New Year, New Challenges

2014 has come and gone and we welcome 2015 with hope of better things to come. As we welcome the new year we should make new resolutions, set new goals and be prepared to face new challenges.For me the biggest challenge is good health and it does not come with just wishing.We have to work towards achieving this goal. It means leading a more disciplined lifestyle with lots of exercise , rest and avoiding unhealthy foods.I have given up on fast foods , excessive eating and my diet is now absolutely free of fizzy drinks especially coca cola which is proven to be non beneficial with long term negative health effects.I take a brisk morning walk every morning, go to the driving range at least twice a week and a full round of golf at least once a week. Occasionally , I give myself an extra round if the situation permits it.Somehow I still feel guilty about playing during working days .This is probably the result of having worked all my life . Work wise, the contracts have been extended for another 3 years whilst a new one is signed for two years and there is one coming up for another 5 years inclusive of the construction period .Looks like ,as Mum says " You are going to work until 80 or until you drop".I prefer the second option as I cant imagine a life without purpose or a sense of achievement.As long as health permits probably I will go on and on .Though the memory tends to fade at times and the eyes do not see so clearly I believe thare a re still a few more good years left in me. Recently some of the students whom I taught had a gathering in Teluk Intan and I was with them .It feels good to be remembered by your students and better still to see them turning into useful people .What really touched me was that they remembered me with respect and told stories ( I cant remember ) about how I made a change in their lives and how proud and happy they are to have me as their teacher.Guess these are things which only teachers can enjoy..to be respected and revered by our students.What was important was that I am still able to drive to the place and back.This is a blessing which must never be taken for granted. The New Year brings with it the cycle of life again, the Chinese new Year, Ching Ming, work, see the grandchildren grow up and doing all the things which you had done in 2014 and over and above all this is the blessed feeling that you are able to do it again. This is something which I really treasure and will do so for as long as I can.

Now you know why I need my days off !

With their parents busy and holidaying we landed ourselves with the two grand sons this morning.After all the hassle getting them into the cars we finally arrived at the coffee shop nearby to have breakfast.A few minutes to figure out what they wanted and then keeping an eye over them while they ate .The eating was intermingled with a lot of running here and there and it was fortunate the maid was with us and she assisted in no small way. After a lot of running here and there , fighting , the meal was finally over and mum had to put them all in her car as she had a task to perform .Before that , getting them into the car was a hassle as there was a lot of fuss over who sat where and finally it was sorted out and that was when mum said " now you know why I need my holidays ".As though I do not know !!! Children grow up and the growing up phase is a process by itself. It takes a lot of patience, understanding and above all the right attitude to be able to cope with their growing up stage.Adults have their own mind set and expect the kids to be in jive with what they want.How wrong can it be! You expect the toys and other playthings to be kept in order little realizing that to the kid its second nature to mess with things and seeing them litter the house should be viewed in the right perspective.Shouting and screaming at them is demeaning and speaks little of the adult's ability to control himself and also his level of sensibility.Children's tantrums should be viewed at in the right perspective and if done that way we enjoy the pranks and tantrums of the little ones.Never take your frustrations out on the poor kid but shouting and yelling at them since they are the only ones you can do that to. Too often we see parents being stressed ad upset because the kids dont follow instructions and do what the parents want.Hey..do we understand that they are kids and probably have not come to the age of reason yet?Put ourselves in their shoes and understand the psychological and physiological development of the kid and you will certainly look at them differently.Sometimes its quite amusing to see how the adults handle their kids and you will learn something about the adults. There is no doubt that bringing up children is physically tiring and emotionally draining but it is also a lot of fun and enjoyable to see them in all their mischievous best and having the opportunity to deal with them which itself is a challenge.

