A Little Bit of Curiosity Never Killed Me

I'm currently reading "In the Plex", and I couldn't help but amazed by Google.

(Well, I am always a fan. It's not a secret. I always love to tell the younger generations how painful it was to search for information online during the "pre-Google-era". The "physically finding information in library" way of research is almost unspeakable.)

When I read about the stories behind AdSense, I decided to add an AdSense to my blog too. Not for making money, since I never plan to draw any audience to this half-diary, but more for better understanding. I'm not those genius geeks so I don't really plan to understand the algorithm behind. However, I'd love to test it out, to randomly check what are the advertisements showed. I haven't really completed the appropriate setting so Google crawler now unable to access my page to determine its contest and display relevant ads. I shall monitor for at least a month before I allow the crawler to access. 



So excited to see the results :)

What Do You Care What Other People Think?

As I mentioned a few months back, I always have a soft spot for Physicists. For years, after collecting a few copies of Einstein's and Hawking's, I have been looking for Feynman's books in Malaysia but always failed.

A few years ago, I finally bought "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)", but then, somehow, I totally forgot about that book! (Ya, crazy huh? I still couldn't believe this!) Anyway, years later, I accidentally found it in my bookshelf recently, and I couldn't put down the book. I finished it in 2 nights.

So, during our "Half" Peninsular Malaysia road trip, when I visited Kinokuniya at KLCC, I couldn't resist but to buy a few Feynman's books (and of course, other titles too, spent over RM300 there in less than 1 hour). The first title that I finished reading was “What Do You Care What Other People Think”.

The first part of the book is about the love stories between Feynman and his father, his mother, his first love, and his family. The title "What Do You Care What Other People Think" came from his first wife's comment to him, when she tricked him in doing some embarrassing acts. He did them anyway, I think partly because he loved her, partly because she was dying, and partly because he knew that's true.

The second part of the book mainly revolves around the true stories of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. (FYI, The Rogers Commission Report was created by a Presidential Commission charged with investigating the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster during its 10th mission, STS-51-L. The report, released and submitted to President Ronald Reagan on 9 June 1986, both determined the cause of the disaster that took place 73 seconds after lift-off, and urged NASA to improve and install new safety features on the shuttles and in its organizational handling of future missions.)

Reading these stories had further strengthen my values that instilled long time ago. I believe manufacturers are responsible to produce products with quality that exceed customers' implied expectations with conscience.

I used to dream of working in NASA when I was in primary school (I gave up this dream after I found out their minimum height requirements :p). Reading these behind the scene stories from Richard Feynman made me realize that even NASA has no difference.

1.  The communication between management and the floor is always the key weakness / strength of an organization.
2. Criteria are always being changed when the reality cannot catch up with the original expectations. 
3. People tend to be unrealistic in making contracts, and in estimating the costs / difficulties of each project. 
4. Departments that spend a lot of money and resources in the important but not urgent activities (making sure that no problems happen) always being victimized. It is always seen as "wasting money on preventing things that never give us problems".
5.  When being assigned to carry out an investigation, most people focus on preparing a perfect report than actually spending resources in finding the root cause

My intention of listing the above is not to tell you how bad the manufacturing world is, but to remind you the reality.
I would like to remind you that while we still have our conscience intact, it is our responsibility to provide correct and sufficient information to the decision makers, and to remind the decision makers on what is right when necessary.
You don't have to care what other people think :)

“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.” ~ Richard Feynman

小人

以前读余秋雨的《小人》，看他骂得淋漓尽致。虽然我也看得咬牙切齿，但那些毕竟都是久远的过去了。只是，几千年过去了，人类竟没有进化得更好。

其实，我们都不怕枭雄的。枭雄很多时候只是和我们的思想观点不同而已。枭雄通常都是能人猛士，思想有逻辑且有迹可寻。枭雄永远站在光明处与你对敌，有时候，反而亦敌亦友的惺惺相惜了。我们也不怕恶人。恶人明刀明枪的，你小心就是了、别惹他就是了、避开就是了……

可怕的是小人， 几千年来小人在阴暗处享受着损人不利己的活动，即使是疯子如Joker，也总有所图，可是小人图个什么呢？小人不怕麻烦、办事效率高，他们善于领会及运用别人的隐忧和私欲，把大事搞砸，可他们图个什么呢？我们想极也没有答案。

借余秋雨说的：“他们反复向别人解释，自己是天底 下受损实最大的人，自己是弱者，弱得不能再弱了，似乎生就是被别人欺侮的料。”。偏偏他们又善于用谣言制造气氛，借他人之手起哄是他们的天赋。我们除了无可奈何，除了手足无措，除了防不胜防，我们千百年来就这样受着……

惟有圣贤和真正的智者，才知道怎么应对吧？

The Ancient Scrolls of Success - Scroll III

Well, I know, it is super weird to have a blog title that starts with "3" out of no where. Sorry about that. But since this is MY blog, I can write whatever I like. Who cares :)
Today I had a great revisit of Scroll III - Persist Until You Succeed, where it was read to us with passion and commitment. I'm touched, and here I am, sharing the scroll with you:

I will persist until I succeed.

In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates he willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. hence forth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner.

