<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422</id><updated>2012-02-10T22:50:48.151-08:00</updated><title type='text'>cina-ahpek</title><subtitle type='html'>Welcome to cina-ahpek blog. Basically we combine and compile good financial information that is useful and hopefully it benefits you.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>18</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-5486324159156767041</id><published>2012-02-10T22:34:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2012-02-10T22:40:16.168-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Agree?</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RM6jdapgs9Q/TzYM8-sq8GI/AAAAAAAAAIA/7yp_4AnC9lE/s1600/all_rich_people-5008.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RM6jdapgs9Q/TzYM8-sq8GI/AAAAAAAAAIA/7yp_4AnC9lE/s400/all_rich_people-5008.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707763819500728418" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span  &gt;Source: &lt;a href="http://www.picturesdepot.com/quotes/5008/all+rich+people.html"&gt;http://www.picturesdepot.com/quotes/5008/all+rich+people.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-5486324159156767041?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/5486324159156767041/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=5486324159156767041' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/5486324159156767041'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/5486324159156767041'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2012/02/agree.html' title='Agree?'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RM6jdapgs9Q/TzYM8-sq8GI/AAAAAAAAAIA/7yp_4AnC9lE/s72-c/all_rich_people-5008.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-2537471191300447040</id><published>2007-12-12T23:27:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-12-12T23:29:43.891-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Blessed Christmas!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/R2DfNA0S9BI/AAAAAAAAAEg/XJoqeOlVhd0/s1600-h/ist2_2194981_santa_s_business_chart.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143356189107745810" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/R2DfNA0S9BI/AAAAAAAAAEg/XJoqeOlVhd0/s320/ist2_2194981_santa_s_business_chart.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-2537471191300447040?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/2537471191300447040/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=2537471191300447040' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/2537471191300447040'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/2537471191300447040'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/12/blessed-christmas.html' title='Blessed Christmas!'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/R2DfNA0S9BI/AAAAAAAAAEg/XJoqeOlVhd0/s72-c/ist2_2194981_santa_s_business_chart.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-7007943479981622268</id><published>2007-08-27T20:32:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-08-27T20:40:37.035-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Interesting aspects of Warren Buffet</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:georgia;"&gt;There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the secondrichest man who has donated $31 billion to charity.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Here are some very interesting aspects of his life:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1)  He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2)  He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings fromdelivering newspapers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3)  He still lives in the same small 3 bedroom house inmid-town Omaha, which he bought after  he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does nothave a wall or a fence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4)  He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driveror  security people around him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5)  He never travels by private jet, although  he owns theworld's largest private jet company.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6)  His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63  companies. Hewrites only one letter each year&lt;br /&gt;to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls themon a regular basis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7)  He has given his CEO's only two rules.Rule number 1: do not lose any of your share holder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8)  He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His pasttime after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watchtelevision.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9)  Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything incommon with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only forhalf hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hoursand Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10) Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has acomputer on his desk.11)        His advice to young people: Stay away from credit cards andinvest in yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Amazing individual indeed.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-7007943479981622268?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/7007943479981622268/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=7007943479981622268' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/7007943479981622268'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/7007943479981622268'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/08/interesting-aspects-of-warren-buffet.html' title='Interesting aspects of Warren Buffet'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-5275907602086478468</id><published>2007-08-13T02:54:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2007-08-13T03:29:09.313-07:00</updated><title type='text'>7 Biblical Principles for Managing Your Money</title><content type='html'>#1 – Acknowledge God’s Ownership &lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(I Chronicles 29:11-12)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#2 – Establish a Budget &lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(Proverbs 16:3)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#3 – Keep Giving &amp;amp; Saving at the Top &lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(Proverbs 3:9, I Timothy 6:18)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#4 – Get Out of Debt ASAP! &lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(Proverbs 22:7, I Cor. 7:2)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#5 – Avoid Indulgence and Hasty Decisions &lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(Luke 12:15, Proverbs 21:5)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#6 – Establish Goals &lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(Habakkuk 2:2)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;#7 – Learn Contentment &lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(Philippians 4:11, Colossians 3:15) &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-5275907602086478468?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/5275907602086478468/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=5275907602086478468' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/5275907602086478468'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/5275907602086478468'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/08/7-biblical-principles-for-managing-your.html' title='7 Biblical Principles for Managing Your Money'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-3467683254617186292</id><published>2007-08-10T01:00:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-08-10T03:39:56.570-07:00</updated><title type='text'>7 ways to be richer than now</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Transportation.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Yes we need transportation to get about, but a car might not be the best way to do it. Cars cost a lot to buy and to maintain. They also depreciate like there is no tomorrow.&lt;br /&gt;To check if your cars are costing you too much hard earned cash, total up your car expenses in a month and compared to other expenses. Find out the percentage of car expenses versus other expenses. If it is way to high, then it is time to cut back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Buy a used car.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;If you really need a car consider a used car. A 1 or 2 year old model would have depreciated some 30% or more off the new car prices. Down payment, installment payment, and insurance premiums will also be much lower. Choose wisely for model that is cheap to run.