John, The Receptionist It's been 10 years now since I started operating from my humble HDB abode and am still operating from the same HDB unit.  It was all done for very practical reasons e.g. to save on office rental, in particular.  Also, if America has entrepreneurs starting from their garage, I was thinking, why not us, from our humble HDB unit. Anyway, 10 years later, from an OMO (one-man operation) to now, a total of 8 persons (including myself) making the total staff strength of my company, I'm still operating from the same unit.  I really don't see a reason for having an office and helping other people service their loans for their commercial property.  And, I hate the morning rush hour, as do my staff.  While parts of Singapore were knee deep in flood water a few weeks ago, my staff were warmly tugged under their blankets and keeping their feet dry, working from home.  With technology, we are constantly connected via various means: emails, sms, phone calls, messenger, WhatsApp etc.  Many of our documents are now even kept in the "cloud".  I have a staff whom I actually didn't meet for a year after he was interviewed and hired by me.  :p But today, I'm not writing about SOHO or having a company that operates from a HDB unit as it will take many blog entries to share my experience.  Well, if I have the time, I may just start writing them.  Heh! As my home is actually company "HQ", my home phone becomes company phone.  Some potential and current clients will actually call our company number and be directed to my home phone.  The calls were not that frequent a few years ago but as our company has more clients and staff now, the calls have also increased proptionately in frequency. Like many normal homes, there will be a "designated" family member who answers the home phone most of the time.  In my family, the responsibility falls on my shoulders.  Well, it makes sense as when I first started, I had to answer the calls anyway, in case it was from any potential prospects.  If my mum were to answer the calls, she'll be responding in Cantonese and her conversations will probably end in "Huh? Looking for who? I think you called the wrong number." And hung up. These days, there are more calls and sometimes it'll be looking for one of my staff.  When that happens, I'll first look at the desk beside me and answer, "So and so is not at her desk at the moment, may I take down your name and number, I'll ask her to call you back when I see her." In my heart, I'll be thinking, "I didn't lie.  She is REALLY not at the desk beside me." Or, sometimes the calls were interested in our products and were making some enquiries.  I'll usually try my best to answer but I'm no longer as familiar with some of the pricing of my products so I'll go, "I'm sorry but I'm not from the sales department.  My colleagues are probably in a department meeting so I'll get a representative to call you back when they are out from the meeting. Usually, these calls will end with the caller asking for my name and I'll answer them.  But as the calls are getting more frequent, this will potentially pose a problem.  How can a CEO of a company keep answering calls, taking down notes or messages?  If the callers realise I'm the CEO of my company and I'm answering the calls most of the time, this is not gonna inspire much confidence. The solution is actually very simple: get a receptionist. These days, when the callers ask for the name, my reply, "This is John.  Please to be of service to you." Other than "me, myself and I", yes, I'm now also the new receptionist. :p P.S.  Once, after my staff returned a call to a client, she called and asked me in confusion, "Who is John?"  Haha! Standing On The Edge Of A Cliff Thunder crackles from the distant sky; the wind is slowly picking up strength. Dark and ominous storm clouds amass in the distant horizon, I'm standing on the edge of a cliff with white waves crashing against the cliff wall beneath me.  As the wind gathers strengths, the waves resonate with anger and increase in their ferocity.  The waves beat against the cliff wanting to tear the wall down, with it, bringing me to plunge into its cold, icy grasp. Many moons ago, I felt a prickly sensation on my skin.  I brushed it off.  But when I looked around, I recognised a litter of cubs that have grown into a pack of wolves.  It is now staring at me with their blood red eyes through the shadows, waiting for me to be weak and for their chance to pounce at me when I lose my focus and concentration, . I was careless for not watching the cubs.  I had not thought that they would grow to threaten me.  I was focused on other enemies.  While my eyes were away from the cubs, they had grown strong and cunning.  They were watching me, learning from me and now they have breached my first wall of defense. In the ensuing months, I tried to repair the defenses but they no longer were able to repel the wolves anymore.  While I was trying to keep the wolves out, distant thunder began to roll closer and closer. I can't help but feel a tinge of irony when the government announced that its 2010 forecast was 15%, making Singapore the world's fastest economy.  Yes, the business has been brisk this year.  On paper, our revenue is on track and may even surpass last year, which was our best year yet!  Even though last year was "The Great Recession", we managed to keep up the payment collections.  However, this year, we are having difficulty collecting payments.  Each month, on average, we have a shortfall of $10k revenue collections against expenses. A bolt of lightning split the sky into half and the surrounding grew menacingly dark.  The storm clouds have gathered above me and grown more oppressive. The storm has cometh! With winds howling around me, the rain started with black pearls of water descending from the blacken heavens.  The earth gradually grew dark with wet patches and soon the land was also consumed by the darkness.  The storm gathered strengths and the sky opened its flood gates; water was pouring down from the sky! I braced myself with the ensuing onslaught.  The rain was like thousand icy arrows piercing my torso.  Even though the water breaks itself upon hitting my flesh but the coldness cuts through my body like ice freezing my burning soul.  Not wanting to show surrender nor defeat, I stretched out my arms and heaved my chest against the battering arrows of rain. The lightning continues to flash and splitting the heavens in half; the thunder roars and shakes the very ground I stand while the rain water cascades and washes down my face and body.  The wind whips my blown apart shirt like a sail that has lost its mast. I stand alone in the chaos, amidst the orchestra of the forces of nature.  The tempest rages on. I'm not going to give up and I'll not be defeated.  With steely determination, I'll overcome the storm and I'll be left standing to welcome the big orange ball of fire rising from the horizon. I'll be there to witness the new dawn. Bitter Aftertaste I received a call from my lawyer.  She informed me that she had received the outstanding payment, including the legal fees, from one of my ex-client.  I thank her for the information and hung up the phone.  I slumped back on my chair and sighed deeply. This was an ex-client of mine whom was a respected elder in the industry.  The chasing of the payment took longer than normal as I didn't sign a contract with him as he said our working relationship should be based on trust, which is stronger than a piece of black-and-white.  I believed him. Eventually, he defaulted two years worth of payments.  When finally I had no choice but resorted to sending him legal letters to request for payment, his reply was, "Ask your lawyer to show me the contract." I was disappointed.  He knew that he didn't sign a contract with us as he had insisted we based on trust and I should trust him.  What was I to do when he, being an elder in the industry and me still finding my ways in the industry 6 years ago, insisted that our working relationship based on trust and forgo the hassle of paper documentation. Trust is such a fragile and non-honorable commodity; it is easily abused and I was a sucker to have believed in trust. I've the ex-client's text messages which he replied regarding making payments.  In the messages, it clearly stated that he'll be making payments "next week", then more "next week".  After consulting with my lawyer, she is confident that we have enough evidence so we proceeded with the civil action suit and served the Writ of Summons on my ex-client, the defendant. To cut the story short, as he didn't enter any defence, we were able to enter judgment in default of defence.  He was eventually complied by the court documents to make good of the outstanding payments and in addition, he also had to pay for our legal fees. Why didn't he engage a lawyer to make his defence?  My guess was that he probably figured that the legal cost would end up higher than the amount of payment he owed my company.  Why didn't he pay as he should in the beginning?  Instead now he had to pay more.  I don't understand and probably won't ever know the answer. Even though the outcome ended in my favour but I can't help feeling sad and filled with regret.  I don't enjoy sending legal letters.  I really don't.  But the reality is that some people seemed only willing to pay when we express the intention of taking legal action. With a heavy heart, I dialed for my lawyer giving her instructions to proceed with the next case. Pure Soul I'm alive... in case anyone was wondering.  :p What initially was a planned two weeks hiatus became a five months absence.  At the end of January, I simply found that I had too much work on hand and thought that a two weeks blog vacation would be sufficient for me to catch-up with work and rest.  Obviously, life has never been a planned journey; it is always full of unexpected twists.  During the hiatus, after I've completed one task, two more came up.  It is like trying to cut off the heads of a Hydra and that continued to keep me away from my blog.  Maybe because I'm a slow blogger, each entry easily takes up 2 hours of my life.  These are 2 hours of time I can ill afford.  I love blogging, I still do.  But time is a very limited resource and something just has to give. Why did I blog today?  Maybe because I needed to find solace and some how my fingers just typed the familiar blog url and logged in.  Guess this is my sanctuary after all.  It has been a place I seek tranquility since five years ago. In the past 5 short months, I've employed three new staff, tested and implemented a customer-relationship management system (CRM) and done millions other stuff.  We are still looking to employ two more new staff. That is the pace I'm going through on a daily basis and I still feel I'm not fast enough.  I need Speed Force! To be efficient, I no longer log-in to windows live messenger. As time has become a very limited resource,  I needed to make myself even more productive.  The first thing I did was to increase my efficiency by reducing interruptions.  Really, interruptions are the bane of productivity.  When you have entered the zone where you are totally focus on your task at hand, blinks from a new messenger chat window will just break your concentration.  Very often than not, the message is usually something very trivial.  The productivity opportunity cost to be interrupted by something trivial is just too high.  So I just stop logging in. I've also disabled the auto-receiving of emails.  I only receive emails when I click on the "Receive" button of my email client when I've completed my task.  I'm avoiding interruptions like a plague. I stopped multi-tasking.  When I'm at one task, I'll just concentrate on that one task.  Instead of switching browser tabs and windows on my desktop and trying to do many things at once.  Time is spent and wasted by switching tabs and windows while multi-tasking.  Even though psychologically you may feel as though you are handling many tasks at hand, I discovered I seldom fully complete any of the tasks at the end of the work day.  If each task requires a full hour to be completed, by trying to split your attention in doing 6 tasks, in that hour, you may actually be doing 10 minutes of work on each task and you wouldn't be completing any at the end of the hour.  You may feel less guilty because you've "worked" on 6 tasks; it may make you feel you are more productive but it is really just an illusion.  That's why I found myself never able to complete any task or it takes an extremely long time to complete it. (Suggested read: Your Brain At Work) Getting enough sleep. During my son's school days, I wake up every morning at 6 AM to drive my son to school.  