mcarlosp : Malaysian, Free Talking

How To Use The Internet To Add More Streams of Income

2019-07-22T16:37:00.001+08:00

Have you ever been so excited about something, you just start buzzing and you have to tell someone about it? That’s what's happening to me as I’m learning about how to add more streams of income from Tai Lopez’s Cashfloww program.

He’s been teaching me all about:

- How to start a business (without employees startup costs)
- How to build a brand on social media you can earn income from
- Why certain companies would rather pay “everyday people” (like you and me) to promote their products and services.

Basically, all of the useful things to know about making money.

I didn’t realize how much potential there is right now on the internet. I was also shocked to know about how easy it is to get started. It used to be so time consuming and expensive to start your own business.

But with the Cashfloww program, that’s all changed.

Trust me, you’re going to want to check it out too.

Go here to see for yourself how it works. cashfloww.com/upwealth88

Disclaimer: Compensation is being provided by Cash Flow Partner Systems LLC. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Cash Flow Partner Systems LLC or its affiliates.

Tai Lopez Explains Why Social Media Marketing Agency Route

2019-07-03T17:34:00.000+08:00

Here is a good video that shows Tai Lopez trying to answer questions by people who have in doubt about beginning a business doing Social Media Marketing Agency.

This is a good quote from him: "You’re not going to get ahead if you’re making excuses".

He explains how his SMMA 2.0 program can bring you forward, and he crushes the doubt others have in his program.

Why should I invest in this program when I’ve seen a social media program online for $19? (1:32)
Can I go through your course at my own speed? (7:52)
Is Tai teaching the program and does the content get released all at once or in stages? (8:37)
Are there hidden charges or is it a one-time fee? (10:12)
My response to people who call my stuff a scam (14:10)
How can I trust your testimonials? (23:43)
A guaranteed way to grow from 0 to 6 figures (26:19)

#tailopez, #smma, #socialmedia, #socialmediamarketing, #digitalmarketing

Paying Small Money For Big Money

2019-07-03T11:53:00.000+08:00

I learn this important concept of seeing money differently from Tai Lopez. If you invest in your personal development, see it in terms of return of investment (ROI) rather than how much money is put in to learn the new skills.

While acknowledging that making money online is not a get rich quick scheme, one of the challenges of making money online is not knowing the steps to take.

You may have the good intention of wanting to make it big personally, but they didn’t actually tell you what you’ll do — until you’ve paid and joined.

Tai Lopez has recently launched an affiliate partnership program for his followers, and it is known as the Cashflow System. The procedures and payment mechanism are explained in a transparent manner by him in a series of videos.

Who is Tai Lopez, by the way? He is actually one of the pioneer of using social media as a marketing tool for business back in 2016, and he made popular the term SMMA, known as Social Media Marketing Agency. Over 40,000 people has been trained successfully by him.

Learn more about this new way of earning money, both active and passive using Tai Lopez's Cashflow System. Make An Extra $2,500 to $25,000 Per Month Partnering With Him.

If you have a good product or service, be generous. Let's share them with those who needs it. In return, you are rewarded with a commission for your generosity. Win-win for all!

Tai Lopez's 67 Steps Summary book is also a good read. This book will complement with his multiple videos on the same topic.

Light In Handbag

2019-07-01T15:39:00.000+08:00

It is usual that ladies search frantically inside their handbag when they are in hurry. Now there is a device that can solve this issue, eliminating embarassment or sweating moment.

SOI LED light, manufactured by a German company is your saviour. It is bright enough to light up the inside of your bag, but shine long enough for you to find your stuff.

(courtesy: New York Magazine)

Building A Business By Solving People's Problem

2014-03-23T16:10:00.003+08:00

It is well known that a business transaction happens between willing buyer-willing seller, and almost all the time, the product or solution tends to either give people pleasure or solve people's problem.

While it is a good direction to think how we want to solve people's problem, finding the problem to be solved in not an easy task though. You may have to run through many webpages, facebook postings or talking to many people to get their input. Often, we like to be the hero in solving people's idea by starting to think from other people's perspective. However, a rather reasonable way to start this activity is from ourselves because we don't realize that we can start from within.

