Delivering Happiness

Its been a while, a loooong while since I read a book. I have bought this book for quite some time and make a point to read it while traveling to Japan. To my own surprise, this book has moved me. I read it all the way in the six hour flight. I just had a short nap and can't wait to continue my reading.

I felt it. Somehow its relevant. Authentic and fun - that is how Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com Inc shared his success story in making Zappos.com  - one of the best companies to work for in 2009. In the same year, Zappos was acquired by Amazon in a deal valued at over USD 1.2 billion. Wow!

He has faced difficulties and challenges especially in terms of cash flow and cultivating the culture. Zappos almost closed down, but what keeps Zappos alive is the people. He has the right people at his back to support him. To save Zappos, Tony sold off his loft at 40% lesser than the market value. His partner Fred, willing to a pay cut as long as it covers his monthly fixed rent and bills. There was a moment when the cash in hand only last for one week and the payroll is due.

He has self doubt. He did not have the magic formula. But he believe. He take a risk and changed his business model from a shoes platform to owning the shoes inventory. He make mistakes along the way but continue finding solutions. The book somehow thought me that running a business is a serious business. No time for petty things. Focus focus focus on what need to be done. Set business direction, take risk and build company culture. All play role. No sticking around attitude.

That's why I'm amazed when people wasting their expensive time and energy towards petty things. Involved in creating drama and planned for unnecessary agenda. Somehow I felt that we are going backwards instead of moving forward. Duh. I just can't get it.

This quote, from the book that i like :

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit - H.S. Truman

Yep. I just want to work, get things done and go home. Who's get the credit, does not matter and if I make mistakes, I own it up. No cover up coz sooner or later it will show up. Accept the mistake, fix it and move on. The way I work, sometime I do give in. That is how I move mountains. I'm willing to give in if it means I can move forward. I don't like running in circle just to hold up principle. Or keep on nagging on the same issue.  I don't have any principle but I do know guided with common sense and good heart I will be fine.

We are not in the movie making industry eh :)

Geisha in Gion

Serendipity. Look for something, find something else and realise that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.

- Lawrence Block

Osaka - Kyoto : It feels warm despite the cold weather

20 Jan 2012

Its raining while waiting for the taxi. Depart to Osaka at 8.20 am with mixed feeling. To be honest I'm scared and anxious. I do not know what to expect. This is Japan where people do not speak English, same like China and I'm on solo trip. I pray hard for good, throughout this journey. Will be staying at the airport hotel, Kansai before heading Osaka the next morning.


21 Jan 2012

Waking up to a nice weather. Breezing cool weather with a bit of sunshine. That's why I love winter. I hardly have headache. I can't really slept last night. Waking up few times, worried I over slept. I have to pinch myself that I'm really at Japan alone, figuring out my way.

Everything is on the dot. Shuttle bus leave at 9.06 am heading back to the airport. Finding my way to the JR station to purchase one day pass of 2k yen. Journey to Osaka is about 55km. Its a bit different from Korea. Inside the train, people do talk and sleep. Not too much hook up to their gadget. Or perhaps its still early Saturday morning :-)

I think I have to be more relax and calm. Be okay to make mistakes a long the way. I have to trust myself. I'm gonna be fine, kan. Not forget to have fun. Otherwise bercuti pun stress.

Today itinerary @ Osaka - Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Castle and Osaka Museum of History then heading kyoto.

10.30 am

22 Jan 2012

Oh wow.. what a day it was yesterday. A bit of struggling to find my way. I was soo confused - changing trains at the train stations. People here are fast. Each time I exit from the train, I have to move to side to set my bearing otherwise I got pushed or I'm blocking someone else. Trains are not interconnected like Seoul. They have a lot of operators and at some station you do can change lanes. Like us Putra and Star. You have to exit and buy new ticket.

To add more difficulties, some of the train makes announcement for the next station in Japanese only. Aduh. I cant find any map inside the train, only advertisement. I was a bit panic but managed to identified from the language.

I arrived Kyoto station at 5 pm. Changed train from JR to Subway. I brave my heart through the rain. Dark, wet and cold, i can't help to felt a bit sorry for myself. 9 hrs capsule hotel should be 5 minutes away from Shijo station. But I'm lost, perhaps I'm taking the wrong exit.

Finally arrived. I'm grateful to find a stranger that actually on his way to the same hotel. Lucky me kan. He even willing to shared his umbrella with me all the way to hotel. We walked and we talked in the rain. Tokyo businessman he is, first time in kyoto.

That's yesterday. I still have to pinch myself now and then. I'm having a moment here.. not sure what it is. Serendipity, I think.

