SURVIVAL, A Poem By Mrs Elizabeth Dozier

"My main focus was the early leaving.
All these things happened
As I went along.

Cells rotten, decaying,
Being removed, washed away with water.

Waiting for the bus
On the street.
Wind blowing leaves in the air.

Look for any change of body feelings
Waiting for the results of tests.

Long wait for public transportation.
Time schedules
Not known.

Nurses. Friendly temperature takers.
Speak with soft voices.

I met a lady on the bus,
And we talked the whole trip.
"Are you going where I'm going?"

Survivors conversing.
"Are you a survivor?"

Bus stops. Picks up passengers.
Deposit fare. Tokens, bills, change.
Walk the aisle. Sit. Stand. No seats.

Hospital stay not long -- two days.
Like the quietness of sleep.

Rain, rain, rain. Standing in large puddles.
Wet feet, wet clothes. Umbrellas up. Wind strong.
Rain like many teardrops.

Sitting in the chair
Watching the drip, drip, drip of medicine.

Patience. Wait for the next moment.
Enjoy now."

[Source: Swarthmore Last Collection Address May 2006, by Diane Downer Anderson, Assistant Professor for Educational Studies at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA; as a self-directed life-long learner myself, I strongly feel that the entire contents of her beautiful address are worth reading carefully! The poem was integral to the address;]

DEVELOPING ACTION-MINDEDNESS

Getting an idea or ideas is actually a piece of cake. All of us can do it pretty well.

On the other hand, putting them to work or converting them into reality - my good friend, Dilip Mukerjea, likes to use the term: moving ideas to ca$h - takes a lot of hardwork.

It requires deliberate efforts on our part, in addition to decision making as well as planning.

Not only planning & scheduling the tactics to put the ideas into action, but also planning for possible consequences, as actions have dire consequences.

Maybe, that's why very few people like to engage in it.

I reckon another way to look at the whole endeavour is understanding that ideas alone don't create success. Breakthrough or good ideas may give you the euphoria for a short while. That's about it.

I certainly recall my hectic days in the corporate world.

My bosses - Swiss, German, Chinese, Swedish, Indonesian - were not interested at all in - of course they listened to (or maybe, they just pretended to listen to) - my fancy "theories to work", whenever I did my presentations to the board.

All they were interested - or should I say obsessed with - were the performance results... the bottom line, to be more precise. Ultimately, actions spoke louder than words.

I also recall a very simple but valuable quote - actually, more of a lesson - that goes back to the 80's from the late Sim Kee Boon (1929-2007), at one time Head of the Singapore Civil Service (1979-1984) & best known for his pivotal role in building the Changi International Airport - making it the best in the world - & also turning around the loss-making Keppel Shipyard:

"The secret to success... is getting things done!"

So, how does one get things done?

How to develop action-mindedness, so to speak?

I like to share some ideas from my own experiences.

I reckon the first thing is to deal with fear, be it real or imagined.

The fear of the lack of ability. The fear of failure. The fear of looking stupid when our ideas don't work. The fear of ridicule from others. The fear of the unknown, because actions require a change in our status quo.

Worst still, we want to wait for the perfect conditions. We want more information for decision making.

The harsh reality is that, in today's turbulent world, where change is often exponential, how to wait for perfect conditions or more information? We just got to trust our own instincts.

Moving out of our comfort zone is always uncomfortable. I had gone through that journey myself. As a result, for many of us, we prefer to stay put.

The resultant problem with this choice is that a host of other problems start to ensue, like procrastination, inertia, etc., which aggravates the situation.

Interestingly, most peak performance experts - so do I - believe that action conquers fear.

All it takes is essentially the first step. Baby step, as they say. Once we take that first step, all fears dissipate. This fact drives home the point:

Fear = False evidence appearing real!

In fact, I like the way Michael Jordan, probably the greatest basketball player of all time, puts it:

"Any fear is an illusion. You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there."

I reckon another good way to deal with fear is to consider the pleasure/pain equation, as postulated by celebrity coach, Anthony Robbins.

What gives you pleasure? What excites you? What gives you pain? What bugs you?

Focus on the pleasure or excitement side. It will automatically takes good care of the pain or bug side.

So, to go with NIKE's most enduring marketing message over the years: JUST DO IT!

I would suggest, as a first step, sit down & write out a simple plan of action, with a number of important objectives you wish to achieve.

