The Two Lessons From Insanity

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect different result. That is insanity Lesson 1. Insanity Lesson 2-not learning and applying Insanity Lesson 1.

I Saw Pet Shop Boys In Concert :)

Finally, they came down and a lifelong dream was achieved. No words needed. Just the pics, and even they don't do justice. A very musical experience.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2014

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri dari kami sekeluarga ;)

 lagu raya best ...

Kisah Tentang Adikku Juliana

Pada sekitar pertengahan Julai 1981, Sukan SEA sedang berlangsung di Manila, Filipina. Dan sekitar minggu 17 Julai, aku menonton perlawanan bola keranjang wanita Indonesia bertemu Filipina. Terus suka dengan nama seorang pemain Indonesia ini ... pada malam itu, Papa turun ke kereta di parkir UH setelah melawat Mama di wad. Katanya, "ha,.. korang dapat baby sister .. nak nama apa?" .. spontan den jawab, " Nama Juliana la Pa.. macam sedap je " ... itulah kisahnya. Nama adik ku sempena nama pemain bola keranjang wanita Indonesia ;-) ... just nak put that into record! :D

Selamat Hari Jadi ke XX kepada my adik bongsu Juliana Ismail :) rakan tengok wayang CM masa late 90s dulu :D have a great celebration!!

gambar ihsan FB Juliana :)

Syukur I am 41

Assalamualaikum, semua.

Syukur, I am 41 today :) Alhamdullillah, this past week has been eventful, an awakening that I thought would never be possible. My gratitude to Him for the all blessings that He has given me. Syukur :) and may He gives more in the future. My thanks to my parents, Ismail Md Noor and Puteh Ismail for being the best they can be as parents. To my family, wife Linda & kids Zara, Farah .. who bring me smiles and joy every single day. To my siblings, Ajie, Novie and Julia, thank you for being around, InsyaAllah, we will be back together.


41 man ... not bad eh :DDDD

It is not my path anymore?

Sejak awal tahun ini, saya telah membuat tekad. Tekad bahawa UCSI adalah tempat terakhir kerja saya sebagai seorang akademia. Dalam suatu kerjaya, ada matlamat yang harus dicapai untuk 'mencukupkan' kerjaya itu. Dalam kerjaya akademia, dua perkara utama tersebut adalah membuat penyelidikan dan menghasilkan tulisan akademik dan menyambung pengajian phD.
Dan akhirnya, setelah tujuh tahun berkecimpung dalam bidang ini, I come to realization that for all intents and purposes ... it is not my path anymore ... and continuing this path will not make me happy in the long run ....

Drastik bukan .... kerja stabil tetapi tidak mahu teruskan kerja ini ... habis itu, mahu buat apa? Hujung tahun lepas, saya berfikir .. 20 tahun akan datang ... apa yang akan saya lakukan? Sayangnya,bayangan dunia akademik saya agak malap. Saya boleh teruskan dengan apa yang saya lakukan sekarang, tetapi rasanya tidak akan ke mana.

Tapi, saya bersyukur dapat merasa kerja sebagai seorang ahli akademik ... saya dapat masa untuk berfikir secara terang, sambil membuat sesuatu yang menyeronokkan.. dan bekerja dengan orang muda membuatkan saya jiwa muda :) hehehe ....

Saya tahu masa depan saya masih dalam bidang pendidikan, tetapi mungkin pendidikan ilmu lain ...

okaylah ... cerita malam-malam.

Goodnite!

Change and Vigilance

In the movie, " Pursuit of Happyness " .. there is a scene where Chris Gardner talks about the 10 gallon hat of disappointment in his head .. I know how he feels I guess, because for the past years, I felt the same. The coulda, shoulda, wouldas .... the constant comparisons to friends your age who are far more successful .... and the list go on and on .... so what did I do about it? Ignoring it did not work as it still gnawed on my mind.
I just ACCEPTed it. That was the first thing I did. I admitted that I effed up my 20s and early 30s in terms of career, especially. And I am behind and must accept where I am. The next thing was moving on, acknowledging that the memories are there and plan your current and future. I forgiven a few fellas and l felt better. Letting go truly works and can be therapeutic.
One thing about change that I learnt in the past month is that you have to plan for your change. There must be details in this plan, so that you know what to do when the need or situation arises . p
One minor change in my diet for the past month is I have limited/remove intake of sugared water during working weekdays. I do my best to drink plain water / air masak, during these times. Or iced water / Coke Light. No Milo, teh o ais and the works. Result: I feel a bit lighter and I like it. Will continue doing it. I have not been 100% successful, but it is not a bad thing.
oh and I have been posting my old diary entries from my Jasin school days in this blog. Nothing has been edited, as it has been posted word by word. Reading it again brings a different perspective. I was a bit naive then, that's for sure.

A recent picture of Me and my Pool :)

and I like to finish with this video of Michael Jackson performing 'Man In The Mirror' live. Now that he's gone, more people miss him and realize what a legend he was.



Later.

Why I Have Been Wrong About Change ....

A common theme in my posts in the past years has been my desire for change. Of course, I want to change for the better. In 2014, I did some changes to how I work ... and discovered that something interesting and significant.
What I did was I just scheduled my work stuff/details ahead of time. Nothing major. And the results were significant. I was able to handle more workload especially the pressure. There was less 'paralysis' and more movement-more completed tasks, etc.

Eureka! ( just for illustration )

In the end, it was just that I had a 'system'. That is what it was .... a system of how to do things ... and actually, all of us have been doing that all this while .. what is a human body, but a system of interconnected organs, for example.
So lesson here ... Change is good, have a system that would implement the change ... and it should fit you as a person-Who you are ...

Aku dah grown up a bit kot :P ...

