I am a dog, not a cat … and you are my “god”

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I have been thinking back lately … way back … a few decades back and yes, I am that old already. I thought to myself, I am a very fortunate person … in many important turning points of my life, I met people who helped me unselfishly. Starting from primary school, I remember Puan Salleh, who was very fond of me (and knowing that my family was poor) made sure that I was given free school meals (oats and bread) during recess. Sometimes she even brings homemade sandwiches for me. She gave me my first story book called Aesob’s Fables … I must say that she actually got me started on reading.

When I started working (after secondary school), my very first job was an electrician. A couple of years into the job, one of my bosses, Mr Looi, asked me to leave the company … not that he wanted to fire me but he actually recommended me to work with his friend. He found out that I was quite good at drawing so he convinced me that I would be better off working as a draughtsman than an electrician. That provided a good stepping stone into the next level of my working life.

So what the hell all these have to do with dog, cat and “god”? Stay with me … read on.

From there, I moved on to a technical design job with an international British company … working under an English guy called Mr Philip Waldron who exposed me to all the technical design works in the construction industry. Mr Philip Waldron taught me well and recommended me for an overseas assignment in HongKong. I worked on one of the projects of the famous HongKong Shanghai Bank building. Back in those days, when you get sent overseas to work, it is a BIG thing! My father actually called for a “torng kai pai sun” (slaughter chicken to offer to the ancestors) thanksgiving session for the family. Really, it was that BIG!

The British company ceased operation during to the mid 1980s recession and I was paid off adequately. With a bit of money in hand, I decided to go back to study … and I went to study Commercial Arts for a year. After that I joined an advertising company doing mainly audio video production works. A couple of years with the company, Mr Harold Nettleton, a senior partner, encouraged me to try my luck in the corporate world … “join the client” as he put it. He said “Shiek, on the agency side, people pay, you run whereas on the client side, you pay, people run”. And I took his advice.

So, I applied for a Marketing position in a newly formed division of an insurance company. It was the biggest turning point of my life. Under the guidance of the division’s head Mr Tan Cheng Keang (or CK as we called him), I started my first job in the corporate world as a Marketing Executive. It was CK who gave me the opportunities to develop myself and moved from an Executive to a Manager of the Direct Marketing Department. After 5 years with the company CK left for higher career advancement and a few months later, I too decided to leave.

Hey, where is the dog, the cat and the “god”? Hang on … I will come to them soon.

I then formed an advertising design agency. Again, it was CK (now MD of his company) who gave me one of my first advertising contracts and many more to come. With the support from CK and other clients, I operated the company until the late 1990s when the financial crisis at that time forced me to close the agency. I applied for job in a Swedish automobile company and got myself back into the corporate world.

 A couple of years later another opportunity knocks on my door. It was CK again, who offered me a job in his company as a Brand Manager for a famous scotch whisky. Without any hesitation, I went to work with CK advancing my career to another level in the corporate world. Though it did not last very long, it turned out to be the best years of my working life … a very rewarding and satisfying four and a half years in the wines and spirits industry before I made a decision to call it a day ... that was almost 4 years ago.

Okay, here comes the dog, cat and “god” part … you see, I am like a dog … dogs, when you provide them with food, water, shelter and affection, they will think you are god.  I am not a cat because cats, when you provide them with food, water, shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods (an excerpt from a quote by the late Christopher Hitchens). As for "god”, I don’t really believe there is an invisible guy up there … so, the people I mentioned here and also many whom I did not mention (I am sure they know who they are), I want you all to know, you guys are my “gods” who have provided for me, helped me and guided me to where I am today. I thank you all sincerely from the bottom of my heart.

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My kids just don't listen !

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Parents out there, I am sure many (if not all) parents agree that your children (on most days) are good but can be difficult at times … stubborn, naughty, playful, hyperactive, quiet, talkative … all sorts. As parents we try our very best to bring them up in the best possible way we can … but sometimes we just don’t understand them. And how many times we have complained and said “My kids just don’t listen !”

I am not an expert … I don’t know of any “sure-win” formula or any tested method of raising good children. There are plenty of books out there that will tell you what to do and offer some good ideas to raise a good kid but I have yet to find one that offers how to teach the kids to listen. But then again, maybe you should not be too worried if they don’t listen. Why? 

