bearwithclaws http://bearwithclaws.com The Pursuit of Kōan posterous.com Fri, 27 May 2011 06:35:34 -0700 Barefoot Running http://bearwithclaws.com/barefoot-running http://bearwithclaws.com/barefoot-running
Like many others who read Born to Run, I started running barefoot. 

After many unsuccessful attempt to get my own Vibram Five Fingers, I got myself a pair of Lunas instead.

I felt good in my first two run. Since there is no cushioning (only a 
6mm Vibram neoprene sole), you simply couldn't heel strike. I got into forefoot strike naturally (I tried to get myself into midfoot strike but somehow failed). I've also kept trying to increase my cadence and decrease my stride length.  And for a moment, I felt like flying.

Looking forward to run every morning and the Standard Chartered KL Marathon next month. 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Mon, 23 May 2011 07:25:37 -0700 Productivity Hacks Revisit http://bearwithclaws.com/productivity-hacks-revisit http://bearwithclaws.com/productivity-hacks-revisit
It's been awhile since I've written about productivity. Here's what I've learned since then.

  • The best and simplest productivity advice I came across: One thing at a time. Most important thing first. Start now.
  • Don't plan too much ahead. I found out that if I planned thru my days of what tasks needed to be done at what time, I normally didn't follow thru (not sure why). The best way is to simply define 2-3 most important things at the start of the day. And that's it.
  • Structured Procrastination works. When you don't feel like working on one thing, then work on another thing (rather than taking break or dozing off).
  • Take real breaks. It's really easy to do half-hearted breaks, like random surfing, or reading tweets. It's important to rejuvenate your energy in breaks (that's what breaks are for). Go for a walk, run, bike, hike, meditate, yoga, workout. Outdoor works best (with no computer/internet in sight).
  • Get a co-working buddy. Especially someone who understands and respects your flow and productivity. 
  • Eat real and good food. VERY important - especially breakfast. It provides the energy throughout the day and helps you keep going.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Mon, 02 May 2011 03:29:15 -0700 Codified Startup Advice in Hacker Monthly #12 http://bearwithclaws.com/codified-startup-advice-in-hacker-monthly-12 http://bearwithclaws.com/codified-startup-advice-in-hacker-monthly-12
Screen_shot_2011-05-02_at_6

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:52:21 -0700 Vanilla Cart and UnderCon, now on GitHub http://bearwithclaws.com/vanilla-cart-and-undercon-now-on-github http://bearwithclaws.com/vanilla-cart-and-undercon-now-on-github There's been a constant flood of email to me asking for the two free themes I've released earlier - Vanilla Cart and UnderCon. The themes used to be in Shopping Themes, which I sold last year. And currently, it's no longer there.

So today, I'm putting them on GitHub where anyone can download it, or better fork it and make it your own version:

3482256023_1e5ff5971b 2uo0wog
See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:57:00 -0700 Umm, Ok. http://bearwithclaws.com/umm-ok http://bearwithclaws.com/umm-ok

Img_4717
(Excerpt from REWORK)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:22:00 -0700 Be a Hustler http://bearwithclaws.com/be-a-hustler http://bearwithclaws.com/be-a-hustler

Overview

From Joe Roth.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:00:00 -0700 Simple Productivity Hack http://bearwithclaws.com/simple-productivity-hack http://bearwithclaws.com/simple-productivity-hack

July will be hands down my busiest month ever. And thanks to that, I have discovered this simple productivity hack and been using it consistently to get a lot of things done:

1. Allocate a time slot for yourself, within 1 - 2 hours. 

2. Make it clear that within this period of time, you will do absolutely nothing but the single task (which would be your most important task) in your mind. That means no phone calls (keep the phone someplace else), no Twitter, no wiki surfing, no Hacker News and no email, etc.

3. Do that single most important task. If you think it would take longer than 2 hours, break it into several parts where one part could be done in a single time slot.

4. Once finished, take a mini break to refresh your mind: take a shower, have a tea/coffee, workout, read some magazine or have a snack, etc; if you are still going strong (or, 'in the flow), keep going.

5. Rinse and repeat.

Using this method, I could easily get a productive 10-12 hours from a normal work day. Even when I'm travelling, I could still get some real work done. If you are one of the rare and smart readers of this blog, try it and let me know how that works out for you (or let me know if you have a better way).

