Memories...
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
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NUS Business School gives students free etiquette lessons
By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 30 May 2007 2237 h
SINGAPORE : A good education alone is not enough to land that dream job these days.
With competition going global, the National University of Singapore is trying to give its business students that special extra edge.
The career centre at NUS Business School is giving out free etiquette lessons to its students who want to go beyond academic excellence.
Joan Tay, Head, Career Services, NUS Business School, says: "Our students have also done very well competing globally for some of the prestigious summer investment banking internships. We have a good number, at least nine going to Hong Kong and 21 going to Beijing, China, Vietnam and even the United States."
Now, image is everything in the world of business and choosing the right colour, can swing a graduate's chances at an interview.
One student learnt that she could not just wear any type of red.
Sally Tang, Image Consultant, Divine Image International, says: "To appear professional in certain jobs, you have to project credibility and authority. That's where you have to wear certain colours in certain working industries."
NUS also hooks up with overseas recruiters, like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, who can interview students via webcam at the Career Centre, and the students get ample practice before the real deal.
Maurice Png, Student, NUS Business School, says: "Here we really prepare ourselves to meet the working world, meet real business people, to carry our self with confidence and to be really presentable no matter what you're feeling inside."
Chen Jianwen, who has been offered an internship in Hong Kong, says: "They sat us down and elaborated on our strengths and weaknesses and showed us how to package us best to suit an interview. For me it was investment banking and so that gave me the a lot of ideas on how to sell myself at interviews and that was critical to landing my internship."
So, to succeed, besides good qualifications, a graduate needs good manners too like the proper way to drink Chinese tea. - CNA/ch
POST-EVENT THOUGHTS BOUT GYS'07....
I think this post is long over-due. Haha, but the truth is that, i couldnt really find the words to pen down what was truly 1 of the best experiences of my life. Maybe now that my post-event syndrome has died down, and that i just finished the post-event report for it, it might be easier for me. Gosh, thats the reason why i take so long to finish typing reports, haha, just like how i took weeks to finish my agm report for arts club last year.
How should i begin? Hmmm..maybe by how i prepared for the trip. I think every single person will always have pre-conceived notions about other countries and nationalities, no matter how much u try to hide it. I am no different as i set out for KL on the 13th of May. But i believe what is most important when you meet foreign personalities at an international conference is to keep an open mind, and be ready to respect and accept different cultures, values, beliefs, religions, of people from different parts of the world.
And i m really overjoyed to have made so many new Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Philippino, Australian, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kongers, Bulgarian, and even Iranian friends! Martin Luther King once taught us to judge a person not by the colour of their skin but by the strength of their character. Indeed. I discovered with great delight that no matter how different we may look or speak, there is something about youths that unite all of us, and that is idealism. Idealism and hopes for a better world, and a better way of life no matter where we live.
Most of the international newfound friends i made were dynamic youth leaders from their respective home countries, and it was sheer joy for me to be able to exchange views and contacts with them. I was really impressed during cultural performance night as well, where i witnessed that many of the delegates performed traditional dances or performances that really showcased their indigenous roots. I think it is in this cultural arena where Singapore is really at a shortfall as compared to many other countries. We pride ourselves as an economic, educational, social, intellectual, and even cultural hub, a crosspoint where East meets West. However, in this process of driving towards a 'global city' as the late Mr Rajaratnam envisioned, we must never ever forget about Singaporeans and nurturing our very own local culture... So that 1 day, our own local culture, can too stand out in this vast vast world.
Having said that, i think the trip also made me more "Singaporean" and think n learn more about my own country as well. When u are thrust into a foreign land where u become a minority, faced with people from different parts of the world, u become more conscious of your own identity and image, becoz u re representing yr university and yr home country. In this aspect, i m really glad to have made new friends in my fellow Singaporean delegates Dinesh and Tim, who were with me throughout the whole 7 daes. =) And of coz Wei Huang and Robin from NTU who were really funny chaps. haha..act come to think of it, i think we Singaporean reps can really be quite jovial, buoyant, and good-humored, which we displayed amply while we were in KL.
