The 70% Solution

I first learned about the 70% Solution from the awesome Jen of Get Bullish, a blog about hustling and gentlewomanly living that I wholeheartedly recommend.

The 70% Solution is a caution against aiming for perfection. This approach to making decisions recommends going with a 70% perfect (as opposed to 100%) solution, especially when time is of essence.

From the book, Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines:


“Everyone is always looking for perfect truth. Even if you find it, the other guy is up to something. So by the time you execute it, your truth isn’t perfect anymore.

When time is of the essence, Marines act as soon as they have a plan with a good chance of working. Indecisiveness is worse than making a mediocre decision. A mediocre decision swiftly rendered and executed at least stands a chance.

If your decision-making loop is more streamlined than your enemy’s, then you set the pace and course of the battle.”

A very good reminder for folks who tend to dwell too much on making sure things are perfect before they are good to go (like me sometimes!). In work, for instance, I find that this principle helps me get things done faster, which is pretty important as I work in an agency. Agencies (particularly the creative kinds like mine) in general are very dynamic environments!

Try the 70% Solution for yourself!

Happy Leap Day!

I'm just here to say hi on this once-every-four-years day :)

I wish I could say that like Leonardo DiCaprio, something amazingly epic happened on this day (his long-awaited Oscar win happened on Feb 29 over here in Singapore), but nah, it was a fairly typical day. Same goes for the folks around me and my best mate.

Hope y'all had a good one!

My 2015

On this last day of 2015, I feel rather old.

I wonder how many of my peers have gone through as many ups and downs (in terms of career especially) as I have. I look at their Facebook updates and LinkedIn profiles, and see that many of them seem to be doing pretty well for themselves.

Me? Well. I've had 3 jobs just this year alone: leaving the civil service in April after working there for 1 year, a brief stint in a place where I quickly realized that the environment was terrible, and my internship at a PR agency that did not work out. I sometimes think of my peers who have a few years of work experiences under their belts already and feel envious.

I don't think I am a loser compared to them though. While some folks might be aghast at my, ahem, job promiscuity, I believe the twists and turns in my career path have made me a strong hustler. Perhaps it is not such a bad thing to fail several times early in my young adult life. I am now used to the sting of rejections. Change does not really faze me. I feel at ease with networking with people in my field and related fields. The vicissitudes I faced in my career and life were not easy to handle but all of them brought me here today: a tougher and sharper hustler.

I expect to continue hustling in 2016, with the main aim of establishing my career in a particular field. I will also make a conscious effort to cultivate other areas in my life e.g. social, health, finances. I know that awesome and wonderful things await me, and that I just have to strive for them.

Here's wishing y'all a Happy New Year!

Job Hustling: Back to Full-On Hustle

Back in July this year, I wrote about clinching an internship with a PR agency a couple of months after leaving my civil service job. I mentioned that if successful, I would be hired as a full-time staff and I was determined to make that happen.

Well. I was not successful.

It was not a question of competence (or lack thereof). I know that I have what it takes to work in PR, and have some concrete achievements from my internship to speak off. These include: mostly holding the fort for one account while my supervisor gave more attention to other more "important" accounts, getting widespread press coverage for said account and exceeding the target PR value, getting a full-page interview for a client in one of the key national newspapers, cranking out about 10 detailed business proposals despite never having met any of the prospects before etc. Sure, given the major career change, I faced some challenges but definitely nothing serious and I always made sure to adapt fast as well as keep up with industry trends. Yet, to cut a long story short, my achievements were downplayed while my shortcomings were exaggerated. The last straw was when my ex-boss made the stupid mistake of arguing with one of the key service providers, severing ties with them and then dumped the difficult task of cleaning up his mess on my shoulders. I realized that I was under-valued and my hard work was taken for granted (for so cheaply too, as my intern pay was measly). There was no choice but to tender my resignation.

