dReam Alumni Magazine March 2012 Issue by Republic Polytechnic, Alumni Services

dREam

Alumni Magazine

Issue 22 | March 2012

Everything starts from a dream

A+ for the Alumni Ambassadors! Through the Lens of a Budding Film-maker Looking for directions in Selecting a Private School or its Courses?

4 4

7 10

Contents 2

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note

RP Experience

Open House 2012 - Snapshots

Open House - Many Things to Many People

A+ to Alumni Ambassadors!

e-Challenge 2011

Entrepreneur in the Making

Through the Lens of a Budding Filmmaker

Being a Resolutionary

Meet the All-new CRAAC

alumni@RP Email

Calendar of Events

Looking for Directions in Selecting a Private School or its Courses?

Publisher

Office of Student and Graduate Affairs Republic Polytechnic 9 Woodlands Avenue 9, Singapore 738964

Editorial

Editor Graduate Services Team Artwork Zhang Miao

Contributors

Alumni Eugene Chong Kevin Lam Maya Murni Teo Xing Zhi Yap Peng Kee, Garrett

Staff Jasmine Heng, Dr Lilynne Seah Nurhadi Khan Tan Fong Ling

Student Ruzanna Bte Abdul Rahman General Enquires

Email dream@rp.edu.sg URL www.rp.edu.sg/grad

dREam. An RP Alumni Magazine. Everything starts from a dream.

dREam is a quarterly publication to keep graduates informed about the happenings in RP, continual education, career opportunities, networking sessions and more, in the hope of achieving 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 in dREam are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Editorial | dREam

Editor’s Note Thank You! For your participation in the recent Graduate Employment Survey 2011! We are pleased to inform you that the demand for fresh polytechnic graduates in Singapore remains high with 92.1% of them employed. In addition, the median gross monthly salary of fresh polytechnic graduates in full-time permanent employment increased to $1,850 last year. More information will be shared in the next issue of dREam!

Keep your profile current!

t’s Republic Polytechnic’s 10th year anniversary! Lots of exciting events have been lined up for the year to mark RP’s decade-long contribution to the education scene in Singapore. One of these events that recently took place was Open House 2012. We, at Graduate Services, were humbled by your presence (more than 200 alumni came back) and glad to see you guys enjoying yourselves during Open House 2012. From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank all of you especially the Pro-Tem committee members who chipped in to help out in any way they could to entice more prospective students to sign up at RP! On the same note, you guys have voted and nominated the management team of Club Republic Alumni Association on our Facebook fan page. The management team has been finalised and we are thrilled to be working with such an exciting bunch of alumni members for the next two years to plan more fun activities for all of you out there! Do take the time to look through what they have in mind for you and do not hesitate to sign up for activities which catch your eye. At the recent Open House 2012, you may have noticed that the School of Information and Communications Technology (SIT) will be officially renamed to the School of Infocomm (SOI) when the new academic year starts for 2012 on 16 April. We have started to use the new name in our marketing materials for the new student intake. The rationale for the name change is so as to have a contemporary reflection of the diverse diplomas RP has to offer and this new name has been approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and of course not to confuse with the new Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). Still lost and worried about your future? Perhaps the letter from Eugene Chong may provide some inspiration for you in charting your future path! Also, we are featuring one of our star graduates in this issue, Ang Min Yi, who has done us proud by winning the Shell LiveSPARK Awards. Finally, we hope it’s not too late to wish all of you a Happy New Year!! May the coming year bring lots of blessings and prosperity for us all.

Just drop us an email at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg with your NRIC/FIN, and your most up-to-date personal particulars; we promise not to send you Nigerian bank transfer requests, lame forwarded jokes or chain letters.

Do you 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)

Get instant access to the Graduates’ Portal by pointing your phone camera at this QR code. Note: To scan QR code, you need to install a QR scanner app (free) on your mobile device.

