Thinking out of the box

As the year comes to an end we should take a step back and ask ourselves if we had lived a fruitful and meaningful year .More important , we should ask ourselves " have we been doing the same thing as we did the last year and will we continue to do the same thing the coming year?".Too many of us are set in our ways and year in and year out we have been thinking the same old way and doing the same old things. I know of someone who is so set in his ways it borders on the realm of unbelievable doing the same thing day after day without any change. Imagine not missing his evening walk to the extent of carrying an umbrella to do it when it rains.It never occurs to him that instead of walking there are other forms of exercise which one can do in the rain.Precisely an example of not thinking out of the box. If you look at the story of successful people you will realize that a good many of them were bold enough and adventurous enough to think out of the box. Many of the great innovations and creative ideas you see in business and management came about because there were people who had the knack to think away from the existing paradigms . On the personal side each of us probably has unacceptable habits like sleeping late, hogging the bathroom ,or now a is the fad, hogging the gadget when in the midst of company.Its time we realize these bad habits and make an effort to improve ourselves so that we are a more pleasant person to be with.This is called self development and it come s first from self awareness .There is never any harm in reviewing the way we think and the way we look at things.As circumstances change we should also think differently and to go one step further, do things differently. Be open minded, listen and digest what people say or tell you and then look inward to yourself and make the necessary changes. I am not saying that change is always for the better but change will certainly make life more interesting.Our mind set depends on so many factors, our upbringing, our education , our environment etc.There are people who will think that there is only one way of doing things.If we look at it there are always alternatives and it takes a different kind of thinking to be able to see the other ways. if you always take a certain route to work perhaps if you think of another route it may be better.You will never know unless you try and if someone tells you that a certain herb is good , what's wrong if you try it ? Discoveries and enlightenment comes from an open mind which is receptive and not bogged down by habits or prejudices .Follow the simple principle " You never know until you try " and there are always other ways of doing things !

33 years later

I was invited by one of my students to attend a reunion dinner and gathering on Sat 7th Dec. and was told he belonged to the 1980 batch of students.33 years ago I was the principal and they were my students.Something to really look forward to as I have not seen them since they left school . The whole class almost turned up , from Australia , Hong Kong and all over Malaysia though there was a good number from KL itself.The boys did a great job organising the function and I was pleasantly pleased to see how well most of them turned out.There were engineers, lawyers, businessmen and professionals. I told them though there are successful in their respective fields they have to look at themselves deeply and ask if they are successful as individuals or as a person. I was amazed at how good their memory is and one boy said " Sir, you caned me twice, and I felt no resentment as I knew you were doing your job and I was really naughty ".Then he said something which touched me " I must thank you because after the second caning I told myself I would change , and I did exactly that.And that is one of the reasons I'm here today.He is a successful garment manufacturer with factories in Vietnam, Cambodia and he even set up factories in parts of Africa. That is our reward for being teachers and seeing the kids you taught turning out to be real good products really makes us teachers happy.In school I always drummed into my students heads that they must be " academically sound and morally strong " and throughout my teaching career I have held on to this objective and I wanted my boys to turn out to be that and seeing some of them I realize that we have in a certain way achieved this objective.Our students are doing well in their careers and above all have the moralistic training which we gave them instilled into them.It was well manifested that night as they remember us , their teachers and rally went the extra mile to bring us there.As one of them put it " Sir we want to show the teachers how much we value what they gave us ... an education which has made us what we are today. I wonder how many of today's teachers know how important their work is !

Reflections

Soon the year will come to an end and the first thing that strikes me is how lucky I am to be able to live through it.At this age every year , every month and for that matter every day is a bonus .Life is worth living despite us having to face difficulties here and there.If this is not the case perhaps life would be boring. I am one of those who like to look at the positive and be happy about it rather than to grumble or worry about things you have no control.The children are all doing well in their careers and family and the grandchildren are going through milestones in their lives and its a great blessing to be able to be around and share these things with them.We do realize that for us oldies the most important thing now is to stay well and be well.Thankfully both of us are in good health and to be able to go about here and there.I can happily still enjoy my golf albeit the standard of game which I can produce today is nothing to shout about but thinking positively its enough that I can go out onto the course and enjoy the game though at times you feel like throwing the clubs away but when I think of many of my contemporaries who are no longer able to play at all and who are no longer here I feel nothing but gratitude that I am still able to pursue this hobby. Mum is as healthy as ever and looks forward to her Saturday off which she enjoys to the fullest.That she is able to cook , wash , look after the little ones without a murmur of complain is testimony enough about what sort of person she is. Work wise , 2013 has been eventful and to have a happy staff working with you is another of life's little blessing.Interesting enough we have been asked to maybe look at managing new educational institutions and this itself is motivation enough>I had thought of retirement but the thought of new projects, new challenges is too exciting to resist.I have decided that there will be no retirement until the day the principals say no to us. We have become somewhat more mellow in terms of so many things.Food for example is no longer a passion ....just eat to survive is good enough with the occasional lavish spread thrown in.Last week I had to make do with what the maid cooked up ,sometimes just soup and vegetables and it was enough.Being able to cope with changes is a matter of having the right attitude that's all.If you face anything with the right attitude it will not be a burden or a problem.Think positive , look at the bright side of things ,dont complain ,face the things head on and you will overcome. Thank you 2013 and welcome 2014 !

Changing life style

These days I spend more time with my grandson, fetching him from day care and then letting him do what he wants before dinner and his shower.I can feel that he is more attached to me now and more importantly listens and does what I ask him to do.He is growing up, and I guess misses his grand ma though he does not say it.Grandma used to do a lot of things for him and now that she is not doing it its only natural that he feels a sense of loss especially during sleeping time. Its a blessing to be able to see a little fella start growing up and goes through the various stages of human growth.When I try to visualize him going to college and on to adulthood I ache a little bit because its difficult to imagine us being around when this happens.Nevertheless, we know he will go through this stage with or without us .That is the cycle of life and there is no running away from it. Our lifestyle too has gone through a change .Mum is in Denai Alam while I am still in Ara Damansara.This is of course just a temporary arrangement as things will settle down when school starts .then the game plan is that we move in together and take care of the little grandson and start to adapt to a new environment.It would be so much simpler if we had a bigger house and both families can stay together.the extended family concept does make sense at times but there will be many issues involved which may at the end of the day determine if two families can live under one roof. As is always the case life will go on and the human being will always prove to be resilient and adaptable.We have had a great stay in Ara Damansara and I'm sure we will have a great one too in Denai Alam.