Making Frequent Visits to Relatives

In my years of seeking for peace and happiness, I have realized how a person's mental happiness depends on your contact with Friends and Relatives... especially with your immediate family members and their pets. While on a trip to Penang, my wife and I were able to catch up with her mom and aunt and the cutest of dogs, dear Benny boy. Having constant communication with the people around you is a true blessing! YES... From left: Me, Benny and Aunty Lian
Up Benny Boy! Good fella... 

Holiday Tips! What to do? What to do?

Tomorrow 11 April is a Public holiday in Malaysia. What can you do? For one, you can take your grandma to the temple and make offerings to the monks there. Go on! Generate good merits for everyone. Have a lunch "dana" today!
All you need is some rice, selected food, even chilled cut fruits will be welcomed! Go visit your neighbourhood temple now! 

What to do as a Foreigner in Thailand?

Watch Thai.
Look at things from a Thai perspective.
Smile Thai.
Read Thai.

 

Tips for a Mini Honeymoon.

Eat local.
Drink local.
Snack local.
Localize!

 

Happiness Together

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's most loving couple Goh Sue San and Daniel Kwok finally gets married to each other on 26 February 2006 after a courtship of 4 years.

The wedding was attended by family, friends and mostly loved ones at Shangri-la Kuala Lumpur to an elaborate 8-course Chinese dinner. Flanked by over 40 waiters, wedding singers and a Wedding Photojournalist, the 2 hour dinner was filled with laughter, some happy tears and music.

"We wish to thank everyone who has attended and wish everyone our love and our joy", said the couple at the end of the wedding dinner. Webpictures by Quek Mei Joon

Short-Cuts That Make You More Productive

1. Talk / gossip less. Leave socializing for another time
2. Check with your boss if you got your objectives right before starting
3. If you are taking an hour to do what needs to be done only 15 minutes to do, rethink, replan or cut down on time wasters.
4. Plan Plan Plan.
5. Stop reading blogs (that complain and gossip). Instead read Blog@ zines that help motivate you to do better!
6. Know when to rest. It is better to take more quality rests than to work so hard to fall sick later and waste more time.
7. Stop procrastination by setting deadlines for yourself and giving them to your boss to monitor. Be mature and proactive with your tasks at hand.

Today is the day you can start being more organised. Never fear about how good you can be (that you can never back down later). Who cares what happens tomorrow? Just know that for today if you can finish your work you will be happy and less stressed. Laziness does not pay because of the stress and guilt that comes immediately. Good luck!

5 Questions That Spark Opportunity

How do you stop working for salary and start working for opportunity?

Are you working for money? If so, are you happy? If the answer is no, then you have to find a higher cause to why you are unhappy with your work.

Working for opportunity takes you beyond the meaningless toil that happens daily. Look beyond your job description and ask:
· What is my responsibility in my company? How dependable am I?
· What abilities do I possess? Am I maximizing my talents? What other skills must I have?
· What is my role in my company? Do I play a big part? Am I a star? How to become one?
· What is my status in my company? How do I improve my status? How can I expand my influence onto others?
· Successful people have the big picture outlook to work, to home and in life. Do I have that big picture outlook?

Start working on the 5 answers above and you will start working for a higher purpose. Opportunity awaits...

No longer do you finish a job just because you have to. No. Instead, each tiny work done is just part of a bigger mission. No one really pushes paper all day… unless you refuse see anything beyond that.

Hint: The more you put into life, the more it pays.

Jungle Hike - Discover your Energy!

Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) Kepong, Kuala Lumpur - 24 Jan 2006

However fit you are, you will find that you are even fitter then you imagine after a walk in the jungle. Try organizing for a group outing and arrange for FRIM's popular canopy walk.

Totally refreshing idea!

How can I afford it? (An article for Salesmen)

pic: Daniel Kwok’s adidas Banshee since 1998

Some advice on how to afford new “stuff” you have always wanted.

See this shoe? I have had it ever since the late nineties... still using it. Yes. I know it is time to replace it. But how can I afford it?

There are a few things in my “Things To Buy” list. I want a PDA hand-phone, a new digital camera and a new shoe. On top of that, I would be looking into furnishing a new apartment later this year.

If you so happen to be in Sales (selling for a commission), then you might probably want to recalculate your earnings to reflect your “wants”. Being in sales is a great help for people who want to earn more for their time. And by aligning your “wants” to your commission, you will have the biggest motivation anyone could ever receive.

Calculate backwards

Lets say you want to earn $20K this year. Calculate backwards how much you should sell just to achieve $20K. This new figure is your Personal Target. From there, plan your sales accordingly by quarter, by month and by week. By calculating this way, you may notice that your personal target may be higher than the target your company has set for you.

Does your personal target exceed the target set for you?
Not to worry. Your company has told you not to fall short of your target, but never to stopped you from surpassing it. Just go for it! Let next year worry for itself. Who knows, just by exceeding your sales target you will be promoted to Sales Manager and never worry about sales targets anymore? After all, if you can achieve and surpass your company’s targets, you deserve greater challenges, bigger responsibilities and a higher pay check than what you are receiving.

If it is too much, review your “wants”. Perhaps you do not need it after all? Are there any other alternatives?

Look for other cheaper alternatives.
My adidas Banshee has been coming apart at the seams. At $200 bucks a pair, I have figured that I can still use it after it comes back from the cobbler. I could probably use it until the end of 2006.

