ADB May - Association of Dutch Businessmen

Special Edition:
May 2005
MITA 373/03/2001
Creativity
in Singapore

PROLOGUE
On 18 April we had a very successful event centered around Jochum Haakma,
consul-general for the Netherlands in Shanghai. Following a dinner (cum lecture) with
the China cluster, Jochum impressed the more than 70 participants in the main hall
with anecdotes, facts (many facts!) as well as quite a few myths on the subject of
doing business in China. You can read more in our June edition.
Bram Steenks
Our next events will be a presentation by Organon’s Taco van Tiel in the Hollandse Club
on 17 May, followed by a barbeque on Sentosa Island early June. You will be invited for
these events in the usual way.
As we announced last month, Nick van Holstein has left the board (and Singapore) and
I am happy to report that Remco Muzerie has offered to join the board with immediate
effect. You will find his photo below.
There will also be some changes in the editorial committee for the ADB Magazine.
Sascha Roosen will leave as chief editor after no less than 5 years of service. She will be
succeeded by Wieteke Dijkxhoorn, who has recently arrived in Singapore.
In addition Dorien Knaap and Walter Moone will leave the committee. I would like to
thank the leaving committee members for their contribution to make the ADB Magazine
into such a high quality periodical, month after month.
The theme for this month is “creativity”. An issue that is more and more debated within
Singapore, as many perceive that there is a lack of it. You can read how the Singapore
government is making significant investments to stimulate creativity and you will find
interesting articles on development of creativity, e.g. in education, arts & theatre etc.
I wish you a few pleasant and insightful moments with this month’s ADB Magazine!
Best regards,
Bram Steenks
Charlotte Ruegg Remco Muzerie Ruud Lantinga
Jeroen Keunen
Frans van de Bospoort
Wim Samlal
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

A monthly publication of the
Association of Dutch Businessmen
ADB BOARD
Bram Steenks
President
Frans van de BospoortVice-President
Charlotte Ruegg Honorary Secretary
Wim Samlal
Honorary Treasurer
Jeroen Keunen
Member
Ruud Lantinga
Member
Remco Muzerie
Member
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Sascha Roosen
Jeroen de Koning
Dorien Knaap
Brigitte Velema
Lineke van Nederpelt
Michael van Ommeren
Wieteke Dijkxhoorn
Barry Doesburg
Wil Kolen
SECRETARIAT
Lineke van Nederpelt
Mailing Address:
c/o 22 Camden Park, Singapore 299814
Telephone: 9101 6201
email: adb@pacific.net.sg
Website : www.adb.org.sg
Email : webmaster@adb.org.sg
Contents
PROLOGUE 1
REVIEW
Visit P&O Nedlloyd Houtman 3
CREATIVITY
Creativity: activity on the right side 5
Economic contributions of Singapore’s
creative industries 6
Montessori - a child’s best start in life? 11
Singapore’s education system & creativity 14
PhotoReading: absorbing information at
25,000 words per minute 16
Creativity development & character building
in Singapore - A three-in-one interview 19
Renaissance City
Culture and the Arts in Renaissance Singapore 23
Riding bicycles or driving Rolls Royces:
the creation of Singapore Broadway 26
DUTCH NEWS 28
Editorial contributions for the next issue
may be sent or handed over to the ADB
Secretariat, before or on the day of the
monthly ADB meeting. The contents of
this magazine are partly based on information
received from third parties. The
Committee does not take responsibility
for the correctness of the articles.
POP & DROP A QUESTION
Chances and challenges 32
BIZZ AGENDA 35
CREATIVE WEB WIZARDS 36
Creativity the Dutch way
Get inspired!
Subscription/member fee: 100 S$ yearly.
Registration at the ADB Secretariat.
Online Creativity
Pretty Pictures
Produced by MCN Creative Associates Pte Ltd
Printed by Khoo Sun Printing Pte Ltd
MITA 373/03/2001
EMBASSY INFO 38
ASSOCIATION INFO 39
2
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

REVIEW
Visit P&O Nedlloyd Houtman
By Lineke van Nederpelt
Introduction
On the 29th of March we were warmly welcomed
by Mr Paul Hoogwaerts, General Manager of
P&O Nedlloyd Singapore (PONL) at his impressive
office at Harbour Front Place. Paul gave a brief
introduction of PONL and a presentation on ship
planning. After this interesting explanation, we all
drove by bus from the office through the terminal
to the vessel, and there she was ... the impressive
m/v “P&O Nedlloyd Houtman” waiting for us to
explore.
P&O Nedlloyd (Singapore)
Every commodity that fits in a box, or not even
fits in a box, can be transported by PONL from
either ‘Port to Port’ or ‘Door to Door’ or any
combination thereof. PONL is one of the largest
main container liner companies in the world and
operates the following routes:
• East/West: Transpacific, Europe-Asia, Trans
Atlantic, Middle East, Indian Trades
• North/South: Europe-Australia/New Zealand,
Europe-Africa, Europe-Latin America
• Cross Trades: Asia-Australia/New Zealand, Asia-
Africa, Asia-Latin America, Intra Asia.
Almost 150 origin countries worldwide are
served. There are globally 82 different trade lines
with fixed day, weekly sailings and 25 own services
from Singapore.
To give you some more figures: the fleet of
PONL consists of 154 ships with a cargo capacity of
in total 416.000 teu (teu = twenty feet equivalent
unit). In 2004 4 million teu were carried. PONL has
845.000 teu container boxes in various sizes and
types (standard 20 and 40 feet, flat racks and open
top) and 55.000 teu in reefer capacity (temperature
controlled and atmosphere controlled containers).
The container market is very fragment. Almost
every trade route has approximately 25 competitors.
Overall, PONL has approximately 5.6% market share
(for comparison, Maersk - the largest container
company - has approximately 12% share). In terms
of total teu capacity, PONL is the third largest
container liner in the world after Maersk and
MSC, but bigger than CMA CGM and Evergreen.
PONL is part of the so called “Grand Alliance”
together with NYK/MISC/OOCL/Hapag Lloyd. PONL
differentiates itself in clear documentation, global
reach, value added logistics services and a suite
of e-commerce products.
P&O Nedlloyd Singapore has three main
functions:
• Local and Regional Sales (local market,
Japanese offshore based in Singapore, traders
(oil, spices, etc) and MNC’s with regional
headquarter in Singapore.
• Responsibility for agencies in Philippines, Indo
China and Papua New Guinea
• Transhipment operation for PONL globally
(local discharging and loading), hub and spoke
(from mainline to feeder vv), inter-line (from
mainline to mainline)
Ship planning
In Singapore the transhipment per day totals close
to 6000 teu moves, 5-8 mainline ship calls and 17
feeder ship calls. The coordination of transhipment
in Singapore is done by PONL’s local office.
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

REVIEW
Container shipping is a logistic service
and hence planning is key. As a ship operator
you do not want to end up in a situation
whereby you have to discharge a specific
container for a certain port location and this
container is at the very bottom of the ship with a
stack of 14 containers on top of it! The Singapore
ship planning is the department looking
after the vessels in the Easter Hemisphere;
they do the planning of containers on
board. Parameters are: 1) maintaining the
advertised schedule 2) optimal space
planning 3) stick to agreed berthing windows,
4) optimize crane distribution, 5) ensure
stability and safe stowage during voyage
and 6) maximize economics of the ship.
P&O Nedlloyd Houtman
Also at the P&O Nedlloyd Houtman we were
warmly welcomed by Captain Mr. Vriens and his
(Dutch) officers.
The P&O Nedlloyd Houtman is one of the largest
container vessels of the P&O Nedlloyd fleet (the
biggest one being the PONL Mondrian with a
capacity of 8450 TEU). The vessel is named after a
famous Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman who
was born in 1540. He, together with his brother,
successfully explored a route to the East, and
set-up a flourishing trade in spices, together with
his brother
The vessel has recently changed from traveling
between USA and the Far East to the Europe Asia
service. She has a service speed of 24.5 knots (=45
km per hour). When the ship is fully loaded, she
has a weight of over 1,000,000,000 kilograms and
carries about 6800 (twenty feet) containers. The
length of the ship is 299.99 meters and is 43 meters
breadth. The height from the keel to the top of
the mast is 60 meters.
This modern vessel is equipped with the ‘state
of the art’ technology. Navigation equipment is all
computerised, and therefore one man is able to
sail this large vessel whilst at open sea. From the
bridge, the officer can control the whole vessel,
including the engine room.
The Master is in command of the vessel, with
the Chief Engineer Officer by his side. Being a fully
integrated vessel, all officers are fully operational
in both the navigational
as technical department.
Total crew is 25 only!
The engine used for the
propulsion is a Sulzer RTA 96c,
one of the largest engines in the world. It has a
power of 65,800 kilowatt, which is comparible with
750 Porsches Turbo. The engine is 23 meters long,
13 meter high and weighs over a million kilograms.
It has 12 cylinders with a diameter of about 1 meter
each. Each piston moves up and own 2.5 meter
while the engine is running. If at full speed, it
consumes about 250,000 liters of fuel every day!
For electric power the vessels has generators,
which can produce 15 megawatt, enough for
300,000 houses.
The officers gave an extensive tour of the vessel
including the bridge and engine room. A traditional
‘rijsttafel’ was kindly offered by PONL.
On behalf of all participants we thank Paul,
Captain Vriens and his staff for giving us the
opportunity to learn and see more about this key
industry for both The Netherlands and Singapore.
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
Creativity: activity on the right side
By Wil Kolen
The
uncreative
mind can spot
wrong
answers, but
it takes a very
creative mind
to spot wrong
questions.
Anthony Jay
What is, or how can we
describe ‘creativity’?
At the basis we can say that
‘creativity’ is the ability to create,
invent, imagine or solve, thereby
enabling one self to generate
a typical uniqueness for an
expression, event or product in a
specific context.
This ability is given to us by
birth as an activity in the right side
of our brain and which over the
years can be developed through
exercises and life experiences.
This development will be
different for each person, depending
on one’s interest the education
given and the social or cultural
environment.
But the character of the
development of creativity is similar
to whether someone becomes a top
soccer player or a neurosurgeon. It’s
all a combination of recognizing talent, persisting
interest, development and nurturing through
specific education or training.
The main problem with the development of
creative ability is that there are no textbooks on
‘how to be creative’.
Creativity cannot be educated in the technical
sense.
Creativity can only be developed and
stimulated through education or a nurturing
environment, yes.
The type of education, however, should then
be merely focused on personal development and
experience through exercise from a young age.
These exercises can then be targeted at
specific areas where the creative activity has to
materialize.
Ultimately, through our various levels of
education (or sometimes no formal education at
all), we all have developed a certain level of
creative ability, but targeted at our field of
interest or profession and answering to certain
demands or requests.
It is therefore a misunderstanding that
‘creativity’ is only linked to the arts and designrelated
disciplines, just because these are the
most recognized creative forms of expression.
Every discipline requires a certain level of
creativity. The main elements that connect
creativity through the various disciplines are the
ability to ‘thinking out of the box’, showing
flexibility and a capacity to problem solving,
which is necessary to make progress and develop
innovative changes.
As our creative capacities are linked to our
personal development, it is the most subjective
element of expression in our society.
History has proven that people (for instance,
artists, scientists, politicians) who think ‘different’,
have had a big problem to get their ideas or
expressions accepted by the common people or by
the ruling authority. But at the same time, thanks
to their persistence and way of thinking, the human
race has made progress in all areas of life. They
were in fact ahead of their time, by not restricting
themselves to follow and accept the existing
knowledge, viewpoints or boundaries, but in
looking beyond that instead.
Creative ability is something we all carry in
our brains; through our imagination we create
new ideas, invent or solve problems however big
or small they may seem.
Over the last century our social environment
has become more and more under the influence of
creative brains that are active in retail, fashion,
advertising, architecture, theatre, art, law, science
and technology.
From a social point of view, the hippie
movement in the 60’s and punk rock movement in
the late 70’s was very upsetting for many people.
The hippies and punk rockers did not care about
the ruling order but followed their instincts
instead. From their extreme viewpoints, new
creative standards in society evolved through the
acceptance of new styles and ideas in fashion,
music, sex, theatre, art and technology.
In this context, the creative expressions
arose out of resistance to social pressure and the
ruling order.
Sometimes, we have to upset first and think in
a revolutionary way to make a breakthrough.
Many scientific discoveries or technical
inventions have been developed out of economical
or social pressure to cure diseases, travel faster
and further, work more efficiently and sadly
enough, also to annihilate each other.
The result of a creative process can be good
or bad but creativity in itself is always right,
never wrong.
The discussion on creativity and its role in
Singapore’s social and economical future has
been going on for a few years now. We will take a
look at the status and position of the creative
development through reviews of plans and ideas
brought forward by the government body MICA
and via interviews with professionals involved in
education, media and the arts here.
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
Economic contributions
of Singapore’s creative industries
The scope of the creative cluster
The creative cluster can be defined as “those
industries which have their origin in individual
creativity, skill and talent and which have a
potential for wealth and job creation through
the generation and exploitation of intellectual
property”. The creative industries leverage on
multidimensional creativity of individuals to
create new economic value.
This article will analyse the creative cluster as
the collection of ‘copyright industries’. However,
more emphasis will be placed on the creative
industries as they are the primary drivers of the
cluster.
Composition of the creative cluster (Exhibit 1)
By Jeroen de Koning
to GDP as well as employment. For 2000 (latest
data available), the creative industries contributed
a total value-added (VA) of S$2.98 billion, or about
1.9 per cent of GDP.
In 2000, employment in the creative industries
was 47,000 (2.2 per cent of nation-wide
employment). The total number employed in the
creative cluster was 79,000 or 3.8 per cent of total
employment in 2000. The sector with the highest
VA and employment was the IT sector, which
accounted for 38 per cent of the creative industries’
VA and 31 per cent of employment in 2000.
From 1986 to 2000, the creative industries grew
by an average of 17.2 per cent per annum, as
compared to average annual GDP growth of 10.5
per cent. Growth of the creative cluster during
this period was 14.0 per cent. The creative
industries had consistently grown faster than
Singapore’s overall GDP in this period.
