Memories...
Sunday, December 30, 2007
ON SORE LEGS
Piang eh, my legs & back feel sibei sore after the football session just now. N strangely, my new soccer boots feel too small now after only wearing them for a few months. Izzit my feet growing larger, or izzit the law of diminishing marginal boots size setting in?
Trying to sort out my presentation now. Dunno why leh, but I still feel a bit of unease. In fact, I have been thinking is it becoz I m still lacking a lot of information, or izzit that my mindset is still not very intuned with the commercial aspect yet. I guess its a bit of both aspects, considering that I m still very new to this industry.
Regardless, I should just try my best n enjoy the experience. Less than a week to go. *takes deep breath*
ON HOW ACADEMIC RESULTS IS NOT EVERYTHING
The problem with a lot of Singaporean students is that we act n behave as if academic results are everything. As if one's A-Level Results/ CAP score etc is a measure of one's self-worth n value in life.
Yes, good results give u a greater chance of securing scholarships, getting into good schools, n getting a passport into ONLY CERTAIN job interviews. But thats it. How u move on from there is another thing.
I have seen with my own eyes, n heard from my brother & other graduated seniors' accounts, of how people have gone on to be successful in their careers despite having only mediocre academic results. (And no, some of them are not rich by nature also) And seriously, once u start work, nobody gives a damn what results u have last time, or gives a shit about yr cap score. (except for certain programmes) Most people are more concerned about whether u can fit into the company culture, whether u can prove yrself useful to the company, n whether u got the necessary EQ.
Which is why if u never get good results this sem, just try harder next sem. Its not the end of the world please. And even if those people that got high results, doesnt mean they are streetsmart or have high EQ.
On the other hand, if u got good results, dun yaya banana n act as if yr future is superbly secured. I heard from a friend about this year 1 fella who thinks he's so good oredi just based on his recent sem1 results. Please la. Wake up can. When you think you are the smartest in the world, you are actually at that point the dumbest in the world.
So what if u never get Honours/ 2nd Upper/ 1st class or scholarships? Like what Guan Guan once famously said, "there has got to be a better way". The private sector n MNCs are always looking out for people who are not just "smart" in the academic result sense.
Maybe some people will feel that I have no right to put up such a post. But why wont I have the right? I did badly in my year 1 sem 1, but I didnt act as if its the end of the world. Nor did I act as if I m so smart like some naive year 1 guy when I got good results.
The bottomline is that there are so, so many real-life examples of people who became successful despite not doing Honours or not having top results. So why scare yourself n impose your own glass ceiling on yourself?
As what Guan Guan said, there has got to be a better way.
ON MY HOPES FOR 2007 ONE YEAR AGO
As always, I like to do a review of the past year, and this is what I wrote on 2nd Jan 2007:
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"What then, are my hopes for 2007? An interesting new year and beginning where i ll officially start without any MC commitments for the 1st time in a long long while....
On a personal basis, i hope to enjoy another wonderful and memorable year together with Princess Shuang Er, culminating in Christmas and New Year 2007 celebrations again! n_n
I hope that my family and loved ones will continue to stay healthy! As with my bike!
I hope that i can still be able to keep in touch with all my old friends thru out 2007!
I hope that i will be much slimmer and regain my former fitness now that i ll have more time to train!
I hope that the Singapore Model United Nations in June 2007 wud be a huge success! As with my trip to the Global Youth Symposium in May 2007!
I hope that the 27th MC and the Arts Club will enjoy a successful term! And that hopefully, Rag wud be won this year under their leadership!
Last but not least, i hope that Singaporeans can learn to be more compassionate, especially in the little things such as giving up seats to the elderly and the needy on MRTs and buses, and to be more understanding and courteous on the road. Almost everyday as a rider, i hear and see traffic accidents happening in our country, which is really really very sad..I hope that 2007 would be a much better year with much fewer traffic accidents.
On the world front, i hope that the Iraqi issue can be resolved and that the world becomes more tolerant and understanding of each other's differences. I hope that greater peace can be achieved in the Middle East, and that the world continues to make the efforts to improve the livelihoods of the poorer peoples of the globe. I also hope that the world sits up to take genuine measures to improve global environmental conditions, before Mother Nature decides to explode its wrath on us once again...
Very long post indeed. I m done! Finally! n_n and here's wishing all my friends a HAPPY 2007 once again, and best wishes for the year ahead!"
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Shall do a quick review of 2007 in my next post, before I lay down my hopes for 2008 haha.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
ON DAE 13
Finally compiled all my data and presented them to my supervisors at the end of the dae. Hmm, guess they were quite critical but its for my own good haha. I learnt a lot more about what they were looking for, and I m now left with 1 week before the big presentation next Fri. Got some more work to do over the weekend, before refining my proposal & presentation slides with them on Monday again.
I really want to do well and ace the presentation next Fri.
Had a scrumptious dinner with Weilong, Lao ye, & co at the Indonesian restaurant at Clarke Quay. Its my 2nd time eating there n I felt the food was fabulous for only $15 nett, with free flow of drinks. Headed over to this Home Club to talk cock long into the night. I was dying for a beer actually, but didnt drink coz I drove. I m quite particular over this now, after my friend's sister's unfortunate incident.
