We've all been there haven't we?

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim. In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

I am one of those people in the household that people depend on as their helpdesk. I believe, a lot of my university friends are also tech support at home, by virtue of being the household member that uses the computer more often than anyone else. And I understand how frustrating this can be.

Computers can turn that nasty little switch in me called, Anger. I’m sure some of you have resorted to violence against your computer when things just don’t work. And that’s really an un-nirvanic relationship with your computer. Things break down, because people don’t give love to their computers.

A typical conversation when someone asks me to recommend a computer would go like this:

Friend requiring nirvana, “Hey Haz, what brand would you recommend for a PC?”.

Me, “A Mac”.

Friend requiring nirvana, “But Macs can’t play games right? Then some more not compatible with a lot of software and cannot install pirated one”.

Me, “Actually, Macs can play a lot of game titles and what you do with a PC, Macs can do better”.

If you’ve guessed by now what’s wrong here, then you’re right. My friend is only interested in what he wants out of the PC, but did not consider what the PC needs.

If you are a girl, I’m sure you can understand this better. You buy a pair of heels. What does your heels need? Sayang-sayang. Love, right?

The PC needs love too and the first thing one should do when they get a new PC is to take care of it. So here are 3 simple rules one should follow to ensure a rewarding and loving relationship with your PC:

1. Immunise it from common viruses by installing an antivirus. I recommend avast! Antivirus, which is free for home use, and affordable for business users. My clients like Singtel, Singapore Bible College and TDK are just some of the companies and organisations that have had their Internet Security Nirvanised and I can help you do the same for your company.
2. Don’t feed it fake software. Fake software are one of the causes of crashes on a PC. These knock-offs were copied from less stable versions of the product and you cannot solve this without purchasing a legal licensed copy. If you want to install a pirated software, ask yourself if you can truly have an enlightened experience if your software isn’t stable?
3. Create a Guest account even if you’re the only user on your computer. If someone wants to use your PC, make sure they log in with a Guest account and limit what files and programs they can launch. Your PC is your responsibility so don’t leave it in the hands of others that did not pay for your machine.

For easy to do tips on securing your PC, I recommend the book “Securing Your PC in Easy Steps” by Mark Lee.

It’s especially targeted for the common man or woman and for those who happen to be the resident helpdesk in their home. This book is especially suited for those who can’t understand the jargon, and needs illustrations to help them understand how to do things. The books uses simple language and doesn’t overwhelm the reader with difficult system administrator tasks. It is one of the highly rated titles on Amazon, and if you need to secure your PC, then this book should help you get started quite easily with a dedicated guide on how to install and configure avast! Antivirus step-by-step.

May your computing frustrations end and may your computer return you the love that you give it. Amiin.

See larger image Securing Your PC in Easy Steps (Paperback) By (author) Mark Lee List Price: $14.99 USD New From: $9.14 In Stock Used from: $7.50 In Stock

Getting a Reserved Lot for the first time

I went to a client meeting in town last week and for the first time, I had a reserved lot, with the license plate of the car printed on it, and a friendly staff escorting me to meet with my clients for the first time. This is the first time I was treated grandiosely, with people making tea for me and all.

Perhaps more of such occasions in future? I must then do an excellent job for them. Nothing short of a Nirvanic Internet Presence.

Insya Allah. Amiin.

Jakarta Contrasts. A picture showing the rich-poor divide of Indonesia. Original picture by John and Mel Kats.

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim. In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Life isn’t easy and the past couple of months were probably the most difficult I’ve ever had to endure. It wasn’t too long ago in December 2009 when I had taken a week’s break for an all-guy’s holiday to Jakarta and Bandung. It was my 3rd trip to Jakarta in my lifetime and a lot of things have changed ever since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took over.

There were a lot of things that awed me about Indonesia. Particularly how despite some segments of the population live in abject poverty, they do not seem to feel pathetic about their lives. There was once when my friends and I were trying to find a museum in Jakarta, and we passed this middle-aged lady, dressed in batik sarong, a worn out kebaya, carrying a basket of goods on her back, walking barefooted on the concrete pavement, and when we approached her to ask for directions, she gave this pleasant smile, and politely pointed us the right way.

