Scambags & Fraudsters Are Here To Stay
Much as I tried my darn best to resist from having SCAMS & FRAUDS as our piece for today, I just CAN'T resist it after coming across the ChannelNews Asia piece today, I realized that indeed, it's NOT redundant to say that Scambags & Fraudsters Are Here To Stay, Even in the city-state of Singapore where its laws are known to be one of the toughest, the statistics are screaming loud enough⏳⏳⏳Despite the pandemic enveloping us all, its total number of scam and cybercrime cases rose by more than 25% year-on-year. And out of the total cases scams accounted for a hefty 94%. And the TOP FIVE SCAMS types were PHISHING scams, JOB scams, e-Commerce scams. investment scams and FAKE FRIEND CALL scams [as per official data by the Singapore Police Force]πππAnd not to our surprise, those TOP FIVE SCAMS made up more than 80% of the TOP 10 SCAM types in Singapore alone. Now, hold your breath, guess what comes into the equation next? And the $64 question now is: WHY DO SCAMMERS USE ROMANCE AS PART OF THEIR MODUS OPERANDI? Security Expert Mr Gallagher opined that in most cases, the lure is trying to draw someone into a flirtatious or romantic relationship because that affects their ability to think critically about the whole situation. In the shortest world, when ROMANCE creeps in, it throws a 'monkey wrench in our normal thinking and judgmentπππAnd topping today's list of TOP SCAMS is the 'PIG BUTCHERING SCAM' a.k.a. ROMANCE SCAM which has become one of the most popular tactics those fraudsters steal cryptocurrency. After a fraudster gains the TRUST, the scammer encourages the victim to invest in cryptocurrency trading. The scammer then guarantees the victim will make money [either via an 'INSIDER TIP' or the investor's knowledgeπππIn the U.K. alone, there are more than 150 FAKE firms with 'known ties' to China, targeting people online, 'breaking their hearts' and in the end, emptying their bank accounts. Sadly, everything starts when a woman meets a man online. They flirt. After a few weeks, they being 'IMAGINING' their future together. Fast forward months later, one of them ends up as 'heart broken' after getting defrauded with all his/her monies. TO BE FOREWARNED IS TO BE FOREARMED. SCAMBAGS & FRAUDSTERS are here to stay, sadly✅✅✅No one size fits all. That explains why we're here, to share my 2-cents where it's worth it.
Thursday, March 9, 2023
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
When The Stars Align
When The Stars Align
Through the years, psychologists have consistently confirmed in their studies the one factor which most accurately predicts increased feelings of satisfaction in people's lives is a SENSE OF PURPOSE and conversely, the lack of it equally accurately predicts the opposite and leads to DEPRESSION, HOPELESSNESS and even ANXIETY. And according to these experts, it DOESN'T matter what that SENSE OF PURPOSE is, merely that it is. For one person, maybe it's all about caretaking for aging parents. That kind of unique circumstance could lead one to achieve seemingly SUPERHUMAN feats like carrying her parents up a long flight of stairs despite enduring severe back problems. And this leads us all to it When The Stars Align⏳⏳⏳For another fellow, it could be getting immersed in art or picking up a hobby one longed for a long time. And as long as there is something before us, it seems something to work toward that has meaning to us, regardless whether it has meaning to anyone else or NOT, as our lives will certainly NEVER be perfect, but they will be vastly better than they would be otherwise. In short, PURPOSE makes life worth living and the absence of it, in my humble opinion, would be our worst undoingπππSo, in the vastness of the solar system, how do we pull this off when the stars align? First things first, we must accept things as they are and NOT as we wish them to be. By this, I DON'T mean that we should like the way things are BUT instead, NOT liking the way things are is a great reason to put your mind to changing them. Again, that leads us to when the stars alignπππ
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
DON'T Wait To Be Ready
DON'T Wait To Be Ready
We'll hear this OVER and OVER again. Be READY. Get READY. Gotta be READY. BUT hey, DON'T Wait To Be Ready. That's our dilemma. From our growing up years, our parents would always put the impetus of getting READY in life [which is fine as a motherhood statement] but to live your daily life, let us throw out in the window that you gotta be READY before plungingπππTo quote Jensen Siaw, one of Asia's popular performance coach and motivational speaker,
"DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO TAKE ACTION. INSTEAD, TAKE ACTION TO BE READY" I think that is well said and that hits the nail right on its head. Because we grew up under the very nose of our parents, guiding us to BE READY and GET READY, by the time we were unleashed, no one's to blame if we got molded, disciplined and trained that READINESS is the key. And per se, that's very true, READINESS is non-negotiable but unfortunately, that READINESS aspect tends to hold us back⏳⏳⏳
Monday, March 6, 2023
NEVER Wait For The Beginning Of The End
NEVER Wait For The Beginning Of The End
Carlos Ghosn, the former Chairman & CEO of Nissan-Renault Alliance was once quoted that: NEVER wait for the beginning of the end and I just can't agree less than that. Except for catastrophic events [God forbid] like natural calamities, accidents and terrorism, all other turn of events in our life just didn't pop-up like that 'Big Bang Theory'. Somewhere somehow in the not so distant past, you could and should have detected the beginning ff the endπππTake breakups of relationships. 99.99% of it were not plotted to [sadly] end that way, and sometimes ending acrimoniously. Ironically, 99.99% of relationships start off all shining and dandy. BUT the most perplexing question is as to WHY many of us still end up kinda in a state of shock when it happens. Simple answer is: We ignored the initial arguments that worsened into tiffs and escalating into full-blown quarrels till 'bridges got burned'πππWe can easily compare all these to our laptop woes [both for students and office workers ever since we got hit with that dreaded pandemic. 99.99% of laptops will NOT breakdown instantly. Instead, there will be tell-tale signs and most of which seem incognito or alarming enough but we humans should be DISCERNING with every minute detail. DON'T even give that LAME EXCUSE that you're NOT a techie because you DON'T need to be a techie to detect when the laptop startup takes more time than normal. OR when you hear eerie sounds 'inside' the laptop when you access files. OR when it gets stalled during your workπππOR let's pick the most common symptom that's happening to many of us when we are in the midst of our tasks. Those headaches [which you quickly shrug off as 'OH THAT'S MY MIGRAINE'. OR those recurring cases when you missed out a thing or two [and when it keeps recurring, it becomes chronic]. Those momentary lapses. We can keep going and there's a plethora of these symptoms✅✅✅Oh, swinging over to FRAUD, not to heap any blame on the poor victims BUT prior to getting hit with FRAUD, there's a 'chain of events' that would have prompted or alerted the prospective FRAUD victim [at that time] but again, we either glossed over it and just ignored it all. At the end of the day, let us remember what Carlos Ghosn said: NEVER WAIT FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE END❗❗❗
Sunday, March 5, 2023
Is Your Frying Pan 'BIG ENOUGH'?
Is Your Frying Pan 'BIG ENOUGH'?
Is Your Frying Pan 'BIG ENOUGH'? It's true you DON'T need more than just one frying pan at any given time. BUT, sometimes, you would need a much bigger pan. And sometimes you need it a bit deeper. Such is the analogy with life itself. Regardless if you're still a student now, or someone fresh from university, or one who's now in the workforce, or simply being committed to your partner/spouse. Regardless, you got to be AGILEπππSaturday, March 4, 2023
A Rising Tide Lifts All The Boats
A Rising Tide Lifts All The Boats
No sirrrrrs, today's piece is neither about the maritime industry nor about sailors. Instead, A Rising Tide Lifts All The Boats attempts to map those scenarios to our life wherein we are the TIDE that directly shapes and influences the lives of our immediate loved ones, our immediate family. That level of the tide dictates the tempo and even the very fate of the boats itselfπππGRIT, FORTITUDE and WILLPOWER are the most basic traits that one has to equip himself for him to LEAD effectively. Try to take away GRIT, FORTITUDE and WILLPOWER, what you have at hand is your RECIPE for FAILURE. Who wants to end up with the family members taking their own separate paths? Who wants to end up in an 'EMPTY HOME'❓❓❓
Friday, March 3, 2023
When YOUR World Gets Smaller
When YOUR World Gets Smaller
Talking about the world seems huge indeed. But can we agree that our world is what we want anyone. If as this poster says, 'EVERYTHING IS OK', so be it, your world will be as what you said it. Here's the caveat though. What you say or what you said may not be factual but sadly, it could be more fiction more than anything else. And when that happens, it is not too far fetched to anticipate that probably YOUR WORLD GETS SMALLER, no thanks to you thoughπππWhether you think the world you live in is that too big and wide OR too cramped or limiting, it is shaped more by your very own outlook in life. If living marginally is acceptable to you, you can forget dreaming to live in quite a bigger and probably palatial place. Whereas, if