Apa Cerita? Any Stories?

She’s Our Angel

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:37:00 +0000

Last 20th September would have been my late daughter 2nd birthday anniversary. I can still remember vividly my memories with her. She loves being bathe as it seems water calms her down. It is hard for her to smile but we could see her smiling thru her eyes.

She was suffering and in pain since birth but yet among all our children, she was the easiest to take care off. She rarely cried or makes a fuss as if she doesn’t want to trouble us.

No parents would want to see their child leave the world before them but God knows best. We thank God for the opportunity to be with her even though sometimes it’s hard to accept the fact she is no longer with us.

We love her and we miss her. She’s our angel and one day, we’ll meet her again.

Glued To Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:22:00 +0000

I was told by my neighbor that apparently our residential children playground are being turned into a glue-sniffing den at night. Since the playground area is not well lit, it served as a good spot to get their fix. They are school age kids addicted to glue sniffing and they use the plastic bags filled with glue to facilitate their high.

It is not difficult to get supplies and most importantly, it's cheap and there is no provision under the law to curb the hazardous activity. They would normally get glue used by workshops and furniture shops then placing it into a plastic bag before inflating it. They would then place the opening of the plastic bag into their nostril and sniff the glue leaving them feeling “high” and intoxicated.

Last year in Miri, 2 kids were found lying unconscious after bouts of glue-sniffing near a rubbish dump with cans of tyre glue next to them. If those kids were to survive, it would not be long before they upgrade themselves to using stronger drugs like heroin as well as synthetic drugs when they get older.

Glue addiction are detrimental to health as it could lead to brain damage which could be fatal and even failure of the kidneys and liver. The cause of those devastating effect are simple. Glue contains substances like toluena or trichloroethylene, a type of toxin which affects the brain function as well as the heart. If they are lucky and not dead then they might develop memory loss, psychosis and paralysis. They might as well be dead than to suffer those side-effect and not to mention the agony of their loved ones.

According to a research, most of those drawn to glue-sniffing were children aged 11 and 12 who had yet to even try cigarette smoking and due to their addiction to glue-sniffing, they tend to lose interest in their studies which will lead to skipping schools before getting involved in other unhealthy activities, like stealing. It is said social problems and stress were the main causes of children and even adults adopting glue-sniffing.

Unfortunately, legal action cannot be taken against juveniles for glue-sniffing, unlike those caught for drug addiction, pushing or trafficking. The reason being that glue is not a controlled item and is used in our daily life. Authorities such as police could only bring those caught for glue-sniffing to the stations and then would contact their parents, who would take them home.

Coming back to the children playground, the guards employed by the resident association are powerless in dealing with those kids. They tried chasing away those kids but to no avail. It appears that when "high", they are not afraid of anything and might easily resort to violence if provoked. The only action to take is to call the police (there is a beat less than 100 meters away) to take them away albeit temporarily before sooner or later they'll find another fixing spot.

Dear parents, please monitor your children and do know their activities. Do not put the blame squarely on other people if they are caught doing such bad activities. Spend time with them as frequently as you could. To muslim parents, this is the month where the kids are almost free to roam the streets at night because we are at the mosque praying. Its good to trust them but it never hurts for once in awhile to do spot checks on them.

So this shows that we have so much to do than just arguing about who's the next PM to be or probing why the PM exchanges portfolio with his deputy. Why are the MP's busy flying to Taiwan when they haven't deal with this pressing issues at hand and at times arguing some stupid things in Parliament? If the men in power can't do anything to solve those problems, it is up to us now to get things right. So let's re-adjust our priorities and try to make our country a better place for our kids.

The only news that I wanted to read everyday

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:31:00 +0000

Over the past few days, I have nothing to write simply because I have so much news to digest be it via the mainstream or the alternative media. Reading all the negative news of things happening in my beloved country demoralizes my writing spirit. Scanning the foreign news sites makes it worst.

As a country just celebrating its 51st year of Independence, those incidents proved that being merdeka still can’t unite us. I would solely put all the blame to our politicians who has nothing else to do other than vying for power.

What a joke we must have been to the world. At a time where we should focus on strengthening our economy to fight the global recession, we are drawn into individual’s power struggle that is affecting the nation.

The tussle for power evidently let to the foolishness of several leaders saying things that could lead to racial sentiments all in the cause for party victory. Media in desperation to gain more readership and circulation put petrol into the fire by carrying the story over and over again. Journalists should know their roles and responsibilities before typing away such sensitive stories excessively.

Why let one stupid leader foul mouth gets to us? I do admit that the slow action and lack of punishment clearly showed how weak our leadership is at the moment and by using ISA makes it even weaker.

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority - Ralph W. Sockman

Please don’t let ourselves being drawn into their childish fights. We are all Malaysians regardless of race or religion. We have lived harmoniously all these years except for that one black day in our history.

My son’s hero today is Lee Chong Wei. They don’t care if he’s Malay, Chinese or Indian. All they care is that he’s a Malaysian who has made our nation proud at the Olympic. As a motorsports fan, I was delighted for Karamjit Singh when he became APRC champion and when Alex Yoong clinched race victory in A1GP. We may not have the same race or religion but we have one thing in common, we are Malaysians.

Honestly, that is all the news that I wanted to read everyday, great achievements that would unites us as Malaysians.

Things We Hate During Interviews

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:48:00 +0000

Almost all of us have had experience the agony of interviews sometime in our life. Some might had it easy and passed with flying colors while others might have to endured more heartache before successfully employed.

Along the way we might have encountered moments that happened during an interview that we simply hate. So below are some of the things we hate that happened during an interview:

1. Blank Moment

Interviewer asked you a question when suddenly you experience a non-responsive brain moment or in other word, you froze.

2. Ringing Tone Fills The Room

You were in the midst of an interview when your Ricky Martin "She Bangs, She Bangs" ringtone undiscreetly broke its silence. All eyes are on you while you scrambled to turn your mobile phone off. Apparently, you had forgotten to do it before entering the interview room.

3. Vibrator In The Pants

You set vibrate mode for your mobile phone. While you were busy answering their questions, your mobile phone starts to vibrate in your pants. While trying to act professional, you discreetly tried to find the magical off button.

