As a slum kid is only a question away from winning a grand prize of 20 millions rupees, the question that struck on everyone's mind is: How did he do it? Is it by means of cheating? Or is it the work of lady fortune? Or is it because this uneducated chap is a born-genius? Or is it because it written in the stars?
Coming from the worst slum in India, Jamal Malik is not the likeliest candidate to be sitting in the last stage of one of the world's highly successful TV show - Who wants to be a millionaire. Conspiracy. Cheating. That seemed to be the consensus that most people had in mind.
After hours of interrogation and series of brutal treatment and tortures, one thing emerges as a new certainty. It seems that, hard as it is to accept, but the unlikeliest journey on the planet seems to be genuine after all. More intriguing is the fact that, behind every answer to every question lies a painful truth, the dark side of slums that is common in many parts of India.
But how on earth did Jamal Malik end up in the variety show? Pain. Anguish. Hope to recover the love that had long seemed lost. Audacity. Perseverance. Refusal to surrender to fate. Faith in own-written destiny. These are the ingredients behind his quest for this improbable journey.
This is a yet but entertaining drama. There are many inspiring lessons that for those who are going through failures in life can learn from. Just what is the answer to the question posed at the beginning? Conspiracy? Sheer luck? Genius? Or Destiny? Find out the answer as you traverse the other facets of life and discover things that you never thought possible.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Life is short, treasure it
Life is like a book made up of many chapters in it.
Do not dwell over a chapter for too long, for there are many more that are yet to unfold.
Ups and downs, uncertainty and unpredictability in life are essential ingredients that will make the book interesting. Get up and move on.
Life is short. Only you can determine when the new chapter is going to begin.
Do not dwell over a chapter for too long, for there are many more that are yet to unfold.
Ups and downs, uncertainty and unpredictability in life are essential ingredients that will make the book interesting. Get up and move on.
Life is short. Only you can determine when the new chapter is going to begin.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Happiness in Life - 1... 2... 3...
In our pursuit for higher knowledge, scientific discovery and truth around us, we must remember the noble purpose behind such pursuit. We must constantly remind ourselves the importance to keep a balance between knowledge and wisdom. LOVE should be our source of motivation for such pursuit. Matched with LOVE, possession of Knowledge is acquired for the benefits of humanity. Matched with LOVE, discovery of scientific advancement and innovation is made for the betterment of others. Matched with LOVE, truth discovery is for helping the world around us.
This is a timely reminder for many of us. The global financial meltdown has affected millions. Scandals of unimaginable magnitudes are revealed one after another. The actors behind the current economic catastrophe are - the cream of the crop - scholars with intellectual capability that surpassed the average persons. This is a tipping point. A point where humanity is at its worst. Possession of Knowledge that is driven by sheer greed and selfishness. Let this be a lesson to all of us.
By practicing 1.. 2.. 3.., together we can bring out the other side of humanity.
1. LOVE 2. CONSCIENCE 3. LIVE NATURALLY. A simple but yet powerful mantra. Just remember 1... 2... 3... Practice them in our daily life. Bright future awaits you.
What practicing 1.. 2.. 3.. means that we take lesson from Mother Nature. It is what it is. Plain. Unhidden. Genuine. Unpretentious. Lead an ordinary live. What is the point of splurging on excessive materialistic possessions? At the end of the day, when everything is striped away from us. What is left of us? Nothing. Except our worthiness as a child of our Creator, the true beauty of mankind.
Radiating true beauty of mankind is what we should strive for.
This is a timely reminder for many of us. The global financial meltdown has affected millions. Scandals of unimaginable magnitudes are revealed one after another. The actors behind the current economic catastrophe are - the cream of the crop - scholars with intellectual capability that surpassed the average persons. This is a tipping point. A point where humanity is at its worst. Possession of Knowledge that is driven by sheer greed and selfishness. Let this be a lesson to all of us.
By practicing 1.. 2.. 3.., together we can bring out the other side of humanity.
1. LOVE 2. CONSCIENCE 3. LIVE NATURALLY. A simple but yet powerful mantra. Just remember 1... 2... 3... Practice them in our daily life. Bright future awaits you.
What practicing 1.. 2.. 3.. means that we take lesson from Mother Nature. It is what it is. Plain. Unhidden. Genuine. Unpretentious. Lead an ordinary live. What is the point of splurging on excessive materialistic possessions? At the end of the day, when everything is striped away from us. What is left of us? Nothing. Except our worthiness as a child of our Creator, the true beauty of mankind.
