Another year has passed. 2009 was probably one of the most exciting years with so many things happened. Seriously, 2009 was epic. Just a few great things that came to mind: Obama, me involving in TechCrunch50, startups, marketing chapter, social media, Twitter app, Facebook campaigns, whole lot of agencies action and more.

Just too many things happened and I’m glad that I made it to 2010 still doing okay. But 2010 will be even more challenging. I doubt that it will be easy. But hey let’s make it fun. It’s going to be tough anyway, so let’s enjoy working hard on it. My new year resolution: Make it better than 2009! Wish you all the best!

Maybe I should quit blogging… hmm.. I will probably think that again.

Meanwhile, you can keep in touch with me on other pages which I update frequently!

Such as:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/darrenlee

Facebook: www.facebook.com/darrenprosper or http://apps.facebook.com/darrenlee

Plus, you might want to check out my new networks:

http://my.adexcel.com/darrenlee – personal ad network with powerful social ads

http://www.twitpub.com - premium content on Twitter

Now if you can be Obama for a single day, what will you do? That’s an interesting question and I am tempted to try and imagine. Here are a couple of things for imagination:

For Change: Not “War on Terror”… but “Quest on Harmony” 

The war on terror has been both a long and expensive cause. This is not healthy for both camps in the long run. Not for America and not for the people who dwell in “terror”. The negative sentiments to hunt down people who are connected to spreading terror only seeds more terror. We need a new campaign that sheds a positive light to the people, and which strikes the cord which we all hope to win - Harmony.  Stop spending trillions of dollars in tanks and guns. It’s time to invest in building relationships and understanding. There must be a better way to do it than exchanging bullets. 

Hijack Capitalism: Not “Recession”… but “Opportunity” 

Another battle that we are facing is the weakening economy. We can blame capitalism. The system is not perfect. The structure is flawed. And in a way, it’s hijacked by people who abuse it for their own gains. Those who feed on greed and selfishness are making the new foundation of capitalism, which will eventually breed trouble. Perhaps it’s time to have a reality check. Perhaps the system needs a reboot. Maybe the recession is not entirely a bad thing, and now it wakes us up in the middle of it - we can look at it and sob OR we can rejoice because we found it - a new opportunity. The recession IS a reboot. New opportunities will come to rise. 

Reinvent Politics: Not “Policies”… but “People” 

Far too much money is being spent for the wrong reasons. Other than fueling wars, a huge chunk of money goes to waste in meaningless bailouts. The politics of how this money is spent should be long term and outside the box. We can’t continue in trying to heal old wounds that will become a plague to others. It’s time to cut our losses and make the culprits accountable. Stop focusing on policies that is too complicated but with very little impact. It’s time to focus the challenges on the spot, which is - People. We need to help people, normal people from the streets, homemakers, bread winners and more. We can create jobs by creating new bigger companies, bigger opportunities and adding new value to the economy. Big companies go down, but we can empower people to build bigger ones that can sustain a different but stronger economy.

Time to say goodbye to the year 2008. What an incredible year with really big ups and downs. With Obama elected to be the president and then the economy spirally downwards, 2008 will probably be the most astonishing year yet.

But it’s over (almost). In a few days, we will usher in 2009 with new hopes to work harder, to renew our resolutions and to make it a great year. I really hope 2009 will be a great year. I have high hopes for it. Nevertheless, I am ready to make it more than great. Not alone but together.

Let’s do it. Just do it!

I wish you well and a great year ahead!

Best,

Darren

The bootstrapped dilemma and Starbucks:

• You keep telling yourself Starbucks is ripping you off
• Your think: price for a cup of coffee can pay for two meals (or more) for you
• You can’t tell the difference if the coffee taste better than your home coffee
• You tell your friends you will never go to Starbucks again (that’s a lie)
• But deep inside you wish your office is as good looking as Starbucks

What’s in your cup?

• “Quality” roasted coffee with nice presentation
• “Quality” customer service with smiling barristers 
• “Quality” environment to help your relax and feel like home
• “Quality” music and culture to sooth your mood - a dose of meditation

  So you end up paying more for “Quality”…

But what does it mean to a bootstrapped startup?

