Dreams vs Money….my confrontation with reality

with 34 comments

34 Responses to 'Dreams vs Money….my confrontation with reality'

Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'Dreams vs Money….my confrontation with reality'.

1. Alvin,
   My 2cents is don’t spend that kind of $, there are a lot of animation s/w you can buy.
   One of our friends (who is Indonesian) work for Disney in Orlando, Florida, let me pass on your email to him and see what he thinks about.
   Steve Jobs is in America and that makes a whole world a difference. If you come here, might be you can make it big but in Malaysia, without connection, without a Datuk father, I don’t know …
   Not to discourage you, you are still young, you have plenty of times to build tent ! We all know about Steve Jobs success, but how many of us knew about his struggles before he got famous ?
   Like I always said, it take double or triple effort to get successful in Malaysia than in US because we have so much resources and opportunity that we have but not in Malaysia, but it does not mean it is impossible.
   They told me because of my heart disease (ASD, PDA, complete heart block), it would a liability for guy to marry me and I would not be able to bear a child and I cannot take too active sport.
   I parachuted, I have a child when I was 42, I climbed to the top of Alps in Switzerland, I married one of the most handsome guy who would not only kiss the floor which I walk by but his family is well off.
   Yes, I had a fair share of tears in my life. One Guys left me for other girl who had better asset than me (dad is a datuk) and another left me after I had a stroke and paralyzed on the left side. But guess what, all these things never break the resilience in me. I move on and take up the challenge.

   I did not wait for things to happen to me. I set goal and pursue it. Yes, I was the one who was after my husband once I realized he is a good catch. Yes, I took good care of myself when I prepared to have a baby and took care of myself before the Swiss Alps climb.

   My philosophy in life is pursue your dream but also keep a balance and be realistic but if you never pursue your dream, you are the only one to blame.

   I love my life and have no regrets. I wanted to go to Oxford to read law, I did not manage to do it because my dad was not able to afford my school fees, so I went to Sydney. It was not what I want but I settle for my 3rd best and I made the most use of it. I wanted to backpack and take a round the world trip before I turn 30 and I did it. I wanted to get marry and have a kid before I turn 40, so I set my goal to get a man and I did it. And now I wanted to use the $ that I earn from my part time job to fund my online business and health care business, I am going to set my goal and I want to retire from my full time job in 7 years and I believe I will achieve it. Sometimes, it is a matter of +- a couple of years.

   1. Set goal.
   2. When
   3. How to get your resource

   It might take a while to get all the resources but if you have not start that initial step, it is lagi worst.

   All my 2 cents. I will talk to you more in detail once I get my license and taken my holiday.

   

   jamy

   29 Mar 08 at 9:01 am
2. Alvin,
   I posted a long post today and there are 3 ladies in the post I have mentioned that you might want to study their success model.
   Jamy

   

   jamy

   29 Mar 08 at 9:22 pm
3. Hey Alvin,
   Have you studied 3D Animation before? From what I know, you need to know at least two programs – Maya and 3D Studio Max. The ideal way would be to get a Diploma or Degree, but that takes a lot of time and money (at least S$16k in Singapore). But if you can produce a good portfolio own your own, that is you learn the programs yourself and make something awesome with it, even Pixar will accept you. Paper qualification doesn’t mean you have talent, and talent is scarce in the 3D animation field. A more cost-effective way to learn the programs is to take Professional Certificate courses, which cost less than half of Diploma courses. For an example, check out this school’s site: http://www.intense-animation.com/IntenseWeb.html

   

   The Big Movie Freak

   30 Mar 08 at 8:02 pm
4. Dream and Money… i agreed difficult to choose… anyway, i think we still have to try to marry these two together to get your best fit job…

   Anyway, all the best to you. I’m also in the mid of changing job.

   

   TZ

   1 Apr 08 at 12:00 pm
5. @ Jamy
   will reply ur post n email later tonight.

   @ The Big Movie Freak
   that’s a very cool site. mmm i do intend to take prof cert course. but for now, i’m jst going to get a foundation maya book and learn from it. cheapest option. at least i can spend few hundreds to see if i like it or not. ahaha.

   Thanks for the site

   @ TZ
   yea, that’s the ideal = marrying both together but we don live in an ideal world most of our time.
   good luck to u !

