Does the new Samsung Omnia (SGH-i900) come close to the Apple iPhone?

The comparison is like "day and night"!

I decided to buy the much heralded Samsung Omnia - the iPhone lookalike, if not for anything else but to see how close the Apple rivals manage to get their product to the "real thing". Samsung has done very well since the early days of manufacturing cheap OEM electronic products. Its marketing prowess and product innovation has come a long way. I would actually buy a samsung product without much hesitation these days. I started 4 years ago by buying a samsung refrigerator and today it still sit nicely in my dry kitchen and still very much in style.With the same vibe, I decided to acquire the samsung omnia yesterday. Even though I know that the new 3G iPhone is on its way to Singapore, I thought to myself "nothing to lose, such rave reviews at CommunicAsia 2008, much be worth some salt... otherwise I will just appreciate the new iPhone more when it is available".

I got the phone from Singtel at $268 with 2 years plan. Out of the box, the phone looks like an iPhone, I might say "not bad". The phone has a touch screen that vibrates when you touch it, a new feeling and can actually scroll as you move you finger across the screen. But the feel is different - the difference has been what windows can do, Apple does it better. The best thing that I like about the Omnia is that it has an attached GPS function - something that I relish for some time already. Again I told myself, if it does not work well as a phone, I will use it as a dedicated GPS in my car.

The worst thing happened... in less than 18 hours, the phone crashed on me 5 times. Each time, the screen would go blank and the only way for me to get it to work again is to remove the battery and insert it again - much like a hard reset. To do it once, I am ok, to do twice, I started to worry but when the phone crashed 5 times, I packed the whole thing into its box and headed back to Singtel Hello shop determined to get an exchange.The process at Singtel was however hassle free. The technician also could not get the phone to start up and within a few minutes gave me a new Samsung Omnia in exchange. This time so far the phone worked perfectly. The experience and functioning of the phone interface while similar to the first was somewhat different from the first. Everything worked out of the box!

My conclusion is that the samsung Omnia is a fairly good phone - well designed, good functionalities but when you put the phone side by side with the iPhone (I used to own the 16G iPhone, so I can compare), it is really "Day and Night". There is NO COMPARISON!The attention to detail that Steve Job and the crew at Apple put into the iPhone has truly distinguished itself. the screen flow, the little touches has made iPhone a phone that is not only pretty but a leader of the class.

So for the people thinking about Samsung Omnia, I would say unless money is no object, wait for the new 3G iPhone from Apple. It will be worth the wait!

Half Full, Half empty

We don't spend enough time appreciating the goodness around us.

Indeed, if we would only pause to reflect and take in a deep breath of air in the midst of our buzyness, we could find at least one thing to be appreciative about today. I am sure all of us can do this...but watch out for this trap, the trap that the "goodness is not good enough", that the "goodness can be better", or the "Goodness should have been...". In other words, the glass is Half full, BUT more importantly it is Half empty... so I will wait when the other half fills up.

The wait can go on and can on a vicious cycle. Truly we need to be able to appreciate the fact that the glass is half full, be encouraged that the glass IS already half full, before we can ever learn to deal with the other half of the glass that needs to be filled.

Today, I fell into the trap of "glass half empty" mentality. When I was asked by my colleague if we should communicate about 2 initiatives that we have done well in the hospital, my instinctive reply was that these 2 initiatives should be done in the first instance and so the hospital actually doing it is really "no big deal".

I was really troubled by my own words. This thought kept ringing in my head. I now realised that at least my hospital has gotten round to these 2 initiatives and have executed it extremely well... glass half full. The reality could well have been that they would never be done because we do not find the courage to do it... Glass half empty.

Let us not fall into the same trap as I have. Having a grateful heart, I have found, is the most helpful. Stay on the journey with me...

Reflections on the past 1 week...

Tomorrow, i return to work and tonight signals the end of my 1 week break during this June school holidays. Overall, i must say that it has been one of the best break that I've had for a long time...

