Foodies in Malaysia - Hotspots to eat Delicious food....

Here is a lovely Blog for the Foodies...

http://theyumlist.blogspot.com/p/top-yums-for-expats-in-kuala-lumpur.html

Chronic pain can hurt your mind and mood

Chronic pain doesn't just hurt your body; it hurts your emotions, too. It can impact your mood, your memory, your relationships, and your overall quality of life -- if you let it. Don'tlet it. Negative emotions will only worsen your pain and, in turn, mess more with your mind and mood. To avoid this vicious cycle, tailor a comprehensive pain-management plan that minimizes both the physical and emotional impacts of chronic pain.

Pain-Proof Your Mood

A continually sore, achy body can understandably cause frustration, anger, anxiety, and depression. Occasional bouts of such emotions may not be a big deal, but if they persist, it's important to take action. Distract yourself from pain and brighten your mood by engaging in activities you love. Explore new stress-reduction techniques, work with a cognitive behavioral therapist, or join a pain support group. 

Pain Can Hurt Your Self-Esteem

Pain can diminish job performance, dampen your motivation to exercise, and prevent you from completing daily tasks. Such limitations cause some pain sufferers to get down on themselves or to view their condition as a sign of weakness or a personal defect. Don't go down that road. Seek the aid of a therapist or support group if pain is eroding your self-esteem.

Don't Let Pain Isolate You

When you hurt all the time, the last thing you want to do is attend the company party, the neighbor's backyard barbecue, or even small gatherings with your closest friends and family. Don't let pain drive you into social isolation. To stay connected, focus on the quality, not quantity, of friendships. Nurture ties with a handful of close, supportive friends versus a vast network of more superficial acquaintances. 

Pain Can Hurt Your Marriage

When you hurt all the time, it's tough to complete household chores, take care of the kids, contribute financially, or fully participate in normal family activities. Sexuality and intimacy can also take a hit. Frustration, resentment, and communication breakdowns can occur -- especially when a spouse doesn't understand or sympathize with the sufferer's condition. Solution: Seek guidance from a marriage counselor to help rebuild your relationship. 

Fight Pain-Induced Fatigue

Pain is exhausting. A sore back, hip, or knee can steal your sleep, send your stress levels skyrocketing, and drain your motivation to exercise. Reduce fatigue by integrating the right self-care measures into your pain management plan. Eat a healthy diet, kick your bad habits, get more sleep, and exercise every day. You'll feel more energized and cope better with your pain.

Pain Can Hurt Job Performance

It's hard to stay on your game at work when you hurt all the time. Pain can diminish concentration, memory, critical thinking abilities, and productivity. Solution: Talk to your doctor about daytime pain medications that won't sedate you, and get the sleep and exercise you need to keep your brain humming. Short, daytime naps may also help. Don't overcompensate by becoming a workaholic.

Take It Easy at Home

It's hard to manage a household when you constantly hurt. Running errands, managing finances, and taking care of the kids, the pets, and a spouse can feel overwhelming. Remember to pace yourself, simplify, and let go of perfection. It's also okay to ask family members for help. Your home should be your sanctuary from pain, not something that aggravates it.

Pain and Your Doctor

Does your doctor take your pain seriously or do you get the impression he or she thinks it's "all in your head?" Chronic pain, especially without a clear underlying cause, can be tricky to treat, and some doctors are better-equipped than others to do so. Bottom line: Pain is a real condition that can be effectively treated. If you're not getting relief from your doctor, it's time to find a new one.

Take Back Your Power

Pain can bring loss -- loss of your physical function, your athletic abilities, a favorite hobby, a career, and even close relationships. While it's healthy to grieve, don't let pain make you a victim. Take back your power. To start, try to accept that pain is a part of your life, but does not control who you are or your ability to improve, cope, and thrive. 

Bosses Worldwide Lack Leadership Skills

This is a good survey - specially.. for the Asia-pacific region.

