Go Biz with Red Meranti

DIFFERENT TYPES OF INCOME

2010-11-12T07:57:00.002+08:00

There are generally three types of income.

First there is LINEAR INCOME

In Linear Income, you earn money in exchange for your time. The more money you want to earn, the more time you need to spend. As an employee, if you are paid wages or a fixed salary, then you are earning linear income.If you want to earn more, you have to work harder and sacrifice more time by working overtime. So, with linear income you could never have time and money since the more money you make, the less time you would have. The problem is, there is a limit to how much you could earn based on time. If you were to stop working or fell sick, your income would also stop. This is a very fragile income source with little security. Unfortunately, this is where almost all of us are, if we work for someone else.

The same concept applies for some businesses. For example, if you are in the business of selling water filters, then every water filter you sell will earn you an income. The more time you spend selling water filters the more money you would make. This is an example of a linear income.

The second type of income is RESIDUAL INCOME

Residual income is income you make from initial efforts. Intensive efforts are made in the initial stage and then income is reaped continuously for a period of time or indefinitely. For example, Michael Jackson will continue to earn royalties from his future sales of his music albums or from people singing his songs; even after his death. His successors now earn the royalties after his death. Another example would be royalties earned by writers every time you buy their books.But these royalties are not indefinitely as they have a fixed time span.

Imagine when starting a business, you spend time to build up the relationship with your potential customers. Once the customer uses your products or services, and he is satisfied, he would stay with you for more. However, in the second time around, you probably would not need to spend time attending to the same customer in order to get a second order. If your product or service is of high quality and proven to reliable, your customer will always return to you. You work less but still earn an income. This is called Residual Income or Recurring Income.

So back to the water filter example; imagine you have sold 10,000 water filters and each water filter has a consumable part that needs to be changed periodically such as the filter itself. Then all you need to do is to sit in your office and wait for phone calls from your 10,000 customers wanting to change their water filters. The printer companies don't make the bulk of their money selling you computer printers; they make more from selling you ink cartridges.

By having a residual income, you are actually leveraging time. You spend less time and earn more money. The question then is how to find residual sources of income. When you are in business, according to Paul Getty; you must offer highly unique and consumable products. Why? Because these products will be able to give you residual income.

Finally one can earn MULTIPLE INCOME from multiple sources at the same time. This is the best and most exciting type of inome. You may earn multiple income, by leveraging your time for wealth creation. Multiple income is earned from the efforts of others.

You want to be able to earn $1 from 100 people rather that earn $100 from your own time. Now, why would anyone give you $1? In the water filter example; if you have 100 people selling water filter sfor you and you earn a cut from every sale, then that would be multiple income.

Consider the McDonald's franchise concept. Ray Kroc did not become a millionaire by selling hamburgers. He has independent business owners selling the burgers for him and they each pay him a franchise fee of the percentage of sales. What Ray has is a proven system that can be duplicated. Multiple income is based on the concept of "the power of duplication" or what we can call the "effects of multiplication".

Curious about creating multiple sources of income? Attend the 'You Can Create Wealth' seminar. Click the 'Financial Education Seminar' banner on the top left for the latest schedule.

What is Money To You?

2010-10-20T02:43:00.002+08:00

"Money is the root of all evil!" "Poverty is holy and money is evil!" As long as I have enough money for my living, I am happy. These are some the money concepts originating from our childhood experience. People who influence us the most are those who are closest to us and those who come in contact with us regularly; our parents, friends and school teachers. Inevitably our Money Concepts are subconsciously inherited from our elders. Perhaps you don't even know you have such unfit Money Concepts from your upbringing.

The truth is that... money itself is not evil unless you use money as a tool for manipulation and external power. Money only makes you more of what you already are.

The Money Mastery Seminar does not deal with the correct Money Concepts, as there is no right or wrong concepts but merely different perceptions from different individuals. What the seminar wants to share is the perception or mindset of the Rich and Wealthy; how they behave, think and believe in. Knowing and learning from their Money Concepts will help you to change your unfit Money Habits so that you can get your desired Money Results.

No doubt that changing mindset and habits is a long and difficult process but it is never too late to START NOW. Students who are over age of 50 years have joined the programme and are still able to benefit from it. Like me, the only regret they have is "if only we had known these concepts 30 years ago. Our destiny would have been different."

KC See have spent many years searching for the codes of wealth and have been applying and mentoring the principles to mentees, young and old from all walks of life!
So How About You? Are You Ready To Make A Change?

Narrowing the gap between what you KNOW and what you DO

•You will learn how to make money, with or without money.

•You will understand what has been stopping you from creating the life you desire.

•You will discover the Principles of Leveraging, the Opportunity Search Process, Multiple Sources of Income

•You will break through personal barriers and free yourself from your comfort zone

And much more ...

Joining the Money Mastery community is a life-changing process. KC himself went through a similar experience in Los Angeles under his mentor Robert Kiyosaki.