Finishing my last sip of Starbucks, while waiting for niskishi market to open. I'm too early :-) Today plan niskishi market, gion - hoping to see giesha, Hanami-Koji area, Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Park all the way to Kiyomizudera Temple. Long way to go :-)

7.20 am

23 Jan 2012

Last day in Koyoto. Will be going to Fushimi Inari Shrine before taking JR Airport Express Haruka at Kyoto Station heading Kansai Airport (75 mins 2980 yen). Flight depart at 4.55 pm.

I had a good day yesterday. Pleasant surprises. Turns two strangers into friends. They are from Korea and Tokyo. I'm grateful to have them here. Betul :-) Its like spending time with your good friends. Enjoying the comfort of having someone in the new place, experiencing the journey together.

The hotel that I'm staying - Anteroom Hotel is excellent. Its easy to find from Kujo station. I was a bit worn out yesterday. Penat betul. My feet are damn tired. Arrived when its already dark. The moment i stepped in, I love it. Great ambiance, design and style. . They even give me fresh warm towel while waiting. Waking up very early today enable me to relax in the hot bath tub. Rasa lega. Kaki dan bahu dah sakit :-)

Despite all these struggle that I had, I want to give 5 star to the people here. They are extremely helpful, courteous and friendly. Their willingness and effort to help me despite the language barrier are like.... I don't know. I'm speechless. Sungguh. It makes the struggle bearable and less painful.

I have to make a move now. Today gonna be a great day. I hope :-)

9.40am

Safely arrived home. It was a great trip actually. A different kind of experience. I learnt a lot of things about myself and Japan. Somehow, Japan has restore my faith in people. I couldn't ask for more. Okini / Arigato Japan. You have been kind.

I have checked Japan from my travel list :)

Edited with relevant photos :)

Location : Japan,

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I really Miss the Beach :(

There comes a time in life when it’s time to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard you forget about the bad and focus solely on the good.

Author Unknown

 

About 30 0ct0ber

Stumble upon interesting article about my birth date 30.10. Wow... I'm speechless. Spot on :) Bukanlah begitu taksub dengan Astrologi. Just for fun.

taken from  http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/october-30-birthday-astrology.htm What about yours?

24 hours trip to Singapore

On Friday, I just realised i didn't make any plans for new year. Me caught up with year end closing and short break with family. I have been working like mad since Christmas. Somehow i'm in need of new exploration. Out of nowhere Singapore pop up in my head. That evening i work out my plan and find my way to get there. From 2D1N end up to 24 hours trip. Purchased Transnasional and Tiger Air ticket online and wala... I'm ready to go :)

I'm a Johorean but never been to Singapore. Kelakar kan. I grew up listening to Singapore radio and watching Singapore tv (masa tu layan Beverly Hills 90210 la). I have even memorised Singapore anthem song - Majulah Singapura. Betul.

31 Dec 11

Taking taxi to TBS at 11.00 pm as my bus depart at 11.59 pm. So here I am celebrating New Year at bus terminal. Bus arrived late and I managed to watch firework :) Nice. Tak payah bersesak-sesak. At 12.30am with only six of us in the bus, off we go. As always, I make myself comfortable and sleeeep all the way to Singapore. After custom check point, the bus arrived earlier than schedule - at 5 am in the morning.

1 Jan 12

I was contemplating whether I should find the nearest MRT or should I stay foot at the open space bus station.  Finally decided to walk slowly and found petrol station to ask for direction. Lavender MRT located about 600m. MRT will be my main transport for the whole day.

Raffles Place

First station - Raffles Place where the Singapore River is surrounded by huge tall building - CBD. Somehow, it reminds me of Melbourne CBD.  I sat down quietly by the river watching people talking, laughing and sleeping. Its after new year celebration. Makanya, sampah bersepah-sepah dan kelihatan mereka yang terbaring tidur di tepi jalan. I think if i wait till the sunshine, perhaps i can see the sunrise.

 

 

Next, heading to Merlion Park

Ala... I should leave the river early so that I can snap better photo of the Merlion or Singa Laut :(

 Marina Bay from far

Esplanade

The Flyer

Walked back to Singapore River bridge

 

 

I have almost fall asleep at the staircase while waiting for the museum to open at 9.00 am 

Asean Civilisation Museum

Inside - all you need to know about Asean culture, history and people. Entrance fee should be SGD 8, but that day - Free Admission (not sure why).

Bugis

Lapar but couldn't find any food stall. As such move on to next station - Bugis to look for food and to purchase one day tourist pass (SGD 18 for all MRT and Bus, refundable deposit SGD10). Finally found Halal Malay food at the food court. Yahoo. Kenyang

Off all shopping places, i kind of like Bugis Junction. A bit relax and less crowded. Take some time to rest and clean up myself.

