« August 2005 | Main | October 2005 »
September 29, 2005
Touts at KLIA
I just wonder what happened to the announcements, a long time back, that touts at the airport would disappear?
When I came back from a recent trip, man, I had offers to get a taxi from at lest 10 different sources. Since I do know how to handle touts, I am okay. What makes me wonder is the perception of tourists. Will they think that this is normal?
These guys at the airport surely don't have many customers - only the naive or unknowing will use them. So I wonder, what kind of prices they actually charge? Somehow, they must make up for the whole day that they hang out there to get, may be one or two customers.
They are acting on their own resources, or, in layman's terms, I don't think that they want to change, have or see an alternative to gain their income in a different manner. The touts are happy with what they are doing. Cheerful. It is their job, it is their profession, they feel that they can cope with it. The only problem is that they act outside legality. Pity - they might be good salespeople, if trained in honest ways. But as it is now, I don't think they disappear.
Posted by Andreas at 02:33 PM | Comments (5)
Bloggers Meeting in Megamall
I am probably the last one to talk about the recent bloggers meeting in Megamall - this just shows how busy I am in my new job. It is always great to meet the bloggers from earlier meetings, and then, it is exciting to see some new faces. I won't mention all that I met - but it was great to see Adam again, and The Silencer and the Silent Room, Sashi, and Dusty from Dustyhawk. Peter was there and it is a pity that I never seem to find the time to talk more to this fine guy - he is such a warm and intelligent person, full of energy and fun, warmth and deep thoughts. Thanks for the hug in the end, Peter! I am also amazed by Yvonne, who copes so greatly in all the adversary. (Please donate to her to assist her with her treatment, if you can!)
But it was nice to see new faces as well, like Danny, or SK, and Emily. Emily and .... who? had a great discussion about the Malaysian Idol and first I thought, how can this be so important. Now I realise, it is like football or soccer fans discussion the last game and going through all the scores. Similar noise, similar excitement - only that the people sitting at the neighbouring tables probably thought that we are a bunch of hoolgans. New other faces were Cheayee, and Davina, a Mistress, an Angel. There was also Cynthia, whom I met before and whose blog starts with a Cyber something - something. I was very happy to meet one of my favourite Moms who brought her lovely daugher, DZof, who wanted to interview me for his Podcast, but I wasn't really in the mood to talk some more. Menj was there as well - an interesting person, if you look behind is radical thinking - but then, he is still a student and has the right to be radical, I guess. We all went through this (Menj - don't flame me on this, okay!) - pity, I couldn't talk more with him. Same with Minishorts - she came, talked to Peter and left. May be some day, one day, there will be a chance.
Posted by Andreas at 09:07 AM | Comments (1)
September 25, 2005
Michael Crichton's State of Fear
Usually, I like Michael Crichton and his books. I couldn't stop reading Timeline, or Prey. His books are entertaining, provoking and challenge conventional thinking by using scientific material.
His newest book State of Fear relates to climate change. It challenges my knowledge and that is good, something that I prefer. I am open to it and it is an interesting read highlighting the state of climate change and shedding some light on misconceptions and may be wrong arguments and facts.
However, in contrast to Crichton's usual style, this book sounds patronising. The actors in the books, those that fight the bad guys, and those that are on the side of the environmentalists, are constantly engaged in discussions. It paints those engaged in environmental movements as unknowing, naive, stupid and stubborn and just being used by the dark powers of environmental terrorists.
I am happy that I waited till the price of the book came down as the softcopy was launched.
Well, let me add one picture here, of Hurricane Rita battling the US coast. I wonder what those people in danger think of the book.
Posted by Andreas at 12:01 PM | Comments (1)
Santa Claus is not coming to town anymore
My boy believed in Santa Claus. It was always a great time before Christmas to prepare him for the event. Last year, he wrote a huge list of wishes and hoped to get presents. There were critical questions along the way, of course. How does Santa Claus know that we have shifted place. What is Santa Claus doing since our condominium doesn't have a chimney. How long does it take to bring presents to all the children. Last year I even told him that I saw Santa Claus once, in a hotel. Subsequently, he, and his cousin, really believed. His cousin, who also received presents, was terrified.
