Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Of Millionaires and Billionaires

Eight years ago, Darulaman Heights was just like any other residential area comprising of an assortment of lecturers, teachers, several doctors, a few lawyers, bankers,  "conventional "businessmen, several politicians and of course, retirees like my husband and I. I think most people like it here because they get to enjoy a free golf  and club membership with Darulaman Golf And Country Club plus a bit of the country living which promises peace and tranquility.

Most of us are ordinary people living very ordinary lives until we have this invasion of highly ambitious entrepreneurs who have achieved some measure of success through their newly launched products, mostly herbal in nature. They roared in their gleaming new Brabus, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus and snapped up all the bungalows or vacant lots that were up for sale. Extensive renovations were soon under way to transform these modest bungalows into something more majestic befitting of those who have just acquired fame and fortune.

I suppose if one is a herbal freak with no fear for side effects, then having all these people around saves  the time and trouble of having to drive out to town to get their products. They are very courteous and cordial and would readily oblige you with your requests for their products, no extra charge for sending them straight to your doorstep!

However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. We did not get to enjoy this prompt and personalised service for long. Apparently the wealth that they had accumulated thus far wasn't sufficient to sustain their high style of living. The trappings of wealth which were boldly flaunted began to disappear one by one, very slowly and subtly at first but eventually gaining  such a momentum that everything was gone within a few months. It must have been very miserable and embarassing but I suppose, there was nothing they could do to stop the twist of fate.

However, a few are still going strong. One of them is the guy who claims to have found the secret formula to eliminating obesity once and for all, despite his very own protruding belly under the rather elaborate tuxedo ensemble. Business is obviously booming for he has added a brand new Mercedes 350 CLS to his fleet of cars and has just been conferred a Datukship. This one goes round telling that he aspires to be a billionaire in 5 years time. It's always good to be positive. (I think it took Donald Trump a bit longer than that) Good luck, Datuk.

Further down the road is yet another one who has made it big. This one has a Bentley, a Lumborghini, a Ferrari, two Porsche, a BMW 7 series, a Hummer, a mini cooper and 2 Harley Davidson in tow. Pretty impressive, I say, and all these in good old ulu Jitra, believe it or not!!!

Well, I must say it does me proud sharing the same neighbourhood with all these colourful people. It's not often that one gets to rub shoulders with multi-millionaires and a billionaire wannabe. Who knows, these ambitous people might just transform Darulaman Heights to Damansara Heights.

9 comments:

  1. Siti,
    That easy to make money, selling herbal products? And here we are struggling in our careers and upon retirement having to downsize our lifestyle etc. In Jitra???

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  2. wow.. the rich and famous are flocking in jitra!

    "the guy who claims to have found the secret formula to eliminating obesity once and for all, despite his very own protruding belly under the rather elaborate tuxedo ensemble" <-- this dude is on tv quite a lot recently. agree with your observations on the tux (the gaudy bow tie - eeiiwww!) and the belly!

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  3. NanaDJ,
    Don't really know whether it's that simple but I would advise you not to take the plunge. It is always better to play it slow and steady.

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  4. Hi Dieya,
    I thought I was quite discreet in my description of this guy. You hit it right on, girl!

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  5. Siti,

    I will be the last person to be taken in by get rich quick schemes. Having worked in the bank till retirement, I know how hard it is to make money. That is why I wonder how some could accumulate so much in such a short space of time. Amazing!!!

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  6. NanaDj,
    Most of them didn't last very long. They got extinguished after a couple of years or so. Well, at least those around me. I don't know whether they are into those infamous get rich schemes. Frankly, I think their failure is largely due to poor financial management.

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  7. ladies and to the rest !,

    ,,,may i just write this down in black and white hehehe !..that opportunities are everywhere, in the air, under the sea, on the land plus beneath the earth too ! (i was with the Oil&Gas industry for the past 23 years yoo).Just cruise along any cities, there are thousands upon thousands of businesses running, to be created and launched...buildings awaiting to be repainted. Drive along the country side, there remiles upon miles of land for planting, growing and be harvested...in pasar malam, I walked into people buying just about anything and learned that people had been trapping grasshoppers, breeding earth worms, which were exported or fed to pets or utilized for fishing etc, the the thousands !..others make cakes, plastic flowers, grow/sell bonsais i.e. tiny plants you can pick along rocky places, sell kebabs or trade in antiques i.e. things which you and me just throw out as rubbish !.
    ,,,I walk into the jungle and notice heaps of delicious 'wood-ear' fungi, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, nuts, fruits, ferns etc being harvested free from the wild by the orang asli to sell to some middle man, who then makes millions of money a year. In the sea, I see gamat, fishes and jelly-fish plus a few sharks too. I notice a fellow collecting jelly fish, apparently he export it across to japan, worth thousands of ringgit a week !.
    ,,,Indeed over the years, i have heard of numerous created or seized opportunities, which led to much wealth. Infact, there are just too many example for me to list it down here. The keling bottle man, started buying scrap metal for a song long time ago and accumulated riches. I met an aged fellow back in India a few years back, he is a bloody rich retired keling botoi gentleman nowadays !. There are unlimited opportunities in every industry...hihihi remember where there is an open-mind, there will always be a frontier and OPPORTUNITIES are everywhere. Sometimes, a casual remark from someone can spark an INSPIRATION or the onset of a windfall !!. Be vigilant and keep a constant watch.
    ..."celek mata"-lah..open your eyes to notice the endless marvels and possibilities, even in our daily lives. You see, what a different set of eyes and attitude can make heaven or hell, diamond of dirt !.
    ,,,A funny paradox of opportunities is that they often spring from problems and difficulties !...but good opportunities for me is often disguised as hard labour for others that is why so few people recognize them !! hehehe...or rather yoohohoo ??

    ...eerrmm i sell the malaysian hospitalty for a living on the island nowadays ! hihihi... eerrmm just noticed lots of bat-shit in the caves too. kling kling kling sound of cashflow ??

    KapasPirateKing

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  8. Siti,

    ,,,perhaps, I should write for a living too ? hihihi

    Capt.

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  9. Dear Capt.
    Thanks for providing me with the endless list of opportunities. Seems quite incredible that one can rake in all those millions by just doing simple things. Wish I could have a Porsche, too, but I think it's a bit too late for me to venture into business. Dok diam makan pencen je la. Apa nak dikato.

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