Life and Dots of Daniel

Lesson learned from the highway

Was driving on the highway and stuck among hundreds of cars as I was queueing to pay for the toll. In and around Kuala Lumpur, along the toll stations you will find several cash lanes, one or two Touch N' Go lanes, and another one or two Smart Tag lanes serving the needs of motorists.

I have this electronic card - Touch N' Go, which I load it with value whenever the balance is low. With my card the speed of paying for toll is enhanced and it is rather convenient because no longer do I need to prepare for small change or wait in queue at the cash lane to complete the transaction.

Imagine the queue on the three lanes, namely: cash lane, Touch N' Go lane and Smart TAG lane all equally long. Assuming that transaction at each lane takes 10 seconds, 6 seconds and 2 seconds respectively per motorist, at the end of the queue the cummulative effect can be very obvious. Apart from that, without a Touch N' Go or Smart TAG, I should just stop dreaming of crossing to the specially dedicated lane even though it is empty.

Somehow, this made me realise that in this world, where everyone wants to get to their destination, nothing comes for free. In the context of toll system, if only I have a Smart TAG, I will be able to reach my destination a lot faster, but of course, with a price to pay.

If you think about having an easy life or doesn't mind at all with doing petty stuffs, the cash lane is definitely for you. If you think making an effort to load a card with cash every now is much better than queueing, the Touch N' Go lane is for you. If you want a faster way out, spend some money to buy the Smart TAG device and have it loaded with value. Hola! You are faster than everyone else.

You and I have something to achieve, be it climbing the corporate ladder or achieving financial freedom. You can choose to take the easy way out, which doesn't take you anywhere, or get on the fast track by paying a price. What I want to say here is that to be ahead of everyone else, some form of sacrifice is often necessary.

I also want to stress that knowing the right person and knowing the right tool to do the work, dreams are possible.

Lion dance brings good luck

Hey people! How's your Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day so far?

I already have a few friends updating their relationship status on facebook, most of them guys. Kudos to them! For those who have yet to get the heart of your Valentine, let us keep striving.

Here's some pictures of the traditional lion dance. Am not sure which one is the male or female because they look kinda similar except the colour. My take is the black should be the male as it looks more masculine and "fierce".

Over here in Sarawak, you will find it that the lion dance troupe comprises not only of Chinese but also youths from other races. It's not uncommon to see the Bidayuhs or Ibans manning the lion head or drumming the big drum. This is what we called Unity in Diversity - 1Sarawak!

The whole lion dance performance lasted for about 15 minutes. They paid visit to the living room, dining area, kitchen and also the bedrooms. We fed the lions with cabbage, oranges and a few cans of beer.

Correct me if I am wrong, the Chinese believe that lion dance bring luck and ONG to their house. Though culturally motivated and nothing to do with religion, I do hope that this year prosperity will come to our doorstep and promotion is on track.

That's a drunken lion lazing around after a few cans of beer. My parents gave the lion troupe an angpao in return of their service/performance. The market price in Kuching is around one hundred bucks or so.

We'll invite them again next year definitely because I think they are one of the best in Kuching. I've seen a few troupes who performed less than ten minutes, they came and went lacking energy a lion should have, performance was merely profit-orientated.

P/s: I am planning something BIG this year. Wait for the announcement.