Adobe Reader Activator

Yesterday, out of curiosity (as usual "p) I went to NLB - ebook to try to borrow a digital book. Well took "some time" to remember my login. Took "some more time" to check it out. Had to read the FAQ again and again because hey, I didn't want to pay for borrowing books. And these days, it is really hard to say that everything in the lib is free. Times have changed!

Anyway I make 100% sure that I will not pay for trying to borrow a digital book. Oh and the cool thing is if the item expired, I do not need to pay fines. Good news, as I have a hard time remembering my date dued books. Encounter too many last min returning of books.

Then is time to download my digital book. Chose the pdf version and guess what, need to activate my Adobe. Tried many times and it didn't work. Thought maybe need to upgrade to adobe 7. Upgraded. Still did not manage to get to the site to activate. In the end I called it a day.

Today, I tried again. This time I managed to access the activate adobe website. Went through 2 logins. Finally when it comes to activate the adobe, again it failed. Wasted more time trying to google for something to solve my problem. Tried to clear my ebook folder. Tried to reinstall adobe (oh but halfway I din proceed as it stated that the v7.0 has problem but mine is v7.0.5)

Then I gave up, watch abit of tv. Came back and voila, this time it activates.. phew!

Now I am downloading my digital book. Haha guess what is the title. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll..

Shall see what happens to the book when it expired =D

Off to dinner...

Uninstall Software Without Using Add Remove Programs

Found this article from Saravana's Blog which I believed will be pretty useful as I am not allowed access to the Add Remove Programs (limited administrator access).

Thus I decided to copy what it has been blogged, to remind myself how to overrule my sys administrator ... shhhh... Oh btw, my limited administrator access allows me to install, but doesn't allow me to uninstall from the Add Remove Programs (any other underhand methods will be allowed), pretty DUH right "p

There are two ways to uninstall the software without using add remove programs.

1. Using Installer Folder

• Go to Installer folder. (Windows Start --> Run --> Installer or directly c:\windows\installer). This is the folder where are all installer presents.
• This folder doesnt give any information about the installer. Include comments and Author column in this folder.. (right click column header and choose required columns)
• Comments column will give information regarding that installer..
• Right click the installer and choose uninstall...

2. Using Registry Key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion
or
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

• Go to registry and open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion key
• Under this section, all the installed software information will be there..
• For.NET Framework 2.0, go to that section under which installstring or installpath key will be there..
• It will point to the folder where installer for that software is there.. You can uninstall using that

Building Positive Relationships

Remember I had attended 2 courses last week. The morning one was all about cheese…

the afternoon one, all about Killer WHALES…

The course is Building Positive Relationship.

Based on the book

Whale Done!

The Power of Positive Relationships By Ken Blanchard, Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins, and Jim Ballard

I have to admit such book is really more suitable for managers or leaders because it is more on how to build positive relationships with the people around you (especially your subordinates) so that there will be a positive environment, and all will be committed to do their utmost, thus bringing the department’s efficiency to its ultimate.

However this does not prevent me from penning down the pointers as such methods can be applied on inter-personal relationships. Do you know that the people we take most for granted are the people that we cared the most? These people are the ones that we will GOTcha most, instead of giving them WHALE Dones.

GOTcha

Catching people doing things wrong

WHALE DONE!

Catching people doing things right

First let me talk about

The ABC’s of Performance

Activator - Whatever Gets Performance Going
Behaviour - The Performance That Occurs
Consequence - Your Response to the Performance

Have you ever wondered, when you were learning to walk, how did your parents teach you? Was it through encouragement? Did they rejoice at your every step? Every effort you made, did they applaud and appreciated it. However when we grow older, do we still receive such praises and encouragements whenever we do something right? Sometimes we still do, most of the times it seems to have greatly decreased in amount. This is because when we grow older, we are expected to do well. Thus it seems that doing well has been taken for granted. Thus we will face the first 2 consequences more often than the last 2. Ironically, the last 2 consequences are the 2 that will actually make a person go further. Minus all the animosity, plus all the praises that people (no matter how humble) will love equals all the will to excel.

