World citizen.

Wow, it's been awhile!  Happy new year y'all!

To the title of this post, what sparked my thoughts was a dire (future inevitable) problem of Singapore.  A country where its population, the key resource to a healthy social economic climate, could be dwindling in the near future. Already the locals aren't very happy with the government's decision to import foreign workers to fill up vacancies - you watched Singaporean football team in action?  Or Singaporeans in the Olympics?  Well, um.  Sorry to break your heart, but they aren't exactly Singaporean.

Anyway, back to my contention point.  So citizens are against importing 'foreign workers' and government in dilemma because citizens are not producing little citizens enough and/or quick enough.  I guess the real implication here, is the very real possibility for a country to lose its identity once overcrowded by foreigners over nationals.  In the case of Dubai where locals make up only 2% of the population, it is hardly a destination that's culturally rich.  This sense of identity is the very same cause for many wars - whose land does this belong to?  And for those who reside in this land - whose moral codes and conducts should they follow?  Ask any Malaysians and you get mixed response.

But think about this for one second.  What if we treat a 'country' like any other 'product' or 'brand' where we understand the importance of keeping fundamental values but at the same time keeping up with the evolution of people's needs?  Does Singapore need to be all Chinese Singaporeans?  Will the fundamental values of governing parties and constitution change if let say Australians are now the new Singaporeans?  How much does one attach their identity to a country?  If we all believe in the same thing, wouldn't that makes us in some ways, many forbid, the same nationality?  Because we invest the same interest in a certain political party and agree on the same constitution of a certain governed area?

Being born in one part of the world and not another, and then given a certain identity is to me no more than a practical logistic reason for crowd-control and to some extent, exert 'fairness'.  Otherwise, it's pure luck.  An Indian boy born in India or in the UK still has Indian blood running in him.  But his opportunity and what he believes thereafter, differs widely.  And clearly, he has no say in that.  Well, not until he decides to risk a boatride to a better life elsewhere.

Now what if... what if we loosen our grip on formality and for once, view the situation from the perspective of humanity?  Is a country not just a geographical divide of what's mine and what's yours?  True human rights include the right to create equal opportunity for yourself like everyone else.  But what if the grass is really greener on the other side?  Face it, getting to the other side is at the end of the day, a luxury reserved for those who can afford it.  There's no getting to the other side for billions and billions of other people.  And that's the truth.  Why let geographical circumstances decide the fate of humanity?

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Monetizing curiosity.

First question - what does it take to be a planner?  You have to be curious.

But doesn't everyone in advertising... or as a matter of fact, in any industry (last I checked most Nobel Peace prize winners aren't from the communication business), should be curious?

Then the question becomes what makes a curious person, a planner?

When you can monetize curiosity.

Being curious is not enough, you need to be resourceful.  Experiencing a moment is not enough, you need to understand how to draw that moment into the creative process.  Discovering trends is not enough, you need to know why and how people's behaviour is changing and how that would affect brands.  Researching a problem is not enough, you need to find illuminating solutions.

Yup.  2013 - monetize curiosity.  Because curiosity stems all creativity.

And in case I don't see you, hope you have had a Merry Christmas and most importantly, an awesome fruitful 2013.  Take care and see you in business.

The issues of price and morality.

Is there such a thing called 'just price'?  A pricing level that has a moral dimension, which does not include excessive profiteering.  Long ago in the 13th century, that's what philosophers thought when religion was so prevalent in the local culture.  The elements of Christianity and 'sin' went beyond what was obvious which is politics to a more hidden dimension - economics.  A 'just' price should include some form of profit that should not be excessive because avarice is considered a sin.

A very interesting take indeed.

One could almost see how religion was treated as a true cornerstone of the society especially to settle the dispute of different opinions.  The common ideology was that if we can't decide which one of us is right, then let religion decide what is the common good for mankind.

Pros and cons.  While I understand the noble intention of religion but in reality, it's much more complicated than that.  Some economists believe that the society itself will determine the 'just' price.  If the price level was too high, people will automatically stop buying thus forcing it to come down.  So if left to society's own antics and decision, even the participants of economies follow the principle of Darwin - the survival of the fittest, which in this case - is the survival of the richest.  Because once the price level is set, anyone who falls below that 'affordability' level will not be able to enjoy the product and/or service.

Something to really consider when setting the price for 'common good' products no?  Think medication, think eco-solutions, think education, think health care, think water, think electricity.  Only if you come from X level of income background would you then be able to enjoy basic necessities, better education and health services and even to a certain extent, eco solutions.

No right, no wrong.  But a very interesting perspective.  Thoughts?

On the word 'Encouragement'.

