Million Dollar Head

Covenant With Middle Malaysia — Lim Guan Eng

2010-01-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

In the recently concluded inaugural Pakatan Rakyat Convention, Democratic Action Party(DAP)'s Secretary-General, Lim Guan Eng (picture) gave an inspiring speech about everything that has happened in the past 18 months since the 2008 shock election results by Pakatan Rakyat (People's Coalition) victory till today.

You have got to admire the wisdom and determination of PR and its leaders. Buckle up and strap on, cuz it's a long (but worthwhile) read.
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JAN 17, 2010 — When I first took over as DAP Secretary-General in 2004, my

colleagues and I were determined to lead a party that aspires not to

be in perennial opposition but to be in government. A political party

that has no aspirations for political power to implement programmes

beneficial to the people has no right to exist.

When

DAP first put forth this vision in 2005 on being a full partner in

power within 10 years, few shared our hopes. But we had pinned our

hopes on ordinary Malaysians yearning for change. DAP had persevered

since 1966 due to our faith in Malaysians whether Muslims or

non-Muslims wanting a fair deal, live in peace and harmony, prosper

together and their children to grow up in a better world than they

lived in.

DAP

leaders had laboured through those painful years of legal prosecution

and political persecution bound by our ideals in a Malaysian nation

for all and our faith in the people. Many felt our struggle futile

because they lost faith in the people sharing these ideals and wanting

a better Malaysia.

But the real and tough leaders and members in the DAP never lost hope.

The

political tsunami that was the 2008 general elections changed

everything. No one expected change to happen so fast. The people have

put their faith in us and we must repay their trust in us.

Inexperienced though we were, we learned how to govern and we believe

that Pakatan Rakyat has governed better in these two years than BN has

in the last 20 years.

For

instance in Perak, land is given free to the people regardless of

race. In Penang hard-core poverty has been abolished in one year what

BN could not do in 51 years. In Selangor water is given free. In all

states money is handed back to the people and Chinese, Tamil,

missionary and Islamic religious schools receive yearly allocations

for the first time in their lives. The Pakatan Rakyat states are run

cleanly with praise from the 2008 Auditor-General Report for our

budget surpluses and proper financial management with Penang even

praised by Transparency International. We even cater for the future

generation by leading the fight against climate change through our

initiative to reduce plastic bag consumption, the first in Malaysia.

There is no hate and fear only goodwill and compassion.

Truly,

the people in these Pakatan Rakyat states can see, can touch and can

feel that we are better off than under BN. And a Pakatan Rakyat

leadership that is not out to prove that we as leaders can perform

better than you, but wants to give everyone the opportunity to perform

better than us. We are still learning and will get better as long as

we hold fast to our principles and the lessons learnt.

have been steadfast in pursuing reforms through upholding principles

of integrity in leadership and democratic governance centered on

freedom, justice, truth, people’s welfare and adherence to religious

values. These principles must be our guiding posts and milestones of

progress and success. We can compromise on the means but never the

ends.

But mouthing good intentions is not enough if we can not translate

these principles into action and results.

The

lessons learnt is the necessity of continuously listening to the

people, to show leadership by example, being humble and not fearing to

admit mistakes made, the urgent need to reform the civil service to be

efficient and accountable and to be Malaysian First. We want no part

of the extremist fringes with pronouncements and positions that

frightens off any decent Malaysian. We must occupy the electoral

centre that is diverse and united, moderate and sensible, consistent

and relevant to ordinary Malaysians. We must become Middle Malaysia.

Middle

Malaysia prefers co-operation not conflict, consultation instead of

confrontation and an inclusive shared society rather than an exclusive

separate society. A shared society is one that celebrates diversity

and assures everyone a place in society by guaranteeing:-

• democratic participation,
• respect for diversity and human dignity,

• offering equal opportunity; and
• protection from discrimination.

Middle

Malaysia belongs to every Malaysian. Unlike Umno Malaysia, in Middle

Malaysia the content of our character is more important than the

colour of our skin. Unlike BN’s Malaysia, in Middle Malaysia we look

at each other as brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers and as sons

and daughters of Malaysia. Unlike Crony Malaysia, Middle Malaysia

respects and celebrates you with the firm belief that Malaysia’s

wealth, opportunities and resources belongs to all Malaysians.

