new shin sekai blog!

Hi everyone. Shin Sekai blog has relocated to http://www.clarencechua.com/. The present will still be the guerilla blog.

New domain in progress

I've always dreamed to have my own domain. In reality, dreams do come true. When we were kids, we used to dream a lot! Because dreams as we know as a kid are free! But, as we grow ,we slowly realized that dreams are no longer free. It comes with a price. But are you willing to pay the price? Because there's no free lunch in the world. So , fight for what you believe in , and you will get it.

Today is the first day of construction clarencechua.com. There's many things to fix and build. Now I know that it isn't easy to web host. Maybe it's peanuts for you but I rather label myself as a 'not so tech savvy' kind of person. I'll use this blog as a milestone to update my dear readers and leave some trail behind for other beginners like me to start hosting.

An interview copy

What makes me start blogging?

I still consider myself to be relatively green in the blogging scene. I've started my first blog in 2006 as a personal blog , slowly progressing from daily rantings to personal opinions on business ,personal development and book reviews. Still finding a niche in the local blogging scene. The idea of blogging just struck when I was squeezing my brains out for a final project idea. Instead of coming out with a project title for my thesis, I came out with blogging as a de-stressing tool. Cool.

Why blog till today? Does it really worth the time and effort to simply maintaining a personal weblog?

This is an interesting question. I always think that what ever you do in life, and if you plan to do at a consistent basis , you really need to have a strong reason. As mentioned before, no WHY, no drive. I personally think blogging as a way to express myself to others. In real life, I don't usually express my opinions in public. I find that I'm not comfortable doing so, instead I prefer a one on one. But with blogging as an expressing tool, I could gain an audience, and my readers could be from anywhere in the world. Another important reason is to provide value to others through what I see in this world. As we grow , we sometimes have the urging need to serve others and provide some value even just with written words. Oh yes , and the final reason would be to learn to earn some income by simply writing. I just like to write and I need to feed myself at the same time. How long will it takes? I haven't the slightest clue.

So what do you like to blog actually? I find that you are out of focus at times.

Yes, I often heard those feedbacks from my friends who has been reading my blog. Well ,I'm still learning and exploring different styles and topics to right. I'd try my best not to write about politics as we have many blogs doing a very great job out there commenting on the direction of the current local politic scenes. I'm currently looking for a field which I can write in ease such as personal development ,health , local culture and book reviews since I still read on a regular basis. The latest upcoming project would be writing on travel guides once my domain launched soon.

Anything to share with the other bloggers out there?

Well, I find that blogging can also be a unique way to make new friends. You leave sincere comments after reading an article. That really makes the author feel good to have readerships. Besides, I've learned to use many blogging tools such as RSS and Bloglines to keep track with the current development of the blogosphere from other experienced bloggers. It really saves my time and prevents me from repeating the same blunders that should not happen. But we can't always avoid mistakes and failures. Or else we wont learn. Another thing is that blogging actually keeps my mind thinking. Instead of simply dropping quickies, I always think a couple of times before commenting on a post. I seldom have the freedom to express my opinion openly at work but I can now in the blogosphere.

For further reads, check out Blogging Heroes , an interview with the worlds 30 top bloggers. It contains useful information and tips on good blogging ethics, content development and insights. I was inspired till I actually wrote and interview copy for future use. :)

The man behind McDonalds

Lately I've noticed that I've been getting quite a number of ads, and the most frequent ads would be MCDonalds!! I don't know how Nuffnang web crawler actually works but basically I talk alot about health and stuff. I don't always recommend fast foods either. But here, I'm getting more and more fast food ads! Seems so ironic but maybe the advertisers might thought of this as a strategy. Well this is just my opinion anyway. Probably the advertisers did some further thought and analysis:

Advertisers advertise fast food outlet and promotions here.

Readers go to fast food outlet and launch an eating spree.

They will later probably come back to read my health articles for some fix.

Win-win.Make any sense? :)

Double BicMac in Bangkok

Anyway, what I'd like to write about today is the brilliant mind behind the worlds most successful franchise business, McDonald. Who do you think he is?

McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac? Ronald McDonald?

