Talk is cheap

Jiro-san is a sushi maker who owns a nice sushi joint in Singapore's East Coast road.  He is not related to the famous Jiro from Japan, who happened to also own a world-renowned sushi restaurant.  Jiro-san of Singapore just happened to share the same name.

In fact, Jiro-san of Singapore never had any experience in sushi making before he decided to open the joint 15 years ago.  He was working in a Japanese company as a "salaryman", a term that the Japanese like to use to describe the nine-to-fivers.  One day, he was told that his services were no longer needed and he was let go.  Stuck in Singapore in the late 1990s, he decided to do something radical: he stayed and took on a brand new field of sushi making.

His joint is now one of the "best kept secrets" of Singapore - where only the lucky few would know and have the chance to visit.  He never advertise and relies solely in word-of-mouth.  I happened to be sitting in front of him in his restaurant a day after he had an operation.  I asked him, why is he not delegating, despite the pain he had to endure standing for hours behind the sushi bar while his wound is not yet fully healed.  He said in his broken English that he tried, and he could not find any one to fit the bill. Therefore he had to return as soon as possible.  So Jiro-san has been working in this mode, 7 nights a week, for the last 15 years.

Jiro-san clearly takes his job seriously, you can see in the way he slices the fish to the way he places the sushi on the plates.  But he is also a struggling businessman.  Singapore rental market has gone up tremendously. When he started 15 years ago, he did not have the foresight that the rent cost will blow up out of proportion compared to his income.  He also did not have the money, the opportunity or the interest to buy the property he was renting - so he kept on renting the place since he started.

A couple of foreign expatriates were sitting in front of him last night.  I happened to be the only other customer left, and I over heard their comments:

The wife: ".....so, after all these years, you have never bought a property"....
The husband: "...if this things go up-and-up-and-up, you will suffer.....  If you were to buy this property a long time ago, the value of the property would have beaten any income from your sushi shop...."

It hit me when I heard those comments, how arrogant and unhelpful these two ignorant expatriates had been. Jiro has to endure the rent problem every night he closes his shop.  Yet he still have to ensure that he slices the best sushi for the customers, just like he did 15 years ago.  And here they were, a couple of ignoramus who has never done anything as good as he does, lecturing him about buying properties.

At that moment I felt like I needed to stand up and tell them, that if Jiro were to spend his time speculating on properties, we won't be sitting here enjoying his sushi. Also, if they can't say anything useful, please shut up.  But I decided to stand up, paid the bill and left.  I managed to escape the rest of the verbal garbage - but poor Jiro had to endure it until the end while serving the sushi.

Talk is cheap. People should do more, and talk less. 

The Transient Life

A bright red-blue-green Rosella flew in front of me as I stood in my back yard porch in Australia, looking at the mountains, holding to a glass of red wine.  To my surprise he landed on a branch not more than an arm’s length from where I stood.  He may have mistakenly thought that the wine glass was a cup of delicious corn kernels.  He stood there for a while, staring at me as I admire the amazing mix of colors of his feathers, wishing that I had real corn kernels to give.

As I stood there, I thought, this is how life should be……the bird in the tree, a glass of wine and the mountain at the background.   The bird flew away and I went back to my house.

I stood at the junction of 16th and K street of Washington DC.  I looked along the 16th street and saw the White House at the end of the street.  I walked across the street to the office that I had to go to, one block away.  The city was clean as always, the smell of coffee from the café next door was tempting.  The monuments and the flowers in the parks make the city feel cozy.  An African American lady who worked as the security guard of the office building greeted me with a smile.  She said – “how are you today?”.  I returned the gesture.  I met with 3 of my colleagues, an immigrant from China, an old Caucasian man, and an African American lady.  They told me that if I am hungry there is a very nice Indian food joint just around the corner.

As I stood among them, I thought, this is how life should be…..the beautiful city, a rich mix of culture. The meeting finished after a couple of hours and I made my way to the airport.

