Monday, January 31, 2011

CNY Approaches...

My new office building may have smaller toilets, fewer lifts and less total floor space for my department.

But they certainly don't hold back on festive decorations and/or entertainment. For Christmas they had a band playing yuletide medleys during lunch hours at the lobby.

For Chinese New Year, they have decorated the lobby with some nifty adornments.

Happy Chinese New Year everybody!!!




Thursday, January 27, 2011

Proton Malaysia Badminton Super Series 2011

Sorry... Been busy following in the High Court a trial which has been quite extensively reported in the newspapers. That gives me very little time to do work in the office, which consequently means later hours (slightly only, mind) and thus less time to blog.

Which means I have to wait till now to tell you about my most recent trip. But first, my Dad - he's 73 this year and still as active and zippy as they come. Plays badminton twice a week, goes out with his friends at day-break and chats up restaurant waitresses while fitting in 20 cigarettes a day. I wouldn't be able to keep that up for a week and I don't know how much longer my Dad can, so I figured I should go with him on more trips while he's still on turbo mode.

Following the success of our Asian Games jaunt, I figured 'sports tourism' was the way to go with my Dad. And one of my Dad's disappointments of the Asian Games was his refusal to succumb to the scalpers' requests for 2000Yuan a ticket to watch his favourite badminton player, Lin Dan. So when I found out that Lin Dan was playing in the Malaysian Open Super Series, I didn't hesitate to make arrangements.

Now, I know that 2/3 of my last few travel blogs have been about trips to Malaysia so I won't wax lyrical about KL or the surrounding sites, scenery or attractions, keeping the photos limited to things I haven't really shown before. Like, I don't think I've really shown a photograph of the exterior of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Malaysia before, have I? Mundane stuff like that...



Or the bus that for RM8 a person brings us from said terminal to the heart of the capital - KL Sentral...



Which looks like this...



Indeed, I think the highlight of this trip is not so much the places that we saw but the people that we met that fired the imagination. First up was Anton in the Airasia flight to KL, who worked for - Airasia! He was on his way back to KL after zipping down to Singapore in the morning for a meeting and was friendly, chatty and admirably zesty despite his day having commenced at 4am in the morning.

I was struck by his passion for his job as he held me spellbound with talk of Airasia's history, its progress and its vision for the future. Unassuming and candid, he nonetheless oozed the kind of enthusiasm and determination to continuously strive for excellence which has characterized Airasia's meteoric rise over the last decade. He spoke to me of his CEO, Tony Fernandez, and how approachable he is (the man does not even have a segregated office but a desk at HQ such that anybody can approach him for a chat).

What really got my attention, however, was talk of Airasia's contribution to Sport, one of my favourite subjects. We talked about the bet that Tony had with Richard Branson of Virgin (and how Richard 'backed out' from the forfeit citing injury). He told me that Tony was a West Ham fan (poor man) but that he personally supported Manchester United before we talked a bit more about Airasia's involvement in the Asean Basketball League. Cool conversation, cool guy. On the assumption that there are lots like him in the company, I have asked my broker to see how I can pick up some Airasia shares on the Malaysian bourse.

Yup, where was I? Oh yes, the trip. We stayed this time in the Melia Kuala Lumpur which was $25 cheaper than the Royale Chulan. It was not quite as luxurious as the latter but in its favour was the fact that it wasn't situated in a side road which necessitate a considerable walk but smack in front of Times Square Berjaya and Imbi Monorail. It was also very adequate and comfortable, the staff cheerful and pleasant.




I seem to be spending a lot of time at KLCC and the Petronas Towers these weeks and can happily report that there is a new live-sized F1 Car on display there. Lotus, right?




This is what happens when you take pictures in front of the Petronas Towers when the sun is directly behind....



This is what happens when it isn't...



In keeping with my different approach to photos this time round, this is a picture of the interior of a typical station of the Rapid KL train service. I don't think I've posted this before have I? Train fares are generally a lot cheaper than those in Singapore and I would recommend this mode of travel for the cost-conscious traveller.



Proton Malaysia Open
----------------------


I have to talk about this eventually, right?

