An Evening with Tony Fernandes - Part 2

Disclaimer: Picture is copyright of Air Asia Berhad and is only used here for illustrative purposes.

Clad in light-coloured pants and a dark coat over an open-necked shirt, Tony looked every inch the charismatic CEO that we are used to seeing on the television and print media. He spoke with a slight British twang that surfaced every now and then, presumably due to the years he had spent in the UK, where he met and became good friends with the even more flamboyant Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Group.

That aside, Tony was very much an Anak Malaysia, the way he waxed lyrical about dangdut, Datuk S.M. Salim and nasyid group Raihan; getting mistaken for a ‘Bangla’ worker at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal when he went to work in casual attire; and offering roti jala on their flights (more on this roti jala story later).

Totally at ease in the limelight, he had the audience hanging on to his every word as he matter-of-factly related the Air Asia story – with a good dose of natural humour, tongue-in-cheek remarks and hilarious swipes at his competitors and detractors.

He made us laugh real hard and he fanned the fire in our bellies. Beneath every awe-inspiring, rib-tickling and casual statement, lied the humble passion and daring vision that so drew the masses to the Air Asia spirit.

Even those haughty ‘oh I will never fly Air Asia’ ones had to concede to the Air Asia charm that flowed from this man to the brand. Throughout the talk that lasted more than an hour, the one theme that ran throughout was “nothing is impossible as long as we have the courage to try”.


Coming from the former music executive with zero experience in the airline industry, but had enough courage and passion to acquire Air Asia from HICOM DRB complete with its RM 40 million debt, that message he carried was conviction rather than cliché.

Tony remortgaged his house to raise funds to get the company running, and in 7 years’ time Air Asia had grown from ‘no brand to global brand’; 200 staff to 6, 500 strong; and a company widely criticized to one hugely emulated and recognized. What is his secret?

“We are often our worst enemies. We often say something cannot be done before we even try it.”

There was thick silence as the audience took in the simple and yet profoundly true statement from the one who had been there and done it. And then, in the same breath, he continued: “I have said this many times before all over the world, but I have never had the pleasure of saying it in front of a Chief Minister.”

The Grand Ballroom erupted!

That’s Tony Fernandes for you. That was the first dose of verbal humour from him that evening, and there would be more to come as he took us through a learn and laugh, learn and laugh journey that ended in a fully-maximised Q and A question from so many who wanted a peek into his mind on various issues.

Among the most wonderful ‘transits’ along the whole learn and laugh journey that evening:

On building a genuine ASEAN brand:
We learned, from Tony, that problems are opportunities in disguise. The Air Asia brand, one can say, has been built through many hard times.
The SARS outbreak:
“During the SARS outbreak, we tripled our advertising because that was when our competitors were not doing so and this helped people to remember the Air Asia brand better.”

The Bali bombing:
“We felt we had to do something to help the place as they depended so heavily on tourism. Other airlines were cutting their flights to Bali, but we felt we should do something to help the island, so we gave away 10, 000 free seats which were snapped up in 3 hours. And 10, 000 people came back and told their friends how wonderful Bali still was.”

“So, the moral behind this is, Malaysians are not afraid of bombs, they’re not afraid of SARS - all they need is just free tickets!”
Back to the serious, inspiring note:
“You can always find a way out of problems, you can always market yourself out of a problem.” And that came from the CEO of the airline which is now the 5th largest in Asia, who later cheekily asked,

"And look who’s number 7 and number 8?”

He walked animatedly to the giant screen, pointed to Singapore Airlines and MAS on the chart on display, looked at the laughing audience and flashed his trademark grin.
“And these guys are like 40 years old. We’re only 7.”
Phew, weren’t we having fun!

On using technology and innovation:
“When we started selling tickets on the Internet, everyone said we were crazy, and that it wouldn’t work.”
Well, everyone knows what happened to booking flight tickets on the Internet.
“And we also came up with innovative services like selling hot meals.”
As well as direct flights to destinations that no other airlines ever thought of, such as Bandung and Macau.

