Playing in an independent band in Malaysia is never easy, unless you’ve decided from the start that you’re not doing this for fame and fortune but strictly for the love of it. The lucky few who do manage to break through to the mainstream will probably tell you otherwise, but I’m quite sure the majority of us will be smart enough to advise newcomers not to get their hopes up too much.

I’m lucky enough to be in a band (we’re called Couple, by the way) that a fair number of people have actually heard of, but we are definitely nowhere near big enough to be labelled as mainstream, enabling us to play both small gigs and big events without having much trouble navigating between the two worlds. Our personal favourite will probably always be a hot and sweaty gig in an intimate setting, but a nice open air gig on a nice big stage holds its own pleasures as well.

For independent bands, such an opportunity will only usually arise at the end of the year with the Rock The World festival. Sometimes maybe mainstream events like TV3’s Jom Heboh carnival or Hot FM’s Big Jam will find a token place or two for independent bands in their line-up of performers. But apart from these, big shows are pretty hard to come by for local independent acts.

So imagine my surprise when I got the call from the newest kid in town when it comes to carnivals – the Karnival Seni Kreatif Kita 2013 which will be held from May 11^th to 12^th at Bukit Layang-Layang in Pasir Gudang, Johor. Staying true to its name, it’s not just another big concert as it aims to promote all sorts of creative arts and even involves workshops from people or groups practising everything from playwriting to ghazal to modern dance and beyond.

But since I’m a musician, of course it’s the concert bit that gets me excited, and personally I think it’s a pretty balanced line-up of independent and mainstream performers, which includes the Johor Bahru boys Medinee (made up of ex-members of Laila’s Lounge), KL’s own alt-country rockers Azmyl Yunor & The Sigarettes and YouTube and mainstream darling Najwa Latif. The biggest crowd puller though is surely going to be the Lawak Ke Der comedy performance, which I’m sure will end the carnival on 12^th May with a hilarious bang.

I have no idea whether the crowd attending will be the kind of crowd that attends Jom Heboh or the passionately rowdy kids who flock to Rock The World every year. But it’s just very refreshing to see a big event like this trying to straddle the line instead of playing it safe and inviting only the usual mainstream suspects. And for that, I’ll say “Bravo!” to the organisers and in return we promise to rock hard and raise the roof, no matter which crowd turns up for the party. Rock n roll!

- written by Aidil Rusli

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Kopitiam Ekonomi.

The post It’s Karnival Time! appeared first on Kopitiam Ekonomi.

Voting isn’t only about exercising your right, its also about protecting your wealth. We talk about the connection between voting and the economy, and why you should care about GE13.

The post Kopitiam Ekonomi – Undilah Untuk Ekonomi Malaysia appeared first on Kopitiam Ekonomi.

Last month I visited a doctor for a case of asthma.  It was my first visit to that clinic so it was compulsory to fill in a patient form which meant filling in details such age, sex, occupation and etc.

Right after handing in the form my name was immediately called. I walked towards the doctor’s room feeling a bit funny as there were a few other people who have been waiting long before me. But screw it, I am a sick man.

I walked into the doctor’s room and was greeted with a warm smile. He asked me to sit down and before my butt even touched the seat he asked:

“Are you a writer?”  I nodded. “Well I am a painter.” he proudly replied.

“Okay….” I thought to myself.

The doctor showed me numerous paintings from his collection on his laptop. Digital paintings to be exact, horrible to be precise, but still this was much more interesting than talking about phlegm.

“So how much do you get paid as writer?” He pried.

“Well I’d rather not discuss that.”
“Come on, I won’t tell.”

Well, he’s a doctor and whatever amount I say will be peanuts so I blurted;

“Two thousand.” His face contorted.

“That’s it? Are you nuts? You are a talent!” He slammed his laptop close.

“You should be earning more!”
“Hell yeah doc, spot on!” I screamed.

And then it struck me.

