Flooded Cars

My dad was on the phone with me earlier this evening.

He just called to asked a question regarding an incident that happened to one of my cousins down south in Johor. As you all know, there was a major flood that recently hit some of the southern states in peninsular Malaysia. Johor was one of them.

My cousin’s car was also a victim of this flood. It was fully submerged in water, thus major repairs are needed immediately to bring the car back to ‘life’. This if translated into RM could be in the thousands depending on what needs to be repaired / replaced.

Basically, there shall be some major work to flush out the engine block, to replace major mechanical parts that might have been spoilt due to water, to steam clean the entire interior fabric upholstery, to weld any body parts that might have rusted, to replace any wiring that might have later cause a short circuit & burn the car entirely etc.

So, back to my dad’s question. Does the insurance policy on this vehicle cover any costs incurred to repair the damage on this car due to the recent flood? I said it DEPENDS.

Why? Coverage due to floods (natural perils) are available BUT in general, based on my personal experience, people would even have the basic premium reduced to save a few bucks. So don’t even mention the extra charge for the windscreen, what more for floods! It’s also not that expensive (0.55% of the sum assured i.e. RM 5.50 for every RM 1,000).

So, the choice is again, YOURS…

Classic Home Care

What is it?

Basically, its just a name of the plan that we provide for house owners to insure their home contents. Why? Well, it will protect all the stuff in your house in the event of a burglary, flood and other unexpected events.

Based on my personal experience, many people know about fire insurance. But sometimes, that is all that is known.

Here is the good news! There is insurance coverage which is extended to floods (like the one that happened in the southern part of Malaysia recently), earthquakes, bursting of water tanks (usually this will flood your house and ruin your carpets), air crashes (for those of you who live near an airport) and many other additional benefits.

And guess what? It does not cost a fortune! But not having this form of protection for your house would! As an example, for a landed house the premium rate is roughly RM 116 per annum for every RM 100,000 sum assured. That comes only 32 sen per day! And 32 sen these days can’t even buy you a half boiled egg…

Why am I bringing this to your attention? Last week, there was a burglary at a house belonging to the parents of a very close friend in Seremban. The losses amounted to in excess of RM 20,000. Mainly, the thieves ran away with cash, jewelry and some other personal valuables. So it really struck me that I had never really highlighted the importance of this issue (insuring your home & its contents) to my clients & close friends.

So, if you have not done so, do email or give me a call for a quotation & some personal consultation on the checklist to protect your home sweet home.

 

Checkout counter @ Tesco Kajang

I was in Tesco Kajang this morning to buy some groceries & stuff.

I did not have many items on my list but the lady in front of me in queue did! Her total came to RM 119.23 so she handed over RM 120 to the cashier but it did not stop just there. Why is it that in these kinds of situations, women in particular (including my mum) just have to fiddle in their purses to find that extra 23 sen ??!

I mean, it’s not like the cashier does not have change. This is Tesco, not your local ‘kedai runcit’ (even these small shops have enough change these days). & while she was at it, it took like what seemed forever to find the last 3 sen at the same time delaying the other 13 others behind her (it took that long so i even had time to count!).

The cashier was nice though. In the end, my turn came & the total was RM 299.xx so, i just gave the cashier RM300 & waited for my change.

So, next time you are at any checkout counter & there are many people behind you waiting in line, don’t waste time & fiddle for that extra 3 sen as it would make life a lot easier for everyone.

Staying Connected

Early this morning, while driving to the office, I got a call from my mother, a high school principle in the town of Gemencheh, Negeri Sembilan.

The school, Sekolah Menengah Dato’ Taha is famous for its achievements in hockey at the national level. She just called to ask my opinion on some issues & how to implement/address/improve them. As usual, I gave my 2 cents worth & I mentioned a fact that in order to keep your goals focused as a whole team, you must ALWAYS ’stay connected’.

This is one good lesson that I have learnt from my sifu, Pn. M. And as her deciple, I know that she is worth her words because she not only talks about these successful management practices but she personally does them as well.

