Monday, May 25, 2009
I suppose I’m kind of obliged to write about graduation. Well, I guess it is kind of a big thing in my family for me to graduate from poly with the graduation gown and all, being the first grandchild (sort of) to do so. But to me, it’s just another thing we all have to go through. I don’t feel any different, except perhaps that I don’t have to go to school anymore (at least until I squeeze my way into university some day, and it’s not as if I went to school religiously as per my timetable anyway…).
I was more worried about my shoes flying off my feet on stage as they were feeling loose (which would be embarrassing in any situation, even more so on stage in front of hundreds of people), than feeling lost about what I’m going to do next now that I’ve graduated. I’ve always gone with the flow and so far the ride has been good. If I get a full-time job, that would be great. If I get into university, that would be great too. The thing is, I’ve been holding jobs and studying at the same time for nearly a quarter of my life, so adjusting wouldn’t be much of a problem.
While I have no strong feelings about graduation, I really need to thank all my poly project mates (especially Regina, Audrey, Tiffany and Kelvin), who have been great throughout all the projects. Thanks to the lecturers and tutors, especially those who gave me good grades (haha), who have been so much of an inspiration and guidance to me these past 3 years, whether they have actually taught me or not. And my parents, who have been nagging at me to ‘better do well’ and been supporting me and getting me out of many sticky ruts all these years. I know I’m not the easiest kid to handle. *cue tears*
So I’ve graduated. Congratulations to me. Congratulations to all of you who graduated too.
I was more worried about my shoes flying off my feet on stage as they were feeling loose (which would be embarrassing in any situation, even more so on stage in front of hundreds of people), than feeling lost about what I’m going to do next now that I’ve graduated. I’ve always gone with the flow and so far the ride has been good. If I get a full-time job, that would be great. If I get into university, that would be great too. The thing is, I’ve been holding jobs and studying at the same time for nearly a quarter of my life, so adjusting wouldn’t be much of a problem.
While I have no strong feelings about graduation, I really need to thank all my poly project mates (especially Regina, Audrey, Tiffany and Kelvin), who have been great throughout all the projects. Thanks to the lecturers and tutors, especially those who gave me good grades (haha), who have been so much of an inspiration and guidance to me these past 3 years, whether they have actually taught me or not. And my parents, who have been nagging at me to ‘better do well’ and been supporting me and getting me out of many sticky ruts all these years. I know I’m not the easiest kid to handle. *cue tears*
So I’ve graduated. Congratulations to me. Congratulations to all of you who graduated too.
what we could have been, 5/25/2009 10:33:00 AM.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Here's an article I wrote for my Journalism projects some time ago. Thought it was pretty good to share.
The strawberry generation, also known as Generation Y, is a term coined in Taiwan and refers to people born between the 1980s to the early 1990s. The general perception is that these people, having grown in a protected environment and with economic prosperity, are less able to withstand pressure or to do hard work, just like strawberries, which grow in a highly protected environment. So if you are in your twenties or late teens, you have unfortunately been classified as part of the strawberry generation.
Under the protective wings of family, they have little understanding of the difficulties and complexities of the real world, developing an unhealthy self-complacency. With the influence of the rapidly changing mass media, culture shocks from the East and West, coupled with the boundless Internet, they absorb massive amounts of information while developing an attitude and lifestyle quite different from the ‘old school’ concepts. They might be smart, but cannot cope with a heavy workload and intense working conditions. All of these make it difficult for them to adapt to the ‘real’ world.
I’m not sure if being generalized as part of the strawberry generation is an insult or underestimating the potential of Gen Y, but there are people whom I have met that fit the description of a ‘strawberry’. The world revolves around these people, they take everything they have for granted and everyone should cater to their needs only. Sometimes, these people are shockingly rude and uncouth, where has the Asian tradition of respect gone?
They do not work for their spending money, they can spend ten times of what I spend in a month in a day without batting an eyelid and when that runs out, they just go to their parents for more. They do not know what it feels like to be on a real tight budget, the kind that you would think twice about even going out to the mall to save on the travel fare, not the kind when you want to save to buy a Prada bag, because your parents said you busted your thousand-dollar credit limit. However, is this their fault?
The very people who label us as strawberries unfortunately might have to eat their words, as most of them would be parents of these ‘strawberries’. They spoil their children with huge allowances; give them what they want without making them work for it, and even protect them from punishment at school. I am sure you would have heard of parents who lodge complaints with the Ministry of Education just because the teacher was too strict and punished the child for not doing his homework.
