A design thinker's personality profile. Do you have one?

I was reading Tim Brown's Blog when I came across the article he had written for HBR. In the article, titled 'Design Thinking', are his views on what constitute design thinking. In it, he wrote that many outside professional design have the natural aptitude for design thinking - black turtlenecks not being a requirement.

What caught my interest as I skimmed through the article was Brown's idea of the design thinker's personality profile. He lists down empathy, integrative thinking, optimism, experimentalism and collaboration as characteristics to look for in design thinkers. Design thinkers, based on this list, are people who can see the situation from multiple points of stakeholder views: from the client's, the developer's, the end users', the supplier's - and this helps to design a solution that is more desirable and relevant. Design thinkers also believe that no matter how challenging the situation is, there is a set of solutions that is better than the current alternatives. They also keep on experimenting, in order to continuously improve the proposed solutions. Finally, they go beyond working alongside multiple disciplines; they themselves have experience in more than one.

You can read the article here.

Ya, sure he's describing the IDEO designers, who come from all walks of life and represents the perspectives of sociology, psychology, physics, and more. What I like about this list is that it's true - one does not need to be formally-trained in design school to have a design approach in one's thinking. The design approach helps in many aspects of getting work done.

I'm beginning to feel weary, though. I feel that I am one of the few ones that keep on asking questions, experimenting, pushing for awareness of multiple perspectives, exploring possibilities and eliminating unusable options, that I'm just tired. I'm not saying I'm so bloody great at it. What I'm saying is that if more of us learn to think this way, collaboration would be fun and brainstorming would actually yield cool ideas. I think my unconscious mind is listening to my words and is programming my body to react thus. I've been fighting a severe ear infection and horrendous headaches for 3 weeks now - a possibility that my body is experiencing some sort of dis-ease. I'm frustrated and angry and I need to suppress those feelings because it doesn't do anyone any good if I lose it and just shout "just think, people - think!" and bring the team's morale up. I don't care anymore. I don't even care if the work gets done or not. I just don't care.

There. Finally I've admitted that to myself. What do I do next?

Been busy, yes. Been a little bit ill too.

But most importantly, have been working on my stuff for the KLue Urbanscapes 2009 @ KLPAC, under the KLickr group. Didn't go to the one last year, and this year's program looks smashing.

More updates coming up when I have them. In the meantime, check out the urbanscapes page at http://www.urbanscapes.com.my

See you there.

How to successfully organize a social networking event for ’single, busy professionals’

um…er…how to (un)successfully organize the above, rather. Here are 5 ways.

ONE

Announce and market the event to the correct target group i.e. single, busy, professionals, get their payment, and then do nothing to whet their interest after they pay. Don’t find out what they’d like to see in a social networking get-together. Don’t even think of calling them for a nice chat to find out if they’d be shy or hesitant to join any particular activity or ‘party games’ and get their ideas on what kind of fun activities they’d feel happy about. God forbid if you’re thinking of asking them about their experience with similar socials, especially if it’s getting them to tell you about their experience in one or two that they may have thought of as lovely, or executed nicely. What do these people know about social networking anyway? You’re the experts, aren’t you?

TWO

Once the people arrive at the event you organize, make sure you get their business cards and other contact information, point them to the bar to get their complimentary watered-down beer, and then LEAVE THEM TO MINGLE ABOUT BY THEMSELVES. Don’t introduce people to each other, don’t offer small facts that may be interesting e.g. “I’d like to introduce you to so-and-so, who’s also in the sports apparel industry,”. Don’t walk around among those sorry lot for ‘how-do-you-dos’; other people might think you’re one of them. Oh and for goodness’ sake don’t help them – especially the ones who really look like they’re painfully shy and just stands there by the corner, by himself or herself. Focus instead on sitting together with your fellow organizers, continue looking great and MAKE SURE you introduce your team as experts in organizing social networking events for single, busy professionals. They all know that they are losers anyway, these poor sods, that they’d even pay you GOOD money to meet other single, busy, professionals in a social setting.

THREE

If you have latecomers, especially people who arrive about one hour late than the planned time, because they were too busy to plan their work properly and leave the office earlier in order to meet your stipulated time, implement step TWO and be very pointed about them being late to YOUR event. MAKE SURE that you don’t have anyone on stand by at the front door or the restaurant entrance so that when these sorry sods arrive, they’d feel so embarrassed standing alone at the door, not sure where to go, that they’d learn their lesson and never be late again for YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKING event THAT THEY HAD PAID FOR EARLIER. The key here is to make them feel so unwelcome so that they’d remember to be on time next time.

FOUR

Halfway into the event, just as they begin to look rather comfortable (or less shy) with each other, intrrupt them to officially introduce yourself and your team, emphasizing again on your collective experience of running these shindigs. Then you hand out pencils and pieces of paper containing some senseless questions, incomplete sentences or empty boxes. Tell those sods that they need to go on a manic rush to get all answers or matches within a stipulated time (the shorter, the better. Try 45 seconds and cut it from there). Once this mad frenzy is finished, announce the ‘fastest’ and ’slowest’ networkers, applaud the one with the most completed answers and punish the slowest sod with some humilitating command. Get them to sing, say out a poem, gyrate their hips or something like that. The more embarrassing the task is, the better. It shows how much of an expert you are, because single, busy professionals are always the best group to embarrass, because they don’t have partners like the rest of us NORMAL people.

FIVE

Never ever ask for feedback. You never need to improve on perfection, do you? Besides, what would those busy, single, busy professionals know about meeting other people in a social setting anyway? YOU are the experts in this area, aren’t you?

Yeah. What Randy said.

Sometimes, borrowing other people's words help to explain more clearly what I mean. Today, I will borrow Dr Randy Pausch's words, from his book, The Last Lecture.

"The questions are always more important than the answers."

That's so true - because I believe the best answers are the ones that hits you between the eyes like a hockey puck although not as hazardous; stuff that you realise yourself. I tend to answer questions by asking questions, especially at work. I love to see the A-HA! moment when the realisation dawns on people's faces that they have found a great potential solution to their issue. The ownership is there, and after the eureka moment, there's a spring to their step as they go off to tackle their to-do-list monster.

There are also the people I work with who do not respond well to this approach. Then I will see their face redden a little while they furrow their eyebrows and roll their eyes. Stop being too pedantic, they tell me. Just give a straight answer, they say. When I can, I do. When I see a good opportunity to learn by teaching and exploring together, I'll go it my way.

"Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. You’ve got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work."

Many times I struggled with things because I didn't see the big picture. Didn't ask the question behind the question. Didn't have my own EUREKA! moment of the general idea before rushing off to plan activities and take actions. Remembering Randy's statement here calms me. I have renewed strength in my decisions that relate to this statement. Like not buying a DSLR within the next 60 days because I'm just having too much time learning the fundamentals on my Powershot SX100 point-and-shooter.

However, there are times when I confess I may have deliberated too much because of a skewed perception of what forms fundamentals. Sometimes I don't see the line between analysis paralysis and I then end up not doing the nike (read: just do it). I don't have many regrets, but there are at least 2 actions that I should have taken within the last 24 hours that would have put me on a different path than where I am right at this moment. But no. I mistakenly thought I was still in data-gathering mode that will end once I feel I have enough to grasp the fundamentals. I forgot that data-gathering mode is a continuous process in most cases. And now, I'll never know what could have been, and perhaps I never will.

"My colleague told me: "It took a long time, but I finally figured it out. When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it's really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do."

This one's funny. Funny weird and funny ha-ha. I just have one important thing to mention here. Based on what I've experienced, no matter how much their words appear to contradict their actions, they'll still find a way to tell you that they don't really mean what they did, it's what they say that matters. And no amount of crying will change that.

"When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you."

Can you give up on someone permanently, though?

"Find the best in everybody. Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you. It might even take years, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting."

I thought I could do that. I didn't realise the cost of waiting. Maybe someone should write about that.

"The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have and you may find one day that you have less than you think."

I know I said I'd wait. I didn't know that it's so easy to get comfortable with the routine and some would never come round to realising that what they're looking for is right there, in front of them. My bags are packed and I am ready to take off on the next part of the journey. If you don't feel that it's worth your time to take the initiative and just touch the sky with me, then so be it.

So be it.

Saudade, Vol 2

Based on A. F. G. Bell's book 'In Portugal', 1912 , one might make a strong analogy with nostalgia as a feeling one has for a loved one who has died and saudade as a feeling one has for a loved one who has disappeared or is simply currently absent. Like someone you love who went out for a walk along the beach and never came back; you long for every approaching shadow to prelude his or her return, I suppose.

Here's the idea that sparked my exploration into the difference and/or integration of nostalgia and saudade:

"From the beginning he'd consumed liquor only to get drunk. That was half of the equation. The other was the haunting sense that something fundamental to his happiness, his wholeness, been taken from him. When sober, he couldn't name it." [He remembers a trip to Lisbon with his first wife who is a fashion designer.] "...her buyer there...had taken the Parkers out for a night of fados. Fate songs. ... He asked the buyer what the lyrics meant, and the man explained , 'Saudade, my friend...the presence of absence.' "

SOURCE: "Cry Dance" (Kirk Mitchell)

Several days ago, a friend left a comment on this image on my flickr stream that said 'this is a powerful image'. I was curious to what that means - powerful in what way? To me, this image strikes at my core. I still feel like I'm been punched in the center of my chest whenever I look at this photo. But, almost like a glutton for punishment, I return to it repeatedly. Rather like getting injured in kickboxing practice to feel the external aches that match the agony of the internal lacerations.

This image describes the presence of absence that is inside my heart; the moment just before a tear breaks away from my eyelashes and drops onto my cheek; my memories of conflicts caused by past decisions that were taken purely out of urgent necessity.

I'm beginning to realize that this image does not only represents anguish, it also represents hope and growth.

Growth? Like roots to the trees, providing a base and nourishing nutrients: I'm reminded that I am responsible to continue living and learning. My own snapshot of the priceless value of BEING the change that I want to see in the world.

Hope? Like looking forward to the brilliant blue sky that will take over once the rain clouds are gone: perhaps the same being that feels and even inflicts pain (no matter how unintentional) can also brighten up and create joy in their own little corner of the world.

It's about how much we all need to continue fighting the good fight. We all need to be who we are (even if we're described as not soft-spoken and demure), be aware of who we want to be (maybe NOT demure *LOL*) and balance the exploration of these two paths in order to get the best combination of traits that'll help us on the journey to be a good human being.

It's about soldiering on, no matter how tough things may seem, and how bleak the situation looks. It's a reminder to me, first and foremost. It's about aiming for something and going for it, while at the same time accepting the idea that if it's not yours, it could be because someone else needs it more, or you're destined for something else; having faith that every step takes you closer to where you want to (and need to) go.

To me, that's what this image is all about. What does it mean to you?

*the photo's on my flickr stream, http://flickr.com/photos/fazk

Mixed feelings about yoga? WHAT mixed feelings?

Mixed feelings on yoga

- by Lester Kong

PETALING JAYA: Not only Muslims have reservations on practising yoga, some Christian groups also have mixed feelings about it due to its ties to Hinduism. While some Christian groups say it was wrong to practise yoga as it belonged to a different religion, others say they saw nothing wrong as long as the participants do not deviate from their beliefs.The Malaysian Council of Churches general secretary, Rev Dr Herman Shastri, said different churches hold different opinions on the practice of yoga.

“In modern society, many young people are interested in health and well-being of mind and body.“Some churches said it belonged to a different religion so Christians should not do it,” he said, adding that many churches held spiritual retreats that were opened to non-believers, featuring meditation to alleviate stress and help people seek spiritual comfort.Another source said the issue was problematic as the council did not have a uniform stance on it.He said other church groups consider yoga to be a healthy exercise if done only for physical reasons.“But generally, for Christians, if they do not offer prayers to other Gods while practising yoga, I think it should be fine,” he said.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam president Datuk A. Vaithilingam said yoga had long been an accepted form of exercise in many countries regardless of religion and culture.“Yoga practitioners can just leave out the religion and do the exercise. It‘s entirely up to the individual,” he said, adding that there were no restrictions that yoga practitioners had to be Hindus.

The Malaysian Muslim Solidarity Movement also said there was nothing wrong with Muslims practising yoga as an exercise.“It is just an exercise for health and brings peace of mind. Nothing more than that. It has never been averse to the Islamic faith,” said its president Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad, adding that there were no objections on yoga by ulamas around the world.“This new fatwa is not healthy and yoga is a very subjective and debatable issue,” Zulkifli added.

Yoga is a form of exercise called Asana and was one of the most ancient physical and mental disciplines originating from India some 5,000 years ago. The Islamic Development Department had said on Wednesday that the National Fatwa Council is expected to make a ruling to ban Muslims from practising yoga.

Read the article from The Star Online http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/31/nation/2418579&sec=nation

***********

Well, I never.

The benefits of yoga and pilates are many. Just check out abc-of-yoga article here for a simple list. Physiological benefits include improvements in dexterity skills, sleep, muscle tone, balance and posture. I also feel good after a good yoga class. It can help to imrove one's mood, increase one's awareness of self and surroundings. When you're feeling at peace with yourself and the world, it's a bit tough to walk around with a scowl on your face and anger in your belly. Trust me.

So what do we have now? A potential ban for muslims to practice yoga? WTF. Are our guideline committees so free and have nothing major or more impactful to look into that they're resorting to touching everything?

I'm feeling rather rattled by this news, not so much of the announcement per se, but by the potential direction this vehicle is going. Am I looking at a picture of the tail wagging the dog here? What are they trying to distract us from?

In the meantime, it's still a free country, and I will still go to my yoga class. Maybe the council members should look into their own faith in the holistic view of THEIR own organized religion first instead of going around like headless turkeys, gobbling away. Is their own faith so flimsy that a simple yoga class will make them 'walk to the dark side'?

Hm.

How to go beyond 'Customer is always right'?

A friend of mine just quit her job. She was working in the consulting field like me also, and I know from mutual friends that she has been doing a good job at making her clients happy with all the deliverables she was responsible for. What I remember most from the last time we met were two things: one, the deepening furrow in the middle of her forehead that had not been there before. Two, her frustration with her clients’ demands. The poor thing would go on and on, ending every vignette with a resigned sigh, “what to do, the customer is always right,” in her soft, sing-song voice.

Naomi Karten, author of books on managing SLAs (service level agreements), managing expectations and closing communication gaps, mentioned a list that made sense to me in her article, What do Customers Want Anyway? on her website. When she asked participants to her seminars, they told her that when they are customers, they want:

1 to be taken seriously
2 competent, efficient service
3 anticipation of their needs
4 to be kept informed
5 explanations on their terms
6 follow-through
7 basic courtesies
8 honesty
9 to be informed of the options
10 feedback
11 not to be passed around
12 professional services
13 to be listened to (and heard)
14 empathy
15 dedicated attention
16 respect
17 knowledgeable help
18 friendliness

Read the full article at http://www.nkarten.com/mce.html#WHAT to find out more. I visit her website because after so many hours of Newsweek-, John Naisbitt-, Fortune-style of reporting, it’s a relief for me to read things in simple terms (remember list item #5?).

For many of us, we put on our own ‘I’m a customer now’ hat in order to feel for our customers and get in their shoes. My friend took it to the extreme! Wearing her ‘customer is always right’ cape, she let her clients’ issues and constraints limit her own thoughts and ideas. She contradicted herself; went against her own values. In the end, she got too overwhelmed and frustrated when things never moved the way they should have.

She asked me how I got through MY days. I told her that I quit the ‘customer is always right’ maxim a couple of years back. There are just times when all the thinking and feeling hats in the world will not help me get into the shoes of come of the characters I talk to. Honestly. No friggin’ way. When wearing that blasted hat didn’t work for me anymore, I decided to kill the frustration by looking at the situation from new eyes. I realised that whenever I decided to do the best I could with what I had, and do my best to go the extra mile when I could, a heavy load rolled off my shoulders. So I started going with that outlook more consciously. Things started to change. We started to understand each other better. I see my customers as more collaborative; they see ME as more collaborative. This view also influenced how I treat my colleagues and bosses, because they are all part of my work. The most important thing for me is, this point of view influences my behaviour in the way that I don’t have to tell my clients or my bosses that I have their best interests at heart. I don’t need to say it when I already behave it.

It worked for me – maybe it can work for some other people too. Try it – replace ‘the customer is always right’ with ‘I’ll do the best I can with what I have, and I’ll do my best to go the extra mile’. Think it now. Picture that in your mind now take note if your body feels any different. You’ve got to mean it though. Really mean it. And then, go back to the list of the 18 things customers say they want. If you’re more open and relaxed about those items, you’re off to a good start.

Good luck!

Clamping Queen (Kasi clamp sama dia)

You can park, you can try, having the steal of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the clamping queen

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for a bay to poach
When the guards are not looking, got your drive-thru card
You'd think you've got a great start

Any bay could contain your car
Night is young, looks all right so far
With a bit of stupidity, everything looks fine -
"Maybe the owner's out for the night,"
You think you've got a chance!

But she is the clamping queen, young and strict, only thirty-six
Clamping queen, hear the beat from the clamp machine, oh yeah...
You can park, you can try, having the steal of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the clamping queen

You'd think that you've got it made
Park your car and go on your date
Not leaving your number on your windowscreen
You've got to be insane
And when she's home you'll see...

That she is the clamping queen, young and sweet, only thirty-six
Clamping queen, see her chums, the security - oh yeah -
You can park, you can try, having the steal of your life
Ooh - pay that fee, watch that grin, dig in the clamping queen...

OK, ok - I surrender :-)

Last year, I wrote a post on how I thought TV advertisements were overloading on the 'tug-the-heartstrings' elements. I truly felt disenchanted and too cynical about it all. Sentimentality overload, surely. This year, the clip on how Aiman Gyver grew up into a respectful young man who brought back a power bike for his dad made me feel differently about Merdeka adverts.

I am reminded of these lessons from watching the video: innovation rules, for sure. At the same time, a culture of hard work and gentle reminders in bringing up children keeps our feet on the ground while we're reaching for the stars (didn't Casey Kasem end every American Top 40 weekly episode with that phrase?). This culture helps to nurture brilliant youngsters who'll grow up to be creative inventors and successful professionals who are still humble and practice good manners.

So, I now surrender myself to the heartwarming effects of the campaign video :-)

Oh Charlie!

I was feeling dreary. It's so sunny outside I had to bite my own fist to stop myself from getting into the car and running AWOL to enjoy a bit of lie-down by the condo pool. Then a good friend, Johnny, suggested I go read some Charlie Brooker.

"Thank God for dishonesty. I can't have been the only Briton to shift awkwardly in their seat throughout the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic games the other week. The Chinese mounted an unprecedented spectacle. Thousands of synchronised drummers, acrobats, fireworks, impossible floating rings made of electric dust (surely alien technology, that), dancers, prancers, singers and flingers. Maybe not flingers. I just threw that in to complete the rhyme. But you get the picture. It was amazing. It cost around £50m and was probably rehearsed at the shooty end of a machine gun. Dance, beloved populace! Miss three steps and we take out your kneecaps. Miss five and we go for the head. Dance till your homeland is the envy of the world! Stop weeping and dance!"

Read the full article here: Thanks to China, we have a blueprint for 2012 - virtual athletes and exciting made-up CGI sports.

I am now both enlightened AND entertained. Thanks Jay!

Do judge a bookstore by its services

Today marks the 3rd month anniversary of the special order that I made for Coelho's Eleven Minutes, from a certain bookstore that boasts its extensive collection, store size and its quality, with plans 'to take the book industry to greater heights.'

Hmph. Greater heights, konon.

Funny there is no mention about any commitment to offering help to customers. The only time the word 'service' appeared was in the franchiser company name.

That probably should have been my warning flag. A bookseller who appears to pay no attention to customer service sounds like an owner of an orchard who boasts about how large the land is and how the fertilizers he uses will take fruit orchards to the next level and fails to mention that he has no fruit trees planted there.

OK maybe I exaggerate. And digress.

Living next to the said bookstore provided me with the ample opportunity to make frequent visits there. In one of my visits 2 weeks ago I found out that my book has left the ship and arrived at the warehouse (somewhere is Port Klang I reckon, and not in Poughkeepsie, NY). Last week I asked the people in charge of special orders about the status of my book. Here's the reply:

"I don't know, miss. I have to check with the Ingram (as I heard it, and I found out later this entity is their warehouse) on the status of your book. I don't know about this because this was from the person before me" (who has quit already, apparently - maybe went to join the ingram)

I received a call from this person a day later. Here's what she told me:

"I checked with the Ingram, and they don't know what happened to your book. They lost it. All the other orders on the same day also gone."

Now that's interesting. It sounds to me like someone carried a bunch of books tied up in string from a ship down into the warehouse and told someone in the building, "hey, dude - I'm just gonna put this bunch of stuff here on the floor OK?" and left, walked off into the smoggy afternoon. The blinking 'Ingram' didn't know what happened to my book and the other books from the May 16 order batch.

I asked: "Did the book arrive or not?"
Answer: "I don't know Miss"
I asked: "What happened to the manifest? Someone signed for the cargo when it arrived, right?"
Answer: "I don't know, Miss. That's not our responsibility"

MISTAKE NUMBER ONE. IT IS YOUR BLEEDIN' RESPONSIBILITY. LIVE WITH IT.

I asked: "What do I do now? I want my book. What options do you have for me?"
Answer: "Do you want your money back, Miss?"

MISTAKE NUMBER TWO. This may seem like a logical answer to give; however, take note that this particular customer kept on dropping by regularly at the Information counter to ask for the status of her special order since the 5th week of placing it. Would that be the act of a customer who doesn't care whether her order arrives? I reckon not, Bubba. IDEAL ANSWER: I'm sorry to see you upset, Miss. I understand how sad it is when something you're waiting for doesn't arrive on time. I can place a re-order right now, and I'm sure my supervisor will be able to help out with something to compensate you with.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED -
I asked: Can you put in a re-order?
Answer: Yes.
I asked. Can you re-order right away?
Answer: I have to check with my supervisor first, Miss, cos right now he's busy with the sale at the concourse.
I asked: So you can't help me with this right away.
Answer: I can record if you want your money back.

I can't help it. I exploded.

"Do I look like someone who wants her money back or do I look like someone who wants her book and wants it NOW???"

Grrr grrr.

It's not about the bad news, Bubba. It's about HOW it was delivered. Let's go back to shooting the messenger. Maybe then we'll all care about how we deliver the news we need to deliver.

-Maybe King Leonidas had the right idea there, Bubba.

Image courtesy of '300' promotional photos

Raising the bar; an experience

Once upon a time, there was an all girls boarding school. Almost every girl (and their mothers) dreamed about completing their secondary school education there. It was the school for the creme-de-la-creme, they were told, and it would be such an honor to be an alum of that great institution.

It was 1988 when it happened. The announcement came as a shock to all the fair students there. A batch of girls would join the fourth formers. They were the best students from selected schools. Those 'form four barus' will make up 2 new classes. The 'form four lamas' were incensed. How could this be happening? What will happen to tradition? We waited 3 years, slogged through forms 1, 2 and 3 to become seniors in college and enjoy the privileges of being seniors, to be greeted with this abomination? What will happen to the quality of the thoroughbreds? When we design our sweaters to mark our arrival at the landmark year of Form 5, are we going to have 2 different designs to accommodate the form four barus? What's the purpose of bringing them in? Tradition will be ruined!

When the girls came in, the school organized a camping weekend on the college field (where else could we go anyway) to INTEGRATE the form four lamas and the form four barus. The form four lamas were more incensed! As the term went into full swing, the form four lamas were forced to eat humble pie. The form four barus gave a new definition to the word 'excellence' and 'all-rounder'. They easily made up the top 10% in all tests & term exams. Teachers loved them. Coaches wanted them in all the sports teams. Positions that many form four lamas thought they would inherit (club presidency, team captaincy) went to some of the form four barus. The juniors held many of them in high regard. They were considered role models.

It took a while, then the form four lamas realized that the situation was not going to change. They had better buck up or else they would forever stay at the level of mediocrity that they had mistakenly thought were their 'level best'. They made friends with the form four barus. They saw that the entry of their new friends helped to raise the bar. Standards got higher. As the weeks turned into months, the distinction of old and new was gone. The fourth formers worked together in inter-form drama competitions, inter-house dancing competitions, inter-school debates, sports and games, marching band practices and PPM debates. As the fourth formers became fifth formers, they integrated. They even bonded, somewhat. As they bid farewell to the college on their last days of the fifth form, they all felt sentimental and sad to to leave the venerable institution. They have learned to see the bigger picture; it was not about THEM - it was about THE COLLEGE.

Having learned what I had in those valuable 2 years of 1988-1989, I am sad to read of students protesting and handing over memorandums to force apologies out of the Selangor MB for announcing the possibility of opening up 10% of UiTM to non-Bumiputeras. Their bone of contention? Among others, it would deprive 10% of Bumiputera students of the opportunity to pursue higher education in UiTM. My goodness. Such flimsy arguments! Move on or stay mediocre.

Please.

My Nipah Bay alternative

It was Sunday afternoon. I was recovering from a flu bug. I was not cheered up at the prospect of a 2-hour LDF class in FF Menara Axis. I felt restless and rather oddly depressed, which was pretty rare for me. I had planned to be in Pangkor that weekend, but I canceled the plan due to the bug. After a quick consultation with Chris, we got in the car and started driving. We ended up in PD, and I had a lovely afternoon there.  

Sometimes, all you need to do is just get in the car and drive.

Nipah Bay, my new hometown

Provided by Pulau Pangkor.com 2004-2008

When one needs to recuperate, it's always best to do so in a relaxing place. For me, it's Pangkor Island. Not only I love the island, the journey itself is something to look forward to. Whether on the highway or the upgraded trunk road where we pass by Sekinchan, the rice bowl of Selangor, there's always something for us to see and enjoy. This time, I'll make sure to have my Telfast tablets on the ready, just in case my histamine levels decide to play 'polis sentry' and run out of whack. Chris & I will also grab our motorbike (AND helmets - yes, mum) at the jetty as soon as we arrive to eliminate the need for taxis. Since we've toured Lumut on our last Pangkor trip, we'll give Lumut a miss.

I'd like to visit the Dutch Fort this round. I'm not sure if I'm up to hike through the forest to get to the white sands of Segadas Bay. I'll keep quiet about it for the time being, lest Chris gets one of his brilliant 'let's go hiking' ideas.





I'd also like to check out another historical site: the Foo Lin Kong temple. I've always been a fan of
buildings and I must admit, the Bedrock-style entrance caught my eye. That and the miniature Great Wall of China that they've got there. I miss that part of Beijing since I am no longer traveling on a regular basis to that city. The temple's on the foot of Pangkor Hill on the village of Sungai Pinang Besar. This would be a cool thing to do before going back to Nipah Bay and walking along the beach stalls scouting for ice kacang & laksa utara.

After that, the best thing to do would be to walk along Pasir Bogak Beach and see how different the sunset looks, a few kilometers north of Nipah Bay. I'd recap the day with a relaxing supper at Daddy's Cafe back on Nipah Beach. I'll sip my tea, Chris his Tiger, while we both listen to the waves.

Parts, integrated? For sure.

2008: the year of mortality?

I just saw that I have 4 farewell posts for this year alone. I finally said farewell properly to my gram and I also wrote about the deaths of Chris's mum, Tan Sri Eric Chia and Prof Randy Pausch. I felt a little bit sad and I thought I'd ring my friend, Dr. Ng, to say hi. He was at his desk and we had a quick chat regarding our mixed feelings on 2008. He didn't sound too hot either; usually he'd be very happy to hear from me. One thing for sure though: he's still alive, and as per his reminder to me, so am I. The living must continue to live. That thought brought my first real smile to my face today. I must admit, waking up thinking that I NEED to be at my desk by 8:30am every weekday morning or else I have to sms the big boss does not make me jump out of bed in delight. I suppose I'm just not too happy with the fact that being at my desk at 8:30am does NOT guarantee that I leave at 6:00pm on the dot.

Wait a second - of course it does. With proper planning, I can make it happen. Now this is getting interesting.

I feel a bit more cheerful now. I'm not yet too thrilled about giving up my Friday to finish my work in the office. I used to have the option of working off site for Fridays. It was a different kind of freedom knowing that I had created that time-off option for myself for the last 6 months. In fact, my employer still owes me 2 Fridays. I'll send in my time sheets and plan for those days.

I'm dreaming of the seaside again. I'm going back to Bangkok next February, God-willing. Until I can plan a quick beach weekend, there's always Ramesh's beach birthday party in Attic this weekend, and there are always my flickr Pangkor photos and my post on the lovely weekend.

In the meantime, here are my toes in the sand. Nipah Bay, I will return.

Randy Pausch dies

-Randy Pausch Inspired Millions-

Randy Pausch, the professor at Carnegie Mellon University who inspired countless students in the classroom and others worldwide through his highly acclaimed last lecture, has died of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

Also a Carnegie Mellon alumnus, Pausch co-founded the Entertainment Technology Center and led researchers who created Alice, a revolutionary way to teach computer programming. He was widely respected in academic circles for a unique interdisciplinary approach, bringing together artists, dramatists and designers to break new ground by working in collaboration with computer scientists.

Outside the classroom, he gained public fame for delivering what would come to be known as "The Last Lecture." On Sept. 18, 2007, only a month after doctors told him that he had three-to-six months to live following a recurrence of pancreatic cancer, he presented a lecture called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" to a packed auditorium at Carnegie Mellon.

The moving and often humorous talk recounted his efforts to achieve such childhood dreams as becoming a professional football player, experiencing zero gravity and developing Disney World attractions. In the process, he shared his insights on finding the good in other people, working hard to overcome obstacles and living generously.

Read the rest of the article on Carnegie Mellon homepage stories HERE.


I have the book. I remember almost leaving it at the cashier counter when the staff there mentioned that her friend had told her 'people were saying it was like the new kind of The Secret," because I figured I didn't need another one of those 'attract it and it will come' manuals.

I got to reading it after a few weeks. The feeling was like sitting with your friend who had just being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and he's telling you all this stuff while you sit together on deck chairs, looking out to the sunset or sunrise or something like that. What I remember most is how he gave new life to the cliche 'running into the the brick wall. He said, "The brick walls are there for a reason. Right? The brick walls are not there to keep us out, the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough," Think about that. How many brick walls have we faced? What did we do when we run into one? How many times have WE become brick walls ourselves?

Right now, my heart aches. Not so much because of reading the sad news, but strangely enough, there's an ache in my chest when I realize that the deaths of people not related to me have moved me more than the loss of my own family members. I dare not imagine the reason why. In the meantime, I will finish reading the Last Lecture tonight. There's only a little bit more to go.

Goodbye, Dr. Pausch. May flights of angels sing you to your rest.

I kinda like Mondays...

Good routines are comforting. For me, after work on Mondays, I have a quick workout at the gym. After that, it's Bones on NTV7 and NCIS on 8TV. Love the Bones fansite. Click here to check it out. Both series offer me eye candy - David Boreanaz in Bones and Mark Harmon + Michael Weatherly in NCIS. If Special Agent Tony DiNozzo looks familiar to you, it's probably because you've seen him in James Cameron's Dark Angel, where Weatherly played Logan to Jessica Alba's main character

As for NCIS, check out the TV.com page here. It's got episode recaps, reviews and information on the cast too.

Good writing, interesting backstory about the characters that don't detract from the plot; I look forward to my Monday evenings.

What the.....?

Did my eyes trick me? I had to read and re-read the whole story to be sure.

Cops vs cops in Gemas station - Sarban Singh (The Star, Fri 11 July 2008)

GEMAS: A policeman has lodged a report against all his colleagues including his superiors allegedly over dissatisfaction on how the monthly bribes from those operating illegal activities was being distributed.

In retaliation, one of his superiors, a sergeant, lodged another police report against the policeman, a lance corporal, for allegedly selling station property to scrap dealers.

A source said the lance corporal, in his 40s, was dissatisfied with his superiors for allegedly taking the lion’s share of the bribes while the rank and file received very little.

“In fact, the complainant claimed that he did not get a sen,” the source said.

The report was lodged earlier this week.

The sergeant, in an apparent tit-for-tat, lodged another report against the lance corporal alleging that he had sold some old wooden and iron furniture from the police station to a dealer.

“His colleagues even know where the dealer is operating from,” the source said.

Read more here

I'm not sure which one is the more worrying thing - the fact that the cops are still taking bribes or that taking bribes is so embedded in the their culture that they use the system to lodge a report on the unfairness of how the monthly bribes were being distributed!

What will be reported next? Dissatisfaction of how "territories are being allocated" and how this "impacts the incoming flow of income from protection fees?"

Oh my goodness.

One man army down

Wednesday June 25, 2008

Eric Chia dies of heart attack

By V. CHANDRASEKARAN

SUNGAI PETANI: Former Perwaja Steel managing director Tan Sri Eric Chia Eng Hock died of a heart attack at his Park Avenue Hotel yesterday. He was 74.

A maid called for help after Chia failed to respond when she tried to wake him up at 9am.

The hotel's panel doctor confirmed that the tycoon had died of a heart attack.

**************
Read more from The Star http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/25/nation/21651121&sec=nation


I was in the middle of writing Module 2 when I saw this news online yesterday afternoon. In June 2007, he was acquitted in the KL Sessions Court of committing criminal breach of trust 14 years ago. I was struck by his statement when the acquittal was announced. He told the press that the vindication came too late. He had already lost his family and was estranged from his children because the shame of the court case.

When I was a junior in UUM, I was part of the educational trip planned by the Management Executive Club (MEC). One of our stops was Perwaja Steel in my hometown state of Terengganu. We aimed to see the Big Kahuna of course, but we had been told earlier that regretfully, he would not be able to join us due to schedule conflict. We were welcomed warmly by senior managers of Perwaja Steel, who briefed us on the company and on their work. When I asked those 2 gentlemen about their experience working with the Tan Sri, their faces took on a different expression, like someone talking about their favorite uncle. They told me how he not only cared about the employees, but also about their families. They told me about the housing complex, the working and living environment, and how he accepted everyone the way there are. Race difference? WHAT race difference? All work for the same company, nationals of the same country, yes? Yes.

Then came the surprise. The Big Kahuna arrived! The helicopter landed and he joined us. Were we awed? You bet your bottom Ringgit we were. I watched the senior managers' faces, plus a few junior managers that walked in to join the session - they all looked relaxed, pleased to see their big boss. Quite different from the look of a boot-licker, I had noted. He welcomed us warmly and ushered us to our tea and kuih. Some wisecracking senior from our team pointed out to the Tan Sri that we also had a Terengganu-an in our midst (that would be me, of course) and the Tan Sri asked me their names and what my parents did. I told him they worked in KT general hospital. He then joked that he needed medication for his sore throat. I replied, perhaps out of nervousness until I forgot to put a clamp on my mouth - "Just go look for my parents in the GH and tell them I sent you. They'll help you right away!" Yep - I was indeed amusing in my youth.

Privately, I had asked him for advice. What would work best for us when we jump into the dog-eat-dog world after graduation? He looked at me and told me this: "My dear, you need to care about the people who work with you and care about your work. Just care." Noticing how we could chat easily, the same wise-cracking senior labeled me "anak angkat Eric Chia" until long after we returned from that trip. I didn't mind.

Regardless of what he was accused of, I choose to remember the late Tan Sri Eric Chia's warm, booming laugh. A happy man who loved his work and cared about the people who worked with him.

Farewell, sir.

Are we ready for each other?

I never thought the honeymoon period would ever end.
I always thought that whatever happens, I'll be able to cope.
I always thought that I'd never need to even THINK of adjusting to any change,
because whatever the change may be, I'd be able to absorb it painlessly.

Was I wrong!

The announcement came and my ears and eyes are still ringing from it.

2.70 Malaysian Ringgit per liter. Even my SLK would feel that hit.

I'm ready for the public transport. I've always unconsciously placed myself in rather strategic locations to be able to choose that mode of transportation. I'd walk out of my apartment gate, hop on the feeder bus of choice, and go. Either to an LRT station, or to another stop along the bus' route. Or I'd park my SLK at the park n ride LRT station and hop on the train with my touch n go card forever at the ready.

However, is the public transport ready for me? And the possible influx of commuters that could show their faces from tomorrow onwards?

Will the park n ride car park bays be enough for us?
or will we be faced with the operators shaking their heads and hands, with no answers to our frustrated question of "WHERE DO I PARK THE FRIGGIN CAR, THEN??"

Will the feeder buses be in excellent running condition?
or will we spend a good portion of the ride waiting by the side of road, covered in dust and grime, next to a bus that has the engine flap up, listening to the driver tell us about the 'engine being from Germany and no one knows how to fix it'? That was their stock answer a few years ago, just replace 'German engine' with 'German gear box'. Has anyone peeked at any of the bus depots? Looks like a graveyard for dinosaurs, nestled amongst kelapa sawit trees.

Will the bus pilots be fresh n timely fed n watered?
or will we continue to spend a good part of the bus rides waiting in the bus while he trots off to tapau his breakfast / lunch/ dinner / supper? Ya I know they gotta eat too, so dont diss me with the indignant remarks of me being human-rights unfriendly.

I'm ready for the public transport system.

ARE THEY READY FOR ME???

They'd better be.