Run When You Can

Running is ubiquitous. It is a universal sport. It is as natural as taking a stroll, or running after the bus. You may be reminded by the way running has been integrated into our language:

Run away from danger.

People give you the run around.

Some people run away from responsibility

Others are on the run from the law.

Have you run your own business before?

How do you run your department?

Some run circles around us.

Perhaps it is time to make a run for it?

The house looks run down from the outside.

Beware the runaway train!

So, be mindful of how pervasive and persuasive running can be. This is my ex-colleague, Boon’s new blog. He is a PMET who is a talented, self-taught artist, who we enlisted for years for his visual art creativity. His art deserves a large audience because of his astute and acute observation of life.

Life imitates art. Art imitates life. Make the connection. Run for your life.

Enhancing Your Language

What we say matters in communication. How we say it is just as important. According to Albert Mehrabian, 7 percent of face-to-face communication is words (language), and tone (38 percent). Over the telephone, words hold more weight because if we don’t understand the language used (foreign), then tone becomes irrelevant. Monotone languages (like Malay and English) are easier to learn, whereas multi-tone languages (Mandarin, for instance) are harder to master as there are four tones. Vietnamese has five tones. Apparently, ancient Cantonese had up to nine tones!

Here are some ways to develop mastery over languages:

1)    Focus on one language at a time.

2)    Mastery is developed through time, so have realistic expectations about your competency.

3)    Develop written skills through social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and electronic mail.

4)    Blogging regularly is a useful approach to writing better and carefully.

5)    Condense your writing, so write precisely. Twitter challenges you to write your thoughts within the range of 140 characters including the use of spaces.

6)    Seek a coach or mentor to practise your language with. I have spent the past 20 years enhancing my spoken, read and written Mandarin from Mr S T Tang and Mr Albert Tang. I assist them in English and they assist me with my Mandarin. This opportunity has allowed me to teach and train corporate leaders in China.

7)    Watch the news and listen to radio.

8)    Surround yourself with people who speak the language best, and you will benefit from the immersion process.

9)    Enjoy the process!

All the best to my friends racing at tomorrow’s Singapore Biathlon! Have a safe and eventful swim-run.

Working in Wicked Ways - Well, Sort Off

The first time I heard the word wicked differently was from my friend, Michael Hartley-Robinson’s son, Junior. Junior used the expression in abject amazement when I performed a magical illusion for him and his brother. That was when I realized that the word wicked had different meanings, that it need not be negative and nefarious in intent. Let your language serve you, and not just you serving the language. Lead in your language, or languish in despair over its complexities.

Wicked is a Broadway musical that was launched in 2004. Popular TV musical drama, GLEE featured this song as well as the original lead actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. The two also made cameo appearances in a few episodes of Season 1 of GLEE. Wicked is the precursor story of the two sister witches in The Wizard of Oz; the Wicked Witch of the North was good before she turned. I missed watching this musical on my last trip to New York, but endeavour to do so this year. The lead singers of this production were wicked! The range of vocals to achieve the song Defying Gravity requires serious vocal chops to deliver with conviction.

What have you done recently at work that was wickedly beneficial to your team? How many wickedly clever ideas have you proposed to your clients that made them pay generous attention? What have you done for your colleagues and clients, that made them sit up, and exclaim: ‘That’s wicked!’ 

*****

This morning’s swim, led by our fearless leader, Matt was not as wicked as I thought it would be; he had to head home after our morning dip to move house. An easy 4-lap or about 1.4K as the tide was receding in the lagoon. We followed that up with a 4.8K run at a fast pace, however not wicked enough. I did not spew mucous discharge from my respiratory system, although a very fit (and 5kg lighter) Vijch and ‘Barefoot Muaythai’ Lap Huan provided the motivation for me to increase my running cadence. It was a smaller group of swimmers since New Year’s Day, however we met new faces that may be new inclusions to our fortnightly open-water swims. I am hopeful that more will turn up as key races emerge.

Catalog of actual running shoes used by team.

Heavy hesitation before the run: crawl-pace to the start-line.

The pause that refreshes: Baring our body and soul about marathons and stuff.

Lacing up my Avia Avi-Stolz shoes: useful for trail runs and short road races.


Photo-credits of Sentosa Swim: Richard Leong