Jumpstarted for 2008

Once again, JumpStart has come quietly and left with a bang. Simple in its mission - to bond all fellow newies @ers of 08/09 so that they can learn and contribute to this wonderful organisation. It has inspired to the newies - broaden their pespectives, informed them availability of opportunities, familarized them to the COE (Culture of Excellence).

My takeback for this conference is once again a period of reflection, to see the relavence of @ with my life. Stories by the Chair Radu - about discovering that one must changes one's attitutude in order to understand the true value of the knowledge that he's gaining. About the stone masoner who sees crafting a block of stone as crafting of one's destiny. The sharing of stories from the newies has sort of humbled my learning experience, knowing that each member has a different life experience which we could learn from - teachers becoming students and students, teachers.

I believe the value of @ is not of impacting one's life by externaly, but rather, it seeks to influence others by posing its members questions, questions that help its member to shape their own belief systems, their attitude, such that the changes one can see from an AIESECer is not from outside in but inside out.

And I believe that this short conference will JumpStart the newies' life in @ - a journey in understanding themselves and to take action on what they are planning for themselves.

By Nicholas Ong, alumnus for AIESEC in NTU. 

新加坡日記~AIESEC與我

This is an entry by Rick from Taiwan NTLC (National Taiwan University Local Committee), a master exchange student in NTU. Credits to Nicholas Ong, a very nice alumnus who put in the effort to make a good translation!

新加坡日記~AIESEC與我

This is an entry by Rick from Taiwan NTLC (National Taiwan University Local Committee), a master exchange student in NTU.

談到新加坡，首先要追溯我和AIESEC的淵源。第一次接觸發生在2003年AP in Korea，我認識其中幾位新加坡朋友；第二次是在2004年AP in Taiwan，當年的代表團帶了朋友的明信片，我也參觀他們在Global Village的攤位；第三次接觸就是2005年的過境停留，住在當地一位朋友家，並且嚐了一些道地美食；第四次是2006年我去土耳其的過境，不過當時並沒有入關，只有短暫停留。

My relationship with Singapore has to be traced back to my beginnings with AIESEC.  My first encounter happened in APXLDS (Korea) back in 2003 where I made a few friends from Singapore.  My second encounter is during APXLDS (Taiwan) in 2004.  The chief delegate from then brought some postcards from my friends in Singapore.  And I had also enjoyed myself at their GV booth.  The 3^rd encounter was when I stopped by for transit back in 2005.  I stayed with a Singaporean friend as well as experienced tasted some local food.  My 4^th encounter was during a brief transit on my way to Turkey for internship in 2006.

            第五次，就是現在，沒想到一待就是四個月。

My 5^th, which is now, is a stay of 4 months in Singapore.

            這幾年來，我會出國都是因為AIESEC活動或是拜訪AIESEC朋友，這是我第一次用非AIESECer的身分出國，不過還是和它脫離不了關係。

 For the past few years, my visits overseas are either related to AIESEC events or visiting AIESEC friends. This is the first time I went overseas due to non-AIESEC reasons, yet, I am still within the influence of AIESEC.

            六個月前，當我確定可以到新加坡交換學生時，便輾轉從朋友那邊得到當地AIESEC的聯繫方式，並且詢問了住宿、飲食等生活資訊。當時協助我的人是前任社長Alvin，人非常善良，也提供了很多幫助，重點是他和很多台灣AIESECer很熟，曾經去過幾次，於是談起天來特別有感覺，彷彿就像是一家人。

            When I started planning for my student exchange 6 months ago, I obtained the contact details of the local AIESECers from my friends for enquiries on accommodation, food and lifestyle information.  Alvin, who was then LCP in NTU, kindly helped me and provided a lot of support.  More importantly, he is a good friend to many Taiwan AIESECers and had been to Taiwan for a few times, hence chatting with him seemed akin to chatting with a close family member.

            第二位遇到的AIESECer是聞鋒，他來自大陸廣東，在新加坡讀書一段時間了，同時也是資深AIESECer。剛來到新加坡的第一天，他提著床墊，拿著棉被，從宿舍走出來接應我們，這是我對他的第一印象，就像歡迎老朋友一樣。從下車的地方走到我的宿舍還要二十分鐘，我們拖著行李邊走邊聊，聊了不少關於新加坡的事情。

 The 2^nd AIESECer that I encountered is WenFeng.  He is from Canto – China, studying in Singapore for quite a while and is also an experienced AIESECer.  The first day I arrived in Singapore, he was carrying mattress and blanket, welcoming us from the hostel.  This left me a impression that he is welcoming an old friend.  For the next 20 mins walk to the hostel, we pulled along the luggage and chatted along the way, with the conversation resolving quite a bit, around Singapore issues.

            第三位遇到的AIESECer是現任社長Wan Xin，她是馬來西亞人，對AIESEC很有理想，也很有抱負。最大的特點就是high，雖然我不知道這是讚美還是…，但是絕對有感染人的力量，用自己的情緒影響周遭的人，也讓其他人感受到愉悅的氣氛。我想他應該是新加坡第一位讀者，因為我特別帶一本書送給南洋分會。

 The 3^rd AIESECer that I met is WanXin, a Malaysian and the current LCP in NTU.  WanXin is one who is filled with dreams and ambition towards AIESEC.  And seemed to be always on a “high” state although I don’t know whether that should be a compliment…. But that definitely has powerful effects on people around her.  Her mood affects people around her as well as letting others feel a sense of joy.  I think she will be my first reader in Singapore as I brought a book as a gift for the LC of NTU.

            後來入入續續又遇到不少人，例如：李俊、Ivan、Wei Wei、Trang、Vincent、Aravinda等等，他們都是我在新加坡最早熟識的朋友。

 I have met a lot of other people too along the way, e.g. LiJun, Ivan, Weiwe, Trang, Vincent, Aravinda, etc.  They are the first group of friends I made in Singapore.

            開學第二週，我參觀了校園社團擺攤，南洋理工大學社團之多，大概跟台大有得比。然而，最特別的是，有很多文化為主的社團，例如：舞龍舞獅社、回教社、龍舟社…，或者以國家為主的社團，例如：韓國同鄉會、馬來西亞同鄉會、…等，足以顯示新加坡國際化的一面。

            In the second week of school reopening, I went to the NTU CCA fair.  NTU has got a lot of clubs and society, comparable to National Taiwan University.  Point to note is that there is a lot of cultural clubs such as Lion Dance club, Muslim Society, dragon boat club… or societies that serves different nationalities such as Korean Society, Malaysian club, etc, showing Singapore’s global diversity.

            AIESEC也位在眾多攤位之中，很多人都覺得很有興趣，紛紛前來攤位詢問，我也充當外國代言人，讓新生體會到AIESEC與世界的連結。三天宣傳下來，共有三百多人留下資料，經過面試後預計只留五十人，競爭之激烈可想而知。

            AIESEC is also among the many booths on display, attracting a lot of attraction and queries.  I stood up as a spokesman of international AIESECers, letting the freshmen to understand the AIESEC and its connection with the world.  3 days of promotions, total of at least 300 interested students, yet leaving only 50 AIESEC newies after member interviews – the intense competition between applicants is easily seen.

            很多新生問我「What’s AIESEC?」，這個問題我已經被問到不知道多少遍了，但是每次回答都不完全相同，基本上，它和環境心態以及接觸的人事物有關。在台灣的時候，我大多回答「這是一個可以拓展視野、認識世界的地方。」然而在這裡，我就換成「這是一個可以發掘自我、挑戰困難的地方。」這兩個答案對於AIESECer而言有異曲同工之妙，但是對於新生而言就不同，一兩句話並無法代表一切，只有親身體會，才能理解。

            A lot of freshmen asked – “What’s AIESEC?”  I had lost count of how many times I was posed that question, yet each time, my answer is not entirely the same.  Basically, AIESEC is tightly linked to the social environment.  When I was in Taiwan, I would usually reply “AIESEC is a place where one could expand his horizon and know the world” Yet, in Singapore, my answer would be “It is a place where one could discover himself and go up against challenges”  To AIESECers, these two different answers means the same, yet to freshmen, they are entirely different.  Hence to understand AIESEC, one must experience AIESEC.

            因此，我非常鼓勵大家參加AIESEC。

            As such, I would encourage everyone to join AIESEC.

            招生說明會上，新加坡總會前任和前前任會長都出席並且發表演說，我對Sharon的演講特別感興趣，因為她不僅是成功宣傳了AIESEC，也感染了在座每個人。那是一種與生俱來的領袖氣質，也是一場能夠鼓舞人心的演講。Sharon是06~08總會會長，畢業於南洋理工大學，現在整準備參與交換計畫。在他四年AIESEC資歷中，去過十多個國家，認識了來自世界各地的人，甚至一些名不見經傳的國家。

            On the Welcome Tea session, the MCP for the past 2 terms - Sharon - gave a speech.  I was especially intrigued by her speech, not only because it had successfully promoted AIESEC to the freshmen, but it had influence everyone that is present in the LT.  What a display of innate charisma and motivating speech.  Sharon is the MCP for 06/07 and 07/08, graduated from NTU and is preparing to go for an AIESEC exchange.  Her 4 years in AIESEC brought her to over ten countries, knowing people from all over the world, even from countries one would not have known existed.

