A Road To Travel

I hate to travel during holiday season, especially when the place I’m going to is a place of attraction. Definitely it will be troublesome to find accommodation especially when the reservation has not been made beforehand. But the most annoying part is when I’m not sure how the place will be, as I am an organized traveller, I just can’t simply stay in any unknown lodge, scared to sleep at night, thinking that whoever or whatever is crawling outside while I try to sleep..

I found that luggageonline.com is really useful for a particular traveller like me. They compiles 50 travel sites which I’ve never heard of though mostly the coverage is not in Asia, but who knows in years to come I might become mighty rich through my blog and able to travel worldwide..hahaha

I like to think that as my age still permits me to do adventurous travel I might be able to stay in Unusual Hotels Of The World and see whether the aluminium clad igloos really as hot as they sound and by registering myself on AirTroductions I might be able to sit next to Brad Pitt lookalike on the 12 hours flight.

Oh, the next site for me to read and gather info is One Bag in which I will learn to minimise my luggage so that I dont have to buy extra bags when I’m done with my travel-shopping.

So for those who like to travel, or hate to travel but were forced to, maybe a click in the below conversation box will do you good in the future.

A Blind Keyboard Date

I remember about 10 years ago when Internet chatting and dating revolutionised my world, I tend to spend hours and hundreds of my education loan in cybercafes (that time I dont even have my own PC and Internet connection), meeting strangers online were definitely fun and less risky.

It’s like making the hero in the romantic novels come alive in your mind..hahahha..though 99% of the time, the online dating experience was a very, very opposite to what you imagine he or she would be.

Anyway, now that I’m no longer available, it’s good to know that with the new era of IT advancement there exists site like JustSayHi.Com that offers 100% free online dating options. I’ve tried to register in few online dating sites before but after some times they ask you to pay certain fees and keep bugging you with lots of weird emails and unsuitable choice of dates.

Well, dont get me wrong, I’m not looking for any replacement of spouse, I’m just curious to know what’s really going on in online dating sites nowadays…hahaha..

So to those single and still available souls out there who are interested to carry forward this conversation, kindly click on the conversation box below and see whether you could find your knight in shining armour, or the lady in the white veil anytime soon…

Are You Brand Worthy?

I’ve been following the BrandU emails for quite sometimes and I really find it beneficial for small time entrepreneur or anyone who is doing business and would like to make it big.

I will share one of the articles BrandU sent to my mailbox few weeks ago:

Are You Brand Worthy? Four Simple Ques*tions to assess your brand-ability by Kim Castle, BrandU®

[NOTE: Some words in this article may have been disguised to avoid triggering sp*m filters.]

Branding is a one hot topic, yet it is wildly misunderstood. To make things even more confusing, branding is often tossed in the same basket as marketing, which makes its application to an entrepreneur or sole-practioner even more unclear.

Are you wondering if you’re business is even worthy of the focus branding? Believe it or not, that’s really up to you.

While out speaking on branding, the question that I hear most is “How do I know if my business or service is brand material?” With businesses opening left and right, and more and more closing each year, I’m glad there are smart business owners open to understanding the issue.

If you’ve found yourself asking the same thing, don’t worry you’re not alone. Perhaps, this can shed some light.

At a recent luncheon, the same question came up again in a different way. I was seated next to an attorney whose sole practice focuses on elder abuse cases. He asked me in rapid succession (a manner that showed me he’d be great in court):

“Isn’t branding for businesses that make a lot of stuff?”
“Doesn’t branding apply if you want to sell a lot of stuff?”
“Isn’t branding pointless for my kind of business?”

Smiling, I fired back, “yes, yes, and… no.”

Yes, branding is most often associated with businesses that make a lot of stuff. Yes, branding is advantageous if you want to sell a lot of stuff. No, branding is not pointless, because every business makes something (or offers a service) and wants to sell it. Branding is about making your product or service known to as many potential customers as possible, consistently, with the most effective use of your time and mo*ney. Branding is about repeat business. Branding is about effortless referrals. Wouldn’t that be a benefit to ANY business, especially yours?

To help you gain more brand-worthy clarity, ask yourself the following ques*tions:

1. Am I really passionate about what I am doing with my business, service or product?

If not, is there something more you can be doing in it to turn your passion switch on? It takes an amazing amount of energy and persistence to make a business take hold in the customer’s mind. With more and more businesses competing for headspace, it’s imperative that you set yourself apart. If you are not cooking with the fuel that passion gives you, you’re missing out on a very crucial element that could mean the difference between thriving and closing.

