THE SOUND OF ECHO & THE ECHO OF LIFE

A man and his son were walking in the forest. Suddenly, the boy tripped and feeling a sharp pain, he screamed, “Ahhhh!” Surprised, he heard a voice coming from the mountain, “Ahhhh!”

Filled with curiosity, he screamed, “Who are you?”, but the only answer he received was, “Who are you?”

This made him angry, so he screamed again, “You are a coward!”, and the voice answered: “You are a coward!”

He looked at his father, asking, “Dad, what is going on?”

“Son,” the man replied, “Pay attention!”
Then he screamed, “I admire you!”
The voice answered: “I admire you!”

The father shouted, “You are wonderful!”, and the voice answered, “You are wonderful!”

Then the father explained, “People call this ECHO, but truly it is LIFE!
Life always gives you back what you give out.
Life is a mirror of your actions.
If you want more love, give more love!
If you want more kindness, give more kindness!
If you want understanding and respect, give understanding and respect!
If you want people to be patient and respectful to you, give patience and respect!
This rule of nature applies to every aspect of our lives.”

Life always gives you back what you give out.

Your life is not a coincidence, but a mirror of your own doings.

Something to share…..

How truly it was spoken that “the echo of life” relates to what we get in life depends on what we have given out.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” That’s God words in the Bible. It means that the more you give, the more you will receive. That’s God’s blessings on cheerful givers!

There is no short cut to success.

We have to put in all our skills and efforts to score goals.

To finish the race in number one position, the champion has trained harder than the other runners have and he runs the race faster than the number two runner does.

For a job well done, we have to give our best and do our best.

When we think positively, talk positively, listen positively, discuss positively, plan positively, and act positively, we get positive results.

When we see ourselves as “winners,” we become “winners.”
When we see ourselves as “champions,” we shall be the “champions.”

Yes. When you have decided to be successful, there is always a great price that you are willing to pay and you have to do whatever it takes to become a winner or a champion

That’s what we call “THE ECHO OF LIFE.”

OLD DOGS RULE

A wealthy old Gentleman decides to go on a hunting safari in Africa, taking his faithful, elderly Jack Russell terrier named Killer, along for the company.

One day the old Jack Russell starts chasing rabbits and before long,

discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old Jack Russell thinks, 'Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!' Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat.

Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old Jack Russell exclaims loudly, 'Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?'

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees.

'Whew!’ says the leopard, 'That was close! That old Jack Russell nearly had me!'

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old Jack Russell sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, 'Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!

Now, the old Jack Russell sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, 'What am I going to do now?', but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old Jack Russell says...

'Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!'

Moral of this story:

Don't mess with the old dogs -- Age and Skill will always overcome Youth! And Treachery!

Bullshit and Brilliance only come with age and experience.

Something to share……..

I bet you have a good laugh. Do share with your friends so that there will be more people laughing after reading this joke.

Don’t try to test the wisdom of old people. Remember that “Wisdom comes from experience and experience comes with age.”

Old men are wise. That’s why they are called “wise old men”. Some preferred to be called “young old men” because they like to be “youthfully challenged.”

A Plantation Manager was asked, “Why there are still some left over rubber seedlings left growing in the ex-nursery?” “I purposed left there to see whether the Assistant takes initiate to remove them,” he answered calmly.

During a slide presentation, one Manager pointed out a spelling error.
“Very good. That proves my point that you guys are listening and one of you can spot the purposely spelt error.” Is it not a wise answer from the Planting Adviser to avoid an embarrassment?

ARE YOU GOOD LISTENERS?

We all do it. It’s as common as flies around a horse. While someone else is talking, we’re thinking about what we’re going to say next instead of about what is being said to us. We know others are worth more care and attention. But the habit is hard to break.

- THE NIV QUIET TIME BIBLE (1525)

Something to share ….

