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Outliers, Twitter, wine tasting… and Obi

Audible.com has turned out to be one of the best investments I have made.  I wrote about it in my last post and it has increased my time devoted to self development and as a result, my learning has accelerated.  I listen to audio books when I walk Obi now and also when I jog.  That gives me an extra hour a day of “learning” so that I can stay on top of my game.  Audible.com is definitely worth the $100 – $200 per year!  In terms of knowledge, I definitely have gained that money back after my first 2 – 3 audiobooks.

One of the best books I’ve listened to Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell.  It definitely ranks up there in the top 20 books that will impact my life in a positive way.  Maybe even in top 10… It was so good that when I was jogging, I would jog for extra 20 minutes just to keep on listening to the book! (By the way, I will come up with my top 10 soon).  Outliers talks about why some people are successful while others are not and what it takes to be successful.  Everyone that has children or plans to have a kid MUST read this book.  The book is so good that afterwards I purchased the print version and will be re-reading it.

Other audiobooks that I have listened to in past month:
1) 10/10/10 by Suzy Welch – analyzing your decisions based on what will happen in 10 minutes (short term), 10 months (mid term) and 10 years (long term)
2) China Study by Colin Campbell – awesome book that talks about health and what is killing Americans.  (hint: go vegetarians and especially stay away from dairy)
3) How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins – great book.  So great that I purchased the print edition so that I can re-read and take notes

Books that I have read in past month:
1) Wed Design for ROI by Niehaus
2) Landing Page Optimization by Ash
3) Good to Great by Jim Collins

Been busy preparing for USANA’s International Convention in late August.  Similar to last year, I will be speaking on stage.  I will be talking about the “6 Ways to Earn Income in USANA.”  This year, right before the event, we will also host a small Team XLR8 Leaders Retreat up in Park City that will be fun and also a great learning experience.  Been busy preparing for that and also for my upcoming September Asia trip.  The good news is that I will be winning at least 2 awards at USANA’s International Convention:

1) Fortune 100 (top 100 income earners in entire company) – This was a huge highlight and really pumped me up!!!  My business has done over $1.6 million USD in sales in just 7 months in 2009!  Not bad for a “home-based business” that requires only a few hundred bucks to get started.  What a ROI! (return on investment)… That is why… USANA ROCKS!
2) Growth 100 (top 100 associates with most growth in past year)

and maybe… I am keeping fingers crossed… I will win “Growth 25” which is very prestigious.  I won’t know until at Convention.

Ok… so I am hooked… I heard a lot about this “Twitter” thing and decided to check it out and after 2 weeks, I am hooked and convinced that it is… “pretty cool.”  You can follow me on Twitter at “www.twitter.com/simonwchan”

At home, I’ve been more into nature and plants.  As a kid, I’d spent a lot of time growing things in the backyard with my dad and grandparents and I still remember those days…  Recently, I’ve learned how plants help clean the air and also nullify radiation from electronic devices… so… I bought tons of plants and turned my home office into a “garden”.

Home
My desk and home office is now a nice garden with tons of “green” to look at

In mid-July, I had one of the best weekends ever.  Kelly and I went to Napa Valley to hang out with some great friends (Ray Moran/Theresa, Keith Lee/Susan, Pete Feng and my brother, Ryan).  We also got to catch up with the “Brooklyn” crew with Alice and Henry in San Francisco.  I am very grateful and thankful for such great friends.

Sattui
Wine tasting at Sattui’s.  I highly recommend this place.  The wines are great and it has a very cool outside picnic area.  Keith Lee got us all a special tasting… I can’t believe it but we stayed at Sattui’s for over 4 hours!!!

 

Keith
Outside Sattui’s picnic area.  With Keith and Susan Lee.  Look how cute Daniella is!

 

Ray
At Sattui’s famous fountain: with Ray Moran and Theresa

 

Zachary
After wine tasting at Napa, we drove to Berkeley and had great pizza at Zachary’s!  I love Zachary’s stuffed pizza!  I bought a pie back to LA!  and… of course we had more win there!  LOL

 

Brooklyn
A nice “Brooklyn crew” get-together in San Francisco.  It was good to see Henry and Alice again.  We used to hang out all the time along with Olinda back in NYC and now all of us, (except for Ray) live out on west coast. (Ray… hint hint.. time for you to move!)

 

Pete
Pete is a full time trader now.  You will recall that a few posts ago, I posted Pete with his 7 screens.  He has now upgraded to 9 screens!  LOL

The summer was busy.  We finally had our landscaping done!  We also had new stones placed as well.  Our front lawn was a mess and we redid the entire front part of our house.  We were fortunate to have Kelly’s parents come to help out and make sure those guys did a good job.  Kelly’s dad was an architect so he had blueprints drawn out and made sure the guys did things “right.”

Before
BEFORE

 

After
AFTER

 

House
We finally have a nice front lawn

 

Hollywood
Went to Hollywood Bowl to watch “Death Cab by Cutie”.  Concert was ok (I’m not a big fan) but Hollywood Bowl itself was tons of fun!

And lastly… here is Obi’s monthly appearance on my blog.  Obi has grown to full size now and is 15 lbs.

Obi
Obi likes to chill in the hallway

 

obi
My beautiful wife with her “live” Spanky teddy bear

 

Obi
Obi crossing the street

 

Obi s
Obi knows how to enjoy himself… now… this is NOT OUR BED.  We don’t let him sleep in our bed at night.  This was at a hotel and we thought we would give Obi a “treat” and sure enough he took the offer!

 

Napping
Napping in the home office with Obi

 

Sleeping
I wake up from a nap… but Obi keeps on sleeping!  He loves our sheepskin rug in the living room… btw, this is how he is in REM “deep sleep.”  LOL

 

Obi
We have also been sending Obi to Intermediate Dog Training.  Here Obi has to “stay” (and not move) even though he has a plastic donut on his back!  Obi did well…

 

stay
Obi along with his classmates are all lined up against the wall and has to stay there for minutes while the trainer tempts them with treats.  We have a great trainer here in Torrance called Lisa Sutton from Petsmart.  I would highly recommend her.

 

Graduation!
Obi graduates!  We are so proud of Obi!

 

Obi
Obi with his proud mommy

Other than that… been pretty pumped over the Yankees!  Been awhile since I’ve been this into sports or baseball.  I think after 6 years of being away from the sports business, I have finally detoxified myself and I’m just an “innocent fan” now.  Following baseball also brings back tons of memories from my childhood.  I think that’s what I like best about it.

Enjoy the rest of your summer… and go Yanks!!!

God Bless,

Simon

Summer fun, tech toys and how to re-discover “joy” in you life

Time flies by so fast and July 4th came and went!  Summer is almost half over… of course another reason it doesn’t feel like the summer has gone by is because it’s always nice weather in Southern Cali… actually this year the summer is super  cool (only in 70s) so it feels just like fall, winter and spring.  There are no seasons anymore just today is just like 6 months from now.  I guess the only difference is that the days are longer.

