Sorry for the lack of updates for the past week! Was kind of caught up with work and plans that I didn’t have time to blog or to tell you the truth, I was a bit lazy to blog at the end of the day when I was all tired and just looking forward to hitting that bed of mine. Anyway, the exciting news of today is that I went to the PC Show Singapore 2008! Frankly, I might sound sua gu but I’ve not been to PC Show before (not that I remember that is )!

PC Show Singapore was indeed like a hotbed of tech gadgets that are on their best sale price! It felt as though Sim Lim Square was brought into the 3 levels of the Suntec City convention centre! I could hardly breathe! And mind you, I was there on a FRIDAY AFTERNOON.. and it was sooooo crowded already.

The first thing that came to both Calvin and my minds was, “SO, PEOPLE DON’T HAVE TO WORK THESE DAYS?” Haha.. we actually were quite proud of ourselves being able to fork out time on a weekday to pop by to see the good deals that are available. And we were thinking, PC Show on a weekday afternoon shouldn’t be packed and crowded such that we can check out the deals slowly.. aka window shopping.

BUT!! We were sooo wrong!!!! It was sooo crowded!! And barely enough space for us to walk side by side. And I hate crowded places cos.. you never know when you’ll get that swat on your back or butt. It’s irritating.. I feel vulnerable. Thank God for my darling Calvin..

We were sooo tempted by the good deals at the PC Show which included the following:

Palm Treo (some model no.) Smart Phone going for $599 $299!

PSP + standard pack going for…. $269!!

Sharp 32″ LCD TV going for… $800++!

160 GB HDD going for…. $90!! (which we bought )

HP Tablet laptop going for… less than $2k!

Sony Vaio laptop going for… $1699!!

Hahaha.. and soo much more!! There’s even insurance booths there.. I wonder why… I was joking to Calvin that next year we’ll see booths selling Barbie dolls instead.. Hahaha.. LAME joke.

Anyway, I’ve tips to share with you on surviving the PC Show!

My Survival Guide to the PC Show Singapore 2008:

1. A pen/marker –> to mark out the deals that you want to check out as and when you receive those flyers

2. A paper bag –> to store all the flyers that you get

3. A bottle of water –> there’s no place you can get drinks/food on the levels 3,4 and 6 of Suntec.. so just bring along a bottle just in case you to quench your thirst.

4. A pair of comfortable shoes –> Ladies, DO NOT WEAR HEELS. YOU’LL DIE IN THEM. Hahaa.. Wear your most comfortable pair of footwear.. I wore my birkenstocks!! So should u! Hahaa..

5. A foldable trolley –> if you are planning to cash and carry bulky items such as printers and laptops etc, it will be good to bring along your foldable trolley that can save you the aches and the pains of having to carry down your goods from Level 6 and below.

6. A check list –> Always prepare before going down for the PC Show. Decide what you want to buy and then check them off as you move along.

7. Be early –> If you want to browse and compare prices, you have to be there early! LIKE REALLY EARLY!!! Once the crowd pours in, you’ll realise you’re stuck in a maze and will have a hard time finding the previous bargain that you saw!

8. Just spend –> Frankly, after spending the day there today, I realised that the price difference between laptop accessories etc. are between $1 to $5… For laptops, TV, huge electronics, it really depends on the specs. JUST SPEND WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT SUITS YOUR NEEDS. And don’t waste time comparing prices etc. because it’s not worth it. Your time is worth more than running up and down between different booths just to compare the pricing. Always remember you are buying to satisfy a NEED, so any amount that buys that NEED is justified because well, YOU NEED IT!

9. Keep your children at home –> Children are distracting to yourself and to other visitors to PC Show… cos.. they are running around, screaming, trying to get themselves lost by running far from their parents and I just don’t see how you can concentrate on searching for tech stuff while carrying your child in your hands. BE FOCUSED. Your children will only become your distraction.

10. Bring cash but not too much cash –> Well, if you are paying by nets or credit card, there’s an additional 2% of the price that you have to pay for the transaction. I don’t know if it’s the case for ALL booths but it was for mine. If you want to save that 2%, well, bring cash to pay for your goods!

