Interview for IES

Back in August, I conducted an interview for IES (Institution of Engineers, Singapore) as part of their National Engineering Day 2011 (NED 2011) efforts to encourage high school students in Singapore to consider engineering as a career option. While I have conducted many interviews in the past for my school and college magazines, this was the first time I did a project that is outside of school and up for display publicly. It was fun and exciting and I enjoyed the process even though wrestling with semantic nuances was challenging at times. 

I wanted to share this now that its up on their website.

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National Engineers Day 2011

Interview with Ms Wang Ai-Chie Principal Package Design Engineer, Micron Semiconductor Asia Pte Ltd Written by: Mr Rohit Menon (Temasek Polytechnic). Ms Wang Ai-Chie. I was invited to meet Ms. Wang in..

In conversation with Tan Jie Yim Priscilla

An edited version of this article was featured in the July 2011 issue of ENGINEERRUS (The official magazine of Temasek Engineering School) under the title of "Tower of Strength". Below is the original transcript of the article that I had written before it was sent for editing and publishing.

Standing at a mere 147cms tall, Tan Jie Yim Priscilla can easily be mistaken for an ordinary girl who follows the ideal life of a student. This is true until you take a closer look at what she does. Unlike many others, this former TP student, who graduated in 2010 with a Diploma in Business Process and Systems Engineering (BZE), has a rather unique and rare pasttime of stilt walking. She works as a performer with Tian Eng Dragon and Lion Dance Centre and has been regularly performing with them at several major events and shows that include Resorts World Sentosa. She credits her penchant for learning and the interest to try out new things in life as the key reason to why she was attracted to the sport.

“Stilt walking is not an easy task and it needs balancing which is most important” says Priscilla who has been performing since 2004. “When I started off, it was very scary and I took a few hours to learn and balance myself fully”. Standing at a height of two meters, seeing Priscilla perform often leaves viewers in awe in addition to giving them goosebumps. “After you tie everything up and are ready to take the first step, you are always wary of falling and keep wanting to hold something” When asked if she had any bad experiences while performing, Priscilla mentions a time when she fell during one of her performances after accidentally stepping on a patch of water and some flowers. “The key is to fall forward with your knees bent, instead of backwards, as the shin guards and hand pumps offer protection and support.” She mentions determination and discipline towards practice sessions as vital traits of a stilt walker’s success.

She acknowledges her family and friends who supported her during her studies and encouraged her to work hard towards her aspirations. “I had a hard time coping with my studies, but I always had my family, especially my Dad and boyfriend, whose constant encouragement kept me going” recalls Priscilla who now works as an Admin Executive at Trillion Lifestyle Pte. Ltd. She hopes to work hard and eventually tour the world with her parents who, despite setbacks, kept going and never gave up.

With her hardwork and persistence, we are certain that she will reach even greater heights in life - those that lie beyond the realms of stilt walking.

Fireside chat with Ms. Wang Yuyan

An edited version of this article was featured in the January 2011 issue of ENGINEERRUS (The official magazine of Temasek Engineering School) under the title of "No Mountain Too High". Below is the original transcript of the article that I had written before it was sent for editing and publishing.

Back in 2006, TP introduced its new Diploma in Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) course. Five years on, it has become one of the most sought-after courses in TP. We caught up with Ms. Wang Yuyan, one of the students from the pilot batch of 2006, and who graduated in 2009, to see how she was coping with life after TP.

Ms. Wang recently graduated from the prestigious International Hotel Management Institute (IMI) in Lucrene, Switzerland with a BA (Hons.) in International Hotel and Tourism Management. It is interesting to note that Ms. Wang’s acceptance into IMI throws light on how versatile and well recognized TP’s Diploma in IFM is. Taking time out to answer a questionnaire, she credits TP for preparing her for the future. “My Diploma in IFM provided me with the basic foundation for the hospitality industry. It has helped me to better understand what was being taught in class and as a diploma graduate it allowed me to advance to a higher level of study” she remembers. Some of her favourite subjects included Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism, Introduction to Language and Culture (French) and Attractions Management and Club and Resort Business. She fondly recalled memories of staying late in school with friends to meet project deadlines and how much the facilities provided by TP helped her to conduct her own self- study or for doing group work with friends.

Talking about life in Switzerland, she described how much she thoroughly enjoyed studying in Europe. “In our free time, my classmates and I would take the opportunity to travel around Europe. So far I have been to Milan, London and Amsterdam, places I would never think I'd visit. It has been quite an experience so far as it is my first time studying abroad and I am enjoying every single bit of it”.

Ms. Wang aspires to hold a managerial position at a five star hotel someday. We wish her all
the very best in this endeavor.

In conversation with Mdm. Oei. Tsu Min, Charmaine.

An edited version of this article was featured in the July 2010 issue of ENGINEERRUS (The official magazine of Temasek Engineering School) under the title of "Please Hit Me!". Below is the original transcript of the article that I had written before it was sent for editing and publishing.

How would you like to have whipped cream splashed onto your face repeatedly for 4 hours? An engineering school lecturer did just that in the name of charity. Urging students and colleagues to have a go at her, Ms. Charmaine Oei, a Communications Skills lecturer urged: “Please think of all the bad things I’ve done to you, and now you can take revenge”.

Amidst her hectic schedule, she spared time to tell me about her rather remarkable experience. It all began when she and her care group were brainstorming ideas for the CCN Day. Their stall, being located at the concourse level near the Short-Circuit canteen, was right in the middle of the excitement and prospects for a good earning looked promising. They settled on a game stall that they said was going to be ‘different’. Two of the ideas that arose from the discussion were dunking a person head-first into a tub of water and throwing pies at someone’s face. While the former was deemed a little too violent, the latter was still worth exploring. Flinging pies at a person’s face may have looked really exciting; however, no one volunteered to be at the receiving end. After further discussions, they settled on plateful of whipped cream instead of the pie. This attracted just one volunteer. So Ms. Oei surprised everyone by agreeing to be the other. “I thought it would be fun” she said, adding that she didn’t think of it as a big deal.

While the stall did attract a huge crowd of surprised visitors, however, not many people stepped up for the challenge. Both students and staff were equally hesitant inspite of Ms. Oei literally “begging” them to take a shot at her, at least for charity. While those who did step up for the challenge ensured that they missed their target, other simply paid the money but refused to take the shot. “It was a unique learning experience” admits Ms. Oei. Her perception of students changed forever after that. “I realized that they are not vicious but very respectful”. The greatest thing she said she learnt was that people are naturally very considerate and supportive about CCN day. “I didn’t feel embarrassed at all, instead people appreciated the hard work that we put in” adds a modest Ms. Oei.

Along with another game of guessing the number of chocolates in a jar, her class was able to raise a total of $89. When asked if she would do it again next CCN day, she happily agrees but expects to see more volunteers. We may see her again next time, with more innovative ideas. Perhaps it might be something about dunking a person head-first into a tub of water.