   

   Alvin Lim

   1 Apr 08 at 8:29 pm
6. @ Jamy
   Malaysia is indeed a ‘kam cheng’ style management. if you know some big Datuk, chances are that you will b able to get projects easier. or if u know the CEO of company X, it is easier for u to get business from X or to get a job in X.

   i believe all successful people…or GREAT people, went thru a lot before they actually show some signs of success.
   only those who have strong “background” (as in financially very strong due to family) can be successful without having to go through everything.

   but funny thing is……normally the great n successful people are not those who are rich due to their family :p

   in the end, the life is urs. if u don pursue ur dream in the one life of urs, there’s nobody to blame but u. i feel that if i don pursue my dreams, i will feel sorry for myself. no point bitching n complaining about life and lack of opportunities. things might not be as easy in MSIA as in US…but can still be done. in the end, u bitch oso wont bring u anywhere close. it’ll jz ruin ur day and ur life.

   thats how i feel la. but also i need to know that life needs a balance. i still hv my dependencies and responsibilities. so need to be realistic also.

   

   Alvin Lim

   2 Apr 08 at 4:41 am
7. I have a more pessimistic view, Jamy. I think there are plenty of really talented people out there who never got a chance to be successful, and probably never will. There is only one seat available for Number One, and even runners-up struggle to maintain the public’s attention. I still believe most of those who made it had some help from relatives or at least friends, but at the same time they’re still very talented people. As a cubicle coolie (office worker), I’m happy enough if I’m able to make a living just out of drawing cartoons or designing 3D animations. If I ever become rich and famous by my talents one day, that’s really just a lucky bonus.

   

   The Big Movie Freak

   2 Apr 08 at 9:25 am
8. Alvin and the big movie freak,
   Hmm, seems like you two have some different perspective here.
   Alvin : “normally the great n successful people are not those who are rich due to their family.”
   big movie freak : “I think there are plenty of really talented people out there who never got a chance to be successful, and probably never will.”

   Alvin,
   Whether it is in M. or USA, connection does play some part.
   Our president father is one of our ex president. I do believe a lot of Texan oil tycoon plays a lot of part on him becoming a president.
   The alumna’s children of Ivy league school here (Ivy league universities) have the privilege of getting into an Ivy league school (uni) here than any Ah Tu and Ah Kow’s children. My nephew will never get in the Ivy preschool where CNN founder Ted Turner went if his uncle (hubby) did not write a recommendation letter cos his uncle is the school alumni member. Yes, it works in US system too.

   The big movie freak : Why make you think that people who set their goals into it will not get it ? Look at our African American here ! Despite their years of slavery, we might be getting our 1st African American president !

   I believe if there is a will there is a way.

   I was dumped by a guy who left me after I had a stroke and became paralyzed on my left side. I thought I would never be able to walk again, I thought I might be living my life with drooling of saliva on my face. But, with a strong faith that I am going to be well again one day, have a family, able to bear one or two child. I had never give up the hope of being well again. I follow the physical therapy regime, I watch my diet, and all the necessary health prevention.

   It was a long road of recovery, but I did. I was able to walk without any ‘tongkat’, I was able to have sex, have baby, have a good marriage and family life. I rebuild myself again. Today, I am managing my family investment portfolio and also have a career I like in the US.

   No, I do not believe in luck. I believe in faith, hard work, honesty and integrity and I believe everyone has the opportunity to achieve success.

   When you talk about talents, you need to define what kind of talents we are talking about here ?
   Talent in speech (sales, public speaking, etc…)
   Talent in management
   Talent in the fine art area
   Talent in music
   and the list goes on.

   Yes, there is always 1 No.1 position. To get into the No.1 seat, you will need all the skills, talents needed to get into whatever No.1 seat that you are talking about.

   In US, we have a president and a vice president. The top military commander, the Fed chief, etc… It takes different talent to fill that position.

   I can see where you guys are coming from. But, I hold my view that you can get the no. 1 position if you set your goal (at least in America context)…

   Yes, as much as I have to disagree with you, I also have to disagree with Alvin. I do believe connection plays a big role but it does not mean you cannot be the one who set the record to overcome that obstacle.

   my 2cents.
   Jamy

   

   jamy

   2 Apr 08 at 10:49 am
9. Hi Jamy,
   Thanks for the reply. Understand your point, however I wasn’t generalising about mine. Of course, there will be the occasional few who made it pass the system with nothing but just sheer integrity and talent. But how often does that happen? It’s not my intention to put people off, but at least have a more realistic expectation when aiming for the goal. If you get the Gold, good for you! But if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world either! Because at least you’re doing something you like, and that alone is already a mighty accomplishment, in my humble opinion. In my case, for example, it’s getting paid for doing nothing except draw cartoons, and finally be free from the cubicles of the insane corporate world.

