The worst

• I received a pay cut towards the end of March. It was a reduction of working days, from 5 to 3. So it was around 30-40% pay cut. A huge amount, and I was very disappointed because I really loved working in that company. But life goes on and I’ve managed to find another job within 1 month.
• I joined a large company after that but it’s not what I expected it to be. Different job scope and it’s really quite a stressful job. But still, at least I should be glad that I do have a job. I should count myself more fortunate than a lot of people out there.
• My skin allergy is getting worse. Yes, I have ringworm problem (it’s not a worm, but more like a fungal infection which is quite common in tropical countries like Malaysia). It got better in 2008 but in 2nd half of 2009, it got worse. Some people stayed away from me because they think it’s contagious. Well, it is, if your skin is exposed to it for long period of time. But still, some people do get scared. Hopefully it’ll go away in 2010.

The best

• When I got my pay cut, I sent a lot of messages (MSN, Yahoo, emails, SMSes) out to my friends, asking them to help me get a job. And I can say I am very very blessed to have so many good friends by my side. Most of them have helped me (in one way or another) during that difficult period. Kudos to all of them and a sincere “Thank you” from me. Thanks for all the help, all the support and thanks for being there.
• In 2009, I finally brought my family to China. We went to Shanghai. It was quite a tiring trip for me, but I’m very happy because it’s one of my dad’s lifelong dreams to travel to Shanghai. I plan to bring my family to another place in China in 2010.
• I continued to pursue my passions in writing stories, drawing, gaming and technology. Looking forward to complete a light novel/graphic novel in 2010.
• I finally started a webcomic called Cubic Nation. It’s quite plain and not popular. I’ve received a lot of good and bad feedback. Some people called it a Dilbert clone, but well, it’s just something I love to do and those ideas were not from Dilbert. In 2010, I will try to update the comic on weekly basis, and also change the appearance a little.
• After thinking about getting a MacBook Pro and an iPod Touch for more than 6 months, I finally bought these 2 items for myself. I love them and I do feel they’ve helped me to increase my productivity. I’m currently playing around with the iPhone SDK. Hopefully I’ll be able to publish my first iPhone application/game in iTunes in the year 2010.
• In 2008, my total investment took a plunge of > 40%. Yeah, that was A LOT of money. But in 2009, I’ve more or less recovered what I’ve lost in 2008. So it’s a good thing and looking forward to continue this in 2010.
• I’m not someone who loves to travel around but I do know that I’m very lucky to actually get the opportunity to do so. I’ve learned a lot (and tasted a lot of good food) by traveling to different places this year – Kuching, Bangkok, Sydney, Shanghai, Suzhou, Xi Tang and Hangzhou.

So what’s for 2010 then? Well, it’s going to be a big big year for me. But to summarize, here are some of the things that I plan to do in 2010:

• Continue to pursue my passions in drawing, writing, gaming and technology. So expect me to continue writing in this blog, drawing in my webcomic, playing my PS3 and coming out with some applications.
• Improve things in terms of career and finance.
• Go for more family vacations.
• Stay healthy.
• Contribute more – blood donations, blogging, etc.

Simple as that.

What about you? Has 2009 been a good year for you? And what do you intend to achieve in 2010?

My reply was 3k to 4k but some of the readers were saying 4k to maybe 5k.

I said that’s possible, if we were still in 2008.

Many of them do not believe me but this is what I’ve found out based on my own job hunting experiences, from my friends who are also looking around, and from people in the recruitment agencies.

The average salary has indeed fallen in 2009, as compared to 2008. Companies are more reserved now and they prefer to keep their cash than to splash it out to hire talented people. So don’t expect that you still can get good salary unless the said company is very desperate for people (I know few companies who are quite desperate) or you are a very rare talent.

Also, expect more competitions this year. According to a friend of mine who is working as a HR of an IT firm, a similar job opening has only 3 to 5 job applicants in 2008…..but in 2009, it went up to 10 or more job applicants. That’s quite a significant increase, and is not a very positive sign for job hunters.

If you still don’t believe me, then try to do some research yourselves. I have no reason to lie to you anyway.

