Content Is KING [And ConteXt is QUEEN]!!!

Even way back before the internet + technologies have invaded [and somehow taken over] our lives, we always heard it even from the old school that, inside-out, Content Is KING [And ConteXt is QUEEN]!!!  Fast forward, the internet lords it over [akin to the LORD OF THE RINGS] and the unabated advances of technology has made us realize [albeit too late] that way beyond the whistles and bells, Content Is KING [And ConteXt is QUEEN] and that's not debatable at all.  No one wants to strut his wares in a hollowed manner📗📙📘

Almost 30 years ago, 1996 to be precise, Bill Gates wrote an essay titled 'CONTENT IS KING' and amongst others, he was reinforcing that the real money in life will be fueled by the internet [much as its predecessors had in their hay day WHEN broadcasting lorded it all over.  BUT that's NOT our concern though.  Instead, we'd like to drill and drive on the very CONTEXT of having CONTENT as KING because this is NOT akin to stocking the shelves with all the groceries and foodies💦💦💦

WHAT our life needs is REAL CONTENT, WHERE life is top-heavy, WHERE life CAN'T be like a candy jar, sweet BUT nothing else, WHERE life is akin to a bloated tummy, seemingly full BUT it's as airy as it can be.  Much life that may seem so good at the surface BUT once we dig deeper, it does NOT have the meaningful contents our life really needs.  Imagine a life that seems to live in harmony BUT beneath the surface, it's all turmoil, all travail, all tribulations❎❎❎

In the midst of all these, WHERE does this discourse lead us to?  Bluntly, it is for us to live a PURPOSEFUL life, a genuine one enough to lead you towards a genuinely harmonious life.  Surely, in each of our private lives, NOTHING went true to form based on your hopes and dreams at that point in life WHEN you were about to be unleashed💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Let's get to the bottom of things here.  It's you yourselves calling the shots in your life, and if there's any snafu along the way, you yourself is responsible for such hiccup[s].  At the end of the day, we DON'T want to end up in a 'blame game' WHEREIN fingers will all point to you yourself.  YES, much as CONTEXT is QUEEN, CONTENT IS KING.  That old adage 'GARBAGE-IN GARBAGE-OUT' resonates well here dude😌😌😌

That 'ONE ACTION' Goal

GOALS GOALS GOALS, one of the most overused words ever.  To an extent that WHEN we hear it, more often it somehow falls on the hollowed halls OR worse, on deaf ears.  BUT how about That 'ONE ACTION' Goal?  True, it's NOT a novel proposition BUT I believe this is worth thinking about because WHILE most of us did set GOALS, probably 98% of those pre-set GOALS will entail more than just ONE ACTION.  And honestly, with our UNLI ambitions [which is commendable], we have GOALS that need a zillion ACTIONS to be taken before that GOAL gets achieved📗📙📘

True indeed, a big chunk of our GOALS entail more than just one single ACTION.  We'll claim that life is NOT as simple as 1-2-3 OR ABC.  Even a casual goal to be the very first one to greet your best friend on her birthday come next day may NOT be a ONE ACTION GOAL because of dependencies like, you need to enable your alarm clock and here's the thing, you are praying you will get awakened by the buzz of the alarm clock, whew💧💧💧

Admittedly, many times in the past, I myself, I got 'trapped' [on my own fault though] because maybe 99% of my GOALS were NOT the ONE ACTION GOAL I'm harping now.  BUT that's the reality though.  More often, there are dependencies, there are pre-requisites.  Like that whim to be the first 'greeter' of your best friend when her birthday kicks in come next day.  Even that alarm clock has become a dependency❗❗❗

Let's have a micro-mini clinic here.  So, instead of setting a goal to be the 'first birthday greeter' come next day, WHY DON'T you set that not so ambitious GOAL of getting awakened each time your alarm clock buzzes?  ISN'T that the simplest GOAL yet the benefits you will reap once you achieve it will NOT just positively impact that very next day BUT it will trigger compounded effects thereafter even by lifting just the edges of your index finger.  Once you develop that discipline to be awakened by the alarm clock's buzzing, the rest of the weeks, months OR even your life, you DON'T need to be apprehensive IF ever you will remain dead asleep when that alarm clock buzzes any day in the future.  That's a ONE ACTION GOAL dude💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  You may play devil's advocate to tell me that life is much more complicated than just being bothered by one's inability to be awakened by the alarm clock's buzzing.  BUT will you agree with me that if that inability to be awakened becomes habitual and chronic, think about the consequences and ramifications of the tiniest issue in your life compounding its impact come next day, next week, next month and in your future.  Do consider that 'ONE ACTION' goal.  NOT a steep goal, dude😉😉😉

