A lady’s take on the Jack Neo scandal: What a Jack-Ass Jack Neo is

By Novia Lim

A jackass is a male donkey. From Wikipedia: In Arabic, حمار (ḥimar), meaning “donkey”, is a derogatory term that refers to someone of very limited intelligence.

In United States, the world had revealed Tiger Woods. In Singapore, we have our very own jackass (donkey) AKA Jack Neo.

A cultural medallion winner, comedian, actor, director, and a local sensation in many other entertainment industry related accolades and achievements. It speaks for itself reflecting that Jack Neo is NOT a person of limited intelligence. Jack Neo is married to Madam Irene Kng for 27 years and has four lovely children, how can Jack Neo commit infidelity against monogamous marriage?

David Buss, professor of psychology at the University of Texas reported that men crave sexual “variety.” Or could it be the primitive instinct that dates back to stone age where men are hunters and gatherers – only this time, they’re craving, hunting and gathering new women? 

Madam Irene Kng, composed and supportive, walked in hand in hand with Jack Neo at the news conference on 11th March 2010. Madam Irene Kng expressed her graceful forgiveness and stood by Jack Neo.

What if the scenario is now reversed? Will Jack Neo reciprocate the same level of support? I mean no disrespect to Madam Irene Kng and I sincerely admire Madam Irene Kng for her bravery, tolerance and love for her family.

Should men or women get a free pass if their significant other cheats on them? In marital problems such as infidelity, reports have shown that women are more likely than men to forgive a cheating spouse, as they are more emotional and take into account their children and general survival.

Men are just crushed and experience extreme anger over what happened to them and appears to be less willing to forgive. Are women providing too much leeway to cheating husbands?

Madam Irene Kng had displayed generosity towards her family and magnificent devotion towards maintaining a healthy family nucleus. I am sure not all of us (including myself) will forgive the mistakes that Jack Neo had committed. But I strongly believe that we should give Madam Irene Kng and their four lovely children our support and blessings.

The reasons for infidelity could be endless. Every individual and every family is different. We all have our own stories, struggles and happiness. May it be evolution, human nature or simple novelty, it is not rocket science technology and the decision on whether to cheat is still entirely in a person’s control.

Are you in control?

 

About the Author:

Novia Lim is a global data analyst by profession, honored with years of solid experience with multinational corporations. She is also a hobbyist model and food blogger striving to achieve lifestyle balance with proper prioritization between career, demands of life on one hand and pleasure, leisure on the other.

Novia blogs at http://eatcookshoot.blogspot.com

Six key ways self-defeating behavior can cause failure

Hi everyone,

Most people have a misconception that our rivals are our greatest enemies. In actual fact, we are our own greatest enemy. It is more often that our self-sabotaging behavior prevents us from achieving success. I cannot find any better phrases than that described by Jan Christian Smuts, a prime minister of South Africa, “A man is not defeated by his opponents but by himself.” Therefore, it is more important to learn how to overcome ourselves than overcome our rivals.

In this article, I am going to take you through these 6 key self -sabotaging behaviors that most of time cause failure.

1. EXPECTING FAILURE

If you are expecting failure then sooner or later you will get what you expect. This is because your subconscious mind will transmit to your subconscious mind and commands your conscious mind that you are going to fail. Expecting failure and preparing for failure are two different things. The latter is inclined to accept any outcome after all his hard work and preparation which he believes he has done his best whereas the former does not have any confidence and truly believe that he will not succeed whether he tries or not.

2. PROCRASTINATION

It is one of the major causes of failure. Life means risk. These people do not give themselves any chance, but keep waiting for opportunities even though they will miss these opportunities most of times. They always wait for the right time and that “right” time never comes. As such, if you want to reach your potential, you have to take chances. We must be aware that there are more ways to be successful that do not involve any physical or violent exploitation than the past.

3. LETTING FAILURE DEFEAT THEM

Failure is the root of success. Everybody experiences losses. However, the successful person will not allow himself to be stopped by these failures. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for failure. What is more important is not failure, but bouncing back from it when it occurs. This is the difference with people who have positive attitude, they will get up and keep on trying.

