Rubberband connection just snapped; post gone into oblivion-space. This is my n-th attempt connecting to the internet. It often makes me wonder about quality. Small things such as a broadband connection does offer one an inherent idea into how a business is run. And definitely businesses, for that very matter, is very dependent on small things like product and service quality. We can’t run away from the usual consumer expectations. The same could be said about leaders. They cannot overlook small issues. They all add up and it shows by the end of the line. People’s needs come from the tiniest of things. The same applies to designing any product or service. The idea is very much similar.

Been looking around on the internet and read the papers. Not that I enjoy politcs that much but because it hangs on to everything one does in an urban place and indeed in any part of the world. I can’t run away into an no man’s island and dream all the ideas without knowing the practical facts of politics, no matter how much I dislike it. So I have been dwelling in it in a diplomatic way, asking questions.

The problem of politics in the way of innovation

In every part of the advanced world, the world ‘innovation’ has become even a larger buzz word. Talk is easy, but where is the nice cosy dinner? I often thought our innovative ideas must come from people serious in true designs in different aspects of thought, service and products.

Idealistically, I do not want any part of politics to run in any innovative endeavours. I believe it spoils both time and effort which could have been better placed for designing up policies or products for a better lifestyle. Something that is comfortable, sustainable and doesn’t waste resources. Such ideation of concepts can only come in free when the mind is pure and free. I don’t see original design solutions coming from a corrupt mind, because a messy mind cannot solve problems.

The problem with many innovators, I find is socialising. Quiet innovators simply suffer. Quiet innovators who are short of politicking skills suffer more. But ironically very good innovators are usually born introverts. So this could be a great loss not only to such innovators but also to us too. No one benefits from this kind of loss.Leaders around the world have changed faces these few years. With constant natural calamities happening these months, I cannot but think that leaders need a new set of qualities to keep different social economic factors in good balance. To add on, the general election appears to be around the corner makes me think about leaders. Not just leaders of political parties but more so on leaders in general ‘cos every line of industry plays a part in designing a harmonious, interesting and positive world. Certain traditions are worthy to keep while certain areas needs to be changed depending on the culture and the current situation. One group of thinking may not run feasible in another. But there is always a general rule that works for all. But somehow there are always leaders who choose to sacrifice certain areas.

Honestly, I have only recently catching up with the latest events and candidates. I do not have any political preference. i only want good leaders lead by a great leader. Someone who has an impeccable logic, innovative ideas, dare to spit guts into the face of obstacles of any kind and deliever us a sustainable life without having to worry about any kind of problems pertaining to life. We do need people with the creativity and the depth to produce innovative solutions, not to merely follow what others are doing. We need experts in the right ministries and I am hoping we have these leaders standby. Not just academically bright, its about being brilliantly talented. In dire times, the great leader must be able to deliver the chops against deals that do not benefit citizens. We are a tiny city state. And by that the leadership character cannot be as small as the size of our country (Singapore).

Social-economic cohesion :

From transportation to medical; from education to entertainment; from business to commerce and other social economic problems pertaining social cohesion that keeps every race sane are only some of the major issues. Ignore this at one’s own peril. Racial harmony, national harmony as well as keeping social status of various groups democratically are just some of the major aspects. I was told at some point that I overestimate the power of education that it could control social minds. Frankly I still couldn’t understand how education could not do so. I have always thought that education can control minds and the way a society functions. Education can also make or break social cohesion amongst different peoples, race, economic status and all. Education includes not only the learning of skills but also moral character and the formation of one’s mind. Education may not necessary be from schools, colleges and universities. It could be your social environment. They all contribute to how a mind works. It is, in my opinion, the greatest tool to handle any problems.

What would be horrifying is to allow the wrong education system in place that brain washes people into dogmatically stuck onto one form or regidly believes in only one line of thought about what success is. For example, a society that only focuses on materialism and financial success usually hinders other beautiful thoughts of wonder such as innovation in other areas in the arts, humanities etc in the purest form. The idea of putting money as the centre of the success universe has potentially dire consequences; usually results in the form of social unrest in the form of meanacing fight for money and status. Other breeds of hypocrisy might emerge.

Branding is vital for you and me; branding is vital for every establishment.

The same could be said of any organization. You read the face of the business, and you set an image. That image is sustained by yourself,  your colleagues from your business partners down to the your pet dog that runs the business logo image. The fact is, if you don’t deliver to what you’ve promised, then your customers will go. And you have to please people. You can’t do it for all, but at least you must do it for a large majority. If you can’t, then its time to change business whatever business you are in.Or you will be out.

‘Swarm of flies’ can kill your image. Certain risk-taking is simply not worth it.

Sometimes problems could smell from afar before they start to stink. Sometimes we need to let in a swarm of flies because the climate has changed and we need a huge swat to swat them after they fly in. Hell is when and how much can we tolerate flies. Problems sometimes can be sorted out by allowing the problem to grow a little bigger before solving them. It can sometimes be eradicated better since all the baddies have been lured out to the open. I notice that some policies are done this way.However it really depends. Certain risk taking may not be well worth the swat. Your swat may not be big enough or your force is not huge enough. Then all the flies will fling in and before you know it, they breed and just gotten bigger. In this case, you’ll have a looming problem that is almost unstoppable.

