Experiences Makes What You Are Today

I had a flash in memory lane yesterday. I had a chat with an old friend named Megat who is now working in Qatar. He was my housemate back during my uni years in Melbourne Australia. He took a month leave from his busy life in Qatar (he is an engineer with an oil and gas company there) just to participate in voting in the recent General elections apart from getting aback with his friends here.

I forgot how the conversation started but along the line, we started talking about the various ‘odd’ part-time jobs we did back then during our 3-4 years stay in Australia. You see, for most of us JPA students, the monthly allowance was just enough to pay rent, food and other essential needs. To save for leisure, well… lets just say, we stocked up on ‘Maggi’. So, we worked to earn some extra cash.

In Australia, as students, our visas permit us to work a max of 20 hrs a week. So I started my first job in the university's café as a cleaner. Then after, I did a lot of other ‘odd’ jobs to survive. It ranges from a few days to 2-3 months. I delivered pizza, worked in a bakery, became a kitchen hand in an Asian restaurant, a cleaner at a shopping mall, picking fruits and vegetables, statistic analyst, administrative clerk at the Post Office, factory cleaner and painter, taxi driver, research assistant and a tutor. But the longest job I did was as a train cleaner. It supported my leisure and traveling needs for 2 years.

Cleaning trains was easy money and the job was fun. I clock in at 11.30 pm and finishes at 1 am everyday. I sometimes cycle 30 minutes to work or take a 10 minutes drive. That was my life then. It pays more than what JPA gave me. During holidays or times when I felt too tired to go to work, I will have my house mates join me. They get half of the day’s pay. So, Megat was amongst the frequent volunteers. I know he did not really need the money (he was a Petronas scholar) but he enjoys helping out a friend. I can never forget how many times he was there for me…..

In my opinion the experiences I went through in the jobs I did matured me to some extend. I learned the concept of humility, to appreciate others less fortunate, to really value ‘money’ and of course independencies. I know everyone has their own experiences to tell, I just wanted to share one of mine.

Hey that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???

Election Is In The Air

I am not going to campaign or anything here, just wanted to say 'Happy Mengundi' to everyone. In this 12th General Election of Malaysia, I hope more of its citizents will embrace and perform their rights and obligations to VOTE.

I was really dissapointed when I got to know that two of my sisters will not be voting as they did not regiseter as a voter. I think if you are already 18 (an ADULT), you should be MATURE enough to know how important is the Elections. I hope all SEVians are registered voters and come out to vote tommorow. Who you choose to be your YBs are your discretions however, please think it hard as it will affect our future.

This will be my second time voting. In the 1999 elections, I was in Australia and thus could not vote. Back then I did not really know that you can vote at the emabssy. If I did know, I would surely cut class and travelled to Canberra (the embassy is located at the capital of Australia 800 km away from where I studied) to performed my duties. In the 2004 elections, I went proudly to affix my 'X' on the little piece of paper that shaped the country for the last 4 years. Now, I am really anxcious to do the same tommorrow.

This time, I will not give my 2 cents as I have realised (past experience) ..... sometimes differences in political views can cause cracks in relationships. Yes, I have lost friends due to politics, some families became distanced due to political stands and so on (you know what I mean). Anyway.... due to that, I will reserve my comments....

Flat World???

I have finally completed the book I was reading since 2-3 weeks ago (I told you guys before, I am a SLOW reader). As interesting the title of the book may sound, in my humble opinion, it’s too lengthy, wordy and if you are familiar with the author, Thomas L Friedman you would agree with me. Then again, he won the Pulitzer prize a 3 times for his work ... and this book was a best-seller quiet some time... Yes (for those who can guess), the book is titled ‘The World Is Flat’.
In brief, the book is about globalization and its affects to change. Friedman recounts a journey to Bangalore, India, when he realized globalization has changed core economic concepts. He suggests the world is "flat" in the sense that globalization has leveled the competitive playing fields between industrial and emerging market countries. Friedman recounts many examples of companies based in India and China that, by providing labor from typists and call center operators to accountants and computer programmers, have become integral parts of complex global supply chains for such companies as Dell, AOL, and Microsoft.
Friedman described 10 forces that flattened the world…. (actually, just refer to Ija’s blog on this).
So, what does this mean??? To me, if we continue to operate as we have previously and refuse to accept change, well in my opinion, we will definitely be left behind. Tg Farith has kept on mentioning about innovation and change (refer to Tg Farith's blog ). I guess, to get to the top and to stay on top (refer to Shariff's blog), to need to seriously thinking about innovation and explore new opportunities.

