ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

Dear loving readers and visitors,

It is time for us to revisit the ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER story. This one is a little different.... Two Different Versions.... Two Different Morals  OLD VERSION  The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.  The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away..  Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold. MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!   MODERN VERSION  The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving.  Channels 7, 9 and 10,the ABC and SBS show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.  Australia is stunned by the sharp contrast.  How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?  Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'  Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Cardinal George Pell then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's  sake.  Prime Minister Rudd condemns the ant and blames John Howard, Robert Menzies, Capt James Cook, and the Pope for the grasshopper's plight. Bob Brown exclaims in an interview on Today Tonight that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share. Finally, Labor in conjunction with the Greens draft the Economic Equity & amp; Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and given to the grasshopper.  The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and once peaceful, neighborhood. Give it a serious thought. James

HOW TO DEVELOP POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Dear readers,

To achieve success, you need to master your attitude. It is fundamental to your success. You are what you think. So, your mindset is very closely related to your attitude. Your mindset will determine the type of attitude you desire. No doubts having the right attitude does not guarantee you success, but it can empower you to do so otherwise you would not do it.

Append below please find the roadmap to develop positive attitude.

1. Take responsibility

No doubts, circumstances or personal upbringing may have significant impact on an individual's attitude, if left unchecked. However, we must be aware that attitude does not come from outside ourselves. It comes from within. So, if you are affected by the external factors, it means that you gave implied consent to them, that caused  you to be out of control. 

At the end, you still have to take personal responsibility for it.  By now, you should be able to see clearly that this is the very first step to take in order to develop positive attitude. You need to make a committed decision to take responsibility and shape your attitude.

2. Assess your present situation

Before you take a step towards building your positive attitude, you need to have a quick review of your present situation. To evaluate and ascertain where you begin with, is an appropriate step so that you can constantly review and monitor your progress. 

To be effective, you have to assess your attitude objectively. This task may be difficult, especially if you are not aware who you are; where you are heading to; and what is your goal. By doing so, you are able to ascertain your progress with certainty. Through this, you know your required real change and make rectification / modification if this is not what you want.

3. Fan your desire to change

Without real change, there is no improvement. Ironically most people want improvement and at the same time continues to resist change. Change is unavoidable. To take a ride on the changes, you need to be constantly adaptable to changes and move forward. Do not hold on to grudges as they will hold back the changes, which you would otherwise feel much easier to adapt to. Bear in mind that life is in a flux and impermanent. So, you need to think in this manner and maintain this sort of desire to move freely along this wave of change. The crucial question we need to ask ourselves is that "Are we trying to go along the wave or acting against the wave."

4. Change your thoughts

Remember that our action begin from our thought. To develop positive attitude, you need to constantly feed your mind and heart with the right stuff so that you have the right perspective. By convincing and convicting your mind and heart, you are able to develop your positive attitude. I believe that through the positive attitude, one can only reach his own individual potential to the maximum.

5. Make it a habit

Once you have committed to develop such a positive attitude, you need to shift your thinking to think in that manner and act consistently to your thoughts. By doing repeatedly, you are able to affirm and reaffirm your belief. Ultimately you will naturally behave in this manner till it becomes part of you. Both thinking and habit are well connected because your action will be greatly influenced by the way you think. I believe that your belief system will navigate your decision; thinking and action. All these are well integrated and inter dependent on each other. Bear in mind that repetition is the key to mastery. Repeated action will make it be part of you as it will become your behavior. 

6. Manage your attitude daily

Making a decision does not guarantee you success, you need to manage your decision daily so that it does not divert from your ultimate goals. In fact, managing your decision is much more important than decision making. Decision is one off transaction, whereas managing the decision is a daily affair. You need to feed your mind with the appropriate stuff, which can strengthen your mind set and faith. At the same time, you need to constantly and persistently review to ensure that it is in accordance to your goal. You may need to rectify your action should there be any diversion.

Thanks for your precious time and wish you  success.

