Github Collaboration Tips

Secret War Journal[10 March 2016]

I have worked with a few projects on Github and I find myself repeating a few things that are consistent across projects to people who are new to Git. Conflicts tend to occur more frequently when certain procedures are not observed. It is not exactly their fault as those actions are not compulsory but I feel that they are good practices that can help to reduce the number of conflicts that may occur in the repository when merging or committing.

Thus, when my school releases the below for SVN, I felt this is a good chance to share this so that more people will be able to exercise these good practices to reduce the number of conflicts that may occur when collaborating with each other in a SVN/Git environment. Hope this helps!

Some tips for team collaboration using SVN (applicable for Git in my opinion):

• Commit frequently. Do not wait until you make too many changes which will increase the risk of conflicts.
• Update your working copy before modifying it.
• Avoid touching the same file (or the same portion of a file) at the same time by a few team members. This helps to reduce the risk of conflicts.
• Let the team member who makes the most changes to a file commit his changes first. Then others try to merge their changes into repository.

Of course, we still need to know how handle conflicts as conflicts within the repository sometimes may be inevitable. Despite that, an reduction in conflicts really help to speed up development! :)

Blowing off the dust

Secret War Journal[31 January 2016]
Happened to be browsing through my history and chanced upon this old project that we used to work in.



Good 'ld memories. Great team. It is nice to know most of them are doing well and pursuing Computer Science. :)

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"In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can." - Nikos Kazantzakis

Tokio Marine Insurance Singapore

Secret War Journal[19 May 2015 - 6 August 2015]
Surprisingly, I almost did not end up working in this company. I am glad that I chose to work here in the end.

I was assigned to the Marine Claims Department. On the first day, I was not really sure what to expect.

Bee Kee, the manager for Marine Claims helped to get me up to speed on the first day.

With the help of  my colleagues, Li Xian, Sarah, Amanda and Theresa, I quickly learned the skills required to complete the task.

Some of the skills I learnt during my work there included Marine Insurance and the related risks borne by the insurers. There are many flavours of Incoterms and I was given the opportunity to roughly learn about them and understand the difference between the common Incoterms used in Marine Cargo Commercial Invoices.

Amongst others, I came across many Business Law concepts which I learnt during my schooling in my University (it is useful!) when I was reviewing some of the agreements between Tokio Marine and its agents.

From them, I have a better understanding on the General Insurance Sector in Singapore.

Thus, I prepared a instagram post for them, (forgive Instagram's formatting)!

Last day of work today!

This post is dedicated to the nice colleagues from Marine Claims Department! 😀

In a flash, 3 months have gone by working here. I have learnt a lot more on Marine Insurance and the claim procedures. I wouldn't be able to perform without the kind and patient guidance from my fellow colleagues. Thank you Bee kee, Li Xian, Sarah, Amanda, and Theresa! Not forgetting Wei Wen, I am sure you will enjoy your time there! Hopefully you will return to Marine Claims after your rotations. 😃

It has been a great pleasure working with you all! All the best to your future endeavours!

It will feel strange to not go to work next week and go to school instead. Hahas. 😮 #TokioMarine #Toyota

A photo posted by LeRoy Lim (@lord_yorel) on Aug 6, 2015 at 8:58am PDT

In addition to my colleagues, my lunch companions help to enrich my work experience during the short 3 months. The perks of working in Tanjong Pagar area means that you are spoiled for choices on what to eat everyday. There are many cafes and restaurants to dine at, including the various stalls at the Hawker Centres.

From an initial small group comprising of Soo Wah, Brandon, Pei En, Clarissa, Zai Hao and Yin Yu, it grew to its peak to include other interns and temporary staff, Reena, Nicky, Zhane, Cyrus, and Wei Wen.

I will not forget the challenges of getting seats in a crowded hawker centre with such a large group. Very often, my colleagues would ask me, "How do you all manage to find seats during lunch?" It is not easy and sometimes it takes a bit of time to find the tables.

Occasionally, we complain about the time wasted to find seats and would just order takeaway and have our lunch at Tokio Marine's breakout room. :p

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Bonus Corporate Events
I was very fortunate to be with Tokio Marine during this period because as it happens, the recreational committee has prepared a series of annual events for this period.

In the process of being invited to these events and participating, I helped out as a temporary representation for the Recreational committee for Marine Claims Departments.

TMiS Bowling Competition
Within the first week of joining Tokio Marine, I was informed that there was a TMiS Bowling Competition coming up! I participated the event as a supporter and received the company shirt.

Fruits Day
The next event was the annual fruits day for Tokio Marine! This coincides with the durian season in Singapore. Its biggest highlights are its durians! Other fruits include cherries, coconuts, grapes, lychees, mangosteens.

TMiS Movie Night
Finally, the last highlight of the recreational events is the annual movie night for the entire company! This year's Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

As it was close to my last day, the event really felt like a closure to me.

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Thinking back, it is amazing that I get to know so many different colleagues from different departments and have lunch together. For this, I must thank HR department for giving us the opportunity to get to know each other. The staff welcomed us and made us felt like we belonged here.

I had a wonderful experience working in Tokio Marine. If you will be going to work in there, I am confident that you will have a great time. :)

Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures that were taken during my work there! :)

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Disclaimer: I have signed a non-disclosure agreement with Tokio Marine. Thus, I have only covered briefly on what I learnt without specific details. Hope you all understand. :)

Let's Talk NTU 2015

Secret War Journal[24 January 2015]
Prospective students thronged Let’s Talk NTU 2015 on Saturday to hear about NTU’s holistic programmes and diverse curriculum from professors and students.

But wait a minute, I am already a student of NTU, what am I doing there? I was one of the ambassadors along with my fellow coursemates.

I was in the afternoon shift and as it turns out, my lab supervisor for CZ1003 last semester was there too. I was really happy when he found me familiar. He's a south korean professor working in NTU and he is really friendly. After talking with him, he begun to recognise my coursemates who came with me too.

As an ambassador, our job was to answer any queries that the visitors may have on our course. Since this exhibition is largely meant for future students. Many people who attended the exhibition were polytechnic and junior college students. In addition, some were accompanied by parents. Usual questions include the eligibility to exempt certain courses and cut-off points for the course. Many should be happy to note that both Poly and JC students are eligible for exemptions in certain circumstances. (Mmm, I should probably write a post regarding this when I am free. That would useful for interested readers, no?)

This year's goodie bags are actually pretty decent. A cute little bear, notebooks, pen light, and pens were some of the goodies being given today. However, I heard that the turnout for this year was less than last year's. This can be attributed for the lack of publicity this year. (I am sorry for not mentioning this earlier, I was busy with work, evidently. Hahas)

Personally, I really enjoyed the experience today. It was really fun sharing your school experience with potential juniors. That said, I should be participating in future ambassador events. (Next one being, RNS Men Talk 2015 [COE])

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After the exhibition, my peers and I headed off to Bugis Steamboat street (as I call it) and enjoyed some great steamboat to celebrate our great work today. :)

NIS IDA Interview #1

Secret War Journal[?? April 2013]
Today, I went for the first round of interview for the National Infocomm Scholarship (NIS). While preparing for the interview, I noticed that there hardly any material on it for applicants to prepare on. Yes, I could find some information regarding the conduct of the interview but they are dated some five years ago. Furthermore, according to my senior, the procedures had since changed, rendering the information useless. Thus, it is my hope, in writing this post, future candidates have a greater idea on what to expect on the date of their IDA NIS interview.

(Disclaimer: Given the dynamics of the scholarship. I must emphasize that there is a high chance that there would be changes in the conduct of the interview. Above all, do not be unnerved if the interview is not as you expect and perform your best!)

