The Recipe

A quick reminder...the intention of the blog is to share my "Life Story"...so far. Sometimes, it can be funny and more light hearted while others...it can be a little dry and in your face...depending on the nature of the post.

It is very important that you do not take the content the wrong way. I am not preaching in the manner or approach where I want you young ones out there to do or follow exactly as I said...I am not your boss nor your father...

It's okay if you do not understand some of the contents, some of the messages that require you to read between the line, to think further...If you want to, you can remember it, learn from it and realise it when it happen to you...so that you can be prepared, make necessary adjustment as well as knowing how to deal with it. The scenario and the circumstances may be different but the method can be similar and the end result, will be the ultimate judgement of your "True-Self".

What inspired the post?Asian Food Channel and Discovery Travel and Living. There are plenty of "Cook Show" from different parts of the world, apart from demonstration by celebrity chefs, it has great recipes, varieties and important tips for a good meal.

In life, all of us goes through trials and errors before we reach a certain level of confidence. Similarly, for a great recipe, even if it comes from a maestro and we are following every steps, cooking it under different weather condition, insufficient preparation procedure like marinating, a slight miscalculation on the amount of spices and seasoning, wrong substitute of ingredient or totally wrong ingredient, missing a vital step, over or under cooking...are all disastrous. To cook a "perfect" dish, sometimes, one have to go through several tries...

In order to succeed in life, take a good recipe as a guide, preparing well in advance, carefully select the freshest ingredient, marinate it with the best spices, let the flavours of the spices immerse into/with the ingredient, using the right cooking instruments, the right amount of oil, with the proper temperature and a sound control of time, I bet you, 9.5 times out of 10, it will be a fantastic dish. But, never be too afraid to try... There's Chinese proverb, "Mann Si Hei Bou Nan" (Which translates...10 thousand matters, the starting step is very difficult)...Therefore, go try it. If you fall or make a mistake, pick yourself up and try again...through a different route but don't stop trying. The most famous quote from the famed celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, "...All I ever wanted to do was to make food accessible to everyone; To show that you can make mistakes - I do all the time - But it doesn't matter.". One of Jamie's program, "Jamie's Ministry Of Food" is one of the most inspiring of all. The concept of "Pass It On" is so powerful. He set out to change a town's habit of eating fast food where he started with a few people, teach them how to cook a simple meal, from there, they pass on the knowlegde to their friends and family, who in turn, passing it on to more people...which is similar to the intention of this blog.

Everyone goes through a different path in life. Nobody's perfect. I'm not. That is why, even though I'm a certified Chun Toi, it still have crack marks...That is also why, I'm still me, a Chun Toi with Cracks.

Another side of the story...The Disciple

Hope you saw the funny side of last Friday's post "A Funny Story About...Sifu". If you find it interesting, you really need to read this one......hehehe...

This could be a very CONFUsing post with the examples I have, as it might contradict with some of the points raised from "A Funny Story About...Sifu", especially when most of the quotes is from CONFUcius...hahaha...It is something that I didn't fully explain to the person who inspired the Sifu post using a different angle...from the receiving end...as a Disciple (Toh Dai).
If any of you have watched Jackie Chan's "Druken Master" before, you would remember all the scene where he went through some very difficult training routine under the Sifu. Just like "The Karate Kid", Mr Miyagi also have similar training techniques (Wax On ~ Wax Off Technique) where the emphasis is put on the understanding the philosophy behind the Kung Fu Style or Karate-do rather than the actual physical moves...of course, at the end of both movies, the trainings are put into good use where the Scriptwriter and Director of the film turn them into the killer or winning blow...(To be honest, where got Sifu that can anticipate that one of his Toh Dai's kaki will be hurt so badly until he has to stand on one leg one...tipu punya lah...).Well, as the title suggested, it's about the Disciple, the Toh Dai. In both "Druken Master" & "Karate Kid", the Toh Dai played by Jackie Chan & Ralph Macchio respectively were a little sceptical about the training method in the begining but eventually, when the techniques are put into forms or flows and they finally realise & understand the reason behind it, they kept going and going no matter how difficult the training was...That is how Toh Dai should "Obey" and "Learn" from their Sifu...by giving it their all.

Not to be CONFUsed with the die hard suicide bombers where they will just follow instructions or orders blindly...but to learn, a certain level of commitment, dedication and hard work is a must. CONFUcius says "He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.".

