Today, I found myself.. (Day 60)

Today, I found myself donning an imaginary corporate attire before swapping it for the theoretical pen and paper. 

i(am)Here

A little something happened on a certain weekend, during a certain time, at a certain place...

Its like telling the world that you've just bought an Apple product and you're loving it (which is largely true).

This is it.

I totally dig the packaging; its really attractive. Two separate boxes overlapping one another, in sleek black finishing, of course.

The iPhone 3G. And its finally within my possession. *inserts evil laughter here*

*

Well yea, a couple of days back, I took action and purchased the new Apple iPhone 3G. Loads of consideration were put into this consumer purchase process before I made my decision; some of you guys might recall my dilemma which I brought up, a couple a posts back.

Trust me, it was a largely intensive and volatile process as I had to carefully weigh the pros and cons of the purchase as compared to other products of either the same function and use.

It wasn't easy.

But in the end, I decided to pursue the trends of tomorrow and also due to the added fact of the new semester's workload, I'm sure the iPhone will fulfill whatever tasks its entrusted with and in doing so, maximizing its potential for use and improvement of efficiency.

Ta-dah!

My purpose of this post is mainly to help potential iPhone users, or rather, to warn them of the limitations as well as the (huge) benefits of the iPhone. Though I've been doing a little product research about the iPhone for about 3 months prior to my purchase, I was in for big "surprises" (good and bad) upon my first use of the beautifully crafted device.

Here's why;

Awesome-ness

Need I say more? I'm sure you've been hearing a steady flow of praises about this new product from Apple. From a marketing perspective, Apple has always been at the forefront of branding and positioning, whats more, with their avid use of awareness creation in their promotional tactics, Apple has established itself on a steady foothold in today's technology market.

And the iPhone 3G, doesn't by any means, undermine that fact. But in actual reality, has further consolidated Apple's world dominance on the technological market.

With its sleek appearance, sensitive (but durable) touch screen feature, this device will win tech geeks, as well as babes alike, over in a jiffy.

It isn't all looks though; the iPhone function as well as it looks. With awesome built in features, like the conventional iPod, the ever helpful Google maps, Photo viewer as well as the ever helpful Notepad, it pretty much speaks out for itself.

Its simply:
- an iPod (awesome music player)
- a Street directory
- a photo album
- an organizer
- a mobile device
- a web browser
- a mini computer
- a very sophisticated device

And I've not even started on apps yet.

The presence of the app store is what makes your iPhone different from your Uncle's business mobile device. Apps can do ANYTHING (okay almost anything, think logically). From being a lightsaber (from the app "Lightsaber Unleashed", Star War fans will understand what I'm ranting on about), to having a mobile online chat with your contacts, apps top this crown of gold with beautiful gems.

The iPhone is after all, a mobile device, and does not disappoint. I particularly enjoy the text message interface, which is in the form of a continuous chat orientation, which I'm sure, will be a huge hit to the next generation who are more obsessed in texting on their mobile devices rather than actually talking.

The iPhone is also very interactive. So interactive that I'm surprised that it actually can't talk. Every flick of the finger, tap of the thumb or swipe across the screen results in instant reaction from the iPhone. The brightness of the iPhone is also determined by the light intensity of your surroundings and you can't say that's not awesome.

It makes us wonder if technology can someday, take over the role of humans.

Why it blows (skip this part if you're a delusional Apple fan).

My first problem when I got my iPhone really got me on the nerves. Sure the package and everything else were perfect BUT the instruction manual, if it can be considered one, was really just a piece of "something that told me nothing useful".

For instance (and this was my second problem), I discovered that all my SIM contacts weren't in my iPhone. I looked through the product package and "instruction manual" in hopes of finding possible solutions but were largely in vain. The internet wasn't too helpful.

After a couple of taps and flicks on the iPhone, I finally found out why my SIM contacts weren't in the phone; they weren't imported from my SIM card, yet. Note that the manual or troubleshooting guides weren't able to offer me the solution.

