"in order to be irreplaceable one must always be different"-coco chanel.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Cognitive Dissonance
That's the most apposite title I can possible find for this post.
Why? You are about to find out.
Let me put forward this situation to you.
Have you been so set on something, that you tell yourself that you are very confident in what you are about to do or what you are about to say?
But after some passing remarks, you realised that maybe I can't do it as I thought. Perhaps all those preparations are not enough!
I'm sure that three days before your presentation, you seem all well prepared. However, on the day itself, after someone labelled the presentation before you (which you thought was exciting) as being lackadaisical and inane, you suddenly become flabbergasted.
You feel really lost and that all the confidence which you once had had been completely obliterated by those remarks.
Well there's a psychological theory named cognitive dissonance.
Human in general feels uneasy where there's dissonance between them and the external environment. And so, to cancel out that uneasiness, they try to synchronize(or make peace) with that environment.
When someone oppose to our original belief, whether weak or strong, it will be weakened for sure. So how much will it be weakened by, that's the question we all want to know right?
Well, it solely depends on your own confidence level and of course your experience in the field. If you are completely sure of your faith, then there's no question that you will pull through it no matter what.
So how do you distinguish between strong and weak faith?
It's pretty flagrant if you ask me. Well you might tell yourself that I truly believe in this, but you can test it out easily.
1. Tell yourself that is it what you think and what you will do no matter what happens? Like really no matter what happens.
2. What evidence do you have to prove? Also, how sure are you that your evidence are concrete and authentic?
Well that's it for now. Test your faith and enjoy your stay here!
Do add your comments if you have your own personal experiences of insecurity to share.
Credits -blogspot, -videojug, -eslpod
Why? You are about to find out.
Let me put forward this situation to you.
Have you been so set on something, that you tell yourself that you are very confident in what you are about to do or what you are about to say?
But after some passing remarks, you realised that maybe I can't do it as I thought. Perhaps all those preparations are not enough!
I'm sure that three days before your presentation, you seem all well prepared. However, on the day itself, after someone labelled the presentation before you (which you thought was exciting) as being lackadaisical and inane, you suddenly become flabbergasted.
You feel really lost and that all the confidence which you once had had been completely obliterated by those remarks.
Well there's a psychological theory named cognitive dissonance.
Human in general feels uneasy where there's dissonance between them and the external environment. And so, to cancel out that uneasiness, they try to synchronize(or make peace) with that environment.
When someone oppose to our original belief, whether weak or strong, it will be weakened for sure. So how much will it be weakened by, that's the question we all want to know right?
Well, it solely depends on your own confidence level and of course your experience in the field. If you are completely sure of your faith, then there's no question that you will pull through it no matter what.
So how do you distinguish between strong and weak faith?
It's pretty flagrant if you ask me. Well you might tell yourself that I truly believe in this, but you can test it out easily.
1. Tell yourself that is it what you think and what you will do no matter what happens? Like really no matter what happens.
2. What evidence do you have to prove? Also, how sure are you that your evidence are concrete and authentic?
Well that's it for now. Test your faith and enjoy your stay here!
Do add your comments if you have your own personal experiences of insecurity to share.
Credits -blogspot, -videojug, -eslpod
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Fear Trade
Typically, the prices of gold drop when the price of dollar rises.
They form an inverse relationship between one another.
However, recently, gold has been a rebel!
As we all know, the U.S. dollar is coming up strong recently due to the racheting recovery in the economy. But the problem is, as the U.S. dollar is rallying, the gold prices seem to follow it up at the same time.
This is obviously weird!
First and foremost, why does the price of gold drops when the price of the dollar rises?
Simple, it boils down to the topic of investment. When the price of the dollar rises, people start to invest in the dollar and sell away their gold. Conversely, when the price of the dollar drops, they start to place their bets on gold.
In this case, the price of gold is rising despite the price of the dollar rising is probably due to the fact that people are insecure and unsure about the strength and resillience of the U.S. dollar. There has been a lot of ambiguity in the various industries lately, i.e. housing, consumer products, and banking.
Meaning to say, even though the U.S. dollar is recovering, the investors are not sure how sustainable the recovery actually is. Many feel that it is safer to place their bets on gold because they trust that the U.S. dollar will plummet once again later on.
Why will it plummet you might ask. Well, simply because the financial crisis is not exactly over, the mortgage loans are still piling up and alot of the mortgage are considered to be "underwater" (which means that the value of the house is below that of the mortgage).
At the end of the day, there might be yet another housing crisis and then people will sink into depression again and the U.S. dollar will definitely plummet.
Also, we must realise that countries are openly devaluing their own currencies in an effort to support exports. This is probably one of the industr where they can get huge trade surplus to pay off their debts.