He also mentioned "By nature, men are pretty much alike; It is learning & practice that set them apart.". For example, the Shaolin Monks believes that all Kung Fu originated from their great monk Bodhidharma (while most would disagree with that claim...), it is very possible that through the generation of practices that branches and resulted in many other Kung Fu Styles today.

As a Toh Dai, the first and foremost requirement is to learn as much as possible from the Sifu...with CONFUcius's philosophy, the Toh Dai could easily outshine the Sifu by enhancing the style due to different level of interpretation of the 10 Jiu. If the Sifu's biggest fear is "Being Replaced", then the Toh Dai's goal should be "Replacing The Sifu"...why not? It is a dog eat dog world after all...hahaha...if that is what drives the Toh Dai to work hard at the training...

Even if the Sifu refuses to teach all 10 Jiu...just imagine, someone, from generations ago started the 1st Jiu that resulted in the eventual 10 Jiu, if the Toh Dai can have the same Progressive Mindset of the creator, he too, should be able to recreate that 10th Jiu...possibly with some differences but in general, it should encompass the same essence and power of the Kung Fu Style. If the Toh Dai has an extra edge, by taking the essence, he can even create the 11th, 12th, 13th Jiu and possibly even more...surpassing everyone before him.

Not all Sifu are bad or stingy in parting knowlegde but definitely, not all Sifu are good teachers...therefore, as a Toh Dai, knowing and understanding the "Training Method" as well as the way to decipher it, is very important. CONFUcius also said "If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.".

Seriously, I'd make a very bad Toh Dai...in fact, I think I'd suck at it...but in truth, I never really had a Sifu in life. Like I mentioned in "An Intro", I'd probably would have "Kek Sei" the Sifu...hahaha...I also had no one to complain to and because my superior don't know how to teach me...I could've just given up and got out of this business long long time ago...But, I've learn to live with it. Adjust. Find my own path. Learn by observing. Compute the possibilities. Trying to achieve different heights every time...

Therefore, even if your immediate superior is a "Sifu who is not a good teacher", it is up to you as a Toh Dai to find and try other method to learn the techniques from him/her.

A little side track,I found a very interesting report on The Sunday Star (14th March 2010). The article highlighted a local survey of 1,678 respondents with a whooping 96% of youth today aspired to be a millionaire and 75% of those believe they can achieve it by age 35. Having high ambition & expectation is definitely a good thing especially with role models like Mark Zukerberg, 26, founder of Facebook and Sergey Brin & Larry Page, founders of Google. But, question is, how many Mark Zukerberg, Sergey Brin and Larry Page are out there? Those guys are geniuses and lucky ones...one in a million. Even the report has a quoted opinion that pointed out, "Many won't be able to achieve the goal".

Everyone wants to be a millionaire...without a doubt, the opportunities are really out there. To me, everyone can be a millionaire. Provided that every single important factor converge in the right manner. There's a chinese proverb that says "To start a business is difficult, to sustain or maintain the business is even more difficult.". Without a strong foundation, things can easily crumble...start building your foundation by learning.

There is a very dangerous trap that all Toh Dai must be aware of and avoid falling into altogether...the "Easy Trap Of Self-righteousness or Over Confidence". Never "Sek Siu Siu, Ban Toi Piu" (Which translate into "Know a little but act like representative") and Never ever give others a chance to say that you are "Kong, Zhau Tin Har Mo Dik. Chou, Jau Mo Nang Wai Lek" (Which translate into "All talk no action"). Imagine yourself only having 1 Jiu, up against another Toh Dai that is learning the 6th Jiu...

Finally, a Henry Ford's quote, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eigthy. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.".

At times, CONFUcius can be very CONFUsing...I'm 40 but I feel 28. I'm not a Toh Dai and I'm definitely not CONFUsed but I'm still learning...after all, I am still me...a Chun Toi with Cracks.

A Funny Story About...Sifu

I had a chat with a "friend" awhile back about Teaching Juniors that started off from a simple complain about the failure of her immediate superior in guiding and teaching as well as passing down the knowledge...There is a significant difference between Teaching and Leading.

