Author: howie

When Trust Matters

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These are the words boldy visible when one steps into DNV‘s Singapore office. It is also at the forefront of nearly every presentation template in the company. It is also baked into the culture of the whole company. I previously wrote about trust and how the team I worked with operated with a lot of trust. After my second stint with DNV, where I had the opportunity to work with a largely renewed team, I can safely say with utmost confidence that while the people have changed, the culture hasn’t.

During my first stint, starting in December 2020, the team was starting to undergo a renewal. The old guard was leaving – some retiring, others taking up exciting new opportunities within the company – and the new guard was just entering one by one. The first of the new guard had just joined a month before I started.

I strongly believe that my line manager and the Area Business Development Director, Tony, took exceptional care to bring in people who would fit the team and the wider company culture. I do not mean people who are agreeable and would not raise objections or yes-men. Instead, it was people with different ways of thinking, background, character. But they all had one thing in common – the willingness to be a team player and the desire to perform both individually and as a team, along with the desire to keep improving and to help others improve.

From left to right: Girish, me, Tony

One may think that in Business Development, the environment would be incredibly cutthroat and that every account manager would be competing against each other to get the best performance. It just isn’t the culture. The account managers help each other out, freely giving advice and assistance to those who ask without the slightest hesitation. There wasn’t competition within the team because they knew they were all in the same boat (pun intended?) and that it was more productive to have everyone performing at their best.

There was a conversation where the higher ups were the topic of discussion. In it, there were lots of praises going around about how the superiors always had their backs when it mattered, helping them fight battles that were sure to be lost but doing it anyway simply because they trusted those below them and knew it was a battle worth fighting. They weren’t concerned about how they would be perceived or having a perfect “win” rate. This gives those under the leaders at DNV the confidence to take risks or come out with bold ideas, that may or may not work but was still worth trying. This confidence and willingness to try can only help the team and the company advance. Because there is trust.

Author and speaker Simon Sinek has an anecdote he likes to use to teach about trusting the people you work with and creating the right environment. He once stayed at a Four Seasons hotel where he felt the staff were genuinely happy and welcoming, that they were sincere and not at all faking it because they were forced to act a certain way. Simon talks to a bartender, Noah, who loved his job and found out that he was also working at Caesars Palace but was just there to collect a salary.

At the Four Seasons, Noah said the managers were concerned about his well-being and providing an environment where he could thrive and be himself without fear of making mistakes. They would ask him how he was and what they could do the help him do his job better. This openness flowed into his job performance where he has no reservations about being himself and being genuinely happy to serve his customers.

At Caesars Palace, Noah’s managers were concerned about catching mistakes and reprimanding, creating a stuffy and pressured environment where he constantly felt like he was being watched. In time, he grew to keep his head down and never go the extra mile, to just get through the day and get his pay. All in fear of accidentally stepping out of some arbitrary line.

Simon would end of the anecdote by saying: “If we create the right environment, we get people like Noah at the Four Seasons. If we create the wrong environment, we get people like Noah at Caesars Palace. Same person, vastly different performance.”

From what I’ve seen, the leaders at DNV understands this and it flows throughout the organisation. One personal anecdote, an intern had just joined for a few weeks, still very green and learning the ropes. A manager had a quick chat with her, checking in on her, making sure she’s taken care of. She admitted that she was still a little lost. The manager told her not to worry, that once the month was over and things had settled down after all the events that were going on that month, they would have a sit down and talk about the support she needs and guide her accordingly. There wasn’t any judgement about why she wasn’t picking things up fast or doubts about her capability, only the willingness to make sure she has the help she needs to excel at her job and to help her learn as much as she can during her internship.

Whenever a mistake is made, the immediate action isn’t to find fault and mete out punishment. It is to rectify the mistake and to find ways to ensure that similar mistakes won’t happen or at least have its impact mitigated in the future. This fosters an environment where people are more willing to learn because they are far less afraid of making mistakes. They trust those above to know that they are human and things do go wrong sometimes, and with that trust, they are more willing to take responsibility for their actions and pass on that trust to those around them. Those above trust those under their charge to be responsible and to perform, and should there be a mistake, that it would be taken care of somehow.

I firmly believe that this is the key to creating a successful and sustainable company that would last.

It has been an incredible pleasure to work with the people in DNV and I sincerely hope that our paths would cross again in the future, no matter the capacity.

From left to right: Evon, Gabrielle, Kapil, Olivier, Girish, me, Tony, Siti, Gustad, Sharon

Teamwork

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I’m really glad to have joined DNV and really fortunate that they accepted me.

DNV is a maritime classification society that conducts surveys, audits, and provides advisory services to vessel owners/managers all over the world. They provide many other services in other industries and sectors such as oil & gas, energy, supply chain. I was in the maritime business development department.

