How Do You See Yourself?

This morning I created a South Park version of myself being angry.

If you want to learn more about yourself, you can try to create a cartoon version of yourself. It may help you to understand how you see and perceive yourself.

Try this exercise:

1. Create a cartoon version of yourself. It will show how you see yourself.
2. Let a family member create one for you. It will show how your family member perceives you.
3. Let a friend or collegue create one for you. You'll see how your friends and collegues see you.
4. Compare those images and see whether they are the same or different. If those pictures are the same or similar, then you have an accurate perception of yourself. If they are different, then it may be time for you to know yourself more.
   

For creating a South Park version of yourself, click here

Learn and Grow!

Decisions

"You know, Garfield. Sometimes I feel like a failure.
Maybe I could have made better decisions in my life."

Have you ever felt this way?
Do you often wonder whether you could have made better decisions in your life?

When I saw this Garfield cartoon on My Yahoo page last Sunday, I could identify with it. A lot of events in the last two years made me question my decisions. Have I made the right choices? Given the circumstances, could I have made better decisions?

When we weigh our choices and make a decision, we obviously take a risk. We do not know what is really going to happen. We cannot ascertain what the result is going to be. Can we know for certain that our decision would be a good one? No! It is only after we make our decisions that we know whether things would turn out the way we want them to be.

In a hindsight, it is easier to see whether we have made the right decisions. Yet we often doubt whether things could have been better if we chose the alternative. If we choose to dwell on these thoughts, we will never be happy nor fulfilled.

A friend, PCHI once told me: "If you make a decision, be ready to accept the consequences whatever they may be. Do not look back. If you know that you have made a wrong decision, learn from it and make a better decision in the future."

I think we should learn and listen to PCHI's wise advise.

(PCHI, if you happen to read this blog...thank you!)

Learn and Grow!

Inge Santoso

A Happy Little Girl and Growing Up

I was looking through my old photo album and I found this picture. The first thought was: What a happy little girl I used to be!

When I think back over my childhood...I used to be this little princess living in a fairy land, so happy and there was nothing to worry about. Sometimes I wish I still can sing Toys 'R' Us song - I don't want a grow up...I'm a Toys 'R' Us kid...HAHAHA

I suppose we must strive to grow up and not just growing old everyday. Nature helps us to grow old easily every second of our lives, while growing up can be a long, difficult and painful process.

My personal experiences in the last two years have forced me to grow up quite a bit. Frankly, it has not been a pleasing experience. I've felt hurt, disappointment, anger, and confusion. I could say that the last two years have been the most turbulent times in my whole life. Often I just want to cry and I did cry quite a lot lately.

Anyway, life beckons me to grow up and learn as much as I can from all these experiences. This I will do...Learn and Grow!

Advertisement Banner "1/2 Price 50%"

Yesterday I saw a banner "1/2 PRICE 50%". I wonder what it means.

Is the price reduced by 50%? Is the price halved? (Both mean the same thing!)
or
Is the price halved, then reduced again by 50%? The price is 1/4 of the original price?

Anyway, the advertisement banner caught my attention and perhaps a lot of other people's too.
It has achieved its purpose to draw attention and make people curious.

I notice that Sampoerna A Mild also use this method of advertisement. Since the ads are often confusing, they make people think about the intended meaning. People talk about it...discuss it among friends and family...ponder about it. People remember A Mild!

Lessons:
1. If you want to advertise something, the first step is to get noticed.
2. Dare to be bold and different.

Learn and Grow!

Silence is Golden

No Sound
No Word

Taxi in Bali

During my trip from Jimbaran to Grand Mirage Hotel in Bali, I learnt a lot about taxi in Bali from a taxi driver. He mostly spoke about the difference between Bali Taxi and Kowinu Taxi.

• Bali Taxi : You must use Argo meter
• Kowinu Taxi : You can choose whether you want to use Argo meter or negotiate a cheaper rate with the driver

• Bali Taxi : The waiting rate is Rp. 32.000,- per hour
• Kowinu Taxi : The waiting rate is Rp. 20.000,- per hour

• Bali Taxi : Owned by a corporation
• Kowinu Taxi : Owned by Nusa Dua Village Community
  

Although Bali Taxi has a stronger brand name, Kowinu Taxi is gaining ground due to its flexibility and cheaper rates.

Now come to the most interesting part of the conversation. The taxi driver told us about illegal taxis and how they manipulated Argo meter. During the day, the Argo meter is connected to the honk. Therefore, whenever they sound the horn, the Argo meter moves faster without the passenger noticing. During night time, the Argo meter is connected to head lamp. So whenever they use the head light, the Argo meter turns faster. Hmmm...very smart indeed.

In my 20-minute journey, I have learnt a lot just by listening to a taxi driver. It is interesting to see that when we open our mind, we can learn from anyone anywhere anytime.

I also think that the taxi driver is very proactive in promoting Kowinu Taxi. I wish our people can be more proactive like him :)

Lessons:
1. Be aware when using illegal taxi.
2. We can learn from anyone anywhere anytime.
3. Competition is everywhere. If you want to have a competitive edge then you must focus on your frontlines because they are the ones who have the most impact on the customers.

Learn and Grow!