Within 1 hour 24 minutes from now, 2007 shall be gone forever regardless of what we have achieved or otherwise.

December has been a rather short month with the flooding back home in Mentakab and Temerloh around 14th December, followed by Aidil Adha, a death of one of our relatives, Christmas, a little challenge with one of my younger brother's daughter. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated and lo and behold it's New Year's eve!

What ever it might have been, it's time to wish all of you my dear friends and acquaintances alike a Happy New Year.

May all our dreams we have cherished for so long come true, blessed with continued good health, great times of fun and laughter, prosperity and most of all a peaceful environment to enable us all be the best of our own potentials!

To quote Warren Bennis the 'Guru' of Gurus of Leadership, "LIFE WITHOUT DREAMS IS DEATH". And so we shall continue to dream, aspire and be the maker of our own destiny.

Goodbye 2007. Thanks for the good and bad times. Whilst the good times will definitely be long remembered, the bad times as always shall remain as the true coach and teacher in this journey of ours..

With that let's all embrace the New Year 2008 with renewed vigour and determination to be the best we can be!

Warmest regards,

Yours Truly,

m.a.
KL.10.55pm
31st December 2007.

Grahame, Diana, Benjamin and Kimberley.


Kimberley and Benjamin
Got an email from England. From Diana and her family. And that brought me back memories way back to Penang, USM over 20 years ago.

She and Nirah's mom were classmates. And of coz, by virtue of that became my friend as well. They were the best of friends for reasons only known to them. But one thing for sure, Diana has always been a truly genuinely nice person in every aspect you would want out of a person.

Later on I graduated and they were together in USM for next 3 years. Then we got married and I worked in KL. Diana came to KL to work and stayed with us for a while.



When Nirah was born, she naturally became Nirah's god mother.

Then Diana went to London for her Masters Degree. Met Grahame and eventually settled down.

Nirah used to follow them around when they came back to Penang for a holiday in Penang and Southern Thailand.

Diana, the most unlikeable candidate for a full time mom and housewife did just that after being blessed with their first child, Kimberley.

About 3 years ago, Diana came back to Malaysia with her 2 kids and it was just magic to see her handling her kids. She was really trying very hard to impress the 2 young kids' mind that they had family and friends back here in Malaysia. What a mother!

The 2 young children might not be able to appreciate much at that point of time, but 10-15 years down the road, they would probably love it to have god parents like us here in Malaysia.

We look forward to the day to be able to really let them have the opportunity to experience and enjoy a very different culture back home here in Malaysia where the mom used to come from.

In a way, Nirah is following her god mum's footsteps. She is planning to work here in Malaysia for 3 years upon her graduation next year and planning to go to Canada for her Masters Degree. We are all for it. We did not have the luxury of choice during our time and we really would love her to live life to the fullest and be what she dreams to be. Life has to be lived BIG.

And to Diana, we share your happiness for living the life that you live now. Just remember you guys are always welcomed to come home to stay with us back here, anytime.

Love, from us all from Malaysia.

The doting Grandparents John & Robyn


A... Finally the long awaited news from Brisbane finally came through from our dear friends John and Rob. It has been almost a year and they have been exceptionally quiet. We used to keep in touch every now and then.

And Rob sent us the photos of the new family members as well John Henry and Tex! No wonder they are so quiet 'coz life has been so complete!


Little John and Henry Tex

I met John and Rob way back when I was invited to a speaking engagement for a Seminar in Brisbane Australia in 2000.That was my first ever exposure to speak outside Malaysia.

This couple was nice enough to have volunteered to be my hosts for the couple of days while in Brisbane. After the speaking engagement, they invited me to stay at their house. They made me felt at home right away.

John was extremely nice to have obliged to drive me all the way to the Gold Coast to visit some of the tourist attractions.

My second stay in their home was when I was travelling to Hamilton Island 2 years later. John came all the way to see me in transit at the Brisbane Airport and I just had to stop over at their place on my way back. I just wanted to spend some time with this fine couple.

