I have been so busy the last few weeks. Finally I can share with you some of my favorite articles in my Evernote.

Links You Don’t Want To Miss 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Fixing the Google+ Engagement Problem Even though my heart belongs to Google+, sometimes I have to face the truth. Gideon Rosenblatt makes some good points. I am sure the Google+ team is listening. If you haven’t circled Gideon yet, you should. He is a great guy on G+.

How to make money online This is the only post you need to read about making money on the Internet from Seth Godin

Everything Is Dead A great post from Danny Brown [@dannybrown]. We do not like changes no matter how good, and more convenient a new development is. Last time I checked, people are still listening to free radio.  It took 100 years before the machine press replaced the hand press. We cannot change our habits overnight. It is not that easy to kill an outdated technology or industry.

Men, women can be friends, but should they? My friend Kana [@pawspix] I have always asked myself this question. It is an interesting article. Now I know why many of my friendships don’t last.

Blur Worthy? If you are worrying about privacy, you really need to read this. Data is gold. It is very hard to stay in your bubble, and sometimes your neurotic need to remain private will bring you more harm than good.

Nine Dangerous Things You Were Taught In School I have attended 9 different schools, not including preschool and kindergarten, in both Asia and Canada. I have  to agree with this article. Of course, I am not a normal child. Read it, and let me know what you think.

Tips and Tricks for Hangouts on Air This is the best list of hangout tips I have ever read. Great share from +Fraser Cain

Now it is your turn. Please share some fabulous articles that you read this week in the comment right below

Photo:  Arindam “mak” Ghosh

I reorganized my Evernote and found an old note. I thought you would enjoy it.

There is a lovely story (I don’t know if it’s actually true, but I like to think that it is) about a diplomatic reception hosted by Queen Victoria of England:

The reception’s guest of honor was an African chief and all was well until the servants brought out finger bowls for the guests to wash their hands. The African chief had never seen a finger bowl before and started drinking from it. Upon seeing this, all the other guests stopped talking and started looking at the chief with disproving looks. Queen Victoria took her own bowl and promptly drank from it as well.

To me, this is the definition of a lady.

Source: Quora

It is very easy to make fun of people, any of us can do it. It takes  a true leader to stand up for others.

Photo: Flickr

“the point of having kids is to raise them up to be themselves, not you. If you’re lucky they learn from your mistakes and turn out better.”

~ Life Unexpected (TV Show)

Photo: trialsanderrors

Two posts, Same content, Different Formats

One remained unknown, the other went “viral”

Now I finally understand this proverb

A picture is worth a thousand words

Definition of COMMON SENSE
: sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts

Merriam Webster

Yesterday I was going to write a post about an incident in my life. I told a friend about it and she was shocked. I did not expect that at all because it is normal in my world. Backstabbing and framing others  is nothing new in business. Before yesterday I thought it was common sense.

I grew up as part of an elite society in a third world country. My family talks about business, politic and culture during dinner. When I was 6, I already followed the United States presidential election.  I read economic and marketing magazines since I was 8. By the age of 12, I already  learned war strategies and face reading ( and I am so bad at face reading). It felt normal to me because most people around me know it.  It is survival skill that we need to know.  And I thought all the other kids learned the same thing.

I was wrong.

Nothing is clear anymore Sourse:Nellie Vin

A common business knowledge for me might be something totally new for a friend who came from a blue collar background. It is because we did not have similar experiences in life. What is common knowledge for me does not mean it will make sense for others. I have a lot of clueless moment when Western culture does not make sense to me at all.

Is common sense really common sense anymore?

We are living in a global village. We might live in a neighborhood where most people share the same religion, social status and education; but our networks are bigger than that. People come from different parts of the world with different cultures and social backgrounds. Most of us don’t experience the same thing in life. It is more difficult to share a common knowledge. A normal thing for you might be something new for others. Common sense is becoming a loose term.

Can we call Western common knowledge common sense?

