.::. A Purposeful Life .::.

It's Teachers' Day again, and I'm always very thankful to receive anything from my students.  It's very difficult to explain the warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction that I get only from teaching; the feeling I get only from these children that I know I have made an impact on.

I have always wondered why, after to many jobs in the past 15 years, why do teaching still rank top on my list.  During the drive home tonight, I pondered and I think that I might finally have an answer.  Teaching itself is not the most enjoyable thing really, and anyone who has ever tried to teach someone anything will know.  Some days it drains and frustrates me, especially after a long day in the office, but it always pays off.  Apart from knowing that your students really like and appreciate you, I think the most important thing is that children are inherently innocent and straight-forward.  You always know if they are happy or upset, or if they are telling the truth.  However, I realized that the best thing about teaching is that I can truly be myself when I teach.  I am the most honest and sincere when I'm with my students (and their parents).  It's something that truly aligns with my principles and values as a person.  And of course, knowing that you make an impact on someone's life is itself really satisfying.  Every single student that came to me made great improvements.  One of the most memorable moments was when a few of my tuitee saved 20 cents each from their pocket money to buy me a lemon tea from the nearby coffeeshop (because they knew that I like it).  You know that they really like you when they saved their pocket money just to get you something to make you happy.

All these set me thinking yet again.

Recently, a friend said that her son do not really enjoy going to school and prefers to 'nua' at home.  It's partially because the dad is in the property line and is usually 'nua-ing' at home on weekdays, at least that is how the son sees it.  Thus, the son perhaps looks up to his father and naturally wants to mimic him.  In another conversation with a colleague at work, she said that some of her very rich friends continue working simply because they want to lead by example and let their children know that they should work hard in life to get what they want.  They do not want to sit around and let their children know that they can live a good life even without working

These conversations made an impact on me, and made me rethink about quite a few things.  I do believe that the best way to teach your child is to lead by example.  I'm not sure what I might get out of this, but it sure set me thinking.  What values do you want to impart to your children and how do you align yourself with these values?

I think I have more than I ever need, I don't care for power nor title, I don't care to be 'rich' to lead a lavish lifestyle and afford material wants.  I am contented and more than happy with all that I already have, and honestly, I'm not sure if there's anything else that I really want or really matters.  I'm this contented with my life the past 30 years that even if I were to die now, I would die with no regrets.

So, what makes a life worth living?  What makes a purposeful life when at the end of the day nothing really matters, or does it?

.::. Parents .::.

One of the best things that you could do for your parents is to let them worry less about you, live well, be well, be happy. Yet it may be easier said than done when what they want for you might not be what you want for yourself, and it becomes a delicate balance.

.::. The Ikea Way .::.

The Ikea Way

Not long ago, this guy shared his experience with getting an Ikea kitchen on his blog. It’s appalling, and anyone who has been through renovation would feel for him. It’s one of those typical horrible experience with contractors, miscommunications, wrong measurements, bad workmanship and worst of all, bad attitude. It makes me somewhat sad and disappointed, because Ikea has been known for their innovation and creativity in managing their furniture design to maximize functionality at low cost through working with their network of suppliers.  I’ve done so many case studies about Ikea during my studies in Sweden, and Ikea represents Sweden in so many ways. Moreover, their kitchen cabinet uses OEM blum accessories, which is probably the best kitchen accessories currently! Ikea’s kitchen is also looking great with a large selection of sinks which I really like.

To Ikea’s credit, they have upheld their values and reputation by rectifying the situation once they got wind of this. It truly shows the power of social platforms and how important reputation and reviews are these days. But being able to apologize for their mistake and take such measures to rectify it shows a lot about the values behind a corporation. A good company will realize that customers’ satisfaction is the main driver of profits and should be one of the top priority.

When it comes to carpentry work, it’s quite easy to discern good workmanship. Apart from the apparent fit of the carpentry and smooth surfaces, one can easily check the workmanship in a few ways:

1.       The edges. The laminate should be seamless at the edges without things like jagged edges and not-so-straight cuts that do not cover the wood totally.

2.       The alignment. The drawers should be perfectly aligned and straight. There should be minimal gaps between the panels of a cabinet. The easiest way to check alignment is to open up all your carpentry, the drawers should not hit one another and panels should not be drooping.

Sadly, I learnt by experience. Till now, more than 2 years after my own renovation, I’m still annoyed when I notice the gaps between my cabinet panels. Still annoyed when I clean my kitchen cabinets and see how misaligned all the drawers and panels are. Yes, they are totally functional and could last for years to come, but I don’t think anyone likes living with such substandard work.

