A recent blog post in Melissa's blog (she is a Program Manager in Outlook team at Microsoft) talked about tasks and time management in Outlook 2007 that I would like to share with you all as I guess this is quite valuable.

First about email, apply the principle of 4D (no no, not that Singapore Pool's 4D )
1. If it isn’t important, delete it.
2. If it can be done in 2 minutes or less, do it.
3. If it isn’t for you or if you can, delegate it.
4. If you need to do it, but it takes longer than 2 minutes (including reading), defer it.

In another part, she said: there are some things that I have come to realize that apply to any [time management] system:
1. Make time for e-mail.
2. Make time for managing your time – this is a hard reality that any time management system requires.
3. Be honest with yourself about what you can realistically do in a day.
4. Be honest with other people about what you can and cannot do – they will appreciate it.

Especially for the last part, some people need to learn how to say "no" to other people for unreasonable requests. Being able to say no is a hard skill to learn sometimes. Some people I know simply can't say "no" because it doesn't feel good to reject something. However, I personally like people to tell me "no" upfront when they know they can't do it already rather than say "yes" but burned themselves down in work, or even worse, when the time come to deliver, no result can be produced. What do you think?

Without dictionary, without Google, without encyclopedia, see how many you can get correctly on your spelling. The words are taken from the finals of National Spelling Bee in US.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13052666/

I got .... *drum roll pls* 0 out of 5 (yup, that's ZERO hahaha....) lost to a school kid

My feeling tells me something, but the fact doesn't seem to be anything close to what I feel. Should I continue to trust my feeling, or is it just me who think too much? I am quite confused, but probably shouldn't care too much now hehehe...

Currently feeling: indifferent

To my niece, Kylie, who is now full ONE year old, have a HAPPY HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY , though not sure how many more years until you can read this post, hahaha....

Currently feeling: excited

Today I learn to worry just enough, no need to worry too much, no need to worry unnecessarily, trust that God is in control, nothing will happen against His will and God is good, all the time

Currently feeling: silly

I was taking a cab back home from work today, and when I reached my block, as I was paying the taxi driver, I saw a message on his screen that says something like: "Please look out for a motorcycle with such and such description and a guy with so and so features, please report to some number if sighted. Suspect could be involved in a stabbing case." Woaahhh, I thought, quite scary, Singapore is safe, but there are still crime in this island-state, so we all have to take care ourselves

Another thought is how effective the police units are in Singapore, if they spread the news to every taxi drivers in Singapore, I wonder how someone can run away and not be noticed, hehehe....

Currently feeling: thirsty

Job vacancies in Avanade Singapore for those who are looking for .NET-related job.
We are actively looking for 20-25 developers skilled in C# and .NET programming with 2-3 years experience on a contract basis.

If interested, please send your resume to jobs [at] hendrikch [dot] com. Thanks.

Update: The number has been bumped up from 15-20 to 20-25  Also, fresh graduates are welcomed to apply as well, especially if you are confident that you have the necessary and relevant skills

Just a quick reminder of few things to note when submitting your resume, as I've received resumes which are still plagued by basic errors:
1. Spelling typo. Please please do a spell check before submitting. It's a simple but serious 'sin', like forgetting your lyrics in American Idol hehe...
2. Grammar and tenses. When you say you possess good English, please be sure the remaining of your resume reflects that well.
3. Don't put your whole neighbourhood in your References section. Two are sufficient.
4. Unless you really have to, please do not exceed the two pages limit. Three should be the maximum. It's a resume, not an essay.
5. A photo (of yourself of course) in your resume is recommended, so at least we know how you look like, hehe ...
Hope these helps

Check this Color Illusion out. Cool !!!

This morning, there was a slight jam in Cashew Road as there’s a tree collapsed caused by the heavy rain last night, causing three quarters of the road to be blocked. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for my 184 bus to get through the traffic jam.