July 4 was also 5 years the date that Kelly and I met at this BBQ in LA… 5 years!  And June 28 was our 1 year anniversary… Talk about time flies!  I remember almost in detail every single day that happened last year during the week of our wedding… (for i.e .what dates each specific wedding party member came in and what we did and what we ate, etc, etc, etc).

anniversary
For our 1 year anniversary, Kelly and I (along with our son Obi) drove up the Cali coast and visited Hearst Castle. We wanted to go to Big Sur but unfortunately it was cloudy so we just chilled around the shore.

 

Italian resto
We also went to one of the BEST Italian restaurants ever (make that one of the best meals I’ve had in years) at this restaurant called Guiseppe’s in Pismo Beach. If are ever driving along the 101, it is worth the stop to eat there!

A lot has happened since I last wrote.

I started to play hoops again and would play hoops (or just shoot around) on my “cardio workout” days… unfortunately just 1 week in, my left knee was sore… and I kept playing… and then I landed badly in an outdoor game and severely sprained my MCL (or maybe torn it).  It was the same MCL that I tore back in 2003.  Anyway, I was out of action for awhile.  Took me a week before I could bend it and slowly rehab it by biking… it’s been 5 weeks now and I can slow jog… I started to pick up the rehab this week with weights and light jog and that has been healing it well.  I also has been taking these supplements from USANA that has sped up the healing process big time.  I don’t care about playing hoops for now… I’m just happy I can run again in such a short time!

Simon's mom
My mom came to visit for a week which was really nice. She got to spend time with her “grandson” Obi. She loved Obi! I was pretty surprised how much she loved Obi since my mom generally is scared of dogs but she wasn’t scared of Obi. She even let Obi sleep in the same room as she did! Wow… That was a SHOCK!

After my mom left, we took a weekend trip to see my brother Ryan and his family.  My nephew Jacob turned 1 and we had a little dinner for him.  But instead of eating, Jacob wanted to dance!

Jacob
Jacob rocking to some hip hop!

Obi is growing up FAST!  He just turned 32 weeks today and now is a pure “teenager”.  He has his own personality and is stronger and faster now.  I used to be able to sprint faster than him but I’m not even close to him now.  He also has better leaping ability and thanks to Dave Block (who taught him), Obi now knows how to jump onto the couch anytime he wants.  Before that, Obi would just lay next to the couch and whine until Kelly or I would help him up.

While we were up in San Jose, Kelly’s friend James Wang took some AMAZING PHOTOS… he’s a great amateur photographer (and good enough to be a pro and will do some gigs for you if you want.  I highly recommend!  Just look at these shots!

obi model
Obi and his million dollar “model face”

 

obi relaxing
Obi is happy and relaxing

 

obi playing
The Stairdown… Obi LOVES to play with other dogs. He does not discriminate. Hmmmm let’s see who will pounce first!

 

obi playing stance
Obi is about to pounce and wrestle! This is Obi’s “play stance.” When he does this, he is telling the other dog (or sometimes Kelly or I) “COME AND PLAY WITH ME!!!”

 

obi stay
Life can not be just fun and games! Now… it is time for training. Obi is lying down in a “stay” position… he smells the treat and can’t wait to run to me to claim it… but since he is a good dog he is waiting for me until I “release” him. What a great dog!

 

obi drinking
This would be a GREAT commercial shot for Starbucks… after all the fun and training, Obi gets super thirsty… and NO.. he is NOT drinking coffee! I don’t drink coffee so do you think I would ever have my dog drink that stuff?!

 

family pic
Our family shot at Stanford Mall

 

obi
For those that haven’t seen this on Facebook before, pure bred Bichons like Obi loved to “blitz” everyday and go nuts.  It is a well known characteristic of his breed.  In fact, if there is a Bichon that doesn’t do it, it means they are not really pure bred and “standard.”  They will go super happy and excited and just go crazy for 5 minutes and then they will just lie down and pass out.

I met up with a good old NBA friend, Takashi Aoki that writes for Japanese NBA magazines.  Takashi read Rich Dad Poor Dad and has entrepreneurial aspirations now and is currently working on a NBA project.  When it is released, I will let you guys know… During lunch, we played some NBA trivia and I was so proud of myself after I got this question.  I couldn’t even believe that I got the answer… I didn’t think too hard and it just came out of my mouth after 1 – 2 clues.  The amazing thing was afterwards I analyzed my answer and I realized that it was from the “subconscious mind” because the more I analyzed my answer to see how in the world I came up with it, there was no logic that I even knew the answer.  I couldn’t even remember that I knew the answer… or even the player… but I guess when you are exposed to something it goes deep into long term memory and somehow it came out.  It was almost surreal since if you ask me now, I can barely remember that player on that team.  Even if you ask me now, I cannot really remmeber that player played on that team… but at the moment, the answer came out with me even thinking twice… it was a big AHA moment for me.  It was also SCARY experience… I really learned the POWER of the SUBCONSCIOUS MIND!

Anyway… for those NBA fans out there… here was the question… Who was the leading scorer for the Boston Celtics in their LAST game played at the old Boston Garden.  (hint: player is in the Hall of Fame).  If you think you know the answer, let me know!

Kelly and I got the new iPhone 3GS on the day it was released.  We ordered through Apple.com so we got it on time and without having to stand in the line at the store.  The activation was awesome… this was my first iPhone and it was just so impressive that all I had to do was plug it into my computer and the phone got activated immediately!!!  The phone is SOOOOO cool.  It is definitely the most AMAZING PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY I have ever had… it is so far ahead of the competition in what it can do and how fun it is to play with.  There are also so many cool apps for it… you can spend hours and hours playing with the phone.  It is definitely the toy for those that suffer ADD (though it probably make your ADD worse!)

I’m such a huge Apple fan… I should get paid to promote their products… anyway, after the iPhone then I got Kelly a new Macbook Pro 13inch laptop computer… and then I got another wireless extender with the Apple Extreme Express, and another 1TB hard drive to complement my current 512MB hard drive and created an entire wireless network in my house with automatic online backups going on everynight!!!  I’ve turned into such a geek!

Books I’ve read since I last wrote:
Built to Last by Jim Collins (great read for entrepreneurs and corporate management)
Trainer’s Tool Kit by Charney and Conway (disappointing)

I also recently joined audible.com.  I figured since I spend so much time walking Obi and also working out, I should start listening to audio books.  I listen to training calls and also self development but I found myself either exhausted my entire audio library and/or they can’t come out quick enough for me to devour them!  So… I needed more audio content and thus I joined.  It’s been only a few days and I must say it is worth it!  In just a few days, I’ve listened to 2 audiobooks already:
1) How to Create Fantastic Results in Network Marketing by Ed Ludbrook (so-so)
2) 100% Motivation by Ed Ludbrook (so-so)

This weekend I’m going back up north to visit my brother and see my good friend Ray Moran along with his fiancé Theresa and going wine tasting at Napa Valley.  They are visiting from NYC.  The best part is that I will also get to see my close college friends, Alice Ng, Pete Feng and Keith Lee!  It will be an awesome time!

Thanks to a recent email that Dr. Fred Nastor (from Manila, Philippines) sent me, I’ve recently learned to be grateful… but not just in the general sense but to think of one NEW thing to be grateful for each night before I go to bed.  It was a great email and it really become aware of what we have and be thankful and grateful.  It makes you feel better and allows me to experience joy in my life. So what are you grateful today?  Yesterday I was grateful for my house and today I am grateful to being to write on this blog.

