..:: 528. The One With CapitaLand Retail Marketing Award ::..

arh...arh...arh... (not enough to express my excitement!)

our team got 1st runner-up for the competition! the trophy looks really sleek and i have been praying so hard not to leave the place empty handed and yet we got a pleasant surprise by coming out top 3. nus consisted of yr 4 marketing students got 3rd. was watching this 'celebrity' huang shiyu - if you dunno him, he actually participated in star search, project superstar... his team ministry of xpression actually was about cosplay - people dressing up like anime characters... when they were presenting, our team resonated with the judges' comments about cosplay being a small target segment....

i guess other teams did not really link how the campaign can help increase sales which was important. raising awareness for the mall does not ensure people will spend money there. 1st place went to SMU. i must say their presentation style was quite sleek. their slides have one word or stick figures to explain.

anyway hope to upload the pic for my trophy.. =) and we got 800 dollars worth of voucher. now can spend it on capitaland mall ... what's best is actually being able to get connection to source for internship. I have just emailed the marcom executive of capitaland retail to link me up with capitaland retail china =)

i can clear my sleep debt with a smile tonight =)

..:: 527. The One With CapitaLand ::..

whee... happiest day after a shack week. our team Infinergy! got into the finals of the CapitaLand Retail Marketing Award =)

We were one of the top 5 teams out of the 102 teams that participated nationwide. Beside another NTU team, there were teams from NUS (yr 4 marketing), SMU (yr 3 Business Mgt) and another team from SP (yr 3 marketing mgt)...

we were the only non-marketing team. haha. 3 HR students doing marketing =) its the idea that counts.

at least we are guaranteed 300 bucks but we are looking for at least a 3rd placing. First prize is 1k and internship in China.

strangely mostly are girls...

our competitors:
school - Mall chosen - Campaign Name

NUS - Bugis Junction - "Ministry of Xpression"
SMU - Funan DigitaLife Mall - "We help you get IT"
SP - Bugis Junction - "Entering the New-Age Shopping"
NTU - Raffles City - "Your Smile is worth all our effort!"

and ours
NTU - Lot One - "Living Life @ Lot One"

*prays hard* we get the internship...

..::526. The One With Tickets ::..

today is ticketing day. queued up for a ticket for the ministerial forum in school. and the speaker is... our MM Lee Kuan Yew... queue was freaking long. some got rejected cos they dun have ic with them..

then my fren from chronicles... gave me a pass for two to CHRIS DAUGHTRY! i know you might not heard of him... -_-" He said 'home' which was a big hit and you should have listened to him sing. more of a rocker with a soft side. He is American Idol season 5 4th place. winner was some white-haired guy called taylor hicks who i dun really fancy. prefer katherine mcphee...

got my letter of acceptance from GIP office today... poor shannen has to answer to some undergrad's silly questions. there was this student who asked 'so this form is for my parents to sign?' when the form is actually an indemnity form to be signed by the parents/guardian. It was stated so clearly... he thinks 21years old going overseas no need for parents' signature? -_-"

but i was stunned by having to take this specially designed chinese module -_-" cant take the modules i like =(

..:: 525. The One With Psycho Test ::..

arghz... wasted... forgot some of the concepts and also a few that were so easy... plus tickets for ministerial forum for today were all given out... have to try tommorrow =(

happy thing was my senior lent me the cd =) now i can use office 2007.

was watching hey gorgeous... this time the crew went to nus. the first guy who was the 'arts king' was rather thick skinned... claimed he got something to show - in the end was a hip hop dance that looked like a wimp trying to impress. i bet the dance was choreographed by the girls he brought up the stage. he should have done the rag dance like the other girl... expressionless and no energy.

next week looks good... ntu =) but reality tv are not so real anymore... all so rehearsed... 'do you know this person?' the next thing was 'oh, he/she is there''

i am interested to see the episode of shoot by channel u... xiaxue showdown with steven. haha.

..:: 524. The One With No Time ::..

This coming week is crazy. got psycho test on mon, tue got to hand up project phase 1 report, debate in class, wed another mid term test... and my whole recess week is taken up by project meetings. HR is not that slack after all...

still deciding whether to take part in the BRANDS's challenge... It was a nice experience joining the capitaLand competition. bought a nice berm at 99 bucks. kinda ex :( had a wonderful date at wheelock place but the food was not only small in portion but did not taste up to my expectation... seafood pasta with 2 prawns, 2 squids and a 5 by 5 size of fish fillet... they think its enough for me?