Why do I say this? Because I am very sure that you have heard your superiors or motivational experts talking about ’staying connected’ with all levels of management, look into the ‘best interest of your staff’, build ’strong & healthy relationships’, be a ‘doer’ not a talker & bla bla bla…. but they just say that for the sake of looking good & smart where as in real fact, they themselves FAIL to practice these key management practices based on their own words.

Why does this happen? Maybe its due to too much theory and no hands on experience. Maybe its because of not enough exposure. Maybe its due to a lack of character or personality. Or maybe its just plain ego & ignorance.

Well, I’ll share with you one experience just to show how a simple gesture can keep you connected. Pn.M is currently away in USA. On Monday morning (25th Dec), she boarded her flight in KLIA bound for Taipeh. Her final destination was Phoenix, Arizona. The entire journey would include 5 major airports (KLIA, Taipeh, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix), 24 hours of travel time & a distance of 14,625.10 kilometers across 2 continents.

All along the way, she kept in touch with every member of our team & SMSed us as she reached every airport without fail. The moment she arrived at her place of accommodation in Arizona, she got online & chatted with us through the Internet. Was all this necessary? For the record, we are not even in her KRA!

Imagine how you would feel if your boss kept in touch with you every day while he was away on holiday in London? And every time he called, it was with the intention of being in your best interest to personally find out if there was any area which he could assist you with.

But all of it was done for one main reason. & that is she wants all of us to succeed. Her own passion & desire to build our (the team) personal credentials are so strong that she is willing to do ‘whatever it takes’ to assist each & everyone of us achieve our goals.

As Zig Ziglar always says, “If you help enough people get what they want, you will eventually get what you want in life”.

So, are you willing to do ‘whatever it takes’ to help others to get what they want? Think about it…

The right way to eat a banana

While having breakfast this morning, I just remembered that there is something I need to share with all of you that I had just found out very recently.

As the topic suggests, that is exactly what I want to share with you. Who was the person that shared this knowledge with me & the rest of the consulting team? None other than our beloved Sifu, Pn. M.

Normally, we’d just peel off the skin & shove it into our mouth. Simple, quick & easy right? Well, in some parts of the world, this might be considered as an obscene act. Why? Hmmm… just imagine the scene of as the tip of the banana enters your mouth for the first bite.. but imagine all of it happening in slow motion. Get the other ’scene’ I’m trying to say here…  ehm ehm

Anyway, I found the link below to be very interesting with the proper details regarding this particular topic.

http://www.mindfuleating.org/banana.html

So, next time you wanna gobble up that banana, think again…

Christmas Holidays?

How did you celebrate yours? I’m not to referring the event of Christmas itself but what have you done today that would improve your quality of life.. i.e. knowledge? experience? finance? social? etc.

Its 2.50pm & my off day from the office today is entering its second half. It began with handwashing some of my shirts that I wear to the office. Yeah.., I know that you might be asking, why wash when you can just throw in the washing macine? Well, at RM 150 or more a piece (to me, thats a fortune to spend on shirts), I prefer to handwash them with ‘tender loving care’… haha! It also gives me a reason not to fall asleep after Subuh & get some ealy morning sunshine.

Around 11am, I dropped by a neighbour’s house to help out with his PC problems. Well actually, he does not personally use his PC that much but his kids do & they have been nagging him since last week since they haven’t been able to turn it ON. So, being an insurance agent, people not only seek me to transfer risks on grounds of insurable items but also transfer their personal problems… hahaha! So, with me taking care of the problem with his PC, my neighbour, eventually (like all you life insurance policy holders out there) end up with a piece of mind…

Want to know why the PC could not be turned on? Simple, one of the kids had just pushed the ‘ON’ button too hard & too far, so the clip inside gave way & all I had to do was glue it back again, but it had to be done with Super Glue (the brand with the elephant on the cover).

Simple? Well, not every household keeps a tube of Super Glue around. So, after dismantling all the major screws from the dekstop casing, removing the hard disk, dismantling major power & data cables that were in the way & at the same time making sure i did not unnessaraily disconnect any other cables that I would have no idea of where to reconnect later on…off I went to the nearby hardware shop (thank goodness they were open!)