3 dREam | Graduate’s Spotlight

RPExperience

am writing this as a graduate and alumnus of Republic Polytechnic which I am proud of. RP is no doubt the youngest kid in the block and thus it had its initial disadvantages such as the quality of the graduates as a result of its little known problem-based learning system. However, year after year, RP has been resilient and resistant towards any misgivings towards them. Most O-Level graduates will either doubt or avoid the school due to its young and developing identity. As a result, most of the students who ended up in RP were those who fared poorly for their O-Level examination. I was worried for my future. Were the school standards really bad? How much hope do I have for my future? Would anyone employ me after I graduate or would any university accept me? Nonetheless I went in with complete trust in the school management and facilitator. I held this trust as I felt that RP was determined to make a strong presence in the education sector not only in the PBL system but also the quality of the graduates. My goal ultimately was to get a place in a recognised university. It’s truly encouraging for me to have met wonderful and motivating facilitators in every semester and module that I took. Due to the nature of the small class and the practice for open speaking, both students and facilitators brought up many sharings. I felt that the sharing from the facilitators’ personal

experiences enhanced our learning experience and bought it to another level. I could easily visualise and understand the concepts better with their sharings. The culture of presentation using skills such as role-play enabled us to envision the possible things that could happen and also provided a clearer picture of the situation. As I am writing this, I have already been accepted to a university to further my education. I am proud to have been a RP student, and grateful for the school and the facilitators who motivated me unfailingly. There are many other successful stories over the years as well and I hope it justify the potential that RP can unleash in every other student who walks into campus striving for a better future!

Eugene Chong Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science and Advanced Diploma in Pharmacy Practice 2007 - 2010

Reminiscing about your wonderful days in Republic Polytechnic? Thinking of contributing back to Republic Polytechnic? You can give back in many ways. We are not looking for a big amount of money. Your gift, at any amount, will be equally significant and appreciated.

Helping Those in Need

Your gift will make a difference to the well-being of financially-needy students. It frees the students from financial worries and allows them to concentrate on pursuing academic excellence in Republic Polytechnic.

Supporting a Worthy Cause

today! g n i v i g t Star og on to L ing du.sg/giv www.rp.e

Now that you are independent enough, why not give back to Republic Polytechnic and join us in transforming it into a world-class institution. You will be proud to be associated with Republic Polytechnic too, because your ties with us will always remain long-lasting.

Tax Deduction

As an Institution of Public Charter (IPC), your gift will qualify for tax deduction from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).

Snapshots | dREam 4

2 1 0 2 e s u o Open H

dREam | Snapshots

Happenings | dREam

Open House Many Things to Many People Article by Kevin Lam, Graduate of 2006

very January, one event cuts across schools and departments, and unifies us as one – the Open House. It is many things to many people. Open House is a showcase. A showcase of capabilities, of talents. Capabilities are what we can offer but the real magic is in the students who make it happen. It’s a time to show the world what they can do both inside and out of class. Open House is a journey. A journey for those who are deciding their next step in life, beyond the secondary school they have been a part of for the last four or five years. It’s a journey for others who have been through a longer road in life, who may be coming from JC or from ITE – the unconventional pathways. They are no less important. Open House is about connections. It’s about connecting with an audience, to show them what we do best. That we care more, that we give them an opportunity to be heard. Open House is about options. Because there is no one ‘right’ way to do things. It’s about showing future students various pathways to their dreams. Every course is unique and every course offers something special. As for which course to take? That’s up to them – that’s options. Open House is about returning. Many who have graduated and moved on have also found the time to come back to help, to inspire, to encourage, to share. Framing three years of life at RP in the context of broader experiences in life, in further education and in professional careers helps guide others who find themselves at a stage where they have to make a potentially life-changing decision. It’s also about welcoming the alumni back as valued contributors and honoured guests. For you, my fellow readers, the door is always open. And so what is Open House to me? This is the seventh year I’m supporting this event and my fourth as a volunteer. I do it in the hopes that I can make a difference. Let me be honest; there are many who attend Open House because they are obliged or encouraged to. There are a rare few who attend because they are genuinely interested. This is a time in their life where everything will change; it is a huge decision and it was exactly the same for me on the day I made mine – my entire career hung in the balance. In a world of integrated programmes and junior colleges, there are other less well-known pathways to victory. I’m hoping that in some small way, I may have the opportunity to meet someone at this crucial junction and help him or her change everything - for the better. I do it to pay it forward, to share, to inspire, to tell people that “Yes, there is a better way”. Because I found that way myself. I have walked the path and I am better for it. That is Open House for me. I hope you too find your own reason to be there.