Also, people trust that it is way safer to invest in gold than to invest in the dollar because the Western countries are still incurring up a huge load of debts. If they are not able to clear it in time, they will just keep on accumulating and this is definitely going to hit the U.S. dollar hard.
Nonetheless, if the U.S. dollar continues to rise continuously, the prices of gold will definitely drop. They will eventually diverge for sure and that is a hardcore fact of economics.
But for now, gold is definitely tagging behind the U.S. dollar until the citizens trust that their investment in the U.S. dollar is actually safe.
Credits -hiiraan, -sunshine, -australianmine
They form an inverse relationship between one another.
However, recently, gold has been a rebel!
As we all know, the U.S. dollar is coming up strong recently due to the racheting recovery in the economy. But the problem is, as the U.S. dollar is rallying, the gold prices seem to follow it up at the same time.
This is obviously weird!
First and foremost, why does the price of gold drops when the price of the dollar rises?
Simple, it boils down to the topic of investment. When the price of the dollar rises, people start to invest in the dollar and sell away their gold. Conversely, when the price of the dollar drops, they start to place their bets on gold.
In this case, the price of gold is rising despite the price of the dollar rising is probably due to the fact that people are insecure and unsure about the strength and resillience of the U.S. dollar. There has been a lot of ambiguity in the various industries lately, i.e. housing, consumer products, and banking.
Meaning to say, even though the U.S. dollar is recovering, the investors are not sure how sustainable the recovery actually is. Many feel that it is safer to place their bets on gold because they trust that the U.S. dollar will plummet once again later on.
Why will it plummet you might ask. Well, simply because the financial crisis is not exactly over, the mortgage loans are still piling up and alot of the mortgage are considered to be "underwater" (which means that the value of the house is below that of the mortgage).
At the end of the day, there might be yet another housing crisis and then people will sink into depression again and the U.S. dollar will definitely plummet.
Also, we must realise that countries are openly devaluing their own currencies in an effort to support exports. This is probably one of the industr where they can get huge trade surplus to pay off their debts.
Also, people trust that it is way safer to invest in gold than to invest in the dollar because the Western countries are still incurring up a huge load of debts. If they are not able to clear it in time, they will just keep on accumulating and this is definitely going to hit the U.S. dollar hard.
Nonetheless, if the U.S. dollar continues to rise continuously, the prices of gold will definitely drop. They will eventually diverge for sure and that is a hardcore fact of economics.
But for now, gold is definitely tagging behind the U.S. dollar until the citizens trust that their investment in the U.S. dollar is actually safe.
Credits -hiiraan, -sunshine, -australianmine
*Runway: Diesel Black Gold
Founded by Renzo Rosso and denim innovator Adriano Goldschmied in 1978, Diesel helped pioneer the high-end jeans category in the nineties. Having convinced a generation of guys that pre-shredded denim was worth paying extra for, in 2007 the company launched the more grown-up Diesel Black Gold line. While more sartorially inclined, it retains Diesel's signature deconstructed look.
Under the new creative direction of Sophia Kokosalaki, Diesel Black Gold presented their Autmmn-Winter Collection.
Staying true to the brand's rock star vibe, Kokosalaki upped the sex factor by contrasting soft faded denim and dark black leather, with a few hints of black velvet and black sheer organza.
The highlights of the show were (for me) the one-shoulder leather dresses and amazing belts.
*What`s your opinion on the collection?*
Friday, February 26, 2010
Dubai sells
Dubai is reportedly preparing to sell a host of assets, including one of the world's best known cruise ships, as the emirate's investment arm looks to restructure a mountain of debt.
One of the assets they are jettisoning is their Queen Elizabeth II
Istithmar bought the QE2, once the largest passenger ship in existence, in 2007 for an estimated $100 million. The firm had planned to turn the ship into a floating hotel attached to a man-made, palm-shaped island in the Persian Gulf.
A floating hotel+Burj Khalifa+the Dubai World+A copious amount of oil = Dubai God
That's the perfect formulae man, really hope Queen Elizabeth will not be passed on to other people.
Also in the firm's portfolio is a 20% stake in Canadian circus group Cirque du Soleil. But a Cirque du Soleil spokeswoman said the group has had no indication from Istithmar that a sale is pending.
Just look at the above, which circus is as great as this one above?
It's practically surreal and fanatical man!
People pay and fly all the way there just to watch them perform man.
It's almost a dream and a luxury to watch them sing and dance and jump all over the place. It calms your mind and gratifies your soul.
There is no way Dubai should ever contemplate on this one. It is without a shadow of a doubt of the most prestigious and covet circus crew in the entire world so to speak.
Every single performance is like an incandescent masterpiece. They consistently uphold their standards and without fail, they shine throughout.
Credits -essential, -cnn
One of the assets they are jettisoning is their Queen Elizabeth II
Istithmar bought the QE2, once the largest passenger ship in existence, in 2007 for an estimated $100 million. The firm had planned to turn the ship into a floating hotel attached to a man-made, palm-shaped island in the Persian Gulf.
