HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOUSE AND YOUR LOVED ONES

Hi! Everyone, In today's world with high inflation rate regime, everything is expensive so is property. To acquire a property in the city is far beyond many people's means. To maintain the property in good condition is not an easy task especially those with two or three school going children. For my case, my eldest son is going to college next year.   Fortunately, my property has also gone up in value appropriately to the inflation rate. However, my unit acted as the electricity distribution channel for the whole row of the houses, from the left ones next to me despite my unit is not a corner unit. No wonder, the external cables along my house compound were burned three times since the day we moved in. Fortunately, no one was injured. First incident happened not long after we moved in . The cable was sparkling with fire and my car was just parked underneath. My belated father noted the incident but we couldn't get out from the main entrance, where the fire was sparkling. At that time, we were prepared to get out from the backyard instead. I contacted the fire squad teams and also the national electricity board. The latter came and replaced the over burned cables and things were put to rest. The former came in to stand by, just in case. However, a couple years later, the cable burned again, but this time, it was not as that bad as compared to the earlier one. They repeated the similar work and went back. WE thought things have been fully settled. However, the third incident happened again sometime thereafter.  I just came back one night and was very surprised to see all my family members are in my house's compound after my wife contacted the electricity board. Their technical staff confirmed that the cable was burned again, after some investigations they replaced a small portion of the cable, after they have since shut down the sub-station, at the pole not far from my house.  After deep thought, I called up our national electricity board the following day and requested them to send their engineer to inspect and verify what's wrong with the frequent burn down cable. However, they took the matter lightly and kept sending a technician over and over to do walk around inspection instead of proper checking with the instrument. As I did not obtain a satisfactory answer from them, I demanded from them an indemnity form and also lodged an online official complaint. Again, they treated it lightly and I had no other choice, but to present an official complaint letter to the Section Head at Jalan Yong Shook Lin, Petaling Jaya personally and gave them an ultimate request either to remove their cable outside or change it to a bigger capacity cable.  I found the cable to be life threatening and it warrants me to withdraw  the covenant, which I  had entered into my sale and purchase agreement.  The Head after reading my letter, instructed his engineer to attend my case instantly while   I stayed at his office waiting for her investigation report. She reported a severe over burning of the cable and recommended that the cable be replaced with a much bigger capacity cable.  Before I left his office, I requested a written report from them. As a result, they became more conscious this time and sent in a heavy vehicle to take a look at the pole, 2 or 3 times  that night. They subsequently discovered that they need to redistribute the electricity load to another house, a few units away from mine so as to reduce the electricity load to my home. Hence, there appears to be double protection. Even then they have not given me a written report explaining the load and the redistribution matter. However, the engineer has dropped me an email explaining the disruption of electricity without mentioning the word burned cable, so as to avoid their liability and I replied her by describing the true incident. Sad to say that they have not replied thereafter. I followed up the matter, but all in vain.  Here, I write to thank some residents here for offering me the relevant person to contact.   This is important so that I can address the matter promptly. Thanks also to my nearby neighbours who allowed us to use their electricity, by extending several extension cords from their house to my house, so as to enable them to carry out the repair work when they shut down the sub-station. We are also grateful  to the Chairman of BU 7 & 10, Mr Lim who also offered me some assistance.  In this connection, I write to urge that our BU 7 and 10 Security Scheme be extended to cover the safety issues as we cannot afford any fire incidents which are life threatening and property damaging. At the same time, we, at Lift You Up, also urge the electricity board to be more transparent and educate the residents on how to take appropriate action should a fire happens due to over loading. These type of incidents are happening rampantly at the substation pole at BU 10 and the electricity station at BU 1, next to the school at BU 2. May I take this opportunity to check with oversea readers whether it is a norm in their countries as well. Thanks and hope the above discussion is helpful to you. As usual, your feedback, both good and bad, is always welcome.

