Issue 33 l December 2014
SAS Alumni Reunion at RWS
Stepping out of the comfort zone
Home coming is about Reunion and Re-connect
www.rp.edu.sg/grad
CONTENTS
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4
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An afternoon of Movie Magic!
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SAS Alumni Reunion at Resorts World Sentosa
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Working With Life
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Formula 1
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Reflections 2014
8 Snapshots @ Reflections 2014 10 Stepping out of the comfort zone
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Eating Right During Festive Seasons
12 Think Giving, Feel Giving, Act Giving
Notice: Do you have outstanding library fines?
13 Money Sense – Losing a job 10
15 Alumni@RP Email 5 ways to stay connected 16 Calendar of Events
Quiz
dREam. An RP Alumni Magazine. Everything starts from a dream. dREam is a quarterly publication to keep graduates informed about the happenings in RP, continued education, career opportunities, networking sessions and more, in the hope of achieving their aspirations. No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed or implied in dREam are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. Copyright Š Republic Polytechnic
Publisher Office of Student and Graduate Affairs Republic Polytechnic 9 Woodlands Avenue 9, Singapore 738964 Editorial Editor Nurhadi Khan B H K Designer PurpleCircle Design Pte Ltd Editoral Alumni Garrett Yap, Kelda Chua, Hafiz, Goh Wen Yao Student Faith Ng General Enquiries Email dream@rp.edu.sg Enquiries www.rp.edu.sg/grad Facebook www.fb.com/alumniRP
Editor’s Note
Season’s Greetings! Oh yes, it’s that time of the year again! Got that fuzzy feeling yet? As the Christmas lights come up and we get into the mood of giving, we realise that one whole year has passed by. As we reflect on the year 2014, we would find that it was filled with joyous occasions, sad moments, as well as visions of hope. We hope everyone has achieved what they set out to achieve the past year, and that the time has been fruitfully spent. Most of all, we certainly hope that all of you spend a lovely Christmas with your family. While we are having fun and enjoying the holiday season, there are about 45% of our student population who require some form of financial assistance. In the spirit of giving, we would highly encourage you to contribute to RP’s Needy Student Fund, initiated by Republic Polytechnic (RP) to help students from low-income families to tide over financial difficulties or unprecedented crises. Every dollar counts. If you wish to make a difference in our students’ lives, please make a contribution through the pledge card today. From all of us at dREam, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May 2015 bring new aspirations and better fortunes for us all. PS: We received feedback that you loved our Alumni Calendar which we have been issuing for the past three years. Hence, we have included a complimentary Alumni Calendar 2015 with this issue of dREam! Display the calendar boldly in your house or office to let everyone know you are proud to be an RP alumnus!
Keep your profile current! Just drop us an email at helpgraduate@rp.edu.sg with your NRIC/ FIN, and most up-to-date personal particulars; we promise not to send you Nigerian bank transfer requests, lame forwarded jokes or chain letters.
Do your prefer to receive your dream in hardcopy Simply login to Graduates’ Portal at www.rp.edu.sg/grad to indicate your preference under your personal profile now! (applicable for local addresses only)
An afternoon of
3 Claudia See
Alumnus of 2013
Movie Magic! Over a hundred alumni gathered at the Skygarden of Jcube on the 22nd November 2014 in anticipation of catching the premier of The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part I. It was a sunny afternoon, and alumni from various batches came down to bond over a lunch reception catered for Club Republic’s 2nd movie screening this year. Prior to the highly anticipated premier of The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part I, there was much chatter amongst our alumni with the Republic Polytechnic’s Alumni Committee and across the various batches including the newly graduated batch of 2014. “I think it would be a great opportunity to interact with the alumni and network with some RP alumnus from the earliest batch,” Azra Anwar, graduate of 2013 shared. “There is food provided with a good show! I wanted to bond and catch up with my RP friends and reminisce the good times.” These were just a few of the many reasons why some of our alumni attended this premier movie screening event with many of them coming down all the way to Jurong despite living in the east! There was much chitchat amongst the alumni with their own cohort and networking with alumni from various batches as well as the Republic Polytechnic Alumni Committee. It was indeed heartwarming to see how a young institution has produced such fine individuals who are now still coming back to interact with their peers and predecessors. Through all the jittery excitement as the alumni walked into the theatre, there was much talk on the first installment of The Hunger Games Mockingjay series and laughter soon ensued as the movie progressed. The movie-screening event came to a close in the early evening with a satisfied applause and many citing their interest to catch the second part of The Hunger Games Mockingjay series to be released next year in 2015. Thank you all so much for your participation and presence. We hoped you had as much fun at this Premiere movie screening of The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part I as we had planning and organizing it! Please do look out for more events and networking opportunities and we hope to receive your continued support!