you continue to hunger for the ultimate success, likely your fate is plotted right on your palms. But let's not be daydreaming for nowπΉπΉπΉReality is, a lot of news remain bleak. When we hear breakups, job loss or even your pet getting sick, that can make it even harder to have hope for the future. Like the recent years, its been tough. The aftermath of that cruel pandemic caused almost seven million deaths all over. Taken altogether, it can all feel incredibly bleak and quite difficult to cope withπππSo how do we extricate ourselves from a deep hole when our WORLD is GETTING SMALLER? First and foremost, embrace ACCEPTANCE. Admit that you're NOT OK. Listing down all your 'down moments' can be powerful and it becomes practical because you simply can't take care of yourself if you DON'T know what's wrong or what you need⏳⏳⏳It will also be helpful to remind yourself of everything you're dealing with at the moment. I lost my job. I broke off with my partner. I've been ill off and on. Putting things in such plain terms can help you put things in perspective too. Most importantly, you can plot your way forward back, regardless if it will take you 'donkey' years as long as you're able to have that 'TURNAROUND' and reverse that worsening pattern to your favor❗❗❗Thursday, March 2, 2023
Are You 'SURFING BACK' The Wave To The Shores?
Are You 'SURFING BACK' The Wave To The Shores?
Oh no sirrrrrrs, our piece today is NOT about surfing. Moreover, from A to Z. I DON'T have the sound fundamentals about surfing but this piece is all an analogy of surfing with our life. So when surfers blurt out, ' Are You 'SURFING BACK' The Wave To The Shores, we got to align with the surfer's jargon and as any surfer already knows anyway, waves are what it's all about. They would discover the kinds of waves and there's more to that though⏳⏳⏳Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Losing A Little Juice Should NOT Be An Excuse
Losing A Little Juice Should NOT Be An Excuse
Nope sirs, today's piece is NOT about the drinks offered in your fav resto. Instead, this is all about our 'JUICES in LIFE' which are our very strengths BUT again, losing a little juice is A-OK. Yes it may cause some dent BUT it could wreak havoc in your life unless you're able to manage and handle it to avoid any undue hemorrhage which at worst may even be fatal in lifeπππIt's akin to driving and suddenly you're skidding and the only solution therein is to steer out of that skid. Through the years, we would realize that we may not as in tip-top shape as it was before. Our reflexes may be less sharper. Our agility may have taken a few steps backward. Even our energy levels may not have a china man's chance in the AMAZING RACE but all is NOT lost if we are losing a little juice. It will be A-OK⏳⏳⏳One trick I realized that seems to work is to be a NOVICE all over again. Being a NOVICE should neither be a shame nor a stigma in life. Learning the ropes of new interests, even non-physically taxing activities like my blogging, that should work wonders to us because I can attest that as much as I may have quite a good proficiency of English, the best way to test is not just the pudding but to eat out the cake itself. JUST DO ITπππObviously, some things will be OFF-LIMITS to you, especially if you need to heed your doctor's advice. But other than that, NOTHING is really OFF-LIMITS. If you're into a relationship and you have been so damn boring all through your life, try to RE-INVENT yourself, taking a 180-degree turn from what you were, along in life✅✅✅And let's face it, we all have this common ground, that of reaching our homestretch when we taper off and slow down, way away from that dreadful RAT RACE but into a pace that will rhyme with our need to really enjoy in the best quality way what life is all about for us. So, losing a little juice should NOT cause you sleepless nights. On the other hand, your adrenalin should remain at FULL-TANK❗❗❗
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
When Your Performance Is Abysmal
When Your Performance Is Abysmal
Maybe you're still in school and you delivered your dissertation but you felt you flopped. OR you just got out of your company's annual performance review and the results were NOT good. Whether you were anticipating the bad news or it was a total surprise, it still stings, right? You might even currently be feeling some combination of embarrassment, disappointment, shock, fear and anger or you're just too worried that your job may be standing on some shaky ground? Indeed, we'll all feel that LOW and with our shot-down motivation when our performance is abysmal but again, all is NOT lost because that's NOT the end of the world, trust meπΉπΉπΉ
Straight from my thought processes...
Going Against The Odds
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