Bouncing Back When Life Punches You In The Face

Bouncing Back When Life Punches You In The Face

No one wants to get punched on the face, NOT even getting kicked on the chin.  BUT alas, in life, we DON'T wear those teflon coats every tick of the clock to shield us from things that trigger to 'rock the boat', so to speak.  And the only antidote, really, is Bouncing Back When Life Punches You In The Face because we should NEVER sulk in one corner, ever comforted by our self-defeating self-pity because it will never lift you out from that rat's hole📗📙📘

Even for the battle-scarred in the world of martial arts, much as they 'FORTIFY THEIR FORTITUDE' when getting hit black and blue, walking off from a fight, NO matter if it ended up as a gross mismatch, is simply a NO-NO because NO one, NOT even your own handlers will get to a realization that all they have in their stable is a patsy.  This reminds me of the world of boxing WHERE it used to be, world title fights were scheduled for 15 rounds, until bloodied boxers refused to throw in the towel even when blood was all over their face.  They then cut down those fights to 12 rounds💥💥💥

YES, I CAN'T agree less with this poster WHICH screams, FALL SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP EIGHT.  Bottomline is that, it it behooves that regardless of the storms that will hit us, we are expected to be standing on our toes, even if at times, we feel weak OR worse, even bloodied.  Indeed, let's paint a picture WHERE you're so weak BUT you prefer to be lying down on the canvas, on that rough pavement.  That will NEVER be of help, NOT even to inject a breath of life into your sagging spirit after getting hit 'black and blue'.  WHICH reminds me, I've been down in the 'gutters' a few times in the past BUT alas, here I am, alive and kicking, NO thanks to my kindred spirit to keep going no less😊😊😊

Some practical sharings for us to bounce back:

• Practice SELF-COMPASSION.  Treat yourself with the same kindness you would extend to your friend.  You deserve it
• Have that POSITIVE OUTLOOK.  Take pleasure for the little joys in our life.
• Take an ACTIVE APPROACH to fix an issue
• Be mentally and emotionally FLEXIBLE because resilience comes into play then

Our takeaway:  No one is shielded from getting thrown into that deep and dark abyss in life.  Unfortunately for some of us, lightning DOES NOT STRIKE ONCE because some of us get hit a multiple times.  And this is WHEN our resilience leads us to the tipping point, that point WHEREIN we can make OR break things. BUT here's the thing.  WHY do we settle with a BREAK WHEN more often, the difference between making it OR missing it is sometimes minuscule.  Sometimes, it is that last gasp that will push us over the hump.  YES dude, BOUNCING BACK WHEN LIFE PUNCHES YOU IN THE FACE is NOT a steep slope to climb❗❗❗

What's Your 'CHERRY ON TOP'?

What's Your 'CHERRY ON TOP'?

WHO says that success is an accident???  NO sirrrrs.  People WHO consistently reach high levels of achievement in life do things differently from the rest of us.  And to top it all, successful performances will frequently showcase that CHERRY ON TOP!!!  So, What's Your 'CHERRY ON TOP'?  BUT before plunging into deeper as to what our ideal successful performance, one thing rarely discussed is that on top of our successful performances, it helps to have that CHERRY ON TOP📘📙📗

You might ask, do we really need a CHERRY ON TOP, that is, on top our successful performances?  YES and YES.  You might ask, WHAT FOR?  Fine.  Let me pitch my spiel.  Per se, WHAT matters in life is for us to have a successful performance, be it in our personal life OR even at work.  Now, let's swing to the workplace.  If the expectation from you is to churn out a required report with 100% data accuracy, would you agree that any Tom, Dick and Harry does that too?  Regardless, someone can and will do it.  So, WHERE'S your differentiator?  HOW can you stand out💚💛💜