Global – Bad bosses are causing close to 70% of employees across the globe to switch jobs, a DDI survey has found. 

In fact, 39% of respondents admitted they left a job primarily because of their leader, while 55% said they had considered it. Only 56% said their current leader helps them to be more productive, the ‘Lessons for Leaders from the People Who Matter’ report revealed.

"These findings should be of enormous concern to any business. They show that leaders are failing in their obligation to employees and, therefore, their organisation,” Simon Mitchell, a director at DDI UK, said. “The consequences of managers and bosses with poor leadership skills are enormous, and the impact good leaders have in terms of employee motivation and productivity is significant."

While six in ten respondents reported their bosses have damaged their self-esteem, men (32%) were found to be twice as likely as women (17%) to say that their leader's actions damage the self-esteem.

A further 34% considered their managers to be ineffective at their jobs. Similarly, more men (53%) than women (34%) felt they could be a more effective leader than their current boss.

Across both genders, only 37% said they were "never" or "only sometimes" motivated to give their best to their leader. This feeling affects employee turnover rate, the report noted.

When asked if their leader handles workplace conflict effectively, 42% respondents responded either “never” or “only sometimes”. At the same time, over a third felt their leader either “never” or “only sometimes” listens to their work-related concerns.

Leaders remain stubbornly poor at these fundamental basics of good leadership that have little to do with the current challenging business climate, Mitchell added. “It's important that organisations equip the people managing their workforce with these basic leadership essentials, and that managers are aware of their own blind spots in these areas. The good news for businesses and employees alike is that many of these leadership skills can be learnt."

The survey was conducted across 1,250 full-time employees in non-management positions in US, UK, Australia, Canada, China, India, Germany, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

Feel Happier in 11 Steps

I found this interesting and Happy article on Real age about feeling Happy!!!

Find Your Happy Place

Are you happy? It's such an important question because happiness has such a huge impact on your health, from your arteries to your heart, from the glow in your skin to the pep in your step. Happy feelings influence your brain and body chemistry in ways that make you better able to cope with pain and stress and to fend off colds, flu, heart disease, and even cancer. Follow these steps to help make yourself happier, day in and day out and your RealAge up to 5.2 years younger!

Believe in Yourself

Finding true happiness requires taking a good hard look at yourself. The goal is to identify any off-the-wall beliefs about your self-worth and adjust them. When you're at ease with yourself and open to others, friendships seem to blossom naturally. Just acknowledging secret self-doubts may help you develop enough humor and compassion toward yourself to reach out to others, who, underneath, are probably just like you: sometimes unsure and shy. Try these two tactics to overcome negative feelings about yourself.

Hang Out with Happy Friends

Having someone in your immediate social circle who is upbeat ups your chances of happiness by 15%. Why? It seems happy people have the power to spread their feel-good vibes far and wide the same way a ripple spreads through a pond. Not only do immediate friends matter, but friends of friends, too. So make plans to have lunch with a friend or go for a walk together. It could have far-reaching benefits for your mental health.

Make Time for Play

Swap your endless to-do list for some spontaneous playtime. It packs big benefits for your health, mood, mind, job, and even your relationships. When you're floating free, happy, and totally absorbed, you're taking a mini vacation from deadlines, bills, and your crazy-busy schedule. Anything counts, from enjoying a silly moment with your spouse to hosting an impromptu gathering, to cooking up a new recipe in the kitchen. And, you'll make your guests happy with these party eats.

Squash Negativity

Is your inner voice quick to snap out things like, "How could you forget that, you idiot?" Sometimes the noise inside our own heads is our biggest stressor. When negative thoughts crop up, imagine a stop sign in your head, and tell yourself, "Stop!" To turn things around, trade in put-downs for positive thoughts and affirmations. For example, when you feel tired during a workout, think, "I am strong" or when you start work on a difficult task, think, "I can accomplish anything." Empower yourself to think positive.