The Thai and Taiwanese delegates were really funny and lovable chaps! haha! Esp David (the badass!) and Wang from Thailand. Taiwanese friends as well, perhaps due to cultural affiliations and same language, got on really well with us.
In terms of personal highlights, I was really honoured to be elected as group leader for the "Globalization" group, and it was my 1st experience of leading a real international group of youths in the discussion, coordination, preparation, and final presentation of the topic. And when our group presented on the final dae of the symposium, Kian You, the Director of the Symposium, accorded an honorary mention for us as he felt we did the best presentation. I was really proud of that! Other than that, i was also the group leader during the Home Stay Race, and selected to deliver a speech together with Jah from Thailand at the Closing Ceremony of the event on behalf of all the participants. It was really an honour for me, one that i would not forget for a long time.
And of coz, after we came back to Singapore, me and Tim proceeded to show Martin, our Philippino friend, around Singapore and a few daes later, Arvin, Asia, Ariane as well. haha! I must say that it is at these moments when u really feel proud of yr own country. Of coz, no nation is ever perfect, but i do possess a greater appreciation for Singapore's development after i came back.
Really miss all of them. I set up a yahoogroups after coming back for everyone to keep in touch, and also next time, if we ever visit each other's countries, we could catch up and show each other around!
All in all, i guess the trip really made me more confident as a person and as a leader. Prior to the trip, i may not have been 100% sure whether i could lead an international group, but now i really do, thanks to the wonderful opportunity given to me by OSA. =) And also the confidence to hold my own in an international setting and arena, and the confidence to represent and assume an ambassadorial role for my country. More importantly, it is the wonderful people and friends from different parts of the world i made from this trip that has given me such sweet and wonderful memories. n_n
I have now fufilled another dream of mine in NUS..to represent my university and my country in an international conference..maybe thats why i feel really happy and idyllic for the past 2 weeks after i came back.
But the end is near. The last lap and year of university is upon me. And as with most things in life, i have to move on. With this entry tonight, i can finally close another mini-chapter of my life, my thoughts embedded in words finally.
I am a restless adventurer. I seek, crave, and thrive on challenges and dreams. Now that 1 adventure is accomplished, it is time for me to set forth on another.
Wasnt the best morning for me. Woke up feeling really terrible with my nose running for the entire night, and a sore throat. I think its prob spread from my brother (who was sneezing terribly few daes ago) and my dad (who has been coughing terribly for the past few daes). So both virus combined to make me sneeze and cough terribly. Gosh.
And then i was stuck along the CTE in the morning becoz of the damn rain! Took shelter along the road shoulder under an overhead bridge for 1 whole hour!
As such, i am in quite an irritable mood todae hah. And the medicine i took makes me feel really woosy and drowsy, which i aint like the feeling duh. And of coz, being disturbed during my sleep from phonecalls (which really irks me hah).
Good news though, is that i finally finished my post-event report for the Global Youth Symposium which i ve sent to OSA liao. And of coz, Man U finally signing Owen Hargreaves.
Monday, May 28, 2007
May there be many many more anniversaries to come! =p
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Hmm.. and I was told and often taught that resumes shud only be bout 2 pages long. But as much as i have been trying to cut, it is still 3 pages long!
Most likely i ll send mine to the kind advisors at Career Centre to have a look and some advice haha.
Also had a long but very fruitful SMUN meeting cum practice session this morning. Its like only 1 week left to SMUN loh, exciting man haha!
And of coz after SMUN straightaway few daes later will be Arts Pre-Camp. Hoho, time flies man.
I have also been toying with the idea of learning Malay for the next academic year before I graduate. Its high time i pick up a 3rd language, and what better language than our very own Malay which is both useful and practical not just in local but also regional context?
Friday, May 25, 2007
THE DREAM LIVES ON..... OR DOES IT?
I get very tired when pple keep asking me about my results. So let us be frank and open about it wooha! =)
4.2 this sem. See? I was correct all along!! I studied more this sem and yet i ended up getting lower than my previous 3 sems. HAHAHAHAHA! So again, Hockism states that the more time u have for studying does not equate to better results! (hint hint to those from 27th: better re-run again for arts club ahha!)
