Well, I guess this marketing guru has certainly lived up to his name.
Our MBA class was taught by renown marketing professor Bernd Schmitt from the Columbia Business School.
I, being passionate about marketing, was looking forward to this class and he certainly brought across his message of creative living.
After lecturing for a good 2 days, as we were drawing near the end of the 2nd day, he posed us this challenge of beginning to live our lives creatively. To do that, we must first take that leap of faith and do something we have never done before. In that way, we will be able to see things from a totally different perspective, instead of assuming that we actually know.
We were given 1 hour to roam Marina Square Mall and do something we have never done before.
Now, my class is filled with rather accomplished individuals of various nationalities who are middle to senior managers in MNCs. However, this was a time that we had to overcome our fears, challenge ourselves and do something different.
You see, if you have never done something before, it is probably because you have either:
a) no interest in itb) never had the time to do it
c) never thought about it
d) afraid of it
e) detest it
f) it's illegal
You can imagine the level of fear and excitement some of us had. Let me relate what some of my classmates actually did...some rather interesting stuff:
The Yogi
This red head is a vivacious lady who holds the post of regional head in a certain MNC. She decided to sit cross legged in the middle of the shopping mall holding a deeply spiritual post. Some thought that she was part of a guerilla marketing promotion for Coach bags.
The Masked Ones
2 lovely ladies, one of which is a Financial Controller and the other a Manager, decided to buy beauty masks, put them on and leave them on their faces while shopping around Marina Square.
The Officer
He was dared to do a manicure. Now, he holds an officer position in the military and is very 'Man'. And so, this was truly a time when he was going beyond his comfort zone. With a red face and very stiff hands, he put them on the hand pillow and made a silent prayer that men under his command would not happen to chance by this rather interesting scene.
Myself
I've done quite outrageous stuff in the past, but what I really wanted to try was to have a pedicure. And so I did! And now, I'm a believer. I mean, it actually makes sense for everyone to have a pedicure! The toe nails do not 'bite' into your flesh; the dead skin is removed nicely; no more cuticles....someone sign me up for a package!
Of course, some others decided to get a head massage for the first time in their lives. Others included buying a Lego toy for themselves due to a very deprived childhood (joking yah, Mr R). There was this brave lad who strode into Chalone to buy a $300 lingerie set for his wife. There was also this guy who decided to go pierce his ear. And of course, who could forget our 3 Indian friends who thought that it would be so cool to stroll into a liquor shop to sample some booze and then come back to class.
Their rationale --- they have never come to class after having drunk alcohol before.
I guess some of you do not know this, but I am actually teaching at Republic Polytechnic on a part time basis.
It's kinda interesting to observe the reactions from different people when I tell them this piece of news. It ranges from the following:
The go-getter: "Hah? Why? So wasted? Why you want to do that?"
The clueless one: "Teach what ah? Can teach meh? I thought you selling chocolates last time?"
The open minded one: "Yah! Good for you! Educate bright young minds!"
The teacher: " Are you out of your ******** mind??"
Well, you see, in Singapore, being a teacher in the primary and secondary school system, it can be kind of traumatic.
You wake up at 5.30am to get to school by 7.30am. Your day starts at 8am and runs all the way into the early afternoon. There after, you will have to take charge of a certain interest group called CCAs (Co-Curricular Activities). Depending on which group you take, you might have to stay in school up to 8pm three days a week. During the school holidays, you have to conduct enrichment classes for your kids. You will also have to come back to school for staff trainings.
I think you get the idea.
As such, many of my friends who are in teaching, end up rather jaded. They start off with much enthusiasm and end up disappointed in the whole system.
I don't blame them one bit.
Because Singapore's government operates like a business, this mindset flows down all the way through it's ranks, ministerial agencies and statuatory boards -- including the Ministry of Education. And so, teachers have to meet KPI's (Key performance indicators). For those of you in the corporate world, this is a common term you have to get used to. 'Make sure you achieve your deliverables'.
Same thing.
But in a school setting?
Teachers are ranked according to the number of students who get good grades, pass or fail. Now, if you were a financial sales person, and you were ranked according to your performance, what will you do to survive? Push hard to sell products...right?
If you were a teacher...what would you do? That's right...push your students REALLY hard! All this under the guise of 'it's for your future'; or 'you want to be a failure in life?'; or 'don't disappoint your parents'.
Taking the moral high road always works in the teacher's favour.....especially for their career.
Having taught in different countries and situations over the years, I have concluded that it is really tough to treat your student as your product. It all boils down to motivation. But how can one find time to motivate 40 students in the class? On top of that, you have to mark their papers, create lesson plans, oversee your CCA, handle ad hoc school projects, and demanding parents?
If you asked me, the system should focus on teaching teachers how to deliver to the kids using the soft skills side of things. But then again, detractors have said that this system has worked for years, so why rock the boat? Also, some may say that the soft skills are for wimps. Not effective and not efficient.