Radiating true beauty of mankind is what we should strive for.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Weathering the Economic Storm
I remember it was June 2008. The global financial market was charging at full-throttle speed. Global economic outlook appears rosy across all sectors. From banking to tourism. From manufacturing to IT. Influx of foreign talents streaming in to Singapore. Property prices soar to historic high. Prices of goods - from food to clothings, from basic staples to luxury items - continue to climb.
Economic projections were all nothing but rosy. Economists and companies are predicting record profits, record surpluses and record growths. These pictures still remain vivid in our mind. As if they were just yesterday.
All of a sudden, reports surfaced that the Wall Street financial giants are facing credit crisis. Financial empires with the likes of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Citibank etc crumble one after another. The economic tsunami has arrived. In just one night, billions of dollars are swept away. Millions of ordinary people are losing their investments and forced to give up their homes.
Things happened with such extraordinary pace and magnitude. Everyone is clueless and not knowing what actually had hit them. Panic and fear of the uncertainty consumed everyone's mind.
The rosy pictures and projections are all gone. Suddenly, everyone is talking about the worst financial crisis in the history of mankind. Instead of record profits, companies are now talking about record losses. Instead of record surplus, countries are now talking about record deficits. Instead of record growth, companies are now talking about record retrenchments and layoffs.
There is only ONE thing for sure - nobody has expected this and nobody has any idea of where things are heading. No economic experts dare to say for certain when things would get better or at least when things would stabilize. Governments across the globe are frantically doing everything in their capacity just to halt the down ride.
While no one is able to offer any concrete theory on what brings us to this state and at which point things actually gone wrong, there is one thing we can say for certain.
It is HUMAN GREEDS, OBSESSIONS WITH MATERIALISTIC POSSESSION, OBSESSIONS WITH WEALTH PURSUITS, SELFISHNESS AND IRRESPONSIBILITY.
One after another, banks and financial companies are pleading for government support, begging to get a slice of the public money. They are cashing on the fear of the people - claiming that if no money is injected, all these giant institutions are on the brink of collapse.
YET... top executives of these institutions are walking away with hefty bonuses - in record amounts. Even when people are fearing to lose their jobs, homes or even the next meal for many, these executives spend lavishly - millions and millions of taxpayers' money - for personal holidays, enjoyments or luxury decorations of their offices. It was exactly these extraordinary intellectually-gifted executives who brought us to this mess - their irresponsible act to win at all cost, compromising all ethic values to feed their insatiable hunger for power and wealth.
What has happened to humanity? Where have we put our conscience? How did we end up like this? Where is the value of morality? Where is our compassion for people around us? Look at what we have done to ourselves. This is the result when greed triumphs over generosity, selfishness triumphs over common good, materialistic insanity triumphs over gracious living.
Let us be very clear that we, human is the root cause of this epic economic and most major environmental catastrophe.
As we mark the passing of one year to the other, let us understand that time waits for no man. Every single day, single hour, single minute and single second passed is another opportunity gone. We cannot turn back time.
All of a sudden, reports surfaced that the Wall Street financial giants are facing credit crisis. Financial empires with the likes of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Citibank etc crumble one after another. The economic tsunami has arrived. In just one night, billions of dollars are swept away. Millions of ordinary people are losing their investments and forced to give up their homes.
Things happened with such extraordinary pace and magnitude. Everyone is clueless and not knowing what actually had hit them. Panic and fear of the uncertainty consumed everyone's mind.
The rosy pictures and projections are all gone. Suddenly, everyone is talking about the worst financial crisis in the history of mankind. Instead of record profits, companies are now talking about record losses. Instead of record surplus, countries are now talking about record deficits. Instead of record growth, companies are now talking about record retrenchments and layoffs.
There is only ONE thing for sure - nobody has expected this and nobody has any idea of where things are heading. No economic experts dare to say for certain when things would get better or at least when things would stabilize. Governments across the globe are frantically doing everything in their capacity just to halt the down ride.
While no one is able to offer any concrete theory on what brings us to this state and at which point things actually gone wrong, there is one thing we can say for certain.
It is HUMAN GREEDS, OBSESSIONS WITH MATERIALISTIC POSSESSION, OBSESSIONS WITH WEALTH PURSUITS, SELFISHNESS AND IRRESPONSIBILITY.
One after another, banks and financial companies are pleading for government support, begging to get a slice of the public money. They are cashing on the fear of the people - claiming that if no money is injected, all these giant institutions are on the brink of collapse.