Until next time, God Bless

Si

My Diary resumes… The “Entrepreneurial Myth”… and Obi doing tricks

Thanks to everyone’s feedback regarding my diary.  The last time I wrote I decided to stop writing after 17 years… many of you emailed me and gave me some really good insight and for things to think about.  It was really weird not writing… and as Tom Schoenwald said, “writing is therapeutic” and I had to agree with that.  Not writing for 2 weeks made me feel there was something missing… a “void” in my life… so on April 25, I started to write again.  And… it FEELS GREAT!  Whether or not I will leave the diary as my legacy (as Trish Ryder suggests) is not clear but one thing is for certain.  I am much happier having my diary back again!

Now to another more somber note… recently one of my close family members had some medical issues and had serious surgery.  As a result, I had to cancel my traveling plans and canceled my trip to Philippines in May.  I really miss my team out in the Philippines.  Initially I was supposed to go there for the Grand Opening Launching Celebration for USANA that was held at the SMX Center… but alas, my family member’s condition prevented me from traveling too far from Los Angeles.  I also had to cancel this week’s trip to June for a training session as well.  I can’t stray too far from Los Angeles in case something comes up and I am needed.  The good news is that the family member is recovering well and I should be able to travel outside LA again soon.  Thanks again for all the “get well” wishes and prayers.

I have read a really great book since I last wrote.  It seems like every book that I have read is “a great book” but this one has a huge impact and is crucial for small business owners to read.  It’s a classic and if your business is relatively new and generating income, then this is a must read.  It is called “E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber and was first published in the mid 1990s.  It’s a great book because it talks about how businesses get started and why most business fail.  The successful business owner is really 3 people in 1. (like Jeckly and Hyde except that there is another person!)  They are the Technician (who invents product and produces and lives in the past), the Manager (who organizes everything and keeps things running and lives in the present) and the Entrepreneur (who is visionary and lives in the future).  Without giving the book away, to have a successful business, you must be all 3 at same time and this applies to my USANA business as well.  The book was great and it gave me a vision as to where I will be 6 months from now and also 10 years from now.

After that book… I took a brief timeout from reading and instead went through the book and analyzed to see what areas of my business needed improvement… after the timeout, I finally read Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink. It is a good and quick read and talks about how often the most crucial and best decisions are made within less than 2 seconds. (in a “blink” of an eye).  Very interesting read…

Kelly and I went to Santa Barbara a few weeks ago just to get out of LA.  It was fun… also interesting since this was the first time we took Obi on a road trip.  Obi was great and very well behaved.  Santa Barbara was beautiful and we went wine tasting and also looked at some open houses at Montecito.  Montecito is one of the richest places in America and we checked out some million dollar homes just for fun.  We saw this one house that was really something… that had its own wine cellar in the backyard!  And then we saw another $8 million dollar house on top of the hill that overlooked the entire Pacific Ocean.  Anyway, it was a very relaxing and fun weekend.

kelly and obi walking
Kelly walking Obi in downtown Carpinteria, California

 

wine tasting
Wine Tasting in Santa Barbara. They don’t check dog IDs so Obi as able to get in even though he hadn’t turned 6 months yet. Poor Obi was so tired so we put him in his pouch as we walked around. Even though he looked like he had a few zips… but NO… Obi didn’t drink!

Speaking of Obi, we got Obi neutered.  We learned that neutered dogs are healthier and live longer and grow bigger!  And the early you get neutered, the better.  So we got Obi neutered in mid April when he was about 4 1/2 months old.  I found this interesting… our breeder REQUIRED us to get him neutered and made us sign a contract/agreement so that we would not “spoil” the breed and lineage.  Wow… I didn’t know breeders were that strict.  But I guess if you were able to breed a few champions, you would want to keep the pedigree as pure as possible.

obi lying down
Obi had to wear a pink (only color left at the store) “E Collar” to prevent him from licking his wounds. Poor guy had to wear that thing for 2 weeks… Here he is lying down and as someone says… looks likes a Qtip with a pink earbud!

 

obi handsome
Obi just turned 6 1/2 months old. He is getting more and more “handsome” now and looks less like a puppy. His parents’ pedigree is showing now. Here’s his “million dollar model face!”. He may not act like a show dog nor have the temperament but he definitely has the “good looks!”

 

obi new haircut
Obi on the prowl (before haircut) in Carpinteria, California

obi handsome 2

 

obi tricks
Click on link below to see Obi do his Tricks!

VIDEO: Obi’s Basic Training.  Obi knows to “watch”, “sit”, “down”, “come”, “shake hands”, etc

simon sleeping
One of the best part of working at home is… you get to nap and sleep anytime you want! And Obi loves naps as much as I do. I like to nap in my room and once I take out the sleeping bag, Obi takes up his real estate. He loves the sleeping bag! We’re both totally passed out…

We must end with a highlight!  So… I just found out a week ago from USANA that I will be one of the successful associates that will be featured in the upcoming 2009 – 2010 Health and Freedom marketing newsletter!  Wow!  I knew I was doing well and on the way up but I never expected it to happen so fast!  I was REALLY REALLY EXCITED AND PUMPED!  I told Kelly and my mom and all my leaders immediately!  I had to answer some questions for my profile and then was a little nervous when I had to submit my pictures before they went to press… because … I knew that whatever picture I submitted I had better look good because that was what over 80,000 North American associates would see for the next 12 months!!!

Until next time,

God Bless

5 Marketing tips… end of an era… and Obi is 5 months old!

Lots has been going on since I got back from Asia.  Business has been great.  I got a call in late March and was informed that I am on borderline to become one of the top 25 fastest growing distributors (franchisee/businesses) in North America. The award is called “Growth 25” and it goes to the ones who have grown the business the most in the past 12 months and right now I am in the 30s… I was really pumped when I heard the news.  Business has been great and this is icing on the cake.  While other businesses have suffered because of the recession, my business has grown.

I love that my business is RECESSION PROOF!!!

However, in order to finalize winning this award, I have to focus and really make things happen in the next 5 months.  The timing of the notification was perfect since I was working on my business plan and the goals for second quarter 2009.  (yes… can you believe 1st Q is done already?!)

I’ve realized that my “limiting factor” or “weakest link” right now in my business is MARKETING.  Back in 2007, I was strong in marketing and it got me to where I am today.  However, in order to hit gross $5 million USD a year, I’ve realized that I need to ramp up my marketing.  But how?!  I had to go back to what I learned from Brian Tracy and to what I preach…”If you want to double your income in a year, all you have to do is read/study your field for an hour a day”.  So… In the past 4 weeks, I have read some GREAT marketing books.  I have seen immediate results already.  This is what I have been reading:

1) Guerrilla Marketing, 4th edition: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business by Jay Conrad Levinson

2) Guerrilla Multilevel Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson

Currently, I’m reading a GREAT GREAT BOOK.  Hot Button Marketing: Push the Emotional Buttons That Get People to Buy by Barry Feig I wish I read this earlier… (I have applied many things to my business already.  This is a great practical book for any small business or for someone who does sales/marketing)

And on the on-deck circle… waiting to be read next is:
– All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World by Seth Godin

If you want a complete list of recommended books that I have read in the last 5 1/2 years, you can copy that list HERE.