Over the last couple of months, some of my kid's friends in school told him that there is no Santa Claus and that his father and mother would buy those presents. So, from time to time, he asked me already, but I also told him that it is up to him to believe and why shouldn't there be a Santa Claus (see the Wiki for the background).
Last Friday I wasn't at home, and in the evening, my wife and my kid were sitting together in the living room. My boy was drawing and suddenly, he asked my wife if there is Santa Claus. She asked him, what it was that he believed and he mentioned his friend's saying again. So she said that there is no Santa Claus (secretly wishing that I would be there - men are always out when needed, isn't it?). He broke down in tears and asked, why we did lie to him for such a long time. So my wife, fantastic as she is in really understanding such situations (not only involving my kid but also advising me), explained to him that we pretended to be the Santa Claus because we loved him so much. That we wanted to buy him his presents he wished for so much, but couldn't do it, because we would spoil him rodden (as if we never buy him anything anyway!), and that we wanted to give him because we never had that much when we were young. In addition, we wanted to create a belief in him, giving him the ability to believe in something really special, specially made for children.
Over time, my boy calmed down and he is okay now. It is hard when a belief breaks down! When kids are young, it still is easier to change, but when one gets older, it becomes tougher and more beliefs become really entrenched in our belief system.
Just now, I sat with him for a short while and showed him background on the web regarding Santa Claus and he is so wonderfully understanding. I simply, plainly love my boy!
Posted by Andreas at 10:54 AM | Comments (6)
September 22, 2005
Online posting angers doctor
In the service industry, you live and die according to your reputation (in the product industry, well, you always have a chance to launch Version 2.0). If people start to talk bad about you, close business, and move on. If they talk positively about you, open your wallet and enjoy - but don't forget to upgrade your offerings, otherwise the competition overtakes you.
In former times, way before the Internet, well, it was more about word-of-mouth and seven degrees of separation. Like, bad news travels fast, but there was a limit based on geographic space and time - well, it took a while to travel, but it travelled as well. In the Internet time, everything changes - anybody can open a webpage, a blog, leave a comment somewhere and start talking bad. We are humans, after all, and we live according to what we believe. We really believe that we see the world correctly, and well, misunderstandings happen.
So there is this doctor in US - to be specific, a William Boothe, who happens to be an ophthalmologist (what is that??) in Texas. He saw that "one disgruntled former patient was posting his complaints on the Internet (TLC), he launched an aggressive response. He sued for libel and other claims, and earlier this year a state judge ordered the material removed from the Web."
The story is a bit longer than presented here, but the message is basically, that one needs to take care. Why? Because things don't simply disappear anymore, as they tended to in "earlier life." Bad news can be good news and generate enough publicity in certain cases that carries over to better times. But in general, bad news stays on in the Internet. And spreads. Like a virus. As this posting shows. People pick it up from somewhere and here it goes on, and on and on. So better take care about what you write, how your write, and how you conduct yourself. Don't care attitudes don't necessarily work anymore.
Posted by Andreas at 08:34 PM | Comments (1)
September 21, 2005
Heavy job and many questions
I am sitting here and watch the Petronas Tower. It is a fascinating building, especially since I am also sitting at a higher level in my building.
There are window washers moving slowly along from window to window on the tower. The car (is it called car) moves quite slowly, and sways a bit in the wind. Even from here, this looks quite scary. It also must be noisy - I guess the wind must blow quite hard.
I wonder what these guys think, or feel, being so high up. For sure, they won't be dizzy, but really, how do you feel, washing the windows at a high place? And, when do they see the end of their daily job? Is this just on time, from 9-5.30PM, or measured by the amount of windows washed? How do they feel, being so small compared to the tower. Half way through, or half the windows still to go? What do they tell their children, going home from work, about their job?