Connect with Others

Make every effort to talk -- really talk -- to people you care about. If they're far away, stay in touch through e-mail, phone calls, video chat, and, when you can, face-to-face visits; you'll all benefit by connecting. Get physical, too; hugs stimulate oxytocin, the "cuddle hormone," spreading a feel-good boost. Lovemaking does, too, in steady relationships (those couples report the highest happiness levels). Plus, connecting with others may keep you healthier by providing a coping mechanism for stress. 

Keep a Gratitude Journal

Simply writing down what you're thankful for makes you healthier, happier and more optimistic. Feeling thankful comes, in part, from counting your blessings each day. If you're not sure how to journal, start by answering: What three things am I thankful for? You might find that journaling gives you a better, happier outlook for each day because you're looking for moments to include in your journal each night.

Lend a Helping Hand

Volunteering at a nearby school or retirement residence, running to the pharmacy for a sick friend, or lending emotional support to a loved one can give your happiness quotient a big boost. How? Giving back and bonding with others inspires gratitude for what life has given you, and can help you define your purpose in life. The secret to being happy may be realizing that true happiness isn't about being high on life all the time, but slowing down enough to share your natural gifts with others.

Enjoy the Great Outdoors

Spending time with awesome Mother Nature makes you feel alert, enthusiastic, energetic, and simply happy. Is it the fresh air, the sunshine, the greenery? No one knows for sure. But something about being al fresco appears to help people get even bigger benefits from their workouts and they're also more likely to stick to their outdoor sports be it walking, bicycling, kayaking or an outdoor fitness class. 

Turn On Some Tunes

If you want to feel happy, less stressed and more energetic, flip on your stereo. Whether you love Bach, Lady Gaga or The Beatles, music that makes you feel good increases your heart and breathing rates and makes your brain release dopamine, a lovely feel-good neurotransmitter. Plus, no matter whether you enjoy listening to your favorite music alone or with friends, it will more than likely give you the mood boost you're looking for. 

Meditate or Pray

For some, being spiritual means going to church. For others, it means finding a quiet place to meditate and think about life. No matter how you do it or what you call it, meditation and prayer can help slow breathing and brain activity, and reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Plus, when you do pray or meditate, you're more likely to be filled with peace, joy, and other positive emotions that can also lead to positive physiological responses throughout your body. 

Be Realistic

Being happy means facing the fact that life sometimes stinks and that there will definitely be times when you’ll be unhappy. This doesn't mean you have to lower your expectations. Instead, align them with reality by expecting to face challenges. A little unhappiness here and there forces you to work through problems and think about what gives you happiness so you can set new directions that may change your life. 

How HR Can Help IT Folks

Another interesting and thought provoking article published by Human Resources.

Whilst technical competencies may be important at the earlier part of your career, succeeding in the IT industry is not just about technical prowess. Rachel Goh, group general manager at Business Applications Services, explains.

Please do not get me wrong - it is a must to be conversant in skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Be it in programming, systems integration or business IT consulting. But these are table stakes. As the industry grows, companies are diversifying their capabilities and solutions to stay competitive. The resulting impact is that companies will be looking for talent that exhibits the x-factor to differentiate themselves and stay in the game.

Academic qualifications certify that you have the aptitude for a particular job, but how you approach your job and steer your career to reach the inflexion point sets you apart. Here, I would like to define "inflexion point" as the point where you would be hunted for a job role, where you will command a significant compensation premium vis-à-vis your contemporaries.

Some important x-factors would be relentless passion, ability to re-invent, a keen eye for opportunities and gamed to take on the challenge.

For example, an IT consultant may one day be asked to manage projects and people. Having an understanding of what clients need against the backdrop of technology development and how it can be applied will put the consultant in a better position to advise the client, and to motivate his or her team so that everything comes together. The same is true for any profession within the IT chain. The application of technology rather than the technology itself is important and that requires the industry and business context perceptiveness besides technical skills.