一張張的照片都是成長的軌跡，每當與一個人互動，就增長一份知識，在她最後的總結也提到，「我因為參加AIESEC改變了自己，至少它讓我與別人不同，至少它讓我用開闊的心胸面對全世界。」對於新加坡這個已經很國際化的地方，她的演講似乎又更加具有說服力，因為她也是土生土長的新加坡人。

Each photo Sharon shown is a trail of growth, each interaction, each gain in knowledge – and she summarized “I joined AIESEC to change myself. And it has led me to be different.  It has led me to embrace the world with an open mind and an open heart” In a globalized city such as Singapore, her words seemed even more convincing - because she’s a Singaporean.

她的故事讓我想起了第一次參加世界大會認識的各國朋友，雖然我們來自不同地方、不同文化，卻相聚在一起，這種緣分可能是上天註定，但是過了五年後還能一見如故，那就是友情的力量。

 Her story also reminded me the friends I made in my first International Conference.  Coming from different places and culture, yet we are brought together, perhaps by the power of fate.  And five years later, if we could still meet up, chat like old friends. It must be the bond of friendship.

佳亮是我最後想要介紹的人，因為她是我認識的第一位新加坡AIESECer，也是到現在還一直有連絡的朋友。她跟我相同年紀，都是同一個時期加入AIESEC，2003年我們在韓國認識，因為都會說中文的關係，感覺特別熟悉，回來以後一直都偶有連繫，但是一直沒有機會見面，直到現在。

 JiaLiang is the last person I would like to introduce, because she the first Singaporean AIESECer I knew and whom I have kept in touch.  She is of my age and we both joined AIESEC in the same period, knowing each other in 2003 during APXLDS in Korea.  Because both of us speak Chinese, that foster a bond of familiarity.  After conference, we occasionally contact each other but haven’t had a chance to meet up till now.

上 上週我和她約在中國城見面，朋友多年未見，卻還能夠記得彼此的身形，一下子就認出來了。雖然外表有所改變，人的感覺卻沒有變，見面的當下彷彿時光倒流至五 年前。我們一路參觀、一路聊天，聊了這五年的事，也聊在韓國發生的事，不知不覺就過了一個下午。古人說：「有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？」這句話最能描述當下 的氣氛。

 The week before, we arranged to meet at China Town, friends apart for years, but we could recognize each other in an instance.  A difference in our looks, feelings unchanged, and the moment we met seemed to continue where we have left off 5 years ago.  Touring the place, we chatted about what had happened in these 5 years as well as memories in Korea.  Soon, the afternoon is gone is a flash - like the ancient said “To have friends from afar is happiness, is it not?” This saying aptly describes the mood of the situation

人的一生有多少這樣的機會，又有多少這樣的緣分？無論如何，我們都應該珍惜，也許只是那短短的幾分鐘，誰又知道幾年後又在何處相見呢？AIESECer如此，交換學生也如此。我想當南洋理工大學交換學生各自回去以後，也會有這種感覺。

In one’s life-time, how many such opportunities can one have and how will fate decides.  Whatever the chances, we should cherish that short moment in time, because no one will know when that moment will return.  It is as such in AIESEC, likewise being an exchange student.  I think that as the exchange students from NTU depart, they too will have that same feeling.

            Who knows?

Original entry link: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/riverkid/11334964

i snapped a shot of @ at different places as and when i thought of @. wanted to share the places i've been with everyone. :) so i did a little collage for my trip to aussie while thinking of @. :) so @ went around with me to a few places. great barrier reef, great ocean road, sydney opera house and more! please post it up on the blog! hope you guys like my postcard with love.

cheers,

min! :)

Ong Xin Min, National Sales Team

This video will be great for introducing AIESEC to any people!

This is what you do when you don't wanna study... haha

EB run away!

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!

From Pakistan with love

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all doing well. Here in Pakistan it's business as usual. I "visited" Singapore last week for a wedding, and have now returned to Karachi. It's a long email here, recapping thoughts and sharing experiences. So read on only if you have time!

It's been eventful in the past 5 months, and having it peaceful like now, it's quite strange I must say. In Karachi we've had the floods in July/August, the first Benazir assasination attempt, the Karachi Express train derailed, the state of emergency imposed by Musharraf, the assasination of Benazir, post Benazir fiasco, and now upcoming elections. Quite exciting times indeed!

Truth be told, I can now understand why most Pakistani's have become numb to political developments in the country. I still remember when the state of emergency was declared. Us interns were so worried, yet the Pakistani AIESECers shrugged it off as no big deal. Today, we read the newspapers and nothing surprises us anymore. The worst seems to have already happened, one of Pakistan's most influential political leader was killed and no particular group has been identified as being responsible for her death.

And now with elections around the corner, everyone is looking forward for it to be OVER. It doesn't matter who wins, as long as there is somebody! Because then there is certainty and with certainty, whether good or bad will bring stability because people know what to expect and how to deal with the circumstances.

Anyway, politics aside...

I was once asked about how women are treated here in Pakistan. And I am being totally frank here, (albeit with a bit of humour) the women are loved, respected, but sometimes overprotected.
Being a woman I am entitled to priviledges that men never enjoy. For example:

1) in bargaining for the rickshaw, all I need is a tilt of the head and pleading eyes and the drivers just sigh..... and give in to my asking price! :)

2) If I were driving, I would always get my way on the roads. ALWAYS, no questions asked!

3) If in the elevator, men would squeeze themselves like sardines into the corners to allow me to get on, and even then still give me lots of breathing room!

Generally, living alone in Pakistan as a woman is really quite safe. However in career development, it is still evolving. Mindsets are being challenged within less educated families as it is not accepted for a daughter to be working, what more developing a career? Making an independent, individualistic choice by the daughter is virtually unheard of. From my interactions with young ladies here who have finished their education, from both better-off families and poor families, these ladies have limited options. This is because what they want to do in their own future is determined by their family's approval. e.g. getting married, starting a family.

Of course there are ladies who are given the opportunity to develop their own talents, pursue their chosen careers, and not protected from making their own mistakes and learning from them. However these cases are rare, from what I observe, looking at the number of women entrusted with top management positions.

As a trainee, we can observe, question and hopefully inspire positive change in this environment we are in. Through daily interactions, conversations, and leading by example. Which brings me to my point! (Yes, this long email has a purpose, especially for those that might be considering but haven't decided on exchange yet!)

Through the AIESEC experience, we hope to develop change agents with entrepreneurial, socially responsible, active learner, etc.. characteristics. Which seems like a lot of fluff for me when I was a new member! And I never really understood how effective it really is, until NOW! Exchange is and should remain the most integral part, because it just makes everything fall into place.

Being here in Pakistan has challenged me, changed me, made me realise even more what I am capable of, what I need to do, what my life purposes are, and how I can get there. For those that are applying for exchange I wish you all the best and may you realise your potential even more!

For those that are still thinking about going for exchange.... I'd say just go for it! Don't let the opportunity pass because there may not be a next time later on...For those undecided where to go for exchange.... Come to Pakistan!

What you see on TV is just a tiny fraction of life events here, and if I can survive for this long, so can you. I believe we have a few development traineeships and management traineeships available. If you're interested, drop me a mail :)

All the best!
Zafirah

Live report from Pakistan - by Zafirah

Hey all,

things here in Pakistan are going OK i guess. A lot of things have happened and changed in the past few days.

When Benazir was shot, I had just got back ffrom work. And housemates just barged into the door, asking if I was alright. Confused I asked why, and they said Benazir was dead.

We switched on the tv and it's been the news channels since then. It was anxious moments as we waited for the rest of the housemates to come home. A Kenyan trainee was right in the midsts of the confusion that first night, he was in a rickshaw, and up ahead of him people were burning tyres and he heard gunshots fired. Reactively, he jumped out of the rickshaw and ran out of there and reached home on foot. Shaken, but safe. First thing he did was pour himself some rum, and then told us the story of what happened, as I have told u. [He was sorry for not having paid the rickshaw driver, of all things!]

There were mobs outside of our apartment that night. A few people sought refuge from the mob who were smashing cars and shops of the windows. A woman and her child abandoned cars, and a friend of ours led them to our apartment to hide for awhile.

