한국 Travels: #3

It turns out that my room mate is working for a company that deals with North Korea on a regular basis, advising them of "approaches" or "policies" to improve their situation.  We had a fascinating talk about the future of the peninsula and what it means for unification.  He also had a German background so it was also interesting to compare the possible unification in Korea vs the unification that happened in Germany.

Some interesting points:
1. The population split in S Korea vs N Korea is 50m vs 25m.  In comparison, the split of W Germany vs E Germany in 1989 was around (?) 70m vs 16m.  So the economic hit that S Korea would take to bring N Korea up to par would be a massive cost.

2. With that kind of shift in populations, then do you allow N Korea parties to participate in elections?   That was something I had just considered during that talk.

3. There is an active black market for the transfer of goods.  The problem is that with all the internal spying that occurs, one doesn't know whom to trust.  So two people doing exactly the same things might either get money or get thrown in jail.  Super tough to live in that environment.

4. It is China that is keeping country going, but it wants the country to be stable.  N Koreans are doing their own thing which is causing its own instability, which may lead at some point to China just saying "no more".  If that time comes, then we really may have a refugee crisis.

5. The desire for change will not come from outside, but from inside N Korea.  It is with all that black market trade that information comes into the country.  People get to see what is in the outside world and at some point in time, enough people will say "hey, this ideology doesn't work anymore, why am I sacrificing so much?" or the other extreme things get so bad that people won't care what the consequences will be.  There was an incident in 2009 when N Korea changed its currency, leaving everyone basically broke.  There was a lot of resentment of the government for that action so if something similar happens again it could be the reason for a mass movement.

6. With reunification, there is a massive need for infrastructure investment.  This could be a great opportunity for construction and infrastructure companies in S Korea.  For sure the government will subsidise the rebuilding.

7. There are significant mineral deposits in N Korea that can be mined.  I think the Chinese are doing that already.

8. Access to tourist areas in N Korea is not that off limits.  Might be worth a trip to go there.  Have to go through Beijing though but definitely possible.  Also there are some Singapore organisations e.g. Chosun Exchange that does work in educating the people on how to start businesses.  Might be worth exploring when I get back to Singapore.  Assuming my Korean improves haha

9. In terms of business, most males are allocated jobs in specific industries and sectors.  So they have to be there for certain hours.  It is actually the females of the family that have the ability to trade and develop a side business.  Actually it is what Chosun Exchange focusses on.

Very enlightening talks.

한국 Travels: #2

When I thought about places that would be challenging and interesting in terms of learning the language, Korea came to mind.  Funny enough I did not even consider Japan.  Goes to show (at least to me) the amount of cultural influence Korea has compared to Japan.

Having said that, I would generalise and say that I think Japanese people are much more polite than Koreans are.  I have been practising speaking Korean to random strangers in the street, asking for directions.  More than once I have been totally ignored, even once shooed off by the person.  My experiences in Japan would make doubt that it would happen to me there.  

My friend pointed out that it could be because I look Korean and hence people would just think I am accosting them.  If I looked Caucasian, I may have gotten a much more positive response.  It reminds me of New Yorkers thinking other New Yorkers are rude, even though I found them to be very polite and friendly.  My Asian looks and Australian accent there puts me totally in the "tourist" category and most people are by nature friendly to tourists.

Anyways, my 한국말 is slowly improving.  I can understand more in written form (because I have time to look up words) so my text game is getting better!  The university classes are good, they are picking up the pace, I am definitely in the right level.  The amount of vocabulary to learn each day is significant, I can see that if I don't review the words I will easily fall behind.

Outcomes

I made it to 300 posts!  I should print all this out and make it a book one day.  Would be good reading.

Talking to a friend, I came to a conclusion that the Pig Out event was fun in organising.  I was energised to make stuff happen, I was energised throughout the whole event.  It was some kind of "eustress" which felt like I was performing at a good level.  The ironic thing is that I was not that in love with the cause itself.  To me, whichever charity got the money (or actually didn't, since we didn't make enough) was not a huge factor in my satisfaction with the event.  At least this aligns with my life theme of "hard on the process, easy on the result".  But taking that to the extreme, it may mean that I don't care about any result.  Is that a bad thing?

My friend suggests to me the even greater satisfaction of finding something where I care about the result, would it drive me more?  Rational thinking would tell me yes, but my gut feeling is that it may not.

