Brainy Quote

Monday, April 5, 2010

Avoid Using the Handphone When Driving!

A friend of mine was involved in accident when he was in University. He was one of the few guys who owned a car. While driving to University one morning, he was invloved in a accident and the driver of the other car was on his handphone which at that time was about a size of a brick. My friend came out of the accident with minor scratches but his car was a total wreck. Unfortunately, my friend forgot to report this and thed river got away with the accident with minor reprimand.

As a result of this incident, I have made it a habit to use my hands-free kit when driving. The first thing that I do when I get into the car is to put on my handsfree.

Many people have lost their loved-ones as a result of such wreckless action by drivers. I remember sending out a video that highlighted the dangers of "SMSing" or "Texting" while driving. I was watching Oprah Winfrey show and they intereviewed a mother who lost her daughter becuase the driver was texting while driving and knocked down a 8 or 9 year old girl who was cycling. The driver's excuse was she did not see the girl.

It only takes a second to lose focus and cause an accident. You will regret it for the rest of your life. So better be safe than to be sorry. That SMS or phone call can wait.

Please help yourself by avoiding using the handphone when driving and you will help others use the roads safely. Drive safely and be considerate to other road users.

Regards,
Mark

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Laugh and the World will laugh with You!

Mark's Top 5 Jokes

Friends who know me have always said that I am serious and intense guy. I still am but I have learnt to relax and smell the roses and have a good laugh. You must have fun in life. Laugh & smile as much as you can. You will enjoy life more. Work may not be a chore anymore.

That is why when friends send me emails, I keep them becuase if I need a cheer me up moment, I read these jokes. Humor and laughter are the best medicine. As they, cry and you cry alone, laugh and the world laughs with you.

I hope you enjoy reading the jokes I have compiled from jokes sent to me by my friends.

1) INDIAN SECRET TO A HAPPY MARRIED LIFE

An Indian was asked by his friend, "What is the secret behind your happy married life?"

Indian: "You should share responsibilities with due love and respect each other. Then absolutely there will be no problems."

Friend: "Can you explain?"

Indian: "In my house, I take decisions on bigger issues where as my wife decides on smaller issues.. We do not interfere in each other's decisions."

Still not convinced, the friend asked "Give me some examples".


Indian: "Smaller issues like, which car we should buy, how much to save, when to visit the home town, which sofa, air conditioner, refrigerator, monthly expenses, whether to keep a maid or not etc. are decided by my wife. I just agree to it"


Friend: "Then what is your role?"


Indian: "My decisions are only for very big issues. Like whether America should attack Iran, whether Britain should lift sanctions over Zimbabwe, whether to widen the African economy, whether Sanath should retire from cricket etc., etc. and do you know, my wife NEVER, objects to any of these decisions".


2) Blonde Joke To End All Blonde Jokes !!!


A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had acquired two new dogs, and asked her what their names were.

The blonde responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one was named Timex.

Her friend said, "Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like that?"


"HELLLOOOOOOO. .....," answered the blonde. "They're watch dogs!"



3) At The Doctor's Office

A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her body hurt wherever she touched it.

"Impossible! " says the doctor. "Show me.

"The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left breast and screamed, then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more. She pushed her knee and screamed; likewise she pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched made her scream.

The doctor said, "You're not really a redhead, are you?"Well, no" she said, "I'm actually a blonde.""I thought so," the doctor said. "Your finger is broken".


4) Have you! seen the Made-in-Malaysia car 'Kancil'? You know, that very little 600 cc car ???

Well, Dr M really wanted to sell it to the US , so when Dr M paid a visit to the White House after finishing formal discussions with George Bush, Dr M checks with Bush to find out if there is a way to sell the Kancil in the USA .

After having looked at the brochure, Bush said, You know, I think this 'Ken-chill' is too small for us Americans. Not one who gives up easily, Dr M persisted and finally Bush offered, 'Ok, take this number down. This guy is my good buddy and he's also the CEO of the biggest compact car distributor in North America '.

Dr M was satisfied with the meeting and return to Malaysia . The next day he called the number and a lady answered, ''TOYS R US', Can I help you'

5) Singapore Made Car!

Have you heard about the proposal between KIA of Korea and SUZUKI of Japan to set up a joint venture company in Singapore to build a hybrid car which will be named KIASU?

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Cheers,
Mark

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Look Within & Change

"......As human beings, our greatness lies not in so much in being able to remake the World, as in being able to remake ourselves. We must become change we wish to see in the world....."


Mahatma Gandhi.

A friend send me this and I thought it was very interesting. We need to change the way we see and view things or else we will end up being bigger hypocrites than the people we criticise or complain about. Even those who try to change the world should first change themselves and their views so that it is in sync with what they try to promote or preach.

