Monthly Archives: April 2012

Waking Up Early & Sleeping Well

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Good morning all, and what a wonderful morning it is. I’m sipping on my green tea,chilling at Starbucks listening to whatever chilling music it is that they are playing. But whatever it is, it feel like a great morning, don’t you think so?

Today’s post is a simple one, one very close to home for so many…waking up early and sleeping well.

I feel that waking up early is integral to feeling like a champion, yes it may be hard wake up, hard to fight the desire to sleep in, (normally its difficult because you’re not sleeping well) but the rewards of waking up early are so damn great.

It feels like I have more time, that by the time I’m done swimming, showering, eating breakfast, blogging, reading for at least an hour and running a few errands, it’s only 12pm, which feel great cause before, when I used to wake up at 10/11 the day used to feel so short because it’s normal to feel that the day has come to an end when it gets dark, it’s natural. I so prefer sleeping before 12, getting 8 hours of sleep and then getting up to the to greet the sun. Not only, is it normal, it feel great.

It’s incredibly important to get enough sleep, don’t skimp out on that, skimp on tv time, but don’t skimp on sleep. At least 8 hours. Some people are blessed in a way that they auto wake up after 6-7 hours of sleep and still feel like a million bucks, but that isn’t for everyone. Follow what you’re body is telling you, aim to sleep early so that you can wake u early. I learnt the incredibly hard way about the importance of sleep… Because one day, if you continue to skimp on sleep, work hard and party hard, your body will burn out… And that, won’t be good.

I’ve spent the last few years reviving myself from my premature burnout, please do yourself a favour and take care.

Balance is just so damn important.

We can all reach greatness but we won’t all do it at the same pace, know your body, know yourself, listen to your body and most important take time to have solid, straight, proper, restful sleep at night and then start the day early.

The most simple advise, something we all learn so early in life but then forget because we don’t give sleep the importance it truly deserves.

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Moments

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Good morning everyone! Its a beautiful Sunday morning, I hope all of you enjoy the day.

Life is all about moments, all about the memories and experiences that make us who we are. We all go through ups and downs, highs and lows, the rise and fall. We are more likely to remember who we feel at a moment rather than what actually happened. We don’t remember days, we remember moments. whether they were good moments or bad moments, they are a part of who we are, don’t hold on to them too tight, but always remember them.

Today’s post is a little closer to the chest, it’s about defining movements in my life and I would like to share them with you.

Key Moment: Just before I started Sri KDU, my dad sat me down and talked to me. He told me that even though the school was a lot of money, he knew it was worth it because he believed in me. He wanted me to have the best education, the best foundation that he could give me, because he believed that I could do great things. That moment changed how I approached secondary school. I volunteered to become monitor, which lead to me becoming a prefect which lead to later becoming Head Prefect. Yes, I may have stepped on some toes initially and set back my social life, but I wouldn’t have done anything different.

Greatest moment: it was March 2008, the day SPM results were being released. I was so damn nervous, not that I was worried, but I always get nervous during big moments, i expected to at least get 7A’s, that would have been good. I remember this so clearly, I walk up to Mr. Sera, he looks for my slip, he looks at is and smiles, then he looks at me and says, congratulations. I take the slip and look…. The first thing that popped up was A1 for BM. WHAT!?!?! That was went through my mind. I achieved 9 A1s and 2 A2s…. I was stunned. Shocked. Incredibly Happy. I walk up to my parents and tell them the news. We hugged, everyone was happy and then it happened, something I have never seen before, my dad teared…. A tear of great pride…. I could feel how proud he was and that tear was…. It brought me a feeling that is still unparalleled. My greatest moment. I for A2 for Add Math, And the only reason Aunty Prems spared me is because of my overall result.

Roller coaster moment: it was after the interviews for UWC. I got a call, Deborah was on the line. “Roshan, i’m so happy to tell you that you’ve been accepted, you’ve got a place at the Mahindra United World College”. I was so happy, it was just the news I was awaiting to hear, I was so damn happy but then it all evaporated when I was told that I wasn’t getting any scholarship. Why so sad? Because my parents had a serious talk with me, they told me that they could afford 50%. So this was quite a blow to me. It was a major roller coaster ride… But in the end my parents, extraordinary people, managed to find a way to send me… They found the money.