Remember my last post about "addiction to blackberry". Well, Monday and tuesday was not too good for me. I was following the unfolding of a tight bed situation at the hospital and was on the "crackberry" incessantly. Not to mention, my wife and my kids were disapointed at various points of the day when my indulgence was excessive! My self control for the rest of the week was much better. In fact, it was so good today that my wife was annoyed with me because I did not realise that she had sent me an sms. I had the good fortune to use her reason on her "you told me not to check my blackberry, what?" My conclusion is, much better to seperate my mobile phone function from the blackberry... at least, I will only get the sms and calls but not the unstoppable emails! With mobile phone portability, I am thinking of getting a seperate mobile phone to help me seperate work from private life... possible??

Last Sunday was good. Pastor Prince preached on the relevance of the anointing oil. For Christians, the oil is just as important as the bread and the wine - symbols of Jesus' body and blood. Excitement mounted as all church members were told to bring a bottle of olive oil to be prayed over next sunday (today!).

Monday was spent with my daughters...

Tuesday was spent at the zoo with the whole family. My youngest Zachary was with us as well. Had a great family time!

Wednesday was supposed to be my dedicated time with my wife. We spent some 1.5 hours together at Vivocity and we mutually decided that we should head home and bring the 3 kids with us as well. Decided to watch "Kung Fu panda" at NTUC Downtown east - turns out to be the best decision as it was funny... see last blog entry.

Thursday was spent at the Defu junkyard - my personal time. Bought many beautiful spareparts for my 19 year old W124 E200 benz. Decided to keep my car for another 10 years by putting a new COE at the right time.

Friday was spent sending my benz to Ah Kiat at Yew Tee Industrial workshop for a fresh coat of paint and makeover. Will be collecting my brand new old car in about 2 weeks time! Ferried my kids to tuition at Bishan and caught up with the gym in between (I have not forgotten about my resolution to keep fit).

Saturday was quite a lazy day. Had my customary breakfast with my wife at serangoon gardens coffeeshop in the morning and did nothing... until 3pm where I sent my daughter for her maths tuition. Evening was spent at Serangoon garen Jumbo seafood restaurant to attend a 60 year old birthday celebration for my uncle.

Today, is anointing oil Sunday. Went to church with 2 bottles of oil to be prayed over... reached home at about 3.30pm, took a nap till 6pm and then drove out to Lavender foodcourt to have dinner. About 1 hour ago, prayed over my wife and children and anointed them with the oil that was prayed over today. Have a good feeling that God's favour, grace and abundance will fill me and each member of my household all through the week ahead!

I am full of expectancy for work tomorrow! Glad to be back!

Have you watched Kung Fu Panda? You should...it is funny and full of management lessons!

Yes, I watched yet another cartoon movie... "Kung Fu Panda"... and had stitch from laughing too hard and on reflection received many management jewels.

"The secret is that there is no secret... if you would only believe, it will come true"

This statement sums up the show. A FAT panda bear who could hardly see his toes became the unlikely kung fu master who was suppose to stop a powerful master "Tai Lung" from destroying the village out of vengence. The "secret" lay in the dragon scroll that could only be read by a kung fu expert is anointed by the Master Wu Gui (tortoise). Through a series of twists and turns in events, Panda bear "Po" became the candidate.

The dragon scroll turns out to be an empty scroll with a reflective layer that allows the reader to his own image. Panda bear "Po" was disappointed to find the scroll to contain no secret for him to fight the deadly Tai Lung. He later learnt how to dicipher the empty scroll from his father who is a noodle shop owner waiting to pass on his "secret recipe" to Po. His father whispered to Po that "the secret is that there is no secret...the soup taste good because people believe it to contain the secret recipe and hence must be good." Po realised that if he believed that the dragon scroll to be special it will in fact give him special power to defeat Tai Lung... and he did.

Can you think of other situations where the secret is there is no secret... and if we would only believe that something can be done, it can be done.

No wonder, there is such wisdom in the words of my ex-principal from RJC "The mind is a terrible thing to waste" that it was plastered all over the school. Our potential and limitations are limited by what we believe what we can or cannot do.

what does it take for a man to disregard his own life, the lives of others and risk damage to his own properties...?

His CAR!

I have never witnessed an accident as clearly as today. Things seemed to happened slow motion before my eyes before 2 cars crashed right before my very eyes.