I am in content creation, part of Malaysia’s master agenda called the Multimedia Super Corridor  – a ‘cyberific’ plan designed to propel Malaysia into the high income nation category in conjunction with its vision, Wawasan 2020.

Being in the creative industry, more specifically in the production line for three years now, I’m still wondering;  is this true? Am I really part of that special group that will guide Malaysia to that acclaimed spot of a high-income country? A developed country? First world country? Wawasan 2020?

Well for starters my pay can’t even meet RM2020.

Content is an aspect that the government is looking into based on its Economic Transformation Program.  There is an abundance of avenues to choose from  – film, television, cartoons, comics, digital comics, youtube videos, vlogs, web series and the like.

 
And yes, the education system is also catering towards this shift in trend; Lim Kok Wing University of Creative Technology, Multimedia University, and perhaps some universities are being built as we speak….

And no doubt these universities are capable to equip its students with the best possible education money has to offer but the burning question remains; are we, content creators, able to live a life equivalent to an accountant, lawyer or a doctor and so on and so forth? What makes us so important to be included in the Economic Transformation Program?

Doctors save lives, lawyers uphold the law, and accountants count money. Where do we fit in? Well, we provide inspiration!   But yet the truth remains, we are not earning nowhere near what these professions do.  I have moved from production house to production house, dealing with real actors to cartoon characters and have realized this; the money is not in production. At least not as an employee.

Once you get into this business, the only way to prosper is to run your own business. Start your own company, do your own thing and flourish like a mushroom.  Which is another irony as most artists do not create for the sake of money, we leave that to ad agencies.

Therefore all you budding artists out there listen up, read up and learn about business! Because they don’t teach you that in school. Just like how nobody teaches you how to manage your money either.

And just like that I snap back to reality, and the doctor exhales. He gazes into my eyes as if he just read my thoughts, all 663 words of it.

He tells me, “Doctors,lawyers, accountants. Boring people!”

I nod in agreement.  “Boring but rich.”

He goes on, “Screw them! Money isn’t everything, pursuing your dreams is! You should too.”

I smile and say “Well yes, thank you and good luck to you.”

I sincerely hope he does not become a painter.  I leave his room and close the door.

- by HARIMAU MALAYA-

The post Being Content with Creation – The Underpaid Creative appeared first on Kopitiam Ekonomi.

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Some say its good and some say its bad, we compare what Malaysians think about the economy with the facts.

The post Kopitiam Ekonomi – Do you really know Malaysia? appeared first on Kopitiam Ekonomi.

There are so many obvious answers to the above question that I kind of feel embarrassed at having to write an article about it. In a country where, between 2005 and June 2012, a total of 243,823 people have been declared bankrupt and where 51% of bankrupts are people below the age of 45, it’s really quite obvious that a lot of us have a bit of a problem with money. If we can’t even spend our money according to our means, amassing debts all over the place, saving money is surely the last thing on our minds. So like it or not, we do need to talk about it.

As I wrote above, there are many reasons for us to save money because there are so many things that we can do with the money we’ve saved. Some of us save money to build a nest egg for old age. Some save to have an emergency fund in case of unexpected emergencies like accidents or natural disasters. Some simply save in order to reward themselves with an extravagant purchase or holiday when they’ve saved the requisite amount. And of course, a lot of us save for marriage, as getting married in Malaysia is increasingly costing a bomb nowadays that some people even go as far as getting a loan just for it.

Whatever the reasons are, the most important thing that anyone will take from the practice of saving money is discipline. Saving money takes a lot of discipline because you more or less have to restrain yourself from impulsively buying whatever it is that strikes your fancy. But even more importantly, it increases your awareness on what’s necessary expenditure and what’s unnecessary expenditure (i.e. luxuries).

Being human, of course part of that unnecessary expenditure will always seem necessary to us, and the practice of saving money can even teach us to prioritise amongst the luxuries, choosing to buy only the things that we consider essential for our peace of mind (it could be coffee or cigarettes for some, vinyl LPs for others or even toys) and foregoing the others. The point is that without indulging in the act of saving money, most of us wouldn’t even consider these things as we’d just buy whatever it is that our hearts desire, knowing that our next paycheque will keep things ticking next month.

