Acupuncture Point Massage [Feb - Apr 2016]

With the launch of SkillsFuture, I started looking through the list of courses which are being covered by it. One of the courses provider is PA. Only a small percentage of courses by PA are covered by SkillsFuture. The rest of the courses are not. But I noticed there are several interesting courses being offered by PA, and the course fees are not as exorbitant as the private providers.

I made a list of courses which I would like to sign up for. One of it is the Acupuncture Point Massage, which are held in several community center. It cost $110 (without PA membership) or $98 (with PA membership). The center which starts the earliest and which is convenient to me in terms of time and location is at Bishan CC.

There have a free introduction course on the 15 Feb which I signed up for it. And it is followed by the 6 formal classes which run from 7.30pm to 9.30pm every Monday.

The trainer is TCM doctor Mr. Liu.

The course I signed up for is actually part 2 of the Acupuncture Point Massage. There is no per-requisite to Part 1 or Part 2. 

The first method we learnt is Gua Sha (刮痧) . It is a method of using a special comb-like tool to rub against our skin to stimulate blood circulation in that area. 

The second method we learnt is Ai Jiu (艾灸). It involves using a herbal stick to warm different parts of our body. As the herbal stick has smoke generated, we had the activity outdoors.

The last 3 lessons cover the different veins that link to our body 5 main organs (心肝脾肺肾). There are many applications of massaging the different veins for health purpose.

In our last lesson, we had a group photo below. 

The entire 7 lessons are interesting. It offers a perspective into Traditional Chinese Medicine. One of the most memorable period is when the teacher directly show each of us the veins and apply pressure to it.

One of the main takeaway from the course is the importance of having a healthy body, especially to have more regular exercise. There are several healthy practices such as not having heavy meals at night, sleeping early and watching our diet.

I'm not continuing with Part 1 of the course as I find myself not incline towards the study of medicine.

Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S Grove

 
This is my first completed book from the online national library. There are pros and cons to reading on a tablet as compared to a printed book. It's easy to bring a tablet anywhere and just start reading it. But it feels different from reading on a paper-printed background. It took me 5 days to complete it - while waiting and during my daily morning commute.

The title is something which I strongly agree with. In this fast-changing modern economy, only those who are constantly evolving, on the look out for changes - befitting of a paranoia character will survive.

The book is mainly on how Intel evolve over the decades to be a leader in microprocessor business. The main concept it convey is the 'Strategic Inflection Point' which we need to keep a lookout for. It mentioned about the 6 different forces that will affect business and the 10X force which is something will change the playing field altogether.

The computer industry is used to illustrate the strategic inflection point - on how it evolve from a vertically integrated industry to more horizontally integrated.

At the end of the book, it brings the topic closer to us by mentioning that 'Your career is your business'. We have to keep a lookout for strategic inflection point ourselves.

Do Over by Jon Acuff

Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck wrote the sub-title by Jon Acuff.

The title to this book caught my attention. Perhaps Jon Acuff could give me new insight on how I can perceive my work.

In his introduction piece, he related on how his neighbor Nate lost his job on a Friday. The people liked Nate, and he was great at his job, hitting his numbers for 8 years in a big company. But things changed and his role was no longer needed.

What happen if career ceiling starts coming in? The few options available include:
1) Getting a job at another company (delay tactics)
2) Doing a job that you do not want to do (becoming worst off)
3) Play along and die inside as long as you remain in the company (reality for most)

We all have this career repository known as the Career Savings Account. In it there are 4 elements (relationships, skills, character, hustle) where Jon explained in greater detail throughout the book.

1) Relationships
One of my take-away from the relationships segment is to continue to maintain good relationships with people we meet in our life. It can be from our school days, our ex-colleagues, people we met in professional or interest groups. It's good practice to keep in contact with them every though many people may be busy with their family or careers. In our relationship, there are some which we can regard them to be our mentor (advocate) in our career.

After reading this piece, I looked through my phone contact and started messaging some of my good old friends which I have not contacted more than a year.