That’s about it! If you’ve not headed down to the PC Show Singapore 2008, what are you waiting for? Gosh.. Saturday and Sunday’s going to be fully packeD!!! Be there early and enjoy!!

tag:Calvin Woon, Computers, Patricia Lin, PC SHOW SINGAPORE 2008, Suntec Convention Centre, Tech Gadgets

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After ‘interning’ at my dad’s shop for the past week, I really can see the differences between running an online business and an offline one. And all the more I can convinced that it is really important for offline businesses to explore the opportunities that are available online for them to expand their businesses and to take them to the next level.

Firstly with a offline business, I have to:

1. pay the rent

2. be/hire someone to physically be there to man my business 

3. be subjected to environmental influences on my business because of conditions such as weather, season and time

4. make sure that I take lots of efforts to gain customers/drive traffic to my shop

5. manage the business by manually taking care of things

However, by bringing my business online, I can subject my business to a lot more opportunities that may not be available to me offline such as:

1. 24/7 operation of my shop online - with a website that is fully furnished with all my products, information and check out system, I can enable my shop to operate 24/7

2. advertising to millions of people through different means - i can explore ways to advertise my business to people of different countries and some ways include, visiting websites/forums that are related to my business and contributing my knowledge and ideas there to gain awareness for both what I do and my business

3. automate all proceedings from purchasing to after sales service

4. stand to earn extra revenue from advertisements on the website

5. reduce the costs of rental etc. to only the costs of webhosting and a domain name and perhaps a script to set up the shopping cart etc.

and frankly, the list goes on…

Online businesses are actually providing conveniences to the internet user community by bringing them their shopping experiences from the malls to the comfort of their homes! Now, people can literally shop in their knickers if they want! It’s amazing at how the shopping experience can be digitised to fit into the computer and the internet and bringing people the joy of not having to rush for that fitting room or to queue those long queues that seem to never end. It also saves people the time and energy of having to travel out of their homes to get down to the busy shopping mall.

It’s good to consider how your offline business can be translated onto online medium! Well, think about it if you are an offline business owner and I hope I have enlightened you in some ways! Do drop me an email if you have any questions you would like to ask me personally!

tag:Internet, Internet Marketing, Offline Business, Online Business, People, Shopping

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I’ve not been able to blog that regularly this two days because I’m helping my dad at his shop… Actually I’m not exactly actively helping but just sitting down and tending to customers as and when’s required. I’ve been busy online though during the time but the internet connection (WirelessSG) is rather pathetic such that it’s slow and causes my laptop to lag and hang sooo bad coz of IE. I switched to Mozilla and encountered the same problem!!

Anyway, though I would have taken this ‘job stint’ to be a sort of break for me from a lot of IM business stuff but rather, I’ve become physically exhausted cos of helping at the shop. I have had to walk home from there back home because of the horrible traffic situation over in the area…. which is caused by a particular someone - Mas Selamat. Well, I haven’t been working out so much and lifting heavy things hasn’t been my forte which makes it tiring and exhausting especially for someone who is not used to it or in fact, haven’t been exposed to labour for quite some time except for labour on the keyboard.

I really appreciate my dad and his work more these days because I realise that his business is something that has funded my family through the years and that my dad is really working hard. It’s a pity that his shop and the business has not been picking up these couple of years because of poor government developmental plans for the area. I just pray that God will open a door of opportunity for him and our family to help make this business thrive in and for His Glory.

In the meantime, i’ll try to update my blog…!

Zzzz…

tag:Business, father, Patricia Lin

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These past few days I’ve been very busy getting around the things I have to accomplish for a project of mine that I’m working on together with Calvin under IMovators and to tell you the truth, it’s something that I’m really excited about. To get the project going, it’s necessary to build the right connections with the right people - in other words, good business networking.

Don’t belittle the idea of networking or just think that business networking is only for those who are running their businesses. In fact, it is a very valuable tool that is important to almost everyone and especially those who are looking for connections/help to assist them in their work. Good business networking is all the more important for those who are running businesses or in the public relations industry because of the need to reach out to others as well as increase your company’s visibility.
So what is GOOD business networking?
Good business networking is really about reaching out to the right people and letting them know who you are and what you do. Moreover, it’s about establishing a sincere connection such that the person will remember you and what you do. If you can successfully create an impact on the first impression or on the first meeting with another, can create for themselves opportunities that come by when these contacts of yours will seek you out whenever they need someone of your skills and talents and will also recommend you to others.

