Maybank 54th Birthday Celebrations

Heartwarming actions. Unexpected surprises. I’m always in for that.

And recently, I stumbled upon a cool video from Malaysia’s premier bank, Maybank, which compiled their 3 weeks of surprises which they did around Malaysia.

Now before I talk more about the video, I just want to share that I myself am a Maybank customer and has used this bank since a few years ago (even while I was in Singapore, and well I still am a customer while I’m now in China).

I like their friendly customer service especially at the branch that I visit at Taman Tun (you can add that it’s also less crowded here so that’s a plus point :P ). Oh and yes, I think the Maybank2u.com website is pretty user-friendly and convenient too.

Anyway, the bank has just celebrated its 54th birthday on 12th September. And to show their gratitude to their customers for making it possible for them to go this far, Maybank celebrated their birthday nationwide by bringing surprises to their customers.

Tokens of appreciation were given to their long standing customers, customers who walked into their branches and they even visited customers at their homes to deliver personalised tokens of appreciation! Some received iPad minis, cash vouchers, candies and some received even more personalised gifts like medical treament sponsorship, trip to Legoland, education funds and many more.



I guess the best part of Maybank’s “birthday celebration” is seeing the unexpected smiles from customers which any brand owner can be proud of. After all, what better way to celebrate a birthday but with the “people you care” and for them to appreciate your being.

Personally, for a brand to recognise their customers.. the very people who make the brand, now that’s really something I admire (and am touched).

They are also running another contest to reward customers in conjunction with their birthday.

The best selfie with tiger (any sorts!) will win you RM500! Check out their ‘m2uappselfie’ Facebook contest for details!

Congratulations, Maybank! Way to go! :) #humanisingbanking

I'm Now A Geek! (Men's UNO Feature)

Hey, I've been featured in this month's (Sept 2014) issue of Men's UNO..! It's special because well it's this prestigious magazine. And I'm featured in their new Chivas Modern Geek segment! Wow!

Did an interview with them, and honestly while I can't remember the questions now.. but reading back, I think they captured the essence of my beliefs in terms of digital media and business.

Some friends have asked me to translate the write-up and I got my buddy to do it. So, well.. here it is!

Btw thank much to the whole Men's UNO team. While I think I look a lil older here but I guess it's all "part of the look"! Thanks for making this happen and for making me feel so.. like a boss! :)

Introduction – Page 1
QuaChee - A Flexible Amphibian in the Multimedia World of the Internet.
Online Influencer/Internet TV Producer/Owner of Online Bookstore/Writer/Manager in Digital Marketing

QuaChee is a gifted talent that recently became a hot popular figure throughout the internet by using the infinite possibilities of the internet world. He works through his own blog, social media, short videos, online TV and even music albums to become the new generation of online influencer. The publication of his very first book was not long after his graduation from his university, and digital marketing was just on its baby-step. However, he won his first war through online bookstores and online business sales channels and he made a great sale on his first book publication. QuaChee refreshed the nerdy impression of a “Geek” but anticipation and his passion of his revolution confirmed the new flexibility image of the geeks, the spirit of desperation in improvements has intimately merged with the spirit of a fighting warrior.

Chivas Value – Courage
A person’s “skill” in his adventure would get more mature through experiences and it might even become closer as a person’s instinct.




Page 2

In the picture, QuaChee looks fairly confident and even a bit of arrogant; his ingenuous and innocent attitude in his online videos; his casual and chic way of writing in his blog. No matter where and how his impressions look to you, his ability would blow off your imaginations. QuaChee with his charming bright eyes, deep mature voice, generous, friendly, and chic attitude gave out a non-harmful vibe but a huge confident that you would not be able to ignore.

QuaChee is a down to earth activist with very detailed thoughts. When he was 24 years old, he wanted to publish his very first book (Batik Inspiration), but he found out that the interests charged by the book agency and book publication companies were way too high. Instead he bucked the trend and did the publication himself with online business as one of his major sales channel. This decision has brought QuaChee to an adventurous journey to success and his book became a hot seller in Asia.

Soon after, he saw potentials in online bookstore as a great business channel and created an online bookstore, bringing the sales of books directly from Thailand and Singapore. He was indeed walking on the edge of internet business during that time. Many people around him suggested that this was not a good idea and might fail fatally but QuaChee saw the possibilities and went for it. After five years, he gained a huge success in this business, and then he sold the business and retired from the field. “Things have to be done after decisions are made, I held on to this belief with no idea what is going to happen next, I have been fallen down and stand back up for numerous times and even then, I succeed.”

