Raggae Raggae the Dragon Slayer

Put some music in my food for me, and give me some Ragae Ragae source
Hot Ragae Ragae Source

It's so nice, I had to named it twice, I called it Ragae Ragae source
Hor Ragae Ragae Source



It's sad to see that the judges from the retail and marketing background didn't see the potential, while the guys from Technology background supported the idea. I guess there is no single most delicious source in the world (no one said his sauce is good, or bad), but the branding of Jamaica, Raggae Music and Hot BBQ source seems to be an interesting combo.

So 2 dragons invest in someone who can't count really well, probably don't know much about big business, who can write and sing pretty catchy tune, and make decent sauce. Sometimes it is difficult to break it down and analyse it to back our "correct" judgement, but rather it "feels" right.

Review: Start Now. No funding needed

I still remember the days where I was so excited about the idea of government giving free money through Cradle, MDEC Pre-seed Fund and MOSTI fund; and I scramble to come up with some ideas and gather a team with lost touch friends. I tried three times over a period of 2 years, but I didn’t make it. On the surface, I did blame their “secrecy”, “biasness” and “incompetence”; yet perhaps I fail to write proposal which appeal to VC.


Start Now. No funding needed. from Derek Sivers on Vimeo.

Somehow, I decided that I could start something small without needing any funding; since I can't knock the idea off my head. I am a programmer, so I can absorb most of the development cost. I can do simple design and graphics, and I learn about SEO. By the way, I was trying to develop a property website. I took me about a few months to get the website running and feeding in data, and it didn’t quite take off.

The project was put in cold storage for about a year while I embark on something else, then I feel the urge to restart the whole thing again. I focus on food and restaurant this time, using a new framework. I made a few mistakes with the property website, where I develop my own framework (which was fun, but a nightmare to maintain). By using an open source framework, I can focus on developing features for the website rather than enhancing the framework. I put up some courage to employ people (burning my own money) to help me with the boring but important task, which is content building. I used to do it myself, but I felt it’s better to delegate these tasks to others, while I focus on enhancing the website’s features and performance.

Now, I have a monthly burning rate (paying others) and I am working for free (no income yet). But I feel it’s necessary to raise the stake in order to prove once and for all, either my idea will sink or swim with no regrets. I manage to break even after 12 months (discounting my own salary), and we are doing reasonably well after 4 years. Somehow, I started from a timid entrepreneur wannabe who are afraid to spend money to fund my own idea, and later it become natural to invest in my own idea. The good thing about spending our own money is that we run a very “lean” operation with no big overheads; I observe some well-funded competitors sank within a year or two (can’t keep up with the burn rate).

Recently I am tempted to aim for the ICON2 fund, why? Speed. The problem with a lean startup is that we are extremely careful and try to spend as little money as possible, thus the growth rate could be fairly slow. If I could at least double the expenditure, then I could shorten the time to build a successful product. At the same time, we have more luxury to experiment with various ideas, rather than doing things “safely” which hinder innovation and breakthrough. I think I had gain some maturity and success to move into second gear. Wish me luck!

Sir Ken Robinson: Changing Education Paradigms

Perhaps it's time to upgrade our educational system :)

• The route to education marginalizes what you think are important
• Why would we want to lower the standard of Education (so that more kids could pass?)
• Many brilliant people think they are not smart (they don't do well academically)
• Modern Epidemic: ADHD (being medicated from being distracted from boring staff at school towards Internet, iPhone, 100+ TV channels). We are getting our children through education by anaesthetising them (shut off their senses); we should be waking them up to what is inside of themselves!
• Education System is modeled after the Industrialism: Ringing bells, Separate facilities, specialize into separate subjects, Educate children by batches (age). Kids have different levels of competency at different subjects, perhaps study better at nights than day, or learn better in smaller groups or individually. We are doing standardization, while we should go the opposite direction.
• Divergent Thinking: essential capacity to creativity; the ability to see lots of possible answers to a questions. Kindergarden student scored 98% to be genius in Divergent Thinking, and their capability deteriorate as they aged. Why are they not getting better? We educate them, telling there is only 1 answer and it's at the back of the book (and don't look). 
• We have to think differently of human capacity
• Great learning happens in group, and collaboration is the stuff of growth.

Anyone for Parti Kebebasan Internet?

With the recent “hotness” of Bersih 2.0 and promising sign rallies (and objection to suppression tactics), and politics are suddenly “sexy” again with lots of “gossips a.k.a conspiracy theory a.k.a insider news” flying around, and the battle had gotten more interesting as the opposition actually had a chance (though the hope fluctuate quite dramatically), with dissatisfaction, disappointment and fear of the people rising rapidly, perhaps this is the best time to setup a Political Party and be a Politician?

