My late mother passed away just over 10 years ago, yet I still dream about her.
She looked like what she was before she left us but the event of that dream was something which had just happened a couple of days ago. The people in that event were people my late mom hadn't even met when she was alive. This is truly beyond comprehension.
Was she somewhere where she could see each and every of our daily activities? Was she trying to send me a message? Or is my mind playing games with me?
The dream occured totally out of the blue. I hadn't been talking about my late mom with anybody in this recent couple of weeks. That event which happened a couple of days ago hadn't even bothered me since then or wasn't even on my mind today - so I thought. Yet after analysing the dream, I felt that sub consciously, that event did refresh itself - briefly - today. The human mind is truly a mystique.
I can't help but concur that my late mom was trying to send me a message that I should start taking steps to prevent that same event from recurring.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
What I hate and love most in 2008 ?
I'm sure some of you would share some of the events worth entering the "Hall of Hatred" in 2008.
Soaring fuel, food and commodity prices for a start. News of natural disasters like the earthquake in Beijing. Plight of the North Koreans, Burmese and Tibetans and others perhaps from Africa suffering in their own countries. The mixing of politics and sports which marred the Olympic torch relay. The demise of Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Fannie, Freddie, AIG, Merrill and more. Piracy off the Somalia coast. Terror in Mumbai where innocent civilian lives are lost for nothing. And similarly terror in American schools and homes where unwarranted, unprovoked killings are meted out to the innocent. The continuing civil strifes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka which also resulted in the loss of innocent lives. The politicking in Thailand and Malaysia. I'm sure we can name more.
But to pick one which can be deemed the most hated event is something I can't do. Everything which happened had a cause and a reason. To be on one side of the wall without realising what happened on the other presents no grounds for us to term one event more hateful than the other. To be knowingly misled by sensational media coverage is not something any prudent, intelligent (even if somewhat) and objective human should fall for. For if we do, then news of Sarah Palin's wardrobe and extravagance, or Britney Spears' indiscretions would have qualified for inclusion in our list of hated news stories or events. Or perhaps even the Ferrari team's bungles in the course of the F1 circuit in 2008 would have featured somewhere too. I would rather leave the hating to the activists and the naive and move on.
On the brighter side. What were the events worth remembering and loving?
There're soaring stock markets which some of us may or could have capitalised on. There are plenty of bargain counters up for grabs. China successfully hosted one of the best-ever (or rather, one of the most impressive) Olympic games so far. Formula One had it's first night race in Singapore which opened eyes both in Asia and Europe, and perhaps the rest of the world too. A rookie from a minority race winning his first World Championship in F-1. The Fed's rescue and stimulus package for the American banks and economy in general. China's and Taiwan's making up. North Korea's return to the negotiating table. The birth and implementation of Asean's charter. And, the top news (and most covered) will probably be the first African-American President-elect in the biggest economy in the world!
But this time, I can pick a "most".
The most loved event to me in 2008 is the realisation by all major governments around the world that this financial and economic crisis isn't localised; and all countries, and especially, all major economies, must do their little bit to pull the world out of this crisis, depression or recession whichever way you wish to call it.
The USA was forced to act because the meltdown was happening in her backyard. The Europeans had to act because the fallout from across the Atlantic could and will cause a backlash in their own backyard. China had to act as their foreign revenues are set to shrink. Japan has to act too for their own good.
This is different from the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98. We don't have the IMF chief standing with arms folded while a leader of one of the most populous countries in the world sign away control over her economy. We don't have IMF and World Bank hotshots zapping around in First Class seats telling impoverished Asian economies what they should be doing about their economies jsut because they can afford to dole out support funds contributed by rich nations. We don't have Western bankers strangling their counterparts in Asia so that their bonuses will be equally fat, if not fatter, at the end of their financial years. NOW, we have a whole world working together to solve the problems which originated from short term greed and indiscretions. That is certainly something we should all be happy about and proud of. Hence the reason for my naming that the "most loved" event in 2008.
Carry on the good world, nations. For we, on this planet need you all to buck up and lead us out of this mess.
