Shang Lee

Sometimes, you need to step outside, get some air, and remind...

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:01:20 -0400

Sometimes, you need to step outside, get some air, and remind yourself of you are, and who you want to be.

"Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen."

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:41:06 -0400

“Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen.”

- Ralph Waldo Emmerson

(via Nat)

I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become. -...

Sun, 20 May 2012 21:22:17 -0400

I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become. - Carl Gustav Jung

Reading on the iPad

Sun, 20 May 2012 05:17:31 -0400

Apps like Instapaper and Reeder offer more of a “reading environment” (like a library); Wired and The New Yorker are more like an amusement park with words. One isn’t better or worse than the other, but people who like to read a lot certainly don’t spend the majority of their reading time at a noisy amusement park.

I certainly prefer the library over the amusement park when reading. Thanks Shawn!

How I talked myself into Evernote (again)

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:15:04 -0400

It took me a long while just to decide on using Evernote as another bucket to store stuff. I’ve got enough buckets already on my laptop without resorting to another program to store my already stored stuff. There is just way too much stuff. If this sounds like you, read on…

I realise I am missing an important point here. I forgot about the purpose of storing. Looking through the projects that I currently have, I realise I can’t be deciding on Evernote based on all the projects that I do. So I picked on one project that is really high on my list: creating an investment library for decision making purpose.

I’m currently using simplenote to store my analysis on companies. It’s quick, but it’s not ideal as it doesn’t have date based storage. Not too much of a problem as all I have to do is to add a date in… but sometimes I forget.

Then I thought of Scrivener, that can allow me to organize all my thoughts on to one place while being able to move my ideas around the company to understand where is the real point. And then it struck me: maybe deciding between softwares is the wrong way to solve the problem. Let’s redefine the problem then.

In order to do this, I end up having a conversation with myself, that goes something like this:

I want a place for my investment library

So what goes into this investment library?

I need to be able to analyze the companies and make a decision on them.

So why do you need evernote or scrivener or any other libraries for that matter? Just analyze them and get on with them!

There are plenty of information. Information is everywhere. On the web, in PDF form especially for the annual reports.

That’s too much information. Even if you house them all in one place, you won’t be able to make sense of them all.

So I need to get all these information in one place and filter them and summarize them into a format where I can make a decision on.

What decision are you trying to make?

Ultimately? Whether to buy or sell.

So what do you need in order for you to make that decision?

Constantly monitoring my own investments and the industry it’s in.

So you need something that you can dump stuff in? You’re just dumping more information in again.

I will need to analyze them at some point again.

Sounds like evernote can do everything you need. Do you really need the offline capability?

Useful, especially when reading. I don’t want to be connected all the time.

ok. we are finally getting somewhere. Why don’t you just try evernote, and make a note down in evernote. It’s got date based entries, and just make all your summaries there.

ok. evernote it is!!!

And this is how I ended up with Evernote, and I’m now even a Premium user now. Hope this helps in your decision making.

I’ll leave you with these rules from Eddie about Evernote:

look for specific ways that Evernote can make your life easier
use it for those things
STOP

Don’t expect Evernote to meet all your purposes. Meeting one purpose is already quite good. Everything else is a bonus.

Resources for change

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:56:19 -0400

There will be a change coming soon here. I’m not sure if this will convert into something more permanent, but since I’ve always been in and out of this route, thought you might like to know the kind of resources available to help in this direction. Click here to read more.

This is an affiliate link and it is only available for the next 72 hours. It does represent good value if you’ve always doubted yourself whether you should take the next step. If I’m not making sense, I’m sure the good people at only72.com can explain it better than I can. Go check them out.

Tai Chi Nomad

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:27:46 -0400

I know my writings here has been coming to a halt. I hope you’re glad to know that it hasn’t actually stopped. I experimented with a new platform to consolidate my thoughts on just one topic, and I believe this has taken shape in the form of the Tai Chi Nomad.

The Nomad finds Tai Chi to cover a much wider realm. It can be used as a decision model. It can be used as an investment philosophy. It can infuse into the way you cook. It has found ways into swimming and running. It has even found a way into kettlebell training.

Hope you will enjoy and find it useful to explore the different realms of Tai Chi that the Nomad explores in. I will still continue to be me here. :)

Review your tasks everyday

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:40:33 -0400

By reviewing his tasks everyday and seeing what’s coming tomorrow, it has this effect on him:

Life is nuts right now. I’m not.

Well said David. Will be including this in my playbook.

Pursuing dreams, one step at a time

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:41:38 -0500

On stopping his day job and blogging full time, this is what Shawn had to say:

I want to be a dad that goes after his dreams, and set these sorts of examples to his kids.

(via SSKTN.com Interview with Shawn Blanc)

My dreams are still vague to me, but I have also taken a step to create more opportunities for me to dream, and be with my kid. The past year had been a busy one which got me thinking (again) about how my life should be crafted. I’ve restructured it to this - I spend my mornings with my kid, catch up on reading and sometimes write or run or swim or do Tai Chi. I then go to work in the afternoons.

I do hope this works out well, in all sense of the word “well”.

Cute printing cube. Read more here.

