Dan da Xin Xi

I took a quick rest from talking and blogging about my book, hoping that everything would be on auto-pilot, and because it is internet, especially facebook, it is possible to let the program to run by itself, with very little supervision. Alongside, I had launched my own advertising campaign with Fb, using the CPC method (cost per click) with the bid of $0.10 per click, and spent daily budget at most, $3.00, meaning to say, I should get 30 clicks per day. But that '30' is a non-guaranteed conversion, as out of that number, might be there are few slips - not all people would sign up as a fan. So, it's okay, we try.

Back to the main topic. I spent these days by feeding my wild side of curiosity, by reading books, whether fictional or non-fictional. I got 'It's Not About the Coffee' written by a former President of Starbucks International, I gorge on 'Google Speaks' - a complete autobiography of how Google was founded, why they called it Google instead of Go-Ogle (Haha), till the latest products and genius free but 'with-a-price-to-be-paid-later' by those two founders. I also got a book from MPH - AirAsia story - about how Tony Fernandez. built his empire, by purchasing the lease at RM1, with RM40 million debts, as he took over the failing airline company and turn it into one of the best and largest low-cost-modeled airlines in the world, and now with his other ventures - Tunes hotel, mobile prepaid, F1 Malaysia, low-cost web hosting etc.

Well, people said, 'Never put all your eggs in one basket', and I said, 'Try to find eggs that can take up baskets in it'. Huh? Yeah, well, sometimes, we need bigger eggs, with harder shells.

So, last night, I pulled on this book 'Cerita Saya: Lim Goh Tong', it's in Malay translation, and you can get it in English and in Chinese language too. I would like to quote on this, as he said-

" Memang benar saya suka ambil risiko; dalam hal ini saya berbeza dengan peniaga Cina lama. Bla bla bla... Saya yakin bahaawa untuk berjaya dalam perniagaan, kita harus ada sikap yang disebut orang Cina 'dan da xin xi', iaitu, berani tapi berhati-hati"

That's about it. So, 'dan da xin xi' means going bold, going big and nasty, but CAREFULLY. I kinda like this saying, it nails it. I know, he's doing casino business, which is something that we might not want to involve in, but learning from this business guru, about his endless passions and visions, are harmless, my friend.


The best part in this book, is about 'the first love encounter', as always, the 'best' part, haha. Especially when it's written in Malay it sounds really 'perky' and bouncy and sprightly. Read this, if you doubt my words-

"Pada masa pendudukan Jepun, saya berkedai menjual perkakasan di Jln. Pudu, KL. Di sebelah saya tinggal keluarga Lee yang mempunyai anak gadis bernama Kim Hua. Gadis remaja itu matang (matang? Erpp? I start to laught at this point, but controllable) dan rupawan. Saya jatuh cinta pandang pertama (OMG! At this point, I was trembling on the floor, laughing out loud. I dunno man, it just 'nails' it, again. When the word 'matang' meets 'rupawan' then eventually touched up with 'Saya jatuh cinta...', I couldn't resist it anymore. I laugh real hard till the eyes got red. Seriously. That's why I can't and never read Malay novels with the 'Cinta' titles in front, it just funny. It's not romantic anymore). You don't laugh? At all? Come one, it's funny! No? Well, you're not that humorous, are you?

Anyway..hikhikhik (still laughing), he finally got married at 26 and that girl was only 16. But a year later, bad news come, which made me stopping 'LOL' at him.

"Suatu malam dalam April pada tahun selepas perkahwinan kami, isteri saya bermimpi bahawa ibu saya menegurnya kerana masakannya tidak sedap (Wow! That was heartbreaking...). Keesokannya isteri saya bertanya, "Emak abang (abang?!...phewiittt) berkulit cerahkah, mukanya kurus sedikit, rupanya macam Dewi Belas Ihsan?"

Then, Lim said , "Yeah, that was right. That's mom", sort of (I used simpler wordings, pretty lazy to type in the lengthy sentences).
Few months later, he received a letter that Mom had passed away on that April, the month which the wife got the dream. It's pretty sad, right?

Other keynotes, and noteworthy highlight, is his crucial stand and firm grip on his principle of 'doing the impossible with sheer possibility'. And these few lines, below, really give us a giant SLAP on our faces, especially the skeptics.

"Apabila saya mengenang kembali, terlintas juga rasa kagum akan keberanian sendiri berkata kepada para pencemuh: "Ketawakanlah saya sepuas hati, sampai pecah perut pon takpaaa (I just made up those 'sampai pecah perut...' and on. Haha. So that it sounds better! Isn't it?), saya tetap akan naik juga ke gunung itu".."

That's the spirits! Love that one. Love it, love it, like it! It tells me and us, that we are not afraid to be a laughingstock, because of our crazy dreams, and so-called ambitious planning. Let them barking and yelling like hell, but we do our job and we do it with our hearts and heads, not mouths.

Nobody wants to be in that ghostly Genting once upon a time, but today, we pay a thousand ringgit, per room per night, to those 'ghosts', so that we can have a very chilly, less-sweating first night of marriage (hik hik hik) with our 'matang and rupawan' newly-wed wife, (I laugh again. Sorry guys. Can't handle it! Seriously) in a very cozy suite, and we make lots of babies then. Always wear an 'umbrella' if you're not ready, yet. Hopefully. :D

Take a good care of yourself. And the girl next door. Walla!
(I have to finish this short, I can't HANDLE it. It's funny. Malay-translated books really funny, sometimes)