Here are some marketing tips that I have learned:
1) If you are not marketing your product/business, you will be OUT OF BUSINESS soon
2) You must run marketing campaigns for AT LEAST 6 months to see any results.  If you see results before that, consider yourself “lucky”
3) Most marketing campaigns fail because they quit way too early (before 6 months) and they do not split test. (compare results from different versions of ads)
4) See your marketing dollars as a “blue chip investment”.  People who invest in blue chip stocks don’t expect immediate or fast gains.  Instead they invest for long term steady growth.  That should be your approach to marketing
5) In this day of age, you have to run as many marketing tactics as possible. (for i.e. internet, newspaper, tv, etc).  1 tactic will not cut it

I’m interested in your thoughts about these marketing tips… please comment…

Moving on…

April 4, 2009 was an END to an era… for the past 17 years (since Jan. 1, 1992), I have been writing a diary every day!  I may have missed less than 30 days in the last 17 years.  The diaries have been in notebooks, pads and starting in the late 90s, on Microsoft Word files… It’s kind of sad and I do get a little sentimental about not writing every day.  It takes awhile to get used to not writing… Usually I would spend 5 – 10 minutes before I go to bed each night to reflect on my day and put it on paper.  Sometimes the entries would be short and boring and sometimes it would be pages and pages and take over 30 minutes to do.  I guess I stopped writing it because it got to become one of those things that “I must do” before I go to bed.  Another item on the checklist and sometimes it would even stress me out.  I’ve always said that I would go back and enjoy reading them but I found out that I hardly do that… so… if I never read it, then why bother writing?!  So… on April 4, 2009 I made a huge decision and stopped it.  It will take some time to get used to this.  Man does not like change… and this is a MAJOR CHANGE in my life… perhaps I will write once a week or even once a month to recap some major events… but for now, no more daily writings.

Obi has been growing up fast… EVERYONE LOVES HIM!  He is the “superstar” everywhere he goes.  When you take him to malls, everyone comes up to you.  All my friends and neighbors love him.  When we got Obi, our breeder told me that once you have a Bichon puppy, all the neighbors will come and greet you.  How true!  The funny thing is… when I walk Obi down the street or at the park, all my neighbors will say “Hi Obi!” but they never say hi to me!  They all know Obi’s name but they never even bother to ask for my name!  So much for me being the most popular kid on the block…

obi graduation
Obi graduated from Puppy Training on Mar. 28, 2009. Next time I will upload videos of Obi doing tricks. We are also going to enroll him to Intermediate Training next week

 

obi new haircut
Obi after he got his first haircut!

 

simon, kelly, obi shopping
Obi loves to go out and go shopping! Why? Cause every 2 minutes, someone will stop by to pet him and give him love and attention! (note: don’t bring Obi with you if you want to be an efficient shopper and have limited time)

 

obi resting
Obi taking a break from shopping at Nordstroms

 

obi
This is now my favorite picture of Obi! He is sitting and waiting to be fed

Obi is a big part of our family.  He is super well behaved.  I have to thank my friend Nani Vickers from Virginia Beach for giving me great puppy advice.  She told me that she has the best behaved dog in the world because she spent tons of time with her dog when the dog was a puppy… so following that advice, I take Obi to almost everywhere I go. (except the gym and working out)  He is really a big big part of the family and he definitely has lots of love and attention.  I am very strict  (perhaps harsh) to him when he doesn’t behave and I don’t spoil him with food but I definitely spoil him with TONS of attention and love!  Hey, but there’s nothing wrong with that right?!  Nothing makes you happier then when you come home and you see a big cute fluff ball come run at you and give you hugs!!!  We love our Obi and he loves us!

Until next time,

God Bless

Simon

Traveling in “style” through Philippines, Malaysia… and Obi

I just got back from an amazing trip to Asia. I was gone for 13 days but it was really only 11 days since over 48 hours was spent flying in the air above the Pacific Ocean. It was a crazy jammed packed itinerary but probably one of my best trips ever.

Here was my crazy schedule:

Feb. 26 – 28: Fly from Los Angeles to Asia
Feb. 28: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mar. 1 – 4: Manila, Philippines
Mar. 5: Dagupan, Philippines
Mar. 6: Baguio, Philippines
Mar. 7 – 8: Manila, Philippines
Mar. 9 – 11: Kuching, Malaysia
Mar. 11: return back to USA

I traveled in style from Los Angeles to Asia this time around. I flew Cathay Pacific’s Business Class. It was awesome! It makes the traveling so much easier and even “fun”

cathay pacific
Cathay Pacific’s Business Class: The seats are awesome and they recline all the way. It also has so many gadgets and a great entertainment system. The food was awesome as well.
relaxing and reading
Relaxing and reading in the chair
chair reclines
The chair reclines all the way down and becomes a REALLY COMFORTABLE BED! I can get 9 – 10 hours of undisturbed sleep! It makes the 14 hour flight a piece of cake

Once I was well rested on the flight, I was ready to work! Here are some highlights of my trip

FEBRUARY 28, 2009: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

stage wearing sneakers
Once I landed into Kuala Lumpur, I had exactly 3 hours to change and rush to Kuala Lumpur Convention Center to do a training in front of 1,000 people for USANA’s Malaysia Celebration. I made it in time… but with ONE BIG PROBLEM! My suitcases didn’t make it! I had to borrow clothes from my friend Ken Ong… only thing I couldn’t borrow was his shoes since we wear different sizes. Do you like my yellow Nike sneakers that I wore on stage?!

Mar. 1 – 4, 2009: Manila, Philippines

manila event
One of the highlights was attending the Lyle Macwilliams event in Manila. Lyle Macwilliams is the author of the best selling “Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements, 4th edition” by Nutrisearch. The publication is the only nutritional supplement guide that is available to the public and analyzes over 1500 different brands. It teaches consumers what to look for when they shop for nutritional supplements. Here is a photo of some of our team members that were at the event.
headquarters
Each night I conducted trainings at our team headquarters. I was really impressed with the hunger and desire of the people in the Philippines. They had a great attitude and hunger to learn.
training at our condo
This is the living room in our condo. It was packed every night for our trainings. The leaders did a great job in helping their team by getting them to the events. They maximized my time well.
setting workshops
I’m here with the “Goddess” of network marketing, Edna Dela Cruz and her leader, Edwin Mendoza. The charts in the background on the wall are the results of a goal setting workshop done by John Goerlitz and Jason Salustiano.
Filipino food
After a long day of work, it’s time to eat some Filipino food! This place had some good lumpia. (fried spring rolls)
Dela Fuente brothers
These are the Dela Fuente brothers! From left to right we have Billy, Paul and RJ. Billy is a great young emerging leader. Not only is he hungry to succeed but he is humble and very easy to coach.

MAR. 4, 2009: Dagupan, Philippines

Dagupan Crew
This is the Dagupan crew… Here, John Goerlitz is with (from left to right), Warren, Jojo, Blessa, Pevs and Michael. Jojo and Blessa (husband/wife) got involved with the USANA business only after Blessa had tremendous results from using USANA’s products. Blessa had suffered from fibro mylagia and had read a book written by Dr. Ray Strand. The book recommended a regime which included USANA supplements. After taking it for a few days, her husband Jojo noticed a remarkable difference and became intrigued about the company. After learning about how remarkable USANA’s compensation plan was, Jojo decided to go full force into his USANA business.

