Fabian Lua | Making sense of my days

A simple list of events I'm going for or would have gone for.

Talk by Victo Ngai, New York-based editorial illustrator (Thu 6th March, sold out)
Tiger Beer is best served really really cold, since it doesn't really taste of anything. To get us to buy, big beer brands flood us with advertising and grab the supermarket prime spots. 

It was near the entrance of the King Albert Park Cold Storage, right before Chinese New Year when I saw Victo Ngai's gorgeous work on the Tiger Beer cartons. She's in town to speak this Thursday. The event is sold out, but catch the rest of the series by the Organisation of Illustrators Council (OIC).  

[Did you know? The KAP Cold Storage is closing down. Even supermarkets pay the price of Singapore's progress.]

Jazz by the Beach (Fri 7th March, 8pm - late, Coastes on Sentosa, pay for food & drinks)
I enjoy Sentosa because most of the island (other than Resorts World) remains laid back. And listening to jazz, by Siloso beach is probably as close to a 'staycation' as a Friday night on Singapore can feel.

Sustainable Architecture Adventure (Fri 7th March 7pm + Sat 8th March 830am, Somerset + National Library. $15)
While rehearsing for my WOHA Architecture Walk late one night, I saw the National Library building from the Bugis+ rooftop, and finally fell in love with that building. I was originally annoyed that this cold steel and glass version replaced the old, warm red-bricked building. 

The Hub Singapore is screening a film on sustainable architecture, then guiding a walk - both include the National Library building. 

Late Harvest Shiraz tasting (Fri 7th March, until 10pm, PasarBella - off Bukit Timah Road)
The same way remixes and acoustic versions amplify the beauty of their original songs, adventurous use of grape varietals teach me new ways to appreciate the usual methods. I'm really excited about sparkling Shiraz, and Merchants Wine Cellar is pouring Late Harvest Shiraz this week at their PasarBella store.

I once overheard a Singaporean 'uncle' say of PasarBella, "Wah, no need to go overseas anymore!" This indoor market does have the vibe of Sydney or San Francisco on weekends. But what I like about it on weekday nights is how quiet and personal it feels.

Jungle Beer brewery tour (Sat 8th March, 630pm - 11pm, Admiralty - almost Johor Bahru, $40)
I don't think anyone really cares how beer is made. The real reason people go for brewery tours is to taste the freshest beers. Jungle Beer offers five hours of free flow of craft beer for $40. And they've recently updated their labels - looking beautiful!

Young Dreams (Norway) (Sun 9th March, 10pm, Esplanade)
Since I'm addicted to every single song of Kings of Convenience, I assumed every Nordic band must be good. And I dreamt of catching gigs at the Esplanade studios ever since I caught Au Revoir Simone there. So there, I bought tickets to Young Dreams.

(Speaking of Au Revoir Simone, they're going to be at Zouk).

---

Read more »

1. Temporary herb and vegetable garden on a rooftop in People's Park Complex, Chinatown
People's Park Complex (aka 珍珠坊) holds a special place in Singapore's history for its groundbreaking architecture. Today it is more known for being an ageing mall that attracts new migrants and older locals. I'm glad Edible Gardens planted their NÓNG pop-up on the 6th floor rooftop there, also bringing farming back to groups that may have grown up with fresh vegetables outside their doors (but abandoned them after moving to urban spaces).

On Thursday 27th February (630pm), the wonderful people of Green Drinks Singapore are hosting "The future of food farming in Singapore" there. 

2. Temporary wine bar by a group of friends who almost takes themselves too seriously
KOT Selections is a group of friends who import wine, and they really mean it when they say "we only import and sell wines we ourselves would drink." If you read the "Philosophy" section of their website, you can tell they are almost too geeky. But that's what I like about them, and it is also why you might want to check out this weekend's "Fantastic Friday + Super Saturday" wine bar. Two nights only. And walking distance from NÓNG!

