At the 80 something minute, i.e. before the scoreline was 2-2 (!$*%&@*$%&@$), I had prepared a message to taunt frenz who said the Reds would win hands down.
SIGH.... we were so close
Monday, October 08, 2007
Monday, October 01, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Mediocrity - the impediment
Tons had happened since the last posting; of course, this is partly due to the month in-between blogs. Yet, the other contributing factors are people making rash decisions, people thinking that they will fare better outside and people who sneer at others for trying their best in whatever they do.
Amidst the maelstrom, a thought latched itself in my mind – does ‘the best is yet to be’ hold true for most people? If this is so, when is their best going to be?
Why are people contented with the status quo, with their achievements so far (if there is any to even talk about), with what they can do in their realm of influence, with their life? Did they receive some divine message that tells them, “Hey, I think this is the most you can achieve in this lifetime so from now on just take it easy.”
If there is really such a message, I beseech the one who is relaying this to add, “but this doesn’t mean all of us possess the same level of capability (incapability). Let those who can do more, do it and YOU mind your own business.”
What makes me say this? I have heard and read of incidents where kids are ostracized when they are labeled as smart/hardworking. Some teachers, in UK, have turned to using “cool” to describe hardworking students. To me, this breeds and reinforce the mentality of “why bother when all of us are getting the same marks?” or “why make myself stand out?” These people’s goal in life is to fall within the 6th percentile to the 95th percentile of a Normal distribution. They have no desire to be in the top 5%.
Granted some of us are hampered by inability, but who is the one who determines whether one has the ability or inability - our parents, our teachers, our co-workers? Or is it ourselves?
Bounced off this topic with some friends and the conclusion that we reached was “Aiya, if this is what most people think, then so be it. It’s difficult to change one’s mindset. Anyway, only few would dare to go against the flow and be ‘extra’ right.”
This brings me to the double-edge sword of socialization.
Socialization, political or cultural, takes place as soon as one is leaves the safety of the mother’s womb, think baby boys wear blue and girls pink. It takes place in all realms of a person’s life and this serves to introduce him to the norms and practices of his society and his type of people so that he is one of the others, not a freak. Yes, it is true that it brings about the much needed order to our otherwise chaotic world that we live in.
BUT, being largely conformist in nature, we tend to subject ourselves to these norms, either consciously or sub-consciously, so that we can blend in and not stick out like a sore thumb. This in return renders us social acceptance and of course, our peace of mind.
So what do we get out this? We have people settling down comfortably in the mean, median and mode of all things that they do and sneer and label the outliers (here I mean those who have outperformed them, though I am also against sneering and labeling the underperforming outliers).
Of course, there are 2 distinct ways for us, the outliers to respond:
1) Put a lid to our performance level. Restrain from putting in the effort that makes us stand out.
2) Do not give a damn to what these imbeciles have to say because sticks and stones may break our bones but words will never hurt us.
The response is obvious - If you have chosen response 1, then you don’t even qualify.
To those who hide your insecurity or display your contentment (choice is up to you) with your status quo, it’s better late than never. What makes you think that the mean, median and mode of all things is down there and not up here?
Amidst the maelstrom, a thought latched itself in my mind – does ‘the best is yet to be’ hold true for most people? If this is so, when is their best going to be?
Why are people contented with the status quo, with their achievements so far (if there is any to even talk about), with what they can do in their realm of influence, with their life? Did they receive some divine message that tells them, “Hey, I think this is the most you can achieve in this lifetime so from now on just take it easy.”
If there is really such a message, I beseech the one who is relaying this to add, “but this doesn’t mean all of us possess the same level of capability (incapability). Let those who can do more, do it and YOU mind your own business.”
What makes me say this? I have heard and read of incidents where kids are ostracized when they are labeled as smart/hardworking. Some teachers, in UK, have turned to using “cool” to describe hardworking students. To me, this breeds and reinforce the mentality of “why bother when all of us are getting the same marks?” or “why make myself stand out?” These people’s goal in life is to fall within the 6th percentile to the 95th percentile of a Normal distribution. They have no desire to be in the top 5%.
Granted some of us are hampered by inability, but who is the one who determines whether one has the ability or inability - our parents, our teachers, our co-workers? Or is it ourselves?
Bounced off this topic with some friends and the conclusion that we reached was “Aiya, if this is what most people think, then so be it. It’s difficult to change one’s mindset. Anyway, only few would dare to go against the flow and be ‘extra’ right.”
This brings me to the double-edge sword of socialization.
Socialization, political or cultural, takes place as soon as one is leaves the safety of the mother’s womb, think baby boys wear blue and girls pink. It takes place in all realms of a person’s life and this serves to introduce him to the norms and practices of his society and his type of people so that he is one of the others, not a freak. Yes, it is true that it brings about the much needed order to our otherwise chaotic world that we live in.
BUT, being largely conformist in nature, we tend to subject ourselves to these norms, either consciously or sub-consciously, so that we can blend in and not stick out like a sore thumb. This in return renders us social acceptance and of course, our peace of mind.
So what do we get out this? We have people settling down comfortably in the mean, median and mode of all things that they do and sneer and label the outliers (here I mean those who have outperformed them, though I am also against sneering and labeling the underperforming outliers).
Of course, there are 2 distinct ways for us, the outliers to respond:
1) Put a lid to our performance level. Restrain from putting in the effort that makes us stand out.
2) Do not give a damn to what these imbeciles have to say because sticks and stones may break our bones but words will never hurt us.
The response is obvious - If you have chosen response 1, then you don’t even qualify.
To those who hide your insecurity or display your contentment (choice is up to you) with your status quo, it’s better late than never. What makes you think that the mean, median and mode of all things is down there and not up here?
Friday, August 24, 2007
ATTENTION b2
is 12 - 13 dec fine for . . .
please spread the word ard and get back to me.
dun forget our b2 gurls.
please spread the word ard and get back to me.
dun forget our b2 gurls.
Friday, August 17, 2007
i am currently reading . . .
1) HP & the Half-Blooded Prince - being a cheapo, I am re-reading it while waiting for the price of the Hallows to drop.
2) Leadership Competency Model for work purposes
3) Professional Learning Communities for work purposes, again
4) Man and Boy
Also thinking of getting "Marley and Me" since it talks about how the addition of a pet dog to a family added so much colour. will be a good book to trigger the memories of Astro the Golden Retriever. fyi, Benjamin, Astro passed away about 2 years due to a heat stroke. I still remember u showing me a pic of your GR when u were in Sec 1.
2) Leadership Competency Model for work purposes
3) Professional Learning Communities for work purposes, again
4) Man and Boy
Also thinking of getting "Marley and Me" since it talks about how the addition of a pet dog to a family added so much colour. will be a good book to trigger the memories of Astro the Golden Retriever. fyi, Benjamin, Astro passed away about 2 years due to a heat stroke. I still remember u showing me a pic of your GR when u were in Sec 1.
disconnected
the good news is that i have gotten a replacement for the slow like Ah Ma laptop. now i am a pseudo proud owner of a fujitsu tablet pc.
but the bad news is since the ownership is pseudo, msn is not allowed! sianz. and as a result, i feel so disconnected when i am at work. does ebuddy work the same way but only that it doesn't require any installation?
my kids are finally done with the oral examinations! Yay, no more one-to-one for the time being.
am already planning and dreaming of my vacation at the end of the year ... and ... hainan island seems like a good choice to just slack while facing the blue ocean and of course a cheaper version of mauritius, maldives or hawaii.
So officially, there is still 12 more weeks of this "hell".
good luck for the exams, guys.
but the bad news is since the ownership is pseudo, msn is not allowed! sianz. and as a result, i feel so disconnected when i am at work. does ebuddy work the same way but only that it doesn't require any installation?
my kids are finally done with the oral examinations! Yay, no more one-to-one for the time being.
am already planning and dreaming of my vacation at the end of the year ... and ... hainan island seems like a good choice to just slack while facing the blue ocean and of course a cheaper version of mauritius, maldives or hawaii.
So officially, there is still 12 more weeks of this "hell".
good luck for the exams, guys.
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