Showing posts with label career. Show all posts
Showing posts with label career. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

e-LATiH - thousand over free online training courses with cert by HRD Corp

FYI, there is an online e-learning portal called e-LATiH by HRD Corp (formerly known as HRDF, under MOHR), which you can freely register for an account to enroll for a selection of 1000++ free online courses.

The URL of e-LATiH is: https://elatih.hrdcorp.gov.my/


This online e-learning portal is open to Malaysian and also non-Malaysian. Basically, everyone are free to use it without much restriction.


Categories of the courses, which could be either in English, Malay or Chinese, including:
  • Leadership or organisational development
  • Education, skills development or languages
  • Marketing and innovation
  • Management / business management and corporate governance
  • Public relations, customer service or communications
  • Purchasing, logistics, supply chain or electronic business
  • Process and operation
  • Quality management and productivity
  • Safety and health
  • Sustainability
  • Scientific or technical, statistics or research and development
  • Wholesale or retail or electronic commerce
  • Building, construction, maintenance or landscaping
  • Creative arts, journalism or entertainment
  • Digital technologies and digital transformation
  • Engineering
  • Financial services and financial technology


The courses are conducted in the form of pre-recorded video. Upon completion of watching the full video, you will be given a Certificate of Completion by HRD Corp. No examination is needed for most of the courses, while some courses may have assessments in the form of quizzes or short assignments.


You can start learning anytime, and complete a course at your own pace with no specific deadlines.


Wednesday, April 20, 2022

PERSOLKELLY Salary & Employment Outlook 2022 (Malaysia edition & Singapore edition)

Unlike the Jobstreet salary report 2022 (Malaysia Edition & Singapore Edition), which provides the insight of the current median salary figure in various popular industries, and also from the perspective of career specialization, the PERSOL Salary & Employment Outlook 2021/2022 (Malaysia edition & Singapore edition) provides a similar salary market value insight from a different angle.


PERSOLKELLY is a joint venture established in 2016 between PERSOL HOLDINGS (previously Temp Holdings) and Kelly Services. They are a prominent workforce solutions provider in the APAC region.

The PERSOL Salary & Employment Outlook report has listed down the market value range of salary by their minimum and maximum, according to the job title and job grade, coupled with the no. of years of experience.

Sample pages of the report are as follow:


Malaysia edition of the report has coverage of the following industries:

  • Banking & Financial Services
  • Engineering
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Human Resources & Administrative
  • Information Technology
  • Property & Construction
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Supply Chain & Logistics
Meanwhile, Singapore edition of the report has coverage of the following functions and industries:
  • Accounting
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Office Support
  • Procurement, Supply chain & Logistics
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Banking & Finance
  • Engineering & Technical
  • FMCG & Retail
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Information Technology
  • Japan Desk
You can:



Thursday, April 7, 2022

Jobstreet salary report 2022 (Malaysia Edition & Singapore Edition)

Recently, Jobstreet has just released their salary report of Malaysia’s job landscape, and also of Singapore's, respectively. 



The reports aimed to provide insight of the current post-pendemic regional job market, as a reference guide for the hiring managers, HR, job seekers. as well as students planning for their tertiary education field of studies.

The information and statistics in the reports are analysed from Jobstreet own job advertising database, to come out with the median salary from various perspectives, and presented in multiple ranking by industry, by specialization, by position level, by location, etc.

From the reports, we can find out the current top 10 salaries by industry in Malaysia (figures in MYR):

and also the same in Singapore (figures in SGD):


In another perspective, we can also see the top 10 salaries by career specialization in Malaysia (figures in MYR):


and also the same in Singapore (figures in SGD):


There is also a section comparing the salary difference between SME and corporate, so that we can know how much is the salary gap between them.

The reports are pretty comprehensive and is a valuable tool for evaluating oneself whether he/she is well-paid, underpaid, or overpaid, comparing with the median salary of the peers in the job market at the same location.

