Creativity as a way of life

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
26 March 2009
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In this line of work, it really feels like creativity is a way of life, not just a skill you have or a thought process you must endure.  Being creative consultants for a wide array of clients requires flexible thinking, curiosity, critical analysis, and understanding the market.  These skills are all a part of the lifestyle of becoming a creative person who takes everything around them and can draw connections that others may not, be able to adapt quickly based on new developments, and be able to dream in ways that others may not dare.

It’s really cool to be in such an environment that nurtures you to think in so many different ways.  I always knew the learning curve would be steep, but only now do I really get to appreciate what it is like.  I remember when I was still back in LA, trying to ask questions about how things work over here.  Perhaps I never got any fully satisfactory answers because it boils down to the story of my life: it’s complicated.  In fact, on a day to day basis different challenges arise, from clients who are requesting more thoughts from us to coworkers who are getting sick (and infecting the lot of us).  I find that even in my way of dealing with something like avoiding the flu or cold, there is leeway to be creative in my own right (aka the types of new things I try out to prevent from getting sick).

I really enjoy living and breathing creativity like this.  It could be just in how I choose to organize my ideas one day or it could be in how I decide to manage my time.  Everything I do allows me the freedom to think critically about what would work best in that circumstance, with my type of personality and preferences.  So much thinking also requires a lot of time away from the issues, to let them incubate before I come back to developing them.  I really wish I had some sort of mindless work to do in between major thinking sessions, like updating the website or sketching/molding random images that could be a new mascot.  I think I wouldn’t even mind handling some number problems, now that my life is consumed with words!

Recently I’ve been reading Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner (my interest in his thoughts began back in middle school) and I’m at the chapter where he talks about creativity.  He mentions some companies that have taken unconventional approaches and also mentioned skunkworks a few times, which really captured my attention.  Throughout the rest of the day, I found my mind wandering to how I can run a company that fosters creativity.

Things I have considered are no designated work hours, time off each week for a personal development activity of your choice (whether it’s crocheting or taking a class), no dress code, customized work spaces (You want toys?  Ok!  You want a beanbag for a chair?  Sure.  You want a clear desk?  Alright!), and pretty much just more flexibility all around.  I would totally get a kick out of themed job titles, so rather than say you are a manager or blah blah blah officer, you’d be something completely arbitrary – Bamboo or Venus Flytrap.  Or, alternatively, titles could really just be evolved nicknames, so someone in the office who may love to tidy can be Feather Duster while someone else who sleeps a lot can be Sloth or Zombie or something.

I don’t know if I can ever implement measures like that and still find quality people who won’t use that as an excuse to slack off – “oh, I’m just being creative right now” – you know?  But hey, it’s something to look into and consider.

The business of cards

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
25 March 2009
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Namecards, or business cards, are one of those things that are really helpful in the business world.  Though you can come up with various creative designs to try to stand out, what ultimately matters is a clean look with key (mostly contact) information.  It’s pretty much a standard to hand someone a business card when you make a contact or find someone interested in learning more about what you or your company can do for them.  While you want to get your name out there and encourage follow-ups, you also don’t want to throw cards at anyone you come across, especially if you haven’t even spent a few minutes to talk to them.

Currently, Marylin and I are anxiously awaiting our business cards that will be printed with the updated address and phone numbers for our new office.  It’s a lot more difficult to network when you need to create makeshift "cards" to hand out to people.  If they can’t read our handwriting or mistake the slip of paper for junk later, we could very easily lose a valuable contact.  Plus, having that sturdy little piece of cardstock makes us look legit and oh so official.  I mean, not that we don’t look like seasoned pros already, what with our lovely attire and attitudes.  😉

We’ve been to two networking events this week and I have noticed that card-trading etiquette is quite different here!  All cards are presented and accepted with two hands and are usually accompanied by a bow or otherwise lowering of the head.  When I received my first two and took them with one hand, I noticed that it wasn’t quite right.  I wonder if other people noticed it and felt offended.  I certainly hope not!  However, it is a ritual that I have duly noted and will be careful to observe from now on.  These are the little cultural nuances that I am going to need to continue to pick up as I learn my way around here and this business world.

So you see, something as basic as trading business cards can be rather different depending on the people you are dealing with.  Nothing’s ever quite so simple, is it?

