My rant to no one

On to my second business book now, after the mildly disappointing Freakanomics. This one's actually pretty damn good so far.

At the time that i bought this, i had the strongest urge to buy a Batman comic with this kinokuniya voucher i got from one of my training sessions at the office (back when i was still in my 9-to-5), but decided on a proper business book since i was about the venture out on my own.

But this one caught my eye precisely because it wasn't a "proper business book". Instead of telling you how to succeed, it tells you that the most important thing is to find out what success is to you. It's that age-old adage of "doing what matters to you", but putting it in ways that feel comfortable, and not too far-reaching for normal ex-editors to consume.

I sincerely believe that if everyone in Malaysia (or the world)read this book, it would be a much more pleasant place to be in. It's one of the arguments i have with SK all the time. About not letting money run your life.

The real awakening for me was when i found out how much my uncle (mum's youngest brother) earned. RM4k a month. He lives in Rawang with his wife and two kids, and he's the happiest uncle i have. twice as fun as anyone on my dad's side (refer to previous post).

Heck, i was already earning that, with no one to support but myself.

Another revelation followed a year later when i was talking to my friend J while having a ciggy outside his house in Taman Megah. J's a programmer, so he was telling me about how he was working on a project for a certain Malaysian holdings company and  found out how much their CEO makes every month.

"fuck man, it's insane wei... he earns RM150,000 every month!"

"whoah"

"ya man. It's damn nuts wei. Imagine what you could buy with that kinda money"

"yea man"

"...financial independence man, that's what it's all about"

...

"you reckon?"

"yea.."

"You think he's any happier than we are here talking cock and smoking?"

And that's when it reinforced the idea that i will never join the rat-race, or pursue the hopeless quest for material stuff. So for all the ladies who don't dig poverty-stricken, tree-hugging, and extremely charming chubby chinese guys, let me know beforehand, and I'll wear that one ZARA shirt i have that makes me look thinner, on our first date.

Actually, the more i think about it, the more i'm starting to think that my true passion is still writing and entertaining in general. Luckily, it is part of the dotcom business that i'm going into.

Still, i'd like to retire into being a magazine contributor at some point. It's a nice idea that got stuck in my head one rainy afternoon (not while watching sex in the city - guys don't do that), and i always have a pleasant mood when i think about it.

And I do have every issue of every magazine i've ever written in, and damn if i don't get a bit teary-eyed when i look through them now.

# posted by chak @ 10:25 pm