I don’t think so, with the rise of Asia and other part of the world. It is no longer Western countries and the rest of the world. What is common sense for you might not make sense for other people. For example, it is impolite to ask for people’s age or marital status when you first meet someone according to Western culture. However, it is okay to ask those questions when you just meet someone in Asia.

The internet makes the world smaller but also more complicated. People think differently.

We need to stop assuming everything is common sense and start listen to the other people.  Because…

Common sense is not so common.

The only dreams impossible to reach are the ones you never pursue.

~ Michael Deckman

My blog is about how the people in my life inspired me and all the lessons I learned from them.My parents taught me about life . My friend opened my mind to the importance of nurturing relationship. Another friend showed me the value of a community. I learned about business from a smart company. Everyone insprised me in some way. And I would not be the same person as I am today without them.

Lessons can come from both success and failure.

~ Monster

I enjoy learning from everyone and share it with you all. If something inspired me, it might inspire you too. A few days ago, I came across this video on Google+

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Caine’s Arcade is short film about a smart 9-year-old boy named Caine who made his own  arcade games out of cardboard. The kid puts all his heart and passion into this business. His first customer Nirvan Mullick, a filmmaker arranged a surprise for the young enterprenuer with a customer flashmob. With the power of the internet, the video went viral after a few days and raised $136K for Caine’s college fund. Nirvan Mullick saw an opportunity and made a little kid’s dream become reality. I admire both Caine and Nirvan for all their hard works.

It shows  that anything can be possible if you believe in yourself and your dream. Also an inspiring story does not end after you learned a lesson.

Sharing is caring.

The more we share the more  people will be inspired by the story. This is one of the reasons why I am blogging and tweeting. I love adding value to people’s lives and spreading the love.  I am learning so much from sharing with you guys . It is one of the greatest joy. I came across an interesting contest on Twitter. Who Inspires You is a contest sponsored Tri-Cyclen Lo to help empower young women across Canada. The idea is uploading a video of 5 minutes or less to Youtube and telling what you aspire to be and how you would use the $10,000 to achieve your inspirational dream.  It is a chance to inspire people with your dream. More important than the prize, you will meet some amazing inspiring young women around Canada and learn a lot from them.  There are so much to learn from everyone around us.

For more details on rules and regulations, you can check out the contest’s website. I really wish that the contest is opened to younger kids so my little Monster can enter too. It is a good opportunity for her to develop her character. I guess she will have to wait a few years. There is also a monthly contest with some sweet prizes. You can find out more info on the contest’s website, Twitter or Facebook page.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Many years ago, I started a non-profit organization from one thread on a popular forum. At that time I had no sponsors, just a big dream and lots of energy.

Anything can happen if you believe in yourself and your dream.

A video, tweet, or blog post you create today might be the beginning for something big tomorrow.

Good luck.

Deadline: May 18th, 2012. Don’t miss it :)

Disclosure: This post is sponsored byTri-Cyclen Lo. However all opinions expressed are my honest opinions based on my personal experiences :). I can write a paragraph like many other bloggers or show the world what I believe in and inspire others. :)

Lately I have been in love with stats. I am not sure why but I just love analyzing numbers and understanding all the pattern of behaviors. All  Links You Don’t Want To Miss posts are in most shared posts list. Like I said in Links You Don’t Want To Miss #8, I did not expect this at all. I thought you guys did not find these posts useful. I was wrong.

Lesson learned:

Don’t assume you know what people want.

Links You Don’t Want To Miss 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Image: M Monica’s Google+

Is Pinterest Traffic Worthless? This is a very good Pinterest analytic post. It shows how traffic does not always mean success.

How to Track Social Media Traffic With Google Analytics A very neat tutorial that shows how to find out where your visitors come from.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

This app will freak you out, but it’s the future of, well, a lot Robert Scoble shows a demo of a new location based app, PlaceMe. The app collects A LOT of data. Very freaky, but this can also open a lot of doors. Very interesting post to read and you should totally watch the video.

Why I homeschool another good post by Penelope Trunk. It does not matter if you like homeschool movement or not, it is a good post to read.