3. A series of events that invites locals to share meals with migrants
Adrianna says 'why' better herself (Why I'm Hosting Culture Kitchen), so I'm going to focus on the 'what'. The upcoming event on Saturday invites you to learn more about Singapore's Burmese community (Burmese lunch, film screening and tour around Peninsula Plaza). Unfortunately it is sold out. But Peninsula Plaza is there every day!

4. Night cycling safety initiative, with this year's focus being foreign workers
Instead of cursing drivers (or cyclists, depending on your ride), a "motley crew" got together to promote safe night cycling safety. I recently interviewed Su Pei (admin / marketing officer) and was really enlightened by her thoughts on how a healthy relationship between drivers and cyclists should look like. I still suck at cycling though.

See and Be Seen takes place on 8th March, but registrations close this Friday. And if you're picking up your event pack on this Sunday before lunch, see you there!

5. Deeply moving Singapore comic book wins International Manga award
I almost cried reading this comic Ten Sticks and One Rice. Very happy that this amazing comic won some amazing award. They're having a book signing session on Sunday at Kinokuniya.

6. Pork, pork, pork, pork, pork, pork, pork
Seven courses of pork dishes. As Artichoke's chef Bjorn asks, "are you lardcore enough?" Even if you're not into pork, you've got to admit that Rock Out With Your Pork Out (Tue - Wed, 4th - 5th March) is pretty intense, and funny.

7. Where books get reborn
I was a book hoarder before I got my Kindle / iPad mini. Still, I have too many books I've never read again. Hmm, which reminds me, where's my book on the Robert Mondavi wine family? But anyway, there's this great book swap that takes place over beer. I was really amazed I managed to pick up books I wanted, and people really wanted my old books. Economagics!  Their St. Patrick's Day version takes place on Saturday 8th March.

I'm not giving away my "Ten Sticks and One Rice" though, even if I've already read it four times.

(Image credits: Edible Gardens, KOT Selections, Culture Kitchen, See and Be Seen, Epigram Books, Artichoke)

---

This is a personal post, and in case you don't know, I'm part of Peatix (event registration and online ticketing) and here's our list of Singapore events.

---

Personal plug: I'll be speaking on Product Management at 12noon on 7th March Friday (Paypal Singapore, Millenia Tower).

"Fears unfaced become your limits." Robin Sharma

We start fearless as children, but as we mature, we shy away from what we are weak at. Over time, our weaknesses become our limits - out of habit.

Introverts are naturally more averse to networking than extroverts.  But I learned early on as an introvert that avoiding or even looking down on networking is a defence mechanism. We are just denying that networking can be meaningful and powerful - but secretly jealous.

Not that introversion can really be shed. I am still uncomfortable with small talk, and I still feel overextended when I dive into networking events where everyone else seems to already know each other. I still prefer one-on-one conversations and the company of close friends.

Instead, organisations and networking events should help everyone, including introverts, network. Even when an organisation tends to be born from a commonality, like the university you went to or the company you used to work for - its true power is in its diversity.

One big but simple lesson I learned from attending TED Global is - no one came here to be alone. The TED team remarked that there should be no reason you are standing there alone when someone else is pretending to look at a display. No one came here to look at a display either. That simple comment gave me courage to keep initiating conversations.

So I am a firm believer that the event format and organisation structure matter, more so than whether the people within are seasoned networkers or taking their tentative first steps. 

Improving the way networking is done at and between events is the exact topic at Peatix Singapore's next Backstage Pass event on Thursday. It might seem like I am being incredibly biased or sneaky to be writing this, but truth is that the three speakers we have are amazing and truly believe in what they are teaching. And it would be awkward for them to promote themselves, so here goes.

I knew Grace Clapham from TEDx circles four years ago, and everyone who meets her goes away impressed by her passion, sincerity and abilities. In addition to her own projects (like Change Ventur.es), she is always involved in organisations that give back to the community - Creative Mornings, TEDx and more. Like many of the wonderful speakers we have had before, she readily agreed to our invitation for Backstage Pass in spite of her crazy schedule. And she brought in Solonia Teodros, another amazing lady who co-founded community-driven initiatives including The Hawker Sessions and The Feast Worldwide Singapore.

