I thought it would be interesting to post a reply from a Singaporean living in the UK.
"I like this piece and I agree that not all systems used in the preferred Western countries can be applied to Singapore. Lots of us don't have the mental capacity even if Mr Lee cho...oses to dish out freedom of speech tomorrow!
There may be lack of benefits in Singapore, but looking at the benefits system in the UK, I feel it is not a bad thing. In the UK, you see complacency and expection from the government. There is no responsibility for oneself or your loved ones. In reality, benefits and healthcare system works well when you are claiming for it genuinely. But in the face of an economic crisis, when there are fingers pointing in all directions, from cutting benefits, to cutting medical staff, to cutting transport budgets (when winter and ice are coming), you realise how fragile this system is. This dependent system who relies on the government for a lot of things is suddenly weak on its feet. This country who has overspent for the last few decades is frantically trying to claw back money from every department now.
What works well in Singapore, is puzzling to many in the West and even came to the attention of the UN. You can give Singapore the freedom of speech, but I feel what it is lacking now is real passion and eloquency. It is full of whinging people. But hey, people always have something to complain about. Lived and worked in a few countries and my conclusion is, there is no greener grass anywhere. Yet. It is all our state of mind.
A lot of countries don't provide benefits or freedom of speech. They grow citizens of strength. Just look at our parents and grandparents. They came from nothing and worked surely and quietly, content with their environment. It didn't hurt them or their children. Look at us now, a picture of discontent and lost."
Friday, November 05, 2010
Sunday, September 05, 2010
So I haven't spoke in a while eh?
Ha, ha.... finally! I speak!
Here's an update so far: I've just cleaned up the studio, disinfected the floor and mothballed the entire place and sealed up the holes where the mice come in from. There will be no more rodents from today!
The old shop houses in Orchard are built during the 1915s, definitely prewar and the mice have had a good hundred years to reproduce and find little nooks and crannies for themselves. But after today, they will leave unit 20 Emerald Hill alone.
The studio now must look good for our clients and for me to show my work to potential collectors.
The studio has a few purposes now: on the one hand, we operate a creative agency that does wonders for the commercial world and on the other hand, I create the philosophical stuff for my collectors!
More on that later, for now, i'm just happy to be writing in this blog again!
(and if I stop updating, could one of you please just remind me? :D
Here's an update so far: I've just cleaned up the studio, disinfected the floor and mothballed the entire place and sealed up the holes where the mice come in from. There will be no more rodents from today!
The old shop houses in Orchard are built during the 1915s, definitely prewar and the mice have had a good hundred years to reproduce and find little nooks and crannies for themselves. But after today, they will leave unit 20 Emerald Hill alone.
The studio now must look good for our clients and for me to show my work to potential collectors.
The studio has a few purposes now: on the one hand, we operate a creative agency that does wonders for the commercial world and on the other hand, I create the philosophical stuff for my collectors!
More on that later, for now, i'm just happy to be writing in this blog again!
(and if I stop updating, could one of you please just remind me? :D
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Blackbird won't fly today...
dear oh dear... the first mainstage play of the year and it's to be postponed.
When i first read the script for Blackbird, i had serious trouble imagining the sequence of dialogue. It's hard, intense and very, very angry. Thus to see the play actually being done and how the actors worked the characters was of great interest to me. Although i haven't actually seen any of the rehearsals or sat for the reading, i could hear Emma and Patrick rehearsing and there's only one way to describe it: emotionally draining.
Turns out that Patrick had to leave the production a week before it's opening. Here's what he has to say: "“As a professional actor, this has been the most challenging role I have ever taken on. The dream role for many actors is to eventually play Hamlet at least once in their career, because of its complexity. Blackbird has the potential to achieve that kind of appeal for an actor. I am sure audiences will appreciate and enjoy this as well once they’ve seen the play,” says actor Patrick Teoh, adding “I am hugely disappointed in myself that I could not deliver a performance that would do both the show and SRT proud. I appreciate all that SRT has done to help me and feel bad for letting SRT down.”
Well, if the role is that difficult to do, I'm all the more curious how the production is going to look like in it's entirety.
The replacement for Patrick's role is very, very exciting - damn, i wish i could share some gossip here, but i have sworn a solemn oath over chicken blood and on pain of death by ping pong ball not to divulge industrial secrets (or spark off global rumors). You will find out in due time!
