Of Cultural Differences

I was in the Korean Republic (South Korea) recently on a business trip and arrived,with a colleague, a day prior to reporting to the venue. We were suppose to meet up with another colleague and to be picked up at the Incheon International Airport the next day. So I suggested to my colleague that we just store our luggage at the airport's storage facility and maybe shower at the airport.

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We touched down at about 6.30 a.m. and exited the arrival hall around 7.00 and stored our luggage. We found out that the shower facilities was in a spa at the airport, and we got to pay 20,000 KWon to use it. Hence we decided to skip shower and took a bus ride into Seoul, and we disembarked at Itaewon and had kebab for breakfast.

We went around Seoul by subway and finally took the bus back to Incheon International at about 9.00 p.m., took our stored luggage and then went down to the spa for our shower. We found out that besides shower we can use the facilities like the lounge where you can sit and watch tv and sleep on the recliner seats.

As we were putting our things in the locker we went looking for our bath towels, and what did we find? Towels the size of face towels. And guess what? That was the size of towels available... Much to our chagrin :)

We left for Anseong the next morning to the meeting venue, checked into our rooms and what did we find? Face towel sized towels as bath towels....

I told my colleagues, maybe we should use the towels to cover our faces....




visit my scribd - rutz.zainal

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Raja Petra Remains Elusive

That was the a news report in the Star Online today, Raja Petra had been elusive and so is his bailor, his wife. What do you expect? He is just another chicken shit like Waythamurthi of Hindraf, who ran with his tail between his legs to London. Of all place, London. The same ole London, the City of the Colonial masters who Hindraf is suing.

Raja Petra? Well, maybe its just better if he simply disappears.



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Neighbour and Neighbourliness

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Initially I thought it was the work of some crazy, publicity hungry individuals who have nothing better to do. Then they stoke the fire of hate into the minds of some of their countrymen to the point of "sweeping" the streets of Malaysians in Jakarta.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

They had sharpened bamboos, roaming the streets, stopping pedestrians checking whether they are Malaysians or not. Why? All because of an error by the Discovey Channel on the Pendet. In fact I was in Bandung during that time but paid no attention to it.

Now in the time of dire needs, the fools and clowns of Bendera is talking about invading Malaysia with their 1,500 combatants. They thought the Malaysians are going to take this lying down. But being Malaysians we have far more important things to focus on... like what? Collecting donations for the catastrophe in Padang, Samoa, Manila, the by-election in Bagan Pinang, the stage show being put-on by Hasan Ali and his SELCAT & PR friends (now they are best of friends..) talking about politicians, you can trust them all.

So I guess, I would like to just advise these Bendera clowns, send your members to Padang, and get them to be useful and them being worthy Indonesian citizens.... and remember there many of your fellow citizens who are making a living in Malaysia.

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Ramadhan II

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One thing that I observed  frequently occuring during the fasting month is the rampant advertising by hotels and restaurants of the breaking of fast meals, iftar, that's on offer at the outlets. It is as though that the fasting ends with the iftar and Muslims are expected to indulge in a feast of eating.

Somehow the meaning of fasting is actually lost by these advertisements. The hotels and restaurants can't be blamed for their basic mind set of making money at any time. As a Muslim I believe that it is us who need to be aware of not being caught in the indugence of eating and defeat the purpose of fasting.

At home, people tend to frequent the numerous 'bazar ramadhan' that are selling many types of food and cakes and kuih. People some how had lost their self-control and start to buy food that they thought they would be able to consume and only to find out that their stomach can accommodate only so much. And much of the unconsumed food will then be left rotting and get thrown away.

Restraint!

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Ramadhan

This is the month of Ramadhan. For the Muslims it is the month where we fast from dawn to dusk.

To those who do not understand, fasting is thought to be of abstaining from meals, not eating and not drinking. There's more to it rather. Its a month of abstainance.

Some of the examples of abstainance and refraining from dawn to dusk; from:

• food,
• smoking,
• digging your nose,
• sex,

  Image by Omar_MK via Flickr

• indulgence,
• talking bad of people,

It is also the month for;

• doing good,
• helping others,
• more of the religious rituals, prayers,
• giving,
• forgiving,

I am not a religious scholar, so what I had written there are more of the simplistic things that a Muslim need to refrain and encouraged to do.