The funny thing was, our entire conversation circled around Sifu and Disciple. After using Band Of Brothers on "The Leader", it actually sparked me to use other movies as the talking point of today's post.
Before I go into the details...let me ask this question first...Imagine yourself as a Martial Art Sifu, are you a Sifu that teaches all 10 Kung Fu Styles/Forms or "Jiu Sek" when you have 10 Jiu? or Are you a Sifu that only teaches 9 Jiu?

If legendary Kung Fu like Yu Loi Sun Jiong or "The Buddha Palm" from the movie, Kung Fu Hustle is real...You would be able to imagine and appreciate the tremendous power of Chinese Martial Arts...Remember the power of the killer strike from Stephen Chow after his enlightenment and transformation towards the end of the movie where he came flying down from the clouds, fighting against the baddy with the Kuan Lunn Frog Style...? What about that two blind dudes with the Chinese GuQin? The landlady that always has a ciggie in her mouth? The Misai dude that can absord and transfer others power into thin air? The Kam-Kam Uncle with the red underwear from the tailor shop? The Noodle Shop dude? The Guli?...There's an age old Chinese saying of "Kau Sik Toh Dai Mo Si Fu" passed down from generations ago, I believe some Sifu started it...where the "Sifu" is scared, that one day, his disciple will replace him or maybe, kill him. Therefore, as an insurance policy, he only impart 9 out of the 10 Jiu he has...keeping the most powerful 10th Jiu to himself...until he dies,. When the disciple mastered all the 9 Jiu and become a Sifu himself, at most, he will only be able to teach 9 Jiu to the next generation of disciples...if he has the same mindset as his sifu...imagine the lost through generations...

That, to me, is what left of Chinese Martial Art today...in some ways...it's merely a performance to the western world...Having said that, without a doubt, there are still some very powerful Kung Fu Styles around but I believe, those that are passed down from generations, are probably a tenth of the original power (even if, there are also Sifu that will passed down all his skills).

Perhaps, we will be able to understand more of that Chinese thinking or behaviour if we try to analyse it further...Those that can become Sifu, normally are old dudes...what concerns them the most is, the "Strength Of Youth" from the disciple, which is acceptable. The second, would be the "Fear Of Being Replaced". Furthermore, the Sifu himself might not have mastered and perfected all 10 Jiu while his young apprentice could...therefore, keeping the most powerful 10th Jiu would be natural, isn't it?...hmm...Can't really blame the sifu...

It's all because of the Narrow Mindset of the old Chinese ways. Actually, by just stepping back a little, the Sifu shouldn't need to worry at all! Why? Because he would have a lot more years of experience in all the 10 Jiu, the possible different combinations using all 10 Jiu and most importantly, he should be able to anticipate the blows coming from his disciple as well as knowing what needs to be done to eliminate the threats.

From the principle of Progressive Mindset, if you are able to look back at history, someone would have created the 1st Jiu through some inspiration and built from 1 Jiu to another, possibly more powerful than the one before, until the 10th Jiu...If the Sifu has that quality in him, he could have create the 11th Jiu that is even more powerful than all the 10 combined, no?

Back to the real society today, the most common and demoralising illness, is the "Fear Of Being Replaced"...especially in the highly competitive corporate organisation. From the principle of the "Law Of Attraction", if you do have this fear, you will be replaced. Therefore, you need to stay relevance and stay ahead, lead the way. When your closest competitor is catching up, move your goal post further to continue staying ahead. But, do not fear of passing down your knowledge to the juniors as the more they learn and understand, the more helpful they will be to ease your workload...be a generous Sifu. They will also appreciate you even more...

Every company, management or boss will always tell their employee that "Nobody's Indispensable". If you are "Just Like One Of Them" instead of being "The One", of course you are dispensable. If you really are "Just One Of Them", you are really just helping to ensure that saying is correct. The true success of today's Managers and Directors are not only measured through their personal performance (As their main Role & Responsibility is no longer based on execution excellence) but also through how well they train, teach and upskill their subordinates.

Drawing the attention back to the subject matter of Sifu. Most Sifu are being remembered because of their success in producing talented disciples rather than their skills in punches and kicks. For example, Ip Man, he is considered as The Great Master of Wing Chun and being remembered as the Sifu to the great Bruce Lee and many other lesser known disciples but they are still considered Wing Chun High-Hand "Gou Sau" in their own rights.