Meanwhile, i'm looking forward to Emma's next production in "A Singaporean in Paris"!
When i first read the script for Blackbird, i had serious trouble imagining the sequence of dialogue. It's hard, intense and very, very angry. Thus to see the play actually being done and how the actors worked the characters was of great interest to me. Although i haven't actually seen any of the rehearsals or sat for the reading, i could hear Emma and Patrick rehearsing and there's only one way to describe it: emotionally draining.
Turns out that Patrick had to leave the production a week before it's opening. Here's what he has to say: "“As a professional actor, this has been the most challenging role I have ever taken on. The dream role for many actors is to eventually play Hamlet at least once in their career, because of its complexity. Blackbird has the potential to achieve that kind of appeal for an actor. I am sure audiences will appreciate and enjoy this as well once they’ve seen the play,” says actor Patrick Teoh, adding “I am hugely disappointed in myself that I could not deliver a performance that would do both the show and SRT proud. I appreciate all that SRT has done to help me and feel bad for letting SRT down.”
Well, if the role is that difficult to do, I'm all the more curious how the production is going to look like in it's entirety.
The replacement for Patrick's role is very, very exciting - damn, i wish i could share some gossip here, but i have sworn a solemn oath over chicken blood and on pain of death by ping pong ball not to divulge industrial secrets (or spark off global rumors). You will find out in due time!
Meanwhile, i'm looking forward to Emma's next production in "A Singaporean in Paris"!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Work in progress...
Sometime ago, inspired by wild and funky coiffure in glossy magazines that I was researching on, I decided to start a series on Mad Hairstyles. This is an unfinished work:
I ran into some problems shortly. Problems largely to do with proportions of the human head. Although these are not realistic renderings, there is still some challenge in getting the measurements correct. Today, although my skill in anatomy still hasn't improved much, i'm at least moderately pleased with what I have been developing. Thus, I'm continuing my work on my series of Mad Hairstyles.
Mad Hairstyles is also a foray into two interesting skills I'm studying: texturing and experimental colour combination. With influence from the world of vector rendering (I work a lot with Illustrator on the computer), I'm creating these pieces almost as if they were objects on the digital screen.
Well, good luck to me and I hope to present you the complete series soon!
I ran into some problems shortly. Problems largely to do with proportions of the human head. Although these are not realistic renderings, there is still some challenge in getting the measurements correct. Today, although my skill in anatomy still hasn't improved much, i'm at least moderately pleased with what I have been developing. Thus, I'm continuing my work on my series of Mad Hairstyles.
Mad Hairstyles is also a foray into two interesting skills I'm studying: texturing and experimental colour combination. With influence from the world of vector rendering (I work a lot with Illustrator on the computer), I'm creating these pieces almost as if they were objects on the digital screen.
Well, good luck to me and I hope to present you the complete series soon!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Contemporary Chinese Art
Was at an art gallery the night before and had an interesting chat with the gallery manager and an artist. The gallery carried works largely by Chinese artists and I just had to raise the subject that all their themes are by and large, the same: capitalism and mao. I think in the distant future, art historians will look back on this movement and call it "China-ism" - a period of time where Chinese artists either condemn or celebrate their newly found wealth and the proliferation of Mao.
Like many of the great movements of the past, in the West, artists of diverse skills and calibre have come to document the state of society around them. The Dadaists repulsed war. The Futurists were bullish about technology. Today, Chinese artists by their shear influence of each other have come to document what is happening to them immediately: China has become a get-rich-fast society, a society where you build up power and forget about everyone else.
Sexy women in seductive poses, posed with capitalist luxury goods. Medieval body armor pasted with dollar bills. Dark and ominous landscapes filled with luxury goods.
Look at these pieces by Feng Zheng Jie's famous wonky eyed women:
Disturbing aren't they? But at the same time his work try to capture the beauty of a good looking woman. What is he trying to say? Various interpretations, but there is a Chinese phrase that goes "Dong Jiang Xi Wang" - loosely translated this says, "the eyes look both east and west". In normal circumstance, it describes a person who's looking around for something. In this context, it can mean that a person is scanning her environment, scrutinizing the men, itching for a chance at seducing some wealth. (I'm not saying that this IS the interpretation, but it's a suggestion).