Doing what feels right

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
24 March 2009
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My decision to come to Singapore was largely based on feeling.  It seems that I am allowing my intuition to guide me far more than I ever allowed before.  I don’t know if this is my quarter-life crisis, the result of maturing, or just a random epiphany, but it is becoming more pervasive in everything I do.  Perhaps in growing up and learning to open your mind to things, you also learn how to trust your instincts.  Maybe there really is something to your gut instincts.  Whatever the case, I have been paying more attention to what my heart tells me over what my head may want to say.  And you know what?  It feels good.

I’ve always been one to sit and think.  Absorb, analyze, reanalyze, compile, calculate, and then react.  It’s a slow, sometimes excruciating process and I’ve been telling people lately that that is the type of person I am.  Well, it’s true – I will not give you an instant answer and go full steam ahead.  I may have an initial reaction, but that is by no means my actual response in the end (though it will probably be an exaggerated version of it).  Sometimes it can be frustrating for those who are impatient or tend to take the smallest of signals and take that to be the indicator of consent or dissent.

Though I still need time to really think about what to say about things, I am embracing more of the "go do it" attitude, from taking the risk of starting work in a foreign country to buying things because it feels right.  I can’t quite let go of my old tried and true habit of taking the time to consider all the angles of an issue, but I tend to have a gut feeling from the get-go that tells me what I will end up deciding anyway.  Nevertheless, to justify it to myself, I still need to spend the time to think it over and really make sure that what I want is what I should do.

I like to be cautious in the sense that I can defend my decisions.  I don’t like to be rash or irresponsible.  But, I also do like to take certain risks that can be both exciting and door-opening.  You never know if you don’t try, right?  So I might as well give it a go and see where it takes me (with some back-up plans ready, of course).

My organized mess

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags:
23 March 2009
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A lot of people seem to think that being messy means being disorganized.  What they don’t realize is that there is a method to the madness, if you will.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of how I like to arrange things.  The sad thing is, I’m the only one who knows how to navigate this personal system.  But nevertheless, just because I don’t put things away in compartments, files, folders, and boxes doesn’t mean I don’t have a system.  In fact, I have a very complicated system that involves multiple possible places for things.

You see, that’s the thing about trying to categorize things.  There will always be those things that fit into multiple categories or don’t quite fit into any and just need their own place.  So for people who must segment all things in their lives, that must be a nightmare.  But for someone like me, everything is transitory.  Some things may fall under certain groups when I am feeling a particular way and under other groups when I am feeling another way.  It may not make sense to anyone else at first glance, but I think if someone ever took the time to start to learn the logic I use (however faulty that may be), they can start to understand my system.  It may even seem sensible.

I can be quite picky about how things are organized at times, especially when it comes to stationery and other such office supplies.  I even used to have a sticker drawer that was filled to the brim with sheets of stickers that I have acquired over the years and never bore to use.  I can be quite quirky in how I choose to organize my life, whether it’s sticker drawers or changing methods.  Perhaps the downside of having fluid systems to put things away is the difficulty of tracking down which system I was on when I put certain things away.

There is also something about clutter and mess that makes people think dirty as well.  Maybe there’s a little more surface area on which dust can collect, but really, unless there are flies or ants crawling around, it’s probably not any more noticeable than an area with neat stacks and piles.  Why do we automatically have this negative association with mess?  It’s not necessarily bad!  Well hey, I don’t care; it works for me.  I like my mess.

Random silly ideas

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: ,
22 March 2009
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Today at dinner I was struck my the most fantastical notion of customized menus.  See, when the waitress asked me if it was ok that there is pork in my shrimp wontons, I started to imagine a place where the waitress would ask for any food allergies you may have before you order.  That idea then developed into having electronic menus that would update according to what items you could or could not eat and keep track of your favorite dishes as well as what you ordered recently.  Every first-time customer could then just input their own data and from then on they could be given a membership card to be scanned upon each visit, pulling up their personal data.  Cool, no?  A low-cost version of this could just be printing menus for people with certain nut allergies, seafood allergies, or vegetarian all the way to vegan preferences.

Then, as we were walking along, I thought I heard Marylin say something to me, but she hadn’t uttered a word, which made me think that it would be useful if we glowed or lit up when we talked so it’d be easier to tell if we’re just hallucinating.  She seems to hear me say things a lot when I’m just hanging, though for her this would be less useful, since she tends to be in front of me and not looking at me at the time.  However, for me, this would be a great ability for people to have!  Lol.  Of course, when I told her this, she just looked at me like I was indeed glowing and tried to pretend she didn’t know me as I laughed myself to pieces.  Gosh, I really crack myself up sometimes.  These are the random things I think about when I am happily fed Crystal Jade noodles and xiao long bao.  Yummy.  😛

Money woes

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: ,
21 March 2009
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You know, money can become a major inconvenience when you’re out of the country.  Thankfully, in this day and age it’s rather convenient, what with accounts accessible online, but nonetheless I find it difficult to get things done as efficiently.  With tax season in full swing, I am getting concerned about filing my own tax returns this time around.  There’s a form that I need that I don’t believe I have, but being away makes it difficult for me to ensure I have it in time for the deadline.