You need to learn from those who have succeeded to bring you to the path of success and financial independence. There is an old Chinese proverb that says "Learn from the cradle to the grave". This means to say that one's education never ends but it is a continuous quest for knowledge. The field of knowledge is so immense that the more you learned you become, the more you feel you do not know enough.

The journey of financial education will not only bring wealth in your life and most importantly, enriches your soul and mind to a higher level.

Upon completion, Money Mastery students will be able to demonstrate what they have learned by manifesting some of their financial intentions. Students will master how to devote their attention on the habits that they must inculcate daily in order to manifest their thoughts into actions for the financial freedom that they desire for themselves and for their loved ones.

Don't delay,
Click the 'Financial Education in Asia' banner on the top left now!

Women Travellers Beware!

2010-07-29T02:42:00.000+08:00

It was reported in Parliament that most drug mules are women. More accurately, young and pretty women. They are tricked into carrying bags containing drugs such as heroin, Ecstasy pills and other dangerous drugs into countries they have never been before. More often they are given free airline tickets to several destinations. Places that they may never heard of before. The mules would normally be given multi-destination tickets and would fly from one city to another, including Bangkok and other large cities in Latin American countries like Argentina, Chile and Peru before coming home, if they are lucky to come home at all.

Who would refuse free holiday trips? The only thing you have to do is bring along some luggage or boxes and deliver them to someone.

It was reported that eight Malaysians were currently serving jail sentences in Argentina and Venezuela, 10 in Peru, 21 in Brazil and one in Chile. They were all sentenced to jail after being found guilty of drug-related offences. A total of 1,490 Malaysians were currently serving their jail terms in foreign countries and 50% or 756 of them were due to drug trafficking.

The Foreign Ministry has sent a letter of appeal to the Singapore government last week to plead for a young Sabahan on death row for drug trafficking. Two Malaysians, have been convicted of drug trafficking in China and Japan respectively, but have had their sentences reduced with Wisma Putra's help.

So young people, (that includes my children), please, please do not accept any strangers' requests to carry their luggage. Sometimes a pleasant looking stranger may try to strike a conversation only to request that you add a piece of luggage to yours when checking in at the airport. This is especially true if they see that you do not have much to carry. Do not accept anything from strangers even if they seem nice and religious. Crooks are great actors. One has to be extra careful. One wrong decision, even with good intentions could land you in death row in a foreign land.

Job Seekers' Scam

2010-07-26T23:43:00.000+08:00

I got caught watching a local talk show last night. The discussion was on agencies 'helping' job seekers look for jobs.

I did not stay long watching the programme but the following were the salient points I understood what job seekers have to look out for:

The job agencies have to be licensed by the Dept of Manpower of the Ministry of Human Resources.
They are not supposed to ask the job seeker to pay any fees except registration fees of RM12 for a local job post and RM20 for an international post.
However, they are allowed to deduct up to RM200 from the first payslip which normally they don't as they are paid by the employers not the prospective employees.
If an employment agency insists that you pay RM200 and guarantees that you will get a job, most probably it is a scam!

So those of you who have just graduated and looking for a job, BEWARE!There are unscrupulous

people who do not care that you may be broke and need a job. They just want to take advantage

and make easy money out of you.

Credit Card Scams

2010-07-23T23:49:00.001+08:00

I thought with the smart card chip embedded in the credit card, there would be less problems of card cloning. But criminals will always try to beat whatever advances made in technology. I remember reading of a syndicate cloning credit cards originating from Malaysia. I am so ashamed!

Somebody must have have known that my daughter, Zay has just received her first principal credit card. Previously, she has a credit card, but only a supplementary card.

This morning, someone called her from a private number claiming to be from a credit card centre and requested for her credit card details. The person knew her name and credit card number and wanted the last numbers on the reverse side of her credit card.

First, she has been using her card for some time now.Why should the credit card centre want to verify that she has the right card? Furthermore, anybody at the outlets where she had used her card would be able to see her name and credit card number on the merchant copy of every transaction. Sensing something amiss, Zay did not give the numbers requested by the caller. The caller was quite annoyed, she said.

When Zay called her Dad and I on the incident, we were quite relieved that she did not reveal the security number as requested. I would like to remind everyone that we:

SHOULD NEVER REVEAL OUR PERSONAL DETAILS OVER THE PHONE OR VIA EMAIL TO ANYONE. THE BANKS WILL NEVER CALL TO ASK FOR YOUR ACCOUNT NUMBER OR YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER.

DO NOT ANSWER CALLS OR RESPOND TO SMS FROM PRIVATE NUMBERS OR UNFAMILIAR LONG NUMBERS. The latter is normally from outside the country.

If someone knows your name, credit card number, security code number and other personal details, he could use the information to conduct online transactions and you will be cheated by these illegal transactions.

REMEMBER KEEP YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS TO YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES.

A Taste of Success

2010-07-20T03:54:00.001+08:00

In Front of the Grand Hyatt Singapore

A Gourmet's Delight at the Straits

Kitchen In the Living Room of the Junior Suite

The All Marble Bathroom
with Tempered Glass Doors

Sorry no photos taken of the king size bed.