From my experience, it really doesn’t matter whom you network with. Ultimately, it’s really the relationships that you create with others that can bring you a long way because you never know who they may know or possibly run into at some time in the future that may open a door of opportunity for you. No man is an island thus, it’s important that you build sincere relationships with others, take a genuine interest in people and let them know that you are there to help them just as they are to help you. Never rule anyone out as not having the ability to be useful because that is just adopting a very superficial view towards the relationships you create during networking.
Good business networking can be done anywhere and with anyone. Always be polite and don’t be shy to approach people at functions and events. Adopt a positive attitude and smile when starting a conversation or when getting to know someone. It is important to introduce yourself and tell them what you do and what you hope for. If you have any plans which you are passionate about, share them but don’t force people to conform with your views because you have to respect that others may view things differently. Do remember to bring along some business cards and hand them out before politely ending the conversation or moving onto another topic. In addition, be polite to accept any cards that are given by others as well.
One thing that is very important in business networking is to be courteous and professional when dealing with anyone. Do not be affected by what others may say and just be yourself. Do not be pretentious by behaving like a person whom you are not. Good business networking is not just about you but about listening to the people you meet and building up relationships such that if you were to hear of an opportunity that may be beneficial to them, you can let them know also.

So what happens after the initial meeting?

Well, you definitely need to put in effort to maintain contact with them. Be it just a drop of an SMS message or an email. It is always nice to feel remembered. People feel special when they’re remembered. Just like if you were to receive a call from someone out of the blue because of your networking and are presented with an opportunity, you would feel happy. It is because of the knowledge that they have made a lasting impression of themselves on you that opened this door of opportunity and resulted in you contacting them.
If someone you know has helped you by opening a door of opportunity for you, take some time to thank them for their help. Good business networking involves you showing your appreciation as well as maintaining this relationship that you have created. So do remember to meet them for a meal or just even a simple drop of an email will be good. Treat your contacts as your friends and you will realise that you have already achieved the best outcome expected of good business networking!

tag:businesses, connections, contacts, good business networking, opportunities, Relationships

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Zenya has got to be the coolest thing around and basically, it caught my eye because of its really nice packaging and I just bought it and tried it purely by chance. I’m a person who likes to experiment with new things/ products etc because you never know whether it’s going to be the best product/thing you can ever find around town! And trust me, it was sooo good! It refreshed me and made me sooo alert!
I was certainly surprised by its aromatic flavours of both green tea and pomegranate. I tried Pomegranate Green Tea because it’s one of the newer versions of green tea available in the market and boy was it sooo nice! So much better than that of Pokka or any other Pomegranate Cranberry tea or drink I’ve ever tasted! It was sweet yet had the strong aromatic taste of green tea and it didn’t leave a sour after taste that of those Pomegranate Cranberry teas.

This is how it looks! Check out its packaging! I really like the green bookmark thingy.. haha..

Oh dear.. I’m actually dedicating an entire post to a bottle of green tea! Well, just thought that I would share this new product (I think it’s new in Singapore) with everyone.. Am going to buy the other 2 flavors - pure green tea and lemon green tea tomorrow to try! Well, I got mine at NTUC (a local supermarket).. haha.. so if you are wanting to try too, just hop by to the nearest one!

Cheers!

tag:asian, beverage, drink, green tea, healthy, ntuc, Patricia Lin, pomegranate, Singapore, zenya

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Hahaa.. Before you mistake my title and think that I and Calvin have tied the knot over the weekend, I’m just sharing the sentiments from what I witnessed at my cousin, Shawn’s Marriage Solemnization ceremony yesterday. Well, his solemnization was a simple blast! It took place at Furama Riverfront Hotel which is at the cozy spot along Havelock Road. Frankly I feel that it’s a rather pleasant place to have a small and peaceful ceremony coupled with the gorgeous waterfall that the lounge actually overlooks.

Here are some photos of the hotel from Metro Travel Guide which are true to reality.

