How good is the foxhound?

This is what I know about Leicester after their 2-1 win over Chelsea, current Champions to be officially dethroned come March.
No one expects them to be number 1.
Everyone pegged them for relegation end of last year.
Yet, they are top for 2 weeks now.

Every fan I know wants them to keep their run going. Most pundits I hear says they will definitely fall back into the hole they crawled out from. Many pundits want them to sell their star players to their favorite teams (or whoever pays them the most I guess) for pennies. One "superb" analyst at NBC even pegged them to fall so bad they will only get 60 points at the end of the season. Wait, they have 35 points now, so you are saying they hit "complete stinker" relegation form for 25 points out of 22 games? Did you plan something evil to do to Leicester which they cannot survive from?

Let's recap what 25 points from 22 games mean. THAT'S JUST 43 POINTS FOR 38 GAMES!  IT'S RELEGATION DOGFIGHT FORM. THERE IS A REASON WHY 40 POINTS IS THE GENERALLY ACCEPTED SAFETY NET. (Short of the analyst getting publicly shamed and fired for such abysmal work, I don't think I will ever ready NBC reports ever again). For other reasons why this is such a rotten prediction, google Newcastle, greatest title run implosion. Yea, that was bad. Leicester will fall off, but why let the pessimist ruin the wonderful run we're seeing right now? Also that pessimist don't even know what pessimistic predictions are. Like by at least 10x deviation. Oh sorry, I doubt he knows what standard deviation is.

The closest I hear to any sanity is from BEIN Sports, I think, (Ironically, because...God! I hate Ray Hudson, fingers crossed I got the name right, adds little insight until way after the play happened and lavish praises like "majesterial" towards every goal he sees by Real or Barcelona.) The pundit, not Ray Hudson nor his usual pal, says that Leicester should keep Mahrez at all cost and consider selling Vardy at 20 million. The reason why it is the closest is I rate Vardy at 30 million...AT LEAST. 

Sure, Vardy is 28, nearly over the hill, but the hill is like 3 years away maybe? Would you sell CR7 for just 50 million (compared to 100 or 200 million as he's supposed to be worth) because he's 30 now and not scoring as much as he used to? (No need to answer these you worthless pundits and "experts") A rags to riches story for a rags to riches club, Leicester has every right to ask for more. What about the workrate? What about the goalscoring? Even if I lower his goalscoring to his true average, 30 million for 15-20 goals is considered cheap. I'm sure many can quote other failures at 30 million or more. Can the fee go as high as 50 million? Sure, if Ranieri has leverage over negotiations. A "world class" team surely can amp up his scoring more, even at 30.

Sure, they will revert to their mean and start playing more like a mid table team, perhaps give them 2-3 seasons, they will get relegated. But don't let your biased rose colored glasses ruin the great run that Leicester fans have been so jovial about. Ranieri is no miracle maker, but he is guiding a good team, and let the real fans enjoy the fun while it is there. Let's stop all the crap the silly media machine is trying to throw at all budding teams with some potential of greatness, especially when they have some good young talent.

Mahrez, 24, and everyone wants a bit of his magic. Long career ahead and for now, well the sky is the limit. And given his similarly humble beginnings, his stay at Leicester would not only be welcomed but also beneficial for his development. Sure, go to Man U, City or Chelsea, fail a few games and get benched, surely we've see that far too many times. Unless it is a 

Albrighton, 26, brilliant winger playing on the other side of Mahrez.

Kante, 24, amateur footballer just a few years ago, playing at a level that he's never been before. 

Drinkwater, 25, lower division traveller till this year in Leicester.

Schlupp, 22, OK, I don't know much about him, but his age stood out to be one of the future.

Given them a spending of about 20 million for a few more able bodies to rotate the key players with, or even challenge the key players to be better, and I don't see why they can't reach UCL next season. Oh ya, NBC somehow knows that they will have a big disaster and only have 25 more points. I'm sure good players don't last for an entire season because others will want to hurt them.

