I have been a fan of Sharma’s book since his The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. Afterward, each and every title he wrote was a must have and must read. Inspiring maybe the most appropriate single word I would say about his books. He made me realize that the ultimate meaning of our life is very simple and can be achieved by consistently taken simple steps. In principle he promoted the importance of being clear with our objectives and focus to achieve them whilst maintaining good relationship with others.

But this particular one released without my awareness. I did not know that he has just released a new title until I saw it at a bookshop. I was really surprised to find it in the “new release” shelf at Periplus close to my office mid of March. A bit expensive for a soft cover book, and I paid only a half of this price to buy his previous titles. Even more surprised when I checked the publication date, March 2010. So I got a book at the same month of its publication. Not a surprise for local book, but for a book published in America, it was amazing. If I make a pre-order at amazon.com, it would take a month on shipping.

Anyway, for a Sharma’s book, even if it was priced more, I would have bought anyway. I spent about $30 for this book plus a bit more for another title which was the reason I went to the shop. I spent budget of the month – for book – only on one purchase.

Now about the book, it was amazing just like any other Sharma’s book. The morale is simple and straightforward, it promotes the importance of leadership in anything we are in, be it personal life or at work. Sharma noted that leadership is not something privileged to those in powerful and influential positions like military generals, CEOs, or nation leaders. Each and every of us has to develop sound leadership to lead ourselves to make our life meaningful to anything we are in, maximum contribution at work, maximum value in business, and maximum joy to beloved ones.

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Fell in love at the first sight? Maybe. I tried to get one the next moment I noticed its announcement. Of course, being away from America we have to wait for anything new, and when we talk about Apple products, it can be quite a long while. We all may notice how long we had to wait until we can use an iPhone.

But hey, mouse should be a bit better as it is not something dependent to exclusive agreement between Apple and network provider. Right, but still, we could not get hold of a Magic Mouse right away. I started to notice ways to get hold of one by buying it from US. One way was purchasing through online stores and shipping it across the oceans and continent, but I know that the shipping cost and custom charges would be even more expensive than the mouse itself. Another way was through people traveling there who brought one or two in their luggage. But the price was unbelievable.

I ended up deciding to help my pocket and train my patience, I rang the owner of local Apple reseller whom I knew, asking him to call me as soon as he has one in stock. Instead of sellers enthusiast from receiving a pre-order from customer, I heard a slight reluctance in his voice. “You may end up getting from the black market even for a higher price just to get it quicker”, he replied my suspicious question.

I managed my mind and waited patiently for quite a long while, long enough to almost forgetting it. I guess it has been four or six months until yesterday he rang me saying “Listen, I got two Magic Mouses and one has been taken by someone else, you can take remaining one today otherwise you will have to wait for the next delivery, which I am not sure when”. Of course I had no other answer then “Yes” and asked him to send it over to my office. Funny thing was that when I asked him the guy who bought the other one he bluntly said “Your boss”. Damn, he didn’t even tell me.

Once I had it on hand it took me some time just to admire it. It was absolutely gorgeous. Installation was a snap, it was nothing more than pairing two bluetooth devices. The first experience was fabulous. Movement was smooth even when I tried in different surfaces thank to sensitive laser sensor. Clicks could be made anywhere on the surface, but I set to make it recognize right hand-click. Scroll and swipe were the most appealing feel as we could do theme anywhere on the surface with amazing response.

I personally think Magic Mouse is the masterpiece of both art of technology. At the price which is not so much different from high-end laser pointing device it offers best possible experience in very very very sleek design. Just like any other Apple products, we feel it a little expensive but at the end we realized that they absolutely worth the price.

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I have been more than a year coaching this website. It was actually a test as we are having a difficulty in getting a subset dedicated for Pattaya from a pan Asian real estate website. So in a way, the main page of the website of pattayarealestate.com was identical to exotiqrealestate.com/pattaya/.

