The things that people do sometimes make us ponder over what we want for ourselves. The first is a doctor who is also the CEO of a company that created a device which uses the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) technology to help diagnose heart diseases and strokes in patients. So firm was his belief that the monitoring device will benefit patients, he used all his nest eggs (including the proceeds from the sale of 10 condos) to ride over the critical period during the SARs outbreak when seed money was not forthcoming. The final break through came about when the Chinese health authorities In Chengdu set up booths in rural villages equipped with the devices and which are connected by internet to the hospitals in the cities. The company is now worth about US$800m and is a target for acquisition or IPO. The inspiring part of the story is when this doctor decided to place his shares in a trust. The mission of the trust is to promote education, intellectual property and provide disaster relief. He looks forward to becoming a doctor again without the hassle of being a CEO.He wants to do things which he is good at which is being a doctor and inventing things.
Yet another story is about an English couple in their 50s who sold all their assets and purchased a yacht to sail round the world. Unfortunately they were kidnapped by Somali pirates and were detained for a year whilst the pirates demanded a huge ransom of 4m pounds which is well beyond the means of their family. During the one year they lived through fear and despair at the fringe of death whilst the British government advised their relatives against engaging in ransom talks with the pirates. In the end it was a Somali British subject who raised a sum of 600,000 pounds amongst the somali community in UK and through contacts and connections in Somali managed to secure the couple's freedom. The inspiring part of the story is when asked what they would be doing, the couple said they would return to sailing soonest possible. The frightening experience did not hold back their pursuit of their dream.
Most of us are conditioned to feel secure only when we deem ourselves to have sufficient reserves in the bank and when we are living in a familiar environment. Hence we hold back our dreams, or perhaps never dare ourselves to dream or perhaps even worse don't know how to dream.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Unwise, Why So?
"If you are politically aware, the votes would have been much wiser," maintained LKY at a dialogue with the students at NTU. His opinion I guess is that everyone that votes for the oppoisiton is naive and I believe many PAP supporters think so too. He also described what it takes to be politically aware, "To be aware of the political situation in Singapore, you have to be aware of the political divide, the way the economy is going, what opportunities there are for different groups of people." In my opinion, the point he missed out is that we have to CULTIVATE such awareness that he so precisely described.
Wikileaks On Singapore have disclosed a situation whereby younger SPH journalists are disillusioned in reporting local news and are clamouring for the positions of overseas correspondents where there is significantly less restrictions and more freedom in reporting. Below is an extract from the leaked cable:
"Singapore journalists say they are increasingly frustrated with GOS-imposed limits on their domestic reporting. Political leaders put pressure on the Straits Times (ST) staff to ensure that the paper's domestic coverage follows the government line. Reporters say they are eager to produce more investigative and critical reporting,but they are stifled by editors who have been groomed to tow the line. Some reporters seek an outlet for their journalistic passions by serving as overseas correspondents,where ST allows reporters much greater latitude..." No wonder young readers scoff at ST and obtain news online from other sources.
I just listened to a public lecture by Ed Balls at London School of Economics where he challenged George Osborne(Chancellor of the Exchequer)'s draconian measures to cut UK deficit and offered advice to modify the strategies. Ed Balls is the Shadow Chancellor (lead economic spokesman for the Opposition) of the Labour Party. What impresses me is the free dialogue with the press, students and public with a diverse audience both supporting and contending his views as well as that of Osborne's. Are the Brits born discerning than Singaporeans? No, there are brought up in an environment where alternative views are easily available in the 10 London Newspapers and 68 regional dailies and are thus trained to think.
Back home one may discount and mock at the economic strategies put forth by our own opposition parties just before the election, but it is at least a beginning. LKY's scorn is like a parent mocking at a child learning to ride a bike. The child gave up and never learnt how to bike. The paraent then labels the child as stupid!
