Purpose of this blog
Hi,
My name is Jason Quek. This blog is meant to be more serious and put the stuff that burns in my head down.
A little background about myself. I was born on 8 November 1984, in Singapore.
I went to 2 kindergardens , PAP in the morning and a Christian one in the afternoon. The reasons for this was that my parents were both working, so instead of keeping me home by myself, they put me in kindergarden the whole day. Another reason was that they said the PAP's kindergarden english standards were not up to par.
Next I went to Fairfield Methodist Primary School, and then went on to Fairfield Methodist Secondary School. After that I followed my parents, as my dad went to work in Dallas, Texas for the RSAF. So I studied and graduated from Coppell High School and then returned to Singapore and joined NUS School of Computing. It was also then when I had my first taste of living life outside of Singapore.
After my third year in the School of Computing, I joined the NUS Overseas Colleges program, and went on a year-long internship to FormPipe Software AB in Stockholm, Sweden.
Now, I am back in Singapore and started my own company, Quick Consulting Pte. Ltd. to try to apply the lessons learnt in FormPipe Software AB in a Singapore context.
So why am I writing this blog ? My personality does not allow me to continue with blogging unless I can find a proper reason to do so. One reason I guess is to express some of my more serious emotions which I feel I can't do face to face with people, and only my inner self.
One problem I'm facing right now is burnout and what I call a quarter-life crisis. The burnout is mostly from the programming consulting work I'm doing for FormPipe Software AB. Because the work is continued from my year long internship, I feel more chained to it each day, the challenges which inspired me to work insane hours in Stockholm no longer interests me that much in Singapore. The only thing now is the money perhaps. The money gives me hope as it enables me to build other cool stuff that one day I hope to commercialise. So I continue on, but each day its harder to bring myself to type out the code.
I faced this scenario a couple of times in Stockholm as well, as well as in my undergraduate life, but after a few weeks of utter slacking, I get over it and get started all over again. But this time I don't know how long it will take me. It feels like I actually have to throw everything away for a year and just slack to get over this.
The other part of the problem is the quarter life crisis. I will be 22 years old this november, and I worry about my future. Most of my friends have already hooked up and getting their romance on while I'm slaving over a computer. My company is making money from this consulting deal, but still if things stay the same, I can only make my first million in 16 years. That one genius idea is still elusive, as I work on a few projects in the pipeline, (interactive TV, Swedish Pasta Salad and a document handling system). What if this never happens ? I used to just ignore that question, but as I get older, it's a more important question. The chance of me ending up as a poor old man alone is very high right now...
But still I go on because for me there's really no other route I can see myself taking. I have tried an internship in Singapore before, for a large software firm, but it didn't really challenge me, but that might be due to the short period (3 months). I won't work overseas long term, because although I can get along overseas rather well, I'm always drawn back to Singapore for some reason. People keep talking about how great the food is, the city is safe, but I don't see that as the real reason. The real reason for me is the ability of the people in this place. Singapore is like a startup, run by the greatest businessmen of the 20th century. The decisions made by the prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong, were brilliant not because of anyone's analysis of it, but because of the results of it. Look at Singapore today and you can see the results of the decisions they made along with a host of other brilliant Singaporeans. And the thing is that it was not like it was magical or just dumb luck, but insane amounts of hardwork, and a clear pragmatic road to what they envisioned.
The funny thing is that the reason I feel this way is due to my work as a programmer. When I started building computer systems back in first year computing free-lance, I found it invigorating and challenging. It was great to see your system in actual use by people. However getting all the errors out of a single system was insanely hard. People wanted additional features all the time, and you had to balance time, the amount of effort needed to build the system, as well as overall benefit and usability to the users. As I build my next system and the next, I found a few rules that works for me when building a computer system.
1) Envision the final product
What do you want the final product to look like, to do, to be able to do ?
2) Do the small things well
Never take shortcuts. Program the basics well, and build from bottom up. It might take a few extra days but you will save weeks and extra effort later on.
3) Everything is negotiable, do in a friendly manner
New features, changes are inevitable. Just make sure to know that you are not alone. A system is built together with the user, so if you feel that you need more time, explain to the user why. Your reason will be good enough as long as you put in enough effort. (This only applies though if you are a competent programmer and have delivered consistently. If you suck at programming, don't force it, find another area you can excel in.)
4) Pragmatism is the ultimate trait for programmers
The world of computer systems is infinite as programmers define everything in it. Pragmatism is the only thing that keeps programmers from taking ages to deliver an actual product. Learning how to balance time vs features is something important that programmers must understand. Rank what is most needed and attack the most important thing first.
5) You can't build computer systems without Hard Work
Once you get that in your mind, things can start rolling and you will never look back.
6) Have passion for what you are doing
I also feel Singapore was built with the same ingredients, pure concentration of will of the people with clear and trusted leaders. That's why I am so proud of Singapore when I was overseas. The way things come to fruition is amazing. Some people often mock the actions of the government, but after a couple of years, when the results come to fruit, all that mockery is forgotten and people just go on. I always say that whatever Singaporeans put their mind to doing something, they go all the way. The best airport, great airline, excellent school system, growing and stable economy, all these things come from a clear vision and doing the small things right. Don't waste time on the more unimportant things and focus on what needs to be done. I just hope that this never just becomes a job to the people in the government, and that still they are proud to serve the country, because they love what they are doing.
I hope to just copy that and build up my own company in the same way.
Ok I feel that I have gotten a load off my chest now. Till the next time then.
