meandering paths to the same destination

I believe the interview process that *** went through is also relevant as you will be applying for a job soon. One reason I like the *** case is because each time I read the case, I am reminded of my own journey. Each of us have our own story about how we end up in real estate. You may view it as luck (or lack of luck), fate or destiny. This is my story....

Motivation and Mental Training

For the climbing camp, I was tasked by Jensen Seah to do a piece on my thoughts regarding how to hone one's mind during climbing competitions. While I'm happy to help him, I'm also hesitant, or even slightly reluctant, because my recent string of poor performances suggest that I'm a poor candidate for any advice giving. Let's just say that it is difficult to graduate with a good degree, to buff your resume so employers don't toss it aside at first glance, to perform consistently at competitions and to run your own investment portfolio ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I think difficult is an understatement. IMPOSSIBLE seems more appropriate. I feel like I'm burning myself at both ends of the candle. I don't get enough sleep. My body is falling apart with injuries plaguing my elbow (tendonitis) and my back (strain). I want to boulder hard but I cannot. It is so frustrating. I can't even help myself, yet I'm expected to help others. Bah.

Perhaps it will be my destiny to stretch myself out so thin in pursuit of everything, such that in the end I achieve nothing. Bah.

In the recently concluded Zenergy Bouldering Competition in KL, I ended up with last place. I'm sorely tempted to point the finger of blame at the poorly set routes, but that is just a defeatist mentality. People like to see the underdogs surmount challenges, not hear them whine about difficulties. Yet, the disadvantages of being a shorter climber (exponentially increased difficulty of span moves and jump starts) becomes apparent when ALL the qualifying routes are set to favour taller climbers. Competitions are just so arbitrary to tastes and preferences of the Chief Routesetter. I hate it!



















Route 1: Bottleneck at huge throw off slopey pinch (left hand) to latch slopey pinch (right hand). In the earlier move, I did a toe hook to off the side wall to make the subsequent match hand (currently holding with my right hand in the picture) move easier. The emcee promptly announced my beta, after which all the following competitors used a toe hook ._.



















Route 2: Bottleneck at this spot, where climbers were deceived into wasting attempts to try and hit the orange crimp on the red volume, instead of jumping straight for the two holds above. Dear Routesetter: If you want to set a dyno, please make it obvious!

Of course here I can write a nice flowery heartwarming passage about how I'll try harder, about how results are inconsequential, about how everything is fine and dandy. But seriously, the Routes 1 and 2 had a major bottleneck in each. Regardless of ability, all the climbers fell at the same place. The decider was in Route 3. Route 3 involved a jump-start, after which it was a cruise to the top. In the end, taller climbers (who could do the jump-start) were racing to finish the problem, because the route was so easy that the judges differentiated using time. How lame! For (shorter) climbers who couldn't get the jump start, it was an immensely frustrating experience to jump over 20 times off a designated foot hold to grab a hold you can easily latch jumping from the ground.

Also, for the competition they counted using total number of attempts, instead of least attempts to the highest hold. Like WTF?



















Route 3: Lame compulsory jump start off a designated foothold to the right. It is actually much easier to catch the hold by jumping directly off the ground. In fact, I can even do it blind-folded. After that brown volume it was a cruise to the top. Lame will a capital L.

Jump starts simply aren't a fair test of climbing ability, since it is about as fair as getting a 1.6m NBA player to out slam-dunk a 2.2m one. How about I be Chief Routesetter and set awkward sit starts and cramp moves off micro crimps? Then we can have the taller climbers making over 20 attempts trying to get their ass off the ground. Bah.

Reached back SG at 0500. Lecture from 1100-1300. Project meeting from 1300-1545. Rush down from Clementi to Farrer Park. Climbing coaching from 1700-1900. I'm drowning. Arrowed by Professor to host a meet-the-industry-veteran session this Thursday. Some chairman from some big consultancy is coming down. Need to ensure the event proceeds smoothly. Stress. This begs the question, is what I'm doing worth it? Do so much, for what? Is there someone I can share my trials and tribulations, my frustrations and my joys, with? Bah*.

