Father Sez

Continuing our series on 5 S….. as consistent practice and application of the 5 S Methodology helps to form a strong foundation for our journey into continuous incremental improvements in our workplace, homes and lives.  

We have already covered SEIRI and SEITON.

Let’s now look at the 3^rd S, SEISO, as quoted from SiliconFarEast.com

SEISO, the third step in “5S”, says that ‘everyone is a janitor.’  SEISO consists of cleaning up the workplace and giving it a ’shine’.  Cleaning must be done by everyone in the organization, from operators to managers. It would be a good idea to have every area of the workplace assigned to a person or group of persons for cleaning. No area should be left uncleaned. Everyone should see the ‘workplace’ through the eyes of a visitor - always thinking if it is clean enough to make a good impression.

This is so self explanatory, don’t you think?.

We should look at everything and everyplace from the view point of a visitor. Is the place clean enough? Can the place be cleaner?

I think no one can possibly dispute the benefits of having a clean environment. Be it workplace, the home or the community. Rather than letting the place go all year around, and then having one massive clean up every once in a while, SEISO calls for continuous cleanliness.

A little cleaning a day, made even littler since it is done by everyone, would make even the fabled Aegean stables as clean as a whistle.

Malaysians are notorious for not maintaining their environments. We do have some redeeming features though. The famous Gotong Royong, where everyone pitches in to participate in a community activity, which is understandably more often than not a community clean up.            

A community clean up operation in progress…Indonesia. (Image credit: Google) 

Cleanliness is next to Godliness….it has been said…..very wisely I think.

Let us practice SEISO everyday, and do our part in keeping our homes, workplaces, ourselves and our environments clean.

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The Fathersez family have just passed another milestone. The first two children have finished their tertiary education and have just secured their first jobs. As they leave the family house to stay on their own and pursue their careers, what can I tell them? 

Though I have talked to them a little about working life being very different from living at home as our kids, I have not addressed in any detail the steps they can and should take now to better manage their career. Starting on the right foot, so to speak. 

Perhaps the best way would be to write to them. 

Dear Along and Azah, 

Assalamu’alaikum Wrt! Wbt! 

Your Mama and I have done our best to raise you both with love, care and kindness. Along the way, we may have made mistakes. After all, the both of you were our first experiences at raising children. 

Alhamdulillah, both of you have now grown up as responsible young ladies. And as the next phase of your lives as self subsisting adults start, please take some time to go through this letter. 

1.     Cultivate a positive and “can-do” attitude. Approach each day positively. Tell yourselves that if others have done it before you, there is no reason why you cannot. And if you ever feel down, take a short walk and sing a song. Hakunama Tata is good. This song about the no worries philosophy should cheer up anyone.  

2.     Watch, ask and learn as much as you can. Absorb as much as you can like a sponge. As freshies, you are entitled to ask and learn. And believe me, everyone likes to teach. Ask nicely and thank everyone for every bit of learning you get. Remember that from now on, you have to seek knowledge. Gone are the days, when you both will sit in some lecture room and a lecturer comes to give you knowledge.  

3.   Do not fear making mistakes. Only those who do nothing make no mistakes. And have no fear owning up if you have made any. 

4.   Be nice and civil to everyone. Not everyone has been brought up the way you have been and things which you think are small may not be to others. Respect the feelings of others. And remember our Fathersez’s family’s 3 laws of getting along with people.   

5.   Dress appropriately. I think your Mama has already taught you both well. Still don’t forget that it’s better to overdress than the other way around.  

6.   Put in the hours. Finish each and every piece of work you have been assigned and do it well. Do not be a clock watcher. Check each piece of work that you do before you hand it up. And then ask your supervisors if there is anything else you can do to help. Get yourselves known as the “anything else to do girls”. 

7.   Take time to understand the corporate culture. Make as many friends as you can and learn from all of them. Everyone has something to teach us. 

8.   Cut off all the time wasting activities. Texting and chatting online can wait. Value your time and use the time well. Of all the resources available, time is the only thing that is irreplaceable. Even Bill Gates has 24 hours a day. 

