nickpan.com – Page 14 – Family guy with 3 Daughters, Digital Guy, Wine Community Leader, Runner in Singapore.

21st September, 201422nd December, 2014

I’ll give a C+ to our School’s Grading system

20140921_grading
My eldest daughter have always had difficulties with her studies. She tries very hard and it gets frustrating at times, but somehow “her grades don’t commensurate with her efforts” according to a recent report we got from her school after her Primary 6 form teacher intervened. She is dyslexic.

I started reading up on what being dyslexic really means…

Dyslexia is a type of specific learning difficulty… that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling…
~ das.org.sg

Now it all make sense. Her difficulty in comprehension of questions in her exam papers, her speed in reading, her accuracy in spelling, her grades.

Grades. The universal marker of education. The way to see if the child is good academically at their age. The way to cull applicants into a popular school if there are limited places. A necessary measurement in life in our time and age, in our society, in our capitalistic meritocratic society.

In the same report her verbal cognitive capabilities ranked in the 79% percentile and this meant a lot to me. It clearly showed that there is still a measurement in there that truly showed me the daughter that I know.

I do interview a lot of potential hires at work and there are definitely things I’m looking for. Passion, Integrity, Communication Skills, Thinking on the feet, etc. When meeting new friends, I also automatically look out for things like Sincerity, Empathy, Humour, Coolness and especially Chivalry in guys, etc. There is a huge disparity in what I’m looking out for in a person professionally and socially when compared with what schools are looking for in a student.

These are two different things I agree. I’m not saying that the education system is totally broken, as Singapore teens ranked No. 1 in problem solving in a recently international benchmarking organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), kudos to MOE. But at the same time, I’m also not saying that it’s perfect as well as many kids like mine are still not flourishing in the current institutionalised education system which is really giving their self-esteem and self-worth a daily beating.

The Ministry of Education of Singapore have spelt out the Desired Outcomes of Education across primary, secondary and post secondary education and I quote…

He has a good sense of self-awareness, a sound moral compass, and the necessary skills and knowledge to take on challenges of the future. He is responsible to his family, community and nation. He appreciates the beauty of the world around him, possesses a healthy mind and body, and has a zest for life.

The Key Stage Outcomes of Education according to MOE…

At the end of Primary school, pupils should:

be able to distinguish right from wrong

know their strengths and areas for growth

be able to cooperate, share and care for others

have a lively curiosity about things

be able to think for and express themselves confidently

take pride in their work

have healthy habits and an awareness of the arts

know and love Singapore

At the end of Secondary school, students should:

have moral integrity

believe in their abilities and be able to adapt to change

be able to work in teams and show empathy for others

be creative and have an inquiring mind

be able to appreciate diverse views and communicate effectively

take responsibility for their own learning

enjoy physical activities and appreciate the arts

believe in Singapore and understand what matters to Singapore

At the end of Post-Secondary education, students should:

have moral courage to stand up for what is right

be resilient in the face of adversity

be able to collaborate across cultures and be socially responsible

be innovative and enterprising

be able to think critically and communicate persuasively

be purposeful in pursuit of excellence

pursue a healthy lifestyle and have an appreciation for aesthetics

be proud to be Singaporeans and understand Singapore in relation to the world

These look like great outcomes to desire for our kids, but looking at what they go thru at school daily and how they are graded have made me disillusioned.

How is it possible for Schools to seriously look at and start to emphasise on the desired outcomes listed by MOE? Cooperation, Sharing, Caring, Curiosity, Expression, Confidence, Pride, Awareness of the Arts, loving Singapore like mentioned above? Schools are seriously looking at syllabus as those are the main matrices being look at when deciding if a child is doing well in School.

There are also other factors, things like Discernment, Empathy, Kindness, Digital Communication, Resilience all much needed in our current time and age to be Happy and Successful.

I don’t know the answer, but let me make some suggestions.

1. Grade and include desired outcomes in overall assessment

Make those desired outcomes gradable and make them attribute to the final score. 20% English, 20% Math, 20% Science, 20% Mother Tongue, 20% Cooperation + Sharing + Caring + Curiosity + Expression + Confidence + Pride + Awareness of the Arts + loving Singapore.