Then comes the issue of the much talked about Battery life of the iPhone. Though this isn't a major issue for me as yet (probably due to my new battery), I foresee the limitations of the iPhone's battery, accredited due to its numerous functions.

Typing has also been a hassle for me though I'm slowly getting the hang of typing via tapping. For conventional cellphone users, it may take awhile to get used to tapping on the iPhone's screen for both speed and precision.

Don't have a stable internet connection? Well that will reduce your iPhone to a simple, "not-so-cool" device. Simply because a load of the iPhone's functions (ie. Maps, App store, Youtube, Safari and more) are internet intensive.

Think of an iPhone without the internet as say, Slash without his guitar or Ronaldo without his soccer boots.

Probably one of the most taxing problems (to me at least), is the absence of the Apple itunes store in the country that I'm living in; Singapore. This means that one of the most important feature of the iPhone, the itunes feature, is rendered totally obsolete until Apple decides to open a store locally.

For now, the app store is the only salvation to this problem.

Technology has its improvements, and thus humans must do the same.

All in all, I feel that the pros outweigh the cons, which is why I decided to purchase the iPhone as compared to the iPod touch or another Sony Phone.

Alright, that's all for this post I guess. Time to go get my accessories now the iPhone feels naked and unprotected. Remember to check back for updates, as well as articles and stay golden, my readers.

Cya'll later.

*Disclaimer. The owner of this blog and its management team holds no relation to the Apple corporation and does not get paid for promoting or analyzing its product(s). All Apple brand names and products belongs solely to the manufacturer and producers.*

Hysteria's Call, Part 2

Alrighty, second instalment of "Hysteria's Call". Certainly full of underlying meanings and what not.

I'll run through the list of themes which I considered for this narrative once I'm done with the entire narrative.

This instalment starts off where the previous instalment left us. For those of you who are slightly lost "in the rain", be sure to clarify and check back to the previous part of the narrative.

In the meantime, here goes...


"

Moist carpets and frayed curtains fringed the interior of the small cafe which the man arranged for the meeting and if not for the torrential storm that was raging wildly, this cafe would be a place where people usually “watch the world go by”.

Even the waiters and cafe staff seem affected by the continuous outburst of the storm as they scurried around quickly, darting from table to table, serving the seemingly large number of customers, some of whom had no choice but to seek refuge in this “fancy establishment”.

The man didn’t seem to care about his surroundings nor the increasingly heavy downpour that was happening outside, even though he was drenched up to his kneels and his hair slightly displaced.

He was ushered by his regular waiter to his usual seat, into the room that was usually reserved for high profiled guests and diners; they had it well prepared. And as soon as the man sat down, no more than 3 waiters gilded into the room and awaited his barking orders.

Of course, he was a regular at this fancy cafe, but being the high profiled personnel he is in society and some say even in the world, he would expect no less than the treatment he was getting.

“...and our chef’s special for today is the...”

God damn it, where the hell is she, he glanced nervously at the door, as if expecting someone to suddenly open and join him in the midst of his wait.

“...would you like to have some caviar to accompany you wait you wait, sir?”

With a simple gesture and a flick of the wrist, everyone left the room, except of course, the man. That was all he had to do for some quiet time alone and some even say that he can make high ranking directors crawl on all fours with a snap of the fingers; rumours which are of course, largely denied by the man himself.

Certainly, this was not ordinary appointment as the man pushed back his cuffs to reveal an exquisite time piece, which ranged in the hundred thousand region of value, neatly rested upon his right wrist.

However, no time piece no matter how exquisite would make its owner happy so as long as it showed the actual time and served its function; people tend to be deceptive and selective of their perceptions.

And certainly, the man is of no exception and he hated the fact that she was already running late.

Yes, the man has heard of the presence and has come to the knowledge of the signs, but as with the majority of the masses, tend to classify the matter as “superstition” and more often, blather-talk.

But what he doesn’t know that these so called, signs, exist in many forms and are very much part of reality, just unnoticed.