Being opportunity-aware and cognizant of "the next big thing" instead of just doing your everyday job will enable you to ride with the tide and not miss the train when building your career. Also, the appetite to take risks and accept an assignment that will allow you to push the boundaries and face some hard knocks are critical attributes to have.

In this regard here are some questions for you to ponder on:

• What are the current disruptions in the IT industry, how is my company managing that disruption and how can I contribute?
• What are the emerging technologies right now, for example, Web 2.0/3.0 and how can I translate into business opportunities for my organisation or my customers?
• What critical skills do I need to acquire to make myself a more well-rounded talent and thus achieve the inflexion point of my career?
• Am I relatively comfortable in my current job role? If the answer is yes, it is time to look for a change. My suggestion is to look for roles where you have 75% of the pre-requisites and 25% room to learn and grow
• What assignments can I take on that will take me out of my comfort zone and push me to the next level? Is it an overseas assignment? A bigger project? A larger book of business?

The fact is IT has changed the way we go about doing things. From snail mail to emails, from one-to-one phone calls to voice over IP, IT has catalysed our evolvement. With each new development, it opens a floodgate of new possibilities of how its potential can be maximised, in turn increasing demands for new skills and new paradigms. In fast-paced industry like IT, the world whizzes by in a blur.

Being aware and deliberate will better enable you to build your IT career to the inflexion point you want. While we cannot say for sure where technology will take us, the way we interact with technology today is a good indication of where we are headed.

For the perceptive ones amongst you, be it from the standpoint of a candidate entering the industry or a seasoned veteran in the arena, the stage is set for a fulfilling career.  

How do we shape the future of our kids...!!

Quite a serious question... i guess.. and it is...

We had a party few weeks back at one of our friends place for birthday of our kids.. we had some new families join us in the party and these families had kids who were as such around 6-7 years of age...

The whole time we were there it was mess with the kids not able to gel with each other... everyone is trying to be the boss/leader and nobody wants to be a follower....kids.. now days are not afraid of their parents - did I see afraid.. yes.. well i remember during my time, we were super afraid of our father and one sound from him let us stand where we were....

the kids nowdays are smarter.. and don't want to be directed even by their parents.. we had another character in one of the kids.. apparently a girl and she was the worst amongst all.. she was spitting on the other kids.. violent.. with others and not willing to be a part of the group..

I wonder what this generation will be like when they grow up - selfish, boasting, self engrossed.. egotist..and will this be helpful as a whole to build a better society.. no I don't think so...

Why do you think this is happening.. parents getting too busy with their work.. and routines.. they are fighting to earn a living and make life comfortable for thier family... but end of the day i think  the time... quality time not spent with their kids.. is making the kids.. mentally strained... to get into activities.. which don't seem to be rational.... at all...

in my opinion.. now days.. the early years - infant to about 8-9 years are very critical to indulge the kids into activities which will make the kids accountable and also learn to live in the society in a very conducive way, which can then make things easy for the parents as well when these kids grow up and start bearing their responsibilities...

Sounds very complicated.. well it is not.. what the parents have to do is to make some quality time available from their busy schedules.. and talk to their kids.. and communicate more often... i think this is where the ask becomes tough and one has to then look at doing activities like going for classes with them for thier hobby classes or doign homework with them... keeping an eye on their friend circle... and also what do they watch on TV and internet...

Do you have any suggestions.. please do share them... and let it be an eye opener.. on this aspect...

We all know that the kids are going to be the future & if we don't shape their future properly - how will they make the future better for themselves and their fellow beings..

Qualities Essential for an Effective Sales Person

I found this very interesting and thought provoking article on: 

http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning/effective-salesperson-qualities

Everyone has come across a sales person at some point or the other and might have wondered how these sales people manage to convert a new prospect into a loyal customer. Sales is an important function and a sales person plays a key role in bringing revenues to the organization. In doing so, sales people always exhibit a number of exceptional qualities and characteristics but they may not always be aware of what really needs to be focused on and improved.