A poster of Liverpool Man United 10 Magic Moments

I love this poster :D courtesy of Liverpoolfc.tv :)

Ulu Yam Di Liverpool ... Inspirasi Untuk Masa Hadapan

Syukur, dapat aku membeli dan membaca karya Tuan Nazali, Ulu Yam Di Liverpool.

di bawah adalah review ku untuk buku ini di goodreads.com Ulu Yam Di Liverpool by Nazali Noor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Satu buku yang mengandungi catatan peribadi tuan penulisnya yang santai dan bersahaja, dengan maksud yang mendalam. Apa yang ditulis oleh tuan Nazali, kita juga mungkin pernah mengalami, bukan kisah yang sama, tetapi konteks yang sama. Yang menjayakan buku ini adalah catatan - catatan beliau yang jujur dan datang dari jiwa. Ia memberi kesan dan inspirasi kepada pembacanya. Saya berikan lima bintang kerana banyak pengajaran beliau dalam buku ini adalah praktikal dan relevan untuk masa ini. Juga, saya peminat tegar Liverpool :) YNWA!

View all my reviews

Kagum dengan kisah hidup tuan Nazali yang dibukukan ini. Juga ada nasihat-nasihat yang berguna. Walaupun beliau sekeluarga berhijrah ke UK, tapi Malaysia tetap di hati. Hmm, memang aku ada berniat untuk berhijrah ke tanah Amerika, cuma bimbang mengenai nawaitu dan sekiannya. Akan aku beri pertimbangan sepenuhnya, InsyaAllah.

Kepada tuan Nazali, tahniah atas kejayaan buku ini dengan menyunting semangat Liverpool Football Club dengan kisah2 hidup anda. YNWA!! :)

A Change Is Coming

Being in the 40s these past few weeks have been a bit sucky :P .. why? I am reminded of my 20-30s which lead to a pearl of wisdom I imparted to my ex-students. The wisdom- what we do in the 20s and 30s lead to where we are. Cliche and true.
Being introspective is good and bad. Good as it keeps you grounded, and bad, as it makes me you rue the stuff you screwed up- the shoulds and what-ifs. And it can be overwhelming.
The cure for this I guess as I my old lecturer Joel Boyd used to say, " Keep On Living ". And work on your Now and Future.
As some of you who might read my blog, I have issues with my pasts which still stays in the background. I do my best to keep focus, but dang it still f**king lingers ...
Linda also has been giving me signals about staying home full time. I think she is tired of the whole corporate life. Can't blame her much. She is a homegirl, who wants to do her thing. I think ;-)
And one thing I have to say, I miss the USA. There I said it.

Therapy of Memories

I have been posting my Jasin diary writings at another blog. Why? Self therapy and preservation of what I wrote, since the writing paper is decaying slower. Wish I could scan it, but I do not have a scanner. What I am interested to see is the evolution of the significant moments in my Jasin school years, which still rocks till now. Two very transformative years :/ hmm .... So far, I am cool when flashing back to those times .. but gotta admit.. it is bittersweet.

La Da Dee Da ...

Demi Masa aka my 40 year old musing

Sejak dua tiga hari ini, surah ini sentiasa berkumandang dalam minda ini ..

Emas boleh beli, masa tidak boleh dibeli balik. That is why time is precious and cruel. Once it is gone you can never get it back. Maximize it as much as you can.

Zara 1st Day Of School

2/1/2014 adalah hari pertama Zara masuk ke alam persekolahan. :) Tahun 1. Pelbagai perasaan ada-- bangga, takut, risau, gelabah, .. in the end, everything turned out okaylah. Beliau bersekolah di Sek Ren Jalan 3, BB Bangi.

 Gambar ke KAFA

 Gambar sebelum kelas

 Gambar dalam kelas

 Gambar tamat sekolah


 My princess has grown up. Aww ....

my video for Zara ... never grow up sayang ..

Ini Kalilah .... Heaven Knows oleh Rick Price

Bila apa yang kita usahakan tidak menjadi/berhasil...masa telah tiba untuk mencari jalan baru untuk mencapai apa yang dikehendakki. Kegagalan yang kita alami sebenarnya adalah mesej bahawa kemungkinan besar caranya tidak betul ataupun salah. Dan bila berterusan buat benda yang sama, jangan harap hasil yang berbeza.

Sejak tahun 2007 (dah lama ye..) diri ini ada menjalankan pelbagai usaha untuk menjana pendapatan sampingan. Namun, hasilnya tidak berapa memberangsangkan walaupun usaha telah dicurahkan secara material dan masa. Beberapa hari lepas, baru ku sedar bahawa selama ini aku melakukannya dengan cara yang salah. Terlalu mengejar pelbagai cabang pada waktu yang sama walaupun dengan komitmen yang akhirnya memenatkan dan membuat aku berhenti berusaha. Dan akhirnya ia tidak berjaya. Dan ia akan berulang lagi dan lagi.

TIDAK. Ini kalilah ....aku akan pilih SATU cara dan berikan komitmen 100%. Doakan aku berjaya.

-----

tiba - tiba teringat kepada kawan lama, Nor Kamarul Aisyah Zaiedi. Masih ingat dengan makan malam KFC di KFC Sek 18? dan lagu ini beliau kata beliau suka pada masa itu ..

Tony Robbins Reveals Greatest Secret Ever Video Review

Earlier today, I was going through my video downloads of Youtube videos and found a video of Tony Robbins talking about how to get through a crisis, and the success of handling it. I downloaded the video as the title was compelling. Anyway, after going through the video, it is actually a repeat or a remix ;-) of some of his stuff that he has been talking about. Now, if you have followed him all this way, some of the things he speaks in this video are 'old' stuff that you have read or heard him talk about. But I like this video as it is still informative as ever.

The video is embedded below

However, if you want a summary of the points, the picture below summarizes five points he outlined in the video above ..

I do recommend that after checking the summary above that you view the video in its entirety to get the 'meat' of the message :)

For the record, I like him and think that he is an inspiring guy.

picture credit - screen capture from the youtube video.