And since he had some spare time while waiting at hand, he decided to review his day’s activities; a common practice for him personally since he was young which developed into a habit over time.

The day started out ordinary, to the man at least:

The usual signing of papers, both for approval and decline regarding various multimillion dollar investments and the company’s strategic business movements. A particularly interesting piece of legal document about a inter-company dispute (this is something common in companies of the scale) as well as the authorization of certain funding aspects were all on the day’s “signing” agenda.

That usually took up the morning but today, not more than 3 hours elapsed and he was done with everything he had on his agenda for signings. Taking a walk in the morning might not seem to be an ideal thing to do, especially if you’re still at work, but that was exactly what he did.

Not a stone’s throw away was the state park and that was where he spent the rest of the morning, strolling down the pebbled pavements by the magnificently built lake which glittered in the morning sunlight, like pearls floating on its surface; it was a perfect morning.

Phone calls were common for the man, 24/7 but this morning saw an all time record high; from his doctor calling up for a check up he’d missed the other day to his caretaker back home calling to report that there was something urgent to attend to at home and that he required to be home immediately.

The cell phone served as a source of words for this little book called the organizer as schedule after schedule was noted down. But the man was especially cautious today and cancelled all other appointments, including a meeting with his main financial supporters (something anyone should NEVER do) just to make way for the appointment he had now.

Someone up there must be really emotional today, he thought to himself as he sat in the fancy cafe, recollecting his thoughts for the past couple of hours of the day.

Shortly after lunch that day, looming grim clouds gathered and collided in a massive display of lightning as well as an audio burst of thunder. Rain soon followed as nature demonstrated its powers, the same rain that was still relentlessly beating at the cafe’s windows as the man came back once more.

But at this point of time, the man started to feel touchy and as the rhythmic patter of raindrops collided against the glass panes, so did his mind as it started racing wildly.

He could feel the back of his neck starting to sweat and his fingertips drain of blood.

This isn’t right, he conformed in his mind as questions started to race through what was once the cold and aloof stronghold of the man.

She should have been here by now; what if she stood me up; where in the world is she; how is she getting here in the first place; is she driving here; what if she was stranded in the flood down south; why isn’t she here; what if...

A dead silence engulfed the atmosphere for a moment and even the rain seem to stop.

The door to the room creaked to life and gave the man a good hard jolt back into reality.

"

Hope you guys dug the first instalment as well as part 2. The final instalment will be coming up shortly so stay tuned (or check back, whichever) for various updates and articles soon to be posted.

Your valued feedback and comments about the various themes included in the story as well as the plot development is largely encouraged. Just drop me a comment as you see the need to.

Till then.

Teamwork; The Driving Force of a Company?

The bulk of Polytechnic life is centered around projects and ICAs (in course assessments) which so often or another, requires students to not only excel individually, but also "be a team player".

I'm sure almost everyone have been subjected to some degree of teamwork at some point of their lives and I'm quite sure that at some point, malicious intent would have been harboured against a particular team member for example. Thankfully so far, I have not been in situations like that (and I don't wish to be). I've been put into great teams for my modules and are looking forward to working hand in hand with them on various projects.

However, let us talk about the various aspects of teamwork and effective communication between team members in a group. Is teamwork really that important?

I'm sure the term teamwork is evidently used around the world, be it in huge organizations, companies or even in sports teams. But what does it really mean? What really is Teamwork?


Teamwork is a "Cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause" (as cited from dictionary.com). Certain keywords in the defination such as "coordinated" and "cooperative" hints at the required ingredients that constitutes to good teamwork.

In order to have good teamwork, members of the particular group have to be, as mentioned earlier, coordinated and cooperative as these are two very important factors that will ensure the success or failure of the project.
Without Cooperation, members will not listen to anyone and act upon their own instinct; a perfect recipe for failure. It is absolutely vital that someone steps up and takes charge to ensure cooperation. A saying goes that "a ship without a ruddle is like a group without a leader" and I personally find it very sensible and logical.