I was fully aware about the problem of duplicate content so we tweaked as the website as much as possible to make it different, including rewriting content of its important pages including the homepage. At the end, the only similar pages were detail page of each property we feature. And even at this level we tweaked layout to make it different in text-stream reading.

Unfortunately the result was far below satisfactory. So far in my record, it has never fallen into sandbox. It steadily floating but ended up somewhere between then 5th and 3rd pages. Continuous effort did not really help. I tried to stop the effort for certain period of time and quite interestingly it did not soak down. So I was loosing any reasonable explanation for the situation.

The website owners with a crowd of opinions flying around their head were blaming for potential duplicate content problem and demanded to shut it down before negatively affecting the main website. But I defended behind the fact that if there was one to get penalized, it should be the younger one, the one who copied the content, not the older and considered as the source. Secondly, if it was penalized, it should be by far lower.

So after the “diet” period I put back the effort at its original pace, and in early 2010 I saw it on the first page of Google’s search engine result page (SERP) for the main targeted keyword of Pattaya real estate. What a nice new year gift, and to me it was a lot more than just ranking, it prove that my theory and my strategy were correct. As an SEO and online marketing professional, those were even more important than just rankings. Hope it sustains.

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Anyway, I have listed 2010 dream monster, one of which I expected to be my daily ride these days.

Yamaha V-Max VMX17

The 2010 version is a continuation of development journey since 1985 when it was introduced for the first time. The core is stil the same, the original Mad Max DNA then improved with Yamaha’s latest sport bike technologies like chip controlled variable intake stacks, a high tech fuel injection system and famous fly by wire throttle. Reviews commented that the new generation of V-Max inherits the legendary sound, character and amazing acceleration but offers truly sporty handling, thanks to its lightweight aluminium chassis and fully adjustable suspension.

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Engine: Liquid cooled, DOHC, 4 valve, 65 degree V4. Displacement: 1,679cc. Bore and stroke: 90 x 66mm. Compression ratio: 11.3:1. Maximum torque: 17 kg-m (123 ft-lb) at 6,500 rpm. Fuel delivery: Mikuni 48mm fuel injection. Estimated fuel consumption: 11.4 kpl (32 mpg). Lubrication: wet sump. Ignition: TCI / electric start. Transmission: 5 speed with slipper clutch. Final drive: shaft.

Aprilia RSV4 Factory

The Aprilia RSV4 has been designed and developed with competition in mind, and naturally offers all the adjustments normally found on racing machines. It is owered by the most revolutionary and most powerful engine ever developed by Aprilia. This 65° V four unit is based on an architecture that is unique in the world of supersport motorcycles, and features refined engineering combined with prestigious materials and advanced electronic management solutions.

The new engine uses multi-mapping ride-by-wire technology, a solution that opens up new horizons in engine control, and offers virtually infinite opportunities for power delivery and traction control. All components are naturally of the highest calibre. They include an Öhlins fork, rear monoshock and steering damper, Brembo monobloc brake calipers and forged alloy wheels.

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Engine capacity: 999.6cc. Architecture: 65 degree V4. Power: 180HP (132.4kW) at 12,500 rpm. Crankcase: monobloc with integrated cylinder liners. Timing system: 4 valves per cylinder (Titanium and Nymonic) operated directly by a camshaft driven by a mixed chain/gear system (lateral timing chain, central gear train). Fuel system: Magneti Marelli electronic injection with two injectors per cylinder and integrated independent Ride by Wire system for each bank. Antivibration countershaft. Maximum RPM: 14,100 rpm. Compression ratio: 13:1. Transmission: 6 speed direct-control cassette gearbox. Clutch: multiplate wet clutch with mecanical slipper system. Exhaust: 4-2-1 headers with oxygen sensor and single silencer with integrated catalytic converter and butterfly valve.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14

No company knows more about in-line fours than Kawasaki. From the early Z-1 to our factory MotoGP bikes, our knowledge about the in-line four-cylinder engine is unsurpassed. The virtues of this design are many: powerful, smooth running and very compact, if it’s a Kawasaki superbike, it has to be an in-line four. Each component of this amazing engine was thoroughly developed to deliver the perfect balance of power, torque, and ridability.