21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic (Updated 2012) One of the best articles about blogging I have ever read. Lots of good tips

Now it is your turn. Please share some fabulous links that you saw this week in the comment right below.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

I cry anytime I watch this video…..

Enjoy

When I started this blog, I did not care about blogging at all. My followers kept asking me why I did not have a blog. To be honest, I started blogging because you guys annoyed me way too much. I just did not want to have another person asking me why I didn’t have a blog. I had Twitter already. Plus we all know I cannot write in any language. I did not see a point to maintain a blog.  I did not really care what I was writing about nor if I have any readers.

Things change and people change too.

I am not an exception.

When love fades

As time passes, my relationship with Twitter is not the same anymore. Everyday I log on and ask myself why I am here. I am not saying Twitter is not useful anymore. It is still a very important tool. But  I do not think Twitter reflects who I am as person anymore.

What About Google+

I adore Google+ and  I still believe it will have a bright future. I always joke Google+ is my new hot boyfriend in social media world. But the biggest lesson I learned from Twitter is I should not only invest my time building something that I cannot control.  If tomorrow both Twitter and Google+ are gone, people need a place to find me.

What is not mine, it will never be mine.

Everyday there are newer and hotter social networks coming out, I cannot keep switching from one to another. I need a place to call home.

And I realized I have one…..my blog

I know a lot of people think blogging is dying. Maybe it is true, maybe not. But I think having a home is better than none.  I am not looking forward to make money from blogging. I am not looking gain some fame from it either. Blogging is not a business for me at all, not today not tomorrow.  I just want to have a community that I care about.

….I will take blogging seriously.

[ Five years ago, I launched a forum which later became a non-profit organization. It was one of the best things that has happened to me. Hope once again today will be a start of something wonderful]

While cleaning my room, I found a poster of The Last Supper. It reminds me of a story.

 

The story behind painting of the Last Supper is extremely interesting and instructive. Two incidents connected with this painting afford a most convincing lesson on the effects of sin in our lives.

As you know, the Last Supper was painted by Leonard Da Vinci, a noted Italian artist. The time engaged for its completion was seven years. The figures representing the twelve apostles and Christ himself were painted from living persons. The live model for the painting of the figure of Jesus was chosen first. When it was decided that Da Vinci would paint this great picture, hundreds and hundreds of young men were carefully viewed in an endeavor to find a face and personality of unaffected by sin.

Finally, after weeks of laborious searching a young man, nineteen years of age, was selected as the model for the portrayal of Christ. For six months Da Vinci worked on the production of this leading character of the famous painting. During the next six years Da Vinci continued his labors on his sublime work of art. One by one, fitting persons were chosen to represent each of the eleven apostles, space being left for the painting of the figure representing Judas Iscariot as the final task of this masterpiece.

This was the apostle, you remember, who betrayed his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, worth $16.95, in our present day currency. For weeks Da Vinci searched for a man with hard calloused face, with a countenance marked by scars of avarice, deceit, who would betray his best friend. After many discouraging experiences in searching for the type of person required to represent Judas, word came to Da Vinci that a man whose appearance fully met the requirements had been found. He was in a dungeon in Rome, sentenced to die for a life of crime and murder.

Da Vinci made the trip to Rome at once, and this man was brought out from his imprisonment in the dungeon and led out into the light of the sun. There Da Vinci saw before him a dark, swarthy man, his long shaggy and unkempt hair sprawled over his face, a face which portrayed a character of viciousness and complete ruin. At last the painter had found the person he wanted to represent the character of Judas in his painting.

By special permission from the king, this prisoner was carried to Milan where the fresco was being painted. For six months the prisoner sat before Da Vinci, at appointed hours each day, as the gifted artist diligently continued his task of transmitting to his painting this base character in the picture representing the betrayer of the Savior.

As he finished his last stroke, he turned to the guards and said, “I have finished, you may take the prisoner away.” The prisoner suddenly broke loose from their control and rushed up to Da Vinci, crying as he did so, “Oh, Da Vinci, look at me! Do you not know who I am?” Da Vinci, with the trained eyes of a great character student, carefully scrutinized the man upon whose face he had constantly gazed for six months and replied, “No, I have never seen you in my life until you were brought before me out of the dungeon in Rome.”