MAR. 5, 2009: Baguio, Philippines

Traveling to Dagupan
Traveling on a 2 hour bus ride from Dagupan to Bagio was Part 2 of traveling in “style”… From going business class to riding on a bus without air conditioning! Note how we had to open the windows “all the way”
dead dog
I have NO idea what this guy is doing… He seems to be holding a dead dog and using a flame torch and ??!!!
John and Simon
Gold Director John Goerlitz and I stayed at a really nice place called the Manor Hotel. Baguio is very different from Manila and the scenery and vegetation reminded me of the USA. Here we are overlooking a valley
John presentation
USANA Gold Director John Goerlitz is conducting a Health and Freedom presentation in Baguio. We had close to 30 people in attendance and the meeting was conducted in a college.

MAR. 9 – 11: Kuching, Malaysia

malaysia training
Kuching is the “city of cats” and was my 5th time there. We have an impressive leader here in Awang Moslem. I first met Awang way back in early 2006 and at that time he was busy with conducting his corporate trainings. 3 years later, he is now ready and fully committed to USANA. In this picture (from left to right), we have his leader Faizal, Awang, myself and our Gold Director in Malaysia, Ken Ong.
group in kuching
This is a start of a great group in Kuching. From left to right is Ken Ong, Awang Moslem and Faizal. Faizal is a very successful and experienced businessman in the oil/gas industry. He turned down 4 different traditional business offers to do USANA instead. He converted his Mercedez Benz into the “USANA mobile!” Can you see the custom writing on the back of his hood?!!!… I was very impressed!
usana mobile
The USANA Mobile! Have you seen a USANA Benzo before?!
I really missed Obi on my trip. Kelly had to work extra hard to take care of him while I wasn’t around. Obi is growing up FAST!!! He is almost 10 pounds now. (his max is about 15 pounds).We both love Obi very much. He has brought a ton of joy and happiness in our lives.

 

As I am writing this
Obi loves to lie on my lap… as I am writing this, he is lying on my lap. One of the strange things is that he likes to raise himself up and rest his head on the desk and sleep!
sleeping obi
How is he able to sleep like this?!
obi close up
Closeup view of Obi
obi come on simon's lap
Every time I sit on the floor and cross my legs, Obi will automatically come and lay on my lap!
Kelly and obi
Obi is not too interested in this picture… He’s rather play with his other doggie friend over there!
obi waiting
He is waiting for his treat!
Simon and obi biking
I normally put more miles on my bike than on my car… so I decided to get a doggie bag so that Obi could come with me! He seems to be chilling and relaxing while I cruise around the neighborhood. We’ve done this only once so far and unfortunately Obi got some motion sickness and thew up afterwards. I think as he gets used to it, I am going to take him for longer rides and take him to the beach!

 

In terms of self development, I have been very interested lately in nutrition and the science behind it. (for i.e. the biochemistry, etc.) I know nutritional supplements are critical for health but why? I am starting to learn all the science and even the geeky stuff. For i.e. the difference between the various forms of Vitamin E (d/l alpha tocopherol versus d alpha tocopherol!) After reading The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle Macwilliams, I am considering to become a certified nutritionist in the near future.

Books I have read since the last time I wrote:
1) The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle Macwilliams
2) Your Best is Yet to Come by Jason Salustiano

Currently reading:
Making Millions In Direct Sales by Michael Malaghan

Until next time, God Bless!

Simon

Training Obi, San Diego and what I learned about humans from dog training

Our lives has been pretty busy ever since Obi joined our family!  We had done our research about the Bichon Frise breed and knew it was “high maintenance” in terms of time commitment from the owners.  Obi definitely requires a lot of attention but the last 2 weeks has been a blast!  Obi has enriched our lives and made it especially interesting.  I find myself wanting to spend every minute with him!

I’ve always loved dogs… mostly big dogs and not small dogs.  Kelly was the one who liked the Bichon Frise and I promised that we would get a Bichon first before we got other dogs… The amazing thing is that once I got Obi, I just adore him and don’t care about other dogs anymore!  Obi is the sweetest and cutest thing.  He is like a small stuffed toy.  I do my best to take him everywhere we go.  We took him out during Valentines Dinner and also took him to church today.  (he is really well behaved and just stayed inside his “doggie bag” and slept and kept quiet!”

Here are some pictures:

obi closeup
This is Obi at 9 weeks gold. How do you get such a cute puppy? Well… check out who Obi’s parents were!

 

jake
This is Obi’s father, Jake. Jake is a super stud and has been the #1 rated Bichon Frise in the entire USA for the last 3 years! Jake currently lives near Sacramento

 

obi's mom
Obi’s mom is not too shabby either… Obi’s mom was also a show dog and won enough competitions to earn the title of a “Champion”. Penny is retired from the show business and currently resides in Oregon

 

little obi
This is the first day we got Obi! He was only 5 pounds and didn’t have as much hair

 

obi's second day
This is the second day we got Obi. Obi taking a break and eating in Santa Monica

 

obi sitting
In his first week, Obi learned how to sit, down, stay, come and “watch!

 

simon, kelly and obi
This is our small family right now… Kelly, myself and Obi

 

Simon and obi walking
I never imagined myself walking a tiny dog… I can’t believe I love Obi so much. Kelly and I got so excited with Obi that we made a mistake and took him for a walk in the park on his second day! Afterwards we learned from the vet that to be safe, we need to keep Obi away from places where he can get germs from other dogs until at least 12 weeks and he had all his vaccinations! That means we can’t take hi to the park or “walk him.” That is SOOO boring… I can’t wait till Obi turns 3 months so I can take him for walks again! That is only 1 week away!

 

Simon carrying obi
One tip for you guys who are single… a tiny cute puppy is a CHICK MAGNET! I had so many people (including girls and girls and girls) come up to me. At first I thought that being married made me a super stud!… until I later found out that they wanted to talk to me because of Obi and not because of me! Too bad I didn’t know about this when I was single!!!… 1 Note – getting a puppy is a HUGE responsibility so make sure you make that commitment first

 

Kelly and obi
Kelly hugging Obi – Obi got so tired on his walk… it ended up as Kelly and I carrying him the whole time! Kelly has been a great mom to Obi

 

Kelly and obi
Kelly hugging Obi – Obi got so tired on his walk… it ended up as Kelly and I carrying him the whole time! Kelly has been a great mom to Obi

 

obi tired
Obi getting tired – Obi is 11 weeks old here. He is starting to grow out his Bichin fur and begining to look like a Bichon now

 

obi photogenic
Obi is really photogenic and knows how to look at the camera. The trick? We’ve taught him the “Watch” command where he always looks at me when I say it. It trains your dog to pay attention to you and also… it’s great for taking pictures!