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Phase 1: Lobby
I am of the opinion that it is a taboo to be late for an interview. So for any readers interested in attending an interview, the first rule is "Do not be late." (I am curious, drop me a message if you, for whatever reasons, were late for an interview and successfully entered the next round. Thanks!)
However, depending on how you look at it, reaching the venue early may be to your advantage or disadvantage. As many would like to phrase it, the interview begins the moment you enter the lobby. The interviewers may not be there but the receptionist may actually be observing you, passing information to the interviewers at the end of the session for evaluation.
For myself, I did not talk much compared to the group at the other table. However, we made conversation which allowed me to know some of the candidates better. (Yes, one could also use this to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors. Of course, it would not hurt to make some friends. :)

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Phase 2: Self-Advertisement
After all the candidates gathered, we are directed to the conference room. In there, we are given a set of paper with questions for us to answer. In the questionnaire, there are questions pertaining to one's character. For example, one could be asked to write down a past experience which demonstrated one's integrity. The queer thing was that we are advised to write around 500 words per question. What was unrealistic was the fact we were only given only 30 minutes to complete the essay-looking paper which had around 5 questions. That  amounts to around 2500 words in 30 minutes. (I do not know about you but I definitely cannot write that fast!) Unless you have already prepared the answers, I am certainly sure that it is impossible to complete the given task. Thus, despite my best efforts, I was only able to attempt two questions. (Seriously, it is inhumane to write so fast). My strategy was to concentrate on completing what I started so that they will understand what I am trying to say rather than writing vaguely for all the questions. Of course, I am not sure if this approach works so I cannot endorse this approach. (It is all up to everyone's personal preference.)

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Phase 3: Debate
If you thought the finger-bashing stage was bad, meet the highlight of this interview. Perhaps the phase which determines if you are shortlisted into the next round of selection, candidates would be grouped into 2 groups where they will be tasked to debate on an issue. This is difficult because your success depends not only on yourself but on the entire team. With team dynamics factored in, it is not hard to see why this group interview is so tough. Candidates not only have to balance between teamwork and standing out to be noticed, they had to make sure that their points flow.
Problems often occur when candidates are too anxious to stand out. Such was the case in one of the teams that day. It is very disconcerting to hear team mates contradicting each other's points. It does not demonstrate a convincing argument to the audience. The task is made even more difficult for the candidate who is tasked to summarize all the points that his team mates brought up as points when his team mates kept redefining the teams. At some point, it only serves to confuse both the audience and the team mates. Thus, is is not hard to see the team self-destructing during the debate. Notably, the fault lies in each and everyone in the team. The first mistake made by the team was the failure to allocate independent points to each team mate. Such problems surfaced when they realised that the points presented by each members were overlapping each other.

Like a scholar once told me, the debate section is one that will make or break the deal. In fact, it depends on who is on your team as well. The section eliminates candidates who cannot function in a team. It is a very useful technique to use in an interview albeit a tough one for candidates.

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Fin
After the apparent massacre, it was the end of the interview and we were dismissed. I am not sure if the procedure will be the same next year round but I hope this helped. :)

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"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." - Og Mandino

SMU SIS Interview 2012

Secret War Journal[14 April 2012]

Wohoo! I just had my interview at Singapore Management University (SMU) for the School of Information Systems! As I am now spending most of time in army, I only had weekends to go for interviews.
For SMU, they contact shortlisted applicants via mobile. That is in theory great since the applicant is contacted quickly and it is highly efficient. Unfortunately for me, I am in army. Thus, I was only able to contact them a few working days later as most of the time, I only could use mobile phones at night, which is way past office hours.

Against all odds, I managed to get a slot today, 3pm for the interview. To be honest, I do not know what to expect, there was surprisingly few materials to research on via the Internet on how to prepare for this particular interview. Nevertheless, I was able to get some glimpse how the interview would be conducted but no confirmation.

As a result, I felt as though I just went for an interview blind. So much for going into interviews prepared, hahas!

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Phase 1: Pre-Interview

Part 0: Waiting Room
We were brought to the lift lobby which also served as a waiting room of sorts. Here, there are posters pasted on the walls of the nearby offices. The directions given were to read the posters. The posters generally provide information which you can also find on the University's website but I guess it would be very useful for applicants who did not have the time to read up either because they are really busy in army or work. However, one should note that not all the information from the website were reflected on the posters. So I would recommend that applicants should 'do their homework' before the interview.
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Part 1: Your Personality
After all the interviewees for this sessions has gathered (For my session, we have 6 people), we were brought to a classroom.
First, we were tasked to complete a short personality test/survey for the interviewers to have a roughly idea on your character.
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Part 2: Critical Information
Next, we were asked to write a mini-essay of sorts about ourselves. My advice would be to perhaps write fast because I actually ran out of time to write finish the questions on that piece of paper. Hahas!
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Part 3: Case Study Question
This question is, in my opinion, really relevant to the course so while it was the prelude to one of the most challenging component of the interview, it was really an eye-opener for me. You should have around 10-15 minutes and you are given a piece of A4 paper to write down your solutions.
I do not think you can prepare for this interview beforehand. Fret not, there would be help and sample questions and solutions to give you a better insight on how to approach the question. ;)
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Part 4: Verification
Probably the easiest part of the interview. Here, you would pass your supporting documents, both the real and the photocopied for verification. After a short period of time, they would return you the copies for your keeping. This should be conducted during Part 1-3 concurrently.

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Phase 2: The Interview

Now for the actual interview. We are moved into another room where the interviewers await us.

Part 5: Presentation of Case Study Question
In this component of the interview, you are tasked to present your solutions for the case study question you did to the whole group and the interviewers, detailing your thought process.
During the presentation, you should expect questions to be asked from the interviewers for them to understand your solutions better. Thus, just stay calm and present your solutions! :)

I believe this is what most people would say the most challenging component of the interview, expect insightful and difficult questions to be asked. ;)
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Part 6: Estimation Question + Presentation
This is more of a logic question. Try to make sound assumptions. If you would really like to prepare for this component, you could try to know as much general knowledge as possible. In addition, it may be also a good idea to know more about SMU and general knowledge on SMU. You should have around 4 minutes to attempt the question.
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Part 7: Q & A
Shoot away your queries regarding the course you are gunning for! Word of caution though, please do not ask questions which could be answered on their website. ;)

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Estimated duration: 2.5 to 3 hours

Bottom-line: Be at ease! Be comfortable with presenting to groups of people and be confident. Try not to flinch when difficult questions are asked. Take a moment and answer the question to the best of your ability. :)

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Great news! I am offered a place on SMU School of Information Systems (SIS) since the interview! Guess, I did pretty decent. O.o

Sadly, I was not granted the double degree programme by SMU. Pity.

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"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't." - Anatole France

Infocomm Closure

Secret War Journal[14 March 2012]
Hi people! I am sorry for the sudden hiatus from the last few weeks as I was sorta 'conscripted' into National Service in Singapore. In case you are not aware, all males in Singapore aged 16 and a half and older are required to serve in the Singapore Armed Forces for 2 years, followed by a few years on 'standby'.

Before I elaborate 'more', let me keep you up to date with what had happened since my hiatus.