“I think it would be a great opportunity to interact with the alumni and network with some RP alumnus from the earliest batch.” “There provid is food a gooded with show!”
“I wanted to bond and catch up with my RP friends and reminisce the good times.”
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SAS Alumni Reunion at Resorts World Sentosa The inaugural SAS Alumni Reunion Event was held successfully at Resorts World Sentosa on 25 October 2014. More than 100 SAS alumni from the different graduation cohorts gathered for a networking session with other alumni and SAS lecturers. The event started with dinner and a networking session at the beautiful waterfront. The alumni and SAS lecturers had a great time reminiscing over the good RP days and updating each other on their whereabouts. Mr Ashley Chua (Director of SAS) then welcomed the alumni warmly and encouraged the alumni to remain in contact with RP. Ms Shena Lu from OSG (Graduate Services) also updated the alumni about Club Republic and upcoming activities just for RP alumni. This event ended with the alumni enjoying themselves in the Halloween Horror Nights 4 at Universal Studios! Many of the alumni were appreciative of the event and are looking forward to the next SAS alumni gathering!
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Homecoming is about Reunions and Re-connections.
The School of Technology for the Arts (STA) welcomed Home 46 STA alumni on Friday, 10 Oct 2014 for an evening of dining, networking and catching up with former STA classmates and lecturers. Turning up the vibe for the evening was Electronic Music Production (EMP) IG.
Highlights of the evening: never orum urful! F 1 W olo d so c looke
on Live Skype from Lond q Ziq us mn with DDI alu
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Skype from London with DDI alumnus Nasrul Haziq Mohd Rafit who was awarded the prestigious Goh Chok Tong Distinction Award 2014 scholarship. Ziqq is pursuing his BA (Hons) Interaction and Moving Image at the University of the Arts, London.
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Auction in aid of RP Needy Student Fund. A selection of drawings, paintings, digital images, and books, baked goods donated by STA Staff were auctioned off in aid of RP’s Needy Student Fund.
of RP Needy Auction in aid Student Fund STA Staff STA Alumni
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2014 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX Muhd Hafiz, alumnus of School of Technology for the Arts, has been volunteering himself for the Formula 1 races since 2010. dREam catches up with him to find out more about what drives him to still volunteer at the event despite having done so many times before.
Hafiz, you’ve got yourself involved in quite a task by volunteering yourself for the 2014 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX. How do you got yourself into volunteering for this - can you share with us? I had been part of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix since the year 2010. Got the job ‘accidentally’ actually when a friend offered me an event based working experience (which I thought was just ushering duties), turned out, I was interviewed for a management role! - Big deal because I was only 18 then! So I was part of the SingaporeGP team in 2010 and 2011, and then subsequent 2 years, I was serving the nation in the police force, where I still got part of the grand prix doing other stuffs, and then I re-joined the SingaporeGP team this year and it has never been more amazing to be back! (when actually I was never really gone haha). Are you a fan of Formula 1? Truth be told, I know nuts about Formula 1 racing except knowing the big names like Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg. But ever since I was part of this historic race in Singapore, I have subconsciously become a bit of a fan! The cars, the engine sounds, the entertainment, the paddock and pit lane experiences, what’s there not to be crazy about! Would you say that your course of study in RP has somehow helped you in volunteering in the 2014 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX? – By the way what is your role? I am part of the Operations team and this year I was tasked to be the Assistant Zone Manager, taking charge of the entire zone operations in Zone 1. I must say that it was a challenging post to take on, but I like a challenge.
