Need vs Want

I was browsing through Groupon's website looking at deals when I came across the following two deals... take note on how many BOUGHT.

This was the second time I came across such a deal. The first was sometime last month, also a card deal by AmBank and I think the free gift was an Android gadget. That deal had even more interests. Overwhelming in my humble opinion... which started 'My 2 Sen' thinking...

Was the interest actually in the card or the gadget? Based on the AmBank deal, as it was overwhelming, I thought it was the card. Now I see this current deal, I am of the opinion that it is actually both.

I have not had a credit card since 2010 when I was left stranded in Langkawi, out of funds and without a job. I came back to KL and started rebuilding my life from scratch. I had to piece bit by bit together and I started with the big chunks... now I am dealing with the small bits. It was in 2010 that I decided to cut the cards and I have been without them ever since. A tough decision but the best decision.

When I tell people that I do not have a credit card they will just look at me in disbelief. I don't... really... I'm not kiddin' you! I do have a debit card though... I guess they don't believe me coz of my position and age. Even my wife thought I BS-ed her... at first.

The first time I was out buying stuff with my wife, I handed the card to the cashier and said 'Credit Card'... my wife looked at me... her face read 'YOU LIAR'. Hahaha... so, I explained to her that it was a Debit Card but it works as a Credit Card too.

I have a Maybankard MasterCard Platinum Debit Card which has an EMV chip and is accepted at all outlets that accepts MasterCard. When I use my Debit Card at Shopping Centres I prefer to use it as a Credit Card. I always have trouble when using it as a Debit Card coz the Cashiers always assume that my card is linked to a Savings Account... it's not... mine is a Current Account. 

Life without a Credit Card is hard... at first... then when you start to master the discipline of planning, you find that it is bliss. The Debit Card is the way to go... seriously.  Once you adopt the Debit Card, you start to really understand the difference between NEED and WANT... 

The point of this post is because I have been reading a lot of reports about escalating household debts in our country and that the majority of the bankruptcy cases are from those in their early 30s. Then I saw these deals and how it was so popular which seems to support the reports even more.

Most people don't read. They love to read the stupid and silly stuff but not the boring financial parts which would give them knowledge to deal with life. They are unaware of what's happening around them or in the world. They just live in their little circle with no growth oblivious to what's happening around them and not being able to differentiate between NEED and WANT.

If we don't understand AND practice the concept of NEED and WANT then we're going to plateau in life.

Just My 2 Sen...

Banking Woes...

I am pretty much an Online Banking person but every now and then I still need to do the occasional visit to the bank for ‘housekeeping’ or when I can’t wait for the one business day clearance for Interbank Giro transactions. Of course, now they have the Instant Transfer option which would set you back RM2 per transaction when you need it done urgently.

In my recent move, my payroll also moved. It has always been with CIMB but when I moved to Pangkor Laut Resort, it then switched to Maybank and now it is back to CIMB.

Since payroll was going into the CIMB account I thought it would make sense to get a CIMB Debit Card so I wouldn’t have to make transfers to my Maybank account to use my Maybank Debit Card.

I hold a CIMB Prime account. I chose this back then for the cheque-ing facilities as Online Banking was still in its infancy stage. I went to CIMB and requested to change my current ATM card to their Debit Card. Everything was ok but just as they were about to do it they then advised me that by changing my existing card to the Debit Card, I would not be ‘recognised’ as a Prime Card holder and would not have my privileges at the bank. On top of that, the Debit Card had a maximum withdrawal/transaction of RM5k a day whereas my Prime Card had a maximum of RM10k a day. I didn’t like this... not that I will need to withdraw more than RM5k a day all the time but it made no sense for me to pay to change my card and have the lower limit. The RM10k limit per day can be lowered whenever I feel like it but the RM5k a day was the limit. It just didn’t make sense to me so I didn’t change my card at all.

Then came Maybank...

