Uncle Chan's discourse

The Best and the Worst

2009-06-30T17:25:00.004+08:00

My first update in 6 months! Whoopie!To start the ball rolling... I'll share with you the newspaper cutting I had since Form 5. It's pasted on my desktop monitor. =)

P.S: This is to test the time it takes for FB to import this into my notes. LoL

Chinese Dinners...

2008-12-30T13:51:00.003+08:00

Checklist for Chinese dinners.

Brandy, beer, whiskey and more recently, cheap wine
Guests who shouts instead of conversing within the tolerable decible range
Late guests who were supposed to arrive at 1900 but arrives at 2000. This results in the late serving of food that has been prepared since 1830. (Cold lotus leaf rice/roasted pork anyone? Oh, you'll gulp it down anyway cause you were starving!)
Karaoke sessions by seniors who belts oldies which no one born before 1970's knows of. Plus, their singing encourages people to speak even louder! (refer to previous point)
Relatives who are more interested in your marriage/relationship with your other half. They will take turns in interrogating your parents and yourself on the person you are dating as if they are going to spend the rest of their lives with your other half. Your life will be even more miserable if you are a female above 25 years old and not seeing anyone at the moment.
Gossips on relatives who are not seated at your table
Gossips on relatives who are absent (even if he/she just left for the washroom)
Self-appointed director for the night. He/she will volunteer themselves to dictate how the toast and cake cutting ceremony should be. How to spot these individuals? They are usually the ones who instruct others on top of their lungs on how the camera angle should be, who should be toasting first, how to cut the cake... etc. Erm... i think you get the picture.
Purpose of the dinner! Well... erm... not really. Who cares about reason for the dinner? Chinese dinners are avenues for old uncles and aunties to gather and get drunk. Heck, even funeral wakes are avenues for these old folks to gamble and do the things listed here. LoL.

Conclusion? Chinese dinners = another weak excuse for seniors to get drunk.

Resurrection...

2008-12-29T01:45:00.001+08:00

Oh God... it's been forever since I last wrote in here. It's 0145 in the morning as I sit in front of my laptop pondering on what happened to my blog! I love writing down my thoughts and ever since I have started working, this has taken a back seat! Hmmm... If I were to say that I was too busy to update my blog, that is simply not true. I had ample time to do so due to the flexibility of my job. I have forsaken so many simple pleasures in life (such as blogging!) since I left MMU in June 2006. It's time I take some time to reflect on 2008 and start my 2009 with new resolutions and goals! Restarting my blog is definitely one of my 2009 resolutions! LOL.

I bid you adieu 2008... 2009~ Here I come!

It's Been Awhile...

2008-05-20T20:45:00.005+08:00

Please be advised that this entry has expletives.

I used to be very temperamental person and my fuse was very short. At a moment's notice, I can transform from a mild mannered Uncle Chan to "You-don't-want-to-fuck-with-me" person. Hence, I was labeled as the PMS guy back in my early undergraduate days. Like they say, a person mellows with age but despite toning down considerably in my temper, I still had days when I blew up. My good friend Eugene Cheng can give testament to that. My temper even created discomfort amongst my close good of friends. All of that changed when my mum passed away in 3 March 2006. As I watched my mum drew her last breath, I knew life was too short... too short for me to be having so much anger and grudge against others. Soon after my mum's passing, I made it a point to apologize to all my friends. The first whom I seek apology from was Eugene. Thank God he forgave me and though we are not best of friends now, we are at least friends. From this experience, I have never blew my top nor did I hold any grudges against another person. It is also due to this experience, I have manage to handled rejections better. In fact, I have come to a point where rejections are not taken personally and it is only part and parcel of my line of work.

I have held steadfast to my belief that it is not worth getting angry or let anger control me until last Saturday... A series of events had happened for the past few years and I brushed them all aside because I knew this particular individual's behaviour. I didn't mind that he never liked the fact that I am not a hokkien-lang (hokkien clan). I couldn't care less with the knowledge that he disliked me because of my Christian faith (Oh, he did try to pass on some "bullet-proof" Buddhist charms to me which he claims can make me invulnerable to gun fire! Woohoo!). Unfortunately for me, I am not the type who will suck up to him or sweet talk my way through so that I can get into his good books. The treatment he gave me all these years... I took it in my stride. However, what transpired last week awaken my long sleeping demons; anger and grudge. When I found out on Thursday what his thoughts on me were, I was totally taken aback but I still manage to keep my cool. Such revelations can really hurt a person especially when it came from a person whom will be kin in the near future. The straw which broke the camel's back happened last Saturday noon. I went to his place to meet this individual who is very dear to me (who unfortunately stays with this asshole... for now). I was early and I didn't know the person whom I seek wasn't at home. So, I rang the bell a couple of times and out comes the asshole.