Things calmed down on the 2nd day, and I walked outside in the streets at 10 pm last night. It was deserted, totally dark as lights were off, there were broken glass all over the roads, crackling under our feet as we walked. usually at 10 pm in Zamzama, traffic would be heavy in this posh part of town as young people would frequent the coffee houses here)

There are 7 of us here in the house now, and we have been hunkered down, stayed at home, watched the news, movies, reading, sleeping and on the internet here. Benazir was buried yesterday, and a few people risked travelling to get food supplies. We have a Pakistani living with us, and he's been a saviour, braving stone throwing at shops to get us biscuits and bread. Friends who were living in karachi have been kind to get us food items from the store, And now, our place has not seen so much food. EVER. :)

So things have calmed down, some shops have opened up. Thanks to the special police deployed, patrolling the streets. Young fellas are outside now playing cricket! And we were just outside, in the cleaned streets. No more broken glass. We're now just waiting for restaurants to open up properly so we can order chicken tikka! For me, Ive been cooking for all of us, and man... a break will be much welcomed.

On a serious note, we really don't know what's going to happen here now. Financial markets will open tomorrow hopefully and it should be back to work, but in the long run, we don't know. A Pakistani friend mentions that worst case scenario, it would be a civil war, and I guess the UN security council has come together to discuss that possibility too!

For myself personally, we're taking precautions, and if the worst case scenario really did unfold, then you would be seeing me back in singapore. But till now, I would be staying. I'll be back in sipo 16th Jan for my bro's wedding, and after that, we'll see how the security situation is like.

Till then, we're keeping alive, staying safe here. :)

Zafirah

Here comes....Rene from Germany!!

A little bit about my background, so it is a bit easier to understand my perspective. Almost exactly ten years ago, I was still a quite introverted boy in that went on an exchange to a high school inWisconsin, USA. I was there for only one semester, but I think it is responsible for infecting me with the travelling bug. My experience from back then was basically that going to another place also means a chance to be someone else.

Back at home, it is easy to get caught and remain in the picture that the people around you have. But I realised that a little bit too late.But life is full of once-in-a-lifetime-chances. After graduating from high school and being exempted from military service, I did not want to go to university and continue studying. I needed a break from that and went to work for one year at Disney World in Florida at the German pavillion.

That was basically a lifechanging experience, as all the internationals were living together. I shared my apartment with people from Italy, Japan, Kenya, South Africa, India and Trinidad & Tobago. Living there, I made a lot of friends from south east asia and enjoyed their food and hospitality. Living there was a tremendous experience that helped me a lot to open up and to become more outgoing.Eventually I had to go back and start studying of course.

I believe because I was missing that international feeling there, I joined AIESEC(it took a while until I knew that there was such an organisation). In 2004 I travelled for the first time to Asia and stayed for 2 months with a Chinese family in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. A year later I went on a internship for 9 months in Singapore and in 2007 I returned again for a two month visit. My stays in Asia have been partially challenging and there are still many things, especially culture wise where I have only scratched the surface. Still I want to come back and learn more.

That's Rene at the right end with friends

Ok, enough about the background, let's get to the questions:

1. When I go back to (your country), I'll take ....
a lot memories, great new friendships, tons of photographs and usually the desire to come back. Waiting at home to wait for everyone to visit me is too boring. To those that want to visit me anyways: Hurry up lah ;)

2. What things do you do in Singapore which you never did before at home? Or rarely do...
Probably eating out almost all the time. The food is so cheap in Asia. But that is also due to the fact that I was reluctant to invest a lot into cooking utensils. Here in Germany, I have to cook most of the time or else I would go bankrupt. My advice for everyone that goes on exchange outside Asia: Learn to cook!- it saves money- helps if you are missing the food from home (you will and McDonalds does not count)- is a great way to socialise, invite people and ask them to cook something as well (if cannot cook well, just tell them it is supposed to look and taste that way ;)

3. What things did you do at home that you would never do here?
Here in Germany, it is normal to give good friends a hug when meeting or parting (though guys usually do not do that to each others). It is a sign of feeling comfortable with the other person. And yes, there are different degrees to hugging: from a simple gesture to a heartfelt bear hug. However in Asia, I often have to restrain myself from doing that, mostly because I did not know if the other person was feeling comfortable with that. And asking about that would have been weird.


4. What change of mentality did you experience?It took me a long time to understand how strong the family bonds really are. I feel that I am brought up to be more independent, being able to make my decisions, even if my parents disagree. However, having a bunch of close Asian friends with whom I discussed this a lot, I believe that my own thinking changed about this as well a little. Even though I am very independent from my family, I do feel more responsbile towards them nowadays. Or maybe that is just me growing up.


5. What was your most memorable experience in Singapore thus far?
This one is tough to answer. I do not think that I can single out one experience. It is rather the whole time that I spent in Asia. May it be the food, the people on the MRT, the hot and humid climate or the aunties and uncles at the kopitiams. :)

YUPPIEE....Rene WAS here in Singapore :)

cheers,
rene

Welcome to Karachi, Baby!

Hey everyone!

Hope you're all doing well back in Singapore.

For those who may not know me, I'm Zafirah, I was in AIESEC Singapore MC 04-06, and now on Exchange stage here in Karachi.

Arrived here last Saturday, after a 10 hour flight stopping over in Bangkok, quite late at night, and the luggage took forrever to unload!! Yet when I left the arrival hall, the very prominent bunch of AIESECers were still waiting, and cheering when I finally emerged! Of course we had a lot of curious stares from everyone else at the airport. I'll upload some photos soon and you'll know what I mean :)

First impressions: I love the people here, even on the plane I was treated to their openness, & friendliness, and I guess a part of it also their curiosity. On the flight to Karachi, was sitting beside a journalist who broke the ice, asked about where I came from, my family, why Pakistan of all places? And she invited me back to her home for dinner whenever I was free. In Singapore, I guess that's unheard of. Most of us won't bother to take the first step to break the ice and start a conversation simply for the pleasure of it.

The next few days I stayed with an AIESECer's (Rabayl) family. Really went out of their way to make my stay comfortable. Tasted all the different kinds of Pakistani food, similar to Indian food we have in Singapore, but with MOORE spices. Which is something I still need to get used to. On my last night, Rabayl's cousins were invited over and I had to make something Singaporean. Racked my brains for something easy to make cos I didn't have any ingredients form home. (Hint: for all those going for exchange, might want to bring some sambal from home.) My surrogate mum made a very popular dish called "Singaporean Fried rice" believe it or not. Try as I may to remember what it tasted like, and came up with nothing, I had to burst their bubble. They thought it was something typical from Singapore... I wonder how that came about.

Other interesting things: the traffic... ohohoho! It's been raining past few days, and since parts of Karachi are below sea water, they get flooded and don't let up for another day or two. And when people do drive, it's kinda scary. My manager picks me up from the apartment (talk about service form the company huh?) and at roadblocks we'd drive in the opposite direction, with oncoming traffic coming sooo close to you before they veer to the other side!

Moving into the trainee apartment in the first day, we had electricity and water cut-off every once in a while... "Welcome to Karachi, baby!" says my German house-mate!

But of course we have contingency plans, and yesterday I cleaned 2 days of unwashed dishes even though we didn't have running water. Trick was to use newspapers and a bottle of water from the back-up tank. As I believe, creativity & innovation stems from dire circumstances!

So I'll update more about it all soon and upload photos on me blog. Have fun y'all!!

WIth lots of love,
Zafirah

Mama Tiro in Spore...

Melissa Tiro from Canada has been in Singapore for 2 years. She was an intern at DHL Asia Pacific for a year and was the DHL Asia Pacific Co-ordinator. She was so good that DHL offered her a permanent position in Humran Resources which she accepted. So, now she resides in Singapore and happily exploring our red dot. Btw.... we call her Mama Tiro coz she took care of the @ DHL trainees (she was the DHL AP co-ord *read above).

Therefore, presenting you... Diana's mentor... Melissa Tiro. She is sharing about her stay in Singapore...

1. When I go back to Canada, I'll take ....
- Bengawan solo pinepapple tarts
(comment: hm... we love pineapple tarts too. But have you tried the ones from Indonesia? haha..yummy...)

2. What things do you do in Singapore which you never did before at home? Or rarely do…
- Shop (lots of it); eat at hawker centres
(comment: any hawker centres in Canada?? hehe)

3. What things did you do at home that you would never do here?
- anything more winter oriented
(comment: yeah... Singapore is a tropical country with only 2 seasons: HOT and HOTTER *peace)

4. What change of mentality did you experience?
- How to deal with people, more patience
(comment: do you mean with the trainees? or the people in Singapore? haha)

5. What was your most memorable experience in Singapore thus far?
Everything!
(YUM!)

My super HUGE THANKS

Hey AIESEC!!

I am sorry that this comes a bit late than it should be.

Well, the EBs 06/07 has finished our term. I am also officially an alumni now. I sincerely thank each and everyone of you who has contributed growth to our LC NTU. Your energy, ideas, hardwork, sweat and tears have played a big part to develop our LC. To achieve what we ought to achieve. Of course, there were times when we're down and frustrated, but I am glad that you guys stick and re-motivate me to do more and better. Thanks from the depth of my heart.