2. Do I have a big vision of my business, service or product?

Do you dream of reaching lots of customers in different ways with your product or service? Do you see a way to deliver your product or service to an increasing number of people with less and less effort? Did you create a mindset or special approach in your field that can be delivered in a variety of mediums, i.e. speaking, books, audio CDs, consulting, etc? Do you envision moving beyond an hour-for-hour way of providing your service? All of these support a big vision. Not only do we begin from the inside out when approaching your brand, but also we create from where you will be in five years as if it is n*ow. Small vision does just that, keeps you small. The choice is always yours.

3. Is my product or service a real benefit to a lot of customers?

It’s important that you answer this one as honestly and openly as possible. I was very passionate and had a huge vision for a career as a mime (Yes, you read that correctly… a mime)! However, no amount of passion and vision would make people buy it on a large scale. Thanks to Marcelle Marceau, the mime card had been played out. You may find that being truthful with your answers will lead to branding even better products and services.

4. Am I prepared to surround myself with a team or the knowledge to accomplish the business success that developing my business as a brand delivers?

The plus side of being an entrepreneur is that you may wear many hats in your business. The negative side is that you feel like you have to! The truth is, you don’t! You’re an expert in your field and you need to honor that expertise by supporting it with a variety of other skill sets to make your indelible mark: logo design, copywriting, website design, your marketing plan creation and execution, and others. The important thing is that you realize… you’re in command… because it’s your ship! And being a commander takes knowing where you want to go, gathering the maps to make the journey, and the crew to make it happen.

If your answers to these ques*tions are yes, then you have the makings to develop your business as a brand. You just need the knowledge and process to do so. If you’re shaky on some of the ques*tions, find out why. Even if you ne*ver develop your business as a brand, solid yeses to these simple ques*tions will only make your business more successful and more enjoyable. After all, isn’t that we all want?

© Castle, Montone, Limited.

Brand Visioneer Kim Castle is an internationally known author, speaker and entrepreneur. Are you making one of the 15 MISTAKES THAT KILL BUSINESS SUCCESS? Find out and change it immediately for fr*ee .

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can. Simply include this blurb with it: Author and Brand Visioneer, Kim Castle teaches entrepreneurs and small business owners how to tap into the full power of their business - the power behind their brand. If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank ™ go to www.15mistakes.com.

The Swarovski Craze

I was looking for new designs and ideas to make my own bracelet using Swarovski leftover that I’ve bought few months ago when I came across Crystal Reflections. What I really like is the way Rachel managed to capture the glittering and elegant beauty of her custom made artisan Crystals crafts.

These are some examples of her work:

This gorgeous necklace features Rainbow Fluorite round and twisted oval gemstone beads with Bali sterling silver bead caps and spacers and Swarovski crystals in Violet, Amethyst, Lt Amethyst and Tanzanite. A beautiful, crystal encrusted butterfly pendant finishes the piece. Measures approximately 18″. Full set, with matching bracelet and earrings, is available.

This beautiful cell phone charm features a handmade lampwork floral glass bead with three sterling silver and swarovski crystal dangles. Connects to cell phone with attached lariat. This charm can also be used as a fob for purses, backpacks, and jeans. Measures approximately 1 3/4″ (not including the ring or loop). A matching lanyard is also available.

A Ramadhan Buffet At Sari Indah

I went to the restaurant when it first opened last year in 2005. The food was great as they serve Minang style cooking. As this restaurant is the first one in Malaysia, the main branch is in Indonesia, I find it very classy for a restaurant which serve “rice and fish” meal (common food for Malay taste). The ala carte was a bit pricey compared to the same kind of dishes you can have at the road side stalls or normal restaurant, but the service and the ambience was very,very good. Can say that for a rice shop, this one is a fine dining restaurant in its own class.

So this year, while shopping at Alamanda for Hari Raya celebration, we decided to have a look at the restaurant again. Good thing that they are having a buffet promotion with the price of MYR32 nett per person. Considering how much they charge per plate of dish, we quickly made up our mind to break our fast at the restaurant. Almost all their special dishes were served at the buffet table plus several others. With the hiking price of petrol and rising cost of everything in Malaysia at the moment, buffet price of RM32 nett is considered very affordable. From my survey, for this year, most of renowned hotels in KL offer buffet at the price of RM70++ and sometimes the food was not that tasty. I certainly did not regret spending that much that evening since I managed to gobble down almost all the dishes served, mind you, everything in tiny little portion.

The service is still very, very good despite many patrons and almost full house that evening. The waitress kept on filling my glass of plain ice drink and quickly but politely clear up the plates when I was done eating. For someone who spend most of the time cleaning own plates at the kitchen sink day after day, it was really a relief to be waited and treated like a princess.

I will dine again at Sari Indah, especially next time when I have expatriate friends coming over and would like to try traditional spicy Malaysian (Indonesian style of cooking) food.

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