Reason is easy - it is such a nice place!

And after getting used to a place where you make it look nicer than it was earlier - no air flow, entertainment from all around you, old newspaper vendors ringing and singing their hearts out almost every hour daily early in the morning, rock music from across the window, scoldings from the other direction, fighting from yet another direction, walk out smelling like a sweaty and unwashed Indian, feel like you are being watched at all times, smell car exhust fumes, hear conversations below your unit, floors where we scrubbed until it is cleaner than when we move in - it is a bliss to be moving into a place where you feel comfortable from the first step into the house. 

Now, not only all these are history, we get peace and serenity with vast greenery to feast our eyes on. A song to the soul, a relaxing massage for the mind, a place you can come home to feeling rejuvenated. 

Now, the mess and the hassle of moving doesn’t seem like a big and dreadful task anymore. In fact, I want to get it over and done with as soon as possible to enjoy the new ‘home’!

Read this from someone’s blog. Interesting

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First published in New York Times, 13 July 2008

Lessons in Love, by Way of Economics

By BEN STEIN

AS my fine professor of economics at Columbia, C. Lowell Harriss (who just celebrated his 96th birthday) used to tell us, economics is the study of the allocation of scarce goods and services. What could be scarcer or more precious than love? It is rare, hard to come by and often fragile.

My primary life study has been about love. Second comes economics, so here, in the form of a few rules, is a little amalgam of the two fields: the economics of love. (I last wrote about this subject 20 years or so ago, and it’s time to update it.)

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In general, and with rare exceptions, the returns in love situations are roughly proportional to the amount of time and devotion invested. The amount of love you get from an investment in love is correlated, if only roughly, to the amount of yourself you invest in the relationship.

If you invest caring, patience and unselfishness, you get those things back. (This assumes, of course, that you are having a relationship with someone who loves you, and not a one-sided love affair with someone who isn’t interested.)

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High-quality bonds consistently yield more return than junk, and so it is with high-quality love. As for the returns on bonds, I know that my comment will come as a surprise to people who have been brainwashed into thinking that junk bonds are free money. They aren’t. The data from the maven of bond research, W. Braddock Hickman, shows that junk debt outperforms high quality only in rare situations, because of the default risk.

In love, the data is even clearer. Stay with high-quality human beings. And once you find that you are in a junk relationship, sell immediately. Junk situations can look appealing and seductive, but junk is junk. Be wary of it unless you control the market.

(Or, as I like to tell college students, the absolutely surest way to ruin your life is to have a relationship with someone with many serious problems, and to think that you can change this person.)

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Research pays off. The most appealing and seductive (that word again) exterior can hide the most danger and chance of loss. For most of us, diversification in love, at least beyond a very small number, is impossible, so it’s necessary to do a lot of research on the choice you make. It is a rare man or woman who can resist the outward and the surface. But exteriors can hide far too much.

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In every long-term romantic situation, returns are greater when there is a monopoly. If you have to share your love with others, if you have to compete even after a brief while with others, forget the whole thing. You want to have monopoly bonds with your long-term lover. At least most situations work out better this way. ( I am too old to consider short-term romantic events. Those were my life when Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon were in the White House.)

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The returns on your investment should at least equal the cost of the investment. If you are getting less back than you put in over a considerable period of time, back off.

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Long-term investment pays off. The impatient day player will fare poorly without inside information or market-controlling power. He or she will have a few good days but years of agony in the world of love.

To coin a phrase: Fall in love in haste, repent at leisure.

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Realistic expectations are everything. If you have unrealistic expectations, they will rarely be met. If you think that you can go from nowhere to having someone wonderful in love with you, you are probably wrong.

You need expectations that match reality before you can make some progress. There may be exceptions, but they are rare.

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When you have a winner, stick with your winner. Whether in love or in the stock market, winners are to be prized.

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Have a dog or many dogs or cats in your life. These are your anchors to windward and your unfailing source of love.

Ben Franklin summed it up well. In times of stress, the three best things to have are an old dog, an old wife and ready money. How right he was.