I think that the place had the perfect ambience and a touch of class. Not to mention the staff is really friendly! From the doorman to the waitress..!
The ceremony was really kept small and only immediate family members and close friends were invited. It’s a really good time for us to gather together and catch up and reminisce the times when we were younger as children. Sometimes, it’s really hard to imagine how we have grown over the years.

Some of our family members and the Groom! I’m Hidden!!

Some of our family members and the Groom again! Now, I’m Not Hidden!!

The Roses - My darling cousins.. Joelynn’s missing because she was admitted into hospital with an ear infection.. A lot others are missing cos they couldn’t make it.. so sad..

The thorn among the roses.. haha.. my cousin Kevin and us again!

To end this blog post off, the song below was one of the songs being played at the reception and I really loved this song. I’ve heard this song before and in fact, I watched the movie which this song was the OST for. But I never really felt this song had any significance to me. Now, this song is even more meaningful to me now that I’ve found my special someone…

So, I dedicate this song to you, my dearest Calvin:
I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE (Barbra Streisand & Bryan Adams)

I finally found someone, that knocks me off my feet
I finally found the one, that makes me feel complete
We started over coffee, we started out as friends
It’s funny how from simple things, the best things begin

This time it’s different, dah dah dah dah
It’s all because of you, dah dah dah dah
It’s better than it’s ever been
‘Cause we can talk it through
Oohh, my favorite line was “Can I call you sometime?”
It’s all you had to say to take my breath away

(Chorus) This is it, oh, I finally found someone
Someone to share my life
I finally found the one, to be with every night
‘Cause whatever I do, it’s just got to be you
My life has just begun
I finally found someone,ooh, someone
I finally found someone, oooh

Did I keep you waiting, I didn’t mind
I apologize, baby, that’s fine
I would wait forever just to know you were mine
And I love your hair, sure it looks fine
I love what you wear, isn’t it the time?
You’re exceptional, I can’t wait for the rest of my life

(Repeat Chorus)

Whatever I do, it’s just got to be you
My life has just begun I finally found someone

tag:furama riverfront hotel, marriage, Patricia Lin, rom, shawn and elaine, Singapore, solemnization, wedding

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RAWR.. I DON’T KNOW WHY I CAN’T EMBED THE COMIC SUCH THAT IT WON’T DESTROY MY BLOG LAYOUT!!!!

Haha.. sorry folks! I’m just pissed off that I have been trying to embed and edit the comic URL such that it won’t destroy my blog layout for the past 30 mins and I can’t seem to solve it! I really wonder why!!!

The Singer’s Dilemma from patricialin on Comiqs

Now, the funny thing is, it is now perfectly embedded in my site after i typed in the complaint about it!! Wahahaha.. how ironic! Anyway, it’s my first try at creating a comic and well, i must say it turned out pretty gd! I created it especially for Calvin and he loved it! I must say I find it one of the sweetest things I’ve ever done and made for him!

Well, the creation of the comic is really easy and step-by-step and basically doesn’t take you long at all! So do try it out and have fun creating your own personalised comic!

tag:Calvin Woon, comics, Comiqs, Fun, online comics, Patricia Lin

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After a long break (yes a very longggg one!), it’s back to my 4 part series on the Triangle Theory of Success which I feel has benefited me in a great way in achieving that balance that I want in life and this balance empowers me with confidence and faith to achieve even greater things.

If you are constantly wondering and envying that featured person in the newspaper (a successful businessman, artist, celebrity, designer, writer etc.. the list goes on), well, frankly you are not the only person who feels that way. You are just wondering “How in the world could they have done/achieved that?” Frankly, I’m one of them.. I always envy those who seem to have achieved success ‘without much effort’, when in fact, the media always creates a rosy picture and not really on the hard work that was put into it.. I know too many cases of such.

Let me tell you, it’s achievable by people like you and me. The success and breakthroughs that you are looking for in life, are accessible by you but it’s a matter of whether you want to push yourself out of the comfort zone to get to it. I know my journey has been rather a sort of “internal battle of ‘what ifs’ and ‘just do its’”. But to me, the Triangle Theory of Success has been some sort of a revelation to me because upon achieving balance in the mental, physical and spiritual aspects of my life, I have seen tremendous things happening in my life in the past year:
1. I have achieved a great balance between school and business, just completing my Psychology degree and have managed IMovators, my start up with Calvin and Munir.
2. I was featured on a reputable local bilingual newspaper, MyPaper together with Calvin.

