Hurray To The Opposition Parties?

Have you ever raised an objection or voice your concern over certain issues that are happening in your life and to which is bringing you lots of dissatisfaction, and maybe even frustration? I’d like you to ponder over this question for a while.

When you are opposing the authorities, what is your main intention? What do you hope to achieve? Authorities here refer to anyone or any organisation that has a greater say in a particular issue than you do, like your parents, bosses, community leaders and the government.

To maintain a balanced view and to gain wider perspectives on things, we need differing views and opposing opinions. But such voices should also be kept in check so that the privilege is not being misused.

Growing up with a rebellious streak in our blood seems to be a norm during our teenage years. We want to be different, whether it is to gain attention or seek recognition. Therefore, we do all sorts of things, many times rather stupid ones, just to make a statement.

I am not against such ideas in the quest for variety and uniqueness. I am concerned if they are not done because of an individual’s thirst for innovation, but for the sake of wanting to oppose.

Imagine how chaotic a society, an organisation, a community or even a family would be if everyone oppose for the sake of opposing and not for a better resolution of a said issue and concern.

Similarly in politics, just because one is in the opposition party doesn’t mean one should attack the ruling government in any window of opportunity and do their best to pull them down. Shouldn’t the opposition parties act as good sounding boards and an excellent listening ear for the public, whom the government could have chosen to turn a deaf ear to their woes and grouses?

I hold on to this belief that unity is strength. In the grand scheme of things, some varied opinions are fine, but not if they affect the overall vision and impedes the progress for a nation.

On the same note, in the family, if everyone fights for the mere sake of wanting to fight, then it perhaps the same efforts can be put to better use.

Back to the question I posed in the beginning. Could you honestly tell yourself that in each and every case when you are fighting to have your voice heard and sentiments accepted by the others, is there really a genuine case of wanting to change things for the better? Or are you fighting only because it seems to be the “right” thing, or “in” thing to do?

Stand up for a good cause and it doesn’t matter if it isn’t being understood and accepted by others as yet, if you genuinely know that your intention and motive can only bring about a better future. Otherwise, maybe it’s good to just go with the flow rather than risk having a blind leading the blind by shouting aimlessly and without any purpose. 

Mas Selamat’s Escape: Why?

Yesterday, the Executive Summary of Mas Selamat’s escape was released, and there were three factors which led to his escape.

1. The GC guard escorting Mas Selamat did not stop Mas Selamat from closing the urinal cubicle door in the Family Visitation Block toilet

2. The ventilation window in the urinal cubicle had not been secured by grilles

3. The weakness in the perimeter fencing where the outer and inner perimeter fences converged with an enclosed staircase and walkway leading to the Family Visitation Block was not detected.

Furthermore, there are following factors that could have contributed to providing Mas Selamat more time to make good his escape.

1. The two GC guards and the SDO escorting Mas Selamat failed to respond immediately and decisively when they noticed Mas Selamat was taking too long in the urinal cubicle;

2.The SDO escorting Mas Selamat failed to check if Mas Selamat had changed out of his WRDC-issued attire into his civilian clothes. The COI believes that Mas Selamat must have been wearing at least two layers of clothing when he emerged from the Locker Room;

3. No one was actively monitoring the two CCTV cameras covering the outer and inner perimeter fences at the rear of the Family Visitation Block.

Now, first, I believe that some security breaches are unavoidable. When I was still serving as an NSF, security breaches at times crop up, because no one is infallible. That’s fair enough, though I suspect that for the detention centre, much, much higher standards should be present.

BUT, the other factors which led to his escape, such as weaknesses in perimeter fencing, sawing off the grille and the slow response time (following the chain of command), are inexcusable.

Because the way I see it, in any ordinary unit, this wouldn’t even have the chance to happen.

Why so? When I was first posted into my unit, along with my peers, we didn’t know what was expected of us. We blindly followed instructions of those higher in rank, until one day, our CSM told us this. “Use your own initiative, don’t anyhow go listen to people. Every little thing, don’t need to ask for help, use your own judgement and do it. Although you may be PTEs, you all are A Level / Poly students, don’t need me hold your
hand.” And that was it. We knew that whatever decisions we made, our CSM would back us up, but there would be hell (sign extras, etc) if we screwed up.

Throughout army life, we made decisions, and usually improvised when we had any difficulties.

Now, when the first guard thought Mas Selamat was taking too long, he alerted the other guard, who then turned to the Special Duty Operative who was outside the toilet. Being female, the Special Duty Operative asked Mas Selamat’s male Assistant Case Officer to check on him. So when the Assistant Case Officer opened the door, Mas Selamat was gone.

That was ridiculous. The first guard should have just kicked open the door, instead of going up the chain of command. Surely the relevant personnel would know what initiative is, and how to use it?

Secondly, the window. It was not secured by grilles because there was a difference in understanding between ISD and the vendor over exactly which windows were to be secured with grilles. The Superintendent (equivalent rank to a Superintendent of Police or LTC in the SAF) instructed that the handle of the ventilation window to be sawed off as a security measure to make the window secure.

Curiously enough, after the escape, the window was immediately ‘sealed up’.

My question. Why didn’t ISD ask the vendor to supply grilles, explaining that there was a misunderstanding? Even if there were lack of funds, surely an explanation would enable top-ups of funds to arrive, especially since it concerned matters of security?

My unit at times was also low on funds, and essential maintenance works could not be done. However, after justifiying the need for extra funds, we were issued the money. In the meantime, we did do some improvisations (again, by my CSM, who is sort of a DIY person).

Surely there would be someone who would notice that the sawed off grille wasn’t enough of a precaution? I could imagine this conversation going on in my unit, if we we had to secure a toilet in camp.