I'm a Sifu of a different nature...A Chun Toi Sifu...hahaha...I teach my disciples all 10 Jiu, I want them to be a great Sifu one day and I also want them to create their own 11th Jiu, so that they can be the Master of all Masters. But, I'm also continuously upskilling myself to stay relevant & stay ahead. `

After all, even though, I'm a Chun Toi Sifu...not yet Wong Fei Hoong Sau Tong...I'm still me...a Chun Toi Sifu with Cracks.

The Leader

I was watching the re-run of the multi award winning mini series, Band Of Brothers (Created in 2001) on HBO last night. I believe, over the years, I've watched it more than 7 times...but every time, something new inspires me. Watching the same movie in a different time, mood and state of mind does gives me different inspirations...

Last night was Episode 7, "The Breaking Point", beside being one of the bloodiest and hard fought battle, Easy Company also suffered the most casualties. Do log on to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1247468/synopsis to get the full story or watch the next re-run on HBO if you don't have the pirated DVDs...hehehe...

Actually, the entire episode circled around all the leaders of Easy Company.
The Trusted Leader that strategies and commands but unable to lead the troop directly into battlefield.
The New Replacement Leader that the men has no confidence in the leadership quality.
The Good Leader, that in the end, broke, rendered incapable and eventually taken off the front line.
The Bad Leader that always "Siam" his duties & goes missing especially during the German's bombardment and unable to lead during combat...giving wrong orders...that caused more casualties.
The Feared but Effective Leader that stepped in and lead the battalion to victory.
And, finally, the True Leader of the Company, the respected leader behind the leaders that always lead by example.

In one of the scene, Staff Sgt. C. Carwood Lipton, The True Leader (Played by Donnie Wahlberg) defended Lt. Norman Dike, The Bad Leader (Even though, all the men in the Company doubted the Leader). Lipton knows too well as he too has doubts but playing his role, he must instill that confidence in support of the lieutenant and continue to motivate the men, especially with the continuous shelling from the Germans.

Lipton's point was, the men should not compare and expect the Lieutenant to step into Captain Winters, The Trusted Leader's role immediately, especially when everyone fought and bleed for more than two years together. The bond and brotherhood that every men has are really undeniable and irreplaceable.

Quietly and undoubtedly, without realising it himself until told by Lt. Speirs, The Feared but Effective Leader, Lipton has been the corner stone of the Company...keeping the morale of the men high and always picking them up whenever they are down. That's the quality of a true leader...

What also inspired me to write about the episode, is the many leaders in the different rank in the army...similarly, to any corporate organisation that we are in today. Mid Level leaders, lead a team of personnel but they are reporting to other leaders too.

Looking back at SSgt. Lipton's position, he played his role as a leader to men in the lower ranks while playing his role as a trustworthy support to the higher ranked officers as brilliantly as he possibly could.

If you managed to find the DVD...take another closer look at the different leaders in the episode. Then, ask yourself the question, which type of leader are you or will you be?

Although, like Captain Winters (In real life, ended his career a Major) who are a born leader, some just don't have the leadership quality in them (Like Captain Herbert Sobel, played by David Schwimmer from Friends in Episode 1, "Currahee") but for someone like SSgt. Lipton, it was through his experience and approach he has, that made him a true leader. He just need to make the necessary adjustment to take the next step once he's aware of it...

Today, I leave you to ponder on the subject with a fitting quote from General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during the World War II, who became the 34th President of the United States) ~ "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it".

As mentioned in "Work Smart...Hard", I am a good leader working toward the goal of becoming an outstanding leader...and after all...even if I become a great leader one day...I will still be me...a Chun Toi with Cracks.

The Vision

Talking about coincidences...the same night that I posted "The Inspiration", I was inspired during the session in my private world...my toilet...shitting of course...and those ideas just came flowing in unstoppably and it grew and grew (Not talking about the shit...hahaha...)...immediately after, I just have to type them and send it out...at 7am... Eventually, will it be executed??? Well, we'll see...

Anyway, everyone should be very familiar with Tun Dr Mahathir's Vision 2020...now, Najib has 1Malaysia...whatever... They are however, Visions...but I'm not talking about the country's development or the country's politics that hogs more than half of every newspaper every day...I'm talking about the vision, Your Vision.

Do you have a vision, a vision of yourself 2years from now, 5years, 10years...and beyond?

