Meeting Gerry Robert and Travon Taylor Over the Weekend

Over the weekend, I re-attended a familiar event.

This was none other than the Publish A Book And Grow Rich (PABGR) Bootcamp.

What was a little different this time around was that Gerry had a co-speaker - Travon Taylor.

Cutting an impressive physique, Travon shared that he was in the Marines, served in Iraq, and later became a state champion boxer. When I met him in person on the last day (Sunday), I could tell that his experiences in these arenas had helped forge him into who he is today - a disciplined, determined individual with a drive to impact (no pun intended) those around him.

I was glad to have been able to speak with him for a couple of minutes before duty called him away (again, no pun intended).

Gerry, the ever-charismatic speaker, was a little elusive this time. I wasn't able to get an opportunity to take a photo with him, so here's one from 3 years ago, when I first met him:

I also met a fellow introvert. He enjoyed the learning process of being at the bootcamp and told me that he was interested in learning more about being a published author. I left him my contact details and he assured me that, once he had organised his thoughts, he'd drop me a note.

It's hard not to be inspired when you just spent a couple of days with highly positive, driven individuals as Gerry and Travon.

For those of you who have been asking when my book will be out, I'm here to tell you that the date is drawing very close (yes, really really close).

I Learned About The Joy of Blessings in Cambodia

I just got back from Cambodia a few days ago, having been there on a mission trip with Project Khmer Hope.

They have 3 centres outside of Phnom Penh, which the team visited. However, due to my schedule, I had to return to Singapore earlier than the rest of the team so I was only able to visit 1 of the centres - the closest one, which was a 2-hour drive from the city.

This centre is in the Kampong Speu province and it provides English lessons as well as vocational training for Cambodian youths so they can join the hospitality industry once their training is over. 

I learned that the students' training is fully subsidised by the training centre and its supporting bodies, which makes it a truly remarkable opportunity for the youths, who apply to be students in droves. However, since the centre is limited in its size and staff, it can only take in a set number of students every year, and only after a stringent selection process.

I was there to visit and identify the needs of the centre so that, when I come back in the near future, I will be more equipped to help out - perhaps in a teaching role or in some other way.

As I had never been to Cambodia, I didn't know what to expect. I certainly didn't expect to receive such a striking revelation as this:

We had a 'Concert Night' for the youths at the training centre and asked them to volunteer themselves as performers. We ended up with a fair number of solo performances and a few group items.

From the very first performer (who sang), the audience was exuberant, enthusiastic and excited. They clapped along, sang along and encouraged the performers.

To a Singaporean used to apathy and indifference in audiences, this was quite a pleasant surprise.

It wasn't only the audience that taught me something, though. The performers themselves put great thought and energy into doing their very best.

The final performance was a skit. Though it was in Khmer, which I didn't understand, the body language, movement and energy were unmistakable. These were committed performers and they had clearly put in as much practice as they could in the short time that they had. When the skit came to nearly a close, the audience erupted in applause. You would think that this was enough to end the night. We weren't quite there yet.

The actors then broke out into song and almost everyone jumped up out of their places and danced with so much passion and intensity, it was quite a sight to behold. There was pure joy etched into the faces of every person there.

Yet, this was not the end of the night. The highlight for them was still to come. They would light an enormous campfire, an annual tradition there, and would continue to dance and sing for the next few hours around the fire.

It struck me later that their overflowing joy and the ease with which they express and experience it is a true blessing. I wonder if I have ever truly experienced such joy in such measure.

Though the word 'blessing' is often associated with resources and means, I now find this to be erroneous. Certainly, our financial prosperity isn't to be sniffed at, but think of how little of this joy we see in rich, affluent Singapore. 

Through this trip, short as it was, I learned an important point: a blessing can take many forms but it can never be material. It is, if anything, an intangible feeling or sense that, at least for that moment, all is as it should be.

I went to visit the centre in Cambodia because I wanted to see how I can contribute there.

I did not expect to be the one taking something back with me.

Your Opinion Doesn't Matter (or Does It?)

A number of things have been hitting our headlines in the past week or so, while I've been out of Singapore.

The most intense bit of news (at least based on the frequency it seems to be appearing) would be that of the now-publicised Lee family dispute. While I have my views on the matter, I will not speculate or discuss them until more facts arise. 

It's always tempting to grab any bit of information that supports one's worldview and shoot off a quick opinion piece or blast a scathing reply on the comment sections. However, it's almost never the best thing to do. Without calmly sifting through the information, putting the pieces together or asking more questions, how can we expect to form a well-informed opinion?

