What’s the trouble with love?

The trouble with love is we all get used to it at some point. We get used to having a companion, we get used to having someone doing certain things for us and we reciprocate with other deeds for our partner. There’s nothing wrong with companionship and this act of reciprocation but the trouble happens when we get used to it. We become demanding, we demand time, attention and respect and we stop earning and/or working for it. I guess as with everything, when we get too comfortable, the zone turns grey and becomes uninteresting.

On a really bad day, sometimes we don’t even know how we ended up in that unkind spot in the first place. It would be futile to question anyway since a place like this, isn’t built overnight. Respect and trust can erode very dramatically over a specific incident, and at the same time unnoticeably gnawed away by our ignorance over time – 1 year, 5 years, 10 years. It is difficult to say whether the relationship can be saved (although I would like to believe that everything is possible if you want to) but it is really quite difficult to expect two persons to be as loving, or even as caring as couples of a decade or more ought to be. That’s right, too much fairytales. Reality is like viewing the sun without Raybans and it’s a lot more harsher than we thought.

So before you continue to spiral into oblivion with your partner, take some time out and think if something is amiss. The best judge of whether you both are on the same vector, I supposed, is to see if you’ve been growing close along the years. If you are distant, then suck it up and admit the distance. Don’t figure it out on your own as it will only prove that your relationship is handicapped. Clapping is an act achievable only by both hands, no? Well unless of course, truth is you’re only interested in a relationship with yourself, then why not :)

Well, my advice will be - Life’s too short. So don’t mess it up for other people.

Good luck and have yourself a very merry Christmas.

Picture credit to Behance Network.

The 'jilting' theory.

Research says that people who were denied something, will want it more. But are also more likely to give it up when they finally get it.

Hmm. Relevant in marketing? Relevant in courting? Games or not, you decide ;)

Culture commoditized.

Remember we spoke about how culture can only flourish in this age when it is commoditized?

Mehndi inspired cookies.

Honda EV-N to debut in Tokyo Motorshow.

Wowee. We'll be seeing this retro looking little guy at Tokyo Motorshow. I'm not so sure about the specs, features and all, but you can find the original post here. This fusion of electro minimalism and vintage styling, likin' it ;)

I guess there are two kinds of minimalism in automotives. The high performance, road tearing vehicles which need everything to be made out of carbon fibre of aluminium or this, the cutesy super compact, super practical EVs that only have fittings that are absolutely necessary, which otherwise it's deadweight to the poor battery.

Brilliant insight on photography.

Ad 1: Horizontal spread versus pillar wrapped.

Ad 2:

Ad 3: Friend sent me a link to this. Sometimes we've just got to bend our minds, to see things which are so obviously there, yet we're enemies to familiarity. The simplicity of it all: What goes around, comes around.

Original post here.

Reformation number 2?

Since last year, Malaysians have been keeping an eye on the political scene. Once an uneventful issue had since grabbed headlines, becoming more sensational each day. We had an 'unofficial' debate last night on whether it was 'politically' correct (pun intended) for Anwar to seize power albeit in the most non-confrontational manner when the majority had decided and voted for ruling party, BN to continue governance in this country. Well, it's a tough question because, as much as these new generations of Malaysians, inclusive those awakening from their indifference, want to see a positive change in the country and perhaps, even dared to imagine waking up to a new Malaysia two days ago, they however do not represent the majority as proven by the results of the election. Seizing power after a nationwide election does seem like we're sidelining what we have been propagating thus far, which is full democracy (although, how many of us had truly enjoy that privilege?). So do we wait? Do we sit and do nothing for the next 5 years till we vote again and perhaps, this time, we vote with more courage? I have no answers. All I know is, Malaysians have reshuffled their priority and have grown leaps and bounds in terms of maturity which was greatly underestimated by the government. Perhaps the one thing which stands between us and reformation, is racial integration which sadly, is not what BN has in mind. If you ask me, I know what I want and I'll vote for whomever who is able to remove 'racial identification' from any forms, provide monetary assistance and benefits by segregation of socio-economic classes and needs and not by race. This will ultimately give 'bumiputra' (translate: NATIVE) recognition to anyone who has a birth certificate from this country. Also, I will vote for whomever who is able to narrow the digital divide between our country and at least, our leading neighbouring countries, thereby improving our broadband infrastructure and status by injecting funds into the right places for the right projects using the right expertise and to finally allow for fair competition amongst native corporations and a controlled competition from foreign ones.