What do you think you'll doing 5years from today?

This subject came to me when I was typing "The Inspiration" uninspiredly...in fact, the subject grew on me immediately and I continued typing this inspired...hehehe...strange isn't it? Well, not so strange if you've read "The Inspiration"...(Hard Selling again...).

Lately, I've been using the word quite frequently...almost every conversation can lead or has links to the word, vision.

Just the other day, we sat down to discuss the company's direction...where are we today...where do we want to be tomorrow...most importantly, where does the leaders want to lead the company toward and how. The million dollar question is, what is the leader's vision?

With a clear sight on the leader's vision, everyone else will also be able to see and share that same vision. Understanding the requirement and work towards that vision as a team. From The Vision, translate it into actionable long term goals and set short term objectives to meet them...from company level to departmental level and down to personnel level.

On a more personal note, if you do have a vision of your future, do you know how to achieve it? Are you taking necessary steps to inch closer everyday?

If any of the answer is a "No" or a "Maybe", then you are actually wasting every minute of your time...working like a robot without the capacity to "Think" and "Move" into a better future.

If the answers are "Yes" and you know how to meet your goals. Then, congratulations! Well done!! Move faster!!! Hahaha...

If the answers are "Yes, but...", then, consult with someone that you look up to and/or get an idea from those that has made it...

Always remember this, along the way, visions can be crystalised, expanded while it can also be blurred. Check and Measure to ensure you are on the right track is also very crucial to reach the desired results.

In some of the previous posts, it does sounds like "preaching" & "In your face"...however, if you read them and not moved by it...or change your approach after the self realisation, then the intention of this blog is really, not met.

Every subject has a point. Every point has a rationale. Every rationale has a history. Most importantly, action need to be taken even if the mindset has changed. Without the action steps, it's merely words and wishful thinking. The danger, regrets...

Earl Nightingale (An author and motivational speaker) quoted - "Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us."

We need to put in the effort to obtain what we want in life...things don't just fall on our lap from the sky...we've gotta earn it...

At 40, my "Vision" is still very much obtainable. I am still learning, improving, so that I can meet it...and meet it, some day soon.

After all, I'm only 40 and I'm still me...and in reality, a Chun Toi with Cracks.

The Inspiration

This could be the crappiest post ever as I chose this subject and I am typing it unInspiredly. The word did came into my mind. However, I can't think of an inspiring moment to write about...because there are just too many...hahaha...

Inspiration and motivation works hand in hand. One affects the other while one cannot exist without the other...pretty much like soul mates...

To me, a demotivated person hardly gets inspired or inspirations. Why? It's simply because the person is more concern over the factors that is demotivating him/her. Spends most of the time procrastinate over the unnecessary things rather than thinking outside the box to address the problem. Worst, if the person starts blaming others...or giving him/herself excuses...

Just like motivation and demotivation, Inspiration is also self manifested...but it require a lot of outside influences.

Environment or surrounding plays a vital role, therefore, office and office hours is most likely not the best combination. Mine, my toilet. I sit on my throne where it's the most private place in the world...away from any other distraction. That is where I get most of my inspirations...that is also why it can take hours...kekeke...and sometimes...very shitty...

Next is State Of Mind. What kind of mood are you in? If you are facing a lot of problems and unsatisfcations, solving them one by one before you start to gear yourself up will be wise as you need a very clear mind to manifest positive output.

If you are unable to solve the problems by yourself, seek help or at least, find someone that you can talk to or listen to your problems...Unless, you can isolate those problems and adjust your mindset once you're in that comfort zone...like my toilet...

The benefit? I'm sure you have noticed people around you and can pretty much categorise them under the inspired group or the lost bunch...the differences are actually shown on their face as well as their every day attitude. In Grey, every personnel have the same first page of Appraisal Form and I particularly, always look at my guys on the point "Hardworking...But Have Fun Doing So" as that will tell the difference between motivated or demotivated.

If you are inspired and through the inspirations, you will be doing the things that can create that extra edge you needed and continue to motivate yourself to achieve greater things...

That, is how you will be able continue to soldier on even if the circumstances are always stacked up against you.

That, is also how you can "Romance Your Work"!

I didn't realise that I've not posted anything for nearly two weeks...but, hey, it was CNY...and I'm still me...an inspired Chun Toi with Cracks...