A Wild Man Unexpected Quality Journey

一个野人出乎意料质量的旅程
A Wild Man Unexpected Quality Journey

(March 2008-2018)

FSYQualipreneur: 2019 version 

Something about FSYQualipreneur that you might not know

My work always fills people with a sense of wonder and strength. I am a very independent funny-bone person who pays extreme attention in my teaching of Quality and Safety. My thoughts and feelings are always to make the workplace a little better each day and that people are able to work safely making Quality Certainty. 

I can teach and interact Quality and Safety whilst still enabling to maintain an amazing playfulness environment exploration and discovery of the revelation of Quality Work; Quality Life. 

I envision Make Money & Love Safety inextricably interweave in the working environment. Also, I do emphasise focussing on the importance of small and personal things as well as having awareness of the bigger picture of instilling Quality in business within the Organization.

Many that have attended my workshops always leaving with transformed, enriched and empowered feelings in the Unexpected Quality Journey.

A self-proclaimed Qualipreneur, Retired Regional TQM & HSE Manager with FMC Technologies. 

A Qualipreneur is a person who eats, walks, sleeps and dreams Quality with blood type "Q".

I am too an SME, (S)Shaker, (M)Mover & an (E)Enabler, who utilizes resources to Make More Money for all parties within the organization.

FSY Motto
赚钱第一; .安全在我心

A Letter of Recognition (1997)

A Letter of Recognition (1997)

My Journey of "subtraction" (A one-word Resolution)is almost reaching to the end of 2018, and I cannot deny that unboxing to declutter is a hell of a challenge!

However, there are gems to be found within these clutter like many interesting surprising old documents and memories reappearing in front of my eyes!

Here is another good old story to be shared is a letter from the management of my previous employer.

Another special bonus award in 1997 for the 1996 President's Safety Award.

Safety used to be HR functions in the good old days.

Then in 1996, our General Manager wanted me to take over in managing safety as well because at that instance I have done such a Quality job with the Total Quality Management (TQM).

Reluctantly, I assumed control of Safety from HR with an agreement from the management that I can hire someone with safety knowledge to be my advisor.

I managed to hire the best from the safety industry who is the President of the Singapore Institution of Safety Officers, Mr. Andrew Tan.

With him as my advisor, both of us worked tediously in turning a zero base safety system to a fully functioning and recognized system that received the Corporate President Safety Award.

Though this is history and not trying to brag. It is another episode from a guy who dares to take an opportunity given who has never been certified with any HSE certifications but managed to achieve excellence in his works!

I can achieve all these tasks successfully due to my strong belief in becoming an
(A) Agent for changes with always be
(B) Bold mentality;
(C) Courageous enough to
(D) Disagree and
(E) Encourage alternative views
.....that's FSY, A, B, C, D, E mode of Making A Dent!

People who ever mentioned that a Qualipreneur cannot manage a Safety Management System smoothly; ought to rethink their perceptions!

Recycle my old stuff to a Karang Guni man
Another load of clutter, I am almost there to achieve my 2018 one-word Resolution "Subtraction" Goal 2018 Achievable

An Old Tradition Hard To Change

An Old Tradition Hard To Change

This is actually not a new practice at all.

It has been a decades-old tradition in the container depot everywhere!

When I first got my Class 5 driving license 40 years ago, all I wanted is to be a truck driver.

I have always imagined myself sitting in this huge monster driver seat prowling down the road with command.

I used to have classes 2,3,4,5 driving licenses.

After a serious accident that landed me in the hospital sickbay for 20+ days, I decided to cancel my class 2 license.

I passed both the class 4 & 5 in only one test because I was an army 3 tonner driver!

Eventually, I joined an import & export company following trucks in & out of PSA.

Speed win for a day trip in the container depot and "kopi" money is a must to build relationships! 

It is a culture that I have seen during my apprenticeship and can't be changed. Hence, it is no surprise that this practice is still happening now.

If a Pig can fly, it is still a pig, therefore, the tradition will never change.

$1 might sound meagre to some but we are talking about tons and volume of goods or containers cargo leaving the depot, it adds up!

