Now, this is interesting. According to a study, a drink or two everyday may reduce chances of a heart attack.
The study of 11,000 men supports other research that shows small-to-moderate amounts of alcohol can lower the risk of heart disease, by increasing the levels of high density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol, and by making blood less likely to clot.
More..The Star
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Gtafinder for Toronto Renovations
If you are a resident of Toronto and if you require some home renovation done or even get quotes or estimates of the renovation, you may want to check out Gtafinder.ca as this is the place to go to for Toronto Renovations.
Gtafinder is a new service for residents of Toronto who need Home Improvements but do not have the time to go over the directory. The process is simple in which you fill out a short form indicating the work you would like done, and then sit back and relax while you wait for contractors to contact you with quotes. Gtafinder.ca helps homeowners get quotes. They have contacts with variouus contractors such as renovators, roofers, painters, heating/air-conditioning experts among others.
You can now get painting, flooring, renovation, roofing estimates without having to spend any time on the phone leaving you with time for other tasks. How convenient is that!
Gtafinder is a new service for residents of Toronto who need Home Improvements but do not have the time to go over the directory. The process is simple in which you fill out a short form indicating the work you would like done, and then sit back and relax while you wait for contractors to contact you with quotes. Gtafinder.ca helps homeowners get quotes. They have contacts with variouus contractors such as renovators, roofers, painters, heating/air-conditioning experts among others.
You can now get painting, flooring, renovation, roofing estimates without having to spend any time on the phone leaving you with time for other tasks. How convenient is that!
Internet access - cut back
Going online tomorrow in the office should be challenging as many people will be back to work after an extended weekend. I'm sure the Internet will be congested and response time will be frustratingly slow as the cables damaged during the two earthquakes in southern Taiwan will need another two weeks or so before they are fixed.
The Star reported that Corporate Internet users have been advised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to exercise discipline when using the Internet in view of the limited bandwidth available. Also, non-vital communications should be limited or not allowed at all. Users might also want to consider cutting back on using Skype and other Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) applications. The use of chat and instant messaging applications should also be disallowed or restricted at the office.
We can all do our part to lessen the congestion by adhering to the above wherever possible. And of course, a little patience goes a long way.
The Star reported that Corporate Internet users have been advised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to exercise discipline when using the Internet in view of the limited bandwidth available. Also, non-vital communications should be limited or not allowed at all. Users might also want to consider cutting back on using Skype and other Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) applications. The use of chat and instant messaging applications should also be disallowed or restricted at the office.
We can all do our part to lessen the congestion by adhering to the above wherever possible. And of course, a little patience goes a long way.
Why we should go home on time
This is very inspirational and wise. Are you one who stays back in the office even after everyone has gone home? You might find something here that may change your work style for the better.
Mr. Narayana Murthy is undoubtedly one of the most famous persons from Karnataka. He is known not just for building the biggest IT Empire in India but also for his simplicity. Almost every important dignitary visits InfoSys campus. He delivered an interesting speech during an employee session with another IT company in India. He is incidentally, one of the top 50 influential people of Asiaaccording to an Asiaweek publication and also the new IT Advisor to the Thailand Prime Minister.
Extract of Mr. Narayana Murthy's Speech during MentorSession:
I know people who work 12 hours a day, six days a week, or more. Some people do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are only temporary. Other people I know have put in these hours for years. I do not know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they are in the office this long. Others put in long office hours because they are addicted to the workplace.
Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the organization. There are things managers can do to change this for everyone's benefit. Being in the office long hours, over long periods of time, makes way for potential errors.
My colleagues who are in the office long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others. I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes made after 5 PM on Monday.
Another problem is that people who are in the office long hours are not pleasant company. They often complain about other people (who are not working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behaviour poses problems, where work goes much better when people work together instead of avoiding one another.
As Managers, there are things we can do to help people leave the office. First and foremost is to set the example and go homeourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long hours. His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding group e-mails with a time-stamp of 2 AM, Sunday.
Second is to encourage people to put some balance in their lives. For instance, here is a guideline I find helpful:
1) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.
2) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.
3) Go home.
4) Read the books/comics, watch a funny movie, dig in the dirt, play with your kids, etc.
5) Eat well and sleep well.
This is called recreating. Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2. Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts. They are hard for some of us because that requires 'personal change'. They are possible since we all have the power to choose to do them.
In considering the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my oldest son. When he was a toddler, if people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep no matter how long the visit was, and no matter what time of day it was. He would fight off sleep until the visitors left. It was as if he was afraid that he would miss some thing. Once our visitors' left, he would go to sleep. By this time, however, he was over tired and would scream through half the night with nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of missing out.
Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they do not want to miss anything when they leave the office. The trouble with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life! Things happen 24 hours a day. Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you are asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake.
Hence,
"LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE COMPANY STOPS LOVING YOU" - Narayana Murthy
Mr. Narayana Murthy is undoubtedly one of the most famous persons from Karnataka. He is known not just for building the biggest IT Empire in India but also for his simplicity. Almost every important dignitary visits InfoSys campus. He delivered an interesting speech during an employee session with another IT company in India. He is incidentally, one of the top 50 influential people of Asiaaccording to an Asiaweek publication and also the new IT Advisor to the Thailand Prime Minister.
