- 'that the bible tells us how to live and is helping us know God better by telling us his characteristics'.
- 'think of the bible as a movie .... just like you have to watch the whole movie to get the whole picture you have to read through the whole bible to see what God is saying....'
Monday, February 7, 2011
A Difficult Calling..
'Nine-year old recaps the bible' - the YOUTube title shouted. With an air of cynicism, i clicked the title...and was WOWed ...not so much that he could sum up the bible 'story' in those 8minutes...but more so that he was able to voice his learning from this project.:
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Centipedes... beware the Burnt SaucePan!
With Chinese New Year around the corner, a little treat is in store for our Friends from the IMH (Institute of Mental Health) Village.
Every fortnight for the past 2 years now, 3 friends and I prepare breakfast for them, which the devour with relish after mass. Meals at the homes were not at tasty they tell us. I don't blame the cooks - with hundreds to cook for plus of course, some menu fatigue. Last Sunday was going to be little more special as most will not be going home to a reunion dinner like the rest of the Chinese population as they do not have homes to go back too.
Flipping through the cookbooks i decided on Chng Tng - a Chinese sweet dessert , choc full of Chinese herbs and things that are supposedly good for the body. So starts the shopping - dried longan, dates, white fungus, dried persimmon, sugared winter melon, ginko, pong tai hai , rock sugar and of course sago. The recipe was simple. Soak the pong tai hai, white fungus, prepare the ginko and sago. Boil the longan and dates and assemble. Now, lets focus on the sago for a bit..The recipe says 'boil till it turns translucent'. "Simple instructions" says you..."bugger!" says I.. The first batched boiled for an hour and was still rock hard. The second batch formed a layer of starch at the base of my saucepan and burnt it.
After much scrubbing, 3 burnt marks remain, I thought the pan has seen its last days. In a call with my now-Aussie friend Anne (she was Singaporean before) that evening, she said "toss it out" -yes Anne - I hear you. So that night, as i cleaned the oven, i spotted a damp cloth near the sink. Squirted detergent on it and washed it like any other rag. As i spread the rag out to dry, a 2.5 inch long centipede jumped out! In that instance, i thanked God for protecting me from those stingers (which i heard could really really hurt!). As that guy started writhing across the kitchen counter, my thoughts raced..how do i kill it? The burnt sauce pan suddenly caught my eye and in that instant i picked it up and knocked my enemy out, crashing it to a pulp (about 6 bangs should do it :P)
Now comes the learning: that just because something appears to be worn out, that doesn't mean that they should be trashed right away. Every thing old or new (young) still has a purpose. We just have allow them to rise to the occasion like my trusted burned saucepan. So never be too quick to judge performance based on age or wear, else we might end up suffering the centipede's sting.
....and yes, the Chng Tng was a HIT!
Every fortnight for the past 2 years now, 3 friends and I prepare breakfast for them, which the devour with relish after mass. Meals at the homes were not at tasty they tell us. I don't blame the cooks - with hundreds to cook for plus of course, some menu fatigue. Last Sunday was going to be little more special as most will not be going home to a reunion dinner like the rest of the Chinese population as they do not have homes to go back too.
Flipping through the cookbooks i decided on Chng Tng - a Chinese sweet dessert , choc full of Chinese herbs and things that are supposedly good for the body. So starts the shopping - dried longan, dates, white fungus, dried persimmon, sugared winter melon, ginko, pong tai hai , rock sugar and of course sago. The recipe was simple. Soak the pong tai hai, white fungus, prepare the ginko and sago. Boil the longan and dates and assemble. Now, lets focus on the sago for a bit..The recipe says 'boil till it turns translucent'. "Simple instructions" says you..."bugger!" says I.. The first batched boiled for an hour and was still rock hard. The second batch formed a layer of starch at the base of my saucepan and burnt it.
After much scrubbing, 3 burnt marks remain, I thought the pan has seen its last days. In a call with my now-Aussie friend Anne (she was Singaporean before) that evening, she said "toss it out" -yes Anne - I hear you. So that night, as i cleaned the oven, i spotted a damp cloth near the sink. Squirted detergent on it and washed it like any other rag. As i spread the rag out to dry, a 2.5 inch long centipede jumped out! In that instance, i thanked God for protecting me from those stingers (which i heard could really really hurt!). As that guy started writhing across the kitchen counter, my thoughts raced..how do i kill it? The burnt sauce pan suddenly caught my eye and in that instant i picked it up and knocked my enemy out, crashing it to a pulp (about 6 bangs should do it :P)
Now comes the learning: that just because something appears to be worn out, that doesn't mean that they should be trashed right away. Every thing old or new (young) still has a purpose. We just have allow them to rise to the occasion like my trusted burned saucepan. So never be too quick to judge performance based on age or wear, else we might end up suffering the centipede's sting.
