I do what I like and I like what I do

Many people asked me what I have been doing since I quitted my full time job a few years ago ... I told them I have not been doing a lot ... just taking it slow and easy. Most people understand my simple way of life. But then there are a few who think differently ... they think I should do something more prolific with my life.

I don’t know how prolific they want me to be ... maybe I should go backpacking around world, be a volunteer in an international aid organization, join a green movement to save the world or go build homes for the unfortunates in third world countries. You know what? Someone actually suggested that I should write a book.

People asked me ... “Don’t you want to do something before you die?”

Well, I understand the good intention in the question but really, it has never occurred to me that I have to do something worthy or significant before I die. No, I don’t have big dreams. I have never wanted to travel and see wonders of the world, don't have any intentions to volunteer in any aid organization and have not done anything noteworthy in my life that I can write about.

I don’t have big aspirations ... just small and very simple dreams. As a young school boy, when the teacher asked me what is my ambition ... I did not say I want to be a doctor or a pilot or an engineer (that was what most of my classmates said) ... I just wanted to get out of school as soon as possible, find a job, buy a house, find someone I love, get married, have children and live an easy simple life. And that is exactly what I did ... over the years, bit by bit, piece by piece ... I have put them all together ... my simple dreams fulfilled.

I don’t know how many years I have left in my life and I don’t have big plans for it ... I am happy with whatever that comes along. If the weather is good, I go out to enjoy the nature and if it is a rainy day, I will hit the couch with a book, watch an old movie I downloaded or practice a new song with my erhu. When there are cheap flight tickets offered, I will go on a budgeted holiday wherever it may be. Whenever I find a good recipe, I will try it out with my family and friends.

Now, do I want to do something do before I die? YES of course ... I do what I like (even if it is not something worthy) ... that is the freedom I wanted. And I like what I do (even if it is not something significant) ... that is the happiness I enjoyed.

Don’t trouble trouble unless trouble troubles you

I bumped into a friend at a local coffee shop ... a doctor that I knew for many years now. We chatted and I asked his opinions on an article that I read about a group of medical practitioners encouraging people NOT to go for medical check-ups.

The good doctor said this  ... “Don’t trouble trouble unless trouble troubles you” ... he then stressed ... “This is my personal opinion NOT my professional opinion”. Well, I am sure you understand what he said and what he meant. I don’t think I will find many medical professionals who share the same opinion.

Many medical practitioners and health specialists will say that people who are in their later years should have thorough medical examinations more frequently ... older people should constantly monitor their health as they grow older, they advised.

I disagree ... but that is just my personal opinion. I am not here to advise you not to go for medical check-ups ... if you want to find out what health issues you have, it is entirely up to you.

My point here is ... do older people really need to purposely go find out what is wrong with them? That is what medical check-ups are for ... to find out what is wrong with your health ... right? Really, if you do a medical examination, you are bound to find something wrong ... I am not joking.

The way I see it ... for old uncles like me, a thorough medical examination will definitely show a list of health issues. Some may not be serious ... just aches and pains. Well, actually that is a good sign ... put it this way, when you have lived more than half a century, if it is not painful it is probably not working anymore. But then there will be some issues that can be considered quite serious ... though may not be life threatening yet but can be quite worrying. So, do you want to know?

It is not that I am asking you not to care about your well-being ... I am sure you are very much aware of what to do and what to avoid. Like me, I am sure you will watch your diet, do the exercises, play some active games, run a few miles, trek a few mountains, try to stay as healthy as you can ... I think that is good enough. Don’t worry, trust your body ... it is an amazing piece of machinery ... if something is not right, it will tell you ...  then you can deal with it.

Really, everyone has health issues that lay hidden inside us ... there are always there. They may not threaten you if you don’t know where they are. But if you look for them, you WILL find something ... all too often, you will find trouble.

My kids, they are rich ...

A few weeks ago I received an email inviting me to enroll my kids into a 2-day seminar during the mid-year school holidays ... it was a course designed to teach children (in their early teens) about making and managing money. Later, the guy who sent me the email called me and asked if I want to enroll my kids into the course.