When

Penang put up bilingual signboards in Bahasa Malaysia as the prominent

language with either Arabic, Mandarin, Tamil and English in 2008, the

extremists in BN opposed it. But this was eventually accepted as

reflection of our multi-racial, multi-cultural and international image

we see ourselves.

Malays have no problems with bilingual road signs just as a 100 per

cent Chinese area is comfortable with Arabic road signs. This is the

Middle Malaysia where we protect each other because we belong to each

other.

DAP

restates that whilst we uphold freedom of religion, we respect Islam

as the religion of the federation. That is why the Pakatan Rakyat

government in Penang has almost doubled the 2010 Budget allocation for

Islam to RM 24.3 million compared with the RM 12.5 million under the

2008 BN Budget.

(2009 PR Budget RM 20.5 million).

DAP

reiterates our condemnation and repugnance at the attacks on not just

churches in Malaysia but all places of religious worship including

mosques or temples. A religious matter must never be allowed to spiral

out of control due to selfish political calculations. We condemn

irresponsible parties for mixing religion with politics in an attempt

to regain lost support amongst Malays and Muslims.

The

latest suggestion by BN to resolve the crisis by restricting the word

“Allah” to East Malaysia has made a mockery of 1Malaysia and mirrored

the irresponsible political calculations. The authorities must bear

full responsibility for mismanaging the controversy which has

developed into a full blown crisis that has shamed Malaysia

internationally.

are not a nation at war with itself. What we are witnessing is Umno is

at war with the values that stand for openness, logical reasoning and

mutual respect. When BN talks of international benchmarks, questions

are raised as to why the global Islamic practice from Middle-East to

Indonesia allowing Christians’ usage of the word “Allah”, not

applicable in Malaysia. DAP does not deny the sensitivity of this

issue, but resolution of this dispute is not through confrontation but

consultation and not by force but by negotiations.

For

this reason, DAP is proud of the principled stand taken by our allies

in Pakatan Rakyat, especially PAS and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that

that Christians across Malaysia are allowed to use the term ‘Allah’, a

universal term for God in the Middle East for adherents of the

Abrahamic faiths, on condition that it is not abused to confuse

Muslims. PR is consistent where BN is expedient. This is what PR’s

Middle Malaysia is all about, both tolerant and mutual respect as

compared to BN’s Extremist Malaysia that frightens everyone with

intolerance and fear.

BN’s

Illegal Power Grab In Perak And Teoh Beng Hock’s Death.Since the 15th

National Congress on 23rd August 2008 and this Conference two

significant events have brought blood, sweat, tears, and, hopefully,

strengths at the end of the tunnel.

One,

Sdr. Teoh Beng Hock’s death will forever be the most sorrowful moment

in DAP’s history; we will seek justice for him, whatever it takes, and

we will never forget Beng Hock. We have established a fund for his

child and rest assured that his child will have full educational

opportunities. Because of his memory, we will continue to speak up for

truth and justice fearlessly even at the risk of wrongful persecution

and arrest.

Two,

the despicable, undemocratic and illegal power grab in Perak saddened

us but also strengthened our resolve to fight for democracy and

justice. DAP reiterates our stand for the dissolution of the Perak

State Assembly to return power of the people to elect their Menteri

Besar and Excos. Until then, the rightful Menteri Besar and Excos as

well as the brave Speaker are those chosen by the people of Perak in

the

2008 general elections.

the meantime, comrades, including National Chairman, National

Organising Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, Members of

Parliament and State Assemblies and various national, state and branch

leaders and members, have been arrested, investigated, charged and

persecuted or facing such risks; we declare our unwavering support for

them;

ACHIEVEMENTSOver

the past year, DAP has taken the lead in many issues afflicting

Malaysia, and has successfully campaigned for actions to be taken. Our

Parliamentary Leader Sdr Lim Kit Siang’s persistence and effort

ramping up the pressure on the Government to reveal the truth on the

RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal since 2007 has

resulted an audit report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, an extensive

Public Accounts Committee investigation and several parties charged in

court for abuse of power and falsifying of accounting documents. It

has been made known by the Government that more personalities will be

charged for crimes relating to the PKFZ scandal.