....and yes, the Chng Tng was a HIT!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Learning from the Ganang Guni Trade
The rag and bone trade - or Ganang Guni as we lovingly term it locally - is a very very interesting and i must say exciting trade. From the un-initiated, i appears low-level - usually a shabbily dressed man in a beat up truck, using a little clown-type honker standing at the base of the HDB apartments shouting "poh chuah", or sell your old newspapers in hokkien - a common chinese dialect used in these parts - but that is where they have got us all deceived.
Now, the Ganang Guni Trade is not just about collecting Newspapers..and not just about recycling either. Its about refurbishing, re-building, re-selling, and knocking out the competition.
A friend of mine bought a lovely peranankan style cupboard from a ganang guni (gg) man, who picked up the discard, refurbished it and sold it for a good profit. It now sits in a place of honor in this friends house, right next to the dinning table. Made of solid old teak with green textured peranakan glass, its a centre piece much appreciated by all - and pays homage to the statement 'they don't make them like they used to'.
Learning #1: Convert 'trash' to treasure. This is applicable even for Talent. Think about it. Some poor performers (trash?) could have the potential of being a fantastic asset. They just need to be refurbished - polished, trained., perhaps even given a fresh location (a place of honoe) and they might just be an organization's treasure. Just a word of caution, not all trash can be converted to treasure. Some are just meant to be discarded (sadly). The gg man has learned to discern. We need to learn to do that as well.
In the 70s the gg man would go around the blocks shouting "old newspapers"..this was progressed in the 80s to shouts of "old newspapers, old TVs"...and in the 90s, "old newspapers, old TVs, old video/cassette players"...just the other day, another friend Chris, heard them shouting "old newspapers, old TVs, old cd/DVD plays, laptops, PCs, mobile phones... and in a few years time, i won't be surprised if I heard the bellows of ipad, mac, blu ray added to their string of collection targets.
Learning #2: Be relevant to stay competitive. For the gg men who are still shouting 'old newspapers' - tough luck. They will indeed lose out to their colleagues who have updated themselves to collect laptops and mobile phones...those items are hot! even old mobile phones have an overseas market. So it is also with us, we need to stay relevant in all things we choose to undertake. Not to move with the times is to fall back to an era long gone - and lose out to our competitors.
Now, the Ganang Guni Trade is not just about collecting Newspapers..and not just about recycling either. Its about refurbishing, re-building, re-selling, and knocking out the competition.
A friend of mine bought a lovely peranankan style cupboard from a ganang guni (gg) man, who picked up the discard, refurbished it and sold it for a good profit. It now sits in a place of honor in this friends house, right next to the dinning table. Made of solid old teak with green textured peranakan glass, its a centre piece much appreciated by all - and pays homage to the statement 'they don't make them like they used to'.
Learning #1: Convert 'trash' to treasure. This is applicable even for Talent. Think about it. Some poor performers (trash?) could have the potential of being a fantastic asset. They just need to be refurbished - polished, trained., perhaps even given a fresh location (a place of honoe) and they might just be an organization's treasure. Just a word of caution, not all trash can be converted to treasure. Some are just meant to be discarded (sadly). The gg man has learned to discern. We need to learn to do that as well.
In the 70s the gg man would go around the blocks shouting "old newspapers"..this was progressed in the 80s to shouts of "old newspapers, old TVs"...and in the 90s, "old newspapers, old TVs, old video/cassette players"...just the other day, another friend Chris, heard them shouting "old newspapers, old TVs, old cd/DVD plays, laptops, PCs, mobile phones... and in a few years time, i won't be surprised if I heard the bellows of ipad, mac, blu ray added to their string of collection targets.
Learning #2: Be relevant to stay competitive. For the gg men who are still shouting 'old newspapers' - tough luck. They will indeed lose out to their colleagues who have updated themselves to collect laptops and mobile phones...those items are hot! even old mobile phones have an overseas market. So it is also with us, we need to stay relevant in all things we choose to undertake. Not to move with the times is to fall back to an era long gone - and lose out to our competitors.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Secret to Long Life
After a sinful meal of Or-luak (oyster omelette), satay (grilled pork on a stick served with peanut sauce) and hokkien mee (noodles stir-fried with prawns, calamari and rich seafood/pork stock)
we adjoined to Vince's place for single malt and chocolate.
"Good Nose", "Full Bodied", "Hint of Sherry" - words El and Vince were using as they were tasting the 8 different types of single malt that Vince had laid out on the table...all came in lovely shaped bottles - except for one that looked and smelt like moonshine. i was happy with water and chocolate - WOE is the driver at such events!
In the midst of the tasting, Vince fascinated us with stories of his Whiskey-trail in Ireland, and said "Do you know the secret to Long Life?" He explained that he stayed at an Irish Monastery during that trip to Ireland. All the monks who stayed there were old and healthy. "AHA" said he...so whats the secret? the water? fresh air? organic produce? In a just a few days, he observed the answer: Passion for whatever you do, and a WICKED sense of humor!