The reason why I waited till now is that though the atmosphere was good, because we came only just before the first match started, the best seats were filled up such that we were quite a distance from where the action was.



The only consolation being that we were closer to the prize-giving podium.



All in all, especially because it was my Dad's first time watching a badminton extravagaza live, we quite enjoyed ourselves. A lot of it had to do with the atmosphere generated by the partisan crowd, who mostly went away happy after Malaysia's Datuk Lee Chong Wei put Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat to the sword in the final match.



KL International Airport (KLIA) Proper
---------------------------------------
Despite this being a short trip, there were several firsts. Like this being the first time I had taken an SQ flight from KL to Singapore (I was too late to get cheap budget airline fares so I used my Points to redeem two one way tickets to Singapore). That meant that we got to take the KLIA express train to the airport (Note KLIA is not LCCT).




The price, as you can see, is RM26.50 per ticket from Bandar Tasik Selatan, which if I recall correctly, is not much cheaper than the fare from KL Sentral a few stations before.

For all the splendour of Changi Airport, I must say that KLIA is also very pretty. At least, for someone used to the bare functionality of LCCT, KLIA is hell of a lot classier.








But as I said, it was the people who we met who were fascinating. In the plane, my Dad made conversation with a lady from South Africa called Uluande (I think) who was almost as passionate as Anton as we spoke about a myriad number of sports, from football, to rugby, to cricket, to cycling (of which she actively participates in). She also regaled us with a very vivid description of her country as well as the surrounding countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

That was our weekend jaunt to Malaysia - the 1st of its kind for 2011- really. But now my Dad wants to go to South Africa...

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Another Flash From The Past

My boss's boss got an invite to a Book Launch hosted by one of our panel lawyers. As he had no real interest in legal literature, he asked me if I would be interested in attending.

As I knew the author of the book, having worked with him when I was a pupil at a law firm, and as I had once been very interested in the subject matter of the book, I agreed to attend. It was agreed that I would purchase it and then claim for it if I thought it would be useful, a good read and cost less than $100.

It was quite a grand affair, attended by a Judge of Appeal and some of the Who's Who of the legal community, the food exquisite and the serving attendants meticulous. (I would have taken a picture but you don't go holding your digital cam over your plateful of food when there are judges, past and present, around you) There was a long queue forming at the book stand and it seemed that every attendee was buying a copy. I for one was quite undecided when I found the price to be around $150.

Apart from that, I felt happy at seeing many of my old friends, colleagues and peers, albeit a little jealous to realize how far they had progressed in legal circles, being successful partners in reputable law firms and/or owning their own small but flourishing practices.

But it was when the honourable Judge of Appeal Mr Justice Chao Hick Tin made his introductory and commendatory speech about the book that I realised that for all I appreciate about not having to handle demanding clients and pressing deadlines, I was still very interested in the law and its development. I found myself nodding with approval as the judge listed landmark developments in the law of Interlocutory Injunctions as well as the jurisprudential attitude towards it. I found myself noting with interest a comment which seemed at odds with the writer's personal views on Performance Bonds which he had expressed to me years ago in his cramped office stacked high with files.

If I had any doubts as to whether to buy the book, they were gone then, although there remained a slight unease as to how to explain why such a small volume could cost that much (it's not uncommon for legal books actually). And even that unease was gone, totally overtaken by nostalgia, when I opened the book to find, under the Case List, that one of the injunctions which I had handled before had been commented upon inside the book.



'I couldn't have been that bad a lawyer, right?' I asked myself. 'I could do all this even then and even after three years I'm surprised I still understand this subject. Maybe I can still do this..' I thought as tantalizing scenarios and possibilities played out in my head...

But that was before the combination of events that night - which would make it one of the worst I have had to endure in a long while....

An abrupt jolt to the dream - but is it dead?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Food For The Sole

Those of you who have read my last post may for some reason have inferred that I am not too happy with life at this moment. (Whatever made you think that?)

In fact, I have grown so frustrated with my lot that I have stopped going out for lunch. Just before you start to worry about my mental and physical health however, fear not, I am neither emotionally unstable nor physically malnourished. Let me explain that though I have a much smaller workspace in my new office, the food at the pantry so far has been immaculate.