Racial issue is a sensitive one because unfortunately, some of our leaders are a little short-sighted in this area where they mix business with their personal cause. Drawing the Quran and attempting to use it as the so-called 'infallible' sword to garner forced-support from fellow Muslims is not the way to run the country. At least, not the way I would run the country. And I cannot sum it any better than Din Merican who is one of Malaysia's prominent bloggers especially in his post on the Press Release from the Muslim Professionals Forum - ha! This is for cowards who are hiding behind their false religious beliefs inciting unnecessary dissension amongst our countrymen!

If I, Sparks, were to be detained by the ISA tomorrow (if I stop blogging for a week, you'd know), I won't even know who or where to get help from. I am supposed to feel safest in my country after all, no? Well, perhaps there will be many others like me, probably hundreds, even thousands of bloggers who have the same sentiment as me, detained? It won't be that lonely after all...

How to have a wardrobe of designer stuff and pay a fraction for it?

Is this possible? A designer clothing, shoes, bags and accessories bank? Shared by a group of friends? Good friends? Best friends? How do you avoid cat fights when you need the same pair of Blahniks that your bff decides to strut on to her company's party on the same night?

Inspired by a trail of fashion movies, chick flicks and lits, designer wear is now even more accessible than ever. Especially when you're talking about a segment of very independent female power (more on the spending, less on the will) that is growing in the middle upper class segment. Sure, they can afford a piece or two designer bags which cost RM5, 000 each but with the bombardment of media these days fueling this insatiable desire to carry the latest season badges, who can resist the addiction?

In UK I read, women (best girl friends) are sharing closets. They purchase bags and shoes of thousands of pounds at a fraction of the price because it's split between the 'owners'. The only setback is, your closet may not be living together with you for at least an agreed period of time. I think it has always been a common practice among sisters to share clothes and stuff especially if they're the same size and have similar taste. But among friends? What happens if one decides to migrate? How do we fight for the custody of our shoes? Do you think it's even possible for Malaysian women to do that? I think it is. Who would start first? Is it possible to do this amongst strangers? What about an online fashion bank? How would it be different from the rental concept? What can be shared and what cannot?

New law for Malaysian speeding ticket?

I've been thinking and comparing Singapore's drivers point deduction system with whatever existing traffic rule we have in Malaysia. A simple reason why probably Singapore's system will never be effective (or as effective) in our country is because of the rampant 'duit kopi' (in international language: bribery). Not that there's none happening in Singapore (I wouldn't know) but what I'm pretty definite is, none as rampant as Malaysia.

Well, then an idea struck me on how to duplicate this point system and yet keep it in a way that has the least inteference from our so-called law enforcers (and this I mean by majority of them. Not all but majority because we always have a few good men. Too few if you ask me). Imagine a system similar to Singapore's ERP and/or Japan's ETC equivalent. Imagine all Malaysians from now on have to pay an extra credit of RM200 into their driver's license account. Everytime one hit the red light or went over the speed limit, a certain amount of money will be deducted from this 200 bucks automatically. It could be really cheap, I mean RM20 for speeding compared to RM300 if you've really been sent the ticket. But what the positive points which I'd very much like to highlight are:
1) RM20 is BETTER than paying RM50 for you-know-what because in actual fact you never really have to pay that RM300
2) The 'beep' when money is deducted from your account will serve as a life time reminder to never speed when you're not supposed to. Ever
3) It really, really, and I mean REALLY makes you think twice about hitting that red light too
4) Equal treatment and equal punishment for all since the system must also be deployed using special set of traffic lights and speed trackers. This reinforces the importance of enforced law and not chance

Anyway, come to think of it. Instead of paying back the 'rakyat' (people) cash for the recent fuel hike, the government could use this system to reward citizens with good behavior. For those who never gotten their RM200 deducted, will earn interest. So in order to make more money, you've got to stay clean. If at the 11th month of your interest-earning period, you decide to go with the wind on KESAS, then so will your money.

