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???