The shopowner greeted me with “encik mau beli apa?” So I said, “itu Super Glue ada?” And she immediately directed me to the wall where there were 4 options hanging on the display racks, all with pictures of several ‘handsome’ elephants each! (Man! Who would have thought there were so many options to buy just Super Glue..?)

I asked her “Mana satu paling best?” & she said “ini kita ada offer, untuk 3 tiub RM 8 shj”.. in my mind i was thinking (hey lady! i ONLY need like a few dabs of glue to stick less than 2 milimeters of computer plastic together.. what would i do with 3 whole tubes?!) So, i calmly took the smallest tube available, drove back to my neighbour’s house & fixed the problem.

What would have been an easier but not so ethical option? Tell my neighbour that the desktop casing was done for do to some wiring problems & that it must be replaced with a new one costing just a bit over RM 100. How much did the glue cost? RM 1.50 only.

What did I learn today?

1. When handling Super Glue (no matter how small the amount) be sure NOT to get even a small drop on your fingers/skin because you do not want to have to undergo surgery to separate sticking fingers (a bottle of thinner or kerosene & a pair of gloves would also come in handy)
2. If you have no idea how to deal with the components (hardware) inside a desktop PC i.e. motherboard, wires, HDDs.. then do not try to be a ’smart ass’ and create a bigger problem…
3. When helping others find a solution for their problem, always put their interest before your own & find the best possible solution

Futsal Freaks

This is the term that my friend, IM, uses everytime to call up our futsal team for practice. Usually, the team plays every saturday night in SS14, PJ.

Now, the so called ‘team’ is made up of both regular & adhoc players. But its mainly for the purpose of fun & meeting up old pals from school. Its an ecxellent form of excercise & also more appealing to the younger generation Y, as the game does not rely on rain or shine or even the hour of the day as some futsal centres operate to the early hours past midnight. Well, at least that’s better compared to being a ‘rempit’ or ‘locked up’ in a cybercafe…

Yesterday, 23rd Dec 2006 was the testground for our team, not only to find out how we would fair against all the other teams in the entire SDAR Alumni Interbatch Futsal Tournament 2006, but also to test our skills as the event manager.

As the main intention of the event was to bring together as many alumni members as possible, I guess we did make a breakthrough since the total number of teams which participated in yesterday’s event was 32 instead of the previous 18. This was the largest tornament in terms of size to ever be held for SDARA. To make it even more memorable, the ‘otai’ category (they refused to be called veterans… ehm ehm) was made up of 10 teams, comprising of fivers from as early as those who left school in 1982.

We began with 6 courts at kickoff around 10.00am & finished off the finals at 4.30PM. The awards presentation was graced by the Deputy Chairman of SDARA, Samueil Kamiel.

Did my team (96A) win? Of course we did. We won all the way stright up until the semi-finals. But from that point onwards, our winning streak was handed over to the younger players of 98A & eventually they brought home the trophy. As for the ‘otai’ category, the ‘boys’ from 89A who looked so elegantly professional in their birght red ‘uniform’.

In conclusion, it was an extremely very good experience for the organizing comittee. As for the teams & supporters who came, I’m sure that fighting for the win was important but not as important & meaningful as the opportunity to have fun & share one whole day with some old friends from school.

So much to write, so little time

As you can see, the time now is 1.22 AM, 22nd Dec 2006.

Yet, I have so much to write, especially the wonderful event that was held on Wednesday afternoon (20 Dec) whereby the feedback that I received not only during/after the event but also through email is just fantastic & extremely encouraging!

But, I don’t want to merely scribble here & make a lot of typo errors as I am also getting a bit sleepy.

So, please, allow me to get some shut eye, & I’ll see you all in a short while.

Backtracking

I promised some people that I’d write on my recent meetings with my latest clients & what I have learned from them so that others can also get some new input on life insurance & other human related issues. The team & I have also had the luxurious opportunity to fly to Langkawi for a 4 day business trip last weekend.

Lets begin with today, Friday, 15 Dec 2006.

