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July 29, 2005
If retrenched, don't bitch
I think that is one of the strongest advice that I can give. I am talking a lot about recruitment and interview skills in this blog, but somehow, it doesn't occur to me that people that are in the process of being retrenched are emotional.
Or, better, negatively emotional. I had a conversation this morning and have to agree. Many times, when you hear that you have been retrenched, you want to pick up the phone, call hubby or your wife, best friend, boyfrien, girlfriend, your mother, God, whomever - and start complaining.
"Ah, I have been retrenched, stupid company, how could they do this, I worked by bones off, and now this. They will go bankrupt, they should go to hell, I am better than XYZ."
And so on and so on. My advice? Don't. Don't do this, really. Don't burn bridges.
Okay, so you are emotional, you worked so hard for so many years, sacrificed weekends, came in to work when you were sick and now that? Don't bitch!!!
Never ever. May be to your wife or husband, but to nobody else. The world is small. The one you complain now might leave and become your boss in the next company - how is that for a shock?
The one you complain about, your supervisor, your boss, your whatever - he or she might be called be the one company who is interested in hiring you. What do you think they will hear from your supervisor or your boss?
Also, don't complain in an interview. This gives a bad impression. I don't hire people who bitch about their former boss. Why not? Because, when you leave my company, you will start complaining about MY company as well. So why should I hire you?
So, again - don't burn bridges. Be professional. Bite your tongue. Don't respond immediately, when you are asked how you feel.
What you can do? Talk about this entry, lol.
Posted by Andreas at 03:52 PM | Comments (5)
July 28, 2005
Sexy jobs
I needed this to decide about my next career move:
"The top three "hot jobs" were firefighter, flight attendant and chief executive officer. Lawyers, ranked 10, were just below doctors and just above veterinarians.
Posted by Andreas at 05:13 PM | Comments (1)
Work preference: Daisy or Jerk?
"According to an article in the June issue of the Harvard Business Review, an overwhelming majority of people would rather work with a less-skilled but likeable person than a more-competent jerk."
So which one are you? And what went wrong in the recruitment process, as it seems that there are that different characters at work - wouldn't this cause frictions in the culture of the workplace? However, isn't it also refreshing to have different characters in your workplace, since this allows different views in a project - may be this could be classified as diversity?
And, what actually is a jerk - define it! A jerk for one person is likeable to others. Argh - so many questions.
I think, it boils down to the situation and how individuals react to it.
Let's just say that a jerk in one project is likeable in another project. In some situations you just appear to be a jerk, or not?
Isn't it all about flexibility in your own behaviour to get along with all the people around you - be they a jerk, or be they the daisy.
Posted by Andreas at 04:39 PM | Comments (1)
Levels of job opportunities - an entry for En. Ting Tong
I would like to respond to a comment in my entry "Background to my story."
Here, En. Ting Tong (whoever this is) wrote "I guess i have to compete with you in the market now."
I am not sure if this is correct, but I think it deserves some guestimations on my side.
A reject is feedback - I don't know what you are doing, but I don't see you as a competitor. If we would compete for the same job, and you get the job, this is still feedback for me. You are better than me, and I am happy for you. May be I wasn't the fit in the company, may be your qualifications are clearly better. There will be more for me.
There are different levels in a company - Clearly, I am pretty high up in the category that I am applying for. I am working in the market research environment for about 10-15 years now, and there are not that many opportunities for me. The opportunities are different. The air is thinner if you are higher up in the category. More is expected of you, and for sure, a company expects the utmost of you. I don't even know in which industry you work - as you might know in which industry I am!
I am a Mat Salleh - I heard from one leading recruitment agency already that it is pretty tough for a Mat Salleh/ expatriate/ foreigner, to look for a job nowadays. Singapore is struggling economically to move up the value added ladder, and honestly, Malaysia is not always that friendly to foreigners. Sorry to say so.
En. Ting Tong , if you read this, I would like to ask you to contact me via my e-mail address. I read some frustration into your comment - but might be totally wrong with this interpretation - but may be I can help you? Let's just talk, okay, because this is what I like to do. Talk and explore opportunities - for me and for others, because, you will ask, what is in it for me? It gives me pleasure to help, it is fun to see someone succeed. As simple as that!
Posted by Andreas at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2005
Support from my trainer
I will write about my current jobscope and situation later. Not tonight so, but may be over the weekend.
It is amazing, how much support I receive from friends all over the world, with regard to my current situation after my department has been dissolved.
I want to thank all of you for that already.
My trainer send this to me:
"Uncertainty is when expectation exist. You know where you are heading, though not what you will be doing.Have that goal in mind, then surrender
it, focus on your daily intentions.Focus on what you need to to everday
that will bring you closer to your
goal. Where you focus determines your
reality.Make the daily processes
better."Seize the day, surrender the outcome."
Life is changing all the time, but you
woke up only recently. And in this
awakening lies the uprising of a new
you.
The answers that you are looking for
are waiting inside of you."
Powerful - thank you Barney!
Posted by Andreas at 02:24 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff and I
He lost his job, and so did I.
I met him once, know some people in Proton, I even drive a Proton and love the car.
I wonder if The Star or the NST would have reported about me, if the story of Mahaleel wouldn't have come up.
Not sure, really. Anybody wants to report my chronicles?