Thanks for your support and seeing you again and again.      Your Chief Servant, James Oh Founder and Group CEO Skype me at james.oh18 http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

BANDAR UTAMA - GREENING MY PLACE OF RESIDENCE

Hi! Folk,

Further to our recent plumbing works, we write to share with you  another project of recycling rain water. You are rest assured to  reap back your investment cost within a short span of time especially those who consumed much water in the household because our  water rate is structured that once you reach the threshold, you are going to pay extremely high rate.  For those who missed my preceding article, you may click at the title of the article to make access to it. I would say that the credit for this project should be given to my new neighbour, Mr. Poh , who has  just moved in less than a month. I noted that he is from Penang, my  hometown. I have migrated to Selangor state for more than twenty years and I never regretted it. That state is moving too slow and not suitable for those who opt for hectic lifestyle. Coming back to our water recycle project, it started with our  conversation during the day when my plumbing works took place and at that time I just raised the issue of how to green the environment without knowing that Mr.Poh is the water treatment expert. He shared with me his overseas water treatment project. I was amazed with his  expertise and experience I then tap his expertise of storing the rain  water for my plants around my backyard. My plumber also join in,  finally we came to this second project of oval shape 50 litres poly water tank. To make it even more fruitful, my plumber suggested  a design that direct the rain water from the gutter straight to this storage tank. Mr. Poh further strongly recommended the poly oval shape tank due to several reasons such as practicability, durability and also endurance of the high  pressure especially during the heavy rain fall from roof top to the tank.  According to him, the oval shape with no edge at the corner make more  sense to sustain the high pressure of heavy rain water, which is the case in my area, and less leakages as compared to other shapes such as square or rectangular shape. From there, I know that I am dealing with an expert,  who is humble and willing to share his  knowledge with others. Then, he  further proposed a cover top to address my concerns on the mosquito  breeding inside there. After thinking of it, I just wondered whether I  should rear a few fishes inside the tank in case the water flow is not strong enough and it allows mosquito breeding. But my concern is whether the  fish can survive? My plumber suggested that I place a filter inside the tank to prevent the leaves from sinking into the tank, which I agreed with joy. He further  suggested that he will put an elbow to join my existing pipe which serves to drain the rain, collected from the gutter at the edge of my roof top, to  the storage tank instead of direct to the drain. Hence, this adds another  avenue of rain water being diverted to this tank. Thanks Kelvin.  An outlet will be added to the tank for easy tank cleaning purposes. Mr.  Poh also assured me that the water which I drain off to the backyard is  of no harm to the walkway of the road leading to Centrepoint, a  commercial centre.  The storage water will then be used to clean the floor and watering my  plants at the backyard. Hence, I manage to recycle the rain water and save money through reducing my household water consumption. Instantly, I  offered Mr. Poh to use this water if he wishes once the tank is ready.  Further more, we hope that others will follow suit to make use of rain water so as to green the environment further and put more money in their pockets.  Who knows they may come up with much better plan where I also can learn  from them so as to make our residential place more pleasant and environment friendly.   Other ideas were also throw in such as planting cross breed durian tree (our local king of fruits) at the outside of my backyard. To raise the height of my existing retaining wall so as that I can pump up the storage water to circulate  down the retaining wall to make my backyard even cooler and more attractive to enrich my life. Mr Poh further enhanced the idea further by installing a small electric fan at the edge, not far away from the retaining wall to direct the flow  toward the water from the top of the retaining wall so as to produce a chilling effect which may make this place even more cosy and beautiful. The more we talk, my mind seems to go wild and more ideas keep on flowing out. Thanks to Mr  Poh and Kelvin for their great contribution. Here, my greatest concerns is whether the foundation of my existing wall could support the weight and height of the new wall. Before you leave this blog, appreciate if you could enlightened me with more ideas so that I can enhance the beauty of this area, at the same time green this environment  further beginning from my house. To enhance your imagination, append below some of photo taken around the area.   Thank you and look forward to hearing from you,   Your Chief Servant, James Oh Founder and Group CEO Skype me at james.oh18 http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

TO DO LISTS THE KEY TO EFFICIENCY

Hi! everyone,

I am so glad to seeing you all again and I believe that you not only enjoy reading the articles, but are also receiving its value and benefits.