On monetizing the brand:
“Once you’ve built a strong brand, then you’d want to start monetizing it. This is what we’ve done by coming up with our Citibank-Air Asia credit card, our insurance for travelers, in-flight magazine for the advertising revenue, as well as our Go Holiday packages”

“We also decided to market our long haul international flights under the brand name Air Asia X to retain the uniformity in branding.”

On attitude:
“Attitude is 50% of the game,” the Dato’ philosophized.
Air Asia definitely has a lot of it, especially when taking on their competitors and detractors.

Malaysia Airlines, with their World’s Best Cabin Crew?
“We advertise our ‘World’s Best Engineers’, and that got MAS hopping mad because most of our engineers were trained by them!”

Singapore Airlines, with their famous Singapore Girls?
An Air Asia ad in Singapore goes like this:
“There’s a new girl in town. She’s twice the fun, and half the price.” Well, smacks a little bit of sexism, but you can’t deny the humour – and for Tony’s charm Salt n’ Light’s feminists agreed to let this one go! So, no, we will not write to the Women’s Aid Organisation.

Tiger Airways, with the SGD1 fare?

Air Asia ran an ad featuring a tiger subdued by tranquilizers, flanked by two Air Asia hostesses and a caption that reads:“Air Asia tames even the wildest tiger with low fares” – on top of their SGD 0.49 offer!

By then the Grand Ballroom was roaring with laughter, and then he took a swipe at MAS’s Tony-bashing CEO, Datuk Idris Jala.
“MAS has Idris Jala, so we decided to sell roti jala on our flights.”

Hahaha, now that’s a winner!

And they were daring enough to take on the Singapore government. When Air Asia coaches were banned from entering Singapore across the Causeway, the cheeky airline ran an ad that read:

“No chewing gum. No smoking. No AirAsia coaches. Thank God low-fare flights are still legal.”

Boy, oh boy. Who says it is tough for Malaysian brands to do well in Singapore? You just need to have the spirit and chutzpah a la Tony Fernandes.

He reiterated, “You can always market and brand yourself out of a problem, be it SARS, bombs or the Singapore government.”


“Never take ‘no’ for an answer. To every problem, there is always a solution.”

Now Air Asia is working on getting the Penang-Singapore route, and we can almost bank on their never-say-die spirit to see this materialize!

Dato’ Seri Tony Fernandes’ talk on “Branding: Jazzing Up Your Business” turned out a huge success with the participants going home entertained, informed and inspired.

In a nutshell, we learned that when you have a dream, even if it is as lofty as starting a low-cost airline, you should not ever let any of the following stop you from pursuing it:

· Lack of experience
· Lack of connections (political ones, especially!)
· Lack of capital
Tony remortgaged his house, remember?
· Doubt, usually from others
Our dear Dato’ shared that when he told his wife of his high-flying plan, she took a while to stop laughing and then said, “Why don’t you start a roti canai stall?’
· Fear of failure
“I only had one fear : When we first started, my greatest fear was letting the 254 staff down. The fear would be there somehow, but ultimately, you don’t want to sit there when you’re 65 and say, “I should have done this.”

Wow. We couldn’t agree more. This may sound clichéd’ coming from a lesser person —but when Tony said it, the conviction was so real, it simply reached out and grabbed us by our hearts. Could it be that when Air Asia came up with their tagline “Now, Everyone Can Fly”, they were talking about more than just boarding an airplane?
Thank you, Dato’ Seri, and to our readers and ourselves: Just go for it!

An Evening with the Guy who made sure that ‘Now, Everyone Can Fly!’

On the 30th July 2008, the Dato’ with the red cap was in Penang to deliver a talk on branding as a way of jazzing up your business. Salt n’ Light Communications happily registered with InvestPenang, the talk organizer, and made our way to the Equatorial Hotel in Penang’s Bukit Jambul area.

When we got there about 10 minutes before the event was scheduled to start, the crowd of almost 1000 was mingling at the area outside the Grand Ballroom, chatting and networking away over coffee and refreshments provided by the organizer.

When we first contacted InvestPenang to register, they told us that the talk was reserved only for the first 150 people who confirmed their attendance with payment! Well, we should have guessed that when you have a personality like the flamboyant and charismatic AirAsia CEO, 150 people had to be a gross underestimation.

