dReam Newsletter September 2009 Issue

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Issue

September 2009 Alumni Magazine www.rp.sg/grad

Everything starts from a dream

Trail Blaze On top of the world with the Singapore Women’s Everest Team

Exclusive! Sneak peeks into the world of James Bond at RP’s 7th Anniversary Dinner

Happenings

IGNITE! Music Festival

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Contents S eptember 2009

Publisher 2I¿FH RI 6WXGHQW DQG *UDGXDWH $IIDLUV 9, Woodlands Avenue 9 Singapore 738964

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New to View: Nurhidayah Saleh

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Asian Youth Games 2009 Raises Expectations for Youth Olympic Games 2010

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Ignite! Your Passion with Music

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An eye for spy at RP’s 7th anniversary dinner

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Lifestyle Tidbits: Living it Up, Down Under

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Read all about it! Unpublished emails from the Singapore Women’s Everest Team

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Building a Career, Chasing a Dream

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Graduate Spotlight! Mai Qing Hong

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RP Eco-Warrior Wins HSBC - NYAA

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Travelogue: Xpedition Khmer

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Calendar of Events

Editorial Editor Celine Yeo Artwork Zhang Miao Contributors Alex Siew Alicia Tham Bob Tan Cedric Tan Darren Ng Diana Soh Dr Jasmine Heng Fann Sim Gan Koh Grace Tan Jane Lee Jelisa Lin Jowe Chu

Kelly Kuan Kevin Lam Mai Qing Hong Marilyn Tan Marjory Kho Maya Murni Nadia Bte Salleh Natalie Lim Pei Ying Nur Aziemah Bte Aziz Nurhadi Khan Nurhidayah Saleh Shiro Ang Tay Ling

General Enquires Email dream@rp.sg URL www.rp.sg/grad dREam. An RP Alumni Magazine. Everything starts from a dream. dREam is a quarterly publication which will keep graduates informed about the happenings in RP, continual education, career opportunities, networking sessions and more, to achieve their aspirations. No part of this 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 LQ G5(DP DUH WKRVH RI WKH DXWKRUV RU FRQWULEXWRUV DQG GR QRW QHFHVVDULO\ UHÀHFW those of the publisher.

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Editor’s Note Hi all, This morning, I participated in the Pledge Moment in RP as part of the National Observance SURFHHGLQJV :LWK P\ ULJKW ¿VW FOHQFKHG DQG SODFHG on my left chest, I joined the other Singaporeans to say the pledge in one voice. It was an emotional moment. And as I re-new my commitments to the country, I began to think about what it means to be Singaporean. We strive in our pursuit of excellence; we dream the impossible and work towards realizing them. This issue of dREam is dedicated to all things we once thought impossible as we celebrate our nation’s 44th birthday. With coverage on the inaugural Asian Youth Games and unpublished email updates sent by the National Women’s Everest Team during their expedition, the magazine encapsulates the hopes and dreams of Singapore. August also marks the 7th anniversary of Republic Polytechnic. We have come a long way since the days in Tanglin Campus. Some of our graduates might have fond memories of the days when breakout means a short bus ride to town to lunch. These days at the Woodlands Campus, it’s dial-afried-chicken or dial-a-pizza as delivery bikes line the Republic Polytechnic Centre. I guess many things have changed over the past seven years. One thing remains unchanged though – the dedication of RP staff to education and fun. As a special treat to our readers, the dREam team gets behind the closed doors of the 7th Anniversary party to bring you some exclusive highlights from the James Bond theme party. Catch some of the whacky moment at the party and see if you can spot your favourite facilitator in the sea of James Bond characters! On behalf of everyone at dREam, Happy Birthday Singapore and Republic Polytechnic! March on! Celine

Raises Expectations for

New to View:

Nurhidayah Saleh Nurhidayah graduated from Republic Polytechnic, School of Information and Communications Technology (SIT), with a Diploma of Business Computing. She is now working with The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC) where one of her job scope is to manage the centre’s website. Online marketing is an effective strategy and it is through the use of the internet that we are able to reach out to a wider range of audience. Besides updating information on shows programmed by TRCC, the Centre also provides their hirers with free publicity platforms to publicise their events. It is part of Hidayah’s responsibility to ensure that the website is ZRUNLQJ DQG LQIRUPDWLRQ LV XSGDWHG UHJXODUO\ IRU WKH EHQH¿W of all of the readers, be it the students or staff from RP, potential audience or even hirers! The Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach that’s been carried out in this polytechnic allows her to apply whatever knowledge that she has gained to her work. Still a fresh graduate who is too used to doing things the PBL way, she WHQGV WR GR KHU RZQ UHVHDUFK DQG WU\ WR ¿QG VROXWLRQV ZLWK regards to managing a website before approaching for help. The TRCC website is currently running on Joomla, a Content Management System for building websites. By doing self-study on the system, she is slowly learning how to use the program and applying her knowledge to improve the TRCC website. Hidayah hopes that her work experience at TRCC will allow her to obtain more technical and corporate skills that she can put to greater use in the near future. Text by Nurhidayah Saleh

Youth Olympics Games 2010 he night of Tuesday, July 7 saw youths of a myriad of nationalities, all participants in the Asian Youth Games 2009, converged at the 5DIĂ€HV %DOOURRP DW 6ZLVVRWHO WR ELG this inaugural event goodbye.

