How Fast Do You Type?

Here's something I came across. I've always wondered how fast I typed.

75 words

Speaking

This post is dedicated to my new ambition, which is to become a motivational speaker and one day speak on an massive stage in front of an international crowd, and have them leave a little wiser than when they arrived. Allow me to share how this came about.

It was a darrrrk and storrrmy night... in a land far far away... (just kidding).

Seriously, after taking 2 weeks off to hunt for a clue on a potential career for myself, I went through some really great books and audio tapes which taught me how to identify something good for myself. I discovered that I have a passion for talking.

I remember in kindergarten, I was so chatty the teacher put sellotape across my mouth to keep me quiet. And as a I looked through the remarks in my student report cards from my younger days, one comment which consistently appeared was that I was an "outspoken child". That passion for talking has grown quite a bit. Now I don't just want to talk... I want to talk on stage!

I'm not saying that I'm always eager to get up on stage and talk to a huge crowd of people I don't know. Truth be told, I do get the jitters whenever I have to speak to people through a microphone. I get stage fright too, like many other people out there.

My first time ever on stage was a complete disaster - 11 years of age, taking part in a storytelling contest back in primary school. My preparation was good and I knew my story relatively well. Unfortunately, once up there, I barely got past the introduction when my brain froze. Not only did I not know what to say next, I was so nervous I forgot what I had already said. I stood there on stage in front of a hall of 500-600 other students and teachers for what seemed like an eternity. It was a nightmare.

When I finally came to my senses, I was just so embarrassed and eager to run off stage that I just pieced together a rough ending to my story, anything which came off the top of my head, a sentence at a time. LOL! barely an introduction and then a pathetic dash for the ending. My story had a head and 2 feet... no body - like M&M's mascot. Suffice to say, I didn't win anything in that competition.

For most people, an experience like that would have been enough to turn a little fear into an all-out phobia. Strange that I somehow managed to find myself on stage again in secondary school, and pulling off a half decent job this time.

Today, whenever I'm put to the task of public speaking on stage, I generally brush off the nervousness within the first 2 minutes of being up there. So I believe I'm off to a good start already.

Now it's just a matter of gaining more skills and refining them. And of course to work on a plan which will ultimately qualify me to have people willing to pay thousands of dollars and fly thousands of miles just to attend one of my talks.

Then the question arises... "Are people going to pay thousands of dollars and fly thousands of miles just to listen to me talk nonsense?" Of course not. I'll need to have something good to share with them. And thus I'm setting off on my quest for personal development in hope that I will realize my ambition before I'm old and grey.

It's a big ambition, but a good one nonetheless. I'm excited!

Lost In Life

Through my younger days, the topic of ambition always came up. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" was the common question. I really had no clue, but I forced myself to think... lawyer, doctor, fireman, pilot, accountant... you know, the common professions. Not that it was really my ambition, but I went with whatever came to mind to "appease the gods" or in my case, my parents and kindergarten teachers.

10 years later as I finished high school and applied for college, and university after that, I still had barely a clue. Thus my lack of enthusiasm through the years. After graduating with a Bachelor's Degree of Arts majoring in accounting & finance, I still didn't know what I wanted to do with myself.

Picture that... 25 years of living life without direction. Unbelievable, but true.

I've spent the past 2-3 weeks focusing on soul searching. I have finally decided on a greater goal in life... my ambition. Read more about it in my next post.

Reminiscing

I've been cleaning my room over the past couple of days. Not that it's really that messy, but I just haven't been entirely focused. Today as I went through more of the older stuff which I previously had stored away in a huge box under my table, I came across my year books from secondary school and Taylor's College.

It was nice to look through the pictures and articles of activities in the days past. I remember many faces, but few names. There were also faces which weren't familiar at all. Some classmate I was huh? In case by chance any of them are looking up old classmates, here's the list of where I've been.

1987-1988: Tadika Eu Ee SS2
1989: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 1C
1990: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 2C
1991: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 3C
1992: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 4C
1993: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 5C
1994: SRJK(C) Puay Chai - 6C
1995: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - Peralihan 5 (P5)
1996: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 1 Hormat (1H)
1997: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 2 Damai (2D)
1998: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 3 Adil (3A)
1999: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 4 Ehsan (4E)
2000: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ - 5 Ehsan (5E)
2001: Taylors College SJ South Australian Matriculation (SAM) - Legal Studies 2 (L2)
2002: Help Institute Diploma In Business Studies (DipBus)
2003-2006: Help Institute BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance (BAAF)

After looking through the year books, I moved on to looking at some of the old greeting cards and letters I had received through post. Trust me, I'm not much of a sentimental guy. I don't usually keep gifts, notes, letters, cards or other souvenirs given to me. I do appreciate it, I just don't keep it.

So I was going through some of the stuff which I kept and I noticed one thing they mostly had in common - postage stamps. I've been keeping these cards and letters mainly because they were posted to me. Meaning even though we had the convenience of email, the sender actually felt that I was worth the trouble of putting their thoughts into writing, finding an envelop, affixing a stamp and mailing it off. I guess that made a difference to me, and why I kept them.

Su Ling, Shona, Yin Tse, Charity, Huey Lim, Cherie, Jane. Thank you for thinking that I was worth a postage stamp or two.