Wikileaks On Singapore have disclosed a situation whereby younger SPH journalists are disillusioned in reporting local news and are clamouring for the positions of overseas correspondents where there is significantly less restrictions and more freedom in reporting. Below is an extract from the leaked cable:
"Singapore journalists say they are increasingly frustrated with GOS-imposed limits on their domestic reporting. Political leaders put pressure on the Straits Times (ST) staff to ensure that the paper's domestic coverage follows the government line. Reporters say they are eager to produce more investigative and critical reporting,but they are stifled by editors who have been groomed to tow the line. Some reporters seek an outlet for their journalistic passions by serving as overseas correspondents,where ST allows reporters much greater latitude..." No wonder young readers scoff at ST and obtain news online from other sources.
I just listened to a public lecture by Ed Balls at London School of Economics where he challenged George Osborne(Chancellor of the Exchequer)'s draconian measures to cut UK deficit and offered advice to modify the strategies. Ed Balls is the Shadow Chancellor (lead economic spokesman for the Opposition) of the Labour Party. What impresses me is the free dialogue with the press, students and public with a diverse audience both supporting and contending his views as well as that of Osborne's. Are the Brits born discerning than Singaporeans? No, there are brought up in an environment where alternative views are easily available in the 10 London Newspapers and 68 regional dailies and are thus trained to think.
Back home one may discount and mock at the economic strategies put forth by our own opposition parties just before the election, but it is at least a beginning. LKY's scorn is like a parent mocking at a child learning to ride a bike. The child gave up and never learnt how to bike. The paraent then labels the child as stupid!
Friday, September 2, 2011
What is hell actually?
Just finished listenting to an audio book "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoyevsky. The book has various themes and the main plot describes the tormented mind of an university student who killed a mean and unscrupulous pawnbroker. It is a very interesting book that involves psychology, moral arguments, human pysche, human spirit and behaviour in abject povery and also reflects the danger of being guided solely by utilitarian ethics . It describes the various level of defence the murderer put up internally to justify his crime. At one stage he compared himself with Napolean who caused mass bloodshed in his conquest for the glory of his country. He reckoned his own act of murder was more purposeful in that it got rid of an evil element in society. However deep inside him he knew he was deceiving himself and suffered severe mental agony, repeatedly obsessing and rejecting each justification.
I am currently attending Buddhist class and during the first lesson, the teacher talked about the various realms of after-life one of which is hell, with its detailed description of various levels of torture. The sceptics in class questioned the origin of such an idea as to whether that was really from the Buddha himself or created by his followers to help people refrain from doing evil. The description of hell certainly was mentioned in the Sutra but the teacher was not very clear when explaining the concept of hell. She alluded to an equivalent level of suffering as described in hell. More will be discussed in the next lesson but in my own mind the vivid and detailed description of the torture that goes on in the 8 levels of hell is symbolic to the mental agony that is a result of various levels of evil thoughts, intentions and actions. The mental anguish and torture is so well described in the book "Crime and Punishment", an example of which was illustrated by the murderer's frequent dilemma whether to end it all by jumping into the river. In fact thoughts need not be evil to evoke sufferings, unskilled thoughts like cravings and coveting alone will bring about anguish and misery.
If hell is a symbol of the mental torture of the soul, then heaven must be the state of mind when a person or his soul is at complete peace with himself. It will naturally follow then that skillful thoughts and actions will lead to such a state.
In my very layman perception, for every night that a person is able sleep soundly and peacefully, it may be an indication that he is probably on the right path.
I am currently attending Buddhist class and during the first lesson, the teacher talked about the various realms of after-life one of which is hell, with its detailed description of various levels of torture. The sceptics in class questioned the origin of such an idea as to whether that was really from the Buddha himself or created by his followers to help people refrain from doing evil. The description of hell certainly was mentioned in the Sutra but the teacher was not very clear when explaining the concept of hell. She alluded to an equivalent level of suffering as described in hell. More will be discussed in the next lesson but in my own mind the vivid and detailed description of the torture that goes on in the 8 levels of hell is symbolic to the mental agony that is a result of various levels of evil thoughts, intentions and actions. The mental anguish and torture is so well described in the book "Crime and Punishment", an example of which was illustrated by the murderer's frequent dilemma whether to end it all by jumping into the river. In fact thoughts need not be evil to evoke sufferings, unskilled thoughts like cravings and coveting alone will bring about anguish and misery.
