Malaysia Lockdown Again

 

Most parts of Malaysia officially enter into Movement Control Order (MCO) 2.0 today. There are people who are celebrating either because they get an excuse not to work or study. While those group of people who are engaging in online businesses are particularly happy about this since they expect more people to surf the internet while staying at home, consequently becoming their potential customers. At the same time, there are people who feel that the government’s decision is long overdue considering the second wave of Covid-19 outbreak is already more than 3 months old since the Sabah state election at the end of September 2020. They are worry that if no action is taken anytime soon, the current situation may get out of control. Most people are fearful for their lives.

It is particularly worrying when people can see that most of the country’s leaders have no sense of urgency or priority when it comes to tackling this pandemic. They are still politicking for power even up until now. Every politicians tried to beat each other by speaking their minds either on main stream or social media. There is no clear sign of unity. In fact, it looks like we are not in this together. It is as if Malaysia is now one country two worlds. In one world People are fighting for their lives while there is another parallel world where another group of people are plotting and manipulating the system to either stay in power or form a new government.

The situation looks even more worrying when being looked at in the context of the world outside Malaysia. Just heard the news today where World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that herd immunity won’t be achieved in 2021 despite numerous vaccines being rolled out this year. This is because it takes time to administer the vaccines out onto the masses, and we are talking about billions of doses across the globe. Herd immunity is not achievable because not every countries will be able to achieve mass vaccination at the same pace.

So what does this mean for the world? It means we will not see international travel in 2021. The world will be divided, countries will be isolated, people will be separated. There won’t be a global village, instead there will be isolated villages dotting all over the world. 2020 was not the worst, it was just an initial shock to the system. The real test is in the year 2021 and beyond. It is the ultimate test to see how we can persevere in this prolong social separation physically and mentally.

And what does this means for Malaysia? With the ignorance and selfish behaviour shown by most politicians, sadly a lot of lives will be sacrificed. Livelihood will be destroyed as tourists and foreign investments are not forthcoming. The country’s economy will be brought to its knees. What is more worrying is that nobody can confidently say that this will be the worst case scenario. We have never experience this before, no one knows how this is going to end. The endgame can’t be easily predicted.

So whether you welcome or criticize MCO 2.0, let us each do our part to weather this storm and pray that we still can see our loved ones in the end. See you on the other side!

马来西亚大部分地区今天正式进入了行动管制令 MCO 2.0。有些人可能会很开心因为他们不想工作或上课。那些从事网络业务的人对此更加兴奋，因为他们期待更多人待在家里上网，从而最后可能成为他们的客户。同时，有些人认为政府早就该做出这个决定了，因为自从2020年9月底的沙巴州大选以来，第二波Covid-19疫情已经爆发了长达三个多月。他们担心如果再不尽快采取任何行动的话，恐怕当前的情况会失控。到时肯定很多人会不幸的白白丢掉了性命。

到目前为止大多数政治人物还是对着疫情毫不注重，这令人民十分担忧。直到现在，他们仍然忙于在争取权力。每个政客都试图通过主流媒体或社交媒体上发表自私的言论。整个政局有如一盘散沙。

同时，国外的情况似乎更加令人担心。刚刚听到今天的新闻报导，世界卫生组织（WHO）警告说，尽管今年已经推出了许多疫苗，但2021年估计仍无法实现群体免疫的效果。这是因为将疫苗推向大众化还需要花费很多时间。由于每个国家都不能同时间大规模的将疫苗接种， 群体免疫是无法实现的。

这意味着什么？2021年还是不会有国际航线开始启动。这世界将会进一步的被分裂，国家将被孤立，人将面临孤单。2020年并不是最糟糕的一年，它只是一个很重大的警告。真正的考验会在2021年及以后。我们将会面临肢体与精神上的盛大考验。

那这对马来西亚又有什么特别的关系和影响呢？政客们的自私行为将带来许多人民的牺牲。由于失去国外游客和外国投资，马来西亚的经济将受到重大的冲击与考验。

因此，不管您是欢迎还是批评MCO 2.0，让我们每个人都尽自己的一份力量来度过这场风暴，并祈祷我们最终仍能看到我们的亲人。

Use Social Media To Do Good

While driving home from lunch earlier, I accidentally listened to this interesting talk on the radio. This lady was sharing with the host how she created a group on social media called 'Buy Nothing'. The name of the group instantly attracted my attention so I stayed kept on listening instead of changing the radio channel. This group is created to help people passing on unwanted items to people who does need them. For example, let's say I have a coffee table that I no longer need and do not wish to just throw it into the bin, I can post this item on that group and members have the chance to bid for it. The bidding criteria is not monetary but on the reasons the bidder gives. Upon receiving all the submitted 'reasons' to have the item, I the owner of the coffee table will then decide who meets the criteria of suitable candidate to have the table. So while not create more waste to the environment, I get to help others who really need it at the same time. 