4 Kinds of Consequences

1. No Response
2. Negative Response
3. Redirection
4. Positive Response

So how do we build positive relationship?
First we

Build trust.

It means being sincere to the person, making an effort to know the person. It means you have to first trust that person, for that person to trust you back.
WHALE DONE only works when you’re sincere and honest.

Besides talking to the person, you must also listen to the person. Hear what he/she says.
Never assume you know what motivates a person.

Then we must

Accentuate the positive.

This means concentrating on the positive, and gives them the WHALE Dones when they did something pleasing to you. Most importantly, you must
Praise progress. It’s a moving target.
Imagine if the end results can only be seen 1 year from now, praising intermittently will help re-affirm the person that he/she is doing correctly.

What if the person commits folly? By ignoring is not enough.

When mistakes occur, redirect the energy.

This means trying to find the solution and not pin point the blame. This means retracing back the steps so that the person can be guided to the right path soon. This means using

The Redirection Response

• Describe the error or problem as soon as possible, clearly and without blame.
  
• Show its negative impact.
  
• If appropriate, take the blame for not making the task clear.
  
• Go over the task in detail and make sure it is clearly understood.
  
• Express your continuing trust and confidence in the person.
  

After redirecting the person back to the right path, you will then be able to accentuate the positive and give them the

The WHALE DONE Response

• Praise people immediately.
  
• Share your positive feelings about what they did.
  
• Encourage them to keep up the good work.

The effect is not immediate. In fact it is going to be very tough to keep it going. There are times you might even catch yourself back in that GOTcha state. Then you must remember that people, who are too hard on others, are super critical himself/herself. Sometimes you must relaxed, hug yourself, praise your progress. Afterall…
It never hurts to toot your own horn once in a while.

To conclude, I am going to

Wake up and say something positive when everything is going well!

p/s : As you might have guessed, all those in bold or italicise, are the pointers I got from the book. There is one last pointer which I am unable to put inside, it is about company and the way they review people. If I ever have the courage, I wish to tell my company to abolish the performance curve, to use the WHALE Done method to improve work efficiency, to start praising US and not berating us when we make a mistake, and ignoring us when all is well… If I ever have the courage, I will say to them…
If you don’t hire people on a performance review curve, why grade them on one?

Manage Change

Sometimes we may act like

Sniff

Who sniffs out change early, or

Scurry

Who scurries into action, or

Hem

Who denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse, or

Haw
Who learns to adapt in time when he sees changing leads to something better!

Quoted from “Who Moved My Cheese?”

A book by Spencer Johnson, M.D
Foreword by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D

A book that I read 4 years ago,
At that time I found it very meaningful.
I told myself that I must change,
I must get out of my comfort zone,
I must not fear change.

4 years had passed,
I had changed.
Sometimes because I needed to change,
Sometimes because I wanted to change,
Sometimes I saw the changes,
Sometimes I did not realise I changed,
Sometimes I change for the better,
Sometimes I change for the worst.

But one thing remains,
I still tend to fear change,
And I sometimes catch myself enjoying my comfort zone,
Like NOW!

That is till 10th November 2005.
I was scheduled to attend company’s training courses.
The morning class was on Managing Change.
And the materials and discussions are mainly from this story.
And this book came into my life,
A Second time.

It felt as if Change is giving me a Second Chance,
To re-evaluate myself again.
And this time I decided
That I should write down the sayings,
So that I can refer to it as and when I like.
Thus the list begins…

1. Having Cheese Makes You Happy.


2. The More Important Your Cheese Is To You The More You Want To Hold On To It.


3. If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct.


4. What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?


5. Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old.


6. Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese.


7. When You Move Beyond Your Fear, You Feel Free!


8. Imagining Myself Enjoying New Cheese Even Before I Find It Leads Me To It.


9. The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheeses.


10. It Is Safer To Search In The Maze, Than Remain In A Cheeseless Situation.


11. Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese.


12. When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New Cheese, You Change Course.


13. Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To The Bigger Changes That Are To Come.