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End of IDA Internship
As of posting, it is now 14 March 2012. My internship in IDA ended on 1st March 2012. Originally, I was supposed to end my internship on the last day of February but my mentors really require help on a project. As a result, we decided to extend my internship by one more day to the first of March so that I can officially hand over matters to a temporary staff named Mehul who would be helping my mentors until the completion of the project.
The last week of internship was, to me, both tiring and exciting closure to my first internship. For this week, Joan, Wen Rui, and I would be ending this week. Like me, Wen Rui had to extend her internship by one day. Hence, her internship ended with Joan on the last day of February. I would say my last week of internship was not as hectic as that of Wen Rui's but I would say it was a bit tight for me nevertheless. While Wen Rui stayed behind in the office to finish her work, I brought home the laptop to attempt to finish my assigned work. Unfortunately, I was still unable to finish it on Thursday, 1 March 2012. I remembered feeling dread when I was going to inform my mentors that I was unable to complete my task. However, what happened next was rather unexpected. I had always known that my mentors were nice people but I was actually half-expecting to be reprimanded for being inefficient and lack of time management. As you probably had known, my mentors were accepting of the fact that I was unable to complete.
I later found on that day when I asked my mentors for an evaluation of my performance during the internship that they felt that I was too efficient. While in a certain persepective, it is a good thing, being too efficient can lead to potential problems in a team. Furthermore, completing an assignment too fast gives an impression that is it is not done with thought. I know that I did but I agree that it would be difficult for others to believe. Thus, I was advised to spend more time double-checking when I finished to prevent negative impressions imposed upon me. I guess, my mentors are perhaps glad that I was unable to complete a task in time because it would seems that much effort was placed on it. Hahas! XD
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I realised that I accidentally wrote about some events happened on the last day of internship before talking about other notable events that occurred throughout the internship. I think one of the most memorable event that took place would be my first meal with my mentors. Unlike Johnston and Wen Rui, my mentors were often busy and do not have the opportunity to go to meals with me. I do not really mind as I understand that they are very busy. For most of my internship period, I had lunch with Johnston, Joan, Wen Rui, Chor Hiang, Gladys, Joycelyn and Sherilyn. However, on the second last day of my internship, my mentors decided to conduct a farewell lunch with me. It was also going to be a welcome lunch for Mehul. We settled on a nearby bar named Harry's just downstairs from our office. Our lunch was candid as we finally had the opportunity to dicuss issues not related to work for once. For example, it was only until that day that I realised that Ms Kiranjit is a vegetarian who also eats fish. I think that is rather interesting. Mehul is a vegetarian. He just graduated from SIM with a Mass Communication Degree. He used to be Meridian Junioor college too before he transferred to a polytechnic. On the other hand, Terence is like me, a non-vegetarian. :)
Terence and I ended up ordering the same dish, a dish with cereal-fried chicken with ham stuffing with greens. (My father later commented that I kept ordering chicken but hey! I like chicken! :p) As it turns out, I was fooled by the menu, (not sure if my mentor was too but...), I was served only two bite-sized cereal-fried chicken stuffed with ham and cheese in the middle. The rest of the plate were green in colour. Did I mention I hate vegetables? Alright, I cannot say the bar cheated me but I guess they took the menu literally. Finally, I found out that Ms Kiranjit, Mehul, and I are all left-handers. So cool! I mean, for the first time, out of a sample size of 4, there are 3 who are left-handers! That reminds me of the composition in my junior college class. :D
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Finally, my last assignment was to hand over my outstanding work for a particular project to Mehul. He is around two to three years older than me so I felt a bit strange when I was briefing him. This was the first time that I actually briefed someone muich older than me for official work and I think the most awkward moment then was when he asked, "can I borrow the pass from you, sir?". I remember being stunned for a moment. Thinking back now, I think it was a nice feeling. I am not sure it was just a natural polite question or out of respect, but I do not care. :p
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Mehul would be taking over my account until the end of March, I think? So do not be alarmed when I go online with my IDA account (I know Mr Yao was on the day of my A Levels results). Hahas.
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I would cover more about army (not much actually due to the Official Secrets Acts)
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"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets." - Voltaire

Valentine's cum Teachers' Seminar 2012

Secret War Journal[14 February 2012]
I am just returned home from a hectic day! :D

Before I begin anything on what had happened today, let me first wish you all a

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Unfortunately, my plan to give out chocolate wafers which I bought a month ago was not very successful because everyone, including me, was busy.

Don't worry! I plan to still give out tomorrow, I hope. XD
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Meanwhile, I would like to special these people who giving me a Valentine's gift. Thank you! =)

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IDA Infocomm Club Teachers' Seminar 2012
Today I helped out at an IDA event called the Infocomm Club Teachers' Seminar 2012.

I am not a key member of the event though, just helping out with ushering, registration and collection of forms at the event of the event.
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To me, the more interesting thing that happened during the event would be during the ushering.
I guess this is partly due to the fact that this is the first time I am helping out at events as an usher. Unlike Johnston and Joan, being Student councillors in junior college, I had no idea what to expect for this role.

Thankfully, the teachers who were attending this event were friendly and I actually had fun doing that role. For some reasons, doing this role remains me of the MPS sessions that I had been helping out. It made me wonder if I would this week's session because I would be going over to Siew Yan's house for steamboat instead.

Hmm, let's no sidetrack. :)
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After my usher role, I went over to help out at the registration booth. I had a nice chat with Zaliyah. :)
I guess this was perhaps my most challenging part, feeling helpless in addressing some of the teacher's queries. I suppose it is my fault for not being aware of the technical aspects of the Infocomm Club. XD

My secondary school decided, at the last moment, to not attend. Frankly, I was not expecting much, since most of my juniors during my school days had mostly graduated and my teachers-in-charge then had since left the school. I was still expecting to re-connect with my CCA though. Pity.
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Personally, one of the coolest feature of this seminar would be the talk by AutoDesk. I never thought they AutoDesk would actually give a talk in Singapore! Okay, I knew AutoDesk were committed to talking with customers but wohoo! Hahas!

Like I was saying to Joan, it made me feel like setting up a Infocomm Club all of sudden. :P

In addition, I really appreciate how IDA makes the effort to come up with findings and what's in store for all of us for this year. I think it is a feature that sets the CCA apart from other CCAs, (okay, not including NCC).

Unfortunately, I did not have the time to actually attend the talks and presentations for the event. Oh well...
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Today, some of my fellow interns were telling me that they were considering working in IDA. Hey, how awesome is that? :D

Intern Union -- IDA

Secret War Journal[3 January 2012 - 6 January 2012]
Another week has passed! I hope this is a short post because I have a lot of things to write about, hahas!

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New Interns

As mentioned earlier, Wen Rui and Johnston had officially started work as Intern here from this week onwards. :)

This brings the total number of Meridian Junior College Students working as Intern to 4. With that many of us around in there (relatively), we could form our own student union in there! Hahas!

I am just worried that our mentors would think we are distracting each other. Let's hope not. I would like to think with more of us around, we could help each other in terms of moral support and improving each other's skills.

Helping each other in specific work may be more difficult, given the sensitive nature of our work. (Especially mine?) But I still believe there are ways to improve each other's work without needing to disclose too much information. (After all, I live with secrets everyday and I still get things in done in the real world.)
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Wen Rui seems to be the busiest among us right now. However, I believe I would be much more busy than her in the near future once my side shift into high gear. :)

Johnston's first week seems similar to Joan's and mine. In addition, his mentor seems as friendly as mine. Wohoo! We must be lucky. :)

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MPS

Meanwhile, on the eastern side of Singapore, I am back training as a case-writer!

This week, there are more volunteers than ever!  I am not sure it was due to one week break than everyone had but wow, the room was filled with volunteers! Voluntarism in Singapore is indeed rising, for this particular activity anyways. Hahas!

It is a really much more enriching an experience than typing, I feel that I get to know how's the sentiment like on the ground and the various issues that people experience.

You should volunteer too! ;)

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"Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it." - Henry David Thoreau

IDA -- It begins

Secret War Journal[December 2011]
Yep, I had officially started my internship! Wohoo!

Unfortunately, I cannot discuss much details of my work publicly because of certain sensitive information. While I can't disclose to you information about my work, I would share with you events that happened during this period of time, that are non-work related of course. :)
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This post would be mostly introducing my job and it's environment. :)

So where do I work? I work in a cool building situated in Mapletree Business City. The security there is pretty advanced AKA cool. :)

I am not sure about the security about the other buildings but my workplace should be one of the coolest! =D

I'm on the 9th floor! Find me if you have access to that floor! :)

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My Colleagues

I would try to introduce most of the people I met during my internship. Of course, my period of internship is short so I am unable to give much comment on them. (I am after all, more concerned of my weaknesses. :P)

1. Joan, fellow MJC-ian. She is sitting opposite my workstation. She is from another team though we are both in the same division. :)
2. Joycelyn (I hope I spelled your name correctly), a polytechnic graduate, probably leaving on 9 January. She often joins Joan and I for lunch for the past few weeks.
3. Xiao Zhou, MJC Junior. He completed his internship on 23 December.
4. Terence, my mentor. He's a great guy who wants me to learn as much as I can during my internship. Preliminary, I believe I would enjoy learning from him. :)
5. Kiranjit, also my mentor. She is very efficient and I think it would be great to learn from her. ;)
6. Jenny, she is very quick in thinking. I feel inferior at how fast I can think of critical questions on the sport. Wow.
7. Sophia, sort of Joan's mentor as well. She's a nice lady and I foresee working with her for some of my projects. :)
8. Melvin, it is fun to have him in meetings but I think he's really busy now too.
9. Johnston, my best friend. Joining us next year.
10. Others who I really have no idea how to spell as of now. Sorry.

