Career transition - HSBC

In less than a month time, it will be my anniversary in the bank. I joined on 28Sept 2015. To commemorate the upcoming 1st anniversary, let's do some reflection on the career transition.

Why subject it career transition, instead of career switch? Reason being i am moving to Trade Specialist role from the Relationship Manager role that i held in RHB for 5 years, however it is still within banking.

Reason for the move:
1. Pay rise -
At first glance, 35.9% jump looks worthy for the switch, however one need to discount the bonus payout, which could be banker's largest punt. It is gonna be down to 2-3 months compared to the generous 6-9 months but of course one will argue it is always performance based. But reality is Trade rarely get as much bonus as the RM. A back of envelop calculation revealed that my annual income may be 7% lower or flattish (considered 2 months bonus) in the coming year and I am happily accepting that due to reasons below.

2. Better medical coverage
My wife is expecting and with the arrival of the newborn, medical coverage is a vital consideration. In RHB, full coverage to 1st party(myself) and coverage of spouse and child is up RM6,000 per person per annum. However here it provides unlimited coverage to 1st party and dependents. On top of that, natural delivery expenses is subsidized up to RM2,500 and fully covered for cesarean. Importantly, coverage is indifferent regardless of your confirmation status.

3. Migration - Trade is the subset of RM role. In layman term, RM role i am covering everything on client's requirement from financing, cash management, FX, Trade to advisory but Trade is only a specialized field and it is all about depth. Trade is a niche field and client around the globe speaks the same language and use the same product (maybe some minor tweak to accustom to local needs).
Unlike RM role where a success is usually build on the entrenched relationship with the client, trade is a specialization which you are respected for your depth of knowledge on concepts and products. The uniform standard around the globe increased its mobility and give an opportunity for one to work in different country.

4. Product creativity - As an RM, i found trade product very creatively crafted but nobody shared the sentiment. This is contrary to the trend where most RM looked upon/preferred advisory/investment banking products, probably due to the complexity and lucrative fee income. My comprehension on trade product is it creatively combined the principle of credit into generic products for ease of client's utilization and banker's explanation.  Most banker could explain the "how" (product mechanism) but few could explain the why (underlying principle).It attracted my attention more than everything else. In terms of learning curve, which could be better than this bank which started off as a Trade bank and had been the leader for more than a century.

5. Competition - Just like how the students inspire to enter Oxford/Cambridge university, most bankers inspire to join the Investment Bank ("IB") crowd on Wall Street. Hence IB is flushed with talent and best candidate in the industry.  With the merger of IB, these best brain is coming to the RM role and share the shrinking pie.Whilst it provides a good training and steep learning curve, it may not be the place where everyone will shine.  Sun Tzu Art of War mentioned the avoidance of direct competition with a stronger competitor, but to grow stronger first and confront when you are strong enough. With that being mentioned, it is not my intention to discredit anybody or any field. There are also many talents within the Trade field.

Outcome from the move:
1. Pay rise -
Pleasant surprises with an increment, promotion and bonus, my annual income is 15% above my expectation. Initially I was not expecting the lifestyle allowance prior to my confirmation but surprisingly policy changed when i joined and i was entitled.

2. Better medical coverage
Delivery reimbursement of RM2,500 and covered dependent's medical/hospitalization expenses of circa RM50,000, besides other miscellaneous smallish medical bills

3. Migration - Main objective in my list. Historically, on average one colleague moving/migrating to overseas ie Canada, Macau and Sydney yearly. Will be perfect if i could be equipped with Certified International Trade Finance will further enhance my resume for overseas posting.

4. Product creativity - Leading the pack in terms of product offering.

5. Competition - The recognition received besides hard work, also attribute to good timing and moderate competition.

6. Work life balance - Longer working hours and transnational nature is quite taxing. However all is within expectation and i am learning to cope better.

Conclusion: I am happy with the move. Despite some downsides ie longer working hours, less supportive environment, they were all manageable. Other priorities ie Migration/medical coverage and pay rise are factors/areas which i value them more. 