James Oh

EIGHT WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU

Happy day ! everyone,

Socialising becomes an important part of life. It’s healthy to meet many people who like your presence. Most of us, if not everyone, would  like to make ourselves likeable. After all, becoming popular is a learnable skill. Here are some simple things you can do to have more success in your relationships.

1. Smile

Never underestimate this simple act because its yield its' amazing result. It is the very first step to unlocking doors and getting people to approach you.

However, those who know me much earlier will notice that I am one of those unfortunate folk who has a naturally “serious” face. Smiling isn’t something that comes so naturally for me. Fortunately I have tried hard to smile more often after I realized its importance. I've found it well worth my effort and I do hope you take the courage to do so.

Even though smiling doesn’t come naturally for me I’ve found it well worth the effort. It is very sensible that people prefer to deal with people who smile with them than otherwise. Therefore  a smile will go a long way toward making people like you. Although it does not guarantee  such a response,  yet it is highly possible reaction to your smile .

2. Remember people’s names

It is undeniable truth that the sweetest sound to a person’s ears is his own name. By addressing their name in your conversation, you can get better chance of making people like you. As such, you have to make an effort to remember their names. However, if it too difficult for you, then it is much easier to start by making it your habit. Take it as a new challenge. Grab every chance or situation where the person you are talking to is wearing a name tag, make it a point to use their name. Even if he is just the clerk at the grocery store or when you are in a position to make a purchase from someone and the sales person is wearing a name tag, use their name. Keep practicing until you acquire that habit. I can assure you that you will be amazed by its results.

Remember to use their names in your daily conversation and make people feel important and comfortable to talk to you. This is also one way to build good relationship.

3. To show genuine interest in other people

Do not make the common mistake of trying hard to impress other people. Just imagine when you are dating and the other party is trying to impress you. Wouldn't that will make you uneasy and boring. How about when the other party is shows their genuinely interest in your needs and care. Be genuinely interested in them and their real interests. Do the things they love to do. Affirm their opinions and choices. That will make them more likely stick to you as a buddy.

It is possible to be liked by people who have vastly different values than yours if you deal with it tactfully. No point to win an argument, but terminate a relationship. One of the good examples I can think of someone who really got along exceptionally well with people of differing values is Jesus. He is the son of God, holy man who founded one of the largest religions of all times. Prostitutes, thieves, tax collectors and other criminals called him a “friend of sinners.” These people were strongly attracted to Jesus and liked him despite he didn’t share their values. Why? This is because Jesus had shown them genuine interest in their well being. If you want people to like you then follow His footsteps.

4. Be a good listener

In any conversation, it is not a tough job to be genuinely interested in what the other person is saying.  You can not be thinking about what you are going to say next. So many times the sales people may totally miss that point. Like so many of us they don’t even let their prospect finish what they are saying before they are on to something else. It proves a point that they were not even listening to what the other person was saying in the first place.

The beauty of being a good listener is that you will never have to worry about running out of things to talk about. This is because if you will be able to raise questions to keep the conversation rolling.

Below are some clues to get you asking questions on the issue on:-

a. Family – Where they came from? Do they have kids? Are they married? Etc.

b. Occupation – What is their profession ? Then ask questions about that type of industry they are in and etc.

c. Hobbies – What are their interests?

5. Talk about subjects that are interesting to others

If you want other people to like you, let them do the talking. Generally people are more interested in themselves than any other subject. Therefore it makes more sense that they want to talk about their stuff, not your stuff. At times, it may sound and feel painful. Ask them questions that lead to another story of their own. Be interested in what they are interested in and they will think highly of you.

This principle even works when you are interviewing for a job. You may just keep asking the interviewers, questions about the company, the position, even about the interviewer personally. The common mistake people make is to tell how much they knew and how skilled they were to impress people. But the truth is they are far more impressed by how much interest you have in what is important to them.

6. Be Generous in Praising 

This one is a magic. You must able to pick something you can appreciate about the person you are talking with and let them know it.