I went to Maybank last week as I was facing problems with my card at the Maybank ATMs... so far it has happened at KL Sentul branch, Mesra Mall branch and here at Dungun where the ATMs did not recognise my card. It worked elsewhere and all other banks' ATMs.

So I went to the Dungun branch to have my card replaced. The Customer Services Rep that attended to me was their Employee of the 1st Quarter.

She looked at my form and exclaimed, Current Account?

Yes... Current Account. I know it was probably unusual for her.

Then she asked, Company or Personal?

Personal I replied... duh... that’s what it says on the form right?

Then she asked me why and I explained the failures. She asks if I had tried cleaning the chip with an eraser etc, etc, etc.

Yup... did all that. I explained that it only failed at certain Maybank branches and told her where.

Satisfied with my explanation she then proceeds to change the card. She opens her drawer and whips out a Superman Debit Card. I felt it was strange as the Superman Debit Card was a Visa whereas mine was a Master. So I asked her why was it different? 

She explained that my card was a Platinum Debit Card with a RM10k limit whereas the Superman Debit Card was a normal card with a RM5k limit.

I told her I know the difference... why change the card?

She exclaims, “Oh, you want the same card?” and gave me an annoyed look.

I was speechless for 2 seconds... WTF? I thought to myself. Of course I want the same card.

Then she has to find out whether they had the same card. She checks with her officer next door and he confirmed that they had the card. It was in the store so I had to wait. Fine...

The card came. She continued with the process. I saw her fill up a slip for RM12. I asked her why was she charging me RM12? She explains it was for the replacement. 

I told her that as far as I knew it was free for a faulty chip which in this case it was a faulty chip so I should not be charged.

She refers to her officer. They ask me all kinds of questions. How often I use the card? Where do I use the card? Did I place it near a magnetic field? How long have I had the card? Etc, etc, etc.

Then they try to bullshit me. They say it normally happens after about 2 years. They say this is normal. They say I shouldn’t use it at other ATMs. They do not encourage it. That is why they charge a fee when we use other ATMs. Oh, really... hmmm... I really must look like a 5 year old for them to feed me this bullshit.

At this point I was annoyed but I remained calm.

If it is normal and happens after about 2 years then why do your cards come with a default 7 year validity?

If it is normal that the chip fails then why the F@#$ do you want to charge me?

If you don’t encourage the use of these cards at other ATMs then how the hell am I supposed to use my debit card for shopping? You have specific Maybank machines at all shopping centers?

TIU....

Anyway, she then continues to process the card and finally it is done. I take the card and leave. I assumed that I was not charged.

As I was driving away I told my wife, if they had charged me I would make a bigger fuss as the card is supposed to have a 7 year validity and the new one I got expires in February 2017. Since it is a free replacement I kept quiet as it is 1 year more than my old card.

Two days later as I was checking my account I noticed that I was charged RM12 for the replacement card. 

I was pissed off. I wrote them on their online form on Friday and I am now waiting for their response. If they ever do. 

RM12 is not a lot of money. It is not something small either. It can get you a nice Grande at Starbucks. But if you are going to charge me RM12 then give me my 7 years validity as advertised.

It is the principal of not cheating your customers.

Don't bullshit a bullshitter lah...


UPDATE...
After a couple of e-mails and calls from HQ, the officer from Dungun called to advise that they had refunded the RM12. It was the most insincere call I have ever received. Case closed.

My Zalora Experience

Express delivery but horrible, horrible system...

I first attempted to purchase via Zalora sometime last year when I received their RM25 coupon but somehow, it never worked. No matter how I tried, it wouldn’t allow me the discount.  I dropped their Customer Service an e-mail stating my predicament but I never got a response. So, to me if I am not worthy of a reply then you are not worthy of my business.

Then I moved to Dungun... and if you know Dungun, you will know that there isn’t much choice as far as fashion is concerned. I bought two pairs of shoes last November and one pair just busted. My experiment worked. So I decided to continue with my successful experiment and buy myself more shoes at the same price range.

