Strengthsfinder 2.0

Many people truly believe in nasihat like "you can achieve anything if you try hard (enough)" as we grown up. Movies of underdog outperform favorite always the bestseller.

Instinctively, I just can't figure out why am I feel odd for this. I put in some thought before and also posted on my facebook status. I also wrote something like
THIS, tHiS and thIS in my old entries. Over time, my thought was swinging back and forth.



Last month I read a book called Strengthsfinder 2.0...I instantly knew that was an answer I am looking for when I read it. There is no old maxim of trying hard enough and you can be anything. Instead, it says:

You cannot be anything you want to be -- but you can be a lot more of who you already are.

It contains extra respect and recognize no one will achieve the same magnitude with the same method using the same way of measurement. If one is to say this is a successful life as a whole, it must be the way you approach your life with utter respect and dignity, live fully to the potential of life with resources and chances available, which is different to everyone.

I know there is a lot of motivation camp for sales, marketing or financial planner. But one thing I really don't like is (at least that's an impression / bias I have), they always employ one method and apply to all different individual. Trying hard and keep trying with more determination is a recipe for success. I agree they are valuable strength, however, not supposed to be misplaced.

If you are a bird, then flip your wing hard and fly high; If you are a horse, then gallop and run fast; If you are a fish, then swim fast and swim deep.

If flying is not your natural talent or strength, ie, not a bird, you don't have to feel inferior just because you can't fly. Even with the athleticism of Michael Jordan, he can't replicate his achievement in baseball, why?

The most important thing is to know who you (already) are, what you can do well and what you can't.

Then develop according to your own strengths, and be determined.

Facebook mania

There is a lot about Facebook these days. Including 2 recent movies on Facebook.

Yesterday, I saw a 400-500 pages hardcover book on Facebook at Kinokuniya, placed besides books like The Toyota Way and Googled: The End of the World As We Know It

I drown on three Facebook games before, one of it was the recent EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars....and painfully quit all of them. I am glad I didn't jump on the bandwagon when I came across Mafia War. This is one Facebook game that raised its rank and make it to the TIME magazine.

Most of these games were dumb but for some strange reason you just get addicted to it. Besides punctually log in to maintain your strength / lives / refill / training / workout etc so that you will be upgraded, there is nothing much to do. Occasionally you got one bonus like a super duper privileged item that none of your friend has, and make you proud for 2 days.

Then you found they got it for free on the 3rd day.

How far a Facebook game can bring us to? I am not too sure, but this is really funny.

腐竹白果薏米

最近好像很容易吃到令人火大的东西。

（又是）很想吃腐竹白果薏米，就跑到liang seah street的阿秋甜品去。那算是很不错的糖水铺了。因为在公司附近，偶尔会去吃。

腐竹白果薏米来了，跟左图一样。

......我以为我点的是杨枝甘露。不是应该奶白色，或清清的但有很多腐竹碎的吗？

好啦，是我山芭佬，人家白果很多，所以黄黄的，不可以咩。我第一口下去，只尝到糖的甜味，一点薏米的味道都没有。就算我不以貌取人，这..这，这叫人怎么相信它就是腐竹白果薏米呢？真是让人哑口无言。

那把火就上来了，把白果和薏米吃完（那个很难弄错），那碗“糖水”我原封不动留下来，到对面去吃他对手的腐竹白果薏米。

<记得食>的腐竹白果薏米来了，跟右图一样。

天啊，有很难咩。这才是腐竹白果薏米嘛。

沽名钓誉福南荣记

昨天好想吃怡保鸡丝河粉，听说福南荣记卖怡保河粉比我吃怡保河粉还久，就去试试看。

我吃怡保河粉快三十年，还没见过那种怡保鸡丝河粉。招牌上的河粉，我一个都不认识。好好的怡保河粉，从1955年搞到现在，一撇席。当然，餐牌上写明了IPOH HO FUN the Singapore way，还加上了自制的酱。

看到这里我就气，用了自己独创的酱，换了汤，加了不同的配料，你就叫荣记河粉好了，不要再怡保什么的。怡保没有人吃干捞鸡丝河粉，而且只用白鸡，不用油鸡，只用虾壳熬过的汤头，也不跟冬菇豆腐一起吃。

联合晚报　Review　　写 “...入口即化的怡保河粉，满足味蕾的一大享受。” 写的人没吃过怡保的怡保河粉，随随便便就觉得那是传说中的入口即化，真是开玩笑。荣记河粉（我不会再叫怡保）比新加坡其他地方的河粉幼，有怡保河粉的样子，可是没有怡保河粉的滑嫩。当然这是各有所爱，可能也比较适合这里的口味，但请不要再沾怡保鸡丝河粉的光。

因为荣记河粉不是怡保鸡丝河粉。

这是怡保人我讲的。

岁月

当我们无法再熬夜到三点的时候。
当我们不再爱喝汽水的时候。
当我们的额头越来越光亮的时候。
当我们的法令纹越来越明显的时候。
当我们更努力才能维持腹肌的时候。
当我们的腰部久坐会痛的时候。
当我们的背肩站久会酸的时候。
当我们的伤口愈合缓慢的时候。
当我们打篮球转身甩不掉防守的时候。
当我们百米冲刺慢五米的时候。

那代表岁月悄悄地追上来了。

Dhaka 3

If I were to describe Dhaka, the title of incredible should not belongs to India.