4. NO SPECIFIC PURPOSE

In life, you can not hope to succeed in anything if you do not have a specific purpose. If you are caught in this scenario, you will then jump from one activity to another with no success. Therefore, it is no surprise that statistics shows more than 90% of people think and act in this manner, and that is the major reason that caused them to fail.

5. LACK OF KNOW HOW

Most of the successful people are either “self educated” or “self made” jndividuals, who know precisely how to make use of applied knowledge coupled with his plan of action to achieve success. Here, we must know how to differentiate between tactics knowledge and applied knowledge. It is equally important to know that knowing is one thing and doing is totally different altogether

6. LACK OF FOCUS

This is a typical mistake by putting their energy and efforts on multiple causes rather than concentrating on one particular cause. Thereafter, they realize that they are not able to accomplish or not succeed any of them. Therefore, they quit.

Be honest and deal with it appropriately. The success will be yours. Try it out and share with us your personal experience. Thank you in advance for your kind participation.

James Oh

About the Author:

James Oh is an accountant by profession and he works as a Financial Controller for more than 10 years with several companies in Singapore and Malaysia. He is a full member of the Singapore Institute of Director and he also obtained a LLB (Law degree) from the University of London in 2003. He is happily married with 3 loving kids.

James blog at http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

How to acquire speedy reading skills

Hi! everyone,

Nice to see you again.

In today’s information society, we need to read and digest information daily as information can change by the minute. However, most of us do not have the luxury of time to read whatever information that come to our hands. Therefore, as we are pressed for time, speed reading is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Equally essential is that readers must be able to grasp and fully understand the message that come out from the reading materials.

To expedite the process of retaining information, we may need to use some of the tips listed below:-

1. Stay focus on what you need

You don’t need to read every word from the piece of information you have. Stay focus on what you need, skipping process may be useful here. Take an bird’s eye view at the table of contents. Look at the specific topics that can provide you with the specific information you need. Alternatively, you can make a quick assessment on how you can relate it with the specific topic you have in mind. If the information is not relevant and currently not required, then drop it.

2. Retain peace of mind

Stay cool and try not to be in a stressful state, it would not help you, but will make it more difficult to concentrate in reading that material. As such, the information will not sink into your mind and heart.

Retaining peace is a skill and you need to master the skill to empower your concentration power, just like the dried sponge merge into water.

3. Repetition is the key of mastering

To master any skill of trade, you need to keep on repeating the process. Same as in speed reading. Setting a goal and consistently raising your bar to the best you can cope with will keep you out of disappointment. Don’t set unrealistic targets. No doubt, this takes time and practice, but it is worth your effort. Raise the bar as you progress and after you have gained confidence.

4. Sustaining your progress

Reaching the top is very much easier than staying on top. The same analogy can be drawn between making decision and managing decision. Once the decision is made, monitoring and managing that decision is more crucial to lead us to success. That’s why you see lots of good and sound decisions fail to bear fruit.

5. Have faith in it

In life, you will get what you expect. As such, it is important for you to understand that you can’t obtain something you do not believe in. So, you must have the right perspective and keep on moving towards your goals. No doubt, you will face with some challenges along the way, which will mould and shape you accordingly, before you can move to the next level of success. The higher the level of success you have, the stronger the strength you need to sustain it. This is the law of nature which has been proven in mankind’s history.

I hope you find the above tips useful and beneficial. I am sure you may have other useful tips which I may not know about. In this regard, I appeal to you to forward it either through comments, or email to me at jamesoh2003@yahoo.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you,

Thank you for your precious time and wish you success,

James Oh

About the Author:

James Oh is an accountant by profession and he works as a Financial Controller for more than 10 years with several companies in Singapore and Malaysia. He is a full member of the Singapore Institute of Director and he also obtained a LLB (Law degree) from the University of London in 2003. He is happily married with 3 loving kids.

James blog at http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

How to have breakthrough health results

By James Oh

Hi! everyone,

In this article, I am going to discuss how to have breakthrough results. This automatically triggers our minds that we need to make drastic changes to produce it. That is not wrong at all. Why I say so? It is a lengthy process that not only requires a strong and unlimited mindset, but also a winning formula to deliver that remarkable result. Most of the past proven cases illustrate well this precarious point when you have to act against conventional wisdom. A very good illustration is when people at one time believe that the earth is flat. It needed very strong courage and determination to prove otherwise. However, conventional wisdom is equally important for a strong foundation. That foundation cannot be ignored at all.

