Re-branding oneself!

Brand is normally associated with products! We buy certain brands because we believe in the promises made by the brands through advertisements or through their sheer image or prestige! To illustrate, today I bought an iphone4 as a birthday present for my wife because I believe it is the coolest thing to have right now, and I don't have to hint to her it is expensive, she know it is~! Thus the iphone4 as a brand gives the perception of expensive, and cool thing to have~! In marketing we call this as the brand positioning!

Every morning, when I look in the mirror, I am reminded of 'me' as a brand. With each wink I give to myself, I reinforce my own 'brand' - Confident, Optimistic, and Fun Loving~! (I hope so lah anyway! hahaha). The way I dress, reflects me as a brand too - smart & casual, not too loud nor too dull, professional yet warm! My work ethics and my behavior speak the loudest about my 'professionalism as a brand', continuously raising the bar for myself and for others around me, and always curious about how things can be done better~! (Once again, please allow me to perasan a little bit lah. hahaha).

I do believe by 'branding' oneself - it can serve as one of the most effective ways to stand out in this over crowded world, at work place and in social setting.

Simon Cowell of the American Idol earned tons of money through his brand as 'Mr. Nasty' who wore tight T Shirt on the show. 

Beckham, branded himself as the player who is known the world over for his 'Bend it like Beckham!'
Even if your intention is not get rich, branding yourself can do wonders to your own sense of self-worth!

I was once branded as a 'Romeo'! People branded me based on what people see, hear, reading what I write, and what others have said about me. True or otherwise, others' perception is reality to them. I can't change that. I can change the way I am, which hopefully will change the way people perceive me. 

I have re-launched myself my times over. Amongst other things, I did it by being more selective in the topics I chose to write in my blog. I re-branded myself, also, by taking different type of roles in the society; for example I led the Malaysian Association in UAE for one term and hosted many social events for Malaysians at our home in Dubai. Those activities managed to shape people's perception in certain ways.

It is never too late to re-launch yourself!

If you have just resigned from a terrible job and is moving on to a new employer - then seize the opportunity to re-launch yourself!

If you have just come out from a bad relationship, and want to move on in life - it is a good time to re-brand yourself. 

The best brand for you is - to be yourself! To let your inner-self come out in the open, leveraging on your strengths and your passion. To be able to lower your guard, to be confident with what you have to say, and be comfortable with who you are - that is the most sustainable brand you can wish for.

That is common sense, you may say!

It is, except that it is not so commonly practiced.

So very often, we brand ourselves not the way we are, but the way we think others want to see us! So we suppressed our thoughts, we even wear clothes which are approved by our social circles, and be seen at places where others expect us to be! 

What is your "brand?" Think about it...Whether you like it or not, you are being branded by others. It is time you take control of your 'brand' and communicate clearly, in the way you behave, dress, talk, circle of friends you keep, and things you do and own. The message must be about who you are!

Di jangka 9000 Pelajar Malaysia dari Mesir akan di pindahkan ke Saudi!

Setakat hari ini, sudah 2000+ pelajar Malaysia dari Mesir sudah di pindahkan ke Jeddah Saudi Arabia, sebagai langkah penyelamatan oleh kerajaan Malaysia. Ada yang bujang dan ramai juga yang berkeluarga bersama anak2 kecil. Ada yang murung, ada juga yang bersemangat tinggi menceriakan suasana, menyembunyi perasaan di hati - keliru, redha, takut, pasrah bercampur aduk. Terlalu ramai yang datang sehelai sepinggang, tidak berwang.

Di Jeddah ada lebih kurang 800 Malaysians yang berdaftar dengan Consulate.

Alhamdullillah, pihak Consulate dan Tabung Haji, serta Malaysia Airline begitu prihatin bertungkus lumus tidak mengenal penat lelah demi anak bangsa, tanpa mengira parti politik apakah di dokong mereka!

Lebih membanggakan apabila sukarelawan, dan Kelab Malaysian Jeddah (KMJ), turut di barisan hadapan menyalurkan tenaga dan sumbangan material.

Di adakan bilik gerakan di kediaman penempatan sementara, dan jika ada ibu bapa saudara mara ingin hubungi, boleh telefon di number ini.

Bilik Operasi Kompleks Tabung Haji Madinatul Hujjaz, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia


Tel: 00 966 2630 16 38 atau  00 966 5671 55 710

Di beritakan, anggaran pelajar yang akan di pindahkan ke Jeddah akan menyentuh 9000 semuanya.

