I was browsing for something else when I stumbled upon this:

Your wish list is the list of everything that you may need, want or desire someday, but that you are not actively pursuing at this time. You can build your wish list first, and then prioritize and decide which of these wishes to pursue further.

When you find a wish that you really want to accomplish, you simply convert it into a dream or goal. If you find a wish that you no longer need or want, simply demote it (give it a low priority) and choose something else instead.

The difference between dreams and goals is a bit more subtle. In the end, a goal is nothing more than a well-defined target. While doing our research, we found that there are two major types of targets used in goal setting.

The first type of target is what is commonly called a SMART goal. SMART is an acronym used to describe “good” goal statements. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic/Relevant and Time-Specific.

The best SMART goals are focused, specific, short-term targets that involve things that are under your direct control. This is what makes goals such powerful achievement tools, but it is also what can limit them.

If you only use SMART goals, you run the risk of loosing sight of the big picture, the reasons why you are setting goals in the first place. As Stephen Covey aptly points out, SMART goals can help you climb the ladder of success step-by-step, only to find that it is leaning against the wrong wall!

That’s where the concept of dreams comes in to play to help bridge the gap. A dream is also a type of target: it is the ultimate realization of your desire or wish, and it is not limited by the SMART constraints.

Dreams can be big and seem unrealistic at first glance. They also don’t have to be as focused or specific as goals. Some dreams could look five to ten years into your future; others could even span your entire lifetime.

Dreams are your ultimate destination, while goals are the intermediate stops along the way. Dreams represent what you want and why, while goals represent your plan to get you there.

Goals and dreams complement each other. If you only have dreams without any goals to support them, you can easily feel overwhelmed by the enormity of your dream. The shorter-term goals provide achievable intermediate targets that serve as stepping stones toward your dream.

If you only have goals but no dreams, you can easily fall into the trap of focusing so much on the steps that you lose sight of your destination. You run the risk of forgetting “why” you are pursuing these goals in the first place. Specific short-term goals are not terribly motivating by themselves either; their power comes from their connection to a big inspiring dream.

When you focus only on the next steps, you might also fail to notice wonderful opportunities that would allow you to leapfrog several steps ahead. Dreams allow you to be on the look for these golden opportunities that may not be in line with your current goals, but that are strongly aligned with your dream.

Dreams also help you evaluate whether your overall strategy and associated goals are working or not. Without the dream, you can accomplish goal after goal and not really make any progress. If you focus only on moving from one step to the next and never look up at your destination, you may not notice you are walking around in circles.

~ Taken from The Difference between Wishes, Dreams and Goals

And this is the actual thing that I was looking for :)

“It was a dream of honey. Lots of honey. Enough to last a whole summer. Actually, it selected me. But once I had the dream, I knew I must pursue it.”
“So what did you do?”
“Why, the next step, of course.” Said Pooh. “I used my dream to set a goal.”

LOOKING! KEEP ON LOOKING!

Somewhat a very original game :D

Arguably one of the greatest inventor in Internet time and culture :)

Smiley Lore :-)

Imagine if it’s never invented. Flaming war, offended friends, cold and insensitive label, broken relationships, just to name a few.

Quoted from a job listing that I saw today:

“Company is seeking applicants wanting to establish a career in the funeral industry. Typical duties include the transfer of deceased persons, …”

I wonder if anyone has a dream to be in funeral industry? Ever? Anyone?

There are a couple of guys in my office today bought a pair of Star Wars Light Sabers. Everyone just gathered around them and kept saying “Coooll…!!!”

Note that it costs about $250AU each. See, this is what my post means.

Quoted directly from the site:

Availability Note: Due to high demand, there is a limit of 6 light sabers per customer. Thanks for your understanding!

For godsake who’s gonna buy SIX Light Sabers?? OR MORE??

Only in game company that you can do this without being punished by society for extreme geekiness (for lack of a real word). *roll eyes*

PS: Look at ThinkGeek website. They really have some cool stuff ;). Not that I’m a geek or anything.

” When your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme “ ~ Jiminy Cricket

Ever since our game was released, every once in a while we peeked into the game sites’ forum to see if people posted anything. If there’s anything even mildly interesting, the link is emailed around the office. It’s really cute :). Mind you, it’s the first game for most of us in my team.

A few people got confused about how to defeat the bosses. Well, I too think that they are… not very intuitive. Heck, I STILL DON’T KNOW how to defeat the last boss! Every time I tested/played the game, the people I played it with (it’s a multiplayer game) have done it so many times they could do it with one hand (okay, a little exaggeration here.. except for one guy - the designer. He indeed could play the entire game with one hand.) So each and every time I was just running around (my character, that is) in confusion “What do I do? What should I do?”, and nobody bothered to stop and tell me something that made sense. They just yelled “JUST FOLLOW US!” or something like “Stop slowing us down!” that I almost cried in anguish (another exaggeration. Boy I have a lot of brackets in this paragraph). That is why I ended up like I am now.

So that’s the story about a game developer that does not know how to defeat the last boss of her own game. Even until the game is shipped.

I’ll probably try to find out later. After I’ve got my own copy.

Another comment that I found between the lines of code for your amusement

/* ???
who put this crap in, … [details ommitted]… you don’t need to do this shit.
??? */

As promised, here is the itineraries for my South East Asia travel in Jan 2006.

I spent weeks and intense weeks to build this! (Almost every night for a few hours for many weeks) Crazy! But like people say, the trip’s already started by doing your homework. I thoroughly enjoy every moment of it :). It hasn’t quite finished yet, but I thought it has come to a point where I can show it to you all. I’ll still be working on the details and probably updating the page a few more times.

My sources are Lonely Planet book: South East Asia on a Shoestring, a lot of brochures on tours (for pretty pictures and itinerary copy cat), and a lot of websites. The Lonely Planet forum just came to me in the last few days, and it’s actually an EXCELLENT source for all independent travellers. Hear real advices and real experiences from real indie travellers that have “been here done that”. There are tons of other websites that have heaps of information, especially for people that do long long travel. (You really don’t have that many choices if you can only spare a few weeks. Always take the most famous spots. Always take the quickest connecting transportation - mostly by plane.) Hopefully I’ll be able to do that soon. Like say, a year or two? As in the length of the trip, that is.

I need this trip bad. I’m getting frustated with my daily job. Again, it’s not the work. It’s the routines. Killing me softly. And it really doesn’t help that anytime I talk to people or read their blogs, everybody seems to be unhappy, particularly with the routines of their daily job. I guess most people my age have started to get trapped in the evil circle of what used to be a oh-so-glorious-thing-to-have “professional” work. Can’t go forward, can’t go back, can’t stop. Damn. I’m telling you I’m quitting a few months after the trip, near the completion of my second game (if things going as planned), and do whatever. Don’t ask. I’ll shush people if they ask.