9.   I want to quote some of Free Money Finance’s sound advice here to make the most of your job. He suggests that you should get a mentor, hitch to a rising star and volunteer for projects. He also says that you should know your boss’s priorities, and know what she wants done and do it. Other gems are communicating the way your boss does (If he prefers email, use it. If phone, use that.), be curious and make yourself more interesting to be around.

And finally start working immediately on creating your own brand. Get yourselves known as people who are dependable and have integrity. Employers do form  opinions of their employees and I think this is a great brand to aim for. 

Well, my little princesses, both of you are now leaving the Fathersez household. This year, your Mama and Papa will not be giving you any Hari Raya money. Instead the both of you now have to give your younger siblings and the many nephews and nieces that you have. This is part of growing up and being adults. 

Remember that your career may be one of the most valuable assets that you ever own. Manage it well, and make it work for you. I have made my share of mistakes in not managing my career and want to make sure you both do not end of repeating the mistakes.

All the best as you start off in your careers. And whatever may happen, the both of you will always be your Mama and Papa’s little princesses. 

Wassalam,  

Papa    

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As the present harsh economic realities sink deeper and deeper into our lives, we are forced to look harder and harder for ways and means to make our Dollar (or Ringgit or Yen or Rupee or whatever) stretch further. Frugal ways of living become the norm. Wants are tossed aside as we struggle to meet our needs. 

This situation also forces us to look out for ways to improve our income. We look far and wide for such opportunities and our minds may become more susceptible to “get rich quick scams.” 

I am not sure if there are any scientifically proven relations between rising scams, fraud and con jobs during harsh economic times, but it sure feels like it. 

The world has already been exposed to the Nigerian scams, or what is commonly known as 419 schemes. Variations of these scams are now circulating over the Internet, seeking the gullible amongst us to invest or to pay some sort of fee in the promise of some untold riches.  

We, Malaysians have been exposed to a variety of scams. And some of us are still falling for them. 

Like this lady who lost a total of RM200,000 (US$ 62,500) in the belief that she had won RM90,000. 

And this lady who tried to ward away bad luck and ended up getting a lot more than she bargained for.  

And yet another lady who fell for the “I am from your bank and I need your credit card as there is a virus in the chip” line.  

It seems that certain types of people are more susceptible to fall for scams. The victims are usually: 

-         married men, (despite the examples above)

-         have college degrees, (so education does not seem to be a major diferentiator)

-         more optimistic about the future,

-         earn more than USD30,000 and

-         those who rely on themselves for investment decisions. 

I also think there has to be an element of greed involved, in that the victims expect returns that are ballistic.  

There is a lot of skill involved in scamming. Those of us who have seen scam themed movies like “The Sting” can appreciate the amount of planning and precision that was put into the whole exercise.  

These scam artists are now armed with technology and throw their nets far and wide at negligible costs. Even if one or two victims are caught in the net and reeled in, the ROI’s the scam artists gain are truly phenomenal. 

As fears of economic depression gather steam the scam artists are going to have a field day getting their victims.

Over the last six months, I have been approached by: 

- a person who called my mobile number and claimed to be calling from our High Courts on some offence that I was supposed to have committed. Luckily our local papers had been carrying stories about such scams so I was able to get off. (The scam is to frighten the victim that they were being charged by the Anti Narcotics police and that all their bank accounts would be frozen. They would then be “advised” to transfer their money to a “safe” account, which of course would be emptied soon after by persons unknown.  

- a person who emailed me claiming to be working for a reputable London jeweller. She claimed that the jeweller was buying some cleaning fluids which could be obtained from Malaysia at a fraction of the sales price. She wanted me to be her agent so that I could buy the stuff and export it to her. 

- a person who claimed that his client, a philanthropist had died leaving a fortune and his will required that the money be given to another philanthropist. And that my name had been selected! 