He told me that the course will enable my kids to learn how to earn extra money to buy things they want rather than save money from their allowance to do it. I thought to myself ... where have I heard this before? Sounds like something from (Robert Kiyosaki’s) Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

I am sure parents like me do share a few concerns about how our kids will fare when they go out and face the world, trying to make it on their own. Will they be able to make a decent living, find financial security and have a comfortable life ... right?

So, do we start teaching our children to make money in their early teens ... is that the way? NO, I don’t think so but hey, I am not an expert in this. So don’t listen to me.

I am sure you can find many expert opinions on when and how to teach your kids about money ... whether it is making extra money, saving or managing their allowance ... there are always books, seminars and courses available. Maybe along the way you can find some good ideas on teaching the kids how to get rich too. Well, if that is what you want your kids to learn, so be it.

For me, I tell my kids they don’t need so many things ... they learn not to make money to buy more things but to live with what they already have. They may not have a lot but they have enough of what they need to get them through at their age.

Anyway, I told the guy I am not interested in the course, really I can’t afford it ... he then made a last effort to convince me. He said ... ”You know, your kids will be learning how to get rich!”

Now, do I want my kids to learn how to get rich? Really, they don’t need to learn how to get rich. My kids, they are rich ... they have so many things that money cannot buy.

I was that kind of soldier

I am not a clever person … in my school days I was just an average student … I did not expect to go into the Science Stream (Science Stream classes were for the clever ones) but somehow got myself into it. I should thank my Form 3 Science teacher Mrs Teh (she never liked me), who told the class that everyone will pass the Science exam except me. That fired me up a bit … so, to prove her wrong, I studied extra hard for Science (only) and scored an A1 for Science in my LCE Exams. The rest of the subjects were “so so” only.

So the school decided to put me into the Science Stream … I had the choice to change but decided not to … I thought I could do it but I was so wrong. I have to do three sciences, two maths, two languages, Geography and try to have fun with whatever time left. I barely scraped through my MCE Exams (O-Level) … even though I did not fail any of the subjects but the aggregates were not good enough … got me a Grade II and so my tertiary education was out of the picture.

 With a Grade II O-Level qualification, I can only find work in small companies … went from jobs to jobs and struggled for several years.

Then an opportunity came and I joined the “big boys” of corporate world but I know I was never able to go very far up the corporate ladder. I have to admit I was not top level material ... not those who can conceive corporate strategies, plans and policies … I will never be.

I don’t know how to sugar coat proposals with impressive jargons and terminologies and I don’t know how to write long proposal to tell people what to do and how to do it. In other words, I don’t know how to tell people to go to hell in such a way that they actually look forward to making the trip.

I knew what my limitations were and I have to learn how to make up for what I lack of. And so I learned … to be resourceful, to be practical, to be creative, to be hands-on and to be always on the go. It was these traits that kept me in place in the competitive and challenging corporate world. I became a doer ... I did what needs to be done. I was what I like to call a “middle” manager because I was always in the middle of things … never worried about getting my hands dirty.

But that was not enough ... I also learned how to “maneuver” around rigid bureaucratic processes, boring administration systems and redundant standard operating procedures. My approach may be unconventional and my behavior seems a bit eccentric at times ... you see, my idea was ... if you can’t convince them, confuse them.

My ways of getting things done may be unorthodox because most of the time it was easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for approval ... what do I mean?

Let me tell you a story to illustrate my point … a general gave a soldier one week to come up with a proposal on how solve the difficulties of building a bridge across a huge river. A week later the general asked for the proposal but the soldier said he has not done the proposal yet. The general was so angry with the soldier for causing the delay of building the bridge and wanted to punish him.

Then the soldier said … “SIR, the bridge has been built, SIR! As for the proposal, I don’t have time to do it SIR. SORRY SIR!

I was that kind of soldier ... still am and will always be.

A day at Gunung Ulu Semangkuk

It has been a while since we last trekked Gunung Ulu Semangkuk (must have been almost a year) … so it was a good change from trekking our regular or “favorite” mountains on morning of the 20^th April, 2013.

At 6.00am, Ooi, Steven, Leong and I gathered at the usual meeting place in Puchong and from there we headed to OUG for breakfast … plenty of choices for good hawker food at the OUG wet market. After a satisfying breakfast, we headed towards Rawang to pick up two of our fellow trekkers.

