision boards in my room today. One just above my monitor where I do my work, and another just beside my bed. What are vision boards?

I bought 2 cork notice boards from Daiso and pin pictures or symbols of the things I want in life. For example, I have pictures of the Audi A4 on it. I even have a cheque that I wrote for myself worth $10k.

So every time I do my work or am about to go to sleep, I will stare at the vision board - part of me reminding myself these are what I am working for, and part of me saying I believe I own them already.

For the moment in time, this is what I am living for. This is the only thing I have in mind :)

The great James Ingram says in his song:

Don't be afraid,
I can meet you halfway,
We can't always know where the road ends up,
But with some luck I know we can go,
Wherever we imagine.

An Argument: Being Employed vs Working On Your Own

I was just sitting and discussing with a friend of mine about work, the fragile economy, and life as a whole. It got interesting when we started about work, because unlike me (well, the present me), this friend here is self-employed.

He started off telling me he was finishing his work soon, and heading home in a few. So I asked him "So John, what do you do after work?", and he says "Spend time with my whole family, meet up with neighbours and friends, walk around and shop around.".

That's a beautiful life, I told him. It's always pleasant to have enough time to enjoy life. And unlike most of us, he doesn't have to ask for permission to leave earlier, or come later for work. He IS his own dictator. That's what I feel is the ideal way of life.

It is of no use having a good job title, earning a high salary, and being the darling of the office if you have to sacrifice your good life - and by that I mean losing your time to enjoy life, lacking time to enjoy the company of your friends and family, and not having the time to even enjoy the high salary that you earn from the hours you spend in the office.

To me, working life is the same as selling yourself for a price. The price being the salary that is being paid to you. And once you are paid the price, you are automatically under the company's ownership.

I have always found the debate on working for a company versus being self-employed interesting. On one side, people assume the stability of being employed by others is what makes a day job ideal. On the other half (of which I have always been on), I find the chance to enjoy a better quality life is far more precious than whatever price you are paid for your salary.

Now, I'm not saying I don't want to work hard. But think about this - if you are given a chance to get both a relatively good income PLUS the ability to enjoy it, would you think twice? And here's another notion - stability in a job? You must be living in the pre-2k era if you think so. These days, employees can switch from being an asset to becoming a liability in just a flash.

So if you are employed now, earning a high salary, but are not happy with the quality of your life, don't you think it's time you reassess your life plan? The new year is just 2 months away. It is time we make our move towards a better life :)

Let's Go Ahead And Dream..Then Go Get It!

Here's my next car:


A white Audi A4 2.0. Such a pretty picture isn't it? The beauty of the car set against a dark gloomy background. It could well represent the beauty of my dream at the center of my life amidst the dark surrounding me.

I know I can do this. Because I know believing is a powerful tool to achieving.

..when you doubt your success, you're as good as having failed.

So what do you want in life? And more importantly, have you believed in it?

Your Goals, And The Wonders Of Multiplication

It's 1am, but I felt inspired to write to you regarding a subject that may be dear to you. It's about all of the dreams you have, the goals you wish to achieve. But let's take it a step further. How about we talk about your dreams that WILL come true, and the goals you WILL achieve.

Don't get into that apprehensive state of mind. It's all too easy to think of the obstacles you may face in the pursuit of your wants. It's too easy to say to yourself "Nah, I won't be able to achieve that." What you may not know, is when you do that, you've effectively denied yourself a destiny which involves whatever you dream of having.

Are you still with me here? I know you have your dreams which you may be shy of revealing to others. You may be keeping it in your little black box in your heart. But a brilliant idea is but a nonsense thought if you do not express it. Don't be afraid - shout out to yourself what you really want. Out loud. Then repeat a few times, everyday.

Let's take a look at a scenario, of me targeting sales each month. I just had the thought of achieving a $9,000 pay cheque each month. Sounds huge doesn't it? Unachievable? Far-fetched? Yea.. I know all those comments will ring around me. Of course that amount looks big if you look at it from a single point of view. Let us widen the horizon this way:

Step 1: To achieve $9,000 a month, I will create 3 separate sales campaigns. Split that $9k, and I am looking at a $3,000 a month target per sales campaign.

Step 2: To achieve $3,000 in a 30-day month, it effectively means targeting $100 a day. Not necessarily consistently, but on average a zone between $70-$140.

Step 3: How do I get the $100 a day? Commissions can run high in Internet Marketing. Promoting products with a sales commission of $35 means 3 sales to getting a $100 day.

3 sales a day.. Reasonable ain't it? :)

Do you see the magic of multiplication at work there? From a hugely optimistic goal, we dissect it and mince up the work into smaller goals. They will then automatically multiply into the original huge goal we have.

I urge you to go back to your dreams and goals, and visualize how you will get there AND how you WILL BE when you are there. The latter is important in that it is the key to the former :)

Alright, I'm sorry if I sound a little preachy at this hour, but I truly hope this has been some substance for you in your course of life.

Right now, I have a cheque for $10,000 which I will stare at, visualize how I will get and use it, right till the moment I fall asleep.

Done With Race Day. On With My Personal Race.

And so the Singapore GP has ended. 3 tiring but extremely exciting nights. It was a first experience for me, and coupled with the fact that I bought the tickets from my sales proceeds, it was daaaammmnnnn rewarding.

And yes! Renault and Alonso won! For the first time this year, and in front of my own eyes!! Not many were supporting them. I didn't have my Renault shirt, but dressed in yellow for the qualifiers and the race, I distinguished myself as a loyal fan haha. A triumphant fan.

2 more days to go till festivities. Spring cleaning is the order for the day, followed by some last minute groceries. Not shopping.. groceries. I'm advocating a minimalist celebration this year to my family.

I've just heard from a childhood buddy of mine that his business is booming. He's just gone full-time with his wedding photography business, and boy is he over the moon with his monthly sales. Much better than when he's working.

Many people fear the insecurities of working on their own. Many people still depend on others to give them jobs and pay them monthly. This is how it should be, anyway. I'm not saying everyone should stop working their jobs and work on their own - the world will just not turn that way.

But if you want more than what you are getting now, don't simply be contented. If you want your dreams and goals to appear before you, work towards your one moment in time and you'll eventually get there.