Sui Generis People in the world today, especially in Singapore, are too willing to settle for fitting in with the status quo and just doing what they are told to do. Here's my thoughts on society, education and life in general; and my views on being significant. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 37 1940

Articles from Sui Generis

Tribute to a Daredevil 2007-12-01 10:28:00 Evel Knievel, the daredevil, has just died. So this post is dedicated to him.The name of Evel Knievel is more or less a household name. As his Wikipedia article puts it, he is "arguably the most iconic motorbike stuntman of all time". He made his living by pushing the limit. He took risks and achieved what others thought was impossible.And that's why his name is a household name.I'm not asking you to go jump off cliffs on motorbikes. But the risk-taking, the desire to push the limits, is something we can all learn from him.As my favorite sports brand says, "Impossible is nothing."What risks are you taking today? What "impossibilities" are you willing to pursue?Link via Hoovaloo - Evel Knievel Has Jumped His Last School BusLike my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Friday Flip-Through: iWoz and Bringing Down the House 2007-11-30 10:09:00 Every Friday from now on, I will post a "Friday Flip-Through". Basically, it's where I review/write about books that I've read and find interesting. I've been thinking of reviewing and sharing books with you guys for quite a while, but never got around to it. So this will serve two purposes. First, it will spur me on to read more books. Which is always good. Secondly, and more importantly, I hope that you'll find value in this. It'll basically allow me to share what I read with you, and I hope that it'll maybe help you discover more books, that you might not have read already. Or if you've heard of the books I mention, maybe it'll encourage you to go get the books. Or just to go read more in general.So, for my first ever Friday Flip-Through, these are two books that I read about a month ago, while I was in Boston. Bringing Down the House and iWoz.Bringing Down the House is not exactly a new book, and was a New York Times Bestseller. So you probably have heard of it, especially ...

Time Management 2007-11-30 08:34:00 I recently listened to show #108 (yes I know it's an old show) of The Engaging Brand Podcast: Thinking Outside the Clock.In the show, Ann Rusnak talks about time management. A lot of time management articles have similar tips, such as only checking your email at scheduled times, turning off your phone at certain times, etc. Basically to remove yourself from distractions. And those were mentioned in this podcast as well. But what really struck me was how she said time management was about priorities, knowing what your priority is and living according to that (that's a paraphrase, of course).Thinking about it, that's partly why I never managed to follow the standard "time management tips" that most places provide. They talk about cutting yourself from distractions. While this in itself, is a good point, very often, the distractions they mention come in the form of other people intruding when you're doing something (email, IM, phone, etc). But personally, my phone is on (and with me) ...

Sidebar Updates 2007-11-30 02:43:00 Most of this was mentioned in my podcast at the start of this week, but thought I should mention it here, for those of you who don't listen to my podcast.I've made some changes to the sidebar of my blog. There is now a new subscription section, where you can subscribe to all the posts via RSS or Email, and a new option which allows you to subscribe to the podcast only, via RSS (with encloures).I also added a Wijit, a widget that basically aggregates all my content online, and allows you to search through it. This includes my Del.icio.us links, and my Twitter feed, among others. If you like what I have to say here, you're welcome to check out my other content, and connect with me on any of the networks.There's also a new "Recent Comments" section, to make it easier (I hope) for you guys to track and join the conversations on this blog. And finally, I have just licensed this blog under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License. So you're free to make use of t ...