We made a beeline to the registration tables and then managed to grab some tea. There was not much time to network. With a few pleasantries, eye contacts, handshakes and name cards exchanged, it was soon time to get our seats in the ballroom, for the VIPs had arrived.

Everyone politely walked in organized lines into the Grand Ballroom – very much like passengers queuing up to board their Air Asia flights! Among the crowd, there was also a group of good looking people dressed conspicuously in red, and no, they were not celebrating an early Chinese New Year. It was the AirAsia crew!

Looks like the flamboyant Dato’ really does make it a point to be seen in all public functions with his people in tow.

Smart branding! And, ah, shall we add, good employee relations, too.

Most of the people there were formally dressed with suits over open-necked shirts, while the press members were there in their usual casual attire. We were glad that with our dark jeans and black quarter-sleeved tops we didn’t look too out of place. There were also some people who turned up in their company uniforms.

All in all, we felt that everyone looked pretty good that day. Guess it all had something to do with the topic for that evening – it’s branding, and branding is about perception, and your image is the very first thing that people perceive! ( And yes, of course, it was also the 5-star hotel venue, and the fact that the Chief Minister was going to be there to deliver his keynote address).

The grand ballroom was almost 100% filled up, and when the Emcee announced the arrival of the VIPs, guess what?
We Penangites were civilized enough to lift our butts off our comfortable chairs to give them a standing ovation! WOW. It must be the new government.

The smiling Dato’ and the Rt Hon Chief Minister Mr Lim Guan Eng entered the room with their entourage which also included the famous blogger-politician, Jeff Ooi, chairman of the InvestPenang executive committee, Datuk Lee Kah Choon, and some key directors from Air Asia.

Hhmm.. there’s just something about these two leaders that we admire here at Salt n’ Light Communications. Maybe it’s their smiles that seemed to say “ Hi, there you are” rather than the “Behold, here I am!” often expected of successful people in high positions.

Well, if you are a jaded, overworked member of the human race, you can go ahead and accuse us of an overdose of positive, Utopian thinking, or naiveté even, but we honestly could feel the warmth that they exuded across the huge Grand Ballroom. We rummaged our bags frantically in search of a thermometer to confirm the rising temperature, but alas, found none.

They shook hands and exchanged name cards with the people seated at the front rows, were seated for a while and then it was time for our honorable Chief Minister to deliver his keynote speech.

Mr Lim introduced Dato’ Seri Tony Fernandes as a “towering Malaysian, although he is not very tall physically”, drawing laughter from the audience and the Dato’ himself while cameras clicked and flashed away. Ah, we love people who can laugh at themselves.

Next, Jeff Ooi, the event moderator, took us a through a brief biodata on the AirAsia CEO, revealing some bits on him as a ‘humble man who makes the effort to return SMSes promptly despite his busy schedule’ and ‘a family man who can often be found in London, helping out with his kids’ assignments!’ – in addition to the other already well-known facts such as his early career with Virgin and Warner Music, as well as the credit that he holds for being the person who popularized the Dangdut and Nasyid music genres in Malaysia.

From dangdut to a low-cost airline? From Datuk S.M. Salim (a veteran dangdut singer, for those of you who call yourselves Malaysians but can’t be bothered with Malaysian music!) to beautiful women in figure-hugging red hot uniforms?

A very interesting person indeed. For the interesting anecdotes and jokes that kept us laughing, entertained and all ears, we were glad to be there. For the reaffirmation that ‘you can do the impossible…. except running a low-cost airline!’ (oh Tony, you’re so funny!), we came away inspired and grateful.

From the moment the good Dato’ took to the stage, his charisma was unmistakable. When Jeff Ooi announced, before his talk began, that it was time for the Chief Minister to present him with a souvenir on behalf of InvestPenang, he quickly, much to the audience’s delight, grabbed and put on his trademark red AirAsia baseball cap!

The two leaders flashed their smiles for the cameras and then Tony removed his cap and playfully tried to put it on the Chief Minister. They slapped each other on their backs and Guan Eng left the stage as Tony began to take on the microphone.

And then the fun began.