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A Visit

Before I end off this post, (yes I know it is really short but I am running out of time. ): I would like to share a particular event about a visit by Yan Mae, our friend.

One day, Yan Mae visited us during lunch time as she happened to be nearby.

During our conversations, I realised Yan Mae was also helping out at the Meet-the-PAP sessions and is actually a member of Young PAP. She is helping out at in Bedok while I'm helping out at the Pasir Ris. She was interested to helping out at Pasir Ris instead.
I encourage her to, since the place is nearer to her place of residence but we also need to take into consideration the consequences of changing wards. After all, it is not very nice to just pack up and help out at another place (sorry for being a sentimental guy). But I guess in the long run, it would be easier for her to help out at Pasir Ris instead. :)

Yan Mae, being Yan Mae, still teased me the moment we met. Tsk tsk. Nevertheless, I was sure we all had a great time when she visited us, not many would bother to visit us when we are working. It really takes some effort and I appreciate it. Thank you. :)

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"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence." - George Washington

TM: Symposiums and NRP

Secret War Journal[16 April 2011][TM Session#6]
Ah, how fast time passes. Today is the last session for Talent Management for this term.

Over the past 3 weeks, we discussed serious issues regarding Singapore and current affairs and had a intellectual discussion on them. This is the tradition of TM, sessions are set aside to discuss current affairs and solutions to them.

In addition, groups are tasked to present their findings before each discussion in the form of presentations like a Symposiums of sorts.

My team members are:

1. Chun Hong
2. Yonson
3. Tian Hoe
4. Stephanie
5. Vanessa

Really liked how we managed to set aside time to do it despite our busy schedules. Hahas, the presentation is rushed but it's good job nevertheless. ;)

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NRP Symposium
Alright, the other I wish to inform you people would be the NRP Symbosium!

Hmm, actually I think I posted about that already. (Had to go recall if I did) *Shrug* Hahas!

Well, then I shall announce the results instead! :)

I'm proud to tell you guys I got Gold! :)
All those hard work paid off. I couldn't had done it without the help of my supervisor Assoc.Prof Ma and my partner Jesse Tang. Thanks! ^^

Wore blazer on that day. ^^
As the picture above indicated, there were three student presentation shown on that day to everyone, including the 2011 NRP Participants. One was really nice. It was the mod of the Guitar Hero guitar controller to a educational game. It was really amazing and I learnt something new that day day. I learnt that it's possible to mod any console controller with a program as long as it can recognise the button commands. It's like a remote control. After that, you can specify what each command does in your program and bam! You made a simple console game. Wow!

Finally, congratulations to all award winners! :)

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"Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone the question. … Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use." — Don Juan

TM: Interview Prep Workshop

Secret War Journal[26 March 2011][TM Session #5]
Short post before I leave.
CVs, Recommendation Letters, and Essay Questions
MBTs have just ended, as such TM sessions continue on Saturdays once more. I will talk about MBT on another post. Let me focus on the most recent TM session first. :)

Since last TM session marked the end of the Social Etiquette, this week we attended a workshop by our own tutors on preparing for Scholarship interviews such as the the materials you would need to prepare for the application of scholarship.

Generally, for most applications for scholarship, they would require you to have the following documents ready:

1. Curriculum vitae
2. Essay Question / Personal Statement
3. Recommendation Letters / Referees 

Curriculum vitae

Also known as Resume, it is basically a list of activities that you had did during your secondary schools and Junior College days. However, you should be reminded that you do not simply state all your activities, big or small, into the CV as it should only contain activities that are relevant to your scholarship and purposeful. 

A CV should be placed in a format such that the latest activities are stated first and it should be reader-friendly. It should also contain details of the duration of your education in the school and relevant CIP hours.

Essay Question / Personal Statement

This is the key component of your scholarship application. There isn't any model answer of any sort because it is supposed to be your personal statement, thus unique.

If the organisation requires to answer a Essay Question, then you would have to. Different scholarships have different questions and so there isn't much guidelines on how to answer them.

On the other hand, if a personal statement is required, you would not be given any question but would have to write about yourself to convince them why you're the better choice.

In general, you will need to use relevant and unique points to highlight your strengths and get their attention so that they would call you up for an interview. Above all, be honest. ;)

Recommendation Letters

These are done by your tutors or other relevant supervisors upon your request but they may refuse if they're busy.

---

What I really learn that was getting to know the fact that we actually have a very small time window to submit our scholarship application, 7 days after our A Levels Results are released, especially for guys since we most likely have National Service(NS) during that period. That highlights the need for us to prepare these documents early.

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"A pessimist is one who make difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties." - Harry Truman

TM: Social Etiquette

Secret War Journal[19 February 2011][TM Session #4]
This week marks the last week of the 2-week series of social etiquette by Ms Suzenne Zheng. Shall we begin?

---

Useful things to take note for public events:

• Punctuality
• Refrain from asking personal questions
• Respect people's privacy

Tips for the actual day of interview:

• Come early
• Ask the reception who are the interviewers (to know how to address them) and for the interviewers' emails.
• Do not cross leg until determining interviewer is friendly

---

Conversation Skills
General Tips:

• Silence your inner critic
• Begin with the obvious (conversation starter)
• Compliment carefully
• Use friendly body language
• Turn the spotlight on others - Be humble
• Listen
• Keep the conversation light
• Give equal time to other participants of the conversation (avoid one-sided conversations)
• Have a sense of humour
• Make your exit graciously
• Avoid personal questions

Salutations (how to address someone):

• You're not allowed to place titles on yourself when introducing yourself(e.g. Dr./Prof) unless you're in uniform
• Introduce yourself without the use of "Mr/Mrs/Miss/Mdm"

If Jane Low is married to Jonathan Tay, Jane should be addressed as either

1. Mrs Jonathan Tay
2. Mdm Low
3. Mrs Tay

Note: Addressing Jane as Mrs Jane Tay meant that she's a widow.
--
How to introduce oneself:
"Good morning/afternoon/evening, Mr/Ms/Mdm [surname]. I'm [your name]. How do you do?"
How to introduce others:
"[Person A], please meet [Person B], [Profession of Person B]"
"[Person B], please meet [Person A], [Profession of Person A]"

Note:

• Attend to the more important person first. In this case, Person A is the more important person.
• By convention, women are more important than gentlemen
• If both people are of the same gender, the older one is the more important person.
• Business-wise, the ranking of the person is taken into account.
• Do not shake hands if the other party is Muslim ladies or monks (not appropriate)

How to introduce oneself in a phone call:
"Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, [your name] speaking"

---

Email Etiquette

• Do not start with "Dear..." but rather "hi [recipient]" when ending an email with "Best Regards"
• No smileys
• No shorthands.

--
After an email, email the interviewer a thank-you note.
Example: "Thank you for interviewing me. I can be reached at..."

---

Dining Etiquette
Terminology:

• Aperitif-- An alcoholic drink taken as an appetizer before a meal.
• Entrée -- Main Course

Positioning:
Bread on your left; Drinks on the right

Ordering:
The gentlemen place order, not the ladies
E.g. "This lady wants [item], that man wants [item],..., [finally your own order]"

Breakfast:
Bread basket: Offer a bread to the left, take one for yourself, finally, pass the basket to the right.

Toast: Cut into 2 equal triangles (the standard); eat from the corners and one at a time.

Lunch/Dinner:

• Knife, at all times, cannot point outwards
• Fork, at all times, must face downwards

Buffet-style

• DO NOT take for others, take only your own servings
• Take at most 2 of the same item
• Follow the meal procedure (appetizer, main course, dessert), do not start with the desserts.

Functions

• The main focus is not on the food, mostly just drinking and socialising.