I alighted from bus number 10 in East Coast Road in Singapore.  I walked to a hawker center selling one of my family’s favorite foods, the vegetarian wanton noodle.  The stall lady-owner greeted me and asked how my family and I are doing.  I answered that we are doing well but we have just moved to Australia.  She asked me when will we return, and I said I do not know.  I ordered one dish and asked for a cup of my favorite tea to come with it.  She made me a slightly up-sized dish as a nice gesture.  I heard familiar noise of other hawkers working in the background as I enjoyed my comfort food.

As I sat there, I thought to myself, this is how life should be…..beautiful food, familiar people, familiar places.  The food was finished in no time and I rushed back home to pack up and return to Australia.

Everything in life is transient.  Love what you do, love who you are with, love everything around you.  

Finding Greatness

Last time I checked there are 7 billion people on earth, and counting. That is a steep growth from 3 billion just sixty years ago, and from less than a billion a century before.  Sometimes I wonder,  with so many bodies in production, would God be running out of stock one day and say - "no more soul to give, if you need a soul look in eBay, maybe someone is selling"

The human body is a superbly designed vehicle that is self governing and self repairing. Furthermore it is equipped with the mind, the software that helps the human race to be the dominating species in the world. The human beings can easily replicate - an average woman has more than 30 years of fertile age and only 9 months lead time to produce a baby.  Theoretically it is easy to get a population from 1 billion bodies to 7 billion, and equally easy to bring that to 70 billion.

So here is a question: would life be the same for you and me, whether there are 7 billion, or 70 billion, or 7 million people in the world?

The answer depends on whether you believe on a higher purpose.

I believe a body is assigned to every soul (I define "body" to include the mind). The soul is on earth with a purpose, and it needs the body to manifest it. The life purpose is never hidden or elusive. It is as clear as the sun, shining brightly. But our mind, that is created to help us survive in this world, is very obstructive. Our thoughts, dogma and emotion that came from the mind create the sand-storm and smoke that block away the clarity.

The modern world is a world focused on the mind. Education system and professional life afterwards reward the sharpest minds. Tools are created to sharpen it even further, or at least to help the mind make more detailed analysis at a faster pace. But as we focus on the mind, we also create more and more smoke and sand-storm that blocks away the clarity of our soul's purpose.  We have been doing this for so long that so many of us are lost souls, and so many have been born and left without finding the purpose.   Many people try to find the purpose for the soul by thinking even more. Unfortunately, no analysis, thinking or frameworks can help us obtain clarity for the soul, because the mind is not created for that.

Lost souls are harmful for the body, because it may lead the body to do things that it is not meant to do.  Naturally it will also be harmful for others and the earth....it is so easy to pick a few examples of people who harm others.  So if there are 7 billion lost souls in the world, that's bad and we would be better off to have only 7 million of them.  But if there are 7 billion souls with clarity of their purposes, that would be a wonderful thing. So the state of the world's well being is not in the left brain or right brain of every person. It depends on how many people of the 7 billion has the clarity of their life purpose.

When the soul finds that purpose, it would have found greatness. Greatness not in the sense of fame or financial wealth, although it could be a side effect. Greatness in a sense that the soul will find satisfaction and conviction in what it does. Greatness in a sense that there is a feeling that the universe is working to provide its support.  And greatness in a sense that the energy it brings inspires others and the environment around it.

As a parent I have asked myself how do I give my child the best passage to clarity? How do we reduce the exposure to man made smoke and sand-storm that prevents her from seeing the clarity?  I also asked myself on how do I overcome my bad habits, my thoughts and emotion that have created the smog in front of my own eyes?

Nature is the best teacher. Pollution in a city can be stopped within a day if the city decides to stop doing what it has been doing. In the same way the sand-storm and smoke that cloud our souls can clear up very quickly when there is stillness of mind.

After being in the world of noise for so long, creating stillness is no longer natural and it requires tremendous courage and faith. But it is worth the pursuit by every one of us, every one of the 7 billion people in the world. Afterall, within the stillness, there is greatness.

The Wise Buffalo

In the narrow and winding road an hour outside of Chennai, I was sitting in a car, having some conversation with my colleagues.  We felt rather tired after being trapped in Chennai's horrendous traffic for hours, but fortunately we finally reached the outskirt of the city.  The view around us was nice.  Around us are grass fields, growing temporarily to cover the plots of rice fields that were probably harvested a few months ago.  Cows and buffaloes were peacefully grazing, as our driver pass them by in our MPV.