DNV has collaboration as one of their core values. The team I worked with and everyone else I’ve interacted with has shown me that they truly believe in this value. Any time I ran into issues, I never felt that I could not approach my senior colleagues for help or advice. They were always happy to answer my questions and provide me with guidance.

Everyone is invited to contribute ideas on how to improve the company’s processes, be it interns or senior executives. Everyone’s ideas were given fair consideration and credit.

A great deal of trust is also given within the team. Everyone is expected to play their part and were trusted to carry out their duties. I was not micromanaged on how I carried out my assigned tasks, I was simply given the required knowledge and allowed to complete it how I saw fit. Granted, there are many layers between what I do and the final execution so mistakes made at my level would not be significant in the grand scheme of things. However, when I complete my tasks well and without mistakes, it makes the job of those who build off of my tasks easier. Instead of having to spend time to rectify my mistakes, they can concentrate on carrying out their jobs, which would ultimately impact the team’s performance.

Working together and cooperating seems so easy and logical. Yet, many somehow fail to grasp that. Or maybe they do but they prioritise their individual goals over that of the team and choose to sabotage others so they may rise higher.

Things doesn’t always go as planned

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During my time in Embry-Riddle, I made a few videos as part of my coursework, one of which is an advertisement for the school. The initial concept of this video and the final product were the same and yet, it ended up being very different from how I had initially envisioned it.

I pitched the idea of creating a video advertisement for my school at the time to my group as our class project and they agreed. We were all unaware of how big this project would eventually become (although in hindsight, we probably should have).

As Embry-Riddle is an aviation focused school, most of its advertisements are naturally showcasing its ability to impart aviation knowledge and train aviators. Had I been the one in charge of the school’s marketing campaigns, I would do that too. It’s the obvious choice.

However, we did not have the luxury of time, resources or access to the school’s aviation facility (because we’re in Singapore and said facilities are in the US). So I looked at what was more reasonable with what I had available. That’s how I arrived at the video’s concept, which focused on promoting learning as something that is at the core of what school is.

It is a generic idea, nothing groundbreaking or unique. That said, I believe that a boring idea with great execution is better than a great idea with mediocre execution.

To film this, I used my mobile phone (Pixel 3) and borrowed a DJI Pocket from a friend. I wrote a script to give an idea for what the video would be like and we went from there. We planned the shots, decided on the angles, who would be in the shots, all that fun stuff.

Then we started filming.

Murphy’s law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong (don’t quote me on that). Some shots we wanted turned out to be not as feasible as when we were planning and scouting areas, others were cut short due to time constraints. I’d say that about half the shots I initially wanted didn’t get filmed.

They were instead replaced by other shots that we improvised, along with others that I filmed during breaks and while waiting for classes to start.

I was glad I got those shots though.

Those were some of the most genuine shots of my schoolmates I’ve gotten as they were simply going about their day, doing their work instead of having to act. Those shots were far better than anything I could’ve tried to direct/script.

My favourite shot was of my three friends laughing together in a corridor because of something funny that our classmate did. When I stopped recording, I remember thinking that it was one of the best things I’ve filmed for this project. And I wouldn’t have filmed it if I forced myself to stick to the planned script and only captured what we had discussed.

In the end, I think life is like that some times. You don’t always get what you want nor will things always go as planned. But sometimes, what you wanted or planned may not be as good as what you actually get.

(If you’re reading this on the main page, the video might not be embedding properly) Have to figure this one out.

About Me

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I’m an aviation enthusiast. I have always been since my teens. I joined Singapore Youth Flying Club for my extra-curricular activity in secondary school. In it, I grew to love aviation, planes and flying through the lessons and simulation sessions. I took on the role of logistics officer in my school’s branch, where I managed maintained the club’s equipment and resources. I also planned the training camps for the members in my school, running the camps with the help of my fellow office bearers and junior leaders. This experience taught me how to manage resources and finances at a young age.

After secondary school, I enrolled into the Aviation Management & Services diploma with Temasek Polytechnic. Through the program, I learnt about the aviation industry – from the various key players like the ICAO and IATA and their roles, to how different aspects of the industry work together.

I also had the opportunity to fly. Instead of taking an internship, I opted to enrol into the Singapore Youth Flying Club Private Pilot’s License program. A simulation is just that, a simulation. The experience of being at the controls up in the skies is unparalleled. One particular flight stood out during my time in the program.

Clouds gathered rather quickly, forcing my instructor to end the flight early due to inclement weather. My instructor took us through the clouds in order to descend quickly and when we exited, I was greeted with another plane climbing towards us. I quickly informed my instructor, who manoeuvred us out of the way. It was a truly sobering experience. This program helped build my situational awareness and communication skills, vital traits for pilots to have, and I left with a much greater appreciation for aviation.

