Tribute to My Sis-in-Law

http://www.taafonline.org/ba_about.html

 

This morning, the doctor informed my third brother that there is little hope for recovery for my sis-in-law. She's suffering from Multiple Aneurysm, and some of the sacs have ruptured. For more info, I attach here a very good medical journal for patients with this disease. Very rare, and we are still wondring the real logical reason behind its landing in my sis-in-law's head.

 

Kak Midah is a strong lady. She left her job due to this particular medical reason. She was supposed to relax at home, enjoying free money socso had provided, but she refused to sit still. What she did was venturing into the business of bakery and kebab poultry meat. As expected, being an entrepreneur must have taken a toll on her health. Need to think about the business strategy, marketing plan, operational efficiency, rising raw materials, labor turnover, etc etc. There are a whole lot of challenges if you wish to become an entrepreneur, and that's why only 1 out of 10 new start-ups makes it successfully in business. Perhaps due to hypertension since too much thinking and too much lack of sleeping.

 

Kak Midah has been lying there receving treatment for the past 2 months in HSA. It started about 3 weeks after hari raya aidil fitri and until now, there have been 5 series of operations done - major and minor. The major one was done after she had fallen unconscious that nite, and that's when the doctor discovered that some of the sacs have ruptured. It's too late if they have ruptured. The chance of survival is low, and if survive, must be with certain predictable malfunctions.

 

Ya Allah, inilah ujian Mu untuk kami. Jadikanlah family abangku redha dgn ketentuanMu.

 

Sesungguhnya setiap yg hidup pasti akan mati. Hanya rahmat dariMu yg kami harapkan.  

Climbing that Ladder Fast

How To Rise Fast At Work: A True Story

Avril David, 12.21.09, 06:00 PM EST

The wise moves that outpaced a wily and ambitious colleague.

This is a true story about two acquaintances of mine. One knew instinctively exactly how to get ahead in the workplace. The other thought he knew--and was dead wrong. Most of us would probably behave pretty much the way the latter did. I believe their experiences hold lessons for all of us.

The first of them, the successful one, I'll call Mark. Mark got a degree in finance from New York University's Stern School of Business in the spring of 2006 and landed a job as an analyst at a small investment firm in New York. Given the cutthroat atmosphere of his business school classes, Mark was fairly certain that his first foray into the working world of finance would be a high intensity, high-competition experience.

Though his organization was small, he realized that to rise within the ranks he would have to find some way to differentiate himself among his peers. He figured there were two traditional ways he could try to do so. He could strive to perform his tasks faster and better than his peers and hope to be recognized for doing a better job, or he could schmooze his way to the top by identifying the most important people in the organization and trying to win their favor.

However, he wasn't a self-promoter by nature, and he also wasn't sure he could outpace other people at the kind of work in Excel spreadsheets he'd be doing. He decided that before deciding which course to take, he'd need to learn all he could about the company he was working for.

From day one, Mark asked people questions about what they were working on, who they were working with and how they got their work done. It didn't matter if a person was junior or senior, administrative assistant or lead investor. He simply wanted to know what he could about what they did and the organization he was working for.

Once he had a clear sense of all of the moving parts within the company, he began to see ways its operations could be improved. Making those improvements lay outside his job description, but he believed it made sense to fix what he could easily fix, drawing on the understanding he was gathering of how the people in the organization operated.

At first the improvements Mark made were far from glamorous. In fact his peers derided him for wasting his time on actions they said would never increase his bonus. He began ordering lunch for the investment group's weekly meeting and making sure office supplies were ordered on time and in the right quantities. It was obvious he didn't mind pitching in where help was needed, and his supervisors began to notice his work ethic. They saw him making sure that people got the tools that they needed to do their jobs efficiently. And they saw everyone benefiting.

Without being a natural networker and without competing, Mark had begun networking organically. People appreciated what he did because it wasn't based on self-promotion and because it genuinely helped them.

Eventually, as Mark learned more about the needs of the organization, he realized that some of the changes that needed to be made would be easier if new tools and skills were used to complete certain tasks. Not one to let down the team, he began teaching himself new Excel functions and other software programs in the evenings. Soon he was an expert at Excel, the go-to person in his investment group and responsible for getting his peers up to speed on new techniques. In effect he was managing.