I urge each and everyone of us to be even more careful now. When approached by people we don’t know (these days the approached are usually by text messages and email) offering fantastic investment opportunities…..just stay away. 

As bloggers we can also do something about these scams. We, too, can spread the word around. We can tell ourselves, our family members and friends about any scam that we run into and remind them that opportunities that are too good to be true are usually just that.  

Additional useful readings: -

a) Former con victim, Annie McGuire’s web page to help prevent fraud 

b) The FBI’s page on some common fraud schemes. 

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Image Credit: flickr.com 

Recently I have noticed spikes in traffic coming from Stumble Upon.

As I am still technically and technologically challenged, I have not been able to determine who Stumbled the posts.

I must admit that, as a new and inexperienced blogger, I feel a tremendous rush whenever I see this spike in traffic. Just like the baby…..you can’t get happier than a happy child, that’s for sure.

I just want to say many, many thanks to those of you who Stumbled the posts.

God bless you all!

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Since February 08, I have written a series of articles on how I intended to help my daughters secure jobs they would like. The first article in the series, posted on the 24^th February covered an overview of the process and the last article that covered the preparation for the interview was posted on the 4^th May 2008. 

At the time of writing these articles, both the elder girls were still in college. In April the second girl returned home after completing her studies in Finance and Accounting whilst the eldest girl, Along, returned on the 10^th June 08 after completing her studies in Psychology at the University of Bangor, Wales.  

Along, our eldest has always wanted to work with children. (However it seems that her younger sisters and brother don’t quite count….hehe.) She has gotten a job with an educational company teaching children. Along will be involved in evaluating the methods of teaching used by the institute. She has indicated that she might pursue her Masters in Educational Psychology in a Malaysian University on a part time basis.  

Azah, the second has gotten a job with one of the Big 4 (or 5 or 6) accounting firms. With no experience, she would be starting at the bottom of the ladder (as I did so many years ago.) And yes, she’s well aware of Steve’s concerns over working one’s heart out in the Big 4 or 5 or 6 firms.  

My wife and I are very happy for them, as they prepare to step out of the Fathersez household to begin their lives as self sustaining adults. We believe we have done our best to educate them, at least the basics, of life skills and have no doubt that they’ll do justice to the Fathersez name.  I am now working on the talks with them on the next phase of their lives, career as well as financial.

Above all, I want to try to ensure that they do not make the gross mistake I did in not managing my career. 

Today, as I see the looks of joy on the kids’ faces, now that they have secured their first jobs, I want to thank God and all the very kind bloggers whose resources were freely made available to me. 

On the top of the list would be Free Money Finance, who has a truly rich and extensive resource list on careers. 

Clever Dude, Life Clever, Job Mob and Gather Little by Little are also blogs I referred to frequently whilst writing my series.  And of course the indefatigable Squawkfox, who is also running a series on the intricacies of a job hunt. 

I thank God and all of you for this “gift”.

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Picture Credit: Google Images 

The Carnival of Personal Finance has chalked up its 3^rd Anniversary. This 3^rd Anniversary edition was hosted by Consumerism Commentary, the blog which also has the distinction of having started off the Carnival with the 1^st edition being posted on the 20^th June 2005! 

I particularly enjoyed the following posts: 

a)    Alex is of the view that we can get rich by helping others, and he has a solid argument to support his case. (He thinks the term “trade” may not convey the same emotional meaning . Read his post and find out if you agree.)  

b)    Jake has reached what he calls the end of the road. Luckily one of his readers has worked out a plan that might get Jake out of the pits. It needs discipline and commitment, but then, when we are at the end of the road, should we not be d and c and try to get out! Jake should also remember that “Rock bottom should be the solid foundation on which to re-build his life.”  

 c)     Dog Ate my Finances is doing some soul searching. It seems that being the one in the family with the biggest paycheck had lulled her senses into spending a little too much. Thus not only missing her debt reduction goals, but getting deeper into debt. I think that if she continues to blog about her finances, the motivation will be strong. 

d)     Dorian gives 9 tips on how to actively manage our careers. I wish I had read this post years ago. I have listed “not managing my career” as one of the biggest mistakes of my life.  

e)    Uncommon Cents gives some great advice. We should look at everything in our life and evaluate whether it is a need or a want, and even if it is a need, we should check if it could be done in more frugal ways. Really sound advice indeed. 

This is the great thing about the Carnival. The articles presented are many and address a great many issues many of us face or might be soon facing. So there should be always something for everyone.  

Go on  and take a look, yourself.   

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What do you want your life to look like…organized or diorganized?

Picture Credits: Google Images 

Last week we talked about “SEIRI”, the 1^st “S” of the 5S methodology that forms the cornerstone of Japanese manufacturing practices. 

Consistent practice and application of the 5 S Methodology helps to form a strong foundation for our journey into continuous incremental improvements in our workplace, homes and lives.  

Today let’s look at the 2^nd “S”. 

As quoted from SiliconFarEast.com

Seiton

Seiton, or orderliness, is all about efficiency.  This step consists of putting everything in an assigned place so that it can be accessed or retrieved quickly, as well as returned to that same place after use.  If everyone has quick access to an item or materials, work flow becomes efficient, and the worker becomes productive. 

The correct place, position, or holder for every tool, item, or material must be chosen carefully in relation to how the work will be performed and who will use them.  Every single item must be allocated its own place for safekeeping, and each location must be labeled for easy identification of what it’s for.  

All of us must have at one time another seen some workshop, where more time is spent in looking for tools or parts than actually doing the service.  Examples may be motor workshops with wrenches, pliers and screwdrivers strewn all over the workshop floor. The mechanic will be spending time looking for spanners and pliers amongst a disorganized pile of tools. 

Other examples may be we ourselves spending time looking for car keys, remote controls, the fever medicine that we are sure we have, etc. 

Time wasting and unproductive activities done only because we did not store or keep them in their assigned places.                        

It is clear SEITON has its place in our daily lives, in our workplaces and our homes. 

The more established blogs have written about the usefulness of organization in our lives. I don’t think I can do better, so I am providing the links. 

a) Clever Dude’s guest post on Five Cent Nickel on organizing one aspect, i.e. tax records, 

b) Get Rich Slowly talks about how keeping everything in its place helps in organizing our finances, 

c) Dumb Little Man’s excellent write up on the 7 secrets of the super organized and

d) The Simple Dollar’s take on the value of getting organized. 

Make an attempt to be organized.  

Keeping everything back in its rightful place after use is a step that we should practice as a matter of course.  

This is SEITON at its best.

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Some years ago I worked for a boss who was one of the best communicators I have ever known. He could colourfully describe almost any management fad or theory in such a simple manner that anyone could understand.    

His description of getting ISO certification was his “Bengkang Theory”. No Malaysian can profess not knowing what a “bengkang” is. It is a local Malaysian delicacy served at almost every function, and we have busloads of functions all year around.  

A Malaysian delicacy……..a bengkang cake.  For a recipe, please check out this site.

My former boss’s theory was that: 

If the correct and required amount of ingredients are listed, and the way to mixing them up shown clearly, and the temperature setting of the oven and time needed in the oven are stated, then any body could make a “Bengkang”. 

So relatively complicated tasks can be simplified in such a manner that novices can produce the desired results on a consistent basis. 

And for our goat farm, we intend to implement and practice this Bengkang Theory.  

The farm will be manned by workers who do not have degrees or diplomas. The workers would be just normal people with basic intelligence and perhaps a lot more street smarts than the most of us who read blogs like this one. 

My intention is :- 

a)    Sit with the workers and prepare simple drawings of the basic work flow and processes. 

b)    Go through with the workers on these processes until there is complete and clear understanding. 

c)     Prepare checklists for the repetitive work to be done daily, weekly and monthly. And let them have the freedom to simplify the work processes as they go along. These simplified processes, once agreed upon to be re-documented and the process repeated.  

The primary goal is to keep the goat sheds scrupulously clean, and the goats well fed, healthy and reproducing profusely.  

If we get this right….the rest should be easy.  Time will tell.        

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Google Images 

Since January this year I have been giving weekly allowances to my younger children.  

Abang, our only son who is 13 and his sister, Nana, 12 years old both get allowances, whilst the youngest Ain, 9 years old has been told to wait.  (I thought she was a little too young.) 

Abang and Nana also have to write up their receipts and payments in an accounts book which they have to show me each time they receive their allowance. 

And they have to save at least 10% of their allowances. 

On the 2^nd June, all four of us went to the bank and banked in their savings into their accounts. (In Ain’s case, I contributed some money. I was a little surprised when she reminded me about the promise I had made on her savings.) 

Now we have changed the allowance interval to monthly for Abang and Nana. They still have to keep their accounts books updated, and save at least 10%.  

Ain has also asked for an allowance and an accounts book. She has been started off on a weekly allowance and I have showed her how to write up her accounts. She surprised me with her understanding of how the spending should be done. I think she will be a frugal spender.  

These are the money lessons we have learnt over the last 5 months. 

a)    The boy “misplaced” his accounts book. As such I could not sit with him and reconcile the amounts shown as “savings” in his accounts book and the amount banked in. This upset me a bit. A new book has been bought for him to start the monthly accounts, and he has been given a “lecture” on not to misplace the book again.  

b)    Nana, on the other hand, went out with her friends on an outing and spent almost all her savings. She now fully understands how easy it is to spend something that took so long to save up. Her record keeping is meticulous and, I must say, excellent.  

The lessons may not seem much, still, my children have learnt more in the past 5 months than in all their lives before this. I have some regrets about not starting this allowance system earlier, but better late than never, right?

At least some hard money lessons are being learnt now and the stage is being set for the “always earn more than you spend” talk with my children.                

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Last week was pretty hectic.  

My wife and I went to Tanjong Balai, an Indonesian port that is about an hour’s ferry ride from Malaysia, for sourcing the Indonesian workers for our goat farm.  If all goes according to plan, the 2 workers should be in our farm by the end of this month. 

My eldest daughter returned home from Wales after completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.  

Meanwhile posts that I think are worthy of mention are listed here.

Malaysian fuel prices were raised by a whopping 41%, to RM2.70 a litre on the stroke of midnight, the 4^th of June 08. This is going to (actually it already has) unleash a tsunami of price increases across the board. Malaysians now have to tighten their belts and it’s not going to be easy to tighten one’s belt by at least 20% overnight! 

A guest post on Clever Dude makes some compelling points for the better side of debt. The roads to all mistakes are paved with good intentions, so if we are not disciplined, then all debt becomes bad. If we are disciplined, debt can be a useful tool.

The Chief Family Officer celebrates the 3^rd anniversary of her blog. And the Dude who is also Clever celebrates his 2^nd!  To the CFO and CD, my heartiest congratulations on your anniversaries and all the best for many more to come.  

I found Pinyo’s post on how he started the M Network very informative. Over the past year, I have seen a couple of networks being formed and it looks like a good idea. Maybe I should try to see if I can help form a Malaysian PF Group.  

Congratulations to the Frugal Duchess on the launch of her first book, “How to Live Well and Save”.  She is a great writer and has shown her prowess at frugality in her blog postings, so I’m sure her book will be a great success. 

This post by Jeff on following our dreams and desires was an inspiring one for me. Especially his No: 3 …..”Don’t be afraid to fail”. This statement dovetailed well with another quote I read earlier, attributed to JR Rowlings….Rock bottom is the rock solid foundation on which I shall build my future…..or something to that effect. 

The fear of failure keeps us from trying to live our dreams. Reading inspiring posts like Jeff’s helps in overcoming these fears.  

The Art of Manliness had an interesting listing of good and bad TV Dads. My favourite role model would have to be Dr. Huxtable, that witty cheerful doctor who has a way of resolving every issue a family with 5 kids could possibly encounter. 

Have a great weekend, folks.   

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