Perhaps...perhaps....
And that is where I come in. Some of these kids have been so scarred in their school system, they have given up hope for their future when they get to tertiary level education. And that's what I like to do best --- manage and motivate talent to the best of their potential. And I know of like minded teachers (facilitators --- that's what we are called at RP) who are doing a good job in this department.
Why part time? Well, I am not looking forward to a full time position in this area for various practical reasons, one of which is my MBA studies. But additionally, I might branch into some other things.
What other things?
Look me up for a coffee and I may let you in on my plans =)
I had previously written about the price of oil crossing the US$100 per barrel mark.
Just yesterday, the price crossed the US$134 mark, fueled by Israel's comments on the need to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities (read this as 'in order to secure Iran's oil fields to make available to the world at large')
I was speaking to a friend not too long ago. He is well connected and was at a talk given by a global bank, on the effects of the rising price of crude oil on the rest of the world. Their prognosis was not good.
As the price of oil rises, governments will have to take certain unpopular measures for the greater good of the country. These measures, though unpopular in the short run, will be effective in the long run. However, people's emotions will run high. The poor will protest against such measures. Ruling parties will be ousted, giving way to parties who take advantage of emotions rather than good sense.
Eventually, some countries will use the excuse of energy sustainability to carry out invasions against others.
What a mess.
Is there any way to solve this? A conference in Japan 2 days ago sought to address this . However, I have a feeling it is too little too late.
Just look at Malaysia. The government suddenly announce increases at the petrol pumps of 41% overnight! Imagine the uproar and the political instability that is taking place there now?
To those who think that I am over reacting, just look at Indonesia's 2 former presidents. They were overthrown as a result of rising oil prices in the past.
History is waiting to repeat itself.
Ok, so I decided to take the plunge...finally.
I turned the car out of the Bendemeer Hawker Centre into the straight that would take me to Mustafa Centre. Earlier on, I had gone for Tui Na (chinese massage...the painful kind) with Mr D. We were chatting over some salty Laksa and Teh-Si (black tea with evaporated milk), looking at the mess of a weather out there.
A little earlier than that, last night to be precise, I had paid Mustafa Centre a visit with my in-laws to buy some Indian spices for them to take back on their long trip to the US. If you have been to Mustafa's, you will know that one must pass through numerous display cases of watches before you make it to groceries upstairs. Endless displays of watches.
I am always a sucker for Casio watches. Yep, cheap, good, tough and nice too...for the price. But that's my rationale ---- why pay so much for something that will tell the time just as well? Oh all right, so the Casio watch will have a +/- error of 20 secs a month.
Who cares?
Sure, I buy the argument that watches can be an investment...a piece of art...a fashion accessory, especially on men who have really few options to accessorize themselves with (cuff links; ties; bracelet...I might get that one sometime). But honestly, let's analyse this a step at a time.
You buy a sort of entry level pricey watch --- Emporio Armani; Tissot; Seiko; Citizen
It will set you back $300 - $400. Not an investment. Can't really go around asking for a 20% return on your Citizen, if you know what I mean.
You get a mid level pricey watch ---- Tag Heur; Hamilton
Sets you back anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. Exorbitant and trust me, after you sell it on eBay 20 years from now, unlikely to garner you a big return on your auction. Probably you will find fans of old watches who might pay a bit for them, but factor in inflation and time value of money...nah.
Moving up the rung, are the pricey, pricey watches ---- Jaeger Le Coultre; Corum; Rado; Patek Philippe; Rolex (who can forget that!)
OK, fair enough. Some of them, if you buy them at a good price (regular price $30,000; sale price $8,000), you might sell it for more next time. But ain't that like paying for the price of a motorbike for something you wear on your hand?
I was taken by the Casio Edifice collection of watches in the showcases. Really nice stuff for a decent price. It does not help that they recently blew up this huge poster of a slick watch model on the window display.
$302 for new slick watch model? Nope.
(since when did Casio have the audacity to charge so much!)
You see, my watches have been either given to me free (read as magazine subscriptions, hand me downs) or I have bought them really cheaply. How cheaply? My Casios cost about $40 to $70 and last me for 5 years at least. I got one Guess that cost me $100 more than 10 years back.
I left Mustafa last night thinking about the watches and with easy access to the internet, the world of Edifice popped into my living room.
Way cool!
And so, it was over Laksa with Mr D, that I decided to get an Edifice watch.
There it was, in the glass case, looking real fine.
$153.20!!!
*GULP*
Justification time: Do I really need a watch at this price? Can I get an alternative knock off version? Shall I just forget the whole thing?
(yah, I know. It's a bit of an anti-climax here, but you see...I'm a miser on such things)
I paced up and down, beside the display cases (I believe I was way calmer in the labour ward when The Wife was going to deliver). There were similar ones but did not look as good...but they were 2/3 the price of Edifice - I - Like.