This was probably one of the most life-changing points in my life, despite how insignificant a person giving you directions seem to be. But how does one tolerate life’s harshness and still afford to smile and lend a hand to lost tourists from one of the most wealthiest nations in the world?

I realised that you cannot change where you were born, to which family, and in what kind of social status. Millions of people were born and still do, into abject poverty, but they did not allow their lives to be empty. This woman, worked. And you can see from her wrinkled face, soiled feet and iron fists that she made a harsh, meagre living to make ends meet in a city that is progressing ever rapidly.

Poverty does not mean hopelessness. We were all born poor, without a dollar in earnings. The difference between me and this woman was that I had the opportunity to an education to alleviate myself from the cycle of poverty and the opportunity to find work in white collar activities, behind a desk in an air-conditioned room in one of Singapore’s impressive skyscrapers, and parents who weren’t too poor to finance my life before I could hold my own.

But I don’t smile as willingly. And I must contemplate if wealth makes people unhappy?

The former colonial building of the VOC. Now Muzium Fatahillah. Jakarta History Musuem.

When we left the musuem, we stopped by a street vendor manned by ladies with containers of water to quench the thirsts of the mid-day heat. Handing over the 50,000 Rupiah made their day as it was not long that they opened their stall.

No. The mighty dollar has never made people unhappy. It is when we make too much or try so hard to make so much that we may feel this sense of incompleteness. That it’s really never enough.

Living in Singapore, I realised why we are so unhappy. For some of us, we make enough to cover our own costs of living. Everything here is about money. You want a house? It costs S$350,000 for a simple 4 room apartment. A young couple has to put down 10% before getting one, and demand is high but supply isn’t always enough. For those Singaporeans who simply don’t have the qualifications to earn a basic of S$1,800, they need to put in overtime work to ensure they have money for other costs, like food, transport, conveyancing charges, mobile phone, electricity and utility bills and the few children you’re raising which you hope will not turn out like you.

We work so hard, for $1,800 a month, only to see most of it disappear into these costs. That’s why we’re unhappy.

Will costs go down? When has it ever gone down? The one thing consistent about Singapore is that the cost of everything goes up! And everyone’s trying so hard to outdo everyone else in winning the rat race. The problem is, even if you win the rat race, you’re still a rat. And how can you be happy when you realised that you’ve become the vermin that people despise and love to hate?

The first step of being happy, is stop racing. Get out of the rat race. Singapore is a land of many opportunities and that Singaporean dream of being successful and a high standard of living has brought many immigrants to our shores and joining the rat race.

Stop racing, get your soul checked. Understand what makes you happy. Is it the good life? Or is it a good life?

If it’s the latter, good for you. You’ve quit the rat race and joined what some scientists are concerned as being an almost extinct species – the Human race.

When we are human, we will recognise that everyone is entitled to a good life. As long as we have enough to go around. Capitalism has grown our economy, but eroded our dignity. We need to balance our economic capacity with the capacity to love and care.

Some business gurus will teach you that the money you take from other people is your right. I beg to differ. The money you earned is but a placebo to make yourself feel whole. Without money, you feel empty. And it seems that whatever you earn is hardly enough.

When we stop feeling pathetic about ourselves. When we stop looking at poverty as a disease to be avoided and not solved. When we share, and give. The amount of love we receive in return far outweighs the amount of money we will ever earn. Because love, unlike everything else in this world, can never be bought.

May your life be filled with a wealth of love. Amiin.

See larger image 365 Nirvana Here and Now: Living Every Moment in Enlightenment (Hardcover) By (author) Josh Baran List Price: $19.95 USD New From: $14.25 In Stock Used from: $4.85 In Stock

Hi friends!