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:25:26 -0700 Super Tiny Frog http://bearwithclaws.com/super-tiny-frog http://bearwithclaws.com/super-tiny-frog I went to D.R Park today on an impromptu trip to Ipoh. 

When I was strolling at its Japan Garden, I noticed something as big as a fly jumping from grass to grass. I took a closer look and found out - it's a frog, as big as the size of a fly!

Anyway, these are the photo I took using my really crappy camera (ixus 50) on Digital Macro mode. I especially like the one when it posed and hugged on the tiny japanese grass.

Img_3841 Img_3830
See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:50:44 -0700 Finally... http://bearwithclaws.com/finally-4030 http://bearwithclaws.com/finally-4030 After waiting for 1 month, it has arrived: Steve Blank's The Four Steps to the Epiphany. The package was already tore (and taped back) when it arrived, which probably is the reason for the hold up. May be it's due to the book cover?

Img_2713 Img_2712
See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:56:00 -0700 It's ok to be crappy http://bearwithclaws.com/its-ok-to-be-crappy http://bearwithclaws.com/its-ok-to-be-crappy

I attended #barcampsg5 last week. 

It was great fun. I met a lot of great people. It was also my first time to Singapore, our nearest neighbor country, which was a truly eye-opening experience. It's amazing how clean and organized a country can be.

Anyway, back to BarCamp Singapore - I delivered absolutely the crappiest presentation in my whole life.

Thankfully (for the audience as well), it was only a 5 minutes lightning talk. I wasn't prepared. My hands were shaking, and then I realized I haven't speak in front of audience for a very very long time.

Incidentally, the presentation was about 'being crappy'.

My lightning talk presentation

I started the presentation with a controversial quote: "Specialization is for insects", then I went on explaining how one person can be a dreamer, coder, designer and marketer at the same time. Here's a quick summary:

Becoming a dreamer
Realize that nothing is impossible and don't put a limit on your imagination. Take a notepad with you all the time to jot down whenever ideas pop up.

Becoming a marketer
It's the experiments that matters. If one method doesn't work, try another; if the method works well, also try another, then compare and optimize. I also shared about a real life marketing case study on WPWebHost.

Becoming a designer
Focus on simplicity. Look for inspiration (Web Creme is a good place). I also talked about the idea of 'Learning by Profitting', supported by my experience when I built ShoppingThemes.

Becoming a coder
Use frameworks. Blueprint CSS for CSS. Ruby on Rails for web apps. Adopt TDD (Test Driven Development) to build your app. 

Conclusion
I concluded with the quote "Being crappy is not the reason not to do it.". I admitted that despite I'm both a crappy designer and coder (and a crappy speaker, at this point), I still do it for the sake of curiosity, learning and having fun.

BarCamp KL next?

The next BarCamp will be happening in KL on 24-25 April 2010. And yes, I will be there! (and hopefully my presentation gets better)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:53:00 -0700 Bill Gates @ TED 2010 http://bearwithclaws.com/bill-gates-ted-2010 http://bearwithclaws.com/bill-gates-ted-2010

Tedtalks_bill_gates_2010_hd

Inspiring talk on working towards zero emission. 

Check out the 2 countdown timers.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:47:58 -0700 How I Built Wappr http://bearwithclaws.com/how-i-built-wappr http://bearwithclaws.com/how-i-built-wappr
I have never written an application from scratch before. That's why I built Wappr. My single purpose of building Wappr is to learn. The 2 weeks (weekends, to be exact) time I used to build it proved to be fruitful, better than 1-2 months of hammering books.

Wappr is an 'app wish list'. It pulled the tweets mentioning phrases like 'I wish there was an app...' and people can vote for it. I wanted it to be an inspiration for the developers when they have no idea what to build.

As you probably knew, I have very little programming experience. My only 'real world' programming experience was building theme options for WordPress and working with a 3-person team with minor role. So I knew it from the start that building Wappr will require a lot of 'trial & error' as well as 'looking at other people's code'. 

