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I have always been amused at how misleading the word ‘Minutes’ is. After all, good Minutes usually take hours to write, if not days.

While observing the interactions of different groups over the years, I have hit upon an answer as to why:

1. Some Asian parents provide a lot for their children but wonder why they are unable to bond with them (I know this isn’t in all cases but it’s happened in enough observations to warrant mention on this blog)
2. Some Governments may provide a lot for their citizens and may have much higher standards than Governments of many other countries, yet are criticised more often than complimented
3. Restaurants may provide decent food and good value, but customers are still unhappy
4. Project managers may be good at getting the job done but wonder why their team members do not support them fully…

It has been a hectic month. You can tell from the number of recent posts (i.e. very few) on this blog.

But today, something happened and it made all the effort worth it.

A few weeks after a ‘project’ was over, I received news that a letter of commendation had been sent, from one overseas Minister, to my Minister, and the names of a colleague and myself were in that letter. I was very touched by the description and choice of words used, and proud to have been able to make a positive impact.

Of course, given the effort we all put in, there are probably many others who received commendations like this as well, but this doesn’t distract away from the little moment of bliss that I had. I was happy to be there to help, and this little gesture of thanks has made me all the more so.

Self-application: Write notes of thanks to people, with specific mention of what they did for you that made them memorable. It doesn’t take up more than a little of your time, but it can make a lasting impact on the junior staff who receive it.

These are the thoughts that have been running through my head for the past couple of years. I’ve finally put them down.

Think of a project or cause at work which you’re publicising or trying to sell to customers. Now, ask yourself:

If you weren’t assigned to handle this portfolio;

If your KPIs weren’t tied to the success of this project, or meeting certain numbers;

If the said project or cause had a social media presence (like Facebook or Twitter) and you could choose to follow or add them - or not at all;

And if you decided not to show your support in any way, you wouldn’t be penalised or seen as unsupportive by colleagues;

Would you still do it?

The answer will reveal a lot about the interestingness, relevance and potential of an initiative. And a little about yourself.

Ron, my boyfriend, booked tickets to watch the closing ceremony of the Youth Olympics.

He went to the counter and mentioned he wanted to collect the tickets he booked for the “Youth Olympics”.

The girl at the counter looked at him, initially in bafflement, then said, “YOG?”

Singaporeans have a habit of turning many things into acronyms. Perhaps we’re not too fond of using many words (“No stock!”) or phrasing our words the right way (like the infamous “If got then got, if don’t got then don’t got”).

But when people use an acronym to the extent that they forget the original meaning of the phrase, it makes you wonder. What makes us so fond of acronyms in the first place?

Convenience. Perhaps acronyms pack a certain ‘punch’ while the full term is a drag to pronounce. Acronyms may also give confidence to those who can’t pronounce long or foreign-sounding names, and are simply more convenient to refer to. Thus, Singaporean ladies like to say “LV” instead of Louis Vuitton.

Ubiquity. Wherever we go in Singapore, we are surrounded by acronyms. When we drive, we take the PIE, AYE and CTE but avoid the ERP. Our children take the PSLE, while young men aim to pass their IPPT and can’t wait for their ORD.

At work, we aim to meet our KPIs, but some ideas will be KIV. We use acronyms to refer to each others’ departments. To make things more complicated, those in technical fields will have their own sets of specialised terms, which would also be converted to acronyms. WYSIWYG, anyone? ;-)

So, in short, acronyms are here to stay. And, as the saying goes, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. But spare a thought for the newcomer at work, or the foreigner who’s just arrived in Singapore. Don’t be so focused on doing things ASAP ;-)

Finally, whatever you do, never forget what these acronyms actually stand for.