And life is in a way so peculiar, we can go any where any place and you kind of have that special feeling of 'coming home' when you have friends. Got the same feeling everytime I went to Penang, Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Brunei, Labuan or KK. All, because I have friends there. Oh ya, even Medan and Jakarta too.

And of course, every time they came down to KL we would turn hosts for them. It has always been a pleasure to have them around and we (Mariana, Nirah my daughter and me) enjoyed every second of their presence here in KL.

Everytime Mariana saw some one ordering ABC when ever we ate out, that straight away triggered her memory of Rob who loves ABC.. " Emm.. Rob would have ordered that..."

John has started his own MLM Company in Australia and we are happy to hear that they are doing really well. With the present arrangement that I am in, I honestly would love to invite them to speak at my functions as well here in Malaysia.

Well my friends, really nice to hear from you guys. Looking forward to see you both again in not too distant a future, hopefully.

Greetings from KL,

Muhamad, Mariana & Munirah.

YOU MALAY OR CHINESE ???
THE FAMILY HISTORY ACCORDING TO MUNIRAH
NIRAH'S DAD : Used to be a Siamese.
MOM: Chinese.
and NIRAH?: Be prepared for the shock of your life...

MUNIRAH AND MOM


MUNIRAH AND MOM, LULU LOH BEE LOO


FLOWERS IN SYDNEY


KAMPUNG GIRL LOST NEAR PADDY'S MARKET, SYDNEY


PROLOGUE

Our daughter Nirah, naturally has the mixed look of a little bit slit Chinese eyes and some Malay features and that has robbed her some peace of the confusion over her looks by friends, acquaintances and strangers alike. Probably that prompted her to explain why and how she got the looks that she has got by writing her family history (her version) and emailing it to all her friends, her mom included.

Well, I have added some pictures as well, relevant to 'our family history and background'. So here is the story, at least according to Munirah....

OUR FAMILY HISTORY: according to MUNIRAH



"YOU MALAY OR CHINESE ?

If there's a story that I never told anyone, it would be the origins of my Borneo face. I never really bothered going out of my way to say much, so the easiest would be to tell people, " My dad's Malay. My mom's Chinese." Go make yourself something to drink and come back. This is an interesting relevation of what makes me, me.

My dad was a sweet young man from Pattani, exploring the world and somehow found his way to Sabah. That was where he met my mom, a wonderful Chinese woman from Chongqing who ironically don't really look so Chinese. I wouldn't know how they really got started, but love being love has its way of glueing people of different backgrounds, even when they are as different as coffee and curry powder. They were blessed with a wonderful life as well as friends. And so they got married and let a decent life. *yawns*

Then came a little bump on my mom's belly. My dad's friend Uncle Rashid Mohd Noor, being one of the rare Malays from the Peninsula at that time was excited to be my god dad, according to my mom. He wanted to know if my dad would honour his wish of naming me. Friendship do possess a power with limits unknown, and as you may have it, my dad wouldn't bite his thumb at his good pal, much to my mom's frustration. She wanted to name her first daughter Dazene.:)

Somehow, Uncle Rashid got involved in a freak accident a few weeks to my birth, and it was a mixture of sadness and joy for my dad. To honour his friend's wish, he wanted to register my name as Munirah when the registrar told him that it is very much a Muslim name. My dad gave a green and so my name has a dramatic history to it.

Over the years, my dad got attracted to Islam and embraced it with my mom; that's how both my parents have Abdullahs as their pseudo last name. It wasn't so surprising as my dad right up to his adolescence years had grown in a predominantly Muslim area, Mai Kaen. That is how Mongkut Saikhwan became Muhamad Abdullah and Lulu Loh Bee Loo became Mariana Hawa Loh Abdullah.


BEING THAI, MONGKUT ( NIRAH'S DAD) WAS NATURALLY A MUANG THAI BOXER. CHAMP OF 18 PROVINCES...


MONGKUT ALSO REPRESENTED THE VILLAGE FOOTBALL TEAM.

MONGKUT'S (NIRAH'S DAD'S) SIAMESE CAT (COZ MONGKUT IS SIAMESE MEH...)