---

Check your personality
There are four main types of personalities as described by her, namely:

1. Natural
• Sporty; casual dressing
• Suited for athletes or NS men
2. Classic
• Self disciplined; very organised
• Pedantic (Anal)
• Suited for auditors, accountants, etc
3. Dramatic
• Dress to express themselves (relate Lady Gaga)
4. Romantic
• Stylish; Best fashion sense among the four
• Outgoing; good interpersonal skills
• Suitable for entrepreneurs

By the request of Stephanie, here are some of our personalities, as analysed by Ms Zheng:

• Stephanie -- Natural Classic
• Leroy -- Very Classic
• Joshua -- Classic  

Note:

• It is also useful for relationships, less conflict would occur between the couple if their personality are the same.

TM: Social Etiquette and Speaking Skills

Secret War Journal[12 February 2011][TM Session 2 & 3]
Hmm, ahhh I didn't had the time to talk about the previous session last week. My sincere apologies. Perhaps I should start by talking briefly about the previous session.

---

Session 2: Speaking Skills

Basically, last week, we received advice from Mr Max on how to say or present.

I won't be talking in detail (though most should be self-explanatory) because the purpose of this series is to give you a clear idea of what Talent Management entails. Of course, it also helps to serve as a lasting mental note for myself. ;)

Alright, for Speech and Presentation, we can categorise them into 4 stages. Namely,

1. Pre-Speaking (Preparation)
2. Speaking - Fluency
1. Volume
2. Pacing
3. Pauses
4. Signposting
3. Speaking - Clarity
1. Vocabulary
2. Pronunciation
3. Stress & Intonation
4. Post-Speaking (Reviewing)

There are also non-verbal features in a presentation.

• Posture
• Eye Contact
• Facial Expressions
• Gestures
• References to slides - Do no read from slides
• Use of Statistics - Use sparingly

Other speaking devices include

• Rhetorical Questions - to stimulate audience to think
• Quotations - for effect
• Audience Interaction - for relating to audience

These skills would be really useful especially for JC1s who are having their Project Work where they need to present in Oral Presentations (OP). :)


For more info: go http://eslgold.com/speaking/simple_presentation.html and http://eslgold.com/speaking/elaborating.html

---

Session 3: Social Etiquette

For this session, we have an external vendor, Suzenne Zheng, Founder of First Impressions Image International to come educate us on the aspects to take note of for job interviews.

In summary, she taught:

• Top 10 list of what employers dislike during job interviews for males and females
• Dress code for job interviews - including shoes and ties
• How to tie a tie (which I hadn't done so for a year)
• How to walk properly (in the business world)
• Colour Theory (Cool and Warm and their definitions) - Colour Harmony
• Appropriate Sitting Postures for Job Interviews (2 for males, 5 for females)
• Appropriate hairstyles for males and females
• Face shapes and how to identify them and apply styles accordingly
• Appropriate eye brows
• Appropriate Sock length for males
• Need for punctuality for job interviews
• Brisk walking
• Avoid "bedroom face" (and long or spiky hair for males)

One interesting thing to note would be how your height affects your hairstyle (for females):

• If you're >1.66m, you can keep long hair
• If you're >1.40m but <1.66m, you can keep shoulder-length hair
• If you're <1.40m, you should keep your hair short.

Alright, that should be all. =]

TM: Induction

Secret War Journal[22 January 2011][TM Session #1]

Hmm, I realise there's hardly any content about MJC's Talent Management(TM). Perhaps there's a reason why but I figure it would benefit others in the future, if they happen to chance upon these posts, people would have a better rough idea what is TM about. I suppose. Hahas.

Note: I'm skipping the selection process for TM. I'm not sure if I had covered before hand but... I'm definitely not intending to cover it. :)

---

All right, the first session for Talent Management is called the Induction Session. Personally, I call it the "Introduction Session", "Briefing", "Ice-Breaking Session", or however you would call it.

The first session of TM is rather carefree and easy. Basically, we would introduce each other and share a bit of ourselves, (just like Orientation). Hence, it being called a "Ice-Breaking Session". It's not bad, I get to meet new people. :)

It's called an "Introduction Session" because the mentors also roughly outlined what are the events and activities that we would be attending for the entire duration of the programmes. Unfortunately, the schedule that was shown has not been sent to me via email yet and I do not have superhuman memory retainment of the information that was flashed for a short 3 minutes. Rest assured, however that, if I would post a rough outline of it in my subsequent posts to give you people a better idea on what people do in TM programme. :)

The teacher-in-charge of TM also briefed us briefly on the criteria for the most prestigious scholarships, the Public Service Commission(PSC) and how the programme would prepare us for such scholarships. In addition, we did a bit of goal-setting as well, identifying one's strength and weaknesses and how to work on them. It may also be timely to mention that my tutor, Mr Max is the teacher-in-charge.

I'm not going to discuss the games that we played today. One, it would spoil the fun. Two, the games may well not be the same the following years anyhow.

Moving on, the first session is also the day where you find out who are your mentors. *Drum Roll*

Well, what can I say, I can tell you visions do work in reality. My mentors are Mr Max and Ms Loo. I'm in Group 2. (just a mental reminder to myself, hahas)
Perhaps, I should describe a bit about Ms Loo. According to a fellow TM member, Joe which was elected to be the second TM 2nd IC (congrats! :), she's a multi-talented teacher.

She's a maths teacher which meant that she knew me before I know her. :p
She's a musician, a good singer, a marathon runner, and she's also a scholar.
That last bit explains how she holds a rather high position in TM at her second year in MJC. Like we both agree, she's very imba (meaning she's very good, you know talented)

I feel owned. Hahas!
So yay! These two are my mentors! ^^

---

JustAcia

Oh, the school would provide you snacks during breaks so you don't have to worry about being hungry during the sessions, just digressing a bit.

After we are aware of which group we're in, the last leg of today's session is a lunch together as a group so as to get to know each other better.
After a short discussion, my group decided to head to the nearby E!Hub for lunch.

Well, turns out the other two groups are headed for E!Hub too so we went together and my group and one other went to JustAcia for lunch.

Come to think of it, the price is really worth it. For less than ten bucks, you get free flow of drinks and ice cream plus a meal. The meal is average but the highlight is the drinks and the ice creams. Hahas!

Drank 3 cups of hot chocolate today! Wohoo!

---

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Carl Bard

Let's Take A Walk 2010

Secret War Journal[18 December 2010][Long Post]
Took me some time to finally post this. I sort of give up of the pictures been released, guess I shall work with I have. =]

Let me begin by informing you what is this event about first:

Rally your friends, colleagues and family to walk for a good cause this Christmas! Make this December extra special by taking part in this overnight, round island endurance walk!
--
There are three categories for Let's Take A Walk 2010, 10km JalanWalk, 50km PowerWalk and 100km ExtremeWalk. These three walks are specially designed to cater to the varied participants and their interests. Registration fee is at S$25 for 10km JalanWalk and S$60 for 50km PowerWalk & 100km ExtremeWalk.
--
10km JalanWalk (Individual)

The 10km JalanWalk is ideal for classmates, colleagues, families, groups of friends who would like to enjoy a relaxing workout. The 10km route will take you through a combination of both quiet and bustling corners of the city as well as new hotspots such as Helix Bridge and Marina Bay Sands. (Subject to change, pending approval from authority)

Reporting Date : Sunday, 19 December 2010

Reporting Time : 7:30am

Official Flag-off Time : 8:30 am

Start & End Point : Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road

Fees : S$25
--
50km PowerWalk (Team 3 to 6 people)

Calling all sports fanatics, athletes, musclemen and sporty ladies and anyone who is gamed to put their fitness level to an endurance test. The 50km PowerWalk is a great chance to gather your like-minded friends, colleagues or relatives to take part, as co-walkers and be part of a meaningful event.

To take part, simply form a team of 3 to 6 people and register as a team to take up this challenging endurance walk. Spending the whole day walking together for a good cause through the heartland, park connectors and local attractions could easily bring your friendship closer.

Rally your friends as your own “ra-ra” support team to meet your team in between your walk to give you a moral boost, some tender loving care with their surprise late-night visits, massages and snacks.