Undoubtedly, a good leader talks with a voice of authority and shouts with a voice of command. It’s nothing unusual that a leader is a good talker and has the habit of keep talking all the time. He expects his team members to be followers and listen to his talking most of the time. However, at time a leader must himself be humble to stop talking but listening to his team members.

I must admit that I had not been a good listener all these years. At times I would like to cut in when the other person was still talking to me. I gave my excuse that at my current age I had a tendency to forget if I did not speak out immediately especially when I needed to respond to him. Nevertheless, I did excuse myself for stopping him from talking and allowing me to cut in. With that understanding, there was little hard feeling from the person I spoke to.

Somehow the successful leaders are good listeners, as they have discovered the value of listening. It is essential and necessary for anyone who wishes to communicate well with others. Dale Carnegie put it rightly,” The secret of influencing people lies not so much in being a good talker as in being a good listener.”

Unless we are willing to break the hard habit of keep on talking and learn to listen to others, we are not able to get good feed back and reliable information from our subordinates, colleagues and coworkers. “Why should I tell him if he’s not listening to me?” That’s normal human attitude.

Always remember: BEFORE YOU SPEAK …. LISTEN.

In James 1:19, God reminds us,” Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak…”

Become a better listener and doer of his Word.

Offer Your Hand

Little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.

The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter, "Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river."

The little girl said, "No, Dad. You hold my hand."

"What's the difference?" the puzzled father asked.

"There's a big difference," replied the little girl.

"If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go."

In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. So hold the hand of the person whom you love rather than expecting them to hold yours...

Something to share …..

Yes. A caring father is the one who holds his child's hand because under no circumstances he will let go the hand.

A true friend is the one who offers you help when he/she knows you are in difficulty and not the one who say,” Come to me if you need help.”

A good leader is the one who shows you the way and not the one who tells you, “Ask if you don’t know.”

Surely you have something to share and add on…..

BE OBSERVANT AND LEARN TO PAY ATTENTION

First-year students at Medical School were receiving their first Anatomy class with a real dead human body. They all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a white sheet.

The professor started the class by telling them: "In medicine, it is necessary to have 2 important qualities as a doctor. The first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the human body."

For an example, the Professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the butt of the corpse, withdrew it and stuck his finger in his mouth.

“Go ahead and do the same thing," he told his students. The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes, but eventually took turns sticking a finger in the butt of the dead body and sucking on it. Each one tried his best not to puke.

When everyone had finished, the Professor looked at them and told them,"The second most important quality is OBSERVATION. I stuck in my Middle finger and sucked on my Index finger. Now learn to pay attention."

Something to share…..

Well, I am sure we have a good laugh after reading this joke.

In the course of learning, being just beginners, we obviously had a tendency to be naive and ignorant. We were easily tricked and made “a laughing stock” as we were raw and fresh without any experience. We were lack of observation and had not learned to pay attention.

A planter is trained to be very observant in the fields. As he walks the fields, he is able to see and detect things not right in plantation he managed. His eye sight should be as sharp as an eagle.

Paying attention through observation, he is able to act accordingly to put things in order by enforcing strict discipline on his field staff and taking remedy action to get things done and corrected in the fields without any hesitation and delay. Supervisory staff and mandores are trained to be observant as well in carrying out check and control duties in the fields. Any slack in supervision may be due to poor observation and not paying full attention to workers who are supposed to get work done.

A planter will not compromise on work standard and quality. There will be no excuses for work half done or half undone. Works for today need to be done will have to be done. It’s a matter of DEDICATION and COMMITMENT, involving planning, organizing, implementing, delegating, follow up and monitoring.

As long as a planter pays attention to the principle of “plan your work” and practice “work your plan”, eventually it’s a job “well done”.

That’s what we call “job satisfaction”!

MONKEY IN THE PLANE

Once in Brazil a plane crashed, only a monkey who was travelling in the plane left alive. Fortunately the monkey was intelligent enough to understand our language and reply in actions.