That appreciation led me to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where I earned my degree in Aviation Business Administration. During my course of studies, I gained a much deeper understanding of how the aviation industry operated and its role in the global community.

Besides aviation, I came to love marketing and branding through my coursework. I, along with my team, wrote, shot and edited several advertisements, including one for my school. That advertisement was then used for internal presentations. I enjoyed the process of conceptualising and creating adverts that represented the brand in a slightly different manner. It inspired my desire to work with airlines in brand development.

I am now with Singapore Management University pursuing my Masters in Management. Previously, while serving my National Service, I was a Military Police Specialist by vocation. Before that, I took my Diploma in Aviation Management & Services with Temasek Polytechnic after my ‘O’ levels and graduating from St Andrew’s Secondary School.

My other interests include writing, movies, and reading. I hope to one day publish my story, whether traditional or self-published. I also dabble a bit in video editing but nothing fancy. 

I am always in search of interesting stories to read and tell, whether it be fact or fiction.

A Marriage by Summon

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Jonah dusted himself off and admired his work. Hours and days spent in the library, pouring over countless books on summoning, he was finally going to do it. The summoning circle before him took him many hours and even more candles to draw, evident by the field of partially drawn ones littering the desert around him.

A sharp burn licked his hand and Jonah dropped the half burned candle he forgot he was holding. He cursed while scraping off the wax that dried on his. But it brought him back to reality. He picked up the tome his handiwork was from and flipped to the summoning ritual page, using the faint glow from the circle of candles around the runes and inscriptions. Once Jonah found the page he needed, he began chanting.

Dust swirled around Jonah. The summoning circle filled the air around him with a deep purple glow, outshining the warm orange light from Tanasia in the horizon. He did not know what the sound coming from his mouth meant, nor did he know what purpose the inscriptions he drew were for. He just followed the instructions and hoped it worked out. He kept his eyes closed and chanted while the ground beneath his feet rumbled.

Silence. The rumbling stopped and the vortex of air calmed to a light breeze.

Jonah held his breath and slowly opened his eyes. A figure stood in the circle’s center, faintly lit by the candles that were somehow not extinguished. Tall as a young elephant, built like an ox with horns to complement, eyes burning like fire, skin red and leathery. Jonah’s heart raced. He’d done it. He’d summoned a demon!

“Yes!” Jonah pumped his hand towards the sky with a jump. “Oh, I cannot believe it. Oh man, that rat Larry-”

“What is the meaning of this, mortal?” the demon growled. The manuscripts mentioned pride and perhaps anger was common in summoned demons, but Jonah only heard confusion and exasperation in the demon’s voice. He had also expected the demon to be wearing armor and maybe carrying a weapon. Instead, the demon was wearing what appeared to be a robe and had a turkey leg in his hand.

“I ask again, what is the meaning of this?”

“I- uhh-” Jonah cleared his throat but the nervousness and excitement remained. “My name is Jonah, and I have summoned thee into this realm so that I may barter fo-”

“I’m just going to stop you right there,” the demon interrupted. “Firstly, if you’re trying to make a deal with me for something, you’re doing it wrong. That’s not at all how you greet one of the Dark Realms. Secondly, I’m retired. I have more human souls than I know what to do with. That prick Mamitu must have messed with my summoning filter. So, no, I’m not taking your soul to give you the means for world domination or whatever your kind tends to summon us for.” Smoke erupted from the ground and swirled around the demon.

“Wait, wait, wait, don’t go! Please! I don’t want to rule the world or anything! I just need your help winning my eating competitions!” Jonah begged, waving his arms in the air as if it might somehow stop the demon from returning to his realm. And it did.

The smoke stopped swirling and dissipated, the demon staring at Jonah. “You…what? What did you want?”

“I want you to help me win all my eating competitions! I’m a professional competitive eater and I’m in a bit of a slump right now so I need your help.”

The demon kept his fiery eyes on Jonah, dropped the turkey leg in his hand and burst out laughing. At least Jonah thought he was laughing with the way his body was contorting, although it sounded more like howling with the tortured screams of the damned mixed in.

“You want me- Eating compe- Professional-” the demon managed to squeeze a few words out between his fits of laughter.

Jonah stood in a daze watching the demon make a mockery out of his wish, unsure of what to do or say, so he decided to let the demon laugh to his heart’s content. If he had a heart.

Eventually, the demon’s laugh subsided to wheezing and gasps for breaths. Jonah was certain that there were tears rolling down the demon’s cheeks. The demon took deep breaths and tried to get serious repeatedly but just kept breaking. “I’m sorry, I can’t stop. Just when I thought I’ve seen everything your kind has to offer, and trust me, I’ve seen a lot, you summoned me to win fucking competitions!” His voice’s pitch getting higher towards the end, something Jonah did not think possible for a creature of the Dark Realm.