One can think of the creative industries as
comprising basic and applied arts industries. Basic
or ‘upstream’ arts refer to traditional arts such as
the performing, literary and visual arts, whereas
‘downstream’ arts refer to the applied arts such
as advertising, design, publishing and mediarelated
activities. While ‘upstream’ art activities
may have commercial value in themselves,
‘downstream’ art activities derive their commercial
value principally from their applications in other
economic activities. The existence of a mutual
relationship is suggested between upstream and
downstream arts, so that each is an essential
component of the arts ‘ecosystem’.
Secondary Economic Impact
The secondary economic impact refers to spin-offs
resulting from expenditure on creative industries.
This is because the creative industries induce
production in other industries as they purchase
goods and services for their own production.
Such multiplier effects can be traced through
input-output (I–O) tables. The multipliers for the
creative industries are tabulated in Exhibit 2.
The multipliers for creative industries in the UK
are included to give a sense of the full potential of
these industries. The UK’s creative industries are
considered to be among the most developed in the
world, with its government playing a very active
role in nurturing these industries.
Creative industries multipliers (Exhibit 2)
Economic contribution of the
creative cluster
The creative cluster contributes to the economy
directly and indirectly. The economic impact of
the creative industries can be felt at three levels,
the primary, secondary and tertiary level.
Primary Economic Impact
The primary economic impact of the creative
industries is reflected in their direct contribution
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
Network among creative industries (Exhibit 3)
An industry’s output/VA multiplier measures
the total production/VA in the economy induced
by one additional unit of final demand in the
industry. For instance, one additional dollar of
expenditure in the publishing and printing industry
will result in S$1.33 worth of production output
and S$0.72 of VA in the entire economy.
Expenditure in architectural services and publishing
has greatest spin-offs for the rest of the economy.
Comparison with UK’s multipliers. The output
multipliers of the UK are generally higher than
those of Singapore across all industries. The gap
between UK’s and Singapore’s VA multipliers is even
wider. This could be attributed to the fact that
the UK’s creative and supporting industries have
more well-developed VA-chains
Tertiary Economic Impact
Creative industries generate original knowledge,
products and services. The economic value of these
creations could multiply manyfold when they are
adopted and commercialised by services and
manufacturing industries. This constitutes the
tertiary economic impact. One could consider
creative industries as upstream economic activities
that provide inputs to other industries in the
economy. Hence they constitute a major source of
competitive advantage for the economy, especially
in a knowledge-based economy where products and
services are knowledge- and technology-intensive.
The creative industries exhibit significant
linkages among each other. The linkages suggest
an ecosystem of creative industries, where even
small industries such as cinema services,
broadcasting media and performing arts can benefit
from and contribute to the vibrancy of larger
sectors such as advertising, publishing. These
linkages are depicted in Exhibit 3.
The share of creative products in the inputs
used by major industries in their production is
substantial. The importance of design inputs is
increasing as manufacturing move higher up in the
VA chain, expanding activities such as chip design
and building highly-customised products. The
construction industry has the highest creativity
utilization due to its close integration with
architectural services.
Collectively, the services sectors depend
heavily on domestic creative products. Creative
inputs figure most strongly in education services
due to its extensive usage of publishing as
well as IT services products. Many of the major
services sectors have a high or potentially high
exportable content. The quality and availability
of creative inputs to these services will be
key in differentiating Singapore from regional
competitors, and in allowing these sectors to
realise their full potential. These services are also
important for Singapore’s bid to be a total business
environment. Through their tertiary impact on
these services sectors, the creative industries
contribute significantly to Singapore’s ability to
attract industries and create a more diversified
industrial structure.
Capabilities
Singapore’s creative industries already contribute
significantly to the economy. With the right
capabilities in place, the creative industries could
become an important driver of growth for the
Singapore economy.
There are three broad capabilities commonly
espoused in the literature:
a. Creative manpower. Richard Florida, a Carnegie
Mellon professor and author of The Rise of the
Creative Class, sums up the importance of
creative manpower succinctly: “The key to
economic growth lies not just in the ability
to attract the Creative Class, but to translate
that underlying advantage into creative
economic outcomes in the form of new ideas,
new high-tech businesses and regional growth.”
Accordingly, the indicators chosen to measure
this capability would have to proxy the
availability as well as quality of creative
manpower.
b. Markets. Studies commissioned by Australia,
the UK and US governments have emphasised
the importance of both domestic and foreign
markets in driving the growth of the creative
industries. Indicators measuring the purchasing
power of the consumer as well as industrial
demand for creative inputs would be used to
estimate domestic demand. The ability of a
country’s creative industries to tap overseas
demand can be estimated by the creative
industries’ penetration into overseas markets.
c. Infrastructure. According to John Howkins,
author of The Creative Economy, “It (Creativity)
9
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
Singapore’s
biggest challenge
lies in improving the
infrastructural
conditions. While
the government has
invested heavily in
physical
infrastructure, this
by itself is not
enough. The
institutional
framework is not as
effective for the
creative industries
as the framework in
the US, UK or
Australia. At
present, creative
industries in
Singapore also suffer
from a lack of
critical mass.
flourishes most when and where they are
rewarded…The most marked growth is not
actually in the creation of new products, but
in their exploitation, distribution and trade.”
The institutional framework of a country
needs to be able to protect creative property,
while enabling it to be exploited, distributed
and traded efficiently. With the strong
interdependence among the creative industries,
the clustering effect arising from the size of
the copyright industries would be substantial.
Public expenditure on media, arts and culture
in projects such as performing venues, IT
networks and museums provide the physical
backbone for creative industries.
Policy implications
The Economic Review Committee has identified
creative industries as one of the three new and
promising service areas to grow, alongside
healthcare and education. The Ministry of
Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA)
will spearhead the Creative Industries Development
Strategy and work in collaboration with key partner
agencies and stakeholders to develop the creative
cluster into a key pillar and strategic enabler for
the Singapore economy. Its vision is to develop a
vibrant and self-sustaining creative cluster, with
the target of doubling the percentage GDP
contribution of the cluster from 2 per cent in 2000
to 6 per cent in 2012.
Singapore’s overall national level capabilities
appear to be comparable with those of Australia
and the UK. This means that the macro
environment is relatively conducive to its creative
industries becoming globally competitive.
Singapore’s strongest competitive advantage lies
in the openness of its society to various sources
(both local and foreign) of ideas and talent,
whether it be at the individual or firm level. This
creates an environment for attracting, nurturing
and applying creative talent. Singapore also enjoys
some market advantage due to the tradeorientation
of the economy and the sophisticated
needs of its increasingly knowledge-based
industries and services. However, benchmarking
analysis has highlighted some key gaps that may
need to be addressed. Creative manpower, markets
and infrastructure are key to the development of
creative industries.
Creative Manpower
While Singapore’s overall manpower rating is
favourable, its innovative capacity lags substantially
behind the US and UK.
a. Skills and Training. There is a need to take stock
of the manpower supply and demand situation,
and to examine the specific skills and training
needs of the creative cluster, at both the
education and post-education levels.
b. Innovative Capacity. The Design Singapore
Initiative under MICA’s Creative Industry
Development Strategy will look into how
Singapore can strengthen its innovative
capacity through design, branding and product
innovation.
Markets
Singapore’s overall market capabilities are
conducive. However, more can be done to boost
the level of copyright exports, particularly since
Singapore’s domestic market is limited in size.
a. Copyright Exports. Possible strategies forward
would be to identify and target key overseas
markets, enter into bilateral co-production
agreements, improve market information
access for creative businesses as well as
formulate a co-ordinated and focused approach
to export promotion activity.
Infrastructure
Singapore’s biggest challenge lies in improving the
infrastructural conditions. While the government
has invested heavily in physical infrastructure, this
by itself is not enough. The institutional framework
is not as effective for the creative industries as
the framework in the US, UK or Australia. At
present, creative industries in Singapore also suffer
from a lack of critical mass.
The government can exert profound influence
on all three elements of this capability:
a. Institutional framework. Existing laws and
regulations should be continually reviewed with
the aim of streamlining them. The government
could also look into how the legal framework
could be refined to cover emerging nebulous
areas straddling creative, technology and
traditional industries, such as e-commerce and
Internet censorship. Intellectual property issues
pertaining to the creation and exploitation of
creative content should be another area for
further exploration.
b. Size of copyright industries. Copyright
industries benefit from proximity to other
copyright producers and services. MICA’s
Creative Industries Development Strategy aims
to develop a critical mass of creative industries
in Singapore through a holistic approach of
developing creative capabilities, stimulating
new demand and markets, and nurturing robust
creative enterprises. Physical aggregation of
industries would be achieved through initiatives
such as Fusionpolis, which is a zone within
Singapore’s One-North development dedicated
to the clustering of media and infocomm
companies and research institutes.
c. Public expenditure on media, arts and culture.
The government should continue to invest in
the creative and ICT sectors, especially for
projects with both social and economic value.
This will help Singapore continue to build its
competitive edge in creative industries.
Source: MICA
10
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
Montessori –
a child’s best start in life?
By Sascha Roosen
All children
are born
geniuses, and
we spend the
first six years
of their lives
degeniusing
them.
Buckminster Fuller
In Singapore, children can start
computer lessons from the age
of 18 months, and at many
preschools homework is given
to 4 or 5 year olds; all in order
to get a good head start at
primary school. In our search
to find out how kids are
educated here in Singapore,
and if creativity is part of their
education, we bumped into exploring Montessori
at preschool level in Singapore. Everybody has
heard of the Montessori school system, and
probably has an idea what it is: a school for
liberal children, whom are a bit too focused on
themselves and who tend to be not very social…,
however nothing is further from the truth.
Who was Montessori?
Dr. Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870; she
held a degree in medicine, philosophy and
anthropology. She worked with children from
diverse cultures and backgrounds, children with
special needs but also with normal children.
Montessori developed an educational strategy on
educating the sensory and muscular systems,
through the use of specially designed materials, in
what she called ‘prepared environments.’ She
observed that, given the right materials and the
right surroundings, children tend to engage in
spontaneous activity. Through such activity they
gained knowledge and skills, learning to tend to
their own needs and overcome their own inabilities
without much adult intervention. Montessori
lectured to spread her discovery in England, USA,
Australia and India; she was even nominated three
times for the Nobel Peace Prize. She died in Holland
in 1952 at age 81. Montessori set up schools which
turned into an educational revolution around the
world, and today schools are still springing up under
her name worldwide.
What is the Montessori approach at
preschool level?
In preschool, between the age of 2,5 and 6 years,
it is important not to interfere with the inner
secrets of children, but to respect these forces
at work and to provide in a passive
way, inspiration and guidance for
children to discover their own will to
succeed. Children naturally engage in
activity without being told what to do
and when. They unconsciously focus all
their energy and effort into
every aspect of growth; the
physical, the intellectual and
linguistic, the emotional, and
the emotional or social, in
order to develop their entire
being. Montessori recognises
repetition as a sign of increasing
intelligence in children.
The objective of Montessori
is that children learn at their own pace,
interruptions to work cycles annoy children and
provokes resistance to prematurely ending their
occupation. The Montessori approach is that their
working style is recognised and accommodated.
The ability to concentrate sustains their attention
and discipline. Montessori observed that children
always work in repeated pattern. For example
while learning to climb stairs; they walk up and
down many times in intense concentration until
they feel content. Practising the sequence to
perfection (so-called Sensitive Period), and
eventually conquering the stairs, fulfils them. This
way they obtain and refine new skills, and this helps
build their confidence. Another predictable pattern
is the gradual progress from the familiar to the
strange; they enjoy starting with purposeful tasks
that pertain to daily life, skills they need to learn
to take care of themselves. Montessori developed
a logical and orderly framework, within which
children could seek to learn on their own about
the world. The Montessori approach treats every
child as a unique individual, it adapts to each child’s
constantly changing interests and needs, rather
than forcing them into a uniform mould and
agenda. In Singapore, already at this very young
age, a uniform mould is a frequently used education
system. Montessori believed that children learn
better through direct experience with the
environment than through formal text book-based
lessons. So, not to force children to do any exercise
they don’t like or are not ready for, as it may put
off learning, until they get a positive response from
the child. Allowing children to do exercises they
prefer preserves their natural route and pace of
development and increases the likelihood they will
enjoy these exercises. This way they develop a
natural love for exploration and learning. In the
Montessori system, children are free as long as they
are productive and responsible; they are not
allowed to idle time away or disturb other children
while at school. The educator constantly works
to recognise Sensitive Periods; they are active
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CREATIVITY
in stimulating children to
participate, and are passive
in observing their individual
behaviours. Mixing children of
different ages nurtures social
awareness, as they learn to
cooperate and be sensitive to
others, furthermore it exposes
them to challenges according to
their needs and ability, rather
than according to their age.
Creativity
The main Montessori theory about
how children behave and grow,
are spontaneous creativity and
total development. Spontaneous
creativity refers to the creative
essence of human nature. It is
the person’s creative essence
that gradually constructs his or
her personality and being. This
creativity comprises an innate
learning capacity called the Absorbent mind. Up
to age six, children gain knowledge from their
surroundings with an ease, adults can only imagine.
Virtually anything that can be detected from
the senses, including words and actions, are
information on the Absorbent mind. There are two
stages, the unconscious (from infancy to age three);
and conscious (from age three onwards); at this
age children start to think and analyse impressions.
This power to absorb effortlessly exists only in
childhood, after age six, the mind loses this
ability and no longer absorbs as readily as before.
Dr. Montessori found that the growth of a child’s
creativity developed spontaneously as the child’s
intelligence becomes established through his
interaction with a prepared environment (class
room). Montessori relates imagination and
creativity to the real world. They see the road to
being creative begin with a firm foundation in
reality. The exercise of the imagination comes later,
when there is a solid core of real memories from
which to draw inspiration for new ideas. Only after
the age of five are children able to tell real from
make-believe, and might explore the realm of
fiction and fantasy. Creativity then, is not so much
developed by a concentration on its stimulation,
so much as it evolves at the end of a long process
of cognitive development which had
absorption of reality as its beginning
point.
Montessori realised that the child
needs freedom if he is to develop
creativity:
• Freedom to select what attracts
him in his environment,
• to relate to it without
interruption, and for
as long as he likes,
• to discover solutions and ideas,
• to select an answer on his own and
• to communicate and share his discoveries with
others at will.
Why Montessori?
