Monthly Archives: December 2009

I believe we all want to have a fresh start in this coming new year.

To have a better life, better relationship, and better results in every aspects of our lives. So what can we do to ensure that we’ll have a fresh start in January 2010? Well, here’s my simple analogy: Just like our computer, sometimes when it hangs or the applications are not working, the easier and safest way to do is to press the three of the most powerful keys on the keyboard.

Any guess? Yup, it’s the use of CTRL – ALT – DEL that allows us to reboot — to start over.

Similarly, we can also use our ‘ctrl-alt-del' concept to reboot or restart our life.  

CTRL (Control): Being in control of your life start by first having a clear direction of what you want in your life. Create your 2010 resolutions. Ask yourself: “What do you want to achieve by the end of 2010?” For me, normally I break down my resolutions into these 7 aspects: – Career (Awards, Bonus/Incentive, Promotion) – Family & Friends (Improve relationship, quality time, holidays) – Health (Weight Loss/Gain, Pysical Fitness, exercise) – Emotional/Physcological Goal (Persistence, Handle Rejection, Control Anger) – Education/Intellectual (Skill training, Knowledge, Reading, New Courses) – Material (New car, bag, laptop, reduce debt, more savings) – Spiritual  

ALT (Alternate): If you want to get different results from what you have in 2009, then don’t be afraid to do things differently. Come up with alternative solutions, creative new ways on how you can achieve your goals. It could be things that you probably never done before, but it’s okay, sometimes in life we need to take a little bit of risk if we want to see changes.  

DEL (Delete): Whatever bad things that happened in the past or in 2009, just forget about it and move on. Do not dwell on it, instead we should learn from it. Learn from yesterday, live for today, dream for tomorrow. Use lesson from your past in your present to enrich your future. At the same time, it also means to delete all negativity in your life and all your bad habits. Start fresh! Be positive, be optimistic.     It’s a simple and yet powerful steps.

Do the CTRL-ALT-DEL in your life and you are going to have a wonderful 2010!

First of all, I just want to say Merry Christmas to everyone of you.

 I know it has been 2 days since the actual day, but better late than never, rite =)  

For me, 25th December has always been a special day simply because of 2 main reasons:

1. It’s Christmas Day

2. It’s my husband’s bday

Yup.. my husband born at the exact same day as baby Jesus hahaha.. awesome right?  

Well, someone said that the best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.  

That’s what I like about this Christmas! I’m blessed and happy to be able to spend this special day with my big family, My mom & dad (they flew all the way from Jakarta, and will stay in Singapore till New Year), my 2 brothers, my caring husband and of course my little angel, Alvernia. Of course, the additional Christmas presents add the extra joy too… Hahhaah.. (I got a great Christmas gift from my husband, a new LV bag)  

Here’s some moments captured:

I just happened to flip thru one of my favorite book, First Thing First by Steven Covey this afternoon.

In his book, he mentioned that the real human needs is simply to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy.

I couldn't agree more !  

We may not be rich or famous. And we may not be important to anyone other than our friends and family. But still, that's enough.

We each have our own legacy to build.  

Have you ever wonder or ask yourself: "How would you like your friends and family to remember you?"

If you already have an answer to that question, then answer my next question: "How do they think of you today?"

Well, the difference between those 2 answers that you have tells you what you need to do with the time that you have left.

We have just one life. Treasure it.  

7 more days before we say goodbye to 2009.  Is there anything that you can do to make your 2009 meaningful ? =)  

My husband shared with me these interesting short stories. So I thought of sharing it with you too.  

WIFE VS. HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?" "Yep," the wife replied, "in-laws."  

W O R D S

A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day…  30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men… The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"  

CREATION

A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time." The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!"  

THE SILENT TREATMENT

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it.

The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up." Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests. God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece.    

For many guys out there who read this, Don't get offended okie :)  just for laugh.

Also, on the other note, sometimes, it's not about who is right or who is wrong, or  who is better than the other.

Man and woman are just different. And I personally think there is a purpose why God created man and woman differently, i.e. to compliment each other.  

1. Did my last 'Pay it Forward' – project for this year.

It was really fun sharing my experiences to the students Will surely continue again next year !

    2. Have dinner with my fellow gorgeous ladies Almost 1 months since we last met at the Female 50 Gorgeous Final at Zouk, and I'm happy that we still really keep in touch. We went to Canele to have dinner (recommended by Juanni). The place was very cosy for us to chat, and the foods are not bad too! But most interesting is to know how's each other's life after the Female 50 GP event.

    3. Finalized my new website: www.merryriana.co.id I'm so excited! Currently the website is about 95% done, really hope to get it done by end of this year  

There are a lot of interesting things insides. You can see hundreds of my photo albums from baby to now, you can play the puzzle and try to beat the record, and you can also download the 1st chapter of my e-book from there.

