I have been down recently and I did notice that my body seems to demand for more hours of sleep than usual.  Else, by mid-day, cough, flu and droopy eyes will ‘force’ me to take my beauty nap.  There is really a urgency for me to pen down a schedule for my workout.

This incident reminded me of an invaluable lesson I read from Robin Sharma, The Greatness Guide:

There is an old phrase that says “what you’re doing speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying.’  You can say that your primary value involves putting your family first, but if time with your family is not all over our schedule, well then the truth of the matter is that your family life isn’t your priority.

You can say that being in world-class physical condition is another top value but if I don’t see five or six workouts etched into your weekly schedule, then the reality to be confronted is that your health just isn’t as important as you profess it to be.  You can argue that self-development is an essential pursuit to your because the better you are, the more effective you’ll be.  Show me your schedule and I’ll discover the truth.  Your schedule is the best barometer for what you truly value and believe to be important.

How true.

I have two journals that detailed my personal and profession, daily to do lists.  Yet, none is listed with a schedule to workout.

High time to go gym.  I am committing to sign up for a half yearly membership to get my momentum going.

Cheer me on! =)

It has been quite a while since my Iast visit to cinema for most time has been spent on exploring blogging. Sharkwater is my first movie for 2008 and one that I would strongly encourage all to watch.

Rob Stewart
It took the Director cum Biologist, Rob Stewart, 5 years before this true life documentary movie is ready for view. During the filming, Stewart was struck with flesh-eating disease, charged for attempted murder and even got himself and his team infringed with Taiwan mafia; all because the truth will cause the involved parties to be stripped off their illegal, yet highly profitable shark finning business.

Facts and Myths of Shark
The truth about shark was so twisted by the media that for so many years, we have been painted with all the bad and how menacing shark is. Rob Stewart used himself as a ‘bait’ to surface the truth. Shark is in fact such a picky eater that man is not even ranked anywhere near its delicacy list! As Stewart swam near the sharks, they are actually so shy and fearful that they kept a distance. The scene of how Stewart stroked the shark (just like how one adores Dolphin), is simply beautiful. That scene itself would shatter all our past perceptions about shark - deadly.

Unbearable sight
The sight of how fisherman catch and slaughter the turtle LIVE is very unbearable. And it is very disturbing to see the shark being thrown back into the sea after its fin and tail is being cut. I can’t help but wonder what if these sea creatures can talk? Can we then HEAR their pleas? What if it is now a human being whose limbs are being chopped off (just because of others handsome rewards) and after which, be dumped into the sea?

It does not stop at shark
Banning of shark finning is a spark to the other live stock eco-system. How many of us eat the whole chicken? So, for those who savour only chicken wing, what happen to the rest of the chicken parts when there are more demand for wings? Could these live stocks have similar fate as that of shark – being thrown back into the sea / land, limbless?

Do our part
So, how much more has the media deprived us from the truth? And for how long more, do we man want to open our eyes and dig further to find the ultimate truth, rather than to point finger and feign ignorance?

Do our part and:
1. Eat but eat moderately.

2. Pledge to stop shark finning by clicking on the banner below:

3. Support and watch the movie, Sharkwater. Singapore is currently showing the sneak preview. The movie will be officially released from 17th Jan 08 onwards. The negative image it might portray on our proud homeland (YES! Rabbit Brand Shark fin is from Singapore) is NOTHING as compared to the grander vision of saving shark from extinction and in turn reversed our eco-system to save the world.

4.. Support and buy Sharkwater: The Photographs

5. Read “The Food Revolution” by John Robbins and make a decision of how your diet can help save your Life and our world. The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World

Lack of time is the most common excuse that is repeated right through the year for not exercising. Interestingly, I stumble upon this mind your body article that listed out the most common excuses from January to December.

January – need to work on those pineapple tarts
February – New Year festive
March – school is out
April – short getaways
May – Corporate travel
June – It is holiday time
July – got to go shopping
August – fasting month
September – year-end projects start piling up
October – I am bored
November – Wet weather
December – Party time

And amongst the listed, about half are exactly the same excuses I uttered ;p Nevertheless, all excuses really pale in comparison when I get to know this Sikh runner.

Life only begins for Fauja Singh at the age of 90. Born in 1911 and for the first 81 years of his life, Fauja Singh was a farmer. He rediscovered his new running career only at the age of 81 and is still running.