Seeing how you yourself transform and develop, when you just started and now after a year's journey, I am glad to able to witness that. Knowing more about you in person is also an honour to me. Surely there were arguments, tough decisions, frustrations and so many more... but we also had shared laughters, joy, lame jokes, stories and we all strived for our LC. Thanks again.

Thanks for trusting me, thanks for supporting the team and LC, thanks for motivating me to stand up and run again when I was down, thanks for the time we spent together, thanks for 'enduring' my mood and leadership style. Thanks for the great EB team and crazy energetic members. LC NTU wouldn't be able to achieve what we had without you.

I am sorry should I ever hurt you in any way. I am sorry should I disappoint you in any way. I am sorry should I perform inadequately for our LC.

Anyway, the term may have finished..but that does not mean the journey has stopped. It is the beginning of something new. Let's support our new EB team 07/08, let's bring LC NTU to a greater height, to its max. Am sure you guys will do wonderful with your passion, energy and motivation level. Let's fight together!

Being an alumni does not mean we cannot be a part. It does not mean we should just quit and leave them alone. It means a new beginning in contributing back, with your expertise, knowledge and experience.

So, NTU Alumni... let's gear up and do something too!! And hey you... yeah you... senior members, ex EBs... what will you do?

THANKS to EBs 06/07 for sticking to the team and striving for the best of the LC. You guys are marvellous, and being able to know you more in-depth is a part of the 'treasure'.

THANKS to MCs 06/07 for supporting NTU. I know there were times when our stubborness and refused-to-listen attitude kinda boiled you up... haha but still, without you... we won't go that far.

THANKS to the members for your crazy stunts, energetic spirits that never fails to motivate me and your willingness to learn and develop yourselves. You made this happen!

THANKS to our teacher advisors for their assistance and advices. Man... they really rock!

THANKS to our TN takers, SNs, sponsors, partners... what else could I say? If we don't have you... LC NTU won't be here today :)

THANKS MUCHIE!!!

Live ala Ukrainian

Adapted from Open It! DNK Publication

When I go back to Singapore, I’ll take my blue camou diary with me. Inside, there are messages, pictures and Bdae greetings from the friends that I have here (@ers, students and teachers). I’d like to bring some food back to Singapore too so my friends can taste some of Ukrainian/Russian food. Not to forget, I’ll never leave without my pictures, so Gosh…please save my HDD and camera. I want my pictures intact….hiks hiks

My camou diary...precious!

What things do you do in Ukraine which you never did before at home? Or rarely do…
There are so many things that I do here which are normal that sometimes I kinda forget that it’s not usual back in my home country.
1. Kiss on the cheek when I greet my friends and the constant hugs ;)
2. Jokes on some taboos matter and being open about it
3. Travelling on public transport almost each and every day, otherwise it’d be walking towards the city centre, the beach or DAFI (I don’t go around in public transport in Indonesia and in Singapore, well…. Don’t travel out to the city every day for sure and it’s freaking costly there, unlike here in Ukraine)
4. Eating with fork and not spoon. Spoon is solely for soup here
5. Walking with a boy. Not that we don’t do it in Singapore or Indonesia, but people tend to be more cautious on walking with an opposite sex, just the two of them. Here….nah, it’s nothing.
6. Going out in shorts *hahaha….guys, you know better that I don’t do this in Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia
7. Depositing my bag into a locker when I go to the supermarket or shops
8. Playing freaking ‘scary and crazy’ games *huhuhu* or meeting some random crazy people on the streets
9. Feeling excited when I see some Asians on the streets LOL ^o^
10. Taking pictures of the sceneries. The sunset and sunrise here are amazingly gorgeous
11. …

On our way to Mr Smak, we found this church. Well, I never knew there's a church there :)

What things did you do at home that you would never do here?
1. No spicy food. No chili except ketchup. Even when I went to a Japanese restaurant, I couldn’t find soya sauce and chili powder -___-‘’
2. Making appointments days or even weeks in advance so that we can organize our schedule. Here in Ukraine, everyone is more flexible and the pace is not as fast as Singapore. People tend to enjoy life to the max, so making appointment a few hours in advance is common. On the other hand, a change to the plan in a short notice is unavoidable too.
3. Reading English newspaper to update myself or going online almost 24/7 *hahaha
4. Going to the cinema. Just because everything is dubbed into Russian *huhuhu
5. …

My artwork with a marker....cool? hahaha

What change of mentality did you experience?
I’ve known myself better since my arrival here, what I can do and can’t do, what I like and dislike, what I want to do and who I want to be. I’m also more open and receptive towards differences in action and opinions. I’m still trying to be more tolerant and less moody. I value more on the small little things that happen and be more grateful on the things that happened, happen and will happen. I’m ‘conserving’ more positivity in life.

Ddee's 1st Summer Camp

Two weeks ago, on Monday, I went for my first Summer Camp with European Grammar School. It took us around 1 hour to reach ‘Starry’, our Summer Camp site. It was 11am when we reached there. I was tired and I slept throughout the journey. Hm…I was at Donetsk on Saturday, and returned the same evening and it continued with the Night Walk. So, basically I didn’t sleep until Sunday morning.

The camp site is more like a summer cottage. It belongs to one of the directors of the school. It has a swimming pool, tennis and football court, an open stage, an outdoor area for disco in the evening, a dining hall, a playground and a dorm for us. It also has several ‘houses’ for their special guests. The coolest thing is that it has a direct gate to the Samara River, just right behind the site. Woo hoo….

The first few days were a disaster to me. No one really speaks English, including the teachers. The English teacher would only be there on Thursday onwards. Some senior students can speak English but they were busy having fun with their friends. I had no idea what to do and how I could be of help. Geez….simply frustrating!

On the second day, I was told that I have English lessons 30 minutes before it started. To make it worse, the students went for this camp to have fun, they didn’t want to study anything, especially the senior students. I was upset when they showed me their attitude, a so-what kind of attitude. For God’s sake, I don’t respect you when you don’t respect me too. Teaching the small kids was not easy too as no one speaks English, so I had to use simple words, body language and acting skill. The good thing is… they’re easy to satisfy. Play some games and they’d be very happy.

At times, I felt lost and had no idea what to do. The same programmes almost every morning and afternoon made it looked like a routine for me. I was lost, what I could do there without a book to read, computer to write or play games and so on. I was desperate to end this camp. I wish I had my real friends there at the camp so I wouldn’t feel so lost and bored.

However, there were also good times too. We had Sports Day where we played football. Teachers vs students, too bad…we lost 5-9 *hahaha*. But the female teachers were simply impressive, they didn’t afraid of the ball and they used any parts of their body *I mean *ss and head. I was also in the recreational games where we had to pass the ball, crawl under the chair, walk on your hands and feet, and many more. I got my firsts bruises and scratches from here.

We also had performances, from dances, singing to dramas. Teachers were involved in the show; boys dressed as girls, girls dressed as guys. I had an enjoyable time watching the performances. At least we have three different shows. I was once involved in synchronized swimming performance with the senior female students, but it was on stage and we pretended that we’re in the swimming pool. It was fun.. and funny ^^’

In the evening, from 8pm onwards, it’s a boogie time. Disco sessions for all. The interesting thing is that they have ‘Bielle’ and ‘Wild’ dance. It’s for slow dance and bielle means the girl will ask the boy to dance with her and wild is the other way round *if I’m not mistaken. It was so sweet (and beautiful) to look at the Grade 3-4 students asking their loved ones to dance with them. Hehehe… I would say we don’t usually have this in our countries. C’mon….girls and guys...slow dance (or couple dance)…at school…encouraged by the teachers?

Nevertheless, I was ecstatic when I learned that some @ers were planning to pay me a visit. And they really did, on Sunday afternoon. I was overjoyed, beyond words. They really made it for me, they had to walk over 3 hours in total, a marshrutka ride to the city and risked being lost in the forest. Anyway, we had fun on the beach playing football, volleyball, charade and catching up. It was the best day ever in the camp *hahaha* Muchas gracias, amigos!

Ow…y’know what? I got sick of the food during the camp. It’s always potato, macaroni or unknown type of rice with a piece of meat. The portion was so small at times. I had enough potato!

Well, there’s more to say about the camp. Overall, it’s still an enriching experience with its ups and downs. But if I had to be there once again without my friends, I would raise my hand and tell you, “Talk to my hand!” *hahaha

Some Russian words to learn:

- Spasibo (read: spasiba): Thanks
- Pozhalusta: Please or you’re welcome
- Poka (read: paka): Bye
- Uvi dimsya: See you again
- Udachi: Good luck
- Klasna or kruta: Cool
- Privet (read: Pri-viet): Halo (informal)
- Kak dela (read: kak diela): How are you?
- Horosho (read: harosho): Good
- Ochin horosho: Very good
- Ochin ploho: Very bad
- Dela horosho (read: diela harosho): Everything is good
- Shto: What?
- Pochemu: Why?

That’s the lesson for today *hehehe* for additional words, charges applied.