Do they have nice things to praise for? hair? Eyes? Clothes? Jewelry? Car? A cool techno-gadget? Make it a point to tell them, follow by questions that get them talking about it. It could lead to other doors open to you. Try it out and let us know the results.

7. Being hygienic

No doubt having good hygiene alone won’t really make you popular, NOT having it is highly likely to be disastrous to your social life. Horrible body odour and bad breath to a certain extent repels people. Therefore, it is crucial to  keep your body clean and odourless by bathing and mouth rinsing daily.

8.    Being successful

Success is the magnet of attraction. People generally like the successful man. That why you find strangers will even come forward to shake the hands of the successful people and ask for their autographs. This way of making people like you is remote but powerful. Therefore, you need to press on to reach that level. Once you are there, the rest is history.

Wishing you success and look forward to hearing from you,

James Oh

Natural Charms of Selangor - the place I am living in

Dear readers,

I am more than happy to share with you the charm of the place I am living in - Natural Charms of Selangor and hope you too enjoy reading it.

It is the most prosperous and industrialised state which lies not far from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Its newly launched Selangor Shines campaign for 2010, is blessed with many natural attractions.

One of its most well known natural wonders is the fireflies that glow in the mangrove swamps and remind you of lighted Christmas trees. The best viewing time for the fireflies is in the evening at Kampung Kuantan, Kuala Selangor.

The entrance to Kampung Kuantan Fireflies Park

The picture of a typical firefly 

The chalets are built on stilts and are directly above water. The Firefly Park Resort.

Each house separates by 2 units of wooden walls.

It is no wonder that some people claim that the name of Selangor comes from the Malay word, "selanga", which means a large fly and draws its reference to the abundance of the flies that live in the marshes along the Selangor River in the northwest of the state.

Others say its name is derived from the term, "selang ur", which means land of the straits since "ur" in Tamil means "land" while "selang" in Malay means "straits".

The Melawati Hill in Kuala Selangor offers not just a panoramic view of Selangor's coastline but also used to provide a vantage point to monitor ships in the Straits of Malacca. Remains of the Malawati Fort, which was built to protect the state from intruders, include cannons and its original foundation stories.

 Melawati Fort at Melawati Hill

The fortress was renamed Fortress Alstingburg after its governor general Alting when it was captured by the Dutch. The Chinese nicknamed it "Mai Lau San", which means monkey hill as the place is swarmed by silver leaf monkeys and long-tailed macaques.

A lighthouse, several old colonial houses built during the British era, a poisoned well and the Royal Mausoleum are some of other tourist attractions found here. Sited at its foothill is the Kuala Selangor Nature Park, a great bird watching site.

The coastal town of Kuala Selangor used to be the State's royal capital before it was moved to Klang, Kuala Lumpur and later to Shah Alam, which is renowned for its Blue Mosque. As one of Southeast Asia's largest mosques that can hold 24,000 worshippers, the Blue Mosque, with its four minarets with a height of 142.3 m, is also one of the world's tallest mosques.

Blue Mosque

Another must visit sight in Selangor is the limestone hill of Batu Caves with its scared cave temples. Taking its name from Sungai Batu or Batu River that flows by, this popular Hindu shrine is dedicated to Lord Murugan. You need to climb 272 steps in order to reach it. This attraction is also the focal point of the Thaipusam festival in Malaysia, which attracts over 1.5million pilgrims yearly.

                                                           Batu Caves

Hope you enjoy reading it.

James Oh

How to stop Coughing

Dear readers,


For those who have tried out the following prescription. please come forward to give us your experience.

Cough Remedy from a Friend

"How to stop coughing"

Prescription 1 : Grilled Oranges

Follow these steps:

1. First poke a hole on an Orange for the purpose of allowing heat to enter the flesh and enabling the flesh to be easily extracted after roasting.
 

2. Put it inside an ordinary small oven. Roast for 10 minutes, to allow the fruity flavour to come out.
3. Grill until the orange until the skin is a little bit charred! Take the orange out., you can feel it's warm. The flesh inside is just fine in temperature. 