Me: Good afternoon uncle!
Asshole : ******* is not in! She's not in!
Me: I know, she's on the way back and she's almost here already...
Asshole : Ok ok...

And the asshole happily walked back into the house before I could utter another word. Leaving me standing under the 4pm hot sun for the next 15 minutes while I waited the return of my good friend. That really made my blood boil...

Now, here's a checklist;

He dislikes me for not being Hokkien ...
I can take it
He dislikes me for being a Catholic ...
I can still take it
He treats me like dirt most of the time while I am at his place ...
I can manage it.
He views me with disdain because of my profession ...
I can barely take it in... but still ok
He thinks I am a gold digger going after his assets...
This shook me a bit. I never thought he would view me as such even though I have known him for 7 fucking years and the fact that my family is much better off than his. However,I kept a lid on it and took it all in.
He can't even extend common courtesy to me and made me wait in the sun...
It may seem trivial, but that was really the fucking last straw.

If he was a friend of mine, I would have ended our friendship. If he was a client of mine, I will just cancel his policy and ask him to fuck himself. Unfortunately, circumstances made it as such I have to see his fucking face for the rest of my fucking life. Thanks asshole for this shit. If I have the opportunity, I would have said this to him;

Dear asshole, I wish you well and hope you change for the better soon. As far as I know, people like you tend to die a lonely death... since you would have pissed off your family and friends before you move on... Eh wait, what friends? I almost forgot that your definition of "friend" is "gold digger". Oh... my bad. Well, good luck to you and thanks for reawakening my friends "Anger" and "Grudge". The next time I beat them back into submission, I would have definitely become a better person. As for you, I can only look forward to see you die a slow, lonely and agonizing death. Cheers!

P.S: Pardon me for putting up such an entry this time. I really had to get it out of my system before I let Mr.Anger and Ms.Grudge overwhelm me.

Now I Finally Understood...

2008-05-10T10:03:00.005+08:00

The last update I had was in September 2007 when I celebrated my first year in the Life Insurance business. A lot has happened since then which left footprints in my life; for better or worse. However, I can only share some of the more significant instances here...

When I started off in this industry, I never truly believed what my seniors and immediate officer Ah Hoon said that this is a noble and meaningful industry as well as it can only get easier. Back when I was still a newbie, all these statements seem very foreign to me. Nonetheless, I served all my clients and friends with utmost integrity and most importantly, sincerity. (Till a point my dear Adel complained that I did more for my clients that for her! Yikes! LoL. Dearie... I'm sorry for that!). After reading so many motivational books and attending a RM 4,000 seminar on the Power of Change back in January, I have learn to serve unconditionally and with utmost sincerity. In many instances, I personally experienced the joy of helping another (friends or strangers alike) with the explicit knowledge that this particular person has no means whatsoever to return the favour (I label it as unconditional giving). The joy I derived from this cannot be bought by monetary means nor can it be faked. Many thanks to Zig Ziglar for teaching me this very important lesson. Thanks to this concept that was hardwired to my work ethics, I've even received a Christmas card from a good friend cum client of mine all the way from Colorado Springs, U.S.A! I have pinned up this card in my room as a reminder that I must continue to apply the principle of unconditional giving.

The life insurance industry also thought me another invaluable lesson; job satisfaction. Of course, we all work to gain enough money to purchase material items in order to sustain ourselves. However, the events that occurred in the past 21 months opened my eyes that monetary returns is not the most important thing after all. Since I began serving, I have total conviction in what I do because I believe in adding value to people's life as well as the product I represent since it has helped my family during my mum's failed battle against cancer. Probably my conviction was translated in my work ethics and the positive response I gain from my friends and clients alike makes all my hardship melt away. The first incident that gave me immense job satisfaction came from a good friend of mine, Ms.R. She was the third person to start a life insurance policy with me back then. We met up at for lunch couple of weeks ago and I advised her to start saving for her retirement. I proposed her a suitable savings scheme and gave her time to think about it. A week or so has passed, she text me stating she wants to get it from her other half's cousin sister, whom is an established and reputable agent with Great Eastern as well. Due to the fact that she is a family relation to her boyfriend, she dare not say "no" to her. Understanding her predicament, we had a brief conversation and I politely asked her to think about it again. When I followed up on her decision, she text me with this ,

"Hi Nick! Been meaning to contact you but the past few days have been really hectic for me... about that conclusion, I already told A's cousin I'll be buying from you. So don't worry. I think it's the only right to do so. Plus you know my finances better..."