Newae, i guess my brother was really right. He reminded me again this morning that the higher hopes u have for higher grades, the more likelihood u may not get them in reality. I was optimistic for at LEAST 4.5 this sem, but ended up with 4.2, which is not really bad anyway. But i m really happy for my brother!! He got 3As and 4.5 this sem! Which means he finally hit 4.0 and will graduate with a 2nd Upper!! Really happy for him!!
But then again, he oredi got a good job even before the results were released, and he oredi started working for a few weeks loh. (See the link here where u may oredi get a good job even before yr results are released?)
Haha, as for me, i just calculated that i need at least 4.35 per sem for my honours year if i were to reach 2nd upper. Daunting isnt it? In any case, i ll just try my best for the last year and see how it goes. I got other huge plans, things and targets coming up which i wanna achieve in the next academic year, besides just studies.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
How time flies...haha..flashback to the long-hair days..
Anyway, i just came back from another camp from Camp HA..took pri 4 kids from Nanhua Pri this time..phew..some of them drove me absolutely nuts for these past 2 daes..sometimes u love them, sometimes u feel like using a remote control to click them on "silent" mode.
Feeling so tired man from a severe lack of sleep. I still havent fully recovered from the lack of sleep at GYS yet ahah..everydae only been sleeping at most 3 hours during those wonderful 6 daes in KL.
Hmm..i do have a lot to share about my personal point of view regarding GYS..but there's just so much to say..so i think i ll leave an update till i m in a super blogging mode ahaha
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Well..they say a picture speaks a thousand words. So...
Yeah i m back. From 1 of the best and most memorable experiences of my life - Global Youth Symposium 2007. =)
Will share more thoughts here when i have the time...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
I ll be leaving for KL in the morning for the Global Youth Symposium. Spent a lot of time packing ahha, and really tired now, but looking foward to the trip. =)
Also had a long SMUN meeting todae, and of coz, the weekly soccer game at Chinese High which never fails to perk me up.
Anyway, i ll only be returning on the afternoon of Sat 19th May, in time for the FA Cup final at night!!! woohoohahaha!
Hope to update here over in KL. Will see if i have the time. Meanwhile, take care folks! =)
PS: Do you believe in fate? Something happened to me todae at Bugis which makes me believe in fate again haha..
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Wah lau then got 2 cute little kids take drink from me, then shouted loudly: "THANK YOU UNCLE!" Duh..left me speechless and i didnt noe how to react. Thankfully their mummy was around, and apologize to me.. "That one is kor kor la, what uncle!"
And then here comes the other extreme. Got 1 middle-aged father with his wife..suddenly paused by me while taking a drink, and asked me:
The Real Uncle: "Hey Boy, u look very young. Are you a student?"
Me: "Haha, no lah, I m in NUS 3rd year. Going on to 4th year actually. Now's vacation, so i m sorta doing a part-time job (smiley face) ."
The Real Uncle: "Oh i see. So what do you major in?"
Me: "Political Science".
The Real Uncle: "Oooh. Game for a new part-time job? I m looking for new part-timers."
Me: "Oh, what kinda part-time job?"
Him: "Insurance."
Haha, that was it man. I v sensitive to insurance and MLM wan..so i declined politely. Anyway the point is that how ironic man, 1 moment got 1 kid call me "Uncle", then got 1 real uncle call me "Boy".
Also saw Vernetta Lopez todae. Haha, i m a fan of Class 95, and i really dig listening to her, Jean Danker, Glenn Ong, FD, and Yas. So i told Vernetta that Class 95 rocks, and she replied smiling and saying "cool".
Speaking of celebs, this Christopher Lee ah...knocked down a motorcyclist and his pillon and then still drive away. Kaoz, i think the judge was right in describing him as insincere and a coward. I lost a lot of respect for this man (not that i have much for him in the 1st place). In any case, i dun think the sentence was too harsh. Nobody should be above the law, regardless of who you are.
Friday, May 11, 2007
http://www.hula.com.sg/girlsearch/voteform.php?girl=Jasmine
and vote for Jasmine in the Hula Girl Search Competition!!! Thanks for the support!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Gabriel Heinze looks like David Wenham (ya noe, the garang Faramir from Lord of the Rings and the garang 1-eyed Spartan in 300)...