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The zestful night was made possible with well thought-out planning by the Creative and Production team that was also responsible for the Asian Youth Games Opening Ceremony. Leading the team was Mrs Jessie Ho-Tan who promised a memorable, meaningful and vibrant Asian Youth Games and who lived up to those claims in the Closing Ceremony. Mrs Ho-Tan, a Senior Specialist in Music from the Singapore Ministry of Education explained that the Closing Ceremony was a much easier task to execute as compared with the Opening Ceremony that was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 29 June. According to Mrs HoTan, the Opening Ceremony took eight months of preparation and included participants from schools nationwide. The Closing Ceremony was a by-invitation only event and the audience was highly athletesaturated. “We were looking to engage the audience tonight. We conceptualized

tonight’s event around interactivity with the audience,� said Mrs HoTan. The planning team seemed to realise that sitting through an eightcourse dinner might get boring for high-energy youths yet the audience would probably be reluctant to do things while they were hungry. Thus, arrangements were made for the Master-of-Ceremonies to conduct games in between the dinner courses that had the audience making boxing, swimming and running actions so as to deliver an evening that balanced interactivity with the well-being of the audience. Thorough considerations were made to ensure that the youths would stay attracted to and actively engaged with the Closing Ceremony show. Perhaps to the surprise of some present, the Master of Ceremonies wasn’t particularly youthful although KH ZDV GH¿QLWHO\ \RXQJ DW KHDUW The Master-of-Ceremonies for the night was well-known local radio personality, Mark van Cuylenberg better known to Singapore’s radio listeners as The Flying Dutchman.

to stand up halfway through their dinner while colourful balls of twine were tossed around. After a few minutes of excited and energetic WRVVLQJ HYHU\ERG\ LQ WKH 5DIĂ€HV Ballroom found themselves holding onto at least one strand and standing within a tangle of twine. Amidst the laughter and exclamations, The Flying Dutchman announced that WKH WDQJOH RI WZLQH VLJQLÂżHG WKDW DOO present are part of a big family – a family that knows no boundaries in race and ethnicity. Into the night, the ballroom was transformed into a club for a distinctly under-aged crowd. Regardless of language, nationality, or sport they participated in, the many youthful athletes partied together, dancing to popular club tunes as competition rivals cemented newly forged friendships. An athlete from the Maldives was heard exclaiming exuberantly: “The Closing Ceremony was unlike the one I envisioned. The real deal was so much fun and was very engaging!â€? The Asian Youth Games 2009 were a momentous event for Singapore, a small equatorial island nation that has shown its unwavering commitment to youth sports development by committing a wealth of resources to KRVWLQJ QRW RQO\ WKH ÂżUVW HYHU $VLDQ Youth Games in 2009, but to also stage another history making sports event in 2010, the Youth Olympic Games.

Mrs Ho-Tan explained: “(Flying Dutchman) has the experience and is mature in thinking. He is able to get the crowd going and not a lot of youth emcees are capable of doing that.�

Like the Maldivean athlete, many athletes have expressed the same views that the Closing Ceremony has made them want to come back to Singapore for the Youth Olympic Games. The night ended on a high note and put a period to the inaugural Asian Youth Games 2009.

To unify the audience and help forge friendships, guests were asked

Text by Fann Sim Xuan Ying and Nadia Bte Salleh

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Asian Youth Games 2009

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IGNITE! Your Passion here’s nothing like live music! IGNITE! Music Festival 2009 rocked RP home ground with 6,500 people in the last weekend of July for a second time.

