This is not exactly an AIESEC event, but it is by AIESECers and for AIESECers, and since people are asking for more updates, yours truly shall hereby faithfully report what happened.
From 22nd Feb night to 25th Feb, the EBs (Executive Board) have decided to run away from the bustling Singapore cities into the deep mysterious forests of Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. Oh yeah, there were also Dominic (HKU LCP who's doing exchange in NTU) and Allison (VP Finance elect from McMaster Uni who's doing exchange in NTU, infamous for his hilarious email regarding the 'super interesting conference in Malaysia')
Since yours truly is the earliest to return to her home while the rest are still rocking their way back to Singapore, yours truly shall take on the responsibility to report faithfully.
So the story begins... finally
On the 22nd night, the EBs, with luggage varying in weight and size, took off at Golden Mile Complex to head north - Malaysia - A land of landscape and beauty. Of course, we were really noisy in the bus. Not only were we taking pictures, but also eating, sharing food, spotlighting people, telling jokes etc. And all these were done across rows of seats.
I pitied the other passengers.. But I think later everyone started falling asleep, cuz I fell asleep too.
At around 6am, we arrived at Brinchang, one of the three towns in Cameron Highlands. The weather didn't present itself as what I predicted. It was much colder than the coldest SAC! Shivering, all of us wobbled into a Chinese eatery for breakfast. The prawn mee and kuay teow warmed us up!
Hmm then what happened?
Oh we started hunting for accommodation, and ended up in a shabby but clean apartment.
And I think my story telling skills have deteriorated. So without further boring of you guys, I shall let the pictures tell the story. Think there are approximately 40 pictures, so enjoy!
At boarding.
This is the fun we had in the bus.
At rose centre. With practically seas of roses and their relatives!
Apparently the guys were more interested in making themselves statue-like rather than appreciating flowers.
See how guys perceive fun.
The following pictures describe how creative people can be with statues.
More!
I think I have made my point.
The cinderella and the 7 dwarfs (and the absent 4). Pay special attention to the pretty cinderella! The models sunbathing.
Don't you think the SUNSHINE is so handsome?
The girls at their best.
And so the boys tried to pose too.
There were so many beautiful pictures that I wish to post here, but I realised that will be 100 pics! So I have to restrain myself. Enjoy this. The ICX league at their coolest.
Help! Wira sank!
At honeybee farm and the garden of sunflowers.
Self-plucking strawberry farm. All of us couldn't resist the redness and started plucking at all the nurseries before reaching the plucking site! tsk tsk.
Selecting the best and the brightest.
And being happy with your selection! Sadly they were all crushed and thrown away due to our ungentle treatment! RM100 worth of it!
At butterfly park which seemed to have more reptiles, insects, birds and flowers. Introducing some huge beetle.
At butterfly park. Doesn't this look like Sylvester and Tweety? Say yes!
Can you see the word AIESEC? Say yes!
This pretty marks the end of Day 1. Oh yeah we went for the Night Market as well, where we indulged in food and lots of food! Char Kuay Teow, corn, tea leaf egg, ice cream, strawberries, durian just to name A FEW. And after that, we nested in the living room playing 99 and mafia aka murderer aka polar bear. And later, the guys went into their room doing their own gossip session, while Han Ling and I enjoyed the moonlight and warm rose tea and cool breeze at the balcony.
Day 2 - We attempted the highest mountain in Cameron Highlands - Mount Brinchang stading tall at 6666 meters. Here, Nash, our nature tourguide, introducing to us the wonder of nature.
Not in the middle of HDB this time, but in the middle of forest! Say yay!
The city man turns Tarzan.
And the journey got harder..
And more challenging! But we are going fine!
And we finally reached! 6666 feet, the highest peak in Cameron Highlands.
While some are engulfing the beauty of nature at this height,
some prefer to be indulge in each other under such pretty scenery. :p
Please agree that this is a nice picture. So visionary right?
But agree with me that this looks nicer right?
On our way down, we are greeted yet by more scenic beauty! Look at the depth of the landscape! And of course, the two pretty hospitality people in the foreground.
Boyband under A REALLY BEAUTIFUL TREE.
The tired souls enjoying the mega-watt sunshine.
The panoramic view of tea plantation. We winded through almost the entire area. Breath-taking. Full of zen-ness and source of inspiration.