The amount of negativity against them is pathetic and not why we love the game. We love the unpredictability, the ease that one can understand the game enough to play and enjoy it. We don't need "majesterial" abilities to understand the game. We don't need anyone to tell us that magical stories don't last. Way to kill Santa! What we need is to really think about what will happen to Leicester.

I know this is far too early to predict any massive change, but I would be very surprised that if Leicester ends up in Europe, much less UCL, that investors will not come asking. Hey, Abramovich can switch toys easily, I hear. OK, I have a decent amount of respect for him as a well functioning club owner. So, why would they sell their key assets for cheap? What is their debt like? Surely a few good years' TV revenue plus European revenue for a few years can improve the playing squad for 20 million a year, and I see this uptrend to be fairly sustainable. As long as Ranieri doesn't get fired over a sophomore slump of course.

Improve the quality and quantity of players coming through their academy, being prudent Wenger style for a few years. Don't overspend like Leeds, or Portsmouth, and they should be a steady midtable and above EPL team. This run will not last, but they have a good chance to improve their history and standing for a long time. And that starts by shedding the negativity thrown around by the media and focusing of finishing the season with all they got. Oh yea, please prove me right so that I can make fun of NBC Sports again come next year. Even if you fall off, Leicester, your Cinderella story will be here to stay for a long time. As an Everton fan, I salute your hunger and wish you the best. Break that glass ceiling that so many other teams fail to break.

EDIT: Oh wait, so everyone knew that Patriots are going to be undefeated for only 10 games and Carolina would be on a 13 game run and going. HUH?

Stoke Stinker

Easy goal, no doubt powerful, but 3 defenders in front. Almost an entire half of pressure and only 1 penalty to show for, a result definitely undeserving of our effort. However, Stoke's physical toughness remains and I can only hope that this 1 point we got is going to be better than the points other UCL contenders get from them. Chelsea already lost there and Man City drew. As disappointed as I am with 2 fewer points than I hoped, the result is in the cards from the start.

I can only hope we get reinforcements that will help us unlock other tough matches and provide some needed rotation and cover for our existing players. Their effort and result are above and beyond expectations and the only thing we need is a solid bench to further our goals.

Side note, horrible fan comments usually stand out, such as one suggesting Everton creating Barkley sale rumors and another wanting Mou to recall Lukaku to destroy our season. Both show how horrible people can be as both are really of bad faith. 

Manchester Evening News broke the story about Barkley and unless we have more influence over their papers than SAF, it is certainly tasteless to suggest we want to sell the centerpiece of our future by initiating such rumors. From Everton's view, we're enjoying our football so much we don't even have time to talk about players we are willing to sell. We are focusing on players we want! Focus on your sinking ship and stop bothering us!

Recalling Lukaku (or Barry) has been a fear for some time now. Never mind the contract and legal obligations. It is purely bad business practice, bad faith and ones that inspire no confidence of the speaker's morality or the club if exacted. 

To do so, when the parent club is unlikely to offer player the playing time he needs, will not only anger my club, but it will also annoy the player. And if one is to notice, we've played games without Barry, or an ineffective Lukaku before and we still edge out opponents. Sure it will mess with our plans, but the player would want out next season, Lukaku certainly wants more game time which he cannot get until Mou cleans house. Furthermore, who would want to take your players? So, if Athletico Madrid plays Chelsea in UCL, you want to call back Courtois? Where will Courtois want to ply his trade in the immediate future? Will you play him instead of Cech? What will he do next year? A man of his age will want to win things and play, even if it is for more money. So the greedy comment to sabotage others by recalling players in bad faith just shot the club in the foot.

Search Junior Malanda, a recent excellent example of proper business done by Wolfsburg. While I'm not sure if he will turn their season, but I'm sure he'll get quite a few games. To sit him on the bench would signal that Wolfsburg cannot be trusted. No doubt this will impact Zulte-Waregem's season, but as long as Wolfsburg do it in good faith, Zulte-Waregem and others would continue to look to Wolfsburg for loans.

