Dear class,

I believe some of you might have already heard of Tony Buzan, the man who is most commonly associated with the use of mind maps. However, what’s not really known about him is the fact that besides the renowned “mind map” technique, Tony Buzan has also introduced to us other methods of recall that is invaluable to us. I remember reading one of his books and was interested in a technique that improves our recalling abilities. I will like to call this technique the “movie” technique since it employs the use of mental moving images.

Before I discuss this technique, I will like you to have an awareness that almost all of us think visually and not linguistically. What do I mean by this? Well, let’s consider a simple example. Look at the following scenarios and think of your own experiences:

• Celebrating your birthday parties
• One of the more memorable days in your secondary school
• One memorable outing that you have with friends

Now, what comes to your mind first? Is it images or text (as in words and sentences)? I am quite sure that it’s images. It is rarely that someone recalls any incident with words in his/her mind like this: “I see many friends in my house and my mum comes out of the kitchen holding the birthday cake…” In this instance, what someone sees is almost always a flashback of the entire scene happening simultaneously in images and not linearly in words (as what we usually do when we write an article or read a book).

Knowing that our minds think and recall using images rather than words, you can put this to good use in your presentations by stringing the points that you wish to present together and turning this into a movie. Hence, I call this the “movie” technique. This is most helpful to those who present using scripts but on the whole, it is useful to all of you. However, as most of you are using presentation slides, you will not find this technique helpful as you are able to read the points from the slides. Still, I will like you to learn this technique in the event that you have to present without any slides in the workplace.

So, how do you use this “movie” technique?

Say, you have several points to present for a particular presentation, as follows:

• Respect
• Curiosity
• Understanding

Now, try to visualise a scenario for each word. For instance, you can imagine a boy facing an old lady and speaking gently to her (indicating respect). Subsequently, he notices that the old lady is holding a plastic bag in one of her hands. He points at it and asks her about the bag’s content (indicating curiosity). When the old lady chooses not to answer his question, the boy merely nods his head and stop questioning her (indicating understanding).

You can always use a different story and you can always craft a story that is in a different order (such as highlighting ”curious” first, then “respect” and then “understanding”). When it comes to this technique, flexibility and creativity is key. Try practicing this technique to remember the points in the order that you want and before you know it, I believe that you will remember the points in the order that you want. From here, you merely have to elaborate on your points and provide examples accordingly.

You can even use this technique when you need to buy a list of items. Just visualise a story linking all the items that you wish to purchase and you won’t even need to bring a shopping list. Try it and see.

Happy practising!

There are many movies that we watch for entertainment but there are few movies which contain moral or philosophical messages. Therefore, it is always good when a meaningful film comes along once in a while, of which “The Forbidden Kingdom” is among them.

Having watched the movie over the weekend, I will like to bring out some meaningful lessons that can be learnt (Please read these only if you have watched the movie or if you do not mind knowing some details about the movie, including the ending):

• Forgiveness: In a particular scene, the Silent Monk (Jet Li) told Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei) that vengeance has a way of rebounding upon oneself when the latter said that she wishes to kill the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) to avenge her parents’ deaths.  This advice is meaningful since when we examine any conflict in the world, the primary causes can be found in having the intentions of payback. It’s only through forgiveness that reconciliation and goodwill are possible.

• Determination: In the film, a group of individuals try their very best to return a treasure to the rightful owner in the face of adversity and challenges. Besides honesty, determination is highlighted as a positive quality to have in life. Indeed, every success that we have in life can be attributed to the determination that we put in in the face of obstacles. This fact is further reinforced by the rigorous training undergone by the male lead Jason Tripitikas (whose name pays a tribute to the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West) where Lu Yan (Jackie Chan) told Jason that pain always come before pleasure.

• Kung Fu: In the film, the term “Kung Fu” is defined as something that someone is good at. It is not confined within the realm of martial arts but in all aspects of life. For example, good writers who are able to evoke the emotions of their readers have “kung fu”. Carpenters who are able to produce a durable cupboard have “kung fu”. Business professions with excellent business acumens who are able to expand their businesses globally have “kung fu”. It can be said that our strengths are all “kung fu” in its various forms. Besides breaking the conventional definition of “kung fu”, this realisation has also enabled us to know that each of us have our own strengths and talents.

• Timing: When Lu Yan was seriously wounded in a battle, Jason wanted to snatch the antidote from the Jade Warlord immediately. However, he was stopped by the Silent Monk who advice him to wait two more nights since timing is very important. This is a very insightful message since timing is crucial to success in life. For example, we do not approach our friends for a favour if they are in a bad mood. We do not jog outdoor if we know that an impending storm is brewing. And we do not leave our houses late if we know that we will be late for school.

• Mortality versus Immortality: In the film, this issue is explored in great detail. Golden Sparrow died in her attempt to avenge her parent’s deaths. However, Jason met her again in another world. This leads the audience to think about human’s existence. When a person is gone, is he or she really gone? And having drank the potion of immortality, Lu Yan, survived throughout the ages, aging over the years but never dying.  This leaves the audience wondering if immortality is a blessing or a curse.