The Real World's Guide to Social Networks 2007-11-29 11:54:00 I'm on quite a few social networks (more than average, but nowhere near the likes of Chris Brogan). I'll write more about why I'm on places like Twitter, and why I think you should join, in the near future. But for today, just wanted to share a wiki I just started. Inspired by a conversation from Twitter yesterday. It's free for the public to edit, so if you've got any ideas about other networks and all, add them in! You can get the full wiki here, but it's embedded below for you, so you can edit it right from here if you want. For those of you reading this through a reader, you'll have to go directly to the wiki to view/edit it, sorry.<a href="http://www.bitty.com/">Bitty Browser</a> (iframes required)Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Students Lacking Sleep 2007-11-29 09:18:00 New York Magazine published an article last month about how kids today are getting a lack of sleep. And apparently, their cognitive performance suffers because of it.Here's the numbers from the article:Half of all adolescents get less than seven hours of sleep on weeknights. By the time they are seniors in high school, according to studies by the University of Kentucky, they average only slightly more than 6.5 hours of sleep a night. Only 5 percent of high-school seniors average eight hours.I really do think that it's a good study, and a point well worth making - that students today are overstressed and overworked. But reading it, I'm kind of cynical as well. Mainly because, well, here in Singapore 6.5 hours of sleep a night tends to be a rarity in itself. At least from the schools I've been in, and the friends I have. I used to sleep about 6 hours, and that was average (or slightly above average). I've got lots of friends who sleep less than that, staying up to do work. I would s ...

Your Caricature 2007-11-27 14:43:00 The Guardian reports a study which shows that police would be better off using caricatures of suspects rather than standard, more accurate sketches.Caricatures emphasize the unique traits of the person, and thus make the drawing more memorable, in my opinion. And we should apply that to ourselves as well. As you develop your personal brand, keep in mind that you're better off emphasizing what makes you unique.37signals puts it quite well in their post. "A photorealistic sketch is an exercise in accuracy, but an exaggerated caricature is an exercise in identity." And your identity is what you will be remembered for, it's who you'll be remembered as. People aren't going to remember every little part of you. They'll remember the significant, exceptional parts of who you are. And given that, I would think that it's in your best interest to emphasize that.What would your personal brand's caricature be like? And how can you focus and build on that?Link via Seth's Blog: The caricature ...

"Sui Generis" College 2007-11-27 08:19:00 Jeff Pulver asks the question of "How would You Reinvent College?"You probably know by now that I think the formal education system is broken, and I'm glad to see more and more people challenging it. And I just can't resist the invitation to add in my thoughts on this. So if I had the chance to build a "Sui Generis" College, this is what it would be like.My college would be all about opportunities. Giving students opportunities to pursue and explore what they are interested in, to let them forge their own path.The first thing I'd implement in order to achieve that is the policy of 20% time. Like what Google does. In my college, students will be allowed to pursue whatever they want in 20% of their time. It's something I mentioned in an earlier post, and I'll just repeat it here. "If a student is interested in business, let him use that time pursuing a business opportunity. If he's interested in music, why not let him use that time maybe composing songs? For students interested in ...

Sui Generis Weekly #3 2007-11-26 11:51:00 Sui Generis Weekly #3 is now up!The main things from this week are based on my blog posts, but I do give additional thoughts on the posts I've made. With this podcast, I'm also announcing the new subscription options. You can see the new links on the left sidebar (it's mentioned on the podcast). Now, you can subscribe to this weekly podcast alone (with enclosures). Just click on the link on the sidebar, or you can click here to subscribe (it's free, of course). So without further ado, here's the 3rd episode of Sui Generis Weekly.If the embedded player fails, you can listen from here, or download the mp3.Covered in this podcast:- Updates on blog template (new sidebar stuff)*- Santas being asked to say "Ha ha ha"- Value of talking to others- Your personal brand: It's what others say of you- The people that influenced me (and this blog)- Thoughts on Commenting*- Quote of the Week from Albert Schweitzer*- "Forgive Me" by Natalie Gelman**New: Not mentioned on my blogLike my blog? Make ...