DAP

has also launched our anti-ISA campaign which successfully pressured

the government into releasing our comrades Sdr M Manoharan and Sdr V

Ganabathirao, Hindraf leaders as well as other ISA detainees. We

applaud their courage.

The

party has been at the forefront in providing constructive proposals to

resolve long outstanding national issues. In early 2009, DAP submitted

a in-depth, cost-effective and viable proposal to buy-back toll

concessionaires who have been making excessive profits at the expense

of the rakyat after the Government declassified these concession

agreements. DAP also launched its own 2010 Alternative Budget which

sought to revitalise and transform Malaysia’s economic foundation, and

revive our economic growth and fulfill our potentials.

believe that focusing on a knowledge-intensive and high-technology

industry is the basis of a successful transformation into a

high-income economy by 2020 with a per capita income of US$15,000

(RM50,100) from the present US$7,000. The two key areas are economic

efficiency with open tenders and a merit-needs based education system

to encourage excellence, with emphasis on science and technology, so

as train, retain and attract new talents.

There is a dire need to stop the brain drain to our neighbouring

countries. For instance the top student in Singapore for the last two

years are Malaysians. Without our best talent, Malaysia is doomed to

fail while with our best talent returning home, we have a chance of

success.

It is

not surprising why Malaysia is stuck in a low skill, low productivity

and low wage toxic mix. According to a World Bank report, only 25 per

cent of our labour force is engaged in skilled work. 60 per cent of

Malaysian families live with a monthly household income of less than

RM 3,000. Skilled Malaysians are voting with their feet while we feed

a huge unskilled foreign labour population.

the same time, the national budget ballooned thrice over the last

decade, operational expenditure nearly doubled in the last five years.

The federal civil service increased by a third in the same period from

less than 900,000 to nearly

1.3 million personnel.

Yet

the rise of public spending unfortunately coincided with a visible

decline of the provision of public goods and services, among which the

rapid deterioration of public safety, the decline in the quality of

education and healthcare, and the shocking shoddiness of public works

threaten the lives of Malaysians and the future of the country.

Corruption,

cronyism, collusions and outright stealing epitomised by the lost of

the two fighter jet engines and many other instances are rampant and

beyond rescue. The wealth of our nation, especially in the form of

petroleum, has been depleted like no body’s business. Privatisation

has gone awry long ago and continues to haunt Malaysians.

Decades

of bigotry, racism, and religious intolerance have come home to roost

when Malaysia should have been the international model for

multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religion coexistence,

tolerance, mutual respect and understanding.

The

only response the government-of-the-day could provide is a series of

cosmetic initiatives dubbed National Key Result Areas and Key

Performance Indexes with no political will at all to ask the hard

question of structural reform that takes into consideration the global

shift and the yearning of vast Malaysians for a freer, more democratic

and equitable society with clean government.

MUAFAKAT

TRANSFORMASI MALAYSIAIn

short, Malaysia is waiting for a profound change but there is a

leadership vacuum. Together with our partners in Pakatan Rakyat, it is

our responsibility and obligation to Malaysians of this generation and

also those yet to vote and yet to be born to answer the call for

leadership for real change and reform. Let us reiterate our commitment

to the consolidation of Pakatan Rakyat to provide a viable alternative

to Barisan Nasional and form the next Federal Government based on

Pakatan Rakyat’s Common Policy Framework “Muafakat Rakyat”.

must be able to bring substantive reforms to the states that we

govern, quickly. Our performance, or the lack of it, in the states

will either be held against us or propel us to national power. We must

go beyond cosmetic change.

must not just be the default choice of the voters merely because our

traditional opponents are destroying themselves by the day in

infighting. We must be the compelling attraction that the voters

coalesce around.

After

the jubilation of the March 2008 general elections, the Party has

gotten down to work with our new coalition partners and today we have

successfully forged stronger bonds with our Pakatan Rakyat partners.