 

obi new bag
Obi in his new bag. This was Valentines Day… Kelly and I went out but we couldn’t leave Obi at home by himself so we took him in his “Go Go Doggie Bag” (which was the free duffle bag that I got at my USANA Gold Retreat. LOL)

 

obi inside the bag
Did someone wake me up? – Obi loves to sleep… anywhere! Including inside his doggie bag

One of the things I have really enjoyed is training Obi.  We have enrolled at these Saturday morning puppy training classes and they are really fun.  They teach us to use this “clicker” which when you press it, it makes a clicking sound.  You click every time Obi does something good or does the trick.  Afterwards you immediately give Obi a treat.  The whole point of the clicker is to condition the dog to know something good is about to happen every time they hear the click.  The click is better than saying “good dog” because there are too many variations to “good dog”. (for i.e. different voices, different tone, etc, etc).  But the clicker is consistent.  So you are creating a consistent program in the dog’s mind.  It works really well.  So every time Obi hears “Watch”, he knows that if he turns and looks at me, he will hear the clicker and then get a treat.  You do this a few hundreds of times and Obi becomes programmed where every time he hears “watch” he automatically turns to look at me.

I love psychology and stuff to do with the brain, neurons, etc.  Learning how to train a dog made me think about our programming.  Just like how Obi is programmed now to look at me just from a simple clicker and treat, we humans are programmed as well.  How often in our lives do we react to certain situations because that is the way we were “brought up” (programmed).  One of the best self development seminars that I have taken was “Klemmer” and it made me realize the programming that I went through as a kid that held me back.  For me, it was my mom (no fault on her part) telling me that white Caucasians are better speakers than Asians and that Asians can’t compete against them in liberal arts.  But, Asians were better in math and science and that I should focus on math and science.  Because of that programming (hearing it from my mom over and over again) for over 20 years, I resorted to studying something that I hated (math/science) and never felt fulfilled.  It was only after painful and an concentrated effort to “step outside” my comfort zone that I learned the joys of studying liberal arts and the skills to be a good speaker.  Today, most people are surprised and refused to believe that I once was shy and never spoke up in class.. but if you ask many of my friends in high school and even in college… they will tell you it is true.

Last week, I also went with some team members of my to USANA’s San Diego Celebration.  It was a good 2 day event.  I met up with a lot of good friends and my mentor Steve Swartz.  The highlight of the event was that I learned a lot about USANA Sense skin care products and how to use them properly.  They showed clinical tests where wrinkles and even sun damage was reduced after using USANA’s Sense skin care for over a period of 4 months.

skin care
I have been using the USANA Sense skin care products and they do help. But I must admit that I am not “anal” about using them. After I saw this decrease in fine lines around the forehead, I was like.. WHOA! GIVE ME SOME RIGHT NOW! Needless to say, I did a masque and facial within 48 hours!

 

result
This was even more impressive and more relevent to me. I can definitely tell that I have had some sun spots ever since 2002. I think it’s a combination of getting older and also that the Southern California sun is MUCH stronger than the NYC sun

Books Read since last time:

1) “Every Man’s Marriage” by Arterbum and Stoeker (Thanks to Josiah Chan for giving me this great book)

Books Currently Reading:

1) “Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How To Correct Them” by Belsky and Gilovich
2) “How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With” by Rutherford and Neil
3) “Good Owners, Great Dogs” by Kilcommons and Wilson

Until next time, God Bless.

Simon

Our Bichon puppy and Philippines trip!

Today has to be one of the most exciting days of my life.  I have been looking forward to today for the last few weeks!  The last few days has been loaded with anxiety and excitement!  Why?… cause today, Kelly and I finally got our Bichon puppy!  Ever since I met Kelly, she has been wanting to get a Bichon!  It has been on my list of goals and dreamboard and today we finally got him!  We had to wait till we moved into a big house and to get the dog from a good and reputable breeder.  I just got back from the Philippines on Tuesday night and once I got back, I have been anticipating the puppy!  I was counting down the hours to get the dog!  Gosh, the last time I remembered I was counting down the hours to get something was when I was a kid and counting down to Christmas Eve so that I could open the presents.

We got the dog today… He is called Obi…

Obi welcome
Welcome our newest family member… “Obi!”

 

Obi likes his Nylabone
Obi likes his Nylabone

 

obi with bone
You can’t have my bone!

I will have more pictures in the next week!  Right now, Obi is sleeping next to me in his crate.  There is so much to learn about puppy training.  Both Kelly and I love dogs and it’s really interesting to learn about them and how each breed’s personalities are different.  So… today is Day 1 and so far, it’s been fun. (but tons of work!)  Obi will be a super stud… His father, Jake is a super champion and professional showdog.  Currently Obi’s father, Jake, is ranked the #1 Bichon Frise in the USA and has held the top spot for the last 3 years in a row!

jake obi's father
Here is a nice profile picture of Obi’s father, “Jake”. This is how Obi will look like when he grows up!

 

jake's award
Obi’s father, “Jake”, won the “Best of Breed in 2008 Westminster Kennel Club”

 

Here are more pictures of his father and all the awards that he has won:
http://www.bichonz.com/paray/Html/studdogs/StuddogJake2.htm

Asides from Obi… this is what has happened in 2009 so far…

I was in the Philippines for a little over 2 weeks.  It was a great great trip.  The reason I was out there was because USANA just launched. It is USANA’s 14th market.  I am proud to say that the launch was very successful and our team, Team XLR8 did especially well.

VIDEO – USANA Philippines Office was packed on Launch day

Right now, thanks to our leaders and friends such as John Goerlitz, Scott McGee, Devan, Norman Dela Merced, Billy Dela Fuente, Eduard Miguel, Mel Clarion, Kwong Chee (Shaun), Amy Tan, Raymond Tan, Abel Laurio, John Pineda, Arnel Domasian, Nancy Rosales etc, etc, etc… our team, Team XLR8 is probably one of the biggest teams in Philippines right now.  On launch date, everyone saw our big and our strong our team was.  We definitely made a huge presence!  It was a very successful launch.

team xlr8 with leaders
Team XLR8 members led by Gold Director John Goerlitz line up to pick up their products on launch date

 

usana philippines
USANA Philippines Launch – with leaders Amy Tan, Jed, Mel Clarion, Eduard Miguel

 

training at pizza hut
Leader, Mel Clarion, gathers his leaders for some leadership training at Pizza Hut

 

training at cagayan de oro
Cagayan De Oro – Having dinner with Lito Salvana’s group in the city, Cagayan De Oro. They are a good hard working group. I was doing presentations and trainings nonstop from 1pm – 9pm that night! NONSTOP!

 

durian
That is a MASSIVE DURIAN! This is a statue of a Durian with people inside… Weird!!! (I took this picture in Davao City)

leader-devan

 

VIDEO:360 degree pan of Manila skyline with Team XLR8 Leader, Devan

I like the Philippines a lot.  It’s been much easier for me to adapt and do business there than in Malaysia.  I like Malaysia but Philippines is easier.  I think the reason is because Philippines is USA culture based while Malaysia was British.  People in Philippines understand how I talk and my accent and I don’t need to slow down when speaking!  That makes such a huge difference!  Also, everyone in the Philippines is a basketball fan (or at least it seems that way).  I think the NBA is more popular in the Philippines than in USA.  The fans there are very knowledgeable.  So that makes conversation always very easy for me!  Also… in Philippines, they drive on the “right side” of the street!