PASSION FOR WHATEVER YOU DO AND A WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR - i must remember that...so ....stay clear whiners and negative energy inducers - gravitate towards those who want a shorter life-span - as for me, I will look out for the call of laughter
we adjoined to Vince's place for single malt and chocolate.
"Good Nose", "Full Bodied", "Hint of Sherry" - words El and Vince were using as they were tasting the 8 different types of single malt that Vince had laid out on the table...all came in lovely shaped bottles - except for one that looked and smelt like moonshine. i was happy with water and chocolate - WOE is the driver at such events!
In the midst of the tasting, Vince fascinated us with stories of his Whiskey-trail in Ireland, and said "Do you know the secret to Long Life?" He explained that he stayed at an Irish Monastery during that trip to Ireland. All the monks who stayed there were old and healthy. "AHA" said he...so whats the secret? the water? fresh air? organic produce? In a just a few days, he observed the answer: Passion for whatever you do, and a WICKED sense of humor!
PASSION FOR WHATEVER YOU DO AND A WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR - i must remember that...so ....stay clear whiners and negative energy inducers - gravitate towards those who want a shorter life-span - as for me, I will look out for the call of laughter
Friday, January 21, 2011
Chap Chye and Diversity.
"Can you help me cook Chap Chye for the Senior Parishioners gathering this evening?" Mom asked. A dish the seniors love at gatherings not just because of the aromatic combination but more then that, not many people bring a vegetable dish to such gatherings. How could I say no to such a wonderful woman?
I started with frying the dried prawns and mushrooms in peanut oil till fragrant, added the garlic, bean paste, cabbage, then stock, black fungus, bean vermicelli, lily buds, dried beancurd skin.
As the heat melded each individual unique ingredient and taste, i am reminded of how important diversity is. How each unique ingredient, lend its unique flavor to the dish...a combination of flavors that one recognizes as a final desired output - Chap Chye.
So this is the learning for today...that unique people (flavors) working together (blending) towards a common purpose (the dish) could only have one conclusion...the desired output (a delicious meal). Like the dish, however, a diverse group working together must remember not to overpower. Just remember that overly salted food is bad for you...and in extreme cases, might even case a heart attack.
...and how did the seniors like to the dish? well - my mom did bring home an empty plate. : )
I started with frying the dried prawns and mushrooms in peanut oil till fragrant, added the garlic, bean paste, cabbage, then stock, black fungus, bean vermicelli, lily buds, dried beancurd skin.
As the heat melded each individual unique ingredient and taste, i am reminded of how important diversity is. How each unique ingredient, lend its unique flavor to the dish...a combination of flavors that one recognizes as a final desired output - Chap Chye.
So this is the learning for today...that unique people (flavors) working together (blending) towards a common purpose (the dish) could only have one conclusion...the desired output (a delicious meal). Like the dish, however, a diverse group working together must remember not to overpower. Just remember that overly salted food is bad for you...and in extreme cases, might even case a heart attack.
...and how did the seniors like to the dish? well - my mom did bring home an empty plate. : )
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Inspired!
Amid the feeding and shopping frenzy the last few days in Taipei, spending time with an old boss and a current staff (interesting combination) inspired me to look at learning and development a tad differently from how i did in the past.'
"Bernie", my ex-boss asked at Din Tai Fang - a restaurant famous for its Siow Loong Pow - literally translated to little dragon dumplings - "did you notice the efficient management system of this place? did you notice how attentive the waitresses are? they have a long queue outside and one of the value proposition of the restaurant is good food and quick turn around time. How do you think the staff can still be attentive to each table, be so polite and courteous yet know that they have to 'chase' us away from our table'? to which i answered - 'ownership'. They are proud of their brand and has a sense of ownership to offer each customer a good experience. They ARE the brand value of the restaurant.
So, learning #1...in all things, there is a learning to be had; one just has to be Disciplined..discipline to observe, discipline to analyze, discipline to commit to memory...And a good meal with good company to digest all the valuable in-takes. T'was a Yummy experience.
"Bernie", my ex-boss asked at Din Tai Fang - a restaurant famous for its Siow Loong Pow - literally translated to little dragon dumplings - "did you notice the efficient management system of this place? did you notice how attentive the waitresses are? they have a long queue outside and one of the value proposition of the restaurant is good food and quick turn around time. How do you think the staff can still be attentive to each table, be so polite and courteous yet know that they have to 'chase' us away from our table'? to which i answered - 'ownership'. They are proud of their brand and has a sense of ownership to offer each customer a good experience. They ARE the brand value of the restaurant.
So, learning #1...in all things, there is a learning to be had; one just has to be Disciplined..discipline to observe, discipline to analyze, discipline to commit to memory...And a good meal with good company to digest all the valuable in-takes. T'was a Yummy experience.
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