I mean that is what MOE is setting out to do right? So let’s do it.

2. Emphasis on Happiness

Success used to be defined as having more money, having a bigger house, having a nice car, having a great lifestyle and that all came down to having more money which is an outcome of having a good education. This is what most parents say and some are still saying.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
~ Albert Schweitzer

The new generation don’t necessary want to buy stuff, they do want to be cool, have new experiences and generally just want to be happy. Don’t we all. So why not let’s do it.

Check out this documentary Children Full of Life and you will know what I mean.

Master an Apprentice

Rather then just going to school, how about some real work life experience as well? Attached a kid to a job from young. Look at Logan LaPlante who shared at Ted about how he is sometimes working at a ski shop and how much good that is doing to him.

I’ll teach my kids photography, filming, how to edit videos, but would be great if I can send them to work somewhere.

Conclusion

I don’t study pedagogy, I’m not a school teacher, I don’t totally know the challenges the schools face. I do however have 3 daughters and I love them loads and want them to be happy.

20140921_grading2

I would love parents to stop bashing the education system as its made out of many passionate teachers. The institutionalises education system is so massive that it will take years to change and not to mention getting parents to change their mindsets as well and stop “investing” in expensive tuition, but fun stuff for their kids to be better and happy people.

Our education system deserves a C+ in my books, but hey there is definitely room for improvement and I think we just need to work hard at it.

If you have more ideas, lets all list them out. Let’s give our kids the best we can give them.

2nd August, 201422nd December, 2014

Singapore Nation Day Songs 2014

20140802_NDPSongs2014

Happy 49th Birthday Singapore. This year there will be no official National Day song, but what that means is that there is an opportunity to do a great one next year (SG50) and for anyone to do one this year. So net net, we might get more songs this year. Here are a few Songs that have surfaced and I’ll add more to this post when I find them. Do comment at the bottom if you find any new ones. Thanks.

HOME (National Day Cover) – The Sam Willows x Josh Wei.

Really nice rendition, very nice feel to it and I think it will be another classic by the Sam Willows. Home by Kit Chan is already an all time favourite by Singaporeans and a new arrangement was done back in 2011 accompanied by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO).

Although I loved Sam Willow’s rendition, it somehow lacked that cliché mass audience touch. Not a bad thing at all as I think they stay true to their style and their fans will love it and they will get new fans from this version of Home I’m sure.

Singapore, We Are Ok! by OWL International

They are back at it again. Their CNY Song earlier this year already crossed a million views and for Nation Day, they seem like doing a series of videos too.

NDP 2014: the mrbrown show: jiak simi

Mr Brown did one last year (which to me was pretty darn good) and this year he did a tasty one too. I think him and his team of musicians were kinda hungry when they did the lyrics. I lol when Bak Chor Mee came out. lol. See all his NDP songs here.

National Day Parade 2014 MV – What Do You See

I loved the original version by Electrico and Mr Brown’s LeKuaSimi was hilarious, but I think this 2014 version added racial diversity, trendy hipster-ness, drone videography, hawker food, education, old people, young people, happy faces and the amazing logo which I think you will agree with me that is somewhat what we all expect. So in a way, it met my expectations.

National Day Parade 2014 MV – We Will Get There & One People, One Nation, One Singapore

This is the official one for 2014. I think its a nice rearrangement. Not too complicated. Not trying too hard.

Spot anymore? Pls share share.

Update: 9 Aug 2014

LORONG BOYS | A Gift to Singapore 2014

Beautiful instrumental by The Lorong Boys who are 5 award-winning Singaporean musicians who are equally comfortable playing on the hallowed stage of the concert hall as they are on the streets of the heartland.

My Singapore 2014 Moments of Love by Lorraine Tan

This is high production quality and backed by lots of sponsors.

Update: 10 Aug 2014

National Day Medley – HubbaBubbas

Really nice upbeat medley with some beatboxing and great vocals.