If I am a politician, what should I champion? Since I can’t fake it very well, so I have to champion something dear to my heart, which is Technology and Internet. On the bright side, Malaysian has the most Facebook friends, everyone loves their iPhone and iPad (and perhaps some Android fans), we still love our local blog celebrities and we get non-government propaganda news from the Internet (newspaper and TV no longer have the balls). There is still a lot to fight for, such as The Censorship of Internet is getting out of hands with disregard to MSC’s Bill Of Guarantee of No Internet Censorship, such as censorship of RPK’s blog, TMNet blocking of Pirate Bay and other file sharing sites (a knife cannot be deemed illegal just because it can be used for killing), and of cause freedom of expression (at least on the Internet front), plus we all hope for better quality of Internet services. On a more drastic front, perhaps we should learn from Pirate Party to defend our rights for free software, games, movie and music (since most of us love it; and we pay when we can afford it, or when it’s worth it); and also to prevent the Government from spying or wiretapping our online activities.

Source: JDS

There is no better time to be an “Online” politician, as the Internet dramatically lowers the cost of running a campaign and increase exposure. First of all, we don’t have to apply for a police permit for Ceramah, as we can do a webcast (later archive it on YouTube) and people can send comments or ask questions by SMS, twittering, facebooking, etc.; and you can have millions of viewers and supporters without causing a Chaos. Secondly, your political party is a Facebook-like page, where everyone one who likes you automatically become your member (no form filling), and can proudly claim with proof that your party is 100,000 strong (of fans). You can do your party EGM and voting your Committee online so it doesn’t interrupt your member’s busy life and schedule, which is great! Then we will have the usual blog to let voters know us better (it’s virtually impossible to know your representative is like or what is he doing to help without a blog) and a Facebook page (or a more organize Q & A website or complaint tracking) for interactions (know the people through Facebook, better reach and time saving as compared to on the field tour).

Our Online Party is not meant to solve every problem or serve the need of every Rakyat (as each Rakyat have different needs and priority, which shall be served better by others), but we can become really good at what we do: champion our rights for good quality Technology and Internet. We fight for Internet Freedom and No Censorship, we fight for access to free Music, Movie, Software and Games, we lobby for better and cheaper broadband, and we vow for an Open Party (transparency in all our donation received, spending, etc.) and protect your online voice from richer bully who threatens to sue you for 100 million by setting a legal fund like EFF, and of cause the abolishment of ISA that try to instill fear into every citizen (the Government should fear the people, not the other way round). We shall focus on Urban area with high Internet penetration for competitive advantage. The whole point? To garner enough votes to form a better government with others of similar ideal.

So what do we need to make this work? A lot of courage and passion to make things better, a great speaker (ala Steve Jobs or Obama) and some cash to burn, plus the strength to withstand bureaucracy, threat, slander, betrayal and corruption; and pray very hard we don’t turn to the dark side after all these troubles, and doesn't end up a political prisoner.


If the government can preemptively arrest people for "illegal" protest and gathering, and they already behave such under the lenses and public scrutiny; what will happened to those who are captured? Who will defend them? Given the "power" you see in this video and online media, won't you think online media is the next frontier the government will try to crack down?

Anyone for Parti Kebebasan Internet?

A meaningful life, anyone?

I guess I wanted a meaningful and fruitful life, yet I cannot ignore the fact that I am still in the rat race having to make time to make money for a living. What is meaningful? Doing something I really wanted to what, whatever it is.

Once I thought I wanted to be a freelancer (as compared to be an employee), as I wanted more control and making a living purely based on my own capabilities (as compared to feeling disappointed with others and companies). It was quite challenging and interesting in the beginning, but it sort of got bored and gotten fed-up with certain aspect of it.

Then I wanted to switched from pure freelancer to a web entrepreneur (building online services and databases which people require), which seems more fun, have a greater impact with better sustainability. I do really like it most of the time, but certain aspect of the work is quite boring and cause procrastination (as in right now). I felt it is a right balance between my interest and making a living.

Lately, I tend to skew the balance towards my interest rather than making a living. Psychologically we do indeed want to do something fun and interesting, but the logical and worrisome mind will be still thinking about making a living. Of cause the ideal situation would be that we have enough dough for a comfortable living, thus we can focus on your interest and meaning in life, rather than making a living. Again, my balance is temporary disrupted by my inner desire to do something “better”; so it’s of utmost importance that I get out of the rat race as soon as possible to achieve happiness, freedom and meaning (thus the luxury to do whatever the f*** I want, bypassing my worrisome mind). Or, if I can convince myself forget about making a living (which seems impossible due to my Chinese gene).