But just take a look at the 3 keywords I’ve just lined up above – discipline, awareness, priorities. Those are quite useful skills to acquire, if you asked me. Trying to save even a little bit every month is still worth it, because if you can acquire and harness those skills while saving some money for whatever purpose you’re saving that money for, I’d say that’s not such a bad deal at all.

- by Aidil Rusli

Have you started saving money yet, or is it too difficult with your current salary? Share your experience with us in the comments below.

The post Stating The Obvious: Why You Need to Save Money appeared first on Kopitiam Ekonomi.

There is a mamak in PJ that I frequent almost daily.

If I’m not there for breakfast, I will be there for lunch or a late-night drink with friends. The servers know me by sight and when I say macam biasa they nod their heads and understand what I mean immediately.

If I told you which mamak I’m referring to, you would probably say that you know a better mamak in PJ. Some place with better teh tarik or mee mamak. My favorite mamak is pretty average in terms of the quality of its food. Nobody who comes here regularly would be able to wax lyrical about the tosai or indomee goreng.

It’s my chosen place because of the service. After my third visit most of the servers already knew how I liked my drinks and what I would likely order. They are quick to arrive at my table when I call for them, which is a rare luxury in the popular mamaks, where trying to get the attention of servers can turn into a long and frustrating waiting game.

A friend of mine, lets call him R, who likes to spend a lot of money eating at expensive places, has a favorite restaurant in Sunway Giza. The servers are willing to run to the store for him when he is out of cigarettes and occasionally the chef will let him sample new dishes or gift him with a free dessert.

The level of service experienced in these two instances is probably different, the servers at my favorite mamak won’t go to the extent of running errands for me and neither will the cook let me sample their new roti naan for free.

Despite this disparity, I would argue that the level of satisfaction that both R and I experience is probably the same. We both get to eat without getting stressed out, and the amount of effort that we have to put forth towards putting a good meal in our mouths is minimal. Besides that there is the nice warm feeling of feeling welcome and feeling like you belong when you eat at a place where (like they say in Cheers) “everybody knows your name”.

When it comes to the idea of businesses, it’s hard to measure up against large conglomerates with a lot of cash to spare. They tend to get the upper hand by investing in marketing and branding, which is why some folks will still go for an iPhone despite the operational superiority of an Android. (Come at me fanboys!)

On paper, it’s quite hard to imagine how Mom and Pop businesses can compete against companies with that kind of financial firepower. But at the end of the day, your customers are human. As much as advertisements and swanky refurbishments may attract them, a personal touch goes a long way.

Customers are not only a source of revenue; they are also ambassadors. In the era of the Internet, customers play an important role in spreading the word about the service they receive and word of mouth feedback is considered  more reliable than paid advertisements.

If you check out sites like Reddit and Amazon, there are tons of extremely detailed feedback, which goes to show that nowadays the sort of service you receive can either make or break your company no matter what size it is.

I’ll probably never be the sort who likes swanky establishments, like my friend R, because I’m a laid-back kind of guy. I’m a fan of places where I can show up in shorts and selipar jepun. But because my mamak is smart enough to educate its servers to treat the customers kindly, and quickly, I don’t think I’m losing out in terms of satisfaction.

A smile, and a kind word can be give you the same satisfaction as a 5-star level dessert, because that’s how valuable customer service can be.

Have your own share of great and terrifying customer service stories? Share it with us in the comments below.

- written by Ariff K.

The post The Value Of Service appeared first on Kopitiam Ekonomi.

So you want to run your own business… but where do you get the funds to start it up? You could ask a rich uncle, take a loan from the bank or look for an investor. But do you know what the terms for such arrangements are? And what should you look out for? We find out..

The post Kopitiam Ekonomi – Entrepreneur pt 2 appeared first on Kopitiam Ekonomi.