As you can see, my blog has changed. Not long after all the major new years (Islamic, Christian and Chinese), I’ve fulfilled my 1st resolution. Get this darn blog redone and properly managed!

Why? Who cares about me anyway?

You’re right!

But the point of a blog is not so people care. If you start off a blog, screaming for attention, chances are, between the other 112.8 million blogs according to Technorati, which obviously didn’t include the 72.82 million Chinese language blogs, you stand very little chance of becoming famous!

I’m not here to become famous. My primary intent on blogging/traveloguing, is so that I can discipline myself to find my nirvana. The reason why its integrated into my Facebook, Twitter and some of the social media is so that only my friends get to know about what I write about. Privacy and accountability is especially important for me and I’ve taken the time to make this blog only available to people on Facebook where Trust is the most important aspect between relationships. If you wish to be my friend on Facebook, please take a moment to read my About page. Remember, you have to log in with your Facebook ID in order to leave comments. I’ve made it easier for people to leave comments freely, without taking the time to create an account, and still maintain control.

Nirvana

Exactly what is Nirvana? Nirvana is a Hindu/Buddhist concept that attempts to liberate one’s soul from the karmic cycle of reincarnation and thus end all suffering. But I’m not a Hindu nor a Buddhist.

I’m a Muslim. And let’s get this straight. Muslims don’t believe in reincarnation. And I’m not mixing up the theology either.

Simply put, I am trying to achieve enlightenment, or peace with myself. The english synonym to Nirvana is Enlightenment. And the purpose of this enlightenment is to break free from the vicious cycle of poverty, anger, and hate.

Poverty is what happens when I’m broke. And I don’t like it when I’m broke. It gets frustrating, which leads me to being bitchy. Which can get me angry. What I desire is not to get amazingly rich. I’ve heard of stories of people who aren’t happy with their wealth. What I desire is to simply have enough to be happy with my life. I cannot make too little, and I hope too much will not lead me to a life of disappointment. If I do, yes, I’ll give away money.

Anger is what happens when someone upsets me. And people are scared of Angry Haz. And I get angrier if the offending party does not accede to my demands of at least an apology. And I hope to get less angry and be more calm.

Hate is what happens when someone pisses me off beyond the point of anger. Trust me, there have been plenty of them. Oh you know who you are. And it will take a lot for me to forgive. But just because I forgive, doesn’t mean I like you. I will probably still dislike you. I just won’t hate you enough to ensure your eventual destruction. Most likely, I will just avoid you and maintain neutrality so that I don’t get distracted from my path to Nirvana.

Sounds like Yoda huh? “Anger, leads to Hate, leads to the dark side”. Ah, my young padawans, I think Yoda missed out Poverty. But a Jedi pledges his poverty in order to maintain his purity. While an entrepreneur, pledges to solve poverty to maintain his soul.

These are not easy things. And mind you, everyday, people run out of money. Get mad. And just stop loving.

But this is what I set out to do, and hopefully, by documenting my thoughts, in short posts, I’ll attain that Nirvana and break that cycle.

But why share at all if this is a private thing?

To be enlightened, one must be willing to share. All great icons like Muhammad, Gandhi and Mother Theresa did not only share their wealth and love. They also shared knowledge. And sharing knowledge is not an act of showing off, or finding clients and getting money and all that. I’m not after your money. It doesn’t bother me if you don’t read. I just want to share. Sharing knowledge is an act of Nirvana. And I hope you will be enlightened by me as I am or will be enlightened by you.

From this day forth, my blog will contain ideas on attaining a nirvanic life, finding enlightenment in my business, and expose my travels for leading my nirvanic life. And some ancillary stuff which will go under the Others category.

When will this start and how often will it be?

I’ll start blogging proper by next week. For now, you’ll get frequent posts on weekly every Wednesday where I’ll share my thoughts on finding that nirvana in life.

So here’s to a new life and breaking from the cycle of poverty, anger and hate! Bismillah!

(crosses street)

Eh! Ada!

Click on the pic to discover the location!

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