The feeling of being encouraged is foster when someone is given the affirmation and/or appreciation upon an action or a certain situation.  So you would think it's only logical that someone becomes discouraged when they're given a negative feedback given the same circumstances.  Is that only so?  I realised that discouragement also occurs during silence.  A non-feedback.

As adults, we learn to build walls for self-protection - the defence from others and also the defence from our own biggest critic - Self.  Which is why, there are some with great minds of steel iron that have been trained to plough through any discouraging circumstances.  And which is also why, some turn to God - where the world forsakes them, God will never.  Personal and/or professional development, of which I have learned, can never fully be a one person's struggling journey because as much as nature had the upper-hand in deciding who we are, it is nurture (and our surroundings) that shapes us.  Think of a relationship, a family setting, a battling workplace - we find identity in relation to others.  I discovered the lesser known meaning of 'no man is an island'.  It's not about us needing friendship so much, but it's about finding our identity in relation to our surroundings.  We are not just our names, but someone's child, parent, partner, boss, staff, etc.  The lifelong journey of growth is therefore made up not only by our own actions but as well as the encouragement/discouragement from others.  We do more of something because we feel appreciated.  And we do less of something because we feel unappreciated.  Simple isn't it?

But not so simple during childhood.  A child, tween or dare I say, teen, will not be able to perform such advance trickery to their own mind (called determination) at such a tender age.  Their future is shaped by encouragement from their parents, siblings, teachers and little friends.  Imagine all the closed doors that your child could have opened if you encouraged them to cook more, play football, love trains, build stuff, etc.  We never say no, but sometimes our silence connotes the same meaning to a child.  Don't worry, there're no psychological scars because they will grow up without ever wondering why they are not a train conductor, a landscape artist, a chef, a zoologist, a whatever-that's-outside-your-office-environment because they never knew these doors were closed even while they were young.  But as a parent, wouldn't you think, what could have been?

I must say, even well into adulthood now.  It's hard not to wonder if I'm good at what I do every now and then.  At work or personal because, perhaps in Asia - encouragement in words are hard to come by.  I blame it on all the Ladybird series my parents fed me when I was young which drew me an entirely utopian image of a British family!  But jokes aside, I come to understand that encouragement usually comes from a leader not in position but in form.  God, parents, bosses, teachers, coaches, even husbands and wives.  They may give affirmation in a different way - a parent is perhaps always more loving than a coach.  I believe a coach is more creative in a sense that they have to sugar-coat the shit they give you so that you don't give up, yet you are self-motivated to push on.  I've been thinking a lot about becoming a coach, not because I want to but because I know I'm fairly good at that.  To some who are reading this, I hope it puts a smile on your face :) I've been thinking about pursuing that seriously because I believe in BIG people.  I believe with the right partnership, people can be the best they can be.  They can stretch and give more.  Everyone has an ideal projection of themselves.  But not everyone feels that they can achieve it.  And that truly baffles me - why?  I know why.  Because I know what it feels like to be 'not good enough' too.  It's strange, sometimes it takes a person to believe in you, even more than you believe in yourself, to help you be the optimum you.

We're all still like little children, aren't we?

Think about it.

Why you should never mash religion with politics and finance.

I spent two hours watching Zeitgeist: The Movie today.  I've always been sceptical with edited films - bits and pieces of information edited by someone with a strong point-of-view.  Given the same footages, through the hands of someone with a totally different perspective, tells a different story.  The uncanny skills you pick up from being in advertising.

Anyway, I still hold scepticism although yes, it seems like it makes a lot of sense.  At the end of the day, who knows what the truth is?  We all like to believe, we'll finally find it when we die.  Or when this age dies.  Well, until then, what can we do except to live responsibly as a human being?  And be accountable to one another?

One major take-out that I have to thank film director and social activist, Peter Joseph is this: NEVER ever mix religion with politics with financial goals.  These are important pillars in building a society, or a nation as a matter of fact, or any organisation for that matter.  But when you mix them together, you get pure potent evil.  Money controls government controls what the people should believe in.  Then it's a downward spiral of mass destruction for everyone.  Even those who are 'in control' because one thing we can be sure of is, there's no such thing as immortality.

If you think this only happens in America, you're wrong.  It's everywhere.  In your own country, and perhaps even your own organisation.  Since I'm in no governmental position, I should only make brand-related inference.  Brand philosophy should always stand alone, uninterrupted by the financial guys, undeterred by operations.  Yes, it's a fine line especially between operations and finance but they should always be governed and treated separately.  Each its own entity, for fear one takes over the other.  When you start losing control of these three pillars, you lose three wonderful visions.  You only get one.  And that's the one driven by money.

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