“Yes, it seems trivial but this means everything to me. I can’t lose again. And not to Larry…” His voice trailing off as he pictured Larry’s smug freckled face.

“Alright, alright, I’ll help you. This is too stupid to pass up.” The demon caught his breath and his tone turned a tad more serious. “I am Asag, formerly of the Twelve Lords. I can see that you’re not well versed with proper summoning etiquette so I’m just going to skip all that. Never enjoyed those anyway, takes too long.”

Jonah fell on his knees. “Thank you, Lord Asag. I will be eternally loyal and grateful.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. I have not told you the price of my service.”

“Is it not my soul and eternal servitude after I die?”

Asag chuckled in a way that made Jonah uneasy. “Oh, what I have in mind is far better. Well, better for me, at least. I’m tired of harvesting souls. I don’t even know what to use them for anymore. For you, however, it’ll depend on whether you’re a glass half full or glass half empty type of guy.”

“So, what do I have to do?” The uneasiness made its way into Jonah’s stomach and tied itself into a knot.

“You, silly mortal,” Asag snapped his fingers and the summoning circle lit up again, sweeping up dust and pouring out smoke. When it all settled, a second figure stood beside Asag. She looked nothing like the towering demon beside her. She was slightly shorter than Jonah, had milky white skin, and long flowing hair whose color Jonah can only describe as the feeling of coming home to the love of your life. Her eyes was also different. Instead of raging fire, it was a shade of blue that reminded him of the ocean and sky. “Will marry my daughter.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Jonah was not processing what Asag had said. Nowhere in any of the books he had read say anything about marrying the supposed daughter of a demon. There was no way a beauty like her was a daughter of a demon. The tomes and manuscripts all described demons as large and red creatures, not a human like creature that looked more like an angel.

“You heard me. You’re marrying my Fehleena.” She did a curtsy and kept her head down.

“I don’t…understand…” Jonah muttered. This was not at all how he envisioned the night going. He was supposed to make a deal to sell his soul to a demon and be the reigning competitive eating champion in the realm, belly stuffed with auroch sausages or meat pies or lemon cakes day after day until the day he died.

“Listen here, you summoned me in the middle of my dinner and begged for my help. I agreed to help and laid out my terms. You are not getting out of this deal.”

“But we haven’t made a deal yet!”

“Oh, we have because I’ve already granted your request. You have been granted the power needed to win all your future competitions,” Asag said matter of factly.

“I don’t…what?”

“You have a competition tomorrow, don’t you? Just as well, as good a place as any for a wedding. We will hold the wedding there. Fehleena and I will be bringing a few guests so make sure there are seats for them. See you tomorrow.” Asag snapped his fingers and smoke once again poured out of the summoning circle, engulfing the demon and the beauty that is supposedly his daughter.The purple light faded, leaving Jonah lost for words in the sandy plain, accompanied by the turkey leg Asag had left. He picked up the half eaten drumstick and dusted it off, burn marks resembling the summoning circle seared into the side that laid on the ground. The desert breeze blew over Jonah.

That night, he laid in bed thinking about what had happened, the turkey leg from hell sat on his nightstand. He tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep but eventually, the sun rose over the mountains. The night had gone and tomorrow had come, all without a minute sleep.

~

Jonah dragged his feet towards the town hall of Tanasia, where the next competition was held. Rows upon rows of chairs and benches filled the hall, the autumn sun filtered through the windows. A long table stood on a stage with silver platters laid out across it. He rubbed his eyes and looked around as spectators and competitors bustled about. In his sleepy, dazed state, he prayed that he had been sleeping and the night before had been but a dream.

Alas, it was not.

Asag sat in the front row, except his skin was no longer red and leathery, nor was his stature towering over others. He instead looked like an impeccably well dressed normal human with his ornate wine colored robe and rings on his fingers, if slightly taller than average. The demon gave him a nod and smiled. He looked nothing like Jonah remembered but the competitive eater was sure it was him because…

Fehleena sat beside him, beautiful as he could remember in his sleepless state, a shawl wrapped over her head, complementing her flowing red dress. Her smile reminded him of the feeling of basking in the sun while a cool breeze blew over him.

Jonah approached the two gingerly.

“Ah, the man of the hour. So, Jonah, ready for the big day?” Asag asked with a grin.

Jonah just let his mouth hang open, unsure of what to say or how to respond, eyes darting between Asag and Fehleena. His body shaking. He did not know why he even approached them in the first place. He should have had a couple beers and stayed in bed.

