My first post for the first month of Y2009.
My company will be eliminating up to 5,000 positions in R&D, marketing, sales, finance, LCA, HR, and IT over the next 18 months, of which 1,400 will occur today (Jan 23rd). Our net headcount in these functions will decline by 2,000 to 3,000 over the next 18 months. In addition, our workforce in support, consulting, operations, billing, manufacturing, and data center operations will continue to change in direct response to customer needs.
A depressing news - nevertheless, it's reality we are now looking at in the current bleak economy situation.
Just keep fingers crossed on this.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, November 14, 2008
3900 Saturdays and counting
That is why I LUVVVVVVVVVVVV Saturdays!!
-----------------------------------------
3900 Saturdays
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the
quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's
the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first
few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup
of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as
a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life
seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio
in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I
came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a
golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the
broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with
something about 'a thousand marbles.' I was intrigued and stopped to
listen to what he had to say
'Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they
pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your
family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work
sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you
missed your daughter's 'dance recital' he continued. ;'Let me tell you
something that has helped me keep my own priorities.' And that's when he
began to explain his theory of a 'thousand marbles.'
'You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average
person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some
live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
'Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is
the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire
lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in
any detail', he went on, 'and by that time I had lived through over
twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.' 'I got to thinking that if I lived to
be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So
I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended
up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles I took them
home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in
the shack next to my gear.'
'Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it
away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on
the really important things in life.
There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to
help get your priorities straight.'
'Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take
my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last
marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next
Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing
we can all use is a little more time.'
'It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your
family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75
Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!'
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off
I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on
the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few
hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. 'C'mon honey,
I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast.' 'What brought this on?' she
asked with a smile. 'Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time
since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop
at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.
-----------------------------------------
3900 Saturdays
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the
quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's
the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first
few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup
of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as
a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life
seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio
in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I
came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a
golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the
broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with
something about 'a thousand marbles.' I was intrigued and stopped to
listen to what he had to say
'Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they
pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your
family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work
sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you
missed your daughter's 'dance recital' he continued. ;'Let me tell you
something that has helped me keep my own priorities.' And that's when he
began to explain his theory of a 'thousand marbles.'
'You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average
person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some
live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
'Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is
the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire
lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in
any detail', he went on, 'and by that time I had lived through over
twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.' 'I got to thinking that if I lived to
be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So
I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended
up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles I took them
home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in
the shack next to my gear.'
'Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it
away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on
the really important things in life.
There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to
help get your priorities straight.'
'Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take
my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last
marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next
Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing
we can all use is a little more time.'
'It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your
family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75
Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!'
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off
I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on
the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few
hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. 'C'mon honey,
I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast.' 'What brought this on?' she
asked with a smile. 'Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time
since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop
at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Now we know why Man's Life is Tough!
We asked for it and God give to those who asked. So be careful what U ask from God and be happy with what U'd already hv from God.
When God created the donkey, he said to him.
"You will be a donkey. You will work un-tiringly from sunrise to sunset carrying burdens on your back. You will eat grass, you will have no intelligence and you will live 50 years."
The donkey answered:
"I will be a donkey, but to live 50 years is much. Give me only 20 years"
God granted his wish.
.....................................................................
When God created the dog, he said to him:
"You will guard the house of man. You will be his best Friend.
You will eat the scraps that he gives you and you will live 30 years.
You will be a dog. "
The dog answered:
"Sir, to live 30 years is too much,give me only 15 years.
" God granted his wish.
.........................................................................
Then God created the monkey
and said to him:
"You will be a monkey. You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks.
You will be amusing and you will live 20 years. "
The monkey answered:
"To live 20 years is too much, give me only 10 years."
God granted his wish.
.....................................................................
Finally God created man...
and said to him:
"You will be man, the only rational creature on the face of the earth.
You will use your intelligence to become master over all the animals. You will dominate the world and you will live 20 years."
Man responded:
"Sir, I will be a man but to live only 20 years is very little,
give me the 30 years that the donkey refused, the 15 years that the dog did not want and the 10 years the monkey refused.
" God granted man's wish
.................................................................
And since then, man lives 20Â years as a man , marries and spends 30 years like a donkey, working and carrying all the burdens on his back.
Then when his children are grown, he lives 15 years like a dog taking care of the house and eating whatever is given to him by his kids.
When he is old, he can retire and live 10 years like a monkey, going from house to house and from one son or daughter to another doing tricks to amuse his grandchildren.
That's Life.
When God created the donkey, he said to him.
"You will be a donkey. You will work un-tiringly from sunrise to sunset carrying burdens on your back. You will eat grass, you will have no intelligence and you will live 50 years."
The donkey answered:
"I will be a donkey, but to live 50 years is much. Give me only 20 years"
God granted his wish.
.....................................................................