CSM: So, what happen to the window?
Me: Encik, got misunderstanding with the vendor. But I call them to fix..they very busy now, will fix in a month’s time. In the meantime, OC saw off the window grille.
CSM: Aiya, OC is officer. Somemore scholarship officer. Won’t understand this thing one..Saw off grille people can still escape. Standing orders say must have line of sight.
Me: Then how, encik?
CSM: CQ store got mirror or not?
Me: Don’t have, encik.
CSM: Ok..you go call that Livon Trading guy..ask him supply the mirror in his catalogue..the kind in the 7-11 store..tomorrow I go hang on the toilet ceiling. Then people can see whether guy in the toilet or not.
Me: Ok, encik.
CSM: Also ah, you go call Jun Yi, bring up the sign from the CQ store that toilet not working and ask him put on the toilet door. Make sure the guy come with the mirror tomorrow.
Me: Ok, encik.
CSM: Also, put in the RO, all servicemen who escort prisoners to the toilet must look at the mirror to make sure the guy doesn’t escape. Anyone that don’t look will go sign three extra.
Me: Yes encik. After the grille fix, the mirror how?
CSM: Then I go put the mirror outside my office, can see whether the COS sleeping or not.

I’m sure that in the detention centre, there would be someone with the rank, or rather, the experience of a senior specialist or warrant officer to...advise the Superintendent of potential security breaches?

However, I’m not saying that if any ordinary army unit was in charge, this would not have happened, but I would gather that fewer such mistakes and errors would occur.

Hopefully, after this incident, especially with the recommendations in the COI, there wouldn’t be any such escapes at all in the future.

Superhero Movie

The Superhero movie is a movie which spoofs the superhero genre, starring Drake Bell as Rick Riker, a young clumsy teenager who doesn’t seem to be be able to do anything right.

The movie starts off with Rick and his class going on a fieldtrip to a research laboratory, ending up with Rick getting bitten by a mutant dragonfly, which coincedentally leads to Rick developing super powers. Reminded of Spider-man, anyone?

Of course, like any other superhero movie, there has to be a villain to vanquish, and Hourglass (a rogue superhero who can prematurely age anyone to their death) fits the bill here.

But this isn’t just a movie where the superhero defeats the bad guy, it’s a movie which also manages to spoof everything it encounters. Throughout the whole movie, there are spoofs every few seconds which managed to keep me laughing on and off the whole show.

The spoofs connect quite well with the modern world, covering a variety of occurences like Facebook, Apple’s ‘i’ brand, the annoying paper clip in windows office, Youtube, things which most people see daily. Of course, the flop side is that there is also a lot of puerile humour, with a whole assortment of farting, nose picking, and close contact with breasts. It could have been much more sophisticated, relying on the former type of spoofs throughout the whole movie.

However, this movie was probably designed with adolescent males in mind, and therefore subscribe to spoofs which include crude humour. A good movie for NSFs on a night-out, but definitely not for not for someone who prefers a sophisticated movie, or a movie that gives deep fulfillment or satisfaction.

It’s a decent movie to watch to pass the time, but don’t expect anything more than a barrel of laughs from it.

Run Fat Boy Run

Marathons are arduous, physically and mentally demanding events – and that’s just for those who are in shape and constantly run to keep fit. For regular folk like you and I (well, unless you happen to be a regular marathoner), running anything more than the usual 2.4km for IPPT (and sometimes even that is too much) is a sure guarantee to end up in the hospital.

So, when a movie comes along that actually raises enough interest in running a marathon and that inspires me to actually sign up for one (which I’m going to run in a few weeks’ time, hopefully with enough time to get in shape before then), then it has to be a pretty decent flick.
Directed by David Schwimmer (aka Ross Gellar, neurotic dinosaur-lover from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.) in his movie directorial debut (although he had dabbled in directing some TV episodes before), Run Fat Boy Run tells the story of Dennis Doyle (played brilliantly by Simon Pegg, who starred in what is possibly one of the best horror spoofs ever, Shaun Of The Dead), a proverbial loser who ditches his almost-perfect-and-totally-pregnant wife on the day of his wedding and has since been living the life of a fat, good-for-nothing security guard in a lingerie shop.

When he sees Libby and his son cosying up to the new man in her life, Whit (played by a beefed –up Hank Azaria), Doyle decides to take on the man, who’s the antithesis of everything Dennis is – good-looking, rich, charming and successful – in the only way he can think of, by taking part in the Nike River Run, a marathon which Whit has been a consistent runner for.

Of course, being terribly out of shape, Dennis has to go through rigorous training and a trial-by-fire, engaging the help of best buddy Gordon (Dylan Moran in his smarmy, cynical best) and hard-exterior-soft-heart landlord Mr. Goshdashtidar (Harish Patel in what is unexpectedly the best performance of the show) to whip him into shape for the big showdown.

Being a lighthearted comedic sports show, the plot is predictable and the ending visible from several (forgive the pun) miles away. That said, though, the script is fantastically written, with a breezy, relaxed pacing and the occasional wit thrown in for good measure. The jokes, while not thigh-smacking hilarious, are charming and well-timed, delivered with just the right amount of panache (especially from Pegg, who has truly mastered the art of British comedy).

The characters are affable and endearing, with main character Doyle and the afore-mentioned Mr. Gosh being the runaway stars of the show. The acting, too, is top-notch from all the cast members, with the exception of Newton, who, at times, is stiff and can’t seem to figure out what expression she needs to be giving. Still, the acting from the ensemble cast is solid.