鬼故事

一如往常跟同事闲聊，老板说起自己如何害怕看鬼戏，越害怕却也越看得过瘾，且须越看越恐怖的鬼故事。

大伙都基本上相信世间上有灵异物体的存在，都抱着人不犯我，我不犯人的心境。

接着问大伙，你们怕死后的世界吗？

各种答案都有，我嘴上说不知道没想过，心里另有想法。

活着的日子有够多事情去烦，去想了；闲人才有功夫去想死后的世界。

其实不然，人生不同的阶段，心境会随之转变，想的东西也会不同。

现在或许忙忙碌碌，大便都没时间，所以没去想，但不能担保以后也不会思考死这件事。

现在想的死，就如睡觉了一般，至于灵魂会不会去到地狱天堂受刑投胎，真没去想。

忙到大便都没时间，给了我当头棒喝。

我早期常说，有如此感觉，可能你已经迷失方向，焦点模糊，无法辨清事情轻重。

友情，亲情，和自己，照顾好了吗？

友情，

减少和失去联络的朋友越来越多， fb能促进友情但不能取代联络。

亲情，

亲人知道我忙，想给我打电话还要先短信问许可。

自己，

爱自己多少？枕边人认为我总是睡眠不足。

运动旅游爬山潜水做了多少？看着慢慢隆起的肚腩便知

多久没跟自己心里对话？看看我这blog的活动便知。

要主动出击还是继续被动等待命运安排？ 

不知明天还是无常先到，今晚盖上眼睛明天还会睁开吗？

忙碌生活和感官的刺激，杂念，像落叶般层层覆盖了心里深处的那片绿叶。

脾气变得急躁，不断膨胀的功利主义，说话开始语无伦次，想法开始紊乱。

找回那片绿叶这么难吗，还是习性，懒惰，致日复一日，混混沌沌地过日子?

混混沌沌或许是福气，傻人有傻福嘛。

转载：强者不是没有眼泪，而是含着眼泪依然奔跑

有个穷人，很穷，一个富人见他可怜，就起了善心，想帮他致富。

富人送给他一头牛，嘱他好好开荒，等春天来了撒上种子，秋天就可以远离那 个“穷”字了。

穷人满怀希望开始奋斗。可是没过几天， 牛要吃草，人要吃饭，日子比过去还难。

穷人就想，不如把牛卖了，买几只羊，先杀一只吃，剩下的还可以生小羊，长大了 拿去卖，可以赚更多的钱。穷人的计划如愿以偿，只是吃了一只羊之 后，小羊迟迟没有生下来，日子又艰难了，忍不住又吃了一只。

穷人想：这样下去不得了，不如把羊卖了，买成鸡，鸡生蛋的速度要快一些，鸡蛋立刻可以赚钱，日子立刻可以好转。

穷人的计划又如愿以偿了，但是日子并没 有改变，又艰难了，又忍不住杀鸡，终于 杀到只剩一只鸡时，穷人的理想彻底崩溃。他想：致富是无望了，还不如把鸡卖了， 打一壶酒，三杯下肚，万事不愁。

很快春天来了，发善心的富人兴致勃勃送种子来，竟然发现穷人正就着咸菜喝酒， 牛早就没有了，房子里依然一贫如洗。富人转身走了。穷人仍然一直穷著。

很多穷人都有过梦想，甚至有过机遇，有过行动，但要坚持到底却很难。 据一个投资家说，他的成功秘诀就是：没钱时，不管再困难，也不要动用投资和积蓄，压力会使你找到赚钱的新方法，帮你还清账单。这是个好习惯。

性格形成习惯，习惯决定成功。

越是有故事的人：越沉静简单；

越肤浅单薄的人：越浮躁不安。

＂强者：＂不是没有眼泪，而是含着眼泪依然奔跑。

人最先衰老的：不是容貌，而是那份不顾一切的闯劲。

有时候：要敢于背上，超出自己预料的包袱，经历一段努力后，发现自己比想象的优秀很多。

成功的人：一般不是才华横溢的人，而是，最能以亲切和蔼的态度给人以好感的人。


一个人，不能改变自己的形象：却能改变自己的气质；
一个人，不能达到理想的高度：却能提高自己的水平。

人际交往中：善良、热情、诚信更容易给人以好感。

微笑，比礼貌更亲切：会给人阳光般的温暖。

不是眼泪就能挽回失去；
不是所有人都值得付出；
不是伤心就一定要哭泣；
不是表情都要写在脸上；
不是任何人都能理解你；
所以：面对生活中偶尔的不如意，要学会坚强的微笑。

有一句话：一切都有最好的安排一一只要你坚持！！！

source : http://cforum1.cari.com.my/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=3338118

Toothache and 2013

Just when I was about to say goodbye to the sick-prone year 2013, an overwhelming toothache strike me at the last minute.