   

   The Big Movie Freak

   2 Apr 08 at 12:15 pm
10. Jamy’s points are very valid. A reality check.

    But I also do agree with Alvin that if you don’t give yourself a chance, how can you look back one day and say “I tried my best” ?
    I also see that there are more self-made men in the world then those who inherited wealth – refer to Forbes magazine. Sometimes its just luck. But if you don’t put yourself in a place to be selected by luck, then you have no chance at all – “If you’re not in the race, you can’t win.”

    I believe that one has to be street-wise to succeed. I have met people who had no initial advantage of talent, contacts or money but have done better than those who did. Street wise means knowing what to do and being resourceful – if you don’t have talent, you know how to partner with or employ those who have. If you don’t have access to contacts or money, you must know how to find and persuade those who have it.
    This is very difficult to do, that’s why its a PRICELESS skill.
    Bill Gates has it. So does many others. Bill Clinton was also a president of the US – he initially didn’t have $$$ or contacts, but he is street wise. Others who had $$$ and family connections still couldn’t become the president.

    Unfortunately there is no school which teaches one to be street wise. I believe what can be taught in school or University (to the masses) is useless because everyone else can also learn it easily by attending that University and then end up becoming a cubicle slave employed by someone who has the REAL skill.

    Common skills are useless skills.

    My 2 cents.

    The Malaysian Life

    

    The Malaysian Life

    2 Apr 08 at 7:14 pm
11. I have to add something else…

    There was a study done by a social scientist that if 1000 naked men of the same age was put in an island. Everyone starts at zero – no clothes, no money, no contacts. NOTHING !.
    Within 1 year, there will be 4 “tai kors” from the men and the others will be working for them. Within 2 years, one of the “tai kors” will be the King and everyone else will be working for him. The one who raise above the rest has a skill others don’t. Think about it.

    The Malaysian Life

    

    The Malaysian Life

    2 Apr 08 at 7:26 pm
12. @ Big Movie Freak
    One needs to be more optimistic in life. I believe there are numerous ways to be rich and famous….it’s just a matter of whether the few ways are suitable for you.

    I don’t respect those who became successful due to so and so… not due to their own talents or hard work. But i also cannot deny the fact that in order for you to succeed in this world, you will need friends – people who can help you achieve your goals. Otherwise, it’s going to be a lot more difficult.

    Doing something you are passionate about is always a very big accomplishment in life

    @ jamy
    It works everywhere i guess…just whether it is that obvious or not. In Malaysia, i’ve seen someone taken up a new role…replacing someone experienced who got kicked out to vacant the role…… and this someone has no prior experience whatsoever…. he only has his father who is a good friend of the CEO.

    i do believe in luck too. but as “The Malaysian Life” said, if you don’t work yourself towards the “queue”…then even if you have the luck, it will not reach u since you are not even there. so work hard n smart so that u can get nearer in obtaining the necessary “luck”.

    ah well, the word luck itself is very subjective anyway

    And also, being No.1 is subjective. It depends on how you see it.

    I dont mean that those w/o proper connection cannot be successful. They can. Just that they need to travel a longer journey and work harder. As you said, hard work n determination are the key to success – if there’s a will, there’s always a way or more.

    I also believe in one thing – good things don’t come by easily and those things that you can get easily normally don’t last that long. easy come, easy go.

    @ The Malaysian Life
    Thank you. Street-wise is the term. Knowing how to get around things or get to people who can help u is very very important. We don’t live alone in this world. No matter how or what you do….you will still need to rely on other people (family, friends, partners, clients, competitors, etc). And it is a PRICELESS skill…something which is not easy to develop i guess.

    Most of the stuff in school are not really useful. Or should i say, they are useful for you to survive, but not to be successful. Common skills are only good enough for you to survive in this world (barely). You will need other skills in the end.

    

    Alvin Lim

    2 Apr 08 at 9:32 pm
13. The Big Movie Freak ,

    Yes, I agree with you :”But if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world either.”

    I see this in a very different way from you : “In my case, for example, it’s getting paid for doing nothing except draw cartoons, and finally be free from the cubicles of the insane corporate world.”

    How can you say you are getting paid for doing nothing ? You are drawing cartoons for someone who think it is valuable and is willing to pay you for what he/she thinks worth. No, it is not doing nothing.

    If I am doing nothing for being paid, I will quit my job because every day when I am doing nothing means I am rotting on this earth.

    When I was working in Brunei many years ago, my brother told me his wife might be getting a job from the Japanese embassy because her New Zealand friend was contemplating of quiting. I said why on earth she’s quiting for her salary was like B$7k a month just translating the Jap’s embassador letters, mails and speeches. He said that’s what made her want to quit cos she felt like she’s wasting her life. I said, even with B$7k a mth ?. He said what was the point of having money when you felt useless. I said well, I can live comfortably with that kind of situation if people gave me B$7k a month.