I recently read an article by Paul Maplesden in Hubpages.com on "How solving people's problems builds awesome business ideas". This is an interesting way to start creating a business on our own, by looking into our activities, and consciously capturing the problems and finding the solution. Here are some steps given, and this would be one of my guiding ways to finding the next problem solving products.

Step 1 – Develop the right frame of mind to record your activities
> Starting from the right place
   >> Examine the activities you carry out, services and products that you use and the little things that can cause annoyance. The reason is to find the idea to these annoyance.

> Being aware of your thought processes
   >> Actively observing your daily routines, tasks, chores and other interactions and can identify the areas that might cause problems. Note down the areas of frustration.

> Having a calm and relaxed emotional state

> Reviewing this whole guide for ideas and techniques

Step 2 – Prepare to track what you do through the day and week
> Pick a time to start tracking your activities

> Ensure that you can track activities for a reasonable length of time
   >> Give yourself enough time to note down plenty of issues for review later

> Have a way to capture your thoughts in a coherent, structured way

> Remember this doesn’t just need to be ‘business’ interactions

Step 3 – Notice and note down potential difficulties and problems
> Have your forms / notepad ready

> Go through your normal daily routines

> Pay careful attention to the things that annoy or frustrate you and capture them

>> Observe the things that irritate you or that you think could be done better. When you come across a problem, note it down.

Your activity – What were you trying to do?
The problem – What was it that stopped you or made things more difficult?
Notes – Any useful notes; website URL, where you were, other information
Reference – There’s also a reference number for each item so that you can easily identify it

> Continue for the time that you’ve given yourself to use the tool

Step 4 – Review what you've captured for potential business ideas

> Go through each problem area in detail

Is this a problem that other people might face?
Is this a problem that I can think of a solution to?
Do I have the ability or know other people that have the ability to create a solution?
Do I think that the solution is something other people would pay to use?

> Write down potential ideas for a solution
>> If you can answer ‘Yes’ to all or most of the questions, you have a candidate for developing into a full business idea.

Step 5 – Create a Shortlist of Ideas

1Joke: Our Politicians Talk This Way

2014-03-23T00:38:00.001+08:00

Being a politician in Malaysia seems to be a relatively easy job. Most of the time, they seldom need to perform duties like a general manager or CEO in a private company does. They have people under them doing all sorts of work, and they just come out to show face and talk "no any sense" things.

I am wondering if these comments were thought and drafted by PM's hired consultants. To the outsiders, these are funny. But to our people, this is pitiful. There are still politicians, especially in the government circle who addressed to people in such a manner. Even more pathetic is that our PM was among the people in the group. How can we be a progressive nation when we have ministers who cannot give intelligent answers, or treat the citizen as non-intellectual.

There will surely be a day when one of these clowns will say "Kalau tak suka kerajaan, pergi undi pembangkang".

Praising Spain Again

2014-03-20T02:13:00.000+08:00

Spain is one of my favorite country, ever since my first visit there in 2002. What started as a simple plan to visit Madrid, Cordoba, Granada and Barcelona, turned up to be an eye-opening experience when I discovered that the smaller towns from these main cities are packed with wonderful offering. Spain has one of the most sites listed in the Unesco World Heritage List.

> Segovia: Famous for 2nd BC aqueduct. Unesco world heritage site 1985 (Went by bus from Madrid)
> Cuenca: Famous for Hanging houses. Unesco world heritage site 1996 (Can go by bus from Madrid)
> Figueres: Famous for Teatro-Museo Dali (Can go by train from Barcelona)
> Bilbao: Famous for Guggenheim Museum

Besides, a visit to 2 free museums (on certain day in a month), Museo del Prado and El Museo de arte Thyssen-Bornemisza introduced me to the beauty of Spanish paintings. Here are some painters and one of their most famous paintings that I can still remember. Included are the links for your further reading.

> Pablo Picasso: Guernica
> Diego Velazquez: Las Meninas
> Francisco Goya: The Third of May 1808
> Salvador Dali: The Persistence of Memory

Not to forget that Spain has one of the most famous architect, Antoni Gaudi. I have promised myself to make my 3rd visit to Spain, particularly Barcelona in 2027. The Basilica de la Sagrada Família will be completed by then with 18 towers: 12 dedicated to the apostles, 4 to the evangelists, one to Jesus and another to Mary.