You can:


Sunday, January 30, 2022

How to find a new job in IT nowadays

As one of the many IT professionals, do you feel that you are not that aware of your value in the market and do not know how to sell yourself? Are you just don't like doing sales?

It is especially difficult for those who were last interviewed quite a long time ago. Since then, the rules of the game in the job market have changed significantly.

The IT job market, in general, is somewhat different from other markets:

  • A very large online presence of job seekers and companies.
  • Very fast distribution of information about negative and positive developments.
  • In many specialties, demand exceeds supply, based on which companies are adjusting HR policies and ways to attract/motivate employees.
  • The too-rapid growth of salaries, if compared with other spheres.

At the start, it's important to let everyone know about you.

Only 20-30% of jobs are posted on job search sites.

These days, candidates respond to ads rather infrequently. Published jobs are only a small part of the job market.

The bulk of the work is with passive candidates. Hiring managers and recruiters scout the internet daily for the right people. To help them find you, fill out social profiles and clearly state what you're looking for.

LinkedIn - The primary job and professional search platform these days.

  • Specify the technology stack you've used to work with. To screen out the unwanted jobs, you need to clearly state your job title in the Title, mention your stack or programming language. For example: Frontend React Developer, Fullstack.Net Programmer, Senior Java Engineer, Java Team Lead. Then you will have fewer unnecessary offers from recruiters.
  • Be sure to write technical skills right in the About field. This will help you get a clear idea of your skills. Do not write long sentences. Give the reader a clear text structure about your skills. For example: programming languages, frameworks, databases.
  • Describe in detail your work experience. Under each job, clarify the essence of the project/product, your role in the project and tasks, technology stack. A common mistake candidates make is to limit their experience description to the job title, time on the job, and company name. All the information a recruiter needs is omitted.
  • Certificates by profession, courses are taken, recommendations from colleagues and clients - the more of these in your profile, the higher the level of trust for you. Certificates must be relevant and up-to-date. Things change rapidly in IT: it makes sense to expose information within 5, at most, up to 10 years. Certificates and course completion certificates are often not a requirement in the hiring process. However, constantly improving one's skills and qualifications, bringing programs and courses to completion, and being result-oriented will set a candidate apart from the crowd.
  • Don't forget to ask for a line or two of recommendations from colleagues and supervisors.
  • LinkedIn has special setting called #OpenToWork you need to turn on so recruiters can find you. 


Job Search Sites and Online Resumes

It's a good idea to upload your resume to popular job search sites, such as Jooble which has job coverage in over 70 countries around the world.

But keep in mind that not all firms have access to a resume database of different sites. By creating a resume on each of them, you broaden your search/resume for employers. The principle of describing technical skills and experience is similar. Put technical skills summary at the beginning, in the most prominent place. Describe your work experience in detail.

Try to avoid writing a monolithic text and using too long sentences. No one will read it. Make the description of your experience user-friendly, clearly structured, and understandable.


Add a link to your portfolio

If you're a developer or automation QA, upload samples of your decent code to Github and put a link to it along with your contact info on your CV and LinkedIn profile - this will help in the evaluation process of your technical skills since most employers are looking at what you really can do. Code samples say a lot more about you than thousands of words on a resume. Especially in the case of juniors. A designer or web developer without a portfolio looks really weird. 

If you don't have any projects to show, or have something very old that doesn't reflect your current level, it's better to put them away and not show them to anyone.


Google yourself for a job.

You already know that only 20-30% of market jobs are posted on job search sites. So be proactive in your job search - search LinkedIn for job offers, recruiters, and managers using keywords like: We are hiring, Looking for Java, C# developers.

Send out applications and resumes, and write to them directly, all the while showing your interest. Write about why you are a good candidate and what makes you different. Stay tuned for news about startups that are invested in, or companies that report good business results and expansion plans.

Visit IT companies, subscribe to their social media accounts and newsletters and stay up-to-date on their news.


Widen your search

Write to your former colleagues or ask your acquaintances. Personal networking is still one of the most effective job searches today.