In today's information age world, we have a very hectic lifestyle. The chances that we are caught in the following situations are very high:-

1. We frequently feel overwhelmed by the amount of work we have to do; or

2. We have mountain of deadlines to meet; or

3. We just forget to do something important, so that people have to chase us to get work done.

All of the above are consequences for not maintaining a proper "To-Do List". To-Do Lists are prioritized lists which comprise of all the tasks that need to be done. They list everything that you need to perform, with the indication of priority and dateline.

From my personal experience, there are at least five valuable benefits, as listed below, which I like to share with you:- 

1. Stay in control

This is, by far, the greatest benefit. Our lists will give us a feeling of staying in control of our lives. This is vitally important especially when we don't have a clear, daily list of action steps to help us maintain our activity and stay focused. However, when we keep To-Do lists, we are never at a loss for finding something to do that is important. Even when we work off lists due to unexpected tasks, our minds are always attentive to the things we need to do next. Hence, no time is wasted.

2. Eliminates procrastination

I have to honestly admit that I seldom procrastinate. In fact, I have the habit of doing thing early and focus on completing things ahead of schedule. Those who have worked with me, know that I seldom slip through the cracks or get lost because I am always backed up by To-Do list.

3. Frequent reassessing of priorities

Since it gives us a bird's eye view of all the uncompleted tasks, it constantly helps us to reassess our priorities and at the same time frequently force us to confront items on our list that have made slower progress than expected. By constantly reviewing To-Do list it will not only enhance your productivity, but your deadlines would probably be met.

4. It relieves mental attention

Our lists function similarly as an external quick-access hard drives for storing items that are not currently needed for the immediate tasks at hand. Therefore, by making lists, we relieve our mental attention and eliminates worry. As such, we are less likely to wonder what is going on because we consciously work through everything going on in our lives through the process of updating our lists. This give you peace of mind because we are freed from the burden of having to remember details. 

5. Allow timely reassigning of tasks

By regularly updating the progress, problem areas and bottlenecks will surface much faster and easier. This will prompt you to reassign tasks if necessary or alternatively bring more help to a problematic area. Prevention is always better than cure. So, To-Do lists can assist you to achieve that goal.

6. It will help you to achieve gratification.

You will obtain much gratification by ticking things off as you accomplish them. Thus the immense feeling of satisfaction is always there when you look back at the list and seeing every task with a line through it. You will definitely feel much more gratified at the end of day. This will fan your desire to achieve more with less. Try it out, you will then know what I mean.

For those who have done so, congratulation to you and I believe you will continue to do so because the benefits are overwhelming. For those who have not , I challenge you to try it out and let us know your feedback. You may find it time consuming but I can assure you that each benefit is significant enough to justify your time spent. This may be painful exercise initially, but later you will enjoy working with it because of its overwhelming benefits.

I hope the above solution will ease your life and give you some light to drive you towards greater achievement in life.

Thanks for your time and look forward to hearing from you.

 James Oh

HOW TO CURB INFLATION EFFECTIVELY

Hi! Folks,

Inflation is the phenomena in the whole world. As such, we have to take some positive steps /measures to overcome this issue collectively. For those who have regularly read our articles, you may have learn some practicable means to fight against this uninvited inflation.

1. Saving through Green

We have written numerous articles on Green Issues and offered you numerous useful and practicable tips to reduce your electricity and fruit consumption bills. Another area you may consider is growing vegetables yourselves if you have the space to do so.

2. Zero inflation

In the past, numerous profound economists jointly advocated this theory and they claimed that it is viable. However, sad to say that this economic model has not been brought to fruition after such a long period and the idea seems to have evaporated. Here, we invite this genius not to give up this excellent model and create a remarkable record for themselves.

3. If the zero inflation is practicable as they claimed, we can't understand why no one improves on this model further and achieve negative inflation. 

We are certain that the negative inflation will be even more popular than the former. Let us think harder on how to make this model viable for all human beings.

4. 3R - Reduce, Reused and Recycle

We are very confident that lots of resources can be either reduced, reused and recycled. Perhaps you may refer to our articles for those useful tips especially on the green issues. By doing so, we are confident we can cut down the usage and hence lower down the inflation rate to a certain extent by way of reducing its demand assuming that the supply remain constant.