I was in Philippines for only 15 days but it seemed like 15 months since we got so much accomplished and I met so many new friends.  I really enjoy mentoring and helping others.  I am very impressed with the people in the Philippines because they are so hungry and want success.  My team would have me do trainings as late as 11pm to 1:30am!  Needless to say, they were super hungry for success and their appetite to learn is unsatiable.  Everyday was packed with meetings and nonstop meetings, trainings and meetings!  I also traveled quite a bit.  Not only was I in Manila, but I also went to these cities in Mindanao; Cagyan De Oro, Davao and General Santos.  So… I was in 4 cities in 15 days!  Tons of airports and travel!

Simon conduct training
Conducting a Product Training on the “USANA Difference” at our team training condo in Ortigas. I talked about what makes USANA supplements different from what you get over the counter

 

video while training is ongoing
They shot video of me doing a presentation

 

scott conduct traning
Team XLR8 Leader, Scot McGee is doing a training in the living room in our condo. Our condo is all business all the time! As you can tell, it’s converted into a meeting room and definitely no TVs here!

 

Scott speaking
Team XRL8 Leader, Scott McGee is driving home a point

 

team xlr8 at condo
Team XLR8 Photo at our condo. These are all my partners who I train and help become successful

 

team success
Group photo of Team Success at the USANA Office on launch date. Team Success is led by Abel Laurio, Norman Dela Merced and John Pineda and is a part of the overall bigger Team XLR8

As for self development…

I have been reading a lot of puppy/dog training books.  Been reading 2 – 3 at a time.  I’m not a big fan of reading more than 1 book at a time.  I found myself scattered and not focused.  Since I last wrote, I read “Who Took My Money by Robert Kiyosaki” and “Increase Your Financial IQ by Robert Kiyosaki“.  I would HIGHLY recommend everyone to read “Financial IQ.”  Your finances and your family deserve it.  Please read it.

I will have more pics of Obi, our new puppy soon!  Stay tuned!

Until then,

God Bless!

Recap of 2008

I can’t believe 2008 has come to an end… so fast!  It was a big year… tons of things happened:

1) got major rank advancement in my business as I became a Diamond Director
2) got married
3) bought a house

Normally, most people would commit themselves to one of these things in a year.  I have no idea how Kelly and I did it, but we got all 3 things accomplished in 2008!  It just shows that when you write your goals down, they will happen!  2008 was a great year and here’s a recap.

JANUARY 2008

kelly's birthday
Kelly’s Birthday – We had Korean BBQ at Chosun Galbee and this was the last time I had red meat

FEBURARY 2008

My USANA speaking debut. I speak in front of 1,800 people at Long Beach Convention Center

MARCH 2008

Team xlr8
Our team photo at USANA Asia Pacific Convention

I also had my debut on my recorded CD.  My training on “The Million Dollar Business” was recorded and released on March issue of USANA’s Lifemasters CD

Simon with flowers
What a nice surprise! I received these roses in the mail when I became USANA’s newest Diamond Director on May 23, 2008

JUNE 2008

Simon and Kelly at cliff
We got our engagement pics taken at the place where we got engaged; Laguna Beach, California

 

Simon's engagement
We got our engagement pics taken at the place where we got engaged; Laguna Beach, California

 

Simon's wedding
June 28, 2008 -“I do!” “I do!”… and then everyone cheered on our Big Day

 

JULY 2008

Simon and kelly at borabora
Cruising on our boat to visit the tiny islets called “Motus” in Bora Bora

 

Simon yoga
Doing yoga (Warrior 2) on the shores of Bora Bora

 

Kelly on mountain bike
2 weeks after we came back from our honeymoon, I surprised Kelly with a brand new Cannondale mountain bike!

AUGUST 2008

Simon and Kelly at China
Honeymoon Part 2 was the China Olympics!

 

Simon holding ticket
Thanks to Tom, we got tickets! My eyes were looking away from the camera because I thought this random dude on the street was going to rip those tickets off my hands

 

Kelly with dolls
Kelly got her dolls! These were the official China Olympic mascots. Each represented something different

 

Simon and Kelly at great wall
Kelly and I at the Great Wall of China

 

Simon and kelly at shanghai
Kelly and I at “The Bund” in Shanghai

 

Simon and Kelly at a shopping plaza
Kelly and I at a shopping plaza in Shanghai

 

convention
Team XLR8 at USANA’s International Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah

SEPTEMBER 2008

simon and kelly new house
September 12, 2008 – Kelly and I are proud owners of our new house!

OCTOBER 2008

Simon with fish
Kuching, Malaysia – Kuching is known for their seafood. Did I tell you I love fish?!

NOVEMBER 2008

Thanksgiving
Celebrating Thanksgiving at my brother’s house

 

Simon and Kelly anniversary
Kelly and I went to Monterey, California to celebrate my 5th Year Anniversary in USANA. I made it!

DECEMBER 2008

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season as 2008 winds now. I’m out in Vancouver now visiting Kelly’s family and we will be having a “white Christmas” this year! Vancouver just got dumped an unprecedented amount of snow! I think it’s the biggest snow storm in over 37 years and the city has basically shut down. I love the snow… and the cold… it brings back memories of growing up in NYC and playing in the snow.

Simon and Kelly at snow
Look at all the snow! And this was before we got another 6 inches!

 

kelly at snow
Kelly making a snow angel!

Since my last blog, I’ve been to a few cool places.  Here is another picture of my weekend in Monterey, California.  I love how beautiful it is there.

Simon doing yoga
Doing a yoga balance pose on the Monterey Peninsula

We were up in the Bay Area like 2 times in 2 weeks.  After Monterey, we went back to see my family for Thanksgiving.  The highlight was to see my nephew Jacob again!

 

Ryan, Simon and Jacob
Doesn’t Jacob look like a cute “Cabbage Patch doll?!”

 

Pete Feng
We stayed 1 night with my good friend Pete Feng. Pete trades and I couldn’t help but take this picture of him with all those computer screens

2 weekends ago, Kelly and I also went to our first dog show!  We love dogs so it was REALLY REALLY cool to be able to go to the Eukanuba Dog Show in Long Beach.  They had tons of dogs there.  We went there mainly to check out Kelly’s wishlist dog, the Bichon Frise.  We also wanted to talk to different breeders to make sure we get our puppy from a good breeder.  We learned tons there.  It was very very cool.  I would highly recommend any dog lover to go!  You see tons of different breeds and you learn so much!

Kelly and dog
Kelly wishes that dog was hers… the Bichon Frise!

 

Dog
I love dogs but I must admit, I was not really crazy about Bichons… but after the dog show… now I can’t wait to get one! How can you not love a face like that?!

Been reading a lot.  I have learned how to read faster and this has helped me go through books faster.  Here are list of books that I have read in the past month:

1) Time Power by Brian Tracy

2) Guide to Investing by Robert Kiyosaki

3) Who Took My Money? by Robert Kiyosaki

4) Rich Dad’s Prophecy by Robert Kiyosaki

5) Fit for Life: Not Fat for Life by Harvey Diamond

6) Marley & Me by John Grogan

I have been re-reading the Rich Dad books.  I first read them back in 2001 – 2003 and it’s cool to see how much I have grown.  What I learn from them now is totally different and new from when I first read them.  the books are awesome and even in my second reading, I am learning a lot.