Last but not least, one word of advice. Appreciate your job. Stop complaining about no pay increment or no bonus. There are a lot of people getting retrenched and also a lot of people who are forced to go on extended unpaid leave. Those people need jobs a lot more than you do. If you still think you can come in late to office, going out for extended lunch breaks, playing games in office or even watching Youtube in office…….then I have nothing more to say except for “Good luck”.

p/s… there are still some companies who have increments/bonuses but the amount has dropped significantly. 2009 is not the same as 2008. This is something people should understand.

p/s… this article is purely based on my own findings. It is not supported by a formal survey (like those done by JobStreet). So don’t come flaming me if my findings are wrong.

But is it really that hopeless? Maybe it is, but we shouldn’t let that bring us down and ruin our 2009.

Very meaningful quote from Henry Ford

In my opinion, now is already too late for any ‘fixes’. If anyone tells you they are trying to implement some fixes to improve their business, it’s a lie. I would say that it’s not a fix to improve their business, but a fix to survive. Retrenchments, pay cuts or any cost cutting measures are not meant for ‘improving business’. Quite the contrary. These things are done so that a business can still survive.

That is why I think there are 2 things which every person and every business should do in 2009.

• Survive
• Prepare

The first point is to survive. If we’re not able to survive this cruel 2009 (and probably 2010), then any preparations or improvements will mean nothing. For example, you will need a job and the salary to survive. If you’re jobless now, your priority should not be to improve yourselves or to go for trainings….it should be how you can survive for the next few months. It’s either you get a full time job, or you get a part time job or earn some side income. The objective here is the only and only “to survive”.

The second point comes after you’ve ensured you can survive. It is to prepare yourselves in terms of finance and knowledge. Lead a frugal life and keep as much money as you possible can, and put it as a reserve somewhere. Invest them if you want but never spend it on your WANTs even though there are plenty of promotions and sales this year. You will need that fund to push you to another level once the economy recovers. As for the knowledge, try to improve your skills and exposures by attending trainings, self-studying, doing freelance, networking, etc. The people you know and the skills you’ve acquired now will be very important when the economy recovers. In fact, these might actually be the deciding factor to see whether you are prepared for the next level, or not.

To be honest, most people will spend their time in 2009 and 2010 doing the first thing. These people are actually those who are slightly motivated. Those who are less motivated will just sit there complaining and do nothing. So by doing the first and then the second, you are actually putting yourselves or your business in a very good position to challenge for the top spot when the economy recovers (when companies are hiring again, and when people are willing to spend their money again).

Those are the 2 things that I would advise people to do, and also the things which I myself will do. Because the last thing I want is to miss out on this golden opportunity to make myself known to other people. I don’t think I want to enter the newly recovered economy as a nobody.

Hope it helps.

P/S…….Feel free to check out this useful article from Seth Godin – Slack.

Gong xi gong xi - this is not drawn by me

Thus, I will not be able to post actively in this blog. I’ve written 3 articles and are scheduled to publish while I’m not here.

However, my blog does not allow me to auto ping Petaling Street Public Pinger and also does not allow me automatically add to innit.nuffnang.com. Thus, my number of readers will be reduced I think.

The only 2 methods left for you to keep updated with this blog is by visiting the blog regularly, or the easier method is to subscribe to my blog’s RSS.

Alright then, I’m very tired now and tomorrow is going to be a long day. Going to travel back to my hometown.

Take care people and have a wonderful Chinese New Year. Gong xi gong xi.

Remember, if you drink (alcohol), don’t drive.

But before that, we need to be able to predict what is going to happen in 2009. This is important since it will allow us to prepare ourselves better, and also to ensure we are ready to pounce when the opportunities present themselves.

Without wasting too much time, here are some of my predictions for the year 2009 (I do sound like I’m giving a speech eh?).

Will business hire someone to downsize in 2009?

Business in general

• More companies will close down.
• More startups will appear….and disappear.
• 2009 might be the beginning of some well-known corporations. Do remember that some of the famous brands we have now started during recession periods in the past.
• A lot of companies will start cutting cost, and some might mistakenly cut elements which are necessary for the long term prospect of the company. And this might send the companies to a downward spiral.
• There will still be businesses which can profit from this recession period. Do some research and you are sure to get some ideas.

