A swimming pool saga

Yesterday, i brought the kids to swimming pool, my youngest is so excited when she reached there, she immediately jump into pool with the lifebuoy surrounding her neck instead of properly putting it on round her waist. Imagine this happened to a 2 years old kid. Immediately she submerge into the water. My father and wife straightaway ask me go into the pool to pull her up. Without thinking twice, i ran into the pool and bring her up back to the pool side. She is okay due to the flash rescue.

Then i realize my phone is still inside the pockets of my trousers. I instantly pull the phone out and see the display is showing distorting images. My heart sinks. Based on what i learned from others, i take out the battery and switched off the phone. After went back home, i use the hair dryer to blow it thoroughly. Then i left it overnight, praying everything will be fine again. I spent a whole night without the phone. I start worrying about my phone contact, my tons of application, data, task lists, e-books, photo etc. Like everybody else, today the phone had become so private and become actually part of you.

Next morning, first thing i do is to turn on the phone, and found the display show yellowish display. I'm thinking I will lost it forever. I switch it off again, and turn it back on after i reached office. I am so grateful the phone revive suddenly, may be water inside the phone had evaporated. I quickly backup everything inside the phone lest it may die again.

This small incident testify again how most of us today are so reliant and mentally attached to our phone. I know this is not a good thing, may be one day when i am no longer working, then i will have the luxury to have some "phone-free" day.

Victory has 1000 fathers, and defeat is an orphan

Ugly faces in workplace

One of the most loathsome things in the workplace for me is seeing a bunch of your colleagues flatter the so-called "expert". The expert do carry some credibility, however the way these people treating him as if he is the god really make me feel sick. In such situation, you have 2 choices, 1) to follow the majority and betray your own conscience; 2) to be yourself and make yourself the only eccentric, and eventually you will be thrown out from the circle.

Whatever you want to say i am just sour grape, but I really wish one day I do not need to deal with this bullshits.

Secret of happiness

Having a lunch listening to friend complaining about his work. The whole conversation becomes grey. That makes me reflect that am I such a person most the time. Will like to know how to become a positive person, and spread the positive energy. Emotion can be contagion. There is always thing that you can't own or get in life, why some can just easily get over it while others not.

That keep me wonder about the secret of happiness. I am seeking the answer.

Some are looking to come in, some are looking to go out

The above statement can't be more true in the sales organization. Recently saw an exodus of employees from our company. And funny still, just recently chat over with a customer whether he/she should accept job offers from our company. Some one I knew in the internet said this is first time she ever immediately reject job hunter's offer even before listening to him. Whether a company is shabby, has nothing to do if it's a company suits you. Some of the friends apparent works in the best performed company but also curse and swear all days.

Don't save a penny, but lose a dollar

Oscillating Trend

Years back, when Nokia was still reigning the mobile phone world, I thought eventually the phone will become smaller and lighter. When handphone was first invented, its size had shrank by lot. However, the latest release of some phone like Galaxy S2 had changed that perception, now Samsung is even going to announce S2 LTE that boast with its 4.5" screen.

By the way, I have been awaiting for the S2 availability for Maxis plan for month, but none of the Maxis center had stocks at the moment. If anyone know it this a market strategy, please leave your comments here.

Melaka foods

Was traveled to Melaka during the weekend, tried a few famous local foods, like Durian Cendol at Donker street, Seafood at Portugese Settlement and Satay Celup. Amazingly none tasted good to my family. Although the crowd are ample at the restaurant, but truly it can't win over our taste buds. One may argue food taste is a subjective matter, but considering there are 3 families of us, it's really an unfavorable contributors to the statistic.

My personal view is that foods like Durian Cendol and Satay Celup is about fusing two different dishes into a new genre. It creates some hype and usually stir people's interest. It really no matter if it's a perfect match, people are immediately attracted by the hype. And a long queue in front of the shop just create a longer queue, especially in a society whereby "sheep following the crowd" mentality is common.

Like in our work, your boss can give you whatever position or title, but the respect from others can only be earned and not given.