That’s how Zalora came back into the picture. They have some pretty good stuff and they range from very affordable to expensive. Their sorting options made it very easy for me to find what I wanted. After narrowing down my options and placing them in Favorites which is then stored as a ‘Wishlist’, I made my initial purchase to test the system. My first few attempts failed at the ‘iPay88’ module. I gave up and went to bed. The next day I tried again and with success. However, as soon as the purchase went through I realised that I chose the wrong shoe size, 43.

I immediately started a chat session with the Customer Service. This is something I really liked. I managed to get my order cancelled and was advised that I would get my refund via store credit within 24 hours. What I was not told was that 24 hours meant ‘business day’. Since my transaction was on a Friday afternoon, I only got my store credit on the 7th.

Anyway, I didn’t wait for my store credit and made a purchase the following day which was on the 4th for a size 44 shoe instead. Everything went well and you get your confirmations via e-mail. In your account at their website there will be a record of your order but it does not tell you when you will get your item despite having an ‘Estimated Delivery’. The next thing I knew, I received my order on the 5th. Efficient... too efficient. They don’t even send you a tracking number.

Along with the order was a 10% discount voucher with its code to be used online and also a return slip. Alas, the shoe didn’t fit... it was still one size too small. So, I quickly filled up the form with the correct size, 45 and had the shoe sent back the following day via PosLaju as required. Zalora will refund the postage to you and resend the correct size.

On the 7th I made another purchase with size 45 as I had intentions to buy more than one pair. This was before I received my store credit. It was seamless. I received the shoes the following day. This time, the shoe was too big... I realised that this was due to the cutting of the shoe. I kept the shoe as it felt ok after I wore some thick socks and inserted insoles.

On the 8th, still no sign of my other shoe despite Poslaju having delivered the shoes back to Zalora on the morning of the 7th. I then received my store credit of RM79 via a coupon code.

The following day, still no sign of the other pair of shoes. So I made another purchase using my store credit. Here is where it gets confusing, which I only figured out later. The shoe I wanted costs RM7 less than my credit... but after I key in the code, it does not show that I have RM7 credit left. I assumed that it was a one-time use. And get this... you can only use the store credit OR the discount code, NOT BOTH. WTF? One is a discount... the other is a credit!! I don’t like Zalora already... sigh! Anyway, I just proceeded as I wanted to close this chapter and be done with Zalora.

Purchase done. Then I received an e-mail stating that I had another store credit from my returned shoe. Huh? I am supposed to get the postage in store credit not for the whole amount plus postage. No explanation... just the notice of store credit. I let it be and continue to wait for my shoes.

The following day, the shoe that I had just purchased with store credit arrives. No sign of the earlier shoe. By now I figured out that they refunded the whole amount as the size that I wanted was no longer available by then.

I thought I was done with Zalora but now I still had credit to use. It so happened that yesterday marked their 1 millionth sale and they had an automatic 10% discount storewide. So I used this opportunity to close my chapter. The 10% would be in addition to whatever discounts that you had. I had 3 discount codes by now. They send you one with every delivery. However, at checkout, you can only use ONE discount code OR your store credit. When I checked my available coupons, the old store credit that I had used was still there so I tried to use... it worked... it deducted the balance of RM7 that I thought was gone. So, I have two store credits now but I can only use one for checkout... again. WTF! WTF!

Damn frustrating... it’s ok if I don’t get discounts... I would like it but it is not a deal breaker but when I can’t use money that is rightfully mine the way I want, I get pissed off. Anyway, I really want to close this chapter and proceed with using the store credit of the larger amount despite only getting 10% off when I should be getting 20%.

At checkout, the browser hangs at the iPay88 module and finally times out. Tiunasing! Checked my order in my accounts section. The transaction is there but as unsuccessful. Check to see if my store credit is there... NOPE... checked the shoes... sizes no longer available. The system has blocked both my shoe sizes and my credit.