If the outcome is arbitrary to me, or rather, my feelings on the outcome are arbitrary, then the "utility" I get from working really hard on only one thing will not be as beneficial as working hard on many, different things.  Because at the very least, with different things, I get to have different experiences, different knowledge sets, different networks of people.  The growth for me as a person then becomes much greater, no matter what the outcome is.

It also follows that I should find someone whom I respect a lot, and believe that the outcomes they are aiming for are large and inherently good for society.  If I find such a person, then naturally I will put in my effort, and hopefully their outcome is a positive effect on the people around them.

I have been reading James Altucher's "Choose Yourself" series of books, and one area that I feel I am lacking in is a strong mental health.  And by mental health, I mean coming up with ideas.  I am good at building other people's ideas, but starting my own ideas is not as strong.  It comes down to using the idea muscle more.  I commit to starting this process tomorrow.  If I can build on my own ideas, that might make me more committed to those ideas, and the outcomes they produce.

Publicity

Having been nominated for a magazine's "list", it has made me realise a few things:

1. I do not do much publicity for my personal brand.  Yes I have brands that I promote (Rewind, Morganfield's), but not about myself.  This is probably a function of my own perspective of being humble about these things, preferring for people to experience the brands themselves instead of knowing them through me.  With this magazine opportunity, it is good to have some more recognition, in order to gain a stronger network

2. In order to fully leverage this opportunity, I have to improve my "on screen" ability.  That means more clarity of thought during interviews and other times when I am in front of a group.  A lot of it is just slowing down the speaking, so that I can sound more measured.

Keep focus on the following:
1.  Embrace the opportunity.  Want to be involved, want to meet new people, want to learn to do it better.  Much like language learning, there is a very high likelihood of looking a bit foolish, but why not?

2. Demonstrate my values.  Answer with respect to the people around me, appreciate the good qualities that everyone has at least to some degree.  No need to display showmanship, just self-assurance. Be grateful for being in a cool event with some potentially good people.

I am looking forward to the photo shoot!  Strong jaw line!

Practising Negotiation #2

A surprising shift in the negotiation process for OC.

What they had previously said as "cannot ever happened", they are willing to accommodate now, with only a minor change.  I must now remember this:  "never accept a 'no' from a person that cannot say 'yes'".  Only then will I be able to negotiate successfully.

Perhaps the other takeaway is to only get involved in negotiations where I really want to drive an good outcome, but if it doesn't happen then it is ok.  If I don't care enough for a deal, I give away too much.    But if I care too much about a deal, then again I give away too much to make it happen.

Two ways to do this:
1. Negotiate as though it is on behalf of someone else, but with some stake in the outcome.
2. Always be looking for an alternative.  Funny enough, the alternative to this deal is not another location but the ability to go to Korea!

It was good to re-read the "Bargaining for Advantage" book.  It is key to keeping high goals in any negotiation.

Success and Failure

Success and Failure

I had my first trapeze class today. Two things about trapeze classes stuck out
1. The fact that they give you a 10 min information session and then staright away you are using the trapeze and doing tricks
2. The climb up to the launch platform is on one of the most unstable ladders I have come across! It makes the first attempt even more of a scare than it already is.

I have to admit that my heart was racing when I got up to the launch platform the first time. But there wasn't too much hesitation before I jumped off and started swinging, annd doing what they taught us. And it is exhilarating, as I'm upside down, doing a "catch" where I move from one swing to another (just like in the acrobatics shows! Of course, on a very VERY simple level), and generally having fun.

It was a success in my eyes, to have conquered that initial fear.

Contrast that with my failure the night before to play a proper wingman for a single friend of mine when we went out to a club. So there's a group of 4 girls who are dancing near us, and I'm with my friend (who's single) and another guy (who's not). I'm told to step up and approach those girls. Of course, having watched this series you would have thought I would have some kind of ablity here. Unfortunately, after 12 years of going out to these clubs, I still have nothing...no approach, not even a "hello". It was an utter failure to launch.

This surely begs the question, why am I quite willing to risk life and limb, but have stage fright to talk to random women, in which the outcome of that talk I really couldn't care less about?