1. PICTURE THE BREAKTHROUGH RESULTS

To achieve anything, you must be able to visualise your breakthrough results in your mind first. Iit is crucial to begin with a vision and then use the ends to justify your means. For instance, if you want to fly, you must able to see how to fly and let the vision stick in your mind and heart. Then you will make use of the available means to make the end. Throughout the history of new inventions, we learned that the inventors always use means to facilitate their end. No doubt, the end may become clearer and clearer during the processes. In the flying example, the inventor learned that birds need wings to fly. That’s how the aircraft was made. Over the years, they persistently improve with additional features to make the aircraft fly at higher altitude and faster speed.

An interesting point to note is that every creation must begin from our mind first. Similarly, to achieve breakthrough results, you need to know your goal and picture the end in your mind. In this regard, you need mental and spiritual qualities to overcome the physical defects.

2. BUILD UP APPROPRIATE AND EFFECTIVE APPROACH

To achieve the end result, an appropriate and effective approach is needed to carry out our task. Through your observations and testings, you are able to incorporate the changes, approaches, plans and actions so as to give you your desired results. Through elimination of the wrong paths, you will finally find the correct path leading to breakthrough results. Deep understanding of the means, system and approach are still relevant and equally important because you still need all these existing means to achieve breakthrough results. By now, you should able to see clearly how your approach need to be modified for desired results.

3. CREATIVE THINKING

You also need to think creatively to find new solution. Here, you need to think out of the box to deliver that result. You need to use your whole brain – i.e the logical and the creative parts to work out the plan and action to generate breakthrough results. Therefore, creative thinking demands more than imagination that will plough through logic to seek for new means. In short, you need to stretch your mind to the maximum and play within the stipulated boundaries, instead of working within the box, which can only produce small incremental improvement.

Hence, creative thinking is really required to explore new ideas that could likely produce results. Needless to say that you can’t repeat the same thing to produce different results. Innovative or modified solutions should be used. Change is the answer.

4. APPROPRIATE ACTION

Vision alone is not sufficient. You need to put into action, your brillianct vision and integrate them well with the ultimate objective. Decisons and actions may not guarantee such breakthrough result. You need to stay focused on your ultimate goals, review the mistakes, learn from them and adjust the plan and your next act accordingly, until that remarkable result is achieved. You need a skill that will help you manage in a manner that, constantly produce the best possible results. It is crucial to note that adequate and rightful thinking will produce such results. Open mindset will help you review the feedback objectively and adjust your plan when you have thought more deeply or when things become clearer.

5. POWERFUL AND DYNAMIC MINDSET

Our mindset mould us to have a fixed way of looking at things. So, to have breakthrough results, we need a powerful and dynamic mindset , which has unlimited beliefs. Our mindsets can range from a judgment to a strongly held opinion all the way to a bias or a prejudice. It is not suffice for us to learn or adopt a new mindset for the future, but we need to substitute those limiting ones and grow further.

6. RECHARGE YOURSELF

To stay alert and active, you need time to have adequate and proper rest for your body, mind and soul. This is a skill, rather than an act. To reap maximum benefits, we need to acquire and master this skill. Do not confuse it with idling or inaction. A real relaxation will give us a refreshing feeling. To enhance our understanding, you may draw the same analogy with the performance of batteries after being recharged. This is crucial because your goal need to stay afresh in your mind while you are persistently working towards your end.

7. LEVERAGE

You can’t do it alone. You need a system which can empower you to do far more than your own capability. We need to stay connected with others so that we can function as a united force to carry out that specific task. Human beings need connection with others. We especially need people for psychological and emotional support. Other scientific research has accumulated overwhelming evidence that having strong, supportive relationships is good for our mental and physical health.

Trust the above tips are helpful to you to build your path to healthy living. Remember that health, wellness and beauty are integrated issues and not separated as commonly believes.