Reading this SMS gave me immense satisfaction. The way I interpreted this is she is willing to continue placing her trust in me to be her servicing agent despite being approached by a more established and related family member. The trust given to me... meant so much more to me than anything else.

The second incident happened last Wednesday during my visit to one of my clients in Midvalley Boulevard office. All along, there has been this Mr.T who is also one of my clients in that office. However, he signed up his policy with me because it was paid for by the company but he never really liked me. Each time I drop by this office, this senior manager will make sarcastic remarks at me such as,"Why are you here? I don't like seeing you here..." and each time he says such remarks, I'll just smile and try to make small chat with him. During my last visit to the office to help my client to make alterations to her payment mode, Mr.T walked into the conference room and again sarcastically said,"You're here again! We have no money to buy insurance from you la...". Again, I just smiled and chatted with him. Later, he came into the conference room we had this conversation;

Mr.T : Eh Nick, do you have any education plans that does not require payment?
Me : I sure do Mr.T. You'll have to start saving yourself and start paying yourself interest la.
*Mr.T gives me the weird look*
Mr.T : How about with RM 2 per month?
Me : Mr.T, be reasonable... do you expect there are free or cheap plans in this world?
*Mr.T laughs*
Mr.T : Alright... can you make me a plan for my two boys?
Me : Sure... how old are they?
Mr.T : Six and eight years old.
Me : What's your budget Mr.T?
Mr.T : What budget? Never thought of that before... do I really need one?
Me : Ok ok. Do you want to send them to University of London or just a local university?
Mr.T : Eh, their father also went to local uni... they won't need to go overseas la.
Me : Fair enough... but you want to enroll them in private or public university?
Mr.T : What difference does it make? Private Uni is better... it is in English
Me : Erm... I graduated two years ago from a private local uni and it cost me RM 60,000 on tuition fees. I expect it to grow beyond RM 100,000 when your children enrolls.
Mr.T : Wah... so expensive ah! Ok... You go prepare a plan for me la...
Me : Not a problem... do you have any existing insurance policies?
Mr.T : I think I have... but no idea where I placed the policies...
Me : To be fair to you, I can't just go make a proposal without knowing what you have. Why don't you pass me your children's policies so I can make a review. Only after that, I can prepare a plan that really suit your needs.
Mr.T : So much hassle? Ok-lah. Then the policy you sold me last time, what does it lack? Do I need to top up?
Me : Similarly, I still need to look at your existing policies before I make any recommendations.
Mr.T : Ok-lah. I will be away for a business trip in Bangkok the whole of next week... when I come back on the 19th, I will pass you my whole family's policies... you take a look at it.
Me : Alright... I'll give you a buzz when you're back.

(The conversation continued on with other topics. He then asked me to go to his room and we had a good half an hour chat after that)

I felt really great when I left the office. In my mind, I earnestly believe I have finally proven myself to Mr.T that I am a capable agent and he is now willing to place his trust in me to service his family. Though it was never easy taking in his sarcastic remarks... I'm glad I was able to prove to him that I'm not just another agent but someone who can truly add value to his life.

The third and most memorable incident came from a mother of a friend of mine. She rang me up the same Wednesday morning to ask me on home and commercial property fire insurance. Due to my preset appointments, I was only able to meet her at 11pm in the evening. We went through the documentations and once that was done, we had a brief chit-chat. After chatting a while, she started to share her worries about her children. Since I knew both her children, she told me to keep it to myself what she said that night. Imagine the surprise I had! I could never have imagined a 55 year old lady sharing her family worries with me (someone who can be her son! LoL). We continued chatting until 0030 before I took my leave. Again, the trust she had in me for her to confide in me meant so much to me...

It is little feedbacks like this that made me truly understand what my I/O said last time. Many thanks to Ah Hoon for bringing me into this beautiful industry. Many many thanks to all my friends and clients who placed their faith and trust in me throughout this 21 months. I vow to continue serving you to the best of my abilities. Cheers!

One Year...

2007-09-04T00:41:00.000+08:00

Exactly a year ago, I resigned from my previous company and joined the insurance industry. It was on this same date, I stepped into my SG PJ Agency as a full time insurance agent and attend my very first morning meeting. In a blink of an eye, I am now "one-year-young" in this job and in the past few days, I have been asking myself over and over again, "It has been one year already? It sure feels as though I have just started work! Where did all my time go?". Man... time sure flies!! In this one year, I have learned so much more from the "public-university" (a university where society as a whole is your tutor/lecturer) that I would have never have learned while I was in Multimedia University. Despite the many ups and downs as well as the many challenges that were thrown at me, never once have I ever regretted choosing this as my career path. No doubt that I am still struggling (to a lesser degree now) with the fluctuating income, the experience that I have gained in this one year makes it all worthwhile because I know for a fact, money can never buy the experience I have gained.

