Holy crap.

5 days to turn out a prototype Facebook app.

Tying Our Fates Together

"How selfish so ever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it."

-Adam Smith

There has been a lot of talk about social entrepreneurship. How doing good doesn't necessarily equate to doing something non-profit. Do no evil, Google's motto reminds us of this constantly. With money flowing into cleantech these days, we're never short of people who profess to share both the social as well as entrepreneurial spirit.

I'm not a cynic when it comes to change. Admittedly, there are times where it would seem otherwise, but no, I do believe in social innovation and that such a thing exists. But perhaps sometimes, we look at issues critically and often we miss the point. Isn't technology, by its very definition, social? Something that enriches lives and changes fate. For the most part, technology, in its many forms and shapes, have made the world a better place to live. We see solar power as the one thing that will liberate us from the shackles of oil dependency. But yet at the same time, without it, would we have life as we know it today?

I like what one of the speakers during the AAMA event said about progress. About change. "The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of rocks." We change to progress. Change isn't just about innovation. Progress isn't just about profits. The future is about the people. And making lives better. Social entrepreneurship.

In the home of country, here's another song to break the monotony of the day. Sorry for the crappy quality but I didn't really feel like nitpicking on it.

Here it goes.

Looking Beyond to Reach Self-Discovery

There are many paths in life. And you, and only you, have the chance to choose the one that you want to walk.

生命的道路雖有許多. 而只有你才能走出属于自己的未來

Re-evaluating life has never hit home so hard. I don't know why. And I don't need to know. All I know is to find the answer. To choose my road and walk it. The how is as important as the why.

Priorities. Habits. And what truly matters. Questions that have been asked but never really answered. And for once, it suddenly becomes so important.

And I truly have no idea.

But I know where to start and how to find it. And hope that it will be enough.

-five

Capturing the Moment

Got back last night. Or rather, this morning as some would have it =)

Parents are here, sleeping the jet lag away in my room and I'm almost going down myself so I'll just stick a fabulous song here. Courtesy of Sourdough Saloon, Beatty, Nevada. Enjoy. Will try to write something nice and long tonight with lots of pictures. I think we all have something to learn from this beautiful piece of country.

Remember this name: Rubicon Project

Every day, at least 5 companies get funding in Silicon Valley. That's almost like 20-40 million per day. And THAT is pretty scary.

And I am more and more convinced that I'm on the right track here. Hmm....

Life in the Valley

One often wonders about the power of the Web. And the intricate links from one end of the network to the other. Or whether six degrees of separation really does exist? And what are the behavioral patterns people actually adhere to on the Internet.

Anyway, enough of the inane babbling. I'll be trying to update my blog with a lot more content in the upcoming weeks. Social commentaries, views on venture capitalism and dreams and so forth. Forget everything else. Then again, I'm not even sure I'll be able to do that =) So, keep up your bookmarking and let the good times roll.

But of course, first up, some links to some very good blogs.

Chris's A Seven Month Siesta. Very inspiring and very cool insights. I really need to figure out how to put MY nice photos up as the main banner. Will try to do that asap.

Fellow temporary Californian Cailin's blog. She has been to more places than me la.

Ill

Fell sick. Damn, head is throbbing and not really thinking. Just sitting in my cubicle in a daze and just wishing I could go sleep.

Bleah

A pretty darn good song.

Enjoy.

Paradigms

Selected quotes. Will have more next time.

"In Singapore, drivers are not allowed to make a U-turn unless a sign specifically allows them to do so, while in some other countries drivers may make U-turns freely so long as the ‘No U-turn’ sign is not present."

"There are just so many ways to fail."

Photos & more Photos

Finally, after multiple not-so-subtle hints from different people that I should update my blog, here it is =)

So where do I start....? Hmm... Actually, been more than a week since I updated it. I'm too lazy. Anyway, I'll just let the pictures do the talking for Tahoe. But trust me, even so, the pictures don't do the place justice.



Lake Tahoe was awesome. First time skiing. And it was a great roadtrip =) And the view was spectacular. Makes you feel almost insignificant in comparison. Will be back for more next winter!

Yesterday was San Francisco. It was pouring so we didn't really get much sightseeing in. We did get a few pictures and had some really nice crab. Not your typical Singaporean chill crabs (I miss those) but freshly boiled crabs. Very different.