That's just such a wonderful idea! People using social media to do good as a community. Too bad, we don't see too many of this type of positive motives on social media nowadays. Every time I turn on Facebook, 9 out of 10 news feed that pop up on my phone are negative. There are more negativities hidden in the comments section. Never mind if you are posting the most delicious lunch that you just had and wished to share with other people, there are bound to be those who would comment how the food taste terrible or there is better one down the road. It's almost like people's minds automatically switch to negative mode when they want to leave comments on social media.

The more extreme case will be like President Donald Trump who constantly stokes hatred among his followers which eventually led to the unfortunate violence at Capital Hill last Wednesday. Most social media giants like Twitter and Facebook have since suspended his accounts.

A knife can be used to both carve out beautiful sculpture and hurt people at the same time. Social media works the same way. We should help stopping negativity from spreading relentlessly by contributing more constructive and helpful content  on the internet.

刚刚午餐后开车回家时，我无意中听到电台播了一段有趣的对话。一位女士正在与主持人分享她如何在社交媒体里创建一个名为“不买任何东西”的小组。我顿时对这小组的名十分有兴趣，所以我就不更改广播频道继续听下去。该女士创建该这小组的目的是为了帮助人们将不需要的物品传递给比较需要它们的人。假设我有一个不再用的咖啡桌但我又不想把它扔掉，我可以将此物品发布到该组中，那时成员们就有机会竞标。投标标准不是金钱，而是投标人需要给出的有创意的理由。收到所有提交的“理由”之后，物主就会决定谁给出的理由是最符合的。这场没有金钱的“买卖”不但不会给环境造成更多伤害，同时还可以帮助其他更需要的人。

这真是个好主意啊！如今在社交媒体里我们看不到太多像这种积极的活动。每次我打开面子书时，手机都会弹出无数负面的新闻。其他人的评论再不必多说了。就算你只是纯粹想分享你刚吃过的美食，还是会有人评论这种食物的味道如何糟糕，或者其他店比它好吃等等。

更极端的情况就像特朗普总统那样，他不断的在社交媒体向他的追随者煽动仇恨，最终导致上周三在美国首都发生的不幸暴力事件。这事件过后大多数社交媒体巨头如推特和面子书都已暂停其帐户。

一把刀既可以雕刻出精美的雕像，也可以同时伤害他人。社交媒体也是一样。我们应该通过在互联网上提供更具建设性和帮助性的内容来阻止消极情绪无止境地传播下去。

Dwayne Johnson - Hardest Worker In The Room

 

On Daily Routines, we profile successful leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, executives and athletes to explore the routines, schedules, habits and typical day in their life.

Over the past 12 months, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has:

• starred in megahits Hobbs & Shaw and Jumanji: The Next Level
• launched his own tequila brand Teremana
• created new products as part of his partnership with fitness apparel brand Under Armour
• produced, created, hosted and/or starred in a variety of TV projects including HBO’s Ballers and NBC’s Titan Games

During this time he’s travelled the globe multiple times and also spends a generous amount of time engaging with his social media followers — 191 million on Instagram, 14.7 million on Twitter.

But for the busiest actor in Hollywood; all the crazy success, frantic schedules and multitude of projects is anchored by his daily workout routine.

With a typical wake up time of 3.30am, Johnson is one of those rare people who don’t need as much sleep, he usually gets three to five hours per night. “I love putting in that hard work as early as possible to get my day started off on the right foot, mentally and physically,” he told Bodybuilding.

While this sounds an insanely low amount of hours for sleep, Johnson revealed that being awake and having time to himself was more important than sleep.

“The only thing that’s regimented is I have to wake up before the sun gets up, and I have my two hours alone when no one else is up and the house is quiet,” he told Variety in a 2017 profile. “I often sacrifice two hours of sleep just so I can have the quiet two hours that I need before the whole house wakes up, including the animals.”

Having time to himself and his daily workout are the two anchors in his life. “I need the mental time in the beginning, and the next thing is my training time. Those are my two anchors, and once I’m able to anchor myself, I’m able to go to work, and then I get in my pickup truck and drive to set. I’m able to work 10, 12, 14 hours if I know that I’ve centered and anchored my day in the beginning.”

Johnson starts off his day with morning cardio, he’ll jog outside or get on the elliptical cross trainer for 30 to 50 minutes after having his coffee. After that he’ll have his breakfast.