Subscribe to Telegram channels and Facebook groups where job ads are posted. You can also make use of Jooble to have a centralized access to job opportunities posted in LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, Craiglist, Glassdoor, Indeed, Jobrapido, Jora, Facebook, YouTube, etc.


Tuesday, December 14, 2021

How to keep MS Outlook meeting invitations inside Inbox after responding to them?

This is a frequently asked question (FAQ) that many people using Microsoft Outlook as their email client found their meeting invitations automatically deleted and moved from Inbox to Deleted Items folder once they've clicked on the button to accept or decline the meeting invitation.

The accepted meetings will appear inside your Calendar.

I believe many people prefer to keep the original meeting invitation emails inside their Inbox instead of deleting them, because the invitation email might contain important information about the meeting, such as the meeting agenda, attached documents, etc.

In fact, deleting responded meeting invitations from Inbox is not a bug, but rather a strange default behaviour of MS Outlook.

To change that default setting to retain your meeting invitation emails inside Inbox, go to File > Options, the Outlook Options dialog box as below will popup.


Select Mail on the left menu, scroll down to the Send messages section, and uncheck the option of "Delete meeting requests and notifications from Inbox after responding".

Click the OK button and you are done.


Friday, October 8, 2021

Malaysia year 2022 national and state public holidays

The official 2022 national and state public holidays in Malaysia has been announced by Cabinet, Constitution and Inter-Government Relation Division (BKPP), Prime Minister Department.

There are 14 days of national holiday (12 national holidays, whereby Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Puasa have 2 days of holiday respectively, and all the rest are 1 day).

1 of them fall on Friday, 1 fall on Saturday, 5 fall on Sunday, and 2 fall on Monday. Most of the states will have around 4 state holidays in addition to the national holidays. 

Kelantan and Terengganu will have 1 additional holiday for Hari Raya Qurban.

Chinese New Year falls on Tuesday and Wednesday (1st and 2nd February 2022). I believe many people will take a few days leave during the period, namely Monday, Thursday and Friday, so that to enjoy a whole week holiday.

Hari Raya Puasa falls on Tuesday and Wednesday too (3rd and 4th May 2022). Good news is, Monday 2nd May 2022 is also a replacement holiday for Labour's Day which falls on Sunday 1st May. Therefore, you can have another whole week holiday by taking leave on Thursday and Friday.

Deepavali falls on Monday (24th October 2022), so you will have a long weekend.

Click here to download the table of Malaysia year 2021 gazetted national and state public holidays.


Sunday, September 12, 2021

i-Saraan voluntary EPF contribution with retirement incentive for freelancers, social media influencers & non-salaried workers

Nowadays, apart from the traditional career roles being a businessman, entrepreneur, or employee, there are more and more people working as self-employed, or working with broker/agent on a profit-sharing basis, including but not limited to the following roles:

  • Freelancer
  • Coach, instructor, consultant, ...
  • Online sellers
  • E-commerce drop-shipper
  • Commission-based sales agent (insurance, property, unit trust, MLM, ...)
  • Artist, actor, singer, magician, comedian, dancer, stage performer, ...
  • Photographer, videographer, composer, writer, translator, self-media, ...
  • Youtuber, Instagrammer, TikToker, social media influencer, ...
  • Hawker
  • Farmer
  • Fisherman
  • Taxi/Grab driver
  • Delivery man
  • Nanny, babysitter
  • ...
If you do not have an Employees Provident Fund (EPF, a.k.a. KWSP) account that is compulsory for all employed persons in Malaysia, you have the option to open one under the i-Saraan voluntary EPF contribution scheme.

Other than the roles above, i-Saraan is also currently opened for application to:
  • Retired government servant under pension scheme
  • Housewife


The benefits of having an i-Saraan account include:

  • Savings for your future retirement avenue
  • Receive additional government special incentive of 15% of your contribution, up to RM250 annually. This annual incentive is given to members below 55 years old, from 2018 until 2022, with the possibility to extend further.
  • Earn annual EPF dividend
  • Enjoy personal income tax relief up to RM4,000 for each assessment year
  • Incapacitation benefit of RM5,000 for withdrawal under the reason of incapacitation
  • Death (before age of 60) benefit of RM2,500

To apply for i-Saraan, you need to be a Malaysian citizen who is below 55 years of age. You can open a new i-Saraan account at your nearby EPF service counters.