4. Non-Attentive Listener

You were responding to their questions when you noticed that they did not maintain eye to eye contact but instead were busy scribbling away at their note sheet.

5. Time Is Precious

You noticed that the interviewers kept looking at their watch as if they were in a hurry or simply timing your answers. Either one is not a good sign.

6. VVIP Arrived

You were 10-15 minutes into the interview session when another interviewer conveniently came in and you had to start all over again.

7. Timing Is Crucial

Your scheduled interview is at 10.00am. You had arrived early so that you can recompose and relax. Time passes by and it is now 10.30am and no sign of you getting called in. Front desk was telling you it might be awhile longer as the person supposed to do the interview is attending a meeting.

8. Nervous Wreck

You really wanted the job so bad and you were trying hard to impress. Nervousness kicks in and suddenly you feel the urge to go to the loo. The golden question is, do you hold or suffer an incontinence label later?

9. Stupid Questions

You are face to face with an interviewer who are either new to the field or just an idiot. His/her questions are either unclear, non-related at all or just plain stupid.

10. Annoying Figure

You answered their questions seriously and the interviewers laughed at your answers. You feel like doing a smackdown on them.

11. Lack of Privacy

Your name is called and somebody leads you the interviewer but instead of having it done in a room, it was done out in the open with other people looking at you. You know they are judging you like a participant at a swimsuit competition.

12. Is it Coffee Break Time Yet

During the session, the interviewers mobile phone rang and he took the call. You waited for him to finish and it felt like eternity.

There are more moments like these but you really would not want to know more. If it happens to you in the near future, laugh it off when you got the job. If not, I am so sorry you had to endure that.

Are These Your Kind Of Leaders?

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:21:00 +0000

Top Spin

What is lacking in leadership today is courage and honesty. The lack of courage and honesty to admit or upholding the truth is worsening in political leaders. So the main problem we are having with our leaders is that we are never sure that we are getting the straight story. Real leadership is when we know the person at the top is not spinning.

With so many choices of information providers, we are living in an uncensored world. Some of the information cascaded down might have little truth in it or might have more truth than we ever need to know. But truth be told, paradox always exist in the political world but the “gasing” cannot spin forever. Once it stops spinning, bad leaders will spun out.

Vision Blurred

The recent “squatters” issue that has been dominating the headlines would not have happened if the people involved are true leaders. Leadership skills can be taught and learned but having vision cannot be taught. Vision is essential for any true leaders because it isn’t just about leading people; it is also about uniting people.

Lack or blurred vision causes leaders to do the unthinkable things that would jeopardize the whole concept of leading. Nations goes to war not just because of their leaders ego but because their leaders visions are out of focus. Reality is that this blurred vision is an epidemic waiting to infect the whole community. Uncontrolled, it would mean disasters looming in the background.

Primal Behavior

Admit it; we are all guilty of racism in some time of our lives. We tend to be racist when we have lack of knowledge and relationship. This behavior is considered normal. It is abnormal when we cried racism to gain support or mislead the people. Leader’s personal vendetta using racist chants is just simply primal behavior.

Imagine if the President of United States publicly call on all citizens to not vote for Obama because he is black. What would happen? The nation will be divided and unwanted incidents will take place. The weight of a leader’s words is heavy indeed.

Lords of The Ring

Being a leader is about putting the interest of the people first. Waging a fight that disrupts the existing harmonious of the people is not a befitting quality for a leader. Somewhere along the path to the top, these leaders had lost their focus of “working for the rakyat” but instead found the path of “using the rakyat”.

During elections, these vying leaders came knocking your door, shaking your hands, promised you of a good life once they are elected. After the elections, you came knocking their doors, kissing their hands and begging for a piece of a good life.

Don’t solely put the blame on him. We are the ones laying the red carpet for him. We are the ones elevating his position. We are the ones calling him with titles that cannot be use in the grave. We are guilty of not taking the appropriate actions when it matters and now we have to suffer for it. If we don’t act now, forever we will be the servant to the lords of the ring.

Cool Dual Concept Design

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Italian manufacturer Teuco, has come out with this incredible unique luxury bath concept. Designed by Ron Arad, his masterpiece concept serves two purposes, it could either be used as a shower, or it could be rotated 180 degrees to form a bathtub against the wall.

It is still in development stage but it could soon be on its way to those rich people's bathrooms. Source [+]

LEADERS WHO GROOM THEIR SUCCESSOR ARE PREFERRED

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:23:00 +0000

Leaders are a different breed. Their actions and visions could make a nation prosper or doom, companies profiting or downsizing and most certainly the difference between war and peace.

Now I’m not going to write about political leaders. Let’s leave that to the experts. What I’m going to write about is on leadership in an organization, captains of the corporate industries.

Well what is leadership? According to renowned guru Peter F. Drucker, “Leadership is the lifting of man’s sight to higher vision, the raising of a man’s standard to higher performance, the building of man’s personality beyond its normal limitations. Leadership is thus essential if the organizations are to be more than warehouses for machines.”

Big words indeed but those words perfectly sum up the definition of leadership. A great leader is one who is able to anticipate the future, establish clear visions, communicates goals, sets and provides the values of excellence, balancing conflicts, eliminates boundaries and motivates the masses

I have and you too have seen many styles of leadership. There is one golden rule of leadership, which is there are no superlative styles. True leaders practice a combination of leadership styles depending on the situations.

There are numbers of leadership styles as we have learnt in any business books. Let us refresh our memories to what some of them are;

Autocratic style leadership
The leader centralizes authority and allows limited participation by others. Demands full power over decision making.

Participative of democratic style leadership
Substantial participation from others in decision making process and allows freedom to communicate.

Free rein/free-run style leadership
Leader is passive and allows freedom to its members to establish their own goals and make their own decisions.

Bureaucratic style of leadership
Leader is rule centered. Rules and specific procedures are set to administer the conduct of subordinates for work performance.

Delegative style of leadership
Leader transfers decision making power to others, but remains responsible for their decisions.