What I do hope is that there is more tolerance in the world not only during this holy month but the months that follow.

The month is also for us to reflect. It is also not so much about the fight against the hunger pang but the fight against self, self control, victory over self. People tend to indulge during the breaking of fast during dusk. They eat as though to compensate their abstainance for the whole day, and defeat the purpose of fasting.

To all Muslims, Merry Ramadhan, to those who are not you can also joint the merriment of Ramadhan.

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Stupid tis those who has no faith

I read this with mixed feeling... Dalam pertikaian Siew Fook dengan pendakwah Islam Dr. Mohd. Ridhuan berkaitan soal anak luar nikah, beliau menulis dalam blognya http:sjsandteam.wordpress.com: "Has everything be reduced to your fucking religion."

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The statement, in bold above, can only be written or uttered by someone who has no faith to any religion. As a Muslim, everything that we do has got to do with the Allah and the religion. Thus I believe anyone who is alligned to any religion be it a Christian, Buddhist or a Hindu or even a Jew would alway go back to their religions.

It is not for me to judge but it won't be uttered by someone who faithfully believe in any religion or for that matter any understanding of any faith, or principled, who has grounding.

The most dangerous of a person as it can be, one without any principle in the core.

Because if he does, then he would understand why Ridhuan Tee said what he had said.

Siew Fook, maybe you can put it in some other ways that cares for the sensitivities of others.

Balance Scorecard, KRAs & KPIs... again!

I once visited an organisation that is also using the KPIs, but somehow or other people are no longer 'hot' about the KPIs anymore. What seem to had happened was that, initially people were happy with the KPIs as they had the idea that the KPIs would enable them to perform and thus in return will also help the organisation to perform, and now the KPIs had not function as they were intended to be.

What happened? Now it seems that the bosses are using the KPIs as a threat to the staff, as a stick, to make the staff perform. They state things like, "If you don't meet your KPIs you better watch out," "How come other met their KPIs but not you?"

So the intention of the KPIs as a measure to help people to be able to perform better was not achieved but it is now used as a stick to punish or a threat to punish people.

In the first place do people understand about the KPI? Or for that matter the bosses understand the intended purpose of the KPI?
On the other hand the bosses need to understand that the KPI is a measure of performance, but the thing is had the bosses had dialogues with the staff as to what would they require to enable them to perform?

The Malaysian government had embarked on the KPI thingy, as that is all very good. But what I fear is that the executioners of the KPIs are not properly brought up to speed as to what is the KPI all about, what need to happen before a KPI can be achieved to contribute to the KRA (NKRA) then also will the KPI that the government is trying to implement is driven by political needs or by the need to serve?


In the first place, do the organisations that implemented or intend to implement the KPIs go the full cycle of understand the Balance Scorecard? Do they understand what is the inherent intent of the BSC/KRA/KPI? Do they have the will to make it work? Or do have the right mind-set to make it work?

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Performance Management - The Beginning

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I would like to start by quoting this:

"There are only three ways of improving performance. Firstly, you can actually improve performance. Secondly, you can cheat the system so that it appears performance is improved. Finally, you can simply lie about performance achieved."

Dr. Mike Bourne & Pippa Bourne - Balance Scorecard - Instant manager taking control of work and life

The above indicates how organisations how actually they strive to achieve performance on two extremes; one to actually work towards achieving performance or to cheat and lie to show they are performing.

It is not an easy thing to actually perform; particularly when organisations are so wrapped up in their day-to-day to the extent that they lost sight of the forest for the trees.

So how do we then assure that people and the organisation actually perform than to actually hide and cheat and lie about performance?

I attended a talk by a CEO of a technology company and he shared a very amusing anecdote about why companies are not able to achieve and realise their potentials:

"Being the CEO I am very proud and energetic when I announce every year to our employees about our aspirations and goals but also at the same time wondering why we have not been able to achieve our goals. Then it struck me that of the many who attended the announcement only one third was actually listening. The other two third were actually thinking about the work they need to go back to or about the food to be served.