Tell me if you think something like that would work here. Or in your country, wherever you are. Cause I think it's a pretty good idea, no?

Colour me learn?

An anatomy guidebook for students or anyone who wants to learn more about what goes on in our shell. Which is rather interesting as colouring seems more like child play to some. I think it's a cool method to teach the learner subliminally without forcing too much into his or her head.

Colouring is an acknowledged form of therapy, although I'm not sure whether it is, scientifically. Colouring can help us to take our mind off our surroundings and immerse into a meditative and concentrated state which ultimately helps us to relax. When we're more relaxed, our mind becomes more inclined to absorb knowledge, therefore whatever we think it's just child play, could be subconsciously seared on the back of our minds. If only my history books came in pictures instead of text, I would have coloured every single thing and score with flying colours.

I wonder what else could we use this system for? I think primarily it will be highly beneficial for fields related to teaching and learning. Anything else?

Sign of caution.

What does this 'P' driving sticker truly mean? Yes, we all know it means 'Probational Driver' in Malaysia which you need to stick it on the front and back of your windscreen so that it projects high visibility to other road users. But really, what does it mean?


Is this merely a sign to signal other 'unfriendly' road users to be patient and give way? Or is it to tell other drivers that there is a newbie on the road. And the newbie, sometimes becomes the unruly one for various incomprehensible show off factors, which we need to beware of? You won't believe how much power men (or women) wield when they get behind the wheels. Which reminds me of an insight we discovered a couple of years ago when pitching for the Ministry of Transport. When people get behind wheels, they morph into different beings. Cold, impatient, rude, spiteful and they can even speak French when provoked (a different kind of French that is). Can't imagine that being your girl-next-door colleague, or your kids-hugging-wife-kissing dad, right? Yea, we all morph into horrible beings when behind wheels. You and I.

Someone told me that her mom puts the P sticker on even when she doesn't need to because she thinks it's 'safer'. What other meanings can we find in this sticker which is unintended but significant? Is it really safer when we see a P driver? Safer to whom? Or is the letter P another lame excuse for lame driving skills? Speaking of having stickers to signal caution to other drivers, Japan has a special one for elderly drivers who are 70 and above (70, if I'm not mistaken). Can we adopt something similar here? Can we have different stickers to signal different sort of drivers behind wheels such as the elderly, the handicapped, the pregnant, etc? Sharing more specific information like this, would it help people to change their expectations, attitude and behavior when they see different sort of stickers? Well, I think helping people to be more aware of the surroundings simply helps them to react better. No?

The secret of Japan.

Am back. Shop's open, work resumes as per usual. Sigh.

A good sigh for a good trip :)

Anyway, one of the best parts of my trip was to finally be able to articulate what I thought was amiss in my own country. The habit of always, not resting, not giving excuses, not dampening others' efforts, to always, ALWAYS find a solution to every problem. That's the essence of Japan's entire being. The secret to their success. So if you want to be successful, emulate that.

But of course, there are many supporting but significant factors which continuously spur this spirit of innovation. One of the many is volume. With a population size of approximately 127 million, they have enough volume to almost support any sort of invention. Whether or not it takes flight or flop is a different story. The inventions almost always evolve from the initial concept anyway, constantly improved on which explains why everytime you fly with JAL, you'll be pleasantly surprised in the little improvements made here and there. And why everytime you fly with MAS, it's same old same old, you can almost rehearse the safety script with the Malaysian Girl :)

Imagine niche inventions evolving into bigger ones, combining with other concepts, constantly changing and meeting more needs, solving more problems, serving a bigger purpose. Like an amoeba. Except this one, instead of dividing itself to survive, it keeps swallowing the smaller ones causing it to grow bigger and bigger by the day. Countries with the will but not the volume needed to support it, will have to take bigger risks and higher investments to pursue innovative concepts. It could be a longer route (and a more expensive one) but it will get there. Countries such as South Korea maybe? Taiwan? Singapore? But countries with volume that can swallow up the globe, unfortunately may not have the same mindset and/or skill set (yet). They will also take some time to fully realise their potential. India? China? Brazil?

