My Thoughts on MH17

[MH17's aircraft image: Andreas Fietz.]

Over the last few days since the fateful downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 from Amsterdam, I've been reading many different articles and news reports pertaining the tragic incident. I've seen political posturing from powerful presidents to poignant stories of those who had lost loved ones in the tragedy. But a recent article I read has irked and upset me so much that it has moved me to write this. This was the op-ed piece by Wong Sai Wan, the editor-in-chief no less of the Malay Mail, entitled, "MH17: We must not forgive, we must not forget". My apologies but I found this article a bit too emotional and not very well thought through. Yes we are angry. And yes we want the perpetrators brought to justice. But, with all due respect, I do not think suggesting we start WW3 are words of a rational man. Also I don't believe executing these perpetrators will bring an end to the civil war in Ukraine or anywhere else for that matter. If that were true, the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein and his top commanders should have turned Iraq into a peaceful, thriving, economic powerhouse instead of the war torn country that it currently is. Unfortunately, I don't have an easy answer but I do know that wars don't resolve anything. As pointed out in the article, the Americans entered WW1 after 128 American civilians were killed when the ship they were on sunk after being torpedoed by a German sub. Yes, they entered the war and helped defeat the Germans. But in slightly over 20 years, WW2 had begun and claimed more than 40 million lives. So do forceful acts in the name of retribution bring the desired end results, I think not. Thus, I don't think that to avenge the death of 298 persons, we need to start a war and kill millions of other innocent lives. I do agree with one point made in the article, "we should not forget". However, what we shouldn't forget aren't the perpetrators and their acts of crime but instead the different people who were on the plane and their contributions to the world. Whether, it was researching to find a cure for AIDS or entertaining the masses with their appearances on Malaysian sitcoms or by attending every game of their favourite football club. We should make them martyrs! We should go forth and find new cures, entertain more lives and probably win the Premier League in their memories. Dedicate these inventions, innovations and triumphs to them. If jihadist soldiers or communist rebels can use their fallen brethren as a catalyst or a "call to arms" and continue to kill in their name, we should be able to do the same... With one big exception, instead of ending things or lives, we should be creating solutions for the big problems we face to prolong life and allow it to flourish. So remember Dr. Joep Lange when you create the next breakthrough vaccine. Or remember Shuba Jaya Goes when you pen your next play or movie. Or John Alder when you lift the Premier League trophy high above your heads. Peace and love to all.

CREATE SOMETHING BIG, TODAY!

In this day and age, we are bombarded with a flood of information from various sources. Facebook, Google+, Twitter, the millions of blogs, TV and many more sources constantly grab our attention, distract us and diminish our ability to create original pieces of work that is worthy of our inner abilities.

Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, said that we create as much information in TWO DAYS now as we did from the dawn of man through 2003. My question is how much of this information is something of value and helps advance us as humans. Videos of cats are cute and all but it’ll not help us move forward.

So let’s go out there and create something BIG today. Start writing that book you always wanted to, build that mobile app to distribute food to the needy, invent a prototype of that super efficient vehicle you had thought about as you were listening to your Physics lecturer back in college.

We have the technology and resources today to do great things, so let’s go create big, fail big and repeat the cycle till you deliver a big idea that resonates with the masses.

Cheers for Now!

It has always been an interest of mine to unravel the mystery of building a great work culture. I used to have lengthy discussions with my friends and business partners on this topic.

I argued that we could implement the western work culture where we measure performance based on output rather than number of hours at the office. This was a foreign idea a couple of year ago but now it's commonplace here in Malaysia.

The best way to manage the Millennials is by focusing on the culture. This article puts those points across very well. Check it out!

Cheers for Now! 

Project Glass: One day... (by Google)

Personally think it'll be weird wearing these glasses and talking to yourself all the time (voice activated actions) but am curious how the Big G will execute this.

Cheers for Now!

Nice reminder that not every success we see is an immediate one. As I'm currently reading Steve Jobs' biography, I can see he had failed many times as well. Even the iconic Macintosh from 1984 was not a blockbuster hit amongst the masses.

Keep plugging away but sometimes as Seth Godin mentioned in his book The Dip, "Maybe you're in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try"

So choose you battles wisely and stick through it if your instinct says this is the right route. Also remember it's ok to quit one path and start another new one. You might find more success that way.

Cheers for Now!

Sitting for more than 11 hrs a day can shorten your life. Scary!!! But there is truth in this. So stand up and walk around every now and then.

"2011 was the year mobile took over the world!" What a powerful statement.

Mobile Year in Review 2011 (by themobilefuture)

The day has arrived when MACHINE enslaves MAN!!! But it isn't in the form of a 6'4" cyborg dominating us human but instead it's a 3-4" screen seducing us away from reality.

With the advent and tremendous growth of the smartphone, more and more people walk around glued to their mobile screens. Living in social networks from Instagram to Path through their GPS-enabled devices. And "friending" and "following" people through their onscreen keyboards.

This article by Schumpeter hits the nail on the head. This problem is only going to worsen. What we need in this instance is the same amount of willpower required to lose weight, to lose our smartphone.