2) Skills
Jon started by explaining on some key invisible skills such as the below:
Main:
1) Go to work, showing up on time
2) Adding value
3) Own your attitude
Others:
A) Exceed expectations
B) Be diplomatic
C) Express gratefulness
D) Show consideration for others
E) Focus on what matters (quality of work)
F) Play to your strengths and everyone else
G) Be flexible (environment)
H) Respect their gear (gadgets)
I) Continue your education

When we want to develop new skills, is it out of necessity of curiosity. It is at this point of the book where I started to think through the skills which I need to do my job better. Two necessity skills pop into my mind, they are 'Change Management' and 'Knowledge Management'. I immediately made my way to the library to borrow books on it. And moving forward, I will be attending a course on Acupuncture Pressure which is something of a curiosity learning for my side.

To develop new skill, the following need to be in place: Time, money, gear, access to experts and knowledge. Knowledge can be obtained from the library or the internet. But time maybe something which working professional may find lacking. There's two way in identifying time. One is a macro perspective of looking at our calendar year/month and setting aside time for learning. The second is the micro perspective where we look at the days and hours where we can squeeze out time for learning.

If we look at our time, we will realize we can get time from activities that are requesting resources without providing anything in return - such as Facebook, online gaming, watching TV, etc.

3) Character
He mentioned some typical bad character traits such as narcissism, dishonesty, pessimism, apathy. Good character includes generosity (which creates loyalty), empathy (how do we make people around bigger), being present (manage phone, computer and meetings).

The character portion is something that is linked to morality and an individual value system. For those with religion, their character are often guided by beliefs.

4) Hustle

Last is working hard. It means putting effort on our Relationships, Skills and Character. But do note that there are seasons to hustling. There are good times to hustle and certain times to not hustle. We have to be flexible on our dreams as we hustle. As we acquire more skills, strengthen our character and develop our relationships, we start to know our dreams better. It is important to note that focus important. As such, sometimes doing less is better.

Understanding HR in the new economy

During my final year in NUS, we have to take this new module called "Understanding HR in the new economy". This module left quite a deep imprint on me that up till today, I still remember it vividly. One of the main focus of this module is on the new economy and how we need to adapt to this new economy.

In there it mentioned that we need to accept changes to change our individual paradigm. It includes:
- Adaptable (Be prepared for changes)
- Multi-skilled (Transferable competencies, Specific job skills, Career development skills)
- Continuous learning
- Emotional Intelligence (Interpersonal skills, teamwork)
- Self-pace and self-discipline
- Resilient (To recover quickly from misfortune)

It also mentioned to accept organization changes which includes the below:
- Business structures
  - Intellectual changes (Knowledge as a competitive advantage)
  - Virtual organizations (Strategic alliances, outsourcing, contingent workforce)
  - Organizational learning
  - Focus on customer perceived value of products and services

- Management philosophy
  - Knowledge management (Information as a product on its own right)
  - Organizing around teams (Shared vision, social synergy, team learning)
  - New employment relationships (Core employees, contingent workers)

Singapore just recovered from the Asian Financial Crisis (1997), dot.com bubble burst (2001) and SARS (2003). Through this module, we were inculcated with a mindset that job stability is a thing of the past. To survive in this new economy, we have to keep learning and providing value to the organization.

It mentioned one can have many jobs in a life-time but have only one career. In the past, there used to be linear progression of upward promotions along predictable career path. There is a clear distinction between work and non-work roles. Now in modern days, we have reached a boundaryless-career which can span countries, industries, companies and professions. Individuals will go through a period of learning, unlearning and relearning over and over again. We have to take responsibility for our own career futures.

It includes:
- Knowing-why (career motivation, personal meaning and identification)
- Knowing-how (job skills, job-related experience, education)
- Knowing-whom (networks of people)

The new career is about building a self-designed career. We develop our career capital and establish a portfolio of skills by continuous learning. It is essential to be flexible and adaptable in accepting/expecting frequent job changes (high mobility).

This new career and economy arises because of the information technology revolution. Computers and networking technologies brought about this change. 

Reading

Reading is often the best approach towards lifelong learning. You can read anywhere and anytime at your convenience.

I read an article recently on how many successful entrepreneurs spent their free time reading. It came as a pleasant surprise and it also serve as a reminder to myself that lifelong learning is not just about attending courses.

Here are some of the books recommended by them:
- Bill Gates
- Mark Zuckerberg

Learning in the evening (生命的三分之一)

I always remember this particular article from my Secondary 4 Chinese textbook - 燕山夜话一篇文章 : 生命的三分之一. The article source is here.