I often use the acronym, S-M-A-R-T, to think about my plan of action:

S = specific tasks to achieve your objectives: list out all the steps, with priority, from beginning to end;

M = metrics: define how you would like to measure the tasks, so that you know immediately when you have completed them; in a way, it's your feedback mechanism;

A = accountability: sometimes, your tasks may involve other people, e.g. your spouse, your boss, your colleagues, your subordinates, etc.; so, you need to apportion for better control & monitoring;

R = resources: you need to identify all the stuff, like manpower, money, materials, machines, methods, etc., you would need to get work done;

T = time for completion of specific tasks: by next week; next 30 days; next 90 days; short-term, medium-term, long-term;

Once you have the plan of action in place, all you have to do is follow through.

In a nut shell, I would like to add that action-mindedness boils down to revving up our ingenuity engine. Luckily, each & every one of us is born with one.

To understand the engine metaphor further, it's our delivered horse-power that measures how powerful we are.

To end this post, I like to quote Albert Einstein:

"Nothing changes until something moves!"

A QUICK LESSON IN STRATEGIC THINKING

"We all do it every day, the difference is that it takes discipline to become aware of it... consider all the significant decisions you made... You don’t have to be a chess player or an executive to benefit from improving your decision- making process. We make hundreds of decisions just to get through each day. A handful are important enough to keep track of, to look back on critically. Were they successful? Why or why not? We can train ourselves, which is really the only way."

~ Garry Kasparov, [with 22-year reign as Grandmaster; retired in 2005] when asked to recommend some good ways to practise strategic thinking, in an interview by amazon.com, in conjunction with his book, 'How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves from Board to the Boardroom';

TODAY'S Q2P (QUESTIONS TO PONDER)

What comes out of me when I am pressured, challenged or staring defeat in the face?

TODAY'S VIP (VERY IMPORTANT POSE)

"Of all the things that can have an effect on your future, I believe personal growth is the greatest. We can talk about sales growth, profit growth, asset growth, but all of this probably will not happen without personal growth."

~ Jim Rohn, author & motivational speaker;

A QUICK LESSON ON THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY

"Einstein's theory of relativity.

Grab hold of a hot pan, second can seem like an hour.

Put your hands on a hot woman, an hour can seem like a second.

It's all relative."

~ from the cook, 'Preacher' (played by L L Cool J) to Caltech-educated technician 'Scoggs' (played by Michael Rapaport), who acknowedged that it was the best physics explanation he ever heard, in the exciting sci-fi thriller, 'Deep Blue Sea', which I have just watched a short while ago on StarHub cable television; in a nut shell, the movie centred on a group of scientists on an isolated research facility, which become the live bait as a trio of intelligent, ocean predators, with genetically-enlarged brains, fought back;

RANDOM SPOTLIGHT: ENTERING THE TWILIGHT ZONE?

This is a digital snapshot of a five way way at the Raffles Hotel annexe along Bras Basah Road.

I had taken the shot because I was fascinated by the apparent illusion of depth when I first saw it. At one point, it seemed endless to me. The image of an imaginary pathway into or through the twilight zone did cross my imaginative mind.

Actually, a "five foot way" ("kaki lima" in Malay, literally translated as "five feet") is a pedestrian walkway indented into the ground floor of a building from the road, so that the overhanging upper floors can provide a cover to shield pedestrians from the natural elements.

PRAGMATIC INSIGHTS FROM THE WISE

"Our survival, the vitality of the planet depends on mental flexibility & emotional acuity. Hands raised. Hands put to work. We can improvise. We can create without a map. And we don't have to live in isolation. The gift of an attentive life is the ability to recognize patterns & find our way toward a unity built on empathy. Empathy becomes the path that leads us from the margins to the center of concern."

~ Terry Tempest Williams, 54, an American author, naturalist, & environmental activist;

UNDERSTANDING & MANAGING DISTRACTIONS

Here's the link to an interesting article in 'Psychology Today' about understanding as well as managing our daily distractions, from David Rock, a leadership coach, who has written a new book, just released, entitled 'Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, & Working Smarter All Day Long'.

An interesting point: watch out your default network in the brain!

EXTRACTING GOLD FROM MY RECENT READING

Here are some of my quick salient learning points from the book, 'The Riddle: Where Ideas Come From & How to Have Better Ones', by Andrew Razeghi:

- truly understand the 3 key words: innovation, failure & success;

- don't innovate, solve problems; [I would certainly add finding problems to solve!]

- when you think you are not creative, just ask: when was the last time I solved a problem? how did I solve it?;

- become a problem solver [& problem finder], not an innovator;

- what is most important to understand about failure is the attribution to failure: why did it fail?