In one part of the journey, a hundred meters ahead of our car, we saw a buffalo.  He seemed to have been tied to a rope by his owner just by the side of the road, so that he could graze while waiting for his owner to come back.  But as this buffalo took a break from his grazing, he decided to climb up the bank and stand in the middle of the road instead.  Our car approached him.  He saw us coming.  He looked at us with his peaceful eyes.  No anger, no fear, no excitement, no panic.  He was sending a simple message to the arrogant, noisy, ugly metal structure that was coming fast to bully him off the road: "I am not moving....."

So as we came close to him, our driver hit the break, turned his steering wheel to the right to slowly pass by him.  As our car left the spot, I said to my colleagues: "Something to learn from this buffalo.  We should always be able to look at someone in the eyes, stand our ground and say no....."

The dreadful "C" word

I have been traveling to India for business frequently in the last couple of years. It's a country that I enjoy visiting, for its rich history, depth of cultural heritage and great hospitality.  I have also been a huge fan of India's famous epics, the Mahabarata and Ramayana, and it is great to see the places that inspire these amazing stories. One main advantage of being very involved in developing businesses in India is that I get to see and visit places, meet people and observe things that many other people would not have the privilege to experience.


In one of the trips, I attended a logistics conference and listened to a captivating presentation done by a journalist. He did a recount of his 8 days of investigative journalism to tell the story of a life of an Indian truck driver. To do a credible story he decided to disguise himself as a truck driver's assistant, fully immersing himself to the task of delivering goods from Chennai (south of India) to Delhi (north of India). Unbeknownst to him, he would witness the level of inhumane hardship that the drivers had to face throughout the journey. He was so taken by his experience that he did a passionate presentation to raise awareness of this social issue, and managed to mesmerize the audience for more than 45 minutes.


His presentation was eye opening to most people, even to those who knew but chose to ignore. He described the poor hygiene condition the drivers face, the horrible abuse they receive on the road, the unaccounted risks to their lives due to poor safety standards and poor road conditions, their severe separation from their family, the little acknowledged psychological and physical side effects that include injuries or sexual diseases they contracted. He also highlighted in many ways the main cause and enabler of all these problems: the rampant corruption across the board.


Road conditions are poor because the construction budget that was made available went to someone's pocket instead. The abuse to the drivers happened because the state border patrol wants to have that extra money, otherwise he will block the vehicle from passing through. The poor truck condition were allowed to pollute the road and endanger the driver's safety, because the law enforcement authorities can be bought easily and cheaply. Corruption to society is like bacteria to our body: it takes life when the immune system is weak, and it can cause other illness to come in.


While corruption exists everywhere, it seems that it is not well understood.


First, most people like to think that there is a higher moral ground position against corruption. Many global corporations and some countries announce that they have "zero tolerance to corruption".  In practice most of them who wants to do business in India or trade with India will still use the services of those truck drivers, indirectly pay the border crossing bribes, close their eyes and ears to the hardship of the drivers, as long as they can distribute their goods. The problem with this hypocritical approach is that nobody gets to understand why and how the corruption happened in the first place. At the end,  it will be perpetuated or made worse, not better.


Second, most people thinks that criticism on corruption will help solve the problem. Some rating agencies publishes the annual analysis of the most corrupt countries in the world. The problem is that this type of analysis helps nobody, offers no solution, and does nothing in changing the behaviors of those who does the corruption in the first place.


Third, most people thinks that corruption is a black or white matter. A UK anti corruption act considers gift giving, or favor giving as an act of corruption and violators will be prosecuted under this law.  It also specifies that if one uses someone who uses someone who does gift giving, then one is still guilty for corruption. This applies in UK, or to anyone in the world who deals with the UK. The problem of creating a stupid law is that it will not be enforceable, and in the mean time it wastes everyone's time.   Business is built on relationship, whether it is done in UK or in India. Relationship involves some form of favors and gestures, whether we like to acknowledge it or not.