The ZX-14’s chassis design is every bit the equal of its power plant. Using an advanced version of Kawasaki’s unique aluminum monocoque design, its frame is lightweight and very strong. Die cast aluminum sections on the main frame make for lighter parts, keeping the weight down even more on the slim and compact frame.

The Ninja ZX-14’s blend of power, handling and style perfectly illustrates the potent technological know-how of Kawasaki’s highly-trained engineers.

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Engine: four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valve per cylinder, inline-four. Displacement: 1,352cc. Bore x stroke: 84.0 x 61.0mm. Compression ratio: 12.0:1. Fuel system: DFI with four 44mm Mikuni throttle bodies. Ignition: TCBI with digital advance. Transmission: 6-speed. Final drive: x-ring chain. Rake/trail: 23 degrees / 3.7 in. Front tire: 120/70 ZR17. Rear tire: 190/50 ZR19.

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Closing this year I get a number of lucks, bot in personal and professional life, which I take as a gift. One of them is the news that my favorite Formula 1 driver, the 7 times world champion Michael Schumacher, has just ended his three years retirement by signing a three years contract to drive one of Mercedes GP car.

I was a fan of Felipe Massa even from the year when he was Michael’s teammate, and was probably got hit as hard as he was when he lost the battle against Lewis Hamilton in the last seconds of the closing race of 2008. I hit me to see that his chance to compete in last year series blown away by an accident. But I have to admit that I was pleased to see that the incident dragged Michael Schumacher to come out from his retirement to replace him, which unfortunately canceled by his physical condition.

Now, just a few months later, I get something even much better, Michael Schumacher is coming back to track, not only as a temporary retirement but for a full season, three full seasons to be exact. A bit of regret that he is not coming back with Ferarri, the team he has been racing for 10 years and still got involved as a consultant until recently, but seeing the greatest German driver racing a German car is no less interesting.

The fact that at Mercedes GP he is teaming up – again – the mastermind of his 7 world championship, Ross Brown, waives away my regret of the fact that he is not coming back on a Ferarri. I personally believes that Ross is a better success guarantee than Ferarri. Ross’s cold hands has been well proven, not only with Michael but also Jenson Button after he left Ferarri following Michael’s retirement.

Next year Formula 1 will be a lot more exciting then ever before I believe. With Kimi Raikkonen leaving Formula 1, there will a number of stars on the track, including be four world champions. The two times Fernando Alonso who has been in many bitter fights against Michael will be in a better shape in his Ferarri. The very competitive 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton who will find his dream to race against his patron comes true. Michael’s golden student who has almost threw away from his 2008 crown Felipe Massa. The last year world champion Jenson Button who will drive one of the faster car on the track, Mc Laren, and will surely motivated to maintain his domination. The young German diver Sebastian Vettel who was hailed as “the next Schumacher”.

Looking back into the old days, Michael’s decision to get along with Mercedes GP makes a lot of sense. More than the fact that Ross Brawn is there and Mercedes is a German brand, Mercedes was his window of opportunity. Mercedes granted him the way to what he is now. He raced Mercedes in his pre-F1 days, and Mercedes spent $150,000 at that time to pay Jordan so they allow Michael to race on one of their cars. So Michael should have every reasons he needs to feel like coming home by joining Mercedes GP.

I stand against those who think that 41 years, Michael’s age next year, will become a problem for his competitiveness. I stand against those who thinks that Michael is putting his reputation in danger by returning into the track. First Michael is as competitive as he was before, maybe even better, because he was refreshed by his retirement. Second how can someone loose reputation by loosing in a fair fight? Wisdom says that the real champion is not the one who knows how to win, but the one who knows how to loose.

