Campus Leadership Retreat - II

More pictures!

Campus Leadership Retreat - I

We had a great time during the weekend with the campus leaders. Helping them to understand leadership and how to build effective teams. We covered the PERSON of a leader. In the team, the leader needs to ensure the PURPOSE is clear, build PROCESSES that align with the purpose and release the potential and talent of PEOPLE in the team.

We talked about how important it is that first and foremost, who the leader is is key.

Then everyone must have a clear PURPOSE, and each team must know their defined and clear purpose.

PROCESS which align to the PURPOSE help teams achieve what they are aiming for. It was good learning and we made some progress with measurements, both lag and lead that will help us track how we are doing as a team. Measurements also allows us to see how we can fine tune our processes to increase our effectiveness.

Also, we talked about the PEOPLE that make up the team and how we can work to release everyone's talent and potential so that the effectiveness of the team is not hindered by this factor.

Those were not the only lessons!

Petrol Prices - II

Petrol Prices now at $2.45. For those who have not been keeping up with the news, petrol prices jumped to $2.70, then to $2.55 and now to the current price of $2.45. This is for the RON97 petrol (premium unleaded). The price now for RON92 (regular unleaded) is $2.30.

I've been telling people that I've shifted to using RON92 petrol. They've asked me if there's any difference. According to the research I've done, there should no difference for most cars, except cars with high performance engines. You can check out the technical explanations by googling it. However, for most regular average-Joe cars like mine, there should be no performance or mileage differences. Anyway, I've been getting more bang for my buck in terms of mileage because I've shifted to the RON92 fuel.

Oh, but back to fluctuating prices. With this mechanism, you can never be sure what the price of petrol will be tomorrow. It may be adjusted. As a matter of fact, there are many things in life we are not sure of. Things can change and we need to adapt along with it. Adapting is sometimes not easy. But being able to adapt well helps us to live life with greater efffectiveness. So adapt... high oil prices or not :)

Typhoon

Typhoon Hagupit closed in on Hong Kong today and shut schools and halted flights. My wife was just able to leave Hong Kong earlier today. I remember that I was once also in Shanghai and also managed to fly off despite heavy rains. I was able to leave just before the typhoon hit Shanghai.

A typhoon is an incredible force of nature. It can cause damage if strong enough and if it hits populated areas. It can change the landscape. Such force and power!

In the face of such power, we can only stand in awe. The other day there was an extremely heavy thunderstorm and looking out my window, it was an awesome sight. I saw trees swaying like lallang/reeds and water pouring from the sky. Lightning and thunder cut across the sky.

Every time I see these things, I realise how small I am. How little I know. How powerless I am. Then like the hymn of old, I say, "How great Thou art"...

Pineapple

My wife doesn't usually take pineapple. When asked why, she would say "I don't really like it".

However, the other day, I sorta encouraged her to try a slice of pineapple which I had at home, which I told her was sweet, juicy and fantastic... so she said she'll take a small bite. After she took the first bite. She realised it was really good. Then she asked for more. By the time she finished, she had 3 slices of pineapple! Not bad for someone who "doesn't really like pineapple".

I asked her why the sudden change in her religion? She said she always had bad experiences with pineapple. They were usually not sweet and mostly sour. So when she tasted the sweet pineapple, she enjoyed it very much. She never knew pineapple could be that way. It was sort of a conversion experience for her.

In life, we sometimes based our knowledge of something on our experiences in the past. However, this can stop us from experiencing something good. We have faulty knowledge and base decisions on that incomplete knowledge.

However, if you are willing to try, you can discover something new, which may change your life. Just like grace (in previous post). Just try it once... just give it a shot, it may change your life forever!

Churrascia and Grace!

Heard of that word? It's a brazilian style buffet where the meat is roasted/barbequed and served on skewers. Slices of meat are cut while the chunk of meat is still on the skewer. A "passador" will come with skewer and knife in hand and cut it right into your plate. Tip: Don't argue with a passador, his knife is really big! Looks like a parang!

They keep coming to your table every few minutes offering differing different types/cuts of meat. For those who love meat, this is meat heaven! Rounds and rounds of meat being offered to you, non-stop until you can have no more and you surrender.

My wife and I recently visited one in PJ. We had so much meat, it was coming out of our ears!