"Diet-wise, I generally eat five meals a day. I’m very prepared and organized, and everything is planned out in advance. It’s all measured depending on what I’m training to achieve. Usually I start off my day with some dead cow and oatmeal for breakfast. The other staples in my diet include chicken, steak fillets, egg whites, oatmeal, broccoli, halibut, rice, asparagus, baked potato, leafy salads, peppers, mushrooms, and onions, and then also some casein protein."

For most of the week, Johnson will stick to his meal plan, eating healthy 5 to 7 times a day, but usually on Sundays, he’ll break off and have his legendary cheat meals which have been well documented on Instagram. Ranging from pancakes and ice cream, burgers and fries to huge plates of sushi and cheesecake with cookies, The Rock recently admitted to Food & Wine’s Executive Wine Editor, Ray Isle, that his cheat meals can hit 5,000 to 6,000 calories.

Following his breakfast, Johnson will get his workout in for the day. It doesn’t matter whether he’s in Shanghai promoting the latest instalment to the Jumanji franchise or at home in Florida, training is a non-negotiable in Johnson’s daily routine. Thanks to his portable “Iron Paradise” — 45,000 pounds of gym equipment that gets assembled at every location by his crew — Johnson is able to get his workout in, no matter where he is in the world.

On his training routine, he told Bodybuilding, “I work out six days a week, and usually in the morning. But depending on my schedule, I may also train in the evening. But I definitely prefer the morning. With the iron, I separate body parts: legs, back, shoulders, chest, biceps, and triceps. I mix up dumbbells, cables, barbells, and machines.”

“My workout is constantly changing and adapting, but for the most part, I do 4 sets of 12 reps with a 60-90-second rest. I don’t play around in the gym. I always aim to be the hardest worker, and I make sure I clang and I bang to the best of my ability.”

An example leg day routine for Johnson, as described by his strength and conditioning coach Dave Rienzi, includes: hip thrusts, leg presses, safety bar squat with chains, and walking lunges. All up, a typical leg day workout takes about 90 minutes, including warms up sets, foam rolling, and mobility work.

“Because he’s an actor and he’s an action star, and his roles are very physical, I can’t structure out programs that are too taxing on his nervous system,” Rienzi told Men’s Health. “If he’s squatting 500, 600 pounds, obviously that’d be very taxing on his nervous system and his adrenals and he wouldn’t be able to perform properly on-screen.”

When asked by Variety about how many days he took off per year, Johnson answered, “to be honest with you, I really don’t have time off,” he admitted. “I have pockets of time, like I had four days off after we wrapped Skyscraper in Vancouver to the time I had to get back for press, but there are no stretches of time.”

Johnson credits his legendary work ethic to being inspired by his dad, Rocky Johnson, who was a Canadian professional wrestler. “Every morning my dad was up at 5 a.m.,” Johnson told Muscle & Fitness. “He’d have his coffee and then hit the gym, regardless of whether he was at home or on the road.”

"Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success."

THE ROCK’S BEST ADVICE FOR SUCCESS | FORTUNE



SOURCE: BALANCE THE GRIND

在每日的行程中，我们介绍成功的领导人，企业家，艺术家，管理人员和运动员，以探讨他们在每一天的行程序，时间表，习惯和生活等等。

在过去的12个月中，Dwayne“ The Rock” Johnson拥有：

·        主演霍比特斯（Hobbs＆Shaw） 和尤曼吉 （  Jumanji）：下一个关卡

·        推出了自己的鸡尾酒品牌Teremana

·        也创造了新产品健身服装品牌Under Armour

·        在HBO的Ballers 和NBC的 Titan Games等电视节目中制作，创作，主持和/或出演 

Can Malaysian Brain Drain Be Stopped?

 

Thanks to ease in travel and modern technology, Brain Drain is now a global phenomenon where people especially those with talent will not think twice as soon as they discovered a better place for them to thrive. However, the situation is much dire in Malaysia. A study by World Bank in 2010 shows that 1 in 10 skilled Malaysians choose to move to a foreign country. These people have the skills that a developing country like Malaysia desperately need to grow. 

The government set up Talent Corp to attract thousands of talents back but only a handful hundreds accepted the invitation. So why with all the incentives and benefits offered, people still do not wish to come back to Malaysia?

First, let's look at why people leave in the first place. We can explore this issue by looking at an organization; why people leave a company? I'm sure all of us have been in that situation before where we resigned in order to work for another company. The motives behind our decisions can be simplified into three common reasons:

1) We feel that our contributions are not being acknowledged and appreciated by the current company.

2) We realized that there are other companies out there in the market who are very keen to hire us.

3) Low salary and limited career development in the current company.

Although the above are 3 common reasons why people resign from a company, it can also be applied to a country.