Article by Teo Xing Zhi, Graduate of 2011

t was the teddy bears that drew the most attention. Children looked on enviously; current students and interested prospective students kept throwing glances at the display; several adults even tried to beg one off the team! But our graduate services squad stood its ground – the teddy bear is exclusive only to alumni. The highly sought after teddy bear was on display at RP’s Open House 2012’s where graduated students can update their personal particulars and receive a goodie bag, an “Alumni Ambassador” badge, as well as a go at the gift wheel located at the special graduates’ booth. Take a shot at spinning the wheel and you could win any number of goodies including a small leather pouch, badges for RP windbreakers, polo tees and even Golden Village movie tickets. Hit the prize-less black area on the wheel? No problem, just give it another go! Won the movie tickets? Smile for the camera! Hidayah Kamari, an SOH graduate, was one of the movie ticket winners. According to her, the booth was excellent. “It’s a unique, friendly and service-orientated booth,” she said. “It’s well-managed and approachable for the returning alumni.” That’s a hospitality alumnus speaking; there’s got to be truth in the matter! Meanwhile, STA’s favourite ex-ClubG executive member Ethan Lee also popped by, commenting that the booth was cool. Of course, the alumni didn’t just visit the booth. Members of the Pro Tem Alumni Committee (soon to be upgraded into the Alumni Association Management Committee, AAC) also came out in force – both to visit as well as to help out. Proudly sporting the Alumni Ambassador badges, these graduates came for various reasons, be it speaking at the parents’ forum, helping out at the booth or snapping photographs for the school. Many of them will be in the running for AAC members, so don’t forget to head over to the graduates’ portal to vote! When we finally closed shop, our stats revealed the number of graduates who’d come back in the hundreds to visit – a much higher number than expected and certainly one of the best counts we’ve ever gotten. Nonetheless, publicity can be improved as there were more who came but just milled around without realising the booth was there. We’ll do better next year, we promise! Open House 2012 may be over but be sure to stay tuned as we head on to help out in the Freshmen Orientation 2012!

dREam | Happenings

A+ for the Alumni Ambassadors!

Happeninings | dREam

e-Challenge 2011 Article by Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre

Republic Polytechnic Finalist Team Team Name: Foodguru Team Members: • Tong Thi Phuong Khanh • Jessica Lim Yang Zhen • Soe Htike • Nguyen Tran Duc Huy • Lam Nguyen Hong Ngan

Team Foodguru posing for a photoshoot What sparked the team’s interest to participate in eChallenge 2011? We were very keen to take up this competition as we saw this as a good opportunity to challenge ourselves, showcase our ideas and also put our innovative skills to the test. With this experience, we also better understand how people manage and plan their ideal businesses before venturing into them. This will therefore help us gain more knowledge and wisdom to be applied for our future usage such as starting up a business from scratch. What were the factors that led the team to choose their particular idea or theme? We felt that health should be the top priority for everybody. Without a good health condition, it will affect our daily performance such as our efficiency, determination and concentration. This applies to all working adults and students who ignore the importance of the food that they eat. What advice would you give to the next batch of participants from Republic Polytechnic for eChallenge 2012? Of course the business idea plays a very important role in sustaining a competitive edge in the competition but it all boils down to the feasibility of the plan. With like-minded, innovative team members having an enthusiastic and optimistic working attitude, we will then be able to work together towards the

