Friday, June 23, 2006

My lovely AIESEC family, thanks for colouring my life -- and Birthday--
L to R: Graeme - Canada, Adam - UK, Melissa - Canada, Parkie - Korea/Germany, Sharon - Singapore, Diana - earth, Chin Yoong - Malaysia, Tisa - Indonesia, Imran - the tiny red dot.

Ouch....another culprit returned early... and he is

Made in and from Indonesia ^o^

The mentorship and chill-out session that turned into a surprise party ^.*
Thanks muchie all

And in order to gain more weight, I was invited for a dinner *with another choco cake...waks..

And I really have to say....It's fattening guys!! But it's AWESOME *hehe* Gracias.
In da pics: Oscar, Lele, Herry and me :)

But as I entered my 22nd year of life, I also have to part with my friends in eMTePe.
I finished my internship there last Friday and although I did not manage to take pics with all of them, at least I secure the nice, cool and siao colleagues.

Linda [black], Carrie [green] and Hiromi [MTV hoodie]
Gonna miss you all... *weep weep

And of course not to forget, my greatest supervisor, Yvonne. She is very protective and willing to let me learn and explore a lot of things. I just like her style.

Thanks for the farewell cum Bdae lunch, I really burst my tummy. From the unique appetizers, salad, main course to the dessert and beverages, they were purr-fect *muahaha*
All the best to you too and have fun in Tibet.

Heya friends, thanks for all the SMSes and unexpected gifts and surprises k. From Singapore to Jakarta to China to Australia to Malaysia and even a phone call from Japan...Man, pardon me. I need to weep for a while k.

And yeah, to complete it, a cute [I put cute for you here arr] Brazilian sent his best regards via MSN *pedala for you William haha*

"I wish you all the best for you! here´s my e-testimonial: these two months in Singapore wouldn´t be so nice if you weren´t my friend during this period! Even being as far as possible from you (some 20000 KM!), I still remember some great times we have there and hope we can still meet again! Happy birthday, once again! :) "

-William, Brazil-

Words can't express what I'm feeling inside, but the gratefulness is always there. Thanks for being part of my life!! Lurve yaa...

ps: I'm off now... to Jakarta. Be back in a month's time. Sit tight and take care all.

Posted by Ddee at 10:53 AM

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Friday, June 16, 2006

Let's test your creativity!!

What is this?



A














B

C

Play with your imagination...

Scroll down...

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A.

1. A watch
2. A ring [front side]
3. Someone on a bike wearing a Mexican hat
4. what's yours?

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B.

1. A cat
2. An animal with an Adidas logo [the three stripes]
3. An elephant who accidently sat on a freshly painted bench
4. Yours?

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C.

1. A bald head
2. Dry hill with only 2 un-recognized trees
3. A fat man looking at his own untied shoelaces
4. And your mind tells you....

I got this when I attended a short seminar by Eran Katz, an Israeli Guinness Book of World Records title in memory stunts. He taught us a few skills in memorizing and this is one of them: Memorizing requires creativity. It was an enjoyable fruitful evening where humours were shared and the audience were led to be awed by him.

Well, according to Katz, we never fully-utilize our brain and memory. It is NEVER full. It is simply that we are NOT interested in using it. We can memorize a whole list of phone numbers and still can recall it 50 years from now, if we simply wanted to. We can memorize the logo of each shops that we saw [imagine: Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Louis Vuitton] and able to draw every single line perfectly, if only we wanted to. So, the problem lies in ourselves. We ARE NOT interested in memorizing it. It gives us no motivational values to be remembered.

For instance, the easiest way to remember someone's name is to give him a loan. Even after a decade passed, we can still remember his name correctly if he has not paid us. This is because we are motivated to remember and there lies the interest.

Another example, ask a couple to recall what their other half is wearing. The woman can easily mention every single colour and styles and hems of her counterpart. But... Ask the men, they won't be able to answer it perfectly...well, they would say it's a gown, it's a dress, but what kind of gown? So, the conclusion is that MAN simply DOES NOT interested. Ladies, sad yah..but you do not have to waste so much time dressing up now. Men just can't remember [a.k.a they are not interested ^.*].