The lovely night walk route will bring you through the less travelled western part of Singapore and ever popular Southern Ridges.

Reporting Date : Saturday, 18 December 2010

Reporting Time : 7:30 pm

Official Flag-off Time : 9:00 pm

Start Point : Singapore Turf Club, 1 Turf Club Avenue (next to Kranji MRT)

End Point : Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road

Fees : S$50 (early bird, register before 1 Oct) | S$60
--
100km ExtremeWalk (Team 3 to 6 people)

You walk every day, so what's so difficult about walking for an extended period of time, you may think. The 100km ExtremeWalk is the most challenging route in Let's Take A Walk. This walk is no easy feat and is both mentally and physically demanding. The walk is not for feeble-minded individuals, but with strong determination, good pre-walk training regime and a never-say-die attitude, nothing is impossible.

Put your endurance and mindpower to the ultimate test with this challenge.

This year route offer something different so even if you have completed previous 100km route, you can re-join us to discover the hidden treasures round the island.

Reporting Date : Saturday, 18 December 2010

Reporting Time : 7:00am

Official Flag-off Time : 8:00 am

Start Point : Tampines 1, 10 Tampines Central 1 (next to Tampines MRT)

End Point : Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road

Fees : S$50 (early bird, register before 1 Oct) | S$60

That's basically what the event that I'm helping out at is about. I was assigned to help out at two checkpoints.

---

First Duty: Yio Chu Kang Sports Hall

This is checkpoint 2 for the 100Km Extreme Walk

Our job is rather simple, whenever a team arrives, we just need to make sure that all the members of the team has arrived before giving them the stickers to certify that they have completed this checkpoint. After that, they are free to proceed with the walk and onto the next checkpoint! :)
 
For our checkpoint, we gave out water bottles to the participants. Some of them were wondering where are the fruits and they were informed that the fruits (if I recall, bananas) are available at the next checkpoint.
Certain checkpoints give out freebies to the participants to rejuvenate them since the walk is not an easy one. As previously mentioned, the checkpoint I'm in gives out drinks.

What really made the whole duration that enjoyable was the courtesy of the volunteers and the participants. It's been a long time since everyone I meet are so polite, cheerful and friendly. It really gave me hope that the world isn't all dark. :)

The volunteers had KFC Black Pepper Chicken for lunch but I didn't order one because I feel a bit bad for them to treat so I decided to just eat lunch after my duty. Hahas!

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50KM Opening Ceremony

Next stop, Tuas!

Guessed I came a tad early but hey I had nothing to do for 3 hours! (that's the time gap between my duty hahas! Actually, I forgot what happened during this period of time. Oops.)

Anyhow, the place is already closed in preparation for the event but I can't enter yet because the co-ordinator who can verify my involvement is not here yet. (Because I'm so early, hahas!)

Had a chat with participants who also came early to prepare themselves, I feel so Wow-ed by them. :)

Night is upon us! The co-ordinator came and the guards allowed us in as we carried items to prepare for the opening ceremony. This is when times go hectic and crazy as we rush to prepare!!!

Had some time to take a breather while we were making balloons and tying them around the railings.

Looking at the seating complex, I wonder how it feels to be in the VIP lounge. Ahhh, life. 

Sadly, after the preparations, we have duty at the entrance so I didn't have the chance to take a peek at how the opening ceremony went. Nevertheless, the 100Km Walk is still on and this place is one of the checkpoint as well. Lookie at the clock! Hahas!

Did some checkpoint duty before I headed home!

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Update: This is recent. They actually went to officially thanks for our involvement in the event.

"Our young and energetic student volunteers from Meridien Junior College
Heng Wen Zi, Gerald Chan, Cynthia Tang, Debbie Sim, Jackie Lam, Leon Loh, Yeo Yao Hui, Germinian Gan, Kan Wei Chong, Gordon Goh, Leroy Lim, Joshua Tan, Timothy Lim, Kwek Jin Cheng, Goh Jia Lin, Lim Si Jie, Benjamin Ong Shao Jun, Ng Wei Jie, Ong Sim Juan, Ng Zheng Yi, Masaki Kor, Alan Khoo, Darren Teo, Muhd Asyraf Zainol, Joh Kia Meng, Pua Si Yan, Wang Xiu Hui, Kang Lei, Ahmad Naufal, Ang Weiyi Jerene, Benjamin Kitson Bok Jia Wei, Daniel Lim Zheng Yi, Darren Eng Kai Jie, Khoo Wei Quan, Koh Wei Yang, Lee Ying Hui, Tay Jun Hurng Ryan, Derick Tan, Chew Ee Zeng, Chong Kejin, Lee Jun Zhou, Tan Tian Hoe, Woo Wei En, Jeanette Soon Xiu Yi, Starnia Quek Ping Hwee, Goh Xuan Hong, Bryan James Leong Wei Xun, Esther Wan Yee Shuang, Sydney Tan Yu Ke" - Let's Take A Walk Committee

Startup @ Singapore: Entrepreneurs Unplugged

Secret War Journal[15 November 2010]

Ah, business. I guess it's been a long time since I talked about that. Hahas!

Anyway, in case you guys didn't knew, 15 November 2010 was the start of the Global Entrepreneurship Week and to kickstart the week, there was panel discussion from Startup@Singapore and also a nEbO Biz Challenge [Finals] being held at the same day, same time.

Well, since I can't split my body into two (rather obviously, XD), I had to choose one.
I decided to go for the panel discussion since I didn't know what's going to happen at the nEbO Biz Challenge since no one I know is in the finals. XD
Furthermore, Johnston has questions for the panel. :)

Sadly, Johnston is not free for the panel discussion that day so I help him to ask the question the panel. :)
However, Keller, being my good friend, accompanied me to grace the event. I feel a bad for him though he was like questioning himself why he was present. Sorry! But I'm sure you learned a few things from the panel discussion and it was enlightening(I hope)! Hahas!

I must say Keller and I were rather funny that day. We were like constantly discussing what's the dress code for the event. I said business wear but Keller don't like that dress code. In the end, I sort of scam him since I ended up wearing Business wear to the event which Keller either claimed I was overdressed or he was underdressed. Actually, the dress code is loosely defined so it's alright for both of us.

We were almost late for the event which would be embarrassing since it's an official event and being late for a penal discussion is like super obvious! Hahas. I was rather clumsy that day, especially since I had no school that day, and I was actually later than Keller, who had school. Sorry, I was distracted by my phone. O.o

Not to mention that this is one of the rare times that I'm the travel guide given my pathetic sense of direction, I did not foresee Keller not having come to HDB Hub before and it's been a long time since I went there.
But I guess my luck was holding that day since I managed to get there without taking a wrong turn(which is to say get lost) unless Keller consider that going one big round when the place was just behind us is a wrong turn. Hahas, opps? (I would take that as a yes. :)

Apparently, we made it in time, still early in fact. yay! I was a bit retarded that day (I said that already, didn't I?) and went to re-register when I had do so beforehand. Hahas!

I was given the rare opportunity to become a nEbO member for free(normally, that cost money) but Keller dissuaded me from signing up. I'm still not sure if that was a bright move but what's done is done.

Finally, before the panel discussion started, someone shocked me when they knew about MJC BizClub and it being a company(of sort) when they found out I was from MJC Wow, I thought we were rather low-profile but we're rather well-known. Wow! Wow! Hahas!

They seems happy that someone from MJC came(though I don't think they know I am from BizClub :P). Hmm. hahas!

Time to get seated for the panel discussion!