Patrons come to us with problems like they dropped/ lost items under grandstands, lost their family member(s), issues with their tickets and so much more. Also because the facilities in zone 1 are mostly ‘build to order’, they have complained of blocked views and things like that. Understanding that patrons pay 3 to 4-figure dollars to be in the circuit park, the challenge comes when I need to carefully manage their unhappiness and then try my best to give them assistance in any way I could, so that these patrons, in return, get the best experience they came here for. It takes a lot of thinking on the feet because everything is just so fast paced from the moment the gates open at 3pm all the way till midnight! I am glad that the 3 years I spent in RP, solving problems on a daily basis, planning and executing real major scaled events had proved beneficial when working at the Singapore Grand Prix, because these are the skills I require to execute my duties at the race. Tell us what are the perks? I must say the perks for me are limitless! Being in Zone 1 of the circuit park (where the Paddock Club is located – this is where the race teams, drivers, rich and famous hangout!), I got to bump and interact with A listers like David Beckham, Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls, Gordan Ramsay and John Legend just to name a few! The exhilarating experience to walk on the track, and to be working inside the pit lane at the paddock, tops everything! Imagine standing just 2 metres away from the McLaren and Redbull cars! Breathtaking! Were there many RP alumni volunteering in the 2014 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX? Of course there are! I’ve been in this together with TK (now working in TRCC), Jocelyn Teo and Serene Tan since 2010. TK and I are in the same department while Jocelyn and Serene are in the entertainment team. I mean, I was elated to bump into so many other alumni working either as stage or hospitality crews throughout the circuit park too! Easily more than 10 of them! Last question, would you do it again next year! Definitely! Every year, the event just keeps getting better and better, and the feeling of running an event of such international scale is just thrilling and that’s something I don’t ever want to miss!
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Reflections Arts Festival 2014 Ms Faith Ng
Year 3 from School of Hospitality
With the theme ‘ArtisTree’, Reflections Arts Festival 2014 explored how the traditional art forms have changed over the years and with much innovation and collaborations, found a new identity. In the 3-week festival, Reflections featured a total of 21 events including – 7 free shows which featured the various performing arts interest groups, 7 workshops which included six dance and a drums workshop as well as 4 Visual Arts Exhibitions. There was definitely something for everyone! The 8th edition of the festival started on a high note during its Opening Launch which featured the 24 performing arts groups of Republic Polytechnic busking at various areas around campus. This was the first time busking was introduced to the interest groups of CREATE.Republic and it garnered positive response from the crowd. The main highlights of the vibrant festival were MUSE VII, An Evening of Music, Fun and Friends and Legong Sampek Engtay. MUSE is an annual highlight of Reflections which embodies the dance talents in Republic Polytechnic’s CREATE Club Interest Groups. In its seventh year, we saw how each item speak of different issues and themes close to peoples’ hearts but still come together to visually impact the audience’s senses with the fusion of the different dance forms. An Evening of Music, Fun and Friends is a pilot project which saw the mentorship of Jazz musician and founder of local jazz band Elegant Swing - Norman Seck – to the young musicians. The student band, The Soul Statement, was formed up after the series of workshops and Master classes conducted by Norman. Boquiren Joshua Arthur Tambagan, one of the vocalist from The Soul Statement,
commented that “it felt really amazing, working around a genre that I’m not familiar with. Norman is extremely knowledgeable, and knows so much about jazz, inside and out. His enthusiasm also rubs off me, and I learnt some really cool things like scatting and syncopation.” The show also created exposure for the audience as local musician Gareth Fernandez and The Momma Shop and Elegant Swing were brought in for the show. Last but not least, Reflections closed with Legong Sampek Engtay – a performance by Bengkel Tari Ayu Bulan from Indonesia. The origins of Legong dance go all the way back to the 19th century; it is a refined Balinese dance form characterized by intricate finger movements, complicated footwork, and expressive gestures and facial expressions. Exclusively only for the royals, the dancers are generally girls who begin rigorous training at about the age of five. As quoted from Zaini Tahir, Artistic Director of Reflections Arts Festival 2014, one of the reasons why he brought this group in was because “the Balinese Legong dance is steep in tradition and history, which adds on to the depth of the festival theme ‘Artistree’”. Despite the art form being a little obscure, the storyline was integrated from Chinese Folklore Love Story of two star-crossed lovers with Balinese cultures, which would strike an easy resonance to local audience. If you missed out on this year’s Reflections, do remember to keep a look out for next year’s festival. For more information, check out www.facebook.com/reflectionsartsfestival Keep your eyes peeled for the other upcoming festivals – Momentum Dance Festival and IGNITE! Music Festival – happening in May and July 2015!