    I was working so hard on my butts than for my ex boss, from planning marketing strategy, to budgeting to staff scheduling, recruiting to research my industry market trend. And at days, I did not even have time to go jamban. Wow, I thought with that kind of money and doing nothing, I could easily settle for it.

    But, it was not so, when I was in the same situation. When I was hired in the database department in one of the biggest university hospital in the S.Eastern United state, I was asked to manage and implement a conversion program for them. They gave me a dead line of 6 months. I completed it within 3 mths period and I thought might be they would give me another project. My boss asked me to be patience and I literally did nothing for about 9 mths. I was getting quite a fat salary for doing nothing. I surfed internet, I read gold and silver investment, but I felt quite guilty and useless. My boss was very nice to me, it did not seem to him that he was wasting company resources for hiring a woman who sat there day in day out without doing much. I might answer a few users requests and helped to fix the problems, but apart from that, I tidur in my room. I was pregnant then so I felt sleepy a lot. But, since I was in my own room, so I just lied my head on my desk and went to sleep. A lot of times, I slept from 1pm to 5pm, no phone call, no users requests and when I waked up, it’s time to go home. I took 3 mths maternity leave and I quit 6 months after that I came back from work. I decided then that I wanted to go back to medical school, so I did.

    Money is not the end of everything. I do believe we all want to feel useful and be motivated in what we are doing, otherwise life can be very boring.

    A lot of my psy patients (mental illness) have no will to live, have no pleasure about life.

    But, of course according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow‘s_hierarchy_of_needs

    he defines human needs as
    # Deficiency needs

    * 2.1 Physiological needs
    The physiological needs of the organism (those enabling homeostasis) take first precedence. These consist mainly of:

    * Excretion
    * Eating
    * Drinking
    * Breathing

    If some needs are not fulfilled, a human’s physiological needs take the highest priority. Physiological needs can control thoughts and behaviors, and can cause people to feel sickness, pain, and discomfort.
    * 2.2 Safety needs
    Safety needs include:

    * Personal security from crime
    * Financial security
    * Health and well-being
    * Safety net against accidents/illness and the adverse impacts

    * 2.3 Love/Belonging/Social needs
    After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third layer of human needs is social. This psychological aspect of Maslow’s hierarchy involves emotionally-based relationships in general, such as:

    * friendship
    * intimacy
    * having a supportive and communicative Family

    * 2.4 Esteem needs
    All humans have a need to be respected, to have self-esteem, self-respect, and to respect others. People need to engage themselves to gain recognition and have an activity or activities that give the person a sense of contribution, to feel accepted and self-valued, be it in a profession or hobby. Imbalances at this level can result in low self-esteem, inferiority complexes. People with low self-esteem need respect from others. They may seek fame or glory, which again depends on others. However confidence, competence and achievement only need one person and everyone else is inconsequential to one’s own success. It may be noted, however, that many people with low self-esteem will not be able to improve their view of themselves simply by receiving fame, respect, and glory externally, but must first accept themselves internally. Psychological imbalances such as depression can also prevent one from obtaining self-esteem on both levels.

    # 3 Growth needs
    Though the deficiency needs may be seen as “basic”, and can be met and neutralized (i.e. they stop being motivators in one’s life), self-actualization and transcendence are “being” or “growth needs” (also termed “B-needs”), i.e. they are enduring motivations or drivers of behavior.

    * 3.1 Cognitive needs
    Maslow believed that humans have the need to increase their intelligence and thereby chase knowledge. Cognitive needs is the expression of the natural human need to learn, explore, discover and create to get a better understanding of the world around them.
    * 3.2 Aesthetic needs
    Based on Maslow’s beliefs, it is stated in the hierarchy that humans need beautiful imagery or something new and aesthetically pleasing to continue up towards Self-Actualization. Humans need to refresh themselves in the presence and beauty of nature while carefully absorbing and observing their surroundings to extract the beauty that the world has to offer.
    * 3.3 Self-actualization
    Self-actualization — a concept Maslow attributed to Kurt Goldstein, one of his mentors — is the instinctual need of humans to make the most of their abilities and to strive to be the best they can. Working toward fulfilling our potential, toward becoming all that we are capable of becoming.

    In Maslow’s scheme, the final stage of psychological development comes when the individual feels assured that his physiological, security, affiliation and affection, self-respect, and recognition needs have been satisfied. As these become dormant, he becomes filled with a desire to realize all of his potential for being an effective, creative, mature human being. “What a man can be, he must be”[1], is the way Maslow expresses it.

