Reward.

Ideology.

Coercion.

Ego.

Reward is fairly self-explanatory. Anything that a person determines to be fulfilling can be considered a reward, be it actual money, time to themselves, satisfaction, and so on.

Ideology is what a person values, believes in, and, often, informs their sense of purpose and direction. For example, if a person places a high value on honesty, then they would want to tell the truth or, at least, not lie.

Coercion is the use of pressure, even force, to get someone to do something. Most people resist and abhor this when it’s done to them. They may comply, but only to relieve that pressure.

Ego is a person’s image or perception of themselves that they wish to upkeep, not only for themselves, but in front of others as well.

Of the four, Ideology is the most powerful drive, followed by Ego, then Reward, and, finally, Coercion.

Coercion, once used, will break trust and increase suspicion and wariness. It frequently causes irreparable damage to a relationship and should not be used lightly.

I find RICE to be a useful acronym to keep in the back of my mind for a variety of things. Since I believe that we perform actions for specific reasons, it helps me to decipher a person’s reasons for doing or saying certain things.

While I may not agree with their actions, I can at least have an insight on why they may be doing something.

This gives me some leverage when negotiating with them or convincing them of something.

I’ve found this useful as an educator, when I’m doing business - buying and selling, as well as in various relationships that I have.

Saying the right thing, at the right time, in the right way is a very powerful thing.

It certainly opens up the possibility of manipulation, but, hopefully, you won’t have to resort to that.

I haven’t looked though them in years, so some of the information is definitely outdated now.

The style that I designed them in could also certainly do with some updates.

That said, the main information is still good.

Since some of the workshops were licensed, I cannot be sure that the people who licensed them from me aren’t still using them or have made modified versions of them.

Though they have assured me that they are no longer using my material, they are running businesses, and how can I be truly certain? There is always some kind of duplicity in people like that.

They can say that they aren’t using my material after making modifications to them, and make that statement technically true.

I suppose one way of going forward is to ignore it and take them at their word.

Another way of doing it is to relaunch my programmes - after some updates.

A third way is to upload it all for free and simply allow the market access to it.

I’m not sure yet which route I’ll take.

Time will tell.

No naming of names, of course. For the benefit of the students from those institutes of learning.

It’s no secret that not all educators should be educators.

And, certainly, every system has its flaws.

But to behave with so little regard for others than themselves in a profession that is clearly about others? That’s just not right, is it?

On the flip side, I have met passionate, courageous educators who give their all and more to their students.

I have also met numerous thoughtful, kind educators who consider others before themselves.

It isn’t them that we need to worry about, though we should be concerned for their well-being under such a difficult system with unrelenting expectations and grinding routines.

It is the relative few who need to be expelled from their positions.

If only the general public knew about these people and how much they adversely affect the lives of the students under their charge.

Well, since I’m still somewhat involved in the system, it isn’t time to do it yet.

Someday, it will be.

I’m looking to get into the following things:

1) Revive my long-dormant @loupinjewels Instagram account, also so that I can put up items for sale on my account. I did think about creating a separate account to do this, but it seems like an unnecessary bother to do so. There is quite a lot to sell - especially fluorites - which I’m no longer collecting.

2) Keep building contacts, especially gem cutters and jewellers, so that I can get my rough stones cut, and my cut stones set.

3) Learn to cut my own stones - exploring the possibility of a 2-week course.

4) Study gemmology at AIGS in Bangkok - this will require something in the region of 3 - 4 months.

5) Finally set up my gems and minerals display(s) at home - Looking to give it a generally softer atmosphere, so not just glass and stands and shelves, but also some ambient display elements, preferably to do with the natural world - perhaps something like a terrarium, but only as a sort of background. The main focus should still be the gems and minerals.

6) Invite fellow gem / mineral enthusiasts for small gatherings - not sure how this will go, but it’ll be nice to have like-minded friends come together to talk and hang out.

I don’t know if being in the gemstone world will be able to replace my current income anytime soon, but I believe that it’s worth a shot. After all, I’ve been talking about leaving the peripheries of the formal education system for a long time.

2025 is as good a year as any to kickstart that process.

Happy to have you along for the ride!