*p/s: Amended title from Talking About Spain Again to Praising Spain Again (20 Mar 2014)

Handling Winning Ideas

2014-03-20T00:00:00.001+08:00

Having winning ideas are important to any entrepreneur. Without winning ideas, you may think you have the next big thing, but in fact, it may turn out to be not. Stephen Key rightly put it as ideas that are profitable, quick to license, and inexpensive to venture.

The recipe for a successful product birth should have the following traits.

1. A substantial market.
> This points to recouping of our investments for the product from birth to launch. A good indicator of a substantial market is the existence of other products that aim to solve the same problem.

2. Existing manufacturing technology.

> It is logical that product made using existing technology will have the advantage of cost, speed and time.

3. An acceptable retail price point.
> The general rule of thumb is that products retail for five times the cost of manufacturing.

4. A benefit that's summarized in a single sentence.
> One sentence tagline on its benefit is essential to capture customer's attention. What motivates purchase is the benefits customer will get, not the features.

5. A user-friendly interface.
> Easy-to-use and user-friendly products are more easily accepted. Product with complicated operation steps will deter users from picking it up again.

Protecting winning ideas from competitors or contract workers are equally important in the early stage of the idea incubation. We may not consciously know that we have revealed our brilliant idea over a harmless lunch chat or after some beer. Often, there is a need to sign some binding documents as a way to avoid the element of sabotage or undercutting in business.

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA): usually between product owner and suppliers.
Non-compete agreement: usually between product owner and contract or own workers.
Work-for-hire agreement: usually between product owner and contract workers.

Good Pointers For Entrepreneur: Part 1

2014-03-17T02:09:00.001+08:00

Here is a collection of some good pointers I took from my read-ups in Entrepreneur.com.

"I had to think of things from the customers’ perspective. One expectation from a service like ours was for customers to have xxxx: from Jay Barnett, founder, Priority Pickup, a marketplace for private chauffeur rentals
> What I learn: Think why a customer needs my product.

Spalding encourages business owners to acknowledge that they will be deferring income for an indefinite period of time and to incorporate rent, food, health insurance and utilities into their business’s financial plans.: from Steve Spalding of Project MONA, A platform for multi-disciplinary thinkers.
> What I learn: Include current expenses and lost income in financial plan

When you're in the latter position (nothing is going the way he or she wants) and the outlook seems dire, it's tempting to become overwhelmed with worry about the future. One way to move forward is to focus deeply on what's happening right now and work your butt off to achieve a small success -- and thereby gain some momentum.: from Charu Chandra of Strongyogi.com.
> What I learn: Take small but definite steps to move closer to tackling and finishing off a big problem

More to come.. Cheers!

Managing Time As A Precious Commodity

2014-03-17T01:18:00.002+08:00

One of the most important tools that each of us need is to master, manage and control our time. No matter at which level our career is, if time comes and go like wind, all the opportunities to make good of our time will be lost. Here is a very good reminder from Michael LeBouef; "Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost a part of your life.”

Most of the time, I am impressed with young entrepreneur who are already practicing good time management and be successful as a result. I was reading a post by a college guy, Nathan Resnick and found that his tips and advice on time management are pretty wonderful and practical. He is the owner of Yes Man Watches, and has launched a few successful Kickstarter projects while still in college.

Set short-term goals to achieve long-term ones.
> This is a good pointers, as we are usually obsessed with stretching ourselves to meet a long-term goal. It doesn't mean there should not be any long-term goal. Instead, it meant that there should be some short-term goals that will eventually bring us to our long-term goals. It is like stopping at rest areas while we are going for a long distance journey. It will be more pleasant this way.

Use apps.
> I would rate this as an essential skill to pick up. Entrepreneur should take time to learn which apps are useful and helpful for them. Unfortunately, I haven't take this seriously and I know I should be doing it as soon as possible.