As mentioned in my earlier post, loans is essential given the distorted market. Think for a moment if you have to keep all the players you have, like every UCL team, how do they prove they are good enough? Reserve games? Street pick up games? Now, are we to suggest that no team should only have X amount of payroll or players? How do you like REAL fair play rules to screw your big spending club over? Success is a double edge sword that cuts both ways. The bigger you are, the more you spend, and the more management worries you have.

Side side note. Cardiff is getting Solskjaer as manager. Poor Solskjaer. He doesn't know what he's getting into. Cardiff fans will no doubt back him, but his tenure there is like trying to light a candle in water. If you get someone who makes Bluebirds wear Red, you know he doesn't care about the club.

Loan System Rant

It's been some time, since I moved and since I last wrote. It is funny, how much I dread Martinez's impact on Everton's defence. And yet, we're now joint best after 19 games, tied with Arsenal, 1 better than Chelsea. That's a great list to be sitting tied or on top of. 

And here we are, people eyeing on star players of the small club that is Everton. And lambasting the fact that loan players made Everton stronger this year than they should be. 

First, I want to spill some thoughts about the loan system. It's fine that they were criticizing the loan system in general but the arguments seem to contain more sour grapes than not. Like a FTBpro article criticizing how Lukaku would make Chelsea look bad, after he made liverpool look bad. Seriously, these guys need to revisit what the loan system is for. It is for teams that cannot afford the players they want due to the unfair market conditions to receive them and remain competitive in the already unfair league skewed by the big monies that lead to a player transfer worth 100 million pounds.

FTBpro said that it is immoral that Lukaku help Everton achieve UCL spot at the expense of Chelsea if it so happens to be that way on the final day of EPL. He states how unfair it is for the fans. BS. If we buy a junk player that Chelsea doesn't want, say, anyone rotting on their bench right now, and the player scores against Chelsea, isn't it the same? This has been happening since the beginning of EPL. Cantona leading manu to greatness despite starting at Leeds, Roy Keane similarly at manu, Shearer at newcastle and a load of other players that were good at one club, notable mention of Ashley Cole to Chelsea for his drama, sold for money thought to be great at the time and became greats at another club. What does it have to do with fans when football and finance matters supersede what football team the club can have or survive.

The sole reason why loans are essential is clear. There is no FFP or Financial Fair Play. It cannot be implemented across a continent. And as long as that is not done, it cannot be implemented in 1 country. Unlike American sports, which is essentially one single tier within the professional league, football has many tiers and money gets diluted too much before it reaches the heart of a club. In general, we know football clubs as generally loss making machines, powered by billionaires and millionaires. Such a world means that commodities within the sport, which is players to win the team titles and hence marketing monies, are disproportionate. Hence players who need playing time at big clubs often don't get them unless one of two things happen, (1) the club cuts its massive losses and lets the player go, which no business, especially one similar to that financing FTBpro, would EVER do, or (2) the player buys out his own contract to play, which while noble, is one that would leave many players hungry and bankrupt, a choice that the writer at FTBpro would never choose.

Well, of course, not all clubs are loss makers, but those wanting the fast and furious success of UCL, yes, huge loss makers. Remember how fast Leeds combusted from UCL semis to Division One, not in 10 years like many great falling stars, but 5 years, and essentially bankrupt. Look at the great job Wenger did at Arsenal and rarely, you see a transaction hitting the heights of 40 million. On the flip side, they don't have many British players. I wonder if the FTBpro write knows why? Nor does Chelsea, or manu, or liverpool. My Everton has 6 today, 7 if Jags is not injured and more on the bench. So, probably, we should limit the number of foreigners in EPL? Or is it a rule that empowers teams like Everton too much that the bigwigs will shudder and run? It will no doubt remove the appeal that EPL has but it is geared towards a more moral and responsible ground. But I digress. FTBpro is probably a site I'll never read another article from again for the sheer folly of talking about removing the livelihood of smaller teams and eliminate fair playing ground for their twisted sense of morality.