THAI ELEPHANT IN MAI KAEN (NIRAH'S DAD'S KAMPUNG)


THE FAMILY HOUSE IN MAI KAEN (NIRAH'S DAD'S KAMPUNG)


MONGKUT'S RELATIVES BACK HOME IN THAILAND


THE RIVER TO MAI KAEN (NIRAH'S DAD'S KAMPUNG)


BOATS TO MAI KAEN (OUR KAMPUNG)


And my Borneo face? I guess it coincides with my parents history of Sabah.:)


NEERAHDEE MONGKUT SAIKHWAN CHITTAPONG
a.k.a. MUNIRAH."

EPILOGUE

So, that's our family history according to Mongkut's daughter, NEERAADEE MONGKUT SAIKHWAN. And my full name was actually
MONGKUT SAIKHWAN CHITTAPONG.

Got it?

Yours truly,

Muhamad Abdullah a.k.a. Mongkut Saikhwan Chittapong.

BUKA PUASA AT RAMADAN FAIR, MEDAN, INDONESIA

After a year of many return trips to Medan, this last one was my best trip ever. Short trip (touched down at Polonia Airport about 9.45 local time on Thursday 4th October 2007 and left on Saturday morning at 8.45 am). That left me with only exactly 1 day in Medan.

Anyway it was both business and leisure trip all in one.

Bought the ticket to Medan basically to deliver some money to a friend who joined me in a business venture earlier during the year. Even though my plane tickets and the hotel cost more than the money due, but it was having the satisfaction of clearing my conscience by delivering what was due to someone. After all, aidilfitri was just slightly over a week away.

To begin with, met this gentleman Mr Navin Kini which I wrote earlier. Real pleasure knowing a fine guy like him.


SISINGAMARAJAH ROAD

The Hotel Garuda Plaza was strategically located along Jalan Sisingamarah and it permeated a warm feeling the moment we walked in.Felt at home almost immediately.



The following morning met Marwan, the guy who drove Mr Navin Kini to Lake Toba. He looked like a fine guy as well.

Later in the afternoon a friend came over and it was nice to let him know that meeting him was of no business interest at all but pure friendship.

And he just had a new baby boy who was only 3 days old. Went to the maternity hospital and had a peek of his baby boy. And God always created babies to be super cute! His was no exception.

Later in the evening, went to Medan's Ramadan Fair right smack on the street in front of the Maimun Mosque. The atmosphere was pure magic. Just love the feeling in the air with people walking around leisurely preying for the right food from the right stall.

ENTRANCE TO RAMADAN FAIR


RAMADAN FAIR, MEDAN.


IT WAS A TRYING MOMENT TO WALK THROUGH...

Finally settled at a stall selling Nasi Padang. Barkah Stall. The food was not only good but so reasonably priced as compared to all my past experience in Medan.

The order takers, is something that we should learn about. But be careful, you would end up paying more than ordering the food from the respective stalls yourself! The bills do got inflated between the stalls and you!


THE STYLISH ORDER TAKERS


The owner, Mr Barkah, was a fine young gentleman. I developed a liking almost instantly after watching him treating customers and sitting down for a chat with us after our buka puasa (breaking our fast).

Apparently, his family busines is doing very well and they used travel to Kuala Lumpur quite a number of times sending their mom to a private hospital in KL, the Ampang Puteri.

Upon leaving I told him, to contact me in case he needs anything from KL or ever in KL again. We exchanged our contacts. Well, thought that was goodbye for this trip.

At around 10.00pm, Pak Subiyanto, Awal and another friend, finally appeared. Went for a drink across the road in front of the Garuda Plaza. Had a nice chat and felt so good delivering them the
money due, plus a bag of goodies for Subiyanto's kids and some samples of maca that I brought along.

I just wanted to establish the fact that friendship does not have to be based on any specific interest alone. Friendship is something to be enjoyed. That is the way I treasure and enjoy my friends irrespective of class, creed or what ever other definition others have about it. Could sense it in the air that message did finally get across.

And it was almost mid night after they left.