THERE is more that could be said about the economics of love, but these thoughts may divert you while you are thinking about your future.

And let me close with another thought. I am far from glib about the economy. It has a lot of pitfalls facing it. As workers and investors, we know that many dangers lurk in our paths.

But so far, these things have always worked themselves out and this one will, too. In the meantime, they say that falling in love is wonderful, and that the best is falling in love with what you have.

Ben Stein is a lawyer, writer, actor and economist. 

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Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

No one can make you serve customers well.

That’s because great service is a choice.

Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said, “I’m Wally, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk I’d like you to read my mission statement.”

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said, ”Wally’s Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment. This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.”

My friend said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.”

Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.”

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, “I’ll take a Diet Coke.”

Handing him his drink, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.”

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card. “These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.”

And as if that weren’t enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he’d be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

“Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, “have you always served customers like this?”

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called You’ll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, ‘Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.’”

“That hit me right between the eyes,” said Wally. “Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.”

“I take it that has paid off for you,” Harvey said.

“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don’t sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can’t pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.”

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I’ve probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn’t do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about us?

No doubt, there was a lot of inertia to overcome and fights over priorities to settle. However, amongst all these, there are beautiful moments and lovely memories to keep. And lots of changes in just a few months.

Just to list some of them down:
1. I’ve moved to another place and will be moving again soon when 6 months is up. Leading a nomad’s life
2. I’ve changed department and learning lots of new things, picking up new skills as well as facing new challenges. So far, I’m still coping alright.
3. One of my beloved flew to somewhere far for further studies. Gonna miss her much…
4. Dreams of walking amidst clear blue sky with crystal clear lake nearby and lush greenery embracing the warm, lovely place are coming back again.
5. Another of my beloved is not longer separated by distance. But one came, another left…
6. One of my best friend also closed the distance gap.

And of course, the best of all… I’m BORN-FREE, bond-free ;p

Freedom is a very great feeling. When you are no longer bonded to anything and you feel as though you can do whatever you wish to, it is really AWESOME!

FREEDOM is definitely something I value very much. I can smell freedom, feel freedom and experience freedom!

Are you a King who wins battles or are you a mongrel, who fights to see who can shout the loudest?

I am thankful that while I am struggling to brave through a rough patch in life, I have angels around me in various forms, giving me moral strength to carry on. I want the angels in my life to know, from the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate and love all of you!

Most of the times, they are a matter of principle, a matter of trust. Once a trust has been betrayed, it will never be the same. Trust has to be earned, and is very fragile. Once broken, the trust will be lost forever.

I was feeling ravenous and went for early dinner with my colleague. The food centre was quite deserted as it was not meal time yet. After ordering our food, I started recounting the series of events that has been plaguing me, which almost made me go berserk. When my food came, I gladly dug into the sumptuous food, heaving a sigh of relief when the hot tasty food warmed my tummy and calmed my nerves.

I must have been quite animated when I was telling my stories, until the waitress came a few times to check whether the meat is cooked according to our taste. Each time, I smiled at her and said it was good! I lost count of how many times she came over, but I am very sure that she came not less than four times!

During one of those ‘checks’, the same waitress asked if I would like anything extra. So I jokingly said I won’t mind more fries, even though my plate was overflowing with coleslaw. And she did came back with a plateful of fries, at no cost! I was truly taken aback. Hey, even though the cave I’m in is bleak, there’s still a flicker of light.

I was so grateful for her random act of kindness. For it really brightened up my day, a lot. I flashed her my best smile from my heart. For that, really changed the state I was in, into something more empowering.

That single little act, brought me back to an earlier event on the same day. I was then, in that negative state I was, feeling as though the world has turned its back on me. I took a cab to do something somewhere. I sacrificed my time, my effort and my money and all I get was a totally worthless trip. When I reached my destination on the return trip, I realised that I did not have enough cash to pay the cab driver, after paying for the earlier trip. And I was already late. Really late.