I start a chat with Harry the Customer Service and asks him how to proceed. He’s very polite and apologetic. He says I will get my store credit back in 24 hours. So I asked him what about my discount? Will I get it tomorrow when I use my store credit. No... today is last day. I tell him that this sucks... he apologises. He recommends that I make a new order today to enjoy the discount and he will make arrangements to refund my store credit. How nice of him. But... the shoes are no longer available as the system has blocked them... I asked him if he could release it... no, system auto releases after 24 hours.

This really, really sucks I tell him. Again he apologises.

I have since made my purchase again without the discount... and I still have my RM7 in store credit.

Will I use Zalora again? Maybe... but it won’t be at the top of my list. I feel very cheated with their ‘one discount code’ policy. Yes, it is only fair to apply one discount but store credit is store credit... why treat it as a discount and deprive me of discounts?

You’re potentially losing customers but since you have one million sales I guess it is not important to you...

Updated here...

A New Chapter...

We arrived in the East Coast on 10th April. Our accommodation was being 'touched up' and we just moved in 3 days ago.

This is now home... a simple cottage by the beach.

The front of the cottage taken from the garden. The garden is pretty big and would be very suitable for a BBQ session.

This is the view from the cottage.

This is the view of the cottage taken from the edge of the beach.

The living and dining area taken from the main entrance.

The living and dining area again from the other side of the room. It's pretty big and we have a smal and simple kitchen.

The view from inside.

This is the master bedroom.

The master bedroom has two built-in wardrobes and an attached washroom.

The master bedroom's washroom.

We have two guest rooms. This is one of them.

The second guest room.

The shared washroom for the two guest rooms.

It is a decent cottage. In terms of built up area, it is pretty large. I think it is about 1600 square feet. The downside is the that it gets pretty hot here despite having air conditioning throughout the cottage.

This is a picture of some mussels of some sorts that are on a carcass of a cuttlefish. This was shot with Super Macro mode on the Olympus TG-2. Those fine grains are actually the fine beach sand.

This was also shot on the Olympus TG-2 on Super Macro. These sea shells are very small... probably just about 1cm wide.

This guy somehow found its way into our bedroom. I'm guessing this happened while we were on the beach taking those shots above. We left the door open so it may have come in during then. I am happy to report that we safely sent this guy back to the beach.

My humble office...

This will be our new chapter in the East Coast and hopefully are very interesting and fruitful chapter... In-sya-Allah...

Bye-Bye PLR...

Time's up! After 14 months and a week... it is time to say 'Goodbye' again... I doesn't get easier just that you learn to be in control of your emotions... and you also learn not to get too attached.

After having banana leaf lunch... it seems I won't be able to get it where I am headed.

The farewell party at the jetty to see me off.

Bye-bye PLR team. Thank you for the memories and the opportunity to be part of the team that did RM6 million in a month!

Baby Dream

I had a very happy dream last night. I dreamt that my wife and I had a beautiful chubby girl. She was standing on a chair pulled close to a table and she was chuckling away... she was probably about 18 months old.

To see a baby in your dream represents new beginnings, new ways of thinking, new ideas, or new life developments. A baby may also symbolize a new project or potential. Negatively, a baby in a dream may reflect new responsibilities or new problems that require constant care.

To dream of a baby girl may represent feminine qualities to an experience or problems such as sensitivity, sympathy, social subordination.

Moving Again...

We will be moving again in 5 days time. This will be my 6th move in as many years. Moving is expensive. Even more expensive when you're moving to a new position and environment. When I moved here from the city it was very expensive as it meant buying a whole new ensemble of clothes... can't be wearing suits here right? Thankfully, this move will be to the same environment. If I ever end up in the city again, it will really cost me a bomb as it will mean new shirts, ties and suits. A scary thought... but I think I should start saving and be prepared.

We've started packing and as always, the rule is... we only take whatever that fits in the car. The logic is, if I have to pay for a truck or to have it shipped then I would be better off using that money to buy new stuff. Moving from Langkawi was the most expensive as I had to leave everything behind. Refrigerator, mattress, TV, DVD player, cookers etc. Painfully expensive... I didn't even have time to do a cheap sale... circumstances were such that I did not have much of a choice... something not likely to happen again... ever! 