I am very excited that Grace and Solonia will be conducting a hands-on session that teaches you what interactions to "force" to kick things off, and what activities to do to build trust and transfer knowledge.

We found Jonathan Kwan via Audacity 2014, and meeting him just once convinced me that he has lots to share on getting the strategic structure right for organisations so it can grow. One specific example is how it is easy to attract people who are not yet influential but are enthusiastic about your organisation to show up. But they actually want to network with the influential people who might not be as enthusiastic about showing up. Strategic issues like that make a difference to the networking experience, and he has lessons from building his university local alumni community to share.

Everything else is gravy, but look at this gravy: there are already many other interesting, friendly and accomplished people who have already confirmed their attendance. For $15 entry you also a tasting platter of Carribean food and rum punch from Lime House and $30 worth of Spotify credits.

What we learned at Peatix Singapore is that Singaporeans are really last-minute ticket buyers. People scramble right before the event asking us to save some space for them. But don't worry - we provide refunds if something really crops up, and you can always transfer your ticket.  (Get your Backstage Pass tickets here).

"Dogfooding" (i.e. using our own product, or in this case, also organising events) really teaches me what organisers experience. Any organiser would tell you it isn't easy, and is often a humbling experience. But they'll also tell you that the people who come and benefit keeps them going.

On that note, please also come to my talk about Product Management / Community on Friday, March 7th at the Paypal office (Millenia Tower, at lunchtime). Thank you Calvin Cheng (organiser of Hackers and Painters for inviting me).  I don't really like giving talks, but I realised it is an important way of sharing knowledge for the community to grow.

---

Read more »

Xiaomi, China's answer to Apple and Samsung, is supposed to debut in Singapore (and South East Asia) with their Redmi (Hongmi 红米 in Chinese) this Friday, 21st February.

The price of $169 is within reach (or Singaporeans have proven willing to spend beyond their means for mobile phones), and what's more - without any annoying contract!

With two days to go, it has been surprisingly quiet. Yes, the Xiaomi Singapore Facebook Page already has 7.6k fans, but this is the same company that claims "为发烧而生“, literally "Living on a feverish passion." And this is the company that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak supposedly endorsed. The flash-sale of Hongmi in Taiwan saw 10,000 phones snapped up in less than 10 minutes. In Hong Kong it took only 36 seconds.

And Xiaomi / Hongmi are still trending in Hong Kong / Taiwan on Google. So why not Singapore? I'm curious to know. 

Xiaomi's China website is more like a Amazon, packed with text and images (the way the Chinese like it, although I'm sure more restrained than usual). Xiaomi's English site is definitely Apple - very minimal. The Hong Kong and Taiwan sites are in between. And Xiaomi Singapore is definitely more of the Apple look. 

And that makes sense - Xiaomi picked Singapore not only as the South East Asia launch and also the first English-speaking market. I'm sticking with my iPhone, but still very curious to see where this goes.

---

Read more »

A surprise of the "L" themed wine party Li Jen and I hosted near Valentine's Day was that the first two bottles were both Muscadet (a French white wine).

The first bottle, "Lobster & Shrimp" from the Barton & Guestier Pairing Collection, was part of the half dozen we bought before our NTUC Fairprice Just Wine Club membership expires. Based on the label, we wanted to serve it with a garlicky, umami-bomb dish of fried shell-on sakura prawn, like the version who had at Al Cicchetto. Al Cicchetto is a lovely tiny Taiwanese spot serving Italian small plates, in the Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei. That was where Li Jen and I had dinner when we visited for TEDxTaipei in 2012 - and we returned in 2013. That dish captured the mood of those nights where we chatted about the wonderful talks we had listened to the whole day, in a cramped but utterly charming restaurant.

Unfortunately we couldn't get the right prawns, so the only seafood pairing was with herring. I realise now that I'm one of the only Singaporeans I know who enjoys herring. And herring didn't quite match that wine.

"You're a kind person - how can you eat animals?" My friend was completely earnest with his question.