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Think Before You Subscribe.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Nowadays, there are many promotions for various memberships and services. They tempt people to join with zero or low entry cost to join. For example gym or health club memberships. Many sign up for yearly subscription and don’t bother to use the membership after several months. Instead, sign up for a short a period to try and see if you would really use the facilities before signing up for a longer period.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Reduce mobile phone charges.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Unless your company pays for the bills, mobile phone expenses can quickly escalate. I’ve seen office based people who do not do any sales or marketing, that requires them to call using their handphones, have mobile phone bills higher than my friends who are in sales!! If you cannot control your phone calls, try a prepaid service rather than a post-paid service because everytime you take out money to reload, you’ll feel the pinch.&lt;br /&gt;Today, mobile phone companies come up with various ways to get you to spend more with musical ring tones, news downloads and sports update. These fancy services increases your mobile phone bills too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Shop online.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;You can get most things from online and get a good bargain. Many online shops keep cost low by having low rental and advertising cost, but check the mailing charges.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Do your shopping off season.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;In many instances, when you are buying things at the end of season or clearance sale, you can get very good discounts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7. Turn your hobby into a business.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Almost everyone have a hobby or specialized knowledge of a topic. Be creative and turn it into an income source. If you are good with a computer or software, start a related part time business. You can help to repair, trouble shoot and maintain computers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-3467683254617186292?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/3467683254617186292/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=3467683254617186292' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/3467683254617186292'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/3467683254617186292'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/08/7-ways-to-be-richer-than-now.html' title='7 ways to be richer than now'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-4444193029375122347</id><published>2007-02-21T18:55:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-02-21T19:12:04.685-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Where are your strengths?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="justify"&gt;Finding your strengths will involve more than just naming off the things you know you are good at. Sometimes your own mental images of yourself aren't really as on-target as you might hope. So, in addition to some self-study, you'll also need to ask your friends, family, or current co-workers to tell you what they see as your strengths. If they consistently say you're a real "people" person then you might want to explore businesses that will make use of that quality. If they consistently say you're strength is in problem solving then maybe some type of consulting would be the best route to go.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="justify"&gt;Here are some questions to consider in this time of self- and peer-based evaluation...&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;What do you like to do? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;What do you have experience doing? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;What do you think you are good at? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;What does everyone else think you are good at? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Do you have special education in the area(s) you are interested in? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Do you have the right mindset to run your own business? (i.e. Do you have expectations of  challenge, hard work, long hours, and little money to begin with?) &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are you willing to put in 60 hour weeks to make your business work? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are you resourceful? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are you a high-energy person? &lt;/li&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;Are you a dreamer or more down-to-earth?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Can you bounce back from criticism and rejection? (More than just a few times?) &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Use the &lt;a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/pdf/self-eval.doc"&gt;SELF-EVALUATION WORKSHEET&lt;/a&gt; to help you. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-4444193029375122347?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/4444193029375122347/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=4444193029375122347' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/4444193029375122347'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/4444193029375122347'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/02/where-are-your-strengths.html' title='Where are your strengths?'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-8528877463774898215</id><published>2007-02-18T03:57:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-02-18T04:00:31.556-08:00</updated><title type='text'>What is marketing?</title><content type='html'>You see a gorgeous girl at a party.&lt;br /&gt;You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;That's Direct Marketing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.&lt;br /&gt;One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says,"He's very rich. Marry him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;"That's Advertising.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see a gorgeous girl at a party.&lt;br /&gt;You go up to her and get her telephone number.&lt;br /&gt;The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm very rich. Marry me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;"That's Telemarketing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.&lt;br /&gt;You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to herand compliment her hair.&lt;br /&gt;You open the door for her,pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride,and then say,&lt;br /&gt;"By the way, I'm very rich "Will you marry me?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;"That's Public Relations.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.&lt;br /&gt;She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;"That's Brand Recognition.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see a gorgeous girl at a party.&lt;br /&gt;You go up to her and say, "I'm rich. Marry me"She gives you a hard slap on your face.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;That's Customer Feedback.&lt;/span&gt; =D&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-8528877463774898215?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/8528877463774898215/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=8528877463774898215' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/8528877463774898215'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/8528877463774898215'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/02/what-is-marketing.html' title='What is marketing?'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-3092435642146218068</id><published>2007-02-16T00:24:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-02-16T00:38:48.489-08:00</updated><title type='text'>The Top 10 Quotes for Living Well!</title><content type='html'>Over the years many people have offered their models of the "Good Life", and some have left quotes that nicely summarize important truths. The following are ten of my personal favorites.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Know Thyself – Socrates.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From ancient Greece comes this reminder that introspection, keeping a journal, paying attention to the heart of things, comes first. Before we can know the world around us, and make wise choices, we must first come to grips with who we are and what we value.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. To Thine Own Self Be True – Shakespeare.