Anyway, wherever you go you tend to acquire stuff along the way. It's now time to decide what makes the cut. We normally start with our clothes. Taking what we need and those that seem 'weathered', we give away or dispose of, depending on the condition. Perishables are categorized into two... daily and sometimes. Perishables that are daily (and dry) like coffee, tea, oats and what not we bring along. Perishables that are 'sometimes' we give away.

The 'sometimes' perishables that will be given away.

The good thing about moving is that it is a good exercise to keep our living quarters clean and minimal with unnecessary 'junk'. Most people tend to accumulate a lot of junk and this is a good way to get rid of junk. When we unpack, we unpack what we use daily... what we need. What we don't need we normally leave it in the box. If it stays in the box for more than 6 months, that means it's classified as junk... things we don't need... hence it's given away or disposed of.

Making sure that everything fits in the car is more difficult this time round as the car is not here.... it's a boat ride away... and the boss is away so I do not have the luxury to go off the island to gradually load things into the car. That means, my 'guesstimate' will have to be spot on... 

Stressful... but that's life... for me at least.

New Home

This is where home will be in 2 week's time. A small but cosy 3-bedroom cottage by the beach. Literally by the beach. There's about 15 feet of garden in the front which will be fantastic for BBQs.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yup... I turned 24 yesterday. Feels good to be 24... and this is what 24 year olds do. This is also proof that contrary to popular belief, I am capable of doing fun things whilst sober... given the right time, place and most importantly, the right motivation... my beloved wife. She's made me do parasailing (I have a fear for heights), ride the terrifying Orbiter and many more... and as you can see in this picture, other crazy and fun stuff too. She brings out the best or worst (depending on whose point of view it is) in me. I do crazier stuff but that's not for public domain. :)

My in-laws visited us for the weekend and between her and them, they tried so desperately to give me a surprise cake. It was hard for her... I know... me being me, I catch all the small codes and signs... I actually catch a lot but I just pretend not to know most of the time... and with me also being the number 2 here on a private island... how do you smuggle a cake here without me knowing? And it gets even harder when there is someone else in their entourage who has the same birthday as me whom they're trying to surprise as well? That left her no choice but to work with the team here. They almost pulled it off... almost. The last 5 minutes gave them away but I just played along as the other one had no clue what was happening. I am very appreciative of her efforts.

Thank you my beloved wife for making the day special and for everyone who left me wishes, thank you for remembering this 'young fart'.

Broken Ring

While most were celebrating Valentine's Day and some boycotting it, I instead found that my wedding ring had cracked. It started as a hairline crack. Then I took it off to see how bad it was and it just crumbled apart.

This was very likely because I never took my ring off, even when I went to the gym. It never happened to my other ring... but that's probably because the other one was a gold ring and gold is malleable. This is white gold and it couldn't sustain my body weight when I did chin-ups or when I did 60kgs deadlifts.

I quickly dropped an e-mail to Poh Kong enquiring if it could be fixed. Within a few hours I got a response stating that it could be fixed at any of their branches. The following day my wife took it to branch located at AEON Jusco and had it fixed in an hour, FOC. Impressive.

The ring fixed... acceptable for FOC. Maybe we'll send it in again one of these days for reshaping and re-plating. My wife and I choose not to succumb to any superstitions... whatever it may be. Our future lie in our hands with Allah's blessings.

All Over Agedashi Tofu...

This entry was inspired (or rather provoked) by my very recent visit to AEON Jusco last Tuesday, my off day.  Took my wife out to the mainland to keep her sane. We ended up in AEON Jusco having lunch at Sushi King. It was pretty early, just after noon and I had breakfast at 10:30am. So, my next meal was supposed to be at 2:30pm. But since the boss was hungry we went ahead and had lunch. Or rather she had lunch and I ordered a snack. I ordered an Agedashi Tofu.