Soaring fuel, food and commodity prices for a start. News of natural disasters like the earthquake in Beijing. Plight of the North Koreans, Burmese and Tibetans and others perhaps from Africa suffering in their own countries. The mixing of politics and sports which marred the Olympic torch relay. The demise of Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Fannie, Freddie, AIG, Merrill and more. Piracy off the Somalia coast. Terror in Mumbai where innocent civilian lives are lost for nothing. And similarly terror in American schools and homes where unwarranted, unprovoked killings are meted out to the innocent. The continuing civil strifes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka which also resulted in the loss of innocent lives. The politicking in Thailand and Malaysia. I'm sure we can name more.
But to pick one which can be deemed the most hated event is something I can't do. Everything which happened had a cause and a reason. To be on one side of the wall without realising what happened on the other presents no grounds for us to term one event more hateful than the other. To be knowingly misled by sensational media coverage is not something any prudent, intelligent (even if somewhat) and objective human should fall for. For if we do, then news of Sarah Palin's wardrobe and extravagance, or Britney Spears' indiscretions would have qualified for inclusion in our list of hated news stories or events. Or perhaps even the Ferrari team's bungles in the course of the F1 circuit in 2008 would have featured somewhere too. I would rather leave the hating to the activists and the naive and move on.
On the brighter side. What were the events worth remembering and loving?
There're soaring stock markets which some of us may or could have capitalised on. There are plenty of bargain counters up for grabs. China successfully hosted one of the best-ever (or rather, one of the most impressive) Olympic games so far. Formula One had it's first night race in Singapore which opened eyes both in Asia and Europe, and perhaps the rest of the world too. A rookie from a minority race winning his first World Championship in F-1. The Fed's rescue and stimulus package for the American banks and economy in general. China's and Taiwan's making up. North Korea's return to the negotiating table. The birth and implementation of Asean's charter. And, the top news (and most covered) will probably be the first African-American President-elect in the biggest economy in the world!
But this time, I can pick a "most".
The most loved event to me in 2008 is the realisation by all major governments around the world that this financial and economic crisis isn't localised; and all countries, and especially, all major economies, must do their little bit to pull the world out of this crisis, depression or recession whichever way you wish to call it.
The USA was forced to act because the meltdown was happening in her backyard. The Europeans had to act because the fallout from across the Atlantic could and will cause a backlash in their own backyard. China had to act as their foreign revenues are set to shrink. Japan has to act too for their own good.
This is different from the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98. We don't have the IMF chief standing with arms folded while a leader of one of the most populous countries in the world sign away control over her economy. We don't have IMF and World Bank hotshots zapping around in First Class seats telling impoverished Asian economies what they should be doing about their economies jsut because they can afford to dole out support funds contributed by rich nations. We don't have Western bankers strangling their counterparts in Asia so that their bonuses will be equally fat, if not fatter, at the end of their financial years. NOW, we have a whole world working together to solve the problems which originated from short term greed and indiscretions. That is certainly something we should all be happy about and proud of. Hence the reason for my naming that the "most loved" event in 2008.
Carry on the good world, nations. For we, on this planet need you all to buck up and lead us out of this mess.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
About INTROSPECTION
Everyone needs to do this once in a while, I feel.
Introspection accords us opportunities to evaluate where we stand in life, where we are in the eyes of our friends (and foes), what we've been through and what else we should expect from then on, and most importantly, it accords us the opportunity to correct what is wrong without having to wait for the next New Year resolution.
If you need an excuse to do that, year's end is the best excuse.
In the process of introspection, I often find myself to be an arrogant prick; an inconsiderate boss and person, an insolent brat plus all other bad things or traits I succumbed to. But we can't be negative with ourselves all the time, can we? Hence when I go through the process of introspection, I also take the positive aspects into perspective, such as being a loving person to my family and friends, being friendly to this earth and its energy resources, being eco-friendly in saving on the use of paper to save trees which provide the oxygen and carbon dioxide at the right time of day, being appreciative of all who came into my life and rendered help and assistance when I had to call on them, and more ....