..:: 523. The One With GIP ::..

yeah... was having my 226 class - strategic hr and consulting when i received a sms from shannen far far away at student services centre telling me to check my mail :) i got selected for global immersion programme to china - going there at the end of the yr till aug, in time to catch the olympics :P envy eh

i had a crazy night - started to finish up my CapitaLand marketing award project from 10pm at kahyan's hall... the 3 of us worked all the way till 6am!!! with the 2 girls taking shift to concuss and poor me staying awake the whole night trying to finish the proposal.

But it was fun la. we were laughing as we did the project and kept ourselves awake. However as the clock approached 3am, our eyes seemed to cross and that's when all the caffaine started to wear out. I managed to cram out the executive summary at 8am before i went back to sleep.

Having to wake up 2 hours later for my class at 1030am was DISGUSTING. i thought i lost my eyeballs, cant even open my eyes. total CUI-ness, shack. plus it was my longest day... having class till 630pm :(

So now you know how appreciative when i receive shannen's sms.... i almost fell dead on the table. my first meal was at 4pm. had one hour break at 1230pm but was spent binding my proposal and handing up. then it was lessons all the way till 630pm.

anyway pix time... he used to be my instructor in red cross when i was a cadet... then in army he signed on just like me... now i took over him as treasurer. we look alike eh?



me with part of the 14th RCHN Management Committee...

surf sweat reunite! went for interview for surf & sweat 08 together

..:: 522. The One With Identity ::..

was watching tv and caught an interesting show called 'identity'... it's a reality tv where a person has to guess the identities of 12 strangers. The person is given 12 choices:

pro wrestler
57 year old
army ranger
priest
son of NBA legend
'tabitha'
power lifting champion
pizza maker
circus performer
country music singer
soap opera singer
born in tokyo

the maximum the contestant can win is 500k... 12 strangers standing on the platform and the contestant just has to match their identities...

the contestant is given 3 choices - mistaken identity, tri-dentity, experts - each can only be used once.

in mistaken identity, the contestant got a wrong guess... tri-identity is to narrow down to 3 choices and using 'experts' would be to consult the 3 people in the studio -FBI investigator, psychologist, Body language expert

the contestant either takes home the money for each consecutive guess or risk losing everything for a wrong answer. Hence, if he/she thinks it's enough, they can take away what they have earned so far. For each contestant, they have a different set of strangers.

quite exciting cos some do not dress the way they are. even a pizza maker looked so smart.

anyway, my frenz thought i was from acjc. haha. not bad eh. i thought i was cheena enough...

btw studying in NBS has proven to be a right choice, especially since i took up HR. My professors have lots of job offer and frequently sent emails to us informing us about job, internship offers and we are spoilt for choices. but not for me, i already have a career.

still waiting for the results for GIP.. .arh... the wait is agonising...

spent my saturday doing volunteer work. morning had red cross subcom orientation - visited bloodbank, red cross home for the disabled. evening i had night cycling. total shack out.

but it was all worthwhile. especially a nostalgic trip back to the disabled home... seeing them smile but could not express their happiness through other ways :( they dun speak our language but when i held their hands, they felt the same. there is one guy who had an incredible talent, he could remember all the dates and day for this year. You just ask him what day is it for a particular date, he can tell you the answer faster than u click your phone calendar....

btw, identity is shown on channel 5 - 10pm.

..:: 521. The One With Mid-term crisis ::..

just went through GIP interview... my econs tutor was one of the interviewer and when she saw me from afar, she went 'john! come on in'. i was stunned cos i thought i was late. In the end, it was the girl before me that was late so she allowed me to go first.

the scary part is when she asked me about my strengths and i told the panel about me being vocal and she suddenly blurted out 'how come you are so quiet in my class?'. i knew it was coming so i had to explain her tutorial style did not really encourage participation - it's those go up and present your answers kind. of course not that blatantly...

the prof already posted guide to midterm test... i have not even studied for it. die. just went to the bank to create another account for the club. now i have tons of receipt and grants to deal with...

today driving was ok. just that the uncle asked me not to look so decent. must be more daring and proactive... when i look must really turn my head to show the examiner...

..:: 520. The One With Vexed ::..

i'm so vexed... heart break. urh. found out someone lied to me. haiz. i was asked to be more trusting and that was what i got.

my international project officers interested to get me to be the facililator for the overseas CIP trip to vietnam. There are so many concerns... firstly, i am shortlisted to go for global immersion programm (GIP) which means i will go overseas for one semester.

come to think... if i go overseas... my committee how to survive with treasurer overseas? no one to claim their receipts. shucks.

if i go for the CIP trip, i cannot work in dec meaning i got less money to spend during GIP. both also once in a lifetime experience.