4. The grilled orange can be easily peeled. Staining it with some salt would make it sweeter and better for healing coughing! Compared to medicine, I believe that every child will like it better. Try grill an orange forthwith, any kind of orange can be baked like this! 
 
Prescription 2: Vicks Vapor Rub 

 How to stop cough in 5 minutes!!!

This is a must try....
We have all been kept awake by our own or someone else's cough. Try this and pass it on...
The tip and not the cough. ANYTHING is! Better than antibiotics... Even babies could benefit from this and no worries to the parents.  It is harmless and free from any side effects.

READ IT ALL. It works 100 percent although scientists at the Canada Research Council (who discovered it) weren't sure why ... !!


Treatment:To stop night time coughing 

 Rub Vicks Vapor Rub generally at the bottom of the feet at bedtime and then cover the feet with socks.

Heavy, deep coughing will stop in about five minutes and this works 100 percent of the time, and it is very effective.
In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting, you will sleep soundly.
It is more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime.  In addition, it creates soothing and
calming effect on sick children.

My wife tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked 100 percent!

She said it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her. The coughing stopped within
few minutes! Please believe me.


Try it on yourself and you will be absolutely amazed.




Thanks for your time and effort. I am look forward to hearing from you soon,


James Oh

HOW TO WIN PEOPLE TO YOUR WAY OF THINKING PART II

Dear readers,

In part II, we shall discuss further on the above topic. Below are additional points I like to share with you and at the same time look forward to your kind feedback, if there is any.

1. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.

We must realize that human beings much prefer to feel that they are acting on their own accord or acting on their own ideas than being told. As such, to obtain their fullest cooperation, you must let them feel that this idea is his and not yours. Naturally you will not have to worry about its consequence and he will then be more committed to carry out the task for his credits. Therefore, the best way to convert him to an idea is to plant it in his mind casually so as to get him thinking about it on his own account. What is more importance here is to get the result rather than credit. 

   2.     Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.

Remember always that no matter how wrong, even totally, but he may not think so. People can justify their unjustifiable act. As such, never condemn them because any fool can also do that. Try to understand them and look from their perspectives. Note that only wise, tolerant, exceptional people even try to do that.

Once you show them that you consider their ideas and feelings as important as your own, there is a tendency that the listener will open his mind to your ideas. 

3. Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.

Most people as high as three-fourths of the people you will ever meet are hungry and thirsting for sympathy. Be more generous and give it to them and they will love you. 

To take up and live up to the greatest challenges, you must succeed in turning anyone's hostility into friendliness.  By then, you will be rest assured that you will have the double satisfaction for controlling your temper and returning kindness for an insult. It is not easy, but don't give in and keep on trying

4.  Appeal to the nobler motives.

We must realize the fact that all people you meet have a high regard for themselves and like to be fine and unselfish in their own estimation. Therefore, in order to change anyone effectively, the noble motives needed to be appealed to. 

5. Dramatize your ideas.

Dramatising your ideas may be very effective and appealing. This is not something new in practice. In today's information world, the media is using this tool to attract huge amount of interesting reading stuff. You see the difference now, people are willing to listen to your ideas.

6. Throw down a challenge.

This may work especially when nothing else works. This  in a way to stimulate competition, so as to get things done. This is true especially in the situation where people desire to excel. The desire for feeling important. This will drive and motivate him to do a good job. This has very encouraging effects because it can sustain the people's progress.

Now, I like to throw the ball to you and invite you to give some of your views/thoughts as to what truly sustain your progress.

Stay tuned for another interesting and inspiring article. Together, we work toward sustaining our growth.

Thanks for your time and effort.  

