Close Encounter with a Foreign "Talent"

These few days, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with a great foreign "talent" from the other department. This "talent" came from the stormy and annoying little island that had once colonised us during the days of my grandfather. I must admit, I am really impressed with him and his way of putting himself and his experiences across to people he met at the seminar, and the ability to turn a one way, downright exploitation of our work for his credit to his boss, into a joint research and collaboration between the two side.

We were supposed to work together in this collaboration project for a particular seminar to be held sometime next year, and to share the fruits of the project together. Till yesterday, I was highly confused about what was going on, and his intention, role and contribution in the venture, and I was impressed this morning, when I saw through the scam and smokescreen he had put up. Damm... the clever way he hid his lack of knowledge and ignorant of the local situation, and the way he presents himself as a willing partner to us, and the chief with the idea to the exterenal parties, is pretty impressive. He doesn't have a single clue on how we do our work, and go about in collaborations.

I was pretty pleased when in the end, he found a ready made solution on the net and decided to purchase it of the shelf. Hence terminating the prospect of both sides working together. I nearly laughed out loud when he was elaborating how the termination of the collaboration wil affect me and my department, as we need him and the project to work together. Please lah Ah Zhek! We have tons of things to handle. Your project is kiam cai (salty vegetables) in the Bak Kut Teh to us. (Don't understand? Then spent some time to understand us.) In other words, it is fucking unimportant and an additional cost to us. Don't put yourself on the pedestal just because some of us (unfortunately) think that that opportunitist by the name of raffles is to be worshipped in this land. Why we even put up his idol somewhere along the river. Why not Parameswara or Cheng Ho?

This reminds me of an article I had read that was written by a historian on the Royal Navy of the Second World War. Their white washed ships looked nice with their highly polished guns and elaborately painted emblems, crewed by sailors in sailor-moon outfits. The ships spent most of their pre-war (period between both the world wars) training hours on endless naval review for their majesties, and showing the flags to the natives in their colonies, and sailors in naval drills and some silly activities like that. Whilst all the time, the Imperial Japanese Navy was expanding, learning and experimenting, adopting and investing in the latest in naval warfare, ocean going aircraft carriers and their carrier battlegroups employment, and sailors of all ranks spent most of their waking hours training hard in all aspect of warfare. Carrier pilots were practising and practising with little safety margins flying their aircraft in pitch darkeness and attacking with life ammunition. The result is hardly surprising. The Royal Navy was an embarassment and was trashed in Asia, and will remain as trash to this day, in this region.

In the future, I will not give a thought to any foreign "talent"'s "skillsets" and "experiences", if they choose to come and work in my home turf, without attempting to treat us as equals, or the very least, making an effort to understand the local situation. The sun had, and has, set for them, and their empire days. They will continue to look nice and some may attempt to scare the primitive among us with their big guns and clean cut presentation, but most will hardly put up a fight, and will sank like a stone when challenged.

Three out of four negative examples so far. I hardly look up to them anymore.