The Punisher

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345475569
• ISBN-13: 978-0345475565
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches

A good leisurely read to refresh what has been shown in the movie. Sadly, it does not fill in on any extras that can shed more light about THE PUNISHER.

8 Secrets of the Truly Rich - Bo Sanchez

In this book, Bo corrects the false belief of equating materialism with being rich. This is a sticking point with many Christians who seek to give of themselves and be 'poor in spirit'. It is actually good to be rich as we can give more if we are. And God will always want the best for us and give us abundance in life. Money is crucial if we want to do much for God and ourselves, most aptly summarise in quoting him here:

"Money is not the most important thing in the world but it affects every important thing in the world".

People don't get rich because (1) they don't want to subconsciously, (2) they are financially stupid and/or (3) they don't ride something to wealth.

Bo shares his 8 secrets in bite-sized chapters summarised below:

1) Be totally responsible for your success

Where we are now is due to our choices, thoughts and habits. We can change this by creating a new pattern of success. But first we must take ownership of our life and stop the blame on (1) the government, (2) our family background, (3) the devil and (4) God.

2) Enlarge our psychological wallet

- Changing our core beliefs about self and money

- Increasing our money comfort zone by being more comfortable with larger amounts of money

- Imagining earning more

- Slef-image attracts your level of success

- Solve contradicting desires by being clear on our purpose

- Remove negative family labels

- Train when we are young (it is ok to have money; we have to work for the things we want; it is easy to earn if we focus on it, we must focus on profits, we ought to learn to sell)

- Increasing skill sets to match our psychological wallet

3) Get rid of crazy religious beliefs

- Don't romanticize poverty

- Recognist that the rich can get into Heaven

- Don't hate yourself or indulge in suffering because we so-called 'deserve it'

- Don't over-rely on God; God gave us stewardship for a reason

- Don't disguise laziness as faith

- Don't be obsessed with miracles like striking the lottery

- Don't be fatalistic; we must work and trust, not doing the latter only.

4) Be completely committed to your dreams

- For dreams, there are the Wish level, Want level and the Committed Level - be at the Commited level because it shows you want it bad enough.

- Be the scriptwritter of your life

- Write your dreams down and read it daily

- Apply the power of attraction/focus to increase the awareness of opportunities and to change predominant thoughts

5) Raise your financial IQ

Like ohter types of IQ, this can be learned and developed in time.

- Look for financial mentors

- Avoid bad debt by (1) writing a deadline for financial freedom day (2) creating new ways of cheap pleasure (3) scheduling steps to financial freedom (4) not borrowing if you cannot afford it (5) negotiating with your creditors

- Get insurance at 10 times your annual expenses

- Build your retirement fund NOW by compounding in investments

- Save 20% of your income

- Invest young

- Read (books and news), Listen (seminars) and Practice (via financial mentors, volunteer in small businesses, do your own small one)

6) Ride something to wealth

- Diversify in multiple streams of income

- Compounding

- Utilize your core gift to earn (Be good at it; Enjoy doing it; Be paid for it)

- Learn to sell

- Have a entreprenuer mindset (Profits are better than wages); if you cannot handle the growth of a business, grow yourself first

- Expand territories and do more

- Have passive income (developing a replicable system)

- Have exponential income by leveraging

- Build a dream team and having synergy

- Spend 80% in marketing and 20% in developing

7) Have a bias for action

- Don't feel self-sufficient (by relying on God too much)

- Look for natural signs and not supernatural

- Make things happen (perfection is never a good strategy)

- Fail your way to success (the more you do, the more success you get)

- Take bold massive action (not small steps always)

- Hustle - always be on the ball for solutions

8) Win in all areas

Areas like relationships, maturity and emotional level, using your core gift, health, wisdom, money, spiritual

- Follow your inner compass (which is God's voice and love)

- Define your own success and don't compare

- Give our best and to compete with self only

- Give more so you receive more

- Sacrifice wealth for others- to see the poor as family and not charity

- Have God as your champion partner because He takes care of all your miss shots.