The extra mile

If you look for common factors in the lives of great people you will notice that many of them did not get where they were through chance but rather the extra push in what they did.This mad the difference and if you look around you will see many young people lacking in this today.Complacency, lack of will , lack of drive and a willingness to go the extra mile are probably reasons why they remain static in their careers and in their lives. If you cant listen to others , cant focus on what you are doing and cant think ahead then you are doomed to be one of the many mediocre people whom we find all around us. I have worked with many people and there are some who show positive qualities which I believe will take them far in life .As against this there are those who are in their own comfort zone quite happy where they are now and prepared to go through the rest of their lives quite happily.These people can survive but sadly will never realize their full potential. We never really know what we are capable of .Physically we find in times of emergency we can do what we never dreamed of doing and mentally , if we have the right mind set we will not know what we are capable of coming up with.I remember some years ago when we dealt with a boss who was a man of few words and he told us " I want a school".It was up to us to figure out what he wanted and do it for him.Thus was born Kolej Yayasan Saad in Melaka which turned out to be the kind of school which the boss wanted.It was a matter of putting ourselves in his shoes and trying to figure what he wanted and coming up with concepts and proposals for him to approve. Too often we find people who lack initiative who fail to think ahead and to be able to make real contributions to their families and companies.The one who goes the extra mile does this ...he thinks ahead , he thinks for others and would always inconvenience himself than others and he has to know for every action there is a consequence.I have staff whom I ask to do things but fail to report to me on the outcome.For me,work must be orderly and systematic just as the way we live our lives.There is the need for the culture of " do it now" above anything else.I cant stand the attitude of " later I will do it " for " later " never comes. To be there, there is no doubt the the person who goes the extra mile will always be amongst the first to be there .Its only certain categories of people who can do it and why not us?

Year end

Its November and soon 2014 will be gone.Its the time of the year when people plan their holidays and what they want to do come year end. For me, it will be a time for reflection and stock taking and looking forward to the new year with gratitude and happiness.Whilst looking forward there is the looming threat about changing the pacer battery and simple though it may be the thought of being under the knife is a bit daunting but we'll worry about that when the time comes. To me year end is making business plans for the next year and making sure that the staff has something to look forward to in terms of their salaries and bonuses.They have worked hard and deserve some reward. Looking forward to some time with all the family members and a few days of relaxation in Ipoh where I dont have to wake up at 5am for a round of golf and a round of all the Ipoh food which I dearly miss.That is satisfaction already and I do not have to think about travel to other places.Its funny but as one grows older one's needs become more basic and simple.We have seen all there is to be seen and done whatever needs doing so now its just a matter of winding down which we do happily. I am quite contented to have simple meals , do simple things and spend time with the family especially the grandchildren.They are growing up and its a joy to see them develop mentally and physically and that is holiday enough for me.In our younger days every time a break comes along we would think of where to go and what to do.today the fire is not there anymore and just being healthy and be able to do simple things is good enough.I guess everyone will go through this cycle.Life is still challenging and there are still many things to do in terms of personal development , social contribution and be a better role model for the younger ones. This will be what is going to keep me going for the 2015 and as a friend says " Do not grumble about getting old....many dont have this privilege".

A senior's lifestyle

Who says seniors should take it easy , relaxing and waiting for the time to go ? As a person I have always wanted to challenge the existing norms and this means changing one's mindset and questioning the accepted norms.I work and if people think that seniors should take it easy whilst working I feel its not right.To me , if you take a salary it means you have to work just like anyone else to justify your being paid. The day starts at 645 am when the eyes open and the first thing is to thank God for letting us see another day.By 7am its off for my new found habit of a brisk morning walk.There is a lot to be said for the morning walk as the morning air is so fresh and is good therapy for the mind and body.Half an hour or forty five minutes is all it takes and then its home for a cup of coffee and the newspapers before a shower and ready for work. It takes at least 45 minutes for me to reach the office and once there its checking the mail and attending to all pending issues.My personal SOP is that all mail and pending issues should be attended to within 24 hours. Then its getting feedback from the staff and continuing with the training of several new staff that I have. A quick lunch ( sometimes we can only have time to "ta pau" and eat in the office.In between there are meetings to attend to, students problems to attend to and also dealing with the University personnel and parents. My day ends at 4 or 430 after which its the long ride home.If there is no rain then its another 1 hour or so at the driving range to sweat it out a bit before home , a shower and dinner.After this its a couple of hours of TV and time with the grandchild and then its off to bed.So there is nary anytime wasted during the weekdays.Sundays means waking up at 5 am getting ready to meet the buddies for our regular Sunday golf which ends with a good shower and lunch and then its back home for some rest before the week ends.The day ends with shopping for the week's groceries which we take for the weekday breakfast. Though busy I feel productive and greatly thankful that I am able to do all these things at this age and none the worse for it.Its all in the mind actually and it takes some discipline and will power to be able to stick to this kind of routine especially waking up at 5am on Sundays but when you think of the challenge and the fun of a round of golf with good friends its worth it. At the end of the day , its actually what we make out of our life that makes it worth living.Rather than just sit down and wait for your time its much better to use the time that you have to good use and it feels good to know that you are still able to contribute and are still considered useful rather than a burden to others.