3. I appeared on a local talk show, Just Shoot 3!.

4. Calvin and I were featured on a local tertiary magazine, Crossroads.

5. We achieved breakthroughs in internet marketing.. Especially for Calvin.. where we must really thank God for generously blessing him and Jonathan and what they are doing. Do check out IMBuzzCreators.com to check out the wide array of products and services they are providing!
What I’ve seen happening in our lives, specially for me, Calvin and Jonathan, are really outcomes of the Triangle Theory.. Do check out my earlier posts, Post 1and Post 2 on more on the Triangle Theory.
Now, in this post, I’m concentrating on the physical aspect of our lives, which mainly comprise of leading a healthy lifestyle and have a healthy body. Why are they important?

Without a health lifestyle, you won’t have a healthy body and without a healthy body, you are unfit to pursue the things that you want to because you just can’t meet the physical demands of the task. Moreover, a lot of people say, “Money can’t buy health” which is partially true because you may have all the money in the world to pay for treatment etc., but if your health is already in a bad state, money can just buy you more extra time to be alive, but not prolong your health. Sad but true.

Achieving the best of the physical aspect of our lives is not as easy as it seems. Sometimes, we are always tempted to do things that are contrary to living healthily such as snacking on fatty foods like cakes, sodas, fried chicken etc. We may be addicted to smoking or bingeing, which are maladaptive health behaviors (woohoo! i hope my health psychology professor would be proud to see i’m blogging about this.:P) It’s a daily decision to choose to do the ‘healthy’ or the ‘unhealthy’ things in life.

It’s not only just the food that comprises our lifestyle but also the activities that we carry out on a daily basis. For instance, are we couch potatoes who sit in front of the TV all day? Or are we actively working out? A simple activity would be to choose to walk 15mins from place A to get to place B instead of taking the public transport or car. (By the way, Calvin’s such a lazy bum who doesn’twant to walk from my place to the library which takes only 10mins! hahaha..)

You need to start a exercise and diet regimen that will keep you not only on your toes but maintain your optimum health. It’s good to start with a non-ambitious plan of working out 1-2times a week for at least 30-45mins to a more routine plan of working out at least 20-30mins a day.

The activities that I do implement:

1. Cycling

2. Brisk Walking

3. Jogging

4. Playing Ball Sports i.e. Basketball
5. Swimming

It’s all about making the first step towards a healthy lifestyle! As for your diet regimen, it’s good to eat more vegetables and fruits and drink more fluids (fluids meaning water, juices etc. and not sodas!!).

An example of my day’s meals:

Breakfast: 1 glass of water, a bowl of muesli with non-fat milk

Lunch: Seafood beehoon soup with barley water, an apple
Dinner: 2 Vegetables and 1 meat side-dishes with brown rice and a bowl of soup.

It’s better to have proper meals in a day rather than starve in a bid to diet. Also,you need to start putting in effort to eat right and healty whenever you go out to the restaurants or eat out at the food centres. Start exercising regularly too. Find it difficult and need motivation? Involve friends as well to get them to work out together with you or join you in your activities!

Maintaining such a healthy lifestyle and body just helps to make sure that your mind and body are constantly moving and on the go. Moreover, you would also feel that you’ll have more energy each day and can be able to move forward with ease. Plus, exercising releases hormones that produces a ‘feel-good’ and destressing feeling.. It does help in maintaining the mental aspect of your life! So start making a change in your life today!

In my next blog post for this series, I’ll be touching on the spiritual aspect. So do drop by for more!

tag:Accomplishments, Attitudes, Happiness, Mental Physical and Spiritual Aspects of Life, Positive Attitude, Success, Triangle Theory for Success

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It’s getting so hot these days.. and frankly, Singapore being a tropical island with only 2 seasons of hot and hotter.. hahaha.. anyway, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s sunny and hot. But these days, it’s really HOOOOOTTTTT.. i’m not kidding! And it is always so during the May-July period where we supposedly have summer..