Of course, I have made it this far in my career not by my efforts alone but through the many friends whom have extended assistance and support when I needed them the most. With this in mind, I thank God for this whole year that I have gone through as it has made me a better person and opened my eyes to the limitless possibility of the human capabilities. To my dad and beloved Adeline, many thanks for supporting my career decision and constantly giving me moral support whenever I was not on top of my game. Not forgetting my Immediate Officer (a.k.a supervisor), Ang Gaik Hoon, for your patience and guidance throughout this one year. To be honest, I didn't quite like the way she handled me initially because she was as blunt and straight-to-the-point as myself! It didn't go well at first as I was very uncomfortable with her style. However, as the months go by, I have seen the truth and wisdom in her guidance and it has changed the way I perceive her. Ah Hoon, many thanks again for your tutelage and I apologize for all the mistakes I have committed this year. I look forward to continue working with you in this industry!

To all my fellow friends whom have made the leap of faith and placed their trust in a rookie agent, I am deeply indebted to them. It is general knowledge that the first year is the "make-it-or-break-it" year which means an agent would either survive this year or quit the industry. In spite of this, these kind souls got their very first policy from me and thanks to them, I managed to sail through my first year in this industry!

Naturally, I can't forget to thank my university course mate and colleague, Allen Ong, for introducing me to this industry as well as my Groups Sales Manager (GSM), Kwek Chee Lee, whom have constantly motivated me with your pep talks. Till date, I enjoyed every single conversation I ever had with Chee Lee as he is one of the most positive individuals I have ever met (Whenever I had a conversation with him, he was always able to transfer his "positivity" to me!). To all my colleagues in SG PJ Agency, thank you so much for the knowledge and support you guys (and girls) have given me! The "thank-you-list" can go on indefinitely because I have so many people to thank! However, I am about to head to the airport to catch a flight to China and I have to cut it short for this entry (I will be away from 4th till 15th September). To end this entry, once again I would like to thank every individual out there whom have helped me throughout this short first-year in this industry. God bless you all!

P.S : In my previous post, 20 Ways To Impress Your Interviewer, I mentioned that I attended an interview with Financial Planning Association Malaysia (FPAM) for a scholarship in Certified Financial Planner (CFP) course. As if it was a gift to commemorate my first anniversary, I was told by Patricia from FPAM that I have been awarded the scholarship! Woohoo! My classes will start next month and in two years time, I will be a Certified Financial Planner! Wheee!!!

My Cyst...

2007-09-01T00:37:00.001+08:00

About a month ago, my elder sister went for her regular pap smear test at a local hospital. As fate would have it, the hospital she went to was having some health check with the pap smear (it's in a package) and my sister took up the offer. To her surprise, the check up indicated that she had a cyst on her right ovary which has the dimension of 7cm by 4cm. The gynecologist then told my sister to return for a subsequent check up after her period. Few days ago, she went back to her gynecologist and was told that she need to have the cyst removed. By then, the cyst was already 8cm by 4cm.

On Friday 9am, she was admitted to Gleneagles Ampang Hospital and at 1130am, she had her surgery which took about one and half hours. I visited her at about 2pm but she was in no condition to speak to me since the drug has not worn off yet. Her beloved, Tom, who was with her the whole day had to return to my sister's apartment to grab some stuff and I stayed with my sister until the doctor who performed the surgery on my sister came at about 515pm. By then, my dad had arrived and Tom had returned and we followed the doctor to another room to have a look at the cyst. Initially, there was a bucket on the table (which is roughly the size of a KFC bucket) and two smaller bottles on top of it with some flesh in it. For a moment, I thought the doctor was going to take one of the smaller bottles and show us the cyst (it didn't register in my mind that the bottle could not have contained a cyst that is 8cm by 4cm). The doctor then put aside the bottles and opened the bucket. Lo and behold! He took out the cyst which shocked everyone in the room. It was the size of a freaking grape fruit! (Take a look at the pictures below!) The kind doctor went on to tell us that he had to perform something like a c-section incision to remove the cyst and from the initial observation, the cyst was not malignant. Of course, he also added that the cyst will be sent to lab for further tests and he can't be sure until the results are out.