I need to go and withdraw money from the atm which is quite near though, but another passenger was already waiting outside for the cab. I was desperately looking around in my bag for some loose coins or dollar notes that I might have stashed somewhere for emergency but came to nought.

The passenger outside was feeling a bit impatient and opened my door. He asked, not enough cash? I nodded. He asked how much and I said two dollars. He briskly whipped out his wallet and took out a two-dollar note and gave it to me. I was dumbfounded. I took the note with embarrassment and gave it to the taxi driver. The taxi driver broke into a relieved smile.

I thanked the man profusely before and after I had alighted from the cab. I kept asking the man for his name and how to repay him. I’ll remember this kind act from a total stranger and intend to repay him.

And more surprisingly, on the same day, a phone call came to deliver good news. I was ecstatic! I was really, really grateful for everything that has been happening. With just a switch in state, a series of unfortunate events has turned into a series of altruism from strangers…

To the strangers that I’ve experienced kindness from, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ll make sure that I pass on this generous display of altruism

Key in your IC number into this website and hit enter.

Your details will be shown to you in just seconds.

I was very impressed when I came across this website to check my registration as a voter. It was so systematic and efficient! Definitely exceeded my expectations.

If only Malaysia can persevere with this attitude of winning elections into its daily life, Malaysia would be a leading country in the world in no time.

Malaysia has the brains, the natural resources, the land, free from natural calamities, the diversity that gels Malaysians together, the untapped potential - just like an unpolished gem. All these resources have obviously been grossly under-utilised, wasted or lost.

Malaysia is like a rich man’s kid, who just while its days away living off the parents while some other countries are like a poor man’s kid, who has to slog to survive.

Probably something need to happen for this rich man’s kid to wake up and learn the lesson of life. To realise that how fortunate it has been and how it has been taking the blissful life it has for granted.

It is time to wake up from the slumber and face life with eyes wide open. Appreciate the good things and keep improving - that’s the spirit most Malaysians will want to see and experience.

Just like how Barrack Obama captured the hearts of Americans with his ‘Change’ manifesto, the opposition, especially DAP, is also adopting a similar approach. Similarly, the ruling party Barisan Nasional, is also injecting hopes to capture the hearts of the masses, by fielding new faces in its line-up of candidates. 

Change and renewal for a better life. Bread and butter issues are undoubtedly still the main issues in the minds of most Malaysians. Daily survival issues are still what matters most, amidst the rising living cost and the more competitive and increasingly globalised economy.

These are the hot buttons of the people which both the ruling party and opposition know very well. And they do know very well how to utilise these to win votes. 

Who will you be voting this time? Are you voting for change or are you voting for renewal? Are they the same or are they not?

Whoever you vote, whether based on party or based on the calibre of individual candidates, make your precious one vote a worthy one. This is the only time you get for your voice to be heard. Even though it is just a small little vote, but it can make a difference. Wherever you are, make the effort to exercise your right. Whether you are overseas or in the country, spread the election fever and make some noise!

I know there are many Malaysians who have been caught in this sudden announcement of Parliament dissolution. I know they intend to vote, but not registered to do so. It is too late to do so now because the gazetted electoral is already out on Feb 5.

Read how a Malaysian student studying abroad went through the hassle to ensure that she can cast that ballot. 
Exercising your right to vote as a student abroad

Let’s make this general election the most democratic as can be! Think logically and sensibly before you cast your precious ballot!

In life, we do have our version of habitats, such as the different types of workplaces, the different companies, the different environments, the different countries, the changing economy, the changing trends etc. You name it, we have it.

How do we become the amphibians of life? Can we become one and survive in the ever changing environment and circumstances? 

Recently, I was rather amused when this analogy came to my mind. Do you have the skills to become like an amphibian, where you can survive just as well, or maybe even better, in any kind of situation? When life throw you bricks of varying hardness and sizes, how do you overcome them? 

I would choose to think and believe that I have the skills, flexibility, versatility and adaptability of being an amphibian in life. That’s my definition of the survival of the fittest in today’s world.