It would be easier to and faster to tell children
what to do in a situation, or even do it for them.
However, this would deprive them of preparations
for life. Montessori theory is that experience is
the medium for growth. This way they own their
achievements and grow in confidence to continue
exploring the unknown. In Singapore parents seem
to want to have their child ready for primary school,
so they prefer to choose pre-schools that are similar
in style to primary schools. However the Montessori
approach turns that thought around and says that
a premature introduction to formal education may
slow down future learning. Hence, a premature
introduction to new materials and activities
demoralises children with challenges they are
not ready for. The boredom of routine dulls
children and ‘kills’ their passion for learning. It
makes sense to leave formal schooling until after
the foundations for learning have been set.
Furthermore, spoon feeding shelters children from
learning by themselves; as a result they may do
things just because they are told to, with a big
chance to lose their motivation to learn.
Montessori in Singapore
To get a better picture of how the Montessori
system is implemented in Singapore, Bob Durgude,
Academic Director of Modern Montessori
International (MMI) was asked for his opinion. MMI
provides Montessori Preschool Education here in
Singapore. We wanted to know if schools here are
different from the global approach? Bob Durgude
mentioned that “Montessori schools worldwide
may differ in applying the doctrine, but they
share a common philosophy based on three
primary principles: early childhood, the learning
environment, and the role of the teacher. In
Singapore, the approach and methodology are
similar as that worldwide, except for some
adjustments to accommodate specific guidelines
set forth by the local Ministry of Community, Youth
and Sports (MCYS). “
When asked why there is no Montessori primary
school here in Singapore. Mr. Durgude replied:
“The primary school education system
in Singapore is governed by the
Ministry of Education (MOE). At
present, Montessori education here
is only present in the pre-school
sector. We believe that primary school
teachers and principals are very
interested in the Montessori Method
of Education, judging by the recent
increase in visitations to our Montessori
schools.”
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CREATIVITY
Vertical integration of different ages is
important. Does that happen in Singapore?
Academic Director of MMI, Mr. Durgude MMI
indicates that “Dr. Maria Montessori felt that
children are far less inhibited when learning from
their peers. There is much that a child can teach
another child than a teacher can. There is mutual
respect among children. It is an ungraded classroom
with emphasis on individuals rather than age. So,
yes, in some ways we do cater to that aspect. In
our schools, Nursery 1 and 2 are often grouped
together, as are Kindergarten 1 and 2.”
When asked what Mr. Durgede thinks of
Montessori approach to help children become
more creative he indicated “that the use of
didactic Montessori materials (e.g. pink towers,
broad stairs, red rods and insets for design) is
standardized to help build up concrete patterns of
order in the young child’s mind. Once this happens,
the child is free to work with the materials and
use them in other ways. Children experience the
spontaneous joy of learning, and each new piece
of equipment or new lesson, no matter how
standardized, is exciting to the child simply by
virtue of its being a different challenge. Once the
child begins with the concrete, he or she is better
able to grasp abstract interpretations. In addition,
Montessori lessons on music and movement, poems
and drama are all aimed at cultivating creativity
in young children. MCYS stipulates that the ratio
of students per class be determined by age.
However, in a Montessori classroom here, you will
see children of various ages (generally 3 – 4 years
span) grouped together.”
How can children maintain this creativity after
pre-school after they enter the ‘normal’ school
system in Singapore? Bob Durgede said: “There is
really not much control on our part. We try our
best to prepare the child to be independent and
confident, but it will ultimately depend on the
primary school environment, the curriculum and,
most importantly, the teacher.” Are there possible
trends on Montessori teaching globally and/or
locally? Durgede mentioned that “Locally, our
education system has evolved over the years.
Now, we have moved toward a more ‘open’
environment. For instance, government-operated
pre-school centers like the PCF kindergartens
now promote ‘learning corners’ (as opposed to
traditional tables-and-chairs classrooms) as
well as an interactive curriculum. Also, primary
school teachers are trying to find more creative
ways to engage children in their teaching. In
comparison, many Montessori elements are
actually incorporated into the present primary
school education system here in Singapore – be it
recognizing a child as an active learner (thereby
promoting concrete-to-abstract based learning)
or downsizing the size of classes.
There are many Montessori preschools in
Singapore, but please note that the Montessori
approach and name are not protected; so
before deciding on any school, check their
accreditation.
Sources used: Montessori Today (P. Polk Lilliard); Why Montessori , Choosing the right Preschool (A.Z.
Abdullah; Modern Montessori International (MMI)
Techniques for creativity on your work floor
It is important to understand what we talk about here is technical creativity, where people create new theories, technologies
or ideas. Another type is artistic creativity, which is more born of skill, technique and self-expression, which is beyond the
scope of tools discussed below.
Technique for creativity 1
Reversal - Improving Products and Services
Reversal is a good tool for improving a product or a service.
To use it, ask the opposite of the question you want to ask,
and apply the results.
Example:
Imagine that you want to improve the response of a service
center. Using Reversal you would ask ‘How would I reduce
customer satisfaction?’. After considering this question you
might give the following answers:
• Not answering the phone when customers call
• Not returning phone calls
• Have people with no product knowledge answering the
phone
• Use rude staff
• Give the wrong advice
• Etc.
After using Reversal, you would ensure that appropriate
staff members were handling incoming phone calls efficiently
and pleasantly. You would set up training programs to ensure
that they were giving accurate and effective advice.
Key Points:
Reversal is a good, easy process for improving products and
services. You use it by asking the exact opposite of the question
you want answered, and then apply the results appropriately.
Source used: www.mindtools.com
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CREATIVITY
Singapore’s
education system & creativity
Interview with Angelika Siaw By Brigitte Velema
In a recent speech SM Goh Chok Tong stated that Singapore’s
creativity and entrepreneurial instinct should improve in coming
years to spur the economy and counter competitors such as China.
He emphasized that the nation is putting in a major effort to
revamp the education system. According to SM Goh Chok Tong:
“Singaporean schools used to focus on rote learning in the past,
concentrating on maths and sciences. The government is currently
encouraging schools to move towards a more diversified schooling
system to train students to be more creative and to think for
themselves.”
Last day with my students in Beijing, PRC
Angelika Siaw, a Canadian citizen of German roots,
has lived in Singapore for over four years and
has both worked as an intercultural trainer for
Multi-National Corporations as well as a visiting
lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Prior to working
in Singapore, she taught at a graduate school in
Beijing and participated in two United Nation
projects in Bangkok. Angelika is passionate about
experiential learning, intercultural communication
and whatever else can make people better
understand and work with each other. Apart
from teaching and training, Angelika has a deep
interest in human security issues and conflict
transformation. She is planning to pursue a PhD in
this field within the next 2-3 years.
Q: The last few years the Singaporean
government is actively encouraging schools
to nurture their students’ creativity. What is
your approach to this?
A: Well, I am a strong believer of integrating
creativity and problem solving into all of
my teaching and training activities here in
Singapore. I believe that nurturing creativity
will be the key for Singapore to stay
competitive in a global economy and to
compete with emerging economic powerhouses
such as India and China. Forty years ago
Singapore was a country struggling to get on
its own feet after being expulsed from the
Malayan Union. At this time there was a need
for technically skilled workers, able to follow
instructions. Now Singapore has developed into
a super-modern country and the needs have
significantly changed. Nurturing creativity will
be the way to go for the Singapore education
system, and this need for a shift of educational
priorities has become more and more apparent
in the short time that I have lived and worked
here. I see a lot of good efforts in the local
education system to bring this creativity about.
Q: What are the differences between
Singaporean and Western students regarding
creativity? Do you think Singaporeans are less
creative or are they creative in a different
way?
A: This is a challenging question as I find I
cannot lump all Western countries and their
populations into one shared trait. Growing up
in Germany and having also lived in the UK and
the Netherlands, I feel that those European
countries have strong cultural values of
nurturing analytical and problem-solving skills,
which would be a natural precursor for
creativity. Living in Canada and the US, I very
much enjoyed the experiential learning and
teaching methodologies because they injected
a sense of fun and playfulness, which naturally
nurtures creative thinking and brainstorming.
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CREATIVITY
In Singapore however, I feel that creativity is
a new buzz-word. With the country being
historically rooted in Confucianism, creativity
was not a cultural core value of the past, but
might well become one in the future. I find
that both students and employees are well able
to be creative, but they need to be reassured
that this creativity is really wanted. Once they
have this confidence, once they feel truly
empowered, there is no stopping them! In fact,
some of the most creative efforts I have seen
in my global career have been from local
Polytechnic students and from middle-age
Singaporeans that have worked overseas and
returned. In Singlish, I would say – Creativity
can lah! Cannot also can!
Q: Do you think the government’s attempts to
encourage creativity have worked so far?
A: I definitely see that seeds have been sown into
fertile soil. The willingness to be creative and
think out of the box is happening. However, it
takes a long time to change an entire education
system, to shift paradigm. I would say that I
see creativity happening as a result of the
government’s encouragement, but there is
definitely still room for more. Perhaps we have
not quite reached a critical momentum yet, but
we could get there within the next 3-5 years.
Love travelling! With family next to the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok
Q: What do you think would be the best way to
stimulate creativity in young Singaporeans?
A: To create empowered learning and work
environments which will allow young people
to show off the creativity that has always
existed in them. We need to create a space of
trust in which this can happen. Perhaps I would
also agree with Lee Hsien Long’s words of
“teach less, learn more.” The onus (emphasis)
has to be on the learner (in school) and on the
employee in the workplace. They have to
become part of driving the process, rather than
being containers waiting to be filled with
knowledge or instructions. If we spoon-feed less
and make room for creativity, it will happen
naturally. Young people here are brain-able,
talented and eager to learn and apply new
skills. Educators and employers simply have to
facilitate the process, they have to learn to
let go of control a little and to trust more.
For more information, contact Angelika at:
angelika_siaw@yahoo.com.sg
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PhotoReading: absorbing information
at 25,000 words per minute By Jiska Pesch
If you
don’t like
change,
you’re going
to like
irrelevance
even less.
General Shinseki,
Chief of Staff, US Army
Introduction
For over 20 years I have been intrigued by the
potential of the human brain. Many years ago I saw
a program on Dutch television about a teenage boy
who was suffering from hydrocephalus. He virtually
had no brain, but finished university with flying
colors. At that time I already wondered, why is it
that he has so few brain cells but can still outsmart
most of his friends? Furthermore, I was always
puzzled, while there was so much to learn in school,
university and in the corporate world, no one really
taught us HOW to learn and read effectively. That
is where my interest in the functioning of the brain
and the field of Accelerated Learning started.
This article discusses a specific application of
Accelerated Learning, called PhotoReading, a
fascinating reading approach which shows how
capable our brains really are.
What is Accelerated Learning and
PhotoReading?
Accelerated Learning is a field that teaches you
to learn more effectively. It basically provides you
with a user manual of your brain to better absorb
and understand information, as well as retain that
information more easily.
PhotoReading allows you to understand and
process information in 1/3 rd to 1/10 th of the time
it would normally take you to read any written
material and with much higher comprehension and
retention levels. In order to learn this new method
of reading you need to be willing to throw out of
the window everything you learned about reading
in elementary school: Control, Alt, and Delete! It
requires an open mind to the possibilities.
Why is it important and what is in it
for me?
Mindpower is replacing manpower very quickly in
developed nations. In most industries, knowledge
is doubling every two to three years. In order to
just keep up with developments in your industry,
your knowledge must grow at the same pace.
According to Tom Peters in his recent book “Reimagine”:
“Lifetime employment is out. Self reliance
is the new norm. We must exhibit true distinction.”
This requires new skills and knowledge.
What is in it for me?
PhotoReading allows you to use more of your brain
potential to achieve your business goals and life
objectives. It ends information overload. Acquiring
new knowledge is fast and easy. For example, I
can PhotoRead 5 books in an hour, draw the core
concepts from each of these and combine them
in one comprehensive mind map in line with my
purpose for reading these books.
Peter Bissonette, an experienced PhotoReader
and President of Learning Strategies, the company
that developed PhotoReading, once PhotoRead a
US patent book at speeds of 690,000 words per
minute from a computer screen. He scored 75%
comprehension and was able to correctly identify
the numeric sequence of five out of seven patents
as well as draw approximations for them.
Over 500,000 people have learned the system
and have used it to: increase productivity at work,
become familiar with an industry and successfully
land better paid jobs, improve grade levels from
D’s to A’s in high school and college, pass
commercial pilot certifications, get salary raises
of 100%, finalize university studies in less than
half the time, and learn to speak foreign
languages.
A beginner PhotoReader can PhotoRead a book
that would normally take him 10 hours in less than
three hours. If you are able to consistently use the
system on all your reading materials you will soon
be able to obtain the information you need from
the same book in about 20
to 30 minutes. It takes
about two full days to
learn the PhotoReading
Whole Mind System and the
success rate is 96%. Win
Wenger writes in his book
the “The Einstein Factor”:
“PhotoReading appears to
be a natural step forward
in the evolution of human
reading skills.”
Brainpower
is becoming
the company’s
most vital
asset.
Michael J. Marquardt
in Building the Learning
Organization
How the brain functions,
PhotoReading and creativity
The brain consists of two hemispheres. The left
brain is mostly concerned with words, numbers,
sequence, linearity, analysis and logic. The right
brain is more involved with creative activities and
is concerned with rhythm, spatial awareness,
imagination, color, gestalt (whole picture) and
The human brain is the
most complex piece of
machinery in the universe.
Professor Colin Blakemore, University of Oxford
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
dimension. The brain generates electrical
impulses that can be measured with an EEG
(electroencephalograph) machine. Depending on
the type of activity you are involved in, the brain
emits four types of brainwaves. They are listed in
the table below.
Brainwave type
Beta (14 – 40Hz)
Associated mental state
This is the highest frequency which is
being used when we are attentive,
conscious and narrowly focused on
our tasks. Anxiety and panic are
characterized by very high Beta
brainwaves.
It is the slower brainwaves which allow us to relax
and access bits of information beyond the conscious
bandwidth. PhotoReading taps into your non-conscious
bandwidth opposed to conventional reading that taps
into the conscious bandwidth only. Whereas traditional
reading uses mostly your left brain, PhotoReading uses
both your left and right brain to accomplish
your reading goals.
