LIA days

mochi san has been staying home this week.. like really everyday. minus the 2 days of MC when I'm forced to stay home, I was home the remaining days as well. Easily tired and only attracted to LIA - low impact activity.. such as walking to the fridge to and fro and turning on terebi.

LIA. hmm..can conveniently be added on to Singlish Dictionary! adding to our list of LOR, LEH, NIA,..... here comes LIA!

Realised I saved quite a bit of okane as well. Since I barely have the strength to go out for lunch, I order in from my clubhouse and enjoy a 20% discount when I make a phone advance order for my hor fun. that's like so cool. $2.80 for seafood hor fun. quite a steal.

haiz. but i wished I could stomach more of that Lee Wee Brothers nasi lemak during our Deepa Raya Celebrations in office today.. it was just so yummy. the sambal chilli and the rice was enough to make me salivate...but my appetite was just not there..and after a spoonful of rice, my stomach started protesting against the oily intake.

So I saved money and on some kilos as well.

okay...on a less pessimistic note... check this out. At last some results justifiable of my half year hair pulling stunt.

"Size is no barrier to creativity and innovation at LTA"

By NOOR AISHA - Business Times 14 October 2008

WHILE large organisations are generally seen to be less innovative than small ones due to their limited flexibility, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) proves to be the exception to the rule.

Ms Howe-Teo: The award is a milestone in our journey to achieve organisational excellence
Awarded the 2008 Innovation Excellence Award - a category under Spring Singapore's Business Excellence Awards - LTA fosters a strong culture of innovation and bottom-up creativity.

LTA's innovations are wide-ranging - from traffic management and fare and e-transaction systems to solutions that offer the softer and human side of land transport, said Rosina Howe-Teo, LTA's chief innovation officer and group director, Innovation and InfoComm Technology.

Established in September 1995, the LTA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport, responsible for land transport developments in Singapore. Its mission is to provide an efficient and cost-effective land transportation system for different needs.

Explaining the LTA's heavy emphasis on innovation, Ms Howe-Teo said: 'In land transport, LTA had to grapple with issues such as increasing travel demand, limited land space, an ageing population and increasing expectations from the public.'

'Faced with such challenges, we had to innovate to ensure that our land transport system serves the needs of our people.'

Creative thinking is promoted among staff in their daily work, she added.

An Innovation Framework was also instituted to spread the culture of innovation throughout the organisation.

For instance, staff are encouraged to submit ideas through an electronic system, eIDEA.

LTA says this system ensures that every suggestion is evaluated and implemented where possible, preventing premature termination of ideas.

Senior management promotes innovation through personal involvement and strategic planning, mapping out strategies, communicating action plans and developing effective management systems to inspire innovation at all levels.

'Ideas can be conceptualised anytime and anywhere,' said Ms Howe-Teo.

Among the notable innovations is a Traffic Prediction Tool (TPT), a technological tool currently used by the LTA to anticipate and manage traffic flow so as to minimise congestion.

The TPT is part of LTA's broader effort to employ innovation not solely to improve its traffic management capabilities, but also to enhance its business processes and customer satisfaction.

Another innovation initiated by LTA is the Traffic Information Platform, developed in collaboration with Quantum Inventions Pte Ltd (QI).

This platform will allow motorists to receive real-time traffic information via portable/in-vehicle navigation devices or mobile phones, in addition to the Internet.

Basically, these applications guide motorists on the most appropriate routes as they travel on the road. These could help them utilise faster or cheaper routes.

These two innovations were featured in July this year during the international Intelligent Transport Systems Asia Pacific Forum held at Suntec City.

Both the LTA and QI are aiming to offer commercial services by the end of this year.

Staff efforts are recognised at two annual events - the Quest for Excellence Day and the dinner and dance.

For instance, the Quest for Excellence Day sees awards being given out for best staff suggestions, best work improvement teams and project teams that have won international awards.

LTA also develops service innovations as part of its outreach efforts to the community.

These include Community Partnership, Community Outreach Programmes, and the KPE campaign on road safety.

In March this year, LTA launched the $50-million Land Transport innovation fund which aims to boost collaboration and innovation in the industry. This should speed up the development of innovative ideas and the adoption of technologies to achieve LTA's mission of providing a people-centred land transport system.

The fund will help offset costs incurred by companies involved in various stages of development - from research and development to test-bedding of new technology and services that could have material benefits for the land transportation sector and commuters.

The fund has helped seed many new ideas for pilot testing and trials, with over 50 projects funded to date.

However, Ms Howe-Teo contends that LTA had already 'built a culture that embraces innovation' long before the fund was launched.

Going forward, LTA hopes to achieve its key strategic thrusts set out in the Land Transport Masterplan.

These thrusts will mould the organisation's land transport policies over the next 10 to 15 years. These are: (a) Making public transport a choice mode; (b) Managing road usage; (c)Meeting the diverse needs of the people.

'The Innovation Excellence Award is very special to LTA. It recognises the creativity and effort of LTA staff in developing and implementing numerous innovative systems that provide a better land transport experience for all,' said Ms Howe-Teo.

'This award is therefore a milestone in our journey to achieve organisational excellence,' she added. "