So how much is enough (can't be too abstract, right?)? I am not a financial expert, but perhaps achieving semi-passive RM10K monthly income or RM 1 million in cash in the next 5 years? Sound far-fetched? Perhaps, but it’s meant to be difficult but achievable; else everyone would have done it. Making a good income but with no freedom and time is equally meaningless.

As for the rewards, what do I really want to do?

• Develop a semi-passive business to sustain my comfortable living
• To develop a game which I would enjoy the most
• To travel and experience life in foreign places up to a year
• Take up some art & craft as hobby
• Perhaps to start an urban gardening business

It’s all started with a dream :)

What you don't know about Pricing

A few years back, I read an article about Pricing Strategy @ Joel on Software, and I learned a few practical tips about pricing.

1. The need for Basic, Professional and Extreme version of products, are different groups of buyers are willing to pay different prices for almost the same product (maximize the price buyers are willing to pay).
2. Once the sales start to plateau and go downwards (capturing buyer willing to pay the “fair” price), reduce the price by one notch to capture the buyers who wanted the product, but would prefer a cheaper price (“bargain” price). And repeat the cycle until it can’t get any cheaper in order to capture all the potential buyers.

After reading Priceless by William Poundstone, I learned a few more goodies, and never to base pricing on cost.

1. Anchoring - Whenever we try to estimate a numerical value, we are unconsciously influenced by related numbers just considered. A ridiculously expensive item next to a merely expensive one causes the lower priced item to be perceived as a bargain, and increases its sales. i) $200 LV iPhone cover is a bargain when put beside the $20K LV bag. ii) Restaurants in New York City will advertise a $100 hamburger, no one would pay that kind of price, but will buy a nice steak dinner for a somewhat inflated price ($40).
2. Extra high and low prices existing simultaneously on the shelf with low prices unconsciously influence choice. i) If a person is choosing between soups that cost $1, $3, and $5, they are more likely to choose the $3 option. If they are choosing between soups that cost $3, $5, and $17, they will likely choose the $5 option. ii) Starbucks has three cryptically named sizes of coffee: Tall, Grande, and Venti. Puzzled or indecisive customers tend to pick the middle choice, Grande. This is a classic example of what psychologists call “extremeness aversion.” When uncertain, everyone instinctively favors the middle option, figuring it’s safer. In fact, the Grande is 16 ounces — meaning that you’ve just ordered a pint of expensive coffee, rather than what used to be a normal size cup.
3. Every time a company raises its price, some shoppers switch brands. Manufacturers have been lowering package sizes for things like cereal and keeping the prices the same. i) Skippy’s peanut butter now has a dent in the bottom of its jar. It holds less peanut butter, but the price is the same.

Pricing Concept and Psychology

1. Poundstone argues that much of what we think of as "fair" pricing is nothing more than a collection of cognitive fallacies and biases. The most important of these fallacies are the contrast effect (pricing taking on significance from neighboring prices) and the anchoring effect (we are drawn to a particular number). i) It's all in the comparison. A $50 gift from Aunt Marge for your wedding is wonderful, unless you were expecting her to give you $200, like she did your sister.
2. Shoppers moving clockwise through a supermarket spend about $2 more per trip than those moving clockwise. One holds that shoppers think of their carts as cars and “drive” on the right of aisles. This makes it slightly easier for the right-handed majority to toss impulse buys in their cart.
3. The gross profit margin of the 99 Cents Only Store is twice that of Wal-Mart. Dave Gold, founder of the 99 Cents Only chain, discovered that he could get rid of slow-moving merchandise (priced at 79 cents) by raising the price. At 99 cents, the same items sold quickly.
4. Women seem to be less price-sensitive than men about health and beauty products. Political correctness hasn’t deterred retailers from taking advantage of that. You’ll find that many products are offered in “women’s” versions that cost more. Barbasol shaving cream for men is about $1.69. The women’s version costs $2.49 — and comes in a skinny can holding less
5. Most people would rather buy a $1,000 flatscreen TV with a $200 rebate rather than an $800 set with no rebate. They assume that a $1,000 TV has to be better (even when its only extra “feature” is a rebate coupon).
6. Based on the price of cell phone bandwidth, the “fair” value of a text message ought to be about 1/1000 of a cent. Instead, the average consumer pays over 20 cents a text, and usage continues to zoom. Needless to say, kids send most texts, their parents pay the bills, and those parents haven’t a clue what they should be paying.
7. The new Apple iPad’s 3G plans run $14.99 a month for up to 250 megabytes of data, or $29.99 for unlimited usage. Obviously, since it’s a new product, few can predict how much data they’ll use. But that 250 MB limit creates anxiety: What if I exceed the limit? Won’t I get socked with a huge bill? This leads to what behavioral economists call “flat-rate bias.” Consumers prefer the security of a flat rate, even when they’re better off without it. It’s a safe bet that the $29.99 rate will be popular and that many of those taking it would have paid less with the cheaper plan.