5. Cut down the wastages

There are so many ways whereby we can reduce  wastage by enhancing knowledge so as to use the natural resources in a  more efficient and effective manner. For instance we can operate our car in a certain manner where we can achieve fuel efficiency.

6. Using Biological means

This is another viable and practicable way to substitute man made appliance, which is much lower in term of operating costs. For those who have read our preceding articles on the above issue, you may notice that several indoor plants can be served as air purifier, etc. For details, please read the link below:-

7. Consume raw instead of cooked food

Certain food is best consumed raw or medium rare and not well done. By taking raw or medium rare food, we not only obtain best nutrition from the food but can also cut down on our electricity bill.

8. Not to indulge in unhealthy commodities speculation by creating artificial demands

At times, it is not the real inflation per se, but rather man made type through heavy speculation by creating artificial demands that cause inflation. Hence, pushing the price of certain commodities to extremely high levels.

9. Establish a more realistic inflation benchmark which is more reflective of the situation. 

No doubt, low inflation is preferred because it shows things are in control. However, a misleading index may not drive the economy correctly based on this figure,especially the official ones. By doing so, the economy may be in the mess, unless you adjust this figure, especially official ones so as not to drive the economy to the wrong direction.  

This sensible approach in using certain selected items as the basket of goods to compute the inflation rate seems acceptable. However, if these items comprise  mostly controlled items, then the figure will not serve its intended purpose. Our argument is that since the sample selected is not representative of the population, then the sample should be changed so as to reflect its population. Hence the economic forces that are driven based on this index will not be inappropriate.

As far as investors are concerned, they can easily calculate their net return, after the adjustment of the official inflation rate with certainty. Hence you can see how the economy will be more healthy and the confidence level will also be enhanced.

And last but not least we hope that the above discussion has given you an insight as how to curb inflation, which is the world phenomena.

Thanks and look forward to hearing from you,  

Your Chief Servant,

James Oh

Founder and Group CEO

Skype me at james.oh18

http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

DOES PRIORITISING REALLY MEANS PRODUCTIVITY

Hi! Folks,

Further to our preceding article on priority leads to prosperity; which you may like to read by clicking at the title of this article; we like to discuss it further with reference to To do list and also enhance further its productivity.

Before we discuss further, perhaps it is better for us to deal with the term "prioritising". By definition, prioritising  is a process whereby you get something to be done in preference to others due to its urgency, materiality, and other criteria you deem fit.

Normally, a person will list several things he wanted to accomplish the following day. He then works on the list the next day, he tackles the jobs in their pre-set order, starting first from the top of the  list until it has been completed before he starts the next item in that list. He will keep working until he finished all that has been listed. Then he is done for the day.

Doing this has its own merits as it may leads you to achieve your success so long you stay focus on your objectives. However, nowadays, the business is so volatile especially in regard to the online business. To enhance productivity, this process needs to be tweaked and updated due to the changes in the business environment.

Perhaps, you may prioritise everything and assign a number according to its urgency and materiality. However, you may have to re-prioritise them so as to accommodate the changes. In this manner, you will start working on the first one and keep going until you cannot proceed any further, then you can then move to the next chore in line. If you get stuck the second item, then you may either go back to the top of the list when you can continue it. However, if it is not the case, then you keep on moving to the next chore or job to keep it moving.

The key advantages of using this approach are as follows:-

a) your productivity is very likely to increase dramatically because you will have to hone in doing what needs to be done.

b) you will work far more efficiently  because you will get the most important things done first.

c) you will not stop at those things listed on that day, but you may accomplish more than what you initially thought of. I have changed to this approach after numerous accomplishment of  the things I listed on that day.

To refresh your memory on To do list, you may read our preceding article on this issue at the link below:-

http://liftyouup.blogspot.com/2010/02/to-do-lists-key-to-efficiency.html

And  last but not least we hope that the above discussion has given you an insight of prioritising and its correlation with productivity.