7 Secrets to Real Freedom - Bo Sanchez

Bo talks about addictions in life and how we can be free of them in this book. He first recognises the fact that we are all sinners and hypocrites but then, knowing so, we can choose to not to be over time. Most of all, it is always our minds that limits our freedom. This book is great for people who are religious in nature who are looking for a Christian perspective on being free from crippling habits.

An addiction is defined by Bo as (1) a habit that cannot be stopped, (2) something that done repeatedly and (3) a habit that is harmful to life. Bo says that there is no one way to be free but many ways.

His book is divided into 7 parts and many small digestible chapters on how to get rid of addictions. They are as follows:

1) Discovering what you really need

- To recognise your hidden addiction (Eating, dieting, starving, spending, smoking, anger, worrying, complaining, coffee, sleeping, cleaning, working, lusting, religion, games, TV etc)

- To understand your hidden addiction is trying to do - (1) avoid a pain (2) fulfill an underlying need. Bo mentions that we all have a 'love tank' that needs to be filled.

- We can get rid of such an addiction by any various ways like - maturing, spiritual conversion, healing the past, dealing with the present, group therapy etc.

2) Focusing on Ambition and not Addiction

- "What you focus on grows" - we ought to focus on our goals and solutions instead of faults and barriers

- We must tame impatience and impulsiveness (delaying gratification)

- Our goals must be MAGIC (Measureable, Ambitious, Godly, Imaginative, Complete)

3) "Loving the Sinner and the Saint within"

Bo says that before we can deny ourselves, we must have a self that we accept and love in the first place.

We can love ourselves by:

a) Forgiving ourselves (We must not be 'proud of our sins' by hanging on to them)

b) Accepting weaknesses (There is nothing to forgive in weaknesses; we only forgive sins. Weaknesses are gifts to us for making us humble, making us more merciful to others and bonding us with other people who are suffering).

c) Feeling our feelings (instead of acting on our feelings) - this make us more aware of what we are going through and validates our emotions instead of dismissing them.

d) Trusting our needs - God always wants us to enjoy life, in the right way. We have to identify what drains us in meeting our needs (emotional, family, professional life, physical, financial, spiritual)

4) Shaping our outer world before it shapes us

The two most powerful forces in our lives are our relationships with others and the media. Hence to recreate our outer world, we

a) Say "NO" to toxic people who

- encourage our addiction

- hurt us

- manipulate you

- control you by force

- pass their responsibilities to you

- whine and invalidate you

b) Say "YES" to terrific people who

- nourish you emotionally, spiritually and intellectually (been there done that/mentor)

c) Control your media by what you read, watch and listen

One good quote/explanation from the bible was the good samaritan. He not only took care of others but he made sure he took care of his own needs (settling his own business) by enlisting other people(innkeeper) to help him help others.

It is always good to hang out with people you think you ought to learn from. You mirror the net worth of the people you mix around with.

5) Redefine yourself

"God made you so He knows you the best. For any broken parts, it makes sense always to go back to the manufacturer."

Bo talks about self-portraits in this part. Our self-portrait should originate from God and we are a child, a friend and a champion of God. We ought to focus on this divine self portrait and never give it up because it is who we truly are.

I figure it takes reflection and discernment here to figure who we truly are and how our talents can be used for the good of everyone. When our talents are deployed to the best use, we will feel accomplished even though they might be small things.

6) Get rid of Toxic faith which kills, harms and robs

5 symptoms of such faith are distorted images of:

a) God (that He is judgemental). God is never preoccupied with sin. Our relationship must be based on love and not shame.

b) Faithfulness (that it must be legalistic). We must not be so rigid that we let rituals overrule love.

c) Self (that we are condemned). We are the most loved by God.

d) Faith (which is hyper). Faith does not solve everything. God plays his part and so must we.

e) Faith system (which sometime abuses us). Our faith systems facilitates our relationship with God and not destroys it.