Are There Secrets to Success?

2009-11-25T23:24:00.000+08:00

Some people feels that they achieved success through sheer hard work and determination while others may say it was due to being at the right place at the right time.

Some people believe there are indeed secrets to achieving success. To be successful, one needs to acquire the following skills:

Ability and humility to learn from the learned and experienced so that you don't repeat their mistakes.
Increase your visibility, by networking and attending social events and forums, physically and online in cyberspace.
Learn to communicate effectively.
Develop an effective network.
Have a balance lifestyle, able to juggle and balance between work and home.
Know when to take risks.
Understand the politics of the organization they are in.

Do you think you possess the above skills? You can always learn to acquire them. To do that you must get out of your comfort zone and change the way you do things.It is never too late to start changing for the better.

Success and what it means

2009-11-24T23:10:00.000+08:00

Everyone wants to be a success. Successful biographies will boast of how so and so achieved his dreams working from rags to riches. You frequently encounter the same themes:-unfailing commitment to achieve, drive and ambition, and the ability to overcome hurdles and obstacles. Success often come after failure and lessons learnt. Persistence and patience are common attributes too. For some people success does not come from luck. Often they learn from the experience of others.

How do the average person define success? Some define it as having amassed a great amount of wealth. While some say success is having a good quality of life and a good balance of health and happiness.Still, some people define it as achievement and recognition for a job well done, whether in the professional circles or in their personal lives.

The meaning of success depends on each individual's needs, aspirations, perception and abilities. Not everyone wants to succeed as the boss or as the Prime Minister. Neither does everyone wants to be an acclaimed genius or superstar.

For someone like me, success would mean that I have found personal contentment and an easy life whereby I do not need to worry about what to do to get an easy and relaxed lifestyle, no more sprinting in the rat race; and with having raised winners in my children.

I still have a long way to achieve my goals of success. I still need to wake up using the alarm clock. My guru says having achieved wealth means you can wake up naturally in the morning. And to know whether you have the means to lead a naturally relaxed lifestyle you need to calculate how long you can last monetarily, if you stop working today.

So folks, get cracking. Have you got the nest egg to retire yet?

THE LIFE OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS

2009-11-02T03:35:00.002+08:00

Click for more: When you are a billionaire

Most people don't make US$47,000 in a year -- but Friday afternoon one Russian billionaire dropped that much cash on LUNCH!!!!!

For those who want to be rich and live like Abramovich, remember, $47,000 can feed more than 10 families for a year in a developing country.

The Science of Getting Rich

2009-10-13T16:04:00.000+08:00

Wallace D. Wattles may be long gone but his book 'The Science of Getting Rich' written in 1910 has made many wealthy.

His concepts are evergreen and can still be applied to the present.It is still going strong and many people still find benefits from it.

One concept that comes to mind is: Everyone has the right to be rich. This concept is very powerful as it states that the resources in the universe is abundant and infinite and in getting rich you do not impinge on the rights of others as everyone has that given right. So that means that if your friend becomes a millionaire by practising certain laws which govern the process of acquiring riches, you should not be envious or jealous of him. He has not taken from you anything to acquire his wealth. You should be friends with him so that you too can learn a trick or two on the actual science of getting rich.

It is interesting to note that there is abundance of opportunity for the man who will go with the tide instead of trying to swim against it.

If one follows the natural law that 'like causes always produces like effects', therefore anyone who learns to do things in 'the certain right way', will definitely achieve his goals. It is the same in studies. The better students have found the way on how, when and what to study to ace in exams.

A man's way of doing things is a direct implication of how he perceives things. To do things in a way you want, you will have to acquire the ability to think the way you want to think; that is the first step.

Look out for more tips from Wallace D Wattles's book.

Putting Time to Good Use

2009-08-14T01:01:00.003+08:00

Traffic Hoopla sent me this email. It is useful for everyone to ponder and apply.

THE TOP TEN HIGH-VALUE USES OF YOUR TIME

1. Things that advance your overall life purpose.

2. Things you have always wanted to do.

3. Things that others say can't be done.

4. Things that help you grow to your maximum potential.

5. Things that develop other people's ability to achieve and lead.

6. Things that multiply - rather than merely add - value to
yourself and others.

7. Things that harness your creativity.

8. Things you can delegate to others.

9. Things that promote teamwork and synergy.

10-Things that are now or never opportunities.

You can join trafffic hoopla by clicking:

http://traffichoopla.com/r.cgi/69313/

Motivation of the day

2009-07-15T22:33:00.002+08:00

I wish to share the following message I received in my email recently.

1. Laziness
Time put to no useful purpose, not even relaxation.

2. Procrastination
Putting off things that should be done now.

3. Distraction
Time frittered away on the details of side issues, to the detriment
of the main issue.

4. Impatience
Lack of preparation, thoroughness, or perseverance, usually
resulting in time-consuming mistakes.

DO IT TODAY

Do the right thing ;
Do it today ;
Do it with no hope of return or promise of reward ;
Do it with a smile and a cheerful attitude ;
Do it day after day after day .

