Life's (still) too exciting to be bored

In the month of August

2006-08-31T21:42:00.000-04:00

Farewell Dinner for Gean @ Muchie Monkey, NUS

NOC Homecoming at Suntec Guild House - super slick place. I was invited to share my experience as the outgoing President of SPIN

Reunion of the NCBVians, we rock!!!

To read more about our exciting homecoming, visit NOC Alumni Blog

The Energy Camp

2006-08-08T07:29:00.000-04:00

Heeeeeelllllllloooooooooooooooooooooo!!! Yes I am back. Actually I have been back for about two weeks but I did not have the chance to blog until today. A lot has happened since I returned home but shall not bore you with the details. One of the most happening things for me was my participation in the Energy Camp held in Pulau Ubin last month. Met up with alot of really cool uncles and aunties...

Over the two days one night camp, I have learnt really simple yet critical moves and techniques that re-synchronizes my body's energy systems back to its natural state. At the end of the camp, I felt like a kid again - energized, alive and youthful. There are definitely a lot I have experienced so ask me when you see me.

Here are some pics taken from a 2D1N Energy Camp held in Pulau Ubin last month.

Master James (guy in yellow) sharing with us the concept of "energy"

We learn how to breathe the right way

We learn how to walk the right way

We learn how to sleep the right way

And even get intimate with the beach, the moon and the sea

Chill in the sunny beach with all the cool aunties and uncles

The entire gang of health-fanatics! :)

p.s: There is another camp end of this month, 26-27 Aug same place. If you are interested to understand your body better, give me a buzz and I will let you know more about it. Later!

So hard to say goodbye...

2006-06-30T18:19:00.000-04:00

Another two more days and I will be flying back home. How time flies... It felt almost like Dec 13, 2003 again when I bid farewell to all my friends in California, Santa Barbara. And then two years went by in a flash and I am now bidding farewell to yet another group of friends in Philadelphia.

It is so hard to say goodbye... I guess this one year in Philly has been truckloads of fun.. so much so that I almost forget that it was work. I will miss waking up to the chirping of the blue birds and warmth of the morning sun. I will miss hanging out with all my batchmates (catching movies at Bridge, watching South Park, having potlucks at Park Towne, travelling, camping, taking pics, organizing SPIN events, gossiping, celebrating one another's birthdays...). I will miss eating at the Korean store below the suburban station. I will miss walking along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. I will miss Panorama Toastmasters and all the great people in it. I will miss the breathtaking sunset by the Schuylkill River. I will miss Philly Cheese Steaks. I will miss wearing my snowman jacket in winter. I will miss my roommate... and above it all, I will miss the freedom of expression I had in Philadelphia.

As I write this, something warms my heart. As I closed the door in Philadelphia, I know that another set of doors have opened up for me back home in Singapore. There is more to come... like I said before, life is simply too exciting to be bored! *grins*

Some pics from our Poconos weekend getaway as promised!

Wide Water Rafting with the whole gin gang. We have Alicia, Phebe, Ram, Kaian, Julia and me!

That was taken during a lunch at the Water Theme Park. I LURVE Cotton Candy hehe. And here's Julia. :)

This time round, we have Neeraj in the pic (my fave roomie!) - he is the indian guy btw haha.

How can a trip go without good food!!!??? Steak with Baked Potato and Crab Cake. Mouth watering gooooood!!!

Our final meal with the entire Batch 6 @ Banana Leaf (sells all kind of Penang food). But who needs Banana Leaf when I am flying home to Singapore, the food paradise!!! Slurrrrrrrrrpppppppp.

Calling Mr Jones

2006-06-20T23:14:00.000-04:00

Aloha! Can you believe it? My one year stint in Philadelphia is going to come to an end really soon. Whether you like it or not, I will be coming home soon hehe. Though I will miss the exhilarating journey and wonderful buddies I made m looking forward to more exciting stuff that is brewing in S'pore. As the old saying goes - life is simply too exciting to be bored!