Let me share something with you … I remember watching a promotional short story aired on national TV some years ago. The story was a about a couple with two children staying with an old man (grandfather of the kids). The scene shows the couple setting up for dinner while the kids were watching and they only set the table for 4 persons … another table was set up outside the house for the old man because he was disorderly due to his senility. Then the couple and the two children ate dinner at the dinner table while the old man ate his dinner alone outside.

The next scene shows the two children playing with toy tables and chairs while their parents were watching … and then the children playfully began to set up the toys tables and chairs for dinner. They set up a dinner table and then set up another table a distance away for two persons. And when their parents asked why another table was set up ... the kids simply replied it is for them (the parents) when they grow old. Now, I am sure you can see the strong emotional message here. Kids … whatever they see, they do.

Like all parents, I have the same problem. My kids don’t listen to me too but I am not too worried about that. The way I look at it … don’t worry too much if your kids are not listening to you, you should be more worried that they are watching you.

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I am “not there yet”

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Someone asked me why I decided to take life easy and slowed down while I am still at a “workable” age. He told me “You have to look forward, move forward, keep going, don’t slow down and if you still can, go for it”. I want to ask … move forward, keep going for what? Keep slogging for more so that I can show people that I have made it?

Back in the days when I was working with a luxury car company, I did some focus groups (research) on luxury car owners of a well known brand. I asked them what their thoughts were when they bought that expensive brand. All of them agreed that driving that particular brand, they are able to tell people the message “I have arrived” … meaning they have made it in life. 

Now, I don’t drive that particular expensive brand of luxury car nor do I own any other luxury car brands … I just cannot afford one. So what does that mean? I am “not there yet”? So I need to keep moving, keep working for more (while I am still "workable") … then I can show people that “I have arrived”? Nope ... that's not for me.

I looked and moved forward already … many years ago I set my goals, worked very hard, chased after my dreams … slowly, over the years, I managed to come to where I am now. Though I do not have anything to show but I too can proudly say that “I have arrived” to where I wanted to be. 

For now I can slow down. I don’t want to keep moving and chasing for more. I want to stay where I am, do what I enjoy and live the simple life the way I want. I am taking life and doing things at an easy pace. So I am staying put … that doesn’t mean I am slacking backwards in life … I am learning new things, absorbing new ideas and keeping up with new innovations that help make my life a lot easier.

Do I look forward now? Yes … I just look forward to a simple healthy life. That’s good enough. Don’t need to look forward too much … at my age if I looked a bit too far, I see death … now, I am definitely not looking forward to that. And for that matter, I am very glad to say I am “not there yet”.
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Trekking Gunung Ulu Semangkuk

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Gunung Ulu Semangkuk is not a popular (among local trekkers) mountain located in Ulu Teranum Forest Reserve in Fraser’s Hill. Only a handful of trekkers ventured to this peak  … not much information can be found on the internet with regards to this mountain. We first trekked this mountain sometime last year after coming across some information from the internet. Subsequently we went there again a couple of times last year.

On 15^th October 2011 we decided to trek Semangkuk again after a few fellow trekkers who have not been to this place requested us to show them the trail … so off we go. Five of us met early at 6.00am in Puchong and another group will meet us at the GAP traffic exchange point in Fraser’s Hill (GAP is the place where vehicles take turns to use the one-way road up and down Fraser’s Hill… traffic going up is at odd hours and traffic coming down is at even hours). First we drove to Rawang town for breakfast and then proceed towards Fraser’s Hill driving through Kuala Kubu Bahru. When we reached GAP traffic exchange point, the other group of 4 trekkers were already there. We quickly put on our trekking gears and head to the entry point of the trail leading to Gunung Semangkuk.

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The entrance of the trail is just opposite this wooden house ... those new to this trail have to search for it among the ferns and bushes

Group photo ... the entrance of the trail is just behind us

 The entry point of the trail is just opposite the abandoned wooden house (used to be a restaurant) about 200 meters before the GAP traffic exchange point … quite obscure hidden by ferns and bushes. It is a small slope straight up into a fairly dense bamboo forest. From the thick vegetation and fallen bamboo trunks, we guessed that this trail has not been trekked for a while. It was a bit of a hassle going through the bamboo forest but after going through it, the trail starts to get easier with a few fallen trees along the trail. At this altitude, the air is cool and misty … the trail is straight up to a lower peak of Gunung GAP … it took us about 45 minutes to reach the peak of Gunung GAP where we rested for a while. From our previous experience, we knew from Gunung GAP, the trail will go up and down through a few valleys before reaching our targeted peak … about 2 hours of trekking to go.