And that marked the end of our 7-hour trekking, or so we thought. When we were taking bus down back to Brinchang, the bus tyre exploded! And yes thank you, we had to walk like 30 minutes more back to our apartment. I pitied Nash the tourguide. He practically had to sweet talked us so that we moved our lactic-acid-filled legs. And at the end, Wenfeng, Alvin and Dominic decided to use their BEAUTIFUL voice to seduce everyone to move faster and faster, which I think really served the effect, as everyone was trying to move away from them. :p
Look at the greedy look of the guys. Unfortunately yours truly fell ill that night and was unable to join in the extravaganza.. :(
There is one very important episode that I thought I should probably mentioned it here. On the 2nd night, after the 7 hour trekking, yours truly fell sick. Fever and sorethroat. Imagine Little Cute Princess not being able to make noise! Terrible.. But nah this is not the very important part of the episode. The important thing was that, through this I got to see how nice everyone is. When I was walking down the mountain, the girls kept accompanying me so that I don't feel left out (since I decided to walk along, since can't talk!). Han Ling and Grace tried to decipher my sign language, and that was really hilarious. When we were finally back to the apartment, Zhang Ning came to test my temperature, and talked to me. Then Alvin offered to buy me food, since I didn't join them for steamboat dinner. When I finally get out of the bed, Zhang Ning and Grace practically held my hands to walk me to the living room. Wenfeng helped me to wash up the bowls. And after the trip, the first question they asked me on msn is 'Are you feeling better now?' So sweet, so touched. For me, this was the high note of the entire trip. Even though I missed out a lot, I got to see so much more. I got to see what the EB team is truly about. Not the high efficiency, not the everlasting passion, not the crazy and fun, but a heart of kindness and generosity for people around. Thanks everyone for everything~The end of the VERY SHORT picture story. There are a lot more stories I wanna tell here, but I have already spent 4 hours doing this, and so logic tells me to stop. If you are interested, don't ask me for the pictures, let's organize another trip! ok? There's another taller montain to trek, called Mount Irau. Heard it's really fun! And anyone interested in Redang? Woohoo!
EVOLVE CONFERENCE 2008 - LOCAL DELEGATE APPLICATION
-Want to learn more about how corporates, NPOs and youth like ourselves can work together to provide a network for the sustainability of the social projects? -Want to make more friends from other countries? We are targeting 75 international delegates in this conference! -Feel that you haven't had enough fun in NLDS 2007 and you want to have more?
Sign up now for EVOLVE CONFERENCE 2008 -- The first summer international conference in Singapore! The vacancies are limited. Therefore, hurry up and sign up now!
Details of the conference are as follow: DATE: 7th to 11th May 2008 (5 days) VENUE: To be confirmed THEME: From Social Entrepreneurship to Social Intrapreneurship OBJECTIVES: - To equip young leaders with the necessary knowledge and skills on Social Entrepreneurship to meet current and future social challenges - To inspire young leaders to initiate, plan and implement social change projects / community projects - To build long lasting relationships between corporates, non-profit organisations and young leaders so as to provide a network for sustainable projects
DELEGATE FEE(LOCAL DELEGATE): SGD 120 DEADLINE OF APPLICATION: 8th March 2008
Please contact your respective LC person-in-charge for more details. For any questions pertaining EVOLVE in general, please contact Wenfeng, EVOLVE OCP at wenfeng.wang@aiesec.net .
For any questions regarding the agenda and sessions, please contact Rachel Lim, Agenda Manager at rae.lsm@gmail.com
"I am an AIESECer" Campaign Date: 10th &11th March 2008 Venue: 10th Canteen A& 11th Canteen B Description:
The campaign is aiming to increase the awareness of AIESEC among NTU students in terms of our identity, our core work and our value and to provide university youths insight into AIESEC activities and culture, also to introduce AIESEC global internship program and recruit exchange participants.
This event will involve in Exhibition of our Past event posters, booklets, photos, my AIESEC story, written by AIESEC members, alumni and trainees to share their AIESEC experience. We'll also present the video clips of AIESEC conferences, projects and other activities and the power point slides showing AIESEC identity, core work and value. The event will also include some fun parts like AIESEC dances and games.
Launch of Standard Chartered – AIESEC Singapore Partnership Date: 11th March 2008 Venue: Canteen B
Description:
The awareness drives will focus on making the youth aware of how HIV AIDS can impact their lives. The emphasis will also be on reducing the stigma attached to the disease, as today's youth is going to take the lead in solving the problems plaguing our society.
All this will be achieved through interactive sessions, games and exhibitions. Standard Chartered, which has been involved in commendable work in the area of HIV-aids and is also a long-term partner of AIESEC, is the official partner for this event.