It was a sunny afternoon at serangoon gardens. I stood by close to a rather crowded 2 way street waiting for my car to be checked. In front of me, i saw a black Subaru WRX waiting for the traffic to clear before he drives straight through an uncontrolled junction. On my left, there was a gold colour Nissan Cefiro emerging after a traffic light, driving at about 40 kph. From a distance, he seem to see the black subaru trying to find his opportunity to cross the junction. He also seemed determined not to give way. As he was still some 30 meters away, the black subaru inched his way forward trying to make an assessment to move and finally decided to drive through the junction. By this time, the Nissan cefiro was about 20 meters away. Instead of slowing down, he started to sound his horn continuously and not only did he not slow down he started to speed up - almost determined to teach the black subaru a lesson. It would have been obvious to him that if the black subaru did not stop, he would crash his car into the other car and risk killing the driver as it would be a direct hit on the driver side; not only that, his car and his own life would also be at risk. He carried on and so did the black subaru... and CRASH!!!

I jumped instinctively to my right, thinking that the momentum of the crash would bring both cars into my path but fortunately both vehicles stopped within a short distance. Both drivers were unhurt but their vehicles were badly damaged. The driver of the Nissan cefiro came out, a neatly dressed man who seem not to look like one with a violent character emerged. I looked at him and asked myself the question, "why did he decide to crash his car almost by choice and risk everything?"

Is it because when someone is driving a car, there is a certain sense of power that suddenly allow them to act in ways they would not otherwise... the sense that when I am in a car, I am no pushover... I will assert my right! Perhaps, people also feel that the worse that can come upon them is a dispute around insurance claim and their actions would not seen as a criminal? I think there is a medical and psychological basis to this action.

One thing remains clear... to use ones' vehicle in a manner with the intent to cause grievous hurt is punishable under the Penal Code Section 325, Chapter 224 with severe punishment.

The next time we are in a car, let's get a handle of ourselves. It is really not worth the trouble and the risk to lives - ours and others. In this instance, I am really troubled.

Organ Transplant for cars...a fruitful day at a Defu junkyard

I have a 19 year old mercedes benz and in the age of rapid car switching my car is probably the equivalent of 60 years of human age! I have never found a good reason to buy a new car for myself in singapore so far - it is expensive and the depreciation is silly.

Even though I am still very happy with my old dame, some of its parts are a little worn out. At the last service "car version of medical check-up), a small pipe in the engine was found to be slowly leaking oil, it was fixed at no cost and settled a nagging concern about the car. However, there are other things that were beginning to cause some asthetic disatisfaction. The central console was sagging to the side, the right side mirror has a lever control that was broken, dust was beginning to creep into the meter set...all small issues but enough to prompt me to think if I should be considering another car.

Today, I decided to make a trip to the junkyard at Defu. This is a place recommended to me some time back but i have been resisting the visit as the thought a junkyard is not exactly inviting. As I am on leave, I decided that there was nothing to lose. On arrival, I asked if they sell mercedes 124-model parts and the lady told me to look for a man outside amidst all the scrap iron. I soon found a man, asked him in english but was met with a rude grunt. Decided to speak hokkien and this time I was met by a more collegial response. lesson #1, speak hokkien at junkyards. He told me that I was "very lucky". There was a Mercedes Masterpiece that was taken in the day before for scrapping and had very new parts. I was shown the car and he was right. All the parts, door boards, central console, side windows and even a solid wood steering wheel was much better than those that i have. I asked him if he would transfer those parts to my old dame mercedes and what he said was music to my ears, "you just pay for the parts, I install...no labour charge." I took almost everything because having checked the various parts from a dealer recently, the new parts cost some 4 to 8 times what I quoted. So, in no time, the 4 side door panels came out, the steering wheel too, followed by the console, the body moulding, the stainless steel masterpiece door moulding, the sunshades, the side mirror, the windows mechanism...

I then spent the whole day there watching them install painstakingly each individual parts to my car. With every piece, my 19 year old car became more attractive. By 530pm, the whole process was done, my car restored and the other car hollowed out. What I was most impressed is the extent to which old car parts may be reused. We are so used to buying things new that we may have developed a habit of being wasteful, throwing things out at the first sign that they are worn out. I think there is a market for used things, it just require a different midset to run it.

With the basics fixed, I will set off to put a new coat of paint on my car tomrrow and await the correct time to buy a new lease of life (COE) at the appropriate time next year.