As one of very few people at the company who fully understood both internal administrative needs and external investor requirements, he began to be included in strategic meetings regarding compliance, new software and the streamlining of processes to make the organization as a whole more effective. And so a non-self-promoting, non-competing newbie found himself managing and training his peers. He was exceeding performance expectations for his role with the newly acquired skills and expertise and was being recognized as a strategic thinker and leader within the organization. He was promoted to senior analyst by the end of his first year and received a bonus 50% bigger than any of his peers got.

Mark achieved all this by seeking to know and assist the organization as a whole rather than by directly competing to promote himself at the expense of others. He helped everyone do their jobs better and thereby became a natural facilitator, expert and, finally, leader.

Meanwhile, Mark's co-worker Ted--whose name I have also changed--took a different, more traditional path. He worked like a maniac to try to show that he was better than Mark and all the other analysts.

When he started, he wasn't sure how talented the other analysts were, but he figured that if he stayed in the office later and spent less time on unimportant things like eating lunch, he would probably be able to do a better job than at least most of them. He kept an eye on what they worked on (except for that dunce Mark, who wasted time ordering lunches) and made sure to take note of how he could make a case for taking over some of their work.

He networked aggressively. He dropped in to see members of senior management in their offices to express his eagerness to take on more work. He made sure to mention tasks he had already completed and to let them know of relevant courses he had taken in college that likely qualified him for added responsibility.

Ted didn't know--or care--what anyone outside the investment team did. The senior managers were the people to impress, and his fellow analysts were the people to keep ahead of. He sometimes had a hard time getting the administrative team's help in closing trades, but he didn't let that stop him. In fact, he'd often mention his disappointment with administrative staffers at his interruptions--er, meetings--with senior managers.

By the time bonus season rolled around, Ted felt sure he'd be the first analyst promoted. After all, he was the fastest at what he did and had the closest relationships with senior managers. To his shock and disappointment, he was passed over for that first promotion. He received a bonus, but he got no more than most of the other analysts. What had happened? Had they somehow managed to be just as fast as him?

What Ted had failed to realize was that everyone hired as an analyst was talented and bright. They all got their jobs done, and they all did them very well. Sure, working harder and faster got him noticed, but only for doing more of the same.

Although Ted was learning to do his job more speedily, he wasn't learning to do anything else. At no point was he facilitating, managing or leading--activities that could recommend him for advancement. More important, he had been asking his managers for more responsibility rather than taking on responsibilities organically and showing that he could handle them.

In the classroom his approach would have worked well. Instead of interrupting management, he would have been regularly visiting professors during office hours. His focus on his assigned tasks above all else would have made him a star student with the best grades in the class. Mission accomplished.

At work, on the other hand, Ted was still a top performer at what he did, but he was a hamster on a wheel trying to stay ahead of all the other bright and capable employees. Even worse, he was always worried about new competition. He was caught in an unending cycle of stress.

Let's examine what Mark did right that set him apart from Ted--and from everyone else starting out at the company.

1. Understanding how things work. His first move when he began his job was to learn as much as he could about the organization he was working for. He was driven more by curiosity and a desire to comprehend what he had gotten himself into than by ambition to outperform his peers. As a result, he quickly got to know people and their roles, without conveying any sense that he was just trying to promote himself.

2. Knowing what everyone does and how they do it. By asking questions about others rather than selling himself, Mark came to know more about the organization than some members of senior management. As a result, he became a go-to person for figuring out the best ways to get things done.

Note: When you're not comfortable speaking with a higher-up you don't really know, a simple e-mail can do the trick. Introduce yourself and let the person know that you're new and trying to get a full grasp of the organization, and you'd just like a quick sentence or two about what each person does. This is likely to work best at small to medium-size organizations. At larger organizations, the company Intranet can often help you get a handle on things, though how they work on paper and how they work in practice can sometimes be very different. At the smallest organizations, simple observation is often enough for learning who does what and how.

3. Learning where gaps exist and conveying to others how to fill them. No one else in Mark's peer group took the time to learn much about the company beyond their own responsibilities. They were too busy competing (and in some cases schmoozing). Mark, having a sense of how everyone got their jobs done, he was able to make recommendations at meetings based on observations that he alone had been able to come up with. He wasn't psychic; he was just paying attention.

4. Identifying solutions to organizational problems and making quick fixes. Being privy to how things actually worked, Mark was able to identify problems and propose solutions. Most people had no idea that the problems even were problems. They were too busy within their own roles to notice. Mark's ability to propose solutions gave him an edge as a strategic thinker as he made quick, easy changes that were obvious to him as an observer but often not so obvious to those lost in their specific duties.