95km to Kuala Lipis

First, for the benefits of those who have not been to this peak, let me give you some directions to the start of the trail coming from Kuala Kubu Bahru (KKB). From KKB head towards Fraser Hills and after passing the Sungai Selangor Dam, you will come to a long winding road going up to Fraser Hills … this road is quite a challenge to drive (especially for me driving a van without power steering).

  

Dilapidated shop

Now, along the road, you will see milestone markers with blue sign telling you how many kilometers to Kuala Lipis … you keep on driving until you reached the milestone marker that says 95km to Kuala Lipis … here you will also see a dilapidated wooden shop … this is exactly where the trail head starts. You can find the trail head to Gunung Ulu Semangkuk beside the road just opposite this milestone marker … it is a bit obscure but as you get nearer you can see it … someone did put up a laminated sign calling it the entrance to Gunung GAP (and to Gunung Ulu Semangkuk).

OK, back to our trekking story … after picking up the Ah Seng and Ms Yap at Rawang, we drove leisurely towards Fraser Hills and reached the abandoned GAP Resthouse at 8.30am. Seems like we are the only group trekking Gunung Ulu Semangkuk that day.

Steven Chin ... slow & steady

After putting on our gears we started to trek into the jungle from the roadside. Trekkers will initially trek through a fairly large bamboo forest … in a few areas, one needs to ‘duck walk” under the bamboo trunks fallen across the trail … the trail is straight up all the way to Gunung GAP first. 

It was quite tough for Steven who has not trekked for more than 3 months … but the breezy cool air made it a bit easier. As usual Ah Seng and Ms Yap were the fast ones … just about 10 minutes into the trek, I could not see them in front of me anymore … by their speed they must have been at least a few hundred meters ahead. About 40 minutes into the trek, I reached the peak of Gunung GAP followed by Ooi … both of us took a short breather before proceeding to Gunung Ulu Semangkuk without waiting for Leong and Steven.

Fallen trees along the trail

The trail from Gunung GAP to Gunung Ulu Semangkuk is quite undulating … we have to trek down and up a few valleys. Some parts of the trail are quite flat and easy … many will take the opportunity on these stretches to relax a bit and catch their breaths before challenging other steep slopes.

Ooi ... happy as always

About 10 minutes from Gunung GAP, I noticed that Ooi was not behind me anymore … he must have slowed down a bit along this trail. I kept on walking slowly and clearing the way for those behind. There were a couple sections along the trail where fallen trees blocked the trail … so one will have to crawl under the fallen trees at these spots. Finally I reached the last valley … the “V” point as we like to call it … this is the last steep slope or the last stretch up to the peak of Gunung Ulu Semangkuk … the peak is just about a hundred meters straight up from this point. Trekking slowly and carefully up this final steep slope, I reached the peak of Gunung Ulu Semangkuk … just short of 2 hours in total. Ah Seng and Ms Yap were already enjoying their meals there … the weather couldn’t be any better … cool, misty and breezy.

Ms Yap & Ah Seng enjoying their meals

At the very top of Gunung Ulu Semangkuk

 A while later, Ooi and Leong joined us at the peak … finally about 20 minutes later, Steven made it to the peak … though tired but I can tell that his feeling of accomplishment was very satisfying. As usual we joked and laugh about experience along the trail. We rested for a while and went over to the other side of the peak where we can view the surrounding mountains and see the buildings on the nearby Fraser Hills. After about 30 minutes on the peak and we decided to descend … we know it will be a bit tough as we are all quite tired and have a few valleys to climb up and down again as we trek out but it was nothing we cannot handle.

All smiles ... group photo for the record

Elevation of Gunung Ulu Semangkuk ... sourced from the internet

A nice design by nature

It took us just about an hour and a half to get out of the jungle … slightly longer for Leong and Steven. All of us were quite happy to complete the trek and the next thing was to get cleaned up at a nearby waterfall. As expected, only a few of us dared to challenge the freezing waters … it was a good “freeze” for some of us and others just settled for swipes and splashes of the cold waters.

Only a few of us dared to challenge the freezing waters

After freshening up, our stomachs were already calling to be filled. Tasty food awaits us at Ulu Yam … a delicious steamed tilapia with pickled raddish, petai fried with ikan bilis and onions, stir-fried freshly picked vegetables, lala (clams) fried with garlic and chilli padi and of course a large bowl of special Ulu Yam “lor meen” with additional vinegar … YUM YUM !!!