I did read another loan related article from the Journal, and while I don't remember how credible these folks are, they present a more frustrating view. However, I equally denounce their rhetoric, but with no disdain. In terms of Ki and Remy, it might well be a case of financial inequality again. See, QPR is a big club, despite its status in a lower division. It is rich, offering Remy the contract he cannot refuse. Newcastle can't and don't want to afford it. So what can QPR do without losing more money than they would? Loan them out, even if it seems ridiculous that the loan is going to a club of higher status. As for Ki, similar issues, except it is one where the opponent does not reckon the ability of the player or his fit into the system. Or that Ki wants out. I don't know for sure, but I'm sure no team wants to spend millions for a player they are not sure of. Much like how much I detest that Kone is injured almost immediately after joining Everton. Bad things happen. 

He did raise the interesting case of Courtois. But there is a catch with this trick. Courtois will want to play for a UCL team. How many UCL teams play at the top league and needs a GK? Yep, you got it, pretty much this is the ONE odd deal you'll ever find. Does Courtois want less money? Does Chelsea want to lose money on the Courtois deal? Well, if you're willing to foot the bill, I'm sure someone will do it. Asking someone to make the hard choice between losing an arm or a leg is definitely immoral. Don't get me started again on the FTBpro nonsense.

One last comment. If you have any dig against the loan system, WELCOME to the REAL world of football, where the 95% of the teams get 5% of the money (TV money, ticket sales, player sales, owner investments, bank loans). If you support a UCL regular and am against the loan system, its best to keep your mouth shut. Martinez is putting up a clinic on how things should be done. moyes has shown you guys how it might have been done in the past 10 years, Martinez is bringing that team to another level. Will his success continue? No one knows. I sure hope so, but there is always the hard truth out there and Everton is the fine line between fantasy football and reality right now. And definitely, we're living in the moment as we should be.

Quote : Win with Grace, Lose with Dignity

Background:


Well, as everyone might have heard, Singapore had their Presidential Election on Saturday. The quote is spurred by the reactions of the people I know on all sides of the election. I find it disturbingly similar to my childhood, not the fun part of me running around trees back in my grandfather's farm, but that of the later years of my elementary school. I came to knew first of malice at around 10-12, thankfully for my parents to protect me all the years before.


There is this group of kids, very smart and very athletic, growing up alongside me. Yet, despite my innocence, they disliked me, and I can't remember what I ever did to deserve that. What they relate to the quote though is that they ganged up on me. When they won, they sneered, without grace, without humility. When they lost, they cried, without dignity, without repentance. They seldom lost, but they did often change the rules to win.


Now, I grew up, much in sync with life. My family is still blessedly moving along well. I thank everyone for that. And through the years, I learnt to seek things with my heart. And it is more often right and good for me than not. That is where I learnt to share, even when I win. That is where I learnt to grow, even when I lost. That is why, I feel I outgrew what is expected of me. And I still want to grow. I still want to share. And I hope the same too for the people around me.


To be fair, I will condone a bit of partying, but I do need people to be aware that since I'm not a party animal, I am not going to join the festivities and I will always maintain a clear mind of what I need to do. And because of that, I do encourage everyone to live responsibly.

Motto : Live Like You Are Going To Die Tomorrow, Plan Like You Are Going To Live Forever

Background:

It comes after some deliberating how to write this motto. Steve Job's speech at Stanford, the other so common sayings. I chose to use Jobs'speech at the center piece of this motto instead of the standard planner's motto "Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst".

The real reason in my posting this is that I was talking to my boss today and he was telling me about my performance dipping. Perhaps he read my last motto and aimed to put my bar back up at the high level it should be. Either way, I'm thankful. The only problem now is to get my lazy butt off the bed in time. And as much as I have bad sleep hygiene, I can get around it by planning and executing correctly. And I seldom make the same mistake again.

Life's RUBBA to Happening!

Before I start, I need a shout opening. FEEL FREE TO COMMENT! I AM NOT MONITORING COMMENTS FOR LIKE FOREVER ALREADY!