A sales job is a tough task because it involves a lot of skills. Apart from having thorough knowledge about their products and services, sales person need to focus on other qualities too. These qualities differentiate them from the other sales people.

Let’s look at the qualities necessary for any good salesperson to start laying down the foundation for his/her success.

• Only a good listener can be a good sales person. Good listening will help the sales person to find out the customer’s needs and wants and make an appropriate sale. This quality of a sales person also brings a change in customers’ behavior resulting in a good relationship. Listening constitutes 40% of a good salesman’s qualities.

• Besides being a good listener, a sales person should also possess the ability tocommunicate. Selling is always a two-way communication process and the success of a sales person depends on his presentation skills. He/she should possess a controlled voice and a good command over the language. He/she should be clear of what he/she wants to communicate to his/her client or customer. This skill is very important if you are learning how to be an effective sales person.

• A sales person needs to be persistent and have a positive attitude. He/she should have the attitude of never giving up something easily. He/she should understand that a sales job is not an easy task and be prepared for it. The world is changing at an ever increasing pace and sales people in order to meet their goals should be open-minded to accept these changes and keep learning.

• A sales person should be a sincere and honest person. He should not cheat the customer for his own benefit or just to make a sale. He should always try to understand the customer’s requirements and give him the best. This quality of a sales person can help him to establish a good relationship with the prospect, which will draw the prospect to become the customer. A good sales person is one who does not hide any truth that can prove detrimental to his customers.

• A person can become a good sales person if he possesses a high level of ego drive. Ego drive is the measurement of how fast you can recover after getting rejected. It is just a part of the job of a salesperson. Good salespeople cannot afford to think that they should be liked by everyone. They should have the ability to learn from their mistakes and move on quickly from failures.

• Selling is an art and it requires a sales person to be energetic and enthusiastic. Sometimes, it helps if he/she is be a fun-loving person and a little entertaining. Because the ultimate aim of any sales person is to make a sale, people with this kind of quality can easily gain the prospect’s attention.

• A sales person should have a lot of patience to succeed. As a part of his work, a sales person will have to explain the entire process or product to a prospect and end it with a placement of the order. He should be pleasant and patient while taking a prospect through all these stages. A person can never be an effective sales person if he doesn’t have the patience for it.

Does every sales person possess all these qualities? Not likely. But it is very important to know what is needed and what one should work on – to identify one’s weaknesses and develop them into strengths. Every situation a sales person comes across needs a different kind of approach to win. The list of desired qualities stated here can just be a check list that may be useful to review your own skill-set.

Fast Takeaways

Another learning mail from Robin Sharma

Here are some of the fast takeaways from this trip across multiple time zones:

1. Every moment in front of another human being is an OPPORTUNITY to express your highest values and best self.

2. No matter where you go, people treat you the way you treat them.

3. No work is unimportant work. Even the most seemingly insignificant job is a chance to show us your creativity and make a contribution.

4. "Perfect Moments" can happen in the least likely of places.

5. Mastery Matters.

6. If you're not lifting others up, you're bringing others down.

7. This time is the BEST time for each of us to show our leadership+virtuosity+humanity.

8. We each have the responsibility to Lead Without a Title and do our part to build a better world through world-class work and stepping into our best selves.

Keep Leading Without A Title.

 

Slow Down Culture...

One of email messages that came as forwarded message….

PLEASE DO READ THIS ... IT'S A BIT LONG BUT AFTER READING THIS YOU MIGHT FIND OUT TIME FOR EVERYTHING... 
For all of us who think we don't have enough time to do things we like, cause of our hectic schedule!!
 An interesting reflection:  Slow Down Culture

It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to possess a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

Said in another words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its renowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think? Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being". French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!"

This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.

It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized world. 

HR Falls Short At Recognising Staff

This is another pertinent and interesting article I came across. 

While HR leaders expect employee engagement to be a key challenge, they lack effective approaches to track engagement levels and the returns of staff recognition initiatives.

