Sun Tzu Art of War or so

Today at meeting, we were treated to another piece of famous chinese history! Sun Tzu's Art of War is not only used in ancient warfare but is a great manual for business and commerical strategy! I don think Sun Tzu had any inkings that his works were used by future generations and in such wide application! This post is not going to discuss Sun Tzu as u can always read more about it from books and wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War). So why is this old theory of victory being mentioned during the Unit's meeting? I don know but I guess the basis is the boss has an MBA and she needs to read this because she needs to undertstand how her boss is thinking. It is an acument thing and there is a need to apply this to our enviroment to understand it better!

After the paragraph above, I left this post in the draft post as I got sleepy. Now I m back again! Well there is still another occasion later that Sun Tzu is being brought in again! Anyway, it is good we know what is Sun Tzu all about but to apply it to understanding the big boss is not exactly the best application. I think if I m the boss, I don want my subordinates to use Sun Tzu against or understand me. Sun Tzu is better used in bringing businesses to the company or getting better business strategies! For me, the best strategy will be the 36 strategies of War where the last strategy says to leave while one still can! This is definitely aptly for the situation in the office.

Perhaps the boss should go and read books like "How to trust your staff?", "How to boost the Morale in the Office", "What are the things your staff do not want to hear?", " How to be tactful?", "What is considered as infringing of personal rights?", "How not to sound like a nag yet getting the message through?" and most importantly "Listen to your staff, they cannot be that wrong!". Note these books are of course non-existent but do consider writing one if you have any idea!

"Nonviolence" does not merely mean to refrain from violence. Violence erupts when one person blames another for a problem or conflict. Conversely, nonviolence is a way of life in which one resolves, “Let me be the one to change first.” If this spirit were to be embraced, how much more at peace would our families and society itself be."

- Words of wisdom by Daisaku ikeda

the second blog of the year...

This year started with a bang? Well, since is my second blog of the year, I don think it has been a bang so far! Got my first migraine/headache of the year last sunday! My nose has been sniffing and blocked for the past 4 days and don seems to be recovering! I have also twisted my ankle last Tuesday while crossing the road. OK it din happen because I was looking at some handsome guys. It would have been better if it had happened because I was eyeing some guys but too bad it just happened while i was walking innocently across the road!

The FD musical training is underway now and we are into the last second week of trainings and rehearsals. There are still quite a lot of things that need to be ironed out! Since I m supposed to do singing, I feel the singers are not getting the feel of the music! Next week will be the week to get it all done!

Just completed a 3 days workshop at the Navy. I did learn quite a lot of things from the workshop and in between i also did a presentation on IAQ to the participant. This is my first external presentation! I won say I did a good job but there is really room for improvement! It is a learning experience in so many areas and contrary to what I tot before the workshop, the people there are exactly very nice! Hopefully there is other chance that I can do the same thing again!

To end this, let's quote from Ikeda Sensei again from "Words of Wisdom"

"Of course, people want to live long. But in the end, what matters more is what we have been able to leave behind -- the value we have created in our lives, the number of people we have made happy and how much we have been able to grow and expand as a person. "

Today my fellow buddhists were telling me how those reactions that I got from the boss could be just a reflection of the causes in my life. It is precisely because of these causes that I got the effect. The effect could be elements that I should change in my life. Changing the causes thus transforming them into postive influence in my life. Probably this is precisely what it means to do human revolution.

My heartiest thanks to 2007 before embracing 2008.

2007 just passed! It is a good idea now to review what I have done throughout the year. There are so many things so I will just go by the month.

January
NDP audition – The venue will be at the Marina Bay, the temporary platform that is being built especially for NDP while they rebuilt the National Stadium. I heard this platform will be used for 5 years. It is probably the largest floating platform in Asia and a project by Sembcorp.

We shifted meeting location from Telok Blangah to Redhill. It is a new start for my meeting district. Other than that, I cannot really remember.

I passed my driving test on the third attempt.

My sister got married this year and I have the whole room to myself.

The Future Division and Student Division also launched their very own monthly magazine called “Wings”.

February
Chinese New Year fell on this month. This Chinese New Year, I stayed at home and rot and read all the comics that I had no time to read. Till the end of the year, I still had many more to read!