VIEW ACROSS THE ROAD FROM GARUDA PLAZA HOTEL

The adventure did not end yet for me. I read in a travel magazine about this special bone marrow soup called Sop Sumsum Langsa. Just curious. And so there I was again in front of the hotel by the road side looking for a becak (motorised trishaw) to get me the soup. And lo and behold a motorbike stopped. And there he was, Mr Barkah the new friend I made at The Ramadan Fair!

To cut long story short I was the next second his pillion rider taking me to the outlet which was something like 10 minutes away on a motorbike with no traffic in Medan. Even the ride with the cool night breeze was anything but theuraphatic. Enjoyed every minute of it like a small kid taken for a ride on dad's bike for the first time.

By the time we reached the outlet in Pasar Ikan in Gelugor, the restaurant was 98% closed. Only a few workers left packing their stuff into a van. But this great guy went to plead to get some for me telling them I was from KL and would be leaving the following morning. And he managed to talk his way into getting some takeaway for me.

And since soup would never be nice unless taken hot, he suggested I went along to his home. And this was a guy I made friend just a few hours earlier. I was a total stranger.

And so we went to his house. A huge family house. His wife and kids were asleep. And he took the trouble to reheat the soup for me.

About 20 minutes later, I had the experience of my life as far as soup was concerned. Used straw to suck the bone marrow and the soup was just out of this world! 20,000 rupiah for a soup was not that cheap, but it was worth every rupiah. If you ever go to Medan, remember, SOP SUMSUM LANGSA!!!


SOP TULANG SUMSUM LANGSA

It was almost 2.00 am by the time Barkah sent me back to the hotel. He quickly headed back to his food stall at the Ramadan Fair which was a few hundred meters away. That new friend of mine is definitely going to be a life long friend, I'll make sure of that. He created a very new meaning about Medan.


BARKAH, MY GODSENT FRIEND!

Terima kasih banyak-banyak Adik Barkah. I appreciate every single second the time you gave me. I thanked God that some real good things in life like friendship, still comes free.

And the following morning at the airport I bumped into Wulandri and Lina at one of the Souveneir shops at the Polonia Airport. Was so impressed at the way they were treating a couple of ladies. And I ended having a seat and a good chat with them. At least that eased the pain a little on my ribs, from my nasty fall in the bath tub earlier in the morning.


LINA AND WULANDARI, POLONIA AIRPORT

Apart from that nasty fall I had which still hurts until today, this trip was no doubdt the best ever to Indonesia, not only Medan. It gave a warm feeling now, unlike before which made me glad to leave Indonesia as soon as possible every time I was there.

To Barkah and the rest in Medan, Selamat Menyambut Idulfitri. Maaf zahir batin, mudah-mudahan semakin murah rejeki...


Salam Idulfitri...

Yours truly,

m.a.

MR NAVIN KINI.

THE MAIMUN PALACE, MEDAN, INDONESIA.

VIEW FROM THE PALACE

MR. KINI AT THE FOUNTAIN IN FRONT OF THE PALACE



ON THE CORRIDORS OF POWER OF THE PAST

THE ROYAL COURTROOM.


The AirAsia Medan flight was delayed. Seated one seat away from me on that 9.45pm flight from KL LCCT was an Indian gentelman. Only upon arrival we exchanged some small talk while waiting to disembark.

I quickly discovered that he was from India and first time in Medan. Since I have been to Medan for a number of times and had my hotel room booked from KL, offered him to come along with me. At least saved him the trouble of ending up in the wrong hotel for the wrong price.

In the taxi to Garuda Plaza Hotel, found out that he was traveling to Lake Toba the following day and was buying an apartment on 'Malaysia My Second Home Program'.

Anyway, we checked into the hotel with our rooms next to each other. Went for a late dinner at the Famili Restaurant across the Sisingamaraja Road, braving the cool Medan night rain, which was more like supper. But that was my sahur, anyway.

The following morning arranged for him to get a transport to Medan, ending up with Marwan, a local who apparently knew KL quite well and worked for CARE an NGO from Malaysia the post tsunami days for 2 years.

