Sunday, June 26, 2005

Charity

A few days ago, I saw some people were throwing things out of a car. I thought they were throwing rubbish but when I looked closely, they threw new kitchen napkin, a plastic bucket, clothings, etc. It was for CHARITY!

It was a good thing that people give out for charity, yet a friend commented that this kind of charity is ineffective because it was not properly directed to the people who really need it. What do you think?

I think it was a very interesting experience to observe. In my opinion, it would be better to donate through a proper charity channel rather than randomly tossing things out of a car. I saw a puzzled look on the face of who retrieved the stuff. It was a feeling of confusion instead of gratefulness. Some even eyed the package with suspicion.

Learn and Grow

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Cheapest Fare, Longest Delay

Yesterday, my flight from Jogjakarta to Jakarta was delayed for more than 2.5 hours. It was the longest delay I've ever experienced in domestic flight. Was it a coincidence that this was also the cheapest fare I've paid for an airline ticket? The usual fare is about USD 40, but the price for this budget airline was only USD19.

I've tried many budget airlines, the better ones and the lesser ones. The biggest advantage is of course the cheap fare.
The drawbacks:
  • problems with punctuality
  • inflexibility in terms of changing flight (The total cost may be higher than buying a standard airline ticket)
  • cramped seat and limited leg room (These depend on the type of aircraft)
  • extremely cold air conditioning (I still wonder why...is it a perception in our country that cold means luxury?)
Lessons:
If you are travelling using budget airlines, please consider these few things:
  1. The importance of punctuality in your trip. If you are on a business trip, you may consider taking other carrier
  2. The flexibility of your schedule. If your schedule is not fixed, do not take a budget airline.
  3. The length of your flight. If your flight is longer than 3 hours, do you mind discomfort and fatigued ?
  4. Bring a jacket or sweater, a bottle of water and some food
Learn and Grow!

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Books and Reading

I believe that having a reading habit is essential for your personal growth and development.

It is very important to choose what kind of books you read. Reading a lot of positive, inspirational books will get you motivated and inspired, while reading newspaper may get you paranoid and worried.

One of the major benefits of reading is learning from other people's experience. If they have made mistakes, you learn how to avoid making the same mistakes. If they share how they become successful, you can follow their success path.

If you are young and may not have a lot of experience under your belt, my advice is to learn as fast as you can, as much as you can from books. Use the knowledge you learn from books as a foundation, then build upon it through practical experiences.

I would like to share with you some of books that I've read in the last few months.

The book that I am reading now:
  • Customer Centered Selling by Robert L. Jolles
The last five books that I read:
  1. The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn
  2. Carolyn 101 by Carolyn Kepcher, Stephen Fenichell
  3. The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham
  4. Difficult Conversation: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
  5. Deception Point by Dan Brown
Books that I have bought yet not read:
  1. The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey
  2. How to Build A Multi-Level Money Machine by Randy Gage
My favourite business book at the moment:
  • Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins
My favourite inspirational book at the moment:
  • The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn
My favourite marketing book at the moment:
  • Kotler On Marketing by Philip Kotler
Lessons:
1. Have a good reading habit
2. Choose wisely the books you read

Learn and Grow!

Some of my collections