Stay tuned as we fill you in next on the tips shared by Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes on how to brand your business and take the bull (i.e. competitors) by its horn.

Tough Times are Here to Stay.. But!

On the news this 2nd Day of the Month of July in the year of 2008:

- Starbucks slashing 12, 000 jobs due to the closure of 600 outlets
- Nikko toy factory in Prai closed down leaving 950 people jobless
- Emergency state declared in Mongolia
- Price of oil per barrel rose again
- Australians are singing 'Highway to Hell' rather than hymns at funerals

Only good news today:
- Nelson Mandela dropped from the US terror watch list

However, Christ promises:

'therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body,what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?' Matthew 6:25

Di mana ada Tuhan, di situlah wujudnya harapan..

Pantun Melayu - Erti Kehidupan

Bunga orkid dan bunga kantan
Yang mana satu masuk laksa
Hidup ini banyak pilihan
Baik derita dari dipaksa

Things That Most People Secretly Wish To Do But Will Only Do If They REALLY Know That Life Is REALLY Going To End One Day

1) Quit their dreary job and go travel the world on a shoestring budget
2) Quit their dreary job and start the costume jewellery making business they have dreamed
of having for the past 10 years
3) Quit their dreary job and become a freelance writer, disccovering the joys of making a living
out of doing something they really love
4) Quit their dreary job and start a business venture that they know deep down is feasible and
viable
5) Quit their dreary job and pursue the degree of music that they always wanted to pursue but
did not due to financial constraints in the past although this financial constraint is now a thing
of the past
6) Quit their dreary job and spend more time with the kids
7) Quit their dreary job and spend more time with their aging parents
8) Quit their dreary job and take time to watch the sunrise, smell the roses and have breakfast
by the sea
9) Quit their dreary job and stop worrying what other people would think
10) Quit their dreary job and for once, have a life.

Some jokes from Joyce Meyer

The older you get, the harder it is to lose weight because by that time your body and your fat are really good friends.

The problem with living in a small town is that although you may not know what you are doing sometimes, someone else always does.

Sometimes I think I understand everything. Then I regain consciousness.

My friend mixed up her Valium and her birth control pills. She has 14 children, and she doesn't care.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Some things are just worth repeating

The only constant is change

Do what you love, and you'll never have to work for another day

Do what you love, and the money will eventually come

A mistake does not amount to failure as long as we learn from it

Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration

The pie is always big enough to go around

The more we give, the more we receive

The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you are still a rat

If you know where you are going, you will never have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning

When everything else fails, faith, passion and character will prevail

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart Psalm 37:4

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom Proverbs 1:7

I can do all things through Christ who strenghens me Philippians 4:13

Girls and diamonds

Diamonds. They're supposed to be a girl's best friend.

But ladies, have you ever had a best friend that you couldn't afford having?

Maybe she's high maintenance - lunch at Dome, shopping at Starhill and vacations at places whose names you could hardly pronounce versus your economy rice and regular hunts at Sungei Wang Plaza for couture-like fashion at, well, Sungei Wang prices.

So now, true friendship is supposed to be a give and take kind of relationship, where two people do their best to agree and meet in the middle - so if your association with each other is causing one of you damages i.e. holes in her Levi's pockets, then pretty obviously it will not last if there are no adjustments made.

Now back to diamonds and girls. So when, and how, did diamonds actually become a girl's best friend and not just a rich girl's best friend?

I tried looking up Wikipedia for the history of diamonds, trying to find out how they made it to this quasi-human status, like dogs. I know there's that song, but surely there must be something more to those shiny bling blings than a mere song singing praises for them?

But Wikipedia is just so slow tonight so I will look into myself in my attempt to get an answer..after all when you say that diamonds are a girl's best friend, a girl would probably have something to offer from her side of the equation.

So ah, I'm a girl, do I love diamonds?

Well...maybe not enough to consider them my best friend (Jesus is my best friend!), but when I made my first shiny purchase (no, not a non-stick wok) I couldn't wait to show it off and whenever I drove I struggled to keep my eyes on the road because the shine coming from my middle finger was just so distracting. Prettily distracting. The same happened at my second, and then third, and then fourth... so I do like them diamonds pretty much!

