Keeping Flexible?
There are a few events in the past 2 weeks or so, that has left me wondering whether honest men with integrity, who are just and fair to others, are a much smaller minority than I thought they were.
In the political world, Malaysian politicians make it a point to pull the wool over the public's eyes, with all sorts of gimmicks, stunts and flawed explanations. In the business world, it is the same - majority shareholders sometimes do many things to damage their own company and compromise their minority shareholders.
And there seems to be more space for businessmen to commit these breach of fiduciary duties to the company and minority shareholders, simply because they think they're not elected. They're there by virtue of their majority ownership.
I've seen so many businessman and entrepreneurs like these around me. People who care for nothing else and no one else, as long as their wallets are bulging from monies, which they did not honestly earn.
It made me ponder over something that Alice Foot MacDougall, a successful woman entrepreneur, said:
"A large portion of success is derived from flexibility. It is all very well to have principles, rules of behaviour concerning right and wrong. But it is as essential when to forget, as when to use them"
I'm trying to persuade myself that she's right.
As long as I can keep my own company free from such dishonest acts, I shouldn't have to worry about seeing the owners of the companies that I deal with, siphon off funds and screw their own minority shareholders.
It's not my business. Not everything is within my control. And not everything should be.
I mean, if I had to avoid everyone that had a financially dishonest bone in their body - I may have no one to do business with. And I'm not kidding. A lot of capable and wealthy people, are simply financially dishonest.
Now, THAT'S a depressing thought, isn't it?
Get this lesson into my head, Alice. I don't want to be 80, by the time I'm 50.
In the political world, Malaysian politicians make it a point to pull the wool over the public's eyes, with all sorts of gimmicks, stunts and flawed explanations. In the business world, it is the same - majority shareholders sometimes do many things to damage their own company and compromise their minority shareholders.
And there seems to be more space for businessmen to commit these breach of fiduciary duties to the company and minority shareholders, simply because they think they're not elected. They're there by virtue of their majority ownership.
I've seen so many businessman and entrepreneurs like these around me. People who care for nothing else and no one else, as long as their wallets are bulging from monies, which they did not honestly earn.
It made me ponder over something that Alice Foot MacDougall, a successful woman entrepreneur, said:
"A large portion of success is derived from flexibility. It is all very well to have principles, rules of behaviour concerning right and wrong. But it is as essential when to forget, as when to use them"
I'm trying to persuade myself that she's right.
As long as I can keep my own company free from such dishonest acts, I shouldn't have to worry about seeing the owners of the companies that I deal with, siphon off funds and screw their own minority shareholders.
It's not my business. Not everything is within my control. And not everything should be.
I mean, if I had to avoid everyone that had a financially dishonest bone in their body - I may have no one to do business with. And I'm not kidding. A lot of capable and wealthy people, are simply financially dishonest.
Now, THAT'S a depressing thought, isn't it?
Get this lesson into my head, Alice. I don't want to be 80, by the time I'm 50.
posted by Stingrayz | 8:25 PM
14 Comments:
that's it. another AI post and i'm taking you to the funny farm :)
dinner next week?
Dinzie:
There will be a LOT MORE American Idol posts. Frustrated bachelors like me need the escapism. ;)
Dinner is on! Let's set it with TTG after the 5th, k?
Thanks for the tip. Senayan ROCKS! Hmm KL is so tame compared to JKT!
Frustrated bachelor? I wish I was a bachelor like you!
Babu:
Glad you found Plaza Senayan, Jakarta, interesting. :)
I would suggest Manila next - the girls that work behind the counter at Shangri-la Hotel, would trump our local our beauty pageant candidates. ;)
And NO, you do not wish to be a frustrated bachelor like me.
I cradled my friend's 5-year old daughter to sleep today at a restaurant, today and unmistakably captured the missing essence in my life.
Family, my friend. Family and a sense of belonging.
It's worth more than all the success and personal achievements, in the world.
And that is what you have, my friend. :)
It's not exactly Plaza Senayan, but rather the Senayan area, I was told. Went around a couple of clubs with some friends including bullies (local term for matsallehs)
Looking at one club's address right now - it's in the Bengkel Night Park, Sudirman. Both clubs had table top dancing - hotter than I have seen in Bangkok (but then I have not seen BKK much).