4. Dinner at Nautilus

Me and my husband were shopping at ION and found this newly open restaurant: Nautillus. It is located at the highest floor of ION Shopping Centre. The ambience look nice, and they serve my favorite food, i.e. seafood! So we decided to give it a try.   From all the menu, one thing that attracted me was their NAUTILUS Soup     The soup is definitely not cheap. One bowl of soup is cost $39, and it's only for 1 person serving. I was curious on how its taste, therefore decided to order If you read the menu, the imposing pots that they are referring to is this giant black pot that was placed right at the entrance of the restaurant. Here's the picture. Can you see it?

  Yup, inside that black giant pots was the soup base. Interesting rite?  

Finally, the long-awaited soup was served

  Well, I would say that the taste is really not bad. It has rich and delicous flavoured. But for $39, I actually expected them to be more generous with their ingredients inside. Overall, nice restaurant, nice ambience, good service. Will probably come back again next time to try their other speciality.     5. Attended -Niche Dominators- "SUCCESS SECRETS EXPOSED" Book Launch I am very fortunate to be 1 of the 10 featured multimillionaire entrepreneurs in the upcoming book, Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed. Their Book Launch Party was at Timbre @ The Arts House.   Since my whole family happen to be in Singapore, I acually bring them to the book launch. Also, invited a few of my 'FRIENDS of Merry Riana'

There are many other Entrepreneurs there too.

One of them is Ivan Lee, he is the man behind the giant food chain like ThaiExpress, Shokudo, Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe, New York New York, etc. He is also one of the multimillionaire entrepreneur who is featured in this book.

Will share more about the book and the event in my future post

Last week was a fabulous week. And I can't wait to start another fantastic one next week

Voices airing over the radio stations have the ability to mesmerize you with their words, their intonations, and their choices of songs. These voices work day and night to keep you entertained, provide you with the latest news, and keep you updated on the latest hits of songs genres in town. Aji has been a broadcast DJ for a total of 12 years to date since 1997, and has previously worked for Radio Singapore International (RSI). Being a Mass Communications graduate from University of Indonesia, Aji had not planned to be a DJ after graduation nor did he kick start his career as a radio DJ right away upon entering the radio broadcast industry in Jakarta, Indonesia.

He was appointed as a Scriptwriter, and later moved on to become a producer, then a radio director and so on, at various radio stations before becoming a producer presenter for RSI in 2004. Aji enjoys being able to reach out to many people and at the same time having a personal relationship with his listeners. He says, “For me, radio is very personal but yet, it’s not just limited to one person. I reach out to them, and we share a lot of things together. They send me feedback, and I share that feedback with other people as well. At the same time, they can enrich me too.”

Every job bound to have some requirements that the employee has to be equipped with before securing the job. For those aspiring DJs out there who plan to go into this industry, the requirement needed varies depends on the radio station that you plan to work for. However, according to Aji, there are also some basic requirements.

Firstly, is to have a pleasant voice, as listeners can’t see you but they can hear you, Secondly, be an extrovert and thirdly, you must also have good materials to talk about. But again, a good voice and personality could be great basics to own, but getting a deal at the radio stations still have to depend on each station’s requirements before they decide if you fit their bill. Or perhaps, if you’re someone who yearns to be in the industry but may not have the necessary prerequisites, you can also enlist yourselves in training schools that can help you to develop your talents for the career path.

Understanding the situation and type of radio information that you’re conveying is also important. “If you are interested in radio news, you have to be someone who has a keen interest in news, and the way you deliver the information would have to be more serious. However, for entertainment radio, the DJ has to put themselves into the shoes their listeners and identify the wants of these listeners. DJs can also help radio stations to differentiate one from another”, Aji explained. “What is my advantage? Why am I different than my competitor? There may be about a few radio stations focusing on career women between ages 25 to 45. So if they’re fighting at the same line, what do they get to offer to the listeners? Their DJs must understand this,” Aji added. Personality of the DJ that fits the personality of their radio stations would be able to help market the station to different audience segments and therefore differentiate themselves from others.

Being a radio DJ would also mean to gain respect from your listeners. Only when they respect you, would these people want to hear from you. Therefore, a DJ must also beware of what they say through the broadcast, and be responsible of the things they say. Unlike your own friends where you have no restrictions to what you can joke about, a DJ has to be responsible for their radio station and their listeners. Having hear someone on air and hearing face-to-face are two very different thing, and it is very easy for people to misinterpret what the DJ is saying. Therefore, all DJs have to exercise prudence in this area.

As veteran in the radio broadcasting industry, Aji’s shares that his most memorable experience would be reporting for the second bombing in Bali, Indonesia. He was on holiday in Solo when he received orders from the head office to cover that event in Bali. As Aji reached, he was one of the few journalists that arrived first at the scene. It was a tragedy, but for someone working in the media line, Aji takes great satisfaction from this work as he was able to beat other media competitors to the scene. However, being there early would mean more challenging as he had to get himself acquainted the situation and unravel the causes of the whole situation before anybody else without any others to consult.

For those aspiring DJs out there, never give up and continue to live up your dreams, because when there’s a will, there’s a way. If you have any questions for Aji regarding being a DJ in the radio industry, you can contact him at ajirokhadi@hotmail.com.

