Interesting article

What this blogger says is very true to our society.

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/24642



1. 2nd article - Is Narrowness Killing Innovation?

We have tonnes of ‘job-ready’ students here. Luckily vonnie isnt going to be one.



2. 3rd article - Growing Up In a Cotton Wool World

We dont have original playgrounds. Issues describe here is exactly what has happened to Spore too. I always feels that our youths here cannot undergo any hardship. This article states what i have in mind perfectly well. We are living in false security.



More articles.



http://www.fastcompany.com/blogs/recent?filter0=&filter1=&filter2[0]=5&op2=OR



Just love such sites..it says about many updated ideas and things going around us.



Last few days read the chinese newspaper and one of its reporter dont even know there is an earthquake in Sichuan until her sister emailed her from the States asking her to contact their brother who is working in Sichuan.. She said she is happily living in her "Own World".



During school days and early working years, i also lived in my own world until someone struck me when i was doing part-time job. That time i was 22. This ang mor customer asked about some World music (i was working in a music store) and i knew nothing. The world music section is just next to my Asian music dept. That evening no staff for that section was working, so i had no choice but to serve that customer. All the titles and artists he wants are non that ive heard off.



In the end, he served me instead. He introduced me so many artistes and genres at the rack. It was so embarrasing. We became friends. Coincidently, he was heading to Tokyo 5 days later and im going there 3 days later. So, we met up at Shinjuku. Prior to that, we went out for lunch one afternoon he asked me a question that i wouldnt forget till this day. He asked "young lady, what do you want to do in life." It was such a simple question yet a so-hard to answer one. I never tot of this question coz i was happily in my own world. After hearing his life story (he was mid-forties btw), it really broaden my views about the world. It was then that i came out of my own world. His name is AJ and his last job was the Director of Investment for Sony usa's Venture Captalist group. He is a qualified industrial lawyer. Now he do freelance teaching for Universities in China on the topic of Patent rights and is writing some books on Innovations ( i think). He has successfully published a book in Japan about Jewish (He is a Jewish) with the help of his Japanese wife who does the translation. This man is amazing and told him i looked upon him as my mentor. We can talk about anything under the sun. He likes Japanese bands too, like Tokyo Ska Paradise, Sheena Ringo, YMO etc.





Listening to his life story is like watching a movie about his life. It has so many different interesting phrases. Will summerise it.



1. After completing his college, he dunno what he wants to do in life. So, he went to a book store and be a sales clerk.



2. The store owner's grandmother asked him one day "Young man, what do you want to do in life? I dont think you want to spend your whole life in this bookstore. You should go out and explore what you want to do in life". That was his turning point of his life.



3. He went home that day and told his parents that he wants to study Engineering in the Universities. His parents do like this idea coz they want him to be a lawyer. In the end, he signed up for the Law faculty but studied engineering at the same time. He said it was hard work but this way, he can pleased his parents and himself.



4. Upon graduation, the school arranged them for internship. He was very lucky to be assigned for a project that requires him to interview all the head of many law firms along Wall Street. After the intership, he easily got hired in a law firm due to the contacts he got during the intership. Tedious and endless hours of work followed. He worked very hard, earned alot of money but no time to spend or relax.



5. His marriage then fell apart. His Taiwanese wife was pregnant with other man's child. She had a 9 year old daughter from her previous marriage. They divorced and he to pay her alot of money. He quit his job after the divorced. He went to travel around the world for 6mths.



6. South Africa, Brazil and many Asia forests..he really took time off to enjoy and slow down his life.



7. Until he went to Japan, he met a lovely Japanese lady in her 40's. It was love a first sight and on the 3rd day of their meeting, he proposed to her.



8. They settle in the States (California) but he comes to Asia (Japan and China) for his freelance jobs.



He too, dont know what he wants to do after graduating from college. It is a phrase that everyone goes thru, unless you are certain you want to work in some sector after you graduate.

Vonnie, think if you want to do something extraordinary in Japan, it would be food..lolz.. sell Spore curry chicken or ice kachang.. It is because the Japanese are very receptive of trying new things. :)

There was a local curry puff seller (not Old Chang kee) whose son sells curry puff in a ulu place in China. In the end, it was so successful now that they are doing expansion. Dont undermined the power of Curry puff. Old Chang Kee sell until now become a public listed company. I was hoping for such ideas too and the target market is Japan. They are really a cash rich country. After all, all things starts from idea and starts small. There must be something i can contribute or a niche i can find to fill the market. I pray that this idea comes fast.

Btw, every Wed 8pm at Channel U, there is this travel programme about Sporeans abroad. It is a very interesting show. The next epidsope is about a Sporean man in Switzerland (i think) and he does some kind of charity work for the Third World. These are the types of Sporeans that are not afraid to venture overseas. Their stories are very admirable. *Salute*