According to the Employee Recognition Tracker Survey 2011, nearly all 745 HR leaders (99%) polled agree that employee engagement will be a vital challenge in the next three to five years.

Yet, an alarming 71% of these HR leaders only track engagement levels through exit interviews, suggesting that engagement issues only surface when employees leave the firm. Some 65% linked engagement levels to staff retention rates.

Similarly, only 37% align employee recognition programmes to their corporate values, while 43% of HR practitioners reward staff based on performance linked to the firm's financial targets. Such low percentages are indicative of companies failing to implement strategic recognition schemes that can drive performance and manage the firm's culture. 

More than two thirds (69%) of HR leaders are convinced that their employees are dissatisfied with the recognition they receive at work, with 54% thinking that their managers and supervisors are ineffective in rewarding and appreciating employees. 

Perhaps more appalling would be that a third of CEOs do not invest any time at all on recognition schemes. One key reason would be that almost half of HR respondents (49%) track their schemes by unit or department, which makes it tedious for senior management to get a comprehensive company-wide overview of recognition efforts. 

Evaluating the success of their recognition schemes also proved to be elusive and difficult, with 87% of HR respondents failing to track the returns of investments (ROI) on their programmes.

HR leaders listed inconsistent metrics and the poor alignment of recognition schemes with other talent or performance management structures as top challenges behind measuring ROI (32%). 

Over one-fifth of leaders (22%) also said their current recognition programme is "not designed to deliver improvement in metrics" that the executive leadership finds valuable.

Eric Mosely, CEO of Globoforce, said, "Measuring recognition adds a level of accountability for all employees, and is ultimately how behaviours change and culture is managed." 

He added, "It's also how today's HR leaders can gain the much-needed support and investment from senior management for strategic engagement and recognition programmes."

The survey was conducted by employee recognition solutions provider Globoforce and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) earlier in May this year.  

A Spaceship-Shaped, 12K Capacity Building As Our New Apple Campus

This article was published...on TechCrunch...

After having a banner WWDC start yesterday, Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs humblypresented his idea for a new Apple campus at the Cupertino City Council today. Jobs wants to build one building that will hold 12,000 Apple employees on a former Hewlett-Packard property in the area between Tantau North Wolfe, Homestead and the 280 freeway.”It’s a little like a spaceship landed,” Jobs says. No kidding.

Jobs began the presentation referring to the fact that Apple is growing “like a weed,” and that its current campus at D’Anza and the 280 isn’t enough — fitting only about 2,800 people. Apple currently rents buildings to house its other 6,700 employees in the area. The new building will augment the current campus.

Paving the way for these plans, Apple purchased about 100 acres from Hewlett Packard in 2010 and added them to the 50 it owns adjacent. Jobs says he has corralled “some great architects … some of the best in the world” to come up with a design that will house 12,000 people in one four story high building on the property. The area is now mainly apricot orchards.

With the futuristic design Apple apparently is relying heavily on its experience building retail stores, and it will be creating one massive piece of curved glass if the proposal goes through. “There’s not a single straight piece of glass in this building,” Jobs says. The parking will be underground.

Jobs also wants the building to function as its own power source, with an “energy center” as its primary source of power (“with natural gas and other ways that are cleaner and cheaper”), using the grid as a backup.

The campus will include amenities like its own auditorium similar to Apple’s current Town Hall (“We’ve got an auditorium, cause we put on presentations, much like we did yesterday but we have to go to San Francisco to do them.”) and a cafeteria that will feed 3,000 people at one sitting.

“We do have a shot at building the best office building in the world,” Jobs told the Council members, “Architecture students will come here to see this.” Ideally Apple wants to move into the campus in 2015.

The individual members of the Cupertino City Council seemed like they were in awe the entire time the infamously charismatic Apple CEO spoke (which isn’t surprising), asking Jobs for free Wifi and iPads for constituents as well as for an Apple store that’s actually in Cupertino and not in the Valley or Los Gatos. Jobs shyly responded to the requests, “I think we bring a lot more than free Wifi.”

