While my friend had just returned from a grueling series of med school interviews, I was able to experience life on the other side of the table as a judge for the Stanford Book Prize. It was one of my most mind-expanding experiences on the island, giving me new information both about Singapore society and my own psychology. There was too much too include in a single blog post, so I would welcome follow-up comments or e-mails.
At first I was struck by the apparent lack of correlation between how the applicants wrote and how they communicated in person. Some applicants were quite expressive and made the half hour seem likes a couple minutes, whereas we suffered through long, awkward pauses with others. Several of the judges mentioned how the quality of spoken English has declined over the years in favor of "Singlish" (best described as think in Chinese, speak in English, lah). I was fascinated by how one applicant could be so eloquent despite a relatively strong accent while another could struggle to convey his thoughts, despite going through an English education system.
Over the course of the day, I also learned more about the Singaporean education system. The country appears to be undergoing an educational bonanza. The American school has a long waiting list, in addition to a rather pricey tuition. The top private schools are less expensive, but parents often need to supplement with tutors (sometimes multiple ones for different subjects). These private tutors can earn $100 per hour, so many grad students can double their salary by spending their weekends giving private lessons. The number of schools is also on the rise, although a recent expose showed that the educational credentials of the principals and teachers in many of these institutions are somewhat dubious.
If I had to pick the most valuable lesson from the experience, it would be "don't be comfortable." This doesn't hold true while talking with interviewers (in that case, it's important to at least appear comfortable), but it's a good guideline for other areas of life. One of the judges told several of the applicants how college is the best time of your life to challenge your deeply-held beliefs and philosophies. One of the unique strengths of the American higher education system is the ability to pursue a liberal arts education before settling into a career-specific track and I deeply regret not taking more advantage of this (although, in spite of what I've told others, I do realize that at 23 I'm still young). Without leaving one's comfort zone, it's easy to become boring. This particular judge picked his degree at Stanford by avoiding what "boring" people were doing, the Amateur Gourmet's main advice to other bloggers is don't be boring, Nobel-laureate James Watson wrote a book titled Avoid Boring People, Dean Karnazes follows a philosophy of pushing the envelop of his comfort zone (which involves running several hundred miles at a time), people in developed countries can have all the material comforts and still feel unfulfilled...I think I see a pattern.
By spending so much time on my own in Singapore, I worry about subconsciously seeking comfort and becoming boring, so any suggestions to avoid such a tragic fate would be greatly appreciated.
naveen, i would just love to point you to numerous examples where you could have broken your comfort zone but didn't, but then i see you as one of the more adventurous people i know. you blogging from singapore evidences this. your vegetarian conversion to omnivore reconversion further does.
so i don't know how much there is to offer... perhaps just monitor yourself. when you start feeling itchy because you've done x for the last few nights, do something different. let me know if you find an 'answer', too!
Posted by: john | March 09, 2008 at 08:57 AM