The human aspect of working in a group is certainly, by far the hardest to manage as different individuals working together would commonly result in various disagreements thus, slowing the work rate and productivity. I personally feel that amongst the group of people working together, there has to be a leader, a ruddle to steel the group in the right direction. This importance cannot be stressed enough.

Naturally, the leader of the group has to be capable and determined about the current project at hand. A leader of a group, any group, has to be sure of the decisions made and the direction in which the group is heading or aiming towards. Importantly, the leader must be able to command attention and respect and that falls to the cooperation of its members. The toughest job falls to the leader; to ensure eveyone works together effectively.

Communication within the group will ensure the coordination aspect of the group. Having good communication and rapport with everyone else in the group usually makes working in the group more fun and productive which will improve work rate and the quality of the products at the end.

Coordination naturally comes with good cooperation in the group and having said that, let us now look as the aspects and benefits of a group with excellent teamwork.

In every company, be it an MNC or a private film, there has to be a certain structure of authority protocol that everyone has to follow. Usually, the CEO (also known as the boss) of the company, makes and charts directional decisions for the company. That also makes him the most important person in the company (or so to speak).

Having a good team within the company would ensure that these plans are followed accordingly with as little downtime as possible; in the world of business, time is money and vice versa. This is where good teamwork comes into play.

They say that "two heads are better than one" which is relatively true. I feel that a team with good teamwork which means "acting as a team" (as mentioned earlier), will beat an outstanding individual hands down no matter how outstanding that individual is. This is just the way of how things work; we're harder and tougher in a group rather then solitary.
Ever tried breaking a chopstick? Yes, I'm sure that is easily done but now try breaking a bundle of chopsticks. Not so easy I presume. From this analogy, the benefits of having good teamwork are unrivaled.

This is why good teamwork is stressed in sectors of businesses. It is rare that people work or function alone without a team because having numbers is considered an advantage too.

The trick of teamwork is actually through cooperation and coordination (as mentioned earlier) amongst the members.

So next time when you're working in a group and feel like giving up or biting the head of another group member off, take some time and look at what the group is doing wrongly. Emotions very often deter individuals from achieving their rightly deserved success so do not let them have a chance at you. Believe in yourself and persistence will certainly pay off.

So let us work towards having better teamwork amongst our groups and working towards our success!

Opportunity Strikes; Why Do We Hesitate?

I spent the past two day of my life over at one of my friend's place. Basic activities included the Xbox 360, the Internet, Youtube and a couple of guitars.

Amongst the many videos we browsed, we were particularly addicted to this one:




"hey hey! yea, yat's rught, ya bat'er run."

We were so addicted to this particular clip that we tried mimicking the clip, especially the voice of the turret, which had like an Irish accent. I must say, we were quite fascinated (and even up till now we're still trying our best in perfecting the accent, lol).
The rest of the stay pretty much revolved around GH3 (guitar hero 3) and an assortment of other Xbox games (yea i know, pretty boring if you ask me) and oh yea, not sleeping much.

The video gave me a good laugh.

However, as i looked back and reflected, the video does contain a certain degree of truth that applies to our daily lives.

You see, i feel like many people nowadays are afraid. Afraid to take opportunities, afraid to venture out of their safety zones and more importantly, afraid to fail. Very few people are like the blue character in the clip and are afraid to "venture out into the unknown" and that's probably going to contribute to their stagnant position in the society.

The presence of the turrets surrounding the perimeter is what contributes to the fear in the characters in the video. They know that they'll be shot down and are afraid to venture out, even though they're curious to know what's out there.

This often happens in life.

Very often in life, when opportunity strikes, one is often reluctant in making use of the opportunity and giving it a go. That reluctance is understandable as not all opportunities are worth taking; it largely depends on the situation, outcome and risks involved. However, the common mistake is that people hesitate acting on good opportunities, thinking that it might not be such a good idea or that they're insecure and unsure.