(Left photo) First timer Mr Ooi getting through fallen bamboo trunks

(Right photo) Ms Yap and husband Ah Seng trekking up a slope

 (Left photo) Mr Ong and I sharing a joke

(Right photo) Lim Chin Keat taking a quick rest

(Left photo) Mr Ho ... slow and steady

(Right photo) Ms Yap, Ah Seng, Johnson and Mr Ong

We saw plenty of bamboo shoots along the trail and a sign board telling us that we are in Ulu Teranum Forest Reserve

After a short rest we trek down a valley from GAP peak and heads towards Gunung Ulu Semangkuk … the trail is fairly clear with some old tape markings still visible. We were quite happy to enjoy the cool, misty and breezy walk in the middle of the forest full of penetrating mid morning sun rays … what a good way to enjoy the great nature! We have to trek though a few valleys, occasionally greeted by fallen trees and a few tricky slopes … nothing we cannot handle. And after about one and a half hours we reached a deep valley … from this valley, the trail is a fairly tough straight climb up to the peak of Gunung Ulu Semangkuk. We tackled the valley carefully and then trek straight up to the peak … finally after one hour and forty minutes, we arrived at the peak of Gunung Ulu Semangkuk … 1,394m ASL (source from Internet).

 An elevation layout of the trail going up to Gunung Ulu Semangkuk (source from the internet)

Not much has changed at the peak since our last trek here many months ago … maybe it is because not many trekkers visited to this peak. From the peak, there isn’t much to see as the surrounding view is blocked by trees and other vegetation. A short trail leads to another side of the peak where the view is better … we can see the surrounding mountains of the Titiwangsa range.

 

 Mr Ooi and Steven Chin happy to make it to the peak

 Group photo at the peak of Gunung Ulu Semangkuk

We rested at the peak and had our lunch … my RM1.00 nasi lemak daun pisang tasted especially good after being carried up almost 3 hours to the peak. All of us enjoyed trekking Gunung Ulu Semangkuk although the travelling distance is quite long coming from PJ/Subang area. At the peak, we exchanged views and opinions of the trail and as usual cracked some jokes and laughs. Then it was time to descend … after cleaning up and packing our stuffs, we descended quickly. The descent was not a problem to all of us and in about 2 hours we made it out of the forest safely.

 The freezing waterfall where we freshened up

We then drove down a few kilometers to a waterfall to clean up … the freezing water was a bit too much for some while others had a splashing time.

Like all our trekking outings, a good trek will end with good food and there are plenty of good restaurants in both Kuala Kubu Bahru and nearby Ulu Yam. We decided to have an early dinner at Kuala Kubu Bahru … a good dinner it was … we filled our stomachs with a table full of recommended local dishes … a great finale to a good trekking outing.

... you TAKE IT !!!

The famous APPLE’s founder Steve Jobs passed away recently and the whole internet world was full of everything about Steve Jobs. I too was reading about him and came across an excerpt from his famous Stanford University’s speech in 2005 … “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Great words from a great man.

Honestly, many years ago I thought of something along that line … maybe not as sophisticated as Steve Jobs said it, not in the whole context and definitely in a lot lesser words … my thought was a simple question … “when can you live your own life?”. 

I want to ask how many can say they are really living their own lives, listening to their inner voices and following their dreams? Maybe Steve Jobs did it but how many Steve Jobs are there? It is almost impossible to totally avoid being influenced by the things around us … like it or not, a large part of our lives is already dictated by “sensible” obligations etched into us directly or subliminally. So many people are living a life dictated by someone else … they may not realize that they are living a life influenced by other’s opinion and that they are actually living someone else’s life. Even if they knew it, they deny it.

Do you feel that all these while, in your life, you are just an actor/actress given a script to read and direction to follow? Do you feel that something is missing in your life? Look at your life now and ask yourself how much the life you are living is your very own, how much time you have left from where you are now? 