My first version of Wappr is relatively simple. It only consists of fetching tweets, import them into the database then display them. Most of the code is based on the #168 episod of Railscasts - Feed Parsing. Instead of parsing feed, I wrote my own code of parsing tweets. The tweets were fetched using this Twitter Search gem.

Next, I wanted to let people vote for it. As usual, I looked for any voting-related gem or plugins and couldn't found any. I tried writing it myself but failed miserably. Then, I found out that Simply Rails 2, a book from SitePoint, devotes a chapter on voting. I grabbed the book, followed the step by step tutorial, and then made some changes to implement my own version of AJAX voting (using RJS template). 

The last and most important part of Wappr is user session. I don't want to create a user-registration system because it would be meaningless for people to register just to vote. I tried to create a user session based on IP and cookies but somehow couldn't get it to work. Then I figured it would be easier (and less spam) if the user could login via Twitter to vote. I have been a long time reader of John Nunemaker's Rails Tips so I know he published this fantastic Twitter gem that supports OAth, the best way (and most secured) to handle Twitter authorization. John even published a sample app to show how to use this gem. I wrote this part of code in Wappr mostly based on the sample app.

When I thought the app to be complete at this stage, my marketing instinct kicked in. I thought it would be great if Wappr could automatically tweet the 'app wish' on behalf of the user when it voted. I created a new 'Settings' model and use ModalBox to handle the visual of the settings page. I initially have some difficulties on the ModalBox part but then this article from NetTuts helped me solved it.

Overall, I'm quite happy about Wappr as my first app built from scratch (it also made to the front page of Hacker News and received lots of feedback) but still, I thought it could be better. I regretted for not using Test Driven Development (TDD) approach which I've learned in my previous project and the code could be DRYer. 

If you haven't seen Wappr before, feel free to check it out and don't forget to submit your 'app wish' or vote for them wish you like.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:16:00 -0800 My Local Web Host Wishlist http://bearwithclaws.com/my-local-web-host-wishlist http://bearwithclaws.com/my-local-web-host-wishlist
I used to be happy only with a cPanel, which is already the norm as a hosting control panel. I used to love annual billing, where I paid once and use it for a year. I used to love the gigantic web space and bandwidth provided even when paid a little. I used to satisfied with our local web host.

Not anymore.

With the rise of new technologies and new demands, our local web hosts remained stagnant. I'm not asking our local web hosts to become like Heroku, SliceHost, Rackspace Cloud or Linode. But I can wish, can't I?

I wish I could be billed monthly, fairly. 'Fairly', as in not forcing me to subscribe to annual/biennial subscription by charging a premium for monthly subscriptions, or worse, not even providing the option for monthly subscriptions.

I wish I could only pay for the features I need. I don't need the GBs and TBs of space and bandwidth and whole lot of other useless features, and I'm certainly not paying for others if they use it from my own pocket.

I wish they support Git. I want to update my site with a simple 'git pull', instead of uploading the whole directory with FTP.

I wish they would be more focus. It's about not spending so much resources on other stuffs (like marketing, launching new products, going into new sectors), but instead, focus on providing the best hosting experience to the existing customers (like stable and fast server, responsive and helpful support). This is actually pretty tricky and not as easy as it sounded. But if achieved, a happy customers will tell their friends, families, colleagues about that awesome local web host for many many years to come.

Well, that's about it. Are those too much to wish for?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:04:04 -0800 Demotion and a new title http://bearwithclaws.com/demotion-and-a-new-title http://bearwithclaws.com/demotion-and-a-new-title I have just got myself a demotion (the opposite of promotion) few days ago. 

As you might probably notice in my profile, my title in Netizens Media was changed from 'Web Director' to 'Junior Coder'. No, it wasn't a joke. I thought a man's title in the company should accurately describe what he does.

So that's what I do now, most of the time. I code, and badly, I might add. Hence the 'Junior'.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:47:00 -0800 Unconventional 2010 New Year Resolution http://bearwithclaws.com/my-unconventional-new-year-resolution-for-201 http://bearwithclaws.com/my-unconventional-new-year-resolution-for-201

1. Code better.
Making the transition from a marketer to a programmer is probably the hardest thing I ever did. 3 months passed, and I'm still arguably the worst programmer the world had ever seen. Why? Because I still cut and paste most of the codes and relied heavily on my mentors. This year, I'm committed to learn and code more feverishly, and have the courage to take on more challenges. Hopefully I will come out a better programmer in the end.

