Enriched Productivity

What have I Leant today?

2009-05-17T19:08:00.001+08:00

1) people you think are uninterested may infacf have great ideas and be very willing to contribute should they be given the right opportunity and the feeling of inclusion

2) something special has begun as a result of today.

3) people are succeptible to violent mood swing which u cannot control. You can however control your reaction to it and ensure the negativity is not aggravated

4) providing autonomy and influence leads to creative and productive work

2009-05-17T18:16:00.002+08:00

Ok. The shozu blogger thing provides too list text space. Having to re blog has made me lose my train of thought. More on that later.

2009-05-17T18:11:00.001+08:00

Ive recently been swept by the entrepreneurship bug. I would like to be a serial entrepreneur. All I need is a series of high potential ideas.

At present I have one and it's surrounds developing spb into a fully functioning business with us greatly expanding our services out of the traditional performing aspect. My only concern is how labour intensive this business is. At most, these added services should take 3 physical hours and two electronic hours per person. More on that later.

Many hands make light work, so the saying goes. Let's throw in the unspoken nuances. Many efficient hands on the same wavelenght makes light work.

More than the very first idea, The most important aspect of starting a business is the human capital. It's like picking a football team.

You need the no nonsence workhorses marshalling the backline. Those are the players that will earnestly do as their told. Research this, create that.

Then up in the front we have the creative ones, creating opportunies

Miss Summer 2009

2009-05-05T19:54:00.002+08:00

So kids, back in the summer of 2007, your uncle Ish and I were on a rampage. It was all about killer movies, ground shaking bhangra performances, parties, pretty girls, wild car rides and road trips with bhangra blasting across the highway.

The summer of 2007 will forever remain in our memories. Sadly, the summer of 2008 was different. Ish was busy with Regional Bhangra Competition practice and I was busy training for Alaska. I left at the start of July and Ish was left without a wing man.

But we are here again, that special time where uni takes a back seat and we suddenly have all the time in the world. Somethings missing though. There is the two of us, but, going by the 07 formula, we need a girl. Aditi was there to provide the added excitement. Who's gonna be our summer girl this year?

Applications are open people. This is the criteria:

Single
Attractive
Can stay out late
Lives in the east (for fun carpools to blasting bhangra)

Apply soon to avoid disappointment.

Test

2009-05-05T16:40:00.001+08:00

This is a test blog post from the iPhone

Investing in Excellence

2009-04-24T21:34:00.003+08:00

As my friends would know, I would like to be a sports psychologist when i grow up (yes i'm still very young). Not the research kinda of psychologist. No way. I wanna be the inspirational guru, the one that gives the players the self belief of a lion fighting a deer!

I want to work with the players, preferably in secondary school and junior college, so as to help them harness the mental strength in them to compete against the best. Not only that, my skills will enable me to help them deal with the other challenges facing them, social pressures, recovery from injury and even planing their overall training program.

So yes, a sports psychologist is what i want to be.

I'm starting now.

I've enrolled myself in this course, Investment in Excellence, developed by The Pacific Institute. The former President of the Canadian Psychological Association calls their curriculum the best and most applicable use of psychology for the betterment of the human race. They collaborated with leading social and cognitive psychologist, Bandura and Seligman in for a program designed to raise your self image through positive self talk, affirmations and visualization.

I must say that the course is made of some very good stuff. The difficulty lies in assimilating all the great information into ones everyday life. Fortunately, there is lots of great take home matierial, including an audio CD with 5-10 minute tracks to keep you aware of the the way you think.

Think optimally, be a champion.

Anyway, today was the 3rd day of the course. Here's the gang. I'm the youngest amongst a group of very esteemed individuals. Listening to the introductions of these super successful individuals makes me very honored to be in their company, learning and sharing together.

The tall guy on the right is one of the two people who brought the program to Singapore. Ray Jefferson, he lost his fingers while serving for the US commando forces a few years ago. As of 5 days ago, he got confirmed as an Assistant Minister for Barrack Obama. He's heading Obama's support for war veterans (who are the social group with the highest unemployment rate apparently), getting them retrained, off the streets and into good jobs.

Amongst the others are Mckinsey Consultants, one of the head auditors of the Indonesian anti corruption division, the founder of Wand Inspiration yada yada yada. Coolness!

So anyway, this course is the first in a series of 3 courses for me this summer. The second course ill be taking is PX2, basically something similar, designed for youth and sportsmen. Finally, ill be going for the PX2 facilitators course. Then ill be all legit to give talks and help improve the mental skills of youth! Pure awesomeness!

Whats the price im paying for all this? 6 weeks of my time serving Sara (the lady standing second from the right) as her free intern in her consulting/training company, Callahan Associates.

Doing things i've never done before

2009-04-23T22:04:00.002+08:00

Ok so i have to say it.