Introspection is not about feeling sorry for what one has done, Nor is it an avenue for one to blame others for one's failings and/or omissions. Maybe I've read a lot of Buddhist teachings and teachings of worthy philosophers and great men who graced this planet. Perhaps I've managed to overcome my pride. Perhaps I've had enough of ups and downs in my life to realize all those things I now feel about introspection - both the positive and negative aspects of that process.
I consider myself truly lucky to have an understanding family, tolerant staff, colleagues and peers in my line of work, and most of all, I am grateful to my parents, grandparents, teachers, lecturers, mentors, friends, and all those who've helped shape my life, my philosophy of life, my thinking and my will to think and to change.
One need not feel sorry about what mistakes we've made in life. BUT one has to look forward to what else we are capable of doing in life so as to enhance our own lives and to help enhance the lives of those around us.
This is a farewell message to 2008 and all the years I've left behind.
I hope the rest of you will write the same farewell message as you see fit.
Introspection accords us opportunities to evaluate where we stand in life, where we are in the eyes of our friends (and foes), what we've been through and what else we should expect from then on, and most importantly, it accords us the opportunity to correct what is wrong without having to wait for the next New Year resolution.
If you need an excuse to do that, year's end is the best excuse.
In the process of introspection, I often find myself to be an arrogant prick; an inconsiderate boss and person, an insolent brat plus all other bad things or traits I succumbed to. But we can't be negative with ourselves all the time, can we? Hence when I go through the process of introspection, I also take the positive aspects into perspective, such as being a loving person to my family and friends, being friendly to this earth and its energy resources, being eco-friendly in saving on the use of paper to save trees which provide the oxygen and carbon dioxide at the right time of day, being appreciative of all who came into my life and rendered help and assistance when I had to call on them, and more ....
Introspection is not about feeling sorry for what one has done, Nor is it an avenue for one to blame others for one's failings and/or omissions. Maybe I've read a lot of Buddhist teachings and teachings of worthy philosophers and great men who graced this planet. Perhaps I've managed to overcome my pride. Perhaps I've had enough of ups and downs in my life to realize all those things I now feel about introspection - both the positive and negative aspects of that process.
I consider myself truly lucky to have an understanding family, tolerant staff, colleagues and peers in my line of work, and most of all, I am grateful to my parents, grandparents, teachers, lecturers, mentors, friends, and all those who've helped shape my life, my philosophy of life, my thinking and my will to think and to change.
One need not feel sorry about what mistakes we've made in life. BUT one has to look forward to what else we are capable of doing in life so as to enhance our own lives and to help enhance the lives of those around us.
This is a farewell message to 2008 and all the years I've left behind.
I hope the rest of you will write the same farewell message as you see fit.
Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells Jingle Bells
Ka-ching all the way
Oh what fun is there to ride
When your bank could close today
Hey Jingle Bells Jingle Bells
The sham of bankers' ways
O what fun is left for us
when the world's haywire today
Ka-ching all the way
Oh what fun is there to ride
When your bank could close today
Hey Jingle Bells Jingle Bells
The sham of bankers' ways
O what fun is left for us
when the world's haywire today
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Companionship - A city is never a home without friends ..
"A city is empty if you don't have friends to make you feel at home", someone once told me. I didn't realise that till many years later.
I have been in London, New York, Paris, Toronto, Hongkong, Tokyo, Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai and they all meant nothing to me if not for the people I knew. Even Singapore which I call home is sometimes as lonely as can be if I was just wandering around, aimlessly. Or Bali for that matter, the jewel of every tourist in the world. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I'd stopped traveling to see new places unless I have friends in those places.
In a nutshell: Cities are cold. It's the people in the cities who provide the warmth.
I'm not talking about the tourist or backpacker who wanders around as an "alien" in any city, chatting with anyone who obliges - for they're easy to find or come by. But these "aliens" don't normally or are not likely to come with the true warmth of any city. I'm talking about people who can actually make us feel "welcomed" beyond the smiles you see replicated in the umpteen tourism ads on TV every where. I'm talking about people who are warm blooded, who make you feel the warmth in a city, any city.
I really don't blame the tourism ads; expounding their lands of smiles etc., for there are many who seek that promise of warmth - be they superficial or otherwise. Rather I feel that they're smart, for marketing a city with smiles is the first step in getting lonely souls (or potentially lonely souls) to make the effort and expense to go there and - hopefully - seek and find the companionship which will make them less lonely.