While Run Fat Boy Run probably won’t be winning any awards and go down as some classic cult hit, strong acting, a charming script and a general polish in the overall package ensures for a good, light-hearted watch. Plus, any movie that gets me off my couch and into running shoes gets extra brownie points from me.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

MacRitchie Reservoir - HSBC Treetop Walk

MacRitchie reservoir is a nature reserve right smack in the centre of Singapore. It’s part of the central catchment area, which is where raw water resides until it is treated and piped into homes. Now, aside from the obvious condition that you cannot dump industrial chemicals or any forms of waste in the area, it is quite safe to pee around the area. Stifle your gag reflex for a moment, and think about this (hopefully you’re not eating as you’re reading this!): the animals live in the forest. They live and eat off the jungle. So where do all their wastes go?

Yes! Into all the little streams, which eventually drain into the reservoir! Therefore, if you have somebody you really, really dislike, you can wreck your revenge by peeing into his water supply. The monkeys already do it to us anyway.

Now, the HSBC Treetop Walk route winds through the northern part of MacRitchie, and is steeped on top of a collection of small hills which I estimate to be around 6 stories tall. The side-effect is that just completing that trail will be a bit of a challenge even for the combat trained, like me. This trek is difficult if your fitness isn’t up to snuff. There are paved roads at certain stretches, as well as nicely built wooden stairs at a few places, but the gradient can be steep, and if you fall ill along the way, help would take some time to arrive.

So, please see your doctor before you hit the trail, if you’re unsure about the state of your health. Travel in a group, so that you can rely on each other in case somebody needs assistance. And don’t drink directly from the reservoir. Remember: monkey pee.

This plant (or is it a fern?) brings back horrible memories. While it’s harmless, its sibling species in Brunei has many sharp, often long thorns growing on the underside of the leaves. I spent one whole night in a virgin jungle surrounded by these prickly menaces during a special navigation exercise designed for scouts. It’s hard for me to describe the situation without a picture, but imagine yourself hemmed in with inter-locked plants. There is no clear path anywhere, and the only way to move is to start hacking a route through the mess of these thorny plants. Stuck with two machetes, maps and compass, a signal set, as well as a small packet of mint candy with chocolate cores (yummy!) which I brought out secretly, we had to navigate our way out of the place. I kicked myself for leaving my gloves in Singapore.

Back to the present, we reached the suspension bridge itself after a steep climb up a paved road that appeared out of nowhere.

My camera doesn’t have a wide-angle lens, so I can’t attempt to impress on you the splendid view of the tree canopy.

The suspension bridge itself is a man-made structure held by metal cables, which are wrapped in protective plastic to slow down erosion. Since it’s exposed to the elements, rust takes hold very, very rapidly.

From that height, we could have a clear view of the Pierce reservoirs. If you’re lucky, you could even spot an eagle flying high in the sky (we weren’t lucky enough). Some of the taller trees break through the canopy layer, and reach staggering heights. This tree had curved branches that looked like elephant tusks. The trunk itself nearly reached the height of the bridge support struts.

As we left the bridge, we spotted some warped formations on the leaves that appear to be tumours. I reached out to an afflicted leaf and turned it over. The underside appears to have mutated by possibly malignant growth. Plants can get cancer!

After the suspension bridge, the trail turns into a series of undulating slopes, thankfully made easier with the wooden stairs built into the gradient. From here, the route leads back to the Ranger station. Overall, my thighs threatened to go into cramps from the exertion. It could be because I brought my heavy laptop along for the trip, but it shouldn’t have been a problem for me, since back during my NS days, I had to carry far heavier loads for a similar distance. I think I’m losing the mojo now Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge now, but I hope you enjoyed the story and pictures!

Serendipity

Serendipity. This is one word that I love a lot. Not only does it carry a beautiful sound when pronounced, it also looks pretty when spelt.

Now I’m not going into the English history on where, why and how this word came about. Rather, I’d like to talk about a movie that is named after this word.

This isn’t a new blockbuster coming out in the cinemas. It was screened in 2001, and 7 years later, my hubby and me were watching it at home, on our couch, for the first time.

This movie, starring John Cusack from Must Love Dogs and Kate Beckinsale from Pearl Harbour, plays on fate and destiny that almost went terribly wrong. Sara (Beckinsale) and Jonathan (Cusack) met magically one evening before Christmas, the season when people tend to want to fall in love without knowing why.

The unexpected and romantic encounter would count as fate’s doing, in my opinion. But not for Sara, who believed in destiny so much that she started to sow some seeds to see if they will grow and ripen to produce fruits of love. A twist of events pulled them away, as much as they would have wished otherwise.

Years later, though separately engaged and about to marry their own partners, Sara and Jonathan couldn’t give up thinking about what would happen if fate had continued to play cupid for them for the third consecutive time that same night. So they set about to put destiny to the test once again, but this time round, more efforts had to be put in through active searching and a bit of investigating on the part of Jonathan.

Will they get to meet up again? How would that feel if they do? Are they going to continue where they left, or will their minds be made up to go on with the wedding that has been planned? This set the agenda for the lead charcters in Serendipity.

Sounds romantic? I guess so. Now here comes the crunch. How do I feel about this?

What is fate, really? To me, the fact that both of them were to combine forces to get that only pair of gloves that looked like ever to be produced in the entire Universe on one evening is magical enough. And that is fate.

Whether two people can end up together is another thing. And whether they can have a lasting and loving relationship is yet another thing. It depends not on fate, but on work. On effort. On human’s action. Cupid’s arrow can only bring two people to come face to face with each other and ignite some sparks between them. But Cupid is not going to make sure the arrow will stay or for that matter, won’t go rusty from the lack of or no maintenance.

That Sara wants to put fate to the ultimate test is to me, a pure waste of time and pushing her luck too far. At the end, Jonathan had to expend so much effort to track her down based on one single receipt, not to mention having to deal with an ultra irritable sales guy. They hurt two other people who would probably wouldn’t come into their paths had Sara not started the game. So isn’t this human’s effort?

If that one night of meeting had stirred up such an avalanche of emotions that could propel them to risk giving up their engagement many years down the road, then doesn’t it already signify the importance of such a connection? Then again, they probably wouldn’t have foreseen this to be so. They have underestimated the power of love at first sight.

