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Showing posts from March, 2012

Ready Aim Fire vs Ready Aim Ready Aim vs Ready Fire Aim

Following on my post below "Ready Aim Fire", I would like to discuss the above categories of approaches towards acting on one's project.        Sam (below) has now started researching ideas for his cooking school project. Yaye! He is really excited and looks forward to the launch of his cooking school.        Fast forward another 10 years. Sam is still planning his cooking school project! Sam has so unfortunately fallen into the category of people who think that they are taking the Ready Aim Fire approach but instead are really taking the Ready Aim Ready Aim approach. Let's discuss the differences.          Ready Aim Fire: this means that you are quick to seize on the opportunities that come your way. But you don't just seize them blindly.        Once you see an opportunity, you get ready by doing market research and studying your competition, you aim by planning and conceptualising your project and then you fire by launching your project event

Ready Aim Fire!

Hi guys         How's everybody? Hope you guys are busying pursuing your dreams :)        Anyway, following up on the thread below "The Key To Success", I would just like to add that I fully agree with Sheau Ching in that Action Speaks Louder than words.         Let's take Sam (fictitious and for purpose of this example) for example. Sam has been talking about his Project A (he dreams of starting a cooking school as he is passionate about cooking) for 10 years. He doesn't take action to pursue his Project A.        Instead, he just talks about it and whines that he can't pursue it because he has no money. Can Sam succeed? Of course not! Not even on his passion when passion is just mixed with a dream. He needs to take action and start work on his Project A. He needs to start taking steps no matter how small to work towards fulfilling this dream of his.           How can Sam do this? He needs to stop talking and whining and just GET ON WITH hi

When Cinnabon Is None To Be Found...

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            Spending RM16 on 4 small pieces of cinnamon roll at Cinnabon is worth every bite.        Unfortunately, they don't run a franchise here in the East Coast and I needed help with my intense craving for the fluffiest and moist cinnamon rolls with generous creamy topping, sprinkled with the crunchiest toasted pecans.        But since Cinnabon wasn't within 100 km drive I had to head into my kitchen and start whipping up things to soothe my desperate craving. The rolls turned out to be awesomely tender and tasty! And I'm sharing this with all you bread-cravers out there!        In a mixing bowl, put 500g of bread flour, 10g salt, 15g yeast, 60f sugar, 150g milk and 2 large eggs. Use a dough hook and knead until a ball of dough is formed.       Then add in 100g butter. Knead again and when all of the butter is incorporate. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.         On a flour-dusted work surface, knock back the dough and rol

The Key To Success

I HAVE been giving talks on writing, working from home, and building home-based businesses for several years now. Often, I get e-mail from people who have attended the talks. Some are doing well after taking the plunge to try something new. They heeded the advice given them and kept improving their skills and knowledge until they knew how to handle new challenges. However, a large majority have not taken a single step towards what they had so wanted to do. A woman met me in a car park recently, and said: “Your talk was good but a home-based business is not for me. I am too old to try new things. “Also, I don’t want to work so hard when my kids are still young. I don’t have a tertiary education like you, so everything takes more time. I don’t have the business skills and I am scared to do anything new!” Just before she closed the door of her BMW, she threw in one last sentence, “And I don’t have money for the capital!” I was rooted to the ground after hearing so many

About The Author

Born and bred in Ipoh, the third largest town in Malaysia, Chong Sheau Ching attained her Bachelor's Degrees in Food Science and Nutrition in Canada and a Master's Degree in International Administration in the United States.           She spent ten years working in international organizations on community empowerment through health and informal education, poverty alleviation and sustainable development programs.        She returned to Kuala Lumpur for the birth of her daughter in 1994. From her home, she then began to write "stories for My Mother", a weekly column in Malaysia's most popular English-language newspaper, The Star, from where she soon gained a large following.         More recently, she established projects designed to open up new opportunities for mothers and homemakers. She edited and co-authored "Working @ Home - A Guidebook for Working Women and Homemakers" published in 2000.         She also founded the &

The Fat Lady

"Hi! How are you?” The woman smiled as she took the seat beside me. She had to lower herself slowly, squeezing her ample bottom into the seat, filling all available space. Positioning herself comfortably, she plopped her enormous arm on our common armrest. Her immensity saturated the space around us, shrinking me and my seat into insignificance. I cringed and reclined towards the window. She leaned towards me and repeated her greeting in an upbeat, friendly voice. Her face towered above my head, forcing me to turn to look at her. “Hi,” I replied with obvious loathing. I turned away to stare out the cabin window, sulking silently about the long hours of discomfort I was going to experience with this monster beside me. She nudged me with her meaty arm. “My name is Laura. I’m from Britain. How about you? Japan?” “Malaysia,” I barked. “I’m so sorry! Will you accept my heartfelt apology? Come, shake my hand. If we’re going to spend six hours side-by-side on this flight,

Courage In Each Step - Marian Lough's Story

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At 52, Marian Lough is too young to be stricken down by Parkinson's Disease, a condition which debilitates the person physically, making bodily movements difficult. Although she's still in the early stages of the degenerative disease, she talks to CHONG SHEAU CHING about how it has changed her life, and how she keeps her chin up. "I love Kuala Lumpur!" Marian Lough said excitedly, serving me a refreshing Marian's Cocktail - Ribena in tonic with a twist of lemon. "I love the smells and the wetness of the wet market, the side streets, finding things I've never seen before and talking to the locals. "I just wish I didn't have to leave, " she sighed. "I'll miss all my friends, and - this may sound strange - the mini buses!" "I was on one yesterday, and the bus driver, who was puffing while carrying on a shouting match with the conductor swerved the bus dangerously at high speed. My knuckles went white from gripping