Change Happens

They Keep Moving The Cheese

Anticipate Change

Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

Monitor Change

Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old

Adapt To Change Quickly

The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

Change

Move With The Cheese

Enjoy Change!

Savour The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again & Again

They Keep Moving The Cheese

Blogger for Word

Cool, so long never login blogger. The moment I logged in, I saw a new technology… called Blogger for Word. The next thing you can see me typing this blog in a Microsoft Word. Imagine Microsoft Word. Would they have one to work with Open Office too? Fingers crossed. If so, I can die of happiness… =D

Now there is no need for me to type my blog in Word, then copy and paste into the blogger’s site. Most importantly, it shows how much blogging is going to integrate in our life. There are people willing to create tools to make blogging easier and easier.

Now for the finishing touches : to make ‘blog’ a dictionary word in Word =D

Dedicated to my special fren. Thanks for calling! I don't find that you are lost, as I'm also out of practice (my fone rarely rings for me nowadays)... coz I'm living a zombie life lately. So your call has given me surprises. Just that it is too short haha (hint hint to call me again "p) 

Blond Joke

I had started by day pretty badly, or so I thought. Ever wake up early in the morning and found one of your lens torn (didn't realise till I tried to wear it and it hurts my eye.. see how slow my brain function in the morning). Then went to get a new lens, only to find there is no lens in that container! Amazing right, my first time encounter too. Still have to go back to the optician and see if they can right this wrong/missing lens??? Argh I don't even know how to bring up the case...

It is believed that if you started your day wrong, it will continue with more wrongs. So i had more 'bad' encounters with inconsiderate people on the escalator etc. Then I heard a blond joke. Actually I considered it a story. Told by Class 95. (Always glad to hear the morning show, it always managed to cheer me up no matter how blues I am.)

The story gist goes like this. There was a blond who had a car accident with a truck driver. The truck driver got so mad, he asked the blond to get out of her car, drew a circle and asked her to step inside the circle. Then he told her that no matter what, she is not allowed to leave the circle.

After that, he proceed to whack the car boot. He turn around and see the blond laughing in the circle area. He then smashed her windscreen. She laughed more. He totally wreck her car, she laughed even more hysterically.

The truck driver got so fed up, he came over to the blond and asked her what is she laughing about. She replied : "While you were not looking, I had stepped out of the circle thrice."

After hearing the story, most people will think, another blond jokes that depict the blond as stupid. But the reason why this story uplifted my mood, is because she reminded me even more that there are many focus in life.

To the blond in the story, what matters to her is not the car wreckage, but the part that she had disobeyed the guy and he still did not realise it. It sounded like a child playing prank on somebody, and getting the glee out of it.

To me, it reminded me that whatever happens this morning does not matter. It will not and should not make my day worst.

KoKoRo BLOG!

GOSH! Kokoro has a blog!!!

ok I haven't been updating myself with kokoro news, partly because that period of time I was unable to view the Summer Rhapsody page. Unsure why also..

anyway this blog looks cool. it mentioned my favt show : 戀雨 too =D Asking us for comments on a different ending.

Actually, if really change the ending, 戀雨 might not be as touching as it seems already. Because the ending is what 戀雨 so sad, yet so touching. I know I don't want such an ending, but in life, alot of things cannot be controlled. If am faced with such ending in real life, cannot accept also must accept.

If we all had a choice, then life would be too smooth for us, and we would all be too weak for any setbacks.

Anyway, talk is cheap. I know deep down, I also wish got an easier path in life, because at times, the going gets tough. What you don't expect to get, be it colleague's treatment, bosses' treatment, might just all fall into your lap. Cannot swallow also must swallow. Cannot accept also must accept. If want to defy, also must find valid reason before you defy. Everything you say 'God is Unfair', is just too unfair to God too...

Oops sidetracked, anyway blogging this URL down so that next time can find it again..

Gonna watch the flash files now...

Afterthoughts of Commencement 2005

A year ago, I was worried that I cannot find a permanent job.
A year ago, everything seems blur and yet hopeful.
A year ago, I was just enjoying my own commencement ...