Now I make sure that I go to bed at 11 PM so that I get at least 7 hours of sleep.  Previously, I used to work till late at night.  During those late hours, I may be blogging, surfing YouTube, reading blogs, chatting on live messenger, watching TV or doing work.  When I finally find myself in bed, it would be 3 AM in the morning.  I'll end up getting only 3 hours of sleep.  The next day, I'll find myself struggling to keep awake and I'll try to stay awake by pouring cups after cups of coffee into my system.  Usually, I'll try to work but my mind will not be focus and it tends to wander.  When you have lack of sleep, your mind will naturally sway towards the less demanding stuff, like reading blog entries or just surfing around.  I also noticed that I become less creative in coming up with solutions to solve problems.  Then when night comes, I'll feel guilty about not getting much work done and burn the midnight oil again.  This created a vicious cycle not only detrimental to my productivity but to my health too. So now I go to bed at 11 PM.  When 11 PM comes, I'll just shut down my PC and go straight to bed. The next morning, I'll wake up bright and cheery, ready to conquer the world again! (Suggested read: Rework) I've also continued on my thrice weekly jogging routine.  I've finally increased my distance to about 4.2 km now.  Jogging has become an important part of my routine.  There are days when the stress and pressure gets to me, I'll look forward to my night jogs.  During the jog, it forces me to breathe evenly at a controlled pace while listening to my MP3 and allowing myself to be caressed by the cool night breeze.  It is very therapeutic to have perspiration coursing down your body.  I'll feel cleansed and relieved of the daily grind. I've realised that I'm no longer at the stage when I started my business at a spur of the moment undertaking.  Now that I've staff, 6 in total, I'm responsible for them and I need to operate the business properly and plan long term. It is therefore important that I've a healthy body and alert mind as I partake in the daily skirmishes in the arena.  I need to keep myself in the best condition to go the distance. No more interruptions and distractions.  I need to have a focus mind and strong body. Looking back the past one year, I realised I've grown both in maturity and thinking.  Even my staff noticed my transformation and commented that I exude an aura of determination and quiet confidence. I am focus, I am pure.  I'm ready to do battles. 5 Minutes To Midnight I know it's been a while since I last blogged. Had been busy but looking back, I can scantly recall what I was busy with. All I can remember was that I spent December reading to my elder son and brought him to watch Avatar 3D which he loved a lot!  I would say that was time well spent! :) Originally this post was to be made during New Year's Eve. Well, obviously, it didn't happen. But I would still attempt to complete this entry as it will be a recollection of 2009, which incidentally, was a very transforming year for both myself and the company. During the first three years of my entrepreneur venture, New Year's Eve was  a day I dreaded most.  When everyone was out celebrating the end of a new year, I can hardly find any joy in my heart.  All the hard work, all the struggle, seemed to have come to naught.  It was a dark period as the thought of giving up keeps sapping my soul... bit by bit.  To me, there was nothing to celebrate.  My savings which I've poured into my venture was fast dwindling.  The prospect of failure was a very clear and present possibility. Thinking back, it still elicit an involuntary shudder. Sometime in March 2009, I began to question my existence, my potential and my achievements.  For many years, when my friends congratulated me on my achievements and successes, I would casually brush them off.  I really didn't think much of my successes.  Deep down inside, I feared it was just pure luck that brought me to where I am today.  Sometimes, I even suspected that if another person was in my exact shoes, the person would achieve the same success too, maybe even with less effort and struggle. I've strong self-doubt of myself. I guess these stemmed from the fact that I struggled academically.  Even though I managed to get into a very good and recognised (SAP) secondary school, I struggled with my results after that.  I was relegated to one of the worst performing classes during my upper secondary due to my results.  I did very badly for my prelims and nearly couldn't get into junior colleges.  Surprisingly, I did very well during my 'O' levels and was admitted to one of the top 5 junior colleges.  Again, I struggled.  I was even singled out by some of the lecturers 'encouraging' me to drop some subjects for my own good. I wondered if the school was more concerned that I would drag down their passing percentage and affect the school's standing. This time, I wasn't so lucky with my 'A' levels results, I couldn't get into any local university.  I retook my 'A' levels the next year as a private candidate by attending private school (my 'A' level results were too good to be accepted back into my junior college, the irony!). My retaken 'A' level results were finally good enough for me to be accepted into a local university, I struggled again during the 4-year course.  I didn't really understand what I studied.  I had to retake supplementary papers year after year.  Eventually, I just graduated with a 'pass'. Again, it didn't help my self-confidence during the long and dark first 3 years of my entrepreneur life.  Receiving failures on a daily basis would eat your soul and sap your hopes away. Finally, during the first half of 2009, the dam that was holding all the negativity broke and I was forced to face all the inner demons that had been held back.  I was no longer able to hide.  I needed to confront and exorcise all the past demons.  It was by sheer chance and fate that I picked up "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand.  Through the unraveling of the story of Howard Roark, the lead character of the book, it brought me answers that I had always been searching for.  I began to crawl out of my shell and broke through the boundaries that had been holding me back.  I began to recognise human capacity and ability... and especially mine. I realised and accepted that like everyone, I am a unique individual and I've found my raison d'être.  This culminated and manifested in my outward physical transformation. In June last year, I made a business trip to Paris.  For nine long years, this was the first time I made an overseas business trip and managed to have a short break for myself.  It was also a break I badly needed. By spending time away from the daily running of my company, I had time to collect my thoughts.  I also had time to reflect.  The trip allowed me to complete my transformation.  It was also during the trip that I allowed myself to break my own shackles.  I finally allowed myself to enjoy the fruits of my success and I allowed myself to spend and spent I did.  I bought a lovely Van Cleef & Arpels pendant for my wife. After coming back from Paris, I even started jogging which I've continued.  It started from brisk walking, then gradually to running 1km, then 2km, then 3km and now 4km. In August 2009, I made a short pilgrimage alone to Tokyo just to witness my childhood idol - a life-size Gundam.  I allowed myself to be crazy (flew 5300 km just to see a replica) and to live life (for a while). No doubt 2009 was a difficult year due to the financial crisis.  There were months when the money we collected from our clients were not even enough to cover our monthly operating costs.  By the end of year 2009, I was able to steer my company through the turbulent times, maybe it was due to my unyielding will and focus, we were able to recover many of our debts and collect our revenue.  Not only that, through the effort of my staff, we reached a significant new milestone for the company! 2009 was also a year I realised it doesn't pay to be nice all the time. Being nice need to be selective. I should only be nice to people who deserves it.  In the past year, I've become both the Dark Paladin and Hunter. After finishing "The Fountainhead", I picked up Ayn Rand's magnum opus, "Atlas Shrugged".  It was not an easy book to read.  It was definitely not a book known for its brevity.  There was even an 80 pages long speech by the lead protagonist.  However, the reward I got from reading the book was reaffirming the path I've taken as an entrepreneur and the road forward. The 2010 New Year's Eve was the first time I welcome the coming of a new year.  I looked forward and embrace the coming of a new year.  I've plans, big and audacious plans for the future.  I guess today is the culmination of all the struggles I've been through.  The experiences of the past 9 years have prepared me for the future challenges ahead. A very good friend of mine asked if I ever had felt confident. "Yes," I replied. "When did you feel confident?", she asked. "Starting now."  I smiled. 2010 will be a year I'll claim my place in this world.  I aim to be Man of Men; King of Kings.  May we all realise the best within us for 2010! Nature Of The Beast Been feeling tired. Feeling drained. This explains my recent lack of blogging, twit and plurk.  I just couldn't find the time.  Christmas is coming but I don't feel particularly festive at all.  My days go by the same - consumed by work.  The recent cold weather at night just adds to my melancholy mood.  There is a heavy weight dragging my heart. I just can't seem to shake off the dull and heavy set feeling on my chest. Been drinking again.  Not much.  Just 2 cans of beer every night.  I needed the poison to numb the buzz in my brain after a long and hard day at work.  Else it would be difficult for me to fall asleep. Had lots of drinks with my friend on Friday night.  It was a relaxing night.  Went to Orgo and we had a seat overlooking The Fullerton Hotel.  It looked so beautiful at night.  I found myself staring at it for a long while and enjoying the late night breeze.  Even though I was drinking alcohol, poisoning my liver, I feel refreshed. I just sent another legal letter to my client with the preparation of taking it all the way.  I know it was done out of necessity but I still don't enjoy it.  We definitely won't be greeting each other in future when we chanced upon each other on the street. This year had been a very tumultuous year.  It seemed as though I've woken up from a very long slumber.  I've changed after my trip to Paris.  I've gained confidence in myself.  I've also gained clarity. I am now able to see who my friends are; who are the people who were leeching me and who were making use of me.  The realisation was painful and it hurt.  But better to feel hurt now then to be betrayed and get stabbed from the back. I've lost my innocence and getting closer in becoming the Dark Paladin. After my trip in Paris, I started to evolve.  Something happened and I began to believe in myself.  I used to have doubts and had wondered if my achievements so far had been a fluke.  It was an answer I had been seeking for many years and now I've found the answer.  I know now that I can actually achieve so much more.  I had been afraid.  I didn't believe in myself.  I had wasted time. Now, I'm trying to make up for lost time.  That's why I've been running doubly fast.  Maybe I'm burning out.  No, I can't say that.  I just have to keep running. As my business grew, its complexity also grew.  I've now more staff and clients to manage, more issues to resolve.  As my business grew, my company unwittingly attracts some unwarranted attention.  There will be competition and there will be imitators; there will be enemies and there will be wars. Entrepreneurship is not just about getting your product to market and people to buy.  It does not end there.  In fact, it is a never ending journey.  Once you've an ongoing revenue, problems also start to occur.  It can start from not being able to meet the demand, then later not getting paid.  Soon, your success attracts attention and there will be competition.  You have to keep coming out with innovations and outpace your competitors.  When you've more features in your product, you no longer will able to be personally involved in all the developments.  Then you'll need to hire more people. Elim Chew of 77th Street once said that running a company of 5 staff is different from running a company of 10 staff.  It is again different when it grows to a company of 100 staff.  You'll need to keep adapting to change and remain versatile. The path of an entrepreneur does not get easier as you go along.  