YET... top executives of these institutions are walking away with hefty bonuses - in record amounts. Even when people are fearing to lose their jobs, homes or even the next meal for many, these executives spend lavishly - millions and millions of taxpayers' money - for personal holidays, enjoyments or luxury decorations of their offices. It was exactly these extraordinary intellectually-gifted executives who brought us to this mess - their irresponsible act to win at all cost, compromising all ethic values to feed their insatiable hunger for power and wealth.
What has happened to humanity? Where have we put our conscience? How did we end up like this? Where is the value of morality? Where is our compassion for people around us? Look at what we have done to ourselves. This is the result when greed triumphs over generosity, selfishness triumphs over common good, materialistic insanity triumphs over gracious living.
Let us be very clear that we, human is the root cause of this epic economic and most major environmental catastrophe.
Though we are in no position to change where we come from, we can chart our future. Destiny is not written for us, but it is written by us. Think about what we want to leave behind for our future generations.
We can decide to change our course NOW. We can stop polluting the earth and destroying millions of lives. At least, that's the least we can all play a part. Let us go back to our conscience. We can start caring for others - at least people around us - our closest friends, families and relatives. Let us revive the angelic side of humanity. Let us LOVE, PROTECT and GLORIFY all lives. Let us be thankful for each passing day, for every breath that we take. Let us be thankful and be content for what we have and what we do not have. For the true beauty of mankind is not defined by how much we have, nor does it defined by the size of our house, nor does it defined by the cars that we drive, nor does it defined by the number of credit cards we own, nor does it defined by how much zeros we have in our bank balance.
The true beauty of mankind lies within everyone us and not outside of us. The true beauty of mankind does not discriminate the rich from the poor, the able from the disable, the beauty from the ugly, the old from the young. We are all created equal. Within everyone of us resides the same conscience - the ability to love and to care for one another.
Let us welcome the times ahead with a renewed sense of hope, optimism and rejoice. Let us turn to God (our faith) for the serenity to accept the things that we cannot change and the courage to change the things that we can. Let us pray for our families. Let us pray that everyone will live to care for one another. Let us pray for our parents. May they be blessed with good health. Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters - even those who are not with us today - and people around us. Let us pray that we are blessed with good health and good fortunes - and that we continue to serve and help propagate the spirit of compassion to the world. Let us pray that everyone will make continuous progression in terms of - career, business and self-discovery. Let us pray for the world leaders - that they are given the wisdom and strength to lead the world through this trying time.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
The Benefits of Failures
It is easy to find quotes, references and speeches about success. But there are not many about failure.
Recently, J.K. Rowling, the author of one of this planet's best selling title of all time - Harry Potter, delivered a commencement speech at Harvard Graduation. Miss Rowling delivered two key messages in her speech, and one of them is 'The benefits of failure'.
While failure is undeniably a dark moment for all of us, there are many lessons that she learned from it.
Lesson 1: Failure helps to strip away the inessential. It is during this most painful moment in life that she discovered her true-self and learned to focus all her energy towards her goal.
Lesson 2: Failure helps to discover true friends.
If you are looking for an inspiration and motivation to get yourself out of the dark tunnel, watch this video and you will feel better.
Recently, J.K. Rowling, the author of one of this planet's best selling title of all time - Harry Potter, delivered a commencement speech at Harvard Graduation. Miss Rowling delivered two key messages in her speech, and one of them is 'The benefits of failure'.
While failure is undeniably a dark moment for all of us, there are many lessons that she learned from it.
Lesson 1: Failure helps to strip away the inessential. It is during this most painful moment in life that she discovered her true-self and learned to focus all her energy towards her goal.
Lesson 2: Failure helps to discover true friends.
If you are looking for an inspiration and motivation to get yourself out of the dark tunnel, watch this video and you will feel better.
Monday, 23 June 2008
Failure of a First Time Entrepreneur
As first-time entrepreneurs, we all know that the path that we are treading has no guarantee of success. There are many reasons that motivate Entrepreneurs. Some are fuelled by our passion and we believe that by sticking to our idealism, we can make a difference to the life of others. Some see it as a personal challenge to achieve our childhood dreams. Of course, there are those who are motivated to attain financial freedom and the worse kind of entrepreneurs are those that see money as their only motivation.
Whatever it is, for you to be reading this blog, you must have encountered some setbacks or failures in your entrepreneurship journey. In worst case situation, some of us might have to shut down the entire business operation. But the good news is, you are not alone. Today, there are many great successful people out there who probably had gone through similar experiences as you.
As we set our goals and ambitions high and noble, we must not forget that we have to be prepared to take on failures and move on. A lot of people like to talk about success, but not failure. It's similar in life, people like to talk about the pleasures in life and death is viewed as a taboo. But truly, for one to appreciate life, we have got to first appreciate death.