“Nervous, I see. I know how you feel. I was so nervous on the day I married Fehleena’s mother, I accidentally sat on a few souls!” Asag laughed. “Anyway, just want to wish you good luck for your competition. We’ll be rooting for you!”

Fehleena reached out to take his right hand. Normally, Jonah would’ve jumped back but he was not sure why he didn’t. He blamed his lack of sleep on his muted response. The young lady ran her fingers over the burn he received from the night before and kissed it. Jonah winced and wanted to pull his hand back, but he also didn’t. The part of him that did not want to do so won. When Fehleena’s lips parted from his hand, the redness faded and the skin returned to its natural beige.

“Looks like Fehleena likes you,” Asag teased.

Jonah managed to squeeze out a feeble “thanks” before turning away and walked towards the ready room.

There were five other competitors. Of course, Larry among them. Short, round, shaped like a ball, Larry waddled towards Jonah. “May odds be in your flavor,” Larry greeted with his hand extended and a cheerful smile like he always did before their competitions. Jonah was sure he was mocking him but always returned the wishes and gesture for reasons beyond him.

They were invited to the stage and seated. Jonah stared into his tired reflection in the silver plate, wondering what was going to happen. The announcer was saying something but Jonah could only hear his own heart beating faster and faster. She must have said something exciting because he could see the crowd cheering from his peripheral vision. Then a plate stacked high with an assortment of cookies entered his field of view, bringing him back to the present.

“…Begin!”

Jonah caught that last word of the countdown and started wolfing down the cookies instinctively. As he placed placed each one in his mouth, it instantly melted into a delicious buttery goo, slipping down his throat like water. He kept going and going, placing more cookies into his mouth and swallowing. All the time ignoring the chaos that erupted around him, his competitors throwing up what they had eaten. Groans and gasps of disgust resounded throughout the hall. Jonah glanced at Asag and Fehleena.

Asag was in a fit of laughter while Fehleena had her eyes rolled with a look of exasperation. Jonah then looked around, finally noticing the pandemonium. The announcer was nowhere to be found. Larry was curled up in a ball, sobbing with traces of vomit around his mouth. Jonah picked up a cookie from Larry’s plate and broke it in two. A foul stench filled his nostrils and he threw them away.

~

The commotion died down when the organizers of the competition ushered everyone out and apologised, bringing all the affected contestants into the ready room. Only Jonah, Asag and Fehleena remained in the hall, Jonah still trying to come to terms with what happened while Asag admired the aftermath.

“That was a good laugh. I has been a long time since I had such fun.” Asag wiped his eyes dry of tears. “I must say, thank you for summoning me, Jonah.”

“What was that? What did you do?”

“I swapped your competitors’ cookies with cookies from the Dark Realm! The ones we feed to your kind that end up there! Oh, I did not expect such a fantastic reaction.”

“Father…that was not nice,” Fehleena said. It was the first time Jonah had heard her voice and it sounded like it was sung by angels. “My betrothed, I sincerely apologise for my father’s…prank.”

Jonah was so entranced by her beauty that he just laughed and shrugged, immediately regretting his reaction.

“Oh, don’t be like your mother, Fehl, let me have some fun.” Asag turned to Jonah. “Anyway, are you ready for the wedding?”

“I…is it too late to say no?”

“Yes. The time was yesterday, before you summoned me.” Asag snapped his fingers and the hall was suddenly bustling with activity again. Figures busied themselves cleaning up and setting up the hall for a wedding. “Now, get ready to join the family of angels and demons.”

Fehleena smiled at Jonah. His heart melted and reached out to hold her hand.

Perhaps it was not that bad.

Legacy

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“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Her gaze reached out beyond the viewing gallery, into the vastness of space. The ocean of stars swam behind the brilliant light of the Sun.

She did not reply.

We sat in silence, in awe of the cosmos as the Tartarus drifted through the emptiness. We’d sailed past Mars hours ago, the planet as red as the stories told. Soon we would be upon Earth.

Earth.

Our home.

When we closed in on the third planet of the solar system, we were greeted not with the blue marble from the legends but with a withered grey orb.

I could hardly believe that this was all that remained.

The intercom chimed. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re now within viewing range. On behalf of the corporation, we hope you will enjoy witnessing the event. Thank you for travelling with Journey’s End.”

By this time, Mercury and Venus were all but destroyed. The expansion of the Sun had consumed them centuries and decades ago.

Earth was next.

I looked back to my guards, motioning my intent to move around. After they acknowledged, we left our seats and walked to the tip of the gallery. A waiter offered us champagne from his tray, which we accepted. Looking to the side, there were other cruisers and ships parked nearby. All here to witness the death of a planet.