Plan your day.
> Planning for our day should focus on the free time we have, instead of what we don't have. When our mind is committed to making a good planning, we will soon realized that we have more time and bank in more activities than previously thought. Often, intervals during lunch, meetings or trainings can be a long 20 minutes, and we don't realize we can actually accomplish some short-term goals to bring us closer to our long-term goals.

Time wasting and not fully utilizing the time are some culprits that will bring the downfall of any startups. By applying 80/20 rules, where 20% of the customers bring 80% of the sales, we will make sure our time are correctly spent on doing what is best for the time we have. It is not surprising many entrepreneurs are choosing to do menial work that bring less money per hour, rather than doing productive work such as meeting new clients, sending emails to prospective customers or negotiating for a contract that can bring in better returns.

Here are some practical advices from Perry Marshall that I find very useful, but not necessary applicable here due to our cultural and lifestyle difference.

Hire a maid, Get rid of your $10 an hour stuff and Hire a personal assistant.
> These advices seem to be logical and reasonable to me. By sub-contracting household chores, managing documents and running errands to others, we can focus on the more high paying activities. At this juncture, an entrepreneur should be result-driven. Sometimes doing house work may be therapeutic and can divert our attention from work stress temporarily, but when it is performed too often, we are actually losing time and opportunity to become better.

Don't feel guilty about relaxing.
> What he meant was there should be time that we should "donate" back to ourselves. It is impossible for us to continuously working and achieving great results at the same time.

Focus on your most productive time slot.
> This is true for most people, and we need to be conscious in looking for our own time slot. I used to have an early morning time slot many years back, but now it became a night slot. It would be good if I can return to the previous time slot in order to capture more useful time in a day.

Tahun Melawat Malaysia or Tahun Dilawat Masalah?

2014-03-15T01:34:00.000+08:00

Malaysia and Malaysians are experiencing some disastrous moments lately. One of the worse one is the unresolved disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines MH370 plane. The whole world is watching and waiting anxiously for the latest update on the search and rescue (SAR) of the ill-fated plane that has yet to be found. This would be the biggest airplane accident/incident/disaster in the country, and also the longest accident that left all of us clueless on its whereabout. Each day we are hearing new theories and findings, but none of them is bringing any conclusion, though there are close to 10 countries participating in the SAR.

When the whole nation is focusing on the lost plane, they didn't realize that there is another 2 big issues happening right here at the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and administration center, Putrajaya.

1) The haze and air quality is deteriorating each day, and yet it is not significant enough for the ministry to take action. The only thing that interests them is to announce the air pollution index with no follow up action. The hazardous areas such as Port Klang and Banting can have a API reading of up to 350. We will be seeing more places getting into the ranking soon. Previously, we can blame our neighbours. But now, the problem comes from domestic sources such as forest fire and irresponsible open burning.

2) Water in the dam in many parts of the country is drying up. In Selangor, most of the dam are at below 50% of the max capacity. Hence, the people in Klang Valley has to undergo water rationing. Water supply can only be given to each area in alternate manner, where 2 days of supply to be followed by 2 days of rationing. What is worse is that the water supplying time is only 41 hours, whereas rationing time is 55 hours.

Though the haze and water issues are happening right in front of our PM and relevant ministers, none of them took any action to mitigate and prevent the situation from getting worse. We don't hear the Ministers of the affected ministry coming forward to voice out their concern. It is as if they accepted these phenomenon as fated and beyond control.

Since this is Visit Malaysia Year 2014, I wonder who still thinks it is a good place to visit when they can't even take a decent photo of the Petronas Twin Towers on a clear sky. It would be a bad image for the country when they are forced to stay inside the hotel the whole day to avoid the smelly and choking air, no water condition, and hot and heaty weather.

This makes me wonder, if this is Tahun Melawat Malaysia or Tahun Dilawat Masalah?

Preparation Before Pitching

2014-03-13T10:45:00.000+08:00

Getting funding for your startup is not an easy task, especially when you don't have prior experience before venturing on your own. Most of the time in Malaysia, we depended on our own savings or on rare occasion, getting some soft loan from family.

However, for those who like to challenge this norm, pitching to investors who are like-minded and can value-add to our venture will be the way to go. From my experience, investors may like the concept and give good response during the meeting. The challenge comes in the later part when it is time to inject the fund.