There is lot's to say about this new "China-ism". As yet, it's still very early in the movement (if there's a movement at all). But if you're a collector or investor, I'd say it's worth your money - as I believe that sometime in the future, art historians will recognize this as a period of time that's important to art history.
Like many of the great movements of the past, in the West, artists of diverse skills and calibre have come to document the state of society around them. The Dadaists repulsed war. The Futurists were bullish about technology. Today, Chinese artists by their shear influence of each other have come to document what is happening to them immediately: China has become a get-rich-fast society, a society where you build up power and forget about everyone else.
Sexy women in seductive poses, posed with capitalist luxury goods. Medieval body armor pasted with dollar bills. Dark and ominous landscapes filled with luxury goods.
Look at these pieces by Feng Zheng Jie's famous wonky eyed women:
Disturbing aren't they? But at the same time his work try to capture the beauty of a good looking woman. What is he trying to say? Various interpretations, but there is a Chinese phrase that goes "Dong Jiang Xi Wang" - loosely translated this says, "the eyes look both east and west". In normal circumstance, it describes a person who's looking around for something. In this context, it can mean that a person is scanning her environment, scrutinizing the men, itching for a chance at seducing some wealth. (I'm not saying that this IS the interpretation, but it's a suggestion).
There is lot's to say about this new "China-ism". As yet, it's still very early in the movement (if there's a movement at all). But if you're a collector or investor, I'd say it's worth your money - as I believe that sometime in the future, art historians will recognize this as a period of time that's important to art history.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Room On The Broom!
I've just caught Room On The Broom last weekend. A really delightful piece - puppets are brought to life, catchy music and a innocently silly story.
Witch goes for a ride with her cat to slay the dragon, witch picks up some friends along the way, cat get's jealous of her new friends, disaster strikes, cat saves the day, everyone lives happily ever after.
What really impressed me was how they simulated flying on a broomstick, tossing and turning through the air, landing and taking off...without the luxury of special effects and mechanisms! The actors looked like they were having so much fun jumping, wooshing and dancing for an hour!
I haven't seen a lot of children's theatre (although I'm sure my job will introduce me to a lot more), but there is one interesting observable difference in the behaviour between children and adults.
There were a couple of scenes where the actors were looking up in blank space, in the void behind us. Being adults, we know that they were just simulating a scene where they see a witch flying through the sky. But the kids... they all turned around in such earnest and the little gullibles actually thought there was something flying behind us!
Such is the mind of child... malleable and will believe everything you tell them. I have heard that the minds of children are not able to tell the difference between fact and fiction and as yet they are still incapable of independent thought. Sometimes it pains me to learn that the children we have are undergoing such a low quality of education faced in our schools and kindergartens. Let’s face it: the teachers in PAP kindergartens and public schools aren’t what you would call “excellent communicators”. Granted, the syllabus has been tried, tested and replicated with success: no problem with that. But in such a public environment, you don’t know the ideologies, beliefs and culture the teachers are unknowingly spreading to your child. Imagine dragging a piece of tissue across a seemingly clean desk.
It’s observable – look at the behaviour of children between public and private schools, now tell me that there isn’t a difference. Quality of education equals quality in communication. I am ashamed to admit that most of the teachers I have encountered in my life had such a poor command of linguistic skills. They don’t teach kids to stand-up for what they believe in, they don’t teach them to speak-up for their own defence, they teach them to avoid conflict, they teach them to shy away, they teach them, especially, to do as their told and not to question authority. You may think that it’s easier to manage them then, but give them a few years when they gain independent thinking, you loose all their respect. We’re raising generation after generation of sheep. Sheep who lead miserably mediocre lives and do nothing to contribute to the progress of culture, nation and human-kind.
So yes, Room On The Broom – lovely production, it’s over now in Singapore but do catch it if it comes back again!
Witch goes for a ride with her cat to slay the dragon, witch picks up some friends along the way, cat get's jealous of her new friends, disaster strikes, cat saves the day, everyone lives happily ever after.
What really impressed me was how they simulated flying on a broomstick, tossing and turning through the air, landing and taking off...without the luxury of special effects and mechanisms! The actors looked like they were having so much fun jumping, wooshing and dancing for an hour!
I haven't seen a lot of children's theatre (although I'm sure my job will introduce me to a lot more), but there is one interesting observable difference in the behaviour between children and adults.