Persoalan :

Adakah pelajar-pelajar yang dibawa keluar dari Mesir yang berada di Arab Saudi sekarang layak menerima zakat atau tidak?

Jawapan :

1. Dari sudut situasi mereka :

Andai kita melihat kepada situasi mereka yang akan dibawa pulang ke Malaysia dan melakukan transit di Jeddah terlebih dahulu, kita dapati sebahagian besar daripada mereka langsung tidak ada persediaan untuk bermusafir pulang ke Malaysia.

Ini dapat dilihat kerana sebahagian daripada mereka ada yang datang sehelai sepinggang tanpa membawa bekalan kewangan atau pakaian yang cukup.

Ada juga daripada mereka yang bersiap untuk pulang ke Malaysia tetapi kerana terkandas di lapangan terbang Mesir beberapa hari menyebabkan duit poket habis digunakan untuk membeli makanan di lapangan terbang yang harganya melambung tinggi dan ditambah buruk lagi apabila duit tidak dapat diambil melalui mesin ATM.Akibatnya keadaan mereka juga terputus bekalan kewangan untuk pulang ke Malaysia.

2. Melihatkan situasi mereka sebegini adakah ada ruang untuk mereka menerima zakat daripada mereka yang berkemampuan?

Jawabnya YA!

Dalilnya diterangkan oleh Allah Ta'ala dalam surah at Taubah ayat 60:

ﭽ ﮠ ﮡ ﮢ ﮣ ﮤ ﮥ ﮦ ﮧ ﮨ ﮩ ﮪ ﮫ ﮬ ﮭ ﮮ ﮯ ﮰﮱ ﯓ ﯔ ﯕﯖ ﯗ ﯘ ﯙ ﯚ ﭼ التوبة: ٦٠

Maksudnya : Sesungguhnya sedekah-sedekah (zakat) itu hanyalah untuk orang-orang fakir, dan orang-orang miskin, dan amil-amil yang mengurusnya, dan orang-orang muallaf yang dijinakkan hatinya, dan untuk hamba-hamba yang hendak memerdekakan dirinya, dan orang-orang yang berhutang, dan untuk (dibelanjakan pada) jalan Allah, dan orang-orang musafir (yang keputusan bekal) dalam perjalanan. (Ketetapan hukum yang demikian itu ialah) sebagai satu ketetapan (yang datangnya) dari Allah. Dan (ingatlah) Allah Maha Mengetahui, lagi Maha Bijaksana. (60)

Antara asnaf lapan atau mereka yang layak menerima zakat ialah lapan golongan, salah satu daripada lapan golongan ini yang disebutkan oleh Allah Ta'ala ialah Ibn Sabil (orang-orang musafir (yang keputusan bekal) dalam perjalanan).

3. Apakah pendapat ulama' dalam menafsirkan ibn Sabil dalam ayat di atas?

 Imam at Tabari dalam tafsirnya Jami' al Bayan menafsirkan Ibn Sabil orang yang bermusafir dari satu Negara ke Negara yang lain.

 Berkata Imam Ibn Kathir dalam tafsirnya Tafsir al Quran al Azim Ibn Sabil ialah Orang yang merantau dan tidak mempunyai bekalan untuk meneruskan perjalanannya,maka hendaklah diberi zakat dan sedekah kepadanya untuk sampai ke Negara yang berikutnya.

 Syeikh Qardhawi menyebut maksud Ibn Sabil dalam kitabnya Fiqh Zakat: Di sisi Jumhur Ulama, Ibn Sabil ialah orang bermusafir dari satu Negara ke satu Negara.

Dari Ibn Zaid katanya : 'Ibn Sabil ialah orang yang bermusafir sama ada kaya atau miskin, tiba-tiba dalam masa perjalanannya di timpa musibah sama ada kehilangan bekalan,rosak bekalan tersebut atau kehabisan bekalan yang dibawa, maka wajib mereka dibantu dengan zakat dan sedekah.

Kesimpulannya :

Jadi di sini bolehlah kita simpulkan daripada pendapat Ulama' bahawa zakat boleh diberikan kepada pelajar-pelajar Mesir yang berada di Jeddah untuk membantu dari segi kewangan mereka sehinggalah mereka selamat sampai di Malaysia sekali pun mereka tergolong dalam orang yang kaya di tanah air sendiri berdalilkan hadith Rasulullah SAW :

عن أبي سعيد الخدري، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: لا تحل الصدقة لغني إلا لثلاثة: في سبيل الله، أو ابن السبيل، أو رجل كان له جار فتصدق عليه، فأهداها له

Maksudnya : Dari Abi Said al Khudri dari Nabi SAW bersabda : "Tidak halal sedekah(zakat) kepada orang kaya kecuali dalam tiga keadaan : Dalam jihad di jalan Allah atau Ibn Sabil atau seseorang (yang kaya) yang mempunyai jiran lalu ia bersedakah kepada jirannya kemudian jirannya memberi hadiah kepadanya."