Here are some tips on pitching to investors for funding extracted from Entrepreneur.com. This article listed 4 topics that we need to master and present convincingly in order to win the investors attention. Focus on them and pitching will be a breeze.

Our strategy is sustainably differentiated
What's special about your company and how you'll keep that strong position
Show that you have something different from the pack

We are the right team for this endeavor
For early stage companies, the team is the most important aspect an investor considers.

Our business model will make money
You have to show how your business model -- the costs to acquire and serve customers -- will be profitable. Understand the margin structure of comparable companies, and show how you will track versus their paths.

Market size
For the nascent markets startups, since there is no current market size, so focus on the total addressable market (TAM). TAM measures the potential annual revenue for your industry.

At the product level, it is also important to make sure the concept or product we are planning to push to the world has been well thought of and researched. Here are some crucial questions to tackle in order to get the right product out. These are also the things investor would be interested in as well. So get yourself prepared to explain clearly during your pitch.

Concept: Is it a good idea?

Is there a need? How significant is the need?
How much competition currently exists in this space?
How large is your potential customer base?
Do you have a unique ability to provide this product/service?
Do you have experience/passion in this area?
Are there trends in the marketplace/industry that might make my produce/service more or less attractive going forward?

Execution: How Well Can You Execute the Concept?

How will you provide great customer service?
What is the quality level of your product/service?
How efficiently can you produce your product/service?
What is your time to market?
How is your product/service produced? Fulfilled?
How easy/difficult is it to market the product?

Profitability: Is Your Business Model Profitable?

What is your cost structure? What are your expenses?
How much does it “cost” to gain a client?
What is the anticipated demand (quantified)?
How will you sell? Online, brick and mortar, using party concept, through resellers?
Are you focused on B2B or B2C selling?
Are you selling to individuals or groups? Bulk or individual products?
Are you using a franchise model?
Are you selling products, services or both?

Entrepreneurship

2014-03-12T11:18:00.003+08:00

I have made some changes in life last year, and this year is going to be the year of entrepreneurship for me. One of the good references that I keep reading constantly is Entrepreneur.com.

Previously, it is just purely for fun reading. Now it's time to be serious and take those advices and tips in a different manner. Hence, I will jot down those important pointers in this blog. I see it as a pin-up board for my future reference, and also a guiding book for my blog readers.

Not only can you get advices, you will also see how other startups are starting, doing and flourishing in their industry. It is better to be a dumb now and open up our mind to learn, than later when things go awry and blaming game starts to kick in.

Pixajoy : Photobook To Recapture The Beautiful Memories

2013-03-05T00:06:00.002+08:00

Do you have the habit of printing the pictures that you took? Ever wonder what will happen if the camera memory card got corrupted, or laptop got infected beyond repair or PC experienced power surge and goes kaput?

Many years back when the digital camera wasn't born yet, we took pictures using film loaded cameras. Nowadays, this thing is as good as gone. Even one of the most famous brand that produced photographic film, Kodak has ceased this film business in 2012. I remembered bringing 14 rolls of Kodak film on my first trip to Europe, and I developed almost 150pcs of photo, but now, even if I take 600~800 pictures, hardly one was developed.

If you are someone who thinks showing pictures in Facebook or Pinterest is cool, it is actually more cool if you have them in hardcopy. Moreover, if you made it into a photobook with stories to share around, your audience will see it with oohs and wahhs. I found a photobook maker by the name of Pixajoy that I'm quite interested in, and they are a Malaysian-based company.

There are some features that interest me, such as selection of design templates for a semi-DIY experience, and different choices of paper, cover and sizes that suits own budget and preference. We might have different types of request for different kinds of memory that we want to preserve, and this gives us a chance to control what is wanted and at what budget that we are comfortable with. For those who needs to work away from home and kids, you can even make a photo calender and have your family pictures in them so that you can flip and see them everyday.

I think the prices are quite reasonable if you consider the memories it will bring back when you have them on your hands. No matter if it's a kids growing up, wedding ceremony or family gathering pictures, having it done professionally makes you feeling more appreciative and proud.