Wishing you success,

James Oh

About the Author:

James Oh is an accountant by profession and he works as a Financial Controller for more than 10 years with several companies in Singapore and Malaysia. He is a full member of the Singapore Institute of Director and he also obtained a LLB (Law degree) from the University of London in 2003. He is happily married with 3 loving kids.

The Three Roberts and the Meaning of Wealth (Or How You Can Attain True Wealth) Part One

By Louis Lim

Robert Kiyosaki defines ‘Wealth’ as a ‘Positive Net Cash Inflow’.

In financial terms, when money coming to you on a regular basis is more than what is going out from you, you are wealthy. There is a further condition i.e. the incoming cash flow must be a ‘passive one’. Thus, a ‘wealthy’ person or one who is financially free is one who has a passive income(s) that is in excess of what is needed to live the life one desires.

Passive income is receiving money from assets whether you are doing anything or not. Robert Kiyosaki take on this is ‘Wealthy people do not work for money but money works for them’. Clearly then, the way to wealth is to create passive incomes to work for you!

How then does one create a passive income? To Robert Kiyosaki, it’s about creating financial assets. An asset is something you own that brings ‘positive’ cash flow. If you own a house and have to pay a mortgage and the cash flow is negative then the house is a liability, not an asset. However, if you collect a rental from the house which is more than your mortgage then it is an asset. Other assets would include securities(sic!) or business(es) or royalty from a book etc..

The next question must be ‘how does one create an asset?’ Can one create assets like shares, houses and business etc. without money, special talents and skill, connections? The answer is yes and many have done it! It is even more possible today because of the internet. Robert Kiyosaki will tell you it’s about one’s perspective! If you believe you can be wealthy, you will be!

To Kiyosaki the best way to create wealth is to start a business of your own. A successful business will allow you to build assets. Currently there are businesses you can start part-time whilst you are working. Nowadays the easiest to start is an Online business.

Besides the internet, what other businesses should you go into that can lead you to wealth. The kinds that can do without much money, employees and provide multiple streams of passive incomes; and which suits almost anyone! Here is where the second Robert i.e. Robert Allen is going to guide you. He claims to have created many millionaires. Indeed his ideas on how any ordinary guy can create great wealth is something anyone who desires to have lots of money need to know.

The space given this article is too short. Please look out for ‘The Three Roberts and The Meaning Of Wealth’ (Part 2) to read about the other two Roberts and how ideas  together can make you truly wealthy.

Wishing you all the best!

About the Author:

Louis Lim is a highly qualified certified management consultant who promotes entrepreneurship as a set of basic human skills for financial security! With these skills,, anyone can always feel secure of making a living with or without a job. Louis has identified Internet Marketing as the latest opportunity for those seeking financial independence. He has decades of experience consulting for many firms and mentors many business people. He is sharing his skills in business on the internet.

Louis Lim is also an Expert Author on Entrepreneurship in the top Ezine Business and Motivation magazines in the internet and Google.  One of his websites is http://TheSuperFastAffiliate.com” where you can find a program to learn how to start an internet a marketing business.

How to beat stress effectively

Hi! Everyone,

No doubt no one can be totally exempted from stress and anxiety, but what is more important is to know precisely, how to make use of it to bring benefits to us, and not harm. The key to handle it properly become a necessity and not a luxury as today’s information age is changing so rapidly. People not only need to think fast, but have to act fast as well. Stress can creep in and claim lives easily regardless how fit you are physically or how young are.

In this article, I am going to share with you some of the tips, from my personal experience, which I find useful and I hope they will be useful to you. To simplify, I have listed them down in point form, as below :-

1. Sleep and rest sufficiently

Adequate sleep and rest not only assure that our bodies are well rested, but also allow our bodies to replenish energy. It operates just like the battery which perform remarkably well after being recharged. However, if you over stress yourself over a certain period of time, you will discover that you need almost double the normal time to restore yourself back to its initial position. At the end of the day, you tend to lose more than what you have initially gained.

2. Be contented

Being content not only prevents you from indulging into unnecessary negative emotions that will harm you, but also helps you to stay in control at all times. Your inner peace will calm you and guide you wisely because you are able to see things at the wider and right perspective. As such, you will not rush into doing unnecessary things that will drain off your energy.