QuaChee has worked with many famous brands and companies in marketing strategies and sales planning, currently working in Ninetology, a digital mobile phone company as a digital marketing manager. Even that, he is still favors by many companies from the overseas, his new movement would be a great news to look forward to.

How do you analyze current sales trend on the internet? What is your prediction of future development on this?

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are very popular platforms right now on current social media world. If you want to get into the market of the consumers successfully, you must first get hold of all the elements above and use them correctly. Youtube is definitely a good platform to invest in right now because anyone could be a star by presenting themselves on this platform and The “Celebrity Image” of a Youtuber would be an obvious example of one of the current trends. I predict the next step of the online marketing would be moving forward to Instant Messaging such as Line and Whatsapp Messenger where the online influencer would work through smaller circles (10-20 people) rather than working so hard to become an online influencer on big platforms. Understand what consumers are thinking, knowing what would push the consumers on moving and provide what they need, when you continuously let them remembering your brand, you are now one step closer to success.

How do we use the power of the internet fully to expand our business?

Social media is a good platform to increase the popularity of a brand, whereas email marketing is still a better channel in Malaysia to push out a new product. As long as you get hold of a language on Malaysia’s internet marketing, you will get hold of a certain race group. At times when you switch a language to bilingual, you will see an obvious leap on the market development. This is a very simple, direct method, but it is always ignored. As comparison to overseas internet marketing, the reputation/position of our country’s online influencer is pretty high up because of our diversified society. It is not easy to getting into different groups of market with different languages, but with the help of blog, it would be more efficient.

100% Chivalrousness X 100% Geekosity = Geek of the new generation.
What is a geek?
- A person with high intelligence, usually immerse in knowledge and technology
- Became an elite in online business with the change of current business development
- Deeply immersed in their region of interests, great passion towards computers and internet skills

What is a modern geek with a warrior’s spirit?
- Leader of a new trend, practices new way of thinking
- Great in social skills, enthusiastic in getting human connections
- Brave enough to breakthroughs, never afraid of failing.

QuaChee is a mastermind that controls the edge of the technology, mature leadership in the region of internet marketing and a socialite.

Page 3

QuaChee is a hardworking man. He works hard to study, walking across the world of the internet, building up social connections, research the movement of the latest market and understands what the customers’ needs, working on his own projects and so on. He says that he studies and research on the latest news every day, and gaining the knowledge like a sponge. However he is a human, it is impossible to perfectly gaining all the information, and sometimes he would get his working partners to help on other regions of the knowledge.

How do you work with your team in order to reach a goal?

A team is very important to me. A leader without a team would not be successful. The spine of my team is built up by me and two of my friends. We have our own fortes and we help each other along the way. One is great in organization skills, human resources and another good in artistic and creations, and I will be handling the planning and co-ordination of the items. A mature team is not only based on how it works as a team, it also based on the spirit of the team too. Only a team that could work very cohesively would gain happiness and satisfaction, and with happiness, it is closer to success.

How do you evaluate yourself as a leader?

I am a very open minded person as a team leader. I think gathering flourishing ideas from all over the place would be a great direction. I listen to companion’s ideas and opinions very tentatively and would consider them seriously. However, the person who gives the idea must be very sincere, his motive is positive and he is prepared fully about his idea. If a person is not even prepared of what he is going to tell, is best not to waste anyone’s time.

How to maintain a good relationship between the team members?

Do not take anyone for granted. Give and take. It’s that simple.

Page 4

Chivas Value
Passion
“Passion” and “Heart” are the fuel to the road of success. You must have the passion and enjoy the work you are working on in order to find happiness in it.

Even though QuaChee’s decisions always seem very risky but he will never take risks without thinking upfront. “I will do as many researches before I make a decision. I will do a lot of calculations, the pros and cons, the risks and unknowns… I would only consider whether the project is worth a shot after I have considered every aspect possible. If I made the first step, I will make sure I will go for it whole-heartedly.”

What kind of an adventurer are you?

I am an adventurer with careful calculations. I would only take risks on doing something that I think it is worth to do, and of course, that is after all the considerations, calculations and planning; if I see the results, I would definitely go for it.

