Chinese New Year

I want to wish everyone good health and good wealth for the new year. I have not updated this blog for sometime now. It has been busy at work and frankly was too lazy to update. Now I will make a new year resolution to update this blog more frequently.

One of my favourite blogger, Janice Wong has stopped. She found her new love in life and is exploring new dimensions after proving she could write and has published a book as well. My best wishes to her. I have not visited my other favorite blogger, Sze Li for some time too. She is starting in her career and have a bright future ahead of her.

Have a slow and easy first day. Brought my kids to visit their paternal grandma who is here to escape winter in Toronto and then to their maternal grandparents after for lunch. My eldest was concerned his hongbao was too little and keep pestering me to visit. Good thing is my sisters will be coming tomorrow....

Boxing Day

It started a good day. We had relatives over for lunch. My wife cooked mee siam. It was excellent. I had no idea she can cook such good mee siam. We had a good time with her family. I volunteered to send her cousin and aunt home. Her cousin was going somewhere else instead of home in Pasir Ris. So we decided to drop her off in Compass Point MRT. Immediately after I dropped her off another vehicle swerved right in front of me. My front right lights were broken.

Sigh! This is a boxing day I will remember. Will need to figure what to do next....

Kota Kinabalu

We went to KK in Sabah with everyone in the office and their family or significant other. There are a total of 17 including 6 kids. We had three days of exploring and trying out different activities. It was an excellent cap to our very successful year for the team. We went to Mt KK national park, Poring hot springs and flea market. I almost completed reading the book Only Paranoid will Survive by Andrew Grove.

The highlight of the trip was the canopy walk. I was expecting a wooden bridge where we can stop to see the life in a tree top. Boy! was I wrong. It was a rope suspension bridge using aluminium ladders and a narrow plank. The side was nylon netting. The bridge sways and wobbles with every step. Looking at the plank to take your next step means looking right down into the forest. Talk about acrophobia! Good thing I read the notice before stepping on the bridge. It says the rope can withstand 10 tons and nylon netting 5 tons. Still while walking and seeing holes in the netting strike fears. I was very proud of all my kids and my wife. They walk right through. I was amazed by the husband of my colleague who has to carry his two sons through the three bridges. He was walk through the bridges three times and twice with a kid on his arm and using the other arm to balance himself.

My youngest son, Lucas was very brave. He was right behind his mother putting his arms around her waist. I am so proud of everyone, my team, their family and my family! This is an adventure.

A good day

Back to my routines. The stress and joy of work. The progress in my reading. The calm in my work environment. Today is a good day. I wish everyday is like this calm, peaceful, no politics, no staff issues, just work and making things happen. Will more change be coming? Weathering change, being buoyant during time of great change is key to surviving and thriving.

Waiting for an answer for an email I sent to an old friend. Will my prayers be answered? I am very blessed. I believe I will thrive. How? I do not know. I will continue to pray for my team to do well in the upcoming changes.

Reflections

My mum is here to visit. She arrived Changi airport at 12:45pm. She look healthy and happy. She is full of life. I am very happy to see her in this state. She is on wheel chair and has difficulty walking. Her cheerfulness bring cheer and joy. She has also gain weight. She will be living with my younger sister who is recovering from breast cancer. I hope she has a good time here. She brought letters and food from Canada. I do miss Canada. It is winter now. I like the spacious house we use to live and I love the fireplace. It is nice to look out of the window when it snow. This are good memories. The negative is winter is long and shoveling snow before going to work can be a drag. Summer is great. We have summer hours which mean we work longer hours from Monday to Thursday and take Friday afternoon off. Many time we can take Fridays off. A three day weekend. We can go fishing, drive up north, explore the rest of Ontario. Lifestyle is different from here. We have only shopping malls in Singapore. Would be nice to live in Canada for a while...

Manila

Back to Manila. It is a city full of good looking people, traffic jams and jeepneys. The food is good(as usual from a Singaporean). Crossing the roads take bravery and courage. Makati is like our Orchard Road. What I like about Manila is the range of bakery - Goldilocks, Red Ribbons, Saint Cinnamon, French Baker, etc. Even Breadtalk is here. I find the bakery here offers a nice range of breads, pastries, cakes... dare I say even better than Singapore. I loved the ensaimada buns with cheese, butter and sugar...mmmm yummy! I will buy some and bring back home.

I am up early this morning. Had my swim, did a little meditation and pray for help in the office. Do I feel much better.

Lousy week

I have a hard time coming up with the title for this message. My feelings are in a turmoil. My division looks likely to be "integrated" into a bigger team. Looks like the small team that work for me will be gone. It is sad because I had spent time and energy building up this team. We have so much synergies and we are a high performing team. We grew our sales by more than 30% year on year for the last 3 years and profits doubled this year and the year before. 4 years ago when I join, we were doing over US$2 million in sales. This year we will have more US$2 million in operating profits. It is an achievement that makes me proud. We have 7 in our team when we started four years ago and today we have on 6. We have done more with less!!