We do not lose our memory as we grow old. It is more likely we do not train ourselves to use our memory and the skills, thus we lose it. So, what you can do now is...start memorizing my name and my face... *hehe* but I do not want another stalker.

***

Yosh...AIESEC in Singapore National Planning week 1 just passed. I am so glad that we made it through. I get to know my team better and how they work, what they're thinking, their suggestions, their crazy acts and so on. Man, I lurve the feeling. Of course at times, I feel disappointed by those who TALKS but no ACTIONS, those who promised but never appeared *we surely do not need this, don't you think?* Yeah well, those who came and participated, I really appreciate all of you. Thanks guys. And I am glad that all of us put ownership into what we would like to achieve in our term. AIESEC NTU rocks!!

The crazy pics, will upload it asap k. Stay tune *hehe*

ps: just bought 2 blouses for my mom *happy happy mo money*

Posted by Ddee at 6:17 PM

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Thursday, June 15, 2006

My A-Z life starts here..

A - AVAILABLE:> Well...if you wanna treat me lunch, dinner, then YES I am *haha*
B - BEST FRIENDS:> Are always there no matter what.
C - CRUSH:> Hm..Rain? Lee Hom? wel..I don't deny the fact that I like good-looking and neat guys ^.*
D- Dogs Name:> Long long time a go...Kelly n Lessie haha
E - EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO:> mom...can just complain, share stories n jokes, tease her, and she understands even when I don't say a single word.
F - FAVORITE BANDS:> Like Simple Plan, Fort Minor
G - GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS:> Gummie plz
H - HOMETOWN:> Er...was born in Medan, moved to Jakarta when I was 5, then studied in Penang when I was 14
I - INSTRUMENT:> Well, I prefer someone else to play it for me...pleaseeee
K - KIDS:> Not now k...I am busy *lol*
L - LONGEST CAR RIDE:> Hm...by coach? Travelled around Europe..darn long coach ride everyday..but was superb.
M - MILK FLAVOR:> choco...a big NO NO to plain milk.
N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS> 2, a big sweet bro and a cute lil sis
O - ONE WISH:> More wishes please
P - PHOBIAS:> bugs..blood..
Q - FAVORITE QUOTES:> Hm...too many to spill.
R - REASON TO SMILE:> It's another day to live!!
S - SONG YOU LAST HEARD:> Wah..I am clueless, totally have no idea what song is being played on my colleague's pc.
T - TIME YOU WOKE UP:> 7.45am
U - UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT YOU:> I can read your mind....I know you're speculating now haha
V - VEGETABLE YOU HATE:> LURVE it..
W- WORST HABITS:> hm...nail pickin' haha..like mom like daughter
X-X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD:> hm..when I was admitted to NTU...that health check thingie
Y - YUMMY FOOD:> spicy ones. Well, basically I like good food, from mom's home-cooked food, Thai, Jap, Western, Chinese, Korean, Vietnam, etc.... but please too much eggs, cheese, meat only aid me in puking.
Z - ZODIAC SIGN:> C-A-N-C-E-R.... I am a real Cancerian hahaha *If you know what I mean*

Take care all....12 days to go..

Posted by Ddee at 4:37 PM

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Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Update from life:

1. Bought my air ticket to Poland *Grrr....it's so darn expensive. No seats some more. World Cup craze?? Can't wait to go.. [Disclaimer: I am going for an International Congress, not for travelling ar. So, stop saying "Wah..it's so fun, AIESEC always go jalan-jalan one". If I wanna go travelling, I prefer to do that during my holiday and not when the school has started.]
2. Sick and sick...keep on sneezing and had a terrible running nose *So, yeah..officially my first MC leave although I didn't manage to go got the Medical Centre and asked for an MC..woo hoo
3. Been using packets and packets of tissue paper, even those from my roomie hehe
4. Managed to clean my wardrobe too and now I have a big luggage full of clothes that I seldom/never wore and I'll bring em back to Indo.
5. My Professional Internship will end next Friday *woo hoo
6. Gain another 1kg plus... *arghhh* time to start consuming those tea in my room...whyyy??
7. Plan to go to Bali, but might have to scrap it now. Mo money and besides not all of my friends can go...aiyaa...
8. Great Singapore Sale is on and yet no money to spend. Still owe my air flight ticket. But I have Tangs and Paragon's vouchers *hauhauhua*
9. It's totally living an AIESEC life now. Weekends are spent for AIESEC too ^.*
10. Going home on 27 June - 24 July... Man, lotsa stuffs to do during holiday!! Fighto everyone.