The officials went to see the monkey in the hospital and had a talk with the monkey.

Officer: "When the plane took off what were the travelers doing?"
Monkey: "Tying their belts."
Officer: "What were the air hostesses doing?"

Monkey: "Saying Hello! Good morning!"

Officer: "What were the pilots doing?"

Monkey: "Checking the system."

Officer: "What were you doing?"

Monkey: "Looking for my people."

Office:"After 10 minutes what were the travellers doing?"
Monkey: "Having beverages and snacks."

Officer: "What were the air hostesses doing?"

Monkey: "Serving the travellers."

Officer: "What were the Pilots doing?"

Monkey: "Handling the steering."

Officer: "What were you doing?"

Monkey: "Eating & throwing."

Officer: "After 30 minutes what were the travellers doing?

Monkey: "Some were sleeping and some were reading."

Officer: "What were the air hostesses doing?"

Monkey: "Make up."

Officer: "What were the pilots doing?"

Monkey: "Handling the steering."

Officer: "What were you doing?"

Monkey: "Nothing."

Officer: "Just before plane crash what were the travellers doing?"

Monkey: "All were sleeping."

Officer: "What were the pilots doing?"

Monkey: "Handling the air hostess."

Officer: "What were you doing?"

Monkey: "Handling the steering!"

Something to share…..

From the management aspect, the problem usually starts when you are not in control and divert your attention to other issues (Not doing the things you are supposed to do but doing things that you are not supposed to do). You are asking for big trouble when you let go your job function to someone who plays “monkey” and has no knowledge of doing your job. A “plane crash” means you are finished, i.e. loosing your job since you are solely responsible and accountable.

A Plantation Manager is entrusted to manage the whole plantation, thus he must be disciplined, determined and dedicated to his job responsibility as he is overall in-charge of all operations, as well as the management, administration and accounting of the plantation. Delegation must be followed up and at times followed through. Do not delegate to the wrong hands! Do not expect a Trainee Assistant who is still on the job training or a Junior Assistant who is still lack of experience to in-charge of a division and able to deliver. They are still in need of much guidance and coaching. Normally the Senior Assistant is the 2nd man whom the Manager relies on to organize and carry out most operations in the plantation. However, if he just let go without follow up and closely monitoring, he may end up in big trouble.

When come to decision making, the manager must insist that he is to be consulted for making the final decision.

The principle is basic and simple.

The Manager must be in TOTAL CONTROL.

LOVE YOUR JOB

Extract of Mr. Narayana Murthy's Speech during Mentor Session:

I know people who work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, or more. Some people do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are only temporary. Other people I know have put in these hours for years. I do not know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they are in the office this long. Others put in long office hours because they are addicted to the workplace.

Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the organization.There are things managers can do to change this for everyone's benefit. Being in the office long hours, over long periods of time, makes way for potential errors.

My colleagues who are in the office long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others. I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes made after 5 PM on Monday.

Another problem is that people who are in the office long hours are not pleasant company.They often complain about other people (who are not working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behaviour poses problems, where work goes much better when people work together instead of avoiding one another.

As Managers, there are things we can do to help people leave the office. First and foremost is to set the example and go home ourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long hours. His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding group e-mails with a time-stamp of 2am, Sunday.

Second is to encourage people to put some balance in their lives. For instance, here is a guideline I find helpful:

1) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.
2) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.
3) Go home.
4) Read the books/comics, watch a funny movie, dig in the dirt, play with your kids, etc.
5) Eat well and sleep well.

This is called recreating.
Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2.
Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts.
They are hard for some of us because that requires ‘personal change’.
They are possible since we all have the power to choose to do them.

In considering the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my oldest son. When he was a toddler, if people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep no matter how long the visit was, and no matter what time of day it was. He would fight off sleep until the visitors left. It was as if he was afraid that he would miss some thing. Once our visitors' left, he would go to sleep. By this time, however, he was over tired and would scream through half the night with nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of missing out.

Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they do not want to miss anything when they leave the office. The trouble with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life! Things happen 24 hours a day. Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you are asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake.

Hence,

"LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE COMPANY STOPS LOVING YOU" - Narayana Murthy

Something to share….

As employees, I am sure we all love our jobs. Question is should we work like a workaholic and expecting our subordinates and staff to be the same?

There is a time to work. There is also time for proper rest and relax to release stress; to play and do regular exercise after work so as to stay healthy.

Working hard is different from working long hours as if can’t stop working. The principle of success is “work hard and work smart”. It is not how much a person works, but it is how he or she works that makes the difference.

Well, we are always reminded of “sense of belonging” when working for any company. Irrespective of our title and position, obviously being employees to any company we are accountable and responsible to our jobs. We have to give in our best efforts to work skillfully, enthusiastically and efficiently to achieve company’s goals and objectives. All in all, we want to contribute and be valued as assets to our companies. We do not wish to become liabilities to our companies!

To me, it’s not a question of falling in love with the company, but rather any employee will feel much secure if being recognized as a team player in the organization. Surely an employee wants to be appreciated, honored and respected by his or her employer and enjoys the rewards in term of salary increment and annual bonus. When there is such a strong bond between employer-employees relationships, then the employees have something to look forward and happy to stay on.

When things turn out otherwise, may be Mr. N Murthy is absolutely right; the company has stopped loving you. You are no more treated as a member of the family, so to speak. That’s the time you better decide to leave the company and call it a day. Go and find another company where you can work and find happiness in your job.

In Colossians 3:23-24, we are taught that we should do our job with all our heart, meaning love our job, as if we are serving our Lord, Jesus Christ.

“Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”

To Err Is Human (My Stupid Mistakes)

Life doesn't always go in a straight line. Making mistakes is part of the game. Some are inevitable and we just have to accept them and make the best of them. But some could have been prevented, which only proves that we didn't learn from our earlier mistakes.

A friend told me about a very special list, a personal accounting of every mistake he made."To make mistakes is normal," he said, "but to make the same mistake twice is inexcusable."

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.- George Santayana

Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience.- Denis Whitley

I liked the idea and immediately adapted his system. That was many years ago and my list has grown to a respectable size! It contains documents and jottings about all the mistakes, the misjudgments, and the stupid decisions I have made.

Being reminded of past mistakes is unpleasant, but I do go through the folder periodically in order to prevent myself from repeating them. It’s a difficult but very effective way to learn. Have you ever thought of making a list of your mistakes? Try it!

Something to share …..

What’s a great idea! Keep a list of our mistakes as days go by for periodical review as we move on in life. To me, “a collection of mistakes” should be known as bitter experiences.

We have been taught, “To err is human.” It’s normal to make mistakes. Otherwise, we will never learn. But it’s just stupid of us to repeat the same mistakes. That’s what team members always being reminded by their team leader.

Inexcusable. Why not?

Well, there is still a tendency of making the same mistakes again if we do not keep a list of our mistakes reminding us not to repeat them. Question is whether we are able to excuse ourselves for such stupidity?

Don’t blame others. Don’t blame your superior. Blame your ownself if you have never learned but appear stupid of committing the same mistakes over and over gain.

On the other hand, we should have learned from our past mistakes and bitter experiences as we move on our career path. We become much wiser in making good judgments and right decisions. The end results are always sweet out of job satisfaction.

Don’t you think so?

To Forgive Is Devine

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

Something to share….

In life, many times when we were embarrassed, insulted or humiliated, we felt hurt and began emotionally upset. Anger started boiling in us and hatred began to grip into our heart. We swore that we would take revenge one day. Worst if we were slapped on the face. Evil thought straightaway flashed across our mind, “Yeah. It must be a tooth to a tooth, an eye to an eye!” That’s human’s wickedness in nature. Too resentful!