I was stumped. I check all the boxes to be a Vegetarian:

1. Yes I believe that industrial meat production is cruel (and I care about animals)
2. I believe that a vegetarian diet is better for my body (and I care about my body)
3. I believe that a vegetarian diet is better for the environment (and I give a damn about the environment)
4. I can cook vegetarian and I know where to buy vegetarian food I like
5. My mother is a vegetarian and a hippie (and well, I care about my mom)

So at the start of 2014, I declared to myself I was going to be a Vegetarian on Wednesdays. I realised that even though I eat vegetarian food regularly, I didn't quite understand what the experience of being identified as a Vegetarian.

It turns out that once you tell people that you're a Vegetarian, you lose all other characteristics - they see you as if you tattooed VEGETARIAN on your forehead.  The conversations around you, especially near or during meal times, suddenly revolve solely around vegetarianism.  The good is that people are curious, sensitive and increasingly aware. And the discussions increase the awareness further.

The bad is - don't we have anything else to talk about?  Why is it such a big deal?

How does it feel like to be a Vegetarian? I guess I don't have the full answer as I'm still really struggling - it is way more convenient (and socially accepted in Singapore) to eat "everything / anything". I still like eating meat. The best I'm doing so far is to consciously reduce the amount of meat I eat, veto going for meat buffets - or at least opt out.

I guess being a Vegetarian feels like being part of any other group that is not the default, the mainstream or the dominant. As a tall, young, "free thinker", Chinese, straight, omnivorous, white-collar male in Singapore, being a Vegetarian, even for a day, reminds me that life is often so easy for me.

---

Read more »

I rented a simultaneous translation headset for this 8 hour play in Chinese, out of worry that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the language. And I thought I might become bored.  "A Dream Like A Dream (如梦之梦)" turned out to be the best performance my wife and I have ever seen - and we didn't ever need the headset.

The play is classified as "Chinese" but that's like calling Oxford-born, Japan-residing writer Pico Iyer "Indian".  Key scenes take place in a tiny apartment in Paris, a Chateau in Normandy, a train on its way to the UK and a hospital ward in Taipei.  In between, characters fly through time and space.

At these moments I'm particularly grateful to my secondary school education in Chinese and specifically in Chinese music. During our insecure high school days, being part of the Chinese Orchestra was terribly uncool - not only was the music outdated, China was, after all,the place our families left, for a better life in Singapore. My education gave me the courage to appreciate things without caring for whether they are considered cool.

But sometimes I wish I went deeper. I'm catching Singapore Chinese Orchestra's performance "Dream of the Red Mansion Suite" in two weeks, and realise that although I know the songs by heart, I barely know the novel well.  Almost like not knowing the details of Romeo and Juliet.

I'm also incredibly curious where China is headed. Other than reading external voices of the Economist, New Yorker and Guardian, I try to catch a glimpse based on what's popular in China.  Reading the trashy bestseller "Tiny Times" and watching "I am a Singer."  But maybe it is time for a trip to China, after 16 years.  When I was last in Beijing, it was still filled with bicycles.

Memberships always appear like good deals. The NTUC Fairprice wine club - $20 a year gets you 8% off wine at any Fairprice supermarket and invitations to wine tastings and pairing dinners. And I have Fairprice Finest within walking distance from home and work.

But supermarkets stock only wines from the giant corporates. Jacob's Creek, Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Banrock Station, Hardys, Lindemans, Wyndham Estate - safe and boring wines.

I tried it anyway.  No surprise - the wine club is poor value for buying everyday bottles. Put another way, paying $20 for 8% discount means discounts start only after $250.  With so many alternatives, how many of us want to be tied to one place? The same brands are stocked at Duty-Free, while Wine Connection offers cheap Chileans and Australians too.

Doesn't help that the wine tastings are almost as expensive for members as non-members.

Not everything is bad though:

• The bottles are in good condition - they were stored / transported with care, unlike Denise / Straits Wine
• Some of the branches, particularly the Finest versions, have wine sections large enough to include smaller vineyards
• As the dominant supermarket chain here, Fairprice can offer deep, loss-leading discounts

To make myself feel like I made better use of my card (ugh, another classic pitfall of memberships), I bought half a dozen bottles today.