How about Malaysia? Will we one day be able to catch this thinking? Even if we're 100 million heads behind?

A new breed of generation.

About less than a decade back, Malaysia was divided into 3 classes. The rich, the middle class and the have-nots. Today, as fourth generation Malaysians are popping out and growing up everywhere, we also begin to witness the birth of a fourth class. They definitely have a higher disposable income yet they're not exactly to be considered rich. They are probably stuck somewhere in between the rich and the middle class because they have everything the mid-class doesn't. Yet they don't have enough to retire at the age of 40 or truly live a jet-setting lifestyle without having to forego one or two of their designer handbags. Or gadgets. Or the few trips to that fancy mancy restaurant that charges a bomb for less-than-dynamite food quality.

“A small Lexus SUV could be a response to the urbanization of Gen Y buyers and empty-nest boomers. Toyota’s advanced product strategy group is studying a demographic trend - people who are sick of the suburbs, but who don’t want to give up the utility of their SUV. A small luxury SUV might be the right product for that environment,” says Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. president - Paul Tan

So is that what they're called? Gen Y? Who finally grew up? Empty-nest boomers? Another article I read:

The teenage kids of high-achieving wealthy parents (many of whom were first-generation immigrants) are chronic spenders. These are the HAVEs of America. Many of these kids have acute Affluenza and they neither work hard, nor aspire to achieve much in life. They HAVE everything. That resources in the world are finite - is a foreign concept to these kids. They all have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and hence have to be constantly entertained which creates new opportunities for marketeers to sell them new things. The iPod is a classic success story that has done a fantastic job of tapping into this segment, and its desire for the next “cool” thing. - sramanamitra.com

That's right. That's what they're so popularly (and endearingly) called in boardrooms - the Affluents. The consumer segment that everyone wants a piece of because they have the dough to spend but are not as difficult to convince compared to luxury markets. As long as you can convince them that they're cool. So if you take a look at your local TV commercial these days, you see cool ads for shoes, for mobile phones, for mobile service providers, for perfumes, for food, for beverage, for everything. So that's what happened? All brands are suddenly 'affluent' too? Hmm. So is that how we're defined now? We're either cool? Or not? If you're cool then you have it? Come to think of it, that doesn't sound like a new concept at all. I bet that's a classic 50s story - the rich Jock gets Blondie while the poor Geek gets bullied. We're more than half a century forward now, yet we're still running on the same concept? Hmm.

So tell me. Exactly, what do you do?

Got this image from a friend. Yea, in a comical way, that's exactly what we do. Ha ha.

*Thanks Jase :)

Gollywog! It's a G-phone!

Says it all. JY suggested the killer duo (which I'm sure is also highly speculated by now) Google + iPhone. But it seems like it will be going beyond that. Any phone can be a Gphone which is basically (drumroll, get this) a user-generated phone. Already, in my previous study done, I found that Malaysians' new best friend is called Phone, Mobile Phone. Can't leave home without it. Or hang on, scratch home and I mean LIVE. Malaysians rely so much on their mobile phones, they won't be able to live without it at all. It's beyond the superficial of connecting you to another human, I'm talking beyond human connection! Your phone 'talks' to you when you're unhappy using music. 'Plays' with you when you're bored using games. 'Makes life easier' for you when booking cinema tickets. 'Get things done anywhere' through WIFI. 'Manages finance' through mobile money and banking. 'Keeps you entertained everywhere' through mobile TV. And here's something really grassroot: 'Helps you remember stuff' through its camera. How? Here's how.

