Do U look like a “Peacock”?
Read on…. I bet u will laugh. Hehehe…
An old man was sitting on a bench at the mall.
A teenager sat down next to him. He had spiked hair that was red, orange, yellow, green, blue & violet. The old man stared. Whenever the teen looked, the old man was staring.
Finally, the teenager said sarcastically: “What’s the matter, old boy, never done anything wild in your life?”
Without missing a beat the old man replied, “Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I’m just wondering if you were my son.”
Morale of the story:
Never offend an WOM (wild old man). He may be a COM (cunning old man) or a DOM
(dirty old man).
If any of the following stories sounds familiar to you, it could be just a coincidence.
Story 1:
One Estate Manager was stagnant at his position for years because he had once offended his superior, trying to test the wisdom of someone who was older and wiser.
“Prove me wrong and I will promote you,” that’s the remark from his CEO.
He was finally promoted only after the CEO’s retirement from the company.
Story 2:
Another Estate Manager tried to please his Plantation Advisor telling him that he had spent nights of patrolling to chase away the elephants from intruding.
“Our company can’t afford to pay a watchman with such a high salary,” the Plantation Advisor told him bluntly.
Story 3:
When a Head Office guy called the estate and the Manager not around, the usual answer from the CC, “Manager’s in the fields, Sir.” In one particular estate, the CC answered differently, “Manager’s in the workshop, Sir.” The Head Office guy just wondered, “Is he a Plantation Manager or a Workshop Manager?”
Story 4:
During the Chairman’s visit, the Plantation Manager kept a tin of biscuits in his vehicle trying to impress the big boss that he was very hard working so he used to skip meals.
“Have you prepared lunch for us?” the Plantation Director asked him.
Saturday, 16 June 2007
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
Problem Solving?
One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops - a few people got on, a few got off, and things went on generally well.
At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.
Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't happy about it.
The next day the same thing happened. Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. So this went on and on, one day after next, and so forth.
This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way. Big John was taking advantage of him.
Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good about himself.
So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" the driver stood up, glared back at him, and screamed, "And WHY NOT?"
With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, "Big John has a bus pass."
Moral of the story:
"Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one."
The way I look at it:
Practical planter always tries to solve any problem on site where he can see for himself, make analysis, trace to find out the root cause of the problem and take appropriate action to solve it. Afraid to commit oneself on the first place, based on false assumption or wrong information, is already the beginning of failure. Never fear of tackling a problem but make sure it is a real problem and not an excuse for not doing the job. Ever heard of, “Failure is the mother of Success?”
Being professionals, we must able to do the impossible (especially in Crisis Management) and not finding excuses not to do the possible (routine work and operations).
(The IMPOSSIBLE MISSION always turns out to be POSSIBLE!)
At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.
Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't happy about it.
The next day the same thing happened. Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. So this went on and on, one day after next, and so forth.
This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way. Big John was taking advantage of him.
Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good about himself.
So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" the driver stood up, glared back at him, and screamed, "And WHY NOT?"
With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, "Big John has a bus pass."
Moral of the story:
"Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one."
The way I look at it:
Practical planter always tries to solve any problem on site where he can see for himself, make analysis, trace to find out the root cause of the problem and take appropriate action to solve it. Afraid to commit oneself on the first place, based on false assumption or wrong information, is already the beginning of failure. Never fear of tackling a problem but make sure it is a real problem and not an excuse for not doing the job. Ever heard of, “Failure is the mother of Success?”
Being professionals, we must able to do the impossible (especially in Crisis Management) and not finding excuses not to do the possible (routine work and operations).
(The IMPOSSIBLE MISSION always turns out to be POSSIBLE!)
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Engineer & Manager!
Guess the moral of this short story?
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a man below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degree north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am", replied the man, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip."
The man below responded, "You must be in Management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same situation you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault”
The way I look at it: -
A professional must be responsible to the job assigned to and be committed to achieve company’s goals and targets. When consulting others on problem solving, do not try to point fingers and expect problems be solved by others.
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a man below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degree north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am", replied the man, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip."
The man below responded, "You must be in Management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same situation you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault”
The way I look at it: -
A professional must be responsible to the job assigned to and be committed to achieve company’s goals and targets. When consulting others on problem solving, do not try to point fingers and expect problems be solved by others.