I had dinner with a colleague last night. YP suggested I should start and do my own business. I have demonstrated my capabilities and why am I working to enrich shareholders? Very good point. Most people around me make the same observation. I have to reflect why. This is the 2nd time I have turn around a company that makes losses into profit and continue it profitable growth. I wonder why I am too scared to make it our on my own. YP asked how much does it cost to register and start a business in Singapore. I told her money is not the issue.

Why? Why? Why?? Why am I afraid to start? Why not keep all the profit for myself? Why not work in a company I own? I can now train and develop my staff. Recognise and reward them base on my own philosophy instead of someone else. She knows I love to train and coach. Start a consulting company, she says.

The time has come. The fork in the road is coming up fast. It is time for me to take the road less travelled.

Ex-colleagues and friends

Today, I have visitors. One from US and the other a bosom friend of her come over to visit. Both are ex-colleagues of mine since 1989. Long time ago. We catch up with news and talk about anything and everything. Shared our current job responsibilities, family. our aging parents, etc, etc... We have a wonderful time. I wish we can do this more often. We are all so busy with our lives, kids, work, exercise, relaxation, entertainment that we forget friends are the social glue to our lives. Mei and Chris are wonderful friends. I really their efforts to stay in touch and continue to touch my life.

Reviewing Work

I was reviewing my piece on Work and realise it reminds me of that some men would say the same things about women. The one etch in my mind is "Women! Can't live with them, Can't live without them." Probably the same holds true from the women's perspective!

Work

What is work?
Work help fill the time
Work give meaning to life
Work keep one occupied
Work is fun
Work is stress
Work is hard to live with
Work is hard to live without
Work is bring you up
Work is bring you down
Work bring joys and provides for the family
Work is love
Work is also pain
Why work??

Books, books, more books

Yes, I have not updated this blog for some time... after reading Janice Wong's reason for not updating was that someone make her upset. I realise my reason(or excuse rather) is laziness. Janice did not wish to write so that she may regret later. I was just "busy".

I've been going to the bookstores and the proliferation of titles is amazing. Many times, I wonder how to keep up with my favourite pastime - reading. I love management and leadership. There so many titles nowaday. I enjoyed Peter Drucker, Jim Collins, Henry Mintzberg, Gary Hamel, ... the list goes on and on.

I used to read a lot about occult, astral travel, Edgar Cayce, meditation, buddhism. Recently, Dalai Lama is in my reading list. I live to read. Call me a bookworm.

Bangkok

I love to browse bookshops and book stores. In Bangkok airport, there are lots of bookstores. Although the selections are not wide, they do carry interesting books. If you like Buddhism, there are lot of books on Buddhism and Thai monks. If you can read Thai, there are plentiful of titles by monks. Obviously, Buddhism is widely practised in Thailand.

My business partner and friend, Sammin, a very capable, young and pretty lady is a devoted Buddhist. She just visited a temple who house AIDS victims, all kids. She does donations to help repair temple's roof, build school, repair and maintain rundown temple. I respect her a lot. In my opinion, she is doing good deeds and maintaining good karma. She is another model for me to emulate.

My Model...someone for me to aspire to.

I have an interesting passenger right beside me on the way back home from Shanghai yesterday. He is rather old and I notice that he shakes a little. He was sitting by the window and I had aisle (my favourite row). He was already seated when I arrived. We made eye contact and he smiled at me and I reciprocate. After the plane takes off, he took out a catalog from his brief case and started to sketch out chairs. Up in my head, I thought he may be Danish. Just back from Copenhagen, I now know that Denmark is famous for the chairs and chair design.

I cannot recall what was the first comment he said to me. However there a few key points I remember and I think he is send by God to me. He is a Swiss and speaks German and Italian(mum's Italian) He is 65 years old and he start his own business at 40 years of age. He started with 10,000 swiss francs and 6 chairs. He has been to North Pole by Russian helicopter. South Pole by Russian Icebreaker ship, been to Sahara desert two years ago...

Why do I think he is godsend? At 40, he started his own business. He learn about chairs by visiting exhibition. He first imported chairs from Italy because that is the language he can speak fluently. He learn English by watching television and talking people like me! He taught me so much and show me the way. His father is still alive and 91 years. He says until today his father still do not believe he could make so much money selling chairs!! He tells me he has Parkinson disease (now I know the shakes). He recommended I should go to Mana Mana in Bintan. He says it is like paradise. Small huts on stilts just right on the sea. He flew Singapore Airlines a lot.

He showed me the price list of his product. One cost 230 Swiss francs. He told me it cost him only 40 francs. He does not make all the profits as the retail makes 40%. Still pretty good profit! He tell me that you must be first. Then you can make product for one dollar and sell for fifty. He just introduce a new series of chairs made from Seagrass. He is the first to bring this product to Switzerland.