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In life there is no substitute for integrity. My grandmother was fond of saying, "We either stand for something, or we'll fall for anything." Integrity is about going beyond the truth to full and complete honesty, openness and fairness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;3. And the Greatest of These is Love – St Paul .&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He also observed that "without love I am just a clanging symbol or a noisy gong." Without love, caring relationships, and compassion, life is indeed a dry and shallow thing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Imagination Rules the World – Albert Einstein.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The good life is at least partly based on dreams that are worthy of us, dreams that elevate and challenge and inspire our best. Bobby Kennedy noted, "Others look at the world and ask, 'Why?' I dream of a world that never was and ask, 'Why not?'" Martin Luther King's defiant cry, "I have a dream!" will live long after most of us are gone and forgotten.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;5. Too much of a good thing is just right – Mae West.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The good life is about living large, about expressing the joy and love of life. It's about song, exuberance, and about taking chances, and "going for it".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;6. Opportunities multiply as they are seized – Sun Tzu. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Success depends on the courage to act, and courage in turn requires a level of faith that every opportunity acted upon will lead to more and better ways to serve, learn, grow and prosper.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;7. Do, or do not. There is no "try". – Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back). &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Life requires action, boldness and decisiveness. Mae West also observed, "He who hesitates is a damned fool."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;8. Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away – Antoine de St. Exupery.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Henry Thoreau recommended, "Simplify, simplify, simplify. Let your concerns be as 2 or 3, not more." Friends, work, the media and this thing called the Internet, along with our own "wish lists" try to seduce us to complexity, busy-ness and anxiety. Keep it simple!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;9. The artist is nothing without gift, but gift is nothing without work – Emile Zola.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only focused, intelligent, diligent effort turns potential into reality. Without creative effort, talent and "gift" seem to atrophy and die. Truly a case of "use it or lose it".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3366ff;"&gt;10. There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. – Albert Einstein.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I highly recommend practicing the attitude of gratitude. What else is there?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-3092435642146218068?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/3092435642146218068/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=3092435642146218068' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/3092435642146218068'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/3092435642146218068'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/02/top-10-quotes-for-living-well.html' title='The Top 10 Quotes for Living Well!'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-1875813049164571988</id><published>2007-02-15T19:02:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-02-15T19:06:37.325-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Do You Have the Mindset and Skills to be an Entrepreneur?</title><content type='html'>You probably already know that starting a small business requires extensive research and analysis of many factors. But the one requiring the most critical assessment is often overlooked by many entrepreneurs. And, it’s as close as the nearest mirror.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That’s because wanting to be an entrepreneur is one thing; being one is quite another. You will take on responsibilities and commitments far different from those of an employee, even if you have management experience. It’s a challenge that can be exhilarating and rewarding.  Unless you’re prepared mentally and emotionally, however, it can also be overwhelming.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Before you study financing options and plan store layouts, sit down and conduct a probing interview with yourself to see if you’re the right person for the all-important job of entrepreneur-owner-boss.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are You a Self-Starter?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nothing in business happens by itself. As the owner, you’re responsible for everything from establishing your firm’s vision to setting the daily work schedule. The fact that you’re exploring small business ownership and asking questions is a good sign. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;Are You a Positive Thinker?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The moment you become a business owner, you represent yourself, your business and your expectations for success. What you say and do must convey confidence and commitment to moving forward.  Employees who sense these qualities will share that determination to succeed, even under difficult circumstances.  If you work alone, there will be days when you have to be your own cheerleader.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;Are You Disciplined?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your days of the “9-to-5 routine” are over. Running a small business requires a continuous commitment to quality and detail. You cannot afford to cut corners, miss deadlines or make promises beyond your capabilities. If you plan to run the business from home, you must be able to resist temptations and distractions in order to get your work done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are You a Lifelong Learner?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Entrepreneurs who continually seek information, new ideas and sound advice have the best chance for success. Being attuned to market trends and issues makes it easier to adjust products and services to customers’ needs and preferences. You’re also in a better position to enhance your competitive advantage and efficiency, and address potential problems before they harm your business.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;Can You Market Yourself and Your Business?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some people have trouble with this one because of the negative (and often unfair) connotations associated with being a “salesperson.” No business, no matter how good, will succeed without some kind of marketing. The good news is that promoting your business is easier than you may think as long as you know what to do and how to do it. After all, we all enjoy saying good things about ourselves. When you craft and tell your story in the right way, more people will be willing and eager to hear it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can You be Objective?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your ideas and practices may seem “bulletproof,” but reality may be far different.  Is there really a need for a particular product or service in your area? Are the hours of operation fair to your employees? Is renting equipment better than owning it? A good business owner knows how to examine an issue from many perspectives and understand that strengths and limitations of each.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So how did your “candidate” for entrepreneur-owner-boss do?  If every answer was a “yes,” your small business dream is on its way to becoming a reality. For areas of concern, the solution may be business counseling, management courses, or a concerted effort to discard some unproductive habits in favor new ones. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finally, make it a point to conduct regular self-reviews. Thinking and approaches that worked in the start-up phase may not be as appropriate for a thriving concern, or if a major market shift occurs. When you work for yourself, you want to be confident the entrepreneur-owner-boss knows exactly what he or she is doing.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-1875813049164571988?