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Thirteen bands provided over eight hours of great music entertainment to raise awareness for youth volunteerism and Service-Learning (S-L). Inspired by the Band Aid projects, IGNITE! 2009 is about youths using their Passion to evoke in other youths their Compassion for the less fortunate amongst us. Headlining the two nights were renown local bands The Great Spy Experiment and A Vacant Affair, alongside other prominent local acts such as Caracal, heregoesnoth!ng, Qovein, Fatskunks, King Kong Jane, Vertical Rush, 53A, Juxtapose, Trella, Tacit Aria and The November Iris. Radio personalities, Soo Wei and Don Richmond hosted both nights of music with our student emcees, who rocked the house with their enthusiasm. Much like last year, the technical set-up at IGNITE! was nothing less than spectacular. The extensive stage dressed with fancy intelligent lights, LED panels, professional largescale audio system provided a visual demonstration of how this was an event not-to-be missed. Together with some twenty carnival booths of fun fringe activities, volunteers’ and S-L exhibitions, the RP Lawn transformed from an

ordinary green turf to a stunning festive ground, much Caracal, one of the performing bands, expressed that, like what one would expect to see only in concerts at Fort “The amount of effort that is put into planning this whole Canning Park. festival is amazing. The lights, equipment, the initiative of the helpers and how much they enjoy being part of IGNITE! Music Festival has always been produced organising the festival (is what we like)â€?. in close partnership with our students. From making programming and marketing choices, putting up exhibition More than being the next bigger and better event, and merchandise booths to setting up the equipments, IGNITE!’s mission is to raise awareness for volunteerism the students were involved in every aspect of work over amongst youths, whether in RP or beyond. The IGNITE! the eight months of preparation. During the festival, the Organising Committee would like to thank our generous students were also roped in to do stage management sponsors and partners, all colleagues and students that and artist liaisons, live video production and photography worked with us on the festival, as well as all concert services. The musically inclined amongst them were even attendees. performing on stage! Moving forward, look out for more programmes from One of RP’s pioneer batch graduates, Kevin Lam 75&& 5HĂ€HFWLRQV LQ 2FWREHU 1RYHPEHU volunteered himself as a photographer at IGNITE! Momentum 2010 in May ’10 and of course, the next IGNITE! Music Festival. Rock on! “It was an amazing experience and a

top notch professional production - not something you’d expect from a school, something you’d expect from the best in the industry. As a graduate I would like to say thank you for giving us something to be proud of,� says Kevin. To check out Kevin’s works, please visit KWWS ZZZ OLJKWUH¿QHULHV RUJ

Text by Kelly Kuan

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2Q -XO\ WKH -DPHV %RQG ÂżOP VHW FDPH DOLYH DW WKH RP Agora Halls as the school celebrated its 7th anniversary. With some hi-tech cameras and wall-scaling moves, the dREam team went on a secret mission to get the scoop of the closed door dinner party which saw staff members dressed in their smartest 007 get-up. Here are some highlights of the high octane party adventures!

happenings

happenings

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Sneak peeks into Republic Polytechnic’s 7th Anniversary Dinner

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Living it UP in the land Down under REam catches up with Norhayati Abdul Rahman (simply NQRZ DV <DWL 53œV ÀRRUEDOO FDSWDLQ IURP WKH 2007 season. Now based in Melbourne’s northern suburbs RI %XQGRRUD <DWL LV SXUVXLQJ D EDFKHORUœV TXDOL¿FDWLRQ LQ human movement at RMIT University’s School of Medical 6FLHQFH ,Q EHWZHHQ VWXG\ DQG ¿QGLQJ KHU RZQ WZR IHHW LQ WKH H[SDQGLQJ ¿HOGV RI KHDOWK DQG ¿WQHVV VSRUWV SHUIRUPDQFH DQG UHKDELOLWDWLRQ <DWL FRQWLQXHV WR ¿QG WLPH WR SXVK KHUVHOI with feats of human endurance and spirit.

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G’day Yati! In Aussie speak, how’s it going? Also, I hear you’re training for ‘Around the Bay’, Australia’s premier bike challenge around the picturesque Port Philip Bay area. How’s that shaping up? A: I am at a pivotal point at the moment, and it is happening to many of my mates too. We don’t really know where exactly we want to be, where to go, what we want after graduation. So life’s just the usual geeky school routine, with training, parties, and hanging out in the city thrown into the mix. As for the race, I’ll be taking part in the 100km category. 100 km may seem harsh and atrocious with all the terrain and whatnots, but the atmosphere around me is JRLQJ WR EH DZHVRPH DQG WKH IHHOLQJ DW WKH ÂżQLVKLQJ OLQH ZLOO keep me motivated. Let’s talk about school. So, what’s a day in the life in your school like? A: Typically, lectures and labs last one to two hours. We’ll have breaks in between where we’ll hang out in the library,

$ <(6 /DVW \HDU ZDV P\ ÂżUVW \HDU KHUH DQG WKH VZLWFK back to the mode of paper and exams was nervewrecking. I got poor results and wasn’t happy with myself. I coped by spending weekends in the library catching up with study, becoming a total ‘geek’ in the process. It was GHÂżQLWHO\ D ELJ VWHS FRPLQJ IURP 53 WR XQL VR DGDSWDWLRQ was necessary.