When God created the dog, he said to him:
"You will guard the house of man. You will be his best Friend.
You will eat the scraps that he gives you and you will live 30 years.
You will be a dog. "
The dog answered:
"Sir, to live 30 years is too much,give me only 15 years.
" God granted his wish.
.........................................................................
Then God created the monkey
and said to him:
"You will be a monkey. You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks.
You will be amusing and you will live 20 years. "
The monkey answered:
"To live 20 years is too much, give me only 10 years."
God granted his wish.
.....................................................................
Finally God created man...
and said to him:
"You will be man, the only rational creature on the face of the earth.
You will use your intelligence to become master over all the animals. You will dominate the world and you will live 20 years."
Man responded:
"Sir, I will be a man but to live only 20 years is very little,
give me the 30 years that the donkey refused, the 15 years that the dog did not want and the 10 years the monkey refused.
" God granted man's wish
.................................................................
And since then, man lives 20Â years as a man , marries and spends 30 years like a donkey, working and carrying all the burdens on his back.
Then when his children are grown, he lives 15 years like a dog taking care of the house and eating whatever is given to him by his kids.
When he is old, he can retire and live 10 years like a monkey, going from house to house and from one son or daughter to another doing tricks to amuse his grandchildren.
That's Life.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
My Management Lesson 101
For months, I have been trying to convince myself that perhaps I'm meant to be a worker (the execute and do kind), not a manager.
For those who are in a management role, I'm sure we will all agree that managing people is one of the most tedious jobs out there (at least where I'm concerned). No doubt, there are people who love it and would kill to climb up the corporate ladder to be in that management position. Guess it's just not in me (at least not yet and not for the time being). Plus the fact that I'm really getting extremely tired having to vet other people's work. (trust me, it can't be more tiring than doing nothing at all). For my own sanity purpose, I think I got to put a stop to it before it gets out of hand.
I guess it's all a learning process in the end, the take-aways that you want to see at the end of the day and the kind of manager relationship you have forged with your staff. It's not an easy job (goodness, no one said it was easy to start with).
However, I've some philosophies when it comes to work and which is very straightforward to me:
1. If your best is deemed UNACCEPTABLE all the time, you are in the wrong job or it's a total misfit.
2. If what you're doing is UNACCEPTABLE and you have said you tried your best, well,you just got to try harder.
3. It's the attitude that I'm looking at the end of the day. If you have given up on yourself, that's the end of the story. Full-stop.
The hard fact is that people who actually have a real need for supervision are doomed to menial tasks, which shouldn't be the case in the first place. For goodness' sake, all are tertiary educated and everyone is intelligent. But again, no one ever said that there are also the black sheeps among them.
For those who are in a management role, I'm sure we will all agree that managing people is one of the most tedious jobs out there (at least where I'm concerned). No doubt, there are people who love it and would kill to climb up the corporate ladder to be in that management position. Guess it's just not in me (at least not yet and not for the time being). Plus the fact that I'm really getting extremely tired having to vet other people's work. (trust me, it can't be more tiring than doing nothing at all). For my own sanity purpose, I think I got to put a stop to it before it gets out of hand.
I guess it's all a learning process in the end, the take-aways that you want to see at the end of the day and the kind of manager relationship you have forged with your staff. It's not an easy job (goodness, no one said it was easy to start with).
However, I've some philosophies when it comes to work and which is very straightforward to me:
1. If your best is deemed UNACCEPTABLE all the time, you are in the wrong job or it's a total misfit.
2. If what you're doing is UNACCEPTABLE and you have said you tried your best, well,you just got to try harder.
3. It's the attitude that I'm looking at the end of the day. If you have given up on yourself, that's the end of the story. Full-stop.
The hard fact is that people who actually have a real need for supervision are doomed to menial tasks, which shouldn't be the case in the first place. For goodness' sake, all are tertiary educated and everyone is intelligent. But again, no one ever said that there are also the black sheeps among them.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Terrible F1 Accident
I'm into cars, sports car to be specific. But I guess when it comes to racing competitively, I'm definitely not a true blue fan of the F1 race that will be kicking off in Singapore on Sep 28. Good luck to the racers this weekend!
By the way, heard there was a terrible F1 accident......check this out.
By the way, heard there was a terrible F1 accident......check this out.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Brillant Mature lady driver
A mature (over 40) lady gets pulled over for speeding...
Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer?
Officer: Ma'am, you were speeding.
Older Woman: Oh, I see.
Officer: Can I see your license please?
Older Woman: I'd give it to you but I don't have one.
Officer: Don't have one?
Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving.
Officer: I see...Can I see your vehicle registration papers please.
Older Woman: I can't do that.
Officer: Why not?
Older Woman: I stole this car.
Officer: Stole it?
Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner.
Officer: You what?
Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.
