Sanuk, Sea Journeys and Suchart

I recall being invited home to Suchart's family - and after a delicious home cooked meal, lying on the floor with Suchart's brothers for the night sleep over. The tropical air was heavy. The next day Suchart had to drop by a nearby army base and I was accepted, even as a tourist or Suchart's mate, to enter the inner sanctum where military outfits dotted amongst young faces and tough bodies.  Best of all, I can still smell the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed tom yum soup made by Mrs Suchart - in a clear soup with fresh and simple produce from the land and sea.

Boat trips on water figure importantly in my Thai sojourn, for the lovely isles in both the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand played an alluring role to me in romanticisation and attraction of the region.  I was hinted of pirates plying these waters but luckily never met any. On most of these sea journeys, I sat on small boats with friends, fellow backpackers or independently.   The guys steering and running the boats came from economically challenged families but what struck me was their ability to carry an inner sense of personal happiness, no matter what their circumstances. These blokes had sun burnt faces but good hearts. What I hear from others of varying kinds of tricksters in several countries visited did not eventuate for me - no confronting encounters of being asked for more money, claims for fictitious damages and no sudden, momentary distractions on the street so that some accomplice could snatch my bag.  I have not even seen for  myself the throwing an infant act to momentarily divert the attention of tourists in Europe.

Two significant boat journeys remain etched in my memory of Thailand. One was going with three of my home island mates to Koh Phangan, just both of Samui.  We were on the way to climb, hike and chill out at the Marine National Park. Thousands of back packers like us, mainly from Europe, USA, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, have made the same path for the monthly full moon parties of hallucination, letting loose and alcohol laden abandon.  When young foreigners with social security support and richer lifestyles meet with villagers who are in tune with Nature and a harsher economic reality, the outcomes can be interesting. Although the middle class has emerged more strongly in Thailand in the past 20 years, the rich in this nation have got richer  and the income divide has grown even wider - something that has happened in many other nations like Australia and to a greater extent in Russia, Brazil, the UK, Malaysia, Singapore and China.  The isle of placid looking coconut tree plantations in Samui has given way to the demands of commercial tourism, but have the majority of locals gained more than lost?

The other water journey is getting back to the Gypsy Village in Phuket Island's south-west from the nearby outlying limestone outcrops and lagoon isles.  Along the way I felt a hallmark moment, the sea was churning up rougher than expected waters but the horizon showed an inter play of clouds, rain and sun.  I do relish such fleeting moments when experienced and they somehow remain treasured in my heart. Walking down a path in a tribal village in the so-called Golden Triangle may seem trivial, but I am still fond of the scene with piglets, children and vendors minding their business of the day but hanging around me. Trying the seafood at Songkhla beach stalls can be relived when I see the Darwin sunset market. Surviving the coach trip on the highway from Bangkok to Chiangmai was important, as well as the bus trip south with soldiers boarding on at various points throughout the night.   Viewing the silks at Jim Thompson House , walking into a sleazy bar with expectations and sitting for the first time in a tuk tuk - they all stick somewhere with us, even if nothing truly lasting or  exciting resulted  from those encounters.

What does transform my attitude, mindset and lifestyle after seeing Thailand is the sense of sanuk in the Thai people.  I cannot find an English literal translation word for this Thai phrase.   I reckon it is more of a way to react to life, its opportunities and challenges.  It relates to always having a sense of fun, relaxation and letting go. Sanuk occurs when there is a party atmosphere to look forward at the end of a day.  Sanuk  implies it is all right, don't worry and just be happy.  Of course, when things get overdone, safety is ignored and there is negative financial impact, it is no longer sanuk.  Sanuk to me was riding on a motor bike on Thai tropical islands, whether pillion or at the front.  It also greeted me in the form of friendly vendors, feeling no structure of time on a lovely sunny day and sensing the calm serenity inside Thai Buddhist temple complexes. Sanuk is going through the various sensations of Thai cuisine - sweet, sour, chill hot, mango cool and herb refreshing. Sanuk is coming down from a bus to a huge lively food and produce market - at 3am. Sanuk is doing nothing but lying on the sand at a remote place - far from anything we ever knew - and having your new found backpacker mate offering you yarns and a drink.  Sanuk is chatting with a grocery shop owner who speaks your same mother tongue - because she migrated as well.  Sanuk is having the right company and going out all night, with  someone in my group keeping an eye out for us.  Sanuk can be Thailand.