Worst moment: this was a couple days after my 20th Birthday, it as February. My dad was on his way up the hill to pick me up. To take me away from MUWCI. This was the end of my MUWCI journey, the end of my stay on the hill. The worst moment came when I was in the car, driving away from the friends that had gathered to send me off. Moving away from them was so painful… Every metre forward hurt. It finally hit me. That wasn’t how things were supposed to go, that wasn’t part of the plan, it wasn’t suppose to end like this. (a post about MUWCI will come out in the next few weeks)

Lonely2Happy moment: I was about 5/6, i woke up to find my room empty, Ashereen had obviously snuck into my parents room in the middle of the night. It felt really lonely in the room, it was sometime after 12… So i got up, and walked through the bathroom and entered what of would eventually become my room and crawled into bed with Sheka, a single bed by the way. one of my favourite moments.

Sad2Happy moment: I don’t remember when, I don’t remember why. It as feeling like shit, I was so damn sad, upset… The world was a dark dark place. Mum was at home, I sat next to her and proceeded to put my head on her lap and just lie there like that. That was all I needed, all i needed to make things feel good again.

These were all the first things that popped into my mind. If you guys are comfortable I would love to hear from you. Your moments. Just comment below, no pressure :) or if you have suggestions for more moment titles.

Straight from the Heart,

Arkay6

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Moving on

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Sometimes the cards we are dealt are not always fair. However you must keep smiling & moving on
Tom Jackson

Moving on, is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard.
Dave Mustaine

Moving on, so easy to talk about it but not so easy to actually do it, but it is an integral part of growing up and and growing into the best version of yourself.

Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting, it means being able to close a chapter or your life, whether it’s a mistake or a loss, and get on with the next phase. It means getting to the next step without holding back, without holding on to what was once and move towards what could be.

It means having the courage to face the world, to get out of your safe zone after the shit has hit the fan. To be able to say, “yea, I screwed up, but i’m not going to give up.”

“What don’t kill me can only make me stronger”

Is hard to move on, to let go of that that was once so sweet but then turned bitter, to let go of memories of great times, but if we decide to stay and hide amongst those good memories past, we will never be able to carve out memories.

As difficult as it is to move on from a rough patch, or mistake or bad phase or our lives, it’s even harder to move on from “reliving” the “Glory Days”. Being trapped in a vicious cycle of replaying a part of your life that was so great, it is living in a little comfortable dream and not letting yourself live what could be even better life. Living in an illusion that those were the best days and that you won’t get better ones, but how do you know you won’t get better days? Especially if you’re too busy watching replays and not out there trying to live life the best you can.

I’m not saying that you should forget shut the good old days, or forget about the bad times and mistakes; remember them, talk about them, reminisce, but don’t let it hold you back. It is all those parts that build who we become, learn from them, gain from them, appreciate the experience but don’t live your life wishing you had done things different, spending your days reliving good memories instead of making new ones, letting bad memories haunt you instead of learning from them.

Have a great day,

John Reynolds: Tommy, that’s a hundred thousand dollars on a goddam golf swing!

Thomas Crown: It’s a beautiful Saturday morning, John… What the hell else have we got to do?

Straight from the Heart,

Arkay 6

Keep Moving Forward

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Review: Volkswagen Polo TSI

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To kick start the reviews on arkay6.com, I introduce to you, Giselle, my Volkswagen Polo.

Ok, maybe she isn’t technically my car, but I am the primary driver and the she in under my care and is my responsibility.I have to thank Jasjeet Singh Sidhu for introducing me to the world of the Polo. Thanks Jas. :)

But anyway, back to the review.

The Polo is a 1.2 litre car, super charged and turbo charged (whatever that means). It’s a small car, but it packs a mean punch, even though it’s only 1.2. All of the people that have been in my car never believe me when I tell them the engine capacity, especially after I “test” the car out. It’s remarkable how much power this little car packs, definitely the most powerful among its competitors in its class ( Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz, Suzuki Swift) but also more expensive. The car is priced at about RM105 000.

What I like: She gets about 400km to RM70 (RM0.18 per km according to my fuel app), there are plenty of little compartments to put things in, drawers under the drivers seat and “shotgun” seat’ another compartment in the booth ( and not this is not where the spare tire is, the spare tire is under this compartment) which i really like, cause it helps keep the car organised. as for power, I’ve taken the car to 190kmph and it felt stable, and it picks up so damn fast, the power can actually be shocking at times. The stock speakers are pretty decent.

