Time for a quick break

Been extremely stress since I got back from Tokyo. And with T headed to Melbourne soon, might as well take a quick getaway.

Batam with champers.... The way I like it.

Fashion instinct

What happens when you put 2 shoppaholics together? you basically just shop.

The last minute HK trip was a amazing with lotsa merchandise on at least 50% off! Can't imagine the number of sales I have missed out all these years.

The heat in HK is really terrible, but good company and amazing shopping deals just makes it all worth it.

A piece of history

Have we forgot our past? Tearing down buildings without thinking? Or just clearing the old to make room for the new?

Welcome to my dream home... ...

Number 32 Gilstead Road is where my dream house resides. The beauty and elegance of this house is indescribable.

Sigh....anyone can lend me 32 million? Hahaha....but I can't pay back.

Brunch with min at white rabbit

Sponging off Bob

Thanks to M, I got a new swanky notebook for free! So cute and the pages are in grid. No more messy writings. =)

Future of shopping in SG

It is love

Sometimes we are disillusioned by all the noise in a relationship. And at times we don't know if we really love that someone. But there is actually a device that never lies and always working. 

The heart. 

It actually emits pain when disappointment befalls.

Aiyah..... basically u feel happiness and pain so easily. 

15 Minutes dinner

Lovely dinner with the boys at 15 minutes.

A fetish for eggs

I have always wanted to own a Faberge, and probably this might be the egg.... pristine and quiet. 

When E=MC(Square) But the answer is not there

Some problems do not come with a solution. I have grown to understand this and accepted this as a way of life. But how do we solve a problem like this when it entails a lot of heartache? Probably time will wash away the pain and I would have moved on with the water.

Is this necessary?

Round and nice

When will I learn that nice guys will die first? Bugger.

Another battle won only when you are out

I told my sister today, " A church is not a place to congregate but a place to celebrate victory. How can there be a victory if you did not leave church to spread his words through your actions? Only when you have touched someone with your actions, can be go back to church and celebrate a victory won."

She is a bright girl and I hope my words heard from a pastor in Perth would make a difference to her. I can't help but mention my buddy Jon who stood by me and does not judge me for the fact that I am a non-christian. Love him to bits just for being a friend who accepts me as a friend.

That forgotten speech

This is classic! I stumbled upon my valedictory speech made while I was in Poly. Amazing!!!! Almost forgotten the days that I was known somewhat as an influential figure in Nanyang.

Nanyang Polytechnic

School of Business Management

Graduation Ceremony, 29 August 2002

Valedictory Message

 

Our Guest-of-Honour, Dr Diana Young, CEO/Group General Manager of Mil-Com  Aerospace Pte Ltd,

Mr Lin Cheng Ton, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Nanyang Polytechnic,

Members of the Nanyang Polytechnic Board of Governors,

Members of the School of Business Management Advisory Committee,

Distinguished guests, Lecturers, Parents and Fellow Graduates,

Ladies and Gentlemen;

It is an honour and privilege to be speaking on behalf of my fellow students. This is indeed a momentous day for us. Today marks the culmination of all the time and effort that we have put in as students at the SBM. We are graduating; we are about to receive our diplomas.

 

My name is Adrian Tan and I was from NYP’s Marketing option. Looking around this auditorium, I see a flood of familiar faces, faces that I am glad to see. I would like to congratulate each and every student of the graduating class. We have made it!

 

It seems only yesterday when we had to decide what to wear for our first day of school, wondered how our lecturers might look like and what our next three years at NYP would hold. We were told that the change from secondary school was going to be a tremendous one involving a lot of hard work and independent learning. Despite this, polytechnic life has also proved itself to be the most colourful and enjoyable part of our lives thus far. We have all cemented friendships and shared experiences here that we are glad to have and will cherish for always.  

 

The new economy requires individuals with entrepreneurial ability. This is nothing foreign to us as SBM students since the Small Business Development and E-business modules have pushed us to think of innovative ways to add value to old industries as well as to create new products.

Information technology plays an integral part in the working world and NYP recognises its importance. Throughout our course of study the necessary skills to cope with the digital economy were imparted to us. We can now proudly say that setting up a fully functioning commercial web site is a breeze. This is just one example of the advantages we have over other graduates.

 

I hope our potential employers heard that.

 

When doing business, we must communicate our ideas clearly and confidently to our potential clients. This ability does not come naturally to everyone. We have been put through effective communication modules and had seminars on effective public speaking. As a result, all graduates of SBM are able to give a full-length presentation with confidence and poise; yet another asset that that will benefit us in many ways.