To conclude, as a love and relationship coach, I believe in making things happen. Chance encounters, whether they are romantic or magical or merely plain, are there to allow us to have a beginning somewhere, somehow. That is serendipity. How and whether that seed will grow to a budding plant depends on nothing but the characters involved. Action is needed.

If you meet this girl you fancy, then do not wait for destiny to bring her to your door. Go and get to know her. Start from being a friend if you want to take things slow. No matter what, a failed action is always better than a no-action. At least you get some feedback that can determine what your next course of action can be.

And in comparison, Definitely, Maybe is definitely a much better choice. Thank goodness you still are in time to catch it now! Catch my review of Definitely, Maybe in the NS Portal. (At the time of posting I can’t find the review in the site, so maybe you guys could read about it when it’s uploaded.)

Paradox

I read a short story the other day, The Three Horsemen of Apocalypse (from The Paradoxes of Mr Pond, by G. K Chesterton), and I found it to be rather insightful, as it dealt with an interesting paradox : A man failed because his soldiers obeyed and were loyal to him.

The summary of the narrative is as such.

A poet had been captured, and the Marshal of the Prussian Army had wanted him to be executed, as he was afraid the poet could incite trouble. Being in the 18th century, with no forms of modern communication, the Marshal sent out a lieutenant to deliver the order of the poet’s execution to the village where the poet was held. So the lieutenant mounted a horse, and rode for the village.

Shortly after, the Prince of Prussia arrived, and he was displeased at the order of execution, so he sent out a man with a reprieve, mounted on a fast horse to overtake the first man the Marshal sent.

The Marshal, who knew that the Prince did not understand the danger the poet posed, was noticeably peeved, and sent a sergeant out, with the instructions that he stop the rider the Prince sent.

So the sergeant rode on and on, until he saw a rider in front of him, jockeying his mount urgently towards the village where the poet was held. He raised his gun, took aim, and fired, inflicting a grievous wound on the rider. The sergeant then returned to the Marshal, his mission accomplished.

The Marshal then decided to ride to the town, to see the aftermath of the execution, for he believed that the prince’s man had been stopped. But when he arrived at the town, he found that the poet had been set free after all, for no message of execution had been delivered.

How had this happened?

The lieutenant, when galloping towards the town, had heard hoof beats coming his way, and he being no fool, surmised that the Prince had sent a rider to stay the execution.

Knowing that the Marshal wanted the poet executed, he had turned around, and shot the Prince’s messenger, before leisurely cantering to the town.

So as the sergeant rode from the Marshal’s camp to the village, the rider he had glimpsed ahead in the distance was not the Prince’s man, but the lieutenant. And as the wrong man was shot, the poet escaped execution.

What is the moral of this story?

An obvious one. Do not do evil, whatever you will be returned upon you.

A less obvious one. Trust the men under you. Trust them to do what is right, and do not for a moment believe that they cannot think for themselves. In the story, the Marshal did not trust his lieutenant to think on his own. So he sent out another man, which ultimately defeated his objective.

The lack of communication can also lead to failure. If the two men the Marshal sent out had the ability to communicate with each other, they could have delivered the order for execution. But both of them did what they believed was necessary to achieve their objectives, without talking to each other, and hence failed to meet them.

So the question is: Are we like the Marshal and his men today?

Interview Tips

Nobody likes going for interviews, or so I’d like to think. Just like filing taxes or doing household chores, interviews are a must for us (well, sometimes) to head on to our next stages of life but I’m guessing no one likes to go through the stress and intense scrutiny that comes with each session.

Still, there are some who seem to have more luck with interviews than others and, I’d have to say, I’m one of those. I remembering going for several interviews for several discretionary admission polytechnic courses after my O levels (knowing that I would never be able to enter by my pitiful grades alone) and, by a huge stroke of luck, passing all of them and getting several acceptance letters. My university admission interview last year had similar results.

Therefore, while I’m no interview expert and I’m quite sure most of my interview successes were based more on luck than true aptitude, I will nonetheless try to impart some of my interview techniques, what with all the major local universities having their discretionary interviews during these few weeks (or so I heard from my friends who applied).

1. Research and know your material

Some people just head into interviews knowing nothing about the subject matter they intend to try taking and sometimes even knowing nothing about the course itself. This is a big no-no. I remember I had only given the school website and curriculum a cursory glance before heading in to one of my interviews for poly admission. Then, the interviewer had asked me to list out all the different aspects of the course I could think of and I was stunned speechless. Though I did eventually manage to make it into the course, I know full well how close I came to getting an instant rejection right then and there.

Of course we’re definitely not supposed to be experts on the subject matter of what we’re taking but, going into any interview, you must show the interviewer that you are really keen on getting into the course and that you have had done sufficient research to at least have basic idea of what you think you’re getting yourself into. At least familiarize yourself with the curriculum structure, some of the major aspects of the course and some of the job prospects you see yourself pursuing. If you don’t know or bother to find out anything about the course at all, it only shows the interviewer how apathetic you are about the whole process and result.

If you can, try to read a little more extensively into the subject matter and not just the course itself and pepper your conversation with some little factoids you might have read about. Of course, don’t go overboard with this or you’ll just end up looking desperate and obviously trying to show off.

2. Acknowledge your mistakes

Still, despite your best efforts, there will be times when you are caught unawares by a question, be it something you don’t know or just have forgotten on the spot or are just not sure how to answer.

When this happens, just take it in your stride, acknowledge the fact that you are not sure, be really sorry about it and attempt to make up for it somehow later by rocking another question or something.