Haha.. think again. This person isn't the McDonald brother's who specializes in making burgers. He's Ray Kroc. Who's this dude anyway? It all began when the McDonald brothers opened up their first burger business in San Bernandino, California. While they focused on selling burgers and services, along came Ray Kroc a multi mixer milkshake machine salesman with an idea and a business opportunity. He said "instead of focusing on selling burgers for the rest of your life, why not focus on building a system that can ensure the burger business to be successful and duplicable and sell it to other people!

From that moment on , it gave birth to franchise businesses which is very popular today. Everything we see today includes KFC, 7 Eleven , Reliance Travel ,Osim are franchise concept business which are expanding at a phenomenal growth. But Ray Kroc was a visionary man. He has seen even further beyond this franchise concept . Instead of owning a burger business, he is actually in the real estate business where each and every McDonald outlet is located at the most strategic properties in every major city. Ray still earn his royalty incomes till today even though he's no longer with us . He is certainly the man behind McDonalds. We owe him a for providing us with a new eating experience. Fast paced eating.

Hi, I'm Ray!Wanna bite?

So why franchise? It's true that franchise rights are indeed very expensive. A whopping million ringgit for a McD. You even need to go to McD University in Australia or US to learn how to cook burgers for a period of time. But, it saves the time to figure out what works and what doesn't in operating a business. It's a proven system. With the education provided, franchisees practically have reduced risks. And most importantly, you will ultimately 'own' a brand. Will you go to Mom and Pop Burgers or to the McD next door even Mom and Pop serves the best burgers in town? What do you think?

Further reading on McDonalds , click here.

iCalvyn.com & MyExHost.com Domain & Hosting Sponsorship program

Hi everyone, I know its a bit slow but I just want to share a good news for bloggers who wants to have their own domain by joining a domain sponsorship program. Do you what that means? Its free!

Are you serious about blogging? Do you want to bring your blog to a higher level? Are you able to build a web traffic of 100 visitors/day in 6 months? You sure you can??

Than challenge yourself and break the limits. Meet the requirements. Tell your friends about it! Tell everyone about the good news!!

iCalvyn.com & MyExHost.com Domain & Hosting Sponsorship program

Making a positive change through a 30 day trial

Bad habits die hard. It sometimes requires more than a resolution to change. Do you have any die hard bad habits that you longed to give up but it keeps coming back like an inseparable Siamese twins? I guess everyone of us has it, from coffee addictions, smoking, unfavorable body gestures , intoxicating spoken words , or struggling to commit yourself to a weight loss program :) . The list goes on.

Some changes may require some time frame to adapt to it. A 30 day trial as recommended by Steve Pavlina is worth a shot. I just want to develop some discipline in my life. To live life in a more conscious manner. To get rid some die hard habits and develop some good ones. Today is day 1 of the trial. Why bother doing this anyway? Sometimes people need to change. People need to play a certain role in life. To be more responsible. To be more productive and well disciplined in handling situations. And most importantly, to grow up and be a responsible adult.

"Why do this again? ", some might say. Let me ask you a question. Are you satisfied with your current level of achievement in life? Do you have any regrets that you wished you've done something but you didn't long time ago? Are you still haunted by your past failure and refuse to let it go? A failed relationship? A dead end career? A humiliating experience that has blown away all the self esteem in you which incapacitate your ability to even dream or at least have a slight believe in yourself? Most people do. Even I . After all , we are human and human beings are very fragile creatures.

Whatever your reasons, learn to let it go. You have to. Many people still unconsciously living in the past. Clinging to their glorious moments. Past tensed. Sooner of later , some even developed a certain degree of obsession. An obsessive compulsive disorder and behavior. How do you know that you still are living in the past and refuse to let it go? Just by a simple spoken word or phrase that you use daily.

" Those were the good old days.."

If there's anything that can sell like hot cakes and earn people a mass fortune that would out shadowed Microsoft, it would be a time machine. If there's one , every living person would want to purchase it and turn back time , hopefully try to re-correct all their mistakes and all the things they wished they've done. It's now or never. So how to get started? How to turn a new leaf? How to break free from the influence of the past which binds you from achieving the success that you deserve? The quality time you deserve with your family, your love ones and your friends? The experience that you wanted so badly deep down inside that you failed because of not opening up your heart?