Easier said than done and I foresee more interventions and maybe even reality shows that showcase the struggle a person goes through because of their addiction to the smartphone.

"I lost my boyfriend, my house and my dog because of this damn device. Oh iPhone 12, you're the scourge of my existence" says Pamela trying to control her tears

Interesting times ahead. Click on the title to read the full article.

Cheers for Now!

Nice use of new media to generate buzz for an upcoming movie. I feel TED does resonate with the internet-generation. Good thinking Ridley Scott!

Cheers for Now!

Introducing NIKE FLYKNIT Technology (by nike)

Nice teaser to Nike's latest running shoe. Truly innovative.

Also a good example of how to use your marketing budget to generate buzz on the Internet.

An epiphany strikes at no particular time. Reading this article at 4am provided me an epiphany that could explain how my sleep pattern has evolved.

Well, based on the article it's not so much an evolution but a reversal to a more natural sleep cycle... i.e. sleep 4 hours, wake up for 2 and sleep again for 3-4 hrs.

Interesting read nonetheless. Click on the title above to read the full article.

So the next time you're awake in the middle of the night don't fret, just meditate, communicate or procreate :)

Cheers for Now!

The Health-Wealth Conundrum

The pursuit of wealth has been perpetuated by the growth in consumerism. This goal to accumulate wealth has also made us work longer hours, eat unhealthy food and practically do away with any form of physical exertion.

Statistics have proven that life expectancy rises inline with rising income levels. Click on this link to see this visualized by Gapminder... www.bit.ly/s3ADH9

However, the question remains... although we live longer, are we healthier than our forefathers who were, economically-speaking, of a lower standing? From a personal standpoint, I think we're worse off. Both my grandfathers lived well into their nineties and were physically fit till the last couple of years of their lives. My paternal grandfather was still practicing yoga into his late-eighties. I doubt, as it stands currently, that I'll be as fit or healthy as they were.

Stats also lend weight to this argument. Gapminder shows that in most Asian nations, the level of cholesterol has gone up gradually over the years as we've become wealthier. See the graph here... www.bit.ly/yr7C67 

The graph shows Germany and the US having a significant drop since the 80's but as you can see they were already a wealthy nation back then, very little increase in terms of their GDP/capita. India is an anomaly, though.

There's also increases in many other diseases such as asthma, cancer and cardiovascular complications.

I believe this is due, in a significant part, to the stress we put ourselves under in the pursuit of the almighty Ringgit/Dollar/Yen. As the stats pointed out earlier, people in wealthy countries, who are in the self-actualization stage (as presented in the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) tend to be healthier. I feel this is because they're not too concerned about chasing money and keeping up with the Joneses.

However, many of us in developing nations, have our Physiological, Safety & Social needs covered but are striving to fulfill our Esteem Needs. Example of Esteem Needs include the need for Recognition, Attention, Social Status, Accomplishment and Self-Respect.

This leads to stress which in turn leads to deteriorating health. So in my mind there are two ways of handling this:

Learn to be more contented with what you have by looking at life in a more spiritual and less material way; or

Pursue wealth but remember to allocate pockets of time to tend to your physical form by exercising or taking short breaks to clear your mind

With this epiphany in mind, I intend to make a change in my lifestyle by choosing the latter. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Cheers for Now!

Nice moment between my Dad and Daughter captured by the excellent photog, Sukhbir. Thanks man!

Silent Conversation photographed by Sukhbir Cheema ©  I was at a friend’s daughter’s birthday party, snapping away when I came across this beautiful scene. A grandfather and his granddaughter, sitting opposite each other, just taking in each other. It was my favorite photo for the day :)

I rather be known as a Connector than a Networker. Connectors have a genuine love of meeting people and making friends to engage and assist one another.

For a long time I've had this notion that networking for the sake of networking is disingenuous. It doesn't make sense to attend loads of different events just to shake hands and collect namecards.

Being a connector though is different. To be a connector, one has to genuinely like making friends (with no ulterior motives). A connector will need to also step outside his/her comfort zone and have the interest to try/learn/see new things.

As Malcolm Gladwell said in Tipping Point, not everyone has the knack to be a connector because they have to have the ability to span many different worlds, subcultures and niches.

Are you a connector? Click on the title to see the full article.

Cheers for Now!

Telco revenues globally are expected to grow with Asia leading the way with a 5.9% annual growth rate.

I hope this doesn't make the players in Asia even more complacent and less open to change. Or can this be viewed as an opportunity by smaller, more innovative companies in the telco services arena?

Check out the article by clicking the title.

Cheers for Now!

There are many things I don't like about the United States of America but the fact that the common man can voice his opinion and stop a bill from being implemented is just amazing.

Up against powerful lobbyist, individuals and Internet companies voiced their protest and they seem to have won. Click on the title to read more.

Malaysians need to learn from this. Get rid of your apathy and voice your disapproval. If unhappy with mobile celular service, voice it out! If unhappy with the service in a restaurant, voice it out! If unhappy with the local authority, voice it out!

As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world"

Cheers for Now!

Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled

Howard Stevenson - Harvard Business School Professor