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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Bukit Kutu ... interesting story from an Englishman

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Bukit Kutu is one of the favourite mountains on our trekking list … a very nice natural trail as well as a clear river to enjoy a cool dip after a long tiring trek. Since we started trekking at Bukit Kutu, we have visited this mountain almost every month.

On 25^th JUNE 2011, Steven, Keat, GT Lim, Leong and I decided to trek Bukit Kutu again … we thought it would be as usual … trekking up to the peak and down and then hopefully find some good durians in the jungle. It turned out to be a little more meaningful than we thought. When we reached the base we saw a group of people already getting ready to trek up the mountain. As we were getting our gears ready, we struck up a conversation the group, among them a “Mat Salleh” (westerner). I later found out that his name is Tony Wright. The conversation was fairly general and we then started to trek into the jungle together.

After trekking for a while I asked Tony where he is from and he told me that he is from Plymouth, England. And knowing that he is an Englishman, I told him that he will surely love this mountain because at the peak of the mountain there are remnants of an old colonial bungalow. Then the surprise came … Tony said he knew about the old bungalow at the peak and he has photos of his grandparent (taken back in the 1920s) staying at the bungalow. Now, that is really something ... imagine coming from England to see the place (or what is left of it) where your grandparent once stood. I told Tony that I would be very glad if he can show me the photos when we reach the peak. I have always try to find out more about the remnants of the old bungalow but there isn’t much information I could get from on the internet or other sources.

We continued trekking and I was really looking forward to look at the photos that Tony brought along. About two and a half hours later, I reached the peak together with Leong. We spent some time at the peak and waited for the rest of my group as well as Tony’s group to reach the peak. I soon found out that the other three from my group are not trekking up to the peak and I was not sure how long Tony’s group will take to reach the peak, so, Leong and I decided to trek down. Just about 5 minutes into the descent we met with Tony and his group on the way up. I asked Tony if he could show me the photos he talked about and he quickly took the photos out to show me. Tony took time to explain to me the story behind each photo and what he knew of his grandparent and the old bungalow. I then ask Tony if he could send me a copy of the photos and he promised he will. We exchanged emails and soon parted ways.

 

The next day I received an email from Tony with photos attached and more information. The black and white photos below were contributed by Tony.

 Photo of the bungalow with Tony's grandfather sitting in front ... see the steps going into the bungalow and see below the same steps as they remain today at the peak of Bukit Kutu.

(Photo contributed by Mr Tony Wright) 

Remnants of the steps at the main entrance of the bungalow.

This is the fireplace (chimney) of the bungalow as it was in the 1920s ... this is the iconic picture as today this chimney still remain standing at the peak of Bukit Kutu.

(Photo contributed by Mr Tony Wright)

The chimney of the bungalow still standing as it is today. This structure has become the setting of many group photos of people visiting the peak of Bukit Kutu today.

The chimney and the main entrance steps.

 Another old photo of the bungalow seen from behind of the big rock at the peak of the Bukit Kutu.

(Photo contributed by Mr Tony Wright)

From his own research, Tony managed to piece together bits and pieces … besides the bungalow, there was also a sanatorium at the peak of Bukit Kutu. Tony has no pictures of the sanatorium but members of the sanatorium were friends of his grandparent and he has a photo of a Sister Sutton and his grandmother taken at the vicinity of the bungalow. Tony told me that the British built rest houses and holiday bungalows all around Malaysia so that government servants like Tony’s (maternal) grandfather can book them for rest and relaxation during holidays and weekends. Tony’s grandfather, Mr Tom Sargent, was a railway construction engineer for FMSR (Federated Malay States Railways) later known as KTMB from 1908 till 1935 when he retired and went back to England. The above photos were taken back in 1921 … 90 years ago! The iconic photo must be the photo of the fireplace and chimney as it still remain standing today and has become the setting for group photo of trekkers visiting the peak of Bukit Kutu.

Photo of Tony's grandmother (sitting) with Sister Sutton (who was working at the sanatorium). You can still find these two big rocks among the overgrown vegetation at the peak of Bukit Kutu.

(Photo contributed by Mr Tony Wright)

 Mr Tony Wright (second from right) showing photos to other trekkers at the peak of Bukit Kutu. The old photos of the bungalow created massive interest among the trekkers.

Apart from Bukit Kutu, Tony travelled to KL, Tanjung Malim, Seremban, JB, Mersing, Melaka, Penang … visiting and matching his grandfather's pictures of places where they either lived or visited during their long stay here many years ago. One can imagine what a wonderful experience this is, in a country which Tony has been visiting since 1988. It has deepened his love, knowledge and understanding immeasurably through this photographic journey to the past.