Whether we love it or hate it, failure is part and puzzle of life. Without which, life would be a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. Let's face failure positively and you will find that there are a lot to learn from our mistakes.
I have collected some quotes and references from many great people / entrepreneur out there who have probably made more mistakes than we do.
Positive Quotes on Failures:
The way to succeed is to double your error rate
Thomas J. Watson - Founder and Former CEO of IBM
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work
Thomas A. Edison - Inventor
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up
Thomas A. Edison - Inventor
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time
Thomas A. Edison - Inventor
A failure is a man who has blundered but is not capable of cashing in on the experience
Elbert Hubbard - Writer, Artist, Philosopher
It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success
Henry Havelock Ellis - Sexologist, Physician, Social Reformer
Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes
Oscar Wilde - Playwright, Novelist, Poet
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly
Robert F. Kennedy - Politician
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm
Winston Churchill - Politician
Even if you haven’t encountered great success yet, there is no reason you can’t bluff a little and act like you have. Confidence is a magnet in the best sense of the word. It will draw people to you and make your daily life.. and theirs.. a lot more pleasant
Donald Trump - One of World's Richest Man
I've learned that mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success
Jack Welch - General Electric Ex-Chairman
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall
Confucius - Philosopher
Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories
Ralph Waldo Emerson - Philosopher
History has demonstrated that the most notable winners encountered heart breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They finally won by their defeats
B. C. Forbes - Journalist & Founder of Forbes Magazine
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure
Colin Powell - Politician
Whatever it is, for you to be reading this blog, you must have encountered some setbacks or failures in your entrepreneurship journey. In worst case situation, some of us might have to shut down the entire business operation. But the good news is, you are not alone. Today, there are many great successful people out there who probably had gone through similar experiences as you.
As we set our goals and ambitions high and noble, we must not forget that we have to be prepared to take on failures and move on. A lot of people like to talk about success, but not failure. It's similar in life, people like to talk about the pleasures in life and death is viewed as a taboo. But truly, for one to appreciate life, we have got to first appreciate death.
Whether we love it or hate it, failure is part and puzzle of life. Without which, life would be a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. Let's face failure positively and you will find that there are a lot to learn from our mistakes.
I have collected some quotes and references from many great people / entrepreneur out there who have probably made more mistakes than we do.
Positive Quotes on Failures:
The way to succeed is to double your error rate
Thomas J. Watson - Founder and Former CEO of IBM
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work
Thomas A. Edison - Inventor
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up
Thomas A. Edison - Inventor
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time
Thomas A. Edison - Inventor
A failure is a man who has blundered but is not capable of cashing in on the experience
Elbert Hubbard - Writer, Artist, Philosopher
It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success
Henry Havelock Ellis - Sexologist, Physician, Social Reformer
Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes
Oscar Wilde - Playwright, Novelist, Poet
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly
Robert F. Kennedy - Politician
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm
Winston Churchill - Politician
Even if you haven’t encountered great success yet, there is no reason you can’t bluff a little and act like you have. Confidence is a magnet in the best sense of the word. It will draw people to you and make your daily life.. and theirs.. a lot more pleasant
Donald Trump - One of World's Richest Man
I've learned that mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success
Jack Welch - General Electric Ex-Chairman
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall
Confucius - Philosopher
Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories
Ralph Waldo Emerson - Philosopher
History has demonstrated that the most notable winners encountered heart breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They finally won by their defeats
B. C. Forbes - Journalist & Founder of Forbes Magazine
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure
Colin Powell - Politician
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Humble Introduction to Oasis of Life
Everyone of us faces failures at some point in our life. If life is all about success, how dull it will be.
But let's be honest. It is never easy to come to terms with failures, otherwise, it will not be called failing at all. And at such low point in our lives, we need motivations and encouragement, be it from our buddy, close relatives or maybe, people who have been in your shoes before.
This website is dedicated to everyone out there who is going through the 'downs' in life. This serves as a reminder that success is a journey and not a destination. It is how we look at our failures, learn from it and use it to propel ourselves to a greater heights.
Happy reading and hope that you will feel better soon...
But let's be honest. It is never easy to come to terms with failures, otherwise, it will not be called failing at all. And at such low point in our lives, we need motivations and encouragement, be it from our buddy, close relatives or maybe, people who have been in your shoes before.
This website is dedicated to everyone out there who is going through the 'downs' in life. This serves as a reminder that success is a journey and not a destination. It is how we look at our failures, learn from it and use it to propel ourselves to a greater heights.
Happy reading and hope that you will feel better soon...
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