Then lifting his eyes toward heaven, the prisoner said, “O God, have I fallen so low?” Then turning his face to the painter he cried, “Leonardo Da Vinci, look at me again, for I am the same man you painted just seven years ago as the figure of Christ!

This true story of the painting of the Last Supper teaches so strongly the lesson of the effects of right and wrong actions of an individual. He was a young man whose character was so pure and unspoiled by the sins of the world, that he represented a countenance and innocence and beauty fit to be used for the painting of a presentation of Christ. But over a period of only seven years filled with sin and crime, he was changed into a perfect picture of the most notorious character ever known in the history of the world. [Source]

People change. Some become better, some become worse. It does not matter who you were.

The only thing that matters is who you are today ~ Monster

Sometime we need to forget the image of a person that is in our mind  and learn to accept the image that is right in front of us.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Enjoy

Image: dev null

Dream does not cost a thing.
Why would you dream small, when you can dream big.

Just had a fortune cookie moment……

I have not written a Links You Don’t Want To Miss post in a long time . I thought it was not helpful and did not want to write them if nobody is going to read. I was wrong. Lately I have gotten a lot of RT and lovely tweets from my followers about them. People love them more than I thought. It is nice to share my favorite links of the week with you again.

Links You Don’t Want To Miss 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

How To Start A Blog In 2012  This post might be not new to many of you but I think it is a good reminder. I agree with Mitch Joel that starting a blog in 2012 is not easy but it is not impossible.

Influence is not popularity and popularity is not influence

The Difference Between Popularity And Influence Online People often mix up popularity and influence, they are not the same thing.  Many brands don’t understand this and waste a lot of money  for some useless popularity contests. Social media is like a high school, you need to understand what is  important. This is a free report by Brian Solis about digital influence.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent
~ President Calvin Coolidge

Friends Source: Rishi S

Yesterday I had a fight with one of my guy friends. Let’s call him Lonely Boy because our friendship is a lot like Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf friendship from Gossip Girl. And we all know I am a lot like the vain bitchy Blair Waldorf who idolizes Audrey Hepburn, classic movies and upscale traditions. Lonely Boy is not the typical type of guy I would hang out with. We are very different but we get along very well.  Back to the fight, it was my fault. I was moody and unreasonable as always. A kind friend of mine was trying to be  peacemaker. She was trying to convince me that Lonely Boy likes me and I should ask him out. LOL That was kind of cute. She is so sweet and kind. It does not matter if my friend is right or not, I would never ask Lonely Boy out. If he likes me, he needs to learn to ask to get what he wants. Plus I don’t even think he likes me.

That reminds me why I don’t like to date Asian men. This is a true story. Long time ago a good friend of mine suddenly hates me. I didn’t understand at that time at all. Few years later, her long time crush asked me to go on a date out of the blue. I said no and finally understood why she hates me [sadly she is still hating me].  Asian men are shy and most of time they wouldn’t try to get what they want. If they try, it is usually too late.  I don’t date Asian men because I wouldn’t wait 3 years for a date.

In life, a lot of time the differences between a winner and loser is usually just a question. The worst case  is someone will say no. But if you never ask, you will never know if you had a chance or not.

That is how my little sister Alicia always gets a lot of presents. The little kid always asks for presents when there is  a chance. People always remember to buy her present and forget about the rest of us. Because she did something that we all forgot. She asked.

I know it is very hard to ask people especially for help. But sometime you just need to.  Most of the time people cannot read your mind, and they need a little help.

When we were a kid, we ask every time we need help or want something because we don’t overthink.  And that is how we got what we wanted.

Sometime we just need to act like when we were children.

Think less and ask more

A while ago I came to my father with a business idea. I cannot remember what it was is exactly. I think it was fashion related. Anyway this was my father reaction.