And that is where it began. It triggered some thoughts that I had which I had pushed aside but now it’s crept up again. My Agedashi Tofu was horrible.

This is how an Agedashi Tofu should be like... deep-fried tofu in some tentsuyu sauce garnished with daikon, ginger and spring onions. In some variations you get julienned seaweed and/or bonito flakes.

What I got instead was deep-fried tofu drowning in supposedly tentsuyu but tasted like soyu with water and garnished with spring onions. I was upset! This was the first time it came out like this.... even for Sushi King. I glanced over at the prep area to see who the idiots were preparing the food... as usual... young cikus. Sigh!

It seems like we are doomed... 

My wife and I had his discussion before... we no longer enjoy most fast foods as they no longer represent what they used to be... even KFC... and if we look closely at who the people who were preparing the food, it was the same... young cikus.

Before some of you start foaming in the mouth, the issue here is not so much the young cikus (although it is a big part of the problem). I was a young ciku before too but I never did produce substandard shit like these people do. And for the record, as a young ciku, at the very tender age of 19, I was crowned Master Bartender and represented Malaysia the following year... chewahhh!! Ko ada?

Anyways, back to the issue... society these days teach tasks and not results... 

The next time you’re queuing at McDs, take a look at the ‘factory line’ producing the burgers and observe. They just pile the accompaniments... how they do it is of no consequence and when you open your so-called burger, it is a mess. Of course, everything is there but generally just in a mess. McDs normally serve good fries as their turnover is pretty good and the facilities better. But try having fries at KFC... if you do get them as good as McD in KFC, please buy 4D!! They don’t give a rats ass anymore... even if it is cold and dry, they still dish it out. Just like how my simple tofu dish went awry... to the person who prepared it, the tofu is the main ingredient and the rest probably was not important... to him at least. So missing out on the daikon, ginger and seaweed was no big deal... to him.

Let’s take a look at it from another example. My wife got her driver’s license months ago. She was ecstatic about it and came home saying “I can drive!”... I said, “No, you got your license, you can’t drive yet”... obviously she was upset with me as she felt I was not supportive and did not want to give her credit for passing... but I was just being truthful... there was more to driving than she understood and I was sure she would learn over time... from me. What she didn’t quite understand then was that I knew driving schools teach you to pass the test... not how to drive... that is the problem. I am sure some of you don’t understand either.

Okay... in the driving school, when learning your parking they will tell you to count the poles when doing your parking. You reverse to a certain pole then maneuver in and voila, you are parked. 

When I was taught that, I asked my instructor.... so, when I go parking at the shopping mall or on my own, I have to bring these poles along and place them so I can count them before I park? Duhhh...

See what I mean now? They teach you to pass the test... not how to drive. 

My wife had to unlearn what she learnt to some extent. I taught her the use of the A pillars and B pillars in the car. I explained to her that these pillars are where your wheels are located and if you don’t know where your wheels are then you can’t maneuver your car effectively.

In school we are taught to pass the exams... that was the focus. Just like driving schools... maybe that’s why I am not messed up coz I was never in class while in school. Therefore, I was not subjected to the brainwash of memorising the answers. Yeah, believe it or not... the only class that I attended was Chemistry (you don't mess with Mrs Ho!!)... all other classes I skipped all the time.  I never skipped school but I skipped most of my classes.

Another example, close to home... my culinary team here. Frankly, I gave up on them. You can’t teach people to cook if they have no interest to cook. Just like the young cikus in McDs and Sushi King and whatnot. Cooking is a passion. As soon as someone tells you that it is a job, game over! Start looking for a replacement.

I watched many times as the guys here prepare a simple dish of Aglio e Olio. Very simple indeed but if you don’t know what and why you’re doing what you’re doing, the dish is gone. As the name suggests, it is about the garlic and olive oil. A chef who knows what he is doing would start with a low to medium heat pan, add the oil, then very quickly after the oil, add the garlic. The whole idea is to sweat the garlic so it infuses with the oil. The goal is NOT to burn the garlic as garlic is bitter when burnt or too brown. They are taught to sauté the garlic. If you ask them why and how it should be done, they have absolutely no clue. And when you try to teach them, they’re just to stubborn to listen. Just because you are employed as a cook, does not mean you cook better than me or you know more about food than me.