In the screenshot below you can actually
see my brainwaves while PhotoReading. The
area with the high peaks is where I am
PhotoReading and where my brainwaves are
nicely into the low Alpha and Theta range.
The area without the peaks is where I have
switched to conventional reading.
Alpha (7 – 14 Hz)
In the Alpha state you are truly relaxed
and your awareness expands. This is the
state of relaxed alertness, heightened
creativity and intuition. When Alpha
brain waves become more dominant, the
logical left brain (which normally acts
as a filter or censor to the subconscious)
drops it guard. This allows the more
intuitive, emotional and creative depths
of the mind, that exist just below the
threshold of consciousness, to become
increasingly influential.
Theta (4 – 7 Hz)
Delta (0 – 4 Hz)
This frequency allows even deeper
relaxation and early sleep. Theta
brainwaves can bring forward
heightened receptivity, dreamlike
imagery, and inspiration.
Delta brainwaves are the slowest of
all brainwaves and are characterized
by deep dreamless sleep. The Delta
brainwaves promote accelerated
physical healing.
Mathematician Tor Norretranders and Doctor
Manfred Zimmerman have been able to very
accurately pinpoint the limitations of consciousness.
They have measured how much information
enters through each of the five senses versus
how much of that is consciously processed. The
table below shows that your brain processes
millions of bits of information into a handful of
bits every single second.
INFORMATION FLOW IN SENSORY SYSTEMS AND CONSCIOUS PERCEPTION
sensory total bandwidth of sensory conscious bandwidth
system preceptors (bits/second) (bits/second)
Eyes 10,000,000 40
Ears 100,000 30
Skin 1,000,000 5
Taste 1,000 1
Smell 100,000 1
Screenshot: x-axis represents time, the upper right being the starting
point; vertical y-axis represents brainwaves with the lower brainwaves
more towards the back left; z-axis represents intensity of the
brainwaves.
The state of relaxed alertness that is
key to PhotoReading is also the gateway to
enhanced creativity. Lower brainwaves
improve creativity and intuition. Babies and young
children also function in the lowest brainwaves. Maybe
this is why they absorb information so easily and why
they have the ability to come up with very creative
solutions naturally.
PhotoReading stimulates creativity due to the
active use of the non-conscious mind. Because the
whole mind system continually has us shifting from
alpha to theta state, we develop more “agility” in
getting into states of mind associated with high levels
of creativity (and intuition).
Even dreams can provide
creative solutions to problems.
Case in point: James Watson, codiscoverer
of the structure of DNA,
reported stumbling upon the
double-helix image for the DNA
chain through his dream of a spiral
staircase — proof that dreams are
a form of visualization that can put
missing links together.
If at first
the idea
is not absurd,
then there is
no hope
for it.
Albert Einstein
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CREATIVITY
The PhotoReading Whole Mind System
PhotoReading is a flexible system comprised of five
steps which are used according to specific and
varying reading needs (e.g. leisure reading versus
business documents, magazines and books).
An overview of these steps is also provided in
the mind map below.
I. Prepare
Purpose is key; consciously decide on the desired
outcome for reading. When you are going to the
supermarket to buy dark chocolate you are not
going through every single aisle in the supermarket
to find it. The same should be true for your reading
materials. Read only what you need. After that,
enter a state of relaxed awareness, also known as
the state for accelerated learning. This can be done
by different relaxation techniques including deep
breathing, listening to 60 beats per second classical
music, calming thoughts or eye focus.
II. Preview
Survey the book as you would do in a bookstore
when deciding whether you should buy the book
or not. In addition, get a good sense of the structure
of the book. Then list specific questions that you
want to see answered, as well as generate a list of
trigger words. These are words that are core to
the concept of the book. This step should take no
longer than a few seconds to a couple of minutes.
As Paul Scheele, the developer of the PhotoReading
method says: “Previewing gives us the skeleton of
a book. During the next steps of the PhotoReading
Whole Mind System, we add body to the skeleton.”
III. PhotoRead
After fully relaxing into the accelerative learning
state, adjust your vision to take into view the whole
page. This is done by softening our eyes and
expanding our peripheral vision. It is like gazing at
a page. This exposes the non-conscious brain to
the reading material at about one page per second.
This means that in general a book can be PhotoRead
in about 5 minutes. At this point though there
is no conscious recollection of the material that
has been PhotoRead. The next step of
the system will built the conscious
awareness we need to satisfy our
purpose for reading the book.
IV. Activate
During this step we go back to our
purpose for reading the book and the
specific questions that we wanted to
get answers on. Activation restimulates
the brain. The most important parts of
the text are super read. This means you
are scanning down the center of each
page very fast to look for answers on
your questions. In addition we let our
mind guide us to specific areas in the
book that we feel attracted to, we call
this “dipping”. Among some other
techniques used to further build
comprehension is “mind mapping”, a
method to summarize the content or
chapter of a book on a single piece of
paper. Activation involves the whole
brain and allows us to connect the text
with our conscious awareness.
V. Rapid Read
This step is closest to traditional reading, going
through the reading materials from beginning
to end but adjusting your speed according to
complexity, prior knowledge and importance of the
material at hand. Sometimes you might find that
it is not even necessary to proceed with this step
of the system as you have been able to satisfy your
purpose for reading with the first four steps of the
system. When you are reading for leisure, you will
most likely use this step as well.
Summary:
PhotoReading provides you with a system that will
allow you to speed through all types of reading
materials. It is all about having a clear purpose,
being in the right state for learning, having a clear
understanding of the structure of the materials and
approaching it with multiple pass reading, trusting
your brain to be able to absorb information at speeds
you would have previously found impossible.
For more information contact: Jiska Pesch at Accelerated
Learning Works; jiska@acceleratedlearningworks.com;
mobile: 92733576
Jiska has been learning about Accelerated Learning
for a number of years and will offer courses and
coaching later this year in Singapore.
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CREATIVITY
Creativity development &
character building in Singapore
A three-in-one interview
By Barry Doesburg
Creativity is within or around us every day. It can be interpreted,
valued and experienced in very different ways. My Kramers’
dictionary Dutch defines creativity as ‘scheppingskracht’ in
English that would translate in something like ‘the vigour to
create’. What does that say?
Many of you would agree that young children are most creative as they are not yet biased by rules,
myths, mass media, opinions, etc. and most of all the prejudices that adults tend to have. My mission was
to find out how creativity develops among Singaporean children and students. Obviously, there will be no
single answer but these interviews may give you some impressions.
I had an interview with Michele Lim who is very active in the world of art and design and also in training
and education. As a result of many years of networking, she was able to bring me in contact with several
others involved in creativity development. We found 2 other ladies - Kuo Jing Hong and Janet Kwok, both
art teachers - willing to share their views with us as well.
Michele Lim is married and has 2 children. She
was trained in law at the faculty of law of National
University of Singapore and was law practitioner
for 2 years before venturing in the world of theatre
and art management. In the 10 years she worked
in the theatre world she covered many aspects of
theatre, starting from design to public relations,
finance and administration management.
After leaving “Theatre Works” (a performing
arts group founded in 1985 by Ong Keng Sen)
Michele pursued a career in art management and
education and was able to broaden her knowledge
and experience through activities in dance, crafts,
music and education about environment and
society.
Currently she is consultant to the creative
industries within the area of marketing,
management and applied use of arts, like product
launches, training and educational programs.
You are involved in a lot of art related projects.
How important is art to you?
Art is part of the approach to life, it can not be
compartmentalised. Art is used in everything I do,
how I express myself, make choices and solve
problems. It is just part of me.
Some people tend to put art in a box,
something you visit once in a while when seeking
entertainment. Personally, I think it is something
you can use in every aspects of life.
What aspects of Singapore culture support art
and creativity?
My experience is based on a personal level, at
home, at work, at school or with friends. We are
exposed to different cultures and can easily
manoeuvre between those cultures and assimilate
the dialogue. It is something we often take for
granted. It is almost subconscious but certainly
influences our thinking and perspective.
Art is related to free expression and creativity,
virtues that are often forgotten when raising
children. What has changed in Singapore schools
over the last few years to stimulate creativity
and free thinking amongst children and do you
foresee more changes?
Free thinking and expression may not be forgotten
but put aside out of convenience. Sometimes
it is just easier to tell children what to do. I
have observed however, that schools start
looking beyond academic excellence. They are
incorporating programs for character development
imparting values in a systemized way. It is no
longer ad hoc and depending on the teacher but
consciously made part of the curriculum. At my
daughters school (Raffles Girls Primary) for example
they have pastoral care sessions and social studies
like community living, social consciousness, etc.
Also on the learning side the style of teaching
has changed. Some teachers explore different,
more creative ways of teaching, less top-down.
Students often work in projects supported with
outings and even applied forms of drama and art.
In this way the children are more exposed to new
things. Classes have become smaller, some
‘bookless days’ have been introduced and the work
week has been shortened from 5 1 /2 to 5 working
days – although CCA’s (co-curriculum activities)
on Saturdays still exist. In some occasions, such
activities still rely on the strength of the parents
support group and the personality of the principal.
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CREATIVITY
As a mother you are active at one
of your children’s schools in projects
that are aimed to enhance children’s
creativity and character. Can you tell
us about your activities?
The ‘Character Development Program’ is
run by a group of volunteering parents
with the support of the principal,
teachers, school education committee,
parents and students. Each term we
share with the girls a specific character
value like patience, generosity, selfcontrol,
punctuality, responsibility and
gratefulness. We do this through different
means like singing & dancing, performing
sketches and arts & crafts. These values
are then reinforced by the teachers
throughout classes.
A second program we organize is called
‘Contact Time’ that started as Wednesday
afternoon sessions to fill up time that teachers used
for meetings. Each term we learn them some new
skills within the three main themes of crafts,
movement (learn about culture through dance) and
public speaking. In the first few classes we learn
them the basic techniques and knowledge and after
that we are just facilitating and let the children
express themselves and make their own choices.
It is important to avoid telling what is good and
not good and to encourage them to try and not
being afraid. After each term we have a little interclass
competition to increase the excitement. The
main criterion is not how good individual children
are but how they move and co-operate as a group.
What message would you like to give to
the children?
Have fun! You learn so much better
when having fun. Use the opportunities
to experiment and try new things.
You have done work for the National
Arts Council, the NUS - Center for the Arts
(www.nus.edu.sg/cfa) and the Singapore Drama
Educators Association (www.sdea.org.sg ) and
much more. When meeting so many (young)
people, how would you describe the relation
between character and creativity?
They are very much interconnected and can not
be separated. Your character informs you how to
approach life and creativity is a value that helps
you to look at things from a different perspective,
to have an open mind. It can also be a gift when
someone is talented in a specific form of art but
most of all it is a value to everyone. If someone
says ‘I am not creative’, he or she is just afraid to
try or to look back. We should try to overcome our
inhibitions and look beyond the road blocks. You
will allow new things to happen. Trying new things
and succeed will make you happy and you can be
proud of yourself.
Kuo Jing Hong, presently the Vice Principal of the
Practice Performing Arts School and a full-time
movement teacher at the Theatre Training and
Research Program. A performer, teacher and
choreographer since 1996, she works locally and
internationally with both theatre and dance
community. As a dance choreographer, her works
include ‘Silent Song’, ‘Two – a sketch of 2 women’
and ´Fly and Away´ among others. As a movement
trainer and choreographer, her recent work
includes ´’93´ (National Theatre of China), ´Such
Sweet Sorrow´ (The Necessary Stage) and ´Animal
Farm´ (The Theatre Practice). Her latest stage
appearance includes ´Fox Tales´ (directed by Song
Jie) and ´Waterstation´ (directed by Philip Zaralli).
Her new physical work, ‘Play Play’, will be
presented by The Theatre Practice this May.
What has changed in Singapore schools over
the last few years to stimulate creativity and
free thinking amongst children and do you
foresee more changes? To what extend was
the government involved?
In Singapore, for the past 10 years or so, the
government has been actively driving arts and
cultural activities in schools, but their fundamental
approach is rooted in the notion of the arts being
a commodity that is driven by numbers of
successfully distributed or produced products and
the numbers of people that has seen them. It is
more about how to create an ‘arts scene’
very quickly, instead of how to nurture
and develop an arts scene, rooted in the
local community. It is more about how
to become a performing station for
productions from all over the world, rather
than discovering who we are to generate
a dialogue with the world. Hence, the scene has a
‘fast-food’ mentality whereby quantities and
glamour becomes more important than truthful
reflection and perseverance in a creative process.
What message would you like to give to the
children and youngsters?
It is important for our children and youth to know
that art is not exclusive to artists. Hence, artists
are not ‘higher’ than the others. In fact, the
practitioners (I’d rather use this term than ‘artists’)
are learning from the people and environment
around them. They are the vehicle of making the
unseen (like emotions, feelings, perspectives,
imagination) tangible through their works.
Everyone has an artist in him/her but not everyone
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
can be an artist. And that is ok. Being creative is
not to imagine or create out of the blue or out
of thin air. To begin with, it’s about listening,
observing, learning, reflecting, playing and
discovering. And, for those who would like
to commit to the field, requires discipline,
commitment and perseverance in acquiring the
appropriate skills to create works and more
importantly, the willingness to fail and learn
from the failure.
How would you describe the relation between
character and creativity?
In the performing arts, it’s not only about how
imaginative, creative or skillful one is. By nature,
performing arts requires teamwork. The playwright
cannot make his words alive without the directors
and actors, who, in turn, cannot work effectively
without backstage, design and administrative
support. Hence, to be effect in a creative process,
one has to learn how to work as a team and that
involves being communicative, responsible,
empathetic, independent, disciplined, courageous,
reflective and constantly strive to do his/her best.
These qualities are also important skills in life.
Janet Kwok has been teaching for 14 years, first
primary school and secondary students since 1996.
She is specialized in teaching music at primary
school level, but also teaching other subjects.
Currently teaching English, Literature & Theatre
Arts at St Joseph’s Institution - an independent
school for boys - she is also the Subject Head for
Aesthetics and Media Resource. Theatre Arts has
become her baby because she developed it from
scratch. There aren’t any secondary schools in
Singapore offering the subject presently. Janet is
married and has 3 boys.