There were a couple of scenes where the actors were looking up in blank space, in the void behind us. Being adults, we know that they were just simulating a scene where they see a witch flying through the sky. But the kids... they all turned around in such earnest and the little gullibles actually thought there was something flying behind us!
Such is the mind of child... malleable and will believe everything you tell them. I have heard that the minds of children are not able to tell the difference between fact and fiction and as yet they are still incapable of independent thought. Sometimes it pains me to learn that the children we have are undergoing such a low quality of education faced in our schools and kindergartens. Let’s face it: the teachers in PAP kindergartens and public schools aren’t what you would call “excellent communicators”. Granted, the syllabus has been tried, tested and replicated with success: no problem with that. But in such a public environment, you don’t know the ideologies, beliefs and culture the teachers are unknowingly spreading to your child. Imagine dragging a piece of tissue across a seemingly clean desk.
It’s observable – look at the behaviour of children between public and private schools, now tell me that there isn’t a difference. Quality of education equals quality in communication. I am ashamed to admit that most of the teachers I have encountered in my life had such a poor command of linguistic skills. They don’t teach kids to stand-up for what they believe in, they don’t teach them to speak-up for their own defence, they teach them to avoid conflict, they teach them to shy away, they teach them, especially, to do as their told and not to question authority. You may think that it’s easier to manage them then, but give them a few years when they gain independent thinking, you loose all their respect. We’re raising generation after generation of sheep. Sheep who lead miserably mediocre lives and do nothing to contribute to the progress of culture, nation and human-kind.
So yes, Room On The Broom – lovely production, it’s over now in Singapore but do catch it if it comes back again!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Kranji Countryside!
As some of you may already know, I'm busy preparing press and communications material for the farms at Kranji for a really big event in August (this is secret for now, but remember, you heard it here first!)
Well, after writing so much about them, I'd like to really encourage you guys to go down and pay them a visit! It's one thing to enjoy your food, but it's another to understand how your food comes about....and really, it's just so romantic to buy your food right from the source.
You'd really want to check these places out:
Hay Dairies (the only goat farm in Singapore that gives you fresh goat's milk)
Jurong Frog Farm (yes, now you know where your frog's legs come from)
Bollywood Veggies (lot's and lot's of delicious organically grown vegetables!)
Kin Yan (my secret outlet for buying wheat grass...wheat grass actually does keep for very long, so it's worth while getting them in bulk here)
Gardenasia (after all that, just come here, sit down and kick your legs back while you have a delicious steak whilst admiring a view of their pond)
More about them next time....as for now, I need to get back to work...(yes, yes, it's 6pm....)
Well, after writing so much about them, I'd like to really encourage you guys to go down and pay them a visit! It's one thing to enjoy your food, but it's another to understand how your food comes about....and really, it's just so romantic to buy your food right from the source.
You'd really want to check these places out:
Hay Dairies (the only goat farm in Singapore that gives you fresh goat's milk)
Jurong Frog Farm (yes, now you know where your frog's legs come from)
Bollywood Veggies (lot's and lot's of delicious organically grown vegetables!)
Kin Yan (my secret outlet for buying wheat grass...wheat grass actually does keep for very long, so it's worth while getting them in bulk here)
Gardenasia (after all that, just come here, sit down and kick your legs back while you have a delicious steak whilst admiring a view of their pond)
More about them next time....as for now, I need to get back to work...(yes, yes, it's 6pm....)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Kermit and Rainbows
Heartwarming isn't this? I miss the Muppet Show and it's sad that things on television aren't as wholesome or easy to digest as this clip here anymore.
Sometimes I think my heart is stuck in the 80s.
ding dong!
i'm back!
gosh, it's been a while since i posted anything haven't i?
well, yes, i'm lazy - but above all, i've been so engrossed with so many things in my life ever since i got back! gosh, 2008 seem to have gone by in a blink of an eye!
Well, it's a beautiful Sunday evening: i'm in my bed on my brand new MacBook Pro typing this. There's so much I want to update, so much I want to say - but ha, the atmosphere this evening is too chilled out to do anything too serious!
All right, i'll have to leave at this and go back to my banana milkshake!
gosh, it's been a while since i posted anything haven't i?
well, yes, i'm lazy - but above all, i've been so engrossed with so many things in my life ever since i got back! gosh, 2008 seem to have gone by in a blink of an eye!
