The good works of Soup Kitchens

I read in the news today that the Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan is asking Soup Kitchens in KL to move out of HIS city and not help the homeless people on HIS streets anymore because HIS city's image is very bad.

I am not going to argue with that because I really do not want to stoop so low especially during this holy month of Ramadan.

Today I would like to share with everyone the good works Soup Kitchens are doing on a daily basis, in particular Kechara Soup Kitchen (KSK) as I had the fortune of volunteering with them on many occasions.

As we would all expect, a soup kitchen serves food to the homeless people. But it is not all that they do. KSK in particular do so much more than feed the homeless community. Serving food to the homeless people is just the very first step to connect and to gain their trust. With the connection that the soup kitchens have made with the homeless community, the sky is the limit as to how we can help get these homeless people back on their feet and off the streets.

Many people have the impression that all homeless people deserve to be in their situation and should not be helped. Yes I admit that there are homeless people who got themselves into such situations but there are also many who were forced into being homeless for various reasons. Regards of the reasons, we should not discriminate.

I had the fortune of volunteering with KSK so I have seen with my own eyes and even spoke to some of the homeless people and I can tell you that many of them although have made some mistakes in the past, are willing to do whatever it takes to get back on their feet and off the streets. All they need is a little support from the community and this is where Soup Kitchens like KSK play a major role.

Below are some of the many things KSK is doing to help the homeless community.


Medical Care via Kechara Mobile Clinic

Haircut by volunteers

Providing food to the hardcore poor via Kechara Food Bank

- KSK also provides a space for the homeless community to do their laundry

- Provide counselling services

- Help connect them to jobs

- Help connect them to Nursing, Old folks homes

 

Below are some of the many cases of KSK helping the homeless community to get back on their feet. Do head over to those links to read:

- Four more homeless off the streets

- Off the street – Ganapati and Shila with their son Jonathan

- Better vision for Uncle Ong

- Helping Chris

- Securing Ng’s future

All that I have shared above are only a small part of what Soup Kitchens like KSK is doing for the homeless community. There is so much more they do on a daily basis to help these homeless people to get back on their feet and off the streets.

More importantly soup kitchens provide a lot of care and support to the homeless community which is something they do not get often. Caring for the homeless people who are part of our community is not wrong.

I really hope the FT Ministry will reconsider their actions. The Ministry should be working with these soup kitchens instead of getting rid of them.Perhaps Tengku Adnan should volunteer with the soup kitchens to see the real situation.

To read more of the good works Kechara Soup Kitchen is doing, head on to their website (http://www.kechara.com/soup-kitchen/) and facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/KSKPage)


*All information and images are extracted from KSK website and FB page

Two reasons why I treasure my job

I think I was very lucky to land my current job. My job scope is actually very simple. All I have to do is produce a defined set of results every day and i'm done. This is the simplest way to define my job but looking at it deeper, there is more than just the defined results.

Today I would like to share with you two reasons why I treasure my job. 

1) The potential of growth - Although my job is simple, I personally think it has so much potential to become something more. I treat it like a start-up. A start-up where a simple idea can be turned into something massive. 

I am not the kind of person who can sit still and follow a set of rules every single day for the rest of my life. I like to move, innovate and hopefully create something out of it. So in this job, while others may just look at it as a simple task, I look at it as a rough diamond. A rough diamond after it is cut will turn into a gem of the company. 

I actually do not have a plan in mind yet on how I can improve my job but since I've decided to stay, I definitely will not sit still. I will challenge myself to bring improvement to both the team and myself. 

My point is that we can grow in any position, department and company if we really want to. The onus is on us to want to improve. With this mindset, we will naturally think of ways to improve our jobs which in turn serves the company and ourselves good. It is a win-win situation for sure. 

2) The people - At this time and age, no employers will disagree that the most important asset of a company is the people. And I believe it is a mutual thing. One of the reasons why I decided to stay on is because I have good superiors. I respect them very much. For their care, knowledge, vision and leadership.

I have heard from a lot of my friends about their awful superiors so I am extremely thankful to have superiors who are not only good at their jobs but also care very much for their subordinates. Care not just career wise but also in terms of personal growth. I'm just a bit sad not everyone can see this in them. 

In this dog eat dog world, it is superbly rare to find a bunch of people who would genuinely care for you so it troubles me quite a bit when some people don't respect such good superiors. I really hope they realise it soon. 

Also, not forgetting my colleagues who I see almost every day. However different we are as a person, at work we work as a team. And I really hope we will become good friends too in the long run. That is something I treasure very much. Wouldn't it be nice to have a bunch of good friends to grow old with? 

So yup that sums up my two reasons. Now, why do you treasure your job?

Is being ambitious the key to happiness?

There are a few topics which I would like to write and share but I think this one is somewhat important to set the pace.

This morning when I woke up I read Timothy Tiah's blog. Timothy is the co-founder of Nuffnang and Churp Churp. He just turned 30 years old a couple days ago. My point in mentioning his age is not to point out that he's getting older but that at the age of 30 he is already living a rather comfortable life in terms of wealth. 

In the blog post I read titled A Conversation with my mother, Timothy had a conversation with his mom about being ambitious and wanting to chase the billion dollar buck which would usually catch my attention but it was this sentence that his mom said that really caught my attention. 

Why do we have to always be ambitious? Why can’t we just be happy?

The beauty of this sentence lies in its honesty. We often read in books and articles that we should dream big and never put a limit to our ambitions. While this may work for some individuals, it may not gel well with the rest of the world which are the majority. Imagine if everyone is just chasing success,wealth or wanting to be the best, what would the world become? A zombie land?

Back to my point, how often do we get people telling us that whatever we have now is enough for us to be happy? Greed is slowly turning us humans to robots. Robots with no emotions to be exact. And that's where the happiness lies, our emotions.

In this generation and age especially when it is easier to access information, it is also easier for us to lose ourselves in all the wealth and success we see. We get so engrossed in our delusions that we forget to stop, pause and reflect on the beauty of life we already have. Our family, our friends, the luxuries we already have and the beautiful environment surrounding us which we might destroy if continue to work through our limitless ambitions.

The point here is really simple if we are all willing to take a moment to reflect. While we all want to live a meaningful life and have all that we wish for, having more or wanting more does not guarantee happiness. As ironic as it sounds, happiness comes from within. Happiness is a choice whether and when we are rich, poor, healthy or ill.

It is not wrong for us to chase our dreams/ambitions. But in the process of that we should not forget and forgo the happiness we already have right now.

Wonderful how a simple sentence like that can have so much wisdom huh? Thank you Timothy for sharing this inspiring conversation you had with your mom!

Do I need to love my job to perform well?

The first of my job series! Will be writing a few more posts on the subject. 

Different people will have different answers for this question. Your answers will determine whether you're on the road to failure or success.

 Here are my answers.

1) I never enjoy working for others. 

For those who know me well, knows that I never enjoy working for others. So no matter how awesome my job is, as long as it means working for others, I will never love or enjoy my job. Sorry boss!

2) Will I perform well then?

In my opinion, performing and loving my job is two different things altogether. When we are attached to a job, we are expected to perform,whether or not we love our job. This is the basic requirement when we enroll ourselves to a job. Isn't it? This is how I define being responsible. So the basic answer is yes, I can and will perform well in my job even if I don't love it.

3) I don't love my job but I love my company.

This is the added advantage. Put in any situation I will do my best to perform as I am paid to do so. But being in an environment filled with positive vibes sure do help ease my ability to perform. So while I don't love my job, I am glad that the environment is positive and people in my company are fun bunch to work with.

4) My definition of performing well. 

Performing well can be defined very differently by different people. It can mean doing just enough for the salary you're paid for . Or it can also mean you do more than you're expected to. For me, I choose to do more. Doing more in the sense that the extra mile I go brings benefits to myself and also to others.

5) Why do I do more? 

I choose to do more because it brings benefits in the long run. Firstly, by doing more I am gaining more in terms of knowledge, experience, skills and respect. With these, I am at the edge over the others who choose to do just enough. And doing more to me also means doing things out of my job scope like organising activities that will enhance the knowledge, skills, relationship of all involved. I would like to say all these will be good for my CV but because my aim is to have my own venture, I hope I do not have to update my CV.

That saying so, I actually do enjoy my job! So what is your opinion? Can you perform well if you do not love/enjoy your job?

The Dyana Effect

Win or lose, at the end of the day what's most important is that  

THE RIGHT CHOICE WAS MADE.

So Dyana, the DAP candidate for Teluk Intan's by-election lost to Gerakan's President Mr Mah yesterday. It was a close fight. I am sure it was heart breaking for her and many other opposition leaders, volunteers and caring Malaysians who campaigned day in day out. This article is written especially for those who have fought hard in this battle.

There are already so many articles out there that are negative so I thought I should write something that will uplift the spirits of all who strive for a better Malaysia.

Well Dyana, if I am a voter in Teluk Intan I would have voted for you. For very logical reasons.

1) I personally believe that DAP made the right choice by fielding a young lady like you. You are educated, smart, energetic, clean and most importantly you embody a true Malaysian. A Malaysian who fights for all Malaysians. A Malaysian who cares for all Malaysians.

2) DAP showed their courage in risking a 'safe' seat for a better Malaysia. This is something we have not seen in Malaysia for a very long time. I was quite emotional when I first thought about this. I thought to myself that there are actually people who are not selfish for once. They know they were taking a big risk but yet they still did it because they knew it was a right move and I have to agree it was a brilliant move. Like the saying goes, we lost the battle but won the war. It was all done for a better Malaysia.

3) Some people said that Dyana was made a scapegoat in this by-election. I blame the education system in our country for these people's illogical thinking. Come on guys, do you think an intelligent person like Dyana is so stupid as to be made a scapegoat? People should be congratulating her for her courage and will to fight on till the very end. And the fact is that Teluk Intan was just the beginning of Dyana. So to all the naysayers, expect to see more of Dyana and also more of others who are inspired by Dyana.

4) YB Lim Kit Siang is a hero to me. I read somewhere that YB camped in Teluk Intan throughout the campaign period. I was very moved by this. We all know that YB Kit Siang is getting old but yet look at him, the fire in him for a better Malaysia still burns so strongly.

A young person like me would have been worn out in a campaign like this so imagine the pain YB had to go through and think to ourselves why is he doing it? I know for sure he does all these for us, the generation who will the leaders of tomorrow.

5) I've been talking about a better Malaysia but what really is a better Malaysia? A better Malaysia to me is a place where all Malaysians are treated equally. A place where race, religion and age are not barriers to us but serves as a guide for us to form a better relationship with one another. This is really what I hope to see in the near future. I maybe be a little too ambitious but there is no harm to dream big.

I sincerely thank everyone who were involved in Dyana's Teluk Intan move. It was brilliant and it gave hope to us ordinary Malaysians knowing that we have leaders who are ambitious and daring enough to take risks for a better Malaysia.

Philip Yong

#MH370 for the better

It is 1.15am right now. Almost 18 days since the #mh370 aircraft was reported missing. For me, these 18 days went by quite swiftly. But I am sure it isn't the same for the families of the crew and passengers aboard the aircraft. As much as I try to put myself in their position, I know I will never understand or feel the same pain and anxiety they went through.

While it may have been a tough time for the families these 18 days, today would have been the most difficult as it was made official the status of the aircraft. The aircraft was confirmed to be 'lost' or in other words, forever gone.

There were many speculations in this period of time and I was really hoping for the plane to be hijacked instead of crashed as I would like to hope for the survival rate and chance to be higher. Unfortunately it was the latter that happened.

But at the very least, we now have a closure. My deepest condolonces to the family members of the crew and passengers aboard #mh370. My heart also goes out to all who were involved in the SAR operation be it the various countries, governments, militaries, and all who were involved. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

In each and every tragedy there are lessons to be learned and there are wisdom to be unearthed. I shall attempt to put what I have learned in quotes.

'In dire situations there is no right or wrong. We can only do our best.'

'The pain and grief of the affected families will never be understood by us, the bystanders.'

'Life has many uncertainties. So what are we really living for?'

'Love is forever. But we do not have forever to love.'

'Regardless of race, religion and color, humans are naturally soft hearted and kind.'

'We may only live once, but how long or how short is this once? To risk or not to risk? Moderate is the answer.'

'We grief but do we care? If we do, then what's next? To continue living like before or to change our perspective of life?'

'Ignorant is only temporary bliss. True bliss comes from accepting and taking actions to improve for the better.'

'Stop perceiving and start believing.'