Effective communication

To communicate effectively is to add humor in your conversation intermittently. What's humor? it's about looking serious thing at the other side, the light part.

This require quick, witty thinking. Need to talk more, practice more. Like my friend said, what else can you lose further, you can't be worse than sitting down there by not making a move.

Looks lousy and clumsy in front everybody on the stage, but even in my age, i still have lots to learn.

Think through before you say it

Look at the how the stock price plunge, that reassert my conviction that we shall think the consequence before we says something. It shall be a purpose why we say it, isn't it? What the point you announce something that you not yet even decide. There must be some rationale behind it. To trash your own stock price to me will be the last purpose you want to achieve.

IBM must be laughing all the way, sitting back and watch you how to perform the stunt of self-destruct.

Brainless

What this ad try to achieve, to unite or to split the people?

Respect

I always has respect to those people who are willing to share their wisdom and experience with the younger lots. Today I met this Global bank CIO and this encounter itself really impressed me. I believe it wouldn't be pure luck if someone can achieve such rank. Yet he is so humble and soft-spoken, and share his experience and view with us as if we are peer though we are not. He reminds me of another great figure Dato' Sri Idris Jala. I had shared numerous times with my friends how amicable is his personality. I still remember the day we share the same lift, though i'm nobody in the company then, he actually greet and asked how is my work.

However, in Malaysia there are never short of people who will like to show their dominance over you, there never short of people whom will tell you right in your face that "who is the boss here?". If they can ever understand, we are just happened to be in this situation, there are reason why sometimes one is another boss, or, one is another customer; but that doesn't mean one is more superior than another, more so one is allowed to treat another brutally. I hope one day, majority of us will learn this.

At the end, I will like to take my hat off to this CIO whom i met and the like of him in our society.

A world with unprecedented competition

I had this discussion with my brother-in-law recently. Our topic reaffirm my view that the world has become even more competitive than before. There is no more comfort zone for business. Every company is competing neck and neck with each other.

The PC price is dropping, phone price is dropping, TV price is dropping. Oil, land and food are different because they are limited resources. But most other businesses, manufacturing and services no longer enjoy such luxury. Another 10 years, Telco may no longer made money from fixed phone line. You are not number #1 or #2 business, you will be losing, especially so for high tech company like Google (search engine), Apple (iPad), Facebook (social network).

Where will HP and Microsoft heads to? See how Nokia and Cisco lose their glamour considering not so distant ago, they were still reigning the world. IBM had able to turnaround in the 90's because they change and change in the direction, so Elephant can dance, but only if it try.

To customers, it's not good news that they have less and less choice. They only have either less than a handful to choose, say, if they want to buy servers. To vendor, it's not good news, for anything priced above zero is too expensive. For the world, it's so much monotonous as everybody is only flocking to iPhone, or like me owning an Android.

The world no doubt had become a competitive one, and we no longer can go back to the days, when my father works hard, but he can come back from work before sunset, and every family members group together to have an early dinner.

Suddenly, i remember my Sales lady told me about the story that her neighbor left all his belonging and go for "a walk", and he doesn't know when he will be back.

Last day in Oracle

The mixed feeling goes deep into in my heart. Looking back, I had worked with some of the largest MNC over the years and now moving to another giant. But Oracle is special, it's my first ever job in the sales org. My experience here transformed my perception about the sales people. They are more hardworking than I ever thought,more cheerful than I ever imagine, and definitely the most shrewd lot that I ever worked with.

I treasure the friendship I have earned in this company. I remember the glory, the difficult time, and whatever it is, this journey will be a forever memorable one for me.

If you are not big enough to lose, then you are not big enough to win

As aways, i am easily captivated by these clever remarks by them. When he ends his speech with "there is no failure, there is only success .. delayed", i follow the crowd to put my hands together.

That reminds me another quote i heard previously "failure is a temporary condition, giving up makes it permanent"

At times, we need this type of motivational pitch. The selfish motive behind me is that through gaining people respect, it makes me more easy to succeeded in my daily quest. But as another man wrapped it up this sort of selfishness is "sacred selfishness", it not only helps us as an individual but also help those that we reach out to.