Anyway, we have no real idea how the 21st century's history will unfold, but this terrifically stimulating book will certainly inspire readers to start thinking it all through.

Hey, that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???

Once a SKALIAN Always a SKALIAN

I have to say, I do feel a bit tired lately (the PM even works harder than I do, and he never complaints about being tired...mmmm). I have been traveling these few weeks and recently visited Johor Bharu for an MOU signing with Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PNS). We are collaborating with them to become a franchisor and develop more franchisees.

The MOU signing on Saturday went well. Tg Farith came from SKALI to exchange the MOU documents with Tuan Syed Kamarulzaman (MD) and witnessed by Dato Musa (SKU MECD) and Dato Hashim (TKSU).

To cut the story short, we were in JB from Friday and left Sunday morning. On the way back we stopped by Skudai to visit an ex-SKALIAN, Maryam. She joined SEV initially as a trainee. I interviewed her during a Careers Expo in UIA back in 2006. During the interview, I can see that this girl was different from her peers. She showed determination and pro-activeness. Anyway, a few weeks after, we offered her a trainee position in SEV. Back then SEV had only 3 staff: me, Aida and Shamsul, so we needed some help, thus we hired Maryam and Diana. Subsequent to the trainee position, we offered her a full time position, but I guess due to the ‘instability’ of SEV financial position back then… might have contributed to her to consider other opportunities. So did Diana. I have no heart feelings towards them. I was rather happy to have had the chance to work with good team players such as them.

She informed us that she is happy working in Johor (I think more because her fiancé is there – they are getting married this May) but she did not deny having a fun and enjoyable time working in SKALI. One day, who knows, she might re-joined us. She has made some indications that she wants to be the SPIKE@Johor coordinator… mmm we’ll see. Anyway, we left after having a small brunch.

Somehow I think most SKALIANs enjoy working in SKALI. Its friendly environment, flexible management policies etc is what has attracted those who left to rejoined us back. You don't have to look far, we have one in SEV. I have been working in 4 companies, and I can confirm SKALI is the BEST. In my opinion, we will excel better if we are working in an environment that we enjoy.
Hey that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???

Buying My Dream House

I want to share with all of you some thoughts on property purchase. For the past few months, my wife and I have been actively searching for a suitable landed property to purchase. I think everybody has a dream to own their own house. Same with me….

I think over the last few months, we have considered around 10 options and we have finally narrowed it to 1 particular house. But it is rather expensive, I should say… well, now, all I have to do is do my ‘solat Istikharah’ and make a decision. Then, to get a financier that will lend me some money….

Anyway, these are a few factors that I look into when buying a property (not in any particular order):

1. Price of the house
2. Cost of borrowing
   Ø Islamic (fixed) vs conventional
   Ø Which bank or financier
   Ø What interest rate
3. Location (neighborhood, amenities)
   Ø I prefer a secure mature neighborhood with readily amenities (public transportation, school, shops, parks etc)
   Ø Of course, I prefer it to be close to where my wife and I work. I want to be around 15-20 minutes away from the office.
4. Neighbors
   Ø Need to know your neighbors. Having friendly neighbors is crucial.
5. Size (build up, number of rooms, toilets)
   Ø To me, having a big house is for the future. I want my kids to have their own room. And I plan to have at least 5 kids!
6. The condition of the house
   Ø If buying a house from a previous owner, then I need to see the condition.
   Ø Get to know also why they are selling. There could be something wrong with the property.
7. Design and ambiance
   Ø I like the modern design and material used. It really makes a big difference. Go and look at the new developments, the ambiance is really2 ….. can’t really describe it in words.. of course, you need to invest in ID as well lah..
8. The status of its development
   Ø What percentage of construction??? The closer it is to completion, the less risky it is on going abandoned.
9. The Developer
   Ø Having strong and credible credentials is important. New developers will carry some significant risks… you need to do some homework here.
10. The anticipated future value
    Ø All property appreciates over time. But how fast is the appreciation? If you look at the property in Ukay Perdana. A house that was RM 500K last 2 years are selling for RM 1 million now…. mmm
11. Freehold vs leasehold

The longer you wait to buy your dream house/condo/apt:

The higher the COST,
The higher the HEIGHT (condos, apts),
The further the DISTANCE from KL,
The smaller the SIZE,
The bigger the HEADACHE becomes…

My opinion, we should all plan carefully our finances so that we will all be able to own at least a property that we will leave behind as our legacy to our children…. Learn the concept of ‘calculated risk’ and ‘investment’. Don’t treat buying a house as a ‘cost’ but an investment.