Chasing a dream

During my school days me and my best friend used to stand by the roadside and dreamed of the day when we could drive a convertible ( very much an "in" thing those days ) with hood open , pipe in hand and sun glasses with everyone looking at us.It has been decades since then and I have never owned a convertible but today that dream has vanished and there is not much to dream of . having gone through the various stages of life I think I am able to look back with a certain amount of pride and regrets.Pride in the sense that when I started life's journey I had nothing except perhaps a burning desire to make it in life and make my parents proud of me.Looking back today , materially I have perhaps got the things I dreamed of , a good wife, children, grand children and in laws.We have a little house , nothing lavish but its what we can call home.We dont owe any money and are quite comfortable.At this age our needs are very simple, a happy family and above all peace of mind.Many of my friends ask me " How can you , a government servant , put four children through university ?". I often wonder myself and perhaps we can rate this as our biggest achievement in life ..to be able to give each and everyone of our children one of the most important things in life..education.We have not been wrong in focusing on this and working hard to achieve this goal.looking at our children today we know we made the right decision. We have indeed come a long way in life and today there is little of the young man's dream left to chase except to stand aside and watch the children manage their lives and perhaps wish that they can achieve their dreams whatever they may be.To me a simple meal, my golf and spending time with the family are precious enough .We can take a step back and reflect of what we had gone through and muse on the things we did not realize.I wish that my parents can be around today so that they can enjoy a bit of what life can offer.I feel sad that my parents never had the chance to travel or fly in a plane. I think the furthest they went was by bus or by train. They did not have the chance to do so many things which we take for granted today.Yet never did I hear them complain , their whole life was centered on us the children and who can imagine the sacrifices they had to make for us , the children.Yes... I feel sad that we are unable to reward them or take care of them as they deserved, So life has its ups and downs and going through the cycle adds to one's experiences and surely makes one a better person.

A matter of pride

I cannot understand why some people keep on doing the same thing , things which displease others and despite being told never make an effort to improve. Pride ? Stubborn ? Inconsiderate ? or just dumb ? The test of the person's caliber is in how he manages his time and himself.Today's culture and practices are a far cry of that of the olden days>Dinner for example was a family affair and everybody has to be at the dining table when the family head sits down.Of course in today's lifestyle it may be difficult but maybe a bit of management and effort could make this happen.If its inevitable that you be late then you should realize that you are late and finish your food as quickly as possible.You should realize that the dishes need washing and cleaning and is it fair that you keep the home maker busy till late night ? This is where the consideration factor comes in and thinking more of others than yourself goes a long way. We should every now and then take a step back and take a good hard look at ourselves .What sort of a person am I ? Do I get into everybody's hair and if I do can I improve ?What are my strengths and weaknesses ? It is through this continuous self evaluation that we can improve. No one is perfect but there is a difference between the one who constantly strives for improvement and the dead wood who is oblivious to anything and makes no effort to improve at all.For example when I am driving and somebody tells me to slow down I would react and do so because of the simple fact that we are sensitive to others.Pride can make me ignore such advice, Inconsideration and the " cant be bothered attitude can also be reasons but the most annoying one is STUPIDITY which forms a mental block between what you should do and what you actually do > Too often we are so wrapped up in a certain habit that we simply refuse to make an effort to improve .If I am wasting time doing something and if I am being told about it the thing should at least be considered and if reasonably and effort should be made to improve.There are people who keep doing the same unacceptable thing year in and year out and you cant expect people like this to go far in life as they would never change .How can we define those people who would never make an effort to change even a little of their bad habits ? I have seen them being told off, their weakness pointed out and yet there is no change >How can be define such people ? As teachers we had come across students whom many gave up at hopeless but with encouragement, and care they showed improvement and were able to lift up their heads .It beats me how come there are people who do not seem to have the capacity to improve or just dont want to put in any effort to do so but as the saying goes " It takes all kinds of people ", the question is what kind of people do you want to be known as ? ...the go getter or the deadwood ?