First, earn to accept who you are. Yes , you are who you are. You can't change the past. But you can change who you will be. By acknowledging all your strength and weaknesses , you will know where to start. You will know at what level to begin.

Next, set and find the why? The WHY is always more important then the HOW. But sadly, most people only concentrate on the HOW. Example:

"How to make money in retire rich and young?"

"How to build a high traffic website?"

"How to loose weight in 7 days?"

"How to build a business ?"

If there's no WHY, there wouldn't be a HOW , don't you agree? It's like telling a taxi driver " Hei take me to some where. I got RM50 but I haven't figure out where to go."

So basically,it's best to have the reasons emotional and align with your inner mission. If you haven't figure out yet, maybe you need to sit quietly and think. Give your self time to think. Many people just cant sit still until they reach 50 years old. That 's when they start to sit still and think about their purpose.

Once you know the WHY and your purpose in life, you'll be able to set realistic goals that are aligned with what you really want? For example, your the goal is to loose 5kg of weight. And how do you plan to do it?

"I must wake up at 5.45am and exercise for 30 minutes everyday for 30 days. "

And WHY you must do it without fail?

"I need to achieve it because loosing 5 kg of excess weight will reduce my chances of contracting cardiovascular disease and diabetes. I need to be healthy because I want to enjoy a quality life with my spouse and my kids. I don't want to be a burden to them if I fall sick."

Trust me, by answering certain fundamental questions in life , you will have a direction in life. You wouldn't have trouble with saying "I'm bored and I got nothing to do this weekend." That clearly says that you lack a purpose in life. Hope this posts helps. Good luck in setting your goals and moving forward! Get to action now. And dear critics, anything to add? Please drop some comments. :)

Why people especially girls diet and get fat again?

Today's post will be about people concerning about their weight. I just want to share some knowledge after completing the Wellness Education Course in Open University KL. I don't know how aware are my readers about weight management issues. So before reading further, try to answer the following questions.


Are you weight conscious and wish to know more about weight management?


Do you find yourself gaining weight even more easily when you resume normal eating habits after a diet program?


Do you want to look good always and maintain it?


If all the above question are 'yes', read on. Or else skip this post and feel free to browse through my other articles.

Nice Dorset cereal box that I stumbled upon for weighty matters

Today everybody wants to look great. You, me and everybody else. We are conditioned to feel good when we have good figures through the media, the movies we watch , the magazines we read and ..our friends around us. It's an obsession. Thats why slimming products are making tonnes of money out of desperateness. Some even offer miracle painless and effortless slimming results. But, can you be guaranteed the safety and possible side effects? We don't know. But did you know that some of the good things in the world are free? For those in need, it is not the products that slims you down, at least effectively. It's not the starvation that keeps the fats at bay. It's the knowledge and the lifestyle. Because it doesn't matter how much expensive slimming pills or how dilligently you you diet. But if your knowledge and lifestyle is not right, it will never work! Still with me?

Side view of the Dorset cereal boxes

Understanding the anatomy

Let's keep everything pictured as simple and fun as possible. Afterall this isn't a medical article. Well, I'm not there yet..Let's just imagine a Mini Cooper car as our body. As we all know, the Mini Cooper needs petrol for combustion and provide motion. So,the petrol can be view as the food we eat everyday. The Mini Cooper has a specific mileage on how far it can go on every litres of petrol it burns. Similarly, we have the same parameter called Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and it determines how well we burn fat and produce energy for our daily activities. The BMR is calculated in kJ. (KiloJoules) To illustrate things, our body works this way through this simple equation. I know some may not like math but please bear it with me.

Eat (kJ) - BMR (kJ) = FitFat

For example, if you eat 2 nasi lemak ayam telur a day which is totalled up about 1400 Kj and your BMR value is 1200 kJ, you will end up with an excess of 200kJ. So the question is, where the excess 200kJ go? It will be converted to FAT and stored in places where you don't want them to be. On the contrary, if you eat less then your body BMR value, there will be deficit in the equation. So where do the body get this deficit fuel to burn the energy. From the present FAT in your body! That's where you loose weight when you exercise and be fit.

"Hei I've already know about that! Big deal. My body metabolisme rate are fixed , so I cant do anything about it!"