For every risk you took, how did you calculate the risks and how did you make the correct judgments?

It’s impossible for me to calculate and predict for 100%, even I could only do my best to study and observe, feeling what the market really needs. If I really think about it, maybe the sensitivity and ability to observe carefully would be my weapons.

Have you ever been in failure before?

Maybe I am a lucky person, because I get good results from all the risks I took until today. Moreover, the skill of taking risks would grow along with the experience I gained and it might even become closer to what we call, a “human instinct”. Frankly, I learnt how to make a good decision as I getting more mature in life. Sometimes when I meet a roadblock, I would stop and think for the perfect detour plan. If detour is not an option, then it is better not just standing right there doing nothing but do the best and finish the job. You have to non-stop keep track of the progress of your work, do your best to focus and be very sensitive about it, and avoid being hindsight.

How do you define “success”? Do you think you are successful right now?

Success means work in happiness. Everyone’s view of happiness and values are different, no matter what you are doing, how much money you are earning, as long as you are enjoying what you are doing right now and you are gaining satisfaction from it, not just to work because of what people asked you to, that is success. For me, success is a continuous progress, a non-stop progress where I keep on thinking of how to improve myself, and I gain my happiness from there. Up to this point, I think I am successful. Maybe I should put it this way, I have never put “success” as a goal because it is too abstract, but instead I think of non-stop improving and breakthroughs, keep on demanding on myself.

What are the tips to success?
“Passion” and “Heart” are the fuel to the road of success. You must have the passion and enjoy the work you are working on in order to find happiness in it. Therefore you must have both to be successful. If I can’t persuade myself to believe or accept a product or a brand, I would not accept the project. I am satisfied of what I am doing right now but I will not stop here.

Who are the successful persons you look up to?

In the entertainment world, I would say Hugh Jackman is one of the examples, he did not lose his own personality, he is who he is and successfully sells his own image to the market. Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, and Tim Ferriss too are the people that I look up to, because they gave me a lot of inspirations and knowledge. Mindvalley and Vishen Lkhiani are the people that should be taken note of in the field of creating publication websites. His creativity and sensitivity are admirable.

Goodbye KL.. Song!

Before I left KL, I decided to make some memories.. well, a nostalgic goodbye in some sorts.

I had planned for a lil drama MTV like video, but I sold my car and that kinda "handicapped" the video in terms of props, and more so.. my movement around the city.

Plus, I was just too busy packing all my stuff for China.

And so when my buddy started doing this "dance" after listening to this Korean pop song, well, I thought I'd join him and shoot it as my goodbye KL video!

Well it is a lil random but hey, here it i.. and stay tuned for the ending!

*This song (Ave Maria) is not new for me. Have seen the movie for which it's the theme song, and yes, love it lots! (more on: 200 Pounds Beauty)

My 1st Week In Shenzhen

Ok, so this should have been written earlier. But well, with limited access to online.. and the business of settling down, I can only find time to write this now.

I thought I'd document my very first week in Shenzhen as it does mean something "special" in a way. I'm in a new city, that I'm rather unfamiliar with (I didn't even know how it looks like before I arrived!).

 

I arrived Shenzhen on my birthday. Personally, I didn't feel so wow. I mean, spending my birthday rushing to the airport, and on the plane to an all new city (the anxiousness).. just didn't feel that fantastic. And well, even though I arrived dinner time, all I had was to eat my first meal at some hawkers nearby the hotel. 

For a guy who likes birthdays to be spent with nice meal and all.. this was a lil setback la! But well, a "sacrifice" I have to make as the next day, I'll be starting work. 

 

The very next day, I have started to use the subway. It's really efficient (peak hours trains have like 2 mins interval!). But it's really packed in the morning and I'm still trying to get accustomed to that life of having to queue up, get pushed and well.. not having the luxury of driving! (yea, spoilt I am!).

 

For the 1st week, there were a lot of documentation for visa application. And at the same time, I had to quickly find a house to stay. This was another challenge. As I don't even know which part of the city to look for a house. I decided the ones nearer the office (like a few stations away) would be best as I need to wake up early for work (ps: can't be late or salary will be deducted!).

 

I saw about 7 different houses.. and OMG, prices here are expensive! Actually, I saw many "terrible" homes, and to a point, I thought I have made a "wrong" decision. For the same price I'm paying in KL, but I see houses which are located on the 7th storey of a low cost apartment in KL - and it's a walk up! And the staircase is sooooooo dirty!

