Reality Check

 

Earlier today the Government announced a price hike on petrol of 20 sen. So there was some chaos at the petrol stations where people queued up to get a full tank. Someone asked me to do the same. But I said “what for?”. I mean, it’s not like the price was hiked only for the night. If I filled up the tank tonight, it’ll dry up sooner or later and I still have to fill it in with the new price. Duhhh…

 

 

It was a frenzy on Facebook. Almost everyone was posting comments about it on their Walls and on their friends’ Walls and on their friends’ friends’ Walls. Most of ‘em thought of it negatively and I was playing along. There’s nothing much we can do about it, anyway. And no regrets to the Government of my choice during the General Election either. Oppss..! Did I just wrote that? Heh.

 

But let’s look at it from a different perspective. I’m no expert in economy so I’m not gonna blab about the ringgits and sens. I’m looking at it from what I’ve learned and from how I changed my own lifestyle. You see, all the while, since I started working, I would spend my salary mercilessly on unnecessary things. As my salary increased, so did my spending. I would end up having the same amount of money in my bank account year after year after year after year after year. Even though my salary increased almost very year. How did that happen?

 

When I came across this book – Secrets of The Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker, I started to realise that it was all in the ‘Blueprint’. My behavior towards money was the result of my money blueprint that I either inherited from my parents or that I sub-consciously learned from past experience. That’s how I ended up with the same amount of money in my bank account every month.

 

Since then I started to practise the principles given in that book. Finally, I got the chance to attend the seminar in December last year and it was an amazing experience! I started to practise even more. I still had the same amount of money in my bank account. BUT! Yes, there is a ‘BUT’ I also have some money in my savings account. At the same time, I have some money for donations, too. Now, is that good or good?

 

The guiding principle is to divide the net income into 6 parts : 50%, 10%, 10%, 10%, 10% and 10%. Here’s the breakdown:

50% is called the Necessity Account. This is where I got to spend on my necessities – meals, groceries, parkings, toll fees, fuel, school fees, tuition fees, rents, etc.

 

The first 10% is called the Financial Freedom Account (FFA a/c). This is where got to use the money for my retirement years. I will invest the amount in fixed deposits, Unit Trusts, savings accounts & such. The principle here is to treat the amount as the ‘Golden Goose’ that lays the golden eggs. You should never ‘kill’ the Golden Goose. That means you can’t spend the principal investment. It’ll be better if you don’t spend on the bonuses and profits either. Just re-invest so that you’ll have more golden eggs.

 

 

 

The second 10% is called the Long Term Saving to Spend Account (LTSS a/c). This is where I got to spend for something that I want in the near future. For example I am now saving for myself and my family to perform Umroh next year (if God’s willing). So I will keep this 10% in the Hajj savings account. If you wish to buy something expensive, like a house or a car or an iPad then you can use the money from this account. You can also use this account to settle off your debts bit by bit. For example, start with paying for one of your credit card bills. Finish it off then start to pay off the other.

 

The third 10% is called the Education Account. We don’t usually spend for our own self development. Of course sometimes we will buy the motivational books, listen to motivational CDs and all but that’s it. We don’t really invest in our own self-development. We were too busy doing and performing for others. So use the money in this account to go to seminars, trainings, conventions, buy home study courses, etc that would benefit us in the long run. Every month, this account must be emptied. I have, for the past one year, spent a lot on seminars by paying monthly instalment, using this account.

The fourth 10% is called the Play Account. We spent as little for ourselves as we spent for our own self-development. Sometimes we spent for clothings or maybe a spa treatment. But those were off the cuff spending. This account would give us the privilege to pamper ourselves, to reward ourselves for all the hard work and to let off some steam. So I will use the money from this account to buy things that would make me happy. I will spend all the money from this account on a monthly basis.
The fifth 10% is called the Give Account. We have to spend all the money from this account for donations either in cash or kind. This is how we should thank God for all the money that He has given us.

So there…that’s how I spend my money nowadays. So I will keep my expenses just within those percentages. If my necessities become more than 50%, I can adjust it to as much as 60%. But that’s about it. Actually the most you can go is 70% but that’ll make the other ‘Accounts’ suffer with less amount. The most important thing is, I need to be realistic with my spending. I need to be more prudent. If I can’t stretch my necessity account any more, then I will have to do some re-adjustment. Perhaps reduce my spending.

I’ve just started this from the beginning of this year. It takes a lot of discipline and self-reminder. It takes a lot of courage to fight off that urge to spend mercilessly because the old habit of thinking “it’s my money, so I deserve to spend it” is still there. By end of the day, I realised that it’s all about inculcating new habits. I have to keep on reminding myself to put in a ringgit or my lose coins in the FFA jar every day. And slowly but surely, I am now settling some of my debts so that my personal commitments to the banks is reduced by almost 70% in the next three (3) years!