This event will also have the regional director of the bank formally launching the Standard Chartered – AIESEC Singapore Partnership of raising awareness of HIV/Aids to Singapore youth.
HIV Coffee Talk @ Geek Terminal Date: 15th March 2008 Venue: Geek Terminal, 55 Market Street, #01-01, Singapore 048941
Description:
'Coffee with Love' is a workshop aimed at couples in NTU, NUS and SMU. The spreading of the HIV virus is drastically increasing amongst the youth of today. Unless they do not freely talk about this topic, the problem will keep growing. Our workshop's main goal is to initiate hesitant-free conversations between couples and friends about safe sex and HIV AIDS. In order to generate a cosy and relaxing environment, we will be serving coffee. A coffee appreciation session during the workshop will also take place to lighten the atmosphere and present the topic of HIV AIDS in an unusual manner. To end the evening we will be serving dinner as well. We will be charging a fee of $15 if participants sign up individually and $25 if they sign up in pairs.
EVOLVE International Conference 2008 Date: 7th to 11th May 2008 Venue: to be comfirmed Description:
Our Conference will bring in corporate, non-profit organizations and student leaders together to discuss about current issues. Besides that, we will equip our delegates with the knowledge and skills on Social Entrepreneurship. More importantly, there is a focus on forming the right mindsets and attitudes within our delegates. We are of firm conviction that these mindsets and attitudes will prepare our delegates to handle future challenges more effectively.
Disclaimer – Event details (esp dates and venues) stated above could be subject to changes should there be any unforeseen events.
The definition of Mindfulness by Dr. Ellen Langer's is "the ability to draw novel distinctions when processing information." The key elements of this definition include:
1) openness to new information; 2) alertness to distinction; 3) sensitivity to different contexts; 4) awareness of multiple perspectives; 5) an orientation in the present.
Mindful Selling™ is a sales process designed to help business professionals develop and enhance skills that will enable them to acquire and sustain profitable customers and in the case of AIESEC.. our TNs and SNs
Who should attend a Mindful Selling™ class or workshop?While Mindful Selling™ was designed primarily for business people in sales and marketing, people in other departments have also found it useful. Technical people comment that it helps them to understand and communicate better with sales and marketing. Buyers have stated that is has helped them validate reliable offerings. It has also helped buyers distinguish between honorable salespeople, unscrupulous salespeople and people who are simply wasting their time. But what if I'm not in Business field? what if my department in AIESEC has nothing to do with sales?
EG Asia have discovered that the classes and seminars are useful to anyone wishing to positively influence others. Reviews:
"In addition to having a major impact on our revenue stream, the Mindful Selling™ process inspired me to be more mindful in my personal life." -Barbara Lampasona-Vice President (Ret.) Brainworks Software
"The position I am in now (head of the Center for Molecular Therapeutics) is my first management job. The mindful techniques have been very helpful. I interact with groups more effectively and handle problems better. Most importantly, I have learned how to empower my team." -Raffaella Sordella-Instructor of Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
And now we have it here in NTU!
Date: 16th Feb (This Saturday)
Venue: S4-SR11(S4-B2A-06/08)
Time: 10am-1.30pm (pls be punctual!)
Rachel Lim Sing Mei Vice President People Development AIESEC in Nanyang Technological University 2007/2008 Singapore
Thinking of stepping onto greater good in AIESEC for AIESEC and for yourself? AIESEC Executive Board 0809 is open for application!
AIESEC in NTU has witnessed exponential growth in the current term, with the start up on Project Based On Exchange (PBOX) and the quality membership. For the next term, it is vital that we keep up the pace and continually strive to achieve, so that AIESEC can become a well-known student organization for its capability and its impact.
If you are passionate about setting the new milestones of AIESEC in NTU, if you are keen in achieving, if you believe in spreading the impact, please give Executive Board a serious consideration, and take action, to join in the effort in bringing the LC closer to the organization's long-term goal.
Completed manifesto in electronic format to BOTH alvin.hong@aiesec.net and wanxin.low@aiesec.net. The manifesto should not exceed 10 pages and the font no smaller than Arial 10 pt. The deadline of the application is 15th February 2008, 23:59hrs.
Selection Procedure: 1. Interview a. Candidates will be invited for an interview session between 18th to 21st February. b. The interview will be approximately 30 minutes. c. You will be contacted between 16th to 17th regarding your interview timeslot.
2. Group assessment during NTU Open House on 8th March (Saturday). a. Candidates will participate in organizing and promoting AIESEC during NTU Open House.