The cyst which was the size of a grape fruit

As of this moment, my sister is currently recuperating in the hospital and she is expected to be discharged this coming Monday. The amazing thing about this is that my sister didn't even feel any pain or discomfort while she was having this huge cyst. Thank God that she went for her regular pap smear and check up else she wouldn't have known about it. This surgery cost her a whopping RM 10,000 and this does not include the room and board as well as other miscellaneous hospital charges. So to my dear readers, please... please (I can't emphasize this enough!) go for regular medical check ups as it might save your life!

Ratatouille!

2007-08-28T16:06:00.001+08:00

No, I am not going to write a review on this movie so you need not roll your eyes. (Though I must say it was a pretty good and meaningful show!) All of you would have probably watched this show by now and know the story. I am going to share in this entry a few statements made by a few characters in Ratatouille (pronounced as Rat-a-too-ee) which inspired me. Here goes;

This conversation took place in front of a store that sells items that kills rats.
... omitted parts
Remy's dad : This is the way things are, you can't change nature.
Remy : Change IS nature dad, the part that we can influence, and it starts when we decide (walks away)
Remy's dad : Where are you going?
Remy : With luck... forward!

This simple exchange between father and son reminds me of how the society at large is. Whenever they think it is not achievable, they will try to impose upon you that you too can't achieve what they failed to achieve. At the end of the movie, Remy did achieve his dream which is to be a chef despite the odds stacked against him (he is a rat for crying out loud!). The moral of the story is simple, if you truly believe you can reach the stars, go ahead and try! Society is conditioned to be your biggest dream-destroyer but never-ever let anyone tell you that you can't!

"The only thing predictable about life, is it's unpredictability" -Remy

Amen to this statement! We always try to predict what we can and cannot do. However, like this statement made by Remy, we can never predict life! I personally do not believe that our life is dictated by feng-shui or luck or some crystal bracelet. All we can do is to face life's unpredictability head on and always look at the positive side of the coin in order to overcome whatever life has to throw at us.

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism which is fun to write and to read but the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece junk is probably more meaningful than our critism designating itself but there are times when the critic truly risks something that is in the discovery and defence of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations... the new needs friends. Last night I experienced something new. An extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto "Anyone can cook" but I realize only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteaus'who is, in this critic's opinion nothing less than the finest chef in France. I'll be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more" -Food critic Anton Ego on Remy's cooking

As Anton Ego beautifully mentioned in his comment, it is always easier to criticize others since the critic has little to risk and general public thrives on negative views. It is usually individuals who write scathing remarks on others that have a large following (I know my previous entries have generated a lot of interest amongst my friends as well as cost me a few friends as well. That is why I have stopped criticizing others unnecessarily). Instead of viciously criticizing what the other has or hasn't done, we should take put ourselves in his/her boots. Could we have done a better job? (You'll definitely say yes... now, nod with me in agreement that you will be able to do a better job). Since that's the case, why don't you take over whatever the one you are criticizing is doing? That would remove the need for you to criticize (You will not be stressed out and your relationship with the other would not suffer. Often I have encountered individuals who criticize their friends, employers or anything under the sun but they do little or nothing to help remedy the problem! If you just focus all your "criticizing-energy" into finding a solution for the problem caused by the one you are criticizing, you will soon find that it wasn't a such a big issue after all!

In addition, Anton Ego's comments also mentioned that "not everyone can become a great a artist but a great artist can come from anywhere". This statement brilliantly illustrates that your environment or background should not be your excuse for not succeeding in life! Individuals such as Lee Sheng Chow (read "Blind But Standing Tall") can obtain a PHD despite being blind clearly shows that we human beings have limitless ability to achieve our dreams! All it takes is that you believe in your capabilities wholeheartedly and work hard (and smart!) based on your beliefs... the rest will fall in place naturally.

It is the first time an animation have inspired me this much. After watching this with my beloved Adel, I felt that my "motivation-batteries" have been recharged. To my readers, I would encourage you to watch Ratatouille and I hope it will inspire you as much as it had inspired me! Cheers!

Leader Of The Largest Nation!

2007-08-28T16:00:00.000+08:00

Saw this cartoon panel by Bizarro in today's The Star comic section (28 August 2007) which made me laugh out loud (literally!). I just had to cut it out and share it with you. The question for now is; Are you a leader of this great nation as well? Cheers!