Hey that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???

'Orang Kaya Bertaqwa'

I want to do something different this time,
I know I’m not that creative, I will not lie,
I am no poet but I think I can rhyme,
I’m not that good, but I will surely try….

I started reading a new book yesterday,
At least 1 in a month is a target I set,
This time I chose a book in Malay,
Malay is important too, let’s not forget.



The book was recommended by my wife,
A book she read the week before,
She loved the way the author described ‘life’,
The book inspired her and was never a bore.

Chef Rusly Abdullah wrote the book,
He titled it “Orang Kaya bertaqwa”,
Don’t be fooled, it’s not about how to cook,
But his journey to see his teacher in Tanah Jawa.

He described his teacher’s teachings,
A Billionaire himself who's humble and wise,
Full of faith and God’s blessings,
He made it BIG to no surprise.

In short, what the author wants to say,
If you want to be rich, be a pious one,
We will all leave this earth one day,
Lets make sure we bring along Iman.

Should you want me to tell the whole story,
Or ask me to give a summary,
I can't and I won't, I am sorry,
Buy and read the book... nothing is free!!!

I honestly believe in everything we do,
Bring Allah and Iman with you,
Hey, that’s my 2 cents on the issue,
So, what say you???

Read MORE!!!

I was going through some of our postings in SEV blogs and it occurred to me that we need to do more, to succeed. And to improve our English better, we need to READ, write and speak more in the language.

I am trying to ‘force’ my way to get all of us to write through this blogging exercise, speaking through the weekly presentations and reading through the book reviews etc but I still feel we are lacking. It should become a culture and not just an exercise the CEO ask of you…Anyway, I honestly believe that we need to entice our reading…. Do you know that on average, Malaysians read only a (1) book a year!!! And I wonder how we in SEV are doing??? Are we part of the statistics or are we slightly better… maybe 2 books (don’t laugh now… evaluate ourselves and we will agree to this fact). If we just depend on our book reviews, in my opinion we can only finish 1 book in 3-4 months!!! That's not enough. We should at least be reading 1 book (or more) a month!

We are constantly doing the same thing we did yesterday, last week or last year that our individual learning curve has become stagnant or maybe a small linear growth. Lets look at our problem, and lets find a possible solution. And the problem is ‘weakness in the English language’.

I have seen in many occasions that the newspapers in the office are left at the counter or the table (near SMCs area) unread. I know everyone is busy, but if you come earlier or take some time during lunch or whenever, take a break (not to have a KitKat) and READ the newspaper.

Hey, that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???

The Older You Get, The Wiser You Become

I wonder whether the saying “..the older you get, you wiser you become…” is true. It is around 26 years and …… 60 months (according to the lunar caledar) ago, a cute, handsome, adorable, bouncing baby boy was born into the world. An apple to the eye to a loving couple in Ampangan. This was their second pride and joy after their first child 2 years prior.

This boy spent his childhood years in Seremban. He went to King George V Primary School where he learnt his ABCs and 1,2,3s. He later studied in SMKA Sheikh Haji Mohd Said until form 3 where he learned that nothing is free and that you have to work hard to get what you want. Subsequently he continued his studies at KISAS. It was in KISAS that he began to understand the meaning of ‘life’ and the reasons for living.

After completing his SPM he did his matriculation in UiTM Shah Alam and later pursued a degree in Commerce majoring Accounting and Finance at Monash University in Melbourne Australia. He spent 3 years completing his degree. It was in Australia that he met his current beloved wife whom he wed a year after his graduation.

To cut his story short, his career began in an audit firm, KPMG (those who is in the Accounting profession will have heard of this firm). He then later join MAVCAP and be part of the team to manage the CIP program. Now after 7-8 years in his career, he is currently heading an amazing, fantastic, incredible, wonderful team in SEV. As for family life, he has 2 wonderful kids and expecting another this April…

Yes, it is no secret; today (6 Feb) is my Birthday. Since last night, numerous people have been wishing me verbally or through sms. This year I received the most wishes (thanks to SMCs news flash on all SKALIAN’s birthdays). Mmm it got me thinking, have I become wiser today than yesterday??? (If the answer to that is reflected by your wisdom tooth, then I am sure lacking in wisdom as 3 of mine has not come out yet). But to me, whether I am wiser or not, what really matters is whether I have made any difference in my life and others….This can only be verified by the people around me. If you think I have contributed to the positive change in you, then I am more than happy aging more and more…. If I have not made any difference to anyone in the past year, than maybe, I have just wasted another year of my life. I pray that this coming year will be a better year.