But hey - while he has got the local news, I once had The Economist. Okay, only in an advertisement, but so what. Gimme some credit, okay?
May be I meet Tengku on the dole?
Posted by Andreas at 12:05 PM | Comments (2)
My executive
All colleagues of mine go all out of their way to help us - me and my executive.
Most of them, if not all, are shellshocked about the news that transpired yesterday in the office meeting, that the research department would be closed, the operations outsourced to India and I and my executive leave the company. I mean, come on, if I wouldn't be strong, emotionally, and experienced, it would have been a shock for me as well.
So now I call friends, and friends of colleagues and there are already opportunities for my executives. This is what I call friendship, networking, and, honestly, fun.
Posted by Andreas at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2005
Retrenchment - the interesting part
I am retrenched, and so far, I am doing fine. There are plenty of opportunities out there, I know "people" and hope that something will come up.
I also was prepared, call it a hunch.
Whatever.
The interesting part is that people believe that you are feeling bad. You have been retrenched, right? Time for tears, for sadness, it is a Good-Bye. We are not used to take this as an opportunity.
Our regional HR manager came to me yesterday evening, looking at me with a grumbled up face (positively speaking), saying: How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you want to talk?
Hello! I am doing okay, for the time being. Ask me again in a couple of days, weeks or months.
Same with the regional manager - he sat in the meeting with me and my boss. He also looked like his world would break down, for me. I was okay - at least at the surface, of course. If you would have digged deeper, some emotions could dwell up.
Anyway - let me see how the rest of the week goes.
Posted by Andreas at 08:25 PM | Comments (4)
Retrenchment - some background to my story
I am working (can i still say so?) in a very people-oriented company. My boss, who had to bring me the news about my job being outsourced, his first thinking is around people. In anything.
So he tries to help me. I only have to leave by the end of this financial year, which is end-September. The company will pay for training that takes place in October and November. They offer outplacement services, and I will get some compensation for the time that I worked in the company.
This is great for me, of course.
Everybody was sad. I mean, come on, I was 5 years in the firm, and saw the firm growing. When I started to work with them, back in February 2000, I was one of three employees that started the same day. And we were employees number 4, 5, and 6. Now, in the meantime, the company's headcount stands at 25. Great growth and I was part of it. In research, in business development and client servicing. Some of the best clients came through initiatives from my side (may I blow my horn?), but may be I didn't do enough of this good stuff in the end - more clients would have been better, probably. But then, it just wasn't my function but something aside.
Many of those that joined after me are still around. Those that left have stayed in touch with those left behind. A people-oriented company fosters such behaviour, no doubt about this.
It is sad that I cannot stay and that the job function is outsourced to a market research company in India. This is not to say that I doubt their abilities, but I think I am pretty good in what I am doing. I am the best in the region, when it comes to finding information and making sense out of it! The problem of course is that if senior management doesn't see it (have I made myself heard, loud enough - did I lose my track in the end?) or business demands change, something got to give.
I am sad for my junior executive. I trained her up for 4 years. She will also get compensation, but it is hard on her. It was her first job, and she liked what she did. She is great in what she does, and she will miss the culture of this company - that is what she said. It was a shock for her, because it also was the first time, that she lost a job. I will try to find a new one for her, via my own contacts, and my boss is also helping.
Posted by Andreas at 08:12 PM | Comments (8)
I just lost my job!!
Across my blog, I have mentioned it a couple of times (the last time here) - that my job is on the edge.
Now it became true. My boss just told me that my job is going to be outsourced to India. An Indian company is going to do the research for the firm I am working for.
So basically, I can leave anytime. Last day in September. That will be an interesting time, because I am planning to do something on my own.
What I am feeling for most is my executive. She worked with me for nearly 5 years. She is great and I will help her as mch as possible to get a new job or re-skill in this company here.
I will surely blog about my plans in the near and very close future.
Follow this blog. Be empowered to change
Posted by Andreas at 02:26 PM | Comments (1)
CEOs are humans as well
Are CEOs human? They are celebrities, for sure, at least in some parts of the world.
Ask any senior manager, or even CEO, whom he or she is aspiring to, and for sure, the answer will be Jack Welsh, former CEO of GE. But hey, times have changed, even at GE, and Jeffrey R. Immelt, his successor, shows a much softer side - does he really? May be he is just developing his own agenda or footprint.
Anyway - Robert Sutton, professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University now says that CEOs are faking it badly.
They only appear to be confident - but even great CEOs often have no clear idea where they are going, or make mistakes.
But then - everybody makes mistakes, right? Only, that the notion is important HOW you take mistakes, anyway - as a devastating feature in your life, or a learning opportunity? The impact of a wrong decision by a CEO is mostly bigger, however, than that of someone, like, for example me.
Whatever it is - CEOs might be not as invincible as it might seem in the professor's opinion. Still, they are not alone in shaping a company's future, and lucky for all of us, they are controlled (or should I say, should be controlled) by their Board of Directors, or even shareholders who can sell shares in the company or employees who can leave to greener pastures.
They shape a company's course by may be having the last say in a major decision, but there are many voices that are involved in a company.
In the end, we are all human. Only that some are more in the public light than others.
Posted by Andreas at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2005
Smart move - Marketing group takes dead from list
We all deal with telemarketers from time to time, and often, they are simply annoying. Okay - I talk to them in a friendly voice, joke around and all - they are doing their job, I understand, and need to earn a living.