You know what’s the worst thing? The worst thing is, if the carpentry is already done badly, there’s very little anyone can do to rectify such issues, unless to redo the whole thing (which is almost impossible given the cost and time involved). Our drawers did get re-aligned just so they don’t hit each other when opened, but the gaps between the drawers and panels were never able to be perfectly aligned. The edges of the laminate, when not done properly? - The only rectification possible was to use a paint pen of similar color to color over the visible jagged edges just so it’s not so visible. Two years down the road, some of the paint has worn off and I’m getting the husband to buy some paint pens for me to redo the edges because it annoys the hell out of me whenever I see them. It will be many years later before I can ever redo my kitchen and carpentry work, because it’s going to cost me a five figure sum and a whole lot of inconvenience.

I can’t stress the importance of doing some homework and choosing a reputable and good contractor/designer. Sometimes, it all comes down to ethics of a person or a company and how they choose to make their money. It’s difficult to discern, except to follow your heart and your 6^th sense when interacting with people and observing them. Mistakes are inevitable, but what’s more important is attitude and how people handle their mistakes. Some will apologize and make the effort to rectify their mistakes, while some will never admit their mistakes but blame everyone else instead.

Not everything legal is ethical, and every business wants to make money. What is most important is how you make your money, because karma works in mysterious ways. 

君子爱财取之有道

Be righteous and make money in righteous ways.

Kudos to Ikea for doing what they did in response to such a situation. Most of the time, customers simply want their issues to be acknowledged and would forgive many mistakes if they were handled in a reasonable way.

On another note that’s relevant to business ethics, here’s a link to one of the biggest story in Singapore’s social media world that made me lose some faith in humanity, yet have it restored again.

There’s always bad people around, but there will also be great ones. Sometimes, when the law doesn’t help, the compounding power of people could be a great catalyst for change and justice. It takes courage to stand up for your values and go against what you believe is wrong. Not many people do that nowadays. We simply take it as it is and continue living life. It's amazing how the power of social media can dig up so much information and make life difficult for some unethical merchants. Not all may agree with it, but hey, I think we do need such people who's unafraid of legal repercussions and spend their time fighting for things they believe to be right. 

There are still too many unethical businesses around, too many people making money at the expense of others. But beware of karma and such social media forces! Every single action produces a consequence.

To ethics, humanity and karma, and the Ikea way ~

.::. Of business & ethics .::.

Came across this article - what type of people you should and should not work with and found it pretty real. It says what kind of people you should not work with and also, what you should not become yourself!

11 types of people you shouldn’t be helping

1. Those who are ungrateful
2. Those who betray their principles for money
3. Those who gain at the expense of others
4. Those who has a hidden agenda
5. Those who will do anything for benefits at the expense of principles
6. Those who are unreliable, those who act pitiful when they need help, but becomes tyrannous when things are in their favour
7. Those who couldn’t complete the small tasks but dreams of completing the big goals
8. Those who pin their hopes on others
9. Those who never fulfil their obligations after receiving help
10. Those who still act pitiful when given opportunities
11. Those who don’t feel grateful and take everything for granted

Only fools use their mouth to speak. A smart man uses his brain, and a wise man uses his heart - Jack Ma

This Jack Ma makes sense, and I like reading about these successful people. They must have something we mortals don't and must know something we don't!

People I detest and despise most are those who gain at the expense of others (karma) and those who have a hidden agenda. Nothing much we could do about such people apart from praying for them and avoiding having such negative energy in your life. 

Sometimes, I wonder if greed for wealth is indeed the root of all evil, blinding people. I want to be wealthy too, and money is truly not on the top of my list.

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. — Epicurus, Greek philosopher (341-270 B.C.) 

.::. The Importance of being on time .::

Wanted to share an article which I came across: "The importance of being on time".

I hate it when people are late, as in very late. 10-15 minutes is really fine, but some people are simply chronically late for whatever reasons (or excuses) that it becomes a habit.

And yes, it's rude and inconsiderate and a waste of peoples' time. It also shows how much you care or respect others. As you grow older, time becomes more precious. It's really a pain to spend time waiting and waiting.

I hate it when dinner is supposed to be at 730 but people stroll in at 830. You're not supposed to leave house at the meeting time but leave enough time to travel. It fills me with dread when I'm supposed to meet people like that and it makes me feel like being late too. Why should I care if they don't? And you know what's the worse thing? When you purposely arrive late, but still end up too early. *face palm*

I can go on forever about such experiences. And really, sometimes I ask myself, why should I be the one waiting? Why aren't they embarrassed about causing others' inconvenience?

Oh well, these are the points that the article brought out:

Being punctual strengthens and reveals your integrity.
Being punctual shows you are dependable. 
Being punctual builds your self-confidence. 
Being punctual assures you’re at your best.
Being punctual builds and reveals your discipline.
Being punctual shows your humility.
Being punctual shows your respect for others.
Being late is a form of stealing.
Being late disturbs the experiences of other people. 
Being late strains your relationships.
Being late hurts your professional career.
Being late takes a toll on your life.

Try to be on-time people!