But I'm not a rich girl. I'm just a regular working babe. So how do I associate with diamonds (read: luxury)?

Let me count the ways..

1) Diamonds look good, and they make me look good too!
Ever notice why you enjoy hanging out with your close friends so much? Because somehow
you just feel good when you're around them. They bring out the best in you, and like the
wisdom goes, when you feel good, you look good.

2) Diamonds are flexible
When I am cash-strapped, they can come in smaller sizes and match my budget. Ever notice
how you are always ever so comfortable to make that occasional 'hey, I'm kinda broke this
month, let's go to that hawker stall' remark to your best friend? Because you know they will
never pout and sometimes they may even offer to buy you that expensive lunch!

3) Diamonds are so tough, they cut glass
Of course, sometimes your best friend may succumb to some emotional indulgence like any
girl (and men, too) would do. But have you ever noticed, how, in your weakest moments
she just takes over somehow and becomes the pillar of strength that helps you go through
whatever that needs going through? So maybe she can't cut glass, but I'm sure she can at
least kick some ass when the situation truly requires, like when a guy offends her enough.

4) Diamonds attract VIP treatment to me
Every time I walk into a diamond store, the sales people treat me like I have one million
bucks in my purse. They usher me to sit down and happily get me whichever items I want to
try on. Ever noticed how your best friend's parents make you feel whenever you visit her at
home? It's like walking on an invisible red carpet!

5) Diamonds last forever!
Well, no explanation necessary here.

True friends really are forever. Just like diamonds, a girl's best friend. Well, almost. :)

Dreams

What do you do when about a quarter of your life has already gone by and you are still living with that nagging feeling that somehow, somewhere, there is something else that should you be doing..

Something that has always been there at the back of your head, something that makes your heart jump whenever you think of it or hear about it, something that makes you feel like taking a step towards it on those rare days when you had that sudden surge of boldness. Or a sudden surge of pent-up frustration at your current status quo.

In short, that something has always been in you, it has never really died, it's just... there.

Are you, perhaps, an entrepreneur who is caught in the frustrating cycle of trying to find 'a job that fits'.. because everytime the entrepreneur in you tries to make himself heard, he is drowned by seemingly undisputable logic and realities.

"How do you survive without a steady paycheque when you have a car and house to pay off?"
"What if you spend time and resources and in the end the venture does not take off?" "What if.."
"It's too hard..." "The price of failure is just too high.."

Maybe you're a closet writer. You dream of seeing your bylines, of getting a book published, of the joys of interacting with your readers at a 'meet-the-author' session, the satisfaction of hearing them tell you how much they have enjoyed your creative labour of love.

Your high school teachers told you that you had it in you. You enjoyed writing your essays as much as they enjoyed marking them. Friends sought you out when they didn't know how to string a sentence together, and you were always more than happy to help them.

Fast forward into adulthood, after a few rejections from a few publishers you gave up and stopped working on book proposals so that you would have time to write job application letters.

But the writer in you never dies. And every now and then, he reminds you of his existence.

But your work commitments are just too heavy, you can't find the time, and you're not sure if you would want to leave the comfort zone that you have created over the years.

So you plod on in your daily existence.. and life is OK in general.. it's just that somehow you never become really immune to that nagging feeling, to that voice from deep within that keeps reminding you of that 'something else' that you should perhaps be doing...

Is there any comfort in knowing that you are most probably not alone in this sort of dilemma? The world is so structured, 'acceptable' mindsets so deeply ingrained and norms so powerful that individual dreams and callings are relegated to 'hobbies', 'part-time work', 'post-retirement plans'.. or worse, they remain just as they started.

As dreams.

The Perpetual Dilemma..Revisited (Part 2)

The horizon loomed in the distance and IamOnlyHuman lightly marveled at the thought that so many people could be living in a world so vast and yet feel so trapped in their own little spheres of existence.

The curse of the comfort zone?

Is it really easier and safer to just moan and groan till the next Friday or vacation or till retirement arrives? And what next?

A few more years to live as you wish (if your health permits by then) till it is time to bid the world goodbye?

