To be trusted...

Would like to continue to write more on Integrity & Honesty today.

This morning I took my early morning breakfast alone at an Indian Muslim restaurant. We call them Mamak who is good at making good tea and served with delicious Indian bread. I sat outside the shop with many tables beside the frontage. As usual after the meals, the customers would pay over the cash counter inside the shop. No bill was written by the waiters. We just had to tell to the cashier what we had ordered and he would charge accordingly. In fact, the cashier didn't even know what we had ate and drank. He believed and trust our words. We could have cheated him.

However if you patronize the Chinese coffee shop, make sure your cash is ready when the food is served. Once the order is taken by the waiters, they would pick up the drinks and food from the kitchen. Before they serve the customers, they have to pay cash to their boss first, who is sitting inside the air con cash counter. All the workers and waiters are foreigners. After the cash is paid over the cash counter, they would come around to the customers, served and at the same time collect the rightful cash from us again. Meaning... You pay before you eat!

The different between the Mamak and the Chinese is, Mamak trusts all his customers, immaterial of what races. Not the Chinese. Though I'm a Chinese myself, I speak the truth. Chinese tends to be a bit shrewd and cunning. They don't trust any one. Being shrewd, they make sure their waiters pay first for the customers. Being  cunning, they collect cash first before the customers could even taste and enjoy their meals. I think they have no integrity. When one is not honest, you might distrust another human being.

I really admire this Mamak for being so kind to their customers. Their way of business is, enjoy your food first  and pay me later. I guess why they are different is mainly because of their cultural brought up together with a strong sense of religious belief. These two effective groundings create a great trust in themselves for others.

Food for thought - "To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved" - George MacDonald quotes

Integrity & Honesty............

Yesterday I visited a single mother, a client I hadn't seen for quite sometime. Through her one hand, she raised her one son and a daughter, both seems to be obedient children who are doing well in their studies too. I praised and congratulated the mother who immediately responded by saying it was God who helped them. Her voice could tell she is a God fearing person. I felt good for her as well.

The purpose of my visit was she wanted to seek my medical insurance advices. Recently her own younger sister passed away due to stomach and colon cancer. There was no indication of  pain and symptom, and by the time the sister realised it, she was already at the four stage of this dreadful disease. Though a needed surgery was done, she died few days later. Now the older sister is afraid. She was suggested by some friends to perform an endoscopy on herself  just in case. In our country an Endoscopy isn't cheap. She asked me whether she could use our medical insurance to pay for her personal medical investigation. 

My explanation. Our medical insurance could be utilized only when one is sick, and not for any personal medical check up. Unless a doctor could confirm the client has to be admitted and hospitalization is required. My client interrupted me to say that many of her friends had made use of their medical insurances to get free medical check up in various hospitals. I was frank to relate... Yes! It's only if doctors and clients abused the benefits by not telling the truth to the insurance companies. In your case, I'm sorry you can't because you are a healthy person and not sick. I know the mother here wasn't happy with my statement.

Out of the blue, the lady asked me what religion I belong to.

Interesting question! When I was a little boy at twelve, my mother being an illiterate and a Taoist, who could not teach me her belief, she encouraged me to go to a nearby church to study Sunday Bible class. Without fail I was learning the Bible for four years, scoring high marks on every examination then. Later when I was around at my early twenties, I went to a Thai Temple to understand the Buddhism teaching. That took me another five years. Turning thirty, I met another wisdom Indian Guru who was keen to take me as his God Son. He taught me his religion, Hinduism with an opened heart. Around this period, I was given a Holy Quran in English Version which I kept faithfully but never read it. It was when I shifted house about 15 years ago, I accidentally found this book in my locker again. Without discrimination I read the entire Quran with so much understanding of today. What religion I'm? I had read all these religious holy books, non taught me how to cheat. They only taught me to be honest and be faithful in all my dealings. I sincerely hope my good client understood my implication of this story.

Food for thought - "Integrity is telling myself the truth. And Honesty is telling the truth to other people" - Spencer Johnson quote.

Women make a lot of different.....

Ali has an Indian Muslim restaurant. He employed all foreign Indian male workers. Business wasn't good and he was quite worried over it. While I was taking my usual afternoon tea there, Ali seeks my advice on his shop's problems.

