Lessons From My Book Cover

My book cover is almost ready. There are just a few little tweaks to make and it will be finalised. 

I wonder how much anguish the design team had to go through to accommodate my very particular requests. Despite this, they have done a fantastic job.

I've learned a few things through this:

1) Specific instructions give much better results

I noticed that when my instructions were even slightly vague, the draft cover did not turn out the way I imagined. With more specific, sometimes seemingly ridiculously so, instructions, the drafts get much closer to what I imagined.

2) Effective communication is two-way

We hear this all the time but this experience really cemented it for me. Things became easier once we were able to hear each other think and receive feedback at the same time. This was often done through Skype calls and communication was much clearer when there is feedback, even if it is just a repeat of what you just said.

3) Attitude counts

The design team was ever polite and encouraging even when I wanted to do major overhauls or went MIA for periods of time. For this, I am deeply impressed. Their positive attitude makes me want to work with them for the long-term and, I think, in any industry, this is the way it should be.

Writing Once Again

Finally winding down from four months of incredible busy-ness, I now have more time to get back to writing The Introvert Teacher.

Try as I might, I found it difficult to focus on writing while my mind was constantly occupied with lesson planning and preparation. 

I finally figured that it is better to simply stop writing and pick it up again when I become less busy instead of constantly worrying that I had not written much while I was preoccupied. By worrying, I found myself being unable to focus on either my lessons or my writing. Consequently, the quality of both suffered.

This reminded me of an article I came across that insisted that, contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking was detrimental to efficiency. It proposed focusing upon and finishing one task at a time. This was sage advice.

Yet another reason that supports my belief that popular belief is often erroneous.

Under the Microscope - Lessons from Microbiology

Being a student and teacher of the biological sciences has affected the way that I see the things around me. Microbiology - the study of micro-organisms - has done so in an especially large way.

Aside from the fact that I am now acutely aware of the omnipresence of micro-organisms, microbiology has taught me to take time to appreciate the little things in life, to analyse them carefully and to see the importance of the unseen.

Perhaps I will expand on each of these points in the next few posts. In the meantime, let's get back to this.

I learned to use a microscope in Primary School. It was a simple one that used a mirror to direct light through the sample. It worked reasonably well. I viewed bits of dust, bugs and hairs that I found on the ground. I saw things that I never knew existed and this got me interested in the little things that make up the greater whole.

This interest now extends beyond living creatures into situations, people interactions and even macro photography. It may be a stretch to say so, but I am starting to believe that my ability to notice little things started from that first experience.

I believe our traits and abilities have been honed over the years by practice and experience. Many of these traits must have started somewhere. Where would you say yours started?

A Tribute to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew

Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, it is with a great sense of gratitude that I paid my final respects to you in the wee hours of 26 March 2015. 

The beauty, orderliness and cleanliness of modern Singapore owe their beginnings to you and the capable team that you assembled in our early years. 

Empowered with vision, you saw the potential of modern Singapore and worked tirelessly towards building a nation that we are now proud to call our own.

Your strength as a leader has not gone unnoticed by our neighbours or the international community. It was this strength that galvanised a people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. It is this strength that won you the respect of your people and those around you.

Leadership is, indeed, no easy task. Despite much opposition, you made difficult decisions, many of which you believed were for the good of our island nation. Many of these decisions turned out to be the correct ones. Of course, being as human as the rest of us, there is no doubt that mistakes were made. Some policies were unpopular and some actions were controversial. Nevertheless, it is my belief that these were outcomes that were already weighed and discussed. It is inconceivable that a man blessed with such foresight would not imagine the results of his words, actions and decisions.

Mr. Lee, I believe that you did the best you could with what you had and I am immensely appreciative that we had a leader who was as courageous as you even in the toughest of times. Thank you, Sir, for trailblazing us to where we are today.

Though I have not known you in person, I know that your heart and soul were devoted to the rise of modern Singapore. Though I have not seen you in person, I see the vision you had all those years ago in the fruit of your labour all around me. Though I have not heard you speak in person, I have witnessed the gravitas and power of the words that you have spoken. 

In your passing, we are deeply grieved at the loss of one of our great founding fathers. Thank you, Mr. Lee, for all that you have done for us. You have served this nation with your life - a life that will be forever inscribed in the annals of history, never replaced, never forgotten.

#rememberingLKY