Just got home from a chilling session with my SPIN Exco. We had a sumptous dinner at Jones (down 7th and Chestnut), recommended by Julia. And she sure know where the good food is. Check out the yummy food we had.

I will be away for one week camping in Yellowstone National Park. Boy am I excited!!! As some of you may know, Yellowstone is the second must-visit place in US, next to Niagara Falls. Both places were inspired by the documentaries that I watched at the Omnimax Theatre when I was in P6. Will upload some pics when I get back.

Frankly, there is so much to say and so much to write about my one year immersion in Philly. Let me summarize in one word - PHENOMENAL!

6th SPIN EXCO: (Left) Eric, Phebe, Melvyn, Julia (Right) Kelly, Gean. (Missing) Miah, Lionel and Iris

I had the chef's recommendation - Baked Salmon with sun-dried tomatoes and spicy ocra (we call them ladyfingers)

Phebe had Tilapia with special sauce - heavenly!

But you know what, no what how good the food is, it is incomparable with Mum's cooking!!! See ya guys in a week's time!

Meanwhile, do visit my public speaking blog for regular tips on improving your speaking skills: Public Speaking for All

NCBV Batch 6 Graduation Video: The Sixth Story

2006-06-16T23:04:00.000-04:00

Enjoy our 15 mins long graduation video put together by Mr Pacey! It is titled The Sixth Story

A Moment of Truth

2006-06-14T23:03:00.000-04:00

Phew... been quite a week. Thought I should write a bit before I get on the phone with my gf. (grins) Life just threw me a curved ball. In fact just a couple of minutes ago. May sound really trivial to most of you but it means something to me. A month ago, I signed a writer's authorization letter with Toastmasters International to publish an article which they liked a lot: Treading on the Fine Line of Humor. It was scheduled to be published to over 211,000 readers globally this July and I was planning to leverage on the publicity to drive traffic to my public speaking blog. It was suppose to be part of my bigger plan. However, I received an email a while ago with some bad news.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. We are not running your article on "The Fine Line of Humor" in the July issue. On closer reading, I thought it wasn't balanced, and the political comments about President Bush could be construed as endorsed by TI."

Anyway... it just dawned upon me that the curved balls that life throws at you are necessary. It makes life much less predictable, yet much more exciting. Imagine if everything works out as planned, it would be soooo boring. But I have to admit that I am not too used to having curved balls thrown my way. Gotta learn to get used to the fact that things don't always worked out as planned. On a brighter note, this will make me treasure what I have, especially the things that I fought to own.

Strangely this mini manifesto ties in very well with what CH, my mentor in StarCite, has reminded me today.

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO FALL COZ YOU LEARN THE MOST WHEN YOU FAIL.

Definitely an advice I need to heed. It is in my nature (or perhaps my nurturing) to make safe choices. I would do everything I can to make sure I succeed. It is not a bad thing but sometimes it prevents me from taking the necessary risks and denies me from learning critical lessons. As a result, I would mull over small things like my article not being selected instead of investing time in bigger things.

Perhaps it is time to remove my knee guards, take some risks and see what life has to teach.

Panorama Toastmasters, the place I call home!

2006-06-08T07:57:00.000-04:00

Last night was my last meeting with Panorama Toastmasters Club, a place where I found great company and friends! Gosh, I am gonna miss all of them...

666

2006-06-06T17:24:00.000-04:00

Has anything weird happen to you today? The reason why I asked is because today is 6/6/6 (June 6, 2006). Not exactly a very lucky day. Let me share with you some of the weird things that happened...

1. Some guy came up to me over lunch and told me that I should focus on God and not Satan... (coz I was ranting about the whole 666 to my friends...) And even weirder, I rebutted... hardly the usual me...

2. The security guard at the counter actually complimented me. And yes, that is extremely weeeeiiiiirrrrrdddddd! She is usually stern and super unfriendly. Ask Wayne.