It’s one thing to advocate proper speech and behaviour. It’s quite another to threaten consequences based on personal feelings or preferences.

This isn’t a new topic. It’s been discussed and expressed for a long time before now.

And yet, it isn’t getting better. If anything, it’s getting worse.

Someday, if we don’t annihilate ourselves, a future historian will look upon this time in their past, and wonder how we got to this point.

Perhaps the weariness of this situation is getting to people as well, and we are on the cusp of some earthshaking change. Perhaps this is a contributing factor to the announcement of the new old President of the America.

It’s 2024, and it’s been a wild ride so far!

I’m updating the information to be more relevant to the post-pandemic world, especially market information pertaining to the gemstone industry and the changes that it is experiencing.

A Gem of a Deal was especially written to help people who are buying gemstones for the first time to know a bit more about what they are doing before they do it - hence the working subtitle - How to Buy Gems and Gemstone Jewellery Without Getting Ripped Off.

It also seeks to help beginner collectors get a head start and good deals for their first collections.

We all had to start somewhere, and I wish that I had something like this to refer to when I first started my collection those many, many years ago. It would have helped me to minimise my “school fees” and more expensive mistakes.

If all goes well, I should have something more concrete by the end of this year, and hopefully get this published and printed in 2025! Exciting stuff!

Perhaps this is because they are often expensive - not necessarily in financial terms, though that can also be the case, but also in energetic and mental terms.

Moving to a new temporary place of residence certainly isn’t a walk in the park. Having to say goodbye to the previous place of residence is also tough.

The thing to look forward to, however, is perhaps worth it - a new home, with new fixtures, fittings, and furnishings.

On top of the obvious improved living conditions, we are planning for our new abode to house our hobbies, host our communities, and hone our skills.

Today marks the first day of the path towards this change.

I look forward to its completion.

I am seriously contemplating a move out of it.

For those who’ve known me for some time, this may seem unexpected. After all, it’s what most people I know have known me for, and know that I truly enjoy.

Thankfully, though, it’s not the only thing they know me for. I do have options.

Perhaps it’s worth talking about - why I’m thinking about leaving the education industry, at least in Singapore.

Those who are parents or are educators themselves know that our local education system has mandated a fairly recent “update” to the way schools are handling class allocation for their students.

Essentially, each class is “mixed” - with students from different backgrounds, who have different aptitudes, and who likely have different life experiences thus far.

Each student is projected to learn each subject at their pace and at a level that is projected to cater to them.

The intent behind it was noble. The marketing to the public was focused on the positive. The educators themselves were informed way ahead of time and deemed prepared.

The results are, to put it lightly, not great. Even taking into consideration the usual teething problems at the start of any huge change, there is a clear lack of support and knowledge of handling rising issues.

It all looks to me like a poorly-thought-out grand experiment and I’m not confident that it will yield the hoped-for results, at least not within the next 5 - 10 years.

Some schools had piloted the move since a couple of years ago, but, as of 2024, this is now a nation-wide programme.

As an educator for nearly 2 decades, I’ve had my share of difficult audiences.

What I haven’t faced in that time is the sheer number of difficult audiences over such a short time.

I cannot speak for the teachers in the schools, but, from my interactions with them, they, too, are facing difficulties.

Add this to the tremendously unfair practices around getting school programmes, which I have talked about before, and this becomes a serious push factor away from this sector.

Yes, my current employment revolves around this sector, and a move away from it will likely entail an end to this state of affairs.

It’s not an easy move to make, and I don’t relish the potential problems that doing so will bring.

That said, I am nearly at my limit with the current situation and, unlike teachers who are bonded to the system, I can much more easily make a move. I believe that, this time, I likely will.

Now that I’m mostly familiar with workflow and tasks needed where I work, I don’t need as long of a runway for projects as I used to.

This frees up some time and brainspace for me, which is great!

In the coming quarters of the year, I intend to start re-connecting with communities and individuals that I’ve not managed to keep in constant contact with.

It will start slow - attending events and dropping messages here and there - but I believe that it will be worth it.

Hoping to meet you soon at an upcoming event or activity!