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/1875813049164571988/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=1875813049164571988' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/1875813049164571988'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/1875813049164571988'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/02/do-you-have-mindset-and-skills-to-be.html' title='Do You Have the Mindset and Skills to be an Entrepreneur?'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-5254948095892954168</id><published>2007-01-24T19:49:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-24T19:54:10.799-08:00</updated><title type='text'>7 Business Lessons From Dad</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pay Your Dues&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My dad worked a lot of late nights, weekends and holidays. He had packages of mail and paperwork delivered to him at the beach, and took conference calls in our hotel room while we swam in the pool. He instilled in me a strong work ethic that has served me well in my career. His father used to have a sign on his desk that read: "The harder I work, the luckier I get!" I guess it's in our DNA.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Do Work You Enjoy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work. When I'd get up and watch him get ready for work, my dad always seemed excited to go to the office. He bounced out of bed in the morning full of ideas and energy. His enthusiasm was contagious. He found a career that was a great fit for his talents and skills and moved quickly through the organization. I think it must have been hard for others in the company who had to drag themselves to their job every day and work along side my father, who was having a ball finding creative solutions to the latest problems they were facing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Walk and Talk&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My dad walked the halls every day and he knew everybody's name, not to mention their kids' and pets' names, birthdays--you name it. His door was open and he always had coffee or tea available so people could stop in with news, good and bad. Being accessible and approachable is important if you want a culture where people can admit they don't have all the answers and need help in a certain area.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lead by Example&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Never ask people to do things you wouldn't do yourself. My dad worked in every department of the company during his career, so he knew why and how each group was important to the overall success of the organization. I think his experience and strong moral compass gave him a lot of credibility throughout the company. His colleagues didn't have to wonder where he stood on issues--he was consistent in doing the right things for the right reasons.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Share Success&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When good things happen, make sure everyone who contributed is acknowledged and rewarded, not just the people at the top. In order to learn from every experience and not repeat any mistakes, it's important to share the lessons you learn, too. If those around you feel part of the process, they'll work even harder to guarantee a positive outcome.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Give Back&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Be active in your community. Business leaders must stay connected to the local organizations and should encourage their colleagues to get involved, as well. Local hospitals, schools and non-profits can all benefit from business leaders' advice and support, so be generous with your time and resources.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;Stay Positive&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My dad is one of the most upbeat and optimistic people I've ever met. He has a great attitude and people love being around him. I think it makes them feel better about themselves. He always has a kind word or encouragement and smiles a lot. There's something very magnetic about people who exude happiness.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-5254948095892954168?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/5254948095892954168/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=5254948095892954168' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/5254948095892954168'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/5254948095892954168'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/01/7-business-lessons-from-dad.html' title='7 Business Lessons From Dad'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-8332205378943262244</id><published>2007-01-11T02:31:00.003-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-14T18:18:08.724-08:00</updated><title type='text'>5th &amp; 6th secrets!</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;5. Expect Icebergs.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Millionaire entrepreneurs know that no matter how successful they are, no enterprise is unsinkable. The Titanic sank its first time out, but if you’re prepared, even enormous icebergs won’t sink you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 1990, I hit an iceberg when my company’s largest clients dissolved their firm. Thankfully, I had the necessary lifeboats in place. I quickly reorganized and was able to put more resources into building the education portion of my business, training RNs to become Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. My business stayed afloat, and I charted a new course that changed my future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Icebergs happen, but you have to sail before you can fail. Starting small is better than not starting at all. Be willing to set out and maneuver around icebergs. If you never leave the dock, you’ll never have an enterprise to keep afloat. Had I missed the iceberg, I might have continued happily in my original direction, satisfied with my solo consulting practice. That iceberg turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me and my bank account.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;6. Compete Only With Yourself.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While mushing a dog sled across an Alaskan glacier, I learned firsthand that if you’re not the lead dog, the view from the rear never changes. And the rear is exactly where you’ll be if you compete only with others. Innovate--don’t imitate. To excel in enterprise, you must be aware of your competition, but you can’t allow that awareness to steer you off course. Compete with your own best performance--be the lead dog your competitors imitate, and you’ll leave them with that rear view.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If anyone had told me 24 years ago that I could own a multimillion-dollar company, I wouldn’t have believed it. It took me two decades to learn these secrets. I wish some millionaire entrepreneur had shared them with me sooner. I invite you to use these six secrets to earn the ultimate payoff: the satisfaction of creating your own million-dollar business.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff9900;"&gt;5 Promises to Keep.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Vickie L. Milazzo, founder and president of the Vickie Milazzo institute, uses the following promises to guide her every decision. The magic of the promises is that they are simple and can work for any entrepreneur.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. I will live and work a passionate life. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Listen to your heart; then build your enterprise based on that passionate desire. When you wake up every day to a business you love, you’ll do what it takes to succeed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. I will go for it or reject it outright.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don’t spend your life in a holding pattern. Do it or forget it. Make a plan, and be realistic. Do you have time? Can you afford it? If not, reject it and come up with an attainable goal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. I will take one action step each day toward my ultimate vision.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unfulfilled dreams make people miserable. Acting on those dreams makes people happy. By taking action every day, you develop the habit and discipline to make your dream a reality. Success is in the motion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. I commit to being a success student for life. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyone can launch a new business. Growing a successful business, however, requires learning every day from every available resource, including books, classes and especially successful mentors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. I believe I can do anything. Believing is 90 percent of the win.