"Love our time"

Many would have seen this advertisement if they had been watching TV recently. I personally found the little girl in it super cute, many will agree with me too.

For those who do not understand mandarin, it goes something like this:

The little girl asks, "Daddy are you going for work later?"

Daddy replies, "Girl, Daddy do not need to work today."

Then the girl says, "I love to come and have breakfast here."

Daddy asks, "Why?"

The little girl replies, "Because if we come here, then daddy do not need to go to work."


We all know that it is because the dad does not have to work that's why he can afford the time to bring his daugther out for breakfast at Macs; but to the innocent little girl, she thought that it is because of eating breakfast at Macs, that her dad do not have to go to work. I found this advertisement very nice and quite heart warming, and I took notice of this ad purely because I was charmed by the cute little girl.

However each time I watched it, new thoughts and emotions comes to me. Though this commercial portrayed a very light hearted side to the story, but it is the deeper meaning behind the the commercial that struck a cord with me after watching it several times(still captivated by the small girl each time though).

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? Having a family, with a kid or 2 probably? (maybe one as cute or cuter than the little girl) But how many of us will be able to have the time to bring our children out for breakfast every morning? Or for those still single, to have the time to go out as and when you want to and to do the things you love when you are still young?

If I were the daddy in the show, I would probably be feeling a little emo and sad when my daughter says the above to me. Probably the daddy loves to bring his little girl out, but cannot do so, usually because of work.

I am not saying working is no good, but how many of us would like a life and time controlled by ourselves and not work? Or even better, to achieve financial freedom early, when you are still young, when your kid is still young, so that you can spend more time with them during their developmental years when they are the most impressionable? Or for those single, to travel the world before your bones starts aching when you walk?

I do not wish in future to hear my kid tell me the same thing as in the commercial. It would mean that I am still a slave to life. The commercial is light hearted, but it really tells a very grim story behind it, one that 70% of us are living in.

Start planning and think about your future now, it is never too early, even small steps a time makes a big difference in the long run.


P.S: Don't think buying TOTO can solve all your problems =)

OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE

Take a moment and read out loud the title of this post to yourself.
.
.
.

So how did you pronounce or read it?

1. Opportunity is No Where

or

2. Opportunity is Now Here

The interpretation of that phrase depends greatly on your outlook on life!

Think to yourself, and review your life as it is to date. Then where do you want to go from here?


P.S: Are you someone positive or negative? Do you see opportunities or obstacles?

"you cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

---Adrian Rogers---

Grow yourself so you’re bigger than any problem.

Imagine a “Level 2” person looking at a “Level 5” problem. Does this problem appear to be big or small? From a Level 2 perspective, a Level 5 problem would seem HUGE. How would it look to, say, a “Level 8” person? The same problem would seem small. To a “Level 10” person? NO problem at all. It’s just an everyday occurrence, like brushing your teeth.

It’s not a special skill that separates rich from poor, but a simple yet profound understanding—if you’re breathing, you will always have situations that aren’t perfect. Therefore, the size of the problem is never the problem. It’s always the size of you!

The bigger problems you can handle; the bigger business you can handle; the bigger responsibilities you can handle, the more customers you can handle, and the more money and wealth you can handle. Your income can only grow to the extent that you do!


P.S: The above source is taken from here

Road to Champions

Just re-watched this video I made 2 years ago after we won; re-posted thanks to LZM. Don't think I posted this on this blog before.

Really makes me want to do it over again...

P.S: All cheerleaders out there jiayou and put up a ASU routine

What is the next thing to look forward to?

Chinese New Year Holidays is over so quickly...

Time to start the engines again.

There will be TWO Singapore Marathons this year

I started to take an interest in running; and 1 of my resolution is to run a marathon this year.

This is why this particular news caught my ear on radio this morning; It was on the radio and newspapers today. Apparently there will be 2 marathon on the same day 5th December this year; 1 organised by Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the other by Singapore Atheletics Association (SAA).

It is an interesting piece of news to me, not only because I want to join a marathon this year, but because it also bears a very similar resemblance to another issue close to my heart.

You can read below (I copied and paste for you) or check out this link:


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There will be TWO Singapore Marathons this year

Yes you heard me right, one marathon will be organised by SSC (Singapore Sport Council), while the other by SAA (Singapore Athletics Association).

Why?
Well for those not in the loop, there’s a SSC vs SAA tussle, and it all slowly started last year as the rift between the council and association began.

And now it has come to this. Last year SSC announced it will not renew their partnership agreement for the Singapore Marathon.

With the split SAA is at the losing end, as previously they earned close to $1.6 million over the last two years being the event rights holder.

Since SAA holds the commercial rights to “Singapore Marathon” name, that means SSC had to rename their own marathon if they want to organise their own run, thus the brand new spanking “Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore”.

The previous joint marathon by SAA and SSC was named “Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon” by the way.

Not much of a name difference right?