Of the one third who listened, only one third of them actually understood what was announced.

Of those one third of the one third, one third actually were energised by the announcement, and finally one third of them actually acted on the announcement."

So in the end only a few of the many who actually do things, but the thing is do they really care?

The tea-lady

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In the year 2002, I conducted a training workshop to a group of employees of a merchant bank in Kuala Lumpur, attended by the non-executives of the bank, comprising of drivers, clerks, despatch boys and also tea-ladies. And one of the tea-ladies was Khatijah.

She sat quietly in the workshop and participated when required but otherwise quiet.

After the workshop I had no further contact with her until one day I met her boss.

It happened about 3 months after the workshop, when I was conducting another workshop when I bumped into Puan J, who during that time was an Assistant General Manager of the bank and was on the same floor that Khatijah was serving as a tea-lady.

Puan J said to me, "Rutz, what did you do to my staff?"
"Huh?" I was taken by surprise, "which staff, who?" I stumbled not knowing who she was refering to.

"Khatijah, the tea-lady," she replied.

"What did I do?" I responded.

The Puan J related to me one of the most amazing story....

After Khatijah came back from the workshop, something changed in her or maybe what changed was maybe she became more determined to change her life.

Almost everyone in the bank, with the exception of a few probably, were using computers for their work. Khatijah probably would need to do much of her work on certain designated hours in the day and then probably she was very much free in between. What happened was after she had completed her morning tasks, she went over to some of the officers on the floor to ask whether she can help to type their letters or documents.

Defintely not, how can a tea-lady be doing what the officers are doing, more so how can one expect a tea-lady to use a personal computer. Hence her request to help was pretty much denied.

She went around the floor again the next day, and the next day and the next day. Rejected again and again and again. By this time tongues would be wagging about a tea-lady wanting to assist the officers on the floor, and just imagine the kind of talking people would have about her and what more of the other tea-ladies.

One day she enrolled into a Microsoft Office workshop offered to the non-executives. What would you be thinking if you were the officer who was registering the enrolment? "Tea-lady? Microsoft office?" you might think, some how tea-ladies and Microsoft Office just don't blend too well. But, she was enrolled.

So off she went for the workshop. Upon completion of the workhshop she went again to the officers. And again she was denied. How many of us had been using the software and yet not know how everything worked? A tea-lady? Some how tea-ladies and Microsoft Office don't blend well.

Tongues continue to wag.

She then one day applied for a computer loan. What if you were the loan application processing officer, what would you then be thinking upon receving her application? Tea-lady and personal computers don't seem to blend well either. "Maybe its for her children," you might think. The more mischievious ones would probably think that she's trying to make a fast buck and sell the computer.

She got her computer and took some of the discarded pieces of paper from the rubbish bins, took them home and began to practice.

She again went around the office to offer her help. No likely takers, until probably someone got fed up with her and actually accepted her offer of help, even though to just prove that she cannot and not able to type and use the word processing application....

So Puan J finally said to me, "Do you know what she is doing today? She's still a tea-lady but she also helps with the typing.

The story did not end there. In late 2007/early 2008, I cannot fully recall the exact date, I met Puan J again and we spoke and she finally ask me, "Do you still remember Khatijah?"

"Yes, the tea-lady." I responded. I won't want to be caught twice not remembering Khatijah.

"Do you know what Khatijah is today?" she asked.

"Senior tea-lady," spoke my mind. But "No I don't," came out of my mouth.

"Do you know that she is an officer already in the bank?"

Khatijah....
I wonder why not us?

Regards.
http://pakpandir2020.blogspot.com

Footballers and Salary Earners

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During the European club football summer break, we saw some crazy transfers of players taking place.

Cristiano Ronaldo went to Real Madrid for 80 million pound sterling, Kaka to Real Madrid for slightly lower transfer fee. Many players come and go.

Now the interesting part... how much salary they are earning. Several of them are earning in excess of 100,000 pound sterling per week. Remember that 100,000 pound sterling a week. Roughly it is about RM600,000 per week minimum.

