John Grisham The Plumber

Do you know John Grisham? He’s the author who stole many hours of our lives as we immersed ourselves into the worlds he created with his pen. We know of his writings, but do we know how they came about? I chanced upon this article while I was preparing for a program. If your life has taken many interesting ups and downs, you may find this article soothing. Every wrong turn may turn out to be the right one.

Originally published in the New York Times on the 5th of September 2010, written by John Grisham:

The Calligrapher

Every one wants quick results. Yet sometimes when we don’t get the results we want, we grow disheartened and lose heart. Most of us simply pack our bags and look elsewhere. Yet is there another way? Maybe this story will help. Inspired by the book Mastery by George Leonard.

The Desire For What’s New, Shiny and Better Than Yours!

Recently the topic of Materialism, Happiness and who’s got a more expensive bag surfaced again, be it with friends or comments from friends. Louis Vuitton opened its first floating shop in Singapore too. I guess the bad economy didn’t dampen the spirit of More. So a story crept into my mind after lunch.

The New Yorker and The African Tribesman

My lecturer, Dr Ko Soo Meng, shared this story with us last night. He told this story to a man who believes that every one in the world sees only the negative side of him. His client is someone who has exceptionally bad interpersonal relations with almost every one around him. People just seem to always treat him badly. So Dr Ko told him the story:

The Gravity of Inertia and Feeling Lost

Feeling Lost? It’s a pretty common feeling to have in between various phases in life. Some times this intermittent periods lasts only hours; sometimes days; sometimes even years. Its that need to move yet not knowing how to move. Look back into your life, you’ve probably come across this feeling a few times, most of the time when you’re in a dilemma.

What Are You Going to Do With That?

This is a repost of an article from The Chronicle. All credit goes to the author, William Deresiewicz. You can read the original article here. It is lengthy but it is definitely worth the read. Enjoy!

This was based on a talk delivered to a freshman class delivered in Stanford.

The essay below is adapted from a talk delivered to a freshman class at Stanford University in May.

The question my title poses, of course, is the one that is classically aimed at humanities majors. What practical value could there possibly be in studying literature or art or philosophy? So you must be wondering why I’m bothering to raise it here, at Stanford, this renowned citadel of science and technology. What doubt can there be that the world will offer you many opportunities to use your degree?

To Climb A Mountain

Do you see a mountain or an Opportunity?

I heard the quote below today. and it struck a chord deep in me. We find various obstacles in life too hard to cross, too deep to fathom and our fears and insecurities grip us tightly. We stand before the mountains in our hearts, squint at the summits and say, “That’s way too high for me,”

Who Are You? Don’t Let Your Identity Get In Your Way To Happiness

Your Identity Defines Your Destiny

There was a man who spent time in custody of the French Police for many years, all because he stole a lof of bread to feed his starving family. He was sentenced to many years of hard labour and labeled a criminal. He never accepted this label. However, once released, he discovers that he can’t get an honest day’s work. He is scorned and rejected because of his status as an ex-convict. His name is Valjean.

Failure? That’s that pretty lady’s name!

 

Center Yourself or Lose Yourself

 

The day before, I met a familiar friend. She has guided me thus far and today she gave me more lessons on how to do things better. You could have met her before. Her name is Failure.

My book is finally out!

New Release