same direction of winning the contest. This is how we persist as a team, being brave to overcome whatever obstacles that we might encounter. What did your team enjoy most about eChallenge 2011? We were excited when we knew that our proposal was appreciated by the judges and were in joy when we were informed that we qualified to compete in the semifinal round. In addition, working with the team was really enjoyable, especially when receiving valuable comments and evaluation from the judges in order to make further improvements. It is that particular moment when we stepped into the room with the judges sitted in front of us, and we were given a chance to present our ideas and business plans to them – that was a fantastic experience for every one of us. What is the strongest benefit or lesson that your team has taken away from eChallenge 2011? We gained an experience on how to prepare a business proposal and come up with a business plan on our own. This helps us to be more familiar with the relevant components included in it. We are also able to recognise the applicability of business ideas now. Would your team continue to work on the business idea or proposal? Yes, we will. If we broaden our network and maybe earn an opportunity to venture into

smartphone applications, we may look into it as we love and enjoy working on such businesses. Could your team give a quote on your collective experiences of e-Challenge 2011? “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

The Entrepreneurs’ Challenge is a business plan competition which aims to foster the successful development of new ideas into investment-ready, early-stage companies. It stimulates innovation and entrepreneurship, and creates genuine commercial prospects. The 2012 Singapore eChallenge was organised by the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre and sponsored by The Ngee Ann Kongsi. Held in conjunction with The University of Adelaide eChallenge in South Australia, the competition was jointly organised by the Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre (ECIC) – a faculty in the University of Adelaide.

Get rewarded

for reading dREam

Congratulations to the winners from the December 2011 issue! • Mohammad Isa Bin Mohammad Ismail SXXXX713F

Entrepreneur in the Making Article by Ruzanna Bte Abdul Rahman, Year 3 Diploma in Communication and Information Design

he Shell LiveWIRE Awards 2011, which rewards promising local entrepreneurs, declared its 12 most deserving entrepreneurs under its new category last month. The Shell LiveSPARK Awards aims to reward and recognise students who demonstrate the spirit of entrepreneurship and among the proud recipients is Merit winner Ang Min Yi, a diploma holder in Events Management. Her business plan “Edu Travel” focuses on educational tourism which offers a onestop solution for overseas educational trips including trip conceptualisation, pretrip activities, funding coordination, onsite tours and post trip events. “We were aware of the Internationalisation Fund established by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 2008 to encourage local students to gain exposure to life overseas. I strongly adhere to my belief that travelling is the best form of education,” she explained. Much of Min Yi’s motivation can be credited to her business plan mentor Miss May Mak Tey, as well as Republic Polytechnic’s Centre for Innovation and Enterprise (CIE), who have been supportive in her business-related endeavours. Describing her mentee as “capable with a passion for entrepreneurship”, Miss May was confident that Min Yi would be able to win the award.

“We worked very closely for almost six months to refine the business idea to ensure it is commercially viable. Being a tourism student, Minyi was fully capable of conceptualising the operations and marketing aspects of the business. I guided her on the development of the financial plan for the business,” Miss May commented. The six-month long competition was said to be stiff as other aspiring entrepreneurs had equally strong portfolios. Despite the interviewers posing challenging questions about her business plan, Min Yi overcame it with coolness thanks to her previous experiences in other RP business plan competitions such as DARE and Singapore eChallenge. “When we attended the interview session, the competition was tougher than expected. Moreover, it was held just before the commencement of Min Yi’s NTU exam. Therefore, I am very proud of Minyi for keeping a cool composure during the competition and convincing the judges that she is worthy of the award,” said Miss May. Min Yi is grateful for all the support she has garnered from Miss May and RP and hopes to be an intuitive entrepreneur managing her own events management firm in the future. We wish her all the best!

• Quek Yasmin Aliyyah Bte Adam SXXXX982Z • Liao Kailin Shirley SXXXX307B

dREam is giving away 3 pairs of

movie passes All you have to do is read the magazine and answer the following question correctly.