5. Being unafraid of unglamorous work, and pitching in where help is needed. Mark's path to success began with humbly ordering lunches. But that gave him a chance to spend a few minutes each week getting a sense of everyone's schedules and making conversation. Sure, remarks by his co-workers made him fear at first that he'd get pigeon-holed as the lunch guy, but his purposeful weekly access to senior management gave him a moment to mention any thoughts he had on the latest financial news. And anyway, ordering lunches was just one of many items on Mark's problem-solving agenda. It took only a few minutes, so it didn't keep him from his other work; it was easy to eventually delegate to someone else (making him look like more of a manager); and it established him as down-to-earth and thoughtful as well as bright, making him well-liked at all levels.

6. Identifying linkages, for himself and others. One benefit of knowing the inner workings of an organization is that you can see how the parts interact. Once you see that, you're equipped to facilitate interactions across functions and groups--and you've got an important tool of a strategizer and leader, who has to absorb the whole picture in a situation before he can make effective and appropriate decisions. Furthermore, understanding the linkages that affect your job function makes you more productive and effective without actually working any harder.

The somewhat accidental approach Mark took to his job is hardly the only way to achieve career advancement, but it does give the lie to the assumption that the best or only way ahead is the one most of us have pursued ever since the first grade.

Avril David is an energy and environment analyst for Project Performance Corporation, a global management consulting firm, and a freelance writer on topics related to careers, energy, climate policy and green business.

Hidup Mestilah Rukun

Musim kenduri kahwin telah tiba. Banyak sungguh aku dan mak aku dapat jemputan, sampaikan Husna pun dah naik bosan - "Asyik makan kat rumah orang kahwin jer...". Tapi itulah kan, antara hak seorang muslim ke atas seorang muslim yg lain, ialah memenuhi jemputan. Maknanya kalau takde aral melintang, wajib kita tunaikan.

 

Ada satu jemputan di Taman Rinting hari Sabtu tu, ketika kita org sedang makan, pasukan kompang pun tiba. Bebudak lelaki belasan tahun ni main kompang sikit punye semangat. Macam nak pecah kompang tu dia ketuk. Cuaca hujan pulak, so diorang main kompang tu dalam khemah, dekat je dgn tempat duduk kita org ni. So segala face expression bebudak ni begitu jelas di pandangan mata. Banyak jugak lagu diorang main, antaranya lagi Injit2 Semut dan lagu Saloma yg amat evergreen tu. Aku usik Husna, "Husna, cuba lepas ni suruh diorang main lagu "Potong"?" Husna senyum jer, malulah pulak nak buat lagu permintaan.

 

Semalam pulak, sebab cuaca hujan, perkara yg sama berlaku. Orang main kompang dalam khemah. Kesian betul lah. Aku syukur sangat masa majlis kahwin aku 7 tahun dulu, aku siap doa dan tanam lada with bawang on top, cucuk kat lidi tau, itu petua org lama tak nak bagi hujan. Alhamdullillah walaupun tarikhnya 27 Disember, hari tak hujan. Tapi semalam, masya Allah, lebat giler, lama pulak tu. Kesian sesapa yg buat majlis kahwin lepas tu hujan pulak. Mcm lagu Alanis Morissette tu - "It's like raiiiiiiinnnnn on your wedding day....". Ironic betul.

 

Lagi ironic kalau kita dengar lirik lagu Saloma yg evergreen tu.

 

Selamat Pengantin Baru

Selamat berbahgia

Selamat ke anak cucu

Selamat sejahtera

 

Hidup mestilah rukun

Sabar paling perlu

Cinta setiap hari

Senyum mesti selalu

Oh..oh...oh...

 

Selamat Pengantin Baru

Selamat berbahgia

Selamat ke anak cucu

Selamat sejahtera

 

Paling best part yg chorus tu. Aku rasa that pretty much sums up what we need to do to stay married. Senyum jer kalau dengar lagu ni orang mainkan kat majlis kahwin ye, sambil reflecting on your own marriage journey. As for me, semalam genaplah 7 tahun aku dah kahwin. Kalau dalam product life cycle, it has reached the peak already, means the product needs some re-branding or re-packaging to attract more sales, to avoid the sales from going down. Well, kata orang marriage needs constant re-juvenation, tak mcm product life cycle. Tapi aku rasa mcm sama je. No matter what, we need constant re-juv, but these re-juv packages need a hell lot of money, I bet you. Meanwhile, kalau ada tergigit lidah tu, Sabar paling perlu......Cinta setiap hari.....Senyum mesti selalu...oh..oh..oh...