That's a myth that's not true but we still hear it often these days. Basically, weight management is all about playing with the numbers in the equation. How is that so? The idea is to keep the Eat calory level low ( but not to the point of starving) and the BMR calory level high. How do we do that? Easy. The answer is exercise more. When we exercise , our body will adjust the BMR to a higher level to provide more energy to sustain the our activity. As a result, we always energetic but feel hungry more often.

Common diet blunders:

Eat very little, exercise more

But there's a trap where most people got caught when they try to put down weight. Most people exercise and then also cut down their food intake excessively. It doest work that way. The body expects the food intake to be at normal level in order to adjust the BMR to be higher. If you restrict excessively , you tend to overeat after exercise and don't get the results you wanted.

Eat less , no exercise

Another trap is to cut down food intake only and do not exercise. That's even a greater blunder which is very popular among working females, don't you agree? Most girls claim that it works.

"I lost 2 kg in a week ! I'm so happy!"

Actually, what they are losing it's not fats at all. It's water and a very important component...which is muscle. For your infomation,the hardest component to grow in your body is the muscle. It is also the easiest to get rid of. On the contrary,The easiest component to accumulate in the body is fats. It is also the HARDEST AND MOST STUBBORN component to get rid of! So when you eat less, you are loosing body muscle and water percentage.

That's not the end of the dilemma. Some even noticed that they actually put on weight much more faster then before they go on diet. Why's that so?? The reason is , when you cut down food intake. The body sense the changes and lower down the BMR to balance the energy deficit. So , when you stop the diet and just resume your normal eating pattern, you will gain weight even faster. Not only that, instead of reducing the % body muscle, the % body fat also increases. Scary isnt it?

Simple solution :

Exercise more and eat mindfully.

Are you still here with me? Good. So how can you properly manage your weight? I'm not asking you to eat only vegetables and fruits everyday and live like a rabbit. That's wrong! Then what''s the point of living !! Live is to be enjoyed because you only live once. But don't grab the Double Bic Mac yet! The idea is to know what you eat, be mindful of what you put inside your mouth and eat in moderation. Let the brain think not the mouth! Take more high fibre such as rolled oats in your diet and have a appropriate amount of meat and fats as well. But remember to exercise and live an active lifestyle. That is also important and mandatory. It doesn't matter how well you eat but if you live a seditary lifestyle, you might as well don't practice a good diet at all at the first place. A 30-45 minute brisk walk daily is ok.

Nutty muesli and fruit nuts and seeds for breaksfast

Hope this posts helps. I'll probably go into more details on the next post if there's good response.

What's in the generic mind of today's young adults today?

Are you considered a young adult? I don't know about a precise definition as in Oxford's or Webster's, but generally young adults can be considered as individuals who are around 21-28 years old , young, eager and energetic to start earning a living, probably paying tax and still haven't a family of their own. Don't you agree? How about what's in the young adults mind generically? Here's some demographics. It may or may not be accurate. You decide.

Young adults today wants:

1#. Money ++ minus responsibilities.
What's the first thing that pops out of the mind when you come out looking for a job or looking for opportunities. Money.The more the better. It will be better that I can get a super high paying job with a little challenge. Nah! That's something old
school. It would sounds more appealing if it sounds like this " It would be much better if I can earn big passive incomes anytime even as I sleep and get to do all the things I want to do without any major commitments/responsibilities. I'm responsible for myself".

#2.Working experience.
"I'm looking for working experience in my first job. Doesn't matter about the pay or the job scope." That's also old school.Today we have group of adults who would like to go for a totally different field of study! Or even more interesting, being an entrepeneur. With the technology and info today, you can be what you want to be. May it be an affiliate blogger, online marketer, business owner , director or a rockstar, anything is possible.

#3.Travel and fun.
Yound adults are building a great travel portfolio these days. With the help of AirAsia and well ..MAS in providing low cost travel across the globe, we have people claiming to travel to Europe, America, China and Africa every single day. If a young adults haven't been overseas, They will end up in desperation as all their peers claimed to go travelling and have fun even as
near as Singapore. We have friends who are looking for fun and thrills everYwhere such as going mountain climbing, scubadiving, go-kart and not to forget eating. I didn't know people these can build a personal porfolio on the places they eat. Certainly look good in the social CV. As a result,a burned wallet, a dried up bank account and a pile of consumer debt. No wonder we have lots of profesionals say "Money not enough ler.."

