Logic Meets Soul

When we build

john — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:23:12 +0000

A tribute to all who create. An inspiring talk for designers and programmers alike, building the ecosystem of the future.

Wilson Miner – When We Build from Build on Vimeo.

Modern Web Development

john — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:06:26 +0000

A quick and dirty presentation on Modern Web Development (using Agile Methodology and Tools). Just a short introduction to the workflow and tools used by some of the big names out there.

Webcamp Ep 3 - Modern Web Development

View more presentations from namor.

by John Wong (Flexnode Solutions)

Sorry if its a little short and shallow had to cover a speaker who was sick so it was a rush job..

Webcamp KK : Episode 1

john — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 07:16:58 +0000

It’s exciting to see that Webcamp KK had a huge turnout. But what event would be complete without videos.
Hence Webcamp KK’s official vimeo group/stream is born. Check it out now.

I made the group in vimeo so other participants in future can record the event and contribute to the group. You can get the slides from here

For the benefit of those who just stumbled on this post and want to watch videos from our first meetup, check it out below.

Webcamp KK Episode 1 Intro from John Wong on Vimeo.

Introduction to the first webcamp by TS Lim

Webcamp KK Episode 1 – Mobile Development by Vince from John Wong on Vimeo.

Introduction to Mobile Development. I’m really sorry for the quality of this video.. The ergonomics of the iphone isnt really suited for hand held vids

Webcamp KK Episode 1 – Introduction to Cappuccino from Isaac Chong on Vimeo.

Introduction to Cappuccino by Edham Arief

Lessons from Echelon’s Pitching Session

john — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:50:13 +0000

1) Start with an emotional connection
If there’s anything to take away from the Tribute Baloon’s pitch or Playmoolah’s Min Suan, it would be what was highlighted from in the book Switch by Chip & Dan Heath. Especially when the audience tires from the sheer amount of talking, the only way to capture attention would be to create a personal connection to the audience. Focusing first on something everyone can relate to, like how you feel when a crisis happens; it gives the audience a personal reason to actually listen. And it helps if you don’t start your pitch like a car salesman.

2) Only put 1 point per slide

Even after adhering to Guy Kawasaki’s Powerpoint rules, try to reduce the number of words in the slide to a bare minimal, focusing on just 1 point and centered. If you had to move my eyes towards all sides of the screen because its looks like an infographic, anyone will definitely give up reading it. Carmen Benitez (Fetchfan) did a great job using animation and with very few words to keep the audience engaged. Unfortunately, there was not enough clarity on the value proposition of their app.

3) Clearly communicate the core concept and don’t defocus from it

Derek Sivers had a point; forget bout the big idea (version infinity) and tell me what is version 0.1. Explain in as few words as possible exactly what you do and keep repeating it so people get it

4) Pick Sides

Be opinionated and be very certain of who your clients are. Don’t try to please everybody but sincerely look out for the best interest of your target market. And maybe read All marketers are liars by Seth Godin

5) Visually lead your audience through a complicated product

Sometimes complicated concepts will need a practical visual walkthrough before understanding your product. Its apparent to you because you spent a year of your life conceptualizing it and building it.

X) Be honest with what you don’t know

Maybe not always applicable, but honesty and humility when confronted on your weaknesses would win you more character points than a BS answer.

StartNOW

john — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 10:31:26 +0000

I always talk about doing something that will change the world, even just a little. It means nothing though, if I’m just all talk. So I’m proud to say that StartNOW, a project aimed to do just that is now launched.

StartNOW aims to inspire action among entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs to be in Malaysia. We want to build a community where people of the same goal can help and encourage each other through the difficult journey of entrepreneurship. If you’re one of them, with an idea for a project, or just want to share your experiences do join us.

The End Game

john — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:57:08 +0000

Do you remember, a time when you were little and you had own a certain toy. You would do anything in your power to get it. You begin to study hard to score A’s. You would spend the holidays doing chores like washing plates, cleaning your room or helping mow the lawn. Getting that toy became a goal in life where you devote all your attention and energy to achieving it.

Have you ever thought back, now being a little older; whether the toy you once craved for was worth all that effort? Of course, at this point of life, you could easily afford that little toy. It has become insignificant because you have outgrown it. Now, you’re striving to achieve greater goals.

Many would laugh at their once naïve self, fun days as they were; you are now mature and have more serious goals in life. You now want that dream car, a tour around the world, and the promotion that is just around the corner.

For that, you know that you will have to put in the extra effort. You spend late nights in the office, work weekends and put up with everything the office throws at you. You might be missing out on some important events, spending less time with the people you love and owing a few months’ worth of accumulated sleep. Even though you are miserable and fatigued, its temporary and it will all pay off in the end.

Have you ever asked yourself if it’s really worth it? Further down the line, will you look back and say “I was naïve back then but I’m different now”? Are we just reliving what we used to do when we were little?

Look at what you are chasing right now and make sure that it’s something that really matters at the very end.

Matt 6:19-20

WorshipGOD 2010 @ DUMC Review & Notes

john — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:43:18 +0000

Updated with Day 2 notes

If you don’t understand the title, WorshipGOD 2010 is a worship conference organized by Damansara Utama Methodist Church and its currently running from today (16th September 2010) till Saturday (19t September 2010). More info can be found here.