I look forward to hearing from you again, 

James Oh

HOW TO WIN PEOPLE TO YOUR WAY OF THINKING Part 1

Dear loving readers,

What is the point of winning a battle, but not the war.. Similarly, to win people to your way of thinking, people must able to see its Real benefits before they are willing to change. Below please find some useful tips you may use to guide yourself so as to reap its real benefits:-

1.       TO OBTAIN THE BEST OF AN ARGUMENT, AVOID IT

Do you know that nine out of ten times, an argument ends with each contestant more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right despite any evidence proving otherwise. It is always better to give your path to a dog than be bitten by him in arguing for the right. Even killing a dog would not cure the bite.

As such, to reap real benefits in an argument, it is best to avoid it. However, you do not have to give in or give up your way of thinking, but live in the way you think is right. Let the result convince others when they subsequently realize it.

2.       SHOW RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S VIEWS. NEVER SAY, “YOU'RE WRONG"

We always believe that there are more than one path to success. Similarly, there may be more than one right answer in any given situation. You think you are right, that does not mean that your opponent's view is wrong. The difference is that they are looking from different perspectives that give rise to two different right answers. That goes well with these two contradictory statements; Seeing is believing and Seeing is deceiving; both are contradicting but true when applied to any given situation.

Therefore, it is wise not to say they are wrong because it will have struck a direct blow at their intelligence, judgment, pride and self-respect. As such, their tendencies to strike back is always much higher than to change their minds even you have good intention to do so. This has been well proven by Galileo, who have once said that you cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within himself.

3.     ADMIT IT QUICKLY AND EMPHATICALLY IF YOU ARE WRONG

To do so, always remember that any fool can try to defend his mistake and most fools do, but it give rise to a feeling of nobility to admit one's mistake.  It is equally true that by fighting you will never get enough, but by yielding you get more than you expected. No one is perfect and makes no mistake.

4.      BEGIN IN A FRIENDLY WAY

The use of gentleness and friendliness is well proven by the statement; "a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall' advocated by Abraham Lincoln. It goes well that gentleness and friendliness are always stronger than fury and force.

5.     GET THE OTHER PERSON SAYING “YES, YES” IMMEDIATELY.

This is exactly illustrated in the Chinese proverb, with the age-old wisdom of the Orient: "He who treads softly goes far." It is always wise to begin the talk by discussing the things on which you agree and not on which you differ. Once you turn the situation to be more conducive, you can then be more effective in dealing with things on which you disagree. Just try out and see the result yourself.

6.  LET THE OTHER PERSON DO A GREAT OF THE TALKING.

Here, it is more effective to stimulate them to talk. So, just listen patiently and with open mind. Do not interrupt even if you disagree with them. It is dangerous and they won't pay attention to you while they still have a lot of ideas of their own crying for expression. Be sincere about them and work with them. Encourage them to tell you their ideas fully. He must be heard.

  

Hope the above tips will assist you to win your way of thinking to get more things done.

Please do not forget to share some of your experience or views should you have any.

Thank you and look forward to hearing from you,

James Oh

Learn from This great man

Dear readers,

Hope you too learn something from the great man below as I do. He is one of my childhood heroes.

 

---

Thanks for your time and look forward to hearing from you,

James OH

HOW TO DEVELOP POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Dear loving readers,

To achieve success, you need to master your attitude. It is fundamental to your success. You are what you think. So, your mindset is very closely related to your attitude. Your mindset will determine the type of attitude you desire. No doubts having the right attitude does not guarantee you success, but it can empower you to do so otherwise you would not do it.

Append below please find the roadmap to develop positive attitude.

1. Take responsibility

No doubts, circumstances or personal upbringing may have significant impact on an individual's attitude, if left unchecked. However, we must be aware that attitude does not come from outside ourselves. It comes from within. So, if you are affected by the external factors, it means that you gave implied consent to them, that caused  you to be out of control. At the end, you still have to take personal responsibility for it.  By now, you should be able to see clearly that this is the very first step to take in order to develop positive attitude. You need to make a committed decision to take responsibility and shape your attitude.

