Currency of Life - Claudius Weson

Today I was given the honour by Curtin University as I was invited by Mr Terence Tan Peng Lian, to give a talk to the first year engineering students. The talk was supposed to be only about oil and gas industry to ignite their passion in oil and gas industry. However, since it is a generic topic, I decided to make it more interesting by adding bits of motivational topic on it, which is my favourite bit.

It has been a while since I met Mary. Where did the time go? (Leica M10-P & APO-Summicron 50).

Mr Terence Tan is giving the opening speech. (Leica M10-P & APO-Summicron 50).

The talk was started at around 8.30am, and I explained a bit about myself to them. To make it two way communication, I asked the crowd on the topics that they want to hear about. As usual, the salary topics never stray far from the usual conversation. The other topics are work and life balance, why engineering?, interview skills and differences between one discipline from the others in oil and gas.

Salary and job security is not an issue for the people who has value that they can offer to the hiring company. What these young man and woman need to worry about is – how to add more value to myself?

Brandon the “Chinaman” (Leica M10-P & APO-Summicron 50).

During the talk, there was one question that I have raised – what is the currency of life? Most of them answered US Dollar, especially the boys from Wakanda (yes, they literally answered me Wakanda when I asked them from where they are from). However, upon given them more clue, that the currency that we are talking about now is the one that we cannot get back once it is lost, they managed to give me the answer – Time. Time is the true currency of life. Once we have lost it, we cannot get it back. Flow of time is only forward.

.Bakar is confident. Be like Bakar. (Leica M10-P & APO-Summicron 50)

As a human, not much we can do about it but to just live with it. We cannot recover back our lost time, no matter how rich we are. I believe, if a rich man has a choice, they want to spend it to buy more time for themselves and for their family, to be spent together. Believe it or not, Jim Carrey also talk about the same thing.

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” ― Jim Carrey

In the world full of instant gratification, we are becoming more complacent and impatient. For almost everything, there is an app for it. For every skill gaps that we have, there is an app or tech that makes our life more convenient. For language problems, no problem – we have an apps for it, to immediately translate it to our desired language. Nowadays, many prefer to use apps to get quick hook-ups, instead of going through the normal process. The normal process is time-consuming, challenging and not many is willing to pay the price. With the apps, it is as easy as swiping to the right. Boom – you have a date already. But that is actually kill the fun, and the Exp points that you gain is actually much less than to use the traditional method.

On those topic, you can always agree to disagree with me, but I tell you, there is no apps for fulfilment in life, family, workplace and love life (copy from Simon Sinek). Those can only be achieved when you put your heart and soul in making it happened. You cannot buy loyalty, you cannot buy true love, you cannot buy respect. Those can only be earned. A respect given, a respect earned. How to buy it? Use your currency of life. Time. Spend time with the ones you love. Spend time with your comrades in life and in workplace. Spend time with the one that lifted you up and helped you to where you are now.

MJ – GIFT’s All-time Best Singer. Period.. (Leica M10-P & APO-Summicron 50)

If you are not making yours or life of others better with your time, then you should re-think how you spend your currency of life. There is no better way to spend your currency of life than to spend it with your loved ones – family and friends. Seize the day, make every second in your life counts.