What is the new name for the School of Information and Communications Technology? 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 20 April 2012. All winners will be notified by email. Terms and Conditions: • Only Club Republic members qualify to participate in this contest • The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence or claim in relation to the judges’ decision will be entertained

Graduate’s Spotlight | dREam

Through the Lens of a Budding Filmmaker Article from Ruzanna Bte Abdul Rahman, Year 3 Diploma in Communication and Information Design

he ciNE65 has finally come to fruition! Organised by Nexus, ciNE65 is a short film competition that encourages aspiring filmmakers to share what Singapore means to them through film. It also raises the profile of filmmaking talents such as New Media diploma holder Zulkifli Zaid who seized the Best Direction award! We go behind the scenes of his winning film Home. dREam: Tell us more about the short film Home which you directed.

Zulkifli: Home is set in the early 90s and revolves around a young boy Hakim who was playing at a playground and came across his friend Gary who was running away from home. Worried for his friend, Hakim tried to reason with Gary and persuaded him to stay. Home is a visual representation of the current issue that we are facing where the younger generation wishes to leave Singapore in search of better opportunities. While it may seem that the grass is greener on the other side, the actual truth is that we have everything here in Singapore – friends, family and a home. dREam: What was the inspiration behind this film? Zulkifli: As the writer of the script, the inspiration came from my very own personal experience. I grew up in the early 90s where swings and slides in sandy playgrounds were common sights. It was during the same time that I noticed most of my friends were leaving the neighbourhood including a close friend of mine. Before he migrated, I told him to keep in touch and if there was anything wrong, he could always come back because he has everything here. dREam: What prompted you to enter this competition? Zulkifli: I decided to enter the competition because I felt that there are stories to be told in Singapore. I am now with Chapman University Singapore and doing my degree in Creative Producing. Contrary to what most people believe, there is content here in this little island of ours. Everyone in Hollywood is looking at Asia and expecting big things from us. I wanted to create something that could be a possible reflection of our national cinema, which portrays the Singapore spirit within the shortest time. Another reason was that my crew wanted to show that quality films can be made through passion. We are a team of five who came from various backgrounds… and we were never film students to begin with. In fact, the producer of Home came from RP as well. Her name is Nadia Salleh and she was a graduate of DCID.

dREam: How did you decide that Muhd Farihin is to be the lead actor in your film? What was the process like? Zulkifli: Muhd Farihin was a talent in a previous short film that I wrote titled Biskot. It was a collaboration with Bukit Merah Secondary School, Siti Arfah (DSA student) and my team. We were scouting for a suitable boy to play the role of one of the characters and came across Farihin during lunch. In fact, we were observing his antics and found that he was a natural at entertaining others. We approached him and asked whether he would be interested in acting for us. A short script reading session and soon enugh, he was acting for us. After writing Home, I felt that Farihin was able to pull off the role of the lead actor and he said yes to it. dREam: What were the challenges faced during the competition? How did you overcome it? Zulkifli: Budget is always an issue when it comes to independent productions. I had to finance a majority of the budget when we shot Home. In total, it was produced with a budget of less than $100. We really saved a lot on equipment thanks to to our cinematographer who had his own set of equipment. Talent was the second major issue. We found Farihin fairly easily and the prior experience of working together facilitated everything. However, we had difficulties in finding the supporting actor and eventually managed to secure Vincent, who was Farihin’s classmate, to play the part. In fact, we secured him just three days before the actual shoot date.