Then there’s the issue of bank accounts, which I am considering opening up here, but then I have to figure out how to close it down and withdraw the money at the end of it all.  I’ve thought of just living off cash, but that is too risky and not taking advantage of ways I might be able to make my money work harder for me if I deposited it.  I’ve considered trying to use PayPal, which gives decent rates, or figuring some other way to get my paychecks deposited into something useful.

Let’s not even mention the headache of deciding if keeping my money in SGD or USD is more advantageous.  Ironic that I studied Econ when I rather dislike financial analysis.  Don’t even get me started on stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs, IRAs, 401ks, etc… all that talk makes my head spin.  Unfortunately, it is also stuff that I am going to have to get more and more familiar with in the coming years as I try to manage my money effectively.  Sigh.

Bothersome bugs?

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
20 March 2009
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Why do people have this aversion to bugs (and amphibians and reptiles)?  Generally they are not going to hurt you and if you just let them be, they will not bother you too.  Yet, it seems that a dislike for these creatures is widespread, from girls who squeal and hide to guys who rush off in a different direction.  Reactions and distaste can range from just avoiding them as much as possible to chasing after them in an attempt to kill them.  But for me, it’s a completely different story.

I know that my own fascination for them stems from my upbringing in the plains of Kansas and interactions with a lot of boys.  When you grow up without being taught to fear or even dislike those critters, but rather play with them and use them as your personal scientific discoveries, it’s hard to want to run from them or kill them.  I remember days on the playground spent thinking of the best ways to catch the grasshoppers that would jump so far, the butterflies that flitted around so high, the praying mantises that would blend into the grass, the spiders that would scuttle so quickly, or the worms that would squirm away into the ground.  I was always so interesting to see all that they could do, from jumping long distances to flying great heights to doing crazy disappearing acts.

Sometimes in my explorations I would accidentally kill the creatures, but eventually I learned how to take care of them and keep them alive.  I even developed a theory that praying mantises will go blind in captivity after one that I was playing with at home developed black eyes that were blind.  I learned how to test he it was blind by slowly moving my finger or a blade of grass towards him.  When he didn’t react as he had done previously, I was quite certain he could not see.  Saddened by this, I took him outside and let him back into the grass, following him around as he moved slowly along the ground.  I don’t know how long this lasted, but at some point, his eyes became clear again!  Then when I tried to get too close, he then scrambled off, probably cursing me in his head, if he’s capable of that.  Look at how educational it can be!

However, there are some bugs that I don’t like either, mostly mosquitoes.  I find them interesting nonetheless, but ultimately annoying with their buzzing and affinity for my blood.  I get a morbid sense of pleasure when I hear them zap in those blue light things that you turn on at night to kill them off.  Yet even with that, I can’t help but be curious about why they make that sound, why they are attracted to the light so much, if it hurts, etc.  Learning about other forms of life make you question all kinds of things about life!  It can be an educational experience if you question all the whys and hows.

These experiences and preferences can work for me in a good or bad sense.  Good in that I am not afraid of them, so I can come in quite useful in getting them out of a room or away from an area, but bad in that I usually don’t want to and can’t kill them, much to my friends’ dismay.  Don’t you find it fascinating that this thing can fly?  Or make silk strands so strong they are virtually indestructible?  Or climb walls or hang around upside down?  Personally, this intrigues me beyond normal curiosity and it gives me a great deal of respect for them.  I think they’re rather cool.

Why look for aliens when you’ve got so many strange life forms in your backyard?

Sounding board

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: ,
19 March 2009
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I spent nearly two hours discussing ideas and philosophies with a coworker today, as he shared with me his thoughts and observations and I expressed some of my own.  Though we see things from very different angles, I respect him as a capable person who is good at what he does.  However, his motivations and mine are vastly different, so the way we approach and think about things is quite unlike the other.

I do find him to be a good sounding board though, and that is why I like to discuss things with him.  When you spend time having to defend yourself and your beliefs, it forces you to reevaluate things and really have good reasons for what you believe.  People who think differently will ask different kinds of questions.  It gives you a chance to examine things so much more thoroughly.

Ultimately, you may come up with many backup plans to try to prevent as many glitches as possible.  It can be quite useful.  Someone may look at the big picture and someone else may look at the little details, or someone may think of the concept while someone else thinks of the logistics.  It’s not always bad to have a foil, though that commonly seems have a bad connotation.  As long as you can learn to work with each other, it can be very effective.

There’s a lot to be learned!

Pervasive American culture

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
18 March 2009
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Talk about a powerhouse.  I am constantly surprised at all the speeches that I hear overseas that include references to America this, America that.  I mean, I know that American culture is infecting other countries, but in every area, from social to political to scientific, I am reminded again and again just how effectively this seems to be occurring.  Ok, so they watch American TV dramas and movies, fair enough.  Hollywood is the mecca for the entertainment industry after all.  But must it also be mentioned when referencing research, political philosophies, or economic analyses?  (I’m not talking about the current economy "crisis" here – I can understand how talk of that can stem from the states.)

This happened yesterday at the 30th Annual Speak Mandarin Campaign that I was given the chance to attend.  The Minister Mentor (aka big shot of Singapore) was there as the guest of honor to deliver a speech encouraging Sinagporeans to continue to embrace the Mandarin language and master it as they have English.  In his speech, he referenced some research done in the states and that got me thinking about how I’ve never gone to an event that didn’t mention something from America.  Likewise, even my lectures in England contained US material!  What a strange phenomenon.  Here I thought I was getting away from all that and had to learn to adjust and relearn.

From my perspective, it’s interesting to hear about these issues and listen to what other nations have to say about my "home" country.  Sometimes (actually, a lot of the times), Americans are contained within their little bubble that it’s shocking and eye-opening to see things from another angle, hear another voice.  Though I generally associate myself with the US and think of myself as American (well, Chinese-American), there are times when I feel rather detached from it all.  In the end though, the country has given me a lot of great opportunities and provided a life for my parents and I that would not have been possible anywhere else (as far as I know, anyway).

Whether good or bad, I like to hear news about the states.  I feel more connected to it when it is talked about by non-residents, possibly because I cannot always identify with how they feel.  Everyone seems to have their opinion on the US, from dumbfounded admiration to unbridled disgust.  For me, it’s a matter of this journey of learning more about how the country I grew up in and the culture I grew up with fits into the world.  I tend to be more on the self-righteous side just because I have a certain level of patriotism for the country that may not have been perfect, but certainly has been good to me.

I think a lot of the viewpoints we hold are due to the way we choose to interpret things.  Some people may be offended by things that others find hilarious or just not a big deal.  Meanwhile, others may be greatly affected by things that others don’t pay attention to.  And though I have faced my own challenges and hardships, I am still so much more lucky than most of this world.  Now I do think it’s kind of cool that so many American references are made, but I hope that that is not corrupting the beauty of other cultures.  After all, how boring would the world be with everyone doing things the same way, believing the same ideas, and liking the same things?

When cheese starts to stink

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
17 March 2009
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No, this is not about food.  Rather, it is about a couple that Marylin and I encountered on the bus ride home.  There we were, innocently sitting there on our trek home when a girl plopped down on the seat across from me.  Her boyfriend stood beside her and got dangerously close.  In fact, he was nearly on top of her.  Since I was facing that way, I couldn’t help but notice them from time to time.  That is when my mind started to register the yellow shirts they were wearing.

Now, at first that didn’t seem like a huge deal.  Maybe they just both were in the mood for yellow t-shirts that day.  But then I saw the design on them: matching cartoons.  You know the “Little Miss” characters?  Yeah.  That is what opened my eyes to their black pants.  They were thus deemed the “bumblebee couple” for their color choice.  Well, now that I had noticed a pattern, their matching chain bracelets popped out at me too.  I saw a tattoo on the girl’s hand and even started to scan the guy’s hands for a similar marking.  Thank goodness I didn’t find one, or else I may have been consumed with nausea (partly contributed to by the bus movement).

I don’t mean to judge, but why would you EVER want to match your partner like that?  Unless it’s a costume party or a uniform you two must both wear to school or work, it’s just not cool.  The time and effort spent on that is a sad waste of time that could be much better spent.  If it’s accidental, it can be forgiven once or twice, but a consistent pattern probably points to a serious excess of time.  Is it just us or is that behavior that should never catch on?  I admit, I can be really cheesy sometimes, but even this is too much for me.  You can be cutesy with each other in private all you want, but too much PDA is just disconcerting.

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