GONG XI FA CAI

pix from here

Being born in the Year of the Tiger, the impending Chinese Lunar New Year brings some sense of nostalgia.

I have not been regular in my blog posting. The irregularity is not due to burn-out by any means. I've just had some pressing work matters that required some high-level processing power. It is something I enjoy tremendously; to create a new commercial or financial product that is not derivative in nature but, rooted on real commercial and entrepreneurial effort. The people I work with seems pretty satisfied with my work product. That must mean that I'm doing something right.

So, to all Malaysians and others celebrating the Lunar New Year, I wish you GONG XI FA CAI and to the rest of Malaysia I wish you HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

Silly Season: Holiday-work perversion

There appears to be a form of perverse behaviour that consumes people at the cusp of long holidays.

By "people", I mean those who play the roles of proprietors, employers, clients and customers. The level of unreasonableness that simmers during normal periods reaches hysterical levels as long holidays approach. It is, indeed, a case of rushing to dig a hole only when Nature is urgently calling and organic waste is on the verge of a ripened burst from the designated orifice.

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Why set deadlines based on long holidays? Why not organise based on regular periods so that ebbs and flows are as regular as the tides?

Every season of long holidays causes this absurd behaviour to rear its ugly head.

This particular stretch, when the Lunar New Year is upon us, when the stale Bull is about to give way to the prowling Tiger, the self-same scenario has presented itself.

This time around, I am in a Zen-state of calmness. The deadlines are unable to penetrate the veneer of genteel calm that is my aura. I am ice-cool.

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The reason for this serendipitous demeanour is my observance of Lord Baden-Powell's motto to all Boy Scouts. Be Prepared.

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Nary 2 months ago, I had prepared early drafts of proposals from matters that were in early stages. From experience, it was clear that the Silly Season of long holidays will infect these well-behaved people who use my services. Sure enough, these self-same people have reached the corporate and commercial equivalent of raging AH1N1 fever. And, I am pleased to say that I was completely ready to pull rabbits out of the hat.

But, my state of preparedness is no cause to forgive this irrational behaviour.

My heart goes out to those who do not anticipate Silly Seasons of long holidays. I only gently suggest that the next time around, Be Prepared.

IDEAS

The launch of IDEAS is something to be lauded. This new-fangled think tank will most certainly add to the corpus of analytical knowledge that Malaysia needs in order to develop its nationhood in an orderly and sensible manner.

I believe IDEAS will also be able to frame issues without the emotional melodrama that pervades the Malaysian polity of late.

The fact that IDEAS emphasised the monumental contribution of our first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman at its launch also signals its aspiration to place a proper context and texture to the increasingly absurd and distorted debates that are swirling around recently. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who spoke at the launch of IDEAS was consistent with this theme.

Pity I wasn't there. But, never mind, I look forward to more of IDEAS.

Tahniah, Datuk Rocky

I wish to offer my congratulations and felicitation to Rocky who is to be conferrred a Datukship by DYMM Yang Di Pertuan Agong later today. Way to go, bro!

pix from here.