PERCEPTION

"Something To Think About..... Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 10 minutes:A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.1 hour. He finished playing and silence took over.

No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised: *In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? *Do we stop to appreciate it? *Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.

How many other things are we missing?"

Tevy Poluan Masengi, Ms. Centre for Strategic and International Studies

Monday, February 8, 2010

My Biggest Regret in Life!

We all have some regrets in our lives. While we should should move on with our lives by looking forward rather than back, we should address these regrets if we are to get ahead in life. Otherwise you may get held back subconsciously. I was listening to the "Morning Show" on Class 95 on Radio and they were talking about this subject-My Biggest Regret in Life! The subject matter got me thinking about my own life.

If there is one regret is that I wish I had spent more time with my mom before she passed on. She lived with all my life, even after I was married. I loved her dearly. She took care of me so well. Just when I thought I will be spending more time with my Mom and Dad when I started my own business, my mother passed on suddenly due to blood poisoning. This happened two months after I started my business and I was working fom home. But my greatest satisfaction came from the fact that my Mom had a chance to spend time looking after my son (for 2 1/2 years) and my daughter (for about 9 months) before she passed on. She doted on them. I miss my Mom.

Now, I try to pay more attention to my Dad who has become a reclusive since my mother passed away and also because of arthritis and "foot-drop" condition, he is not able to walk about easily. So, my dad requires more attention.

I am grateful for the love and care my Mom & Dad showered on my sisters and me and to my wife and children.

So my message to one and all is, tell the people you care about that you love them. Call them and talk to them. Don't put it off. Do it now. To me, emailing loved ones may not be as good as calling them as emails lack the emotional and personal touch. You don't have to call them everyday but if you have not called them for a while then you should call right now before its too late.

Another regret that was discussed in the Class95 Morning show was someone said that they regretted marrying a person they did not love. This is a growing trend which can be avoided if people. The young feel pressured to get hitched at a young age. Having a girlfriend or boyfriend is a norm or else you are abnormal or gay. And of course there are those who make a game out of it like a World War pilot who keeps scores on the number of planes he has shot-down.

You should get married only when both of you are ready for marriage. If either one party is hesitant or reluctant, getting pressured into marrying is the last thing you should do. I got married after I turned 35 and I told my the girlfirend and now my wife that I will only marry her when she turned 25 because I wanted her to be sure that I was the she wanted to marry.

I heard the other day that a 16 year Catholic boy was in love with a girl of another race and religion. Despite his parents and friends good intentions this boy refused to listen to their advice and wanted to be with this girl who was not in the least bit likable or had good values. When he told her that he left all his friends for her and he loved her, she told him coolly that she was just having fun and she wanted to make him leave all his friends. All this while she was two-timing him. And he wanted to commit suicide but he was talked out of it by his brother. But apparently he has not learned his lesson and now he is going out with a similar character as his previous girlfriend. Some people just don't learn. They feel that they need to be tortured in order to feel good about themselves.....like a "matyr" (sufferer for a cause).

Some people are really confused. Instead, of finding true love they place good sex as priority in finding a partner. Instead of looking for good values they look for men/women with good looks and/or big bank accounts and good jobs. People also place a lot of importantce on things like good looks as the key criteria. That is why people end up with the wrong people and divorced rates are getting higher. Unlike the previous generation even those who remained married are doing so because they no choice (they are stuck) or they do it for their children. But when push come to shove, most would just walk out of their marriage. If you need to look at famous people you need not look too far. Read the Straits Times or New Paper you find ample examples.

All these problems can be avoided. People need to be patient and they need to be at least 100% sure before they say "I do". How? I am no expert on relationship. But I have seen enough and read about the subject sufficiently to make some judgement call and give my two-cents worth. First, you need to know who is your ideal partner is. By this I mean, you need to have idea who you looking for ..... whether this person is kind, loving, understanding, tall, sporty and humorous, responsible. Someone with the right chemistry. Or you like someone who is handsome/beautiful and has a good job and earn and the other qualities like kindness, loving, understanding, tall, sporty and humorous, responsible are not important. You may be asking for trouble if the right qualities are missing. My take on this is that if you find someone is kind, loving, understanding humorous, patient, understanding and responsible and has the right chemistry, than other things like getting a good job and caring for the family will come along and you will be happy. And of course you will get the other perks in a good relationship.

Here are certain ingredients that are critical to a relationship:

1) Love- you must love your partner from the bottom of your heart and not just say it. You must give more than you receive and this must be reciprocated.

2) Trust- There must be trust in the relationship. Your partner must know that he or she can trust you.

3) Communication- Speak the language of LOVE. Say positive things and shower your love (without being over bearing). One person speaks and the other person listens. And communication means it is a two way street.