Today, I am congratulating my friends' graduation.
Today, I am holding a permanent job.
Today, I am asking around how's the job market ...

And the job market seems even better than before.
And the job offers sounds even more lucrative.
And I wonder about the job I am holding ...

Then I was thinking how time flies.
Then I was wondering how much I have accomplished.
Then I was finding what are my life goals ...

I came to conclude that I should find my path soon.
I came to decide that whatever decisions I made will affect my future.
I came to realise that I am lost ...

If only work does not sap my energy.
If only I am more clear-headed.
If only my guardian angel can light a candle for me ...

All is not lost though.
All over the world, I am not the only lost sheep.
All around me, I can still feel life's fervour ...

THE SECRET GARDEN ACT I
IT'S A MAZE


BEN
Plant a hedge, cut it back
Dig a hole, try to fill it
Plant a rose, tie it back
Find a mole, try to kill it

It's a maze, this garden, it's a maze of ways
Any man can spend his day
It's a maze, this garden, it's a maze of paths
But a soul can find the way

For an old man knows, how a year it goes
How the cold hard ground in the spring comes 'round
How the seeds take hold and the ferns unfold
How an English garden grows

MARY
Skip, skipped the ladies to the master's gate
Sip, sipped the ladies while the master ate
Tip, toed the chambermaids and stole their pearls
Snip, snipped the gardener and cut off their curls

DICKON
Come along, love, come fly away, fly along
Come along, fly away home
Come along, love, you've come a long way
You've flown all the day, come fly away home

BEN
Miss a step, trip and fall
Miss the path, meet the wall
Miss the way, miss a turn
Gettin' lost's how you learn

It's a maze, this garden, it's a maze of paths
Meant to lead a man astray
Take a left, and then, turning left again's
How the soul can find the way

For an old man knows, how a year it goes
How the cold hard ground in the spring comes 'round
How in time it shows how a garden grows
How an English garden grows
How the roses climb
How sublime the time
When an English garden grows

The long bus journey

Recently I was taking a long bus journey from the east to the west, and was appreciating the scenery the bus takes me too. In this almost 2 hours trip, I actually felt peace with myself. Something I haven't felt for a long time. I become more aware of my surrounding. And I was brought back to my past... where I used to encounter such feelings too...

When I was studying pursuing for my Degree, I used to travel long MRT trips to attend classes. Those days, if classes started at 8am sharp, I would be trying to catch the 6.30am train.

And when lessons end at 6pm, to avoid the rush hour, I would rather stay in school till 9pm and take the pretty empty home bound train.

I never fancy the morning trains. They were bustling with activity, packed and crowded. To me it seems like a blur of events, with goggy pandas lacked of sleep trying to survie in this rat race. All the rushing, the pushings to get on the train to cut down many one-tenth seconds, and not so that they could reach their destination early, but to maintain their pace and get on time. Makes me wonder what is the use of rushing. (Of course don't rush means late. But with so many people late with you, are you really late or is it just ur Kiasuism antics at work?)

On the other hand, I miss the night trains terribly. During that time, it seems very peaceful. The scenery is pitch black and felt as if the surrounding have finally quietened down and be back its calm state. And my heart calmed and slowed down with it too. Suddenly I am able to listen to what my heart wants to tell me, able to observe the miracle of mother nature, able to appreciate life as it is. There are times where I might be so tired I just knocked off, but those were also the times that I have pleasant and peaceful sleep, not those fitful types which I might take while on the morning trains.

In future, if my head is ever muddled up, I think I should once again take a long journey to somewhere, and enjoy the peace that the journey gives me. Somehow I remember reading that in life, it is not the destination but the journey that matters.

In love aspects, where you go doesn't really matter. What matters is your lover was accompanying you to it. If you had gone to the most heavenly place alone, you still will not enjoy it.

In education, there is never a definite destination to end. You learn as you live. Every day, you gain abit of knowledge. You travel further in this education lifelong journey.

And in life, it doesn't matter what will I end up becoming so long I had cherish and enjoy every aspects of my life journey that I had been going through. May it be sweet or bitter, as long as it is my journey, I should appreciate whatever comes to me.