This "kopi" money is much better than their take-home basic salary!

That might also be the main reason why these port workers don't mind if they are not offered with minimum wages.

I have been there, see it, does it & move on... Adapt & Growth becoming a Regional TQM & HSE Manager.  Now a Retired Regional TQM & HSE Manager & a self-proclaimed  Qualipreneur.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/man-charged-over-1-bribe-attempt-at-container-firm

Colour Your Work - ArtWords

Colour your work

#heartfeltwords from my daughter - Dec 02, 2018

A very Happy Birthday to my role model 

@fsyqualipreneur! 

I don't think he ever knows this but whenever we were tasked by our teacher to write an essay on 'our Role Model', I will most definitely always write about my dad! For the family, he climbed from a mere machinist up to a Regional Manager; if he ain't my role model I don't know who else can it be.

I see so much of myself in you which is maybe why we often are logging heads with each other and you can piss me off till I don't speak to you for months (the record was half a year) but deep down we'll forever care for and love each other.



He was there when I was going through a hard break up (you usually don't get that from Asian parents) and brought me to trek Bukit Timah Hill to make me feel better. He celebrated my accomplishments and brought me to see the world (and still pissed me off/make me cry on EVERY SINGLE one of our trips together - WITHOUT fail!). Now I'll just laugh about the past and I'll try to tolerate you pissing me off but I cannot stop being a crybaby (I cannot help it that I cry over the smallest of things).

SO...
𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓭𝓪𝓭𝓭𝔂 '𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾', 𝓑𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭 '𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾'.

We were taught to kiss and say this to him ever since we were young. Honestly you are really a 'good man', one of my BFFs and I really do love you😘💛

#heartfeltwords

#PictureStory

#PictureStory 

I learned that when you observed something and with your smartphone you took pictures.

With the pictures, you add a story. And  suddenly 2 words became one  "PictureStory"

Awesome right... So here another #PictureStory 

What happens to our society?

Did we intentionally love to mass up any forms of functionality?

Or....? We lost our Social Behavior? 

Understand that we can ban chewing gum because___________________________
              (fill in the blank yourself) 

We didn't ban cigarettes because _________________________
(fill in the blank yourself)

This will be a "forever" problem... Unless...! 

Someone said "Fovever" is never ending"

That is true

But we need a "new beginning" to make a better Forever... That's FSYQualipreneur

Did we totally lost our social behavior?

An Old Picture: A Quality Focus Day that (M)Make (A) (D)Dent on many people.

An Old Picture: A Quality Focus Day that (M)Make (A) (D)Dent on many people.

Another rediscovery of an old picture in one of my boxes of rubbish. I am in the midst of decluttering in fulfilling the final hurdle on "Subtraction", which is my one word 2018 Resolution before heading into 2019.

Make a guess on which year is this one day Quality Focus Day was held?

I have spear-headed my ex-company wide Activity Based Learning Workshop cum full day Quality Celebration annually for 15 years.

All these planning, practices and training of some 30 plus facilitators to assist in facilitating such big group of employees usually take months to coordinate. All of these are done in-house without any external consultant involvement. Only one FSYQualipreneur is needed to manage this event.

Frankly speaking, it has never fail instead the event gotten better and better each year.

Employees are always looking forward to this day to learn something new from FSYQualipreneur and at the same time to strengthen their Teambonding with fellow colleagues.

That is how a strong Quality Culture was forged during FSY's tenure.

For those who have assisted me in facilitating this Quality Focus Day, raise your hands and pat yourselves on your backs for doing a great quality job!!!

One Page Training Profile

ONE PAGE TRAINING PROFILE

ACTAv5

I have completed the WSQ Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTAv5) and I am a Certified Adult Educator (Trainer) in Singapore.

Train The Trainer

Also, I have completed the Train The Trainer certification and qualified as a Certified Trainer in Malaysia as well.

Quality Trainings

In 1993, I have completed the Quality Improvement Process Management College course conducted by Philip Crosby Associates Inc. Then in 1995 I went on to complete the Quality Management Course by PSB, which is currently known as Spring Singapore.