As Sober as Two Judges?

Cop to nude cyclists in New Zealand: Wear helmets

from The Star, 23rd Dec. 2009

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP): Police picked up two naked men on a late night bike ride in a New Zealand town but let them off with a warning: put on helmets.

"They were wanting to experience total freedom," said Senior Constable Cathy Duder, who stopped the pair about 10pm on a recent night in the beach resort town of Whangamata.

She told them: "You may experience total confinement. You should head home and get helmets."

The duo turned tail and headed directly back to their house, Duder told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

She said she did not see them again during her shift, and it was not known if they donned helmets and resumed their ride.

Public nudity can attract a charge of offensive behavior in New Zealand, but Duder said she cut the two men a break.

"It was dark and there was no one else around. They were jovial young men who had not intended to cause offense," she said.

She described the two as "happy young men in their mid-20s ... they appeared to be as sober as two judges."

The Dec. 7 encounter, which has only just come to light, probably signaled the start of what Duder described as summer hijinks in Whangamata, a popular surfing and holiday getaway where partying is common during Christmas and New Year season. 

Pangkor Re-visited

This escape happened roughly a year ago. I just wanted to share my feelings that as if it just happened moments ago. I could still hear the ferry's engine running, the sound of the birds along the coast, could still smell the fresh air, the ikan bilis, udang kering and all sorts of ikan kering, sotong bakar (yummy!), could still feel the warmth and gentle sea breeze and above all, I think I need another vacation. Haha...if only the resources are not that limited. Dream on.

 

When the tsunami happened in 2004, I was at a hotel room in Melaka, with Husna barely a year old, just the day after we took her to the A Famosa Safari. Everytime nearing end of December since then, tv stations would keep on playing that footage on tsunami, and everytime they're on, I would always remember me sitting in that hotel room and listening to the unclear channels alternately between CNN and Channel News Asia, trying to decipher what actually had happened. And from that moments on, I would remember that a few major events are supposed to happen in December:

1. Anniversary and remembrance of the tsunami victims.

2. I am supposed to go on vacation, some place, somewhere (because this year is NO vacation, I feel a little bit awkward actually). Like something missing.

3. That wedding anniversary is ON.

4. Husna's birthday is coming - 2nd January. So, have to start planning since she'd always remind us that her birthday is indeed forthcoming. Don't ever try to appear as if you've forgotten it.

 

Oh, this reminds me that I've not registered Husna for school yet - Standard 1. We're in a dilemma, to send her to a private Islamic school or just simply a normal school close to home.

 

I think I still need that vacation.

Kekasih Awal dan Akhir

Wah, after I've got to know that we can have blog entry via email, my mind has been spinning on and on and on. There are just so many things I like to put on record. Akmal already commented that my blog entries are too many. Dude, I just had to let it out OK.

 

Last 2 weeks, I was invited for a Long Service Award dinner, held at Puteri Pacific Hotel. This was to commemorate the anniversary and present award to those who have served the company for a very long time - 20 years, 25 years and 30 years. This year is special since we have 1 staff who had been working for my company for a whopping 35 years. He started off as an Office Boy in 1973, worked his way through the company and now is serving as a Purchaser in Procurement Department. 35 years - he said he stayed because the company is his family. Love your company as much as you love your family. I wonder if such mindset ever come across any of the Gen-Y today.

 

I thought I was invited since my boss was one of the award recipients. He had served for 25 years and will retire soon according to schedule laaa. At the dinner table, I was seated together with invited guests like me - Puan K and Mr. S from T&C Department - besides the award recipients and their spouse . These 2 people sort of became my accomplice throughout the nite - scanning, commenting, gossipping, etc.

