Friday...

life is so fragile....humans r so vulnerable....
that is such...
the feeling of sadness is setting in...i'm glad it didn't set in juz now in front of everyone as there had to be strong faces and strong ppl arnd....
dat's all we can say for now until further notice...sighz...


Right, so well, let's move on to other stuff before I go to bed tonite....

My stress level has dropped somewhat today with the submission of the business plan....With so much happening this week, we really were squeezed like mad...and actually i didn't want to submit it at all...cos the perfectionist in me tells me dat i wun submit a half-done job....
but my teammate feels dat we shld juz submit whatever we've got...and so, the past nites have been spent rushing out whatever we cld with so limited time, energy and everythg else....
Sleeping on avg 4hrs a night, it is barely enough to keep me alert all dae long.....If not for the Italian Roast, the Irish Creme and the French Roast....my favourite flavours in the office....i'd hav been asleep on the desk long ago....

Like i had mentioned, it's time to take a step back and look at the big picture again...
Putting all perspectives into place, it's time to reorganize, and in XQ's words (he quoted this before to me)....to regroup before chionging again....
which i concur with completely....
A well thought-out plan alwaiz gives me confidence...and I've said before umpteen times....Confidence breeds success...and the converse is true as well...success breeds further confidence...
there is a self-fulfilling prophecy effect....and a powerful one at dat....

CAREER

Right....
So I decided I wanted to come onto this program because I'm interested in entrepreneurship, in business and I wanted to challenge myself....to scale greater heights....dat kind of stuff....
With the benefit of hindsight, the first half of this journey hasn't been too bad at all....
I have learnt a lot from the internship experience, I have learnt a lot from UPENN, I have built important networks, I have made many good friends, I have traveled quite a bit...

But entrepreneurship isn't supposed to be all talk and no action....
it certainly isn't supposed to be all theory and no real practical work....

The entrepreneur's life definitely isn't a bed of roses....it is tough and rough...and success isn't guaranteed....
with possible rich rewards lying in wait for those who eventually succeed, the stakes are extremely high....one sacrifices sleep, maybe one's social life, time with family...leisure time....
and onli 1 in 10 entrepreneurs eventually succeed....
Writing a business plan itself already isn't easy....and that didn't even involve the actual setting up of the business, with the real risks of losing one's hardearned money....
Bootstrapping, the most common form of startup financing at the most initial stage, involves a very high level of personal risk on the part of the entrepreneur....
Do I still want to take this path? Or will I be contented with a 9-5 job and climbing up the corporate ladder? Or anything else?

I still wanna try at least once before taking other paths...
Business ideas are all aplenty...but whether they are commercially viable, operationally feasible and executable definitely are very big variables....Time and location play very important roles as well...
If the opportunity comes my way, I will jump on the bandwagon if I find it worthwhile after having made the evaluations....
So, right now, there is a lot of preparatory work to be done in anticipation of a startup investment....and if otherwise, the same work will prove useful for other paths too....

I'll be in Year 4 when I return in July....Applying for a scholarship only now may seem a little strange...but I am seriously evaluating that option....
cos for one, it equates to close to $10k in value....and second, the short 1yr bond might in itself present further opportunities....
Still deciding whether to apply or not...there is one opportunity lying in wait right now....
And although my results are not the best around, I am quite confident that I will at least be granted an interview...and from there, I will take my chance....
So, yes, that is an option....

Next, I will return to my usual routine for the first half of this journey and continue equipping myself with all the necessary skills and knowledge needed....
Self-reading online really helps alot....I have learnt so so much....
Reading some business books has helped too...and I should really go back to that....
Soft skills and people skills are indispensable too....Making more friends, true friends and worthy friends is high up on my priority list....

With regards to internship, I am going to throw myself all the way into whatever I am being involved in now.....There will be no holding back....since there are only a few months left, I really wanna learn even more and help as much as possible...

Attending events and conferences will be important too as what I have done in the last 6mths +.... This should be continued as it really helps to expand my network as well as knowledge pool....

Deciding what to do for my FYP will soon be a priority....especially if I want to self-propose one....that depends, and I will decide again when the time comes nearer to that registration date....
Academic-wise, it is still important although it won't be the top priority....
Nonetheless, having come so far already, I'm not going to let go of the chance for top honours....and hopefully, my EE bros and I will be at the rostrum being honoured as the top graduates from Engineering 04/05 batch....

Hmm, that's already a whole lot isn't it....It's time to pause here before I am being called a geek.... =p

Of course, life isn't all just about work.....
Ohh, did I mention that my planning is going to be done in ascending order of importance and priority?? =p
So, that makes work and career the lowest of the list....Surprisingly huh?
I know some friends will be cos they think I am so competitive that career will either be number 1 or 2.....well, if you happen to think that way, i guess you haven't known me well enough yet....
I need not elaborate....many of my friends know what I mean....

FRIENDS and ROMANCE

Friends have always always been a very integral part of my life....Sometimes, I place them even higher on the importance list than myself....
True friends are whom I seek....and many worthy friends I have found in the last 20yrs are always around....supporting me and vice versa...
I must have mentioned this before....the feeling of being surrounded by highly competent friends who are at the same time strong, confident and intelligent individuals creates a very strong overall effect that ups my confidence a few more notches....
As an individual, there is no way I can excel more than that of the group effect....and I am glad I am constantly surrounded by this kind of individuals.... =)
Talking about friends, it's time for me to re-establish close contact with my friends back in Singapore....haven't been contacting many of them as closely as I wanted....hope you all understand....
it hasn't been an easy week and relaxing time of late....

Romance-wise, I already have in mind what I want.
Thus, no need to elaborate now.

FAMILY

You got it right?
Family is always, ALWAYS number one, ALWAYS top priority...
Under no circumstances will family not be top priority....all the hard work I'm putting in is ultimately to ensure that I can provide a comfortable life for my family in future...
Happiness is even more important than material comfort...and I will do what I can to ensure that too...
My parents, my sis and my future family definitely deserve the best, or amongst the best....

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

yah, so that's about it...very long post...i know....
it's for my own reading aniwaiz.... =p

I will get back to normal routine on Sunday itself....after taking a break tomorrow....
Then I will start chionging again, with renewed energy and more motivated spirit....

Watching the original Phantom of the Opera musical at the New York Broadway later....

so, it's time for bed le...
i am so so shagged....

Go Go Go!
motivation and confidence! =)