A: When they dance, their dance moves are literally real-life actions. Haha! ‘Fishing the guy’, ‘shopping in a supermarket with the trolley’, ‘the chainsaw’, etc. Oh, and they love to add ‘Z’ behind everything. My Aussie friend calls me Yatza! Australia is a big open country, excellent for anyone with a sense of wander and adventure. I hear you’ve gone off on some big adventures, how were they?

A: Over Easter, we spent three nights out by the Great Ocean Road where we took our own sweet time to travel and awe ourselves with the grand views of the sea. For a friend’s 21st, we did a farm-stay at a friend’s farm in Speaking of adaptation, how different is the learning Horsham, some three hours away from Melbourne. There environment back home, and the one you’re currently , HPEDUNHG RQ P\ ¿UVW EXVK ZDON DQG JRW DQ KRQHVW WDVWH experiencing in Australia? of how it feels like staying in an Aussie farm. A: I guess missing out on loved ones is the biggest change in environment. Back home, it’s all about being with mates I’ve known for years. We all share the same culture of learning together whilst over here, we all study in our own time and pace.

Not too long ago, just before the start of semester, my friends and I decided on a spontaneous road trip up to Canberra and Sydney. All in all, we clocked 2320 kms with plenty of snacking happening in the car. We spent another 3 nights out wandering and staying over different towns. The views we managed to soak in were beyond 1RZ OHWÂśV PRYH RQ WR ÂżQGLQJ RXW PRUH DERXW KRZ \RX ZKDW ZRUGV FDQ GHVFULEH 'HÂżQLWHO\ VRPHWKLQJ ZH GRQÂśW get in Singapore. spend your days when school’s out? A: I’m involved in races nowadays, like the bike challenge Any last words for our readers back home? , VLJQHG XS IRU LQ 2FWREHU , ÂżJXUHG ,ÂśOO WU\ VRPH RWKHU A: Be adventurous, be brave, and be yourself! things! So I took up running and cycling; with ‘gymming’ and swimming as cross training. I’m nowhere close to a Text by Bob Tan real ‘elite’ level yet, but I’m working my way up I hope. My classmates set a great example and they inspire me to keep bettering myself!

lifestyle tidbits

lifestyle tidbits

Have there been any challenges in adapting to university life here? Was it a big step up?

1RZ LW VRXQGV OLNH \RXœYH UHDOO\ KDG VRPH WLPH WR ¿QG new pursuits and enjoy yourself whenever you can. Could you share with us some interesting things you’ve learnt by being around Aussies!

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have lunch in the cafe, head for another lecture and then go home. Unlike what I’m used to in Singapore, where we would hit the malls after school, everyone here goes straight home after uni. Also, Bundoora is a quiet suburb far from the city, so life here can be quite still. Lectures usually start early at 8.30 am and end at 4.30 pm. Sometimes I head to the gym after that before going home.

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ongratulations to the Singapore Women’s Everest Team on their success in conquering Mount Everest. The team has very kindly granted dREam the permission to publish the email updates sent during their expedition.

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These emails describe the team’s arduous journey, the highs and lows of their experience and some personal thoughts on what it feels to be on top of the world.

Email Update: 13 April 09 Navigating through the Khumbu Icefall for the 1st time

The winds howled at 5am, the time we were supposed WR ZDNH XS WR JHW UHDG\ IRU RXU ¿UVW SUDFWLFH FOLPE RQ the Khumbu Icefall. Amidst the cold winds, we peeled ourselves out of our sleeping bags and strapped on I’m now at Everest Base Camp (EBC), in our own little our boots and backpacks. After a quick breakfast, we Singapore women’s team corner that will be home for the started out in the greyish darkness of dawn, towards the next 2.5 months. It’s been a while since my last email infamous Khumbu Icefall. update because the team has been moving around a lot and we haven’t had the chance to put up our rather 7KH .KXPEX ,FHIDOO LV WKH ¿UVW VHFWLRQ RI WKH (YHUHVW FOLPE complicated communications setup. where large blocks of ice form an ever-moving glacier. This proves to be one of the trickiest bits of the climb On the way here, we stopped by Lobuche peak for an before climbers even reach Camp 1 (6,100m). Before our acclimatization climb up to 6000m. Lobuche peak has two summit bid, we would’ve climbed through the Khumbu summits; Lobuche East and Lobuche West. The West Icefall at least 5 times for acclimatization purposes. summit is usually climbed by those with a death wish, so we climbed the east summit. It’s now the early days of The route seemed never-ending. Every ice block we spring in Nepal and the winter past was exceptionally dry, overcome leads to another, and about an hour into the which meant that our climb up Lobuche Wast was more FOLPE ZH JRW WR WKH ¿[HG URSH VHFWLRQ ZKHUH ZH FOLSSHG mixed climbing (ice+rock) than expected. on our ascending devices and continued climbing.

