For a very long time ( to be honest until a few weeks ago, which make it really a long time for those who know my age...) I always thought that songs recorded in studios were better, in all aspects, than songs recorded LIVE, no matter how good the singer was. Songs recorded in studios are obviously better since the voice, the music are controlled, mixed and edited to produce a perfect output. Well, I discoved a few weeks ago that this is not always true. That perfect does not mean better. I happened to listen the song "I'm no good" by Amy Winehouse in two different versions. One was from a CD recorded in a studio and the other one was recorded from a LIVE performance in a London Theater. I was blown away by the difference in style. The LIVE version is much more emotional, more real, with feeling and excitment, able to send a chill down my spine. The studio version is in comparison boring, flat.
But not all singers perform better on stage than in a studio. On the contrary, most of the singers perform better in studio. Only a selected few great singers are able to perform better on stage: Amy Winehouse, Elton John, Shakira, Celine Dion....just to name but a few....
Friday, October 29, 2010
Communicating skills and the power of storytelling
Human life is lived in story format. Connecting with an audience requires the talent of telling the story behind your vision, your project, and your brand, not just listing the attributes of a particular product. These stories come from personal experiences that are relevant to you, thereby making your message more relevant and credible for others. This is more than just performing in front of an audience – someone can be entertained but still not remember a thing that was said. Storytelling is about distilling the essence of the message and making it memorable. In other words, “show rather than tell,” because illustrating a point makes a longer lasting impact than proving a point. It is not what you tell them but how you tell them.
How to identify a stroke
During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ..she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening
Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital -
(at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough...
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(I.e. It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
O * Ask him or her to stick OUT THE TONGUE
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening
Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital -
(at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough...
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(I.e. It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
O * Ask him or her to stick OUT THE TONGUE
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Mr. President
I was thinking to myself it would be a beneficial revolution if President Lee Myung Bak could one day dance like that with the First Lady in front of the Korea people.
The President should not be all serious all the time working for the nation 24/7. His job is to serve people and even sometimes to entertain them....
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Having a good life? The good news is that the best days of your life are still ahead of you.
And the bad news is up to you.
Quit looking at what's wrong and start thanking God for what's right.
Make the most of your life and be the best that you can be. Always radiate joy and look like you are having the time of your life. Always live your life with enthousiasm (by the way, the words enthousiasm derives from two Greek words, en theos, meaning "inspired by God").
You expect good things.
You stay filled of hope.
- Joel Osteen -
Quit looking at what's wrong and start thanking God for what's right.
Make the most of your life and be the best that you can be. Always radiate joy and look like you are having the time of your life. Always live your life with enthousiasm (by the way, the words enthousiasm derives from two Greek words, en theos, meaning "inspired by God").
You expect good things.
You stay filled of hope.
- Joel Osteen -
Thursday, September 30, 2010
USA has the strongest "Rule of Law" spirit in the world. That is maybe why it is also the champion of democracy...
Episode 1:
I was having lunch a few months ago in Fort Lee, NJ when I saw a amazing happening outside the window. A young man stops his foreign-built SUV in front of Starbucks, get out of the car and into the store to get a coffee. The Starbucks store is inside a small mall with enough parking spots but the young man chose not to bother parking properly since it would just take a few minutes. Well, that was not his day of luck. A police car happened to pass by and inevitably the policeman got out and started to write a ticket in front of the car. The young man rushed out from the Starbucks and discussed with the law enforcement officer. That Starbucks store had an outside terrace full of table and people and they obviously had a lot of fun witnessing the enforcement of the law in front of their eyes.
I assumed the interaction between the police officer and the young man did not quite go well since the former made a call and 5 minutes later a towing car came by to tow the car!
So what are the lessons to be learned? First, don't break the law. Second, don't show to a police officer how not sorry you are of having broken the law....
Episode 2:
During that same summer, I went to take the road test in one of the MVA (Motor Vehicle Authority) of the state of Maryland. The appointment was made at 8:30 am and there was a notice stating that if the person taking the test is late more than 15 minutes, he or she will have to make another appointment, meaning that that person will have to come back in about two weeks...I was at the MVA at 7:30 with all the required document. After waiting in line, I presented all my documents and I realized I did not bring the car insurance. I excused myself and rushed back to my friend's car to get the insurance card only to find out that the card was expired. My friend forgot to put the new card in the car...I went back to explain the situation, that my friend could come with the new card within 20 minutes but already the 15-minutes dealy time had passed and the lady coldly suggested to make another appointment. In many other countries, I could probably have presented the documents later but not in the USA. It was nothing personal. Just following the rule.
Episode 3: I was driving in Miami. My friend was driving his car just ahead of me. We both drank a lot and I guess we both should not have taken the wheel to get home. Suddenly a police car started to follow my friend's car and naturally he pulled over. I also stopped my car a little bit behind as a gesture of solidarity, I guess (although I should not have....The police officer could have discovered I was drunk also...). I could not leave my friend behind in that situation. After the usual sobriety tests, the policeman decided my friend was drunk enough to handcuff him and take him to jail to spend the night. Is was as simple as that. You break the law, you get handcuffed, and spend the night in jail.
I was having lunch a few months ago in Fort Lee, NJ when I saw a amazing happening outside the window. A young man stops his foreign-built SUV in front of Starbucks, get out of the car and into the store to get a coffee. The Starbucks store is inside a small mall with enough parking spots but the young man chose not to bother parking properly since it would just take a few minutes. Well, that was not his day of luck. A police car happened to pass by and inevitably the policeman got out and started to write a ticket in front of the car. The young man rushed out from the Starbucks and discussed with the law enforcement officer. That Starbucks store had an outside terrace full of table and people and they obviously had a lot of fun witnessing the enforcement of the law in front of their eyes.