Interviewers, in my experience, would much rather prefer honest people who would face up to their mistakes than those who don’t know but just smoke their way through. Because, believe me, no matter how some people might believe that they’re good at “smoking”, they never take into account that these interviewers would probably have screened several hundreds of people before and would have definitely picked up on how to discern their interviewees.

3. Prepare a portfolio, no matter how pitiful it might seem

Again, like my first point, preparing a portfolio (which is a must for some courses but not a prerequisite for some others) shows the interviewer that you are truly serious about the course that you are interviewing for. If you are interviewing for a course that involves writing, put together your best written material. If it involves design work, even old doodles that you did would at least help to fill up your file.

No matter how pathetic or unprofessional you think your portfolio might be, it’s definitely better than nothing. At least your interviewer would have something, no matter how minute, on which to gauge your abilities in the relevant field. Anyway, no one expects you to be super professional because, if we were that great at the field already, why would we even need to enroll in the first place? It’s more the effort that counts, in my opinion.

Still, it never hurts to put up as good a body of work as possible and it would be good if planning and preparation for a decent portfolio starts months in advance, if time allows.

4. Read up more on current affairs

This again falls back on my point about being prepared and showing your interviewer you know your stuff.

Read the papers often (daily, if possible) and get on the net for some more information if you feel the need to (after all, you don’t usually get excuses to go onto the net for long periods, do you?). Read up not only about news or current affairs that are relevant or directly pertaining to the field of the course that you are enrolling in (although this one is a must) but just about news in general. Keep abreast of the state of affairs because you never know what kinds of questions the interviewers might throw at you.

5. Be confident, but not arrogant; nervous works too, but in small amounts

Armed with sufficient knowledge to bowl your interviewers over, you must now look to how you bring yourself to the interviewers.
Be confident, is what most people would advise you to try to and it definitely works in interviewers. Smile (very important, this one), think things through and bring up all the relevant information at the right time and you pretty much secure yourself a seat. Still, always remember that there is a very fine line between confidence and arrogance and sometimes it’s easy, in the spur of the moment or under the impulse to impress, to cross this line. Don’t get smart or throw wisecracks at your interviewer or try too hard.

Alternatively, for those people who aren’t sure how to project confidence or who are always very nervous in these situations, it’s ok to show some of how nervous you are. Being nervous shows you understand the magnitude of the interview and shows that you are reverent about the whole procedure. Still, be careful not to let the nerves get the best of you. It’s never good to be stunned silent or to blabber and ramble on when taken aback.

The most important point, though, is to remember to just be yourself. Being confident is one thing. Being a totally different person or someone who you think the interviewer would want is a totally different thing. If you’re an introvert by nature, don’t try to get all extroverted for the interview. More often than not, those who try to fulfill some kind of self-perceived ideal interviewee they think would be able to clinch the interview often end up acting in awkward and stiff manners that experienced interviewers would be able to see through right away. Anyway, who’s to say what your interviewers are looking for?

6. Dress well

On the matter of how you present yourself to your interviewers, one oft-repeated point to note, and one which I totally agree on, is your dressing.
Never ever dress like you just rolled out of bed or are just heading out to the neighbourhood for a snack, no matter how fashionable it might be at the moment. Berms and slippers (and even sandals) are a huge no-no, unless you are wearing a cast or having some kind of skin infection.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to dress like the businessman of the year to every interview. Tailor your dressing to the course itself. If you know the course is of a more casual, dynamic nature, a simple polo shirt, or button up shirt and jeans will suffice. For the more business like courses, pants and leather shoes might be more fitted to the occasion.

Still, if you are not sure or if you’re being kiasu, just remember the key rule to dressing for interviews: it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed. I remember one interview where I dressed up to the nines in a suit and tie and everyone else ended up wearing jeans and shirts but hey, I got through in the end so who matters right?

Alright, those are my tips for sitting for interviews. Of course, they are based purely on my personal experiences and are in no way a definitive or sure-fire way to clinch a spot or impress the heck out of your interviewers but I’m guessing they would at least help. So, for those of you out there going for interviews, all the best and good luck!

MacRitchie Reservoir - Monkeys!

It’s been 2 whole years since I finished my National Service. Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of my ORD, and the day before that, I was in the forest. The Central Catchment Area, to be exact. It’s the kind of surreal feeling you get when you realise the irony. I realised that only just yesterday evening, but it was already too late to write about that.

Anyway, MacRitchie is a reasonably easy trail for anybody who has been through extensive combat training for 2 whole years in NS - there are many slopes along the path, and many of them are a bit steep, but if you had come out of bashing through the vegetation with a heavy backpack, walking on the trail with a 5kg bag, a very heavy tripod (not mine!) is simply a piece of cake.

Alright, not a piece of cake, my breathing got a bit heavy at the stretch going upwards towards the HSBC Treetop walk, but it wasn’t anything unmanageable. One of my companions couldn’t take the steep climb, and had to rest mid-slope. You know that deja vu feeling you get seeing someone else bent over to ease the load off his shoulders, and onto his back? I did that all the time way back. Now, I’m walking on a fairly well beaten dirt track, with little rocks to slip and trip on, and there’re no enemies coming at me from behind, so I’m pretty sure that my fitness has dropped quite drastically.

Huge maps like these help us to find our way around the nature reserve. You don’t need to bring a compass, GPS or a 10 000 : 1 map! Of course, without information about the terrain, the trails seem misleadingly easy.

Along the way, we saw monkeys, and I tried to take photographs of them with my point-and-shoot camera:

It’s the first time I tried really hard to get close to them without getting myself into trouble After all, signboards around the area are warning visitors to keep their food sealed away in their bags, and I didn’t want to test their super-sensitive sense of smell.

Dont’ you find it uncanny in their ability to sit down?

This monkey was looking for its companion

I can’t really call this a portrait, but this was one of the rare shots where I could get the monkey’s face.

