Something Bigger

We always wanted to achieve something bigger in life. Let the motivation be wealthier, gain better status, recognition and fame, or pure desire to have a better quality of life. We always have the desire to be someone or achieve something bigger.

We are all dreamers, especially when we were younger. Though the courage to dream fades exponentially as we grew older, we are all dreamers, at least at one stage of our lives.

Throughout the years in seeking for the answers on what it takes to bring me to another level, it came to my realization that in order to achieve something bigger, one should understand the real meaning of life.

You see, you can say I want to be a ceo. Great vision indeed. But you must be able to answer, what is the point of doing so?

Why do you want to be a ceo? Is it driven by the desire for Power? Money? Status? Or all of the above?

Well, these are all valid reasons and it shall not be judged whether they are right or wrong, because these are all bits and pieces of life which has driven human being in our route to success for years.

In my humble opinion, perhaps we should ask ourselves, what difference would I make, if I haven't done the thing which I want to achieve.

I always believe that "Things happen for a reason", and without knowing what's the reason that drives you, you will not go very far.

That's another philosophical entry of the year...

2012 - The Story Continues

2012 hasn't been great, but hasn't been that bad either.

After entering the "Big 30" club, it's like I am forced to grow up overnight. Now into the 2nd year of this phase of my life, i think i am starting to get used to it.

With the depreciation in the value of money while the property prices keep on rising, it is indeed a huge pressure for us to keep up. For now, we are still thankful that we have a small hut to live in, but if you think through it, things would be very challenging for our next generation.

The property prices in our regional countries (big cities at least) are way more expensive than what we have in KL. Let it be Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta or Ho Chi Minh, KL's property is surprisingly at an "Affordable Level".

In Malaysia, it is apparent that Wealth Gap is widening at an alarming pace. Well, the increase in social issue + crime rate is positively link to the widening of Wealth Gap. We used to have a fat layer of Middle Income group but now, this group is dividing into 2 groups, one leaning towards the "Rich", and one leaning towards the "Poor".

For a lot of my peers, they are continuously and proactively looking for investment opportunities. This is a positive thing for the country, but of course this is because they are also looking for a Social Class Upgrade. Some, they chose to be more passive and believe that savings, rather than investment, is the way to go.

Both school of thoughts have their own merits, however, we shouldn't work in silo and believe that everything else will be ceteris paribus (Latin terms used in Economics to describe "All Else Remains Unchanged"). When we are moving, the society, economy and the globe are moving as well.

The key here is, if you are looking for a social class upgrade, you would need to Outpace everyone else.

You see, if the country's social welfare & education system is good, we do not need to fight for survival by outpacing everyone else. However, we do know that in Bad Times, we will have no one to rely on but ourselves.

Official stats or numbers on cost of living shows that Malaysia is among the lowest. Indeed it is. But every household's earnings must be sufficient to cover the daily expenses + indulgence, while a huge portion of the income will need to go to a Rainy Day Fund. We would need to save up for insurance premium, emergency funds for medical bills, maintenance bills and other miscellaneous, kids' education fund etc. If you add all this together, that's a totally different story and the cost of living in Malaysia is extremely high for all of us.

Recent President Barack Obama's speech particularly moved me. He mentioned about the importance of education and medical welfare for the people, which I am totally in agreement with him. This is what we are lacking in Malaysia, a sense of Security where our present + future will be protected.

As a matter of fact, it would be tough to rely on the government to make any drastic change, and in avoidance to drop further in the Social Class Rank, i think it's time for us to work hard, invest & divest and save for the future. It ain't gonna be any easier if you don't do anything, now.

It's action time.

Infernal Affairs Parody Video

In March 2012, we shot this parody version of infernal affairs. It was good fun and hope you guys like this video.