HOW?

..:: 519. The One With 881 ::..

finally get to experience the hype that got most singaporeans talking - the film by royston tan 881... named after the papaya sisters vs their arch rival fruit - durian sisters

got hooked to their theme song: One Half



that auntie in the show damn funny... hope the movie get into the golden horse cos i think they are deserving. the movie brings u to laughter and tears... the same sentence said in mandarin and hokkien really sounds different. though hokkien is known to sound crude but i get hooked on hearing hokkien songs... :X watched the show at midnight.

rushed to school in the morning at 7am for red cross... then later running to suntec at 1030 for HR orientation before i fly down to Rasa Sentosa for Sports Ball... I want to go comex! tomorrow last day :(

..:: 518. The One With Fiona Xie ::..

The pic speaks all :) they were in NTU for filming of Hey Gorgeous! and we caught them before their bus came. How lucky!

..:: 517. The One With Random Thots ::..

been a hectic week. just finished meeting after sub com recruitment at 12am, i had to rush to finish my readings for my 830 class the next day. slept at 3am :(

have you heard about the queuing up for primary 1 places at tanjong katong primary school? so crazy, people in spore queue almost for anything...

btw my frenz in my comms class said i looked like i am from acs or cat high :X haha flattered.

today another hectic day, went down to HQ for interview then rush back to school at 1130pm to meet my committee... shack out.

oh just got back my grp assignment for bh223 compensation and benefits, my grp got a A- :) so happy... cos the seniors said he rarely gives A...

not feeling very well though. haiz...

..:: 516. The One With Flag Day ::..

today while travelling to jurong point, i saw a few secondary school students doing flag day. I was rather disturbed by the fact that their attitude kinda sucked. It seemed like they were forced to be there doing compulsory CIP... Even in their uniform, they tucked out their shirts, guys and girls alike. I would not donate by the look on their faces too. The places they stood were qutie inappropriate. Some charged up right to the exit of the bus at the bus interchange. How do you expect people to donate when they just alighted from the bus? Worse, some did not even do any greetings and just shove the tin can in front of u...

I saw a few girls sitting on the pavement which was so unglam. If you cant stand for long then go rent a wheelchair. Some even stand beside the less fortunate people who were already there begging for money. I mean standing beside them just feels so wrong... of so many places why do they have to stand beside the poor man. They would gather in groups and i found it hard to weave through the crowd...

I remember when i did my red cross flag day, i would go to my fave spot with just another friend and we would separate ourselves when we are there. Your purpose is to raise as much funds and not there for companionship. Too many people standing together, you would not get much money... I stood at the cross junction between the wet market and the coffeeshops... your attire must be presentable and it always helps by smiling and greeting people before you can get them to donate. The aunties, old folks and young children are always the people who donate... even the uncle beside the chinese medical shop gave me free drinks and dropped a 10-dollar note every year i was there...

i really wish the young generation now can find purpose in fund raising...

..:: 515. The One With Hon Treasurer ::..

yippee... after a long night of rally and elections, i have been elected as the honorary treasurer of the 14th Management Committee :) Never expect myself to be in the humanitarian network, especially since i am already in my 8th year with Red Cross.

My competitor was a yr one girl from China. Most international students joined RCHN mainly because the club does not discriminate. I thought my chances were slim as the candidates come with their friends and i was alone in the theatre. Before the rally started, i got to know other candidates and tried to befriend them, my competitor appeared only in the midst of the rally, giving me opportunities to win some votes. in the end, i got 78% of the votes and she left even before the results were announced.

By the way, during the rally, i got to know a girl who was actually from the same jc and was my batch. no wonder, we both seemed to know each other and we being singaporeans (oops) clicked instantly. The wait for tabulation was long, she thought her chances were slim as the other candidates for fund raising officer were equally capable.

Moving on, i do feel like playing sports, perhaps volleyball for inter-hall... looking back at my previous hall, it was rather sad that it has just been my accomodation, nothing more ... hope i can go supper with my neighbours soon...

haiz.. work starting to build up. all my modules have mid term quizzes... 4/5 have projects. fri went for driving and i have not touched the steering wheel for like more than 6 mths... scary but luckily the private instructor was patient with me...

..:: 514. The One With China Wine ::..

If the title has not rung a bell to you, have you just returned from mars? he yeow sun, the pastor's wife released her hot hot video. i was pleasantly surprised she could dance so well. only thing bugging was throughout the whole video she kept 'china wine-ing' a lot. she was aka geisha. i guess easier for the western audience to remember her.