Hugz,
Dianochka ^o^

From Russia with Love

Hi AIESEC Singapore!!!!
Greetings from Russia!

It has been quite long since I am able to access TraineeSG…
It has been quite long since I am able to post something too:D.
I miss Singapore sooo much:)!

As there are a lot of historical events happening in @ Singapore
these weeks (E.g. National Planning), there have been a lot of things
happened in my internship too!

Few highlights:
-Seeing SNOW for the first time in my life :D. In the summer
season!!!!!
-My solo backpacking trip to the largest, deepest, and oldest
freshwater lake in the world (Lake BAIKAL) which is 66-hours away by
train from my city Novosibirsk.
-Having a 94 HOURS total of Trans-Siberian train trips
-Flying on a GLIDER! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider) My dream
come true!!!
-Representing my company to do a SPEECH in the convocation dinner of
a local university.
-Becoming a JUDGE for a business plan competition. (Conducted in
Russian Language )
-Meeting an old friend ANDREY Kokulenko (NLDS 06 Faci) during my trip
around 8 Russian cities
-Doing country presentations to local students for MORE than 16 times
-Etc

Those are just few, out of many experiences that I had in the past
few weeks.
If I have to continue the list, it will be more than 50 more
things :D.

Of course I can share those things above long-windedly, but I would
save the time by sharing one thing that is relevant with what's
happening in @ Singapore now:

"Conquering Natural Challenges with AIESEC Spirit"

*Natural Challenge #1: geography

Having lived in Indonesia and Singapore, it is not a rocket science
to see one of the biggest differences between AIESEC in these two
countries: The distance between LCs.

In Indonesia, it takes many many hours to travel between LCs that are
located in different islands.
In Singapore, it takes less than 1 hour and 20 minutes to travel
between LCs.

But in Russia…. EBs in many LCs need to travel for more than 60 HOURS
(one way) to attend the national planning. Not to mention the
duration of the planning itself and the return trip!
Nevertheless, EB teams from all LCs attended the planning. Complete
EB teams.

This fact has made me think a lot about the significant benefit that
AIESEC Singapore has: shorter traveling distance and therefore,
longer working time.

Then I started to think about myself in the past:
- I always complained about the time that I had to spend in
attending national planning
- I always complained about the tiredness of going to AIESEC
events in city area or other LCs

Surprisingly, AIESECers here don't perceive 60 hours traveling time
as a reason of not going for national planning or to attend
conferences in other cities.

AIESECers here conquer the natural challenges with AIESEC spirit.

*Natural challenge #2: weather

Winter in Siberia can be as cold as -43 degree Celcius.
Warm weather, which allows Siberian to live normally like in other
places, only happens 3 months in a year. To cut it short, weather
here are always shitty.

Moreover, traveling time from members' house to meeting venues can be
as far as two hours.
And of course, going out in such shitty weather equals to a lot of
sufferings!

However, AIESEC members here are very very very eager to attend
AIESEC events.
Somehow they don't see bad weather as a reason for not attending @
events such as weekly LC gathering, Insight XP training, or welcome
parties.

(FYI, AIESECers here conducted InsightXP training with blackboard and
chalk! They don't have the pleasure of using projectors like @
Singapore, therefore they have to spend a lot of time drawing the
menus instead of using a "print screen")

Then I started to think again about myself in the past:
- I always complained about how uncomfortable it is to go out
and attend @ meetings
- I always complained about how hot it is to go out and attend
a company meeting

Despite of the natural challenges here in Siberia, LC NSU (my hosting
LC) was crowned as the second top LC in the world in a TN-raising
competition, just second after LC Bucharest.
Despite of the natural challenges here, LC NSU is one of the most
aggressive LCs in the world.

AIESECers here conquer the natural challenges with AIESEC spirit.

After comparing my situation back then in @ Singapore with what @ers
here face, I started to think:
- Was I really that lazy just due to the traveling time? (1
hour and 20 minutes in Singapore is nothing compare to 70 hours in
Russia)
- Was I really that weak that I didn't want to go to many
events just because of the bad weather? (sunny Singapore is not as
bad as -43 degree celcius)
- Or was I just too lazy to realize that the real challenge
lies in my head, not in the environment?

Now I have clearly seen that the challenges actually lie in my head.
And that is why I share these things with you. I believe that it is
quite inspiring to see an extreme case from an LC in Siberia. A very
very good LC from Siberia. And then to be grateful of the advantages
& privileges that we have in Singapore .

Firstly I thought that these phenomenons happen due to the different
educational culture in the two countries: Russians can skip more
tutorials / classes than AIESECers in Singapore.

But, believe me!
Russians have the same pressure as us in Singapore to complete
bachelor degrees with perfect grades!
As a growing market, it is impossible for Russian students to get
jobs with average marks. They have to spend lots of time studying and
hell a lot of time attending classes too .

The real challenges are not in the environment. It's in my head.

That is just one thing that has been circulating in my mind for the
past few weeks.
Now I feel much better after sharing this with @ers in Singapore.

--

Having lived in a country where 1.5 litres of beer costs the same as
0.5 litre of coke, it is quite interesting to see many things that
don't exist in any part of the world.
However, I would like to save these unique things for my next
postings. :).

I'm sorry that I can't post any photos this time.
It is quite impossible for me to upload files, due to the slow
internet connection.

Do wait for more updates from Siberia!
Have fun, everyone in Singapore!
All the best for the ongoing national planning!

Best Regards,

-dei-

From Dnepropetrovsk With Love

Privet Patsani!

Hope everyone is doing great in Singapore (or wherever you’re now :) ). I am back to update my life here in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Warning: I am going to write in a casual style and this is going to be a LONG email.


Time flies…I am left with less than 3 weeks here in Ukraine and I am really glad I made the right choice to come here. I had a more than superb experience here, full of ups and downs (with more ups for sure), happiness and frustrations.

To summarize, some of my great experiences and encounters for the past 1.5 months:
- I drink more juices than water (tap water is not consumable and sometimes I can’t find water without soda)
- I go to the beach more times than during my 4-year stay in Singapore. I am darker than when I first arrived in Ukraine *haha
- I eat potato just like I eat rice in Asia. Long live potato!
- My students range from 6-40 over years old. From students to businessman. Challenging yet fulfilling!
- Usually girls greet others (the ones they know) with a kiss on the cheek and thus I’ve kissed hundreds times within this period (much more than my whole life)
- I’ve got locked up outside my flat 3 times as of now. The main door closes at 11pm. So, I’ve had woken other people up to open the door for me. Great exercise and full of adrenaline -__-‘’
- My first Local Committee Congress just because we don’t have this in Singapore. Ochin kruta! Freaking cool!
- There was once when I forgot to take out my purse from my laptop bag. I hopped onto a marshrutka and well…. I didn’t pay for it when I realized that I couldn’t locate my purse. Gosh..
- For AIESEC Night Walk, we went for my first boat ride around Dnepr river, picnic under the stars, Treasure Quest, stayed on the beach at dusk and looked at the sunset while freezing myself
- I don’t like drinking but it’s a normal scene and activity in Ukraine. So, I’ve tested Vodka with berry, Vodka and juice, champagne and red wine. Not bad… although all were in small quantity due to skin allergic.
- We played some crazy scary games that kinda freaked me out (for God’s sake….I am crazy but at a standard Asian’s level)
- I went for a 2-week Summer Camp. My first Summer Camp because we don’t have any Summer Camp in Indonesia/Msia/Singapore. It’s at a summer cottage with swimming pool, tennis and football court, open stage and disco area, dining hall and dorm. My previous camp required me to share a tent with 8 more people and we had to cook our own water to drink, and it’s in a mountain. So, it’s different kind of Summer Camp (of course, this is an exception as it was organized by a private school).
- We visited Donetsk twice (4 hour/way). The second one was last weekend where we participated in @Donetsk public Global Village. Two thumbs up!
- My first rock-climbing experience at Donetsk and for ONLY 1USD. Scary at first but relieved and proud after that *yippie kaye..
- A surprise Birthday party for me from the AIESECers. I really had a great time. One of the best Bdae ever and it makes it more difficult to leave these people. I am gonna miss them for sure.
- As a girl, I’ve bought my first shirt, jacket, shorts and a pair of new shoes… more to come *hahaha
- …. Goes on and on

Here are some additional observations and info to add up the one that I posted previously:
- There are many undergraduates for Economics, Law and Foreign languages. Economics seem to be the most popular specialization due to the opportunities that it offers once they graduate (e.g. salary and employment opps)
- The education system: 10 years of primary education (Grade 1 to 10) and continues with 6 years university education (Higher Diploma on the 4th year and Master on the 6th. So, they have a Bachelor defence on their 4th year). However, as what I was informed, the primary education will be prolonged to 12 years.
- Majority of the boys like football and Shevchenko is definitely one of their idols. Meanwhile, the girls usually take dance classes or other types of sports like tennis. I learn that many of my students take hip hop or ballroom dancing and tennis classes. Volleyball is not really popular here *huhuhu
- Western bands and singers are quite popular here too, from Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake to Deep Purple. However, majority likes electro, minimalist, techno or house music kind. I can hear this almost in every shop, from cars, mobile phones and MP3.
- Generally, the youth looks older than Asians in my humble opinion. It may be due to their physical built, make-up, lifestyle and so on. The good thing is… I look younger here ^o^
- Gentleman acts like giving their hands to help the girls on the tram, stairs, etc and giving seats to the girls/elderly people, opening doors for girls, and so on is more common here than what I know in Asia. So guys… a lesson to learn here.
- Girls usually know how to cook. Eating out is expensive and thus it is important to be able to cook proper meals. Girls… our turn to learn here.
- As part of USSR influence, the streets’ names are recognition to famous and influential people, such as politicians, poets and so on (Karl Marx, Lenin, Artem, Shevchenko, etc)
- ….