Companionship - that's an often forgotten word. But that word means more and more when one matures toward our twilight years.
I don't believe that true companionship can be found overnight (it's not one-night-stands I'm talking about either). Companionship has to be nurtured, understood, cherished, and more. But no one interpretes those criteria in that strict sense anymore. Hence, I can see why and how companionship is hard to come by yet people easily part with large sums of monies to get to where that promise of companionship appear to be -- helped along by the advertising people who have clients to please and whose salaries and bonuses depend on how they can "sell" those destinations to (gullible) tourists. "Land of smile"; "Land of dreams"; "Exotic Asia"; Exotic Africa" or exotic anywhere for that matter. They are all but adjectives if one doesn't have friends or cannot find the all important companionship in those destinations.
Upon further reflection, who cares? We all live in such a serious world that we're not about to spend a few days with someone from a foreign land and suddenly take him or her to be a "true" friend or companion. We all live in a superficial world anyway. If this guy or gal gives you the sense that you are "at home" and you are "among peers", we fall prey. For we don't have the time to look for the truth nor have the wish to seek the truth. So let it be - as the Beatles put it so well in their song.
That's the easy part, seemingly. My problem is that everytime I return to reality from one of those "feel good", "enjoyment of pseudo companionship" trips in a foreign land, I feel like a sucker who's sold my soul along with my feelings and emotions to people unworthy of my effort, and the money spent,of course.
But when I think hard enough, those are the realities of life - we needed companionship and the guys/gals who are out there to provide exactly what we needed are opportunists - who happened to be there at the right time and the right place. In a way, I feel like all of us are like birds with clipped wings lying in the comfort of the rescuer/samaritan who provides the warmth and medical attention we so dearly needed.
Hence the next time we feel we're at a lost, just think of ourselves as that bird with clipped wings and never let our pride overcome us by resisting that rescuer/samaritan who might be able to put us in the right place and perspective again.
I have been in London, New York, Paris, Toronto, Hongkong, Tokyo, Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai and they all meant nothing to me if not for the people I knew. Even Singapore which I call home is sometimes as lonely as can be if I was just wandering around, aimlessly. Or Bali for that matter, the jewel of every tourist in the world. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I'd stopped traveling to see new places unless I have friends in those places.
In a nutshell: Cities are cold. It's the people in the cities who provide the warmth.
I'm not talking about the tourist or backpacker who wanders around as an "alien" in any city, chatting with anyone who obliges - for they're easy to find or come by. But these "aliens" don't normally or are not likely to come with the true warmth of any city. I'm talking about people who can actually make us feel "welcomed" beyond the smiles you see replicated in the umpteen tourism ads on TV every where. I'm talking about people who are warm blooded, who make you feel the warmth in a city, any city.
I really don't blame the tourism ads; expounding their lands of smiles etc., for there are many who seek that promise of warmth - be they superficial or otherwise. Rather I feel that they're smart, for marketing a city with smiles is the first step in getting lonely souls (or potentially lonely souls) to make the effort and expense to go there and - hopefully - seek and find the companionship which will make them less lonely.
Companionship - that's an often forgotten word. But that word means more and more when one matures toward our twilight years.
I don't believe that true companionship can be found overnight (it's not one-night-stands I'm talking about either). Companionship has to be nurtured, understood, cherished, and more. But no one interpretes those criteria in that strict sense anymore. Hence, I can see why and how companionship is hard to come by yet people easily part with large sums of monies to get to where that promise of companionship appear to be -- helped along by the advertising people who have clients to please and whose salaries and bonuses depend on how they can "sell" those destinations to (gullible) tourists. "Land of smile"; "Land of dreams"; "Exotic Asia"; Exotic Africa" or exotic anywhere for that matter. They are all but adjectives if one doesn't have friends or cannot find the all important companionship in those destinations.