Man comparing price of a furniture he saw awhile ago using a snapshot he took using his mobile phone

Malaysia doughnut craze?

On November 1st, The Star published an article (photo) on the absurd queue of Malaysians, all waiting for a bite of the new craze in town - J.Co Donuts and Coffee. At first glance, KL-ites might think that they're having a slice of something ala Krispy Kreme. But what they didn't know is behind the all-premium facade of J.Co lies a proud Indonesian heritage. Same goes with the newly established Big Apple in The Curve. You think Big Apple = NY? Heck, no! It's owned by a proud Malaysian who actually cared enough to learn the art of doughnuts in the REAL Big Apple. I guess his hardwork did pay off as people were queuing up for doughnuts like there was no tomorrow! But. My question is. What's the sudden biggy with these buns with a hole huh?

Dunkin Donuts have been around for yonkers and they were either happily resting on their laurels or were about to go under, till these two donuteers came to save the day and pretty much revived people's craving for these little sweet things. Well, I think it's because if you're in the food industry. No, scrape that. If you're in ANY industry for that matter, it's about the ripest time it can get for you to introduce new ways of living. Awhile back, the craze was cupcakes. I don't think it has died down completely but people fancied the idea of having these cute little diabetic-inducing cakes as a replacement for our usual 1kg chocolate cake or whatever have you. Heck, did you know these little cuppa cakes can be a hell lot more expensive than the normal cakes if you count cost per gramme. What are Malaysians doing, wasting their hard-earned money like that!?

That's what happens when you have a sizeable percentage of the population laced with new money. In other words, young professionals who don't need to contribute anything to the household or double income earners who don't need to contribute anything to kids or double income earners who willingly contribute a whole lot of cash to their kids because of, well, what else but guilt. Well, whichever way you're seeing it, it makes perfect sense. New money earners have found this new sense of liberation from their income. Here stemmed the roots of narcism and incessant pleasure gratification. As in, the automatic habit of constant self-reward. There isn't a need to put a value to how much they are earning or how much the reward cost. The fundamental of this behavior doesn't change whether it's a new shirt or a new phone or even an overpriced piece of dough, ultimately it is because 'I now can'.

This phenomenon (although I know most of you would hardly call a donut fad a phenomenon) really intrigues me, which is why I'm gonna pledge some time to concentrate on a new research to find out the changing lifestyle of these urbanites (by the way, 70% of Malaysia is urbanised yea?) and what are the implications of various products and brands, and subsequently how these brands can meet the real needs of people in the midst of all these changes. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me this Christmas...

Foodies unite!

Calling foodies of the world, let's converge in iFoods.tv and share your family heirloom recipe with self-proclaimed chefs of Tom, Dick and Harriette.

I've been venturing into the kitchen of late, thanks to Jamie O's influence, who's probably one of UK's most renown celebrity chefs right now. I think why the Jamie Oliver brand is so appealing is because of his down-to-earth style of cooking and sharing of his homemade creations with viewers and fans. Needless to say, he's role in social innovation within the food industry also drew a lot of media attention worldwide.

Anyway.

The surge of food blogs in Malaysia over the past two years suddenly made everyone seem like a professional food critic. Some of these blogs are followed by a legion of fans while some are drawing thousands of ad Ringgit per month. Now my question is, will these blogs ever reach a saturation point? I mean after awhile, everyone would have blogged about a certain certain makan place at some point. Then what happens after that?

I think there is a great opportunity for foodie blogs to evolve into something bigger and more communal like iFoods.tv, locally. When every self-proclaimed food connoisseur in Malaysia have tried and tested every possible dish in Klang Valley (or beyond) (and I'm exaggerating), then the time is ripe to move into food creation (from thought creation). Although statistically speaking, the numbers of men cooking is still small but there is a visible trend of young singles living alone or young married couples without kids venturing into cooking - as an interest, not as a chore. They may still opt to eat out on a weekday (I mean, who wants to be near the stove when you've already felt that much heat at work right?) but on weekends, they may possibly go shopping and cook at home. I've had newly wed friends who are still trying and testing their hand in home cooked food. There's definitely something warm about it - men cooking for their ladies and ladies cooking for their men.