I know it sounds weird to ask all those questions, but how often do we take things for granted in our life - clean windows, for example, without asking those questions, or questions about the people that make our life more convenient?
Posted by Andreas at 03:28 PM | Comments (4)
September 18, 2005
Video games and brain development
So many times, there are discussions about the impact of video games on children, adults and the value change that they have on cultural norms and values.
This is the reason why I really fall in love with the article that I am linking to. The main message is that video games are good for your development. For this, they analyse games ranging from Tetris to Grand Theft Auto III. While the latter is clearly violent, the article also states that violent games only form a small share of the overall video game market.
Let's look at some results of a study:
"James Rosser, director of the Advanced Medical Technology Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, found that laparoscopic surgeons who played games for more than three hours a week made 37 percent fewer errors than their nongaming peers, thanks to improved hand-eye coordination and depth perception. A recent book published by the Harvard Business School Press looked at studies of three distinct groups of white-collar professionals: hard-core gamers, occasional gamers, and nongamers. The research the authors surveyed contradicts nearly all the received ideas about the impact of games. The gaming population turned out to be consistently more social, more confident, and more comfortable solving problems creatively. They also showed no evidence of reduced attention spans compared with nongamers."
What happens inside the brain? Well, it is the neurotransmitter dopamine that plays an instrumental role in the way the brain handles both reward and exploration. Dopamine is not the reward; it’s what lets you go out and explore in the first place. Without dopamine, you wouldn’t be able to learn properly.
What about additiction, then? Let's say gaming is addictive because it is challenging, and that it is addictive because people actually like to exercise the brain?? Gamers must focus, have patience, develop a willingness to delay gratification, and prioritize scarce resources, something very important in today's environment.
So feel assure that next time you play, you actually learn social skills and exercise the brain. Just don't forget to take the break to exercise the body as well.
Posted by Andreas at 11:38 AM | Comments (1)
September 16, 2005
Why I am in Asia, or: No smiles allowed
How can I take "my country" serious, when one needs an official ruling that says that I cannot smile when I take a picture for my passport. Okay, there are valid reasons behind it, but somehow, it sounds rediculous. I rather be in Asia. There are "funy" rules as well (I don't want to mention any here), but at least, people smile. Most of the time, at least.
"Germans were ordered Thursday to stay serious when having their photographs taken for new passports, wiping away any grins, smirks or smiles so that biometric scanners can pick up their facial features. Interior Minister Otto Schily ordered passport authorities to only accept pictures taken from the front showing the "most neutral facial expression possible," starting Nov. 1. Facial recognition systems match key features on the holder's face and work best when the face has a neutral expression with the mouth closed. "A broad smile, however nice it may be, is therefore unacceptable," the Interior Ministry said in a statement." Source: AFP
Posted by Andreas at 01:03 PM | Comments (6)
September 15, 2005
First week on the job
The first week on a new job is always one of the most exciting. One gets to meet a lot of new people, new impressions, new rules and regulations. Exciting, actually, although I am still lost, from time to time. Even in the corridors, hehe.
However, coming from a firm with which I grew from 5 employees to 25 only, I had enough time to memorise names, and get to know all of the new employees from the very first beginning. Here, it is new. There are more than 120 permanent employees - not many, compared to the big boys in Malaysia, but enough to get me scrampling. I tried hard to remember names, but by number 20, I got lost.
There are also cultural differences, and this makes it tougher. I came from an environment that was easy, warm, people oriented - family like. Here, it is more, like, I do my job, and go home, and don't care too much about my neighbour. So to speak. I am probably judging harshly, especially because I am coming from a different environment - thus, judging unfairly. It is important to give it time. The exciting part of this, however, is, that I am able to implement, what I deem fit. The wind of change. This is a great opportunity to really showcast what I believe in, and how I would run a company if I had one (and I will have one in a couple of years time). Training the executives with which I work, bonding with them, developing them. It is not up to me, of course, and first, they need to adopt me as a mentor, coach, or whatever. But it is exciting, to believe in the change that I can implement, and the culture that I want to instill.