Unofficial NDP theme song 2014 – There’s no place like home

Audris Ho does a nice original number for Singapore 2014.

5th April, 201429th June, 2014

OCBC Cycle Singapore 2014

I’ve been wanting to go for OCBC Cycle for the longest time, but almost every year it clashed with work travels. This year WHOO HOO I managed to go for it. My brother have done it twice and it’s great that we can do this 40km together. He is on a mountain bike and i’m on a foldie.

I’ve been to many mass runs before, but I have to say mass cycling is another thing all together. The logistics of crowd control, safety and tech support is just mind boggling.

At the starting line, there were endless amount of people when I looked back. I know I have a few friends cycling too, but there is just no way to find them in this crowd.

And here we go. The start of the 40km ride before sunrise.

The first huge upslope was of cause the Shears Bridge which followed by a mega downslope.

As everyone knows, this downslope was where the casualty happened. When we were going down, we had our breaks on and if i don’t recall wrongly, there was a few marshallers waving flags and telling everyone to slow down. I have to say this downslope is quite scary, imagine a primary school kid going down the biggest slide on big splash. But am glad everyone around us was going down the slope at a manageable speed.

At about the 20km mark, we did a pit stop and am quite impressed by the setup. There was a girl literally kept telling people to dismount from their bikes as they came into the carpark along East Coast Parkway which is now a pit stop. There were people giving out ice cold 100 plus, water, a tech support area for people to fix their bikes, a medical area for people who are injured.

We rested there for about 10mins and moved on.

When we are heading back, I lost my brother. Apparently he met some of our friends at the top of the Shears bridge while I gave chase to this dad who was riding a fat bike and had his daughter sitting behind. I had to get this photo. Cheap snapbacks At bombsoverdarwin.com.

I also talked to a guy who dressed up in a Captain America outfit. He was helping someone up the Shears Bridge, so I got down on foot too to talk to him. I asked him if the shield was real and asked if I could touch it. After giving it a few good knocks, I was super impressed that it was REAL. It was a solid tough piece of heavy metal. I was then advised by him to go to the doctors go get my hands check as it could be injured after the knock on the shield. LOL. I told him, i’ll go look for a masseuse instead as the only area that is injured is my aching butt.

At the end, I managed to get a photo with the STIG. He actually rode the entire way in his full suit and full face helmet. Must be super hot. RESPECT.

Finally called and met up with our friends, went to have breakfast and headed home.

Clara was very interested in where I went and wanted to have a good look at the finisher medal. She got her tricycle and told me when she grow up, she will go cycle and get her own medal too. lol. She says the best things.

Just checked online today and apparently I did 2:21hrs. I thought I would do something like 3hrs. Anyway…

You can also check out other bloggers who have blogged about this event:

If you come across other blogs or if you’ve blogged about the OCBC Cycle SG 2014, let me know in the comments below and I’ll add to this list.

Till next year and much condolences to the family that lost a loved one at this event.

20th March, 201414th February, 2015

WPP StreamAsia 2014

I had the privilege to attend the by invitation only StreamAsia 2014 unconference which happened at the Berjaya Langkawi Resort in Malaysia.

Named by WIRED as ‘one of the world’s best tech conferences’ and described as the ‘Bilderberg of Advertising’ by the Guardian, Stream is the WPP unconference.

The key of any unconference is participation and I went prepared with a bunch of carrots and Makey Makeys to share how easy it is to connect the real world with the digital world. I represented VML Qais at this event, so was really looking forward to get to know more people, what better way then with carrots right. :)

But before we started the whole event, there was a minute of silence as everyone is still shocked my the tragedy of MH370.

On of the first events was the Gadgethon. Individuals each had 2 mins to demo a cool gadget and of cause I used it to demo the Makey Makey carrot piano setup and also marketed my unconference segment which was on another day.

There were some real cool stuff shared. Robotic arms, Smart homes, an remote droid thingy, etc.