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Imagine your success with sensory detail. If you believe you’ll achieve your goal--no matter what the challenges, no matter what anyone else tells you--you will succeed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ffcc33;"&gt;Top 18 Dos and Don’ts for Business Startups&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do engage big things that can grow your business dramatically.&lt;br /&gt;Do practice uncompromising integrity at all times.&lt;br /&gt;Do live beneath your means, and have six months of business and living expenses in savings.&lt;br /&gt;Do develop a strategic business plan, solidly emphasizing marketing.&lt;br /&gt;Do choose a company name that will still represent you in five, 10 and 20 years.&lt;br /&gt;Do ditch perfectionism; get yourself and your product out there now.&lt;br /&gt;Do hire professionals to help in any area where you’re not an expert, especially for your marketing materials.&lt;br /&gt;Do have a backup plan, not just for your computer, but for every essential system.&lt;br /&gt;Do start building your customer database before you start building your business.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t get distracted by naysayers; trust your vision.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t quit your day job until you’re making real money.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t risk losing your home by getting a home equity loan; explore other financing options instead.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t invest in unnecessary bells and whistles such as expensive office furniture.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t try to do it all yourself; delegate to family members until you can afford to hire your first employee.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t cut corners on image; invest wisely in quality promotional materials and your wardrobe.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t get addicted to time-stealers like e-mail and voice mail.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t wait for the phone to ring; go after your prospects.&lt;br /&gt;Don’t let stress wear you down; make time to take care of yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Enjoy! have a good day! =)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-8332205378943262244?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/8332205378943262244/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=8332205378943262244' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/8332205378943262244'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/8332205378943262244'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/01/5th-6th-secrets.html' title='5th &amp; 6th secrets!'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-2474693279642647171</id><published>2007-01-11T02:31:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-11T18:44:34.875-08:00</updated><title type='text'>2nd, 3rd &amp; 4th secrets!</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Million-Dollar Ideas Can Come from Anyone.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ninety-five percent of CEOs never ask the $8-an-hour employees for their opinions. Yet, those employees are the ones touching the product and speaking to the customers. Brilliant ideas are generated by the most unlikely employees, and you’ll never know what they’re thinking if you don’t ask.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tapping into my employees’ ideas at Vickie Milazzo Institute helped me grow my $12 million legal nurse consulting firm more than 300 percent over the past five years. We have monthly brainstorming sessions where the entire staff, from the mailroom clerk to the director of finance, offers ideas and opinions on new products, marketing strategies and ways to streamline systems. Everyone works as a team. Back in their departments and offices, they continue to brainstorm with one another and solve problems brought up at the original brainstorms.&lt;br /&gt;If you don’t have an employee base yet, collect gray matter wherever you can find it. Someone else has already solved every single problem you will encounter. Don’t limit yourself to the experts; you can learn from everyone. Your daughter’s soccer coach who’s been a successful salesman for 20 years can be a gold mine of sales tips.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leveraging other people’s talents and ideas to accelerate your future success is just plain smart. I’ve met many entrepreneurs who say, “I want to do this all on my own.” When I hear that, I think, “That’s crazy. Ride the horse of anybody who has what you need.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Networking Is Not  Working.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many new entrepreneurs spend more time at networking events than on their businesses. Millionaire entrepreneurs are selective about relationship building. You won’t find them at networking events. They’re busy building their companies, not their business cards collections.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The people you really need to be networking with are most likely not at your typical networking event. Always strive to network above your level. Just as you improve your tennis game by competing with better players, so too will you become better at your enterprise by interacting with people who are already successful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you do spend valuable time at a networking event, make sure plenty of prospects or powerful resources will be there. Don’t confuse networking with socializing, and don’t give credence to anyone just because they show up at a networking event. Though ideas can come from anywhere, you do need to be selective about whose advice you decide to follow. Always assess the validity of the advice offered, and don’t take advice from people who mean well but are not qualified to give it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"&gt;4. Don’t Underprice Yourself.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Smart buyers understand that anything cheap can be expensive in the long run. They’ll buy in to your enterprise as long as you provide value for their dollar. For 24 years, people have said my products are too expensive--until they purchase and use them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever you do, don’t create a commodity business. For example, my company doesn’t sell $16 DVDs or CDs, although those are the media we employ. Instead, we sell a $7,400 educational system. We build value by providing the highest quality products and innovative services such as free mentoring. We build trust by providing unmatched attention to customer service. Competitors might be able to duplicate our ideas, but they can’t duplicate the experience our customers receive. Stamp your enterprise with innovation and originality so it’s not easily duplicated by a cheaper, low-quality version.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Above all, you must make a profit. People who say, “I love this so much I’d do it for free” are not entrepreneurs--they’re volunteers. An enterprise is profitable, otherwise it isn’t an enterprise--it’s a charity. The word profit stems from the Latin word profectus, which means “advancement or improvement.” Millionaire entrepreneurs are willing to start small and grow slowly, but they fully intend to make money.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;The 5th &amp;amp; 6 th secrets will be coming out tmr! =)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-2474693279642647171?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/2474693279642647171/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=2474693279642647171' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/2474693279642647171'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/2474693279642647171'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/01/2nd-3rd-4th-secrets.html' title='2nd, 3rd &amp; 4th secrets!'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-4631509634720814499</id><published>2007-01-11T02:31:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-11T02:39:32.250-08:00</updated><title type='text'>6 SECRETS MILLIONAIRES KNOW THAT YOU DON'T</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Many new business owners look at successful entrepreneurs and envy their million-dollar lifestyles and accomplishments. “If only I knew their secrets,” they think. “Why isn’t my business as profitable or growing as fast?” The secret is simple: It’s not hard work or long hours; it’s acting like a CEO, no matter what the size of your enterprise.