Ricky’s Online Business Blog

Recently I went to the Penang Butterfly Park in Teluk Bahang. It’s a popular attraction in Penang with over 4000 butterflies from about 150 species. When you enter the park, you will find yourself surrounded by butterflies flying around you. According to their leaflet, these butterflies have been “trained” that they are not afraid of human!

Butterflies feeding on flowers

I didn’t know butterflies eat pineapples too!

Here are a few funny warning signs for visitors

Don’t pull me from feeding!

Don’t catch me!

Don’t take away my lunch!

The last photo reminds me of a best-seller book called Who Moved My Cheese, in which a rat feeds on a big chunk of cheese everyday, but one day suddenly finds it missing. Now imagine you are a butterfly and one day find your lunch missing? How naught that fella is

In real life, things are always changing. We shall not assume our cheese or lunch is always there everyday. Especially in the current financial turmoil, our lunch can suddenly disappear. Better be prepared than sorry…

I had a dream in sleep. I saw a new bakery shop opening.

In the opening ceremony, the shop gave out free breads, cakes and cookies to those who attended.

However, only dignitaries were invited. When I went there, all the delicious food was gone!

Suddenly my mind went into a series of motion. I was thinking of various scenarios for a new bakery shop. I started to do business planning in sleep!

I was thinking what if I open another bakery but instead of inviting only important people on the first day, I invite those poor and needy ones to enjoy the free food.

What if there is no price tag for all food? Again, like my previous stupid idea for mixed rice stall, what if I just let common folks donate whatever they can for each item they take?

I did think of many ideas in the dream. But I forgot them! But what I remember is that I was really planning, just like usual.

Anyway, just a stupid dream. Forget it. It doesn’t make sense

But the moral of the story is that, I realize I can do planning even in dream. While our conscious mind goes into sleep, our subconscious mind does not.

What if we can harness our subconscious mind to work for us, even in sleep? But how?

Today Malaysia will face off against the formidable defending champions China in the Thomas Cup semifinal. Hopefully we can pull an upset. And I have faith in the team that they can cruise into the final if they maintain their team spirit and focus on the task.

Recently I shared a real fun story to a congregation of people when helping to promote a sports carnival event in which I served as an organizing committee member. Well, you need to know some Malay and Cantonese to get the joke…

In the 90’s I was in Stadium Negara watching Rashid Sidek playing against an Indonesian player in the Malaysian Open that year. All spectators came in support for him, waving our national flag, singing, shouting, clapping and beating drums.

One elderly man who sat behind kept on screaming, “Rashid, do not give water!” (不要放水 in Cantonese which means do not give chance to the opponent).

Of course he was not shouting in English nor Cantonese but in Malay. But his Malay was not so fluent. He kept on shouting, “Rashid, jangan buang air!” (”Rashid, don’t pee!”)

We were so also amused throughout the match. So was Rashid too