But then, I also clearly state that I don't want to be contacted anymore, that I don't want to invest with them, and that I am happy with what I have.
Unbelievably - they call me back, 1, 2 or 3 months later.
Well, I am on their list - and may be I only get off it when I am dead.
In the US, "largest direct marketing group set up a registry Thursday to remove dead people from its telemarketing, e-mail and direct mail lists — for US$1."
Isn't it unbelievable?
And they dare to say that the deceased Do-Not-Contact list was designed to help families dealing with the loss of a loved one. Of curse, somehow they have to establish that the dead is really dead. But if they would take care of their customers, they would know this, right? Because, we are no longer living in the time, where a cold call is simply that - a cold call. Even a telemarketer needs to establish a trustworthy relationship. Before someone dies.
Posted by Andreas at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
Soulmates - great design
This is another beautiful example of something useful and beautiful - the Soulmates, made in India.
BusinessWeek writes:
"In India, it is a tradition to remove the footwear when you enter a house or building. As a host it is a good gesture to offer visitors footwear that is worn only indoors. Solemates is disposable footwear made from recycled newsprint and any other non-laminated paper pulp. It is completely biodegradable. The color is natural and no bleaching agents/chemicals have been used; even the cord and the support tube are made from twisted unbleached paper. Soulmates are an inexpensive and environmentally-friendly alternative for use in hospitals, hotels, software industries, religious places, meditation centers, massage parlors, or on aircraft with long flying routes."
They cost less than 50 cents each - don't know how long they last so, but well, I think, they are beautiful, and appropriate. Locally and Globally - a great design
Posted by Andreas at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2005
Because aliens like to read your blog to
Got this via SmartMobs:
"BloginSpace.com,will beam web feeds of blogs-weblogs,or personal internet diaries,into deep space via a powerful satellite broadcast",the Sydney Morning Herald reports."We are giving bloggers the opportunity to send a piece of their lives into space to potentially connect with extraterrestrials,"said Ted Murphy, president and chief executive of the Florida-based firm MindComet".Giving this piece of advice,Mr Murphy said,"We strongly urge our users to refrain from language or content designed to provoke our alien neighbours".
So beam it up - increase your blog readership with some aliens. And check the webpage. The design is nice.
Posted by Andreas at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)
No more dancing in Pahang
This is sad news for the State of Pahang in Malaysia.
"The police have announced a crackdown on discotheques in Pahang, which will turn it into a State without such dance clubs. The police have singled out discotheques as places where youths consume ecstasy and dancing in drug induced stupor called “goyang kepala."
I don't know how high the percentage is of those that dance on drugs. I only know that dancing is an outlet to get to feel the music, get out of the weekly routine and have some fun, meet friends, make new friends, and, god beware, may be fall in love with a girl or a boy!
What else can they do now, in Pahang? Is there anything left for youth to do?
And hey - what about those tourists? Those tourists also like to dance - shall they do this now on the road? Singing in the rain?
This is a sad day for Pahang - that is my opinion.
Posted by Andreas at 04:13 PM | Comments (4)
Are Best Practices really the best you can do?
Best Practices or Benchmarking is a habit that is all over the place. I am coming across them constantly during my daily work day and it is amazing how much companies believe in it.
Best Practices basically means that you as a company look across your own industry and other sectors to find something that you could implement in your company. Something that a company in another sector or even your own is doing better than you.
This could be in a variety of areas - finance, supply chain, human resources, customer service - you name it, you get it.
You get curious about it and look into the deeper workings or processes. How the .... is this other company doing this? What are their processes, procedures, how do people behave - are some of the questions that you might start to explore.
May be you get it. The details. If it is another sector and you know the CEO, you can set up a meeting and share knowledge. Companies might share it with you, you know.
It might work, if you can customise it to your own situation - which might be difficult.
I wrote about it earlier, so may be you can take a look at this as well. Don't trust benchmarking and best practices too much, so. There are certain reasons to be suspiceous, really.
To be plain - you are not an industry leader when you benchmark or implement Best Practices. Until you complete the job, the world has moved on. Really. That simple.
Jack summarised this beautifully from an article in Marketing Profs (Login required).
And they write the following:
1.) They rarely work. A company's best practices work in the context of its business processes, culture, systems and people. Plucking a best practice and trying to graft it onto another organization will produce unpredictable results.
In one instance, a company forced its entrepreneurial salespeople to adopt a tightly controlled sales process, with automated tools for all large accounts. The company mandated the new process and system because it was touted as a best practice in sales force management. After a year of trial and error, the company's salespeople dumped the tool, complaining about declining sales productivity. For the company, it was a multimillion-dollar mistake.
2.) It's a follower's strategy. In an era of demands for innovative products and services, why give your customers recycled answers? A company that really wants a customer order process that looks like everyone else's is likely to lose the battle of market differentiation. Relying on best practices will doom your customers to mediocrity in the long run, and hurt your reputation as well.
3.) Change comes from within. People rarely respond well to implementing some other company's ideas. In fact, having best practices come down from on high usually causes resentment. Let people create their own solutions using their in-depth knowledge of the company's customers, suppliers, employees and processes. That will result in ownership of the ideas and determination to get results.