Anyways, the piece I wrote for Jensen is attached below, for your reading pleasure (or displeasure - some people don't like reading. If so, then what are you doing here?)

Hi friends,

I was approached to share some of my experiences regarding climbing. More specifically, I was tasked to the topic of mental skills training. I’m honoured that Jensen sought my opinion, yet at the same time I’m apprehensive because I feel I’m not the best go-to person regarding this topic. After all, my competition performance is erratic at best, downright crappy at worst.

I’ve been climbing and competing for close to 8 years now, so to ask me to distil those experiences into a 5 minute sharing session is a tall order. But because Jensen is such a committed coach, I’ll indulge him. But I find that I must first talk about motivation before performance. To do otherwise is the equivalent of putting the cart before the horse. Everything boils down to your motivations – that is the essence of not just climbing, but whatever endeavour you choose to pursue. The second point about mental skills training, which by extension is performance, will then tie in the first.

I believe that motivation has to be intrinsic. Nobody can shove a motivation pill down your throat to grant you drive, or zealousness. You’ll find that extrinsic motivation fizzles out after a while. First and foremost, you must want to do well. In that same vein, you must despise mediocrity. You must be slightly obsessed. In your pursuit of excellence, you must leave behind those who will only hold you back.

Here I must deviate slightly to make an observation. Why else would Ueli Steck want to climb the Eiger North Face faster than anyone else? Honestly, if he were a sensitive/thoughtful man, would he really choose to make a statement on that climb which so many before him have given their lives for? Call it whatever you want. You can say he wanted to push his limits. You can say he wanted to prove to others that the impossible may well be possible. Yet, the fact remains that the base emotion driving his ambition was greed. He wanted more. He wanted perfection. Yet, out of that selfishness bloomed something beautiful. He inspired a generation of alpinists to train hard, to become greater than he. The cycle repeats. Interestingly, Ueli also chose to solo instead of doing it with a partner, hinting that perhaps a partner who doesn’t fit like a jigsaw will probably only slow you down.

Ok so now we assume that you’ve made up your mind to do well. However, there is a catch. You cannot go to competitions thinking you want to win. You cannot go to a project letting the desires of wanting to send it consume you. If you let your expectations get the better of you, you’ll find that instead of it being a force for good, you become affected in a negative sort of way. Your movements become muddled. Your mind is cluttered with non-crucial thoughts. Inevitably, your performance suffers. The key is to focus on the task at hand, and the results will follow. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. Yet, even though I learned this lesson from climbing, I’ve failed to apply it to other aspects of my life. Thankfully, I had a friend remind me that I should be focusing on my education now, instead of worrying about my career in future.

In conclusion, climbing is a whole journey of reflection, contemplation and self discovery. At least this is the case for me. Good luck on your own adventure, and remember, there are many different paths to your destination. So pick one, it may be short and direct, or long and windy, but I’m sure that at the end of the day, you’ll have a story to tell too.

*I used Bah 4 times in this post. No I'm not bitter and I don't need counseling. I just need to stop using Bah.

Another Industry Veteran Sharing Session

Post 1: Developing good EQ - it's time to work on it!

EQ or Emotional Intelligence can be briefly described one’s self awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management.

Ms Chen have shared with us that a person with a good EQ is as important as a person who is good with number crunching. She has also mentioned that in today’s real estate scene, one must possess a good EQ to get things done and to advance within the organization. Since one’s EQ is closely linked to one’s personality, Ms Chen shared with us how the Mapletree Asset team had to let off an intern because of her bad personality exhibited during the internship stint despite displaying excellent academic grades.

Last but not least, she added that one has to maintain a positive attitude, be honest and accountable for our actions and not to do things within the organization for personal agenda as such actions will surface over time.

Post 2: Finding the Right Path

I went prepared for the UC&P session with an important question in mind. I wanted to find out what were the motivations behind Ms Chen’s first job application. I was hoping to tap on the words of wisdom of a successful real estate practitioner who has gone through what i am about to go through in less than a year’s time.

During the self-introduction, we were asked to talk about our future job aspirations. To which, i responded in all honesty that i am rather clueless. Then came the reply. Quoting Ms Chen, “Do some soul-searching, find out what you are suited for… and take a long term outlook.”