 

The deejay was that funny skinny guy who appeared on some of RTM 1 programs, looked like Mamak a bit. I heard we paid him around RM5k for that 1.5 hours stint. I had no idea who else or what other interesting details were to happen on that night. The moment he announced that the artist for the night was very special, I thought that it would be "just another artist", like previously they had Noraniza Idris, Mas Idayu and the likes (suam suam kuku type laaaa). Since the award is meant for old timers, we can't possibly have any of the AF or Mentor artists, can we? The moment came when he announced "Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, penyanyi ini sesiapa yang mendengar suaranya, yang tidur pasti terjaga, yang terjaga pasti terbangun....saya persembahkan.....JAMAL ABDILLAH". I seriously thought that he was joking. I was expecting that some joker somewhere would impersonate Jamal, just as all those jokers who like to copycat Michael Jackson.

 

I have known Jamal since I was young. Come on, he was the Bintang RTM winner in 1978? 79? I knew his songs since my childhood days, teenage days, college days and until now, even though he has his fair share of ups and downs, he is one of those evergreen artists. That's to my standard laaa. I equate him to the likes of Syarifah Aini, nobody else can beat that kind of voice. His golden voice and evergreen songs, no singer in Malaysia can beat that. Mawi? Not even tip of the iceberg.

 

Suddenly, there he was. Jamal Abdillah, singing the hip song - Yaaa Rabbbbbi - man...Puan K was so excited. Mrs Lee at the other side of the table also did not blink her eyes a bit. Cameramen and people with handphones all were busy flashing their camera at him. Even the chef left behind the pots and pans and woks and came out from the kitchen to listen first hand and have eye-to-eye experience appreciating his voice, dance when it's the fast beat songs and dream when it's the melancholic tunes.

 

That night Jamal sang a few songs - Azura, Penghujung Rindu, Aku Penghibur, and his very final song - Kekasih Awal dan Akhir. He would sing non-stop, not even once interaction with the audience. Actually the impatient audience was expecting some kind of verbal interaction with him, but he just continued on. Exactly like listening to the radio, until one time, Puan K and I bet that he was just miming. We were wrong when he sang Azura, we found out that he couldn't reach that highest note. Then it was obvious. It was Jamal's actual voice. Wow...what a truly golden voice, truly an anugerah for him.

 

Since he was singing all the time, we realized that there's no way we could take picture with him. Sometimes he would scheme through table by table, that's when the audience took the chance to quickly snap pictures with him. Very difficult. Realizing that time was running short, we didn't expect him to come to our table, which was among the last table at the back. He gave a chance to a few people to sing some of the songs, while people rushing to take pix at the same time. Imagine the little bit of chaos there. Until he reached a table next to ours, Puan K was so damn excited and told me "Jom lah, jomlah, kita amik gambo dgn dia", while taking and rubbing my hands. Man, to calm her down, I volnteered to accompany her to raise from our table and practically chased Jamal Abdillah. First he was  at the table at the end, then he wanted to move to the other end. Our table was in the middle, he could not see me coming from behind. I needed to chase him, he passed by because he could not see us. Knowing that the window was short and the moment was right, I just grabbed his elbow and stopped him from moving. I just had to do it. It appeared as if I forced him to stop and take pix with us. Macam ganas la pulak makcik ni. Finally, Jamal Abdillah was in my arms. Hahaha....

 

To seal the night of remembrance, I got myself a CD of Jamal, Raja Pop, murah - RM19.90 jer, got 16 songs.

 

Last week, I got a call from CCD people - "Wah,wah,wah - cayalah, salute sama akak sebab grab Jamal...hebat gitu..." Apparently they reviewed the video for that night, and had all the moments captured. I would really like to see it.

 

This is Jamal, King of Pop for Malaysia. This is like Michael Jackson for the Americans. I know, his personality maybe not up to standard, but his talent is truly amazing. It's once in a lifetime chance to have a moment with him, no matter how short. I think it's worth it, RM30k for 5 songs.

 

I'm not sure if HR would invite me again for next year award.

Green Car Admirer

Semalam, dalam aku terkocoh-kocoh nak cepat pegi meeting sebab dah lambat, ada seorang worker ni panggil aku macam ada perkara urgent yang amat. Umur pakcik ni dalam lingkungan 50-an, nampak masih segak dan smart orangnya. Aku nak cepat meluru ke arah kereta, dia pulak nak stop aku nak tanya something yg mmg nampak mcm urgent giler lah. Rupa-rupanya:

 

Admirer: Kereta awak tu berapa ribu?

 

Aku yg terkezut: RMXX,000. Minat ke? Dah boleh lah...dah nak pencenkan....

 

Admirer: Ini kereta latest trend ni. Tinggal orang rumah dgn saya je, nak lah cari kereta baru sikit..