Zulkifli: One of my role models in the filmmaking world was the late Yasmin Ahmad. I have always been interested in shooting videos but rarely had the opportunities. I read up on Yasmin Ahmad and saw her works after graduating from RP. The interesting thing about her is that she is a fantastic storyteller. In fact, her works are testaments of her talent in the filmmaking industry. Yasmin Ahmad tackled social issues and was brave enough to shed light on those topics. Though she has passed on, I feel that one should follow her example in telling good stories about real issues. dREam: What competitors?

have

you

learnt

from

your

fellow

Zulkifli: I have learnt that effort means everything. One of the submitted entries was called Year of Independence and was produced entirely by a single student. He handled everything from pre-production up till post production. His efforts were commendable and he fully deserved the awards which he won. dREam: What is your biggest takeaway from this filmmaking journey? Zulkifli: The biggest takeaway is that of getting the right people to work on a project. Many a times, I have seen people teaming up with others on the basis of friendship. In the real world, you need to progress and you can only do that if you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your crew, and ensure that all of them complement one another. The right people will lead you on the right track towards the right direction. dREam: Who did you turn to for a second opinion?

dREam: In10 years’ time, you see yourself as…?

Zulkifli: We turned to our Chapman lecturers for their opinions on our film. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, they are all foreigners and are unfamiliar with how Singapore is. Yet, they can relate to the message behind Home because it is a universal theme that everyone can understand. Secondly, all of them are experienced in producing Hollywood films and therefore, can spot the flaws of our film easily. Their opinions made a difference in how we decided to tell our short film through the characters themselves.

Zulkifli: A new media producer. My love will always be with the digital world although I will always have a soft spot for short films too. It is easy to tell a story in a feature length film but the challenge comes when you need to tell the same thing within a few minutes.

dREam: How did you feel about winning the Best Direction category? Zulkifli: The win was unexpected. My team was actually banking on two other categories, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. We lost out on both categories and all of us were surprised when they announced Home as the winner for Best Direction. The feeling of winning a film award is indescribable. You will realise, in an instant, that everyone recognize your effort. They understand the message that you tried to convey, the emotions you tried to evoke and the value of your film. Yet, I have always believed that a director is as good as his crew and that his crew is as good as the producer. A good team will always produce good results.

dREam: What changes do you hope to see in the film industry in the future? Zulkifli: I would like the film industry to pay homage and recognition to the producers in Singapore. With more creative producers, there is a possibility of putting Singapore on par with the rest of the world in the film industry. For now, most films produced in Singapore are from the directors and even the actors themselves. Actors and directors are not trained to identify the proper content for the right audience and this is why we need producers. In other countries, producers are like the kings and are given top priorities when it comes to film business. Therefore, they are able to create and produce proper content. The producers in Singapore deserve the same treatment as well. Check out Home at cine65.sg/film/home/117!

dREam | Graduate’s Spotlight

dREam: Do you have any role models you look up to who have been a major influence in your filmmaking?

Lifestyle Tidbits | dREam

Being a Resolutionary Article by By JobsCentral BrightMinds

ow that New Year’s Day has come and gone, you should have already reviewed your old resolutions and drafted up a new list of promises for this year. Ask yourself this: how successful have you been at keeping your resolutions thus far? If you’re nodding to yourself and thinking “pretty successful”, good for you. Please continue in your efforts and persevere on. However, if you’re grinning sheepishly, there’s no need to feel shy. Join the club. Yours truly included. Many of us fall prey to the lure of resolution-making every time a new year swings around, because honestly, who can resist the temptation of wiping their slate clean and hopefully seeing a better, improved version of themselves? Not many, I think. Even Sheldon (of The Big Bang Theory fame), sociallyimpaired as he is, expresses interest in the potential for another him; an “even taller, smarter, and less prone to freckling, a Sheldon 2.0 if you will”. Jokes aside, let’s face it – resolutions rarely stick. As Mark Twain famously wrote in the 1863 New Year’s edition of Territorial Enterprise, “Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” A recent survey conducted by effectiveness consultancy FranklinCovey only confirms his hypothesis: three out of every four people do not follow through on their resolutions, despite their fervent protests to the contrary. We know resolutions are meaningful and beneficial for our personal development. We make them with the best of intentions. But if our resolutions are doomed to fail (for the majority of us anyway), should we even bother making them in the first place? Yes, I’d say – but with more stringent guidelines in place to ensure we stay on track.