“I wonder if what the legends said were true. That Earth used to house fifteen billion lives. That the oceans were full of life and the skies were bluer than azure,” she said. Her were arms folded within her shawl.

“Looking at it now, it is hard to believe that we came from this planet. It’s nothing but waste.”

“I suppose not all of us learnt our lessons.”

“I suppose not.” I laughed.

As we drank, we watched the once life-giving entity inch closer, swelling in size. The grey planet glowed slightly as its surface boiled.

Slowly, but surely, the Sun’s surface met with Earth’s. Live images from a probe showed the crust cracking, molten rock spewing out as its shell was crushed. Sound transmitted from the surface was broadcasted into the gallery. It was unlike anything I’d heard in my life. The deep rumbling, the crack of tectonic plates.

Then came silence.

Some cheered as the Earth sank into the plasma. Some cried. Me? I could only stare in silence. I looked at her. A tear ran down her cheek.

As I stared at her, it dawned on me. We’re all that is left of the Earth. We are the planet’s final legacy in this Universe.

I wrapped my arms around her. “I suppose this is goodbye.”

She buried her face into my chest. I could feel the tears soaking through my jumper.

“Have a safe trip home, alright?” I said.

“I didn’t want it to end…”

“I know. I know…” I continued to comfort her, stroking her hair.

The two guards walked up to us. I gave her one last squeeze before peeling away.

“I love you.”

“I know. Take good care of yourself. Promise?” I smiled at her. When she nodded, I kissed her on her forehead and turned to the guards. “Alright boys, let’s get this over with.”

I could hear her footsteps follow us as we walked out of the gallery. I stopped just after the door frame. One last glimpse and the door slid shut between the two of us.

Regret washed over me. My heart ached. I would not be able to see what she would become.

I stepped into my pod. It shook violently as it ejected from the ship.

Weightlessness was an odd sensation. I looked back at the Tartarus, at the viewing gallery, getting smaller and smaller. I turned my gaze back to the front. Towards the sun, slowly getting bigger and bigger, till it was the only thing that I could see. The silence was deafening. Only my heartbeat remained to soothe my nerves.

But if my legacy is her, I have nothing to be worried about.

Trust and Integrity

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Trust and integrity. When dealing with others, we always have a choice: to be truthful and sincere, or to be deceitful. I believe that we should choose the former because any relationship, personal or professional is fundamentally based on trust. While we cannot stop others from choosing to lie, we can choose to act with integrity ourselves.

Have I lied before? Yes, I have. But as I grow and make new connections, I learnt over time that there is no meaning in forming one based on a lie. There can be no trust if I do not have integrity and my word will mean nothing. A relationship that lacks trust can only be toxic and unproductive. On the other hand, a relationship where both parties are able to trust each other has the potential to be beneficial for both since no effort has to be wasted on finding out whether the other person is lying or not.

Trust is also more than knowing that the other person is being honest. It is also having faith in other people’s abilities. This became most apparent to me when I was delegating tasks to my team members for group projects in school.

While discussing the direction the group’s presentation should take, my team gave valid suggestions. However, I let my distrust and ego get in the way. I forced my idea in and dismissed theirs because I did not have faith in them. In the end, my team was given a lacklustre score while teams that took a direction similar to those suggested by my teammates received excellent scores.

I thought I knew best and did not trust that my teammates could also have valid ideas. I apologised to my team for my inflexibility. From then on, I made sure to consider the perspectives of others thoroughly before rejecting it.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I need to trust and play to the strengths of my team while ensuring that their weaknesses are covered for instead of letting it define them. This manner of leadership, in my opinion, is more productive in the long run. The team will feel more appreciated and respected, and the work we do will be better for it. I am glad to have learnt this lesson in school where the stakes are lower and I aim to not repeat it in the future.

What is truth?

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Truth. What is truth? Is it fact? Perhaps. Or perhaps it is something you want to believe to be fact. Whatever it is to you, it doesn’t matter. Not for our boy Johnny here, anyway. He’s dead. Found in his cabin with rope burn around his neck and stab wounds all over his body by the bus lad checking on him. The Polar Bus was approaching the pole after travelling for a week and Joshua had not been seen coming out of his cabin for the past two days.

At first, people thought he just wanted alone time, something they were glad to give him. No one could stand the stench on him, not even the heaviest of smokers. Me? I do not smoke. Never touch the stuff. I do partake in the occasional wine. Enough about me, back to Joseph. Jason is, well, was the boss of…it doesn’t matter. Just know that he had it coming. Probably. He was not a good person and now he’s dead.

The bus captain, bless him, implored me to investigate since I also happen to be one of the most brilliant detectives in the known world. According to whom, you ask? According to me, and it’s a valid reference. Why? Because I’m the most brilliant detective. Do try and keep up.

