Yesterday was a fun day! The ending tho, was not so much. After a day out with my brother and sister - splurging out shopping for new 2014 wears, I decided - since I've already paid for it - to go to the gym. The thought of going by myself is unnerving - the only reassurance was that it is an exclusive gym and not many people joined. Furthermore, there are two distinct gym facilities - one outdoor for those hardcore muscle builders - the other indoor for the casual fitness.

Yeap. Not exactly as part of a new year resolution - I decided to go without that crap this year - I signed up for my first gym membership! Hoorraaahh!!! Kinesis Wellness @ Stampark Place is what I signed up for - with facilities including cardio equipments, strength equipments, fitness programs and group exercises, steam baths or sauna, hot shower, towels and lockers, member's lounge, rooftop garden aaaannnnddd three swimming pools (one kids wading pool, a gradient pool and an Olympic pool) complete with poolside facilities like the poolside cafe and function hall. 
 Arriving just after sunset, the place was practically deserted, save for the pool. I had NO IDEA what I was gonna do! In my head, I'd like to get some cardio in, considering I have not been jogging for quite some time since I started work. Maybe a little chest, then abs, then a bit of a weight lifting with the dumbells. Then, before leaving I wanna jump into the pool. 

So I went into the locker room, changed, put my stuffs away. Then the questions flood in. What are the gym ethics like here? Wait.. there's not instructions on the machines! The machines look different than those I'm used to. What do this machine do? And how do I operate that machine? Where is the bench press? 

What is the pool etiquette? Can I just wear shorts or am I required to wear tights? How deep is the deeper end of the gradient pool? Do I bring my change of clothes out to the pool or can I walk into the indoor changing room? Then I'd most probably be dripping wet! Owh no, I didnt bring flip flops - all I had was shoes! Shoes! Owh no, I didn't bring spare socks! 

What's the etiquette in the changing room and locker room? Would it be weird if I were to be barefooted? Would it be offensive if I wore just towels into and out of the shower? 

Thus, I hate going to the gym by myself. Those little things that some people find very natural is almost awkward for me! I ended up running on the treadmill for 45 minutes, showered awkwardly and then left. Would've been nice to have a company, no? I suppose I'll have to survive on my own. It's almost like an adventure - learning the etiquettes, the machines and the locations of facilities on my own! Looking forward to more blunders! hahahaha!

I was on my Facebook sometime a couple of months ago when I saw a status from an acquaintance that read :

Come join the ***** cabin crew-walk in interview at ***** ***** o'clock! You don't need to earn a diploma or degree to earn 4k to 5k a month! Bring your friends along too! 

.. or something along that line. See I purposely bold and underline some of the phrases that this acquaintance used to convey the content of his message. Mind you, this acquaintance of mine has a Diploma! 

While I don't oppose public invitations to a career opportunity like this - or any opportunities what-so-ever, I do oppose the method in which the opportunity is presented. 

Consider :

Come join the ***** cabin crew walk-in interview at ***** ****** o'clock. Minimum qualification is ******. Bring your friends and family along! 

 Would it not be nicer? 

The reason why I am blogging about this is because this is not the first time I read how a good opportunity is presented in a bad manner. Just the other day, another acquaintance posted : 

Start with RM 55, you have your own business. Like all businesses, you need customer. Find one friend, your business grows. With the purchase from that one friend, you get RM 20 and 20 free downline. If your friend further sells to one more of his friends, you get another RM 20 - that's RM 40 in total! Less RM 15 to earn your capital back. Your profit begins here even though you don't do anything!

Mind you, it was a rather long post - I did shorten it down. And it was in Malay, I did my best to keep the translation correct. 

In regards, what I understood from this particular acquaintance's post was you begin with RM 55 as capital - sell an intangible product, find downlines (recruiting more people to join to earn profit) and then once the downlines find their own downlines, you earn part of the profit. 

Against my own better judgement, I placed my own comment. Immediately I was attacked! I had it coming - commenting that this looks like a Ponzi scheme. Try as you may, it still looks like a Ponzi scheme because you recruit more people and ask them to recruit more to gain more profit. What happens IF the recruiter don't recruit? NO PROFIT! (yeah, that's a little loud - sorry..)

I digress. Suppose this acquaintance of mine re-word the opportunity - the same way a friend of mine who sells and distributes a health product that you can see, touch, feel and consume - tangible - in the same Pyramid scheme similar to that of a Ponzi scheme, I would not have reacted. In fact, I would see myself being supportive - the least I can do is to share the status on my own wall to my own friends. 

How are these two situations related to each other? What these two acquaintances of mine is advertising is NOT the opportunity that they are offering, instead how you DON'T need a diploma or degree to earn 4k to 5k or open a business. 

Are you saying that we, those who DO have our diplomas and degrees earn those numbers BECAUSE of our diplomas and degrees? How ignorant you are. We were given the opportunity to pursue them! Some even fought their way through for the opportunity to pursue those diplomas and degrees! We spent years! in universities, smiles and cries, sweat and blood, sleepless nights!

Regardless of what you may think, some business owners DO have diplomas and degrees. Some already had them before they venture into the business, some after. A lot of airlines would consider candidates with diplomas and degrees especially in travel and tourism because they can save on training programs for these new employees. Even those trainers at the gym and masseurs probably have diplomas and degrees in their respective fields. DO NOT undermine their hard work with your ignorance.   

I daresay I earned my 4k and 5k income a month. That said, would you NOT be offended IF I say it that way? 

** Author's Note :

This post is not meant to offend anyone. If anything, the author hopes to motivate everyone to better themselves especially in offering opportunities so as not to deliver the wrong connotation as exampled above.. The bold, italics and underlines so serve as intonation, however your reading and the author's narration are different, thus the author only wants his message to be taken seriously, not the intonation in which the post is written or read. 

The author also has friends with educational background as low as PMR who now has her own boutique to PHD holders with no working experiences what-so-ever. The author also supports friends who joins Ponzi Schemes. The difference is that they are mature enough to know how to deliver their messages.