Before the panel discussion start, perhaps it would be better for me to inform you who are the panelists and of course, the moderator. I would giving you a brief introduction later when the panel discussion starts. :)

Today, our moderator would be Ms Pranoti Nargarkar Israni, Founder of Zimplistic Inventions and Open Category Winner of 10th Start-Up@Singapore. The panelists are

1. Mr John Yap, co-Founder of Awfully Chocolate and Everything With Fries
2. Ms Christina Lim, Founder of Ocean Healthcare
3. Ms Susan Chong, CEO of Greenpac
4. Mr Leonard Tan, CEO of PurpleClick Media

 Now the panel discussion has begun! Here's the gist of it:

Moderator
Ms Pranoti Nargarkar Israni
Founder, Zimplistic Inventions and Open Category Winner of 10th Start-Up@Singapore

Only in her 20s, she left her job at a leading electronic manufacturer to start-up on her own. She recently won the prestigious StartUp@Singapore 2009 grand champion trophy, which comes with $28,000 in prize money and one free year of office space. Prior to this, Israni's Zimplistic was awarded the YES! Spring Singapore grant for young entrepreneurs valued at $35,000. Israni aims to partner or license with a consumer appliance brand to bring Rotimatic to market in 2010.

Panelists
Mr John Yap
Co-Founder of Awfully Chocolate and Everything With Fries
Mr John Yap co-founded Awfully Chocolate in 1998. Today, it is a popular dessert franchise with 22 stores in 8 cities. He has since ventured into the eatery business with Everything With Fries, which has outlets in Holland Village and Joo Chiat. A father of three, he runs the businesses with his wife, Ms Lyn Lee.

What I learned from him:

• Motivation to do well: Enjoying thecareer/field you're in
• Raising the barrier to entry
• Use of advertisement for endorsements
• Bulk purchase may not be wise for F&B (depends)
• Franchise enquiries: The importance of contract (best locally) and danger of imitation
• Sometimes, it is not that important to go to the most crowded mall

Ms Christina Lim
Founder of Ocean Healthcare 
Ms Christina Lim is a trained pharmacist and MBA graduate from Singapore, and she founded the Ocean Healthcare (S) Pte Ltd in 1995. Ocean Healthcare (S) Pte Ltd now distributes Ocean Health, Therapeutic Dermatologic Formula and Ocean Derma products throughout Asia. Christina still spends her time pursuing her passion: formulating new products, delivering lectures and sharing with people ways to improve their health condition for a better quality life.

What I learned from her:

• Importance of research/background information
• Importance of acquiring technology
• Importance of gaining support from others.
• Application (how to apply)
• Think of future plans: Venture aboard?
• Use of advertisements
• Difficulty in expanding to regional: Difficulty in acquiring factories and the importance of contracts
• Health supplements are not patent-able
• Importance of communications: Communication between clients to prevent imitation of products.

Ms Susan Chong
CEO of Greenpac
Greenpac (S) Pte Ltd (“Greenpac”) is a knowledge-based company that specialises in designing and distributing environmentally friendly packaging products and solutions. Since starting the company in September 2002, Susan grew Greenpac from a one-woman start-up into a thriving multimillion dollar company.that serves Fortune 500 companies and is the market leader for environmentally friendly packaging solutions in Asia. Susan has won several prestigious awards, including the Entrepreneur of the Year 2008 and the Enterprise 50 (E50) 2008, where Greenpac was ranked #4 in the exclusive list of 50 of the most enterprising privately-held local companies in Singapore.

What I learned from her:

• Importance of networking
• Identifying a niche market
• Identifying a hole/gap in the market
• The need to be hardworking
• Aware of your visions
• Getting aid from government
• Importance of perserverence
• Need for creativity
• Aware that SMEs have very little resources: Most operations done in-house
• Use of avenues to obtain financial help
• Seek advices from senior entrepreneurs

Mr Leonard Tan
CEO of PurpleClick Media
He founded PurpleClick Media Pte Ltd, an online search marketing agency, specializing in Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and online media in 2006. PurpleClick Media is also the first and only agency in Southeast Asia to achieve accreditation from both Yahoo and Google, and has established offices in Singapore and Malaysia.  His ability to create a successful and profitable enterprise that is socially responsible also garnered him the “The Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2009” and “Entrepreneur of the Year Award for eCommerce 2009”.

What I have learnt from him:

• Marketing skills is important
• A need to have the ability to sell
• Must be able to market your products.

---

With that, we adjourned for dinner.

Resignation of Work

Secret War Journal[6 February 2010]
Back to the past once more! Whee!...

Am not going to post Orientation@MJC yet, there's a lot of pictures to upload! So it would be rather photo-heavy, beware. Hahas!

---

Fast forward to the coming Saturday after the Oreintation...

Lazy Lunch

Met up with Darian and Johnston at Bugis MRT Station.

They were quite late because they were rushing from the Canoeing Tryouts that day.

But Johnston very sad, parents later don't allow him to go for Canoeing.

Oh well, on the bright side, he now has more time to focus on studies since Canoe-ing takes up a lot of time. (Transportation to a water body from school and 4 times a week = OMG)

Had MacDonald's once more. Do you realise I keep eating MacDonald's recently? No!.....

I want KFC! :p
--
All of a sudden, I have no idea why but we ended up testing each other on Chemistry Definitions that we had learnt so far.

That day, I hadn't even memorise a single one. So when I reached home later, I went to memorise them all. :p

Opps?

Test me about Relative atomics mass and Relative Istopic mass! (and!...)

Have to thank Darian for this one, hahas. (Hey I was correct about the no.of particles in the mole definition as keyword!!!)

---

Sad Parting

Went to our workplace and submitted our Letter of Resignation. Finally met my instructor once more since she was not around when I worked for the last time.

She very funny. :)

She was like, "where you go?!"

Me: Not working le.
She: Why?
Me: School started
She: Oh...no wonder you disappeared since last week? Cannot find you. You like missing. Your friend(who is Johnston)'s partner also looking for him.
Me: (hahas!)I was here last week! You were not working that day, I think.
She: When?
Me: Er...last Saturday
She: Oh, I on break. Anyway, study well ah. Bye Bye.
Me: Bye Bye.

Felt a bit sad, she's very funny, made me working there fun.
--
We also talked with a cashier, she tells us to remember to come back whenever free. Okays! Hahas.
--

Choose your path of departure

After this, Johnston went to meet up with Trevor to play bowling while Darian and I headed to our respective homes. :)

Working

Secret War Journal[12~21 December 2009]
Hello guys! Well, yeah ,I'm bloggging one day earlier than usual (Woots?)

There's a reason for that, but for now, let keep it a mystery. O.o

---

What happened after the Job Hunt...

Okay, so the post on the Job Hunt would had left you, "What?...Cliffhanger!"

Opps? I did not do that on purpose! Sorry!

I just got severely sidetracked. (and ran out of time halfway? hahas!)

Okay, before you start entertaining murderous thoughts, let us move on. (hee...)
--
After applying, I pretty much wasted the next three days waiting for calls(which sad to say, really impossible since my stepmother took the handphone away so yeah...)

So yeah, I guess it's fate that even if they did want to hire me, they can't. Haiz...

T.T

Well, just then, a ray of light shone on me(okay, I'm bullshitting but yeah, just for the sake of making it more significant. :)

My aunt got a job for me! Woots!

And so I got a job(yeah, the same one as last year's)

---

Well, since it's pretty much the same as last year, I will skip the redundant details, here's something new!

Tadaa!

Obviously, I modified the flier so that you can't, you know, reproduce it. And I removed the vouchers too. But yeah, lemme do some advertising, would yer? :D

Since my post was so discriminatingly targetted for males.(hahas!) I think it's only fair that this advertisement only concerns the females. :p

So yeah, Manicure and Pedicure! LOL, frankly, I have no idea what's the difference between this two...

So,...yeah, can't do much in this segment, (moving on...)
--
Since I distribute two fliers at once, I get double the pay! Woots!
--
Time's up. Aww...

I'm still considering if I should take a job at Reuben's workplace though I'm not sure if Trevor's company has vacancy for me. (I prefer working for Trevor. :p)

Secret War Journal[31 July 2009]

Another week went by! That was fast.

I foresee that this post will be rather long, so bear with me. ;)
--
Prelims 2 Marks 2009 Part 1
So far, I'm not very happy with my results.

• Chemistry -- 59.2 [C5]
• Combined.Humans -- 69 [B3]

Not a single A yet! OMG! I fared really badly for these two subjects. I feel so sad. Chemistry, I can understand but combined.humans?

