b.Contract - Mister 20%

Just completed a course on how to keep bees. It is coincidental that asingaporeanson also talks about keeping bees.

Originally I wanted to file it as a follow-up to g.That straight narrow path (part 1) and not b.Contract - The Art of Bargaining (part 1).

But, the context seems to be more of a contractual issue rather than a business idea issue.

When I stepped into the course, almost all attendees ignored me. I was the only yellow-skin in the course. Over the course, I have asked several questions and were totally ignored by the speakers and attendees.

I have indeed intruded into their space. They prefer not to teach me anything and expect me to find out all by myself. Racism again? Possibly. They felt that the yellows have intruded into their comfort zone. What they are sharing with fellow whites are not meant for yellow's ears.

When I finally completed the full course, the cashier enthusiastically asked me if I wish to continue with their intermediate course, which is scheduled in a month's time and shortly followed by the advanced course. I declined politely.

Throughout this encounter and a reflection of all my previous other encounters, I realized one very significant characteristics:   Even whites need to eat. Aha! This is the solution to racism!

I realized that it is extremely difficult to get discounts from the whites. But, if I am willing to pay a little more, say 20%, doors begin to open one-by-one.

Say, for land deals, I have consistently received more than 10% due to my negotiation technique. But, when it comes to business dealings, I don't perform as well. Simply because the deals are much smaller and the whites can afford to lose my business. Hence, if I can offer 20% above what they can get from the market, I will have very "friendly" deals from them. So far, I have consistently paid above market so that I can consistently open doors.

No choice, although I have to learn to play like a local, my skin color always give me away. So instead of fighting over the pennies. I overpay to get results. Call me Mister 20%.

Bee-keeping
Finally something positive from the course. Bees are not hard to keep. Even queen-less hives can survive and re-build their queens after winter. The bees are very hardy and can survive winters with a little help from humans. Other than that, the bees are very much on their own in honey-producing within a 5 km radius.

The investment is tiny compared to many other types of investment. The foot print is absolutely tiny. Every farmer love the service of a bee-keeper. Without support of the bees, these farmers will shit bricks over their crops.

It is the fucking Asians who try to mystify bee-keeping. That is why the whites are so wary of me in the course. They simply don't wish to let out their secret recipe that have served them well for centuries.

Bee-keeping is profitable, but it is not a main-stream income generator. In many way, swiftlets behave like bees. They both have a system to follow. The value-adding obtained from swiftlets is very much higher than that of the bees. From my current position, I may not bother to keep any bees but I will be purchasing huge amount of honey for my own needs.

If you cough, drink honey. If you are sick, drink honey. If you hurt yourself, apply honey over the wounds. If you are sleepy over long drives, drink honey with pollen. If you drink honey everyday, you are young everyday. If you are dirty, use beeswax. If you want good complexion, use beeswax. If your male organ needs to be strong, use mead.