Are there really no alternatives to this?

Massaging his forehead, he let out a deep sigh and decided it was time for dinner. He quickly flicked the switch on again and watched the creases disappear from his Raoul shirt as he went through the pound and smooth, pound and smooth routine on the fabric till the shirt looked presentable enough for tomorrow.

Sometimes it was good to have more questions than answers, but for now, IamOnlyHuman wanted to attend to his most pressing need – deciding where to go to appease the rumblings from his stomach.

He neatly hung his shirt with the necktie he had picked, grabbed his keys and slammed the door behind him – and the horizon continued to loom in the distance.

(to be continued..the writer is still reckoning with her day job)

Why Me?

It was raining heavily the other night. I was pleased because that meant a cool night at home, curled up under cosy comforters with a good book and music running from my computer till my eyelids decided it was time to call it a day. Concrete walls filtered the roar of the thunder and rain, making it sound like a distant calamity from which I was sheltered so well, cocooned in the haven called home.

Why me?

The nasi lemak seller at the street corner outside had to be content with his makeshift stall, and at times the wind threatened to blow the flimsy plastic roof off. He had not anticipated the rain and storm and was therefore clad only in a thin T-shirt and pants. It must have been pretty cold out there for him.

And what about the homeless mentally-challenged woman I used to see wandering around the suburb where I live? Where would she be seeking shelter?

Down in the heart of Georgetown, the elderly trisha riders would be sleeping in their vehicles as for many of them, that was what they called their homes. They probably had to find some spot where the wind would not feel so harsh. What about those suffering from rheumatism, surely the chill and moisture in the air would aggravate their pain?

Why them, and not me?

I was having dinner the other day with my cousin. My aunt had prepared a sumptuous meal for us, and the portions were so big I found myself thinking of whom I should invite over. There were huge assam prawns, a baked eggplant to be savoured with authentic kampong-style sambal belacan, cuttlefish and hard-boiled eggs in hot and spicy sauce, stir-fried vegetables with a generous sprinkling of fresh tiny prawns, and a fried fresh water fish so huge, it had to be cut in two.

We did not manage to invite anyone over, and had such leftovers I decided to bring a lunchbox to work the next day. My generous uncle had also sent a 5 kg packet of rice over from his rice mill.

Why me?

One woman from the drought-stricken Hebei province in China wrote that the weather decided where from or how their next meal was going to come. More often than not, they reaped less than what they had sown.

Closer to home, under-privileged families from the squatter areas downtown make do with simple meals of mostly vegetables as meat would be too expensive. Their rice has to be rationed carefully to make it last as long as possible. One teenage girl shared that she only has two meals a day – there is no breakfast for her as she is not attending school, her siblings eat at school under the food subsidy program for the poor.

Why them, and not me?

Once, I was driving along the highway and the monotony caused my mind to drift. A stray dog appeared out of nowhere, running so fast across the highway that the shock instantly jolted me back to the present and sent me swerving violently to the right, all without checking to see if there was any other vehicle coming in my direction. Thankfully, there was not.

Why me?

P, a bright, attractive girl I met at the age of sixteen at a journalism workshop, was walking home one day when a reckless driver ran into her. She survived the accident, but lost her mobility and speech. That was when we were only twenty. The last I heard of her, she was still striving to recover and regain normalcy.

J, a girl from university was killed instantly when her car collided with an oncoming truck. She had simply gone off to run an errand during a break between classes. She was due to run for election for the student council, and still had a concert where she was due to perform.

Why them, and not me?

Two years ago, I went impulsive and decided to have my long hair cut off, telling the hairstylist I wanted it as short as Halle Berry’s. Shortly after, I bumped into Pastor’s wife and their 3-year-old daughter. The little girl pointed at me and said, “Jie jie”.

I joked that I was at least still recognizable as a female. The man I was seeing joked that people would think we were a gay couple, and I laughed – there was never a question as to my sexuality.

Why me?

S, a girl from primary and high school, had a crush on one of the cutest guys in school when we were in Standard Six. That was a pretty common thing at the onset of puberty – girls liking boys, boys liking girls.

