MY NEW FOOD DISCOVERIES IN IPOH & TAIPING, IN THE STATE OF PERAK, MALAYSIA

As a true blood “Perakian”, I thought I would be able to remain in the state for the rest of my life at one time. The dream seemed to be perpetual until my former employer “evicted” me away to other parts of Malaysia in the early 90’s because of job requirements. Now, as a retiree, I am happily settled permanently with my family in Petaling Jaya, in the state of Selangor. But I would still yearn to return to Perak for visits at every whimsy excuse merely because of one reason – CHINESE FOOD!!!

My recent two separate trips to Perak took me first to Ipoh, renowned for many Cantonese cuisines. The second outing was to Taiping, which hosts its own savoury wares, and………..fresh, tasty seafood  at worthwhile prices.

In Ipoh, there is a newly developed commercial area called Ipoh Soho, which is behind the Sam Tet Secondary School. I was recommended by pal Jeffrey to try out Nam Heong, a cozy café type restaurant offering local varieties in modern ambience and yet at prices which are around those charged by food courts.  We had hi-tea. Service was very cordial. And it has a novel way for patrons to place orders – via electronic tablets placed on tables.  The food served here is, so to speak, “classic”. The snapshots of some items taken by me and the relevant short captions should convey a better impression than long narrative verbiage.  I put both my thumbs up to recommend this eatery to people who have not been there.

 (Fried but not overdone in order not to kill the fresh green characteristics of the four-in-one greens combination.)
 

One is an old-fashioned Chinese coffee shop outlet with a noodle stall in a many decades old building in Jalan Pasar. “The soupy noodle  is unique which you can’t find a similarity elsewhere in Malaysia,” said Koo, the first host.  The shop is called Kakak (“kakak” in Bahasa Malaysia means “elder sister”). I observed the person taking food orders from customers and giving instructions to helpers was a lady. I could guess she was the “kakak”.

 

I also savoured the side order comprising a plate of braised chicken feet. They were succulently soft. I even chewed and swallowed the soft bones. The slightly sticky gravy was aromatic.

 (The household drink, Kakak Ice, which may not be found anywhere else in Malaysia.)

Last but not least (“not least” is the apt description because Perak has many more eateries yet to be explored by me) is a typical seafront village restaurant in Kuala Sepatang. Many Malaysians who are already senior citizens may not know where Kuala Sepatang is. But mention Port Weld, its old name, they would immediately relate to the very old busy trading port, half an hour drive away from Taiping, that thrived very well during the British colonial era. 

To sum up, I shall leave to you to form your impression about the four eateries based on my overview narratives, snapshots and captions.  My two separate homecomings to Perak for the sake of food exploits were memorable. Again, I show both full thumbs up for my recent discoveries.

 

Ends…..

 

COMMON FACTS OF LIFE IN BIG ORGANIZATIONS & CORPORATE WORLD

Passing Phenomenon Of Vision & Mission In Big Organizations

In big organizations, it is very easy to formulate vision, mission and noble intention for moving forward to greater heights of achievement. The difficult part involves direction, implementation, conviction and commitment.  Why?

The bigger the organization, the more complex is the inherent structure. The more complex the structure, the more diversities prevail. The more the diversities, the more will complications arise. More complications lead to more differences of opinion among the people in the organization. More differences of opinion contribute to more frustrations within the organization. More frustrations within the organization culminate to personal conflicts. The more personal conflicts, the more office “movies” take place. The more office “movies”, the more muddle-headed are the people in the organization. The more people become muddle-headed, the more confusion crops up. The more the confusion, the more going around in circles pertaining to administration of the organization. Finally, the norm of going around in circles end up with the original vision, mission and intention becoming a passing phenomenon that has earlier excited everybody but fizzles out without substance. 

Sounds familiar?

Most organizations easily create much hype on their grand vision and mission statements. But not many have the resolve to handle the aspects of direction, implementation, conviction and commitment which require all internal stakeholders to blend firmly together.

Organizations successful in manifesting their vision, mission and intention are those which institute measures to iron out the intricacies of process and manpower management from the source to the tail end. Creating profound mission and vision statements is very easy. Doing the right things right continually without fail in all aspects of the organization is the impossible part if without absolute resolve by the management. Of course, needless to say, a strong leadership is a must as the first prerequisite, and this can only materialize by having all-round quality management in the organization. Efficacious direction, implementation, conviction and commitment are the four fulcrums to lever for successful achievement of vision and mission statements.

Art Of Winning In Corporate Political Games

In corporate politics, the key to winning is wits. It depends who can outwit the adversary in the political games.

When you deal with somebody within the same corporation who is trying to play games with you but you know that guy does not have the “brain capacity” to outwit others, you should use your brain to outwit him. To outwit an adversary, your emotions and mind must remain composed. Composure is important for you in two respects:

When you react with bitterness or vent-up indignant emotions because of political games directed at you by your adversary, your mind will become clouded and your counteracting spirit is doused. You will then lose the resolve to outwit him. In the end, you fall into the trap of your adversary. You relent and you let him win in the game.

If you have the necessary knowledge and experience for the job you are in, and if you have a sturdy mental capacity, advantage is at your side. But very important is that you ought to remain composed instead of being agitated when your adversary seems to have the upper hand. Stay cool to strategize your moves with resolve instead of biting yourself with frustrations. When your adversary purposely passes issues to you, do not let the issues eat your heart out. Do not hold on to the issues without doing anything to legitimately pass them back to the sender. So, manage your emotions, mind and attitude in order to win your political games against your adversary.