3. I am hit with the laziness bug and I seriously don't feel like doing any work today... (and I did)

4. I ordered onion rings for lunch even though I HATE ONIONS...

5. Neeraj became superman... can you believe it???!!!

And the weirdest...

6. I send a friend home last night at about 1 am. And as I walked back, the public phone rang all of a sudden. For a second, I thought it could be a re-enactment of Phone Booth. In the end, my curiosity got the better of me and I picked up the phone. "Hello..." It was a guy on the other line. And he sounded really spooky. His voice was almost a whisper and he was breathing really hard. And before I could hang up, he got me jumping with his sudden "Wat's up?" There goes my adventure. He turned out to be just a normal guy (not some alien or dead man).. and the best part, we actually chatted for around 10 mins. And I still have no idea who he is...

Has anything weird happen to you?

Perspectives

2006-06-02T00:59:00.000-04:00

Ok... I know. Putting a pic doesn't really count as a post. Promise to upload some nice pics this weekend ok. Meanwhile, a lesson for all of you, courtesy from my boss CH.

Eric the Mighty

2006-05-26T12:18:00.000-04:00

Gosh.. someone has to stop all the idolizing. It is making me blush...
Check this out: Eric, the Mighty

This is where it all began

2006-05-26T07:54:00.000-04:00

Phew.... what a week! Been a while since I last posted. Last night's SPIN event - "The Making of an Entrepreneur II" was a resounding success, thanks to the dedication of the juniors. For the seniors, this event will always have a special place in our hearts because this is where it all began. :)

I will never forget how each and every one of us pitched in to make "The Making of an Entrepreneur I" a huuuuggggggeeeee success. It was FAMILY in ACTION! And SPIN in the Making! Though we are all going home in a month's time, we will take home with us fond memories of our fellowship. Gonna miss all of you...

The panelists last night were extremely insightful and inspiring too. Here's some of their golden nuggets of wisdom.

Life is not a dress rehearsal; you only have only one shot at it!
Stick to your guns, NEVER GIVE UP!
Never allow others to define your boundaries.
Leave your ego at the doorstep.
At the end of the day it is your attitude and enthusiasm that makes all the difference.
.
.
.
And my personal favorite:

Be true to yourself (always).

Creative staff working in Apple??!!

2006-05-23T07:52:00.000-04:00

The Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, is now open — and it will stay open 24/365! It's just a glass box! Where's the people??!! Relax... they are all in the underground. How cool is that!

But this isn't the main highlight of this post. Check out this pic and its irony!!!

"Creative" staff working in Apple! I wonder how Mr Sim Wong Hoo will be taking this... haha.

Is there life after death?

2006-05-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

Found this on my first amateur website (geocities) - my first attempt of writing an article. It has been four years and I still miss William...

This has been one of the question which I have struggled to answer since very young. It just popped up innocently in my head on the day my grandfather passed away. I cried and got over it but with no answers to my question. Not until recently, when I lost a friend to the will-o'-the wisp. He fell in the toilet and did not wake up.

I learn of the the macabre news on one Saturday afternoon.

"3SG William Ong from 1 PEH has just passed away at 1400 hrs. Brain dead. Report to camp at 0800 hrs sharp tomorrow."

It was an SMS from my friend and we have been activated to go back to camp to prepare for our comrade's funeral. His parents have requested for a military funeral to send their eldest son off.

It was a Sunday and all of us were supposed to be enjoying our weekend before going back to the monotonous and regimental army life. Furthermore, it was World Cup. However, that fateful Sunday proved to be differnt. A selected group of us were appointed to be pallbearers for the funeral. Though we all had different religious backgrounds, none of us objected. It was the last thing we can do for our friend.

During that one-day, we rehearsed and got ourselves prepared for Monday. The funeral was in the evening. Carrying a coffin was not an easy task. It was not like we were told to carry an Engineer Assault Bridge from one end to another. And it was not an everyday thing either.