4.) They don't come with a manual. Business books and benchmark reports are full of snippets about best practices, yet they rarely explain what to do with them. You may have read that it's a best practice to process a customer product return in 24 hours, but there's little guidance for meeting that objective. It's also quite possible that the organizational change necessary for your customer to achieve the goal isn't even remotely feasible.
What to do then?
Well, use Best Practices as a starter to a great brainstorming session with your team. Don't use them as an end goal. Innovate, be creative. Find something new. Think outside the box.
Okay, these are just some flashy words, used in management circles. They need entries on their own. But think, feel and see my point. One way to start is to explore the ideas of your own employees. Ask them, include them in your sessions. Because they might just know what you need to know. But nobody asked them earlier. They are waiting for you to approach them.
Posted by Andreas at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)
July 19, 2005
Everything is connected
This might be of interesting to know and to follow through. I learnt the saying the other day that "Everything Is Connected."
Think it through, imagine it.
I am reading someone's blog posting, speak to someone, read a book, IM with another person - and so on. What will happen?
We form impressions, change perceptions, alter opininions, lighten up the neurons in our brain. Subsequently, we are connected. Anything happened, influences my life.
My life wouldn't be what it is now, if I wouldn't have read this blog and that blog. I am thus connected to this person, this author, in some way. He or she dramatically influenced my life.
Now, I wonder - what will change with this entry? In me, and in you, who is just reading this post.
Because, to drive the point home - anytime you think about connections and change, you will think of this entry in this blog, and what it did to you.
Interesting, isn't it?
Posted by Andreas at 03:49 PM | Comments (2)
July 18, 2005
The quality of the mind
We all talk, think, communicate, take in messages, have opinions about others and ourselves.
In the process of communicating, we delete messages, generalise, or distort - this relates to my recent entry about perceptions.
Basically, we believe that what we see is true. It is not true - it is how your mind perceives it how it happened - it is our reality only.
If you would ask someone else about the same accident, you will get a different version.
Isn't it true that if we are able to "manipulate" our mind, we can create our own personal experience? But how often are we handicapped by our own history or belief systems?
It is because we are educated in a way that forms our beliefs. How often have we been exposed to such sentences "you are too stupid to do this", "your brain is too timy", "don't even try it, you will fail" and so on?
I wrote about this earlier already.
Surely, over time, we start to believe that we are dump, stupid, unable. And sooner or later, we will fail in what we set out to do, when we try. It might be a different place, a different time, a different settings. Our mind, however, remembers, and sets us up for failure. So we prove to ourselve that we failed.
A vicious cycle has been initiated.
I have such thing in me as well. I always believed that I am not able to use screwdrivers, that I am an idiot in reparing a car, installing electronic items and so on. And of course it is true - I found out that my parents were pretty much breathing down my neck when I wanted to do something. So now, here I am - struggling with things, that need to be done. Be it changing Movable Type, or setting up something electronic - hey, I can change a bulb now, okay.
It is changeable, so - there are ways to develop your mind, change beliefs and that is great. I am working my way through my computer, through a manual, and carefully proceed to make changes. And feel good about changes and realise the potential in me.
And in this way, I am changing my personal history! Marking my future path. Because things won't be the same anymore.
Share with me, please, what ways have you discovered to change your beliefs? Is there anything that was successful and fast?
Posted by Andreas at 05:03 PM | Comments (2)
Unemployed and thinking outside the box
You lost your job. You could blame your boss, the economy, the government, your dog, your cat, or the Feng Shui Master that didn't protect you from mishap.
Or, you could get your act together, take this as an opportunity and move on. I hope will be ready when the time comes, but here is one beautiful and interesting webpage that did something extraordinary.
Not totally successful since some of those 8 have yet to find a new job, I am saddened to say, but it is a project that allows the development of new skills.
I follow 8 Good People over the last 12 or 15 months, and check on their state of being every now and then, but thought that it is a nice thing to share as well.
(and no, I haven't yet lost my job)
Posted by Andreas at 11:05 AM | Comments (2)
July 17, 2005
Skype Me
The first time I heard of Skype was in 2003 or so. It blew me away and ever since, I thought of getting it done.
Now, finally, it is ready, and I am reachable.
Skype Me at AlwaysWow
Let's have fun, and make it a WoW
Posted by Andreas at 04:38 PM | Comments (1)
July 15, 2005
Harry Who? Harry Potter, mah
It is simple, and it attracts attention. What else do you need to stand out from the crowd? It doesn't always need to be elaborated, because when everything else is greatly designed with colours and all, the sign in black and white simply stands out.
The question also erects attention. Because everybody knows a Harry, so you come nearer to see, what this Harry is all about
Posted by Andreas at 11:44 AM | Comments (4)
Why do you work so hard?
I like to work hard, and to play hard. Asians, in general (and I am generalising a lot here) like to work hard. It is known that Americans also work hard.
But there is an increasing discussion about a reasonable Work/Life balance, and how much a corporation can ask from their employees.
It is okay to live in a 24/7 world, but where is the line? I like to work a lot - well, I am saying that I am working all the time. When I read books at home or surf the web - read blogs or the news or dig up information from something, when I watch the news, Discovery Channel, or even exchange views with friends - somehow, I learn, and I try to use what I learn at work. Basically, I am always at work and I have fun doing it. The main point is that I need to develop my skills, to have the choice to do what I want to do. Because one day, any company will come and say sorry, time to move on - we don't need you anymore. Or they close down or downsize.
