Tim: Black, White and 9

Do we build a happier society together, by making us all happy together, or to really exploit everything that makes us unhappy, and even more puzzled in our minds? Let's appreciate the finer things in life, and to live simply as life goes. I think nothing is more beautiful than kinship, followed by friendship. If we have lots of friends by our side, then it would be happy for all of us in the world.

It's 1 September 2011.  Tomorrow's Teachers' Day for Singapore, while World Teachers' Day falls on 5 September. Nevertheless... I should say, now I understand the significance of Teachers' Day better. I used to be a teacher myself, as a volunteer adjunct teacher in a special education school in Singapore. I enjoyed the teaching, I enjoyed interacting with students, and I try to work to improve both my students' abilities (while recognizing their limitations) and also mine. In addition, from my limited experience, I recognize that no matter how well trained teachers are, teachers will never be 'super-people'. There is always this feeling of failure and rejection amongst teachers. This is especially so for the era of standardized tests, greater income disparities and most important of all, globalization through the spread of information and communication technologies. They increase the cost of failure, and add to the stresses of work as a teacher.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.    - Winston Churchill Power is the ability of one's ability to control its environment, including its behaviour to control the other entitles, as defined in Wikipedia (actually,  Greiner & Schein)  Indeed, everyone who understands the necessity of hardships, and have the ability to overcome them, can indeed overcome everything that stands in place in him. But some people just aren't able to internally process power. With power, the environment can be modified for the benefit of the wider community. Some contribute to the community, some contribute to a disadvantaged group, while others focus on empowering people around the world.  Unfortunately, some things tend to grind more than help people, some ideas distract more than focus the group's common objective, and some people just do not have the ability to make the best use out of everything they have - including the

I had a 21st birthday yesterday. What did you had as your 21st birthday? At the night before my 21st, I was attending Darren's b'day party - thank you Darren for really having a great party near Town, in your school. I am really happy, got to meet new and old friends, surprised at the change in some friends. I didn't know, for example, my old mate in Infocomm Club, Zheng Han took up dancing, and became a backup dancer for a pop star. (He's that guy with the black tank top) I also didn't know that the main star of the Party, Darren (he's just beside me on the photo!), is really serious and motivated, in everything he does! I am also  pleased that some interests do not change. For example, the guy 'formerly' (and to me, still) known as Jia Fu (in the light-blue polo shirt), who was my favorite classmate and showed up for the party, still joked - while my old classmate Michelle looked as beautiful and confident, as she was 5-8 years ago. Then

I have the feeling that United States are going through what Japan had gone through in the 1990's, only with much worse international effects... But what's hopeful is that, the world will definitely not let United States fail! Especially for China, which owns around US$900 billion of bonds - much lesser if not for possible political leverage.

At the back of my mind, I can tell you the most competitive person in NBA history: the guy who lost 2 NBA Finals called LeBron Raymone James. I knew he is competitive, even without even Tweeting to him or reading his book, because he appears to do the 'right' things that keeps him in position in winning the rest of his world. I saw a picture of James wearing a Yankee hat. James is born and raised in Ohio, so I thought, out of local pride, he should support a Ohio-based baseball team, like the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. No - he supports the New York Yankees with their 27 world titles, and their huge success in the late 1990's, when he first encountered sports. He only desires victories, nothing else. It's also noted in Wikipedia that he supports the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Cowboys - the most successful teams in the same period. James appeared on Vogue, hosted a Saturday Night Live show, owns part of Liverpool F.C. and most importantly, earned the m

I think that Wal-Mart was (in the past 30 years), and still is, the greatest retail company on Earth. They are the only hypermarket, or 'supercenter', that defines all-in-one-stop retail. It stemmed from a visit to Wuhan, China not too long ago, when I met the friendliest 'associates' and the cheapest goods, in a nondescript setting in a central city, even more so than the friendliest in Singapore. Never mess with Wal-Mart! They have a strong central management system, they invest a lot in both human capital and investment. They got the Walton International Scholars Program.  They also have the  IBM 370/135  computer system, leased. The result? T hey serve to increase the economies of scale Wal-Mart can use to have savings to pass on to consumers - $700 million currently. For now, Wal-Mart just seemed to have a PR problem in sexual equality, which, in my opinion, seems to be overblown. Wal-Mart was embroiled in a lawsuit against former employees, for cha

Very few people see the Greek crisis not as a 'debt crisis', but as a crisis where different brothers of a family fight for the same stuff that feeds them in the great financial famine, like I do. Do you know that France, Germany and Britain hold together hold 62% of the total Greek external bank loans? And they make up 100 billion dollars. Is this the debt crisis we are hearing? Greece owing some country large sums of money? But who are the countries that Greece owed to? Greece is owing money to its very own European nations - and not to some foreign countries like China, India or United States. Only then, will the world be really stuck in a systemic crisis. I do not have material evidence, but I think Portugal, Italy and Spain have similar issues as Greece. Added with Greece's woes in governance, I do not think the situation in Greece will improve.