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REFLECTIONS 2014 Photos by Kelda Chua Alumna of 2014
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10 Goh Wen Yao
Diploma in Business Computing Alumni 2009
I heard about the NYAA award when I was in secondary school but it never occurred to me that I would participate in it because I was not a very adventurous person back then. However RP provided me with a window of opportunity to learn using a very unconventional approach, which is Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Knowledge aside, the way PBL led me to think and work changed me ever since. Because knowledge was not thrown at me, the world is my teacher and I choose the information that will be converted into knowledge. I always have more than one answer. I became more adventurous, not only in the knowledge I seek, but also in the way I lived. It changed me. With the opportunities given, I embarked on many different journeys in RP. I tried both sports and non-sports IGs, I took the unconventional route in doing my PP, I went on an international Service-Learning trip which took a year of planning, and I ran for student council election. Of course, there were bad times, but these experiences forged memories and made me learn. NYAA was an add-on to the way I lived. It came to me on a day where my best friend came to me and said, “Since you are doing so much, why not join the NYAA and record down whatever you are doing?” and I said yes. What did not occur to me was that NYAA gave me a push in stepping over boundaries. For example, I always wanted to do volunteering work but told myself I had no time, which was true. But NYAA made me made time. I started to prioritize things that really mattered, things that were on my bucket list. I took a leap of faith and without planning for a backpacking trip, I booked a ticket to New Zealand and went alone. The best decision of my life. Now, I am giving my own tuition. Again an unconventional route. But it’s a bucket list. Because someone once said “If you do not work hard for your dream, someone else is going to employ you to work hard for his.” So here I am, forging memories, probably with flaws, but definitely no regrets.
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Eating Right
During Festive Seasons Eating right generally, should be a life long decision that will eventually be ingrained into a habit. With the correct ingrained eating habit, it will not be harmful to indulge gastronomically during the occasional festive seasons so as to fully partake in the celebrations! However, if we are still concerned regarding the possible 2 to 3kg weight gain that sometimes happen during a period of festive feasting, we must be mindful of the excessive calories we eat.
Below will be a few simple tips. Eat smaller portions. • • •
Festive foods are frequently oily or sweet. Such food will contain proportionately more calories. A smaller intake will help reduce excessive calorie input. It may be useful to drink up to 500mls of water half an hour before the meal to reduce the appetite.
Skip the main meals during lunch or dinner
• if there are gatherings with feasting planned after those regular timings. • This will allow less overall calories taken during that day.
Reduce or avoid alcohol and sweet drinks as it contains a lot of calories.
• Be mindful of its intake as this often contributes to excessive calories during festive seasons. • Drink water in between the occasional sweet drinks if thirsty. If possible, continue with regular exercise routine during the festive periods as this will allow the extra calories taken to be expended.
Fast for a day or two, after the festive season as this will allow the body to expend the additional calories that have been stored during the period of over indulgence.
Contact us to consult our doctors or for a Health Screening appointment.
This article is contributed by Dr Derek Koh
Head, Thomson Lifestyle Centre MBBS (S’pore), GDFM (S’pore)
Tel: 6352 6550 / 6559 Email: lifestyle@thomsonmedical.com Website: thomsonlifestylecentre.com Operating Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Saturday: 8:30 am to 12:00 pm Sunday and Public holidays: Closed
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NOTICE Do you have outstanding library fines? You can now pay your library fines through bank transfer!
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION WITH MANAGEMENT
BSC MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY STUDIES
BUSINESS ANALYTICS
Name of Account: Republic Poly Operating (Library) Bank Name: OCBC Bank Bank A/C Number: 501-727192-001 Bank Code: 7339 Bank Branch: 501 Please ensure that you include the following as the Payee Name/Comments: AL Library Fine, “Your NRIC”. Do provide us with a screenshot of the transfer if you are using Internet Banking (IB) or the bankslip and email it back to us. If you would like to contact us regarding library fines, please email us at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg
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MONEY SENSE
LOSING A JOB Losing your job can be a traumatic experience. Retrenchment can happen for all kinds of reasons, for example, when economic times are bad or your employer’s business is performing poorly or for reasons more specific to the person concerned. Having some emergency savings will help tide you over the period of unemployment. Whether you have emergency funds to dip into or not, here are some ideas that may help you through this period:
• Draw up a budget for necessary expenses and stick to it to better manage where the money is going. Cut out all unnecessary spending like eating at restaurants and taking taxis. Be prepared to make changes to your lifestyle. •
It can be hard to assess how long the period of unemployment could last. If it looks like it could be a long time, you may need to make more drastic changes. If you find that the cost of maintaining a car and the car loan repayments are a drain on your savings that can be used to meet your living needs, do examine whether there are any penalties or costs if you redeem your car loan. If the proceeds from selling your car are likely to be insufficient to cover your car loan, do ask your lender what your options are.