The highlights include Glenn Packiam (New Life Church / Desperation Band) & Sidney Mohede (Jakarta Praise Community Church / True Worshippers)

Not knowing what to expect as this is the first time I’ve attended a Worship Conference outside my church, I was once again blown away by the talent and more importantly the heart of the organizers and speakers.

I’ll be updating this post with some note as the conference progresses and hopefully if any others are doing the same, do tell me in the comments and i’ll include the links here =)

Plenary 1 by Glenn Packiam

Click here for notes

Glenn Packiam is an awesome speaker that witty and very humorous. He has a real heart to go back to the basics of worship and spoke about what it means when people say “You have to put Jesus first?”. He challenges us to to have Jesus as the center of your life instead of putting Jesus first but having others things as second and third

Workshop 1 (W1) – The Vocalist by Juwita Suwito

A very practical session that gives a great introduction to understand the instrument of a vocalist, the body and an introduction to techniques and methods of conditioning that instrument

Workshop 2 (W9) – Songwriting 1 by Glenn Packiam

Click here for notes

Starting with what makes a song a Congregational Worship song instead of just a Christian song and expounded on going back to the basics of Songwriting.

Plenary 2 by Sidney Mohede

Click here for notes

Sidney talks about the Power of Worship, and how even 1 person can make a difference

Plenary 3 by Sidney Mohede

Click here for notes

Sidney answers questions from the audience

Workshop 3 (W15) – Songwriting 2 by Glenn Packiam

Click here for notes

Some techniques and tips to write great songs. Practical analysis of some of the current popular songs

Road to Success

john — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:13:16 +0000

Inspired by Derek Sivers post on how he became Ryuichi Sakamoto’s guitarist, I contemplated on how attitude affects opportunities & success in life. He conclude with the statements below.

My personal lessons learned from this story:

being in the middle of things increases your chances for opportunities (in NYC with a roommate working at a big studio)

everything great that happens in your career starts with someone you know (my roommate)

when you hear of an opportunity you want, you have to go for it completely, over-the-top, not casual, and work your ass off to get it

Derek Sivers

After some reflection, I realized that even though seizing opportunities leads to success; it’s passion that creates those opportunities in the first place. Mix that in with a positive attitude and just faithfully producing something, with time I’m pretty sure you won’t live your life unnoticed.

Many times, I have been paralyzed by many irrelevant constraints whenever I try to venture into something new. This always stops me from getting things done. The list is long and it always seem so important in ensuring success.

I don’t have the right contacts
I don’t know anyone who can teach me
I dont have enough money
I’m not as good as “[INSERT SUPERSTAR HERE]“

All these obstacles are very real, and if you are betting your life on being successful the very first try, then the odds are against you. However, you don’t have to be a genius or have the stars align for you to get better at something. The current “you” might be lacking but in time you will be able to knock off those obstacles one by one. To remind myself what I need to do, I made a list.

Just keep getting better (with tenacity)
Produce something often (even though its nothing great)
Share it
Be with people of the same passion

Opportunities will slowly present itself with time. When that happens, don’t hold back and go over-the-top. Who knows, one day you could one day be called a genius.

Near death experience

john — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:48:13 +0000

Just a few hours earlier, our beloved airline, AirAsia gave me an experience that would forever scar my memories of flying. As the aircraft the descends through a storm, with turbulence that made everyone in the plane feel sick; the unexpected happened as we approach the runway. The familiar thud of the plane landing felt more like a crash and when you thought it was all over, the nose was still pointing upwards. The aircraft had just bounced off the runway, and we’re attempting to ascend once again.

Many things went through my mind at that time, but the most important question was “What if I died today?” Expecting some sort of flashbacks of my life, or to come up with a reason why I shouldn’t die; my mind was entirely blank. I knew where I was going and had no regrets or any compelling aspirations in life which I had to achieve.

Its only at that very moment though, you will realize how sure you are of what you’ve been doing. Have you been wasting your life trying to achieve something that doesn’t really matter in the end? Have you been living a life where you can say confidently, even if this was my last moment, I have no regrets?

So i leave you with this burning question, “What if YOU died today?“

Influence

john — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:23:55 +0000

I’m sure you’ve heard of Six Degrees of Separation, where everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth. So on the 6th level of “Friend’s Friend”, you are basically connected to the whole world.

Even if the world is shrinking, you can only meaningfully connect to a handful of people. I call this your personal Sphere of Influence. Everyone has a unique set of people which they will influence over the course of their lives. You must be thinking, that’s definitely not me, because I’m not a dominant person and I’m always a follower. Most people would say this but fail to realize that everything you say or do, how you react and just being you; a little bit of you will rub off to the people around you.

Realizing that would make you ponder if you’re being a good influence to those around you. Why don’t you try to up the ante and try to make a lasting, life changing and meaningful impression on those within your sphere of influence. I’m sure the world would be a step closer to being a better place when everyone stops being too self absorbed and takes a step to make a positive change.