2. Assess your present situation

Before you take a step towards building your positive attitude, you need to have a quick review of your present situation. To evaluate and ascertain where you begin with, is an appropriate step so that you can constantly review and monitor your progress. To be effective, you have to assess your attitude objectively. This task may be difficult, especially if you are not aware who you are; where you are heading to; and what is your goal. By doing so, you are able to ascertain your progress with certainty. Through this, you know your required real change and make rectification/modification if this is not what you want.

3. Fan your desire to change

Without real change, there is no improvement. Ironically most people want improvement and at the same time continues to resist change. Change is unavoidable. To take a ride on the changes, you need to be constantly adaptable to changes and move forward. Do not hold on to grudges as they will hold back the changes, which you would otherwise feel much easier to adapt to. Bear in mind that life is in a flux and impermanent. So, you need to think in this manner and maintain this sort of desire to move freely along this wave of change. The crucial question we need to ask ourselves is that "Are we trying to go along the wave or acting against the wave."

4. Change your thoughts

Remember that our action begin from our thought. To develop positive attitude, you need to constantly feed your mind and heart with the right stuff so that you have the right perspective. By convincing and convicting your mind and heart, you are able to develop your positive attitude. I believe that through the positive attitude, one can only reach his own individual potential to the maximum.

5. Make it a habit

Once you have committed to develop such a positive attitude, you need to shift your thinking to think in that manner and act consistently to your thoughts. By doing repeatedly, you are able to affirm and reaffirm your belief. Ultimately you will naturally behave in this manner till it becomes part of you. Both thinking and habit are well connected because your action will be greatly influenced by the way you think. I believe that your belief system will navigate your decision; thinking and action. All these are well integrated and inter dependent on each other. Bear in mind that repetition is the key to mastery. Repeated action will make it be part of you as it will become your behavior. 

6. Manage your attitude daily

Making a decision does not guarantee you success, you need to manage your decision daily so that it does not divert from your ultimate goals. In fact, managing your decision is much more important than decision making. Decision is one off transaction, whereas managing the decision is a daily affair. You need to feed your mind with the appropriate stuff, which can strengthen your mind set and faith. At the same time, you need to constantly and persistently review to ensure that it is in accordance to your goal. You may need to rectify your action should there be any diversion.

Thanks for your precious time and wish you  success.

James Oh

SOME USEFUL TIPS TO LOWER YOUR PHONE BILL

Happy day to everyone,

High Bill - worry not

I hope you are in high spirits as you read this article and hope it fulfill your needs.

Hand phone is widely regard as a convenient communication tool for most of us, if not all of us. It is easily subject to misuse especially when calling someone you like to chat for long hours. As such, its bill may drive some of us crazy, if left unchecked. I hope this article will help shed some light on how to lower your phone bill. At the same time,  you will be made aware of other cheaper means of communication options that are available.

1. One of the encouraging ways  to lower your phone bill is  to use the internet to communicate instead of using phone. If both caller and receiver have access to the internet, then use the internet to communicate. You may make use of Skype, Msn messenger and Yahoo messenger. Using VOIP (voice over internet protocol) options to make online calls will  save your money.

2. Nowadays, most offices and services providers have toll-free numbers. Using toll-free numbers is another good tip to lower your phone bills. Make it a habit to call toll-free numbers.

3. Prepaid plans are  good alternatives as you have full control on your phone usage especially for those who have a tendency to overuse phone services. Once your minutes are up, you need to wait till the end of the month to top-up. By doing so, you have a fixed limit of monthly phone bill.

4. Another way is not only to set a maximum number of phone calls per day for yourself, but also the maximum duration of each call. List down what you want to say in advance and speak straight to the point. Make it a habit so as to be more effective and efficient. To lower your bill further, make use of non peak hours such as late evening to make such calls if possible.

5. Do the same for short message sending (sms). Alternatively, use email if you do not have to respond to a call or text message immediately. By doing so, you are rest assured to lower your phone bills.

6. Do not subscribe to unnecessary entertainment packages which you can transfer to your own MP3 and video files from internet. Hence you can save for not using the phone’s entertainment package.