How would this look like? I strongly believe in customer orientation, employee engagement, and celebration of success. All the rest, and what is paralleling it, you can read here.
Posted by Andreas at 08:35 PM | Comments (1)
September 13, 2005
Cockroaches getting cancer from smoking
I liked the cartoon. Very pointing!
Posted by Andreas at 08:57 PM | Comments (1)
September 12, 2005
Lego Computer
Lego is an amazing company, really adopting to the new age and co-creation with consumers.
Winston took it a step further. He built a computer with Lego Stones. Nice work.
Posted by Andreas at 04:29 PM | Comments (1)
Tiara Beach in Port Dickson - an example for tourism in Malaysia?
This was the last weekend before I start my new employment. So my family and my in-laws took the opportunity to drive over to Port Dickson, to a resort called Tiara Beach.
Tiara Beach is a great place with lots of activities, from several swimming pools with major slides, and movies in the evening time on Friday and Saturday.
It gave me time to bond with my kid, and we fought a couple of battles against his cousin and her father. The kids were sitting on our shoulders and we tried to pull each other down into the water. This was the great part.
The place was pretty crowded as well, but well, I could live with it.
What I didn't like was that there were flies. Not just one, or a couple but it looked like tousands. Flies everywhere where you found food. I never so that many flies in one place. I cannot grasp the ignorance that the owners or those running the place have towards this. In the evening time, a buffet was prepared. The fruits were covered with plactic sheets but, for example, there were gaps on the water melon, and naturally, the flies were having their own little party there.
I nearly have got muscleache from waving the flies away from the food. And hey, their Nasi Lemak left a lot to desire and the coffee was, well, the worst I have ever had.
This makes me wonder about the potential of the tourism industry. The nicest packages, the greatest offers, the most fantastic places won't be a winning proposition with all the flies around.
Posted by Andreas at 01:26 PM | Comments (3)
September 08, 2005
Aeroline and Air Asia
Over the last two weekends, I travelled to Singapore to attend some courses. The first weekend, I took Air Asia to Johor (Senai Airport). From the airport, a bus brought me to the border, and after the border, I boarded another bus in Singapore that brought me to the MRT in Singapore. The way back was similar, only that I couldn't find the bus station in Johor after the border that would have brought me to the airport. My wife, who followed me, inquired with various people, including police officers, but no one was able to pinpoint the correct station. Subsequently, we took a taxi. All in all, it was a very tedious, time-intensive and tiring journey.
My friends in Singapore pointed me to Aeroline - a bus service between Singapore and Malaysia. The brand promise is to deliver a fast and enjoyable journey to Singapore and back comparable to the one in a plane. Even the announcements in the bus resembled announcements in the airplanes. The bus is comfortable and spacious, food is okay, not that great, there is time to watch a movie, and you get served quite good coffee.
An interesting concept, clearly. Air Asia made air travel affordable to anybody - "Now everyone can fly says" it all. Aeroline competes with the promise "The convenient way to fly". Price-like, Aeroline is a bit more expensive, with RM 70 for one trip.
Convenience-like, I have found a great alternative - it is easy to cross the border, to get into the bus, and all in all, it might come out to the same amount of time spent. So once again, it is an easy choice not to fly Air Asia.
Posted by Andreas at 07:37 PM | Comments (7)
September 06, 2005
A journey ends
I am going to sign the contract, and work will start on Monday next week. My time of unemployment comes to an end.
Today, I was in 1U to pick up my kid and I had a sinking feeling - was it the right decision to commit to a new job? I believe, going it all alone was a great idea. I would be successful, because I have so much to give. But then, there is so much to learn still. And I will take the opportunity to run the department that I am going to head as my own small business. This is my testbed. I will succeed and come out stronger.
Let me start a new section, let me share it with you. I will share my stories, in as much that I am not offending confidentiality, and as much as I can find time to blog. I am also searching for advice from you. Thus, feel free to give me your point of view, when I describe a challenged.
I am all ears!!
Posted by Andreas at 09:02 PM | Comments (14)