Happy New Year! I’m back!
February 1st, 2007 by Dave Cheong
To all of you, my friends and readers -
Happy New Year! Wow, I can’t believe we’re in 2007 already and where did January go? I may be a little late with my well wishes, but it’s better late than never:
May the new year bring you great joy and success in all areas of your life!
Looking back at the archives, it has been an incredibly long time since my last post and I apologise for not having kept up the postings. Some of it has to do with a serious lack of discretionary time. Not only is the festive season generally hectic, but ever since the arrival of my baby girl Amy, life has taken a whole new meaning. My priorities had changed and being a dad is simply wonderful.
I’ve spent about 99% of my free time with her. While this has enriched me in so many ways and I’ll write about them in due course, the downside of this is I’ve neglected a lot of other things which are important to me including this blog.
If there was ever a time to start fresh, it’s now! Many people make resolutions especially for the new year. However I subscribe to the belief there’s no time like the present to make a change for the better. The near year is just a convenient time. The past isn’t important. What matters is now.
So I’m taking this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful new year and to say…
I’m back! And I’m back in a BIG way.
Firstly, what’s in store for this blog in 2007? To start, I have about 15 articles all in mid flight which I had started last year but could never find the time to complete. I’ve made getting these done a personal goal and I’ll be applying all the good things I’ve written about goal making to help me ensure it happens.
Secondly, for all you RSS subscribers out there, in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve also spruced up the look and feel of this site. I hope you all like the new fresh look and the personal touches I’ve put in to signify my renewed commitment to this blog.
Lastly, there’s something exciting I’d like to share. For all you GTD fans out there, I’m happy to say I’ve settled on my next Internet venture. It will be an online, hosted and absolutely zero-fuss service based on the GTD methodology to help you collect, organise and track actions and projects. I’ve spent some time shaping things up… but it’s still early days. Throughout the next few weeks, I’ll write what the idea is about, some of its features and invite you all to chime in with suggestions and improvements.
In closing, thank you all for sticking around. Once again, I apologise for neglecting this blog but now I feel revitalised. So watch this space.
Happy New Year!
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Being a new dad
September 2nd, 2006 by Dave Cheong
Some of you may have noticed my posting frequency has dropped a little. There’s a good reason for this. Early last week my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl - our first born.
We named her Amy.
Being a new dad is simply amazing. Sure I have to change dirty nappies and wake up at odd hours in the night, but the joys and rewards far out weigh these petty annoyances. There’s something magical about connecting with your child that I am at a lost to describe. A simple smile in an instant can wipe away all the worries of the day.
For the parents out there you already know what I’m talking about. For those of you who aren’t parents yet, once you become one, you find your whole perspective on life shifts - for the better. What used to be important, become less so. Suddenly, you find yourself looking forward to seeing your child, spending time with her and making sure she’s fed, warm and content. I find I’m less stressed out about things in general and I take the time to recount how lucky I am in so many ways.
Being a parent is a huge responsibility. You are responsible for ensuring your child is safe. You are responsible for the development of your child. How they grow up and what kind of person they become are your responsibility. I have been fortunate enough to be in a mentoring position with people I work with. I have experienced the satisfaction when I see someone I manage achieve their goals at work. Being a parent takes this to the next level. It is about nurturing your child’s budding personality, cultivating her curiosity to learn and grow as well as supporting her in the things she is passionate about.
Although Amy is only 1 week old, I already see how my focus in life will change. My dad always say in life you keep adding on instead of exchanging. What he means is life is about accumulating experiences. You don’t exchange a set of values for something else. As we grow, we add new beliefs to our belief systems. Sure I’ll still strive to improve myself and become an Entrepreneur in the truest sense, but I’ll also be dedicated to ensuring all the essential elements are in place in order for Amy to get all the opportunities she deserves.
The thing about personal development is it improves who we are, what we do and how we interact with people. No more so than now, I find all the years I have invested in developing myself, will become increasingly more useful, as I transition into my role as a dad.
The things I’ve written about are all equally applicable:
- How to encourage others
- Time boxing
- Accomplishing goals
- Overcoming self imposed limitations
- Being happy
- Step by step improvements
- Developing positive patterns
- Solving problems
- Waking up early
Not only will these lessons help me be a better dad but they will also be essential tools for Amy to obtain in her own journey through life. For all the parents out there, good luck. I wish you all the best. May your children grow up to be the best they dream to be.
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System.out.println(”Hello world!”);
June 9th, 2006 by Dave Cheong
Hi there! My name is Dave Cheong. Welcome to my new blog.
Who am I? I am currently a Java Internet Software Engineer. I was born in Malaysia, grew up in New Zealand, was educated as an Electrical Engineer and now make my living as a mercenary on software contracts around Sydney.
What is this blog about? This blog is about good technology, software engineering, design, usability, productivity, entrepreneurship and more. It is also an online journal of my journey from being a Software Engineer to Entrepreneur.
If you are anything like me, an IT developer wondering how to strike out on your own, you may find my thoughts and observations mirror your own. However, whether you are a technical person doing hands on coding, or a designer thinking about usability, or a solopreneur faced with the challenge of innovating and being pragmatic, you will find something of relevance and interest here. If this is the case, I invite you to be a regular reader and check back often or subscribe to the feed with a RSS aggregator like Bloglines.
Signing off the first post dated June 9th 2006 -
System.out.println(”Hello world!”);
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