Ini Bukan Kisah Isteri Mat Yo

Sahaja saya mahu buat title yang mesra SEO ;-)

Di mana kita dan ke mana kita akan pergi? Bukan di mana kita dahulu. Melihat entri2 blog ini yang lepas, satu keinsafan timbul pada diri ini. Some stuff will work and stuff will not work. But, if you do not take real action, instead of just imagining it, then you will not know whether it works or not.

And having too much on your plate will distract and overload your senses. Saya masih ingat apa yang mendiang Steve Jobs lakukan semasa dia kembali ke Apple sekitar tahun 96. Beliau bertanya kepada pasukan pengurusnya, tentang produk-produk keluaran Apple. Pelbagai nama dan jenis diberikan sehingga beliau marah dan berkata.. " This is crazy ... we should make four great products.. one for each quadrant ..". Bagi beliau, tahu untuk tidak buat apa adalah sama penting untuk tahu buat apa.


Life goes on.. and I am going to write more...

Sikit - sikit Lama - lama Menjadi Bukit

Satu perkara yang saya akhirnya sedar adalah tindakan kecil - kecil yang kita buat pada masa lampau memberi impak yang sangat besar kepada hasilnya di masa hadapan. Tony Robbins sendiri berkata, " when you make a small change in the beginning, in the long run, it will make a huge change.."
Dalam buku beliau, Rahsia Ajaib Untuk Berjaya, Razzi Armansur juga menekankan fokus kepada impak masa hadapan tindakan sekarang untuk berjaya dalam segala bidang/usaha yang kita lakukan.
Kesimpulannya, untuk berjaya, ia memerlukan tindakan yang berterusan ke arah mencapai apa yang kita inginkan.
Pesanan untuk diri ini dan rakan-rakan pembaca sekalian.

Just We Two ( Monalisa ) - Modern Talking

Pada tahun 1987, saya mengenali seorang gadis pingitan ini. Orangnya comel, senyumannya manis. Walaupun kami berbeza sekolah, tetapi kami berkawan macam biasa. NorDalilah Adnan namanya. Dan ketika itu, lagu di bawah amat saya gemari dan pasti mengingatkan saya pada dirinya. Sayang selepas SRP, kami berpisah arah, saya ke MRSM J, beliau ke Vokay Rembau. Once in a while, bila dengar lagu ini, I always wonder where she is and hope she is fine and happy ..

2 Becomes 1 - Spice Girls

I wrote the lyrics to this song on a birthday card to Wan Noor Halizan, around mid 90s. Then I learnt the truth and she broke my heart. Ah well, it was not meant to be....

Sealed With A Kiss -Jason Donovan-

Pada zaman sekolah menengah dahulu.. zaman MRSM Jasin khususnya, saya selalu berutus surat dengan gadis ini, kawan baik saya, Zarina Mokhtar. Trend masa zaman itu, kami sering menghantar lirik lagu bersama surat kiriman kami. Dan, dalam satu surat, beliau kirim lirik lagu ini, and each time I hear this song, I am reminded of her ...

2013 Resolutions

2013 resolution

Shall I write it here so shall I keep it a secret ? Yang pasti 2013 adalah satu tahun yang penting. Umur saya 40 ( EMPAT PULUH ). Umur kawan2 saya pun 40 :) InsyaAllah.

Tell you what .. I will keep it a secret this time. Once I reached it, I will post it here. Let's do it this way kali ini :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013
SELAMAT TAHUN BARU 2013

Gin Blossoms - Till I Hear It From You

Gadis ini ku kenal masa tahun terakhir di KPP. Junior setahun. Cik Halimatun. Dia melanjutkan pelajaran ke Oklahoma State. Masa di Oklahoma State, aku sungguh mahu menghantar lagu ini pada beliau. Tetapi, tidak pasti sama ada berjaya atau tidak ia dihantar. Zaman sebelum Facebook dan Youtube. But, I will always remember her when I listen to this song and know that she's happy. :)

More Than Forever KRU

Seorang sahabat puteri yang aku kenal adalah kakak angkat kepada sepupu lelaki dari utara. Kami berkenalan sekitar lewat 90an. Dan, satu ketika, ada sesuatu dalam diri ini padanya. Nama beliau Rusmawati atau lebih mesra, Dik Ati. :)

Liverpool lost and it did not matter ...

last weekend, Liverpool lost 1-3 at Anfield to Aston Villa, but I did not care at all. Why ? We nearly lost Zara to drowning ..... I nearly lost my little princess ...

Secara ringkas, pada hari minggu lepas, kami ke Philea Hotel, Ayer Keroh, untuk hari keluarga syarikat Linda. Pada hari ke-2, pada waktu pagi selepas sarapan kami ke outdoor swimming pool. Saya sibuk mencari tempat untuk kami sekeluarga duduk, mana kala Linda melayan si Farah. Salah aku, tanpa aku sedar Zara sudah melompat ke dalam kolam dewasa. Aku lihat bayang dia dalam air, dia tidak bergerak .. pada masa itu sebelah dia ada seorang lelaki dewasa dengan anak dia. Dia ingatkan Zara tengah berendam. Aku terus kata kat Zara suruh dia keluar. Linda dah panik, suruh aku tarik Zara keluar. Ya Allah ! Ha ah .. mana dia tahu berenang. Bila tarik dia keluar, bibirnya sudah pucat dan hampir hilang sedar. Namun, bila aku rangkul dan kejutkan, syukur dia terus sedar. Dan akhirnya, Zara recover dan aku bawa dia main di kolam budak2. Pada mulanya, Linda tidak setuju dan mahu balik ke bilik, tetapi, aku tidak mahu Zara fobia dengan kolam renang.

At least she learnt a lesson. Later, she threw up as she took milk and we forgot that she drank a lot of the pool dirty water. We took her to a clinic later and she checked out. Soon, by the next morning, she recovered, but we monitored her for 48 hours as advised by the doctor to make sure she was okay.