Still Waiting

2007-08-28T15:25:00.001+08:00

As you are aware, my mum lost her battle to cancer March last year and the medical and living costs incurred by my family was astronomical. Thanks to the medical insurance policy, the 80% of RM 100,000++ spent on her treatment was covered. However, there are still so many individuals out there who are not covered either by their company's insurance or have any personal policies. In this article featured in The Sunday Star's Fit4Life page SF3 (26th August 2007), it shares the frustrations of a cancer patient, Belinda Bateman, in getting financial aid. Belinda, like most individuals out there, thinks that she is sufficiently covered by her company's insurance and did not invest in a policy of her own. However, the moment she was diagnosed with cancer, her company told her to resign after paying for her lumpectomy as she was now a liability to them. Having not much savings and no income, she had to turn to Social Welfare Department and Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) for financial assistance. Unfortunately, due to all the bureaucratic (bullsh*t) red tape, both organizations had to take months to "investigate". Some of you might be aware that you can withdraw your EPF savings for critical illness treatment. Belinda knew this but even with 4th stage cancer and a 3-year old child to feed, EPF had courtesy to turn away a dying woman and ask her to wait for two to three months before she can withdraw her own hard earned money for treatment! Belinda's case clearly illustrates the importance of medical insurance and if you have the illusion that your company will bail you out when you are in need, please pray hard that your company is not as heartless as the one Belinda was working with. (I will pray for you too since you are willing to risk your life at the hands of your employer!) Cheers!

Stay Happy At Work

2007-08-28T14:50:00.001+08:00

This is an interesting article which came at the right time as it was published just as my beloved Adel was having some office problems. (Obviously, she was quite unsettled by it!) Featured in The Star Metro Classifieds (21st August 2007), Philip Lee shares on how one can have a blissful working environment. Getting on the boss' good side and being receptive to constructive criticisms is some of the ways to be get there. It was also mentioned in this article that you should never-ever talk negatively/criticize others (one of my principles as well). It reflects badly on you and no doubt any individual who enjoys criticizing his colleagues/boss will be the last on the "trustworthy-list" amongst his peers. Having said that, you should also reach out to your colleagues and find a common ground with them. Your colleagues are the people you face every day at work and the last thing you want to do is to have conflicts with them which ultimately means misery for everyone. This editorial is indeed a useful article and do take your time to download and read. Have a good read and cheers!

Peak Performance

2007-08-28T14:35:00.000+08:00

It's been more than a week since I last updated my blog. This is due to the fact that I did not return to my office for more than a week and without my office scanner, I can 't do nuts. This article which I am sharing today was featured in The Star Metro Classifieds (20 August 2007) which touches on the rituals or practices one can perform in order to continuously bring out the best in yourself. Of all the strategies mentioned in this article, the ones I can identify with are;

Visualizing my success in an event/presentation
Wear clothes that will make me feel confident
Positive self-talk and positive imagery
Mingling with individuals who are excellent models of mental toughness
Maintaining a consistent, organized schedule

The others mentioned in this article are pretty good ways as well and I will try to incorporate more of it into my "peak performance rituals". Personally, I hope you will benefit from this article and always be on your peak performance! Have a good read and cheers!

20 Ways To Impress Your Interviewer

2007-08-16T14:18:00.001+08:00

To be honest, I have little experience when it comes to interviews. Ever since I joined the Risk Management Industry a.k.a Insurance, the thought of attending interviews seem foreign to me. (I did attend a scholarship interview for Certified Financial Planner in Financial Planning Association of Malaysia yesterday. If only this article was published yesterday, I would have aced the interview! LoL) Nonetheless, I saw this article in my favourite section of The Star daily, Metro Classifieds (16th August 2007) and I thought it would be useful to for readers of my blog (yes, YOU!). It was written by Neen James who is a motivational speaker and trainer in the States. Basically, this editorial highlights 20 to-do list if you want to impress the person who will decide whether or not you get the job. It never occured to me that using a nice pen and interviewing the interviewer would make an impact during the interview! LoL. Have a good read and cheers!

An Income Stream For You?

2007-08-14T15:56:00.000+08:00

In the same magazine Personal Money (August 2007 edition), another article on insurance annuity plans was featured. It basically explains what annuity plans are and how to utilize such plans to create a steady income stream after retirement. Do take your time to download the article and read. Have a good read and cheers!

EPF And You (Part 2)

2007-08-14T15:43:00.000+08:00

This is the second installment of the article... Cheers!

EPF And You (Part 1)

2007-08-14T15:30:00.000+08:00

I came across this magazine Personal Money (August 2007 edition) which featured an article on EPF and retirement planning. It is a long article but it gives a good overview on the do's and don'ts when planning for retirement at various stages in life. I won't be explaining much since the article itself is 9 pages long and due to its length, I'll be uploading it in two parts because blogspot only permits a maximum of 8MB picture uploads per post. Do take your time to download and read them. Have a good read and cheers!