In the afternoon today, I went from Tanjong Pagar to Novena since I have a meeting in Novena, then continued my work there after meeting before I headed back home. I took the MRT from Novena to Newton, then walked to the farther bus stop where I could get 700, 960, or 171 to reach home, instead of just 700 in the nearer bus stop. Not long after that I saw 960 came, but stopped at the traffic light. At that moment, a lady approached me to ask me how to go to Commonwealth or Hwa Chong. I was like, “huh?” they are totally different places, so I asked her which one she wanted to go to, which she replied Hwa Chong. Okay, so I told her she could take 171 bus to Hwa Chong. At that exact moment, 960 zoomed passed me because I didn’t wave the bus to stop. I totally forgot that I’m actually waiting for that 960 bus as I was talking to her, *haiyah* Anyway, she kinda felt a bit guilty when she saw me missing my bus, haha... but I said it’s okay.

Next are bus number 171 and 700 which came together. I took 700, but before I hopped on the bus, I looked for her, she was talking away on her phone, not realizing that bus number 171 is at the bus stop now. So I looked at her from the distance, and when she looked at me, I pointed to the bus number 171, she realized and quickly ran to the bus. The next thing I know I’m already in the bus, squeezed like fish in the bus, not sure if she managed to get her 171, but I think she did.
It’s a tiny thing, but I do feel delighted that I could help a stranger.

Another thing I realize today, travelling during office hours was quite okay, not so bad, soon I could find myself hovering around Bukit Panjang, Jurong East, Tanjong Pagar, Novena, and finally Bishan. We’ll see how it goes hehe ...

As of now, it's half time and it's Australia 0, Japan 1.

Now can I play a lot of games to sharpen my mind? hehe...

Now, besides playing lots of games, I need lots of chocolates, hahaha...

Admit it. Singaporeans aren't the most considerate of users when it comes to mobile phones. In trains, shopping malls, restaurants and even toilets and cinema halls, one of my pet peeves are people yakking loudly on their handsets (or Bluetooth headsets). What's worse, some users intentionally set their ringtone to the loudest volume and let it play for some time before answering the call, often annoying the hell out of the people around them. The proliferation of camera-phones has also led to incidents where pictures are shot without the consent of the subject.

The examples are endless. The point here, however, isn't about how much we lack proper phone etiquette, but [read more ...]

This song by Corrine May was meant for a girl, but it kinda applies to me too right now, hehe... Everybody wants a piece of me, especially at work, but that's really what I do now, multitasking madness, haha.... Too bad I can't take a trip to Singapore coz I'm already in Singapore

by: Corrine May
Title: Little Superhero girl

I feel like a little girl
Trying to conquer the whole wild world
Everybody wants a piece of me
And I just don't know where to run
I've got work piled up to my head
All I want to do is jump into bed
And wash away my troubles with lemonade
Play hide and seek with the boy next door
Take a trip to Singapore
And imagine how i'll make the world a better place

etc ...

We all are growing up day by day, each day we are molded into a better person. Lately, I thought things are getting better, well, they did, but just when I thought everything were going well, things happened both at work and in personal life, things that reminded me to keep humble, to keep depending on God, things to tell me that I am not perfect yet, that I am still the sinful man who doesn't necessary do all things right, who despite all efforts and prayers still did things that hurt God's heart, who despite all abilities given to me, still have so much more to learn. Sometimes I hate myself when I did something that is not right to God, to myself, to others, but I can't keep blaming myself too, I must get up, learn from the mistake, and try again. If I fail again, it's okay, learn from it, and try again, until I succeed. After all, it took hundreds of failed light bulbs for Edison to invent get one correct, imagine if he didn't keep trying. I guess, those are all parts and puzzles of being human after all, right?