You can do beyond this. Don’t just sell a product, you need to sell an idea. You cannot work for money because you will end up doing it your entire life. Start a market for people, and they will work for you their entire lives. Focus on what you are good at.

I really did not realize that by focusing on doing small things, I did not see the big picture. For example, most apps in Apple store are not from Apple. Apple created a market for developers to sell their apps, and it takes 30% of sale revenue. Facebook does not charge users subscription fee to use the social network. But it makes a big amount of money from advertising. It started a market for people to promote their brands. This is somewhat complicated to understand and every few people can success. Selling an idea is very hard, but if you success you can make a lot of money. Because when you can convince people that your market is the right place, you don’t have to worry much and can collect money in your sleep.

If you want to make money, sell a product. If you want to make a lot of money, start a market.

Yesterday I went to pre-launch party of Uber, a location based car service. You know I rarely write review. I just don’t find review posts are timeless enough. I am not the typical Torontonian blogger who would write a post like this “I have partied here, the company gave me some perks and that is why they are awesome.” Free food and drink are not a good enough reason for me to write a post, I can afford them.

Why would I write about these guys?

1. I heard about Uber months ago on Robert Scoble’s Google+ . The tech celebrity’s wallet was stolen and Uber saved the day.  I have wanted to check out the start-up since December. When Lucas from Uber invited me the pre-launch, even it was fashion week, I did not want to miss it.
2. I had a interesting talk with a member from Uber team.  It was not the brilliant co-founders or the smart adorable Community Manager Lucas. I talked to a driver. Nobody can be a better brand ambassador than  its own people. He really convinced to write this post. Alexander, my driver told me why he loves being partner with Uber. He told me that the company gave him the power to control his  time. Whenever he wants to work, he just need to press a button on his iPhone. Uber  gives him a lot more freedom than previous companies he worked for.

I realized Uber is more than just a car service. It is a bridge connecting drivers and consumers. They did not just start a service, they started a market. They make on-demand private car service so simple. The app connects consumers with suppliers within a few clicks. A driver who has a car that meets the company standard can become a partner easily. Uber can expand their service into new city easily because both supply and demand are there already. I like when I learn a lesson from a party.

Not only like the business idea, the service is very neat too. When I visit my father in Vietnam, I was so used to have personal driver. Every day, in the morning I would text the driver. He would pick me up and drive me around the city. I did not have to worry about parking [ it is a nightmare in Asia] nor paying anything.  I miss being spoiled. Taxi is just not the same as having a personal driver [ I used to take cab so much. I used to call taxi driver directly like my personal driver.] Uber made me felt like I just got my personal driver back.

The service is great because it is 

• Safe – It feels much safer than taxi because I know who the driver is.  There are name, a picture and phone number that I can call. Most of time, I don’t feel the same way with taxi’s driver especially at night. Also if you forget something in the car, it is very to track.
• Simple – You can order a car with a few clicks. You can track the location of the cars from your smartphone.  If you don’t have a smartphone, you can still order a car with SMS. If you get lost and have no idea where you are, it won’t be a problem. The driver will know where to pick you up with the help of GPS. The app is very simple to use, even my 5 years old sister can use it. After the ride, Uber will automatically charge your credit card.
• Luxurious - The car looks very clean. The driver dresses very neat. It looks much more presentable than a cab. What is better than arriving a red carpet event with a person driver who will open your door? Best part, it costs less than a limo.
• 
  

However there are a few problems:

•  The GPS is not 100% accurate.  I don’t think it is Uber’s fault.  I have never had good experience with GPS. You might need to move the pin around to get exact address. You can always call your driver if you entered the wrong address like I did.
• It is so easy to pocket dial and order a car. Because it is so easy to use the app, you can easily order it by accident. And if you have small children, it might be a little dangerous. To solve this problem, I locked my app. If I want to use the service, I will have to enter a password.
• It is not available everywhere. For now you can only use the service in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Washington, D.C.

I really like the service because it makes me feel like I am home. If Uber comes up with an on-demand maid service, I will love them forever.