3. Follow your body rhythm

Setting deadline is good in the sense that it drives you to stay focus on a particular task. However, unrealistic dateline may not only cause you to be moody, but also affects your morale and confidence, if left unchecked.

By contrast, I find that my productivity tend to go much higher if I were to follow my body rhythm. When I am at my peak, I can finish similar task three to four times faster than my normal required time. So, schedule your creative works at your low peak time so as to maximize your outputs.

4. Cultivate a good habit

To avoid unnecessary stress, we need to discipline and live within our means. Needless to say, spending beyond our means/budget can be very stressful especially when you are also hit by other unexpected incidents.

5. Exercise

Appropriate and adequate exercise is a sure way to keep you healthy and relieve you from stress. You are encouraged to do light exercise for about 10 minutes daily when you wake up. If you really cannot, then finding time to walk everyday is also another good substitute, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, take your time roaming around when buying groceries.

6. Do List

Write down what you need to do and schedule them accordingly. I find it is very useful as it gives me better control – you are able to see the overall big picture and you know precisely how to act upon them. So, plotting your daily schedule will save you time, money and energy. Try it out and you will be surprised of its result, especially for those who have not try them out before.

7. Laugh it out

Laugh more, folks. Whoever laugh more seem to enjoy life more, and enjoying yourself is an easy way to beat stress. Stress may cause negative emotion such as wanting to kick something. Laughing it out is a sure way to beat stress. Cultivate a joyful heart, greet and smile at people more often. Find humour in life and stay well connected with others. Do not complaint when something goes wrong, but laugh it out. Take your mind off from work and have fun! Do not get upset easily over petty things. In short, a joyful heart is the best medicine.

8. Read the Bible/Pray over it.

Reading the Bible every night before going to bed may help you stay fresh the next morning. Pass all your worries, stress to Him who will lead you to overcome them effortlessly. His wisdom and grace will sustain you and relieve you from all the stress/issues that you are currently facing.

Hi! friends. Now I want to throw the ball to your court and I am sure you have learn from your experience, which you may want to share it with us. Please forward them through comments so that we can sharpen our experience. Thanks and look forward to your kind participation.

James Oh

About the Author:

James Oh is an accountant by profession and he works as a Financial Controller for more than 10 years with several companies in Singapore and Malaysia. He is a full member of the Singapore Institute of Director and he also obtained a LLB (Law degree) from the University of London in 2003. He is happily married with 3 loving kids.

James blog at http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

How to beat procrastination

Hi! everyone,

Procrastination is a silent killer. It works like diabetis which will cause dyfunction of our other organs and ultimately bring death to us. Similarly, procrastination causes inaction but affects us as we indulge deeply in unnecessary causes. Therefore, it is best to understand its characteristics and take appropriate actions so as not to be ingrained with such a habit.

In this article, I have listed some of the tips which I find useful and effective in beating this unhealthy habit.

1.Act now

To overcome it is to do it now. This sounds glaringly obvious, but many people lose sight of this fundamental skill. It’s not because we do not know what we should do; but rather that we have totally forgotten how to response to the situation. Hence, you should know how to get yourself to do it instantly without letting doubts go through your thoughts. Repeat it several times till you get accustom to this habit.

2. Do not multitask.

Please don’t get me wrong and I am not against it. I am great at doing many things at same time and I have to admit that I love multitasking. But we have to be aware of the danger that we may never actually complete any of them. Trying to do several things without paying much attention will lead you to either unfinished or poor quality work. But if you are not caught in such a situation, I congratulate and encourage you to continue.

3. Set a dateline and schedule it accordingly

To stay focus on your goals, you need to set your goals according to your priorities. To ensure that you carry it out accordingly, it is appropriate to schedule it with a dateline. The danger of no datelines is that it may cause you to postpone things indefinitely.

4. Stay focus on your preset goals

I find that most often we keep changing our goals frequently until we have a moving target that caused us confusion which leads to inaction. To beat such a habit, always stay focus on our goal and keep on working on it till you achieve it. In reality, you will get what you expect from it so long as you keep on working on it. Persistence is the key to success.