But then, I finally found a house with a pool. Slightly smaller.. more like a studio. While I could get with 3 bedrooms for the same price back in KL, this is still... well rather okay (more of the house once I'm ready to show it). 

 

House is not the only expensive thing in Shenzhen. Like my China friend mentioned, China has now become really expensive. Food is nearly 30-50% more expensive than back home! So far, the only cheaper place I found is this western restaurant, Saizerya... which pizzas go for less than RMB20!

Oh btw, on my first week, I managed to celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival. A local friend brought me to a park in the city. You'll be amused that the celebrations are much less here compared to back home - if not wrong, the only celebrations was at this park! Anyway, I still managed to borrow a lantern from someone just for a photo!

In all, I thank my friends for helping me in my 1st week in this new place that I'll be calling "home" for a while. Without them, I really don't know how my 1st week would have been!

*On that note, people here in Shenzhen are generally nice. It's not the same like the ones you hear from tourists who visit those tourist spots or my previous encounters with locals during my China trip 5-6 years back!

I'm A Winner!

I'm a Winner! Oh yes, I am. And I wanna share to the world bout it! Haha!

I know it sounds boastful.. but hey, don't get me wrong.

It's just me being full of excitement and all.. and well the need to share it out :)

First off, I got first placed for Domino's Pizza Bear-A-Selfie contest! It's not often that I join contests, and I haven't won much from them either.

But when I saw this bear contest by Dominos.. I knew I had to join! (a bear has got to do what a bear has got to do!).

I submitted a few entries for this (including the ones where I went for the WorldCup Viewing Party). But minus those submitted on that day... I had 2 other entries.


One was taken when I bought the pizza and the football bear merchandise.

The other, I again bought the pizza. Got it delivered.. and then got my make-up artist friend, Konji, to help me out with the make-up. It took a good 2 hours plus for this to be done (make-up plus photography - oh yes we took many shots!).. but I'm happy with the results!

And hooray cos the judges like it too! And so.. I won the 1st prize of 1 year supply of XTRA Large Pizza!!!

The 2nd "win" I'd like to share is... well, I've been interviewed by Men's UNO for the 2nd time. This time round, it's a feature under the segment -  Modern IT Geeks!

Managed to capture a pic from the shoot, though I think this will not be used in the feature. 

The feature will be out in September. Call that a birthday gift! Oh, I can't wait! :)

Now, the 3rd "win".... is well, I got a new job. And guess what... it's not in KL but in Shenzhen, China instead!

The confirmation of the job and all is pretty fast, and in less than 1 week, I'll be moving once again to a new place altogether (I was previously based in Singapore for 8 years). 

More about the attraction about moving abroad and the new job in the coming posts. But for now, these are just some of the stuffs that makes me feel... like a real Winner! (humming to the song "I believe I can fly"...).

*My 1st Men's UNO feature can be read here: Oh Wow, I'm In Men's UNO Top 20 KL-ites!

*Read about my move from Singapore to KL in 2009 (Oh yes, I've been in KL for 5 years!)

Taiwanese Hot Dog/ Sausage

I was in Taipei recently - like after a draught of no travels in 10 months!

I must say the whole trip was super fun! I'll probably share about the trip in some other day.

But this time round, I wanna share about the Taiwan sausage.. which the Taiwanese use the term "hot dog".

You can say that I was rather "amused" with the "hot dogs" there. There's just so much varieties, and it comes in many shapes and sizes! And the one I liked most - is the one with cheese!!

Oh well just for fun.. I did 2 videos out of it (pardon the messy hair!).

5 Reasons To Send Gifts From Giftblob

Gifts.

Let’s admit it. We love receiving them.

But like the saying goes.. the joy is also in the giving!

However, don’t we think it’s really difficult when it comes to buying gifts? But well.. a new app, Giftblob, aims to solve that gift-ing issue.

Here are 5 reasons to use Giftblob.

1. Wide selection

At point of writing, there are currently 5 main categories to choose from - Coffee & Treats, Dining, Shopping, Momento and His & Hers. There’s also an additonal section Feeling Lucky.

I personally like the Coffee & Treats section for they have brands like Haagen Dazs and Royce!