Got me thinking about how God's grace is like... it's non-stop and it's always being offered. It's whether we want to take it or not. We can say yes or no, it's up to us. If we say yes, we are given grace. If we say no, then though it's there for the taking, it will not be given to us.

I know many people who know of that grace, yet they say no. They say no for a variety of reasons, but whatever the reason is, if they do not say yes, they will miss out on the greatest gift that is offered to mankind.

I also know people who say yes and they experience the grace of God. They say yes and they are given that grace, served fresh to them. They eat of it and experience it. They get it over and over again and it's offered fresh to them, round upon round upon round. They never go hungry as long as they keep receiving that grace.

Go ahead, say yes! Yummy!

Shawn's Birthday!

Yes, another birthday! Shawn's Birthday is coming up and we celebrated with an informal dinner with some of the leaders. It was just good old Thai food, which Shawn enjoys and some good company. We talked about stuff from when we were young, etc. Shawn is the pastor of ecfdamansara, a church plant in Kota Damansara, of which I attend.

It was good! You know, it's a great practice to honour those that are placed above us. It's always good to honour them not just in word but in practice. There is a great blessing in respecting and obeying in the sphere of authority that they have over you. I believe that all authority is not placed there by coincidence, but by the divine owner of all power, God.

So honour and respect your leaders. You will be blessed because of it!

Funeral

I recently attended a Muslim funeral. It was a solemn affair. In their practice, they would bury the body as soon as possible. If it is possible, even on the same day after a person has passed away.

There were many words that were uttered by the person performing the ceremony.

A funeral is not something we want to attend often. However, it is a great reminder for us to think about our life and how we are living it. Is it being lived well? What if today was the last day of your life?

Some of us think we'll sort out our life tomorrow, or next month, next year, when I'm 50 or some other time in the future. However, you can never be certain how much time we have left.

I think it's wise we live our life purposefully and for eternal things. Who knows what tomorrow holds?

Left or right?

When I first came back to live in KL, I was pretty confused with all the roads. Nowadays, I can still get confused at times, but I'm much better. During those times of confusion, you're not even sure if you can trust the signboards as they might mix you up as well.

It can get really stressful when you're driving in traffic like in KL! Not only do you have the stress of figuring what road to take, you have to deal with the crazy traffic!

In life, we are sometimes in a similar situation. We don't know what to do, where to go and the pressures of life add to the strain.

It's at those moment, you need to quiet down and trust the One who can help you in these things the most. If you trust in His directions and ways, then you will end up where you're supposed to, in the best way possible!

Life is like a box of chocolates

Wedding dinners! Oh, what a great way to catch up with old friends! On Saturday I met with a few of my ex-classmates and schoolmates from secondary school. We were all at a wedding dinner of a friend. It was great just to see what everyone is doing now and laugh about the "good old days". It was fun to see everyone grown up. It was good to connect again and share our lives.

It's interesting to see how we've all taken up different stations and places in life. Some have interesting stories about where they ended up where they ended up... like how the practicing engineer became a HR professional (sounds very familiar, huh?)

Everyone has found different roads in their lives. I guess none of them could ever have imagined that they would have ended up where they are now. I guess you can never be certain about what life may hold. Like the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you might get in your life.

However, life is not meant to be just lived without any anchor at all. I can't imagine a life where everything is in constant flux (and I mean everything). That would be tough to deal with! So have an anchor! Some of us have anchors in other people, material things, status or location. However, these can suddenly change without our permission. So you got to find something unchanging, constant and good. For many of us, we look to God who provides us that security and stability. That's probably the BEST idea!

Another Birthday!

Sunday night, and the birthday celebration squad is out again! This time, Jun was the victim/celebrity!

She had come home at about 815pm. We got to the hostel about 840pm. We then sent up our spy, the room mate. Confirming that she was back in her room, we gathered just outside and quickly organised the cake and the candles! Squatting and lighting the candles in the corridor, we tried our best to keep our voices low. Of course, with some naturally noisy people, we were considering stuffing cotton in some of their mouths.

When we were ready, we went into the room, singing, "Happy Birthday!" It was full of fun and sharing of personal thoughts about Jun and her influence in the lives of her friends, especially those from HELP.

Fun all around and also a meaningful time of just thanking and reflecting. It's not just a time to celebrate a birthday together, but to get to know each other and celebrate our friendships!

A birthday with Fishy people!