3. Final results will be released by mid March.
For more information, please contact your LCP, current EBs! Seize the chance! Hope to see your application soon!
NLDS and JUMP START! 2008 OC and OCP APPLICATIONS OPEN!
Hey AIESEC!!
Every journey begins with a first step; Every song starts on a first note. And more often that not, it is thanks to those people who helped us on that first step that we have come so far in our journey!
In the same way, the AIESEC Singapore national conferences have always been a great first step in our AIESEC journeys, whether it was to understanding the organisation at Jump Start!, or being inspired by the future opportunities at NLDS.
This year, we are opening the applications for both conferences together, with at least 6 months of time for bonding and working!
So.... Apply for Jump Start! and NLDS 2008 OCP and OC! Application pack is available for download at http://www.myaiesec.net/content/viewfile.do?contentid=10004490 (the pack contains all the information you will need, be it about the process or the conferences themselves)
Please submit your application to shubhangi.faujdar@aiesec.net by 14th February 2008, 2300 hours Singapore time.
Please also feel free to drop Shubhangi an email at the same address or speak with your LCPs.
Support "I am an AIESECer Campaign" - Share Your AIESEC Stories
HEY AIESEC!
Currently AIESEC NTU ER is planing to hold an exhibition called " I am an AIESECer" Campaign. This campaign is aimed to increase the awareness of AIESEC to a higher level among NTU students.
AIESEC Singapore was established in year 1970. With a very long history, however we are still not very well known among young people nor various organizations. The current situation is: we feel cool to be an AIESECer, but other people do not really understand us…
So there is a strong need to increase the awareness of AIESEC. Together with the events BEADS and EVOLVE going on, ER is coming to set up an “I am an AIESECer” exhibition on campus + print AIESEC lecture pads + encourage every AIESECer to wear our LC windbreaker to catch NTU students’ attention and show them who we are & what we do!!!
So...cool AIESECers, why not step out and tell your extraordinary AIESEC stories to all the NTU students. I am sure that AIESEC values & XP have inspired you a lot along your AIESEC journey. It is not only about learning skills, not only about leadership development or discovering your potential. It is about a spirit, a spirit that we live on for our life, not only within AIESEC. The spirit is called "AIESEC Spirit".
Now it is the time for you guys to share your touching XPs and inspire all the people around you by your AIESEC Spirit!! Let's get togather and make our voice louder!!! Once an AIESECer, always an AIESECer! Write down your AIESEC stories and attached with photos, send it to me at colourfulday24@hotmail.combefore 3rd March. Then your stories will be post up in the exhibition, sounds cool? By the way, the "I am an AIESECer" Campaign will be held during 10&11 March, Venue to be at Can A Canopy on 10 Mar and Can B on 11 Mar. Do come down and support us!!
Guo Meng Branding and Communition Officer AIESEC in Nanyang Technological University Singapore 2007/2008 Email: guo.meng@aiesec.net Phone: +65 92296234
Train the Trainers (TTT) was held on Wednesday, 23 January 2008. This sharing session was brought to us by Standard Chartered with the hope of inculcating us, the trainers, with in-depth knowledge about HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Besides that, it also aimed to clear some misconceptions amongst trainers and educate them with extra knowledge. This would make the trainers better informed and more confident when they are asked questions regarding the topic.
One of the speakers shared with us about a real life experience in Africa. In Standard Chartered’s Africa branch, approximately 10 % of their working staff was not at their job desk daily. Why is that so, you may ask. It’s because they were either taking care of their relatives who were suffering from AIDS, attending funerals of close relatives, or too sick to come to work as they were on medication. Most of them depleted their wealth long ago to due to their piling medical bill.
Nevertheless, upon noticing the recurring problem in Africa, Standard Chartered decided to step out, to create a positive impact in the lives of people in Africa. The solution they came up with was to bring knowledge to the people. The daunting fact that people in Africa choose to either stay ignorant to the disease or simply do not have access to basic information of preventive measures was a worrying problem of the state. By organizing talks and events, Standard Chartered hoped to spread the message across that people (females to be specific), should have control of their own life and not let fate take over. Due to the cultural difference in Africa, the term “monogamous” has a different connotation. As such, men do not refrain themselves to one sex partner, which contributes to a higher risk of contacting AIDS. Standard Chartered hoped to relay the message of “using preventive measures” to make Africans more responsible for their own life.
