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I was very amused to discover that there is actually a website that has been selling certificates of stars named after you or your loved ones since 1979. People actually buy them.
I don’t mean to advertise International Star Registry but what a clever business – minimal investment and maximum returns. Seeing Stars is more like Seeing $tar$. Here’s the extract from their FAQ.
Q: Can I order on the Web?
A: Yes. You may begin placing your order by clicking on the Product Catalog link.
Q: Can I order by Phone?
A: Yes. Please call 1-800-_______. Our customer service personnel are standing by to assist you.
Q: Can I name a star?
A: Yes. You can dedicate a star to someone special. We offer a Gift Package where we select a special star in the sky and record your Star Name and Star Date. The Gift Package includes a beautiful parchment Certificate, a Sky Chart with your name and the star’s coordinates and an informative booklet on astronomy. We publish all names in the astronomical compendium Your Place in the Cosmos©, which is registered in the U.S. Copyright Office.
Q: Am I buying the star?
A: No. We do not own the star, so we cannot sell it to you.
This is like adopting the star. This star is associated with that special someone. It is something you can point at to know that there is something special out there for you.
Q: Will the scientific community recognize my star name?
A: No. We are a private company that provides Gift Packages. Astronomers will not recognize your name because your name is published only in our Star catalog. We periodically print a book called Your Place in the Cosmos © which lists the stars that we have named.
Q: Can I return the product?
A: Yes. If you are not completely satisfied, you may return your product for a full refund. We want you to appreciate our products and if you are not happy, then we are not happy.
Q: Can I order by Mail?
A: Sure. Download our order form from here. Fill in the order form and return it to the address listed along with your payment. We will process your order and send it to you.
Now someone please help me make a clever idea out of my digital storytelling! LOL.
Not the blatant form of sin, oh no! Not. But the slow insidious erosion of life lived in Christ.
It begins with “the Shift” – a momentary taking my eyes off Jesus. A singular innocent enough glance that grows into a gawk.
Before you knows it, the glance-turned-gawk has made you lose sight of Jesus, your first love and once-upon-a-time all consuming affection and reason for your life.
My glance, my Shift – not the blatant forms of sin, oh no! But my grand dreams.
Goals and dreams, no matter how grand and glorious, must be subdued and surrendered under the authority of Christ. Grand dreams no matter how noble can become my idol.
In the 1990s, I used to go deep sea fishing about once a year. Fishes are migratory. Rashid, our boatman and a passionate fisherman, took time to look for these fishing spots. We bait our lines and drop it hundreds of meters down into deep waters. We felt the subtle nibbles of the fish. But we learned through trial and error to patiently wait for that distinct tug at the end of our lines.
Two thousand years ago, an exhausted fisherman said, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.” (I can just hear the exasperation in his voice.) “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
For the past two years, I’ve been a hunter – hunting down everything that breathes and moves storytelling. At the end of 2012, tired and exhausted, I surrendered my grand dreams to Jesus (again).
I’ve turned to fishing again – fishing of a different sort. I have not lost my passion for storytelling but I’ve wised up. There is a time and a season for everything. I’ve thrown in the lines. Now it’s time to wait for that distinct tug. Patiently.
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
The best place to start is to start.
Today, I went to check out the Bible Study Fellowship at a church not too far from home. For the past two years, I invested all my energy into pioneering Digital Storytelling Asia and put many things on hold. I’ve sown many storytelling seeds. I continue to nurture and cultivate the leads I have. A farmer know that there is a season for everything. The time has come to let the seeds germinate at their own time. God who called me to journey with him will send the sun and the rain and everything it takes to make things grow. Some things just cannot be rushed.
I miss the time when soaking in the word of God was a regular part of my day.
I was amazed to see what must have been at least 300 women – all hungry to study the Bible. The meeting was well organised. I made a new friend. One lady share that she had waited three months before she could be part of a group. Another waited six. There are not enough Bible Study leaders.
The Bible Study runs in eight year cycles. This year begins a new cycle. I signed up to be put on the waiting list. They are studying Genesis this year.
Genesis.
Beginnings.
What a good place to start.
It fits this new season I find myself in.
“This seminar was able to bring out the essence of my story so as to be impactful and personal to the audience,” said Junaina Binte Leman a SIM member who volunteered to help me demonstrate live how a digital story is created.
Junaina was one of about 40 marketplace business people who attended a 90-minute workshop I presented on Friday, 8 June 2012. The talk was organised by the Singapore Institute of Management. Some people came forward to encourage me. They said I have a worthy cause. One man said I believe you will succeed. You have a very good business. He asked me not to give up.
Arthur a student from the business school asked me how I am able to turn “Storytelling” into a business. He asked the organiser who was there with us to invite me back again to talk about my journey as a social entrepreneur. He said he was so inspired by my passion to want to make a difference. I told him that besides successes, I’ve also had one failure after another. He said, “all the more we need to listen to you.”
One of my secret dreams is to help the less privileged become entrepreneurs. I’ve learned the painful way that doling out money does not empower them. I want to show those who are lacking that they can help themselves and that they have it in them to make valuable contributions to their communities.
I am a reluctant and accidental entrepreneur. I know my craft well but it takes more than being an artist to succeed in business. Arthur’s request for me to share my entrepreneurship journey is very special to me. I have a REAL business student who said he wants to learn from me. And he wants his fellow students to learn from me.
In August 2011, I was invited by a government department to discuss a potential collaboration with them. When they asked me, “How many staff do you have?” I said, “Two.”
One civil servant gasped, “That will take forever!” The project was too big for little DSA to bite into regardless of how strategic our plans might be. There was a long silence following that meeting. Then two months ago, they contacted me again. This time I was able to tell them that my team of two had grown to 12.
During those long months of silence, we continued marketing efforts. I also put strokes into training a team of facilitators in anticipation projects I aim to clinch. Mum’s word to me yesterday, “Feed my sheep” is timely. King Solomon said, “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” I want my team to feel they have a “home” in DSA.
Investor / Author Milton Chang said, “The job of the CEO is not to invent things but to manage people and resources. The starting team is critical…” God has blessed me with a good team.
Creating and innovating is where I thrive. Necessity has pushed me into the role of CEO — that’s like using a fork to drink soup — not necessarily the best job fit. I welcome the opportunity to grow. I can learn from mentors how to steward DSA. Some mistakes are painful but nothing is ever fatal if I remain humble.
Looking after the welfare of my team will always be one of the cornerstones of DSA.