#4 Relationships
We have lots of soap dramas lately. From NTV7, TV8 and real life romance. It's true that young adults will seek out for the perfect relationship. If those who are still single, the usual questions thrown at them will be " When looking for the other half? Faster lor, don't wait. Wait sold out."

If the above isn't true, feel free to add. It's just a generic observation.

historical Malacca & the fusion town

Malacca, the Historical city of Malaysia. Once the capital of the Empayer Kesultanan Melayu Melaka..the first Malay Empire in Peninsula Malaysia. Hmm what's the English equivalent for Empayer Kesultanan Melayu Melaka ? Malay Malaccan Empire I guess.? Today , it's one of the states in Malaysia without a Sultan which is formerly known as the Straits Settlements during the British colony era. For the readers from abroad, a Sultan is the local King. Even though Malacca is not one of the economic powerhouse in Malaysia , it's still one of the leading tourist attractions in Malaysia. If you never been to Malacca, you're still considered not visiting the heart of Malaysia yet!

Why do I say so? First , Malacca is the home of a few local fusion communities. Trademark. Only in Malacca , no where else! Malacca is the home of the Serani community, descendants of the Portuguese who landed in Malacca at 1511 and settled down after marrying the locals. The Serani community are mostly still residing in the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir, Melaka.

Another famous community found/used to lived in Herren Street are the Chinese Peranakans or known as the Baba Nyonyas. This are the group of Chinese immigrants who settled down in Malacca centuries ago adopting local culture and cross marriages with the locals. As a result, Malay speaking Chinese with a Hokkien twist. There's a number of restaurants in Malacca serving Nyonya food which is a blend of Chinese and local Malay style.

There's also a large number of Chinese community in Malacca known as the Straits Born Chinese who are English educated and can't speak or read Chinese as a result of the assimilation with the British education system. So, the majority Chinese in Malacca town areas are English speaking. There's also the minority Chitty group which is also a trademark in Malacca.

As a results, there's quite a wide array of local foods available in Malacca. But, you may also hear other people from other parts of Malaysia would say ' there's nothing in Malacca...boring slow town...no entertaiment of all sorts' .

All bullocks!

There's night street entertaiments at Jonker on weekends. There's also night markets with tonnes of antiques and souvenirs worth bargaining. There's a kung-fu show on stage where a kungfu sifu pierces through a coconut with his bare fingers. There's a few ascetic monks from the Himalayas or some highlands who can provide good sure win SportsToto and lottery ticket predictions that can promise wealth rivaling Uncle Lim. There's Aloha , Pure and Sunshine to keep you awake till 3am in the morning. There's also no place in the world where you can take a free buggy ride and scream your lungs out during karaoke in the middle of the sea ..and get the chance to smell the 'fresh' sea breeze at midnight. There's also a romantic boat rides for loving couples to enjoy their moments together at the Herbal Park. There's more than meets the eye. So what are you waiting for? Come here and immerse yourself first. Think of a different holiday. If you think you like a slightly calming environment with a relaxing historical-old town feel, pack your backpacks and book your flight tickets here now! Come and visit Malacca. Now!

The invisible wall

All the language teachers , pro linguist, culture purist and people with superior command in their respective mother tongues, forgive me . I'm just not happy with what things are. There's this growing importance about speaking good English or Mandarin etc in todays ever competitive world. Without a doubt, having a good command in a language gives a person an advantage in a career and life. It's great to be able to talk and speak fluently, to be able to communicate well among people with various backgrounds and culture.

But there's this small little thing and people sometimes get carried away.

Look around you and flash back. Try to remember..Have you ever heard your peers criticized and judge other people merely because they speak poor English? E.g " chinese ed..english ed bla bla bla..wah liao..she so ah lian wan..wah damn ah beng man! bla bla bla.."

Have you ever noticed how some one regard him/herself more superior and would have better chances to succeed compare to others simply because of their education background? E.g, "I would fair better in life because I know English and I speak like Karpal Singh." Or" You can't find job if you can't speak good English!"

