wow. it does feel like that I have just awoken from a coma. I have not visited my blog and neither have I attempted to write anything until tonite. I am really sorry stercus. As you probably have heard. I have changed job, changed house and in fact I have changed "ma maison et mon pays" (no, I havent changed my nationality). Je suis maintenant un ambassadeur. yes, that's right. You heard me. It is a new job, a new country and you can say a whole new life for me and my family. And as you can imagine, there is a lot of adjustment to make not only for me but for the entire family. Moving to a new country is never easy. In our case, we have to leave many loved ones behind and some of them I would never even know if I could still see them. I have a very sick mother and mother in law who is suffering from a stroke and a dad who has a chronic kidney failure who is still stubbornly wanting to look for a donor despite advices from a doctor that he is better off on dialysis.
After 3 weeks here, I can say that I am now slowly adjusting to the pace of life here. Its really a beautiful land and the people are really nice too. I will probably start a new blog at least to log a daily account that my family and I encounter during our stay here. The question that I have to decide is whether I should make the blog public. well, I will have to think hard about it later.
I certainly will need to keep a daily diary of things that I do here. At least one day in the future, I will be able to look back and reminiscise the bits and pieces of our life in this new country we now call home at least for the next 2 or 3 years.
15 October 2009
12 September 2009
About dad...
I bought my dad a lazy sofa for him today and he was so happy. What happened was he wanted to take one of my prized posessions away. I have this 2 pieces of Castilla limited editions lazy chairs which I bought in Singapore. He said he wanted to take away one as he needed one for him to watch TV. I told him there is no way I would give up those chairs even if he only wanted to borrow them. I know dad so well. He would take my cars for a ride and I could guarantee my own life, they would end up getting bumps and knocks here and there! No I am not exaggerating. At one time he took my Ford Ranger and it came back with a big dent right on the front bumper. I actually asked him how it happened and he said he was hit by a car. I know dad so well. He would not admit to anything. Anyone who saw the dent on the Ford Ranger could actually tell that it was caused by a self accident. I didnt want to argue with dad so I ended buying him another Ford Ranger so that he wont wreck my own! strangely enough, his Ford Ranger is now nearly 2 years with him and there is yet to be a single scratch on the car. it still looks brand new and he wont let another soul touch that Ranger! I guess for him its ok to wreck his sons' cars but big no no to his own.
22 August 2009
ATI
if an organisation doesnt have accountability, transparency and integrity (ATI) mechanisms in place, believe me its people inside will try every opportunity to abuse its powers. These 3 pillars form the very principle of good governance. The best form of accountability is still public scrutiny. That is why public offices are encouraged to have feedback mechanisms such as having in place suggestion boxes and customer satisfaction surveys.
21 August 2009
The right to expose but not to criticize
As a public officer, you should never ever make any disparaging remarks about the Government policies. But this does not mean you cannot expose abuse of powers or excesses of public officers.
what does this mean? well as an example, you should never ever make public criticism the government ban on smoking in certain public premises but you can certainly expose any public officer who flouts this ban!
Natural justice
there are 2 principles:
1. you must listen to both sides of the argument
2. you cannot be fair if you are interested in the outcome
sebelum buat keputusan, dengar dulu deh kedua pihak dan kitane inda akan belaku adil kalau kitane ada kepentingan dalam keputusan atu.
20 August 2009
clarity of silence
The privacy and clarity of silence
Can cleanse the heart
And heal it more easily and swiftly
Than all the words we so desperately try to find.
Silence gives space to thoughts and images,
Reflecting gently on details
Otherwise lost
In the murky water
Of the noisiness of life.
Silence brings wonder
At life’s meticulous design.
It purifies our surroundings.
Greater yet,
It distills our world within.
All at once we can breathe freely.
Gone is the smothering effect of trying too hard.
Gone is the pressure of fear and pain.
Silence is a great gift to ourselves.
It is a gift we ought at times
Give to others.
~Viola Jaynes
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