If hell is a symbol of the mental torture of the soul, then heaven must be the state of mind when a person or his soul is at complete peace with himself. It will naturally follow then that skillful thoughts and actions will lead to such a state.
In my very layman perception, for every night that a person is able sleep soundly and peacefully, it may be an indication that he is probably on the right path.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Mental rigour
There is an article in today's ST about Alzheimer and how it afflicts people from around 60 onwards. Apparently in the brain of the sufferer a plaque of protein develops around the neurons and another type of protein then entangles inside the dying brain cells causing a shrinkage in the brain volume. The patient loses cognitive power, memory and even personality. What is quite frightening is the opinion expressed by experts that solving crossword puzzles or sudoko daily does not help to keep the disease at bay. It is believed that only rigorous mental activity may help and examples given of such activities are learning a new language or a new musical instrument. Of importance is the fact that such activities must be carried out before the onset of the disease. This is because once a person develops Alzheimer, mental activities may further deplete the remaining brain reserves!
Losing one's mental faculties is tragic but I think being aware that one's is on the way of losing them is extremely sad. I recall watching a movie entitled "Awakenings" which was adapted from a book written by a New York neurologist about his encounter way back in 1969 at a hospital in Bronx. The neurologist discovered that the drug L-Dopa actually helped "awakened" some patients who were victims of an epidemic of encephalatis years ago and which had rendered them to be in a state of mental stupor and motor immobility. However the drug proved to be effective only for a short period; and soon the patients reverted back to their original state of mental incapacity. Robert Niro gave a touching portrayal of a patient who regained alot of his original self only to realise he would be losing it again. I can never forget the poignant scene when he was recording his feelings in his diary before he lost himself again. I also remembered reading about our own ex Dy PM Rajaratnam who suffered from Dementia and how he wrote the names of his loved ones and their relation to him on the photographs to help him recollect his memories.
The thought that I may not be working my mind sufficiently scares me especially now when I am no longer holding a full time job pouring over documents and writing superflous papers. My part time job counselling children and thinking of strategies to reach out to them may not involve sufficient mental complexities. The writer of the ST article tongue in cheek suggested that the government gives subsidy for senior citizens to return to graduate schools.
I actually googled and found that SIM does offer a "General Studies" program where adult learners can choose from a long list of courses that lead to either a certificate, diploma or degree. A 10% discount is available for students above 50 years of age. A student can also choose whether he wants to go soley for the lectures and tutorials without taking the exams or to take up the challenge inclusive of assignments and exams. Well, if one wants to really work the brains one should opt for the later. There is no point just sitting in at the lectures, listening and dozing off (which is not unusual when age catches up). I guess if one does not want to spend on school fees one can always tune in to free university lectures availabe on the web; and to write a synopsis of each lecture to intensify mental rigour.
Whichever activity we pursue, self disciplined and commitment is most necessary to keep this dreadful illness at bay.
Losing one's mental faculties is tragic but I think being aware that one's is on the way of losing them is extremely sad. I recall watching a movie entitled "Awakenings" which was adapted from a book written by a New York neurologist about his encounter way back in 1969 at a hospital in Bronx. The neurologist discovered that the drug L-Dopa actually helped "awakened" some patients who were victims of an epidemic of encephalatis years ago and which had rendered them to be in a state of mental stupor and motor immobility. However the drug proved to be effective only for a short period; and soon the patients reverted back to their original state of mental incapacity. Robert Niro gave a touching portrayal of a patient who regained alot of his original self only to realise he would be losing it again. I can never forget the poignant scene when he was recording his feelings in his diary before he lost himself again. I also remembered reading about our own ex Dy PM Rajaratnam who suffered from Dementia and how he wrote the names of his loved ones and their relation to him on the photographs to help him recollect his memories.
The thought that I may not be working my mind sufficiently scares me especially now when I am no longer holding a full time job pouring over documents and writing superflous papers. My part time job counselling children and thinking of strategies to reach out to them may not involve sufficient mental complexities. The writer of the ST article tongue in cheek suggested that the government gives subsidy for senior citizens to return to graduate schools.
