The Older The Wiser

She is a year older today (I think I'm not allowed to reveal her real age).

Happy birthday, Pae. I know you will get what you aim for this year. It's an honour to have you as our business partner.

This is done on purpose in order to protect her identity. (Hahah ok this is the only pic of her that I keep. The rare occasion when she wears baju kurung...)

Learn, Reflect and Retain...

Yes, there are many types of people. I know many types of people. But today I want to write about one type of people. The type that does not have the urge or initiative to learn and if they do learn that morning, they'll forget when evening comes.

I tell you, this type is one of the worst kinds. They'll ask your help, through all kinds of channels ie emails, phone calls, smses, shouting across the room, and you gave them what they wanted, oh yes, they'll thank you. But give them a day or two and they'll email, call, sms or shout to you across the room asking the same question as the day before. And you answered. No, of course, it doesn't end there. It goes on and on, the same thing all over.

You really want to help, because you believe in karma. You help people now, someday they'll return the favour when you most need it. However, you just cannot help but to wonder, why aren't these people learn, reflect and retain? Why the need to go over the same ritual asking help about the same thing over and over? Why are they wasting their wonderful mind and give in to laziness?

I see this pattern prevalent in many people, especially among the people I work with. Yes, it is sad, unfortunately it is very true. The next time this happens, I'll make sure they'll learn and retain what they have learn. It is not for my satisfaction, it is for their own good.

Always Older Than Me...

Happy Birthday, Amir!
May your dreams come true this year (And GET THAT MURANO!). Amin.

But I'll Manage...

I am angry. I am always angry. Many things make me angry. When people make excuses, lame excuses, I am angry. When people assume they know better about me, I am angry.

When people preach about unity, honesty and integrity, but they don't practice what they preach, I am angry. When people pretend they care, but the truth is they only care about how much they'll get, I am angry. When critics critic with the intention of pushing me to the limit so they can take control over me, I am angry.

When people put the blame on one person, saying they're at the disadvantage because of that one person's alleged inability to do things, I am angry. When people only talk about how THEY feel, instead of listening to how others feel, I am angry. When people talk incessantly about the same thing, I am angry.

I AM angry. I am ALWAYS angry. But I AM also lucky, to have the RIGHT mind and the RIGHT anger management coordinator.

Just don't let me get my sword when I'm angry...

A Personal Business

It's not personal, it's business. I didn't pay much attention to this saying, although Donald Trump always seems to say it with conviction. Frankly speaking, I don't care about Donald Trump. I know a lot of people are inspired by his success but I just don't like his face. Do you notice that he seems to frown all the time? He seems uptight to me. Now, picture Richard Branson.

Ok, I'm digressing. What I really want to say is, business is always personal. When I first made my decision to start this business, my family was on the top list of reasons I start. Family IS personal. And for someone like Mr Trump, who's adored by thousands of people to say it's not, is just not right. We have the right to choice. I trust you will use your best judgement to choose whom to look up to.

What good will it brings when in the course of you expanding your business, many people suffer? You may feel you don't have to answer to them for whatever decisions you've made. But will you want to answer to yourself for whatever you've done? After all the worst critics lies within you. There'll come a time in your life that you will think back all your past deeds and misdeeds. And by then, it'll all be too late.

So my point is, always use your heart and of course your head in whatever you do, for without either one, success will have no meaning.

The Tie That Binds…

We drove all the way to Seremban to fetch adik and bring him to Shah Alam. Honestly, I didn't have the energy to go this morning, woke up all cranky. But the sms from Amir made me dragged my self up. After all, it was my idea to go see Adik.

Adik is a man with few words. He wasn't always like that. When he was small, we had to tell him to shut up. But I guess something happened along the way that made him the man he is now. Along the years, we've grown farther apart.

Then the business came. It somehow change the atmosphere between us. Though he wasn't as lively as when he was young, he's much more approachable now. Amir plays a vital part in this transition. I guess Adik just needed someone to sit down and talk to him, paying attention to what he wants in life.

We still have a long way to go. There are many years to patch up between us. But I know we're going to have a better brother-sister relationship.

The Re-Learning Process

Much of the weekend was spent with my precious ones. Mak took one look at my place & immediately went to work. Yup, she's very hands on & no, I'm not that messy. She just needed something to do.

The seminar at the hotel on Saturday was enlightening as expected. With the exception of the tasteless dinner served there, everything went on as planned. Pae and Esah got all fired up and couldn't wait to launch their own business. Good for them!

Sunday was productive as well. Went to Kajang to meet the mak andam (who's my uni friend). Since I'm a simple person (yes, I'm a self proclaimed 'koboi' - much to my aunts' chagrin) the transactions went on not more than 30 minutes. I just needed to confirm with her the date and the service that I want, but we stayed on for almost two hours.