My Writing Style

2007-08-07T23:41:00.000+08:00

I was chatting with this mighty fine lady over Yahoo! Messenger and we chatted as though we were friends who lost touch for a long time. We talked about everything under the sun (even though we met last Friday night! LoL). After a while, she touched on the way I used to write my blog which struck me as an interesting conversation. The conversation were as follows;

... (omitted parts)

Uncle Chan : my apologies
Uncle Chan : was on the phone
Uncle Chan : you still there?
Drumsticks : yup still here
Drumsticks : its alright.. no worries
Uncle Chan : busy busy blogging eh?
Drumsticks : yeahh.. damn hard to write ler
Drumsticks : deproving in english
Uncle Chan : deproving...?
Drumsticks : yeah
Uncle Chan : is there such a word?
Drumsticks : the fact that i said deproving
Drumsticks : LoL
Uncle Chan : LoL
Uncle Chan : your England has deteriorated
Drumsticks : yeah
Drumsticks : ur writing style has changed too
Drumsticks : less agressive
Drumsticks : more civilised
Uncle Chan : Yeah... i did that on purpose
Uncle Chan : LoL
Drumsticks : really?
Uncle Chan : more civilised <--- what a way of putting it into words
Drumsticks : its true its true!
Drumsticks : less fucking words
Drumsticks : but i truly enjoyed ur writing
Uncle Chan : my uncivilised writing?
Drumsticks : yeah hahah..
Uncle Chan : fucking = LoL
Uncle Chan : Can I use this script in my blog?
Drumsticks : LoL
Drumsticks : go ahead.. honoured
Drumsticks : hahah
Drumsticks : btw, how come u did that on purpose?
Drumsticks : like changing ur style of writing?
Uncle Chan : Cause I want my blog to be viewed by a wider and older audience
Drumsticks : ooohh
Drumsticks : btw, ur articles are pretty insighful
Drumsticks : hahah
Drumsticks : but i miss ur personal posts
Uncle Chan : yeah... working on that
Uncle Chan : two in the pipeline
Uncle Chan : one is definitely this
Uncle Chan : and the other is about Chinaman and western mentality
Uncle Chan : Looking at my blog... it has somehow turned boring
Uncle Chan : LoL
Drumsticks : i guess coz it is missing the personal post like u used to do before
Drumsticks : u know what i mean rite
Drumsticks : sorry i dont find ur blog boring in anyway at all
Drumsticks : haha
Drumsticks : coz i still visit it
Uncle Chan : LoL
Uncle Chan : I am going to post some scathing remarks then
Uncle Chan : spice up my blog
Uncle Chan : LoL
Drumsticks : yeahhh!!
Uncle Chan : eleh... nanti kena kutuk like mad by my colleagues
Uncle Chan : siao liao
Drumsticks : hahhaha
... (omitted parts)

This conversation made me realize how much I have changed since my MMU days. Most of my blog's readers loved the way I used to write (aggressive, fucking language... LoL. Drumsticks, the language you use is so funny!) and that was what separated my blog from the rest. I admit I have consciously toned down my language in this blog because I personally think the more aggressive I am, the less effective it is for me to relay the message of that particular entry. Then again, I think I should reconfigure the filter I impose upon myself and bring back more "Uncle Chan style" into my blog. LoL. Drumstick, thanks for the honest sharing on your thoughts about my blog, I really appreciate it. I look forward in creating more "personal posts" in the future. Cheers!

Five Ways To Retain Talent

2007-08-07T16:24:00.000+08:00

Most often than not, employers tend to overlook the needs and development of their staff. Not to mention that recognition is rarely given to staff whom performed well since most bosses have the mentality of "it's their duty to perform when they work for me". As a result, most staff lack the motivation and enthusiasm to improve themselves and ultimately, they will leave the company for another better paying job. This cycle goes on and on and employers will have to train new staff each time the veteran leaves. Imagine the amount of time and money wasted in that process! All of these can be resolved if the employers make the effort to retain their staff. This is exactly what was shared by David Simpson, the director of Team Building Asia in today's The Star Metro Classifieds (7 August 2007). He outlined five general strategies to further boost the retention rate in a company which are to support the employees' values, needs, development, frequent motivation and most importantly, give recognition when it is due. Regardless of whether you are an employer or not at the moment, I earnestly believe that the values listed in this article will improve your management skills since we all have to manage people every day of our lives! Have a good read and cheers!