In fact, it only gets harder and worse. This is the true nature of the beast. Corporate Junk #25 A client who owed me 1 year worth of debt messaged me to meet in town so he can pay me the outstanding amount.  My wife asked me if I would be meeting the client, I said I have to.  He had owed us for quite a long time and every time when he said he'll mail us the cheque, it never arrives.  This is a very good opportunity to collect payment and closing the accounts. When I arrived at the stipulated venue on time, I texted the client informing him that I've reached the place of our appointment.  I received a reply immediately.  The client said he was delayed and told me to wait. After 2 hours, the client called and told me the meeting venue has been changed to his office as he had to return to the office to sign some urgent documents.  He asked me if it was alright for me to meet him at his office instead.  I agreed.  What choice did I have? We met at the kopitiam near his office and chatted for about an hour.  Well, more like he was talking and I was just listening.  Finally, he gave me the cheque in a sealed envelope.  We bade our farewells. I opened the envelope when I returned to my office.  The cheque was for only half the amount and the client mispelled my company's name on the cheque. Sigh. Corporate Junk #24 I've many clients who had been using our company's services for 5 years or more. Many of these clients, they are sole proprietors or small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). We know each other on first name basis so you can say we go way back.Some of these clients had only signed the contract during the initial year. When come renewal, some of them will insist that I can trust them as they have been in the industry for a long time. If I persist for a signed contract, they would feel insulted and become angry. I felt I had no choice but agree to their request.Interestingly, for corporate clients, proper paperwork and a signed contract is guaranteed.This particular client, who is a sole proprietor and considered an elder (前辈) in the industry had been using our services for 6 years already. For the first 4 years, his payments though late but were still paid.In the early part of the year, when I called him to request for last year's payment, he told me he'll be sending the cheque soon. Since it was time for renewal, I took the opportunity to ask if he would like to continue to engage our services which he readily agreed.For the past 6 months, my staff had been chasing for both payments (this year's and last) but he had been ignoring her emails and calls. When I called him, he would tell me payments will be sent the following week.I had pondered going to his office unannounced and meeting him face-to-face like I did previously for another client. I was strongly dissuaded by my staff so we asked our legal counsel to send him a legal letter of demand as he had been ignoring all communications. This was done with the utmost reluctance as I still regard him as an elder in the industry. But after almost 2 years of non-payment, he left me no choice.Today, my lawyer forwarded me the reply she had received from the client. In summary, the client says he'll make payment only if we can provide his signed contract as proof.When I read the email from my lawyer, I was furious! He knew that we didn't have any signed contract because this was what he insisted! I was also disappointed! To think a respected elder of the industry turned out to be so dishonorable. His words are not gold but dirt!I've known and expected that some of the deals made in the previous years without contract would come back to haunt me, I just never expected it to come from a respectable person of the industry. This is a mistake that I've remedied. Since 2 years ago, all deals will have a contract regardless what the client insist or say. No contract, no deal.Trust is such a fragile thread. It is easily broken. I've lost all respect of this person. Pui! Good Guy Vibes (Aftewords) A few months back, an overseas friend whom I've made and helped me during my last business trip, had a transit in Singapore. I had made him promise to look me up if he ever was in Singapore. I picked him up when he arrived here at 8 a.m after a 13-hour flight. As his next flight was 7 p.m., I offered him an opportunity to shower and freshen up in my club. Initially, he had thought the club I referred to was a gentleman's club aka Stripper's Club. ^_^" Anyway, I showed him around Singapore and treated him to lunch before I drove him back to the airport. While at the airport before he left, he said to me, "You are really a very nice person. Don't be so nice. Really. Take care." I looked at him incredulously and just shrugged it off. But what he said really left an indelible impression in me. I just couldn't shake off his earnest advice. What he said finally clicked after my friend shared with me that I give out "good guy vibes". It had caused me to look back at some of my past experiences and pieced the puzzle together. Just this year alone, when I shared my experiences and incidents with two of my clients regarding some projects, both of them said almost the same thing on two different and separate occasions, "You are too nice!" Many years ago, during the initial period of my startup, a new client arranged an appointment with me. During the end of the meeting, she told me I was recommended to her by another client of mine. She had strongly encouraged her to arrange a meeting with me and listen to what I have to say about my product and she also told her, "Don't worry, he is a very nice person. He won't pressure you. Just meet him, you'll like him." Her parting words to me after the meeting, "I agree with my friend, you do have a nerdy but honest face." I just shrugged it off then and thought that it was because my client had put in many good words for me. I thought that it may have also been attributed by my gentle and courteous demeanor during the meeting. All these years, I've been perplexed by the comments because I really don't think I've done anything different from what I usually do. But after what my friend told me, something just clicked and I've gained a new found clarity. No doubt, my "niceness" had helped me earned the trust of my clients but there have been occasions that I've been taken advantage of and given the short end of the stick. Fortunately, it had never involve big losses but I had felt really sad and disappointed when my trust had been misplaced and abused. I would feel down and betrayed. Sometimes I wonder, is it also because of my Mr. Nice Guy vibes that many of my clients are extremely late in their payments. Similarly, is that why I've suppliers approaching me for early payments (within one week of invoice even though there is a 30 day credit) and there were occasions that some of them even asked for advance payment. I had a supplier who had asked me for early payment every single month last year and two advance payments this year. I've obliged all their requests at the consternation and chagrin of my accountant. Thinking back, I reviewed some of the friendships I've forged in the past and realised they had befriended me because they could and wanted to take advantage of me. Now, I feel lost. The past few days, I may have even become cynical and I had wanted to hardened my heart so I'll no longer oblige people's request for help so easily. But if I really do that, would I be taking another step closer in becoming the Dark Paladin? Would I like the new me? Is that who I want to become? I don't know. I'm lost and I need to find myself. Questions From Readers #2 I've received 3 questions from 2 readers. Here goes #2 (#1 is here):How did u do the hiring? By word of mouth, frens or agencies? I'm personally thinking of internships to perm placements.When I first started, I had envisioned my venture to be an OMO (one-man-operation). Sometimes reality works out in an unexpected but good way. If you had asked me 6 years or more ago, if I would see myself where I am today and that I would have 4 full time staff with 3 companies' services on retainer, I would have brushed you off and think you are crazy.I was practically a one-man army. I was the receptionist, the sales, the bookkeeper, the technical support, the janitor... you get the idea.On my 4th year, I was beginning to be overwhelmed by my business. I spent most of my time just trying to meet the deadlines of my clients. I didn't even have time to meet new clients, answer emails of new enquiries and I didn't even had time to bill many clients on the completed projects.Looking back, I probably had $100k of unbilled work. Ouch!The idea of employing staff crept into my mind. But subconsciously, I was afraid that the business wouldn't last and the good times was only a passing rain. I was haunted by the fear that I may not be able to pay the salary of my staff. That put me off the idea of employing any staff. Silly, I know.As fate may have it, a good friend of mine was terribly unhappy in her job. Possibly because she was a friend, I wanted to help her and coincidentally I was also neck deep buried under a pile of work and projects, I offered her a sales position. Sales was an area of responsibility that I've not been able to fulfill for quite some time while I was rushing to meet project deadlines. I was unable to schedule meetings with new prospects and I took a long time to reply any sales enquiries related emails. Prior to employing my friend, I had checked the bank account to make sure that I can pay her salary for one full year in the event that we have zero business for the whole year. Another silly notion, I know. My business wouldn't just stop the next day and my clients won't just suddenly vapourised (then again, if we were hit by nuclear detonation...).It probably was easier for me to employ a friend as my first staff since I know and trust her. Sales can be potentially a sensitive position as I was opening up my client database to another person.I officially employed my first staff in year 2005.The following year, as I was buried under tons of paperwork other than just the technical side of the business, I discussed with my wife and she decided to quit her job and join my company. Well, she took a pay cut to help me out. :pWith my wife helping me on the paperwork, filing the contracts, making sure the invoices were sent out on time and the new business I branched into, the cashflow was more stable. It allowed me to employ a freelance technical staff on a retainer basis the following year.Prior to engaging the professional freelance technical staff, I had employed a person who had some technical knowledge as a part-time staff. He was recommended by my staff and was waiting for his entry to the university. However, he was not responsive to communications like emails and phone calls (he works from home). He was not communicative too when he missed the deadlines of the tasks. We only knew he missed his deadlines when he didn't complete his tasks by the set timeline.After one month, I let him go.From then on, I decided to employ only people who are really looking for a job and not someone who was just trying to pass time.In 2008, I hired an admin staff and in 2009, a full-time technical staff. Both were recruited after they responded to jobs ad my company posted on some online job portals.I had toyed with the idea of employing interns but as my company is growing, I realised I needed staff of a more permanent capacity. The time taken to train an intern and a permanent staff for the same position would be almost the same. I didn't want to spend time and company resources on training a new person again after the intern's time in the company has exhausted. For me, I feel that a permanent staff would be more helpful in growing my company. The permanent staff will take over some of my current responsibilities and I'll be able to move on to other projects and responsibilities that have been awaiting my attention.Something I've learnt - Sometimes, you've to spend money to make more money. My company has reached the current milestone, was partly because I've hired more staff and we were able to do more things.If the intention to get an intern whose responsibility was to oversee some temporary tasks, then it may be more economical to engage one.However, I've also learnt not to employ for the sake of employing. Always employ the best candidate your resources allow. During your first recruitment, if you can't identify any suitable candidate, then try again. By employing a wrong candidate, it may damage your company and slow the progress of growth.Choose and employ carefully. Good Guy Vibes About 9 years ago, when I just started, my product was pretty well received and even though I didn't have much revenue (pathetic