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 04:23:55 -0500

Cute printing cube. Read more here.

100 000 Books Fresheners

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:29:04 -0400

100 000 Books Fresheners

Real Artists Ship

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 17:34:31 -0400

Real Artists Ship

Start-Stop writing

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 05:30:56 -0400

I have a tendency to edit my thoughts on the fly. So whatever I write now, I will tap on backspace several times just to get it right, and then I might delete that whole paragraph altogether later. This process alone makes me want to stop writing. Even my simple workflow to start writing does not prevent me from falling into this trap of self-edits.

However, I’ve come up with a new hypothesis that might just help me.

Just like how what I teach comes from a prior source, I believe what I write comes from a universal source as well. There is a stream of words flowing all around us. Writing things down is basically taking a sip from this stream. It is a temporary connection with what’s going on around us, and provides me a glimpse into what could be.

A theory like this does not actually mean much in actual writing. For me, it makes a whole lot of difference understanding that when I’m writing, I’m not actually writing, but I’m trying to open up a wormhole into this other universe and allowing the words from there to flow through. If I were to interrupt it, like doing constant editing, this tap of words will probably drip to a stop, which is not what I want.

Let’s see where this new found knowledge will take me. I might end up just writing by hand. I wonder if anyone still does that on a regular basis.

Taito InvaderCade turns your iPad into an arcade machine

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:35:25 -0400

Taito InvaderCade turns your iPad into an arcade machine

Would You Trade Your Boredom for Stress?

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 07:45:28 -0400

Would You Trade Your Boredom for Stress?

How I use the ever-ready Evernote

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:15:19 -0400

I was listening to the podcast of the ever amusing battle between Patrick and Brett on Yojimbo vs Evernote. I am only a recent Evernote convert. Before I walked over to the “green side”, I was (still am) a text nerd, using Simplenote and Taskpaper as my main information capturing tool. I figured that if I can’t distill information down to words, it is still not useful to me yet. Some thought process must need to go through before it becomes useful, and the outcome of that thought process must be words. A picture speaks a thousand words. That is just too many words for me. Three sentences would suffice.

Little did I know that I was trying to make Evernote an Everynote, which no software will ever be. I think Eddie says it best here.

Don’t approach Evernote with an all or nothing attitude. Instead, 1) look for specific ways that Evernote can make your life easier, 2) use it for those things, and 3) STOP.

If you haven’t tried Evernote, give it a try. It’s free. I use it to mainly deal with pieces of paper that are shoved to me (think pamphlets and business cards) and I don’t know how to politely refuse. Now I just take a picture of it and dump it into Evernote.

I also “force” other people to use Evernote, unconsciously. When I need a certain document from Jane say, I just ask her to send to myemail+note@gmail.com. This way, my gmail filter system will grab this email and auto-forward it to Evernote and delete it from my email account. It’s like magic.

p/s: “Enough” is one of the very few podcasts I listen to regularly. Subscribe to them if you haven’t already.

What I teach when I teach Tai Chi

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 11:53:32 -0400

When I teach Tai Chi, I feel like I am just a vehicle. I am a vehicle transferring knowledge which I don’t own. I never feel that the knowledge I have is mine. It is not and never will be mine. I only hope I do justice to the knowledge I do have and that the vehicle receiving this knowledge will do likewise.

Hey, it’s just Tai Chi. Why does this sound like some secret sauce that is not supposed to be shared? The beauty I find with these kind of knowledge is that, even if it’s shared openly, not many people will get it. Not many people will want to. And then justifications start pouring in. I’m too old. It’s too slow. It’s not real. You still have to use strength.

Just like the secret sauce that Warren Buffet uses. He openly tells people how he invests, and he was asked before that if everyone uses his method, wouldn’t that make everyone rich? Unfortunately (or fortunately), after many decades, his method still proves to be sound, and people still choose to ignore them.

Maybe that’s why value investing will continue to work. Maybe that’s why Tai Chi will continue to be elusive. The knowledge will only present itself to those worthy of it. Sad to say, i’m still not there yet, but I am hopeful. :)

How to Stay Motivated Throughout the Day

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:55:56 -0400

Eat a good mental breakfast.

See the whole video by Brian Tracy here.

You are where you are and that’s where you start

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 05:59:14 -0400

You are where you are and that’s where you start. Be practical and take the time to assess where you are and what your current goals are. Common sense isn’t always common practice. Taking a little time can make all the difference between failure and being on the path to success, even before the planned changes have begun to take hold.

I’ve been following Wujifa for a while now, and they are one of the rare ones who offer practical strategies in practising Tai Chi who does not give the all too familiar “health claims” or “calming effect”. They just do it. Check them out, if you’re ready for the truth.

We can all do with more hugs

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:49:39 -0400

I really enjoy that whole Jerry Maguire – Rod Tidwell style of relationship. It makes business so much more fun. Why shouldn’t we share hugs with all the people we work with… I think formality, even in business, is just stupid. I bought into that type of keep-your-distance communication style for years. That was not so coincidentally the time period when my business tanked, sinking into debt year after year.

Maybe Steve is on to something. Hugs may be just what the doctor ordered for the sick world.