Yah, now everyone is so caught up with World Cup. Brazil, England, Germany, France, Italy...and watever lar. I used to like football too when I was in primary and secondary school. Still remember when we would accompany daddy to watch the match, and gave unnecessary and pretend-to-be-smart comments. But it was some time ago.

In Singapore, I seldom watch TV, not to mention that I DO NOT have a TV in my room. More over, aiya....where got time? so busy oredi mah... siao meh, later cannot wake up then late to the office... well, dat's it. Nevertheless, the 'feel' is everywhere. In the train, at the roadside, in Mobile TV, people wearing those shoes and jerseys, parties [even in MTV], .... and I gotta say: Soga Bonito rawks. Nice colours... and it's discounted now I guess *wink wink

***

Oh well, what do you wanna be after you graduate?

What about SIA cabin crew? Is it wrong? Is it inappropriate for a honour degree holder?

I am glad that Lina, my housemate and close fren while we were studying in Penang, supports me. You are my girl. What's wrong with being a cabin crew? Is it not 'hi-class' enough huh!

Think abut it, as Sharon and her cousin put it so well: We are still young and we have the time and capability to do things that we like. Go out and explore while we can. The degree is still there no matter what. Thanks ar!!

Yah, I can learn alot of things too: grooming myself, self-presentation [wondering why the SIA girls all look like dolls?], communication skills, networking, servicing, etc. Most importantly, tourism and hospitality field are growing, and they definitely need people with strong experience to deal with 'real people' out there. Geez....how scary a customer can be!

Whaddya think? Join me?

Posted by Ddee at 8:05 PM

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Thursday, June 08, 2006

When the relationship is not right anymore...

1. You don't do the things you like anymore just to accompany and please him/her
2. You do not join your groups of friends simply because you have no time or he/she doesn't like them
3. Your friends SAY NO to him/her
4. Your family ask you to STAY AWAY from him/her
5. You are not the kind of person you used to be...in a negative manner
6. Always give and no take in return
7. He/she only takes advantages of you
8. Emotionally abused, not to mention physically -__-''
9. You are depressed and pressured because of the relationship
10. You DO NOT improve as a person
11. Your grades and performance degrade drastically because of the relationship
12. More suffering than enjoying
13. Every activities is more like a monotonous routine and duty
14. You let go of what you care about and like 'involuntarily'
15. You are forced to be someone ELSE
16. Waiting in vain
17. You feel insecure and always worry about the other half
18. You keep on assuring yourself that he/she is THE ONE
19. You refrain from doing something because of him/her [i.e.: You are NOT yourself!]
20. It's hard to let go but it's hard to stay too...

but maybe....You are NOT right for a relationship too.

**Heya, stop doing something stupid. Get hold of your life... and stop 'hurting' yourself and the people around you.

Posted by Ddee at 11:13 PM

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Sunday, June 04, 2006

I'm loving my AIESEC in SINGAPORE 2006/2007 MC team so much...

Our family picture [left to right]: Phoebe, Sherina, Siew May, Shin, Imran, Sharon and Diana.

Not in the picture: Jing Wen, Doreen and our lil bro Adam.

And this one was taken during our MC Consolidation Day. We spent 2-full days discussing, arguing, commenting, gossiping, joking and playing tricks on others. The pic is courtesy of Sherina :)

Cya guys next Friday night and it's gonna be Imran's turn to be 'interrogated'.

Posted by Ddee at 11:37 PM

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Back in Han Chiang High School, there was a period of time where I made an agreement with my best buddy - at that time though. If I cursed or said those 4-letter-of-s*-and-f* words, she would then happily 'slap' me to remind me to change.