 

Aku yg dah cool sikit: OKlah tu....(sambil buat2 senyum dan nak blah cepat sebab I'd better be in the meeting room earlier than my boss).

 

Aku rasa pakcik ni dah lama giler dok peratikan kereta aku. Nampak gaya mcm dia dah lama sangat tunggu peluang nak tanya aku soalan cepu emas ni. Gelodak jiwanya yang meronta untuk menanya soalan ni begitu terserlah di wajahnya.

 

Beli je lah pakcik...although on the other hand, aku rasa better lah dia invest duit EPF dia tu. Kang nanti tergolong pulak dalam kumpulan mereka yg telah berjaya menghabiskan duit simpanan EPF dalam masa 3 tahun selepas bersara. Lepas tu camne nak survive...tapi kang membebel byk2 kat pakcik, mcm kesian lah pulak...

Crikey Escape Down Under - Part 3 - Great Ocean Road Day Tour - first take

This entry is long overdue. The whole Melbourne experience was way back in May, but the excitement and fresh air are still lingering as if it just happened yesterday. Before I had gone there, I asked a few friends who studied in Australia on which places of interest should I visit in the land down under. Apparently, there are a whole of lot of places need to be visited. Compliment to that, the internet also provides innumerable reviews, pictures and experience of other travelers, which really put me in a predicament. Time was short and the money is way too limited. In fact, the visit to the Melbourne Visitor Center confirmed and further enhance my predicament. There are simply too many exciting places to be visited in Australia, particularly in Victoria, the state where Melbourne is the capital city.

 

We had two days for rambu ramba and there were 3 options - Great Ocean Road (a scenic tour), Philip Island (a wild life experience) or lazying around Melbourne town. Out of 3 people, finally Mr. X and me chose the first 2 activities. We had to forgo the scheming around town kind of experience. This was because we had a brief tour around town using the town hop on hop off bus. What a loss, but we still needed to choose. Perhaps next time.

 

During the journey, here were the activities:

 

Bell's Beach - visit to the surfer's paradise, among the very famous spot in Australia for surfers, where Patrick Swayze and Keanu rode the waves in one of the movies (forgot the title laaa). The toilet was very nicely painted, featuring the native's art. Toilet pun cantik ramai org amik gambo....we should really try that in Malaysia. What do you think?

 

Reserves on natural rock formation along the road - stopped by at a lighthouse, picnic beach, breakfast, lunch all overseeing such a breathtaking view of the ocean.

 

Rainforest walk - Otway rainforest, tall trees, with shrubs, should be a tropical kind of forest, but so nice. Very unlike our jungle.

 

Koala Center - besides seeing them in nature, also got parrots and ducks in the wild. They'd come to you when you offer that special food. Very tame.

 

Twelve Apostles - natural landslide and limestone phenomena along the coast, ciptaan Yang Maha Hebat.

 

London Bridge, Lord Arch Gorge and the Wreck - among the unique names given to some of the stops along the way, correspond to their shapes, histories and phenomena. 

 

I truly had a great time along this journey. We shared a mini bus with 2 Americans, 2 Dutch, 1 Korean lady, 2 Japanese and 6 other Malaysian visitors. The tour guide was awesome

Superb Wedding Gifts

I presented this to my nephew as a wedding gift. The wife was surprised. Hey, you two learn about the things and I got my income tax rebate ok, win-win.

Testing of Writing via email

This is a test.

I've scrambled into Akmal's email donkey months ago about how to do blogging via email.

After this we can try to go for mobile, once I got my i-phone yeah...

Series of Frustrations

Gambar satu accident di hiway Pasir Gudang, waktu lunch. Camne kete Myvi Hitam tu boleh terpusing dan terperuk kat bawah lori....samada dia terbang dari jalan sebelah, atau lori sudah hentam sangat kuat dari belakang dan telah berjaya memusingkan kereta tersebut.

Aku frust sebab nak cepat, tapi jalan jam. Lepas tu teringin pulak nak rakam gambo ni, sebab accident mcm ni is very typical on this stretch. Dah ramai betul mangsa korban kat this stretch. We call this stretch tempat kelapa bakar - sebab dulu ada org jual kelapa bakar petang2 kat area jalan Masai Lama tu. It's actually a very hilly road and stright. Maybe sebab org frust the stretch before tu selalu jam, so bila sampai sini ramai lepas tensen tekan pedal minyak. Inilah contoh padahnya.