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Spiderman to the Sandman in 1 of the last scenes of the movie: "I forgive you", in which Spidey forgives Flint Marko for killing Uncle Ben - bears an uncanny resemblance to 1 of the last scenes of SAW 3.
Where the main guy victim said "I forgive you" to the bed-ridden Jigsaw as well.
Hell, the only (and big) difference is that after the guy supposedly "forgiven" Jigsaw, he suddenly brandishes out this chainsaw and proceeded to slit Jigsaw's throat, while in Spiderman 3, Peter Parker really forgives Flint Marko, and the Sandman just flew away (haha).
PS: Btw ah, the Sandman should really come fly to Singapore to work leh. Coz of Indonesia's sand ban, i m sure he ll get lotsa business from our little island-state and make lotsa $ to bring back to his daughter. No need rob banks la aiyoh.
I attended a "Getting a Headstart" Seminar organized by NUS Career Centre for the whole of yesterdae, and i must say it was realli fruitful. =)
For the morning session, there was the resume/ cover letter writing workshop. Afternoon was interview skills workshop, and evening was about business etiquette and image talk by Miss Marion Teo.
Shall practise some of what Miss Teo taught when i m in KL heh heh.
I love attending self-improvement and career workshops such as this one. I now have a more concrete idea of how to beef up my resume writing, and i intend to revamp my CV within the next few daes if possible.
Went Golden Mile in the morning with Tim to settle the transport to KL. Wah i must say the tour rates at Golden Mile are really 1 of the best one can find in Singapore. I looked thru quite a no of destinations haha. Hopefully can go for a short holiday in 1st week of July with Princess Shuang Er after SMUN and Arts Camp.
You are an Animated Inventor.
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about you:
You are an Inventor
Your imagination, self-reliance, openness to new things, and appreciation for utility combine to make you an INVENTOR.
You have the confidence to make your visions into reality, and you are willing to consider many alternatives to get that done.
The full spectrum of possibilities in the world intrigues you—you're not limited by pre-conceived notions of how things should be.
Problem-solving is a specialty of yours, owing to your persistence, curiosity, and understanding of how things work.
Your vision allows you to identify what's missing from a given situation, and your creativity allows you to fill in the gaps.
Your awareness of how things function gives you the ability to come up with new uses for common objects.
It is more interesting for you to pursue excitement than it is to get caught up in a routine.
Although understanding details is not difficult for you, you specialize in seeing the bigger picture and don't get caught up in specifics.
You tend to more proactive than reactive—you don't just wait for things to come to you.
You tend to do things on the spur of the moment, not sticking to a set schedule.
Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.
If you want to be different:
Try applying your creativity to more artistic arenas, and letting your imagination take less practical forms.
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how you relate to others:
You are Animated
You are outgoing, comfortable with others, and up for anything, which makes you ANIMATED.
Some people find crowds and parties exhausting, but not you! You are able to be yourself in many situations.
Sometimes it is hard for you to understand why others feel the way they do, but that doesn't stop you from trusting them or having faith that they are good people.
You know the world is complicated and that there is often more than one side to a story, so you are careful not to make judgments about others too hastily.
You would rather experience the world than sit back and observe it—you are not one to sit on the sidelines.
You are an independent thinker and don't get too worried about how others might perceive you—you are not self-conscious about being the active, engaged person that you are.
Although you have a keen understanding of different people's life circumstances, you occasionally have trouble seeing why people get so upset and emotional about things—they should just lighten up and have fun!
In addition to having faith in the world, you have faith in the people around you—you trust others to do the right thing and to be honest.
You tend to do things on the spur of the moment, not sticking to a set schedule.
Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.
If you want to be different:
Remember that time alone can be just as fulfilling as time spent with others—take some time for yourself and you might find that there are many things in your inner world that are just as compelling as the world outside your window.
Your open-mindedness about the ways of world gives you an understanding of people's differences, but that knowledge doesn't always translate into sympathy. Don't be afraid to let your trust and understanding influence your feelings.