I believe everyone now is already in the Christmas shopping mood. It is proven by how many people were spotted at Orchard Road, Singapore last weekend. It’s just mad. I know shopping might be fun (especially for most women out there), and this festive season will give more valid reasons to spend more. Some of the reasons that are probably on top of your head right now:

1. It’s a once a year thing, must buy presents for my loved ones
2. Good bargain, discount everywhere. If not now, then I’ll miss the good deal
3. It’s ok to spend a bit more this month, anyway I’ll get my bonus soon.

Are those valid reasons? Well, could be. But while you are doing all those shopping and hunting for good bargains, let’s not forget that whatever money that you spent is your hard-earned money. Why have fun spending money at Christmas and realized in New Year that you are in debt and worried for not having enough money?

I believe the most important thing in managing our finances is to simply do a proper planning. Most people overspend because they never do any planning. They buy things at the spur of the moment. Today, I would like to challenge you to do this very simple exercise. It will be fun, and yet it will also help you to have more control over your money during this period of time.

Step 1: Decide how much budget you want to set aside (Theoretically, budgeting will take much more comprehensive steps, I’ll share it in my other posts next time. For this post, I’ll just simplify it). Whatever amount of budget that you decide, make sure that the amount is not more than what you have. Do NOT use credit card to pay, unless you have the money to pay it back at the end of the month.

Step 2: Write down on a piece of paper the list of people whom you want to buy Christmas gifts for.

Step 3: Write down how much money you want to spend on each person.

Step 4: Do a reality check! If the total list is more than your allocated budget, then you have 2 choices: a. Eliminate some of the names on your list b. Reduce the amount that you want to spend on each person

Step 5: Once you have your final list, write down a couple of gift ideas for each person This is the fun part, because now you can explore and search for the best deal in town to make sure that you give the best gift and yet is still within your budget.

Step 6: Now that you have your list completed, the most difficult part is when you go out and make that purchase. Surely you’ll be tempted to buy more stuff. You must stick with your list and do not give in to impulse purchases.      

If you can follow all the 6 simple steps above, I’m sure you can still do all your Christmas shopping without feeling guilty. On the other hand, if you don’t really have any budget to be spent, don’t force yourself. You can give something that is handmade or you can simply give the gift of time, e.g. spend a day with your loved ones. These gifts are often more meaningful than material goods.

Don’t forget the real meaning of Christmas. It isn't about the gifts but the spirit of togetherness. And that's something money can't buy.  

I love December ! For me December is a month full of joy, peace, love and miracles

And in this special month, I would like you to spend a few minutes to talk about a very special person in our lives.

It's none other than our parents. Some one who have raised us up for many years. I recently watched this short video. The story line is simple and yet it managed to move me.

How many times we take our parents for granted? They show us unconditional love, no matter what we do, no matter how bad we are, no matter how ungrateful we get. Our parents ALWAYS there for us. But unfortunately, sometimes we didn't even realised that. We didn't even remember what have our parents done for us. They surely have done great things for us, given us comfort, security, support, love and many others.

But how would we repay them? Well, in my opinion, we'll never be able to repay them, but least thing that we can do is to be grateful. Showing gratitude to our parents for everything they have done to us in the past as well as in the present brings happiness to them. Even if their upbringing is less than perfect, we still owe our life to them. Another thing that we can also do is to give them respect and love. It brings great happiness to parents to see that they are respected by their kids. There’s no amount of money that can equal to receiving respect. It is priceless and it surely will make them happy and proud.

Apart from those two that I mentioned above, probably in this Special month of December you can do something 'special' for your parents.

Here are some ideas:

1. Bring them to their favorite restaurant and order their favorite dishes.

2. Pledge certain % of your bonus this year to be spent for them.

3. Surprise them with a nice bouquet of flowers send right to their doorsteps.

4. Buy gift certificate to their favorite mall.

5. Subscribe to their favorite TV cable.

6. Go for short holiday trip with them

7. Buy them a massage chair

8. Give them air tickets or an holiday package to an exotic location

9. Buy a digital photo album and upload hundreds of your photos with them.

10. Bring them to the place that they never been before (e.g. Dinner at Singapore flyer, Watch gold class movie, Having brunch at 5 star hotels, etc)

Those are just a few ideas. Of course there are also many other things that you can do to make them happy and yet it doesn't cost you any single cents.

Here's a few example:

1. Write a poem for them

2. Don't answer back and correct them when you wanted to.

3. Do your house chores (washing dishes, etc) without being asked.

4. Say "I love you!" while smiling into their eyes at least twice a day.

5. Gave acknowledgments like, "Mom, I'm so lucky to have you. You're the best mom ever!"

6. Spend time with them while listening to their opinions and stories from their life.

7. Surprise them with a nice dinner, all cooked by you.

8. Give them a nice and warm hug before they go to sleep.

9. Give them a call and ask how they are especially if you don’t see them everyday or you live far from them

10. Give them a grandchild Last year I did the no. 10 =) and my parents are definitely very happy =) hahaha…

Hopefully by now you have some ideas in your mind on what to do for your parents.

Do it for them, they definitely will be surprise and will appreciate that =)