My name is Jason Quek. This blog is meant to be more serious and put the stuff that burns in my head down.
A little background about myself. I was born on 8 November 1984, in Singapore.
I went to 2 kindergardens , PAP in the morning and a Christian one in the afternoon. The reasons for this was that my parents were both working, so instead of keeping me home by myself, they put me in kindergarden the whole day. Another reason was that they said the PAP's kindergarden english standards were not up to par.
Next I went to Fairfield Methodist Primary School, and then went on to Fairfield Methodist Secondary School. After that I followed my parents, as my dad went to work in Dallas, Texas for the RSAF. So I studied and graduated from Coppell High School and then returned to Singapore and joined NUS School of Computing. It was also then when I had my first taste of living life outside of Singapore.
After my third year in the School of Computing, I joined the NUS Overseas Colleges program, and went on a year-long internship to FormPipe Software AB in Stockholm, Sweden.
Now, I am back in Singapore and started my own company, Quick Consulting Pte. Ltd. to try to apply the lessons learnt in FormPipe Software AB in a Singapore context.
So why am I writing this blog ? My personality does not allow me to continue with blogging unless I can find a proper reason to do so. One reason I guess is to express some of my more serious emotions which I feel I can't do face to face with people, and only my inner self.
One problem I'm facing right now is burnout and what I call a quarter-life crisis. The burnout is mostly from the programming consulting work I'm doing for FormPipe Software AB. Because the work is continued from my year long internship, I feel more chained to it each day, the challenges which inspired me to work insane hours in Stockholm no longer interests me that much in Singapore. The only thing now is the money perhaps. The money gives me hope as it enables me to build other cool stuff that one day I hope to commercialise. So I continue on, but each day its harder to bring myself to type out the code.
I faced this scenario a couple of times in Stockholm as well, as well as in my undergraduate life, but after a few weeks of utter slacking, I get over it and get started all over again. But this time I don't know how long it will take me. It feels like I actually have to throw everything away for a year and just slack to get over this.
The other part of the problem is the quarter life crisis. I will be 22 years old this november, and I worry about my future. Most of my friends have already hooked up and getting their romance on while I'm slaving over a computer. My company is making money from this consulting deal, but still if things stay the same, I can only make my first million in 16 years. That one genius idea is still elusive, as I work on a few projects in the pipeline, (interactive TV, Swedish Pasta Salad and a document handling system). What if this never happens ? I used to just ignore that question, but as I get older, it's a more important question. The chance of me ending up as a poor old man alone is very high right now...
But still I go on because for me there's really no other route I can see myself taking. I have tried an internship in Singapore before, for a large software firm, but it didn't really challenge me, but that might be due to the short period (3 months). I won't work overseas long term, because although I can get along overseas rather well, I'm always drawn back to Singapore for some reason. People keep talking about how great the food is, the city is safe, but I don't see that as the real reason. The real reason for me is the ability of the people in this place. Singapore is like a startup, run by the greatest businessmen of the 20th century. The decisions made by the prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong, were brilliant not because of anyone's analysis of it, but because of the results of it. Look at Singapore today and you can see the results of the decisions they made along with a host of other brilliant Singaporeans. And the thing is that it was not like it was magical or just dumb luck, but insane amounts of hardwork, and a clear pragmatic road to what they envisioned.
The funny thing is that the reason I feel this way is due to my work as a programmer. When I started building computer systems back in first year computing free-lance, I found it invigorating and challenging. It was great to see your system in actual use by people. However getting all the errors out of a single system was insanely hard. People wanted additional features all the time, and you had to balance time, the amount of effort needed to build the system, as well as overall benefit and usability to the users. As I build my next system and the next, I found a few rules that works for me when building a computer system.
1) Envision the final product
What do you want the final product to look like, to do, to be able to do ?
2) Do the small things well
Never take shortcuts. Program the basics well, and build from bottom up. It might take a few extra days but you will save weeks and extra effort later on.
3) Everything is negotiable, do in a friendly manner
New features, changes are inevitable. Just make sure to know that you are not alone. A system is built together with the user, so if you feel that you need more time, explain to the user why. Your reason will be good enough as long as you put in enough effort. (This only applies though if you are a competent programmer and have delivered consistently. If you suck at programming, don't force it, find another area you can excel in.)
4) Pragmatism is the ultimate trait for programmers
The world of computer systems is infinite as programmers define everything in it. Pragmatism is the only thing that keeps programmers from taking ages to deliver an actual product. Learning how to balance time vs features is something important that programmers must understand. Rank what is most needed and attack the most important thing first.
5) You can't build computer systems without Hard Work
Once you get that in your mind, things can start rolling and you will never look back.
6) Have passion for what you are doing
I also feel Singapore was built with the same ingredients, pure concentration of will of the people with clear and trusted leaders. That's why I am so proud of Singapore when I was overseas. The way things come to fruition is amazing. Some people often mock the actions of the government, but after a couple of years, when the results come to fruit, all that mockery is forgotten and people just go on. I always say that whatever Singaporeans put their mind to doing something, they go all the way. The best airport, great airline, excellent school system, growing and stable economy, all these things come from a clear vision and doing the small things right. Don't waste time on the more unimportant things and focus on what needs to be done. I just hope that this never just becomes a job to the people in the government, and that still they are proud to serve the country, because they love what they are doing.
I hope to just copy that and build up my own company in the same way.
Ok I feel that I have gotten a load off my chest now. Till the next time then.
posted by Mr Man at 4:23 AM
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