if I do say so), it was gradually getting known and it was spread by word-of-mouth. One fine day (why can't it be rainy day?), I received an invitation from a more established company to meet up and discussed about a merger. Of course, I was thrilled and excited then. During the meeting, the boss of the company was telling me about his company and how much both our companies can synergise. He told me his company had spent about $100k in a certain software. I was perplexed and confused. I told him I was also using a similar software, albeit from a different company but it only cost $100. He tried to defend his claim by saying that the software he purchased had a lot of features and was more powerful. I just nod my head even though I was confused by his claim. He went on to talk about the merger and the conditions. Firstly, my company and product name will be absorbed by his company. My company product will be renamed as his current product name. I'm also to work from his company premises and was required pay rental of $1000 per month (I was operating SOHO and didn't have to pay rent). That raised a loud alarm in my head. I told him that I'll consider his offer and left the office. I left the meeting with a very unsettled feeling. A very strong feeling that something is amiss and not right. I called my friend, Khoon. We both agreed that on paper, it seemed like a good opportunity for me to work with a more established company. We also agreed that the timing was disadvantageous to me. As my company was not established, it left me very little bargaining power. When I went home, I researched on the '$100k' software and found that it did not cost as much as he claimed. In fact, it cost very much less. I called back the next day and declined his offer of a merger. Now, when I looked back, I realised I was taken for a ride and he wanted to take advantage of my company. ***** This month, I had another business meeting with a supplier who was introduced to me by a client. During the meeting, my client was the one doing most of the talking and he knew the supplier very well. At the end of the meeting, I have a feeling that I was being taken advantage of again. When I shared this incident with my friend, Maggie, she replied, "That's because the other party knows you are a nice guy (aka can be bullied)!" "But I was wearing black shirt, dyed my hair and had spiky hair style. I thought I looked like an Ah Beng (no offense intended) and I kept quiet pretty much during the meeting! It was the first time he met me!" I complaint. "Friend, people can smell you are a good guy from miles away!" She revealed. Can someone pass me Hugo Boss eau de toilette and deodorant, please? The Bottomless Pit For the past 9 years, it was my privilege to have met many fellow entrepreneurs. It was a nice feeling to be able to share our 'war' stories with kindred spirits. Through my conversations with them, I notice a common recurring theme. We've all been to the bottomless pit and back.My friend, KL, his company introduced a very popular web service 9 years ago. It was so popular that no matter how much bandwidth they bought, it was used up very quickly. The problem was, like all dotcoms then, the service was free. At one point, they have finally used up all their savings and they were at the brink of bankrupt. They made the unprecedented move where they started charging their users. It was a made or break decision.Well, lets just say that decision made them laughing all the way to the bank. Heh!During the third year of my venture, things looked very bleak for me too. My savings in the bank dwindled to just a few hundred dollars and I still had bills to pay. I didn't want to worry my wife so I didn't tell her. I thought, "This is it, the end is finally here. After toughing out for close to 3 years, this is my end of days."It was a gut and heart wrenching period. I lost all sense of hope.Then my luck turned. The shares of a company that I had bought many years ago, which from a $10k investment and then tanked to worth only a few hundred dollars during the dotcom crashed, in my hour of need, miraculously rose back to its pre-crash level. I quickly sold the shares and the $10k helped me tide through the next 6 months when finally orders from my clients started trickling in.Another group of entrepreneurs, there 3 of them. They threw their business plan out the window after 3 months of operation. They had spent months working on it. They thought they had a foolproof business plan. They could not be more wrong. The reality is always different.During their first year, they had only $3k revenue. At the start of their second year, they were at the brink of bankruptcy. Not willing to give up, they gave themselves another 6 months. If the business doesn't turn around, they actually decided that one of them will find a job and use the salary to continue to support all 3 of them while continuing to run the business.Fortunately for them, things started looking up for them before their deadline and they managed to breakeven during the second year. They expect to be profitable this year (their third year).All of us have reached the bottom before. We have all looked straight into the eyes of failure and survived. This is the time when our resolve is tested and the true entrepreneurs are born.If you are at the darkest hour of your venture, persevere! Light is at the end of the tunnel. A New Milestone It was over coffee with a friend one day some weeks back. We were talking about balance sheet and P&L (Profit and Loss) statements. She asked me if I knew my revenue numbers for the year.She sensed my hesitation, stared straight into my eyes and asked, "You do KNOW your revenue numbers, right?"I sheepishly mumbled, "Erm... yeah, sure."That night immediately after I went home, I remotely login to my accounting server and ran some reports to generate the revenue number for the year till date.The number surprised me.Based on estimated projection for the next 6 weeks of sales to end 2009, my company would be very close to generating one million dollars in revenue. Yes, the numeral 1 followed by six zeroes. It was my goal to reach a million dollar revenue by end of next year. I never realised that I would achieve my target so much earlier.Of course, I was excited by the achievement. It took 9 years of effort and all the hard work by my staff and myself. All our hard work had paid off and we had reached a monumental goal.For long time readers of my blog, you would know I never divulge any real numbers of my company. This is the first time I've disclosed any operational numbers of my company. I'm doing this now because it is necessary to share a lesson learnt that I wasn't prepared for it.After a short moment of jubilation, a sudden realisation struck me: my company would need to be registered to collect GST (Goods & Services Tax). So I checked online and confirmed my fear.Question: When Is It Compulsory To Register To Collect GST?Answer: Your business must be registered to collect GST if your annual turnover exceeds or is likely to exceed S$1 million from the sale of taxable goods and services.What it means is that when my company is registered to collect GST next year, to my clients, the cost of my goods and services would increase by 7%. For every $5000 I charge, my clients will need to pay $350 more than the normal price. Under the current fragile economic landscape, it will not be an easy task.One option is for my company to absorb the GST but that would be a daunting solution. Imagine this, if my company's revenue is $1 million, the net profit margin is 10% (similar to many retail companies), that means my company has a profit of $100k per year. 7% of revenue ($1 million), that would be $70k. If my company absorbs the GST ($70k), my annual profit will shrink from $100k and become only $30k.Once my company becomes GST registered, we are also required to file GST returns every 3 months (quarterly) and pay the GST collected to IRAS not later than one month after the GST returns were filed. This means that every 3 months, based on the invoices I billed my clients, even if my clients had not paid, I have to pay GST to IRAS first. This would create a new variable to the current cashflow management. Based on $1 million revenue, every quarter, my company will now need to fork out $17.5k to IRAS.I would like to urge all fellow entrepreneurs and SMEs be mindful of the GST in their business planning. Be prepared and plan an implementation strategy as your business continues to grow.Well, I probably could delay the registration of my company for one year. However, it has been widely speculated that year 2010 would be election year and it was also speculated that GST may increase to 9% or 10% in 2011. If my company only implements GST in 2011, the clients would then be totally caught off-guard by the 10% GST and I believe I would likely loose more clients then.I guess it is better to ease my clients from 7% GST first, so when the government increases GST to 9% or 10%, it would be easier for my clients to accept the bitter pill.Of course, another alternative is to stop accepting any more business for the year when my revenue reached $999,999. I should consider 'close shop' and go for vacation then. :p Questions From Readers #1 Yay! I finally have questions from my readers! Haha! You see those popular bloggers or famous personalities, they receive questions from their readers and fans from time to time. I'm getting closer to stardom! Right..... :p*Dancing in the room... leaping across the air... no, you don't want to have the image of me dancing in your mind*I've received 3 questions from 2 readers. Here goes #1:Did u start solo or did u start with a team? Cos I find working alone really tough.Many many many years ago (circa 1996), just after I graduated and started working (yes... that long ago), I had an idea, different from what I am doing now, so I gathered my 3 best pals from university and suggested the idea to them. All were excited by the idea and were fired up to start the business. We met many nights in a cafe after work and bascially just talked and discussed about our future venture. Like many internet start-ups (who wasn't dreaming about being a dot com then? It was dot com fever/rush), we doodled on paper napkins and planned the steps we needed to take. We talked about our visions, our hopes, our aspirations and how big we were going to be. We would talk until the shutter came down and the cafe closed. We would then all go to our respective company the next day bleary eyed and yet feel pumped up again when we meet in the evening. It was a very happy time. There was a strong bond and sense of camaraderie among us.Then it was finally time to start the real work.Based on their strengths, I assigned tasks for each of us. Even then, I had the knack of identifying individual strengths and weaknesses. The next meeting would be one month later.When we met again, E brought in another friend of his, J. E was responsible of the graphics and design portion of our internet project. During our many early discussions, web programming was an identified weakness of the team. At that time, PERL (cgi programming) was the language to use and B was assigned to take up that responsibility. Apparently, E was not confident that we would be able to resolve our lack of technical skill problem so he brought in J.J was a programmer and he was proficient in PERL and web development. The problem was, J already had his company and it was a company of 4. If we collaborated, it would become a company of 8. Too many indian chiefs.During many meetings after that when J had joined, J gave me a feeling that he looked down on our team. He felt that our success depended on him. He gradually treated us like second class citizens and put us down. And disappointingly, E continued not to deliver on his end. There were no graphics, no designs.As time goes by, the meetings became more and more infrequent and then it just stopped. I didn't call for any more meetings because I knew then that the team would have many friction and disagreements due to J's involvement. He did not respect nor value our contribution. We just quietly went our separate ways.From that point onwards, I vowed that I would do something on my own and not depend on anyone in future. I started buying lots of books and did self-studying, getting myself ready for my next eureka moment. I paid attention to ideas that I can do on my own.It took me another three years before a new idea (my current venture) came upon me which I believed I could do it on my own. In between, I read up many technical books and kinda become Jack of all trades but master of none.The first 3 years of my own start-up was one of the toughest period of