Our determination to prove the skeptics wrong, and that the new

coalition is able to withstand any internal differences plus attacks

by Barisan Nasional has culminated in the recently concluded inaugural

Pakatan Rakyat Convention where the Common Policy Framework was

successfully launched.

It is

crucial to note that there is only one middle ground in Malaysian

politics, and it is the middle ground that matters. Make no mistake

that tMiddle Malaysia will decide which coalition will govern next.

embrace Middle Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat must be seen as moderate and

inclusive and distance and differentiate ourselves from our exclusive,

racist, extremist opponents.

The

DAP stresses that true national unity can only be achieved if the

nation practices the spirit of MALAYSIAN FIRST which professes common

universal values of democracy, freedom, justice, integrity and human

dignity and provides for equal opportunity for all, that ends

divisions based on race, religion, creed and gender, and that unites

all Malaysians to face the rapidly changing world as one people. We

urge all Pakatan Rakyat parties to pursue steadfastly a new muafakat

amongst Malaysians to herald a second nation-building process

also express concern that Malaysian citizens in Sabah and Sarawak have

been marginalized and left behind in most aspects and vow to bridge

the gap between the two sides of the South China Sea and improve the

wellbeing of all;

THE

NEXT 18 MONTHSThe

next general election is likely to happen within the next 18 months

and it is also possible that state-wide elections will be called in

Sarawak and Perak. The stakes are high.

The results of these elections will decide the fate of our beloved

nation for the next decade and the next generation.

must, therefore, be fully prepared so that we do not squander the last

opportunity for real change in Malaysia, so that we do not blame

ourselves in the future, or our children do not fault us for not

trying hard enough. It is hereby directed that leaders and members at

all levels of the party must gear up in preparation for the next

general election and the possible state-wide elections in Sarawak and

Perak.

Since

the last National Congress, DAP has continue to grow by leaps and

bounds, with the number of members increasing by more than 50 per cent

and the number of registered branches hitting a record of 700. The

party is committed to recruiting more members who firmly believe in

our social democratic principles as well as those who can help us

implement our vision of a competent, accountable and transparent

government administration.

order to strengthen the party’s machinery, leaders and members at all

levels are directed to strengthen the party’s organisation at the

parliamentary level so that we have stronger units to face the battles

that will shape Malaysia’s future.

DAP

leaders, elected representatives and appointed officials in the

various state authorities that Pakatan Rakyat governs must also

constantly be cognizant of the party’s ideology, platforms, visions

and missions, as well as programmes in their quest to bring

substantive change to the country through the mandate given to them,

and to be reminded to meet the high expectations of the voters.

Remember

that DAP will never win alone. We nearly won all seats in Negeri

Sembilan but still unable to govern. We need to win as a coalition; as

a full partner in power together.

goes without saying that we would expect our coalition partners to

understand our platforms and build and expand our common grounds. More

importantly, together we must constantly remind ourselves that it is

the wishes of the Middle Malaysia that matters.

While

we are nothing without our hardcore supporters staying with us, rain

or shine, we now appeal to you to join us on this extraordinary

journey of changing the federal government that requires further

sacrifices, perseverance, and understanding.

know that state governments that we are in power will be the benchmark

for our ability to deliver on our promises. We will strive to fulfil

high expectations so that our comrades in other states have an

opportunity to win power. But the biggest objective of all is still

Putrajaya.

For

what we are attempting to do is nothing short of historic — to

establish the first people-oriented government that places its faith

in our people, truly Malaysian in spirit where Malay leaders look

after Chinese, Indian leaders look after Malays, Chinese leaders look

after Ibans and Iban leaders look after Kadazan and Kadazans look

after Indians, that the people can learn to trust that this PR

government has not only their best interests at heart but also the

future generation of born and unborn grandchildren.

Speech

By DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng During The 15th DAP National

Conference In Ipoh on 17thJanuary 2010.

Escape to the Legion

2010-01-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

The title above was a documentary I recently watched about Bear Grylls (best known for his hit TV-series, "Man vs. Wild") who along with 11 other "recruits" join the romanticised French Foreign Legion. But what's the big deal about this military force?