Feeling sleepy now on a Sat afternoon haha. But something I received just now really brought a smile to my face. (c'-'c)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
ON DAE 12
Gosh. I paid the price for lack of sleep last night. Walked around like a zombie todae. Haha, and so unglam coz the moment i stepped inside Terminal 2 1st thing in e morning, I suddenly heard 1 large group of people shouting my name. Turns out to be the group of Shafiq n friends ahhaha. They were seeing Kelly off at the airport n waiting for their results to be released at the same time heh heh. I always felt that they are such a wonderful grp of fun-loving friends n jokers, n I was really happy to have known them better thru Arts Camp 2007. =)
Was really really tired todae. Plus it was really challenging to compile all my interview n survey data. Couldnt finish it by todae, n tom I ll have to present to my supervisors by evening haha. *Rubs hands* Good. I always love a challenging challenge. Final presentation to senior management is next Fri, n frankly, there isnt much time left if one takes away the weekend n New Year holidaes.
Strangely, despite the supposed increasing stress piling up, I felt a lot of adrenaline pumping thru my body as I rode back home just now. Even tho I feel physically tired due to lack of rest, but my mind feels sharp. Very sharp. The last time I felt this way was prob back in the old Presidential days when I was like a part-time student haha! I think I thrive on proving people wrong & launching surprises. N another thing that really drives me foward in life is to plunge into the unknown & break a way thru. Perhaps thats why I always see myself as an Adventurer or an astronaut hahaha.
I also took the lunchtime to send Jah off todae with her family. Got to know her uncles better. 1 of them is French n the other is from England, n we ended up chatting for quite a while. Wonderful wonderful gentlemen. I very much enjoy chatting with foreigners, coz there's so much to learn about the cultures, environment, n the lifestyles of their respective countries.
"Paps" gave me this advice before he left with Jah. Btw, he's an 80 years old Londoner n still healthy as an ox, with an apparent wealth of wisdom discerned thru our conversations. =)
He told me to be pushy in life if I want to succeed. N he told me that most of the people or friends around him who succeeded in their careers were pushy people. Paps didnt have to say it out, but I could sense deep down inside that he probably did very well in his career n in his life as well.
I kept thinking bout what he said for the whole dae after they boarded the plane to Phuket.
Pushy. Hmm.
I checked the dictionary for the exact definition of "Pushy", and it says this:
"excessively aggressive or forceful in competing or dealing with others (informal)".
And then I start to wonder whether I m subconsciously a very pushy person. I noe I hate to lose in anything in life thats for sure. Esp in sports n any competitions. And I also noe that I have my fair share of offending people in the past, esp when I have to make tough decisions.
And then I start to wonder if "pushiness" is something that is inborn? Or is it something that is nutured? Hmm.. probably more of the latter.
Ok. Enough of brainwork for the dae. Time to sleep early tonight.
Quotes from people always stimulate me haha. Thats why I enjoy collecting n reading them, esp quotes from wise old men of the past.
ON AN EXTREMELY JOYOUS DAE 11!! =p
Manz, its 3 am now and I just reached home not long ago.
Really a wonderful dae for me! 1st I managed to finally complete my interviews of 96 respondents for my internship project. Plus, my supervisors actually recommended me to stay for an extra week of internship to help them do some more analysis.
2nd, I got the best ever results in my 7 semesters in NUS! Really overjoyed to hit a cap of 4.7. Which pulls up my overall Cap into the 4.0 range n finally at long last, 2nd Upper territory! It really means a lot to me, also coz I finally scored my 1st A+ in NUS in Study of War, a level4000 mod. It also gives me a chance (hopefully) to be in the Deans List, a possible 1st time for me in 4 years of uni. Finally, it ll really increase my chances of getting the CAAS Honours Year Scholarship, & it gives me greater breathing space for my last sem in NUS.
3rdly, we had a really enjoyable 26th MC dinner at Marche! I stood n waited at the queue for a darn 45 minutes but it was really worth it coz I felt everyone more or less enjoyed themselves! =) Esp during the gift "snatching" program haha. Turnout was quite gd as well considering that 4 of the 16 of us were overseas.
People have always been asking me why I left it till so late before organizing an MC dinner haha. I have many reasons actually. 1 of them is that I just wanted everyone to hang out together n talk cock again like normal friends without work or any unpleasant past memories getting in the way.
Finally, me, Timothy, Dinesh accompanied Jah for supper! =) She was 1 of the Thai delegates whom we got to know at the Global Youth Symposium in May this year, n has been in Singapore for the past few daes. Tonight was her last night in town so we decided to drive her around haha. Really happy to see all my foreign friends drop by Singapore once in a while, coz it is so rare that we can meet up.
Yup, so all in all, a super shagged 26th Dec for me, but I dare say its certainly 1 of the happiest days of 2007! =)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
ON DAE 10 & A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL =)
Sun night steamboat dinner with Julie & Michelle at Bugis was fabulous haha. Not just the food but also the company hee. =) I always find it so easy to talk to both of them, mayb coz we re fellow House ICs. N also coz I think e 2 of them are so much more mature in thinking than many of their peers haha.
It was also nice to attend the Christmas eve function by the division, and see many of the colleagues let their hair down haha. There was also a karaoke system inside the recreation lounge. And for once, I felt glad that all those numerous ktv sessions with friends came in useful haha! I just sang 1 song though. Didnt noe most of the colleagues there well, so I was quite paiseh to be my usual crazy ktv self.
Christmas buffet lunch with the 26th OAC Is at the GoIndia restaurant at the bottom floor of Vivocity. We initially wanted to eat at Marche but it was too packed man. But in the end the food at GoIndia turned out to be really refreshing haha. And the price was quite reasonable also, bout $22 for quite a wide spread. Oh, I also told Peh that the dae when I get my first paycheck for my job next year, I ll come back n have a feast at Carnivore ahaha.