my life. Something about the New Year eves then. I would always feel very blue and down. Even though I may be surrounded by party revellers, I would feel like an island in the sea of crowd. When people were out celebrating, I would be wondering if it was time to give up. It didn't seem like I was getting anywhere and I still had bills to pay. Self-doubt was a monster which challenged me.Yes, working alone was really tough. When I had problems, I had no business partners to share the burden with and I had to do everything on my own. However, I was fortunate to have married a very supportive and understanding wife. It was my wife who held my hand and walked with me through the darkest patch of my life.But many of the lessons (this, this and this) I learnt then made me who I am today. I was trialed by fire.After 9 years on my own, I am now very used to making my own decisions, implementing my own ideas and solving my own problems.That being said, I would encourage people to have a team. The trick is identifying the right partners and managing the ego and expectations of each individual. Usually, with the right team, you should be able to achieve more in a shorter period of time. Working alone, I was usually constrained by what I myself can do.I don't think there is a general answer to the question. Different circumstances require different approach. My circumstances pushed me to walk the path alone.Mabye, just maybe, I was born to be a lone wolf. A Long Road Ahead It is a chilly and quiet night when most residents in the neighbourhood have turned in. There are only a few lonely windows with lights still on. Outside my window, the rain drizzled. The rain wetting the ground, the roads and the pavement quietly. Gradually, pools of rain water were formed and you can see rings and rings spreading out from the point where the rain drops touched the serene surface. The rain added a chill to an otherwise already cold night.I can't sleep. My mind is still abuzzed with thoughts and activities of the past week.It had been a hectic week. Had meetings with clients (to talk business) and friends (to seek advice), attended a workshop, bought a new 15" Macbook Pro for staff and in between all these, I had to squeeze time to bring my desktop for fixing. Fortunately, all it needed was 'flashing' the ROM to the latest version.For the past 3 years, I've invested $16k each year for a competitive analysis report. Prior to this year, I've always wondered the effectiveness and usefulness of the investment. This year, it has finally proved its value. This year, the report showed that my company had lost 10% market share. When I saw the drop, I queried the account manager who was servicing my company. I had hoped he was able to give me the reasons pertaining to the drop. I bought a competitive analysis report afterall. His analysis was part of the package. Instead, he cooked up some lousy reasons trying to assure me that the drop was just statistical and I should not be concerned. My gut feeling told me his explanations were a total bull. I spent days thinking about the result and poring over the data. I can conclude that my company have indeed lost 10% of market share and it was not due to some statistical changes from an expanded basket of parameters.The result proved it was the right decision made 3 years ago in purchasing the competitive analysis report. This had served its purpose as an early-warning detection system. I've been warned that my market share has been slipping even though my other internal measures are saying otherwise. This was because my internal numbers were only indicative of internal numbers of year to year. The internal numbers were standalone and were not compared to the overall market. Even though the internal numbers have been increasing (year on year), but from the competitive analysis report, it seems like my competitors have grown even faster and chipping away my lead.I'll need to pore through the report and data in detail to identify the root cause of the drop. I'll also need to develop counter-measures to address not only the drop, but to both regain market share and grab more market share while at it. Fortunately, we still have a huge chunk of the market and a huge lead over our nearest competitor. This will buy us time to react.For the past week, I had also been scrutinising my company's financial report and statements for year 2008 (yeah, I know, we are late -_-") and getting it ready for the final submission to IRAS (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore).In the past, I've only paid attention to profits and monitored only cashflow. Thinking back, I (I rolled my eyes) wondered how the heck I reached where I am today without paying attention to balance sheet, revenue and operating expenses? It was a heck of a lucky streak. Looking at my my 2008 financial reports, even though revenue has gone up by 25% but the profit had remained the same. This means that my expenses have gone up. Studying the financial statements, my cost had gone up by 37%! What actually happened was that I've been approving and funding new projects with wild abandon! I made my decision based on the company's bank account. In actual fact, what I did was spending the company's past retained profits. Without realising, I've spending the company's coffer.For the past 9 years, running my company, I've never done any budgeting or business planning. I realised now that this had to change. I need to grow up fast. I need to mature from a all gut-feel and instincts entrepreneur to a number crunching business executive.The burden is heavy on my shoulders. I can feel the weight crushing down on my shoulders. Even though my entrepreneurial venture had carved a moderately successful niche in the market but the competitors are learning and imitating fast. I can feel the crushing stress pressing down on my chest and it is hard to breathe.I wondered who can share with me my burden. I screamed a silent scream piercing the veiled darkness of the night. There was no answer. This is a burden that I am alone to bear... and with the can of beer in my hand as my sole companion. Consortium KL was a friend I've known since my NTU days. He was a course mate and we stayed in the same hostel. He was also the one who shared with me a very important lesson during one of my crossroads.If there were 2 paths to take, one was a dead end but the other path no matter how illogical or how hopeless it appears, if that path offers a glimmer of hope, no matter how slight, it is the path to take.With that lesson, I made a strategic change and without it, I wouldn't be where I am today.For a while, my friend, KL and I toyed with the idea of coming together with other startups and pooling our marketing efforts together. Each of us began touching base with our own contacts and introduced the idea to them. I bounced the idea to my contacts and in turn they bounced the ideas with their contacts.The feedback we received had been very mixed. Some were enthusiastic, some were lukewarm and some were freezing cold.I guess at the end of day, I shouldn't have been surprised by the outcome. We are dealing with a very diverse group of individuals here. Each of us have attained success in our own area. We wouldn't be where we are if we have not been strong-willed, opinionated, focus and maybe even a little proud, some would say, egoistic. :pKL and I knew it wouldn't be easy but we just continue to identify entrepreneurs who are like-minded and shared the same enthusiasm.A few days ago, KL told me he had arranged a meeting with another group of entrepreneurs. He knew I had wanted to get to know and meet them too so he invited me to join them. I think he was also returning a similar courtesy I extended to him a while back.When the day of the meeting drew near and when I didn't receive any further details of the meeting, I asked KL about it when I saw him in messenger. I sensed hesitation in his reply. Then he told me his partner (the co-partner of his current company) would be joining him in the meeting and his partner would prefer to sound them out first without my presence. I was feeling perplexed. KL further told me that his partner thinks everyone just want money so he would be suggesting the idea of a joint IPO with the various startup companies.I asked KL if his partner would be exploring our original idea of pooling our marketing efforts together. Again, I sensed a slight hesitation. So I asked KL if his partner will be discussing IPO with them?His reply was, "Yeah, that."I asked if the joint marketing would be discussed too. His reply, "And that."It was very non-committal and I felt that my friend was not comfortable in giving me direct answers. It was as though he was just skirting on just the border of the question.As KL was a good friend and I didn't want to make things difficult for him, so I just answered him that there will always be other opportunities to meet again so it was alright that I don't join their meeting this time.After I closed the messenger window, I felt disappointment.This originally started as an idea between KL and I. I never expected KL's partner involvement. I feel that he suddenly showed interest was due to the money angle. I was shut out just like that. I feel there is a trust issue here if he can't allow me to participate in the meeting. How can I trust him if he can't even show that he trusts me? This episode left a bitter aftertaste.Even if they successfully formed a company to launch a joint IPO, I won't want to be part of the group. I don't think I have anything in common with KL's partner. I believe we are poles apart. 志不同，道不和。I see the dawn of the rising sun perched on the horizon at the far end of the long long road before me. Today is the start of a new day. With my shadow stretched behind me, I continue the journey.I always walk alone. Live Like We're Dying If you know you are dying, what would you change about the life you are living now? Would you be satisfied or would you die with regrets and unaccomplished dreams?I had been asked many times by others who were on the edge, people who are undecided if they should take the plunge and risk everything to become an entrepreneur, what compelled me to take the leap into the ravine of unknown. I jumped because I wanted to defy gravity and fly. I wanted to soar up into the clear blue sky and touch the sun. Most importantly, I didn't want to have regrets at my deathbed wondering that if I could have realised my dream. I needed to know the answer.I took the plunge 9 years ago. I will not sugarcoat it. My first 3 years were hell. I promise you, if you start your journey of an entrepreneur, it would be one of the most difficult thing you do in life. But you would be living your dream.If you cower behind your fear and you don't have the courage to live your dream, wouldn't you be as good as a soulless body, a walking dead? Yes, the probability of failure is high. 99% of startups fail during the first year. But there is still the 1% chance. To me, that's a fantastic odd!So let me pose to you the question again, if you know you are dying, how would you live your life now?Even if you tried and failed, you would have lived!Sometimes we fall down and can’t get back upWe’re hiding behind skin that’s too toughHow come we don’t say I love you enoughTill it’s to late, it’s not too lateOur hearts are hungry for a food that won’t comeWe could make a feast from these crumbsAnd we’re all staring down the barrel of a gunSo if your life flashed before youWhat would you wish you would’ve doneYeah… gotta startLookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given hereThis is all we got and we gotta start pickin itEvery second counts on a clock that’s tickin’Gotta live like we’re dyingWe only got86 400 seconds in a day toTurn it all around or throw it all awayWe gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘emWhile we got the chance to sayGotta live like we’re dyingAnd if your plane fell out of the skiesWho would you call with your last goodbyesShould be so careful who we live out our livesSo when we long for absolutionThere’ll no one on the lineYeah… gotta startLookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given hereThis is all we got and we gotta start pickin itEvery second counts on a clock that’s tickin’Gotta live like we’re dyingWe only got86 400 seconds in a day toTurn it all around or throw it all awayWe gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘emWhile we got the chance to sayGotta live like we’re dyingLike we’re dying oh - like we’re dying [x2]We only got86 400 seconds in a day toTurn it all around or throw it all awayWe gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘emWhile we got the chance to sayGotta live - like we’re dyingWe