New Photography Blog

I'm pleased to announce my new photography blog is officially up and running. It is a joint venture between me and my friend, Ghee Sin. With the launch of the blog, our new photography adventure has begun.

When the idea of having our own photography blog was first born, Ghee Sin and I were very excited. The feeling was like when we were kids, our parents told us they were taking us overseas for holidays. We looked forward to the day our blog would go live and thereafter become a platform for us to post our photos.


As GS wasn't too familiar with web designing and coding, I was put in charge of building the blog. Wait a minute. I am no expert in coding either! Although I had prior experience in internet marketing, all the hard coding part was done by my CEO cum technical director. My job was to oversee the aesthetic of the websites. What should I do?

Building a blog from scratch is certainly out of question because I don't have the technical knowledge to accomplish it. Besides, it is silly. There are different blogging platforms out there which are free and customizable. All I have to do is decide on one, then choose a theme that I like. Simple right? Not exactly.

I chose Atahualpa theme for its easy customization and powerful features. It was the second theme after a failed attempt on the first. In order to get the look that I desired, I had to meddle and alter a lot of codes in the first theme. And that was when I came to a deadlock. I am a coding idiot remember? I then switched to Atahualpa and after getting a few advices from my technical director and some hard work, I managed to get everything done.

The blog was built from ground up in two months. Now that it is fully operational, please help me to share the joy and love. Share it with your loved ones, bookmark it, and best of all, link to it. Let me think of something to reward those who link to the blog ;p

I hope you have a great time reading it.

Thank you so much!
Continue reading...

From Living Paycheck to Paycheck to Financial Freedom

If you are a balloon, do you want to roam the sky freely, or would you prefer being tied to a pole?

With the world economy falling off a cliff last year, millions of employees had lost their jobs. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the nation's unemployment rate rose to 8.5% in March, a level not seen since 1983. Elsewhere, from China, to Philippines, to Malaysia, multi-national conglomerates are cutting back expenses, shutting down factories and as a result, millions more workers will be joining the jobless ranks.


Since the recession began in December 2007, jobs were slashed at an unprecedented pace. Until today, the economic recession still occupies the minds of many. The fear of losing jobs haunts those who live paycheck to paycheck as they can't afford to get laid off.

If you read Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant, Robert Kiyosaki outlines 4 quadrants based on our source of income.

• E for employee
• S for self-employed
• B for business owner
• I for investor

Most of us are from the E quadrant. We rely on paychecks to clear our credit cards, and to pay at pumps. The problem with this is when we stop working, our income stops too. And depending on the safety net that we have built, our tap may soon run dry.

In the E quadrant, we are trading time for money. The equation here is time = money. We receive money directly in proportion to the time we put in our jobs.

"What's wrong with that?" You may ask.

Since we were kids, we were told by our parents to go to school, study hard, get good grades and then find a safe high paid job after graduation. They put emphasis on steady paychecks and job security. They recommended a life's path that resides in the E quadrant.

However, there is one problem with being in the E quadrant - You only have so much time a day. You can't bargain from God another extra 12 hours a day to work on that project your boss assigned, for example. With 24 hours a day, you only have a certain amount of time to work and as a result, you only make a certain amount of money. Not only is there a cap on the time we can work, we only get paid while we are working. The day we stop working is the day our income stream stops.

Now, do you still think it is a good way to generate income?

Many employees look at employment as the safest and most secure way to support themselves. This is wishful thinking. If there is one lesson that we can learn from this recession, it is - the idea of a safe, secure job with a steady paycheck is all but an illusion. With jobs being axed across the board from private to public sectors, no one is safe. How safe can a job be when you can be sent packing with only three words (you are fired)? Although by owning a business, you will have to take the ambiguity and responsibility of being in charge, at least you are in control of your own fate. You are not at the mercy of your boss.

Before you go and write that resignation letter, I think you should be aware of a few things. There are successes and failures in each of the 4 quadrants. Those in senior positions of a company are making big bucks (whether they have financial freedom is entirely another story), and many entrepreneurs have not been able to keep their companies afloat for 3 years. Operating in the B quadrant requires a different skill set and knowledge from the E quadrant, and vice versa. Not everyone who changes quadrant can do as well in the new quadrant.

Each and everyone of us has different interests in our lives. As we grow older and gain experiences, our goals change. For someone, it is absolutely alright for him to work in the E quadrant at his stage of life. College graduates are often happy to get a job. They may treat it as a learning platform or a stepping stone to get where they want to. No matter what their intentions are, they must plan an exit strategy from the indentured servitude.

Two years ago, while I was working for Intel, I had two colleagues. They would complain and whine about the long working hours and also the relatively low benefits. The first of the two colleagues, Ed, didn't take long to come out with a plan. In search of new financial reward and personal happiness, he ventured out to UK, amid all the uncertainties working in a foreign land. The second colleague, Sam, did not take any actions, nor make any changes. He just wanted to vent out his frustrations.

Although I wouldn't know how these two colleagues of mine will fare in the future, I believe Ed will be a happier person. Even if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.

Many of us are unwilling to leave our comfort zone. We fear to take up new challenges and leave our safe harbour. During brain storming session, we are always asked to think outside the box, without fail. This is, in fact, another type of social conditioning. Our boss wants to constrain our physical self in a cage. Have you ever seen a caged Orang Utan looking nostalgically to a distance in the horizon? That's thinking out of the box! Rather than thinking out of the box, we should be outside of the box.

Starting a business is no easy feat, the stake involved is high. However, the rewards are substantial too, because not many people dare to take up the challenge. Hence, you must summon all your courage to take the first baby step. Step by step, soon enough you will find a whole new horizon beyond your safety box.

Now, you can either choose the blue pill and retreat to your blissful ignorance, or take the red pill, embracing the truth that true freedom can't be attained without financial freedom.

The choice is yours.

Continue reading...

Success = Wealth + Power

That's my dad's definition for success, not mine.

Few years ago, when he was first diagnosed with prostate cancer, he remarked out of the blue, "It's a pity there isn't anyone who is really successful in our family."

Then, I replied nonchalantly, "But Uncle Baun is a senior manager in Deutsche Bank, he is so rich. What about Aunt Lane, she is a judge in the court of law! Certainly they are successful?"

"Well, if you are talking about income and social status, there are bunch of people out there with the same accomplishment, and even better. I meant something more than that, like those who walk the corridor of power, like a prime minister."

"Whoa, wait a minute, did you say the Prime Minister? The head of the government?!" I was dumbfounded.

Come to think of it again today, dad probably wasn't serious about it. You see, there are 195 countries in this world, and therefore 195 head of countries. With a world population of over 6 billion, the probability of you becoming one of those elites is remotely close to zero. You would have a better chance hitting jackpot in Las Vegas.

And also the fact that I have not seen massive numbers of people jumping off buildings/bridges due to failure of getting successful, as defined by dad's equation.

To me, success is merely achieving the goal I intended to attain earlier. It is not a lifelong endeavour, it can occur everyday. Wanting to write a blog post by the end of the day and getting it done is a success.

Everyone has their own goals. And not everybody aspires to become the next prime minister or president, at least not me. If someone's dream is to become a school teacher, so be it. He may not be rich, nor have the political power, but he is successful, when he achieves his goal, which is to become a school teacher.

Success = (achieving whatever goals one set up). Ah, isn't that simple enough?

Sorry dad, I am going to let you down...[grin] Continue reading...