On the actual day, as we carried his coffin into the hall, we were all adamant to do our best to send William off. No hiccups or whatsover. There was a sense of forlorn in every one of us. Tears swelled in our eyes as we carry his burden that he left behind this world. As we slow-marched down the winding road, the weight of the coffin did not bothered me anymore. Yet my heart was burdrened. Where am I sending him to? Is he happy to go? is there anything that was still unfulfilled? Were there any last words?

In the hall, where the priest was doing the final prayers, I glanced to the family from the window inside. I could see their tear-streamed faces contorted with helplessness and misery. At another corner of the hall, I saw a girl happily playing with her Barbie doll, oblivious of what was happening. And at the end of the funeral, some of the visitors rushed back to their vehicles, afraid to be caught in the jam. I even overheard a guy saying, "Want to watch Panic Room later at Suntec?"

How do each one of us perceive death? Do we grieve because we know that he will not return, knowing very well that there is no way of seeing him anymore? Or do we feel sad because we do not know where our friend has gone to?

This was a door that has been opened to William without any warning. It was his door, not ours. What we could do was to send him off and pray that what lie beyond the door would be a better life, a life without any more pain, a life with a very light yoke.

Life is so wanton. We work so hard not knowing when the door will open for us to go. So is there life after death? If there is, will his parents be consoled? William's death has set me thinking again. Some chose to think that death is an end to everything. That explains why some people live everyday of there life as if it was their last. I once read this book by Dean Koontz that vividly painted life as ice on an early winter-pond, more fragile than it appeared to be, riddled with hidden fractures, yet with a cold darkness below. And I start to ponder - is death the cold darkness hidden beneath? However, on a brighter note, I am starting to believe that death is merely a checkpoint to a better life - a greener pasture - with no pain and worries. William could well be enjoying himself somewhere,. Well, it is my guess and I may be wrong.

This article was written in remembrance to 3SG William Ong from 1PDF. He was also a former student of NUS (Chemical Engineering)

When cute girl meets horny boy...

2006-05-18T11:30:00.000-04:00

We are one big family!!!

2006-05-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

I am going back with more than what I ask for... we are one big family (always!)

The Last Supper of Poker and Roulette

2006-05-16T10:14:00.000-04:00

With online poker going strong and Da Vinci code heading big screen, I thought a post on both poker and Da Vinci would be a great read. And guess what I found!

An advertising campaign by Irish bookmaker, Paddy Power, was stopped after a series of complaints from outraged Christians.

Now, what can this Irish bookmaker do to engineer quite an uproar?

Bastardize the ‘’Last Supper,’’ even if it IS a version of one of Christianity’s biggest enemies, (Well… Since his Da Vinci Code at least…) Leonardo Da Vinci.

Apparently, the advertising campaign features Da Vinci’s painting and then spoofs it. It shows Jesus Christ gambling with his apostles on one long table. Heck, the advertising campaign even has the Holy Grail in it. (The woman beside what was suppose to be Jesus Christ.)

Paddy Power said they received more than a hundred complaints, making it the most they had about basically anything in the past.

Well… At least you get traffic huh?

The billboard posters, emblazoned with the slogan ‘’There’s a place for fun and games,’’ adapted Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting of the event to show Jesus with a stack of poker chips and other apostles playing cards and roulette. - MSNBC

Frank Goodman, chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority, was not impressed. He said that the advertising campaign violated guidelines regarding taste, decency and religion.

He said, ‘’There’s also a general provision that ads should contain nothing that is likely to cause grave or widespread offense, this apparently has caused widespread offense.’’

Yeah. Ya’ think?

Top Five Worst Poker Comebacks

2006-05-15T11:18:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when someone insults you at the poker table, you shoot back with the perfect, witty, incisive retort. Then there's most of the time, when you say shit like this:

5) Oh yeah? Well, your mom draws dead.

4) I may be stupid, but you're winning.

3) Well, you know, if even a retard wouldn't make that call, then I guess that makes me a super-retard.