By combining some of the styles, leaders are able to effectively coaxed subordinates to higher performance. Some situation would even conjure more pressing styles or using styles tailored to any subordinates individuality.

Scholl, R. W. believes that leadership styles are determined by two theories, cognitive choice theory and the personality theory. The cognitive choice theory states that the leader actively chooses the leadership style that will be most effective in increasing employee performance, while the personality theory states that the leadership style happens naturally based on the leader’s personality.

Great leaders apply leadership styles that are determined by combination of both theories. By deliberately choosing the suitable leadership style based on the situation and combined with using the leadership style that is most comfortable for the leader’s personality, most likely will lead to an effective leadership. Therefore, interpreting both theories to determine which style or styles to use at a given scenario will be the best course of action to become an effective leader

While natural leaders are born, great leaders are nurtured to become one. If we want to succeed as leaders, we need to surround ourselves with smarter people, be fair and open-minded, rejects personal gain and learn to trust and empower our subordinates to maximize their potential. In order to move to a greater height, groom a successor to take over your job.

Former GE CEO Jack Welch is a big believer in building internal succession plans. In his 2001 book, he wrote of choosing his successor, "Making the pick was not only the most important decision of my career, it was the most difficult and agonizing one I ever had to make. For at least a year, it was often the first thing I thought about each morning and the last thing on my mind at night.” He took over six years to groom a successor from a handful of clear finalists before he finally retires. Being a good leader is hard; being a great leader is even harder.

SOGO SALE

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:20:00 +0000

I’ve made a great mistake today of going to the Sogo Sale not wearing a sport shoes. It was like taking a ride on the LRT during rush hour. I even heard someone saying it’s just like exiting a packed stadium after a megastar concert.

My feet still hurts from the countless of hours standing and maneuvering my way through the crowded shoppers. Furthermore, it’s the fasting month and my precious energy zaps away in a jiffy.

We had arrived there around 10.00am and the area around Sogo is already buzzing with activities. After parking the car at Pertama Complex, we were greeted with the sight of a long queue just to get into the department store. I never thought that it’s going to be this frenzy because it’s a preview day for Sogo and Maybank Credit Card members.

Luckily, the security allowed my wife who is eight months pregnant to go in without having to queue. We quickly make our way to the 4th floor which is the kids sections and it’s already full with shoppers. After finished getting what we could into the basket, the queuing for the cashier counter itself took nearly 30 minutes.

Since we are a “light” shopper, it’s not worth the time and effort to queue if we were only going to buy a few items. So we decided to head home and forgo the thought of buying some clothes for ourselves. Parking fee alone costs us RM6.50 and we only managed to take home some essential clothes for the baby and her elder brothers.

To those whom I saw with shopping baskets in both hands and looking tirelessly, I salute you.

Be Different, Be Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:03:00 +0000

It is like going to an art gallery where you see this abstract picture and everyone else is going gaga over it and you can’t understand why. You might feel inferior as you can’t see the whole meaning of the picture or you might feel those people who do see it, are just plain weird.

Whatever you might feel, it is just natural to sometimes be different from everybody else. I once sat in a hiring panel for my former employer and I was asking the interviewee lots of reality work scenarios that weren’t in the interview guideline book. After the session had ended, the HR manager asked me what kind of answers I was looking for.

I said there is no right or wrong answers and any answers would do as long as it’s not the same as what I had in mind. By now the HR manager looks puzzled by my reply. I continued and said that I am looking for candidates that are different from me, thinking wise. What’s the point of hiring somebody who is the same as me? I am on the lookout for someone who can provide a different perspective so that we can go beyond our thinking boundaries.

By having two sets of opposite thinking, we could sometimes dished out better solutions to any problems, formulate solid strategy planning and even generate superb innovations. We do not need more yes men in the organization; we need people who could challenge the unthinkable.

Choosing the best talent is important but hiring the right talent is even crucial. Too many stars in the team may not work well but having just enough would work wonders.

Some hiring process really needs to be overhaul. I’ve seen candidates with crap resumes perform admirably during interviews but please make an effort to create a good resume because first impressions do matter. Worst, HR might not feel even worth to give you a call.

In the end, trying to be the same as the rest might just be the downside to your life quest. Who knows that your uniqueness might turn out to be the path to stardom? Remember William Hung from American Idol who gained fame for his rendition of Ricky Martin's hit song "She Bangs"? He went on to record three albums and has appeared in commercials, sitcoms and movies.

People might think you’re weird for being yourselves but if Superman can wear his brief outside and get away with it, so could you, I guess.

Whatever Happened To Good Customer Service? Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:57:00 +0000

One of the biggest problems we encounter is unknowledgeable and untrained salespeople. How many times when you needed help to find a product in a store that sales employees would go all the way to show you where it is? Most of the time they would just point you the direction. Don't you miss the way we used to be able to try on clothes in the dressing room and there was someone there to help us find another size. Again, little things do matters.

When banks decided to differentiate its customers by having a dedicated floor or hall called "Priority Banking" for its premium customers, does it mean that their other customers are less important? I really wonder what goes through their minds when they thought of this nonsense.

I can still remember my experience at a bank where "non-premium" customers had to go up to the first floor to do their banking. An old couple was struggling to climb up the stairs just so that their "Premium" customers could do their banking in comfort at the ground floor.

According to a study, poor service is the reason 68% of customers choose to take their business elsewhere. Another study reported about a company that grouped a selection of customers in two groups. One received the same service they always had. The other received a new, higher level of service. The increased level of service cost about $83 per customer. After six months, the customers who received better service spent 57% more than their peers who had the same old service. The revenue increase came to over $4,000 per customer.

Both studies showed that companies can get more customers coming back simply by treating them better and they'll likely spend more money if offered a higher level of service and experience. In short, improving customer service experience will improve loyalty, retention, revenue, and profits. So maybe that what drives banks to introduce "Priority Banking"?

So how to get treated right?

Complain. Very few wronged customers formally complain. Most of us decide it's not worth our time. Most top management are genuinely concerned about incidents where service had fallen short, and they will try to redress the problem. So, make the call, write the letter or send the e-mail.
Be civil. The attitude of the customer makes it a lot easier to be treated well.
Take your business elsewhere. Throw away the "behavioral loyalty." We have so many options as many other stores offer the same goods.

