(Photo Credit: Priya Bajpal) It was yet another variant of the famous “Marshmallow” Test. The topical question of instant versus delayed gratification had become the Holy Grail of Behavioural Psychology and Economics. The 4 year olds trooping in were instructed to pick a straw a clip and 2 conch shells. If they could restrain themselves … Continue reading Professor Quah Hock Gin
Month: January 2019
The Presence of a Pattern
(Photo Credit: Crispina Kemp) Water had this unreserved quality about it. It always hid more than what it revealed. Call it haughtiness or humility, condescension or caution, arrogance or angst, but the fact remained that what you saw was definitely what you got. The still, serene and serendipitous mass of enticing blue contained within it … Continue reading The Presence of a Pattern
PETTA – MARANA MASS!
To quote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “in character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” Director Karthik Subbaraj seems to have embraced Longfellow’s philosophy wholeheartedly in “Petta” the latest starrer featuring Superstar Rajinikanth. For a legion of the deified actor’s fans, a Rajini movie is an event for celebration, filled with … Continue reading PETTA – MARANA MASS!
Hope, Home and Happiness
(Photo Credit: Jodi McKinney) Liz could not recall looking up at a clearer canopy of blue sky. Stretching as far as the eye could see, the sea of blue had her transfixed. A blob of milky white cloud right in the middle of her vision seemed like a trespasser who was suddenly rendered shock still … Continue reading Hope, Home and Happiness
A Dystopian Desiderata
(Photo Credit: CE Ayr) The hermetically sealed dust-bins were part of the grandiose plan. Life size humanoid robots imaginatively named, “DESIDERATA”, would collect hazardous waste from the sprawling plant. Equipped with state of the art stereo sensors for all-terrain navigation, the robots would shift the residue from the source of origination and empty them in … Continue reading A Dystopian Desiderata
Mendicant In The Middle – The Cheteshwar Pujara Way
Often times, efficacy and effectiveness get obscured if not obfuscated by aesthetics. While this is a fact possessing universal applicability, the contrast is more explicitly and especially brought to bear in the world of sport. The same move executed by two different sportsmen can be as dissimilar as chalk from cheese, even though the outcomes … Continue reading Mendicant In The Middle – The Cheteshwar Pujara Way
The Barometer of Human Greed
(Photo Credit: Sue Vincent) It was happening again. For the third consecutive day, the Air Pollution Sensors were showing measurements skewed towards the adverse. Before replacing the sensor back into its sheath, Siew Kuan (SK) gazed one last time at the reading, vainly hoping that her own eyes might have deceived her. However, hope did … Continue reading The Barometer of Human Greed
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel H. Pink
A transformational book, “Drive” (“The Book”) by Daniel Pink turns received wisdom regarding motivation and incentives on its head, but not before according a refreshing and revolutionary alternative. The conventional fodder for motivational thought has always had at its core, the entrenched belief that both cause and consequence are pliable to either the rewards of … Continue reading Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel H. Pink
The Intact & The Broken
(Photo Credit: Crispina Kemp) The obsession towards growth was not restricted to just throwing money at real estate. While gargantuan structures enthusiastically competed with each other in reaching out to the stars, a multitude of squat, drab and horizontal complexes layered with state-of-the-art security were built in double quick time. A panoply of skyscrapers was … Continue reading The Intact & The Broken
The Growth Delusion – David Pilling
Ever since Simon Kuznets invented the Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”), this metric has become the Holy Grail in both economic and political lore. The economic health as well as hopelessness of nations are inextricably pegged to this number as are political aspirations and collective personal ambitions. In an era where growth represents the sine qua … Continue reading The Growth Delusion – David Pilling