2) Maybe I don't have brains but it takes more than brains for .... uh .... fuck you.

1) Speaking of bad calls, God made a bad call when he made your face. Like you said I made a bad call and your face, that's also a bad call. By God. The making your face the way he did. Which is worse than my call. Because you're ugly, and it's God's fault.

Grins.
Extracted from Part Time Poker

Top Ten Tips in Winning Poker

2006-05-14T11:24:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago, my supervisor called me into the meeting and his first question was "Do you play poker?" For a second there, I thought it was some kind of a trick question, only to later realize that playing poker trains you in your dynamic decision making. How cool is that! Quite frankly, I played poker specifically Texas Holdem twice and both times, I lost badly. My problem - I can't seem to hold a poker face. People could read my poker cards from my face! So I decided that if I ever want to be a better decision maker, I should start by playing poker, any kind of poker, texas holdem, online poker, any poker. As usual, I start with top ten tips on winning poker for rookies like myself.

1. Playing too many hands

Most poker beginners play way too many starting hands, in fact top poker players typically play between 20-30% of their starting hands. Concentrate on higher value starting hands and help remove the luck element of the poker game.

2. Know when to hold’em, and know when to fold’em

Learn how to fold a hand, and don’t be a poker calling machine. Many beginners keep betting regardless of the board or what their opponent’s actions are suggesting. Top poker players frequently say it’s the hands you can lay down that are often the key to profitable play.

3. Choose less skillful poker opponents

...if you want to win money. Sounds fairly obvious, but you should play at betting limits where you can beat the majority of poker players. Move down in limits if you are having difficulties winning money. In poker, always leave your ego at the door.
(E: No wonder my friends ALWAYS want to play with me!!!)

4. Watch your opponents habits in poker

Especially when you aren’t in a hand. The best time to study poker is when you aren’t emotionally invested in the hand, and you can make more prudent observations. Watch how opponents bet, and how much they bet, in what position are they betting. Learning how your opponents play in poker is key.

5. Betting in poker to gain knowledge

Betting in poker is not always because you have the best hand. Top poker players use various betting techniques to try to gain information. For example, a defensive bet is one that you can use early on to avoid calling a bigger future bet. A re-raise may be used to probe the credibility of your opponent’s hand.

6. Learn to put your opponents on a hand

Once you have mastered Tips #4 and 5, it is time to put your knowledge to work. Try putting yourself in your opponents shoes, and learn to put them on a hand. Ask questions like “Why did he re-raise me that amount?”, and “Why did he only call in the previous betting round?”, “Maybe because he only called me, he has a kicker problem?”

7. Learn how to bluff and semi-bluff in poker

...at the right times against the right poker players, and at the right frequency. Bluffing is often a misunderstood concept, and much to many beginner’s dismay most pros use bluffs quite sparingly. A bluff can be very effective when used rarely, and where there is a seemingly low risk of being called by your opponent.

8.Changing Gears in poker

Unpredictability can be good. Most pros can figure out a really loose player by waiting for the nuts and being patient. However, an even easier opponent is a tight player or “rock”, who plays only the Group 1 type hands. You need to change your poker game up, and let them see that you can run bluffs, and can play some lower value starting hands. These changes should be subtle and shouldn’t dramatically affect the flop rate we mentioned in Tip #1

9.Understand player position

...and how it is critical. Not only is it important to play strong hands, it is even more important in what position you play them. For example, the ideal position is the Button (the Dealer), as you are last to act, and have the advantage of watching all of the betting action before you need to make a decision. eg. If the action before you consists of a bet, a raise, and a re-raise, and you hold a pair of Tens, you might think that folding is the right decision.

10. Read books on poker and take notes

Players can always learn more if they want to be a better poker player. Keep notes on what works and doesn’t work for you, and eventually you will come up with a style of play that works uniquely for you and improves your poker game.