So, if I play devil's advocate, WHAT's the value add if I add-on a CHERRY ON TOP my output?  There will be a world of difference, trust me.  After all the reports are churned out and archived at the repository, HOW well will you stand out from the perspective of the bosses?  Hardly I guess.  WHY?  It's because you DON'T have a key differentiator, something that sets you apart from the rest of the pack.  Are you in sync here?  Even WHEN we were part of the academe, when our academic faculties will require this and that report, WASN'T it imperative that our output will stand out, once all the outputs are piled up💥💥💥

In short, while the actual deliverable really matters, does that 'STAND OUT' well enough versus if it showcases that you went the EXTRA MILE for those little-little add-ons, superficial it may be?  Be a retail customer and go over to the cakes and pastries shop.  WHICH cake STANDS OUT?  Likely you WON'T argue that the cake that STANDS OUT is that one with that CHERRY ON TOP!!!  While that CHERRY ON TOP hardly adds-up to the content, it's superficial presence gives that cake that EXTRA hmmmp, that EXTRA glitter that shines even if the lights get dimmer.  YES, this is how tight the competition is in life.  Those lil-lil EXTRAs may be the deciding factor if you STAND OUT or NOT💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  With braggadocio, there are one too many upsides if we endeavor to have that CHERRY ON TOP in almost every facet of our daily life, starting with our relationships with our family and at @workplace, our performance either @school OR @workplace, our goal setting in life, our ways of working and if you're active in the job market, you will definitely have that edge, slight it might be.  And if you're into those enterprising forays, WHETHER it's goods OR services, whatever is your CHERRY ON TOP may likely help propel your chances.  So WHAT'S your CHERRY ON TOP???

[Repost from Lifehacker] Screenshots Are The Latest RISKs!

 

[Reposting EN TOTO from lifehacker.com Emily Long, 06.24.2025 - New reason to never keep screenshots of private information on your phone]  If you keep screenshots of login credentials or cryptocurrency seed phrases—or any sensitive content, really—in your phone's photo gallery, you should go through and remove them. A spyware campaign targeting images is spreading through apps found on the Apple App and Google Play stores as well as third-party sources. SparkKitty malware gains access to photo galleries on iOS and Android, allowing it to exfiltrate images or data contained within😡😡😡

If SparkKitty infects your iOS device, it requests permission to access your photo gallery which, if granted, will allow the program to monitor for and exfiltrate new images. On Android, SparkKitty requests storage permissions to access images so that it can upload images along with device identifiers and metadata. It may also use Google ML Kit's optical character recognition (OCR) to specifically target images like screenshots that contain text.  Kaspersky also discovered the malware in TikTok clones—distributed via unofficial platforms—that embed various fake apps😗😗😗

SparkKitty may be an iteration of SparkCat, a photo-scanning malware that was first identified earlier this year but had likely been circulating for some time. While SparkCat specifically targeted crypto wallets using OCR to identify text keywords, SparkKitty appears to indiscriminately steal images from compromised galleries. Since some SparkKitty delivery vectors have been crypto-themed, Kaspersky researchers believe crypto theft is still the primary goal, though the possibility of other sensitive content being used maliciously—extortion, for example—remains.  So, WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO???

iOS and Android users can take steps both to minimize or protect the sensitive data stored on their devices as well as limit the risk of falling victim to spyware like SparkKitty in the first place.  First and foremost, DON'T keep photos or screenshots of your crypto seed phrase, login credentials, or sensitive content of any kind in your photo gallery. Doing so puts your accounts at risk if your device is compromised in any way, whether by malware or physical theft. Regular logins can be locked in a password manager behind several layers of security!!!

You should also EXERCISE CAUTION when downloading apps to your device, whether from the Google Play and Apple App stores or unofficial sources. Unfortunately, you can't trust everything you find even on vetted platforms. Look for red flags: Check the developer's history and scrutinize reviews, especially if there are a lot of glowing reviews relative to the number of downloads. Be wary of requests to access your photo gallery, especially if those permissions aren't related to the app's functionality. In fact, you should pay close attention to permissions requested any time you install a new app—don't just blindly allow them!@#$%?