Started off with a rather unusual dining etiquette workshop for Queensway Secondary on 2nd Jan, followed by an MBTI workshop for Beatty Secondary 5’s.

Re-designed the whole workshop to give them a more comprehensive and positive outlook on their future careers, as well as a lot of tips on getting a head start in their future work.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The students expressed their appreciation. I hope that they learned something useful that they will remember and can put to use soon.

Following that, 2 days at Anchor Green Primary School, teaching them motivational and study skills. I get the sense that a number of them got something out of it.

Ended the week with the final session for the Student Leaders of Bowen Secondary, who will be facilitating their school’s Secondary 1 level camp.

Can’t be sure that I’ll be there, but I happened to bump into a student that I had taught in a primary school just a couple of months ago. He had graduated and was now in Bowen Secondary. Interesting.

Just came back from Singapore Mineral Fair - the first of 2024, with a bunch of stuff. Probably needn’t have bought so much, but I did. And I’m not displeased about it.

We are there every year-end to review the year that passed and think about upcoming one.

I haven’t thought about my Word of the Year yet, though I have thought about some of the lessons from experiences in 2023.

One of them is on the importance of being part of, and maintaining, good communities.

Perhaps for the worse, I haven’t been part of many good communities in a long time. Many of them always felt distant, indifferent, or self-absorbed.

Of course, I was certainly a common denominator, so maybe it was just me.

And, of course, over the years, I just decided that maintaining such relationships wasn’t worth it. Why would you want to invest time and energy into a relationship with someone who wasn’t investing anything nearly as much?

I’m not saying that everything has to be exactly 50%, right down the middle. That would be unrealistic and pretty unreasonable.

At the very least, you want to feel accepted and that people are trying to understand you, or parts of you.

You also want to want to give back. I think that this 2nd part is increasingly an important criterion for me.

Having gone through 2023 with a few good communities, I’m happy to say that I am happy to give back to these communities.

Carrying on into 2024, I will endeavour to do this.

Wishing you and yours a fruitful 2024 ahead, filled with learning, meaning, and joy. Have a great one!

Sure, it was not an easy time for me in terms of work and finances, especially considering the nature of my work. Still, I very much enjoyed the enforced separation.

And it somehow resulted in me being where I am now. I likely won’t be here doing what I’m doing if not for the entire episode.

In numerous ways, life has improved - well, mine, at any rate.

And yet, there are certain aspects that haven’t. I’d say they have diminished or deteriorated quite a bit.

It is, perhaps, time to do something about this.

I don’t think it will be an easy path, but I’m confident that improvements can be made. I just have to take one step at a time.

The hopefuls? Mr. Ng Kok Song, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Mr. Tan Kin Lian.

I’m not aiming to discuss the political implications of this event, merely to memorialise it.

As with all elections, Presidential or General, there have been a great many incidents leading up to it, some heartwarming, others rather disturbing.

As a fairly regular Singaporean, I’m not particularly hoping for major changes to occur, no matter who wins the election.

At the end of the day, my belief remains that, if I want major changes in my life and for the lives of those around me, I have to effect those changes, not wait for somebody else to do it.

That said, I have voted for my preferred candidate - whom I believe will bring dignity and gravitas to the office.

Happy Polling Day, my fellow Singaporeans!

Since end Feb 2022, I have joined a company that focuses on soft skills - primarily Leadership, Communication, Personality Profiling, Life Skills, and Team Building incorporating bonding games, VR, and drone technology.

This is, of course, quite a change from my previous experience in Science programmes.

Nevertheless, as Science programmes have shifted from biological and chemical sciences to something more closely resembling infotech, machine learning, and AI, as well as the problems caused by the pandemic, I had to make a move.

When I first joined, I had to learn the ropes quickly as it was in the middle of a busy period.

The advantage that I had was my prior experience in programme development and execution. This allowed me to gather the information that I needed and adapt my delivery to the company’s norms and expectations.

Over the course of the past year and a half or so, I have run programmes in many more institutes of learning, as well as for corporate and government groups.

I believe that I am providing excellent value to the company, and will continue to do so.

Time, however, is never on our side, so I will have to plan my next few years more carefully than I have prior to this.