Aku pun frust sebab aku ada banyak sgt cerita nak tulis tapi sejak company aku block blogspot, aku tensen....nak carik masa buat kat laptop, sgtlah susahnya.

Aku frust jugak sebab semalam ada mende yg aku rasa aku tak dpt buat dgn baik. Semalam aku pegi satu career assessment. Dia nak menguji aku ni layak naik pangkat ke tak. Kalau naik, setakat mana aku boleh naik. Ujian dia punye lah payah. Nak berlakon mcm tak boleh, sebab dia assess thru ko punye respon email, respon to a distress phone call, unhappy customer, lepas tu kena present business plan pulak. Semua dalam masa a few hours. Pengsan makcik. Lelama makcik jadik - que sera sera - what ever will be will be, the future not us to see, que sera sera. Good luck lah aku nak dapat result dia bulan depan.

Aku frust jugak sebab adik ipar aku buat majlis kahwin hari sabtu kedua, maknanya makcik kena amik cuti, padahal cuti tinggal 1 hari....lepas ni aku dah tak boleh cuti lah...adik ipar aku punye isteri baru rupanya 3 tahun lebih tua dari aku...dahsyat sungguh adik ipar aku.


Enoughla kan about the frustrations...on the other hand, I'm quite happy that my long lost friend managed to contact me back after all the years. Thanks to Facebook!

Oh My Gosh, It's December Already!

Again, I’ve got so many stories to share, but so little time available to pen them down.

Housing Re-finance – Yang Mana Satu, Pilihan Kalbu?

Remember that Aziz had asked us to re-finance both of our houses? Since the other house is just about to get the key, we went first for the current house. We visited all 5 banks as recommended by Aziz. This is when I learnt to shop around for banking products. I’ve always hated to do shopping of this kind, since it’s quite complex and tricky. But in this case, I’ve no choice, it has to be done. Well, at least it is part of lessons in life. I did some research on the net – mainly from Bank Negara, all the commercial banks and a few tips here and there on housing loan. It’s amazing when your house can be considered as collateral for other bigger projects. What exactly is the project can only be known when we see Aziz in the next appointment. Aziz specifically mentioned to research these 5 banks and their products, but with same qualification – must be in 1 account number. Here goes my tales from visiting 5 banks.
1. Ambank – Homelink - rates quite good, but account number cannot be one number for both housing loan and the current account. When asked, standard answer – IT system, housing loan must be different code in IT system than current account. What the customer wishes is secondary, my IT system rocks.
2. Public Bank – rates not competitive at all. On top of that, also needs 2 account numbers. Same disqualification applies.
3. CIMB – rates are competitive, close contender to HSBC. My second option. I think since the new CEO took over, that brother of that somebody, I was told that he emulated HSBC's model. So far I'd say the products are quite similar, only the customer service has got to be improved. Products quality is quite there already, people's attitude nonetheless is very far.
4. EON Bank – imagine this – we went to the bank, was told that the Loan Officer was attending a course in JB. The other Loan Officer on duty was not familiar with the housing loan product, so not able to provide good advice. She asked us to come again on other days. Forget it. Camne lah korang ni nak jadik world class banks…aiyooo…
5. HSBC – the best so far. Actually I visited this bank first, told the Officer of my intention, and purposely told her that I’d like to shop around first. She willingly allowed me to do that. I guess more or less, they already know that they can offer the best rate.

After much deliberation, we agreed to go for HSBC Home Smart. The link to current account makes it that we can settle our loan faster and we can use the available funds for other meaningful uses. That’s the flexibility. Maybe for some people this is old product, but for us, the fact that the housing loan can also serve as collateral for other ventures is new. That’s how naïve we were, hence now can consider that we have improved. One house down, another house to go.

Tupperware Ventures – A Climb Up the Mountain

My oh my…I couldn’t believe myself, that I got too caught up in this business. Somehow it gets me going everyday, how to further enhance and strengthen my footing in this business. Past lessons and memories from defunct Omegatrend venture kept on rewinding and playing on my mind. Actually after I quit from Omegatrend, sometimes it haunted me why I didn’t do certain things while I was still inside the business. The kind of thoughts that you know, if I were to do certain things, the results might have been different. To avoid from that feelings to haunt me in future, I make sure I’ll do things in this Tupperware business, so that later on I won’t regret – insya Allah. At least I’ve tried. If it works, it is meant to be. If it’s not working, perhaps I should diversify my tactics. Trying is the most challenging. To get ourselves to try and do things need major guts. The fear that I will fail, will always be there. Now I have to tell myself, think of the success, not the failure. It’s the same energy, channel it right.