We all enjoyed the wonderful dish served before us (Amir took half of my sambal sotong). Pae was a great help especially when we talked to Jaya (another friend at another location: Ampang Park). She is learning the ropes quite fast. Good for her!

Together, we are in the process of re-learning…

Everyday Richer…

I am making friends as I go along building up the business. Isn't that great? I don't have to look over my shoulder every 5 minutes to make sure my so-called 'friends' are not launching an attack, guerrilla style.

I added two people in my friends' list last night, two wonderful ladies, who are Amir's acquaintances. I've actually met one of them two weeks before, but didn't get the chance to talk much to her then (first time jumpa, macam malu-malu seh) According to her, everyone at the table that night was wondering who I was for Amir decided to be mysterious.

OP and Alia must've thought I talked too much. Excitement does that to everybody I guess. I hope they were as excited meeting me as I was meeting them.

Yes, by the look of things, I am everyday richer.

I Have A Choice...

When I received e-mail from a colleague implying that the rest of us are not doing our job, I got very defensive. And my first reaction was to write him back a nasty reply. But then halfway through, I stopped, remembering something about not letting our emotions do the thinking and because I've ran out of 'niceties' to write him.

Many a time I fell in the trap of letting emotions taking over the better of me. Amir said, I've always had the choice how to react to any situation that is not in my favour. That is difficult to adjust to, but I'm learning.

So, I think, I've made the right choice in not responding to that email. Maybe he feels justified sending it because he has so many tasks in hand that needed completion and the rest of us just sit there and let him do all the work. Whatever it is, I am grateful for that email because now I know, I CAN be the bigger person.

Show Me The Money, NOT!

This is a rather late response to the salary increment that the government servants will get this month. When the news was announced on TV, everybody at the office was excited like hell, except yours truly. Why? Because no matter how much the increase is, it'll not be enough to cover the expenses (traders had increase prices of some of the goods a week BEFORE the announcement, well blood-suckers can sense this kind of things).

Ironically when I heard that those under the commercial scheme (that's where I belong) would not get the same increment, I was mad. Not so much for not getting the money but more because of the fact the decision was made by one person who thinks he has the right to break up families (eh, PM pun dah bagi, dia plak ngada2 tak mo bagi) . What about the colleagues who had been hoping to get that increment this month?

This and many other reasons, is why I can't wait to free myself as well as others from the trap we're in, working for money (instead of having money work for us. It's very familiar isn’t it?), to show others that there is a much, much better way to live life the way WE want it to be.

A Good Mother, She is…

She's a young single mother, blessed with two active boys. When I first knew her, little did I know that I would have played a part (albeit small) in helping her to change her life, for the better. The way she single-handedly manage the boys just never cease to amaze us. Abang has taken a liking to Amir and adik to me. Looking at their cute innocent faces, we felt compelled to show their mother a way that can lead to a better life for them. It was heart-breaking to see her struggling to take that step, yet she trudged up, looking ahead at the goals she set herself, never losing sight of them. Her journey has just begun and so long as she remembers why she took to this road, she'll reach her destination. I pray that the others will follow suit for I know this path will bring us to greater heights in life and when it is travelled together, the journey is much more meaningful.

I am lucky to have her as a friend. I can only wish I could be as strong.

The Champions That We Are…

Everyone knows we are all born champions. I don't need to go into details on how lest people should feel that their intelligence is being insulted. However, as strong as we were before, we are now just mere weaklings, taking life's challenges without fervour. Have we ever stopped and think why we have become so wasted? Some say, yeah life does that to you, some would blame everyone but the one person that is truly guilty, some would accept it as their fate. And when an opportunity presents itself before us, we let it pass, blinded by our indifference & anger. Taking charge of one's life is not an easy undertaking, especially when we've been conditioned for ages to let others boss us around. But take charge we must for the choices it gives the freedom it brings and the happiness that entails.

For my precious ones that are walking this line with me, let us not forget the dreams before us.

Three of the precious ones...

One Giant Step For Moonkind

Osh osh, I've landed on the moonspot after two years of mulling. He said, my current moon abode isn't suitable for people like me. (Translation:Opposite shallow).Ok, Encik, Moon is here.The transition was sparked by the change I'm experiencing from singledom to you-know-what-dom (it's d-o-m NOT D-O-O-M, err surely it's not THAT bad!No?, ok should I go Oh oh now?) Anyway, the decision is final, plans are underway, arguments are getting frequent, headaches come a visit often & excitement is building.Yes, all the very best for me.