Economy

• The world’s economy will become worse in 2009 since all the previous negative forecasts will become a reality. Also, more companies will report losses or minimal profits.
• Malaysia will most likely enter recession in 2nd or 3rd quarter of the year, even though our economy experts are saying otherwise. Malaysia has the highest number of people with debts/loans in Asia Pacific and even if our banks are very strong, we can’t deny the fact that there are a lot of multinationals in Malaysia. Struggling multinationals might start retrenching people or closing down their operations, thus increasing the number of jobless people. Jobless people will not be able to pay the debts/loans and this can be quite bad.
• I expect the stock market to bottom up in 3rd quarter of 2009 and starts its long journey towards recovery in 4th quarter of 2009 or beginning of 2010.
• USD will continue to rise against Malaysia Ringgit. I expect it to reach 3.7-3.8 range.

Health

• Cures for some diseases or illnesses will be found.
• However, more unknown illnesses will start to appear.
• Old illnesses will also start to become a problem but I doubt there will be any global epidemic in 2009, thanks to our advanced medical science.
• More and more people will start to become health conscious. Healthy food will become more popular this year. So will hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and labs (for blood test).

Job & career

• More people will lose their jobs due to recession and retrenchments.
• Number of candidates per job opportunity (especially in a multinational company) will increase tremendously since everyone wants to work in a stable company in 2009.
• Average salary will become lower because people no longer dare to ask for too much. Benefits might not be so good too.
• The differences will be very obvious between employees with good attitude and employees with not-so-good attitude.
• There will be lesser interesting jobs and more boring jobs. Why? Because interesting jobs tend to be risky at times and most companies prefer to do things with low risks in 2009.
• More people will go for certifications and additional trainings in order to make themselves more attractive to potential employers.
• Hiring and recruitment process will be stricter than before because nobody wants to hire someone useless. Also, terminating someone can be very expensive. Thus, prevention is better than cure.
• Starting salary for fresh graduates might be worse than years before because companies would prefer to hire someone who can hit the ground running on his/her first day.
• Employees should be prepared to step outside their “comfort zone” and be more than what they have been hired for. If they don’t do that, someone else out there will be more willing to do that.

The new IPhone which will change the world? You must be joking

Technology

• Internet connection will become faster.
• Mobile applications will be more popular but not the next “IN” thing.
• Web applications will be even more popular with the introduction of affordable netbooks.
• Microsoft’s future will rely on the upcoming Windows 7.
• Steve Jobs’ creativity will be greatly missed in Apple. I do hope he’ll be fine.
• Desktop applications which allow users to work online and offline, could be the next “IN” thing.
• Open source technologies will become even more popular this year since they’re free and every business wants to cut cost.
• However, be prepared to have a lot of IT projects (especially the big ones) suspended or postponed since IT projects are normally one of the many things struggling businesses would love to cut.

That’s all I can think of. Spent a lot on this. LOL and I just remember I’ve yet to work on my project today!

Do feel free to comment or to add on

One of my 2009 plans - keep fit !

Here are some of my plans for 2009:

1. Have an emergency fund (I don’t have one yet ).
2. Improves my financial net worth by 5% to 10% (the higher the better of course).
3. Spend more time with my family members and be a good son and brother.
4. Stay healthy and fit by going to the gym more regularly (which I’ve failed due to the project urgency =_=).
5. Start developing some useful IT products and share them with other people.
6. Contribute more to charity such as blood donation.
7. Earn more from online. Currently not earning much =_=.
8. Improve my creative skills – drawing, designing, creative writing, etc.
9. Learn more about other investment types in Malaysia.
10. Have an idea (or more) on the type of business I plan to start in a few years time.
11. Read more and more non-fiction books!

As you can see, some of those plans are pretty challenging but I don’t see them as impossible. In 2008, I’ve set some ridiculously difficult goals and ended up not achieving any of them. This year, I’m more realistic and I do believe all the above can be achieved. Just need to be more hardworking.

Actually, I intend to write my predictions for 2009 but….I ended up writing too much!! So I’m going to put it into another separate post.