I am just wondering, should the same scenario be applied to us salary & wage earners. Instead of peope resigning, they get transfered. There is a transfer fee paid by the new employer to the previous employer. Why? The previous employer had invested in the training & development of the worker.

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Politics IV

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Many things had happened since I wrote about the PAS-UMNO unity talk. Nik Aziz vehemently opposed the talk, and stated that it was the doing of a person vis-a-vis Hj Hadi Awang. He even challenged that Nasharudin Mat Isa to quit PAS and join UMNO for supporting and talking about the unity talk.

I am not one to support or oppose the ideas of the talks but what I observed is the behaviours of the the usual suspects in the event.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders held a news conference to deny the unity talks and to condemn UMNO about the whole thing and saying that its an UMNO conspiracy. I am not sure how the conspiracy worked but I saw Hadi Awang in the news talking about it.

Now, Nik Aziz, spoke to the camera telling Nasharudin Mat Isa to quit, I saw him talking. But what do you know, the very next day Nik Aziz denied he ever said that and he did not mean that. So what did he mean?

Generally I don't trust politicians but these are the leaders we voted to lead us. So who do we put our lives to, to decide what's politically important and for the future?

I just want that one day when the politicians say what they mean to say and not deny it. That will be the day!

Politics III

Today in the newspapers, it was reported about the outburst of Nik Aziz Nik Mat, the Kelantan Menteri Besar and also the PAS Mursyidul, challenging Nasharudin Mat Isa the PAS deputy president to quit and join UMNO if he continues to harp on the unity talk.

Mustapha Ali, another PAS veteran, stated that the only way for the unity talk is to take-off is by including PAS's Pakatan Rakyat's partners, namely DAP and PKR.

Nik Aziz went to the extent of saying that it is never the intention of PAS to conduct this proposed unity talk, it was the work of one person and is a cause of disunity to the PR and PAS particularly.

Why did he not just say it out, that it was the idea of Hj Hadi Awang when Hj Hadi spoke about it during the PAS's Muktamar recently?

Why not talk to Nasharudin Mat Isa, before making a press statement? Why need to be a hero and use the media to air the dirty laundry in the party?

I guess that the reason why, Nik Aziz is not much different as the other people involved in this particular episod, he is just also another politician.

Politics II

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I have many different creed of friends; race, religion, political affiliations, professions and nationalities. On this one occassion 3 of my closest friends, during those days were affiliated to 3 different political parties, 1 was with PAS, another with Semangat 46 and another with UMNO.

On different occassions I would be having the usual teh tarik sessions with each and several of them. One of the advantages for not being affiliated to any political party, I can be critical of any of the parties and thus share my opinions with them and on some occassions with only one of them at any one time.

So one day the 3 of them invited me to join their political parties of which I vehemently declined, and of course they wondered why. My respond to them was that each of the political parties were and are still ran by politicians.

Why would this be very material to me?

Simple, politicians would do things because of their politics. For example, we have heard about the resignation of the Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang, Fairuz Khairudin. The initial part was the instigation by the PKR Penang Youth chief for the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission to investigate Fairuz for abusing his power regarding some quarry operations. Bear in mind that Fairuz was a PKR assemblyman and the instigator was a PKR member too.
Then when the MACC was conducting an investigation, the PKR made a statement that they would appoint lawyers to represent Fairuz should he be charged in court. Cummon...

Then there were reports by Penangites that Fairuz had not been visiting his constituents and he was reprimanded none other by Anwar Ibrahim. And Fairuz's defend was that he doesn't need the publicity to conduct his responsibilities, in other word he had been visiting his constituents but not have an entourage of reporters dogging his backside to report his activities. In which case politicians would have this entourage of reporters to report on the event when they picked up a piece of dead dried up leaf on the street.

Fairuz maybe have joined politics but he definitely not know how to behave like a politician.

Politics

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Recently during the PAS muktamar, its President Haji Hadi Awang proposed of a unity talk with UMNO and mentioned of the idea of forming a unity government with UMNO. He also mentioned that the idea was discussed with PAS's partners in PR and they were not oppose of the idea.