2. Virtual or Physical gifts

Usually most online gifts tend to virtual gifts, but Giftblob allows both. It has gift vouchers but at the same time, users can also send physical products like flowers which will be delivered to the recipient. I think this will come in really handy during festive season.. especially Valentine’s!

3. Many options for payment

Apart from credit card payment, Giftblob also allow users to do bank transfer. I know some of my friends who prefer this - so kudos!

4. Easy sign-up

Honestly, signing up for a new account for each new app/ website can be a hassle. This app cuts the hassle, and sign-up is done through the Facebook account (you do have a FB account, don’t you? :)

5. Send gifts to anyone

I was concerned about this at first - especially for friends without the app.

Well, this is actually what happens. When a user sends the gift, his/ her recipient will be notified through the app - if he/ she is a user. But even if he/ she isn’t, she will still be notified through a FB message (to request to download the app).

Oh and the cool part - Giftblob shows your friends with the latest birthdays first! So you don’t need to forget another birthday!

Okay so there goes. Gifting made easy :)

*More info on the app and download links at . Giftblob can be used for both iPhone & Android!

Brickfields Goreng Pisang And Nian Gao (Kuih Bakul)

Nian gao (or call it kuih bakul). Usually, I have them during the Chinese New Year. But then, I found this really good stall in Brickfields and well.. you can say, I've had my fair share of it all year round. 

This is a simple stall located opposite of YMCA and operates during the day. I usually go here during the afternoons.

And depending on luck, it can get crowded at times. And the queues can be long. So much so that you have to wait for 20-30 minutes for a fresh batch to be cooked. 

The owner, Mr Chiam and his son operates this stall and sells not just the nian gao but also other fried snacks. 

Nian gao all prepared and ready to be fried

While prices has gone up over the years, but it's still rather reasonable... after all, the price to pay for probably one of the best (if not the best) nian gao in KL!

The other food I like from here much is the also must-try pisang goreng (fried banana fritters). The flour makes the bananas rather crispy yet the inside is still fresh. It's always a good combination with the nian gao!

If you are in Brickfields, or the surroundings (eg KL Sentral), and looking for a good afternoon snack... look no further. I bet you will be like me... always coming back for more!

*Mr. Chiam Pisang Goreng/ Nian Gao
Opposite YMCA
Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 012 6172511
Business hours: 1230pm - 6pm

World Cup With BolaBears And Dominos Pizza!

World Cup. Pizza. And Bears.

That’s the combination for last Sunday night during the World Cup Finals between Germany and Argentina.. cos Domino’s Pizza Malaysia threw a Bear themed World Cup Finale viewing party.

And lucky me, was invited!

Add caption

[middle] Hasfahlinda Hassan, Senior Manager, Marketing Domino's Pizza Malaysia & Singapore, addressing guests in her welcome speech at Domino's Football Final Viewing Party

There was a host of games and activities before the ‘live’ match.

Amongst them.. a pizza box folding contest, the human foosball game, and the Instagram contest (for the most likes).

Fans at Domino's Football Final Viewing Party showing off their skills as they participated in the football-related games and activities.

Well, being an avid Instagrammer.. I chose to focus on this one, which I thought I had a fair chance to win.

While some were busy playing the other contest.. me, I had a mission to win. So some of you, my friends, would have received messages from me.. requesting for Liking my picture on IG (thank you!). But alas after 1 hour of “hardwork”, sad me didn’t win despite having about 150 plus likes when the contest ended.

The other I did before the game started - well to get my face painted. I have painted my face with Brazil colours just the week before.. and since they are not in the finals, I went ahead with supporting Argentina.

I also took some photos with fellow bloggers… who were rather divided between the support for the night (see their painted coloured faces!).

Soon, it was time to get ready for the biggie. But first, to grab the pizza! I chose the ultimate Hawaiian pizza (my all time favourite).

Fans at Domino's Football Final Viewing Party enjoying the pizza maker's offerings

And finally it was time for the game to begin! So grab our bean bags, and got comfortable we did!

'Beanbag' chairs were specially prepared to cater to the viewers' comfort during Domino's Football Final Viewing Party.

I’m sure the Bear supported Argentina that night too!

After some suspense and “fake” excitement (cos of the offside Argentina goal).. the whole event has ended. And while the world celebrates, it was my turn to head back to catch some sleep.

All in all, I was glad to have attended this event though it did disturb my sleeping hours. But hey, when football comes with pizza and bears.. it’s all worth it! :)