Enriching Your Life with Knowledge

Just completed "Ngiam Tong Dow: A Mandarin and the Making of Public Policy" and "Goh Keng Swee: A Portrait". I personally won't recommend the book on Mr Goh Keng Swee...apart from the book being written in a monotonous historical style, many reviews have commented the incompleteness of the autobiography.
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Now halfway through "The 4Rs of ASIAN Shopping Centre Management". Gonna go on to "Innovation Japanese Style: A Cultural and Historical Perspective". Last week I went past Bras Basah and bought 2 second-hand books on the spot..."Management Consulting: A Guide to The Profession" and "Business Consultancy". Though they cost quite a bit, but I walked out of the shop feeling very satiisfied and happy...it's like you've found the keys to some locked treasures...Wohooo!
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I'm really looking forward to be enriched by these books, so that I can share the pragmatic wisdom with the people around me. My love for knowledge really originated from Mingyan, my girlfriend. It was during her NUS time when I saw how she loves the study of American films & media history and many other subjects that I was influenced to FINALLY start reading. (It was really personally challenging at that point when I was in army). More importantly, I saw how her love for knowledge has made her to become such a perceptive (the most suitable word I've come across so far to describe her) and wise person. I'm eternally grateful to her.
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Would like to encourage you to take up reading. Bring a book with you everywhere you go - after a while, you will develop a "relationship" with it..haa. You don't have to start with a 100-pg novel. Read something that will add fire to your passion. Mine is in the areas of entrepreneurship, consultancy and personal excellence, so I read about Richard Branson's autobiography "Losing My Virginity" on how he started Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic, and how he deals with challenges etc.
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Your life is the result of your choices. You set your own standards.
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The Story Behind

This year's V'day is finally over. Didn't sleep on 13th and drove the entire 14th. It was great experience. That's the joy of owning your own business I guess - it brings the best out of your - your every extra ounce of energy and leadership.

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This biz originated from Mingyan and myself. She had a primary school friend who is the son of a flower importer. I was in army then. Sensing the opportunity with the readily potential customers in my camp, Mingyan got me to order some roses together from her friend, and we began collecting order from friends around. We stayed up all night to wrap bouquets - with minimal skill. We were inexperience, BUT we were willing to learn and to try. The following years were the building up years where I outsourced the production to a florist in order to ensure quality bouquets. And the branding - that's when Petals & Co. was formed, by Nasrul (my former Uni mate), Hweeting (who later opted out of the biz) and myself.

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This is the 5th year I'm doing this. In fact, I was contemplating if I should continue with this or not. This year's planning began with some interesting collaboration, only to turn out to be some unfulfilled words and blank talk by suppliers. I learnt a great deal. Didn't want to continue the biz this year actually, but I thought I should at least use this to be a blessing and teach some ppl interested to get a taste of biz, than to just gave up the entire operation without impacting anyone.

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Gotten Tenghui (my sec classmate and collegemate) and Jane (his gf) involved. A very interesting couple - Tenghui met Jane on the street when he was doing roadshow as a just-started-out insurance agent. He got her contact, and quitted his insurance job thereafter.

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This v'day is meaningful - I helped an army buddy with a proposal bouquet - delivered to JAAN restaurant up at the high tower of Swissotel Stamford Hotel. Our delivery and operation went so smoothly, without late/wrong delivery. I credited that to the prayers I made. Thank God.
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I know this is good training ground. Many times I wished for my friends who have similar aspiration to join me on the road, but only to remember that everyone has their own priorities.

To those aspiring to start your own business, be far-sighted and not despise small beginning. You can make a difference if you will to do so.

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Your life is a result of your choices; You set your own standards.

Part of the Harvest

Suggest to them that they should take some all-families photos...and that came to past...