On the slow relaxing drive back home, I can say we all agreed on one thing … can’t ask for anything better … a good exercise, a good outing to enjoy the nature, a great sense of accomplishment, good food and plenty of laughs on a good day spent with a bunch of good friends … that’s what life is all about !

Are you working for money or for the love of it?

What do you work for? You work because you love what you doing or you do it for the money? I am sure most people work because they need the money. Some people say they work for fun … I don’t believe that people really work for fun. Well, I am curious to see how much fun they will get when they are not getting paid.

Then there are some who say they do it not for the money but for the love of it. Recently I read an article written by a bistro owner (a top chef as she claimed she is) who said that she opened a bistro not for the money but for the love of it (the love of cooking I presume).

Her article attracted a lot of “hoo hahs’ and many netizens commented that if she is doing something not for the money but for the love of it, why open a bistro? Why start a business?

I agree with the netizens … if you are not doing it for the money (assuming you already have millions stashed up) … why open a bistro? Hey, go start a soup kitchen … cook some great food to feed the poor, the homeless and the destitute … right?

But this is not what I intended to talk about here … I don’t want to talk about those who work for money or those who work for the love of it. What I want to talk about are those people who do things NOT for the money and NOT for the love of it. What do I mean?

Let me tell you about one such person.

Many years ago during a short working stint in Hong Kong, I was introduced to a doctor (who has since passed away … died while working in his clinic) who was already in his 80s and could hardly walk but was still practicing and offering his services for free to those who really cannot afford it. When I was in his clinic, I met so many of his patients who have nothing but very good words for him.

They told me he was a rich man, made his money in his younger days and all his children are established doctors in their own rights. He can live in luxury in his later years but he chose to continue practicing and offer his services to the poor until the day he died.

People asked him why he was still working at his age … they thought he must have really loved what he was doing. They were wrong. The doctor explained … how can he love what he was doing when every day he sees so many sick people waiting in his clinic, he sees so many people suffering and he sees so many of his patients dying. This good doctor was NOT doing what he did for the love of it or for the money … he was doing it because he cares, he was doing it because he wants to help and he was doing it even in his 80s because he was still able to help.

This good doctor shared my highest regard and respect with many other extraordinary people such as Mother Teresa who have done so many things NOT because she love what she was doing and NOT because of any money. She did it because she cares about the sick, she cares about the poor and she cares about the orphans.

Similarly … Mahatma Gandhi, who sacrificed so much NOT because he love what he was doing and definitely NOT for any money. He did it because he cares about the people, he cares about his country and he cares about the rights of his countrymen.

Let me ask you … are you working for the money or for the love of it? Well, most of us will have to work for the money … a few lucky ones may enjoy the financial freedom to work for the love of it.

Maybe come a time when you can do something NOT for the love of it and NOT for the money but you do it because you really care … you do it because you want to help the unfortunates and make their lives a little bit better … then like the good doctor, you too will have my highest regard and respect.

You don’t have to tolerate me

I have a few bad habits … I call them my weaknesses. I think we all have weaknesses … just that some people don’t want to admit it. Let me tell you what my weaknesses are ... first, I am a very direct person, I don’t mince my words … so, don’t expect anything sugar coated from me. Believe me, I can be very blunt.

Second, I don’t like to keep secrets … especially other people’s secrets … so, please don’t tell me things you don’t want others to know.

 

And third … I am a live wire. Like my ex-boss used to say … the “windy” type … a pun derived from the slang … “hainanese wind” (meaning bad temper). YES, I can be quite “windy” at times. Well, I thought after life slapped fifty one years on me, I would have mellowed down but not really ... somehow the “hainanese wind” is still blowing as strong as ever. 

You see … I am not your “Likeable Mr Able” or your “Steady Mr Goody” type of person … so, you don’t have to like me and you don’t have to tolerate me. You are not the only one … many people avoid me … really, I am not joking. Why? Because they can’t tolerate my weaknesses.

