Oh when the saints go marching in ...

In my quest to enhance my intellectual knowledge and skills, I have had to face some very tough challenges in the midst of juggling work, studies and other personal commitments.

Good quotes by past leaders inspire and cheer me on in this journey - the most difficult by far with emotional highs, lows and nervous anticipation for the things just 'round the corner ...

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt

The Sandpaper of sandpapers

Of course, I absolutely just love my friends, don't I? We have decided that we would be like sandpaper to one another ... you know, like iron sharpens iron, and all ...

I was told that we need such friends from time to time. Fortunately or unfortunately, this one is just a "ping" away ... LOL.

It looks like I just took home the trophy on this one. My loyal friend "pings" me and dedicates these wonderfully written lyrics to me ...

You Are The Sandpaper Of My Life
You’re the sandpaper in my life
That's why I'll always be in pain,
You are the finger in my eye,
Forever I wish I was slain

Although this is the beginning,
In truth it feels like a million years,
And if I thought my grief was ending,
I'd find myself laughing in my own tears

You’re the sandpaper in my life
That's why I'll always be in pain,
You are the finger in my eye,
Forever I wish I was slain

You must have known I needed sanding,
Because you came and scrubbed on cue,
And I know that this feels like heaven,
How could so much grit be inside of you?

You’re the sandpaper in my life
That's why I'll always be in pain,
You are the finger in my eye,
Forever I wish I was slain

[Background]
Pain has joined us,
Grace has joined us,
Let's think refining.

The above lyrics are to be sung to Stevie Wonder's "You are the Sunshine of My Life")



Awwww, thanks J. You're so thoughtful to have spent all this time writing this just to remind me what a sandpaper I am to you ... I don't know whether to be flattered or what.

As always, I am just laughing out loud ... :-D

Mrs. Ruth Sala of Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa

I was tickled when I received an email from a dear friend detailing a sarcastic response to a spam email. Spam mails usually don't get past the "opened and read" stage, and I was amused that my friend actually took time to respond to a suspicious person by the name of Mrs. Ruth Sala.

My accomplished friend, who is usually filled with all manner of grace, social etiquette, and great wisdom that can only come from above, finally succumbed to exhibiting annoyance and used the mighty power of the pen to reply Mrs. Ruth Sala.

Before, we get to my friend's response, it is best to read Mrs Ruth Sala's "solicitous" mail first ....

-----Original Message-----From: Mrs. Ruth [mailto:mrs.ruthsala2@elefant.nu] Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 8:04 AMTo: mrs.ruthsala2@elefant.nuSubject: Saint Raphel's Hospital

Saint Raphel's Hospital
Agboville Abobo.
Abidjan . Cote d'ivoire
West Africa

My dearest One,

After a deep consideration that I am writing this letter to you. I am Mrs. Ruth Sala Mudu a nationality of Cote d'Ivoire and wife of the deceased Mr. Sala Mudu.
My Late husband, who was a contractor with the government of Cote d'Ivoire before he died during the heat of political crisis here in my country.

While he was alive, he made a security deposit of $10,500 million in a Security Insurrance Bank in Cote d'Ivoire for foriegn business engagement.
This moment, the money is still in this Security Insurance Bank here in Cote d'Ivoire . My Doctor told me that it is very likely that I will die of cancer of the blood (LUCKEMIA) in 3 Months.

Because of the war and unstable political situation in my country, I want you to help me transfer this money to your country and to take care of my son Godson and his education.

please reply with my yahoo mail box (mrs.ruthsala0@yahoo.fr)
I await your message for more explanation.
Thank you,
Mrs. Ruth Sala.


And my friend's response ...

My dear fictitious Mrs Ruth,

If indeed you are dying of LUCKEMIA, that is really bad luck, pardon the bad pun!

Sadly the world is full of crooked contractors, and we are not without them in my dear old country of Malaysia either. However, to have purportedly stashed away $10.5 billion in one of Africa ’s most dirt-poor countries takes quite some effort. He must really have screwed the country dry! May the good Lord have mercy on his soul, and I sincerely hope he managed to repent before he passed away to meet his Maker.

As for you, what can I say? Having a billionaire for a husband, who hasn’t left you a dime, and you have to trawl around the internet looking for some poor dumb schmuck to rob, no doubt by depositing ‘fees’ to start a bank account to transfer these fantasy funds to. Have you considered getting an honest day’s work and not prey on gullible but greedy people that use the internet? Maybe by turning over a new leaf the same fate that met with your ‘husband’ won’t be visited upon you.

And good luck with the LUCKEMIA, by the way.

Your dearest One,
Nottodaythankyou


I didn't share in my dear friend's anguish at having received such a ludicrous email first thing in the morning. Rather, I burst out laughing so hard that I cried.

It was a great way to end the day really - after some good exercise from climbing, a healthy dose of laughter, and then to slumber.

I hope you enjoyed the laugther, too!

And here's a parting quote ...

Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody's power, that is not easy.
- Aristotle

Wise Words ...

Seeing much,

suffering much,

and studying much,

are the three pillars of learning.

- Benjamin Disraeli


There are no secrets to success.

It is the result of preparation,

hard work,

and learning from failure.

- Colin Powell


And to wrap up the day ...

Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones;
and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task,

go to sleep in peace.

God is awake.

- Victor Hugo

Go FIGURE!

On to the third week since I returned from the first residential segment of my studies, I find myself sleeping well again and no longer suffering the effects of jet lag eventhough I was only a hop, skip and a throw away in Singapore.

