tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93261632008-01-05T18:57:57.592+08:00David WoonBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-3252109685426144162007-11-17T15:28:00.000+08:002007-11-20T10:11:29.676+08:00

As World AIDS Day is just round the corner (1 Dec), it is timely for us to reflect on the AIDS pandemic that has claimed more than 25 million lives since it was first recognized in 1981. Currently, about 38.6 million people are living with AIDS worldwide. No cure has been found to date. Despite global preventive campaigns with budgets in the range of billions of dollars, the number of infections

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1117980961314950132007-09-30T02:44:00.000+08:002007-10-03T10:33:32.417+08:00

Heard of Quantum Mechanics? You might have heard it but think little of it because it sounds terribly complicated and unrelated to daily life. And you are right: it's so mind-boggling that even Albert Einstein (named as the greatest physicist of all time) had problems with it, and of course, life goes on even if you can't understand its equations. But I think everyone should know a bit more

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-8817492571684812412007-09-04T00:10:00.000+08:002007-09-04T01:15:44.656+08:00

Till today, my parents have been telling me to save money for a rainy day - and I have been obedient:-) But in our modern globalised society, we need better financial strategies to sustain and grow the economy, bridge the income gap between the richest and poorest, help the underprivileged and of course, make ourselves happy. There are many interesting online discussions on how best to spend

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-56925543701207029962007-07-29T08:41:00.000+08:002008-01-05T18:55:25.952+08:00

I was at the final phase of Operation Romantic Birthday Surprise after accomplishing the virtually impossible objective of obtaining the McDonald's Shrek figurine (not even eBay had it!). It was time to pull in a highly unlikely accomplice for the climactic ending: my then 20-month-old son Xavier. I wasn't even sure if he could cooperate but I had to try. I told him as simply as possible the

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-82339857132904327692007-07-10T07:32:00.000+08:002007-07-29T08:29:29.201+08:00

On 7 June 2007, Nature, the world's foremost scientific journal, reported the possibility of extracting embryonic stem cells from adult skill cells according to experiments involving mouse cells. This made me sit up and think about the intense Stem Cells Debate that has been going on for a while... Why are there so many arguments on controversial morality issues but so little on practical issues

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-26444934774196430322007-06-22T09:45:00.000+08:002007-09-08T14:42:50.652+08:00

In all my years of negotiations with parties from large MNCs, government agencies, and universities to negotiations with my 20-month-old son, I've learnt one thing: for any negotiation to have a high chance of success, the following assumption, which I call "The Golden Assumption" must be made: Everyone is reasonable. This may seem like a trivial point but it opens the door to real

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-24874912528098614912007-05-31T15:55:00.000+08:002007-09-08T14:45:27.002+08:00

On 1 April 2007, I had the worst "April Fool's joke" of my life: my computer hung and I realised my last backup was more than 6 months ago! This was specially embarrassing for me because as a computer engineer, I constantly remind people of the need to back up data regularly! Though I eventually recovered all data and fixed up my computer, this incident led me to an acutely sobering thought:

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-17093039899956450882007-03-18T17:22:00.000+08:002007-09-08T14:46:30.019+08:00

Mr Mooney had a vision: if he could earn enough money to retire before 50, he would have plenty of time for his family, friends and social/religious work - Life would then be fulfilling and joyful. And so, he worked and worked... with absolutely no time for his family, friends and social/religious work. One day, Mr Mooney earned enough money to last him many lifetimes and decided to retire. He

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-49986048929261231782007-02-22T01:47:00.000+08:002007-09-08T14:51:22.791+08:00

We all want to become a better person and where possible, help others to become better persons - there is no better way to change the world for the better. But how do we know if we are growing in character? How can we assess a person's character? How can we be objective? I propose two measures to gauge one's character: 1. Nobody-Centric Don't be overly impressed by spectacular displays of

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-90601828440745694552007-01-20T01:14:00.000+08:002007-01-20T01:36:41.394+08:00

Can't understand why it's always so difficult to see the block numbers of HDB flats? Can't figure out why ancient parking coupons are still used in the digital age? My fellow Singaporeans, here is your chance to speak up and make a difference in 2007! Simply check out 10TouchPoints, a nation-wide initiative to redesign everyday stuff to make our lives better! You can propose new ideas or vote

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-8841836284259491652006-12-22T23:33:00.000+08:002008-01-05T18:57:57.612+08:00

I've always thought that the only green way to drive is to drive a hybrid car... until I experienced a new way of driving: Carsharing. I just obtained my driving license in November and was very eager to drive. But buying a new car is just too costly; renting a car costs a lot too; all my friends advised me against getting a used car; that leaves me with one choice: Carsharing. So I signed up a

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-86273758936009875132006-11-17T07:00:00.000+08:002008-01-05T18:57:57.612+08:00

I was shocked to discover that my beautiful island country Singapore was ranked 131 (out of 178) in a study called The Happy Planet Index to compare how efficient countries are in making their citizens happy. To understand this study better, let us compare Singapore and Costa Rica: SingaporeCosta Rica Ranking1313 Life Satisfaction6.97.5 Life Expectancy78.778.2 Ecological Footprint6.22.1