 

We also have the benefit of six months’ of practical training under our belts. I am sure the Teaching Enterprise Project ranks amongst one of our most memorable experiences. For half a year, we managed our clientele’s projects, retail outlets and even a bank with the aid of our lecturers. We had to deal with genuine situations and this gave us the opportunity to synthesise what we learnt in theory with the realities of the working world. The marketing students were assigned various jobs within retail outlets, the Conference and Exhibition centre and CBPC. My favourite stop is the CEC, where we were entrusted to organise and implement functions and seminars. We had to employ our creativity to anticipate unexpected situations. It was an enjoyable and very enriching learning experience.

 

Attachment is a must for every polytechnic student and NYP is no exception. Being more fortunate, I landed myself an overseas attachment with Club Mediterranean. I had to be independent and assimilate into a new work culture. It was extremely challenging but fun. Club Med’s guests were of numerous nationalities and I needed to maintain interesting conversations with them whilst observing tactfulness so as not to offend anyone’s cultural mores. This also included coping with requests that were sometimes unreasonable. It gave me an insight to what working overseas entailed.

 

We have also been educated to be dynamic for the industry’s needs change rapidly. Customer Relationship Management is an aspect of business that has been given an increasing amount of emphasis. In a knowledge-based economy, there is a need for people with info-communication skills, to manage and build companies’ existing and potential customer base. We were exposed to ideas and methods to provide good customer service. We also had the opportunity to put theory into practice with our state-of-the-art Customer Relationship Management lab and live Call Centre training lab, where we could play the roles of customer service agents and customers. I’m sure we can recall how awkward it was to do the role-play. But after the giggling and queasiness had settled, we became more at ease on the telephone.

 

To be the best one needs to be taught by the best. But that is not all; there is also a need to compete with the best. The SBM solicits participation in external competitions that are relevant to its students. This includes the LKY Global Business Plan Competition and the SIM management game to name just a couple. Such competitions are important as they impartially assess and affirm the calibre of the students.

 

In the push to make all of us well rounded individuals, NYP has created a conducive environment for CCAs to flourish. Housing over 30 clubs, the Student Affairs Department allows students to develop their potential to the fullest. Through StageArts, I uncovered my passion for fine arts with my involvement in Dick Lee’s Musical, Hotpants. The Debating Club gave me opportunities to engage critically with different perspectives over important issues.

 

The world is recovering from the unfavourable economic situation of the past two years, and we can now see a streak of silver amidst the dark clouds. From this, we must discern the need to be pro-active and future oriented by constantly upgrading ourselves. This can be achieved by working towards obtaining a degree or taking up courses to further our education. We should prepare for the ever-changing economy and know that the skills acquired today may become obsolete tomorrow. Our graduation here is the first step that we have taken towards a life-long process of enrichment through learning. I urge each of you to keep a positive attitude and stay optimistic. Believe in yourself and you will not falter. 

On behalf of the graduating students, I would like to take this opportunity to extend our deepest thanks to Mr. Lin Cheng Ton for believing in the total development of a student’s potential, and also to everyone from SA for making our days in NYP so very enjoyable and fulfilling. We also express our heartfelt gratitude to all the lecturers and the director, Mr Sheshamani, for their dedication and commitment. The support we have been given has had a phenomenal impact on our lives. We won’t be here today without you. Thank You.

 

Let us not forget this day and all our other days at NYP. I am certain the time and effort we have devoted here has blossomed into many precious memories for all of us. I wish you success in your future endeavors. May you find joy in all that you pursue. Once again, congratulations!

 

Thank you very much.

An Indian Mantra

Mustafa is truly amazing. It allows me to shop and do things that I cannot imagine possible during office hours.

I managed to develop some pictures urgently for postage in a matter of minutes and purchase stamps while I am at it. Cool!

Would Zirca be as fun?

Had so much fun last night at Fabulous's last gig at Power House. The crowd was amazing and we were literally pushed along on the dance floor. Some just hate it, but for me.....well...that was all part of the deal right? Hahahaha

AL and I were just drinking in a contest to see who would be sluttier that evening. 

Party on!!!!

Jade for CNY

Had lunch with T this afternoon and we started discussing about relationships. 

AD: "I think that it is abnormal in a g-relationship should there be no problems at all. Especially, fidelity issues..."

T: "You do realise that we are jaded just for thinking that way."

Yes, I am jaded. Sianzzzzz.....

MOOO....MOOOSEEEEEE

Was it a moose or a reindeer that I saw tonight? 

The Piper Cham is giving me a headache! HELP!