Sometimes it easier said than done. Some businesses are monopolized by certain corporations. We may find our options limited. So what we can do is to try and limit our business transactions with them and once another options opens up, make the switch.

I guess the best secret to improve customer service, is just treating people like you'd want to be treated."

Back To Part 1

Whatever Happened to Good Customer Service? Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:45:00 +0000

As corporations spends millions to improved their customer service, it seems that their customer service levels did not really improved. Why did I make this statement you may asked. When they decided to improve the call center so that whenever customers have any inquiry, they will be lead straight to the respective department or personnel.

Usually you'll have to key in several numbers before you have the opportunity to speak to a human. While waiting, a recording is telling you, "Your call is important to us", while accompanied by some music and five minutes later you're still waiting. By now you might be hearing another recording telling you, "All our agents are currently busy at the moment, please hold while we try to connect you again". Did it ring a bell?

I read a story once about a guy who wanted to dispute a USD110 billing by his internet provider. He waited for 600 minutes on the line until he was convinced that there are no human working in that company. I don't know if I can wait for 15 minutes before hanging up.

When corporations speaks about improving customer service, they are actually focusing more on the systems rather on customer experience. They thought that once the systems are in place, they can provide better services to their customers. Yes the systems may help in identifying common customers complaints and supplying relevant data or statistics, but does it provide satisfactions to the customers? How do they measure that vital information?

Try to remember when was the last time you heard "Terima Kasih" when you pay the ticketing clerk at the highway toll booth or when you pay for the groceries you bought at the hypermarket? Nowadays, I felt that getting smiles from any customer counters would be considered a premium service.

My insurance agent represents a MNC corporation with its HQ in Holland. The MNC company even sponsored one of the leading Formula One team. Naturally you would feel that doing business with an agent from that company would be a pleasant experience. I'm sorry to say that so far it is not. How would you feel if your agent only sends you text messages rather than calling you direct? Or when he address you on first name basis while he addresses himself with a Mr. title? Or when you had to wait for him during an appointment without him having the courtesy to call saying he'll be late?

I can still remembered the day Sogo Department Store opened its doors to Malaysian shoppers. Their staff will stand by the door to bow and greet the customers coming in and they even had those ladies to assist the customers in the lifts. It was a great feeling to be treated as a valued customer. That is just the little things we look for as a customer.

Continue Part 2>>

Now Valentino Rossi Is A Mayor

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:29:00 +0000

According to news from Autosports.com, 7 time World Champion Valentino Rossi will become mayor of his home town of Tavullia for a day. This was decided at the town council meeting held at the trackside of Misano Circuit.

The special meeting was made possible as the council's tables, chairs and regalia were transported ten miles down the road to the Rossi fan club's Brutapela grandstand, at the circuit's Rio corners. The decision was made in honour of his achievements and contributions.

The historic day which coincide with the MotoGp raceday at Misano today, and he is expected to receive massive support from the grandstands around the Misano track this Sunday afternoon. Although he did not present at the council meeting, he joked, `Well I am very famous in Tavullia! All the people know me so I think a lot of them voted for me as mayor!

Tavullia a small town with a population of around 7,000 definitely have to thank Rossi for putting them on the map. Now then, when will we see Micheal Schumacher, also a 7 time F1 World Champion as Germany's new president?

Havoc At Tesco

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:26:00 +0000

I'm not sure why today things messed up really badly at Tesco Mutiara Damansara. I anticipated that today there will be crowd of people shopping for groceries since tomorrow would be the first day of Ramadan. So by 9.40am we arrived at the car park and by then its already half full. Took our breakfast at the Jom Bali Cafe before heading up to first floor.

That is when I realized the morning would be anything but normal. There's no shopping trolley in sight at the trolley area and people are anxiously waiting for it to emerged via the service lifts. What is normal is that some people did not queue up and as some trolleys are made available, they rushed for it. I had to wait for awhile before getting my hands on one, thanks to my eldest son who patiently queued for his turn.

I told my wife to hurry up but as we reached the wet goods area, I know that would be an impossible task. Lots of people were busy picking up vegetables and such, maneuvering trolley would require extreme precision. So I decided to just wait for her by the bread and cake section along with some other husband's. It was quite awhile before she emerged as she lamented the long queues at the weighting counter.

We decided to fasten our pace and just pick the essential items we had on our list and head towards the cashiers counters. Wow! Although nearly all 20+ counters are opened, the queue was snakey long. Some counters with low queues as expected had the cash sign and credit card system down notice up. I guess some people either are trying their luck or simply ignorant queue up at that lane and stall the others as they decided to pay via credit cards.

By the time we paid for our goods, it's already nearing 12.00pm. We head down to the car park and more drama unfolded. The selfish acts of motorists causes massive jams in the car park. One way became two way or which ever way they deemed fit. I even had to zig-zag my way around just to reach my car. The moment I press the alarm button, I can see eyes lighted up as they rush to get my spot. As I finished loading the goods and reversed my car out, the time was already 10 minutes past 12. I eventually came out from the parking area at 12.40pm! A good 30 minutes crawling pace just to exit out of the car park.

What made it worst was that although the car park are full and lots of cars are still waiting for spots to clear, they are still letting cars coming in. So what's your experience elsewhere this National Day morning and eve of Ramadhan like? Most probably, the same as mine..

Countdown To Singapore F1 GP

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:15:00 +0000

The recent Formula One race at the 5.4km Valencia Street Circuit was a tame affair. Many people had expected a close battle since it is a new track that none of the drivers had raced on and furthermore, it is a street circuit that historically produces classic racing. One might even predict that the upcoming new street circuit track of Singapore would suffer the same tame racing. Hardcore F1 fans however would know that in this sport, nothing is predictable.

One thing is for sure, fans are anticipating a historic night street racing this coming 26th September 2008 in Singapore and who knows that maybe reigning World Champion Kimi Raikonnen would prove his doubters wrong after the disappointing race in Valencia or Robert Kubica could spring another great drive since he loved street racing so much.