Well, it's a beautiful Sunday evening: i'm in my bed on my brand new MacBook Pro typing this. There's so much I want to update, so much I want to say - but ha, the atmosphere this evening is too chilled out to do anything too serious!
All right, i'll have to leave at this and go back to my banana milkshake!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
bored and frozen
The place: Hooilart, Overijse, Brussels
Why? : I'm stuck because i can't get back to the UK
Note to self: Never. ever. enter another country without an on-going ticket. To those of you who think this is very funny, well, it's not. It's inconvenient to the max, I have to travel halfway around the planet to get my visa. And I have a refusal stamp in my passport that won't go away. I need to get a new passport now because i'm going to get grief from border control each time i cross immigration. And i'm even more pissed off because it is of no fault of mine.
But all that aside, I love europe. Firstly, sure, they pay more tax. But at least the welfare is visible. So what if i'm paying 40 percent taxes and 21 percent VAT? I know that i can rely on someone to help should something go wrong. On top of that i get a good healthy environment where people are not so uptight and more friendly on the whole.
So we pay less taxes in singapore? My dad is on a wheelchair, i tried to look for help and no governemnt department is interested. And if you fall sick, sure it's cheap, but you still have to pay, and if you don't pay, you're screwed. So what if we pay less taxes? It all turns around and nips you in the butt somewhere.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
A sobering thought
It is a sobering thought that the survival of some of the largest corporations in the world ultimately depends squarely upon the persuasive tongues of a handful of men and women working for them.
Even more bewildering than that, the average sales person exposes themselves to the dangers of getting business for about 20% of their working day.
The only real tools the salesperson has are their words and actions. They use words to gain businesses. They use words to loose businesses.
Astounding isn't it?
Even more bewildering than that, the average sales person exposes themselves to the dangers of getting business for about 20% of their working day.
The only real tools the salesperson has are their words and actions. They use words to gain businesses. They use words to loose businesses.
Astounding isn't it?
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Game Console Season
Look at these statistics here:
During the month of April 2007, this is how these consoles fared (in Nothern America):
Nintendo DS - 471,000
Nintendo Wii - 360,000
Playstation 2 - 194,000
Playstation Portable - 183,000
Xbox 360 - 174,000
Gameboy Advance - 84,000
Playstation 3 - 82,000
GameCube - 13,000
Do you even believe your tits?! Playstation is barely trying to stay afloat in the consoles department! According to industry news, Playstation 3 is facing problems in trying to sell even 100,000 units a month!
It's quite gutsy of Nintendo to launch it's wii at a time when Sony and Microsoft are busy killing each other in the markets. Shrewd as they are, they have also underestimated their selling prowess and thus leading to a problem with supply. But who can blame them, it's better to be cautious than to have an oversupply and have stock sitting in your supply chains.
Some also say that there are just too few games to be had on the playstation. And i do believe that's what you want to do when you buy a game console - to play games. In fact, looking at the figures, you can see that the Playstation 2 (yes! 2!!) is actually outselling the Playstation 3! Now how can that even be remotely possible? Blame it on the games.
On the whole, Sony is still selling well. The PS2 and the PSP continues to be it's cash cow and it feeds a market that is already tired of an electronics market that's Microsoft everything.
And that is the problem that i foresee with the Xbox. Not the games, not the console, not the technology. The very brand of Microsoft is the deadweight that could be dragging it's sales. A quick survey: What do you think of when you think of Microsoft Games? I don't know about you, but the first thing that comes to mind is "Flight Simulator" and "Age of Empires". And i also can't get Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Windows out of my head. The word "microsoft" is just too serious to be related to anything fun. Perhaps some serious brand disassociation would do well to boost the Xbox's sales.
My buddy Rimbo pointed out another opportunity for Nintendo: "...technical prowess, combined with the low cost of development for the Wii.....will show a huge opportunity to develop games for the Wii that isn't being exploited yet by the big development houses. For the price of one triple-A title for the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, a studio could develop 3 Wii games and because of the huge Wii installed base, anyone of them has a better chance of selling than a big-budget Xbox/Playstation offering".
Enough said.
I'm spending my money on a hoover instead.