What I don’t like: 15inch rims, the side mirrors don’t auto fold, the stock head unit is pathetic (I got my own one), the car tends to move backwards when on a slope when not moving (but it quickly kicks into gear to counter, but it still takes some getting used to), water enters the car when you open the windows after it rains and most painful of all, when washing the car I damaged the paint by pulling up the wipers (there’s a specific way to pull it up, which includes having to press something in the car).

Overall, after 6 months of being with her, she may have her little quirks but I love her. She’s small, powerful, fun to drive, easy to park, fuel efficient & practical.

I highly recommend this car, and if get one, don’t name her Giselle, that name’s already taken.

Cheers,

Straight from the Heart,

Arkay 6

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Al Pacino’s ‘One inch at a time’ speech on Any Given Sunday

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I don’t know what to say really.
Three minutes
to the biggest battle of our professional lives
all comes down to today.
Either
we heal
as a team
or we are going to crumble.
Inch by inch
play by play
till we’re finished.
We are in hell right now, gentlemen
believe me
and
we can stay here
and get the shit kicked out of us
or
we can fight our way
back into the light.
We can climb out of hell.
One inch, at a time.

Now I can’t do it for you.
I’m too old.
I look around and I see these young faces
and I think
I mean
I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.
I uh….
I pissed away all my money
believe it or not.
I chased off
anyone who has ever loved me.
And lately,
I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know when you get old in life
things get taken from you.
That’s, that’s part of life.
But,
you only learn that when you start losing stuff.
You find out that life is just a game of inches.
So is football.
Because in either game
life or football
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half step too late or to early
you don’t quite make it.
One half second too slow or too fast
and you don’t quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch
On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us
to pieces for that inch.
We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.
Cause we know
when we add up all those inches
that’s going to make the fucking difference
between WINNING and LOSING
between LIVING and DYING.

I’ll tell you this
in any fight
it is the guy who is willing to die
who is going to win that inch.
And I know
if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch
because that is what LIVING is.
The six inches in front of your face.

Now I can’t make you do it.
You gotta look at the guy next to you.
Look into his eyes.
Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.
You are going to see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team
because he knows when it comes down to it,
you are gonna do the same thing for him.

That’s a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.
That’s football guys.
That’s all it is.
Now, whattaya gonna do?

 

Personal Development

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I know a lot of people who are very skeptical about self help books, people tend to think it’s common sense (i used to) and that they already know what they author is gonna talk about and yes, a lot of it may seem like common sense, but we now live in a world that seems to be lacking in common sense.

Self-help books focus on personal development, and though personal development may sound like nonsense, it is anything but. Everything we do to improve ourselves is personal development. Whether it’s taking a singing lesson, or working on your typing skills or taking time off everyday to think or meditate, they are all step, big or small, to improve oneself. To sharpen our skills, take us to the edge of our game. Personal development is nothing more than a normal part of life.

I am a big fan of self-help books. Tony Buzan, Robin Sharma, Dr. Schwartz and Sean Covey are some of the authors that I’ve read and even though i may not agree with all their ideas and points, I personally do feel that their books have helped me. Reading gives you an inside look into the minds of these people and it’s always good to learn new ways to better hone your abilities. There’s no shame is saying that you need help with living life, we all need help. Life’s complicated, messy and can get hard, so what’s wrong with getting some advice from highly recognised individuals who have made their own mistakes, learnt their own lessons and have formed their own thoughts.

I like mixing the philosophies of the books I read, it helps me form my own base and my own philosophies. Most importantly, these books help motivate me and make me aware of things that I may have been ignoring before such as bad habits I picked up or attitudes that are counter productive.

Most importantly, I find that a good self-help/personal development book helps motivate me and keep my spirit alive. To read about these great people, entrepreneurs and leaders who made their own mistakes, and persevered.

I highly recommend Richard Bransons “Screw it, Let’s do it”, Sean Covey’s ” 7 habits of highly effective teenagers” (the book that started it off for me), Robin Sharma’s ” The Greatness Guide”, and “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz.

Please feel free to comment below.

Straight from the Heart,

Arkay6

Yea, I’m an Apple Fanboy

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So yea, I’m an Apple fan boy. I will not apologise for it, I will not hide it, and I certainly will not deny it.

