Plenty of wisdom in this one…

Plenty of wisdom in this 2012 speech by Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust:

"Accepting luck can be liberating. Paradoxically, the less we acknowledge luck, the more we feel the terror of pressure to do something big, to be extraordinary in what one student recently called the “coliseum of achievement.” Walter Kirn, in his book Lost in the Meritocracy, calls it “fleeing upward,” in a society where, as he puts it, “percentile is destiny,” where belief in our own excellence shuts us down and shuts us off. According to recent evidence, however, believing in luck makes you luckier. Apparently it cultivates the qualities that entrepreneurs and CEOs attach to luck – qualities that I would in fact regard as foundations for a meaningful life – “humility, intellectual curiosity, optimism, vulnerability, authenticity, generosity, and openness.”

So as you enter the company of educated men and women, and take your Harvard degree into the world, recognize your own good fortune. It is a relief. Once you do, being extraordinary is no longer the point. The point is to be a worthy person in the world. And when you acknowledge luck, you recognize your connection to those who did not have the same opportunities. One of you told me that you want to touch people, as you put it, “just like me but who didn’t have the same chances.” Merit is hierarchical. The spark of learning, the thing that catches us on fire, is more like a gift, more like luck, more like grace.

You already know this, because there is luck in learning. Think of serendipity in science. One of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century happened by accident – when two Bell Lab astronomers tried to get rid of the constant static in their space-mapping antenna. It turned out to be cosmic background radiation, a landmark piece of evidence that a Princeton physicist had just predicted would support the Big Bang theory of the universe. Alexander Fleming, the biologist who discovered penicillin by accident, called this “sometimes find[ing] what you are not looking for.”

Luck is not earned, and yet we can also seem to earn it by being ready for it. The liberal arts teach us to change and adapt, to be open to happenstance – they guide us to recognize and seize chance events. It is hard to say where luck begins and preparation ends."

You owe it to yourself to spend the next 5-10 minutes reading the whole of this speech!

Android App Sale – Because We May!!!

Went on an app shopping frenzy! Alot of amazing apps for only $0.99!

Go check it out!!! Includes other games from other platforms like iOS/Linux/Windows! This lasts the whole last week of May from May 24 – June 1st!

Minimum income to match 15% flat tax rate for Malaysia's REP

Well, I've been thinking about returning home lately and was looking through the incentives of the REP (Returning Expert Programme). Among them is a flat tax rate of 15%, current highest tax rate for Malaysians is 26% (2010).

This might seem attractive in the beginning but currently, the effective tax rate (based on 2010 rates published on govt website) for a person earning around RM100K per year is 14.325%. So I'll be expecting a pay cut to return home, but I need to know the minimum I need to get so that I'll not lose out on this 15%.

So after a little math, the minimum you should aim for is an annual salary of RM106,137 (rounded to closest ringgit, that's RM8,844.75/month) just to match the 15% effective tax rate.

Now, what about the car? Information is unfortunately quite scarce online and I can only find the below info. Added another column for discount rate:

Skype for Android 2.0 for Samsung Galaxy Tab / HTC Incredible S

Skype's latest update now enables video calling!

Despite Skype saying it's only supported on Google Nexus S, HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro only, it actually works on other devices. So far I've tested it on a Samsung Galaxy Tab (with Overcome 2.0.1 Hermes ROM) and a stock HTC Incredible S. Both are working without problems!

Find the download link here.

More boring stuff from the Net :|

• How to Get a Real Education at College – WSJ.com
  Conquer Fear. I took classes in public speaking in college and a few more during my corporate days. That training was marginally useful for learning how to mask nervousness in public. Then I took the Dale Carnegie course. It was life-changing. The Dale Carnegie method ignores speaking technique entirely and trains you instead to enjoy the experience of speaking to a crowd. Once you become relaxed in front of people, technique comes automatically. Over the years, I've given speeches to hundreds of audiences and enjoyed every minute on stage. But this isn't a plug for Dale Carnegie. The point is that people can be trained to replace fear and shyness with enthusiasm. Every entrepreneur can use that skill.
  (tags: life)