About The French Foreign Legion (aka Legionnaires)
The Legionnaire is a unique unit of the French army that was builtto remove disruptive elements from society and put them to use fighting the enemies of France. However, despite belonging to France, Legionnaires was initially designed to recruit anything but French men. (although that has changed since 2007). Many who have joined the legion are ones with troubled pasts looking to start a new beginning which makes the requirements of discipline and honor even harder to fathom.

Upon enrolling a recruit would have to sign a 5-year binding contract but expect nothing. As for the outcome, the legionnaires are gloriously famed for their phrase, "We will break you, and then remake you". It is a place where individuality is crushed and where groups of people become units akin to family. Because that is all you have.

Without going too deep into the Legion's story, needless to say I was pretty inspired about this life of dedication to the pursuit of the highest level of discipline which I find is the weakest link in many people aspiring towards their success, myself included. As such, I wrote a poem called:

Live like a Legionnaire

Through hardship comes power, pride and inevitable success.

Through unbearable pain comes the focus of that which is more important.

In the treacherous ascent of mountains comes a spectacular appreciation of the beauty that surrounds it.

In the longing for a place called home comes a realization of the larger universe.

In the thirst for water comes the true understanding of human fragility.

In the pursuit of perfection comes our attention to the finer things.

In the face of defeat comes the called of unrivalled bravery.

In the setting sun comes a rising hope for a better tomorrow.

I've learnt '09 - World Edition

2009-12-30T04:45:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year, where I think there's nothing more important than looking on the whole year in hindsight and relook at firstly what happened with the world and what I can learn from others.

Financials
Firstly there was the spillover from the 2008 subprime collapse which sent many stock markets spiralling downwards but only to rebound on huge optimism of successful (but still debatable) government bailouts. The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange index rose from a March 09 low of 836 points and now hovering at the 1271 points.

2-year chart. From the middle you can see the insane 52% gains, which I was almost missed.

But more importantly, this was a worldwide phenomenon. I for one, had huge skepticism of the markets (no thanks to a few of my pessimistic friends who subscribed heavily to extreme news views) and expected it to fall even further to the 700 levels then hit it big into the market. The sad part was, my own research indicated a likely rebound - which it did! Indicators already determined that it was basically 'low enough'. From here, I learnt an invaluable phrase called

Even if you throw a dead cat on the floor it will bounce.

My mistake is, this cat wasn't dead but had a good and constant supply of nutrition from everywhere. Next year, I shall be more vigilant in getting my sources.
One of my alternatives that I've been emplying is the self-study of Technical Trading. One of the best sites I've been frequenting would be none other than StockCharts.com. (5/5 stars)

Michael Jackson
Yes, he is important enough for one whole paragraph for the King of Pop himself. But imo, the real MJ 'died' when the mainstream media and corporations began to milk him for all he's worth. After all, pain and humiliation is unofficially part of their business model, isn't it? But back to the man himself, watching the movie 'This is it', I saw the inner workings of this truly amazing man. Despite his misgivings, he left a precious message through one of his most remembered hits - that change will begin with the Man in the Mirror.

Tiger Woods

On the 27th of November, my twitter accounts started buzzing with tweets saying "Tiger Woods injured in car accident". Now, this was only two days after I read about the social media revolution where I found out that Twitter is now the source of breaking news - unverified or otherwise. So I was pretty much excited watching this phenomenon prove itself yet again as searches of "Tiger Woods accident" on google still pointed to his sporting news.

Then, tweet after tweet the message started to get awry with fiery allegations of sexual misconduct. Now, barring the details from the Tiger-hungry media, Tiger has now 'suspended' his professional career in golf putting the entire industry into jeapordy similar to the downfall of the NBA when Jordan left. Wonder whether he might pick up golf though.

Pic: Elin Nordegren aka Mrs. Woods.

What was Tiger thinking?