During the month of April 2007, this is how these consoles fared (in Nothern America):
Nintendo DS - 471,000
Nintendo Wii - 360,000
Playstation 2 - 194,000
Playstation Portable - 183,000
Xbox 360 - 174,000
Gameboy Advance - 84,000
Playstation 3 - 82,000
GameCube - 13,000
Do you even believe your tits?! Playstation is barely trying to stay afloat in the consoles department! According to industry news, Playstation 3 is facing problems in trying to sell even 100,000 units a month!
It's quite gutsy of Nintendo to launch it's wii at a time when Sony and Microsoft are busy killing each other in the markets. Shrewd as they are, they have also underestimated their selling prowess and thus leading to a problem with supply. But who can blame them, it's better to be cautious than to have an oversupply and have stock sitting in your supply chains.
Some also say that there are just too few games to be had on the playstation. And i do believe that's what you want to do when you buy a game console - to play games. In fact, looking at the figures, you can see that the Playstation 2 (yes! 2!!) is actually outselling the Playstation 3! Now how can that even be remotely possible? Blame it on the games.
On the whole, Sony is still selling well. The PS2 and the PSP continues to be it's cash cow and it feeds a market that is already tired of an electronics market that's Microsoft everything.
And that is the problem that i foresee with the Xbox. Not the games, not the console, not the technology. The very brand of Microsoft is the deadweight that could be dragging it's sales. A quick survey: What do you think of when you think of Microsoft Games? I don't know about you, but the first thing that comes to mind is "Flight Simulator" and "Age of Empires". And i also can't get Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Windows out of my head. The word "microsoft" is just too serious to be related to anything fun. Perhaps some serious brand disassociation would do well to boost the Xbox's sales.
My buddy Rimbo pointed out another opportunity for Nintendo: "...technical prowess, combined with the low cost of development for the Wii.....will show a huge opportunity to develop games for the Wii that isn't being exploited yet by the big development houses. For the price of one triple-A title for the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, a studio could develop 3 Wii games and because of the huge Wii installed base, anyone of them has a better chance of selling than a big-budget Xbox/Playstation offering".
Enough said.
I'm spending my money on a hoover instead.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
For Pieter:
"...if you go to bed with an itchy arse, you will wake up with a smelly finger." - my uncle on skunk
Note to self:
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.' -- Calvin Coolidge
goodbye china!
And thus we move again. Out of China this time and back the to the UK...
More information about what I’m up to in the UK when the time is right.
32 more days before I leave, my boss freaked out when I handed him the resignation letter. Ah well, what can I say... I mean I like china, but there are always better things in life to look forward to. Call me what you will, itchy feet, irresponsible, a man who can’t grow up to settle down. But hey, I’m getting a lot more out of life than you, you and you over there! I was reading Channel News Asia last evening and that was enough to reassure me of what I’m doing. I really don’t want to have my life reduced to movies, Saturday night clubbing, mindless complaining and then a few years after, leaving the planet in a Singapore Casket funeral.
So what are my thoughts about China? My opinions are really just very surface. Not even if a person has been here 10 years, you can never say that you know China well. Sure, on one hand they may be rude, unhygienic, self centred, untrusting and very casual, but hey! Singapore was exactly like this not too long ago too!
On a business perspective, I’m still not too sure about dealing with a real local Chinese firm. Their work is far too casual and quality control is almost lacking. But that really is because that’s what their society is all about. The motivation for working is propelled by money, not passion and that can be very dangerous.
It is a society that is driven by effort, not results. A factory girl working 24 hours and producing little results is praised more than the one that does her regular hours but has helped in identifying production flaws and increased productivity. Then again, it’s not fair to just say that China practices this very bad culture. It is something that is commonplace all throughout Asia. Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore... people in these places all believe in working hard, pointlessly. I am very disagreeable with this habit. I mean, if you see a colleague working like a mad hamster, you would feel compelled to stay at your desk too! And what are both of you doing all this time? Well, writing blogs off-line can be one. MSN could be another. Even if you have your work open on the screen, you could be just poking around and not doing any real work. So what is the point really?
Now, what if you had a system, that gets you in trouble if results are not produced, and required you to get off work at 6pm everyday? Think that’s a stupid idea? Not at all, it’s actually a new policy that’s practiced by foreign companies setup in Asia and it draws results better than never before. If you must work overtime, do it alone, do it at home. In a modern workforce, work is very portable and there really is no real reason why you must do it in the office anyway. At least not after office hours.