While all that happened was unfortunate, I really do not wish to dwell on the unpleasantness and focus on forging my career. Success, after all, is the best revenge ;) Also, for all the crap I endured, I have to acknowledge that I did learn a great deal of very useful transferable skills from my highly experienced ex-colleagues and that I received lots of exposure to many facets of the business. I'll just take the knowledge and learning experiences with me somewhere else. In the end, I actually left the agency on a good note. I focused on the positive aspects of my whole agency experience and thanked my ex-boss and ex-colleagues for teaching me so much. They in turn thanked me and even organized a small farewell lunch. I guess one key lesson to be learnt from all this is the importance of leaving on a good note, or at the very least, a neutral one. I am glad I managed to keep it as graceful as possible and not burn any bridges.

That's all in the past for me. At present, it is nearly the end of 2015, and I find myself unemployed once again. I'm done with the wrenching self-doubt phase of dealing with my situation, although feelings of frustration and fear still crop up every now and then. I want to move on, get a new job that plays to my strengths and forge a career in the PR (or PR-related) field. Interestingly, I am not as worried about my current situation as compared to when I was job-searching after I left the civil service. The main differences are that I am now wiser and more skilled, and more importantly, I never stopped growing and nurturing a network of contacts in the PR field even when I was working in my old agency.

So it's back to full-on hustle and I am raring to go. There will be updates on how the hustle goes and I will definitely be resuming my series on effective hustling. Stay tuned, dear reader, and stay strong :)

Until we meet again soon

About a year ago, we had an argument about my being in love with him. At one point, he remarked, "You should go find some other nicer guy. You'll have no problems finding a guy, you're attractive..."

I flinched a little, and snapped "You're just being sarcastic, aren't you?"

"No, I am not. And don't take me wrong, telling you that you are attractive is not to say that I have feelings for you." He replied.

I mulled over this a little. "So what you are saying is, objectively speaking, I am attractive."

"Yes." He said.

We sorted out the argument eventually, and remained friends.

In June this year, I met up with T for the first time in months. We had a good time catching up over lunch. Just before we parted, I managed to muster the courage to say, "Wait, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you for a while."

"What is it?" He asked.

"I don't know if you still remember this, but sometime towards the end of last year, you told me I was attractive." I said.

"I remember." He replied. That took me by surprise.

"Well, I 'd just like to say, thank you." I said. "All my life, I've been told by countless people that I am cute. Whatever that means. Sometimes, people tell me that I am pretty. But no one has ever told me that I am attractive."

He smiled a little. "Don't they all mean the same thing? Oh, wait, 'cute' is different from 'pretty' and 'attractive'..."

"Thank you, anyway." I grinned, and patted him on the shoulder, before we parted ways.

Sometimes, I wonder if I should have said a little more that day. Maybe ask if he still thinks I am attractive. Maybe tell him that he, too, is attractive even after all these months. Then, I realize that leaving on that good note was probably the best thing to do. Take it slow. Don't rush things that were carefully rebuilt over time.

I'll see you around again, T.

And death shall have no dominion

And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon; 
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot; 
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again; 
Though lovers be lost love shall not; 
And death shall have no dominion.

From "And Death Shall have No Dominion", by Dylan Thomas

I'm back from Hong Kong. I never thought I'd return to Hong Kong again so soon after my recent trip this year, but I had to. My Grandpa (more affectionately known as "Gramps") passed away in the wee hours of 5 October, so we returned to Hong Kong over the weekend and Monday for the funeral and wake.

Before we went to Hong Kong, I volunteered to read the poem "And Death Shall have No Dominion" by famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas for the eulogy. I'm normally quite nervous about public speaking actually. The last time I ever recited a poem before an audience was when I attended Speech and Drama lessons during my primary school days. This time, however, I volunteered readily to be my family's "unofficial spokesperson" and recite a poem that would represent our thoughts about our beloved Gramps' passing. I chose "And Death Shall have No Dominion" because it struck a chord in me the first time I read it during the week of national mourning when Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away.

I am glad I did. I felt just a bit nervous when I stood behind the podium and made my short introduction, but the nervousness melted away as I recited. Thomas's poem is a thoroughly beautiful piece that evokes vivid imagery in a romantic kind of way, while paying tribute to the victory of life and the human spirit over death. This is truly what my family and I hope for Gramps. Up until the onset of his dementia and the subsequent deterioration of his mental and physical health a few years ago, Gramps had been a gentle and kindly man who was a beloved part of my brother's childhood and mine. To say that the deterioration of his health left him a shadow of his former self was an understatement. He shrunk to a bony figure who I could barely recognized and who could not recognize me or my family at all. When he passed away this month, my Ma kept saying that it must have been a relief for him to be finally free from suffering. We like to think that Gramps is in a better place now, a happy place where he has "stars at elbow and foot" and where death, pain and suffering have no dominion.