Now, to the real topic, which unfortunately shall start with a moment of sadness. I was reading of a friend's depression and this is not the first I heard. I feel sorry for this friend and would like to help, even by just being there to listen. Anyway, while thinking about this sad story, it linked back to my style of life and brought me an epiphany of some sort.

I remember hearing of "Kübler-Ross model" in Criminal Minds before, hence Wiki'd it. Upon thinking deeper, it is exactly the phases of everything in life. Strategy, political cycle, everything. It seems so weird that things that are so complicated can be explained in such simple ways! Unfortunately, there must always be resistance and the order or components must always satisfy everyone. Is there a need to? Can't we just decide on something that will help people?


However, if you read up the actual article in Wikipedia, the 5 names do not match up to RUBBA, instead it is DABDA. Nothing against it really. It is used in the psychological terms and it matches perfectly. Should one always have these cycles in phase? Well, that's why I thought of re-inventing DABDA and call it RUBBA! Now, instead of an item of anger and depression, I rather express them in action. Here goes!

1. Refusing - Refusing the facts and constraints as they first dawned upon the subject (s).
2. Uprising - Uprising against the facts by the subject (s). 
3. Bargaining - Bargaining in an attempt to ignore the facts.
4. Burrowing - Burrowing within oneself's inner world to avoid more hurt.
5. Accepting - Accepting the fact and need for changes.

Well, it all sounds familiar, don't they? Now, we know Refusing and Uprising tends to occur first, so that is of little debate of its order. I know that Bargaining and Burrowing pretty much happens hand in hand and could happen in either order. Notice they both start with B, so don't argue! Let's use it to help people! Finally, Accepting. I probably can find a similar word with Accepting and Bargaining to replace them instead of using the original model but hey, RUBBA sounds better than DABDA! RUBBA RUBBA RUBBA! RUBBA BAND!


Of course, I always like to add the kicker at the end. Notice that the title is called Life's RUBBA to Happening! If you reach A, then you can decide to make good things happen! I wanted to put enlightening but that wouldn't sound so fun, would it?

Ok, before I hush hush all of you to go spread Dennis' Model of Life and help everyone reach Happening, I do need to say, you should not take this model negatively. Why? Because I built this for happiness! Below is the happy version!

1. Refusing to Lose
2. Uprising against Challenges
3. Bargaining on Resources
4. Burrowing deeper to Hold Your Ground
5. Accepting minor setbacks to Win The War!

Well, now you have the happy version as well, you can go to sleep now. I did wake up from a dream I was fighting a big guy or something so I will be trying to go back to sleep soon to beat that guy!

Weirdest National Day

As of this post, Singapore is already halfway through National Day. It is almost too funny this year compared to previous.

1. General Election and Post Election Trauma, noted as GE and PET and together as GEPET
   First, they have TPL, which in  my opinion is not a good candidate from one look, but she boarded GCT's gravy train so, what can you do? Vote bad politicians out la!
2. Presidential Election, which is the current hot topic since it could be another walkover
   Not that I care, its SGD 4M down the drain as he must listen to the Cabinet's advice
   But to have candidate like TKL giving silly quotes to inspire voters really makes my back hurt from falling off the couch laughing
   Oh, and TT's open thumb handshake
3. As part of the election, my ex classmate decided to rip my kind efforts apart as it "threatens" the political project this classmate embarked on
   How would anyone know what's in someone else's head?
   Oh, because I'm able to commune with God I guess, but God keeps reminding me, live and let live, and don't keep reading people like a book...
   Plus I got sick of reading this person's thoughts after the many contradictory things, such as throwing another person under the bus while pretending to be just and upright...
4. Everyone's screaming about how PAP is unfair
   Well, we let them grow arrogant, so we should not blame anyone
   If you want to convince someone else, DO THE RIGHT THING
5. Speaking of doing the right thing, everyone likes to pick on my lack of action as inaction
   So, do you see like the amount of brain activity in my head while giving ideas?
   Oh, right, you were not listening, of course, that's the very reason why things are not going your way because you did not want to listen to the signs people tell you
6. And since people aren't listening, I'm going to ignore all complaints of DJIA crashing
   Of course it crashed, USA's GDP is not really growing for some time and we told you that when we did QE!
   Oh I forgot, you were not listening because you preferred to listen to Cramer or the Singapore replica in Singapore...eh...who huh?