Real faith is about being loving and ready as God is. He is always patient and trusting, and ever waiting us to be ready to welcome Him.

7) Take Charge

We must be responsible for our own mess instead of blaming others. More often than not, we blame God for putting us in this circumstances (when it is actually the result of our choices); we blame the Devil for the evil in our lives (when we are actually giving Him more power to do so); we blame others for doing bad to us (when actually we allow them to do so by giving them power).

We ought to make things happen instead of complaining most of the time.

Bo talks about Learned Power and Learned Helplessness. Both of which we reinforce one day at a time, one choice at a time.

Sometimes we also blame ourselves but that makes us lose the power over our own lives. Having power means taking responsibility. Shaming only works against the self. Any examination of conscience msut focus on receiving love that will heal instead of harping on the sin that we have the change - the more important of the two is love and not the sin.

Clueless in Starting a Business - May Lwin, Adam Khoo, Jim Aitchison

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education Asia (August 31, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 9812445072
• ISBN-13: 978-9812445070
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches

This book has many examples of business that started from scratch with the chapters towards the end focusing on mission statements and vision values.

The 3 co-authors managed to squeeze the bare essentials of starting out in a business in this little book. It serves more to inspire and convince readers to be entrepreneurs, but to do so would need more in-depth study and planning.

The most valuable segment I consider would be the equation in 'Growing Your Business'.

Here are the highlights:

Motivation for starting a business

Characteristics of a entreprenuer includes taking ownership, taking action, thick-skinned, opportunistic, goal-oriented, people person

1. Ask yourself "Why" - Some reasons: to have passive income, to be financially free, to pursue your passion, monetizing your hobbies, to be more flexible etc

2. What? - Always try to do something that has already been tried but creatively filling the gaps

3. Start NOW!

4. Myths of starting a business - young, saving sufficient capital, having necessary experience, being smart, having good qualifications

Getting Started in a business

1. Decide what type of business - sole proprietry or partnership

2. Decide which industry and what business

3. Determine gap in supply

4. Define the difference

5. Inspire the self

Write out the business plan in detail covering

- cover letter

- content page

- executive summary

- organisational chart

- production or service

- marketing plan

- financing plan (provide numbers with consideration)

- operations and control

- plan of growth

- appendix

Opening your business

- Location - this book emphasized much on FengShui

- Staffing needs

- Equipment

- Supplies

- Values and Mission Statement

Growing your business

This part can be summarised into this equation for growing the customer base.

Prospects * Conversion rate = Customers * Average Sales Value * Repeat rate = Sales Revenue

Increasing the individual variables

1. Prospects - advertisements, surveys, web, email, flyers, networking, talks, seminars, cold calls, database (you can buy them), referrals, samples

2. Conversion Rate - early bird, premiums, lucky draw, discounts, credit payments, benefits list, testimonials, moneyback guarantee, good presentation, NLP

3. Average Sales Value - bundling, increase prices, suggest the most expensive one first, sell add-ons, buyers checklist, focus on quality, tell the full range of products and services

4. Repeat rate - regular newsletters, greeting cards, keep in touch, loyalty membership, redemption points, exceed expectations

Get Paid More and Promoted Faster - Brian Tracy

• Hardcover: 110 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1st edition (August 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583762078
• ISBN-13: 978-1583762073
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches

Short and sweet! Easy to read and digest.

1. Decide what you want exactly

- Idealisation

- Do you regret what you are doing now?