One of the gems I returned to buy is the Ashbrook Estate Cabernet Merlot 2008 ($26 SGD after discounts). There are claims that Margaret River is similar in climate to Bordeaux, and this claret is the classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc - Petit Verdot.  Being able to buy a ready-to-drink 2008 vintage off the shelf is a joy.  Most being sold are 2012s - way too young to be drunk. And I'm way too lazy to stash away.

This bottle is worth cellaring, but there's already plenty of bouquet to smell, layers of berries to taste and structure structure that lingers for just long enough.  

It makes me think of hosting a wine and cheese party soon.

---

Read this next:
L for Loire Valley, M for Muscadet
A surprise of the "L" themed wine party Li Jen and I hosted near Valentine's Day was that the first two bottles were both Muscadet (a French white wine).

The first bottle, "Lobster & Shrimp" from the Barton & Guestier Pairing Collection, continue reading...

---

Suggested reading: Not Brown Brothers Moscato - Then What?

On its launch day, Facebook's news reader app Paper averaged 4.5 stars over almost 3,000 ratings - amazing results since Facebook has previously been consistently criticised for new features.

One reason is that Paper provides an additional option but doesn't replace an older feature or app version.  People scream (understandably) when they can't stick to their old ways. In this case, there's simply a new toy to play with.  The core Facebook app still works like it did yesterday.

I learned a lot about user reactions when rolling out the new Subtitle Editor and Segment Timer apps at Viki.  Even though the new apps were designed to be more intuitive and friendlier to beginners, we knew that tutorials were important.  We considered integrating tutorials into the apps, or splitting out a trial version to be an interactive tutorial.  In the end, because we didn't want to weigh down an already heavy app and wanted to launch + iterate faster, we used a video tutorial and contextual clues like tooltips, help modal windows and colours.

So I'm particularly impressed that Facebook had the time, resources and commitment to incorporate a truly interactive and contextual tutorial into the Paper app.  It isn't just the usual walkthrough when you launch the app for the first time (e.g. Gmail mobile app's).  Thinking that people will learn or bother learning from swiping through tutorial screens the first time they launch your app is like believing people read manuals before powering up their new gadgets.

People simply skip manuals.  They only return to it when they mess up.

So Paper's time and context dependent "coach marks" coupled with GPS-like voice instructions are excellent.  They even affirm you when you've completed the right action.

It is also a sign of humility - that the team behind it knows that even Facebook can't afford to lose users from frustration.  They had to make swiping the cover image lead to a different section (probably makes more money for Facebook) while doing more to make sure users understand that non-intuitive interaction / experience.  Observing my wife use my Paper app for the first time (the tutorial only showed me since it only shows once) indicates that the default expectation of swiping the cover image is that it moves you to the next story.

Read more »

My years at Singapore Airlines taught me that it is easy to either be a “yes man” or say what you mean to say, but too aggressively.

Managers who lack confidence love colleagues who agree with them - very humanly so.  In big corporations too many choose what is less painful (seek consensus, disagree behind the back) than what is right for the firm (challenge outdated beliefs of senior experienced people, accept alternative views professionally, not take it personally).

At the same time, frustrated upstart employees find it easy to protest, self-righteously.  I’ve walked out of a 50-people meeting because it was clearly so unproductive, sending a message - too bluntly.

I’ve since wondered where the balance is - both when managing and being managed.  Essentially, how to say what you mean to say?

This is even more critical when I moved to web startups, where speed and trust can make or break a product.

Heavily inspired by John Maeda’s “Four Rules" and the book "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, I’ve decided it is best for me to be forthright, but respectfully.  Not making someone look bad or feel insulted is important if you want that person to understand and internalise what you just said instead of rejecting it.  And see why you said it.  

Being honest is actually a form of respect, but only when you make it so - being honest is also an art.

Image: x1brett (Flickr)

Read more »