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Your Personality Chart
This chart shows thirteen personality traits. Each bar indicates the percentage of test takers who entered a lower value for that trait than you did. For example, if Confidence is at 80, that means that 80% of people entered lower values for confidence questions than you did. Based on a sample of 30,000 users. Click here to learn more about the traits.
Confidence
LowHigh
96
Openness
LowHigh
96
Extroversion
LowHigh
98
Empathy
LowHigh
32
Trust in others
LowHigh
86
Agency
LowHigh
96
Masculinity
LowHigh
82
Femininity
LowHigh
34
Spontaneity
LowHigh
88
Attention to style
LowHigh
60
Authoritarianism
LowHigh
12
Earthy/Imaginative
ImaginativeEarthy
8
Aesthetic/Functional
FunctionalAesthetic
30
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Been freaking busy lar these few daes!! hahaha, sleeping damn little man..oh wellz, but i like being busy though heh.
Preparations for the Global Youth Symposium in full swing now. Met Tim and Dinesh on Mondae to iron out the details, including transport, cultural performance, research topics, link up plans etc etc. We still got a lot of research to do and its wed liao!
But in between everything i managed to catch Spiderman 3 with Princess Shuang Er and have lotsa fun n_n
Spiderman was a good movie. A lot of lessons and themes to reflect on.
And the Vinco doughnuts at Vivo rocks!!! And also the salad at Gloria Jeans Coffee Cafe!!
Check this out AHAHAHHAHA!! KTV session the dae after exams! Done by my Pincess Shuang Er heh heh so li hai!
PS: Look out for bit bit's "hot" performance.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Champione Ole Champione Ole!!!!!
Ohwey ohwey ohwey!!!
Champione Ole Champione Ole!!!!!
Ohwey ohwey ohwey!!!
Glory glory man united!!
Glory glory man united!!
Glory glory man united
And the rest go marching ON ON ON!!!
Sing up... for the champions!
Sing up... for the champions!
Sing up... for the champions!
Sing up... for the champions!
Sing up... for the champions!
Sing up... for the champions!
Feeling really elated. Sweet sucess after 4 years!!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
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You noe, something has been bothering me for quite some time.
It started from last year actually, when i was thinking of applying for another overseas Youth exchange conference. Back then, i was flipping through the application form, and i took a special note of this section, where "applicants have to prepare a cultural performance reflecting that of their home country's culture." It got me thinking for quite long, and quite deep bout what what kind of performance can best reflect Singapre culture.
Fast foward to the present, and ditto again. Me, Tim, and Dinesh gotta put up a cultural performance representing Singapore for the Global Youth Symposium, and i have been cracking my brains real hard (at the top right hand corner of my mind) with regards to what performance to put up.
Actually, the bigger question behind this issue is really about what is "Singapore's culture"? We pride ourselves always as being a "hubber", but what is it that really defines who we are, and reflects who we are and what we believe in? A physical manifestation of that which can be reflected in a cultural performance is not as easy as it seems.
Most likely the 3 of us would probably sing. I was thinking maybe i can sing a Chinese song, Tim can do an English one, and Dinesh a Malay song (haha ironically he's not a Singaporean) to sorta reflect the multi-racial element of Singapore.
But its strange isnt it? I just feel that when people ask u what engulfs Sg's culture, the 1st things that seem to come to yr mind are => kiasuism, rojak, people always in a mad rush, self-centredness, pragmatic, and of coz good food. Minus-ing the good food apart, it seems that initial impressions of Sg culture arent really that favourable..
I wonder what do others think? Maybe some of u can try asking yourself this question of what is pure Sg culture? And if anyone got good suggestions of what kind of cultural performance i m all ears haha. =)
P.S. I oredi got some wild suggestions from some pple: dress up as Merlions and do a Merlion dance (plus drink a few bottles and puke for the special effect) .....enact a scene on the mrt where pple dunno how to wait for passengers to come out before chionging in..enact a scene where pple queue up to buy 4D and Toto...chiong and dance happeningly on stage (coz we are supposedly rated as 2nd best Nightlife in the world, after Italy)...
LOOKING AHEAD... n_n
Ho Seh la man u win 1-0! Man City play like thugs duh. Cant believe how they can get away with so many hackings and manhandling of ronaldo. I thought it was a bad bad performance from the ref as well. Somemore wes brown never even touch the guy and he fell down as if stone cold steve austin gave him a stunner. Lydat also can penalty ah wah lau. Thank god for Van Der Sar!