The whole incident taught me a invaluable lesson, and I love Zara more than ever.

My Heart Is Failing Me - Riff

She was the first in KPP that made my heart stopped for a while. Noreen Nordin, with that purple Proton Saga, BCN 121. :) I saw her listening to this cassette and I liked this song from the album. It always and still does remind me of her ... :)

I Can't Wait Another Minute - Hi Five

Masa zaman KPP, hati ini beberapa kali berdegup lebih pantas dari biasa. Dan salah seorang yang buat saya begitu adalah Alina Ali, or Corporal Alina Ali, dengan Proton Knight hitamnya, JBW 187 :) masih ingat nombor kereta. What I liked about her was she was cool and sweet. Also, I made her that Paula Abdul lyric book for her ... this is her song ;-)

Linger - Cranberries

This song always remind me of this friend. Marsha Marissa Malek. She introduced me to the world of Shannara, and the world of Shannara is quirky and whimsical, like her ;-) and I will always remember her as the fair maiden of Shannara.

I'll Be Waiting - KRU

Lagu ini mengingatkan kerja pertama di IT-CAT di Bangsar, sebelum Bangsar menjadi sangat happening seperti sekarang ... masa di IT-Cat, salah seorang pelajar yang saya berkawan adalah Treena Abdul Rashid. Okaylah orangnya ... very cool. Ayahnya seorang pencetak dan mengikut kata dia, nama syarikat mereka adalah sempena nama beliau :P .. last time kami berjumpa semasa perkahwinan beliau pada tahun 1996.. setiap kali mendengar lagu ini / atau lalu kilang percetakan company mereka, pasti ku ingat dia ;-)

My Generation - Limp Bizkit

This is a strange song to remember a girl so bear with me :) ... Nur Meliza Murad, years ago, around 2000, Limp Bizkit had just released their third album, Chocolate Starfish & Hot Dog Flavored Water. And I was looking around for the uncensored version on CD, as the official CD sold at the record shops had been 'filtered'. So there was moir having dinner with at a mamak near her house, and this nearby cd pirate kiosk was blaring songs from this cd. And that memory stuck.. sampai la sekarang ;-)

RBD - Tu Amor

Mendengar lagu ini pasti mengingatkan saya pada rakan MMU, Edina Nasseri .. this is the kind of song that I would not think she would ever sing ;-) hehe .... a good friend and a quirky lady :)

Elton John & George Michael - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

This song reminds me of my KPP friend Sukma. Masa lagu ini popular, the only thing I remembered was I said I loved the song and she said the same thing. That's all and it kinda stuck in my head ever since ;-)
 

Lagu Musim Sejuk 1993 di DC

Bila sahaja mendengar lagu ini, lagu ' I'm Ready ' oleh Tevin Campbell, pasti ingat saat - saat musim sejuk di DC hujung 93 ... melihat salji turun di luar tingkap apartment ... I miss those memories ..

Never Forget - Take That

Sebagai satu penghormatan terhadap bekas pelajar saya semasa di IT-CAT dahulu, Cik Muna. Beliau pada masa itu merupakan seorang peminat  fanatik Take That, a Thatter :D .... kali terakhir berjumpa dengan beliau di KLIA 10 tahun lepas ..ada baca artikel perkahwinan beliau di majalah. Ayah beliau merupakan seorang tokey cat ;-) ... I hope she's well ;-)

Saya suka lagu ini.. mengingatkan kita untuk terus berjuang dalam hidup !

Three Songs That Reminds Me About USA

Each time I listen to these three songs, it reminds me of my arrival in USA during Fall 1993. I was sad once I left US in 1995 and I miss the place from time to time ;-) ... I remembered purchasing the Shai n UB40 cassette singles at the Tower Record store near GW that time.

 And here is a trivia that will always be etched forever in my memories. My first night in DC, I went to the Safeway superstore that was open 24 hours with a couple of seniors, and purchased a can of Barbasol shaving gel. This piece of memory has been in my mind for ages ;-)


 Shai - Baby, I'm Yours


 SWV - Right Here ( Human Nature Mix )


 UB40 - Can't Help Falling In Love

Miles Away - Winger

Ada satu ketika dahulu ketika di KPP Shah Alam, saya mendapat surat pendek dari sahabat baik saya ketika itu, Saliza Sulaiman. Beliau menceritakan pengalaman belajar di UiTM dan mengajak saya berjumpa dengan dia di Perpustakaan Negeri, Shah Alam, pada hari Sabtu. Dia juga ada berkata sama ada saya ada lagu Miles Away ( Winger ) dalam koleksi mixtape saya.

 Pada hari yang ditetapkan, saya turun ke perpustakaan, tetapi tidak berjumpa dengan beliau. She said she was there , but I did not see her. Sometimes, we are not destined to meet. Sebab itu apabila mendengar lagu ini, saya pasti akan ingat dengan Cik Saliza. Rakan rapat, esp masa zaman KPP dahulu ;-) we shared a lot of stories kan, cik Saliza ?

She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5

Lagu ini mengingatkan saya pada Inn ( Intan Nahariah ), a lovely lady with a beautiful soul. For the interesting times we knew each other ... my friend from Rigel of Orion ;-)

Sampai Kapan - Maliq n D'Essentials feat. Camelia

Lagu ini khas buat kawan online gue, Wan, yang tidak pernah gue ketemui di alam maya. Ilusi atau realiti .. this song will always be her song ;-)
 

Mengapa Dirindu - Uji Rashid

Lagu sentiasa mengingatkan diri ini pada Wan Aminah, bekas rakan sekerja di DagangNet dahulu. Lagu ini bermain di kepala apabila diri ini apabila dapat tahu beliau sudah ada pacar ;-) ... pergh, jiwang karat diri ini masa itu ... ;-)

Melt With You - Nouvelle Vogue

This song always reminds me one of my online friends, Nur Dalila Shaari, whom I was pals with, while she was studying at RPI. We used to have great YM chats those days :))

 When she used to have a blog ;-), she had this song in the background of her blog and I loved the tune. Surprisingly, it is a punk track that got a makeover from the French alt-pop group, Nouvelle Vogue.
 Simply fabulous.
 