Ask yourself when can you live your own life? Maybe you can start now … maybe you should tell yourself “enough is enough”. Maybe you should put whatever time you have left to write, direct and acts out your very own life. Maybe when people tell you to “take it easy”, you TAKE IT !!!

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My "god" came in a spacecraft

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I think I am going to rub a few wrong spots with this article … please forgive me for being blunt. Anyway, like I always say, it is strictly my opinions and views ... you don’t have to agree with me.

OK, let me start by saying I don’t belong to any religion … I don’t believe there is god nor do I believe there are angels and demons. A lot of times people asked my opinion about god, I will tell them there is no god and I have not seen one. The closest thing to god that I came across was my ex-colleague … he thinks he is god but unfortunately I don’t.

Some people told me I should have believed in god … and when I am faced with the many challenges in life, I will pull through with god’s help. Look, I pulled through many times and it has absolutely nothing to do with god … it has everything to do with my own abilities, my family who stuck by me, my friends who offered unselfishly and those were actually there to help.

Then some said that I pulled through because they prayed for me. Oh COME ON … am I supposed to thank those who prayed? What if I didn’t pull through … I blame them for not praying hard enough? Sorry, I don’t for a second believe that prayers will help. And when I fail, I only have myself to blame.

You may want to believe there is god (whatever your faith is) … that doesn’t bother me at all. I am sure your faith in your god will lead you to where you want to be. I just want to ask for the same … don’t be bothered if I tell you I don’t think there is god. But too many times when I tell people there is no god … they looked at me as if I have murdered someone. Some tried very hard to convince me to join their beliefs … they wanted to “recruit” me under the god whom they believed is “the right one” leading them to “the right path”. They told me everyone has a god in their mind, maybe subconsciously... maybe I just don’t realise it. They then over-persuasively insisted on helping me discover it ... it went a bit beyond my comfort zone and I just have to be brutally blunt telling them to back off.
 

Let me tell you this … there is something in my mind which I believe exists ... my version of the so-called “god” … and I don’t have to pray to it, it won’t help me at all, it is not “the right one” for me nor it will lead me to “the right path”. And you know what? My “god” ... it came in a spacecraft. Huh? What am I talking about? Well if you have read “Chariots of the Gods” or watched “Ancient Aliens”, you will know what I mean.

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Saving is the best thing …

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I was talking to a friend about our kids a few days ago. Both our kids are of the same age group … we talked about education, insurance, sports, exams and other related topics. It was a long discussion and somewhere during our conversation, my friend raised a question. He asked me “Eh … how much do you intend to leave for your kids?” “What do you mean?” I asked. And he replied  “I mean, when you leave the world, what you intend to leave for your kids? I thought for a few seconds and then I told him “NOTHING! Really, I don’t plan to leave anything for my kids when I kick the bucket ... I don’t even know if I have anything left by then”. He looked surprised anticipating an explanation. And we continued the discussion with me explaining my point.

 You see, like most people, my wife and I got out from school, started working, got married and were blessed with two kids. Over the years we struggled to fulfill mortgages, loans, insurances, kid’s education and other financial commitments. We are still struggling (though it is a bit easier now) for the comfort of the family, for the importance of our relationship and more importantly as parents, we struggle for our kids. We are not complaining … we know we need to spend enough time, give enough guidance and provide adequate foundation to our children as they grow. Though we don’t have a lot to give but we plan to give while we are still alive and while we are still able to do so.

Our children are the most important part of our lives at this point of time … and that is exactly why we are trying to ensure that they can handle the responsibilities when it is time to take the challenges on their own. We give whatever we can afford hoping that our children will grow up to be responsible adults, standing on their own two feet to face the world. Whether or not we are able to do this, we can’t say for now as we are still trying … our kids are still young. Really, we don’t plan to leave anything for our kids … we are not here to make sure that we save enough money, accumulate enough wealth for our children to continue living comfortably when the curtain closes down on us. We hope to “teach them how to fish” (as the saying goes) as the day will come for them to take on the struggle and earn a comfort living for themselves.