The most exciting part of the programme was the gift exchange! Coz we could take turns to snatch each others' gifts heh heh. I initially got a nice Nike waterbottle lor, something i really needed to bring for work but Benja snatched it from me bah! I ended up with Aili's fragrance pack for a laptop...which was supposed to make your laptop smell nicer... ('-')
Aye, anyway benja got his retribution when the evil Dyan snatched away the water bottle in e end heh heh.
Tom got another dinner with the 26th MC yayz! Finally got MC outing after so long hahaha. N I just received news that Jah is here in Singapore from Thailand, so we ll prob have supper n meet up with her before she leaves. Would be great to see her as well.
Its really been a wonderful Christmas for me personally this year, in terms of being able to meet n catch up with many many groups of old friends. Life is short. We never know what may happen tom. So treasure your friendships while u can. =)
Thus, here's wishing all my friends a very merry Christmas, and a happy Boxing Day in advance!
Results coming out tom, haha. I have really been looking foward to it. I mean, there's nothing much that one can do after the exams are over anyway, except just wait. So good or bad, the old saying that "there's no use crying over split milk" still applies very much to me haha.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
TURKEY, BOOZE, & GREAT FRIENDS
Early Christmas dinner n gathering at Nengjin's place last night, together with the other old Presidents. Nengjin was a wonderful host. He really prepared a feast for us haha, and was hard at work since 3 pm.
The icing on the cake was the giant turkey which really stuffed us. Not forgetting all the booze haha. We had red wine, white wine, n Bailey's to go along with the heavy dinner. All of us got a bit tipsy n started talking lotsa trash thereafter ahah.
I spent the night over at his place. Was too tired to ride back home. Would be dangerous too.
Later got another football game, n christmas dinner with Michelle n Julie! Yay! =p Tom would also have a christmas function at my Division. My supervisor was really generous in that he told me i could just have the long weekend off, n dun have to come tom for the half day, but I was adamant that I wanted to go for the function. Coz i m really keen to see the "fun" & relaxed side of my colleagues over there haha. And i m quite a sucker for social events n parties hee.
Was nice to see the next generation of FOP leaders present their ideas n plans for the year ahead. Heartwarming as well. =) I walked away from the clubroom yesterday feeling confident that FOP 2008 is in safe hands.
Btw, I finally set up a Facebook account after ages haha. Not due to peer pressure or anything, but I just felt it ll be good to keep in touch with friends online. Esp when Friendster continues to be laggy n problematic. Looking foward to see how Facebook fares in its usage n interface.
Finally, I dun understand how some guys can be so desperate to get into a relationship, or be so desperate for a girlfriend. I always told others that getting into a relationship is the easier part. Maintaining a relationship n making it blossom & flourish is the toughest part.
Some people fall in love for questionable reasons. When u love someone, it shouldnt be becoz u need the girl to fill up the void, empty space, or loneliness in yr life. It shud be becoz u feel that yr life is overflowing with joy, with happiness, with memories, with success, with love, such that u want to share all these wonderful feelings with your potential partner.
Sometimes even when u are ready to share, u next have to ask yourself whether u are ready for the commitments n "demands" of a relationship. If u are not ready to commit, then dun step in, becoz u ll end up hurting yr potential partner n yrself.
Desperation gets a man nowhere. And I believe women are remarkably apt at smelling desperation. After all, they were trained from young werent they. haha.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
ON DAE 9
I think i am a crazy intern. Who worked till midnight n just reached home at 1 am. But I was so happy when i finally hit my target of interviewees. In fact, I want to push myself somemore, to hit an even higher figure.
I saw 2 events that brought a smile to my exhausted body at the end of the night though. =)
The 1st one was when i was recceing at the Arrival Hall, where lotsa family members n friends were waiting for their loved ones from the Bangkok & Manila flights. This was this particular man, who looked rugged n tired. And as he came out from the Arrival exit, his girlfriend/ wife ran up to him, threw her arms around him, hugged him really tightly n kissed him. She didnt say much, but it was obvious to me that she really missed him. The man wore a weary smile, probably from the flight fatigue, but looked blissed n happy at the same time to see her.
Lotsa friends once asked me before why I chose to embark on a career in the aviation industry. There are many personal reasons, n tonight i saw another one of those reasons. =)
I think deep down inside me, I still love to serve people. N being able to contribute to creating a more pleasant travel experience for passengers departing n arriving at Singapore, (even to a small extent at this internship stage for me), brings warmth n joy to my heart. I take a lot of my pride in whatever I do in life, n these are the little things that u find it hard to explain to people on why u decide to embark on something.
Its just like joining Arts Club last time. Lotsa old friends in the past once asked me why "waste time" joining MC. But i never felt that way. I feel happy, n immense warmth in my heart when I brought smiles n new bonds of friendship to fellow students during Arts Camp 05. N that is just 1 among the many many other projects n events that brought love n meaning to the community n the people around.
The 2nd happy event was seeing Jingpei. As i was walking along Terminal 2 after leaving at midnight, I saw a familiar face decked in an SIA air steward suit n uniform. N i was really happy to see him in that uniform, coz just a few months ago, he and I both went for the SIA career talk. And i knew he wanted very much to join SIA then. He was in a rush, n flying off to Switzerland. Cool eh. =) We wished each other luck in our respective career paths. Its always nice when friends n people u noe are able to fulfill their ambitions or achieve their dream jobs/ careers.