On 29th Dec 2013, i had a swell at the inner gum of my upper front tooth. I thought it was due to heatiness, hence without much care, I merely took some herbal tea to expel the heat.

On the next few days, the swelling turned into a painful bit. It gradually spread into the front tooth, resulted in a overwhelming toothache and an intermittent mild fever.

Toothache is touted as the second most painful event to be experienced, (after labour pain) due to its constant pain. The toothache climaxed on 5th January 2014, until the extend my tears were flowing uncontrollably and rummaging through the fridge for painkiller. Also I kept waking up at night in pain :(
Haih, how low is my pain tolerance compared with the mother who had to endure the labour pain.

My consultation with a dentist nearby is another ridiculous event not to be forgotten. The young, fresh-from-college looking dentist looked at my tooth X-ray image and mumbled to herself :"There seems to be no inflammation at the root canal and the tooth is healthy, but why is he moaning in pain" and turned to me to advice me to perform a root canal treatment for the tooth to effectively "remove" the pain i am suffering. Her rationale is since the pain is from the root which the tooth is attached, then it must be infected and root canal is a sooner or later thing.

Should i had no knowledge on root canal treatment, I will just heed the advice from the so-called medical practitioner and proceed immediately.

Root canal treatment actually means removing the nerves inside the tooth, rendering the tooth to gradually die off. Although it is very common nowadays due to its effectiveness in removing pain and saving the tooth from further infection but the result is an irreversible one, hence it should be the solution of the last resort.

For my case, I know sooner or later i might have to bid farewell to my tooth to undergo root canal treatment, but i insisted on exhausting every option available, hence i suggest antibiotics to the dentist. She unwillingly prescribe me the antibiotics, while keep encouraging me to do the root canal treatment, which cost RM1k.

Thus far, the antibiotics is working as the pain subsides significantly. I can also feel the effect from my bowel movement and mouth breath. I seldom take antibiotics, knowing the consequences of antibiotic abuse, probably that explains the speedy recovery on the second day in the antibiotics therapy of five days, but it is not over yet.

Year 2013 is a year full of calamities for my teeth. I did a root canal treatment after suffering from intense pain during my trip in Taipei, then later in October the intense toothache on my upper left wisdom tooth, resulted in extraction due to cavities. Just before stepping into 2014, this is the third one.

I do not lament on the bad luck or unfortunate year according to my horoscope. Instead I am an advocate of using scientific approach in doing cause and result analysis. One message is clear:

YOUR ORAL HYGIENE IS IN QUESTION!

Few practices to improve my oral hygiene:

1. Pay more attention in brushing teeth - i always rushed through.
2. Use mouth rinse once a day to remove bacteria. The teeth maybe spotless but the bacteria in the mouth will infest the gum causing bleeding gum. (I had bleeding gum for long time, not knowing how to dealt with it).
3. Brush teeth/ or gargle with mouth rinse/plain water after meal.
4. Take chewing gum enriched with xylitol.
5. Electric toothbrush.
6. Change toothbrush every 4 months.
7. Alternating between various toothpaste to avoid bacteria immune to one toothpaste.
8. Drink green tea and eat onion which the latter is good in killing bacteria in the mouth.

To do the above is hassle, but always remember the intense pain you suffered, you will not hesitate to maintain a good practice.

MY house

One of my 2013 resolution is to buy/ design/ renovate and move into MY house. Of these steps, the first one - buy a house is the toughest. You need to do lots of window-shopping, survey, projection on development 5 years down the road, abit of luck, patience and be bold when opportunity arises. I will include all expenses incurred in the blog today for future reference.

MY house is located opposite Bkt Jalil Recreational Park. Pro and Cons listed below:

Cons:
- Only one car park, not covered. - scarce car park.
- Facing west - sun in the afternoon
- New school opposite.
- 10 years old -
- Exterior look quite old tradition.
- Water patch in the small room.

Pros:
- Future LRT station 600m away.
- Close to major highways (Bkt Jalil Expressway/ Kesas/ MEX/ BERRAYA/ KL Seremban)
- Recreational park within walking distance. (Cooling and refreshing environment)
- Surrounded by high end condo - Treez, KM1
- Opposite is the upcoming mall dubbed Pavillion 2 by Malton-Ho Hup JV.