Mac Rocks!

I'm doing things i've never done before, just cos its easy.

In the first week i got my mac, I started editing my own small videos using iMovie. It took me all of 5 minutes. Last wednesday, i designed my first poster (see two post down) using Pages. Now i'm 1/2 way through building my own website.

I remember always having to solicit the help of others for these things. But now i don't feel afraid of these task anymore. A lot more productive now!

Yeah! Go get a mac!

Too bad there have been reports recently released off a new virus designed to hit the once impenetrable mac. I'm hoping its just some anti virus company trying to scare the growing population of mac users into buying their product.

The Lemon Law

2009-04-21T19:36:00.003+08:00

Have you watched 'How I met your mother?'

I just watched episode 7 of season 1 today and Barney brought up something very interesting: The Lemon Law.

In some US states car users have apolicy when buying a used car. If the car they bought can be proven faulty they are entitled to return it for a refund. In short, it helps reduce the buying of 'Lemons', (makes me wonder if the Lemon mp3 players i saw in sim lim square years back still exist).

Barney, suggested applying Lemon Laws for dating. According to him, in the first five minutes of a date, one should have the right to 'apply the lemon law' to the other party and just walk off if he or she feels the date won't go as one hopes. It's all about first impressions.

As ridiculous as Barney really is, that policy actually makes some sense. One might call such a 'dating system' shallow but if you look at Malcom Gladwell's, 'Blink' (2000), we form impressions of someone within the first seconds of meeting the person. The study of social cognition places a lot of effort explaining that very phenomenon.

I think in most cases, the Lemon Law would lead to an accurate rejection of poorly matched dates. Unfortunately, the few potentially good matches that fail to make a first impression will simply go undiscovered.

SPB

2009-04-16T11:17:00.003+08:00

Vesakhi passed a couple of days ago. I decided to bring my Macbook to good use by designing a SPB Vesakhi Greeting poster for all our friends, family, supporters and clients. I have to say it was really easy.

The hard part was actually getting it to be part of the rich text in the email. I had to ask samantha to figure that one out for me.

Anyone who knows me would attest that SPB has been one of the biggest parts of my life the last few years. Last year i was really tired from everything though and i would only go, not for the bhangra, but for the friends. But that has since changed after my 5 month 'rest' in the States.

Apart from the needed break, i think we've been doing alot of things different this year. Practices are about fun now. We've made it simple and invited a host of random people to join us in our open sessions. The SPB Open sessions have made bhangra fun again.

The only reason we could be so relaxed is because we've just been accepting less performances, doing mainly shows that truly excite us. The recent Punjabi Folk Music was fun and we simply cannot wait for this Sunday.

SPB will be performing at the Vesakhi Mela. The crowd there is just insane. Singapore is currently being build by an army of foreign workers. A huge portion of those foreign workers are Punjabis. They are all going to be at the mela and they are gonna be screaming and dancing when our music plays. It's gonna be truly electric.

Once that is over, we'll be concentrating on some new developments. More details soon when things finalize. All i can say now is that there are going to be a lot of interesting changes. Exciting times ahead.

Punjabi Music Revival

2009-04-10T16:53:00.003+08:00

This guy is my new idol. What a wonderful fusion of east and west.

Click below to view:

Challa by Rabbi Singh

2009-04-07T23:24:00.000+08:00

Why do you try so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out? This quote was included in the SMU Student Association welfare package. I’m not sure what they were trying to achieve with it – perhaps reminding SMU students they were meant to be different – but it really stuck a chord with me.

Maybe i’m biased, but in Singapore – and most part of the developed world – you can’t get any more different wearing a turban on your head. Since the days in playschool, a Sikh kid would be the only one with something extra on his head. If my calculations are correct, the ratio of turbaned individuals to non turbaned individuals is 1:3000.

People enquire, tease and sometimes turn out right prejudice towards it. As a result, some Sikhs shy away and try their best to blend in.

Some choose to cut their hair – not in the disbelief of the religion – but in the fear of being different. Don’t get me wrong; I have no disdain over Sikhs that cut their hair because of a lack of interest/belief in religion/long hair. Everyone has the right to choose. I only experience a great heartache when Sikhs cut their hair because they want to fit in. The sad reality is that they never fit in with themselves. How can they fit in with others?

You were born to be different, why do you try to fit in? I say, embrace your difference young man! Use it to your advantage. Let yourself be recognized by your turban so everybody takes notice of you whenever you enter the room. Where impressions matter, you leave the biggest!

It is difficult. Yes, tell me about it. Keeping neat is hard. I struggle with that. I try, sometimes I get it horribly wrong, and I feel conscious about my looks. But if you actually dedicate sometime every morning to your appearance, you can make your turban and beard look perfect. Its just how much you are willing to put in the effort.

