What does Petaling Street actually have to offer?

It's the end of the year and Christmas is just round the corner. Carols are playing in the malls, shops are setting up lights, decorations, baubles, garlands, presents and toys to try to set the shopping mood for people who are bustling along, looking for the perfect gift. And then there are some who are on the lookout for the shiniest stars to hang on their Christmas trees.

So where in Kuala Lumpur, can you find a place filled to the brim with choices of dazzling, shiny, classy YET affordable decorations for you to choose from? Why, Petaling Street of course.

My first visit here despite living in Malaysia for 20+ years.

Petaling Street is notoriously known for its pirated/imitation versions of luxury items such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nike, Adidas, and the list goes on. However, much to my surprise there were many other shops that sells really neat specific stuff with an extensive collection to choose from. Since it's the Christmas season, most of the shops will be decked with all the decorations you will ever need to create that dream Christmas of yours.

Decorative berries and acorns (Priced around RM10 each)

Glittery flowers and weeds (Priced around RM15 each)

Bling Garlands (Priced about RM 2.90 - depending on design)

If you're looking for lots of blings for your decoration, you can get them easily from here.

As for Christmas baubles (the colourful balls you find hanging on Christmas trees), you can find a large collection of different types of patterns, texture and sizes here.

There is also a large collection of ribbons to choose - glitter, satin, hatch texture, patterned...

One other place that I was told to have almost everything I need for Christmas at a low price tag is Nu Lycie. However, a visit to the merchandise sold didn't quite lived up to my expectations. Yea, there were many stuff to choose from, but the quality was not up to standard as quite a number of their decorations were faded or the colour has chipped off. The prices was also not that impressive given the state of the decoration pieces.

My last stop was at Living Cabin, along the same row as Macy (another shop that you could stop by for papers and ribbons). They do sell quite a number of decorations though they do not have as large a collection as the first two shops. I managed to get some lights and also baubles there.

Part of the day's harvest.

So yes, you can find some treasures in Petaling Street if you do look hard enough. Should you ever decide to go there by public transport, you may get there either by Monorail (Station: Maharajalela) or LRT (Station: Plaza Rakyat). It's not that far from your destination, so a 5 minutes walk is all you need.


Do stay tuned for my next post about how to use recycled items to make your own decorative pieces.

How To Achieve Your Dream Job

Living in such a time as this, surrounded by technology and stuff...it's so easy to find a job. You can just email your resume to the company which you found the address from the internet. Better still, just fill in your details in Jobstreet and you can browse through different available jobs according to your interest.

I wonder how did the generation before ours survived flipping endlessly through pages and pages of classifieds, job hunting through the streets.

However, as easy as it seems to land yourself a job the trick is in getting your dream job. Or at least one that suits you, if you don't really have a specific dream. And then there's the dilemma of just going for a stable-regular-standard-job or to follow your dreams. Every time you scroll through Facebook, you see stories about young successful entrepreneurs who somehow managed to shoot all the way up the ladder (What's their secret?!!!). And you look at yourself, where you are and wonder what is it that you missed out on. 

Anyway, here are just a few hints on how to build that yellow brick road of yours, brick by brick:

1. Be Realistic

The greats before us such as Mark Zuckerberg has himself gone through some failures before he even made it. Don't expect success the instant you try to be someone out there, doing whatever it is you're doing. Even if things don't seem to be going the way you thought it should be (like working in a great company, with great people around you plus plenty of growth opportunities) hang in there. There is always room for learning, in every situation.

Now, where can I get me some of these?

If you feel like there's really no future for you whatsoever there, keep your eyes open for new jobs out in the market while waiting patiently and building some other skills to give yourself a better fighting chance when the next opening comes along.

2. Don't Be Complacent

Maybe you've been in this job for awhile and despite the fact that you're not thoroughly enjoying or growing in it, you've learnt to just go with the flow since the pay is stable (money is important ya know.. not the most, but it is important). I say to you, never ever fall into the trap of being complacent! 

Sometimes there's going to be some waiting before the golden opportunity comes along your way, so get yourself ready for it! Better still, don't wait for it. Go get it. Send in your resume to companies that you think is the one for you, or if you have a talent then work on it. Have a Facebook page, a blog, a website... anything to display what you can do to the world. Give yourself a fighting chance by trying. You'll kill your own dreams with your own hands by not doing so. I've planted my first seed here http://gk-art.weebly.com/ 

3.  Talk To People

We can always learn from experiences and failures of others. So pause your social media stalking for a moment and go meet some people and have meaningful conversations. It doesn't mean that you only need talk to people from the same industry of your interest to make it out there. You can learn tons from others as well. 

Don't get intimated by the graphs and numbers. These are magic numbers. Use them right and you're going to get more visitors to your webpage without even trying to!

Want to be an artist? Go talk to someone who is in the business of marketing. Why you may ask? Well, they can teach you how to get noticed online, how to grab attention, formulas and handy digital marketing tips (search engine optimization, copywriting techniques, google analytics support) that can put you on top of the Google search list.

4. Keep Trying While Waiting

There are enough of inspiring quotes and success stories online for you to read and be inspired from. One of the secret to success? Keep trying. Wait Patiently. Believe in yourself. 

And while you're waiting, how about some yummilicious mustard drenched hotdog?

So wherever you are, whoever you may be. Just keep swimming and you'll get there.