　　一个人的生命究竟有多大意义，这有什么标准可以衡量吗？提出一个绝对的标准当然很困难；但是，大体上看一个人对待生命的态度是否严肃认真，看他对待劳动、工作等等的态度如何，也就不难对这个人的存在意义做出适当的估计了。
　　古来一切有成就的人，都很严肃地对待自己的生命，当他活着一天，总要尽量多劳动、多工作、多学习、不肯虚度年华，不让时间白白地浪费掉。我国历代的劳动人民以及大政治家、大思想家等等都莫不如此。
　　班固写的《汉书》《食货志》上有下面的记载：“冬，民既入；妇人同巷，相从夜绩，女工一月得四十五日。”
　　这几句读都来很奇怪，怎么一月能有四十五天呢？再看原文底下颜师古做了注解，他说：“一月之中，又得夜半为十五日，共四十五日。”
　　这就很清楚了。原来我国的古人不但比西方各国的人更早地懂得科学地、合理地计算劳动日；而且我们的古人老早就知道对于日班和夜班的计算方法。
　　一个月本来只有三十天，古人把每个夜晚的时间算做半日，就多了十五天。从这个意义上说来，夜晚的时间实际上不就等于生命的三分之一吗？
　　对于这三分之一的生命，不但历代的劳动人民如此重视，而且有许多大政治家也十分重视。班固在《汉书》《刑法》里还写道：
　　“秦始皇躬操文墨，昼断狱，夜理书。”
　　有的人一听说秦始皇就不喜欢他，其实秦始皇毕竟是中国历史上的一个伟大人物、班固对他也还有一些公平的评价。
　　这里写的是秦始皇在夜间看书学习的情形。
　　据刘向的《说苑》所载，春秋战国时有许多国君都很注意学习。如：
　　“晋平公问于师旷曰：吾年七十，欲学恐已暮矣。师旷曰：何不炳烛乎？”
　　在这里，师旷劝七十岁的晋平公点灯夜读，拚命抢时间，争取这三分之一的生命不至于继续浪费，这种精神多么可贵啊！
　　《北史》《吕思礼传》记述这个北周大政治家生平勤学的情形是：
　　“虽务兼军国，而手不释卷。昼理政事，夜即读书，令苍头执烛，烛烬夜有数升。”
　　光是烛灰一夜就有几升之多，可见他夜读何等勤奋了。象这样的例子还有很多。
　　为什么古人对于夜晚的时间都这样重视，不肯轻轻放过呢？我认为这就是他们对待自己生命的三分之一的严肃认真态度，这正是我们所应该学习的。
　　我之所以想利用夜晚的时间，向读者同志们做这样的谈话，目的也不过是要引起大家注意珍惜这三分之一的生命，使大家在整天的劳动、工作以后，以轻松的心情，领略一些古今有用的知识而已。

Since ancient times, successful people always give their best in work and continue to learn. They do not waste their time aimlessly. It is recorded in the book of history that people worked 30 days in a month. If the evening time is well-spent, they will have 45 days available. This is based on the assumption that a day of work is 8 hours. If the evening is well-spent, they have half a day more (4 hours more). This gives our life an additional 50% more time. There are many examples of great leaders who spent their evenings reading and studying. In this way, life becomes more fulfilling.

Certified Six Sigma Black Belt [Aug - Dec 2015]

Why CSSBB with SQI

Even though I have been trained in Lean and Six Sigma by my company, I have been seeking a different experience on Six Sigma from a different delivery method. A quick search online will show many private institutions offering courses on Six Sigma in Singapore. Accreditation is important for Six Sigma courses. Globally, the two main bodies accrediting Six Sigma is either the Certified Six Sigma Black Belt by the American Society of Quality (ASQ) or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt by the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC).

Typically for US companies (including my company), they recognize ASQ certifications more. And in Singapore, the main local chapter is the Singapore Quality Institute (SQI). Back in May 2015 when I tried to get more information Six Sigma courses with SQI, I find the website was not very well updated and the location of the institute was located at West Coast Recreation Center. I had a chance to meet up with the Marketing Manager and the Course Coordinator to understand more about the Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) course.