You can check out the banner on the right for more details. I will give it a try after sorting out the thousands of stored pictures in my laptop. It is wise to make a hardcopy before they are gone, unintentionally..

Public Infrastructure Collapse Makes Public Confidence Collapse

2013-02-28T18:50:00.002+08:00

Today, we heard yet another news that we thought will only happen in other countries, and not Malaysia. A flyover just collapsed in Cyberjaya!

Just a week ago, we heard that the Kuala Terengganu Stadium roof collapsed again, while undergoing repair on the same roof structure that has previously collapsed.

This would be expected to happen sooner or later, or somehow in one out of many projects because of "our" fondness in granting projects to unqualified parties. Often, when there is a landslide, we blame the rain. But these two incidents happened, I have a feeling they will blame the media..

Apa dah jadi? 1Malaysia or 完蛋Malaysia?

Largest Roundabout, Longest Name

2013-02-28T00:00:00.001+08:00

I'm quite happy that there are a few readers who posted comments on my blog post about the largest roundabout in the world. Some of them actually disputed my saying that the title belongs to our Putrajaya's Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.

They claimed that there is a bigger roundabout in the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain where the Queens Park Savannah is located. It is supposed to be 3.5km in total, which is 1km longer than Putrajaya. I made a quick check on the Google Map and found that this roundabout is not round, oval or oblong, but a five-cornered awkward pentagon.

I believe many will agree with me that Putrajaya should hold the title, because if it's not the correct shape, how can they claim that it's a roundabout. We should be proud that now we don't only have the largest roundabout, but also the roundabout with the longest name.

Not to forget, we also have the smallest roundabout in the world.

Wander Around Oslo

2013-02-25T18:45:00.001+08:00

Oslo is the capital of Norway. It is considered a faraway city to Malaysian, where no one will ever thought of flying there for holidays. They are famous for being an expensive city, and also one of the great cities to live in. I believe one of the closest company or brand that we know from Norway is Telenor, the parent company of Digi.

I was fortunate to be able to explore this city, and managed to get it done in a day. Going there from Stockholm was easy but costly. I took the overnight bus trip by Swebus, and the journey was around 8 hours. This is acceptable to us, but to the Europeans, they will ask why didn't I take the plane and it is only an hour flight? No comments really.. This goes to show that we have different point of view in terms of time and money.

Below are some of the cityscape. It was autumn, and things look grey and dull. But the interesting things are usually found in the shops. In Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Norway, the products are done beautifully and tastefully displayed. Just take a look at Ikea.

One of the most beautiful building is the Opera house, with its trapezium-shaped architecture and the roof that slopes down to the sea.You can even run up to the roof, but much stamina is needed.

Good Tips On Valuing Time In Business

2013-02-24T22:58:00.000+08:00

Here are some good pointers I just read from IttyBiz on "How To Stop Your Business From Sucking Up All Your Time".

First advice is to respect your time because time is money. This is an important tip to make us realize that if we are not careful to use our business time to earn money, it will drain our resources (time & money). To quote his remarks; When you’re spending your own money, you tend to waste it less on stupid things you don’t really want. If you’re shelling out cash and you don’t get something you definitely want in return, you’re not going to do it for long.

Second advice is to prioritize your activity to get the money first (termed as closest to cash). The important thing is to convert your time to cash. Once the money is achieved, you can plan for other things to do. With this in mind, it's logical that people will stop wasting time screening through the social media.

Third and last advice is to fix the weakness in your business. This includes getting a real strategy to attract the right target group. To pick a quote; Make your vague branding specific enough to be relevant to people who visit your site for the first time. Your weaknesses are costing you sales that you SHOULD be getting.

I personally think these advices are brilliant and very true.

My Laptop Bag Is Light Weight But Tough

2013-02-24T17:20:00.004+08:00

I read with interest a blog posting in Polyniostore about a laptop bag I'm currently using. I would happily say that I'm satisfied with this bag. I knew about the company that produced the Terminus brand, where the bags are designed by Malaysians.

