Dear HL colleagues and friends,

Today, 12-Nov-09 is my official retirement from the Group. Being a 15 years loyal employee, I really have “no heart” to leave this big and challenging family. I called it family because I spend more than 1/3 of my time with it, and among us, we share and concern about each others during my ups and downs.

The HHMC, lead by Mr. Kwek, his departmental heads and their respective their staffs celebrated my 57th birthday at Wisma Hong Leong, Level 9 on 11-Nov-09 which I took it as also a farewell wishes to me as well. This was the 2nd time in my working career that a corporate top leaders celebrate birthday with me.

I have no regret to be with the Group for such a long serving years as I have learn alot along the way. Unlike multi-national where I worked for 16 years before I join the Group, I had amber opportunities to learn the business aspect of management with the Group. These opportunities had molded me into a holistic management expert which enable me to continue my pursuit in Total Quality Management for my post retirement career. Some of my colleagues have asked me what is my retirement plan? To tell you the truth, I have no prior planning for my retirement but now I have to think about the followings:-

1. “start to plan”
2. Convert my hobby in Internet Marketing knowledge and skill to commercial strategies
3. Master my QPP / TQM knowledge and skill into simplified version for needed industries throughout the globe

For immediately access to me, I have created lmfoong blog where you can track where I am and what I do. I also use this blog to test my Google listing skill within 24 hours.

You may have noticed that my plan for post retirement is NOT to retire but seems to continue to work and work and work …. and you are right! I have no intention to retire from my pursuit in Total Quality Management, god bless me …

Last but not least, I wish you all happiness with you and your family. Advance in your business endeavor and investments.

Best regards from

Dr. L M Foong, Sr. Manager, QPP

I was emotionally unstable, though my retirement falls today but I have not pack my belongings from my office as I was not in the mood to leave the office. All the office staffs included the tea lady gathered to celebrate my birthdays was something I did not expect. The well wishes from them gave me a very comfortable feeling that I am still part of the family of HHMC perhaps as a friend.

A big piece of birthday cake was bought for the occasion and a birthday song was sang for me. Before I can perform the cake cutting ceremony, I was asked to make a wish. So, I make my wish aloud as follows:-

• I Wish all of us good health and wealth follow by happiness.
• I also wished HHMC business continue to grow while taking up all challenges ahead. I

I thank the Group especially Mr. Kwek allowed me stay with my job for an extended 2 years contract and I wish that all the HHMC staffs will stay with the company until retirement. I shared my little discovery in Internet Marketing experience while I was on vocation at Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai first week of Nov-09. I discovered a tactic to get my blog post listed on google page#1 within hours. I could not believed it could be done so I tested three more blog posts with the same tactics and it worked. Therefore, besides using traditional A&P and relationship marketing, I wish HHMC also look into Internet Marketing as additional marketing channel to promote HHMC business and counter some of its business challenges. After all, many Internet Marketing techniques are free.

According to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_cuisine, Nyonya food was developed by the Peranakan people of Malaysia and Singapore. It uses mainly Chinese ingredients but blends them with South-East Asian spices such as coconut milk, lemon grass, turmeric, screwpine leaves, chillies and sambal. It can be considered as a blend of Chinese and Malay cooking. 

As I understood, nyonya food, like any other food in Malaysia and Singapore refers to food common cooked by certain group of population in Malaysia and Singapore. Fro example, the Malay food are specially prepared and cooked cuisine by the Malaysia, Chinese food (in Malaysia and Singapore) are prepared and cooked by the Chinese in these two countries. Likewise, the Nyonya Food is the food prepared and cooked by the Baba-Nyonya in Malaysia and Singapore.

Click bapa-nyona to read more

I shared with them how I involved in QPP, the belter program in 1995/6, and ended up in QPP department in head office. They asked me about the plan for future TAG activities. I advised them they have completed one round of the TAG training, the next plan is really depend on how they want to move head. I advice them to work out a proposal and seek their sponsor’s support. I emphasized that the development of the TAG is carried on but now it is left to the sponsor to put all training into action in  their day to day operation. What the TAG member could do it to help the sponsor by initiating own improvement projects for their support an approval.

All of them curious bout my post-retirement plan. I told them I had no plan for my post-retirement until I got the retirement notice letter from the company. It is a short notice which I have to start to plan what I wanted to do. I reinstated that I will continue to work on QPP or Total Quality Management in general and will certainly serve the Hong Leong Group. I endeavor to transfer all my work knowledge in Total Quality Management and Operation Management into the cyber space via the Internet. I pick Internet because of its technological advantages to reach out to unlimited number of people who may find my work value to them. Further more the maintenance cost of a website or blog is quite small.

I advice them to get in touch with me and my knowledge at my personal blog at http://lmfoong.com which was created 2 weeks after I receive the retirement notice. I will include relevant links to SWOT Analysis etc