    And if you live in a poor country where basic needs are not met , of course $ is important for you to buy food and if you live in a society where there is a lot of chaos, safety is something a person would highly desire.

    But, if a person has all the above needs are being fulfill, then of course the hierarchy level go up.

    But, that is just my personal opinion, they are not in stones .

    

    jamy

    2 Apr 08 at 9:49 pm
14. The Malaysian Life Says,

    Thank you for seeing my point of view.

    Yes, to a certain extend ‘street wise’ or common sense, experience outside of the classroom is important to a person but I do believe education and training to acquire virtue and characters is as much important as academy achievement. You do not have to look far to find all the corporate scandals that we have here in the US, Enron’s, Clinton downfall (he need to be impeached , but no one has the ball to do it) and many others.

    Bill Clinton is one of the America president whom I wish I have never had. I am very ashame of him as an American citizen. For one, I would never respect a leader who is respected by the community to let someone beside his wife to suck his cock ! To me , a person character and integrity is very important part of being a leader.

    I have to disagree with you about both Bill Gates and Clinton.

    Bill father is a lawyer , so he is not from some Ah Tu or Ah Kow family.
    Check Bills’ biography here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates
    “William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington, to William H. Gates, Jr. and Mary Maxwell Gates. His family was wealthy; his father was a prominent lawyer, his mother served on the board of directors for First Interstate Bank and the United Way, and her father, J. W. Maxwell, was a national bank president.”

    No one is sure of how true is that he did not inherited the trust funds :
    “Several writers claim that Maxwell set up a million-dollar trust fund for Gates.[11] A 1993 biographer who interviewed both Gates and his parents found no evidence of this and dismissed it as one of the “fictions” surrounding Gates’s fortune.[12] Gates denied the trust fund story in a 1994 interview,[13] and indirectly in his 1995 book The Road Ahead.[14]”

    If you actually look into detail on his biography, you know this guy did not come from some run down neighbor hood in Settle !

    “At thirteen he enrolled in the Lakeside School, Seattle’s most exclusive preparatory school.”

    Prep school is a ‘mesti’ paved road for the rich and the connected of the society here. It is a preparation to go to Ivy league school such as Yale and Harvard.

    Though Clinton did not come from a rich family but he attended Yale Law School and obtained a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 1973.

    And guess which connection he had here : In 1963, two influential moments in Clinton’s life contributed to his decision to become a public figure. One was his visit to the White House to meet President John F. Kennedy.

    Now, how many of us have the privilege to even walk into white house(forget about the tour, ok) and met J.F. Kennedy ?

    No common sense (or street wise) is one of the spring board to get us where we are but other factors such as our school educations, our connections, our talents etc are very important factors of being successful.

    NO, LUCK is the least important factor in success. Bill Gates said it is less than 0.000000000000000000000000000001 % and I also believe luck is the least important thing to be successful.

    Just my 2cents again and they are not cut into stones.

    

    jamy

    2 Apr 08 at 10:13 pm
15. I am a strong believer of LUCK is the least thing you need to have to be successful.

    “i do believe in luck too. but as “The Malaysian Life” said, if you don’t work yourself towards the “queue”…then even if you have the luck, it will not reach u since you are not even there. so work hard n smart so that u can get nearer in obtaining the necessary “luck”.
    ah well, the word luck itself is very subjective anyway ”

    1.Wise strategy that involve appropriate resources and principal, 2.work double hard than others are 2 main keys to being successful.

    With 1, I can tell you till the cow come home or even write a book about it.

    Even finding a husband involves lots of research (his family background, his character, etc, of course the love factor has to be in) and wise strategy in order to catch a good catch.

    No, again, I do not believe in luck so is Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and many other successful people in the US.

    Just my 2cents.

    

    jamy

    2 Apr 08 at 10:20 pm
16. Alvin,
    Both Bills do not depend on luck, they have excellent strategies !
    So are you fat aunty here. What do you think of someone who write about investment strategy would marry a guy without a prep school background, a man who is divorce having to pay child support, and all the negative liabilities in life ? I Though I am not exactly a materialistic woman but I am a realistic gal ! And I have the right to pursue happiness and goals in my life, so I choose not to live in poverty. And it was hard work and not luck !
    Yes, a lot of people (esp. my girlfriends around me) did not see why I am putting so much effort in cultivating the relationship with my hubby (the bf), but when they see my life now, they say I am lucky ! But, they do not know how much effort I put in researching his background !

    My 2cents again.