Monday, 11 June 2007
Knowing Where To Tap
Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed?
The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.
Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.
Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!
A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.
"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"
So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."
The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer…………….$ 2.00
Knowing where to tap……………….$ 9,998.00
Likewise, old or rather senior planters like us are paid well because we know where to tap to lower cost of production reasonably by increasing crop production and OER (Oil Extraction Rate)%. Afterall, experiences gathered over the years and knowing where to make an effort in plantation management makes the real difference!
The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.
Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.
Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!
A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.
"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"
So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."
The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer…………….$ 2.00
Knowing where to tap……………….$ 9,998.00
Likewise, old or rather senior planters like us are paid well because we know where to tap to lower cost of production reasonably by increasing crop production and OER (Oil Extraction Rate)%. Afterall, experiences gathered over the years and knowing where to make an effort in plantation management makes the real difference!
Sunday, 10 June 2007
Another Weekend in Jambi
Time flies. It's another weekend since I returned last Sunday (3 June) from my leave in Segamat. I took the 11.10am ferry from Stulang Laut, JB, to Batam but it left the jetty after 11.30am. When arrived at Batam Center, it's almost 1.00pm WIB. Luckily, the taxi driver told me that he would take the short cut to Batam airport and it would take him 15 minutes to reach there. My flight to Jambi was scheuled at 1.50pm.
When I checked in to get my boarding pass, I was informed that the Mandala flight to Jambi would be delayed to 3.30pm WIB. My friend, Pak Lim (Alex) of PT EMAL, was supposed to pick me up and introduced me to his wife who just made the 1st trip to Jambi. Pak Lim started work in December 2006. He was introduced to me by Pak Goh BH of PT Ukindo and Mr. Seow CL, who is the Agronomist Consultant to his plantation company. I called up Pak Lim and suggested to him not to wait for me since he planned to go to his plantation with his wife. It's not advisible for them to start the journey late as it would take them @ 3 hours to reach the kebun. Instead, I contacted Pak Hardi, our FC (Finance Controller) to fetch me.
Well, flight delay is quite common in Indonesia. We used to joke about it, "Delay is BIASA, on time is LUAR BIASA!" We are so used to it that we just have to take it easy while waiting for the plane to take off. This is the time we can do some extra reading to pass the time.
Nevertheless, I met Pak Lim's wife on Friday (8 June) night when they came out from plantation in Pauh. We had dinner in Terkenal Restaurant with some Jambi friends. Lim's wife is leaving today and Pak Lim accompanies her to Jakarta. She is taking Air Asia tomorrow to TLCC but Lim says he has to come back to Jambi to attend to urgent matters. That's work commitment! Afterall, we are true professionals.
I am writing this in a WARNET (Warung Internet) after church service. That's how I passed my time on Sunday mornings. Then will meet up some Malaysian planters for lunch. Later in the afternoon, will go for regular exercise at Novotel's gym.
Also to keep in touch with other Malaysian planters in other lokasi, we used to sms to each other. Pak AC Liew, Pak Tan PH & Pak How BK in Medan, Pak Goh BH is in Bengkulu, Pak Pun KC & Pak Vincent Hee in Pekanbaru, Pak Choy KW & Pak Paul Chin in Palembang, Pak Saw See Hong in Lampung and Pak D J Ho & Pak Chuah Meng Hap in Padang. Pak Ravi Grill, Pak Goh HS, Pak Kow CC, Pak Boon CC, Pak Kong TC, Pak Tan Ah Kow are all in various parts in Kalimantan.
Communication with friends is essential especially most of us are alone here. Leaving the families behind in Malaysia and feeling loniness most of the time is just an occupational hazard to expat planters. My wife used to come to visit me. Just received a call from Pak Kow that his wife visits him for the 1st time since he came over 2.5 months ago. Well, thank God that our wives are so understanding and supportive of us. Guess for every successful planter and a responsible husband, there is always a strong lady who supports us from behind. Praise The Lord.