Apple announced its earning and it did not disappoint, I expect the stock to go up again and i really do think, if they keep up the pace, that they’ll achieve a Trillion dollar market capital in a year or two. But anyway, back to me and being an apple fan boy.

Nowadays gadgets are more than products simply because of the difference in rival products and the philosophies of the companies that produce them. It’s the new cultural divide.

I buy apple products because of the ecosystem they’ve created, it all just fits, it all works, it’s simple and yea, they look brilliant. iCloud ties up everything nicely, my MacBook is the hub, though not as important now, of the system, my iPad and iPhone help me maximise my productivity and keep me connected. Apple makes their users feel comfortable and feel apart of something bigger. And even the little things matter, like AirPlay and AirPrint, the lack of mess in their systems, which is a huge android problem (fragmentation). I guess that is what appeals to me the most, the cleanliness of Apples products, the work together perfectly to form an amazing tech ecosystem, everything is in sync. Once you buy one apple product, you’re are more likely to buy another and stay in this brilliant ecosystem. I’m now looking for a way to use Airport Extreme with Unifi and also raise some money for a Time Capsule and Apple TV because I’m trying to bring more wireless was to my home complete the Apple Ecosystem. I just bought an Airport Express and I love it, the ability to play music wireless and control it from my iPhone.

But you get the point, Apple does a great job at integrating its products, far better than any other company. If you’ve already got one apple product, then you know what to do.

Yes, Apple products are more expensive but they last and are worth the money. My iPhone 3G is still alive and kicking, it’s my dads backup phone and the iPhone 3GS is probably going to be passed on to my brother and my iPhone 4, still brilliant.

I’m loving the new iPad, the apps are great, the display is brilliant and I’m getting a lot of reading and writing done now. Newsstand is great, I love reading the Star, Edge Financial daily and Fortune on it. The Bloomberg app helps me keep track of the markets. Twitter on the iPad is amazing. If you want a tablet don’t waste your time looking at anything else. iPad for the win. More when I review then iPad which should be online next week.

Even though I am an Apple fan boy, it doesn’t mean that I hate everything that isn’t Apple. It just means that I like Apple products more than anything else. I like Google, Samsung, HTC and all the other competitors because they keep Apple on it’s toes. The better the products rivals makes, the more apple has to step up. Win for consumer and Apple Fans.

Peace out,

Straight from the Heart,

Arkay6

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Fear

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Fear is other ultimate enemy of progress, of change, of the human race. As crazy as this sounds we must, as Robin Sharma says, run towards our fears instead of running away from them.

The fear to give a presentation or bid for a project is real, and it isn’t all bad, it makes us realise how important the task at hand is and in this scenario can help us, but a lot of the time fear causes us to run away from a task or delay or procrastinate because we don’t want to experience the feeling or we’re just scared of failing. But what people who succumb to fear don’t know, or forget, is that the more you give in to fear, the more power you give it and this will only be detrimental to your own growth and makes whatever potential you have, the potential you had.

Embrace the fear you have, acknowledge it, it’s real don’t pretend it isn’t, but instead of letting it win, you go ahead and stare that fear in the face and show it who’s boss.

Embrace the butterflies in stomach before a presentation and then go out there, just do it. Once you’ve already done all you can to prepare, all that’s left is to do it. Preparation is vital but doing the action is what really matters.

Doing what you most fear is the first step to annihilating that fear, yes you might fail but that’s better than living in the shadows of your fears, because you can always pick yourself up and try again.

Prepare, do your best work and then face you fears, because even if you fall, you’re one step closer to beating that fear and one step closer fulfilling your potential. We all want to be great at something, and facing fears is going inevitable in that pursuit.

Look at the Crazy Ones, they didn’t let fear paralyse them into inaction or turning back.

Straight from the Heart,

Arkay6

 

Apple Steve Jobs The Crazy Ones – 1997

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Steve Jobs narrates the first Think different commercial “Here’s to the Crazy Ones”. It never aired. Richard Dreyfuss did the voiceover for the original spot that aired. However Steve’s is much better 1997.

Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Richard Branson, John Lennon (with Yoko Ono), Buckminster Fuller, Thomas Edison, Muhammad Ali, Ted Turner, Maria Callas, Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, Alfred Hitchcock, Martha Graham, Jim Henson (with Kermit the Frog), Frank Lloyd Wright and Pablo Picasso.