Anyway, as always, I have no opinion over who should be President. You can be sure of someone's ability and promise but to actually see them is another thing. I believe that putting the right people at the right places is key, which is why my "Lazy Bone Project" is underway. Speaking of which, where did I put that manuscript for the plan overview...

Motto : You Happy, I Happy

Reason:


There is an idea in Chinese culture, at least in my family when I was growing up, where everybody lives happy as a community, helping each other and growing with each other. This can be view from many angles, money, education, life, whatever. This is the reason why, as a pacifist who understands the reasons behind war, I believe that this is the best motto for everyone to live with and it enhances The Golden Rule.

Hello Box!

I am saddened recently by a friend who forsaken 15 years of friendship. While I may be biased on why this person made such a choice, I do have time to waste to think about what happened, so while unwinding, I was also planning my work among other things I needed to do. Quite a fruitful Friday.


Fortunately, this also reignited my drive to finish what I now call the "Lazy Bone" project. It will be elaborated in more detail later on but first, let me comment on something that is close to my heart. I view this post as part or whole of the epilogue of my envisioned project.


Before you go on and lambaste me with the usual "Bloody Hell, Dennis Wrote An Essay Again" complaint, I will now issue a "Essay" Alert.


"Thinking Outside The Box", which will be abbreviated TOTB from now on, is a relatively lukewarm topic in real life, but I often hear it so much that I doubt people really know what it is. Fortunately, my new work environment allowed me to experiment with their workflow and presentation styles that allowed me to realize what people are missing.

First, lets demystify common misconceptions.

• It works, its a new concept, hence TOTB
  Fallacy : The idea may not be new, and even if it is TOTB, it might be credited to the wrong person since the thought process is the key, not the execution. Most of the time, the planner will be supervising the execution.
• It works, its not new, hence not TOTB.
  Fallacy : TOTB requires the understanding of the whole picture. Even if only a small part of the system changes, complete understanding is needed to avoid complications. Again, like the previous, since a misconception may exist, credit might be attributed wrongly.
• It's alternative, but it doesn't work, hence not TOTB
  Fallacy : Ideas are thought to work but not always executed correctly. Science to back the theory up may not be there. Theory behind the plan may be incomplete. Results is not the reason why we need TOTB. Its the avenues of thought it opens up that matters.
• It's TOTB, it's too alternative, it cannot work
  Fallacy : TOTB is not guaranteed to work, just like all ideas. Trial and error is needed. ROI is often the issue here but that is a HR issue or an office politics issue, which will have its own short paragraph of elaboration.
• You're spouting nonsense, its not even science, hence not TOTB
  Fallacy : Often this stemmed from shortsightedness and office politics. TOTB is naturally unorthodox sometimes and can appear un-scientific. However, our science cannot explain everything. As such, it is a HR issue and will be elaborated in the separate paragraph.
• No idea, hence not TOTB
  Fallacy : Education is an abstract issue. You need the right mix to find the right talent. You cannot force TOTB on people because it needs the right environment. For most questions asked, TOTB is not needed. TOTB is for improving anything and everything. 1+1 questions doesn't help and it is definitely not TOTB. To reason 1+1 may be TOTB.
• Right environment, why no TOTB
  Fallacy : As a scientist, I do not believe in the distinction of right or wrong. I believe in the pursuit of specificity. If our measurements become more accurate, we will find more things. Hence, there is no true right environment for TOTB now until we improve sciences to the extreme.
• TOTB, right environment
  Fallacy : Like above. Perhaps the individual is unique to be capable within that environment. Perhaps it was luck. Perhaps there is help. Perhaps you should just sit back and give up control and have more TOTB. Then again, how do we maximize efficiency?

So, will the examples with fallacy reasoning explain everything? No.

The reason is, as we know, we are only a drop of the entire universe. I always remember the marble scene in MIB 1 at the end, the perfect illustration of my thought process.