Do it, and someday ,
There will come a day
That will be a payday
For all the yesterdays
You spent focused on the current day-

That will not only give value to today,
But will make each future day
Outshine each yesterday.

And what more could you ask of a day?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE MESSAGE?

IT IS TIME TO DECIDE WHAT OUR HABITS ARE.

IT IS TIME TO TAKE ACTION AND GET OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE.

Know Your Goals And Go For It Consistently

2009-06-23T00:31:00.006+08:00

The most important thing to getting what you want out of life is to know what you want in the first place. Some people drift through life aimlessly and do not set goals. Anything that happens is blamed on fate. You have to remember that your fate is determined by the choices you make. Make bad choices, of course the effect is bad or undesired results.

What do you want out of life? To live the life of the rich and famous? Most people only dream but does not take action or have strategies to achieve their goals.

Once you know what you want, set your goals. Learn from those who have succeeded. Read motivation books and join groups of people with the same goals as yours. Keep away from negative minded people who would only discourage and put you down.

Believing in yourself and changing strategies mid way if your plans don't get the results that you want is also something you should consider.

Persistence is also the way to go. Losers run out of steam and do not reach their set goals.

We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough...Helen Keller, deaf and blind American author.

Remember, one goal may not be enough. The more goals you set, the more you empower yourself to fully use your creativity, passion and resources. Make a commitment to yourself to do something each day that will move closer towards your goal. All the little steps add up and soon you will be there. The important part is the first step. Get started. Don't delay. It is never too late. It is only too late if you don't start.

Believing in Yourself

2009-06-10T01:03:00.001+08:00

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!Without humility and reasonable confidence you cannot be successful or happy---Adapted from Norman Vincent Peale-a bestselling author and speaker.

All our actions happens twice, so says my motivation guru. First we visualize it our minds, then we make it a reality, if we take the right action. For dreamers, it only happens once-in the mind and not followed through by positive action.

Why do winners bother to take up a challenge?It is because they truly believe in themselves. They believe that they are capable of making things happen. Our beliefs comes before our actions. If you want to make your dreams come true you must believe it is possible and it will happen.

To believe in yourself is an attitude. It is also a choice. You must take charge of your self and your beliefs. If you belief that you will never succeed, of course you won't. Your belief will prevent you from taking action to make it happen.

Realize that belief in yourself is more powerful than your natural ability or skill. Whatever the mind conceives and believe, it can achieve.

Use the power of belief to transform your life. The more you believe in yourself and in your abilities, the more faith and support will come your way. Confidence is contagious. Don't give up . There will be someone who will support you. You only have to work harder to seek your support.

Here are quotes from 2 well known women:

You only have to believe that you can succeed; that you can be whatever your heart desires. Be willing to work for it, and you can have it.
-Oprah Winfrey, Emmy Award winning host of the Oprah Winfrey Show, the top talk show in television history.

You have to believe in yourself when no one else does. That's what makes you a winner.
-Venus Williams, Olympic gold medalist and professional tennis champion.

Economic Scenario-Boom or Gloom?

2009-06-02T01:45:00.007+08:00

Despite, businesses complaining that sales are receding, a certain survey in the US shows double digit growth in certain sectors. In fact, there are some products showing double digit sales growth despite the worst economy ever. You might not believe this but it is true. You may be wondering, ‘What are the products that are still selling and command a high demand?’

Women keep the economy going with their vanity! Things that make women feel good are seeing a boost in sales. You know, small ways that women can treat themselves and escape from the grim reality for just a few minutes.

Some women will never be caught without their make up on. So here it is....The number one hot buy is LIPSTICK and FOUNDATION.

It is believed that after the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers, New York, Estee Lauder found that its sales of lipsticks skyrocketed while sales on other products fell. L'Oreal reported that its foundation sales went up 15%, and lipstick up 3%.

Guess what is at Number 2 on the list? Right! Chocolates. Chocolates help soothe the nerves when things get tough. Hershey's reported a 20% jump in sales as consumers turn to a little chocolate for a pick me up. Makes sense – chocolate is a relatively cheaper way to enjoy a treat without much guilt.

Even in tough times, the Americans would still enjoy a glass or two of wine. Wine sales based on the number of gallons sold are actually up 2% in 2008. However, they are buying the cheaper bottles as the average cost per bottle has dropped.

The next hot items are a continuity of the above top items. It is related to romance and dating.

Next come comfort foods. To feel good and comforted, most turn to comfort foods. Macaroni and cheese are leaders here. Kraft Foods saw a double digit growth in its macaroni and cheese sales.

After comfort foods, certain healthcare products have seen a jump in sales. Laxatives went up 11.5% and gastric tablets have increased 8%. Dentists have also reported that they are treating more people for tooth-grinding injuries (which are often caused by stress).