I’m not going to delve into the specifics of making realistic, achievable New Year’s resolutions, given that there is already a trove of such advice readily available on the Internet. For those of you too lazy to Google the topic, however, here is a quick rundown of how to make your resolutions last beyond that sudden surge of holiday motivation: 1. Forget about whimsical dreams of grandeur. Make the right resolution for the right reasons by identifying the how’s and the why’s – How do you stand to benefit? Why do you want to improve in this aspect? What do you plan to accomplish as a result of the resolution? Have a reasonable and specific target in mind, such as “I want to lose 5kg by the end of this year” or “I want to take on and complete 3 big projects successfully before my next annual work review”. 2. Create a plan. Many resolutions fail because they are dumped by the wayside once New Year’s week has passed. Your task is to flesh out a working schedule for yourself by listing all the steps needed to accomplish your eventual goal and assigning due dates for each step. 3. The crux of all resolutions: commit to your plan! Definitely easier said than done, so this is where your comprehensive deadlines come in handy: you will be making significant progress so long as you are disciplined enough to live by your own rules. Don’t procrastinate!

4. Remain flexible. As the saying goes, “the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go awry”. Expect that your plan will require continual modification, because life often has a funny way of throwing unexpected curveballs at us. It is therefore best to periodically re-evaluate your goals and plans so as to ascertain whether the goal still accurately reflects what you wish to accomplish for yourself. Also, don’t forget to recognise your little partial successes along the way! Give yourself a pat on the back and keep going. What I’d also like to suggest, beyond doing the above, is to make yourself accountable for your resolutions. I’m not saying you should indulge in a bout of self-flagellation if you break your resolutions, but you really should take a good, hard look at yourself if zero progress has been made by the end of the year. Resolutions are personal promises, promises that you should have a real, bona fide intention of keeping because you’re investing in your best asset – yourself. So forget about half-baked plans, forget about unfulfilled dreams – the flesh can be very bit as willing as the spirit if only you’ll keep your nose to the grindstone. For that added bit of motivation, try sharing your resolutions with someone who knows you well! Check in regularly with that person to discuss your progress. After all, the New Year, like Christmas, is a time for family and friends – who better to offer up some tough love and show you how to be better?

This article has been reproduced with permission from JobsCentral BrightMinds, the leading job portal in Singapore that specialises in entry-level job positions. Visit them at brightminds.jobscentral.com.sg

Happenings | dREam

Meet the All-new CRAAC Article by Teo Xing Zhi, Graduate of 2011 Some of you may be wondering now: “Weren’t there 10 members voted in?” If you are, thank you for paying attention to our commentary on the voting site, and yes, you’re right! There are indeed 10 members voted in. The remaining six members will merge with the previous start-up alumni committee (called the Pro Tem Committee) and together they will form the core group of members that will support the four main faces of the CRAAC. Here’s the name list of all those who are in this new committee:

ou voted and we listened – and so now, ladies and gentlemen of the alumni of Republic Polytechnic, meet the new line-up from the Club Republic Alumni Association Committee (CRAAC): Leading the committee in representing you guys for at least the next two years is Sequeena Ong from SOI (formerly known as SIT – a necessary name change so as not to be confused with the upcoming university-polytechnic initiative). Supported by Vice-President Eugene Ang from SHL, they will be responsible for bringing all our ideas, problems and yes, even grievances (if any) to the key personnel at school. They’ll also be the ones to disseminate news from the school to us. Shakir Hozefa of SEG will be serving as Honorary General Secretary; he’ll be the one summoning everyone in for meetings, taking notes, passing out information about the club as well as managing the contact lists. It’s a tiring job, so let us all remember to support him by updating our contact information on the graduates’ portal if required! Finally, handling the alumni fund will be Yeo Xin Ying also from SHL. Perhaps under careful financial planning, we can someday have an alumni guild house right here in RP! Wouldn’t that be terrific?