A floating hotel+Burj Khalifa+the Dubai World+A copious amount of oil = Dubai God
That's the perfect formulae man, really hope Queen Elizabeth will not be passed on to other people.
Also in the firm's portfolio is a 20% stake in Canadian circus group Cirque du Soleil. But a Cirque du Soleil spokeswoman said the group has had no indication from Istithmar that a sale is pending.
Just look at the above, which circus is as great as this one above?
It's practically surreal and fanatical man!
People pay and fly all the way there just to watch them perform man.
It's almost a dream and a luxury to watch them sing and dance and jump all over the place. It calms your mind and gratifies your soul.
There is no way Dubai should ever contemplate on this one. It is without a shadow of a doubt of the most prestigious and covet circus crew in the entire world so to speak.
Every single performance is like an incandescent masterpiece. They consistently uphold their standards and without fail, they shine throughout.
Credits -essential, -cnn
Thursday, February 25, 2010
taking it to the streets.
street style photography has become one of my favorite aspects of the fashion industry and a great source of inspiration from photographers like tommy ton to the sartorialist to vanessa jackman, etc. etc....julia frakes, alexa chung and olivia palermo have become some of my recent obsessions on their day-to-day looks.
{majority of photos via refinery29}
Toyota's Saga
Do you recall Johnson & Johnson's saga with its Tylenol recall?
It was de facto much worse than that of Toyota's number of cars recalled.
As a matter of fact, we are talking about medicines here. I can only imagine how many people out there have already consumed it before it was being recalled.
Even if you can't recall, it's okay because sad to say, the spectre of the incident is once again back to haunt J&J.
But the point is, J&J handled it flawlessly in the past.
They recalled all the pills and offered tablets instead to the people who really need Tylenol.
In Toyota's case, they can't really offer spare cars to the victims can they?
Hence, they will have to build on consumer confidence once again.
Rather than just merely fixing the brakes system and the software update, I trust that it is imperative that Toyota go the extra-mile and provide more values back to their clients.
This is a matter of life and death after all. Without the brakes, their clients could have died as they try to stop an accident imminent from their sight.
Nonetheless, a lot of people out there are already spreading the news and this has adverse effects on the dismal brake systems that Toyota once touted as being the best. They are also saying that the demise of Toyota is imminent and it won't be long before it shuts down after losing more than close to 700 million USD thus far.
Amidst all these saga, I prognosticate that Toyota will survive through this acerbic period that they are going through.
In business, no matter how "perfect" you are, there will always be blemishes hidden away. People have the proclivity to scrutinize your operations and spread rumours about one single foible you make.
The point is to remain dauntless and resilient. When you maintain a calm equanimity amidst all the drama, people then starts to regain their trust and promises to give you a second chance.
Seeing how poignant you are about resolving the problem, they are willing to take chances once again.
All in all, my point is that in business, you should never be afraid of making mistakes. In fact, one rule in business is that you must make a certain number of mistakes during every months' operations in order to improve consistently.
If you are always undisturbed, you will inadvertently get complacent and end up slacking off the scale.
Till then, the corporations that have made much more mistakes than you tend to overtake you, leaving you far, far behind.
Hence, I believe that if Toyota deals with this matter successfully (by handling this situation with care and providing their clients with even more value than before), they will emerge even stronger than before.
What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
Credits -wlcntv, -warwick, -prealign, -ehow
It was de facto much worse than that of Toyota's number of cars recalled.
As a matter of fact, we are talking about medicines here. I can only imagine how many people out there have already consumed it before it was being recalled.
Even if you can't recall, it's okay because sad to say, the spectre of the incident is once again back to haunt J&J.
But the point is, J&J handled it flawlessly in the past.
They recalled all the pills and offered tablets instead to the people who really need Tylenol.
In Toyota's case, they can't really offer spare cars to the victims can they?
Hence, they will have to build on consumer confidence once again.
Rather than just merely fixing the brakes system and the software update, I trust that it is imperative that Toyota go the extra-mile and provide more values back to their clients.
This is a matter of life and death after all. Without the brakes, their clients could have died as they try to stop an accident imminent from their sight.
Nonetheless, a lot of people out there are already spreading the news and this has adverse effects on the dismal brake systems that Toyota once touted as being the best. They are also saying that the demise of Toyota is imminent and it won't be long before it shuts down after losing more than close to 700 million USD thus far.
Amidst all these saga, I prognosticate that Toyota will survive through this acerbic period that they are going through.
In business, no matter how "perfect" you are, there will always be blemishes hidden away. People have the proclivity to scrutinize your operations and spread rumours about one single foible you make.
The point is to remain dauntless and resilient. When you maintain a calm equanimity amidst all the drama, people then starts to regain their trust and promises to give you a second chance.
