This ain't the first time I am writing a blog. I have written reviews and editorials before on my other blogs. This log on the other hand will definitely stand alone as it tracks down my learning journey through the MNCs (Multi-National Corporations) during my stint with the EDB (Economic Development Board).
So who am I?
I am your average teenage boy, living on a daily surplus of new media.
New media being the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. I enjoy watching CBMs (Comic Book Movies) which are basically films that are about superheroes or graphic novels such as 300, Watchmen and The Dark Knight, as well as psychological thrillers such as Inception and Memento (both by Christopher Nolan). My favorite Mandarin singers would be Jay Chou and Jam Hsiao. In terms of english songs, I enjoy country music for its naturalistic feel. My favorite English singers would be Taylor Swift and The Band Perry.
My role model is Steve Jobs. Why? Well because he is one of the greatest innovator of the century. A man who simply changed the world with his innovation and ideas. He isn't just a rich CEO of a billion dollar company, he is an evangelist of change and evolution of technology. That's what draws me to become like him.
I always remember his memorable commencement speech captured on Youtube. What struck me the most was how he said that one should live everyday as the last day of his life. Doing so would enable us to make the right choices in our life. How apt and how true this saying is. If one were to focus on living his life with strict focus, just think about how much he or she can accomplish instead of whiling his time away.
The second reason why I view him as my role model is because of his belief in simplicity. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. That is a very important feature that most companies today miss out. In the midst of trying to create commercially viable product, companies pile endless features which might not see much usage. Simplicity and innovation is what's gonna make products usable by the general public and in the process, become great products.
Even though he has passed away, the world will still remember this great man who brought us the iPhone and the Mac. These innovations are testaments to how the human race can push their limits towards making a better life for us all.
That's one of the most important lessons that I have tried constantly from this great man. Innovation and reinventing the status quo. I believe that with every single invention and every single creation, innovation must be there to take it to the next step. I have tried introducing that into my own projects such as a creative arts project last year where with a few of my good friends, we came up with a card game that incorporates the family and teenage genre.
Likewise, I also try to bring in simplicity and minimalism into the presentation of complex concepts. Sometimes, explaining a scientific principle or in my case, presenting our research paper findings, is difficult to get across to the general public. It is easier to bring in associations with daily lives with one's findings that makes truly accessible and popular products and innovations.
The first time I really applied this principle was in the project I attempted this year, a science project on Green Synthesis of Silver Nano Particles. This was the first time I took on a category one project as in previous years, I attempted a social sciences project that dealt with communication between teachers and children and a creative arts project that was about creating a card game. Originally, I was at a loss of how to handle the science project since I had this misconception that the science project would involve a strict and formal scientific tone. What I actually experienced was that the science project is a very fulfilling and challenging project. On one hand, there are important procedures to be learnt such as laboratory protocols and on the other hand, there are opportunities to bring in what my members and I have learnt from handling other types of projects. Our group constantly tried to push the envelope and boundaries of a science project such as introducing radical designing for our PowerPoint presentations, posters and websites. It was at this period that I came to remember what I have learnt from watching Steve Jobs keynotes. Simplicity.
Sometimes, it is not about how complex and big you can make your project that results in something spectacular. It is about getting the crux of the message of what your project or product is trying to convey. That way, the whole spotlight is on the uses and motives, rather than all the tests or experiments conducted. This really helped to set my group's focus in trying to create a science project that dealt with the impacts of our findings. Take the silver nano particles of our project as an example. Who would have thought that silver nano particles could possibly cure AIDS, deal with over 200 viruses such as SARS and H1N1. This really helped to convince the general public and the judges of various competitions to "buy into" our project as a whole.
(For more information regarding my past projects, please refer to my Credentials.)
Other than my experience with projects, I am a calligrapher who consistently practices Chinese Calligraphy. I believe in how using a brush and Chinese characters, one can convey the depth and high level of expression through a piece of Chinese calligraphy.
This one of my favorite pieces. It was also my entry for the annual Peace Cup 2011 Competition which received a commendation as seen in the above picture. The significance of this piece to me isn't really because it won the prize but because of what I chose to write.
The phrase "千里之行﹐始於足下" is what I chose to write. Loosely translated as " A Thousand Mile Journey begins with one step". This is somewhat my life motto and mantra as it reminds me what life is about. Sometimes, it is not about one's qualifications and logic but rather it is his ability to take risks and take a first step forward in embracing the unknown. Of course, I do not mean that I aspire to be a reckless person, rather I want to be a more diverse and adventurous personality. This brings me on to why I signed up for the learning journey.
When I signed up for this programme with the EDB, I took it as a chance to widen my horizons and take a look at the corporate world. I don't really think that the programme can really make miracles in giving us early starts at the MNCs, rather I view it as an excellent opportunity to grant us, fellow young minds, enormous amounts of exposure to the corporate world. This is something one can never learn from his economic textbooks or the internet. As some would put it, "seeing is believing" and I too hope that I will gain much more insights and reflections from my participation in this programme.
So, what are you waiting for? Take a look at my blog as it begins to track down my journey!