Something we need to deal with more during this employer job market?

This has actually transformed the job market from an employee market to an employer market. Employees are no longer in a good position to bargain with the employers unless they belong to those “elite” group of employees which are very rare in this country. If you belong to those “elites”, then good for you. Otherwise, you better start changing your mindset and accept the fact that the job market is now an employer market.

Here are few changes which I can think of when employers take over the control of the job market:

• The amount of increment/adjustment from your current pay to the new pay will be greatly reduced. Rather than the regular 20% jump, you might need to look at only 5% to 15% difference.
• A lot of employee benefits will be removed. New employees might have much lesser benefits than existing employees.
• It is advisable for you not to say “I only do what I am hired to do”. Because if you don’t do something which is outside your job scope, someone else will.
• You might be required to work for longer hours on more projects, with the same amount (or lesser) salary. Again, if you are not willing to do it, someone else out there will be glad to take over your role.
• Job candidate needs to be very impressive in order to land a well-paying job because being average will not give you any advantage over the other 1000 candidates who applied for the same job.
• If you have been an IT programmer for many years, then maybe it’s time to know other things besides your programming stuff. Employers love to have someone who can be good in more than 1 thing.
• You might need to pay for your own training outside in order to skill up on the necessary skills. Most companies would prefer to hire someone who has been trained, than someone who needs to be trained.
• Attitude, attitude and attitude. This has been very important throughout the years but it has become even more important now. A lot of people are feeling demotivated and having a good attitude and motivated spirit will actually give you an advantage over other job candidates.

That’s why if you are looking for a job and you’re thinking you’re the best and deserve only the best company…maybe you should think again. If you are the best, then good for you and I believe those big companies will surely want you. But if you are not the best (which is more likely), then it’s time to wake up and realize that your bargaining power with the employers or potential employers will be greatly reduced due to the supply and demand of the job market.

It’s an employer market now, and it’s not really a good news for us employees. Maybe I should start my own business to take advantage of such opportunity. LOL.

I’m not sure whether you have the same feeling as I do. Every year, time passes by so very fast – too fast and every January 1st, we’ll sit down and realized that there’s actually not much progress/improvement from the year before. Not much have changed – except for wider waistline, more gray hair (lesser hair for my case), and maybe a decreasing value of financial net worth. Not very good eh? Maybe it’s time for us to step up a little and put a full stop to this? Just so that we will not be seeing the same thing (wider waistline, more gray hair and lesser money, again) in 2010.

So what are you gonna do to put a full stop to such routine? Eh, this routine can be quite costly since you only reflect on it once a year, not everyday.

Here are few ways which I can think of now (yaya, it’s 1st day of 2009, but that doesn’t mean you should relax and let your brain stop functioning for today. In fact, today is a very good day to plan ahead for 2009!).

• Break the normal routine. Feeling bored with your life? It’s all the same..everyday… how boring. Maybe it’s time to do something out of the ordinary? If you have never go for rock climbing, maybe it’s time to do it this year? Or if you are not the type who dares to speak out in meeting, maybe it’s time to change and be more outspoken? Life can be more interesting that way.
• Stop finding excuses. Ah…weather pretty bad…don’t feel like going for a jog. The project’s deadline is still far away…maybe we can relax first. Stop finding such lame excuses. If you are strong-willed enough, there will be no mountain too high for you to climb. It’s all up to you. So if you want to do something, stop giving excuses. If you don’t want to do it, then don’t think of it in the first place.
• Improve on the past. Not everything which happened in the past is bad. Maybe you can get some from 2008 and improve it this year? Maybe that idea of yours is good but it lacks the proper implementation. Maybe it’s time to start something solid in 2009?
• Remove those useless habits. Can’t get rid of those ugly habits like smoking and drinking? Maybe the question is not can or cannot, but do you want to get rid of them or not. Again, it’s all up to you. If you feel it is hurting you and the people around you (such as smoking), then stop finding excuses (oh, entertainment, social gathering, this and that)! Remove those useless habits now, in this year, 2009!
• Stop sitting around and act on it! Is there something which you really really want to do in the past but not able to do it due to some reasons or excuses? Maybe it’s time to take a look again and make it a reality this 2009! No point sitting around and waiting for the sky to fall. Time is not going to wait for you, neither is your age and amount of hair. So make it happen before your excuse become a reality (oh no, I can’t do that, I’m too old for that).

