As all of you would know, we raised (revenue) $5.2k just from the stall and carwash over the past 4 days – this isn’t inclusive of the 1.2k sponsorship we’ve gotten and the money we’ve collected from adopt-a-toilet. This result is nothing less than stellar and it truly reflects the effort the team has put in over the fundraising week.
To all those who have contributed in one way or another (by this I hope it includes everyone in the team) the fundraising week has certainly been a week of fun, sweat and soap. For 4 days, I’ve witnessed how committed people are in this project, in this fundraising; I have no idea what your agendas are, what your goals and purposes are, but the mere fact you turned up so unassumingly, so naturally, and participated in the fundraising so willingly, makes me respect you as an individual. And yes, that is to each and every one of you who contributed and turned up. The lessons you’ve skipped, the hours under the sun with the cars, the hours at the booth expending your saliva to convince buyers, can I just say oh my god it’s amazing? Seeing these people around me, the commitment level, the participation, the willingness makes me smile deep down, for I know the 20 days in cambodia will not only be bearable, enjoyable, but most comforting will be that I know I’ll be travelling with people I can rely on, who will watch my backs, who will go their way out for whatever they believe in and commit themselves to. Kudos to you all!
Yet despite all the commitment and involvement, there was a huge shortage of manpower during many periods of our fundraising. At times, there were only 3 people in total for both the booth and the carwash. While I, together with some others, certainly have half a mind to pinpoint and question those who were ‘less committed’ (i.e. did not turn up as frequently during the 4 days of fundraising), we all understand that we each have our own priorities and commitments. To those who were frequently present during the fundraising, they might prioritize the fundraising event above all others, to an extent that they might sacrifice precious sleep (reaching school at 7am is NO JOKE) and skip important lessons, just so to finish washing that car, to sell 1 more box of donuts; very admirable, very commendable. But to put it another way around, there might be some who just are too preoccupied with other things they deem as more important – myself for example, I just can’t forgo my precious sleep, hence I can never reach school by 7am (earliest I’ve reached is 7.30am). Extrapolate this difference in priorities and we would soon all understand that we simply work, think, act differently and some of us might not be able to commit to Project BARAY as much as others. If my exams were coming or if my project were due or if my family member were hospitalized, I doubt you’d even see me during the fundraising. The point is, we can never expect 100% from everyone. There will always be black sheeps and different people will take turn to be black sheeps. Today weiyan might not turn up due to projects and she’s the black sheep; tomorrow I might not turn up due to tests and I’ll be the black sheep. So we must always cater to manpower lapses and unavailability. And most importantly, it is to trust, understand, and work around. Trust that none of the members in the team are malingering and that we are excusing ourselves due to more important or valid reasons. Understand that we have to complete the task despite having less people. Work around our manpower constraints and accomplish the task. So to all those committed players who have never been black sheeps, don’t focus your energy on questioning or thinking why those black sheeps aren’t around; instead, appreciate the other committed ones who are there hanging out with you and going through thick and thin with you – in that manner, you’ll forge stronger ties and avoid animosity.
As a note, I’m definitely not advocating that we should all take turns to be black sheeps and use my above paragraph as an excuse or reason to be one. We all joined this project for a reason, for a purpose. You have your own cause, I have mine. Be it selfish or altruistic, there is a purpose. So since we’ve joined, I trust that each and every one of us will put in our best effort. Your best effort might not be the same as mine, and my best effort might not match up to your standards of a best effort, but we know deep down whether or not we have done our best, and we know whether we can answer to OURSELVES at the end of the day. Because I do know that if we don’t put in our best or give our all, we will look back in regret – and we’ll think: ‘if only I did…’.
This brings me back to the fundraising complaint from Sean (the Toyota wish driver). Well, thanks to Shida’s PI skills, we found out that his car really was not cleaned properly, so it really is our fault. But the complaint or rather the telephone conversation I had with Sean made me realize we cannot live our lives to please everyone around us, or do things up to a standard that can definitely please everybody. Throughout the car wash week, I’ve heard complaints, I’ve heard commendations. Of course, I take to the complaints more seriously than I would the commendations – that is because I trust that everyone in the team will put in the effort and do a good carwash, even if the end product is bad, I’ll choose to believe that it’s due to some oversight – but no matter how I try to explain my way out of the complaint, I’m always stuck in a dilemma. While I’m pretty certain we put in our best effort while washing, I’m also very sure the driver who complained isn’t pulling my leg. So, whose fault is it? Did we not wash properly to meet the standards? And what is the standard: our standards or the drivers’? Sean brought up a good point while talking to me; he said that car wash is very subjective as different car owners have different cleanliness standards. So I figured, instead of trying to match up with other people’s standards – which will be a hell of a hassle since there are SO many drivers/people around us that we’ll be involved with – we should really just live up to our standards and give our best. Well, sometimes the best might not be enough, but most of the time it should be. And for those times it isn’t enough, at least our conscience will be clear (: and we’ll argue from a more advantageous moral ground.
Anyhow, since I was on the topic of trust, here’s a little something (:
an excerpt from [the young unicorns] by Madeleine L’engle
Cannon Tallis pushed his empty coffee cup across the counter. “How many people can you trust here in New York?”
Dr Austin looked about him at the unknown people seated at the counter, at the little tables crowded along the wall. “I believe that people become trustworthy only by being trusted.”
The priest gave a startled smile at hearing his own words come back at him from this gentle doctor so completely different from himself.
Dr Austin continued, “I know that I’m infinitely more trustworthy because of my wife’s faith in me. I know that there are all kinds of things I’ll never do or say because she trusts me, and so do my children. But how sure am I of myself, really? Haven’t you ever spoken when you should have kept your mouth shut, or not spoken when you should have stood up to be counted?”
The Canon looked somberly into the dark dregs remaining in his cup. “I am constantly being reminded by my own behavior that I am a fallen human being in a fallen world.”
The Doctor smiled. “You sound like my father-in-law, who is not far from being a saint–“
“I am,” the Canon put in.
“He would add that when we fall, as we always do, we pick ourselves up and start again. And when our trust is betrayed the only reponse that is not destructive is to trust again. Not stupidly, you understand, but fully aware of the facts, we still have to trust.”
Basically, are you trustworthy because you’re entrusted with trust and faith by someone? Or are you trustworthy because you’ve earned your trust from someone. Nevertheless, I can safely say that most of you have gotten my trust (:
shuquan
Project Baray 08 ! 