I was frank to reveal my observation to him. Though the shop had many workers, they didn't have the right attitude to work. There were no smile on their faces, and non showed their enthusiasm and interest over their serving. Instead of attracting customers who patronized, they caused more dissatisfaction than satisfaction. The down falls was simply the lousy services rendered.

Ali asked, "Any suggestion to correct and improve the situation Robert".

I responded with a big YES! Your men are feeling miserable because there is something missing in their heart. The fastest way to change their behaviour and attitude is, bring in two or more female workers, especially the younger one. No man can live without woman. More so these foreign workers have left home for so long, when they could be missing their families. With women of their kind working along should let them feel good.

Two months later, Ali managed to engage another three girls from India to work together with his men. He could not believe his eyes! The moment the girls came, all the men changed their attitude and behaviour immediately. They are more caring, responsible, full of joy on their faces, willing to walk their extra miles and no more complaint. The girls have brightened their thought for sure. Not long, the business shot up instantly. Women really make a lot of different. 

How true... "What would men be without women? Scarce, sir, mighty scarce." -- Mark Twain

Irish Birth Control......

Sunday's Laugh.....

Mrs Donovan was walking down O'Connell Street in Dublin when she met up with Father Flaherty.

The  Father said, 'Top o' the mornin' to ye! Aren't ye Mrs. Donovan and didn't I marry ye and yer hoosband  two years ago?'    

She replied, 'Aye, that ye did, Father.'

The Father asked, 'And be there any wee little ones yet?'

She replied, 'No, not yet, Father.'

The Father said, 'Well now, I'm going to Rome next week and I'll light a fertility candle for ye and yer  hoosband.'

Some  years later they met again. The Father asked, 'Well now, Mrs. Donovan, how are ye these days?'

She replied, 'Oh, very well, Father!'

The Father asked, 'And tell me, have ye any wee ones yet?'

She replied, 'Oh yes, Father! Two sets of twins and six singles, ten in all!'

The  Father said, 'That's wonderful! And how is yer loving hoosband doing?'

She  replied, 'E's gone to Rome to blow out yer fookin candle'.

Wives yesterday, today and tomorrow...

A newly married husband saved his wife's number on his mobile as "My life"

After one year of marriage he changed the number to "My Wife"

After 2 years of marriage he changed the number to "Home"

After 5 years of marriage he changed the number to "Hitler"

After 10 years of marriage he changed the number to "Wrong Number

 "Life's tough.  Its even tougher if you're Stupid !!"

Can this happen to you???

Are we spoiling our children???

Things have changed...

When I left school to seek for employment, the only way to move around was by buses. After working for a few months, I bought an old second hand motorbike with money I saved. It took me two years before I could buy and replaced the bike to another second hand car. It was a Ford Anglia and I'm sure not many youngsters would have heard of this model. Right? That car was my pride because I used my own money to buy.

Today is a different story. The minute a child has finished his or her education, they expect the fathers to fund and purchase a car for them before they could even secure a job. Mind you! A car and not a bike. Preferable a brand new one. An old car is considered as unfashionable and nothing to show to their friends.

Why those days my dad didn't buy the motor bike for me? I wasn't that lucky because he had left me much earlier than expected. But! Even if he was still around then, I would not have requested my parents to assist me. It was the obligation and responsibility of the children to fence for themselves. Whereas today, it's the obligation and duty of the parents to help their children. The reason is quite simple. Parents love their children much more. Whether is good or bad! You tell me please.....

Would you agree? Sometime by not assisting, you are helping the other person. Or sometime by assisting, you are not actually helping. How lah?

System down...

Monday night was a very frustrating evening. As usual without fail, I would write a title for the next day's posting. With inspiration and passion, I wrote a nice story for you guys to read. I was sure you would giggle along the way when you read it.  Almost completing and about to post it, the Internet System was down and I realized my laptop hangs as well. Oh! My God! My entire writing just disappeared right in front of my eyes. No way I could save them. My heartaches and my mind was upset. To write the first time is easy but to rewrite the same composition again could be difficult. Luckily my third son Caldwin was around. Took him two days to repair my working partner, the laptop.

Yes! I learned something from here....

When I was a little child, "I cried because I had no shoe, until I saw a man who had no leg".

Today, "I almost cried because my laptop broke down, until I saw a man who has no hand".