Seeing how poignant you are about resolving the problem, they are willing to take chances once again.
All in all, my point is that in business, you should never be afraid of making mistakes. In fact, one rule in business is that you must make a certain number of mistakes during every months' operations in order to improve consistently.
If you are always undisturbed, you will inadvertently get complacent and end up slacking off the scale.
Till then, the corporations that have made much more mistakes than you tend to overtake you, leaving you far, far behind.
Hence, I believe that if Toyota deals with this matter successfully (by handling this situation with care and providing their clients with even more value than before), they will emerge even stronger than before.
What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
Credits -wlcntv, -warwick, -prealign, -ehow
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
You got mail !
Check this out !
My very first mail from overseas !
This is my virgin overseas order.
And it's given to T.M.Lewin.
Well they had an offer too hard to reject.
4 shirts for 90 pounds at a discount of 10% man!
That's killer man
Even with the import fee of 15 pounds, I only spent a mere 99.60 pounds which converts to around $225 singapore dollars for a total of 4 shirts !!!
If you were to buy it in Singapore, it will cost you 3 for $239. Ludicrous isn't it?
I was delirious with joy after receiving it.
For a moment, I was a little apprehensive about whether the order will actually arrive because it's been 2 weeks and the website mentioned that the order will arrive in 5-7 working days.
Well, I guess my worries were unfounded.
I was too excited so I immediately tore open my first shirt and there you have it.
Perfect fit.
Neck size 14.5 inch and sleeve length 33.5 inch.
The sleeve length is just nice for me.
The surprise is that 33 inch is their shortest sleeve length without alteration. I was in disbelief initially because personally I have long limbs so I'm really surprised that I'm classified the shortest sleeve length.
This is the second one.
Really miniscule black checkers
The blue stripes are classy looking.
This is the luxury white I'm talking about.
Yeah, so the excitement is over and I will wear them to work soon !
Yay !
supersize it.
fell in love with burberry's fall 2010 collection.
the oversize, cropped coats. the detailing of zippers, leather and buckles. the mix of large collared shearlings, military-inspired peacoats, cropped quilted coats and one incredible oversized fur coat. perfect layering essentials.
i will have one of each please.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
21 21 21 Blackjack
Well well well,
This is the first-ever 21st birthday party I have been to this year. I'm pretty sure there are A LOT MORE to come. But I shall quietly anticipate that there will be lots of fun :)
For now let's take a look at how this one turns out.
It was definitely fun because I won alot of money and there were lots of people there as well.
This is the first-ever 21st birthday party I have been to this year. I'm pretty sure there are A LOT MORE to come. But I shall quietly anticipate that there will be lots of fun :)
For now let's take a look at how this one turns out.
It was definitely fun because I won alot of money and there were lots of people there as well.
First and foremost, the girls were doing up all the balloons before we arrived.
The gas tank sure look like it has lots of air in it.
Pretty awesome view isn't it ?
Then came the catering people in charge, setting up the booth.
Food-wise, I guess it's the typical catering, nothing fantastic.
My favourite is still CJS's. $15 per person but the food is delicious, filled with flavours.
Then my clique arrived.
Another clique arrived. I guess they are her NUS friends.
Joanne, Red, Birthday Girl Petrina
Sorry, it's us again.
This was the photo we took when we first stepped into the bungalow
Yet another clique, I think they are her NUS friends as well.
Look at the size of the bungalow.
It's brobdingnagian man!
Anyway, it was rented. 4 days for only $170.
So much cheaper than a chalet and to think we thought it was like $500++ for 4 nights.
But then, you can't get it at your wish. There's this ballot system where you have to go through before you get this fantastic bungalow with a pool.
This is the pool I'm talking about. Then again, I'm not so sure it's clean because I dont think the staff washes it.
I won $15.50 at the mahjong table.
BIG MONEY BIG MONEY
See, my hands are so quick that the camera cannot even capture it properly.
The skills of a professional gambler :)
This is the guy that is the true gambler.
He's holding on to a stack of cards already, at this young age.
He was hovering around me as I was playing Mahjong, I suspect that he saw me acting surreptitiously throughout the game.
Thank god I was able to circumvent capture by this potential king of gambler.
Look at the plethora of coloured stars around the cake.
So colourful
Pretty 21 I guess.
Petrina and her family.
Somehow I love this picture.
The colours just seem to bounce off each other.
Nice overall picture
Look at all the paparazzi.
All our loyal fans supporting our new show.
We are a living drama.
Time to say goodbye
Oh wait, before that, take a look at some of the candid photos first
The middle one is Ng Chin Keong, you thought this is funny?
Wait till you see the one below
Cool story bro?
Haha, okay I shall stop being mean.
Okay that's all for now. Time to head home and relax
See you guys at yet another 21st
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