Argh, sorry mates. My thoughts are straying all over the place. A Tuesday morning after a bad breakfast and strong coffee doesn’t really make for conducive thinking.
More information about what I’m up to in the UK when the time is right.
32 more days before I leave, my boss freaked out when I handed him the resignation letter. Ah well, what can I say... I mean I like china, but there are always better things in life to look forward to. Call me what you will, itchy feet, irresponsible, a man who can’t grow up to settle down. But hey, I’m getting a lot more out of life than you, you and you over there! I was reading Channel News Asia last evening and that was enough to reassure me of what I’m doing. I really don’t want to have my life reduced to movies, Saturday night clubbing, mindless complaining and then a few years after, leaving the planet in a Singapore Casket funeral.
So what are my thoughts about China? My opinions are really just very surface. Not even if a person has been here 10 years, you can never say that you know China well. Sure, on one hand they may be rude, unhygienic, self centred, untrusting and very casual, but hey! Singapore was exactly like this not too long ago too!
On a business perspective, I’m still not too sure about dealing with a real local Chinese firm. Their work is far too casual and quality control is almost lacking. But that really is because that’s what their society is all about. The motivation for working is propelled by money, not passion and that can be very dangerous.
It is a society that is driven by effort, not results. A factory girl working 24 hours and producing little results is praised more than the one that does her regular hours but has helped in identifying production flaws and increased productivity. Then again, it’s not fair to just say that China practices this very bad culture. It is something that is commonplace all throughout Asia. Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore... people in these places all believe in working hard, pointlessly. I am very disagreeable with this habit. I mean, if you see a colleague working like a mad hamster, you would feel compelled to stay at your desk too! And what are both of you doing all this time? Well, writing blogs off-line can be one. MSN could be another. Even if you have your work open on the screen, you could be just poking around and not doing any real work. So what is the point really?
Now, what if you had a system, that gets you in trouble if results are not produced, and required you to get off work at 6pm everyday? Think that’s a stupid idea? Not at all, it’s actually a new policy that’s practiced by foreign companies setup in Asia and it draws results better than never before. If you must work overtime, do it alone, do it at home. In a modern workforce, work is very portable and there really is no real reason why you must do it in the office anyway. At least not after office hours.
Argh, sorry mates. My thoughts are straying all over the place. A Tuesday morning after a bad breakfast and strong coffee doesn’t really make for conducive thinking.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
Thursday, May 03, 2007
communist propaganda art
actually, communism propaganda art is quite cool. after trying to re-create this last night, I can understand why the hype caught on so well. it’s not the art entirely that won the battle though, the whole idea of communism is supposed to be the way forward for mankind in the future.
But the whole concept has a fundamental flaw: human greed and selfishness.
Communism is not a bad or evil thing, that’s what your history and social conditioning would like you to think. If communism had it’s way, there would be no global warming, no mindless capitalisation, far less crimes, no need for prostitution (damn), no murders committed in the name of religion. The world would be simpler, people would be helping one another and mankind would live the way God intended it to be – to live peacefully and to take care of the planet without mischief.
Ah. But that is a perfect world, a dream world. Now let’s talk about reality. In reality, we all want things. We want our Ferraris, our golf memberships, our sexy ladies swooning over us, our men to splurge money on us, our iPods and our pretty clothes. Abolishment of private property? Not with our greedy human nature, no way. In the real world, central planning becomes dictatorship. Communal work runs into laziness. Oh well....
But the whole concept has a fundamental flaw: human greed and selfishness.
Communism is not a bad or evil thing, that’s what your history and social conditioning would like you to think. If communism had it’s way, there would be no global warming, no mindless capitalisation, far less crimes, no need for prostitution (damn), no murders committed in the name of religion. The world would be simpler, people would be helping one another and mankind would live the way God intended it to be – to live peacefully and to take care of the planet without mischief.
Ah. But that is a perfect world, a dream world. Now let’s talk about reality. In reality, we all want things. We want our Ferraris, our golf memberships, our sexy ladies swooning over us, our men to splurge money on us, our iPods and our pretty clothes. Abolishment of private property? Not with our greedy human nature, no way. In the real world, central planning becomes dictatorship. Communal work runs into laziness. Oh well....
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