The governments, policy makers, corporate leaders and individuals should take a practical approach to corruption, not a philosophical  or a moral one.  Just like bacteria, corruption can be eradicated only through good hygiene and better immune system. Therefore in every country there has to be good organizational "hygiene", which involves transparency and regular processes of check and balance. There has to be strong immune system, by putting honest people at the key positions while in the mean time ensuring that nobody can stay in power too long.  Governance and policies are key to eradication of corruption, but only when it is made at a practical level.


As per the problem of truck drivers living condition in India, there is a solution. I have been a part of a government sponsored project to promote rail as an alternative mode of transportation in India. After intensive work for more than 1.5 years, we are nearing the implementation time.  This project has a powerful social impact: it will dramatically reduce the need of truck drivers to drive long distances.  This helps the life of these drivers as they can stay closer with their family, have a better lifestyle and have less exposure to the border corruption. It is just a little example that practical solutions are everywhere. We just have to start by acknowledging the problem, not pretending we are above it.


Pune to Mumbai, by road
Friday, July 20, 2012

Time vs. Money

Bali is one of my family's favorite places in the world.  To the majority of people Bali is known for its beautiful beaches, surfing and tourist destinations.  But there are much more to Bali than that.  One of Bali's less known treasures is the indigenous farming method called Subak, a way of farming that has been fine-tuned over centuries by the locals. A key part of this social-technical-spiritual method is the effective water irrigation system that brings water from its source to hundreds and thousands of acres of land, using simply the law of gravity and clever contouring of land. Add the two volcanoes, the many rivers, the forests and the fertile soil, Bali is a place where people can marvel and appreciate the tremendous gift of nature, all in one small island.  

Rice field near mount Agung, west of Bali

In my most recent trip there, I had a chat with a farmer friend in the middle of a rice field, as we watched the sun set. He shared with me the story on how Bali is rapidly losing the knowledge of farming that has been built over centuries.  The saddest part is not only that it is disappearing, but that it is not being replaced by anything better.  First, more and more villas are being constructed to replace the rice fields, many are done with speculative intention for capital appreciation, and many with complete disregard of Balinese culture.  One Balinese told me "people build villas in Bali to be among the rice fields - but at this rate there will not be any rice fields to see...".   


Second, Balinese farmers have been instructed over the last 40 years or so to focus on maximizing the output of the land, using modern techniques specific for this goal.  The original idea was so that Indonesia could produce its own sustainable supply of rice for its vast population.  It was a noble idea when it was initiated 40 years ago, when Indonesia was trying to achieve higher level prosperity for its people. But just like everything else, a good idea of the past will turn bad if it is no longer suitable to the present condition. 


A major consequence of this program is a habit for exploitation for short term gains.  Gone is the high quality Balinese rice that takes 6 months to grow.  It is replaced by a lower grade hybrid rice that takes only 4 months to harvest.  Instead of producing 2 harvests, the farmers are told to harvest 3 times per year.  Instead of using natural compost, they are trained to use chemical fertilizer.  Instead of the natural method of pest control which requires manual effort, they are told to use a short cut of using pesticide.  The farmer told me, that as an indication of the toxicity level of the water and soil, the fish and eels that used to swim in the rice fields are all gone due to the poison (and yet we will happily eat the rice).  Instead of a traditional crop rotation to maintain the fertility of the land, they are told to plant only a single type of rice all the time (monoculture).   Produce-produce-produce! Time is money!

Time is money.  This simple phrase describes the philosophy that has driven most people's life in the current age.  I used to think that it only applies to the city dwellers like me.   Most of the city dwellers work in corporations or government, spending most of their time making someone else richer.  But even the multi-billionaire businessmen and women are not spared from the rush; they also need to make sure the highest and fastest return on their investments.  Even doctors, tutors, and other services are rushing their clients and patients so that the can meet more patients.  I went to my daughter's school a few months ago where parents are lined up to a 10 minutes time slot to each teacher they want to meet.  10 minutes.... we haven't even finished introducing ourselves when the bell rang and we were to told move to the next teacher that we want to meet.  Can't the school allocate more days for a more comfortable, complete and thorough parent-teacher meetings?  After all we are talking about children here, not sports cars or the latest gossip from CNN....But again, time is money.  