I must agree with the writer that the bag is lightweight, especially when I carry it on my shoulder. The padding was thick enough to give good support on the back. It might feel heavy when you started to lift it up with your hand, but the heavy feeling disappeared the moment you carry it. Because I often carry my laptop during traveling, it is really helpful to ease the burden on my shoulder.

Overall, the workmanship was good and they have put in some features that exceeds the normal bag standard. The stitching density was 7 stitches per inch, and the zipper quality was comparable to YKK zipper. These are important for the bag to be durable and longer lasting.

One of the major difference between the bag with my previous Swissgear bag is the inner lining. Previously, it is common for the bag to be coated with a layer of water-resistant material, and the material will deteriorate over time and peeled off easily when scratched. The Terminus bag was instead sewed with Nylon lining that was a totally different thing.

Another outstanding feature was the multiple compartment and pocket, 16 in exact. It can possibly put everything you can think a laptop bag should carry. Even the shoulder strap has compartment for your iPod/mp3 player.

This bag has 3 variants, and the black one looks more business-like, while the red and blue are more funky look and suitable for those wanting to look different.

Writing Is Good For You

2013-02-24T14:10:00.001+08:00

It has been awhile since I made the last posting. I plan to spend some time writing again. Need to train up my mind to play with words often so that my brain is continuously nourished, and not rot slowly and surely.

I have always thought that writing is one of the most sustainable job, and a skill that everyone should learn and master. People often think of how much they need to save or keep a large amount of money for their retirement, but they never thought of how to keep their life sustainable, in terms of money, passion and interest after they have reached retirement age. With a good writing skill and interest, a person can still survive even if they are no longer physically fit.

There are many areas where writing skill can be used to keep the mind sharp. e.g blogging, contests, article writing, e-book, etc..

My Potential Next Course Of Action: Go For An MBA

2012-08-15T17:36:00.000+08:00

Usually, this is the time of the year where I will review again my yearly aspiration. Since the economy is not at its best this year, more so from the 1st quarter onwards, it is good that I put aside my work stuff for awhile and pause to think again if I should go for different path in my life.

One possible route would be to go for an MBA course. This is necessary if I want to move up the corporate ladder quickly and more confidently. Going to the United States for my education would be a good choice since there are many established and respected institution of higher learning offering MBAs. However, getting into these institution is by no means easy, and it is necessary for me to prepare myself well with the right kind of training and consultation before I dive head on into this.

Getting the correct GMAT prep course is important because of the heavy investment of my own time and money into doing the MBA. There are just to many choices out there, but I think identifying the GMAT provider that is rated highly by international and local students are important as well. I was checking out the Veritas Prep that was introduced by my ex-colleague, and they happened to be one of the top GMAT provider, scoring high marks in the courses offered. Other than GMAT, they are also offering SAT test and providing consultation for would-be successful student in their pursue in the MBA, Law or Medical courses.

I have always thought that the GMAT tutors forms one of the most important element in making the education a success. They need to know what they are teaching, have the high passion in helping the students and they themselves are also high scorer in the GMAT test. This way, the students will be more confident that they are paying for a value for money course.

Hopefully, I can be one of those students who can proudly claim "I have improved and ready for MBA!" after undergoing the GMAT prep course.

Interesting Malaysian Fruits And Their Twins

2012-08-01T14:29:00.004+08:00

In Malaysia, you can find many local tropical fruits such as durian, mangosteen, jackfruit, rambutan, dragon fruit, and etc.. We also import a lot of cold temperate fruits such as apple, orange, grape, kiwi, and etc.. Some of these local fruits are quite interesting in the sense that they have twins of their own. You may be mistaken by their look or taste.

1) Identical twin with slight difference in character: Duku and Langsat
> They came from the same family of Meliaceae. It is not easy to distinguish them, especially when they are put together, and I'm one of those who can't. They have yellowish skin, and taste sweet and sometimes sour-bitter. Duku has thicker skin than langsat, and langsat tend to have more blackish skin in a short period of time.