Never thought sometimes you do not even realize that you are being influenced by others and your surrounding that you change. And not necesarily for the better. Or maybe it's out of desperation or just... something that your unconscious mind are trying to surpress?

I have no idea. But yeah, I am now recruiting people to remind me to change... and get lost you 4-letter words.

Posted by Ddee at 9:53 PM

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Friday, June 02, 2006

It's Ticke Test day at the office.

You're single because you don't want to slow down

Whether you're working all hours, busy with school, or planning a cross-country move, it sounds like you just don't have time for anyone else in your life...right now, that is. Your timing may be off in other aspects, too. Chances are, you've met that perfect person who just so happens to be married or planning their own cross-country move. So take a step back for a moment. Is there something underlying this? Could it be you're afraid to get involved for some reason or another, and are therefore attracted to people who are simply unavailable?

[Man...am I attracted to people who are simply unavailable? geez...]

You're a Steady Supporter

Stand by your man — that's just something you naturally do. Once you've committed to a relationship, you are a constant companion who enjoys the comfort and stability that comes from being a couple. Not quick to judge, accuse, or think the worst, you have a lot of trust (in him and in yourself), and you rarely worry about where he is or who he's with.For you, mutual respect is of utmost importance. You are comfortable and confident in your own skin, making you a great pillar of strength in all your relationships. Whether he's striving to climb a mountain or land a promotion, you have his back. Best part is, you know he's got yours too.

[Er..no comment. Ask 'em!]

You're looking for a Best Friend

There are many different ways to look at relationships, but for you, finding a best friend, the one person you share everything with, is the most important. Some people focus more on the romantic image of a soul mate to last the span of time, but you probably prefer the reality of making the most of every moment of every day. And who better to live those moments with than someone who's true blue through and through?

[Yosh...a best friend, a partner, a supporter and a soul mate...too good to be true. I think I watch too much movies *lol*]

Posted by Ddee at 9:59 PM

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Thursday, June 01, 2006

June is here....finally *phew...

It's been 5 months since my first internship started. It is fun but it is getting boring hehe.
And makes me realize...Man, I am so not into office job. I need to get out and meet people, I need to travel and HAVE FUN. Anyone can hire me with such JD? But I guess, you may want such jobs too.

And it's time to reflect and look at the future...what will I be? What I would like to be?
Thanks gosh I received this email from Jovin, a great @er who is now moderating the HR World Congress held in Singapore.

"Work has changed.
Employment has changed.
Careers have changed.
It's time you changed, too."

To our parents, careers were represented by a ladder: a set of horizontal bars of wood or metal fixed between two uprights. Today, the old career ladder looks increasingly like a cage. A career is no longer a long hard slog through the ranks of a single organisation. It is a series of career adventures: a journey of self-exploration.

Consider this: the average person has been with their current employer for just 3.5 years. Between the ages of 18 and 32, the average US worker has 8.6 different jobs. 40% of people would change their career immediately given the chance. These statistics confirm that we are all career adventurers now. We carry our own maps and blaze our own trails. In the new career landscape, there are 5 rules of engagement:
1. A career is not a job
2. Do what you are good at
3. Don't follow footprints
4. It's never too late
5. Carry your own kit

1. A career is not a job
A career is more than a job. It is an increasingly transient phenomenon. Most of us will do several different jobs during our lifetime. Some of us will do many jobs, in the same or different fields. A career is a collective experience of a working life. A job is a part, a career is the sum of the parts.

“A job is where you look at the clock, leave promptly at 5, and report to other people,”says one career adventurer. “A career is where you fully own your responsibilities. Even though you have other people that you answer, you are clearly responsible for the results that you produce in your own niche in the organization. I never went after a job; I always went after a career.”

2. Do what you are good at
The adventure begins inside your head, with some simple questions. Three in fact: who am I? What am I good at? And what do I really want to do with my life?