When We End Up In A Mud-fest, LET'S ROCK!

When We End Up In A Mud-fest, LET'S ROCK!

Mud-fests are enjoyable to talk about BUT for clarity, in our thread today, we'd like to see how do we handle things WHEN we're IN THE MUD but NOT from choice and NOT for playful acts.  YES, in the past, I've been IN THE MUD quite numerous times and I realized that I always had two options , namely to opt-out OR to opt-in.  When We End Up In A Mud-fest, LET'S ROCK!  While opting-out was an option, I realized that that is a loser's mindset, someone WHO loses the game by default with nary an effort exerted at all📗📙📘

You might ask, HOW often should we brace ourselves for getting embroiled in those MUD-fests in life?  I'd counsel that you hope and pray that it DOESN'T hit you BUT the harsh truth is, this will hit us all at some point[s] in our life.  I got hit, once, twice, thrice.  And you might ask, HOW WAS IT?  I'd say that definitely it was NO FUN but looking back, if it hits me hard again, I'm much more hardened and prepared to be much more resilient than I was😊😊😊

Sharing how I handled WHEN I was in the MUD:

• I had to face things up front, pull the bull by its horn
• I had to rope-in my support structure [I needed that]
• I had to listen to advice [as much as I had my own]
• i had to remain optimistic [based on my strengths]
• I had to be more resilient [than I was used to be]
• Regardless WHETHER you believe in God OR not, you got to have that rock-solid faith that you will weather that gathering storm at all cost

SO HOW, when we're IN THE MUD in life?

• First things first, your mindset is to eventually extricate yourself out of the MUD
• Secondly, summon all your strengths, including your capabilities yet untapped
• Thirdly, your end-result is to move forward.  NOT even the status quo is acceptable.
• If you're struggling with mental health like depression, even anti-depressants may help but only superficially, NOT until you could redirect your attention on something like getting engaged with a new hobby, skill or playing your favorite.  Otherwise, find out the relevant podcast you could get glued
• Remember unprecedented situations need unprecedented efforts from your end

Our takeaway:  Life is NEVER all rainbows and melodies.  Truth is, WHEN you're in that MUD IN LIFE, there is little time left for you to be wired on the internet or binged something on Netflix.  That recent Covid-19 pandemic is the most recent MUD IN LIFE where we all found ourselves all in the same boat.  Sadly, the weaker ones fell off by the wayside.  Bottomline here is that once we're IN THE MUD IN LIFE, your end-result is no less than to eke out yourself OUT OF THE MUD.  No mean feat BUT as they say, WHEN WE END UP IN A MUD-FEST, LET'S ROCK!!!

Are We Clutching On Straws When We Declare 'MAYDAY MAYDAY???

Are We Clutching On Straws When We Declare 'MAYDAY MAYDAY???

WHO says pilots have the monopoly to trigger MAYDAY calls?  NO sirrrrrs, we're entitled too as much as it seems that it's their own.  WHY?  Because at some point[s] in our lives, everyone of us were also hitting that rock bottom.  NO one is immune to hitting it, NOT even Elon Musk, the world's #1 billionaire.  Our HUGE MISS, really, is the misconception that calling MAYDAY is the domain of pilots.  Looking back, I'm cocksure many of us [and that includes moi in the past] DIDN'T handle our own 'rock bottoms' in the best way because even as we were Clutching On Straws, we failed to Declare 'MAYDAY MAYDAY❓❓❓

Looking back I realized that had I triggered MAYDAY calls in the past WHEN I was about to hit rock bottom, that could have made a world of difference [especially in the ultimate outcomes arising from those debacles].  BUT again, there's NO point crying on spilled milk.  We just need to move forward and this is WHERE we're pitching these MAYDAY calls. Misses are misses BUT it's NEVER late to clutch on straws as it's a MUST-DO [by then]!!!