    

    jamy

    2 Apr 08 at 10:27 pm
17. @ Jamy
    Realistically, LUCK does play a part one way or another. But having no luck does not mean you cannot be successful. Proper planning and good strategies will be able make you even more successful than those people who are lazy to think and keep relying on their “luck” (like someone who buys lottery VS someone who does his research and invest his money accordingly). Just my opinion.

    the rest of ur comments, i’ll reply later. too long for me to reply in office. Thanks for sharing Jamy. Really appreciate it.

    

    Alvin Lim

    2 Apr 08 at 10:49 pm
18. Hi Jamy,
    I didn’t mean “do nothing” as in “do nothing”. It’s “do nothing EXCEPT draw cartoons”. I want a paying job where I only do the thing I like the most, and NOTHING ELSE. It’s because employers nowadays like to torture their employees with this newfangled management catchphrase called “multi-tasking”. Who knows what newspaper cartoonists in Asia are doing besides drawing toons. They could be balancing the account books on the side while washing the office toilets every fortnightly. In the West, if you’re a cartoonist, you draw toons, that’s it. That’s what I meant, thank you.

    

    The Big Movie Freak

    3 Apr 08 at 12:39 am
19. @ The Big Movie Freak
    i think it’s up to personal preferences. Some people actually prefer to do outside of his job scope from time to time in order to learn something new. But there are people who prefer to stick to their job (and only that) and concentrate 100% on the job. We call those ppl the specialist.

    

    Alvin Lim

    3 Apr 08 at 12:49 am
20. I was only saying that we should have some reality check on our expectations on what we want to achieve. And the true goal of our dreams should be about contributing to something we truly love on a daily basis, and not about becoming number one or turning rich.

    

    The Big Movie Freak

    3 Apr 08 at 1:41 am
21. The Big Movie Freak ,

    Now I know what you mean, you want to work in a vertical market than horizontal field. I can understand what you mean !

    A lot of my friends enjoy to just concentrate on what they like and they will go as far as Ph.D. One of my friends interest is in insects so he got his Ph.D in Entomology and he specialized in mosquitoes, so he works for WHO (world health organization) and one of my friends here specialized in studies of tree diseases ( a brunch in botany) and all days long, all he does is study on trees disease for Florida state botany dept.

    I would die if I am specialize. I knew from very young that I would rather go horizontal than vertical market after I graduated from my computer science degree in the early 80′s. My husband has a total different personality from me, he loves specialize field, and he is into library science. So, the guy know books very well but have very vague ideas of all the other things in life.

    Different people are gifted with different talents, there is nothing wrong to be a generalist or a specialist. It is best that you are working in the area that fit your personality. I do believe people who like to specialize are those who pay closer to details and those who are generalist more likely are big picture person.

    The worst thing that can happen to a person is to be a generalist when they are a detail oriented person and they would hate it every day of their lives.

    In fact, I was contemplating of creating a software that help to identify a person strength and weaknesses in different health care related jobs. I am sure it will bring me many generation of royalty fees,

    My 2cents again.
    jamy

    

    jamy

    3 Apr 08 at 1:52 am
22. Alvin,
    Define luck ?
    Jamy

    

    jamy

    3 Apr 08 at 1:55 am
23. @ Big Movie Freak
    sometimes, i feel that the people who think n behave like u, will end up happier than those who keep seeking money and climbing up corporate ladder. Well, that’s my opinion anyway.

    @ jamy
    Luck is when all the things you want to happen, happened. When you only have 1 plan, and it works. You are unlucky if you always become victim of circumstances – like things don’t always go your way (and i’m not saying due to your poor planning. for example, you plan a trip to somewhere for your friends, suddenly most of your friends could not come due to flood, something like that).

    Maybe you will say that proper planning would’ve taken all those things into consideration. Maybe. But if you are lucky, your plan will still work without a perfect plan…..and if u r unlucky, even a perfect plan might fail at times.

    Just my opinion.

    

    Alvin Lim

    3 Apr 08 at 6:56 am
24. Well Alvin,
    In your definition, I am a very lucky woman.
    First I was born in a family where the head of the house hold was very traditional Chinese man. He was extremely upset with my mother for producing a female first born. The planned ‘full moon’ for a baby was canceled because I was a girl.
    Then when the doc realized I was born with 2 holes in my heart and a malfunction heart pump, he was more upset with me.
    And when I grew up, I realized I walked with a limp and people often laughed at my physical deformity.

    That really sum up my life : “You are unlucky if you always become victim of circumstances – like things don’t always go your way.”