There is no specific payment schedule for i-Saraan. You can contribute to your account at any time you wish. The maximum contribution per year is up to RM60,000.

Contribution can be made via online bank transfer, bank counters (Maybank, Public Bank, RHB Bank, BSN) and EPF counters.

Persons who already have an EPF account can also make EPF contribution under a separate scheme called Caruman Pilihan Sendiri (Self-Contribution).

The benefits under the self-contribution scheme are the same as this one, but it is without the 15% government additional special incentive (up to RM250 annually).



Thursday, September 9, 2021

2022 auspicious dates for opening business

Here is the list of auspicious dates for opening business in year 2022, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

It can be applied to new business opening, or reopening of business after a break/holiday. (Click the image to enlarge)



Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2022:


2021 auspicious dates for opening business

Here is the list of auspicious dates for opening business in year 2021, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

It can be applied to new business opening, or reopening of business after a break/holiday. (Click the image to enlarge)


Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

2022 auspicious dates for starting new job / post / assignment

For employees, especially those in leading/managing position, here is a list of auspicious dates  in 2022 for starting new job/post/assignment, including joining new company or joining new team in existing company.


It can be applied to first day reporting to new company/department/office/position, or going for the post to lead/manage a new business unit/team/project/programme. It can also be applied to assuming new job position after promotion/restructuring/relocation exercise.

It is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2022:

  

2021 auspicious dates for starting new job / post / assignment

For employees, especially those in leading/managing position, here is a list of auspicious dates  in 2021 for starting new job/post/assignment, including joining new company or joining new team in existing company.

It can be applied to first day reporting to new company/department/office/position, or going for the post to lead/manage a new business unit/team/project/programme. It can also be applied to assuming new job position after promotion/restructuring/relocation exercise.

It is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2021:


Monday, January 11, 2021

Weekly, monthly & more: How your pay schedule affects you

 

Photo by Vitaly Taranov on Unsplash


Let’s say you had a job as a cashier at your local grocery store that paid every two weeks. You quit that position and got a new job in an office, but this one pays once a month instead. What gives?

There are different kinds of pay schedules that determine when and how often you receive your paycheck. Businesses usually set their pay schedules to benefit themselves. Payroll management entails labor and costs, so companies will go for the option that is more convenient and saves them money. 

Employees (as opposed to freelancers) don’t normally get to decide how often they get paid, so it’s critical to factor your pay cycle into your weekly or monthly budget, especially if you live paycheck to paycheck. Will you have your money when you need it?

Here are four common types of pay schedules:

Kinds of Pay Schedules

Weekly Payroll

Some businesses pay their employees weekly, which means employees receive their income on Fridays. This schedule is more common amongst freelancers, contract workers, and trade industries like construction and manufacturing. These job types commonly have irregular hours, so it makes sense to pay workers according to a shorter time frame.

While weekly schedules are a favorite amongst employees because it means you have more regular access to your money. If you drained your bank account on bills last week because it was the end of the month but want a night out with your friends, no worries — you get paid on Friday, so you can afford that night out as long as you save enough for your upcoming expenses.

However, most businesses avoid the weekly system. Payroll vendors frequently charge money every time a company (their customer) runs payroll. Doing so weekly takes extra time to process, so companies will opt for more extended periods to reduce costs and add convenience.

Bi-Weekly Payroll

A bi-weekly pay schedule means you receive your paycheck every two weeks. This cycle amounts to 26 or 27 paydays per year. Many businesses prefer bi-weekly timelines because they save money processing payroll and can calculate overtime more easily (each paycheck accounts for approximately 80 work hours). As such, bi-weekly payroll is more common amongst businesses that pay their employees hourly.

