War Stories & The Trinkets Bowl

In the 1990’s, I was privileged to be part of local professional drama company, TheatreWorks’ Writers’ Laboratory. I started with a lead role on Michael Chiang’s ‘Army Daze’ – a definitive and coming-of-age play of Singaporean youths and national service – feeling like a new recruit in boot-camp in the history-making, 25, continuous runs of the show.

This group of playwrights met regularly to write, discuss and test out new material. I was honoured to have my first play recognized and earn an honorarium by the Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA). I was fortunate to direct, act and produce my two playlets (dissected from the longer version), Conversations In The Dark Part 1 & 2. It was a tough by rewarding experience to work with an awesome cast comprising actors I worked with, on Army Daze.

I learnt from established playwright, Desmond Sim of his creativity trigger. He puts stuff he finds of interest, into an empty fishbowl. When he needs to make a nexus with his characters, he fishes into this bowl and makes a connection with the object. I really liked Desmond’s suggestion, which endures with me as a stimulus for my creativity.

On 30 March, my team of TriFam triathletes and endurance athletes will be meeting for a beer-and-share session. Each person will bring a medal and share their story behind it. Each medal tells a story of achievement, accomplishment and attainment. It should be fun to hear of war stories, wounds and wonderings, and I wait with anticipation. Stay tuned.

Leaders and Storytelling

‘Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a…and they lived happily ever after!’ The end.

That opening statement and closing statement of a fairy-tale is the formula for a trance-like journey into the child’s imagination. The world of myth, fantasy or make-believe is critical to our human thinking and its faculties. To be creative, we need to imagine possibilities and make connections to what is with what could be.

The diversity of blogs featured on this site reflects on the relevance of their stories. Without stories, our lives would be different and, perhaps, hollow. Stories give us an opportunity to shift mental and emotional gears. When we hear a story, we respond to it in ways that are certainly not ingrained in routine, the mundane, and mental tunnel vision. Consider the popularity of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Even lunch-hour chatter can be healthy. Having lunch and tea are rituals; we have to eat and drink. Having your nutrition on the ride and run is crucial to your success in completing the endurance race or training session. Post-training session with runners, cyclists and swimmers include food, and stories about races and racing experiences. Everybody has a story to tell. Listen to them. It warrants your attention and may yield insights. It also melds minds with its subtle influence. Think of how you help convert novice runners into more serious, and even elite runners; short-distance triathletes into long-distance triathletes.

Build a library of war stories. As a coach, compile stories of what went well, and went things went wrong. Collect stories about the history of your company. Recognise the founders and the pioneers. Nike was built about the stories about Coach Bill Bowerman and Steve Prefontaine. Sir Richard Branson’s exploits with BA paved the way for Virgin Airlines.

If you are keen to explore corporate stories, you can read more about Anecdote.

These guys [L-R: Aristol, me, Mervyn, Reeves & Roger] have - between them - numerous war stories on being corporate leaders, and participants in international long-distance races. You are welcome to shoot the breeze with us and find out how to embark on YOUR JOURNEY!