Prior to their departure to Lake Toba, 4 hours away, we went for a quick tour of Medan, notably the Maimun Palace, a sad remnant of past monarchy glory which ended with the Independence of Indonesia in 1945.

Nevertheless, traces of past grandeur of royal life was still displayed albeit more like museum pieces but in rather sad state of affairs. We were told that some family members are still residing in some parts of the palace.

Wonder why the local authorities does not take over the property for better maintennance and upkeep.

Anyway, after the short tour, we parted ways with Mr Kini leaving for Lake Toba. And me? Back to the room to continue with Chapter 2 of my sleep!

A PERSONAL NOTE.

Had just a few hours of sleep and woke up at 9.00am yesterday to prepare for my first talk at our first Business Seminar at the Grand Continental KL at 3.30pm yesterday.

After about a year or so not delivering a talk, I was just a little apprehensive whether I still had what it takes to do a seminar. Alhamdullillah, it went just fine even though it was not a peak performance.

As usual, a measure of a good talk was the excitement of attendees about the business after the event. Well, it happened just that.

All of us adjourned to the Kari Kepala Ikan at Yap Kwan Seng. Oh ya, the CEO who came in was reportedly to be very pleased with the event. And of course, certain people's perception of me did change a little well out of that event. What they did not know, I did not need any of their recognition. It was all about me doing my best in measuring up to my own expectations.

Good events obviously, still remain very much a great essential of a high touch business. And that's why huge companies are willing to pay big money to good speakers. Glad I have not lost my touch as far as speaking is concerned.

Oh ya, I told my business partner what I had to tell him of certain developments known only to me about the organisation. He was a little surprised but being the man that he is, took things very positively of the better things coming our way.

m.a.
KL

RASA SAYANG

Rasa sayang eh.... rasa sayang sayang eh...
Eh.. riang jauh rasa sayang-sayang eh...

To assume that Company owners are dumb and ignorant is but a reflection of one's own dumbness and ignorance. Despite being an overused cliche, looks can always still be misleading.

Obviously the writings on the wall are only visible to some very select couple of eyes. They say, leaders see things long before it happens. Well, in this particular instance, it is arrogance that caused the myopia.

Sometimes, answers would only present themselves when asked. Well, none asked!


AMIR HASSAN

It came in the news on tv the night before and in the newspaper yesterday that Amir Hassan has been instructed by the Securities Commision to repartriate the RM35 million back from his foreign bank accounts or face the music.

What about so many others who even owned some of the schemes during the internet investment crazy days?

I did not make a single sen from Swiss Cash, but I feel truly sorry for the injustices. My question then, why only Amir Hassan and the other 2 guys?

The truth is, so many paid huge some of money to certain people to get themselves off the hook. The irony is as always, it is us (in power) who made others rich and made us poor. Absolute power corrupts absolutely but it does not take absolute power any more.
Whose fault then?

Money as usual, is always thicker than blood.

Think over it.

Selamat Bersahur.

Yours truly,

m.a.
KL.

YAHOOOOOOOO!!!!! YABEDOOO BEDOOOOOO!!!!! DUNIA ANA YANG PUNYA.....

Need I say more??? Who said doing the right things right doesn't pay?

Yours truly,

m.a.
KL.

STEVE SIEBOLD.

Hi All,

In my years of reading, once a while I would stumbled upon truly undescriable work of genius that changes the world. This guy is one of them and I am just compelled to share with all of us. Enjoy and get the best out of this.

Steve Siebold is a former professional tennis player and national coach. He is the best selling author of "177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class". Siebold's Mental Toughness clientele includes world-class athletes, Fortune 500 Companies, and entrepreneurs. Siebold and partners have built two companies from the ground up into national concerns. Steve is considered one of the fastest rising professional speakers and consultants in the United States and Europe, in the field of Mental Toughness Training for salespeople.