Once, I even received a handsome tie together with one of the cards in my mailbox. Thanks Shonz!

I haven't been in touch with most of these people though I'd much like to. I will continue to hang on to these souvenirs of the past.

First Time Rock Climbing

Rock climbing has never been one of the things on my to do list. Though I've been invited to go with some friends time and time again, I just was never motivated enough. No one had infected me with enough excitement to want to give it a shot. Not till last Sunday.

While it was not on my list, it has been on Jo's list for a long time already. She just kept putting it off. When a good friend of hers invited her along for his weekly affair, she couldn't pass up the chance. She invited me along too. I understood the sport as an activity you do in pairs. So I figured I might as well go check it out in case she's ever in need of a buddy to go with her. Besides, I'm still living by the motto of trying anything once.

It cost us each RM38, including admission, gear rental and a basic course. We were taught the most basic things about climbing and belaying. Tying the knots to the harness was simple enough but we both had a bit of trouble with belaying. It's not that complicated but we're just not used to the motions. Time and practice will definitely help.

After some guidance from the instructor, we were left to handle ourselves. We got a bit bored of the easy routes and decided to move around a bit. As I gradually attempted tougher routes, my arms exponentially lost strength. And there I was thinking of working out at the gym before rock climbing. It's a jolly good thing I didn't.

3 hours later, I was so exhausted and sore all over I just wanted to go home, shower, eat and sleep. Yet I didn't leave the same person as when I got there. I had now accomplished something new, and was excited to return another day fresh to attempt the tougher routes once again... especially those I failed to finish.

If you don't mind climbing with a beginner, feel free to invite me the next time you go climbing.

Samsonite Out-Liners Connection

It's been an interesting weekend. Went and bought myself a laptop backpack - Samsonite Out Liner Connection. Best RM270 I spent in a long time.

Convenient, functional, sturdy, spacious... just what I had in mind.

Though it was quite a chore finding it and making my purchase, I'm glad I finally have something convenient to carry my load around.

I got the black one.

Come back later for an update on my first time rock climbing

Getting Back On Track

Didn't realize that it's already been 3 months since my last post. I apologise.

Have you ever been so "caught up"? That's what happened to me. Unfortunately, I was caught up with the wrong things. I was caught up with being unproductive. Day after day I was waking up later and later, feeling less and less excited about starting the day. It was a vicous cycle of doing nothing important, things which didn't excite me. I was sinking into depression. The most disastrous part of it all was that I hid it so well that not only did the closest people in my lives not notice, even I didn't notice.

Then things changed. I started to take notice of the change in feelings. How could I feel so shitty when just a couple of months back I was the happy go lucky guy I've always been. I knew I needed to work on myself, but I had no idea where to start, nor what to do. It was also then when people around began to notice that things weren't quite right with me. Alas, it didn't help.

The one person I was willing to consult was away in Chiangmai without any sign of when he would be returning. Finally, last Sunday I met him and we talked a bit. I explained my lack of motivation and how I was feeling so down lately. The response he gave me didn't really press the right buttons, and I felt no different at the end of the conversation. However, he did do one thing right. He gave me an assignment.

Together with Anthony Robbins Personal Power 2 CDs, he gave me instructions to wake up early every morning, take a shower, dress nice, have a hot cup of tea and listen to 1 CD every day before starting the day, over the next 30 days.

At first it sounded a little bit excessive to me. However I was compelled to oblige because I was desperate to feel differently. Anything was worth a shot.

He then continued by asking me if I would do as he instructed, and take it seriously. I had my doubts about doing that for 30 days but really, what choice did I have. I said yes.

He didn't stop there. He pulled out a pen and a piece of blank paper for me. He told me to write down exactly what I will do for the next 30 days, as a commitment to him, as well as to myself.

Now I knew he was getting serious. And so, I wrote down something like this, signed it, and gave it to him for keeping.

"I, Mervyn Tan, promise to wake up every morning, shower, have a hot cup of tea, and listen to the Anthony Robbins CDs by 8am. I will complete the daily assignments given by Anthony Robbins accordingly, and I will report back to Bjorn with what I learnt from that day's lesson. I will do so for the next 30 days until the program is complete"

Just as I handed the letter back to Bjorn, he emphasized how important it was for me to do exactly as I had commited, or he would be seriously disappointed and would lose his trust in me.

I don't know if he knew how much value I place on trust, but he pushed the right button alright. The next morning, and every morning since then, I have woken up and done accordingly. Truth be told, what I have been doing these past couple of days has truly lifted my spirits. I'm actively getting more and more things done and it feels great. People around me have noticed the change too.

I have also finally sat down to draw up a life mission for myself. Nothing fancy, but I think it'll serve as a decent guide while I chart my course through life. I'm penning it down here so I can reflect on it from time to time. I also hope that others may be inspired to do the same and live their lives with purpose and passion.

Mervyn's Mission

• I commit to continuous learning and inspiring others with the knowledge and experience gained.
• I will live with passion, surrounding myself with my family and dearest friends.
• I will constantly seek new ways to challenge myself, setting new goals regularly and achieving them.
• I will afford the time & money freedom required to enable me to travel the world at will.