Autumn Time

As reckoned, after the Easter weekend, temperatures began to drop noticeably over night. The end of daylight savings, albeit in early April, brought about a sure but shifting psychological change in our individual perceptions of the timing of  dawn and dusk, moon light and day time, coolness and warmth outdoors.  The angle of the natural light seemed to be different, noticeable as sudden light or darkness appeared through blinds, vehicle wind screens and the horizon. New South Wales does not experience the extremes of the midnight sun or the longest day.  Seasonal change here is gradual, unannounced and gentle.  I feel there is slower growth of flora, as if the plants have wound down its hectic pace of summer and showed a hibernation of their own, sowing the seeds of a re-spurt in bloom in only a few more months.

The ocean water temperatures have also taken a turn southwards.  The recent rains are just a continuation of much wetter weather in the past two years. The natural inclination to retreat to a more quiet routine expresses itself most at this time, even if modern society dictates a constancy of activity. When most people reach home, it tends to be to the recesses of inner rooms, cyberspace or the warmth of the kitchen stove. Meals seem to be taken care of earlier and school kids find it more challenging to get ready for the day.  Leaves do drop, depending on where you actually reside - and they do turn brown and dry, acknowledging the circle of life, the turn of the Earth and the moon looking even more  radiant against the dark valleys of autumn.

Each of us longs for sustainable foods, like rich gravies, brewed soups and those that nourish us with the sanctity of baking.  The insects and creatures that we share house with - cockroaches, lizards and spiders in this Australian landscape - seem to have taken sabbatical and are content to be out of sight. Skies can look leaden and grey, but when clear above, accentuate the cold and we feel the wind chill that does not echo the measured figures in thermometers.   As we get less outdoors, is it an opportune time to review arrangements, make plans and conserve for the future?   Yet as we feel physically fresher, we allow our brains to consider potential and possibilities and our inner selves to have the leisure and time to imagine and wonder. We smile when we reflect on the flurry of activity in spring time, when humans gather again more, when Nature celebrates with revitalisation and when time seems to loosen up once more.

There is less to choose from the produce of the Earth. Bare branches promise renewal and hope. Maybe in this season we appreciate better the lack of want and the bounty that we still have. There is an inner grace in being grateful for what we already have when it is not the time of plenty.   And so we conserve - and not just in preserves. Human mobility these days also implies that we can easily cross the Equator and have the pleasure of basking in warmer locales - but if we do this, we are also giving up the unique benefits and challenges of a colder time. We can dress up outwardly in autumn, but our skins also get drier and require more care.   Our biological cycles are truly affected by prolonged hours of the lack of light but our imaginations can also move into new dimensions.   Do we drink better coffee and tea when the cold surrounds us - and the richness of such beverages are better savoured than in more humid times.  Continuing our fitness activities has a different feel but is still as vital.  Colours are appreciated more.  More of the year's achievements , at whatever level, is accomplished in cooler times of the year when compared with summer.

Have a Formula - And Make it Work

Be charismatic plus positively unusual - and break new ground.
Nobody notices convention as much as being startlingly different. I recall Dell Computer's' just on time practise to optimise and minimise the holding of inventory. Running alongside this Dell philosophy was the even more important culture of tailor making concisely to each customer's unique and varied requirements. This can be difficult to deliver in the food business, but again, why not?  Charisma can exude from the service, product or  the people that are the face of the business.  Being positively unusual does have a definite shelf life, when being new gradually is accepted as the expected norm - and then an engaging stirrer asks why not and how not, all over again.  I have taken Dell for granted, but now I am captivated by the young chap from Canberra who has a magic glove that interacts effectively with so much of the Internet and modern electronics - with just a natural wave of the hand.


Build up a sizable number of interested people, especially potential customers.
Social media has been utilised effectively as both the channel and vehicle in the past decade to allow businesses to go forth and multiply returns, impact and growth.  The eternal concept and practise underlying all this have been basically word of mouth.  But be aware and beware - social media tools and means can have a two edge impact. Getting numbers of potential customers can be ideal, but then work on the relationships as if every one of them is unique as well as accumulative. Once you open the proverbial gate, work hard on logistics, personalisation, diversity and more engagement.   Be ready to handle bumps, blocks and threats. Also be ready for options, opportunities and occasions!