Anyway, I obliged, of course. Even though I knew the murderer would not be found. I had a duty to try.

Now, since we have been in transit since we left the station till now, never making a stop, everyone is naturally a suspect. But the facts speak for themselves. After having two minutes with each person on board, there are only four suspects among them. Let’s meet them, shall we?

First on the list is Hector Gad, Joshua’s PA. Their rooms were right next to each other and their beds were separated by a thin partition so if there was any struggle, young Hector would definitely have heard it. But he claims he didn’t. A bit of probing did show that he might have a motive. The boss was abusive and often blamed him for things that were not his fault. Only reason Hector stayed was the money. Oh no, not the paycheck. You couldn’t afford to live in a tent on Hector’s paycheck. Young Hector is rather industrious. He’s been embezzling money from his boss for years and was never caught. But I suppose he was starting to feel uneasy. Guess he doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Next on the list is Reyna. Pretty little rose. Caught the attention of our boy Jeffery when she boarded the bus. Naturally, he tried to get her to join him in his cabin and naturally, she said no. Many times. Jordan wasn’t one to be turned down so he tried to get fresh with her. She decided introduced his chin to her fist and her knee to his happy place. The rose, as they say, has thorns. Boy, oh boy, that was quite a show to watch. You should’ve been there. Oh, did I mention that Reyna worked for Jory’s company? Or that said company refused to pay out insurance claims for her parent’s death in a train wreck in her youth? Interesting.

Moving on to Jonathan’s personal chef, Kit, who joined the bus’s kitchen because big boy here knew he made enemies and revenge can come anywhere. Apparently, Jonas never heard the saying about not messing with people that handle your food because he was not kind to Kit at all but Kit took it all in stride. He was milder than plain bread. Makes a mean peking duck, though. Kit lost his parents young and lived with Jamie ever since, learning to cook under the magnate’s personal chef at the time.

Let’s turn our attention to the doctor, Adom Lawrence. What kind of doctor? Well, never the kind that you need but always the kind you have. He is, however, very good with needles. He recently joined the Aurora Corporation as an on board physician. So what does he have to do with our knife cushion dummy here? Well, you see, Adom was once the head physician working for Julian’s company, that is until they had a disagreement about approval policies and the doctor lost his job, and his credibility. Or they had an argument over which sandwich is the best. Personally, I prefer to go with the latter.

Did I mention Kit makes really good peking duck? I don’t even like duck. Or Chinese food. Or the Chinese. I’m just kidding, I like Chinese food.

Ok, I’ve told you about the PA, the rose, the chef, and the doctor. Who else am I missing? I don’t think I left anyone out. What was that? How can there only be so few suspects with so many people on board? Surely, you’re seeing a pattern here. They all have some reason or other to want our boy here dead.

But I’m going to tell you that none of them did it. How do I know? I know because I’m the greatest detective ever. Let me break this down for you, shall I?

Hector was blackout drunk the last night his boss was seen in the common areas. The bartender made sure of that. Reyna had only been to the cafe and the gym starting from a day before Jared died. Someone decided to release a stink bomb in her cabin and hid it extremely well. Kit? Kit was preparing a breakfast that was supposed to be for Jeffrey the next morning but ended up in his own stomach when his boss decided to become a knife holder for his enemy. He was in the kitchen during the time the murder was committed. Doctor Adom was busy treating a string of food poisoning cases that night. Curious indeed that they all have strong alibis or reasons to not be anywhere near our poor victim here.

Here’s a few other nuggets for you think about. The bartender did not cut Hector off that night. In fact, he encouraged him. The cabin area was not anywhere near the cafe or the gym where Reyna hung around. Those areas were monitored the whole time and there was not a second where she could not be found. The breakfast order Kit was preparing was purposefully complicated. It was also not from his employer. There was also no way a kitchen with as strict standards as Aurora Corporation would allow their passengers to get sick from their food. The fact is, none of them could have done it, even if they wanted to, and let’s face it, they all do.

Think about all the facts I’ve told you. Consider them while you enjoy the northern lights. The murderer is in this very bus and still is, and the murderer will get away with it. That is the truth.

So tell me, what is truth?

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch – Did Netflix pull it off?

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So Season 5 of Black Mirror is returning with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch at the forefront. It’ll have an interactive choose your own adventure element to the story, allowing the viewer to make decisions that would alter the story. This sounds like an amazing idea in theory but how well can they execute it?

This is very reminiscent of the now defunct Telltale’s games (Tales from the Borderlands, The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, etc.). The thing about these games is that the choices you make don’t really alter the story all that much in the grand scheme of things and when you do go back to make those choices again, it gets repetitive.

So how did the creative team behind Black Mirror pull it off? In my opinion, flawlessly.