In 1995, I am a Certified Trainer in Total Quality Process who is licensed to conduct the Quality Improvement and Quality Action Courses by the former PSB (Spring Singapore). In the same year, I was also trained in Service Quality Leadership from Service Quality Centre and developed a “Service Quality Culture” to instill customers’ astonishment.

Safety Trainings

Further in 2001, have been trained in Psychology of Safety and Behaviour-Based Safety conducted by Safety Performance Solutions Inc. by an US based company and licensed to teach DuPont  STOP for Supervisors (in-house) Training as well as developed the “STOPSTART” program for Employees.

Real Skills (not Soft Skills) Trainings

Igniting Fun @Work to instill Joy @Work

Igniting Fun Leadership @Work to instill Leaders’ desire to help people

Igniting Facilitation @Work to instill breakthrough working with groups

Igniting Storytelling @Work to Reframing mindset for reality

Igniting iTeam @Work to instill Team-Bonding & Collaboration

During my 33 years working in the Oil & Gas industries, I have travelled vastly throughout the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regional sites teaching all employees including suppliers’ development.

Nostalgia Emotional Feeling of People’s Park Complex

Nostalgia Emotional Feeling of People’s Park Complex

Whenever I go to Chinatown, automatically the nostalgia emotional feeling towards People Park Complex emerges within me.

Remembering how my apprenticeship working journey started. Because of my creative nature, my boss takes me along with him to install metal grilles in factories and HDB flats around Singapore.

I also remember having installed those metal grilles in one of the penthouse units of this particular building.  The People’s Park Complex

This was where my work life journey began working as an apprentice in a metal fabrication company at the age of 14. During that era, there's no such thing as underage worker. This company was just besides my kampung house. If my memories served me correctly, it was in 1972 at the age of 16 that I was given this installation of the metal grill project!

In Singapore, old is not gold more or less instead it is ugly and time to tear down making ways for new developments thus in turns more money!

Tearing it down means we have nothing to reminisce about the past.

How do I tell my grandchildren about what their grandpa has done this and that or been there?!

A city Future is built literally on its past

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/a-citys-future-is-built-literally-on-its-past

"Don't Squeeze my Oranges" said the fruit stall owner. (listen to the video)

Another intriguing short  story 

"Don't Squeeze my Oranges" said the fruit stall owner. (listen to the video)

Happened to overhear a conversation between a fruit stall owner and an aunty who tends to prefer squeezing every oranges whilst selecting the best ones.

Did she buys any of the oranges that she has squeezed? 

No, as she was annoyed by the fruit stall owner's comment that she might damages those oranges if she keeps squeezing them during selection (in his Cantonese dialect).

I am not dirty minded just a wee bit naughty to share this in Cantonese dialect.

Figuratively speaking, the stall owner is correct using his own Cantonese dialect telling the aunty not to squeeze those oranges. But, if you do understand and repeat it in Hokkien...then indirectly interpreted in your own assumption might be a totally different narrative! Therefore if this is a Hokkien aunty, she might explicate amatory action by the stall owner as an offensive gesture insinuating her not to squeeze his "thing".... a dirty old man!

Someone says I am good in storytelling, I would rather proclaim that I am an amazing Quality Storyteller instead!

Storyteller can do 3 things for being an enabler in 
Influencing 
Intriguing humorous & 
Manipulating

I am not a Smoker but my Neighbors are, so how?

I got a nose blockage & writing block but somehow the smoke clear it.

sure or not?

Anyway, I wrote another 500 words short story. Here my Story for the Sunday soul

I am not a Smoker but my Neighbors are, so how?

As far as I am concern, my current 3 room apartment is a perfect fit for me since downgraded from my 5 room apartment.

From a Corporate Regional TQM & HSE Manager to becoming a Qualipreneur and freelancer who works from home; I saw this apartment in early 2017 that I instantly fell in love with it! There is this small utility room as an additional third room which I have converted it into my SOHO.

I love nestling in my small creation of a home office without installing an air-condition unit because I enjoy the fresh air from my open windows. To my disappointment, I realised that my downstairs neighbor is a smoker!

In my personal perspective, Smoking is a really a waste of money. With a lighted cigarette at one end and on the other end is a fool inhaling all the nicotine that does not have any benefit to his/her health.

I don't mean to judge anyone who smokes but do mean it when I said that I can’t work in a skunky haze of smoke flowing into my small SOHO, even though the smoker has a legit need for a smoke.

It’s not just about the cigarette smoke but more about the manner being a 2nd hand smoker trying to live in harmoniously within a small city country where 90 percent of us dwell in pigeon holes in the sky.

I used to be a smoker at an early age of 14. I would like to thank Buddha's teachings that I quitted the habit at 44 year of age after 30 years of foolishness. Having been a smoker before, I do understand and appreciate someone else’s smoking habits. However, I will be more appreciative if they can go downstairs to light-up their cigarettes in an open space. Hence, benefiting his/her family or neighbors' health!

My next most challenging home improvement project is getting my neighbor's smoke out of my home. It is a wicked problem that cannot be solved unless the government ban cigarettes like the banning chewing gum!

Please don’t tell me what to do.

Don’t suggest getting an air purifier to battle smoke.

Don’t tell me to Google for my solutions.

Don’t advise me in confronting my neighbors in person as telling my neighbors that I feel aggrieved will have unhappy endings. So, why should I risk that fighting with a pig? Both will end up getting dirty and pigs love it!

What I did to sort of minimise the problem is by installing a wall fan facing outward. This way, it would blow the air outwards from my SOHO thus blowing the smoke out. The result is quite impressive though still catch an occasional noxious whiff. At least, I no longer feel like I am smoking the stuff myself.

My last fighting spirit is to play with karma. Live life as it is as there are many other existing toxics out there more hazardous than cigarettes smoke.

So what next? I bought a box of 3-ply face mask. Whenever I smell whiff of smoke flowing upwards, I don on my mask and hope my neighbors will moved out soon or stops smoking!

I did it again! Another 500 word short stories.

Thank for reading

I write for myself & safe keep for my grandchildren, but if the story helps you share it around.

As always, thank you for reading my short stories.

Sunday

September 02, 2oi8

Does the end justify the means?

Does the end justify the means?

I Applaud their Energy

Good intention (means) but wrong output(end) – Cleaned City or clean city

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/200-spend-saturday-at-the-beach-picking-up-rubbish

200 spend-saturday-at-the-beach-picking-up-rubbish

But are we punishing them like what we did  - the infamous CWO in 90s – The Corrective Work Order (CWO)

https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=corrective+work+order+pictures&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=bP3Zm0uSD5rwbM%253A%252CSeonn3yHuKirWM%252C_&usg=AFrqEzcgkmVz53i1h60OgBHobjbgn4IXrw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj95LO9q5vdAhUIaI8KHdlnAKAQ9QEwAHoECAMQBA#imgdii=WjwhHz54SvgOoM:&imgrc=TWLc38MVBvdVXM:

 CWO

My question is

Does the end justify the means?

I believe we need to start over again with a new canvas because the way we choose to get to where we're going defines what it's going to be like (cleaned city or clean city) when we get there.

“Manner our Education”-  Does the end justify the means?

Clutter or Memento It’s a daily struggle.

Friday, August 31, 2oi8

My 500 Words Short Story (653)

Clutter or Memento It’s a daily struggle.

Whenever I do research and find an old antique or memento, it becomes a time-capsule item that takes me back to my old days. Some people think I love to stay in the old days and live in the past. In fact, when I pick up something from my time-capsules (boxes) I remember distinctively what I was like back then compared to what I am today. It is a confluence of memories against the present reality that creates energy I draw on to propel me forward to Make Money & Love Safety.

The word "Research" here is simply searching for something a few times. An example is when you search for something and you can't find it, then you backtrack to search it again. Therefore you are doing research for that item. Hence, the word research came about.

Although @62, I am on a subtraction journey but still a hoarder of mementos in me. I am in the Crossroads of Clutters and Mementos.

Most of us wouldn’t consider ourselves hoarders. Perhaps to be more honest with ourselves, we would actually find that a lot of the things at home never been use anymore but can’t bear to throw them away. Technically speaking that is hoarding!

Most of us tend to have an annual spring cleaning in December or before the Chinese New Year. It is generally to throw out the old so that we can buy new things for the New Year.

If we consider ourselves to be reasonable tidy people, then why is it still a struggle to totally declutter or become a minimalist? What about those items that we never seem to be able to throw out? There are some genuine proofs that it is really difficult to throw away or let go even when I downsized from a 5 room to a 3 room apartment.

There are a few things that might be hardest for me to let go like Books, Clothes, Music, Keepsakes & Childhood mementos, you can add on to this list

Books that hold sentimental value which I enjoy re-reading them and still keep with me. As for the rest of about 80%, I left them with a friend in his Johor’s house.

Clothes that I still keep are the Hard Rock Café T-shirt which I collected during my travelling trips. I visited around 33 Hard Rock Café around the world.

During my time, we used to play music with vinyl (Phonograph) record. Sadly to admit, I have thrown them away when we have to shift from kampong living to HDB apartment. Then the disk size dimension is around 12in (30 cm). Technology has shrunk it into CDs and today’s digitization and online streaming has done away with the need to keep physical copies of our music. Although I lost all my vinyl records, this time around I am keeping all my CDs to remind me of the time I first heard my favourite bands and artists on them.

As for keepsakes, I hardly have any trophies or artworks to keep. Only have a few artworks of our children done for us. Most keepsake items are my old notebooks and journals from my work. These are items that brought back memories on different stages of my working history.

Childhood mementos – I still keep a few boxes of small toys we bought for our 3 children. Though our children have outgrown these small toys, it somehow helps me to reminiscent on a simpler time and feel like these things would be painful to be thrown away.

Workshop materials are my biggest pile of junks consisting of materials for my workshop activities. Thank Buddha, managed to keep 80% of them in my friend’s factory. My decision is to give them away by end of 2018. 

I am in the Crossroads of Clutters and Mementos. It has been a daily struggle! Are you?

Zero plastic bag usage is an impossible mission, but half the usage is possible.

Zero plastic bag usage is an impossible mission, but half the usage is possible.

In the supermarkets, fruits and vegetables are prepacked with plastic bags.

In the wet markets, fruits and vegetables are openly displayed - Zero Plastic bags are used


Finally, my article is published in ST Forum (Bottom Right Hand - Learn from wet markets in cutting plastic use)

ST Forum 
Email to me 
Dear Mr Foo

Thank you for your letter. We have published it in today's Forum Page.  You can also read your letter on the Straits Times website at https://www.straitstimes.com/forum

We look forward to receiving more of your contributions.


Best wishes,


ST Edited Version
Learn from wet markets in cutting plastic use

When I visited the wet market recently, I found that fruits and vegetables were displayed openly without being prepacked in plastic bags.

In supermarkets, fruits and vegetables are all prepacked.

Customers are encouraged to use our own bags for grocery purchases.

But the purpose of doing so is defeated when plastic bags are used in prepacking.

Our supermarkets could go back to basics and adopt wet market concepts to reduce the use of plastic.

Sales personnel could assist customers with the produce.

We need to study the complete supply chain process, starting from the farm to the warehouse to the supermarket, and innovate.

Zero plastic bag use is an impossible mission, but cutting the usage significantly is possible.

It must start with the corporation, not the end users.

Foo Siang Yian
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 03, 2018, with the headline 'Learn from wet markets in cutting plastic use'. Print Edition | Subscribe



FSY Original Article
Title:

Zero plastic bag usage is an impossible mission, but half the usage is possible.

  

Plastic bags are everywhere in our supermarkets but not in our wet markets.

I did a small “Research” this morning by going to the wet market and supermarket (refer to my pictures, Tuesday, July 31, 2018)

The wet market has an open concept where fruits & vegetables are displayed openly without being prepacked with plastic bags. Unfortunately, the supermarkets are doing it differently. Almost every fruits and vegetables are prepacked with plastic bags.

We are encouraged to bring our own bag for our grocery purchases but doesn't it seems contradicting by prepacking produces with plastics bags?

We cannot eliminate usages of plastic entirely because it has been in our DNA.  However, if we can half the usages by going back to the basic in adopting the wet market concepts in our supermarket then it might works!

Lately, many renovations are done to our supermarket by transforming checkout counters to self-checkout points. This directly cut operating costs for them and indirectly transfer the “process cost” to the customers.

To be a smart nation moving to a cashless society is great but not smart enough to save the environment is a worthless effort to the society at large.

Why not spend some resources into applying the wet market concept in a modern supermarket that prepacking with more plastic bags are eliminated?

Another Skill Future initiative by upgrading redundant cashiers to new jobs to be sales personnel assisting customers with the produce.

To really half the usage of plastic bags, we need to study and innovate the complete supply chain process from the farm to the warehouse before reaching the supermarket.

Zero plastic bag usage is an impossible mission but by taking the first step to half the usage is possible. It must starts within the corporation, not the end users.

Another cost savings for the Supermarket is to stop printing the big corporate logo on the plastic bag. It is wastage of ink on the plastic bag where hardly anyone bother to read it. Saving ink is also directly saving the environment!

Foo Siang Yian 

With gratitude

Thank you / Terima Kasih / 谢谢 / நன்றி 

Daniel Foo

符昌轩

TEAM RETREAT TITLE: “MANAGEMENT APPRECIATION & TEAM BONDING”

TEAM RETREAT TITLE: 

“MANAGEMENT APPRECIATION & TEAM BONDING”

Wednesday, August 1

One of the biggest mistakes leaders made is getting so wrapped up in achieving results and they forget to ensure that people are having fun along the way.

Indeed, having fun is a key ingredient of keeping employees’ morale up and inspiring them to continue working aggressively toward a common set of objectives.

You can choose your friends but you cannot choose your colleagues. Yet, you need them in more ways than one. Firstly, you need their goodwill and cooperation in order to perform your own job well. Secondly, studies show that disagreements with colleagues and bad working relationships deflate morale and impair performances even more than rumours of redundancies. Thirdly, if you are like most people, you will spend more working hours at work more than anywhere else. Reaching out to your colleagues or extending an olive branch if need be, can make your working environment a much nicer place to spend many hours a day. You do not have to be best friends with your colleagues, but you do need to be friendly and working amicably together. This half day’s Team Retreat will refresh new ways to make work a happier place to be.

This workshop answers the question “Why does this Fun approach work?” Also it teaches participants on how to improve their relationships by building trust through the FUN way and redirecting energy when things get off track. The approach illustrates to co-workers, managers, and employees that by building a FUN working environment and positive relationships, they will become more productive in achieving greater results, and create an environment where everyone is genuinely excited about the work they are doing.

During the workshop, participants will complete a variety of individual and group activities that explore the following topics:

This is an activity-based Team Retreat and the key take away will be the ”LOVE” Framework
• Listen
• Observe
• Verbalize &
• Engage
The team will be working on an activity which will demonstrate how the team applies this framework to achieve the common goal.

The payoff here is that progress doing something better is constantly being noticed, acknowledged and rewarded. We need to do the same thing with people, catch them doing things better if not exactly right, and praise progress. That way, you set them up for success and build from there.

Creating a fun working environment where people are challenged. They will learn new skills, they grow, they seek opportunity and advancement, they take risks, they asked forgiveness and not always permission.

The only way to benefit from what we learned is by applying them. If we do not apply it then it will be like the person who goes to piano concerts hoping to learn playing the piano. That person could go to any concert every day for many years, and he will never learns to play the piano. He will only learn when he applies by practicing the techniques of playing the piano. Only the knowledge of the musical sounds and notes do not make a pianist. Similarly, just knowing about the benefits and the many ideas of fun at work will not create the benefits of actually having fun at work. We need to apply and practice what we learned in order to make it real in our lives. So, please apply as many ideas as you can so that you will feel naturally comfortable doing it.