Constructive Deconstruction

Defunct.

I’ve stopped maintaining this blog.

I’m now blogging over at -link removed-

it’s been fun.

Edit: I’ve removed the link. Figured I didn’t want a permanent link between the two sites… Ask me if you really wanna know where my new site is.

Moving.

I’ll be shutting down this site in phases(depends on how well I cope with my work stuff).

Yeah, I thought I’d let you know. Everything will be ported over including anyone who’s registered an account with my blog. I’ll be blogging on my laptop for now(I’ve created the new one, but I’m still tweaking it before deploying it).

I figured I needed a new place to blog at. Something that’s more happy and pseudo-serious. Plus, the new domain’s not a .info so it won’t have the spammy feel to the URL.

Either way, this site’s been through some pretty good times….

Oh, and I’ve finally consolidated all my entries since 2002 in that new blog.

February 14

Today is the 14th February.
It’s Thursday.
It’s just like any other day.
In fact, it could actually be worse than other days.
I think I can start to go fly kite already.

Looking For The 4th Generation Leaders in Singapore

I was particularly interested in this issue not only because it makes up the succession plan of my country but also because the sort of leaders that would make up this ‘team’ would be the ones that will truly bring Singapore into the next phase – better or worse.

If Lee Kuan Yew’s team was tasked with establishing post-independence stability and Lee Hsien Loong’s team to build upon that stability and prepare for a transition into becoming a forward thinking nation, these 4^th Gen leaders(4GL) would effectively be the ones who are not caught between two states of transition but be the ones leading a full fledged change process.

By the time the 4GLs take charge, the balancing act of respecting the values of our grandparents vs the present youths would no longer be such a huge issues(primarily because they would have passed on). Of course, new challenges would surface but in essence, new and more global opportunities would present itself.

Are we truly ready to embrace a Singapore identity at the cost of losing our heritage? Can we begin to actually build one that doesn’t have to be tagged with our race? (You can’t possibly expect me to be a proud Singaporean and be proud of my Indonesian lineage just because my grandfather came from there. All you’re going to get is a confused Singaporean. )

How do we culture a nation that has young citizens who, from a young age, will seek to go abroad for success that they intend to bring home?

How do we handle the, by then, urgent need to carve a niche in industries that would not directly compete with superpowers like China and India and retain our leadership edge in the region?

These are just some questions. But the bigger question right now is, what kind of people should be filling up the vacancies on that team? I list 5 important traits below:-

1. A strong sense of historical analysis

All great nations rise and fall so it’s going to be important for whoever is going to be leading the pack to be able to connect the dots and at the same time understand what has worked and what has not worked in the past for other nations and civilisations. They will also need to have a grasp of why things were as they were. Both success and failure and the societal conditions for both at that time would need to be fully understood and brought into the day’s context.

2. A mix of scholar and smart.

We have been bred in a meritocratic system but more and more there is a divide between the book elite and street smart people. This has to change and if we are going to move forward as a nation, we need some street smarts up there. That said, they should of course possess basic qualifications. A balance has to be achieved.

3. Corporate background with a passion for society.

This point has very much to do with the fact that the economic strength of our country is and will probably be one of the strongest tools we have. The problem right now is how Singapore is becoming too ‘corporatized’ ( think Singapore Inc. ). While issues like the ministerial pay hikes are probably justified in some sense, the way it was presented reeked of a corporate talent retention programme. It wasn’t so much that talented citizens should serve, it was that the best people should be retained through good compensation packages. I hope it was just poor delivery of the decision that made it seem this way because if money is what they think is the solution to good government leaders, then they’re really competing with the likes of MNCs( Singapore Inc. indeed ). We need patriots. Either way, capable individuals who are truly passionate in creating value for the society at large should be the ones we gun for.