As a foreigner (even in the Lion City), one question that people never missed to ask is: “Do you like the country?” To be fair, I have to frankly reply: YES!! Of course there’re times when I feel down and frustrated over things. For instance, in Ukraine I can’t really find spicy food which I like (I’m from Indonesia anyway), there is not as much variety of fruits and vegetables compare to the tropical countries, it’s hard to find English publications (except online), the movies on the TV and cinema are all dubbed, shoes are costly compare to Indonesia/Msia/Spore *hohoho* and as a shoe-lover this is challenging, the staffs at the shops are less smiley compare to Asians, no Starbucks and thus I’ve been abstaining from my fave Frappucino and so on.

Aside from these, the fact that I don’t speak Russian/Ukrainian makes it hard to go around at times, even with my own students and teachers at school. But of course, it’s fun learning new words and sentences everyday. It’s not an easy language with its complex pronunciation and grammar. They may laugh when I pronounce some words, but they were also patiently teaching me the language. In return, I taught some Chinese words and had fun laughing too. 1:1

However, I love Ukrainian food. From Borsch (soup with potato and veggie), Blinchiki (pancake) to Bublik (Russia’s traditional cookie). I like its songs and melodies (the only national channel that I watch is EmOne, a music channel). I like the comprehensive public transport. They have tram, bus, minibus, marshrutka, trolley bus, taxi, metro and so on. They serve even from cities to cities, making it easy to travel around. The fact that I stay near the city centre makes it easier for me to travel around. From European Square, MOCT shopping centre, Historical Museum, Globa Park, Shevchenko Park to the beach, all are within walking distance of 25-30 minutes. I also like the kiosk on the streets, making it easy to buy drinks and snacks. And the list continues….

Still, the one and most important reason why I love my stay here is… the FRIENDS that I met here. The students and teachers are friendly and fun to be with. Although many of them don’t really speak English, they’re trying their best to communicate. The children are so cute that they started to teach as many Russian words as possible, mess my hair, greet, hug and tickle me (sometimes they really clung onto and kiss me), ask me to play Tuki-tuki (hide and seek) and catch-and-run with them, hide my bag and many more.

Yet, my biggest salute goes to the AIESECers. They are simply incredible. Every weekend, I am rest assured that I’ll have things to do or places to visit. During my free time, I’ll have someone accompanying me and we’ll have great time discussing and hanging out. I’ve had lotsa great times doing crazy things, discussing great topics, finding out about the people themselves and their views while sharing mine, testing new food and drinks, visiting places while observing how the country works. If one day I returned to Ukraine, the biggest reason would be to meet them again.

Time is running out very fast. I just have to make the most from what I have on my hands. So, I hope you all had a great life wherever, whoever and whenever you are! Be happy J

‘Happiness comes from within’


p.s: Congratz to the @SIPO MC and the LCs EB team for 2007/2008 on their National Planning. Heard it was successful and the @spirits were splendid. I am so happy and proud for you all. Keep the spirit!


Hugz,
Dianochka ^.*


Pictures from my Summer Camp at "Starry"

A sand-castle by the students. Impressive!!

A drawing of me from Nastya... *touched :)

On Birthday Day celebration, they made a heart-shaped card for me. Students and teachers wrote their message in a small heart card and pasted it on a big one. I was so happee... haha *I am easily satisfied heh

With some students at the Summer Camp. How was it? hm... full of ups and downs. It's FUN at times but it got boring after a few days (maybe not if I have a bunch of my great friends there).

But I was elated when some @ers visited me at the camp (they had to walk over 2 hours to reach me haha)

Some pics from Dnepropetrovsk :)

An outdoor Global Village picnic at the left bank of Dnepropetrovsk.
Some of us enjoying the sun...*huhuhu

I've been to the beach many more times than when I was in Singapore. Wakaka.. am a dark dark dark Asian girl

At Global Park with free ice-cream (marozhena) from Losha (2nd from left). Guess who is the oldest?


My second trip to Donetsk, 300km from Dnepropetrovsk. We were invited to participate in their Global Village. It's at a park and open for public. It was FUN FUN FUN. Anyway, I had my hair cut on my Bdae, and yeah...here it is ^^

We're invited for @Donetsk Global Village. A 4-hour trip to reach there, and of course there's always time for pictures *hehe
My new short hairstyle....huhuhu I look so chubby and boyish now -__-'

Four people from @Dnepropetrovsk attending the Global Village.
Nikundj from India, Dianochka in Singapore Airline's costume and Vova (@Dnepropetrovsk LCVP Project and Learning Network). Richard from Colombia is not in the picture.


Crazy pic? nah..its normal

We're innocent...please...please...

You see the pizza resto over there? You see it?
I finally tried it yesterday hahaha

I like this pictures so muchhhhhhhhhh.... Cool? Kruta?

With the @ers and trainees at Donetsk.
L-R: Gul (Turkey), Dianochka (Spore/Indonesia), Roslan (Ukraine), Richard (Colombia), Yulia (Ukraine), Dida (Turkey) and Oksana (Ukraine, @Donetsk LCP)

We stayed at Vanya's house in a village at Donetsk. A whole night party and games that freaked me out. I only slept for an hour. Pic was taken at 6.30am

Back at Dnepropetrovsk. I am currently free as a bird, no more school.

On the phone with Losha...Alo!! Privet! Where are you?

We are a happy family...wakaka

More updates

Privet all!

I am so sorry for my late update on how I've been doing here. It's been two weeks since I am in Ukraine, and well...it's not that easy to update on my internship here *from laptop which broke down, language barrier, and busyness here.

Anyway, I find A LOT of interesting things here in Ukraine that we don't really have in Spore and some other countries I suppose. It challenges me alot too, and I am glad that I am able to experience this. Below, I am gonna share some of my findings, but due to time limit, it will be disorganized, but I hope you find it interesting too.

- The women are one of the most beautiful girls in the world, I have to admit. They are gorgeous, tall and sexy. Come in different 'facial features', from mixed of Asian, Latin and Europeans....gosh... sooo lucky for the guys.
They like to wear high heels, mini skirt and tops and they put on make up properly, even from such a young age of 11/12 years old.

- I have to pay for plastic bags when I shop at the supermarket. Good way to save the environment although not too convenient.

- The weather is as HOT as Spore now, around 34 degrees and it's killing everyone. The difference is that it is DRY here and not HUMID. Students complain that they cant concentrate and are having headache because of the weather.

- The social gap is HUGE. Some people earn USD100/month, but we can see plenty of luxurious cars on the streets, from Mercy, Lexus, Jaguar and Limo. The people are pretty fashionable too, especially the young ones. Status is quite important I suppose.

- However, people will give their seats to the elderly, especially woman on public transport. Great way to start and learn Spore :)

- Smokers and drunkers are usual sight. Children are exposed to these since young and it's not difficult to find bottle of beers on the streets or groups of people drinking in the morning. The beers even come in plastic bottle like Coke *hehehe

- Fresh pollution :)

- When I asked what they'd like to change in Ukraine, many of them said: GOVERNMENT! Hm.. a pretty corrupted country like Indonesia in my opinion. But the good thing is the people realize it and they want it to be changed. I consent!

- and so on...

However, I MUST really applaud the AIESECers here in Dnepropetrovsk. They really ROCK! I and Richard, a trainee from Bogota, Colombia, really feel like we're having a family here. They are so friendly and warm. On my first day in this city, we had a Global Village with the members...and they're totally crazy. I love em! Now, they plan a schedule to meet us every day when we have free time, so they will take turns to accompany us, even if just for a short 1-2 hours. I am soooooo touched and grateful by them!

Another trainee is coming soon on Friday from India. So, we may have another Global Village on Sunday and I am so looking forward to it. It's gonna be cool coz Sunday is my only free day.

Last but not least, I was in Kyiv for 3 days when I arrived in Ukraine, and I have to say...THEY ROCK too! The trainees were crazy and I had so much fun with them. I really expand my networks, and I can't ask for more for my @ experience.