 

I will persist until I succeed. 

I was not delivered onto this world in defeat; nor does failure cross in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.

I persist until I succeed. 

The prices of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning. And it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step. Yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never do I know how close it lies, unless I turn the corner. I always take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.

I will persist until I succeed. 

Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today. I will be liken to the rain drop, which washes away the mountain, the star, which brightens the earth, the slave who builds a pyramid. I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.

I will persist until I succeed. 

I never consider defeat and remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as ‘quit’, ‘cannot’, ‘unable’, ‘impossible’, ‘out of the question’, ‘improbable’, ‘failure’, ‘unworkable’, ‘hopeless’, ‘retreat’, for they are the words of fools. I avoid despair. But if this disease of the mind should infect me, then I ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where the dry desert ends, green grass grows.

I will persist until I succeed. 

I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with  knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance for success at the next attempt. Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea. Each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come. Each misfortune I encounter carries in it the seed of tomorrow’s good luck. I must have the night to appreciate the day. I must fail often to succeed only once.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will try, and try, and try again. Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession. i will persist and develop my skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.

 

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I learn and apply another secret of those who excel in my work. When each day is ended, not regarding whether it has been a success or a failure, I attempt to achieve one more sale. When my thoughts beckon my tired body homeward, I resist the temptation to depart. I make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails, I make another. Never do I allow my day to end with a failure. Thus I plant the seed of tomorrow’s success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labor at a prescribed time. And my harvest will be full.

I persist until I succeed. 

Nor will I allow yesterday’s success to lull me into today’s complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this is the best day of my life. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success. If I persist long enough, I will win.

I will persist! 

I will win!

For those that had never heard of "The Greatest Salesman in the World", it is a book written by Og Mandino. It serves as a guide to a philosophy of salesmanship and success. Stay tune, I may post other scrolls as of when I feel like it :)

• Scroll I - The Power of Good Habits
• Scroll II - Greet Each Day With Love In Your Heart
• Scroll III - Persist Until You Succeed
• Scroll IV - You Are Natures Greatest Miracle
• Scroll V - Live Each Day as if it Were Your Last
• Scroll VI - Master Your Emotions
• Scroll VII - The Power of Laughter
• Scroll VIII - Multiply Your Value Every Day
• Scroll IX - All is Worthless Without Action
• Scroll X - Pray to God for Guidance

定风波

定風波

宋‧蘇軾

三月七日沙湖道中遇雨。雨具先去，同行皆狼狈，余独不觉。已而遂晴，故作此词。

莫聽穿林打葉聲，何妨吟嘯且徐行。

竹杖芒鞋輕勝馬，誰怕?一簑煙雨任平生。

料峭春寒吹酒醒，微冷，山頭斜照卻相迎。

回首向來蕭瑟處，歸去，也無風雨也無晴。

我一向来喜欢苏东坡，觉得他是中国数千年来最可爱的一号人物。他的作品通常豪迈奔放又清新，但最重要的是，即使在逆境，他不屈不怨，淡定豁达逍遥。

今天负责了一小段的训练，向大家传达了"proactive"的含义，说着"stimulus"与"response"之间那个“选择的自由”，就突然间想起《定风波》了。

他没有‘不听穿林打叶声’的坚决，却有着‘莫听’的从容自主的选择，在面对那些无法改变的事实时从容以对。
他的paradigm更是剔透绝顶，已经到了“无”的境界。“也无风雨也无晴”，雨不是雨，晴也不是晴，无常的变幻与他的心境无关。

乐，是必然的，甚至不必自寻的……

不开口笑是痴人

傍晚，从忙碌的工作中抽身喘口气，到私人邮箱中浏览浏览，看见薇给我寄来了白居易的诗。 释然。快乐有时候就是这么简单……

蝸牛角上爭何事？石火光中寄此身， 隨富隨貧且歡樂，不開口笑是癡人。

~白居易

My Sister's Keeper

我喜欢Jodi Picoult的书，她总是把人们放在道德的天秤上，你明明是在读着小说，却免不了要做一系列的思考。她的故事写得细腻又紧凑，通常一提上来，就放不下了。
我看的第一本Jodi Picoult的书，正是My Sister's Keeper。刚才无意中发现，原来这本书被拍成电影了，很快就会上映。
期待哦！

我的风清扬

在金庸所有的人物当中，我最向往的，要数风清扬了。那是一种怎样的良师，让人跳开世俗拘束，发挥自己一切潜能！那是比伯乐更让千里马期待的人物！

风清扬行云流水、随意所之。他虽然不如令狐冲那么随意潇洒、跳脱不羁、洒脱豁达（年轻时或许和令狐冲没什么两样），然而，正因为他的教诲，让令狐冲终于正视自己的本性，开了窍，给自己找了一个自我肯定的理由。两人一老一少性情相投，在短短一阵的相处当中，成了真正的莫逆之交。

从小，我就深信总有一天我会碰见一位风清扬一样的人物，清逸的、飞扬的（而我总是希望自己可以像令狐冲一样成为真正绝顶人物）。我毕竟还是碰上了。

我找到一个愿意教我独孤九剑的高人，相信自己的美好人生会变得更美好。

你呢？