Anyway i was happy that i was short-listed for the post of honorary treasurer... Friday is the rally cum election day. Hope i own the other candidate. I was thinking of running HR Club Biz manager... something i have never done before.

..:: 513. The One With New Habitat ::..

i miss home :( i miss those movies trip... talking about movies, i have caught 2 movies recently. excluding rush hour 3 on national day period.

secret by jay chow. i was not THAT excited about watching his show as much as i dont really listen to his songs. but i must say he was quite natural and as usual being cheeky teasing his girlfriend... reminds me of someone... the twist got everyone talking... but i guess it was nice not as i expected the gal would get some disease and die. it was more than that. jay's on-screen dad was funny, break the slow and sad moments in the show.

2nd show got me giddy and having a headache after the screening. bourne ultimatum ... the fighting and car chasing scenes are so shaky...

i want more movies! school work is starting to pile up. i add-drop so many times this sem but i got a wonderful timetable at the end. had to make sacrifices and made my frenz unhappy cos i changed class and the group may have to disband :(

learning driving again this fri... after so long -_-

fri after hp102 lecture (psycho research methods), i emailed the prof to ask her whether the textbook is different from the previous sem and is it still usable... this is the reply i got

Hi John,

I assume that you didn’t attend the lecture.

No, it is entirely a different textbook.

XXX

Name is replaced to protect her identity. As usual, i got defensive and shot her this...

Hi Prof,

Just to clarify I did attend the lecture but perhaps I did not catch the part on the new textbook as the sound was a little muffled through the microphone. However, I did hear something about the second book on stats useful for the people who are majoring in psychology as it would come in handy throughout their course.

Anyway, thanks for the clarification.

Regards,
John

And her final email,

Hi Jonh, <--- I think she typed too fast, bottom line is she dont re-read what she typed before she sent...

No worries, weather you attend the lecture or you don't it is totally up to you anyway.

You cannot use the textbook from the previous semester.

I mentioned that the students who are majoring in psych are going to use the same statistics book next semester in another module. Other than that I recommend to purchase the books for this semester as we're going to use them all though the course. If students wish not to buy them, they can study at the library. I will find out if more copies can be reserved in the library.

Enjoy your weekend,

xxx

reads: whether , i guess she typed too fast again. Her tone doesnt sound friendly. Who ask her to assume in the first place...

..:: 512. The One With Good News ::..

yeah today seemed to be my lucky day. woke up really early to attend the psychology class... i think after i have emailed the prof, she opened up few more slots and i was able to get the module i wanted!

during my strategic hr class, we got to play a game, using cards to build structure. it was fun and we even took a group picture. upload the pix later. so happy that my prof quoted me saying that one thing we have to look out for is safety as HR practitioners ... an answer that was different :) then he talked on and on about how safety is important :)

then i checked my mail and saw something that made me glee :)

..:: 511. The One With New Semester ::..

yeah, finally school started. btw i am in human resource consulting, my business specialisation. love the modules i am taking... no maths involved. haha. i totally abhor maths. i am taking compensation and benefits, strategic HR and consulting as my 2 main core and i am intending to take up a year 3 core, learning and performance development since it is non-examinable module.

bid for forensic science but did not manage to get it. damn. so i took up my minor module - intoro to psychology and the lecture was interesting without the professor talking, video will do. she cant speak properly and half the time she speaks like those with speech defects. no offence but that is what everyone is giggling at the back of the lecture hall.

today for comms class, i had to do an intro and we were supposed to say something that make us 'memorable' to the whole class. i dunno what got into me to say that i have fetish for branded goods and my favourite brand is dolce and gabbana. sooner than i thought, we had to come up with group names and guess what became the theme for the class? brands... in the end we have, LV, D&G, Guess and Prada. Someone blurted out bossini and i almost fell off the chair. well, my tutor doesnt know what is D&G though. -_- she really needs some marketing lesson...

just something for me to remember when i choose my modules for my HRC and minor in psychology...

remaining modules:

Yr 2 sem 2:
AA102 - Accounting II
BH225 - HR Research
BH227 - Selection & Assessment
BH326 - HR Metrics

For overseas exchange (Yr 3 sem 1):

AB311 - Strategic Management
HP203 - Social Psychology

Yr 3 sem 2:
BH331 - Cultural Intelligence at Work
BH333 - Leadership in Organisation
BH324 - Employment Law

For my minor:

HP203	SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY	4.0	PSY(HSS)
Prerequisite:	HP101 & HP102
An individual's behaviour, thoughts and feelings are influenced by other people and by the social environment. This subject examines topics such as interpersonal attraction, attitudes, social influences, social cognition, perception of the self, others and groups, altruism, aggression, conformity, and antisocial behaviour.