Janet about creativity
To me, creativity is something intangible. It isn’t
something you can say is functional and neither is
it a set of skills that a person possesses. To me
creativity is about being non-conformist. The value
of it is dependent on the society within which it is
found, so, something might be creative to me but
to you it might be totally rubbish.
What aspects of Singapore culture support
creativity and what do you think can be
improved?
Singapore is a young nation and as such, the culture
is eclectic. When I am asked about ‘culture’, I am
thinking of the different traditional ethnic cultures,
the arts culture, the youth culture, fashion and
food cultures that make up the cultural fabric. In
most of the ethnic cultures in Singapore, creativity
does not rank as high up as values like filial piety,
respect for elders, thrift, humility, etc. However,
I feel every one of them do support creativity in
one way or another.
The Peranakans 1 for example are a group
of people with very strong creative and artistic
inclinations. They have their ‘dongang sayangs’,
which are songs that require improvisations and
they also often put up plays written in their
language. The Chinese have their ‘xiang sheng’ or
cross-talks which require lots of creativity, wit and
oratorical skills. There are yearly competitions held
for this in some schools. Similarly in the other
ethnic cultures, music and dance are avenues in
which people are encouraged to express themselves
creatively.
Related to this, the arts culture which is the
hotbed for creativity is starting to see the light of
day in Singapore. The building of the Esplanade
was a clear signal that the government is serious
about doing something. In addition, schools are
given grants of ten thousand dollars yearly to
spend on arts programs. Also, there is the annual
Singapore Youth Festival that encourages students
to create their own works, either in music, drama
or dance. There is now interest in making arts a
viable industry, although more can still be done in
this area and it is very much still evolving. In the
early 90’s, I acted in a play about aids called
‘Peter’s Passionate Pursuit’ written by local
playwright Eleanor Wong. It was banned initially
because Eleanor refused to edit it according to
what the censors wanted. When she finally
conceded, the script went back and forth 3 times
before it was approved. Yet now I can watch
a totally uncensored version of ‘The Vagina
Monologues’. I think we are beginning to see that
mindsets of Singaporeans are being coaxed to
change and they indeed are.
Just a few years ago, there was no Youth Park
to talk about and Extreme Sports were unheard
of. I remember the government giving the bid
for F1 Racing in Singapore a miss only a few years
back and it went to Malaysia and yet now they’re
seriously considering putting in a casino.
The culture of youth is changing as well. The
young have greater spending power because of
greater affluence and this has spawned a whole
new youth industry for music, fashion, etc. With
spending power comes the leeway of doing more
things and some of them are getting very
creative with that! Moreover, students taking the
polytechnic route rather than going into junior
college followed by university is getting more
acceptable. Although the environment is changing
to make it more conducive for greater creativity
in Singaporeans, so as to help us compete as a
developed country (and we are being reminded of
I made
more mistakes
than anyone
else I know,
and sooner
or later,
I patent.
Thomas Edison
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CREATIVITY
this all the time now), I must say it’s only
a start. We’ve got lots to catch up on. My
generation was brought up to believe that
our destiny was to serve the Multinational
National Corporations, and that was the
way to make Singapore economically
stable. Now we are told its better if we
think in terms of how we can nurture
the future generations to start these
corporations. It’s a different ball game and
I think educators are struggling hard to
bridge the gap. It is especially difficult
when many of the sacred cows are still
not slaughtered.
For example, the ‘O’ (for ordinary)
and ‘A’ (for advanced) levels (Singapore-
Cambridge General Certificate of
Education’ levels for examinations) are
still very much sacred cows which the
education ministry will not give up. Creativity
cannot truly come about when the outcomes
expected of students do not change. The GCE
encourages specialization and not creativity. The
major mode of assessment is written and the one
mode that either makes or breaks you. Only one
local school has been allowed to take an alternative
exam, i.e. the International Baccalaureate (IB).
Some have what is called ‘Through Train’ or
‘Integrated Programs’ (IP) but ultimately, they sit
for the GCE exams. My school and two others
have gone through a rigorous process of research,
consulting with the IBO, international schools as
well as experts in the field to learn about the IB in
the hope of adopting it. We spent more than a
year working on the proposal but it has been
rejected. We were advised to plan an IP program
with GCE ‘A’ levels at the end. Therefore, until
we are truly ready and bold enough to let go of
the old system, we can be truly creative and
innovative.
What has changed in Singapore schools over
the last few years to stimulate creativity and
free thinking amongst children and do you
foresee more changes? To what extent was
the government involved?
Much has changed in education in the last 5 years.
Many initiatives have been introduced to keep
the teachers and students on our toes. We are not
called the Ministry of Experimentation (or MOE
which actually stands of Ministry of Education) for
nothing. Let me give you an idea of what has been
introduced in schools in the last 5 years:
• The concept of ‘Thinking Schools Learning
Nation’: introducing students to thinking skills
like problem solving, creative thinking and
critical thinking
• The concept of ‘Life long learning, independent
learning’: about how we could nurture students
into people who will be life long learners
• A set of ‘Desired Outcomes of Education’
• New curriculum initiatives which meant the
curriculum had to be revamped to include
National Education, Creative and Critical
Thinking, Information Technology and
Interdisciplinary Project Work in all syllabi
• School Excellence Model: a set evaluation tools
for schools to appraise ourselves
• The concept of Innovation and Enterprise:
shaping motivation, creating / providing
opportunities; enabling people to think
creatively
With every one of the initiatives introduced,
schools are expected to make changes to
curriculum. Do I foresee more changes? Change
is a way of life in the education landscape in
Singapore and will always be! It is not so much
change that is the issue but that I sometimes wish
that new things have more time to settle in before
newer ones are introduced. This could be one of
the reasons for the high attrition rate of teachers.
The government is always involved. However,
to be fair, the ministry has started decentralizing
about 5 years ago also. Schools are getting greater
autonomy in deciding what and how to tailor their
own programs according to individual school
profiles and to create their own niche areas. But
the ministry is always nearby.
What message would you like to give to the
children?
Personally, as a parent and educator, the most
important thing for children is that they enjoy
learning and have a positive experience of the
process. This way, they will constantly go back
to it, like a source of nourishment.
One way of doing this, is to find something they
are very interested in and from there work towards
being very good at it. It’s seems like a very simple
idea, but it’s an ideal that can be very easily thrown
off-course with the many distractions they face
like results, prestige, peer pressure, etc.
I believe that every person is born different
and everyone has a different way of being creative,
according to the strengths they’ve been born with.
A different character leads to a different way of
being creative.
1 The Peranakan culture is essentially a cultural blend of mainly Chinese,
Malay and some European descent. The Peranakan community evolved
some two to three hundred years ago when Chinese traders established
trade ties with the locals from the Malay Peninsula, including Singapore.
Peranakan, which means, ‘locally born’ in the Malay language, was to
be the name of subsequent generations of Chinese-Malays. The original
Peranakans were mainly from Malacca, many whom later migrated to
Penang and Singapore. Male Peranakans are known as Baba and the
females Nonya. The latter has been affectionately used in describing
Peranakan cuisines and fashion. www.thingsasian.com
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Renaissance City
Culture and the Arts in Renaissance Singapore
By Jeroen de Koning
The arts and cultural scene of Singapore has made good strides
since the 1989 Report of the Advisory Council on Culture and
the Arts. The development of institutions and infrastructures
has put in place much “hardware” for culture and the arts. It
is now necessary to give more focus on the “software” or
“heartware” aspect. There is a need to recognise the enhanced
role of culture and the arts in the future development of
Singapore’s society and economy.
We have
reached a stage
in our economic
and national
development
when we should
devote greater
attention and
resources to
culture and
the arts in
Singapore.
Culture and the
arts add to the
vitality of a
nation and
enhance the
quality of
life.
PM Goh Chok Tong (then
1DPM and Minister for
Defence) in a written
response to the Report of
the Advisory Council on
Culture and the Arts in
April 1989.
The Ministry of Information, Communications
and The Arts (MICA) has produced a report, in
consultation with members of the cultural
community that articulates a vision of Singapore
as a world-class city supported by a vibrant cultural
scene, and outlines the strategies required to take
Singapore there. This Report has two aims:
a. To establish Singapore as a global arts city; to
position Singapore as a key city in the Asian
renaissance of the 21st century and a cultural
centre in the globalised world. The idea is
to be one of the top cities in the world to
live, work and play in, where there is
an environment conducive to creative
and knowledge-based industries
and talent.
b. To provide cultural ballast
in nation-building efforts.
In order to strengthen
Singaporeans’ sense of
national identity and
belonging, there is a need
to inculcate an appreciation
of their heritage and to
strengthen the Singapore Heartbeat through
the creation and sharing of Singapore stories,
be it in film, theatre, dance, music, literature
or the visual arts.
Singapore - Cultural Capital of Asia?
While Singapore is in the top league of cities in
terms of economic indicators, it fares less well on
the cultural indicators, in terms of talent pool,
facilities, activities, audience figures and level of
state funding for the arts. Its aim is to reach a
level of development that would be comparable
to cities like Hong Kong, Glasgow and Melbourne
in five years. The longer term objective would be
to join London and New York in the top rung of
cultural cities.
It is culture that animates cities. Culture
captures the soul and zeitgeist of a people. As the
population becomes more affluent and as society
matures, culture and the arts will become more
important if Singapore is to succeed in developing
into a world class home for Singaporeans.
Culture and Creativity in the Future
Economy
Culture and the arts are important because they
enhance quality of life, contribute to a sense of
national identity and add to the attractiveness
of a country. Singapore has enjoyed decades
of economic growth that was based on strong
economic fundamentals and the collective energy
of the people. The future will nonetheless be very
different from the past. In the knowledge age,
success will depend on the ability to absorb process
and synthesise knowledge through constant value
innovation. Creativity will move into the centre
of economic life because it is a critical component
of a nation’s ability to remain competitive.
Economic prosperity for advanced,
developed nations will depend not so
much on the ability to make things, but
more on the ability to generate ideas
that can then be sold to the world.
This means that originality and
entrepreneurship will be increasingly
prized.
The knowledge economy of the
future is expected to comprise many highly
mobile talented individuals. Given Singapore’s
intention to attract such knowledge workers to
contribute to the economy, they have to be
mindful that these people are likely to gravitate
towards environments that are vibrant, creative
and stimulating.
Vision of a Renaissance Singapore
Renaissance Singapore will be creative, vibrant and
imbued with a keen sense of aesthetics. The
industries are supported with a creative culture
that keeps them competitive in the global economy.
The Renaissance Singaporean has an adventurous
spirit, an inquiring and creative mind and a strong
passion for life. Culture and the arts animate the
city and society consists of active citizens who build
on our Asian heritage to strengthen the Singapore
Heartbeat through expressing their Singapore
stories in culture and the arts.
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CREATIVITY
Roles of the Players
In order for this to happen, the state, the arts
community, the private sector and individual
Singaporeans will have their own roles and
responsibilities to fulfill.
There are three main reasons why the
Government should support the arts:
a) To develop a cultural identity
b) To address market failure in the development
of the arts
c) To enable the arts to act as an economic
catalyst.
To achieve artistic excellence and vibrancy,
the arts community should strengthen its
discipline, professionalism and accountability. It
should establish a clear and effective line of
communication with their audiences. The arts
community should consolidate to share resources
and strengthen solidarity within the arts
environment. The process of unifying the arts
community would contribute towards the effective
and efficient use of resources and to improving
their ability to reach out to the wider community.
The arts are provided and supported by
a mix of public and commercial sources of
funding. Commercial sponsorship is an important
supplement to public funding. It represents a
partnership between the sponsor and the arts
organisation, a partnership that should not merely
be financial, but based on the mutual benefits to
arts managers and business people of working
with each other.
The arts community and the private sector
could work together to extend the confines of art
making to beyond the activities of dancing, writing,
painting, acting and so on. By venturing into
publishing, recording or even the merchandising
the by-products of creative work, there is potential
to extend the arts into the business arena.
Naturally, there is a need to caution against
allowing business interests to overwhelm artistic
sensibility.
Harnessing the business perspective to the
creative endeavour will not shackle but liberate
the artist. Instead of being so dependent on state
and corporate charity, artists who successfully
engage in business without trading their soul will
find greater autonomy and independence.
Ultimately, the arbiter and beneficiary of the
combined efforts of the state, the artists and the
market will be the Singaporean - has his/her quality
of life improved and has Singapore Inc become
more competitive?
But the Singaporean needs to join in this
enterprise. Without the audiences, the individual
supporters or the museum-goers, there will be
no cultural scene and certainly no renaissance to
speak of.
Strategic Directions and
Recommendations
The development of culture and the arts in
Singapore is an integral part of the vision of
Renaissance Singapore. Six key strategies for the
arts and heritage are proposed:
I) Develop a strong arts and cultural base.
ii) Develop flagship and major arts companies.
iii) Recognise and groom talent.
iv) Provide good infrastructure and facilities.
v) Go international.
vi) Develop an arts and cultural ‘renaissance’
economy.
I. Develop A Strong Arts And Cultural Base
This strategic thrust is aimed at building up the
capacity for culture and the arts. Every Singaporean
counts and there is a need to enthuse and inspire
as many Singaporeans as possible with a love for
culture and the arts. A strong arts and cultural
base will provide the natural support for the
flowering of the cultural scene. The aim is to
develop Singaporeans who are more rounded and
to enhance their capacity for creativity and
innovation.
• Expand arts education
• Set up a Singapore Studies Department or
Programme at the NUS
• Set up a Centre for Research and Development
in the Arts in the National Arts Council (NAC)
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CREATIVITY
II. Develop Flagship And Major Arts Companies
Such major companies provide a sustainable
channel for the development and employment
of our best performing artists. Together with the
initiatives to upgrade tertiary arts education, they
will help legitimise the arts as viable professions
for our artistically talented to aspire and train for.
Robust funding for these companies will ensure the
highest levels of professionalism and management
and produce high quality works of international
standards that Singaporeans can be proud of.
• Develop arts and heritage managers and
administrators. Infuse business perspectives
into cultural development and encourage the
arts sector to maximise their market potential.
III. Recognise And Groom Talent
Mount concerted efforts to discover, groom and
recognise promising artistic talents that can
contribute to the development of the arts and
cultural scene in Singapore.