Haha, realize i dun sound v coherent now. Feeling really exhausted n whole body aching. Goodnight world. :)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
ON ORGANIZING GATHERINGS =p
Quite a while ago i realized that I havent been as proactive in organizing group outings or gatherings as compared to the past. Hmm, and i guess its really high time for me to do my fair share of jioing friends haha, esp during this festive period.
Honours class gathering is more or less confirmed on 4th jan. Only left with the catering which ll be settled within next few daes. C3 gathering also confirmed this sat thanks to Neng jin. And Joy is really great in organizing our yearly Xmas gathering with fop' 04 friends later haha.
Its the 26th hwa chong OAC lunch n 26th arts club MC dinner which i m really hoping that a lot of people can go. =) Will be great to see these wonderful friends again.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
ON DAY 8
I m feeling really tired man haha. Stood for really long today. And spoke to tons of travelers to get their opinions. I also realized that many Caucasians look really old for their age. Some of them look like they are close to 30 but are actually only 18! And i saw a really beautiful & sweet Vietnamese girl today.
Dingfeng told me the reason why i took so long with my interviews n surveys today is coz I kept flirting with the female travelers. (he was doing his engineering stuff in 1 corner of the terminal while I was rampaging all over the place)
I disagreed. I was only trying to understand my passengers' needs better. (heh)
My eyes are like french kissing each other now. Thats how sleepy I feel. Damn shiok man. Tom can afford to wake up late.
By the way, talk is cheap.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
ON DAE 7
Hahaha, all of us interns were sorta looking foward to this morning coz of the HR feedback session n tour. Was great to share with each other our respective projects n job scopes, esp as each of the 7 of us were posted to different Divisions. From Marketing, HR, Airline Development, Engineering, Corporate Development to Commercial.
We have also grown closer as a group, after all the daily lunches n conversations haha. And we never run out of conversations to talk cock about heh. Even celebrated Dingfeng's bdae over lunch with a small mini-cheese cake haha.
Hmmm, tour was a tad disappointing though, coz we were only shown around the insides of T3. Did learn a lot more tho from Debbie, but I guess we all thought that we could access other areas. haha. Anyway, if u guys havent visit T3 pls do so yeah. Really nice n cool place, with lotsa variety of shops. Official opening is on the 9th of Jan 2008. =)
Spent the other half of the dae interviewing loads of travelers from various parts of the world haha. Tiring but exciting.
Btw, I feel that whatever kind of part-time work experience one gets since young, be it in waitering, banquet, commercial camps, etc do come in handy at some stage. Not just in terms of the work per se but also in terms of the colleagues, friends n networking u made. I had a nice chat with my supervisor just now n was really glad to share my experience working in the nightlife industry back then from year1 to year2. Not many people noe that I also once worked as a freelance writer penning on lifestyle articles haha!
Sooze got the job in advertising n ll start his work journey officially tom at DHL haha. Great to hear that.
Host of pre- n Christmas gatherings coming up. Very much looking foward to them. =)
Monday, December 17, 2007
ON DAE 6 N THE WEEK OF INTERVIEWS
Mondays as always, starts off with most people pulling glum faces at work. I am no exception hahaha. Its just so hard to crank start the engine after a weekend. The thing that lifts everyone's spirits is that there 's going to be a public holidae each week for the next 3 weeks haha.
Spent the dae polishing up my questionaire n survey questions. Haha! I didnt expect that it ll take so long lor. Had to go thru 2 rounds of qc-ing with Marcus. But like I told him as well, I very much prefer that people point out my mistakes early n in advance rather than I do oredi than come n reprimand me haha. That was how I tried to manage Arts Club last time as well. Not easy man.
The whole week ahead I ll need to interview a lot a lot of travelers. Would be tiring, but hey, I think it ll be another great experience as well. Coz u really get to noe what passengers want at the ground level. Oh, and tom shud be an enjoyable dae, coz its the weekly HR feedback session, n they re bringing us interns to tour even more areas around the airport. =p
Speaking of Arts Club, time flies. FOP interview this week. This would be my 4th time involved. 1 time as an interviewee tendering, n 3rd time as an interviewer. Well, the only thing I can say for now is that people better come in prepared.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
ON ..
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Car crash kills family's sole breadwinner
By Carolyn Quek (Straits Times Online)
SHE was the family's sole breadwinner but on Thursday morning, 29-year-old Rachel Quek lost her life in a tragic car accident which left two others injured.
The human resource professional died about nine hours after a car driven by her boyfriend, Mr Chiang Kwok Wai, rammed into a tree in a suspected drink driving case.
Ms Quek was in the backseat of the blue Suzuki Swift. The couple's friend, Mr Tay Huay Kia, was also in the car.
It was travelling along Bedok North Avenue 4 on Wednesday at around 11pm when it skidded.
It mounted the road kerb and went through a wire fence before ramming into the tree. The impact wrecked the car so badly that the Singapore Civil Defence Force took 15 minutes to extricate all three, who were taken to Changi General hospital.
Mr Chiang, 30, suffered light injuries and was discharged on Friday.
However, both passengers suffered serious facial and head injuries. While 30-year-old Mr Tay is still in intensive care, Miss Quek succumbed to her injuries at about 8.30am on Thursday.
The Straits Times understands that all three had got together after work, and Mr Chiang, who works in the finance industry, was driving the other two home.