Perhaps it would still be fine if time-is-money philosophy is contained in the cities. But as you can see, it is not. What is happening in Bali is also happening in every other farm land in Indonesia, in Asia, in the world. What is causing the problems in the farms is the same problem that is causing the teacher's and doctor's behavior in the city.  The revealing fact about this is that the farmers benefit the least from the rush.  The money will be made by the middle men and the distribution chains.  It is not the farmers that want to rush - it is the people who makes the most money from it.  Human beings are now slaves to money and there is no escaping from it, even in the most pristine corners of the world.


I remember a horror movie I watched a while ago, where there is a virus that can turn people into zombies.  Those that turned into zombies will not realize what has gotten into them and will start attacking the "normal humans". Those that are bitten by the zombie will turn into one within hours.  Soon enough the whole world is filled with these dreadful zombies.  The "normal" human beings became the outcast, hiding in darkness trying to survive. I see some resemblance between the zombie virus in that movie and the philosophy of time is money.  Many people may not realize how much the influence of this philosophy has crept in to their daily lives. Even more people may not realize that by allowing it to creep in, we are contributing to the spread of the contagion.  


But what is the alternative? 


In my view, the first thing to do is to understand that this philosophy is wrong.  It is important to separate the concept of time vs. the concept of money.  In our life in this world, time is limited, finite.  Money is unlimited and never enough.   Time allows us to realize our dreams, it allows us to stay healthy.   Time allows compassion and creativity to flourish.  To me, the amount of time to do the things you care for is the ultimate measure of prosperity.  As for money : what is it really worth if it can't buy any of the above? 

Its all about soul

It was 8 pm in the evening; I was riding a bus home from my office.  I was getting hungry and craved for a nice, authentic Japanese food.  I knew exactly where to go – I’ve been there many times, either by myself or with my family.  This restaurant has always been very cozy, with a bunch of loyal returning customers, accumulated since its start more than 17 years ago.  2 middle age ladies have been working there since then, as waitresses and order takers.  One of them is married to the chef.  They never talk too much to their customers, but the food never fails to delight me.  The most authentic Japanese food in Singapore, I always said.  I think all returning customers who often queue to get a seat also share my view.

So as my bus neared the stop where the restaurant is, I decided to rush to the bus door and alight.  I have noticed over the last 1 year or so that this restaurant has changed its façade.  A massive renovation took place, slick furniture was being put in to replace the old ones.  The rather ordinary front entrance was replaced by all-glass wall.  They retain the name of the restaurant, but created a big signboard to replace the old tiny one.  Most interestingly, there is now a valet service for those who drive their vehicles to the restaurant.  In short, this restaurant has been infused with a big dose of “luxury”.

So I got in – oblivious to all of this fancy stuff.  I just wanted my favorite Yakitori, Salmon Sashimi and Sake.  But as I entered I noticed something very different.  Only one of the 2 old ladies was there.  There were 4 waitresses instead of only those 2.  There was obviously a new manager as she wore a different uniform and eagerly greeted me.  She brought me to my table, immediately asked if I want to have a beer.   I saw the old waitress standing rather quiet at the back.  Something is amiss, I thought. I also noticed I was the only other customer there – but I thought it maybe because it was not a weekend.

At the end of the meal I was asked by the manager – how was my food.  I said I don’t like how the yakitori tasted – it feels like a fake Japanese food, tasteless and rather under-cooked.  It was so bad I couldn’t even touch the second one.  I don’t like the salmon sashimi – it feels they cut corners on the meat.  The manager was quick to apologize and rushed back to the cashier to give me a discount.  But the damage has been done – the restaurant did not feel the same anymore. 

The old lady came to me, bringing the bill and apologizing.  I said “I really don’t understand what has happened to your restaurant – the food quality has gone really down”.  She nodded her head and said “yes, a new owner is here.  My sister and her husband (the chef) have been asked to leave.  I am the only one here – and today is my last day.  Many of old customers like you have also complained”. 

I said – “oh – that’s a pity….”.  She said with a rather sad smile “yes, after 17 years…..”. 

So as I walked back to the bus station to make my way home, I realized I have just witnessed a sad example of how good reputation built over 17 years can be tarnished in just one day.  

It is a very good reminder: good things are created with soul.  No amount of money, luxury or style can replace it.