Key facts about the new Apple campus:

• Design will include a courtyard in the middle and curved glass all the way around.
• Jobs is planning on transforming an area that’s 20% landscaping to 80% landscaping by putting most of the building’s parking underground.
• There are 3,700 trees in the area at the moment, Jobs has hired an arborist from Stanford to take the area up to 6,000 trees.
• The plan is to build a four-story high building and four-story parking structure.
• The campus will incude an energy center, and natural gas will be the primary source of power, using the grid as backup.
• There will be an auditorium, fitness center and some R & D buildings.
• Jobs plans a 40% increase in Apple employees going from 9,500 today to 13, 000 in 2015.
• He wants to increase the campus’ space 20% from 2.6 million to 3.1 million square feet.
• Landscaping will increase 60% from 3,700 to 6,000.
• Surface parking will decrease 90% from 9,800 to 1,200 .
• The building footprint will decrease 30% from 1.4 million to 1 million.
• Cafeterias will fit 3,000 people at a sitting.
• The whole building will be designed with the utmost concern for employee safety.
• Apple currently has 20 buses running on bio-diesel fuel for its employees and Jobs thinks that system will work well with the new campus.
• The plan for the new design will submitted asap, and Jobs hopes to break ground next year and move in 2015.

A website to connect everyone suffering from cancer

This was published in the local newspaper - The Star

SAN FRANCISCO: In the late 1990s, Marty Tenenbaum was a hotshot e-commerce entrepreneur riding high on the dot-com boom when he noticed a lump on his body.

His doctor told him it was nothing, but when he finally had it removed, he learned he had melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

He beat the disease, but he never got over the sense of frustration he felt as he clawed his way through the maze of treatment options, clinical trials and research in search of a way to survive.

Now 67, Tenenbaum still believes he would not have made it if he hadn't had personal connections at the National Cancer Institute who guided him toward cutting-edge experimental treatments that saved his life.

The experience convinced him that the key to advancing cancer treatment and research is forging connections on as large a scale as possible. On Tuesday, he plans to launch a Web application to bring together patients, physicians and scientists regardless of where they work, live or went to college in hopes that the so-called wisdom of the crowd can lead to the best therapies.

"I'm just trying to pull together all the pieces that are needed to do a real, rational attack on cancer," Tenenbaum says. The way to do that, he says, is to pull people out of their individual labs, offices and hospitals to collaborate in a way not possible before the Web and mobile technologies made it easy to pool vast amounts of information.

"How much of cancer could be turned into a manageable disease if we only knew what we knew?"

Tenenbaum is one of a growing number of supporters of the so-called open science movement, which calls for greater sharing of research and the lowering of institutional, financial, legal and geographical barriers to bringing the best minds and data together to solve science's toughest problems.

In its fledgling form, the Cancer Commons app integrates the existing data on different forms of melanoma and the most promising experimental treatments. Patients or their doctors input how far the disease has progressed, where it started and whether tests have discovered any specific genetic mutations believed to contribute to the cancer's spread.

From that information, the app tells patients what specific cancer "subtype" they have as determined by an expert panel. They also learn what drugs have shown the most promise in treating that specific form of the disease and where clinical trials are being conducted that could allow patients access to that treatment.

The app itself was built by CollabRx, Tenenbaum's for-profit health care startup. It's free for doctors and patients. The company would make money through pharmaceutical company sponsorships of different apps, though Cancer Commons does not endorse specific drugs.

The data itself generated by the Cancer Commons project will be free and available for anyone to use, Tenenbaum says.

At Harvard University's Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Keith Flaherty studies melanoma treatments and sees patients with the most advanced forms of the disease. He volunteered to help lead the Cancer Commons melanoma project, which he says lets doctors and patients plug into a complex collection of data distilled into a simple set of treatment options.