I actually googled and found that SIM does offer a "General Studies" program where adult learners can choose from a long list of courses that lead to either a certificate, diploma or degree. A 10% discount is available for students above 50 years of age. A student can also choose whether he wants to go soley for the lectures and tutorials without taking the exams or to take up the challenge inclusive of assignments and exams. Well, if one wants to really work the brains one should opt for the later. There is no point just sitting in at the lectures, listening and dozing off (which is not unusual when age catches up). I guess if one does not want to spend on school fees one can always tune in to free university lectures availabe on the web; and to write a synopsis of each lecture to intensify mental rigour.
Whichever activity we pursue, self disciplined and commitment is most necessary to keep this dreadful illness at bay.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Confused
The powers of the President is in accordance with that prescribed by the constitution; that is clear to me. However I am quite confused as to what ELSE the President can do, such vagueness being caused by conflicting claims and promises made by the 4 presidential candidates.
Tan Kin Lian’s claim that more things can be done creates in my mind a picture of him hen pecking the government and wearing them out. (eg. He quoted issues like compensating the NS men more ). He jolly well knows that the President has no executive powers but sill maintains that we have to be positive. He said "If I were a Member of Parliament, I'd be just one out of more than 80 MPs ... But as the President, I think the issues I bring up would have better influence." Guess which pot is calling the kettle black when he commented on Tan Jee Say being a President who will spend his time quarrelling with the government when elected.
Although I will dismiss both the pot and the kettle, I am quite confused over how much influence a President can have on the government. Unless I form an opinion of this, it would be difficult for me to decide on my vote.
Tony Tan said that president wannabes should not dream of a post that does not exist. I agree with him that the Presidency is not the platform to confront the ruling party on their policies. However I do not really fully understand what he meant when he said that the President has a very important role especially during a period of global economic instability. He alluded to the significant role of the President being a custodian of the reserves. Are we supposed to be wary of an inexperienced President who will veto the ruling party’s proposal to draw on the reserves to tie over a financial storm? Drawing upon the reserves do not seem to be an issue with the opposition parties. The contention from the opposition parties is more on whether the President has the true power to check on the reserves. Is Tony Tan than alluding to the need for an experienced President who will not cause unnecessary trouble asking to open and check the books of the reserve?
Tan Cheng Bok’s claim that if elected he will exert his influence behind closed doors sounds quite reasonable. If so, does it mean that such influence is confined to areas associated to the rights of the President, or can such influence encompass issues in general? If the answer is the former, it would seem Tony Tan would be a better choice given his financial experience. If however the President can really exert influence over all matters Tan Cheng Bok may perhaps be a better candidate as I think he may be more vocal.
Well….only got a few more days to think through.
It doesn't help however when:
1) Singapore’s Law Minister K Shanmugam said Singapore would need to change the Constitution to allow the President to speak whenever he likes and on whatever topic he likes; and
2) Lee Hsien Loong said "But even beyond the custodial powers, more generally it is important for the President to work with the Government and the Government keeps the President informed on all important matters....we consider very carefully the President’s views, although under the system the final decision is made by the Cabinet."
??????
Tan Kin Lian’s claim that more things can be done creates in my mind a picture of him hen pecking the government and wearing them out. (eg. He quoted issues like compensating the NS men more ). He jolly well knows that the President has no executive powers but sill maintains that we have to be positive. He said "If I were a Member of Parliament, I'd be just one out of more than 80 MPs ... But as the President, I think the issues I bring up would have better influence." Guess which pot is calling the kettle black when he commented on Tan Jee Say being a President who will spend his time quarrelling with the government when elected.
Although I will dismiss both the pot and the kettle, I am quite confused over how much influence a President can have on the government. Unless I form an opinion of this, it would be difficult for me to decide on my vote.