This is like Secondary One all over again. Argh. I need to see As. (Someone help me pray for As for the rest of the subjects. ;)

On the bright side, Mrs Hay said that my Chemistry marks should be rounded up to 60[B4]
Then it won't be so bad.

And I'm in the process of claiming one mark for my Combined Humans. Wish me luck on that. :D

English Paper 2
I got it back and the results weren't as disappointing as the other two aforementioned. I scored 32/50. I was not expecting to get the top position for this Paper 2 for my class(still not confirmed! Hahas)

Anyway, I hope my Paper 1 would be just as good, then my english would have improved way lots! Hahas.

And on top of that, this prelims would be memorable. Wanna know why? Because....

That's right! I wrote some funny answers on the Question Paper. I'm quite proud of it.

Please note, however, that these are not model answers and should not be used as learning aid or for educational purposes. There are simply meant for entertainment. ;)

Elementary & Additional Mathematics Paper 1

• E.Maths -- 72+1/80
• Add.Maths -- 62/80 (I think, I sort of forgot)

Here's something I think is funny(okay, that was evil of me)

I wanted to claim 2 marks from Mrs.Sim because she marked Cynthia's Answer(which is same as mine) correct but mine wrong. So I went over and it turned out that the answer was wrong(talk about false hope) and I sort of made Cynthia's marks reduced by 2 marks(my bad!)

But I need to thank her on one matter, because she lost two marks, she argued for one mark to be claimed due to method marks. Since she got the one mark, I got it too(Because I had that method too, hahas).

So her marks overall were reduced by one while mine was added one mark. Sounds like she sort of 'transferred' one mark to my paper. Hahas. (okay, should not laugh at people's mishap)

Let me clarify, I'm laughing on the way I got one extra mark. ;)
--
The Day there was Biology
That exams portion took you so long to reach here and guess what? It was just the beginning. (Told you this post would be long ;)

Next up, on Tuesday, my class and some other classes have no school on that day because of the fact that we have no exam papers on that day and hence we decided to go out and relax.

People who went(with me):

1. Christopher
2. Jing Ting, Jaytii
   
3. Lai Yin
4. Yan Zhi
   

This time, we have fewer people. Vanessa was feeling unwell and hence she did not come with us.

Well, it turned out that Vanessa still went out that day, with Bernice and co. She claimed that she recovered overnight(yes, hard to believe) and so can go out. Well, no matter what she claims(whether it was true or not), we have to respect her decision so no hostility there when we spotted her. Hahas.

After that, we went to Bugis for Lunch. Actually, I had lunch before meeting them but I ate all the same. Hahas. Of course, I did not order a full meal set. Just some side orders, which was just some garlic bread.
They decided to dine in "PastaMaina" for some pasta. I must admit, that was my first time dining there and I wasn't very impressed.(Partly because I don't really like pasta)
Nevertheless, they had a great meal and we went off to accompany Lai Yin to buy her musical tool(s), whatever that was.

So, you would be wondering, what's the freaking highlight of this outing? Obviously, our aim was not to wander around in the streets of Orchard. In fact, we haven't even reached out final destination yet. Yan Zhi was still not with us. (Surprised?)

Next Stop: HarbourFront
Yep! Insane as it sounded, I thought it was insane, we're heading towards VivoCity. Yes, the land of HarbourFront, on the opposite side of Sengkang, the great journey from the North to the East to the South. Ahh! We were really insane then. Hahas.
Now, of all places, where VivoCity, and why so far?

The reason lies with Jaytii - She wanted to watch a movie. In 3D(ah, the catch).
As to why this cinema, beats me. I'm pretty sure that isn't the only cinema in Singapore that offers 3D movies...

Oh well, so we go..the movie...:D

Ice Age 3: Dawn of Dinosaurs

Cute little poster, hahas. Basically, the 3D effects were really a let-down. Not much worth noting effects inside which is why I feel that we should had just watched in a normal movie environment. Sigh, I was expecting more...

As for the story, it's rich, funny and fresh. For that, I urge you all to watch this movie(if you hadn't)


P.S: I used my handphone on that day. Ironic, huh?
--
Interview Skills Seminar
On 31 July 2009, our school invited NanYang Polytechnic to host Seminars for our graduating classes. I chose "Interview Skills" Seminar which I found enriching, hence I do not regret going to that class.

Basically, we were offered the following choices:

1. Business
2. Roller-Coaster Engineering(something like that)
3. Interview Skills
4. Infocomm Technology
5. Life Sciences
   
6. Media and Information Technology

Our class was rather special, majority of us went for Interview skills. The rest of the classes mostly rooted for Business.

Unless I can split myself into many pieces, I did not attend the other 5. So, I can only discuss about the Seminar that I attended.
--
Key Tips in Interview Skills

1. First Impression lasts
   
   1. It takes 7 seconds to make one.
   2. 55% of the time, the outcome is based on your appearance.
2. Accept Compliments (Don't deny them :o)
3. Use Good English. (Simple English would suffice)
4. Use interviewer's name occassionally (For interaction)
   
5. Avoid simple answers like "yes" and "no".
6. Do not lie (It's a big no-no)
7. Don't be a "know-it-all", it will sound cocky and arrogant.
8. Never make negative statements about your present or former schools/organisations.

Life Skills touched on

1. "The world is unfair". This is why first impressions are so important.
2. Learn to prioritise which is more important and spend more time on it. Do not spend too much things on trivial tasks.
3. Don't spend too much. Learn to manage finance well.
4. Overall, family is the most important, not the company. Avoid becoming a workaholic and end up being married to the company instead of your life partner.

Preparing for the Interview

• Investigate the target organisation/Do your homework or research.
• Study the job description.
• Practise answers to typical interview questions.
• Expect to explains problems area on your resume.
• Build interviewing experience with less important jobs first.

Possible problems area on Resume

• Time Gaps. In between your timeline, what did you do? For example, you graduated in 2007 but only got a job in 2009. What were you doing during 2008?
• It is not advisable to put in your school grades unless they were superb. Else, it serves no purpose.

Fighting Interview Fears

1. Video Record a practice session to see how you come across(if you can)
2. Rehearse your closing statement.
3. Prepare 110%
4. Practise More.
5. Know how to answer the most frequently asked Questions.
6. Get ready success stories such as your experience as a leader. (If you have Leadership positions). Hence, get such experience by taking up leadership posts.
7. Take deep breathes to calm down and think. It is useful when you're nervous.
8. Remember that during some parts of the interview, you will be in charge.
9. Remember that you are also assessing the interviewer, and his or her organisation. This should give you confidence. (For e.g. assessing their culture)

Sending Positive Message

1. Never be late
2. Be courteous
3. Dress Professionally
4. Wait for the receptionist to offer you a seat.
5. A right and firm handshake (skill)
6. Introduce yourself
7. Control body movements
8. Make eye contact but don't get into staring contest
9. Sound sincere and interested
10. Smile

--
Your face is the most important tool in non-verbal communication.
--
I did not copy down the Don'ts for the Female and did not copy finish the Don'ts for Male.
--
Don'ts(Male)

• Bad Breath
• Oily Hair
• Short Trousers

Important Areas of Interview

1. Communication Skills
2. Attitude
3. Motivations - Your goals
4. Potential

Different Interviewer Types

1. Dominance
   
   • Interviewer of this type are often impatient, direct, short and sharp.
   • To counter this, be brief and confident.
     
2. Influence
   
   • Interviewer of this type are often chatty which makes you at ease.
     
   • To counter this, remember to smile and tell stories to illustrate your points.
     
3. Steadiness
   
   • Interviewer of this type are often Patient
   • To counter this, speaker slower so that they can hear you properly and clearly.
     
4. Conscientious
   
   • Interviewer of this type are often questioning.
     
   • To counter this, be precise, be serious, and think before answering questions.

Closing the Interview

1. Stand up and shake hands again.
2. Ask when you would hear from them.
3. Thank the interviewer
4. Take notes of the interview when you reach home.
5. Write a thank-you letter to the interviewer and that you really like the job (if you're interested in getting the job)

--
With that, I will end this post. It is getting too long and I want to revise for my Chemistry Practical Assessment Tomorrow. Until next time!