Borrowing things from people who are able to lend it to you is also a cheaper alternative. Renting is also an alternative.


What if I don’t do sales or don’t receive a commission?
In your own time start analyzing avenues in your workplace that allows you for a higher income.
1) Analyze your company’s mission and vision to see if you can align your growth accordingly.
2) Analyze your company’s hierarchy to chart your own growth. Perhaps even help create a new department (which you will head) or innovate a new range of products that will grow into a cash cow.

Never allow yourself to fall into the “overtime” trap. Overtime is never a long term strategy. If getting yourself promoted means studying for a Masters in your field, working on extra projects, improving on work conditions around your workplace, or even learning to manage others, do that.

Work on things to accomplish apart from your day-to-day work. You are paid your salary to perform your day-to-day work. You will not receive anything more unless you start taking on your boss’s work. Then, you can receive his salary too.

The secret in affording what you want.
The secret is working hard to accomplish things that will either get sales for you (if you are in sales) or get you promoted. Working hard alone does not cut it. Working hard with a purpose can and will bring you to a higher plane in your company.

Keep On Running!

Concepts and ideas are borrowed from friends and my working environment. 

2006 Metta Metta Blog@zine Survey

The first Metta Metta Blog @zine Survey is here!

Just by submitting your answers into the "comments" below you will have a chance to Win, Win, Win... yourself some better quality columns for your reading pleasure!
Hurry!! Survey ends on Tuesday January 31, 2006. Participate now!

Q1: What type of articles do you want to see more often at the Metta Metta Blog @zine?

Q2: What kind of pictures do you want to see more often at the Metta Metta Blog @zine?

Q3: Do you want to read longer articles or shorter ones?

Complete this sentence:
I Love Metta Metta Blog @zine because: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (Not more than 10 words)

*All Survey rules and regulations apply. Proof of receipt is not a guarentee that your publication will appear in the "Comments" columns.

Your Mind Is a Magnet

Have you ever prayed and chanted for a parking space and found one immediately? Have you wished for something and got it later as a gift?

Call it pure coincidence or luck. Perhaps it is a gift from the Gods as a reward for your complete and undying faith in Him / Her. Maybe you attribute it to your positive Karma generated from past merits. Or perhaps just good Feng Shui.

Whatever your faith, you do attract things or people towards you. Yes! You attract both what you want and don’t want.

So how can we make our magnetic minds work for us? How can I attract what I want?

In my personal observation, and discussions with like-minded people, here are some clues on how our mind-magnet works:

1) Your belief and confidence (commitment) must be real and complete. For example if you are confident that a parking will appear at your asking, it will. Half beliefs will produce half results, late results or smaller results.

2) Requests or prayers out of fear will never work. If there is any doubt or confusion in your thoughts, your mind will not attract your wishes in a positive manner. The opposite will usually come true.

3) Wishes come true when there is no ill-will. That means that wishes that arise from greed will not come true. Greedy thoughts result in loss rather than gain. Jealousy chases your dreams away. Wishes that arises because of "fear of loosing" (loosing a friendship, relationship or money) will encourage loss rather than gain.

4) Positive vibes / positive environments will encourage your wishes to happen. There can be no growth in the desert of negativity. Water your world with love. Allow generosity to shine in your garden of happiness.

This means: Do good and enjoy doing good... You will get goodness in return. Give to others what they truly want or need. Request or make wishes for the things you really want and deserve. Ask for it (from God or from Karma or from Newton’s Law of Action or Reaction) with a mind full of confidence. Once given, receive the gift with thanks, love and honest gratitude. Share the gift with others.

Q: What if whatever I have wished for is given to someone else?
A: Then rejoice and be happy for that person who received it. No sense in feeling sad or jealous because by doing so, you will chase your wishes away. Better yet, be humble and congratulate that person genuinely. Your positive thoughts and words will make your dreams come true faster.

Your mind is a magnet of things to come. Whatever happens in your life was attracted by your mind. Happy minding.

The Power of Thoughts and Words

Notice how you can never cook delicious food when you are ANGRY?

Or how angry words can hurt for an entire lifetime?

Between angry thoughts and hurtful speech, thoughts are said to carry less harm, but what is not spoken out still resounds in our own minds. What is spoken is released into the universe.

It is believed that the spoken word - be it sweet or foul – can never be retracted. Spoken words are sound waves, an energy form. Like all forms of energy, it can never be destroyed, only transformed into other forms. Do not take lightly the words that will come out of your mouth, the affects will linger in the universe forever.

If this is true, positive words result in positive energy waves, into positive thoughts and actions and so on. Like wise, negative words will result in negative waves, smashing itself into whatever lies in its path.

It is even believed that negative words once spoken will remain forever bouncing off walls and trees… resulting in random negative vibes that you receive now and again.

What this boils down to is:
1) Positive and encouraging thoughts can shape our realities.
2) Positive words to ourselves and others can heal and produce good results
3) Positive intentions without action can make a difference, let alone the positive action itself.

Words shaped and pressed by our lips have great impact on the world. Sharp wounding words shaped by hate are equal to any physical weapon. They injure the listener, perhaps for life. Each time the words are remembered, the wound gets deeper.

Healing emotional wounds requires forgiveness and lots of encouraging and positive words and thoughts.

So dear reader… start sending positive thoughts and saying words of encouragement.

A loving touch that starts from the heart can stop bleeding faster. Food cooked with love tastes better and is emotionally nutritious. Go ahead, heal the world with your thoughts and speech today.