More people are cooking at home and eating in. Many items that fall into the category of "savings" also saw a jump in sales. Restaurants have been hit hard in this recession as money-conscience consumers stay home and cook their own meals.

This big shift has been a boon for many other items. For starters, ready to cook meals are a hit. The maker of Spam and Dinty Moore Stew, reported that profits were up 6% in the first quarter of this year. Meat sales rose 7.3% as people eat more at home and buy that nice steak at the grocery store rather than in a restaurant. Plus, sales of basic food ingredients like flour, sugar, dough, etc. are up as people make more of their own food and buy less prepared food and mixes.
'
Soaring grocery bills and the overall trend to save money has driven many people to get back to basics when it comes to food. Sales of canning and freezing supplies were up 11.5%.

It was also forecasted that 40% more Americans will tend their home gardens this year. Seed giant Burpee reported that the sales of basic vegetable garden seeds were up by 30%.

The economic downturn also saw a rise in sales of Running Shoes. Even in tough times, peoplw want to look and feel their best. They are just figuring out how to do it for less. People might be cancelling gym memberships to save money, but they are still planning to keep in shape on their own. Sales of running shoes are up 2%. As people cancel their holiday trips, to the beach or an island getaway, they may still want that vacation tan. Self-tanning product sales have jumped. Also, instead of getting tanned at a salon they are doing it themselves! Sales for hair colouring kits were up 7% and nail polish sales were up 11.2%.

During these scary and uncertain times, it's not surprising that people are still willing to spend money on things that make them feel safer. The common themes for all of these increased product sales is saving money and finding small ways to enjoy life without breaking the bank during this recession. A big jump in sales of home safes and guns (up 27.5% in four months) is seen.

I could not find a similar consumer survey done in Malaysia yet. But we could learn a thing or two from the American experience.

Looking at the way things are, Malaysians will only get a taste of the recession by the end of this year.

The latest economic statistics reported Malaysia experienced a negative growth of 6.2% in the first 3 months of 2009. Malaysians are either in a state of denial of the impending gloom or they are confident that the government economic stimulus packages will save them.

From what I see, the shops and supermarkets in Kuala Lumpur are still crowded especially during weekends and the restaurants are packed too. I had to wait for more than half an hour when I went to a satay restaurant for a takeaway last Sunday. I observed that takeaways were not only being ordered by walk-in customers, but also by the normal customer who dine in. Luckily, the system was orderly (we were given numbers slips with our order details) and the workers were very efficient. The owner must be laughing all the way to the Bank.

This was just the Satay Kajang restaurant. If you visit the big franchisees like MacDonalds and KFC, you will see a similar thing happening. There was hardly a place to sit.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

2009-05-29T01:44:00.001+08:00

YOU must take personal responsibility. YOU cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but YOU can change yourself-Jim Rohn (self-made millionaire, success coach and philosopher.

It is normal for us to start blaming everything and everybody except ourselves, if things do not go as desired. The truth is, we are often scared to really find the true source of our situation. Often, it starts from within.

Once you have accepted that you are the primary source of the problem, stop making excuses. Excuses will slow you down and nobody benefits from them.

You must understand that life's formula is event plus response will result in the outcome. How you respond to a certain situation will result in the outcome. Instead of blaming for your lack of results in your present situation, you have to change your responses to the events that happen until you get the outcomes that you want. This is the option that promotes creativity, opportunity, freedom and ultimately, wealth.

Start believing that you are capable of to make things better and produce better than mediocre results from your actions. You must decide to take control of your life.

First you need to analyse where you are, meaning your current situation. You need to find out what your strengths and weaknesses are.

Next you have to visualise where you want to be and what you want to have, 5 years from now. You can start taking responsibility for the outcome of future endeavours. You have to learn to be responsible for your level of achievements, emotions, results of actions and state of health

The results of your actions depend on the input you make in the first place. If you keep doing the same things that do not give the results that you want,perhaps it is time to change strategies and line of action.Find out who can help you to reach your destination. Finding a role model and a mentor would cut the time needed to reach your destination.

For students, seeking your teacher and your better achieving peers for help and pointers are effective lines of action. Being in the company of like minded people is also another way of keeping you on track to your destination in your journey of success.

Continuously seeking knowledge by reading relevant books are great motivation tools and could change the way you understand things. So,you should be spending more time at libraries, bookshops and book fairs. Nowadays, the Internet has proven to be an immense source of knowledge. So sitting at your computer and doing useful things is another way of seeking new information.

Since joining the Money Mastery community, I have started to take responsibility for my life. No more blaming circumstances and others for my inaction. I have started to be more positive in my outlook and more proactive. I needed to change myself since I have control of myself. I cannot change others around me because I have no control over them. At the end of the day, who I become is due to me and me alone. I decide and take action. The outcome will follow. It will be a positive outcome if I had made the right choice and taken the right step.

(For those wanting to know more on Money Mastery please leave your email in the comments.)