Yesterday, the entire climbing team from the US-based international mountain guides (of which my team is part of) took part in a religious ceremony known as a “puja�, where blessings are asked from the mountain to grant everyone safe passage through the mountains. I have a real good feeling about this climb. =)

Hope everyone’s great back home! Cheers, Jane

Email Update: 31 May The Journey Back

Email Update: 7 April 09 Reporting from Everest Base Camp Hi everyone!

Along the way to EBC, we met a lot of the other climbers and everyone did a double take when we said we’re climbing Everest. To begin with, we’re dwarf-sized compared to the average 6 foot 2 inch caucasian climber (how on earth do they squeeze into the tiny tents, I wonder) and we look about 15 years younger. Plus, we have the most outrageous colourful gear. I think it’s pretty amusing to look like unconventional Everest climbers, hobbit-looking or not.

On the up side, going up and down the mountain has LWV WUDLQLQJ EHQHÂżWV :HÂśUH JHWWLQJ IDVWHU 7KH ÂżUVW WLPH , went up to camp 1 from base camp, I took 7.5 hours and thought that I was going to just keel over and not get up. The second time, I took 6 hours and was really happy. This last time, I took 4.5 hours, which really surprised me. So on the bright side, climbing up and down the mountain can be taken as “trainingâ€?, so it’s still alright.

We will be heading up towards Camp 1 when the Icefall is ready approximately a week from now. Currently, the ,FH 'RFWRUV ORFDO H[SHUWV RQ WKH ,FHIDOO DUH ¿[LQJ WKH complete route up to Camp 1 and they’re in the midst of ¿QGLQJ WKH VDIHVW ZD\ XS 0HDQWLPH ZHœOO EH RFFXSLHG with technical practices and acclimatization walks while we wait with bated breath for the climb ahead.

Email Update: 4 May Final Acclimatization Rotation Complete Two days ago, we returned from Camp 3 (7,100m) on Everest, therefore completing the last of our acclimatization cycles before the summit bid! At 3.30am on 26th April, we set off once again up the

Greetings! We’re currently in Kathmandu as we bring you this update. We made the 3-day trek out from Everest %DVH &DPS EUDYHG WKH HUUDWLF GRPHVWLF ÀLJKWV DQG ¿QDOO\ our duffels bags have all just arrived here in the city.

We’re thankful to be safely back at Base Camp. Just yesterday, we witnessed a major avalanche on the Khumbu Icefall which saw the left section of the icefall crumble down. It happened a day after we’ve returned, at the same time we would’ve been travelling through the icefall. This is a timely reminder for us that climbing is a humbling sport. Climbers don’t conquer Everest, they survive this giant of creation.

It was raining every single day as we trek out, but we’re not for complaining because we heard that there has been 3 metres deep of snowfall since we left Everest Base Camp. Thankfully we got out fast. Now, we just have to sort out our gear and logistics, and KRS RQ WKH IDVWHVW 6LON$LU ÀLJKW EDFN WR 6LQJDSRUH

Email Update: 2 June Heros behind the Mountain Email Update: 12 May Hi everyone, Now, the entire base camp is literally sitting around, getting really jittery and just watching the weather and reading weather reports. I guess this is the crux of the whole mountaineering game: waiting out the weather. For a climb like Everest, it’s crucial to have good weather, since 150km/h winds is likely to blow one onto the Tibet side of the mountain on the summit ridge.

Yes, we climbed Mt Everest and we submitted the mountain. But beyond the support of sponsors, individual donors, family and friends, there is a group of people whom we are grateful for - our sherpa guides.

From the acclimatization climbs to the actual summit push, our sherpas have been with us, climbing, toiling, cheering us on. We would like to recognize them for their efforts which made a tremendous difference in our Everest expedition. To us, they are the true heroes behind Another avalanche rolled through the Khumbu icefall the mountain. Here, we would like to mention by name, when we were at Camp 1 and injured two of our friends WKH VKHUSDV ZKR ZHUH ZLWK XV RQ WKH ¿QDO VXPPLW SXVK and one Sherpa from Asian Trekking went missing. All and thank them for their relentless help and support: that the search party found was his boot and pack. At the moment, helicopters are a common sight and it’s a rather Panuru Sherpa (Lihui’s sherpa guide) sombre mood at base camp. The climb has been going Jamling Bhorte (Esther’s sherpa guide) on for a while and everyone is really just waiting to get up Kami Sherpa (Jane’s sherpa guide) the mountain on a good weather spell and then getting Dawa Tenzing (Joanne’s sherpa guide) Dawa Nuru (Peh Gee’s sherpa guide) down again.

from the e-mailbag

from the e-mailbag

Khumbu Icefall. This time round, our objective was to get to Camp 3, sleep one night there and climb up towards the Yellow Band the next morning. Camps 1 and 2 are now familiar places to us. We stayed one night at each camp before heading up the Lhotse Face towards Camp 3 on the 3rd morning. A bit of background information here: the Lhotse Face is a sheer face of near-vertical ice stretching 800m - the terrain on this face is extremely steep and FOLPEHUV KDYH EHHQ NQRZQ WR H[SHULHQFH GLIÂżFXOW\ NLFNLQJ into the hard and dry ice on this section.

