“I want to
learn new things”, “I need to learn new things” are some of the common urges
motivated people feel along their life journey.
And then
there’s the adventurous type who can’t stop trying new things. They are
addicted to the excitement in uncovering something new.
Lastly we
have the relaxed where life is starting to get boring, or they just want a
change.
That said,
the fast pace of the urban lifestyle doesn’t allow many to have the luxury of
time to take a long time off to get into really serious topics. And I always thought to learn new things, you
need that significant amount of time… turns out that I was wrong.
There are
actually quite a number of things you can learn within a day, and even some
within an hour. I have actually found some options where even the normal amateur
can easily accomplish. You may not see the need for some of them now, but who
knows…
- Learn
how to solve the Rubik’s cube
You can easily learn the how by watching youtube videos that teach you the algorithms behind solving the rubik’s cube. It’s pretty cool, not to mention the number of friends you can impress with this. - Learn to code
If you’re versatile with the web you should know there are a lot of websites teaching you how to code on this one. Think code academy. - Learn
welding/machining
This is going to be my top recommendation, being an engineer. Did you know you can obtain a certificate endorsing your ability to weld? Well you need to pay a small sum for this one, which is highly subsidized! 1 day courses are available at NTUC learninghub. Machining courses are available too, but they take more than a day. - Learn
a musical instrument
Well there’s the piano, guitar, ukulele, etc. My personal take will be the piano, and you just need to memorize the keys for a particular pop song, play it well and you will sound like you DO know how to play the piano. - Learn
the military alphabet code
No, f is not for facebook. OK, facebook starts with the letter f, but… Learn the Alpha Beta Charlie of the military alphabet. There’s even a kids friendly version here. - Learn
survival phrases in a new language
Can you say the 3 basic sentences “Whats your name”, “How are you”, “nice to meet you” in Japanese? Well, it won’t take much of your time to learn the crucial sentences, especially to interact more with the exchange student you just met. - Learn
origami
Fold cranes, roses, and other interesting origami as a gift to appreciate the ones you love. There’s nothing more satisfying then showing your loved ones that you think about themJ - Learn
a new board game
Get your friends, go to settlers café or your neighbourhood board games café and learn a new board game. You’ll enjoy the bonding session too. I still remember I learnt how to play settlers of Catan 2 years ago.. It was awesome. - Learn
geography
No, Singapore is not near China nor part of China. I get surprised when my American friends tell me that. Surf the google maps and know where the countries are. For an even fun experience, try GeoGuessr (probably the best game ever!!) - Learn “useless” talents…
Reddit, the best place of ideas from awesome people. Be amazed… Check out their useless talents thread here
Remember,
in the pursuit of knowledge, acquiring the knowledge is one thing, but the crux
is to organize this knowledge, practice over and over again such that you become
good at it.
Hope this
was useful to you!
EUFASS