I had an interesting Saturday lunch. We were to surprise a friend, called Fish (what a cool name!). As I walked towards our destination, we saw Fish and two of her friends (which were of course, our accomplices in this heinous crime). I quickly ducked into the nearest shop. Argggh! women's beauty shop! What am I doing here? I waited for the danger to past, before resurfacing. I politely thanked the salesgirl who was introducing me to a face mask and body scrub.

We then assembled in the restaurant. We hid like mosquitoes ready to buzz in on our unsuspecting victim. We waited patiently, like a tiger in the thick undergrowth of the forest, waiting for the moment to pounce. Wait, wait, wait... the wait was long and we began to grow impatient. Our patient posturing began to unravel into a untidy pack of hyenas. When would they arrive?

Finally, our spotter caught a glimpse of them. We quickly got into our positions of hiding, ready to ambush her. Menus went up to hide faces. Some hid behind pillars (the thin ones). Some hid behind plants (those wearing green).

When the victim was in position, we pounced, cake in hand! It ended up more like a rowdy bunch of monkeys rather than a coordinated smooth incursion by a special forces unit. A loud cacophony of voices filled the restaurant as we sang Happy Birthday! (We hope if you were there, you did not have your hearing damaged by us).

All in all, it was fun, just doing silly stuff together and leaving your brains behind. Connectedness and community are such an important part of life. Friends are people you can trust can be hard to find at times, but they make life so much more enjoyable!

Connections

Friday night we had another VIBE and we saw a lot of campus students coming down to connect. They brought their friends and we talked and talked and talked. Talked about some important stuff about themselves.

It's great to see so many come and learn. By doing this, they are forming a community. They are not disconnecting but connecting. They will reap the fruits of community and connectedness.

The other thing is people bring people. People influence people. Great promotions will help spread the word, but personal invitations make the diffference!

Everyone needs friends... and groceries

At 12am in a hypermarket in town, we saw there were still many people, all the way till closing time of about 1230am.
Woah! We thought it would be empty, especially on a Friday night!

We thought we'd get a head start and miss the usual crowds on the weekend. Well, it turned out it was not that full, but still I was surprised that there were a fair number of people in the store.

Everywhere we go in PJ, there are tons of people. Yet, many of them live lives of loneliness. They feel disconnected from the rest of the world. Or they feel connected to only a very small group.

In the old days, you were connected to the whole village, the whole community. It was the social environment of the time. But now, with electronic communications, which was supposed to bring us closer together, we seem to be further away.

It therefore needs more time and purposeful effort to ensure we stay connected to people and the community.

Malaysian Politics revisited

What is happening now? Politics becoming a national drama series. At least those of us who don't have Astro have something interesting to entertain us.

Yet, is it entertaining to see your country go through what it is going through? The people are probably fed up with our politicians. Perhaps if we got rid of ALL the politicians, we would have a better Malaysia? I'm not sure, but it's an interesting thought to entertain. Where are Malaysia's best and brightest? They should lead and manage our country! Oops, perhaps many of them are in other countries, fed up of the things that they see here.

As a concerned Malaysian, I wonder, are our leaders (and leaders in waiting) thinking about the country or about themselves?
The way it seems now, many Malaysians would rather just pack their bags and leave for somewhere else. A place they can be treated better and where you have leaders, though imperfect, are more respectable. No one is asking for a perfect leader, but a leader we can respect.

Oh leaders, please listen to the Malaysians. Listen to those here in Malaysia and those who have left. We are concerned. We are not immigrants, we are citizens. Treat us like citizens. We give to the country. Some of us came back form overseas, giving Malaysia a chance. don't let us regret that decision.

I hope for a day where I can respect a leader not because of the office he holds (I believe in doing that) but because of his character.

Beware

Beware...
To be on guard against; be cautious of
To be cautious; exert caution

There are many unfortunate things in life that happen to us that we are surprised by. Many of these things might have been an accident waiting to happen. However, because we were not able to identify the danger signs or the warning signals that they happen. The longer we weren't aware of it, the higher the probability over time that we would be struck by the incident. Maybe we weren't able to see that it was a growing problem. As the problem grew, it finally hit a point where it popped out in front of us.

It's sometimes difficult, but we must beware. We must be careful that we don't miss signs. Usually we just dismiss them. If I feel like I'm getting irritated more easily, I need to go check and find out why. I must beware those signs. If I am beginning to have thoughts about things I should be thinking about too often, then I must check myself. I must beware.