To paraphrase the instructor for the trapeze, "it's just time on the trapeze, that will be what will make it easier for you. Of course the first time you do this, you'll freeze up and have panic/fear/trepidation, just keep doing it until it doesn't".
I think the ease of cold talking to new people is something that comes with practise. And I'm not just talking about talking to random girls at a club. It's more about being able to go into a room and starting engaging with people, and make it interesting.

Vow to myself: just do it! And to my single friend last night, I vouch that I'll be a better wingman next time!

Court Sense

We recently had a friend try out for our volleyball team, and we decided that one of the issues he had was a lack of playing time and "court sense". I didn't know if that was being too harsh and whether people can pick that up quickly.

I'm now in the process of trying to answer my own question. I'm now playing some touch American football, and it's so hard. Skills-wise, I can catch ok, run ok etc. But positioning and anticipation are just terrible.

We play one-on-one marking, so I'm usually up against a guy. I'm constantly being outrun or outdodged (and the no-stud sneakers with are definitely not helping with gripping the ground) when I'm defending. When we're attacking, I'm not getting many passes, most likely because I'm not "in motion", and passing to a stationary target makes it a lot easier for the other team to intercept.

Will I learn in the next 4 games before the season finishes? Probably not. So was I too harsh in the "court sense" judgment for volleyball? Probably not, it does take a while to pick up.

Will I keep playing touch football? I'm a maybe on that one, dodgeball seems a lot more interesting!

Reducing Email Usage

*Bonus post*

I've had a bit more time to review my inbox processing since I'm just starting work. Saw a video about it the other day, with the majority of the information at a website http://www.inboxzero.com/.

A few points that I thought were worth remebering:

1. Processing email doesn't mean just reading and not doing anything. It means making a decision on the email (should I reply, should I bin, should I delegate? The actions are Delete, Delegate, Respond, Defer, Do)
2. Don't live in the inbox. Try not to define your job as what comes into the email inbox
3. Have a system, but if the system is too fun to use, you'll end up fiddling and not doing enough work
4. Knowledge workers have a finite amount of attention and time, so distractions are a killer for productivity.
5. There are just some emails that you won't reply to, even if you want to. Just be done with it and delete it, instead of leaving it in the inbox.

With these, I'm doing email less, ie check only once per hour. Will see how this goes !

Technology Heroes

Picked up a new mag the other day (yes, we've already started hanging out at the Barnes & Noble to read mags for free!) and read about the TR35, MIT Technology Review's perspective of the most promising technology people under 35.

I was thoroughly impressed by what some of these people are doing, from making bacteria that eats specifically at cancer cells, to the guy who invented those verifcation word images when you sign on to new website. The scope of science and where it's going is amazing to read about, and they are all under 35!

There was one guy who was developing ways to use mobile phones to manage business and documentation, in conjunction with the phone camera. It's really taken off in developing countries, especially assisting with the microfinance industry.

I think we're living in an age where the advances in technology are getting bigger and bigger. All these things will further other advances, building upon itself. And it's the practicality of some of these inventions that will benefit us greatly.

I made a promise to start focussing on one of the world's problems and getting the most knowledge I can about it. This article has given me that necessary boost.

Giving Back

I just read Bill Gates' speech at Harvard, when he has been given an honorary degree. I have a lot of respect for the man, no matter what others say. The amount of charitable work he does, the dedication and resources he brings to it definitely is making a difference.
I remember reading once about the fact that previously Gates donates 1/3 of his total income to charitable causes. Granted, he earns bijillions a year, but 30% is a lot in anybody's earnings.

The speech was very inspiring, with two points that stood out. The "from those that much is given, much is expected", and the challenge to focus on one complex problem in the world.

We live in a privileged world, and it's very easy to get caught up in the material lifestyle and saving up for the next big thing to add to the house (42 inch LCD, here I come!). I do tell myself this from time to time, that we have to make the effort to give back, to contribute, to make the world a better place.

In most cases, the usual way to give back is through material means. But the challenge that Gates gives is this: you are not just privileged economically, but mentally, creatively and socially. So put those other facets into use by concentrating on one problem in the world and becoming a specialist in it, and try to solve that problem. Use all the abilities you have, and see how far it takes you.

I'm going to use my Vietnam trip to do some thinking. I hope you do too.

Project Management Learning

I had previously been trying to write once a day about project management for a while now, and what I have learnt from it. As I come to the conclusion of this project, I need to take some time to reflect on those things.

