Equatorial Musings

The company I work for (in case you've forgotten, its no longer MINDEF ) recently launched a Leading Self programme at the corporate level. Even though I've only been in the company for 4 months, I'm thankful that I'm able to work with our partner (which is a consultancy company specialising in this area) to scrub the programme and plan the roll out. On a personal basis, I must say there's tremendous resonance between what I believe and what I'm doing. In my younger days, I really believed that life was just about going with the flow and being happy. I used to laugh at those who led purposeful lives thinking that they were slaves to their goals and objectives. But I've come to regret (in ways that are too expensive for most people) that I was being downright unwise. Life is short and no matter what your religious beliefs are, its really not about you. It's about living a purposeful life so that you can make a difference to your family, friends and

As a Christian, I believe that God gives us resources and relationships to help us along life's journey. Resources comprise time, talent and treasury, but it is relationships which is key. Relationships is what allow us to grow and progress to the next level. and vice versa. If you don't believe me, look at the major changes and milestones in your life, and there will invariably be someone you can credit or blame. As with most principles, this one cuts both ways too. Which means that to grow, we need to leverage on the experiences and wisdom of those who are higher up on life's ladder. Please don't get me wrong - I'm not looking at people in an utilitarian way to meet our selfish needs. As human beings, we're not islands unto ourselves. We need relationships to survive and flourish because that's how we are created. We also need relationships to reach our potential. How many times do we hear of an inspiring teacher, friend, boss,or elder making a grea

Last Friday, which was supposed to be my last work day, my officers and some of my friends in the office gave me a pleasant surprise. And it was not just the Raoul vouchers that got me going ga ga . It was the fact that they took the trouble to get people in the office to write their well wishes on post-it pads for my up-sized farewell card ; ) And this was not all - before the pads were put onto the card, they were all over my car. Yup, you read right. They were all over my car at the multi-story car park in MINDEF . Upon closer inspection, the pads not only had well wishes. They also had lipstick marks on them, and not all were from the gals!!! I saw the car because we were supposed to head out for lunch, so it was quite a shock initially to see my car plastered with small pieces of yellow papers. But the sight of Mei Ling, Pei Fen, Siok Ling, June, Eileen and Jason immediately brought a smile to my face. Here are the pics from Siok Ling's facebook if you're keen to tak

As part of my farewell, my officers and some of my friends in the office have arranged a series of dos, most of which involve drinking, to pave the way towards my final day at work. I must say I'm very touched by the attention and I really appreciate all their efforts. Its an understatement to say that I'll miss them and their friendship. To start the ball rolling, we were at Timbre at Old School last Thursday. We arrived at 7.30 pm and didn't leave until 12 am. We had a roaring good time, what with beers, wines, cocktails, shots and all. When the first tray of tequila shots came, I had to down 3 at one go. And this was after 1 pint of beer, half a glass of wine and not much food. For those familiar with the properties of tequila, it has the ability to knock you out when you least expect it. Throughout the rest of the evening, I had 2 shots of B52 and sea breeze and God knows how many other shots of whiskey, courtesy of my friends buying a whole bottle of Chivas Regal. Of c

For those who know, these are the evergreen lines from the chorus of one of the songs from " The Sound of Music " soundtrack. The reason this entry is so titled is because I'm bidding farewell to my colleagues, bosses and friends in less than 2 weeks' time. I've been with my current employer; MINDEF , since 1996 - a good 13 plus years. In that time, I've had the benefits of meeting good colleagues who became friends and nurturing bosses who were leaders, some of whom became mentors. Admittedly, there are more in the former than in the latter category (and I've talked about them before in my other entries). But I'm still grateful to all my bosses for their patience and kindness during their time with me. Since I'm leaving MINDEF , I don't mind saying that I'm thankful for good leaders (and not just bosses) like BG Yap, Chuan - Jin (who's also a BG now) and Mun Kit who helped me gain a good grounding in strategic defence policy work du

I'm not sure if my friends are into Korean singers and songs, but I recently got hooked after one of my friends in the office, Siok Ling, introduced me to this amazing quintet of Korean girls who belt out this catchy hit song "Nobody" with equally catchy moves. In fact, the 'Wonder Girls' as they're called, are so big that there are performances in local clubs mimicking their sleek and sexy moves. I've also been told that there are dance classes teaching those interested how to dance the dance. The other day I was watching the MV of the song and my niece happened to be in the room. And she took an instant liking to the tune and started following the moves. I was like, my God, kids are so happening nowadays. She was so into the song that she told me to join her. And this from a 5-year old girl! I can tell she's the type who relishes attention in school. Looking at her, I won't be surprised if she grows up breaking many boys and eventually men'