There are a lot of speculation about Michael’s reasons to come back. I personally believes that money is not among them. Being the most expensive driver on the track for years and built a fortune of approximately 500 million Euros, his 10 million basic salary he will get from Mercedes is nothing. It is way below the top paid drivers on the track, including McLaren Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton. I think he could not cease his need of challenge and he knows that he is still competitive enough. Back to Formula 1 is definitely better than draining his adrenaline in amateur motorbike races.

Two things I should do next year then. First I have to go an see as many F1 racing in real as possible, at least the ones nearby. I hold a ticket for Singapore. I think I need to add Malaysia and possibly more close by like Australia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Macau. Second … hmmm … to trade my car with a Mercedes. Well, Meredes is expensive, but still more affordable than Ferarri. Mercedes’ top of the line is not less expensive than Ferarri, of course. But at least Mercedes has consumer product line.

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I took this at Periplus for only one reason, small, so it is easy to carry, and will do accompany my flight without leaving some to continue at home. Noting special in its excerpt as well as glancing into the content. So having it very interesting came as a surprise. In fact it is a lot more than just interesting. It was a motivating motivational book. You know what i mean? Right, because most motivational book is not really motivating.

As of its size, the book talks about something small, something simple. But as you read it you will understand that having the grip over this small thing can make a huge change into your life, just like many successful fellows you may only hear their name in the news.

Dip in his terms in this book was referred to the lifespan of everything good you are working on. Anything, from significant project to as simple as diet program. It has two main messages. First is that in everything you will face a difficult period where quitting is easier than struggling to get through, and only those who are prepared to take the pain to get through it will get enormous success at the other end of the curve.

The second message is something contrary to the common believe about stopping. Whilst wisdom tells us that the successful persons are those who never quit, Seth told us the opposite. He convinced that the successful persons are those who stop for good reason, not just because stopping is easier.

The best time to stop is before your dip starts. If you know that you are not strong enough, you do not have enough resource behind you to fight through the dip, then you have to stop. It will be very stupid to stop after you waste a lot of your time, energy, and all other resource to get through the dip, especially before success starts to appear. Seth had a good example to express this. He pointed to a statistic of sales research saying that 80% sales are closed after 7th contact, and on the other hand in average salesperson stops contacting their prospect after their 7th attempt.

Dip is a certain thing in life, so it is not something to avoid. In fact you have to love the dip in anything you do, because it makes you stand the competition, it makes the real different between the winner and the looser.

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I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we’re only dreaming

A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I’m way up here
It’s crystal clear
That now I’m in a whole new world with you
Now I’m in a whole new world with you

Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky

A whole new world
Don’t you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see
Hold your breath – it gets better
I’m like a shooting star
I’ve come so far
I can’t go back to where I used to be

A whole new world
Every turn a surprise
With new horizons to pursue
Every moment red-letter
I’ll chase them anywhere
There’s time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you

A whole new world
That’s where we’ll be
A thrilling chase
A wondrous place
For you and me

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He was having a few guests when I came. Pak Edwin and his wife run successful furniture business in Solo in addition to education role in one of the country’s most prestigious university. Fajar worked for a Bali based travel agent focusing on the newly emerging Eastern Europe and Russian market and preparing himself to establish his own business. We had a long chat about suitable efforts to Solo to improve its tourism industry, and came to a common conclusion on a few certain things.

A few weeks after through an online chat Keke asked me to became one of keynote speakers in an Online Tourism Workshop to be held in Solo. It came to me as a surprise actually as I am definitely not a tourism expert although I run an online business on a very specific niche of tourism. When I had the discussion earlier, I have serious intention at all other than expressing my own opinions. Finally in spirit of helping people by spreading even a tiny bit of knowledge, I gave him an OK.

The event introduced me to many interesting fellows. Andika, the young brain behind the event, a number of entrepreneurs in wooden furniture who have just further their success up by leveraging online marketing, Novi, a young Solonese girl with smart eyes who runs a hotel there, and many more. During the discussion a day prior to the event, I knew that Solo has an enormous tourism potential. Unfortunately it is running into a serious mistake of taking Yogya as the pattern for tourism development. Focusing itself more into domestic market, I personally consider Yogya as a definite failure. If it follows Yogya’s pattern Solo will become just another failure. Even worse as it will remain behind the shadow of Yogya forever.

