It's Time To Relocate - Says A Self Help Guru ...

For some season, I will be relocated maybe starting next month or so. Meaning, I'm moving. If there is one thing that is very tiring for me in  this planet, it would be packing and unpacking, especially if the things that need packing is from as large as a 2 door fridge to tens of boxes of shirts and clothes. That and also the time that it took to  do all those makes moving / transferring (pick your word) such a hassle. I think people around the world would regard this issue the same. If I do a quick check on the internet, Googling 'moving house' or 'moving out' return roughly about half a million results.

I thought about doing garage sale / yard sale (as usual, pick your word), but you see, the value of all those junk stored in my house are either have no value at all or just not the type you would expect people would buy even if there is a 99% discount on the tag. Further, I think this type of sale is not THE type of sale us Malaysians use to experience. This is simply not our culture. We generally prefer new and shiny products bought preferably in air conditioned branded store instead avoid used, old and dusty junk from someone we barely know. So, doing sale is certainly out of the question.

So, it looks like I still have to pack all of our things / belongings / junks (you know the drill). There are a few self help guru out there teaching various topics about moving such as how to pack it properly, what is the recommended checklist and even this one site recommending what to do from as far as week 8 to the D Day! Hey, that is a comprehensive one. There is even  this one guy giving 101 moving tips. Hello, do you think I have time to read all that? But you see, the problem with all this self help guru is that, no matter what they are recommending, when reading this type stuff, at the back of our mind, we must make sure that we are aware of our own situation, it's probably not the same and among the 101 tips that was included, maybe one or two can be carried out but the rest, well is just not suitable, at least for me that is. 

Looking at it from different angle, that is the beauty of this age. You can learn everything and buy anything from the internet. Anything that cross your mind, anything, if you try to Google it, chances are, someone has already written something about it. As of now, the net has trillions of pages, stored in millions of servers, read by billions of people. Now we can be someone who had just heard about something today and become an expert about it tomorrow. People can't live by without internet anymore. With the explosion of social media economy right now, it is set to change (if not already) and  expand social interaction to a whole new level. It is the same with the way we read, it is slowly changing how we read, for example, more and more people are buying and reading ebooks. I admit, here in our country, it still has limited penetration, meaning, it still has not threaten the paper based book industry, (and I don't think it will ever do) but the demand is there, the players still are looking and building their niche and there are this whole audience and potential to tap to.

And all this mumbling makes me think. Instead of other people giving tips on how to do this and that and selling ebooks, telling and teaching people on how to improve your life et cetera, maybe I could jump on the bandwagon and sell an ebook myself. I could write down my incoherent mumblings, make people buy it and make millions out of it. How's that sound for a retirement fund?

   

Target, Target, Target ...

Lately I came to realized how much I have taken for granted the importance of setting a goal and more importantly, doing what it takes to achieve the goal. You know, setting ourselves a target like we used to when we were in school or university. Like setting a deadline for completing a assignment or setting how many books we would read in a year. I kinda missed that part of  my life.  The last time I set something for myself to achieve was ages ago, I even can't remember when,  it is that long.

In life, we usually set a target for almost everything. In our work life, our organization  usually set a target in a Pelan Strategik or whatever it is called, then this plan is broken into the long term, medium term and short term target. Then we take the portion of the short, medium and long term plan that relates to us and start doing tasks that hopefully will achieve the goals set.  Similarly, our personal life also require a target. Something clear, specific and achievable. It also should be time bound to make it easier to keep track. After that can we start doing whatever activities or tasks that collectively will achieve that. Be it collecting stamps or just winning the hardest level on that Star Craft 2 game. But people often forget, on a spiritual level, we also must set a target for ourselves. It is a major mistake if we failed to do so. For Muslims, the target is very clear and very specific. But sadly, the effort poured into achieving it sadly lacking, and that includes me. For the effort should be the same if not more towards achieving spiritual goal compared to what we devote towards achieving those first two aspects of life, and not less.  