I also highly recommend Marley & Me by John Grogan .  I wanted to read the book before the movie came out cause we all know that books are always 100 times better than the movie! (for i.e. Godfather, Lord of the Rings, Dune, etc).  How can a movie in 2 hours tell a story that took over hundreds of pages?!  The book is awesome and it got me crying.  Very very good read!  It’s very touching and has a good lesson behind it.

Happy Holidays and I will write again in a week as we get ready for 2009!

God Bless

Simon

Si Ezine: Malaysia, Philippines… and finally going home!

Time flies so fast. I’ve been in Asia for over 3 weeks already and finally going home. During this trip I went to so many cities… from Kuala Lumpur to Penang to Manila to Kuala Lumpur to Kuching to Kuala Lumpur and then back to Manila. It’s been a great experience. I am on a super long journey back home. For some reason, in order for me to get back to Los Angeles from Manila, I had to go from Philippines to Singapore to Malaysia to Hong Kong and then finally to Los Angeles. That is 5 countries in a 36 hour commute!

It was great to go back to Malaysia again. I went back with Scott McGee and it was cool to see him learn new cultures and meet new friends. It was his first time out of the country! Most of his friends back in Houston are stuck in school or can’t get jobs because of the USA economy while thanks to USANA, Scott is having a blast traveling to Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

After arriving to Kuala Lumpur and settling in, we went to the city and state of Penang to visit some friends and do a training seminar. It was great to see my friends again.

Dinner in Penang
Great seafood dinner in Penang

One of the highlights there was seeing Ian Lim again. Ian Lim was the smartest 8 year old except that he is no longer 8! He is 10 now! So he is now the smartest 10 year old kid! I took one afternoon to go to his grandparent’s house to hang out with Ian. I got Ian the “Cashflow 101 for Kids” board game by Rich Dad Poor Dad. I thought it would take him a few trys to learn the game but he picked it up on the first time we played! It’s amazing. Ian knows about passive income, liabilities (such as credit card, unplanned spending) and to balance a expenses/income sheet! What really surprised me was how good Ian’s math was. In the game, if his income was $1300 and his expenses was $650 (and thus net income was $650), Ian would know automatically to take only $650 from the bank on each turn. Most kids would have to take the $1300 first… and then give back $650. As the figures got more complicated, Ian could still calculate his net on each turn. That was very impressive. I know most 10 year old kids couldn’t do that and some may even need a calculator! I know for sure that when I was 10, I didn’t know what income, passive income and expenses were!!!

Ian and Brother playing
Ian and his brother Mark (left) playing Cashflow For Kids

I also got to play some hoops with Ian. It was my first time playing in a long time but it was still fun. The competition in Malaysia isn’t very good but it was fun to play with Ian. Ian is in much better shape than before and lost weight due to eating better and more exercise. I am proud of him. We just played pickup with other kids for like 2 hours. It was very fun. Hoops is still my #1 passion. Ian is such a great kid. I wish he could come and spend some time with me in Los Angeles. Perhaps in another few years where he is old enough to travel alone, he can fly out.

Simon with Ian

In Penang, we also went karaoke with our team. I’m starting to like karaoke better now. It was Scott’s first time and he had a good time. Karaoke in Asia is so different from karaoke in USA. You rent these private rooms and you have a nice buffet and drinks and you can sing all night. I think I know the secret to karaoke… even if you suck (like me) you just practice and sing the same old songs all the time and eventually you get pretty good. I think that is what I’m going to do next time… HaHa. … speaking of good, Connie Mooi is really good… You can always sing a duet with her… and then on the second night on our team dinner, we had the former Penang State Karaoke Champ come by. Once he came, he put everyone else to shame and I was like, “ok… no more singing for me for the rest of the night… I’ll just sit back down and eat my dinner and be entertained for the rest of the night!”

Connie and Simon Duet
Connie Mooi and I are signing the duet “Endless Love”. The real “Penang State karaoke” champion looks on

After Penang we went back to Kuala Lumpur for a pitstop and then went to the Philippines for the first time in my life. I couldn’t believe that I was actually going there. We stayed in Makati in Legaspi Village. It was very nice there especially where Greenbelt was. That was a super nice mall and with great restaurants. What amazed me about the Philippines was how many malls there are! It seems like everywhere you go, there is a shopping mall! In terms of the people there, Filipinos are super friendly and it was really easy for me to relate to everyone since they are Americanized. I can talk forever to Filipinos about the NBA and basketball… They are crazy for hoops there. I also noticed that Filipinos are really hungry for a good business opportunity. Because of the terrible economic conditions there, small home based businesses like USANA is very attractive. Most people make only like $250 USD a month there and it is easier for people to make $250 a month in USANA than at a job (plus no boss and no set hours!). It was very interesting to see how the situation was so different from the USA and how the Filipino mindset was different. They work so much harder and would work and network up to the wee hours in the morning! I even had a meeting at 120 am to 230am one time. How many Americans would go out of the house for a business meeting at 140am?!!!

After Philippines, we went back to Kuala Lumpur for another pit stop before going to Kuching which is a small city (600,000 population) in eastern Malaysia. I was getting a little tired of the traveling and initially wasn’t that excited to go (due to fatigue) but I was so happy I went because we had the greatest time there! We went there to visit my leaders there, Vun and Teresa. They took us around. We went to the Sarawak Cultural Village and also had tons of great food.

Simon blowdart
I am about to hit a bullseye with a Blowdart

One of my top 10 favorite foods now is this wild vegetable that is only available in the eastern Malaysia. It is called Midin and it is awesome! I love the texture and how it is crunchy. You can prepare it in any way and it tastes good. My personal favorite is sautéed with garlic. I wish they had this vegetable in the USA. If they had this in America, I’m sure more Americans would eat their veggies! Both Scott, John Goerlitz and I all devoured this vegetable like there was no tomorrow.

vegetable
The world’s greatest vegetable… THE MIDIN!

Another great thing was that I ate tons of fruits and had amazing seafood while I was out there. The seafood was really fresh and was awesome.

Dinner at kuching
A team photo right before we start eating away at another great seafood dinner in Kuching

Asides from having fun and eating great, we also had 2 great days of training seminars. There are really good people out in Kuching and I really want to do my best to help them grow and be successful. I believe in the next 6 months, you will see really exciting things going on. One thing for sure, I’ll definitely be going back there again!

Here’s a funny photo from Kuching. John Goerlitz is carting away Scott McGee in the “Drunk Chair.” They have this chair in Kuching where if you are too drunk to stand up, they just put you in this chair and cart you away!

Scott and John
John Goerlitz carting away Scott McGee in the “Drunk Chair”. Notice the wheels on the chair.

To wrap up my Asia trip, I went back to Manila for a short 36 hour trip. There are exciting things going on there and I had to go set up a condo for our Team XLR8 headquarters. Scott will also move and live there for 2 years. It will be exciting and good times!

Books read since last time:
– Leadership Lessons from Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts
– Direct Selling Entrepreneurial Mindset by Josiah Goh

16 more hours and I’ll be home!

Until next time, God Bless!

Simon

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