Bi-weekly schedules are not challenging to manage, but two months out of the year will have three paydays instead of two. Accountants need to factor in these paydays when calculating voluntary employee deductions, like healthcare, which are equal in a bi-monthly pay schedule.

Bi-Monthly Payroll

Bi-monthly pay means your employer pays you twice per month, also known as semi-monthly. As such, you might receive your income on the first of and in the middle of the month (likely on the 15th), or in the middle and end. A bi-monthly pay schedule entails 24 payments per year, which makes it distinct from bi-weekly. If you earn $45,000 per year on a bi-weekly cycle, your paychecks (not accounting for taxes and deductions) will be around $1730.77 each, whereas your paychecks will equal $1,875 on a semi-monthly schedule. It’s the same amount of money but divided differently.

Bi-monthly payroll is common for salaried employees. Calculating deductions is easy for accountants, and you always know which dates you will receive your income.

Monthly Payroll

You guessed it — monthly payroll means your paycheck comes in once a month. This format is ideal for businesses because it makes accounting easy and reduces processing costs, but it’s disadvantageous for employees and contractors because they have less frequent access to their money. If you work a job that pays monthly, you need to be extra careful with budgeting because you’ll only receive your income in lump sums 12 times per year.

How Does Your Pay Schedule Affect You?

Your pay schedule does not affect how much you get paid in a year, assuming you work the same number of hours either way. However, your pay cycle does influence how often you have access to your hard-earned money, and therefore the way you budget.

For example, let’s say you paid all your bills last month and now don’t have much left in your savings. Your job pays you bi-weekly, so you’ll have enough money to pay the first round of next month’s expenses, but your next paycheck won’t arrive in time to pay the rest. Now you’re in a tight spot.

One option is to make an early paycheck request from your employer. If your employer agrees, they will provide you all or part of your paycheck before they usually would, allowing you to pay your bills, but it lengthens the time between your next paycheck.

Another option is to use financial apps. Your job’s pay cycle is out of your hands, but you can control when you get paid with apps like Earnin. Earnin allows you to take out up to $500 of your earnings per pay period. This way, you won’t have to worry about missing a bill because your employer’s pay schedule isn’t in your favor, and you won’t have to pay mandatory fees for convenience.

Your pay schedule affects your ability to pay expenses and for recreation, so it’s important to know how often you’ll receive your income when applying for a job or managing your finances. Though your pay cycle might not always work in your favor, there are ways you can control having access to your money.

Restrictions and/or third-party fees may apply, see Earnin.com/TOS for details.


This article originally appeared on Earnin.

 

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Malaysia year 2021 national and state public holidays

The official 2021 national and state public holidays in Malaysia has been announced by Cabinet, Constitution and Inter-Government Relation Division (BKPP), Prime Minister Department.


There are 14 days of national holiday (12 national holidays, whereby Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Puasa have 2 days of holiday respectively, and all the rest are 1 day).

2 of them fall on Friday, 3 fall on Saturday, none fall on Sunday, and 1 falls on Monday. Most of the states will have around 4 state holidays in addition to the national holidays.

Chinese New Year falls on Friday and Saturday (12th and 13th February 2021). Since Saturday is already an off day for most people, the actual Chinese New Year holiday in year 2021 is only one day on Friday. I believe many people will take a few days leave during the period.

Hari Raya Puasa falls on Thursday and Friday (13th and 14th May 2021). That forms a pretty long 4 days holiday, when combining with the Saturday and Sunday weekend.

Deepavali falls on Thursday (4th November 2021). If taking a day leave on Friday, you can also enjoy a long weekend holiday.



Friday, November 13, 2020

Online free personality test to get accurate description of who you are and why you do things the way you do

Since the dawn of time, humans have drawn up schematics to describe and categorize our personalities. 


From the 4 temperaments of the ancient civilizations (sanguine, choleric, melancholic & phlegmatic) to the latest advances in psychology, we have been driven to fit the variables and complexities of human personality into well-defined models.

