Category: Whacky Thoughts

Yesterday as I was trying to explain to JT what the online gaming World of Warcraft is like, JT kept on insisting that it is just a virtual world and you get nothing out from it.

This morning as I pondered, when you really think about it, the world we are living in, in this short 75 years of our life, what is our purpose anyway. In no way I am trying to justify the way I indulge in the virtual world but all the fun I have had, all the money that I have earned in that virtual world, what different is it from the world we are living in?

For those who believe in after life, heaven and hell, all the currencies that we hold, we cannot bring it to the after life. All the deeds we have done, there are consequences in the after life. I know the analogy is kind of cruel but face it, if you are not believe in the after life, you will just have all the fun you have had in this world.

What different is it from the world I am indulging in anyway? To some of us, this earthly world is not real compares to heaven. So?

Deep thougths we have had.

Today I was having a coffee with my colleague WT and he was sharing all the exciting new things that he has learnt during the 2-days Learning Organisation workshop. One of the case study was on how IDEO designed an innovating shopping trolley with three objectives in mind: (1) to radically improve upon the existing design in 5 days, (2) to reduce the no. of trolleys that go missing, and (3) to enhance the reputation of IDEO. The case study can be found here.

I have to admit that I am so much impress by the process and especially the end result. You can see the image of the trolley from the above link.

But what impressed me most about the workshop is that one should set a vision. With the knowledge of current situation, we can then align ourselves to the vision in everything that we do.

Kind of make sense … then I asked myself: what is my vision in life?

Don’t know … as of now.

Sigh … in this civilised world, most of us have to devote nearly half of our lifetime – counting all the travelling time and the overtime hours – working. Actually, working by itself is okay so long as we can derive some sort of pleasures out from it. Painful is that abuses that come with the job itself. Abuses from the top, from the bottom, and from the level on par with you. It is kind of ridiculous that most of us have to put through these.

Work could generate a lot of satisfaction. But at the same time, when people around you – again, on top, from the bottom … etc. – keep on disappointing you from time to time, you can sometimes be put down and ask yourself: Dear God, don’t You have better purpose for all of us?

Abuses come in many forms and however way they are branded – professional or personal – they are still unpleasant.

True, many things I have learnt through my working life. But, how do all these that I have learnt contribute to my purpose in life? Each and everyday, thousands and thousands of us are transported to our working places where we do what we are told to do and each day comes by, we all get older. Each and everyday, a piece of our dreams vanishes in thin air.

All for …

Let me think. All for a sense of security after our retirement? Say our life expectancy is 75 and we retire at the age of 65 (no joke), say we all start work at 20-ish, most of us have to work over 40 years to buy 10 years of security after retirement.

No wonder the advancement of civilisation is so slow. Our society norm makes us so inefficient.

Sigh.

I admired the beauty of the sky while on my way sending my wife to the airport. The sky was decorated with cotton-like clouds and the sun looked like a big orange light bulb covered with a thick sheet of white paper. I could look at the sun without hurting my eyes. It was at that moment when my imagination ran wild. I dreamed that I could ride a dragon and flew up to the sky. The scene was indeed beautiful.

Traffic jam at the rush hour and as we came to a halt on the highway, I looked sideway and saw a lot of purple colour flowers on my right hand side. Singapore is indeed a garden city. So rarely I could admire the flower on the highway. I did not mind the jam.

And that was how a painter spoils a picture at the final stroke: I saw movements from the bushes and I saw a pair of rats in close encounter.

Again, such a beautiful day – almost.

How we may wish some of our bosses play online games more often. At times some organisations drive people nuts. I wish I could apply what I learnt from DAoC (Dark Age of Camelot) to my working life.

• Team up at the right level
• Skill set is important
• Never pull a resource out during the project
• There is so much endurance one has
• If people are not having fun, they will leave the team
• Leadership is everything

Team Up at the Right Level

I learnt much from DAoC that teaming up at the right level is important. For instance, if I am a level 30 fighter, there is no point in grouping with a level 5 healer. Chances are, I will be dead long before my healer can heal me. And guess what? Very soon, my healer will be dead too. Teaming up a very junior consultant with a senior consultant is not effective. Definitely need something in between.

Skill Set is Important

Very often, my organisation assigns resource based on availability rather than skill set. That is really bad. If you play DAoC, you know that having the right skill is very important. Teaming up with people of the right skill set is crucial to group success. People should complement each other. If majority of my group are fighter class, time to recruit healers such as clerics.

Never Pull a Resource Out During the Project

During a fight in DAoC, each group member focus on bring down the monsters. No one leave the group during a fight. It is just counter-productive. Sigh … wish my bosses realise that. By pulling out resources during a project is like having team members leaving the group during a fight. It is a doomed move.

There is So Much Endurance One Has

You just can’t slave drive people. Each of us has limit. In DAoC, each character has a certain amount of endurance. When the endurance runs out in the middle of a fight, you know that is when trouble begins.

If People are not Having Fun, They will Leave the Team

This is obvious. People join a group and fight together. But if they are not having fun, they will just leave the group and find another group. Work-wise, it is the same. Do you really expect people to stick around if they are not having fun? No way! Be creative and add the fun to working life.

Leadership is Everything

I lead group in DAoC and I am led by others. Leadership is important. One trivial mistake can lead to the doom of the entire group. I look into the eyes of my group and I feel a sense of responsibility. If you are not fit to be a leader, step aside. Make someone else a leader. At least that is what we do in DAoC.

Car price has come down quite a fair bit since I bought my car about 4 years ago. New tax structure has brought the car price lower. Many of my friends have already upgraded their cars. Shall I follow suit?

The case for upgrading my car to a new one is simple. I bought my Toyota Corolla at S$91,000 with a OMV valued at S$15,000. If I scrap my car at the end of 10 years, the government will give me back 80% of OMV – i.e. $12,000. Hence, my yearly depreciation is going to be S$7,900.

Since I consider my made in Japan Corolla as the top of its class (the new Corolla is made in Thailand and I won’t consider brands like Mazda, Nissan, Honda, and other European cars of the same class), if I ever change my car, it will be an upgrade from my 1.5 liter car to a 2.0 liter car.

Consider a new Camry, or Accord, or a VK’s Pussat, they are retailing at about S$100,000 and the OMV of the cars are in the region of S$23,000. Under the new tax structure, at the end of the 10th year, the government will refund 50% of ARF and ARF is 110% of OMV. So new car will only get back 55% of OMV – i.e. S$12,650. Yearly depreciation is about S$8,700.

With a mere increase of less than S$1,000 a year, I could have ended up with a much better car. Why not?

The case against it is as such. If I am to trade in my car right now, due to the crash in car price, I will only get back slightly more than S$40,000. That is to say for the last 4 years, my car has depreciated by S$50,000 – i.e. yearly depreciation is S$12,500 instead of S$7,900 as previously calculated!

The bright side is that if I consider the past as write-off (I have to if I consider upgrading one because once I do so, I will realise the loss), the yearly depreciation for the next 6 years for me will be calculated using the current value of my car minus off the goverement refund at the end of the 10 years and that is S$4,600 per year!

And because I have almost paid up all the car loan, my cashflow for car financing for the next 6 years will be S$0.

How about an increase in car related expenses? The road tax for my 1.5L car is S$875. The road tax for a 2L to 2.4L car is S$1,550 to S$2,150. That is an increase of S$1,000 per year on road tax alone.

I travelled about 20,000 km a year. My car’s fuel consumption is 13.32 km per liter. Each year, my car consumes 1500 liter of petrol and if petrol cost is about S$1.5 per liter, I paid roughly S$2,250 on petrol per year.

A 2L+ car’s fuel consumption is estimated to be about 9.5 km per liter at best. Hence, it is a 40% increase in petrol consumption. That translates to about another S$1,000 of extra expense.

At the time of posting, I don’t have the exact figure for an increase in car insurance. My guessimation will be in the region of S$500 to S$1,000.

To sum up, for the next 6 years, I will have to pay an increased of S$4,000 on yearly depreciation and closed to and additional S$3,000 on expenses versus my putting up with my older car and increased maintenance cost, the choice is obvious.

That’s why I am not going to upgrade my car any sooner.

Today I have this sudden thought that there are many things around us that we do clean regularly or even occasionally. But there are just some items that we don’t clean at all (besides coins and money notes that we keep passing around and don’t count). Well, at least I don’t. Don’t you wish you could clean …

• Your handphone
• You belt (especially buckle)
• Inside of your shoes

Perhaps I shall start wth my handphone …

I’ve had an interesting chat with JM and she kind of hinted to me that my wife should have our first kid before thirty. I told JM that the decision does not lie on me and me alone.

Then I asked JM that isn’t it better to buy babies (she corrected me: adopt) instead? I can even have the birth certificate with my name as the father! Imagine, no child bearing headache, no need to bear the pregnancy complication and as JM correctly pointed out: one less fortunate child in the world for each one adopted.

And you can just buy (or adopt) the gender you want. If you want a bigger family just because you got a bigger place, expansion is never easier. Just buy (or adopt) the right number.

Hmmm … anyway, JM maybe right. Whether one can live with this adoption concept is another thing.

Have you ever wondered why the movie Before Sunrise or Before Sunset is so beautifully made? Just two people talking through the entire show.

Have you ever experienced such an engaging conversation that time seems to fly? Have you ever met someone whom is so easy to connect to? And you just wish that there is a camera taking down all the wonderful moments?

Perhaps the beauty of it all is that you are never sure if the next conversation will take place or not. Circumstance changes. People change. It is the uncertainty that makes each conversation opportunity so precious. Something to treasure of.

And why all these hassles? Because it takes two to converse. It takes two to connect. It takes two to just make it happens.

The next time it happens, remember that it could be the last. That, is an engaging conversation.