When I checked in to get my boarding pass, I was informed that the Mandala flight to Jambi would be delayed to 3.30pm WIB. My friend, Pak Lim (Alex) of PT EMAL, was supposed to pick me up and introduced me to his wife who just made the 1st trip to Jambi. Pak Lim started work in December 2006. He was introduced to me by Pak Goh BH of PT Ukindo and Mr. Seow CL, who is the Agronomist Consultant to his plantation company. I called up Pak Lim and suggested to him not to wait for me since he planned to go to his plantation with his wife. It's not advisible for them to start the journey late as it would take them @ 3 hours to reach the kebun. Instead, I contacted Pak Hardi, our FC (Finance Controller) to fetch me.
Well, flight delay is quite common in Indonesia. We used to joke about it, "Delay is BIASA, on time is LUAR BIASA!" We are so used to it that we just have to take it easy while waiting for the plane to take off. This is the time we can do some extra reading to pass the time.
Nevertheless, I met Pak Lim's wife on Friday (8 June) night when they came out from plantation in Pauh. We had dinner in Terkenal Restaurant with some Jambi friends. Lim's wife is leaving today and Pak Lim accompanies her to Jakarta. She is taking Air Asia tomorrow to TLCC but Lim says he has to come back to Jambi to attend to urgent matters. That's work commitment! Afterall, we are true professionals.
I am writing this in a WARNET (Warung Internet) after church service. That's how I passed my time on Sunday mornings. Then will meet up some Malaysian planters for lunch. Later in the afternoon, will go for regular exercise at Novotel's gym.
Also to keep in touch with other Malaysian planters in other lokasi, we used to sms to each other. Pak AC Liew, Pak Tan PH & Pak How BK in Medan, Pak Goh BH is in Bengkulu, Pak Pun KC & Pak Vincent Hee in Pekanbaru, Pak Choy KW & Pak Paul Chin in Palembang, Pak Saw See Hong in Lampung and Pak D J Ho & Pak Chuah Meng Hap in Padang. Pak Ravi Grill, Pak Goh HS, Pak Kow CC, Pak Boon CC, Pak Kong TC, Pak Tan Ah Kow are all in various parts in Kalimantan.
Communication with friends is essential especially most of us are alone here. Leaving the families behind in Malaysia and feeling loniness most of the time is just an occupational hazard to expat planters. My wife used to come to visit me. Just received a call from Pak Kow that his wife visits him for the 1st time since he came over 2.5 months ago. Well, thank God that our wives are so understanding and supportive of us. Guess for every successful planter and a responsible husband, there is always a strong lady who supports us from behind. Praise The Lord.
Saturday, 2 June 2007
Poor Roads Hamper Productivity
This is my 1st article published in The Planter (Vol 65, No. 763, October 1989) It was written after I was transferred to Morisem Estate, Sabah, in December 1988. Such bitter experiences of crop losses due to poor roads often damaged by rainy weather about 20 years ago, sad to say, are currently being repeated in many plantations in Indonesia. Hope other planters can comment and share their experiences too.
XiFu
As the Chinese goes," Once a XiFu (Master), always a XiFu" I believe this is true to us whose profession none other than planters.
There were so many things to learn, from jungle clearing to nursery establishment, land preparation and planting of cover crop, road construction and building log bridges, and finally the planting of our crop, be it rubber, cocoa or oil palm.
As the rubber, cocoa or oil palm trees grew, we gathered our planting experiences and grew from young planters to senior planters.
Then we chopped down rubber trees for planting oil palm as the old tappers retired, and we also chopped down cocoa trees for oil palm when cocoa price dropped drastically.
When we started to replant oil palm to oil palm, normally at 25 years cycle, then we realised that we have also grew old. Nevertheless, for old planters like us, we always remain as proud planters.
There were so many things to learn, from jungle clearing to nursery establishment, land preparation and planting of cover crop, road construction and building log bridges, and finally the planting of our crop, be it rubber, cocoa or oil palm.
As the rubber, cocoa or oil palm trees grew, we gathered our planting experiences and grew from young planters to senior planters.
Then we chopped down rubber trees for planting oil palm as the old tappers retired, and we also chopped down cocoa trees for oil palm when cocoa price dropped drastically.
When we started to replant oil palm to oil palm, normally at 25 years cycle, then we realised that we have also grew old. Nevertheless, for old planters like us, we always remain as proud planters.
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