I am really glad to have met Tony … if not, I would not have learned so much more about Bukit Kutu and about his meaningful journey in Malaysia … thank you very much Tony for the photos and a little bit of history of Bukit Kutu

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Of alcohol, foie gras and a big fat liver

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My last job was in the wines & spirits industry … for a few years I was marketing a popular brand of whisky. The job was fun … entertainments, night clubs, grand events, fine dining, overseas trips and of course, plenty of alcohol. I must say I did enjoy the few good years and when I left the industry, some of my friends were quite surprised why I gave up a good job. Well, there were many reasons … it is a long story so to speak. But I can tell you one of the many reasons was my health.

You see, I used to be a person who tends to over indulge … to me whatever worth doing is always worth over doing. And working in the wines & spirits industry, I frequently went across the line, over indulging myself in alcohol. When I start to drink, somehow I just cannot stop … really, I only have myself to blame for not being able to exert strict control on my drinking habits. Away from work, I always kept myself active in competitive racket games, swimming, running as well as other outdoor sports.  I used to run 12 to 15km non-stop easily … but at that point of time, I could barely do 3km. My physical fitness was affected and my health began to deteriorate … slowly I felt that I was not as fit as I want to be.

Something was wrong … a medical check-up soon showed that apart from losing my stamina and experiencing sporadic irregular heartbeat, I also have an enlarged liver … a lot larger than it should. Somehow it reminds me of an article I read about foie gras … the fat juicy liver, a gourmet cuisine that melts in your mouth. Hey, do you know that people in this business force-feed the geese with high carbohydrate feed and cramp them in cages so that their livers swell up with fat, growing to a few times its normal size? The liver is then harvested and expensively served in fine dining. To many it is a delicacy but really it is just basically a disease-damaged organ called fatty liver (just like my liver at that time). Though I was not cruelly force fed but high alcohol consumption was the main culprit of my enlarged liver. You probably read about it before … something called alcoholic fatty liver disease.  

I knew I have to get back in shape … I have already lost capacity of one of my lungs (smoked one of my lungs away) and the injurious effects of alcohol started affecting my liver. I had another good reason to quit the wines & spirits industry … and I did. It has been more three years now and a recent medical screening showed that my liver is working just fine now without the alcohol (well not totally without alcohol … occasionally a couple of beers) and my lungs capacity increased. I am glad I am physically better now to be actively playing competitive badminton, trekking and other outdoor activities. This old car may have a few loose screws here and there after running for almost half a century but overall, (after a bit of overhauling) the major parts of the engine are performing just fine.

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Trekking Gunung Angsi

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Gunung Angsi  (825 meters ASL) is one the many mountains that we love to trek. Situated in Ulu Bendol Forest Reserve in Negeri Sembilan, this mountain is fairly easy to trek. There are 3 trails (that we know of) going to the peak of this mountain … the main trail is from Ulu Bendol Recreation Park but we normally take the trail from Bukit Putus. There is another trail called the Ferny Trail going to the same peak.

Driving from KL, it takes about an hour to reach the base of this mountain along the road from Senawang to Kuala Pilah. Trekking up from Bukit Putus will take about 1 hour 30 minutes … some very fit trekkers can do in just over an hour and others may take longer to reach the peak. 

On 28MAY2011, four of us, (CT Lim, GT Lim, Steven Chin and I) trekked up from the road side at Bukit Putus. The last time we came to this mountain we saw that the coconut tree we planted sometime last year did not grow well so we brought along another coconut seedling to be planted on the peak. CT Lim was tasked to carry up the coconut seedling. I took about 1 hour 40 minutes to reach the peak trekking pass Panjang’s rest point and Pang’s rest point. On reaching the peak I was glad to meet KC Leong (who runs a blog called KC & The Sunshine Runners) and his fellow runners and trekkers who trekked up from Ulu Bendol Recreation Park. When our group first took up trekking a few years ago, we joined KC Leong and his group on a few outings and learned a lot from him. Nice to meet up with this mountain ‘sifu” again who is leading a group of trekkers up Mount Rinjani (Indonesia) very soon. All the best to them.

Met KC Leong (right) and his group at the peak of Angsi

(photo courtesy of KC Leong)

Shortly after, GT Lim arrived at the peak and a while later both CT Lim and Steven Chin made it to the peak after trekking for 2 hours. After a short rest we then find a spot and planted the coconut tree. Not sure if coconut trees can grow in high attitude environment but we hope that it will and in the future it can provide shade and bear fruits for thirsty trekkers.

