Going to be a quiet New Year’s Eve

2017 is almost at a close. I am going to spend New Year’s Eve this year in peace and quiet with my family. No countdown parties, no crazy stuff…just me and my family. It is also because the price offered to do those NYE parties is really low and it does not justify my time. Well, let’s countdown to 2018 later this evening

I’ve Had The Time Of My Life from Dirty Dancing

I still remember watching this movie quite a few times and at the same time, I am reminded of Patrick Swayze passing on almost a decade ago. This last dance scene between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey is epic and one which I must have watched countless time. Listen to Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley sing the extended version of this wonderful song

Birthday party setup at a restaurant

A few weeks back, say about three weeks ago, I did a setup for a birthday party in a restaurant. There was no space for a DJ console so we put the console on the counter where the cash register was. You can see the payment machine in the photo as well. The DDJ-WeGo and the Macbook running Serato made sure the mood was joyful all evening. We hooked up the DDJ-WeGo to a Yamaha MG10XU and from there it went to two Turbosound IQ15s. We had a great time and everyone complimented us on the great sound.

Tamon MEX-801 DJ mixer

We never had much choices when it came to DJ mixers, back in the day. In an earlier post, I was waxing on about the Tamon MEX-701 mixer that I used to have, when I used when I first got started in DJ’ing. This was the “big brother” of the 701, the MEX-801. It was pretty good and was pretty pricey. People who could not afford these bought the Audiojar knock-off DJ mixer that sort of copied this design. One thing I did not like about this mixer was the bloody crossfader. I have yet to see any mixer nowadays with a crossfader that has two faders. But it was a good mixer for its time and I have used these DJ mixers in various places back in the day. The only thing not so good about the mixer was the included microphone. Now that mic was shite!

A Small Story about a Coffee Shop, Grandparents, and Entrepreneurship

I saw this post written by Dr. Shay Hershkovitz about 4 years back but unfortunately, when I went back to the page where it came from, the link ceases to exist. I hope Dr. Hershkovitz won’t mind me reproducing it because I think it is a great story. It is wholly written by him and all copyright goes to Dr. Shay Hershkovitz

Last weekend I was sitting with my wife at one of those strange coffeehouse chains. We didn’t like the coffee, the service, or the atmosphere in general. My wife and I started talking about the magic of small coffee shops; and how—in these harsh economic times—starting a coffee shop business is a real challenge. It was then that I thought I should tell the readers of this blog my own family’s story of small business and entrepreneurship.

During the Second World War, my grandfather fled the German-occupied area of Poland and crossed into what was then the Soviet Union. After the war had ended, he arrived in Tel Aviv. With all his family lost and with not even one penny in his pocket, he started washing dishes and cleaning floors at a well-known but rather small coffee shop in the center of the city. A few years went by. He managed to save some money, and when the coffee shop’s owner wanted to sell his business, my grandfather offered a bid. He had to take out a loan and find a partner, but eventually he managed to purchase the coffee shop.

At this time he was newly married to my grandmother, who also came to Israel from Poland. Boy—did she know how to cook! Both of them decided to expand the coffee shop’s menu, and they started serving home-cooked meals that were quickly known all over the city. Another few years went by. Again my grandfather (and my grandmother) managed to save some money. This time he suggested to his partner (who wasn’t really fit for the coffee-shop business…), that he buy his share. Again he had to take out a loan, but this time his life dream was fully completed. He owned a coffee shop! Not bad for a refugee who only a decade before had lost all he had.

With two little kids (that is, my mother and my uncle), my grandparents expanded their now coffee shop / restaurant business. Now it was a very famous venue in Tel Aviv; during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s it was a home for the local bohemia: actors, singers, painters, journalists, and even politicians found a cozy and familiar place that was practically their office, living room, and kitchen. With my grandfather hosting, my grandmother cooking, and my mother and uncle orchestrating the business while serving coffee, it was a flourishing family business. 

Years went by and I was born. As a young boy I enjoyed coming to the coffee shop and helping my family, especially my grandfather. I also liked sitting in the kitchen and watching my grandmother cooking her magical food. My family taught me the virtue of hard work: for every penny I earned for small chores I was given two more—this was the family’s motto: one must learn to earn his money.

And more importantly: pursuing your dream requires hard work. When I was a freshman in college, my grandfather passed away. He was working until his last days. A few years after, my grandmother also passed away. It was than when my mother and uncle decided to retire. Understanding the hard work that owning a business of your own requires, I decided that after graduation I want to be a salaried employee, and so I started working at a large firm. The coffee shop was therefore sold to a group of young investors who opened a fashionable though soulless bar.

After few years in that large firm, I started feeling unease, but couldn’t really tell why. It took me some time but eventually it hit me: just like my grandparents, I too have the soul of an entrepreneur. I decided to quit my comfortable job, completed a PhD degree, and established my own research firm. Today I am working harder than ever, but I am as happy and fulfilled as I have never been. And looking at my two small children I sometimes wonder: which one of them, if any, will catch the entrepreneurship bug?

Fascinating story, don’t you agree? Dr. Shay Hershkovitz, hope you don’t mind me posting your story on my blog

Homeless on Christmas

Sometimes, when you think that you are the unluckiest person in the world, you can read something like this that will throw your troubles into a whole new perspective. I read this in The Malay Mail and I was really saddened by this. Apparently, this family was evicted from their Rifle Range flat in Penang by their landlord because they could not pay the RM300 per month rent. The gentleman in the picture, Mr Looi Say Chye said that he has nowhere else to go so he spent the night in the corridor with his family. And this man has pride. He does not want charity…he just wants a job. He was unable to find a job after he was let go of his old one. Because he did not have a job, he ended up owing the landlord and he was thus evicted. Apparently, the state welfare department has been notified of this case and they will step in to help.

Remember at the start, I was saying that there are others worse off? I had a mate once who told me that one really should not compare one-self with other people less fortunate. The reason is that situations like these have no place for comparison, just to make you feel better. I dare say that he is right and I really hope that Mr Looi is able to get back on his feet and that right soon.

Marry Christmas?

And as usual, I will just leave this right here

The new bikes by Mobike are not the greatest

I trued this Mobike a couple of days back and I have to say that the cycling experience has not been very good. For starters, this bike is single speed. So naturally, when I face an uphill, I stand on the pedals to “propel” myself uphill. And that is when I notice the first issue. When I stand on the pedals, the crank creaks and groans like it is going to fall apart. That really startled me so I had to resort to getting off the bike and pushing it uphill. I have to admit that it looks good and the brakes are good but it is a little heavy. maybe it is because of the wheels. Also, it is pretty silent, thanks to the shaft drive. But other than that, I think I will stick with the original 3-speed ones with the Shimano Nexus hubs. Just a personal preference!

Merry Christmas 2017

I would like to wish all my faithful blog readers a very Merry Christmas 2017. God bless you all during this festive season

Trying to quit…again

I tried it once in April 2016 and I am trying it now again. I thought I had it covered but the addiction got better of me a few months later. So far, the addiction came pretty strong last night and I really was tempted to go out for one but I managed to stem it off by eating some chocolate. That worked.

In any case, it is Christmas Eve and I will do my best to get rid of this filthy habit. Well, it has been a few days, just shy of a week. Once again, I will look at this guy’s blog for inspiration. And if you need more help, check out this page WhyQuit.com and read this Never Take Another Puff.