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Re-discovering Melaka Part 2

Posted on | June 26, 2008

This is a part-2 of the rediscovering Melaka series. It’s basically about what I actually learn in the process of writing a travel guide book for a4trip . I’m still stuck at the moment. But, I will at least write something about my current progress .

The first thing I learn about writing guidebooks as follows. There are many other guidebooks out there, including the FREE guides from Pusat Pelancongan Melaka. ( “Malacca Tourisme Center.”) So what separates our guidebook from the rest. As mentioned before, it’s the writers experience. A good example would be the best hidden eateries in Melaka. It’s not highlighted in the free guidebook. Another point would be special interesting souvenirs to buy here. Not the usual dodol and pineapple tarts. Another good one would be traveler tips. What other features you think a guide book should have?

{ Filed Under Melaka guide development, opinion, work | Leave a Comment }

Why we need to network?

Posted on | June 24, 2008

The subject of networking is pretty wide these days. It may refer to computing, the world wide web , building contacts and making friends firm different background , culture and industry.

Today will be the subject of networking among people. Why network? Is it really important these days? As a matter of fact, it is. Compared to the older days , the idea of stand alone and focus on one is completely obsolete. We may no longer live efficiently without inter-dependence. Networking among people is like building partnerships and alliances. These days, goals are getting bigger , higher and more complex. Without networking , it seems that complex problems are simply not impossible but rather difficult to solve. By combining expertise in different fields and having access to it makes it a very important tool for future success.

How do we network? Or at least start to network? Just wear our best smile and say “hi” to the person next to you. Who knows? They will probably be your future friends that we will learn much from.

{ Filed Under opinion | Leave a Comment }

Re-discovering Melaka Part 1

Posted on | June 20, 2008

This post is the development milestone to re-discover one of Malaysia’s historical city, Melaka and create an exposure as one of the tourist destination. Why I name this post re-discovering Melaka? The reason behind it is simple. As native Malaccans, most of us assumed that we know everything about our hometown.For example, the best place to eat, the greatest shopping experience in town, recommended place for sight seeing and etc. But maybe not! There’s always a new thing to discover even at the most basic routine such as taking a walk in the park. We might see a different thing during our walk everyday that is worth talking and remembering. This same thing goes to being a Malaccan. We will learn a new thing or two when we re-discover places and people along the way.

Credits to stuckincustoms.com for the beautiful night view of Melaka

Together with Fabien , who is a good friend of mine (and the mapper as well) will work as a team to start this project! Stay tune for more!

{ Filed Under Melaka guide development, business | 4 Comments }

Why do you need to have a business if you are Malaysian?

Posted on | June 18, 2008

“Mind your own business.” That is my favorite quote from best selling author Robert Kiyosaki. The famous author for Rich Dad Poor Dad , Retire Young Retire Rich and the creator of Cash Flow game. I played the game once during a leadership and engineering camp in university and it gave a huge impact in my life. Probably define 75% of who i am today.

Why do we need to mind our own business? And if you are living in Malaysia, you are recommended to have at least one. There’s no choice since we have very caliber clowns running Bolehland. 40% increase in petrol is one of the main reasons. So, be prepared to brace at least 40% inflation this year. If you are just working, how much pay raise can your boss give you? 10% for being top performer. Even so, your life quality still backtracked -30%.

Due to heavy competition and a weak greenback, many companies which has major US based customers are struggling to keep a float. With thin profit margins and coping with the aggressive market, companies are either forced to merged or downsize. This leaves many voluntary self retirement scheme as well as retrenchments. How about pay raise? I think it’s at minimum because most people that I meet are complaining.

So what can we do to increase our income circle?

Here’s a few suggestions. It all depends on every person and may not be suitable for everyone. But before trying any of these, it is best to do some homework on what works  well for you and get a mentor that you can trust.

Blogging.

It’s getting really common for people to blog for money this days. Nuffnang , Advertlets..etc. if you are more sophisticated, you will probably sell ads and space when your blog attracts high traffic and advertisers . Other option would be affiliate marketing.

Insurance.

Some people invest. Some people sell. You can develop some salesmanship skills through here. Insurance is a need today.

Direct sales

Another booming industry. There are many kinds in the market where people create websites and obtain sales directly from visitors using certain systems. Some create networks of people and new channels of distribution links to distribute goods to gain profits. No middle man ,so more gain!

Investments

I think lots of experience is required here. People in Quadrant I makes the most $$ here. There’s stocks, bonds, mutual funds, hedge funds etc.

Real estate

Some people shop for property to generate some passive income. If you are able buy a property in a up-going neighborhood, you will enjoy capital gains as well. Yes, you do need to have good networks with investing property agents and a sharp eye as well to look for the best deals.

Part time job

Some hardworking people also opt for a second job at night apart from their day job. I believe many people in Hong Kong are doing the same too.

Small business

There are many business that can be started at very low cost. One of them would be on line business. Some individuals sell flowers, softwares, 2nd hand goods, designing services , market products and etc through their websites. Some people also treat writing articles to create royalty incomes as a business. Teaching home tuition is also a good start up for a small business.

Other alternatives??

Compared to our fore fathers, we are actually living in a tougher time. So, what do you think we can do to get through the oil price crisis apart form above? Hope our kind readers can share some thoughts and ideas for everyone to read.

{ Filed Under business, opinion | Leave a Comment }

How to bounce back from a setback or failure?

Posted on | June 16, 2008

Setbacks and failure are very common. A two and a half years of experience in free enterprise business , sales , marketing ,promotion and now blogging has provided me with valuable life experience to achieve my life goals. The lessons all can be summarized to three words.

NEVER GIVE UP!

KEEP ON TRYING!

My blog was gone after myexhost.com server hard disk was corrupted. I didn’t backed it up either. All the previous post were gone for good. Silly me. But, it’s ok Life goes on. But make sure our goals still stays. The failure and setbacks are just learning tools. The really question is? How fast are we able to bounce? And how to do that? It depends on how strong is your goal and your motivation towards achieving it!

Here’s some simple steps how we can bounce back from a setback or massive failure.

1. Learn to forget all the past failures. Have the learning attitude and the willingness to start again from zero.

2. Know what went wrong and make sure not to repeat it again.

3. Build a belief and strong determination to succeed

4. Extend your goals and make sure it surpass the previous. Work hard all the way and never stop till you reach it.

5.Bounce.

{ Filed Under opinion | 1 Comment }
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