A Look Back.. Reflections from a 2LT

Taken from one of my archives: Reflections from week 7 of EOAC. EOAC is the Engineer Officer Advanced Course, where we are prepared for higher level positions during our reservist days. I think EOAC has played a huge part in my motivation for learning, and in Uchicago, some of the motivation is lost. Perhaps it is time to find out what really motivates me to learn, to find out more about myself, and to conduct myself in a social way, without sacrificing moral dignity and integrity.

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REFLECTIONS WEEK 7

This week is the last week of EOAC. Having gone through 4 exercises and currently undergoing the 5th and final exercise, I have decided to reflect on what has happened these 7 weeks. I regularly jot down notes on my PDA, reflecting on them afterwards and providing a good source for the weekly reflections. So here, I present my points of reflection and of learning for the entire EOAC.

1. Learning has taken place when we are given time and space to absorb and reflect.
This point is actually taken from CPT Tan Han Siang (39 S2) on the illumination board. Often during the course, we are bombarded with information and regularly are expected to cough up detailed information at crucial moments (e.g. number of doctors in BCS, size of BSA etc.) Also, given the fast paced nature of the course, we are given very little time to absorb and “feed-forward” what we have learnt from the previous exercise. Given more time and space, I feel that we would be able to give a better account of ourselves during the exercises.

2. Presentation skills are critical to projecting your knowledge.
We may know and understand our plans entirely; however most of us are unable to present our knowledge well. The outcome of this is that we may know and understand, but we may not SEEM that we understand. This is congruent with my point at the beginning of the course, where I stated that knowledge is giving the instructors what they want to hear. I still stand by my statement, for the basic mission of an instructor is to make the trainee understand. We are better off regurgitating answers we already know then to go through the process of finding the answers ourselves. In short – reverse engineering would be beneficial if the answer to the question is undisputable, as are most answers in EOAC.

3. Give information as and when required to SPECIFIC audience.
There is a crucial difference between presenting to instructors, presenting to peers and commanding and ordering our soldiers. We are expected to present model answers during our presentations to our instructors, however, we must realize in a real situation, the best we can do is only to give the best plan we can come up with during a limited time frame. No matter how hard we try, we can never come up with the perfect plan for the instructors – there will always be holes in our plans, no matter how miniscule. After all, the basic job of the instructor is to play devil’s advocate to the trainees. In the name of improvement, this has to be done, but balance must be struck in combusting a plan and praising the good aspects. A plan can be 80% solid, but too much focus on the 20% not-as-good aspects can really dampen a student’s morale.

4. Visualize and have a clear picture prior to giving a presentation.
This has to do with presentation skills and understanding of your own plan. Many times in the course, the plan is an amalgam of different people’s ideas and thinking. There is a huge challenge in understanding the different points of views and presenting all of it as your own plan. I find that holding an OC appointment in exercises is more of a team leader in directing everyone to collate information and ultimately to formulate your own ideas around the framework provided.

5. Process VS Product. Learning Journey VS Outcome
There is often a struggle between wanting to achieve the outcome quickly (the product) and going through the steps in sequence (the process). I tend to be impatient and go for the product as fast I can. Often I would miss out certain information, but mostly I am able to reverse engineer the process (rationalize the plan). The drawback to this is that many of my peers discount this as cheating. My response is that the end state is more important than the process; the end is more important than the means. I firmly believe in results, and the process to obtain the result can be placed at a lesser priority.

A point: I still firmly believe in the ends. However, not all ends justify the means; no amount of evil will make the end a "good".

6. EOAC has many different personalities, and every one has gained maturity and experience since OCC, allowing greater appreciation of the course.
The diversity of the trainees is greatly reduced in 53 EOAC, being an all NSFs course. Plus points include being totally engrossed in the work (due to fewer influences and also understanding each other very well since our cadet days together. There is a bond in the course forged since 03/03 EOCC. Antics happen everyday, and the atmosphere is very relaxed since no one really needs the top trainee to further their career. The drawbacks include not having the diversity and experience in the course, as CO 30 puts it “The blind leading the blind.” This has placed more emphasis on the instructors to teach many basic issues and knowledge to us. Kudos goes to the instructors for doing that well.

I also feel that with new maturity gained from 1 year of ground experience, everyone is subtly different since OCC days. There is a greater appreciation of NS and the national service requirements. The greater hope is for the infusion of this spirit into our men during our tours in ICT.