2) Identical twin with difference in character: Nangka and Cempedak
> They came from the same family of Moraceae. They are interesting in the sense that it is not easy to identify them to the untrained eyes without opening and seeing its flesh. The main difference between them is the texture of its flesh, where cempedak is fibrous, its not easy to be chewed and normally ended up swallowed, while nangka's flesh can be peeled off and bitten easily. Both of them taste the same, but cempedak is much sweeter and creamier. Nangka is sometimes tasteless and has low level of sweetness. Young nangka can be cooked in curry, while cempedak flesh is dipped in flour and fried as a whole. Even the seed is eaten after frying.

3) Near identical twin with same character: Rambutan and Pulasan
> They came from the same family Sapindaceae. The skin is reddish, with rambutan having hair while pulasan has short and blunt spikes. The flesh is white and wrapped around a seed. The flesh have the same look and taste, but pulasan is sweeter and easier to peeled off from the seed. Sometimes, you can only eat part of the flesh of the rambutan because the flesh tends to cling on to the seed. Usually, it is the rambutan flesh that is canned and sold in tin form.

Men's Badminton: Have They Tried Their Best Or Wrong Strategy?

2012-08-01T08:29:00.002+08:00

Our badminton men doubles played and lost their last group match yesterday, losing to the Korean pair and ended up in the runners-up position in Group D. Though on paper, it was a pat on the back and they cruised into the quarter-finals, when you looked properly into the whole games table, you can see that it's a strategy that have caught themselves.

If they have beaten the Koreans yesterday, they will be in the lower half of the table and only meeting with the China pair of Cai Yun and Fu Hai Feng, who is the world number one currently in the finals. Now, they will be meeting the Thailand pair in the quarters, and definitely meeting a Chinese pair in the semis. If they have been careful, their path will be easier with opponents from Indonesia, Denmark and Taiwan.

We just do not hope to hear later that they give the reason of losing to a better team and take this excuse lightly. I think the coach should take up the responsibility also in making the incorrect strategy, and not claim later that they should not have lost, knowing very early the existence of this table.

Disappointed With Malaysian Cyclists Who DNF in Olympics 250KM Road Race

2012-07-31T07:58:00.001+08:00

The Summer Olympics has arrived in London and it will be held for around 2 weeks from 27 July until 12 August 2012. The Games has entered its 3rd day, and few Malaysians have completed their participation with not so encouraging results.

Some of them has completed their games and got eliminated early. However, it was encouraging when we heard the guys competed professionally and bravely to overcome their stronger opponents. Frankly, other than badminton and cycling, we are no where near the top athletes and far away from their standards. We know our limitations and I believe the fans don't blame them.

But, it was not a good thing to know that our cycling athletes for the 250km road race who did not finished the race. One of them dropped out at round 7 and the other at round 8 of a 9 rounds circuit. I don't understand why they chose to stopped in their quest to compete when their team manager has given them the task to at least complete the race.

We can't accept the reason that they are young and can be forgived. We are paying for their trip there and they are supposed to compete and come back with what ever result that they are capable of getting. But now we are seeing 2 DNF in their score card and what are they going to say when they come back to face the Malaysian public? Is this the typical tak apa attitude that we commonly see in the Malaysian athlete's?

Heard of Eric "The Eel" from the Sydney 2000 Olympics where he completed his swimming race double the time of the winner? Why can't these 2 guys persevered and did the same? This is not BOLEH, this is BOLIAU!

They Are Mr 4Malaysia

2012-07-27T18:44:00.002+08:00

We are seeing these 2 guys appearing in the news very often lately. One is the opposition MP for PJ Utara, Tony Pua and the other is the PKR strategy director, Rafizi Ramli. I believe they are both the most loved and most hated politicians nowadays.

It is interesting and refreshing for Malaysians, especially those on the "other" side of the politics hear and see the issues they brought up and the argument they put forward. Though many people will claim what these guys are fighting for is populist and meant to beg for vote, at least they are saying with conscience and on the behalf of the people.

From the recent episodes of the cowgate, watergate and cargate, they are alarming the Malaysian populations about what we have been through and the shortcomings we are receiving all this while from the government. On the other hand, the government side retaliated and rubbishing by rubbish reasons in the name of defending the industry and kedaulatan.

Therefore, I salute these guys and they should be nominated for the Mr 4Malaysia title. It is easier for laymen like me to accept 4Malaysia than to understand the meaning of 1Malaysia.