When we have this new habit kicks in, we won’t be in such a knee jerk reaction or a panicky state when some costs go up or some subsidies were withdrawn or some new expenses came along. We won’t get so frustrated and become so violent. We just have to make some reality checks along the way.

-This article was published on Wordpress September 3, 2013

Independence Day

Today is Malaysia’s 56th year of Independence.

 

What’s the country’s Independence means to me? Well…here goes.

 

I was born after the country gained her Independence. YEARSSSS after. So I don’t actually know what happened then or what happened before we got the Independence. But I’ve heard a lot of stories from my grandad and my grandma. Theirs were gruesome stories of the Japanese and communists era and how terrified they were then. The effect on my grandad was that he couldn’t stand us throwing away used clothes and wasting away food. It was scarce, during the Japanese invasion, he said, and also during the communists terrorism. They had to hide how little food they had so that it wouldn’t be snatched. Not much was complained about the British. Though my grandad despised Mat Salleh. He could understand English even though he didn’t speak it (I learned what ‘unconditional love’ means, through him).

 

No, honouring the Independence of Malaya and thereafter Malaysia, was not something that was ‘taught’ to me. It was just through observation and reading the histories apart from listening to my grandad’s recounts of events. Sad enough that we had to declare an Independence of our own soil which was actually invaded and colonised by others. We were not naturally colonised, weren’t we? Something like a Trademark or Intellectual Property that we created and was taken by others and then we won the legal battle to get it back.

 

Not necessarily am I not patriotic when I speak English more than I speak Malay. As I usually said “I think in Malay but I write and speak in English”. Not necessarily am I not a patriot just because I seldom wear the baju kurung and rarely wear the batik sarong. Not necessarily am I lacking of patriotism when I applauded the major development of Malaysia.

 

No, we can’t judge one’s patriotism through just an observation. We cannot pass judgement against the spirit of nationalism in others just because they fail to observe the Malaysian culture. Who knows, the spirit is much stronger in others.

 

Listening to the deafening sounds of the jet fighters flying above KL Sentral earlier today, I couldn’t help but imagine if I were to hear that kind of sound every day and every night, coupled with the sound of explosions, burning buildings, dead bodies all around and chaos. Couldn’t imagine the type of life my fellow brothers and sisters in war-torn countries are living right now. Couldn’t imagine the fright of having to lose my house and my family to a frightful hurricane or tornado or earthquake or erupting volcanoes. Then the deafening sound faded away and I was glad. I was grateful. I was happy. I was contented. That I am here, in Malaysia. That I was born to this beautiful country; grew up; made a lot of friends namely Malays, Chinese, Indians, Serani, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and others; worked with many foreigners including those from France, Holland, Netherlands, Germany, America, Japan,Taipei, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia; had my education from primary school until I graduated and now working HERE, in this blessed land called MALAYSIA.

 

What more could a human being asked for?

 

Independence is about appreciating the harmony, diversity, robust development, opportunities, abundance, prosperous and peaceful environment that we are enjoying right now. I might want to go abroad. I might want to go and visit other countries, had a taste of different weather and foreign cultures. But never, the thought of migrating to another country.

So if you ask me about my patriotism…this is my answer : I am a Malaysian. Always have. Always will be.

- This article was published on Wordpress August 31, 2013.

Adapt

A simple word that carries a big meaning. One who knows how to adapt oneself to any situation that they were being pushed into, would  survive the challenge and acquire priceless experience. Some people don’t actually know how to adapt themselves to a given situation. They tend to find an easy way out. That is, to get out from the situation. By doing so, they failed to realise their own potentials. They failed to challenge themselves in different situation and learn from the process.

I’ve seen many a times when people failed to adapt themselves. And I’ve also seen many a times when people found it easy to adapt. I’ve since learned that adapting to a situation requires certain set of skills that can be learned. Else one will have to spend a longer time to adapt and also make a lot of mistakes along the way. Sometimes, costly mistakes. So why reinvent the wheel? Learn how to adapt to a situation and you will find it easier for you and also the others around you.

By asking you to learn the skills do not necessarily mean that you will skip the process of learning from your mistakes. Even when you have acquired the skills of adapting you might find yourself in different situations at any given time. So you will need to make adjustments and while making the adjustments, you might make some mistakes. Here and there. But not to worry…if you already have the skills, you’ll rectify your mistakes in a jiffy.

-This article was published on Wordpress August 20, 2013

Eid Ul Fitri 2013

Last year we spent the Eid ul Fitri in mediocrity because my dad just passed away. My mom didn’t actually have the heart to celebrate at all. But when my brother insisted, she prepared some food for us and also for family members who came to visit. I think at that time she was trying hard to put up a strong fight against her bereavement.

