5th November 2018 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
After the recent electoral results in May, I am puzzled when trying to understand the possible outcome of international political scenarios, considering the immediate changes that occurred in the aftermath.
Football (or soccer in American) is one of the most popular sports in the world. Every four years, all eyes are glued to TV screen at home, watching their favourite world-class teams and players play. World Cup is undoubtedly the most entertaining tournament in the history of sports and football!
But what we do not know is that, somehow, football has ‘a positive correlation with the oil and gas industry‘. Yes, believe it or not, it is true!
Deep in our hearts, we want to be like “them“. We want to be like “that person” who keeps “winning” the deal. Someone who manages to get the job done in any negotiation, be it purchasing a new car at a gallery or bargaining used items at Mudah.my[1] site. It is a well-known fact that negotiation is the key to success. We even have to negotiate with our children on many occasions! That shows how important the negotiation skill in our life.
In reality – negotiation is not an easy feat. I bet that even a seasoned negotiator would not know whether they can achieve a desirable result before entering the battle-field. Leaders often disguise their fear when negotiating despite their stature and position. There is no doubt that a winning-negotiator can be an important asset for most organisations, especially in the era of economic turbulence. Only the best shall win and survive. We need to get everything at a bargain! Even millionaires do need the best deal, right?
A long time ago, there was a legendary Pokemon called Arceus. Arceus was the guardian of fire, water, grass and standard types. There was also Dialga and Palkia guardian of time and space. Hoopa was master of rings and portals. Lugia was the guardian of flying types, and Latios and Latias were the guardians of dragon types.
Today when I woke up, I realised that I was at home and not outside in the forest. That is not unusual.
In my dream, I had a nice nap on a hammock at a beautiful tropical beach, and it had to be a “super white beach,” not some average beaches I can easily find in peninsula Malaysia! Coconut trees surrounded the pondok (hut) where I stayed, and beyond the secluded beach zone, there was a vast tropical forest with beautiful humming voices of birds and insects.
It is quite amusing to me that the most popular topic in social media today is “oil price hike“. Almost every Whatsapp group that I am part of talks about the RON97 gasoline MYR0.07 price increase! The ups and downs of fuel prices in Malaysia should not surprise us because many elements contribute to the volatility, not only in my home country but also globally. In short, the upward trend is not so surprising because of the geopolitical events around us.
About two weeks ago, I presented a paper to “a curious group of students” who wanted to know about the oil and gas industry. The presentation was made online, live via google hangout and a youtube channel. I think that the event went well, and so was my performance!