Learn to write your emotional wounds in sand. Why? That’s because it will never heal unless you are willing to forgive. If you don’t, do you know that you are the one who really suffers? The pain will dominate your whole life! Make a wise decision. Let the “winds of forgiveness erase it away.”

On the other hand, always be grateful to someone who has been good to you. Be thankful that you have a best friend who is always there to encourage you, to motivate you, and to lift you up when you are down. Bury your gratefulness and thankfulness in your heart as if you “engrave it in a stone where no wind can ever erase it”.

FINISH THE RACE

Have you seen pictures of marathon runners? CONCENTRATION and DETERMINATION seem to ooze from every pore. These people set their hearts and minds on one thing – finish the race. They focus on the next step, the next checkpoint, until the race is complete.

They shed pounds, unnecessary clothing or anything else that might slow them down. Attach their official number and they are ready to run.

Marathon runners not only shed anything that might slow them down, they also dress carefully. They choose the best running shoes and the most comfortable shorts and shirt possible.

We are to live like marathon runners. We are to take off anything that slows us down and set our hearts and minds on the finish line.

- THE NIV QUIET TIME BIBLE (Pg 1466 & 1467)

Something to share …..

When we have acquired the positive attitude and the correct mindset of a marathon runner, then there will not be any excuses that a work is half done or half undone. A work half done or half undone is no better than a work not done. The result is the same at the end of the day. You have not delivered! Can any excuses given can reverse the situation and make the work done? Obviously, the answer is “No”. After all, a work not done is not done, irrespective of any excuses given.

DETERMINATION is the main key to get work done. Once you are determined to get work done, you will find ways and means to complete it at the end of the day. Any obstacles along the way will not stop you from accomplishment because you are so focused and concentrated on the job that you have probably made up your mind not only to get it done, but you also want to do the best out of it. Once you have made up your mind, you have already pictured yourself on the finish line.

Many have been touched by the real story of a marathon runner finishing the race in the last place 40 years ago. John Steven Akhwari was from Tanzania. He participated in the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. Unluckily, he fell badly during the race and he was bruised with blood on his injured leg. It seemed that he was the only runner left on the track as he entered the stadium that evening. It was reported that, just about an hour ago, the winner of the marathon race had been declared over the official announcement.

Apparently, John Steven Akhwari, being a DISCIPLINED marathon runner full of DEDICATION and DETERMINATION, did not give up with a bandaged leg but pressed on as he hobbled in pain to reach the finish line. The remaining crowd of spectators roared out their appreciation with cheer and applauds just as he crossed the finish line. For the very first time, an athlete finished in the last place was given a standing ovation! Obviously, this act of PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERANCE and DETERMINATION had won him the due respect from all over the world.

When asked why he continued running, he simply answered, "My country did not send me 7,000 miles to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish it.” His words had indeed inspired many people and motivated them.

Do Your Job Well

“If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well!” I would like to have a dollar for every time I heard that growing up. I don’t think I understood the saying nearly as well as I do after years of working on it. INTEGRITY and RESPECT come to those who do a good job. We recognize excellence when we see it, and we are offended by a job half-done.

- The NIV Quiet Time Bible (552)

Something to share ....

Never leave a job half-done or half undone! We must hold on to our promises and fulfill our commitments as we are dutiful and responsible to finish our everyday jobs.

A job “well done” is not only just a compliment but it’s also praise and an admiring comment on how much we honor our profession. It’s truly a whole-heartedly commitment for any employee to do his job well as a real Professional.

To do our best is to do what needs to be done regardless of how difficult or impossible the situation may seem to be. For a job “well done”, we just do it without any reservation or hesitation and concentrate on doing what is best with all our hearts.

In Colossians 3:23 the Bible says,” Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”

Thank the Lord for giving you a job (in his kingdom), and recommit yourself to be faithful in your tasks.