If this is a trend, then there will be huge opportunities for:

1) Kitchenware designed with masculinity in mind, using super sturdy and tough steel material that works like a Bosch tool rather than mom's favourite pot. That is IF more men are venturing into the kitchen, even if it's on weekends. While it is sweet and thoughtful to invite a lady over for a weekend dinner, Man would want to look impressive and not pretty in mom's apron.

2) More food communities like this one to inspire bloggers to do more food and share, and foodies to blog about their original culinary experience.

3) Recipes are no longer given like in the good old Kuali-days. Nowadays, people don't even need measurements! If you watch how Nigella cooks or how David Rocco prepares a meal, everything is according to the cook's guesstimate. There are no recipes and measurements on supers. So expect to see more similar videos floating online, produced by amateur cooks.

4) More social dinners amongst the young singles and/or young married couples who have their own place. A time to catch up with friends and strengthen bonds at home instead of outside.

5) More specialty shops selling suave and imported kitchenware from Europe due to the growing appreciation in product aesthetic of new home owners. The best time to showcase these products would be during the social dinners mentioned above.

These are just some of the related microtrends that could be fueling the new food phenomenon, should kitchen be the new hang out place. Now if you don't mind me, I have to go back and cook up a storm at work :)

Amazing children :)

Sparks credit Yasmin Ahmad

Men...

I took this photo while on my recent visit to Mid Valley. I saw a dad and his kid having a ball (literally) on this motion-sensing video game. I guess this proves that video gaming is no longer an addiction men can't seem to grow out off but a legitimate-women-won't-understand hobby that will bridge stronger relationships between new age dads and juniors.

With young families getting all wired up, can video gaming fill the relationship gap between generations? Will kids grow up experiencing a kind of closeness with dad whom the latter never had the opportunity to? The problem with many Malaysian families is the absence of similar interests that help strengthen bonds - parents and children not spending enough time together doing things both parties enjoy. How many of us remember our childhood when we involuntarily tag along to anywhere our parents go? Instinctively pursue what our parents approve of? (With the exception of the few of course... baa baa~)

Fathers of yesterday may lock up the keyboard to force their children to concentrate on other 'worthier' hobbies while dads of today probably enjoy a certain closeness with junior thanks to Sony Playstations :) Since men aren't the world's most natural nurturers, can then game creators design game software that help dads to tutor sons and daughters? Can games be more than just games? When children beat dads in an educational game, will the latter feel elated over his child's obvious improvements or will he feel as though he has 'lost face' because he is after all, Dad?

Why cover up?

At first glance, nobody really bothers about what lays beneath. The (grandmother) lace is after all, quite unattractive. On closer inspection, we suddenly notice a very polished, smooth surface of a very very very sexy flat screen Samsung. It makes one ponder about the objectives of great product design and aesthetic value to certain households, doesn't it?

It doesn't matter if it's the latest pearl black LCD screen with a 7000:1 dynamic contrast and high definition multimedia interface. All it serves as is. A TV. What matters is what's in the display. And not the display itself. Or is it? Are there any reason for people (very possibly the older generation) to cover up and hide such a sweet baby when its was gracefully engineered and destined to be shown off on the centre stage of all homes?Practicality and problem avoidance. Now, there will be no need to dust the furniture if they're properly covered, right? Yes and no. Yes, you don't have to wipe them but no, you'd still need to dust the 'cover' somehow, no? Strange how one goes around to avoid going the extra mile when by going around it is already the extra mile.
Well, there's hardly any hope for in-home product advertising when friends and family come over (unless of course the TV is turned on). Maybe innovators should explore creating materials for furniture and electronic goods' casing that somehow miraculously repel dust? Then all problem solved. At least the design and aesthetic value will still be intacted. All the time.