For being 27 soon, I can say I have lived life almost to the fullest, to the maximum amount of leisure & life education activities. No, I did not get the chance to study abroad. No, I didn’t get to go to a real rock concert. But I did get these memories.
I started up my first business at the age of 11 – 12, selling & trading electronic hobby kits from SS2, reprinted collectible postal stamps, foreign coins from my dad’s travels & if you can still remember, those handmade friendship bands (got that from Umi & this dude from tuition last time) & personalized namecards (I got the contacts from my favourite sundry shop, Samsudin SS5). Right after my mum started up her business, I was already busy with her’s instead of mine.
But I didn’t stop. In my high school days, associations like Rotary Leo & Interact Club provides a path for students to aspire as an enterpreneur. My only aspiration and inspiration; was to grow my mother’s soft furnishing business. And I sure did worked hard. Trade show booths at PWTC, MINES exhibition and our very own showroom boutique at Uda Shopping Complex, next to KL-Klang Bus terminal, KL. And I can assure you this, I regret for not having much time for my teenage life & friends, but I had so much fun learning about my grown up life.
After SPM (which is equivalent to an O Level certification), I left Kuala Lumpur for Langkawi. I left my friends, my family & everything I knew. Although KL was only about 8 hours drive away from Langkawi, it’s time to be away from everything. And I got bored.
I ended up providing laundry pickup services for college students. And that time, my cousin had (and still does) her laundry shop next to Aseania Hotel. She comes & pick up the dirty laundry every morning. Then, I got my first IT contract at the age of 20 and that practically started up the whole Redboot Solutions story. I got into the entertainment industry at the age of 24 (I don’t sing. I just entertain myself) and still surviving in it until today.
4 years in Langkawi taught me one real thing: life is not as bad as you really think it is. It sucks, but it’s worth living in it, if you put the effort into it.
Why we Malays suck at what we do?
Maybe we suck at complimenting & we don’t really appreciate each other.
Maybe we suck at looking at each other as partners, instead of rivals.
Maybe we suck at having reasonable doubts, with reasonable actions.
Maybe we suck at telling ourselves that we don’t need to talk to become the best.
Maybe we suck at telling ourselves that we are not good, and someone else is better.
Maybe we suck at learning our own mistakes & try to move on & make things better.
And trust me, the secret to success is simple. Very, very simple. But what’s the secret, I can’t really explain. It’s like marriage, the secret is learned, not taught.