Tony Tan said that president wannabes should not dream of a post that does not exist. I agree with him that the Presidency is not the platform to confront the ruling party on their policies. However I do not really fully understand what he meant when he said that the President has a very important role especially during a period of global economic instability. He alluded to the significant role of the President being a custodian of the reserves. Are we supposed to be wary of an inexperienced President who will veto the ruling party’s proposal to draw on the reserves to tie over a financial storm? Drawing upon the reserves do not seem to be an issue with the opposition parties. The contention from the opposition parties is more on whether the President has the true power to check on the reserves. Is Tony Tan than alluding to the need for an experienced President who will not cause unnecessary trouble asking to open and check the books of the reserve?
Tan Cheng Bok’s claim that if elected he will exert his influence behind closed doors sounds quite reasonable. If so, does it mean that such influence is confined to areas associated to the rights of the President, or can such influence encompass issues in general? If the answer is the former, it would seem Tony Tan would be a better choice given his financial experience. If however the President can really exert influence over all matters Tan Cheng Bok may perhaps be a better candidate as I think he may be more vocal.
Well….only got a few more days to think through.
It doesn't help however when:
1) Singapore’s Law Minister K Shanmugam said Singapore would need to change the Constitution to allow the President to speak whenever he likes and on whatever topic he likes; and
2) Lee Hsien Loong said "But even beyond the custodial powers, more generally it is important for the President to work with the Government and the Government keeps the President informed on all important matters....we consider very carefully the President’s views, although under the system the final decision is made by the Cabinet."
??????
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Finding the Right Environment
I was sharing with the new school librarian that some of my student clients would certainly have fared better had they been brought up in a more advantageous family background given their inherent brightness. She let out a sigh and said " men mu san qian " alluding to a chinese idiom which described how Mencius' mother moved her home 3 times just to get a right environment to help him become a great scholar.
I researched a bit about this idiom. Apparently Mencius' mother moved from a place near a cemetery to one near a market place before finally settling for a place near a school just to get a conducive environment to nurture Mencius' learning and wisdom. As I pondered about this I recalled comments made by my son about how the English 'air' (in England) inspires creativity thus explaining the high number of talented musical artists in UK. Now back for his summer holidays he lamented how he gets very little reading done during the weekends when he is not working. I told him it is probably due to the hot weather. I then thought about my own experiences, how when I spent 2 weeks in New York and also a similar period of time in Beijing I was able to spend half a day reading in the parks continuously. I also felt so fresh and alive. In Singapore I wouldn't last more than 2 hours even in the air-cond comfort of NLB overlooking the Singapore skyline.
My own deduction is that some people become more alive when they are close to nature or in a place rich in culture and history. Carl Jung described it as there being a spirit and soul in nature. Hence it may be difficult to feel this kind of spirit in a city state like Singapore with little natural and historical landscape . I presume being close to nature and history is inspirational only in relation to the field of arts and humanities and certainly not relevant to finance etc. In fact the Singapore skyline with the 3 towers of MBS may be quite inspirational for financial analysis or strategising to climb the corporate ladder, who knows.
This comes back to my point about finding the right environment for the right activity. Thus if Mencius' mother is prepared to move home 3 times to find the best nurturing ground for his son, we may consider actively seeking the most fertile environment for our own growth.
I researched a bit about this idiom. Apparently Mencius' mother moved from a place near a cemetery to one near a market place before finally settling for a place near a school just to get a conducive environment to nurture Mencius' learning and wisdom. As I pondered about this I recalled comments made by my son about how the English 'air' (in England) inspires creativity thus explaining the high number of talented musical artists in UK. Now back for his summer holidays he lamented how he gets very little reading done during the weekends when he is not working. I told him it is probably due to the hot weather. I then thought about my own experiences, how when I spent 2 weeks in New York and also a similar period of time in Beijing I was able to spend half a day reading in the parks continuously. I also felt so fresh and alive. In Singapore I wouldn't last more than 2 hours even in the air-cond comfort of NLB overlooking the Singapore skyline.
My own deduction is that some people become more alive when they are close to nature or in a place rich in culture and history. Carl Jung described it as there being a spirit and soul in nature. Hence it may be difficult to feel this kind of spirit in a city state like Singapore with little natural and historical landscape . I presume being close to nature and history is inspirational only in relation to the field of arts and humanities and certainly not relevant to finance etc. In fact the Singapore skyline with the 3 towers of MBS may be quite inspirational for financial analysis or strategising to climb the corporate ladder, who knows.
This comes back to my point about finding the right environment for the right activity. Thus if Mencius' mother is prepared to move home 3 times to find the best nurturing ground for his son, we may consider actively seeking the most fertile environment for our own growth.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Therapeutic symbols
Attended a 3 day course on Sandplay Therapy and Symbol Works last week. Basically it is a form of expressive therapy that helps the client connect with his feelings, inner emotions and thoughts. Prior to the course I have already experienced symbol works to be really useful in helping a child who has difficulty articulating or who is too afraid to be reminded of some unpleasant experiences, express and act out his fears. I was unsure however whether the therapy was suitable for adults and also doubtful about its effectiveness through self healing. An article in the ST about NUH planning to offer this therapy to patients with emotional problems cleared my doubts and propelled me to go for the course.
We worked as a pair and my partner reponded well, as in her emotions really flowed during the third session. Seeing the impact on her I was more guarded and selected a trivial problem to work on ( I was afraid to shed tears in class). An example of symbol works is to have the client think of a problem and then from amongst many figurines and symbols displayed across the room, select items intuitively and arrange them in the sandtray. The client is then encouraged to talk about the picture/story so created if there is one or just randomly talk about what the symbols remind them of. Like I said I was quite guarded and my partner in her role as counsellor got me to talk about the small problem I faced.
However what I did not know was the lasting impact on me. For many days that followed the picture which I created in the sandtray remained in my mind. Not only that, I also began to realise the deeper meaning some of the symbols had for me. I gained a deeper insight into my needs and with that a firmer resolution seemed to emerge for what needs to be done.
Today I had a bit of a tiff with someone over how to help a child in school. It is sad to hear remarks that the child must just simply learn to behave, without trying to understand why the child acts out or why the child has so much anger in him. Today I used play therpy with him. He created a story of a group of good people and animals hunting high and low for certain treasures which was taken away and deeply hidden by some bad guys. Amongst this group of good people was a 'sleeping mother' which had to be ferried around in a boat (he used a sea shell to be the boat). All the while a few big looming bears which represented the "Masters" guarded over the good people. They finally found the treasures and brought the treasures home to be kept safely.
This 9 year old child lost his mother 2 years ago. He now lives with the sister of his step father. Maybe he has needs to feel safe?
We worked as a pair and my partner reponded well, as in her emotions really flowed during the third session. Seeing the impact on her I was more guarded and selected a trivial problem to work on ( I was afraid to shed tears in class). An example of symbol works is to have the client think of a problem and then from amongst many figurines and symbols displayed across the room, select items intuitively and arrange them in the sandtray. The client is then encouraged to talk about the picture/story so created if there is one or just randomly talk about what the symbols remind them of. Like I said I was quite guarded and my partner in her role as counsellor got me to talk about the small problem I faced.
However what I did not know was the lasting impact on me. For many days that followed the picture which I created in the sandtray remained in my mind. Not only that, I also began to realise the deeper meaning some of the symbols had for me. I gained a deeper insight into my needs and with that a firmer resolution seemed to emerge for what needs to be done.
Today I had a bit of a tiff with someone over how to help a child in school. It is sad to hear remarks that the child must just simply learn to behave, without trying to understand why the child acts out or why the child has so much anger in him. Today I used play therpy with him. He created a story of a group of good people and animals hunting high and low for certain treasures which was taken away and deeply hidden by some bad guys. Amongst this group of good people was a 'sleeping mother' which had to be ferried around in a boat (he used a sea shell to be the boat). All the while a few big looming bears which represented the "Masters" guarded over the good people. They finally found the treasures and brought the treasures home to be kept safely.
This 9 year old child lost his mother 2 years ago. He now lives with the sister of his step father. Maybe he has needs to feel safe?
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