I’m sure this will be confusing for those who are not into the gutter ‘politics’ of local athletics, but this is just one of the many turn of events that has transpired within the last year or so.

The root of the problem goes way way back of course, issues started to pile-up, and has come to a boiling point this year with the spat visibly online in the media.

I don’t know the status of SAA’s own marathon, and if they have found any sponsors yet, but SSC’s marathon is in the swing of things it seems.

They are upbeat and am confident to draw some 60,000 runners this year. The SSC’s marathon will be held on 5th December.

I’m sure SAA have yet to update their calendar for 2010, while referring to their online athletics calendar, SAA’s marathon is planned for 5th December too.

If it is indeed there’s two marathons on 5th December, then runners will be hard-pressed to choose either two.

Furthermore I did some online digging and the domain singaporemarathon.com is owned by “Prime Media Singapore“. That domain is an online prime real-estate, and I’m not sure if it’s SSC or SAA who owns the domain.

Whoever owns the domain, half the battle is won itself, as people in Singapore are used to registering and referring to the site to find information regarding the Singapore Marathon.

Plus it ranks high on search-engines for the keyword “Singapore Marathon”, essential in getting international hits and potential registrants from all over the world.

The important question now is of course which marathon will you join.
I’m sure the timing needs to be right for the organisers to grab hold as many participants to cover their cost.

Despite having two local marathons, who would want to run two marathons in a short span of time successive after another.

It’s like the Olympics, can you remember the silver medalist at last year’s 100m men’s event in Beijing. No right, but we all remembered Usain Bolt.

The same analogy applies to the upcoming two marathons in Singapore, which one will be the ultimate gold winner, and the other the forgotten one.

Personally I would pick SSC’s “Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore”.

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Now SSC has the support and sponsorship of Standard Chartered Bank, while SAA has nothing yet. It seems straight forward choice to me if I had to choose 1 between the 2 to join. I would definetely go for the 1 with better backing, better prestige, better reputation, better trustworthiness and better organized. Do I even have to spell out which 1 it is?


P.S: Never mess around with any .gov body.

Your deepest fear

Recently I have seen this passage again,
(A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3]) on a couple of blog.

Each time I read it in the past and then now again, I get different messages and lessons out of it. It is truely one of my favorite.

Just to take out a few lines which stands out to me this time:

"Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."

You see, we are all meant to do our best, this is the only way we can give light to others to shine as well. Please never ever think of lowering your own standards, so as to feel at ease among everyone; do not play small.


P.S: If we all set the standards, as we liberate ourselves; then one day everyone else will see the light and be automatically liberated.

Time and tide wait for no man

For those who watch the English Premier League:

Do you see Hull City player complaining that Manchester Utd or Chelsea got better training grounds and facilities; and that is why they win most of the times?

If you want better training facilities, you have to earn it, and no one is stopping you from getting them. It's just a matter of whether you have the capabilities to get them or not.

End of the day "A Gan" is "A Gan", just play it like a man. With the right mentality, every team is capable of beating any team, even Man Utd or Chelsea. No single pair of boots in the world is going to make you the best player without working hard.


P.S: It does not mean that if 1 team in the Premier League is playing on a sandy pitch; then all has to convert their pitch into a sandy one. The only way to progress is to progress. Time and Tide wait for no one.

My Favorite Performance

Have some spare time and was watching through the HO videos one by one. 1 thing that is consistent with all the halls is the the standard had raised alot since I started cheer.

The "nostalgic me" decided to whip out some old videos and watch. Alot of fond memories came flooding into my mind as I watched. I have to say that I do miss stepping onto the mats and performing, especially on the big occassions.

One video that I decide to re-watch a few times had to be the Performance for Project Super Star Finals. This was without doubt one of my most memorable performance, even though it is not a competition.



It was a performance in front of thousands of people screaming for us (or also for Diya). The crowd was all around in the stands of the Indoor Stadium. It was always a great feeling performing in a stadium, with people in the stands all around cheering. It is very different from the usual performances outdoors, on a stage, in schools, in hotels or shopping centres etc. Those who had performed with me in Project Super Star Finals, or those who had been to overseas competition before can tell you exactly how SHIOK it is performing in an Indoor Stadium.

One more reason that makes it even more memorable was because it had media coverage from Media Corp. How cool can that be right. It was considered my first time on air; had to keep making sure my hair was tidy, haha. How I wish that our local cheerleading Nationals Competition will get to have more and more media coverage; then it can create a larger awareness and more people will join the sport, subsequently the sport will grow. Maybe even the atheletes of YOG might consider joining cheerleading when they get older after watching cheerleading on TV (As I said this I am more of hoping to get the attention of gymnasts, as they usually retire from the top level once they past their youth, to come join cheerleading - soccer players also not bad, haha, if you know what I mean).

Cheerleaders now are really fortunate, spoilt with the best choices out there. Dream can become Reality if we go down the right road.


P.S: We need the energies of everyone together now

Play with the best or play with the rest?

I choose playing with the best.