31 October 2006

Black Magic Beta

"Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A is apple, B is banana, C is coconut, what is D? (Answer will be given later.)

Black is not white, but it usually represents bad luck. It is just a color. Why is there relationship between luck and color?

Is it because the pronunciation of black is similar to bad, so everyone associates black with bad? Or because black is the color of the night, and night is related to rest, and rest is somewhat related to death, so black is the symbol of angel of death?

Nobody knows for sure, and who cares? When the majority refers black to bad luck, then the only option for the rest is to follow suit in order not to be isolated. Going with the main stream is the survival of the smartest.

Magic is either about making something out of nothing, or turning everything into nothing. Magic creates surprises by not meeting expectations.

What is black magic?

It is just a name. Everything has to have an identity.

Now close your eyes and image, under a grey sky, with a blue mood, drinking a cup of black coffee...

(D could be anything as long as the answer starts with "D is...")

22 October 2006

Uncertainty

"Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity." R I Fitzhenry

Everyone wants to remove the fear of uncertainty from the future. Regrettably, unknown is part of life. Perhaps x is the most used alphabet to represent the unknown.

Everyone would rather remember positive things than negative, because the good old memories are always happier. Life already has more downs than ups. Positive memories can give hope that tomorrow will be better, and serve as a balance.

Negative will reinforce negative, and push everything to negative further. When the limit is reached, and point of return is impossible, everything becomes irrelevant to everyone, because nobody likes to get involved with negativity. It is therefore important to turn every negative into positive, and stay positive.

Without negativity, the concept of positive does not exist. Everything is relative. Because there is black, there is white. Because there is right, there is wrong. Because there is certainty, there is uncertainty.

Fear uncertainty not, as nothing is certain. Everyone fears death, and death is unavoidable. Nobody can escape from it. It is just another certainty. Certainty plus uncertainty equals everything. If everyone fears everything, nobody is brave enough to do anything, and everything ultimately results in nothing.

Instead of worrying about uncertainty, try to enjoy uncertainty. Forget about prediction. It is just another waste of time. Nothing is predictable. The ability to manage adversity positively is all.

15 October 2006

Bye Beta

"When great love is rejected, something inside a man dies. So all he can do is run away, where he can meet the girl he'll love second most... unless... unless you can get to him before he closes the book on you. But once it's closed, it's closed. It's finished. It's gone, dead. It's crushed. It's beaten. It's buried. It is lost for all of time in a sea..." Cathy in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

Change is the only constant. Nobody has control over anything, and nothing is certain but death, taxes and holidays. When something has changed, it is no longer the same, and impossible to return to square one. Let bygones be bygones, and start everything from scratch pretending that nothing has ever happened? Is that possible, even though impossible is nothing?

History is memory. Unless the person is suffered from permanent loss of memory, every little change has more or less some impact. Not only the bygones will not be forgotten, but the possibility of building the yet-to-come is very limited.

It is difficult to say bye to almost everything, particularly positive deliverables. However, everything goes through the same up and down pattern, just like the product life cycle. Lucky are those who do not have to repeat the pattern frequently. Positive deliverables, if not properly maintained, will eventually turn into negative deliverables.

People just do not let go. They cling on to the positive deliverables till the end, even when they have actually become rotten. They have difficulties realizing that what they once have is not the same.

Bye.

08 October 2006

BMW

"Seeing the BMW may make you feel unhappy, but, psychological studies show, obtaining the BMW would not make you happy! Envy and dissatisfaction come from lacking what others possess, but coming into possession of those things does not confer happiness." Gregg Easterbrook

BMW stands for "big mouth woman", a person who can't keep any secret. But why women? Men don't gossip? Men are good at keeping secrets? If not, then why not BMM, but BMW? Is this term created by some male chauvinist pigs, who like to discriminate against women?

There are many other funny words, such as STOP meaning "Same Time Old Place", VSOP for "Very Stupid Old Potato", and MBA "Married But Available".

Except for STOP, BMW and VSOP are negative. MBA is ethically incorrect.

What is wrong with potato? Why is potato old and stupid? Because of its shape and surface? It is not a sin to look ugly, but it is a sin to judge. Nobody is qualified to judge others. Moreover, there is no relationship between ugly and intelligence. Why potato, but not tomato?

MBA is a status. However, having an MBA doesn't necessarily provide the shortcut to rich and famous. Originally an MBA is a must-have to those who want to climb up the corporate ladder, but now who wants an MBA if it means an animal engaging actively in sexual activities? It may still be a nice-to-have for those who can afford the time and money.

#@*$%#!@

Chill out... nothing personal.

People use these terms only to help people relate and therefore remember.

When BMW is used, everyone can relate it to "the ultimate driving machine". But BMM? Nobody can associate BMM to anything. Instead of requiring people to memorize one more irrelevant thing, one has to make irrelevant relevant, especially when everyone has limited RAM, or Random Assess Memory. Association helps make irrelevant relevant.

Nickname is also about association. As long as the nickname contains no personal detriment and has special meaning, it breaks the ice faster, and fosters positive touchpoint experience.