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Prudential Get

Congratulations to 3 of our lucky readers who walked away with Topshop vouchers worth $20 each and a limited edition IGNITE! tee. • • •

Lee Ee Ling Len Wei Wen Farhana Binte Idris

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dREam!

dREam is giving away 3 Ben and Jerry’s vouchers, each worth $20. All you have to do is read the magazine and answer the following questions. 1) Who was the Master of Ceremonies for the Asian Youth Games Closing Ceremony? 2) How old is Republic Polytechnic this year? 3) In the article, X’pedition Khmer, which country did our graduate visit? To participate, simply email your answers to all three questions to dream@rp.sg with your name, NRIC and Club Republic membership number. Closing date for the contest is 30 September 2009. All ZLQQHUV ZLOO EH QRWL¿ HG E\ HPDLO Terms and Conditions: • •

Only Club Republic members qualify to participate in this contest 7KH MXGJHVÂś GHFLVLRQ LV Âż QDO DQG QR FRUUHVSRQGHQFH RU FODLP LQ UHODWLRQ WR WKH MXGJHVÂś GHFLVLRQ ZLOO EH HQWHUWDLQHG

n year 2008, I graduated from of life and long term career prospects Republic Polytechnic (RP) School of in Prudential are just what I needed to Engineering with a diploma in Industrial develop my potential to the fullest. and Operations Management. Of course, success is 99% perspiration Unlike many of my peers who were and 1% inspiration. In my agency, busy searching for a corporate job Ryan Koh & Associates, we emphasise after graduation, I decided to take on strongly on hard work, discipline and an entrepreneurial path to become a FRQWLQXRXV OHDUQLQJ ,Q P\ Âż UVW \HDU , Financial Consultant with Prudential worked very hard to learn and focus on Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) growing my client base. Ltd. One important skill which I had acquired As a young adult with aspirations, while I was in RP is communication WKH EHQHÂż WV RI EHLQJ D )LQDQFLDO skills. In RP where classes change Consultant such as unlimited income every semester, I was given the potential, control over my work opportunity to meet and know many schedule, opportunities to meet and new people. make friends with people from all walks

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After I assured him that his medical expenses would be covered, he decided to seek treatment in Tan Tock 6HQJ KRVSLWDO 7KLV ZDV WKH Âż UVW FODLP I made for my client since joining the company. The feeling of appreciation shown by this client thereafter is priceless! After helping my client make this claim, my belief and conviction for proper Âż QDQFLDO SODQQLQJ JUHZ VWURQJHU Making sure that all my clients and their families are well taken care of Âż QDQFLDOO\ LQ WKH HYHQW RI XQIRUHVHHQ circumstances became my number one work principle. Self motivation and positive thinking are keys to overcome challenges in this career. I am inspired by successful seniors in Prudential who work hard and persevere. They hold on dearly to the dreams they have and pursue them passionately. With my career, everything is possible. I just have to set my mind on my goals and work towards them. Together with my fabulous colleagues, there will always be joy and laughter in my journey to success. Text by Alicia Tham

lifestyle tidbits

My Career with

Being a Financial Consultant gives me great satisfaction. I recall an incident where I received a text message at 2am from one of my clients who fractured his right toe. Worried about his medical expenses, he wanted to check if minor accidents would be covered with his personal accident SODQ 7KLV ZRXOG LQĂ€ XHQFH KLV GHFLVLRQ to visit either a polyclinic or private clinic for treatment.

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This skill is put to good use in my career with Prudential. The ability to VSHDN ZLWK FRQÂż GHQFH KHOSV PH WR network and build rapport with my clients quickly and easily.

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graduate spotlight

ai Qing Hong graduated with a Diploma in Sports and Exercise Sciences from the School of Sports, Health and Leisure. Today he is an undergraduate at the University of Queensland in Australia.

the days of eating instant noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

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5HDG RQ WR ÂżQG RXW KRZ 4LQJ +RQJ is assimilating to life in Australia and also how Republic Polytechnic helped him with his studies. RP has provided me with skills that are essential for my learning in the University of Queensland. During my three years of study in RP, I was introduced to Problem-Based Learning (PBL). That method of learning has helped me to evaluate DQG UHĂ€HFW RQ P\ ZRUN LQ VFKRRO Through independent study and research, I am able to produce many creative solutions to the problems that I encounter in class.