The peanut cookies, to me at least, have been the best of pantry fare I have seen in the past three years of employment here.




The chocolate wafers aren't too shabby either....



And then there is the almost never ending supply of tidbits which my colleagues pass around. This being the Chinese New Year period, the flavour of the month is Lunar New Year goodies...



Not to mention the very delicious Bak Kwa, though it has to be said that this item does not occur in abundance - normal people have to keep their eyes peeled. For me, however, my colleagues, knowing of my notorious love for that item, let me know of its availability whenever it surfaces....



So those of you hoping that the latest setback would see me slim down, think again. I'll eat to that!!!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

My Life

These few days have been truly miserable. I guess there have been worse days in terms of absolute results or happenings before but never before have I felt nor experienced a series of events so intertwined that, individually harmless or remediable, taken in the aggregate, combine to produce the most unqualified disaster.

Everything, the chronology, the circumstances, the timing, the opportunity, the responses had to be inch perfect, in the correct sequence for this to have taken place. Nothing less would have been sufficient.

Now, I have gotten out of far bigger ruts than this before but never have I been left questioning, given the events which somehow have conspired to bring about this state affairs, whether providence is really writ large in the stars, immutable and unchangeable, whether we are all but entities playing out a script written for us, whether free will is in fact a farce hidden behind the guise of causation.

I will try to find the strength to soldier on but truth be told, I have never felt more lonely, alone and empty than before, having come to the realization that few would even listen, let alone empathize and sympathize. Or is it because providence, or fate, or predestination or whatever you call it dictates that I go down this path alone, for those who I had believed and hoped would be there for me at a time like this are conspicuous only by their absence.

But I will go it alone and I will brace myself and I will continue believing that the choices I make can still change my life for the better. That disciple and hard work and endeavour still greatly increase chances of success. That drive and determination, graft and craft, are qualities that we, as sentient beings, choose to exhibit in the pursuit of what is meaningful to us.

And if I am wrong, then let my defiance echo in the wind, even if it will only fade and be slowly drowned out by the unavoidable vicissitudes of my life. This much, I choose to do. This much, I believe is my choice. Let's see if it makes any difference in the final reckoning and the grand scheme of things.

Friday, January 14, 2011

A Good Worker

Had a conversation with my manager recently as to what were the qualities that made one a good worker. He asked me what the most important criteria would be were I to be hiring a new employee.

I replied that in the final reckoning, I would have to be convinced that he or she would aid in the achievement of the company's or organisation's goals.

"All that I look for," said he, "is a good attitude". Indeed, my boss was adamant and would not be shaken when I raised a possible scenario of someone being keen but totally unsuitable for the job. "If one has a good attitude, everything follows from that. Of course, one must have the basic ability and qualifications - you don't hire and accountant for a lawyer's job - but once that is satisfied, attitude is everything"

I then ventured that such a philosophy, if carried to the letter, could be arbitrary, dangerous and extremely unfair, especially when it came to evaluation of employees. And that was when the conversation got a wee bit more heated.

"What have you got against a good attitude? Your inability to find one?", he asked.

"I've got nothing against it. But did the company hire me to show good attitude or produce results?", I countered.

"If you've got a good attitude, the results will follow," he said with a smirk.

"That means I'm safe, because once I produce results, it means I have a good attitude. Why don't we just look at results then?

"It doesn't mean that. One may not be at a level yet, but having a good attitude means he will get there. Whereas one may already be at a level. But having a bad attitude means one will not improve."

"And how would one feel after producing far better results than another only to be told he or she is graded lower because of an arbitrary decision that someone else far less productive has a better attitude than him or her?" I asked.

"There is nothing arbitrary about a good attitude."

"Then why don't revenue centres like sales departments use sales figures or net profit as a gauge but not attitude? Why do shareholders look at balance sheets?"

My boss looked irritated as he explained, "In a revenue centre, they have very objective indicia such as sales figures which -- What are you smiling at?"

"The word you used - objective."