Now, let me say this … I also see a lot of weaknesses (or bad habits) in many people I know … all sorts and types … some are as bad tempered as me, others have quite unpleasant habits and there are few unusual ones too. And most of these people are within my inner circle of acquaintances. I will not tell you what their weaknesses are but I can tell you this … I tolerate their weaknesses … or find ways to get around their weaknesses. Why do I want to do that? Well, simply because I see they have strength too … they have many other good qualities as a friend, a companion, a mate, a partner, an associate or an acquaintance. I can tap on their strength ... so, if I tap on their strength, it is only fair that I tolerate their weaknesses too.

We all can recognize other people’s disabilities but we must also emphasize their possibilities to realize the true understanding of a good relationship.

Look, if you can only see the weaknesses and you don’t find any strength in me … then you don’t have tolerate me … it will better for both of us to stay away from each other.

Or ... if you only want to tap on my strength but you don’t want to tolerate my weaknesses … well, the same applies … it is better that we stay away from each other.

BUT … if you see that I have other good qualities as a friend, a companion, a mate, a partner, an associates or an acquaintance … maybe you can tap on my strength but please also tolerate my weaknesses … or find ways to get around my weaknesses. Then, I am sure we can have a meaningful relationship.

What I don’t believe

In a few of my articles, I touched a bit on various beliefs that people embraced. Then someone wrote to me and asked me what I don’t believe in and why. Not sure why this person wants to know … well, I have a very long list of what I don’t believe in … too long to write here.

Anyway, I will tell you a few of what I don't believe in ... some common and some quite strange.

I DON’T BELIEVE in the dead (I mentioned this before but let me say it again here) ... what do I mean??? Let me put it this way … I don’t believe in doing things for the dead. I don’t think that by doing something for the dead, it will brings benefit to those living … like, making ridiculous offerings to your dead parents hoping for returns of wealth for the living, engaging in geomancy (feng shui) to build an exaggerated grave believing that it will bring good fortune to future generations and praying to the dead to demonstrate filial piety and respect.

I believe we should provide for our living parents … not offering (burning) fake money to them when they are dead, give them a good home … not a beautiful grave and talk to them when they are alive … not pray to them when they are dead.

I DON’T BELIEVE in fate … I cannot accept the idea that the whole course of my life has already been mapped out … that whatever is to happen and whatever already happened are fated to happen.

I believe in making decisions which affects my life directly … whatever happened and whatever is to happen is because of my doings. To me, fate is an excuse for those who don’t want to make decision.

I DON’T BELIEVE in luck … there is no such thing as luck. When I got my first job many years ago, someone told me I was lucky. Lucky? NO … it was not luck that got me the job … I was prepared and I when I saw the opportunity, I went for it.

I believe in this equation : LUCK = PREPARATION + OPPORTUNITY.

I DON’T BELIEVE in superstition … I don’t mind black cats or wild crows and I don’t think that if 3 people are photographed, the middle one will die first. Then someone asked me why I want to change place, make odd gestures and mumble-jumbled whenever I am on a losing streak in a mahjong game? Is that not superstition? It may look superstitious but really, it is just to create a distraction to take the mind away from distress and frustration … an opportunity to take a break, get up, get a fresh look at the game and re-strategize … nothing superstitious at all.

I believe superstitions are stemmed from some primitive belief systems and coincidences to explain the unexplainable.

I DON’T BELIEVE that humans are from this planet … maybe other living things on this planet evolved to what there are today but not human. If humans are a result of natural evolution, why do we have to wear cloths to shield us from cold? Why don’t we have thick furs like those animals that evolved and adapt to living in the cold regions?

I believe our ancestors are from somewhere out of this world … we were either brought to this planet or we were genetically interbred. Oh REALLY??? OK, I am not going to tell you the strange alien stories and the theory how modern human came about but if you understand what scientists termed as the “missing link” in evolution, then you will know what I am talking about.

I know many will not agree with me … they may have totally different views, their very own valid reasons and logic to believe what I don’t believe in. Maybe to them, my logic and reasons may seem a bit strange.

Are my logic and reasons really that strange? OK, so be it ... well, then let me give you another of my strange logic … I believe in counting backwards. Huh??? Well not for everything … just in doing certain things. For example when I am climbing up stairs and knowing how many steps to get to the top, I will count backwards step by step as I climb. WHY??? I believe it is faster … it seems faster. Is it really faster? I don’t know but somehow it really gives me the feeling that I am getting to the top a lot faster. Now, I know you want to ask … what logic is that?

Strange isn’t it?