Unless you do not hope to move up the corporate ladder in the near future, you should now learn to be engaged in corporate games whether you like it or not. I always say: “You may not want to get involved directly in office politics, but you should at least be aware enough of the political environment so that you know how to defend your position by counteracting the moves of your sly adversary.” Your mind-set must be ready to face issues, obstacles and unfavorable developments. You may not want to start a game against anybody, but when someone starts to play politics against you, you must be mentally sturdy enough to defend yourself.

When you get frustrated or agitated, your gestures show; others around you can notice your troubled countenance. When your frustration or agitation shows, the more your adversary will try to further agitate and frustrate you by pushing more of his games to your side. The ill-intent is simple – he wants you to fall into his trap. He wants you to give up. 

I had frequently heard common outbursts from former colleagues (before I left the corporate world) that either they were getting tired of politicking in their place of work, or they did not care any longer whatever would happen to them. Unconsciously, they were falling into the trap of their adversaries. By adopting such a negative withdrawn attitude, they already reclined to defeat.

Remember: Your adversary will have the upper hand if he is composed in thoughts and actions but you are not.

Now, here are two "reflective" cartoons on internal corporate politics.......humorous.........but can be similar realities of corporate life.

  (Source: Dilbert Cartoons)

KUDOS, PEARL CLUB:  FOR SHOW OF STRONG FRATERNAL BONDING AND LOYALTY TO AIA. 

AIA Pearl Club has once again radiated eminently as an exemplary model depicting a large “extended family” of the company they have associated with by instilling in them the sense of belonging to their employer they have had served for at least 30 years. At the same time, the club has successfully garnered close fraternal bonding among the members.

This aura of strong affiliation was epitomised by the ambience manifested during the recent fellowship gathering in Johor Baru, at the Southern tip of Malaysia, and the "next door" neighbouring island nation of Singapore from May 31 to April 2. 

About 130 people comprising mainly retirees and those still attached to American International Assurance (AIA), and a few spouses, first participated in the annual general meeting (AGM) held at a hotel in Johor Baru, the capital city of Johor State. 

A heartfelt appreciative atmosphere was set by the speech of outgoing president Jeffrey Kee (he was thereafter re-elected for another term together with most of his executive committee members at the AGM). He rendered accolades to Lam Phing Wong, who is an active senior agency leader with 51 years of service to-date and also the club’s Past President and Honorary Adviser. He recognised Lam as the person who pivoted the club to the present stage of development.

Jeffrey expressed appreciation to the management of AIA for granting a sponsorship subsidy toward the three-day event which incorporated a main dinner, other meals and excursions around Johor State and Singapore as the sequel to the AGM. He also thanked the Life Underwriters & Sales Executive Board (LUSEB) – an association formed by many agency leaders of AIA – for its token monetary contribution. Meanwhile, each participant had paid a fee to cover the balance of the overall cost of the entire event. Such gestures reflected the existing goodwill between Pearl Club, AIA and LUSEB.

When it came to Lam’s turn to deliver his short address, the septuagenarian praised his successor.  The number of participants attending this year’s gathering was tremendously more than the past similar events, he said. Lam also made special mention of Hashim Ismail, who instrumented the formation of Pearl Club in 1972. However, the former Principal Officer could not qualify to be a member when he retired as he fell short of just one day to the requirement of 30 years' consecutive service. In response to Lam’s revelation, Jeffrey later secured the consensus of members to propose the induction of Hashim as an honorary member, subject to AIA Management’s consideration and decision.

Choo Sin Fook, the Assistant General Manager for Agency Distribution, represented the company in gracing the AGM and the main dinner that ensued thereafter the meeting. He was pleased to note the close fraternal spirit fostered by Pearl Club. He said new initiatives were being mapped out by the company to enhance its brand name, which members should be proud of. 

The crescendo ambience was aroused by the words of wisdom shared by the two guests-of-honour from Singapore, Tan Khia Fatt and Minor Liu. Their testimonies touched the hearts of all present.

Well respected by those who worked with him during his helm as Regional Vice President of AIA Malaysia (equivalent to the current top position of Chief Executive Officer) till he retired in 1979, Tan encouraged all to reap elating memories for themselves by contributing any way they could to their fellow-mates they associated with. One could gain a long and meaningful elderly life by cherishing such feel-good deeds, he said emphatically at age 88.

( Tan energetically encouraged members to create memorable feelings for themselves by contributing to the society they associated with. "You can live up to 120 years old if you feel good about yourself," he quipped.)

Minor, looking sprightly at age 91, said she still wanted to contribute to the agency she belonged to in AIA Singapore as long as her health permitted so. In fact, she had closed one S$5 million sum assured life policy quite recently. Delivering her impromptu testimony in clear, concise and steady manner, she goaded Pearl Club to keep up its activities of togetherness. Obviously, she added, the club in Malaysia was more prominently active in organising events than its counterpart in Singapore. Her positive disposition and radiant countenance earned the reverence of her audience. 

Indeed, Pearl Club has played well the role as the extended AIA family which cares for members and the company. Some deeds carried out in the last few months were:

The total number of existing membership to-date is close to 600. By virtue of this figure, no one will deny that AIA is a company that has honed long serving loyal manpower - both in the staff and agency sides - contributing at least 30 years’ service. Pearl Club, with the support of the company, aptly paves the platform for them to cherish their happy nostalgic moments in the company.

May I, the scribe of this article and a fellow member, say KUDOS to Pearl Club. May I call upon all members to render full support to the current committee in the forward drive with endeavours portraying the image of a filial extended family of AIA!