4. A good sense of diplomacy

We are always going to be a tiny red dot. We can’t afford to have enemies. We can’t afford to go to war. We need lots and lots of alliances( economic and otherwise ). If anything, the 4GLs need to maintain, if not better, our foreign relations. In my opinion, this is probably the biggest shoe to fill because our present leaders are doing a great job.

5. A transformational type leader

A paternal type government would probably not go down well by the time the 4GLs take power. The people would be too smart to just be told, “This is good for you.” Because of that, these new guys will have to be ones who are able deliver sound reasoning and take the time to relate the changes to the man on the street. They need to inspire and rally the people together to face a new world – one that’s harsher, more cruel and a lot less forgiving. Fear and power over the people will not be enough. People need to love the nation and what she’s trying to do.

People in fear fight hard.
But people in love fight harder.

Worry.

I had a dream today but I can’t remember what it was about(do you get that too sometimes?). It’s left me with a very worried feeling. Ah yes. I remember.

I was in a meeting with my team(there were like 35 people or so) and I was explaining to them the future of the company. The worries. The problems. The way to move forward. Then some people started telling me how they depended on their salaries for a living. Some started to get really worried. And just before I got to the optimistic part of the meeting, I lost my voice. By the time, I got around to drinking some water and have it come back, the meeting was off and every had left.

It was just me and some other guy left. He came up to me and said something like, “You’re very prepared. But you’re a bad businessman. You don’t talk to people about the hearty issues.”

I was taken aback because I thought that was precisely what I was talking about and have been focusing on for so long. But of course, sometimes others can see more clearly our flaws than we can ourselves so I let it stick.

I could see the worry and the disappointment in his eyes. Suddenly I said to him, “If you’re going to remove me from the board, tell it to me straight up.”

His reply was short, sharp, extremely honest,

“Of course.”

The pink iPod Nano

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Maybe Britney Spears should just stay in psych rehab longer…

I just chanced upon the news of Britney Spears being placed under the “conservatorship” of her father, James Spears…which only happens when someone is deemed to be unable to care for him/herself or their affairs.

I’ve read the reports on how early fame can cause really whacky outcomes in people. But how could someone end up like that? She’s been in and out of psychiatric treatment so often that it makes me wonder if they might have been too lenient on her. Maybe she should just stay in there longer until they can properly help her recover…I doubt being thrown back into society is helping with her rehab.

I also think people(the paparazzi) should also give her a break. Clearly, they’re not making things any better.

Awesome Band : Sarah Yap and In Finite Flight

While I was doing relief teaching back in 2005, I met a bunch of people that were extremely talented. Needless to say, the day they performed for the AJ Talentime equivalent, I was won over. Not only do they have the capability to compose original works, they’ve got a vocalist, Sarah Yap, that’s got a great voice!…and…she’s hot in a nerdy-sweet kinda way too!…Other than her, there’s Amos Goh and Harry Zheng who play like a gazillion instruments and composes and all.

Anyway, I keep in touch with some of them and they just launched their first youtube video. The video itself is nothing awesome but I’m definitely impressed by their performance! In fact, I really think they deserve your time and attention….and if you’re on facebook, get on their group! They really should have their own fan base!

Go Rara! We gotta do coffee sometime soon!

Facebook Group : http://ntu.facebook.com/group.php?gid=28267165057
Site : http://www.myspace.com/infiniteflight

Stories & Happy Endings

I realised something a few moments ago.

Too many stories and shows and movies and books and plays and dramas and musicals have happy endings.

They give people false hope.

They give me false hope.

Why go to a JC when you can get your A Level cert from…McDonalds!

The British government has granted McDonald’s the right to hand out A-levels, “a qualification … recognized around the world and … used as a sort of entrance exam for some universities” on the basis of its training programme.

( Source : Boingboing )

Can you imagine this…After the release of the O Level results…

Son : Dad, should I go JC, Poly or McDonalds? My friends are all going McDonalds….
Dad : Son, follow your heart….what do you want to be? What’s your ambition?
Son : I’ve always…always dreamed of being a Burger Meister!