The main meat of the unconference happened in tents on the beach. How awesome is that. Marketing professionals talking about really current issues and challenges faced by brands and marketers. There were also some really future thinking topics like how will online advertising be like in 10 years, many industries were covered, from Hospitality to Kids. Here is Jason Oke facilitating the discussion on Click Fraud. I also attended a session where we talked about the idea of reality TV funding our first Mars colony before Nasa can.

All these were done in berms, flip flops, shades and a coconut in hand. How classy.

There were lots of cool gadgets displayed at the Tech Lab which allowed everyone to get some hands-on. I think there were easily about 15 items on display including the Oculus Rift, Cubelets, many many different kind of mobile phones especially affordable smartphones from China, Interactive Digital Kiosks, an Instant Instagram photo printer and more.

I setup the Makey Makey to allow people to play Pac Man and Tetris. Here is a video of how the 5 player Tetris turned out. Real fun.

Finally I managed to try out the Google Glass. Its really cool, but I feel the technology is still very rough. Can’t wait for it to be mainstream.

Managed to get a demo of the Xbox One also from someone at Microsoft. I have to say the capabilities of this console is quite amazing and the amount of stuff it can sense is just jaw dropping. If I tell you It can sense your heartbeat would you believe me?

Stream's Got Talent — Stream’s Got Talent

There was also lots of opportunities for individuals to showcase their other talents. There was a band, an Opera singer, Powerpoint Karaoke, cooking and of cause drinks as well.

One of my favourite photo of this trip would have to be this one where I used some luminous paint and wrote the event’s hashtag #StreamAsia on me hairy leg lol.

It was an awesome experience and I manage to have real interesting conversations with many new people. An amazing feat as I do feel this is not what introverts do. Hope to get re-invited to this inspiring event.

19th March, 20149th June, 2016

Decision Making at an Epic Scale

We are all made up of our decisions.

Where we want to go, what we want to do, who we want to spend time with.

Should I take a left, should I go faster, should I stop.

Should I buy this, should I study, what should I study.

Should I hang out with these people, should I respond this way to this person, is she the one?

The more decisions we make, the better we get at it after facing their consequences.

There is a war going on for your mind
If you are thinking, you are winning
from We Are Winning by Flobots

Having played lots of games when I was younger, I think the situations I face in games forced me to make decisions in an accelerated pace, so compared to someone who does not play games, they won’t need to think of things like “what happens if there was no industrial area in a city?”, “what are the possible permutation of things that can happen if I did this?”, “How much hull space should I have in order to make the best profits?”, “What happens if Aliens did invade us?”, etc.

I’ve listed out 10 things that I’ve learnt from the games that I’ve grown up with. Hope this gives you a better understanding of the value of games.

1. Demand & Supply

Games: A-Train, Simcity 2000, Transportation Tycoon

This is the first ever game that I stayed up all night to play. You can see the gameplay here. I think this is also where my love for jazz started as what sounded like Dave Brubeck’s Take five was a key soundtrack in the game.

SimCity have got to be the game that many grew up with. City planning, zoning areas for residential, industrial and commercial, planning roads and balancing the supply and demand to make sure the city grows into a metropolis.

This is a more advance version of A-Train and it really makes you think about meeting demand with supplies from all across the land. Building trains to bring iron ore to steel mills then bringing steel to factories to create goods to grow your towns. With a mix of trains, busses, planes, its a full time job.

I think this is also the very first multiplayer game I played, but can’t really recall how I hooked it up and who I played with. You can play it too as there is an open source version of it now known as OpenTTD, you can also play online at play-ttd.com in your browser if you like.

2. Teamwork

Games: Pardus, Minecraft, L4D2

After browsing a copy of FHM, I was introduced to Pardus and got hooked after experiencing my very first MMPOG. Its basically a browser based space economy game. It’s tiled gif art at its best at that time.