The 16Personalities website developed by a small group of enthusiastic researchers in Cambridge UK, NERIS Analytics Ltd, provides a free online personality testing tool for all of us to understand ourselves better just by answering a few questions and get a pretty detail result about our personality type, role (i.e. our goals, interests, and preferred activities) and strategy (i.e. our preferred ways of doing things and achieving goals).

The analytical model used is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which in turn based on Carl Gustav Jung's theory of psychological types. It also incorporated frameworks from other renowned researchers, including Socionics, Keirsey Temperament Sorter, Linda Berens’ Interaction Styles, etc.

You can click here to visit the 16Personalities website and press on the Take the Test button there, to start your personality test and get your instant result report.

You will find yourself in one of the 4 roles of analysts, diplomats, sentinels, or explorers.


Each of the 4 roles is grouped by 4 personalities respectively. And each of the 16 personalities can be further analyzed into 2 different strategies. Therefore, there are altogether 32 strategies available in this model.


If you are curious about the statistical information of the personality of the people around the world which has taken this test, which can be further zoomed in to regional and country level, here is the link to show the big data result.





Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Strategic Doing - 10 Skills for Agile Leadership

Strategic Doing - 10 Skills for Agile Leadership is a book published in 2019 by Wiley and authored by Edward Morrison, Scott Hutcheson, Elizabeth Nilsen, Janyce Fadden, and Nancy Franklin. Famous musician Yo-Yo Ma (马友友) has written the foreword for it.


Undeniably, complex challenges are all around us nowadays. They impact our companies, our communities, and our planet. This complexity and the emergence of networks are changing the practice of strategic management.

Today’s leaders need to understand how to design and guide complex collaborations to accelerate innovation and change - collaborations that cross boundaries both inside and outside organizations.

Strategic Doing introduces you to the new disciplines of agile strategy and collaborative leadership. You’ll learn how to design and guide complex collaborations by following a discipline of simple rules that you won’t find anywhere else.
  • Unleash the power of true collaboration
  • Learn and master the 10 skills of agile leadership
  • Apply individual skills to targeted situations
  • Introduces a new discipline of leadership strategy

Filled with compelling case studies, Strategic Doing outlines a new discipline of leadership strategy specifically designed for open, loosely-connected networks.

The book’s authors are both practitioners and teachers of Strategic Doing, helping others to master the skills. Solidly based in research, Strategic Doing explains each of the skills in detail and clearly illustrates how individual skills are used as part of effective collaboration.

The 10 skills for agile leadership as discussed in the book encompass:
  • Create and maintain a safe space for deep, focused conversation
  • Frame the conversation with the right question
  • Identify your assets, including the hidden ones
  • Link and leverage assets to identify new opportunities
  • Look for the “Big Easy”
  • Convert your ideas to outcomes with measurable characteristics
  • Start slowly to go fast – But start
  • Draft short-term action plans that include everyone
  • Set 30/30 meetings to review, learn, and adjust
  • Nudge, connect, and promote to reinforce new habits

This 188 pages book is available in both physical format as well as e-book format.


Wednesday, May 20, 2020

What is meant by FOMO, FOBO, YOLO, MOMO, FOMOMO, FOJI, BROMO, SLOMO, JOMO, ...?

You might have heard about FOMO, the acronym for Fear Of Missing Out. It is a psychological need of a person in society, particularly in social media. It is a common term nowadays used in advertising and marketing, applied in strategies and tactics to influence customer behaviour.

Other than FOMO, there are many other related acronyms spun off to describe a person's state of mind in the real-world and/or virtual community. Some of them have also become sales and marketing terms.

You can see these terms in social media hashtags.

FOMO = Fear Of Missing Out, or fear to be left behind. For example, when your friend posted something in the social media, and many friends reacted on it. You feel FOMO if don't follow suit.

FOBO = Fear Of Better Options. There is another one: Fear Of Being Outcompeted. This is commonly seen in a job interview. The employer is FOBO (fear of better options), the candidate is also FOBO (fear of being outcompeted).