Here, I have to admit that surrounding events can distract us from our focus point. Therefore, always stay in control and drive yourself forcefully towards your goals. I also do not deny that it is easier said than done. Practise, practise and practise is the way to beat it. There is no other way to overcome it than to put it into practice. No surprise to see success begets success.

Hi folks. Now I want to throw the ball to your court and I am sure you have learn from your experience, which you may want to share it with us. Please forward them through comments so that we can sharpen our experience. Thanks and look forward to your kind participation.

James Oh

About the Author:

James Oh is an accountant by profession and he works as a Financial Controller for more than 10 years with several companies in Singapore and Malaysia. He is a full member of the Singapore Institute of Director and he also obtained a LLB (Law degree) from the University of London in 2003. He is happily married with 3 loving kids.

James blog at http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

Tiger Woods back with alleged mistress Rachel Uchitel in Palm Beach

The Examiner, 23 December 2009

In Touch magazine is reporting that Tiger Woods is continuing his affair with Rachel Uchitel, the first named mistress.

Uchitel is neither confirming not denying the story. E! News asked Uchitel via a text message if she and Woods were hanging out together, she texted back a non-answer, “I got a house here and 2 girlfriends have been here the entire time. I have family that lives in Palm Beach also, I planned this before November.”

Uchitel’s friend told In Touch, “They have been sleeping together the entire time since the scandal broke. They hooked up in a condo she’s been staying at in Palm Beach.”

It has been reported that Uchitel, 34, was visiting her parents in the Palm Beach area. Woods’ luxury yacht, Privacy, is docked in Palm Beach. In Touch says he’s not staying on that very recognizable boat, but another nearby.

Uchitel told a reporter in a Palm Beach grocery store on December 14

Rachel, 34, has recently been spotted out in the ritzy Florida town where Tiger’s luxurious yacht, Privacy, is docked, and reports claim she’s been visiting her parents nearby.

She was approached by a reporter from When approached by a NewsChannel 5 in West Palm Beach last week, she only would say, “Unfortunately I’m not commenting on anything.”

And she added, “I understand you are just doing your job. I’m not trying to be rude to you, I hope you understand that.” – The Examiner

Join our tweet for the latest updates the Tiger Woods scandal here

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Is there a conflict of interest between YPAP member Sear Hock Rong’s job and his involvement as a grassroots leader in Eunos?

Read more about the saga here:

1. 10 questions for Mr Sear Hock Rong

2. Netizen questions if there is a conflict of interest between Mr Sear Hock Rong’s job and grassroots work

3. YPAP member demands Temasek Review apologize for “putting PAP in a bad light”

4. Identity of YPAP member who leaked Alex Tan’s DB record on Facebook

5. Alex Tan to YPAP members: Don’t be cowards on Facebook

6. Alex Tan challenges YPAP to public debate at Speaker’s corner

7. YPAP member slammed by netizens for revealing critic’s detention record

8. YPAP member resorts to smearing critic’s character to silence him

9. PAP MP De Souza: More robust debate from PAP than opposition MPs

Six ways to build wealth

By James Oh

To build wealth, you need to know where to begin  and how to work towards your ultimate goals. As inflationary pressure increases  yearly, you need constant and lasting efforts to review your strategies to sustain it. However, if you opt to grow your wealth speedily, you have to take pro-active strategic plans to explore all possibilities to obtain the highest yields from your investments. You also need to make use of all your resources to generate highest wealth possible. In reality, you not only need to think fast, but also to act fast, to reap the highest returns as the market is getting more and more transparent.

In this article, I have laid down some of the tips which you may find useful as a guide in creating your wealth.

1 Constantly review and evaluate your resources

To build wealth, you must constantly review and evaluate all resources you already have. Make full use of existing resources to enhance your wealth, but at the same time,  enlarge your resources  to create new wealth and expand existing wealth. The double effect growth will accelerate growth much faster than the inflation rate and it will enhance your real wealth. If the rate you generated is equal to the rate of inflation, then, the absolute increase in your wealth is not a true increase in wealth. It is just a trade off against  losses due to increase of inflation rate.