7. Instructors should not impose their system of beliefs or mnemonics on us; rather help us develop our own competencies and principles.
This point came about as I felt the instructors are trying too hard to impose their own tools and thinking methods onto us. Among the 4 instructors, there is disagreement and different schools of thoughts. Everyone should recognize that we all have our own beliefs and our own methods of thinking. The thinking tools and “fishing rods” are a good exposure, but we all should be given the chance to formulate our own mental maps and choose which tools we want to utilize. There is no point in forcing everyone to utilize MTEOT, OAKOC, MAP, ASK etc etc. These are useful tools, but everyone has their own mnemonics, their own systems and their own choices. Having our own choice to make is what makes us inherently human. Ultimately, S3 35 said it best; to take away what we understand from the course, and leave the rest behind. Everyone has different points of views on situations, and as I like to say, we can only “Agree to disagree” on many issues in life. There is no black and white, only shades of grey in everything we do.

Finally, I would like to sum up the course with quotes over the 7 week period. Here they are, from the gems to the profound, from the inane to the explicit. For your enjoyment, please.

“I agree with both of the first three people…” –Yongtong

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be” –Douglas Adams

“Wise men thinking alike, fools seldom differ” –Proverb

“Live life as though everyday is your last day…” – CO SOCE

“As a military officer, your actions in the field will show your guiding principles…” – CO SOCE

“We tend to perceive what we expect to perceive” –Int. Analysis by Hanting

“Put your plan into writing; prevents mistakes from falling through the cracks” –MAJ Michael

“When you see what you think, you know what you lack. Externalize your thoughts.” –Mr. Soh

“A good leader inspires his men to have confidence in him. A great leader inspires his men to have confidence in themselves.” –MAJ Low

“I wanted to be somebody, I should have been more specific” –NOBODY

“Your motivation for planning should be the lives of your men…” –MAJ Chang



51/03 OCC
03/03 EOCC
01/04 CBRDCC
53rd EOAC
2LT LEE LIP JIN
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And so... A chapter closes in my life. Till 2009 for my first ICT! 39 SCE!!!!! Chiong Sua in Gas Mask. Pride.

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Another Computer Crash

It has happened again. My computer has crashed.

Yes, this is the 2nd crash in a year. The last time, my hard disk died, this time, my OS had some start up problem. A few funny error messages and refused to start. Well, so I just reformatted my entire computer.

Turns out, I backup my university work regularly, so I still have all my readings and my lecture notes and my essays. However, I've lost all my pictures (those in Chicago and Europe) and all my music (which I need iPodsoft to recover, because most of it is in my iPod), and virtually all my programs.

Now I need
1) Microsoft Office XP (which I will buy from Campus Computing tomorrow. Surviving on Office 2003 from my roommate now)
2) Adobe Premiere Pro
3) Adobe Photoshop
4) Adobe Acrobat Pro
5) Nero
6) STATA (some statistic program)

I'm more pissed off over my missing pictures than anything else. Sigh.

P.S. Lucky I have Kenneth "warez" Goh around.

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Living Life Vicariously Through Others.

P.S. Memorial day sale is just horrible for my wallet. I blew $400 on Calvin Klein shirts, Dockers, Banana Republic and shoes. Then again, if I shopped on a normal day, it would have cost me $1.5k:)

So Cheerz! And off to work I go!

More Pictures.






I miss my cool friends from Singapore. It's amazing we are still close even though we are scattered around the world (Quote from Chan Lek on ZL's blog.)

Read about their cool adventures all over Europe! ZL's Blog and Kevin's Blog

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Perception

We often form opinions of people we never met, or have a fleeting impression of. We form impressions, opinions, we judge... And I know I have been on your weighing scale, and I have been judged to be either

a) A bastard, if you take me from a superficial level
b) A friend, if you know me.

And frankly, to those who judge before they know me, please don't, because I don't judge you. People matter too much to form barriers even before you have reached out a hand to know someone. It's America, the culture, the way of life... The self-centered mentality, that says I know best, I trust my own judgement, to hell with what you think.

Sometimes, judge less, feel more. You form your opinions of me based on what you know for less then a year, and with my interactions with people you know for a longer period of time. I say fuck you. If you can't see things from 2 perspectives, you already formulated your own selfish opinions.

Why am I writing this now? Frankly, because I'm sick and tired of what I hear sometimes. Seriously, if you want to spew shit about me, go take it somewhere else. Come say it to my face. And we'll talk.

Or maybe everything here is just a figment of my imagination now. I don't know. We know most people here from our time back in secondary school, JC and we have opinions formulated back then. People change. Give them a chance. Why hate? Why judge? Be open minded, be interested in personal relationships, and frankly, form friendships, and not acquaintances that say "How do you do.." and that's that.

Sometimes, I just want to be alone.

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Drunk

I'm drunk.

And I need someone close when I'm high/drunk whatever. Just like everyone else...

Sigh.. 8 days every week!

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London

I wish I were in London right now. There's a mini reunion going on, in that Shar, Alex, Jesse, Kevin and Zhenliang are all chilling in London. Now, that's an interesting prospect if I throw myself into the mix.

But then again, I'm in Uchicago, where school is 2 more weeks, where I only have 1 finals, and where I'm staying till Sunday night all in an effort to prolong my stay in Chicago:).

God knows why.

P.S. My friend's blogs are at ZL's Blog and Kevin's Blog

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GEPs are Lazy

Yes they are, simply because they have gotten used to being provided for and having many opportunities.

'nuff said.

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Whose Line Is It Anyway

Some of the absolutely best scenes from Whose Line.







Hilariously Funny:)

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Facebook Pictures

My random Singapore friends are up on Facebook:)

Europe pictures are up too.

Finally.


My two favourite littlest cousins.

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National Service

And so the debate rages on... Is National Service a priority for Singaporeans? Or is it just another "policy" that we all have to undergo. And what in the case of talented prodigies like Ike See, who posseses the potential to go far, but because of National Service, must be doomed to mediocrity.

Do not forget, this young boy is only twelve. He is certainly very very smart, probably will go to RI (GEP even), RJC and then proceed on a scholarship overseas to study at a prestigious university before coming back to slog 6 years for a Singaporean organization. (Sounds familiar)? Been there done that.

But wait. He's a violinist. A rare talent for the arts. His hands are naturally a perfect fit for the bow, his fingers lightning fast while playing the violin. These same hands, are going to be calloused from pull ups, grimy from rifle cleaning and dirty with mud from the field when he turns 18.

I've seen many talented musicians at my young age of 22. I dare say, it is not talent that makes the musician, it is passion. I respect the child violinst, who though not note perfect, is able to flourish, to take a bow, and to practise daily under his own duress, and not under the carrot and stick approach many Singaporeans use. A grade 8 certificate is no longer something to be proud about. It is just another... piece of paper in junior's collection. Math Olympiad, Swimming Gold Star award, Yamaha Certificates of Achievement... We as a country are paper collectors, striving harder for that COE, or MBA or even just another degree from NUS/LSE whatever.

Whatever happened to passion? Or is our national identity about kiasuism again?

If Ike is talented, make sure he is talented in his own right, and passionate in his own way. Too many times I see burnout, from striving to getting that next piece of paper that certifies you to do "some crap". if you are serious, If you have talent, if you have passion, well.. Screw MINDEF. And pursue your own dreams.

Because ultimately, what Singapore needs are its people. And our people must be the best. They must score 90 for econs test, score 3.8 GPAs, forget about passion for learning. Forget about Jazz classes. Forget about Math Analysis classes. Just go for Drama 101 (Confirmed A), Math 196 (Another sure A), and when in doubt, and on scholarship, do the course that is the easiest that takes up the least amount of time for the maximum results.

Yes. This is the ugly culture that we Singaporeans are. Are you ashamed yet?

I'm surrounded by Polanyi, Dewey and Hayek. When will I read a YT Lim, or SK Foo? Never.

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I finally feel... Wicked

I mananged to catch the Chicago production of Wicked and boy... It was awesome! And more in fact. The set was amazing, the lights were amazing, the orchestra was amazing, and yes it was a full musical, with the entire story unfolding behind a plethora of melodies and dancing.

I must say that the lyrics to the songs were so well written, they carried the entire show very well right up to the finale. The plot was a bit... URMMM inducing but then again, it was a very clever melding of the famous Oz story with the childhood stories of Glinda and the Wicked Witch, Elphaba.

Further more, there were NO STAGE HANDS! everything was moved electronically. All benches were guided in via guides embedded in the stage itself, everything dropped from above, or was pushed in from behind, and the numerous trapdoors around the stage gave the entire performance a rather interesting dimension. You had Glinda coming in from the top, Animals disappearing left, right center. will Singapore ever have such a great production? Well, we're getting there.

I shall catch more musicals in Chicago!

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On Love

A Friend's Love says:
" If you ever need anything,
I'll be there."

True Love says:
" You'll never need anything;
I'll be there."

And on decisions...

Love is a decision not an emotion or feeling,
that if made from the heart will outlast anything...

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Why do we travel? Warum Reisen Wir?

Life is a journey. Milestones, regrets, happiness, pain, suffering litters the pavement as our feet crunch against the pavement. Frost had a welt-bekannt poem about the road less taken.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


I want to be different, to be out of the mould. But everywhere I see, I am the same. In a country which prides itselfs on individuality, everyone is the same. Everyone has to conform, where we want a job, money, a credit card, a car, a handphone, a computer... Everyone conforms.

Which is why travel takes us out of our comfort zone, to dislocate ourselves from our surroundings, to surround ourselves with the foreign, the unknown. It's an interesting experiment, this process of Selbstentdeckung; self discovery. In the process, we want someone who understands, who knows. wissen Sie, ohne zu sprechen. Who knows me, who doesn't not know thyself? Must I really be painted by Salvador?

We travel in search for hope. In search for identity, in search for that which gives us meaning to life. We feel joy in meetings, sadness in partings. 天下没有不散的宴席。

So ask yourself today. Where are you going? Finding a home for yourself? Whereever that might be? And where is home? How do you define home? Is home where your parents are? Is it where you are born? Is it where your heart lies? Is it where you stay?

We all want our homes. And I'm glad I've found mine.

Zwei Straßen liefen in einem Holz auseinander,
und ich - ich nahm das, das weniger vorbei gereist wurde,
und das hat alles unterschieden.

Indeed. Das Weg gereist weniger.

Forgive thy Deutsch, for Ich wissen weniger Deutsch.

I have not conformed. I do not want to conform. And frankly, we all just need that one person to tell us, you are different to me. And special. And we will feel that our travels have meaning, and we have found - home.

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Frankfurt part 2

=). Not saying anything.

ranting

Ciao

Bye bye.
Auf Wiedersehen.
再见.
au revoir.
Arrivederci
Adiós

lip
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Random Rants

Some thoughts that just came to my mind...

1) I think that asians are just more "hum" than others. We do not express our own thoughts, we give "face", we respect authority, we value collectivism over individualism. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that most asians will be very very diplomatic instead of American in-ya-faceness.

2) Warcraft III is ruining my life. Maybe I should have another computer crash so that I will quit dota - forever.

3) I don't feel very social nowadays. It's hard to make friends and get past the veneer of fakeness that people establish. The "how-do-you-dos", the hellos, the goodbyes, the smiles. I don't know.

4) My best friends were made in my car. Concentrating on the road, listening to chill music, just talking about opinions, matters, life issues and matters close at heart. It's so much harder in group settings to get to know someone really really well and form lasting friendships. Most people here are acquaintances.

5) Paganini-Liszt Etudes no. 6 in A minor is fiendishly hard, and I played it before. I don't think I can ever play it if I tried to pick it up again... Sigh..

6) Why do people say I love you when they don't mean it? It's sad.

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My Suitemate, Jon

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Interesting Revelations in Chicago

1) I have a fork stuck in our toilet. It clogs up the system. Now we can't take a crap without the crap coming up 3-4 times before it finally flushes down the system. It's annoying. And I hope we don't have to pay when the plumber comes by tomorrow.

2) I have a shortage of cash. Dad, please send money.

3) My friends are all getting attached. Why?

4) It gets harder and harder to make friends as you grow older. Friends you can really hang out with and friends whom you care about and who know you very well.

5) The best place to get to know me is in my car. As in seriously having a deep conversation without my usual crappiness and avoidance of serious issues.

6) Someone took my Brita filter. I am pissed.

7) I miss the days we had together.

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Postsecret

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Econs Humour

Killed the Economics test. I'm happy.

On another note, here's proof that economists have a sense of humor.

Ya right.

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Worth1000

I found this amazing photoshop site online.

They have photoshop competitions, and a lot of digital images. I like the tutoral sections, and frankly, I need to brush up on my photoshop skills.

Anyway, the images are all copyright, so I can't display them on this site. Go check them out here

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Blogthings Part 2

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have high agreeableness. You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly. Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone. You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance. Neuroticism: You have medium neuroticism. You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic. Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy. Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is medium. You are generally broad minded when it come to new things. But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it. You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Entshuldigung Sie?

The Econs midterm is now over. I think I did pretty well, hopefully, I would ace the test. What turned out to be a terror in my mind became quite a challenging but do-able midterm.

With this, I look forward to my upcoming Frankfurt trip. Yup, I'm going to Frankfurt in 10 days time, mainly to search for my housing and visit some friends. It'll be a good break away from school, and particularly, it'll be an interesting experience.

I woke up the other day with a dream, that everything went awry in Europe and stuff didn't work out. I'm afraid, of what might happen. I may not get the house I want, and when I see my house, I may not like what I see.

Belief is what gets us through in the end. Doubt surfaces, and hounds us all the way, but then again, rent was never cheap to begin with, and you must pay before you find your home.

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