Now, I shall reconsider...Should I come back? The clock is ticking, and I know my time here will end soon... to stay in Spore or to come back? hm...

Take care all, I miss you here

ps: Surprisingly, I haven't really missed the food *hahaha* although I don't mind having some Asian food.

more to come...

Hola amigos!

I am back to update now. Well, I shall say it's freaking tough to update you all. I went to an Internet Cafe a few days ago and typed a long email to update all, but well....apparently times up and it just closed down. TWICE!!! grr...

Anyway, currently I am teaching at 2 schools:
1. European Grammar School
- a private school for rich kids. Maybe even the 2nd most expensive high-school in Dniepropetrovsk :)
- Challenging job! But I am getting accustomed to it and the students are getting more receptive these few days. Cool! but the small kids are wonderful *hahaha* they're sooo sweet and cute. They always greet me and hug me when they see me

2. Sam's School
- a private tuition centre, so people pay to attend and thus they really wanna learn something out of it.
- Easier to handle, but I mostly in charge of adults classes *I like kids more...and teenagers haha I wanna be a cool teacher for sure

Busy busy busy, even on Saturday.

Well, as of pictures, lappie is still not working so I cant upload my pictures too. It wont be convenient to bring my camera and wire to the Internet Cafe as well. So, sorry for now...

Btw, will update more when I have more time...looks like I am not really fated to update as often as I want. The computer just closed down again.

Paka!

Dee

EYLN Conference in Malaysia

May 4, 2007. It’s not just a day when most of the NTU students had their last exam, but also a meaningful moment for 9 members of AIESEC NTU as they were on their way to attend one of the COOLest entrepreneurship conferences held in LC UKM, Malaysia on May 5-7, 2007.

Known as Entrepreneurship and Youth – A Learning Network (EYLN), this conference was one of the events under LC UKM’s Entrepreneurship PBOX in collaboration with General Electrics (GE). This PBOX also consisted of several other events, like road shows, exhibition and business plan competition, which were carried out prior to the conference.

There were 7 interns and more than 120 local & international delegates at this conference. We had loads of great time interacting with these cool people and the OC. Most importantly, the conference was held immediately after the OC’s final exam, which means they had to juggle between their studies and OC work during the exam season. Yet all the logistics and sessions were efficiently executed throughout the conference. Something for us to learn!

Our first delegate mailing

The AIESEC NTU Delegation!!!!!

On our way to another session

Dinner time with other delegates

Presentation by Mr Moon, owner of MFX (a renowned animation company),

Winner of the "New York Festival 2005" &

"Ernst and Young’s Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2005”

Presentation by the Secretary-general of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM)

Presentation by GE Regional HR Director, Roshan Thiran

Let's hear what some of our NTU delegates have to say about this conference (based on alphabetical order)

1. From Grace

I learnt a lot about the Malaysian education system and the Malaysian way of life. Esp the GOOD FOOD! I've made a lot of wonderful friends who share different views but yet are open minded enough to accept others! =)

2. From Linsien

Six Lessons I Have Learned from EYLN 2007

Well, in my opinion, it really was a well-organized event by the @ers at UKM, despite the fact that the toilets are amazingly terrible (got no choice but to use it anyway, and we survived girls, two thumbs up for us...=P, remember our conversations? It's always about the toilet...).

Here are the summary of our activities in this four-day trip to Malaysia (4-7 May 2007):

Day 0 (Friday)

We spent the nights at YMCA in KL and it was a nice place with clean toilet (wish we could bring it over to UKM, rite girls?). It was a very tiring day after a long bus ride from Johor. The KTM ride (like MRT in Singapore, but it's slower) was fun too, took so many pictures and we played a "keypoh" *asking personal stuff and always want to know about what others are doing* game, the spotlight game took a long time, and we only managed to finish it on the last day ("thanks" to our dearest LCP for bringing out this game=P, now we know more about everyone's love life, hahaha, why does this always become the HOT topic?).

Day 1 (Saturday)

We began the day with a very nice breakfast @YMCA. I had half-boiled eggs with toast and tea. It was delicious and wonderful *yummy*. So we started to expect more from the upcoming conference, hoping that the toilet and breakfast will be as good as the one in YMCA and blablabla...lotsa expectations were there. Then, we continue on with another KTM ride to UKM. We registered and checked into the hostel upon arrival and I don't think you would wanna know the condition over there, definitely not like what we've imagined. However, we needed to adapt fast or we couldn't enjoy and gain as much lessons as we can out of the conference. So I thought keeping a positive and open-minded attitude were very important during the conference. That's my 1st lesson. I wouldn't want to spend my three days complaining about the things that I can't control. That's what I thought. It has given me the strength to survive and maintain the positive attitude. I guess all the hardships have been paid off, I definitely met a lot of SPECIAL people, who were very enthusiastic, and I learned a lot from them. It was very enriching indeed. The conference began with lectures on leadership skills and personality analysis. I've learned that to be a great leader is not about using your power and authority to control people, but it's about influencing people to do their jobs and contribute to the well-being of the organization/company/project (my 2nd lesson). The speaker was a great leader himself and his presentation was very interesting. Then, continue on with the personality analysis presentation. The presenter used MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) to analyze people's personality. This is important to gain more insights on a person's tendencies and their ability to work in a group. My 3rd lesson: Since I'm an ISTJ type (Introverted Sensing Thinking and Judging), my tendency is to work individually rather than in a group, and I am more detail-oriented (but somehow I think I'm going towards a big-picture person now, just have to find the balance here...). So, I think I really should work on improving my ability to work in a team, trust my teammates, and really work together hand-in-hand with them. Perhaps either by joining a group/committee and make contribution to the team based on my skills. I'll figure it out. Any tips on how to do it? There were a lot more lectures on finance and business model in day 1, but those two things I've mentioned above are the two things that have given me worth-learning lessons. You go EYLN!!^_^

Day 2 (Sunday)

More case studies and group works in day 2. It was a chance to know more about my group members. We have to overcome the personality differences and work together to analyze business cases and eventually present our business model and analysis (feasibility, strategies, etc) in front of the panel of judges. My 4th lesson: there can only be ONE LEADER in a team, we must appoint one and then contribute actively to the team. Because it's impossible to have two or three leaders in a group, the team work won't work. Every person has different type of leadership style. Moreover, it's important to get everybody to speak up on what they think, share their opinions; no matter how impossible or stupid it may sound. It's the contribution that counts. One more thing that caught my attention during the day was the presentation skill session. The speaker was simply cool and energetic. She was definitely the right person to deliver on the topic of "what it takes to be a good presenter and how to do the right presentation". I think her session was the most appealing to the participants. My 5th lesson: when doing a presentation: body language, tone of voice and contents are the three important elements of presentation. We'll need to catch everyone's attention and use appropriate body language as well as the right tone of voice when we want to emphasize on certain things. Our presentation must be believable, look at the audiences in the eyes (but avoid staring and wandering around too much). I think that a lot of practice on public speaking, for example: during election speech, presentation assignment at school, or even when telling stories to your friends; can help us in improving our presentation skill. Or you might want to join a toastmaster club where you can have training on your logical thinking and debate on certain topics. The last lesson (my 6th lesson) that I've obtained from this conference is how to NETWORK with people. I think first we have to show our genuine interest on people, on how they do things, on their daily activities and others. I think I haven't mastered the art of networking people with ppl, 'coz I found it difficult to show your genuine interest with the people you first met, I will sometimes lost my words or become the passive party (where I answer more on their questions rather than asking them questions, seems like the people were showing more of their genuine interest on me, rather than vice versa). That's why sometimes I become more of the passive side, more passive than I should have been. It's true that I have my introverted trait that has caused the passiveness in me. However, during these past few years (after entering NTU), I've seen myself as becoming more and more extroverted. That's why I think I can eventually learn the art of networking with people which is usually "a piece of cake" for the extroverted type who loves to meet new ppl.

Day 3 (Monday)

Alrite, this is the last day of the conference, we've adapted very well with the toilets=P and have stopped complaining and comparing the situations in Malaysia and Singapore, haha...It was the last day where we have more mass dances (typical AIESEC culture) and listen to representatives from the sponsors. They're looking for graduates in the universities that are willing to join their programs. There were lots of promotions going on in the last day. And of course we took lots of pictures during the conference. I can't wait to see them all. We checked out at around 5 pm in the afternoon and headed on to KL Sentral and then took cab to find a good MAKAN place. I will always remember the last dinner we had. It was so wonderful that we can finally eat good food with a very cheap price (food and drink for only 15 RMB = 6 SGD). It was a big portion, I had a watermelon drink and nasi goreng with a very large chicken and lotsa fries *i forgot what it is called*. It was delicious. I thought my belly was about to explode real soon. I was so full that I can hardly walk=P. Yet, we still have time to have the last desert before going to the train station. I love to EAT...hahaha.