HP306	PSYCHOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE	4.0	PSY(HSS)
Prerequisite:	HP101 & HP102
Psychology has practical applications to the workplace at the individual and organisational level. Organisational culture and development, employee motivation and leadership, team dynamics, work satisfaction and organisational influences on work behaviour are covered in this subject. Special emphasis is placed upon organisational behaviour in contemporary Asian societies.

sem 1:

	HP207	ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY	4.0	PSY(HSS)
	Prerequisite:	HP101 & HP102
	This subject aims to build a broad foundation for the study of psychopathology by covering a whole range of abnormality described in the DSM-IV. The main aim is to acquaint students with the etiology and treatment of psychological disorders through the major paradigms of abnormal behavior. Students learn to appreciate the multifarious factors that lead to mental illnesses. Case studies are used consistently to reflect the clinical approach adopted by the field in understanding mental illnesses.

..:: 510. The One With NDP Preview ::..

lucky me. i got a pair of NDP tickets from a lucky draw by AC (Plans) from G5. on wed, i broke record by working in the office till 11pm. didnt even know which exit to take, have to call my boss and ask.



the ndp show is definitely better than in kallang. the view, the sea breeze, made the performance even better.



as usual, the parade segment with the troops forming 'ndp 07'... after that 'ns40' to celebrate 40 years of national service.



this year was especially enjoyable as we get to see water effects. from commandos rappelling down the bridge.



there were flames also... water fountain spurting to the rhythm of the music. behind the stage, the water fountain had images too...



of course, the highly anticipated fireworks. this time from the buildings near esplanade too... there were stunts from the police rescue boats, Chinook ...

..:: 509. The One With Impression Mgt..::

wah power just tripped and i was half-way thru my blog. dunno who so blur, dunno the circuit in the house got prob.

anyway my hk posts have to put on hold, i guess not many are going during this period also. too many pictures, hard to load also..

yes, sharon, i will tag with ur grp if i can ever get out of office.
maktsz, girls were of cos inclusive of u, unless u r biologically different that i dunno about.

on fri night, i had a movie date at 10pm. unfortunately, that night my superior asked me to stay back late cos she would go back to the office after her course. everyone had left by 8pm, and we were the only ones still working. i enjoyed working with my superior and even up to that time cos she has been nice to me.

however, i was a little peeved when we had our conversation while making our way out of the camp. she told me that actually the branch head was feeling that i was disengaged from work ever since i returned from the hk trip. i understand where they are coming from. i leave the office at 530pm almost everyday and i used to work till 8pm with the rest.

but they have to understand that, now orientation and school stuff are filling up my schedule, of course i cannot stay so late nowadays and it has nothing to do with my hk trip. my branch head has been unhappy like i mentioned before, of me taking such a long break from work.

the vibe i got from my superior was that i had to work late and to show that i am working hard and rushing for the project. apparently, leaving at 530 was not a norm now even for me as a vacational attachment officer. working long hours does not mean that one is efficient. i left early was also due to being able to complete my work. I know i can do more and contribute but i also have my own commitment.

i felt that there was this underlying msg, 'this is the life of a regular, u have to accept and adapt to it sooner or later'... i know i will be having this kind of lifestyle later, that is why i want to enjoy my 'student-life' as much as i can now. i know there is a lot of work to be done, but i also should have my fair share of time for my school activities. i do not need someone to tell me that work is more important than my school activities, worse, i do not need to see someone's unhappiness over my overseas leave. FYI, i used my no-pay leave also.

i may seem to be the bad player in the team, but if i were a 'full-time' staff, u can find me as one of the best team player u can ever find. just hate it when i have to appear in front of a boss, showing that i am working... work late = work hard? i understand some of them have to sacrifice their family time with their wives and kids, but does that mean i also have to follow suit? so now i must juggle my time and show face in front of my boss, so much for impression management. such old school mentality.

anyway move to something more light-hearted. watched 'invisible target' by nicholas tse, jaycee chan (jackie chan's son and that the camera seemed to just zoom onto his nose) and shawn yue. a must-watch i feel. shant have spoiler here so go watch and have a good laugh. the stunts were more believable than die hard.

besides the movie, had a great supper and it has been very long since i enjoyed a great date. didnt take pic though, wasted cos i pretty jealous of a cute pic taken but i was not inside!

taking dance classes this sun at LA connections. anyone? gonna take 5 classes in one day :)

school starting i cant wait. and sports camp i so wanted to go.