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Saturday, June 13, 2009 It Pays to ServeSingaporeans are ardent shoppers. They will locate any shopping outlet even if it is at the corner of the earth. It is a truth that I realised when I travelled to the States with my classmates.Singapore is a shoppers' paradise. Unfortunately, we don't have stores that boast the best service. It's a wonder whether the sales staff are even trained before they are appointed. Shopping in Singapore can be very claustrophic. As soon as you enter a store, you will either have a salesgirl staring at you or tailing you around. Many times, I have exited a store without browsing because I could sense a salesgirl watching me at arm's length. My friends have also complained about similar situations. It is understood that sales people have a duty to watch over the stores from shoplifters but I'm sure this could be done discretely. When I was in U.S, I recall receiving the same kind of service, no matter which store I walked into. The sales girl would greet,"Hello. How are you doing today?" and they would proceed to, "Let me know if you need anything." Then, they would continue with their work. (Another thing that I would like to point out. Our sales people are extremely free!) Now could this scenario be viewed as the salesgirl not doing her job and that she is going to let a shoplifter get away scot free? No, she is still keeping a watchful eye but in her own space. Trust me. These people know you. Once I walked into a store for the second time and the salesgirl went, "Oh! You're back again," and she smiled. You wouldn't want to mess with them. Another notable trait in our sales people is that, they have NO product knowledge. ZILCH! You could walk into a store and ask them about a product and the first reaction would be to look around to see if their colleague knew the answer to your question. How do you sell something when you don't even know what it is all about??? That's exactly what happened today when my classmates and I went to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to find answers for a small segment of our assignment. We could not find information for one of the questions and my classmate approached the "ranger" at the information counter. She asked him if there were any invasive species that affect the forest. The guy shook his head. He did not know the answer. The next thing he said was that we need to register if we're exploring for a school project. My classmate enquired about the registration and he replied, "Through the Internet." So were we supposed to go back home, register through the Internet and return to the Reserve? Do these people realise what they're saying?? We told him that we were not on a school excursion. We were simply looking for answers for the questions that our lecturer gave us. Anyway, he was no help. Back in Oklahoma, our lecturer brought us on an excursion to the Wichita Mountains. Nick, the guide, also the ranger shared with us all that he knew about the mountains, including its history. Nick also helped us answer our quiz questions. I do not understand Singapore's priority when it comes to service. Especially, when tourism is so important to us. Forget that. Whatever happened to job commitment? It doesn't matter which job we do but shouldn't we make an effort to know what it is all about before we carry out a task? How do you sell or promote when you don't even know what your product is about? The sales people may not care for they are not the ones collecting the profit. But wouldn't it be nice to do a job well and not just for the incentives? This is something to think about. I have just the story for the situation..... Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked a timber merchant for a job, and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the working conditions. He would receive commission for each tree he brought down. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.  The first day, the woodcutter brought down 18 trees. "Congratulations," the boss said. "Go on that way!" Very motivated for the boss’ words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring down 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring down 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing down less and less trees. "I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked. "Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees..." That's how our sales people work. They have been busy watching over the bosses' property that they have forgotten to hone their skills and help their bosses double the sales. Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night. - Marian Wright Edelman Labels: To Think About Thachayini Coffee Talk at 3:59 PM
Thursday, June 11, 2009 DD's - Detach and Delegate A myth that I read some time ago comes to mind.Once Sage Narada (the troublemaker) approached Lord Vishnu and asked him, "Why should one be a sanyasin (celibate) to attain enlightenment? Why can't the espoused attain enlightment?" The Lord simply smiled and replied, "I'm thirsty. Get me a tumbler of water from the River ______ (sorry I can't remember the name)." Narada withdrew from the Lord and went to the river to fetch some water. Just then, he saw a lovely young lady on the other side of the bank and fell head over heels in love with her. (Naradar is a celestial being, however this could be taken into context that he was an avatar.) Hence, he met up with his lady love and took her hand in marriage. Soon, they had two children and he was living in bliss with his family. One day, he received news that the river was going to rise and flood the village. Narada tried to flee with his family. However, he was too late for the river had begun to rise. He struggled to get across with his family. The current proved to be too strong. He could barely keep afloat, let alone save his family. Feeling defeated, he finally surrendered to his will and called out to the Lord. Just then, he heard a gentle voice call him. He looked behind and it was the Lord gracing his presence in full divinity. "Narada, I asked you for a tumbler of water. But I see a stream running in here!" he jested.  Narada understood the message the Lord had meant to convey; It is not impossible to attain enlightenment as an espoused but it is easier when one is free from attachment." He left his mortal life and followed the Lord back to the celestial world. I would like to make reference to my life with this story. No, I'm not a sanyasin and I'm not planning to be one. Unbeknownst to me, there are lessons that I need to learn through my current role. There are times I feel overwhelmed for I have to assume several roles in one incarnation. I am the breadwinner, home-maker, parent, child, student and dreamer (or should I say dream achiever?) What ever my lesssons are, I will learn them in time to come. However, through my experience, there is one lesson that I have learnt, It is within human limits to do anything but we're not meant to do everything. Labels: Reflection Thachayini Coffee Talk at 9:01 PM
Sunday, June 7, 2009 Talk on Total WellBeingI received an invitation to a free talk by Vision Plus++. The objective of the talk was to promote Total WellBeing; to a live a life of balance, ease and holistic wellbeing.It did not take me very long to decide whether I wanted to attend it. It was a topic right in my alley. Hence, on Saturday, 6th of June, I was at Sunlove Neighbourhood Link along Chai Chee Avenue ready to bask in the wisdom that was to be bestowed upon me. The first speaker, Mr Shatrughan Yadav (fondly known as Uncle Yadav) touched on Holistic Wellbeing.  He began his talk with the code E.P.M.S. It stood for Emotional, Physical, Mental and Spirtual. He explained that the emotional state is fundamental to total wellbeing. When emotions are straightened up, everything else falls in place. He also shared with the listeners, methods and practices for emotional wellbeing.  He went on to explain the function of the conscious and unconscious mind. As the first step to remove the clutter from the mind, he suggested removing the clutter from our households. I found this particularly interesting and hopeful. Cleaning the house would definitely be much easier than containing the mind. Uncle Yadav also suggested writing down on a piece of the paper the anger we hold towards one. Then, burn it. (Another consolation. I feared that he would tells us to mail it.) He guaranteed that the exercise would free us from any form of derogative attachment. As it has always been preached, he also emphasized on the need to love. Gifting and forgiving are the two natures of love. As a finale to his session, he got the listeners to sit in a circle and close their eyes. He got us into the meditative mode and told us to visualise a person who has angered us. He, then told us to forgive that person. The objective of the exercise was to release the anger and learn to forgive. Amazingly, I saw myself in my vision. I guess we all have our days when we feel that we're responsible for everything that happens around us. I did feel slightly better after the exercise.  The next speaker, Komal had an interesting and insightful knowledge to share with the audience. He touched on the ayurvedic knowledge about the body. He advocated that the body is linked to the five elements; air,water,fire, earth and space. Two of each elements are combined and structured into three segments; Varta, Pitta and Kappa. Individuals could fall under either one of the segments or a combination of any of the two.  This was new knowledge to me. I never realised that we were so connected to the elements. It was amazing to know that the fundamentals of the human structure, characteristics and diet can be determined by our connection with these elements. It brought about an understanding to the diversity in the human nature and that each individual is designed to carry out a specific task. Personally, I felt that my attributes were a combination of Pitta and Kappa. More of Kappa, in fact. The last speaker, Mr Guna presented on the Art of Giving. I believed that I knew the basics of giving but it turned out to be an eye-opener, or should I say, a "mind-opener"?  He touched on giving to receive. He emphasized on the importance of detaching ourselves from the gift when we give. He engaged the audience, particularly me, to explain this theory. He also mentioned the need to give others what they want rather than what we think is best for them. Though, the principle appears to be the obvious, through his examples of humourous events, I realised at times we can be insensitive to others' needs when we choose to give. An example, he quoted was during the Tsunami relief. People donated high-heeled shoes and bikinis to the victims. When giving, the intention is important.  It made me reflect on my personal encounters. On the occasions that I had given, it made me think whether I had done so wholeheartedly. It is important for the intention to be noble when giving. Mr Guna, also touched on the dilemma that most of us face in our daily lives. This was particularly important to me for when I'm approached by people for monetary help, often I'm caught because I'm not sure whether they are being truthful. He explained that it is not up to us to judge the individual. If we feel that he/she will spend it on booze instead of food, then buy that individual food or share your food with him/her. He also emphasized on the need to listen to the heart to know whether it is right to help one and not be duped. Not an easy feat but not impossible either. :) The talk was enriching and it opened up my mind. These plain-clothes yogis, as I would call them, touched on a different angle on each of the topics. Not something that I had commonly known or considered. Hence, it goes without saying that, "The known is just a drop whilst the unknown is the ocean." |