RP also equipped me with effective communication and interaction skills. The daily presentations that we did in class had honed my ability to FRPPXQLFDWH ZLWK FRQÂżGHQFH GXULQJ tutorials. This ability to work in a team and understanding the importance of team dynamics has proven useful to me, especially in the company of an international group of classmates. Living overseas also means learning to live independently. All alone in Australia, I have started to do household chores in order to keep the apartment clean. In addition to that, I have been picking up some culinary skills from my housemate who is a pretty good cook. Gone are

,Q UHÀHFWLRQ RI P\ WLPH LQ 53 , ZRXOG say that the three years have given me an education that is necessary for me to progress to university. The diploma in Sports and Exercise Sciences provided me with a strong foundation for my two years of study in University of Queensland. The Exercise Programming module that I’m currently doing in school requires me to have a good knowledge of my anatomy. This area was covered during my study in RP and that makes the Exercise Programming module more manageable. Brisbane has been exciting thus far. It’s a great city to study and have fun in. For those who are interested in study in Australia, my advice to them is to study hard and enjoy harder! Text by Mai Qing Hong

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National Day Observance

Glitz 2009

Republic Run

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19 my academic performance.

HSBC National Youth Achievement Award

Youth Environmental Awards 2009

he HSBC/NYAA Youth Environmental Award was established to recognize outstanding youths between the ages of 14 and 25 years for their commitment and contributions to environmental protection and nature conservation in Singapore.

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WRJHWKHU 53œV ¿UVW (FR 3LFQLF 7KH project aimed to bring in more visitors to Admiralty Park and raise public awareness on the importance of SURWHFWLQJ WKH SDUNœV ÀRUD DQG IDXQD

He was also in the organizing committee for RP Toy Library and led students in collecting and cleaning The Award is a collaboration between some 5,000 second-hand toys for the National Youth Achievement distribution to needy families in the Award (NYAA) and HSBC to motivate Woodlands area. and empower our youths to take interest and ownership in caring for our environment and community. This Award is presented by HSBC as part of its Youth Excellence Initiative which is designed to nurture and enable young talents and leaders to contribute to the Singapore community through their leadership and service to society. On 27th May 2009, Soh Zhi Hao Jasper (RP conservation IG President 08/09, 3rd year DENV student) was awarded the prestigious HSBC/ NYAA Youth Environmental (Merit) Award 2009.

Environmental Envoy in September 2008, Jasper visited Leverkusen, Germany on a study trip with 50 delegates from 18 countries. In December of the same year, Jasper took the role as the organising chairperson for RPs 100,000 Plastic Bottles Challenge, an event which effectively spread the 3Rs message to participating secondary schools. The competition also broke the Singapore Book of Records by making the largest indoor mosaic comprising plastic bottles which collectively formed a large light bulb. For his outstanding contribution to the environment, Soh Zhi Hao, Jasper was awarded the HSBC/NYAA Youth Environmental Award (Merit). He received a citation plaque as well as a $300 book voucher.

In April 2008 Jasper represented RP at the annual Tertiary Institutions Council for the Environment (TICE) Eco-Camp. During the camp, he learnt more about the threat of climate change to our environment. He subsequently shared his knowledge with the school and his fellow club members on combating climate change.

Jasper Soh’s involvement in environmental activities began in 2007, when he was a member of the organizing committee that put Appointed

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Sabrina Choo (Conservation IG Secretary 08/09, 3rd year DBIO VWXGHQW ZDV VKRUWOLVWHG IRU ÂżQDO selection interview. Other RP representatives included Tay Jit Ling Jackline, (Conservation IG Publicity Manager 08/09, 3rd year DMTS student) and Kek Siyu Rachel, (Conservation IG Secretary 09/10, 2nd year DMTS student).

Young Text by Grace Tan, SAS

In RP, we learn through the ProblemBased Learning method. It is a process which requires us to be independent and interactive learners, and ServiceLearning is the best way to improve interaction between people. There In a nutshell, Service-Learning is about is no such thing as service without learning through the service. And we communication and therefore, this as students are able to provide and has a positive impact on my learning give back to the community around us in school. as well as in other parts of the world. Through this practical experience, Most importantly, through this trip we may be able to experience some I have realised that our future is in facets of life that we may never have our own hands. What we decide to thought of. Afterall, seeing always do with it is all within our own means leads to believing. and a little effort would make a big difference. I believe (and I’m sure many of you would agree with me) that I would like to end this article with a Singaporeans, especially the quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. younger generation, does not know the meaning of poverty and hardship. “Everybody can be great, because Life in Singapore is good and we are everybody can serve. “spoiltâ€? in many ways. You don’t have to have a college +RZHYHU WKLV WULS KDV LQĂ€XHQFHG degree to serve. me in many positive ways in both You don’t have to know Einstein’s academic and non-academic aspects. Theory of Relativity to serve. In Cambodia, I witnessed children as young as 4 years old, helping their You need only a heart full of grace parents earn money to support the and a soul generated by love.â€? family. They have no opportunity to receive education even if they have the burning desire to learn. Seeing Text by Jelisa Lin these children who are deprived of education made me cherish the education I receive more than I had before and this was one of the pushing forces that led to an improvement in

Xpedition Khmer his article is contributed by Jelisa Lin, a SAS Graduate who went on a Service-Learning trip two years ago. It is written from a graduate’s perspective and she hopes to inspire RP students with her experience.

