Author: coolerinsights

Rest In Peace Randy

July 28, 2008 Blog no comments

Do you know who Randy Pausch was? Well, he did something extraordinary, and the whole world grieved recently at his passing.

Despite suffering from a terminal pancreatic cancer, he chose to leave an indelible legacy to his three young kids (and inadvertently the world) when he chose to live life to the fullest despite dying. In doing so, he inspired millions and created a revolution through a simple heartfelt message. His Last Lecture video (below) was viewed by millions, and showed the power of social media networks in spreading a message of goodwill and humanity.

A university professor at Carnegie Mellon University specialising in virtual reality and human computer interaction, Randy made history when he delivered his last lecture – both figuratively and literally – to a capacity crowd. In it, he spoke about achieving one’s childhood dreams, and the simple lessons in life that one should take whatever one’s circumstances. The presentation was especially memorable because Randy did it with a wicked sense of wit and humour, without once feeling sorry for himself despite having only months to live.


What Do Museums and Zouk Have in Common?

July 27, 2008 Blog 2 comments

Are museums becoming hip and happening? You bet, if these photos of the inaugural Night Festival (organised by the National Museum of Singapore) are anything to shout about.

From what I hear, the opening weekend featuring the world famous Studio Festi drew more than 20,000 visitors! Visitors were awed by the aerial acrobatic aesthetic displays, which defied gravity and were almost magical. Opening to rave reviews, the festival showed that Singaporeans are essentially creatures of the night (probably because of our blazing tropical Sun).

Last Friday night, I popped over to check out the action at about 11.30 pm. Being a fan of Singapore’s number one club Zouk, I also wanted to see how its Beatnik Picnic fared.


Bringing Creativity Back

July 26, 2008 Blog no comments

P1060476

I used to pride myself on being an innovator and creator. Constantly seeking and searching, I would look for opportunities to start something fresh and new. Doing things the same way just didn’t cut it for me if I can find an improved approach.

Unfortunately, the years have dulled my senses and numbed my instincts. Comparing myself to who I was 10 years ago, my ability to generate original thought and inspiration appear to have dwindled. I am no longer as sharp or spirited in my ability to pen a wickedly dastardly strategy, or to conceive a plan for world dominion.


Telling the Bad News

July 23, 2008 Public Relations no comments


Crises can be opportunities if handled well, as these Chinese characters show (courtesy of tingilinde)

One of the most important skills PR practitioners need to know is crisis communication. That is when things go wrong but need to be made public. Public listed companies would probably be most familiar with this when sharing their quarterly earnings reports.

Hiding the truth is probably one of the worst things to do in such a situation. The widespread availability of information and records through both the internet and public libraries makes it difficult for one to fudge. Sooner or later the truth will come out, and it would be far better coming from you rather than a third party source.


Why Culture Matters in Marketing

July 17, 2008 Blog no comments


Courtesy of Nico in China

One of the most important point to take note of in marketing is culture. These are the traditions, behaviours, practices and values that are embraced by nations, communities, and sub-commities. Without an appreciation of the cultures (and sub-cultures) of your potential customer groups, any marketing endeavour is likely to fall flat on its face.

But then, you may ask, isn’t the world becoming a smaller place? Aren’t we all moving towards becoming a digitally-connected 2.0 global village?


The Value of Scarcity

July 15, 2008 Social Influence 1 comment


The Ferrari Enzo is highly desired because you can’t just buy it off the shelf. (Courtesy of mo155)

Does it pay to flood the markets in this day and age? Not any more it seems.

In the new era where social media and online networking thrive, more and more folks are actually hankering after things that cannot be easily bought. This can be seen in the growth of custom-made products and services, as opposed to mass manufactured goods.


Happy Holiday in Club Med

July 13, 2008 Blog 3 comments

Sometime last month, my family and I went for a short break in Club Med Bintan. For those who have been there, you would know that Club Med isn’t just an ordinary holiday resort but one that is packed chock-a-block with activities, comes with full-board (including free flow *hic* alcohol) and has performances almost every night by the Gentle Organisers (GOs). Incidentally, the GMs are the Gentle Members who are guests like us, not the head honcho running the joint.

One of the things which we enjoyed about the Club Med experience was that its GOs pay special attention in getting to know you. During meals, GOs are supposed to take turns to join guests at their tables and have a chat.

In a manner akin to Disneyland, all staff members acted like cast members and they even had to perform (nightly), do little funny skits during lunchtime, and generally help everybody have a ball of a time. Of course, I guess it doesn’t help that most of them are hard core party animals (or so it seems, from the way they did the “chi chi” dance at night).


Off to Nay Pyi Taw

June 29, 2008 4 comments


Photo of new residential complexes at Nay Pyi Taw (Courtesy of ISN Security Watch)

I am going to fly to Myanmar’s reclusive capital Nay Pyi Taw tomorrow afternoon, as part of an official cultural delegation attending an ASEAN level meeting. Its going to be interesting to survive 4 days without any mobile connection, internet, WiFi, and credit card access (all payments must be in crisp, unfolded and new US Dollars). From my experience in Myanmar though, I am sure that the people will be very friendly and hospitable there.

Hopefully I can take some photographs. I heard that everything is larger than life in Nay Pyi Taw, and that the city was carved out of a malarial-ridden jungle. Huge six-lane highways, sprawling government buildings and picturesque water fountains fill the landscape.

Certainly looking forward to it.


The Scarcest Resource is Still Time

June 25, 2008 Blog 7 comments

First I have to apologise for the tardy updates on my blog. It has been almost two weeks since my last post, and I do have tonnes of topics that I wanted to talk about.

However, time wasn’t on my side. Creating that half an hour or more each day to blog will mean doing less of something else. Other than working (which gobbles up huge amounts of energy, brain juices, and time), I have been exercising a lot harder and more regularly than before. It does help to take away stress for sure.

In the age of social media, I don’t think being able to communicate with a thousand different folks simultaneously on multiple channels is going to be the Piece De Resistance of what its all about. Sure, you can twitter somebody here, SMS a buddy there, chat on MSN, email an associate, put up a blogpost, give somebody a tequila on facebook and so on. It is fun to be connected, to be the nexus of attention amongst hundreds of Friendsters. To be seen as part of the scene, the cool crowd, the hip and happening uber geeks flashing their iPhones.

Unfortunately, while engaging in these activities, I may have missed out on the important moments in my life that I may regret later. For example, seeing my four and a half year old boy grow up incredibly fast, chatting with the love of my life (my wife), breaking personal records in physical endeavours, and reading a great book. Enjoying a walk in the park, smelling the flowers, exploring new places to go to.

Of course, I can blog about all this. And I do intend to, moving ahead. However, for now, what I need to do is to catch my breath first. And slowly, breathe in, breathe out, and celebrate life.

Oh well. Just decided to rant for a bit. Do you ever experience such a phenomenon? Have you ever wanted to just be unplugged from the greater world, to recoil into your little sanctuary of solitude?