A few days later, Lim Kit Siang stated his opposition of the idea and stated that DAP was never supportive of the idea.

Nik Aziz, PAS's spiritual leader is also against the idea of the unity talk.

All these were done through the media, print and otherwise.

I am not againsts or supporting the idea of the unity talk, but it is more about how the different party leaders were not communicating amongst themselves and would rather do it through the media. I find it amusing that these so called leaders found it more appropriate to air their opinions through the media rather than having a dialogue or discussion amongst themselves.

This is what I call "Politics," when you can actually meet face to face, you'd just make a press statement. It is for the politicians, to always be in the news, always to find way to be in the news always.

In the office similar things are happening, you have something that you need to say to someone, you'd rather say it in a meeting in front of everyone rather than to talk to the person personally. You have something to say to someone, send him an email, even though he sits in the cubicle next to you.

The Laws: lacking in provision

I am presently undergoing post-graduate studies and one of the subject is about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and the area of discussion specifically about Sexual Harassment.

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In trying to understand the subject, much of the reference are US based, several laws were already formulated in the US about EEO and one such law concerning Sexual Harassment is that it is a basis of sex is a violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

I was researching for such a provision in the Malaysian legal context and found out that no such law exist and the only recourse for Sexual Harassment is in reference to the penal code.

In fact if you refer to NST in 2008, the Malaysian Employer Federation is against the idea of the enactment of such laws.

I wonder why.....

Would they if...

I was reading the newspaper the other day, about how the home owners in KL are against the idea of the new LRT extension to pass their area as this would entail the acquisition of their lands and homes. They would be compensated I believe.

This the toss between having a good transportation services and the obstacles on building them.

I am very sure this will also attract the unsavoury politicians to throw their hats into the melee.

The very idea is whether we can have convenience without sacrifice?

I live in this housing area that is quiet I would say. Nearby is a small field that the boys from the neighbourhood would play football. The field is nothing to shout about but had neglected way long ago by the developer and the local council would only send people to cut the grass and virtually nothing else. The swings, see-saw, slide had all broken down and there is a huge dent in the ground on the field. A small concrete bridge across the drain is the only thing that helps the younger kids to cross onto the field. There is only so much that the neighbours can do to improve the field.

A neighbour is planning to have their daughter's wedding and the tents for the guests are to be put up on the field. VIPs are invited and what do you know, the local council workers are now maintaining the field and a new bridge is being laid and the broken playground thingys are now removed....

Maybe we should have more occassions where VIPs are invited eh?

Who is Pak Pandir?

Those of you who are not Malaysians, hopefully I am correct to assume so, most probably are wondering who is Pak Pandir.
Well in the Malaysian folklore he is the village fool, similarly the Indians (from the sub-continent not from Brickfields eh) have their 'Sardar' as the butt of all their jokes.

Pak Pandir in the Malay folklores is a stupid man (don't know how to be politically correct here) or you can say dumb. Easily fooled and straight as an arrow. I would rather say that he is a trusting and a straight man rather than just being merely dumb.

Why do I use "Pak Pandir"? I just think that I want to talk straight, and sometimes its hard to be talking straight when people are easily hurt by the remarks.

So being Pak Pandir, I'll try to talk straight but at the same time if people are hurt, my excuse is just that I am stupid :D

Puing-puing

I have always wanted to write, but its not something that I have the discipline and patience to do. So blogging is maybe the natural thing to do whilst I find the patience to finish whatever that I had started to write about.

I find that writing is beautiful; when you can put what comes to your mind into words and expressing yourself in ways that makes people wanting to read or find out more. Reflecting back, I believe my first serious reading happened one day in the school library when I found a book by Robert Ludlum entitled "The Osterman Weekend."

I found the book, confusing inititially, draining gradually and thrilling eventually. Then of course more of Ludlum's books crossed my path, and I believe I had read almost all his books with the exception of those co-written with other authors.

My reading took me to Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan, Rentong, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa; all read when I was still in secondary school.

Please, it is not about how much I had read; it is about how those books created an interest in me to write. And of course those knowledge books.

My purpose of wanting to write? It is to share my experiences and ideas.

I shall... and I will publish a book.