To Be Alive - Def Leppard

Lagu ini khas buat Cik Tembikai, Dr Dila. Pada satu waktu dalam hubungan persahabatan kami, lagu ini kerap saya mainkan. Dalam satu perjalanan, dalam bas ekspress Kuantan ke Kuala Lumpur, lagu ini sahaja yang diputar berulang kali dalam pemain cd peribadi. Ditambah ketika itu saya baru menghabiskan novel Cinta Pertama karangan Norhayati Berahim. Waduh, satu aduanan resipi padat untuk seorang Mat Jiwang :) 

Taman Rasyidah Utama - Wings

Lagu ini sentiasa kerana seorang wanita : Syireen Alwi. Rakan dari MRSM Jasin 89 - 90. I wish she knew what she did, but it's alright, we were young then .... Pernah lagu ini kumpulan homeroom kami cadangkan untuk buat lagu Freshie Night .. tetapi, tak jadi .. but it's so poignant now .. ... sebagai hiasan taman ini ...

 

Stickwitu - Pussycat Dolls

Lagu yang mengingatkan saya kepada si isteri Azlinda Abdullah ;) semasa kami berpacaran, dia kata lagu ini mengingatkan dia pada saya ... aww, how sweet :)

New Posts Coming Up

Salam kepada semua pembaca. Greetings to all viewers ...

Yes, I have been guilty of not posting for a while. My fault as I have been preoccupied with so many things. Yet, this blog will always be there .. to record my memories and where better to post my next blog / video blog series than there ....

For the next few months, I will be posting videos and a simple note about the videos. The videos are music videos that represent the ladies in my life ... :)

So stay tuned ...

PS / to the ladies who will be mentioned, you are a part of my memories .... ;-)

Connecting The Dots

Bila melihat keputusan - keputusan yang dilakukan pada masa lepas, kita hanya tahu hasilnya pada masa akan datang. Pada masa membuat keputusan, kita menggunakan maklumat dan kepercayaan kita pada masa itu. 
Sebab itu, bila melihat perkara - perkara yang berlaku sekarang ... aku ikut kata mendiang Steve Jobs ... " . " You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. " 

And that is why decision making is a very important skill to have ....

Study Hacks Intro

I love this quote I got from the blog, Study Hacks, about the two tasks in your career.

  "Core Tasks: The tasks that define how good you are at your job. Periphery Tasks: The tasks you have to complete to keep your job, but that say nothing about your standing in your field."

 Most of us do the latter than the former. Do you agree ?

 Do visit Study Hacks. It is a gold mine for personal development :)

I am Fat

Yes, I am fat and I must lose weight. Thank you very much ! :)

The Little Match Girl

I am getting soft for my age. Teringat cerita Little Match Girl karya Hans Christian Andersen ... cari di youtube untuk kartun yang saya pernah tonton masa tahun 80an tetapi tak jumpa .. jumpa kartun di bawah ni ..hmm, ok ... short, sweet n touching .. I miss my 2 daughters :/ .. rindu senyuman dan pelukan mereka ..

Satu Cetusan Permulaan ?

Tulisan terakhir sebelum ini .. mengenai Pool.. mencetuskan sesuatu aliran pemikiran dalam diri ini ... iaitu saya percaya kepada sesuatu benda dan berani menyokongnya secara terang. Sebelum ini, dalam kebanyakan perkara, saya akan berdiam diri sahaja tetapi kali ini tidak, dan saya terus bersuara.

Saya telah melarikan diri dari realiti dalam banyak perkara, dan kali ini, saya tidak lari lagi. Ada potensi untuk menyakitkan, kerana kita berterus terang, tetapi, sebagai pembalasan, saya rasa bebas, iaitu bebas daripada menanggung beban memendamkan rasa. Dan saya banyak melakukan tindakan - tindakan sebegini pada masa lepas.

Tidak lagi selepas ini ... bak kata, pepatah Inggeris, " The truth will set you free ". Perubahan kecil untuk masa hadapan gemilang, InsyaAllah.

Be True And Fiesty

To say that I lost it a bit tonight is an understatement when it came to Suarez - Evra affair. It all boils down to Suarez saying the 'negro' word which is common in his native Uruguay in England and Evra crying all the way about it to the ref. In my opinion, Pool and Suarez were smart not to appeal even though it was a linguistic issue , and wanted to end the whole thing. Then we have the media and the whole handshake crap that happened earlier today. They did the no handshake for terry-anton ferdinand .. why did the English FA did not do the same for this match boggles my mind .. I guess I blew it because all this while, when Pool gets the stick from the MU fans, in the past I just chill and let them crow .. but enough is enough I say ... if you go over the top, I am coming back at you with cold hard facts .. and here is ONE major MF reason why .. during the 80s masa MU were struggling, when MU masuk Cup Finals .. I actually cheered for them ... oh, the stupidity and horrors for what I have done :P .. from the cup finals where Brighton and Crystal Palace lost .. zaman Gary Bailey and Jim Leighton were MU keepers ... arghh ... Okay MU fans .. am not taking anymore crap from you guys ... SAF would not be around any longer ... MU had a long drought after Sir Matt Busby left .. you will to soon ... Paisley, Fagan and Kenny ( 1st round ) were our top managers and when they left, we suffered .. the end is near, even though you all do not see it yet. And I prefer Sir Matt Busby to SAF, he was a classy gentleman and a winner :)

Nasihat Emas Seorang Mentor

‎Eelyn Soon, you are not planning goals ... you a dreaming. And that is why you will always be frustrated - because you will never reach your dreams.