That is me - as long as I enjoy it, I have my Work/ Life Balance, because it is my choice to decide, where I draw the line. Others might see it differently, and an increasing number, at least in the States, drop out altogether - their choice, of course.
Here is a link to one interesting write-up about Working Hard. Its not hard to read, and may be, you can pick a piece here or there. (Found at Slacker Manager)
Posted by Andreas at 11:08 AM | Comments (4)
July 14, 2005
New water taps - such a beautiful thing
How often did you burn your fingers recently, because the water that came from the tap was too hot.
How often did you freeze, because it simply was too cold.
Innovation is easy - and why not innovating a water tap. Why not having a tap that indicates the water temperature. Especially when it is beautiful.
Okay, you might still be burnt or frozen initially, because you have to the water run down the tap to see if it is too hot or too cold, but a visual is a beautiful trade-off. Isn't it?
"These sink-fixtures from Germany's Hansa have temperature-sensors that light up different LEDs to indicate the water temp, and replace the traditional tube-shaped spout with a trough that exposes the water as it courses out."
(From BoingBoing), found at Todd's Blog.
Posted by Andreas at 02:16 PM | Comments (7)
The last page of the Internet
Did you ever go to the end of the Internet?
I went - and now I am ready to work, play or do, whatever I like.
If you want a short-cut - click here. It really is the last page.
Enjoy!
Posted by Andreas at 10:24 AM | Comments (3)
July 12, 2005
The coolest company, making the stupidest products
This is a WoW.
There description is: "David and Goliath is just the coolest company in the world. Not only do we make the stupidest and funniest products on the planet..." (that is when the description ends on Search Pages.
I like the layout of their webpage and their products.
David and Goliathees, you have WoWed me.
Posted by Andreas at 03:33 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Visa Blog or, how not to treat a customer
There are companies that clearly don't show much respect for their customers. Companies, that really don't think that a voice can be amplified and is amplified in the blogger space.
I am talking about Visa, to be specific, Visa International. Many will remember that they ask the Visa Blog to give up his or her domain name.
And why not, do I ask - they are the owner of the brand name. Of coure, they are concerned that someone uses their name in one of the many subdomains available.
The only thing that matters here is actually, that they ask someone to give up the name, after he subscribed to the name, when they lapsed to extend their domain. That means, that they forgot to extend the name. Nevermind. It can still be handled in a nice way, also, of course, since, well, everybody can forget something.
But no way - I haven't seen the documents, but what Blewtooth, the guy owning the Malaysian visa domain writes, well, there is a clear signal that Visa doesn't want to play nicely.
Apparently, they responded to his inquiry with a strict no. A loud and noisy NO.
Like that:
"The legal advisors (yes, I've seen more than one of them) have also advised me that the best I could do is to ask for some compensations and give up the domain. So i did. I politely asked for compensation (of course I had to be careful for not falling into a 'cybersquatting' trap, if there's any), but all I asked for is a domain replacement so I can keep blogging and I don't think that's too much to ask for. It can also make me feel better for being respected. However, the answer I got was a rude NO. Come on Visa, how much is a domain going to cost you? By the way, I renewed this domain two months ago. In other words, Visa gets to use this domain name for free for the year to come with my hard-earned money. Oh joy."
Of course, once someone starts to play with their name and Visa shows a friendly face, well, who else could come up and demands for reimbursement.
Only that Blewtooth actually just extended his domain. They didn't even want to pay for his fee. This is a number, that would appear far behind the comma. Chicken shit, so to speak - not much, in layman's terms.
What do I think? Well, there is a blogger who is angry how he has been treated - so it is not about someone forgetting to extend the domain name. It is about how someone is treated by a worldclass (??) company. Many of us are angry. I am writing about this story, and how they treated him. Others did as well. This adds up. Just read the comments and you know what I mean.
Read them fast, because soon, a great blogger will have disappeared. And with him, a lot of bloggers and blog readers, who don't like the way Visa International treated him, and who will tell the story to their friends. There was a time when it was said that one bad experience is about 7 times related to someone else. Nowadays, with the click of a buttong, bad stories or experiences are told multifold. So the next time you think of using Visa to charge for your purchases, may be, just may be, think of Visa, the blogger in Malaysia.
Posted by Andreas at 01:46 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Just smell it
I saw this ad for footcare by Scholl in a shop. Is this intersting, or different?
It is definetly interesting, riding on the Nike wave of Just Do It.
In fact, it distinguishes it in playing to the fear of those wearing shoes - aren't we all? - and especially those in sportshoes, after a long run. Getting sweaty feet is one thing, taking of your shoes is another one.
Playing to the success of one ad is pickybaging on the Nike brand. An interesting concept.
Posted by Andreas at 10:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 11, 2005
Increasing the urinal shooting abilities
You know how guys face challenges pissing straight into the urinal. Women, who often have to clean up after them, and cleaners would be able to fill stories with guys who missed the aim and sprayed their "water" all over, but just not inside the urinal.
Apparently, someone in Europe had the idea of putting something INSIDE the urinal - which, in turn, challenges the aiming abilities of the guys and this even successfully. So successful that more airports used it for their urinals.
Can you see the fly inside (the little black dot?)? Done via a "tiny silk screened image that dramatically increases the quality of aim." Guys shoot anything - even poor flies inside a urinal. But when it increases cleanliness?
Found at Seth - always worth a read!