Book Bonanza

2009-05-23T13:16:00.000+08:00

Early Sunday, my husband was alerted by one of his Facebook buddies on a warehouse book sale in Petaling Jaya and was given a link to the said sale.The sale was only for 3 days and one day had gone by.

Without much delay, armed with the cyber information, we set out to find the point of the sale at Section 13 PJ.

Even though it was only advertised over the Internet, the response was great. There were so many book lovers browsing, collecting the books and placing them in boxes when we got there. One European woman collected 4 boxes. I wonder how she carried them to her car.

Over 100,000 imported fiction, motivational, business and non-fiction books and magazines were offered at the lowest price of RM3 and the highest price of RM 10. Imagine buying a RM50-RM 60 hard cover book for only RM10. We even bought an Australian interior decor magazine for RM5.

We purchased 11 books on Sunday and went again on Monday to collect more Steve Berry books to complete a collection.

We left the sale only after leaving my email so that I may be alerted of more sales bonanza in the future.

The above picture shows all the books that our family has collected in 2009. That does not include some which are currently being read. Meanwhile, the television will remain off for a while as we go through our new toys. That is our contribution to saving electricity for now.

Now where are we going to put all these books?

Winner or Loser

2009-05-20T12:28:00.000+08:00

Excerpts from a book on winners and losers by Sydney I Harris.

A winner makes commitment, a loser promises
A winner listens, a loser waits for his turn to talk
When a winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong".When a loser makes a mistake, he says, "It was not my fault"
A winner feels strong enough to be gentle, a loser is never gentle-he is either weak or pettily tyrannous by turns
A winner says, "there might be a better way to do it". A loser says," that's the only way it has always been done"
A winner respects those who are superior to him. A loser resents those who are superior and tries to find chinks in their armour
A winner paces himself. A loser has only two speeds; hysterical and lethargic
A winner has a healthy appreciation of his abilities and a keen awareness of his current limitations. A loser is oblivious to both his true abilities and his true limitations
A winner takes a big problem and separates int into smaller parts so that it can be more easily solved. A loser takes a little problem and rolls them together until they are unsolvable
A winner knows that people will be kind if given a chance. A loser feels that people will be unkind if given a chance
When a winner works harder than a loser, he has more time. A loser is always "too busy" to do what is necessary.
A winner isn't nearly afraid of losing as a loser is secretly afraid of winning.
A winner goes through his problem. A loser goes around it and never gets past it
A winner knows when to fight and what to compromise on. A loser compromises on what he shouldn't fight for what isn't worth fighting about
A winner says he's sorry by making up for it. A loser says" I'm sorry" but does the same thing next time
A winner would rather be admired than liked, although he prefers both. A loser would rather be liked than admired, and is willing to pay the price of mild contempt for it.
A Winner learns from his mistakes. A Loser learns not to make mistakes by not trying anything different.
A Loser believes in Fate. A Winner believes that we make our fate by what we do or fail to do.
A Winner stops talking when he has made his point. A Loser goes on until he has blunted his point.
A Winner in the end gives more than he takes. A Loser dies clinging to the illusion that winning means taking more than you give.

Are we winners of losers?

What Has Happened to REAL REWARDS?

2009-05-14T00:23:00.000+08:00

Do you know that Petronas, the national oil company, is introducing a new loyalty programme (effective from May 2009) with a new Mesra Card in place of its collaboration with Real Rewards previously?

When applying for the new card, we were given the option to either redeem our existing points or transfer them to the new Mesra card. But the catch was, Petronas would only redeem or transfer points earned through its Petrol Stations. So what happen to points earned elsewhere, e.g at Carrefour?

To get our answer, we drove to the Boulevards at Mid Valley with the intention of finding out from Real Rewards itself as there were no response to all our phone calls. After about half an hour, going up and down and asking around as to the location of the Real Rewards outlet, we were told that it had moved to Carrefour, Wangsa Maju.

We had been to the desk at Wangsa Maju a few times before (both during and after office hours) but there was no one manning the desk at any time.

Today, we went again and sadly, there was no one at all. However, there was a note saying that they could not redeem as they had run out of stock.

Back at home, we log in the Real Rewards website. Business seems to be as usual here but some pages are under construction.

We have tried to redeem our points online and are now anxiously waiting to see if the company will indeed honour our request.

Banking Online

2009-05-12T22:34:00.000+08:00

For the past year, we have enjoyed paying for certain credit card bills online and at night too, directly from our account with the Bank.

Last night on logging in the Bank website, we were surprised to see that the prepayment instructions for the payment of a credit card had been reversed. This bank allows you to book payment at a certain date. We have been doing this for a few months now. How come, no payment was made last month when our account was in a healthy credit balance?

A phone call to customer service was promptly made. They will look into it.

So this morning a trip had to be made to the bank, despite the difficulty in getting a parking spot.I had to wait in the car while my husband went in to inquire. We received a call from the Bank about half an hour later and was informed that the instructions were not carried out because the amount was more than what was owing on the credit card.