never know a good thing till it’s goneYou never see a crash until it’s head onAll those people right when we’re dead wrongYou never know a good thing till it’s goneYeah… gotta startLookin at the hand of the time we’ve been given hereThis is all we got and we gotta start livin itEvery second counts on a clock that’s tickin’Gotta live like we’re dyingWe only got86 400 seconds in a day toTurn it all around or throw it all awayWe gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘emWhile we got the chance to sayGotta live like we’re dyingLike we’re dying oh - like we’re dying [x2]We only got86 400 seconds in a day toTurn it all around or throw it all awayWe gotta tell ‘em that we love ‘emWhile we got the chance to sayGotta live like we’re dyingLive like we’re dying Making Millions A very long time ago, I read that Michael Dell was a millionaire before 30. So when I started my venture, I had aimed and hoped to become a millionaire by the age of 30. Well, let's just say that my 30th birthday had gone by very quietly many years ago and I was nowhere near a million bucks, not even in terms of SGD so let's not talk about USD. :pRecently, I just had a realisation. If my company is making $500k a year and since I own my company wholly, every 2 years, I would have made $1 million. In that sense, I would have made millions already since I've been running my company for 9 years now. If I console myself, I've actually attained my goal some what. So I should aim to make $1 million per year. Heh.But by another calculation, if I were to use P/E ratio (price-to-earnings ratio) to measure my company, it would yield another story. If my company is making a profit of $200k per year and if I were to use a P/E ratio of 8, my company would potentially worth a whopping $1.8 million! Similarly, if my company was only making a profit of $50k a year and I were to use a P/E ratio of 20, my company would also be worth a million dollars. :pActually, all these are just playing with numbers. Whether a company is worth a million dollars, it means nothing, if there is no real buyer or investor to recognise the value a company tags to itself.In the course of my venture, I've met entrepreneurs who would like to thump their chests (imaginary) and proclaim their companies are worth so many many millions. In the end, many of these ventures are the first to fail. Sometimes, I wonder, it seems the bigger the number they inflate their company to be worthed, it seems the quicker they fail.Looking back, do I regret my decision of taking this long and arduous road? My answer is a resounding "NO!". The people I've met, the life I've led and being the captain of my own destiny and charting my own course, the experience to me, is already worth millions! This year alone, within 3 short months, I've made a trip to both Paris and Tokyo respectively. I'm also able to have greater flexibility of time and I get to spend more time with my love ones, to me, that is already priceless.I'm now having the time of my life and I feel like a million bucks! ;) The Dark Paladin A client of ours have defaulted on payment. We have been calling, emailing, sending SMS and eventually we had even sent him a legal letter requesting for payment. Through the one year period while we were chasing payment, the client had never responded to our correspondence. He even ignored the legal letter of demand.When I shared this with a friend of mine, the friend told me that the client does not have any problem paying. He is not facing any financial difficulty. In fact, the client is loaded.Eventually, I had to resort to something which I've not done before in the past 9 years, I instructed my lawyer to commence with civil action and a writ of summons was served to my client.Guess what? The client made a wire transfer immediately on the same day. It was really a wtf moment.When I started my journey 9 years ago, with wide and doe-eyed innocence, I sincerely believed my journey will not change me for the worse. But slowly, my heart hardens and soul is darkened. Every conflict I had hoped to resolve amicably, every conflict just brought me closer to the darkness. I see the world not as beautiful as I thought but a lot more uglier than I realised.About 7 years ago, I had a client who did not make payment. I even paid many visits to his company and he always pleaded with me to give him more time and I always did. This went on for 2 years. When I shared this story with a lawyer friend, he suggested that he'll help me send a legal letter of demand to him. I was very reluctant. I was still hopeful for an amicable resolution but my friend managed to convince me.Within days of sending the letter, I received payment.I learnt my lesson. In fact, many years ago, one client defaulted a payment of $12k which I was never able to recover till this day. From then onwards, when my clients don't pay after a reasonable period of extension, I would instruct my lawyer to send legal letter of demand and I would usually receive payments promptly after that, except this most recent case.It gets easier each time I request my company lawyer to issue a legal letter. Because each time, my heart hardened further.Sometimes, I wonder what's the point of being nice. I just get pushed and trampled all over. Through the 9 years, I heard of rumors and untruths about my company and myself that I no longer feel anything and am immune to them. I realised some people just choose to believe the "jucier" gossips and untruths. If they even bother to exercise their grey matter, they would realise the rumors don't stand. How could or why would my company issue a client a 5 years worth of invoices when the client has only used our service for one year? Can you please exercise your intelligence when you hear things like these? What? We bully our clients? Please explain how we do that? We are fortunate if our clients don't bully us already.Sometimes, when we were nice to our clients and helped them solve their problems out of our own good will, some of these clients would then 得寸进尺 (literal translation: asking for a foot after getting an inch).My heart has now darkened further. I've sent my first writ of summons and succeeded. It was not something I enjoy doing but needed to be done. The end justify the means.Long time ago, my armour would reflect the sunlight with a glorious cobalt blue. Now, my paladin armour shimmers with a dull gun-metal grey under the pale crescent moon.The dark paladin has cometh. Busy Days Just so suddenly, October is upon us. Before long, I'll be busy preparing Christmas cards to be mailed to my clients. Each year, I told myself that we must send the cards on time. Each year, I only managed to mail out almost two hundred Christmas cards on the 23rd, the eve of Christmas eve. This year, I aim (again!) to send out by 1 Dec.Things have happened in a whirl for the past weeks. Don't ask me what I've been busy with because when I look back, everything is a blur. But I did manage to finish all the current twelve volumes of Fables TPB. Oh yes, I finished "Lions In Winter" too. I enjoyed the book. The book is a collection of short stories offering intimate glimpses of the psyche of Singaporeans (of different generations, written by a Singaporean. Now finally after months of hiatus, I've picked up the 1088 page book, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's magnum opus, and started reading from where I stopped.Had planned to blog more regularly in July. Which I did. Had written 11 entries in July which was the most entries I had written for this year. Then, got caught up in work again and only managed to blog 8 entries in August, then 4 in September... Sigh.During the working hours, it'll be a whirlwind of motion and actions. Reading and answering emails, talking to staff and making sure that projects are still on schedule. Other days, I'll be poring over the company numbers: budget, revenue, staff strength etc. Other times, I'll be thinking about the road map of the company. I just have so many ideas that I don't know which one to embark first. Some that I've started but are now stuck because I don't have the time to look at the problems that got the idea stuck. I finally understood why a company needs project managers. I think I really need to further expand the staff strength but do I have enough revenue to sustain?Fortunately, all these problems are not enough to keep me awake all night but they are enough to keep me awake till late at night (because need to work late lah).Even though I'm busy but I'm not feeling stressed. Instead, I'm taking everything in my stride and there is a sense of calm and purpose that guides my actions. Maybe my experience from the past nine years have opened my eyes and I see more clearly now. I also read people and their actions more clearly now. Who are the people who just wants to use us and who are the people who truly have our best interests at heart. It seems clear now.I apologise if my entry seems fragmented but it is a true representation of my current state of mind - fragmented thoughts. :)How I'm feeling now? I'll use the following mental image:I'm lying on the moist green grass on the side of a hill, with my interlocking hands cushioning my head. The gentle night breeze caresses my hair and face, while I admire the few twinkling stars that dots the clear night sky while I drown myself in the serenity of the surrounding expanse...I'm at peace. Tokyo (Mis)Adventures: Day 2 - Sushi Dinner After the fireworks display ended, I was left with the dreaded but necessary task of taking the metro back to my hotel. By looking at the crowd, I knew it will be a herculean task of getting back into the Kachidoki station, let alone the train. Just look at the crowd walking towards ONE station:CrowdsMore crowdsCrowds, crowds and crowdsSome more crowdsWhile walking, I saw a sign which I barely made out the message with the limited Chinese characters on the Japanese message. I guessed that it said this way to Ginza station, 3o minutes away. Checking my metro map I see that I can take the train of Marunouchi line to my hotel. I figured that there would be very much fewer people going towards the Ginaz station so I followed the smaller (but still very large) crowd who are walking in that direction.By this time, I was tired, thirsty and hungry. I had long finished the bottled of water which I had brought along when I left the hotel earlier in the morning. And till then, breakfast was the only meal I had for the whole day (well, it was pretty unappetizing to eat alone so I skipped lunch).Along the way, I passed by many eateries, some big, some small but all were crowded and had long queues formed by the people who were just like me, came from the fireworks display. So I just pressed on and continued walking.After 45 mins, Ginza was still not in sight. Kinda felt cheated by the earlier signboard. By this time, I chanced upon a posh looking Sushi restaurant and there was no queue. Guess it must be more expensive than normal but I really was too tired and hungry to care about the price now. I just wanted an air-conditioned place for me to sit, rest and eat! I mean, I had my credit card with me so I should be able to afford a sushi meal. Have cards, will travel! Right? :pThe sushi restaurant was 2 storeys. The first floor was the reception/cashier. I was led up the wooden stairs to the second floor where the sushi counter and seats were. None of the waiters and waitresses understood English. Fortunately, the menu had pictures and I was able to order by just pointing at the menu and I ordered Head Chef's (店长) special. Well, after a whole day of walking, I wanted to pamper myself. Of course, I ordered an ice-cold beer too.Ice cold beer and appetizerThe sushi restaurant, there were more seats at the other endEr... the tableThe big guy is the head sushi chefHead Chef's specialLook at the beautiful and colourful layout of the sushi. They were really as tasty as they look. The sushi was fresh and sweet. Each piece was an enjoyment in itself. It was so good that after finishing the 12 pieces of sushi, I still had room for more.On the table, there was an order form and a pencil in a cylindrical container. I saw other customers in the restaurant ticking off the paper and passed it to the waiter. Well, while in Rome, do as the Romans do. With my limited knowledge of Hiragana and Katakana, I ticked off 5 more pieces of different sushi. I barely made out the words like maguro so it was one of the five types I ordered.After I placed my order, a waiter came back to me and asked me in a long string Japanese words which I indicated to him that I didn't understand. He paused for a moment and using his hand mimicking a slicing gesture and asked in a one word English, "Cut? Cut?!"I was