This is the road in front of my hotel...yes, these were those hon and siren.



If you think Bangkok has bad traffic, at least they congested only with vehicles. Here, can you see the people walking in between fast moving car? They can judge the space and time better than anyone!!



It happened all day long, including night. As Dhaka is facing power shortage since July, most of the street were not light up. The people are invisible at night.

I didn't see any accident in 2 days. Amazing.

The amazement should extend to the public bus, which stop in the middle of the road (you see why the traffic is bad?) to drop the passenger when it is full, to prevent more passenger on board. but nothing can stop them. They chase, run, catch, trying to hold any part of the bus with their life. A moving bus cannot change their determination to board.

I saw one like a "trail" of people besides / behind a moving bus after that was already 50m away from the bus stop. That fellow was dragged on the road with his legs down, then the bus slowing down, so he was back with his foot again, eventually he jumped on it and got the ride.



There were also a lot of beggars knocking on the window asking for money. And many of them were naked or half naked, even the normal road crosser, many wear only sarung (I bet without underwear). I saw one guy scratching his buddy and witness the flash of genius. Yes. In the middle of a cross road.

I stay in a nice room, I eat in a nice restaurant, I complaint the crowded MRT and Bugis village. I will think of Dhaka the next time I complaint, for awhile, but maybe not too much. I empathize them but will not feel blessed myself just because I have a better life than them.

We live in a different world.

Dhaka 2

It is probably my own problem because living in Dhaka city alone is very stress.

The stress originated from too many nothing-better-to-do people staring at you. And too many people doing too little things or even nothing gets done.

We left the hotel at 11am, and back in hotel for dinner at 630pm. There were bloody >6 hours and actually the most productive period was that one hour in 2-3pm. We spent most of our time talking, stuck in the traffic and even more waiting for something (to happen). We even didn't have time for lunch. (?!?!)

Even during that hour when I am fully focus on my job, at least 5 people were surrounding me in that room, and a lot of people moving in and out that room. For those staying, they were either blocking my way while chit chatting, or they were not blocking my way chit chatting.

For those neither, they were blocking my way when they stared at me doing the job. They will stick out their bloody head want to see it (and block my view), or they will stick out their bloody hand to touch it (and mess up my calibration). They certainly placed their curiosity higher priority than for me to get the job done.

The best part was, I asked for a scissors they gave me a plier; I asked for a pen knife they gave me a used surgery blade without handle (I dunno what the blade cut before!! heart? brain? HIV tissue? Hep B+ liver?). And they all stared at me using 2 fingers holding the 1 inch surgery blade to cut open the tape seal on the boxes.

Now is 930pm local time, the hon and siren are simply unbearable.

I miss home already.

Dhaka

I am having a Bangladeshi-flavor moon cake festival in Dhaka.

Checked in the hotel at around 1230am last night. I can't sleep well because the siren and hon from the road started waking me up at 630am. Non-stop since, so I decided to wake up around 8am, damn it.

The expressway and city area is probably the main connection to all area around Dhaka. It was an expressway shared by trucks, city buses, cars, green mini-tutu-bike (don't know what it called) and 3-wheels-bicycle carrying many kilograms of kuli-bao.



Unlike Pakistan, here got no good mango. juice. or dessert. Not sure what to expect from everyday meal, I have mango-meal 3 times a day in Pakistan and Manila. Don't know any local signature fruit or food so far, except the "fried rice" that was just plain rice that were fried. Not very imaginative.

Have not had any real impression to Dhaka yet but it got a bad start because I have to spent my mid-autumn here. I read their newspaper and found this "funny" editorial column talking about the anthrax threat in Bangladesh that spread via the beef. The author said something along this line:

"...when the ministry suggest the people microwave-cook all the beef for meal probably don't know most of his people in rural area cannot afford the microwave....When you got headache, chop your head off so you don't have headache."

Bangkok

When I am still over-clocking my brain to sort out several personal matters, I have duty in Bangkok for 3 days.

At least the hotel view temporarily make me relax. The day and night view from 24th floor of Lebua Hotel at State Tower.





For an equivalent room-type, it is 1/3 the price compared to Shangri-La. I bet Shangri-La don't even include your breakfast and internet in their package. Ban Shangri-La.

Dear Bangkok is a damn busy place with incredible traffic. It is plain tough to drive there. The traffic drama reached its peak on my way to Airport, where the expressway was jammed like city central. Police on duty during off peak hour at 3pm to control the expressway traffic. It took me 90 minutes to go Airport for a 30 minutes journey. Sweat.

I walked along the street to find cheap thai massage, unfortunately, there is no 150 baht massage if Shangri-La is nearby, so sorry. I settled for a 300 baht one for 60minutes, and quickly back in hotel to clear my emails so that it doesn't drown me on Monday next week.

The truth

The truth is, disappointing.

So, plan B now.