Category Archives: past life list

08/23/08

Transition from Exams to Holidays

The exams are over. One was bad, while the rest were okay. I’d like to forget them for now.

Here are a gist of my holiday plans/goals:

  • Domain Name Investing
  • Train for Aikido Grading
  • Train for NAPFA (or IPPT)
  • Enhance my reflexes
  • Plan out the costumes for each person for October 31
  • Others…

Anyway, I seem to have mood swings lately. It might be the exams but I doubt it. Sometimes, you know things you don’t want to know.

Nevermind. The hiatus has been lifted. And I’ll be free to meet up with Harris, Mandy, Ais and Bala. 😀

Logen L.

07/7/08

My Worries On Public Speaking Were Unfounded

Last Thursday, I met up with Mrs Wendy Lai, who had been my form teacher during my upper secondary years back in Beatty. We had the opportunity to meet in Ngee Ann (my current school) because, she was taking her students there for an accountancy-related event.

During the two years in upper secondary, she used to be my mentor when my team participated in a few business competitions. We had sacrficed afternoons and sometimes mornings just for the sake of those competitions. And when our team won third place for both years, it was worth it.

My team not only had gained experience but had bonded with Mrs Lai considerably. Therefore, you can imagine that we were really happy to catch up after my graduation two years ago.

Anyway, as we conversed about how the class was like back in the day, she suddenly asked if I was doing any emceeing in Ngee Ann. When I answered ‘no’, she asked why not.

In trying to answer her, I remembered last semester when I stumbled in my presentation. And it seemed thereafter that I have developed a sort of mental block towards public speaking. This I told her.

Instead of looking exasperated, she reminded me of the business competitions, both of which I had presented really well. When I tried to tell her that my fiasco of a presentation was an indication of how my nerves had affected me, she told me that I had no problem presenting my team’s business plan in front of hundreds of people for two years. And it reminded me about how coolly I answered the judges’ questions, criticisms and praises.

I won’t analyse what went wrong on that day when I stumbled. But to think that a presentation in front of 40 people affected my nerves was laughable indeed. I can only resolve to prove to myself that I can do what I did two years ago.

Sometimes, it takes someone to remind you of what you once were capable of. Thanks Mrs Lai.

Logen L.

05/29/08

Earning Cash from Domain Name Investment

Despite the impending common tests, I’m only going at three-quarter pace for revision. The remaining quarter is stuck at my domain name investments.

I’ve managed to sell a few domains at more than twice the cost price on Ebay and I guess that has spurred me on. Right now, I’m looking for ways to get easy income from my portfolio of more than twenty domain names. And it seems I’ve found a way.

At least I’m achieving another of my goals of the life list. But the revenue generated per month is still short of my ideal amount. Please do not ask how much I’m earning because honestly I don’t know.

Firstly, the income stream is too unstable to warrant proper accounting. I’m just focusing on the inflows and outflows of cash (cash-basis, not accrual-basis). Secondly, I’m a Ebay-addict. The moment I see money coming in, I immediately do some shopping on Ebay. Thirdly, perhaps the most honest reason of the three reason, I’m just damn lazy to do calculation (especially when I have to retrieve invoices, receipts from my email, Paypal and Ebay).

Now, on the topic of common test. To my readers, the common test is a relatively important set of exams, which consist of around 20% of the final score.

Modules to be tested:

  • Cost Accounting
  • Auditing 1
  • Intermediate Financial Accounting
  • Financial Management

Thus far, I’m slowly covering two modules to be tested within the next five days, of which I’m confident in. The other two that will be tested in the middle of next week, give me the jitters. Both are memory-intensive.

Oh well, no point talking without acting. All the best to me and those who face the common test. May the will of the dragon be with you.

Logen L. (Sandaime Dragonkage, Head of the Dragon Clan, Member of the Legendary Elder Yonnin)

05/22/08

To Conquer My Fear of Cockroaches

I’m still afraid of cockroaches. But so long as they stay away from my house and keep a distance of two metres away from me when I’m out, I don’t mind their existence. As for the flying ones, I prefer to extend the distance to one kilometre.

Why am I talking about this all of a sudden? I had previously mentioned using NLP to overcome phobias. I wanted to rid myself of this fear by the age of eighteen. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to (considering that I have less than three days).

I have let loose on my reins of time and haven’t been reading up on the NLP books I gathered. In oher words, I still lack the fundamentals to work NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) to that level. You will have to wait longer to see the results.

Logen L.

04/17/08

Beat Procrastination By Focusing On Your Goals

By now, you would have been aware of my knack for procrastination. I have complained about it throughout my blogging life and yet, I have done nearly nothing about it.

Recently, I read a section of the NLP book and was goaded into thinking about it. This section talked about outcomes, the outcome of a goal. It implied that we should refer to our goals as outcomes, because the whole point in setting a goal is to attain the outcome. In referring to goals as outcomes, we are reminded that the focus of the goal is the outcome.

Furthermore, it predisposes that people always have an outcome, in whatever they do. This desire could be conscious or unconscious. For example, you could be arguing with a friend. This indicates your desire for him to agree with your view. At this stage, you could try and serve your outcome by controlling any anger. Yet, if the argument escalated into verbal abuse, you would not have served your desired outcome.

Naturally effective and efficient people constantly think in outcomes. They instinctively question themselves if what they are doing are congruent with what they want. It does make sense, doesn’t it. To unconsciously check with yourself if whatever is happening is falling into your outcome(goal). And to take steps to correct the situation if your goal isn’t reached.

Now, how does this relate to my procrastination behaviour? I have a tendency to get distracted. Half the time, this is how I procrastinate. I’d come across a funny video online and neglect my tasks at hand, because I believe time is on my side. By the time I awake from the spell,  three hours would have passed.

However, if I possess the ability to think in outcomes, wouldn’t it reduce the procrastination. After all, procrastination for me is more of a distraction and bad sense-of-timing tactic.

At the initial stage, it requires conscious effort on my part to be aware of my purpose, goals and outcomes. Once it becomes habitual and second-nature, it’d be easier.

For the past five days, I have been battling procrastination by using this technique. It is damn tough. The first few days, I allowed myself to be distracted for six hours before accomplishing two-third’s of my outcomes for the day. Today is the same, but slightly better. Well, good habits don’t come easy…

Logen L.

04/9/08

Overcoming Fears and Phobia

Some days ago, I mentioned about testing NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques and get back to you if it works. I haven’t tested it yet, if you are wondering.

I need to have sufficient understanding on the NLP techniques first. Once I’m prepared, my first test would involve overcoming my fear of cockroaches. After a recent scare from Harris, when he tried to kick a cockroach at me, I decided not to live with being controlled by this fear.

The reason why I haven’t called my fear a phobia is because I can watch Oggy and The Cockroaches without feeling squeamish. That’s a cartoon by the way. Oh well.

Here’s a more realistic picture of my fear…

My last cockroach house-invasion four years ago, left me running around the house screaming. I was on the phone with a friend, and I’m sure he must have gone deaf when I spotted the huge flying cockroach. My parents were out, so I retreated into my room. I psyched myself into running out to grab the Baygon once the coast was clear. It was difficult as I kept imagining the flying bitch waiting to attack once I opened the door. I did defeat the cockroach eventually but the whole house was oily with Baygon residue after the battle.

So, hopefully before my 18th birthday, through applying NLP techniques, I would have eliminated my fear of roaches. Friends, if you want to help me, don’t scare me with them.

Watch this space. And watch a demonstration of NLP below (used to help Ellen quit smoking). To make this clear, this isn’t hypnosis.

Logen L.