Recent news is that 95% of the tickets on sale have been snapped up and that 40% of the purchasers coming from outside of Singapore. With 100,000 seats available per day, organizers are expecting a full house with around 300,000 spectators for the 3 day event. You might even be seeing a totally exhilarating race, after all this is no ordinary race track.

The 5.1km long circuit consisting of 23 corners was designed by Tilke Engineering owned by the renowned German architect, Hermann Tilke. The world`s first Formula One night race which is one of the three races in the 2008 Formula One calendar to run anti-clockwise, is not only the first night race but also the first Formula One street races in Asia. The circuit is situated along the Marina Bay harbourside similar in style to both the Monaco and Valencia circuit. So we can expect the rich and famous to sail their way into the Marina anytime soon.

Singapore Grand Prix would not be the first ever race to be hosted at night, that honour went to Qatar when they hosted the opening round of MotoGp earlier this year. Racing under the 1,500 projector floodlights would definitely be a new experience for the drivers especially doing it at a brand new circuit and The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) has expressed some safety concerns about the sport's inaugural night race.

As the race will be held under floodlights around a concrete-lined street circuit in the city-state, with a high chance of heavy rain during the September period – the lack of opportunity for pre-weekend testing worries the drivers. They quipped that the difference between Qatar MotoGp and Singapore F1 Grand Prix are that the bikes were racing on a proper circuit with run-off areas while they (F1) are racing on a street circuit with walls.

Amid the concerns, I do believe that once the drivers acclimatise themselves during the extra testing period on the race weekend, they will absolutely enjoy the experience of racing under the moon. To tell the truth, it will all be a new experience not only for the drivers but also to the organizers, teams, media crew and spectators.

I'm sure, the organizers along with the FIA have done all the necessary testings and precautions as well as taking into considerations the feedback from all parties and experience from the Qatar MotoGp event. As for the lack of grip usually associated with street circuits, the surface of the track will be laid with polymer modified binder which will give the cars 20% more grip.

With less than a month to go before the attention of F1 fans centered to Singapore, be ready for a brightly lit island with pleasant deafening sounds when the red lights turns to green. For tickets and info, head on to the official Singapore GP website and for festive activities lined-up to celebrate the historic event, click here. You wouldn't want to miss one of the greatest show on earth and being part of history in the making. See you there!

Inflation Drives Up Demand For Rats

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:09:00 +0000

It seems the severe inflation that is hitting Cambodia has put normal source of meat like chicken and beef beyond the reach of poor people. The end result is poor people are resorting to meat source from rats. Read the excerpt of the news report from Metro UK:

Rats in demand as inflation puts beef out of reach
The price of rat meat has quadrupled in Cambodia this year as inflation has put other meat beyond the reach of poor people.

With consumer price inflation at 37 percent according to the latest central bank estimate, demand has pushed a kilogram of rat meat up to around 5,000 riel (75p) from 1,200 riel last year.

Spicy field rat dishes with garlic thrown in have become particularly popular at a time when beef costs 20,000 riel a kg.

Let just hope that we never have to make that unthinkable choice.

Hidden Entrepreneurs Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:02:00 +0000

I'm only fearing the worst when I read the news regarding the arrest of 28 Puspakom staff by the ACA. I fear that some of the vehicles they gave the thumbs up are actually thumbs down and are a moving ticking time bomb.

Why else would people pay as much as RM400 to get the approval if not that they knew their vehicles are not roadworthy. Some of those vehicles are sold and will end up at the hands of innocent victims, waiting for the worst to happen.

There have been many cases of chopped cars being welded together and sold to unsuspecting buyers since it bears the Puspakom's Approval. This vehicles would eventually make it the roads ferrying families and friends, the worst scenario is in the end they will end up in the news as casualties in a tragic accident.

I believed the system itself has too many loopholes just waiting to unveil the hidden entrepreneurs. When the opportunity presented itself, these entrepreneurs would seized the opportunity to make quick bucks since it's a high demand market. Earning up to RM55,000 a month, that is what we called easy money. But there's a saying, easy comes and easy goes, sayonara amigos.

However, since we are still in this issue, I again believed that they are still many more hidden entrepreneurs out there waiting to be discover. Those people are laughing their way to the bank because some of us unconsciously created the demand for this talents to emerged. Until we rectify the systems and limiting the demand, then the suppliers would continue to exist.

While some corrupt practices are an open secret, some still looms in the dark shadows without us realizing it. I feel I am not exaggerating when I say that most of the hidden entrepreneurs are just "the apprentices" and ACA could never gets their hands on their masters.

Corruption exists only when those in power or have an access to it, agrees to bend the rules. This golden rule applies to any sectors and industries, any departments and units, any rankings and levels, any race and religions. In short, it knows no boundaries. If only this sort of principle could be applied to our politics.

To the dedicated guys in ACA, please dig further and reveal the talented hidden entrepreneurs.

Creative Advertising 2

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:54:00 +0000

Via : Adgoodness

The Truth About Cats And Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:55:00 +0000

A neighbor of mine has lots of cats. Apparently, her teenage son whom I aptly named “Cat father” loves cats. I have no problem with cat or dog lovers except when their pets start to mess with me. He feeds the cats but most of the time, he lets them loose. So over time, the cats’ mates and their family grew.

This is when the expected happened. Cats would treat my garden as their waste disposal centre, my garden chairs as their resting place and some of them even sneak into the house to sleep during the day and night. I caught the usual suspects numerous times sleeping on and beneath the sofa and some would even tour the whole house.

Oh..there was one time when a pregnant cat decided to give birth on top of my porch ceilings. She along with her kittens would stay up there for almost a month and the stench was getting unbearable until one day one of the ceilings asbestos gave way and collapsed. The gaping hole allowed me to see the innocent looking guilty parties for the first time. Only after I’m convinced that they have moved out to other prime location did I fix up the new asbestos. Occasionally, I would hear some noise up there but this time they’re just passing by.

Well fed cats in the city apparently are different from their peers in the village. They are plain lazy. I don’t think they would even budge if a mouse just crosses in front of their nose. I don’t see the population of lizards and cockroaches decreases since they are around. These are Garfield in the making and they’re getting fatter by the day.