Keep up the passion, persistence and pleasure.
When I reflect on my own personal top five iconic brands, such businesses manage to persistently balance delivery of both positive consistency and customer excitement.  The leading mobile phone companies seem to literally arouse in each of us an expectation of some innovation in user interface ability every year - and yet at the same time make improvements in reliable features from the past. Or may be not so much anymore. Whether we run a small business, or am just a cog in  huge complex machine, we owe it to ourselves - always - to keep our true selves motivated.  If we sincerely believe in our product or service, every one of us have to take initiative and imagination to continue our interest.  As a customer, do I still believe in the magic and conviction from the main products I use of my top five iconic brands - FIFA World Cup, Singapore Airlines, my favourite local barrista, Langham Hotels and the TLC channel?  On reflection, each of these aforementioned brands have so far provided me with consistency, reliability, feel good experiences and ability to over come issues.

The three Ps indicated above just have one single aim - to make me as a customer want to return to savour and not be disappointed.


Always ask why not and what can be.
The Samsung CEO has had the boldness to destroy huge batches of manufactured equipment when he realised that they were not up to scratch when compared with the leading competition.  Up starts have been able to change the market parameters and not accept the status quo.  I get most suspicious when the parties I deal with strongly stand behind a veil of unquestionable tradition and locked in practice.   I love businesses and parties that find different ways of engaging with the individual.  I am amazed with entities and their people who come up with innovative ways of not just doing things , but in resolving problems and in offering hope.

Scan read through any written piece on the most impressive people and you will find what makes them tick.  Many of such personalities rise to the occasion when confronted with challenges  but at the same time they already have this innate driver within themselves of why not and what can be.  Our grandparents asked us to explore the less trodden path, adventurers have to so call climb the proverbial mountain because it is there and cyberspace and interactive electronics will further  revolutionise the world as we know it.  There are businesses that charge high wealth individuals to do the very things that used to be an individual pleasure - walk the dog or go shopping - but this is only an indication of opportunities emerging in societies with a lack of personal time, an increasing recognition of niche wants and a demand for more meaningful personal interaction.  In a nutshell, these successful entities and people are never long in a comfort zone.


Listen to your core audience, deliver your primary service and offer your difference.
German retailer Aldi came in to the Australian supermarket space already dominated strongly by both Coles and Woolworths.  What Aldi perhaps significantly discerned from the very start, being the relative new kid on the block in the new territory, was that there are so many Moms and Pops out there who love using supermarkets and at the same time look for value priced items to buy.  So Aldi focused on their target market real early and already had the business model and structure to seriously serve them in Europe. There was no confusion in this aim, it is consistently developed and delivered in the several years they have been operating in Australia and Aldi's differentials are more felt today by their core customers.   Aldi added alcohol products, a more than symbolic act that echoes their already expanding range of produce and products and they still labelled their new range at the same value price.  Needless to say, expectations  raised must be fully met and be a reality to customers as ever no matter how big a business gets.


Make your business a habit - for  as many people as possible.
I always admire how certain businesses can prosper when they gently intertwine their product and service, in the mind of their customers, with the routine, lifestyle and regime of individuals.   Customers want to drop by because they perceive the business as a place they see as a one stop, or because they enjoy the benefits that money alone cannot buy ( it is akin to a pub where every body seems to know your name).  It can be part of their therapy or health routine, it is near their work place or it is where they can catch up with mates without making too much fuss.

Amazon offers a virtual market place to navigate, check out and select in a most painless way at any time that suits individuals with relative privacy, no physical transport required and at your own desired pace.  Moving between different screens, a potential customer can interact in cyberspace with friends, obtain updates in various spheres of interest and have no pressure to buy.   Think of cafes or  restaurants that offer weekend or daily habits to be fulfilled, for example yum cha, cycling group hubs, commuter drop-bys and gym enthusiast watering holes.  Walk on in!


Make it simple and effective.
Facebook runs on the premise that each customer wants to instantaneously share information, experiences and sentiments. And it makes it so easy to do so.  Think of instant messaging from parties as varied as Twitter, WeChat and Naver Line.  Organise menus with food and drink combinations that are effectively simple for your customers to decide and efficient for your staff to deliver. Websites must be clearly navigable.  The bottom line for businesses is to bring home the bacon and make it effective to monitor costs and revenues, without owners having to walk through mist and mystery to know how much they are making and what they own. If I want to just feel like going to the gym, I get to do so, on my own terms and without the hassle of time of night or day.