A LITTLE RESPECT

One of my favorite and most influential teachers was a high-school English teacher. His class was extremely difficult and challenging, but I loved it and worked diligently in order to do well. The reason I respected this teacher so much is that he listened to me and valued me. We would all like to be respected by others, and so we try many ways of gaining that respect. Some try to gain it through controlling others or by demanding it. However, one of the ways respect is gained is by appreciating others and showing them respect.

Something to share….

“Respect is to be earned and not demanded.” How true it is! When a boss demands respect from his employees, the respect shown to the boss is just a superficial one. It is not a true, sincere respect from the heart. Perhaps it is just a fear of being scolded, a fear of no annual increment, and a fear of not getting any bonus, a fear of no promotion or even a fear of loosing the job.

Mutual respect is one important aspect in life. An old Chinese saying puts it this way,” When a person respects me with only 30%, I shall in return respect him with 70%.” When a boss treats his employees as valuable assets and treats them with due respect, then he will be highly respected in return.

In one occasion, I told one of my ex-bosses that respect was not to be demanded. I still remember that he got stun, judging from his face expression, after hearing what I had told him. Then I noticed his face changed with a little smile shown with his lips as I continued to say that he had earned my respect. Undoubtedly, we will respect our bosses much more when they are willing to listen to us, acknowledge our performance and contribution, and appreciate us as valuable assets to their organizations. After all, the key to a good and successful employer/employee relationship is none other than for bosses to treat their employees fairly with proper respect and trust.

My ex-boss was quite satisfied with the field condition during one of his visits. He told me in front of the Managing Director, “Loh, if you can keep all the fields clean, then we will rather spend time having tea with you in your bungalow.” But a boss is a boss. Even though knowing happily that we had achieved the budgeted crop, somehow he still commented, “Loh, I think your cost is a bit on the high side.”

In Luke 6:31, it was clearly stated,” And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” In other words, you have to treat others the same way as you want them to treat you. That’s mutual respect!

Give a little respect to others; in return you’ll earn a bigger respect!

Old Age Becoming Wiser

A police car pulled up in front of an older woman's house, and her husband climbed out. The polite policeman explained that "this elderly gentleman" said that he was lost in the park and couldn't find his way home.

"How could it happen?" asked his wife. "You've been going to that park for over 30 years! How could you get lost?"

Leaning close to her ear so that the policeman couldn't hear, he whispered, "I wasn't lost - I was just too tired to walk home."

These bodies become less cooperative as we age. For some, work becomes less fun and fun becomes more work. One older friend commented, "I've reached the age where the warranty has expired on my remaining teeth and internal organs."

But I like the spirit of Charles Marowitz. "Old age is like climbing a mountain," he says. "The higher you get; the more tired and breathless you become. But your view becomes much more extensive."

Atop the mountain, one has a better view of the world. One can see above the differences that divide people. One can better see beyond petty hurts and human fragility. Atop the mountain, one has a longer view of the past and can therefore understand the future with more clarity. Atop the mountain, one looks down on dark clouds of gloom and despair and fear and notices that they are neither as large nor as ominous as those beneath them would believe. It is also clearer that however dark they may appear, they too, are fleeting and will someday pass.

George Bernard Shaw said, "Some are younger at seventy than most at seventeen." I think it is because they have a broader outlook.

It will take a lifetime to climb the mountain, but, for me, the view will be worth the journey.

Something to share……

Many people who climbed up Mount Kinabalu in early mornings were to get to Low’s Peak, the highest summit of the mountain, just in time to get a glimpse of the spectacular sunrise. If old age is like climbing a mountain, then I will make sure that I will be at top of the mountain to see sunrise and not sunset.

As we age and grow older, we also grow wiser. Ever heard of, “Wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes with age”? We gathered our working experience as our year of service increased. We learned through our mistakes, mainly from the bitter experience that we had gone through. Then we gradually acquired relevant knowledge through practical experience and became wiser in problem solving and decision making.