    I was always sick that I had never attended my school PE class. People called me ‘dein tai ka’ meaning long short foot, meaning someone who has one leg longer than the other.

    Unless a guy looks beyond beauty, no guy really wanted to bring a girl out to a dinner date with a girl who was limping, do they ?

    So, in circumstances wise, I am a very unlucky person, don’t you think so ?

    Do you think I really let my circumstances made me a victim or I overcome the obstacles. I am sure you have the answer.

    When I was back in Kuching, people said I am lucky because I married well and live in America. I do not have to work because I don’t need to, I go study medical field because I am smart, blar blar blar….

    But, nobody forgotten that they once called me a unlucky girl who brought bad fortune to my mother because I am a female first born, I have heart disease, I was limping. And now they call me lucky ? What ironic ?

    No, luck plays the least important thing in being successful. I am a living example of not believing in luck in my life.

    My great grandmother hid me 9 months after I was born because she did not want our village people to know my heart disease cos if they found out, they would say I was born because of a curse ! heart disease plus limping.

    Then my parents find it too difficult (pride) to bring me out to public. I was left at home when they went CNY visiting, they took my brother and my sister. Sometimes I felt hurt but I have never let those hurt haunt me or put me down. In fact, to excel in everything I do motivate me. I want people to know though I am physically disadvantage but I am not stupid ! And that keep me going.

    Who would have believe all the achievements that I have achieved in life ? An unlucky girl with all her lucky achievement ? Lucky or determination, I let you make a judgment.

    Jamy

    

    jamy

    3 Apr 08 at 9:12 am
25. Jamy: Vertical/horizontal field? More fancy catchphrases. These ideas sound good on paper, but are open to abuse. Nowadays, they’re awfully rampant, affecting almost everyone especially in Asian countries. You might say, well, how useful is a person if he or she is only specialising in one area? But my question is, why are we subjected to this kind of harsh expectation when our Western counterparts don’t need to? That’s just plain ripping us off.

    

    The Big Movie Freak

    3 Apr 08 at 10:02 am
26. The Big Movie Freak ,

    Nothing fancy lah. When we were CS students then about 28 years ago. Many of us like to work for bank and all they want to do was write software for banking system. A lot of these people concentrated in only an area of banking. For eg. one of my girlfriends just wanted to do loans, so she specialized in banking area.

    I worked in manufacturing companies for a while, so I was very specialized with S/W that deal with orders/parts etc.

    Then I started to get bored, so I decided to take on general retail market, and that involved system for sales invoicing, billings, accountings etc. So I support s/w that people do small business or medium size business. I was never interested in specialized in a small area of banking.

    Yes, they are generally more advance than us. But, with globalization, it does not matter much anymore. I can do my business here in the US and utilized workers from India.

    I hate working in Asia (Malaysia, Hong Kong or Singapore) , very unreasonable demands and lack of adequate infrastructure supporting system. That was the reason I did not apply for Asian scholarship with my classmates who all went to do their tertiary education in Sing. I did not like Sing working / study condition, too competitive. Human have became machine.

    

    jamy

    3 Apr 08 at 10:47 am
27. @ Jamy
    i think you still cannot get my meaning. Luck does exist but it does not determine whether you will be successful or a failure in your life. For you, you are indeed unlucky due to so many unfortunate things happening around u but that does not mean you are bound to fail in life. Your determination and hard work and optimism pull you through. On the other hand, there are some people who are being brought up in a completely different environment. They are lucky at the beginning but they did not want to work hard and kinda screw up their life in the end.

    Luck is there, whether you believe it or not. But being unlucky does not mean you will fail. I believe with proper planning, sheer determination and optimism, one can reach one’s goals even if the path is not a straight one.

    

    Alvin Lim

    3 Apr 08 at 1:46 pm
28. Alvin,
    I do believe I know what you mean but I just wanted to let you know that your argument is somewhat slipper slope : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slope

    This the chronicle order of the argument about luck :

    Your definition of luck :
    “Luck is when all the things you want to happen, happened. When you only have 1 plan, and it works. You are unlucky if you always become victim of circumstances – like things don’t always go your way (and i’m not saying due to your poor planning. for example, you plan a trip to somewhere for your friends, suddenly most of your friends could not come due to flood, something like that).”

    It started of with Malaysian life saying that sometimes we need luck to be successful : “Sometimes its just luck. But if you don’t put yourself in a place to be selected by luck, then you have no chance at all – “If you’re not in the race, you can’t win.”

    Malaysian life is implying that luck does play a role in success.