Right when I took this picture, I heard two girls giggling loudly from afar. They were around 400 metres away, but it was so loud that it startled the monkeys. Some visitors can be really noisy. It frightened the monkeys so much that they didn’t come out onto the path afterwards.

“Am I a koala wannabe or what?”

I’ll post more pictures in another post!

Original Fiction

Do you ever think that come on day, the avenues of original fiction will be exhausted? It probably seems silly now, considering that day after day, there are new books being released into the market by authors, both old and new, with vivid and engaging plots.

But are these plots really and truly original?

To me, I think the majority of these plots are generally the same, but they are created by consolidating many different elements, but each delved into with varying intensity. Either that, or they combine many different genres, perhaps the detective genre together with the fantasy genre.

Take for example, a general fantasy story, with a Save the World plot.

Consolidating various elements, let’s say we add in members of the magical community, a magic school, a sorcerer that wants to take over the world, and perhaps a wizard as a hero. We throw in a few artifacts or two, and perhapst even want to set the background to something resembling London.

Tada, we have Sourcery, by Terry Pratchett, released in 1988.

Modify it a bit, throw in a bit more emphasis on the magic school, focus on the background, reduce the emphasis on certain aspects, and tada, we get Harry Potter (series started in 1997)

But it isn’t just plots that are similar, certain elements in fiction are reused again and again, but in different intensity.

Take for example Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Purloined Letter”, one of the very first detective stories written in Western literature. The story hinges on the fact that the letter that the Prefect of Police wants is in fact in plain sight, not hidden amongst any fancy trappings.

That motif is repeated throughout the years in various forms of detective fiction: There is a clue/objective in plain sight, but people fail to observe it. This can be elaborated on in great detail (forming the most part of the story), or just briefly touched on (a minor part of the story, not essential. Example: Three Tools of Death by G. K. Chesterton)

There are many other such elements that can be expounded on in varying detail, and here is another example: Escaping a prison cell by attaching a string to a rat, with the rat running through the drainage system to an accomplice outside, who provides the prisoner with implements to escape via the string. Jacques Futrelle’s “The Problem of Cell 13” is a story that revolves around this, on how the person (Professor Van Dusen) escapes from the cell. We thus get a story that focuses solely on this method of escape.

But if we tone down this plot element, and combine it with another one, let’s say with diplomacy and back-stabbing, we get “The Prince and the Pirate” (by Keith Laumer), in which the escape plays only a minor role, overshadowed by the other elements in the plot.

If we look at it this way, then isn’t all fiction just selecting several plot devices, maybe combining a few genres, and then reworking each and every element with different intensity? Names can differ, places differ, but overall, it’s all same thing. With enough time, shouldn’t all available plots be exhausted, and future pieces of fiction are just mixing and matching elements with varying intensities?

After all, there are very, very, very few novels released nowadays in which unique and novel elements appear, save for science fiction, in which some new fangled invention is trundled out which serves some obscure purpose.  (Is this even differentiable with magic in fantasy fiction?) Even the Da Vinci Code can be broken down into basic elements which can be found in previous works of fiction.

However, although there are repeated motifs in fiction, perhaps it will still seem original to most readers. Because well, no one can expect to live forever and read all pieces of fiction produced, and hence elements first encounted would therefore be original in the eyes of the reader. I myself have read several pieces of fiction, and found them to be quite original. Then, a few months later, after I read another piece of fiction, I find out that it contains the same few elements, and was written even earlier than what I had read previously.

So perhaps while eventually, every new element that can be introduced into fiction will be slowly used and exhausted, there will always be original fiction to the mortal reader.

Saying no

Some people find it hard to say no to things they don’t want to do, especially if friends and family members are the ones making the requests. Yet others have problems rejecting strangers. This makes them more likely to cave in to high pressure sales tactics many sales people employ. The amazing thing is the financial pain doesn’t hit them until their shyness to saying no dissipates when the requester gets what he wants, and leaves.

I also need to add sheepishly, that I count myself in their ranks.

For me, it is perhaps a matter of my upbringing; but I was taught to go out of my way to do my best in order to help as many people as I can reasonably do. Having spent 2 years and 4 months in National Service further cemented that. The army drills the notion that you should help your comrades whenever you can into your head, partly because when the time of trouble comes, we would have to rely on each other just to manage the task of staying alive. While that works in the military, being too helpful in the civilian world can lead to burn-out.

Face it: when it boils down to the common denominator, we’re still humans, after all. We need personal space. We also need free time to pursue our interests, as well as to be with our family. As a person, we also need money to survive and to maintain our own standard of living.

When people make requests of us, we need to take into account our own needs, versus the effort and time we would be sharing with others. More often than now, by not learning how to say no, people like me are stealing from ourselves in order to take on that extra request. In the long run, we may have made significant contributions to others, but have barely any me-time to pursue our true interests. This has also been the cause of my 8am to 11pm routine for one whole month. By not limiting my commitment, I spent essentially entire days in school working on a video production.

I didn’t have the time to blog.
I didn’t have the time to read my favourite comics.
I didn’t have the time to catch up on my RSS feeds.

The worse part was that I did not realise that what I was doing tantamounted to slaving myself like a posession to the world. Thankfully, it didn’t have to take burning out for me to realise that. It all started when my friends called during the weekends.

“Want to meet and hang out?”
“Sorry, I’m busy with school work”.

“Can come out for lunch tomorrow?”
“Sorry, got stuff to do”.

I realised that if I were to keep going on down this road, it would essentially turn my entire existence into a tool for others. At the expense of being called a jerk, I put my foot down and said to myself, “No, I do not exist for the sake of others. I exist because I am who I am. I may help others, but it should not be to the extent that I have nothing for myself!”

That project was the last time I placed others’ requests before myself. Now, I place my time before everything else. I make plans to complete my work, and schedule time to cool off; only after that will I take on new projects.