I'm sure most of my friends know what's a social contract. Essentially, its a broad class of theories that explain the ways in which people form states and/or maintain social order. The notion of the social contract implies that the people give up some rights to a government or other authority in order to receive or maintain social order. But the question is whether the same applies to relationships. By that, I mean relationships we willingly enter into, i.e., not those of the familial variety. The more I think about it, the more I think it does. Every relationship involves giving up some rights to the other person. By partaking of a friendship, you essentially agree not to disagree with, discourage or diss your friend. Not only that, you've to be supportive and sensitve to him or her. If not, we shouldn't be surprised if he or she stops talking to us. However, if you watch 'House' the series, you'll realise that he doesn't believe in a social contract

I've recently been reading a fair bit about employee engagement because I'm moving to another job overseeing this for my new employer. I know some people find engagement somewhat fluffy, but there's been enough research to prove that engagement is important. Engaged employees care about the future of the company. They are involved in and are fully enthusiastic about their work. They feel a strong emotional bond to the company and will recommend it to others, thus enhancing employer branding. Committed employees perform better, are more productive and are less likely to leave the organisation. It has also been shown that high employee engagement scores have a positive impact on customer satisfaction results. So does it mean I'm not longer engaged, hence my decision to leave the current job? Well, its not that simple. Suffice it to say that its time to go after more than 13 years with my current company. When I interviewed for my new job, they asked me to do an essay abou

I was inspired to pen down my thoughts after watching an episode of Commander in Chief; the series starring Geena Davis as the first woman President of the great US of A. The one I caught involves President Mackenzie Allen's first state dinner with the President of Russia. During the press conference, the Russian leader talked about the challenges of running a democracy and insinuated that President Allen should know as several of her Cabinet members had resigned that very day. This was 2 weeks into her presidency, which she took over as Vice President after the elected President died, and she was fighting a belligerent Speaker of the House played by Donald Sutherland. What I liked about the show is the fact that Allen is a woman with strong moral courage who is not afraid to speak her mind. Of course, there are constraints in doing so in public, and she has to learn to navigate the treacherous waters that is Capitol Hill. While I've my misgivings about the self-righteous, bea

God knows its been a while since I last blogged, but I recently got my hands on a self-help book and I'm dying to share. I know some people have reservations about such books, but I think they can be useful for one's personal development. For myself, the Bible is the main book I try to ground myself in because it contains so much wisdom for a wonderful and successful life. But I'm also willing to try other books that give good insights into how to better oneself. The book I'm reading is called "How to Get from Where You are to Where You Want to be". Its by Jack Canfield ; the guy who gave us "Chicken Soup for the Soul". From the start, the author tells us that we need to take 100% responsibility for our life. By this, he means that we alone are responsible for the state and quality of our life. No one; divine or otherwise, conspired to get us to where we are today. We are here because of who we are and what we do. If we're in a good place, its be

I was stumbling and I chanced upon this website called "Funny Shit". And guess what, there's a section dedicated to words women used. Having taken a look, I must say that it is dead on. It really brings to mind the many times I've failed to take heed when those words were muttered. And boy, there was a price to pay for it. And the scary thing is you're never quite sure if you're done paying for any one mistake. Here they are. Fine This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine" to describe how a woman looks - this will cause you to have one of those arguments. Five Minutes This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the rubbish, so it's an even trade. Nothing This means "something", and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a wo

Most people's greatest fear is of something negative. Fear of failure. Fear of losing a loved one. Fear of not being appreciated. And the list goes on. But is that really true? I think not. The greatest fear is fear of what you can accomplish. To be talented. To be brilliant. To be a great person. And yet not have the courage to realise your potential. So we live each day wondering. We wonder if we'll succeed, if we'll made good, if we'll get the accolades we rightly deserve. Nothing encapsulates what I'm trying to say better than the quote below from Marianne Williamson: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other p

January. The first month of a new year. For the Gregorian calendar at least. Also the same month the Lunar calendar refreshed itself. Which doesn't always happen. And barely 3 days ago too! The tone of the first day, month or season sets the stage. That's what the Chinese believe. For what you may ask. The rest of the month, year and decades of course. So I endeavour to start the year right. I even looked up my horoscope. Just to check to see what the fates have in store for me. Not that I really believe in it really. And guess what? Its supposed to be a great year for me. Apparently, I'd recoup all my losses. And I mean this in the most generic way possible. Finance, career, love and what have you not. So I'm waiting with bated breath to see how things will turn out this year. Mind you. I'm not just gonna let lady luck have her way with me. I intend to grap things by the horn and be a participant. At least I can then boast about playing a part. Never mind, its onl

When I was growing up, I always thought that leadership was the domain of those destined for greatness. But over the last couple of years, I've come to realise that leadership is something that all of us should work on, regardless of our station in life or position at work. Recently, my boss gave me a book by John C Maxwell on the "21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" and it further cemented my belief. I've heard a lot about Maxwell from my friends and I wasn't disappointed when I started flipping the pages. In fact, the first chapter drove home the point that leadership ability is important to all of us. In short, he asserts that it is the lid that determines a person's level of effectiveness. The lower a person's ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential and vice versa . This makes a lot of sense because a leader is someone who has a vision and can chart the way forward, who works on his personal development ceaselessly and who adds value to othe