Posted by Andreas at 01:23 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Telekom and its service
Its been a while since Telekom announced its intention to rebrand to TM.
Last week, and I must have overlooked the article, it was stated in a parliamentary session that the rebranding exercise would cost RM 9 million, but in the session, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor outlined some interesting reasons why the rebranding took place in the first place:
"The rebranding was done to ensure the company's ability to compete in the highly competitive industry is not affected and to discard negative perceptions towards the Telekom Malaysia brand."
So basically, we change the name and the consumer discards his negative perceptions. Now this is interesting. I wasn't aware of this. So it is expected of me to erase, or delete any negative thoughts towards Telekom, and let TM start with a new slate.
I will try, I will try hard. But rebranding, to me, is actually something else. We could start here with an interesting write-up.
Posted by Andreas at 11:12 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 08, 2005
Support "We Are Not Afraid"
Following my early entry on the bombings in London, I just found this webpage related to the London Bombings.
Go there, it is a worthwhile venture.
"Show the world that we're not afraid of what happened in London today, that the world is a better place without fear"
If only I would figure out how to post pictures there!!
Posted by Andreas at 05:44 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Wrong perceptions and a glass of water
We have visitors in our office today, and they drink a lot of water. To do so, they use all the normal glasses - I was left with a wine glass and frequently went to the pantry to fill it up.
Over the course of a couple of hours, three colleagues assumed that I would drink wine. "Hey - you start early today."
It is a simple glass of water, but people have the impression that I drink wine - linking one fact to the next and draw conclusions.
This was a simple glass of water but it might stand for the fact that we all make assumptions and form perceptions and assumptions based on little facts available to us.
Like:
"He is a German, he must be very efficient."
"How come you can eat spicy, when you are a Mat Salleh?" or "You can eat spicy, ah? How come."
"All Singaporeans are Kiasu."
"Better take care of your husband. All men in their 40s are in a mid-life crisis and look for young girls."
"She drives an expensive car, she must have a rich boyfriend" or "She drives an expensive car, she must be a very successful business women."
Have you come across of some of those assumptions?
When was the last time you made a wrong assumption about something or someone?
Posted by Andreas at 04:37 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Distribution of wealth in Malaysia
The South China Morning Post (July 7, 2005) quotes from a McKinsey study. It writes that:
"A McKinsey survey shows 130,000 high net-worth households in Malaysia control RM$168 billion worth of wealth, or 60 per cent of the total."
This is pretty heavy. It means that the remaining population, let's say there are about 25 million of the rest, owns only 40% of the total wealth. Which is another RM123 billion.
Does this make you think? When are you setting your mind onto becoming rich?
Posted by Andreas at 02:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 07, 2005
Explosions hit London
Explosions hit a London Bus and the Underground System.
Posted by Andreas at 05:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Inflight yakking in German airplanes?
"A report in German news magazine Focus states that the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing will be lifting its ban on the use of mobile phones on commercial flights."
When I think of the Germans in my return flight from Germany, drunk and noisy - that I get goosebumps.
Not with me, thank you very much.
I also see enough travellers in Asia that cannot wait till embarking from the plane - no, the plane is still moving. And they get their handy out and call friends, lover(s), wife and husband, kids, taxi drivers to tell them about the diarrhea from the bad food in the plane.
So, no thanks again. I am all for tech, but before I feel that there is an improvement in courtesy, I wouldn't vote for a phone on a plane.
Posted by Andreas at 05:08 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Password challenge solved
One of the domains that I own is registered with Register.com. It is housed by them since 1998 or so, and I was always happy with their great service
This is also the domain where I was locked out the other day. Usuallt, it is possible to have another trial to lock in after a certain waiting time, but not this time. I was still locked out this morning, and since I need to renew the domain name subscription, I had no chance but to call the US.
So I did. And I was surprised. I remembered that Register.com was always WoWing me with their service, whenever I faced problems, and I wasn't disappointed this time.
The call center agent, Joyce, lived with my German accent, was extremely professional, courteous and very, very helpful. Just great. In between her assistance, she had time for small talk as well, which took a bit of tension out of me. I mean, my administrative side with them is a total mess, no was, because she changed it. Old e-mail addresses, old contact details and so on. This is may be the weak point on their side - I have changed "things" a couple of times earlier, but somehow, the old details stayed. The overall process to change an e-mail address is also a bit stupid. When I originally registered, I had an Excite e-mail address, but gave it up for my Yahoo address. Now, I would need to confirm the change of e-mail address via an old e-mail address, that, in this case, doesn't exist anymore. How to do? May be someone from their side reads this entry - I will try to send it to them as well.
Anyway, she checked my creditcard details, but then, remember, I got a new one, when my wallet was lost. So we extended the domain name with my new creditcard, Joyce waited for confirmation, HSBC called me to confirm the purchase and out went the funds. It was fun to work the process with her - so congratulations to great service, great assistance and thanks. Sometimes, it is good to pay a bit more - just in case, because Register.com is actually not very cheap!!
Posted by Andreas at 12:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 06, 2005
Papa, what is horny?
My boy is now 7 years old, going to be eight soon, and busily studying n school, and having a bit of tution - well, way too much actually but he likes most of it, so this is okay.
In one of his classes, he is reading stories and suppose to look up words in the dictionary he doesn't know. To write this word down and look up a definition for it.