Of course, this is an unavoidable consequence of our ever-connected world of social media. Everyone has an opinion and many people think that their opinion is as valid as anyone else's, so everyone else should listen to what they have to say.

This, of course, cannot be further from the truth. 

First of all, not all opinions are equal. Some opinions are more valid than others.

As an example, a doctor who has been practising medicine for 20 years is far more qualified than even, say, a highly-regarded lawyer to say whether or not Vitamin C helps us recover from a cold.

An experienced electrician would be a far better person to ask about your flickering lights than an insurance agent.

A trained chef will be able to give you better advice on how to keep your steaks moist while grilling them than an IT professional will.

Experts in a field are far more qualified than the general population when it comes to their area of expertise. As such, it stands to reason that their opinions in those areas are far more valid than ours.

Secondly, the freedom to express does not equate to a freedom from responsibility.

Yes, we are able to post what we want where we want. Some people take this to mean that they should speak or type thoughtlessly without regard for others or for their own image.

Anything you post on social media or in a public setting is now part of public domain. You cannot suddenly decide that you are no longer going to take responsibility for what you say/do there. Neither can you blame a moment of folly or a 'slip of the tongue/thumb' for your comments or writing.

If you are going to put up information or opinions, then you will have to take responsibility for them. If you can't or don't want to, then keep them to yourself.

Thirdly, we can agree to disagree.

If two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary. 

Just because someone does not agree with you, it doesn't mean that you have to always convince them to agree. It's fine to question and debate. Let's not degrade a possibly fruitful discussion to name-calling and insults.

Every disagreement can be an opportunity to learn instead of a mere bone of contention. We can learn of different viewpoints as well as how different people think.

Just as we want to be heard, shouldn't we allow others to be heard as well?

3 Steps To Getting Focused

In the past week, I completed a large project with a local primary school - to train their P5s for the upcoming Science Olympiad. It took 4 days of 4 hours each and I felt it  to be a little too intense for them. I realised that many of the participants didn't have enough prior knowledge to complete a large percentage of the test questions so I had to bring them up to speed in as little time as possible. 4 years' worth of Science education in 4 days of 4 hours? Well, we tried.

A glaring oversight was that the Primary students of today are getting less and less able to remain attentive for long periods of time. It was immensely difficult for them to sit still for the time of each session, let alone focus long enough to absorb the information.

Gratifyingly, though, I noticed that there were a few who could.

Perhaps all is not yet lost to touchscreens and other devices for instant gratification, including those incredibly annoying 'fidget spinners'.

If you're thinking of getting one such 'spinner' for your child or someone else's child, please don't. They really don't need another distraction. Instead, they need to learn to focus on their tasks at hand.

Focusing is difficult even for adults, what with the myriad distractions around us. As such, I've found it very useful to do a few things to help me focus:

1) Have a dedicated work space and work routine

This means setting a specific part of your desk to do work at. Use that space for nothing else but work. When you want to take a break, move out of that space so you don't end up mixing its use. It sounds like a lot of bother but, being creatures of habit, it will really help once you get this going.

If you're the nomadic type, like me, then you need to set up a strong work routine, since your work space will keep changing. Still, try to keep one such space at home, if possible.

For your routine, once you fire up the laptop, you immediately open a document file (or PowerPoint or Excel file, whatever you're working on) before you start trying to connect to the Wi-Fi, which will likely lead you to waste time doing endless searches on Google or some other site. 

If you prefer to write, start writing the date once you crack open your notebook / organiser.

2) Record EVERYTHING down

I create a 7 Day Plan for myself, in Excel format, in which I have the things I need to do each day already typed out. It doubles as my secondary calendar of events, because I can occasionally lose track of things.

I also keep a notepad-type app on the home screen of my mobile phone. On it, there is a To-do List that I check at certain intervals every day. Any time I think of something that needs doing, in it goes. Every time something gets done, it gets ticked off (and removed).

By having all these things down and ready for the days ahead, I don't have to waste space in my mind on remembering where I need to be tomorrow or what I need to get done later.

3) Announce your focused time slots

Let people around you know not to bother you at specified time slots. These will be the periods during which you do what you have to do.

This may be difficult in an office environment or if you work from home but try anyway. Once others know you have a routine set up, they will learn to respect your time and you will find fewer distractions.

You may even find your co-workers or family reminding you that you need to get work done when your time slot nears.