But as she grew up, S physically developed to be rather boyish looking. Other girls had curves, but she was stocky. She was dark-skinned, and with her short hair people commonly mistook her for the opposite sex.

By the time we were about to finish high school, there were already rumours that she was engaged in a homosexual relationship. The last I heard of her, she became one of the few female candidates nationwide to be accepted into military training, but got expelled due to her alleged involvement in homosexuality.

G, one of my favourite lecturers back in college, looked like any heterosexual guy, but confessed to be a gay. But he would rather not share his past experiences with us, because recalling all the hurts and struggles he went through by being ‘abnormal’ was so painful, he would be driven to tears if he did so.

“Go play football and get over it,” his brother had told him when he tried to open up.

Why them, and not me?

Dad likes to remind us of where he came from.

“When I was dating your mom, my family was still living in an attap house with a leaking roof and muddy floors.”

My dad chopped firewood to help supplement the family income, and his other siblings sold the kuih my grandma made. My grandpa suffered from schizophrenia and was unable to work.

They grew up in poverty, with the additional stigma attached to having a father who was ‘crazy’ in the eyes of society. (He is one of the most loving grandfathers I have ever known, by the way.)

But they rose beyond their tough beginnings, and today I benefit from the fruits of my parents’ toil and labour.

Why me?

SN, an ex-colleague of mine, too, has a father who came from a disadvantaged background. But he never quite rose above his original circumstances, and my friend and her mother were the ones who had to toil to provide for the family.

He simply came home to demand for money and was abusive. They are now estranged, and at my friend’s wedding, her father was nowhere to be seen.

I do not know the extent of what she had gone through. One passing comment, though, gave me an insight.

We were talking about donating our organs if we died. She jokingly mentioned that she would donate anything except for her heart. Why, I asked.

“I do not want the recipient to feel the pain of what I had gone through.”


Why them, and not me?


Why was I born into privilege and others into poverty? Why do I have more than enough food on the table, when so many others are starving? Why do I get to choose the colour of the wall of my room, when there are people who have no choice but to bear with a roof that leaks when it rains?

In a world full of extremes, why do I keep finding myself on the better side when we are all basically the same?

I shake my head and feel pangs of emotions at the suffering of others.

But the person at the other end of the spectrum of life could have well been me.

Just as they have not done anything to deserve their lack, neither have I done anything to deserve what I have. But why do I keep having and there are still people who keep lacking?

I do not know why God has chosen to shower such grace, mercy and favour on me. One day I will get to thank Him face to face, and I will probably ask Him why.

In the meantime, I hope that the next time that limping beggar with the gaping wound on his leg approaches my table at my favourite eatery, I will remember the simple fact.

That the person at the other end of the spectrum of life – could have well been me.

The Five C's?

How is Success Defined?

#1 Career or CHRIST?

Career – you love what you do, you are good at it, and you have probably been at it way longer than the time you spent in your mother’s womb.
But you have to work at keeping it, you need to please your bosses and customers, and for many of us our careers dictate our lives and the major decisions that we make.

CHRIST promises:

Freedom – free to be all you can be according to His blueprint for your life, free because you seek to please only Him, free because no matter where you go you know it is Jesus you are following therefore ultimately you can never go wrong.

#2 Condominium or CONFIDENCE?

Condominium – nice, classy unit in a nice, classy skyscraper you make your abode.
But you part with a huge chunk of your earnings per month to pay for it (unless you own the developing company or the banks that finance these guys) and there is still no guarantee that your condo would be there forever! (Remember Highland Towers, anyone? And have you bought a leasehold or freehold property?)

CONFIDENCE in Christ promises:

Certainty – knowing that there are things that belong to you that will not pass away. Like the dwelling that He has gone to prepare for you in heaven, and the eternal investment bank where your treasures will neither depreciate nor perish.

#3 Cash or CONTENTMENT?

Cash – who would say ‘no’ to this one? It lets you buy that Tag Heuer timepiece without interest-laden monthly installments, it can give you a comfortable retirement. Or at least, if you do not like your nose, with some cash you can still get that fixed (hopefully).