• Getting requirements from business reps is hard, hard work. No one ever knows what they really want until it's shown to them, so the key is to get as much prototyping done as early as possible
• Saying "no" to people just makes them angry. Deflect in other ways e.g. tell them to put it in the request list and we'll review.
• Writing snarky emails does not help, even if the business rep is saying something stupid! Never be negatively emotional on a business email, as it just looks unprofessional and you sound like a whinger.
• Tailor the information for the audience, focussing on the "what's in it for me" slant.
• Schedules are wrong the moment they are saved. However, milestones are a good way of focussing people on what needs to be done.
• If there are no business rules for a functionality, chances are that the functionality won't be used properly. Make sure someone can explain why people should do certain things.
• To become a good PM, you have to get out of the "one-project" mentality. Otherwise it's too easy to lose oneself in the detail
• People are never consistently poor, so it's wrong to expect the worse of someone all the time, even if they have stuffed up before.
• I still suck at estimating costs and schedules.
• Learn from those around you as much as you can! There is always an alternative to consider

That's probably the tip of the iceberg. As long as I keep writing and recording these things, surely something will stick! For any budding project managers out there, there is a book I thoroughly recommend called "The Art of Project Management" by Scott Berkun. It's gold!

Getting Things Done

A while back (about 2 months), I bought the Getting Things Done book, and attempted to do some cleanup of my life. The book's aim in on teaching how to make sure that all the things that are inside your head are written down somewhere, so that when you do need to focus, you can, without having the "psychic stress" of keeping track of all these different things.

So has it worked? I would say yes. My email inbox last year had 500 odd emails in it, and I had this bad feeling that there were things in there that I had missed. Nowadays I make it a daily ritual to make sure that I have got ZERO emails in my inbox. All the emails are now either filed away for reference or put into an action list. It is a great feeling for me to be able to leave work with a clean inbox.

My filing system has been simplified. What used to be many subfolders under generic folders such as "Personal", "Work", "Projects" have now all been consolidated into one flat heirarchy. Every folder is by topic. Same for my physical filing as well. It was put under the test and I got the relevant document out in 20 sec. Not too shabby :)

Things to note: it is sometimes overwhelming to see how many "to-do" action items there are, but the feeling that you know just about everything you need to do at a certain time brings forth a calmness. There is no more of that "oh no, have I forgotten something that will bite me in the ass later?" feeling.
The book emphasises a weekly review to make sure that the stuff in the folders remains fresh. This is something that I've been a bit lax on. Need to keep doing that, or else I won't trust the system.

So for anyone that feels the need to get their house into order, I recommend this book. Get it and see if it helps!

Damn! four cheap calls already:

are you just moving your emails to another folder so you can't see it :) i started doing this after my inbox got to 1092 (unread) messages but they just sat unread in other folders instead!
mushiejc (link) - 20 March '07 - 13:10

Haha, it does feel like that once in a while :) That review thing seems to help, though. 1092 messages is very impressive :P
jookboy - 24 March '07 - 04:19

Good stuff mate! I follow a similar system and it works a treat ... except for the fact that I find there are some actions that continue to get transferred from one list to another (usually the medium to high importance, but not urgent variety) ... have you found a system to avoid this issue?
Scraps - 09 April '07 - 19:43

The key seems to be to write the action in a way where it is DEFINITELY the next action. That seems to make it easier to do.
Jookboy - 16 April '07 - 09:25

Career Learning 101

I got through a confrontation today. I was told that I was going behind someone’s back by reporting that they were holding up their section of the project. I was told that I was lying, but I said the facts as they stood to me. She asked for my apology, but I said “not yet”, not until it was proven that there were no issues with what she had written down.

After the workshop, it was clear that there was a lot more work that needed to be done to get the requirements into some form of specifications. Even she said so. So at that point, I felt it was a good time to apologise, for giving the impression that I was going behind her back.

The aim here is to get things done. Not backing down in the morning was a good move, as she’s the type of person who would get focussed when challenged. However, it’s always a good move to apologise, it smoothes the way for more positive interactions.

I’m proud of myself for being strong in that situation. Always stay professional.

Damn! two cheap calls already:

I'm proud of you babe! That was one ballsy, smart and very effective move. See how exciting confrontation can be?! :)
beckster (link) - 06 February '07 - 19:14

People don't apologise enough these days.

The key is making sure you are specific about what it is you are apologising for. Scope.

I've probably gone a little too far in the direction of apologising. Over here, it often becomes a competition to see who can apologise and show the most humility. Except with your manager. They tell you you're doing something the "wrong" way, and then teach you how to do something, which is always the most inefficient way possible. So you just say "yep, understood!" and then go back to doing it your own way, taking more care this time not to get caught. Repeat as necessary.

RC
randomcow (email) (link) - 16 February '07 - 10:17

Zazen - Everyday Mindfulness

A good article (slightly long) about meditation and how to focus on the "now" and your current experience to calm yourself and be at peace.

Standing on top of a mountain when I've gone skiing, 3am talks in the car with my friends, that special relationship "look and smile" from across the room, these are all things that feel great. What I don't do enough of is to sit back and savour these moments.
There are also times (especially at work) where we are so heads down, bottoms up that they whole day passes without us looking out the window to see the lovely autumn day outside.

I liked this quote from the article:

When you pay close attention to your experience, you begin to freshly notice the difference between those actions that are truly worth doing, and those that aren't. When you pay attention, you just know. It's not a mystery. And when you know what experiences are really worth having, you can have more of them, and fewer of the less satisfying experiences, and your life will be richer for it.

So sit back and take in your surroundings. Problems will unravel, worries will untangle, and you'll understand just that little bit more about yourself.

Damn! three cheap calls already:

good entry kc. We definitely have to take some time out of our crazy lives to just sit and breathe. We need to enjoy more of the little happy things and cherish the people that share our lives.
Breathe in, breathe out.....
addy - 19 May '06 - 13:35

you know, i remember having a 3am talk with you :) you drove me home to blacktown, and we sat outside my house for ages chatting about anything and everything :) great nite ^_^
reenie (email) (link) - 19 May '06 - 20:57

Yeah, I do remember that night. Seems like we never have time for those kinds of things nowadays :(

Hope you're having fun in London!
JookBoy (link) - 11 June '06 - 18:09

Food Flavourings

Reading an article about why Macdonald's fries taste so good, it's amazing what food manufacturers do these days. That "natural flavour" at the bottom of the contents list really means a lot. I liked the metaphor that the flavourists are like the modern-day alchemist, mix a few ingredients, and poof! a new flavour appears.

As a beginner foodie, I am already impressed by the quality of some of the meals that I have tasted in the last few months. Places I used to deem pointlessly expensive have now moved into the "still expensive, but there's something worthwhile there."

I wonder if in the future we will just eat a slab of material (probably plasticy) and you can create any taste, any texture with the right chemicals. It would just be like Star Trek, where they can reform atoms into any meal that is required. What would become of the Tetsuya's, the Bennelong's, the Claudes's (I feel cool just knowing these names!) of Sydney? Will they disappear? Can a food flavourist ever get a Three-hat rating from Sydney Morning Herald?

Or will people place an even greater premium to the "wizards" who can create flavour not from chemicals, but from a mixture of natural foodstuffs? Theirs may the skill that will live on.

Damn! five cheap calls already:

I don't make no damn fries! If you said chicken nuggets I'd understand...
h0rnbag - 09 December '05 - 06:55

if you want a rant about maccas, read morgan spurlock's "don't eat this book". i'm sure you've seen supersize me. this is just more information that came out from making the movie. interestingly enough, maccas in europe have changed the oil they use to make fries. maccas in the US still refuse to do it.
reenie (email) - 11 December '05 - 05:23

I saw these in Time Magazine in the 2005 Best Inventions section. Flavor Spray is a collection of delectable flavor sprays that can be mixed with a variety of foods including poultry, seafood, beef, salads, vegetables, dairy and bread products.

The flavor sprays are designed to simulate the taste of dieters' favorite foods while eliminating the guilt of eating them -- each contains no fat, calories, carbohydrates or cholesterol. Each spray contains a liquid extract made up of water, salts, emulsifiers, and natural and artificial flavors, with Splenda used as a sweetener in the “dessert” sprays.

Hmmm. Now they've just gone too far.
http://www.flavorspraydiet.com/
milli - 12 December '05 - 06:25

geez, wheres the enjoyment in that.......
i like my food , like kev, only recently have i learnt not to be so damn picky and try different foods - in particular, sample fine cuisine. Im so glad i have. yumbo
addy - 12 December '05 - 16:30

So all I'm eating is water and salts. Are emulsifiers things that make other things gooey? Yum! :P
JookBoy (link) - 18 December '05 - 01:33

Throwing Away Knowledge

I decided to remove all the magazines that I had collected over the last 2.5years at Crows Nest and was going to archive them in a box upstairs. During this time, I came across a website that provided some advice on living a simpler life. It talked of reducing clutter in your house, and making sure things are in the right place.

So I decided to just throw the magazines away. However, as my flatmate succinctly put it, "I can throw away clothes and material things, but I have issues throwing away knowledge". It's the promise that there is some nugget of information that can be found be reading the articles again that will always haunt me.
I had a conflict. I knew that if I archived them, I was 95% sure that I would never read them again.
Luckily my Mandarin teacher wanted to read up on some investing magazines. So now they have a new happy home. I just have to work out what to do with The Economist, Time, Men's Health....

Why do we hold on to things that really have no value to us? Knowledge should reside in the brain, and if it's not there, then there's many other places to store it, is there?

Damn! two cheap calls already:

i'm sorry, but are you calling Men's Health knowledge? wow, that explains a lot :P instead of throwing out, give to charity. that's what i did when i moved, gave majority of my books to st vinnies.
reenie (email) - 29 November '05 - 03:51

Sounds like it's time to join eBay!

I understand the inclination to not throw out knowledge. Knowledge is valuable, but it is everywhere.

I doubt your old Time and Economist mags are going to give you any valid up to date information (knowledge). And you know that the 95% chance of you not reading them again is really 100%.

Perhaps if you had not read the mags yet it would be different. However, you did read them, took what you learned from them and moved on. Nothing wrong with that.

I hope your recycling bin is not full :)
taipan (link) - 01 December '05 - 05:02

Social Capital

My company organised a presentation by the Harvard profesor Robert Putnam on the workings of social capital. If you click on the link, the information that is summarised is heaps better than anything I can write. My review here addresses what I saw as memorable sections of the speech.

• It is the connections we make with each other (this social capital) that adds value and productivity to our lives.
• Being socially disconnected equates to the same mortality rate as that of smoking.
• Social capital has to be based on physical networking. However, the key with technology is to work out how to utilise this technology we have now to better those networks.
• There are two types of social capital; bonding and bridging. Bonding capital is all about commonalities i.e. I would have a natural bonding capital with other asian male professionals in their mid-twenties. Bridging capital is the networks with have with people of different backgrounds, cultures, genders, age etc. A community must have both types for it to grow and succeed.

Bridging capital is obviously the harder one to create. So there are ways to increase the chances of this with groups.

1. Have lower barriers of entry i.e. make it easy to get in and get out
2. Have a cellular structure in your organisation, so that members will belong to small groups. People will feel the value in their small groups, and the aim of the leaders is to make sure all the small groups are heading the right direction.
3. Use common and less verbal activites to increase bridging e.g. arts, sports

It was a great talk. It's always good to get new perspectives on things. I'm keen on getting involved in a play now :)

Damn! three cheap calls already:

A play? Any excuse to perform in spandex pants right?

The article in your link is very interesting reading. It answers many questions, but poses more. Do we really trust our public authorities less now than in the past - do we today have a free voice to express it across mass media in a way not possible for previous generations?

Regardless, the data he provides is thought provoking. The physiological effects that intellectual stimulation and more notably human interaction provide are truly amazing.

Thanks for that post mate.
Taipan - 21 August '05 - 19:15

Interesting topic! I touched on Putnam and Bourdieu on Social capital last semester and yeah I passed! So what happens when there is a breakdown on Social Capital? If we are better off these days because as Putnam puts it that social capital adds value and productivity to our lives, why are we still finding less time but more work and pressure these days? and finding us spending less time with family and love ones?
lemon - 08 September '05 - 21:32

I think Putnam believes that the days around the end of 1960s were the good ones, and this correlates to the period of greatest "social capital" in terms of community involvement.

Now might be great productively, but pretty bad from a social capital perspective.
JookBoy (link) - 11 September '05 - 13:48