At the end of my recital, I bowed in the direction of Gramps's coffin. In a way, reciting the poem out loud before an audience was like an open affirmation of my belief of the unconquerable nature of the human spirit. There was a brief moment later at the cremation site, when I faltered and desperately thought "Is this truly farewell, now?" as I watched the coffin bearing Gramps moving into the cremator. I quickly murmured to myself "Though lovers be lost love shall not, and death shall have no dominion" as Gramps slowly disappeared from view. It was a truly meaningful poem, like a talisman we hold against our hearts in the face of sadness and loss.

My family and I stepped out into the sunlight and took the bus back to the city in silence and with a sense of closure.

Aftermath: Of Expectations and Realities

The very first election rally I attended was a Workers' Party rally. WP, regarded as the strongest opposition party in the Singapore political scene, is well-known for the massive and enthusiastic turnouts at its election rallies. Tens of thousands of people not just from WP-held constituencies would cover entire fields; a formidable sight to behold if seen from a bird's eye view.

I was one such attendee that day. WP was not contesting in my constituency so I had to travel all the way to the east just to attend their rally. I do not consider myself a staunch WP supporter, just a first time voter who agreed with some of their ideas and wanted to experience their rallies for myself. I found myself among folks from all walks of life, many either wearing the party blue or toting toy hammers (the party symbol), in a field surrounded by public flats. The crowd was just as thick and vibrant as the news so often portrayed.

People exploded into cheers upon the arrival of some WP veterans, as if they were rock stars. The veterans wasted no time introducing new candidates. The crowd listened as the candidates made their introductory speeches, punctuating their speeches with roars of laughter at their witty remarks or loud boos whenever the ruling People's Action Party was criticized. The candidates themselves spoke with aplomb, eloquence and even a slight hint of swag. One candidate, Mr Gurmit Singh, jibed "Some of our senior PAP politicians are still scratching their heads, not knowing why Singaporeans are so angry with them." Touching his bald head, he continued "Maybe if they shave their heads bald, they can scratch better!" The crowd chortled, clapped and tooted horns. I left after Singh's speech, impressed by the energy and sheer size of WP's support. This party is definitely a force to be reckoned with, I thought. So did many others. It was widely believed that WP would make further inroads into parliament and increase the possibility of a two-party political system.

Little did so many of us realize that we would be the ones scratching our heads in shock when the Polling Day results were finally announced. Confidence turned into confusion and then into shock, as people nationwide tuning into the live coverage of the announcement of sample count results saw that the PAP was leading by substantial margins in almost every constituency. We remained glued to the TV, waiting to see if the final vote counts would differ much from the sample vote counts. The night of September 11 made way for the wee hours of September 12. Finally, at about 3 a.m, the unbelievable was confirmed: there was an unexpected and significant swing of votes in favor of PAP. PAP won 69.9% of the national vote share, a vastly improved 9 percentage point increase from a historic low of 60.1% share of votes during the 2011 elections. The 9 opposition parties were beaten substantially at almost every constituency they contested in.

WP? It kept its stronghold of Hougang but not by a large margin, very nearly lost Aljunied to a group of rookie PAP candidates and lost Punggol East to the PAP.

It was a turn in history all right. Just not the one that many, even the PAP, was expecting.

The aftermath: That little patch of blue on the eastern side of Singapore is the area won by WP.

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If there is one lesson from this election that was delivered as sharp as a slap, it would have to be that expectations and realities can be so vastly different.

Over the past few days, a variety of reasons have been suggested to explain both the unexpected swing in PAP's favor and the significant drop in votes experienced by all opposition parties. Here's my take:

It starts with fear. Not fear of the PAP, but fear of life without it. My best mate and I were discussing the election results the other day and she pointed out that most Singaporeans had lived their whole lives with the PAP as the government (PAP has been in power for more than 5 decades). Sure, Singaporeans grumble and complain and criticize the PAP a lot, but even at the nadir of its popularity with the masses, the PAP still returned to power with 60.1% of the national vote share in 2011. Whether we like to admit it or not, the PAP has been a major influence (for good and bad) in the development of Singapore society, starting from those tumultuous post-independence years to the thoroughly modern present that is the envy of so many other countries.