Likewise, just because you use a fancy ass phone does not mean that you know more about it than me. I had someone ask me... is your iPhone ‘jailbreak’? You mean jailbroken? No... I think it is comfortable in its jail. Then I asked... yours is I assume. Tethered or untethered? He goes blur on me... so I rephrase my question. If you rebooted your phone, does it remain jailbroken? Hmmm... don’t know... Hmmm... never mind then. I wanted to ask why he had his phone jailbroken but I thought I’d better spare myself the misery.

And on the flipside of this... one of my subordinates asked me a question the other day. I looked at him and said, Geesh, I don’t know... why don’t you go and ask Mr. X. He looked at me bewildered. And I said, what? Just because I am number two here does not mean I know everything! Tiu...

Back to the issue... ummm... what is the issue, really? Sigh...

There was a time when people used Job Description but we use Job Scope. What’s the difference? If you give a person a job description he or she will perform exactly as described and if not described then it will not be done. A job scope gives some parameters and anything within those parameters has to be done. Basically, one is task based while the latter is results based.

I guess the issue is that we do not teach to achieve results. We teach to accomplish a set of tasks. 

Is the issue with the parents or the issue with the children? Is the issue with the system and the teachers or is the issue with the students? Or is it the environment?

Then there is the issue of formula milk. There are those who swear by formula milk and that nothing else is good enough for their kids. Well, if you can afford it why the hell not? But if you can’t, what’s wrong with the normal stuff? I grew up with the blue and red Dumex. So, did a lot of others. The last time I checked my IQ was 131. What’s the point of providing formula milk to your kid when you’re not going to give your kid the environment to grow his or her mind? So which is more important? The environment to learn in or the formula milk? Ideally, both... but which is more important?

Enough of rambling for today lah... all it takes is one thing to make me upset and my mind starts avalanching with all this shit.

Ramblings for 20.12.2012

Today is 20.12.2012... there are a lot of speculations for this date which I think is just horse shit... but I shall commemorate this date with my ramblings...

If you look through your Malaysian FB contacts you will probably find that the most popular status updates are bosan (bored) and malas (lazy)... the two words I hate the most.

My wife used to use these two words frequently and it just drove me nuts... but now... try mentioning these two words to her and see what she says. It was a struggle to get my wife to see life differently but it has paid off. My wife has learnt that the price for enlightenment is frustration. Once you start seeing things differently, it gets very frustrating... even more frustrating when those you try to help just don’t want to be helped.

I used to lecture my wife on these two words. I told her... people who use these words have no direction in life. They are lost souls. She didn’t like it... we ended up arguing. But like all things we argue about, I would normally accede and just smile to myself with the knowledge that I will get to say ‘I told you so’ in the future... which I do.

Most of our arguments were about me correcting her... in every sense... her thoughts, her actions, her knowledge, everything... it was pretty daunting for her, I know... and she used to think that I was too practical. Actually, I’m not... I’m merely trying to keep her from making mistakes. One day, she got fed up and she retorted... Some people need to learn from their mistakes. I said I know... but why make those mistakes when you can learn from others’ mistakes? And her response was... some people will never see it till they make the mistake themselves... to which I replied... some mistakes are just too expensive to make. Today, of course there was my 'I told you so'...

Anyway, back to the laziness and the boredom... If you really look closely you will find that it is mostly Generation Y that makes such statements. That’s probably because they are born in a generation where everything is readily available for them and they take things for granted. 