2. Select the Right company

- High growth

3. Choose the Right Boss

- Clarity

- Communicative

- Caring

- Comfortable

4. Develop a Positive Attitude (especially applicable for performance under stress)

- Make it a habit

5. Create a Successful Image

- Dress like the top management

6. Start Earlier, Work Harder, Stay Later

- Commitment to work

7. Push to the Front

- Ask for things to do

8. Ask for what you want then work towards it after being told how to get it

9. Guard your integrity as a sacred thing

- Truthfulness

- Dependability

- Loyalty

10. Think about the future (future-oriented)

- Have your goal in mind

- Idealisation

11. Focus on goals and having clarity

- Decide what you want

- Write it down

- Set a deadline

- List them down

- Transform this list to a plan

12. Concentrate on Results

- Focus on high value activities

- Focus on what others cannot but only you can give

- Make the most valuable use of my time

13. Be a problem solver

- Focus on solutions and not problems

14. Unlock your inborn creativity

15. Put people first

- Reciprocity and gratitude

16. Invest in yourself continually

17. Commit to excellence

- Key result areas (make the maximum impact)

18. Concentrate on the customer

- Meeting then exceeding expectations

- Delighting then amazing the customers

19. Focus on the bottomline

- Revenue

- Costs

20. Develop positive and not negative power

- Expert power

- Personality power

- Position power

21. Get the job done fast

- Always act fast (be known for it)

- Don't procrastinate

Perfect Phrases for Negotiating Salaries and Job Offers - Matthew J Deluc and Nanette F Deluca

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (November 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071475516
• ISBN-13: 978-0071475518
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches

This book is filled with examples of phrases for negotiation. The intial portion is devoted to negotiation preparation depending on the circumstances one is in: employed, jobless (long or short term), entry level etc. The later portion centers mostly on examples in a wide variety of cases. It would be perfect for those who need to memorise phrases but it is great for those who formulate their own phrases for comparision.

Preparing for Salary Negotiation

The 2 rules for negotiations are - Do not negotiate if you don't want the job and Be careful of what you ask for.

1. Assessing own situation - jobless, retrenched, in a current job, new entry etc

2. Assess self - skill sets, experience

3. Assess the market, industry and economy to appreciate the limitations of the employer

4. Assess own needs

- Define compensation holistically: money, bonus, benefits in terms of health and vacation, perks and other intangibles (Separate the must-haves, nice-to-have and give-aways)

- Measure the cost of the new job: appearance, transport and time, lifestyle and other commitments

Guidelines for Negotiation

1. Use silence as a tool

2. Control disclosure

3. Be firm

4. Consistency

5. Remember what is important to you

6. Find out when they need an answer

7. Ask for offer in writing

8. Keep the door open

Phrases for Negotiation

This portion covers the following scenarios:

1. Dealing with salary questions before and during recruiting (and selection) process

- salary range (pros and cons)

- age

- interviews with HR for lateral moves

2. Negotiation of the total compensation package

- Always ask in writing

- Never accept on the spot

- Higher salary, bonus, options, shorter review period, starting rates, flexi hours, home working, lesser-days work, perks, memberships, training, contract, severance, tuition refund, childcare, benefits, time off, sabbaticals, religious activities

- Counter offers under new employers and current employers

- Finalisation - accepting, rejecting, multiple offers

- Following up even none offers

3. Negotiation at current job

- Performance reviews

- Salaries

- During terminations - asking for downsizing, pay decrease, date to leave, reference letter, staying as consultant, outplacement assistance

- Asking for a raise/promotions citing no longer feeling challenged, time, vacant higher post. (This can be done after the completion of the project, market conditions, personal issues, internal inquiry, another offer coming in, replacement of position)

4. Other special circumstances

Appendix includes compensation checklist and assessment and some sample letters for reference.

The Rules of Job Hunting - Rob Yeung

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cyan Communications (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904879861
• ISBN-13: 978-1904879862
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.6 x 0.9 inches

Though being a small book, it packs a punch when dealing with job hunting holistically, covering the reasons for finding a job, creating great CVs, networking, itnerviews and negotiations. Rob manages to focus on the important aspects of job hunting, targetting the essentials that boosts your profile and removing redundancies that can drag you down.