You might ask, WHERE'S that 'world of difference',  It all starts with the most overused quote 'TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE'.  Pooling our efforts + focus together to frontally face a huge crisis can easily mean that you increased your resources [to face that huge crisis] by 100%, from you being a solitary figure to getting in tandem with your most trusted partner/colleague.  BUT you might challenge me that we have heard and read tons of aviation disasters WHERE the pilot did call MAYDAY but things still ended tragically.  YES that's very true because MAYDAY calls were NOT meant to guarantee extricating us from that MAYDAY crisis.  At the very least, it gives us that glimmer of hope, even if it's just improving our chances even by a measly 1%✅✅✅

Sadly, I've known and witnessed first hand people WHO we were in serious distress  BUT consciously did NOT want to raise a howl OR to call MAYDAY for reasons NOT articulated BUT if I may speculate, even as outliers, I'll guess that sometimes, 'bloated' or 'oversized' egos would come into play.  LIKE I can handle this.  LIKE I DON'T need anyone.  LIKE hey I survived before all by myself and I'll still survive now❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  The worst disservice we can give to our own self is to resist calling MAYDAY WHEN our back is against the wall.  At that point in time, let's throw away out the window any 'bloated' egos, erasing any past history of personal conflict, and hitting that RESET button [pronto and quick] because at that point in time, you are likely almost near ground-zero.  And we would realize that in those near-crisis situations, we would feel the clock is even ticking faster than it should.  So, ARE WE CLUTCHING ON STRAWS WHEN WE DECLARE 'MAYDAY MAYDAY'???

[Except for Force Majeure] Can Post-mortems Be Averted?

[Except for Force Majeure] Can Post-mortems Be Averted?

Quite a long overdue realization for me because for the past donkey years, I was breathing alongside post-mortem exercises at work quite a zillion times.  True, that's the default best practice BUT surely, NOT a majority is consciously aware that [Except for Force Majeure] Can Post-mortems Be Averted???  Otherwise, we continue to get locked-in within that vicious cycle when a POST-MORTEM comes close to the heels of each flop, each failure📘📙📗

NOT to discount the probability that NOTHING is really guaranteed to succeed in every endeavor we take.  NOT even those zillions of projects at work, which is just within the bounds of realities at work because projects per se, are always bound to hit hiccups here and there, which explains why POST MORTEMS are quite a staple food at the workplace.  BUT what's concerning are the POST MORTEMS that we initiative in our private life.  Do we deserve that much POST MORTEMS???

To be fair, it's NOT our fault if we're NOT that consciously aware of PREMORTEMS because it was rarely preached OR pitched.  At the workplace, PREMORTEMS are, by default, part and parcel of a rigidly executed risk management.  And that's the gaping hole in our private life because WHO can expect us to be running risk managements in our personal lives?  YET, that's the huge miss that's been happening and till to date, only a handful have embraced that need for PREMORTEMS!!!

While POST MORTEMS are a retrospective analysis that happens after an event happens, PREMORTEMS are the proactive ways to run a risk assessment way before an activity happens.  I can hear a devil's advocate say that HOW in the world can we run PREMORTEMS in our private life?  YES YOU CAN.  SO HOW?  Do run "WHAT IF" scenarios like WHEN you're planning for a long family holiday.  WHAT IF your work needs you at the last minute?  WHAT IF a typhoon cancels your planned flights😕😕😕

Our takeaway:  There's really NOTHING TO LOSE for us to try things out with PREMORTEMs, applying the WHAT IF scenarios.  LIKE if you are planning to buy a high-end appliance on the assumption that you'll receive a 'huge windfall' from a performance bonus, WHAT IF your expectation DOESN'T happen?  WHAT IFs are exercises NOT akin to rocket science.  Rather, they are practical ways to proactively manage risks via PREMORTEMS, rather being lackeys of the POST MORTEM conundrums.  YES dude, except for outliers, POST MORTEMS CAN BE AVERTED after all😊😊😊

When The Wheel SUDDENLY Falls Off

Sometimes, life can't just be bad BUT worse enough to be harsh.  LIKE WHEN you thought you were having a good safe secure job until HR gives you the pink slip [that befuddles you more].  LIKE WHEN you thought you had the best ever bff in life UNTIL one day, your bff turns his/her back at a time WHEN you were struggling.   YES indeed, we got to brace ourselves When The Wheel SUDDENLY Falls Off📗📙📘