These tips don't matter unless you put them in practice. So.. who's game for a round of poker? :)

Useful links to get started:

Poker for Beginners
Tips on Texas Holdem
Types of Poker Strategies
Start playing Online Poker here
How to make money by cheating in Poker

Just one of those days with my roomie, Neeraj

2006-05-12T12:59:00.000-04:00

Neeraj(N): Say something

Eric(E): TEST 1 2 3

N: *punch face*

E: Dodge at lightning speed.. summon fireball straight at your face

N:
The leg was already at the place whr ur balls moved wen u dodged. No way you can summon fireball coz u gt no balls nw

E:
oooooooooooo.. that's when u r wrong...superheros have indestructible balls...watch out 4 the fireball, bad boy!

N:
i peed at ur fireball and the smokes of my acidic pee is nw gonna kill u

E:
woooooooow...i knew that was coming and i immediately threw a freeze at your pee, rendering it powerless... and before u realise, i tap onto my telekinetic gifts and send your acidic pee straight into your eyes

N:
Tats whr u did the mistake...the fireball and ice pee i combined to make the indestructible frice peeball, the deadliest weapon of nature

E:
And before that "deadliest weapon of nature" could move an inch towards the all-powerful witch (myself of coz), it fizzles out. No one can resist the willpower of the wicked witch of the west! Muahahaha

N: Screw..tats nt even a power - will power

E: Haha well i just proven u wrong then..ok gotta go.. mtg... bye loser!

Launch of Personal Project

2006-05-09T23:42:00.000-04:00

#1 Rule of Becoming a Successful Speaker - Be (very) LAZY!!!
A fresh and witty take on how you and I can become successful speakers, just by avoiding all the hard work. Extremely useful, with several takeway points.

read more | digg story

Public Speaking for All - No secret formulas, Just Stuff that Works!

Some of you have asked what I was secretly working on for the past month. Well here's a little part of my personal project. I figured since I love public speaking so much, I might as well dedicate a site specifically for it. And I did! Check out my latest post above! And if you like it, digg it! :)

Been trying out some tips given by Internet experts on driving traffic to blogs and guess what! I successfully raised the number of hits from a miserable 15 to 103 within a couple of hours. Small win - yeah!

Hope you guys enjoy reading the entries as much I write them!

Stephen Colbert vs. John Vine – Treading on the fine line of humor

2006-05-08T15:58:00.000-04:00

Humor is a double edge sword. Use it well and be marveled at. Use it badly and be disapproved of. Where exactly is the fine line between being a funny comedian and being an insensitive prick?

One of the common advices most of us have received was to avoid ALL political, racial and religion based jokes, no matter how tempting they may be. As long as we stay away from them, we have a shot at being funny without offending anyone. However recently two men with solid steel balls – a standup comedian and a well-respected chief constable – went ahead to break the norms. One did exceptionally well and became an overnight Internet sensation. The other – sadly – was ridiculed by the media.

Let’s first look at the man who hit it big with the audience – Stephen Colbert.

Stephen Colbert became the man ever since he delivered a 20-minute satirical speech on Bush administration at the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner last month. Although some critics dismissed his speech as lacklustre, the entire blogsphere hailed him as “the man with the iron-steel balls”. There was even an entire site dedicated to Colbert’s single speech in Wikipedia, a speech that Time Magazine Online called “the political-cultural touchstone issue of 2006”.

Here are some of Colbert’s shocker-lines:

I stand by this man (referring to Bush). I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound -- with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world.

The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday -- no matter what happened Tuesday.

I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.

I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.

My personal favorite:
And though I am a committed Christian, I believe everyone has the right to their own religion - be you Hindu, Jewish, or Muslim, I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

You can view his speech here or here.

On the other hand, John Vine, a well-respected chief constable who was also the Past President of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, left his audience stunned and embarrassed with his one-liner joke on the Iraq bombers. It is worth noting that this joke was unplanned for (and even uncalled for). But out of our desperation to revive his bored audience, he made a decision to tell an off-color joke.