Upon further reflection, who cares? We all live in such a serious world that we're not about to spend a few days with someone from a foreign land and suddenly take him or her to be a "true" friend or companion. We all live in a superficial world anyway. If this guy or gal gives you the sense that you are "at home" and you are "among peers", we fall prey. For we don't have the time to look for the truth nor have the wish to seek the truth. So let it be - as the Beatles put it so well in their song.
That's the easy part, seemingly. My problem is that everytime I return to reality from one of those "feel good", "enjoyment of pseudo companionship" trips in a foreign land, I feel like a sucker who's sold my soul along with my feelings and emotions to people unworthy of my effort, and the money spent,of course.
But when I think hard enough, those are the realities of life - we needed companionship and the guys/gals who are out there to provide exactly what we needed are opportunists - who happened to be there at the right time and the right place. In a way, I feel like all of us are like birds with clipped wings lying in the comfort of the rescuer/samaritan who provides the warmth and medical attention we so dearly needed.
Hence the next time we feel we're at a lost, just think of ourselves as that bird with clipped wings and never let our pride overcome us by resisting that rescuer/samaritan who might be able to put us in the right place and perspective again.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Dealing with different people in our lives
We meet and have to deal with all sorts of people in our lives
There are those who grasp matters the 1st time, and there are those who are born not to grasp!
There are people who've been doing a certain job yet have all sorts of problems trying to understand what efficiency and reliability is about in the job they're doing. What happens in their work life will likely mirror in their personal and married lives - a mess, for want of a better word. How would you rate someone who can't even tell the difference between a screwdriver and a spanner and what those tools are supposed to be used for?
There are those who are good with words but falter when they have to act on their words. They are likely to have lots of plans and solutions to everything they're involved in. But all those plans and solutions are only good on paper, or in this day and edge, on the computer screen be it a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation or some other software more complex or task specific than the norm. When one tries to put those plans or solutions on the (real) ground or battlefield, nothing seems to work like they're supposed to. These people are likely to come up with a plan or solution and not bother to "debug" them thoroughly, like what newly written software ought to be.
Then there are those who are fond of chasing rainbows, rather than appreciate the rainbow right in front of them, where they are standing! They have lofty dreams, lofty approaches to how things can be done, always thinking about and conjuring the most ideal scenario when that ideal scenario could be arrived at by just appreciating where they are, harnessing the resources at their disposal, and doing something about what they are supposed to be doing.
But we need all of these people to make this world, for otherwise would have been a boring world not worth living for the myriad of personalities He created.
So, what can pragmatic people like us do and how do we deal with these people? Patience. Perseverance. Believing in what we feel is achievable. Commit ourselves to something which will bear results rather than looking out for that rainbow which leads nowhere. When all these people come together and respect each others' respective strengths and weaknesses and work to balance out one another, we have a success story in the making.
There are those who grasp matters the 1st time, and there are those who are born not to grasp!
There are people who've been doing a certain job yet have all sorts of problems trying to understand what efficiency and reliability is about in the job they're doing. What happens in their work life will likely mirror in their personal and married lives - a mess, for want of a better word. How would you rate someone who can't even tell the difference between a screwdriver and a spanner and what those tools are supposed to be used for?
There are those who are good with words but falter when they have to act on their words. They are likely to have lots of plans and solutions to everything they're involved in. But all those plans and solutions are only good on paper, or in this day and edge, on the computer screen be it a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation or some other software more complex or task specific than the norm. When one tries to put those plans or solutions on the (real) ground or battlefield, nothing seems to work like they're supposed to. These people are likely to come up with a plan or solution and not bother to "debug" them thoroughly, like what newly written software ought to be.
Then there are those who are fond of chasing rainbows, rather than appreciate the rainbow right in front of them, where they are standing! They have lofty dreams, lofty approaches to how things can be done, always thinking about and conjuring the most ideal scenario when that ideal scenario could be arrived at by just appreciating where they are, harnessing the resources at their disposal, and doing something about what they are supposed to be doing.
But we need all of these people to make this world, for otherwise would have been a boring world not worth living for the myriad of personalities He created.