Some distinctive milestones of Fauja Singh:

• He rediscovered running at age 81 (because he was bored sitting around his son’s house) and ran his first marathon at 89.
• In year 2000, he set a world record for 90 year-olds
• He ran faster as he got older!
• He became a poster boy for Addidas’s campaign “Impossible is Nothing” and he gave a large chunk of the money to charity
• He’s a pure vegetarian
• He ran Marathons-London(5), Toronto(1), New York(1)

This is 2008 and Fauja Singh hopes to return in 2009 to break the record for the oldest marathon runner – held by a 98-year-old Greek athlete...

Man becomes great when they truly live their dreams. So, what is your (my) excuse for not exercising and living your dream?

Looking back, one of the best skills I have learnt (and is still learning) is blogging.

New found interest - blog
Self-improvement and spiritual books are still top on my list and for the past few months, unknowingly; I have expanded my range to blog. There are a couple of good books which outlined the in’s and out’s of blogging. It is quite motivating to learn how blog has evolved, impacted and will continue to influence the world.

Library
It started from “The Corporate Blogging Book” by Debbie Weil and after which I start to peep into other bloggers which were mentioned in the book. Curiousity got the better out of me. Tapping onto the efficiency of my hometown library online facilities, I did a search for subject(s) related to the blogosphere. Call it a moment to quench my desire for wanting to find out more, I simply pick out all the books listed (and readily available) and filter down to those that are of interest to me. Despite filtering, I ended up borrowing a pile of books home…

Bookstore
As if I could finish reading the pile of books, a day before Christmas Eve; I made a purposeful trip to Kinokuniya – just to dig out books that I could not find at the library. Despite cautioning myself that there will definitely be post Christmas sales, I still ended up buying. Impulsive buy =p

Shelf space for blogosphere related books?
Just for sheer fun, since blog is going to (and is still growing) its dominance, I wonder how fast would books on blogosphere topics grow on the shelves? Took snapshots of books related to blogging subject. As of 23 December 2007, there is only 3 shelves space for online blogging books.

I wonder how fast and far will blogging range dominate the shelf space, 6 months down the road?

Viewing in retrospect, year 2007 has been a happening year for me. Of course, along with the ups, there are also downs but I am glad that there are always friends, colleagues and my loved ones who stood by my side and cheer me on.

Have you ever believed in miracles? I choose to. And when I choose to, I enjoy a full time pay though working part time. I attract like-minded friends who come together into partnership. I enjoy deals that are easy on my pocket. I bump into the right people, at the right time and at the right place.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

I have posted this video clip some months back but I think since today is the last day of the year, this empowering video is indeed a remarkable one to start afresh a brand new year. May you be empowered and may the experiences of your 2007 be the springboard to an awesome 2008! Wishing all of you a very wonderful New Year ahead! Happy 2008!

After my post on Dance like nobody is watching, a like-minded blogger invited me to view his inspirational collection. It further reminded me that about 2 years back, I did come across a similar dance troupe, also known as China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe, where the dancers have certain extent of physical challenge.

All the dancers are outstanding but there is one particular team that literally took my breath away. This team is made up of 21 members who have hearing impairment. Yet, when they perform the ‘Thousand-hand Bodhisattva dance; their seamless coordination skills is beyond speech.

Metaphorically, this dance troupe taught me that whatever I am going through currently, someone out there is putting in many times more effort despite of their physical challenges.

All of us have some form of handicaps - physical or mental. Let the dance warm your soul and rekindle your spirit to continue moving towards your dreams.

You have to see this to believe it - a unique dance team, Spencer, 25 and Barbara, 84; perform to Coldplay’s “The Hardest Part”. Though 84, Barbara is more agile, flexible and stronger than most 20-year-olds I know. I simply adore her.

WARNING: the video will take quite a while to load.

Attempted google search for more information over this unique dance team but quite limited details. Probably, because the video was done up in the 80’s.

PS: Would appreciate if anyone could post me the lyrics of “The Hardest Part” (if you have).

PPS: More details regarding this dance team is greatly appreciated. I am a fanatic in collecting inspirational stories and biography.

Was so tied up with my work that I have to practically ‘freeze’ whatever pending activities and plans I have for blogging.  Ironically, it was also exactly because of my choice that I have a wake up call to re-think over my priority.