Last week, the 10kg FedEx box arrived at my home. I gulped, realizing the next three courses' reading materials have arrived, and I was still procrastinating on the final post-module assignment for Economics. When I opened up the box, I found two very thick textbooks on Financial Accounting and Statistical Analysis. I swallowed hard. I got to the bottom of the box, and out came a third file, thankfully half the thickness of the first two on Marketing Management ... a sigh of relief ... but oh, the nervous energy is welling up once again.

Within this season of new adventures lies many hurdles I need to overcome. Among them, the fear of figures.

***************************************

Dinner was a pleasant evening with the usual family chats at a quiet coffee shop in our neighborhood. I enjoyed the conversations and laughter with Mom and Dad. Among the topics discussed was my seeming fear of numbers and having to understand them.

Dad jokes.

In a coffee session with his equally successful friends, a Partner of an accounting firm said he enjoyed observing his employees.

They would come to work in the morning
Sit down, take out the figures and undress them
They would look at figures and even stare at them
And eventually go to sleep with the figures.

What an interesting way of making a usually boring profession exciting. I hope I would be able to see Financial Accounting and Statistical Analysis the same way. These courses, of course, exuberate such opposite energies from the dynamic movement, colors, and sounds that I have grown up with at the ballet school, the creative arts education, or the everyday vibrance of a PR/Marketer's life.

Contrary to how accountants view figures, my thoughts are quite the opposite at this point in time as I think about the preparation required for the next session of suffering (oops, I meant "studying"!)

LOS ANGELES, You are not only thousands of miles away
It would take me a whole day and more just to be with you
I am to climb many mountains, endure numerous valleys
Soar the skies, cross the oceans just to be with you.

If that were not enough, it would take all that I've got
All my money, every waking hour, every drop of life
Just to figure out the figures
Before I cross the oceans to be with you, Los Angeles

You did say "I will never leave you or abandon you"
So tell me then, where are you - disguised as the chartered accountant
To help me figure out the figures?
Before I cross the oceans to be with her, Los Angeles.

Pieces of the jigsaw puzzle ...

It's been so long since I posted an entry on my blog, so much so that it's difficult even to write one now. It's as if my mental energies have been diverted to something else that is so powerful that it has difficulty refocusing on the here and now ... or is this human nature's response to the pressures of post-module assignments that beg the much-needed attention.

The full-time learning environment at the National University of Singapore was a breath of fresh air. Having met 44 others from the United States, Denmark, Egypt, Hong Kong, Taiwan, The Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, and Singapore, the wealth of knowledge and a combined hundreds of years of experience makes the learning environment an incredibly rewarding one. This is indeed one of the unique selling propositions of the Executive MBA Program from both the Business Schools of the University of Singapore and the University of California, Los Angeles.

I wrote in my last post ...

While I see and understand, I also sense a burgeoning vision of great expanse that I am humbly aware that I actually don't see clearly and don't understand fully ...

Let me see your vision, dream your dreams
And paint them across the wide canvas of limitless skies
Thy kingdom come. Not my will, but yours be done ...

Pieces of the jigsaw puzzle began to fall into place during my two-week residential segment at the National University of Singapore. I admit there are many, many more pieces that are still making their way to the huge big board but isn't that how God is ... he reveals bits of information at a time and will eventually create a masterpiece of our lives. He doesn't reveal it all at once lest restless souls like mine get bored in the process of fulfilling our destinies.

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Peace for a 1,000-mile journey

Without this, there's not a chance for me to get through this 15-month educational program in a meaningful way. I just knew in my heart that I was where I needed to be at this point in my life. This knowledge gave me the courage and strength to move forward ... No matter how tired I was from all the late nights or early mornings of studying, a certain peace silenced the fears and seeped into the depths of my heart and soul. Along with this, my appreciation for my classmates, lecturers and the topics of study increased with each passing day.

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Handpicked to be blessed

I loved how he brought like-minded people from all over the world to seek, knock, and find him in the midst of academia. In the midst of discussing our presentations, case studies, and concepts, he seemed to be actively working in our lives to reveal and remind us of who he is - our Father, Brother, and Friend who provides and stands by us to comfort and care for us. It did not matter how trivial or major the issues may be in our lives, he cared for them all just the same. And not to mention, the laughter that never fails to keep us alert and engaged in class.

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Gifted to be a blessing

Everyone had a role to play. Each bringing his or her gift to the table. Each complementing the other to provide a more complete picture of what we were to learn from the Marketing, Leadership or Economics classes. I loved how he used newfound friends to reaffirm the gifts he has placed in my life. To be reminded that teaching is the ability to identify with the audiece's needs and communicate ideas in a way that helps them understand, appreciate and apply the concepts in their lives.

Just the other day, as mom and I journeyed to my office at the Twin Towers, she reminded me of my daily habits upon returning from primary school many years ago. I would quickly throw off my uniform and don my Tees and Shorts, dash to the green chalk board and begin scribbling the questions from my classes and textbooks. I would then teach my imaginery students, reading out each question, pausing and waiting for student responses. I would discuss the possible answers, and wave my large ruler in the air ... the thought of me doing this just cracks me up ... LOL!

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Enjoying the journey

And not to mention, the little things that makes the overall new adventure exciting ... the first Spanish wine tasting session ... the first dinner at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant at Riverside ... the first Mojito at the Cuba Libere bar at Clarke Quay ... and many more to come ....