Yesterday I tried a new tactic. I gave away old catalogs to a few targeted houses, with a leaflet bearing our names. I chose the houses with advanced renovations features, or basically home owners who do not mind spending some money to make their houses stand out in the row. While putting it in the mailbox, at 1 house, a few people was sitting and talking at the front door. So I gave my salam, in the hope that the owner would come out to greet me. The previous house owner was like that. She chatted with me for a good 10 minutes. It’s like getting to know-thy-neighbor kind of activity. Surprisingly, this Mercedes-clad house was awful. One voice shouted – “Tak nak dik”. I was smiling. I just said “I letak dalam mailbox ye”. Wow, imagine my feeling. I was smiling all the way home. Well, at least I know how the feeling is when people shoo away those sales agents at the front gate. How many times I’ve done that to them, now I know how they feel laaaa… quite humiliating self-depreciating experience actually. But it’s not that bad. I take it that it’s part and parcel of building a business. This is how Sosilawaty and Azlina Che Daud started their business too. They sold their cosmetics from house to house. Look at them now, the new moguls in the cosmetic industries, to the envy of many. They are really my idols. Many successful people do not just be at the top, they work from the bottom. Not many people are as lucky as Paris Hilton, or SM Nasamuddin, or Ivanka Trump. I prefer to read success stories from people who work their bottom up. The climbing must be their most exciting and exhilarating experience of their life. Their sharing on life at the top must be an iceberg only. The crux will always be on how exciting their journey to reach the peak.

It’s a long way to go for this business. I’m building it slowly. I’ve yet to find the right partner though. I need to find out what exactly is the barrier. Jes told me the next incentive trip is to Switzerland. Man, I cannot resist the temptation. Keep the spirit going, baby.

This song has definitely kept me going:

The Climb

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but
I Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high
There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes they knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause
There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith
Whoa a oh oh

Life Partner - All My Life, I Pray for Someone Like You

I read the Utusan’s interview with TNB President/Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Sri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh published on Sunday. Among other things, he said that his life is below ordinary, and that he had to work hard to be where he is today. That TNB’s electricity emergency response plan can never be compared with Singapore, in terms of response time in times of failure. That the stupid song condemning TNB reflects the stupidity of the blog/song writer, so he need not respond to such brainless provocation. But one thing stood out - he said that his wife has been his strong supporter all his life. He more or less accolades his wife to his success in life. Awww….this is the second time I read an interview with senior level executives who acknowledge their wife’s contribution to his success in career and life. The other one was from Idris Jala. Hey, it works both ways. Dato’ Azlina from that D Navechee empire also gave recognition to her husband for supporting her and together build the business to where it is today.

As a child, we used to praise our parents and teachers for our success. As an adult, who deserve to receive such acknowledgement for our success – besides our life partner? Sometimes when you hear actors/actresses uttered their winning speech at the Academy Award or Music Award, they’d say their tribute to their directors, fellow actors, songwriters, mentors, and usually, only at the end, they’d say their tribute to their family members or spouse. Moral of the story – just as what our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said – “The best muslim among you is those who are kindest to their family members”.

Love your partner, they love you back and give you heaven. Hurt your partner, they remember it all their life, may or may not forgive you, and definitely your life will be in living hell, sooner or later.

So, watch out what you do. Your partner can truly sense, even though they may not say it.

For rich and for poor, till death do us part. This cliche may not be true in the case of harta sepencarian. Well, I just learnt it from Public Mutual Wasiat course yesterday. In the case of harta sepencarian, either one can claim up to maximum of 50% only. If I like you, I can write in my wasiat to give you all, subject to agreement by other heirs. On the flip side, if I don't like you, I may write 0%, that means you can only have my portion after you fight your case in court. Other than that, rest with the faraid law, you will only get 1/4 of my estate, since we have children.

Learning about wasiat is such an interesting topic. Above all, write one today, as it is sunat muakkad - sunat yang sangat dituntut. If feeling lost, I am a certified agent to help you. I won't draft for you, the lawyer will. I will only facilitate, at such a peanut fee. Man, this one an entry on its own.

Till next time.