"Ok. So maybe we have to look at everything in totality. But it is not all that random. I'm sure you'll agree that things like hard work, a sense of responsibility and a willingness to put in the hours which will see the job get done in the end are very admirable traits."

"How do you measure hard work and a sense of responsibility?" I asked.

"Sometimes you just know-- stop smiling... Hours put in, for one."

"I see. So we take two workers who do 10 units of work in 10 hours. One of them stops and thinks about the system of work and realizes that if he makes a few adjustments here and there, he has a more efficient system and can do the same amount of work in 5 hours. So he now works 5 hours a day and slacks the other 5. Does he have a bad attitude?" I asked.

"Of course. He has so much potential but he's not using it. And he may be demoralizing others," my boss said without hesitation.

"Ok. Let's say instead of slacking the other 5 hours, he spends 2.5 hours doing extra work. So now he does 15 units of work and still has 2.5 hours more to slack. Isn't that laudable?"

"No. As I said, he's not maximizing his potential. And it shows he's not motivated. And as I said, he might demoralize others," my boss replied in a voice which might have been a little too loud for the coffee shop we were sitting in.

"But how do you think the worker would feel about it? I asked. "He is the only one to stop and think about how the system really works, he actually dares to put his ideas into practice, he does more work than all the others and after all that, he is penalized for initiative and invention all because he does not see it fit to pretend to be working for the remaining 2.5 hours of the day after exceeding all expectation?"

"Like I said, if he was more motivated then he would spend all 10 hours a day working. Then he wouldn't demoralize his colleagues who would be questioning why he is so special to be able to slack for 2.5 hours a day," said my boss angrily.

"But that's the point," I said. "How do you measure motivation? Why don't you say that this worker was the only one motivated enough to take a closer look at the system - and improve it? And his colleagues - can't you expect better from them? Don't you think that they would be inspired to improve and innovate so that they too could have free time too instead of begrudging their colleague the fruits of his initiative? And how motivated do you think they would be if they saw their colleague who innovates being labelled as one with a bad attitude?

"So you are saying its ok to have a bad attitude?" my boss asked.

"No, I'm not. I'm saying that its dangerous to place too much emphasis on attitude when the very definition of a 'good attitude' is murky in the first place. Like now. I could be seen as a trouble-maker, a rabble-rouser, someone who is disrespectful of authority and the views of the boss. Or I could be seen as someone who is open, forthright, principled and who dares to voice his views in opposition when it is for the good of the company. So which one of that do you think it is?

"What do you think? he asked back as he called for the bill.

I smiled but didn't answer because sometimes in life you just get the feeling that for some questions, no answers are wanted nor expected.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Station In Life

A very high-ranking, but wonderfully nice, officer in my fine company sent me this questionnaire, thinking it may help me chart my course for the foreseeable future...

I of course answered as honestly as I could...

*************

1. What is your current job? How long have you worked there?
- The question is complex. How do you define job? How do you define work?


2. What are your career aspirations?
- To be rich enough to buy Manchester United


3. What are you most proud of?
- The fact that I’m still going despite the fact that I’ve nothing to be proud of.


4. What has been your biggest disappointment?
- The fact that I’ve nothing to be proud of. Duh…..


5. What are the three things I should know about you?
- I’m darn cool
- But nobody thinks so
- But that’s only cos I’m darn sway


6. What tips would you give me to work effectively with you?
- What makes you think you need any tips. I’m so easy to work with. I’m the epitome of niceness
- Oh but, of course, you should know I’m almost always right
- Gimme lots of freebies/ $$$$ (ie. Pay me lot of $$ if you are my superior, always gimme extra food if you are not, which is not to say you can’t still do so even if you are)


7. What’s missing in your life? What would make your life more fulfilling?

Missing:-

- $$$
- Paige Chua
- Any equivalent who is pretty, intelligent and devoted.


