Bangkok is dangerous?

Thailand's famous Khao San Road. Picture stolen from here.

Hi Friends, I'm back from a mini vacation from Bangkok, with Wifey and some relatives and friends.

A week ago, I was told that the elections were coming, and to avoid red and yellow colour shirts. One of my relative called and wanted to forgo her plane ticket, because she was afraid that things might go wrong in Bangkok. We had to convince her that should there be a riot, we will just watch TV in the hostel, and I will volunteer to go out "in the danger" buy them meals.

And then there was the airplane. Airasia and Tiger Airways were not offering cheap enough deals, so I booked tickets for Myammar Airways International (MAI). I guess the word "Myammar" doesn't ring a bell here in the aviation industry, so Wifey had to check the Internet, and convince them that MAI is using the same planes as Airasia/Tiger Airways, and have a 100% safety record.

And then there was the insurance. S$30 isn't expensive, but I found absolutely no need to buy them, we are better off taking the "risk" so that I could channel more into Wifey's shopping spree.

And so we flew last Friday night.

(1) There was no signs of riot. It was business as usual. And yes, I saw tourists wearing red and yellow, and they are still alive.

(2) MAI was a CHEAP and SAFE flight, with one of the BEST FOOD I ever ate on an airplane. Cheaper prices than budget airlines with free meals onboard, and plenty of leg space - Where to get such a good deal?

(3) Insurance was unneccessary, Bangkok is one of the safest tourist destination I go to, be it day or night. Just the basic precautions and everything is fine.

I came back a few hours ago, and all my relatives/friends were happy as we ate and shop aplenty. One of the best holidays I had in a while.

As long as you do your homework, don't hesitate to live "dangerously".
Cheers everyone!

P:S. For those of you planning a trip to Bangkok, consider staying in Khao San area instead of the Siam city area. Laidback area with cheap food, beer and massage all day and night!

Bickering is good

My cleaners are a couple in their 50s.
They are very diligent, and spread their roles well. The lady does all the "lighter" jobs (ironing and wiping), while the man does the "heavier" jobs (wash toilets, vacuuming, dissecting and cleaning aircon).

They may not talk much, but I could feel the bond between the two of them. The guy also rides his wife on a bicycle to my home. Damn sweet, right? I will love to ride Wifey around in a bicycle around the neighbourhood when we hit our 50s too.

I engage the 2 of them in small chit chats now and then. I was telling them minutes ago how much I envy them, to be able to work together daily as a team (and with no conflict of interest that might invite gossips), and spend time together.

Well, she replied me in jest "Where got good? We always end up bickering." And she laughed. I laughed too.

I wanted to say "Wait till he's gone. Then you will miss the bickering", but that doesn't sound appropriate, but you guys get what I mean, right?

Reflecting back, I spend so much less time with Wifey because of my new commitment. Maybe someday, I should just open a sugar cane drink shop, so that I get to be the boss (ok, its actually just self-employed), and Wifey can be the cashier.

We won't earn much, but we definitely have much more time together... and bicker about the small things in life while we still can.

The problem of being indispensible

One of the enlightenment I got from "The 4 Hours Work-Week" is that it's bad news to be indispensible within a company.

Ok, maybe no one is indispensible, especially when the downturn comes. What I mean is that if you monopolise a particular field within the company, you are considered a "much needed" person and you become the first name that comes to people's mind when they encounter problems in that field.

I must qualify that I do enjoy being the go-to guy in my department, but it is a double edge sword.

Pros:
(1) Job Security.
(2) More visibility and thus better chance for promotion.
(3) More likely to get a better pay increment compared to the average peers.

Cons:
(1) Over-reliance on you, and thus it starts to suck up my time, thus reducing productivity.
(2) Hard to go for long holidays, or even have to OT at home when on medical leave.

My boss once said that managers should train their subordinates to be almost as good as them, to the point that they can do the manager's things.
- When subordinates perform, it reflects nicely on the boss' management skills.
- When suboordinates perform to your level, you have the option of moving up to another level, since you now have a capable replacement.

A few months back, I have gotten a nice capable colleague, whom I have transferred my knowledge to. Now I can look forward to be absent without anything holding me back.

And it feels really good. ^_^

Making life easier

I blame myself for everything, so that I can have ownership of the problem.
And with ownership, I empower myself to solve it.

Often, I have hear of people saying that they have no time.
They blame it on the work hours, the travel time, the kids, the gf/wife etc... anyone but themselves.

Pushing the blame on others doesn't win you any synpathy points. But by accomplishing more stuffs with less time, you get people's respect.

Let me share a few pointers here. I give credits to The 4-hour Work-week for the concept, but I adjusted it to suit myself.

DEAL - Define, Eliminate, Automate, Liberate

(1) DEFINE - Know what the REAL problem is.
Don't give the right solutions to the wrong problems.

(2) ELIMINATE (aka Simplify) - Kill it before it kills you.
Know what the time-consuming tasks are. Are they REALLY that important? Find ways to eliminate them, or improve the process so that it doesn't take as long.
Don't be shy to say "NO" or ask "WHY THE POOK DO YOU NEED THIS?".
When you ask more, you work less.
Buy 1 to 2-weeks worth grocery at a go, instead.
Do you REALLY need to spend an hour each day reading newspapers, Facebook, watching serial drama etc....?
I used to spend an hour reading newspapers, thinking that "I don't want to be a frog in the well". But the truth is I can't change the world, and actually I read because of my ego to be "smart", and that doesn't make me more money. Now I just read the headlines, except for news that concern me directly. - save 45 minutes a day.

(3) AUTOMATE - Offload your tasks.
I got a iRobot, now I never ever have to sweep my floors again - Save 30 mins a week.
I got a weekly part-time cleaner so that I can save 4 hours a week.
Auto-link most of your payments to Giro (or whatever they call it in your country), so you won't have to waste time compiling your bills.
And if you are a businessman, DON'T do everything yourself. Don't be a salesman + accountant + operations manager + office cleaner. Learn to delegate so you can have time to THINK strategically and get more cash for the company.
And do consider a Virtual Assistant - they can do ANYTHING for you that doesn't require their physical presence. Help you write articles, help you plan for holidays or find a rental flat etc... And they are surprisingly cheap - 3 cheers for India, the Service Centre of the World.

(4) LIBERATE - Get yourself out from the 9-5.
With extra time at hand, you can spend more quality time with your family, or embark on a journey to get new sources of part-time income.

Simple case study.
(1) PROBLEM: The bus always comes late.
Sorry, actually the REAL problem is you wake up late - own up to YOUR own problem.

(2) ELIMINATE: What can you do to wake up earlier, or skip the bus?
Any ways to sleep earlier the day before, like checking Facebook/Youtube/Emails twice a week instead of daily? Can you join a carpool? Or get your boss to let you work at home some of the times? Negotiate for a 7.30am-4.30pm workhour instead of 9am-6pm just so you can avoid the peak hours.

(3) AUTOMATE: Get a BLOODY LOUD alarm clock and place it in the living room. You will be too embarrassed if you don't get off the bed and turn it off, lest the neighbours complain to the local police.

(4) LIBERATE: Once you start killing this problem, get yourself a pat on the back. Now you are one step closer to a better life!

Have a great weekends ahead, my friends! ^_^
Stop being a slave to yourself.
Live life, love life!

About the Author: Shingo T dedicates this post to his 2 weekly cleaners, because they are cleaning away so that he can blog this now.