Embrace the challenge I say. Wear your turban proud. Wear it well. Stand confident of your appearance and your presence will radiate. When people see you comfortable in your own skin, different from the rest, they’ll respect you.

Our buses should be better

2009-04-07T09:53:00.003+08:00

So the public transport review committee slapped fines on SBS and SMRT bus services yesterday. They listed a series of buses not up to standard in a couple of key areas

Operating above 95% capacity during peak hours
Keeping to arrival schedule

Mind you, operating above 95% capacity does not just refer to seating capacity. Standing room also comes into account here and this 95% is probably just enough so that you aren’t forced to smell the armpit of the person next to you as he or she holds on to the railing.

For a while it looked to me that transport companies in Singapore were getting out of hand. I believe they raised prices 3-4 times between 2006-2008? To me raising the price is warranted if the service improves.

Yes the service has improved. Bus Captains are friendlier. There are now buses equipped for wheelchairs. Most buses are air conditioned and they’ve even introduced a new more spacious fleet of single and double deck buses. The Iris system with the bus time has also been very helpful. To their credit, they did lower prices this year in view of the economic downturn.

Having been away recently, I do appreciate our transport system. It really deserves the credit it gets. But that being said, there still are a few things that totally irritate me.

Firstly, why on earth do single deck buses still run on popular routes? Many a times I’ve dealt with a single deck 14, packed like sardines on a Friday night. Firstlty, 14 takes an extremely popular route, covering Clementi, Orchard and all of Mountbatten and East Coast. Knowing that there is high demand, why on earth do they still use single decks – and on Friday night especially? I get on at Bras Basah and there have been many instances in which the buses simply do not stop because it’s just too crowded. Given their yearly profits, I’m sure they can afford to replace the peak hour single decks with a double – even if it’s not of the new spacious range.

Secondly, i’m sure everyone has experienced this before. You are tired after a long day and simply can’t wait to get home to the comforts of your bed/tv/computer. You wait what seems like an eternity for your bus and when you finally get on, you find it moves at crawling pace. The only reason I can think of is that the bus went ahead of schedule in the earlier part of its journey and is trying to make up for it (and not be reprimanded for being ahead of schedule) by going as slow as possible in the later stage of its route.

Lastly, any cyclist or motorcyclist will tell you that being stuck in traffic behind a bus can reduce ones lung capacity substantially. It is a total anti climax to go for a ride one Sunday morning expecting clean air, only to get stuck behind a bus giving of such heinous fumes. I seriously urge SBS, SMRT and their regulatory bodies to put in place measures ensure a significantly lower level of pollution is emitted from these big vehicles.

Alrighty, that’s enough of a rant from me. Time to resume my duties as a student and complete those darn reports!

Regrets

2009-04-03T23:42:00.000+08:00

No regrets!’ so they say. How so? Is it even possible? To me it seems that one who claims he has no regrets at all must be blinded by idealisim – even by my standards!

Are you truly happy with every decision you’ve made, every thing you’ve said and all the things that you’ve done? What about the things you’ve not done?

I really wish I could say that. But right now, I truly cannot. I regret not talking to my grandfather when I had the chance. He’s dead now. Anyhow, I think I let the conversations run dry five years ago.

Like a selfish teen, I remember being bored as I sat next to him, thinking he had nothing to offer me. This was so unlike my days as a child where I would look forward to his ‘Jasbir Singh Ji’ and the chocolate that would soon follow (often an Almond Roca). As I grew older and caught up in my AC ways, I failed to realize the wisdom this man had.

I was unwise, failing to realize how much this warrior of a man had to offer. He may not have had the most money but wealthy he was. 5 children and countless grand and great grandchildren, he was loved by all within the communities in which he shared affiliations.

Now I wish I had spoken to him. What was it like in World War 2? What happened to the family during the partition of India? What was it like starting a business and building a family in post independence Malaya? How did you set up your business? And how did you feel watching the tears of LKY fall on national television, that faithful day in 1965?

Dear Papai,

Thank you for all the encouragement. Every time I shared my endeavors with you, you had great words for me. You gave me that big smile and the big palm on my back. In all your troubles you were stoic. May I be as strong as you. I pray that I grow as wise too. When my grandchildren enter their teens may they have the wisdom to cherish their old pop and not be as naïve as I once was.

Sat Sri Akaal

2009-04-01T23:43:00.004+08:00

Driving my dad's car, i feel at ease. It is as if i've made it. Living a comfortable life, driving a the car of my choice, with the perfect sound system playing my favorite music. Life's struggles are over and I am just cruising.

I was motivated by the need for catharsis rather than pure service as i volunteered for errand after errand. As i drove to Mustafa, Chiragh Din and then back to Meyer Park, the Bhangra Blasted loud as i sunk into the leather seats of the car I imagined to own trying to feel 'there' instead of being so truly here, dealing with deadlines, exams, competition and now, death.

