values

faith, strength, wisdom, love and courage.

consciousness

consciousness is a way of life.

the power of books

one of my 2012 resolutions was to read 15 solid books, which i gladly exceeded by completing 21 books! hahaha! well done! i always enjoy reading, gaining new knowledge from different authors and being inspired by them through their words. here are my 21 books! 

1.       the solitaire mystery – jostien gaarder

2.       the winner take all society – robert h. frank and philip j. cook

3.       thank you for firing me – kitty martini and candice reed

4.       52 productivity principles for getting things done – david allen

5.       think and grow rich – napoleon hill

6.       the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy – douglas adams

7.       the restaurant at the end of the universe – douglas adams

8.       take off @ 2359 起飞 – 吴庆康  

9.       touch down @ 2359 降落 – 吴庆康  

10.   on board @ 2359 翱翔 – 吴庆康  

11.   cancer cured naturally – betty l khoo-kingsley

12.   lord of the flies – william golding

13.   secrets of a millionaire mind – t. harv eker

14.   the 7 habits of highly effective people – stephen r. covey

15.   speed wealth – t. harv eker

16.   the cashflow quadrant – robert kiyosaki

17.   the e myth revisited – michael e. gerber

18.   value investing for employees – clive tan

19.   五月天的素人自拍 – 五月天

20.   时光电影院 – 幾米

21.   拥抱 – 幾米

out of these books, there are a number worth mentioning:

1.     the solitaire mystery

this book is written by the same author of sophie’s world, recommended by dai xing. indeed an enchanting, philosophical and conscious novel! i enjoyed the twists in the story plot, engaging me every minute! there is a story within a story which keeps me reading and reading. highly recommended!

the solitaire mystery

2.     2359 series

these 3 books are compilations of existing and new articles written by my favorite local writer, 吴庆康, released in late 2011. he has a column in the newspapers which publishes every wednesday. i have been reading his articles for the past 10 over years. times flies! once every few years, he compiles his articles into books. he shares a lot of his personal experiences, especially his travels and his perspectives over various issues. i have a wide collection of his books and feels like i have seen him ‘grow’ as his writing style changes over the years.

                         take off @ 2359 起飞               on board @2359 翱翔

touch down @ 2359 降落

3.     secrets of the millionaire mind

kelvin yeo created an investment mastermind group with me and silvia, where we focus on working on our finances and learn about investments from one another. our ultimate aim is to achieve financial freedom. this book is our 1^st reading book, recommended by kelvin yeo. from the author's personal experiences, he introduces new perspectives about money and teaches simple methods to manage money. there is a 3-day millionaire mind intensive seminar which puts the theory into practice. i missed the seminar in 2011 and was glad to go with them last year. i was impressed by the speaker and learnt a lot during the 3 days. the book and the seminar open up my mindset towards money, where i am becoming more driven to achieve my financial freedom. i continue to implement the methods taught and cultivate good money management habits. this year, we are moving on to learn about investments. one step closer to financial freedom! an easy to read beginner’s book for people who are serious about achieving financial freedom.

secrets of the millionaire mind

4.     the 7 habits of highly effective people

i have long heard about this book, but only managed to read it in 2012 when a few friends were recommending. sadly, the author passed away on 16 july 2012, leaving a legacy through the books he  wrote. the book is written in simple and understandable manner but with profound knowledge to learn and apply. i am cultivating the 7 habits in my daily life and finding them very useful. highly recommended!

the 7 habits of highly effective people

5.     the e myth revisited

never expected this book could be so interesting! the author shares knowledge on what an entrepreneur should take note in a business. a must read for people who are planning to set up their own businesses. a conscious book in business sense.

the e myth revisited

6.     五月天的素人自拍

this is the 1^st book written by mayday in 2001 and republished in 2012. this book was documented during the period when they were producing their 3^rd music album, 人生海海 and facing temporary disbandment as some members needed to serve the army. wow! through this book, i have a deeper understanding of my favorite band, of how they got to know one another in high school, how mayday was formed, how they produced their music, how they got into rock records and how they became famous from then on. their dedication to music inspires me and even now, they are still pursuing their music dream, living their lives with passion. my role models!

五月天的素人自拍

7.     拥抱

this book is a christmas gift from jada! she knows that i love 幾米 books. i had a pleasant surprise when i saw 幾米 autograph on the 1^st page of the book! i thought she had gone to get his autograph. instead, she told me that she just picked the book from the bookshelf. hahaha! she had lucky hand! i am happy to have another autographed book! coincidentally, i also gave her a 幾米 autographed book, 星空. i got the book signed when the illustrator was in town for the singapore writers festival in november 2012.

拥抱

these are the highlights of the books which i have read. i hope you will enjoy these books as much as i do! gearing up for more great books in 2013! = )