Miss Quek's 24-year-old brother, Xi Wie, explained at her wake on Friday that she was the only income earner after their shipyard technician father died suddenly six years ago from a lung illness.
He has just graduated from Nanyang Technological University.
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How do u console an old friend who lost his father years ago, n now his elder sister? How do u console his mum who lost a husband n now a daughter?
I really do not know what to say. Siwei was a great great friend of mine back then since our Chinese High sec 1 days. I always visit his house for soccer, computer games, football matches. Then there were always the mahjong sessions. Even though we seldom keep in touch for this past year, but deep down I noe that we still value each other's friendship a lot a lot. Besides Soozie, I always regard Siwei as 1 of my closest friends.
His sister Rachel was a really chirpy & friendly person. I remember everytime I was at their house, she ll always talk to me as well n share some gossip. I also talk to Siwei's mum very often back then. She is a really warm & wonderful lady, who even joined in 1 of our mahjong sessions. Sometimes they even invite me to dinner with all of them, n I really appreciated their hospitality.
I was at the wake of their dad few years ago. N I cant believe fate has now taken away 2 of their family members. Imagine losing yr dad n yr elder sis. Or losing yr husband n daughter.
For the information of those who also know their family members, his sister's wake was held on Friday n she was cremated on Saturday just now, around noon time. I only knew about what happened today, and would go down to their house tomorrow.
Feeling really upset now. I cant imagine the horror, trauma, sadness & grief which they have to face upon hearing the accident news, waiting at the hospital for the intensive care results, waiting to see her 1 last time, seeing her in a coffin, n sending her off today. From my understanding having read the report in the newspapers as well, her head was swollen n her liver was ruptured. Knowing that she likely passed away a painful death only makes it even more heart wrenching.
I really dunno what to say to them tomorrow. I only hope that I do not break down myself n that I can give them whatever support they need.
How could fate be so unfair to such a wonderful family?
Friday, December 14, 2007
ON DAE 5 & THE END OF MY FIRST WEEK
I woke up at 2 am, reached the airport at 330 am, & recced all the way till 8 am. Took a lot of pictures as well. Haha, n guess who I saw this time? Boo boo who was going to China, as well as Puaycher n her old Sports Club frenz who were going to Bangkok. Small world indeed haha.
Back at my office desk by 830 am n worked all e way till 730 pm just now. Phew, really tired coz I pia-ed out 3 interim reports & 1 sampling report (Political Inquiry was a great help haha) todae. N I was really thankful for my supervisors Anthony n Marcus. Anthony kept asking me to go home early at noon coz he knew I was up since 330 am. In fact he asked me to go back n rest at least 5 times for the whole afternoon haha.
Marcus was great as well n I really respect him. As the Senior Commercial Manager, he's really busy n lotsa people are always looking for him, but he took almost 1 n a half hours just now from 6 till 730 pm to listen to the stuff that I have done. And to guide me along. He's really easy to talk to as well, n really funny at the same time haha! Their advice n guidance just makes me all the more determined to really put up a solid presentation to the senior management in now less than 3 weeks' time.
And i realize that asking bout the age of your female colleagues in office is really a very taboo subject hahahah! ULTRA sensitive topic n better to steer clear heh heh.
Anyway, looking back upon the 1 week, it has really been jam-packed n ultra challenging, but super fulfilling at the same time. I noe myself quite well, n I think I really relish tough challenges, new experiences, n noeing more people from all walks of life. I think I m pretty lucky as well. Some of my other intern friends (we have lunch tog everydae hee) from the other Divisions were saying that their allocated work was quite mundane, either that or their supervisors didnt really have time or talk to them much.
But I think corporate life also tends to make one more cynical of life in a way. It can kill off quite a bit of idealism if one is not careful.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
ON DAY 4
Just a quick note here, coz I gotta wake up later at 2 am to make it to the airport by 4 am for the early morning recce. Funnily, I dun see it as a duty to the company or a burden at all. In fact, I have been looking foward to this "night mission" haha. Coz it ll really close a lot of visibility gaps for me in terms of travelers profile, habits etc. And it really means a lot to me to have the chance to contribute to reconceptualizing the Budget Terminal so that all travelers can enjoy a greater experience when transiting thru the BT in future.
Spent the dae analyzing more data, figures, n typing my 1st interim report. Still got a lot of tasks which I set myself to complete. Hopefully I can settle everything tom before the weekend. =)
Goodnite world.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
ON DAY 3
I said earlier before that there are actually a lot of things to be learnt from the movie Hero. Takuya Kimura's character for one, taught me a lot about dedication to your work n your cause, n how the little things that sometimes seem insignificant can actually accumulate & add up to solve an entire puzzle. If he can spend 3 nights at the hospital carpark watching n confirming whether there is a parking space for a suspect, thats indeed dedication for u. N something for us to learn. Well, at least something for me to learn.
Today was another exciting dae. Seethed thru many many sales figures, flight statistics, passenger profiles, patterns, proposals, n even a floorplan. I learnt many many new things again n getting much more proficient with MS Excel now haha.
Headed down alone for my 3rd intensive recce of the Budget Terminal from late afternoon till evening. My supervisors are great in that they trust me a lot n give me a lot of independence n empowerment to do a lot of things on my own. At the same time, they do not want to restrict my imagination in re-conceptualizing the BT. In fact, they always want me to let my imagination "run wild" n to dare to be creative n think out of the box. I believe that is how they were trained themselves as well.