- when things go wrong, stop & ask: why?

- when things go right, ask: where did the idea come from? what was I doing just prior to having the big idea?

- based on the answers, ask: what can I do in the future to recreate the conditons for creativity to flourish?

- be mindful of what happens almost immediately after success;

- when you succeed in innovations, it doesn't mean your ideas are the best ideas;

- it only means your ideas were the best at the moment; [certainly resonates very well with de bono's First Law!]

- sustainable success, like democracy, is not a destination; it's an aspiration;

- think of success as a process;

- don't forget to look in the rear-view mirror now & then. It has been done before;

- the author's parting quote:

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. It has been here already, long ago; it was here before our time. There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow."

- and so it is with all things new! [certainly drives home the point of 'Ideas Build On Ideas!']

TODAY'S VIP (VERY IMPORTANT POSE)

"There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning, & yearning."

~ Christopher Morley (1890-1957); American journalist, novelist & poet; he was one of the founders & long-time contributing editor of the 'Saturday Review of Literature';

CAUTION: INTRIGUING ADS AHEAD!

I can understand the advertised product in the intended marketing message, as captured in the foregoing digital snapshots, but I just can't figure out the subtlety of the accompanying image in each case. Am I square or is there something I don't get it?

TODAY'S Q2P (QUESTIONS TO PONDER)

What if it was possible to just download all the powerful strategies & pragmatic tools (e.g. creativity, decision making, problem solving, leadership, risk management, etc.) in the form of softwares or wetware into my brain so that I could gain ready access at the snap of my fingers?

~ inspired by the sci-fi fantasy movie, 'The Matrix';

WALKING DOWN MEMORY LANE: NORTH BRIDGE ROAD

This is a digital snapshot of the North Bridge Centre at 420 North Bridge Road.

Mapwise, the building is bounded by North Bridge Road at the front; with Middle Road on its right & Purvis Street on its left, plus a narrow back alley behind the building.

This was the place where I had my larger office/store on the 3rd floor under 'Optimum Performance Technologies' / 'The Brain Resource' for ten years, from April 1994 to April 2005, after I had relocated from the now-demolished shophouse at 121 Beach Road.

Today, the National Library (opened in 2005) stands right in front of the building, just across the North Bridge Road. Prior to that, the site was partially occupied by a public car park.

Diagonally across on the right is the Hotel Intercontinental as well as Bugis Junction shopping mall (opened in 1995), sitting on top of the Bugis MRT Station. Likewise, on the left is the old Bras Basah Complex, popularly known to most students as 'Book City'.

According to Singapore Infopedia of the National Library, North Bridge Road is one of the earliest & oldest roads in Singapore.

As a matter of fact, historical records revealed that North Bridge Road, Hill Street & High Street were the first three streets carved out of the jungle during the 1820's with the help of convict labourers, under Lt. Henry Ralfe, Royal Navy Gunnery Officer on one of the escort vessels that accompanied Sir Stamford Raffles when he had first arrived on the island.

So, the road or track-path then, though not properly made up, was already in use long before 1833, when George Coleman, Superintendent of Public Works, headed the major construction of North Bridge & South Bridge Roads, again with the help of convict labourers.

During the early colonial era, it was a major road which for a long time was the only link road connecting the East Coast with the town, known in Hokkien as "Seoh Poh" (meaning "small town") in contrast to South Bridge Road, known as "Tua Poh" ("big town").

So, North Bridge Road was thus known in Hokkien as "Seoh Poh Tua Beh Lor" or "main road of the small town".

During the ten years when my office was located at the North Bridge Centre [my car was conveniently parked in the basement] my regular hangouts, together with Catherine, included:

- Bras Basah Complex, for office & stationery supplies, mostly from Popular;

- Bugis Junction, for food & entertainment as well as shopping;

- Raffles City Tower, for food & shopping [incidentally, one of my major corporate clients was located at this building];

- Raffles Hotel, for food [at the time, I often brought my workshop participants to the Seah's Deli & Empire Cafe for lunch];

- Shaw Tower, for food & entertainment;

- Suntec City Convention Centre, for book exhibitions [once a year, I had a small stand, but it was a great place to showcase my books & workshops; during earlier years, it was held at the now-defunct World Trade Centre, when an arrogant Punjabi guy was running the show;];


Looking back, I reckon one of the major reasons why I had chosen the North Bridge Centre for my relocation from Beach Road was the easy access - public car parks, public buses, MRT - for my existing/new customers as well as convenient locality for my logistics, e.g. printing, binding, eating places for my workshop participants, etc.