The focus is on my family now. I've never actually said that before. Family has always been number 3, maybe 4 on my agenda. This week at least, its number 1. It is time to step up.

Grandpa, affectionately known as 'Papai' or 'Popeye' left this morning. Finally i say. He's suffered long enough. For a man who only said good and did good, i cannot begin to understand why he suffered so much as his life drew to a close.

Tomorrows obituary will read 'passed away peacefully' - that couldn't be farther from the truth. The only thing peaceful about his last 2 years was the moment of his death. I cling to a hope that his suffering was to clear his debt before going to heaven. Some accounts from previous lives must have been unsettled but God, seeing his great performance this life, really wanted him in heaven so he struck him a deal, 'suffer now and i'll wipe the slate clean.' The slate has never been so polished.

Grandma, or mom as everyone calls her, flipped the curtain as she approached his bed. Seeing her deceased love, she brought her palms together, raised them to her forehead and bowed her head in a final act of respect to the man she served all her life. And then the tears began to fall.

Wise lessons from valuable people

2009-03-30T22:29:00.004+08:00

In the last month, I've made a conscious effort to spend more time talking to people. Just talking, knowing that if i listen hard enough, i'd be able to learn something from that person.

These are some things i particularly liked and have pasted on my notice board in front of me:

1) There is no train to catch

- Why are we living life so stressed, worried and in such a hurry to do the next thing. The people around you won't like it and honestly, neither would you. Make time for everything you do. It doesn't mean you have to do any less, just plan your time properly and be calm

2) The only person to compare yourself with is you

- I can choose to compare myself with the students in the International Trading Track. Or perhaps I should compare myself with the social science students landing masters places or jobs in the ministries. Oh wait, what about my friend in medical school. It's never going to end. Set your own targets and know where you are in relation to that.

3) Be Happy and at Peace with your current status while staying aware of the opportunities that present itself

- This ties in with 1 & 2 and simply means, don't be frantic about 'improving yourself' and don't worry about where others are, just know where you are now in relation to your goals, be content that you are there and keep your eyes open to opportunities that come your way. It will also help to pre empt how you react when they do come your way.

4) Life is meant to make you smile more than you frown

5) There should be time for ice cream on a sunny day

6) Don't forget the few seconds for God

Cafe Review: The Cheesecake Cafe

2009-03-29T19:38:00.003+08:00

>I've always loved the cafe. The atmosphere is great and the cakes are divine. It may appear a little pricy, but the ambience and the taste of every bite makes it well worth it. Their 'company policy' however, left me with a sour after taste.

I had my dinner after Bhangra practice and got a message from a friend saying she and some others were hanging out at the cafe. Looking forward to some good conversation, i decided to join them for an hour or so before heading home for the night.

The manager welcomed me warmly. 'Good to see you again he said', remembering me from my frequent visits. When he handed me a menu, i said, 'no thanks, i've just eaten, i'm just joining my friends for a short while.'

It was then that he informed me of this 'customers only' policy simply put is a 'buy something or get out' policy.

I think it is absolutely ludicrous. I am a regular customer and I was joining four friends all of whom had ordered a $7 slice each. Lets examine the facts here,

- Everyone at the table were paying customers

- I joined them as they reached the last quarter of their cake

- The cafe was only a quarter full

- My presence at their table required no extra chair, space nor service as i joined my friends on the big sofa

- I'm no cheapskate free loader - instead, i am a frequent customer.

Within five minutes, the waitress came up to take my order. That was my cue to leave, feeling rather insulted.

I'f i had brought more cash out, I'm not sure what i would have done. But I'm honestly glad i didn't. I would have been upset with myself for spending $7 on a slice of good cake, i was in no mood to eat. FYI, the cheapest item on the menu was a glass of milk, priced close to $5.

To get Back on the Bike

2009-03-29T11:49:00.003+08:00

I was at Gurdwara this morning and i observed two things.

1) It's been 6 weeks and people are still asking me about my accident

2) People who barely know me, know of my accident

I'm sure being the people they are, all the talk and enquiry is out of general care and concern. But what got me thinking was this: 8 months ago, it was this same people showering me with praise and admiration for my Alaskan expedition. What will be the consequence should I not get back on the bike?

Now obviously any person with a heart would not want to be called a quitter. Thats one motivation to get back on the road. But more importantly, I think getting back on the road, using my bike - not just for sport, but for transport - might serve to inspire some.

Simple things like this matter. After her horrific accident in Alaska, my Zero Limits teammate Lesley got back on the bike one morning to for a ride with the JoyRiders. She got left behind, but she still rode on and finished the ride. If she can do it, so can I. Now i hope someone else will say the same thing in reference to me. It is my service.