The morning began with our team meeting at 9.30a.m. with the main speaker, our mentor & sifu, Pn. Muhaini. As part of formality, there was the usual update on production figures but what was more meaningful & fulfilling for the most of us was her sharing session on “Abundance”.

Whether you realized or not, there is abundance all around us & we should be grateful for what we already have BUT most of the time we just don’t realize all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Abundance here does not only refer to material things which money can buy.

Abundance or blessings can be in any shape and form. It can be in the form of your perfect health, it can be your outstanding intelligence, it can be your ability to see with your eyes (because not all people who have eyes can see), it can be a wonderful family relationship … well, I’m sure you get what i mean.

We were also given the insight on the 1 degree shift of mentality – from scarcity to abundance. Scarcity is the type of thinking which correlates with the Not Enough Effect (NEE) syndrome. The theory of scarcity says there is not enough to go around. In my opinion, this is no different than the human want or lust for greed.

But, as it is, this is the thinking of the majority, whereby alternatively, we should actually be thinking in abundance. For example, you should be asking yourself,

“What can I do MORE to help other people?”

OR

“How can I improve my services to SERVE more people”

To go far in life, we must always FEEL positive (of course, it is sometimes easier said than done, especially on those trivial moments/issues..)

Dr . David Hawkins has done a research on “The Energy Level of Emotions” & how each emotion has a different energy level.

Every human being carries a certain level of energy. This can be seen when we are around other people. When a person is sad, we tend to feel with him the sadness. When another person happens to be jovial and telling jokes enthusiastically, we too can feel that laughter. When another person is angry, you can feel the heat of intensity… even through the phone. Ever notice that one person who has this kind of ‘aura’… who when you look at him or her, you get this shiver running through your spine? That is the energy I’m talking about.

Do you know? The heart is 5000 times stronger than the mind. That’s why sometimes feelings will beat logic. Example, you are being chased by a big dog which you know is capable of tearing you to pieces. You run to an alley where the only way out is over an 8 foot fence. With your own life at stake, you make that climb, which under any other situation would not be logic and probably insane (mainly because you are not athletic and weigh 100 kgs!).

The theory of abundance says there is plenty to share, that we must spread the wealth & understand what wealth really is.

Always remember this :

“The moment you are grateful, you are rich. If you are ALWAYS grateful, you are TRULY rich”.

THINK abundance thoughts, FEEL the abundance around you and eventually, abundance will FLOW into your life.

The balance of my afternoon yesterday was spent in a meeting room with another group of people where I did not learn anything worth sharing, so there is no point to write about that.

My First 2 Weeks into the 2007 Financial Year

By May 2007, it will be my 5th year with AIA.

“Times make people change.” The major change that I want to make in this new financial year is to move to greater heights in life – in terms of personal finance, intelligence, social circle, spiritual content & other areas of improvement that makes one’s life better. I want to experience that so called ‘exponential growth’.

All of this is nice but in my line of business, to achieve it requires only one thing – to put the interest of my clients way before my own. This is actually what I have been doing in the past BUT the one factor that will make a difference, not only in my business but also other businesses in the services sector is to go that ‘extra mile’. The question posed before me & my collegues by our mentor is

“Will you do whatever it takes to acheive your goals?“

And each individual has different goals in life. And the phrase “whatever it takes” refers to any method which is NOT against the law. This means no shortcuts, no corners & definately not for the ‘professional conMan’. Not quite a piece of cake is it? But the thrill & adrenaline rush of sweating out your toil & tears is worth every minute of it!

The exhiliration of competition & seeing each one of my teammates at their best to be at the top of the list is very exciting! And if you think our mentor looks only at production figures WITHOUT that basic human element of fulfilling the client’s needs, you are totally wrong. She emphasizes on the importance of ‘customer delight’, of doing ‘what is best for the client’ and not ‘what is best for our own pockets’ – this is her style of getting things in order.

As Zig Ziglar once said, “You can get anything you want in life if you help enough people get what they want.”

This is the core value any successful business or organization relies on. With the right attitude, mindset, resources & vision, only the sky is the limit.