perplexed. Of course I want my sushi cut. Else how I'm going to eat them? I slice the meat from the fish itself? So I answered, "Hai! Hai!"A short while later, I was shocked by what I was presented.................................................30 pieces of sushi!I swear that all the other patrons in the restaurant stared at me when the waiter brought me my sushi. Apparently, I didn't order 5 pieces of sushi; I ordered 5 ROLLS of hosomaki (thin rolls sushi)! I was already full by looking at the 30 pieces of sushi! I was afraid I would dishonour the chef and he would perform seppuku if I didn't finish them. So I just kept stuffing them into me.In the end, I finished 25 pieces. My stomach was really about to burst. Either I die or the chef commit seppuku. As a matter of self-preservation, of course I chose the later. :pAfter I told the waiter to clear my table, he later came back with a plate of dessert. I nearly died on the spot.Black sesame seed jellyFinally, I made my payment of ¥6,867 for my sushi meal. I'm actually glad that I need to walk some distance more to the Ginza station. Tokyo (Mis)Adventures: Day 2 - Fireworks Yesterday, while taking the Tokyo metro and on my way back after worshiping the life-size Gundam, I noticed a fireworks poster in my train carriage. From the few Chinese characters available on the poster, I realised that 8 August (my second day in Tokyo) was actually the Tokyo Bay Fireworks Festival! I lucked out!After helping my friend buy his Boba Fett and Evangelion 1.0 Kubricks from Mandrake at Nakano (told you the shopping lists from my friends were long), I made my way to Harumi Park via the Odeo line at 4.30 PM. Along the way, there were more and more people boarding the trains. Many of them were in their yukata and sandals. It was really an exciting scene. You can really feel the festive mood. By the time, I alight at Kachidoki station, the train carriages were already packed like sardines.This was what greeted me when I exited from the train at around 5.30 PM:I gingerly made my way out of the station and then I met with even more people. I actually didn't know where the viewing point was but all I needed to do was just follow the crowd. Look at the amount of people (click on the image below to enlarge). :DBy the time I reached Harumi Park, it was already 6.00 PM. The fireworks would start at 7.00 PM and it was scheduled to end at 8.20 PM, an 80 minutes worth of fireworks display! There were in total 3 viewing areas. I was at viewing area 3 and look at the number of people who had gathered for the fireworks. I see families, group of friends, couples, teenagers, working adults etc. I was really glad to be among the crowd.Look at the large turnoutThe red dusk with the rainbow bridge in the background6.59 PM, a minute before the fireworksAnd the fireworks ignited the darkening sky!I quickly switched to video mode of my camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3) when I realised the still images are not doing justice to the spectacular fireworks that I was witnessing, throughout the fireworks dispaly, I kept hearing exclamations of "Kirei", "Kawaii" and "Sugoi". I've uploaded a total of 10 videos (many days were spent uploading them). To view them in HD, please click on the video and view them at Youtube.com.1. A shower of golden fireworks:2. Fireworks with shapes of smileys, sakura and ladybird:3. An explosion of colours:4. Fireworks with shapes of neko (cat) and more:5. Red explosions:6. I forgot to zoom!:7. Fireworks ('nuff said! :p):8. I think fireworks is cheap in Japan... :p :9. Fireworks of varied colour rings:10. More fireworks (Fine! I ran out of ideas!):The 80 minutes of fireworks sure beat the 10 minutes of fireworks that we get during National Day, which we braved the traffic and crowd for an hour to get to the viewing point.8 August 2009, Tokyo. A magical night. Tokyo (Mis)Adventures: Day 1 - Gundam I've finally made my way towards the destination where stood the steely reason that I've traveled 5300km for. I took out my folded Tokyo Metro map from my back jeans pocket and confirmed the metro route that I needed to take. I had printed the Tokyo Metro map (pdf version) while I was in Singapore. It is just so much more convenient to have the metro map with you while traveling in Tokyo.This is how Singapore subway (SMRT) map looks like:SMRT MapThis is how the Tokyo subway map looks like:Tokyo Metro MapHaha! Yeah, it may look complicated to us, Singaporeans, when we first see it. But don't feel daunted. It is not complex at all. All the lines are colour-coded for easy viewing. It is very easy to figure out the route to take. For me, I just locate the two stations, starting and destination.My starting station, Shinjuku station:Shinjuku StationThe Shinjuku station is boxed up with 4 coloured ovals. It simply means that the Odeo (denoted by pink colour and alphabet E), Marunouchi (denoted by orange colour and alphabet M) and Shinjuku (denoted by green colour and alphabet S) lines pass through the Shinjuku station. I've a choice of the 3 lines at Shinjuku station.Shiodome Station I need to get to Odaiba which is served by the Yurikamome line. As shown on the map above, I can transfer to Yurikamome line at Shidome station which is on the Odeo line. There, couple with a Suica or Passmo card, navigating the metro maze is simple, isn't it? :)Some views along the Yurikamome line:Yes, Gundam appears in the distance. I'm getting closer!The uninterrupted and non-stop crowd going to and from Gundam viewing. You see the crowd is made up of families, teenagers, kids and couples... the appeal of Gundam is universal!So now I present to you, GUNDAM (please click to enlarge):I joined the queue to go under Gundam to get close and personal view of its crotch underside.I took really really lots of photos while I was there. I can't believe it but while I was there, with a real Gundam towering before me, I was choked with emotions and almost wanted to cry. I was moved. Maybe because Gundam had accompanied me during my growing years and the memories, feelings and emotions were personified in that instant - in the form of a lone standing metallic figure. It was like a dream come true, to have a solid towering Gundam RX-78-2 before me.At that moment, any doubt that I was crazy to have made the trip was totally erased from my mind. It was the right decision to have gone and I thank my wife and family for allowing me to indulge myself of my whims.As the sky was getting dark and the ominous clouds gathered with the threat of a heavy downpour, I made my way to the shopping building to have my first meal (dinner) of day 1.The problem with traveling alone is that it feels extremely lonesome having dinner on your own. There isn't anyone you can talk to. If you go to a foodcourt or fastfood joint, no one to hold the seat and table for you. If you visit restaurant, you can't order too many varied dishes as you are unlikely to finish them. In the end, I opted for a simple fare - Ramen. The charsiew was melt in your mouth goodness and the yolk in the tamago (egg) was runny and soft as it should.After I finished my dinner, it was pouring very heavily (the blurness of the photo was due to the rain, not my photography skills :p). I waited for an hour plus for the rain to subside before I make my way back to the park again.Gundam at night:That night, I went back my hotel room a happy and satisfied Gundam fanboy.Update: Gundam had been dismantled. T.TTo be continued...(Earlier trip reports here.) Tokyo (Mis)Adventures: Day 1 - My Hotel After crossing "scallops tidbits" off the shopping list given to me by my friends back in Singapore and after shopping in a 5 storeys toyshop at Ueno with my roll-along luggage tottering (you'll see many people pulling the roll-along luggage on the streets too) behind me, I made my tired and struggling-to-remain-open eyes to my hotel - Hotel Century Southern Tower.This hotel was suggested by a good friend of mine and it was indeed a very good recommendation. The hotel is very conveniently located near the Shinjuku train station. I've booked the room directly through the hotel's online reservation and it offered the cheapest rate than the few hotel online booking portal. I actually paid ¥18,480 (rate for the standard single room) but the hotel upgraded me to their standard twin room (which normally costs ¥25,410).Even though their regular check-in time was 2.oo pm but they were able to give me a room at slightly before 1 pm when I arrived.My RoomIt was a spacious 26m2 and it has broadband! A king-size bed all to myself! And the hotel even provides English newspapers to my room every morning! Breakfast was inclusive too! How cool is that?!View from my room (day)The sky was overcast when I checked into my room and I was going to meet my life-size Gundam in the evening. =_=View from my room (night)The night view of a metropolis, the urban night sky that is lit by the city lights and stretches as far as the eye can see. The middle tall building that obstructs the view from my room was supposedly a women university. Unfortunately, I was there during the weekends so I hardly had a chance to spy any cute Japanese lady undergraduates during my stay. :pMy breakfastView from the breakfast restaurant on the 20th floorEven though the breakfast spread was quite varied and interesting but try having the same choices 3 days in a row. :pAnyway, after I checked into my hotel room, the first thing I did was to boot up the netbook that I loaned from a friend to check my work emails (it was Friday afterall) and logged onto my msn. Fortunately, no work related issues so I just continued surfing and resting a bit before I took a shower and made my way to Shiokaze Park, Odaiba, where the 18-m Gundam was erected.As I've mentioned earlier, the hotel is in a very well-placed location:StarbucksI've Starbucks just at my doorstep and this Shinjuku outlet served the best Starbucks Latte I've ever tasted in my coffee drinking life. The coffee was just smooth and it flowed easily down my throat. I can't have enough of it!Krispy KremeThe famous Krispy Kreme donuts from the U.S. of A. There was a queue that snaked to the exterior of the shop and the signboard at the door states the waiting time was 10 minutes. It was not as bad as compared to when it just opened its outlet. Look at the queue then in 2007.Takashimaya16 levels (2 basement levels) of Takashimaya and don't know how many levels of Kinokuniya bookstore were just across my hotel, within walking distance.Okay, enough of the introduction. Finally, I'm making my way to Gundam.To be continued...(Earlier trip reports here.) Corporate Junk #23 Came back from a meeting sometime in the afternoon today. When I came back to my home office, the voice message machine was blinking indicating one new voice message received. I pressed to listen to the message and I got a shock.Angry caller, "What kind of service you providing? You call this service? Keep on calling and calling and no one picks up the phone!"My mind was rushing through a series of scenarios on how I should call back and how I should respond when the message played its last sentence, "You call yourself a 5-star hotel?!!!"Er... dude! You've been calling the wrong number and you blaming others?