And when our children grow up, we hope we will not be of any burden to them when they go out to build their own lives and start their own families. If (at all) necessary, we don’t want to be dependent on our children when we grow old. As a matter of fact, (as selfish as it may sound) we saved some money, we accumulated some wealth and we invested in some funds … for ourselves. Simply because we need to make sure that we have enough to live comfortably until we go “kaput”. And if there is anything left by that time, that’s what we will leave for our children.

So, what is your plan? What will you leave for your kids when your time comes? Maybe you slogged very hard, built a successful life, accumulate enough wealth with the thought that you will leave a fortune or a big trust fund or some expensive properties for your kids to ensure that they won’t have to struggle (like you did) and hopefully they will continue to live a good life. Don’t get me wrong … I am not against it at all. I am very glad for you … even more glad for your kids. Let’s not deny it … I am sure all of us wished that our parents did that for us … then we all would be very happy to write the ending phrase to the title of this article (Saving is the best thing …) “especially when your parents have done it for you !” 

 

Life not years

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I have been trekking regularly almost every week, playing badminton every Sunday and get myself involved in other outdoor activities when I have some time to spare. Many of my friends said “Wow Shiek, you are getting very fit and healthy ... sure you will live longer than many of us”. Yes, maybe I will live a bit longer but then again maybe not. A lot of people get involved in various activities trying to stay fit with the thought that it may add some years to their lives … there is nothing wrong with this … it is common thinking. Do I want to live longer? YES, I want to live as long as I can but that is not the point. For me, it is not about trying to live longer. Let me tell you this … I trek, swim, play racket games and a few other sport activities … I do all these not to add years to my life but to add life to my years.

Look at all the great marathon runners, the high mountains adventurers, the power sports competitors … what do you think? They do it to show that they are very fit so they can live longer or to add passion, adventure or simply a bit of fun to their lives?

 You can do whatever to convince yourself you are among the fittest but if you are doing it thinking that it will add years to your life … well, it may or may not give you the extra years … there is no guarantee. But ask yourself … are you trying to stay alive longer or live a life fuller. Are you doing whatever you are doing to enjoy additional years or additional life?

As for me, whether I am trekking or playing racket games or simply going for a jog, it is something I like to do. I like the nature and enjoy the natural offerings. I like to be active, going outdoors and sweating it out. It is not about challenging how high a mountain I can climb or how fast I could smash the shuttle or showing how fit I am … it is about adding a bit of fun, a bit of adventure and more importantly adding a bit of life to the years I may have.

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A good ghost story

Well, it is that time of the year again … the time when all hell breaks loose … the “Hungry Ghost” festival. Yes, this coming Saturday will be the 14^th day of the 7^th month of the Chinese lunar calendar … the Chinese call this day “chat yut sap sei” … the day when the hell gates open. It is like a public holiday for the ghosts and ghouls and they will be out to party. And like every year around this time, there are plenty of ghost stories being told. Just a couple of days ago, it was reported in the newspaper that a group photo turn out with an extra member in the form of a ghostly image. Really? It is up to you to believe.

I too have a ghost story to tell … I heard it many years ago. Not really about a real ghost (I am not sure if there are real ghosts, have not seen one yet) but it is quite a clever “ghostly” trick.

The story goes like this … there was lady who stays near a cemetery and to get to her house, she has to walk pass the cemetery. One day she was going home quite late and after getting off the bus she sensed that she was followed by two figures. She was quite scared at first thinking the figures may be “lar char yeh” or ‘dirty things” (meaning ghosts … can’t help if you are staying near the cemetery) but then she realized that the figures were two suspicious men. While it was a relief to know that they are not “dirty things” another thought crossed her mind … they could be robbers or maniacs and she faced another problem.

Then an idea came to her … instead of walking quickly back to her house, she slowed down taking an easy walk as if she was just strolling and enjoying the walk. She then walked in between the graves and went straight to one of the graves nearby and sat down. As soon as she sat down she let out a relief sigh, stretched her hands and said out loud “farn tow ook kei ler” (which means “I have reached home” in Cantonese). Imagine the horror on the faces of the two men following her … they thought they have just followed a ghost to her grave … it scared the lights out of them and they ran for their lives.

Now although there is not really a ghost in the story, I thought it is a good ghost story to share about a quick witted lady using a simple ghostly trick to get her out of trouble.

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