Name

School/Centre

Ashan Sasitha Abeyratne Cai Jianxiong, Benjamin Chong Kin Mun Christopher Ethan Lee Chin How Evan Foo Chuan Yi Fadilah Binte Noor Sidek Fann Sim Xuan Ying Goh Cheng Ze, Glenn Gordon Tan Ping Hong Han Lwin Oo, Dennis Jacintha Marian Jeremy Ng Han Xiang Kan Chee Hoo Leong Jiawen, Kelvin Lim Tern Poh Lorinda Oh Wanting Mah Zhen Hao Mohd Hadi Bin Mohd Hayat Muhammad Redzuan B Jamil Nor Azleen Binte Suhardjono Nur Soleha Kamal Nurul Hidayah Binte Kamari Ong Jun Hao, Kenny Shanmugam Sivam Sim Bin Bin, Felicia Tan Kok Hui Tan Mei Ping Tan Wei Jie Clinston Teo Xing Zhi Toh Chie Kuan Wang Conghao Xie Zhi Jie Yasmin Binte Mohamed Amin Yeo Yi Quan

SEG SOI SAS STA SAS STA CCC SAS SOH SOI SAS SAS SAS SOI SAS CCC SOI SAS SAS CCC SHL SOH SOI SEG SOI SHL SAS SOI CCC SEG SEG STA SAS SAS

Year of Graduation 2007 2010 2006 2011 2011 2009 2011 2008 2011 2009 2008 2011 2007 2009 2008 2011 2009 2006 2009 2010 2009 2010 2007 2006 2009 2009 2007 2008 2011 2011 2010 2011 2006 2011

So there you have it – the new Club Republic Alumni Association Committee dedicated to serving you. If you’ve got any problems, come down and find us. We’ll do our best to become the best alumni committee ever!

15 dREam | Information

5 ways

to stay connected with your alma mater! Let your alma mater organise your gathering

Have your professional, social and personal needs met through our diverse range of alumni programmes.

Use your Club Republic Card to get birthday gifts for your loved ones

This card identifies you as an alumnus and offers you exclusive benefits and discounts. Apply for your Club Republic Card at www.rp.edu.sg/grad

Read dREam Magazine

Be updated on campus activities through this complimentary quarterly publication. Also available online at www.rp.edu.sg/grad

Give a shout-out to your alma mater

ou by ht to y hnic, g u o r B tec lic Poly ni. Repub lu a m for our

It’s FREE and

it’ll last you a lifetime! alumni@rp email - Your complimentary, lifelong email account that immediately identifies you as a member of the Republic Polytechnic community! Evoke your sense of pride and belonging to Republic Polytechnic by using an alumni@rp email accountalumni@ rp uses the email address format userid@alumni.myrp.edu.sg and helps you stay connected with your friends long after you have graduated. It is your gateway to maintain strong bonds with other alumni and also serves as a lifelong connection between you and your alma mater. • Large storage size for email (10GB for Outlook Live) • Password-protected 25GB online storage through Windows Live SkyDrive • Office Live Workspace - room for more than 1000 files

3 EASY STEPS

to start using your alumni@rp email account!

Stay connected with your alma mater through the official RP alumni Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/alumniRP

Make a donation bank in your karma credit

Your gift will make a difference to the wellbeing of financially-needy students. It frees them from financial worries and allows them to concentrate on pursuing academic excellence at RP. Logon to www.rp.edu.sg/giving

Check Email Step 1: Step 2: Step 3:

Go to URL www.rp.edu.sg/grad Click on the Check Email button found on the flash banner Login using the same method you logged in with when you were a student.

If you have any enquiries or are unable to login, simply email us at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg with your NRIC/FIN number, and we will assist you!

Calendar of Events | dREam

Calendar of Events March 2011 2, 5 March Building High Performance Team in Ubin* Venue: Republic@Ubin

6 March Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Workshop* Venue: Republic Polytechnic Campus

7 - 9 March An Introduction to Networked Storage*