Enough about cats and lets focus on the dogs. In my area, there are several stray dogs that roam the streets. They are a nuisance simply because they love to trash the cans and bark noisily at night. Cats definitely hated them because they are always being chased here and there. I have not seen any casualties yet but surely it is just a matter of time.

Odd enough that whenever MBPJ send in their dog catching unit, the dogs would never be around. Maybe it’s their six senses telling them to lie low for awhile or they have an informer inside the department. Okay bad joke aside; they would surface again after several days when I guess the coast is clear.

Stray dogs usually doesn’t bother human, mad dogs do. There is one mad black dog that has been living up to his name by chasing any passing vehicles. Unfortunately, one of his favorite victims would be me. His territory if I might say is near my son’s kindergarten. In order for me to send my son to his kindy, I would have to pass the street which is under his watchful eyes.

I usually send my son on my trusted scooter. So usually I would get ready to twist the throttle whenever I pass that street but on several occasion, he managed to fly under the radar and gave me a surprise heart thumping chase. He is the sort of dog that will only give up on the chase after a calculated distance. In his case, usually after about 15-20 meters of saliva spraying mad chase. Sometimes I wish I had a stunt gun with me so that I can wipe that satisfying grin on his face.

They are no ordinary cats and dogs. They have the upper hand in this battle of man versus animal. There is little I can do except taking out my shovel when those darn cats decide to fertilize my garden and use another road to avoid the lunatic mental dog. They maybe adorable pets to some but a nuisance to others.

Irritating Ways To Queue

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:30:00 +0000

We have to queue for everything every single day. Well most of us anyway excluding royalties, VVIP and queue jumpers. While I am patience enough to queue, there are people who queued but have the tendency to queue right behind you, until almost touching your backside (polite way of saying it). This are what I deemed as one of the irritating behaviors I rather not encounter. I do not have to think hard just to remind myself of recent experiences with those kind of people.

Let me share with you what I am trying to highlight here in my post. First example, at the check-in baggage counter in Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. Our flight out was scheduled to depart at 5.15pm and as soon as the counters were open at 3.00pm, we get ourselves in line.

The boarding gate is scheduled to open at 4.30pm and that is exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes till boarding time. The queue itself wasn't that long as there are 3 counters opened for economy class. The old man behind me (whom I will call Mr X), I guessed was checking in alone as he has only one bag and was standing behind me alone.

There are about 3 groups in front of me so it took a bit of time to sort out their luggage and papers. Then 5 minutes later, the group in front of me moved forward and I followed. Mr X followed but now instead of being 1 inches behind before, he decided to be almost parallel with me. I though he might have miscalculated his push of the trolley so I just thought nothing of it. Then its the turn for the group in front of me to check-in and I again moved forward. Again, he pushed his trolley just next to me and I can hear him breathing down my neck.

WTF? My wife told me to keep my temper in check and just leave the poor guy alone. What is he trying to do? Is he afraid of missing his turn or somebody jumping his queue or worried missing the flight or just need some tight companion during the queue? I did say something rather unpleasant but not to his face but I don't think Mr X understands as he was occasionally rubbing something behind me. I just hope it wasn't his pecker. Arrgghh.

What else? Hmm..2 weeks before as I was lining up at an ATM to withdraw some money for my trip to Bangkok, a guy whom I think is either a Bangladeshi or Burmese stand in line behind me. He is the sort of guy who will queue exactly mere centimeter behind you while at the same time keep looking over your shoulder. Okay I might be biased a tad bit say if a gorgeous lady was doing the same thing. She can do that all day long and I really wouldn't mind but this is a different situation. It's a bloke for god sake and I am no Saiful to let him do it to me.

When its my turn at the machine, I expected him to be his usual self and stand right behind me again, which he didn't disappoint. So I turned to him and asked what exactly did he wanted and he replied,"saya tak tahu guna itu" while pointing at the ATM machine. My boiling anger just melt away when I heard that. So instead of loading verbal abuse on him for his irritating behavior, I found myself tutoring him and his 2 friends on how to use the ATM. They thanked me graciously and left happily leaving me bewildered.

There are other stories like my experience at Tesco, Jusco and other places but I think you've got my point of story. Those are some of the irritating behavior I just couldn't stand to but why some people just loved to do that, I wish I knew.

Bigger, Stronger and Faster

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:45:00 +0000

"Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Is It Still Cheating If Everyone Is Doing It?" It’s a great documentary by Christopher Bell on the side effects of being an American. The ultimate pursue to be the biggest, strongest and fastest in the world leads to resorting on using performance enhancement drugs in order to realize the American dream. He didn’t have to look very far as he examined his own brothers and others in achieving America’s philosophy, to win at all cost.

It will certainly make you think the boundaries between moral, fair play, power and attaining greatness. The focus of the documentary is primarily on the use of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancement drugs. It showed the use of these drugs as taken by professional athletes, professional in all kind of fields and by people on recreational activities

It encompasses the moral issues between what and when the use of drugs is allowed and what and when it is considered cheating or illegal. It is surprising to know that there are all kinds of performance enhancement drugs designed to help people in various types of work or field.

Air Force fighter pilots admitted on using “go pills” to help them perform better in the skies. Musicians too are not spared with some of them taking drugs like “beta blocker” that provides relaxation and calming anxieties. Students are known to have taken drugs that stimulates the brain which some says allows them to have higher work rate and get better exam results.

The quest to be the best might be the reason why Americans are turning to performance enhancement drugs to achieve greatness. Some see this as a worrying trend as some of the role models of America have openly admitted in taking those drugs at some part of their great career. Some argued that taking anabolic steroids alone wouldn’t help you be the best if you don’t even train hard. The steroids are meant to help boost your body’s potential to its maximum capabilities and coupled with dedicated training regime, should ensure your top performance when the time comes.

In sports, any drugs deemed to be able to enhance athlete’s performance are illegal. Although officials have categorized which of the drugs fit to be named performance enhancement drugs, it is still a grey area as far as doping is concerned. Some athletes are known to have taken steroids as part of their training and would stop using them prior to an event. Is that considered cheating when it is an open secret that top athletes are taking them?