Now thanks to him, even I get questioned when I visit the driving range nowadays. I don't blame you Mr. Woods, but now women all over the world are wondering why their mates are picking up a game which could last for hours on end rather than say, basketball? But imo, there is one thing to learn from the whole scandal and it's the same one we learnt through Spiderman - go figure. For the latest count (currently 8) and identities of his alleged scandals, click here.

It's a cruel 2009, honestly. Not much good news that went around if you think about it. Or maybe it's because my theory is true that the media is constantly searching for negativity which makes more money? Dayum.

Money Making Machines Part II

2009-12-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

I did it!

NO, I haven't mastered Dreamweaver as I mentioned a few days ago.. but I'm getting there! It took me several days to scour through the likes of HTML and got to the basics of it. But I'm feeling a little funny as I'm sure you're feeling a little clueless as to why am I suddenly into all this. So in all fairness, I will backtrack a little and tell you about what suddenly got me into this whole internet craze.

How it all started
Two weeks ago I attended a Global Internet Seminar which brought a whole bunch of millionaire webtrepreneurs to stage showcasing their methods of internet success ranging from 'instant web page creation systems' to 'mailing list generation' to making money from Twitter! (Yes, it really can happen)

Of all the systems, the one that got to me was Twa.lk, created by Shaun Stenning. (who by the way made his millions from Twitter alone and was named Australia's #1 Twitter user).

Genius, a true money making machine

Twa.lk is basically an online platform that links to Twitter as an API (Application Programming Interface) and can help you (almost) automate your account by automatically growing your followers for you, posting new and article links for you and placing your own ads. If you want more information, just go to twitter and search for 'twa.lk' and click their links. Here's the catch; on the first day he told the audience that if he doesn't make $10,000 USD within the 3 day seminar, he'll wear a pink dress and dance around the hall for us.

No, we did not get to see him in a pink dress

I did get it. The system goes for approximately RM3,000($870 USD). Cross my heart, it does work. Unfortunately, I was not sure whether I could sustain the payments so no, I didn't go through it all the way. Boo hoo - I know.. lets see how it goes in time to come.

Back to my story
Anyway, so here I am, trying a more manual method of working on the internet as my additional source of passive income. And me being me, I wanted to prove that you can get all the information you need if you have enough determination and willingness to be learn.
For example, I've discovered some fantastic forums and resources that enable you to learn as a newbie.

Warrior Forum - A forum where internet marketers gather and discuss and share techniques that work, explain technicalities and show some serious money.
Google Zeitgeist - Zeitgeist is German for 'the spirit of the times'. As we all know, all businesses and plans start with concrete market research and identification of trends. Zeitgeist offers very valuable tools especially if you're a US citizen! I use this all the time when it comes to getting insights and I'm such a nerd for numbers and analysis.. :)

Overall, I reckon it's a worthwhile investment and I hope to be able to create my money making machines (MMM) from my internet marketing systems in at least six to nine months. Reason being - the ROI is really good considering you have almost zero capital investment!

The half-baked product
The site is called fashionstudio54 and inspired by Studio54, a world famous disco in the 70s and early 80s. We sell everything from clothing, shoes to facial products. It might seem like 5 minutes work, but trust me, for beginners, just changing the background took me half a day to master!

Will keep you guys posted on the progress!

Rethinking paths

2009-12-17T05:30:00.000-08:00

I've just reached a standstill in my life. Where I have everything in place (or so I think) but a full out business war seems all but imminent.

In the past 2 days, I've began to think of the reasons (not justifications, mind you) of the predicament and I've drawn a few conclusions. One of the main factors is the good ol' self doubt.

Thanks lifemantras.com

What I initially thought was just distractions and procrastination slowly turned into a heavier realization that I was suffering from something more. My confidence that stood by me through the past 2 months has turned on me and befriended the ghastly creature of self-doubt. This inadvertently shadowed every move I made or thought I had and caused all the symptoms I talked about earlier.

One of the ways I know to handle this is to not live your life by others' expectations. To only allow yourself to determine whether you're right or wrong. Come to think of it, it's a vicious cycle, really. Before you begin, you think about what others might think should you do this or otherwise. And the less you get the answers you want, the less you move. In turn, the less you move, the less confidence you get which makes you ponder even more?!
Hmm.... well, at least the first point to change is admission, right?