This did not happen in the previous months. Someone had added a program that the client can pay less than or equal to the amount owing but if a bigger amount is paid they have to reject it. It is so preposterous. Even, it they want to do it, they could at least have informed us when we make the payment, like some online credit cards do.

So we managed to get them to cancel the late interest and finance charges and paid the exact amount owing, online at the present date and not at a future date. Funnily, if you pay at the ATM, you are allowed to overpay. Actually the brilliant programmer could have programmed to refund the excess back into the savings or current account of the client.

Or, the bank purposely want us to pay more, reject it and charge penalty for late and non payment so that they will earn more. That's something else then...

Swine Flu

2009-04-29T00:22:00.000+08:00

2009 thus far has not been very good for the world. With the economy of most countries taking a dip, then came an outbreak of Swine Flu. In the late 1990's, when the economic crisis started in Asia, the 'SAR's and Avian Flu epidemic followed.

This time around, the economic crisis started in the American continent, followed by the Swine flu. As people becomes more mobile, it did not take long for the flu to spread toUnited States, UK and Spain.

Before the World Health Organization could investigate the root of origin of the flu, the flu has spread beyond Mexico where it started.

Poor Mexicans, an earthquake has followed the heels of the flu epidemic.Looks like Nature is vindictive of them.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, US(CDC) reported that as of Monday, April 27th, 2009, 40 human cases of this virus infection have been identified in the United States with 28 from New York and 7 from California. CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. This includes the deployment of CDC personnel to aid epidemiological efforts in California and Texas and to support Mexico's Ministry of Health.

This time around, government around the world are taking pro-active steps to prevent a full blown outbreak.

So, just as in previous epidemics, we have to be vigilant in keeping to good hygiene habits.The CDC has issued the following advice (with Italics my own): 'Wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Eat nutritious, clean and well prepared foods and drink plenty of fluids. Avoid cold food and dubiously prepared hawker food. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active and manage your stress levels. Try not to touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick '.(Tough luck if you work in a hospital).

Legal Crime Busters

2009-04-23T23:27:00.000+08:00

The depressed economic situation certainly takes a toll on the people.Desperate conditions are fertile grounds for the seeds of crime to flourish. Shoplifting and robberies at knife point are no longer the purview of drug addicts.

It was reported in the Daily Mail, Great Britain that due to the high unemployment and hard economic times,crime rates in Britain has increased significantly.House burglaries went up by 4% in the final quarter of 2008.It was also reported that 4,283 burglaries were made at knife point every 30 minutes, up by 5% from the previous quarter.Personal thefts jumped by 25%. Personal thefts include pickpocketing when the victims were unaware that they were being robbed. Often no force is used.

Closer to home, the Star reported yesterday, that the Police started a crime blitz in Kuala Lumpur last week and will extend operations to Selangor, Penang, Perak and Johore this week. (Maybe because of this, we were caught in a police road block on Monday along the MRR2 near Kepong for nearly an hour ).

It seems that the Police will conduct crime deterrent patrols round the clock to catch criminals at work and also to drive away bad hats.The Immigration and Road Transport Departments will also be roped in to catch illegal immigrants,Mat Rempits ( illegal motorbike racers)as well as overloaded lorries.

I guess we have to bear with the inconvenience as it is for our common good in a long run.A safe city is conducive for business. We can sleep better knowing our neighbourhoods are safe too.

We can also prevent petty theft by being more vigilant.Make sure we don't open our wallets and purses and count our cash in public.We must also take good care that our personal bank account particulars do not fall into the wrong hands. Our Credit Cards,Cash ATM Cards, prepaid cards and all personal documents should be kept close to our chest, so to speak.It is better to be safe than sorry.

Cheating Cabbies

2009-04-19T01:45:00.000+08:00

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/use-meter-rm6-use-coupon-rm18

Check out the latest scam exposed by the Malay Mail.

Personally I'd rather walk than take a cab in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya.The last time I took a cab,the driver told me that he was from KL and didn't know PJ roads.At first I wanted to go to the nearest LRT station in PJ but changed my mind when the taxi driver said he was from KL, and asked him to take me to the nearest LRT in KL instead.Because it was a Saturday and the roads were jammed, I ended up paying three times more.

I remember reading in the papers how the cabbie would click on a hidden button to speed up the meter.My heart would jump every time the meter tripped.You see, it tripped at every lamp post which was not even 50m apart.

Often I take a cab because I have no other choice.

I do not know whether it is the system or the cabbies themselves who paint a bad image of Malaysian taxis.Even with the 'Welcome and Please Enter" sign on their taxis, passengers are often denied access into the taxis for 'the roads leading to the destination is jammed','it is my lunch break', or 'the taxi don't go that way' excuses.

I am still waiting for the day when catching a taxi in Malaysia is like taking a cab in Singapore or London.Not the fares,of course. Just the courtesy and the confidence that you won't be fleeced.Maybe, it is like waiting for the cat to grow horns, quoting a Malay proverb.Not in this lifetime, perhaps.