It really isn’t a nice feeling to know that there is a better way to make a living and yet still being ‘stucked’ to a J.O.B (just over broke).  However, in a way; I’m very glad that the experience is painful enough to get me to commit, work harder on myself and be accountable to my emerging internet business.

The rule of ‘the more, the more’ indeed comes into play. The more I blogged about inspirational stories, the more I get to see a pattern of my blogging style and the more I realize that I am genuinely interested in the greatness of people.

Introducing Farrah Gray. The 21st century youngest Reallionaire of America. Reallionaire as derived from his philosophy: “Rich from the inside Out”.

Below an extract of Farrah Gray’s site - the summarized timeline of his limelight:

At Age 6
* Farrah Gray sold body lotion for $1.50 from door to door

At Age 7
* he carried a business card that read “21st Century CEO”

At Age 8
* in Chicago, Farrah started UNEEC (Urban Neighborhood Economic Enterprise Club)

At Age 9
* At 9, almost 10, Farrah co-hosted radio show “Backstage Live” in Las Vegas reaching 12 million listeners every Saturday night

At Age 12
* Farrah had a lucrative nationwide speaking career commanding $5,000 - $10,000 per appearance

At Age 13
* Farrah started Farr-Out Foods, a specialty foods company headquartered in New York, targeting young people

At Age 14
* Farrah officially became a millionaire by hitting sales of $1.5 million for Farr-Out Foods
* Farrah started New Early Entrepreneur Wonders (NE2W) Student Venture Fund

At Age 15
* Farrah negotiated selling of Farr-Out Foods for one million plus
* Farrah founded the Farrah Gray Foundation
* Farrah was sent a special invitation to consult and oversee an entrepreneurial institute for The Minority Business Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce
* Farrah was elected by the United Way of Southern Nevada to sit on the Board of Directors for a three-year term as the youngest director ever to sit on any United Way board nationwide
* Farrah had the distinct honor of serving as the youngest Board of Advisor for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce

At Age 16
* Farrah acquired INNERCITY Magazine from Inner City Broadcasting Corporation

At Age 17
* Farrah financed a comedy show on the Las Vegas Strip, which gave him the distinct honor of being the second African-American after Red Foxx to own a show production on the Las Vegas strip

At Age 19
* Farrah signed his “Reallionaire” book deal with HCI
* Farrah Gray became a Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the African-American Soul. Both books were published by Health Communications Incorporated (HCI) publisher of the New York Times and USA Today Best-Seller Chicken Soup for the Soul Series

At Age 20
* Farrah, as a real estate investor, was elected as youngest member to sit on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. Region 15 (N.A.R.E.B.®), the oldest and largest minority trade association.

Still hungry for more? Grab Farrah Gray’s autobiography!

What can a 12 years old kid do with Internet, other than for educational or gaming reasons? For Carl Ocab who started at 12 but only make his mark at 13 years old, he has clearly demonstrated that a person who experiences most wins. He has collapsed his timeline by having the experience of an old man while still young. And because he doesn’t give a dime of his past failures, he has gotten himself lots more experience to add into his blogging inventory. He is only 14 now… Too young to start?

Olive Riley. Born in 1899 and started the first post of her blog on 16 February 2007….. She is like a GREAT grandmother to all bloggers in the blogosphere. So what if her friend Mike is the real blogger who types as Olive tells her stories? If one truly desires, one will find all alternative ways to attain that desire. For Olive, Mike is her technical arm So, you think you are too old to learn new things? Olive Riley has just celebrated her 108 years old birthday!

Great achievement often happens when our backs are up against the wall. I have witnessed how this typical normal young chap have grown and is still growing because his boat was burnt. Shouldering the burden of being the sole breadwinner for a family of 5 and with the urgency to attain monetary success for a bedridden father, Alvin Phang is another walking testimonials of why blog to success is not a fad nor a fallacy.

Really, having read about these two bloggers of extreme age gap 14 and 108 and to know Alvin Phang personally, leaves me with no BUTs. I stood by the fence for two years before I finally start blogging. Carl Ocab reminded me to collapse my own timeline to relish my utmost experience while still on this physical realm and Olive inspires me to keep learning. Indeed, aging only happens to those who lost their lust for getting better and disconnect from their natuarl base of curiousity.

I have collected my World Class Reference points to carve my niche in blogging. Start collecting your own list of heros too.Still undecided? Burn your boats. When retreat is not an option, one will show up fully.