indispensable

it's time for hall application once again. and soon, when the results of hall application is out, there will be politics once more - people wondering why they cannot stay, people demanding for more points, people demanding explanation why person a gets more points than person b when person b does more things than person a.

this is the time of hall stay that i both hate and love. hate that things get political. love because the smiles of the superficial are finally lost and they reveal their true colours. gives even more kick if you know that that person aren't sincere and no ones believe you, until his or her true colours are revealed.

but then again, i'm happy that i'm not part of all these action this year.

when i was in first year, someone once told me that if you prove to be indispensable, the hall will want you back no matter what. i laughed when i heard it.

first, there is no such thing as indispensable. it's either good-to-have, or we-will-do-fine-but-not-as-good-without-you. if anyone is really indispensable, what about those "indispensable" seniors that has since left?

next, wouldn't it be bad for the hall if you're indispensable? think about the long-term running of the place.

the greatest thing one can do for an organisation is not being indispensable or to carve a legacy for yourself. that is a short-sighted view. the greatest thing one can do for an organisation is to nurture and allow people to take over him or her and make things even better than he or she could.

as much as i'm worried that i wouldn't be able to get back into hall next year, i'm feeling assured that there are a bunch of people, who are more talented than i am, who will make things even better. yes, i will miss hall life greatly if i don't get to come back, but what will the hall gain if i had suppressed them to make myself "indispensable"?

of course, those working out there would say that it is a matter of keeping their jobs. but think about it - if you're occupying your space and preventing those more capable than you to take over just because you want to secure your job, will your organisation become better in the long run? imagine if everyone in the organisation does that, you wouldn't be able to move up either.

so what happens to the organisation in the end? it either stagnate, or declines. how does that benefit your job then?

legacies, even cast in stone, will still be doubted in the future and eroded away.
carving a name out for yourself? why be so short-sighted when all goes back to nothing

how about doing something for the next group, so that they can do something for their future groups?

practical wisdom

hmm.....worth thinking about.

what do you want to do in your life?

"The question that I hate most that we ask of young people is, "What are you going to be when you grow up?" And the truth is, I still don't know, and I'm 45 years old. (Laughter.) All I know is that it's important for you to be true to yourselves, not to worry too much about what other people are going to think or make of your choices, because everyone will question what you do and tell you you should've done it the other way. "
- Michelle Obama


i was lucky that i knew what i want to do in life at a very young age - primary 1 or 2 i think. but for all the monkids who asked me whether this or that has future, my reply is the same - it's a myth to say that this course has got a better future than another.

yes, some industries in singapore are more developed then other, some will provide more jobs than others. but so what if you're doing something you have no interest in even though there a lot of jobs out there for it?

between a mediocre person and a person who's passionate about his or her job, which would a employer choose?
between a mediocre person and a person who's passionate about what he or she is doing, who would excel more?

when i was in jc, "biotechnology" was the buzzword. suddenly, everyone wants to do biology and chemistry, even though they have no interest in it. what's the conclusion in the end? many, especially those without interest, did not further their studies in biotechnology.

there is no such thing as whether this course has future or not. it may have more jobs out there, but remember, you're competing with more people as well. are you able to stand out above them?

future is for you to create. even if you're interested in something that has very limited job, if you're passionate and good in it, excel in it, people will want you, not you wanting to get a job instead.

chestnuts

i remember seeing this during last year's chestnuts and laughed my head's off when I finally understood what were they singing at the "hor sua" part. The subtitles for this one quite salah, but yet, the jist of it is there.



too bad i can't watch this year's. wah, parody avenue q leh!

when the snow falls

当看见雪花飘落的那一擦哪，

脸上露出的笑容，
是否表示
了解幸福只需要那么一点点就够了

at the moment,
when you witness snowflakes,
the smile on your face,
is it an indication,
that you understood that just a little bit of happiness is more than sufficient?