Have you ever call people names such as a 'Banana'? E.g“不会华文？好可惜。。。”

If you have not once cross upon the above situations, congratulations. You're a good and understanding Malaysian. We need more people like you to create a better peaceful future in this multi-racial country. Not just a country but a healthy and peaceful world -Shin Sekai-

Back to the issue, it's not fair to judge people merely by their education and mother tongue. We must understand why such difference exist and learn to accept it. For example in Malaysia, we have the English educated and Mandarin educated Chinese. We have a group of people who thinks they are Westerners and a faction of people who still thinks they are from China. For some reasons, there is some hidden unseen barrier within this two groups of people where the primary difference is ..LANGUAGE.

Anyway, today I'm just going to point out the language factor. Some people think that it is very necessary to speak fluent, business like language in daily conversations. It makes them feel smart and superior.They also discriminate.As a result, people get hurt without being noticed. Hei..we are forgetting one major point here!! Answer this question . Why did God create language?

Simple. For man and women to communicate and share their feelings. For people to build relationships and enjoy it. For people to get closer and become friends even though they do not share the same background, race, religion and culture. To have something in common to convey messages and thoughts. It shouldn't be used to feed your ego, or talk like a MP at a mamak stall. It's actually ok to speak a little Manglish , Singlish or rojaks. It defines our own unique culture. Since we are living in Malaysia, it's important to learn to accept difference and live along with it. In fact, don't you feel blessed to know how to speak at least three languages by living here? Most people from other countries may only know one or two.

Remember this..by being different doesn't mean that you shouldn't learn to know more about it.

The Popcorn Report

I 'd like to repeat again that I'm not a bookworm. Nor a librarian. Nor someone who is paid by a publisher to promote and review books. It just happens that I like to read. I enjoy reading since I was young. That's the only thing my dad gave me instead of toys and I thank him so much even till this very day. Coincidently, it also happens that I love to write and blog. Perhaps that is the only thing that kept me living in high spirits today. To be able to share some thoughts and wisdom for free. Do you agree that good things are meant to be shared?

The Popcorn Report was a book that I read 3 years ago written by Faith Popcorn, owner of BrainReserve , a strategic trend based marketing consultancy firm which strictly has blue chip clients that includes IBM, American Express, Bacardi ,Rubbermaid and many more. It predicts about future trends such as Cocooning ( a stay at home syndrome) and phenomenon of Cashing out where man and women starts to leave the corporate rat race in pursuit of a better quality life. Today the trends predicted are prevalent in the U.S and slowly progressing in SE Asia. For example, I was very happy running around shopping in big mega malls hunting for the best deals 3 years ago. But not now. How many of you would still love to shop happily in the oversize shopping malls crowded with people on a Saturday? With all the traffic, people and crowd, I would gladly shop from home .

Then suddenly,I came across what Faith Popcorn wrote 17 years ago again when I was shopping for books. And its not in Parkson MPH BOOKSTORE. It was MPHonline . The convenience of shopping online was really irresistible....just as being sung out loud by Beyonce. The convenience of searching for the books that you really want with a single click. Hey! Fate did predict that this would happen 17 years ago when her book was first published. Cocooning! I feel like staying at home rather than wasting 2 hours shopping for daily necessities . Yes, its true that you don't get to browse the books for free and feel it before buying it. But with free home delivery services right to your doorstep , that even makes home shopping much more appealing compare to traditional stores and hypermarkets. Furthermore, the lesser impulse buying from not being able to browse a long corridors of books saves me lots of ringgits.

Thats why I just want to point out that in-home shopping services are increasing in popularity and is the future for consumer distribution chain. Look in Malaysia alone. Besides MPHonline , we have Pizza Hut online for fast foods outlets, Mudah.com.my for auctions and Dell.com for computers.Some webstores even pay you for referrals. So, don't be surprise if you stumbled upon Carrefour online in the next 5 years as it is already implemented in France. We actually do already have a huge local online shopping mall similar to Walmart online in Malaysia. Can you guess? Sadly, with all the exciting development going on around us, the awareness and local broadband penetration is still VERY low resulting slow progress and development.

So, please wake up our dear local ISP 's and do something about it because TMNut s*censored!!