There is no perfect way to train everyone. You allow pure creativity to carry through, things are chaotic and inefficient. You control so much of everything, having strict rules and guidelines for everything, creativity gets stifled even if everyone becomes a literate and numerable intellect.

I would compare the systems in Singapore and USA to illustrate this.

Singapore is known for its efficiency with an almost complete rate of literacy and numeracy.

• Strict rules through everything including education
• Loves rankings
• Prefers specialization and deters cross discipline at a young age
• Highly stratified at a young age, with disciplines and educational pace streamed since 10
• Complains about the lack of TOTB

USA. Well who doesn't know USA's system. A complete melting pot but I need a comparison.

• Encourages individuality
• Deters ranking, preventing big schools from having a reason to fight each other
• Encourages multi-discipline education but not enforcing it
• Homogeneous in mix of specialization while not enforcing it
• Low stratification in range of disciplines but huge spectrum of capabilities
• No complaints on lack of TOTB but does complain on lack of efficiency and streamlining

Well, I will not step into the political debate behind both systems but the distinction is clear. You want TOTB, you can't strangle people who don't perform. You want efficiency, you cannot spare the rod. Yet, USA does not lack in talents. In fact, if there is a dearth in talent in one area, they can replenish it in immigration. On the other hand, Singapore's immigration has not improved the amount of TOTB it sought.

Why? Control. A few of my friends, while consoling me over my latest melodrama, said, you cannot love everyone without having an equal amount of hate. I agree. I know what I dislike when I see it, but even when I see it, I can see the good in things. That allowed me to see the best in people and TOTB when they appear. That also allowed me to learn from people and help myself in TOTB. 

I am at a constant struggle of control versus complete chaos. I "ACCEPT" that I can fault and had the good fortune of having "ACADEMY", "APTITUDE", "AMBITION" and "ADVERSITY". My good fortune is really in the people in my family and the people I know. They tolerated my sometimes wild behavior, spanked me when needed, helped me when I was bullied by unrealistic environmental factors, including very mean people, and I grew. I decided that I will continue to grow for these people and add more wonderful people into my life for the good people already in my life.

Hence, these are reasons why Singapore's search for TOTB has been relatively futile. We do not need TOTB everywhere. We do not need a lot TOTB in politics. We need TOTB in industry but we give little room for error, just like everything else in Singapore. Why? Do we really have so little room for error?

My argument against the room for error. I failed GP, survived in NUS, got work and salary comparable to Honors graduates through consistent pursuit of my passion. In 2003, I sat at home, applying for work everyday and got nothing, other than almost being a sushi chef for $1k. 

My first job is a $1k temp job which I got caught for sleeping on the first day! I continued to pursue what is in my heart, got a job at teaching within 2 months. I loved it, if it wasn't paying just $1.5k and taking 60 hours a week due to travel and stress. I love kids running in circles around me. Then I quit but got my next job at $1.8k in less than a month later. Guess what, I got a quick pay rise to $2.2k, got into NCSU and deferred for a year. 

Now, that might not sound like honors pay, but here's the kicker. I was given night shift with great understanding from my bosses that I wanted the money and I don't mind the hard work. I was given the night shift, working 4 hours into the night. I get to claim cab fare after work and night shift allowance, totaling about $800. I thought "Hey, I'm going USA, I got no girlfriend, little social life and just wanted to enjoy myself and still give my parents some allowance". Yes, despite my parents not demanding or needing allowance, I still gave 20% of my base salary because in my heart, I knew they were the reason I came so far. Hence, my blogging here.

Now, enough of my lucky story, I will elaborate a bit on the HR implications of TOTB. Now, I'm sure you have heard people say "this company does not value talent, they fired this super smart guy" story before. Now, when I first heard it, I begged to differ. The first question I asked is "What did this person do that is smart". The next is "What is his salary". Obviously, in my case, it was kind of the reverse since I knew the position of the people who got fired and their performance. And the next question is "So, what is the ROI then". Yes, ROI, that's what define success and failure of a company, an organization. 