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;CEOs expect a payoff for every venture. Millionaire entrepreneurs focus on the business practices that create the biggest results. When you choose how to invest your time, money and resources, you should ask “What’s the payoff?” Once you make that investment, if the return is insufficient, find a way to make that project profitable, or ditch it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Millionaire entrepreneurs use these six secrets to guarantee an enviable payoff.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:180%;color:#990000;"&gt;1. Everything Is Marketing.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;The success of a company is based more on the marketing of the product than on the product itself. Everything is marketing, from the way you say “Good morning” to the contacts you make on an airplane to your company name and brand, your wardrobe and vocabulary. Here’s how to approach each aspect of your business like a marketing genius.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Treat every opportunity as a marketing opportunity.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;The waiter at your favorite restaurant might introduce you to a new client. A stranger in the elevator at your bank is a potential referral. You always create where your next client comes from.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Realize that not all marketing opportunities are created equal.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Sticking business cards under 30 windshield wipers in a parking lot isn’t as effective as speaking to 30 people at a luncheon. Speaking to 30 people at a luncheon isn’t as effective as exhibiting at a national convention attended by thousands.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Be your own number-one fan. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;That means announcing your achievements. This is hard for many people, but if you don’t do it, who will? With humility, let people know when your business wins an award, you have an upcoming speaking engagement or you add a new service. Announcing your achievements also lets your clients know they bet on a winner.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know that your existing clients are your best prospects.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;It costs much more to get a new client than it does to increase the cash flow from an existing client. The best client is a loyal one.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Never stop marketing, no matter how successful you become.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;When you get busy, you may be tempted to cut down on marketing, but that’s the time to rev it up. It’s always time to send out more promotional packages. It’s always time to call on new prospects. It’s always time to update and optimize your website. Don’t wait until you’re going hungry to replant the garden.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;The next 5 secrets will be coming out later, stay tune!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-4631509634720814499?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/4631509634720814499/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=4631509634720814499' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/4631509634720814499'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/4631509634720814499'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2007/01/6-secrets-millionaires-know-that-you.html' title='6 SECRETS MILLIONAIRES KNOW THAT YOU DON&apos;T'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-7226413123063134192</id><published>2006-12-22T19:32:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-22T19:53:36.624-08:00</updated><title type='text'>SIMPLE TIPS ON SAVING.</title><content type='html'>Employing some simple tips on your finances can often make a huge difference in your savings effort. While saving means giving something that you want now a pass, it will reward you greatly in the future. What you need is a consistent long term savings program which can help you in achieving your missions. Savings comes in very handy in times of emergency and uncertainty. No one can predict when they will lose their supposedly secure job or the next economic downturn. Financial experts agree that you should set aside between three to six months of expenses for unexpected events and needs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Money invested in savings will grow beyond what you put in, due to compound interest. In short, it means that over time, your money will grow more than what you put in initially. However, it is very important to note that inflation can reduce the return on your money.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No doubt, eliminating or even postponing your purchase needs a lot of discipline. However, practice makes perfect. So we include here some helpful tips to get you off the ground.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PAY YOURSELF!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We hear this often. Pay yourself first before anything else. But most people are just not doing it. It is recommended that you have a standing instruction with your bank so that whenever your salary is deposited into your account, a portion is directly transferred to another account. The principle is easy, what you don’t see, you don’t spend!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SAVE IT!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When your next job raise comes, save it! If you’ve been raised 15%, then save all that 15%. This can be done by maintaining your current lifestyle and not indulge in luxury you can’t afford. The same goes for bonus payment. When you get a month bonus or two months bonus, save all of it or at least most of it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PAY YOUR CREDIT CARD!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ok, so an entire article can be dedicated to paying off credit card debt. But here, I want to stress the utmost importance of paying off your credit card debt first. By paying off your credit card, you will save an enormous amount in INTEREST! Remember, the interest rate for credit card in Malaysia is at 18% per annum. Just so that you realize how high that is, a fixed deposit only give returns of an average 3% per annum. Think about it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TRANSFER TO LOWER INTEREST RATE! &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is very important for those of you having a huge credit card debt. There are many banks offering balance transfer. You just need to shop around and determine what works best for you. Transferring to a card with a lower interest rate can help to shorten the time of repayment provided that you keep your discipline. It will also save you a lot of money in the long run.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;KEEP YOUR CAR!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thinking of getting a new car? Who wouldn't be tempted to? With our higher earning power and more affordable cars around it really is a temptation. However, I would urge you to keep your current car…or at least for a year or two longer. Whenever getting a new car, people would usually upgrade to a better and more expensive car. So by keeping your car longer for a couple of years, it would save you a lot of money.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;QUIT SMOKING &amp; DRINKING!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With the government increasing cigarette and liquor tax every year, you can only imagine how expensive this ‘hobby’ of smoking and drinking can be. Plus, it will do your body good if you quit this bad habit. If you can’t stop entirely, do cut down on the quantity. You will live a healthier life and your bank account will be healthier too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STEAL FROM YOURSELF! &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take RM 3 from your wallet everyday and put it somewhere safe and out of reach. Do the math and you would have RM 1095 in a year. Just don’t get into the habit of stealing from someone else.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WRITE A SHOPPING LIST!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Whenever you go shopping, make sure you shop with your list and STICK to it. This will keep you from impulse buying that you will regret on later.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EAT IN!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Everybody knows it’s cheaper to prepare and cook your own meals than eating out.&lt;br /&gt;SOURCE FOR AFFORDABLE ENTERTAINMENT! This could be visits to museums or parks. Go for walks or jogs. What about borrowing a good book from the library? You could also go for movies during movie night.