Almost immediately, my willpower was tested, by a watch salesman who came to my door one day. He showed me a doctor’s letter stating that he had an eye disease, and that selling watches was all he could do to survive. He pleaded me to buy a $10 watch from him.

My first reaction was to say yes, because that had been my hard-wired response to anybody needing help. However, on close consideration, I realised that I wasn’t in a position to buy anything in the first place. I could take pity on him and give him $10, but based on my budget, I would have only $3 of my hard-earned money per day to spend for my lunch for the next month, which I don’t think is being fair to myself. Already, I had given up the chance to work during this school holidays in order to work on the project, so I had essentially no income to speak of. Furthermore, as far as I could tell, he could still see, which puts the salesman into the “handicapped” category, and not the “disabled” category as he had made himself to be. Since he was selling watches for a living, he had an income, but I had none. It made no sense to buy a watch from him, so I declined.

He tried to play up his illness again, but he stomped away angrily when I said no the third time. This makes me wonder whether he is handicapped in the first place: surely a person who is in financial trouble would understand the plight of someone who has no income? At the very least, I was glad that I had found the courage to stand up for myself.

What It Means To Live

Do you eat to live, or live to eat?

I’m beaming proudly to announce that I’m the latter. I LIVE TO EAT! HURRAY!

This declaration, though bold and proud, holds many dangers in itself. For one, I lead an almost sedentary lifestyle with practically no exercise at all. Many a times I swore to take up yoga and swimming, which all turned to naught in the end. But, my love for food persisted. Strangely though, I thought.

I remembered the time when I was dieting, really dieting. With the advice and guidance of a nutritionist, I dutifully jotted down every item that I ate, even a very small piece of biscuit. I memorised almost all the calories of each food that was on a list given to me. I counted all the amount of fat I took in on a daily basis and ensured that I do not exceed the 40g limit.

I reduced the portion I ate every meal, and I almost eradicated the habit of snacking, except to replace them with fruits and low fat biscuits. I rejected the scores of invitation, seduction and finally temptation of supper from my family. Mind you, the fare wasn’t easy to say no to as they consisted of most of my favourites.

My rigorous diet lasted for a pretty long time, in my opinion. I achieved my ideal weight, but I didn’t stop there. I continued the healthy diet to maintain my shape.

I probably would have been totally conscious of what I eat if not for an incident that took place while I was working in Hong Kong. That place is a food haven. You know it. So to maintain my weight is an uphill task over there. I didn’t quite make it, but I did just fine.

Each time I craved for one of the tea-time snacks, I would refrain and chose something healthier instead. But when it came time for me to leave this food haven and come back to my homeland, I decided I shall go ahead and eat this particular item – one inch toasted bread with peanut butter and carnation milk.

Before I could lay my hands on it, I freaked out. No no, don’t misunderstand me. The bread wasn’t the culprit, but those dots were. Out of the blue, I developed rashes. Very bad ones. Those little red dots very soon claimed my whole body as their territory and created havoc for me as I spent more efforts to resist scratching than I ever did the temptation to eat.

It was very much later after I came back to Singapore then I knew the cause of the outbreak. But at that time, I frantically searched for an antidote that could relieve my trauma. I was referred to a famous Chinese physician who was known to have treated cancer patients. So, mine should be an easy case.

Not so apparently. I was put on an even stricter diet where I could only eat vegetables and vegetables. Oh, rice was allowed. Anything that remotely contained an iota of protein was out according to his diagnosis. Nothing stir-fried. Only steam or boil. Gosh, if only I knew I’d be in for this I’ll eat whatever that comes to me before this ordeal.

That’s what I learnt during that episode. And that’s why I’m cutting myself more slack now when it comes to eating. Still conscious of what I eat and the fact that I’m not exercising, I do indulge in my favourite food every now and then. I’ve learnt that moderation and not abstinence is the key.

If I were to keep thinking there will be “a better time” or “the next time”, I would have let that moment pass by. It could be just a window of opportunity, and it could also be the last chance that I could ever get.

Living in the moment became part of me since then. At the same time, like I said about moderation, we need to balance out indulgence and delayed gratification for our future. This is my new meaning of “to live”. 

Handling Tough Luck

In life, there definitely will be some days when all Lady Luck seems to do is come after you with some personal vendetta. Be it in school life, the office or during your national service, there will be days when nothing seems to go right for you, when problems after problems seem to pop up consecutively (or worse, at the same time) and most of them are out of your control.

As an AFV (or armoured fighting vehicle) driver in the army, I’ve had my fair share of inexplicable frustrations brought on by bad luck. As any auto mechanic out there would tell you, vehicles can be pretty bratty, even the best ones.

Still, as I’m sure any level-minded person would point out, getting all pissed off and riled up by bad luck doesn’t really help the situation at all. In fact, most of the time, thanks to the fact that it distorts any semblance of rational thinking and calm logic, getting all cheesed off and burning hot about a problem would be considered pretty counter-productive.

So, having just survived a whole week of inexplicable series of problems, here’re some of my tips for a stress-free (or at least stress-reduced), collected approach to bad luck:

1. Put some music on: Some people might find it frivolous to put on music when you’re supposed to be busy trying to find a solution to your problems and might even label you as out-of-focus and not serious but, take it from me, music works. While it might not be scientifically certified (or at least I haven’t read about it yet), I always find that putting on some upbeat, up-tempo music when I have problems not only helps me to keep cool and cheer me up, it even helps to stimulate my thinking. Of course, this is taking into account that you don’t get totally distracted by the music and end up just leaving your problem and singing along instead. And, of course, this is taking into account that the music you like isn’t the emo, depressing type.