A major weakness of the strawberry generation is the lack of planning for their future. They live only for their happiness and freedom while lacking a blueprint for their future life.
I cannot imagine what they would be like without the protection and financial backing from their parents. It is one thing for a parent to want to give your children the best life you can, but another to teach them discipline, to be independent, to work for what they want and not to take the things they have for granted.
That said, there are definitely some young people who are well-adapted, tough and know how to combine the good qualities of the “Strawberry Generation” and the wit of the old school styles. The true strawberries may rot away, but these other tough young people will survive and become future winners.
The strawberry generation, also known as Generation Y, is a term coined in Taiwan and refers to people born between the 1980s to the early 1990s. The general perception is that these people, having grown in a protected environment and with economic prosperity, are less able to withstand pressure or to do hard work, just like strawberries, which grow in a highly protected environment. So if you are in your twenties or late teens, you have unfortunately been classified as part of the strawberry generation.
Under the protective wings of family, they have little understanding of the difficulties and complexities of the real world, developing an unhealthy self-complacency. With the influence of the rapidly changing mass media, culture shocks from the East and West, coupled with the boundless Internet, they absorb massive amounts of information while developing an attitude and lifestyle quite different from the ‘old school’ concepts. They might be smart, but cannot cope with a heavy workload and intense working conditions. All of these make it difficult for them to adapt to the ‘real’ world.
I’m not sure if being generalized as part of the strawberry generation is an insult or underestimating the potential of Gen Y, but there are people whom I have met that fit the description of a ‘strawberry’. The world revolves around these people, they take everything they have for granted and everyone should cater to their needs only. Sometimes, these people are shockingly rude and uncouth, where has the Asian tradition of respect gone?
They do not work for their spending money, they can spend ten times of what I spend in a month in a day without batting an eyelid and when that runs out, they just go to their parents for more. They do not know what it feels like to be on a real tight budget, the kind that you would think twice about even going out to the mall to save on the travel fare, not the kind when you want to save to buy a Prada bag, because your parents said you busted your thousand-dollar credit limit. However, is this their fault?
The very people who label us as strawberries unfortunately might have to eat their words, as most of them would be parents of these ‘strawberries’. They spoil their children with huge allowances; give them what they want without making them work for it, and even protect them from punishment at school. I am sure you would have heard of parents who lodge complaints with the Ministry of Education just because the teacher was too strict and punished the child for not doing his homework.
A major weakness of the strawberry generation is the lack of planning for their future. They live only for their happiness and freedom while lacking a blueprint for their future life.
I cannot imagine what they would be like without the protection and financial backing from their parents. It is one thing for a parent to want to give your children the best life you can, but another to teach them discipline, to be independent, to work for what they want and not to take the things they have for granted.
That said, there are definitely some young people who are well-adapted, tough and know how to combine the good qualities of the “Strawberry Generation” and the wit of the old school styles. The true strawberries may rot away, but these other tough young people will survive and become future winners.
what we could have been, 5/12/2009 11:11:00 AM.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Your score on this personality test was 42%
Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a longer time to get over if that trust is ever broken.
Personality Quiz
Take More Quizzes
what we could have been, 5/11/2009 12:03:00 PM.
Friday, May 08, 2009
People somehow are never satisfied with what they are given or what they have. I guess this ‘unsatisfaction’ would usually bring about improvement, discoveries or breakthroughs. Therefore, if there are people who are unsatisfied with their leaders, whether it is in the workplace or their country, this may indicate that the leader has a weakness that he/she should take the opportunity to change or improve on.
However, pride usually comes with the role of a leader. One has to be confident of his/her role and present a strong image to the subordinates, which may sometimes lead to his/her head ballooning to the size of a hot-air balloon (metaphorically, of course). When a situation like this happens, the person in the role of the leader tends to forget all humility and start to ignore his/her weaknesses, the thoughts and opinions of his/her subordinates that may be crucial in decision-making as a leader.
Then, when a blunder is made, whether big or small, the subordinates will start to doubt the abilities of their leader. This is probably because a leader is supposed to be ‘perfect’, the best person for the job, which means that there is no room for a mistake, with no ‘s’ to indicate plural because the world can be so unforgiving . This problem within the hierarchy can be seen so often in the newspapers, political struggles, riots, companies collapsing and so on, all having to do (directly or indirectly) with a leader not being able to manage his role well.