Beware. Don't let things grow until it's too hard to get rid of it. Start now, start today and continue everyday!

What causes headaches?

Headaches (cephalalgia) can be a mystery and though scientists have some clues about what causes headaches, the complete mystery has not yet been unravelled. Some research points to the constriction and dilation of blood vessels causes migraines. Muscle contractions in the head were thought also to bring on tension headaches. Some problems with your neck may also cause headaches.

Well, I'm no medical doctor, so I'm not really in a position to say that much. Needless to say, there might be something wrong with the body. Most headaches go away after some time, though some can be a symptom of an underlying problem that is more serious.

Why am I saying all this? Coz I'm having a headache right now. It's probably caused by my lack of sleep over the past few days.

However, headaches, though a nuisance, are signals to us that we need to do something. For me, it means I gotta get more sleep. That's not exactly a bad thing. So to take care of my body, I got to get enough sleep. Sometimes, we are so engrossed with so many things that we miss out on enough sleep and rest. We don't recreate enough.

Life is about balance. There are times we spend a lot of time on certain things, but we need to be careful that we don't neglect the other areas of our life. We commonly neglect our health, especially when we are busy. Our body can take the punishment and recover if it's a short burst. But do it continually and for a long period and there may be irreversible damage. The same for our relationships.

So don't neglect parts of your life too much, because sometimes the damage can be irreversible.

Financial Markets up and downs

What do you do when the financial markets are going up and down? What security will you have that your money will retain its value? One ringgit today may not be worth the same tomorrow.

What do you do? How do you get peace when your money might shrink in value tomorrow? Do you chase after more money? Sure, everyone wants more money. But is that the way?

Maybe the way might be to realise though money is important, it isn't everything. Sometimes, money can't buy peace or happiness. I'm not saying you don't need it, but there come s a time when earning more of it, will not bring much fulfillment.
Be successful, be wealthy but don't let the pursuit of money be your whole life!

Talent... with preparation

How many of us have turned up unprepared for something? I've been asked at times to say something without much preparation. It's tough to sometimes make an impact when you speak. However, if I was given time to prepare, the message can be impactful and useful!

Many of us have a talent or a natural ability or predisposition to do something well. However, with preparation, it multiplies the effectiveness many times.

Preparation enables talent to be powerfully effective. Your odds of success multiply when you add preparation to talent. As a matter of fact, talent without preparation can sometimes lead to not only sub-optimal results but more negative effects that you could imagine. For example, suppose I'm good at public speaking and I'm asked to say something at the last minute. I can depend on my talent to speak, but if because of my lack in preparation, I say something less than ideal, it may offend someone or cause distrust.

"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war" George S. Patton

Talent is never enough

We always hear of great leaders and how talented they are. No doubt, many of them are talented and skilled at what they do. However, many people don't realise that their "talent" or skill was something that they had to work at. Many great leaders worked at their talent. They honed and perfected it so that it made them a great leader.

If you have a talent, that's great. But great talent alone isn't enough. You need to develop that talent. You need to work hard at it. Whatever you are naturally good at doing now, work at it, if you really want to be great at it!

Step 1
Find out what you are naturally good at
Step 2
Find out what your passion is
Step 3
Make sure it can provide for you (although if you do what you are passionate about very well, people will usually pay for it!)
Step 4
Work at it!

Mooncake Party - Proud of them!

In case you think this has turned into a blog about politics, no, it hasn't. I've just been writing whatever is on my mind currently. So happens, politics was on it!

Anyway, last night, a bunch of college students (and some adults) organised an awesome mooncake party! We had more than 40 students cramped in just having fun. With food (tons of sausages!), games and an overall excellent time!

I was just very proud of the students that put it together. They did an awesome job! They've come a long way. They displayed maturity, flexibility, teamwork and hard work in sorting out the event.

They also learnt to use the right people in the right tasks. This probably helped them to get maximum effectiveness. Of course, there was also a lot of flexibility in people doing tasks that they may not be ideally suited for.

They also learnt to ask for help. They got in help and involvement of people who wanted and could be of help. They also sought advise from those who might be more skilled than them.

Also, for the transportation team, they did a great job. "They left no man behind". Yup! They made sure they picked up everyone and sent back everyone.