Siebold's articles appear regularly in various publications throughout the U.S. His column appears monthly in Networking Times, an international industry trade magazine. Steve Siebold and Bill Gove met in 1996, and became best friends and business partners and formed the Gove-Siebold Group. From 1996 to 2001, they shared stages around the world and spoke to over 30,000 people.

Today, the company remains focused on helping people develop world-class performance skills to convert their dreams into reality.

SECRETS OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS
STEVE SIEBOLD.

After 20 years of interviewing, coaching and competing against world-class performers I have broken down their secrets into mini-modules that are easy to read and simple to understand. Here’s an example of Secrets 1-5, just as they appear in the book:

#1 The World Class Operates From Objective Reality

“Amateur performers operate from delusion, pros operate from objective reality. The great ones’ habits, actions, and behaviors are totally congruent with the size and scope of their ultimate vision. That’s why we call them champions.”

– Steve Siebold

In 20 years of competing, coaching and working with performers from various fields, I’ve discovered most amateurs suffer from mild to severe delusion in relation to their efforts and competencies. In other words, most people delude themselves into thinking they are working harder then they are, and that they are more competent than they actually are. Of the five major levels of conscious awareness, (poverty, working, middle, upper, and world) my experience has been that performers at the middle-class levels of consciousness suffer the grandest delusions. The poverty level is barely surviving and living in a very harsh set of circumstances. The working class is punching a mental time clock and counting the days until retirement. They’re usually not expecting much, and no one around them expects much, either. They are typically not
concerned about climbing any higher. It’s the middle class that is most incongruent with reality. They are operating at a high enough level to understand that higher levels exist. Although they don’t expect to get there, the thought crosses their minds from time to time. Because of their low expectations, their actions are incongruent with their desires. In other words, they want to live the life of the world class, but are unwilling to pay the price. Since this reality is too harsh to bear, they delude themselves into thinking they are doing everything in their power to get ahead. Of course, they’re not. They’ll tell you they’re putting in far more time than they are. They’ll swear they are thinking about their vision all the time, but they’re not. The world class is brutally honest with themselves, and they tend to look reality in the face. They err on the side of over-practicing and over-preparing. Champions know that, to ascend to the top, you must first be operating from a mindset of objective reality. Self-deception and delusion have no place in the professional performer’s consciousness.

Action Step for Today: Make a commitment to check delusion at the door. Be honest and ask this critical thinking question: “Are my habits, actions and behaviors congruent with the vision I have for my life?”

World-Class Resource: Get a copy of Leadership and Self-Deception, by The Arbinger Institute. This book made me reexamine my entire belief system. It’s a must-have for your mental toughness library.

STEVE SIEBOLD.

As I was surfing doing some research, someone popped up on YM. And I just wished her Selamat Bersahur.Then somehow or rather we embarked on a chat about business and so forth.

Before long, she invited me to join her business. Hers was the best on planet earth. Told her, that her company's products are one of the best in the market and she should just go all out to build her network. Not once I belittled her organisation or the products what so ever.

But, that did not satisfy her. She went on to say that all other companies in the wellness industry are cheating their customers and so forth.

Tried to correct her, while she rightly should be proud of her products, it was plainly not right to make uncalled for statements about other companies or products. But she went on and on.

Well... I was like that during my first 6 years in business. I have learned my lessons the hard way.

And so all of us agreed that in order to build a huge borderless business, there is some basic compulsory foundations to be laid and observed. And of course all agreed that training plays a very crucial role.

And taking some wisdoms from the past, it was a FACT that I was the biggest drawcard in attracting people to events organized by the zone. Let me make it clear, this is not an attempt to live in past glory. Far from it.

But the fact was, there must have been certain things right that I did accidentally or purposely. To that, I have to pay tribute to the right things taught to me by the previous organization. Face it, how else then we attracted thousands to our functions day in an out?

Success is not just luck. It is a science which easily duplicated by any one. And so my friends, we have to subscribe to certain standards. There is no 2 way about it.

As far as I am concerned, it is simply straight forward. Either we do the right things right or we don't do it at all. Saves every one all the trouble.

Everone can have a vision. But it takes a leader to make things happen.

Good luck,

m.a.

KL

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