The words of God confirmed that,” The splendor of old men is their grey head.” (Proverbs 20:29b) For old men are “wise people who store up knowledge.” (Proverbs 10:14a)

“Everybody, no matter how old you are, is around 24, 25 in their heart,” said Bruce Willis in People. With such thinking in mind, life moves on……

Be a wise old man, always feels young in heart!

2ND DAY CNY (8 FEB 2008)

FAMILY REUNION (CNY 2008)

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Year of the Rat begins on 7th Feb 2008. We, the ethnic Chinese in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and those in Melbourne, Cairo, Moscow, Paris, London and Boston, and all other placess of the world, will be celebrating Chinese New Year together with the Chinese in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and China tomorrow.

By the way, how many of you know that the Koreans, the Vietnamese and Mongolians are also celebrating for their Lunar New Year which falls on the same day as the Chinese New Year?

“Rush Home” is the headline on today’s Star newspaper. It reported that a million of travellers were on the road as Chinese New Year exodus began. My two brothers, Kong Fatt and Kong Teck, and their wives and children together with my sister and her son are leaving KL at about 3pm to Segamat to celebrate Chinese New Year with us. Kong Teck and wife took a MAS flight to KLIA from Sibu this morning. We expect them to arrive in the evening to have family reunion dinner, all dishes specially cooked by my wife, on the eve of Chinese New Year.

I came back much earlier on 2 Feb, taking the 1525WIB MAS flight from Medan to KLIA. My wife and our youngest daughter, Josephine, drove all the way from Segamat to fetch me from KLIA. Our elder son, James, arrived home at about 11am this morning. He came back in his friend’s car, leaving Singapore at 6am. Our eldest daughter, just given birth to a baby boy, Jonas, in early morning on 16 January, is staying back in Kuching and not able to join us. So are Julie and John. Both of them are still in Melbourne, Australia.

To all my friends, pals and buddies, I wish you “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (in Mandarin) or “Kong Hee Fatt Choy” (in Cantonese). May you and your families be blessed and may you prosper as we celebrate a joyful and happy Chinese New Year on 7 Feb 2008.

TOMORROW WILL NEVER COME (There Is Always A Tomorrow For Tomorrow)

Have you ever heard of a guy’s plan to rappel off a sheer cliff of 100 feet near Bear Trap Ranch in Colorado, USA? All week he had been preparing himself for the rappelling trip. His physical preparation included “learning the ropes” on smaller cliffs and his mental preparation involved watching and talking to veteran rappellers.

However, when the day he was supposed to go, he was still very busy with a camping trip. The next day no one was going. The day after something else came up. From then until the end of the week he was going to make the rappelling trip….tomorrow. It never happened!

To this day, 20 years later, he still wonders,” Why didn’t I go? Was I unsure of my skills, was I too timid to take up the challenge or …….?

Something to share…..

When I was the Manager of Mekassar Estate near Bandar Mudhazam Shah, Keratong, Pahang from December 1985 – November 1988, I always wanted to make a trip to Tioman Island. However, I kept on postponing the trip. I have not visited the island till today.

Then again, when I was managing Morisem Estate in Kinabatangan, Sabah from December 1988 – December 1990, my intended trip to Brunei had also never come about till today.

When I was Plantation Controller for JCC Group from June 1995-December 2003, I used to visit its plantations in Sabah. I talked so much of making a trip to Labuan one of these days, but it never happened too. My problem was that I kept postponing the trip thinking that I could make it tomorrow.

This is the trouble of human’s weakness, keep postponing our plan as if we can make it tomorrow. Then we often find excuses because there is always a tomorrow for tomorrow. How true it is when someone says, “Tomorrow will never come.”

How to breakthrough this human’s weakness? Well, I think we have to keep telling ourselves “Do it now” whether it is a planned trip, a job assignment, a work programme or anything we plan to do today. We have to constantly remind ourselves to do it “Today Not Tomorrow”. Otherwise, there is always another tomorrow when tomorrow comes.