For example, in a fast food restaurant, a manager (other than managerial duties) should be able to complete the tasks that a regular crew member has to do, especially if the role requires him/her to conduct training. On top of just completing the tasks, the manager has to understand the reasoning behind the tasks and be able to explain why the task has to be done. This will show that the manager has sufficient background and qualifications to be a leader, and worth respecting and listening to.
A leader has to be like an octopus. He/she no longer has the luxury of doing things one by one, he/she has to muliti-task. It is not imperative for all the jobs to be finished at the same time, but he/she should at least make sure everything is accounted for and keep up to date on the progress of each task. If I had to be in charge I would make lists or agendas of the things I need to go through for meetings and the tasks I have to complete, helping my team members make everything easier by being organised.
So, in my humblest opinion, I think leaders should live up to their status. They need to have a solid foundation in whatever job they do, and not let people below them in the hierarchy have the chance to doubt their abilities, as this will make the leader seem unreliable and not worthy of their role.
That said, I think everyone is a leader. You make decisions for yourself, you decide if you want to listen to instructions or not. You know the consequences of the options that you have (if you don’t, it means you haven’t got a brain to think). For example, if your mother asks you to see if the water in the pot is boiling, and you get scalded when you stick a finger in the water to see if it is hot enough. Why did you put a finger in the boiling water? Whose decision was it? The instruction was to check if the water was boiling. Your role was to decide how you wanted to complete the task. Do you blame your mother for asking you to check on the water? Or should you blame yourself for being plain stupid?
As such, while we might be able to blame the big mistake on a leader, think about the decision you made that landed you in this mistake as well, you should shoulder some of the blame and not be afraid to take the responsibility. After all, you learn from it and grow up, because as the cliché goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
However, pride usually comes with the role of a leader. One has to be confident of his/her role and present a strong image to the subordinates, which may sometimes lead to his/her head ballooning to the size of a hot-air balloon (metaphorically, of course). When a situation like this happens, the person in the role of the leader tends to forget all humility and start to ignore his/her weaknesses, the thoughts and opinions of his/her subordinates that may be crucial in decision-making as a leader.
Then, when a blunder is made, whether big or small, the subordinates will start to doubt the abilities of their leader. This is probably because a leader is supposed to be ‘perfect’, the best person for the job, which means that there is no room for a mistake, with no ‘s’ to indicate plural because the world can be so unforgiving . This problem within the hierarchy can be seen so often in the newspapers, political struggles, riots, companies collapsing and so on, all having to do (directly or indirectly) with a leader not being able to manage his role well.
For example, in a fast food restaurant, a manager (other than managerial duties) should be able to complete the tasks that a regular crew member has to do, especially if the role requires him/her to conduct training. On top of just completing the tasks, the manager has to understand the reasoning behind the tasks and be able to explain why the task has to be done. This will show that the manager has sufficient background and qualifications to be a leader, and worth respecting and listening to.
A leader has to be like an octopus. He/she no longer has the luxury of doing things one by one, he/she has to muliti-task. It is not imperative for all the jobs to be finished at the same time, but he/she should at least make sure everything is accounted for and keep up to date on the progress of each task. If I had to be in charge I would make lists or agendas of the things I need to go through for meetings and the tasks I have to complete, helping my team members make everything easier by being organised.
So, in my humblest opinion, I think leaders should live up to their status. They need to have a solid foundation in whatever job they do, and not let people below them in the hierarchy have the chance to doubt their abilities, as this will make the leader seem unreliable and not worthy of their role.
That said, I think everyone is a leader. You make decisions for yourself, you decide if you want to listen to instructions or not. You know the consequences of the options that you have (if you don’t, it means you haven’t got a brain to think). For example, if your mother asks you to see if the water in the pot is boiling, and you get scalded when you stick a finger in the water to see if it is hot enough. Why did you put a finger in the boiling water? Whose decision was it? The instruction was to check if the water was boiling. Your role was to decide how you wanted to complete the task. Do you blame your mother for asking you to check on the water? Or should you blame yourself for being plain stupid?
As such, while we might be able to blame the big mistake on a leader, think about the decision you made that landed you in this mistake as well, you should shoulder some of the blame and not be afraid to take the responsibility. After all, you learn from it and grow up, because as the cliché goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
what we could have been, 5/08/2009 01:30:00 PM.