IV. Provide Good Infrastructure And Facilities
Since the 1989 Report of the Advisory Council of
Culture and The Arts, there has been significant
investment in cultural facilities. The provision and
maintenance of good infrastructure will continue
to be an important ballast in our cultural policy.
V. Go International
Singapore can never be successful as an insular
nation. It thrives by being plugged into global
networks and by positioning itself as a hub for
information and business. It is the same with culture
and the arts. Singapore’s artists and festivals must
be able to stand proudly on the world stage.
• Promote arts and heritage in the international
arena
• Strengthen international cultural relations
• Encourage international collaborations
VI. Develop An Arts & Cultural ‘Renaissance’
Economy
We need to invest in activities and programs that
will add to the excitement and attraction of the
cultural scene, and do this in a way that positions
Singapore as an international hub city of the arts.
• Create vibrant arts and cultural activities
• Develop/base/host international art awards or
conferences here
• Strengthen arts marketing and cultural tourism.
• Increase incentives for arts sponsorship
• Promote Singapore as an international arts hub
Conclusion
The Renaissance Singapore vision and
recommendations will help establish a strong
position as a premier cultural city in Asia. These
initiatives in culture and the arts will demonstrate
the Government’s resolve in pursuing policies that
will secure a bright, vibrant and creative future
for Singaporeans in the 21st century.
As Singaporeans become more global in their
outlook in the 21st century, the need to develop
a stronger sense of Singaporean identity will
intensify. Culture, arts and heritage is the common
language through which Singaporeans can express
and share their Singapore stories. This will be
one of the decisive factors in nurturing that
Singapore Heartbeat.
Source: MICA
Genius is
one percent
inspiration, and
ninety-nine
percent
perspiration.
Thomas Edison
QUIZ
Are you a professional? This short quiz from Accenture will help
you understand your thinking style better. The questions aren’t
difficult.
Here is a Fun Creative Problem-Solving Quiz:
Q1.How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the
giraffe and close the door. This question tests whether you
tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.
Q2.How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator ?
Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and
close the refrigerator.
Q3.The Lion King is hosting an animal conference, all the
animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?
Correct Answer: The Elephant. The Elephant is in the
refrigerator. This tests your memory. OK, even if you did
not answer the first three questions, correctly you can surely
answer this one.
4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by
crocodiles. How do you manage it?
Correct Answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are
attending the Animal Meeting! This tests whether you learn
quickly from your mistakes.
Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe,
put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability
to think through the repercussions of your actions.
Source: http://www.creativityatwork.com/articlesContent/
creativity-quiz.html
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CREATIVITY
Boeing Boeing - a
production by Wild Rice
As you must have noticed Singapore’s cultural scene has become more vibrant over the past decade.
Once written off as a sterile cultural desert, the Singapore arts scene has now been described
already in 1999 as being ‘explosive’ and ‘funky’ (NY Times July 1999). This development has
been attributed to the ‘loosening up’ of Singapore. Although censorship is still very much there, there
are some changes going on.
Indeed, the transformation in the arts scene is apparent. This has been clearly visible through the
development of infrastructures and institutions such as he Esplanade, the Tyler Institute, The Arts
House at the Old Parliament and the National Arts Council. Total number of performing arts activities
and visual arts exhibitions increased by some 150% from about 1,700 in 1989 to some 4,200 in 1998.
Ticketed attendance for performing arts increased by 46% from 562,000 in 1989 to some 822,000 in
1998. Also, the level of Arts activities in Singapore has gone up and there are more art-related events,
higher enrolments in arts schools and a larger number of Singaporeans who make the arts a career
or serious hobby.
In the vision of Time Magazine in July 1999, the liberalisation of the cultural climate has brought
along a transformation of Singapore society ‘in ways that until recently seemed impossible’. But -as
most things in Singapore- the transformation did not appear out of the blue. Since the late 1980s the
Singapore government has steadily increased its funding support for the arts. This has been fostered by
the vision of the of Singapore government to position as a world-class city supported by a vibrant
cultural scene. This vision was first formulated in 1989 in a report of the Advisory Council on Culture and
the Arts and fine tuned in the Renaissance City Project Report in 2000.
Riding bicycles or driving Rolls Royces: the
Although the principles of the government
guidelines towards theatre have not changed,
things now can be considered ‘wild’ compared
to the situation in the 1980s.
We asked Singapore actor Lim Yu-Beng -who is currently playing a leading role in the very popular
W!LD RICE production Boeing Boeing - how he feels about the effects of the developments in the local
art-scene. In his 16 years of professional theatre work Yu-Beng also sees a change: “Although the principles
of the government guidelines towards theatre have not changed, things
now can be considered ‘wild’ compared to the situation in the 1980s”.
Although some subjects are still taboo, there has been an opening up in
certain areas, such as recently the matter of homosexuality. There has also
been more dialogue between the government and the people working in
the art-scene. Increasingly, representatives of the arts-scene have been
consulted in the making of new plans. Although, Yu-Beng has not always
been pleased with the result: “When they asked us what we wanted, we
said: 100 new bicycles for the village, and what do we get? One Rolls-
Royce in the village square!(The Esplanade). It looks good, but the functions
are different.”
The opening of the Esplanade in 2002, with a price tag of $ 600 million,
shows that the Singapore government is very serious with its aim of building
up a cultural and creative buzz. Two years before, a budget of $50 million
was approved to be spent on arts housing, arts scholarship, and various
sponsorship schemes. There is an international focus: local artists are
stimulated to participate in international arts events and an increasing
number of international events are held in Singapore. The government is
very clear about it: the creative industry has to become more profitable.
The country’s arts and cultural assets appeared on the balance sheet
26
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
as cultural capital. Yu-Beng has his doubts about what he considers
commercialisation of the arts: “The government wants to create Singapore
Broadway. The whole thing comes down to money. In my view, the
contribution of the arts to society is intangible. People don’t always see
that.” But Yu-Beng is also pragmatic: “Now that the Esplanade is here, we
might as well use it. As one of the hundred who needed a bicycle, I think
we should all make the darn thing ours so it isn’t just used for the village
headman and his guests. The only thing is the high rates involved for renting
venues like the Esplanade. Very often, local theatre companies simply cannot
afford to play there”.
We asked Yu-Beng if all these investments in the development of the arts
also meant an investment in creativity in Singapore. Looking at the educational
Yu-Beng
system, it can be said that in the past not much attention has been paid to
creativity. Singaporeans are often depicted as not being able to think out of the box. But things are
changing here also. Yu-Beng indicates the relatively young age of Singapore: “We are only 40 years old
and already have come very far, we are still maturing. I feel we are very advanced in areas like science
and commerce, but the nurturing of creativity has not been approached correctly in Singapore. What we
try to do to society is programme the creativity into people as if they were computers. It doesn’t come
from taking a class. Creativity has to be allowed. Allow people to explore and see what they come up
with; creativity will flow. But time is needed to change.”
creation of Singapore Broadway
By Dorien Knaap
When it comes to the topic of censorship, the
government realises that decisions in this matter
are not always easy to make. Globalisation and
technological advancements such as the internet
influence Singapore society. The dilemma is how
to broaden its outlook and its minds to new ideas
and still protect its core values. How can you offer
more choices and create a livelier and more vibrant
society, and still preserve social unity and harmony?
In 2002, David Lim, at that time acting Minister
for information, communications and the arts said:
“In Singapore, the government sets policies and
principles to guide these difficult but important
decisions. These policies and principles are set and
implemented in consultation with the public and
reflect broadly the values and spirit of our current
society. But as we implement them, we must be
mindful that they will also shape and colour the
character of our future nation”.
The minister also realises that: “censorship
and the Arts do not sit easily together. But most
We are only 40 years old and already
have come very far, we are still maturing.
I feel we are very advanced in areas like
science and commerce, but the nurturing of
creativity has not been approached correctly
in Singapore. What we try to do to society is
programme the creativity into people as if
they were computers. It doesn’t come from
taking a class. Creativity has to be allowed.
Allow people to explore and see what they
come up with; creativity will flow. But time
is needed to change.
people, artists included, accept that the issue is not one of censorship per se, but the extent and
manner in which it is done. (…)To some, Singapore may seem a rather conservative society. But our
way of life has kept our society united and strong. What is important is that we are neither a closed
nor a static society. Singapore will transform to succeed, but in ways that keep our community
cohesive.”
For actor Yu-Beng, the strict rules in Singapore have not discouraged him to practice his profession
in Singapore: “I want to stay here, be a part of the soul of Singapore. It would be easy to go abroad.
I want my work to be a mirror of society. There is need for reflection and the role of the art is to go
beyond, to be the spirit in the machine, and it is working, although slowly. The push and pull of one
force wanting it one way and another wanting it another way is necessary, it sets the pace and direction
we walk together. The public is opening up gradually. To speak with the words of my friend Robert in
‘Boeing Boeing’: ‘it’s not impossible’.”
27
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

DUTCH NEWS
2005, Dutch Media/Newspapers
Lawyers demand for further investigation
in Organon contraceptive case
The lawyers of the 15 Dutch women who became pregnant while taking
pharmaceutical company Organon International’s contraceptive Implanon,
demand for a further investigation into the case.
The court in Den Bosch, southern Netherlands, heard earlier on April 12,
2005 the case filed by the 15 women against Organon and 13 family doctors.
The women filed a claim for compensation of damages, as a few years ago
Implanon did not produce the desired effect and they conceived while taking
the drug.
Thirteen of the women have also filed claims against their family doctors,
as it became clear that the doctors had performed inadequately the
contraceptive implantation on their arms.
Implanon is a match-sized capsule, which is implanted under the skin on
the inside of the upper part of the arm. It releases a small amount of the
hormone progestogen each day and is supposed to prevent conception for up
to three years.
The lawyers demanded that an expert should give a judgement on the
possibility that the capsule with hormones has fallen out unnoticed from the
arm of one or more of their clients. According to the lawyers, the court should
announce its ruling on who is to be held responsible for the unplanned
pregnancy of the women only after the expert judgement is given.
Organon, a subsidiary of Dutch chemicals producer Akzo Nobel NV, launched
Implanon on the market in 1999.
2,900 trampoline
accidents
Some 2,900 accidents due to the use
of trampolines were registered in the
Netherlands in 2004, the results of a survey
conducted by the Dutch Consumer Safety
Association showed.
According to the association, for 1999
to 2003 some 2,100 accidents were
registered while using trampolines.
The injuries in such accidents have
increased recently, the Dutch association
said. Some 9.0 pct of the injured people
were taken to hospital in 2004, versus 6.0
pct for 1999 to 2003. The Consumer Safety
Association attributes the increase of the
accidents to the larger popularity of that
sport device.
The trampolines are commonly placed
in house gardens. The results from the
survey include also accidents during
gymnastics, but no details about such
accidents were reported by the association
spokesman, Kees Meijer. Some 45 pct of the
injured while jumping on a trampoline were
aged between five and nine. According to
Meijer, most of the accidents were a result
of the improper use of the trampoline and
insufficient parental control.
Libris announces
2005 Libris Literature
Prize nominees
Book distributing company Libris announced
on March 21, 2005 in Amsterdam the
nominees for the Libris Literature Prize
2005.
Six books are nominated, namely Casino
by Marja Brouwers, Light Years (Lichtjaren)
by Stephan Enter, Brandaan’s Logbook (Het
logboek van Brandaan) by Rob van der
Linden, The Unexpected Answer (Het
onverwachte antwoord) by Patricia de
Martelaere, The Last Poets (De laatste
dichters) by Christine Otten and Specht and
Son (Specht en zoon) by Willem Jan Otten.
Each one of the nominees will be
awarded the sum of 2,500 euro. The six
nominations were chosen among 182 titles,
competing for the 12th Libris Literature
Prize.
The winner of the 12th Libris Literature
Prize will be announced on May 2, 2005
during a ceremony, held in the Amstel hotel
in Amsterdam. The author will receive the
sum of 50,000 euro and a charter.
Libris Literature Prize is granted
annually for Dutch fiction, published during
the last year.
Spam with child
pornography in
Netherlands jumps
four-fold 2004
Dutch national child pornography report
centre Meldpunt Kinderporno op Internet
received a total 6,322 reports for spam
e-mail messages with child pornography
content in 2004, a four-fold year-on-year
increase, the centre said.
According to Meldpunt Kinderporno op
Internet, the spam messages often contain
example pictures of child pornography, as
well as links to a website with images of
sexual abuse of children.
Meldpunt Kinderporno op Internet
registered a significant growth in the
number of spam with child pornography
content also in 2003, the centre said.
Meldpunt Kinderporno op Internet
filed 107 reports for distribution of child
pornography at the Dutch National Police
Services Agency (KLPD) in 2004, compared
to 208 in 2003.
The major part of child pornography
comes from outside the Netherlands. Most
of the reports on the distribution of child
pornography made by the centre in 2004
contained images from non-Dutch websites,
including ones in the United States, Korea
and Russia.
Special Forces on
mission in Afghanistan
A unit of the Dutch Special Forces (SF)
will leave for Afghanistan on April 18,
2005 to participate in the U.S.-led
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) for
one year, the Dutch Ministry of Defence
said.
The commandos will assist the
rebuilding of Afghanistan and the fight
against terrorism.
The Dutch Government said on
February 25, 2005 that it would send
165 commandos from the SF and a
helicopter detachment with 85 soldiers
to participate in OEF for one year. The
helicopter detachment will provide air
support to the ground troops with a
Chinook helicopter.
A total 1,439 Dutch troops are
currently on foreign deployment. Their
missions include keeping peace,
providing humanitarian aid or using force
to impose peace.
28
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY QUOTES
In the modern world of business it is
useless to be a creative original thinker
unless you can also sell what you create.
Management cannot be expected
to recognize a good idea unless
it is presented to them by a
good salesman.
David M. Ogilvy (Founder, Ogilvy & Mather advertising)
Access to talented
and creative people
is to modern business
what access to coal
and iron ore was to
steelmaking.
Creativity
comes from
trust. Trust
your instincts.
And never hope
more than
you work.
Rita Mae Brown (US writer)
Richard Florida
Business
has only two
basic functions —
marketing and
innovation.
Peter Drucker
The more
you think,
the more time
you have.
Henry Ford
Ideas
won’t keep:
something must
be done about
them.