Sentosa Island

Took MRT to Harbour Front  and straight to Level 3 of Vivo City to take express train to Sentosa Island. The queue was not that long but people non stop coming. At first, I was okay layaaan tengok the park, unfortunately when the sun start to show up, my headache come out. Super Hot Day at Sentosa.

Chinatown

A perfect place to buy souvenir

Little India

As you walk towards the exit of the MRT, you have been taleport to a different destination called India. The smell, the view, the sound and everything are like in India. Betul. Sebijik. Tetiba ramai gila indians dan telinga di hiburi dengan lagu tamil yg sangat kuat. Saya tersenyum sendiri dan kagum dengan transformasi nya.

Kepala, bahu dan kaki sudah terlalu rasa sakitnya. Seperti mahu pulang sudah. Tapi punya dua destinasi lagi.

Orchard Road

Tidaklah mahu membeli belah sakan. Tidak ada daya mahu memikulnya. Hanya window shopping sahaja. Banyaaaak gila shopping complex. Ramai juga mereka yang dari Indonesia. Mungkin jutawan, shopping di Kota Singa.

Hari yang panas, cukup bagus disejukkan dgn ice ceam potong

Jual ice cream depan boutique Louis Vuitton :D

  Yummy Ice Cream SGD 1 

Berkeputusan tidak mampu untuk ke dstinasi yang terakhir yang agak jauh - Botanical Garden. Hujan pun sudah menitis. Makanya, lebih baik ke Changi airport awal, refresh kan diri dan baca buku. Tidak apa lah tidak melihat bunga-bungaan.

Arrived airport at 5.00pm and flight at 8.50 pm, four hours to kill. Berjalan-jalan di Terminal satu. Melihat-lihat kerana mahu tahu kenapa Changi Airport among the best airport in the world, currently tempat kedua. Kemudiannya bereder ke budget terminal - perlu naik bas. Tiba sahaja meluruskan kaki di kusyen dan melelapkan mata sebentar. Terasa letih betul. Kemudiannya urut kaki dan ambil masa untuk makan dan baca buku. Flight depart on time dan tiba di rumah jam 11.45 pm. Berjaya juga misi explorasi saya. Alhamdulillah.

Home Sweet Home. It has been a loooong and productive day of the first day of year 2012. Sweet. End.

Do More

of what makes you Happy

I should make my own happiness list kan. Focus on the positive not the negative. I believe it is a constant effort to do this but i should start somewhere :)

Family

Sure, they fight a lot, but to know that there's always somebody there, somebody that's family - Trey Parker

Yup. Family is on my happiness list. Being with them is priceless. Its like coming back home to the safest place on earth. No judgement, No question ask. Just Acceptance. 

At my current phase of life, its easy for people to judge me. Ya lah. In a perfect definition of happiness - I should be married, have kids and be fabulous working mom and wife. But I'm grateful with my imperfect life. I'm gonna live my life and cherish every moment of it, good, bad and everything in between :)

When granny was sick, Mom was there every moment of it, gives everything that she can - love, time and money. I will always remember that. There are a lot of difference between visiting and being there. Visiting is just like touch and go. You just there for few hours or day and then go. Being there is like everything. Thank you mom for the lesson. 

Travel

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

This year (I hope) gonna be my exploration year. I will somehow find my way. Gonna save my hard earn cash for this. Be it solo or with friends I'm gonna make it happen. If not now then when? Life is short and sometime hard, do what matter the most, do things that makes you happy :)

Work

Jangan Jadi Lembik - Firefly

It's gonna be a tough year ahead. Gonna put my thick face, brave my heart and focus on work not things in between the work. Work pays my bills and travel. I should always remember that. Don't compare, don't complain too much, just be grateful. 

Its timely for me to change my work habit. At times i believe i make things more difficult. I realised that i have wasted my precious time and energy with anger, dissatisfaction and talking. I can be more efficient by focusing on work related only. Say NO to bitching, whining and office politics. Like I said - Jangan Jadi Lembik :)

Do Good Anyway

Don't judge my journey until you've walked my path - Anonymous

Its easy to judge people. To say bad things about people. To say other people is wrong. To make nasty remark without knowing the whole story. We are sometime illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Admit it. We have different way of life, different agenda and different priority. Some people willing to do nasty stuff behind to safe their ass. Plus if you dealing with money (like me) - people can turns ugly easily. Believe me.

Above all these nasty stuff, do good anyway. Good heart is the answer for all this. Kalau kita pun sama memburukkan, bermakna hati kita pun busuk. Makanya tiada beza mereka dan kita. Pada hari yang sukar, lebih baik berdoa dari menambah burukan orang kan :)

Happy New Year. Hello 2012

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be - Moses