Most people who migrated to other countries based their decisions on one of or all of the three reasons above. Everyone feels that they are not being appreciated in Malaysia with the constant political rhetoric telling them that they don't belong to this country. A lot of them realized that their skills are highly sought after elsewhere, most of people in this category chose to work in Singapore. The third category are those who are looking for higher salary overseas. They move to Singapore and Australia. In the case of Australia, some went legally as Permanent Residents while they are a lot enter the country illegally.

Migration records in Australia shows that Malaysians have been migrated there as early as in the late 60s. That is a mind boggling 5 decades! So clearly this is an open secret that people are leaving the country and the government knows about it. Have they tried to stop it? Yes by setting up Talent Corp but the political will is clearly not serious enough.

There are a lot who choose to leave because they see greener pastures elsewhere, but all of them left because of reason number one: they felt that they are virtually invisible and not being appreciated by their own country. This reason alone will prevent most of them from coming back regardless of how attractive the financial benefits might be, the failed Talent Corp project is the clearest indication of this.

Does Malaysia needs to stop the brain drain? Yes, if the country is to come out of its 'developing' status to become a developed nation.

Can Malaysia do it successfully? Sadly, not in the foreseeable future.

Hong Kong 2021 Celebration Goes Virtual

Covid-19 has changed all aspects of our lives. Everyone has to think outside the box to do things differently in order to stay relevant. Traditions have to be modified to stay traditional. Such is the annual Hong Kong New Years Eve Count Down Celebration. It went virtual this year with people all around the world tuning in via their phone or computers to count down together.

The Iconic Penang Ferry

2nd of January, the transition of the new year seems negligible. We are now in 2021 but I don't feel any significant difference emotionally. Maybe it is due to the fact that I can't travel back to Malaysia this year due to Covid-19.

However, things do change a lot especially for Penang since the beginning of 2021. The iconic Penang Ferry will be replaced by more modern water buses and vehicle transporters. While there are lots of noise mostly created by the politicians on both sides in the social media, let's cast aside emotions and look at what are the changes.

First let's hear the objection voices. DAP's Lim Guan Eng blasted Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong incessantly that the current move to scrap the iconic ferry is a revenge by the current government against the people of Penang. He claimed that Penang contributed RM7 billion to the federal government through taxes but the development fund allocated to the state always trailing behind other states. Lim went on to say that by cancelling the iconic 126 years old ferry service, the PN (Perikatan Nasional) government is declaring war with all Penangites. I think this statement has gone too far and sounds more political than logical to me.

Now, let's look at what the government has to say. Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong defended his decision to cancel the iconic ferry services for the safety and well-being of its passengers. This explanation puzzles me. I have been riding on the ferry numerous times both in person and in my car. The staff of Penang Port are always there to ensure that all passengers and vehicles and on board before they raise ramp/ gate of the ferry. The huge windows on both sides of the ferry providing stunning views of the Penang Channel have very high walls to prevent people from over-leaning and fall into the water. So safety is not the issue. Now what about the well-being of its passengers? The ferry has spacious interior with high ceiling, it is very cooling thanks to the large windows/ openings that allow sea breeze into the vehicles. I find it very comfortable and relaxing every time I'm on one of this iconic ferry.

So if safety and well-being are not the real issue, what then drove the government's decision to cancel this much loved iconic and historic vehicles from keep on operating? The answer lies in the operating and maintenance costs. Everyone knows that an old car requires more frequent service/ repairs than a brand new one. More spare parts have to be changed due to prolonged wear and tear. Now imagine that your car is 126 years old! So does this justify the government's decision to scrap it all together. Lim Guan Eng argues that there are only 3 such ferries in operation, new engines can bee fitted into them and the cost will not be exhorbitant.

Cast politics aside, I think we should keep at least one of such ferry for its significant historical values especially when George Town is an Unesco World Heritage city. We should still use it as transport vessel and not just for recreational purposes as there is no issue with its safety and well-being to its passengers. In Melbourne, old trams were fitted with new spare parts and equipped with air-conditioned and still carrying passengers around its century old rail network. It can be done technically but there must be a political will to do it.

However, we must also welcome the government's plan to introduce modern fleet to improve efficiency in carrying people across the Penang Channel. Let's get less political and focus on logic and practicality. Same goes to all the other issue that the country is now facing.

Hundreds of people rushed to ride on the ferry on its last day of service to count down for 2021.

Phillip Island

Went to Phillip Island before Christmas for a short weekend getaway. All Melbournian can't wait to go to regional Victoria to reclaim their freedom after the harshest lockdown they experienced months before. We didn't manage to see the penguins this time due to it being fully booked. However, Phillip Island has a lot more to offer besides the penguin.

Amaza 'n' Things - illussion that makes the kids looks much bigger than the adults.

Today's Special is Human Head 

Feel the heat without getting burnt.

Cowes Beach