Believe in Yourself

If you are just like the cat that seeing itself as a lion in the mirror, then you are able to see yourself as a winner and not a loser. It is all in your mind and you are what you think you are! When you are told that you were born to be an eagle, then don’t behave like a chicken. Neither do you fly like a pigeon. Stretch out your wings and soar like an eagle into the high sky where there is no limit to vision.

It is a fact of life that everyone wants to be “somebody” such as a doctor, an engineer, an accountant, a successful businessman or a proud planter. Yes. You need to have a burning desire to be “somebody”. Once you have that burning desire, you start to believe in yourself. That is important. There is power in believing yourself. You will obviously build up your self confidence. When you visualize yourself as a winner, then you will succeed and will not become a failure. However, all successful men did go through much failure and even some big failure before they became successful. They learned as they had gone through many trials and errors.

When you give up believing in yourself and lack of self confidence, then you are afraid to try because you are worried that you will fail. You will loss your spirit to give it a try for you dare not fail. But is it not better to try and fail than never try at all? Have you ever heard of “Failure is the mother of success”? How true it is that failure is a major contributor to its success!

It is all right to make mistake for the first time but always bear in mind not to give up the first time you fall down. On the other hand, do not repeat the same mistake over and over again. Otherwise, you will give an impression that you have never learned from your mistakes. However, if you can attempt to do it right the first time, why not?

Believe in yourself, build up your self confidence, have big vision of your future, keep trying and always do your best in whatever circumstances, then you are on your road to success!

Get Them Involved, Not Just Tell & Show

Have you ever encountered that when you tell your subordinate to do something, he/she will come out with a lot of excuses for not doing what had been told to do? The lame excuse is none other than “Sorry, Sir, I forget.” I am sure you’ll “vomit blood” of having subordinate with that kind of attitude.

Worst of the situation is even after showing him/her how to do it, yet the work has not been carried out. What’s an excuse when he/she says, “Sorry, Sir. I can’t remember.” This time, you almost “vomited blood.”

Now you have to involve him/her in actual doing it, then he/she understands not only how to do it but also why and when to do it.

In plantation management, there is no short cut to get work done. Plantation Manager must walk the fields often with his Field Assistants. They may be good in theory but they are lack of actual working experience. Don’t just tell and show them, get them involved in all field operations, from jungle clearing right up to maturity when due for harvesting, one at a time with hand-on training and guidance, then they will understand that there is no way they can forget what had been told. It’s not may but must remember what had been shown in order to grow in their career path as a Practical Planter. No planter can run away from his commitment and integrity.

Likewise, the Field Assistant must walk the fields even more often with his Field Conductors. This is MLM, not Multi-Level Marketing but Multi-Level Management. They must learn the “tricks” from Plantation Manager and know how to involve his Field Conductors to get work done as expected from them.

Get everybody down the lines to get involved. Isn’t this "TEAMWORK"?

A Rare Photo

This photo was taken when Tan Peng Hoo and I were on our way back to Jambi after our visit to plantations in Sumsel Region on 26 July 2007.

When we reached Pauh after Sarolangun, suddenly I saw this man carrying something strange on his back as he walked along the roadside. I took out my camera but my driver already drove pass him. Then to my astonishment, I saw him actually carrying a wounded wild boar on his back. I told my driver to stop the Land Cruiser and waited for him to come near. I quickly rolled down the mirror, stopped him and told him that I wanted to take a photo of him carrying the wild boar. Guess what he said? “Mau bayar, pak”, that’s what he asked from me. No big deal. So I paid him a token sum before I took the photo.

Later on, I told Peng Hoo that this picture is worth much more than the small sum of money I paid the man as it was taken by chance. I wouldn’t have taken this rare picture if I did not bring along my camera.

My friends, whenever you go outing remember to bring along your digital cameras. You never know what you will come across by change to snap a spectacular photograph.