Jia lat (local slang of exasperation).
Finally, after much mental wrestling, I decided to treat myself.
Why? I dunno. It's a treat right? Ask no more!
I took the sales slip to the cashier for payment, and returned to the showcase to claim the watch. An Indian (duh) sales man was there. As he handed me the watch, I winced dramatically, claiming that it was a pricey purchase. And then the reply came:
"But sir, it will help you keep good discipline."
I stared at him, dumbfounded at the smoothness of his sentence delivery and awed at the simplicity of wisdom of his statement.
I left Mustafa's with a grin on my face and my conscience, soothed beyond balming.
Mustafa's...they train their staff really well.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13)
Well, the past week has been an interesting one for me, having been helping out behind the scenes at the World Effie Festival.My role?I was stationed mainly at Conrad Hotel, welcoming the speakers; helping them check into their rooms; and briefing them on what was to be expected during the 2 day event.The challenge of this role? The ungodly hours I had to be at the hotel due to the odd arrival times. SQ flights from Newark and LA land around 5.30am in the morning. Other flights land around midnight. Imagine that day when I had a 1 am arrival and a 5.30am arrival on the same day.....suicide I say!Being privileged to have been in direct contact with some prominent figures, let me share some of my personal insight into their personalities. Trust me, I am not one to kiss and tell....but tell I will!Shelly LazurusChairman, CEOOgilvy & MatherNow this lady works 24/7! She arrived at 6am. When I ushered her from her limo, she was reading some notes handed to her by an assistant. Showing her to her room, we went through her schedule:6am - Arrive from Newark9.30am - Deliver address at conference10.30am - Press Conference with Ogilvy Singapore12pm - Working Lunch1pm - Meeting with Ogilvy Singapore (4 hour meeting)6pm - Depart for BangaloreDoes she even sleep? Little wonder that she is 26th on Forbes' list of most powerful women in business.Lawrence FlanaganChief Marketing OfficerMasterCard WorldwideCordial chap who has been in Singapore a few times. Comes across to me as a decisive chap who quietly works behind the scenes.Dr Jeffrey ColeDirectorCentre for the Digital FutureAnnenberg School of CommunicationUniversity of Southern CaliforniaI missed welcoming him in the lobby. I ended up going to his room to brief him...and he was in not much more than his briefs....more like a bathing robe and a face partially shaved with shaving cream dripping off his face. Jeff is a big person and with a booming laugh and ring to his voice, he is one of the most affable persons I met.Lord Sebastian CoeHis name says it all --- former Olympic medalist; former MP in Britain; Leader of the winning Olympic bid to host it in Britain in 2012. With his partner Annette, they swooshed into the lobby of the Conrad, but not before the GM of the Conrad approached me to request that we welcome them to the hotel together. A down-to-earth chap, Lord Coe checked-in wearing sweat pants that looked no less than a day over 10 years. Amazing! Extremely focused chap who can be seen pacing up and down in the lobby on his mobile, eventually being led away by Annette with the phone still attached to his ear.Simon CliftChief Marketing Officer Group VP Personal CareUnileverThe head of marketing for one of the world's biggest consumer goods brands, Unilever is one of the top 2 biggest spenders of advertising budget in the world. Simon has a very likeable character and extremely humble for someone who wields great power. I have been extremely taken by him. In a different life, I would have asked him to mentor me and applied to work for him.MM Lee Kuan YewOK, so I did not meet him personally, but I met his security entourage and his very capable personal assistant called Ms Yong or YY. A rotund lady in her 40s to 50s, she is extremely meticulous and great with detail....much like a motherly figure.And yes, on the day when MM Lee was speaking, I forgot to comb my hair.I should write a book with that title.....
I'm gonna be there....enough said.
Yes, it's that time of the year where lovers (the perceived luckier ones) come together to commemorate the existence of their love over an exorbitant meal. Ridiculous, I hear?I am in agreement.Another commercial gimmick?Yep!But let's be real here...for those of us who are not hooking up with anyone that night on 14th Feb, I am sure there will be some subtle form of pressure --- if not from your friends, it will be from your parents. Don't you hate it that everytime this time of the year comes, the ticking of your biological clock somehow seems to sound louder?Well, let me try and lend a hand.For christian singles who just wanna spend some time to be yourself while getting to know more people in a really clean, fun, economical and non-pressuring manner, this is the deal:I am planning a Stupid Cupid Nite. No gimmicks; no commercial sponsors; no overpriced fees.Just be yourself, come with your friends and meet new ones while having a great time!No Pressure.If you are keen, contact me at: tumduck@yahoo.com or sms me at: 917 852 17Date: Thurs 14th Feb 08Time: 7.30pmVenue: I will personally provide details via emailPrice: $15 (to cover basic food costs)Target Age group: christian singles 21 to 40Closing date: 13th Feb (3pm)Remember, this is just a platform. Make it as fulfilling as you want it to be.