At that moment, the answer to my question was given, but in the form of another question – ironically directed at myself.

Later on, Ms Chen candidly shared with us her own career path, which in her own words, was rather ‘unplanned’. That, in a quirk manner, felt like a form of encouragement to me.

To my peers, i believe soon-to-be fresh grads like us are mostly anxious when mulling over our future careers – in hope of finding the ‘best’ path. While it is important to have a strategic vision for our career plans, we should also do some honest soul-searching.

What’s right for one person may not be right for another. There are many paths to success; i guess we just need to take some time to find the right one that suits us.

Post 3: The Paradox of Choice

With so many possibilities in our career paths, it really is difficult to pinpoint what is the ‘perfect’ job to pursue when we graduate.

Miss Chen shared with us how she didn’t plan which sector or job she wanted upon her graduation. She travelled for some time before coming back to Singapore, and yet she secured a job faster than most of her peers. (Moral of the story: go travel!)

Of course, perhaps it was slightly easier those days as there were relatively lesser choices compared to our current job environment. From the days of the brick and mortar, the dynamism of the real estate industry has evolved and become more integrated with the capital markets. Hence, there are many opportunities for us to apply our knowledge in the wide spectrum of the real estate process.

Finding out what drives you is a great way to make a good career choice. Although for Miss Chen, who mentioned that her career track was relatively ‘unplanned’, she’s driven because her bosses give her the flexibility to complete her tasks. She also values teamwork as she looks forward to working with her colleagues.

This made me reflect upon many of my group projects done in NUS. I’m sure some of you will identify with me on this, as some of your team members enjoy discussions, and some just prefer to ‘get things done quickly’. Whichever the mindset, I believe teamwork is an essential part of our real estate career in future.

Realistically, I’m sure all of us are concerned about our pay when we graduate. Good paying jobs are out there, but usually at the expense of time and work-life balance. When you start to dread going to work, that might be a good sign that you may value your social life and work-life balance more than the money! :)

Work Life Balance?

Sow a thought, reap an action;
Sow an action, reap a habit;
Sow a habit; reap a character;
Sow a character; reap a destiny
-Professor Ooi

My faculty had a meet-the-practitioner talk recently. The deputy GM of Keppel Land came down for a sharing session with the students. After the session, students are encouraged to participate in a discussion forum and contribute their reflections.

I extracted two of the posts which I thought was particularly poignant. Read the following, and draw your own conclusions.

Post 1

During today's session, Mr Low shared with us about working towards your long-term career goal. Many of us have a dream job in mind but this job, whatever it may be, does not avail itself to us overnight. Some of us may wish to work for instance, as a portfolio manager or acquisition analyst but for such roles, companies may only hire professionals with experience and not fresh graduates. As these roles require specific skill sets and experience, a fresh graduate interested in these areas should gain experience in jobs that prepare him/her for that particular “dream job”. It would be useful to browse through classified advertisements and get a feel of the work experience and soft skills required for that particular “dream job”, and take up jobs that help prepare us for this long-term career goal.

Post 2

Hi all,

After attending this session, it convinces me even more that there will be no more work-life balance when we step into the working world, in order to have a successful career.

On one hand, one will be working so hard in the day, crunch figures late into the night (like doing projects in uni).

On the other, on your free days (should you even have any) you will be so busy trying to value-add yourself, attending courses (MBA, CFA etc.)

Where is the time left for family and friends?

Just to share, while I was interning at Far East Organisation in Property Sales, I guess our group of NUS interns are the only interns who possibly work 7 days a week, 830am to sometimes 12midnight during launches. I myself worked consecutive 15 days at one point, on weekdays its 930am to 830pm, on weekends 830am to 1130pm sometimes later.

What was supposedly my off day my clients actually called me saying they want to view the showflat, and you have to make your trip down because they are the potential customers who will purchase a unit from you. And since you are already at the showflat, you might as well make your time worth by serving more walk-in customers to increase your chances of closing a deal. Fortunately, when our boss see us working so hard he appreciate the fact that we are young and driven as well.