So when the d-day comes I did whatever it takes to pull audiences’ mind away from Yogya. I motivated to follow Bali as the pattern for Solo tourism development. With orientation mainly focused to international market, Bali has successfully build its tourism wealth in a much higher extent compared to any other tourist destinations in the country. At the end of my session, I handed over the audiences to the next speaker for online marketing techniques with a new paradigm deeply planted in their mind: focusing to international market through online marketing.

At the end of the day in the closing notes I urged them to take real actions. I told them that looking into commercial potentials Solo has, if the late to make their move, I will. I told them that I will even mobilize my network in Bali to develop the currently idle potentials in Solo. When I said that, I have already had a plan in my mind. I have figured out things to do to make them feel that someone from outside is coming at a massive extent, so they will get motivated to act quickly. I am seeing a serious potential there so it was not a bluff. If they do not do anything quickly I will. But of the do, I will be happier to establish a business cooperation with mutual benefit.

So today, two days after the event, I started with my first step. Establishing a Solo tourism website in English titled Solo Tour Guide. My plan is to make it a tourism information portal for foreigners planing to visit Solo. Later on I will invite local tourism players to use this website for their marketing purposes, free of charge. I have no intention to make money from this website, ever. People helps by making donation, I help by offering my brainchild.

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My experience started from the feeling that the articles we post  were not processed as quick as promised. Later when I tried to commission them the writing, I felt like posting worked significantly faster. My assumption was that they have to assess my articles manually before having them processed.

On results, I first tried to apply it to new websites. Those websites floated up on search engines of course, but not at a better pace than those without LinkVana. However I did not see any negative impact as well. I assumed that it took time for these new quality backlinks to affect the ranking. Thinking that the concept did make sense, I am not foreseeing a negative impact it cound ever result. So the worst I could think of was … no result.

Thing changes once I implemented it to websites with high search engine rankings. With intention to maintain position, I used it to a website which enjoyed top board of Google, not only the first page but first posotion. Immediate result was … disappear completely from the search result of that certain keyword. Few days later it came back to page 19th, and did not go up for at least a week until now. Another website I implemented to was a brand new site at the 3rd page for targeted keyword. With no other things have been done other than using LinkVana, it went down to 11th page.

So it is enough for now. I cancelled my PayPal subscription. The website told that the service is available for limited number of subscribers so if we terminate our subscription, we may loose the opportunity forever. But what a hell. Months after I subscribed, the service remains available for new subcription. If thing changes, i.e. the websites come back to even better position, I will regain my subscription. If at that time I could not regain my subscription … well, I will consider it as bad luck. What I have in mind now is that LinkVana sucks, and I am happy to getaway now than later.

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However there are more and more people talking about six digits income solely from blogging. I am not seeing at that record breaking hype. If by being a movie star Ronald Reagan reached the White House, would thousands of other movie stars thinking that they could as well? Still small steady income, maybe only enough to pay my hosting and domain registrar bills, sounds quite appealing, especially believing that the market of merchandise I am carrying in my commercial websites is quite competitive and sensitive at the same time.

I decided to find out more by searching Amazon and finally ordering a couple of books on blog monetizing. As always, it took 20 days approx. to get the books reach my doorsteps. Fortunately their arrival coincidentally fits my ruined holidays, so whilst my amazing business-pleasure trip was canceled, I have something to enjoy.

The books are newly published so hopefully carry the latest relevant knowhow. How to Make Money with Your Blog by Duane Forrester and Gavin Powell, ISBN 978-0-07-150857-5, published by McGraw Hill, and ProBlogger by Darren Rowse and Chris Garret, iSBN 978-0-470-24667-2, published by John Willey and Sons. Both publishers are respectful ones in business and technology.

No chance to read even a page of them, so I am not in position to throw any comments on them.

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