Thanks for your precious time and look forward to hearing from you,

Your Chief Servant,

James Oh

Founder and Group CEO

Skype me at james.oh18

http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

HOW TO KEEP A DISAGREEMENT FROM BECOMING AN ARGUMENT

Hi! Valued Readers,

Are you aware that we have wasted lots of time indulging in arguments, which most  times turn out not to be fruitful for both parties involved in such activities. So, I found the following practicable suggestions you may take  to avoid from participating in such activities :-

1.  WELCOME THE DISAGREEMENT

We should recognize the truth that unity/harmony can happen through disagreement. There is a truth in the slogan, that sounds "When two partners always agree, one of them is not necessary."  No matter how effective you are, if there is some point you have not thought about, you should be grateful when it is brought to your attention. This may offer you an golden opportunity to realize before you make a serious mistake.

2. STAY IN CONTROL OF YOURSELF 

Bear in mind that you can measure the size of a person based on how he can control himself. By controlling yourself, you are able to listen to the disagreement and seek clarification if you are not clear as to what he is trying to say. Be calm and try to get the speaker's perspective and never jump to any conclusion. To be fruitful, you must keep on trying it till you conquer it.

3. DISTRUST YOUR FIRST INSTINCTIVE IMPRESSION

Defence is our first natural instinctive reaction to any disagreeable situation. As such, we must stay calm and control ourselves so as not to be trapped in such a situation because it may be our worst, not our best.

4. GIVE TIME FOR BOTH PARTIES TO THINK THROUGH THE PROBLEM

This is a good and effective way to give each other some time to think through the issue and examine it with due care and consideration. Remember if one yells, the other should listen - because when two parties yell, there is no communication, but just noise and bad vibrations.

5. LISTEN FIRST

You must not only allow your opponents time to talk, but you ought to listen. Do not resist, defend or debate because all these only raise barriers instead of building bridges of understanding. Show your seriousness and maturity, respect your opponent's view before you gain their respect. Otherwise, it will backfire to yourself. No point to allow your opponent to talk while you don't listen. This is wasting everyone's time and effort.

6. THANK YOUR OPPONENTS SINCERELY FOR THEIR INTEREST

Be thankful to anyone, who takes the time and effort to disagree with you. He is having the same interest as you are. To be fruitful, you should show your appreciation and think of them as people who really want to help you. In this manner, you may turn your opponents into friends. As such, amicable and long term solution be achieved.

7. BE HONEST AND SINCERE

Be brave to admit your mistake and apologize for it. This action will help to disarm your opponents and reduce defensiveness. This will lead to heart to heart talk, sincere and effective communication.

8. PROMISE TO GIVE YOUR OPPONENTS' IDEAS DUE COURSE

Mean what we say and do what we preach. Your opponents may be right, there is always more than one right answer. It is always a lot easier to think about their points than to move rapidly ahead. Ultimately, you will be caught in a position where your opponents can say: "We tried to tell you, but you would not listen."

9.  BEGIN WITH THOSE AGREED AREAS

When you have heard your opponents out, it is always wise to dwelt first on those points and areas on which you agree. This will turn the environment to be more conducive and easier to pursue further.

Hope the above tips will help you to save your time and effort for more healthful activities.