The train back to SG was very slow; it took almost 9 hours to reach Johor Bahru and another 1 hour to get through the immigration. So I reached my room at around 11 pm (the next day, Tuesday) after having breakfast in Causeway Point (Woodlands).

It was indeed a very WONDERFUL experience we had in Malaysia. Cheers, Linsien


2. Li Jun

The 3-day conference in Malaysia was a very nice and tough experience. I really have fun with all participants and learned lots of things though the accommodation condition is really bad. This is my first international event that I have participated since I joined AIESEC, and this is also my first formal networking session and I successfully gave out a lot of name cards which has never be touched before.

The first thing I learned is about leadership. Mr. Roshan really gave a wonderful speech on leadership. And I think every participant will remember one thing he said---A real leader uses influence rather than authority.

The second thing I learned is about positive attitude. I learned this from our nice LCP Alvin. Alvin was my roommate during the conference. When we got back to the room after a tired day, I sat on the bed and kept complaining about the terrible accommodation condition just like our girls complaining about the toilet. Alvin sat down quietly and turned on his laptop, and then started working on some AIESEC stuff, even there are hundreds of mosquitoes attacking us. His action made me shut up and I felt shameful about myself. Thanks! Alvin, you give me a valuable lesson.

The third thing I learned is about AIESEC. I was talking with a Malay girl who looked shy and spoke lousy English as I do, and suddenly she told that I was her first foreign friend and I can saw her exciting through her eyes. Suddenly I realized that it was AIESEC that made this happen. We always say that AIESEC makes people different, but this was the first time I really understood it. AIESEC makes us active and extroverted. I am a cool man in most my life, I will never talk and make friends with strangers if I didn’t join AIESEC. Beside the things I learned, we also have fun together. Through the game we played on the train, we truly know each other better especially everyone’s relationship experience. We also found out a lot about our names like “myass”, “I shit a” and “Gross”. The dinner was extremely nice at the last night, and the dessert, wow, I have to keep swallowing saliva now. I can not wait to see all the photos. Aku cinta kamu and terima kasih!!!

From Li Jun

Exchange?

CONGRATULATIONS!

Dei is in Novorsibirsk, Russia now....starting his internship.

Han Ling and Jun Ming are going there soon too under Make A Difference programme.

So..why don't you experience it yourself?

Lunch with the Profs

A special invitation was sent by our dear Professor to the Marketing workshop Organizing Committee. So, this afternoon we were all set and took a 2-hour break from all school work, studies, projects, etc and went for the treat.

Ten people, two cars, two allies, five nationalities and various dishes were present. From Char Koay Teow to Curry Chicken. From Chicken Satay to Ice Chendol. From San Mee to Cod Fish. It was a day of indulgence, and I failed to strictly follow the 'waist-loss' programme. At least for today. Eh..maybe tomorrow also...

See the plates?

It was at Singapore Yacht Club with beautiful view of the yachts, the oil tankers accompanied by warm breeze. The conversation's topics ranged from food (Penang vs. Indonesia vs. Singapore vs. The best Makan Place in Singapore), diversity, business to the yachts. It was great to learn that our dearest Teacher Advisor, Prof Hooi also made the extra mile to know each and everyone's name, nationality and course of study. As Prof Wan puts it, "He is a fatherly figure'. Indeed...

But that's not the end, the OC surprised me when Grace handed me a bookmark with black/red lingeries image on it and a card with their messages. I'm so touched :) Thanks much all. It really does make the journey even more worth while. So, Alvin...JIA YOU ya!

So sweeeettttt *hiks hiks....srooottt!

ps: You all (everyone..each and everyone in AIESEC in NTU), with this I'd like to send my sincere gratitude and support for your journey.
So, mina-san Arigatou Gozaimasu! Gambarimasyou ne!

Hugz,
Diana

Ryan's visit to NTU

Indeed, the Wed that just pass was definitely an enriching day when the Ryan Director for Asia Pacific from AIESEC International dropped by LC NTU to share with us his experience and journey in AIESEC. Through the conversation with him, we somehow had a better idea what goes on in AI - some trivial,

• they had a rotation cooking team for each day
• there are 22 people in the team from 17 countries; can't beat that for diversity,
• working hours are usually 9am - 6pm or 10am - 7pm but our dear AP Director was there from 8am - 7pm since he needs to communicate with people in AP but the time difference made it difficult

Ryan's journey in AIESEC has been far from smooth sailing from day 1, he had lost in many elections as well as encountered many challenges along the way. One of the most dramatic that I could recall is when he finally became MCP for NZ (btw, he lost his first election - see, the virtue of persistence) , the NZ MC was at the brink of bankruptcy due to some financial issues. despite that, he managed to get the NZ MC to be one of the richest MC of all time during his term.

Hmm, I'm not really sure what are the strategies that he used in the MC, think its time to send him an e-mail.Another drama like situation was when he transfer over to another LC - literally by requesting to transfer to another University, look at that level of commitment - to help the LC in its management. That LC had about 25 members but it had been quite inactive, raising minimal number of TNs and SNs and was on the verge of losing its membership. Ryan ran for the LCP position.

During the election speech he mentioned about being very tough on the members if he was to get elected, which he did and first thing he did was to shook up members, issuing an ultimatum - start working for the LC or quit from it. He explained to us that it is harsh, but he wants to waste nobody's time, which I fully agree, why stay if you aren't committed to the cause. Three members remained, but they fought hard bringing the LC to one of its highest time and revived the people's interest in the Uni to join the LC.

During the ininteractive sessions, one most valuable lesson that I had learn is value of persistence; to work hard for your dream, to know that the journey towards that end will be tough but to carry on anyway. The path that Ryan had took to reach where he is now, isn't a simple flat road with nice scenery along the way, but it really is a roller-coaster journey. And will continue to be as long as he working towards his goal.

Through the journey where the ups is like the thrill of viewing the joys of your labour and the downs is like each passing day is like a lifetime - it has definitely imbue a strong character and leadership abilities in Ryan; just like a fulfillment of AIESEC's motto, the fulfillment of human potential.

To sum up, definitely, all Ryan had achieved made me felt jealous as well as inspired, he was 3 years younger than me yet he had achieved so much more. However, I believe that I too can make an impact like him by making each day an improvement over the previous - after all the road to excellence ends when you stop taking action. ;)

Are you inspired by Ryan as well? Well then, make a commitment and join us in the journey to pursue excellence ;)

By Nicholas Ong, 1st year OGX member, a Student Nominee too

Meeting with my AP director.

It was awesome!



If action causes less regret than inaction, I see what it means today. Deciding to go meet Ryan Sheppard (the Asia Pacific Director for AIESEC) was a decision that I will be grateful about. It came as one of the most inspiring talks I have had so far. He shared with us so much that I wish my memory could be better so that I can remember everything he said.



Things I have learnt:

• When you are riding on a bicycle and you see a stone on the road, you look at it and keep telling yourself 'Don't hit the stone, don't hit the stone!' You will hit it eventually. Why? Your focus on the stone was directing you there. But if you choose to focus in the path you wish to take, you will get there eventually. So when things go wrong, don't JUST look at what is wrong. Focus on what you have done right. I don't mean you just ignore the wrong, but just, never lose sight of what you have done right. The focus on doing things right will help the wrongs to fade. To take it the personal level, don't just look at how to diminish your weaknesses. Focus on how to develop your strength. Your strengths will put off your weaknesses eventually. And why should you focus on your strengths? Because it is so much easier to be yourself than be who you are not!
  


• What comes out at the end of the discussion is the best that you can have (at that time). Don't hold on to your expectation. It will cause you to lose sight of the other possibilities, which are great too!
  


• Keep your eventual goal in mind. There may be a lot of ways to get there, but you should reach there eventually. Not lose track.
  


• As you get older, the high time will get higher, the low time lower. Understand that, come to terms with that, so that you won't get too emotionally affected by the low times. And whatever you do, the low times will always come. But if you quit at the toughest time, you may never be able to see the higher time which is oh-so-rewarding! Remember, the low time is there only to complement your high time.
  


• It'll start when it'll start. Don't force things happen, don't force people to speak.
  


• Disagreement is always there. Understand this as the normal phenomenon. Talk things out, smooth things the peaceful way.
  


• Finally, as part of the EB (executive board), you may have a lot of things you wanna do. But given your time and energy, if you set too many goals, eventually you can only do a bit of everything. Set few goals, and stick to it, and do a lot to them.

I felt that these are not all! I know I heard many many more. But sadly, I couldn't recall. *Urgh* Memory decay due to ineffective encoding. I must learn better information encoding technique to enhance my learning.

But, I must feel grateful to my eventual decision, more grateful that Ryan came down to NTU to shine some light to prepare me better before I embark on my EB life. During the session, there were moments of silence, but that's only because we were busy digesting his words! It was a really good talk. I'm lovin' it. EB path doesn't seem easier now, but I am more prepared.

Come what may.

By Wan Xin, 1st year ICX, LCVP elect ICX 07/08