Quick Update : Attempting Dream..

2009-12-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

I just thought I'd share my excitement. Since I'm aiming for a full-fledged home-business, passive income seeking lifestyle which for me (I realized) is heavily dependant on picking up on my trading skills and fully-understanding the internet, I've just decided to pick up web-design by myself.

So I'm currently reading the e-book 'Teaching Yourself Dreamweaver CS3 Visually'! (and attempting the almost-impossible)

P.S: For the uninitiated, Adobe Dreamweaver is a web-design software for pros.

Wish me luck!

Justin

Brain Droppings - George Carlin's mastery

2009-12-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.
~George Carlin (1937-2008)

I just watched a PBS Special commemorating the great comedian George Carlin and there was something that struck me about this evangelical hippie. It's not about George's ability to conjure show-stopping ideological ironies that he manages craft into utterly rhythmic and poetic monologues, neither it is about his sharp wit that turns seemingly ordinary thoughts into extraordinary brain droppings as he'd call it.

The part that caught me was about his discipline on his passion. At one part, Jon Stewart (host of the Daily Show on Comedy Central) talked about his opportunity to meet the man before hosting '40 years of comedy with George Carlin'. He flew out to California to meet George and didn't know what to expect.

So when he met George, he was expecting to watch the master at work - getting inspiration from being up in Aspen Colorado while relaxing and having some drinks. But what he saw when he entered Carlin's office was just a desk and a computer. Jon was amazed at how this anti-establishment mind - whom judging by his reputation had probably already gained his fortune in comedy - punched-in everyday and sat in front of his desk and worked. What most thought was a life of fame and fortune sat this blue-collared guy behind his desk who was dead serious about his passion. And when they headed to the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, he saw George pacing back and forth rehearsing his routine about advertising one after another. 40 years in comedy and he was still choreographing, presenting, drafting and perfecting it.

Ask ourselves, how many of us would have done that? (Particularly those who're working from home and who are still stuck at dreaming about our fortune)

One thing for sure that we can all learn from the great George Carlin is his discipline that he put to his passion. It doesn't matter what he did, and who you are, if you want to be truly successful (and more importantly stay there) - there's no break from your passion. You gotta 'do your time' like any other person and there ain't two ways about it.

(Of course the difference if you were in George's shoes would be that you'd be worried about different things - like censorship! lol)

I'll end this with a very apt monologue from Mr. Carlin entitled 'The Modern Man'.

For the full text, click here

Build your M.M.M.

2009-12-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

I recently attended a seminar by T.Harv Eker called "Millionaire Mind Intensive". I didn't expect too much as I attended the seminar for free (as with the other approx. 80% of the attendees) and I attended with an open mind.

Most self-help enthusiasts have probably been exposed to so many seminars be it attending live, webinars, preview courses or even Youtube that you will indefinitely find half of the stuff repeated; the jumping, the clapping, the dancing, the incantations. They all work and are good but at some point you've got to have had enough. So my principle for seminars (free or otherwise) is as long as I discover my needle in the haystack - that one thing that could make the difference between 4 and 5 digit incomes - it's simply worth it.

Sometimes it's really just 1" that makes the difference between bronze and nothing

And I did find something!

Part of the seminar, one of Harv's assistant speakers was promoting a book called Speed Wealth. He claimed that one of the principles helped him realize what was missing and the rest was history. I was intrigued and bought the book.

He was right.

One of Speed Wealth's principles was that in order to make a lot of money, you must build your Money Making Machine (MMM), emphasis on the word machine. One of Speed Wealth's principle goes

I used to work in a tobacco company and they own machines that can produce more than 10,000 sticks a minute. The question is, how much sticks do you think the machine could produce if a human were needed to simply press a button every 5 minutes? I'll bet my bottom dollar that it's much less then 10 million sticks. (10k x 60 x 24 = 14.4 million, lol) In other words, human touch is overrated!

Future coffee machines --Dilbert

Whatever you're doing, you have to think about how do you get maximum leverage out of your business and get out of the rat race, which you pray wasn't custom designed by yourself!