The joke went like this: Two Al-Qaeda fathers are ruminating about their suicide-bomber sons. “Ah, kids!” goes the punchline, “they blow up so quickly these days.” One lousy decision and this poor man ruined his hard-earned reputation. If only he has made an early decision to improve on his public speaking skills, say join a Toastmasters Club…

Click here to read more about Vine's bombed speech.

So what can we learn from these two separate incidents?

1. ALWAYS test-run your jokes!

If Vine has tried this joke on his close friends during his rehearsal (I wonder if he even rehearse his speech?), his friends may have warned him against cracking that off-color joke. And probably the only sin he would have committed was being a boring speaker, which equates to a chance of redeeming himself. On the other hand, Colbert has been a standup comedian for a long time. He is seasoned. He has his own TV show. He knows what he is doing and I am pretty sure he has tested his jokes on some people.

What’s the takeaway for us then? Always test your jokes on your close friends before unleashing it on your unaware audience. If any of your friends feel ANY discomfort with a particular joke, consider removing it. No point risking being a little funnier for being an insensitive prick.

2. Self depreciating humor is still the safest

When I first competed in the International Humorous Contest last year, there was a portion of my speech where I joked about why Chinese were not the first humans on Earth. This joke was extremely effective and generated one of the biggest laughs in the entire speech. But I took it out after the first try. Though I was a Chinese myself (which makes it ok to crack jokes on Chinese people), I made references to the Bible. And that creates ambiguity. In the end, I focused my entire humorous speech on Singapore (where I came from) and its quirks. And guess what, the audience loved it!

This only goes to show how effective humor can be if you make fun of yourself. Not only is it safe, it ALWAYS makes the audience laugh. Try that on in your next speech!

3. Is your audience prepared for your humor?

What’s the purpose of humor in your speech? Do you want to warm the audience up? Or do you want to prove a point?
In Colbert’s speech, it was straightforward. He was the featured entertainer for the dinner. He was hired to roast President Bush and the audience knew it. As such, they expected his speech to be satirical and sarcastic. Vine, on the other hand, was invited to speak at a grand dinner attended by eminent lawyers and advocates, because of his reputation in the police anti-terror operations. What a world of difference! He was not even expected to be funny. And no one expected him to crack jokes, not to mention off-color jokes on Iraq bombers!

So the next time you want to use humor in your speech, be it a joke or an anecdote, question its purpose and effectiveness on the particular audience. Make sure your audience is prepared for your humor too, else don't be shocked if your jokes bombed!

Check out Garr's analysis of Colbert's Report here.

You gotta keep swinging the bat!

2006-05-04T13:26:00.000-04:00

If there is ONE thing I learnt from CH, it will be this: You gotta keep swinging the bat!
For the past ten months in StarCite, I was pushed, kicked, shoved (with lots of encouragement thankfully) to keep doing more and more. To proactively venture out and get my plate 150% full at ALL times. Not only did I learnt that it was humanly possible, I found myself growing exceptionally fast within these ten months. Even scored a significant amount of XP. (experience points) Sometimes I fumble and fall. I give reasons to slack. And then when I leaned back and see CH working his ass off... I knew immediately what I need to do to be successful. Keep swinging the bat!!!

One small step in CCI marks a major step for Humanity!

2006-05-02T23:35:00.000-04:00

CCI has made another small step forward. Chuck from Fox Leadership has decided to give CCI a try i.e seeds are sowed. For those of you who have no idea what CCI is, let me do a quick recap. CCI stands for Coaching Clubs International. It is a coaching movement that was started in Singapore a year ago. CCI's vision is to bring coaching to every single individual so that they can harness its power to become effective at who they are. For more information, check out my former entry "Our final stand against the bad bad world..." on 7 July 2005. Click here

This are the group of people who will be helping me make CCI a reality in States. (L-R: Shamir, Wayne, Kaian, Lawrence, Moi and Niki!)

Moi in Action

The guy in the extreme right is Chuck! He is the man! :) And of coz the students who will be running the club. Awesome!