I fall in love with the unit at the first sight, mainly due to the good condition and newly painted wall, despite sun shining directly in the afternoon. Offer price is RM340K, Knowing how hot the properties were in the area, we merely negotiated to RM330K. After checking with few bank loans, (UOB/OCBC and Public Bank), only PBB offered 40 years and BLR-2.4% and was quickly accepted. Upon signing S&P, the remaining portion of the purchase price (90%) must be paid within 90days, else the seller has the right to charge interest. For my case, S&P signed on 8th April 2013, but the full loan only disbursed in August, luckily the seller is kind enough not to charge me interest.

In this project, i keep track with every cents possible i spent, total spend to date is RM93,644. The breakdown of spending is as pie chart below. The deposit (10% of SPA price) accounted to 35% of total spending, while furniture at 25% (RM93,644 x 25% = RM23,411)  is in the runner up.

Do bear with me for the load of figures and statistic i am going to share, but it will be indeed useful for future reference in buying/renovating your house in future.

1. Furniture :
Main items to watch :
1. The purchase of Electrolux Washing Machine and Dryer from warehouse sales at 40% below market price. Original price of Washing Machine EWF10741 and Dryer EDV605 is at RM2,900. But we manage to get both for only RM1,820. The only downside is only 6 months warranty of the two items. To enjoy such discount, one have to be fully prepared (with model number interested at your finger tips) and go early on the ELECTROLUX warehouse sales day (refrigerator all taken up within the first 45 mins). This is our lifetime experience of making two electrical appliances purchase within such short time frame!

Check out their FB page @ Electrolux Home appliances Malaysia for the dates.

Itemized furniture purchases.

2. Aircon - RM3,200/ Renovation: RM22,670

I decided to install aircon in every room and include living room there are 4 units. With the 2 units inherited from the seller, i installed another 2 new units at living room and master room. (Not sure whether this is the right choice to have so many air con)

Teck is my main contractor, I won't say his skill is superb, but still acceptable with few defects/flaws below:

a. Some tiles in the toilet and kitchen were empty inside when knocked, when asked he rest assured me that they won't fall.
b. Light switch behind sofa is isolated, even though i already told upfront to aggregate it together with all lights.
c. The switch for outside light should be outside.
d. He insisted i had small switch instead of big switch.
e. Kitchen plugs were too high, resulted in the wall unit had to be shifted higher.
f. Master room sink is still unstable even though reminded him multiple times.

I admitted that i was partially responsible for some mistakes above, but due to my indecisiveness, notwithstanding the lack of experience in house deco, hence he had the upper hand of leading me. Next time, i will do better. In short, he is cheap but not the best!

Itemized air-con expenses.

Itemized contractor expenses.

Despite the abovementioned, now MY house is ready. I officially moved in on 1st December 2013, after 9 months of the long awaited purchase (I paid 3% to the agent on 9th March 2013,).

Whenever i reflected of the accomplishment, the largest credit  goes to my dear wife-to-be. It won't be possible without her relentless support, despite arguments at times, and patches up quickly. It might not be the largest/ most luxurious unit town, but it is definitely a warm and comfortable nest for us to dock and relax.

一个人也可以幸福

"No Man Is An Island" 这句著名的英文成语说明了人类对孤独寂寞的恐惧。

人人都想有朋友，家人，伴侣，同事的陪伴，但事与愿违，往往我们会有单独一人的时候。

有人自艾自怜，有人怨天怪地。

今天原本约了房友吃饭，可是她没回来吃，打电话又没接，饭煮好了，怎么办？

我是个绝情种子，既然电话联络不上，当然没有痴痴等屋友回来，自己一个人先吃了。

原因-
如果屋友关心我，会希望我懂得自己照顾自己，先吃饭。
如果对方不关心我，那我更加应该先吃饭，不为她挨饿。

可是电视剧情往往会让那煮好饭的女主角痴痴的在家里等，为了等男主角回来一起吃饭的幸福感觉，等到睡着，食物冷了，肚子也是空的。显出爱情凌驾于万物之上。

男主角回来看了必定内疚万分，便会怪罪让他迟回来的原因，甚至憎恨自己。

结果是双方都输了：
女- 肚子饿，或者愿与之共患难而憔悴模样，或者生气和责怪对方不守时。
男- 肚子饿，内疚，愧疚。或者不满自己的工作，或者下次匆匆忙忙赶回家。

最终男主角因飙车回家意外身亡，女主角不想独活而自尽，显现爱情的伟大！
不是意外，应该导演才是凶手吧！

换个想法，如果女主角不痴痴的等而选择单独吃饭，吃饱了，把食物盖好待会男主角回来时再弄热陪他吃。男主角回来了，有可能会内疚吗？会责怪女主角吗？不！他只会对她的谅解感到欣慰。

