It's a great thing that I don't have a fear of heights because I've always loved being on high floors, the higher the better. There's always something that draws itself to me. It's either the wind, or the sound of the wind, or the sound of the pitter-patter, or the unreserved view on all sides. People say that the higher you go, the wider your perspective becomes. I don't know that for sure... I wouldn't think it be any different if someone were lower to the ground. But what I do know is that the view from above brings much unexpected surprises. Constantly, consistently.
Like when I was at Holiday Inn Express Katong.
It's a neat, bright, colorful space outside and in. The rooms are well laid out and you get a really bright bathroom with adequate shower facilities and nice, neat tiles. There's a TV and instant coffee and tea bags and a hot water kettle and a little fridge and a wardrobe of sorts. The bed's comfortable enough, there's a desk for one to work at, and they've got wifi. :)
They've got an amazing view too.
In one direction, there're all these houses and low-rise apartments and walk-ups that stretch from here till Kembangan. In the other direction, the low-rises stretch further until you near the edge of the horizon at what is likely Bedok South. You nearly imagine that you can see the distinctive Control Tower of Changi Airport. And the high rises of Marine Parade are just behind, and from here you can see them line the edge of what once used to be the sea.
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| Towards Bedok and Pasir Ris |
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| I'm trying to find Pasir Ris |
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| The Airports are Somewhere There |
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| Marine Parade |
I don't really tend to debate whether or not a view makes a difference to one's perspective. I don't think it is necessary. But what a high rise view most certainly does is that it makes you look at your own familiar world with a slightly different eye. What you don't usually think about when you're walking on the ground, you see the reality when you're up there. What you don't usually perceive in your sense of direction, you see the end when you're up there. When I'm walking past the zi char place at East Coast Road, I don't think of where this road leads me to, but from here, I can see the same place, and I can see where the journey would direct me to, whichever point I turn.
I guess that's what the macro view towards life is all about.
Looking down and looking forward simultaneously, stepping back, stepping higher, extending your reach, examining your individual processes and seeing their influence, exploring their impacts on customers near and far, imagining possible scenarios, perceiving and pursuing collaborations, charting new directions and all the while, keeping the end goal in your sights.
Whichever goal you might have chosen it to be.