2. Have faith: If you’re a religious person, this would be a good time for you to fall back on your faith. Believing that there’s a higher power out there looking out for you does miracles (forgive the pun) for your own abilities. Take a few minutes to say a short prayer, ask for help and then work with the knowledge (or at least the faith) that it’ll probably get better. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you just pray and then not do anything to help yourself. If you’re not a follower of any religion per say, you can always believe in yourself. While the problems that have occurred might not be in your control, the solution might be. Believe that you can do it and you’ll have a higher chance to.

3. Vent it all out: When the problems start to escalate and you feel very overwhelmed by it, just take a short time-out to go vent instead of keeping it all inside for the whole process, making you one unhappy, negative, fuming person, which, trust me, will definitely affect your performance and make it much harder to see a solution. Take a short break and go to the toilet or someplace quiet where you can let it all out. Alternatively, call up a friend who won’t mind lending a listening ear (but make sure you don’t do this too often or you’ll find no one picks up your call after a while) and rant away. Just make sure that you expand all your negativity in this vent and make sure you don’t bring it any of it back to your work when you’re done with the break.

4. Put problems into perspective: Of course, this would only work if yours isn’t the biggest problem in the world. But usually, no matter what it might look like to you at that moment, it probably isn’t. True, we will definitely face some big challenges and problems in our lives but when that happens, I always try to think of what how much worse it could actually have been and also to find a silver lining. While I’m not saying that in every situation there’s always something positive you can look at but there’s usually is, no matter how minute it is. I know some people out there are naturally pessimistic (I usually am) but sometimes a paradigm shift (if only for that short while) does wonders for productivity. Sometimes, I even try to find the funny side to my problems (which, believe it or not, is actually pretty easy once you put aside the anger) and crack a good joke about it.

5. Ask for help: One very common complaint that girls have about guys is that we don’t like to ask for help. Maybe it’s just our pride that blocks us but, more often than not, we’re content to go around aimlessly in circles (a literal description when it comes to being lost on the road) and not solving our problems rather than (God forbid!) actually asking someone for a little help. What we have to realize, though, is that sometimes some problems are just too big for one person and that, with the help of others who know what to do, it might not actually be a big problem at all. So, for once, put aside any ego, take a leap of faith and ask for a helping hand. Of course, this isn’t to say that, once you’ve asked for help, you should just sit back and let your helper do everything for you (which is a common attitude I’m ashamed to say I have a habit of). Help them to help you.

So there, those are my five tips to handling tough luck. What are yours?

If Your Girlfriend Was Jolin Tsai

She catapulted from being the princess of sweetie-pie club to the queen of mandopop in the last few years. Her image revamped completely, and so has her figure, miraculously.

(photo courtesy of AsiaFinest.com)

Jolin Tsai looks picture perfect. She exudes sexy charm and confidence on screen. She sizzles with her dance moves. She looks glamorous, and that is no accident.

The amount of discipline she has and the hard work she puts in will put any woman to shame. At least she puts me to shame, especially when I am downing a cheese prata dipped in deliciously sinful curry after midnight before I head off to bed feeling extremely satisfied. The guilt sometimes hit me, but honestly, though very rarely.

Alright, let’s do an autopsy on what goes on behind the scenes that gained her the title of glamour queen in Taiwan. I’ll zoom into two areas specifically.

First, her diet. Oh, that not-for-ordinary-human-beings diet that she had self-imposed. Her fervour in making sure that not a single drip of oil will seep into her body system meant no food that is considered as heavenly for normal humans will show up on her plate. Yes, she eats boiled vegetables, a few mouthfuls of rice and more boiled vegetables.

Meat is ok sometimes, boiled. Snacks, low fat or no fat ones are allowed in between meal times. Oh, did I mention a quota that she can eat per day? She counts every bit of food that goes into her mouth, and if her limit is hit that day, no amount of cajoling or coercing will make her swallow anything more.

If you look at what she eats, your immense appetite from a growling stomach will automatically cease to exist, according to what her crew members said in a variety show when Jolin was being interviewed.

How long can a person hang on to such a strict diet that even the nutritionist finds it too harsh? A month maybe. At most a year.

Guess what? This lass had it for the last ten years, and she isn’t planning to stop. Not if gaining a milimetre of fat on her body is going to cost her the reigning status in the highly competitive pop scene she is enjoying currently.

If you had gone on a weight-losing regime before, or knew anyone who did, then you probably would know the inner turmoil one had to go through each time a danger cropped up. Like to sleep in during raining days and to skip that daily jog or swim. To say no, against your conscious and urge, to nasi lemak and eat fish slice bee hoon soup instead.

I experienced that first hand when I was on a serious project to shed off some excess kilos many years back. So I know, it is really a chore, and tonnes and tonnes of discipline.

That is why I have to raise my hat to Jolin, as much as I “disapprove” such strong rejections to cuisine that makes my knees go weak. 

Next, let’s look at the second factor for her boom.

Her dancing. Not wanting to waste any single waking moments, Jolin would be stretching her muscles while waiting for her turn to play on the mahjong table. She underwent rigorous training and practising just to wow audiences on stage. A bit of slack would be putting her reputation of the Dancing Diva at stake. No, that is too costly and dangerous. She wouldn’t allow that to happen.

Her devotion to her career can be seen glaringly. The steely character displayed is evidenced in her focus on bringing her status to the next height, and tackling a bigger challenge in her dancing prowess.

One can question if she is over-doing it? Is there a need to submit oneself to such a no-room-for-manoeuveur diet?

I can only deduce that her want to be the best and to prove to her critics that she can do it is so strong that she will do whatever it takes to get it. That is why she is so successful today.

Now I’d like to ask you – is there anything in life that you really want it badly? So bad that you will do whatever it takes to get it? With the exception of causing a third party hurt with your actions, of course.

What if your girlfriend was Jolin Tsai? What would you have learnt from her and how would you be able to influence her in your way?