In my humble opinion, the older we get, we don’t just get wiser but the closer we get to day we will leave this earth and enter to a new world (Muslims refer to it as Alam Barzakh). I think we should all remember this, and make sure what we do or will do prepares us for the next ‘life’.

Hey that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s your???

Managing Personal Income

I had a chat with a member of the SEV team (you know who you are) recently. He/she (I am not giving any clues who this person is) admitted to me that he/she is always short in cash. I told him/her that sometimes it is not how much you make but how well you manage and prioritise your spending.

I know some people that make 5 figure incomes but have debts all over and is consisntently in deficit. I know an accountant (a good friend of mine, an ex-colleague in KPMG) that is very good at managing other peoples’ or company’s money but when it comes to his personal wealth, he ‘sucks’ badly (and he makes more money than many of us). He is constantly in debt and ‘pokai’.

I know I might not be the best person to advice him/her on this issue, but I think I can give some pointers from my own experience. My personal advice and experience:

1. First rule : you always plan lesser than what your actual income is (people will accommodate their lifestyle according to their income so don’t give in to peer pressure);
2. Second rule: you never plan with what you don't have (don't speculate on how much bonus or increment you will get and don't get trapped by CREDIT CARDS!!!);
3. Third rule: make sure you always have an allocation for savings and/or investment (even if it is only RM5 a month);
4. Fourth rule: if you want to feel that you are never short on cash, you need to make your income 'berkat' (sorry, don't know the English word for it). Prioritise your income... i will share with you how i prioritise mine, most importantly, the top 3 items (see below)....and for argument purposes, lets assume an income of RM 1500 (my income when i started work at KPMG); and
5. Fifth rule: need to work on in creating passive income (want to know more, come and talk to me hahahaha)
   
   Salary RM 1500
   
   Contribution to Parents RM 200
   Zakat and Charity RM 100
   Allocation for Haj RM 100
   Food RM 300
   Rental and basic amenities RM 200
   Logistics RM 150
   Clothing RM 100
   Entertainment RM 50
   Others (emergency) RM 100
   Savings/Investment RM 200
   
   Of course, the allocation changes as new requirements or changes in lifestyle. This was mine during my bachelor years. Now, I have a family to accommodate and thus my life style changed as well.
   
   You might ask where is the allocation for my car? Well, I only bought my first car after 4 years working. Before that, the public transportation was life. I would rather pay more on the down payment than to increase in my monthly allocation on other stuff. Up until now, I am only paying less than RM 500 on my car, and it sure gave me room to breath during ‘bad’ times.
   
   Hey, that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???

Aren't We Courteous

I would like to express my deepest frustrations towards many Malaysians that are still lacking in their ‘civic consciousness’. There are many incidents that reflect this but I want to focus on just the situation in our public transportation facilities.

My wife is currently 6 months pregnant with our third child Alhamdulillah (insyaAllah the Dr said, I am expecting another daughter…). Anyways, today she had to take the LRT. We kind of overslept this morning. After Subuh prayers, we continued with our beauty sleeps and only woke up at 7.17 am. Normally, we leave the house at around 6.40 am and will reach KLCC by 7.50 am (Petronas starts work at 8 am, that is why most of the time I will be amongst the first to arrive the office). It is so pathetic… it takes about an hour to travel to work in the morning (due to the heavy traffic) when it takes only 15-20 minutes should I leave after 9.30 am (mmm this is another topic I will later write in my Blog!!!). So this morning, we had to make a judgment call.. at the end, she decided that she will take the LRT as she knows that she will make it to the office by 8 am.

I just had a phone call from her (it’s 7.56 am, she’s at the office already). She told me about how NO one was courteous enough to give her a seat. I have gone through this scenario before. I remembered when my wife was pregnant with our first child (Mu’adz). Back then our ‘economic’ or ‘financial’ conditions were not that stable yet, so we relied heavily on the public transport for our logistical needs. Most of the days, I would have to ask the people that are seating to give seat to my pregnant wife, any elderly or disabled (or most Malaysians call OKUs..). And most of the time someone will offer their seat (unfortunately, mostly it is not the men but the ladies..). I remembered one time, a ‘BOY’ (but in a 30 yr old body) just totally ignored us and purposely shut his eyes while listening to his walkman.