We spent some time at the peak sharing jokes and trekking stories with KC Leong and his friends. A while later we decided to trek down and parted ways with KC and friends. We took the same way down to Bukit Putus base and already our minds were thinking of what to eat for lunch. After just over an hour we made it out of the jungle and went to a stream nearby to wash up. We then proceed to our favourite TIUB (Telur Itik Ulu Bendul) stall to purchase some “kampung” eggs from the Pak Cik who runs a duck farm and sells duck eggs at this stall. After that we drove to Senawang where we had “nasi campur” for lunch before heading home … it was a good day out at Gunung Angsi. 

BUSTED!!!

I like the Mythbuster TV series and I really like watching Kari Byron ... she looks good working with power tools. The rest of the guys are great … but Kari is my favourite. I like this TV show because I am all for the idea of getting the facts right.

Now, why am I talking about Mythbuster here? Because I too like to do a bit of myth busting every now and then.  OK, here is one of the many myths in life ... have you heard people say “Do what you love to do and let the money catch up later”. Really? How many can actually say that they are doing what they love to do and only worry about money later? I have not met any yet. Though people may say they are good at what they do but that doesn’t mean that they love their jobs and that they don’t care about getting paid. Let’s be realistic … we work our asses off because we need the money not because we love what we do … many actually hate their jobs … even more just hate the idea of working. 

Whether you love to do it or not, first you got to stay alive. And to do that, you need food. You need to maintain your health and you have to afford the little comfort that you may require. Unless someone left you a fortune or you hit the jackpot ... you need to work for your money and ensures you have enough for the necessities to stay alive. How much is enough for you? I don’t know … some may need millions, others may need a lot less … but you got to have $$$. And only after that, you can do what you love to do ... but then again, whatever you love to do have to be within your means. So, I would rather say that maybe you do what you can afford to do ... that is more rational.

The myth says “Do what you love to do and let the money catch up later”… to me, by the time the money catches up, either you are already (starved to) dead or you have given up on what you are doing. Myth BUSTED!!!

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University of Hard Knocks

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I visited a retired lecturer last week and we chatted for almost half a day about everything under the sun. I enjoyed his company very much. He once taught me for a semester while I was doing a part time Marketing course. I like talking to him … a witty wise man. He is the kind of person who is not afraid to bend the rules and disrupt the norm. During the conversation he touched on something which I totally agree with and would like to share my point of views on this too. He had taught many people over the years … while he had seen many smart people but he feels that they lack the street wise aptitude. He said being smart may give you a good head start but you have to learn to be streetwise to pull you through the rough turns and corners of where you may be heading. I absolutely agree 100% with him … why? Because someone told me many years ago … a smart person will only believe half of what he hears … a streetwise person already knows which half. 

So what exactly is streetwise? I don’t know how to define it. I can just say streetwise ways are not always proper … unorthodox most of the times. In an argument, if the law is on your side, you argue the law. If the facts are on your side, you argue the facts … that is the smart way. But if both the law and the facts are not on your side, you argue LOUDLY … and I call that the streetwise way where rules don’t apply. Now, it does make you look like a rascal but sometimes that is the way you need to get things going. 

Very often people like to get things done via the proper channels. The smart thing is to ask for approval and play “by the book”… but then it often takes a lot time, involving red tapes and hassles. Did it ever cross your mind NOT to ask for approval now but to ask for forgiveness later? If you ask me, my streetwise reply will be … it is a lot easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for approval. You may say, hey, this is not right. I didn’t say it was right … but if you are convinced, you may need some unorthodox ways to get around obstacles … “bend the rules” so to speak.

We faced all sorts of obstacles day after day … many are not easy to solve but you don’t really need to know rocket science to tackle them. When you can’t find a smart way to remove or get across an obstacle, maybe there is a streetwise way to just get around it. Hey, I am sure you heard of this “if you can’t convince them, confuse them”.

 
Streetwise aptitude is not something you learn from your normal educational institutions … you get it from the “University of Hard Knocks” where there are no rules, no bed of roses … you learn it by getting yourself bumped, bruised, betrayed, fooled, deceived, smacked, conned … the more you get knocked down, the faster you learn. You must go head on, face to face with the problems. I don’t know about you but I love problems or should I say I love solving problems. I was paid to solve problems (when I was working) … and I have more than enough shares of hard knocking problems to earn me a bagful of streetwise “Shiek’s Specials” which I can pull out to use every now and then … they get me through hell and back in a breeze.

I am not asking you to go against the flow every time. You don’t need to … there are times when it is easier to just get around it. You are a smart person but you will learn to be streetwise every time when you fall and pull yourself up again. Maybe you too will have your very own “streetwise specials” to pull out when the need arises.

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