Better network for assistance.

We will always have problems. Large or small, national or international. We will, at certain points in time, need help. When help is offered, and problems solved, then will there be less loopholes for pending trouble to appear. What I would like to think is that there are leaders who could make sure that help is available when we need one. Designing such access to assistance without any sort of red tape needs creativity. When we do not find a good leader in our area, there should be an alternative for us to move across the restricted boundaries to seek remedy beyond boundaries of any kind.

Impending problems would be the further widening of the rich-poor gap due to the global inflation as well as a large disparity in educational qualifications and wealth. When the poor fails to make ends meet despite hard work, and when policies don’t work to bring in jobs; then we will have a mess. It is already happening everywhere and the trend is towards chaos. Many areas of chaos comes from the point of misunderstanding cultures. Yet we still do it. I find that such mistrusts and disappointments can raise to the kind of hatred that is often being underestimated. And that is really being shortsighted.

I’ll stop here for now. —

[image from the thejakartaglobe.com]

I used to be a camel. Correction: ‘I used to live like a camel.’

Not that I really enjoyed lumbering stuff over my back; but I used to think that everything need authencity or proof to show that the work I’ve done is from nowhere else but from me only.. hence I carry many more things than most people would do. And most things in the 90s back then weren’t exactly light. At least, they were not as compact as they are in the 21st century today.. I remember on a great number of occasions, I was carrying large pencil cases, large books, notes and jotters to the college library. I even wear a large down jacket that I bought before I went abroad to England with the sole impression of the UK being a very cold place. And it did turn up to be ridiculously cold on the first night of -5 degrees celcius. But that’s another story with me wearing all five layers to bed and still unable to sleep. The next day rendered me a complete zombie & a week of chaos. But thats another story.

Anyway, I carried a large Reebok backpack whilst dragging a small trolley of  full size folio bags (A0 size to A3 sizes) coupled with selected pack of models for my interviews in London. It was my first interview for postgraduate courses in the UK. It wasn’t exacly smooth sailing for the wonderful fact that I had to carry and run across the London traffic. By the time I hit the college door for interview, I’ve had gathered a good number of stares. The British are very polite and will not drop their jaws out and laugh at you. Some of them actually came up to offer help; and asked ‘Love, can you mange?’ or ‘Are you ok?’ or ‘How on earth did you lumber all the pack to London?!’  I had actually jammed a street of cars when my trolley broke loose and had the fattest folio tumbled right off the wheels. Panic stricken, I trotted right after it to catch my life. As my hand caught the edge of the folio, the lights suddenly went green. Before anything could fly off to me, my hands shot up in the cold winds & right into the sky. In utter desperation before the fleet of cars, I quickly face my palm to them & motioning them not to step on their accelerators. Obviously I did not know my time. Or indeed anybody else’s. All I knew was I wasn’t ready to cross the long stretch of road with almost everything flopped onto the road.

Guess that worked. Gladly and surprisingly they obeyed my gestures before the Great Traffic Lights of Central London. At least they didn’t choose to honk at me and run over me.

And more gladly enough, someone ran up and saved my bags, and my folios. I doubt anywhere in the world then could do that. But they actually had the patience to wait for me to cross the road with everything intact. Imagining an Asian girl from a tiny country ramping on in a strange country, whose physical sizes are least 5 inches taller. Wasn’t exactly fun though it was somewhat scary. I swore in my small head that I would not do that again. No matter how nice the Brits were, I just jammed the entire street of cars. And it wasn’t exactly fun/funny.

On with my journey to my interview. The tutors, who were supposed to be interviewing me, had a shock at the load I was carrying. And I supposed the look on my face might have looked somewhat ‘funn-ier’.

Thankfully, the tutors appeared to have thoroughly enjoyed flipping the tonnes of work I bought in. Asking a lot of questions and tested me out.It was actually a selection of bits that I thought would show design/technical thinking. I haven’t secured any financial aid yet but had planned to go ahead with interviews before returnng to Singapore to ask for money — in a time where economy was at its most rotten with far less enthusiasm in the field of product design.

Before I left the college, one of the professors who interviewed me actually couldn’t keep his long silence. He finally blurted gently with a smile, ‘You looked like a camel..’ I showed an embarassed grin. ‘Carry light!’ he said. He then suggested some ways to make my folio lighter which I did take in the advice. Afterall it was my first interview and no one had told me how to present for the such interviews,apart from advising me how to pick the best work for folios.

I earned a place straightaway on the spot after a 2 day interview with 2 different professors. I didn’t secure any substantial loans back home but I made my subsequent interviews far lighter and easier after the event. That advice actually sharpen my sense to be compact. Not only in my physical load but also in many ways when it comes to lighten life baggages.