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1160795973724241072006-10-14T11:18:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:07.579+08:00

If you find yourself doing many things at one go, e.g. munching food, talking to your spouse, checking your emails on your Blackberry, planning next week's work schedule, thinking about yesterday's soccer game and watching TV, all at the same time, then may I propose to you more fruitful way of life: Now-Oriented Living (NOL). I define NOL as living at the moment for the moment, i.e., if you are

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1158327555018164212006-09-15T21:22:00.000+08:002008-01-05T18:55:55.275+08:00

You're invited to participate in the most ambitious Love-Sharing Scheme in Blogosphere: To post one million love messages in a single blog here: Share love with the world with a message from your heart to your loved ones now! Love begets love - so let us make this world a more loving place for everyone:)

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1157826100336448222006-09-10T01:50:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:07.238+08:00

Yesterday, I was pondering about why I couldn't save much money every month even though I had not been making big purchases lately... After analysing my credit card bills and bank accounts, I found the answer: it was in the little thoughtless purchases which I had totally disregarded because of the little money involved! Indeed, very often, it is the little things that resulted in BIG EFFECTS

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1155599938284313692006-08-15T06:57:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:07.113+08:00

The Near-Death Experience (NDE) has been extensively studied since 1975 after Dr Raymond Moody coined NDE. More recent studies like those by Dr Melvin Morse and Dr Kenneth Ring showed conclusively with scientific proof that there is indeed a spiritual dimension beyond what our physical eyes can see... Here, I would not talk more about NDE since you can easily google NDE. Instead, I would like to

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1154482490456468702006-08-02T08:06:00.000+08:002007-06-21T10:05:09.054+08:00

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality." Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Physicist We are asking questions every moment of our lives - whether consciously or unconsciously. The moment we wake up, we consciously ask

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1152924568874633482006-07-15T08:46:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:06.926+08:00

Many think twice about parenthood because of the general perception that parenthood: zaps energy;banishes romance;restricts freedom; and drains finances. I once thought so too until I became a father last year and discovered life-changing parenthood revelations! The above perception is common mainly because many couples nowadays hold stressful jobs and strive for luxuries like posh cars,

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1151815685990458442006-07-02T11:55:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:06.805+08:00

When "Superman Returns" to the big silver screen in June 2006, I am sure many, including myself, felt our hearts soaring to welcome the superhero, and to once again be inspired and mesmerised by his super powers! But let us never forget that we too possess gifts and talents to be "Superman" in our own little ways and like Superman, we must use our "powers" for the good of others: to the hungry

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1150331960525288522006-06-15T07:48:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:06.727+08:00

Who will win the World Cup 2006? Dr Andrew Jacobs, an experienced sports psychologist, believes that mental strength would play an important role in World Cup 2006 in an interview with Active.com - "The Mental Side of the World Cup". So the champion team would probably have not only the best skill but also the best mental prowess... We often underestimate the power of our thoughts and its

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1148319745854936182006-05-23T01:01:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:06.638+08:00

Psychologists have discovered that thankfulness has positive effects on our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. A two-day gathering of 13 scholars in Dallas in 2001 explored systematic scientific approaches to better understand the nature and effects of gratitude. Here're two key exciting findings (extracted from the news article "Making a Science of Virtue"): 1. Those who kept

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1147563011156771742006-05-14T06:12:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:06.516+08:00

I know I could never fully comprehend the depth of my mother's love for me... but I got a better idea of it when I witness the unconditional, selfless, sacrificial, attentive and tender love given to my 7-month-old son by my wife. I am deeply humbled by such noble love. On this special day, let us take a moment to reminisce the love showered upon us by our mothers and to let them know how much

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1146886013604887622006-05-06T11:07:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:06.412+08:00

Uncertainty is the only certainty in life - we may try to eliminate, minimise or disregard uncertainty but it prevails; resistance is futile in this case. My alternate proposition: embrace uncertainty. As an ally, uncertainty helps to rein in our tendency to take things for granted, e.g.: if we know we could die or get cancer any moment, we would make better use of our timeif we know we could

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1144754057900570952006-04-11T18:53:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:06.312+08:00

I have always believed that one should remain cool at all times because getting angry doesn't solve problems and may even strain relationships. I was wrong. During the past 3 months, I flared up more times than I ever did for my entire life. And it actually helped me! My anger was directed at the staff of a public hospital; I was angry at the inefficiency of the Accident & Emergency department;

David Woontag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9326163.post-1142804355474036542006-03-20T05:03:00.000+08:002006-11-12T07:28:06.215+08:00

How often have you set a goal and not reach it? For me, this is quite often - but I have found a way around this. I would go on quests instead... The word "Quest" is connotated with Heroism, Nobility and Justice; when we think of quests, we naturally think of knights braving dragons and evil wizards to rescue damsels in distress - and these knights succeed ALL the time! Perhaps this occurs only

David Woon