What would make it more fulfilling:-

- $$$
- Paige Chua
- Any equivalent who is pretty, intelligent and devoted


8. What do you want to work on? Think of this from a standpoint of expanding your potential rater than fixing faults. How will you know that you have achieved this goal? What will be different in your life that you can point to and say “yes I have achieved it”?
1) Earning lost of $$$$
2) Being in a stable relationship with Paige Chua and/or any equivalent who is pretty, intelligent and devoted
3) Owning Manchester United

Proof of Pudding:-

1)I have S$3 billion in bank account
2)I’m lapping it up in some beach in the Carribean with Paige Yeo (Yup, Yeo’s my surname)
3)Or watching my favourite team play at Old Trafford from the owner’s box.


**********
But seriously, it is superiors like that who have a sense of humour (I think, cos she said it was funny), who don't talk you down, who have no airs and who are willing to teach, which ameliorates the daily grind.

New Year In... Malaysia (Again!?!) - The Day After

It is always an anti-climax the day after you celebrate New Year abroad and so it was for us on 2 January 2011.

But there was no anti-climax with the breakfast buffet that came with the room. We had expected a good breakfast and got an excellent one. Indeed, there was a very varied spread amidst tranquil surroundings.




This was some of the food we (mostly my friend, for she likes to make {and take} the most of free stuff) had...





After that, given the hectic two days we had just experienced, we were hoping to be able to take a luxury coach back to Singapore. Not a hope - they had all been booked out days before, meaning that we had to head to Bukit Jalil for our return ride. But not before our search brought us to some of KL's modern landmarks such as the Pavilion at the shopping belt near Bukit Bintang and Raja Chulan...



And Berjaya Times Square...



But as mentioned earlier, despite the earnestness and thoroughness of our search, we still had to turn up at Bukit Jalil to grab a coach - and then only to Larkin Bus Terminus in JB but not Singapore, such was the demand for tickets for tickets back to the fine isle of ours.

Well, some consolation is the fact that I got to take a picture of Malaysia's Bukit Jalil Stadium, the newest, and many say the best stadium in the country. Now, my friends know how much I am into sports, football especially, so will understand how thrilled I was to be able to snap pictures of the venue where, only a week ago was the scene of one of Malaysia's biggest triumphs, a 3-0 victory over Indonesia which eventually led to them being crowned ASEAN champions after winning the AFF Cup. I hope our new National Stadium will be as good, if not better, than this edifice.





Our bus came and departed on time in what was a rather unremarkable ride back to Larkin, Johor. A positive externality of being in Johor, however, was that we were able to have dinner at one of our favourite back-street alleys, Meldrum Walk. We had barbecued sting ray as well as porridge over there.



No pictures of the food though. Pity...

And that was it for the year-end escapade. Next up, Work Year 2011...!!!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

New Year In... Malaysia (Again!?!) - New Year's Day

After the previous night's trek and the rather underwhelming manner in which the New Year was welcomed.... We were wondering what to do on New Year's Day. We were both pretty familiar with KL so we figured that a jaunt to one of the neighbouring cities may be in order.

So Klang it was, after may friend intimated that she would rather like to sample its famous Bak Kuk Teh...

Before that, however, we went over to the Royale Chulan, a five star hotel near Bukit Bintang where we had earlier decided on staying, city-centre hotel rates being understandably cheaper on New Year's Day than on the Eve. Just some last shots of the lake that gives Flamingo Hotel its name though...




We arrived before check-in time so we could only deposit our bags and come back later. But, apart from the fact that the hotel was situated away from the main shopping belt and quite a distance away from the nearest monorail station, the early signs were promising....





On to Klang then. To go there, we headed for KL Sentral Station, where we took the KTM Kommuter, a line which cuts through most of KL satellite towns and cities. I think that from the pictures, you can see that it is pretty well-used.




Klang being until fairly recently the capital of Selangor, I was hoping that it was full of historical sites and monuments. If it was, we must have missed it, the same way we missed savouring the Bak Kut Teh at the well-known stalls which made Klang famous for Bak Kut Teh. It turns out that at least one of them was just down the street from the train station but that they open only in the morning...Argh...

So what we stepped out from the Klang train station into was a somewhat sleepy and quiet street full of Indian shops, which makes me conclude we were in Klang's Little India.