Another point i would like to bring up tackles the links and perspective that people draw when i say the word "opportunity". Many often imply that when i say opportunity, it refers to business deals and money making. That is a strong misconception.
Yes, though opportunities are evidently used in the business world, but I personally feel that life itself is full of opportunities; there is no such limitation.

The only limitation, I feel, is oneself. Yes, very often or so, you find that the only thing stopping you from attempting or going for an opportunity is yourself. It is all in the mind, and as mentioned, insecurity is the main cause of it all.

They say that "opportunity knocks only once and after, its gone". I beg to differ from this claim. I feel like in certain situations, its ourselves that make and create opportunities. Opportunities will not just come by or drop from the sky for every cause there is an effect.

I think what we should all do is basically banish all our insecurities and not be afraid to venture out of your safety zone. As the saying goes, "Its better to have tried and fail than to not try at all". It is only then that we'll be able to succeed and learn a little something extra.

Thus, let us eradicate our insecurities and find out what's really "out there"!

Sympathy Or Tissue Packets; What Are You Selling?

Woke up slightly earlier today as parents wanted to have lunch out. We decided to go all the way to Tiong Bahru Market to have our lunch, largely due to the fact that both of them craved for the famous vegetarian store there - a personal family favorite.

We arrived just in time for lunch and soon placed our orders. We had identical servings of vegetarian food; a combination of bee hoon, noodles and an assortment of vegetarian products.

Now, I've heard from my Father that the place is not only famous for its food but also for its abundance of "street sellers" going from table to table, selling packet tissues. Personally I've seen people like that going around in various places and often, they're either disabled or have a certain degree of impairment.
True enough, throughout our lunch there, we encountered not one but two separate groups of these "sellers". One of which consisted of a blind man and a lady, both elderly and frail looking.

I look at them and it baffles me greatly. Are they here to do a simple business of selling tissue packets or are they indirectly begging?

I feel and strongly believe that every human is kind by nature. The human mind thus works in a way that when we see someone that's either less fortunate or in a dire state of life, emotions stir. Emotions such as pity and compassion comes into play and the next natural reaction is that subconsciously, we will find ourselves wanting to help and give assistance to these poor folk.
So what we have here on our hands must surely be a masterstroke in business, an awesome way to earn money, a marketing marvel; to tap into the human mind's weakness. Or is it?

I've seen many advertisements or campaigns that use this "flaw" in the human mind as a catalyst to fuel and elaborate certain points. But let us take a small step back; are these "street sellers" really sinister business men that are out there just for your money?

No.

In the past, the people I see out there on the streets selling tissue packets have often reminded me of the beggars on the television and in a sense yes, they share a similarity as both parties are ultimately trying to meet end's meet.

In our society of controversy, we have been "brain-washed" to see these people in a different light. Nowadays, people see beggars and no, the first thing they do isn't to search for spare change but to doubt their authenticity. So what happens is that people dismiss the compassion and pity they have in their minds and dismiss the idea of helping a person in need.

Yes, there have been various scams from sly businessmen to use the weakness of humans to their advantage but let us not forget that there are still less fortunate people out there in our society.

So as I look at these people going from table to table selling tissue packets (largely to no avail), I begin to search and look for the compassion and pity that our society filtered away in me. No, though not all of them are like that, these people are in genuine need of help and assistance. They hobble round just to make end's meets, selling simple tissue packets.

To me, they're just doing an honest business to cope with the demands of life. I'm sure that they harbour no malicious intent. I'd like to think of it in such a way that they're trying their best to give back and not ask from society.

I feel that the higher authorities should do something and give these genuine cases their due amount of assistance. Its no doubt that we live in a demanding society, but what about people less fortunate? Life must be really hard for them.

Be it Sympathy or Tissue Packets, I'm sure by the end of the day it all depends mainly on the perspective of how you view the matter.

So let us open up these "filters" and see the world with an open mind. Only then, will we find the true meaning in our lives.