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Jelisa with a traditionally-woven Krama (Cambodian scarf)

Jelisa Lin is one of the recipients for the Board of Governors Award. This award is presented to the outstanding graduates who have excelled academically throughout their studies at the Polytechnic. In August 2007, I embarked on a 14day journey together with 2 facilitators and 18 Student Ambassadors to Siem Reap, Cambodia. That was a lifechanging experience for me and has motivated, encouraged and inspired me in many ways.

travelogue

happenings

Xpedition Khmer members replacing the windows of the Prolung Khmer Centre with new and stronger ones

Before leaving for the trip, the team and I had to prepare ourselves, mentally, emotionally and even physically. Many of the activities were planned in a way that we would be ready for all the obstacles that we would face in Cambodia. These trainings not only EHQHÂżWHG XV ZKHQ ZH ZHUH WKHUH EXW also moulded us into better people. By constantly thinking on our feet and facing physical challenges, our critical thinking and cognitive processes were enhanced.

Issue 12 Sept 2009

Issue 12 Sept 2009

18

calendar of events 09 September

10 October

11 November

5

8

5

Exploring Diana F+ Venue: OBJECTIFS

* Career Talk @ RP

Career Talk @ RP *

10

6

Ice Cream Workshop Venue: u.d.d.e.r.s Novena Outlet

REFLECTIONS 09: The Tango Project Venue: TRCC Theatre, 8 pm

Come explore your Diana F+ camera and discover the beautiful images it produces. For more information, log on to www.objectifs.com.sg

19 The Bird Watcher Venue: SMU Classroom 4.1 Calling all Graduates who seeks to achieve success in life! Come join The Bird Watcher: %HKDYLRXU 3URÂż OLQJ ZLWK RWKHU 53 graduates! For more information, log on to www.rp.sg/grad now!

Do you have a sweet tooth? Ever wonder how you can make those delicious ice cream at home? Now you can if you join this Exciting Ice Cream Workshop! For more details, log on to www.rp.sg/grad for more information!

15

2009 Formula 1 Night Race Sept 25 – 27 Venue: Marina Bay Street Circuit The Formula 1 Night Race is back! If you’re up for the speed and thrills, then come on down and support your favourite F1 driver! For more information, log on to www.singaporegp.sg/

29 REFLECTIONS 09 Festival Launch Venue: South Agora, 4:30 pm You are invited to the REFLECTIONS 09 Grand Launch! Put on your dancing shoes and indulge in the great choreography and music arrangement as we welcome the long awaited festival!

31

11 REFLECTIONS 09: MUSE II Venue: TRCC Theatre, 8 pm MUSE II is back with a dynamic exploration of ideas, forms, genres, music and technology! Be sure ot catch this long awaited performances by our talented dancers!

* Career Talk @ RP

25

A new exploratory journey of tango music expressed through the transition of Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and neo-classical dance forms

22 * Career Talk @ RP

24 “Paint me Red! Paintball for Beginners� Venue: Red Dynasty Paintball Park (Yishun) If you think that revenge is sweet, then come battle it out with your friends at this exciting paintball session. Get more information at www.rp.sg/grad now!

30 REFLECTIONS 09: Fight Club Venue: South Agora, 4:30 pm Come down to the South Agora today to be entertained by our young warriors from RP’s Wushu and Capoeira, to name a few, as they demonstrate some cool moves!

Capital Gains Investment Game @ RP’s Wellness 360° Centre ,QWHUHVWHG WR Âż QG RXW PRUH DERXW LQYHVWPHQWV" 5HPHPEHU \RXÂśUH QRW WRR young to start learning now. Join us at the Capital Investment Game Today! For more information, log on to www.rp.sg/grad. * For updated information on the career talks, log on to www.rp.sg/scc

12 * Career Talk @ RP

13 REFLECTIONS 09: Jazz, Blues & Funk! Venue: TRCC Studio, 8pm Chill to a night of familiar jazz standards and expect the unexpected as musicians whip up exciting improvisations in this Jam night.

19 Career Talk @ RP *

20 REFLECTIONS 09 Closing Bash! Venue: Agora Hall, 7pm Why not close this memorable festival with a huge BANG! Come join us as we say goodbye to the sweet memories of REFLECTION 09!

Information in this calendar is correct at press time.

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