Simple eh? It sure is simple if you have the will to do it. Because at the end of the day, everything is up to you since it is your life. If you don’t want to waste another year of your life doing nothing much….like what you have been doing in the past few years…then maybe it’s time to move it?

As for me, there are many things I want to do. 2008 hasn’t been very good and I only managed to achieve 10-20% of my resolutions. But it’s time to put a full stop and move it. 2009 is gonna be a big year for me. If it’s not going to be good, just like the doomsayers (aka our economy experts) said, then it’s up to me to at least make my 2009 slightly better than the average.

So what are you waiting for? Stop sitting around and start making a move! Act now!

Ok ok..maybe just take this one day off since it’s new year.

Hope it helps!

p/s…. Curve’s firework was great last night. Not as great as London’s but well, one of the best I’ve seen in Malaysia. Hmm…i thought we’re having recession?

And do remember to spend the last few hours of 2008 to prepare for your 2009 resolutions. It’s still not too late to do that.

Courtesy of http://www.gorillasushi.com

So have fun people and thanks for all the support for this humble blog of mine. Looking forward to post up more in 2009 and will also try to start another IT and design-related blog soon.

Take care and good luck.

Well, it’s not all that bad actually. I still managed to learn a few important lessons from this “failure” of mine. And looking ahead to 2009, I feel that a proper and thorough planning needs to be done. It’s going to be a tough year.

Here are some of the things which you might want to think about while setting your 2009 resolutions.

Family

Family plays an important role in our life. When was the last time you bring your family for a vacation? Or when was the last time you visit your parents? or even call them up? Try to set a few simple resolutions related to your family. Things like “Call dad & mum every night” can be achieved easily and does not require too much efforts from you. But the result can be quite significant. For me, being a good son and brother will always be one of my resolutions. Because when everything around me turns their backs on me, my family will always be there for me.

Finance

Financial planning is very important in 2009. Set up some realistic finance-related resolutions. It’s important to save up and avoid spending too much on your WANTs. Focus on what do you want to achieve with the amount of money you have now. Maybe resolutions such as “have 10k cash as emergency fund” will be helpful. But always try to be reasonable. One of my resolutions in 2008 was to have 100k cash…haha, I didn’t even have 20k!! Now you know why I failed my 2008 resolutions.

Career

How about your career? Do you think 2009 is a good year for you to seek promotion? or maybe a change in job scope? Think about your career path for 2009 and set the resolutions for that. Next year, more people will become jobless due to the recession so maybe, it’s good to have a backup plan as one of your resolutions too. Example, “venture into F&B industry by myself if I were asked to leave my current job” or “Update my CV twice every month in order to be ready to hit the job market soonest possible”.

Health

Are you feeling healthy? Have you done your medical checkup? Have you visited your dentist? Do you go to gym regularly? Ask yourselves these questions and start to form a healthier routine. Maybe you can try to set a health-related resolution which requires you to go to gym 3 times in a week, or a resolution which requires you to control your cholesterol intake.

Others

Do you have other things which you want to do in 2009? Maybe improve your relationship with your friends? or maybe keep in touch with your former schoolmates? Or start a personal project of yours like selling things on eBay? There are tonnes of things which you can think of and then convert them into your 2009 resolutions. Think about it. What are the things which truly matter to you?

Some of you might not believe in new year resolution but for me, they are quite important because they are the goals you’ve set for yourselves in the coming year. It helps you to stay focus and keep you on track with your goals. Also, helps you to achieve the things which matter most to you. Other things? You can think about those later.

But do remember not to go overboard with resolutions. Don’t set ridiculously difficult resolutions. I’ve made that mistake before and it’s pretty demotivating. Try to set realistic resolutions and maybe 1 or 2 ridiculous ones. And if there’s a resolution which you’ve been unable to achieve since many years ago…maybe it’s time to push yourselves a little more and work for it. Dragging a resolution for too long will make it worthless.

Hope it helps.