Click links below to preview these books:
SpeedWealth - How to Make a Million in Your Own Business in 3 Years or Less
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth

A Jim Rohn tribute

2009-12-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

It's true what you've heard, Jim Rohn has passed away approximately 3 hours ago from the time of writing. According to his official site, he has battled with Pulmonary Fibrosis (scarring through the lungs).

Who is Jim Rohn?
Jim Rohn motivational speaker and is labeled a business philosopher and has been presenting seminars for more then 40 years. He was the recipient of the 1985 National Speakers Association CPAE Award. He is also the author of 17 different books, audio and video programs.

Rohn's Unique Philosophies
He's famed for his rags to riches story - he was 25 and living an average American life - behind on his bills and behind on his promises. He then met a wealthy man, Mr. Shoaff of whom he worked for and learnt the philosophies of wealthy living that changed his life.

How many times have we seen people shun wealthy or money because they deem it to be immoral or evil and that wealthy people are more often than not crooks (T. Harv Eker calls this "rich bashing"). Instead, Mr. Shoaff taught Rohn instead that "it's ok to be wealthy" because of what wealth will make you in the pursuit of it. It's not so much of what you get, as it is the person you become.

Key learnings from mother nature

#1 - Ants never quit
If you try to block an ant's trail, he'll try to climb over, climb under, climb around, climb past and find a way. If you try to block him again, he'll climb over, climb under, cl... (You get the point). And guess how long it will try? Till it dies.

Believe it, 50 cent was an ant

#2 - Ants think winter during the summer
It's so easy to build on the sand during summer, isn't it? But in order for one to beat the system, you've got to build on rock during the summer. Conversely, what do you think ants think about during winter? And we all know life is part winter, part summer my friends. Genius.

#3 - How much will an ant gather during summer during the winter?
Answer : All it possibly can - because you never really know what kind of winter it's going to be. This serves especially well to those who're wondering whether they're working too hard or otherwise. It's not the amount that you collect that counts, it's knowing that you've done your best with what you've got.

Final Tribute

MDH would like to pay a tribute to this great man that has inspired countless entrepreneurs out there with his never-say-die attitude which he literally said, "I would fight until my last breath".

Rest in Peace, Jim Rohn.

The Big Picture

2009-12-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

A vision is one's ability to project our thoughts into the future with positive expectation while totally ignoring its viability and the ability to find a purpose that's larger than life.

All successful people are visionaries. When they speak, they speak little about the current issues, but more importantly they tell you to "look at the big picture". Like an Everest climber's constant obsession of the peak that lets him forget the temporary pain for the bigger (or higher) pleasure! It's even in the bible termed as faith defined as "blessed are those who believe yet have not seen".
A case in point - Donald Trump. Our beloved tough-talking, egomaniacal billionaire speaks about the importance of vision in the introduction of Trump University's latest book Entrepreneurship 101.

"In 1974, I looked at the old Commodore Hotel, next to Grand Central Station in New York City. I did not see a huge, dilapidated nearly empty building in a seedy neighborhood. I did not see a bankrupt city or the New York real estate market, struggling to survive. I saw a magnificent first-class convention hotel complex - grandiose, luxurious, and noteworthy. I was a young man of 27, and my vision felt rightsized."

If I had that power, I'd be unstoppable too.

The seemingly unstoppable search giant

I was watching TV recently and there was a documentary about Google. The vision of Google and their founders was that one day the world of technology would need nothing more than 2 basic elements to fufill their everyday needs - an internet connection and their browser. Affirmative, no more programs, no more installations, no more CDs. Today, those that would have ridiculed the idea a mere 5 years ago, would stand corrected (and probably poorer) as the concept is being fulfilled more and more everyday.

One thing's as sure as the sunrise - Every entrepreneur that has ever made it would attest that they went through an inevitable period of both internal and external ridicule. When an entrepreneur's takes his bold step out of his comfort zone - even if it began in the mind - his/her ability to use his vision to "push through" is the ultimate test.
MDH uber-recommended.