Today, you Google for anything you need to know, and that too... most are too fucking lazy to Google. Back in my time, it was a bus ride to the library just to read up information... or pay through your nose to buy the books for the knowledge. Back in my days, the only good source of food knowledge was the Larousse Gastronomique and it would cost you around USD300 for the book now. Imagine what it cost back then! Today, just Google, and you have what you need to know... but still, today’s generation is lazy and ignorant.

I remember getting my wife a netbook... I set it up for her and taught her the basics. Then she asked me something and I said, just Google... she asked, How? I said, Google... she asks again, how do you Google? I just said, Google lah... man, she was pissed at me... she didn’t understand then, why I did what I did... I was pushing her out of her comfort zone... I was making her try and not be dependent on me. Today, she knows how to shop online without me teaching her... and she knows how to search for anything that comes to her mind.

How can one possibly be bored in today’s world? It is only possible if you do not know what the hell you want to do with your life... or if it stems from the other fucked-up word... lazy.

Too lazy to fucking do anything hence the boredom... too lazy to do anything hence getting fat and f-ugly... too lazy to do anything hence not succeeding in life then turning around and saying it is God’s will. If it is God’s will then we would not be presented with choices in life. If it is really God’s will then we would not need to think. God only presents us with choices... we choose... and if we choose wrong, God will yet again present you with choices and so on and on and on... in the hope that we will eventually make the right choice that will bring us what we seek in life. Life is about choices... choose and be responsible for your choice and make it happen.

Today’s world is a scary world. Society no longer wants to be responsible for their actions. They will blame everyone and everything EXCEPT themselves.

If lazy and bored exists in you then you are definitely doomed. Sorry, but these are the hard facts... the truth always hurts.

When I started to exercise to lose weight there were statements made that I should not be vain. I should just accept it. I just looked at the person and said... that is the most selfish thing I have ever heard a person utter. What makes you think that me losing weight is about me? It is not about me... it is about the people whom I love around me. It is about making sure I remain healthy to continue providing for them. It is about making sure that I don’t die on them. I still have my desserts, I still have my red meats and whatnots... just not as often as I used to. And... most importantly... to me.. I choose not to be fucking lazy!

I always try to inspire others by using me as an example but every time I try the first thing that comes out of their mouths would be... you’re differentla, you are a Resident Manager... or you’re differentla, you earn more... what the fuck? You’re God damn right I am different... I chose to be different... but wait a minute... I worked hard to get where I am... very hard... it wasn’t handed to me on a silver platter. I had a hard life as well... we used to have just rice with fish curry gravy... RM1 for the fish curry which had ONE piece of fish in it and we would add RM0.20 worth of gravy and the five of us would share that with rice and omelet.  Sometimes it was just rice with soya sauce.

I started working at the age of 10!!! I would take the bus... no 51 or 58 from Port Klang on Friday afternoon to Kuala Lumpur then take the bus to Sungei Wang Plaza to work in my aunt’s shop. I would stay with her and on Sunday evening I would take the bus back to Port Klang. I started working as a regular part time at the age of 15... on an average no less than 3 times a week... I still completed school. Yes, my life was just as bad if not worse than all of you... so, what's the difference? Tiu...

There was once I was sick for 5 days and I took medical leave... my VP of Operations called me... he was concerned because he has never known me to be sick. So, in that sense... yes, I am different... I choose to be different. THAT is the difference... I am committed... are you? I am committed to creating a future for myself and my family. Are you?

I remember my mom yelling at me everyday for not making my bed. Yelling at me to sweep the floor, mop the floor, hang the clothes out, fold the clothes.... you name it! Hell, I was lazy too... but I never did stay lazy... I chose to be different. I chose to CHANGE.

Bored? Hell, I was NEVER bored... I guess I am too imaginative to ever get bored.

Enough of rambling... for those of you who read this far, good for you. Just proves you’re not lazy... Hahaha... but definitely bored to read through my ramblings... Hahaha...

But for those who didn’t, shows you how lazy people are... even when you have a TRANSLATE tool, they won’t use it... then they wonder why they are monolingual and cannot compete in the corporate world... nuff said.

Losers make excuses, winners make things happen...