结果是双方赢了:
女 - 肚子饱，安心。用烹饪绑住男人的胃，用贤淑绑住了男人的心，做个幸福的女人。
男 - 肚子饿，窝心。有回到避风港的感觉，无后顾之忧，充满电可继续冲刺。

谁说一个人不能幸福呢？

Exploring outside your routine social circle

"No man is an island" the good old saying goes.

Every man has their own social circle, divided into Inner, Intermediate and Casual.

Inner - 
your core family members ie parents, siblings, spouse and children, usually less than 20.

Intermediate - 
your close friends ie the "bros" and buddy, usually less than 50

Casual - 
friends that share the same background or interest to "hi bye" friend. Unlimited numbers.

Maintain a healthy social circle is as important as to maintain a healthy diet. An unhealthy social circle, overly skewing either to Inner/Intermediate/Casual circle will cause anxiety to parties involved.

To illustrate, a buddy of mine recently celebrates his 28th birthday with his bros (Intermediate), forgetting his family members (Inner) dinner appointment; as a result his family members refused to talk to him in the next day, causing anxiety for him and his family. This is a common within the extroverts, mainly guys.

Similarly, somebody whose social circle over-skewed to Inner circle, often require more accompaniment from the partner (core family members). In this case the party that requires more attention will constantly feel insecure when their partner is not around or out socializing, grumbles; while the other party will find his/her partner being unreasonable and over-possessive. The disparity will inevitably leads to argument; resulting in higher anxiety level on both parties. This is common in a relationship, not limited to only ladies, but also to a certain extend, the over-protective guys.

The two illustrations above resembles an analogy of vitamin overdose. All of us know Vitamin C is very important for our body immune system and antioxidant, but in an overdose scenario, it damages our kidney and cause gastrointestinal problems. Hence it is critical to maintain a healthy social circle. But how?

Our routine social circle, especially Intermediate and Casual, are fragile and tend to be shrinking gradually amidst a hectic work schedule environment. We will be too exhausted to socialize after a hard day work. Hence it is good to have annual escapades (team-building, travelling or social event)  to breakout from your routine social circle and dive into the "blue ocean", building new relationship with people, literally strangers.

In such scenario, you could be either be with friends or none at all, reaching out to make new friends. Similarly, the potential new friends in the blue ocean may be alone or already in a group. This is when we sharpen our already rusty socializing instinct, approach and being approached, and most likely will end up with friends with similar character and interest. Do not fear to approach people as you will end up receiving more. You could be switching from one group to another, just like you switching TV channels, to find a programme that truly enticed you.

During my recent company team-building event, there were thirty participants selected across various department /division with most of us are new to each other. At first the group starts to form among the own race, thereafter across the race after the ice-breaking.

One observation I had was certain group of people, especially Chinese (sorry to say), have higher tendency to shoot more complaints. The non-satisfactions range from bed too soft, water not hot enough, food too cold, despite being a fully sponsored event. You could hardly see these complaints coming from the Malays and other race (both guys and ladies), who i perceived are more tolerating with the environment. To be fair, during my backpacking experience, the Caucasian does not complaint as much as the Chinese tourist. The organizing committee has good foresight of these coming, hence arrange most of the Chinese in the double room while the rest in dormitory, yet there are still lots of complaints. Some points to ponder.

In the end, I "switched channel" from those with much complaint in their conversation, to stay away from their negativity especially when I am close to the undisturbed mother nature with pristine and clean air. Notwithstanding that, I have a gut feeling that some new acquaintances from the event could be upgraded from Casual to Intermediate of my social circle.

There is no hurry to cherry-pick the right one.

