Category: Journal

I grew up during a time when smacking kids were normal, where bosses are king and where there isn’t so much nuances when it come to things like authority, gender identification, the needs and wants of individuals. It wasn’t ideal, because we were sacrificing many things for the sake of progress, adherence and the general… Continue reading A virtue is a mean between extremes – Aristotle

During the pandemic, we were reminded of how important it is to have a robust supply chain. It is not just about late delivery, for some, it is about life and death. I vividly remember how worried we were when we were unable to find the milk powder that my daughter specifically need. And I… Continue reading Thoughts on a Sunday morning

I recently took my flu vaccine but was still down with flu this week. It was hard taking medicine because it would mean that I will be drowsy for the entire day. Although I got a break from work, my parental duties have to carry on. Such is the fact of being a parent. What… Continue reading Some reflection while recuperating at home

Today, we decided to give my helper WiFi. It is something that we take for granted every day, something that does not cost us anything extra to give and strictly speaking it is not something that is essential, since domestic helpers in the past also do not have such access. Yet, looking at how happy… Continue reading Reflection triggered by my domestic helper

I won’t call myself an expert on the internet but I have been online long enough to know what it entails. Like what Bane told Batman: You think darkness is your ally. But I was born in it, moulded by it. I didn’t see light until I am a man. Likewise, I was born in… Continue reading How to deal with bullies on the internet

It’s very simple. If we as sword bearers cannot display discipline, cannot adhere to the rules, and cannot practise what we preach, then we cannot expect those under our leadership to do what we ask of them to do. It’s very simple. The rot starts from the top. Hence, if we call ourselves leaders, and… Continue reading To all sword bearers

Staying in the hospital, while unfortunate, is one of the best times to reflect on my life. You are there in the quiet room with no other sound apart from the beeping of the machines. Your kid is just right there beside you, and you thought to yourself: “What a beautiful child.” I ended a… Continue reading Equally lost

I was asked recently by a former colleague if I am still writing on my blog. I told him I couldn’t find time. Furthermore, I have to exercise even more sensitivity on the things that I write now since I have switched role to defence and some of the things are by nature more sensitive.… Continue reading Discipline

Recently, as I approach my commissioning, I have been reflecting quite a bit. Was it worth it? Did I regret making the decision that I have made 11 years ago? What could I have done better? I was scrolling mindlessly through Tik-Tok and I came across this short clip from House. The leading actor was… Continue reading Just some thoughts

My style of managing has always been to set the right expectation. My team should understand that if they were to defy any rules, they would face the full brunt of the law. But if they were to make an honest mistake, I will see if there is ground for mitigation. However, it must be… Continue reading Reflection from our conversation on management last week 

I was thinking about my second child, who is in NICU, as I typed this, scrolling through LinkedIn, when I saw a post by CCS, one of our ministers. He spoke about BHAGs – big, hairy, audacious goals and how Singapore has always set itself for big things. It made me wonder and reflect on… Continue reading Excellence for us is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

As Singaporeans become more educated, we concern ourselves increasingly with ideologies and ideals. There is nothing wrong with that, after all, we can never reach perfection but it should still remain a goal. Ideologies and ideals allow us to direct our policies and actions toward where we aspire to be. It allows humanity to reach… Continue reading Pragmatism, not idealism

While it is good to have a feedback channel that’s easy to access, organisation should also keep a proactive lookout for changes in situations and actively solicit feedback from the ground. This is not simply done by creating long list surveys, which may cause fatigue and user going through motions. Instead, it is to look… Continue reading Working on my legs, fingers, and brain at the same time on a Sunday morning

My child was warded during the peak of the COVID-19 period for her bilateral nephrectomy. It was nearing the end of my minimum service term for my previous career, and I thought about my next career move. At the same time, due to COVID, some returned to their home country for fear of a lockdown.… Continue reading Lunchtime Reflection – Career Choices and Maintaining Our Core Competencies

I wrote an article some time back that received quite a few “likes” on respecting the rest time of others. Ever since, people have been wary of disturbing me on weekends. There are a few points I want to make: I have no issues with touching work on weekends. I have problems with unnecessarily disturbing… Continue reading Bedtime reflection

Recently I posted my official appraisal from my previous engagement. It was a positive one. Initially, I was a little concerned about getting one at all since it took quite some time. The testimonial nicely concluded my stint at OBS. When I first joined, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Having left my previous organisation in… Continue reading Appraisal

Recently, there has been much discussion over the starting salary of fresh graduates. Many were surprised at how a Computer Science graduate can earn more than a Medicine graduate. After all, in an Asian context, you are a failure unless you are a lawyer, doctor or engineer. Just kidding. What this post is about is… Continue reading A not so serious post on why Computer Engineering > Computer Science

Today I attended a workshop on “Growth Mindset”, and I want to spend some time to address one crucial point. A growth mindset adopts the attitude that one is fluid and able to change. Compared to what we were taught in the past, where IQ is immutable, and our brain neurons remain fixed, a growth… Continue reading Growth Mindset

The Sun Tze art of war mentions: Know your enemy and know thyself, a thousand battle, a thousand victory. Knowing oneself will allow one to understand their limitations and blind spots and take countermeasures to eliminate them. I have worked with the Johari window for a long time since I was an OBS instructor. Hence… Continue reading Johari Window by Benjamin Alexander Chua