The important part is I know I am saved, God has forgiven all my sins, though that doesn't mean I can sin as I like, I know God is molding me to be a better person with all these constant learning, some of them hurt so much, since through suffering, perseverance is produced, through perseverance, character, and through character, hope. I guess one of the important part is to recognize that God is changing us, teaching us lessons that will be useful for our future, God knows what is best for us, and when we went through the valley, thank God, and if we are still “stuck” in the valley, don’t worry, don’t blame ourselves too much, keep praying, keep trying, never give up. Life is hard, but knowing that I have God who have planned everything for good in my life, that alone, is enough to make my life less of a burden. I just have to willingly walk through this journey of life. Now, how hard is it to thank God when your life is not how you want it to be?

Currently feeling: thankful

From Dian's response to my previous post. Thanks ~dee.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

If you use Yahoo! Mail account and would like to try out the latest Yahoo! Mail Beta, follow the following steps. Note that you can always revert back to the current Yahoo! Mail if you don't like it, but for me, with drag-and-drop functionality, reading pane, tabbed messages, there are a lot to like from the new interface.



To get it, follow the following steps:
- log in to Yahoo Mail
- click Options
- select Account information from the left panel
- go to Member Information, General Preferences, Preferred Content
- select, for example, Yahoo UK
- click Finished
- go to Yahoo Mail
- you'll see a page that says "It's the New Yahoo! Mail Beta... and you're invited."
- click on "Try Beta Now".

For MSN Messenger users out there, the latest Windows Live Messenger (aka MSN Messenger v8) has been released.
Go get it here.

I know suddenly my blog has lots of technology-related updates, but it's because there are really two major releases this week, Windows Live Messenger and today, Opera 9 browser.

Opera 9 resolves the main issue why I moved from Opera 8.5 to Firefox last year, which is rich-text editing support. With Opera 8.5, I can only have plain text when creating a blog post or composing email in Gmail, but that's no longer the case in Opera 9, and I am truly happy, and here I am typing my blog post in Opera 9. Let me try it out for the next few days and see if it entices me to go back to Opera.

Additionally, there are content blocking which is so much better than Adblock of Firefox (you know, block all the ads like this website), BitTorrent support, widgets support, so on and so on. Read more of its features here. It also works in any OS you may be using now.

Some things that I would like to share from my two consecutive day's seminar in church.

How can we know God's will?
It must be good, pleasing to God, and perfect (Rome 12:2). If it's not good, no need to think further already, but most of the time, if we know our will is not good, we will usually try to justify our will and try to make it looks good. Wrong, if it's not good, no need to test further. Not good is not good.

What I believe in controls what I think, and what I think controls what I do. So, depending on what you believe in, be it God, yourself, money, or anything else, it'll show up in your actions in your daily life.

Some people who doesn't know the answer of something, but when given the answer to it, will refuse the given answer. People who have done wrong, but refuse to admit it, has wronged even greater.

Human shouldn't trust himself because human cannot be trusted and depended upon. Human should not try to determine what truth is because: humans can be wrong, humans are relative, and humans are limited in time and space.

Cheem stuffs, need time to digest first ... hehe ... There are still lots more complicated teachings than these in my notes.

Disclaimer: if anything is wrong, most likely it's my faulty understanding and notes

Currently feeling: anxious

six more days ...

Once in a blue moon, to translate English to Indonesia or Indonesia to English, I have been using Kamus.net (kamus means dictionary in Indonesian language). It has served me well over the years although the entries inside there are far from complete and comprehensive, but for daily usage, it suffices.

Anyone have used any English <-> Indonesia online dictionary before? Any website to recommend?

Lately, safe to say that I've learnt a lot in life, know better what is right and what is wrong, more critical to see any sin that creeps in my life and others’ life, understand God's will better, trust Him better, have a faith that has been tested again and again, so on and so on. Happy to say that I grew, albeit have been trampled on the ground again and again, but it's in me to persist, not to give up easily, I get up again and again.