台湾9天8夜樱花初开游 （第六天）

今天的行程只有一个景点 - 台北故宫博物院。

由于昨天从台中到台北舟车劳顿（其实乘搭高铁只须少过一个小时），因此决定今天睡到自然醒。

早上十点才出发，早上除了楼下的麦当劳，似乎没有别的早餐吃。因此乘搭捷运到士林站吃台湾本土的快餐。吃的津津有味。

出了士林站，立刻有告示牌解说公车路线去故宫博物院。

告示牌

我们十二点抵达，买了入门票后，我们就开始参观了。博物院里不能拍照，因此没有照片供分享。

最让我印象深刻的是这里的讲解服务，每天有好几场讲解（免费的），每场一个小时，须预先报名，先到先得。我们订了两点半的讲解。

台北的故宫博物院,与英国大英博物馆,法国罗浮宫、美国大都会博物馆并称为世界四大博物馆。它之所以能被列为世界四大博物馆，因为里头有许多无价之宝的文物。在中国共产党内战的时候，国民党把近七十万件珍品运到台湾。经历二十余年的修复和建档，五千年中华文物的珍宝就此呈现在海内外人们眼前。镇馆之宝包括清朝的翠玉白菜和西周的毛公鼎。 

如果不是运到台湾，这些历史文物恐怕逃不过中国文革浩劫
比起中国AAAAA 景区门票人民币80-160元 （RM40-80)，故宫博物院的门票很便宜，普通票160元（马币RM16)，学生80元。反观我国马六甲动物园普通票是RM15，这样的价钱可以看到世界四大博物馆实在物超所值。

原因是它属于台湾纳税人税金所设立的，自然必须服务大众，票价高门槛太高就本末倒置了。

鲁肉饭（左）和空肉饭（右）

由于没吃午餐，大约四点肚子饿了。我们到了故宫博物院隔壁的晶华餐厅吃晚餐，才继续沉醉在浩瀚的历史文物当中。我们点了鲁肉饭和空肉饭。

宛汉家家乐。

有得吃是福！

参观完博物院后，我们便去西门町逛街。埔里(Puli Guest House) 的度部先生介绍著名吃生鱼片 (Sashimi) 的餐厅- 三味食堂，位于西门町附近，便步行过去。

果然名不虚传，这里的排队的人龙很长，写了名字还要等一个小时。

所以我们到附近商店街道逛逛，见到了一间很特别，以蔬菜为主的餐厅，便进去试，味道很新鲜好吃！

等了一个小时后回去三味食堂，终于迟到了生鱼片。

吃完由于时间接近10pm, 因此我们简略的逛了几条街道就回去睡觉了。

台湾9天8夜樱花初开游 （第五天）

今天我们结束了4天3夜的台中之旅，前往台北再玩3天。
我们订了台中-台北10.39am 的高铁票（提前网上订购可享有8折，700/票折扣至560/票，统称早鸟票，https://www.thsrc.com.tw/tc/ticket/tic_kind07.asp）。

早鸟票广告

 一大清早7am便起身了，8am依依不舍的离开了渡部先生的民宿，离开之前还依依不舍的看了这住了3晚的民宿，拍了几张照片。

出发前有段小插曲：
从我们的民宿到客运站大约须步行十分钟。由于需要归还单车，所以我先用单车把最重的行李载到埔里客运站，打算过后再回来载余下的。为了节省时间，我让她也先拖着行李慢慢走向客运站。这是个错误的决定，因为当我回头时，她已经不见人影。由于一直以来都是我带路，所以担心她迷路，又没有电话联络，我当时是后悔到了极点，不应该为了节省时间而可能花费更多时间。慌慌张张的找了几条街后，心里默念圣号，只好去客运站等。还好，她已经在那里了，总算虚惊一场，学了次乖。

从埔里到台中高铁站每半小时有一趟客运，由于之前买了600元的套票，我们就乘坐南投客运过去。我们乘坐8：30am 的客运，9:30am 就抵达高铁站了。

乘搭高铁，感觉很稳定，如果不看窗口外飞过的景色，根本不察觉到高铁正以315km/hour 的高速飞驰。

买了高铁便当后，我们拖着行李去我们接下来三晚的住宿 - 阿猫乱走。
这民宿的确不好找，在五楼，每天出入都得爬楼梯，入口于店屋旁边一个门。
到了里面，发现这民宿的布置精简，环境温馨舒适，真实麻雀虽小，五脏惧全。