So, what can pragmatic people like us do and how do we deal with these people? Patience. Perseverance. Believing in what we feel is achievable. Commit ourselves to something which will bear results rather than looking out for that rainbow which leads nowhere. When all these people come together and respect each others' respective strengths and weaknesses and work to balance out one another, we have a success story in the making.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Leaders vs followers
Just had the privilege to read some wise words forwarded to me via email. How refreshing to hear that there are people out there who look forward to doing things with what they have rather than complaining about what they don't. They make the best of what they have and await the unexpected. I don't think they should be considered passive, in fact they are pro-active to me. Pro-active in the sense that they DO things with available means and tools. These are the leaders as far as I am concerned.
We had a new software installed for evaluation in the office and from how everyone reacted, I already managed to pick out the leaders from the followers. The leaders were so eager to learn, so eager to see what else they can get out of the software, and so pleased that they have a new tool to help them with what they're doing. The followers, or rather losers, are the ones who complain about what that software can't do, about how they need to go the roundabout ways to do certain tasks, and how slow it is. And they all failed to see which aspects that software has made their lives easier.
It's similar in what's facing us in life right now, in the face of this global economic crisis.
The leaders will look at the constraints and limitations this crisis has brought about to their normal lives, they will look for opportunities such as how they can utilise the downturn to streamline their operations, make more efficient use of their time and resources, and how else they can use their time to improve, innovate and prepare for the upturn. The followers and losers will spend most of their time whinging about how the downturn has affected their lives, what they're having to live or do without, their sacrifices and blah blah blah.. Are you one of them? Or are you more than that?
During the 1997 financial crisis in Asia, I can remember telling the rest of my staff and peers to watch the rebound. We upgraded, we re-trained, we survived the crisis, we earned respect from our staff and vendors and so on.... And true enough, when the rebound struck us, we were one of the few who were prepared for the work which overwhelmed the industry and caught others unprepared. We retained all the basic infrastructure albeit scaled down somewhat, we retained most of our capable and competent staff and most of all, we retained the mindset which enabled us to handle the rebound.
This is also true about life. I've had my ups and downs. When I'm down, I sob a little like any human would (unless you're in a Hollywood movie), worry a little, get stressed up quite a lot, BUT I also found time to learn from the lessons which caused the "down" and reminisce those moments which I enjoyed during the "ups". I also found time to learn more, improve myself, and adapted my mindset to perpetual ups and downs which I'll meet in my life.
Life's worth living they say! I can't see how that can be disputed.
We had a new software installed for evaluation in the office and from how everyone reacted, I already managed to pick out the leaders from the followers. The leaders were so eager to learn, so eager to see what else they can get out of the software, and so pleased that they have a new tool to help them with what they're doing. The followers, or rather losers, are the ones who complain about what that software can't do, about how they need to go the roundabout ways to do certain tasks, and how slow it is. And they all failed to see which aspects that software has made their lives easier.
It's similar in what's facing us in life right now, in the face of this global economic crisis.
The leaders will look at the constraints and limitations this crisis has brought about to their normal lives, they will look for opportunities such as how they can utilise the downturn to streamline their operations, make more efficient use of their time and resources, and how else they can use their time to improve, innovate and prepare for the upturn. The followers and losers will spend most of their time whinging about how the downturn has affected their lives, what they're having to live or do without, their sacrifices and blah blah blah.. Are you one of them? Or are you more than that?
During the 1997 financial crisis in Asia, I can remember telling the rest of my staff and peers to watch the rebound. We upgraded, we re-trained, we survived the crisis, we earned respect from our staff and vendors and so on.... And true enough, when the rebound struck us, we were one of the few who were prepared for the work which overwhelmed the industry and caught others unprepared. We retained all the basic infrastructure albeit scaled down somewhat, we retained most of our capable and competent staff and most of all, we retained the mindset which enabled us to handle the rebound.
This is also true about life. I've had my ups and downs. When I'm down, I sob a little like any human would (unless you're in a Hollywood movie), worry a little, get stressed up quite a lot, BUT I also found time to learn from the lessons which caused the "down" and reminisce those moments which I enjoyed during the "ups". I also found time to learn more, improve myself, and adapted my mindset to perpetual ups and downs which I'll meet in my life.
Life's worth living they say! I can't see how that can be disputed.
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