 

This year…it was much lesser than that. I spent the eve of Eid ul Fitri together with my two kids at the house. Just for sake of keeping the spirit alive. Because every year we would have people from the madrasah came to the house after Isya’ prayers to perform the Takbir. We had them last year, in spite of. I didn’t see why we shouldn’t do it this year too. So I made plans with our neighbours to prepare food for the night, just like we had done previously.

 

It was a lonely day. The feeling of void was there. Always. Tugging at my heart. And I was trying hard not to break down. I guess that was how Mak would’ve felt last year. After Maghrib, we sent the food to the neighbour’s house. It was nothing much. I prepared desserts – fruits and fruit punch plus some delicacies. When the crowd came at about 9.30 p.m. my neighbour’s husband brought them in. It felt so awkward, not having men in the house. I wished my husband was there.

I’ve prepared some money in the Raya packets to give away. I gave them to the neighbour’s husband so that he could help me distribute them to the jemaah. After the Takbir and a short du’a they asked me to say a few word. Gosh…it was embarrassing! I spoke to them on behalf of my late father and mother, thanked them for coming and told them that we’ve prepared food at the neighbour’s house. After the men had left to other houses in the neighbourhood, I sat down with the ladies to eat. It was very very very awkward. But we sat and talked, occasionally about my mom, while the kids played with fire crackers, til about 12am. Then we all went home to rest.

Again, I went back to an empty house. Very empty. Usually my mom would’ve been busy in the kitchen preparing ‘rendang’ a spicy coconut milk gravy with chicken or beef, to eat with ‘lemang’ – glutinous rice stuffed in bambu and ‘grilled’ over fire. The tugging feeling felt even more.
The next morning I couldn’t get the kids to get up early. Perhaps they slept very late that night. So I missed my Eid ul Fitri prayers that morning. I spent the morning attending to their clothes. I need to pack up for JB later that day. While doing that I was listening to the Takbir on TV. It was so heart wrenching and the flood gate was opened. I couldn’t stop crying. I missed my mom and dad. And I missed my husband who was in JB that time. The kids woke up around 9am. Then we got ready and I took them to visit my parents. I read the Yaasiin for both of them. When we got home, we went to visit the neighbours.

We were supposed to be happy on the morning of Eid ul Fitri. It was a symbol of glory, winning and celebration for the month spent fasting before. But I didn’t feel the glory. I didn’t feel the happiness. It was all done in spite. As people often said to me “life has to go on”. Of course it has to. Though it would never be the same anymore.



Abah's grave at the back, Mak's forefront

Mak and Abah (mom and dad) will always be loved and sorely missed. Not a thing in this world can replace them. Al-Fatihah (Al-Quran 1: 1 – 7).

- This article was posted on Wordpress August 10, 2013



Life As It Is

So much has been going on in my life for the past 3 years or so. Back in 2010 I’ve resigned from the previous company where I’ve worked for 10 years. From then til end of 2011 I tried to make it on my own but to no avail. Then I got a job in KL and moved in to live with my parents. My kids went to school there, much to the delight of my dad who became their chaperone. I had to commute from Bentong to KL on daily basis.

Earlier, I would take the bus as early as 6am and the journey took about 2 hours to reach the office. I’d usually take the last bus home which departed at 9pm. So I’d arrive home about 11pm. That was like a daily routine. Sometimes, when work is too much I would stay overnight at my cousin’s in KL. My parents would take care of the kids.

Fate has it that my dad were to pass away on 2nd August 2012. We were 12 days into the fasting month of Ramadhan then. It was so sudden. He was hospitalised for high blood pressure on Saturday. He was discharged on Wednesday, the evening of 1st August. Later that night, he fell in his room and died on the way to the hospital. Medically speaking, he could’ve got a heart attack. Since then my mom got sick. I guess losing her soulmate and life partner was too much to bear. Though she was diagnosed for having kidney failure earlier this year, she didn’t show any signs of improvement even after a few weeks being warded in a private hospital. She finally succumbed to her illness (and possibly grieve) on 25th June 2013. Yes, that was just recently. And it was only about two weeks before Ramadhan.

As I wrote, we are already in the 21st day of Ramadhan. Short of 9 days to go before the Eid ul Fitri. This time around, I won’t have both my parents to celebrate it with.

I had lots to write about that particular episode. Maybe I’ll do it later. For now, this is just a synopsis of what has been going on in my life. I’m glad that God has given me this challenge. So that I’m on my toes all the time. So that I won’t be in my comfort zone so much. So that I am able to take on the challenge and become wiser and stronger. So that I am able to accept life as it is.

Til then.

-This article was posted on Wordpress July 30, 2013.