It was during this time that Sharizat’s ministry came out with the ‘Aren’t We Courteous’ campaign. Seeing the ad where Azlin (or whatever his name is) acted as the rude passenger that did not give his seat for those more in need. Man, I really supported that campaign. It worked to a certain extend. At least, sarcastically people are reminded that the seats are reserved for others less fortunate. Unfortunately, the campaign ended (I guess) as it is no longer advertised. In my humble opinion, we should continue and in fact intensify the campaign.

Hey, that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???

Prayers for Sharlinie

I pray to Allah for the safe return of Sharlinie to her parents and family. Lets take a moment and make a Doa to Allah, as He is the only one who we worship and the only place that we seek assistance from…. (We recite this every day at least 17 times as it is in the 4th sentence in surah Al-Fatihah).

Sharlinie has been missing since (if I am not mistaken) 9th January. I need not elaborate on how the story started and escalated. Up to now, I think the media has taken this to a scenario where it has forced the police to do house-to-house checks, got certain individuals and NGOs to provide monetary rewards on any information that leads to the safe return of Sharlinie, posters stamped at each corner of the country, suraus and mosques are consistently conducting Hajat prayers etc. Everybody wants to be a part of the initiave to get Sharlinie home.

Lets not forget the few other cases before Sharlinie…. Everybody remembers Muhammad Nazrin or Yin and Nurin Jazlin (these are the one currently on top of my head right now) in fact there are many more. We hope Sharlinie’s case will not end as tragic as it did for Nurin. This is what I am worried about. It got me thinking whether the strategy to go to media was the ‘right’one.

I was discussing this over with an ex-cop neighbor the other day and his immediate response was that sometimes media was what made things worst. The abductors are already on a ‘nothing-to-loose’ mode. In fact the first thing they did was to shave the kids hair off. The same story for Yin (shaved by the Myanmar couple) and Nurin (her hair was shorter, that’s why the parents could not recognize her). I am afraid for the worst. When these abductors are pressured and become more desperate, they might go to the extend of even ‘murder’ waliyazubillah. I believe that’s what happened to Nurin. I think, the police should put as much effort as possible to all cases regardless whether it went on the media or not and we should not go straight to the media on similar incidents.

Hey that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???

Trials in Life and After

I believe everybody at least in Malaysia is aware on the on-going Royal Commission of Inquiry on the video clip of a ‘now-famous’ lawyer, VKL. People get famous for a lot of reasons, but when your name is published in papers, internet, sms, mms for a crime, then it’s really not something anyone should be proud of. Let alone, if you are allegedly brokering for the highest judicial appointments of the country (the very institution that reflects ‘Transparency, Justice, Fair, Integrity.. to name a few). Personally, I do not want to comment on the inquiry, the video clip, the lawyer or any witnesses testifying on the stand, and we are talking about VVIPs, high profile individuals which includes the former PM and CJ. I do believe that you are innocent unless proven guilty. There’s always 2 sides of a coin. Let the court do its job.

Anyway, while I was reading about the drilling questions a commission member asked TEC, a well respected former CJ on his relationship with VKL, questions that later supported by evidence (photos) of his close relationship with the lawyer (on trial…mmm who is actually on trial here???) it occurred to me there are lessons to be learned from this episode. Some will say, we should emphasise on more integrity, responsibility, honesty in life or practice higher ethics. Lets just look at the basic Codes of Ethics listed in the Prime Minister’s Dept (Among them are - Intergrity - to practise values of honesty, sincerity and integrity in all matters; Responsibility -to possess high accountability and responsibility in performing duties, without abusing power and position for self gain or other interested parties; and a few others..)

Me, I think a bigger lesson here is....... that we will all be trialed one day. And on that day, no one will be spared (yup, that includes YOU and ME), we will be judged by Allah the Almighty in the most just court room ever. On that day, we will not be able to say, “No, I can’t remember” or “No, it was not me….” as on that day, all our previous actions on earth will be presented in front of us. We will be asked for the smallest thing (the air we breath – have we used it wisely) to be biggest of things (how we have used the wealth, health etc given to us). Therefore, I seriously think that the biggest lesson to be learned from this is that we should act as how the prophet (s.a.w.) has defined “Ihsan - 'It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for though you do not see Him, surely He sees you'. If we act in Ihsan, then insyaAllah we will pass the 'Ultimate Trial'...

Hey that’s my 2 cents on the issue, what’s yours???