A man's legacy

The passing away of LKY has brought along with it many tributes about his contribution to Singapore and family.Not withstanding this of course there are also critics who did not like his style of governance and what he tried to do for his country.That aside , I have not seen or read about people who criticized him as a person , a loving husband , father and grandfather.His legacy to his family , to me , should also take prominence. To the Chinese , leaving this world is inevitable but leaving behind something which will last for generations is something else.the Chinese believe that every man worth his salt will leave behind the home which he built for the children.The house is usually built through the sheer effort of the man without any help most of the time. It is the symbol of his achievements and the need to provide a roof over the heads of his family.The house represents all the efforts of the man and is something which he proudly leaves for his children and grandchildren. Sad to say , sometimes the children feel that the house which the man built is not good enough so as soon as he is gone they tear it down and destroy the vary fabric of the home.In the case of LKY its fortunate neither one of the parents is around so they cant see what will happen to the house which they both built being torn apart.Can you imagine how one partner will feel if he is around to see the children tearing down the house.They say the soul of the man will always come back to his house but what happens when he does so and finds a totally different house.Where is the respect for him? , where is the sentiment which should be attached to the house ? and where is the consideration for the feelings of the remaining spouse? I am sure that LKY's family will want to ensure that the house which their parents built and spent so much happy time will not be touched and I am quite sure , out of love and respect for their parents they will retain as much of the things in the house as possible.This is what the Chinese call filial piety and holding dear all that was precious to their parents. Yes, LKY's legacy is the values and principles which he lived by and its a learning eye opener for us all.Respect, filial piety , consideration for the feelings of the elders are age old values which must not be lost.I feel that what we should learn from LKY is not so much about the way of governance but how to be a true man and how despite being so busy he was able to run his family and impart the values and principles which one should live by.

New lifestyle

Since my sugar level went up I had been hospitalized, and give immediate treatment.But the treatment process is slow and hence the doctors advised strict control of my lifestyle which means first of all a complete change of habits.No sugar based food, exercise and of course discipline. To stay away from all the things which one wants to eat is not easy but with the right mind set its not that difficult.Just dont look at these types of food and you will be able to control.Eating the right food is not easy as if you want to avoid a less sugar diet , you will find that almost everything contains sugar and so its a matter of cutting down which means eat less of certain food .I have also been trying all types of traditional cures and getting opinions from those who are suffering from this illness.Drink coconut water, blend fruits and vegetables especially bitter gourd , go on vegetarian diet ...the opinions are varied and quite confusing.But if you are sick and if you want to return to normal your mind tells you to give everything a shot , which is what I am doing now. I assume the right formula will be found through trail and error and through a period of time. Looking back , the diabetic problem started when I had a craving for isotonic drinks and fruit juices which I consumed in quite big doses.The thirst was different and on top of that I could not sleep well at night as there were too many toilet breaks.This made me decide to go for a check up and when the doctor read my sugar level he said " Uncle , you should go to the hospital immediately".The way he said it scared me and so I went to the hospital and they immediately admitted me. I am now at the recovery period and must lead a life of discipline with no indulgence in food which to me is not a big issue as I dont eat much anyway.the only problem is with the controlled diet you are hungry all the time .This is something which I have to cope with I guess .Just hope that the sugar level will come down .

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.