One thing I really like about the Commercial Division office is that its really messy. Haha! Files, papers, charts, drawings, n doodlings flying everywhere. People always walking around n discussing with 1 another, thinking out aloud, zapping or printing stuff, examining the POI board etc. But it gives a really buzzing n vibrant yet cozy atmosphere to the place n I really like it. In fact, I think I fell in love with the office the 1st time I stepped in on Mon. Act I was the last of the 7 interns to be dispatched by HR, so I was accompanying everyone to all their respective offices n I really feel that some of the other offices were way too peaceful, orderly, n quiet for me.
Act I realized that once u start work (my bro told me this before as well), nobody really gives much of a damn about yr grades or your class of Honours. The key thing is whether u can learn fast n adapt fast, whether u can fit into the company's corporate culture, whether u have the EQ n PR skills, n whether u have the right attitude. To be frank, so far everything I have worked on draws on all the things n lessons from my arts club experiences, n virtually none from academic. The only bloody useful applicable thing is knowing how to select a meaningful sample size n population, which ironically comes from the most boring PS module of Political Inquiry!! Haha, how bloody ironic man!
And I heard some of my colleagues over lunch mentioning that over here, its really not so much about academic results that determine yr promotion, but rather your performance. In fact, there are quite a number of people who re non-scholars but still rise very fast n very high. That was really heartening to noe. =)
Oh, and everybody here is so so busy n packed with work haha.
The airport never sleeps. Thats why I really like it here. n_n I was one of the last 2 personnel to leave the office at 8 pm just now, together with my supervisor. N when we stepped out of the office door straight into Terminal 2 (like i mentioned earlier), the bustling n hustling of the surrounding just reinvigorates me again. Ahhh. I love the smell of the atmosphere here.
Tomorrow early morning I ll be on another intensive mission. I intend to recce the BT from maybe 4 or 5 am till 7am, to catch the morning n most busy crowd.
Saw 2 SIA girls smoking behind the scenes todae. Heehee, told u i see lotsa interesting stuff.
And to wrap up the day, I brought my wife to work n back. Even tho it was raining in the morning, but that didnt deter us from hitting the tracks. 2 daes of waiting n squeezing into buses n trains is enough for me thank u very much. Now I need only 30 minutes to reach from home to the airport. Shiok.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
ON DAY 2
I realized todae that I m subconsciously walking very fast everywhere around the airport as well. Haha.
Due to confidentiality reasons, there are quite a no of things which I cant reveal here. But still, I m really glad today coz I ve mapped out my schedule for the entire month ahead, so I roughly noe my exact scope n tasks to cover everydae. And my, there's really a lot of things to be done. In fact, I knocked off work todae at 8pm when I could have left at 6. A fellow intern friend called me n was really surprised to noe I was still in office. Haha, he asked me to chill since there's no OT pay anyway. But hey, I take a lot of pride in my work, n I really wanna ace the presentation in a month's time (time is really short due to Hari Raya, Christmas, & New Year- including the Eves)
After 2 days of public transport, I have had enough. Too much time has been lost waiting n squeezing for buses n trains. Shall ride to work from tom onwards hee. A rider can never be chained.
Everyday I see new things n new sights, n access new areas at the airport. Also saw another old friend again haha. So qiao to see Gui Deng just now. He's going Haikou with his family. Also met Shuang Er for a while as she's leaving for Cambodia for a month for YEP n backpacking.
Only 2 days of work n I m oredi learning tons of stuff outside the academic classroom. No wonder many working professionals frequently have contempt for academics or feel that they are thoroughly outdated in the corporate world.
Monday, December 10, 2007
ON A WONDERFUL FIRST DAE AT WORK
Was really tired when I reached home, but felt really great n excited haha. I loved every minute of my work, except the travelling to n fro Changi from my hometown Bukit Panjang. Bah. I shall ride soon when the weather's less bitchy.
Anyway, as mentioned previously, I was posted to the Commercial division, and my, it was really a dynamic n fastpaced place haha. The whole office was kinda messy, but most importantly, vibrant n buzzing. And only our Commercial division office is on e 2nd floor at Terminal 2, while most of the other division offices lie on the 4th. Which means that once u open the door, viola, straightaway u re plunged into the midst of the departure airport terminal, with all e retail shops n travellers around u.
Being the Christmas n New Year period, there was of coz a festive atmosphere around, n u really see all kinds of things n people at the Airport. People from all over the world. Travellers, children, families, students, businessmen, aviation professionals, security personnel, NS dudes, n of coz air stewardesses.
My colleagues n supervisors were wonderful n friendly people who tried their best to make me feel welcome, and I really appreciate that. There's definitely a lot for me to learn, n to learn fast, esp when I didnt have any background in managing the retail sector, but they were always ready to provide advice n feedback. I also made friends with the ladies sitting around my cubicle haha. Miss Azizah esp, sitting right behind me, was really friendly n helpful plus she's been working there for 15 years oredi haha. Super lao-jiao. N always introducing me to all the staff whenever they walk past haha. Really sweet of her.
Some highlights of the dae were visiting the internal areas of Terminal 3, sitting in for my supervisor's 'haggling' with contractors (n hearing all kinds of interesting stories they come up with), n sitting in for another round of talks with a few international investors. The 3rd aspect was particularly fascinating, for I got to hear 1st hand of how n what the investors actually look for as they invest into the different retail outlets all over the world. They were Australians n were act the people who brought in outlets like Gloria Jeans Coffee Cafe, Imperial Treasure n a few other cafes into the airport. They even tried to bring Krispy Kreme into Sg coz they knew bout the recent donut craze haha. I learnt so many REAL-LIFE aspects of business development just sitting in n listening to them (rather than some theory nus lesson).
