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<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="solarized_light.css"> </head>
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<div>
<h1>I take questions, or what I call "mini-interviews"
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</h1>
<p>I hope that with the following question-and-answer(s), the reader may gain a better
understanding of me. Dare I hope that the following may even be <i>useful</i> to
the reader.
</p>
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</div>
<hr />
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<div>
<h3>At a glance
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</h3>
<ol>
<li><a href="#joseph">
What has been one project or assignment in which you broke the rules
and had fun in the creative process?
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</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#mp">
Tell me what is your oops-boo-hoo moment this week, and what you learnt
from it.
</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#mp2">
What other things are you doing to manage your mental health? Share
your tips with us!
</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#mark">
Whats [been] a previous moment of disappointment turned success?
</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#cc">Whats the best gift you have ever received from a leader?
</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#andy">What new skills have you learnt later in life (and/or not related
to your work line)?
</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#steven">What advice has stuck with you for a long time?
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</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#jane">What do you do to stay on track with your goals?
</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#ratna">How are you coping with the tightening Covid-restrictions in Singapore?
</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#hannah">What does creativity mean to you?
</a>
</li>
<li><a href="#hannah2">What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
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</a>
</li>
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</ol>
</div>
<hr />
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<div>
<div>
<p id="joseph"><b>
What has been one project or assignment in which you broke the rules
and had fun in the creative process? - Joseph
</b>
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</p>
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<p>
I once took an undergraduate-course on Composing Music in the Classical
Style (for example, in the style of Mozart). For an assignment in that
course, I wrote a musical work that appears to be thoroughly
twentieth-century, instead of looking eighteenth-century. My
course-instructor did not accept my work, but I still had fun.
(Ive realised the importance of surrounding myself with people who
value creativity and innovation - which is not everyone, and I
certainly dont really appreciate flattery and/or smooth talk, either).
</p>
<p>- Approximately 4th April, 2020
</p>
</div>
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<br />
<div>
<p id="mp"><b>
Tell me what is your oops-boo-hoo moment this week, and what you learnt
from it. - M.P.
</b>
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</p>
<p>
An “oops-boo-hoo” of mine, as you call it? I run a blog where I post
photos from my trips to art-galleries in Sg. Art-hunting, if you will.
But I got a little lost; something didnt feel right (about such
blogging) anymore. I asked the person known, on LinkedIn, as Alin
Sneha Abraham, for her perspective on the matter; I said I wasnt sure
if my blogging was adding value to the world. Alin said something to
the effect that it is more important that I enjoy myself; that way, at
least one person benefits. So my oops-boo-hoo was to overlook my own
enjoyment of the activity in question. I concluded that I liked
visiting galleries, but posting photos on social media? Not so much.
</p>
<p>- Approximately 4th April, 2020
</p>
</div>
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<br />
<div>
<p id="mp2"><b>
What other things are you doing to manage your mental health? Share
your tips with us! - M.P.
</b>
</p>
<p>
Oh, it's you again, M.P. (Hi again!) I try to have some fun with the ground that is
given me. Like, I try to appreciate the ground I have - yes, the
ground. Like, its so stable. And I can have access to it. Ms. Vaishali,
who seems to teach yoga, elaborates the idea, in the following
blog-post:
<a href="https://thestillspace.org/2020/03/22/ode-to-the-ground/">
https://thestillspace.org/2020/03/22/ode-to-the-ground/
</a>
</p>
<p>- Approximately 7th April, 2020.
</p>
</div>
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<br />
<div>
<p id="mark">
<b>Whats [been] a previous moment of disappointment turned success?
- Mark
</b>
</p>
<p>
In my early twenties, I volunteered to facilitate a week-long camping
activity, during which I got very little sleep. I would evaluate my own
performance, during that camp, as poor - I just wasnt getting enough
sleep.
</p>
<p>
Fast forward about a decade, now I value my sleeping hours. I avoid
taking on overnight jobs, because I know I wont be at my best. Ive
learnt to manage myself a little, I guess - and that counts as a
success to me!
</p>
<p>- Approximately 3rd May, 2020
</p>
</div>
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<br />
<div id="cc">
<p><b>Whats the best gift you have ever received from a leader? - C.C.
</b>
</p>
<p>Difficult to say which has been the best for me, since there are a
few good ones I can identify (which I am thankful for, of course). I
would highlight, as my response to your post, opportunities that a
teacher gave me, when I was 10 years old (approximately). I had
interest in making flashy animation with the software Macromedia Flash
(which is now apparently obsolete). I guess that teacher liked what I
was doing with Flash, because the next thing I knew, I was given the
opportunity to produce animation, for showcase at a major school event
(the anniversary of my Primary School, or something like that). I
didnt end up feeling proud of the animation that I would eventually
make, but even till today, I am still pleased and flattered that I got
“talent-spotted”, in a way.
</p>
<p>- Approximately 28th May, 2020
</p>
</div>
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<br />
<div>
<p id="andy"><b>What new skills have you learnt later in life (and/or not related
to your work line)? - Andy
</b>
</p>
<p>Comedy (as well as a sense of humour, if I may say so myself). My research includes
watching episodes of Seinfeld, and reading manga. I hope their comedic effects are something I can absorb.
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</p>
<p>- Approximately 2nd June, 2020
</p>
</div>
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<br />
<div>
<p id="steven"><b>What advice has stuck with you for a
long time? - Steven
</b>
</p>
<p>I get reminders to avoid becoming arrogant, when I read the Bible.
One passage reads: "if anyone thinks himself wise in this age, let him
become a fool, so that he may gain wisdom." So, I'm quite happy to
think of myself as a fool, if only so that I can seek wisdom.
</p>
<p>- Approximately 3rd April, 2021
</p>
</div>
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<br />
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<div>
<p id="jane"><b>
What do you do to stay on track with your goals? - Jane
</b>
</p>
<p>To stay on track with my goals, I learnt to say No to a lot of things, so
that I can say Yes to the things I care about.
<a href="https://sive.rs/hellyeah">As Derek Sivers put it
</a>: "Were all busy. Weve all taken on too much. Saying yes to less is the way out."
</p>
<p>- 20th May 2021
</p>
</div>
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<br />
<div id="ratna">
<p><b>How are you coping with the tightening Covid-restrictions in Singapore? - Ratna
</b>
</p>
<p>
Every day I write down three things I'm grateful for. And on days
when I feel down, I look back at all the pages of gratitude I've written.
It helps me feel better. (Right now I'm grateful for shelter from the rain).
</p>
<p>- 21st May 2021
</p>
<br />
</div>
<div id="hannah">
<p><b>
What does creativity mean to you? - Hannah
</b>
</p>
<p>The artist Sophie Kao once said to me, "Even if you can
make your artwork look like a famous artist's artwork,
what is the point of that? Art is about opening a door inside yourself, seeing
things in a new way."
<p>- 26th May 2021
</p>
<br />
</div>
<div id="hannah2">
<p><b>What book has had the most significant impact on your life? - Hannah
</b>
</p>
<p>Welcome back, Hannah. How do I even begin to answer this question? The Bible is important to me. I read it every day. I've
found the Biblical book of Proverbs helpful, and so are the Psalms and the (Biblical) book of
Ecclesiastes.
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As for more secular stuff, I've felt encouraged by Robert Frost's poem, titled "The road not taken".
I've also benefited from a book titled "Not Knowing: The Art of Turning Uncertainty Into Opportunity", by Diana Renner and Steven D'Souza.
</p>
<p>- 27th May 2021
</p>
</div>
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