Sounds a bit like "Organ Transplant" in healthcare!

The art of negotiation, be prepared to walk away...

To succeed in negotiation, we need to hold what we want with an open palm...

One of my favourite quote reminds me of this "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it is yours, if it does not, it never was". This quote is often depicted with an eagle soaring in the background, with looks of victory. How true!

In my personal life, I have found this concept to be true. At times we need to lose so that we can win. Think about the last time when you really want your child to get down and do her homework right at the very moment that you desire. What you will get is resistance and at times defiance that will bring both of you down a downward spiral. I have that during those times that I have been successful, I told my daughter that I do not want to force her but trust that she will do the right thing... the next thing I found her starting on her homework and doing it with more commitment. You can think of other examples right?!

I have found this to be even more applicable in professional settings. In procurement, the threat of walking of walking away often brings about a different set of behavior and of course prices. However, more subtley, remember the time that you took ownership of a project and held dearly to the outcome? You find there are those who would come to you and openly do the opposite of what is expected of them. Of course, if you are their boss, you can simply order them to do the right thing. Sometimes when that is not meant to be, you will find that the more eager you are to get them to cooperate so as to achieve the outcome, the worse is their behavior. I have found that when we let go and decide that it is "ok to fail" together, the other party will wise up and cooperate.

Our lives and fate are often more intertwinned than we realised it to be. Much better to be helpful and think of a broader good than to think narrowly and only decide to win for today. Today, I need you. Tomorrow you need me. Together we can achieve more than what we could individually, the concept of 1 + 1 >> 2.

Treat each other with respect and believe the best of people. Most people are good and want to do good. In healthcare, the "do-good" concept is even more evident but often misunderstood. Doing good does not just come from a pair of healing hands and a caring touch. The folks working in the background are just as important but are often taken for granted. However, we do share a common destiny. When the time comes for negotiation, let go...

If you think spelling is crucial to reading, try the passage below...

"fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid tooCna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset ca n be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh! and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed tihs forwrad it. "

Only the First and Last letters are important!

Are you ALSO an email addict?

I told my wife that I will be on leave for the whole of next week, half expecting that I will get a pat on my back for finally prioritising some time for my family and my children as the school holidays draws to a close.

She said, "Why do you want to do that for? being away from work for so long, it will surely mean that you will be checking your email all the time on your blackberry! What difference would that make?" What she said really struck me and set me thinking hard.

The good news is that today, I was conscious not to pull out my blackberry from my pocket. When the reflex came for me to see if the little red light was flickering (ie new emails have arrived), I consciously held back. My own assessment is that by broad measure I have been successful in resisting the urge to check email. Will it last?

The New York Times' "Lost in Email, Tech Firms face Self made Beast" article on 14 Jun 2008 brought the message home for me. Email has radically transformed the lives of many of us. Not only has our family lives been affected, it sometimes appears that it has become such an integrated part of our lives. I once had a series of email exchanges with a staff in a fast and furious pace, almost like a live conversation, only to find out that she has taken the day off and was in spa when that took place! According to the article, this relentless need to check email has also resulted in loss productivity through constant interuption. Think about it, it is true. Reflect on the last time that you spent an hour working on your PC, how many times did you click on the email tab to check if new emails have come in? ... and when there was a new email what did we do? we discontinued what we were working on for a while to reply to the email. I also recall times when my mind was so engrossed with reading and replying to the many emails that I delegated time for thinking as secondary. This is a serious consequence, but fortunately one where I could overcome these days by being much more disciplined about when I should spend time on email in office.

The article talks about "Email Backruptcy" - a state where on is so behind in catching up with email that it has become necessary to clean up all emails and start "life" anew. Another is "Email Apnea" - a condition where one misses a breath when too many email shows up. Sounds familiar?

We need to have a better handle of our lives and manage our electronic life! For me, I am determined that my vacation next week will be uninterupted by emails... well maybe only the important ones :-)

My 15 minutes claim to fame at PC Show Jun 15 2008!

PC Show Jun 15 2008 will go down history as the most memorable PC show for me!

After buying a few really good bargain memory cards for my mobile phone and camera, I headed for a relaxing stroll around the Sony Row where it was product galore.