Breaking Barriers

2007-08-07T16:05:00.001+08:00

In today's The Star Startwo (7 August 2007) Women section page T10 featured an article on women's right to recognition at work. It is an interesting article as it shares the success story of two women namely Anusoorya Themudu and Nafisah Radin who broke through the social norms where women are often thought of as the weaker and less resilient sex. The former is now the Human Resources Director (Corporate) of General Electric Malaysia and she encourages women to break the cultural barriers where women are generally introverts and often feel guilty to make the right decisions. The other featured individual, Nafisah Radin had to juggle between raising a family of 4 and her business in two separate states for seven years. During her confinement period, she even bought a land and designed her home! For her outstanding efforts, she was awarded Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Talk about women power! Have a good read on these two outstanding women and cheers!

Be A Creative Genius

2007-08-02T15:53:00.001+08:00

Today's Metro Classifieds (2 August 2007) teaches us ways to think out of the box. It shares that we need to seize opportunities daily to tap into our creative senses, challenge general assumptions, take risks and experience failure, have a different perspective on problems as well as to think ambiguously (This is something new since we were always taught to have vivid thoughts! LoL). Do download the article and have a good read! Cheers!

How To Detect Financial Defects

2007-08-02T15:43:00.000+08:00

This article was featured in The Star Starbiz (1 August 2007) page B7 and was written by Ooi Kok Hwa who is a licensed investment adviser. Basically, it shares on the six elements one should look into before investing in any companies which consist of liquidity, profitability, management, borrower communications, external environment and strategy of the company. The title itself is pretty self-explanatory and I won't dwell too much on what is discussed here. Have a good read and cheers!

What's Your Personality Type?

2007-08-01T10:06:00.000+08:00

You Are An ENFJ

The Giver

You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.
Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.
Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.
You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine.

In love, you are very protective and supporting.
However, you do need to "feel special" - and it's quite easy for you to get jealous.

At work, you are a natural leader. You can help people discover their greatest potential.
You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.

How you see yourself: Trusting, idealistic, and expressive

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Bossy, inappropriate, and loud

What's Your Personality Type?

Achieve Your Targets

2007-07-31T17:09:00.000+08:00

In today's The Star Metro Classifieds (31 July 2007), an article written by Lorraine Pirihi shares that one of the main reasons we fail to achieve our targets is because we lack proper personal management skills. The society at large believes that the number of hours we work equals to being productive and thanks to this mindset, people are always complaining that they do not have time. I personally believe that each of us always have time, it's just that we do not manage our time properly. The notion of long hours equals to being productive is utter nonsense since we usually spend most of our time working on unproductive activities instead of our actual goals. As Lorraine aptly puts it, "it is a matter of defining your priorities" and once we have an effective system to manage ourselves, the common rant of "not having enough time" will be a thing in the past. Have a good read and cheers!

Blind, But Standing Tall

2007-07-31T14:36:00.000+08:00

The power of attitude and positive thinking never cease to amaze me. These two elements always bring out the best of every individual and it beautifully proven and illustrated in biographies of successful people. One should take note that most of these successful characters were almost never born with a silver spoon. Many of them had to endure countless hardship which most of us will probably just throw in the towel and give up. Through the experiences they accumulated in life, they emerged as a better and stronger person instead of being cowed into straying off the pathway to success.

One of such remarkable individuals had his story featured the Sunday Star (29th July 2007). The protagonist of this article, Lee Sheng Chow, beautifully demonstrates that being blind was never an obstacle. It never stopped him in obtaining a degree, starting a massage business and have a family of his own. As if a cruel joke was played on him by God, he and his vision impaired wife was blessed with a daughter who has cerebral palsy but Sheng Chow never once blamed God. Instead, he had the grace to thank God for for the blessings he had receive and ask for His forgiveness each night! To me, that was the most amazing showcase of faith in the Lord and the power of positive attitude towards life. I salute Mr.Lee Sheng Chow for his awe-inspiring faith and attitude and I will always take his words,"Never, never, never, never, ever give up" to heart. Do take the time to download this article and read. I hope it will inspire you as much as it inspired me. Have a good read and cheers!

More Than Just Surviving

2007-07-31T14:17:00.001+08:00

In the Sunday Star's Fit4Life section (29 July 2007), I chanced upon this article by Loh Foon Fong which shared the experience of two breast cancer survivors. The general population generally assumes that breast cancer only afflicts older women but Siew Mei Quin was diagnosed with cancer in her mid-30s. She even shared that through this experience, she became a positive individual! (I have said many times, your attitude on life will make a difference). The other survivor, Wong Mee Yee, had mastectomy (total removal of the breast) at the age of 52 and now she's actively involved in dragon boat races all over the world. It is amazing that both these women took things in their stride and through this harrowing experience, they came out stronger and more positive than before. It is my hope that readers of my blog would realize the importance of having a positive outlook of life and have regular breast examinations as it was illustrated by the survivors, early detection and treatment is the best cure for breast cancer. Have a good read and cheers!