Ok so, here’s the thing. Your choices don’t matter in Bandersnatch, to an extent. But this is all part of the narrative. The way they handle the scenes that you have to rewatch is brilliant as well. Most of the scenes you have to rewatch are edited down into snippets that tells you where in the timeline you are. Then there are a few scenes where you rewatch in its entirety. Watch out for those scenes because things are not the same in those.

The first choice that I made that caused a rewind happened pretty early on in the movie. When it replayed I was immediately worried that the repetitiveness was going to set in and that it would happen for pretty much all my choices later in the movie. As soon as I had that fear, the scene proved the fear unfounded with altered dialogue that foreshadows plot points later in the movie.

The characters get a bit meta at some points and one route full on lets you break the fourth wall and the character becomes self-aware that they are not in control of their choices. That path leads to a pretty hilarious ending (think Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s ending), if you pick the right options. There are some inconsequential choices thrown in that won’t have any impact on the narrative but will alter some background things.

They also do a great job in making sure the scenes flow well into one another no matter which choice you pick, so you won’t know whether you’ve made the “right” choice until it has played itself out. There is a time limit on how long you can dwell on your choices so that helps remove the awkward pause in dialogue and actions (but then again, Telltale’s games also had a time limit) so the scene and dialogue is written in a way that makes those few seconds where you’re making your decision not feel stilted at all.

The overall narrative felt very cohesive and played out in a way that takes full advantage of the rewind instead of feeling like you’re only watching part of a story. When I say it takes full advantage of the rewind, I mean that you’re guided to an ending that the writers want you to reach (something that is hinted at in the show itself).

I can only say that I hope Netflix and other content producers would make more media like Bandersnatch, if they are all as well executed, that is.

Footsteps

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“I’ll be home soon, Shana.” Lucas hugged his five year-old.

“Where are you going, Papa?” Shana’s untouched innocence stabbed him in his heart.

He pecked her on her forehead and looked her in her eyes. “Take care of Mama until I come back, will you?” Lucas put his wedding ring in her small hands.

Shana nodded.

He stood up and embraced Sara. “I love you.”

“Stay safe,” she whispered.

~

“In a joint declaration with other leaders of the world, Prime Minister Lune announced that the war against the Khelekares has come to an end,” the news reporter said, beaming.

Shana could not wait. Any day now, Papa would be coming through the door. She toyed with the ring she wore on her neck.

A knock on the front door.

Shana rushed to open it, stubbing her toe on a corner. She smiled through the pain. Behind the door was a man and a woman, both in neat and fitting clothes. The man had a hat in his arms and the woman had her hat folded and tucked on her shoulder. Her face dropped.

“Hi there,” the man said with a smile. It seemed off, but Shana could not figure out why. “Is your mummy home?”

“Y-yes,” Shana squeaked. She turned around to call for Mama but she was already coming towards the door. She pat Shana on the head.

“Darling, could you please wait for me in your room?”

Shana nodded and walked towards the bedrooms, stopping before she entered to look at their guests. The last thing she saw was Mama shaking their hands and inviting them in.

She sat on her bed, wondering what Mama was talking about with the two. Maybe they were telling her when Papa would be coming back. Or where they could go to meet-

A scream sent chills through her.

~

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Kane leaned against the railing beside Shana, and handed her a coffee.

“Thanks.” She sipped the hot cuppa. She was glad she wore her jacket. The river breeze blew her inky black hair into her eyes.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“I don’t feel like talking about it.” Shana glared at the Khelekares carcass across the YaLu river. Its two hind legs pierced through the water, into the riverbed the other six legs dug deep in the ground of Lu Dong city, all connected at the thorax of the alien, beetle-like creature. Its body casting a shadow that covered the entire city.

“Well, if you ain’t going to talk, I will,” Kane said. “I spoke to Horace, you’re off the hook.”

Shana hid her surprise by taking a long drink.

“There is, however, one condition.” He pulled a patch out of his pocket and handed it to her. It had a crossed scimitar and torch, circled with laurels. Shana knew it, it was too good to be true.

“I’d rather they throw me into detention.”

“No, you don’t.”

She threw Kane a look. He met her eyes and stared, pushing the patch towards her. She sighed and took the patch. “No, I don’t.”

“I’ll see you in camp.” He pat her on the shoulder and walked away.

Shana took out a patch from her pocket. It had the same insignia as the one Kane handed her, except it was worn and tattered. She ran her thumb over the frayed embroidery then affixed it on the velcro on her left sleeve. She rolled the ring on her index finger, staring at the carcass.

Author’s Note:

The inspiration for this piece is this wonderful art work by wlop on DeviantArt.
It is also set in the same world as my other piece: He prayed.