*Shake head*And just my luck to be the recipient of the unwarranted wrath. Poor guy... all worked out for nothing. Corpoarte Junk #22 I received a phone call yesterday. It was a non-client seeking some technical advice. I tried to help as much as I can and advised as best as I can even though he was not a client.After talking about 15 mintues, out of nowhere, he suddenly blurted out, "Like many companies, my company don't like your company!"I was shocked and wondered where did that come from! I totally didn't deserve that comment. My first reaction was to reply, "Fxxx you, understand!"With great restrain and biting my tongue. I. HELD. BACK.Instead, I replied, "Thank you for your feedback." And he put down the phone.I was actually fuming. Just because the non-client cannot adapt to new technology, they put the blame on us? Just because my company made use of the new technology (now considered old technology already) and came out with a new product, we were to be blamed for their inadaptability?Darn! Where was my witty and quick retort when I needed it.I should have replied, "Many of our clients love our company and our products actually, thank you very much!"Argh! Tokyo (Mis)Adventures: Day 1 - Late Morning I arrived at Tokyo station about 11 am. Once I alighted from the train, I was immediately met by the strong summer heat of Tokyo. It felt as though a wall of air-con exhaust had just hit me. It was a burning furnace!I took the Yamanote line to continue my journey to Ameyoko at Ueno.Inside Ueno Station and I saw Sumo wrestlers:Outside Ueno Station, just look at the bright sky and you can begin to imagine how hot it was:Ameyoko Market Street:I was to get some scallop tidbits for a friend, Khoon. He told me it was available at the first dried goods shop near the start of the Ameyoko market and he was absolutely right. There was only one dried goods shop near the entrance of the market street so there was no mistaking it. He also told me the shop owner speaks Chinese so I should have no problem buying the tidbits from him.Indeed, I met the owner and I spoke in Chinese, "我要买干贝，有吗?" (translation: I would like to buy some scallops, do you have them?).He replied enthusiastically, "有, 有!" (translation: Yes, yes!)I happily bought 3 bags of scallops as requested by my friend and happily checking off one item from the shopping requests list. Each bag was about S$30 which was quite close to the price my friend had told me.When I returned to Singapore and passed them to my friend, my friend was speechless. These were what I bought,......................................I had bought the real dried scallops that were meant for cooking, not eating as tidbits. To be honest, the scallops did look suspiciously familiar when I bought them but I just brushed my spider-sense off. :pApparently, the dried goods were displayed on the left side and the tidbits were displayed on the right side of the shop. Guess which side of the shop I was standing at when I made the purchase?Clever! I was standing on the wrong side of the shop! The rule of 50%-probability-is-100% has struck again. Of two sides of the shop to stand, I had to stand on the dried goods side and the shopkeeper would obviously think that I was asking for the dried scallops that were used for cooking.Now, both our families would not run out of scallops for cooking porridge for some time to come. :pTo be continued... Tokyo (Mis)Adventures: Day 1 - Early Morning After 7 hours of flight and catching only 2 hours of sleep, bleary eyed, I touched down at Narita Airport. Feeling excited, I'm one step closer to meeting Gundam in the evening.I was walking outside the travelator as I was rushing for the Narita Express (N'EX) at 9.15 am to Shinjuku. I've only an hour to clear the immigration, get my bag, clear the customs and find the N'EX ticketing counter. A friend of mine took an hour to clear the immigration a day earlier due to the large number of flights arriving in the morning.It was fortuitous that my friend warned me about the queue. Even though I had walked at a quicker pace, when I joined the queue at the immigration, it was already quite long. There were about 10 counters and it still took me 45 minutes. While I was waiting for my turn, more flights landed and the queue just grew impossibly long.By the time I was out of the custom, I had only 10 minutes to buy my Suica and N'EX promotion ticket package. I would recommend anyone who travels to Tokyo and taking the N'EX to purchase this promotion package. My train ticket price to Shinjuku alone would have cost me ¥3,110. With the package, I only paid ¥3,500 and the Suica (similar to Singapore's ez-link card) comes with ¥2,000 stored value. Effectively, I only paid ¥1500 for the N'EX ticket.Pulling my roll-along luggage and with 5 minutes to spare, I made it to the platform. A train was already waiting there. The reputation of Japan's trains punctuality precedes them. As the N'EX train carriages split at Tokyo station, I need to be seated in the correct carriage that will continue to travel to Shinjuku station after the train split, leaving the other carriages at the Tokyo station.Clutching my ticket, I searched for my carriage.Carriage number, checked. LED display outside the carriage stating destination Shinjuku, checked. Seat 4A in the carriage, checked. With a minute to spare, I took a few shots of the train. See the second picture, my carriage was a double-decker. So cool, right?About 15 minutes into the journey, a ticket warden came into my carriage and requested me to present the ticket. With his broken English, I gathered that he was telling me that I was in the wrong train! I pointed my ticket that stated seat 4A and pointed at my seat and it also says 4A. He kept shaking his head.I asked him in my broken Japanese, "Kore wa, Narita Express, desu ka?" (translated literally: This, Narita Express, is it?)Then he showed me the diagonal ultraman cross sign, "Dameh, dameh!" and I was escorted out of the carriage to a single deck carriage.Yeah, I was blasted by "ultraman" to the normal carriage. Apparently, the double-decker carriage was a green car (aka reserved carriage, aka first class seats). :pThe fortunate thing was that I was not booted out of the train and the train was actually the JR Sobu line (Rapid Service) which still brings me to Tokyo station except it takes 30 minutes longer to reach. I only paid more for a slower train. =_=This is actually so typical of my luck, similar to my experiences of taking MRT in Singapore. Whenever I was in a rush and two trains arriving simultaneously at the station platform, I would rush into one and only realising it was the wrong train after the doors have closed or it had traveled a few stops. When there are 2 choices, according to probability, the chance of me choosing the wrong train is only half (50%). But for me, it would be 100% the wrong train... all the time! =_=As the train continues the journey, my normal carriage was getting crowded as it picked up more passengers along the way and some had no seats and had to stand. Whenever the train door opened, I can feel the gush of warm air being sucked into the carriage. It must be very hot outside the air-conditioned train as I see many ladies using big handkerchiefs wiping off their perspiration.There was one young and pretty lady, as fate would have it, stood right in front of me after she boarded. She was also using her big pink hanky mopping her crystal beads of perspiration. In one fluid motion, she pushed her hanky into her shirt, between her breasts and wiped away her perspiration.Being the gentleman that I am, feeling embarrassed and shocked, I averted my eyes. *red-faced*As I had the impression that Japanese people were very discreet and courteous, you can imagine my surprise that I was 'welcome' by the image before me. However, I also observed that no one else in the carriage was bothered by what transpired. I had to guess that it was ... common?Throughout the rest of the trip, I kept my eyes looking away or staring at the floor.I had originally planned to check-into my hotel and leave my luggage in the hotel's bag room (official check-in time is 2 pm) while I complete one item off my shopping list for a friend. While the train progressed and I guesstimate that since I'll only reach my hotel at about 11 am, I decided to go straight to Ueno and buy the scallop tidbits (no idea there's such a thing and don't know how it should look or taste like) instead.To be continued...P.S. This is how the real Narita Express should look like. I attribute my blurness to the only 2 hours of sleep that I managed on the flight to Tokyo. :p Tokyo (Mis)Adventures: Prologue The original plan was to fly to Tokyo in July but the trip never materialised as my wife fell sick and I decided to stay back. After that, I had given up going Tokyo to see the life-sized Gundam at Odaiba as the enthusiasm had waned. Actually, I felt guilty leaving my family while I fly to Tokyo just to see a lifeless 18 metres tall inanimate metal and steel structure.Then DK who is a non-fan of Gundam had to blog about it too! This awakened my fanboy desire to see the Gundam figure again. Yes, I totally hold DK responsible for making me spend the money and leaving my family behind during the National Day long weekend!Honestly, I was at odds as to whether to fly to Tokyo just for a 4D/3N short trip. Even though the trip costs about $2k ($1k for the flight and $300 per night at Hotel Century Southern Tower), it was an amount I can afford and was prepared to spend. I had asked my wife along for the short trip but she couldn't bear to leave our 2 sons with my mum or her parents during our absence. My wife knowing how I am a fanboy encouraged me to make the trip and assured me she'll be able to bring our elder son to and back from school on Friday. She said it was just one day and I should feel safe to relieve my "chauffeur" duty to her for one day.I guess due to the National Day long weekend holidays, the promotional price for the flight tickets to Tokyo had already been sold out. If I go, I had to pay the full fare. :pIt may sound crazy flying about 5300 km just to see a robot. But I had a friend who flew all the way to London to attend Madonna's live concert and another friend flew to Korea (multiple trips) to see her idols. I don't think I'm doing anything different, right? I've worked so hard for the past 9 years and I deserved to take a short break and splurge a little, right?All my life, I've made my decisions for the sake of others and I've not really lived life for myself. In the end, I decided to live life a little and live life for myself, albeit just briefly.So on 6 August, armed with shopping lists of 3 friends, I flew to Tokyo in SQ A380... alone.P.S. I had originally planned to blog this entry and schedule it to be published automatically while my flight took off. It should be obvious that not only did the original plan not realised, I only managed to blog this entry today... 15 days later. :p Jogging I hate jogging actually. I find it the most difficult sport. Ask me to do push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and squats, I'll do. All these I had done when I was the ACE main spiker of my secondary school and junior college volleyball team.After I left school and joined the workforce, it was difficult to find time to exercise and enjoy and team sports. At least that was what I told myself. Gradually, when I past 30, my metabolism dropped drastically and I soon found myself ballooned from 70 kg to 78 kg. Well, for my height of 1.80 m, I wasn't really overweight but just looked a bit more rotund. :pFor a while, I tried to loose weight by watching my diet. No more fatty skin of chicken, duck or pork. I'll just remove the skin and eat the meat. No chicken rice, no butter (no Ya Kun), no cakes, no cheese, coffee without milk (kopi-o) only, no laksa, no soft drinks, no nasi lemak and no fried food. I only ate soupy stuff when I'm having meals at the hawker centres. In 9 months, my weight dropped to 73 kg. These I did for 2 years and my weight dropped and stayed at 73 kg for a while. On the third year, maybe my body adjusted, my weight started to shoot up again till 76 kg.I knew the next step was to jog. But I just couldn't bring myself to it. I tried, I really did. But whenever I started jogging, I can feel the heart protesting and pounding fiercely against my chest, waiting to explode. My breathing will be shallow and I feel the world spinning around me. Just after a few hundred meters, I had to stop and give up. If not, I really think I'm gonna just collapse then and there.A few months ago, I tried again. This time I thought of starting slow first. Since I can't jog, I'll start by brisk walking. I started with brisk walking of 15 mintes, then 30 minutes to the current 1 hour. In the beginning, I did it only twice a week. Now, I'm doing thrice weekly. Then I tried to jog one round around my estate after the 1 hour of brisk walk. The first 3 attempts, my calf muscles would cramp and I needed to stop. I would not have even finished half a round my estate.For the past 3 weeks now, I'm able to finish jogging one round around my estate after my 1 hour of brisk walk. And my jog is no longer feel as difficult as it used to be. In fact, I'm able to have proper breathing and my heart no longer feel strained nor stressed. If the estimation from online map is correct, I would have walked about 9 km and jogged 2 km.My weight is now 74 kg.In future, I'll be slowly reducing my time for brisk walk and increase the jogging to 2 rounds around my estate then later 3... maybe 4.Unlike my friends who seemed to be natural born jogger (many of them signed-on with the army and jogged constantly during our university days), I was not one. I also don't think I'm a natural born entrepreneur.Like jogging, my entrepreneur venture is where it is today, is simply because I just keep trying. I persevere. If I can't take big steps then I'll take baby steps. Maybe I'll take a longer time but eventually I'll get there as long as I don't give up.I am where I am today simply because I've spent 9 years of my life in my venture. The result is the culmination of my 9 years of effort.The secret to success - don't give up. If I can do it, so can you!