Here's the summary in parts which captures most of his message:

1. Understanding oneself

- Strengths and Weaknesses

- By gathering feedback from others

- Knowing exactly what you want (life, goals and dreams) instead of casting a wide net for any job

- Know your priorities in a job in terms of: autonomy, support, family, responsibilities, location, colleagues, company size, social contribution, order, advacnement, ethics, security, leadership, moeny, recognition, mobility, creativity, variety

- Have a vision statement

- Have a plan that is SMART (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound)

2. Creating a great CV

The benchmark here is to have 1 in 4 CVs that can land you in an interview.

- Always tailor to the required job

- Compact but with white spaces too

- Start from scratch, include relevant and recent details of working experiences only

- Keep it simple

- Decide the most appropriate format: Use a chronological format if continuing the same career path; Use a functional format for changing industries to target the required and transferrable skill sets

- Quantify your results

- Summarize your CV into a profile statement (different from vision statement)

- Exclude hobbies unless they have accolades

- Exclude martial status

- Have a proper email address

- Get a 2nd opinion on your CV in context of the job

- Append a good cover letter

3. Networking for opportunities

- List all the people you know in a sitting (from the closest to the furthest) and see who you can call

- Always call people for information (in terms of contacts and referrals) and not for jobs

- Develop a sense of ettiquette

- Always be ready for an interview

- Maintain visibility by always following up

- Have 3 types of referees: Factual, Personal Character, Credibility at work. Make sure these referees are notified of the job applied for.

- Set targets in networking

- ACE your emotions by Accepting, Capturing and Expressing

4. Being unforgettable at interviews

The four most important traits one need to present during the interview are:

1) Chemistry

2) Confidence

3) Capacity for growth

4) Competence

- Remember that the 1st (1st impression) and last 5 minutes (recency effect) are the most important

- Prepare 7 stories of success (especially for entry level) to cover topics on: problem solving, communication, customer/client, leadership, strategic planning/commercial, coaching and development, innovation/change.

- For competency-based questions, use "I or me" focusing on STAR (situation, task, action and results)

- Use your weakness/failure to your advantage, attributing failure to uncontrollable factors; divulging a minor weakness to reveal a strength that is needed for the job. Most important is the way that the weakness was dealt with.

- If the weakness is apparent, simply highlight it at the onset (like pregnancy)

- Talk long term

- Use body language - Listening, right tone, volume, pitch, speed

- Mirror interviewers

- Dress one notch better

- Defer money matters till later (next meetup)

- Prepare for any aptitude test

- Discuss other offers but no names

- Ask questions regarding challenges, autonomy, culture, requirement

- Be positive and optimistic

- Followup letter with reference to openings in other areas and addressing key points in the interview

- Ask for feedback after for learning sake.

Top 10 Questions that are asked:

1) What are your strengths?

2) What are your weaknesses?

3) What motivates you?

4) How would others describe you?

5) Main achievements?

6) Performance targets and how well you perform against them?

7) What are you proud of?

8) Why should we hire you?

9) What can you contribute?

10) What are your passions?

5. Considerations on taking up the job

- Defer spontaneous offers

- Measure your worth - benchmark and negotiate

- Considering the total package (be creative): Bonuses, relocation, profit-sharing, commission, benefits, medical, leave of all kinds, personal development, memberships, perks, flexible hours

- Establish the parameters of the job: reporting hierachy, job requirements, teamwork, starting date, performance criteria

- Reflect and compare this with the initial objectives set out

- Read the small print

- Consider an 'exit strategy'

Tai Chi

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Duncan Baird (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844832627
• ISBN-13: 978-1844832620

This is a really brief book on Tai Chi that covers the bare essentials only.

The first part describes the background and history of Tai Chi, followed by the principles/essence and practicalities of regular Tai Chi.

The second part focuses on the basic movements of Tai Chi, using photographs.

In short, Tai Chi is good for the mental and physical health, with much focus on meditation and mental strength. This book is peppered with quotes. A good beginner's guide to read but too small a book to own.