    And subsequently you agree with Malaysia life and restate it but add on 2 elements, hardwork + smart -> bring you closer to luck -> and hence success :
    “i do believe in luck too. but as “The Malaysian Life” said, if you don’t work yourself towards the “queue”…then even if you have the luck, it will not reach u since you are not even there. so work hard n smart so that u can get nearer in obtaining the necessary “luck”.”

    But, I refute it strongly and my take is luck does not play any role in success. So I reply :
    “Alvin,
    Both Bills do not depend on luck, they have excellent strategies !”

    And you replied :
    ” @ Jamy
    Realistically, LUCK does play a part one way or another.”

    Your argument is that yes luck does play a role but you need other stuffs : hardwork + smart + determination.

    I say not success = IQ+EQ+Determination+Hard Work (no luck at all).

    IQ does not mean just academic smart, it means able to identify problem and able to provide a solution on that problem.

    There are many people who can identify problem but they talk about, get depressed about it but they never think problem is a great opportunity to find solution.

    What set apart from a successful person from a failure is that a successful person love problem because they see that as opportunity but a failure will moan about the problem, get frustrated , get depressed and not able to go find resources to find a solution.

    EQ – ability to understand human psychology (able to know the lady boss PMS and find way to handle in the best way that impress a lady boss in her PMS days).

    Determination – knowing that no matter what it takes, success is the only option. A blind man who climb the world highest mountain :
    Erik Weihenmayer the blind man and his success : http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Top-World-Journey-Farther/dp/0452282942

    Hard Work – always do your best, and it means 101%.

    Yes, I know exactly what you mean but I still do not agree with you .

    Jamy

    

    jamy

    3 Apr 08 at 10:37 pm
29. @ Jamy
    Different people have different opinions. What you believe in might not apply to all. True, you might say the BILLs think like you do, or some big great successful people think like you do but i like to keep to what I believe. No point changing what other people think of the world, no?

    If you say success = IQ + EQ + Determination + Hard work (no luck at all)… true. Very true. But if you have a little bit of good fortune on your side, it might actually help in one way or another. Again, THAT’s what i believe in. But that doesn’t mean that you should rely on the good fortune in order to succeed. You need to rely on yourself. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll achieve your goal sooner but if you’re not, you shouldn’t stop there.

    u spend 5 years to b successful, if you have luck on ur side…but if you don’t, maybe you’ll spend 10 years. but the end result is still successful. no?
    just that some people are not willing to work hard after the first 5 years….so they complain a lot and give up.

    Anyway, i’m not expecting you to agree with me and i’m not expecting you to want me to agree with you. There’s no right or wrong opinion….it’s all correct in its own.

    By the way, some people like me express what we think straightaway. We don’t spend 10 minutes just to write one comment since this is free speech and not some formal letter to the big boss. I don’t think it’s nice to take the words of other people, quote it and sort of like asking for some explanation for it. Because in the end, we might not be able to express something properly in pure text…….does that mean we need to be punished or explain ourselves a lot?

    We’re not in a corporate meeting thingy There’s no “war” going on here. Just have some friendly conversation. If you are right, then people will agree, but if our opinions differ, that’s not end of the world.

    p/s…. and this comment actually took me very long to think what to reply. it’s like i’m sitting for an exam since someone might quote my sentences and come asking me why did i say that.

    

    Alvin Lim

    4 Apr 08 at 7:06 am
30. Wow, is there an essay competition going on here? Really long commentaries.

    

    The Big Movie Freak

    4 Apr 08 at 10:05 am
31. Well, Alvin, this is your blog, you can decide what you want. And if you feel this way, it is fine with me as well. “By the way, some people like me express what we think straightaway. We don’t spend 10 minutes just to write one comment since this is free speech and not some formal letter to the big boss. I don’t think it’s nice to take the words of other people, quote it and sort of like asking for some explanation for it. Because in the end, we might not be able to express something properly in pure text…….does that mean we need to be punished or explain ourselves a lot?”

    Jamy

    

    jamy

    4 Apr 08 at 11:40 am
32. @ Jamy
    I just feel there’s a better way of discussing things in here. No offence intended

    

    Alvin Lim

    4 Apr 08 at 2:27 pm
33. That’s really a great ambition. You can still try out something similar. I don’t know what is it but as long as you have the strong will, you sure can do it.

    By the way, the previous post is also similar to this one, about what you want to do in your life. Well, just wandering do you believe in the Mayan Prophecy of 2012?

    

    Apple

    4 Apr 08 at 4:14 pm
34. @ Apple
    eh, what Mayan Prophecy? O_O I only know Nostradamus.

    

    Alvin Lim

    4 Apr 08 at 4:17 pm

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail