Ted Tsai

If you could use one word to sum up your whole year 2019, what would it be?

Let the story unfold…

Our office Christmas party 2019 was held on the 13th of December. On that day just one hour before we headed to the venue, all the staff got together in the office to listen to a pep talk given by our CEO. In this pre-party speech, presenting in his usual open and candid style, he described 2019 as a year of bitch. Soon after he’d said that, I heard a few laughs around the room. Well, he wasn’t exaggerating. We all shared his sentiment, 2019 has been a tough year for our business.

Given we are in the agribusiness industry, our financial performance is dependent on and directly affected by the crops. In saying that, we’re at the mercy of mother nature – weather. The record drought situation in Australia has taken a big toll on many growers and businesses relied on the harvest. Well, the rain just doesn’t want to come no matter what, what can you do?

So, bitch is the word of the year 2019 for our CEO. But regardless the bad news, a downturn in the business and a loss of revenue, we still aimed at finishing the year on a good note – Party time! You work hard, you play hard, right?

For me personally, this is a perfect time to reflect on many areas in my life last year – things that went well and things that went poorly. Here’s a line to draw – Those that are within my control, such as sleep hygiene and mental health, I need to find better ways of improvement, those that are beyond my control, such as human nature and people’s behaviours, I need to learn better ways of managing own expectations and letting go. I’ve got the next 12 months to work on this project.

So, what is my word of the year 2019? Mine is Try. Yes, try, that’s it. Try hard, try soft, try big, try small, try this, try that, try try try… What a year of non-stop trying times!

What are the top 5 things I tried to do last year? Here they are:

• I tried to write as many posts as possible on my blog
• I tried to be a good daddy/carer to my dog
• I tried to step out of my comfort zone and face my fears
• I tried to confront the health scare and do those check-ups my doctor asked me to do
• I tried to stop worrying too much about what others think of me

Let’s face it, shit happens, but if we stop trying and do nothing, shit will continue to happen twofold, threefold, fourfold etc. All I can say is: Fair enough, life isn’t a piece of cake but it doesn’t need to be a piece of shit either. I think you get my point.

Now, over to you, back to my opening question in the beginning, what is your word of the year 2019 and why? Shhh… Keep it to yourself if you wish.

Till next time. As always, watch this space!

Where were you in 1977? Perhaps you weren’t even born yet.

Around four years ago, I was fortunate enough to talk to two strangers – a healthy elderly Chinese couple – husband 89, wife 80 at Woolloomooloo (if you’re new to Sydney Australia, I’d recommend come to Woolloomooloo for half of a day to enjoy what it has to offer day and night – beautiful harbour views, the city skyline, trendy bars and restaurants along the wharf and more).

I was chatting with them in my broken Cantonese mixed with some simple English. Even with a little language barrier, I learnt beyond words about their secret of happiness, and longevity. I felt ultra humble in front of them. The smiles on their faces were infectious. They were just like everyone’s grandpa and grandma.

What was so big deal about 1977? Well, that was the year they set foot on Australian soil for the first time – the taste of freedom. Before that, they’d lived a life of displaced people in other foreign lands – Thailand and Vietnam for a number of years since fleeing their home country China.

2020 is here, another new year, a beginning of a new decade, to most people is about setting new goals and making new year’s resolutions. But before we get too excited about starting off everything new and fresh, it’s important to look back at the past years to see how far we’ve come.

Whether we failed or succeeded at the end, every turn of new year is like a second chance given to us for free. In saying that, I assume you and I live in a free country, that means we have a free will to make decisions, to try and try again, to give as many shots as possible till we hit the target.

Today, the first day of 2020. What to celebrate?

Freedom! Let’s celebrate freedom! The freedom to learn, to unlearn, to marry, to divorce, to make mistakes, to make amends, to succeed, to fail, to write, to re-write, to speak, to not speak and so on. All these entitlements are just a way of life we’ve taken for granted.

Here’s to my readers, happy 2020! Thanks for being part of the journey. Remember, time always stands still when you have a story to tell. Watch this space!

I tried, I really did but I still came back empty handed.

A couple of days before Christmas, I was in the Sydney CBD exploring some retail stores. Despite the best efforts, I still couldn’t find anything to buy for myself. The next day, I went out to do it again. Not surprisingly, I got the same result. After two failed attempts, I realized, I actually don’t need anything for Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong. I love shopping. I’m not against consumerism. Who am I to preach to people about what to buy or what not to buy. It’s a personal choice. It’s a free country. But when we buy stuff only for the sake of buying and noting else, then it’s a total different matter.

It’s interesting. For our office Kris Kringle this year, as an organiser, I got to know one of the most popular and sought after gift ideas is gift cards. Gone are the days we see some small and big gift boxes sitting under a Christmas tree, now we see more and more of slim cards instead. It goes to show many of us would prefer to choose our own gift at a time that’s suited for us.

If you’ve been given a gift card as a Christmas gift, you can literally use it to buy yourself a Christmas gift in January or February or even later if you want to. In Australia, gift cards now a life span of three years, anytime before they expire is a good time.

For me, because I didn’t need anything for Christmas this year, there were no expectations, hence no disappointments. On Christmas day, it was all about spending quality time with my family – good food plus good company. My wish came true as soon as it hit the 25th.

Today, Boxing Day, the extravaganza, my smart phone has been bombarded by tonnes of emails and text messages promoting some amazing Boxing Day specials. It’s a fantastic time to buy stuff if you need anything. But if you don’t and you still go for it, then brace yourself for the guilty feeling afterwards.

What can I say? We’re only humans. We don’t like to miss out. FOMO – Fear of missing out sounds too familiar? We all want to have the cake and eat it too. But hey you, before you take out your credit card, think again, think twice. Don’t forget: The reality bites too…