You need goals - realistic, measureable goals that can be realized.

You're thinking about doing all these great things in life but for what? What is your "why" in life?

Success is a journey. A Journey in which we make mistakes, learn from it, better ourselves and move on to become smarter, wiser and in the process, wealthier in mind, soul and maybe even finances.

It never happens overnight. Anything achieved in haste never lasts. Good long lasting success is a never ending journey. Success goes up and it is never easy to go up and it is never a quick ascent. It is very easy to descend however, and it is fast too.

What we build slowly and steadily as we move up is a foundation. The stronger the foundation, the less likely you are to fall below it. Call it a Stop Loss - the more profits you protect means you'll be hurt less when the trade retraces.

But if you don't have a strong "why", if you don't build that foundation and if you plan is a quick progression, you are likely to fall into depths you never imagined.

All this talk of richness and wealth - how will you manage your wealth if you don't know how to manage failure? How will you grow your wealth if you never made mistakes and lost before?

Your illusion of young successful people is what is killing a lot of young people these days. Have you noticed that most people who succeed when they are young tend to suffer in their old age? And those who struggle in their youth mostly tend to die rich and wealthy?

Allow me to share something I just shared with another young lady just now ...

When you are young, that is the time to be adventurous. It is the time to take risks, make mistakes and learn from it.

Never let failure deter you. Every failed attempt is a lesson ... a precious lesson that will make you wiser. Take all those lessons and keep chasing that goal. I know this for a fact ... if you never give up, you never really failed.

Know your goals ... plan your timelines ... give yourself a budget and a realistic target - just like in trading. And then when it doesn't work, cut loss and change your strategy for the second attempt.

When you chase success, it will always elude you ... when you're not looking for it, it comes right up and kisses you in the face!. Life is too short to worry about achieving things too quickly - take your time and enjoy life as it rolls along. Take life as it comes to you and enjoy every step of the journey.

Follow your heart - success lies in what you are passionate about or talented about. Start there. There is no greater motivation than passion.

One last note - you will never achieve your 30yr retirement goal because you are not serious about it and you don't believe in yourself. How do I know ... your last word - "Haha".

beliau adalah Conrad Alvin Lim, jurulatih trading saya ...

Baby Steps Checklist

Reading an article on the usefulness of checklist made me realize that I need to have one for most of the things that I do.
One checklist I did today was for cleaning up the living room.

1. Put the kids toys in one place , from all over the floor and kitchen table
2. Separate the toys into their uses.
3. Clean up the table and arrange the magazines.

Walla, it worked. ;-) and I plan to continue doing this. Well, little steps to improve oneself.

To my friend Awal, salam takziah on the depart of your mother. I remembered her a bit during my time that I spent with Awal. She was okay ... truth is, you can't say much about these matters. And, I have been considering about mortality lately, here and there.

The link to the checklist article is here.

The Hardest Thing

The Hardest Thing To Do is to admit that you are wrong .. and what to do about it. Apa yang berlaku dua minggu kebelakangan ini memberi satu notis kepada diri ini yang aku GILA. GILA bak kata Einstein, melakukan perkara yang sama dan mengharapkan keputusan / kesudahan yang lain. Dan tidak seperti dahulu, aku mulakan perubahan dengan langkah - langkah kecil. Kecil - kecil, lama - lama menjadi bukit, InsyaAllah.

Falling to Pieces

As I am handling my crisis as best as I can ... for the past few days, I am hit by waves and waves of remorse of nostalgia ... things that was and could have been .... and it happens as I compared myself to other people. And I know most people would say, that sucks and can be demoralizing .... but in a way, they can serve as a milestone of where you are, in a way. And I came to a simple and painful conclusion...*sigh*.. and it is effing obvious ... they focused and did the work ... and I did not do it. *sigh* ... Tony Robbins message makes sense ... man tend to avoid pain and embrace pleasure... I ignored the pain and went for pleasure ... Pada masa ini, surah Al-Asr berkumandang dalam minda ini, dan memang benar .. masa itu emas dan mata pedang. Jika tidak menggunakannya dengan betul, ia akan datang melukakan kita kembali. Syukur aku sudah sedar ... Amin.

Post Terakhir 2011

Tahun 2011 ada beberapa pengajaran ... antaranya, sikit - sikit lama menjadi bukit ( good and bad ) ... pentingnya fokus kepada beberapa perkara sahaja ... dan pentingnya keluarga, kerana mereka yang akan menjaga anda ... 2012 akan menjadi lebih bagus, InsyaAllah. 2011, terima kasih atas pengajaran - pengajaran yang diberikan. Amin.

I Tried So Hard ...

It's hard. Real hard. But I must do it. Cikgu Conrad berkata, dalam hidup, tidak ada istilah cuba. Aku mesti buat sepenuh hati dan sepenuh hati, walaupun ada rintangan dan halangan. 

Reality Is Now A Friend Of Mine

At this point of life, all I can say, is reality finally caught up. The financial one that is. *sigh* when you are ignorant, when it catches up with you, it really does ...to the young ones reading, take care of your financials early on. How did I get into this mess ? Ignorance. Plain and simple. Have to make things right. I owe it to myself and future, to make things right.

Details

In order to do something, even impromptu, the details have to be outlined out ... again and again, this message is pummeled into my head :)

On another significant development, this blog has a PR of 1 :D .. wohoo ...

Your Future

Your future is what you make it now ... so make it well ...

Kita di sini oleh sebab apa yang kita telah lakukan sebelum ini ... jadi jika anda mahukan sesuatu pada masa hadapan , apa yang anda lakukan sekarang untuk mencapainya di masa hadapan ?