In truth and in fact, under normal circumstances, the WHEEL is NOT [supposed] to fall off just that because that's NOT characteristic of our normal daily lives BUT before we get so comfy, do brace yourself because there are points in our life WHEN something bizarre OR unexpected happens way beyond our slightest inkling.  And that's a GIVEN. And with that risk, the least we can do is to mitigate things WHEN such risk does hit you❎❎❎

Personally, I have witnessed unthinkable things hitting hard someone WHO never expected it to happen at all.  LIKE WHEN everything was dandy and shiny within the closely knit group of joint venture entrepreneurs UNTIL one of them just walks off in the middle of the night, leaving his business partners out in the cold, helpless how to cope with their financial woes.  LIKE WHEN you had a very close and trusted confidant that goes back donkey years until one day, he abandons you at a time WHEN you were down in the gutter, clutching on straws for help from any good samaritan💚💛💜

YES indeed, through the years, I learnt that with time and experience to see the 'bad' things that inevitably happen in our life as stimuli for growth, character development and even an increased faith and change, no matter how unwelcome in the moment these events might be.  Through the years at work, I did witness first-hand these sudden turns in life hitting badly someone whose only fault is to grind and kick his ass to work😌😌😌

Our takeaway:  True, sometimes things can be that bad, so disappointing OR even so discouraging that it's all one can do to keep breathing.  In dark times, life can be that unbearable.  And I DON'T intend to minimize OR dismiss the pain, grief OR loss that accompany life's most terrible events.  It is so important to grieve, to acknowledge and process our deepest losses BUT what pains me is that our own society DOESN'T do a very good job of grieving alongside people.  Instead, we're too quick to tell someone to cheer up, to get over it, whew!  Indeed, another stark reality in our life, WHEN THE WHEEL SUDDENLY FALLS OFF❗❗❗ 

Why Wait For 'RED FLAGS'??? When There Is An 'AMBER FLAG'!!!

Everyone knows everything about RED FLAGS🚩🚩🚩BUT may I ask, how many of us are fully aware and conscious of AMBER FLAGS⚡⚡⚡  Why Wait For 'RED FLAGS'??? When There Is An 'AMBER FLAG'!!!  YES, this is the gaping hole that remains incognito for a good majority of us.  BUT in my past job roles, we tracked everything in-progress via the RAG [Red-Amber-Green] trackers.  And that meant considerably less efforts to be fighting fires, staring at RED FLAGS till you stumble💧💧💧

For alignment, let's agree WHAT RED FLAGs mean:

• Something has breached the 'threshold'
• Something needs to be urgently 'corrected'
• Something can go from worse to worst 'soon'
• RED FLAGS equate to something 'actionable'
• RED FLAGS could mean a 'MAKE or BREAK'
• RED FLAGS can literally 'burn you down soon'
• RED FLAGS is a final alarm before IT'S OVER

So, WHAT exactly are AMBER FLAGS?  Those are the initial tell-tale signs that things are NOT 'as per normal'.  And frankly, at work, I had to handle one too many AMBER FLAGS [and I was grateful to have all the bandwidth to be pre-emptive in handling AMBER FLAGS as it gave me that elbow room to 'nip things in the bud'.  It could be as petty as an employee's tardiness getting more frequent.  It could point to a performance trajectory skidding and potentially 'going down south'❗❗❗

YES, we would hear RED FLAGS more often WHEN it comes to relationships.  BUT here's the thing.  If the protagonists were ever sharp enough to detect the AMBER FLAGS, those looming RED FLAGS may NOT have even surfaced in the first place.  Sadly, almost all relationships seemed in peril to us all only when those RED FLAGS surfaced.  And this explains WHY the average worldwide divorce rate [and that excludes de facto separations] pegged to 1.8 per 1,000 [as of 2023]💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  There are one too many upsides to encourage us to be sharper and more incisive with AMBER FLAGs.  BECAUSE it means significantly LESSER efforts to save and resuscitate something 'going down south'.  BECAUSE you will have a considerably higher probability of altering the course from 'going south' to 'going up north'.  YES dude, let's be on the lookout of AMBER FLAGS [and say goodbye to RED FLAGS [except on exceptions]😁😁😁