.::. Learning .::.

I felt like I've learnt so much since I've been here though it's barely 3 months. It's so difficult to pinpoint exactly what, but I reckon my vision is alot wider.

I'm taking electives this term, Corporate Social Responsibility which is alot about business ethics and Management Consulting. CSR has brought many issues in our everyday life, problems about the environment, consumerism, economy and the sort while MC is something I thought that I might be interested in since it sounds cool.

Perhaps the most important thing I learnt after the first few lessons of Management Consulting and listening to real consultants from big consultancy firms is that - I do not want to be a consultant. It's such a political industry, high stress, high uncertainty, high work load, cruel and ruthless. I think I'll totally hate myself. Then I hear about so many issues such as strategies implemented which requires laying off alot of staff. Despite knowing that it's a reality of the economy and business, it doesn't make it easier to accept and I don't think I could live with myself.

CSR has made me aware of many issues, issues which I think are impossible to resolve or find a solution to. Would you really pay more for 'ethical' products? Are 'ethical products really 'ethical' or beneficial for the environment?

These 2 electives have the luxury of many vocal classmates who engage in all sorts of debates in class all the time. Listening to these different opinions on a wide range of issues makes me think alot. It makes me feel very small and ignorant in a way, because as a Singaporean or an Asian, we seriously do not take such matters into heart or really bother having opinions about it.

Coming here has made me realize how precious Singapore's prosperity is today. It made me realize that it wasn't such an easy thing to come thus far. It made me cherish the fact that we managed to develop and gain such international recognition without being suceptible to too much manipulation today. If we were dependent on international loans and funds, the picture would have been totally different. It's amazing that despite being this small, without any natural resources, we managed to grow this strong. However, we all know that we have to work extra hard to maintain these success.

There were times when we dreaded being this competitive. It is ingrained in us that we have to study really hard, go to top schools and get good results to survive and to be 'successful' in future. Gap years are non-existent and we might well be the country with the youngest graduates who step into society and start climbing the corporate ladder, spend most of our waking hours slogging hard.

It has become such a norm and we're so into this whole process that it seems like we're enclosed in our own world, striving for 'success'. Everything we do has to add value in our career, then there's the mad rush to get the car, the apartment...

Despite these, I'm very much nationalistic. I'm offended by racial discrimination and the way how people perceive Asians here. It might be their actions or what they say, but it can be felt. The most remarkable incident was when a China guy who told me that 'Geographically, Singapore does not exist'. Instantaneously, I feel smoke coming out from my ears. I was like, you've got to be blind not to see Singapore on the map though it's small. 5 million people live here, what you mean geographically it doesn't exist? Then he was there struggling, 'Geographi...geographically...' And I repeated myself, you've got to be blind.

Europeans are a much more relaxed lot. They value their free time and have lots of it. They spend 35 hours at work every week (that's probably half of our normal work week), come home to spend time with kids and spend weekends in the nature. They put alot of attention in supporting certain 'causes' and issues too.

Coming here made me rethink about knowledge and education. There are times that I feel that I'm so ignorant and that there are many things I don't really think of. Do I really have an opinion or stand on things? Do I really know what is going on around the world?

One thing I do know I am good at is studying and scoring for exam, and I'm not proud of it. I know that if I studied, I'll do well. But I'm clueless when it comes to doing reports and the scope is too wide. Answering a question or writing critically is fine, but I find it hard to frame my writing or approach a very broad report. I think I lack the confidence to speak up too. Somehow, I'm nervous when I speak, especially with people who speaks with those accents which makes me feel like my English is lousy. It doesn't help when you can sense people fidgiting and exchanging glances whenever someone with 'not-so-good' English speak and I wonder if it happens when I talk too.

Maybe it's an asian thing. When we learn, we usually accept and take the knowledge as it is given without really questioning it. We are not used to criticising things we are taught though we might be aware of the different approaches. Perhaps we are afraid of being wrong or 'sticking out' in our opinions since we're such a collectivist society.

All I can say is that it has been an eye opener. You don't know that there are things that you do not know till you learn those things. The learning style here is rather different and people are so much more proactive and takes alot of initiative. I might never be like that, but I've learnt alot anyway.

Everything triggers a reflection in me nowadays. Perhaps that is why new environments give you opportunities to learn yet feels so difficult to adapt to. Actually what I've learnt most about is probably myself, my strengths and weaknesses, what is important to me and what I want out of my life. I'm beginning to think that I'll never be happy if I pursue a corporate career, especially in accounting or finance. *sigh.

It has been a long week. There's so much reading to do and we're supposed to be well-versed in the whole textbook and several articles by next Wednesday, barely 2 weeks since classes started. That's probably 600 pages of information to digest in 2 weeks.

I shall take a rest tonight and work harder. =)

On a lighter note, I really liked this 'case study' in my textbook:

Nike gets stitched up

NIKE: Your Nike ID order was cancelled for one or the more of the following reasons:
(1) Your personal ID contains another party's trademark or other intellectual property
(2) Your personal ID contains the name of an athlete or team we do not have the legal right to use
(3) Your personal ID was left blank. Did you not want any personalization?
(4) Your personal ID contains profanity or inappropriate slang, and besides, your mother would slap us.

Pertti: Greetings, my order was cancelled but my personal NIKE iD does not violate any of the criteria outlined in your message. The personal iD on my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes was the word 'sweatshop'. Sweatshop is not: (1) another party's trademark, (2) the name of an athlete, (3) blank or (4) profanity. I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil and labour of the children that made my shoes. Could you please ship them to me immediately. Thanks and Happy New Year.

NIKE: Your iD order was cancelled because the iD you have chosen contains, as stated in the previous e-mail correspondence, 'inappropriate slang'.

Pertti: Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry about my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes. Although I commend you for your prompt customer service, I disagree with the claim that my personal iD was inappropriate slang. After consulting Webster's Dictionary, I discovered that 'sweatshop' is in fact part of standard English, and not slang. The word means: 'a shop or factory in which workers are employed for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions.' and its origin dates from 1892. So my personal iD does not meet the criteria detailed in your first email.

Your web site advertises that the NIKE iD program is 'about freedom to choose and freedom to express who you are.' I share Nike's love of freedom and personal expression. The site also says that 'If you want it done right...build it yourself.' I was thrilled to be able to build my own shoes, and my personal iD was offered as a small token of appreciation for the sweatshop workers poised to help me realize my vision. I hope that you will value my freedom of expression and reconsider your decision to reject my order.

NIKE: Regarding the rules for personalization, it also states on the NIKE iD web site that 'Nike reserves the right to cancel any Personal iD up to 24 hours after it has been submitted.'

In addition, it further explains: 'While we honour most personal iDs, we cannot honour every one. Some may be (or contain) others' trademarks, or the names of certain professional sports teams, athletes or celebraties that Nike does not have the right to use. Others may contain material that we consider inappropriate or simply do not want to place on our products. Unfortunately, at times this obliges us to decline your personal iDs that may otherwise seem unobjectionable. In any event, we will let you know if we decline your personal iD, and we will offer you the chance to submit another.' With these rules in mind we cannot accept your order as submitted.

Peretti: Thank you for your time and energy you have spent on my request. I have decided to order the shoes with a different iD, but I would like to make one small request. Could you please send me a colour snapshot of the ten-year-old Vietnamnese girl who makes my shoes? Thanks, Jonah Peretti.

Jonah Peretti is a student from MIT, Boston.
'this will go round the world much futher and faster than any of the adverts they paid Michael Jordan more than the entire wage packet of all their sweatshop workers in the world to do.'