Semasa di konvo MMU semalam, melihat bekas - bekas pelajar seronok menjadi graduan .. ia mengingatkan saat saya menjadi graduan pada tahun 1995 ... Y2K masih jauh di hadapan .... no one told me this, but I told some of my students yesterday ... you begin from level 0 after you graduate .. forget your uni-life and focus on your future. If not, your forward progress will be dragged by unresolved issues of your sekolah menengah and college days ... oh well... that is just me ... ;-)

I am now 38 and when I am 40.. I know what I want to be ... it's time to work on that future reality ...

Goodbye, Steve .. RIP

I don't know Steve Jobs personally. The only Apple product I have is the Itunes installed in my machines. But, I know the guy throughout the years through various forms of media. And, if there is one thing we can learn from him is the power of perseverance.

Steve Jobs percaya dengan apa yang dilakukan dan beliau akan lakukannya sehingga ia berjaya. Walaupun ia akan berakhir dengan kegagalan, beliau tahu ada pelajaran di sebaliknya. Kalian tahu mengenai Iphone, Ipad dan Itunes, tetapi, adakah kalian ingat G4 Cube ataupun Ping ?

My readings on him tell me one thing : he is a genius .. and he does fail, as well. But, it is the human qualities that makes him what he is .. the desire to make great things ...

His inspiring speech of Stanford 2005 is a wonderful advice from the man. His biography later this year will have many waiting for its arrival ...

ps. where were you when you heard he passed away ? Saya baru sampai meja office..buka FB .. byk status R.I.P Steve Jobs ...

Chunks and Frogs

As there are so many things going on right now ... I learnt again two valuable life lessons ... the first lesson is to chunk down a major task to smaller tasks if you want to get it done. If you keep it looking as a major task, it can look daunting, and it leads to procrastination :(

Another thing I learnt was to the need to eat the biggest frog. According to Brian Tracy in his article here, frogs are the tasks that you are loathed to do but are the most the important that NEEDS to be done a.s.a.p .. I have to take of frogs, instead of settling for easy ones :( ...

Oh life ... as long as you do not learn the lesson ..it hits you back again !

Di Persimpangan

Sekali lagi aku di persimpangan ...  dan yang pasti, kalau tidak buat keputusan yang betul ..nanti hasilnya macam sekarang .. samar2  :( .. so many ideas, so many ways ... yet, the ACTION lacked ..

and the physical body is giving me signals as well....

Insanity # 2

I was unwell today ...  and, it finally hit me that I am still insane. Mengikut kata Sam Carpenter, pengasas dan penulis buku 'Work The System', hidup kita adalah sistem yang sempurna .... dalam sistem, ada 3 perkara utama ... input, proses, output...  apa2 yang tidak kena, ketiga - tiga perkara ini harus dianalisa untuk melihat apa masalahnya ... hmm... something that I should do, kerana apa yang saya buat untuk menjana pendapatan sampingan is still not working as it should be :( ..

The Definition Of Insanity

Definisi 'insanity' - melakukan perkara yang sama dengan cara yang sama dan mengharapkan keputusan yang berbeza. Saya rasa saya dalam fasa 'insanity' dalam pelbagai perkara, selama ini. Time to wake up, dude.

Thirty Eight

20 June 2011,... I turn 38 .. so unreal ... ;-)

Jalan - Jalan Cameron Hari Ke 3

Breakfast

Satu perkara yang best mengenai Hotel Equatorial adalah sarapan pagi yang disediakan. Setakat ini, pilihan juadah sarapan mereka adalah yang terbaik di kalangan hotel - hotel di sini. Si isteri amat mementingkan sarapan pagi di mana - mana hotel yang kami duduki. :)

si isteri suka :)

Big Red Strawberry

Antara tujuan kami ke sini, adalah untuk merasa kedai - kedai strawberry. Big Red mempunyai kedai / ladang mereka di Brinchang, berdekatan dengan pusat pekan, di lereng bukit. Kawasan parkir agak curam, jadi sila memarkir baik - baik. Kedai strawberry yang standard dengan kedai runcit fokus barang - barang strawberry dan cafe disebelah. Juga ada peluang untuk membeli strawberry dan sayuran segar jika anda mahu. Kami merasa strawberry sundae mereka dan membeli topi / glove untuk Zara dan Farah :)

Dengan Zara dan Farah di Big Red

Strawberry Moment

Kami mahu mencuba kedai ini setelah melihat gambar - gambar makanannya di Facebook pelajar saya. Kafe ini berkonsepkan strawberry, dan kebanyakan makanan / minuman dalam menu ada strawberi dalamnya. Suasananya bersih dan santai. Kami memilih dua jenis waffle dan minuman strawberi. Sedap dan berbaloi ke sini. Jika anda ke Cameron dan mahu merasa makanan berasaskan strawberi yang best, sila datang ke sini :)

Juadah kami di Stawberry Moment

 

Jalan - Jalan Cameron Hari Ke 2

Hari Kedua ( Bahagian 2/ 3 )

Subuh Yang Aman Dan Dingin

Awal Pagi Yang Dingin 

Seronok kan kalau hari - hari pemandangan pagi sebegini ... sebab itu setiap pagi, selepas bangun dan solat Subuh, saya akan berdiri di balkoni bilik kami dan menikmati pemandangan dan udara segar Cameron sepuas-puasnya.

Tenet is a must .. perut must go !

As usual, di mana2 pun, bertenet is a must ;-) pakej internet wireless Equatorial memang berbaloi .. RM 15 untuk 24 jam ... dan kelajuannya bagus.

Di sana, saya juga mengambil masa memikirkan tentang bisnes internet dan trading .... hmm... that is for my other blog, www.kayahebat.com ..

Zara n Farah discuss what ?

Hehe, seronok tengok gelagat dan telatah depa berdua masa trip ni .. syukurlah, mereka tidak buat byk kerenah masa trip ni ... hehe...

Rancangan kami hari ini adalah seperti biasa, mahu mencari strawberi ...  untuk tujuan itu, kami bercadang untuk pergi ke Kg Sedia Raja, di mana ada peladang strawberi Melayu, seperti pernah saya baca dalam Mingguan Malaysia beberapa bulan lepas..