Here are a few fun and perhaps, simple tips that I have to stay cool in the summer:

1. Drink iced water/ tea instead of normal luke warm water to quench thirst. (Do carry around with you a insulated tumbler/water bottle when you go out such that you can be sure that you have cold water all day with you! )

2. Go places that are air-conditioned such as a shopping mall or the library (they are always soo cool and wonderful to just walk around and sit around too!)

3. Wear something that is comfy and cool (need I say more? Time to take your bermudas and sun dresses out when you head out!)

4. Stay at home (it’s cooler at home than out… so might as well stay at home where you can blast your fan, air-con, cooler etc.)

5. Go to the beach/swimming pool (it’s always good to cool off at the pool.. and enjoy a iced cold drink at the same time)

Hahaa.. how did i come up with these tips? Well, I’m doing them right now that’s why! Enjoy your summer folks!

tag:cool down, enjoy, Fun, hot, Singapore, summer, tips

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I chanced upon this article when I was searching for blog content and thought that it was a good article to really sum up how important goal setting is to guarantee not only success but also to make sure that your life has a direction which you move towards in. I have ‘italicized’ some of the main points for your easy browsing and those in parentheses are just some of my thoughts too! Enjoy.

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If you wanted to take a trip to somewhere and you haven’t gone to that particular place before, what is the one thing that you will probably be having ? Yes, that’s right. You will probably have a map in your hand to show you exactly how to get from where you are at to where you want to go. [You need to know your destination before you can search the map for where you want to go. Likewise, it is important for you to know the eventual outcome that you are looking for before you make plans and set your goals.] This sounds like common sense but for many people out there who have not been exposed to goal setting techniques and have no idea how to properly plan a goal, they might be just as well be walking around in a circle.

A personal goal setting process is a framework that provides you a step by step procedure from assessing where you are at right now and taking you from this current point in time to forming a plan which has tasks, timeline and milestones. It provides you a guiding line every step of the way so you can refer to it at any point on your journey to reach your goals. [How true! By setting your goals, you are developing the pit stops for your progress towards success. Moreover, if you incorporate rewards at each pit stop, you’d realise that working towards your goals is not as tedious as it seems!]

Some people who are not exposed to some of the goal setting techniques most probably think its a waste of time. To these people, a goal setting plan is nothing more then a to-do list. [OH GOSH! Have i been making my goal setting plan like a to-do list?? Haha.. seems so on my blog right? Rest assured, I have a detailed goal plan! However, sometimes, we always need perseverence to stick by them!] Moreover, they have the concept that their dreams will come true if they just have a thought in their minds. If only it was that simple. Without a plan, where would an individual know if he has been slipped on his schedule or where should he reallocate more time to readjust timelines for more difficult task.

[I think this paragraph really has summed up exactly how you will be if you don’t have your goals set!] If you want to reach a goal without a plan, you are akin to a ship in the middle of an ocean without an map or a compass. You are always trying to move in a certain direction, but you don’t know where you are and you don’t know if the direction you are moving will lead you to your destination.

With a well thought of plan, you can have the flexibility to make changes to any parts of the plan without affecting your entire journey to reach your goals. Some people may argue that having a plan restricts the individual in taking any opportunities that comes in the middle of their journey and reduces the spontaneity that comes with life. This is a false concept. [Oh yeah! Your goals set will actually make you more targeted and focused such that you will notice greater opportunities that might come your way to help you reach your outcomes sooner!] Having a good plan from a productive personal goal setting session not only contributes to you having more flexibility and freedom to cater for any unexpected surprises, you will also have less stress in thinking what your next step will be because you have taken the element of double guessing your actions out of the equation.

Time is precious [OH DEFINITELY.. It’s so precious that nothing can buy more time!] and we only have a limited amount of time on earth. Do you want to wander aimlessly or would you prefer to be laser focused on getting results and living the best life that you deserve to live. The choice is yours. [So have you made your choice? I hope so!]

Written By: Alvin Loh

tag:Achievements, alvin loh, Goal Setting, Goals, Motivation, Patricia Lin, plans

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