Of course, the visitors played their part too. They added their energy and enthusiasm to the atmosphere. For some of them, they made their way to the common pick up points so that transportation could be arranged.

All in all, it takes a lot for a great event to happen. Because everyone chipped in, it worked out great! Good job everyone!

Malaysian Politics - Backbencher's Club Study Trip

One wonders at times of the maturity of Malaysian Politicians. Here are the leaders. Is their job difficult? No doubt. They have heavy responsibilities. I respect the office they hold.

However, recent developments have made many Malaysian wonder about their maturity in making decisions. Are they making right, fair, just, mature and informed decisions?

A case that calls this into question is the recent Backbencher's Club planned study trip to study agriculture. Is a study or learning trip a good idea? Definitely. Do we need more than 3-5 people to do that? The extra money could be used to help the people. To be put to worthy causes. Are we saying that 3-5 people, who should be selected based on merit, ability to learn and transfer that learning tot he rest of the members cannot be organised? Are our MPs not able to do that?

Of course, some people also ask why it had to be done on Sept 16?

We only hope things get better. Our country needs our prayers.

Attacks against politicians

Recently there have been physical attacks against some politicians in Malaysia. We're all used to the verbal and print abuse that some receive. However, physical abuse is something that is alarming. I am unsure what motivates these abuses. Are they politically motivated or otherwise.

I do hope our Malaysian landscape doesn't change into one where physical abuse or violence for political motivations becomes something we hear of often. We would then be going down the road where politics may be marred by violence and physical abuse/threats. Do we want to go down that road? No... we will regret it.

I hope we become mature. I hope our people are mature enough not to take us down that road.

Bangkok

Despite the news and pictures you see on the news, the situation in Bangkok is not as bad as it looks. According to Malaysians in the Thai capital, life is almost normal in the city. I guess when you see the news you only get the "sensational" stuff more than what is really happening.

So, sometimes, don't believe everything you see or hear until you can substantiate it. Don't assume!

Silly Malaysian Politicians

It has been reported in the Malaysian newspapers of how a certain silly Malaysian politician had made a statement calling non-Malays immigrants. This was especially targeted at Malaysian Chinese.

What would you do if your brother called you an adopted child? Is it not offensive? Does it not bring forth wrath and anger? Will it not bring forth resentment?

If you are the person who had called Malaysian Chinese immigrants, what would you do? Would you keep silent? Does it not show your lack of wisdom?As the lyrics of the song "Apologize" by Timbaland goes... "it's too late to apologize, it's too late"

As a Malaysian, I say, get rid of such shameful politicians. Get rid of such racist remarks. All we ask is for fairness. All we ask is for equality. Has not God created us all equal?

It is indeed a sad day when remarks of such a demeaning nature are heard...

What do Singaporeans do in their free time?

As I came back from Singapore, I thought I'd just list down a few things that Singaporeans commonly do in their free time, like say the weekends or the like. By common, I mean, most Singaporeans.

i) Shop
ii) Watch Movies
iii) Eat
iv) Hang out at coffee joints and the like
v) Read a good book
vi) Surf the internet/PC games
vii) Go Clubbing
viii) Go to the beach

That's all I can think of for now... what Sporeans commonly do on weekends... any suggestions? Drop me a comment or email me and I'll try to add to the list!

Merdeka! Malaysia's independence day

August 31, the day every year where Malaysians celebrate their national day, or independence day. What does it mean when we celebrate it? What is the meaning behind it?

Is it a day to celebrate that we now govern ourselves? Is it a day to celebrate our successes?

If it is a day to celebrate that we now govern ourselves, we must ask, how well do we govern ourselves? Are we proud of how we govern ourselves? Do those who govern and lead us, lead with strength of character? Do they lead with integrity, fairness, humanity, respect and excellence? Do we exemplify good governance? Do our laws reflect fairness?

If it is a day to celebrate our successes, then we must ask, what have we achieved? Have we achieved success by all measures of human endeavours? Have we achieved success in business or economics? Have we achieved success in moral standards? Have we achieved success in science? Have we achieved success in creating a culture that reflect what we want Malaysia to look like? How much have we achieved? To what level have we achieved it? How much is there to do?

I dream of a Malaysia who can be an example to the world. A positive example and a positive influence. Where we are one nation, one creed.