Extract of Mr. Narayana Murthy's Speech during MentorSession:
I know people who work 12 hours a day, six days a week, or more. Some people do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are only temporary. Other people I know have put in these hours for years. I do not know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they are in the office this long. Others put in long office hours because they are addicted to the workplace.
Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the organization. There are things managers can do to change this for everyone's benefit. Being in the office long hours, over long periods of time, makes way for potential errors.
My colleagues who are in the office long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others. I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes made after 5 PM on Monday.
Another problem is that people who are in the office long hours are not pleasant company. They often complain about other people (who are not working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behaviour poses problems, where work goes much better when people work together instead of avoiding one another.
As Managers, there are things we can do to help people leave the office. First and foremost is to set the example and go homeourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long hours. His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding group e-mails with a time-stamp of 2 AM, Sunday.
Second is to encourage people to put some balance in their lives. For instance, here is a guideline I find helpful:
1) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.
2) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.
3) Go home.
4) Read the books/comics, watch a funny movie, dig in the dirt, play with your kids, etc.
5) Eat well and sleep well.
This is called recreating. Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2. Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts. They are hard for some of us because that requires 'personal change'. They are possible since we all have the power to choose to do them.
In considering the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my oldest son. When he was a toddler, if people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep no matter how long the visit was, and no matter what time of day it was. He would fight off sleep until the visitors left. It was as if he was afraid that he would miss some thing. Once our visitors' left, he would go to sleep. By this time, however, he was over tired and would scream through half the night with nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of missing out.
Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they do not want to miss anything when they leave the office. The trouble with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life! Things happen 24 hours a day. Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you are asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake.
Hence,
"LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE COMPANY STOPS LOVING YOU" - Narayana Murthy
Monday, January 1, 2007
Boise, Idaho
November and December are worrisome months for people in the east coasts of Terengganu and Kelantan. These two months are the monsoon months and the heavy downpour would normally result in floods. This year however, the weather has unpredictably changed and heavy rainfall was experienced in the south in Johor causing much loss and inconvenience to the people. Many people are still housed in relief centers waiting for the flood waters to subside so that they can head back home.
The weather here in KL has also turned for the worse. It was sunny the past week but today, the rains came. The authorities are gearing up for floods which would occur in low-lying areas in the city this time of the year.
Even East Malaysia is getting the brunt of the bad weather as there was a second case of drowning in Sabah in two days as stormy weather continued to hit the state.
If it's not floods then it's the haze or the tsunami. Is there no place safe in Malaysia anymore? Perhaps we should move to Boise in Idaho. I know, it's a long way from here but you never know, I'm guessing life could be better off there with no upheavals or worries caused by extreme weather conditions. I read that people are moving to Boise because of the quality of life there.
For more information on Boise and real estate in Boise, you may want to visit the Boise real estate Blog. This list of houses for sale may be of help too.
The weather here in KL has also turned for the worse. It was sunny the past week but today, the rains came. The authorities are gearing up for floods which would occur in low-lying areas in the city this time of the year.
Even East Malaysia is getting the brunt of the bad weather as there was a second case of drowning in Sabah in two days as stormy weather continued to hit the state.
If it's not floods then it's the haze or the tsunami. Is there no place safe in Malaysia anymore? Perhaps we should move to Boise in Idaho. I know, it's a long way from here but you never know, I'm guessing life could be better off there with no upheavals or worries caused by extreme weather conditions. I read that people are moving to Boise because of the quality of life there.
For more information on Boise and real estate in Boise, you may want to visit the Boise real estate Blog. This list of houses for sale may be of help too.
Global network of Top Low-cost Airlines
Great news for travellers! Three of the world’s main low-cost airline personalities are teaming up to start a long-haul budget airline company based in Malaysia that will offer airfares as low as RM100 for flights between China and Malaysia.
Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin group, Sir Stelios Haji-loannou of EasyGroup, the parent of EasyJet, and Datuk Tony Fernandes of AirAsia are in discussions to form an alliance to realise a deal that will see the formation of the world’s first low-cost global network.
More..The Star
Employee Reviews
Employee appraisals or reviews are important and useful, for both parties, the employer and the employee. It gives both the opportunity to come to an understanding where expectations and performance are concerned. Unfortunately, my company does not conduct such reviews often enough. Perhaps we need to upgrade our review forms with this simple-to-use Employee Review Software. This ManagerAssistant 3.0 is the leading workforce management tool for enhancing productivity of managers worldwide and it is easy to install too.
A Happy New Year 2007 to You!
My dear friends,
Wishing you and your loved ones Happy New Year 2007, Good Health, Peace and Happiness all year round and May all your dreams, hopes and wishes come true for you in the new year.
This picture is from The Star taken last night at the KLCC with the Petronas Twin Towers on the right and the KL Tower in the center.
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