You must unlearn what you have learned

Two weeks in the new job and I'd to give a regional presentation on Friday. Thankfully it went well, and I was glad that the senior folk lent support through their presence and voices (e.g. answering some of those tough questions!)

We ended this week-long change management and semi-annual planning kick-off with insights from the best management guru in the universe: Master Yoda. "Always with you what cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say? You must unlearn what you have learned!"
We also went to Chinatown Point's Annalakshmi for dinner before our weekly Heroes get-togethers. Read here for more on the Annalakshmi concept. For those in Asia who haven't seen Heroes, the series is coming to a Star World Asia channel and/or local network near you on Jan 31 onwards! Check out your country's schedule here.

Food for thought - and a good cause!

Imagine: Dim lights, a warm ambience, savoury spicy smells, the pleasant buzz of conversation from nearby tables....

Welcome to Annalakshmi. Diners "eat as you like and pay as you feel." There is no set price. Any payments are voluntary with all proceeds going towards the humanitarian and artistic activities of the Temple of Fine Arts. These vegetarian restaurants are located in Malaysia (the first one started in 1984), India, Singapore, Australia - with plans for one in San Francisco, according to this update. This international chain augments the dining experience by showcasing Indian arts, handicrafts, cultural dance and music performances.

Being the MBAs that we were, we tried to figure out the business case of running a restaurant that's 100% based on charity: Where would you locate it? How do you cover costs? How do you motivate and "compensate" volunteers? How do you ensure the quality of the overall experience, food and service? Is this concept sustainable? (It's proven to work for one-time fundraisers) Will those who can (and want to) subsidise those who can't (or won't?!)

Other food for thought:
From here: Annalakshmi provides food for the soul by offering a wholesome home-cooked good meal for all. The name refers to the Hindu Goddess of Plenty and the adage that "the Guest is God." The restaurants are largely run by voluntary staff that include retired civil servants, women from broken homes, executives and doctors who believe that serving and preparing food is the ultimate blessing.

From here: Businesses usually wait until they've made a profit to think about giving to society, but we started giving from the start. There are tables who can pay, and those who can't, so what we provide is a form of table-to-table charity. And the people who work with us do so for the satisfaction, not the reward. It's hard to run a business on goodwill. But having faith in humanity has paid off: the restaurants have a huge, regular following [who] pay with satisfaction and keep coming back. There is a price for everything in today's world, but you can't put a price on the love and the food you get here.

A Hokkien Gary Oldman Nokia N93 ad

All this week, we've been talking about business and people strategy at work. When someone raised the notion of "glocalization" i.e. adding a local flavour to global campaigns, our marketing guys showed this hillarious spoof of those Gary Oldman TV commercials for the Nokia N93 multimedia computer (aka smartphone). Check it out!

PS - Errm, no this isn't a "product push" post! Just expressing my glee at viral consumer marketing. Also, if anyone knows who this Singapore dude is, drop me a line. We'd love to thank him! (And I mean that in a good way - no lawsuits!)

Lost in translation

So I started my new job this past week (very cool and challenging, btw!). The firm's a pretty diverse tech MNC (read: we're all global geeks). As I went around meeting people, most of my new Asian colleagues thought I was Australian while the Europeans assumed I was American. :Head palm: Only a few locals and American expats got it right, i.e. I'm a Southeast Asian who's been overseas, mainly the Eastern US (NYC, Boston, Washington DC) for the past 12 years.

I wonder what this says about people's perceptions of foreigners vs. locals, and how I come across in speech and appearance, now that I'm a local expat, so to speak? While my "local" speech gets stronger after late nights (or a few drinks), I notice I vary my English "accent" or use the local language(s) - selectively, depending on the situation or person. Very dubious I know....

Any of you out there have similar experiences/musings of being "lost in translation?" Do share! Meanwhile, for more about life in Asia thus far, feel free to check out my Singapore posts here.

PS - Thank you for all your kind words and thoughts this past week.

Remember me when I am gone away

After years of battling cancer, my mom-in-law passed away peacefully today. She lived a full, rich life - and though she left us too early, we thank God that she is no longer in pain. Thank you all for your prayers and support these past few months. It's meant a lot to us!

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
- Christina G. Rossetti

How to survive your first week at work?

Welcome back to the grind! For those of you who - like me - are taking the plunge to switch jobs and careers (or perhaps rejoin real life after the grad school "holiday"), Forbes just released a great tutorial on what to do in your new digs:

1) Make Nice. Make friends with the office's administrative assistant.
2) Get Credentialed. If you haven't been given an I.D. badge, find out where to get one. (Also don't forget business cards!)
3) Get Connected. Find out who is on the computer "help desk."
4) Stock Up. Find the supply closet.
5) Practice The Name Game. After week one, you can't blame not knowing people's names on your newness.
6) Break Bread. Who are you going to have lunch with?
7) Bank On Your Success. You've made it through the week.

Ask questions, observe, listen and enjoy the experience. All the best!

PS - If you make New Years resolutions, check out How to Make Your Resolutions Stick for some fun and somewhat pragmatic tips.

Ring out the old, ring in the new

Thanks to Josie for sharing this with me. Happy New Year all!

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

- Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Ring Out, Wild Bells"