Nonetheless, the inner satisfaction of achieving something, sometimes just can't be described by words alone. A sense of achievement that can only be felt after clearing that obstacle, or challenge, or hurdle, be it big or small. It's will also led to personal discovery, discovering what our self is worth, what our strength and weaknesses are, what is our limit and capability, what we are made of, knowing ourselves. It all makes it worthwhile. But the most important thing is that, by knowing ourselves, we a step closer towards knowing our Creator...

Wassalam...

Selamat menjalani ibadah puasa di bulan Ramadan yang mulia ini ....

Green Contribution.

Lately almost every car manufacturer jump on the green bandwagon. What I mean by green is, green technology that is. The most popular route is producing hybrid car, by adding electric motor to the conventional petrol combustion engine, manufacturers claim that is can seriously reduce consumer's fuel bill plus reducing our overall carbon footprint. Case in point is Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. Others take the diesel route, claiming that diesel is the more practical solution because of the ready made infrastructure. Those makes from Germany especially Mercedez, BMW and Volkswagen have already showcased their respective vehicles using the latest super efficient diesel engine. There are also others who championed electric vehicle, a car that totally depend on electric and not depend on fossil fuels to run. Even supercar manufacturer like Porsche are planning to release their very own EV.

But you see, the reality in Malaysia is, the prices of those cars here is quite out of reach of us, mere mortals. The average Joe like me just does not have the fund to do our part in reducing pollution. Nevertheless, what we can start to do is drive smart so that at least we can lessen our carbon footprint by reducing our fuel usage. In our situation right now, that's the least we can do ...

Travelling In China

Today I would like to write some more about traveling in China. Well, if you are planning on shopping in China, there are three golden rules that you have to follow when buying something over there. If for some reason you think there are additional rules, you are welcomed to add them in the comment section, but here are my golden rules:

1. Ask for at least 50% discount on the tag price when you start bargaining. If you think that the price that are displayed is cheap enough, well don't be afraid to ask discount as well. Work your way around from that price upwards until you and the seller reached middle ground. If you still think that the price is not cheap enough, well you can politely declined the  offer and search another shop to buy the thing. Chances are you can still find that item in another shop. Bargaining in China is like a sport in China, you have to be very diligent and smart when you want to buy something, especially if you are a foreigner, or you would end up paying more than you should for the item.

2. Don't ask for a price that you really does not or can not afford to buy. To be fair to the shopkeeper, this will anger them, so if you and the seller have agreed on a certain price, at at the last moment you back away from the deal, then you will only get trouble from there.

3. Don't look the interested in something if you want to buy it. Chances are that the shopkeeper has seen thousands of customers and they are expert in reading your intention. So, if they they see you interested in one particular item, you won't get the discounted price and they won't budge the second they see you desperate to buy. The more you want to buy it, the more uninterested you should look.

And don't forget to keep a steady head, shop within your budget and always check the items that you buy or ordered before you leave the shop. Happy hunting!

Visiting China

I went to China with my wife last May. I visited 3 cities, namely Chongqing, Shanghai and Beijing while my wife joined me the latter 2 cities.  Among other things that strike me there is the speed and efficiency of their public transport. Well, considering their population is well beyond our number, I think it is safe to assume that they need that kind of service for their citizens. If, not it will be absolute chaos and total disaster. The Metro line to me is the most impressive compared to our country though the tight security check before boarding is such a hassle that you have to scan your belongings before each and every time you are entering the coach.

While there, I got the chance to sample various types of public transport; bus from Shanghai Pudong Airport to hotel, taxi in Chongqing, Shanghai and Beijing, Metro in Shanghai and Beijing and sleeper train from Shanghai to Beijing. I also got the opportunity to ride the tourist train from Badaling Station to Great Wall of China. All the traveling inside a train is quite a memorable experience especially the sleeper train which is quite modern and cosy as well. The taxi on the other hand is not quite a pleasant experience to us. There is this one time when we are talking about directions to a taxi driver, suddenly, out of nowhere, a couple just flew inside the taxi, talk something to the taxi driver (all this while we are still talking to the driver) and the driver just conveniently ignore us and sped away.

But mostly traveling in China using public transport is an eye opener and if there is an opportunity for us to come back, we will definitely going to....