Actually, I am quite a "good" guy, but mot alim like you ;) I have not "touched" another woman other than my wife - sumpah. But I wonder how much longer that will last...
The club in Shangri La here, BATS, is a pick up joint for the bullies. Went there one night and got two offers - no money involved, you just have to buy them drinks and pay their taxi fare. Didn't take up the offers though. I am not alim like you, so maybe one day...
Yes family is great, you always feel your children are special. But having fun while you can is great.
There are a lot other places better to live than Wellington, NZ ;)
Actually, it's not all about sleaze. The Cafe Bengkel has a great crowd. On the quiet nights, they have local bands - and lots of audience participation. One night, members of the audience got up to sing - and boy wre they good. One guy had rastafarian hair and he sang raggae like a pro.
The local band was even more sponataneous than the foreigners - and really looked like they having fun. Much as I like AI, I prefer a live group.
Babu:
Sounds like you're having a grand time in Jakarta! :)
But I'm very far from alim, my friend. I've made so many unintended mistakes with the women in my life (and have hurt so many people in the past) - it's not even funny.
But am trying to be better and make fewer mistakes, in my life. At least, big ones.
Indonesia's performance arts talent pool, is HUGE.
Just take a look at their songs and music videos - they make us look like really dull, uncreative people.
They push the frontiers - their language has evolved and so has the diversity of their music. And that's why their music scene is thriving, over there.
I prefer live bands, too - my favourite haunt here for live bands is Planet Hollywood.
Yes, there are a lot of places to live other than Wellington, NZ - and I guess I should consider them, if I'm taking the leap.
But Jakarta is probably not one of them. The disparity between the rich and the poor is just too glaring, to see.
Between our good intentions and our prejudices, we often end up hurting other people. Just take comfort that you did not mean malice. I think it is something most of us experience to some degree. At the extreme, I know a friend whose drug addict brother comitted suicide after living with him...
Like you, I don't think that Jakarta is the place for me either although language and food is convenient. I prefer Thailand - just look at their vibrant democracy!
There is a Kiwi in my workplace, who has only recently travelled outside NZ. He went to Singapore and he was really taken up with the place. He was raving about it for a few days and saying that he wanted to work there. Of course, I only smiled...
With regards Wellington - any reasons for picking the place? Didn't you graduate from the UK? Why not, say, London?
In the meantime, I find Jakarta very different - I went to the Stadium last week and it was a most AMAZING place!
Babu:
Actually, most of our democracy-based ASEAN neighbours (other than Singapore, of course) have a more thriving democracy than us.
At least, they've changed Governments before - which is a virtual impossibility in Malaysia (other than state Governments, in the East Coast, of course)
Why Wellington?
Because Victoria University has one of the best political science faculties in New Zealand and I dream of doing my Ph.D there one day and to have a teaching post there.
Because Wellington is a city and it's got a thriving arts and culture scene - I'm a city boy at heart. I've been there and I loved the balanced metropolitan environment, there.
And if I tire of that, South Island is not too far away for lavish and mountainous greenery and beautiful natural surroundings, as far as the eye can see.
Because Wellington has a much warmer climate and rains less than London.
(And I've always thought that New Zealanders are what the Brits would have been, if they had not lost their manners)
Because Wellington has the highest proportion of tertiary educated people in the whole of New Zealand and has the highest median income in New Zealand.
And because it's still close to home and I can still get an "Asian" feel, by being in the region.
London was a great place to study, as a Malaysian.
But I don't think I'd wanna be there to work - the environment can be rather cold and impersonal and there's something about the British weather, which I still can't stand. :)
You forgot to mention Myanmar! I have been there - it is virtually a police state.
I am impressed with Thailand's democracy - look at how the Thais have managed to force Thaksin out. There is poverty in Thailand, but I get the sense that the "poor" are entreprising and "upwardly mobile" (unlike in Indonesia where they are caught in a poverty trap). The down side is the corruption which starts from the very top. I am not sure that even with Thaksin stepping down, it will change anytime soon.
Wellington is about 10 hours away by flight from KL. For that amount of flight time, it's as far as London, and I am not sure that you are still in an "Asian region".