The drug supplement industry in the U.S. is worth USD24billion dollars a year. There are tons of new supplement products flooding the stores shelves every year and the weird part is, the regulations allows manufacturers to come out with new products without any health certifications from related authorities like FDA. Only after it has hit the market and then tested by the authorities, would a product be taken off shelves if it is found containing health harming substances. Isn’t that scary or what? My guts tell me that those products would eventually make its way to less stringent countries.

In the issue of whether anabolic steroids are harmful to the human body, experts seem to give contrasting opinions. Some known effects are increase of body hair, cardiovascular disease, acne and gender specific effects. All drugs have side-effects and one should know when to use it and whether the benefits outweigh the risks.

One thing is clear, any drugs would have side-effects either in short or long term. The abuse usage of drugs would only leads to faster damaging effects. For example, high doses of oral anabolic steroid can cause liver damage. It is even more damaging if adolescents use anabolic steroids. It is reported that the steroids may prematurely stop the lengthening of bones, resulting in stunted growth.

What is anabolic steroid? According to wikipedia, the word anabolic comes from the Greek: anabole, "to build up", it’s a class of steroid hormones related to the hormone testosterone. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue (anabolism), especially in muscles. The anabolic steroids works on muscle mass by increasing the production of proteins and reducing recovery time. What it means is that people especially athletes can train harder and recover faster.

There are no clear judgments as the documentary proves, it only tells why some American would resort to using those drugs and the effects on their life. In the end, it’s an individual call. Right or wrong, you be your own judge.

How Much Is Our Silver Medal Worth?

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:30:00 +0000

Winning any medal in the Olympics is priceless. Some rated winning the gold medal in the Olympics is even more satisfying than winning a world championship event. They are not only winning the medals for themselves, they are representing their nations name and honor as well. In that aspect, some governments are willing to splash out millions on rewards and even honorary titles.

So what really is the value of those Olympic medals? China was reported spends $1.24 millions on the six thousand medals, or an average of $206.66 each. Each of the Beijing medals are 70mm in diameter and 6mm in thickness while the gold medal are made of pure silver with at least 6 grams of gold although some say they added little amount of jade into the design.

If we just look at the price of gold today, 6 grams of those precious metal are worth approximately USD160 and plus the pure silver, it would make each gold medal if melted are worth around USD200+. On ebay, a 2000 Sydney Olympic Silver Medal won by a member of the Cuban baseball team was auctioned with the winning bid stands at USD18,000. So please winners be intelligent and don't melt your medal if you are really short of cash.

Many countries pay incentives and cash rewards to athletes who win medals at the recent Beijing Olympics. Here are some payout promised by some countries;

Malaysia: RM1,000,000 for gold, RM300,000 for Silver and RM100,000 for Bronze and that does not include the pension scheme that will guarantee a lifetime income.

Canada: A gold CAD20,000, a silver CAD15,000 and a bronze CAD10,000.

USA: USD25,000 for gold, USD15,000 for silver and USD10,000 for bronze.

Belarus: A gold Br100,000, a silver Br50,000 and a bronze Br30,000 plus gold medalist will be provided with meat sausages for the rest of their lives.

Kenya: A gold medal KES750,000, a silver KES500,000 and KES250,000 for a bronze medal.

Russia: A gold €100,000, a silver €60,000 and a bronze €40,000

The issue whether the athletes deserved the monetary incentives or not might differ really. A country like USA which has dominated the Olympics for so long might not have to give so much payout to their athletes while countries like Malaysia would have to in order to further motivates our athletes to bring back the coveted gold medal.

According to an article at MSNBC, a University of South Australia analysis found that one gold medal typically costs a country $37 millions in training funds. The good news is that Malaysia is among the 88 countries that have managed to win a medal in Beijing from 205 countries that participated. The bad news is and the million ringgit question is, how much have we spend just to bring back one Silver medal from the recent Beijing Olympics?

What Is The Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:40:00 +0000

THAGARAJOO A/L THANGAVELU made not one but two Statutory Declaration on 21st August and 22nd of August 2008. In the first Statutory Declaration, he declared that Datuk K.S. Nallakaruppan and Dato’ Muhammad Shafee Abdullah were the mastermind behind the framing of charges on Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim back in 1998.

While in the second Statutory Declaration, he declared that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor on numerous occasions had participated in rituals performed by a Hindu "bomoh".

First and foremost, my only goal of writing this post is to seek the truth which I think is what the majority of Malaysian wanted. As you are all aware, there have been an explosion of declarations this past couple of months. Some people like me really wanted to know what is the truth.

Forget about the other declarations and lets just focus on the Statutory Declaration by Mr.Thagarajoo. Some questions have to be raise in regards to his declarations.

Why has it taken him 10 years to tell his story?
What made him change his mind now?
If he can conspire to fabricate the truth then, how can we trust his words now?
Does he has evidence to back up his declarations?

I am sure as you all are that only he could answer those questions. Hopefully, he and others who knows the truth would do the right thing and let the truth be known once and for all. We are not only talking about Anwar's or Najib's political career here, we are trying to save Malaysia from further disgrace.

Recession Proof Employment

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:00:00 +0000

The economy is indeed in a worrying trend. Almost half of the Americans interviewed in a recent CNN poll believe they are in recession. The dreaded recession might be coming to our shores if we don't act fast. The soonest we gain political stability, the earlier we can focus on to stabilizing and regrowing our economy.

In the meantime, it is known that there are several employment sectors that are expected to remain strong despite possible recession. It is reported that having careers in the following 7 sectors may yield better prospects in this weakening economy.

Education
Environment
Energy
Healthcare
International Business
Security
Food & Agriculture

While the top recession proof profession would be;

Sales/Business Development
Software Design/Development
Nursing
Finance Executives
Accounting Executives

This list is however compiled based on data recorded over the span of eight months in the United States. It showed professions that have most consistently remained in highest demand during this critical period. Though it might differ in country to country, we could use this as a yardstick or guide to strengthen our position. This list by all means didn't mean that other types of jobs are least in demand, as critical and key positions too showed aggressive hiring numbers.