Officer 2: Ma'am, could you step out of your vehicle please! The woman steps out of her vehicle.
Older woman: Is there a problem sir?
Officer 2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner.
Older Woman: Murdered the owner?
Officer 2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please. The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.
Officer 2: Is this your car, ma'am?
Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers. The officer is quite stunned.
Officer 2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license. The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer. The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled.
Officer 2: Thank you ma'am, one of my officers told me you didn't have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner.
Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too.
Don't Mess With Mature Ladies!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Beautiful Day
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'
The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way..' What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness…. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.'
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'
The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way..' What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness…. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.'
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Another personal best...
I took part in the annual Singapore Bay Run - re-branded as the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon on Aug 24th for some mass run fun and to tour around the Bay area.
Another personal achievement of mine this year as I clocked 1 hour and 6 mins under the 10km non-competitive.
Recovering from jello legs now.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I was swept off my feet
Last evening, my gf and I were waiting for the train back home after our gym session when she raised a question out of the blue, 'Lilian, have you ever experienced love at first sight?' And it kept me pondering for the whole night.
I guess if one haven’t experienced it personally, he/she probably won't believe that Love at First Sight is real. Can one really fall in love with someone the first moment you see them or was it purely just lust or infatuation? How do we tell it is Love @ first sight?
I remembered a few years back, I met someone who literally swept me off my feet. There I was sitting in the room, waiting for the person (let's call him X) whom I was supposed to meet. I was flippng through some brochures in that tiny room and adjusting my jacket and making sure my hair was in order and not flustered when there came a knock on the door. This was followed by X walking in.
The moment X walked into the room, I was memerised by him. Everything about him from his blue neatly pressed long sleeved shirt (I'm surprised I still remember the colour of his shirt until now) which was a perfect match with the tie he wore, his tanned complexion coupled with that bright smile on his face and yes, that broad shoulders of his totally charmed me away. Or should I said, 'Swept me off my feet'.
Throughout the whole conversation, I tried to stay focus on my objective of my visit, but I guess X could sense that there was something there in the air about my uneasiness. Nevertheless, X made me felt comfortable and at ease with our chat, cracking up some jokes along the way to help ease out the tension in me. Yeah, at that moment, I was clearly enjoying every second and minute of my conversation with X and tried to catch a glimpse of his smile every few seconds. I was certain that there was something there - instant chemistry between the both of us.
Although after that meeting, X and I did manage to keep in contact, however, that feeling was very different from the first time we've met. I guess to me, it's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. As human beings, we make a prediction about what kind of relationship we could have with a person and that helps determine how much effort we are willing to put into developing a relationship. And I guess neither of us made the extra effort to develop this relationship and after sometime, the chemical reaction dissolved and we remained as friends till today with the occassionally SMS.
Recalling back my experience of 'being swept off my feet', I wonder does that equate to love @ first sight too?
I guess if one haven’t experienced it personally, he/she probably won't believe that Love at First Sight is real. Can one really fall in love with someone the first moment you see them or was it purely just lust or infatuation? How do we tell it is Love @ first sight?
I remembered a few years back, I met someone who literally swept me off my feet. There I was sitting in the room, waiting for the person (let's call him X) whom I was supposed to meet. I was flippng through some brochures in that tiny room and adjusting my jacket and making sure my hair was in order and not flustered when there came a knock on the door. This was followed by X walking in.
The moment X walked into the room, I was memerised by him. Everything about him from his blue neatly pressed long sleeved shirt (I'm surprised I still remember the colour of his shirt until now) which was a perfect match with the tie he wore, his tanned complexion coupled with that bright smile on his face and yes, that broad shoulders of his totally charmed me away. Or should I said, 'Swept me off my feet'.
Throughout the whole conversation, I tried to stay focus on my objective of my visit, but I guess X could sense that there was something there in the air about my uneasiness. Nevertheless, X made me felt comfortable and at ease with our chat, cracking up some jokes along the way to help ease out the tension in me. Yeah, at that moment, I was clearly enjoying every second and minute of my conversation with X and tried to catch a glimpse of his smile every few seconds. I was certain that there was something there - instant chemistry between the both of us.
Although after that meeting, X and I did manage to keep in contact, however, that feeling was very different from the first time we've met. I guess to me, it's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. As human beings, we make a prediction about what kind of relationship we could have with a person and that helps determine how much effort we are willing to put into developing a relationship. And I guess neither of us made the extra effort to develop this relationship and after sometime, the chemical reaction dissolved and we remained as friends till today with the occassionally SMS.
Recalling back my experience of 'being swept off my feet', I wonder does that equate to love @ first sight too?
Life and How to Survive It
An inspiring speech by Adrian Tan , a writer and a lawyer. Some of you may remember his book Teenage Textbook. I was told that this was a speech he gave to the students of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communications.
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