The ladies of my life .. so far :D

 Kami telah singgah makan strawberi di Mashoor Strawberry Farm di Kg Sedia .. gambar menunjukkan apa yang kami beli di sini ... makan2 nya sedap-sedap .. cuma customer servicenya could have been better ...

Ni Zara punye ! 

Setelah puas explore Kg Sedia Raja ... si isteri mahu makan waffle untuk minum petang ... kami ke Strawberry place, di sebelah Hotel De La Fern .. mereka juga menyediakan steamboat .. tapi, kita makan waffle dulu ye ...

Me dan Farah ... :)

Linda dan Waffle Strawberry

Mine .. all mine :D

Best makan waffle di sini ... dan servisnya okay juga.. kami memang rekomen makan waffle di sini ... mereka juga ada kedai runcit / gift shop bersebelahan ... biasa2 je ....

Yang seronok datang ke Cameron masa hari biasa ialah kurangnya trafik dan juga suasana yang lebih santai .. memang mesti enjoy masa - masa sebegini sebelum budak - budak ini sudah besar dan masuk sekolah... so far, kami tidak membeli cenderamata kerana fokus kami adalah untuk rehat dan makan .. :)

Selepas makan, kami pusing kawasan sekitar Tanah Rata / Brinchang .. ada pembangunan baru sekitar sini ...

My girls :)

Our steamboat 

Waktu malam, kami menikmati steamboat di restoran yang sama. Steamboatnya berbaloi dan kuah supnya sedap ... juga harga yang berbaloi .. kami amat rekomen steamboat ini




Secara keseluruhannya, a very good day ... makan strawberry, santai dan steamboat :)

Kisah Jalan - jalan Cameron Highlands Day 1

Percutian memang sudah lama dirancang sejak bulan Februari lepas. Tujuan utama adalah dua, untuk mengambil masa bersantai bersama keluarga dan melayan permintaan si isteri mahu menjamah buah strawberi sepuas - puas hatinya. :) Kami jadualkan percutian 3 hari 2 malam.

Hotel yang dipilih adalah Hotel Equatorial Cameron Highlands, kerana dah lama kami idam untuk merasa tinggal hotel di kawasan tertinggi Cameron Highlands iaitu Brinchang. Siap kami minta valley view kerana lokasi hotel di lembah kawasan hijau sayur - sayuran Brinchang. Hotel ini bersebelahan kawasan pasar Kea Farms.

Masa pula dipilih sebelum cuti sekolah ... kerana ikut pengalaman saya, suasana Cameron best masa hari biasa ... ;-)

Hari Pertama ( Bahagian 1 / 3 )

Kami bertolak agak lewat kerana saya menyiapkan tugasan - tugasan terakhir di office MMU. Dan perjalanan waktu petang itu lambat kerana saya berhati-hati membawa kereta kerana hujan lebat sepanjang perjalanana dari KL ke Tapah. Di Tapah, hujan reda.. namun jalanraya basah dari Tapah ke Cameron membuatkan kami sampai di hotel sekitar Maghrib. Yang seronok bagi saya, ialah apabila menutup aircond sekitar Lata Iskandar dan membuka tingkap kereta ;-) Fresh mountain air wa cakap lu :D ... juga seronok kerana check in di hotel dan mendapat bilik dengan pemandangan yang diminta.

                                                Zara dan Farah landing terus di katil dulu :D

Untuk dinner, kami makan steamboat ( makanan wajib pelancong Cameron :) ) di Fauzy Steamboat di Brinchang .. berdekatan KFC .... sup sedap.. pilihannya biasa sahaja .. 3 out of 5 stars

Bersambung nanti ....

Satu Permulaan Baru

Pagi ini memang satu pagi yang penting. Kerana ia adalah permulaan baru . aku tidak pasti bagaimana fikiran aku dua tiga bulan selepas ini tentang apa yang sudah aku mulakan, tetapi kita lihat bagaimana ya.

Yang pasti, kali ini aku berani. Berani untuk melakukan satu perubahan walaupun tidak ada jaminan yang ianya akan berjaya. Tetapi, it is something that I must do, as I have been thinking and contemplating about it for the past year. Dan bila kontrak dengan MMU hampir tamat, aku membuat keputusan 'All Or Nothing'.. aku akan fokus pada bisnes, dan akan mengajar part time. Mengapa mengajar part time ? Kerana aku masih sayang kerja mengajar .. I love teaching and helping minds grow ...

Anyway, sekarang tiada alasan untuk kurang berblog :P .. kerana aku ada masa , sekarang cara menguruskan masa itu yg penting ... plan and execute !

Semoga berjaya !

Makin Lama Makin Dekat

Januari 2011 sudah lepas dan Februari pula menjelma. Dan tarikh pemergian daripada tempat kerja sekarang juga semakin dekat. Dan, rasanya ini adalah perkara yang 'pagal' aku buat semenjak sepuluh tahun kebelakangan ini, tapi, bagi aku, masanya telah tiba. Jika ini yang harus dilakukan, inilah yang harus dilakukan. Namun, tidak mengapa, ada plan B .. backup plan sekiranya perlu. Dan Aku Ulang Lagi Sekali ... Jika Perlu.

Farah sudah tiga bulan. Dan syukur, seperti kakaknya, kerenahnya tidak banyak .. cuma dia senang berjaga malam .. jadi penting waktu awal malam ( 7 pm - 10 pm ), kami tidak bagi dia peluang untuk tidur kerana dia boleh berjaga sehingga 3 - 4 pagi apabila itu tidak dilakukan.

Biznes mula berjalan ... satu perkara yang mesti dilakukan adalah fokus dan ikuti langkah2 yang telah dirancang awal2 ... aku mendapat inspirasi ini apabila memindahkan barang ke kediaman baru kami. Yes, we are finally leaving the nest :D