• It reminds you that you deserve better… so you work harder!
• It reminds you that you CAN achieve higher… so you aim higher!
• It reminds you that you CAN afford “Quality”… so you desire better! 
• Nevertheless, the meditation helps you to free your mind, think more creative and provides a good place to have conducive discussions.

  So, now you have a brilliant place to meet and to work… and that’s why you’re paying for an overpriced coffee.

clipped from gizmodo.com Steve Jobs is leaving Apple. Not tomorrow, but probably very soon. That’s why he started to say good bye today, doing something more important than just presenting new MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and an updated MacBook Air. Today’s event was a play in which he clearly told everyone that the company is more than himself. Since the very first minute, when he immediately sat down to let Tim Cook talk, he was saying: “Hey, look, Apple is more than Steve. These are The Guys, the Goodfellas, the A-Team. They share the same vision I have. And they are going to push the company forward when I leave this company to drink caipirinhas suntanning on my private beach in Hawaii”.

]]> http://darrenlee.net/2008/10/steve-jobs-leaving-apple/feed/ http://darrenlee.net/2008/10/top-10-business-movies/ http://darrenlee.net/2008/10/top-10-business-movies/#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:21:15 +0000 Darren http://darrenlee.net/2008/10/top-10-business-movies/ Here’s my list of all time favorite “Business Movies”.

The 10 best in no specific order. Just can’t be too bias as I love them all.

1. Pirates of Silicon Valley

2. The Godfather

3. Boiler Room

4. Peaceful Warrior

5. The Pursuit of Happyness

6. The Aviator

7. Citizen Kane

8. Jerry Maguire

9. The Secret

10. Wall Street

Here are some of the feedback I shared and additional thoughts:

• Face the fact, the economic crisis will not help business as usual but there are pros and cons in any economic conditions. The goal is still the same but the rules to how the game is played will change. Understand the new rules and be cautious at all times.

• Bad times means there will be less people starting new businesses. This will mean less competition but in a tougher environment. Use that as an advantage and look for higher ground to stand tall in a less crowded marketplace.
• It’s my personal ambition to test out my entrepreneurial DNA and compare mine with already successful icons. Having such harsh economical condition might prove to be a rare learning and growing opportunity for one who wish to harness its best.
• I don’t think we are inferior to these already successful people but I think people/entrepreneurs are lack of courage (foolishness), tenacity (sense of desperateness)  and the capacity for greater opportunity (greater risk). Depending on how you see the cup - half full or half empty.
• You should aim higher. That could separate you from the average person and the elite. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be better than Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. Why let them? You should aim higher.

It was good when everyone was contributing positive, critical or constructive comments. But today, there is a new danger and it’s invading the blogs.

A new breed of bloggers and commentaries empowered by “Sour Grapes”. Meaning people who just wish to inflict negative comments regardless to whether the argument is valid or morally right thing to do. They just love to flame. The question is, where do these sour grapes come from and why?

If you read Wikipedia, this is what it means:

Sour grapes is an expression originating from the Aesop Fable The Fox and the Grapes, meaning to deny desire for something one cannot attain.

Here is a similar definition from another site:

In a famous fable by Aesop, a fox declared that he didn’t care that he
could not reach an attractive bunch of grapes because he imagined they
were probably sour anyway. You express sour grapes when you put down
something you can’t get: “winning the lottery is just a big headache
anyway.” The phrase is misused in all sorts of ways by people who don’t
know the original story and imagine it means something more general like
“bitterness” or “resentment.”

There are many other reasons and here are some:

• The person is a “downer” and naturally likes to put people down
• The person is having a bad hair day (or maybe on just every single day)
• The person is negative conductor and doesn’t understand what’s positive
• The person is just jealous (very jealous it may seems)
• The person is incapable of empathy and lack empathy from others

Whatever the reasons are, the Sour Grapes are invading the blogs.

clipped from www.eweek.com Will Google’s Android Be the Tipping Point for Smart Phones? ABI Research analyst Kevin Burden says smart phones such as the T-Mobile G1 that are based on Google’s Android operating system for mobile and wireless devices could push smart phones into standardization. Perhaps, but Apple’s iPhone will continue to be a big seller even as Android, Symbian, RIM and other mobile operating systems get their share of the market. Will customers recognize a standard when they see one? I don’t believe so, which makes the standardization moot unless the carriers embrace it.