4) Chemistry- There must be chemistry in the relationship. When you are with this person, do feel special...are you on top of the world.

5) Humor- We all need to laugh. Who else better than your partner to cheer you up. You should be able to relax and be your goofy or funny self from time to time.

6) Patience and understanding is necessary. Relationships have its ups and downs. If your partner loses your job, do you leave them or do you stand by them and go through the challenging times together. If you say you will be some who will stand by your partner than fantastic. Your partner must count his/her blessings. Of course if you are with someone who wallows in self-pity and does not want to do anything, then you need to make a judgement call after careful consideration.

If you are "Happy" in a relationship (benchmark- 80-99% of the time) than you are in a good relationship. If not you have to focus your attention on improving the relationship. But remember, all the negative aspects can be avoided if you are able to choose the person who best matches your "personality" and your "needs" not your "wants".

Remember, relationships and marriages is like getting into the stock market. The stock market is like a roller coaster ride. It is expected. But if you do your "Homework" and stay the course then you will reap the rewards like Warren Buffet with not much downside. Likewise, for your relationship/marriage if you do your homework and your remain true to yourself, you will also be "Happy". Plus you will get dividends and you will have very little regrets in life as far as relationship/marriage is concerned.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! to all those who celebrate Chinese New Year! May 2010 be a Peaceful, Happy & Prosperous and Fun Filled year.

Cheers,
Mark

Monday, January 4, 2010

2010 HANDBOOK



A friend of mine sent this to me. I thought it was brilliant. God Bless his soul and whoever wrote this. I hope you benefit from applying this to your life. I have added some more ideas at the bottom under "Others" which you can incorporate to this handbook (I like to call it New Resolutions for 2010). You can also add your own goals to this handbook.



Health:



1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games

7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.



Personality:



11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...



Society:



25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything..

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.



Life:



32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come..

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.



Others:



-Manage your weight and you will look good and feel great.

-Spend less and save more and invest prudently.

-Drink less alcohol. After a while you will realise that your health is more important than getting intoxicated. You will also save money.

-Help the less fortunate and the elderly.

-Save the environment. Go Green.



I hope these ideas help you make 2010 a better year.



Best Wishes for 2010. May we all be more Healthy, Wealthy, Abundant, Happy and Peace Loving!



Warmest Regards,

Mark

Monday, February 16, 2009

Second Job to Supplement your Primary Income

As you would have realised by now, our jobs are not secure as it was during our parents time. The economy is in a constant state of flux. Companies will not hesitate to retrench staff to protect their bottom line and trim losses. Even as the economies are recovering from state of "near Depression", companies are retrenching and are not quick to reemploy retrenched staff yet.


So what can you and I do to protect ourselves? Charles Darwin said,"it is not the strongest that survive, but the most adaptable to change." One way is start saving more money for emergencies in case of retrenchment. You will need savings for a period of 6 months or more. Secondly, you can invest and live on dividends and hopefully enjoy capital appreciation. But you must invest in stocks that have good track record and you need to invest a huge amount to get dividends that cover your monthly income. You must do your homework before you buy into a stock. Another way is to find a second job such as giving tuition, driving a taxi, working in Burger King or McDonalds or other restaurants, turning a hobby into something that can provide you additional cash such as designing websites, coaching, baking, photography, etc.

I have found "Multi-Level Marketing" (MLM) or "Network Marketing" as my source of residual income which I want to grow sufficiently to one day replace my income from my job. It is not for everybody because people who are skeptics will not succeed unless they change their mindset. I failed in my first foray into multi-level marketing because I could not recruit "Business-Builders". I only managed to get consumers. Plus, the monthly maintenance in some of these MLM companies is high and can drain your savings if you do not build the business fast. Most importantly, you must choose the right MLM company with good products, a great set-up, good compensation plan and a potential to grow. But other in the company claimed that they are making money while they are sleeping and they are still in the business. They must be doing something right.

I have joined a second MLM company which is Amega Global (http://www.eamega.com/). It has been about 2 years since I started. Initially, I was skeptical about the benefits. Only recently after I felt that the products really do benefit people that I have decided to that I will give this my 150%. Plus, it fits my motto of helping myself and helping others at the same time.

Amega Global markets Bio-energetic products, Nutritional products and Amized Fusion Products. What I like about this company is that it does not require monthly maintenance till you become a Diamond Director. Even then the maintenance is only S$80 a month which is not a lot compared to some other companies which require a monthly maintenance of US$200 a month or more. Moreover, the magnetic bracelet that I have bought has given me health benefits. I feel better and I am able to play more golf and I have just completed the Half Marathon after my first half Marathon 22 years ago. Of course, you need to train for the half-marathon but I have been able to train because I have less joint pain.

Why I joined Amega Global?