Yep, so all in all, very much an operations job, n I realized that in this division, u ll need to meet all kinds, n I really mean all kinds of people, n need to noe how to negotiate with them. N i think u have to like meeting them. Haha. Yet it involves a lot of dynamic n creative thinking out of the box, as well as conceptualizing business strategies at the same time. N the people there walk fast. Really fast haha. Coz u gotta hop from 1 place to another all over the whole airport.
Was really tired when I reached home, coz I went to do some extra work n recceing at the budget terminal, n met an old friend Gavin haha, who was going to Krabi. Gavin was one of my armour rugby teammates last time, n a really jolly fella. Good to see him doing well. =)
I have a big presentation at the end of my internship to be delivered to the senior management, n I only have 4 weeks. This main project ll keep me occupied for good n ll give me a high target to aim for. Hope I dun get burned out by the time sch starts next sem haha. N I hope to have a great month ahead with my new colleagues as well. =)
Ok gotta sleep early. Feel like going to jc man, must wake up so early everydae heh.
And I miss Krabi. Miss it very badly actually. Not just the place.
Everytime I step into the budget terminal I get reminded of everything n everything.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
ON A BIG DAY TOMORROW
I took the night doing some final prep n reflections for the internship due to begin tom. Been longing for this internship since June, and finally it has come down to the day itself. =) Yes, time really does fly.
Well, the downside is that my left ear still hurts big time, and I have seen 2 doctors oredi. Phew.
The upside for this weekend though, is Liverpool n Arsenal both losing haha. Act I had a feeling beforehand that the Gunners wont find it easy at the Riverside, where Boro can spring surprises on the top sides. And United has finally closed the gap at the top. Really the icing on the cake.
Off to an early sleep then. Determined to give my best shot for the month n internship ahead.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
ON ROOTS
I have been thinking for the past few daes...
That maybe its time to get back to my bad boy roots again. Haha!
Anyway, my sis asked me this morning (as I was lazing in bed) when my internship starts, and I replied mondae. She was like "gosh, doesnt that mean u wont have much rest at all?" I shrugged.
Then she said this, "When one is schooling, one has the time but no money to spend. But when one is working, one has the money but no time to spend."
Insightful words. Haha.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
ON NO WONDER THEY CALL IT "EXTRA"
My left ear was hurting all dae for some terrestrial reason, n it was so painful that the pain spread to my left cheek n gum. Manz.
Seriously disrupting my revision.
Out of desperation, I searched the drawers n found this panadol Extra box. I normally only consume the "normal" or the "Cold relief" brand.
After popping 2 pills into my mouth, the pain miraculously disppeared within 5 seconds. (I swear) I turned the box around n it says "For extra relief from stronger pain, like bad headache, backache, joint pain and toothache." Gosh, I didnt expect the effect to be sooo fast n sooo efficient.
Whoever created Panadol Extra, thank u very much, & an early Merry Christmas to u. Maybe Chelski shud buy this in bulk, so tat the next time Mr Drogba tumbles, they can feed him this & he ll be up in 5 secs.
I was also wondering whether Panadol Extra cures heartpain from a breakup. Maybe next time i ll invest in creating a Heartbreak Potion No 9 or something, designed to cure the heartpain for couples who broke up. Maybe that way, we can help decrease the no of suicide rates in the world.
Monday, December 03, 2007
ON KICKSTARTING THE COLDDD ENGINE
Wah piang eh, sibei jialat man. I feel like a cold engine in the middle of a freezing rainy night, unable to be kick-started by my rider.
My mind is floating all over the place, except for my last paper haha!
Lets see what has been going on hocky's mind for the past few hours:
1) Internship starting next Mon! haha excited man.
2) Nice Cold beers. oooh.
3) Takashi Sorimachi in GTO. My all-time bad boy idol- 2nd in place after Ghost Rider (not Nicholas Cage tho).
4) Takako Matsu.
5) The cute short-haired girl who acted in the movie Hero: The one whose husband passed away n whom Takuya sought to help. I thought she looked really sweet. Anybody who noe her name please tell me. Thanks!
6) My dream cat. Meow~
7) SMUN gathering at Parvin's place on Fri night after exams.
8) Honours class movie outing after last paper of Asian States & Societies.
9) Honours class bbq coming up in holidaes.
10) Wanping's bdae on Sat.
11) Rudy's wedding on Sundae.
12) Tanako err Mistubishi (???) HAHAHAH damn i forgot her name. The one who acted beside Takashi Sorimachi in GTO as the female teacher, and e lead actress in the Ring. I think she has beautiful eyes. Reminded me of someone I know haha.
13) Man U VS Fulham 355 am.
14) Xiao Xiao Stitch. =)
15) New hp after exams.
16) Huggable Golden Retriever doggie.
17) Stephen Chow.
18) Who ll be the next Education Minister for Sg.
19) What time I shud go n jog.
20) How many sets of pull-up should i do todae.
21) This thick-skinned friend of mine who's still lydat after so many years aiyo.
22) Army boyz gathering on 15th.
23) Who is goin to be the next arts camp pd. Better be a zai person.
24) Why rabbit dun like cats. Dun understand.
25) Diana baby in Australia! =p
So many thoughts swerving thru my head, how to kickstart man. Haha!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
ON KITTIES
Yeah man, after one whole havoc of a weekend, I m back to my study table to prepare for my final paper next Fri. Haha, I really do feel recharged man.