Resources here does not necessarily represent just financial means, but may refer to your talents, skills, experiences, ideas, and network. You may turn all these non financial means into monetary terms. You can not afford to underestimate all these non financial resources especially in today’s Information and knowledge world. For you to reap maximum return, you need to constantly explore all  possibilities to ensure that all these resources give you the highest yields possible. You must also be aware that the higher the yield, the higher the risk.

2 Strategic Plan

After you have an indepth knowledge of your position, you have to work out your best strategies that suit the current market conditions in order to move to the next higher wealth level. You need this plan to navigate yourself towards your ultimate objectives. Without such a plan, you will navigate a ship without direction. However, no matter how good the plan is, it will not guarantee  success. To achieve  success, you need to constantly monitor performance of each resource and make  necessary adjustments due to changes in external factors.  To be effective, such adjustments or alternations need to be taken as soon as possible.

3. Priority lead to Prosperity

You must set creating wealth your priority.  You need to presevere and be persistent in working towards the ultimate objective, no matter what happened to you. For example,  if you need to have  fixed monthly savings, then you must issue your first cheque towards that fund no matter what happened to you. You have to try all possible means to obtain such fixed amount. If not, you have to recoup double the amount the following month and you have to increase the duration  of time to be on track with your original plan.

4.  Persistence and consistence

To ensure its sustainability, you need to work towards your ultimate goals persistently and consistently. As such, you need to stay focus on your goal at all times so that you are not side track by other matters that may cause you stumble. To do so, you need a convinced and convicted heart to carry out your commitment persistently and consistently in accordance to your belief.

5. Have faith in it

Building wealth is just like the ordinary and prudent builder. To have a strong and unshakeable house, you need to build it on strong foundation. Similarly, for wealth builder you need to have a strong faith which will serve as the foundation for you to build your wealth on it. Once you have faith in it, you will stay focus on your goals and concentrate all your energies and efforts in building it. Of course, you may face some barriers, but these barriers are placed to strengthen your faith. Through all the trials and adversities, you will sharpen your skills and use this adversity to lead you to the way of success. It is operating exactly like the ship captain, who need to confront the waves and storms to become skillful. You must be able to see clearly how faith works and directs you to look at thing from the right perspective at all times. In reality, it is always much easier said than done.

6. Stay in control

To build wealth steadily, you must be able to stay in control of yourself. Otherwise, you will be easily tempted by greed or be entrapped by your rivals. Stay in control here mean you must not let your emotions  control you directly or indirectly. You need to know precisely what action to take and its implication to your ultimate objectives. In other words, you need to know what risks you are taking and how much you can afford to lose and how you can cover such losses so that it will not seriously affect your ultimate goal. If not, do not be surprised that you may  follow the foot steps of those billionaires who have committed suicide in the recent global financial crisis. Always bear in mind the wealthier you are, more people will prey on you.

Thanks for your precious time and hope that the above tips are useful to you. Wish you a success,

James Oh

Other articles by James Oh:

>> Priority leads to prosperity

>> How to get faster results

>> How to retire gracefully

>> Steps to overcome major obstacles of staying healthy (Part 2)

About the Author:

James Oh is an accountant by profession and he works as a Financial Controller for more than 10 years with several companies in Singapore and Malaysia. He is a full member of the Singapore Institute of Director and he also obtained a LLB (Law degree) from the University of London in 2003. He is happily married with 3 loving kids.

James blog at http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

Escapade to Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City

By Amanda Lian

Land of the “Musical Horns”

Do you want a well deserved holiday? Planning somewhere near and exciting? Perhaps to a country that is more oriental? Inspired by the “Miss Saigon” musical? Look no further as we guide you through our recent escapade, away from the usual hum and buzz of Singapore city. We bring you to the very heart of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City or formerly known as Saigon.

After touching down at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, we were guided through the various visa formalities that had to be adhered (Singaporeans do not need a visa for travelling to Vietnam). Following that, being non-locals, we were approached by cab drivers requesting exorbitant sums of money to get into the city, for example USD$15. We know that it could be much cheaper, so we headed back into the airport (and were stopped by guards) and got a taxi voucher for only USD$8.