There's nothing the taxi drivers sitting outside the train station do not know, however, and they happily volunteered to take us to a 'Taman' (I cannot remember the name exactly) where the Bak Kut Teh stalls open all day. We had no choice but to agree - at 15 Ringgit a trip, which I feel is really on the steep side. A check on Wikitravel later revealed that to be the normal rate however, which leads me to think that taxis in Klang exist mainly to transport toursists 'outsiders'. Certainly, one cannot see a meter anywhere inside the taxi.

The 'Taman' that we were brought to did have quite a few Bak Kut Teh stalls, most of them close to full. We settled on this one however, for it looked a bit more upmarket and was less crowded (which probably suggested higher prices, though naturally I can't be sure)...



The Bak Kut Teh was of course good, with lots of ingredients, among them the essential pork ribs, pigs intestines and mushrooms. I'm not really a connoisseur so I can't really say much more apart from the fact that the Bak Kut Teh tasted really good, the slightly bitter soup hinting that it was brewed a long time with a lot of herbs) and was at a price (which unfortunately I cannot remember) that made it a steal compared to those sold in Singapore. My friend, however, who consumes much more of this stuff than me, would vouch for its quality.



Our hunger satisfied, I was really keen on moving down to Port Klang where we would take a speedboat to Pulau Ketam, or Crab Island. But as we headed back to the train station, the sky turned ominously dark, and with the memory of the Mersing capsize tragedy still fresh, we decided not to chance a trip out to sea. Not on New Year's Day anyway. And so we took the train back in the direction of KL....And stopped at Shah Alam, which is the present capital of Selangor.

I had read somewhere that there was an agricultural park where one could rent bicycles and do a bit of horse riding and thought that would be a good way to pass time until dinner. But as we exited the train, the heavens opened - big time. We thus had no choice but to run to the nearest cab and ask the driver to bring us to the city centre.

That he did, dropping us at a mall called Plaza Alam Sentral.



It was much like any other, except that most of the shops on the lower levels, especially those selling clothes and handicrafts, catered more to Malay customers, which I suppose was in keeping with the predominant composition of the residents of that city. The top few floors sold electronics and IT stuff.



Shah Alam is also home to possible the largest mosque in Malaysia, which we had opportunity to behold once the rain stopped...




We would have liked to see more of Shah Alam, but made a decision to leave before dark, for we wanted to see some parts of KL. To be more precise, my friend, who has a fascination with street markets, wanted to go to Petaling Street, KL's Chinatown...

Although I have no particular love for crowded, balmy and hot bazaars, I couldn't find an excuse to not go and so acquiesced. However, I did insist that we alight from our Kommuter at the historically significant old KL train station which for more than a century was one of the main transport for all of the Malayan Peninsula.



Just before we reached there however, I chanced upon the old Central Market and decided to take a look...



Notice how the exterior facade is very much similar to Benh Thanh Market in Vietnam, which I blogged about a few posts back? I suppose they were built around the same time and 30 years ago, they probably looked the same inside as well. Nowadays, a similar facade is all they have in common, for the Malaysian version is now air-conditioned, having been turned into some sort of an upmarket tourist handicraft centre...



Having run out of excuses, I finally had to bring my friend to Chinatown. I was surprised, however. I had been there many times before but never in the night, when clearly, the colours and character of the place is most vivid, varied and vibrant.







We then headed back to the hotel. We were glad to get some rest after a long day out and were delighted with our room. While the main area of the room was spacious and luxurious, it was the bath and toilet area which gave one a very 'upper class' kind of feel.





After a short rest, it was next to the pub stretch at Bukit Bintang for Western seafood at The Magnificient Fish & Chips place (I think that's the name of the outlet), which is becoming something of a tradition. There, I also watched Manchester United somehow manage to beat West Brom and so was quite pleased. We shared a Butterfish, which is the cheapest and in my opinion the most value for money there, as well as a seafood platter, which is markedly more expensive but very well flavoured. Anyhow, as long as you compare the prices with the Singapore equivalent at a similar outlet, you'll always feel you got a good deal.




And that was just about it for New Year's Day, for we retreated exhausted to our hotel after that.