I remember working out timezones and planning for raids with people from all over the world. Social engineering, double crossing, working real life diplomacy, omg… it was awesome with just limited turns per day. With it being a browser based game, lots of page refresh was happening. The low tech-ness was part of its beauty. Its still there and ticking. Go try them out. It was so amazing for me that I setup an in-character online news site known as The Tiacken Tribune and even engaged in-game journalists to report the happenings all over the gif universe. Teamwork in and out of game. More awesomely I’ve also met the famous in-game character “Nathan Forrester” in real life when we both happen to be visiting Bangkok at the same time.

nickpansg in Singapore Minecraft Sudden Dawn Server — Minecraft

I found out about Minecraft properly after watching a documentary late 2012, tried it out and got hooked. The best part of it is working together to build a town. You can read more about my experience here.

I’m introduced to L4D2 by a few colleagues of mine and after trying it out in the office, we spent a few nights working together and killing zombies for a number of weekends. Good times.

3. Geography, Map Reading, Situation Awareness

Games: Uncharted Waters, Battlefield, GTA3

For the first time in my life I know where Lisbon is in the world. I traveled the world and even ship wrecked in the cold seas. Bought spices from India and traded them in Europe.

Never really got into Counterstrike, but Battlefield was really neat. Such First Person Shooter games force you to have good situation awareness. You need to know where north is, where places are. This whole plan view orientation in you mind is a map reading skills many of my lady friends lack somehow. Maybe they don’t play enough of such games.

4. Taking Risks

Games: Starcraft, Civilisation

The one game that stood the test of time. Released in 1998 it became the primary Real Time Strategy game for more then a decade. A big lesson from Starcraft is that you have got to take that risk and start your second base at some point. The longer you try to build that one perfect base, you will be swiped out in no time when you opponent is mining resources and building units 3 times faster then you.

The turn-based game that made a generation of colonists. Making decisive diplomatic decisions is part and parcel of the game.

5. Resource Planning

Games: Uncharted Waters, Plants vs Zombie,

Uncharted Waters also had a trading element, so making sure your hull if full of goods is always a must before setting sail for the next port. However to make more money, you need more hull space.

PVZ quickly throws you into resource planning mode as there is always just enough “sun” power to allow you to plant your plants to fend of the impending zombie horde.

6. Thinking Ahead

Games: Tetris, TripleTown, World of Goo

This is the classic version of Tetris I got hooked on. This enchanting game with its mesmerising Russian tune occupied my mind even when I was not playing the game for quite some time. To play it well, you simply need to be able to visualize what you are going to do in the next few steps.

3 grass makes a bush, 3 bush makes a tree, 3 trees make a house and so it goes. The space planning is easy, the tough part is figuring out 5 to 10 steps on.

7. Motivation

Games: Diablo II, Diablo III, Borderlands 2

Dungeon looting, click fest is what Diablo is known as. You keep killing monsters, keep looting chests and keep leveling up. The whole motivation of going to the next level is always there.

Very much like Diablo, Borderlands 2 is also a dungeon looting game. However, the art of it makes it an amazing experience.

8. Perseverance

Games: Karateka, UFO:Enemy Unknown (X-Com), Ultima

Back in the good’ol Atari days, I played Karateka at my cousin’s place. Level after level, it keeps getting more difficult. Have to just keep going and hope you beat all the bosses.

I believe I got stuck quite a number of times while playing XCom. So just need to keep at it and keep trying to pew pew the aliens away.

To me Ultima was borderline Role Playing Game and Sandbox. At times, I got no clue what to do next. Back then there was no wiki or walkthrus to refer to.

9. Troubleshooting

Games: Any game that required you to edit CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT

In the Pre-Pentium, 386, 486 days, before being even able to start playing a game, you need to make sure you have configured the computer in a certain way. Those who have done this, please comment below and don’t tell me I’m the only one who did this.

10. Getting a Wife

Game: Romance of Three Kingdoms 2

Yes its true. RTK2 thought me how to get a wife and I’ve blogged about it here.

Summary

So here is it again. The 10 things I’ve learnt from games.

Demand & Supply
Teamwork
Geography, Map Reading, Situation Awareness
Taking Risks
Resource Planning
Thinking Ahead
Motivation
Perseverance
Troubleshooting
Getting a Wife

So what about you? What have you learnt from games?