Alfred North Whitehead
Don’t worry about
people stealing your ideas.
If your ideas are any good,
you’ll have to ram them down
people’s throats.
Howard Aiken
The things we fear
most in organizations —
fluctuations,
disturbances, imbalances
— are the primary sources
of creativity.
Margaret J. Wheatley
Corporate quotes, source used: http://www.creativityatwork.com
29
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

DUTCH NEWS
2005, Dutch Media/Newspapers
Fries museum to open
Royal Hats exhibition
History museum Fries Museum, in
Leeuwarden, will open on May 29, 2005 an
exhibition of Royal Hats on the occasion
of the 25th anniversary of Beatrix as head
of state.
On April 30, 2005, it will be exactly
25 years since Beatrix was inaugurated in
the New Church in Amsterdam.
The exhibition, called ‘Nice Hat, Your
Majesty’, will feature the hats collection ‘On
Top of Oranje’ of Dutch hats designer Anneke
Langenberg from Leeuwarden. Langenberg
has designed hats in orange, red, white
and blue colours for the past several years
for this collection. The collection features
a replica of the hat, which Langenberg
presented to Beatrix in 2002.
The ‘Nice Hat, Your Majesty’ exhibition
will continue until August 31, 2005. The Fries
Museum attracted some 50,000 visitors in
2004, compared to 58,000 in 2003.
Dutch State buys part
of BPH
The Dutch State has purchased a cross
section of the rare books and manuscripts
of the Library of Hermetic Philosophy (BPH)
in Amsterdam.
Dutch Education and Culture Minister
Maria van der Hoeven and Finance Minister
Gerrit Zalm have provided 18.75 mln euro
($24.15 mln) for the purchase, BPH said.
The purchase concerns 25 so-called
Books of Hours from northern Netherlands,
359 manuscripts after 1500, 44 incunables
and 3,961 printed books before 1800, or a
total 4,389 works.
BPH is a world-renowned private library
with a collection of some 20,000 printed
books and manuscripts in the field of the
Christian-Hermetic gnosis. BPH was
founded by Joost R. Ritman in 1957. In 1984
BPH became a public institution, with a
library, research institute and publishing
house.
Maa Chandi Foundation to build Hindu
temple in Netherlands
Maa Chandi Foundation, active in the Netherlands, plans to build a large Hindu
temple in the Zuid-Holland province.
The temple will have a capacity of 3,000 people and the project is estimated
to cost 75 mln euro. The foundation is currently negotiating with several
municipalities in Zuid-Holland about the location of the temple, a spokesman
said. The area between Rotterdam and the Hague would be most suitable,
he added.
Hindus greatly need a temple, where they would be able to get in touch
with their own culture and religion, the spokesman said. According to him,
many Hindus give up their religion due to the lack of knowledge about their
roots. There is a significant interest in Hinduism in the Netherlands, as well as
in yoga, meditation, eastern philosophy and spirituality.
Maa Chandi Foundation was established in 2002.
80 pct of Dutch go on holiday 2002-2004 - CBS
A total 80 pct of the Dutch went on holiday at least once a year in 2002-2004, the Dutch
Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said.
Some 75 pct of the Dutch population went on holiday in 1990. Some 12.5 million
Dutch went on holiday in 2004. The Dutch went an average 2.8 times on holiday in 2004,
compared to 2.4 times in 1990.
Some 53 pct of the Dutch holidaymakers spent the holidays in the Netherlands,
compared to 48 pct in 1990. The Dutch spent 12.4 bln euro on holidays in 2003, compared
to 6.2 bln euro in 1990. Total available incomes of Dutch households increased to 226 bln
euro in 2003 from 132 bln euro in 1990. Spendings on vacations accounted for 5.5 pct of
the incomes in 2003, compared to 5.0 pct in 1990. Average spending on a vacation stood
at 738 euro in 2003 from 549 euro in 1990.
Amsterdam, the Hague
with highest number of
fare dodgers in
Netherlands - MVW
The regions of Amsterdam and the Hague
register the highest percentage of fare
dodgers in the Netherlands, the results of
a report by Dutch Ministry of Transport,
Public Works and Water Management
(MVW), showed.
According to MVW, currently some 19.3
pct of the passengers in the Amsterdam
underground travel without tickets, while
some 10 pct of the tram passengers in the
Hague and Amsterdam are fare dodgers.
The number of fare dodgers in 17 of the 64
Dutch districts, offering public transport
services, stands above 3.0 pct, the ministry
said.
According to Michel Huebert, spokesman
of Dutch national train operator Nederlandse
Spoorwegen (NS), some 2.0 pct of the train
passengers are travelling without buying
tickets.
MVW believes that the fare dodgers
contribute to aggression and violence
in the Dutch public transport. According
to the Dutch public transport company
Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB) in
Amsterdam, fare dodgers are involved in
some 70 pct of the incidents in the public
transport. The local public transport
services provider RET in Rotterdam,
western Netherlands, reported that a fare
dodger is involved in some 90 pct of the
incidents in the Rotterdam public transport.
MVW hopes the introduction of an
OV-chipcard in the public transport from
2007 to significantly decrease the number
of fare dodgers and the aggression in the
public transport.
The OV-chipcard is a plastic chipcard
with the same form as a credit card, which
is to replace the present train-cards,
stripcards, and subscriptions, currently
used as a means of payment for the public
transport in the Netherlands.
The figures of MVW’s report are based
on the number of fare dodgers caught by
the transport inspectors.
The majority of MPs in the Dutch Lower
House supported a plan for the introduction
of travel ban for repeated fare dodgers in
trains. The plan includes higher fines for
travelling without a valid ticket and plans
to introduce solitary confinement for fare
dodging.
30
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVITY
Techniques for creativity on your work floor
Technique for creativity 2
Random Input - Making Creative Leaps
Random Input is a lateral thinking tool. It is very useful when
you need fresh ideas or new perspectives during problem
solving. We tend to think by recognizing patterns. We react to
these patterns based on past experience and extensions to that
experience. Sometimes, though, we get stuck inside them.
Within a particular pattern there may be no good solution to a
particular sort of problem. Random input is a technique for
linking another thinking pattern into the one we are using.
Along with this new pattern comes all the experience you have
connected to it.
How to use this tool:
To use Random Input, select a random noun from either a
dictionary or a pre-prepared word list. It often helps if the
noun is something that can be seen or touched (e.g.
‘helicopter’, ‘dog’) rather than a concept (e.g. ‘fairness’). You
may find that you get good insights if you select a word from a
separate field in which you have some expertise. If you choose
a good word, you will add a range of new ideas and concepts
to your brainstorming. While some will be useless, hopefully
you will gain some good new insights into your problem. If you
persist, then at least one of these is likely to be a startling
creative leap. Some of your ideas may be very raw. Some may
be wrong or impractical. One of them might be original and
the basis of some useful development.
Key points:
Random input is an excellent way of getting new perspectives
on a problem. It often leads to startling creative leaps.
It provides an easy way of breaking out of restrictive
thinking patterns. It helps you to link in whole ranges of new
solutions that you would not otherwise associate with the
problem.
Technique for creativity 3
Reframing Matrix - Looking at problems with a different
perspective
How to use this tool:
A Reframing Matrix is a simple technique that helps you to
look at business problems from a number of different
viewpoints. It expands the range of creative solutions that
you can generate.
The approach relies on the fact that different people with
different experience approach problems in different ways. What
this technique helps you to do is to put yourself into the minds
of different people and imagine the solutions they would come
up with. We do this by putting the question to be asked in the
middle of a grid. We use boxes around the grid for the different
perspectives. This is just an easy way of laying the problem
out, so if it does not suit you, change it. We will look at two
different approaches to the reframing matrix - you could,
however, use this approach in many different ways.
The 4 Ps Approach
This relies on looking at a problem from different perspectives
within a business. The 4 Ps approach looks at problems from
the following viewpoints:
• Product perspective: Is there something wrong with the
product?
• Planning perspective: Are our business plans or marketing
plans at fault?
• Potential perspective: If we were to seriously increase our
targets, how would we achieve these increases?
• People perspective: Why do people choose one product
over another?
An example of this approach is shown at the right:
Figure 1. Reframing matrix example - New product not selling well
Product Perspective:
- Untried product
- Is it technically correct?
- Is it attractive?
- Is it well priced?
Potential Perspective:
- How would we raise sales?
Planning Perspective:
- Are we approaching the
right markets?
- Are we using the right sales
strategy?
Problem: New product not selling well
People Perspective:
- How do customers see the
product?
- Are they convinced that it is
reliable
- Why are they choosing other
products?
The ‘Professions Approach’
Another approach to using a reframing matrix is to look at the
problem from the viewpoints of different specialists. The way,
for example, that a doctor looks at a problem would be different
from the approach a civil engineer would use. This would be
different from a sales manager’s perspective.
Key points:
The Reframing Matrix is a formal technique used to look at
problems from different perspectives. It helps to expand the
number of options open to you for solving a problem.
You draw up a reframing matrix by posing a question in a
box in the middle of a piece of paper. You then draw a grid
around it. Each cell will contain approaches to the problem,
seen from one perspective. One way of using the technique is
the ‘4 Ps’ approach. This looks at the problem from the
following viewpoints: Product, Planning, Potential and People.
Another set of perspectives is to ask your self how different
professionals would approach the problem. Useful professions
to consider would be medical doctors, engineers, systems
analysts, sales managers, etc.
Source used: www.mindtools.com
31
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

POP & DROP A QUESTION
Chances and challenges
Question to Marijke den Ouden, MDO
Design
What are the opportunities in Singapore for you
as a designer and how did this materialize?
Answer
Coming to Singapore, almost 5 years ago, provided
a chance to develop my professional aspirations with
a fresh eye. The way in which one thing led to
another, might be exemplary of opportunities that
lie out here, for those who know – and dare – to grab
them.
My husband’s new position here meant quitting
the graphic design company I had run in Holland for
8 successful years. Instead of devoting my time to
designing packaging, annual reports, corporate
identities and brochures, I now had all the time and
a whole new country – continent even – to explore.
So that’s what I did first, by volunteering for the
various museums and by traveling
throughout the region.
In the mean time I took on some
free-lance assignments from local
design companies and designed a
cookbook for The Netherlands Charity
Association. It was a volunteer project
and did not give me any financial
benefits, but working on it was a
chance to explore books as a new area
of design. It also brought me into
contact with Devagi Sanmugam, a local
food celebrity and writer of numerous cookbooks.
She invited me to design a concept for a ‘kids’
cookbook, which we then presented to Periplus, a
local publishing company. Periplus saw potential in
the concept; we signed a royalty agreement and got
started. Devagi developed the recipes, I designed
the book and created the illustrations.
Now, this was again an opportunity to do things
differently. No client to cater for, complete creative
liberty and, instead of using the computer to
make visuals, I decided to go back to my favorite
childhood activity: making color pencil drawings.
The challenge was to communicate from a child’s
perspective and to make the book look both
instructive and appealing. We decided to not just
give clear instructions on how to prepare the
dishes, but also to show some ‘couleur locale’. Two
characters present the recipes dressed in costumes
of each recipe’s country of origin. “Fun with Asian
Food” was launched last March and will be sold
worldwide. Of course, I am pleased with the result
and hope the sales will be good, but I am even
more amazed that here in Singapore I actually
published a book – something that seemed out of
reach in Holland.
This encounter with the publishing world, led
to yet another step: starting a publishing company.
Together with local editor Dawn Mok and
business developer Sietske van Harte, I set
up CityScoops Media. We saw potential for
a book and, instead of passing the concept
to a publisher, we went into business
ourselves. We’ll soon publish the first
independent ‘hip’ city guide to Singapore
in which we present remarkable and
inspiring businesses, from cosmopolitan
hot spots to authentic local experiences.
We interviewed the owners of all
these extraordinary venues to discover
the how and why behind each company. The
entrepreneurial spirit of Singaporeans – and the
guts of some of them to follow their hearts and
leave well-respected and well-paid jobs to start
their own business, was very inspiring. Great stories
and ideals lay behind many enterprises, whether
they are humble and small or extravagantly big.
What have I learned along the way…? The very
fact that I was not wrapped up in a regular job
opened the door to exploring other opportunities
and expanding my skills. The passion of working
on projects you actually initiate – and execute –
yourself is a great driving force. Singaporeans won’t
really look up when you say “I started a company”
because it is so much part of their way of life and
thinking. In this respect, Singapore is probably
the best place to challenge yourself.
Next question to Matthijs Welkers,
intern at A*STAR’s Institute of
Molecular and Cell Biology
“How does the biomedical research environment
in Singapore compare to The Netherlands?”
32
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

BIZZ AGENDA
MTA2005 - MetalAsia
The 16th International Exhibition on Precision Engineering,
Machine Tools and Metalworking Technology
Marketing to Youths
Customising conventional marketing strategies to target
specifically at youths and maximize marketing results
10-14 May 2005
Singapore Expo
www.mta-asia.com
Emerging Trends & Policies
In the world affecting CFOs
Critical updates & success strategies for emerging as
champions in the changing business environment
12-13 May 2005
Marriott Hotel
www.conferences.com.sg
Business Golf for Women
Successful Business Relationships through Golf
This half-day seminar is for aspiring women executives in
their 20s and 30s and established corporate directors in their
30s to 50s who want to know how playing golf can increase
the power of their business relationships to increase sales,
forge closer business alliances and climb the corporate
ladder, especially those who feel intimidated by the prospect
of using golf for business.
18-19 May 2005
Swissötel Merchant Court
www.conferences.com.sg
Power Talking; Getting the most out of
our words
18 & 19 May 2005; 9.30 - 17.00 hrs
Sheraton Towers Singapore
JKYL06A1224@yahoo.com.sg
Singapore Food Expo 2005
One of Singapore’s biggest annual local food and beverage
exhibition.