Basics Turn off background applications – Whatsapp, Telegram, other file synchronising apps like Google Drive Desktop App, etc. (Technical user can use Netstat command to find out active channels) Be in direct line of sight of your router. Use LAN cable if possible. Reduce the resolution of your webcam. Change to 360 instead of 720.… Continue reading Optimising your bandwidth before an important virtual event/meeting

This is something that I have been advocating for years – We need to expose ourselves to differing views in order not to be a “closed-loop”. Birds of the same feather flock together. It is a known fact that humans tend to assimilate with individuals who are similar to them. To prevent social disintegration, Singapore… Continue reading How algorithm is making us a “closed-loop” (or even towards extremism)

Intention VS Action A friend and I had a debate recently about intention vs action. I think that it is more important for one to pay attention to their intention and ensure that it is pure and not malicious. However, my friend feels that intention is inside, which no one can see. Hence it is… Continue reading Intentions VS Action

Politics is not a dirty word. Many times when we hear the word “politics”, some immediately have a negative connotation. During a meeting, I mentioned this word, and I noticed a few expressions changed. Politics is not inherently a dirty word. It highlights one of the critical elements that determine if a project can be… Continue reading Politics

What is interesting about this video is that it mentions that someone being dominant does not mean that the person has to be aggressive. I remember that I was one of the two Ds in the group when I did the DISC test many years back. Immediately, I felt that it created a certain impression… Continue reading Dominance does not equate to aggression

In an adult world, if you are given a task, you are expected to do it. And when someone doesn’t do it, they should be coached and managed accordingly. Micromanaging should not be used as much as possible, although it can get things done well in the short term. We should not assume that individuals… Continue reading Why we should not micromanage

I believe that when a team makes a mistake, the leader always has responsibility for it. However, I may not always readily admit my mistakes in front of my team because I want them to take ownership. In front of my boss, I will say that the fault is mine. But this is a side… Continue reading Owning up to mistakes

I recently reached out to a few friends as I wanted to write them a recommendation on LinkedIn. But I discovered that they do not have one. Having some experience in headhunting, I cannot emphasise how important this is. I have realised that people who do good work sometimes do not put themselves out there… Continue reading Personal Branding

Some always tout leadership by example as the model to follow, stating that if you want someone to follow your lead, the best way is to lead by example. I remember this quote:  “The world is changed by your example. Not your opinion.” I generally also agree with that. Indeed, I think leadership by example… Continue reading Why sometimes leadership by example doesn’t work

大学之道，在明明德，在亲民，在止于至善。知止而后有定，定而后能静，静而后能安，安而后能虑，虑而后能得。物有本末，事有终始，知所先后，则近道矣。古之欲明明德于天下者，先治其国；欲治其国者，先齐其家；欲齐其家者，先修其身；欲修其身者，先正其心；欲正其心者，先诚其意；欲诚其意者，先致其知，致知在格物。物格而后知至，知至而后意诚，意诚而后心正，心正而后身修，身修而后家齐，家齐而后国治，国治而后天下平。自天子以至于庶人，壹是皆以修身为本。其本乱而末治者，否矣，其所厚者薄，而其所薄者厚，未之有也！

Today I got to know that one of my friends have passed on. He was age 32.  I met Jez in polytechnic. He was one of the brighter ones in class. He first went to ITE, then to polytechnic and finally to NTU. During NS, he also became an officer. Post-graduation, he signed on. We… Continue reading In loving memory of Peter Jezreel

Yesterday, my mother’s dog passed away. The dog has accompanied us for many years, and I think it has lived over a hundred years if we were to convert it in human terms. My mother was crying still this morning and we were trying to comfort her. I later went to my room and my… Continue reading 16 November 2021

Today, one of my colleagues asked me about the most challenging part for me in the University and how I overcame it. This is what I have shared: I am not sure what do others think about this. Throughout most of my career, a large part of it has been being an educator. I believe… Continue reading 15 November 2021

Some time back, I tried to share this with someone in their first career: Try not to disturb someone during their rest day. Honestly, there is nothing with being a first careerist. Everyone has to start somewhere. I remember being in my first job and I also hate being discounted just because it is my… Continue reading Why we should refrain from disturbing our colleagues on their rest day

We often thought that things are one dimensional until we learn how to see in different perspectives. For a child, things are always absolute. It is either right or wrong, black or white, higher or lower. But often, things in real life are multidimensional. Until someone is willing to open up their mind, it is… Continue reading 14 November 2021

I am at home today due to reoccurring chest pain. I wanted to try out TikTok since it is the latest thing, but I decided not to. I am still not very used to seeing myself on camera, and I think people come to the platform for entertainment, not thoughts. That said, I realised that… Continue reading 11 November 2021

Sometimes when I meet someone, I tend to share a lot. And this can seem strange to others. Why am I sharing so much? Why are my views seemingly so strong? Why do I seem so sure of myself? Am I lecturing? I share my thoughts excessively because I am not sure how long I… Continue reading 10 November 2021

I have always struggled with feedbacks. Sometimes, it seems to be that people are only doing it for the sake of doing it and has no genuine interest to know exactly how they are faring. Then there are some who always gives five stars regardless who they are rating. It is nice, but what we… Continue reading Feedbacks

I have shared earlier that I am going to stop writing. But I realised that by doing that, I lost a tool to reflect and a means to communicate with whoever wants to communicate. Sometimes, I am not so good with words, and writing remains an excellent tool to externalise my thoughts. Hence, I have… Continue reading 09 November 2021