他的铁床虽然没有埔里的木床稳固，不过民宿里非常干净。

健康简单的午餐

我们2pm吃了午餐后，便搭地铁转公车（巴士）前往忠烈祠。

忠烈祠大门入口处

大殿

忠烈祠里每日的卫兵交换哨仪式蔚为特色，值得一看。

卫兵交换哨

4pm 到达忠烈祠后，我们很幸运的得以见证了4pm 和 4:40pm 的忠烈祠门口站岗的卫兵仪队交接换哨仪式，还有5pm 的操枪表演。

这里站岗的仪队卫兵，个个酷似雕像，任你百般捉弄，仍是一脸严肃，可见训练之严谨，真叫人称奇赞赏。我们就算吃了虎豹胆也绝不敢去捉弄这些卫兵，只在附近拍照。。。

温馨提醒：卫兵仪队交换时间每日早上9:00am 开始，之后每个小时交接一次，最后一场交接提早至16：30 举行。每日9am 和 5pm 实施操枪表演。

离开了忠烈祠，我们搭公车前往士林夜市。由于冬天的关系，天黑得特别早。这是大约傍晚5：30pm 的夜市。

蚝仔煎

臭豆腐

冷面

面线

我们吃了许多美食如，蚝仔煎，臭豆腐，面线，各种夜市小吃，非常美味！

吃饱了，亲爱的她当然不会错过在此血拼一番，才不会入宝山而空手归。看她满足的笑脸，为她提“战利品”的双手的疲劳也顿时消失无踪了。

叫大马华人好为难

马来西亚第13届全国大选，选情从开始的万丈雄心，到最后的急转直下。
经历期许、曙光乍现、梦想破灭、愤怒、惋惜。
相信不少选民跟我都经历了相似的心情起伏。

身为大马选民，一向对我国的多元民主制度很骄傲。
这次大选，民联（反对党）获得比上届多7个国席。当中以民主行动党（大马华裔为主的反对党）最为出色，从上届的28席增至38席，其余友党的席位则微降，公正党降1席至30席，回教党降2席至21席。

表面上，行动党取得空前胜利， 华裔大团结，一股作气把行动党推举为最大反对党成员，在国会里传达华裔的心声，成为一股不可忽视的力量，应该可喜可贺！

进一步剖析，华社普遍上不满本身无法享有与土著同等对待，在教育、商业活动、投资、社区发展等领域遭到如同二等公民般的对待，积怨已久。无奈代表华裔在国阵的马华，又恨铁不成钢，往往敢怒不敢言，甚至被喻为国阵的傀儡。对于马华这种当家不当权的局面，华裔开始萌起改朝换代的念头，但深知自己只占有少过大马人口的三分之一，同时迫切需要政府的各项批准和拨款，华裔只好暂时把怒气往肚里吞，尽量左右逢源，既不得罪执政党，也不让反对党失去制衡功能，苟延残生。

继第12届，第13届大选在安华效应下反风狂吹，民联讲座处处爆满 ，募捐款项屡创新高 。
华裔有两个选择，
（一）见时机成熟，表示大力支持。
（二）继续保持沉默，表现政治冷感。

（一）见时机成熟，表示大力支持。
华裔见时机成熟了，艺人和企业家纷纷为民联站台，破釜沉舟，希望这一次与友族同胞一起起义死战。占大多数的巫裔被命为先锋，华裔为其左右，顺水推舟，一起攻克布城（大马中央政权）。
票箱一开，城市的巫裔是反了，不过占大多数的乡下巫裔选票却回流国阵，而华裔则是毫无保留的倾巢而出。结果华裔变成了先锋，而巫裔只伴其左右，这先锋攻城如蚂蚁撼大象，华裔战士再英勇，但人数悬殊还是太大了，因此结局可想而知。。。

我不禁联想到三国赤壁大战，孙权刘备联军对抗曹操八十万大军，由于孙权军力远远超越刘备，因此孙权军为前锋，刘备军攻敌之左右。假设于所定日期孙权突然不发兵或只发部分兵马，让刘备独自迎战曹操，纵使旗下的关羽张飞赵云再勇猛，孔明再神机妙算，结局应该也是横尸遍野，血流成河。

回到正题，那吉胜选致词时，宣布国阵成绩滑跌是一场华人海啸(Chinese Tsunami) ,认定华裔是罪魁祸首。预料接着会陆续有巫统成员把华裔标榜为企图推翻国阵政府的始作俑者。