How can you get TOTB when you fire people for less than $50k of error which is less than a drop in your ocean of profits? How can you survive with everyone losing you $50k? How do you nurture TOTB when you enforce complete detailed accuracy to the point your sole reason for not developing the talent is "lack of data accuracy". Different people have different strengths. It is the role of the leader to know where to use which talent. A good leader will look after subordinates and usher them to the correct roles. Of course, even leadership takes time and training, hence I understand how things "cannot be helped" sometimes. One thing is, to get an open mind, you must open your mind.

Now, there is another case where TOTB is discouraged, and I saw its impact first hand. There is a manager, very abrasive, very political, very secretive. No information is shared outside this person's team. The team told me they loved their manager because of honesty towards them, but when I mentioned the lack of cross functional teamwork, they agreed with me. Due to the abrasiveness and political mindedness of this person, TOTB is discouraged, of course, compounding other factors that deter TOTB. I feel productivity is also reduced. 

The last acts of this person included a highly disputed promotion, to this day, remains the reason I am seen as a thorn in many managers' eyes despite my many TOTB contributions. I left, promoted only once in 4 years. A friend told me, not promoting me is their biggest mistake. I take it with a pinch of salt and thanked my friend's gracious words. In fact, not many people would say I'm TOTB. But a few friends did lavish me with such praise and I truly thank them for not inhibiting my growth.

Now, I must deviate from my arrogance and self praise before it ruins my argument, but I can raise examples that does not involve myself. It is not important how many examples we can find. The truth is, we should not fall into the act of "Do as I say, Not as I do". I need to tolerate others' mistakes to see the best in others. You too. Then we will find a lot of TOTB that doesn't hurt people. I recently saw a video talking about trial and error. We need a good mix of that in life. If we don't dare to try, we never know. I never thought I would really be here in USA. I'm glad I tried.

I would now like to end my essay with a bit of my regular Dennis' humor. I am sick and tired of reading political articles from Singapore and USA. If you speak with greed, your every word stinks. That is what I understood of Lui Tuck Yew. If you speak with anger, your every word betrays your hypocrisy, that is Mitch McConnell with his "No Deal With Obama in Office". Even if John Boehner tries to bash Obama, he does it with style and measured aggression. I like what I hear from Boehner. Same from Khaw Boon Wan from PAP. Not Vikram Nair. For these men who receives such huge pay packages to do such work with no heart, it is an insult to my love for mankind.

Specifically for Pui, McDumbbell and Lair, I offer you this...

Man, I love this pic...I have vowed to use this pic as much as possible. Until I find more interesting ones of course.

Oh, two more things:

First, with my Project "Lazy Bone" underway, I will be re-organizing my blog. Nothing will be deleted but new filing and categories will be added to phase out the old more "solely emotional" categories. This will be my prelude.

Second. I love to sleep. I love great ideas. And I love them more with this video below from TED.com about sleep.

Politics makes no sense in the economy

As much as I try to avoid taking a stand in the randomness of politics, I was appalled by the lack of common sense in politics.

1. How can Democrats expect a debt limit increase without planning massive budget cuts and expect not to need another debt limit increase in the future?
2. How can Republicans expect USA to pay for previous lavish spending without a tax increase? (I do agree that it is unfair to tax regular citizens like myself who contributed positively to the economy with hard work and regular contained spending, hence never really contributing to the deficit...)
3. How is ROI different across currencies?

Actually the motivation of the post was the last one. It was so funny that I could not help myself. With people like these leading the sheep across the world, its not wonder there is only so much chaos. Where my Avril picture when I need it?

Edit: I forgot to plaster this post but since Straits Times removes articles periodically, I decided to do a Print Screen. Fallacies: (1) predictions on CPI is as vague as predicting interest rates (think China and USA) (2) no mentioned of growth period (3) 5% over a few months is not good news either yearly or monthly comparison. Summary: While putting news on a newspaper is important, but when it is filled with unknowns, newspapers do not add value to society, even if it is the national press. Same goes for political entities.