Singaporeans are also generally risk-averse. People do want change ... just not too radically. The 2011 elections saw WP keeping its Hougang stronghold, wresting Aljunied from a team of 5 PAP politicians that included the then-foreign minister, and gaining a total of 6 seats in parliament. WP later gained 1 more seat after the 2013 by-election in Punggol East. Given how much progress WP had been making over recent years, it was easy to believe that they'd make even more significant inroads this election. Indeed, WP's rallies (and to a lesser extent, the Singapore Democratic Party's rallies) had impressive turnouts. At some point, some folks must have gotten a tad nervous about WP's and the other opposition parties' rise. What if these guys became too successful this election? Indeed, before Polling Day, I did hear of people warning one another to be careful with their votes.

In the end, perhaps it's better the devil you know than the devil you don't. PAP's governance may be controversial at times, but on the municipal level the town facilities generally run quite smoothly and efficiently while on the national level the economy is generally strong. On top of that, the PAP has seen Singapore through its growth as a nation and been in power for so long that few can imagine life with significantly less PAP influence. A lot of people appreciate this stability associated with PAP. My Ma told me many people her age highly value a stable life to grow old and raise their families, so they would vote for PAP even if they have some grouses. This group is therefore less likely to buy abstract ideas like the importance of greater political representation because such things were never high on their list of priorities anyway.

So, why the massive displays of support for WP and a few other opposition parties, if people prefer to stick with PAP? Many commentators believe that for all the enthusiastic displays of support at the opposition rallies, perhaps opposition supporters are just the vocal minority. I am not very convinced of the vocal minority theory. First, it is hard to quantify a minority/ majority. The massive crowds turning up at the opposition rallies meant diddly squat in the end, because the large numbers did not translate into actual votes when they mattered the most! Secondly, how do you qualify support? Is a "real" opposition party supporter one who faithfully attends rallies, reads the party manifesto and helps with campaigning? How about those people who diss PAP online and profusely express their admiration for the opposition a.k.a the "keyboard warriors"? If I believe in the idea of greater political diversity in parliament but do not dislike PAP per se, do I count? Nuances, nuances, nuances.

Certainly, people today are more open about supporting non-PAP parties than in the past. People used to be afraid that voting for the opposition or being openly associated with them would negatively affect their careers or opportunities in life. This perception is less common these days. The opposition parties were even able to capitalize on the general unhappiness towards government policies during the 2011 elections and garner more support.

Where I believe many opposition parties, especially WP, slipped up this election is that they bit off more than they could chew. They forgot the Singapore psyche: strong preference for stability, risk-averse and never truly knowing a life with no or very little PAP influence. WP in particular sought to establish itself more strongly in parliament. There was so much buzz about WP expanding its presence in the eastern part of Singapore: they had their eyes on Fengshan and East Coast so these were hyped up in the media as the fights to watch. Some WP veterans even spoke of forming an alternative government in the future. The realities of the election results brought those ambitions crashing down hard: Fengshan and East Coast were not such tough fights and PAP won by comfortable margins. The tough fight really happened in Aljunied, where a PAP 'B' team of rookie candidates dubbed the "suicide squad" very nearly wrested Aljunied from the hands of WP's battle-hardened leaders. In the end, WP chairperson Sylvia Lim acknowledged in a post-election interview that perhaps the majority of Singaporeans preferred the PAP as government, resulting in a push back against the strong contest put up by the opposition parties.

A scene from Prime Minister Lee's lunchtime rally. My first time at a PAP rally.

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This election exposed a great gap between people's expectations and the realities on the ground.No doubt there'd be a great deal of soul-searching for both camps, especially WP. It will be interesting to see how PAP, the opposition parties and Singapore society as a whole evolves from here.

(Photo credit: Map of electoral constituencies taken from Mothership.sg, photo of PAP rally taken by me)