It may be one small step for CCI. But we are one major step towards awakening humanity!

Weekend Getaway: District 38 Toastmasters Spring Conference 2006

2006-04-30T12:38:00.000-04:00

Here's a breath of fresh air from all the thought-provoking posts I wrote for the past week. :)

I attended my very first Toastmasters Conference after being a Toastmaster for 1.5 years. And it was absolutely awesome! It was two days of fellowship and fun!

I got really chummy with my entire division especially JJ (from Temple Uni.), Kyle (from Indepence Square, also our Area 30 Governor), Debbie, Grace and Maryellen (all three from Positively Charged). They are such a fun bunch of people to hang out with! I can't imagine I will find so many like-minded friends when I first joined Panorama last year! Check out Aug 4, 2005 entry: I am feeling really high!

And this is THE man!!! I competed against him for the Division C contest. Though he did not win, he is an amazing speaker. Full of charisma and presence! Doug beat us both with his touching speech on 911 and his mum's death. But in the end, both of us coached him for the District contest. And he even gave up his huge room for us! Both JJ and myself were the youngest among the group so we got a lot of special attention (not that we are complaining haha). If only his girlfriend joined us! Oh and we tagged team for the "Whose line is it anyway" improv game. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

That's my bed!!! Check out the large cushions and pillows that you can sink your head in. After soaking in the jacuzzi and trading pointers on public speaking, we headed to the club to drink and dance. And after that, we slept like pigs. Only 4 hrs of sleep but it felt like 8!!! I need to have this kind of bed when I get back home. Mum, can I?? Please la!!!

After an evening of fun and drinking on Fri, Sat was a full day of conference. And it was sooooooooooo worth the money I paid. They invited famous speakers from around the States to share with us how we can accelerate our speaking skills. And thanks to Chloe (my mac), I recorded every session and diligently took notes.

This speaker is also a magician. And he was sharing with us some leadership skills. But check out his assistant who isn't really happy working for him. (at least it appears so in this pic) How ironic. Haha.

I was so absored in the District 38 International Speech Contest that I did not take any pics. In summary, it should be an International Eulogy Contest coz 4 out of 7 speakers talked about death. They talk about how some of their members died. I thought it was an overkill. Too many deaths for one afternoon. Hence the other three speakers who talked about their dogs, environmental agenda or children were a breath of fresh air for all of us. The theme for the conference was "Shoot for the Stars!". But seriously they should consider changing it to "Ticket to Hell" with all the death speeches. We even have a Grim Reaper who comes up on stage if the speaker speaks overtime. Haha.

The conference ended on a high note! We had a pool side dinner with MORE drinks and great music. Very classy. And the food was finger licking good. I had broiled beef, with asparagus and spiced rice. As for drinks, I had a couple of beers and a Cosmopoilitan. Yummy!

And how can I blog without mentioning my IDOL!!!!!!! Mr Jim Key! He is the 2003 champion speaker with his "It is never too late to dream" speech. Mind you, he started out as an IT guy okie. Haha. Anyway, he was the guy who inspired me to speak. I chanced upon a speech seminar led by Terence (who is now my mentor). And in one of the sessions, he showed us Jim's speech. At that moment, I told myself that I want to be like him! And that was how I started my Toastmaster career in late 2004. When I met him yesterday again, I thanked him.

During his workshop, I asked him how intense was his preparation for the finals? And he replied with "You don't want to know!" Haha. Not surprisingly, he put in hundreds of hours into practicing and writing. But at the end of the day, he told us that it was worth it! This is yet another important moment for me. Now, I am even more resolute to be the FIRST Asian, specifically Chinese, to get into the finals and win of coz! Tough but possible. :)

My experience in the conference was a reaffirmation of my dream (at least one of them). I found a game that is worth my time and effort to play. Have you found yours?

DUH! Aren't we like that sometimes?

2006-04-28T10:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we can come up with the most elaborate solution to solve an extremely simple problem. So DUH!