However, despite all these, there's one thing that I may have overlooked. Over the months I grew more critical, I found that it has been so easy for me to be judgemental to others. Thanks for a friend who have reminded me, when caring for others, care with agape love, support them all the way, remind when they walk the wrong path without being judgemental. I guess I’ve failed the last part lately. I’ve been very judgemental; it’s so easy to spot other’s fault without trying to see that I am not any different from others after all. Also, Bible has warned us to be careful, because the one who have climbed higher is the one who can fall further. When I felt that I am better, I put myself in a position that is more susceptible to shake, temptation, and fall.

Currently feeling: calm

'nuff said ...

That is my MSN nick name today. Let me explain it by giving you a fictional story. One day an eldest son of a family told his father "I want to eat nasi lemak for dinner." His father nodded, but moments later his uncle came over telling them that the whole big family is going out to celebrate grandma's 80th birthday at one extravagant restaurant and asked everyone to come along. Of course the father said yes, then asked everyone else in his family to come along as well.

Well, everyone agreed except this eldest son, he insisted that he wanted nasi lemak because he had made the decision. His father, care for him, said, "Let's go and celebrate grandma's birthday tonight, and it'll be a wonderful dinner as well. You can have your nasi lemak tomorrow, nothing wrong with that." This son insisted, and now said, "I want nasi lemak, I have decided and I'll stick with my decision, if not nasi lemak, I won't have my dinner." bummer...

Fine, so they all went to the restaurant, but this eldest son walked around the restaurant, trying to find nasi lemak. Unfortunately, no one selling nasi lemak can be seen around. He walked and walked, when suddenly he heard his stomach grumbling. Looking from outside the restaurant, he saw his whole big family are having great times and great food. He regretted, but still stick with his decision that has been wrongly made. In the end, he sticked to his "faulty" decision and he didn't eat anything for the whole night.

This is what is called as "a slave to yourself". We all made mistakes, wrong decisions, so on and so on. But refusing to admit a mistake, and tried so hard in our life to match and fulfill that wrong decision is really putting ourself under unnecessary pressure, putting ourself under slavery of ourself in the past, who we've realized has made wrong decision in the first place. We often said things like "I don't care, I want this, I am like that, I can't do anything else, etc etc." Whether it's true or not is anoter matter, but one thing for sure, by saying so, we are putting ourself under a slave to who? To that person who said it, which is ourself. Even in the future, after you've realized that you were wrong, you sticked with the decision. In the end, who will suffer for it? Ourself. We should only be a slave to God, the One and only Being who are absolutely right and never be wrong. Do not be a slave to oneself, especially one who can make mistakes so often like ourself.

How to get out from this? First, admit mistake. Admit that you have made a mistake, and that you wanted to get out from your mistake, rather than drowning yourself in that mistake. We don't usually like to admit that we've made mistakes, but it's really a first step to change. Somebody could already be offering you a hand to pull you out. All you need is to accept that help and get out from the sea onto the boat.
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy (Proverbs 28:13)

Secondly, forgive yourself, be open, do not be stubborn, do not force things to match your decision. If your action is wrong, fix it to match your decision, but if your decision was wrong in the first place, be ready to forgive your oldself and change your decision. No one is going to blame you for changing your wrong decision for a right one. By fixing your decision now, you are preparing for a better future. If you lock your life to match that faulty decision now, there may not be any more future for you. Learn from mistakes, admit it, fix it, be ready to get hurt in the process, be willing to accept help, get out from it, and move on.

Of course, after all these, there are certain decisions that we have to live by, no matter what, like wedding vows, but in other cases, decisions can still be rectified. In the former case, be very sure before we made the decision, because it's a decision that we must live by for the rest of our life.

He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe (Proverbs 28:26)
A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed - without remedy (Proverbs 29:1) - be careful not to act like the eldest son. God Bless !!!

Now this post make me feel very hungry

faster than a speeding bullet, faster than a train, but not faster than Peter driving hahaha.... funny ....

Currently feeling: thankful

Just for laugh.