But what if the bank suddenly gets into trouble? Or no thanks to inflation, by the time you’re sixty the money you have is still not quite enough to take you to your dream destinations because AirAsia does not fly there. And your Tag gets stolen and your new nose melts like Michael Jackson’s.

CONTENTMENT with godliness promises:

Joy – the capacity to enjoy everything life has to offer regardless of circumstances, and how your nose looks. When you lack, you thank God because you know it helps you to appreciate abundance when it comes (and you know it will come because of the God in whom you trust). You are happy visiting relatives in Ulu Selangor although you really wanted to travel to the United States – because you know that ultimately, what matters most is not where you spend your vacations, but where you spend eternity.

#4 A flashy car or COMPASSION?

Car – guys, if you pull up the driveway of your date’s home in a gleaming Jaguar, I can almost guarantee that her heart will skip a beat (but I cannot guarantee that she will fall in love with you) and her dad would probably look up from his newspaper to peer at you from behind his glasses.

A nice car takes you from Point A to Point B very comfortably and stylishly, and the sound system is so good that you forget you’re sharing the road with noisy Mat Rempits. But it also contributes to mountain-high debts (for most people, at least), traffic jams and pollution.

COMPASSION – it has the power to take you into people’s lives where you really make a difference.

It took a little Macedonian lady to the dirty streets of Calcutta (now Kolkata). It took a princess from the gilded confines of Kensington Palace into the company of landmine victims in war-torn countries. It has taken countless missionaries from privileged countries to reach out to the poor and needy in the Third World.

And ultimately, it took Jesus, the Son of God to Calvary to die for our sins.

#5 Credit Card or CHARACTER?

Credit card – something which, I am sure, most of us flash more often than our National Registration Identification Card (I mean the IC). It’s nice to have – just one swipe and you have that Prada bag hanging on your arm. Hey, let’s worry about the bill later because that’s exactly when it’s coming – later.

And the best thing is, you can pay the bill even later than later, that is, if you do not mind paying the interest as well. If the amount you end up owing becomes a little bit too high, just refinance. You might even get a ‘free gift’ from the nice bank.

Life is great – till you have collected seven free mugs from refinancing, and are still closer to bankruptcy than becoming debt-free!

CHARACTER promises:

Strength – the strength to choose wisdom over compulsion so that you do not do something with long-term consequences which you will regret. It develops self-confidence because you know that you can trust yourself not to get into trouble in the face of temptations. And you do not give up in the face of discouragement.

And ultimately, it leads you to true success because a person with character will choose to walk in the Spirit even when it is much easier and more pleasurable to choose the works of the flesh.

So, which set of Five C’s do you think you want? Jesus says that if we choose the Godly C’s we will come to have the rest of the C’s as well.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (NKJV, Thomas Nelson).

A super-duper offer – that’s simply too good to resist.

The Perpetual Dilemma..Revisited

IamOnlyHuman was not exactly a die-hard, joss stick-wielding fan of Siddharta Gautama, but this year he welcomed Wesak Day as much as any other Malaysian probably did.

Why? Because it fell on a Monday, and in multiracial and multireligious Malaysia, it meant that Wesak Day would be a public holiday.(I know you are not dumb, but I just needed this sentence to prevent my piece from sounding disjointed)

Ahh..the long weekend awaited. No Monday Blues to reckon with. No going to bed early on Sunday night, no choking yourself the next morning putting on your tie in a hurry, no smudging your lipstick trying to paint your face with your eyes half open.

But alas, Tuesday would arrive. It was inevitable. The sun began to set on Wesak Monday and IamOnlyHuman was positive that he could hear a collective, educated sigh coming from the white collar community around him.

As he picked up the iron to press his Raoul shirt (with a different necktie his colleagues wouldn't notice that he wore the same shirt last Tuesday), his heart almost as heavy as the hot metal in his hand, IamOnlyHuman lifted his eyes to the horizon before him (his room happened to face the sea) and felt a stirring in his very human heart.

"Surely there is something I can do about this.. to reclaim my humanity and get out of this rat race..." he thought, putting down the iron and having the presence of mind to turn off its switch before he sat down on his bed to ponder a little more.

(To be continued.. the writer still has a day job to reckon with)