The Ultimatum Game

1. The ultimatum game is a game often played in economic experiments in which two players interact to decide how to divide a sum of money that is given to them. The first player proposes how to divide the sum between the two players, and the second player can either accept or reject this proposal. If the second player rejects, neither player receives anything. If the second player accepts, the money is split according to the proposal. The game is played only once so that reciprocation is not an issue.
2. A moment's reflection will show that the second player ought to accept any offer at all, and that the first player ought to divide the sum in such a way as to give himself the most money; for instance, assuming the ten dollars can be divided into dollar units only, the first player ought to give himself nine and offer one the the second player, who then ought to accept it. That would be the way of rationality.
3. The surprising thing about the ultimatum game is how seldom this occurs. The average split, according to some of the studies, was 50-50, and other results showed that most of the second players would reject any offer below three dollars.

7 Signs of Failure for Internet Startups

Let’s see how well with my Internet Startup (malaysiamostwanted.com) fair based on sgentreprenuer’s Mapping The Startup Genome: The 7 Signs Of Failure

1. Not working full time - I am 80% fulltime (up from 50%) at the moment. PASS.
2. Solo Founder or 4+ Founders – I am a solo founder still looking for a business-savy partner with Internet Business knowledge. NUTS.
3. Don’t have a Technical co-founder – I am a techie. PASS.
4. Wrong Founding Team Composition for the Wrong Type of Startup – Based on the survey, I am The Automizer (Type 1): Common characteristics: self-service customer acquisition, consumer focused, product centric, fast execution, often automize a manual process. PASS. (Benchmark your startup - WARNING: the questionnaire is pretty lengthy).
5. Don’t Pivot at All or Pivot Too Often. I won’t say pivot, but introduce new-relevant product when necessary, and abandoned less valuable products due to limited resources at hand. PASS.
6. Don’t Listen to Customers. Not much direct feedback from users, but the user base is still growing organically (we must be doing something right, though it could be better) with some good comments. PASS.
7. Scale Without Validating Market. I think they mean capital and burn rate, but we definitely don’t have funding for massive growth.

At times I do hope for 2 things, a business-savvy-worthy partner to help me with customer acquisition and monetization, and perhaps funding to build the team and accelerate the growth.

At the same time, I do marvel the fact that she is started with self funding (never thought I would be doing this, most of the time thinking of burning someone's else money for my own glory, hahaha) and actually sustainable with good growth and prospect. Could this be the start of the not-so-typical family owned small Internet Startups kind of thing? Or we should join the get-funded-and-grow bandwagon? I hope I am not delusional.

In between escaping and solving a problem

I remembered an old friend told me we create a solution to solve a problem, only to create more problems. We are not actually solving the problem, but shifting the problem. His famous example if we are tired of walking, we pay to take a bus. But the bus is unreliable and uncomfortable, so we bought a car but end up getting stuck in traffic jam and higher maintenance cost.

I guess I am doing the same with my career. At my first R&D job my focus is to give it all I got, but I soon realized the company had been unfairly remunerate me over the years. I was hoping a more rewarding career at a “real” corporate business software company, but sadly the company didn’t do well. Then I venture into freelance software development in hope of more control of my own destiny (and lessen dependency on external entities), where I found it to be too time consuming, flow of business is unpredictable, there is not much continuity and being plagued by bad paymasters. So now I plan to steer towards web products and services, where there is freedom of boundary and a platform to be built upon for the longer term. The downside is that the money is not instant and abundantly, but I can see good potential ahead; most important it is still full of hope and excitement, at the moment :)

Am I running away from problem, or I am solving them instead? One makes me felt weak and cowardly, while the other made me feel strong and in control. Should we stay and remedy the situation, or should be start afresh at greener pasture? To patch a broken program, or build from scratch again?

It seems difficult to differentiate between the right and wrong thing to do, and when I come to such crossroads there is only one question left: will there be any regrets in my choice?