After the brief introduction, we did a HIV questionnaire to determine how much we knew about the disease. One of the few things I learnt from this segment was to distinguish between HIV and AIDS. HIV is the virus which weakens and destroys the immune system. A carrier having that virus would be susceptible to infections and diseases and it is likely to be fatal as the immune system would be too weak to fight against the disease. There will come a point in time, when the body is too weak to fight against opportunistic infections, which could be defined as full blown AIDS. Not all HIV carriers would suffer from AIDS, but the lucky ones constitute about 10% of the patients.
Having done the quiz, we moved on to a skit to further illustrate the difference between HIV and AIDS. We had 5 brave warriors, which included our lovely BEADS OCPs Grace and Ishita as volunteers to act out the skit. Guess they had a really fun time as you can see from the photo above. =P We proceeded with the event “Walking the Bridges of Hope” where participants had to cross a “narrow bridge” (thin blue and white planks) over “crocodile-infested waters” (representing obstacles in life) to reach their goals. The different coloured planks signified different things. White plank = abstinence
Blue plank = faithfulness, having sex with one faithful partner, having moved on to a long-term committed relationship. Another yellow plank, (which represents the support we get in life) was introduced at the second stage to enable participants to cross more easily. It reinforced the importance of using some form of support to stay out of danger to reach our goals, which I this context meant preventing HIV.
Lastly, our facilitator Mr Hon Kok Wai gave us character cards with sketches of different people from different walks of life. We created background stories for each character and placed them on the various bridges or in the waters, depending on which they felt represented the characters best. It was a rather fun activity as trainers were motivated to come up with innovative ideas for their characters.
The session ended on a pleasant note, with our OCP Grace presenting certificates of appreciation for our 3 heroes/speakers of the day. Before they left, one of them left us with a meaningful quote: “Life is a packet of cards, you are in control and you have choices. Do not let HIV deprive you of the choices of cards you can choose from. It could happen to anyone, anybody at any circumstances, so why take the risk?” ------------------------------------------------------------------- THE END
Some facts we should know: 1) It is often thought that most HIV carriers are often homosexuals as they are more promiscuous in nature. In fact 66.4% of known carriers are heterosexuals and 59.5% of women who contracted the disease got it from their boyfriends and husbands. 2) Most of the people who contacted HIV are lowly-educated? In fact 40 % of people with HIV attained at least a diploma. 3) HIV patients do not receive subsidies for their medication. They pay up to $3000 a month just for medication. 4) There is a window period of 4 to 6 months where the HIV virus could escape detection via screening. Don’t be happy too early! And remember to check again in 6 months!
AIESEC Singapore Member Committee 2008/2009 Announcement!!!
Hi all,
Proudly presenting the finalized Member Committee 2008/2009 of AIESEC Singapore -
Director of Programme – Incoming Exchange : Ashwin Subramaniam Director of Programme – Outgoing Exchange : Yuan Tian MCVP Business Development : Lucia Deng Lu MCVP Projects : Grace Chen MCVP Talent Management : Shubhangi Faujdar MCVP Communications : Cheryl Chen MCVP Information Management : Li Jun MCVP Finance : Esviyola Debrila MC Honorary General Secretary : Cathy Chan MC President : Mayas Singh
It is also my great pleasure to announce that for the first time in many many years, we have a full team, where all the portfolios in the MC are represented.
I would like to give my heartiest *congratulations* to the MC candidates who bravely went through the elections and the selection interviews and finally made it into the MC!! :)
At rose centre. With practically seas of roses and their relatives! 
Apparently the guys were more interested in making themselves statue-like rather than appreciating flowers. 
See how guys perceive fun. 
The following pictures describe how creative people can be with statues. 
More! 
The cinderella and the 7 dwarfs (and the absent 4). Pay special attention to the pretty cinderella! 
The models sunbathing. 
There were so many beautiful pictures that I wish to post here, but I realised that will be 100 pics! So I have to restrain myself. Enjoy this.
The ICX league at their coolest. 
Help! Wira sank! 
At honeybee farm and the garden of sunflowers. 
Selecting the best and the brightest. 
And being happy with your selection! Sadly they were all crushed and thrown away due to our ungentle treatment! RM100 worth of it! 
At butterfly park which seemed to have more reptiles, insects, birds and flowers. Introducing some huge beetle. 
At butterfly park. Doesn't this look like Sylvester and Tweety? Say yes! 
Can you see the word AIESEC? Say yes! 
And more challenging! But we are going fine! 
But agree with me that this looks nicer right? 
The tired souls enjoying the mega-watt sunshine. 
The panoramic view of tea plantation. We winded through almost the entire area. Breath-taking. Full of zen-ness and source of inspiration. 