I assumed the interaction between the police officer and the young man did not quite go well since the former made a call and 5 minutes later a towing car came by to tow the car!
So what are the lessons to be learned? First, don't break the law. Second, don't show to a police officer how not sorry you are of having broken the law....
Episode 2:
During that same summer, I went to take the road test in one of the MVA (Motor Vehicle Authority) of the state of Maryland. The appointment was made at 8:30 am and there was a notice stating that if the person taking the test is late more than 15 minutes, he or she will have to make another appointment, meaning that that person will have to come back in about two weeks...I was at the MVA at 7:30 with all the required document. After waiting in line, I presented all my documents and I realized I did not bring the car insurance. I excused myself and rushed back to my friend's car to get the insurance card only to find out that the card was expired. My friend forgot to put the new card in the car...I went back to explain the situation, that my friend could come with the new card within 20 minutes but already the 15-minutes dealy time had passed and the lady coldly suggested to make another appointment. In many other countries, I could probably have presented the documents later but not in the USA. It was nothing personal. Just following the rule.
Episode 3: I was driving in Miami. My friend was driving his car just ahead of me. We both drank a lot and I guess we both should not have taken the wheel to get home. Suddenly a police car started to follow my friend's car and naturally he pulled over. I also stopped my car a little bit behind as a gesture of solidarity, I guess (although I should not have....The police officer could have discovered I was drunk also...). I could not leave my friend behind in that situation. After the usual sobriety tests, the policeman decided my friend was drunk enough to handcuff him and take him to jail to spend the night. Is was as simple as that. You break the law, you get handcuffed, and spend the night in jail.
Why the USA is a consumer's paradise
Episode 1:
A few years back in Miami, I bought an IBM computer for my office. I installed a korean version of windows instead of the pre-installed english version. Guess what happened? The internet did not connect, the cd-rom could not be found, the printer was not found....So I went back to Comp USA and I explained that I believe the computer is defective. So they gave me a new one. So I took out again all the materials from the boxes and did exactly the same thing and the same exactly things happened again. To make a long story short, I went to the computer store one more time and they gave me again a brand new computer. No questions asked. That was their promise, wasn't it?
What I didn't know was the fact that when you install a korean version of windows instead of the pre-installed english version, all the setting for the internet connection, the cd-rom drive, the printer connection are no more valid and you have to set them again under the new korean architecture. That's why those devices were not working. So I opened the boxes of 3 different computers based on my ignorance and the kindness of the customer service people. Thank you Customer Service !
Episode 2:
The previous story continues. So here I am in my office, having realized that the IBM computer was not the problem (after a quick phone call to the Computer Department of the headoffice in Seoul, Korea), with the mission of making the computer work properly with all the connecting devices I mentioned above. Seoul could not help me since they did not know the IBM computer architecture. IBM USA could not help me since they did not know the korean windows characteristics....Now that I think about it, I don't know what pushed me to call my internet service provider. Maybe a little inspiration from our friend above? I decided to simplify the problem. I bought a new desk-top computer and it cannot connect to the internet so I called my internet service provider for help since they have an interest in continuing the connection service with me, the customer....Again, to make a long story short, after two hour on the speaker phone with that incredible customer service agent we almost finished solving the connection problem when I accidentally hang up the phone! And I did not even know that agent's name so I could not call back Customer Service and ask for him. I obviously did not want to restart the process with a new customer service agent. That would have been awful and it was already 11:00 pm....And the miracle happened! The agent I have been talking to for two hours did some search to find my office number and we were able to establish connection with not only the internet but also the cd-rom, the scanner, the printer....Thank you, Mr. Customer Service Agent. It is people like you that make USA a consumer's paradise!
A few years back in Miami, I bought an IBM computer for my office. I installed a korean version of windows instead of the pre-installed english version. Guess what happened? The internet did not connect, the cd-rom could not be found, the printer was not found....So I went back to Comp USA and I explained that I believe the computer is defective. So they gave me a new one. So I took out again all the materials from the boxes and did exactly the same thing and the same exactly things happened again. To make a long story short, I went to the computer store one more time and they gave me again a brand new computer. No questions asked. That was their promise, wasn't it?
What I didn't know was the fact that when you install a korean version of windows instead of the pre-installed english version, all the setting for the internet connection, the cd-rom drive, the printer connection are no more valid and you have to set them again under the new korean architecture. That's why those devices were not working. So I opened the boxes of 3 different computers based on my ignorance and the kindness of the customer service people. Thank you Customer Service !
Episode 2:
The previous story continues. So here I am in my office, having realized that the IBM computer was not the problem (after a quick phone call to the Computer Department of the headoffice in Seoul, Korea), with the mission of making the computer work properly with all the connecting devices I mentioned above. Seoul could not help me since they did not know the IBM computer architecture. IBM USA could not help me since they did not know the korean windows characteristics....Now that I think about it, I don't know what pushed me to call my internet service provider. Maybe a little inspiration from our friend above? I decided to simplify the problem. I bought a new desk-top computer and it cannot connect to the internet so I called my internet service provider for help since they have an interest in continuing the connection service with me, the customer....Again, to make a long story short, after two hour on the speaker phone with that incredible customer service agent we almost finished solving the connection problem when I accidentally hang up the phone! And I did not even know that agent's name so I could not call back Customer Service and ask for him. I obviously did not want to restart the process with a new customer service agent. That would have been awful and it was already 11:00 pm....And the miracle happened! The agent I have been talking to for two hours did some search to find my office number and we were able to establish connection with not only the internet but also the cd-rom, the scanner, the printer....Thank you, Mr. Customer Service Agent. It is people like you that make USA a consumer's paradise!
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