2. Share more.
Whatever I learned, I need to share it in order to understand it better. This year, I'm looking share more of my startup journey, working in a team, ideas, marketing and programming techniques here in this blog.

3. Launch in TC50.
In 2009, 2 Singapore Startups launched in TechCrunch50, the most influential conference for startups to launch their product worldwide. This is huge. This year, I will launch mine there, too. Difficult, I know. To make this come true, I will exhaust every resource and every ounch of energy in me.

 

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:58:22 -0800 The Best Books I've Read in 2009 http://bearwithclaws.com/the-best-books-ive-read-in-2009 http://bearwithclaws.com/the-best-books-ive-read-in-2009 In no particular order.

Tribes - Seth Godin
On standing out to lead a community, a brand, a movement, an organization. Leadership is a necessity for change to happen.

Emergency - Neil Strauss
Neil Strauss' book is always a page-turner. Enjoyed myself so much following his well-narrated journey to 'freedom' in this book.

Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
I don't know why I didn't read this much sooner. The master story-teller shares his insight on how words spread and how trend started.

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
The best book I've read so far. Amazing journey couldn't written more beautifully.

Todoodlist - Nick Cernis
Changed the way I think about productivity forever. This little book is big.

How to Get Rich - Felix Dennis
Inspirational and insightful. Felix addressed the tough choice everyone of us needs to make if we were to make the shift to get rich. Filthy rich.

What I talk about when I talk about running - Haruki Murakami
Haruki tells stories about running, and ultimately relates to his work, career and life. Very 'meditative' read.

Small Giants - Bo Burlingham
Great stories about the great little companies that make that tough choice every single day: "remember why you are in business in first place".

Healthy at 100 - John Robbins
Changed the way my family and I eat forever.

Problem Solving 101 - Ken Watanabe
3 techniques to solve all the problem in the world. Love it.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:26:00 -0800 The near perfect travel camera http://bearwithclaws.com/the-near-perfect-travel-camera http://bearwithclaws.com/the-near-perfect-travel-camera
Media_httpcraigmodcom_scaag
via craigmod.com

@craigmod spent 16 days in the Himalayas and did a field test with Panasonic Lumix GF1. Great read. Great camera. Awesome work.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:54:00 -0800 The Best Introduction on Git http://bearwithclaws.com/the-best-introduction-on-git http://bearwithclaws.com/the-best-introduction-on-git

I've seen the Git Talk video by Scott Chacon and read the Git Parable by Tom Preston-Werner. But this presentation from Chris Wanstrath is the best I ever came across.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:42:00 -0800 The Tipping Point - Right or Wrong? http://bearwithclaws.com/the-tipping-point-right-or-wrong http://bearwithclaws.com/the-tipping-point-right-or-wrong

6 pages article from Fast Company makes me think again.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:39:23 -0800 My 2009 http://bearwithclaws.com/my-2009 http://bearwithclaws.com/my-2009 2009, without doubt, is a huge, huge year for me. Some quick highlights:

- Grew WPWebHost to hundreds of happy customers. Then quit.
- Got married.
- Stayed in Cameron Highlands for 1 week with zero internet. Felt freedom.
- Traveled around Taiwan, backpack style for 2 weeks. Tired, but happy.
- Started tweeting.
- Got serious about web design. Started ShoppingThemes. Then sold it 3 months later.
- Bought my first moleskine.
- Crazy idea got approved for a government grant of RM150K for prototype development.
- Started Premium Mod, my most courageous project so far.
- Switched to Mac (from Windows), full time.
- Switched to Ruby (from PHP), full time.
- Switched to Posterous (from WordPress), only for this blog.
- Switched to Hacker News (from Delicious Popular).
- Met lots and lots of awesome people, online and offline.
- Fries (our rottweiler) gave birth to Nagi and Mago.
- Ran a marathon. Almost got detained by police.
- Organized some local meetups.
- Got serious about programming. Still learning and struggling, but enjoying it.

That's my 2009. What's yours?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/473718/profile_bigger.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4aGlPyiXif4d Lim Cheng Soon Cheng Soon Lim Cheng Soon