I was attracted to the stage where the DJ said would be a Fuji Art show. A cute lady in kimono soon appeared on stage. She spoke funny english and started bursting into a few english songs. She introduced her show as one where she can draw Harrison Ford, Michael Jackson and the likes. She then looked into the audience for "volunteers". Like other Singaporeans, I avoided eye contact so that I won't be picked, but that was not meant to be.

To cut the long story short, I was volunteered on stage and the next thing I know, the caricature of me was produced much to the amusement of the audience. She was really talented and was able to captivate the crowd.

My claim to fame is the the 15 mins I appeared on stage in full view of the capacity crowd. Thank goodness, no familiar faces around. Handsome?

Who is the patient? Ask...

It was not a typical Friday experience for me... afterall, it was Friday the 13th.

After I parked my car at the basement of the hospital, I went on my way as usual along the many corridors of the hospital, heading towards my office. Ahead of me, I saw an elderly woman, probably in her 70's pushing someone on wheelchair. I could not take my eyes off her. For some reason, I could feel her pain as she took each step, hobbling along as she gently pushed the wheelchair. I very much wanted to help but I thought maybe i should wait to see if she really needed it. It does not take long for me to travel alongside her and as I peered at her, she asked the person siting on the wheelchair if he was sure they were heading in the right direction. This is the perfect signal that they needed help. I stopped and asked if I could help. The young man on the wheelchair (which I implicitly assumed to be the patient) said that they were supposed to head towards Clinic M and held up an envelop to indicate the same. Obviously, they were headed in the opposite direction to where they should be heading. I took over the handle of the wheelchair and told them that I would bring them to their destination. I noticed the old lady was somewhat reluctant for me to help with the wheelchair and assumed that it is just the asian culture of not wanting to bother others with simple tasks. I felt good, as i thought about starting the day making a difference to another person.

I pushed along and made sure that the old lady was following along and keeping up. As she was hobbling along, probably due to pain in her knees, I stopped a few times to ask her if I could get a wheelchair for her but she refused. Within about 8 mins, we soon arrived at the clinics and i was met by clinic staff. I told the clinic staff to please help with the patient and the old lady and see that they get the help as well after they are done seeing the doctor. As the clinic staff was about to hold on to the handle of the wheelchair to push along, the old lady quickly moved in and assumed control of the wheelchair. The clinic staff insisted on helping but this time the old lady spoke up. She said in hokkien "I need to push the wheelchair because it gives me support when I walk...otherwise my legs will be very painful."

I realised how foolish I was! I should have asked. Then came the next "blow" - in the brief conversation, I realised that the old lady was the patient and not the young man on the wheelchair. Must someone on a wheelchair always be a patient?! Again, I should have asked!

What's the moral of the story? Even though the patient's needs are paramount, we may not know what they need until we ask. Do not assume. In this particular case, I may have helped them to the right clinic but I certainly caused the patient (old lady) enough anguish, having to walk without support.

My compassion has overtaken my rationality in this case. However, this will not stop me from offering help proactively in future. This experience has taught me how to do it better the next time. I will ASK!

Can we fire a patient? Check this out...

This is an interesting article in the New York Times about why and how a doctor "fired" a patient as the goal of the patient's mom was incompatible with that of the doctor.

There are enough instances of patients and their next-of-kin abusing healthcare workers in Singapore public healthcare. Do we fire them too?

I need the new 3G iPhone... but i don't know why

Last night, I received an advertorial email that I did not mind receiving. It carried the title "New 3G iPhone". My heart raced as I waited for the email to open up, can't wait to see what Apple has up her sleeve again. The email carried a picture of the new 3G iPhone is full splendour and beauty. Holding back my drool, I clicked on the video clip showing Steve Job introducing the new iPhone. The volume was tuned up and i thoroughly enjoyed every feature that was introduced. The best part of the news is that the new 3G iPhone will be made available in Singapore this year at US$299 for the 16G model (US$199 for the 8G model).

After all the excitement died down today, I asked myself... "why am i so excited about the new 3G iPhone?" Afterall, I owned the 16G iPhone only in April this year and sold it within 3 weeks! The phone was gorgeous and i liked the functionalities alot. The problem was the ear volume (too soft), the lack of vigour of the vibration mode and soft ring tone (can't hear the phone ring and keep getting missed calls). The camera function was simply the best along with the browser!

i still crave for the new 3G iPhone because of the way Apple introduces it. They make it sound like all the problems that i experienced had been taken care of... and I am a sucker for sleek product.

The new iPhone could well only be a marginal improvement over the current one but i still want it. The other tipping point could well be the enterprise capability - read email and attachments with extraordinary clarity, something that all mobile devices including blackberries are still miles behind.

The global launch is on 11 July 2008, I wonder if there is a way to get a hold of it sooner? or is it silly to do so, just wait... a the wait can well be worth it!

The difference between excellence and mediocrity - Sweat the Small Stuff!

What does it take to differentiate between excellence and average/ mediocrity? In the world where there is such a huge gap between excellence and average, the gap between average and mediocrity is often indiscernable. Using the laws of transitivity, we know that there exist a huge gap between excellence and mediocrity.

In my mind, 3 words - "Attention to Details".

We see this difference all the time. Consider a product. Take the example of a branded watch say Rolex. Compare the real thing with the "branded fake". Even though most of the features are similar, one can always tell the real from the fake when you examine the details. The lettering on the date slot is rough, the wrist bracelet does not snap neatly, the click of the dial on the submariner is not crisp. These are the details. The truth is that the real is an excellent piece of watch, the fake... ah... is not worth the breath.

Take a piece of work assigned to a staff. An excellent piece of work will bear the hallmark of well thought through flow, double indented paragraphing, spell-checked to ensure no typographical errors, consistent format, clear arguements and recommendations presented in a succint manner. An average is one where people will be put off without even trying to reading, the format is confusing, the first statement is already filled grammatical error and many other tell-tale signs that the staff has just rushed through the work and cannot be bothered with getting even basic facts right. Even though the understanding from both staff may be similar, the outcome is miles apart - the difference being excellence and average/ mediocrity. Can you identify with me?

It is actually not hard to stand on the side of excellence, I feel. Just spend some time and pay attention to the details. Sweat the small stuff!

How to lose 10kg?

I was loitering around Suntec City after lunch today with my family and was drawn to a health exhibition on diabetes organised by the Health Promotion Board.

The activity that caught my eye was a BMI measurement machine. Simply step on without your shoes, look straight and within a few seconds, a beep will sound and the printer will print out your BMI, along with your weight, height and recommended weight range. I convinced my wife and my 2 daughters to stay on the queue with me and go through the simple assessment.

I went first, thinking that I must be within range. The print-out came and I cannot help but noticed that based on my BMI, I am within the lower end of the "Moderate Risk" category. I weigh in at 76kg at a height of 1.73m and my ideal weight range is 56kg to 68kg. My daughter pretended to mock me "papa, you are overweight!". But the point was made. I decided that I will reduce my weight to 66kg within 3 months and watch my carbo and sugar intake.

I started with an open commitment because I really need all the help that I can get to stay the course to lose 10kg. I told my wife that I am overweight and I also declared to my mother that i am overweight and need to lose 10kg. To help me, I said that I will be cutting down on my carbo intake and will be taking my dinner earlier so that there is ample time to burn the calories off before bedtime. Mentally, I imagine that I would intensify my weekly exercises and perhaps the ARMY 10km marathon in August 2008.

At dinner tonight, i cut down on my rice intake and stuck to ice water. This is my first step.

Wish me luck and keep me on track. Suggestions welcomed though i will not try any medication.

Can one restart a running routine in his 40's?

Last week, i think it was the Today weekend edition newspaper that i read about Creative's Sim Wong Hoo dramatic transformation into the running culture. At 52 years, he suddenly decided to pick up running to stay fit and nimble, and recently attempted the night marathon or the ultra-marathon. To me, this is admirable and motivating.

At the company's marathon today at Bedok Reservior, i met up with a former colleague who is also in his 50's. At his age, i could see the folds on his forehead that hinted to his age, but other than this, he looks trim and fit. he is currently about a third of his old self about 5 years ago. very early on in our chat, i found out that he too took part in the recent sundown marathon.

at the flag off, he went for either the 5.8km route or the 10km route whereas i took the 3km route. it has been sometime since i last ran outdoor and frankly i struggled to reach the half way point. what motivated me to carry on was that both sim wong hoo and my colleague who are both a decade older than me could have enough discipline to complete the run and make it much faster than me. to cut the long story short, i completed my 3km run covered with perspiration but satisfied. i set my mind to start a running routine for myself and keep myself disciplined to do so... i write so that i can remind myself of this promise to myself. hold me accountable.

my legs are sore and the feeling is good!

Thank you...

Thank God, it is Friday! I round off the day thankful that i could spend some quality time with my family enjoying the Indiana Jones at a company movie family day. i have many things to be thankful for this week. i saw first hand how a group of dedicated staff was able to put together and implement measures that would have otherwise taken months or even years of endless discussions which may not translate into anything. i am thankful for how focused, dedicated leadership can inspire change. this week has been tiring but so fulfilling!

I have always been taught the magic of saying Thank you. When appreciated, people can do much more. I decided to thank a bunch of folks from various areas for the fantastic work that they have done. my gestures were met with smiles and words of appreciation. i smiled in my heart everytime i find that i could touch someone with the things that i do - i really expect little in return. however, i know not everyone was happy with my "thank you" because they read between the lines... there was really nothing between the lines but it did not matter. i realised something... sometimes it is not what you say that is important, but what is unsaid. i could not understand, but somethings are better not understood.

after Indiana Jones, i saw a flicker on my blackberry... i have an email. I opened the email and realised that my organisation has won a string of awards and it is all possible because of our people. i am again back in my thankful mood. there are many people whom i need to thank for constantly giving me the energy to keep on keeping on. Thank you!

How we don't communicate and then miscommunicate?!

Within the last 2 days, i experienced several types of communication, more like non-communication, that i feel leads to miscommunication. for the heck of it, i will write about it...

the first is a series of sms exchanges that i had with one staff member today.

me: "what is the number of aaa yesterday, how many ccc and how many at bbb?"

no reply from staff for about 1 hour

me: "i was walking through your dept and i saw this... when will you fix it?"

Staff: "this was just installed..., will be fixed by friday."

me: "good, thanks. by the way, did you receive my first sms?"

Staff: "yes"

me: "reply?"

After 15 mins...

Staff: "att 447, adm 137, xx"

Question: how did i feel about this sms communication? what do i think the staff member is trying to communicate with me?

to be frank, i feel ignored - whether this is the genuine sentiment or not - it is a potential miscommunication. this feeling was not strong in the beginning, more of curiousity and some anxiousness. curious because i am not sure whether the sms was received by staff or not, anxious because the question in the sms was an important one. however all these feelings change when the reply to my sms "... did you receive my earlier sms" was only met with only a "yes". It confirms that i am being ignored! the truth could well be that the staff has been spending time gathering the necessary information to provide a complete reply and was NOT trying to ignore me, but there is no other information to conclude otherwise. in this case, i gave the staff member the benefit of the doubt and replied "thanks" to his sms. end of case 1.

second, this is a combination of emails and smses with a staff... it goes like this

last week

me:email "... can you pls follow up on aaa, work with xxx and resolve..." [email contains background of situation etc etc]

no reply

next day

me:email "...fyi and pl work with xxx on this. can you pl stay on top of this ..."

no reply

yesterday

me:sms "... by the way, did you receive the emails that i sent you on aaa last week? i did not get any reply from you..."

staff:sms "... yes i received the emails and all xxx are cleared"

me:sms "...thanks, i don't know because i did not get any reply from you..."

silence from staff

question: how did i feel and what do i conclude about staff?

first, issues that i had sent to staff for resolution is important. my email to staff to take charge is an instruction that needs to be followed through. when there is no reply after the first email, i was fine because we are all swarmed with email and will need some time to get to. when there is no reply after the second email, i am beginning to wonder whether the matter will receive timely attention... still my negative perceptions are no cast in stone. however when i realised that the staff member actually received all the emails and have failed to reply with even a simple "ok" as acknowledgement, i begin to wonder if i am being ignored - an opportunity for miscommunication. maybe the staff is so engrossed in getting the assigned work done that he/ she had neglected to reply, maybe i am not being ignored after all. but in the absence of other information, can i conclude otherwise?

third, a somewhat positive (and witty) example within the setting of physical meeting with a deadline for delivery the next day assigned...

me (at meeting): "... i would like to see aaa done by tomorrow..."

today (the "tomorrow") at 6pm, i was out of office by 3pm to make a visit to another hospital but did not see aaa and was unsure whether aaa will be done, so i sent an sms

me: " ... will aaa be put up today?"

within 1 minute

staff: "... are you here, or is it telepathy? we are outside your office handing aaa now..."

How did i feel about this communication? frankly i sent the reply because i want to be encouraged that staff will keep to what they promised in the form of a deadline. if it is done, i will have greater confidence in the staff and if not i would like to use it as an education about deadlines. i would have loved an sms to tell me when i can expect aaa to be done but i thought the witty sms reply helped. i laughed when i read the sms, feeling assured i went about doing what i was doing... happy actually.

we really need to manage our communication well, otherwise we stand to be misunderstood and worst still trust is eroded. the one thing that i have learnt all these years is that trust once lost will take a long time to rebuild or in some cases never regained. if there is a simple principle that i use, it is when in doubt how much to communicate to your boss - err on the side of over communicating. simple acknowledgement helps.

in the absence of information, all of us draw our own conclusions, sometimes rightly and many times wrongly. this would be so unfortunate.

personally, i will speak with the staff concerned because the electronic medium is never the best sole medium for communication. however with greater adoption and the fast speed of life, we depend on it. use it, don't abuse it, most of all don't be its victim.

a simple reply can save lots of trouble... views?

A case of the decline of the famous roti prata!

i live a stone throw away from what one might be considered to be The roti prata shop in singapore. as i drove back home tonight, i cannot help but realised that the number of vehicles outside the "famous" roti prata is noticeably few. the tables were largely empty and servers were hanging around idling. this is a far cry from the bustling activities during the era (just some 3-5 years ago) when the shop was famous. however, further up the road, there is a new kid on the block in the same business of roti prata. their business was roaring with people, the new carpark next to them was packed, so was the road directly opposite. the ideal scene where the uninitiated and the hungry stomachs will readily stop by to refill, as this must be the "famous roti prata shop". if not famous, why so many people?!

i tried roti prata from both shops before. in fact, i think i started eating the famous roti prata before it became famous because my primary school was there. why did i switch? why is it that i no longer frequent the famous roti prata anymore and readily settle for the new kid? are others also switching for the same reasons? why would people from all over singapore converge at the kampong and not eat the "famous roti prata", in which case they could have eaten any roti prata right?

first, pride of being the "famous roti prata". i feel pride got into their heads, they must have started to think that my roti prata is so good, customer will suit us regardless. they started "unroti-prata" practices. they stopped waiting on the tables. they make customers queue up to place order for their roti prata, introduced minimum order (...sorry, minimum 2 kosong prata...), pay before you can eat your prata. if you think this is nothing, afterall you queue at the banks too, think again. imagine, you have started on your prata using your hands and you crave for 2 more prata; by now, you hands are stained with curry and oil. previously all you have to do is to put up your hand and call out " 2 kosong" - the kosong prata will come and you continue with the makan heaven and then make payment at the end for the full meal. with the process change, you have to stop - breaking the momentum, clean your hands and join the queue to order and pay for the 2 extra roti prata, return to your seat and wait for the prata to be processed in sequential order. by the time they arrived, you would have arrived too - this time in your patience. while all this is happening, the new kid comes up with excellent service which is so simple, sit, order, eat and then pay... how nice!

second, sticking to the past and not innovating for the future. this "famous roti prata" serves the same items for the last many many years. consider the new kid, they have roti prata with ice cream, milo earthquake and has added lots of other dishes as well to suit the taste buds of the evolving generations. don't get me wrong, i think it is important to stick to the basic (rota prata) too, but if it no longer is the differentiator (new kids' roti prata is very good too), then other factors will become important.

third, deliver value. some of you, like me would have realised it too - the roti prata at the "famous roti prata" keeps getting smaller and smaller and the prices keep going up. a few prata, a drink and curry can easily set one back by more than $10. think about it, no aircon, no service, no variety, same old taste... more than $10?!

so it is possible to go from "famous" to "not famous"... no need to read "in Search of Excellence" by tom peters to get example, this roti prata example is already quite illuminating.

is there a lesson for organisations and hospitals? i think so...