26-30 May 2005; 11:00 – 22:00 hrs
Singapore Expo, Hall 4
www.singaporefoodexpo.org.sg
Bali Expo 2005
Multi products exclusives from Bali with supporting events
13 May 2005
SIM Management House, 41 Namly Drive
www1.sim.edu.sg/sim/pub/sem/
sim_pub_sem_list.cfm?id=2440&sterms=suzanne|woo
Imdex Asia 2005
International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference
26-29 May 2005; 10:00 – 22:00 hrs
Suntec, Hall 601
www.baliexpo.net
PC Show 2005
Computer systems, hardware/software, accessories, digital
cameras, printers, camcorders, consumer electronics
17-20 May 2005; 10:00 – 18:00 hrs
Singapore Expo, Hall 2
www.imdexasia.com
02-05 June 2005; 11:00 – 20:00 hrs
Singapore Expo, Hall 6
www.thepcshow.com.sg
35
Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVE WEB WIZARDS
Online Creativity
There are also a lot of sites that enable you to live out your creativity online
for example by creating your own computer game, comic or movie. At http:/
/www.gamemaker.nl/ you can download free software called Game Maker
that allows you to make computer games, without the need to write a single
line of programming code. Using easy to learn drag-and-drop actions, you
can create professional looking games within very little time. You can make
games with backgrounds, animated graphics, music and sound effects,
and even 3d games! If you need inspiration: the best games can be found
on the website. If you would rather create your own comic, go to http://
Creativity the
Dutch way
This Dutch site offers just about everything for
those wanting to be creative in a craft kind of
way. And yes I do realize that the information
on workshop held in the Netherlands and Dutch
craft shops is not very useful for those living in
Singapore, but the site also offers hundreds of
links to sites that give you information about
getting creative with textile, glass, kids and
much more (I could fill a page with all the links,
it’s that much). Also creative stuff to make
yourself for various occasions such as Christmas,
Easter, weddings, kids parties and Mothers day
(coming up soon!! Hint for those fathers who
have missed all the “Mothers day is coming up
so buy her a diamond /spa trip/ vacuum cleaner”
advertisements). http://creatiefnet.nl/
Get inspired!
If you are more into passively enjoying other people’s creativity
or if you want to get inspired, have a look at the following websites
for information on exhibitions and events. The most well known
site is of course the Sistic website. Just about anything major
going on when it comes to performances can be found on it and
you can book your tickets online through this site. If you like to
stay informed of what’s going on, you can fill out a form indicating
what type of performances you would be interested in and you
will receive an email when an event of your liking is on. If you’re
interested specifically in music, theatre or dance performances
go to the Esplanade website. As the Sistic site gives very little
information about performances you might want to have a look
at the Esplanade site for more details on performances taking
place at the Esplanade. For more information on various kinds
of events taking place in other theatres the website of the
National Arts Council will give you all the information you need.
Events in their theatres are very diverse ranging from: “An
evening with Taufik”, to “Mrs. Bodybuilding competitions” (didn’t
know that was considered an art) and “The Search for Singapore’s
next classical music prodigy”. If you are more into museums,
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

CREATIVE WEB WIZARDS
Pretty Pictures
www.gnomz.com. You can sent your comic to your
friends by email or place it on the website where
it will be judged by other comic enthusiasts
(or even better, send it to the ADB editorial
committee and have it placed in the magazine). If
you feel you have missed your chances at being
another Paul Verhoeven you can now be a director
of your own online movie. Just go to http://
www.brickfilms.com. This website is dedicated to
the art of creating animated films, using LEGO
bricks. Downside is that in order to become a movie
director and create your own movie you’ll need a
lot of time (and I really mean a lot) as the movie is
made frame by frame (you may want to keep this
website address until after your retirement).
Somehow, a lot of other people did find the time
as there are nearly 700 different films available,
from 60-seconds experiments to full feature-length
movies.
I’m sure that most people have digital photo’s
that are somehow less than perfect. Upgrading
these pics can be done by using a photo editor.
The most well known editors are Photoshop
and Paintshop, but unlike these editors,
award winning VicMan’s Photo editor is freely
downloadable from http://vicman.net/
vcwphoto. It can be used both by novice users
and professional designers. Features include
correction tools to enhance your less than
perfect pics by increasing contrast or adjust
brightness, apply filters, adjust color and more
drastic measures such as the tools to create
caricatures or replace backgrounds. With all
these features possibilities are obviously not
just limited to removing red eyes. You could
remove anything or anyone from your picture,
ex-partner, nasty boss, mother in law (mine
happens to be very nice) or of course add
people like Bill Clinton (good for prestige) or Osama Bin Laden (not
recommended). And once you have created those perfect pictures you won’t
even have to leave home to have them professionally printed. The following
local websites allow you to upload your pictures after which they will be
printed and delivered to your doorstep: http://www.fotohub.com , http://
www.kodakexpress.com.sg , http://www.fujifilm.com.sg.
For free online photo sharing and storage you can go to http://
www.snapfish.com or http://www.kodakgallery.com . So no more excuses to
clog up your families email accounts by emailing them your pictures, just
direct them to this site. These sites also offer printing services but as they
are American sites, they are more expensive and will take a more time to
deliver you your pictures due to shipping (and the CIA checking all those pics
for Osama sightings).
on the latest happenings and enables you to enjoy special shortterm
discounts and privileges. A more complete guide of art
exhibitions taking place in Singaporean museums and galleries
can be found in the Singapore Art Galleries Guide. Unfortunately
the content of the guide is not available on the internet but on
their website you can get a paid subscription to the guide for
$36,- a year. For a very diverse and Singaporean flavored
overview of what’s going on you can have a look at the site of
the Singaporean Tourism Board. It gives you information on
Singapore’s favorite national pastimes such as food, shopping,
and spa’s but also Indian dance performances, comedy, wayang
or the upcoming world gourmet summit. The site also has links
to various other art centers like DBS Arts centre.
the website of the National Heritage Board gives you a good
overview of the exhibitions in various museums and you can
sign up for a free museum card online that will keep you updated
Sistic: http://www.sistic.com/
Esplanade: http://www.esplanade.com
National Arts Council: http://www.nac.gov.sg
National Heritage Board: http://www.nhb.gov.sg
Singapore Art Galleries Guide: http://www.sagg.com.sg/
Singapore Tourism Board site: http://www.visitsingapore.com
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

EMBASSY INFO
Public Holidays
The Royal Netherlands Embassy will be closed on the following Dutch and Singapore
Public Holidays in May 2005:
Monday 2 May (Labour Day is on Sunday 1 May)
Thursday 5 May (Ascension Day / Liberation Day)
Monday 16 May (Whit Monday)
Monday 23 May (Vesak Day is on Sunday 22 May).
Dutch Delight 2
‘The old days /
Nederland van toen’
Singapore Film Society & the Royal Netherlands Embassy cordially invite you to the
screening of two Dutch movies: YOUNG KEES (7 p.m.) & FANFARE (9 p.m.) on
Thursday 12 May 2005 at Singapore History Museum, 30 Merchant Road #03-09/17,
Riverside Point.
Free entry for SFS-members & the Dutch community in Singapore.
To confirm your attendance, please register at tel: 6415 6813 or yang@sfs.org.sg by 9
May 2005 by telling us your name, how many people and which movie(s) you would like
to attend. First register, first served. You will receive confirmation of your registration.
This evening is organised by: Singapore Film Society (www.sfs.org.sg) & the Royal
Netherlands Embassy (www.nethemb.org.sg). Please visit these websites for more
information.
Following the success of Dutch Delight “1” - the Dutch Colonial Era held in May 2004,
we are now proud to present you two Dutch movies from a more recent history:
‘Young Kees’, a story of the late 19th century, and Bert Haanstra’s ‘Fanfare’, a film
from the 1950’s.
‘Young Kees’ (Kees de Jongen)
Rating: PG
Genre: Historic family film
Running time: 100 minutes
Year: 2003
Director: André van Duren
Young Kees is driven by obsessive thoughts but manages to escape his everyday problems
by immersing himself within the realms of his own imagination. Things that he could
never achieve in real life, he can achieve in his own fantasy world.
He finally grows up when he exchanges his imagination for actions and deeds. The
illness and death of his father, the deteriorating economic climate in Holland and a
desperately intense adolescent romance all serve to hasten his development.
Set in the beautiful Amsterdam of the late 19th century, the film’s narrator opens
our senses to the beauty of author Theo Thijssen’s prose.
‘Fanfare’ (black & white)
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Running time: 95 minutes
Year: 1958
Director: Bert Haanstra
Who would ever imagine that something as innocuous as music could cause a revolution
in the picturesque village of Lagerweide? There are no streets in Lagerweide, only
canals. Tourists come from all over the world to admire it. That means plenty of
business for the two innkeepers, Krijns and Geursen, rivals in business as well as their
common passion: the local brassband. During rehearsal’s for the annual music contest
everything gets out of hand.
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

EMBASSY INFO
Incoming
Trade Delegation
from the Netherlands:
May 17-20
Netherlands Reception on the occasion of IMDEX ASIA 2005
To meet the Netherlands Minister for Defence, the delegation of the Netherlands Ministry
of Defence and Ministry of Economic Affairs, together with the Netherlands participants
to IMDEX Asia 2005 (17-20 May 2005 at Singapore Expo), the Ambassador of the
Netherlands, Mr Hendrik J. van Pesch, will host a reception on Monday 16 May from
5.30 – 7.30 p.m. at his residence.
If you would like to attend this event, please register with Mrs Liz Ng, Trade section
of the Royal Netherlands Embassy at nlexport@singnet.com.sg by 9 May 2005. Mrs Ng
will send you an official invitation upon receipt of your registration.
The following is a list of the participating companies/organisations in the Holland
Pavilion at Imdex Asia 2005:
♥
♥
♥
♥
♥
♥
♥
♥
♥
♥
♥
EVD-Netherlands Foreign Trade Agency
Imtech Marine & Offshore BV
Schelde Naval Shipbuilding-Damen Shipyards
Stork Special Products
Van Halteren Metaal
Rexroth Hydraudyne BV
Thales Nederland BV
Gielissen Interiors & Exhibitions
NIID-Netherlands Defence Manufacturers Association
Ministry of Economic Affairs (CMP)
Ministry of Defence (International Material Relations)
ASSOCIATION INFO
New Members
Paul de Boer, Telsis
Gerard de Jong, NCR
Peter van Rossum, Shell Exploration & Production
Paul Govaart, Vopak Asia
Arnout Mostert, Fallon
Caroline Ruijg, France Telecom
Frank Debets, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Rob van Zwieteren, Shell Gas & Power
Wil Kolen, Chemistry Media
Wieteke Dijkxhoorn
KIND REMINDER
Please pay your ADB membership fee 2005 promptly.
Make your cheque of S$100 payable to:
“Association of Dutch Businessmen”,
And send cheque plus reply slip to:
Association of Dutch Businessmen
c/o 22 Camden Park, Singapore 299814
KIND REQUEST
In order to inform you about upcoming ADB activities
by email and/or by our ADB Magazine, please advise
the ADB administration of any changes in employer,
(email) addresses or any other personal particulars that
might be of interest to the ADB administration.
Internship & Job Seekers
As final-year student in the Master of Science program Industrial
Engineering & Management (IE&M) at Twente University (the
Netherlands) I’m looking for an internship. This internship should
cover a period of approximately 3 months, and can start around the
1st of July 2005.
The MSc program IE&M at Twente University combines industrial
engineering and management courses. Half of the courses are on
technical issues and the other half is on business administration. In
my specialization, Logistic Engineering, the technical courses cover
topics like production planning, supply chain management, and
warehousing. The business-related courses cover subjects like Financial
& Strategic Management and Marketing. They intend to make students
very versatile in terms of business capacities.
For my internship I intend to work in a production environment
where I can apply my knowledge of production logistics, preferably in
a large or medium size corporation. It is also my intention to acquire
experience in a different way of doing business than in the Netherlands,
therefore I look for a foreign challenge. The specific country or region
doesn’t really make a difference, as long as it is (somewhat) possible
to communicate in English.
For further information, do not hesitate to contact me at any time
by e-mail or by telephone. Tel +31 53 - 431 49 26; 0031 +31 6 20 24 92 89
E-mail: s.vandergijp@student.utwente.nl. Kind regards, Sjoerd van
der Gijp
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005

ASSOCIATION INFO
MAY EVENT
The ADB Board cordially invites you to a presentation held by Taco van Tiel, Organon on
Myths and Facts about Medicine
• What you read in the paper or what your doctor tells you and what happens in the labs are they the same?
• How does the pharma industry create brands out of products?
• How does Singapore (Asia) differ from Western Europe with respect to medicine consumption?
“Organon -with shared head offices in Roseland, NJ, USA, and Oss, The Netherlands- creates and markets prescription
medicines that improve the health and quality of human life. Through a combination of independent growth and business
partnerships, Organon strives to become or remain one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in each of its core therapeutic
fields: reproductive medicine, psychiatry and anesthesia. Organon products are sold in over 100 countries, of which more
than 60 have an Organon subsidiary: products that contribute to the health of people and their quality of life. Organon is
the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel.”
Organon is founded in 1923 by Dr. Saal van Zwanenberg, president of Zwanenberg’s Slachterijen en Fabrieken, Professor Ernst Laqueur of
the University of Amsterdam, and Dr. Jacques van Oss, a consultant. The company, known as Zwanenberg-Organon, is housed at Zwanenberg’s
affiliate premises in Oss, the Netherlands, and a laboratory is established in Amsterdam.
Date and venue: Tuesday 17 th May 2005, 19:00 hrs at Hollandse Club
JUNE EVENT
ADB Networking Beach BBQ Sentosa Siloso Beach Thursday June 2 nd 2005
You are cordially invited to join the ADB Networking Barbeque @ Coastes
Sentosa, a trendy lounge beach bar situated along Siloso Beach Walk with
stunning views over the ocean.
The BBQ begins at 19.00 hours. Partners are most welcome!
Date : Thursday, 2 nd of June 2005
Time : 19:00 hrs – 22:00 hrs
Location : COASTES
50 Siloso Beach Walk
#01-05 & #01-06, Sentosa
Tel/Fax : 6274 9668
Dress Code : Casual
Cost: S$50.- per person (incl. food & free flow of beer, house
wine, juices, soft drinks)
Registration:
How to find Coastes?
If you would like to join this event,
please register and pay either
by cheque or cash in advance,
latest by Friday, 27 th of May by
e-mail to adb@pacific.net.sg and
send your payment (cheque made
payable to ‘Association of Dutch
Businessmen’) to ADB, c/o 22
Camden Park, Singapore 299814
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Vol.15 • No. 4 • May 2005