7. Scrutinise your monthly bill and phone the customer service if you think there is a discrepancy in your phone bill. There have been numerous occasions where phone companies made mistakes in their bills. Take this extra effort to check your phone bills carefully.

8. Sign up for auto-payment of your post-paid phone bills so as to avoid unnecessary charges.

9. You may use fixed line to make free local calls, if available, especially those who are internet subscribers instead of using hand phone. This not only helps you to lower your phone bill, but also reduce your exposure to the radioactive effect of hand phones.

10. Subscribe to service provider packages such as family pack with free calls amongst family members. Check with service providers before you sign up for the most suitable pack for your loved ones.

Now, I want to throw the ball to your court because I believe you may know other cheaper means, which I am not aware of.  Appreciate if you could put forward via comments for the benefits of all the readers. Thank you for your kind participation.

I am look forward to hearing from you,

James Oh

TO-DO LISTS THE KEY TO EFFICIENCY

Hi! everyone,

I am so glad to seeing you all again and I believe that you not only enjoy reading the articles, but are also receiving its value and benefits.

In today's information age world, we have a very hectic lifestyle. The chances that we are caught in the following situations are very high:-

1. We frequently feel overwhelmed by the amount of work we have to do; or

2. We have mountain of deadlines to meet; or

3. We just forget to do something important, so that people have to chase us to get work done.

All of the above are consequences for not maintaining a proper "To-Do List". To-Do Lists are prioritized lists which comprise of all the tasks that need to be done. They list everything that you need to perform, with the indication of priority and dateline.

From my personal experience, there are at least five valuable benefits, as listed below, which I like to share with you:- 

1. Stay in control

This is, by far, the greatest benefit. Our lists will give us a feeling of staying in control of our lives. This is vitally important especially when we don't have a clear, daily list of action steps to help us maintain our activity and stay focused. However, when we keep To-Do lists, we are never at a loss for finding something to do that is important. Even when we work off lists due to unexpected tasks, our minds are always attentive to the things we need to do next. Hence, no time is wasted.

2. Eliminates procrastination

I have to honestly admit that I seldom procrastinate. In fact, I have the habit of doing thing early and focus on completing things ahead of schedule. Those who have worked with me, know that I seldom slip through the cracks or get lost because I am always backed up by To-Do list.

3. Frequent reassessing of priorities

Since it gives us a bird's eye view of all the uncompleted tasks, it constantly helps us to reassess our priorities and at the same time frequently force us to confront items on our list that have made slower progress than expected. By constantly reviewing To-Do list it will not only enhance your productivity, but your deadlines would probably be met.

4. It relieves mental attention

Our lists function similarly as an external quick-access hard drives for storing items that are not currently needed for the immediate tasks at hand. Therefore, by making lists, we relieve our mental attention and eliminates worry. As such, we are less likely to wonder what is going on because we consciously work through everything going on in our lives through the process of updating our lists. This give you peace of mind because we are freed from the burden of having to remember details. 

5. Allow timely reassigning of tasks

By regularly updating the progress, problem areas and bottlenecks will surface much faster and easier. This will prompt you to reassign tasks if necessary or alternatively bring more help to a problematic area. Prevention is always better than cure. So, To-Do lists can assist you to achieve that goal.

6. It will help you to achieve gratification.

You will obtain much gratification by ticking things off as you accomplish them. Thus the immense feeling of satisfaction is always there when you look back at the list and seeing every task with a line through it. You will definitely feel much more gratified at the end of day. This will fan your desire to achieve more with less. Try it out, you will then know what I mean.

For those who have done so, congratulation to you and I believe you will continue to do so because the benefits are overwhelming. For those who have not , I challenge you to try it out and let us know your feedback. You may find it time consuming but I can assure you that each benefit is significant enough to justify your time spent. This may be painful exercise initially, but later you will enjoy working with it because of its overwhelming benefits.

I hope the above solution will ease your life and give you some light to drive you towards greater achievement in life.

Thanks for your time and look forward to hearing from you.

 James Oh