Thank you and look forward to hearing from you,

James Oh

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CAR AND YOURSELF AS OWNER

Hi! Everyone, In today's world working environment, car is almost a necessity for everyone rather than a luxury as in the past. It usually becomes one’s first asset for most working adults in view of their nature of work and the surrounding factors especially the availability of public transport and its reliability.  In my country, you have to fork out RM 40,000 for a locally produced car with 0.6 - 1.3 litres.  For a university graduate with a starting pay of slightly less than RM 2,000, it is very taxing to own a car here. Moreover, the cost of living is not low either, you need at least of RM 10.00 to get a simple meal and a drink despite our official inflation index is in the usual range of 2-3 % for more than two decades.   As such, this valuable asset is worthwhile to take care of. To enhance your asset's value, you are encouraged to have your car regularly maintained according to the manufacturer's recommendation, usually you can find at its service booklet. By doing so, you can prolong the life span of the vehicle. You are also reducing the risk of breakdown and the time you saved can be use for more productive purpose. See you can kill two birds with one stone. We will cover in our forthcoming article on how to use the fuel for maximum advantage of your vehicle. Another crucial area we need to address is in regard to transfer of legal title when you dispose off your vehicle to another person. If not, you may be exposed to unnecessary risk should something bad happened arising from the use of the car of which you remain the legal owner. However, if you have other evidence to prove that you have disposed your car to the other party, then you may get yourself released from the liability. Here, you must be able to distinguish these two key terms as follow:-  Legal owner is the registered owner of the asset, may not necessary be the beneficial owner. In certain circumstances, he may not have possession of the asset. Like the above case, he has no possession of the vehicle since he has disposed off the asset to another person. However, because the subsequent owner has not effect the change of ownership, then he is still legal owner. As such, any wrong doing arising from the use of the vehicle, he will receive the ticket, compound and so on as a result of being the legal owner. This is commonly practice here especially when the seller just pass the pre-signed transfer form and other necessary documents to buyer, believing that the purchaser will transfer ownership, soonest practicable. However, thing may happen during the interim period, prior to the transfer. Alternatively, he may use the vehicle until he finds another purchaser in the hope of making some money out of the trade.  Beneficial owner is the owner who has financial interests. In the above case, the purchaser who pays the consideration in full, to the seller will be the beneficial owner, who has all the possession right and has absolute rights to use the vehicle within his possession.  However, pending the effective transfer of the legal ownership to the purchaser, the seller will be the person; authorities look for should there be any offence. As a result, the legal owner has the burden of proof to convince the courts that he is not liable for all the liabilities arising from that vehicle.  He has to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the ownership transfer is effected. We hope the above discussions have given you a good insight of how to protect your car and yourself as owner. If it is of any help to you, please be more generous and direct your circle of contacts to read this blog as well. This is important to us because we want more people to get these benefits as you do, as Valued Readers. As usual, your feedback, both good and bad, is always welcome.

Thanks for your support and seeing you again and again.      Your Chief Servant, James Oh Founder and Group CEO Skype me at james.oh18 http://liftyouup.blogspot.com

BIOLOGICAL MEANS IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN MAN MADE TYPES

Hi! Everyone, In view of the critical and urgent effects of Climate change, we at,  Lift You Up, is going to run a mini series of using natural means to take up this challenging task. While I am constantly seeking  better means and ways of combating climate change from my  house, I will share with you, in the hope that you too will follow  suit. As we have repeatedly stressed that we need to tackle this  issue collectively worldwide. Today's article, we have identified three major types of indoor plants, which can serve as Biological means of Indoor Ioniser, Air Ventilator  and Air Purifier. They are as follow:- 1. Sansevieria ( See photo below) You are encouraged to combine a few Sansevieria in one pot for  lush appearance. To create a sense of trendiness and harmony,  place them in a pot that matches with your home furniture. No special care is required as it grows easily, but avoid  over-watering. Do not underestimate its function. It can purify and filter harmful  gases in your surrounding areas as it is rich in an ion which is  beneficial to human body. Hence, it is better than electrical ioniser in the sense that it reduces your electrical consumption apart from greening the environment. Additionally, it takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen at night. So, what are you waiting for, get  them now.  2. Lady palm This plant is suitable to be placed indoors and in the washroom  and it can serve as air purifier. It can survive with little sunlight  and you need to ensure enough moisture with frequent watering.  So, its benefit is very much better than the electrical type which  will consume electricity. Don't get us wrong here, we prefer the  natural means and not against other means. We respect your  choice in every aspect.  3. White Anthurium (Peace Lily) It helps regulate room temperature and moisture. Hence,  it may reduce your air-condition consumption to certain  extent. Besides that, it also purifies the air and helps  eliminate odours and is suitable to place in the kitchen. It, too, can grow with very little sunlight. However, sunlight helps the flowers to blossom. Frequent watering is a must. To enhance its decorative value, we recommended you  plant them in the Rustics, so called the finest hand-painted  pots with a unique range of delicate natural designs. With the above short write up together with its photos,  we strongly believe it offers you, Valued Readers,  benefits far more exceeding your time and efforts. Do not forget to revert to us your feedback of the plants,  both good and bad so that we can also learn from you  so as to improve further to serve you, Valued Readers. Stay tuned and seeing you again and again. Your Chief Servant, James Oh  Founder and Group CEO Skype me at james.oh18 http://liftyouup.blogspot.com