Looking at the trend in Malaysia, I would say that professionals in IT, Project Managements and Engineering related field are in continuous demand. Whatever your field and expertise, ensuring that you stay on top of the game would be the first step in ensuring your position in the workplace. Improving your skills and willingness to adapt to an ever-changing world, would be the utmost priority. Enough said, cut those coffee breaks and get to work.

What Inflation?

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:30:00 +0000

This morning we brought our kids to IKEA. We had to since my wife company's plan of having their annual kids day which was supposed to happened yesterday was postponed. Our sons especially the eldest of the two was crushed. So to make it up to it, we promised them the Småland, the children play areas at IKEA store.

We arrived at around 10.30am and decided to head straight for their 99cents breakfast. Belly full and energy restored, we make our way to the kids priority venue for the day. Parents were already queuing up and kids just can't wait to get in. It's like getting into a popular disco, only at a lower younger age. Well, I guess this is the start of many exiting adventures for them.

Nearly an hour later, we picked them up along with some other things on display in the store and head for the exit counters. Today for unknown reasons, IKEA decided to have only less than 7 cashier counters open which make the queue lines tad bit longer. Now, the smell of curry puff and ice-cream across the counter activates the kids nerve control system. While my wife waits in line to pay for some goods we put into the yellow bag, I brought them to the F&B stall.

That is when I saw a lady paying for her items. What distinguishes her from the rest of the shoppers? Well, she was paying for her items that had to be placed in 10 trolleys! The trolley services boys were summoned along with the guards to help push the trolleys to the delivery service counter. Mind you that the items she bought was not just small items. It is big and bulky and enough to re-decorate my whole house. Well, maybe not the whole house but it is almost that many.

It just makes me wonder why a rich lady like her would go and shop at a furniture store that you have to assemble the furniture's yourself? Okay, even if she did took the extra service of IKEA personnel assembling it for her, still wouldn't it be easier to just go and buy it say from Macy.

Anyway, that's is not my main point of post. The news today was that the consumer price index or CPI jumped to 8.5% in July. That is what propelled the government to push forward the petrol price reduction from the initial stated date. What is more disturbing is the fact that the current inflation rate is the highest we've experienced in 27 years. Analyst predicted that inflation was likely to peak this month or next before easing in the final quarter but all depends on the movement of oil prices.

Clearly, some people are not affected at all with the current situation. It is good news that they aren't and hopefully they would continue to spend and spend their money to help stimulate the economy and gradually help ease inflation. Now, if only they would spend more in the country and not abroad..

Resisting Temptations

noreply@blogger.com (Royz) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:38:00 +0000

With the rising cost of living today, it is hard enough for a middle class family of four to afford the necessities monthly expenses let alone to save some money for any rainy days ahead. After setting aside payments for house mortgage, car loans, insurance, credit cards, utilities and groceries, there’s hardly any left for anything else.

Some people I know managed to survive by virtually swiping their credit cards away. Some would resort to refinancing their property or taking personal loans and those with no other options, risking taking loans from “Ah Longs”.

It is not easy to change our lifestyles. It is even harder to downgrade our lifestyles. It is like smoking cigarettes. It is addictive and it is so hard to quit smoking unless you have been diagnosed with lung cancer and the only way to stay on earth is by putting the cigarette away. In short, it is called resisting the temptations.

Dark Cloud or Sunny Day

Let us look at drug addicts. It is an expensive habit. Yet those addicts would do anything just to have their daily fix. They would even murder their own mother if they can’t get what their body desires. They will go to great length to support this habit and to obtain the precious drug.

Great minds work wonders. The ways people dealt with rising expenses and temptations differs individually. But whatever path they chose to take, all I can see are just two ways. First, downgrading your lifestyle to a realistic proportion to your income or second, maintaining your current lifestyle but upgrading your level of income.

Both option differs but in sense similarly alike. We choose the best between the two after putting deep thoughts on financial planning, work and family into considerations. Yet there are few people who managed to combine both options by downgrading lifestyles and upgrading income. It is a gigantic feat if they managed not to succumb to temptations since now theoretically they should have more disposable income. You can’t always choose your weather but you can always prepare an umbrella.

Modern Marketing Guerilla

A strong body is weak without a strong mind. Again some might argue the reverse would be the same. I agree but it depends on the situations. Most of the time, I would say a strong mind is more potent than a strong body. The phrase, a pen is mightier than a sword easily illustrated the power of mind.

Modern marketing arsenals have greatly improved over time. We are constantly bombarded with marketing whether we realize it or not. Your mobile phone for an example was once only a tool of telecommunication between two people. Now it is part of an important medium for marketing. This is some of the new form of modern marketing guerilla warfare and we have nowhere to hide.

Without a strong mind, we would easily be defeated with this continuous stream of marketing. Creative and alluring form of marketing might make us wanting things that we could not afford or worse, things that we don’t actually need. Would you really need a blackberry when you are just a junior executive? Would you need a two-seater sports car when you have a family of four? Do you really need more than 5 channels on TV? Again, it all points back to your definition of luxury and necessities.

Luxury Defines

An air-conditioner would be a luxury item in a household with income less than RM2k a month but it would be a basic necessity in any other levels of household incomes. Is there a line between those two or are there some luxury things that have become a necessity? Most probably there are, for example a stick of cigarette might be a necessity luxury for some people.

We are defined by what we wear, eat, use, buy etc. Low income earners might view middle class income earners as rich people. In actual fact, middle class income earners are the worst group to be in. It is simply because of this fact; being sandwiched between realities and fantasies. They sometimes cannot differentiate between affordability and luxury.

Most of those who are being summoned for bankruptcies are from this group. The main culprit is credit card bills they can no longer afford to pay. The effect of illusions and powerful marketing comes into play. They won.

Savvy Consumers

What I would like to reiterate is always remember the power of mind. Visualize the objectives and try to stay focus. We might veer off track once in a while but if the track has been properly set, there is only one way to go and we would never get lost. I know its easier said then done. Least, I’m trying.