Here is a part of the story:
"A stag beetle had seen her bobbing down the river and thought how pretty she looked." But when he called his mother and sisters to come and see his prize, they threw up their horny hands in disgust. 'She's human!' they shrieked, ' and so ugly. 'Is she?' The stag beetle felt foolish."
He comes into my room with Thesaurus and dictonary in his hands. "Papa, can you look up 'horny' for me?", he says. "I cannot find it."
Since I didn't know the story when he asked, I look up, startled. What the heck? Where does he get this word from?
Okay, he starts to ask about sex recently, and about girls and boys. He still falls in love with girls, likes to watch advertisements and when he sees a good looking girl smiles, and says "Ooh hula, sexy!!!"
There is no such thing in my Thesaurus book.
I found this definition on the web, but he wasn't quite satisfied. So my wife said, diplomatically: "Okay, tell your teacher that this word doesn't exist in your books and ask her for it."
Wonder what he will come back with. I guess he is going to share his definition with me. I wonder if it is time to provide him with other definitions as well.
Posted by Andreas at 07:49 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Spam
Adoh - I am constantly challenged by spammers currently. They come overnight - about 20-30 trackbacks -, and while I am working - then, I get only 4-10 trackbacks.
Over night, I get those trackbacks that think I must drive on all kinds of sexual activities, while those daytimers think, I need to play more poker online to finance my adventure at night.
I fight them back, but hope that Movable Type will come with some shotgun soon.
I really look forward to Movable Type's new upcoming system, that apparently includes a function to ban spam via trackback.
Hey - to all those robots and spammers out there - I am not interested. But I guess, my call is pretty lonely - they won't hear me.
Posted by Andreas at 07:20 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 05, 2005
Passwords and the inherent challenge
I simply have too many passwords. Or, better, I don't have too many passwords, but too many applications where I need passwords - I still have different passwords and they change from time to time.
I don't like that password requirements don't fit my need. Some companies require more letters than my usual password has - thus forcing me to create a new one - and increasing the danger that I forget it. Some companies require a mixture of letters and words - fine by me, but it is tougher to remember.
The brain cannot remember more than seven digits, plus or minus two digits. After that, it has problems capturing and remembering the information.
Hence, I write them down in my PDA, just hoping that I don't forget the so-called "Master Password". Problem: I don't always update my passwords.
I am stuck currently. Normally, when I am stuck somewhere where a password is required, I just run through my list of potential passwords. Which is a list of about 10-15 different passwords - I can remember them, because they are related to each other, thus allowing the brain to remember.
I am stuck, because the company page where I need to log in only allows me a certain number of log-in trials. That is great, because the danger of fraud is high. I have to wait till tomorrow to try it another time. Still, I hope it will work. Their webpage tells me that the password is locked, and that I need to contact customer service for the security question. Now here is the major challenge. I probably don't know the answer to this security question - I opened this account back in - what? 1998 and well, a lot of water has passed since then. So I hope that all works out fine tomorrow. Wish me luck!!
Sometimes, I cannot remember
Posted by Andreas at 03:57 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Earthquake hitting Sumatra
By CNN:
This morning, a strong earthquake has struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, shaking buildings and triggering some panic.
The quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey measured at 6.8, was centered 386 kilometers (240 miles) south-southeast of Banda Aceh.
Posted by Andreas at 01:56 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
A comet, a missile and celebrations
We all need celebrations to congratulate us on our achievements. Most of the times we are waiting for the big one. But why not congratulating yourself to the small wins and gains? They are just as worthwhile. Of course, to win and to celebrate, it is important to have had a goal that is not that easy to beat. Something that stretches you a little bit out of the comfort zone, in which we all rest so comfortably.
Why not breaking down a big goal into small steps - one after the next. Those small steps, that are manageable, enjoyable and reachable, while making you uncomfortable.
In the end, you can celebrate.
I believe it took a long time to plan to hit the comet correctly. The comet, that everyone is currently talking about, was 83 million miles away from earth. The 820-pound copper and aluminium missile of the size of a washing machine raced into the path of comet Tempel 1, which was hurtling through space at 23,000mph.
The planners planned to hit the comet, and missed their target by only 50 meters. Talk about great planning.
Now they are celebrating and they have every reason to do so.
Look at the sheer happiness of the celebration - are you celebrating in a similar fashion, or is it business as usual on your side?
Here a picture of the impact:
Both pictures are taken from CNN
Posted by Andreas at 08:51 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 04, 2005
When things fall into place
This has been a great weekend and a fantastic start to a new week for me.
I managed to recover my pictures from my crashed hard drive, and I hope that music- and song recovery is next, and as successful.
While doing all this, I learnt to work the computer a bit. Not much probably, compared to the knowledge that exists in the Malaysian blogger scene. I have the feeling that there are plenty of bloggers out there that know way, way more than me. But I learnt that about the hard drive, how to connect and disconnect it. I reinstalled Windows XP, and it worked. My second hard drive runs just beautifully.
Small successes, but those are the ones that create momentum.
Yesterday, I bought a Surround System, basically phasing out my old Denon Player, which I purchased back in 1994, and which travelled with me to Indonesia and Singapore. This new system was huge - I nearly fall flat, when the sales people brought the boxes out. In the beginning I even had problems getting it into my Proton! And, WoW, so many cables and things to arrange. No more the easy installations that happened to be part of our life, back in the last century. But lucky, all the cables were coloured accordingly and that really helped!