Wallah hu aklam!

Latest: Kumpulan pertama 400 pelajar yang di pindahkan ke Jeddah sudah berlepas pulang ke tanah air.

Penghargaan kita kepada Kerajaan Saudi kerana memberi ruang dan bersedia menerima penindahan warga negara Malaysia ke negara ini.

"Be your own cheer leader !"

Have you not experienced a day when you started off badly, you wake up with a start from a nightmare, and while staring at bags under your eyes in the mirror you remember that you have set up an early meeting at 8am and 8 am has passed half-hour ago! You rush to the office, to be greeted by the secretary of your boss who said with a smirk on her face, "Boss has been looking for you!" You enter your boss's office, and he sits behind his desk glaring at you, and he send you off to the airport to pick up his visiting relative, and to take the relative on a city tour...and so on, and on...and by the time you arrive back at your office to do what you should have done for the day it is 9pm! You are exhausted. A busy day, but nothing got done!

A day you feel pretty bad about! You wish, how nice to have a cheerleader who can make you feel better~!

Well, what are you supposed to do if most of your working days are days such as above. Hurried, rushed, too much to do but being diverted to do something totally unrelated to your work. You are busy, but you feel you have not achieved, not recognized,  and taken for granted!

Such person in an office is what I call a 'Utility person'. Normally of nice disposition, positive attitude, never say no, and eager to please everyone except himself or herself. Often taken advantage off, and just as often been overlooked for promotion and recognition!

You thought the problem is the company, so you resign. Two months after you have started on a new job, in a new company, the same things happen again. You repeat the process, and after fifth jobs in five different companies within the same number of years, you come to a realization - it is you who is the problem!

You even go to see a Bomoh, to mandi bunga, thinking that some evil spirit has gotten into your body. The Bomoh goes into a trance, squeezes your toes, and after some pain and a few drops of tears, you coughed up RM150 'pengeras'!

Nothing change!

Here are my diagnosis of the problem:

- You need a vision for your self ; dreams which you want to pursue

- You need to believe in yourself; confident to share your vision with your boss and others around you. 

- You need some fire in your belly ; courage & enthusiasm.

1. Personal Vision

 Unless you know what you want to achieve, there is no way for others to know. If you don't know where you are going, people can sense that, and they will start pushing you in directions which benefit them and NOT you.

Hence, you feel that everyone uses you! A clear vision provides a direction and purpose.

2. A clear purpose, will provide you reasons to believe. It motivates you to achieve. Take the first step towards your vision, then the next step. Every step you move forward will help you feel more confident about your ability. Take small steps if necessary, but move forward. Sometimes, you may have to take two steps back before you can move three steps forward. Be flexible to do so. That is part of learning process.

Celebrate your own successes. Be enthusiastic about each achievement. Stand up and say out loud, "Yabada badoooo!! I have doen it!"

If people ask, simply shrug your shoulder and say, 'I have completed one more task, and boy...that feels good!"

3. Be courageous to speak up! One of the most glaring differences between a Melayu executive and a Non Melayu executive is 'Courage to speak up!' Melayu thinks too much, say too little. Melayu tend to process their thinking in their head, and dismisses the idea before the idea has a chance to be heard by others. This self-sabotage is a common syndrome amongst Melayu graduates, especially if they are the first generation graduate. Worry not - Speak Up! "Hentam jer!"

Most Melayu who are successful are able to express their ideas and opinions.

Be enthusiastic, and energertic. The way you walk, sit, even dressed communicate about your state of being. Enthusiasm is contagious. Everyone wants to be lifted up and not be brought down by your depression. If you feel depressed, find a private room and lock yourself in for a while until you are able to smile and face the world!

"I have done a heck of a lot today, and I feel good about it!"  I am signing off and decide to write this article to share how I feel before I leave the office. "I feel good!"

I am my own cheer leader!

                                            2002 - When we were living in Singapore~! 
                                                          Red is sexy, they say, so I bought a red car!
                                                          hahaha. That makes me both sexy and vain!

Picture above sekadar hiasan! (Fariz, Me, Haziq semasa bercuti di KK)