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STOP YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don’t we all subscribe to something that we don’t really need? What about that subscription to the entertainment magazine? Or do we really need pay TV when we’re out at work most of the time?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GET CHEAPER INSURANCE!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is especially true for young single working adults. You have so many choices to choose from. Start with a cheaper insurance and you can add on to it once you start your own family.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SAVE YOUR TAX REFUND!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; For those of you who are paying tax I only have one thing to say : SAVE YOUR TAX REFUND!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;POSTPONE YOUR PURCHASES!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Often, the act of postponing your purchases will kill off your desire of purchasing it at all later on. But there are days when you just feel that you have to purchase something. If that happens, consider on fewer features on your items of choice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PAY CASH!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you can’t clear your credit card balance on time, use cash for your expenses.&lt;br /&gt;SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! Finally, remember that the more you save, the more and faster your savings will grow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Article from &lt;a href="http://www.ringgitandyou.com/"&gt;http://www.ringgitandyou.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-7226413123063134192?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/7226413123063134192/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=7226413123063134192' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/7226413123063134192'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/7226413123063134192'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2006/12/simple-tips-on-saving.html' title='SIMPLE TIPS ON SAVING.'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-3413920724534321579</id><published>2006-12-20T20:23:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-20T21:13:07.404-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Some interesting &amp; true facts</title><content type='html'>The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are 206 bones in the adult human body, but 300 in children (some of the bones fuse together as a child grows).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It takes approximately 12 hours for food to entirely digest.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ants do not sleep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you keep a goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Women blink nearly twice as much as men.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike each year than all the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The busiest shopping hour of the holiday season is between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Christmas Eve.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The largest McDonald's is in Beijing, China - measuring 28,000 square feet. It has twenty nine cash registers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A snail can also sleep for three years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to Genesis 1:20-22 the chicken came before the egg.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brushing your teeth regularly has been shown to prevent heart disease.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your nose and ears never stop growing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The average person laughs 15 times a day.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-3413920724534321579?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/3413920724534321579/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=3413920724534321579' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/3413920724534321579'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/3413920724534321579'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2006/12/some-interesting-true-facts.html' title='Some interesting &amp; true facts'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-6504156201777224812</id><published>2006-12-19T18:37:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-19T18:57:56.177-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Who are you to give up?!?</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;Who are you to give up? Who are you to not working hard? Who are you to not appreciate of what you have? Aren't you grateful?&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;I found this true story very touching and inspiring. To those who feel like giving up in whatever things they are doing, please spend some time reading it. I think it helps. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"&gt;YOU ARE WHO YOU THINK!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;-NEVER GIVE UP, MY FRIEND-&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;My name is Nick Vujicic and I give God the Glory for how He has used my testimony to touch thousands of hearts around the world! I was born without limbs and doctors have no medical explanation for this birth "defect". As you can imagine, I was faced with many challenges and obstacles. "Consider it pure joy, my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." ....To count our hurt, pain and struggle as nothing but pure joy? As my parents were Christians, and my Dad even a Pastor of our church, they knew that verse very well. However, on the morning of the 4th of December 1982 in Melbourne (Australia), the last two words on the minds of my parents was "Praise God!". Their firstborn son had been born without limbs! There were no warnings or time to prepare themselves for it. The doctors we shocked and had no answers at all! There is still no medical reason why this had happened and Nick now has a Brother and Sister who were born just like any other baby. The whole church mourned over my birth and my parents were absolutely devastated. Everyone asked, "if God is a God of Love, then why would God let something this bad happen to not just anyone, but dedicated Christians?" My Dad thought I wouldn't survive for very long, but tests proved that I was a healthy baby boy just with a few limbs missing.Understandably, my parents had strong concern and evident fears of what kind of life I'd be able to lead. God provided them strength, wisdom and courage through those early years and soon after that I was old enough to go to school. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010436077874895570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYilEP-I2tI/AAAAAAAAABI/Lqrnyb3XEyM/s320/1.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;The law in Australia didn't allow me to be integrated into a main-stream school because of my physical disability. God did miracles and gave my Mom the strength to fight for the law to be changed. I was one of the first disabled students to be integrated into a main-stream school. I liked going to school, and just try to live life like everyone else, but it was in my early years of school where I encountered uncomfortable times of feeling rejected, weird and bullied because of my physical difference. It was very hard for me to get used to, but with the support of my parents, I started to develop attitudes and values which helped me overcome these challenging times. I knew that I was different but on the inside I was just like everyone else. There were many times when I felt so low that I wouldn't go to school just so I didn't have to face all the negative attention. I was encouraged by my parents to ignore them and to try start making friends by just talking with some kids. Soon the students realized that I was just like them, and starting there God kept on blessing me with new friends. There were times when I felt depressed and angry because I couldn't change the way I was, or blame anyone for that matter. I went to Sunday School and learnt that God loves us all and that He cares for you. I understood that love to a point as a child, but I didn't understand that if God loved me why did He make me like this? Is it because I did something wrong? I thought I must have because out of all the kids at school, I'm the only weird one. I felt like I was a burden to those around me and the sooner I go, the better it'd be for everyone. I wanted to end my pain and end my life at a young age, but I am thankful once again, for my parents and family who were always there to comfort me and give me strength. Due to my emotional struggles I had experienced with bullying, self esteem and loneliness, God has implanted a passion of sharing my story and experiences to help others cope with whatever challenge they have in their life and let God turn it into a blessing. To encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential and not let anything get in the way of accomplishing their hopes and dreams. One of the first lessons that I have learnt was not to take things for granted. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010436335572933346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYilTP-I2uI/AAAAAAAAABQ/Zz9QGen6PzY/s320/2.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;"And we know that in all things God works for the best for those who love Him." That verse spoke to my heart and convicted me to the point where that I know that there is no such thing as luck, chance or coincidence that these "bad" things happen in our life. I had complete peace knowing that God won't let anything happen to us in our life unless He has a good purpose for it all. I completely gave my life to Christ at the age of fifteen after reading John 9. Jesus said that the reason the man was born blind was "so that the works of God may be revealed through Him." I truly believed that God would heal me so I could be a great testimony of His Awesome Power. Later on I was given the wisdom to understand that if we pray for something, if it's God's will, it'll happen in His time. If it's not God's will for it to happen, then I know that He has something better. I now see that Glory revealed as He is using me just the way I am and in ways others can't be used. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010436610450840306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYiljP-I2vI/AAAAAAAAABY/xAyeyfsoiZw/s320/3.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;I am now twenty-one years old and have completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Financial Planning and Accounting. I am also a motivational speaker and love to go out and share my story and testimony wherever opportunities become available. I have developed talks to relate to and encourage students through topics that challenge today's teenagers. I am also a speaker in the corporate sector. I have a passion for reaching out to youth and keep myself available for whatever God wants me to do, and wherever He leads, I follow. I have many dreams and goals that I have set to achieve in my life. I want to become the best witness I can be of God's Love and Hope, to become an international inspirational speaker and be used as a vessel in both Christian and non-Christian venues. I want to become financially independent by the age of 25, through real estate investments, to modify a car for me to drive and to be interviewed and share my story on the "Oprah Winfrey Show"! Writing several best-selling books has been one of my dreams and I hope to finish writing my first by the end of the year. It will be called &lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;"No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!"&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;I believe that if you have the desire and passion to do something, and if it's God's will, you will achieve it in good time. As humans, we continually put limits on ourselves for no reason at all! What's worse is putting limits on God who can do all things. We put God in a "box". The awesome thing about the Power of God, is that if we want to do something for God, instead of focusing on our capability, concentrate on our availability for we know that it is God through us and we can't do anything without Him. Once we make ourselves available for God's work, guess whose capabilities we rely on? &lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;God's!&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010436790839466770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYiltv-I2xI/AAAAAAAAABo/DV8Wy26cbjw/s320/5.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;God Bless!&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-6504156201777224812?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/6504156201777224812/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=6504156201777224812' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/6504156201777224812'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/6504156201777224812'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2006/12/who-are-you-to-give-up.html' title='Who are you to give up?!?'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYilEP-I2tI/AAAAAAAAABI/Lqrnyb3XEyM/s72-c/1.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-2461574559013748016</id><published>2006-12-17T19:55:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-17T21:36:24.643-08:00</updated><title type='text'>How to overcome stress?!?</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;I came across a few website as i was looking for some infomation on how to overcome stress. I thought i can some tips likes share your problem with your friends, go for vacation etc. Who knows? This are some of the websites i found:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009730831359990434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYYjpf-I2qI/AAAAAAAAAAg/_g8rkuuFKV4/s320/stress1.bmp" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;                                                  &lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;  &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Seminar, CD and DVD teach you how to overcomestress&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009733146347362994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYYlwP-I2rI/AAAAAAAAAAw/dXEXUq7Dwzs/s320/stress2.bmp" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;                                                    &lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;    &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt; This one better- 90 days money back guarantee&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009733159232264898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYYlw_-I2sI/AAAAAAAAAA4/NpM4spF5H9o/s320/stress3.bmp" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;                                                &lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;        &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt; This one even better! 100% customer satisfaction&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;Come on lar... people who are understress need some tips to overcome it. If ask them to buy products some more, i think they will become even more stress!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;So, the solution for to overcome stress is to buy CD, DVD or attend seminar! Better choice a product with 100% customer satisfaction!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Thank you!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-2461574559013748016?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/2461574559013748016/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=2461574559013748016' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/2461574559013748016'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/2461574559013748016'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2006/12/how-to-overcome-stress.html' title='How to overcome stress?!?'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYYjpf-I2qI/AAAAAAAAAAg/_g8rkuuFKV4/s72-c/stress1.bmp' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985871627677247422.post-8401236836738170429</id><published>2006-12-16T22:00:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-11T18:38:06.501-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Do you know who am i?</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5009375680514284162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYTgo_-I2oI/AAAAAAAAAAM/AFT9tiQMGF4/s320/makingfriends.jpg" border="0" /&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4985871627677247422-8401236836738170429?l=cina-ahpek.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/feeds/8401236836738170429/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4985871627677247422&amp;postID=8401236836738170429' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/8401236836738170429'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4985871627677247422/posts/default/8401236836738170429'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://cina-ahpek.blogspot.com/2006/12/do-you-know-who-am-i.html' title='Do you know who am i?'/><author><name>cina-ahpek</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/01212007272426632024</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KsubaqZb8RM/RYTgo_-I2oI/AAAAAAAAAAM/AFT9tiQMGF4/s72-c/makingfriends.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