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You may want to reprioritise your financial goals too. If you are deciding between saving up to pay for your children’s further education in full, or saving for your retirement, don’t forget that your children have the option of applying for student loans.
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Stop using credit facilities which incur high interest charges if you are unlikely to keep up with repayments. Try to stay on top of all your debt repayments. You may find that you need to restructure some of your debts. Approach your lenders quickly to do this. Go to Credit Counselling Singapore for assistance in debt management if you require more help.
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If you have life insurance policies, do ask your financial adviser representative what options you have. You may be able to take a premium holiday or take a loan against your policy’s cash value (if any) and this will pay for the premiums to keep your policy in force, although interest will be charged. But these are short term measures and you should not rely on this for a long period. Ask your financial adviser if you can convert your policy to a fully paid up one or reduce the sum assured. If you do not take up these options and stop paying the premiums, it could lead to a termination of your insurance coverage. If you apply for coverage later, you may have to pay more, or even be ineligible depending on your health.
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Take a look at your investments and see what can be easily liquidated without penalty or too much cost if you need access to funds. If you cannot afford to lose money, now may be the time to liquidate riskier assets.
These measures may seem tough at first sight, but they can help manage your finances over this tough time. When you find employment again, make sure your priority is to rebuild your emergency savings. Always aim to keep 3-6 months of your income as savings at all times. Government assistance: Some of us may not have existing savings or assets to rely on. If you need help and assistance, you can approach the Community Development Councils (“CDC”) for the following: • Employment Assistance The CDCs can assist you in needs assessment, career profiling, training opportunities and jobmatching to help you find suitable jobs. • ComCare ComCare provides social assistance to lowincome individuals and families. Depending on your needs and eligibility, you may receive short or medium-term temporary help or fee subsidies for children from low income families who are placed in childcare, kindergarten or student care centres. If you need help, you can call ComCare Call at 1800-222-0000 or go to the Community Development Council (CDC), Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) or a Family Service Centre (FSC) near you. The above information is prepared in collaboration with the Central Provident Fund Board, Ministry of Social and Family Development and Credit Counselling Singapore.
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Calendar of Events Dec 2014 — Feb 2015 Dec 2014
17 - 19 Dec
Feb 2015
*ACE@RP Programme NICF Android Programming Course Venue: Republic Polytechnic
25 Dec
Jan 2015
Christmas Day
1 Jan
New Year’s Day
8, 9, 10 Jan
RP Open House Venue: Republic Polytechnic
10 Jan
Alumni Tea Party Venue: Republic Polytechnic
16, 17 Jan*
6 Feb
RP Career Fair Venue: Republic Polytechnic
12 Feb
RPAC Meeting Venue: Republic Polytechnic
14 Feb
Valentines Day
14 Feb
RP Alumni Ice-Cream Making Workshop Venue: TBC
19 - 20 Feb
Chinese New Year
Feb
IVP Games
Lasalle College of The Arts Venue: LASALLE Campus
Jan
IVP Games
* Dates subject to changes ** For more information on ACE@RP and NTU-edUtorium programmes, please visit www.rp.edu.sg/grad. Club Republic members would get to enjoy the ACE@RP and NTU-edUtorium programmes at a discounted rate. For more information on other RP events, please email us at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg
Get Rewarded for reading Quiz for December issue Which movie was shown at the alumni private movie screening at Jcube Shopping Centre?
Winners get cash vouchers To participate, simply email your answer to dREam@RP.edu.sg with your name, NRIC, and Club Republic membership number. Closing date for the contest is 31 January 2015. All winners will be notified by email.
dREam September Contest Winners MAYA MURNI SXXXX530I