This may seem an obvious starting point. So obvious that that may be tempted to miss it out altogether. But that would be a mistake. Many people- the vast majority- never really confront these issues. The world is full of CEOs who harbour secret ambitions to be soccer players; hairdressers who want to be brain surgeons; and accountants who yearn to be pilots; ballerinas, lumberjacks or something other than what they are.That does not mean that they are unhappy with the way things turned out, or that they are in the wrong careers. What it probably means is that they didn’t explore the possibilities fully, or that they limited their own career horizons.

Know thyself and you will experience adventure. Ask Charles Handy, a former oil executive turned academic. Handy is now enjoying a glorious 3rd career as a populist social philosopher.It took handy many years to figure out what he really wanted to do. He worked for the oil company Shell Int’l until 1972 when he left to teach at London business school. He wrote a number of best-selling books on work and society. He coined the phrase portfolio career.

He observes: “I spent the early part of my life trying hard to be someone else. As school, I wanted to be a great athlete, at university an admired socialite, afterwards a businessman and, later, the head of a great institution. It did not take me long to discover that I was not destined to be successful in any of these guises, but that did not prevent me from trying, and being perpetually disappointed with myself. The problem was that in trying to be someone else, I neglected to concentrate on the person I could be. That idea was too frightening to contemplate at the time. I was happier going along with the conventions of the time, measuring success in terms of money and position, climbing ladders which others placed in my way, collecting things and contacts rather that giving expression to my own beliefs and personality.”Handy sums up the way many people felt.

Even those with successful careers can feel ill at ease with themselves. Deep down, they know that their professional persona is at odds with who they really are. Handy had the courage-and the talents- to do something about it. You can, too.

3. Don’t follow footprints.
Why don’t more people pursue their own career ambitions? There are 3 main reasons .
1st, most people don’t actually know what they want to do. Like handy, they either take the path that is laid before them, or follow the received wisdom of those around them.

2nd, those who do have an inkling of their true vocation don’t know how to go about making it a reality. They don’t know the work required to put it to the test. They may make a token effort in their youth, but they don’t apply any serious discipline to matching their aspirations with their talents. So although they may continue to harbour some lingering aspiration, most people settle for something else. It’s all part of growing up, they reason, or there’s no future in it. Both points may be valid, but you owe it to yourself to consider all the possibilities.

This is linked to the 3rd reason: fear of failure. Many people don’t pursue their true career aspiration in case they fail. Rather than chase their dream, they settle for something that seems more attainable. Subconsciously, they apply a perverse logic. It is better to fail at something that isn’t really what I want, they reason, that to fail at something that I really care about. This, of course, is nonsense. But, if they are really honest with themselves, a lot of people apply this sort of odd logic to their careers.Honesty can be incredibly liberating. It is a necessary 1st step to a truly great career adventure. If you are really candid with yourself about what you hope to achieve, then you can start to make it happen. You can begin to assemble the necessary tools and skills to make your journey. Some people may think, ah yes, but I’ve left it too late. But they are in the wrong.

4. It’s never too late.
For a career adventurer, there is no such thing as too late. History is littered with the stories of individuals who had an “eureka” moment that enabled them to change the career path they were on and to achieve their true ambition. A career adventurer may change direction many times.

Ray kroc was a late starter. He was heading for a comfortable retirement after a successful, if not earth-shattering career as a milkshake mixer salesman. That all changed when he walked into a small hamburger restaurant in san Bernardino, California, owned by the macdonald’s brothers. His visit, in 1954, was the catalyst for a global food revolution. Kroc’s vision extended a lot further than in san Bernardino. In 1963, the company had notched up to 1 billion burgers, and opened restaurant number 500. The company went public in 1965. by the 1970s, kroc had turned a $2.1m investment into a $500m fortune. By the time of his death in 1984, the MacDonald’s golden arches were recognized the world over as a symbol for convenient and cheap fast food.

5. Carry your own kit.
If you’ve ever envied someone who seems to have it all-the dream career, work-life balance, personal fulfillment- remember they actually did it. They made it happen.You can too. But no one is going to do it for you. It’s up to you.

Man..this is good. So, where are you heading towards? What are you up to?

Posted by Ddee at 10:47 AM

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