Asian Stimuli Packages

2009-04-13T23:02:00.000+08:00

Everyone was eager to see the outcome of the Asean+3 summit in Pattaya, Thailand last weekend but it was not to be. (Asean + 3 are the 10 South Sea Asian countries plus China, Korea and Japan). The Thaksin's (the former Thai Prime Minister) supporters created a mayhem and caused the Asian leaders to evacuate from Pattaya. The Malaysian Prime Minister on his debut summit as PM had to take the flight home too.

The protesters succeeded what their counterparts in London failed to do at the G20 Summit earlier this month. Now what will happen to Thailand? All the intending tourists will seek alternative vacation places and the Thai economy will surely not see a quick recovery soon.

Prior to the failed Summit, I learned that consumers in Asia saves more than they spend. For Japan, being the largest economy in Asia and second in the world, its private spending in 2007 was US$2 trillion, followed by China, a miserly US$1 trillion.Compared to US$10 trillion and US$9 trillion for the US and Euro countries respectively.My, my,my the Americans and Europeans sure are big spenders!When they go broke, the whole world suffers. Asking the Chinese with their over 1.3 billion people to increase their private spending could not offset the loss in spending from the Westerners.

Looking in another way, the Asians have perfected their economy by depending on their exports.Asia became prosperous by selling to the West. The export-drive model is no longer useful. Now, Asia has to look inwards to stimulate their economy, hence the need of the Asean+3 Summit in Thailand. All countries have come out with their own stimulus packages to boost their domestic economy as stability would depend on a strong domestic market. And the Asean+3 countries need to forge for greater regional cooperation to ensure that their stimuli would succeed.

However, Asia's recovery would not succeed if Europe and the US do not put their act together courageously, to synchronise their packages to stimulate and stop the global economy from slipping into a deeper recession.

The Grand G20 Recovery Plan

2009-04-05T00:40:00.000+08:00

I watched with interest Gordon Brown's speech followed by Barack Obama's speech at the G20 press conference a few days ago.

The British PM did not have a Q&A session but Obama was very accommodating. As this was his first official trip to Europe, he wanted to create a good impression that his administration is willing to listen and work with the rest of the world unlike his predecessor who was very kiasu.

The 20 richest nations on Earth were there to dole out a $5trillion fiscal stimulus package to bring the world out of the current economic downturn. They promise to help poorer countries through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. No specific details were drawn out. In fact the leaders will meet again in New York in the autumn to finalise finer details.

Generally, the plan was to restore confidence, and create more jobs through a radical change to the rules of capitalism. The IMF and World Bank will be restructured to open up credit lines.

The leaders believed that the ailing banks must be bailed out. They will do what Malaysia did by creating Danaharta to which all bad assets are transferred out from the Banks. The NPL(non-performing loans) are termed toxic assets(Everyone wants to use green terminology these days!) and toxic assets must be detox from the Banks in order for their health to be restored.

No direct measures were proposed as the G20 wanted the task of detoxing the banks to individual countries.

All nations are to conform to universal laws and /or change national laws in order to strengthen the banking and financial systems and rebuild trust. They would have to regulate and tighten loop holes that led to the collapse of the banking and securities structures.

Internationl financial institutions would be reformed and additional funds would be injected. This would go to fund emerging markets and poor economies.

IMF will receive an additional $850billion to stop meltdowns in developing markets such as Ukraine and smaller advanced economies such as Iceland.

A reorganization of the IMF will see countries such as China getting some say in decisions.

The G20 is putting forward $250billion to promote global trade and has pledged to avoid protectionism.

The last agenda on the G20 summit was to build an inclusive, green and sustainable recovery

Leaders are promising to ensure that public spending projects are focused on green sustainable investment and are offering $50billion of help to poor states such as Africa to alleviate poverty. This coincidently is the 'Enrich Thy Neighbour' concept practised by Asean countries taken from our former Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir's idea. Previously, the rich countries would advocate the 'Beggar Thy Neighbour' concept because by doing so, they will be dependent on the rich nations which in turn will 'enslave' them after giving Foreign Aid. The rich nations then continue to exert their power over the poor nations.

The euphoria over the G20 communique, however was shortlived.

People were wary that individual parliaments will not ratify the IMF and World Bank reform in due time. They were also uncertain as who will be the watchdog to oversee compliance.

There remain doubts as to whether the G20’s bold words will translate into firm measures in national parliaments and are fully adopted by regulators.

Even in the U.S., winning the approval of Congress – with its historic aversion to international institutions – could be difficult.

A financial stability board could be set up to oversee the world financial system, and a crackdown on tax havens is planned.

Personally, I need the world situation to heal quickly so that trade can be up and about. All projects can get the green light to proceed. Malaysian companies will get to export again and people who lost their jobs will work again. Crime rates will diminish when the economy is good.

But, alas, no one can predict confidently when the economy will pick up.

However, the symbolism of 20 nations coming together to lend their support to radical international action was indeed a good psychological booster. Meanwhile, we wait impatiently for the measures to take shape.