那吉政府可以说是历代首相里对华裔友善的一位。
他接任首相后立刻废除上市公司须30%土著的固打被视为开明政策，被视为废除保护土著的新经政策的试金石。接二连三的参与华社活动如出席和参与新春团拜和接见董总，饱受巫统内部极端分子的压力，催生了如PERKASA 等土著保守组织。

现在华裔对那吉政府投以不信任票，而那吉也承认华裔投反对票导致巫统成绩下滑，在这以种族治国的政党里，蠢蠢欲动已久的巫裔保守分子将逮住把柄，大肆炒作，将之视为华裔不懂感恩的表现。若那吉想继续他的友善路线，那他将冒着陪上政治前途的风险，与保守分子对抗。最终其副手可能趁虚而入，而这位副手的排华个性是众所周知的，再配合党员期许下，政策不会对华裔有利。

自古以来，起义推翻朝政；
起义成功，则改朝换代，万象皆新；
起义失败，沦为乱党，祸联九族。

民主制度下固然不会如此暴戾，但也不会相差太远。

不成人，则成任。

善于精打细算的华裔，这回会不会人算不如天算，成为最大输家，让我们拭目以待。

（二）继续保持沉默，表现政治冷感。
难道后悔了吗？不是。如果大马华裔选择继续保持沉默，没有全力以赴，机会可能稍纵即逝。更何况忍得了一时，忍不了一世，也不可行。

政治这一块，叫大马华人好为难～

“本文纯属个人意见，若有冒犯之处，谨请见谅。”

我的白日梦（事业篇）

要写这个主题，我挣扎了很久。
写了太神，做不到一定给人笑话。
写得太简单，又搔不到痒处，不如不写。

人生规划是激励讲师和作者爱用的词汇。
说白了就是一场白日梦；
加上一个行动计划包装就行了。
不过这白日梦要有点"聪明" (SMART = Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound)

白日梦也像是买万字。
友人曾说：“万字难中，不是说不会中，但不买一定不会中！”
不知道友人中了万字没有，其实也不重要，最重要他买了个希望。
白日梦也一样，虽然难重，不是说不会中，但不发一定不会中！


我的白日梦/人生规划，以三年为限。

年龄 - 
[领域]，[position]
[目的/目标/重心]

18 - 23 - 
大学, undergraduate
深造学位 -  进修工程知识，磨练分析数理能力，人格塑造，探索目标。

23 - 26 - 
传销/销售, sales executive
销售行业，提升沟通，销售，管理，演说技巧。

26 - 27 - 
大学, postgraduate
工商管理 - 进修人士管理，金融与经济，企业管理的理论。

28 - 30 - 
银行, Executive
金融知识 - 掌握基本经济理论，金融产品，融资管道，财务规划。

30 - 33 - 
银行, Executive
开拓新视野 - 认识区域经济走向和经商环境，熟悉各区域的金融环境。

33 - 36 - 
银行, Dept head
行政管理 - 负责银行单位或组织的营运

36 - 39 - 
国行, Executive
宏观经济 - 理解各国行的金管政策和利率走向等宏观。

39 - 42 - 
上市公司, CFO
领导企业 - 营造企业价值，核心文化，设定远景。

42 - 45 -
上市公司, CFO
达到目标 - 领导组织达到所设定的目标。

45 - 48 - 
大学/学院/培训中心，Lecturer/Trainer
进修教育- 进修以便投身教育/培训于金融管理领域

48 - 55 - 
大学/学院/培训中心，Lecturer/Trainer
教育使命 - 投身教育

55后 - 
大学/学院/培训中心，Lecturer/Trainer
半退休，继续教育工作。

解说：
从以上得以见得，大部分的时间都与大学有关，并非对大学特别留恋，而是我对读书/学问/知识有兴趣，也梦想成为教育者。可以让一个人从不懂到懂，开创新思维，启发理想，那种满足感是无法言喻的。这或许是遗传吧。

其次，可以见到我对银行和金融的兴趣，这里是钱生钱，钱变钱的魔术场。这是我自大学一直羡慕但认为自己不可能踏进的领域。投资理财，经济道理，金融产品是我想学和用的东西。

再者，CFO 有钱又有权，谁不想？

这就是我的白日梦，当中取决于家庭/健康/能力/毅力等因素是否允许。

现在让我们一起来做梦，追梦吧！