Well well well, exams are over indeed. And like i told jackson and guan guan during mahjong yest, its kinda wierd coz this is the FIRST ever proper 3 month break i have without mc commitments haha. Even the previous Dec holidaes didnt count so much coz it was only a few weeks long. For the past 2 years, everytime exam end oredi then need to prepare massively for fop. All the publicity, marketing, pr need to be done very much in advance. Then got all the meetings plus need to start doing Rag everydae liao. Before one noes it, Arts Camp pre-camp ll be here, and then the Camp proper, and then 1 by 1 everything start rolling in. Somemore exco need to start planning for elections and even rop also. Haha, then end up need to go back clubroom/ school/ ragsite almost every day even during 3 month holidaes.
Those were the daes man. Tough, time-consuming, sometimes pek chek also, esp when got quarrels or work unhappiness setting in. But i never regret man. =) It is thru fop and these tough times that so many touching memories and friendships are shared, where heroes rise and a new beginning is born once again. Where year1s step up to the scene as councilors, as o com members, as pds, as seniors....
And as leaders.
Its very interesting really. =) Every year i observe very closely how yr1s behave when they suddenly realize that they are seniors themselves liao. And start to realize that what they say and how they behave towards the new incoming freshies have a lot of weight, and ll influence how freshies perceive fop and arts club. And also see for themselves how they were like when they were freshies themselves. Kinda akin to looking at a mirror haha.
As for me, these hols i ll be busy with the Global Youth Symposium (starting to prepare liao, leaving in 1 week's time), SMUN, 2 week high-key reservist (duh), Bukit Panjang YEC elections (if i run) and some part-time work to earn extra income. This is also probably going to be my 4th and last ever fop liao, so to be frank, its going to be quite nostalgic, sentimental and special to me. Really hope i ll be able to do house ic with chonghan though. Haha, i have been hoping to do it since yr1 but never had the chance for the past 2 years due to my positions. I think i can feel it in chong also. We both 1st got to noe each other thru yr 1 Raphaus, and now i think we both hope to be able to go for our last fop as house ics together, and it ll really mean a lot to us. Also very touched and encouraged by all the lao jiao year3s and my yr1 yr2 juniors who told me that if i m selected, they wanna come back again to be in same house haha! Thanks for the faith dudes~ n_n
As a result of all these preoccuptions (reservist most disruptive man..right in e middle of july duh), unfortunately, i wont be able to go for internship this hols, but i ll def do a six-week internship during the year-end hols instead. Prob is that might be harder to find 6-week intern programs, somemore at end of the year, but that wont stop me from looking.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Couldnt sleep after the match last night man. Basket keep tossing and turning in bed frustratingly.
But thankfully for the ktv session made my dae! =)
Thursday, May 03, 2007
It was sad to see United play like that. Really sad.
All credit to Milan. I think they deserved to go through tonight. They may be an aging team, but their experience really shown thru over the 2 legs.
I guess that's football. I watched football for 15 years, and u win some, u lose some. I guess what inflated the hopes of most united fans is that we really really hope to see a repeat of the 1999 treble. Unfortunately, these kind of event wont happen much often, even to top sides like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juve, Bayern, and Milan. Luck wasnt on united's side this time.
I can only hope now that the result dun affect United's performances for the League title and the FA Cup final. Frankly, if u ask most united fans before the start of the season whether wrestling the league title from Chelsea this season was good enough, they ll overwhelmingly say yes.
Ll try to cheer myself up tom...hopefully.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
AHAHHAHAHA. Here we go again. Tonight 2nd leg!!! Milan VS Man U!!!
Wooooo...sibei excited man. By the way, my exams end tom heh.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
India...Pakistan...Bangladesh...Sri Lanka...Kashmir....
India...Pakistan...Bangladesh...Sri Lanka...Kashmir....
India...Pakistan...Bangladesh...Sri Lanka...Kashmir....
My whole mind is filled up with South Asian names, problems, issues, and politics now. Heh.