Today, driving on the momentum, I had a fantastic time in the office, presenting some new proposals to my colleagues - a proposal regarding a training program for Personal Change and Improving Communication Styles, which has basically been accepted. Apart from this, I realised that I still have to change something here and there in the material, even so it wasn't obvious to those that participated in the presentation.
I don't know how you as the reader feel when you enter a terrain that is new to you and you feel uncertain about it.
I have my avoidance strategies, procrastinate and postpone, what needs to be done. When I get started, I do it slowly, carefully, with a feeling of uneasiness in my stomach, that is then suddenly replace by a growing feeling of anticipation and bombastic HURRAY, after the first successes.
Suddenly, everything goes right, and the feeling then carries through a long time. I am then happy, feel great and be overwhelmingly friendly.
The best thing is - I have, in the meantime, learnt, how to keep those feelings in me, and replicate them, when I need it. And that gives me additional power over me, in situation, when I really need to have this extra push of power.
Posted by Andreas at 07:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Creditworthiness of Malaysia and hard disk recovery
Malaysia is known to be a country of fraudsters, with its inhabitants out to steal other peoples’ money, creditcard- and ATM card number.
Is this true? No, I wouldn’t agree, but this might be the perception that this beautiful country carries in the outside world.
My hard disk crashed a couple of weeks ago and I wrote about this.
I nearly gave up on all the personal files in the drive, the pictures of my kid, my music and all. Then, by chance, did I come across this company, called BinaryBiz, which offers a program, called Virtual Lab.
There are various other programs available on the market that promise to recover your data. Some more expensive, some cheaper. I tried some trial programs from the web, but none of those programs was able to read my crashed hard drive. All but Virtual Lab – I could actually see my pictures and documents, but it was not possible to save those or to copy those. I needed to buy the program - they offer different packages, according to the need of the user, and I chose the smallest package.
This is where I got the first surprise. I used my Corporate Creditcard, American Express, but to my surprise, the purchase was cancelled. The response to my inquiry was that “Orders are usually canceled due to suspicion of fraud, based on geo IP data and card company data”. In plain language: my company is an American company, and it operates in Asia as well. This was seen as contradiction – and as such, suspicious of fraud. What they needed was a billing address in Malaysia.
I tried it again, this time with MasterCard, but again, it was cancelled. In the meantime, I was in a heavy conversation with them, and actually told BinaryBiz, that if required, I would ask the German Embassy to provide references, or the Malaysian MDs of the credit cards.
I have to say that the customer service in BinaryBiz tried to help at their utmost. They have their policies and they have to follow through.
It is an improvement in Malaysia’s reputation, that is required here. In the end, I received message that the purchase order went through, thanks to the customer service assistance as well. They were great.
So this weekend I spend time at home and recovered data. All my pictures are recovered already. It is a time intensive process, but I am willing to spend the time, to get back from the crashed hard drive, what I need to get back. But, again, it is said that firstly, Malaysia has such a bad reputation, and secondly, that some US companies have a policy that does not show much flexibility and only one way forward.
In fact, they could have lost out on my business, if other companies would have similarly performing products – I checked and tried some, but none worked. So Virtual Lab could only work this way because they are that good – to the inconvenience of customers. Still, if there is anybody who needs to have data from a crashed hard disk, I would recommend them.
Posted by Andreas at 10:54 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 01, 2005
Sex education
I wonder what happens after a title such as this.
Anyway, can you see the relation between the following three new items?
A Reader's Digest Survey found that amongst 8 country, Malaysian parents failed miserably on the topic of sex education. It is probably a hush-hush thingy, to be talked about 5 minutes, once a girl hits her first PMS and a boy shows signs of facial hair. If at all, and it is not the first time to have a sense of sex, when young adults marry each other, and see the opposite sex naked in their wedding night - I always wonder!!
Another study, independent from the one above and by Synovate finds that "that there was a sense of excitement about adult life (amongst youth in Asia) though, with 16 per cent looking forward to the prospect of having a family, 15 per cent ready to be independent and influential and 9 per cent eager to enjoy adult activities like drinking, traveling and having sex!!"
The New Straits Times of today also runs an article saying that the number of prostitutes from China are on the rise.
So, basically, what is happening is that we have a lack in sex education, that drives young or not so young adults, who are looking forward to have sex, into the arms of prostitudes.
Is it only me who see the relation? How is your experience? What do you think or feel about this?
Posted by Andreas at 01:39 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
Clicking or not, that is the question
It is addictive. The clicking. I am clicking my way through the day. Click here, click there - from MS Word, to Powerpoint, to blogs I read, to buttons on their or other webpages. I might be addicted to clicking. Tough to get over it. Clicking is really a habit. Can I change it?
Well, click here, to see an experiment in a no-click environment. Put your comments down on how you liked it.
And remember - don't click!!! It is the small change that makes the big change!
Posted by Andreas at 10:36 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Bell curve and me
Found this at Mack's side, and I took the survey. Honestly, I see myself outside the Bell Curve. It is always a point of looking from the inside or from the outside of events. To feel different about situations.
To have fun and make your life a WoW. Because, remember, it is you who is able to form your own environment - you are living what you want to live. Be the change you want to see, and believe me, you see it when you believe it
Posted by Andreas at 08:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack