On Top Of Your Game

Excuse my absence! I used to just blog to express myself but lately I have been vloging on Youtube, Tweeting, updating my Facebook status or sharing links. I'm loving how technology has improved my life. I can grab a quick drink because the bus app on my phone tells me my bus isn't coming for another ten minutes. The taxi I booked through the taxi app gets lost on its way to my destination, but I am able to navigate the driver with my phone map.  I can clear emails on the move before I get home so that when I do, I have the time to shut the lights off, lie in bed and snuggle up with good ebook on my tablet. By the way, I manage all my email addresses through my Gmail account.

My room is less cluttered now and more organised because I have more space from scanning, digitizing and throwing out the piles of paper and documents I stored physically. What's great is that now I can do a quick keyword search on my computer to recover any document. I do the same for photos and movies.

My to-do-list is in Dropbox which I can refer to or update from my phone, tablet, laptop or desktop and it will always stay synced. On Evernote, I keep a list of what's where in my room with additional photos, audio notes and videos to help me remember in greater detail.

These are only a few examples of how learning and incorporating technology into my life has enhanced it. It's important to not let it control you though. Back up your digital data for example. Take the time to understand it so that it can serve you and so you don't end up being a slave to it. Also be aware of how you are dependent on it, so that if you don't have it anymore or if it changes, you are able to adjust accordingly.

Time In Your Hands

Time is so precious. And it always presents choices. I believe there truly isn’t enough time to do everything (especially if you want to do everything). So the choices become really important. It’s not that I think lying in bed and staring at the ceiling is a waste of time either. Because sometimes that’s necessary. My main question is: How are you allocating your time?

I find that we are easily distracted by our present. It is essential to occasionally step out of where we are and look at the bigger picture. While focused on the many tasks ahead of us and by completing each one as fast as we can, we may feel like we’re actually doing something fruitful and worthwhile and that may be so, but if you really step out of it.. you may gain better perspective on priorities.

For example, if I’m an animator and I have to convert 2D animation into 3D having to manually work on every single strand of hair on some animal’s body, I might find that at the end of it, I have the satisfaction of feeling good about the fruits of my labour. However, if this animator (with a supposed luxury of time) maybe waited till technology allowed for a faster process or worked on creating that technology himself then that would have been time more wisely spent no?

This may not be the best example. I really don’t know the answers and I’m only just sorting this out in my head but I’m thinking that that is closer to how I should think in terms of how I spend my time anyway. For me, family, friends, career, self and giving back come to mind. Thoughts?

Shapeshifting Singapore

As a country Singapore is only 45 years old. It's crazy to think we've evolved so quickly to even successfully putting ourselves on the world map (although I still meet people who think Singapore's in China). As I watch Singapore change before my eyes, my biggest question is "What IS the Singaporean identity?"

Here are bits of information I found after some casual research on the internet. 1) 1000 Singaporeans renounce their citizenship every year. 2) There are 150,000 Singaporeans living abroad. 3) Without immigrants, Singapore's population will decline. 4) As of July 2010, Singapore's population hit the 5 million mark. About 3.2 are Singapore residents, 0.5 permanent residents and 1.3 non-permanent residents. The foreign population has seen a dramatic increase in the past two years.

Singapore is consequentially in the process of a huge shift. Cost of living has gone up. She is the second most densely populated independent country in the world. Here are some of my own observations. I hear many foreign kids in local schools speaking with strong Singlish inflections. Will these children stay and be part of the new Singaporean identity? How will Singlish evolve because of foreign influence and with Senior Minister Lee's stamp of approval on American English? Food, culture, art.. everything is set to evolve and fast. Is this speedy change good? Or will Singapore lose its distinctiveness as she opens her arms to the world?

Where My Imagination Feels Small

There are many instances presented to my life lately where I consider my rather creative and skillful imagination limited. The one thing similar in all these instances are the high stakes and heightened reality. Most of us are lucky and sheltered and will unlikely ever experience such situations; the end of a relationship, financial struggles, stress at work, an argument with a friend are all difficult, but still a fraction of intensity from these situations which I hope never to be a part of.

The recent earthquake and tsunami combines the worst possible scenarios - loss of loved ones, one’s home and possessions after surviving a catastrophic disaster while battling the cold weather, thirsty and hungry, and vulnerable to the possible effects of harmful radiation is unimaginable to me.

I actually watched the movie “Aftershock” right before it happened and it has helped in bringing me emotionally closer to understanding what those victims went through. I recently saw “127 Hours” too, about a man though accidentally trapped in a canyon, managed to overcome all the obstacles he faced through sheer determination and strength. There is something to be learnt from these survivors. These lessons will hopefully never be presented to us. And we shouldn’t need for them to to learn how to tackle life with such steely grit.

There are many unsung survivors out there - people battling illness, waiting to receive an organ, the list goes on. When you recognize them, please show them as much compassion and generosity as you can because unless you’ve experienced it yourself, you won’t know what exactly they must be going through.

iHeartMyFriends

The last time I blogged about an electronic product, I talked about my iPhone 3GS and how it improved my life. In fact, I love it so much I decided to buy the new MacBook Pro (featuring quad-core Intel Core i7)! So far, it’s been a life saver. I recently gathered a group of amazing and willing friends to help read out a musical I wrote. I had some problems attaching my MP3 player to the stereo. But it was easily solved by burning a quick CD of the song files that were also in my Mac. The music played on the stereo without a hitch!

I also considered recording the read on my iPhone but luckily, one of my friends suggested using iMovie on the Mac. For a tiny camera, it really captured a wide berth and in high definition nonetheless. The microphone also picked up people from a pretty good distance, but of course it helped that the room was quiet. I have to say, I am learning and loving iMovie. It’s inspired me to make more videos. Expect some great new edits on my YouTube channel!

Playing World of Warcraft is also fantastic on the Mac. Graphics are rendered more smoothly than on my PC, granted my PC is three years older. I got a spunky Razer Naga Special Molten Edition mouse to go with it. Sexy!! Also got a new pair of headphones with microphone. Only problem here was the Mac’s Line In port is not meant for a microphone. Bummer! The Mac does have a built-in microphone with an “ambient noise reduction” function.

All in all, I would say as a PC user converting to a Mac, it wasn’t too difficult. And what the Mac has over the PC is style. It’s classy. Environmentalists will also be happy to know that it’s made from recyclable aluminium and has a mercury-free energy-efficient LED-backlit display made from arsenic-free glass. As of March 11th, iPhone has also released the new OS 4.3. The new Personal Hotspot function works perfectly with the MacBook Pro to provide Bluetooth internet tethering. Thumbs up Apple! What’s next for me? The iPad 2? We’ll see.

The Disconnect Of Online

A couple sits at a dinner table but they are playing Words With Friends on their iPhones - with each other nonetheless. A member of the audience in a US cinema is text messaging his friend in Singapore about a movie that hasn’t been released there yet. A boy in front of his computer has one conversation taking place on Facebook, another on MSN and yet another in Google Chat.

What has meant to connect us has seemingly disconnected us more than ever before. I guess it’s arguable. And there is a certain convenience to how connected we’ve become. Yet I’ve personally hit a point where there are too many things competing for my attention because of this convenience, so much so that I have very few moments left in a day which actually have my undivided attention. I suspect I’m probably not the only one.

If I might venture to add, this has translated into a new acceptable behaviour of sorts; where it’s okay to make your friend wait while you finish off a text message; where you can juggle so many conversations, it’s not expected of you to reply right away or even on the same day anymore; where strangers in a virtual chat can ignore your friendliest hello without consequence or their own conscience nagging at them.

As the lines between real and virtual blur, there are choices to be made if we want a firmer grip on what it really means to connect.

Do I Know You?

If you have a favourite celebrity, chances are he or she has become someone who is very familiar to you, like a friend almost. Yet to that celebrity, you are a complete stranger. Strange isn’t it? And even stranger… I recently met a girl who saw an episode of a show I was on. I was sure I wasn’t her favourite celebrity, yet she behaved like she knew me. It threw me off. I happened to be with a friend she knew and the whole time she was just staring and smiling at me. She seemed very comfortable but I was completely awkward.

It’s a funny thing… to think you know someone. I know you because you’ve been on TV. I know you because we have great chemistry. I know you because we have mutual friends. I know you because you are my reflection. How well do we really know the people around us, much less ourselves? Which leads to how much do we really reveal about ourselves?

I lost my brother in October. I realised how much I didn't know him until after his death. Circumstances made me have to read some of his messages to people, sort through his favourite music on his music player and meet his friends. I learnt many new things about him. Part of what I'm saying is don't wait till someone is gone to realise you didn't make the time or effort to get to know a person. The other part of it is, sometimes people don't necessarily reveal to you everything about themselves and that's just the way things are. But the bigger question is... do you know who YOU are? Have you taken the time to understand yourself? And are there things you feel you should share to the people who matter? Don't rob yourself of these chances.