Thriving arts and culture scene - you get much more in London. Academia - what better than Cambridge and Oxford. Cold and impersonal - I get along with the English very well. One of my buddies here in JKT is an English guy whom the other bules nicknamed the Stallion (wonder why!). And for a career or job, if you get one on the Street, it pays extremely well. I would hate to see you go to waste in a place like Wellington.. perhaps you are even wasted in Malaysia, but at least it is home.
In the meantime, trying to learn the lyrics to "Menanti Sebuah Jawaban". Will try to perform it with the band one of these nights.
I totally agree with you on the weather :( it's abysmal in London. But then I can't stand cold and damp, even if the weather is not as variable.
Babu:
I have a soft spot, for reasons which will remain with me. But the Myanmarese are the warmest, politest and most gentle of people (perhaps, excluding the military)
Yes, the Thai democracy and constitutional safeguards (like the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej) are impressive.
It's not theoretical; it actually works! Though I'd keep still my eye on Shinawatra for a while.
But yes, the poor in Thailand seem to be more upbeat (not sure about upwardly mobile, but they're certainly industrious and open) than the poor in the Philippines or Indonesia, for some reason.
I consider New Zealand part of the Asian region, because they have a higher awareness and perhaps, even acceptance, of Asians. They're also one of the biggest exporters of halal meat to Iran!
As for London - as I said, it's cold and impersonal, to me. Yes, it's a great cultural center but this great city is decaying, morally and in the quality of life and people.
The English are much nicer and warmer out of London - but my favourite people are the Scots and the Irish.
Am not looking for a great job on the Street either - I was formerly in merchant banking. Hated it. But it taught me to pursue what I love doing.
The plan is to leave for Wellington when I have enough money to semi-retire and work in academia, for fun.
As for academia - I don't think I qualify to be the Oxbridge type. Not bright enough and uncomfortable with the pomp that is Oxbridge.
I'm just Joe Ordinary - trying to chart a meaningful life, in a small corner of the world. And to die without regrets.
As for going to waste - I define it as being unhappy and helpless to change the things you care about. I'm not wasted anywhere, where I don't feel like that.
Home is the absence of that feeling - you can feel like a stranger, right in the midst of your own kind.
Good luck with "Menanti Sebuah Jawaban". Go show them what Malaysians can do!!
Wish I was there with you and the live band to sing "Mimpi Yang Sempurna" by Peter Pan! I do a mean rendition of that one! :)
Later, Babu!
NZers are more English than the English. They are also a very inclusive people and will certainly accept you, make you feel at home and one of them. As for the arts scene in Wellington - I enjoyed the amateur theather that some friends participated in. I suppose you have identified your own little corner of the "English world" (which is part Asian) to "retire" to.
On my part, I find the place a bit run down. I remember visiting a "slum area" of Bristol and it compared favourably to some of the more established neighbourhoods of Wellington. That was a long time ago, when cars were quite expensive in NZ, and most people drove old bangers. Things may have changed - even a few years ago, the Indians all drove Maruts (I got a shock on my first visit to Chennai, it was like a step back in time), but not any more.
I personally prefer, if I retire, a place like Taupo with it's beautiful lake and nice summer homes. I have never been to the South Island, so I can't tell if there are other places I would have liked.
As for Oxbridge, with you precise English, I could have sworn you were educated in one of those institutions. I am surprised with your mention of political science - I thought you had a technical education - since you are developing and marketing some electronic devices.
Babu:
Trust me, Wellington looks very different now. :) It's not a slum area and is one of the most affluent cities in New Zealand.
But of course, old cars will always be around. I mean, there are people still driving the old Fiats from 1970's in Kota Bharu. :)
But yes, ideally, I've picked a corner of the world that I'd like to be in, one day. (Although I would still like to die in Malaysia, one day)
South Island is absolutely beautiful - Christchurch is green and a beautiful garden city, Dunedin is small, quaint and historic (the graduaton ceremony in the university is celebrated by the whole town) and the view on the drive down heading towards Queenstown - is simply breathtaking. :)
It really is one of God's natural wonders.
And no, I'm not fortunate enough to be from Oxbridge (ZR is!).
I'm just from one of the London university colleges. And no, my educational training was certainly non-technical.
But both my partners are technically trained and are very experienced, from their backgrounds in MNCs.
I'm just the guy who brings in the million-dollar investments and who'll be involved in the marketing of the products, thereafter.
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