Vietnamese do not understand English and we in turn, do not understand them. We had to memorize certain phrases like “xin chào” (hello), “cám ơn” (thank you), and “xin lỗi” (excuse me/sorry).

We were impressed by the cleanliness of the hotel room given that it only costs us USD$22 per person per night. Before we forget, there is a time difference in Vietnam as compared to Singapore – Vietnam is an hour behind us.

We were introduced to Vietnamese tea whilst waiting for our room to be cleaned after the departure of the previous visitors. This tea is being served at almost all restaurants and also as a complement to sweet Vietnamese desserts. Ice cubes are included to soothe your senses. Vietnamese coffee is unique in itself as the coffee is served with a metal filter set atop a cup and it is drunk mostly with sweetened condensed milk – A café sua da. Along Alexandre de Rhodes in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, you can find a cluster of good, classical coffeehouses. Coffee goes for as cheap as 35,000 dong!

Bến Thành Market is just minutes away from our hotel, Lan Lan 1. And so, we found ourselves indulging in desserts, where a glass of rainbow ice comes with a price tag of 10,000 dong. Do not be fooled by the mention of “meat” in Vietnamese dishes. They do not state what kind of meat is being used for their culinary experiments. Our shock came only when we asked what meat was used in their seemingly normal and subtle fried rice. They actually use frog meat!

Eventually, we came to the entrance of the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh. However, something at the corner caught our attention, tiger cages. This remodelled replica of the grisly torture tool is quite disturbing.

A cyclo is a form of transportation in Vietnam, similar to a trishaw but the passenger is seated in front of the rider. We decided to try and ride one of these to take in the sights in a more relaxed manner. But to our horror, after hours of sightseeing, the riders demanded USD$8 per hour for their services while USD$2 an hour was the norm!

A trip to Vietnam would not be complete without eating Phở. Phở is an authentic Vietnamese dish of noodles, usually served with basil leaves, lime and bean sprouts. You are able to choose the type of meat to go along – Phở bò (beef), Phở gà (chicken).

The Opera House (Municipal Theatre), attracted us to stand across the road and look at the screen, portraying the powerful voice of an opera singer. The theatre was closed for a private function which means tickets are needed and onlookers could only view the spectacular performance on a huge screen located outside the theatre.

There is an organization which employs physically handicapped individuals and they are all situated in a factory that produces handmade handicrafts. The process of producing a hand-painted bowl seemed easy under the agile fingers of these people. Be prepared to drop USD$9 for a handcrafted fork here. Can you imagine being underground and shrouded in darkness while you crawl through the Cu Chi tunnels? Definitely not for the claustrophobic but experience how the Vietnamese lived through the War, the living conditions and the mastery of the system – the sheer size of the tunnel entrance. The half day tour costs USD$38.

Chợ Lớn is the district in Ho Chi Minh City where Vietnamese would call “Chinatown”. It is the largest of its kind in Vietnam and lies on the west bank of the Saigon River. We alighted at Bình Tây Market which is less touristy than Bến Thành Market. Remember to check out the amazing deals you can snap up, from fermented duck eggs to a carton of Snickers’ bars going for only USD$3.20. Say banana wine and we are reminded of those medicated wines you use when you are injured. Upon drinking it, our bodies gave out a warm sensation. We also tried the roadside stalls selling Vietnamese spring rolls that cost 10,000 dong each.

KFC in Vietnam, we found out that the chicken pieces were smaller, we had to utilise a plate, fork and knife while the motto is still “finger lickin’ good”. Glasses were used to serve our drinks which is much more environmentally-friendly.

The residents of the Mekong Delta area is said to be poorer due to agricultural activities. The visit costs USD$58. It includes seeing a coconut kingdom and how candies are made, eat tropical fruits, have lunch and listen to folk music, it was overall an eye-opener. We did not expect to see buffaloes at work, and it was spectacular. Imagine buffaloes with a nose ring and in the water, a priceless experience.

Do you know we tried to buy all the different kinds of beer that is uniquely Vietnam? But gifts of the beer brand’s logo being imprinted on the various t-shirts are good alternatives.

Hạnh phúc đi du lịch!

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