Though Flaherty treats only melanoma, oncologists across the country are called on to treat all kinds of cancers. They don't have time to troll through obscure journals or websites to become experts on every variation of the disease, Flaherty says. An app like Cancer Commons lets those physicians plug into the knowledge of researchers like himself directly, he says.

"It's to empower that doctor with the same information we have access to." The hope is that patients also will be better able to advocate for themselves.

As the service expands, Tenenbaum also plans to make it possible for physicians and patients to add their own data on what has worked and what hasn't. While researchers cannot rely on one person's experience alone as a measure of success or failure, Flaherty says researchers could sift a large enough collection of anecdotes for leads.

The ease of sharing information among scientists and between nonscientists and professional researchers are two key developments made possible by the Internet that open science advocates say could speed discoveries.

"We have a chance at a new kind of digitally enabled collaboration," says Joseph Jackson, organizer of the Open Science Summit at the University of California, Berkeley last summer. "But the hardest thing to do is change human behaviors and practices."

Jackson is also working to help open a community biotech lab in Silicon Valley intended to provide space for ideas and research to take place outside traditional academic and corporate venues.

The San Francisco-based Science Commons project helps research institutions and scientific journals find ways to make valuable scientific data more widely available.

The group sees bright spots in their effort, such as the National Institutes of Health's mandate that all NIH-funded research be made available free to the public within a year of being published.

But big challenges remain, both technological and in the culture of how science is done, says Alan Ruttenberg, principal scientist at Science Commons.

Ruttenberg focuses on solving the problem of "data integration": how to put different scientific databases together to enable researchers to find new connections. Part of that effort involves developing a common language for data that Ruttenberg hopes someday will make possible a search engine for science.

"We ought to be able to ask a scientific question about anything that's been done and get a straight answer to that," he says. - AP

Online:

Cancer Commons: http://www.cancercommons.org/

Open Science Summit: http://opensciencesummit.com/

Science Commons: http://www.sciencecommons.org/

60 TIPS FOR A STUNNINGLY GREAT LIFE

1. Exercise daily.

2. Get serious about gratitude.

3. See your work as a craft.

4. Expect the best and prepare for the worst.

5. Keep a journal.

6. Read “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”.

7. Plan a schedule for your week.

8. Know the 5 highest priorities of your life.

9. Say no to distractions.

10. Drink a lot of water.

11. Improve your work every single day.

12. Get a mentor.

13. Hire a coach.

14. Get up at 5 am each day.

15. Eat less food.

16. Find more heroes.

17. Be a hero to someone.

18. Smile at strangers.

19. Be the most ethical person you know.

20. Don’t settle for anything less than excellence.

21. Savor life’s simplest pleasures.

22. Save 10% of your income each month.

23. Spend time at art galleries.

24. Walk in the woods.

25. Write thank you letters to those who’ve helped you.

26. Forgive those who’ve wronged you.

27. Remember that leadership is about influence and impact, not title and accolades.

28. Create unforgettable moments with those you love.

29. Have 5 great friends.

30. Become stunningly polite.

31. Unplug your TV.

32. Sell your TV.

33. Read daily.

34. Avoid the news.

35. Be content with what you have.

36. Pursue your dreams.

37. Be authentic.

38. Be passionate.

39. Say sorry when you know you should.

40. Never miss a moment to celebrate another.

41. Have a vision for your life.

42. Know your strengths.

43. Focus your mind on the good versus the lack.

44. Be patient.

45. Don’t give up.

46. Clean up your messes.

47. Use impeccable words.

48. Travel more.

49. Read “As You Think”.

50. Honor your parents.

51. Tip taxi drivers well.

52. Be a great teammate.

53. Give no energy to critics.

54. Spent time in the mountains.

55. Know your top 5 values.

56. Shift from being busy to achieving results.

57. Innovate and iterate.

58. Speak less. Listen more.

59. Be the best person you know.

60. Make your life matter.

Source: http://www.robinsharma.com