March
YWD 3.16 meeting fell on the month and the first NDP rehearsal started. I remembered my name was not found on the list. After some hassle, they told me I was on reserve list but they din inform me to tell me that. I was pissed because they did call me up earlier to tell me which group I was in. Anyway, I got a temporary pass to go into Kranji camp for the first practice. Then history was made and I remained in the item until the actual performance. My item is called the “River of Dreams” and my grouping is B1.

On this month, we also held our first Future Division Meeting for the year.

April
After almost 4 months or preparation, we had our Delta Zone Friendship meeting at SYC. Our souvenir this is year is a mini standing calendar from April to April 2008. It took us many months to complete the all the souvenirs by all the youth in Telok Blangah chapter.
Overall, it was a successful meeting.

May
2 months into NDP practices and we are still practicing hard for it!

My Law exam starts at the end of the month.

This month is also the changeover for the MOs in my Unit. We have 2 new MOs (not very new cos only 1 is new but the other one has been with us before) for BST training.

June
Law examinations continue and I took leave until 12 June (inclusive) to study. NDP rehearsal had started at Marina Bay by this month.

July
On the 7 of the month, SSA celebrated its 40th anniversary. The celebration was at Indoor Stadium but those of us in NDP had to go for NDP rehearsal instead as it was a performance vetted by the NDP committee. We got through of course.

Attended a piano recital where students were taught music with special methods that aids in the development of their brain.

August
NDP ends on National Day as we put our best performances for the year. 5 months of practices and perspiration culminated in the first ever performance at Marina Bay.

September
Nothing special really or I really cannot remember what’s going on this month

October
The first Nationwide Youth Meeting held on this month.

Future Division’s annual retreat which is a time for IC to refresh their spirit and to plan for the coming year programs.

The first reading club started this month with the book “Lord of the Ring” at SYC and we even put up a blog for comments on this and any book.

This is also the month when I went with my friends to Taiwan. On this, there are photo installments in the previous posts.

November
This month I was officially transferred over to the English district in my chapter. This is the first English district that I will be handling ever since I become a district leader.

Signed up membership with Fitness First and started my gym session at One Raffles Quay.

Reading club this month is on the book “Tuesday with Morrie”.

The MOs at work stayed in the Unit for another posting, after which they will go on for their Master program at NUS.

December
The first 2 days of the month was spent in Johore Bahru as the Future Division participated in an exchanged program with our counterpart in JB. It was truly a great experience as we learnt from each other and shared with one and another on the finer aspects of being a disciple of Ikeda Sensei.

Gotten my first PDA which was sold to me at a low price by my consultant.

Attended this year Daisaku Ikeda Annual Lecture on the topic “Buddhism, Singapore and Interfaith Dialogue”. The speaker is HE K Kesavapany, Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

I joined in the preparation for the FD musical in January to assist in training the student to sing the songs for the musical.

The Future Divisions also did a community project in conjunction with Marina Bay Development, Esplanade and URA. We had to be at various places in town to ask people to sign their wishes on the balloons.

On work, I m helping my consultant with a workshop in January.

Reading club this month is on the book “Totto-Chan”.

Summary
After I have listed the things out, it seems there are not many things that I have done. Hmm.. probably the best thing to do is to re-read all those posts I have done to have an idea of what’s I have really been up to tis year! What I have is in essence what I have in my calendar both written and electronically!

I had given tuition throughout the whole year except during the school holidays. I had attempted to pack my rooms a couple of times. I had been to Kinokuniya countless times. I had also started on my million daimoku of which I m proud to say I have exceeded the half a million marks. In 2008, I intent to complete my million daimoku and to start on another million.

On the office stuff, guess many things happened and I should have written them here and here with my complaining. Come to think of it, I have to write a “What I have done in the office in 2007” for my appraisal this 2008.

I guess I have tried to like someone but that someone din show any sign. Thus, I have decided to move on. It seems really sad though and I think time will help to heal the openings.

After this review, it will be time to set my resolutions for 2008.

In 2008, I will have to be a better ICs for my Students and to look after members in my district.

“One thing is certain: That is that the power of belief, the power of thought, will move reality in the direction of what we believe and conceive of it. If you really believe you can do something, you can. That is a fact.”

- Words of Wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda