A lesson or two...

I have always enjoyed watching TV reality shows and when the re-run of Hell's Kitchen UK made its re-run, I find it really enjoyable. You see, I didn't get to see the earlier episodes and so, I was looking forward for the early episode. Well, it indeed lived up to the title of the show! Hot,hot,hot, indeed! The good part is that there is no swearing unlike the show anchored by Gordon Ramsay but there is certainly blistering temper and volatility shown by reknown chef, Marco Pierre White. BTW, this is Season 3 show way back in 2007 and it certainly not too bad of a show. The cuisines were classic dishes and signature dishes of Marco Pierre White. He is definitely very fiery, sharp, focused but at the same time helpful. Call it arrogance or even pride, but he's very professional. He certainly lived up to his billing as a 3 Michelin stars chef which is a great tribute to him. This time, he works with celebrites and it was fun seeing the celebs practically enduring the hardship of running and serving good & qualities meals to the paying customers. Many times, our chefs forgets that we are the paying customers. Anyway, I am most impressed by Marco's leadership qualities. Yes, he is loud and sharp while offending him immediately spells "clear their table and no food for them" treatment. That's the message he sends - I give you the best , you enjoy it and don't complain!
I guess, I learned a thing a two when I see how he helped and handled the celebs during their amateurish effort in feeding the restaurant customers. That's leadership quality that we lacked in our society today. Yes, he has his cooking reputation at stake but what I like most is when he told them that he appreciates their respect and hopes that they would get their job done and he would helped them out. That's faith in action! He really did helped them out and get good food out to the customers. It is about getting the job done with your team! It is never an individual effort but a collective team effort. Yes, he is seen as a harsh and hard chef but he is always there to lend a helping hand. I think, that's very applicable. He is not afraid to eject people out of his restaurant especially those who has inflated egos and not appreciative of good cuisine while he also defends his team of cooks. That is what is important. Hanging out and standing by your chefs and cooks no matter what. Some may say that he's mad to do that but I think, he did right and just. I am sure the chefs will appreciate that , will learn from their mistakes and worked much harder. I can relate that when I see him doing what he does. Afterall, we all have a job to do. Let's do it well and good. But at the same time , we also need good leader to spearhead the team. A supportive, helpful but no nonsense leader is important while we do not need figureheads who talks and does nothing to help. The worst part is that these leaders pretend to look important and feel important while the team members suffer in silence and gets disorientated. Sounds familiar? Well, I leave it to your imagination.

I leave you with this inspiration from Marco Pierre White : - " I might be the harshest person they have ever met but I've got a heart just as big. It's about picking people up off the floor and inspiring them to want to carry on until the end!"

Ills of life...

Sometimes I often wonder what words can I offer to a friend whose family life lies deep in financial ruins and staring at hopelessness. It would not be easy to offer words of solace be it to a Christian or a non-Christian, that's for sure. I was faced with that dilemma today. More often than not, we would always be able to offer some words of comfort by the grace of God!
I have seen how the joy of life being practically yanked out of your life when you owe so much through credit cards, personal loans, housing loans and even car loans. What I am particularly targeting to hit out is the credit cards outstanding. It is easier to say to someone, "Try settling the credit card debts" than actually settling it when you do not have the money in hand. Take it from me, I have been through that road before. Though I do not own 5 to 10 credit cards, in fact, I do not own any credit card today regardless of what people say on the need for plastic money, I know what horrific nightmare one goes through when faced with outstanding balances. To me, I have overcometh it. It is a financial freedom and that's my purpose of my writing this article. It is so much easier to say than actually doing it. I know a lot of people are trapped in this fantasy world of plastic money. I have only this to say to you : You'll never be able to get rid of this debt unless you are discipline, take stock of your financial situation and someone is ever willing to help you out by drawing out a plan for you. I am not talking of free handouts but real conscientious effort to clear the debts. I remembered the debts days very well. From petrol to groceries to indulgences....this brought about to financial breakdowns as you only pay the minimum requirement and you'll continue to chalk up more interest that seemed so small at first but turned into a monster you cannot control later on. Everyone has this simple idea that it is a small amount and I can pay it later! So, you get arrogant, cocky, pompous and eventually stupid at the same time. How ironic that arrogance & stupidity works hand-in-hand! Yup, call me a stupid idiot or pumpernickel jackass but that's the honest truth about credit card users mentality. Cut the fat on phrase like "I am discipline enough on such matters". Take a good look at your credit card statements - they don't lie. That the ugly truth right there! Cut the bloody credit card and start living right! It's a lie when you say that it is important during emergencies, conveniences and so on. Don't lie to yourself - every purchase made is an emergency and "just once" thingy! That how the bill came to that amount in the first place and then you sheepishly say, " I don't remember spending that much, yunno!" dumb look! Yeah! I've been through all the excuses when it comes to credit cards spending! Unless you can take stock of your spending, go ahead and have a credit card. If not, then please stay away from it. It is not a status thingy or it feels good to have your signature on the credit slip thingy either! Forget about those free presents too! Those things will haunt you in your later days! Make an effort to cut your credit card into two or more pieces and start realising the need to settle outstanding balance and saving.

The other thing I want to hit out is to the illegal 4D rings, legal/illegal football betting or for that matter every form of betting. My God! Families are really ruined because of this obsession. It is not made easier by that fact that the Chinese people are themselves the culprits and the victim themselves. This mindset of "quick & easy money " would have to be eradicated from our minds as quickly as possible. Everyone knows that this betting rings are run by hoodlums of the society. I am short of calling them names but I have repented since! Yes, we can always pick the blame on the offenders for their greed and so on but what if there is no avenue for betting to take place. Then we would not have been in such a situation in the first place, right? These operators argued that they provide service and an opportunity of a life time for a chance .....yeah, service to bring people to their grave is more like it! Time and time again, people just fall on their faces because of their greed. Today, it seemed greed had indeed overtaken one friend of mine. The debt is such a mounting task that one of the spouse would be hibernating for a few years. Families are torn apart while one of the parents goes hiding for a while. What do we say to our children? What do we say to ourselves? Why a happy family is torn apart because of this? It is a tremendous strain for either parents to raise up children in our society today. So, please stay off the bookies and stay off betting! Trust me! It is an addiction. The phrase " easy come easy go" is very relevant today. There is no other joy than working hard for your hard earned money. Don't be misled by the lure of easy money and easy wealth. There is none found in this wicked world of ours today. Easy money often leads to easier destruction of your life. Stay clear on your objectives/principles of life and know that hard work often pays off much better than easy money.

Today, I can only offer words of comfort and prayers for this particular friend of mine. I know that it is really a daunting task to clear their debts but with God's grace and hardwork, I do hope they will get through this storm! My fervent prayers are with you always! Do the right thing and make the right choices in life!

Confusing....

I was out doing my work and getting some things done when I received a call from one of my colleagues that his car was stolen from Tesco hypermart. My first impression was that he must be joking indeed! But his fears are indeed comfounded. He actually parked his car at the alloted parking spot which was about 20 feet away from the main entrance. When I arrived there to help him out I noted that the security team of Tesco hypermart was no help at all. There wasn't any inch of professionalism on their part in handling such a matter. Simple task like getting someone to attend to my colleague's predicament was brushed aside by lackadaisical attitude from the Customer Service representatives and also the security team. The least they could have done was calm my colleague down while helping him out by getting the neccesary filing of internal reports to be done. It was after quite some time that these things are atttended to. I am really appalled by such service standards, actually. Look, the theft occured not less than 20 feet from the main entrance. Of course , I would have been out of mind too! Surely, if there had been adequate security guards on duty, one would be able to identify the culprit(s). Afterall, you can't start a stolen car except if you wireshot or jump start the car by hot wiring. Once again, surely the pet shop owner who was peddling his trade right in front of the parking could have noted something was amiss but instead, he said he didn't know! What a weird situation!

Then it was off the police station, reports after reports as there was always something missing or missed out to be included into the report. In between those times, I felt liking smacking my colleague for being totally too passive & his blunders which kept us going up and down the police station. Then it was off for an interview with the Police IO of the case and spending an hour of so at the police station again. His wife wasn't much of help - heaping the guilty trip on him rather than saying some soothing encouragement. Sometimes, I think that some wives can be put into the cuckoo brain cage! Upon reaching the police station, my colleague was being interviewed by another officer who was helping out his colleague. On my right was another officer taking down the statement of one 16 year old boy who was part of a team of 6 who stole m/cycles. As I looked at the boy, he was wearing an oversized American football jersey and he had handcuffs on him. I asked the officer what would happened to him . The officer politely answered that he'll be sent to Henry Gurney School for reforms. The officer shook his head and told me that the gang leader was a 14 year boy who was so deft in his handyworks to steal m/cycles that no one would imagine that boy is the gang leader.The officer did advise the boy that he should value his life and love his parents for all they have done for him. Instead, he received a smirk from the culprit boy. I was also disgusted when I saw the smirk on his face! Gosh! He is throwing his entire life away just for some short term pleasure. That's the youth of today if they are not rooted in with the word and know the Lord. How sad it is to see young lives ruined for a fistful of dollars and dangerous & reckless living. As we finished from the police station, we headed for our workplace.

Parents, we've got the right to know where our children are in the wee hours of the morning, who they are with and what they are doing. Lest if we don't check on them, they will eventually drift away from us and may just fall like the boy mentioned. We really need to know when and why they are coming home later and all that. It is a dangerous trend to throw fistful of dollars when they throw a tantrum and take a "couldn't care less" attitude. We have a responsibility to bring them up in a manner befitting of a discipline, caring, loving, good natured and humble individuals. If we fail, we are no different from those who just let their chidlren run wild on the streets. Let us cry tears of joy at the success of our children rather than cry of pain when they take the gallows or have a noose around their necks! Yes, Prevention is much better than cure!

BTW, my colleague finally found his car later in the evening when the car was parked at another entrance of Tesco by the culprits and he wasn't informed of this until he went by Tesco car park again in the later evening! So much for big chain hypermarket!

The JPJ Experience....

When you ask a person on the street about JPJ services, the first thing you'll notice is their firm displeasure at this government body or the Hokkien puts it in more fashionable manner, " phui chao nuar " / "tor huik" [ vomit blood! ]department. Not only will you will see expressions of faces that you've never seen in your entire life, you'll probably get a spitful of saliva from them too. Frankly, today, if ever I was asked about the service standard in our local JPJ, I too would give them the spit too - mouthful one!

My God! We are talking about civil servants - serving the public and not acting like Super Kings/ Queens in the office. Sure, we all took our numbers and waited but there has got to be courtesy when answering the posers by the members of the public. Not only that, they would have to be informative , accommodative and ever wiling to help the public rather than just giving them the 'tidak apa', dumb arrogant and expressionless look. Look, folks here ain't geniuses to figure out that these people have their work to do but can it be done in a tasteful/professional manner. I shudder at the thought if this department is privatised! Probably, the reception counter people would have to be removed! I really pity the illiterate, the ordinary or even the kampong folks who would probably be pushed around from one corner to another as they try to do the transactions themselves. It is no wonder that many does lucrative businesses around this place. Imagine paying 50 sen for your NRIC card to be photostated at the canteen and then you have to get it certified by some big shot who sits at one end of the counter. It is your face and your number and you still have to get it certified. I would use the words from Mr. Patrick Teoh's blog to express my displeasure! Ok, so, you want to stamp out fraudulent people and documents thereby, the various forms and counter check and so on. Can't they do this service for the people by doing the photostating for members of the public and making it easier for members of the public? Afterall, it's good tax payers money that is sustaining them behind the counter anyway! It is not about the 50 sen. It is about service to the public. Then, there is this culture of having 20 counters while only 3 or 4 are carrying out their works. The rest of the pegawai behind the counters were seen yakking away as though there is no tomorrow and I even overheard one of them saying : " Huh! Saya penatlah hari ini!" This is the same counter where I saw no number was called to this counter from the time I was there until the time I left which was about 2 hours later! Hmmmnnnn.... Penat, it seems! It is no wonder that members of the public would rather pay "runners" to handle their matters rather than attending it to themselves! They would probably die of immature heart attack or have fits and roll on the ground or have a instaneous hernia seeing such working attitude!~

BTW, you have one hundred and one posters , slogans and blinding colored curtains enough to choke the public's sight and breathing windpipe around the building but they remain writings and decor with no real conviction of serving the public. As always, there are indeed some good officers who would really take the trouble to assist in whatever way they could but a big majority would slackened. It is disheartening to now that the JPJ culture is a known culture wherever you go in our nation. Please make it easier for the rakyat! Enough slackening already. The pants is already loose-dah. So, I just wish the people in JPJ would just BUCK UP!~

Nightmarish....

Sometimes life throws you a lemon and you simply have to take it and turn it into a lemonade! I heard this over the radio this morning. I guess, in a way, I have to take the positives out of the negatives in our stuation or our life.
Shocking and horrendously wrecking, I met with an accident yesterday evening. I was driving to my appointment place along a road, looking for the place and when I found it, I made a right turn. Probably due to my lack of judgement and my carefulness, a m/cycle rammed into the driver door of my car. The m/cyclist fell to the ground patch of the stony grounds. I was shocked and sorta panicked in a way as I could not unlock the door as I wanted to help the m/cyclist. I quickly jumped to the other door, opened it and helped the m/cyclist up to his feet. The old man was not seriously hurt while the front fender of the m/cycle was damaged. I apologised profusely to the old man and told him that I was more concerned of how he is doing rather than the damages to the m/cycle or my car for that matter. I gave him what I had from my wallet and it was all that I had at that time. I told him that I would bear the cost for the repairs to his m/cycle and that he should seek medical treatment. He then started up his bike and left the place.

I was shaken by now and I looked at the damages to my car. It ain't a pretty sight actually. There's a deep gash at the bottom section of the car and the door sorta caved in a bit. I was glad that I am alive but body was aching from the impact. As I calmed myself down, I went for my work appointment, completed my work and sought for some time out from my appointment towards the end of my job. As I sat in my car, I thought to myself that I could have accidentally caused some woman to lose their husband that evening. I was mad at myself for being not careful enough. Honestly, I could forget the scene as it kept playing in my head over and over again. I really apologised because sincerely, I did not see the m/cycle from the back of my car. It was as though my sight was hindered/blinded for a moment. The worst part of it all is that this road is the road that is the least travelled by human traffic!

I guess, I can a lot of positives from this position and be extra careful in the future!~ So I must!

Friend....

Many a times we meet people from all walks of life in our glorious life and some people just stuck into your mind/life. Yup, there are some who would give you the creeps in life but there will be some [ a small circle, actually ] who would tend to be good friends no matter what.

Today, I pay tribute to the one friend that could cause me to have a heart seizure & pumped up blood clot in my blood stream/system in a second but at the same time, he is my friend. As he celebrated his milestone in life for another year on Monday in another part of the world, I just want to say that no matter how difficult he may be, he is still my friend.

Many times, he is labelled as pompous, loud, irrational and sometimes downright rude & arrogant "piece of yunno what" but he has his good points too. He can be self-centred at times but the good thing about him is that God knows it and he'll get it soon!~ No! No! I am just kidding!~ He is really a friend that I can relate to - in a way. He reminded me so much of me in my younger days though not the "bad" traits. I take comfort from his commanding views, loud and sometimes, compassionate stand. I like his enthusiasm and likebility in working with the children and young people. He is jovial, fun and sometimes eccentric! Game for adventure and fun, he can be the head of children's department! He has fantastic PR skills and a knack of getting things done in a giff. He has the gift of gab and the Godly potential of a lifetime when geared in the right path. I constantly pray that God would use this man and turn him into a priceless gemstone in His ministry. I believe with all my heart that God is moulding him and polishing the gemstone each day so that he'll be a perfect cut diamond one day just like any of us today.

I will state the fact that I am constantly at odds with him. We clashed many times in ideas, discussion and we had heated arguments but I could never take it at heart when it comes to him. Ok! I may be in a rage fit for a while but later, I would just cool down. Maybe I have mellowed or I still strongly believe that God is still working in me and in him. Bottomline is that I could never get angry with an individual like that as long as he is called a friend of mine. He may stretch the limit and break certain line of decency but he ain't heavy; he's my brother! If he becomes a sack of a bummer, then most probably, I'll dump him out at the dump site! A little humour goes a long way, anyway! Like I used to say many times in my writings, I treasure friends a lot. I grew up with great friends and family. To me, friends like this helps me and him to get sane, actually!~ BTW, if you think that I am writing all this because he is driving a BMW/Mercedes, well, I have news for you. Even if he is riding a bicycle to work one day, he is still my friend coz' financial status doesn't affect me one bit unlike our nation, our churches and our community today. I've been with poor friends and I've been with filthy rich friends. They are all the same to me. What I look for in friendship is the condition of the heart! That outstrips everything else! If you are smart , you should know by now that money can't buy you lasting friendship. There are too many examples and samples around -you'll know what I mean!

So, to my friend , Steven, Blessed birthday and many happy returns of the day!~ Don't stuff yourself with too much food. You still need to fit the coat for your wedding which I presume will be soon enough!~

A Strong & Faith-filled person...

If there is anyone that I could relate to bravery and calmness, I would say that the honour goes to Aunty Chew M.S. Many would not have known about Auntie Chew but I have privileged to know and be acquainted with this person. Though I may not know everything about her but whatever I saw or the little that I know fills my heart with great admiration and respect for this hardy lady.
Yesterday when I visited Auntie Chew at the hospital, I must say that I felt kinda helpless because there was nothing I could do except to constantly pray for her speedy recovery. She looked frail and tired yesterday after a few hours of surgery but she was still in good spirits. Three of her children together with Uncle George were there with her all the way. I really marvelled at such determination and sturdiness of positivity shown by her. Despite fighting the bout of anesthetics and surgery, she was still able to talk a little but she really needed the rest. I am encouraged by her strength and constant praising of the Lord!

Today, she was on her feet and in her ever bubbling figure. That's the beauty of Aunty Chew - a woman of strength, calmness and joy. We would never know what went through her during the surgery but one thing is for sure - God is with her! Now, let us pray for a speedy recovery and for God's continual grace upon Aunty Chew's life. God bless you, Aunty Chew!~

Weddings... hmmnnnn

Yesterday evening, my mom ,SLing and me attended a wedding in a hotel in Melaka. I guess, I am never comfortable at wedding dinners especially when relatives are part of the set-up. Many years ago, the question I used to face was " When are you getting married?" Then later on, it is to " When are you planning to have children?" Then, it's " What are your children doing now?" Before you can answer, relatives give along list of profession their sons and daughters or grandchildren are doing ! Sheezh! The list goes on but I have always taken it all in good spirits and with a pinch of salt & sugar at the same time! I wasn't particularly thrilled about going to wedding dinners as the quips this time are " Wow ! You look so big! " or " You look like your father!" or " Wah! You look prosperous!" and the list continues.

This time around, the quips were not different from the years I used to know them but I guess, as you grow older, you'll get used to it. The only difference now is that I hug my cousins and relatives. I don't know why but I guess, it was really good to see them after all these years and hugging seemed to make us closer. I remembered SLing pulled me aside and told me , " Hey, these people are not Christians and you are hugging them like nobody's business. They might have a wrong impression of you! " Hmmnnnn.... I detected a hint of "jealousy" perhaps! Well, like all good men, I told her that these are cousins whom I have not met for donkey years , so, a little closeness would be good. After all, nearly all my female cousins were in their best of attires while some aunties dresses seemed like their buttons or stitch -seems would be bursting out from their dresses soon! Now, that would be a scene, wouldn't it? I also detected an uncle who was wearing his shirt and pants that looked like the shirt buttons are going to give way very very soon ! I wonder if he could actually see his shoes from where he is standing with all the distraction in front of him! I mean, the bulging stomach-lah! Well, I continued hugging every one of my relatives that I came across as I guess, it's been ages since we meet up. Then mom would dragged me from one corner to another introducing "my son" to everyone she knows! Ah! That's mom's love, I guess! Again, I've gone through all this everytime I go to wedding dinners with her. But that's mom, I guess! I love her dearly!

Interestingly, I sat beside an old uncle and his wife from Paya Rumput at Table 23 while mom was at Table 22. Yup! We are all assigned to our seats nowadays. Uncle and I shared some laughs together especially on the lateness of the dinner time. He told me this, " Kalau di kampung, siang-siang orang dah bising. Kalau dah tahu macam ini lambat, baik gua sental roti canai dulu!" We both alaughed out loud while SLing added that we could have had a bowl of wan tan mee first! The time was about 8.25 pm when the first dish was out. This old man then related to me how he was related to the bridegroom's family and I was more confused than he is , actually! As I spooned him some dish, he kept telling me " Tangki kecik. Tangki Honda lama! Jangan kasi banyak-banyak" I laughed my head off, actually. I really haven't had so much fun attending a wedding dinner. We joked and laughed about a lot of things. I came to know that this old uncle had only 2 children while he himself had 10 siblings. When we finally parted, I kinda miss the old guy's company at the table. He was such a fun to SLing and I. One thing he was dead srious was when he noted that the married couple was asked to kiss at one of the table, he was quick to add, " Gua cakap siang-siang sama gua punya anak, jangan buat ini semua sebab orang tua-tua ada. Tak baik. Tak manis. Kena hormat. Tak senonoh!" Hmmmnnnn..... old school of thought , some may say but I say, he has a point though. Afterall, he is a full blooded Peranakan-lar! He has his points , actually. He relates how Peranakans are quite conservative people but times have change the way things are. Well, there is always two sides of the coin on this matter. So, you'll just have to pick which is the best option, actually!

As I lay down to sleep that night, I looked at SLing and I am glad that I did not "misbehave" at the dinner in any way. I guess, I have mellowed down considerably. I've had my share of fun & naughty time at wedding receptions and wedding dinners. I am just glad to walk down memory lane once again. Sure is fun but I don't intend to attend too many wedding dinners as it would burn a big hole in my financial pocket and bring up the levels of my cholestrol checking.

It's the 8th month of the Chinese calendar- There are bound to be more marriage dinners all over this month. Now, get ready, get set! Munch the food!