Had dinner n kopi with Sooze and Siying in town. Haha, we always have so much fun catching up n talking bout all sorts of issues. I really enjoy listening to Siying share her work experiences as well, for she's really done so much in the private sector, n its good to hear from her perspective on a lot of stuff.
Oh yest night when I was at Holland V one of the pet shops, my heart really melted when i saw the little doggies & cats "behind bars" in those small cages. Sigh. There was a beagle who was superactive & playing with a little orange ball by itself in the small cage. It was really amusing. The beagle ll bite the little ball, fling it to 1 corner, n then race to wrestle with it. N there were all kinds of breeds there. Terriers, Shih Tzus, Chihuahua, poodle, beagles, pug, maltese etc etc.
And when I turned to the kitty corner, my, I was really smiling to myself. Coz there was this little pink hammock strung across the cage, n one of the cats was sleeping in the hammock lor. Haha, really adorable man. I couldnt take pictures of them unfortunately coz it wasnt allowed.
I think I could spend the whole dae watching them if i could. =) I really really love cats & dogs, n I felt quite sad when I left the shop, wondering how long those little fellas would continue to be caged up in those confined little spaces. Hopefully they ll have wonderful owners who ll come along n take care of them 1 dae.
And there was this very interesting quote pasted beside the kitty cage in the pet shop. It goes something like this:
"If you adopt a cat, be prepared to live with its differences. A cat has its own stand, its own viewpoint, and even its own morality."
Haha, I thought it was really cool. As an avid fan of collecting n appreciating quotes, I thought the quote aptly describes the commonly-mentioned 'attitude' n 'coolness' (or aloofness, depending on how u see it :p) of cats.
Went to conduct a little online search, n found even more kitty quotes! Haha, reading some of them really brought a smile to my face. Here re some of the ones I felt were quite interesting:
"I simply can't resist a cat, particularly a purring one. They are the cleanest, cunningest, and most intelligent things I know, outside of the girl you love, of course."
- Abroad with Mark Twain and Eugene Field, Fisher
"For a man to truly understand rejection, he must first be ignored by a cat."
- Anon
=> This one reminded me of bit. Hah hah! Esp that time at the 27th mc chalet bbq.
"There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat."
- Tay Hohoff
=> Very true indeed!
"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."
- Unknown
And finally..
"I have noticed that what cats most appreciate in a human being is not the ability to produce food which they take for granted--but his or her entertainment value."
- Geoffrey Household
ON ANOTHER NIGHT OF COLD BEERS, MEXICAN BURRITOS, GREAT MUSIC & MARVELLOUS COMPANY
Wonderful Sat night. haha. A good good break.
Great to see Danny boi again.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
ON MELANCHOLY
2 thoughts went thru my head todae.
The 1st was that its min min's birthdae todae! Haha..like i told her, even though we only saw each other once this semester, but i still love her =p And my, how she has changed since 25th mc haha.
I think being in arts club mc generally makes one become a better person. In terms of confidence, organizational abilities, public speaking, emotional toughness, mental toughness (read- ability to take n tahan all sorts of nonsense), but most importantly, the friendships forged n gained.
Which brings me to my 2nd thought of the dae. This idiot in the picture aka Soozie called me just now after his final exam paper. I was expecting him to be whooping with joy but shock of shock, he was in tears when speaking over the phone.
Sooze said that it was a highly emotional dae for him, becoz it was his last paper EVER in NUS, and last ever dae in NUS. Even halfway thru his paper, he said he couldnt concentrate properly, coz his mind was cast in the fact of the Day of Days.
Sooze cried coz he said when he looked back at his past 3 n a half years in NUS, filled with precious memories n friendships, the flashbacks just overwhelmed him. It was then when i realized that he was prob feeling the same way me and Chonghan felt on e final dae of Arts Camp this year. When we were on stage n we realized that we would never ever be going for another Arts Camp again.
For Sooze, it wasnt just his fop n mc memories in 25th or 26th. There were also his dance competitions, his relationships, his friendships etc. He said that it seems that the more memories u have of Nus, the harder it ll be for u to let go.
I then told him that Ridhwan once told me, that even if u gave him a perfect cap score of 5.0 in exchange for all his arts club memories n frienships, he would never have taken it. We both agree as well. Life in nus isnt just about mugging n grades.
Thankfully, we ll be going commencement together next year. N we were saying how wonderful n emotional it ll be throwing our mortar hats with friends from year1 like Chonghan, Bobsie, Joy, Yuimin, Alas ter, Jia jia, leonie, swi swi, Gina aka xiao xian xian, Bian Bian, Jianwu, Alvin, Gerri n many many others. All of us changed, in 1 way or another. 4 years is a long time. But yet it is short.
I havent really given much thought on how I ll react after my last exam paper next sem. But seeing Sooze's reaction, I prob have a better idea now. When I was jogging last night, I also had the idea that I ll prob send some well-wishes card to many of the professors, dean's office staff, n osa personnel who have also given me many memories of these 4 years.
So, if u re currently year1-3, do treasure yr remaining time in nus k. n_n Life is too short for regrets. You never noe when u ll be gone 1 day, just like those left during the recent dragonboat tragedy. Seize the dae, and go n do whatever that u really want to do in nus. That, has been 1 of the recurring themes in this little blog of mine.
I have cleared 4 papers oredi. So far so good. Last paper next fri. Ll be going drinking with the other presidents later. =)