Your Turn: Thanks 2007-11-24 10:01:00 In the spirit of Thanksgiving, which has just passed, I want to hear from you guys about what you're thankful for. So I want to encourage you guys to leave comments, email me, blog about it (I know some of you already have, you can just provide links to your posts - note: the comments don't support html yet, so you'll need to give the url), or in whatever way you want, just share with us.What are you thankful for today?Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Talking is an Intellectual Activity 2007-11-23 07:50:00 US News reports that talking with others may make you smarter.I love that scientist have finally proven this, and I think it's a great study. I've always written and talked about how important relationships and people are, how valuable communication is, and now, I finally have actual scientific backing.But of course, who you talk to is just as important. Apparently, scientists have also shown that men tend to act dumber when around blondes. This really shows two things. Firstly, that who you're talking to is important. If you're talking to someone you think is dumb, it probably not help you. And secondly - a bit unrelated to this post's topic, though - it shows the power stereotypes have on us. But I'll save that for another post.On a side note, for you students out there, the next time your teacher tells you off for talking in class, maybe you can point him to this article. After all, talking with people does just as much for you intellectually as something like a reading compre ...

I wouldn't be who I am today if not for... 2007-11-22 09:46:00 I've been tagged by Chris Brogan for this meme: “Who had a big influence on you and how did that affect the direction of your life or career?“We don't have Thanksgiving here in Singapore, but I think this is an awesome meme, and I'm honored to be included. Thanks Chris - but more on that later. I'm always up for promoting others, and for writing about relationships. So, here's the people who've influenced me, and who have changed my life. If not for you guys, I truly wouldn't be who I am today.My mum - Kind of obvious. She's always been supportive of what I've done, even when it's way out of the norm and really risky. Like quitting school. She's given me enough space to explore the things I'm interested in, while teaching me good principles for life.Simin - One of the most (if not the most) important people in my life. Yes, we've had disagreements and fights and all. But she's always been one of the brightest sparks in my life, making me laugh, and just being a great ...

Your Personal Brand 2007-11-21 08:57:00 That's a recent strip from Being Five, which is an awesome, funny comic. If you're looking for a bit of daily entertainment, go check it out.But more than just entertainment, he makes good observations. This strip, for one, demonstrates an important principle about communication - that what matters is not our intention, but the response.Lodewijk, from How to be an Original, wrote about it a couple of months ago, telling us that "the meaning of the communication is the response you get". It's a really good point. And we all know communication goes beyond just the words we say, don't we? Almost everything we do, every interaction with people is communication. Our personal brand, what we are all about, is communicated in everything we do.Scott Ginsberg asks the question of "what's your resume?" And it's a similar point. Your resume isn't what you say about yourself. It's what others say about you - their response to what you've done.When you talk about building your personal bran ...

"Ha ha ha. Merry Christmas" 2007-11-19 12:22:00 That's what Santas in Australia are being asked to say.Apparently, Westaff, the supplier of Santas, believe that the "Ho ho ho"s could be frightening to children, and also is possibly insulting to women. I think this is absolutely ridiculous. The rate at which phrases are being censored is amazingly stupid. At this rate, we'll probably end up not being able to say anything at all in due time.But what makes it even more ridiculous is the target of the censorship. Santa Claus. The powers that be can't even leave Santa alone, it seems.I'm glad, though that people are speaking out against it, and that some Santas are not going along with the policy (a couple quit because of it). After all, if even Santa can't be himself, what about the rest of us?Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Sui Generis Weekly #2 2007-11-18 21:38:00 The second episode of Sui Generis Weekly is here. If you subscribe to the complete blog, you won't get the enclosures, but you can download or play the podcast from these posts as well. So, just to make it easier for you, you can subscribe to just the podcast (with enclosures) here. That subscription doesn't include the other posts over the week, though, so I would recommend subscribing to both. Subscription buttons will be added to the sidebar by next week, so you might want to wait for that to subscribe.If the embedded player fails, you can listen from here, or download the mp3.Covered in this podcast:- Importance of people and relationships- Visit to NUS High*- SHPS GEP dinner- Letting others befriend you- World Pool Championship Lessons- Blogger Challenge- Free-Range Drama Farm- Quote of the Week, from Buddha*- "Just Someone" by Natalie Gelman**New items: not mentioned previously on this blogLike my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...