The other reason was the relatively attractive office/store rentals at that time. To be frank, the building at that time was a bit run-down, but I wasn't perturbed, as long as rentals were within my affordable limits.

In fact, because of the Asian financial crisis during the late nineties, rentals were reduced progressively - & substantially - by the landlord, Mr Kwee, with whom I had an amicable business relationship - actually, to my pleasant delight - up to the time I had closed down my office/store operations.

He was sad that I had to relinguish my office/store, as he told me that I had been a very good paymaster over the years.

Naturally, I was sad to leave the place, as I had also made many friends among the fellow tenants.

RANDOM SPOTLIGHT: BUYING BOOKS & READING

When it comes to reading, Times happens to one of my favourite "brick & mortar" stores, besides Borders, Harris & Kinokuniya, even though I hang out more often in the last two.

Harris & Kinokuniya are conveniently located within my regular window-shopping walkabout circuit, i.e. Jurong Point & Ngee Ann City.

Occasionally, I do pop into Popular, but its range of business books is rather limited.

TODAY'S VIP (VERY IMPORTANT POSE)

"A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation & privacy."

~ Edward P. Morgan (1910-1993), American journalist & writer who reported for newspapers, radio, & television media services including ABC, CBS, & PBS networks;

TODAY'S Q2P (QUESTIONS TO PONDER)

Have you found joy in your life?

Have you brought joy to others?

~ from the poignant movie, 'The Bucket List', starring Jack Nicholson & Morgan freeman, which I had rewatched last night on StarHub cable television;

KEEPING THE FIRE OF THE OLD BOYS' NETWORK BURNING!

On Friday, my wife & I met up with David & his wife Jenny again, but this time together with three old classmates from the Polytechnic days of the sixties. They were Hock Tin, John Tan & Michael Chia.

The venue was Moon Hing Teochew Restaurant at Key Point on the junction of Beach Road & Jalan Sultan.

The occasion was essentially to touch base with each other, to keep the fire of the old boys' network burning, so to speak.

Actually, in the traditional sense, an old boys' network refers to an informal but almost exclusive gathering of people, who went to the same school or college or university at some point in time, with the purposeful objective of helping each other to move forward by providing connections or doing favours, especially in business or politics.

However, in our case, since all four of us have already retired from business or the corporate world, we just wanted to hang out together, once in a while in our Third to Fourth Age.

In reality, we have wanted very much to expand the informal group to include more old classmates, but unfortunately in Singapore it is often very difficult to get them together on a particular day or for a particular event.

As David & I have concurred, some of them probably did not want to be in touch for reasons best known to themselves.

Getting together somehow requires some form of personal commitment, besides a genuine interest in social networking.

Michael Chia then came up with the idea that, rather than going Dutch as in previous occasions, one of the members should assume the paymaster for the occasion, & the role would go to next member on rotation.

Michael Chia paid for the lunch on Friday. So, I volunteered to take the role of paymaster on the next occasion, tentatively scheduled on first week of December. The final date & venue would be decided later.

Nonetheless, the gathering was fun [naturally, to talk about good old times, to share useful ideas, as well as to deliberate on current events], but the lunch at Moon Hing wasn't exciting. Michael had pre-ordered a set lunch for 8 persons, which included:

- prawn paste rolls ("heh cho")
- braised goose meat with soft bean curd;
- steamed pomfret;
- stir-fried cereal prawns with pineapple & tomato slices;
- white radish soup;
- oyster omelette - sorry, the oysters seemed invisible;
- fried tou miao (vegetables);
- yam paste with pumpkin & gingko nuts ("or nee") - but I couldn't see any nuts in my portion;
- freshly cut fruits;

The lunch ended with some tiny cups of Oolong tea.

To me, the standard of cooking, Toechew style, has dropped somewhat, when compared to the last time I was there, about four to five years ago. At that time, the place was a bit run-down, but this time the place has been spruced up.

If I were to compare it with Lee Kuih (Ah Hoi), another well-known Teochew restaurant, on Mosque Street in Chinatown, regretably Moon Hing would be one notch down, at least from my perspective.

Fortunately, the lukewarm gastronomical experience at Moon Hing did not dampen our spirits. We later adjourned to the Singapore Recreation Club for coffee & tea, as well as for continuing our yakety-yak.

TODAY'S VIP (VERY IMPORTANT POSE)

"We experience what we believe. If we don't believe that we experience what we believe, then we don't, which still means the first statement is true."

~ Harry Palmer, creator of the 'AVATAR' experiential training methodology;

[More information about the 'AVATAR' training is available at this link. Please approach all 'AVATAR' materials with an open mind.]

RANDOM SPOTLIGHT: THANK GOD IT'S MONDAY!

Thank God, It's coming Monday! I am definitely looking forward to it as it's the beginning of a new week. The sign is already there!

By the way, the sign was captured at Clarke Quay promenade yesterday afternoon during my weekend window-shopping spree - as well as physical walkabout - with my wife.

RANDOM SPOTLIGHT: ESSENCE OF CHICKEN

I have heard of or probably read from some newspaper reports that the sales boost of essence of chicken - & also, other supplementary concoctions that supposedly enhance brainpower, like gingko biloba - often coincide with students' exam times.

Whether there is any scientific basis is debatable, but I do know of students who would unhesitatingly swear by the stuff.

TODAY'S VIP (VERY IMPORTANT POSE)

"You don't need to have ideas that are startling in their originality... What you need is the guts to do the things you need to do."

~ marketing strategist Seth Godin;

HOW TO GET THE SPARK OF INSPIRATION

I reckon, for most of us when we want to get the spark of inspiration, we probably choose either to go for a walk, or take a snooze, or do some relaxation sequences, or to indulge in some mundane activities just to defocus the mind.

However, I was intrigued & fascinated to read an anecdote about the Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman, who apparently had his own method for getting the spark of inspiration.

He preferred the relaxed atmosphere of a topless bar, where he would sip a bottle of 7-UP, watch the sizzling entertainment, & if inspiration struck, quickly scribble the newly discovered equation on a cocktail napkin.

The closest thing to a topless bar in the Singapore context today is the bar-top pole-dancing pub, which the licensing authorities have only in recent times allowed to do so.

As a matter of fact, I had read not to long ago, an enterprising pub owner who had that spark of inspiration to emulate what Dr Feynman had enjoyed, was eventually caught & charged in court, together with his topless dancers from the Philippines.

Singapore maybe a funky & fine city, but once you go beyond the outbound markers, there is always a fine to go with it. That's to say, the eureka moment does sometimes unwittingly get you in trouble!

By the way, Lulu & Bibby, both from China, have been raising temperatures nightly with their energetic dance routines at Social House at Liang Court, River Valley Road. The club employs 15 lithe dancers from China.

[Please read today's Life Page of the 'Straits Times', which carries a main feature story, aptly entitled 'Raise the Bar'.]

A PLACE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD FOR A VERY NICE CUPPA

Yesterday morning, I popped into the foregoing coffeeshop in the Jurong East Central neighbourhood for a very nice cuppa (actually teh-c, a local concoction of milk tea; plus, a small plate of vegetarian rice vermicelli to go), during my walkabout as well as banking errands in the area.

I reckon the Jurong East Central neighbourhood has probably one of the highest concentration of banking & financial institutions (in addition to language centres & tuition agencies) in Singapore. I will write about it in a separate blogpost.

Nonetheless, once you are aware of - that means you are alert to - your immediate surroundings, you can often capture interesting observations, like the foregoing coffeeshop with the catchy name.

RANDOM SPOTLIGHT: COOL CHANGE COMING?

An apt question. Today, the only constant is change, but only a wet baby truly appreciates change. For the rest of us, it's pain in the neck, even though we know instinctively that it represents growth. Also, possibilities enfolding.

Shifts happen & change is exponential. That's the dilemma.

TODAY'S VIP (VERY IMPORTANT POSE)

"There are three kinds of men, ones that learn by reading, a few who learn by observation, & the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence & find out for themselves."

~ William 'Will' Rogers (1879-1935); American actor of Cherokee-Indian origin; also famed newspaper columnist;

WIKIPEDIA vs ENCYLOPEDIA BRITANNICA

I found this surprising & fascinating snippet of information, while browsing through some old blog posts (as far as 2006) of Jennifer Rice, founder & chief strategist of Fruitful Strategy based in San Francisco:

"Based on 42 articles (on science topics) reviewed by experts, the average scientific entry in Wikipedia contained four errors or omissions, while Britannica had three.

Of eight "serious errors" the reviewers found - including misinterpretations of important concepts - four came from each source, the journal reported.

Unlike Britannica, which charges for its content and pays a staff of experts to research and write its articles, Wikipedia gives away its content for free and allows anyone - amateur or professional, expert or novice - to submit and edit entries."

The foregoing information is originally based on a CNN report, which I am unable to trace.

Come to think of it, Wikipedia is not that bad after all , but I reckon we still got to be cautious in using it as a primary source of information.

TODAY'S Q2P (QUESTIONS TO PONDER)

How current are you with fundamental consumer & technology trends?

... with the tenets of the grass-root economy such as co-creation, transparency & customer/employee empowerment?

... with the opportunities among under-served & un-served customers that cry out for disruptive innovation?

None of us should be in any business but the change business. We must not only keep up with the facts of change, but also (& more importantly) release our death grip on the way things are right now. It's completely futile.

Is your business structured for flexibility & change? Are you?

~ Jennifer Rice, founder & chief strategist at Fruitful Strategy based in San Francisco;

QUESTION, QUESTION, QUESTION

What follows is an extract from the wonderful booklet, 'The Thinker's Guide to Strategic Thinking' (which I had already reviewed in an earlier post of this weblog), from the Foundation of Critical Thinking:

This is the week to ask deep questions:

Question, Question, Question

Be on the lookout for questions.

The ones we ask. The ones we fail to ask. Look on the surface. Look beneath the surface. Listen to how people question, when they question, when they fail to question. Look closely at the questions asked.

What questions do you ask, should you ask?

Examine the extent to which you are a questioner, or simply one who accepts the definitions of situations given by others.

Most people are not skilled questioners.

Most accept the world as it is presented to them. And when they do question, their questions are often superficial or “loaded.” Their questions do not help them solve their problems or make better decisions.

Good thinkers routinely ask questions in order to understand and effectively deal with the world around them.

They question the status quo.

They know that things are often different from the way they are presented.

Their questions penetrate images, masks, fronts, and propaganda.

Their questions make real problems explicit and discipline their thinking.

If you become a student of questions, you can learn to ask powerful questions that lead to a deeper and more fulfilling life.

Your questions become more basic, essential, and deep.

Strategies for formulating more powerful questions:

1. Whenever you don’t understand something, ask a question of clarification.

2. Whenever you are dealing with a complex problem, formulate the question you are trying to answer in several different ways (being as precise as you can) until you hit upon the way that best addresses the problem at hand.

3. Whenever you plan to discuss an important issue or problem, write out in advance the most significant questions you think need to be addressed in the discussion.

Be ready to change the main question, but once made clear, help those in the discussion stick to the question, making sure the dialogue builds toward an answer that makes sense.

Questions you can ask to discipline your thinking:

■ What precise question are we trying to answer?

■ Is that the best question to ask in this situation?

■ Is there a more important question we should be addressing?

■ Does this question capture the real issue we are facing?

■ Is there a question we should answer before we attempt to answer this question?

■ What information do we need to answer the question?

■ What conclusions seem justified in light of the facts?

■ What is our point of view? Do we need to consider another?

■ Is there another way to look at the question?

■ What are some related questions we need to consider?

■ What type of question is this: an economic question, a political question, a legal question, etc.?

[The authors of the foregoing booklet, Richard Paul & Linda Elder, are well recognised in the critical thinking community.

They are also the principal authors of the book, 'Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional & Personal Life' (which I had also already reviewed in an earlier post of this weblog.)

Their contextual premise is illuminating, as embodied in all their books & other publications:

"The Quality of Your Life is Determined by the Quality of your Thinking."]

POWER VOCABULARY: FRESHLICIOUS

Do I need to say more about this restaurant at the Marina Square, even though I have yet to patronise it?

Well, this is a another aptly coined word to be added to your power vocabulary.

Please refer to my earlier post on 'Yummilicious'.

TODAY'S VIP (VERY IMPORTANT POSE)

“Virtually every stumble by a major corporation has occurred in the face of rising product demand. While they stumbled, others thrived. What happened is quite simple & profound – they were out-thought. They were victims of only one thing — their own thought patterns.“

~ Prof. Stuart Wells, author of 'Choosing the Future: The Power of Strategic Thinking';

RANDOM SPOTLIGHT: CATCHING EYEBALLS

This spectacles boutique at the Raffles City shopping mall certainly know how to catch your eyeballs. The boutique has a valid point in its marketing message.

TODAY'S Q2P (QUESTIONS TO PONDER)

Ideally, if I had the opportunity, would I like to move permanently to another country or would I prefer to continue living in this country?