Public Infrastructure Collapse Makes Public Confidence Collapse

Today, we heard yet another news that we thought will only happen in other countries, and not Malaysia. A flyover just collapsed in Cyberjaya!

Just a week ago, we heard that the Kuala Terengganu Stadium roof collapsed again, while undergoing repair on the same roof structure that has previously collapsed.

This would be expected to happen sooner or later, or somehow in one out of many projects because of "our" fondness in granting projects to unqualified parties. Often, when there is a landslide, we blame the rain. But these two incidents happened, I have a feeling they will blame the media..

Apa dah jadi? 1Malaysia or 完蛋Malaysia?

Largest Roundabout, Longest Name

I'm quite happy that there are a few readers who posted comments on my blog post about the largest roundabout in the world. Some of them actually disputed my saying that the title belongs to our Putrajaya's Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.

They claimed that there is a bigger roundabout in the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain where the Queens Park Savannah is located. It is supposed to be 3.5km in total, which is 1km longer than Putrajaya. I made a quick check on the Google Map and found that this roundabout is not round, oval or oblong, but a five-cornered awkward pentagon.

I believe many will agree with me that Putrajaya should hold the title, because if it's not the correct shape, how can they claim that it's a roundabout. We should be proud that now we don't only have the largest roundabout, but also the roundabout with the longest name.

Not to forget, we also have the smallest roundabout in the world.

Wander Around Oslo

Oslo is the capital of Norway. It is considered a faraway city to Malaysian, where no one will ever thought of flying there for holidays. They are famous for being an expensive city, and also one of the great cities to live in. I believe one of the closest company or brand that we know from Norway is Telenor, the parent company of Digi.

I was fortunate to be able to explore this city, and managed to get it done in a day. Going there from Stockholm was easy but costly. I took the overnight bus trip by Swebus, and the journey was around 8 hours. This is acceptable to us, but to the Europeans, they will ask why didn't I take the plane and it is only an hour flight? No comments really.. This goes to show that we have different point of view in terms of time and money.

Below are some of the cityscape. It was autumn, and things look grey and dull. But the interesting things are usually found in the shops. In Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Norway, the products are done beautifully and tastefully displayed. Just take a look at Ikea.

 

One of the most beautiful building is the Opera house, with its trapezium-shaped architecture and the roof that slopes down to the sea.You can even run up to the roof, but much stamina is needed.

Good Tips On Valuing Time In Business

Here are some good pointers I just read from IttyBiz on "How To Stop Your Business From Sucking Up All Your Time".

First advice is to respect your time because time is money. This is an important tip to make us realize that if we are not careful to use our business time to earn money, it will drain our resources (time & money). To quote his remarks; When you’re spending your own money, you tend to waste it less on stupid things you don’t really want. If you’re shelling out cash and you don’t get something you definitely want in return, you’re not going to do it for long.

Second advice is to prioritize your activity to get the money first (termed as closest to cash). The important thing is to convert your time to cash. Once the money is achieved, you can plan for other things to do. With this in mind, it's logical that people will stop wasting time screening through the social media.

Third and last advice is to fix the weakness in your business. This includes getting a real strategy to attract the right target group. To pick a quote; Make your vague branding specific enough to be relevant to people who visit your site for the first time. Your weaknesses are costing you sales that you SHOULD be getting.

I personally think these advices are brilliant and very true.

My Laptop Bag Is Light Weight But Tough

I read with interest a blog posting in Polyniostore about a laptop bag I'm currently using. I would happily say that I'm satisfied with this bag. I knew about the company that produced the Terminus brand, where the bags are designed by Malaysians. 

I must agree with the writer that the bag is lightweight, especially when I carry it on my shoulder. The padding was thick enough to give good support on the back. It might feel heavy when you started to lift it up with your hand, but the heavy feeling disappeared the moment you carry it. Because I often carry my laptop during traveling, it is really helpful to ease the burden on my shoulder.

Overall, the workmanship was good and they have put in some features that exceeds the normal bag standard. The stitching density was 7 stitches per inch, and the zipper quality was comparable to YKK zipper. These are important for the bag to be durable and longer lasting.

One of the major difference between the bag with my previous Swissgear bag is the inner lining. Previously, it is common for the bag to be coated with a layer of water-resistant material, and the material will deteriorate over time and peeled off easily when scratched. The Terminus bag was instead sewed with Nylon lining that was a totally different thing.

Another outstanding feature was the multiple compartment and pocket, 16 in exact. It can possibly put everything you can think a laptop bag should carry. Even the shoulder strap has compartment for your iPod/mp3 player.

This bag has 3 variants, and the black one looks more business-like, while the red and blue are more funky look and suitable for those wanting to look different.

Writing Is Good For You

It has been awhile since I made the last posting. I plan to spend some time writing again. Need to train up my mind to play with words often so that my brain is continuously nourished, and not rot slowly and surely.

I have always thought that writing is one of the most sustainable job, and a skill that everyone should learn and master. People often think of how much they need to save or keep a large amount of money for their retirement, but they never thought of how to keep their life sustainable, in terms of money, passion and interest after they have reached retirement age. With a good writing skill and interest, a person can still survive even if they are no longer physically fit.

There are many areas where writing skill can be used to keep the mind sharp. e.g blogging, contests, article writing, e-book, etc..