YOLO = You Only Live Once. This is a trait of positive personality to live the fullest. It is also a common advertising term.

MOMO = Mystery Of Missing Out. This is a higher level of anxiety than FOMO. For example, when you post something in the social media and anticipate your friends to react, but you get very little reaction, you might fall into MOMO state.

FOMOMO = Fear Of the Mystery Of Missing Out. You are fear to post something, because you are fear of MOMO.

FOJI = Fear Of Joining In. This is another term of FOMOMO. Nowadays FOJI is a more commonly used term than FOMOMO.

BROMO = Bros protecting you from Missing Out. This is an act of solidarity from your friends to avoid you feel FOMO.

SLOMO = Slow to Missing Out. When something has happened in your social network while you are offline or sleeping, and you realize later...

JOMO = Joy Of Missing Out. This is the opposite of FOMO. You feel okay or even happier to be offline.



Tuesday, May 19, 2020

4 habits of highly confident people

In his article about mastering fear, clinical psychologist Nick Wignall highlighted that confidence is a belief that you will be OK despite your fear.

He opined that confident people do not rule out fear, but they view fear and uncertainty as uncomfortable but not dangerous.

He believes that anyone can learn to become more confident. Becoming more confident doesn't mean eliminating fear from our life. It means learning to live with your fear, and achievable through building up the following 4 habits:

  • Accept your fear instead of running away from it.
  • Communicate your wants and needs assertively.
  • Make decisions based on values, not feelings.
  • Be compassionate with yourself after mistakes.
You can click here to read the full article about these 4 habits of highly confident people by Nick Wignall.


Saturday, May 16, 2020

15 habits of genuinely intelligent people

I've just read an article written by Jessica Wildfire about 15 habits of genuinely intelligent people.

To summarize, the mentioned 15 habits are:

  • They don’t talk about how smart they are.
  • They learn best by imitation.
  • They try to figure things out themselves.
  • They are always hunting for knowledge.
  • They don’t brag about what they know.
  • They connect the dots.
  • They are OK with cognitive dissonance.
  • They ask a lot of questions.
  • They abstract from their experiences.
  • They seek out puzzles and paradoxes.
  • They don’t get hung up on crumbs.
  • They move slow, until they hit warp speed.
  • They have no problem with failure.
  • They don’t try to sound smart.
  • They don’t always use big words.
If there is one habit that oversees all the others, it will be: empathy. Intelligent people try to think from lots of different viewpoints. They try to understand how their actions affect everyone - not just themselves, or the handful of people they care about or agree with.

You can click here to read the full article by Jessica Wildfire, and the explanation on each of the abovementioned 15 habits.


Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Auspicious dates for opening business in 2020

Here is the list of auspicious dates for opening business in year 2020, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

It can be applied to new business opening, or reopening of business after a break/holiday. (Click the image to enlarge)


Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

You might probably also be interested with the auspicious dates for the following occasions in year 2020:

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Malaysia year 2020 national and state public holidays

The official 2020 national and state public holidays in Malaysia has been announced by Cabinet, Constitution and Inter-Government Relation Division (BKPP), Prime Minister Department.

There are 14 days of national holiday (12 national holidays, whereby Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Puasa have 2 days of holiday respectively, and all the rest are 1 day).

3 of them fall on Friday, 4 fall on Saturday, 2 fall on Sunday, and 2 fall on Monday. Most of the states will have around 4 state holidays in addition to the national holidays.

Chinese New Year falls on weekend Saturday and Sunday (25th and 26th January 2020). As such, Monday 27th January 2020 will also be a holiday.

Hari Raya Puasa falls on Sunday and Monday (24th and 25th May 2020).  As such, Tuesday 26th May 2020 will also be a holiday.

Unfortunately, Deepavali falls on Saturday (14th November 2020), which is already a weekend off day for many people.

Click here to download the table of Malaysia year 2020 gazetted national and state public holidays.

Hint: Click on the "Older Posts" link to continue reading, or click here for a listing of all my past 3 months articles.