One of the reason why I have decided on the CSSBB course with SQI is:
- The lecturers looked very experienced. Just by simple observation, I can tell they have decades of experience behind them.
- Local context examples which is more applicable in Singapore and Asia context (compared to US)
- Long-running course which is now into its 20th intake
- Strong vigor in learning and application - there's an exams element as well as project mentoring. Throughout the course, we will get to understand many fundamentals which textbooks or companies do not teach us.
- Part-time schedule. I do not have to be away from work to take a 4-weeks full-time course.
- It is the cheapest Six Sigma course. The course fee was around $4,700 in all for members. I am self-sponsoring for the course so this is also taken into consideration.

Class in context

I signed up for the CSSBB 20th intake class as I will be in Singapore between the period of August to November. There were 9 students in the class, and we came from different industry: ranging from finance, logistics, sales and manufacturing.

The classes were held 3 times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday 7pm - 10pm over 36 lessons. It spanned over a 3 months period. We have to meet at least 70% course attendance. As a student, I will say the schedule is pretty intensive and all of us have to forgo any leisure, family or friends time over the 3 months period. Happy hour on Friday is also gone due to class.

Below is a class in progress with our course coordinator Mr Too. He put in a lot of efforts to explain the complex terms in easy to understand structure. The other course lecturers are Mr Teo, Ms Thia and Timothy. 

Learning about Six Sigma


For those who are new to Six Sigma, I will summarize what is Six Sigma below. It is both an improvement strategy that companies can adopt as well as a structured problem solving method. The structured method is the Define - Measure - Analyze - Improve - Control steps. And in each of the steps, there are many tools and methods that people can use to solve problems systematically. Central to Six Sigma are the many statistical tools that Six Sigma folks use to problem solve. Typically Six Sigma training also cover Lean tools and methods. The SQI CSSBB course also cover that.

The SQI CSSBB course touches and explain on the statistical concepts and applications very deeply. This is critical to understand the core tools of six sigma well. 

Compared to the Six Sigma training I received in my company, I find the delivery method by the local lecturers are amazing. The lecturers frequently challenge our knowledge and ideas, and the lessons are peppered with many interesting examples and stories.

Secondly, as the students come from different industries, there are many things to share and talk about in class. I will say the 3 months intensive period is very well spent learning from the lecturers and fellow students.

We also have several hands on session such as FMEA, playing with Catapult (as seen below) and learning how to use Minitab for Statistical analysis.

Shifting to new premises

Towards early November 2015, SQI started the shift of its premises to Peace Center (picture below). We were one of the first group of students to attend classes at the new SQI center. The location is definitely much better compared to Clementi. The vicinity is more vibrant as it is right smack in the city center.

Preparing for exams

As we have a 3 weeks break in between the relocation, as well as a 2 weeks break after our final class, we were all geared up towards our final exams on the 19 Dec (Saturday). The exams has 2 parts to it: First part is 70 MCQ 1 hr 30mins and second part is 7 long questions 3 hours. It has got to be one of the more vigorous exams I have taken these few years since graduation. The exams will be marked by NUS lecturers and the results will be release to us by post 6 weeks later.

Mr Too constantly reminded us to have group study for our exams. Our batch started quite late, only 1.5 months before the exams as the weekly study really drained our energy. There are several advantages to group studies:
1) Sharing of exams questions and resources - when all 9 of us started coming together, we shared all the six sigma resources we have from ASQ sample exams, to textbooks and so on.
2) Discussion and clarification - the discussion and clarification helps to level our understanding. Someone will raise a topic and everyone will learn from the discussion.
3) Chance to have fast food - it is during the study sessions where we have fast food. Our group of 9 is split into 2 locations: Joo Koon Fairprice Hub and Nanyang Polytechnic. The areas to study at Fairprice Hub are the fast food outlets and Nanyang Poly are the study benches (with McDonalds near by).
4) Fun - it's just plain fun. Everyone chatting about different topics - on different industries, job opportunities, life and so on.

According to a classmate, the final exams is mirrored closely to the Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook by Kubiak. 

Celebrations

After the exams, we went down to Plaza Singapura for celebration lunch. Below is a photo of us celebrating.

 
We are not yet CSSBB certified. Next we will have to work on a Black Belt project and write a report for submission and presentation.