1) Bio-energetic products, Nutritional products and Amized Fusion Products are interesting products and have been proven to work. (You can buy them in retail outlets & golf shops but they do not provide a business opportunity or your own cyber account/office).

2) The products provides health and wealth benefits. You can cure your some of your health issues through this "no-drugs" treatment as well as help others. In some cases it can replace drugs permanently (e.g. migraine, arthritis, improve blood circulation, stress, etc) while having the opportunity to earn residual income.

3) Opportunity to help others both health-wise and wealth-wise.

4) Networking provides me an opportunity to meet new people.


5) Testimonials that show that the products work. Here is one example :


"I bought a Platinum Package two weeks ago and frankly I did not have any faith at all. Currently I have arthritis and I’m always in pain. I went for X-ray and the doctor told me that I have a torn cartilage. I have already spent about $2000 (or more) on this problem and I was very disappointed that the doctor could not help me but asked me to wear special shoe. I then decided to come to Amega and I asked Wendy to show me how to use the AMwand to treat my pain. She did the whole process of treatment with the AMwand for about 20 minutes and my pain was completely gone. I am amazed how fast the AMwand worked. I now have complete faith in the Amega Products."

Agnes Chong nee Khng, Singapore


6) Your organization/downline need not be restricted to your neighbourhood like the 7-Eleven or Subway Sandwich outlets (both franchise businesses) and you really have to work hard to make money. Part of the money has to be paid to the licensor.

Amega Global allows you to have a network from Singapore to United States to India to Africa and more. And you don't have to invest heavily and "work like a dog" so that the person who own the rights benefits. All you need to do is start and the organization in Amega Global will support you with stocks, presentation, training, and support.

7) You are given your own "Cyber Account" that allows you to run your operation like any other business and work from anywhere around the world. You can track your organization, monitor your commissions, get online training, and check stocks, etc.

8) I have the freedom to start this business with very little investment (S$300) which I hope will eventually grow into a global business in the next 3 years for me and lets me achieve my dreams. I am on my way to achieve that. You can also do the same. All you need to do is to get started.

I hope you will join me at Amega Global. But whatever MLM or Network Marketing company you choose, make sure it has good products and the right set up. What you would realise from my message is that you need to act in order to create a residual income. Only with a bigger income can you live a lifestyle that you want as well as helping others.

Best Wishes! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mark Fernandez.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Resolution for 2009-Be Positive & Realistic

Hi All,

We are two months into 2009. Though things may not look so positive, we have to keep our heads up high and stay positive. You cannot achieve anything by being stressed or being negative. You need to take control and see what you need to do to make things better.

If you sit down and analyse the situation, there are options available to you that you may not have thought about. Talk to a friend if you need to. If "Money is an Issue"-here are somethings you can do :


-you can find a new job, any job e.g. working in MacDonalds, Security Guard, Taxi Driver, Teacher,

-you can find a 2nd job to supplement family income,

-spend less and save more,

-party less or party at home,

-spend only when necessary but don't stop spending totally,

-turn your hobby into a job,

-be less picky about job options,

-keep investing what you earn when the opportunity arises (do your home work),

-recycle things at home (your junk maybe somebody else Gucci or LV or Hugo Boss so have a garage sale),

-sell cookies and cakes, etc.

My cousin sent me the clip below which highlights the crux of the problem facing the world. If you look at the glass as being half full rather than half empty, you will be able to overcome any problem with the right frame of mind.


"Don’t Get Stressed Out By Negative Economic Forecasters.

Posted: 31 Dec 2008 06:51 PM CST

The 7:30 Report is an ABC Current Affair programme that broadcasts each week night across Australia.

Last night Chris Richardson from Access Economics was on the programme warning that Australia should brace itself for a recession. To quote from the transcript of the programme:
“Recession is infectious and most of the world has already set on very large recessions, that’s true of the US, which will probably have its worst year since 1982, same through Europe. Japan’s economy will shrink even more than the US or Europe.”

Here is a negative economic forecaster in full flight!

Scott Bevan, the interviewer, asked Chris Richardson if he could have ever imagined at the start of 2008 that we would find ourselves in the economic situation we now face. He answered no!

If I had been conducting the interview I would have been tempted at that point to ask Mr Richardson if his predictions for 2008 were so far off the mark why should he be believed now!
Economics is not, nor has it ever claimed to be, an exact science. Yet so many economists are prepared to go out on a limb and predict gloom and doom making no provision for unexpected increases in optimism.

The best stress management tip I can give you for the start of 2009 is to stay optimistic and be alert for good news.

I have very little control over economic swings and roundabouts but I can control my own attitude. If we can persuade enough people to do the same then things will certainly move in the right direction.

Focus on what you can do and achieve and keep working at it."

Don't Worry Be Happy!

Mark Fernandez