I asked for his name card so that you know it is real. His name is Erwin Hauser. He has showed me that it is not too late to be an entreprenuer. Thank you! Mr. Hauser.

Copenhagen - day 3

Took train to Helsingor and then by bus to museum of Technology. History of technology is right there in front of you. Old aeroplanes, old telephones, early batteries, early experiments with electricity, old apparatus. It is educational for kids except my boys do not seem to be interested. We then visited Tivoli in Copenhagen. For Singaporean in their forties and fifties, they will know what I mean....Tivoli reminds me of Great World. Rides, pay to have 3 balls to throw and get a prize if you score three direct hits, rifles with moving targets, duck fishing, etc. Tivoli also have musical fountains, roller coaster, bungee seats just like the one in Clarke Quay. We also visit the Design Center and Planetarium. Good thing we pay for the Copenhagen card i.e. train and museum fares included, though not all museum. We are a little disappointed as the museums have little exhibits and mostly Danish explanation. Not sure if you will get value if you pay to get in to see. Singapore time 2:07am

Land of expensive meals

Would you believe a McDonald meal cost S$20? A resturant meal cost average S$50 per head... A hot dog is 20 konors or S$6. I guess there are lot of BYOs (bring you own). We are lucky. My wife has read up and is ready. So she has prepared snacks, instant noodles, instant porridge, rice, etc. The challenge is with 3 hungry boys the food run out fast. We are only in day 2 and our supplies has run down quickly. Food from supermart is not cheap either. 10 eggs cost 20 konors - S$6 more expensive than during chicken and eggs ban when Malaysia had bird flu!

No wonder Copenhagen retain the honor for the most expensive city in Europe. 12:05am singapore time.

What time is it?

Time for packing and off to airport for a holiday in Copenhagen. Will be blogging the holiday trip on my return. Good Bye.

Doctor at National Cancer Center

My younger sister called this morning. She was very distressed and emotional. She was sobbing and incoherent. Her doctor just told she will die. She just finished her followup visit with her doctor at National Cancer Center. I had to calm her down before she can tell what had transpired between her and her doctor, a Senior Consultant. My sister was going for her 2nd course of Chemotherapy. She was warded to General Hospital two weeks after her first chemo for fever. Her white blood cells(WBC) count were low. She was given a drug to stimulate white blood cells production. This drug has cause lots of pain to her bones - hip, spine and all the joints.

The Senior Consultant, a female doctor told my sister that she is prescribing the drug for stimulating WBC. My sister thinking of the pain she has gone through asked if possible to avoid taking this drug. Maybe if the blood test shows the WBC count is low, then she will take the drug. The Senior Consultant look at her straight into her eyes and said if you don't take this drug you will die. This is so traumatic to the patient. She is at a weak emotional state first discovering she has cancer, then having her breast removed and worrying and wandering why all this has happened to her...

I wonder what kind of doctor she is. Why is she so callous? Did she has a bad day? Why would someone who is supposed to save lives be out to cause such emotional distress? Is it because my sister is a subsidised patient? Maybe she is in the wrong profession...

My elderest sister called me in the evening. She told me my younger sister is still crying... I drop by to visit her right away. She is an emotional wreck. My heart bleeds for her. My wife and I stay with her for an hour. We talk and she improved and calm down.

I am so sorry my younger sister has this doctor.

Stress

Life is stressful, work is stressful, home is stressful, everything is stressful. Is it?? The best way to react to stress is to walk away and calm down. Easier said than done! Try taking a deep breath and hold... count thousand and one, thousand and two, thousand and three! Then breath out long and exhale completely. Repeat 3 times and let me know if this works for you...

50 Spiritual Classics

Kinokuniya has 20% discount for members. I loved books. 20%??.... time to pick up some books! Today, I pick up 50 Spiritual Classics. This is a summary of 50 books. Some I have read like Autobiography of a Yogi and others was always interested but have not read yet like Tao of Physics. I thought this book will allow me to "read" 50 books by reading on one just like Executive Summary of Business Books. It is an easy read and you can pick and choose which "book" to discover first. And if it looks interesting, another trip to Kinokuniya or Times to boost their sales numbers. There are two more companions in this trilogy - 50 Self Help Classics and 50 Success Classics. Look like I will be adding these two in my collection soon, real soon.

Chemo

Visit my younger sister in hospital today. She was warded for fever. Her WBC(white blood cell) count was low. At first glance she looks like my niece. She was slim. On closer look, I realise it was her and she looks rundown. Chemotherapy does lot of damage to the body! Yes, my sister has breast cancer and was operated a month ago. Right now she is undergoing chemo to get rid of any cancer cells that may still be lurking in her body. She has two sons, age 12 and 10. She is in good spirits when I saw her. I shall pray for her speedy recovery.